@raventhekittycat

hi okay so I've been mulling this one over for the past day or two and I think I have the answer. not to be using hamburger to explain anything to an american but you're my detco mutual so I'm going to try and explain it in detco terms

There's a post going around recently about how if you've read detco and only detco, the first time hakuba shows up you're going to be totally flummoxed, because damn this guy is clearly important, he gets to be even cooler than Shinichi, he's got a half-page shot of him (in such a panel-dense series such as Detective Conan, no less!!) and he's got a fucking hawk. he's CLEARLY important. everything about the narrative is indicating that you need to PAY ATTENTION to hakuba and that he's the coolest guy and he's important!!!! and then he dies in the case lol (not for real. but still.)!! and you're like huh??? what was that. why did aoyama do that.

But with the context of magic kaito this totally makes sense. He's a beloved character that people have been waiting decades to see again. Of course Aoyama is going to hype him up!! It's his big moment after years of being locked in the backrooms!!!

Anyways reading birdmen for me was kind of like that. The author's previous series, Kekkaishi, was pretty one-dimensional at the beginning, and even after the main plot started picking up at around volume 6, it still felt quite understandable. I knew what she was trying to get at, and the spectacular job she did with the anthropocene and climate change metaphor towards the end of that series really made me interested in the rest of her works. That and the way she writes familial relationships is absolutely DEVASTATING. (I mean this with the highest of praise)

But when I read BIRDMEN for the first time, I was probably in... middle school, maybe? And I read it, sure, but I didn't get it. I could see what was literally happening on the page but the narrative choices were absolutely baffling at times. Why skip over the entire part of the plot where they figure out who the birdman that saved them was? She blatantly doesn't care about that. What does she care about then?? I knew I didn't get it, I knew there were parts of it that were important and I couldn't figure out why and THAT'S how it dug its pretty little claws into me. Even after I finished catching up it nagged at me a little bit, not often at all, but enough that every once in a while I go, huh, right, that was a thing, let me go read it again.

For the record this type of story haunting has happened to me twice. First time was the Heart of Thomas, second time was BIRDMEN. I think the thing is that these are both stories which are not what other people say they are and I think I came into both of these stories with a misconception, trying to look too hard for things that weren't important and therefore missing the things that were.

Because sure, BIRDMEN is about mental illness. Yeah, it's about an evil scientific organization growing mutants in a lab. Yeah, it's about what it means to leave your humanity behind. That's all technically correct, on a surface level, and the fandom at large likely agrees with these takes for the most part, but in my opinion none of that really delves into what the thematic messaging of the story is about.

There are cryptic conversations about authority and human extinction and peculiar outfit and ability choices. You can tell these choices weren't made to serve the purpose of "writing exciting shonen manga" because that was what she did for the most part in Kekkaishi and you can tell she wasn't putting her whole pussy into doing that here. So what was she doing? What's like. All of this. Waves my hands at this.

The short answer is that it's really about the interplay between capitalism (represented by humanity) and communism (represented by birdmen), and explores the role institutional white supremacy (EDEN) plays in enforcing capitalism. It is ALSO about queer liberation and the importance of community, but hey, that double-stacks conveniently with the communism metaphor.

But also take this opinion of mine with a grain of salt. As far as I know I'm the only one who really truly deeply believes that it is not only AN interpretation of the work, but one that was fully intended by the author.

So basically, I like it, because I think it says something true and beautiful that I also believe in, even if I didn't have the words for it the first time I read it. But I don't really think that's what people really look for in a media recommendation.

Do I like it? Yes, I love it. Will I recommend it to others? Yeah, sure. But do I think it's deeply flawed? Yeah, absolutely. It's flawed in the same ways as The Witch from Mercury— a rushed ending, too many threads that were opened and never tied together. The pacing and characterization is perfect in the beginning, and too rushed at the end. There are prerequisites you basically HAVE to read in order to understand the story (tempest for G-Witch and the communist manifesto for birdmen). I think a truly good story wouldn't have any of these things so if people don't like it I never blame them.

It's my personal experiences that make birdmen so profound to me. If you are not queer I just don't think Eishi coming out as a birdman to his mom will hit the same, just as an example. Sorry that I wasn't the kid you wanted me to be. I know you love me and you just want the best for me and that's why you're so controlling, because you think I can be saved by conforming to societal expectations. But I can't live like that. I can't be like that. And that's why I must go. etc.

