#the illustrators are just doing it on purpose at this point

[katyspersonal]

I'm sure you've already got an ask on this and answered it earlier and I just missed it, but-

I was thinking earlier today about how Leda described the ever wonderful Sir Ansbach and howshe said he tore into Miquella's flesh with his blade until the charm was cast upon him.

Then, when Miquella shows up in the cinematic for the phase change in the Radahn fight, he has three arms, but a sleeve for a fourth on his left shoulder where his original arm should be...

Is this probably something for design or gameplay purposes? Probably. Will I choose to imagine that Ansbach was the one who lopped the arm off despite the presence of Leda and probably others? More than likely.

I still don't know what to make out of Miquella's left arm missing ;-; To this day. A perfect explanation would be if that was the arm sticking out of his cocoon, so, the one part of him that didn't traverse into Land of Shadow. However:

It is his right arm that sticks out, so there is no correlation!

He also did abandon his left arm at some point.. which he had to still have to even do. Miquella abandoned all of his body though, but regained his form upon ascension, but with the exception of left arm!

Maybe Ansbach partially cut his arm, and what Miquella abandoned was actually the shoulder from up there? Thought it is not likely he has even as much as the shoulder when you look at the transparency filter on his model:

My only guess is that something might have been off with his arm when he was still alive, as even his statues as a child picture his arm kind of damaged:

In fact, when I went to look for better screenshots, I've found this image in this ( x ) Reddit thread that illustrates what I am talking about:

And in the same thread, OP observed that (ex?) part of Miquella that stayed carved into Haligtree also has this arm prominent:

So maybe this arm got too screwed, or rather, too inextricably connected with the Haligtree, that he used to nourish with his own blood? Or maybe it is too connected with Malenia, with whom he also shared his blood to literally create some parts of her body? Or both of these things!

Basically: this arm was likely his blood-letting arm, and because of this, it became inseparable from what he left in the Lands Between. It is part of his body that he can't fully separate from as long as Haligtree and Malenia exist, so he was not able to get "ascended" version of his arm!

Okay chat I think we might have figured this out hhdhfsdhs At least I think this is a reasonable assumption! I wonder if he felt bittersweet seeing how despite all his efforts, one part of him is "rotted" too hard into the fate he wanted to abandon

[yourbuerokrat2]

@thymelessink

First picture: I love Qs expression and gesture here because to me it clearly looks like he let himself fall back and with the way his one leg is a bit up it is clearly elobarete that he is doing this for the sole purpose of getting close to Picard. But he still has that smile on and the way he has his one hand raised makes it clear that Q is in the middle of something and so maybe he can always pretend that this fall back is simply part of the show Q is putting on or part of what he is trying to illustrate to Picard. Like in a 'haha I am definitly not falling back solely to get in your arms and to get close to you and hopefully get you to fall in love with me it's just part of whatever else I am doing, unless...'

Second Picture: You just know that if cameras were more normal in Star Trek that Riker would definitly get one and make a picture out of this. Although I do hc that Q has a whole bunch of pictures, posters and videos of himself and Picard and this image is definetely going to become part of the collection. Maybe another Q or someone else made a comment about Picard and Q always arguing and so Q decided that the two of them getting along better is a great idea, snapped his fingers et voila. Now this shirt stays on until Picard likes him better.

Third picture: I cannot help but picture Picards expression if this was the third Trial. At this point the Continuum has long since given up on Qs impartiality as a Judge and so Q gets to do whatever he wants during these Trials. Can see PIcard just staring in Qs eyes, refusing, absolutely refusing to look lower even as Q grins. Maybe even making a suggestive comment about what the two of them could do in the Courtroom after the Trial is over.

Fourth Picture: Famous last words before getting turned into a worm be a sad Q. I mean, Picard is brutally honest with Q so much so that I sometiems think he is just forgetting that Q is not just some funny and annoying guy. But no, PIcard is likely completely aware of just what Q is all the time and still decides to look him in the eye and say that. On the other hand considering Q complained to Sisko about Sisko not playing along with Qs insults and words like Picard does I think a part of Q likes it. Still, poor Q.

More silly sketches...

The Get Along Shirt idea was @predawnite and I ran with it.

And JdL has to be blamed for the high heels idea.

[ansjsla]

This song + the latest cafe illustrations 🔛🔝

[unproduciblesmackdown]

maybe i'd have named myself milo without, indirectly, jules feiffer illustrations, but their role can't have hurt

[dresshistorynerd]

Sewing a turn of the 15th century French kirtle in doll scale

Another day, another historical doll outfit! This time it's Late Medieval. This was a popular style from about 1380-1420 France and Alpine area, but I specifically based this dress on French illuminations from the early 15th century, which mostly effects the details, like headwear. As always I hand stitched everything and stuck to historical construction methods as much as I could.

Chemise

I made a very simple chemise. The construction is based on what we know from extant finds, made out of simple rectangles and triangles, like earlier unlaced kirtles. Based on illustrations, chemise was fairly slim but unfitted enough it didn't need closures. I made it from linen, because it's not very gathered and won't bulk up too much, so I don't need to use my very fine cotton voile.

Cote

Cote is just the French word for kirtle, so appropriate here. This is the supportive layer cote, which was sort of an undergarment, but was considered fully dressed, if informal on it's own. The sleeves on this underlayer were always long and either fully fitted or gathered at the wrist. Some fitted sleeve styles had a flare at the wrist which covered the hand. The very fitted look was achieved with buttons. The silhouette was smooth and fitted, the waistline was slightly above the natural waist, though that was not as pronounced in France as in Northern Italy. Abdomen was emphasized, round lower stomach was the body ideal. The cut of the dress left plenty of room there. To fill that room I folded the chemise under the abdomen as a sort of padding. This was common to do with any kind of skirts, primarily to raise the hem when working, but why not for this purpose also? The necklines were fairly low and very wide.

I used cotton because I didn't have suitable thin enough wool that wouldn't have created too much bulk on this scale, but the cote should have been made from. The cotton is tightly woven and sells the look of a woven wool in this scale well enough for me. I didn't finish seems or line it to avoid bulk. I did give the lacing a cording to reinforce it and avoid wrinkling. The cotton was originally white, but I dyed it with iron oxide, basically rust, which at least is very much historical.

Hose

I made the hose from cotton as well for the same reasons as I did the cote. Long pointed style became fashionable around this time, as well as sewing leather soles in the bottoms of the hose instead of using shoes. Though often pattens (wooden flipflops basically) could be used when walking outside to protect the leather soles.

Cornettes or horned hair

I tied the hair with a tape on cornettes, where the volume of hair was tied on the temples to create a bit of horned appearance, especially when combined with the horned headwear. The sort of fillet which became more of a forehead loop seemed to have been tied into the hair, which I did.

Cotehardie

Cotehardie meant literally "bold cote", and in France that was what the formal outer cote was called. It was basically the same as cote, but made from more expensive materials and often had large hanging sleeves. I went with widening triangular sleeves, since they were perhaps the most popular sleeves at the time. I used fine fulled wool (verka) I had enough scraps left from. White fur was popular lining material, but obviously I can't use fur in this scale, I wish I had some light white velvet, it would have been pretty good, but I didn't. I lined the skirt and the sleeves with white cotton to imitate the look without adding too much body or extra bulk. I decorated the neckline with a simple golden trim. I thought about adding a bit of golden embroidery around it too, like seemed to have been popular, but my local crafts store had run out of golden thread so I decided to go with this only.

Accessories

Unlike the belt used with houppelande, which was below bust, the belt used with the kirtle or cotehardie, was very low, under the abdomen to emphasize it. I went for a silk belt look, which I'm imagining is embroidered/woven with golden thread, since embroidery that small would have been too painful. I had an old broken necklace, which I could use for the metallic parts.

With the pouch I went for the tasseled drawstring look, with simple embroidery manageable in this scale. I used linen for it.

Headwear

I made her a chaperon, which likely was where the escoffion got it's beginning, escoffion being the round tube-like headwear worn on top of the head seen in several primary source images above. Early form of escoffion was becoming very popular at the time, though chaperon's were still seen on women too. Chaperon, as seen below both on the left-most woman and the man in the middle was actually just the hood rolled into a circle.

Because the horned look was popular, the escoffion and chaperon were often worn over the wired horned veil, so I first made that. I made it from cotton to make it as light as possible. It was just a square I hemmed. I just used some wire to poke out the horns from her hair and pinned the veil close from the back and onto her hair from the top.

Then I made the open hood. It was just the regular hood which had become very popular during the last century and which had ever longer narrow tip, but it was pinned and worn open, probably because of the hair style and to again create the horned look. I made if from the same cotton I made the hose, even though it too should be from wool. But it was already too bulky as it was.

And finally I could make the chaperon. Here's first chaperon without wire or veil under it and then with those. The effect isn't as pronounced as I would have hoped because the hood is too bulky, but there is an effect which is nice.

