#i want to design them looking a lot healthier etc

[wishfulsketching]

i don’t even have the words to explain how much i like your art, you’re one of my favorite artists on here! also the thing about young silco looking “weird” because he’s healthier… you’re so right :(

You are so kind, too kind, asdfsgdj idk what to say

Well, I do know what to say about Silco. He has a perfect villain design, but it's even better when you realize all things that are in his design because he is an unhealthy, suffering citizen of the undercity. Rich or not. Seeing his younger self is a nice gut punch.

(All the Chem Barons are like that. I don't think Finn decided to replace his jaw on a whim, bet it got fucked up and he made it work)

[superectojazzmage]

Just back from Alien Romulus and hoooo boy oh boy. Review/analysis.

Easily the best Alien movie since the first two, which isn't saying much, yeah, but it is legit a really cool and well-made movie, competing with Late Night With The Devil, Longlegs, and Cuckoo for title of my favorite horror movie this year.

In a lot of ways it's about harvesting the few good ideas from the post-2 movies that were squandered and doing them right, plus getting the series back to it's healthier roots, kinda the movie equivalent of someone doing physical therapy to get back in the saddle after an injury. This means it's not quite brand new ground like some may hope for and I've heard some people feel it gets a little derivative at points because of it. I can kinda agree and certainly understand that criticism, but I feel it does what it's aiming for really well and sets things up for future works to go in even crazier directions. Furthermore, it takes a lot of time to try and weld together the disparate post-2 movies in a way that brings the series back to a little coherency.

The atmosphere is really intense and cool, swinging between lovecraftian dread and build-up and high-energy chaos. The aesthetics and special effects are gorgeous, taking full advantage of the progress that technology has made since 2 plus really digging in to the used cassette future vibe of the older films. The characters are likable and actually intelligent (or at least understandable) in behavior like in the first two movies, so you care about what's happening to them instead of just waiting for them to get munched. The action and kills were really cool and creative, the cinematography in general was off-kilter in an awesome way - there's a definite attempt to make the movie feel claustrophobic and intimate. Fede Alvarez did a fantastic job in general, I'd love to see him do more with the series.

It REALLY cranks up the series' psychosexual, freudian, and sexual assault subtext, arguably to a point where it's just plain text. So if you're sensitive to stuff like that or if this is your first go at Alien, be warned for that.

More specific notes go under the header for spoilers. Highly recommend you go in as blind as you can.

Andy and Rain were wonderful leads, their dynamic was fantastic and Calie Spaeny and David Jonsson both turned in great performances. I direly hope they join the first two films' casts as "major" characters for the series going forward.

The effects to make Daniel Betts look like Ian Holms were quite possibly the one and only time the special effects failed. It looks very wonky, which is sad because Betts does a really good job copying Holms' mannerisms for Ash while still making Rook feel like a distinct character.

In addition to the usual themes of sexual unease, genetics, and parenthood, this movie adds in some really interesting themes of familial legacy, the rise of new generations, foundations, etc.. Andy and Rain are like Romulus and Remus of myth, orphaned and left to fend for themselves but growing into founders of a new age - both in-story with their carrying the XX121 substance and evidence of Weyland-Yutani's misdeeds to Yvaga and out-of-story with them being the protagonists of a new era for Alien. Likewise, the Offspring is the first example of an entirely new species, neither human nor alien but taking from the lineages of both through Kay and Big Chap, a Romulus-like founder of it's breed that will later bear fruit in Resurrection with the Ripley clone and Newborn.

I'm really not kidding when I say above that the psychosexual undercurrents are taken to the extreme here. This movie basically sees the ways the original film subtly pin-pricked at those themes, says "fuck that", and deliberately rubs it in your face in a way designed to make sure you can't ignore it. It wants you to be grossed out and to squirm in your chair and it knows exactly how to make it happen.

Alvarez noted in the lead-up to release that he took a lot of influence from Isolation and you can definitely see that in how he depicts the Xenomorphs and the general aura of the film. He further described it as a kind of halfway point between the first and second movies and you can also see that; it has the Lovecraft-style tension and horror of the first, balanced with the energy and action of the second, and it does a really good job finding a middle ground between Ridley Scott and James Cameron's styles while also doing it's own dance.

I mentioned way back at the start how the movie basically harvests the good ideas from 3, Resurrection, Prometheus, and Covenant and gives them the room they deserve while dumping the bad. It does that in both terms of themes/style and continuity/lore. Concepts that those movies bungled like xeno-human hybridism, the black goo, genetic engineering as a focus, and so on are done here more creatively and competently. Themes that those films tried and failed to tackle are handled with significantly more grace. It has the atmosphere and characterization of 3 but none of it's baggage and needlessly depressive tone. It has the body horror and weirdness of Resurrection without taking it to the zany, embarrassing areas that movie went. The effects and creativity of Prometheus and Covenant without any of their awful writing and clumsy messages. Alvarez takes on kind of an Al Ewing-esque "repairman" writing style here.

The Xenomorphs are absolutely deranged in behavior compared to most portrayals, attacking like either cruel sadists or raging chimps and rarely bothering to take hosts. I'm not sure if such a reading was intended, but I got the vibe that the idea is Xenos raised without a queen or hive grow to be basically sociopathic like how real world predatory animals grown without parental figures become feral and dysfunctional. Which would also explain a lot about how the Xeno in the original movie, Big Chap, acts there.

The Offspring's design is fucking wicked and I love it.

One of my few major criticisms is that Big Chap died off-screen instead of getting more to do. What was the point of having him be alive at the start if he wasn't gonna be used beyond a backstory point to set up the main story?

All in all, a very impressive effort and a great return to form for the series that I recommend highly.

[shrimpkini]

For my designs it was really important to me that there was a physical change in Dazai’s appearance from his PM days to joining the ADA. I wanted him looking a little healthier between the ages of 15-22. I thought it would serve as nice symbolism and also separate the designs a little.

As someone who struggles with mental health issues I can say people just look different when they’re in a better place. Now this isn’t to say Dazai is healed, he still struggles with depression and suicidal ideation but he is in a better place compared to his PM days imo. It has been a slow transition in the making, the ADA being the final nail in the coffin. He looks a little more full of life and he’s going outside a lot more. Because of that I think he’s tanned a little bit and his hair has taken on a warmer hue (the change in hair color can also be seen a little in the show).

These ideas come from the 15 manga. A big appearance change in the manga is Dazai’s transition from dead bodiless eyes to having shine in them after meeting Chuuya. From there he searches for reasons to live while struggling with his depression. Along the way he picks up traits from observing Chuuya, making friends with Oda and Ango, mentoring Atsushi, etc. Everyone in his life influenced him into becoming the man he is in the present timeline. There are still traces of that darkness (we can see this in the prison arc) but now there is more warmth and a contradiction between wanting to live and die. Super interesting stuff. Anyway thanks for coming to my Ted Talk. All of these are HCs and my interpretations of course so if you don’t agree, that’s fine. But I hope you like it regardless.

[celestialtarot11]

If you were a celeb, what would your vibe be? 💋🎬🌟 professions, careers etc 😍✨

Hi friends! Today we’ll be looking into something pretty fun! Your vibe as a celeb 💅🏻 enjoy and feel free to comment like and reblog 💗

Pile 1: Hi there pile 1’s! 🤗🌟 For pile 1 I am picking up you would be a singer or a musician of some kind. I’m seeing RGB lighting in a concert, slow dancing from you itself, holding the microphone and it’s a jazz kind of vibe. Slow and sensual, but enough to grip you because of the tantalizing way you sing 🤍 some of ya’ll may have beautiful voices! For some of ya’ll you have an indie vibe and keep it fun, lively, and sometimes sensual in the concerts 💅🏻 I also see you guys would have an awesome costume designer capturing a retro vintage style of dressing. Very dreamy colors, makeup, and visuals that is alluring. I feel you’d have such an alluring appearance and you’re private as well, you may not post personal information to the public but mostly share your band, music, and travels 🤗🤍 I absolutely adore this pile because this is my kind of music 😍 if ya’ll had a band already I’d book tickets! You’d travel to popular places like LA and the West Coast, NYC, Boston, I also heard Oregon…? That may resonate for a few of you 😂 But you love your fans and you’d have a close relationship with them, and i feel as a celeb your music is incredibly important. I feel like you’d make a lot of music based on romance & love and capturing how that feels. I feel like you’d be the celeb to bring back that teenager in us and thats why fans love you! 🤗💗 you cultivate a powerful community because you bring together nostalgic feelings & memories. I feel like people would definitely admire you a lot, and they’d love if you held Q&A sessions so they got to know your history with music, how you started, and how you met your band 👏 You’d have such a sex appeal too because you appear dreamy, comfortable, radiant and yet private 💋✨ some of yall may not be into music but modeling too, and you’d have a very dreamy appearance and unique look! Thank you my pile 1’s! Feel free to support by liking commenting and reblogging 🤍🌟