Aesthetically I do love birdmen a lot. If I had to describe it in a few words it would probably be "chilling", "beautiful", and "powerful", which nicely coincides with the type of things I personally like to draw. It's also silly to a small degree but it's so serious and I know Tanabe can be way way way funnier (read kekkaishi for this. kekkaishi and hanazakari no kimitachi he were foundational to my sense of sequential art humor) so that's not really the standout trait of this series.

I can't let it go because I'm chewing this series like a bone. And it's taking me years but I am getting that sweet sweet marrow. By god. We are on year 3 of this shit and I am GOING to understand this series. and I'm going to make 3 video essays about it

realizing part of my birdmen fixation has to do with the fantasy of being able to telepathically communicate my feelings and experiences because why did i just spend like three hours writing in my notes app and collecting supporting text because i feel like i didn't explain something well enough today

How Eishi is managing his 'towering' height in this post while being a short king.

New Ally

Oh no, I've been jailed. What EVER will I do? Luckily we don't have to wait long.

After looting the King's castle for defense potions, power potions, and a bread of life (all that went to Tao)... we get jailed (more so by the Big Bad more than for stealing from the King) and get rescued by our next ally! A fox (?) woman healer by the Khris.

I've heard that she'll be very good, which is great considering she's the only female character that gets access to Aura. And thank GOODNESS she gets access to Aura unlike having it just limited to Lowe and Torasu.

She does have the same pitfalls as low-level Tao, that being the abysmal all other stats because she's supposed to be at the back, just like Tao. However she does get a higher attack stat. I'll try to balance giving power potions to both her and Tao, as I will rely on them for melee attacks as well as their spells.

Luckily, this time healing (so long as it's at least 1 HP point) I believe gives flat EXP. This means that I'll be able to hold my HP items, but also have someone REALLY benefit from healing other players. She's also the ONLY healer we get access to.

Relooking at the characters we WILL get versus what their classes are we have - Mage -> Wizards - 3/3 (only have 1 for now) Centaurs -> Paladins - 1/7 Healers -> Priests - 1/3 Birdmen -> Skywarrior - 1/2 (don't have yet) Archer -> Bowmaster - 1/2 (don't have yet) Warrior -> Gladiator - 0/2 Unique classes - 0/11

Tell us about “is that allowed”

LOL okay... so there's this scene from BIRDMEN where they're in this cafe and this painting of Bernini's Ecstasy of Saint Teresa sculpture is just?? casually hanging on the wall????

And I wrote an essay on its symbolic significance but I still couldn't get over the idea that in-universe someone looked at st teresa having a time and was like "yeah that's perfect for my cafe". At one point the sentence "What if we kissed under the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa at the local Pizza Hut" spawned and it was all downhill from there. I need you to understand that I started painting this for the bit.

Originally the painting in the bg was actually just going to be a study of the Bernini sculpture but then on a different day I was stricken with a different madness (normal about Karasuma and Umino hours) and I started doing a redraw with them and Shiba as st teresa and I was like. wow. you know where this would go perfectly. in that one unfinished painting of eishi and rei kissing in the cafe.

obviously the document title is from the vine where the guy filming points at this girl having a pda moment with her [hotly debated whether it's a real guy or a sex doll] in public and yells "What the fuck? Is this allowed? What the fuck— is that allowed?"

I wasn't good at painting skin back then (and I still don't think I'm good at it now) but probably everything will have to be redone LOL. But I'm sooo determined to finish this this is so fucking funny. I think if I finish it and it looks really good it truly will be one of the most baffling pieces of fanart anyone could come across (although I do think it's more confusing if it actually was a painting study of the original sculpture. because then people would recognize that and go, "What the hell is THAT doing here") It's always for the bit. the Kaishin communism comic? for the bit. even when I'm serious it's to be funny. I hope you can understand.