[tinylongwing]

Long-billed Curlew is one of the most common species at a site I've begun monitoring this summer, and also a sensitive wetland species of concern to the state.

Just doing a bit of sketching here to help me understand proportions because boy they're kinda goofy, that beak is so long! I wouldn't be surprised if I wind up doing a full illustration of this species at some point for work purposes so it's time to learn them.

[art]

Creator Spotlight: @jdebbiel

Deb JJ Lee is a non-binary Korean artist based in Brooklyn, NY. They have appeared in the New Yorker, New York Times, NPR, Google, Radiolab, and more. Their award-winning graphic memoir, IN LIMBO, about mental illness and difficult relationships with trauma, released in March 2023 from First Second.

Below is our interview with Deb!

Have you ever had an art block? If so, how did you overcome it?

That implies I am over my art block, but I’m still in it! I think about Kiki’s Delivery Service a lot and how she had to stop doing a thing, and that you can’t really force it, and you have to let it come back to you. It’s a pretty humbling moment, realizing there is more to life than just drawing. I’ve been trying to consume other content like reading or watching movies—anything that is not drawing-related—and to trust that it will come back to me. I think not being afraid to do the small pieces before committing to the big pieces is helpful. Because big pieces are what I am known for, I dig myself into a deeper hole, thinking that each piece has to be bigger than the last one. So yeah! Relaxing and doing the small things before overcommitting to a big piece is the best way to go about it for me.

Which 3 famous artists (dead or alive) would you invite to your dinner party?

I feel like these are all artists that I have second-degree connections with! Jillian Tamaki, Victo Ngai, and Tillie Walden would be my picks!

What are your file name conventions?

…What file name conventions? I mean, I don’t have specific file name conventions, but I actually have a public Google Drive archive! But I usually put “djjl_whatever-the-title-is_final,” and I would always know it’s the final and legit version.

What is a recent creative project that you are proud of?

I did an illustration for the whiskey brand Johnnie Walker. It’s so wild because I only had four days to finish it, and it usually takes me a week and a half if I rush. And honestly, it’s probably one of my best pieces from this year, which is funny. It was for the Mid-Autumn festival, so I made it as Korean as possible.

How has technology changed the way you approach your work?

I only use my iPad to draw everything now, and if I want to pretend that I have a steady workstation, I’ll use my Cintiq. I still am not as comfortable on the Cintiq as I am on Procreate, but it’s still pretty solid and nice. That’s the good part about technology. The bad part about technology is how AI art has been messing things up for me. I’m currently in a lawsuit about AI art as a class rep. Some of my stuff got turned into AI art late last year, so I have to give a deposition at some point. 

What is a convention experience that has stuck with you?

Honestly, they’re all good! I feel like Lightbox Expo has been really nice because it’s truly been a convention for artists. I feel like that’s where most of my audience is, and they’re all around because their purpose is to be better at art. That’s where a lot of original artists do well because they’re getting art they’re inspired by, not so much fanart. I like the Lightbox Expo because it encompasses the pure love of art very well. 

Top tips on setting up an Artist Alley booth?

Use a Y axis, not just your X axis! Take advantage of it! Branding is also something to think about. It is definitely something I’m getting better at. Having an assistant is also very important. I’ve also heard that 8.5x11 to 12x18 inches is usually a good size for prints, but I also provide postcard-sized prints because sometimes people don’t want to commit to a larger size. 

Who on Tumblr inspires you and why?

You know this is so funny. I’ve been following @alicexz for over a decade on Tumblr and other platforms. I’ve followed her work since high school, and we’ve only recently become peers. I found her, and we met for the first time in real life, and she recognized me. And then I found all my drawings from when I was in my Alice phase, back in high school, and I was like, “Yo, this is when I was trying to be you so badly!” and she was cracking up and was like “Wow, this is so good!” It was such a sweet moment. I wanted to take a picture of her holding my drawing up. It’s really nice because now we’re peers.

Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing, Deb! Be sure to check out their Tumblr blog over at @jdebbiel.

[possesseddesiress]

Switch Up: Logan's Revenge

CONTENT WARNING: This story includes themes of transformation and body control with a suggestive approach. If this type of narrative is not to your liking or you do not meet the recommended age, we suggest you do not continue. All images used (if any) belong to their respective owners. I claim no authorship over them and they are only used for illustrative purposes.

If you decide to go ahead, welcome to Possessed Desires, where mind and body are never completely under your control.

Switch Up: Logan's Revenge (English Version)

— Fuck it, give it to me.

I muttered taking the control from his hand, examining it for a second.

— Be careful, don't take it so hard, Logan - Miles said somewhat nervously, although he was right, the controller was like the greatest invention of the 21st century.

But I was excited. I hadn't said anything about having been in Ethan's body, but geez! If I hadn't taken my clothes off at the time it had been out of mere respect for my friend. But I clearly wanted to see what it was like to have a thin chest, or a slender body. I had always wanted to be different, far from… The typical stereotype of a nerdy boy: fat, pimply-faced, unattractive.

I wanted more, too. Just like Ethan had said, I wished I had more than this.

— What are you going to do now? - Ethan said a little nervously.

— Hunt… As Miles said.

Everyone thought it was strange that he chose Caleb. They were right that he was obnoxious, and that was exactly why he had become my target. I was sick of his laughs, his mocking comments about my weight, once he had even burped in my face.

I knew he was an idiot, a lout, who hardly wore deodorant and used his brain to the bare minimum. I knew there were better bodies, but I wanted revenge.

— And you need help? Ethan was always the one who cared the most about others, with a warm personality and a big heart. I was a little more reserved, quiet and barely peeking out of the comics, Miles? Well, he was Miles.

— No. But one thing I rarely showed my friends, was the dark side of me. An extremely vindictive and spiteful side that was willing to do anything to see Caleb Hawks pay.

— Logan, are you sure you're…?

— Miles, how do I use it?

— Just point the antenna where you want the first body to be, then press the yellow button. At the end, point it at the second body, green button, and that's it.

— And what happens if he notices the change? Miles was thoughtful.

— There is a function but it's not finished yet, I would have to….

— Give me safe options.

— Tackle it. I swallowed.

Partly I knew it was a very bad idea all around. Going alone, aiming a controller at my bully, hoping he wouldn't hit me first. I thought about asking them for help, whether it was both of them or anyone else, Ethan could stay in the shadows and just be in charge of pointing and pressing buttons.

But I wanted to do things that only my company could authorize.

— And what will happen to the control?

— The controller will stay in your original body's hand, I doubt he'll figure out how it works, but you should get it back as soon as possible.

I nodded, as if mentally going over the steps to complete the “mission”.

— Right. I turned immediately, leaving the library to start walking through the rest of the high school.

I had no idea where Caleb could be, classes? In practice? It was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Yes, he was my stalker; but he always seemed to have a knack for finding me.

I decided to head out to the gym, there were hardly any people in that area at that hour, everyone else was in class I guess. I heard the sound of weights, the snorts of someone, and finally… I was there.

Caleb was lifting a weight, flexing his arms with a frown, there was sweat all over his body. He was concentrating on his exercises until he could see me through the reflection in the mirror.

— There you are, buttery! - he dropped the weights, with his usual stupid expression, that smug smile - What are you doing here, are you finally thinking of stopping being this heavy?

My hand was shaking as I watched him get closer and closer. Rage boiled through my body. I quickly pointed at his body to press the yellow button, to which he smiled a confused, mostly mocking smile.

— Is that one of your nerdy tastes? I clenched my jaw, he was getting closer, slow but steady. He was nothing short of lunging for it.

He stayed still. But I knew it was just a trap, he immediately rushed at me but I quickly turned the control towards me, aimed and pressed the green button.

From one moment to the next, I looked at my old body. And I couldn't help but smile with satisfaction. My old face formed a confused expression of Caleb's own, and before I could do anything, I snatched the controller away from him.

— What the fuck? He looked down at his new fat hands. To which I immediately ran with the control to the locker room.

I felt powerful. No, powerful was not powerful enough, I felt great! With my new strong legs I strided forward until I ended up at the bathroom door, and immediately whipped it shut to lock it.

I turned to the mirror, to find myself directly in front of Caleb's reflection, or rather: My new reflection.

Moments ago he only trained with a cap and pants, he was always careless with those things. Wearing any clothes to train, always leaving everything impregnated with his stench.

I froze for a moment, until a smug smile formed on my face. I lifted my armpit to start smelling my new scent, smiling at it; totally ecstatic about it.

I stroked my abs, letting out a giggle as I didn't feel my old belly, just a firm set of muscles. I kept hearing Caleb knocking on the door like crazy, but that was what mattered least.

My hands went to my pecs, and as soon as I caressed the relief on them, it was like seeing stars. An expression between confusion and ecstasy formed on my face, to which I went back to touching that area again and again. A silly, almost idiotic gesture, somewhat typical of the old Caleb appeared on me.

