#they still try to dress like its the 90s and not in a cool way

[dudethatsmyundeaduncle]

Tim and Kon the type of boyfriends to respond to declarations of love by saying " cringe" like ratio.

For ex.

Tim being overcome with sappy feelings™ for his boyfriend looks up at Kon like " hey, I love you"

Kon looks at him and lifts an eye brow and says " cringe"

But he's also holding Tim's hand so.

This exchange also works the other way!

Ex.2

Kon being over come with a warm fuzzy emotion after seeing Tim round house kick a baddie to the ground is like. " Damn I love you!"

And Tim sweaty in his robin gear glares at him from behind his domino and says " Cringe"

They take turns being the emotional one and the chronically unable to show affection one. It's balance! It's Gen Z! It's two local rat dudes macking on each other!

[artbyblastweave]

It seems like both Nolan's Batman trilogy and The Batman (2022) are attempting to interrogate/deconstruct/reconstruct/whatever the inherent problems with the Batman character, but (imo) these depictions don't go nearly far enough. Do you agree? If you could make a Batman movie how would you go about it?

It's been a very long time since I've watched it, but my read on the The Nolan Trilogy is that to the extent that it's interrogating anything about Batman Specifically- vs trying to make some high-falutin' Nolanian point about the nature of Myth and Heroism Yadda yadda yadda- it's interrogating the difficulty in getting audiences to take the character seriously, with the long shadow of Adam West, Tim Burton and the 90s Cartoon hanging over the property- the cocktail of camp and dreamlike otherworldly stylization that all previous installments used to carry the character over the finish line of believability. The result is 21st-century Batman (derogatory), all tacticool body armor and ripped-from-the-headlines surveillance state gizmos and military-industrial surplus tank-cars and antagonists who're laundered through the anxieties of the post-9/11 zeitgeist of the Foreign Anarcho-Orientalist cultists Out To Destroy Our Way Of Life, For Reasons. It's still irreducibly a story about a guy dressed as a bat beating the shit out of a clown, but it's the least about that that it can get away with being. And from an engineering perspective, it clearly worked- it was an incredibly popular installment, even before we'd crossed the cultural rubicon of superheroes being truly mainstreamed. But it's pretty obvious from my tone that I've soured on the project pretty thoroughly.

The Batman (along with it's companion piece The Penguin) is actually much, much closer to being a deliberate mediation on the core dynamic of the character and the implications thereof, in a way I personally found extremely satisfying; it manages to strike a balance between portraying Being Batman as a fundamentally juvenile and half-baked response to the problems that he's attempting to address (real) and portraying Being Batman as fundamentally really really really really cool. Any time he's shown doing Batman Shit it's framed as genuinely awesome; it falls into a vaguely similar zone as Nolan, except instead of feeling like it's trying to be as little like a comic book as it can get away with, it's trying to feel as much like a comic book as it can get away with without having someone like Clayface or Solomon Grundy show up. At the same time the story is adamant in its thesis that even if it works, you would have to be an incredibly weird person to think of, and then commit to, Being Batman. This six-foot weirdo in body armor is the biggest freak in any room that doesn't also contain The Riddler. Everyone is a little on edge when he's in the room, and consequentially a lot of the film reads like an extremely deadpan comedy- the polar opposite of the camp of Batman 66, where everyone treating this guy as perfectly normal is part of the gag. Of course, this comes back around thematically in that Bruce is afforded his eccentricities because he's incredibly rich- nobody else could get away with ignoring their own finances (and the massive graft at play) in order to go ride a motorcycle around attacking muggers, and he only solves the last puzzle because a cop who happens to be in the room has a blue-collar brother who works with a flooring tool that Bruce (who spent an extended sequence vandalizing the incredibly expensive floor of his penthouse!) can't even recognize. If you can't tell from my tone, I like this movie a lot! Anyway, In terms of how I'd do it, I think the currently unexplored option is a live-action film where due to the cranked-up four-color peak-comic-book insanity of the world around him, Batman comes across as the only sane one, despite the fact that he's dressed as a bat. This would a story about a relatively well-adjusted if somewhat taciturn and subdued guy doing a thankless job, except the thankless job is Being Batman. He'd have the same ridiculous Bat-everything overpreparation as Batman 66, deployed with significantly less verbal fanfare but without ever missing a beat. The first scene in the movie would be him getting bodied out a second story window by one of the genuinely superhuman bruisers like Grundy or Clayface before regaining his footing and squaring up, and the rest of the opening would be a montage covering a Day in the Life of Batman. Kevin Conroy's deadpan, matter-of-fact characterization translated into live action. Do You See My Vision

[autisticshadowthehedgehog]

sometimes complaining about girlboss characters starts to feel like complaining about mary sues or manic pixie dream girls. theres a real criticism of the trend at some point but its gets quickly drowned out by a lot of misogyny. its okay for girls to do cool things

oh i'm fine for natural girlbosses. dot warner is still an icon above icons.

the problem is with "girlbossing," when someone looks at a feminine girl character and is like "now wait a minute. she can't be feminist if she is Nice and Romantic and Untrained At Combat. it's not like feminism is saying 'traditionally feminine things are not the problem, and they've been severely undervalued in favor of traditionally masculine traits.' no, it's the femmes who are wrong. we shall make them more masculine and in turn make them more feminist. but god forbid we make them actually butch. obviously we can't go that far" also somehow these characters usually end up as business owners because capitalism is good

ie: 90% of Cinderella adaptations in this day and age, Disney's reboot of Snow White, Mario Movie Peach (tho I haven't seen the movie myself so I'm just going based on what people told me).