OH MY GOD???? I've been seeing you in my notes a lot lately but I couldn't figure out where you came from??? you're a birdmutual???? holy shit. liked and subscribed lol <3

Aww, thank you <3

Yeah, I love Birdmen and binged it all, and my faves are Takayama and Karasuma. I don't have a lot to say about it, but that's simply because it was so well-done that I have nothing to complain about, I'm like "This is good food written exactly the way I want, just right", so I appreciate you and the other Birdmen fans who can actually voice out why Birdmen is so cool and awesome ^^

Hi, I'm currently catching up with Birdmen (dunno if you still read it, but I don't really know where else to send this ask), and today I just thought of something. Do you think Eishi has separation anxiety? I mean, when Takayama left, he was vey restless (venting by sending death tweet, leaving class to go flying, physical distress after having the whiteout). And after they got back together, he's always the first one to notice that Takayama's not around. What's your thought?

Hello!!While I have not been abundantly active over the updates of Birdmen for a variety of reasons, I assure you that I am here, I am reading it and that I will respond to asks as soon as I possibly can. For that matter, thank you so much for reaching out! (Edit: I primarily talk Birdmen on my birdmen centric  blog : @kitreadsbirdmen while I post fanart on my main so that’s the best place to get me on this subject.)Separation Anxiety is one good way to put it. For all the points you’ve listed, Eishi’s attachment to Takayama is only heightened in his absence. Especially in the context of the whiteout responses but those feel a bit more extraordinary than basic emotions. While the others have been clear about missing him, the attitude around his disappearance is a little more resigned– like a force of nature ruining a good day (to put it tritely). Eishi is agitated about the entire thing for both emotional, and potentially biological reasons. I’ve mentioned it before that Eishi’s whole thing with Takayama is this carrot on a stick kind of relationship. Where the closer he gets to truly comprehending this force that changed his life (for the better) the farther that force moves away from him. Takayama is not a static goal Eishi strives for. From a social perspective, his bond with Takayama is one that he wishes to cultivate and he grows understanding only for the goal to drift into obscurity. This is where his attachment and resulting reaction can be seen as the recoil to a loss of structure. The anxiety of being separated with something you emotionally depend on.But there is a parallel with the Seraph mutation and how Takayama’s clear advancement on that front is the physical divide between Eishi and him. As Eishi awakens and develops genetically he starts to catch up, only for the extraordinary elements to snatch Taka away again. The whiteout, this ascension of sorts is presented as a dangling thread and leaves Eishi in a state of abject abandonment. The seraph biology clearly functions on some kind of sympathetic system. Shared blackouts, the free exchange of mental processes, the dictated pace of development… both small groups and the species as a whole have some kind of natural median that the seraph gene responds to. It’s why the plot has accelerated with the high propagation rate– there are more seraph and they are awakening fast because the gene pool that is sympathetically linked is growing from the trials of the base sample size. So this can extend to smaller seraph ensembles as long as its lead by one exceptional model. Our Bird Club is the best example of this because of Takayama. Bond with him and you awaken to heckin’ rare and advanced seraph abilities. And if you’re Eishi, that bond may taunt you closer to his whiteout status. They symbolism is in Eishi’s final whiteout in chapter 43. He too was turning white, he was being drawn closer. So coming back to this clear anxiety. Eishi is physically being pulled towards his connection with Takayama. That, along with the more emotional bonds, can lend itself to the dramatic reactions.But also he’s gay and mad pining.  

who was gonna tell me someone put up a birdmen video essay 8 months ago

excellent point!!

Prompt Week - 7 days, 14 simple prompts (2 per day). you know the drill. general is just going to be about the series at large, ship-focused is probably going to be takaeishi week electric boogaloo

Collaboration (Artswap) - Participants are paired up randomly in order to work on a single creation together. Traditionally it's a single illustration in which one person does the lines and the other does the colors, but you could also do other things like "one person scripts and colors a comic, and the other person does the linework" or "two writers pass a single google doc between them like a hot potato and they write alternating paragraphs" etc.

Podfic Challenge - A podfic is essentially an audiobook of a fanfiction. Either write and podfic a birdmen fanfiction, or ask for an author's permission to podfic (a portion of) a fic. You can get fancy, like adding sound effects or backing music, or just keep it simple and record something on your phone. Nice because it doesn't require you to create something in the traditional sense and is also a way to show appreciation to past fic writers. Not nice depending on how self-conscious you are about your voice.

Not My Medium Challenge - Create a fanwork in a medium you've never worked with extensively. For example, for myself, I'd consider illustrations, sequential art, meta essays, fanfiction, and music videos as mediums that I've worked in extensively, so I'd focus on other things such as meme compilations, music compositions, podfics, video essays, gifsets and edits, among infinite possibilities.