But what was better was feeling what Caleb was hiding in his pants! I could feel the stiffness, how it grew to bulge and stick uncomfortably against his pants, begging to be released.

I pulled out his phone, unlocked it with his fingerprint, starting to take pictures of me in different poses and faces. Some in profile, showing off his abs or highlighting his pecs, others with a mocking expression, or a serious one.

But what I loved the most, was sticking out my tongue, rolling my eyes and making him look even dumber than he already was. I had Caleb's fate in the palm of my hand! I could ruin his reputation as much as I wanted, drive myself crazy with power - anything!

But then he came knocking on the door again, and I didn't just want him to see from afar everything I was willing to commit, no. I wanted him to experience it in the flesh. I wanted him to experience it in the flesh.

I hid the control in a part of the bathroom sink, and opened the door to pull him inside with some force. My old body was undoubtedly a bit heavy, but even that wouldn't stop me now.

— What the hell did you do! - Caleb jerked like a worm on my arm, but I still didn't release my grip.

— Isn't it obvious, buttery? - I made sure to put extreme emphasis on that last word, I wanted to break it.

— Don't call me that, bitch! You don't know what I'm capable of doing!

— What would you be capable of doing, Logan - I tightened my grip on my old video game t-shirt - Because I remind you that that's your name now, you're Logan, and I'm Caleb Hawks.

His eyes conveyed terror, denying.

— N-no!

— Yes - I smiled with pure malice - But don't worry, I think I've had enough of annoying you like I used to, I think I've come up with a much better way to use you.

I grabbed him by the hair forcefully, lifted my armpit and suddenly pressed him against it. The former Caleb let out a whimper, and again tried to escape, but no. I would make him pay, hundreds and hundreds of days of him teasing me would not be forgotten.

I rubbed his nose up and down against my wet, smelly skin, my hand gripping the back of his neck. For a while he struggled until he seemed to slowly give up.

All you could hear were his gasps, his gasping breaths, and how he began to lick.

— Geez, looks like someone's hungry! He didn't respond, just swallowed saliva before plunging his face back into my new sweaty, stinky armpit.

I smiled contentedly, playing with him for a while. It was beyond gratifying to have him in the palm of my hand, in control of every single thing I did.

— You love it, don't you? - He was on his knees, his face flushed as he gasped for air, a couple of strands of saliva escaping his lips as my new masculinity was in the air - You love that this body is now in the hands of someone who deserves it, don't you?

It was as if his brain was mush, he barely nodded before I grabbed him by the back of the neck to get him to attend to me again.

We were in the dressing room for at least two hours, until he ended up with squirts and squirts of frothy stuff in his mouth. Apparently Caleb had buckets and buckets of nectar in his nuts too!

— Who are you now? - I grabbed him by the hair hard, which made him gasp. The image was more than satisfying, messy, full of sticky white goo, his face flushed.

— M-my name is L-Logan….

I smiled.

— Good thing that was clear, buttery.

I blurted out. I put on a denim jacket that he previously wore, and again pulled out my phone to take pictures of myself, revealing my new body.

It felt amazing, switching with Ethan had been just a stepping stone to the whole ladder of pleasure being Caleb was giving me. I kicked off my shoe, pulling my foot up against the sink to take a new picture.

Strangely… in my old body I'd never had that “taste” for feet before, it seemed a bit odd, but now… I couldn't take my eyes off my foot. I got as close as I could to sniff it, and it was like glory... I smelled again, noticing scents where I didn't notice them before, and feeling a great interest in my own scent.

How my armpits stank, or my balls. The smell of my feet… My whole body, in fact, was like an elixir. I'd never felt anything like it before, really. I had never smelled anything so… perfect.

Then I understood. Caleb had hyperosemia; a disorder that made him smell scents even stronger than they were. He was so obsessed with his bad smell because it smelled good to him.

— So that was your secret, that you smell so good to you, you don't care if others are disgusted? - I smiled, smelling my armpit again - Now I get it…. I smell so good.

He just looked at me like a hypnotized puppy, to which I just smiled.

— I think I've had enough fun with you. But I'm bored now, so I'll see you around, loser.

I let out a laugh to leave the locker room, but not before picking up the controller. I started to walk through the halls of the school, it was just a change of classes, so the halls were quite crowded.

I lifted my chin, stuck out my chest and strode forward with confidence. I didn't mind not wearing a t-shirt, I reeked of sweat, I could even smell that whitish liquid I had poured in droves on “Logan”, I smelled like glory. I was amazing!

I ended up making it to the library. I thought my friends would be gone, but there they were, Ethan was lying on the table, apparently fed up; Miles was still making notes.

I moved towards them, they didn't even see me coming when I grabbed Miles from behind to grab his hair. How Caleb used to annoy all the nerds at school.

— Let me go! - He tried to move while I just smiled. Ethan woke up in anguish as he looked at us.

— What's up, nerds? Your fat friend wanted to do something weird to me with a contraption of his, what did they have in mind trying to do something like that to me?

Ethan's expression turned almost terrified. To which I ended up letting out a laugh, I loosened my grip on Miles to pull out the controller.

— You should have seen their faces. I sat down in a nearby chair, placing my hands behind my neck and leaning back.

— Logan?…. - Ethan muttered in confusion. Miles just coughed as he glared at me.

— No, now tell me Caleb - I said as I smiled a self-centered smile again. I looked down at the table, picking up one of my comics to flip through it. I wanted to make sure I still had my taste in comics, and I did. I leafed through it for a while waiting for a response, though there was only silence - Won't you say anything?

— How does it feel? - Miles was the first to speak. He rushed quickly towards me, ready to ask hundreds of questions - How was it, where is the old Caleb?

— It feels amazing - I stroked my chest arrogantly, then flexed my arm in front of them to widen my bicep. Finally I reached up to my armpit to lick it - It's feeling a myriad of new experiences, and about the new Logan… I hope they don't find him in the locker room or his reputation will be buried forever.

I laughed deeply. Miles and Ethan just looked at me with admiration, though I knew part of it was also with desire, to which I flexed both arms to widen my chest and big arms.

— I'm like a superhero, aren't I? - There was silence again, just staring at me in rapt attention - Come on, guys. Stop drooling and better find out who we can play with.

I pointed to the control in the middle of the table, to which they got up in a hurry to almost run out of the library. I was left alone with a smirk on my face.

I got up just the same. To walk to the bathroom, I still hadn't finished exploring this whole body…

I went into the bathroom to start taking off what I had on, only being left in my boxers. I loved how the fabric clung to Caleb's chubby muscular legs, all his effort was now mine.

His muscles, his stench, his clothes, his phone. Everything, everything was mine and mine alone.

I pulled out my phone to take pictures of myself again, soon they would be all over his social media.

His Instagram feed would soon be full of shirtless guys, goodbye to all those girls in bikinis, nope. It would now be full of muscle boys, or twinks eager to be at my feet.

I was now a fucking god! With smelly feet, stinky armpits and musky smelling whole body. I smelled amazing… And even better, I could act as dumb as the old Caleb. Although with the big difference that I would exploit being a dumb, stinky “himbo” to the fullest.

The guys are definitely going to love it.

To be continued.

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I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you liked it, don't forget to follow it and share it so more people can discover it.

I'm always open to suggestions and ideas, so if you have any fantasy or scenario in mind, let me know in the comments or in messages.

This is the second part of “Switch Up”, a new series for the blog, I hope you like it.

See you in the next story… Who knows what body you'll occupy this time?

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[mbbmz]

Hugs HCS

Takemichi, Draken, Mikey, Baji, Mitsuya, Pah chin, Smiley, Mucho, Chifuyu, Hakkai, Peh Yan, angry, Sanzu, Hanma, Kazutora, Kisaki, Izana, Ran, Rindou, Mochi, Shion, Kakucho, Koko, Inui, Taiju, Shinichiro, Benkei, Takeomi, Wakasa, Hinata, Emma, Yuzuha, Senju, South (hope I didn’t forget anyone)

Sorry about any grammar or spelling mistakes (illustration isn’t mine)

Big huggers

Huggers that will legit crush your bones. Not that they’re trying to, they just like the feeling of you pressed against them too much. They’re always warm and reassuring, perfect when you have a bad day!

Benkei, Hinata, Baji, Sanzu, Senju, Mochi, Shion, South

Warm huggers

Their embrace is so sweet you can’t help but melt in it. They will wrap an arm around your waist or and place their head on your shoulder, taking a few minutes to enjoy your warmth. And of course, you let them.