Sometimes it's done WELL- like Webby in Ducktales'17 is textbook girlbossing, with her being more combat-oriented and less "cute." But that was clearly done as a way to explore more of her character rather than relegate her to "the character we pander to the Females with" and make her more proactive in the story they were telling, rather than as a way to make her "less girly." She's still into sleepovers and pink dresses and has female friends (who were added into the reboot), she just ALSO likes blood sports. Mario Movie Peach might be the same way, as I said I haven't seen the mov. or sometimes the girlbossing is Camp™, like & juliet. in which case it's fucking awesome

But the vast majority of the time, it's people thinking that a character being traditionally feminine is automatically antifeminist, without thinking "well, is this a character with a personality, wants, and agency"? Cinderella is constantly belittled for "doing nothing" but she's an abuse survivor in a situation she can't escape, who as soon as she's given a way out is active in trying to get her happy ending. 1950's Disney Cinderella literally is the one to run down the stairs screaming that she has the other slipper. Their 2015 girlboss Cinderella spins and dances in her room until the prince comes and gets her. And that's like. Their LEAST offensive reboot girlbossing.

Goddamnit I have to leave for work now. tl;dr the problem with girlbossing isn't "letting women do cool things", those things are sick and awesome. The problem is the writers implicitly saying "any girl that doesn't conform to masculine ideals of strength is clearly weak and needs to be fixed."

[sparkel-dog]

i get really fucking sick of the notion that “if youre against egg jokes or if you claim that egg jokes are harmful, youre repeating the same propaganda that evil trannies just want to convert cis people >:( “

kindly shut the fuck up 🔥🔥 I am trans🔥🔥 i know other trans people who are uncomfortable with egg jokes 🔥🔥 of course we are not trying to perpetuate a harmful stereotype, i am still allowed to criticize yalls behavior!

Egg jokes are fine if youre referring to yourself or other people who you have their permission to joke that way! like if you and your trans friend group are cool with it, then by all means go ahead! but i get so sick of seeing egg jokes about gender non conforming cis people. i hate the stereotype that “if you like nail polish or dresses or something you must be a girl” or shit like that. stop acting like a fucking cishet person who wants to enforce gender roles and shove people into boxes!

let people come to their own journey of self discovery. i see so many people say “uhh but egg jokes can help you realize you’re trans” okay but 90% of the jokes that i see are just teasing people and assuming their gender 0-0 there is a difference between actually offering someone advice (“hey if youre having those feelings, it might mean this or that about your gender identity”) and just being unhelpful and annoying or outright rude.

not to mention the biggest thing: egg jokes can just further confuse people or make them feel uncomfortable. it can pressure trans people to come out when theyre not ready or make them feel like a stranger is trying to decide their gender for them. Before i realized i was trans, sometimes people would joke about me being trans (wow youre the only cis one in a friend group of trans people? lol not for long) and it just confused me more because my identity is Not simple! It’s not just “trans guy” or “nonbinary guy” even it was more complicated than that, hard to put labels on, and having people joke about that shit just made me more reluctant to explore that part of myself. i have seen other trans people feel the same way.

If you truly think someone is an egg, you shouldnt try to crack it open before its ready to hatch!

also i have seen people be like “booo why are you centering cis people’s feelings above your own :/ who cares if cis people get offended over trans people joking they might be trans” just. yall sound immature and RUDE. EVERYONE’S identity should be respected: cis people, trans people, whatever. if a cis person was making jokes about a trans person like that (like “oh haha youre a trans guy but youre wearing a dress? are you really trans at all? :)” ) yall would go FUCKING BANANAS over how insanely rude and transphobic that behavior is. so why is it okay the other way around.

grrrr just makes me mad. “its just s joke we’re not trying to force people to change their genders” words have meanings and impact and you should think about how harmful “jokes” can be. its not a hard concept to grasp when conservative comedians are making bigoted jokes that its still shitty even if “its just s joke”. jokes can enforce certain ways of thinking and can be hurtful.

just get consent before joking that someone is an egg 😭 like i know cis allies who are completely fine being called eggs 😭 and there are trans people who love joking about their own egg moments, thats perfectly fine! just stop assuming you know a stranger better than they know themselves by making those jokes about people you barely know

[husbandhoshi]

all these asks are so cute omg wait i just saw this !! if you're still doing them i'd love to hear about jun please :3

mdni underneath the cut!

it's nights like these where you're thankful soundproof walls exist. ("soundproof", heavy on the air quotes. you're 90% sure the hotel concierge mentioned something like that when junhui had checked in. the other 10% of your poor brain was figuring out how to deal with the vibrator in your cunt.)

the silk sheets of the bed feel endless, cool like water against your skin. you lie on your back, feeling the bite of your fingernails in your thighs as you hold them open. between them, junhui's kneeling figure.

earlier, your fiancé had given you your first birthday gift of the day. double holiday, he had called it. double the gifts. naively, you had thought it was makeup, maybe a new perfume. instead, you had undone the big bow, unwrapped the sparkly paper, and found, instead, the vibrator. quickly, you had felt all the blood rush to your cheeks, then, downstairs. even more quickly, junhui had you bent over his knee, watching you take every inch of your new gift. (the second gift: the most beautiful necklace you had ever seen. the price, even more outrageous.)

"c-can't," you breathe. your voice crawls its way from your chest, curls in your throat. "wanna cum...feels too good."

he responds with a cruel tilt of his head, a smile playing on his lips. "you're almost there, darling. show me how good you are."

delirious, you nod. almost there, you repeat, your mind treading over those two words despite the pleasure. you had already endured a phone call with your best friend (in which junhui had decided to try out all the intensity settings on his phone) and your birthday dinner (in which you wore a dress with no panties, and he couldn't seem to get his hands off your thighs). you could do this, a few minutes more.

through your frosted vision, you watch junhui palm himself over his jeans, rough, desperate. without thinking, you whimper, feeling yourself tighten around the toy. compared to feeling him, this was nothing. this didn't hug your sweet spot, didn't fill you til you couldn't breathe, didn't rock against your clit just how you needed, not like junhui did.

fuck. now you're thinking about junhui fucking you, which is not helping your situation. if you're lucky, he'd do it tonight, with your ankles over his shoulders.