Draw A Comic Month - 4-week event with one week dedicated to scripting, storyboarding, linework, and colors/toning each. A comic can be as simple as a 2-panel comic to something as complex as a 30-page manga. This is one time where my comics advice is going to be ENTIRELY FREE OF CHARGE. I am going to sit in the birdmen discord at regular times throughout this event and do my best to make the comic of your dreams happen (guy who is obsessed with sequential art voice)

the collaboration is a COMMITMENT whereas the rest are things you can opt in and out at any moment. ok now go hog wild with the votes and let me know your bonus thoughts in the tags

god every day I wake up and mourn what birdmen was never able to do

You know what, tell me about Tater Tots too. I wanna know

LUCKILY FOR YOU TATER TOTS IS ACTUALLY A BIRDMEN WIP. SHOCKING I KNOW. But I just have this stupid headcanon that the American seraph farms are run like public schools except even worse, which means shitty American school lunches. it's a fic about Robin and Miguel but idk if it's a | one or a & one if you feel me.

Robin.

Miguel's fingernails rap against the cheap plastic of the shared table, and Robin glances impassively at him over her lunch.

Miguel wordlessly pushes his tray towards her.

Robin raises an unimpressed eyebrow at him.

Can't be bothered to eat all your food and set a good example for Sybil and Luther?

That's your job, Miguel responds easily. Mine is being a brute.

Robin seems as though she has something to say to that, but she can't quite find the words. Words of protest, saying he's not a brute? Or more reprimands? Miguel doesn't care enough to ruminate.

A picky eater of a brute, he adds, flicking the edge of the tray. I hate these things. You know this.

Coping with Loss in Kekkaishi and BIRDMEN

ohhh but you can really see the first echoes of the themes of loss of humanity in this scene... sazanami and masamori are discussing soji's memories (or lack thereof), and masamori responds with pity to the fact that soji's memories from earlier in life have been completely erased. in a sense, soji "cannot be saved"— there is no returning him to his previous state. and yet, even so...

...despite the fact that he can't get back what he's lost, he can still gain new things, new experiences, and new memories... and so even in the wake of this devastating loss, isn't that something beautiful?

and really I think that's one of the biggest things that karasuma has to grapple with in birdmen. karasuma has a similar mindset to masamori here, especially at the beginning of the series, where he so desperately wants to return to being human regardless of the cost. for him, someone like takayama, who can barely remember a time when he was human, whose parents are both dead from a plane crash, is an object of pity. oh, the poor boy.

but takayama doesn't pity himself in the least. to him, there's nothing to feel sorry for, nothing to mourn for. it's just his normal life, and that's just the way he is. sure, he has to deal with blackouts, but everyone has their own problems they have to cope with.

karasuma's awakening is a huge turning point in the series, because while yeah he does awaken in the sense that he unlocks his bellwether ability, it's the catalyst for his mental awakening as well.

his first gut reaction is as it's always been— maybe if we're careful we can find some way of stopping our evolution, of preserving the status quo.

in a sense he's already come a pretty far way from the beginning of the series— he's no longer wallowing in self-pity, but instead worrying about how he can help the others. but kamoda and sagisawa both shoot him down, telling him that what's meant to happen will happen anyways, and that in order to protect the things that are important to them they'll need power to do that.

the clincher, in my opinion, is karasuma's conversation with tatsume. Tatsume tell Karasuma about his hypothesis regarding choosing to evolve when the time comes, and he can tell that Karasuma isn't really taking it too well...

Fig. 1: Guy who is not taking it too well.

...which is probably why he follows up with this:

"Don't think of it as an unfortunate fate."

What Tatsume says succinctly summarizes what Sazanami drew Masamori's attention to, whether Sazanami meant to put such a sympathetic spin onto that or not. Don't think of it as an unfortunate fate; yes, it's awful that this happened to Soji, but isn't it a blessing that he's now under the care of your family? Isn't it good that he'll be loved and cared for by Shuuji? Isn't it good that his suffering will end here? Isn't it good that he can finally start becoming his own person, now? Even despite everything?

And Tatsume's words hit extremely deeply with Karasuma especially because it appeals to his core desires the most. What he desires— even if it ultimately isn't a great thing— is control. He wants agency and control over his own fate.

