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#character design analysis
nerdranttheories · 8 months
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Okay I’m going to geek out about Toshinori’s costume designs because I’m an English major and analyzing tiny details in text is what we do and also I love??? The designs! And each one tells us so much about All Might and his focus during each costume.
Costume 1 (Young Might):
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So first off, despite young All Might’s longtime dream of being a hero, his suit is mostly black. A stark difference from comics books and his later self which tend to be bright primary colors. The few dashes of primary colors he has are desaturated, even in the second instance where we see this costume. This would have likely been the only costume Toshinori designed himself, as David became his designer in college.
Obviously, others have pointed out the similarities to Nana’s suit, just like how Izuku copied AM’s, so I don’t think it will be necessary for me to point that out. But this suit is also very practical. Something the flashy All Might isn’t really known for, but let me point the details out. He has boots, gauntlets, as well as what appears to be protection for his upper torso, and even for his neck. A decent balance between more protection and more weight, which would slow a hero down. Also, unlike Nana’s suit, his extends completely down the arms. The only skin surface available is that of his hands, something that stays the same through all of his costumes and as such, must be something he personally insists on. In media, gloves often represent someone with secrets, or a guarded personality. All Might not wearing gloves shows how open he is, not just with his friends but strangers too. And it’s humble, too. It’s not an unfeeling, covered hand extending to you when you’re in danger, it’s the bare-handed reach of a friend, and I fully believe that’s why Toshi goes without gloves. Also it’s possibly a sensory thing for him as well, which goes with my canon-supported theory that this man has ADHD, but that’s a nerd rant for another time.
The colors are important because while obviously they mimic Nana, you can practically see through the color choice that Toshinori is not in his right mindset here. While later the oversaturation of colors serves to show how his own heroism has made him into something Else, and outside of his own head, leaving the man inside to shrivel away, these muted colors show that Toshinori has not yet blossomed. Also in the brief scenes we see of him when he is younger, Toshinori is very solemn. The one scene we get of him smiling when he’s young is when Izuku is comparing them at the same age, and even then, it’s more of a smirk as opposed to the signature All Might grin we all know and love. Black also is just a reasonable color for something like crime-fighting. Black shows the least grime/dirt, so he could reasonably spend more hours out in this costume without having to come home and wash it/trade it out. (Which is something that I love that this series includes, by the way!)
Costume 2-ish:
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Toshinori adds some shoulder pads for the fight with AFO, probably expecting to stand side-by-side with his mentor. I could give a more full-body image but this is really the only difference I could pick out.
Costume 3 (College Might):
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This is the first costume of All Might’s that is designed by David Shield.
First off, props to David. He’s an awesome designer. He not only made a new design, but incorporated several choices from AM’s previous suit, and definitely conferred a lot with Toshi on how he wanted his suit to look while still ensuring its functionality.
Black is traded for a dark, unsaturated blue, giving AM a more peaceful look, as navy blue is considered to be a calming color. (Even Endeavor wears it! But maybe copying AM and not wearing it for the same purposes?) All Might’s cape is also changed from red to blue, taking away the dark look and making it the color of the sky, again adding to that Symbol of Peace idea that is Toshinori’s dream. The gauntlets and boots remain, but the chest-piece has been removed, offering up more mobility. The yellow of his belt has been brightened, and added in place of the blues on his gauntlets and boots, giving him an overall more friendly look as opposed to the more subdued one he had before with the blue accents. The red has been removed as well, and by moving it to his body, it gives the impression of veins and the blood that is pumping away through the heart of this hero, which is fantastic for someone who cares as much as Toshinori does. White was also added vertically on the sides of the suit, thinning out the very intimidating form of Toshi and making him more approachable, while adding a more pure look to his overall form. This appears to be in part, a stylistic choice on David’s end that follows through to the other suits, though it’s hard to know if it remains on the Bronze Age Suit as well.
Overall the brighter colors telegraph that Toshinori is doing much better mentally at this point. He now has A Friend, and for the time being, is safer from the troubles at home, until he has to return.
Costume 4 (Bronze Age):
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We don’t even get a full look at this suit, indicating that its time in use was likely short-lived. As I’ve seen others suggest, it seems very likely that when All Might returned to Japan, he went straight down to business and began doing vigilante work as he tried to track down AFO. However, possibly due to a combination of not finding him and All Might’s rising popularity, he seems to abandon this track and move on to a different form of heroism, which his suit symbolizes. I’ll briefly point out that Toshinori returns to the primarily black suit he had as a teenager, as well as the shadows of his face that add to the idea that as soon as he got back to Japan, he reverted to the mindset he had when he left.
Costume 5 (Silver Age):
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This suit indicates to me that this period was All Might’s prime, despite his later suit being considered the Golden Age of All Might. (And even though it’s my least-favorite design.) He has the typical cape of a hero, and the bright colors are now fully of typical comic book style. The circular design on his chest indicates a target, but with being cast in white and surrounded in red, gives the impression that he himself is not the target, but the villainy around him is. Or at least, that is likely the thought process for this design. Other than the dashes of white here and there, the colors are very solid, possibly indicating a more stable, but single-minded train of thought, something AM is notorious for. No offense to Dr. Shield, but I would have mixed the colors better in here, and the cape connection is too bulky for someone who’s as jacked in the shoulders as Toshinori is. Alas, I am not the designer. We shall move on.
Costume 6 (Golden Age):
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I love this suit. Plenty of analysis has been done on it already, but I think it’s a fantastic representation of how Toshinori’s been crushed under the very image he had originally wanted to create. His shadows are darkest and most severe here, reminiscent of how body-builders dehydrate themselves to get the best appearance of their musculature. His posing is also more inward, as opposed to the silver age, with the angles of his elbows being less directly out and more in, and instead of appearing confident, it’s more of how a cat puffs out its hair to make itself appear larger when it’s scared. I had a long bit to go with this but it was eaten by the Tumblr gremlins. Basically I believe this suit was made post AFO-battle. All Might is declaring he’s not finished yet, all while knowing his time is running out. This suit has several callbacks to the original suit David designed for him, with the navy, though more saturated base and the red lines running throughout the form, though the gauntlets and boots from before have been integrated into the suit itself. This could reflect David’s mindset as well, as he reminisces about the days when Toshinori was healthy and happy, when now Toshinori’s health is rapidly fading.
Anyway, here’s my costume analysis! I think it adds a little more insight to Toshinori’s mental state and situations in the years outside of the show as well as in them, and I hope you enjoyed this read! I’d love to hear other ideas too, if anyone has them!
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taralen · 2 months
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Why I draw Spamton the way I do and in defense of the "Tumblr sexyman" Spamton G. Spamton. An ESSAY.
EDIT 2/3/24 - Fixed some grammatical errors, changed font colors to make them easier to read against a white background, and reframed some of my arguments, especially regarding the "Yaoi style" portion, as it came across as ignorant and spiteful.
I follow the #spamton tag here, and I hate to say it, but it's full of artists jabbing at other artists who so happen to draw Spamton handsome. I see comments like, "No, he's a middle-aged sleazeball who is grungy and dirty." Often, these depictions show him with graying hair, ratty clothes, and covered in filth and grime. While there is nothing inherently wrong about drawing him this way, I find it disingenuous that the same people who draw him this way criticize people who draw him more handsome and or clean-cut because this depiction is even less based on his canon appearance than someone simply drawing him more realistically proportioned and with a pleasing visage (the definition of what this is varies by artist, but they're all often reduced to just "tumblr sexyman.") I see similar comments by people who draw him in what they may describe as "disgusting" or a "dirty scammer."
