Some Alien Bat Dromaeosaur Doodles

When I first saw the scene in Dungeon Meshi where Izutsumi comforts Marcille, I was a bit surprised. Izutzumi's grown a lot since the party picked her up, but she's clearly still uncomfortable with Marcille's emotional vulnerability despite being the one who reached out to offer comfort.

Izutsumi could have just sat there and done nothing while Marcille held her and cried her eyes out, but instead, she pushes aside her own discomfort and reaches out to pat Marcille on the back.

But reading the manga reminded me that this scene doesn't take place too long after their trip to the Golden City. The trip where Izutsumi spent the whole time acting more like a docile housecat than a person. The trip that traumatized her as soon as she had enough of herself back to realize what she'd done.

The trip where Marcille took it on herself to look after Izutsumi, even though Marcille herself expressed her own discomfort with the way Izutsumi was acting. The trip where Marcille had the village girls dress up Izutsumi alongside herself as if Izutsumi was still functioning like a person, even though they all probably could have just shoved her someplace warm and more or less ignored her. The trip where no one gave her grief for eating like a literal animal at the table, and they still included her at a more formal food table than the party generally gets to eat at.

All of this "having friends" and "building healthy bonds" and "looking out for others" might still be new to Izutsumi, but she saw what they all, especially Marcille, did for her when she was completely vulnerable and in no position to defend herself, and despite her stubborn nature and general discomfort with soft emotions, she's doing her best to pay their kindness back.

thank you izutsumi for showing exactly how it feels to deal with someone audibly crying/very emotional people, as someone who doesnt get it

still trying to comfort of course, these feelings are not invalid

Thoughts are a brewin'...

I made a blank Dungeon Meshi character sheet based off of the ones in the Adventurer's Bible if anyone wants to use it

EDIT

Hey! @whatifyandsand found some similar fonts used for the sheet so make sure to thank them!

They've included a psd file with a detailed guide on which fonts to use

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gDhewpREYS5A6nbCKbMBGKU_6HgTb0bz/view?usp=sharing

Maybe you’ve noticed: there’s been a shift in how people and movements that are anti-trans present themselves, and it feels designed to make them more palatable to people who would otherwise recoil at arguments that position trans people as threats. They don’t hate trans people! They’re very concerned about them! Think of the risks! Think of the children!! If that language sounds familiar, it’s because the anti-abortion movement uses this same playbook. Just like a crisis pregnancy center might advertise itself as offering pre-natal care, counseling or free pregnancy tests, an anti-trans provider might offer “gender exploratory” therapy or claim to offer valuable information on the “harms” of transition. Just like reporters being too willing to parrot unsubstantiated, anti-choice claims to the greater public, anti-trans groups are using places like the New York Times—and the fact that many people within those spaces were already held anti-trans beliefs-- to spread misinformation and position their “experts” as the reliable voices on trans care. Quite contrary to articles that claim people are being rushed through transition, accessing gender affirming care remains difficult for most people, especially young people. There are a limited number of places that provide it (and, due to transphobic violence both digital and physical, some of the places that used to aren’t able to anymore), waiting lists, and a dozen other barriers to access. Not to mention that plenty of elements of transition, especially physical transition, require at least a letter from a therapist. And now, on top of that, you have healthcare providers and resources who seek only to discourage or pressure all trans and nonbinary folks into not transitioning. This is a recipe for trans folks, or the people helping them access care, to walk right into a trap, and enables ongoing, anti-trans bias more broadly. Here's a guide from Scarleteen co-director Sam Wall to help trans people, and especially, adults in the lives of trans young people, to identify legitimate — and illegitimate — sources of trans care.

A bat drawing I'm making for a college class

Idk why but these are some my favorite Izutsumi panels

Can't wait to see 'em in animated form today :]

schedule for the week

sorry if this piles up with other izutsumi's talks but since it is on my mind. sometimes i think all the hang ups about her and the soul-mixed stuff is because some people are incapable of being open minded, not to drag real world issues but i wonder how these people discuss intersex, bigender or two-spirit identities if they feel the need to rule over a fictional character whose arc is about recognizing needs and desires with a body that is at odds with her self-image and a personality that refuses to compromise either.

thanks for all your hard work with this blog i love it.

No problem! It's honestly confusing to me since the fact she has both souls inside her is a big point of the character. My only guess was that it was anime only people that only happened to see that extra and extrapolated from it.

It's one of my biggest pet peeves cause that's like the whole point of her self acceptance journey, why does one need to prevail above the other? Why does it need to be "a girl was turned into a cat" or "a cat was turned into a girl"?

She literally said it out loud "Maybe it's not because I don't have a human heart, but because I've got two hearts"

I think you make an interesting point, maybe it's hard for people to accept that something can be two things at the same time? Without needing to be one first and the other second? Intersex conversation is interesting cause we really think in binaries non stop "but what were they supposed to be first" cause people assume it can only be one or the other?

To keep good faith I'll just assume it's anime onlies tho.

Having a Laios moment but thinking about the implications of Izutsumi. Do you think she could squeeze into impossibly smaller cracks? Like how cats can? And I wonder what her flexibility is compared to other tall men. lol I’m just imagining her forcing her way through the underside of a door

From how she moves I think she has above average flexibility for a tallman, I think possibly she works like a cat (if the head passes the rest of the body can too)

Speaking of cats the way they flip in the air is really interesting!

"The photos revealed that the cats turn over by twisting around the middle and rotating the front and back halves separately. By controlling the amount each part turns, they’re able achieve a net rotation while still keeping their total angular momentum constant."

Is this what Izutsumi is doing here? Her front does rotate first and is followed by her legs <3 (thought she wasn't upside down she fixes her position midair very well)

also look at this gif from wikipedia

Dungeon Meshi x Warrior Cats

Kibities :3