Part of the reason he was so disgruntled in the prologue was because he felt like he had no control over his life at all— which yeah, manifested as "why do we all have to go to school anyways? because society said so? fuck society!!!" and other such edgelord thoughts, but underlying desire for control is there. We see it yet again when he blows up at his mother during dinnertime, when she tries to convince him that Kamoda's a bad friend and that he ought to spend less time with him. It's my life and my relationships with my friends!! Why don't I get control over even that?!

So when Tatsume tells him, "Yes, you may think what's happened to you is a tragedy. And maybe it is, and maybe it isn't. But the key point is, looking forward, you will be able to choose. You will be able to have control over your own destiny, what you've wanted all this time, what you've always dreamed of. Don't lose sight of it now," he can't help but move his feet forward of his own will for the first time.

[BIRDMEN meta masterpost]

So - I don't recall if you've ever written about it, but how did you get into Birdmen to start with? (I don't suppose it was because you caught Yellow Tanabe's Kaitou Kid art?)

Nope, it wasn't Tanabe's Kaitou Kid art, actually!!

I'd read Kekkaishi back in middle school and loved it to pieces, so I always diligently followed the authors work afterwards (diligently as in, I'd remember her once every few years. this is as much as I can love a creator. honest.)

and honestly I thought birdmen was just okay at the time. not really my type of story, but I liked her humor and pacing and paneling and art style enough to keep tabs on it and catch up every few years.

I didn't get really into it until...maybe april 2022? november 2021 one of my friends in middle school who read kekkaishi with me reread it and convinced me to give it another whirl and I got obsessed. lol. but its fandom is basically entirely dead, so it was tough making stuff for it... I know I reread BIRDMEN because I offhandedly told bells that it was about becoming something distinctly non-human and you know that's her ballpark but then I had sudden doubts like "dang but what if birdmen is bad actually. I've got to reread it to make sure it's like. good"

I ended up making stuff for birdmen because the fandom was still holding events and stuff at the time. (I caught the last fandom event for birdmen if that counts for anything! the 2021 Christmas event I think was the last one that was ever held.) There's a 5 month gap where I had reread birdmen but wasn't sold on it and then I tried examining the narrative under a queer lens for the bit but the stuff I kept pulling up all just fit suspiciously well for something that was supposed to be string on a delusional corkboard until I was like "hm. maybe... it's this way... on purpose ? ? ? ? ? " which honestly would be insane. like I really think I am true and correct and everything but also I'm ready to eat my words at a moment's notice but also when miss tanabe dies and people rifle through her belongings and such I am waiting for people to find some kind of will or testament or printout which will inevitably confirm my theory. like im that annoying and cocky like i'm literally waiting to be like yeah see i was right the entire fucking time. but also i'm just a sillyguy im just saying words and the words probably aren't even good and I'm probably just silly and wrong and delusional but I really think everyone is too cynical like I really think she did it on purpose. like yes I know. it's ludicrous.

but also. i think it's possible. i really do.

anyways here's the picture of kaitou kid that tanabe sensei drew for the curious. you know how it is ! ! !

thinking also about how being a mother isn't defined by being good at housework or other "feminine" stuff because we have seen! shuji! the father! us the one doing the housework! yoshimori is even good at baking! it's not a gender-locked skill! but it's expected of her to have a motherly touch, a womanly care, because if sumiko doesn't have that then she has failed as a mother, yes?

thinking also about birdmen as a reaction towards kekkaishi as you said and how I've always thought that since birdmen aren't bound by human mindset then their concept of gender let alone gender roles would probably be nonexistent either

anyway sumiko reincarnated as a birdman thanks for coming to my TED Talk

OHHH MYYYY GODDDD okay okay thank god I already wrote an essay on this so I don't need to set aside the whole day trying to write an answer for this but by god. am I passionate about Yoshimori and baking

It's implied that the time Yoshimori and Sumiko tried to bake a cake for Masamori was Yoshimori's first time baking... and in my own personal headcanon I think Yoshimori continues baking in part because he likes it... but in part to prove to his mother that anyone can bake. Even if you don't have experience. Even you, mom. (A wish.) Even you. (A plead.) Even you. (A prayer.) Which ultimately isn't quite the right mindset— it's still very much an "I can fix you" sort of move, but then I think Yoshimori is able to let baking go at the end because... well, maybe she didn't have to be fixed, in the end.

okay and another thing is that I really love the lipstick as part of Sumiko's design!! Like it says SO much about her... that she feels like she isn't an adequate woman... and in some ways she's even given up on being one... and yet we see that she can't let go of it... that she still feels obligated to LOOK feminine even if she can't BE feminine... augh eating sand every day over sumiko fr!!