If Toby intended for Spamton to look dirty and gross, he would have simply gone with a similar design route to this character as an NPC in Undertale.
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Toby or other official arts never depict him with the following, even though I see it in fan art all the time:
Ball-jointed hands. Some artists draw them properly and make them look super cool. Simple lines aren't how they look in reality, but I get why people do that. Either way, it's not canon.
Dirty with tattered clothes. Spamton is only ever shown with a black blazer. It's debatable if he wears pants, but Toby has also drawn him with a collared shirt and tie.
Graying hair. Should be obvious. He's only ever seen with jet-black hair.
Overweight/Fat. While some fan depictions of this are cute, it's not canon. Spamton is always drawn thin but not necessarily in shape.
Buff. Same as the above. It looks really good in some fanart but is also not canon.
Tail. It can look really, really cute, but not canon for him or any of the Addisons.
Feathers. Only Swatch and the Swatchlings are depicted with feathers in Cyber World.
"40+ years old" - There is zero evidence of this in-game or in official merchandise or media. This assumption apparently comes from people assuming that his birthday would be the same as the first "spam email," which (at the time of this writing) was 46 years ago. This is a false equivalency since there is no indication that Spamton has any associations with our real-world history of spam emails. It should also be noted that this was not a true spam email. The only thing closest to Spamton in association with real spam email history may be his favorite year, 1997, in which spam marketing emails became frequent nuisances. However, actions to stop spam mail started in 1996, and it was by the 2000s that they became a serious concern because technology had since advanced. If he were truly born in 1978, he would only be 19 by 1997. While not impossible, it's not how most people see him in his Big Shot years of barely just entering adulthood. Also, as someone who has lived through most of the 90s, I can attest to a lot of this. Spam stuff existed, but news reports only heavily got into it by the 2000s.
100% Inorganic or Robot. While a cool idea, there is more evidence against this, like his ability to eat, sleep, and genuinely feel pain.
Boobs. I get most people who do this are doing it for fun, but it's not canon to his design, lol.
Tall. The most obvious one. Spamton is below average height, as made evident by his nearly 1:1 scale with Kris, a teenager.
Toddler-sized. Same as above. I won't lie that it can be drawn super cute, though. Haha!
With all that being said, why is it such a contention among his fans to depict him as handsome?
There is evidence to support that Spamton is at least, to some degree, good-looking but unconventionally attractive based on several sources. It should be noted that people often use his shop sprite as the best representation of his head, but this isn't accurate, either. In Undertale and Deltarune, because of its cartoonish sprites, it shouldn't surprise anyone that Spamton's are the most inaccurate and change frequently. Another user posted an entire comparison of all his sprites and how drastically inconsistent they are. I tried searching through my likes for this, but I can't find it. If anyone finds this, please link or reblog it to this post. Anyway, the intent of the post was to show artists that there are numerous different ways you can interpret Spamton's design with what's provided in the game, alone.
Stuff people often miss that is canon:
Lips. Believe it or not, this bastard's got kissable lips. Toby's recent art and his Neo attack are proof of this.
Eyes under the glasses. Seen in his sprite of going "BIG SHOT" the first time with Kris. It also hints at heterochromia because they contrast in color with yellow pupils under the pink and pink under the yellow.
NEO has no visible jaw hinge line. Only puppet Spamton does. Big Shot Spamton doesn't have one, either.
NEO's glasses' colors are reversed, and they are pince-nez style.
Androgynous sense of fashion. This is the least missed one, but it's worth mentioning. Spamton has no issues wearing pink, a color nowadays associated with women, and the NEO body has fabulous heels in addition to mostly being a magenta pink. The dress on the mannequin that greatly resembles him (and may hint at him being a white Addison before) shows a pretty dress that mirrors the one Mettaton wore in Undertale.
So then, WHY is he being depicted as handsome or unconventionally good-looking a BAD thing?
There really shouldn't be an issue with it at all. It's less offensive and technically more canon than many of the supposed depictions of him being a sleazebag who looks like he hasn't showered in a century and is hooked up on drugs or booze. You don't become a media darling without a charming personality. Mettaton only got successful in Undertale before he got his EX body because there was literally nothing else the people could watch. Spamton, on the other hand, was competing against many, so he had to stand out and look good even with the help of Mike (and possibly Tenna).
I often see people make this very reductive argument that it's a "yaoi style." This is by far one of the stupidest arguments I've ever seen. Drawing good-looking men is NOT equivalent to liking Yaoi. There are plenty of other genres of Asian-origin or Anime-styled media that feature pretty boys that have nothing to do with Boy's Love. Even Shounen anime has some bishies. Drawing bishounen-style male characters is a design choice and does not indicate someone's interest in Yaoi media. I swear, I have never seen this problem with Eastern fans. It's rude to lump people with similar art styles under something most people who make this claim don't even understand. I've seen people make upset comments about other people calling their style stuff like "Cal-Arts" even if they never went to Cal-Arts or like the media produced by them. It's the same principle. Stop lumping entire artists under one umbrella.
I draw him handsome because it's simply the way I see him. I love many other depictions of him, undoubtedly, and I even have a sticker set that depicts him with the graying hair, but it looks really good anyway. My point is, the fact that people who draw him dark and handsome shouldn't be scrutinized any more than people who draw him way more off base.
My personal contentions with the assumption he is a "dirty sleazebag old man."
I find this absolutely hilarious because this is a genuine stereotype and stock character of people similar to him. The douchebag salesman is a trope that's been around for a long time, but people don't seem to realize that this is a caricature and not representative of real salespeople.
Go to any @$%^ing department store or even an electronics one. Do you ever see anyone selling you stuff looking like they crawled out of the trash? Most are lower-class people who can't find any other job, meaning they are stuck with sales. It takes skill to be a good salesman, and I hate to brag, but I can probably sell you a #@$%ing soap bar and convince you that the extra $10 you're spending on it over a drugstore brand is better for your hands by deeply moisturizing them through herbal extracts and only "naturally" derived cleansing agents. Your hands are dry from the cold, drawing moisture out of them, so the investment would be worth it for the health of your skin during this harsh winter season. Why risk a drugstore brand that will only make your hands feel even rougher, flakier, and cracked? Stuff like this requires you to look someone in the eyes and observe who they are—their body language, way of carrying themselves, and the cadence of how they respond to your words. Does it always work? No. However, do you think anyone would $%^&ing buy ANY LEGAL PRODUCT if a salesperson looked like they were a shady crack dealer who was suspicious as %^&( to deal with? NO. It's a stereotype caricature for a REASON. It's meant to demean the reality of the salesperson who is forced to peddle a stupid product for a living. It's hard, and if anything, GET MAD at the people who are the ones making the crappy product! Yeah, some salesmen are bad at their jobs, but do you really believe that Cyber City's #1 RATED SALESMAN got there from being mediocre?! He may have gotten outside help for something that Toby never made clear, but he definitely does NOT lack the personality to make a great salesman. And believe it or not, there is plenty of evidence to prove he WASN'T bad at it! The other NPCs sell stuff that was once his goods but with his labels removed, and based on his statement of wanting to "make his own deals," this heavily implies he was NOT selling products he wanted to sell before he became a Big Shot. He has a strong sense of pride in the way he sees and presents himself, and I think this may be overlooked by people who make him look as ratty as possible.
I will also CLEARLY state this but this depiction overall does several of the following, which I KNOW many people will say is bad:
Ageism. Why do so many people, mostly Zoomers, assume that a man in his 40s is washed-up, gross, or even considered old? I've seen hotter men in their 40s than some young men in their early 20s.
