thisissku

[thisissku]

quick post on open-chest binding

an explanation of how i did my open-chest binding for haru, as seen here:

this is the method i use. it is the second result on google for “open chest binding tutorial” and includes a full walkthrough of how to do it from start to finish. it will tell you everything you need to know.

keep in mind that open-chest binding is only safe if you���re between an A-B cup. C is pushing the safety limit and anything above that is not something you want to mess with. (for reference, i’m between an A and a B cup.) if you have a large chest, your safest option is to go with a skin-colored binder that you can edit out with photoshop after the fact.

do not stay in it more than 3-4 hours maximum (closer to 2-3 if possible). if something starts to hurt, get out of it immediately. remember: health > cosplay. i was in my open chest binding for about 3 hours and felt no pain, but once we made it back to the room i started getting that inkling of, “oh boy, okay, time to take this crap off and be free.” (heh heh. free. get it.)

FOR THE LOVE OF THE COSPLAY GODS PLEASE DO NOT USE DUCT TAPE ON YOUR SKIN THEY MAKE MEDICAL AND SPORTS TAPE FOR A REASON. if any open-chest binding tutorial suggests using duct tape, throw it right in the trash.

you can use fashion tape or foam tape to stick the edges of your costume to your skin. this way your jacket/bolero/vest/etc. won’t flap open to show your binding, plus it provides an extra level of security for your personal comfort.

if you want to contour your abs, it’ll work best if you have something to start with, i.e. some sort of ab definition versus a smooth tummy. if the costume allows for it (as is the case with an iwatobi jacket), you can zip up the lower half if it makes you feel more comfortable. as far as actual contouring makeup goes, i just use a dark brown eyeshadow and define my existing abs, blending the lines out to create a more natural shadow that won’t wash out in photos.

hope that helps! good luck and please be safe!

[thisissku]

Free! Yokai AU designs for my [Clear] mini Artbook :”D

More sketches and illustrations of them in the book *U*

[thisissku]

some quick full-body refs for the Pirate!Free! postcards I did Q uQ;; I hope this helps the cosplayers who wanted to give it a go, ty for all the notes on my postcards, you guys are awesome! :“D <3 I'msobadatfullbodyrefs  Free boys will be the death of me QxQ;;

[Edit] Rest of the Free bbys here! orzz

[thisissku]

FFFF I did it orzzz it’s even lazier than the others but I hope this helps QA//Q that makes everyone right?! LOL okimadienow

Part 1 of Free!Pirates here ; u ;;; ahhh thank you guys for all the support! If anyone really cosplays these I’d love to see them! *rolls away*

[thisissku]

Art theft (teechip)

Hey guys, so apparently teechip are allowing users to sell stolen art with little to no repercussions. Its frustrating that neither facebook nor teechip are willing to do anything about my complaints of art theft.

>>you can see their FB post of my stolen art here

Keep reading

[thisissku]

What if oxygen is poisonous and it just takes 75-100 years to kill us?

[thisissku]

[thisissku]

Hogwarts au in which Gray is Gryffindor and Juvia Hufflepuff,shes cold so he gives her his scarf ❄💙❄ This was a collab between me and the amazing mya( @keiid ) as a gift for my boyfriend ,we hope you like it !

[thisissku]

I am the world’s biggest dork.

[thisissku]

PERSONAL CHEER SQUAD JUST FOR YOU. LET’S DO THE THING TODAY. WE CAN DO THIS. GOGOGOGOGO!!!!

[thisissku]

What If All Your Favorite Disney Princesses Were Mermaids Like Ariel? http://www.mtv.com/news/2189653/disney-princess-little-mermaid-ariel-gifs/

[thisissku]

Mother duck asks for help to save her children

[thisissku]

Chapter 499: Gray and Juvia

Where to even start from! I stayed away from spoilers over the weekend, so my emotions are very fresh, and very all over the place but I’ll try my best to be coherent.

This chapter was about a boy who’s lost too many people in his life, who’s felt guilt to the marrow of his bones, on the brink of killing the last person he can’t afford to lose with his own hands. And it was about a girl who’s lived for those she loves, yet she’d rather die than hurt the one that brought the sun in her life.