"you're soaked," he murmurs, voice quiet, reverent. he parts your legs a touch wider, his touch searing into you, so that you are fully on display. "so cute."

like this, you can feel everything, the cold air of the room you're in, the way his gaze seems to haunt your skin. a few gasping breaths, oh, even just a breath too deep would send you over, but you're determined to be good, no, better than good. you squeeze your eyes shut, letting your lips fall open in another noise somewhere between a moan and a pathetic hiccup--no longer can you tell the difference.

it's then that junhui sees this gasping window of opportunity and places two long fingers in your mouth, right against your tongue, and watches as you gag. "you know what to do, pretty girl," he tells you, and you do. like a dog, you suck, dreaming about him doing the same with his cock. traitorously, your hips rock up at the mere thought, oh, all the pressure in your belly might just make you explode.

but junhui is never cruel, never unloving to his favorite girl, the only one he's loved like this. so with these fingers, covered in your desperation, he trails them down your trembling neck, the curve of your tits, swollen from his mouth, over your stomach, and presses them to your puffy clit.

no words come to you, instead just a cry, shuddering, one that rips through your body. a white-hot feeling erupts inside you, one like fireworks, and you cum around the vibrator, again and again and again, as junhui works you with two fingers alone.

you're gone, somewhere unspeakable, too high to tell him again, again, i want more. luckily, he's always been able to read your mind. a long gasp, a reaching hand, a hot mouth over yours; before you know it, the vibrator is god knows where, replaced by junhui's cock, heavy on your abdomen.

"ready for round two?"

[garycxjk]

Why most people don't get Europapa

So, Joost Klein's Europapa apparently is taking the world by storm. With its happy hardcore or gabber house tunes and beats and the silly music video, there's no denying that this song has a certain charm, though it also has its detractors.

The thing is, though, most people on both sides don't fully get the song.

To summarize the song, it's essentially about an orphan who travels around Europe to find himself. Those were in Joost's own words.

Europapa is about an orphan who travels throughout Europe (and beyond) to find himself and tell his story. At first, people don’t recognise him, but he goes on seizing any opportunity he gets to let himself be seen. Europapa is a tribute to my father. When bringing me up, he passed on to me an expansive view of the world.

Okay, but why does the song sound so silly? Well, that's something deliberate. I don't really know much about Joost Klein's music, but what I do know is that this is basically what most of his songs are. Silly, yet deep.

Okay, brief detour to give context to the rest of what I'm writing, but it's important to remember that Joost Klein basically became an orphan at a young age. He lost his father to cancer when he was 12, and a year later, his mother died as well. This essentially shaped his music. From what I can gather from the many YouTube comments, he always watched Eurovision with his parents, and told them that one day he'd be there on stage.

So, let's just talk about the elephant in the room. Some people call this European propaganda. However, just the first few lines clue you in that it isn't just some pro-EU propaganda.

Welcome to Europe Stay here until I die

In fact, there are several lines used that wouldn't sit right if it were pro-EU propaganda. Let's look at the second verse.

Ich bin in Deutschland Aber ich bin so allein

Which roughly translates to

I'm in Germany But I'm so lonely

The next lines, "Io sono in Italia / Maar toch doet het pijn" (first line Italian, second line Dutch), which translates to "I'm in Italy / But I still feel pain".

Essentially, the entire song is him trying to let go of his past, to let go of his grief. That's essentially what the burning house and the windmill represent at the end, finally moving on from the past.

And that's essentially what the entire song is about. The entire song sounds like it's stuck in the '90s and early noughties. Naturally the most glaring part is the music style. Back in the '90s, happy hardcore and gabber house was really big, especially in the Netherlands. The way people dance back then and dressed when they did can be seen in the scene with Paul Elstak. Then there's the Gameboy Advance, which came out in the early 2000s.

Another cool thing is a reference to New Kids, a Dutch comedy show from 2007, when someone says "Welkom in Europa jongen!" ("Welcome in Europe boy!"). On the television screen, you can see Gerrie van Boven, played by Tim Haars, a character from New Kids.

But it isn't just a throwback. It's all being done deliberate. Something that gets lost in translation is the text. The rhymes work, however, to a Dutch person, it sounds a bit... childish. Very simple, at the very least. But I think that even that is done deliberately. It sounds like a child has been writing these lines, but I think that's the point of the song. It's supposed to sound like a child has been writing these lines.

The entire song is about the protagonist being stuck in the past, being stuck in his grief. It's why there's a disconnect between the text and the melody. Sure, it's a celebration of Europe, of Eurovision. Joost Klein genuinely loves Eurovision. However, it's also essentially him saying, this is me closing another chapter in my life.

Let's take a look at the outro of the song.

Op kruistocht in m'n spijkerbroek, lopend door de velden M'n papa en m'n mama zijn voor altijd mijn helden Aan het einde van de dag zijn we allemaal mensen M'n vader zei me ooit: "Het is een wereld zonder grenzen" Regen op het raam en ik stond huilend bij het venster Veel te vroeg duister, het is winter in de lente "Ik mis je elke dag", is wat ik stiekempjes fluister Zie je nou wel, pa? Ik heb naar je geluisterd

This... seems quite long, doesn't it? Well, that's because that's the full outro. What most hear during the video clip is this:

Aan het einde van de dag zijn we allemaal mensen M'n vader zei me ooit: "Het is een wereld zonder grenzen" "Ik mis je elke dag", is wat ik stiekempjes fluister Zie je nou wel, pa? Ik heb naar je geluisterd

Let's translate the full lyrics. I'll put the translations of the lyrics in the music video in bold and italic.

On my crusade in jeans, walking through the fields My dad and mom are forever my heroes At the end of the day we are all human beings My father once told me: "It's a world without borders" Rain on the window and I stood at the window crying Darkness far too soon, it's Winter in Spring "I miss you every day", is what I secretly whisper You see dad, I listened to you

So, basically, the gist is, this song has many layers. It's a heartfelt tribute to Eurovision, while also telling a personal story about grief and letting go of said grief.

Though I think this interview with Joost Klein on De Avondshow met Arjen Lubach may say more than I could.

Well, sometimes you must say goodbye to whatever is most dear to you. And when one door closes thousands of others open, apparently. But what I've learned is that you tend to hold on to your own pain sometimes. So this letter provides some sort of closure, dare I say. Saying: "Hey, Mum and Dad... You will always be there for me, but I can't carry this pain forever."