Draken, Mitsuya, Inui, Kakucho, Yuzuha, Hakkai, Chifuyu

Shy huggers

They won’t hug you until you initiate, even if they want to, and will most of the time let you hug them instead of the other way around. They bury themselves in your embrace, closing their eyes as they relax in the sweet comfort of your arms

Izana, Kazutora, angry, Takemichi, Peh Yan, Shinichiro

"Not just a hug" huggers

Hugging them will always turn into a cuddle session, whether you want it or not. The second you’re in their arms, you’re completely trapped as they push you on the bed or the couch. It happens every time, yet you still fall for it. Maybe you’re doing it on purpose…

Wakasa, Mikey, Smiley, Ran, Rindou, Hanma, Emma

"A hug? Why?" Huggers

Rare huggers, never initiate. They’re not affectionate people per say and don’t really see the point in hugging you (or any physical display of affection for that matter). Yet at the end of the day, will always hug you if you ask them to <3

Takeomi, Taiju, Koko, Kisaki, Mucho, Pah Chin (Pah secretly likes it, he’ll never tell you tho)

[linkspooky]

The Next Gojo Satoru

As you've probably guessed I have a lot to say about this chapter. However, right away I want to start out by pointing out once again that the fandom is taking a mostly gojo-centric view of this chapter. Which I understand it's Gojo's body that's being puppeteered around and dehumanized in the exact same way that Kenjaku one of the sickest and most inhuman characters used Geto's body.

However I think it shouldn't be understated how shocking it is to see Yuta betray all of his values like this. The most human character who represents love in the cast has given up on the cast and betrayed someone he loves. So let's talk about what this all means for Yuta under the cut.

GOJO GETS AN F IN TEACHING.

I understand why most of the focus is on Gojo, because yes Gojo's body is the one being violated here. He's not even allowed to rest in death after fighting on the front lines against Sukuna to the point where his brain was hemmoraging in the middle of battle and he was brutally cut in half.

Considering how much horror Gojo experienced when he saw Geto's body taken from him and made into Kenjaku's pupet. Cosidering the horrible pain that Nanako and Mimiko endured just seeing Geto's body still moving around denied a good death (Nanako and Mimiko were tellingly willing to let go and not try to take revenge against Gojo for killing Geto because of their friendship even though Geto was their whole world, but they'd never forgive Kenjaku for taking his body). Considering that Gojo even went out of his way to say he wanted to kill Kenjaku / Geto on Christmas Eve again in order to give him a proper burial it's understandable how horrifying this update is.

This is also a series where the two main antagonists are parasites who take the bodies, and steal away all bodily autonomy from characters like Yuji and Megumi and then force them to do horrible things they would never do and bear witness to it, such as the slaughter at Shibuya, or the murder of Tsumiki at Megkuna's hands.

It's understandable how people had such a visceral reaction to this chapter. However, I think the fandom has a tendency to paint Gojo like he's the central victim of all of Jujutsu Society when he's both victim and perpetrator.

Gojo is someone who has only been regarded as the strongest his entire life, and been used as a tool to keep Jujutsu Society stable his entire life. Gojo is also someone who never tried to be anything other than the strongest, never tried to empathize with anyone other than those who were just as strong as he is, and who raised all of his students to be tools too.

To illustrate my point here's an incredibly similiar character from Tokyo Ghoul: Arima Kishou. They are so similiar that they're both white haired mentor characters to the protagonist, they're both the strogest in their respective worlds, and Gege straight up copied this section of panels from the Tokyo Ghoul Manga.

Arima is a breeding project, who was bred by the Washuu Family who mxies blood between humans and ghouls through a series of controlled marriages for the purpose of creating hybrid ghoul human children. Arima isn't the ideal hybrid they were looking for, but he was so ungodly talented he quickly rose to being the most powerful and well-respected investigator in the CCG.

However, this is how Arima reacts to the fact that his entire purpose in life was just to be a weapon to kill ghouls.

Arima loathes violence, he loathes being an investigator, he loathes himself most of all and designs his entire political revolution around him finally being killed by Kaneki - to punish himself and also to relieve himself of the burden of living a life where he was only meat to kill others.

Gojo on the other hand loves being the strongest, he lives for Jujutsu. Arima's death is tragic and nihilistic believing his life had no real worth because all he ever was was a weapon to hurt others, whereas Gojo died satisfied.

Arima's last battle against Kaneki is grim, silent, and tragic, he does everything he can to make Kaneki despise him, to force Kaneki to kill him by being the worst version of himself and when Kaneki still wants him to live he just slits his own throat because even if Kaneki forgives him he can't forgive himself. Gojo laughs his head off and has the time of his life fighting against Sukuna, and going out in a blaze of glory.

Gojo dies smiling, Arima dies finally breaking into tears after a life of pretedig to be cold and emotionless. Gojo's dying regret is 1) that Geto wasn't there to say goodbye to him, and 2) that he wasn't able to draw out all of Sukuna's strength. Arima's dying regret was all the pain and suffering he caused throughout his life and how he was never able to rise above his circumstances and be anything other than what he was born to be.

These two characters are incredibly similiar, they are both the strongest, and they were both made into tools by a dehumanizing system they were born into. However, their attitudes are entirely different. Gojo enjoys being strong, and yes part of it is that Gojo himself doesn't realize he's a victim or what society has groomed him into becoming, but the other part is just because it's an ego trip for him. Gojo doesn't see himself as the tragic victim his fandom makes him out to be.

If you were to transplant him into Tokyo Ghoul Gojo would be happily killing ghouls, and he would think killing ghouls is fun because he's the strongest and best at killing ghouls. This is the complexity that is Satoru Gojo, he has been dehumanized and put on a pedestal his ow life, but Gojo also enjoys being on that pedestal and won't ever step down from it willingly.

I'm not saying that Arima is a better person than Gojo. I think the fact that Gojo doesn't think of himself as a victim is tragic in its own right, because he lacks the self-awareness to actually grow and change as a person. In the end both Arima and Gojo believe they couldn't be anything better than what they were, and their only release is death which is just insanely sad to me because as long as the future exists people always have a chance to get better no matter who they are. To give up on the future, to see an early death as a good thing simply because you can't endure life any longer is one of the most hopeless things imaginable.

Gojo's not sad because he was born to be a tool exploited for society's benefit, he's sad because he was lonely. He doesn't even realize it's his own darn fault he's lonely, because not only has Shoko said that he's not alone she's always been right there, but this chapter we get a repeat of Gojo's students begging him to let them in and Gojo himself decided to draw that line between himself and others and thinking an enlightened, godlike being like himself can't possibly be understood.

All of this to say I think Gojo is the sole victim here, but he's the middle of a chain of of victimhood. I think ultimately the biggest victim here is Yuta, and yes I will not only play trauma olympics here I'm going to win.

If this chapter goes to show anything it's that Gojo has completely failed in his ideals of protecting the youth from the dehumanizing system of sorcerers that takes children and reduces them to cogs in a machine.

A lot of people criticize Jujutsu Kaisen for dropping basically all of its political elements and themes of reform in the second half after Shibuya, and while I understand the criticism I think Gege intentionally shifted away from politics because Gojo's political revolution was never going to succeed.

From the beginning Gojo's solution to reforming Jujutsu Society and it's habit of taking away the youth of children and raising them up instead as child soldiers is... to make stronger child soldiers.

This is Gojo's blindspot and it has always been Gojo's blindspot.

It's why Gojo is completely okay with someone like Mei Mei who at the best uses her brother as a human shield to get out of curse domains and has stolen his entire childhood away to make him own pet little shoulder, and at worst actively molests him.

It's why Gojo is stated in the databooks to have only taken an interest in Megumi and Yuta because they were strong.

Gojo understands that he's being exploited by Jujutsu Society, but doesn't understand you need to deconstruct unfair systems of power and exploitation in order to build something better. Gojo from the beginning only had one plan, and that was to replace the people at the top with his own allies who'd support his agenda. He just thought waiting for them to die out and the children to grow up was the more peaceful way of doing it.

Gojo's political revolution was doomed from the beginning and that's why we see him go back on his word this chapter and just slaughter everyone at the top. His choice of a new leader for Jujutsu Society is hardly better than the elders, the person who executed Gojo's teacher and tried to get all the children to kill Itadori early on. Good choice.

This is what Gojo said would happen though, if he just wiped everyone out at the top no real systemic change would occur because they'd just be replaced with someone who wasn't that differet. Gojo's just given up on the notion of lasting change out of pragmatism.

Which is why Gojo himself is not that different from the elders in the first place, not because he's a bad person but because he was shaped by that same society and he's the pinnacle of that society.

I think the thing is and this point often gets ignored - a lot of the choices the elders make are because of outdated traditions like choosing to oppress Maki and Toji just because they challenge the traditional notions of cursed energy.

However, some of the decisions they make are out of cold hard pragmatism. Gakuganji actually turned out to be right in his assassiation attempt against Yuji Itadori. If they had succesfully killed Yuji, then the massacre in Shibuya would have been prevented and likely Kenjaku's plans would have been pushed back. The elders didn't sentence Yuta to execution just to be cruel, or just because they're superstitious but because he's already had several incidents of nearly killing people because he can't control Rika.

