#obsessed with the fits and the consistant color scheme

[ystk-archive]

[Translation] capsule in girls '60s magazine (Feb. 2004)

When I first saw their music videos, the striking visuals immediately caught my eye. Simplistic designs, vivid color schemes on the outfits and sets… I can't describe the style as anything other than '60s-inspired. For the first edition of our "Pick Up Artist" feature, it's one whose existence fascinates me — let's take a look at the charm of capsule.

capsule is a music unit consisting of Nakata Yasutaka, whom manages the sound, art direction, design, concept work and so on, and vocalist Koshijima Toshiko. Nakata directs the image, visual aspects, and songs while Koshijima performs it all, resulting in their unique style. - original interview by Aikawa Chisato, translation by ystk-archive -

The reason behind their '60s-inspired visual style

Nakata: To be honest, I don't have any particular attachment to the '60s. I just like unique and minimalistic things, stuff with interesting shapes and clean designs and whatnot. It started when I got into interior design, and at first I especially liked Space Age furniture.¹ That's changed a little recently — I like pieces made out of wood but still with that outerspace kind of vibe. Even when it's made from wood, it doesn't feel natural, it still has this sort of odd look. When it comes to the '60s, I like the plywood that they often used. But I'm intrigued by Karimoku furniture too (laughs).²

— So would you say you're more interested in space and not the '60s?

Nakata: Yeah, and I guess sci-fi movies played a part in that. In movies like Men in Black you often see Tulip chairs, though I don't think they were used to evoke a retro or '60s feel on purpose.³ With films like that I tend to focus more on the furniture and not the overall atmosphere; if anything, I see furniture along with fashion as objects that look nice when put into a scene you're taking in as a whole. I like to come up with unconventional settings. Women are usually depicted in sci-fi films as secretaries, all wearing identical wigs and uniforms, and I like that kind of weird atmosphere. So instead of me consciously liking '60s aesthetics, I wound up thinking they were cool without making the connection that they were from that decade. I also love clothes that incorporate simplistic, striking designs, since they're like spacesuits (laughs).

— How do you feel about wearing clothes like that?

Koshijima: I'm also not obsessed with the '60s or anything, but I like to play around with that era's clothing and makeup styles. It's more fun than just wearing normal clothes.

— Have you two had similar tastes all along?

Nakata: Our tastes used to be completely different. I feel like she's adjusted to match me.

— So Koshijima-san is committed to being a model?

Koshijima: Yep. I haven't changed my approach, ever since the beginning.

— Are there times where you feel like your tastes really are different?

Koshijima: I don't think so. If we actually were fundamentally different, I don't think we'd be working together. Strangely enough, when I look at the materials I'm given, I start to think they're cute. Nakata: When I get an idea, I suggest it first. Koshijima: But he doesn't show me clothes or anything directly, instead he shows me photos and videos… Like I'm being brainwashed (laughs). The more he introduces me to all kinds of cool things, the more similar we become. After I watched the materials he gave me, poses and dance moves just started coming naturally to me without even realizing it.

— Maybe you ran across something from the '60s that left an impression and that ended up coming through in your image.

Nakata: Yeah, there are a lot of easy explanations for it. I wonder if we're more like a new product with a retro design that would fit nicely in someone's living room, rather than something that could be found in an authentic '60s vintage shop. I think even if we intentionally collected oldschool aesthetics from that era and tried to copy those, it'd still turn out differently, because peoples' concept of the '60s and the real '60s are two different things. But if you take parts of that concept people have of that decade and use them, you wind up with something that has the right feel to it. For me right now, the concept I have in mind is the "style" of the '60s. Instead of making clothes or objects to match up with the '60s aesthetic, the styles are already floating around in my head, and then I make content that reflects that. There were a lot of useless shapes — like aren't record players from back then weird-looking? The technology of them and the half-dome shape are of that time, but the way they look on the outside is as if someone was imagining the future while designing them. It's interesting how these days it's the opposite: now the exterior designs of things are retro while the tech inside is highly advanced. And I like both (laughs). I even like things that seem out of place. I'm drawn to a sense of disharmony.

— Would you say the essence of the '60s is woven into your music?

Nakata: Not intentionally. I think the things I like tend to show through my music on accident. Basically I want to make any music, as long as it's cute.

— So do you feel like music is essentially an object?

Nakata: Music is something I started doing because I thought I could create it. It was right when I was in junior high school, they'd made a lot of progress with technology so making cassette tapes became fun. Part of that was because I liked the feeling of winding a tape up. I liked playing around with machines more than the music aspect itself and, when it comes to decorating, I even like the look of a tape deck sitting in a room. So that's why I want our CDs to be sold in regular stores along with other kinds of merchandise. I don't think music should be classified as something special and separate; it's good if it's just one part of the total amount of belongings in a space. Rather than wanting people to listen to our music seriously, I'd be happy if they enjoy the atmosphere it gives when they play it out in the open.

¹ Space Age design was characterized by "sleek, aerodynamic lines and geometric forms," "dominated by bright, bold hues" and was often constructed of manmade materials such as plastic. You can read more about it here. ² Karimoku is a Japanese brand of all-wood furniture boasting superior craftsmanship. You can read more about it and look at examples here. ³ This is the famous Tulip chair.

[swearingcactus]

FAR CRY AND USING RED FOR THEIR VILLAINS AND 'VILLAINS'

almost all of the (main) far cry games uses red to show who's the enemy (like most games, really!), and i wanna point out that it even expands to the other characters and overanalyze their wardrobe. long post under the cut

IN FAR CRY 3:

pirates wear red and so does their leader vaas who wears his #iconique red tanktop. coincidentally jason views vaas as the ultimate villain who he has to kill.

Hoyt wears a red shirt under his jacket, which if you think about could be kinda read as him being on the inside/the real guy pulling the strings underneath the surface of what jason previously know about.

"But what about Buck?" you ask, "He wears blue, which since Jason also wears blue, should mean he's one of the 'good guys'?" well yes and no. Technically, Buck does try to be buddy buddy with Jason, multiple times even, so the blue shirt as trying to fake being your friend fits. However, Buck's chest tattoo is red, and it's literally inked into his skin and is obvious to Jason and for anyone to see that he is clearly not our friend.

Privateers also don't have any red in their color schemes, but i feel this might be a sign that at that point, Jason didn't actually have to be on the island and kill privateers.

IN FAR CRY 4:

both the royal army and the royal guards wear red colored uniforms.

Pagan wears a pink suit, which isn't exactly red, but then again, he isn't inherently antagonistic towards Ajay, who may not view Pagan as the villain at all, depending on the player's choice on letting him go or not. I would also argue Pagan's pink suit also foreshadows his retirement from the dictatorship role, he's just biding his time and not really actively doing anything.

Notice that his shoes are red though and he did take very particular offense that they got ruined when he killed a guy, so Pagan very much still is a villain

Compare this to Paul de Pleur, who wears a red shirt, or Noore's red sash. "but, but noore was doing it because she was forced! she isn't ACTUALLY evil!" yeah that's what the sash is for, it's an add-on to her original outfit, as opposed to de Pleur's shirt that he covers with the blue vest.

(also i do think noore deserves a whole lot of credit as a villain for what she did, even if she was cornered into that position. she DID kill and pimp out pretty much anyone she can get her hands on. she DID kill innocent kids to save her own. not saying i wouldn't do it if i was in her shoes, but on a 'good-bad' spectrum noore is definitely not on the good anymore.)

Yuma's a bit tricky cus she also doesn't have any red color scheme, instead her hair's pink just like Pagan's color. So was it like... she's just copying Pagan? That her previously 'evil' actions were set in motion YEARS before it could have any effect to Ajay's present journey to find Lakshmana now so the color has faded to pink? Maybe. But she IS obsessed with being Kalinag and became Kalinag in Ajay's hallucination when he had to kill her, and Kalinag does have a red color scheme.

FC4 is great cus both Sabal and Amita also has red in their wardrobe which is great foreshadowing.

Sabal's red is fittingly on his prayer beads, and he used religion to slaughter people in his ending;

while Amita's red is on her boots, and she eventually rules over people, demanding lands to be used as drug fields.

FAR CRY 5 gets a loud boooo because none of the seeds have red in their wardrobe. some peggies are tatted with red ink, and the Eden's Gate flag is red, but like, WHERE'S THE CONSISTENCY UBISOFT!

FAR CRY 6 actually goes back to Far Cry 3 in terms of character design (red = evil, blue = good) with how the libertad wears blue and the FND wears red.

Anton, like Hoyt, wears a red shirt (and even a red tie!) under a suit. Notice that it's a white suit this time. He's covering up his mistreatment of Yarans producing Viviro with propaganda and an attempt to look squeaky clean to foreigners.

Diego wears the same uniform, out of duty, but in his civilian clothing (which you see at the start of the game), he's wearing a blue jacket-- he wants to be good. Unfortunately, he can't, as his red sneakers indicate, everywhere he steps death follows, because he is still a Castillo. and you know what Anton says to him?

(NOTICE THE WORDING...)

fortunately (or unfortunately), Diego wasn't the only one who wears red on their shoes on that boat, so he isn't the only one to blame for bringing death. you know who else has red on their shoes?

THAT'S RIGHT FOLKS, DANI ROJAS THEMSELVES WEARS RED LACED SNEAKS. Dani is the ONLY survivor of the boat other than Diego, and once they set foot on that boat with her, Lita's fate was sealed.

Additionally... in the FC6 DLC, we see the villains of 3-5 again, and they were still wearing their original outfits... but note that Vaas shows up again at the end of his DLC, and we see that his red tank has faded, and he's wearing a green army jacket on top of it now. he's still a villain by some standards, but he's moved on from being just the leader of the pirates in Rook Islands.

P.S if ubisoft ever makes another continuation, i wonder what color they'll use for the protag's outfit cus they've already went with blue (jason) > green (ajay) > yellow (dani) and they usually reserve red for the enemies. im team purple myself.