[wellnoe]

do you think a lot of jean’s costumes having padded/armoured shoulders is a deliberate design choice or just something a lot of artists think is cool? I’ve always found it funny considering she’s a psychic, and I think characters with mental powers make designing costumes harder/ more interesting. 

impossible to say with any certainty but i think it is deliberate. first i want to point out that when we first start getting a lot of shoulder pads and armor in jean's design its the 90s, and everyone is getting that treatment. its the fashion of the era. her costumes share similarities with wolverine, domino, cable, etc. i also want to point out that a really consistent design element in jean suits is this triangular design on her body, often emphasized by the armor/shoulder pads:

(using my own sketches for easiness' sake)

i think there are basically 2 reasons for this.

one is that triangles are a sexy shape, which is why you see them across so many superheroes

the second reason is the most interesting to me. and it basically comes down to artists trying to create a design that fits the character's brand through reference, and the struggle of doing that with a character like jean. when you're designing a character's new look, and you want to make sure it still scans as them, i think you tend to look at the classics:

things you immediately notice: big triangle shape emphasizing the shoulders (this is even true of the green mini dress, which was off-the shoulder)! you get this really neat straight across line. looking at the student x-men suit and dark phoenix, you also get this triangle shape over a full-body suit. this will be replicated in a lot of later costumes.

looking at these classic costumes i think you can identify a problem, which is that only one of these is really jean's. her first recognizable suit pretty much becomes the standard x-training uniform, and dark phoenix, while classic, carries a lot of implication. which begs the question of how do you make her distinct from the rest of the team and from her turn as dark phoenix? well, her 90's yellow and blue is almost an inverted version of the team suits from the 60s (and from the era immediately preceding it). you use the clear triangle neckline from phoenix but different colors. and hey, make that shape even bigger, throw in some shoulder pads.

the end result is that jean is often someone draped in x-men or phoenix iconography, even in eras that individualize her and other members of the team. and i think that's cool. it reinforces her connection to those two things in a really subtle way.

tldr: i think the shoulder pads are a way to reference iconic jean costumes' shapes without replicating them too closely (and sometimes matching them more closely to the trends of other costumes).

[squarebracket-trickster]

Sorry guys, rant incoming. I considered deleting this but I put too much effort in.

"girlboss" "girl dinner" "girl math" "boy math" "gen z are making fun of us for wearing x" "here's how to dress like gen z:" "girlies" "girl's night" "boy's night" "me and the boys" "90s kid"

"I don't feel like an adult" "I'm 34 and I can tell you, I still don't feel like an adult either." "My parents seemed like real adults when they were my age." "I still feel like a teenager."

Maybe you'd feel more like an adult if you started calling yourself one. Maybe you'd feel more like an adult if you stopped trying to dress like a teenager. Maybe you should move your bed out from the wall and get a wallet. Maybe find a calendar app that works for you.

You are an adult. Even if you live with your parents. Even if you do part-time shift work at minimum wage. Even if you haven't graduated college. Even if you are single. These are adult things to do. Because you are doing them. And you are an adult. Start treating yourself like an adult. Fake it 'till you make it if you have to.

In other, writing-related, news:

That trend on TikTok of 20-40 something women authors (and writers yet to be published) promoting their books like,

"Omg! I can't believe I've sold X number of copies!! I never thought I would!" "Ahhhh imagine publishing your book and all your dreams come true and now you get to meet famous authors and work with big names in the industry!!" "Would you read a book where [proceeds to list a bunch of oversaturated tropes that tell me nothing about the actual plot]?"

It reeks of infantilization. If you didn't believe anyone would want to read your book, why should I? You made it on the NYT bestseller list! Stop acting like a mega-fan who got to meet a celebrity. You are their peer! "Would you read a book--" What if I wouldn't? Why does it matter to you what I think of your book? And for the love of god stop hiding behind tropes you know are already popular. "Here is my book: This is what it is about." Have some goddamn confidence.

It is fine to mention in passing "this idea was really far-fetched so I didn't know if it would appeal" or "I was struggling with self-esteem when I wrote this". It's fine to fan a little bit. It's fine to discuss the tropes in your book. But why are you building your brand as an author off of your inferiority complex? You are using your poor self-esteem as a marketing tactic to seem "humble" and "relatable" but it's coming across as unprofessional and desperate for reassurance. You are an adult. You are competent. The more you act like it the more you will believe it.

And of course, I haven't seen a man promote his book this way...

On another note, do any of the 20-40 something women writers who do "write with me" videos on TikTok actually enjoy writing or are they just doing it for the aesthetic?

They all have gorgeous minimalism writing spaces full of white and pink and a macbook beneath a window. Their makeup is done and they are conventionally pretty to start with. But their entire video is just them talking about how little progress they made, how many pages they deleted, how often they got distracted, how frustrated they are. And like, yeah. We all have those days. But what about the good lines you can't wait to share? The days when the words just flow? The cool stuff you learned while researching? Why don't you ever make videos about that?

Is this some other attempt to seem "relatable" by only talking about the "bad" side of writing? Because again, it's coming across as lacking confidence at best and, at worst, that you don't actually know how to write. And that is not the brand you want as an author.

Again, its always women. Why must women market their self-esteem issues in order to sell their art? Why must we be perpetually awestruck children (girlies, book girls) in over our heads?

[notwiselybuttoowell]

While the bucket hats, parkas and round specs of Oasis, the other Britpop band on tour this summer, are likely to dominate what young men are wearing, Pulp’s look is an alternative one that celebrates the secondhand.

As Cocker writes in his book Good Pop, Bad Pop, his first jumble-sale buy, a garish 70s shirt, was “the real beginning of the Pulp aesthetic”. Its pomp can be seen in videos such as for 1993’s Babies – with Cocker topless in a flared suit, Mackay in another garish print and Doyle in mod-ish stripes.

The influence of Pulp’s look in the 90s was partly about the sugar high of its eclectic, graphic take on nostalgia but also its accessibility.

“[Other bands] had a secondhand look, but Pulp made it a little bit more colourful, not quite kitsch, but on the edge of kitsch,” says Miranda Sawyer, the author of the Britpop history Uncommon People. “They obviously looked stylish but you did think, ‘OK I can get that stuff’.