Downplays his mental health struggles. One of the best things about Spamton is how he DOESN'T play into just the "sleazebag" stereotype. Once we go into his shop, we see that he is truly just a very broken man. His theme song is a FARCE to try and convince you that he's tougher than he really is.
Classist/Poor-Shaming. The assumption that a homeless person has to have no sense of cleanliness. Please, for the love of all that is good, meet actual homeless people. Not all of them are like this. Spamton clearly keeps himself rather clean for someone who dumpster dives. He is trying to stay true to himself, and his sense of self is one of pride. There is no dialogue or description to imply he smells or lacks proper hygiene.
Again, while there is nothing inherently wrong with drawing him this way, I just want people to be more aware of why they draw him this way. Think of it like a thought experiment to reflect on why you see him the way you do. How I draw Spamton comes from a place of deep empathy, love, and life experiences I've had in sales in addition to ALWAYS being customer-facing, meaning I know what works and what doesn't for over a DECADE. It's rather bizarre to me that people who claim to be big fans of him draw him in such a demeaning way that goes beyond the canon depiction and lowers him to absolute dirt, almost like beating this character with the ugly stick just because it's "funny." Is he a tragic character to you? Or is he simply a clown to laugh at for his failures and hardships? How we depict and see people is utterly fascinating because it reflects in real life, too.
You can take the exact same person and show them to different groups of people, and they will all see the same person differently. They don't have to be artists, but they tend to vary if you ask their opinions. For example, I think the actor Mads Mikkelsen is very attractive, but I know many who wouldn't understand why. A guy I've had a crush on for years is one of the hottest men ever to me, but a friend of mine called him "just a guy."
I fully understand that some people find the way I draw him stupid. It is what it is. I can't force you to like it.
I'm simply trying to point out my reasonings for why I draw him this way, and I would like others to think about their methods, too, and NOT to bash other people outright or go "ewww Yaoi tumblr sexyman" just because someone doesn't depict him with stereotypical traits or as "100% canon style" (which is mostly just copying the game's sprite style.)
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dangopango00 · 1 month
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FAT Boys Differences Colorized
Someone in the For all time/Lovebrush Chronicles facebook group said they look like the same guy in different fonts lol its not that srs but its just so fun analyzing characger design
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Transcript if u don’t wanna erm. Look at all. That. Its basically the same stuff as in pic tho more utc
ALKAID AND LARS
Hair
- Hair is blatantly different colors although based in a similar color (Alkaids slightly closer to strawberry blonde)
- Lars hair is upturned and fairly wavy/curly; although messy its clearly intentional
- Alkaid hair goes straight down and is just messy (not curly/wavy) though fairly thick
- Lars hair only goes down 3/4 his neck and Alkaid hair goes down to around his collarbones
- Although Lars has a similar bang style to Clarence his is shorter, fuller and more curled
- Although Alkaid has a similar bang style to Ayn his is more full and messier
Eyes
- Alkaid has a softer curved eye shape and his eyes seem to be a bit larger
- Lars has a more dramatic curve with smaller eyes though it’s difficult to tell considering he is smiling
Nose
- Alkaid has a flatter and the smallest nose
- Lars appears to have a more curved nose (he has that bump nose shape idgaf what anyone say its so prety)
Face
- Lars has higher cheekbones than Alkaid
Lips (Note: Its hard to tell from the image alone but you can see the contours of their lips in the high quality sprite images which ill include below not sure if it will be visible thou)
- Alkaid has plumpest roundest lips
- Lars has a more defined cupid’s bow and lips are not as round as Alkaid’s
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CLARENCE AND AYN
Hair
- Very similar upon first glance but based in completely different colors (blue and red respectively)
- Clarence hair flows downward like Ayn but is fluffy messy and thin
- Ayn hair flows down but is neater and obviously thicker
- Ayn has more downturned eyebrows (angry brows)
- Clarence eyebrows are softer although a bit downturned
- Clarence hair goes down 2/4 his neck
- Ayn hair goes down only 1/4 his neck
Eyes
- Ayn has short round eyes with shorter and fullest eyelashes as well as a more dramatic shift in eye curve
- Clarence has long slim eyes with sharper neater eyelashes and a pretty soft curve in eye shape
Nose
- Clarence has a more pointy/curved nose
- Ayn’s nose goes pretty much straight down
Face
- Clarence has a less dramatic shift from cheekbone to chin
- Ayn has a more dramatic shift from cheekbone to chin
- Clarence has a sharper stronger jawline
- Ayn has a softer curved jawline
Lips
- Clarence has the most defined cupids bow
- Ayn has almost no cupid’s bow (May be more visible on another sprite like smiling or sth??)
- Clarence has slightly fuller lips than Ayn
- Ayn has the thinnest lips
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CLARENCE AND LARS
- Although they have similar bang styles, Lars bangs are shorter and more curled
AYN AND ALKAID
- Although similar bang styles, Alkaid’s appears more full and is messier
CAEL
One of these things is not like the others (its him) (he thinks hes on the team)
Just stating the obvious
- Clarence has a mole and glasses
- Lars has ear piercings
- They have very different fashion senses
- Their personalities and, in turn, their expressions/behavior are very different
- All have different eye colors or at least different shades (It doesn’t look it but Alkaid’s eyes are green and Lars eyes are more teal than Clarence’s who dons a pure blue)
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transigma · 2 months
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bsd character design analysis ★
– part 1: borrowed clothing and its symbolism
word count: 1.3k
includes: dazai, beast dazai, akutagawa, ranpo, yosano
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1.) Dazai's Coat (PM vs ADA)
Following the Port Mafia tradition of giving a new subordinate a superior's item as a sign of loyalty, Mori gives Dazai his jacket upon his entrance into the mafia. Dazai never wears this coat correctly, instead draping it around his shoulders.
On the other hand, the coat he wears in the ADA is not only worn in the correct fashion, but it also closely resembles Odazaku's coat.
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The way Dazai wears his coat symbolizes where his loyalties lie. He was never loyal to the Port Mafia, or Mori himself. Hedoes takes on Mori's influence, specifically in his acts of getting something done no matter the means. Dazai does not mind playing dirty, and this follows Mori's own ideas of finding the most optimal solution. While I don't believe Mori is entirely the reason Dazai follows this path of action, it is clear that he did have some influence on Dazai with his teachings.
Dazai is loyal to the Armed Detective Agency, however, and goes to extreme measures for his comrades, including sacrificing himself in various ways. (Meursalt, dead apple, etc).
Going back to how his coat resembles Oda's, it gives light into Oda's influence on Dazai, that being him planting a moral seed in Dazai. His final request is for Dazai to strive to be a good person and not dwell along the dark side of humanity any longer. Oda is arguably one of the most important relationships Dazai has over the course of the series. He is the one who sets Dazai on a better path, and Dazai takes his words to heart. Otherwise, he would not have joined the Armed Detective Agency and found people he is loyal to.
2.) Beast Dazai
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Beast Dazai noticeably has the same scarf Mori does. This could be a signifier of position as the Port Mafia boss, but I believe it represents tactics that Beast Dazai learned from Mori. I am specifically talking about the control they both excise on others. In order for Beastzai's plan to work, he had to gain an almost absolute hold over the world immediately surrounding Oda. This is why it is mostly him, SSKK, and Oda whose lives are affected by his actions. Most everyone else's lives remain similar to the original BSD verse. The members of each organization are the same, is what I mean.
The iron grip that beast Dazai has over the Beast universe in order to reach his goal resembles the tactics Mori uses as the Port Mafia boss. Absolute control.