It also really fucks me up that Sumiko had a housewife phase because there's the implication that there was a point in time in which Shuuji wasn't doing househusband shit and it's just like. I'm squinting so hard trying to picture Shuuji in a suit going to do office work or something idk and it just looks like he's attending a funeral tbh

AND YEAH. SO TRUE BESTIE!! the birds about to reinvent their entire identities!!! gender is but a spice in the great soup of identity. idk what I'm saying here but yeah. I don't think birdmen are beholden to gender the same way that humans are. I'm going to go the extra step and say that humans shouldn't be beholden to gender the way we are currently lmaoooo

Yeah anyways I'm here to say you're absolutely right and uhhh sumiko besties with the holy spirit more at 12

For the adj game: 4, 19, 20. :)

Hello :D

favorite thing to draw

Oh!! Easy!! I like drawing people!! in fact I like drawing people so much that most of what I draw is people. I just also happen to be a perfectionist so... everything I draw that happens to have an elaborate background... know that I am gritting my teeth and cursing under my breath while I draw it <3

For more specific stuff... hmm... I don't like faces so much but I think drawing heads and shoulders can be fun! I also like to draw dynamic poses though I kind of lose interest when I have to flesh out the details LOL

how often do you draw

I try to draw every day, and I think I'm reasonably successful at this. Not drawing is like a sanity drain on me, I literally start going crazy going insane if I don't draw. I'm plagued by visions and they need to go somewhere!! The hard part is working continually on the same illustration/project. That... hm. Well, I do make progress.

If anyone's curious about works in progress, I'm usually pretty good at sending what I've done that day into my community discord! Right now it's a hot mess of BIRDMEN (unsurprising), DCMK (also unsurprising), original stuff (finally), and Celeste (<-???? the indie platformer Celeste??? it's more likely than you think) but things change all the time. I'd love to see some of you there~ <3

But yeah to answer the question. At least a couple of hours every day! Unless I'm writing instead— sometimes writing takes over my drawing time. If I'm REALLY into something I can spend basically the whole day drawing LMAO. when I'm taken by madness. when I've succumbed to my divine revelations. you know how it is ! !

a piece from this year that you’re really proud of

Ohhh I know exactly which piece I'm most proud of from this year but I'm not allowed to post it yet! I can upload all of it in July, it's a oneshot for a manga competition!

Now for something I CAN post... it's got to be one of these two, I think...

The top is a commission for my friend (commissions are open btw. if you even care. here's my carrd) and the bottom are... my blorbos from birdmen... how predictable...

But yeah the circular composition of the top one is CRAZY awesome and I think I did an excellent job with the watercolor style coloring!! The bottom one is just an insane feat of rendering for me honestly. I'm not proud of the road I took to get there, because there was an objectively faster and better way to do it, but I AM proud of the final product. Look at how the light falls on Sagisawa's hair... come ON... the light on Karasuma's chin...? that shit's insane...

Thank you so much for the asks <3 <3 <3

Oh my gosh, so sorry for my ask being that troublesome. I honestly just found out Alva existed thought Tumblr (being a Kekkaishi fan to looking up Yellow Tanabe's other series and scrolling through posts about it pipeline I guess??) and her concept just interested me (like sapphic gamer girl? So cool!! Thank you Yellow Tanabe I guess??) So I asked you about it on a whim because you seem like a Birdmen expert.

LMAOO NOOO IT WASN'T TROUBLESOME IN THE LEAST I WAS JUST SO BAFFLED. IT LIVED RENT FREE IN MY BRAIN FOR SEVERAL HOURS IS ALL! I DON'T MIND AT ALL...

But anyways I'm grabbing you by your shoulders and telling you that you ought to read Birdmen and maybe it won't be that good the first time through but by god. if you marinate on it. it is literally insane and bonkers.

And yeah she's definitely one of the most concepts ever??? like that sure is a bag of traits!!!