“We were skint for a lot of the first 10 years being in Pulp. I used to find some amazing things [in charity shops],” recalls Doyle.

Three decades later, and secondhand shopping once again dominates the way young people dress. Peter Bevan, 30, a stylist and contributing editor of the Rakish Gent, says: “Everyone I know who’s my age or younger shops in charity shops, in vintage shops, Depop, Vinted. I don’t know many people that buy loads of new things any more.” A survey in 2023 found that 64% of gen Z will look for an item secondhand before buying it new.

While part of this is likely down to cost and environmental concerns, the haphazard nature of secondhand shopping is championed as a way to express yourself through clothing. “Everyone who looks cool [now] is doing them rather than trying to do something else,” adds Bevan, who says this is why Pulp appeal. “Although obviously [Pulp] all made very considered choices that work together you can tell that they’re [each] dressing for them[selves] as well.”

Perhaps the enduring appeal of Pulp’s style is once again about the triumph of Mis-Shapes, with its lyrics of “misshapes, mistakes, misfits”, and how expressing your personality through the lucky dip of secondhand clothing is a win. “Jarvis understands his appeal,” says Sawyer. “He’s accentuating all the things that people have picked on him for. He’s saying, ‘I’m a tall weed or whatever you wanted to call me. This is who I am and, actually, I look great’.”

[raptorfae53]

Howleen Wolf Redesign/Character bio:

Howleen Wolf (she/her)

Werewolf child of the Wolf family. (Black American)

(Transforms on the full moon into a Timber wolf)

Pansexual

Loud,brash and a bit obnoxious as middle schoolers can very much be. Howleen is the archetypical middle child, desperate to seem cool to her peers and stand out among her literal crowd of siblings, something which she attempts to by dressing as her dad puts it “in nothing but the shades of the ink colours in the printer” and listening to loud, rebellious music on full blast, yet still dropping everything to impress that next cute boy,girl or whatever.

Likes: her siblings,football,loud rebellious music, skating and having twyla as her best friend.

Dislikes: her siblings,know-it-all adults, thunder and lightning, alpacas and homework (forget that,schoolwork in general!)

Killer style: Androgyny, loud colours (orange,blue and pink being her favourites) and lots of denim, supplemented by a steady supply of clothes and accessories stolen from her older siblings' wardrobes. (It's OK,howleen looks better in it than clawdeen ever did,according to herself at least…)

Familiar: Despite her constant begging for one,much to her chagrin howleens familiar is currently Cushion,the same old stuffed hedgehog she's had since she was five, twyla at least thinks he's cute though…

Pet Peeve: Being patronised to and considered “kiddy”,especially by clawd and clawdeen there's only a year between them don't you know, she's basically a young adult too! Regardless of the fact that clawdeen was right and that jump did send her flying and break her arm ,or got so scared by that thunderstorm two months ago she cried,or…

Freaky Flaw: Egotism and insecurity, despite Howleens current contempt for the figures of seniority in her life (ie. Her parents,older siblings and teachers), sometimes they do really know what's best and Howleens constant desire to prove them wrong sometimes leads to more trouble than there would've been had she listened to them.

Spooky Secret: Ooh boy, Howleen would very much Like to have a secret, in that she thinks a touch of mystery would add to the cool image she's trying to portray, but like it or not seemingly everything she wants to be kept under wraps keep getting exposed by either her own family or by herself. She's let out something she really wished nobody knew about way too many times…

Dream job: Soccer player, there's all sorts of stuff howleen wants to do. Which makes it all the more irritating she's stuck in middle school, being forced to learn stuff like history and geography and…math “shudder”, so boring!

Five Fearsome facts:

Like her older brother Howleen is a massive sports fanatic, as opposed to him however howleen prefers soccer (or football as her sisters annoying British friend insists its called) and hopes to play for monster high and later college level when she gets to those…

Howleen is a massive rock,punk, and hip-hop fan. Whilst usually her playlist is chock full of older hits from the 80s and 90s, lately shes been getting into a local monster-lead punk band and has shown up to every gig since she first knew about them (and because it's $5 a ticket and there's usually few other people there…) if only clawdeen,her usual chaperone to their gigs,was enthusiastic about them as she was, and that the band would pay as much attention to her,their biggest fan, as they do to her bore of a sister…

Howleen loves skating and skateboarding, owning several boards (well…one working one and one that got snapped in half in a particularly daring stunt) and both a pair of rollerblades and heelys. She's asked fellow skater Duece gorgon if he'd show her some tricks when he's got the time but he forever seems more interested in teaching howleen “the basics” than how to do cool stunts.

Howleen's hair is far from the healthiest. Years of chronic dyeing and straightening (often done to impress others or in acts of rebellion against her parents best advice) have left it for lack of a better word, a mess. Clawdeens threats to shave it all off when howleen touches her stuff may have some merit to them funnily enough…

Howleen has an arch enemy, Rámon, the wolf family's alpaca! Ever since the day he arrived on the wolf family farm he has been terrorising howleen and her little sister Weredith (although to be fair Weredith is very nosy and annoying, howleen can at least understand him in that regard) and is always trying to spit in her face or eat her hair! There's also the fact that he always runs from clawdeen or lets clawd and twyla pet him when they help out with farm chores, so she knows he's got it out for her specifically…

Back again with profile 5 of 7 and the first of the three planned for October, Howleen!!!

I know howleen is a bit infamous for having essentially been completely redesigned in the middle of g1 (notably removing her curly hair) and having a G3 design which takes inspiration from both g1 designs alongside something new (although I was never fond of the whole angle she isn't clawdeen's sister,yes it makes sense in-story but I think it kinda takes a lot away from her as a character)

Anyways, since MH reimagined is intended to take inspiration from all aspects of monster high, howleen has elements from all of her designs (yes, including later G1, I wrote her as someone who is insecure enough to actually go through with a complete style change if it meant people saw her as cool, although my intended design for her has more g3 inspired hair)

Also, as well as style inspiration from said G1 and G3 designs, I imagine howleen wears a lot of stuff similar to this:

Anyway I hope you liked this character profile, next week will be a character that I've mentioned a good few times already and who has been deserving of his own profile for a good while now, so stay tuned!