Beast Dazai's coat is another important factor. Unlike PM Dazai in the main BSD universe, beast Dazai wears his coat correctly and not around his shoulders. Beast Dazai is dedicated to his goal of securing a world where Oda can stay alive and freely write his novels. His loyalty is not to the Port Mafia, but that goal.
3.) Akutagawa's Coat
This is another item that follows the Port Mafia tradition and Dazai gives him his own coat on the night that he picks up Akutagawa from the slums.
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Akutagawa's coat is a representation of his trauma and dependence on Dazai's recognition to live. His goal is to receive the recognition he never got from Dazai in the past, and this hinders his own development. While Akutagawa does not care about Dazai as a person, the effect Dazai's training had on him was creating a dependence on this approval.
His coat is his most important item for the greater majority of the series. He does not use his ability without it, and keeps it on at all times, which is another topic to discuss upon his coat/ability and protecting himself. In fact, he believes for a while that he can't use his ability without his coat, either, or that he is defenseless without it.
This changes during the Decay of the Angel's arc, specifically in the SSKK vs Fukuchi fight. In a pivotal moment, Akuatagwa discards his coat in order to aid Atsushi in delivering a powerful blow to Fukuchi. He uses Rashomon without his coat for the first time in this scene, too, which shows his growth as a character, and no longer relying so heavily on having to prove himself to Dazai for a reason to live. It is an example of him making his own choices and not being under the influence of Dazai's teachings onto him that he needed to prove himself useful, or that he is even useless in the first place.
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4.) Ranpo's Glasses
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Fukuzawa gives Ranpo an ordinary pair of glasses in the Untold Origins novel as a way to "control" his ability. Now, it is well established that these are a cheap pair, and that they are useless since Ranpo is not actually an ability user, however, the importance of it lies in Fukuzawa's influence on Ranpo, and the facade Ranpo subscribes to.
Fukuzawa is a figure that represents an integral point in Ranpo's life. Before the events of Untold Origins, Ranpo had no one in his life as a result of his parent's death. Fukuzawa is the first figure to step up for Ranpo and try to guide him, he is the sole reason Ranpo realizes he is not isolated in this world. This is important because Ranpo needs that at 14 years old. Fukuzawa is the cause if Ranpo's worldview changes, otherwise he would have continued to stray on his own uncertain path.
This also marks the beginning of Ranpo's attachment to being viewed as an ability user. He has an innate need to prove himself above the extraordinary because he cares about protecting the ones he values, namely the Agency. His resolve to be strong for his friends and family is strong, and this relates to the fact that he is so driven on remaining this image of an astounding man. He can't afford to lose his place in this light precisely because he is such an important piece of the Agency. The Agency was created because of Ranpo, after all, as a place for him to utilize his intellectual gift and to belong with Fukuzawa to.
His glasses tie back as a symbol of this in the Ranpo and Poe chapter (32). He loses his glasses while in Poe's ability space, and has a meltdown over the fact that he can't use his ability without them. It has also been established that Ranpo is self aware of his non-ability reality, yet he still clings to it because he needs to live up to that self standard, and his glasses are the object of this.
(I had images for this and yosano but Tumblr has a 10 image limit ://)
5.) Yosano and Her Butterfly Pin
There is a strong theme between life & death, and rebirth & transformation within Yosano's character.
Yosano gets her hair pin from Tachihara's older brother, who was a soldier in the "immortal army" unit under Mori's command. The way she acquires this hair pin is important because he represent a huge aspect of her trauma during this time, as the repeated abuse of her ability on him ended with his suicide. This time also cements her connection with life and death through her ability. She has the ability to control life and death itself, after all. Life is important to Yosano, this is established from her herself during her fight with Kaji through her comments on death is the lack of life, and the way she strives to save lives with her ability.
Butterflies serve as a symbol of metamorphosis, whether physical or emotional, and Yosano follows this theme well. She changes drastically as a person, as she does not let her past nor her ability connect her to that level of inhumanity she is pushed into by others' views. Golden butterflies specifically represent transformation, hope, or something along the lines of past souls as well, which fits with Yosano well.
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littlekiara96 · 10 months
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I have thoughts and feelings about Sampo's character design.
That is a reptilian skull on his right shoulder.
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Same goes for the metal pieces on his front (1) and back (2), though more frog-like, I guess.
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The metal part on his left wrist is low-key reminiscent of the Nihility symbol, albeit very stylised. The one on his right wrist adds insect mandibles, it looks like a beetle to me.
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And, I know this might be quite a stretch, but hear me out.
The cropped vest jacket combined with the two little straps, and what little there is of a "shirt" with this very specific "embroidery" of sorts...
Am I the only one who sees an extremely stylised ribcage, there?
(Also, I really like the scratches and scuff marks, very nice detail to have.)
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Oh, and, his "bracelet" around his left arm and that thing on his left thigh, y'know, those things that look like the one that seems to come out from his clavicle and runs along his back under his jacket?
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Yeah, that's a spine, right there.
So now, the question is:
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Why would his outfit be discretly themed around death through skeletal features?
... I mean, it's not like I know someone who blew up an entire planet as well as half the Astral Express just for funsies, right?
Right.
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parroset · 4 months
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One of my favorite little Aaravos details is his little eye sparkle freckles. He has two freckles above his right eye:
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And one above his left:
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(it's harder to see, but trust me, it's there!)
That's three sparkle freckles above his eyes in total.
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Interestingly, in his season 4 & 5 redesign, they got rid of the sparkle above his left eye. I wonder why?
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I love those three sparkle freckles a lot, they are just too cute! I make sure they are present in every drawing I do of him; it's kind of like a signature. I'll randomize the others for simplicity but these three are always there, as long as his face isn't (partially) obscured!
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Alright y’all- here it is
Dumbass Theorizes about the eyes in TCOAAL
White Pupils:
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This one doesn’t have any real- insight to it, as the only people we’ve seen with white pupils are the Graves Family. So it represents just that, the Graves Family!
I did have a theory that it could potentially represent ‘tar souls’, but given as how Mr Graves’ soul is white- that doesn’t seem to be the case
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Greyscale:
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Tenants of the apartment building (aside from the Graves Siblings)
Minor blurbs, unimportant blurbs in their lives not important enough to remember the details of, if they even are depicted with eyes
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Something I find interesting is the 302 Lady’s eyes, since they’re the most detailed of the tenants, even before she was given sprites
They kind look- hypnotic almost? Perhaps referring to how she enticed the wardens with “favors” into giving her food (and possibly attempted to persuade Andrew)
Purple Tint (And Purple in general)
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Purple is commonly associated with royalty, though it does have some spiritual meaning
Purple can convey arrogance, immaturity or an emotional state of mind. It can also be a meaning for enlightenment in a way.
We only see the purple tints within the flashback/dream sequences, so I’m going with the enlightenment definition.
With Andrew, it’s him getting a better understanding with his past and actions. Coming to terms with his situation and how he’ll deal with it (Decay and Burial routes)
With Ashley it’s a bit difficult. She cared so little about Nina that she forgot her name and what she looked like, so she isn’t understanding her actions. Though I do think any flashbacks from Ashley’s POV will be little to none cause of the Clairvoyant Dreams, imma still try to interpret it in case. Ashley’s enlightened with these dream sequences is likely with her self worth, or the lack of it. Her mother leaving her and Andrew, her friend developing a crush on Andy, Andy almost picking Nina over her. And considering how blatant her lack of self worth in the demon dream sequences are, I’m sensing a pattern
Now, Julia is the only character (besides Nina and the 302 Lady) with a black pupil, and given how little we know about her I don’t want to go into a rant where I grab at straws hoping to find something. Maybe I’ll reblog this with more if we meet Julia, but for now that’s gonna be it
Thanks yall for wanting to listen to me ramble, I love minor details like this with character design, it makes my heart happy as a fellow character designer :3
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donutdrawsthings · 5 months
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As someone who likes to focus on character design in my art and frequents a lot of character creation spaces because of it, I feel I can say with confidence (Most of) the characters in The Amazing Digital Circus have commonly-used-online design traits and sources of inspiration, which make their designs feel not too exciting and maybe a bit uninspired.