Pile 2: Hi there pile 2’s! We’ve got some influencers up in here in terms of health & wellness. Also fitness. I feel you guys would encourage your fans to eat healthier, and you’d do intensive research into healthier foods and holistic medicine 🌟💗 and as a result people really like you because you give them alternatives to medicine and popping pills 😂 also because I feel like you have a beautiful visual appearance. You appear put together, clean, professional and fun! You have a light hearted yet determined aura and people feel attracted to that 💅🏻✨ some of ya’ll might vlog & talk about your day, and people are invested in your workout routine, diet, and health! And also some of yall may have dogs so your fans would love them 🤗 I also feel like ya’ll would do wonderful creating your own wellness products and selling fitness related gear, people would love that! Especially those with disabilities that still want to work out. There’s something about you and how you create wellness products that are unique, they are designed for people that struggle or need help. I feel you hear your fans and you want to deliver results that are efficient and effective. I feel you’d work wonderfully with children too, and may pair up with organizations catered to the disabled and poverty. So people see you as incredibly humble, helpful, and supportive! You’re incredibly engaging with your fans & community and open to feedback! I feel like you’d be a great motivation speaker too, not because you’re aggressive but because you’re calm, efficient, and reliable in your tone. And you validate people’s experiences and feelings! People are drawn to your reassuring, gentle and determined personality 🤍🌟 you’d do great marketing fitness products too, or makeup products as well! If you’re into makeup you’d model and your fans love your reviews, they love how you do your makeup with precision and you’re unique with it too. You have innovative makeup ideas that people never thought of and it turns out beautiful 😍 I also feel you’d have something unique about your appearance and people cant forget it! It makes you stand out & beautiful 🤗💗 Overall you’d be open with your fans, inclusive, diverse and focus on educating them with health or tips for beauty 💗✨ so maybe you’re south asian and you want to make south asian makeup for those with olive undertones! That would be catering to a specific demographic! And people would greatly appreciate you because of how inclusive you are 🌟 thank you pile 2! Feel free to like comment and reblog for support 🤍

Pile 3: Hi there pile 3! So happy you’re here 🤍🤗 Lets get on with it shall we? Some of yall may have a welsh accent 😂 anyway! I feel like yall have great jokes and would be known for your comedy. Maybe you blow up as a meme at first and then you get into acting 💅🏻 and people are taken away by your skills and effort! You are effortlessly hilarious and yet intentional, and you’d be recognized for it. I feel you have a lot of charisma as a celeb too, because you’re natural at getting people to like you. You’re very good at conversation and with one conversation you’d have someone gripped. Especially an interviewer. I see a lot of people interviewing you & wanting to get to know you. Huge audience, and you love it all! Sometimes anxious, but eventually you and your PR form great bonds so they know when to pull you out 😂 but anyway, I feel like you’re a natural at understanding what to do, how to do it, and you’re overall amazing! You’d do wonderful in movies and tv shows! Some of ya’ll could also be a runway model, and behind the scenes your humor is what gets you noticed and you go on to have your own page, where you sell to your own fans any product 💗 and I feel like you’d keep a healthy distance with your fans! I also feel you’d have such a striking appearance especially your eyes, theres something very different and unique about the color or intensity. It leaves interviewers forgetting what they said 🤣 but they definitely are hooked! You have a lot of sex appeal and you may not realize it, but people do. People also create sexual fantasies of you in their mind & they daydream about you. You could take care of your body a lot and people admire that! Thank you pile 3 feel free to comment like or reblog! 💗🌟 thank yall so much!

Paid Readings 🤍✨

[mdhwrites]

TOH's Double Ending Error

The show ends twice and the second one is way more fanservicey... And just objectively worse. Worse yet, it literally takes longer than the first ending by two minutes, making it so that six minutes of the finale is just... Pointless. In a show that was shortened and people say needed every bit of time it needed.

For those who don't know what I'm talking about, the first ending is what happens right after Belos is beaten. We get narration over scenes by Luz who is letting us know effectively the aftermath of the big events. This is actually pretty classic as far as endings go because it's a good way to de-escalate things and cover questions people might have. Here we see scenes showing people are safe, happy, back with their loved ones, better off than they were before, etc. like that. It even takes a realistic but optimistic viewpoint on how the Isles will be after Belos' defeat. That it will be hard but that people are interested in coming back together and putting aside old pains. The lingering shadows will be dealt with and the future is bright.

And then we have Luz come out of The Owl House with Stringbean to reminisce about herself. A farewell to the main character as she does mourn her magic but assures us that she doesn't need it anymore. That everything has made her stronger and ready to face the future. It is a genuinely good, final moment for her arc, regardless of if you think she has gone on an arc at all. Then, we get a glamour shot of her thinking about how this isn't the end of her story, but the start of a new chapter!

I... Genuinely like this ending. The only issues I have with it effectively are just ones that plague the entire series, like how Luz still has Stringbean so still has magic, just not the magic that made her special. The fact that she hasn't really changed or grown. She's just whined. And yes, the Collector does just bluntly suck dicks, especially without helping with the actual rebuilding efforts. But in general, objectively, this is a good ending. It works just on its own, brings the thematics together for a final statement, leaves the future open but also makes sure people know that everyone is happy and safe. It is classic, it works and it is a great capstone that takes four minutes.

There are still six minutes of the episode left.

The second finale is longer, shows off way more characters that I bet half of the viewers barely recognize if they even realize who they are, has a genuinely good like 30 seconds of showing the removal of the sigils, glamor shots of the Isles that really just highlight how few places we went to, are worse than the glamor shots in the first ending, and also remind people how few monsters were actually in the show. We do get future designs but a lot of people's jobs don't actually function with them or are so blunt as to be pointless to show. Luz is right back to wanting to be a witch of all trades explicitly when the first ending allowed some wiggle room for one to claim she did let go of her fantasies, or more so had a healthier relationship with them and reality now, and will move on to treating life differently. More responsibly. Like she isn't the hero of the story. That's part of why the first ending works thematically but now? Now Luz is just Luz from fucking episode one. The First Day at the latest. It just sucks.

All the thematic weight, all the resolution of plotlines, all the theoretical nuance and possibility space for what the future of the Isles would look like? GONE. And in it's place? Repetition. We already saw people get their happy endings. We already saw they were safe and going to do well. We already saw Luz have her twin families. I guess this ending gives us a portal door but we didn't need to see that when it was so blunt already that Luz would live in both worlds... Except because of the killing off Luz's final character moment by having her study EVERYTHING at the Isles' school, we're pretty much told that the human realm is just her Summer home. She clearly doesn't give a shit about anything other than her fantasy world or else she might have actually decided on a major than "A witch without magic."

It says so incredibly little about anything and loses even a nice, thematic ending that is supposed to be taken as the message of the show for... A fairy tale goodbye with some really lazy jokes and fanservice.

Which also explains why I pretty much ONLY heard about this ending. The first one is entirely skipped by the fandom to go "FUTURE DESIGNS!" And admittedly, why shouldn't they? The second ending invalidates the first but also the first ending makes the second one look like a joke. It's just a disaster.

Now, I actually want to bring up what could be considered something similar but... Not quite. Amphibia could be argued to have two endings as well. The first is after the Core's defeat where everyone is saying farewell to those closest to them. Marcy and the Newts, Sasha and Grime, and of course Anne and the Plantars. But... It's not actually presented as quite the end.

It is a final conflict. An acknowledgement that this does hurt and it's a pain not everyone wants. It shows how this final change is one that is reasonable to be scared of. Anne does talk about how they'll always have each other though and that could work for the final message, especially since that's theoretically the message the show wants to go out on. The problem is... That's a lot of tell, not a lot of show.

And so we get the actual ending of the timeskip. The show thematically wants to say that change is a positive thing and that even what you think you lose, still strengthens you for the better. So time HAD to pass. It's also why the narration over top only starts now, though it's mostly just a montage until we get to Anne's final thoughts. It shows how much better people are off now and how they don't forget those old connections. It is proving its thesis and then tacking on a final note that helps bring back a more optimistic tone.

"But of the things you let go, you'll be surprised what makes its way back to you."

A final note that says you don't have to lose things forever. A prayer that distance does indeed make the heart grow fonder. That change in all it's form, in loss and gain, can be positive. All while it keeps the possibility space of the girls' future, Amphibia's and everyone else's open but still lets us know that they'll be alright because these experiences and connections made them better.

It is a secondary finale that has a point to exist. It's not just for a victory lap and fanservice, it's actually thematically important and its message would not have hit as hard if not for the timeskip. It needed to be there, so it is.

TOH's timeskip doesn't have that excuse. It's just a circle jerk to give the fandom one more treat, one more redesign, and then leave. That is all it genuinely adds AND it takes over 10% of the finale just for that SINGLE purpose. Any other purpose was just as unnecessary, could have been just another minute on top of the first ending, or actively damages the story of the show.

Never tell me the shortening hurt the show. Not when even in its final moments, it undercut its own themes and pushed the story to the side just for fanservice, especially when this isn't new for TOH. Not by a long shot.

======+++++======

This post helped me know I could still be at least fair-ish to TOH. Genuinely, I liked the first ending. That wasn't just to setup the failure of the second ending, which I'd always thought fine before seeing the finale properly, but that I can appreciate a good, happy ending with a positive message. And that is a comfort to me I guess.

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[kipowolfton]

I'm thinking abt my vase of flowers and my ADHD ass switched to depressing memories I just uncovered with my mother wtf man why do I think so fast 😭😭😭😭😭

might delete later 🥺👉👈

also trigger warning

like seriously I'm fucked up

So basically, I have this vase in my room. It's always been there. A pearly white vase with flower shaped mounds (I think it'd be called?) all over it. inside this vase is a variety of flowers

a bouquet I caught at a wedding when I was 9

a flower pen from my best friend

the flower shaped pendulum from the cuckoo clock that was on my wall that I had an unexplainable and irrational fear of

a glowstick dandelion from a Wednesday night at church.

now onto the mom part

the bouquet. It was fine. My mother decided one day that it was not. She grabbed it out of the vase and tried to leave my room with it, I asked her what she was doing and she fell something along the lines of trimming it to make it fit better

it fit perfectly. It was fucking fine. i told her no, she still tried to leave, I grabbed her arm, she tried to pull away, I told her not to cut the flowers, she hit my hand off of her and stormed off. She came back with scissors and cut about 2 inches off the bottom of the fake stems.