It's easy to dismiss the Elders as evil because they're just faceless entities, but then we witness in this very same chapter the main characters making the same heartless decisions out of the same sense of pragmatism.

Gojo understands Jujutsu Society is flawed, but doesn't understand exactly why it's wrong. He doesn't raise his students to be independent free thinkers because then they might question him, he raises them to be very powerful because that's more pragmatic.

Here are the next generation of sorcerers who are going to bring about the change to Jujutsu Society that Gojo so desperately seeks.

Nobara Kugisaki: Dead

Hakari Kinji: His greatest ambition is to start a fight club

Yuji: Actively calls himself a mindless cog and just wants to kill whatever society points him at and tells him to kill.

Maki: Mass murderer.

Yuta: Just stole Gojo's body and said he had to become a monster i Gojo's place.

Megumi: Begging to be killed.

Inumaki: Tuna Mayo

Panda: Is a Panda

(Joke lovingly ripped off from @kaibutsushidousha)

I understand that fighting Sukuna takes precedence now, but do you think once the dust settles any of these characters are going to do anything to make lasting change?

Are we going to see anything for them at the end of the road other than a mountain of their fellow sorcerers corpses?

Gojo didn't nurture his students to grow into healthy adults, he raised them into stronger child soldiers and yes that's the pragmatic thing to do to help them survive in the Jujutsu World, but the elders make those decisions out of cold pragmatism as well.

MHA is also showing a story where the children are failing to learn from the previous generatio's mistakes, but it's far less frustrating to watch in JJK because it almost seems like that's the point?

Maki sacrificed Mai for the sake of becoming someone strong enough to reform the Zen'in Clan, only for her sister to die and Maki to slaughter the rest of her family failing in both her goals to reform her clan and protect Mai.

Yuji became the host of Sukuna in order to help others, because the total deaths of people in the world would go down if he ate all the fingers. Not only did that decision lead to the death of thousands in Shibuya, but he's even lost his role of being Sukuna's host to Megumi.

Yuta wanted to find a reason to live and a purpose in protecting his friends, and also wanted to pay back the man who saved him, not only is Yuta choosing to die in a way that breaks his friends heart he's also violating his beloved teacher's bodies.

There's a lot of arcs like this where characters fail in what they set out to accomplish, because like in most tragedies they don't try to grow as people they only care about getting stronger. It's the same choice over ad over again, a decision made of cold pragmatism that brings about their tragic ending.

I think it speaks to why systems like this perpetuate themselves, because it becomes so hard to hold onto your humanity that even trying gets you actively punished all the while people like Mei Mei crawl to the top. However, even if you throw your humanity away purely as an act of survival you're still helping perpetuate that system instead of fighting against it.

Anyway, that's enough hating on Gojo, onto the main event.

THE NEXT GOJO SATORU.

It's almost masterful how perfect the foreshadowing for this chapter's twist was. Yuta sharing a common ancestor in Sugawara with Gojo.

The irony that Kenjaku said out loud that someone like Yuta could never become Gojo, on top of the fact that Yuta's true power comes from detaining his loved ones soul. He's turning Gojo's body into a weapon the same way that he once used Rika's vengeful cursed spirit as one (he even channels her strength into a sword, the same way Maki uses the sword that Mai gave her life to create in battle).

The way that Yuji's first impression of Yuta from his powerful presence and cursed energy alone was calling him someone even creepier than Gojo.

The idea that Kenjaku has been trying to get his hands on the six-eyes for years, which is what led most of the fandom to theorize a possible Kenjaku return by stealing Gojo's corpse. The fact Tengen said the six eyes, himself and the star plasma vessel are all connected and one time Kenjaku killed the six-eyes from a child only for another one to appear right away.

Yuta being told he could never reach Sukuna's heights because he lacks the selfishness of a calamity.

Even Yuta trying to tell a nameless assassin Uro to be less selfish, only to be chastised by her for not understanding because it's impossible for someone as blessed as he is to know what it's like to not have a name, to not have a face, to not be someone important.

Now here Yuta is, not only is he making the selfish decision to use his teacher's body as a tool, he's also most likely in five minutes going to die in someone else's body, having sacrificed not only his name, and face, but also his personal values in order to become a monster.

This arc makes it seem like Yuta's gone against everything he's stood for, making his arc a complete circle from Jujutsu Kaisen Zero and that's kind of the point. Heck, even something as small as Yuta's decision to show mercy to Ishigori was rendered pointless because Sukuna immediately killed him soon after taking Megumi's body.

If Yuta's regressed in his character it's because Gojo's purpose was not to raise these children into healthy adults, but strong soldiers.

What happened to Yuta is a direct consequence of the way Gojo recruits these children, and the underhanded motivations he has behind those recruitments.

Yuta's decision to take Gojo's body is more tragic on Yuta's part then it is on Gojo's, because Yuta is a child, and Gojo is an adult.

It is sad that Gojo is all alone, that he's forced to become a tool to society, but Yuta shouldn't be the one who feels responsible for that. Gojo is supposed to protect Yuta, he's the adult, the teacher, the one with power and Yuta is the child. Yuta is not the one who should be making this speech because it is not Yuta's responsibility to do any of this - but Yuta thinks it is because he owes Gojo.

However, when Gojo recruits people it's with the unspoken implication that they now owe him. He wants them to feel indebted, because then they'll be easier to use as pieces in his intended political revolution. We see this blatantly with the way he recruited Megumi.

I'll make sure you and your sister don't starve but you owe me in the form of labor later on in your life.

Gojo saved Yuta because he thought Rika was powerful and the elders were foolish for executing a potentially powerful sorcerer for THE GREATER GOOD instead of teaching him to control his power out of fear. Gojo recruited Yuji, because someone with Sukuna's power and who could eat his fingers as a vessel had the makings to be an incredibly powerful sorcerer. Gojo didn't even think of Megumi until after Geto defected, and Gojo decided he needed to start making changes to Jujutsu Society.

While Gojo's pragmatism is understandable to a point it also poisons his more nobler intentions. Since Gojo expects payment in return when he sticks his neck out for people, because these children are assets first and children secod.

I think Gojo likes Yuta. I think he gets along with him well. Yuta clearly respects him as a mentor. He did in fact go to great lengths to save Yuta from execution. He was right that it was more ethical to teach Yuta to control his powers rather than execute him for the danger he might represet. He even gives Yuta emotional advice a couple of times.

However, if Yuta was just like a grade 4 sorcerer with no special talent I doubt Gojo would have blinked at his execution. He sees Yuta for his talent first, and his potential to become someone like him. If anythig there are clear comparisons to both Megumi and Yuta. They're both prodigies born with incredible techniques, but Yuta is a lot more receptive to Gojo's grooming than Megumi is who's too traumatized to function. Gojo's not just grooming Yuta into being a powerful sorcerer, but another version of himself.

So it's almost karmic that not only does Yuta basically turn his back on everything that makes Yuta himself (his love for people, his desire to live and be surrounded by others), he also does so by literally becoming Satoru Gojo and transplanting his brain into Gojo's body.

Because Yuta is despite possessing a similiar level of talent as far from Gojo as possible. Gojo is not well liked by his comrades, he's there because he's needed due to his power. Yuta on the other hand has everyone vehemently disagreeing with his backup plan in the event of Gojo's death because they don't want to lose him.

People need Gojo, they want Yuta because of the connections that Yuta has made with them and because they care about Yuta as a person. Gojo is someone who deliberately draws a line between himself and others because he believes the strongest can't be comprehended, Yuta only fights for the sake of being accepted by others because he needs their approval in order to live.

Yuta's now turned his back on those two things, his tendency to put his loved ones first, and his desire to live, both because he feels he owes Gojo.

This comes about because of two factors, number one Gojo helping him with the implication that this help means that Yuta owes him something which makes Yuta desperate to pay him back and therfore easy to mold, and number two Gojo's intentions to begin with to take Yuta and make another Gojo out of him. To make a successor who would carry on the same burdens that Gojo did.

Gojo succeeded one hundred percent in making his successor as opposed to Megumi who turned out to be too different from Gojo i the end. He took what make Yuta unique and ironed out all those wrinkles until he was left with someone willing to make the same inhumane, pragmatic decisions that Gojo was.

I think it's tragic that as much as Gojo wanted to make things better for the next generation, he basically led Yuta down the same road he did, to make the same choice to throw his humanity away along with all of his loved ones. Especially since Yuta started out in such a different place.

Yuta has learned to become selfish like Gojo, because selfishness is apparently now the only way to get by in this world. A cycle that has been started with the elders, and continued on with Gojo, remains unbroken as Yuta becomes just another link in the chain. Yuta's likely going to die in a stranger's body, leaving all of his friends behind to mourn him, but even if he lives what life will that be exactly?