[lavared]

⚔️ BRÆNRYN BROSCA ⚔️

-

Race: Commoner Dwarf, Casteless

Class: Rogue (Dual Weapon)

Specialization: Duelist

Affiliations: the Carta, Grey Wardens, Orzammar Royal Family, Ferelden Royal Court

Titles: Brænryn the Duster, The Warden, Hero of Ferelden, Paragon Brænryn

Personality: Wary, Brusque, Quick-Witted, Protective, Non-judgemental

Memorable Quotes: “Can I get you a ladder, so you can get off my back?!”

(Details under the cut)

⚔️ ⚔️⚔️

Three styles, three different life stages. 

First one: The Warrior Traveller’s ‘Fit 

Key Words: practical, medium weight, no-fuss, dark tones 

This is what I imagine Brosca looking like after the Joining ritual and for a good part of the game. The beginning of her journey is all slashing, crippling, and traveling on foot, so I needed to get her a look that is functional (allegedly) and with no frills. I needed to make a mishmash of in-game armor parts to get something I could picture her wearing for real. 

It could have been worse, 3/5 stars.

-

Second one: The Fereldian Court Jester 

Key Words: cheap elegance, military influences, brighter colors, poofy

The special occasions look. You can see her wearing this on a diplomatic encounter with the Arl or during a war council with her allies on a cold winter day in Ferelden. I needed to elevate a basic tunic + pants + boots combo by adding more details and faking a more refined fabric for the blouse. I wanted to play on the contrast between modest and expensive, but it was my greatest goal to make her look a bit on the gaudy and tacky side. Being classy is not her forte. 

2/5 stars, but bonus points for trying to look the part. A generous 3/5 stars score.

-

Third one: The Seasoned Veteran 

Key Words: subtle patterns, better fit, souvenirs, mismatched armor

She’s a grown-up now. She’s a Commander, she’s a Paragon, she’s an Icon, she’s a Legend, she’s the Moment (not really, but still). Instead of letting her go full-blown diva, I let her crawl back to her roots. The tunic + pants + boots combo is her uniform, and you won’t catch her wearing anything else, but this time you can find new and old elements added to it. I picture her collecting and looting trinkets, materials, fabrics, and pieces of armor around Thedas, and combining them with what she already owns. She doesn’t fight that much at this point compared to her Blight days, so she skips on the medium armor. 

It’s nice, it’s cute, but it could have been better. 3/5 stars.

⚔️ ⚔️⚔️

I wrote a post narrating in detail why I chose to dress her like this, but it’s so long it’s basically an essay. I’m not bothering you with that, you have a life to care about lol All you need to know is that I needed to recreate the Grey Warden Armour/Uniform color scheme to be consistent with the lore and display her unhealthy obsession for the color blue

[tokiro07]

Undead Unluck ep.24 thoughts

[It's the End of the Show as We Know It]

(Contents: reflection)

And with that, season 1 of Undead Unluck's anime comes to a close

I can't say it was everything I hoped it would be, but I can say it was a lot better than I feared it could have been. Strange usage of recaps, blinding color scheme choices at odd moments, and certain scenes composed in ways that sadly cut down their impact from the source material hampered it from being the next big thing, but unique interpretations and embellishments on the source material mixed with several moments of fantastic animation and great voice acting absolutely prevented it from being a cookie cutter, bland adaptation

And of course, keeping in line with the rest of the series, the final episode made sure to encompass every single one of the above aspects

Now, to its credit, almost all of the recap in this episode was in the manga, it's just very funny that a show that was like 10% recap concluded on a chapter that was, itself, 50% recap. Plus, what recap there was that wasn't originally in the manga was actually handled quite elegantly, being brief moments of establishing information rather than just replaying entire scenes - y'know, the way that a recap is supposed to be!

We still got the garish red gel over the final fight, but I think because we've seen it so many times now, I'm kind of used to it, and the action itself was pretty damn good. The addition of a meteor to the final stroke of Unluck made that final pass at Autumn a lot more visually impactful than it otherwise would have been, and Anno Un's death being an explosion of ink rather than just fading into dust added a nice bit of flair that I think makes their nature as an ink construct much clearer

Overall, a fitting conclusion given the rollercoaster of odd and pleasantly surprising creative choices, and naturally it ended with one final befuddlement. While the beginning of the episode cut the opening theme, we ended up getting it at the end of the episode, which would be pretty standard for a finale, if it wasn't immediately followed by the sequel hook which, itself, was both truncated AND followed by the ending theme! If they'd just cut at least the ending theme, we could have had the full scene of Juiz approaching Billy! Hell, if they'd cut the opening too, we could have gotten the full explanation for how Akira knew the future! Sure, that wasn't entirely necessary, but it could have helped, and getting it recapped at the beginning of season 2 will probably be completely out of place

This was a solid episode, I really enjoyed it, and I feel the same way about the season as a whole, but god damn was this a baffling experience from beginning to end. I will definitely end up looking back on this later as a quirky experience, a fun bit of trivia that we as a community will have a chuckle about and appreciate that it's not Promised Neverland Season 2, but until someone posts a deep dive explaining how those creative decisions came about, I'm probably just going to be obsessing over how it came together so strangely

Definitively, the manga is better; this adaptation does not in any way surpass or in my opinion even match the quality of the manga, but at the very least, it does not do it a total disservice. The goods were good and the bads were weird, and I hope the experience will convince newcomers to check out the manga, if not for the desire to see more, then at least for the curiosity of what spawned this madness

If you were able to stick with it the whole time, I hope you all enjoyed this season as much or more than I did. We're supposedly going to be getting some kind of announcement soon, hopefully for season 2 or a movie. I definitely hope that Yuki Yase won't be at the helm next time, but on some level I think I'd appreciate the consistency if he does return. I'd certainly take that over getting someone worse

Until next time, let's enjoy life!

[ruporas]

back again for more bound to want rambles. whoops <3

i'm talking about color this time

there's not much to say about part 1 since you were really consistent with the dull, hazy yellow, but i LOVE it all the same. it's like an old, worn out photograph. it fits with the messy dream vibe So Well and makes everything feel even More out of focus, adding perfectly to the effects of roses and thorns and other dream-like effects you added in place of boxy panels (ADORE IT)

i also just hfkjdhgssg i love how that color persists even AFTER vash wakes up in part 1. the messy dream lines have faded and we're snapped back into stiff, reality-ground boxes, but that hazy color is still there. still pervading everything. vash is awake now, but the dream still has him.

but then moving on to part 2, we're back to your usual color-scheme with the dark green/light pink combo... or so i THOUGHT, BUT LIKE THE ENTIRE FREAKING PART 2 IS STEEPED IN SAD GREEN HGJFKDHLGSFDSKJGHFDLKSJGHFDSLKJHGFLKDJSHG

except for 2 exceptions.

when ww sits vash down for a drink they have a pink bg, but it doesn't have that airy, happy feel that that color usually holds. there's this subtle ring of green around it, and a static effect around the outside of this little bubble of warmth. almost like they are happy to be together and share this moment despite the issues they're having, but the weight of what's going on keeps seeping in

(and ik i'm talking about color but i'm OBSESSED with the poses in this panel. ww and vash are essentially sitting the same exact way- right arm up on the table and body turned left- but they're mirrored in opposite directions. they won't face each other, even though they're exactly the same. and ww, honest in this moment, faces the camera while vash turns away. ghakfjghdsfkgjhdg)

also i lied there's more than 2 exceptions. when ww apologizes, there's this really deeeeep dark pink in the bg of the small panel vash reacts in. happiness tainted by all his pain and confliction, i assume

and this isn't pink, but i lost my MIND over that static-y spotlight effect on wolfwood in the next page. it reminds me of a few symbolism things, but i don't feel them that strongly so i'd love to know if u had anything specific in mind drawing it that way!!

but anyway a page later when vash is thinking about how "unfair" it is that he doesn't deserve ww, but ww won't leave, there's this gorgeous static, pink/green effect going on again. all these conflicted emotions and pain and want jfdhgsfdkghjdskg

but my favorite FREAKING part is after the ID, the FACE that vash makes as he finally breaks, and there's just this RING of true, soft pink around him as the green finally dissipates

and then panel 2 rolls around with wolfwood and it's almost entirely gone. barely present in the occasional "ribbon" effects that flow around the pages afterwards- still there in the background and still hanging over them- but it's okay now. that sad, painful green doesn't encompass them anymore. it's just spaced naturally throughout their lives, which is how it is for normal, healthy relationships.

i just.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH.

SYMBOLISM METAPHORS AND MASTERFUL DETAILWORK I COULD TALK ALL DAY ABOUT COLOR ALONE

:D!!

the color choices are also… my steps of becoming a better artist… grips fists DMGKSDMGKS BUT YES, THANK YOU FOR YOUR ANALYSIS ON BOTH PARTS!!! i'm very glad the diluted yellow could give that kind of feeling, and things are definitely more deliberate in the second part, given there's more colors now to work with!!!

vashwood consists constantly of heavy thoughts, looming agony and pending tragedy, but in these rare moments where they get to just have each other, it gets to clear and they can feel like the only two people in the world, for just a teensy tiny second! i like to build that white/pink space as a tangible place for them kind of, not always, but i realized it's a common string in my vw comics.

i'm curious to know what you were thinking of symbolically for that wolfwood spotlight panel!!! frankly, there wasn't a lot of thought behind it! it's just the narrow focus of vash now that wolfwood's in front of him and their conversation has come to a quiet, the heaviness of wolfwood's vulnerable leaving the space for a bit, leaving just wolfwood's prescence.

also thank you for sending this in particular, bc this is what made me realize i forgot page 4. AND THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN FOR YOUR LOVELY ANALYSIS!!!!! i don't have disputes, it's pretty much on the nose of what i hoped and intended for those moments to come across. i'm glad it was effective! thank you!!