I was pissed. Fuming. angry. The flowers were intact,yes, but. why did she still cut the handle? Why did she do that? I told her no.I wanted them the way they were, it was fine! There was nothing wrong with them! She didn't listen to me. She never does. and so I did what my autistic ass body tells me to do when experiencing anger

I sat there, and I sobbed. I cried. I bawled. I wasn't a little kid, I just couldn't take it. she put on a worried look and tried to console me. I told her to get the hell out. She said that it was better and that no damage had been done, the flowers were alright, and that I was overreacting and that she didn't know why I was so upset. I told her to go away.

and, now, thinking of it reminds me a lot of my life now. Except I'm the flowers in the vase in my bedroom. How I'm never good enough,and I still need trimming. Even if the flowers were factory made and perfectly designed, they weren't good enough, even in a place where they shouldn't matter to her. like how I'm woken up each day with anger. I can't wake up on a Saturday and ask to go back to sleep without being yelled at, how every morning she wakes me up yelling at me and patronizing my smell and breath despite the fact I haven't had the time to put my god damned glasses on. how I'm an unhealthy eater and need to eat healthier foods and less sugars and shit, and how I need to exercise more and how im getting chubby when i am very underweight and barely eat at all. She tells me things about my body. Like my ass is to big and that my chest is developing like hers were. She tells me I have her body. She tells me I looked like she did when she was in high school. How I have her legs, how I have her arms,hands,feet, etc. i remember when I was little and my hair was in curly blonde ringlets, she'd put our hair together and tell me how alike we were. Tell me how beautiful I was and how beautiful she used to be.

she dyes her hair blonde.she curls it too.

also would probably be a good time to tell you I'm fucking adopted. she is my biological grandmother.

my biological mother couldn't deal with her shit and chooses being homeless on the other side of the country, (she's also wheelchair bound) instead of even saying hello to me once, or coming to stay, only because she can't stand that woman's shit.

I see why.

and it's all perfectly, beautifully, and painfully displayed with the trimming of the fake pink roses

[azzurra-astra]

Have you seen the bitching about the latest episode or seen these people whine about how they hate the show but draw the characters anyway?? WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT ABOUT?????

Media illiteracy, psychological and emotional immaturity, envy and pride, it’s beyond fucking disgusting. They’re exhausting, and all I can advise if anybody wants to avoid them, do not engage and outright block them. They’re unimportant, let them remain that way and howl into the dark until they’re dust at the back of your mind. It’s healthier for you emotionally and mentally not to engage. Follow an example from BlueSky, just block and boot em. No series is above criticism, there’s moments in Helluva/Hazbin that’s even given me pause and I’m a massive fan. I’m a huge Supernatural fan and even I’ve been like “holy fuck what” at certain moments. Never blindly praise something, but these people latch onto anything negative to support their god-awful despicable behavior and cynical outlook in order to justify their acting like a shitty 12 year old. They seek drama for a number of reasons, despite a majority of them being adults in their 20s. They get their rocks off on annoying fans of the show, bad-mouthing the creator, insulting the art, etc. I’ve noticed it makes them feel valid for whatever fuckall reason. When said behavior receives push back they clutch their pearls and gaslight, I don’t engage shit from them but I’ve read some incredibly disturbed takes and it immediately loses it’s footing because it’s coming from a sorry prick.

Notorious band-wagon aggression towards a series and even fashioning falsehoods that can compromise someone’s safety— or blindly believing what they see to further demonize the creator because it gives ammo to an already deep-seated hate for that person is one of the most fascinating things to observe. They’re not mentally healthy, that I can confidently acknowledge, not with that level of negative fixation. I can only promote seeking a therapist or at least putting the same amount of effort into bettering their own skills and furthermore themselves.

There’s having a moderate conversation where someone can propose a different outcome for a scenario and how much smoother it could’ve gone, then there’s arrogantly assuming they can produce better media, or story, or construct a better character design (while simultaneously insulting Vivs work). If that’s the case then why wasn’t it put up first? Lack of funding isn’t a valid excuse either, ideas are free. Her style is more marketable, whimsical, recognizable, colorful and wild. I’ve seen a lot of the redesigns with the attempt at “upgrading” something that already stood out are unrecognizable, generic, and forgettable. I’m sorry your shit flew under the radar, and she made it big while you didn’t.

My own work is meh, forgettable and doesn’t draw attention to that degree. That’s not a shameless plug, it’s a fact. Won’t stop me from drawing— and it never should discourage someone, also it’s a terrible mindset to compare your work to someone with more skill —but I won’t go out of my way thinking I can produce something more cohesive or BETTER. One artist I absolutely adored the art style of wound up being a vile hater of the series, like there’s not being into it but she takes it to astronomically unhealthy levels, even now. Even dictating that Viv didn’t know how to write LGBT relationships (even tho Viv is part of the community herself) and seemed to promote this idea that unhealthy or abusive relationships don’t exist within the community. Your sexuality does not apply a guideline to how shitty you can be as a human being. Relationships are not a fantasy land of rainbows and unicorns, I’ve had to watch family members going through it, I myself almost fell into a toxic cycle twice. Reality is ugly as fuck. Sorry.

Earlier on though, I was willing to look past her more concerning takes because she had some great stuff (not to mention they weren’t that bad at first from what I saw), but the moment she saw I was an HB/HH fan she forced me to unfollow (it was Twit), no matter, I just moved on. She is also well known, and sought to use her popularity to stir drama. It warranted a block from me when she decided stir shit simply for the sake of it (because how dare the attention not be on her) and redesigned Bee. Then she had the nerve to whine that the fans were mean and she only was getting hate just because. No, you knew exactly what would happen and therefore fully chose to do so. You’re an adult, take responsibility for your own actions. You knew that fans would give inflamed responses and call you out on your shit, because you did nothing but broadcast your despise for the series prior to fucking redesigning a character from a series you hate for no other reason than to draw flames. You also demonized the fanbase as well when they had a right to be angry at your actions. You threw a rock at a hornets nest then screeched “See???? See?! They’re DANGEROUS AND BAD.”

No attention is worse than bad attention in the minds of people like that. Grow the fuck up and move on in life, there’s more pressing matters in reality. I’ll say again, not being into something is totally fine, I work with coworkers who don’t care for it and it’s not the end of my world. If they pipe up about it unprompted while I’m discussing a scenario with a fellow watcher, I won’t hesitate to tell them to go find something important to do because their input wasn’t asked for, and idc if it offends them. If their 2cents were wanted then I’d invite them to add. I don’t discuss the topic with them because I know they’re not big on it because they’re uncomfortable by it and such. It’s called how to function as an adult, and it’s scary for these people.

But truly, block those fucking nimps. You can acknowledge how absolutely disgusting these people are, but do not interact. Things will be better for it. I block two types of people, underaged fans and (clearly) mentally-underaged adults.

[xltribe]

Happy new year everyone it is 2022 and so I really wanted to do a lot more informational posts this year. In Our New Mens Hygiene Series Head Edition, we will be providing 5 brands that we believe will change the way you'll care for your head. I want to provide you with information with actionable tips. Tips that you guys can walk away and make changes big or small that instantly impact the way you do something. So, since we are starting with your head whether it be a Loc's, loose hair, braids, dreads, or a bald head we all have one. It all started when I asked some inside of our Facebook group and one of the users said you need to talk about personal hygiene. I said hey let’s start from the head and work our way down to the feet. We gonna recommend about 4-5 brands that you can actually go purchase. To get your head right whether that be shampoo and conditioner hair balm etc. Well also provide beard care products as well in this blog post. Oh and don’t think we forget the ball fellas. We know it's important to keep them well moisturized and on fleek (lol who evens says that.) SUPERIOR HAIR COLLECTION To start off we have Scotch Porter. When you go to their website they have a few different kits so you got a figure out which one works best for you. Now for my fellows out there who do you know you might not want to drive all the way in they have a trial kit. You can try it out see if you like it. Then you have the ultimate hair collection which has shampoo, conditioner, hair balm, and hair serum. You can buy each of them individually. Here is how they describe the collection "Look your best up top and say hello to healthier hair and scalp. Our Superior Hair Collection is specially designed for all kinds of textured hair types - like twists, curls, and waves - and includes five key products to keep your hair on point. Hydrating Hair Wash, Nourish & Repair Hair Conditioner, Moisture Leave-in Hair Conditioner, Smoothing Hair Balm and Smooth & Shine Hair Serum. Carefully formulated with non-toxic ingredients that are great for your hair like Kale Protein and White Willow Bark, these products purify, balance, and restore even the most sensitive and problematic hair types." Sultry Oud Collection Next on the list is Koils by Nature. I had the ability to try this brand out a few years ago when they were at The Curvy Fashionista Expo and some of these products I still used today I love their beard shampoo. They have a regular shampoo and conditioner for the hair on top of your head as well. They also have a complete men’s collection which includes a shampoo and body bar oh it’s a two-in-one, a beard and face moisturizer, beard butter, beard oil and it includes sultry oud collection Eau de PARFUM. Koils by Nature Sultry Oud Collection is the ultimate blend of sensual scents and luxurious ingredients for touchably soft skin and hair. Made with all-natural certified organic ingredients, this collection is specifically designed for men. Leave dry, dull skin and hair behind, revealing lush strands for healthy hair growth and butter-soft skin.  STEP 1 Shampoo & Body Bar Gently remove dirt and bacteria from your hair and skin with natural ingredients for a fresh, purifying wash. Mango butter and argan oil add a highly moisturizing enrichment to your shampoo session while featuring vitamins A, C, E, B6, folate, antioxidants, and vitamin E for a naturally healthy glow. STEP 2  Beard and Face Moisturizer  Created to deliver maximum moisture with an alluring scent, you can leave dryness behind for a beard so touchable, smooth, and supple, that you won’t be able to keep your hands away. Each ingredient works together to help promote stronger strands for a thick, healthy beard. Argan Oil, known as liquid gold, is high in antioxidants, and vitamin E. Chamomile nourishes hair and naturally heals the skin. 