[1800duckhotline]

temerice stature, motion, formal

oc asks: character design edition

TEMMY TIME!! THANK YOU ANON ILY I love thinking about her so much

stature: What’s your OC’s body type? How tall are they? Do they wear clothing to accentuate their look or do they try to mask it?

Temmy's body type is pretty lanky but not overtly so! I will have to research on this properly whenever I get the chance, but before her embrace she used to have estrogen tablets in smaller doses since her hormone transition was more or less in its beginning stages, and as such she hadn't yet put on more fat on her bones and the fat distribution shift is now stuck in a sort of mid-stage. She is an average height, standing at about 165 cm / 5'4" tall.

Being a computer geek and spending most of her free time fiddling with codes at home and rarely going out, her physique is not super exercised, which is something she used to struggle with a lot in her life as a human. She felt very inadequate, especially since she felt a lot of pressure on how she "had" to present to the world - which meant baggy and covering clothes were her go-to. Now, as a fledgling, she doesn't go out of her way to accentuate her body type necessarily but she cares less about what people think of her appearance.

I definitely want to expand more on how she transitioned from human to vampire psychologically, and how her embrace positively affected her relation to gender as well, but more or less one thing she realized is that she was so entrenched in her insecurity (not by fault of her own, tbh) that she had no idea how more people love lanky alt nerds than she thought! Especially girls!

That said if she could she would continue HRT, but I guess that is a limit based on how "faithful" I want to be to the VTM TTRPG lore. I could also just say fuck it and say she can still take it, hahah

motion: How does your OC move? How does their clothing help or hinder their range of motion? Are they flexible, coordinated, clumsy?

Temerice tends to wear baggy, loose clothes, kind of reminiscent of the skater boy and nu-metal mall goth style of the late 90s-early 2000s, so undoubtedly her range of movement is only limited by her physical skills. The heavy chains dragging her pants down might not help but that's just something you gotta sacrifice for the sake of a cool style.

She is a bit clumsy since physical activities were never her forte, though as Kindred her skills have obviously become better with experience, especially as she is specialized in melee fighting. For comparison she is not on Ranx's level of skill with weapons but she can swing a mean axe with no problem. Of course being a Gangrel only contributes to her advantage in fighting now, but she's very young and still learning the ropes of her disciplines.

formal: What’s your OC’s formal look? Do they like dressing up? Do they have different looks for different occasions?

Formality and Temerice have never really been compatible... She loves being comfy much more than looking "dressed up". She's worn her couple of suits for family events before she moved away on her own and transitioned socially, but even now that she feels comfortable as butch she doesn't really care for restricting clothes. The most formal it can get is her wearing a band tee and proper clean shoes and maybe a vest jacket, possibly with her hair up. Her in a suit? Nah... it's not gonna happen. For her it toes a bit too much in gender territories she doesn't want to get into again and feels like it just doesn't fit her.

[steelthroat]

For the getting-to-know-you ask meme:

42. Are you a good judge of character?

55. Most used phrase?

57. How long does it take for you to get ready? (For what? You choose)

90. What makes you angry? (And hopefully more usefully, what do you do about it?)

Oooooh hayyy, sorry for the late reply but here it is at last

42: I think so, but more often than not I try to give the benefit of doubt if the judgment isn't positive... works 50% of the time.

55: oof so:

"Le pecore e le wacche" translation "sheeps and cows" I don't know how to explain this because it's a multilayered inside joke that requires A LOT of context ahahahh. It's funny to me tho

"That's what she said" (this never gets old)

"Slash their tires" for when people act like assholes

"Kinky~" (when my friends "threaten" me)

[Insert meme me and my best friend fixated on this week]

*insert dick joke here*

It's a terrible experience talking to me when you're a close friend of mine, it's either violence or sex-jokes ahahaha

57: okay let's say I either have to meet some friends or I have a party to attend:

My record it's 30 seconds (wear a shirt, jorts and boots)

3 minutes when I'm running late in the morning (wash up, get dressed black pencil under my eyes)

Or 30 mins or more if I want to be pretty but I've already prepared the things I have to wear

2 hours if I have to shower first and I have nothing prepared

90: many things make me angry not gonna lie... but like- varying degrees of anger. And usually I don't snap or have strong reactions unless it's a repeated offense. Like, loud noises, people repeating the same thing over and over, getting interrupted- these things make me angry but I first try to give heads up to the offenders.

The thing that makes me go feral is when someone sees insects just living their life around and starts killing them. I will throw hands for something like that, because that is absolutely vile.

I remember when i was 6 in elementary school it was recess or smt and I had caught a little cricket and I was watching it jumping around.

After one of its jumps I was just about to get it again and put it near the grass and set it free when a kid stomps on it and starts laughing in my face

(Everyone knew I liked insects and I tried to teach my peers not to be scared of them and how to get them without hurting them)

I started crying because WHAT THE FUCK? Why would you do that? Then I beat him up because I swear I've never hated someone more in that moment. That little cricket didn't deserve to die.

Another time something similar happened was when a kid tore a drawing of mine in half, I didn't beat that guy this time, but in hindsight I should have because he kept being horrible to me and everyone else... still is to this day, but now I just ignore him. It's not worth it.

So idk as of now I'm working on my anger because I do have a bit of an issue w that. I try to avoid things that make me angry and when I stumble upon them I try to keep it cool. But I am way less angry than I was a couple of years ago.

[poojagurung]

Men's Fashion Design: Crafting Style with personality

When it comes to men’s fashion, it’s more than just clothes—it’s a way to express who you are. Whether you're into sleek suits or love rocking casual streetwear, men’s fashion design is all about blending creativity with personality. Let’s take a closer look at what makes men’s fashion so exciting, from its roots to today’s hottest trends, and how you can craft a style that feels uniquely you.