[funkymbtifiction]

hi! i messaged you 10.1.22 about personality typing. i’m stuck between infp 4w5 or isfp 4w5. here’s my debate.

infp: fi dom definitely. i think i use ne, because i can never stick to one thing. my career, aesthetic, ideas, & just almost every life decision changes a million times. i get one idea, idealize it, & then trash it when reality sets in. si is what i’m unsure about. i forget the past, & hold no real connection to it. once it’s done, it’s done. there are only a few things that i ruminate on, but it’s rare. i hate when the past negatively impacts the present & future. i don’t feel the need to hang onto it; however, i do find comfort in my routine. i forget that i can do other things sometimes, because i’m in my head a lot. when i do think about the past, it’s when i’m under stress or if something reminds me of it. i rarely experience nostalgia or anything. inferior te because i hate rigid routines, too much structure, & capitalism. i procrastinate a lot, so te is my weak spot.

isfp: fi dom definitely. se is my absolute obsession with aesthetics, travel, color schemes, etc. i can’t do anything in life if it doesn’t fall under the certain aesthetic that i’m into at the moment. my food, clothes, music, dream home, dream car, etc has to all fit into the final aesthetic that i choose. i experiment with aesthetics a lot, so mine changes literally almost every month. whatever mood i’m in, movie character aesthetic i’m trying to copy, or just overall vibe i’m into all has to align. if something doesn’t match aesthetically, i have to obsessively reevaluate it & replace it with something that does match. it’s also why i was obsessed with tumblr for so long. i over observe things going on around me to the point where i get headaches. i can sense the energy in a room so much that i get physically ill. i get so overstimulated by sensory details. ironically, i also miss things right in front of me a lot. i also play the piano, sing, & do archery. cooking is a new hobby, because i like making beautiful looking foods. ni because i try to ‘see’ what’s coming. i get cloudy/foggy visions of what’s to come. if i can’t ‘see’ what’s to come, i obsessively try to figure out the one most likely outcome that i want most & how i can make it happen until i realize that i can’t. i try to use my intuition to guess what’s gonna happen—i make it a game. i heavily think about the future when i’m under stress. i obsess about my future A LOT. it takes up 99.9% of my brain. i also love making aesthetic vision boards because of this (possibly my se & ni playing together). once i change my mind about the life i want, the aesthetic & vision changes entirely too. te inferior because i, again, hate capitalism. i don’t see how people can just ‘do’ things. especially so consistently without getting drained & tired. after doing one thing, i need a month long nap.

i hope this helps!

Your evidence for ISFP is much stronger than INFP -- you also said you hate thinking about the past, it's dead and gone -- which is nothing an INFP would ever think. The past is an entrenched part of what makes them who they are and they find it comforting to dwell on it due to low Si. ISFP for sure. :)

[ariadnesweb]

Berdly Outfit Comparison

Class Change: +A Student to Super Soldier

Weapon: Electric Halberd, it seems to be more of a channel for magic than a physical weapon. Seems to be made of energy, and has Schrondiger’s eye.

Color Change: Blue-White with yellow accents to Cyan, Green, Silver with Orange accents.

Light World Color Scheme: Arrogant BlueBird. Very average outside that. Has a neat shirt. Typical student uniform, aside from a lil personal flair in the logo. Nothing stands out here… Very fitting for someone obsessed with fitting in with society’s ideals.

Dark World Color Scheme: It’s surprising how detailed his outfit is in the Dark World, as most simply don’t have that number of accessories or layers. The only real equal is Susie’s, and even then, Susie’s outfit has a simpler color scheme compared to Berdly’s. A clear riff on Dragon Ball’s Saiyan Race outfits - the Saiyans are an alien race with a superiority complex a mile wide, believing all other races to be inferior to them.

How feasible to re-create the Dark World outfit: Almost impossible, especially if we’re supposed to see it as useful. There’s a lot of fancy technology that is easier to imitate than actually create. The armor itself seems rather complicated, and would require a good metalsmith to fabricate. A one-to-one replication of the outfit is undesirable, but cosplay could probably do the job. It’s a very unrealistic outfit.

Light World Stripes? A few ambiguous stripes at the shoulder sleeves. A clear denotation of his childishness, perhaps, but less significant than Kris or even Susie’s stripes.

Consistency: Considering how plain his outfit in the Light World is, it’s quite surprising to see his imagination go wild in the Dark World. The Dark World outfit is leagues more fantastical and creative than his Light World outfit, if technically in keeping with his ‘Smug Brainiac’ archetype.

Conclusion: Much like Susie’s own transformation between worlds, Berdly gains a huge boost in bravado when faced with the Dark World. Berdly goes a step even beyond that though, and becomes an anime caricature of himself, wearing the most fantastic outfit he can think of, regardless of any realistic notion of decency.

[borom1r]

In regards to assigning classpects (which you are 100% correct abt btw) I suggest rigg, strahm, hoffman, eric, & einon :3c unless that's too many!! I'm just excited to see your takes <33

BESTIE THIS WAS SO FUN (and never too many :3)

included Hemospectrum placement + Lunar Sway again bc why not— important to note that Prospit dreamers tend to be willing to work within and adapt to the existing systems around them, while Derse dreamers chafe against them and strive for change. Hoffman may not SEEM like a Prospit dreamer but I’m sorry he absolutely is

anyways!!

Rigg— jadeblood (caretakers who strive endlessly for perfection), Prospit dreamer, Mage of Hope; “one who uses Hope to the benefit of others but detriment of themself”

Rigg’s strong convictions and morality guiding him to help as many people as possible even when the odds were against him, yet also being the thing that directly leads to his death

Strahm— purpleblood (ambitious and driven workaholics, fatalistic), Derse dreamer, Page of Time; “one who provides others with Time”

Strahm protected Perez and essentially gifted her a second life; his severed hand was used to conceal Hoffman’s actions and grant him more time for his schemes. This was a tricky one, but Time players are generally plagued by struggles, and the Page class notably has the most difficult time reaching their potential— if they’re successful they’re often incredibly strong (though they obviously have the largest window for failure). The Page class also tends to start with a deficit of their aspect, and Strahm has a clear deficit of Time.

Hoffman— goldblood (witty and intelligent with a tendency to preach), Prospit dreamer, Bard of Void; “one who allows the destruction of Void”

look setting aside the hilarity of the mental image of Hoffman in the Bard costume you have to admit it fits well. Void is the aspect of secrets; Hoffman was part of Jigsaw’s inner circle, but was also directly responsible for its downfall. His letter caused Amanda to kill Lynn, which caused Jeff to kill both her and John in his rage. Hoffman’s entire goal through the end of the franchise is the destruction of secrets: killing anyone who might know who he really is.

Eric— blueblood (obsessively dedicated and able to do either extreme good or extreme harm), Derse dreamer, Prince of Light; “the destroyer of Light”

this pits Eric as the active counterpart to Hoffman’s passive Bard class, interestingly enough. Light, in this case, is a stand-in for luck/fortune, and Princes are notoriously lacking in their aspect. If anyone in the franchise is devoid of luck, it’s Eric. Light is also speculated to represent a broad-strokes awareness in counterpoint to Void; Eric’s instinct to jump to rage consistently destroys any awareness he might have and leads him down darker and darker paths.

Einon— violetblood (eccentric and contrary, with a hard time holding their tempers), Prospit dreamer, Thief of Hope; “one who steals Hope for their own benefit”

a little on-the-nose, but fitting for Einon. It also matches his existing white/gold color scheme. Einon thrives on the hopelessness of the peasants and manages to capture Draco, stealing Hope from Bowen and Kara.

[draceempressa]

people: why people are losing it over Ingo being a Faller ? this isn't the first time, it was Anabel

my friend:

this, while let me add some details from my side *rubs my hands*

As mentioned in this post , Masters make it clear that Emmet flat out says "as long we are together it's fun" which can be translated as, 1: they either never separated before 2: whenever they are separated he doesn't take it well. . Which means he definitely is NOT well with him being separated from Ingo.

Notice whenever Ingo said plural pronoun, he isn't just referring to Emmet, he is also referring to his pokemon. But when Emmet said plural pronoun, he is ONLY referring to him and Ingo. This paragraph and the one above highly implies Emmet is DEPENDENT on Ingo. He doesn't bond to his pokemon as strongly as Ingo did. and now he's gone...

Fitting in the yin yang motif of BW, where the white reshiram is truth and the black zekrom is ideal, similarly, Ingo who dressed in black is ideal when Emmet who dressed in white is truth. As in, Ingo is the idealist who thinks everyone can develop to their best, when Emmet is living in the present , he enjoy the current time, and that's what matters. Again, what this mean now they are separated? Ingo, hopeful and thinking to the future as always, hopeful and believed in chance he can go home, when Emmet, now living the present without Ingo, just... can he? is there any future where Ingo did come home to him? Ironically enough, it was Ingo who is idealistic, optimistic despite his frown, who lived as he considers the future, not Emmet..

There is also the hypothetical theory of twin paradox, that if a twin goes on a spatial travel (as in travel the space outside earth), they will not age, but the twin that stay on earth will. this is also a name of actual duo idol unit consists of actual twins in japan, oh japan you and your obsession with twins) . And as we can see Ingo did age, but did Emmet?

Oh, and? again, going back to the black and white motif, look again at the Subway Bosses ' color scheme

Look at their coats, other than clearly have black and white contrasts, they also have red/brown on their coats.

now, let me ask this. What pokemon have black and white contrasts, with shades of red on both variants, between their unovan and hisuian variant ?

Of all things , of course, it had to be THIS pokemon:

Zoroark. You know , the pokemon known to be able to transform into humans. Again,relating to the "twin paradox" phrase above, can people who only know Ingo in Hisui NOT see Emmet as a Zoroark? not helping is that Emmet's color white-red scheme is kinda similar to Hisuian Zoroark. Welp . Releasing Zoroark Sygna suit for each of the Subway Masters in Masters seem likely, their popularity AND the black white contrast considered. then we be horny and sad together. and broke too.