HOWEVER, What makes these guys more unique lays in their personality, voice acting and animation, which perfectly fits the narrative of the story (imagine being stuck in VRchat). And It's literally perfectly fine to like the designs as they are. Their character designs have good colour contrasts which balance nicely over the design, a good weight distribution, strong shape language AND have an overarching style that ties them all together while also distinctly being based on different things and looking like they all come from a different genre of entertainment. For what these characters are, they are DESIGNED REALLY WELL.
I feel the character with the most unique and self-contained (for lack of a better word for "visually not directly inspired by something") design by far is Pomni. Literally chef's kiss. I love her expressions, love her strong colour scheme and I love how her jester's hat is stylised to be sometimes almost completely straight at the top. Her flat hat together mixed with the straight-cut strands of hair peeking out from under it are such a good and subtle contrast to her other round features that I'd dare to say they reflect her seriousness through the forced silly get-up put onto her by this digital prison. And her whole clown outfit is a really good contrast to the genuine dread and existential horror she's feeling in general. I can't get enough of it. Her design is perfect for her role in the story and also as introduction to the world we as the audience are new to.
That's why I'm honestly absolutely appalled by the amount of bad faith and horrible posts I've seen towards this project as a whole. It's one thing to not like it, but a totally whole other thing to actively make it (and the fans) out to be the worst most offensive creation to have ever touched the eyes of mortal men. It's not. And remember, people can be trolls to make a fandom look worse.
Online we have a fondness for kidcore and weirdcore aesthetics based on vague familiarity and nostalgia. It's OKAY to like a story/characters INSPIRED by these things. You are allowed to indulge on your own interests. Don't take these mean spirited posts to heart. If they don't respect your positive opinions of the show, you don't have to respect their negative opinions of it either.
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my-name-is-bunnyfoxy · 6 months
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Okay I need to be working on the next TMNTTOBER prompt and I doubt my audience even knows or likes Gremlins but I wanna talk for a hot moment-
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Mohawk has been one of my favorite gremlin characters and I love him to bits. But after getting introduced to Claw and seeing some wonder if Claw would have reincarnated into Stripe who then reincarnated to Mohawk would it mean if they are actually women but no one bothered to ask if that is the case.
I took a closer look at Mohawk and was kind of surprised to see how he or she had rather... feminine features. Stripe's design looks more masculine and to me I have a hard time seeing feminine features on him. But with Mohawk there are some I really wanna point out.
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This is a close up and his full design. Compared to the other gremlins, he has a more slimmer sort of body to them. Something similar to Greta. Also to me I always thought Mohawk had some form of tits- His ears are curved in a way Claw's ears are as well.
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for reference sake so you can see.
Mohawk also seems to have black lips that could come off as black lipstick of sorts. Then there are his eyes. The marking make it look like eyeliner of sorts that are then shaped into eyelashes. His spikes also similar to Claw make it look like eyelashes as well if you look at it from another view. Then there is his voice. Which honestly sounds more high pitched in my opinion.
Sadly these are the only good videos I was able to download because I hate my life. Also Mohawk mostly makes weird ass noises rather then speaking often times like the rest of the gremlins. As a mogwai his voice was pretty high pitched, as a gremlin it is also somewhat still there. But I'd say it's more gargly and raspier, it sounds like Claw's voice. Also he is such a pussy in that last clip such a crybaby 🙄
Maybe I'm looking too hard into it but I am honestly thriving with the idea that Stripe and Mohawk were being total girlbosses the whole time XD (Disclaimer you aren't actually a girlboss if you torture, bully or abuse someone or try to cause chaos and destruction to people)
Thank you for coming to my ted talk, have a nice day.
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watermelonsloth · 7 months
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So... Sarada's Timeskip Design
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First some positives:
The design works in both Haruno(choker, red) and Uchiha(earrings, black) elements. Even though they are few, I prefer it over the complete absence of both like we got in her last manga design
I like the somewhat unique choice in headband placement
The outfit is pretty fashionable and I can easily picture a teenager wearing it
Her earrings are a nice touch
Her haircut is really cute
Now the negatives(oh god are there negatives). I can't shorten this to simple bullet points so I hope you like the paragraph format. First, the obvious:
It Doesn't Look Practical In The Least
She's wearing big-ass heels, her leg warmers are loose enough to get caught under her feet, her shorts(the bottom half of her romper?) are short enough to give her a wedgie, she has pretty much no leg protection, the shuriken holster attached to her leg without bandages looks uncomfortable, the belt is completely useless, her jacket is baggy and unzipped and begging to fall off, her sleeves look like they'd get in the way during combat, her glasses feel noticeably fragile, and what woman in their right mind would wear a strapless bra into combat? (I can only let the last one slide because it's two men who're working on this manga) If not for the metal plate, shuriken holster, and open-toed shoes, I wouldn't even think she was a ninja(or from the Naruto franchise, for that matter). Lack of practicality doesn't tend to bother me since this is fantasy and every character wearing maximum practicality outfits would get boring, but Sarada looks like they didn't even make an attempt at making her look combat ready. Still, all of this would be fine if not for my next point.
This Doesn't Look Like Something Sarada Would Wear
If impracticality was in character or served a narrative purpose, it would be a point in the designs favor. Except, Sarada isn't the type of character to wear something so impractical. In the manga, she's the character that takes being a ninja the most seriously, she's one of the few with clear goals, and she's the resident team leader and smart one. What part of her design tells us any of that? Yes, manga Sarada is weirdly flirtatious. But that aspect of her personality already contradicts her otherwise disinterest in boys and romance, it doesn't mesh well with her portrayal in the anime(which is also supposed to be canon), it's already an inconsistent part of her personality, and there's already been so many complaints about it(even in Japan from what I can tell) that you'd think that Ikemoto wouldn't continue with it.
Why Does It Invoke So Much Akatsuki?
This might just be me, but I think the design has too many nods to the Akatsuki. The oversized jacket, the fabric around the bottom of her leg, and the black, red, and white/silver color scheme in similar ratios. I'm not saying you'll confuse her for an Akatsuki member by any means and there were certainly more things they could've done to make her resemble the Akatsuki if that was their goal. What I'm saying is that if I were trying to make nods towards the former villain organization in a character's design, I'd use similar design elements.
The worst part is that this was entirely avoidable. Even ignoring that they could've scrapped the more impractical aspects of her design to avoid this, her color palette didn't even have to be this way. Red isn't the only color that can invoke connections to Sakura; shades of pink, light green, and white are also colors of Sakura. Black isn't even the most common color that Uchiha's wear, shades of dark purple and blue are. Purples and blues would've also been a better nod to Sasuke. Maybe they wanted her to wear "Uchiha colors," but, once again, those aren't really Uchiha colors. Black is, but red has only appeared in Madara's armor, the sharingan, and the clan crest and white has also only appeared in the clan crest(I don't even remember an Uchiha that ever wore silver). If you wanna argue that Sarada's color is red, then I ask why wouldn't they just keep red as her primary color instead of making it an accent? Her last manga design had black and white as accents, I don't think keeping her color palette the same would've bothered anyone. I know that Kishimoto added black to Naruto's design to help make him look more mature, but Sarada's design doesn't invoke "mature" anyways and it certainly isn't a more mature version of her last design because, much like the majority of the two blue vortex designs, it looks nothing like her last design. It's even worse than when they started adding too much black to Naruto's design because now it reminds people(or at least me) of an organization that I doubt she's meant to be affiliated with. But who knows? Maybe like the metal plate of her headband being on an easily removeable jacket, this is all foreshadowing to something.