This chapter proved yet again how selfless Gray and Juvia can be for each other.

Juvia wrecked her own leg to stop Meredy from killing herself, and thus killing Gray too via her magulty sense. She chose to be honest and tell Gray it was because of her that he lost his father again, despite being sure that he would hate her for it, that it would cost her any chance she had for a future with him. And now she sacrifices her life not only because she can’t bear to harm him anymore, but also because she can’t bear to know he’ll blame himself for her death.

Her love is so pure and immense that I can’t help but find claims like “she doesn’t truly care about Gray’s happiness” or “her felings are selfish and shallow” outright insulting to her character. This girl secretly developed a new kind of magic for the sole purpose of saving him with her own blood, should he ever face certain death.

Meanwhile, Gray has sacrificed himself to save her without hesitation not once, but twice. 

You can say he’d do it for any of his comrades. But he’s only been shown to do it for Juvia. Twice. That’s because she’s much more than a comrade to him. She’s the person he wanted to change with, start a future with. 

And then there’s this tiny part that initially soured my reaction, which I’m sure was the case for other fans too.

To be honest, “I promise I’ll take your feelings more seriously” isn’t the most graceful translation one could give to what Gray said. Those panels are absolutely gut wrenching but this line..kinda falls short. It sounds as if he wasn’t serious about her feelings in the first place. It hardly makes sense when he has promised Juvia an answer after the war is over, which means he’s already pondered Juvia’s feelings, as well as his own, quite a lot and has reached a decision.

Other translators among the fandom, however, seem to agree that Gray’s actual words are much closer to “I’ll be more serious/earnest/honest”, which I fell more inclined to trust. Gray knows all to well how he feels about Juvia by now, he knows what he wants of his future and she’s meant to be a part of it, if only she would come back to him. That’s what he’s saying here. Juvia knows the truth too, for when he said he could never hurt her of all people, and that he wanted to protect her at all costs, her reply was that his words bring her joy. 

Gray chose to keep her safe in exchange for his own life, just like Juvia did. He trembled at the realization that Juvia’s blood is running inside him. He sobbed her name as he craddled her head. He wept desperately, clutching her dead body in his arms. He begged her to wake up. His actions speak volumes of his feelings, and how much it costs him to lose her just when we was about to fully let her into his heart.

Still, his words don’t seem final, and that’s because they are not. If I was 99% percent Juvia will be back before, now I’m 100%. In fact, this scene is almost identical to Ur’s death.

Is this about history repeating itself? No, that would be pointlessly repetitive and cruel. It’s about ultimately giving Gray’s character arc an exit from this loop of loss and grief. Because Juvia lives for the ones she loves, and she will live for Gray. It might take a while, but she will be back eventually. Her death was part of the buid up towards a confrontation between Gray and END, but her staying dead serves no actual purpose to either Gray’s or Juvia’s characters. Gray has lost so many people in his life to be condemned to another long lasting round of misery. We don’t even have a fair amount of arcs ahead of us for him to properly - and convincingly - work through his sorrow. This is either the last one, or the second to last. 

So to those who are fazed by the recent amount of temporary deaths, don’t be. Because Mashima won’t be breaking the trend with Juvia, and has proved that he can always pull things out of his butt to “revive” characters. And to those who fear the similarities between Fairy Tail and Rave Master, don’t worry. Musica x Reina had nowhere as much panel time and progression as Gruvia. Mashima has invested too much in developing the pair just to give it such a tragic and unsatisfying conclusion.

Instead, we should be getting ready for a reunion, because Gray will give her his answer then, and she’ll be fully concious to have it this time. ^^ 

Today Gray and Juvia proved that they would do anything for each other because such is the magnitude of their feelings, and this is where Invel’s plan went horrendously wrong.

He’s going to sorely regret underestimating their bond. xD

[thisissku]

Why Chapter 499 confirms Gray’s feelings for Juvia are mutual (RAW BREAKDOWN)

There has been a controversy regarding certain parts of the chapter when it comes to translations and what was actually said in Japanese. Mangastream’s version of the chapter seems off, and that is because of the translator’s interpretation. This post will explore other interpretations and explain why it’s completely clear that Gray does love Juvia romantically through the text (as if his tears and actions weren’t enough, pfff). 