[brujahinaskirt]

I've never seen anyone mention this, so I will: Kingdom Come is balls-to-the-wall obsessed with symbolism. This is fitting for a medieval game (the medieval world was obsessed with symbolism), and it's loaded with symbols in both its art and storytelling elements. What I find worth remarking on is that KCD takes a far more subtle, literary, and artful approach to its symbolism than most games within its genre; its symbolism thrives in the margins, as with literature. It doesn't flounce in the spotlight with a megaphone as with most games.

[Cut for rambly analysis.]

One of the things I deeply appreciate about the script is that it doesn't talk down to the player. If you don't actively think about the storytelling while you play -- if you don't watch for foils, parallels, symbols, motifs, read character expressions and pay attention to the content of the conversations as well as the emotional delivery -- you'll miss half the meat and meaning and message of the writing. That's a rarity these days; even "writing-based" games tend to spoon-feed players embarrassingly facile stories, childish depictions of trauma, and insultingly thinly-developed character arcs (ahem, rhymes with Why-o-Bear).

And sure, you can shut your brain off or come in with bad faith blinders on and steamroller through KCD's main quest, walking away having had a coherent if mediocre medieval video game experience. But you'll miss Theresa's apples scattering on the ground at the moment the daily life she ambivalently but carefully tended to is torn asunder. You'll miss how Henry's speech tics mirror his mother's word-for-word in delivery and in text. You'll miss that Hans presents himself as a swaggering hunter but is consistently visually associated with a hounded, hunted stag. You'll miss how Henry and Hans's relationship so doggedly parallels what we know of Martin and Radzig's, and to a lesser extent Istvan and Erik's. You'll miss that certain characters' clothing matches or contrasts in color schemes (another enormous medieval obsession). You'll miss how the sacking of Skalitz is what enables village bullies Matthew and Fritz to descend into real villainy, and how Henry gradually gains the sense of self to step outside Matthew's sphere of toxic influence. You'll miss that Radzig speaks honestly to Henry through metaphors and riddles and wordplay since he's far too awkward to speak to him openly. You'll miss that after forming a friendship with a peasant, responsibility-avoider Hans develops a new concern for how his actions affect everyday people, meanwhile layabout loafer Henry develops a sense of accountability to society at large. You'll miss that Theresa is almost always pictured nearby water (rain or rivers or puddles) just as Hans is associated with the forest and Henry is so often cinematically staged facing hills (and usually among flowers). You'll miss the journal entries, some of which are genuinely heartbreaking in the simplicity and earnestness of their longing, and in their hopes for better things ahead.

Some portions of the narrative are so well-crafted in this regard that the weaker portions/writers really stand out. That's the downside of writing in teams, but oh man, with an arty storytelling approach like KCD's, you can fucking tell when someone's writing skill wasn't up to snuff (ahem, Lady Tone-Deafany)... or when the team just wasn't in love with a character or a subplot enough to flesh out the symbolism.

But I'm getting away from my point now and starting to ramble, so I'll rein myself back in.

I edit books, so my storytelling field is a bit different. But by my metrics, the most successful novels—the ones that manage to both perform commercially and offer something of genuine artistic, emotional merit to audiences—do it like KCD does it. The basic narrative must be simple enough for casual readers to understand at a foundational level. But for readers who relish the experience of deep reading—who come equipped with thoughtfulness, a real desire to appreciate storytelling (at context and subtext levels), and the ability to critically & emotionally engage with multiple character arcs at once—there's so much more than the surface.

Many gamers praise game developers for designing game mechanics that don't baby them. Likewise, I praise writers who don't baby me.

[twh-news]

How Loki Shapeshifted From Nordic Folklore to a Marvel Icon

by Sara Durn

There are more than 800 years between the stories of Viking god Loki first being written down and his arrival (in the superb Tom Hiddleston) in the Marvel cinematic universe in 2011’s Thor. The new Disney+ series Loki, set to be released on June 9, is primed to explore more antics of Thor’s trickster brother as he attempts to fix the timeline he helped break in Avengers: Endgame. Among his many talents, Loki has cheated death a few times in the MCU, but that amounts to child’s play for this god.

In Norse mythology, Loki causes just as much confusion as his Marvel iteration. Though there aren’t any stories of him outwitting death, there are plenty of myths where he shapeshifts, swaps genders, or tricks gods into killing other gods. In the Marvel universe, he’s quite prone to allegiance swapping. Let’s dig into this troublemaker’s journey.

What is Loki’s origin?

The legends surrounding the Norse god are first documented in writing around the 13th century, primarily in Iceland. There are two versions of these legends that enter the historical record around the same time—the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda. The Poetic Edda is an anonymous collection of Old Norse poems that are mainly pulled from an Icelandic medieval manuscript known as the Codex Regius (some of the poems date back to 800 CE). The Prose Edda is an Old Norse textbook for composing poetry that was written by a single author, Snorri Sturluson, a colorful Icelandic historian, scholar, and lawspeaker.

“Within the myths, you can see Loki moving from being just mischievous to being absolutely evil. If you think of him as only being mischievous, he’s actually a creative force and often ends up getting the gods much of their magical possessions, like Thor’s Hammer, through his cunning.”

“Pretty much everything we know about Loki came from Snorri Sturluson,” Viking scholar Nancy Marie Brown, author of Song of the Vikings: Snorri and the Making of Norse Myths, told io9. Brown says this was very appropriate given that “Snorri was quite a trickster figure himself.” While calling him the “Homer of the North,” Brown also acknowledges that Snorri spent a lifetime “double-crossing friends and family… scheming and plotting, blustering and fleeing”— a life that eventually led to his unheroic demise in a nightshirt where his (supposed) final words were “don’t strike!” In both Eddas, Loki is always portrayed as a cunning trickster. In the Prose Edda, Snorri describes Loki as “pleasing and handsome in appearance, evil in character, very capricious in behavior. He possessed to a greater degree than other [gods] the kind of learning that is called cunning.”

Besides appearances, Loki is always getting the gods into trouble and then cleverly extricating them from the mess he’s made. He fathers the Midgard Serpent destined to bring about Ragnarök, the end of the world in Norse mythology. He convinces the blind god Hodr to kill the beautiful and favored god Baldur. He kidnaps the goddess Idun to save his own hide from a furious giant. The mythological character is constantly switching sides—sometimes supporting the gods and sometimes their enemies, the giants. In the MCU, Loki is both hero and villain—in The Avengers he opened a wormhole in New York City releasing alien monsters and in Thor: Ragnarok he helped Thor save the Asgardians from Hela’s wrath.

Thorwald’s Cross, a fragmented runestone depicting Odin being consumed. Image: Public Domain

Loki might have begun as a Norse god of fire—fitting considering how fire can be both “helpful and destructive,” said Brown. Fire can both burn down your house and cook you dinner. It’s tricky that way—like Loki. As Brown puts it, “You can see his two sides there [reflected in fire].” Brown also explains that there was likely a transformation in Loki over the centuries. “Within the myths, you can see Loki moving from being just mischievous to being absolutely evil. If you think of him as only being mischievous, he’s actually a creative force and often ends up getting the gods much of their magical possessions, like Thor’s Hammer, through his cunning.” Again, it’s just like Marvel’s Loki, who sometimes helps the other gods out, like when he teamed up with Thor to escape the Grandmaster in Thor: Ragnarok.

What is Loki’s relationship with the Devil?

In the long, slow conversion of the Vikings to Christianity that took place between the 9th and 12th centuries, Loki became a parallel to the Christian Devil. The creative, positive elements of him fell away leaving only the god favored by the Father (Odin/God) before getting cast out. (It does sound a bit like Lucifer, right?) Christianity paints a world that is far more black and white, good vs. evil than the Norse pagan religion—here’s little room for a grey, ambiguous figure like Loki. As Brown puts it, “The Christian religion insists that you’re either with us or against us. Whereas in what we understand of the pagan Viking religion, there were a lot of shades of grey. There was a spectrum on which you could move back and forth. You weren’t all one thing or all the other. You weren’t all female or all male. You weren’t all good or all evil. It was more human.”

Loki always moved fluidly between those two polarities—helping Thor in one story, causing an overthrow of the gods in another. In one tale, Loki shapeshifts into a mare, becoming the mother of Odin’s great 8-legged horse, Sleipnir. In another, he fathers the wolf Fenrir. The Church couldn’t really handle all that grey area Loki liked to inhabit, and so it eventually cast him as the devil himself. “[Monks] had to sort the gods into saints and devils, and Loki by being sexually ambiguous and also morally ambiguous falls into the devil [category],” explained Brown. Though Marvel’s Loki certainly channels a bit of the devil at times, we’ve luckily yet to see him become both mother and father to world-ending, multi-legged monsters in the Marvel Universe. But, there’s still time, especially with the new Disney+ series hitting the small screen.

When was Loki’s Revival?

After the Viking conversion, the Norse myths started to fade, and Loki with them—until the 1600s, when medieval manuscripts like those containing the Prose and Poetic Edda began to be translated. “The reason [these myths] became popular was because of nationalism,” Brown told us. “In the mid to late 1800s, there was the idea that what distinguished one nation from another was its cultural heritage.” This spurred Jacob Ludwig Karl Grimm and Wilhelm Carl Grimm—known to many simply as the Brothers Grimm—to go “collect the stories of the local people to prove that Germany was a nation, not a collection of states. You had the same thing happening in Ireland to prove that they were different from the English and you have the same thing happening in Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.” This eventually gave rise to the Nazis appropriating Norse myths in their twisted pursuit of alleging Aryan supremacy.