I don't blame anyone for thinking this is a nitpick, but it bothers me and I wanted to express it.
Conclusion
Sarada's design is the worst for the same reasons her last design was the worst plus it looking too much like she took inspiration from the Akatsuki's wardrobe. Forget needing a second draft, this design needs to be scrapped and replaced. Maybe the anime will find a way to fix it, maybe it won't. Only time will tell and it'll hopefully tell us good news.
(Side note: why is she constantly drawn with her feet pointed inwards? it makes her look insecure.)
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justletmeramble1701 · 9 months
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I was unsure whether to discuss this because the discourse surrounding this character has been contentious, but Lois being an intern is weird, right?
Like, not bad, but weird?
Overall, I do like this version of the character so far. She has a great design. She keeps her hair short and her make-up/accessories limited to make her seem more mature and official, but it just ends up accentuating her youthful face. She wears a massive coat to make herself appear larger, but it just manages to swallow her whole, making her small frame look smaller. She also tends to wear more form-fitting and age appropriate outfits under this coat, showing her youth. These elements visually show us that she is a young woman (of color) who desires to be taken seriously in an environment that refuses to. She tends to overdo her attempts to be taken seriously, highlighting her youth and immaturity.
I also like how the character's written. She feels like a young Lois. She has her reckless streak. She will jeopardize everything and everyone for the sake of the story. In the first episode, she lies to Clark and Jimmy in an attempt to get her story, even though it could make them lose their internship. In the second, her plan is to follow the person who tried to kill her the previous day, even though it would put her in danger. She hasn't learned her limits yet and does not feel accomplished enough to respect those limits.
She's also not cynical yet. She actually seems a bit wide-eyed and optimistic. She's still new to the job, so she has not seen the shit that she would have normally seen by the time we meet her in most versions of the story. She's fresh out of college, not a grizzled reporter who has had that feeling of wonder and magic stolen from her by the big city.
I also love that they've adopted the modern version of the Lois and Clark dynamic. She has a crush on Clark before Superman exists, enraptured by his bumbling nature, awkward demeanor, and kindness. She then becomes obsessed with Superman, not because she thinks he's hot (though she sometimes can't ignore that fact), but because he's the perfect story. Being the first to interview Superman will give her the recognition she craves. I'm expecting a story where Clark believes that Lois prefers Superman because of her obsession with him, so decides to ask her out in the tights, where she rejects him, saying that she is trying to build up the courage to ask out one of her friends (because Lois should be the one to make the first move, right).
I obviously like what we've seen so far, but I am having difficulty adjusting to Lois being an intern.
Like, there's nothing wrong with it. It is a new, interesting way to interpret the character. It's just not what I would do because it means that we can't really do elements of the Clois dynamic until later on.
From my experience, the fun in their dynamic comes from their competitive natures and their opposing perspectives. They are two really talented reporters who, though they are usually partners who work on the same or adjacent stories, are determined to be the first to make breakthroughs in stories. They have fun one-upping each other and take opportunities to playfully tease each other, getting under the other's skin to push them farther (which is a side of Clark that only Lois and Bruce experience). They will also gladly admit defeat when the other "beats" them (generally Clark because Lois has to be the one to interview Superman and anyone surrounding whatever situation has caused a Superman sighting since Clark obviously can't).
A more seasoned Lois also makes a great foil for Clark because of her opposing outlook on the world. As stated previously, she is generally a cynic. In every story, there is some facade, some hidden motive and it is her job, as a reporter, to uncover it. Clark, on the other hand, is an optimist. In every story, there is some human element that will shine through whatever darkness presents itself and it is his job, as a reporter, to find it.
That's why Perry made this seasoned reporter (who is on track to get a pulitzer) partner with this new hire that has only worked for smaller publishers. They make up for each other's shortcomings and force the other to be better.
Now, those are really the only things that this dynamic is missing. They still have Clark and Lois being willing to go to different lengths to get a story and they still have different experiences that leads to them getting answers through different means. They are just missing my favorite parts of the dynamic, but that's okay. I'm still enjoying this interpretation of the story and can get these elements through other interpretations.
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pastelpillbug · 8 months
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While I was studying Cacao character designs for clothing references I noticed some things:
All the NPCs listed as “cacao warriors” (and two npcs with names, Peanut Choco and Cube Choco) have a simpler purple belt and black and purple clothing:
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And the NPCs described as “watchers” (and caramel arrow cookie) have brown belts with golden circles, as well as brown clothing with a pattern.
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Just thought it’d be interesting to share! I think this is supposed to indicate rank.
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lamouratorrrrry · 2 years
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Extremely Unbiased Thread About Why Kintoki’s Design is Good, Actually
hello. you may call me Luna, however im sure most people here know me as “the kintoki huge tits artist”. today i’ll be doing something quite a bit different than my usual posts, and thats that im going to be analyzing why exactly i think kintoki’s original design is actually really nice. no i am not biased in any way. 
the reason for this is that, being a huge fan of kintoki (and frequently browsing his tag on here), a sentiment that i see a lot is “i really like kintoki, but i hate his design/i like his rider and heian designs more”. which is fair! you are very much allowed to think that. all i want is to possibly give a different perspective on why i think the opposite (and to gush about my favorite character). 
so come with me on this design-analysis slash luna-talks-about-how-sexy-kintoki-is journey!
(this thread will for the most part be discussing his 1st ascension. the reason being is that he really doesnt change much design-wise as he ascends aside from the big coat in his 3rd ascension. also, its my favorite of the three! see, totally not biased.)
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hi handsome ;)
we’ll start at the top and work our way down. first, i need to address the elephant in the room, aka my biggest fate fandom related pet peeve. 
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this hairstyle? this is not a bowlcut. this is a bob haircut. and its CUTE OKAY. (op has a bob cut and therefore takes these jokes very personally)
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a bob is typically longer, enough so to hide the ears. a bob is also meant to frame your face. the bowl cut is much shorter, shows the ears, and is one length all around. 
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for reference, the only other character that i can think of who cant beat the bowlcut allegations is tsuna. i see a lot of people saying stuff like “wow, they both work for raikou and they both have bowlcuts!” when their hair looks completely different... 
firstly, his bob is cute! come on :( second, this haircut has roots in historical kintarou depictions! 
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this is a kintarou doll, and is clearly what inspired fate kintoki’s hair! despite the rest of his design being very modern inspired, i quite like that he keeps his “historical” hair. i think its a nice little touch/nod to his younger self. 
moving on, lets talk about kintoki’s fashion sense.
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breasts...
it took me a bit to pin down what i think kintoki’s fashion sense is exactly, and i think its fair to say he’s very 70s inspired. this is extremely funny to me for reasons i will talk about later. after doing some light research, a big *big* staple of 70s mens fashion ive picked up on is having your shirt unbuttoned like. basically all the way. just absolutely tits out, and i respect that so hard. 