A Quick Look Back: The Story of Men’s Fashion

Fashion for men has always reflected the times. Think back to the 18th century when aristocrats showed off in embroidered coats and powdered wigs. Then came the industrial revolution, and clothing became more about practicality. Fast forward to the 21st century, and men’s fashion is all about choice—whether you’re dressing for the boardroom or brunch.

What Makes Men’s Fashion Tick?

1. Fit is Everything

The best-dressed men know this golden rule: no matter how stylish the outfit, the fit makes or breaks it. A perfectly tailored blazer or well-fitted jeans can instantly elevate your look.

2. Fabric Speaks Volumes

From soft wool for winter suits to breathable linen for summer shirts, fabric choice can completely change how a piece feels and functions.

3. Accessories Complete the Look

Ever notice how a watch or a hat can take an outfit from “meh” to “wow”? Accessories are small details that make a big difference.

4. Color Matters

Some men stick to classics like navy, black, and white. Others play with bold colours and prints. The trick? Wear what makes you feel confident.

What’s Trending in Men’s Fashion Right Now?

1. Going Green

Sustainable fashion isn’t just for the eco-conscious anymore—it’s becoming a staple in men’s wardrobes. Think organic cotton shirts or recycled sneakers.

2. Casual Meets Classy

Athleisure is still king. Joggers with a tailored blazer or sneakers with a suit? Why not?

3. A Nod to the Past

Retro is in, whether it’s 70s-inspired floral shirts or oversized 90s denim jackets.

4. Function Meets Style

Clothing with purpose—like jackets with hidden pockets or water-resistant fabrics—is trending for its mix of utility and cool.

Designing for the Modern Man

If you’re dreaming of creating men’s fashion, here are some quick tips:

Know Your People: Who are you designing for? Business professionals? Streetwear lovers? Keep them in mind.

Learn the Basics: From sketching to sewing, mastering the fundamentals is key.

Be Bold, But Smart: Experiment with patterns, colours, and textures, but always keep wear ability in mind.

Use Tech to Innovate: Modern tools like 3D modelling are changing the game in fashion design.

Final Thoughts

Men’s fashion isn’t about following every trend—it’s about finding what works for you and owning it. From timeless tailoring to street-style swagger, there’s a look for everyone. So whether you’re a designer aiming to craft the next big thing or someone just trying to up their style game, remember: fashion is personal, and confidence is your best accessory.

Tags: #MensFashion #StyleForMen #FashionTips #Streetwear #TailoredStyle #menstyle

[dreamy-tvs]

I wanna ramble about my TADC OC bc god damn I'm seeing too many lovely ones and I get FOMO.

Sadly I own no references of the character itself but alas, I wanna make use of this blog ahead of time and lay out ideas I've had before writing the main Google Doc of this character as the bio, since I tend to look to solidly form the OC before writing its bio as a sort of 'finalized version'.

I'll be adding pics of things described when needed since it'll be more fun in that way.

Ladies and Gents!

Say hello to my TADC OC:

Timberly, the puppeteer, puppet and ventriloquist!

I'll start off saying that I wanted to make a clown, since I love clowns, but since Pomni is the protagonist and Kaufmo exists as well- So that's off the table. Following those very rules over no clowns I decided to do the same for the general cast, aka to vary and try not to lean too much on just one aspect, so Abstract (Zooble), animals (Jax duh) Animate inanimate (Gangle, Kinger and Ragatha) had to be only minor showings in the OC itself. So I experimented a little

Something suggested by a friend is to look up 90's toys, which I did try out to gather inspiration. At some point I reached the idea of a puppet, a sort of wooden and yarn style of doll that then shifted to actual wood body, yarn joints and lastly strings to hold up.

This is where the main body of the OC would go, Timberly was the name of the puppet, bottom heavy, rough wood shapes and long arms made to imitate something I kind of wanted to have fun with...

This smug fuck, why? His arms! The idea of wide colorful cylinders for arms, connected with strands of yarn in between down to a pair of simple pointed stubs for hands at the ends made me pretty happy to imagine. Timberly's clothing choice is still undefined but would most likely have either a long dress with puffy shoulders or even suspenders! Overall to not interrupt with the colorful segmented arms using sleeves. Hair? Not sure what it'd be like YET but I am working on it, though it might not be yarn so it isn't like Ragatha's.

Timberly as a name comes from Kimberly, but with Timber.

Second part of the character came off due to the idea of the main body being a puppet, and frankly was too amusing of a concept not to include, to which I want to introduce the puppeteer, Hans!

Hans... Is clearly meant to be like Hands, because it is in fact a giant, hovering toony white glove that handles a wood X made to carry around Timberly. Hans is essentially the movement for Timberly, while she is the physical expressions and body function such as touching objects and possessing some of the core senses. Hans is pretty simple in design due to not being the expressive one- try answering the questions:

'How are you?'

'Where does it hurt?' and

'Where is the heart?'

Without using your body EXCEPT your hand. That's Hans, it can do wavy motion to respond the first one but not much else- you don't need a reference to imagine what Hans looks like.

Lastly is one of the more personally formed parts, third "member" of those that form Timberly as a whole: Gogo!

Brandishing the same name as the character, Gogos are made by Panini, cool little plastic collectibles I remember gathering when I was smoler. Yes some of them look quite weird in shape don't ask- But the point is that Gogo is meant to imitate one of these, and Gogos are tiny, like roughly 5-8 cm or so (Look up how much that's in inches lol) and generally had varying designs, from alien to robotic to animal of all sorts. Gogo is mostly a simple big lower base with small middle body and a big head that imitates the look of a simplified Talkboy, all with a robotic appearance.

Now why would Gogo have a head like this? Simple! Gogo is the voice of the group! But since Gogo is quite small (10 cm tall) and usually sits on Timberly's head and speaks for the other two!

Now that we defined who makes up the character, there's one thing I intentionally made in a way, which was having Hans, Timberly and Gogo be almost impossible to tell if they were separate entities or a single one since in their story, all of them arrived together in one go and appeared to fall in love with the Digital Circus itself in mere moments of appearing.

Sometimes they'd behave like three people, with arguments looking like Timberly making annoyed gestures, Hans shaking either of the two and Gogo being vocal and loud- While other times they all act in one way together, Gogo speaking, Timberly gesturing and Hans keeping them on the move if needed.