Following the Civil War, the United States also looked to the Middle Ages to redefine the country’s fractured identity. As Chris Bishop, author of Medievalist Comics and the American Century, explained to io9, “[the Middle Ages] offered an aesthetic that was individualistic (think: the knight errant, Robin Hood, etc.), given to interpretations of exceptionalism (Camelot, the once and future king), venerable (where old equalled established and respectable), and (unlike Classicism) Christian.” The Middle Ages, or more accurately the remixing of the Middle Ages known in academia as “medievalisms,” appealed to many Americans obsessed with ideas of American exceptionalism and singularity in the 19th century. Eventually the U.S.’s obsession with the Middle Ages made its way into comic books starting with Prince Valiant in 1937, a comic strip created by Hal Foster set in and around the legends of King Arthur. Other medievalist comics followed eventually leading to the inclusion of Norse gods like Loki, Thor, and Odin.

First appearance of Loki in the 1949 Venus comics. Image: Wikicommons

When was Marvel Comics’ Loki introduced?

While Loki first appeared in the 1949 comic book Venus styled after (you guessed it) the devil, the modern-age Loki didn’t hit the comic book scene until co-writers and brothers Stan Lee and Larry Lieber adapted him in 1962’s Journey into Mystery #85. It’s in that issue where Loki “becomes Thor’s enemy/ally/brother/adopted brother/etc,” said Bishop. The mischievous personality of the Norse god remains largely the same in the Loki of the comic books and films and even retains the ability to swap genders at times.

In the comics, Loki is raised as Thor’s brother in Asgard—somewhere the Marvel stories diverge from the Norse mythology. It’s Loki and Odin who are sworn brothers in the Norse myths, not Loki and Thor. As Brown explains, “Loki and Odin are blood brothers, which means they are even closer than real brothers.” In the Viking world, two people who swore a blood oath to one another formed a bond that went beyond kin, and so went the Norse Loki and Odin’s relationship. As Bishop points out, the Loki/Thor dynamic of the comics and movies is a “classic, formulaic archetype.” Thor is the “big, hunky, handsome (but slightly dumb) hero” and Loki is “his slight, quirky but super-smart frenemy. Loki is the dark, misunderstood, vulnerable shadow that audiences can relate to, reach out to, care for. Thor is that dumb jock who everyone looked up to at school, but Loki was that cool, quiet kid who went on to found a tech-empire.”

Why is Loki called a Trickster?

What does remain consistent with Loki is that he always plays the trickster. He is the manifestation of psychologist Carl Jung’s archetype: The trickster disrupts the individual and/or society causing either growth or destruction. Social scientist Helena Bassil-Morozow points out that when it comes to Loki, “despite the fact that the narrative details between the medieval Loki stories and their contemporary versions vary, the main idea remains the same—the trickster mercilessly attacks those in power and nearly causes the end of the world.” Both in the Norse myths and in Marvel, the world needs saving from Loki. He acts as the catalyst for a whole lot of upheaval—upheaval that in the Norse myths causes Ragnarök.

Loki “functions as a locus of salvation (literally, a prodigal son).” Loki just might be a savior. He’s someone audiences can look at and think “if Loki can be redeemed, so too might I.”

Perhaps that’s where the two narratives differ the most. In the Norse tales, the end of the world at Ragnarök is inevitable. Odin and Thor will die. Everything will change. Vikings lived with the knowledge that their world would end. In the MCU, we don’t know how the story ends, plus Ragnarök took place already and yet the Asgardians live on. There’s still hope that Loki will prove to be good and that the other superheroes will save the world from whatever mayhem he’s caused, or so we can hope in the upcoming Disney+ series. As Bishop puts it, Loki “functions as a locus of salvation (literally, a prodigal son).” Loki just might be a savior. He’s someone audiences can look at and think “if Loki can be redeemed, so too might I,” explains Bishop.

While the Vikings’ Loki caused the end of the world, today’s Loki might just save it. Or maybe not. And, perhaps that’s the fun of the trickster—you never quite know what they’ll get up to.

[egg-emperor]

More details about the AU Eggman that's obsessed with pink! I've had it for a couple of years but never talked about it because I still haven't made any presentable art of him in his main outfit lol. But I'm getting too impatient and I really want to talk about him!

He always wears pink tinted glasses with heart shaped lenses that he has two versions of, one pair that's as darkly shaded as game universe Eggman's when he's around the bright lights of his business places (that I'm about to reveal), and the other pair aren't as dark so you can still see his blue eyes behind the pink tinted lenses.

As for his clothing, his main outfit consists of a matching pastel pink blazer and pants that can be optionally shiny with a rainbow type gleam or sparkly because he's that extra. He always leaves the blazer unbuttoned and the shirt underneath is purple for a little change of color but can be a darker shade of pink too.

Regardless of the shirt he's wearing, as long as it isn't cold then the first few top buttons are always undone so his chest hair is visible through it because as a bear lover it's appealing to me and I don't need another reason alright fjsjfkdkghfjs Though it can be a good way for his expensive chains and necklaces to be more visible too!

He wears a big belt as loose as possible on its last loop and it has a golden buckle that can be the Eggman Empire logo or chaos emerald shaped, sometimes encrusted with pink or purple jewels. His shoes are more of a brighter almost hot pink shade, similar in color to the pink Eggman shoes you can unlock for the avatar in Forces lol

A lot of the shirts and coats with buttons he wears tend to strain quite a bit, it's very visible but he doesn't seem to notice. They surprisingly last for a while and he wears them out to their limit. People wonder why they look poorly tailored but it's because he focuses on the fashion rather than the fit lol. Fortunately it's not to the point where it's uncomfortable as he barely acknowledges it.

Main universe Eggman prefers to flaunt intelligence and beauty over wealth but this AU Eggman shows it off. He wears lots of bling and jewelry, mostly gold or with purple and pink jewels. For example, his golden and jewel necklaces and rings that he wears on multiple fingers on both hands, his pink stud earrings that are quite hidden by his mustache, and even his real and very expensive golden tooth that has a story behind it that he doesn't like to tell.

Further following on with his pink dominated color schemes, even his accessories such as his phone, bag, wallet, and lighters are all pink too! Rather than cologne he wears perfume so he's probably fucking strawberry scented like Lots-o'-Huggin' bear or something Idk but it's also pink can you believe this man lmfao

He has a few bad habits that are well known. Unlike main universe Eggman who made sure to avoid letting it happen, this Eggman grew up to take after his father not only as a business man but also by having a smoking habit. He smokes big cigars with thick smoke which he's a lot more used to than main universe Eggman, who can't smoke them without almost hacking up his lungs at times.

He feels like he always has to be doing something with his mouth so when he isn't smoking or eating a meal, he has something to chew on in the meantime- whether it's bubble gum, candy, or other sweet treats like donuts, ice cream, or cupcakes. And guess what all of them have in common? They're all pink and strawberry flavored! XD

He also likes his drinks and indulges in them more often than he probably should because it's popular in the night scene but he still doesn't do it enough for it to be a serious problem. Even the alcohol he drinks tends to be pink to keep the theme going too! And when he isn't drinking alcohol, he enjoys pink lemonade and milkshake. People can't believe how big his love for the color is sometimes lol

He's actually noticeably heavier than main universe Eggman, mostly because of the way he's often snacking and drinking like that, the buffet rooms he has at some of his business places, and the way he just has a lot of wealth and uses it to feed himself well with more meals in general. He's highly focused on his work both day and night so he doesn't get to exercise as much.

As for what he does- this AU Eggman shares some interests with main universe Eggman, only his biggest focus and interest is in casinos instead! All the casino-themed levels in the series belong to him but they're all more evidently Eggman themed and his pink Empire logo is slapped over everything. Casino Park is his most notable area but he has a chain of casinos all around the world.

It's his main public business but he actually has a number of secret underground operations involving some of his other interests that he runs under a different name, so people have no idea it's him. It's quite similar to how nobody knew main universe Eggman was the CEO of Meteortech. He pretty much lives a double life and is a completely different person night and day!

But he isn't a good guy overall, he's just as fucked up and evil but he sugarcoats it with his sweet pink and happy colorful casino aesthetics. He has a lot of secrets and is very sly and cunning like his main universe self. He also has his similar loud, rude, and egotistical personality but he also knows how to play up the charm and can easily sweet talk people into doing what he wants.

I'll be revealing more about how his business came to be and where he plans to go with it in a future post! It's in progress in my drafts now. But these are the first few things to know about him! 💜💕

[violethowler]

The Elephant in the Room

In my previous essays, I have covered how the Kingdom Hearts narrative follows Maureen Murdock’s template of the Heroine’s Journey, as well as how various characters and story elements tie in with the overarching themes of the framework. Before I can continue to dig further into other themes and archetypes, there is something I need to address first. While I have avoided directly touching on the topic in my previous essays, I have now reached the point where it is no longer possible to talk about the Heroine’s Journey in full without acknowledging the elephant in the room: 

Romance.

In ongoing serialized stories such as TV shows and video games, conversations about potential relationships in canon are often treated as inconsequential to the overall story. Something that is separate from the main plot. At worst, I have seen fans who openly center a ship in their analysis and theories be dismissed and criticized as biased - or worse, delusional. They are treated as being so obsessed with their pairing that they try to make everything about their ship and jump on any excuse to declare that it’s viable in canon. 

Among the Kingdom Hearts fandom in particular, this has often taken the form of someone trying to dismiss other fans’ hope for a ship to be canon by saying that the series is about friendship, not romance.

While friendship is absolutely an important theme in the Kingdom Hearts series, to insist that this is mutually exclusive from depicting the development of romantic relationships ignores the continued presence of canon Disney romances in almost every game in the series. In each “main” game where Sora is playable, he has directly or indirectly been involved in getting those Disney couples together in the KH universe. So it’s not out of the realm of possibility for the series to turn the tables and give some attention to his romantic interests for a change. 

A story having other major themes is not mutually exclusive from showcasing the development of a romantic relationship. There are many popular movies, shows, books, comics, and video games in which a romantic relationship plays a central role in the narrative but there are still other plotlines going on that are equally as important as the romance. This is especially true for Disney and Square Enix.