STEP 3  Beard Butter  If you’re finally ready for a soft silky beard then this is the butter for you. All-natural ingredients come together for a buttery richness fit for a king. Use as the perfect sealant for our Beard & Face Moisturizer to stop razor bumps, dryness, and scars in their tracks. Since this is a high-quality product, a little will go a long way.  STEP 4 Beard Oil  Tantalize your senses and revitalize your beard with this aromatic oil. Each drop seals in moisture with a delicious natural fragrance. Made with pure organic ingredients, this beard oil absorbs quickly and doesn’t leave oil behind. Feel the richness as it seals in moisture for a visibly healthy beard. STEP 5  30ml: Eau De Parfum Warm vanilla creates a soulful fragrance perfect as an all-natural alternative to traditional colognes. Sultry and sweet notes feature a blend of black currant, coriander, delicate jasmine petals, vanilla, and oud. This parfum combines well with your natural body chemistry.  MY Hair Repair Kit Next is Evan Alexander’s fine grooming now they have a few different things that you can use in their product line. Which we absolutely like for the hair series. They have a hair repair series so for my fellas who are thinning or balding at the top and are looking for something to help grow your hair. Jump-start your hair repair journey with this one-two punch of nutrient-rich shampoo and conditioner. The MY Shampoo and MY Conditioner Tea Tree & Peppermint Stimulating Hair Treatment use naturally derived ingredients to target common scalp issues that hinder healthy hair growth. Best results when paired with MY Hair Repair Serum. What It's Formulated To Do MY Shampoo  Hydrate hair.Clean hair while keeping it soft.Stimulate blood flow to the scalp and encourage thicker hair growth. MY Conditioner  Detangle hair.Soften hair.Stimulate blood flow to the scalp and encourage thicker hair growth. HAIR ESSENTIALS BUNDLE Bevel Bevel Bevel Bevel. They are definitely one of the brands that has done a whole Lotta elevating. Since their initial launch as a beard and hair trimmer company. If you are definitely looking for something to give you a better cut for my fellows who to cut their own beard. They’ve definitely been putting their foot on the gas with adding lots of different hair products. They have an essential bundle with shampoo, conditioner and curl cream. PS now didn't I tell you, Bald fellas, I got yall. Bevel has Ball Balm. PROTECT YOUR CROWN Help give your scalp the protection and moisture it needs without leaving a mess behind. Formulated for your melanated skin to quickly absorb into skin for an easy application that will help moisturize, mattify, and prevent sunburn. SULFATE-FREE SHAMPOO Formulated without sulfates and silicones that dry out your hair. SULFATE-FREE CONDITIONER The best cuts happen after you condition. This sulfate-free formula moisturizes, conditions, and detangles your hair so your lineups and styles are always fresh, clean, and crispy. 2-IN-1 POMADE A lightweight formula that helps reduce frizz/flyaways and keeps beard polished. CURL CREME A moisture-rich formula that leaves your curls lightweight and manageable without frizz. CORE MEN'S ESSENTIALS As we wrap up Our New Mens Hygiene Series Head Edition. I wanted to leave yall with a winner. Last but not least good old Shea Moisture For Men. They always come through for the win. I’ll definitely say for my fellas on a budget Shea Moisture is one of the best options you’re gonna get at this price point. Most of their products are under 10 bucks which is something you can’t beat if you’re on a budget. You can get them at any of your local Walmart, Kroger, or wherever you pick up your existing hair care products.

You got to care for your hair just as much as you care for anything else. Remember guys self-care is not just about going to the gym and meditating it's so much more. Start your #beardgoals journey here with our Ultimate Beard Kit. Our Maracuja and Shea Butter Beard Collection essentials helps keep beards looking clean and scruff-free. Begin cleansing with our best-selling beard wash to get any grime or residue out of your beard. Hydrate your beard with our lightweight beard oil to keep it shiny and moisturized. Round out your routine with our beard balm to shape and provide shine on days when you want more texture added to your beard. Refreshed and energizing Smokey Manhattan Body Wash leaves you smelling and feeling ready to take on the day. Our Shea Butter infused formula will keep your skin feeling soft and moisturized. Our New Mens Hygiene Series Head Edition

[eazy-group]

Sheryl lost 32 pounds

New Post has been published on https://eazydiet.net/sheryl-lost-32-pounds/

Sheryl lost 32 pounds

Transformation of the Day: Sheryl shares how she lost 32 pounds by embracing healthy eating habits and daily cardio. Her friend and supportive coach, Terry Starks, has guided her on this wellness journey.

My name is Sheryl, and this is my weight loss journey. My motivation for starting this journey was that in the last three years, I have neglected myself and put everything and everyone before myself. 

I was tired of feeling sluggish and not like myself, so I made a commitment at the end of 2023 that I was not going to start 2024 neglecting myself. 

I contacted my friend Terry Starks, who I have known for several years. He has transformed many people by helping them with eating better and losing weight.  

After I told him what my goals were he said, “I can definitely help you achieve them. As long as you follow, my plan and you will see the results.”

Lifestyle Changes: My start date was January 8th of 2024. He gave a meal plan to follow and told me to do at least 30 minutes of cardio daily. I saw the progress he helped many people make. Some of my friends also worked with him and they have kept the weight off. So I figured it was time for me to start taking care of me. 

Terry Starks plan was very easy to follow and not hard at all. After looking over the plan that he specifically designed for me, I realized that in order to do it, I had to be mentally ready for the change. I knew this process was going to work and it was really just a lifestyle change that I was making to be healthy.  

The plan he designed for me consisted of eating five small meals each day. These meals contained portions of meat, vegetables, fruits, etc. I also drank plenty of water, and did 30 minutes of cardio daily. 

Starting and Current Weight: My starting weight was 282 pounds, and my current weight is 250 pounds. (I am 5’3″.) I am still pushing until I hit my primary goal. Since I started, I feel better and sleep better than I have a long while.  

Biggest Lesson: I have learned since I started this journey that you don’t have to starve yourself to lose weight. That actually hinders your weight loss. You have to feed your body with the proper nutrients it needs to lose weight. With that being said, you can still eat lots of things in moderation. Selecting healthier options makes this more doable. 

Advice: My advice to anyone that wants to lose weight – First off, you have to be mentally ready and you really have to want to change your life for the better. Know that it’s not really about just losing weight. It’s requires a lifestyle change if you desire to be healthy and fit.

If you are truly ready to take your life back and become a better version of yourself by taking control of your health, Terry Starks can help you do this. He will stick with you through it all and motivate you as you go. You can contact him via his Facebook page: Terry Starks or email him: TerryStarks1@aol.com 

Trust me you will NOT be sorry that you reached out to him. If you really want to get your weight down and just overall get your life back (with a healthier you), contact him. His plan works, and it’s easy to do.

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[gogoutori]

Life update ramble mostly to get my thoughts together.

I don’t think most people in my life genuinely know how sick I am... Its making me end up second guessing myself/self-gaslighting like “maybe I’m not that sick..?” or I’m somehow being over dramatic. But I’ve had several actually disabled people reassure me that I’m not crazy and this is pretty normal for ppl with chronic pain. I have head pain literally every day at some level now but I’m at max amount of meds I can take outside of starting botox as well which I really don’t want to do with my nerves already so screwy. At this point I’ve just normalized it and work around it. I’m really tired though. Thats the thing I think most people don’t get is just how much this shit takes out of you. I did not understand it. I had an educated guess being around my sister but I was not prepared to be put on my ass so much and not be able to just charge through to do things I used to anymore. It sucks and I’m trying to work through understanding it and giving myself grace. But I’m very harsh on myself by nature, so its not the easiest thing to do. On top of people not understanding the depth of how out of it I am, I feel kinda shit for how flaky I’ve been, but at the same time I need to remind myself that I’m literally not doing anything wrong. My health has to come first even if it makes others feel inconvenienced. My people pleasing side hates this lol

But I’m trying to get better at it. I didn’t officially make any New Years resolutions this year, but I’ve started to shrink my world inward since Jan and focus more on my own physical and mental health. Shutting off the news and purposely trying to focus on mostly positive things. Cutting out negativity has helped a bit cause stress is a big migraine trigger. (any heightened emotion can be, but stress and anger are easiest to tip into starting a headache that leads to a migraine) Simplifying my life to focus on happier things has been good ot my mental health too. I had a lowkey intervention with some ppl helping me realize I was far too focused on other people and their problems rather than investing in myself in a healthy way. I haven’t taken on a therapist again yet, but my last one pointed out that I have a very unkind attitude toward myself and will be far more willing to help others first before seeking help for myself, which when paired with my passive nature, I end up getting taken advantage of even if I don’t see it as that. I know this, but confronting it is awkward. Being selfish to me is buying myself nice things, now it means saying no if I don’t have energy to do something or letting myself rest. 

I’ve been trying to figure out new boundaries as well. I have to get better at voicing them though. Saying no is hard and I feel like I need to justify it with a reason instead of it just being an answer. I can’t be sure my decline in health is tied to my lack of selfcare in the mental department but I’m sure it wasn’t helping. 

Either way, I am on to trying to be healthier for myself this year. There are a lot of good things I’m trying! I’m investing a lot in trying to get my art stuff up and going again. I’m throwing my hat into new cons around the east coast and haven’t been flat out rejected from any yet, which is pretty uplifting seeing as my portfolio is more sparse than I want it to be. I met a lot of awesome new artists at toracon and I’m hoping to see some more artist friends if I make it into any other cons this year. I’m unapologetically into liking what I like rn. (trying not to think about what ppl think about my over tweeting art for what I like etc) I opened a DBA for my sister and I to do more collab stuff and help her take on bigger projects without it messing up her ssi. We have been brainstorming lots of fun ideas and are looking to turn part of the basement into studio space we can work out of. I’m sketching lots of new ideas for apparel designs and I will hopefully get my webcomic and store going by the summer. 

