Seeing A Glimpse Of Izutsumi's Mom's Appearance, Really Made Me Wish The Story Delves In More Of Izutsumi's

deranged ramble incoming abt the succubus arc but like. god it fucks me up bc up until this point izutsumi has been a bit estranged from the rest of the group and rightly so, because she joined late, because the others knew each other better, because she has spent her whole life relying on herself. yes, her saying she could beat the succubus cuz she doesn't have anything she's attracted to is a Big Aroace Moment but ALSO in the official translation i read they translated that line as "i don't want anybody" ie. it's not just that she's aroace she also has no one else! and when she sees the succubus in the form of her mom and it doesn't have as huge an effect on her she thinks to herself "do i not have a heart?" and it's like!!! god!!! bc this arc isn't about how she needs to give up her self-reliance and learn to depend on others sometimes. it's about her capacity to care in the face of how up until now no one has cared for her. how her being a monster doesn't make her a monster, so to speak. at the end of the arc she still thinks she doesn't need the party to look after her but she wants to look after them and that's so important bc it's like. the part of her that cares about others hasn't been damaged forever. she hasn't lost her heart, she just has two of them. and like. idk. it's so good these chapters are so good izutsumi my little guy of all time ever. i think it's missing the point to go "um actually the succubi can still turn into family" or w/e bc THIS IS WHAT THE ARC IS ABOUT. whether or not izutsumi can have it in her to be a part of a family at all (she does) (she's just traumatized and aroace and doubts herself about it)

I am the monster you created. ↳ Ocean Vuong, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

Commented this in a youtube video but I wanna share it here cause more people should hear it, actually. (also op of the video was really nice about it once I pointed it out so wanna share it w more people)

"I’m actually really sad about your take on Izutsumi’s ‘picky eating’ esp after the praise for how Laios’s autism was handled. It was honestly so refreshing, when it's so often dismissed as childish, to see Izutsumi get treated with respect for it and have it accommodated as best they could. So often these things are glossed over in shows, and for a bit I thought our only take on it would be Marcilles cultural food hangups which would be treated as a flaw to be overcome. So seeing Izutsumi, and that the story would actually address this topic for once was… amazing, if scary as idk how it’ll be handled fully yet. I have a lot of difficulties with food from a lot of underlying mental health issues, most other ‘picky eaters’ do too (I’m sure Izutsumi with her cat nose and tongue and many on the spectrum can relate to the sensory hell certain foods can be, as one example). It's always been a huge source of shame and serious difficulty in my life, particularly because so many people view it the way you do in this review. With ridicule and seeing it as unreasonable, as just choosing to be difficult. But asking me or Izutsumi to “just get over it” because it's not convenient right now is every bit as unreasonable as asking Laios to “just take the hint/read the room”. It's just this behavior is from a disorder you don’t respect.

Sure yes it causes problems! Of course it would, disabilities do that! But honestly, as an anime only, I deeply hope that while Izutsumi becomes less selfish, she DOESN’T stop being a picky eater. That those two things are decoupled from one another! I am so sick of seeing it portrayed as some character flaw people just have to get over whenever it actually comes up. Having someone who doesn’t stop being a 'picky eater' but still has a healthy and respected relationship with food, in a show so focused on the philosophy and morality of food, would be amazing. I don't know if that's how the story will take it, but I hope it does. I'd be really sad to see it treated as a childish flaw here.

All this to say: seeing Izutsumi treated with respect for what food she can and can't eat, and through being treated with respect starting to work with Senshi and doing what she could to compromise, was every bit as therapeutic for me as the Laios/Shuro fight was for those on the spectrum. And I just wish people would treat that with a bit more respect and understanding."

Man, thinking of Izutsumi is making me cry. Like, the succubus chapter and the monsters taking on the form of her mom (that she thinks what her mom looks like but she doesnt remember, she was taken/implied kidnapped when she was very very young).

How at first she was frozen and her small, cracked voice, calling her, "Mom?".

Then, the next without effort kills her 'mom' and the agony that she thinks that she doesnt have a human heart, that she's a heartless monster. Thinking how easy it is to kill her. Until, a big cat monster appears. As the fight stops, she looks at the cat monster and questions why it doesnt affect her. The realization that she does have a human heart, it just beats alongside the monster heart. That she's slowly starts to accept who she is, I mean she still has the desire to go back to being human, but she does start to not hate herself. And the fact that nearly her whole life being carted around, she was never alone. Her monster part protected the little girl, gave her its strength and agility.

I'd like to believe that's where the part where this snip of her thinking of herself, comes to fruition

What’s the difference between a dog and a wolf?

what if we saw shapeshifter versions of izutsumi?

Explanations under the cut

#1 is Laios' Izutsumi:

extra detail on her cat parts

more monster-y traits present

outfit mistake

#2 is Marcille's Izutsumi:

influenced by their time in the Golden Country

a little more chill than the others

softer hair

#3 is Senshi's Izutsumi:

details of puffed up fur

this izutsumi is skinnier than the others (ribs showing)

^^ senshi must take care of the child

#4 is Chilchuck's Izutsumi:

rounded ears like marcille's

eyes kinda look like his kids puckpatti and flertom

stanced

Idk why but these are some my favorite Izutsumi panels

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

Creating prints for an upcoming convention and had a literal lightbulb moment

Not the best, but it's a start!

Quick lil design exploration of my self insert esque WoF character.

Body and head could def use some work but that tail is KILLIN IT!!!!!

A very experimental art for me, i want to try out some new style. ihnmaims radio drama got me in a chokehold and possessed me to draw this.

Also I'm giving Ted zero gyatt cus that man did not deserve it.

Note :

- the binary translates as "HATEHATE" on repeat.

- the pair of punchcode tapes representing AM's talkfield, are from the original short story. The left one is "I THINK, THEREFORE I AM" and the right is "COGITO ERGO SUM".

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