The reason why it’s impossible to fully talk about the Heroine’s Journey without acknowledging romance elements is best encapsulated by this quote from She-Ra showrunner Noelle Stevenson about her show’s endgame pairing in an i09 interview after the release of the final season:

“The show’s not a romance show. It is about a lot of things. It’s about choice, destiny, fighting, tyrants, you know, all of these other things. I grew up with so many stories—like sci-fi and fantasy—that I was so passionate about. And it would be considered no big deal to have the hero get the girl and to have a kiss at the end, without it suddenly becoming a romance or ‘Oh, the shippers got what they wanted.’ It was just a part of the story. And to actually see it be a central part of the plot and to fulfill the arcs of the characters in a way that felt satisfying. I really want to take it beyond ‘Oh, the shippers got what they want.’ Like, it’s not just a ship for me. It is a plot point. It is the necessary conclusion of each character’s arc, separate and together.[1]”

While not every story known to follow the Heroine's Journey features a romance for the main protagonist, those that do make the romance an integral part of the narrative. It’s not something thrown in at the end to please shippers, but a central component of the story. Therefore, when analyzing a Heroine’s Journey story, it is vital to acknowledge and discuss textual support for potential romantic relationships in order to have a full understanding of the narrative.

Even if one is not aware of the Heroine’s Journey, Sora’s repeated interactions with Disney romances indicate that there is a high probability that he will be in a romantic relationship himself by the end of the series. Every story I know of that follows the Heroine’s Journey broadly adheres to a pattern in regards to how the romantic relationships of a main character are set up.

By examining the series through these patterns, we can narrow down who Sora’s endgame romantic partner will be. 

Because the themes and character dynamics emphasize resolving internal conflict through balance, the Heroine’s Journey lends itself extremely well to Beauty-and-the-Beast, rivals-to-lovers, and enemies-to-lovers relationship dynamics. A major component of the Heroine’s Journey is the main character learning to accept themselves, and since the Animus as a Shadow figure can represent the parts of themselves that they haven’t accepted yet, it is simpler to symbolize that self-acceptance via a romance with the Animus rather than attempting to build a separate relationship on top of the existing story framework.

For these reasons, the Animus is more often than not the main character’s endgame love interest, their feelings for each other made into critical aspects of their respective character arcs. The only Heroine’s Journey stories with romance that I know of where this wasn’t the case are ones where executive meddling resulted in the finale being rewritten to kill off the Animus despite established narrative set up for them to have a happy ending together[2], while the protagonist was either forced into a relationship with a different character or left single.

And like I said in previous essays, the one character in the series who fulfills all criteria for the Animus role within this storytelling framework…. 

Is Riku.

[Image Description: Sora supporting Riku as they walk toward the ocean on the Dark Margin at the end of Kingdom Hearts II. End Description.]

As mentioned in my earlier analysis, this narrative framework emphasizes the importance of balancing contrasting attributes, which fits in extremely well with Kingdom Hearts’ focus on balance between light and darkness. For stories that follow the Heroine’s Journey in a visual medium, that dichotomy is often incorporated into the characters’ look. Height differences are common, while their color schemes and outfits are designed to make them complement each other. Further adding to the focus on balance between light and darkness, the visuals of the story frame the romantic leads with imagery associating each one with light or darkness to create Yin-Yang symbolism when they are finally in balance. 

In Re: Chain of Memories, Vexen openly calls Riku the “Hero of Darkness[3]” as a counterpart to Sora’s role as the “Hero of Light”, and their combination attack in Kingdom Hearts II utilizes moves that reflect both elements. In the Ultimania for the original game, Tetsuya Nomura said that Riku’s look was intentionally designed to balance Sora’s[4], and the contrast between their respective color schemes is maintained in each of their new outfits. In Kingdom Hearts II and Dream Drop Distance, Riku wears white and blue, while Sora in those same games wears black and red. Two different pairs of contrasting colors. Kingdom Hearts III has them both in outfits that are primarily black and grey, but still emphasize the blue and red that have been part of their respective outfits since the first game. 

In a Heroine’s Journey, the love interest is typically an active character in the story and usually serves as the deuteragonist. This fits with Riku having been a mandatory playable character in multiple games since 2004. In addition, series producer Shinji Hashimoto said before the release of the HD 1.5 Remix collection[5] that the main focus of the series is how Sora and Riku develop both as individuals and as a pair, which fits with how the central conflict of the Heroine’s Journey revolves around the dynamic between the Protagonist and their Animus. 

A common viewpoint held by many fans of the series is that Kairi is Sora’s love interest, and it’s not hard to see why people get that impression. He has sacrificed himself to save her in two separate games now. He’s charged enemies head on in order to rescue her whenever she’s been captured. He even got down on his knees and begged for her freedom when Saix demanded he show how important she was to him. Multiple characters have talked about how special she is to him, and Roxas refers to her as “that girl he(Sora) likes.” 

However, there are multiple elements in the narrative that point to them not being the endgame romance. Kingdom Hearts III foreshadows the final shot of them sitting on the paopu together at the end of the game with Sora disappearing from the cover of the 100 Acre Wood storybook, textually framing Winnie the Pooh as a parallel to Kairi. While many fans regarded their sharing paopu fruits in the base game as the beginning of a relationship between them, he still only refers to her as a friend in Re:Mind, and even compares his bond with her to the bond between Ventus and Chirithy. 

Sora also does not treat his promises to her with the seriousness he would if they were going to end up together. The promises to return her lucky charm and to come back to her that he makes in the first game are never treated as anything urgent when he awakens in Kingdom Hearts II. Instead, he declines the opportunity to return to the islands and check in with her in favor of searching for Riku. When Kairi says in The World That Never Was that they’ll be together every day, Sora agrees, yet he was content to spend the rest of his life on the dark beach at the end of the game as long as he was with Riku. 

Meanwhile, the most consistent theme regarding Kairi in relation to the Destiny Islands trio is the idea of childhood friends drifting apart as they get older[6][7]. This is particularly highlighted in Kingdom Hearts III, with Kairi writing letters to Sora that she never sends, thereby keeping her thoughts to herself. Merlin also emphasizes this when he talks about forging new connections after Sora’s visit to 100 Acre Wood. This parallel frames the ending of Re:Mind as the two of them recognizing they’ve drifted apart and choosing to put in the effort to renew their friendship by spending time together.

On a structural level, her portrayal does not fit with how love interests are typically depicted in the Heroine’s Journey, both as an individual and in relation to the main protagonist. There is no contrast between her and Sora’s designs or roles the way there is between his and Riku’s. Her color scheme is predominantly pink, which does not have the same contrast with Sora’s red as Riku’s blue. Because she’s a Princess of Heart, there is no dark and light contrast, and the combination attack she shares with Sora in Re:Mind only utilizes light-based moves. It took 17 years after her first appearance in the series for her to be made a playable character, and even then, playing as her is not mandatory. They are never portrayed as equals, and she is not an active force in his emotional growth. 

The Heroine’s Journey was crafted for narratives revolving around identities that have been Othered by society for one reason or another. Murdock designed her template as a tool to help women deal with being shamed by society for expressing and pursuing their desires. In a similar way, LGBTQ+ people also face stigma from society for expressing and pursuing their desires. So it makes perfect sense that a framework for narratives of people overcoming internalized stigma against important parts of themselves would be ripe for stories featuring LGBTQ+ protagonists of any gender.

As mentioned in previous essays, stories that follow the Heroine’s Journey challenge the biases and blind spots of the audience. A relationship between Kairi and Sora does not challenge anything because she has largely been regarded as the endgame love interest by default since the beginning. Meanwhile, a romantic relationship between Sora and Riku challenges players to recognize heteronormativity within themselves and in the media around them. It challenges people to examine the lens through which they perceive the story and rethink how they look at what’s happening in the narrative.

In summary, the portrayal of Kairi and her bond with Sora is not consistent with how love interests are commonly depicted in the Heroine’s Journey, while the portrayal of Riku and his bond with Sora is. If Sora’s story is going to continue on this storytelling formula to the end, the structure of the Heroine’s Journey narrative leaves Riku as the only thematically viable candidate for the role of endgame love interest. 

Now, as some people bring up in conversations about Soriku, there is a potential obstacle in the form of corporate executives. It is entirely possible that Disney will drag their heels and try to force the development team to downplay or remove any open same-sex relationship the series may try to depict. They do not have a strong track record of LGBTQ+ representation that isn’t a minor character who only appears for one scene. Given that their last IP to follow the Heroine’s Journey - the Star Wars sequel trilogy - crashed and burned at the end, executive meddling is my greatest fear for this franchise.

But the thing to keep in mind is that Tetsuya Nomura is stubborn as hell. One of the reasons the long gap between Kingdom Hearts II and Kingdom Hearts III was because he was holding out for permission to include Pixar movies in the game, outright refusing to start work on KH3 until they were given that go ahead[8]. If you want further proof of how stubborn he can be, this is how he described the meeting where he first pitched the series to Disney in a 2012 interview with the late president of Nintendo[9]:

Iwata: Their ideas were different from yours, naturally…

Nomura: Yes. They appeared to believe that we would make whatever they wanted us to make and came up with rather specific requests such as, "We'd like the game to feature this character." They were really excited, explaining their ideas... To be honest, though, I wasn't really interested in any of them. (laughs) 

Both: (laughter)

Iwata: You wanted to borrow Disney's characters in order to make a new game that could compete with Mario 64, and you already had a vision of what this game would look like. I suppose their ideas didn't fit in with this vision.

Nomura: They didn't, no. In the end, I actually stopped a presentation halfway through. We didn't have that much time, and it looked like it was all going to get taken up by various Disney presentations. So, I interrupted them and told them the conclusion by saying, "I won't make such games."

Talk about nerves of steel. This man basically said “we do this my way, or we don’t do it at all” TO MOTHERFORKING DISNEY, AND. HE. WON. If there is any human being with enough force of will to make the Mouse House cave in and allow the depiction of an openly LGBTQ+ relationship in the Kingdom Hearts series, it is Tetsuya Nomura.