Who knows what these three are, if not a single mind that fell into what felt like a dreamy blessing, or three individuals shackled to live as one?

First post using this account again, fun stuff, sorry about the text wall but if you did reach this, hope you liked the concept of the character!

I'll uh... Learn how to segment posts better soon.

[pacifymebby]

what does common people esque mean lol

It's in reference to this song about a girl Jarvis Cocker (more middle class than you'd all like to believe btw, his mother ran to be a Tory councillor not that long after this song was released) met whilst at art school (see he was literally at arts school!! We aren't worried about him social climbing)

Anyway the jist of the song is touching on a phenomena in western culture which was big in the 90s and returns in fashion often (it's doing the rounds a bit now but it's on its way out)

In the 90s we had heroin chic which was like, skinny models dressed like they were on heroin. You also had poverty chic which was rich thin beautiful people being photographed in scratty council estates or in traditional working class environments.

It's essentially to do with the fact that most cool shit starts in working class culture and then gets picked up and made expensive (carhartt is traditionally the American working class mans jacket but now it costs hundreds and they sell it to posh boys in urban outfitters)

Anyways sorry I'm ranting so hard, it's such a massive thing in Britain and I'm quite passionate about it haha

In the song the very rich girl has lived a life of privelige she "will never understand how it feels to live your life with no meaning or control and with nowhere else to go" and to her poverty is this cool outfit she can try on for s day by shagging a working class lad from Sheffield who is roughing it in London. BUT the song is about how she will never be able to understand what it's really like

The chorus is

"cut your hair and get a job, rent a flat above a shop, smoke some fags and play some pool pretend you never went to school but still you'll never get it right cause when you're laying in bed at night watching roaches climb the walls if you call your dad he can stop it all"

Like she's never going to understand Jarvis Cocker/the lad in the song because she's never going to understand what it's like to be trapped by poverty. When you're poor there's nothing else, it consumes your whole life, there's no escaping it, no one to borrow money from, no family home to go back to and not have to worry, because your parents are poor too and theyd love to help you but the best they can do is put the roof over your head etc.

But in the UK especially (I've seen this loads at uni) you get middle class kids who really really want to seem cool, so they copy working class accents, they wear the clothes, they try to lie about the place they grew up, they try to make out like they were hard up too, or they make friends with working class kids to feel like they're part of it too.

Because for as shit as it is being poor, Sam Fenders right when he says that thing about how it's hard to write a good song from your parents villa in France.

Working Class has ALWAYS fuelled popular culture. Mary Quant was a working class girl, she revolutionised popular culture with the mini skirt and set a ball rolling that literally never stopped, working class in music gave us the Beatles, oasis, grime, punk to name a few, football culture is largely working class, the soaps are about the working class... The rich copy the poor all the time and that's genuinely what makes pop culture go round. So middle class kids will always be there preying on working class kids for clout.

That's what common people esque means haha

In short though it means that a trip to Aldi/Lidl/Asda is tourist activity akin to fucking Disney Land for middle class London raised children haha

[lunarsilkscreen]

Symbiote-Suit (Before Venom)

I remember the Symbiote-Suit from reading spider-man shorts in the newspaper, and didn't really get the full story until much later. Like every edgy-child of the 90s the Black Spider-suit was peak coolness.

The suit itself was created by artist and fan Randy Shueller. Whomst was paid 220$ for the creation, and given the opportunity to write an official storyline about it. Ultimately, Marvel didn't really go with his idea and took creative control.

When the suit first debuted, it was during "Secret Wars" (written by Jim Shooter with Mike Zeck and Bob Layton illustrating.) Secret Wars was basically Jump Force or Super Smash Bros of its time. (At the time, Arcades came close with the Marvel v Capcom series)

The symbiote was generated by a mysterious machine after Peter Parker destroyed his original suit while fighting Goku. But has seen various alternate representations such as the one with Tony Maguire in Spider-Man 2. And had a completely different storyline ever since. And is always destined to become Venom. (Who is just... A anthropomorphic self-hatred Peter has for himself.)

In the original story-line though, the Symbiote suit was this cool thing that parker could control with his mind and basically became whatever clothes he needed, abolishing his need to get dressed in alley-ways. (Yes, proto-iron-spider basically.) And had unlimited "web", which this Peter had developed himself, like Garfield's Web Shooters in Amazeballs Spidey. So this suit was primo spider-upgrade gear.

When Marvel decided Spidey needed a rebranding, or at least to return to the original suit, because "black Spiderman" didn't mean the same thing it means today... (Trying not to get canceled) The symbiote became a metaphor for Peter Parkers inability to join the two halves his life into one, and subsequent 30 year old burnout from overworking, and no vacations.

Peter Parker, and Spider-Man. And he went through a devastating breakup with MJ and all sorts of pain and anguish. And Pete blamed the suit because he felt that it was the suit's fault for his inability to finish everything he set out to do *and* feel normal.

PTSD from being a superhero, living two lives, overworking, being unable to do the things he wants to do.

And from there the Symbiote becomes this villain that was fed all of Peter's negative emotions, and double-unlucky, joins forces with his main photographer rival at his job--Eddie Brock.

And thus Venom was born. And while Venom was a good guy (most of the time) he harbored vengeance and a deep hatred towards parker and Spider-Man. Both because of the competitive rivalry *AND* birthing an evil alien symbiote thing.

I always wondered about the symbiote suit, and what character it could *have* been if this were not the case... If it wasn't destined to become Venom, especially what venom and the symbiotes are *now*.

This entire section of Spider-Lore and marvel comics which are dedicated to *extreme* edginess. Not that I *hate* them and want the comics abolished, going through different emotions by exploring the Seven Deadly Sins is a good storyline. And dare I say it; fairly important in the history of comic books.

But I still lay awake at night sometimes and wonder "What if the Symbiote Suit had a chance to not got through all that? What if the character could be something else, something not as reliant as being attached to another character?"

What if the Symbiote could've been something more as a character?

What if the Symbiote had a chance to just be a good hero instead of the anti-hero and perma-villain?