A lot of the good things in the works also hinge on how my physical health is, and I’m hoping to keep that looking better as well. ;w; Once we have more stable weather it should help. I lost about 10-15lbs from sleeping through meals or being too nauseous to eat, but once we have warmer weather I want to do a morning walk and eat something more regularly. I think a more stable schedule will help out too. It just gets thrown out of whack when you have to stay in bed cause moving makes your head throb. ;w; 

Writing all this down is cathartic for me in a way. like typing a little plan or update to myself. Even seeing post memories come up from past years like “I have a bad headache” reminds me I’ve been dealing with this longer than even I think I have been and I’m not crazy.  This whole thing is discombobulated, but its a snapshot in my life for now. 

Reminding myself to rest, that I’m not crazy, that good things are to come~

[toadstoolgardens]

25 Tips for Permaculture Living

Permaculture is a design system and approach that challenges us to engage in whole systems thinking to create a better world and a worthwhile, kick-ass life. These are just ideas, shape your permaculture plans to fit your life & community.

The 3 Ethics of Permaculture: Earth Care, People Care, Fair Share.

1. Grow food. Even just a little. A sprawling garden, a raised bed, and a little pot of basil in a windowsill are all accomplishments. Growing that food creates a relationship with the soil, the weather, and the ecosystem. It slows us down, increases our resilience, and helps us eat where we are.

2. Chop & gather wood. If you are able where you live, take responsibility for your fuel needs. I live in a rural area so this is feasible for me, but these skills can also be utilized on camping trips/when using fire pits/etc. Learn to gather wood regeneratively and how to cure, stack, and chop it. Use as little as possible in a well-kept woodstove and return the charcoal to the Earth as biochar.

3. Minimize. Pare down your closet, your kitchen appliances, your shopping trips, the number of devices you own, anything you recognize you have/do in surplus. Being happy with less is powerful, it increases gratitude and lessens want.

4. Catch and store water. If it's legal where you live to do so, catch rainwater. This can be done in many ways, for many reasons. To pump the water as the pressurized water in your home or to water your gardens and landscape. Recycled plastic rain barrels are a simple and inexpensive way to collect and store free rainwater.

5. Eat together. Slow down and eat with the ones you love, just eating, talking, and being. Give each other and the nourishment on your plate your undivided attention.

6. Buy secondhand. Commit to buying as much as you can secondhand. This slows down impulse purchasing and hugely lessens the impact of your purchase. You'll also likely end up with a higher quality item and a great deal! Since secondhand items already exist, no production is needed, no new footprint is created, better for everyone. There are online secondhand shops too if you're looking for something specific you can't find locally.

7. Stop shopping at big supermarkets. Avoid them as much as possible! They're full of plastic packaging, processed foods, and the illusion of choice. Almost every product on supermarket shelves is owned by one of 10 companies, and they certainly aren't environmentally friendly ones. For food, make basics from scratch and source whole foods from locally owned farms, markets, co-ops, and shops. Online resources like Vitacost and the Package Free Shop are great for healthier options you might not find locally.

8. Reuse all nutrients. Compost all you can. Kitchen scraps, garden scraps, yard clippings, tree prunings, charcoal & ash from the fire, and urine and manure can all be returned to the Earth and transformed.

9. Pack your lunch. We all love takeout, but packing your own meal to take with you saves money, eliminates waste, and can be eaten anywhere! Eat your lunch in the park, the woods, up a tree, get to know your local nature spaces while you eat.

10. Make your own bread. Bread is one of our most beloved basic foods. Baking it yourself will nourish you better, save money, eliminate packaging, learn a new skill, and use whole ingredients instead of mystery ingredients and preservatives in many store-bought breads.

11. Swap your gym workout for gardening. Keeping healthy and fit is so important and if you're able, working in the garden is amazing exercise. Turn a compost pile, dig a garden bed, pull weeds, prune trees, pot seedlings, chop wood, or go walking in nature and enjoy the wild garden she provides. All deeply useful tasks, a great workout, and fresh air too! Forest bathing, being and basking in nature, is extremely healthy for our bodies and minds.

12. Minimize meat. Purchase meats from local farmers & butchers and don't support factory farming whenever possible. Appreciate and respect the animal nourishing you, use every bit of the meat you purchase.

13. Take the train. If you have to take a long trip, consider the train over flying. One trip on a plane generates about 300kg of CO2, taking the rain generates 10x less. It's slower, sure, but you can relax, read, nap, enjoy the scenery, and reduce emissions.

14. Support community. In every way: shop local, eat local, support your local food bank when you have surplus, volunteer in the community, help out at the community garden, teach your neighbors a skill. Show up for your community's pollinators by caring for local lands, planting native species, and encouraging others to do so. If you're already a gardener, start a crop swap if there isn't one. Give where you can, help where you can, engage where you live.

15. Keep bees. Bees are beautiful to watch, they provide our gardens and local landscape with pollination, and provide you with honey and wax. The millions of flowers and incredible effort involved in each jar of honey garners a great appreciation for sweetness and the work of bees.

16. Sleep well. It really does make a huge difference in our moods, health, and energy we're capable of putting into the day.

17. Live small. Living in a small house means less heating, cleaning, furniture, energy costs, and housing costs. A small home also makes for an intimate space to spend time together.

18. Work for yourself when you can. Growing food and being involved in the non-monetary economy of growing, swapping, sharing, foraging, reusing is so good for our health and everyday happiness.

19. Forage wild food. If you live somewhere with natural spaces that aren't sprayed with chemicals, there's probably free food all around you. Foraging is a great way to fill your belly with seasonal freshness, for FREE! Each season offers it's own special goodies, so you also learn to live with the seasons and connect to your local nature in a new way. Be sure to positively identify all species before you consume anything!

20. Take care of your ecosystem. You are a steward of the land and every little bit helps. Pick up trash and plastic when you're out. If you own property, manage your land. Volunteer for clean ups, water testing, gardening projects. Manage invasive species if you find them and are able. Plant native species and species for pollinators. Anything, truly anything helps.

21. Build forts & tree houses. If you have space, a collaborative building project using recycled/gathered materials teaches us lots of skills and helps us appreciate everything it takes just to keep a basic roof over our heads. Plus you'll also have a nice hideaway in nature to enjoy.

22. Grow beans. Love you, beans! They improve the soil, can be grown as climbers even if you have limited space, and can be eaten fresh, frozen, or dried (which store for years, increasing resilience). Beans are self pollinating which makes saving seeds easy and they're one of the most climate-adaptable plant proteins you can grow.

23. Pass it on. Share abundance! Produce, clothing, knowledge, skills, eggs, yarn, anything. Pass it on, pay it forward, share your excess, it's a gift to both your community and yourself.

24. Share skills. A skilled community is able to look after themselves and each other. Are you a great cook? Host a cooking party and teach your friends to make their own yogurt. Love starting seeds? Hold a seed starting workshop outside your local library. It doesn't have to be complex or fancy, just have heart. Which you already have, so you're perfect. Skill shares build confidence, knowledge, and community.

25. Rise up. Silence = violence. Permaculture is about doing as little harm as possible and using our time on Earth to do the best we can, with our hands and our voices. Speak up, show up, rise up. Work for the world you want, not just the garden you want.

Keep Learning: Source

[askagamedev]

Is gaming industry having a brain drain? It looks like all the industry veterans left the industry altogether and all we have left is incompetent people who don't know how to design a game, lead a project, etc. Some reviews about big companies on glassdoor make this seem more apparent. What's your explanation on badly designed, unfinished games when people expect better products with technology we have in 2021?

All of the industry veterans, huh?

Some companies are bad actors, yes. I have been very candid in the past about how there is significant evidence that [CD Projekt RED is a sweatshop studio], especially on sites like Glassdoor. However, this does not necessarily support your point - most players absolutely adored CDPR's Witcher games, which were all built with the same sweatshop labor practices as before. But I would hesitate to paint the entire industry, from the smallest solo indie game developer to the multi-studio mass collaboration of hundreds of developers across the world, from mobile games in China to VR games on the Metaverse, from play-to-earn NFT games to whatever Star Citizen is to the annualized big budget Call of Duty or FIFA game, all with the same brush like you did. I would especially hesitate to say so when we continue to see highly decorated and greatly enjoyed games across the spectrum every year including this one - Deathloop, Monster Hunter Rise, Guilty Gear Strive, Forza Horizon 5, It Takes Two, etc. are all pretty great games.

I don't think your premise holds true. I don't think that the game industry is experiencing a universal brain drain. I actually think the opposite is true - the fact that games have shifted towards continued development of lifestyle games paid for by microtransactions has actually provided the industry a lot more sustainability than before, which helps retain talent and reduce overall churn. It isn't ideal - we still see examples of bad working environments, layoffs, and studio closures after all - but I am hopeful that things are moving in the right direction because I see workers organizing and collectively acting to demand better working conditions and results.

As for how I feel about badly designed or unfinished games, I don't necessarily like them but I can also see that even games with badly designed parts and/or games that feel unfinished can still contain significant elements that have merit and value. The kind of problems we devs need to solve and the solutions that these game devs ship warrant examination and investigation. I think that it is worth it for me to look them over and appreciate what they did right as well as what they did wrong, how I might approach a similar problem, and consider what kind of constraints they were under. I think everybody would stand to take this more nuanced approach and find things in games to appreciate. I think it would certainly contribute to healthier overall discourse than the hate parade that dominates the youtube algorithm.

[Join us on Discord] and/or [Support us on Patreon]

The FANTa Project is being rebooted. [What is the FANTa project?]

Got a burning question you want answered?

Short questions: Ask a Game Dev on Twitter

Long questions: Ask a Game Dev on Tumblr

Frequent Questions: The FAQ

[kiingocreative]

The Structure of Story is now available! Check it out on Amazon, via the link in our bio, or at https://kiingo.co/book

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Performance coach Tony Robbins says that the quality of our lives depends on the state we live in every moment of every day. That state, whether we’re happy, sad, frustrated or excited, depends on three things:

• Our physiology — the way we move our bodies, the way we breathe and what we do with our face.

• Our language — the words we use, whether spoken out loud or inside our own head, to describe our experiences.