It speaks to the arcs in Jujutsu Kaisen that they're all kind of circles at this point. We have this heartwarming goodbye of Rika telling Yuta to live, and Yuta's whole arc was to learn to try to live without Rika and make new friends, but it's now likely goig to end with Yuta dying a year after Rika finally moved on.

Choso was told to try living on as a human and Yuki even sacrificed her life to give him the opportuity to escape the fight, and he only lived a month longer to die right in front of Yuji's eyes.

Gojo put all of his hope in the next generation, but now not only did he put all the power in Gakuganji's hands but he ended up dying a year after Geto did just like Yuta will likely die a year after Rika.

I think these character arcs are turning out to be circles because the characters aren't actually doing anything to try to break the cycles that they're trapped inside of - they're only trying to get stronger. Which is why they end up resembling the actions of the villains, Yuji becoming more curselike, Yuta stealing Gojo's body the way Kenjaku did with Geto's.

It reminds me of a quote from Critical Role that I absolutely adore.

“I have just taken an audience with the Raven Queen who has snuffed any hope of my redemption, for which I am truly grateful. With new clarity, I can finally see my life as a series of compounding, poor choices.” Vax winces. “There was nothing I could’ve done to save my family, yet I still sold my soul in search of vengeance. Later I allowed Ripley to leave, knowing full well she was a greater threat to the world than the Briarwoods would ever be. I traded the world’s safety for the belief that I could murder my way to peace; that if I could be a greater horror, it would bring my family back. And once this lie was shattered I scrambled to find asolution, to make a deal, to undo my mistakes and balance the scales. I nowunderstand that there are no scales, there is no redemption, and no ledger that judges me good or evil. I am free to simply be myself and live with the terrible mistakes I’ve made."

Especially this sentence: I believed I could murder my way to peace; that if I could be a greater horror, it would bring my family back.

Maki is a character that I have not found all that interesting in a while because she committed such a huge mass murder, only for it to have no consequences in the narrative and never be mentioned again, but this chapter she suddenly became an interesting character again.

Maki who lost everything but gained strength, doesn't seem all that bothered by the loss. People compare Megumi's reaction to losing Tsumiki to Maki's reaction to losing Mai, but Megumi's reaction is much more interesting because it's always better to see a character be weak and fall apart then to be strong and power through things.

However, maybe the reason Maki hasn't experienced any grief at all towards Mai and has instead delighted in her newfound strength and independence is because of this, because she still had Yuta.

Maki is a character who's not really said anything other than exposition the past like twenty chapters, but now she's the most vocally against Yuta sacrificing himself for the greater good. Yet this is against Maki's own ideology of doing everything you can to be stronger, to win. Maki was always about individualism, not about friendship or the bonds between others, she severed her own bonds to be free. Yet, she can't stand to see Yuta do the same thing as her, to become more like her.

This might be the consequence of Maki's continued choice to value freedom and the power to achieve that freedom over all else. Now, the one time Yuta is trying to throw away the same things that she threw away she can't say anything meaningful or convince him to stop him.

Which reminds painfully of this chapter as well.

Mai killing herself in order to free Maki from cursed energy is an obvious parallel to Sukuna devouring his own twin in the womb, but the difference is in this situation Maki didn't want Mai to go, she begged her not to. However, just like with Yuta there was nothing Maki could ahve said or done by that point to convince Mai to stay. Maki has always chosen power over her sister, she's always abandoned Mai, so what exactly can she say to convince her that she cares more about Mai more? That her dream of defeating the Zen'in and having revenge against them isn't worth the price if it comes at the sacrifice of Mai?

Maki didn't want to abandon Mai, or for Mai to sacrifice herself, but tragically her every action indicated otherwise. It all comes down to this: I believed I could murder my way to peace; that if I could be a greater horror, it would bring my family back.

Maki seems to have achieved peace by murdering the Zen'in, but we see the same kind of circular arc that we have for Yuta.

Maki gave up on everything for strength, but Maki's not strong enough to finish Sukuna then and there, forcing Yuta to sacrifice himself the same way Mai did.

Maki can't talk Yuta out of making that sacrifice, or come up with any convincing argument with why he shouldn't because of all the choices she's made before this.

Maki chose to murder her way to peace, but it came at the cost of her humanity and growth and thus she's faced again with the exact same situation with Mai and she's forced to watch her heart be taken from her again.

It goes to show that we think these characters are getting stronger but they're actually sacrificing something vitally important.

These characters are just going to keep going around in circles and you have to wonder just when is it going to stop?

[princessrazzledazzle]

My Random Twisted Wonderland Headcanons

Riddle: Doesn’t only love strawberries because of the taste, but also because they’re sorta shaped like little red hearts and it reminds him of love. The love his parents never gave him, but he dreams of all the time, the love of his close friends, and romantic love. He’s secretly a hopeless romantic.

Trey: The reason he has glasses is because he used to stare into the light thing they have above you on the dentist chair on purpose.

Cater: Was into animation memes and musicals at one point. Still watches them from time to time, especially if ones trending.

Ace: Loves car racing games, whether it be a random free mobile game, arcade game, even on roblox. Used to want to be a race car driver when grew up.

Deuce: Would eat autozone seafood boil, then get collared by Riddle for one, being stupid enough to consume food from autozone of all places, and two, stinking up the entire dorm for 3 hours straight.

Leona: Likes being scratched behind the ears when he’s feeling sad or sleepy, only Ruggie knows about this though as one time he did it just to tease him when they were younger, and REFUSES to let Leona live it down. Leona lets Ruggie scratch his ears in exchange for never telling another soul about it.

Ruggie: Once stole and drank an entire can of whip cream in one sitting and got really sick to the point he was throwing up for days. He vows to do it again someday.

Jack: Secretly loves plushies and would openly collect them if wasn’t so invested in being a “tough guy”. He has a few as gifts from his family members and he cherishes them, he even sleeps with them sometimes.

Azul: Had a itty bitty crush on Ariel when he was little, he used to read picture books of the benevolent Sea Witch just to look at the illustrations of Ariel.

Jade: Likes to debone animals for fun, whether it’s a land animal, sea animal, big, or small, he’s gonna catch it and he WILL debone it. He’s slightly ashamed of this hobby however.

Floyd: Slightly jealous of Jade because he’s seen as the “sane” twin, and even though most people avoid both of them like the plague, he can tell they feel more at ease with Jade and it makes him sad. He tries to control himself and act “normal” every once in a while, but he can’t help but to be a weirdo, he doesn’t know how to mask himself like his twin does.

Kalim: Had a pet viper that he found in his back yard one day and decided to keep because it reminded him of Jamil. He would even dress it up to look like Jamil and everything and swore it could talk, claiming it sounded just like Jamil. The snake ran away btw.

Jamil: Hates most cartoons because Kalim used to and still does force him to binge watch them with him. When they were little, Kalim used to cry if he didn’t, so now he has slight ptsd.

Vil: Accidentally gave himself a weak stomach due to his strict diet of only healthy stuff, and can barely eat a ice cream cone or a cheeseburger without getting bad stomach aches.

Rook: Was one of those people that had two costumes for halloween so they could go around the neighborhood twice and get more candy. He went as Neige first then Vil every year till he got enrolled in Night Raven.

Epel: Collects horse figures, not mlp just regular horses, He keeps them in a box where no one can find them because they’re “unmanly”. He doesn’t really play with the horses, but he does have names and personalities for them.

Idia: Likes magical girl animes, but too afraid to admit it to anyone, even online. He knows that if he does he’ll get called a gooner, he kinda is and he doesn’t need even more people thinking that about him as half of NRC already does. He genuinely likes those animes and loves all the cool weapons and transformation scenes, though he finds them a little repetitive.

Ortho: Is really into pokémon because he wanted to watch anime just like his big brother as something to bond over. Occasionally he’ll beg Idia to somehow install pokémon go into his programming, Idia always says no.

Malleus: Likes having his horns petted and wishes he could have them pet more often. The only people who would were his mother, grandmother, Silver when he was little, and Lilia. Lilia is the only one who still pets him from time to time, mostly when he’s had a bad day or falling asleep.

Lilia: Really into those mlg memes, the doritos and mountain dew shit, and will randomly yell “OOH BABY A TRIPLE” or “MOM GET THE CAMERA” to spook people. He thinks it’s hilarious.

Silver: A really good singer, but only Lilia, Malleus, and Sebek know because they caught him a few times on accident. Silver is incredibly embarrassed of it and made them swear to never tell anyone else.

Sebek: Has a secret passion for art, he’s not very good at it and most of his drawings look pretty goofy as if a first grader drew them, but he’s proud of them, Despite that, he never let anyone go near his sketchbook, especially his liege, claiming it’s just a book about how great Malleus is.