Let’s start here:

グレイ「仲間を…いや…お前をキズつけたくない…だからこうしたのに…」 Gray: "(I don’t want to hurt) my comrade(s)… No… I don’t want to hurt you. That’s why I…“ “Nakama wo… Iya… Omae wo kizutsuketakunai” <- He starts to say “comrade”, but then corrects himself (he actually says “no”), indicating Juvia is more than a comrade. That is why the original spoilers state that Gray sees Juvia as more than a friend.  Mangastream isn’t off here, as they actually emphasized Gray saying he could never hurt Juvia. Crunchy Roll as well:

They also emphasized Juvia is more than a friend. She is in a different category above that. Moving on…

グレイ「お前を…守りたかった…のに…オレは…」

Gray: "I wanted… To protect you… Yet… I…“ 

ジュビア「いいえ…嬉しいです…グレイ様」

Juvia: “No… I’m happy… Gray-sama.”

Gray continues talking, telling Juvia he wanted to protect her. Since this follows his line about her being more than a friend/comrade/nakama, Juvia smiles and says she is happy. That is because she understands what Gray is saying. Even though Gray himself couldn’t even form the words he wanted to say (hence the “Yet… I…”). Juvia is the person Gray wanted/wants to protect in life.

グレイ「ジュビア…お前の事もっと真剣に考えるから…」

Gray: "Juvia… I think of you more seriously…”

Here is where the real controversy is. Mangastream inserted words that did not exist in the original Japanese RAW. I understand that sometimes it is essential to do that in order to get the meaning across in English, as not everything translates directly or well.  However, there is a way to do that without butchering the meaning completely. Mangasteam’s translation makes it seem like Gray is only starting to take Juvia’s feelings seriously now (because she “died”), when that isn’t the case. Gray has taken Juvia’s feelings seriously since he promised her an answer back in chapter 453. Moreover, Gray did not even mention her feelings specifically. It’s not ONLY her feelings. It’s Juvia as a whole (explained below).

“Omae no koto…” -> “regarding/about you” That’s used when you’re talking about a person. Gray is taking Juvia more seriously. It’s not just about her feelings, it’s about his too, and yes, it’s all romantic. The above panels support this as Gray already placed Juvia above the friend category. And since he is talking about her as well, we know Juvia romantically loves Gray, therefore… this is not a platonic chapter in the least. Note: there is also no “I promise” in the original either. But I’m sure that was added to emphasize how serious Gray is. I’m going to mention the original spoilers again, because they also translated Gray’s line as “I’m serious about you”. So for the final time, Gray is serious about Juvia’s entire self. “About you… I’ll be more serious…”

Crunchy roll:

This translation also makes sure Gray says he will take Juvia’s entire self seriously; everything about her and their relationship. He wants to give her a serious answer. Japanese doesn’t extinguish between present and future, so “I’ll take you [as a whole] more seriously” and “I take you seriously now” are both acceptable English translations. Either way, Gray is serious about Juvia. Big thanks to @honyakusha-eri for helping with raw translations. Other translators such as @sarapyon and @chanting-to-u agree with this translation as well. See their posts here and here. There’s grammatical ambiguity, but putting together the context and the way Gray reacts (crying, holding her, etc) makes it more accurate to assume he meant “I [do currently] think of you more seriously, so…” and translate it this way into English. The ambiguity comes from the tense of "I think”. In Japanese, 考える can either be “I think” or “I will think”, depending on the context. Thanks @nobu-sensei!

Another note: “shinken” 真剣 also means “earnest”. Therefore, we can take what Gray said as he’s being more earnest about her now. As the series showcased, Gray hasn’t always been honest with Juvia or how he feels.

Gray and Juvia were going to die together. They both had the same idea and did it at the same time. This is extremely powerful and symbolic.