• What we focus on — the things we see versus the things we block out or fail to notice.

Today, I want to zone in on that final piece, because what we focus on is key, and it will in turn affect the way you move your body and hold yourself, and the language you use. I see this play out so much around me in general, and in the writing community in particular.

At any given time, the things we focus on determine how we feel and what we make of a situation. And what we focus on, in turn, is governed by the questions we ask ourselves every moment of every day.

Take your writing journey for instance:

If someone leaves you a negative review, do you ask yourself whether this means you’re a failure and your work is a failure? Do you ask yourself how dare that person belittle your work with a bad review? Or do you ask yourself what you can learn from this? Could you ask yourself how good it is that this person was honest in their feedback, so that readers with similar tastes won’t buy your book—and therefore not spend money on a read they might otherwise dislike and rate negatively too?

See how different questions would illicit different points of focus, and therefore different states? Some are more conducive to a positive mindset, whilst others tend to nurture frustration.

‘Why’ Questions: The Endless Loop.

And so it goes that by asking lousy questions, we get lousy answers. Because our brain has this tendency of taking any request we give it and processing it, regardless of whether or not it’s good for us. It’ll scour through the recesses of our mind and go on and on until it finds an answer.

‘Why’ questions are the worst, because there’s often no clear answer, or more than one possible answer to them, and it sends our mind on a chase to find as many possible reasons, processing like a headless chicken, often going around in circles, leaving us ruminating.

Take our example again: What if you asked yourself ‘why is this person leaving me a bad review?’

Now unleash your brain on that one, and let it roll with it—you may get:

• Because they didn’t like the book.

• Because my book is terrible.

• And if my book is terrible, then that makes me a terrible writer.

• Maybe I should just stop writing.

• Who was I to think I could do this?

• I’m clearly not good enough.

• Or maybe they left a bad review because they’re an idiot and didn’t get the brilliance of my work.

• Clearly they’re a moron.

• Maybe I should track them down and tell them just that.

• Maybe I should rally everyone I know on Instagram to shame that dimwit for leaving that review.

• …

… this can go on, until it loops back to the top and starts again. Sounds familiar?

What kind of state do you think you’d be in from obsessing over those disempowering, angering questions, never able to get closure because the loop has no logical end?

Empowering Alternatives.

My own experience of asking myself lousy questions, and my interactions with others within the writing community, have left me convinced that writers need to start asking themselves more empowering questions.

Because the way we tend to ask questions to ourself—those that breed anger, and resentment, and self doubt—ultimately only bring us back to two fears that sit at the root of it all: the fear that we’re not good enough, and the fear that we won’t be loved (or appreciated, or liked). These fears can be crippling. And that can’t be good for anyone’s art anywhere.

I’m writing this today to give you some more empowering alternatives. Some that I have used along my journey and have helped me improve.

Here are four examples:

#1 — gearing up for success:

• Instead of: ‘Why are other writers so much more successful than I am?’

• Ask yourself: ‘What I can learn from other writers to become more successful myself?’

There’s a lot of comparison out there. We know we shouldn’t fall into the trap of it, but it’s easier said than done.

If you see fellow writers thriving with their writing, their social media strategy or their exposure, try modelling what they do that is working and find what, from that, works for you.

Better even, reach out to people and ask them for advice—most people will be more than happy to share, and it’s a great way to build a network!

#2 — boosting sales:

• Instead of: ‘Why am I not selling books?’

• Ask yourself: ‘What I can do to increase my book sales?’

It can be discouraging to have published something, and to see your sales figures stalling. If you start wallowing in self pity through disempowering ‘why’ questions, you’re bound to start spiralling.

Instead, make a list of what you could do to help your sales along.

Here are some ideas that come to mind:

• Seek out book clubs and put your book on their radar. See if they’d been interested in reading your book and having you for an author Q&A when they’re done reading the book.

• Look into running promotions on Amazon (like discounted eBooks).

• Go local! Reach out to your local community and spread the word (cafes, local bookshops and libraries, local Facebook groups and communities etc.) and give them a chance to support a local.

• Contact your old school or university and enquire about showcasing you and your book as an alumni success story.

• Build genuine connections with fellow writers, avid readers and book bloggers. These relationships are a fantastic way to increase your reach and spreading the word about your book—and as a result, improve sales.

• Offer to do a read and review swap with a fellow author, where you read and review each other’s book.

• And so on.

If you start asking your brain to think outside the box, it’ll do just that!

#3 — the writer’s life:

• Instead of: ‘Why can’t I be a full-time writer and have financial security from writing?’

• Ask yourself: 'How is my present occupation helping my writing?’

• …And then ask: 'What can I do to increase my revenue from writing?’

This is one topic that’s been crossing my mind a lot, and I suspect many of us out there have pondered it at one point or other. If asked the wrong way, this question can send you spiralling into a frustrated state.

I don’t write full-time at present, and I have had my moments of daydreaming hours away, wishing I could live off my craft. That never led to anything very productive.

What I have found helpful however has been to focus on what my day job enables me to do with my writing:

• It takes away the pressure of earning a full income from writing.

• It gives me time to write and experiment with my craft in different forms.

• It enables me to look into ways to monetise my writing at my own pace.

• And that’s made for much more exciting trains of thought!

#4 — social media guru:

• Instead of: ‘Why can’t I manage to grow my Instagram reach?’ Or ‘why is social media sapping my energy?’

• Ask yourself: ‘What can I do to create a healthier balance when it comes to promotion efforts?’

Social media is a tricky one. It has incredible benefits if leveraged the right way, and it’s an amazing tool to get yourself and your work out there. In fact, I recently wrote a piece on the immense value of joining Bookstagram for writers.

But it can also be a drain, because the mechanisms of social media are built on the principle of addiction. It’s literally designed to suck you in and make you crave more, and fear that you’re missing out and not doing enough.

To avoid falling into that vicious circle, I’ve found it much healthier to ask myself how I can find the right balance to achieve what I want with my social media presence whilst also keeping my sanity. What this ends up being will look different for different people. If you’re unsure where to start, think about what you find challenging about maintaining your social media account, then what you find helps with your peace of mind, and try to find a middle ground somewhere in between that meets your needs.

Ask and thou shalt get.

I’m a firm believer in our ability to manifest our reality—at least to some extent. If you focus on all the wrong things, then your reality will look challenging and bleak.

If you train yourself to look for constructive ways forward and to get yourself excited about making the journey smoother for yourself, then finding that sweet spot that works for you can be a fascinating journey.

And that all starts with asking the right questions. Finding the right point of focus. Writing can be a wonderful, yet at times confusing and challenging journey. So do yourself a favour: where possible, take away those mind blocks that stand in your way!

Different questions about your writing journey illicit different points of focus, and therefore different states. Some are more conducive to a positive mindset, whilst others tend to nurture frustration.

[mothra-obeyme]

MC living together with the Brothers and Undateables

Trigger Warning: Mentions of Alcohol

Lucifer

Everything is organised and has its place and when it isn't in that certain place he gets annoyed and has to put it back

For every piece of furniture there are markings on the floor for where their place is

If you want food and Lucifer is at home he's making good home made food with a 90% chance because he doesn't like fast food and knows self made food is healthier

One of his favorite things to do when he has free time is cuddle with you on the couch and watch crime shows while you two argue over who the murderer is (Most of the time Lucifer is right)

You two absolutely have a dog probably a german shepherd

Mammon

Everything is messy and you can't deny it

There's money laying around all over the house and only who knows where it is somehow

If you don't cook he'll probably only order takeout but if it's a special evening and he wants to surprise you he tries to make food himself ( He tries his best )

This guy can't cook but he's one of the best at mixing cocktails so you always have different types of alcohol at home

One of his favorite things to do in his freetime is spending a whole evening with playing card and board games and he's very good at it

You two probably have a golden retriever

Leviathan

He's probably a twitch streamer who plays video games so you have nearly every gaming console you can think of so you hardly can get bored

You two also probably order takeout many times ( sushi or something fish like most of the time )

You have common lights in your house but you never use them let's be honest most of the time you only have LEDs on so that it isn't that bright in the house

One of his favorite things to do in his freetime are doing all nighters playinv video games/watching anime with you or having you play with him while he streams

You have many fish tanks around the house and definitely a snake

Satan

You know how is room looks so you already know how the house looks: Books everywhere

If you don't stop him from doing it there're probably gonna be many cats lying around the house ( most of them are stray cats )

Cat hair everywhere

The house is always pretty warm and he also likes to keep the light dim and has scented candles around the house

There's always some music on when you're at home (probably lofi or classic)

One of his favorite things to do is cuddle with you in your bed and read books while cats are littered around you two

(He also definitely has one of those big arm chairs in which he likes to sit with you on his lap)

Asmodeus

Your house looks so fucking good like everything just lookes like it's chosen by an interior designer

In every room there're at least two big plants and one flower plant because plants always look good and are easy to care for if you know how to

The biggest and most comfortable bed you've ever seen/felt and let's be real it's so comfortable that you literally never want to get up

And also you have a large bathroom with a really big shower and bathtub because yes

At first he pretty much was against lets because they're dirty but you managed to convince him to get a white rabbit

He loves it when the two of you take a bubble bath together with some music and scented candles while you two do who knows what

Beelzebub

Your house is pretty organised most of the time actually

Most of the time he likes to cook because it's better for your health instead of ordering fastfood ( But sometimes he just can't resist getting some )

One of his favorite things to do is bake something with you because it connects two of his most loved things: You and food

He also likes to go jogging with you and the doggs early in the morning and watch the sunrise together

The temperature in your house is more on the warmer side and you have a fireplace for the winter

You have two huskies and a cat and they understand eachother pretty well

Belphegor

Pillows,blankets and clothes everywhere on the floor

Sometimes you will literally walk around the house and nearly accidentally step on him because he was asleep on the floor under a few blankets and pillows