[vroomvroomwee]

Aziraphale's vest

I'd like to take a second and talk about his vest because I think it's a really good metaphor for Aziraphale's internal feelings.

At first glance it's obvious the vest is quite old. Really old in fact if you note the way it's practically disintegrating.

And it got me thinking a bit. The way the white practically bleeds from the edges of the neck, shoulders and buttons, going further and further, one day if he's persistent enough to wear it, it might even take over the entire vest. You could say that that, somehow, mirrors Heavens influence over Aziraphale. Slowly, slowly, biding their time, until it has completely ridden him of any colour. Until it has completely washed him of his identity, of his originality, of his character.

Take a look at his clothing when he's up in Heaven.

Completely and utterly white. Every piece of clothing he's wearing is pure and untarnished white. Upon entering Heaven, against his own accord, it has stripped him of his uniqueness, of anything that might distinguish him from any other angel who blindly follows orders and who's sole purpose is to do Heavens bidding.

Now, he could miracle the white patches on the vest away easily. But he doesn't want to.

The thing is. He likes the imperfect. He likes partaking in human activities and pleasures, like food, music, etc. Likes to indulge himself in earthly things Heaven would label as sinful or "sullying." And as someone who bas been on the receiving end of Heavens ridicule and passive aggression for millenia, as someone who for centuries has been told that he's underperforming and needs to do better, as someone who is all too aware of his own impurity by the standards an angel should hold and of the quite frankly unholy behaviour in performing immoral temptations and directly going against Heavens orders no more than a few times throughout the eras, it's no wonder he finds comfort in the imperfect.

He keeps the deteriorating edges because they are a perfect representation of his own internal feelings and image. After all, there's no rule that says he can't. And a big kudos to the costume department, for the patches perfectly encapsulate his religious trauma. Without it, he would probably be a very different person. He wouldn't be the same Aziraphale we know and love. The same way he likes being old-fashioned with his clothes and how that is a part of who he is, his trauma is a part of him as well, along with Heavens influence that has shaped him into who he is today, whether he likes it or not.

Every part of the vest illustrates Aziraphale's character and internal feelings, which brings me to another point I want to draw attention to, and that is the BACK of the vest.

It's DARK. And I don't think I'm mistaken when I say that most of us didn't expect it to look like that from behind. We all just assumed that it would be the same beige colour as the front, which is in tune with the rest of his attire. After all, seeing him wearing a dozen different outfits all throughout history, all of them some shade of white, it was the logical conclusion.

But no.

It's not white. It's a dark, slightly viridian or a dark blue colour. "Dark blue suggests a more mysterious depth or ominous quality. Power and authority: Dark blue signifies power and responsibility. "

Not what we would have expected that colour at all. Similarly to how one wouldn't expect an angel to perform temptations or be gluttonous, or envious, or slothful, or hedonistic. Not at first glance anyway.

Not unless you look carefully.

Not unless you know him.

The coat almost acts like a cover. The light over the dark. Almost as if it's trying to hide something. The only times we see Aziraphale not wearing the coat is in his bookshop. Which is logical, of course. You wouldn't wear a coat indoors, obviously. Except he DOES. He wears the coat when he and Crowley are drunk, he wears it when he's reading Agnes Nutter, he wears it when Gabriel and Sandalphon pop in, he wears it when he's talking to the Metatron, he wears it when he's listening to Shostakovich, he even wears it at the Ritz where it would be custom to take off your coat while dining. And it's worth noting that during the events happening (at least in the first season), the season is summer. Which would make it quite ridiculous to be wearing so many layers everywhere you go and therefore risk boiling. But he still wears the coat.

The only times he doesn't wear it is in the first episode after the sushi, when he's all ALONE, and in season 2 at the bookshop when Crowley comes back and in 1941.

And there's something oh so personal about that.

I don't think it's a coincidence that the darker part is specifically the back of the vest. There's always been this natural human instinct to protect yourself by never ever turning your back on a foe. And I don't think this is a conscious effort on Aziraphale's part, but rather genius writing, directing and costume design, and anyone who's watched and read Good Omens knows that almost nothing is coincidental.

Note this is probably the first time Aziraphale has called Crowley his friend, seeing how uncertain and doubtful he was to even say the word in this scene and how quick he was to deny their friendship in the Shakespeare scene. And the camera immediately cuts from Crowley to Aziraphale, who is turned away, whose back is turned to Crowley oh so casually without a care in the world. Just before he calls him his friend. His back is turned, and so is the dark part of his vest.

The dark part he only shows in his bookshop, when he's alone and there's no one there. The part that he now only shows to Crowley as well. Crowley who knows him so well and who's been with him through everything. "I won't tell anyone if you won't." And "you said trust me""and you did". Just this small motion of Aziraphale depicts exactly how much trust he has in Crowley not only that he'll keep him safe and protected but to accept him just as he is, to not judge him, to not demean him for his imperfections as an angel. Practically mirroring Crowley's self-protection mechanism that is reflected in his motions to hide his eyes with his sunglasses (there's a wonderful meta on this by @simply-brightly-zee here )

And it might just be clothing, or it might just be genius symbolism, but note how self-aware Aziraphale is of his looks when Gabriel pops up.

The desire to impress is almost unconscious in this scene, and how does he go about doing it? By making sure he looks presentable. Presentable, despite the white patches and the vest that is falling apart, he doesn't even realise it. Therefore, it's clear Aziraphale puts thought into his clothes, whether consciously or unconsciously.

I personally dont think any of this (the coat, the patches, the way he turns his back, when, where and around who he's most comfortable) is a deliberate and intentional act on Aziraphales part but rather creative brilliance from the directors and producers. So him being shown to expose the back of the vest only in scenes with Crowley (and the one in s2 infront of an amnesiac Gabriel with the intelligence and awareness of a squirrel) is a master move on the costume department's part. The symbolusm being so small and imperceptible, but holding so much meaning. This small metaphor shows how much Aziraphale trusts Crowley and how comfortable he is around him. Crowley who knows about Aziraphale's transgressions, sins, unholy behaviours, lack of interest and dedication to his job, and overall "incompetence" as Aziraphale might put it and how he's "just enough of a bastard to be worth knowing". Crowley, who will accept him and love him no matter what. Not despite those things, but because of those things.

They have found their "own side".

Edit: Not that important, but I just want to mention how, despite being tattered and falling apart, the vest is still in perfectly good condition. No matter the white seeping in and draining its colour, the vest doesn't have a single seam torn, not a button lost, perfect as the day it was bought. No matter what it's been put through, it's still kicking, whether by miracle or sheer willpower. Very much like the person wearing it.

[glowettee]

the secret to taking notes that make you want to study ✧˖°

hey lovelies! mindy heree <3

for this post i'm superrr excited to share a guide on taking notes that make you want to study ✧˖° trust me, i know how overwhelming it can get when it feels like you're stuck in the middle of endless textbooks and dry lecture slides (honestly, we all have those days). so, let's transform your note taking into something delightful, empowering, and totally reflective of your unique self.

✧ finding your vibe first things first, bestie: the key here is to make your notes feel personal and inspiring. rather than sticking to a rigid system, i suggest mixing a little structure with a whole lot of creativity. here are some steps to help you set up your perfect note taking vibe:

choose your medium: even if it’s a cute pastel notebook, sticky notes, or a digital app with fun themes, pick something that sparks joy and invites you to open it up. i personally love notion + remnote + coda

establish sections: break your notes into clear sections. introduction, main points, and summary. this not only boosts organization but also gives you a gratifying sense of progress every time you finish a page.

add your signature touch: doodles, small illustrations, or even a decorative border can make a note feel less like a chore and more like a mini art project. i love using aesthetic symbols for my digital notes <3

✧ creating a study ritual i believe that great notes come from a relaxed and focused mind. try integrating these rituals into your study sessions to set a positive tone, this is really important if you want to make note-taking fun:

begin with a short breathing exercise or a moment of gratitude (think of it as your pre-study pep talk).

play some light instrumental music or your favorite lo-fi beats, or playlist. something to keep your mind in a creative zone without distractions. (i have a great playlist i made that i use for tackling assignments here: 𝒸𝒽𝑒𝒸𝓀, 𝒸𝒽𝑒𝒸𝓀, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒸𝒽𝑒𝒸𝓀! <3)

grab your favorite beverage (i’m a fan of herbal tea or a cute iced coffee) and make sure you're comfortable. a little self-care goes a long way!

✧ structuring your notes for clarity a well-organized layout makes reviewing notes less daunting and more interactive. and obviously so much more fun, consider using this format for a balanced + demureee approach:

start with a title and date: it grounds your notes and gives you a quick reference.

write a brief summary of the topic: in your own words, capture the essence of what you’re about to learn. just summarize it as best as possible

list key points: use bullet points, numbered lists, or even headers for different subtopics. tip: use cute symbols for bullet points

highlight examples: it can be a quote, a definition, or an application concept, mark these with a star or a cute icon.

close with a reflection: jot down any questions, what you found most interesting, or even a mini action item related to the topic. this is your space for self-talk and reflection.