(technically his extremely popped collar is more 80s, but i think its fair to say hes designed after some amalgamation of decade-fashion)
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all kintoki’s missing is a crazy pattern on his shirt. come on raita i believe in you
something else of note is, of course, his jewelry! kintoki very clearly wears a lot of big, bold jewelry like his necklaces and bracelets. ive said it before and i’ll say it now, i wish to god he had been given earrings. that would take his design from a 10 to an 11 imho
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one word i see thrown around a lot about kintoki’s design is that its very tacky, and im 99% sure these comments are referring to his obnoxious amount of jewelry. however, i believe kintoki’s design works so well because its tacky. again i’ll talk about this more later, but i think a lot of kintoki’s charm comes from his dorky, tacky accessory choices. 
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(im sorry kintoki for just straight up putting your crotch on the dashboard)
speaking of tacky and gaudy, kintoki’s belt buckle. yet again kintoki’s quest to look as cool as possible makes him look absolutely silly, and i adore it. i dont have much else to say here except that i love that he wears not one but two belts. (and yet we still see a peak of his underwear in his 2nd and 3rd ascensions? i love him so much) at this point, we all know that kintoki looks the way he looks because hes trying to be as cool as possible in the modern era. but its not very modern, is it? im not sure if this was intentional or not, but a small detail i really really love about kintoki’s design is how... outdated it is. sure decade fashion comes back and becomes cool every few years, but kintoki looks very outdated. again, i think this all adds to his charm. as much as he tries to look like a 21st century cool guy, he just ends up looking like the bully jock in an 80s film. 
i want to take a second and talk about another small detail that i absolutely love about his design, and that’s the use of pink. its kind of small, but its present enough that i feel justified talking about it. kintoki has a pink bracelet on his right wrist, his sunglasses are tinted pink, and my personal favorite, he wears pink underwear! judging by the other characters hes drawn, im sure this might just be because raita happens to like pink, but i love the implications here regardless. definitely a “real men wear pink” sort of thing (toxic masculinity? never heard of ‘im). or, maybe kintoki just likes pink almost as much as he loves gold! he has good taste. 
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and not just pink but hot pink! 
(up till this point, ive been talking about and had only planned to talk about berserker kintoki’s 1st ascension design, but for this small portion, i would like to direct your attention to heian kintoki as well:
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PINK!! AND LOTS OF IT. kintoki definitely has at least 2 favorite colors.) 
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this guy slaps your girls ass wyd
lets look at kintoki’s full body one last time. like i mentioned earlier, at first glance he definitely looks like he shoves dweebs in lockers as well he should. and this, i dare say, is the best part of his overall design. i know that at this point when talking about fictional characters, subverting expectations is not exactly a new thing, but i think kintoki does this so well. just look at him. this man wants you to know he goes to the gym. he wants you to know that he’s over 6 feet tall and has a 6 pack. he wears sunglasses at night and indoors for gods sake!!! he’s also extremely kind and dorky. he loves his mom. he loves children and teddy bears, and he respects women.  
kintoki’s design is tacky and silly and outrageous and thats exactly why it works so well. it bums me out when i see people write this design off as being ugly just because they think they see a bowlcut, because i personally think a lot of thought went into this. well done raita! i do see why people might prefer his other designs, because its hard to compete with a cool leather jacket or a half-tits out samurai. that being said, this design is my personal favorite of his! his cheerful personality and lack of objective swag has endeared him to me greatly. 
this may have been incoherent, but i hope you’ll walk away from this thinking differently about our friend kintoki <3 
if i missed anything or you have anything youd like to add, please feel free! 
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djsherriff-responses · 9 months
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Character design rant below because this still bothers me but the gist is: Making Beezlebub a literal queen bee instead of a winged furry is actually more generic
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(Note these aren’t bad designs, generic designs can work and are not inherently bad,there’s no real original ideas it just how you express them. I just think being literal with Bee doesn’t work in the context of the narrative and character Viv has shared)
Making Bee a literal Queen Bee doesn’t make sense for her personality, role or even symbolically
For one she’s likely meant to be (part) hover fly than an actual bee. You know “you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar”? Plus the “Bee” aesthetic is likely meant to hide the uglier side of the gluttony ring (similar to how junk food looks good while being bad for your health)
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But for starters making her aesthetic more military/royalty, while it fits the general theme of “animal tamer queen bee”, you have to remember she’s meant to be below Lucifer in the hierarchy of Vivziepop’s Hell.
Lucifer is already meant to be the “Ring Leader” , so Bee dressing more like a traditional animal tamer would conflict with Lucifer’s role , as both ring leader and animal tamer have similar clothing.
(seriously Google “ring leader costume” and “animal tamer costume” and tell me it not just the same outfits being shown)
More than that, Bee is a party animal, and idk about everyone else but when I see someone in a formal outfit or even uniform with a matching crown , a serious hive mind army of bees and who may or may not be holding a whip , I think “this person is serious and strict, likely doesn’t even like sleeping past 9 pm” not “wow this person is gonna throw the wildest party in all of literal hell!”
If you want to ignore that the “original” Beezlebub was “lord of the flies”(and represented the sin of envy as well as gluttony), making her a literal bee still doesn’t make sense.
In nature bees are a hive species who are willing to sacrifice themselves for the safety of their hive. Bees are so hard working that they literally symbolise hard work , as well as wisdom and teamwork. 
Nothing about bees actually connects them to the sin of gluttony besides maybe honey, and other animals such as bears who steal honey would make a better fit for gluttony than bees.
If anything , making a demon lord have bee aesthetics while dressed in royalty/military clothing and heavy in the “animal tamer” role (who was an animal abuser actually) is more….wrath than gluttony (I seen someone say they wanna give Bee Lion features to better suit the animal tamer element and uh, dude, lions are symbolically wrath or pride come on)
As gluttony is about lack of control and overindulgence , with a lot of the elements people have added to “fix” /redesign Bee give her the opposite elements that fit a character who is over controlling and strict.
Side note but which one would stick out like a sore thumb more in a hell hound party?
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So than, why did Vivziepop make her a fox of all things? Instead of a bear to fit better with the bee aesthetic , or a pig which is more traditionally seen as a symbol of gluttony
And yes it is partly a reference to Viv’s older animations such as Jay from “Die Young”, and because Viv likes furries
It’s more likely because foxes do symbolise gluttony , unlike bees
okay foxes are usually used for greed not gluttony, but people misinterpret greed and gluttony as the same just for money and food respectively. But even if we go with the proper meanings of them (greed being hoarding while gluttony being overindulgence) in many stories and folktales, what are foxes most known for?
Biting off more than they can chew
From “9”fantastic mr fox” getting cocky with his plans to steal food for his community, to folktales such as “the gingerbread man” where the fox betrays the gingerbread man for a quick snack and even to other countries such as Korea’s “the fox sister” where a fox spirit eats the livers of her brothers to try to become human
technically a wolf would work too, considering the role the big bad wolf has in various stories, though there’s other elements as to why Bee suits being a fox furry
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Yep, that sounds much more like a drug stealing party queen than the bee symbolim, yeah?
I know technically if Bee is meant to be the animal tamer than there should be various animal themed demons than just hellhounds and such but at that point one is better off making their own concept of a demon queen bee than remake Viv’s existing story fit their own standards
(Side note but if anyone wants to make their own hell story, I think a strict bee queen who does animal taming would work great as the ruler of the Seventh layer of hell if you use Dante as inspiration)
If you made it this far I do actually have criticisms of Bee’s original design
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Hair is an eye strain (especially in motion)
her fringe looks distracting and makes her lava lamp hair even more eye straining
(though I’d keep the lava lamp hair, just balance it better)
i don’t like that she’s meant to be the actual Beezlebub, I actually thought she was the daughter or even a custom made hellhound of Beezlebub’s
was disappointed my headcanon wasn’t true ;-;
Her wings should be more noticeable
I would personally keep her design with minor edits but have the real Beezlebub be a wolf fly hybrid demon, to play off the big bad wolf tropes and have Bee be someone who represents him in public so people aren’t as wary of the gluttony ring (like how the big bad wolf in little red riding hood and the 7 kids disguised himself to be more presentable before eating them)
Last point: Pretty sure her palette is meant to be the colours of the pansexual flag
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hoperays-song · 5 months
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Analysis of Johnny's Character Design Pt.1
CW: Discussion of malnutrition, poverty, and childhood hunger
So, one of the first things that you notice about Johnny in terms of character design is how small he is. This is incredibly noticeable in Sing 1 when you compare him to his family, with him barely reaching his dad's shoulder when standing flat on the ground.