I noticed that Gray basically said “I love you” without actually saying the words. He said it and showed it in every other way. That is okay. In Japan, people don’t normally confess their love outright; it’s the culture. They have other gestures and phrases to make their feelings very known and obvious. This chapter containing Gray’s actions spoke so much louder than a massive page dedicated to a confession. This is a very good post that explains the difference between Japanese and western culture in regards to expressing romantic love, and how it pertains to Gruvia. This post as well, explaining that the most romantic act of love that a couple can do is double suicide, based on samurai history in Japan.

Take a moment to remember who Gray is. He is a character with a traumatic past who has a hard time opening up to people and being honest about his feelings. Of course, the one breaking that wall down is Juvia. But I think a reason we didn’t get a kiss or huge confession now is because Mashima is saving it for later… when Juvia returns. She will be alive to hear Gray’s direct answer, instead of unconscious. It’s more likely Gray will “show” Juvia how he feels rather than “say” it, though. That’s right, when she’s back Gray will show Juvia just how serious he is.

Gray and Juvia did the same thing (committed suicide) for the SAME reason. They did not want to hurt the person they LOVE. Gray, the guy that says he would live for his family and comrades, attempted to kill himself (again) because he would rather die than live a life without Juvia or hurt her. 

Lets not forget to mention him screaming in agony after the realization of what Juvia did hits Gray, before remembering his interactions with her. He then proceeds to beg Juvia to open her eyes, cradling her in his arms, and placing his forehead against her’s as he cries. We have seen Gray and Juvia’s bond building since the beginning; this is love. And I doubt Mashima would throw it all away here, since Gray will no longer wait and take Juvia for granted. He has suffered so much loss, it would be unfair for his story to end tragically. With her gone, he would have very little to look forward to in the future. As sad as it is, I think Gray needed to see just how far Juvia was willing to go for him. He needed that push, and we needed a good build up to Gray’s answer. Mashima stated in an interview a few months ago that he will create an acceptable/fair ending for everyone (the readers), and that he cannot see himself writing a bad ending.

Screen capture:

Gray and Juvia’s reunion will be worth the wait. They have so much to look forward to in life; I sincerely believe Juvia is not gone for good. She will be the one to come back to Gray, where everyone else did not. That was the point in the parallel (Ur, and to some extent, Reina). He’s failed to save everyone that has died for him, so Juvia’s case will be different. 

The only unfortunate thing is that I can’t see Mashima reviving Juvia any time soon. That is because he needed to sideline her somehow; Gray has ambitions to fulfill alone. And I am fully prepared to see more signs that indicate her death is “final”, like Juvia’s image in Gray’s mind while he fights, or for her soul/voice to stop him from doing something horrible (like murder). Whether it takes 1, 2, or 100 chapters, they will both get their happy endings (with each other), for sure. In the extremely small chance Juvia does not come back, at least we know her feelings were finally returned and her last moments were beautiful. Nevertheless, I still expect Juvia to safely return to Gray’s side by the end of the war.

This might straying from the topic a bit, but it’s something I noticed yesterday and then I read a post about it which reminded me. The chain broke but Gray and Juvia were still alive. We see the chain breaking as both Gray and Juvia are dying, and then Invel walking away:

^There is no chain anymore. Yet:

Juvia is performing her blood transfusion magic (you see the IV looking thing attached to both their arms and the blood flowing) meaning she is still alive here. She could not perform a spell if she was already dead, and we see Gray is obviously alive too. The chain linking them ceases to exist, therefore it broke before Juvia “died”. Unless the chain broke from them being on the brink of death (but not actually dead), my guess is that Invel dispelled the magic because he found the situation pointless. I say this because the blizzard also stopped after he walked away from the battlefield thinking Gray and Juvia would just die there anyway. In the end, their love did undo the spell by foiling Invel’s plan.

[thisissku]

Setting: Juvia became a ghost and was about to vanish, she was surprised to meet Gray again. Gray killed Invel, then he committed suicide and came for Juvia.

Art by @基月大魔王

Original Source: http://weibo.com/610021118

Edit by @dangelk Translation by me

Edit and post with permission

[thisissku]

Reminder that Gray of his own accord was going to give up everything. His father's will, his ambition to defeat E.N.D, his entire life... For Juvia.