✧ turning notes into interactive canvases (cause we need it) notes aren’t meant to be static pages floating in an endless binder. make them interactive to truly boost your study sessions:

include thought-provoking questions: ask yourself things like “what would elle woods do?” (lol, we love her <3) or “how does this connect with real life?” to spark critical thinking.

add mini quizzes: at the end of each section, write one or two questions that challenge you to recall key points.

leave room for updates: as you learn more, come back and add extra notes, doodles, or even inspirational stickers (yes, just like in a scrapbook!).

✧ personal tips from mindy because i want you to shine in every note you take, here are my totally secret, fun tips to elevate your note routine:

secret tip #1: color with purpose choose a color palette that not only looks cute but also maps out different themes in your subject. use one color for definitions, another for examples, and maybe a sparkly tone for key takeaways. over time, these colors will trigger your memory (i promise, it really works!).

secret tip #2: integrate affirmations studying can be stressful sometimes, so why not lace your notes with a few tender affirmations? write a quick pep talk (like “i got this, bestie” or “every detail counts”) in a corner. it might seem small, but these little lines can boost your confidence when you need it most. and it's just so freaking cute <3 affirmations from you to you, is like a love letter to yourself, so just try it

secret tip #3: try mind mapping if you’re more of a visual learner, create mind maps instead of linear notes. start with the main topic in the center and branch out with related ideas and details. this not only makes your notes dynamic but also helps you see connections between concepts (ever notice how some subjects just click with a visual flow?).

secret tip #4: use digital tools creatively if you’re leaning towards digital note taking, like me, experiment with apps that support drawing, voice notes, and even embedded links. add images that resonate with the topic or short videos for a quick concept refresher. making your digital notebook interactive can really keep boredom at bay.

secret tip #5: schedule weekly note reviews set aside a bit of time every week to revisit your notes. treat it as a mini self-study session where you update, add reflections, or even reorganize sections for clarity. this habit not only reinforces your learning but also lets you see your own progress over time, like looking back on how far you’ve come.

✧ action items for the week (it's homework timeee) to wrap things up, here are a few steps to try:

pick one class or topic this week and redo your notes using one or two of these tips (maybe add a mind map or a quick quiz).

experiment with color coding: choose colors that resonate with you and assign them to key points or sections.

schedule a 10-minute review session at the end of the week to refresh and reflect on your notes.

share your progress with a friend or even a study group to celebrate little victories. accountability can boost your motivation!

note: note taking is a creative process that should feel as refreshing and inspiring as a new day. keep experimenting until you find what truly works for you. i hope these tips help you get excited about every page you write on.

xoxo, mindy

I made this amazzinggg playlist (as mentioned earlier in the post) and its specifically made to help you complete homework + assignments. i curated it to make sure its soft music to help you focus <3 love from mindyyy 🩷

don't forget, if you need personal advice, submit it here and i'll answer it as a detailed tumblr blog post <3: https://bit.ly/glowetteehotline

[cassiebnuy]

the furry fandom is mostly concerned with literal representation

theres tons of symbolism and intention applied but its usually just in character design and to a lesser extent stylization (u can only go so far w it before it steps on character design)

bc the purpose of the art is v specific - its exploring sensory experiences and desires, its often not just a standalone piece but an imagination aid to make something with only an abstract internal existence more concrete and real.

past a point its hard to project urself into abstract art

theres nothing wrong with this, a lot of rly lovely art comes out of these ways of thinking. i do a lot of this kind of art myself

and of course there *are* other artists doing furry abstraction! im far from alone. paul peng does some next level shit that continues to inspire me, scribblechicken makes glorious surreal works w fields of repeated images, teddywitchs recent abstract sketchbook work has been rly inspiring to me, mariken has been playing with abstraction in ways tht make it feel rly accessible

and of course there are alternate models of furry besides patricia taxxons autistic model (from the "ethics of boinking animal people" video) which while rly useful for understanding the bulk of furry culture leaves out other types of brainweirdness that draw ppl to anthro animal imagery in different ways. pawberri posited an additional schizotypal model that seems v useful and made some of my favorite artists work click in a way it never did before

anyway i think on the scale of the fandom this results in the de-emphasis of non illustrative artforms. there are furry sculptors and painters and ceramicists doing incredible work but it doesnt seem to get the same love (with the exception of fursuit makers bc theyre making a v literally representational form of wearable sculpture)

i could go on abt material conditions, economic motivations, art literacy, etc but instead i just wanna make my case

we can all agree that postfurry is where the most interesting stuff in furry is being made right. i saw yall gushing abt sinkdog i saw the fanart i see my sog painting still getting notes years later. but postfurry is still limiting the furry toolkit to character design i think we can go deeper

u can apply that toolkit to pure abstraction and leave characters and backgrounds behind. u can plant it into the intentionality behind not obviously furry work. patricia taxxon used a term in the video i mentioned earlier, "transcendental furriness" tht i think gets at this a little. u can make pure abstraction furry. u can make furry food if u rly lean into animalistic eating experiences and evocative flavor combinations. furry doesnt have to just be a character design trope it can be so much more. it can be layered fractally into the process and intentionality of a work, if that makes sense. twisted into every fiber and woven in

*thats* the kind of art i wanna make

anyway thank u for reading my manifesto

[ranahan]

I’ve had a number of posts on my dash lately going “but did you know Jaster Mereel was a merc who killed people.” I’m more amused than annoyed, but I think this reads enough like a rant that I’m making this its own post rather than a reply to someone else’s. That being said…

Yes. I did in fact know this about one my favourite characters.

How is this any different than the faction of the fandom who simp after Darth Maul? Are they are unaware that Maul is a bad guy? Does it lessen their enjoyment of the character, or could it be that it’s an essential part of their enjoyment even?

Personally, the thing that makes this character intriguing to me is precisely the dichotomy between how he’s portrayed in the comics and also described as a honourable and pious person. There’s a pretty big gap between the reality or mercenary work and honour as we know it on Earth. So that raises all kinds of interesting questions: how would that even work? Or perhaps: what does that tell us about Mandalorian morality? And I find stories (and fanfics) that explore these questions compelling.

Similarly, the story where Jaster Mereel with his mercenary morals rules, is a more entertaining story to me than the story where Satine Kryze and her pacifism rules. Under whose rule would I rather live in real life? Kryze’s, of course. But this is not real life. Mandalore is a fictional place. Absolutely no one is hurt, if they are ruled by a bad guy.

Mandalore’s entire purpose as a fictional place is to create stories and do what stores do, whether that’s entertain, educate, engage or provoke readers. And I happen to think that stories with conflict are more entertaining. The story where Palpatine rules is a better story than the story where Bail Organa rules.

tldr: it’s not a bug, it’s a feature. Mereel is a fictional character, not a real person, so I score my enjoyment and what’s “good” by the metric of what makes a good story, not what I would like to happen in real life. Is Mereel a good person? Debatable. Is he a good character? To me, yes.

I feel like the fans who treat fictional characters like real people, are always going to be disappointed by the segment of fandom who don’t.

Not to say Mereel and Palpatine or Darth Maul are comparable (Mereel is more of a morally grey character whereas Palpatine and Maul are portrayed as simply evil). These are just exaggerated examples to illustrate my point. I’m similarly giving Kryze’s rule a generous interpretation to show my point does not depend on the relative morality of the characters.

[valeriehalla]

Not to put you on blast, but speaking as a comic artist, I can tell you that all that random emphasis isn’t actually as random as you might think!

I’m sure every comic letterer has their own criteria for when and how (and whether) to employ this technique, but the way I see it, there’s a couple of overlapping reasons why it’s done:

It makes the text a bit more legible. The bolded words act as visual landmarks that help guide the reader through the text. Comic text is pretty weird, typographically speaking: it has a very small line-height and it’s center-aligned, not to mention it’s usually printed in allcaps. This is all done in the interest of conserving space for the illustrations, but it makes for text that can be kind of fatiguing to read. The extra visual emphasis on key words and phrases can make it easier to quickly parse the text, especially in larger speech bubbles.

It also serves the usual purpose of indicating the natural word emphasis that people employ when speaking English. Usually you’d just use italics for that, but italics are hard to distinguish in handwriting, so letterers will use either bold or bold-italics for the job. Beyond that, the difference is mainly down to quantity: comic letterers traditionally go a bit ham with this technique, whereas it’d be gauche to do the same thing in prose. But that’s a matter of convention.

Emphasis on the word traditionally in that last point, by the way. In truth, this convention has been on its way out for a while. Lots of comics these days even have lowercase letters! It’s easier to pull off with the switch to digital lettering. But I still find the practice charming as heck.