I cannot say with 100% certainty how things will go. But everything I know about storytelling patterns and narrative structure is telling me that Kingdom Hearts is a textbook Heroine’s Journey with a romance between Sora and Riku at its core. A relationship between the protagonist and the Animus does not truly begin until the “Integration” stage at the end of the Journey, and we are rapidly approaching the point in the narrative where the two leads traditionally become aware of and acknowledge their feelings in order to be on the same page for the finale.

Sources: 

[1] “She-Ra's Noelle Stevenson Tells Us How Difficult It Was to Bring Adora and Catra Home” May 18, 2020

https://io9.gizmodo.com/she-ras-noelle-stevenson-tells-us-how-difficult-it-was-1843419358

[2] “Death of a Dark Youth, Desecration of the Animus”; December 20, 2018. https://www.teampurplelion.com/death-of-a-dark-youth/

[3] Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories. Square Enix, 2007. 

[4] “A Look Back: Kingdom Hearts Ultimania Gallery Comments Part 1″; August 30, 2019;

https://www.khinsider.com/news/A-Look-Back-KINGDOM-HEARTS-Ultimania-Gallery-Comments-Part-1-15519

[5] “How Kingdom Hearts III Will Grow Up With Its Players;” September 24, 2013.

https://www.ign.com/articles/2013/09/25/how-kingdom-hearts-iii-will-grow-up-with-its-players.

[6] “E3 2018: Tetsuya Nomura on If Kingdom Hearts 3 Is the End of Sora's Story”; June 14, 2018.

https://www.ign.com/articles/2018/06/14/e3-2018-tetsuya-nomura-on-if-kingdom-hearts-3-is-the-end-of-soras-story

[7] “Character’s Report Vol. 1 Translations”; Jul 16, 2014

https://www.khinsider.com/forums/index.php?threads/characters-report-vol-1-translations.195560/

[8] “Edge Magazine Features Kingdom Hearts III Cover Story”; January 9, 2019. https://www.khinsider.com/news/Edge-Magazine-Features-Kingdom-Hearts-III-Cover-Story-14331

[9] “Iwata Asks: Nintendo 3DS: Third Party Game Developers, Volume 12: Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance], Part 2: It’ll definitely be fun”; April 2012. 

https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/3ds/creators/11/1

[yandere-wishes]

Twisted Wonderland  //Yandere Pomefiore//

Happy Holidays to @edda-blattfe​ and @maichiruhanabira​/ @poisonepel​ hope you like this little gift! I think I went a little overbaord with Rook’s but hey it’s me what where you guys expecting?

Warning: Yandere themes, blood, slight gore.

Vil Schoenheitan

The arrogant prince conceals his lovesick notions behind a calm collected and narcissistic veil. To any oblivious onlooker, Vil is too wrapped up with himself and his astonishing beauty to ever even consider being interested in someone else.  Even you, you'll never suspect that the evil prince has fallen all so deeply for you. 

His attraction starts mild, It's nothing more than a slight peak of interest in the new girl. Something is dazzling about her, the glint in her eyes, the porcelain skin that stretches to cover her corps, the silky threads of her hair. She's gorgeous....but still not as gorgeous as she could be. It's then and there that he declares that his attraction is only one of concern, he has to help you look your best to reach your full potential! After all, he will soon be a king and a good king must be of aide to his less fortunate subjects!  

He approaches you one day after class, inviting you to assist him with his latest batch of beauty products. You're not particularly given a chose in the matter, before you can even stutter out a reply he's grabbed your wrist just a little too tightly and is dragging you towards the Pomefiore dorms just a little too quickly. He makes you try on hundreds of different shades of every makeup know to mankind. Uses the sweetest smelling soaps to bathe you in. Washes your hair in shampoos and conditioners that all smell speciously like apples. When he's done you can practically feel how your body is shining, you've never felt this clean and pure in your life. 

That's it that's all it is for the longest time. Vil takes the process slowly, he builds up your trust. Making you believe that he only has your best interest in mind. Soon you start to fall for him. How could you not? He's so generous and gorgeous, he's every girl's dream. 

MY lovely (Y/N) 

Vil wears the mask of the caring boyfriend, he gives you the most lavish and expensive gifts, designer dresses, custom made jewelry, he pays for so many extracurricular classes for you, such as different types of dance classes, piano, etiquette. He'll give you everything you've ever dreamed of on a silver platter accompanied by the sweetest compliments and most fragile kisses. 

 It all starts to border on over baring. It's all too much! You're slowly suffocating. 

You want to leave him, your one true wish is to leave Vil but there is always something drawing you back. Every time you try to strike up the conversation with him regarding the topic, he offers you some type of gift usually in the form of a candy apple. After just the tiniest bite, your confidence starts to waver, you feel dizzy and can never remember why you wanted to break up with such a perfect man in the first place. 

You will forever belong to me

Additional notes

Vil never forces himself onto you. He wants you to enjoy your more "intimate moments" with him. You'll have to show him very clear signs if you want him and are ready for him before he even considers touching you in that manner. 

Vil's favorite punishments are exhibition and degradation. He spends so much time building up your confidence making you believe that you are truly the second most exquisite person in all of Night Raven. Only to crash it all down, to tell how revolting your appearance is how you're only beautiful because of the cosmetics he gives you and the lotions and perfumes you use. He'll deprive you of all of them. Which will cause you do go into a maniacal fit. You need those products, you need to be beautiful, Vil needs to only see you at your best. 

As for exhibition, Vil will have no problem showing you off in your worst state. He'll make you leave the dorms and attend class with old ragged clothes, unwashed hair, and no makeup on. You'll be embarrassed and promise never to miss behave again. He's only doing this for you Vil reassures it's so your personality can become as beautiful as your face. But deep down you truly doubt it.

Epel Felmier

Epel is such a soft and obsessive yandere. All he wants is for his darling to be happy! He'll do anything, anything at all for you to just smile at him. Most times it even seems as though you're the one in control of this relationship. Epel will never harm his darling in any way, he'll pout and cry but never inflict any physical or psychological damage.

Vil and Rook will probably have to convince Epel to kidnap you. They claim it's for the best but the first year is so very hesitant. If he keeps you in his room like a caged bird he's depriving you of all the things that make you happy. It takes so much manipulation from the two, third years. They promise that this is the only way to keep his darling safe. That she can mingle with their darling whenever she desires. That all of this will only make her love Epel more! 

Epel will shower you in lavish and adorable gifts, your room is practically one of a fairy tale princess. The color scheme is bright purple with violet lining and lavender undertones. Your closet is filled to the brim with dresses, ballroom gowns, and other "cutesie" clothes. Stuffed animals cover every inch of the room with a few of them on the large plush bed.  In a sense, the room is made as a sort of compromise, You have to stay locked up in there but at least you have everything you've ever dreamed of. 

(Y/N) Smile for me...

Epel tries to take you outside as much as possible. He tries to come up with cute date ideas like going to the park or carnival. It's all to make you feel normal again to give you a sense of normality. And they would work too...if only Epel didn't insist on holding your hand the entire time and that you aren't permitted to talk to anyone other than him. 

And tell me you love me

Additional notes

Epel tries to learn as much about you as possible. He already has the basics down pat, favorite color, favorite food, how long you usually sleep for, you favorite movie, the little reactions when you're nervous, how you stress certain letters in your speech, the type of cake you like, how you always put the elastic on your right wrist when you're doing your hair. 

He'll never punish you if you make him upset he'll just cry or refuse to talk to you until you apologies and start kissing the length of his neck. 

He gets Vil to give you a makeover at least twice a week. He sees how much you enjoy spending a few short hours with another person and despite his jealousy lets it happen. Anything to see that beautiful smile...anything at all...

Rook Hunt

Rook is a possessive and delusional mix with high stalker and obsessive tendencies. In Rook's disturbed mind you already love him, the two of you would be dating if certain people would stop getting in the way! It's all their fault! Those ignorant, clingy, self-centered brats that you dare to call "friends". They keep gossiping about him, making you believe that he is a deranged and treacherous man when in reality he is a sweet and caring lover! 

That's what he keeps telling himself as he dragged one of your friends into the snowy woods in the unholy hours of the night. As he tied them to a bare tree and shot them again and again and again. Until he reaches for his quiver to retrieve another arrow only to note that there is none left. He leaves them there with arrow holes in there body and blood everywhere else. Director Crowly has to clean up the hunter's mess early the next morning. 

But the problem is still there! Heck, it's even worse now! There are even more people surrounding you and keeping you away from him. Rook is a reasonable man he knows he can't possibly kill everyone at Night Raven so he goes for the alternative. He steels you away! 

You're the most beautiful thing on this earth

Of course, he makes it into a "fun" game of cat and mouse first. Before you know what's going on, there is an arrow piercing your dorm room door then another and another. You climb out the window run into the haunted woods. 'Someone is trying to kill you!' That's all that's running through your head!

Arrows fly inches away from your forme. There close, always so close, but they never quite touch you. In due time your legs start to get heavy, your lungs are failing, it's freezing, you're just starting to notice that... you're in a pair of shorts and a tank top. A few more steps, come on you can do it. 

But you can't and you freeze and fall onto your side. You close your eyes hoping it will all go away. icy tears prick at your side and you hear footsteps getting closer and closer. Someone rolls you onto your back. You're expecting a final blow for your blood to be splattered onto the white snow. Instead, you feel something wet trail up your neck. flowed by what you can only assume is a kiss. It's too cold to think and darkness slowly engulfs you, the trail of kisses never stops even as you slowly fade out. 

After that fateful night, your life is thrown into disarray. You're kept as a trophy for Rook to show off. He captured you just as he would have done with any pray, only differences while those animals get serenity in death, you are forced to live in hell with the lovesick hunter that fancies himself your "lover". 