However, while that could be dismissed as Marcus being older, we do see Johnny around gorillas who are implied to be close to his age in Sing 2. And he is still noticeable shorter than them.
Now, most people's first thought would be that Johnny might be a different subspecies of gorilla. After all, those all have different height and weight ranges. But, we actually can't use this line of logic here as Johnny has been called a Mountain Gorilla. Which is the second largest gorilla subspecies in the world. And the least endangered gorilla subspecies are smaller than Mountain gorillas. Meaning that yeah, he should be much bigger than he actually is.
So why isn't he? Well, as I discussed in my analysis of the gang and why they likely turned to crime, Johnny and his dad would likely be below the poverty line, even with money from their crimes. Meaning that they would not have money laying around to cover their expenses in the slightest. And one of those expenses would be food.
There isn't a ton of research in malnourishment of gorillas that I found readily available online (which I think is probably a good thing since that means its not that common in nature so yay), so I will just be using the common indicators from humans and other great ape species.
Some of these indicators however, are blatantly obvious on Johnny once you know what to look for.
Hair Thickness and Shine
The first thing that is an indicator that Johnny is malnourished is his hair (yes, Gorillas have hair, not fur). Hair is actually used a fair bit by people in healthcare as a way to se what the potential health problems a patient is facing. Common things that can be diagnosed with hair as a symptom are things like anemia and thyroid issues. However, as your hair is very dependant on your health (think about those multivitamins that help your hair as well as other parts of your body), it is a way to see malnutrition.
When you are malnourished, your hair becomes brittle/course, thin, and dull. It loses pigmentation as well. It also tends to fall out, with hair loss being a huge indicator. And while we never see Johnny actively losing hair in the movie, we see the rest of the indicators.
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See the similarities in the texture and shine quality of the hair? The child's face is censored for their privacy of course, but that photo comes from an article talking about malnutrition and childhood hunger in Nicaragua and is a before photo from their program.
But let's look at Johnny's hair real quick. It's very brittle/coarse looking but not thick. The coarseness might make it seem that way, but look at his hand. The hair is patchy, as if it is very thin and has been falling out. The dullness of his hair is pretty obvious, though, it does appear shiny due to the spotlight. Again if you look on his hand, it has no natural shine to it. The lack of pigmentation is going to look the most different between species obviously, but it's import to point out that Johnny's hair is way more brown here than we see it in Sing 2, aka, a loss of pigmentation. His hair is pretty bluntly saying he's malnourished.
However, these effects can be fixed! Typically, in a lot of cases that is, these effects of malnutrition on hair will disappear (or start to) after six months of nutritional stability. Which makes sense when we see Johnny in Sing 2! I put the time of the movies to be about a year apart, and this makes sense with the changes in Johnny's hair. It's thicker, no longer course, and has a shine to it. The amount of brown has evened out more naturally into his hair, looking more like natural highlights in comparison to a loss of pigmentation as it did earlier. These changes are especially obvious when you look at Johnny's hands. The hair there looks full and isn't patchy, and is the place where we can easily see the natural shine. Johnny has been eating regularly for at least six months. His hair has healed.
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Posture
Now, this one is not used at all from what I can see online (or from when I bugged my medical friends) as an actual diagnosis aid. And I will admit the original study on this was conducted a very long time ago. However, several medical institutions do still seem to list diet as a thing that can effect your posture, so I'm going to run with it (I do not have a medical degree, I just know wayyy too many doctors).
The thing that effects your posture in terms of nutrition is your vitamin intake. Several vitamins, namely vitamin D and calcium, are essential for bone health. And your spine, surprise surprise, is made of bones. If you do not consume enough of these vitamins, your bones become weak and supporting body weight is difficult, leading to you likely having worse posture than normal.
And in Sing 1, which character has arguably the worst posture I have seen in my entire life? Johnny.
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And again, this is a thing that changes drastically between the two movies. And is absolutely something I want to contribute to the clear change in the amount of food this kid is eating.
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Sorry, this was the clearest photo I could easily find. But! Look at that difference! There is still a slight curve, which is in most people's posture, but it has greatly improved. His bones, muscles, and ligaments are getting the amount of nutrition they need to actually work properly and support his body.
Size/developmental Milestones
Now this is the most obvious one and the thing that kicked off this research deep dive. Johnny is obviously smaller than his father and uncles in Sing 1, who are the same subspecies as him. However, I will agree, that is not a fair comparison. Marcus, Stan, and Barry are mature adults and have finished growing. Johnny is still a juvenile-young adult in the gorilla lifespan (I place him as 17 in Sing 1).
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However, that does mean Johnny should be closing the gap with them, or starting to, in terms of height and weight. But he clearly isn't. In fact, we see that he hasn't grown by Sing 2 either, when gorillas around his age are very clearly bigger than him.
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Malnourishment stunts the growth of children significantly. In fact, that is typically one of the first signs doctors look for (think of how your height and weight are checked at every doctor visit). This effects millions of children worldwide every day and it is very very important to remedy this as quickly as possible.
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Why? Because as a whole, stunted growth is largely irreversible. While the child can recover weight pretty easily, height isn't the same. Even if they do eventually get nutritional stability, it's unlikely that they will actually grow to the height they could have been before. And I feel like that is a prime example of what has happened to Johnny.
While in the year between the two movies Johnny has clearly had nutritional stability and has largely recovered in terms of health, he hasn't grown much, if at all. And Johnny is 17-18 years old (by my estimate, he could be as old as 19 in Sing 2 but that is the eldest I'm able to believe), he should still be growing. However, again, when we compare him to other gorillas his age, he is significantly behind in growth. And will likely remain that way his entire life.
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So...
In summary, I believe that, despite the drastic measures taken by Marcus, Stan, and Barry to support him, Johnny did grown up malnourished, resulting in his growth being stunted. This malnourishment was replaced with nutritional stability in the year between the two movies, likely while he was in foster care and the debt of the garage was payed off by Nana or another capable party. Despite this dietary change between movies and Johnny's newfound health, his growth had been stunted for long enough that the damage was irreversible, leading to Johnny being so noticeably small compared to other gorillas who are around his age.
------Mentioned Analysis------ Gang's reasons for crime analysis:
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littlekiara96 · 7 months
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The brainrot is real, and I'm making everyone suffer with me.
Couldn't help but see... strange little coincidences between these two.
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A: Same kind of trinkets. And Blade's sword has two of them, no less.
B: What's going on with your belts, guys? Why put it in the exact same side and angle?
C: Yo, Blade... Why the hell would you bandage your clothes? But more importantly... Are you trying to copy someone??
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Hehehe, nice mirroring there, boys.
Also, Dan Heng, you thought you were being inconspicuous, with that red make-up next to your eyes? Put on some coloured contact lenses, next time. You'll get closer to the effect you want.
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Also, where'd you get that red wrapping on your lance?
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Yeah, thought so.
Not even mentioning how Dan Heng's boots have a faded purple band in their design, while Blade has purple directly on his clothing.
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