Where you fall asleep together always depends; sometimes it's the couch sometimes the bed and sometimes even the floor

The light is also pretty dim most of the time because it's hard to fall asleep with the lights on

One of his favorite things to do is cuddle with you literally anywhere while the two of you watch a random show

You have two rats i don't make the rules

Diavolo

The house isn't that organised but you're able to walk through it without nearly falling every 5 seconds so it's alright

You two literally just buy what you find interesting so the furniture is completely random chosen and isn't organised at all

With food everything is pretty chill 1/3 you cook 1/3 he cooks and 1/3 you two order take out

The temperature is more on the cooler side but only in summer and spring in winter and fall it's warm

One of his favorite things to do with you is building pillow forts and watch a show afterwards and you can fight me on that

I don't know why but you have a hedgehog like i don't know why or another exotic pet

Barbatos

The house is pretty organised but he's not going to be mad at you if you accidentally forget to put something back to where it was before

The house is also more on the cooler side so make sure to get yourself some warm hoodies but don't worry if he notices you're cold he will make sure the house gets warm

Most of the time he cooks but he's also not against you cooking (and if you don't know how to cook he teaches you if you want to)

One of his favorite things to do is in fall sitting outside early in the morning with a blanket wrapped around you watching the sunrise while there's still mist hanging in the trees

You two have a crow yes a crow i also don't know why

Simeon

The house is pretty organised and there're a lit of windows so that a lot of light can come in

The temperature is also on the warmer side most of the time because it's comfortable

He loves to cook together with you so you don't end up arguing over who is going to cook today ( and he also loves to bake with you )

You two always make sure to do am equal amount of chores to make it fair

One of his favorite things to do it bake cookies with you on a winter morning and afterwards eat them with you infront of the fireplace

You definitely at some point got a pet bird because when he saw you looking at it excitedly he couldn't refuse

Solomon

So i don't know what to say about this so the house is pretty organised because he uses magic to keep it clean but there's literally weird things laying all around the house: jars, herbs, candles etc.

Most of the time he let's his magic do the cooking but when he wants to surprise you he cooks himself

The aesthetic of the house is also more on the darker side (doesn't mean that it's all one aesthetic tho) and there's plants like everywhere because he needs them for his spells

One of his favorite things to do with you is laying on the roof with a blanket and a few pillows at nights while he tells you things about the stars and the stuff he has seen

You have a spider i don't make the rules or you have a ferret

Masterlist

[tearlessrain]

Giant Masterlist of Cathar Facts (that I completely made up but nonetheless rigidly adhere to)

I am an unstoppable force and disney should have killed me when they had the chance (that chance was splash mountain when I was seven and as you can see I survived).

Under a break because it is way too long and covers really quite a lot, much of which I will probably never even need. But researching and writing this kind of thing is what I consider a fun afternoon so here we are.

General basic stuff

Cathar are basically felids evolved to fill a similar evolutionary niche to humans in the absence of any viable apelike species on their native planet, in the same way hyenas evolved to fill a niche normally occupied by canids. 

They are pursuit predators but not terribly efficient ones outside their home planet. In terms of both speed and strength they can outperform humans on average in the short term, but have noticeably less stamina especially when it comes to running or walking long distances. They greatly outmatch any quadrupedal felids for stamina, however. (Mandalorians are an invasive species)

They run hotter than humans, around 100-102F.

Though height varies quite a bit, cathar are taller on average than humans and build muscle easily, making them extremely formiddable opponents in hand-to-hand combat.

The average face/skull shape of cathar is largely based on assumptions that they evolved under weirdly similar conditions to humans evolving from early hominids, aka shortening of the face, larger cranium, smaller mouth, etc.

While they are obligate carnivores and do have elongated canines, their teeth are more even in size than wild felids, and while they do still have barbed tongues, the barbs are relatively small/soft and more similar to a housecat than anything of comparable size (aka they won’t literally take your skin off if they lick you).  They also have somewhat thinner skin than wild cats, though they are still more damage resistant than humans.

They do not have retractable claws because that’s not how fingers work, but they do have narrow, naturally pointed claws rather than humanlike fingernails. Many cathar choose to either dull them or file them down for convenience, but losing/damaging them, as per that one ambient dialogue on Dromund Kaas that I can never find when I need it, is extremely traumatic for them. 

They have tails because I want them to, used for both balance and communication. Cathar tails are approximately lion-like, thin with a coarse tuft at the end regardless of markings (ie. a cathar with stripes won’t have a tiger tail), with the tip the same shade or a few shades darker than the darkest part of their coats. occasionally those from colder regions will have longer fur over the whole tail, or look like they don’t have a tuft due to longer fur overall. 

Variation and a lot of bullshitting about genetics

Wookiepedia describes Cathar as “a planet of savannas and rough uplands” but I refuse to believe that all these habitable worlds are all one consistent climate/temperature across the whole globe. The weirdly ubiquitous infrastructure/cultural info I can kind of forgive since 90% of them were wiped out by Mandalorians and the rest left, and I’m charitably assuming there were a lot less than 7 billion cathar to begin with, so a lot of smaller or more isolated cultures across the planet were lost entirely. 

They have less sexual dimorphism than SWTOR implies, though females are a little smaller on average and tend to have shorter/finer manes that are closer to their base color. In terms of relative strength/mass the difference is minor and female cathar are still very capable of fucking you up (the conventional assumption in the Empire that females are weak/docile and males are too uncontrollable to enslave is not remotely true in either direction). 

Variation in fur/metabolism/ear and nose shape depends on which region/s of Cathar they come from (or their ancestors come from), but they don’t recognize different “races” the way humans do, particularly in the wake of the Battle of Cathar. 

On average, cathar originating closer to the equator have shorter, finer fur, larger and more tapered ears, a tendency toward slender, lanky builds, and coloration that leans more toward golds/reds and higher pigment density. whereas those closer to the poles are much stockier and can be extremely fluffy, sometimes with an undercoat, with paler colors and less vivid/extensive markings. None of the above is universally true and cathar didn’t necessarily always stay in the region where their ancestors come from (and thus sometimes you get people like Riska, who is all limbs but has fairly northern features and entirely too much fur)

Cathar mostly left their planet in groups, so in some parts of the galaxy you’ll run into whole colonies that originate mostly from one part of the planet and have distinct appearances/cultural idiosyncrasies from other colonies.

They mainly follow the same general rules that apply to most felids in terms of coloration/pattern.

Markings can be stripes, spots, or less commonly rosettes (definitely some version of Taqpep variants) and mostly lie along Blaschko’s Lines, though it’s more obvious on some individuals than others and it isn’t always perfectly precise. Even spotted individuals usually display some striping on the tail and around the eyes, though not always. 

“Default” coloration is black-based, with dark markings on a greyish or brownish base. 

Countershading falls pretty much along patterns you’d expect and usually lightens the chest/stomach, lower face, palms/soles, and inner thighs. Specific distribution and patterns vary quite a bit, and sometimes express in odd ways (hence whatever is going on with Khatte). Darkest points tend to be the tail tip, nose bridge, and mane.

Genetically solid cathar are incredibly uncommon; much more common are genes that affect the appearance/distribution of markings, sometimes rendering them almost invisible. Even ones who appear mostly solid (aka Khatte) usually still have some faint striping around the face and/or tail.

Khatte is basically some loose equivalent of ticked tabby, which mostly just looks like weird countershading but leaves some faint striping on his face and tail.

Jial-ro’s coloration is the result of a gene that suppresses all eumelanin production, and a sepia-like form of partial albinism. 

Riska has something similar, along with something that reduces the size/spread of spots.

Food 

They’re mainly carnivorous and have different nutritional requirements from humans (similar but not identical to those of a cat), which can be a problem in places like the military where standardized rations are the norm. In the Republic a cathar can usually put in a request for rations designed to accommodate carnivores (or supplements, failing that), though they might have some trouble on more isolated or undersupplied planets. The rare cathar in the Imperial military have to procure supplements out of pocket, though it’s technically possible to get reimbursed for it if they’re willing to wade through the bureaucracy.

Cathar are perfectly capable of eating raw meat with few to no ill effects, and have a subgenre of cuisine centered around it (and while they didn’t invent sushi, they have enthusiastically embraced the concept). They also have plenty of ways of cooking meat and readily adopt any new ones they come across. 

Their “natural” diet apart from meat mainly consists of fruit, root vegetables, and eggs, though the closer to the poles you get the less likely you are to encounter fruit in a dish. Cathar never cultivated grain and it holds no meaningful nutritional value for them, so bread, rice, and similar products simply do not appear in traditional cuisine. This does not stop some of them from eating grain products in small amounts, as they can still enjoy the taste, but it isn’t any healthier than processed sugar is to humans and they have a high rate of gluten intolerance as a species.

All cathar have a heightened and refined ability to detect savory/umami type flavors, but around 30-40% of cathar, and the vast majority of those from colder regions, have no taste receptors for sweetness at all. This has resulted in the cathar equivalent of the Cilantro Debate centering around desserts, even though they’re all perfectly aware that it’s genetic, and some who can’t taste sweetness still enjoy some desserts for the other flavors present. Those who do have sweet taste receptors are about as sensitive to it as humans, but it tends not to have the same addictive quality for them and a lot of them don’t like processed sugars in anything but small doses. They would appreciate a lightly sweet creme brulee but most of them would find soda absolutely disgusting.

Citrus is right out.

They suffer no more ill effects than humans from drinking alcohol, and due to generally having a fair amount of mass they can usually drink a lot of it.

Social minutiae

They use a fair amount of feline body language, particularly with others of their own species. While facial expressions play a part and they do smile, scowl, and generally express broad emotions, they have a reduced range of facial mobility compared to more humanoid species and no eyebrows to speak of, which leads to a lot of them having what humans perceive as resting bitchface. It also results in humans underestimating the range and depth of their emotions, and can be a problem in the medical field with human medics/doctors who haven’t been trained to work with less humanoid aliens and won’t necessarily recognize severe pain or distress.