I wonder, can you outrun my bow and arrow?

Additional notes

Rook's punishments consist of depriving you of basic needs and necessities. You're left in a dark room chained to a wall with barely anything on. You're given scrapes and droplets for food and water. His treatment of you is worse than that of some savage beast. 

Rook does love you thought and he will reward you every time you remember to greet him when he comes back to the dorm. Or when you behave when he takes you outside to socialize with his friends and their beloveds. 

His rewards are usually some elegant pieces of jewelry. All with decorative charms made to resemble bows and arrows. So you will always know who owns you. 

[mariisseething]

Analyzing Hero Costumes: Girls of Class 1-A

My obsession has spiraled out of control. Let me roast analyze these babes. I’m dumb. I’m tired. I’m gay. Let’s do this.

Warning: I’m a cynical, lazy-ass critic with no consistent taste. Don’t expect a fair analysis.

(This is just for fun, please don’t get mad at me for being an undereducated weeb! I went into writing this with only the knowledge I’ve obtained through watching the show and reading the manga. I don’t know everything about the costumes, and I don’t want to either)!

Ashido Mina (Pinky)

Babe, imma be frank here.

I love her, but—

that shit ugly.

Funcionality: Mina’s quirk (Acid) comes from her hands and feet. If I remember correctly, she has passages in her shoes that her...foot..acid.....can pass through, and her hands are fully exposed. So her costume is “practical”, and works with her quirk.

Design: As I said before, that shit ugly. The body suit has the worst pattern and color combination I’ve ever seen. (Like if Sully from Monster’s Inc. was turned into a cow and hated it). Her tiddies should be popping out any second now, which isn’t great. Her weird armpit vest with it’s stupid fluffy collar is quite reminiscent of Hawks’ jacket, which leads me to believe that their costumes were made by the same designer. (Many of the designers in the BNHA universe put calling-cards in their costumes). Her white mask is pointless, but at least it matches the fluff on her collar. Her boots, though they have a purpose, are ugly as sin. The pale yellow doesn’t match any other piece in the ensemble, and the Dabi-scar colored purple makes me sad. Hate that.

Total Score: 2/10

Her costume does almost nothing to enhance her quirk, and it’s hideous. The only reason it got two points was because of the shoe holes, and the possibility that it’s connected to my boy Hawks.

Seriously, this is some Seasame Street lookin-ass bullshit.

No hate on Mina, she’s lovely, but her taste is atrocious. (see: her bedroom).

Asui Tsuyu (Froppy)

Okay, okay bitch I see you.

I’m here for this.

Funcionality: Tsu’s quirk (Frog) requires a decent amount of flexibility from clothing. Spandex works for that I guess. Normally, I would automatically fail this costume for having goddamn toe “socks”, but for Tsuyu they’re nessecary. Having her individual toes chiseled out helps her grip onto shit when she’s kicking ass. It looks like her gloves are attached to her body suit, which is rad, but I’m not sure what the purpose of that waist belt-thing is. If anything, the chunky pieces of her costume would make it harder for her to swim. I also have no fucking clue what that head piece is. I once thought they were like binoculars or something, but she’s never put them on her face so...they wouldn’t fit....on her face..huh.....I’m so stupid bro.

Design: Lets start with a positive, the color scheme slaps. Everything goes together, and the dark green even matches her hair. The bodysuit has a cool structure, and I can definitely appreciate the slight turtleneck and boot-esq feature; however, the chunky wrist pieces, belt, neck/chest-thing, and head piece confuse me. I guess they’re there for fashion, gutter fashion. Shitty crap face fashion. Ugly butthole fashion. FILTH! I need to calm down holy shit—

Total Score: 6/10

The look honestly only lost points for the random ass statement pieces. Water terrains are Tsuyu’s specialty, and a clunky outfit would certainly slow her down underwater.

The toe shit, turtleneck, thigh-high “boots”, and color scheme are pretty dope though.

(Also, she only has three toes but frogs have four).

(My Hero Academia: Cancelled).

Hagakure Toru (Invisible Girl)

So, here’s the real question.

Is she naked?

Short answer: I dunno.

Funcionality: So she’s invisible, right? A good costume would emphasize that. I can only assume she wears the boots and gloves for comfort and so her allies can see where she is. If she wants to go full invisible, she just has to take them off. At one point, it was confirmed that she was topless during the sports festival, but we’ve had no further updates on her costume. A few people have theorized that her costume is made of her hair (assuming she has hair). We know that this is possible, as Mirio’s costume is made of his hair so he can remain clothed while his quirk is activated. The only issue would be making an outfit out of something you can’t see. If I were Toru, I would choose to fight nude because, I-uh...hmm, I-I can do what I want SHUT UP!

Design: There’s not much to critique here. The shade of blue on her gloves is cute, and the pink stripes don’t make much of an impact. The shoes are just about the most boring thing I’ve ever seen, like why are they beige??? What are they supposed to match? I just—ugh, beige??? What the fuck Horikoshi...smh.

Total Score: 5/10

Since we don’t know if the “hair-costume” thing is canon, I can’t rate it any higher. If that is true, it would be an 7/10. The outfit does its job, but I’m bored and beige sucks.

(Btw I don’t trust her...)

(Sketchy chick right here).

(Sketchy chick with some ugly-ass beige shoes).

Jirou Kyouka (Earphone Jack)

Aww.

She’s cute!

Look at her little face, d’awwwweeeeee!

Funcionality: The lovely Kyouka’s quirk (Earphone Jack), makes absolutely no sense to me. Like, I get that she can hear better and can eavesdrop really well, but how does she...make loud noises??? With the speakers??? Plugging earbuds into a speaker doesn’t make............noise, and the speakers aren’t part of her body. Whatever, back to the analysis. The speakers on her hands and calves amplify sound somehow, and her earlobes are exposed. It’s works.

Design: The speaker boots are basic, but acceptable. She’s got some comfy looking black pants, and a trendy salmon-colored top. Her jacket is iconic, and she’s wearing a choker. (+1,000,000 points for that). The white gloves don’t match shit, but they’re fingerless so I’ll let it slide. Her headphones almost match....meh. I don’t care. (+10 for the face paint).

Total Score: 8/10

Listen, I’d give her a 10 but this costume just isn’t....gimmicky, enough for me? She’s a superhero for fucksake! Now’s the time to dress your goddamn best! The look is practical, and seems to be her taste, I just disagree with her choices. Sue me. I’d either wanna fight in the wackiest most dangerous getup you’ve ever seen, or completely naked. Either way, I’m getting arrested. Jirou needs to get on my fucking level.

Uraraka Ochaco (Uravity)

I don’t know boys,

it seems like she might be...

round.

Fuck sharp angles!

Funcionality: Ochaco’s quirk (Zero Gravity) only requires her hands to work. More specifically, her fingertips. Uh, yeah those are some nude fingertips. *Ahem* moving on. Actually wait, since she often uses her quirk on herself it would be helpful for her to eliminate as much extra weight as possible, so I’m hoping that all of the accessories are hollow. They better be, or I’m gonna start throwing hands with Kohei Horikoshi.

Design: When Ochaco first got her hero costume she was surprised by how tight it was, even saying that it wasn’t supposed to be that tight. Bitch, how could it have been loose? I don’t...fuck it. I like the colors, I like the boots a lot actually, but who cares about that, I wanna talk about her fucking chastity belt. Who she keepin out? (Jesus Christ she’s a child, tone it down Mari). Do you think it’s comfortable to walk around with a chunk of plastic on your crotch?! I don’t know, seriously, is it? Maybe she’s trying to hide something...a hip dip perhaps?! Jk hip dips are stupid, that’s how bones work, don’t be ashamed. Her wrist...spheres... have handles on them, no comment, and whereas I usually LOVE chokers—that one is stupid and I hate it. Curvy little shit.

Total Score: 8/10

I like it overall, but some things are just too strange to overlook. (i.e. the chastity belt, wrist cuff handles, and the ugly choker). This costume doesn’t really scream Uraraka to me either. It’s a bit unoriginal to me.

I just don’t love it.

(Why are her fists clenched? Is she trying to fight? I could snap her like the twig she is and steal her girlfriend).

(Assuming she has one).

Yaoyorozu Momo (Creati)

Oohooohohohoho

hooohohoho

hoooooo mAN do I have some WORDS for this one!

Funcionality: Momo’s quirk (Creation) does require quite a bit of skin to be exposed, but I’m not sure why that skin HAS to be her boobs. She’s got thighs, a stomach, a back, an upper chest, and arms. Why do her Russian nesting dolls have to come out of her tiddies??? Okay, actually, she doesn’t make that many things with her tits. So....why’re they out? This costume definitely lets her quirk run wild, maybe too much.

Design: The red is pretty, and I can tolerate the sandy yellow. Her shoes are unimportant, so let’s just gloss over those. Now, WHAT is that thing? A makeshift, tan colored, plastic tube mini...skirt? I know she has a shelf on her ass that she carries books on, but doesn’t she have a cellphone? Google? Can’t she just remember the molecular make-up of a cannon? (Because she only makes cannons now for some reason). Have we ever even seen her reading those books? Can she read? A large portion of her midsection/chest is exposed up to another one of those weird chest pieces and a neck jacket. Maybe she should cut the neck coat off and glue it to her tiddies.

Total Score: 1/10

Listen, Horikoshi clearly understands what Momo’s costume needs, but he has no idea how to make that. This outfit IS inappropriate, no matter how you look at it. She’s a minor, and I don’t like the idea that she’s running around 75% naked. The only part of this that I like is the shade of red. That’s not good.

I really like Momo, she’s a good character, it’s unfortunate that we have to sexualize her so much. Can’t girls just be smart without also being eye candy for creepy 30 year old weebs?

——————

That’s it for this analysis. I plan on posting more stuff like this since I enjoy writing it so much! You should totally follow me so you don’t miss my future ramblings! 💖

Unless you hated it.

I wouldn’t blame you.