Their ears are less articulated than a cat’s but still have some degree of mobility that serves more of a social function than a practical one. They also express a lot of emotion through their tails, to the point that it can be a detriment in some situations if they haven’t practiced consciously keeping control of it.

Bumping foreheads is a common way to express platonic/familial affection, or can be the equivalent of a chaste kiss between partners. They also squint and slow blink, though it doesn’t always translate clearly to other species.

They have a wider range of vocalization than humans; while their voices are often humanlike and they’re just as capable of articulate speech, they can also growl, purr, and make sounds outside human hearing range. Those raised among humans or near-humans tend to do this less, if at all, while cathar raised in more insular communities of their own kind can come off as very taciturn due to heavier reliance on nonverbal communication.

Sense of smell is much stronger and more refined than a human’s and plays a more significant role in how they perceive and navigate the galaxy. They can occasionally be mistaken for Force-sensitive by humans due to their knack for picking up on emotional distress or the presence of particular species/people by scent. This is more true with people they’re familiar with; they won’t pick out distinct members of the other species by default but will eventually be fairly reliable in identifying the scent of a friend or anyone else they spend a lot of time around.

The exception to the above is other cathar, who they can easily tell apart on an individual basis. They have scent glands around the jaw/neck that come into play for identification, conveying broad emotional states, in some situations can aid medical diagnoses, among other things. They also play a part in building connection and familiarity between friends, family, or romantic partners.

The ~horny section~

Cathar don’t really kiss the way humans do by default, but they can, and usually do so unless they’ve somehow had no contact with any near-human species at all. Their equivalent is gentle biting around the neck and jaw, which is another situations where the scent glands are relevant, and when aroused that whole area becomes an erogenous zone for the vast majority of cathar. 

Plenty of humans (particularly if they don’t encounter a lot of aliens day to day) will avoid kissing cathar anyway because they have sandpaper tongues and dry mouths and fangs, and it feels fucking weird if you aren’t prepared for that. 

They tend to be very bitey in general unless specifically asked not to. It only becomes a problem if the cathar in question is inexperienced with humanoids and hasn’t figured out how much bite force is acceptable for a species with thinner, more sensitive skin.

Their dicks are fairly humanoid in size and shape, though somewhat more conical at the head, but they do have a sheath rather than a foreskin. after maturity they don’t actually retract into the sheath more than about two inches when flaccid, and tend to be slightly less sensitive than the average human (same keritinization factor that affects circumcised humans). It also makes them more vulnerable to damage, but since it’s customary to wear pants on most civilized planets, that never really becomes a problem in the course of a normal day. The base of the shaft that’s usually covered has noticeably higher sensitivity. There are probably individual exceptions to most of the above.

Conventional understanding is that cathar don’t have barbs, which is true the vast majority of the time, though about 60% of them have some amount of vestigial non-keratinous bumps over their head that have no noticeable affect on anything aside from occasional increased sensitivity in that area. Rarely an individual might develop a few actual barbs at the onset of puberty, but they have no practical function and pose a risk of discomfort and injury, and can easily be removed via a fast and mostly painless medical procedure, so the number of adults who have them is close to zero.

Females do have (mild, easy to suppress if desired, and mainly not at all disruptive) heat cycles. Other cathar can generally tell by scent, but not to a distracting degree, and it’s considered rude and inappropriate to point it out with anyone but a close friend or partner. It should go without saying that males don’t have heat cycles, but I’ve gotten enough weird DMs about this to know that I need to say it. Unless said male is trans, and not on any sort of HRT, that’s not how that works. 

They kind of have breasts but unless actively nursing they’re barely noticeable if at all, especially under clothing. Cathar have much fewer hangups about going topless regardless of gender than certain human cultures do.

[battlekidx2]

The Symbolism and Motifs Behind Adora and Catra’s Designs/Looks

Adora 

(Hair down)

The biggest visual motif that is used for Adora is her hair. When she is Adora her hair being up symbolizes her being constrained by her destiny, obligations, responsibilities, past abuse, etc and every time she has a breakthrough or is freed from one of these her hair is let down. This first happens in Destiny part 2 when Adora breaks the sword and for the first time in 4 seasons Adora’s hair is down and she has “freed” herself from her horrible destiny. In season 5 this happens more frequently. In Save the Cat Adora’s hair comes out of her ponytail when she is saving Catra, when she has resolved herself to mend their relationship and reconnect. She has once again “freed” herself from the guilt and emotional pain that came from having to believe that Catra was lost, of being able to reconnect and keep childhood promises and make new ones. And another big one in Heart part 2 after Catra and Adora confess to each other her hair once again falls out of the ponytail symbolizing Adora finally being able to reach for a future that she wants and being “freed” from the obligations that she thought she had to neglect her needs and sacrifice herself for others. Adora’s hair coming loose is (clearly through the examples mentioned) meant to symbolize emotional breakthroughs that Adora has. Adora is a character that isn’t that in touch with her emotions and struggles to comprehend things beyond what she was raised for, battle and war, so each breakthrough is her gradually breaking free of her upbringing.

(She-ra’s look season 1-4)

(She-ra’s look in season 5)

It’s interesting to note that She-ra’s redesign follows the exact opposite motif with her hair, but symbolizes something similar. She-ra’s redesign looks a lot more like Adora does than her original design and this is meant to show how Adora has made she-ra her own. She-ra is no longer what the first ones intended, she is not the sword, she-ra is Adora. Another detail is how the new design incorporates certain aspects of each of the most important people in her life: the heart on her chest for Bow, the wings on her shoes for Glimmer, and her new mask for Catra. She-ra and her meaning have been altered by Adora and her experiences and I really love that fact. This is Adora taking back control over something that was supposed to be used to manipulate her. Which is a core part of her character because of the struggles she has with her abuse at shadow weaver’s hands. This is a part of the culmination of Adora’s arc of discovering she is more than what she can do for others. That her destiny, the destiny of she-ra, is in her own hands. That the manipulations of people trying to use her isn’t what has made Adora the person and hero she is today, but the personal connections she forged and her own personal drive to do what she believes is right.

Catra 

Season 1-3 look

season 4 (and beginning of season 5) look

Season 5 look

(under prime’s control)

(once she joins the rebellion)

One of my favorite recurring motifs with Catra is the literal mask that she wears and that in this season after she decides to save Glimmer the mask is gone from her design completely. The dark exterior that Catra uses to hide her feelings and pain is gone and she has finally decided to be true to herself. Same with her eyes. Catra has heterochromia which is used to outwardly display her dual nature and warring inner conflict between her love and hatred of Adora and in the 5th season it’s used to portray her struggle between self betterment and sliding into old habits and self destruction. This is shown very clearly in the episode “Taking Control”. Whenever Catra is lashing out at Adora she’s turned so that her blue eye is the only one in frame and when Catra is being vulnerable or showing regret her yellow eye is the one that’s in frame. When she decides to use the chip to discover Horde Prime’s plan and protect Adora her yellow eye is the one in frame further emphasizing her decision to change. I really liked this detail in the episode. There is also the very obvious one in the season 3 finale where the blue eye is the one covered by the corruption in season 3 symbolizing Catra’s decision to commit to her villain role. Her darkness had won over her light. And it comes full circle once again in the series finale. Once Catra makes the decision to go back for Adora and stands up to shadow weaver her blue eye is the one shown in side views. Showing that she has overcome what had been her biggest shortcoming in this series, pushing others away to protect herself.

I just really loved how they used Catra’s character design to its fullest and didn’t waste details. It’s really easy to just be like “wow this looks cool” and then do nothing with it, but the she-ra crew was like “wow this looks cool now let’s do something with it”. For example when Catra gets her redesign in season 4 her hair is a lot less poofy and her ear tufts are gone and it’s tied into her character progression. Catra got rid of her ear tufts because shadow weaver had used caressing them as a way to manipulate Catra and her feelings. Catra now associates them with negative emotions and weakness and wants to “cut off” any possibility of feeling that kind of emotional pain again. The darker colors of her clothes also reflect her decision in the previous season. Catra’s main colors before this season were much lighter reds, but now it’s a deep, dark red showing her descent into the darkness when she opened the portal and her denial. Her color scheme changes once again in season 5. Her shoulders have maintained the darker red, but the dark sleeves that she had are now gone making it so that the lighter reds overcome or overshadow the darker red symbolizing how the light inside of her has overcome the dark. Yet it’s still keeps the colors darker than season 1 because Catra has done things since then that have made it so that she can’t go back to being that same person before she committed her mistakes. She’s a much healthier person though and has come to accept her mistakes and try to move forward in a better healthier direction (again symbolized by the color of her clothes).

I also want to point out Catra’s design in save the cat. In Save the Cat Catra is in all white and grey with her hair slicked back perfectly in place. The more Catra comes to her senses and is freed from primes control the messier her hair gets. It is similar to Adora’s hair motif, but with Catra’s hair becoming messier it can also symbolize her embracing/remembering her mistakes and the messiness that comes from trying to move forward in a more positive direction. When brainwashed and under primes control she doesn’t even remember her mistakes because Prime has “washed” away the pain along with the memory. Also white is typically used to symbolize purity but in this context it feels very out of place. This isn’t who Catra is. The reason she goes back to the red is that once again it symbolizes her decisions and choices. Catra can’t undo the mistakes so she “wears” them and acknowledges them after this episode. This is why in the transition episode Catra is wearing grey undergarments. Catra isn’t at the point where she can face her mistakes even though she has admitted them, symbolized by the transfer from white to grey. Her clothing being undergarments alone shows how vulnerable and insecure Catra is feeling about these mistakes. The very next episode after she resolves to face her mistakes she goes back to her red color scheme, again with less of the dark red than in season 4 showing her decision to change and go down a “lighter” path.