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PUT YOUR BEARD IN MY MOUTH
we're not kids anymore.
dirt enthusiast
TVSTRANGERTHINGS
Product Placement
if i look back, i am lost
Cosimo Galluzzi
Kiana Khansmith
KIROKAZE
shark vs the universe
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izzy's playlists!
Xuebing Du
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Peter Solarz
Three Goblin Art
Mike Driver
wallacepolsom
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@melancholyjones
Moonspell Magic looks interesting! I like the aesthetic & the overall designs, esp Claire. Just felt like the color pallettes overlap a bit too much, so I did some rough edits. Made Rae a bit warmer, Carina a deep pinkish-red to be more distinct from Rae (& cupid) & Layla more iridescent.
Something that's always fascinated me is the doll community's discourse around boy dolls. Obviously the consensus is that they don't do well and need improving, but there seems to be wildly varying opinions on what the bar for a *good* boy doll is supposed to be.
Something important to keep in mind is how much of the community's complaints are craftsmanship concerns (quality materials and fabrics, accessories, actual layered pieces), which ones are just inherent to male fashion in general (they're not gonna be as adventurous as fashions for women, especially in a playline doll), and which ones are generational (your personal tastes as a collector =/= what works for today's target market.... which is to say, CHILDREN.) These are all very different things, and too many collectors are terrible at making distinctions between them.
Some of the few playline boy dolls I see consistent praise for are Barbie Extra Ken and most of the LOL OMG boys:
While I often see complaints about G3 Monster High:
Maybe I'm just really fashion-illiterate, but Heath is the only one that's underwhelming to me? Aesthetically Deuce and Clawd aren't too bad, the biggest difference between them and the "good" examples are the darker color palettes and the less intricate jewelry/accessories.
I feel like when it comes to boy dolls, companies are trying to tread a fine line between being visually interesting while also being realistic for actual IRL boys to wear. (The latter is one of my issues with Dream Besties Ken.)
Then again, even the most well-designed dolls aren't gonna magically fix the systemic issue of boy dolls underselling in general.
So yeah. I have no idea how you fix this outside of just consigning them to niche premium collectible purgatory.
Begging, pleading people to look at Fresh Dolls, which has some of the best, effortlessly styled male dolls that lives up to its names in terms of fashion, hair and face molds
Even the slimline/budget dolls are so cute
Fresh dolls were definitely on the top of my mind, but when you really look at them the quality isn't that far off from Barbie Extra Ken/Monster High? Their biggest plus is probably that the styling nails both the representation and "plausible fashions guys wear IRL" aspects. Otherwise they're still a step below the MGA boys. Even the Disney ILY 4ever boys offer slightly more value for your money.
This ⬆️ and also this ⬇️
Adult Neon QT and Neon Kitty :)
Groovy Babe (L.O.L. Surprise! House of Surprises)
Old art from 2024
I will forever hate monster high G3 for what it did to the disabled cast.
“oh, but they have Cleo a chronic illness and Frankie a prosthetic leg”
yeah, and they made ghoulia talk and shot Jackson and holt.
G1 Ghoulia talks & she always has. She just speaks Zombie which is a different language.
Not speaking English is not a disability and I find that assumption extremely xenophobic.
Do I like that she speaks English in G3? Not really no. But it’s bizarre she gets labeled as non-verbal for speaking Zombie when she is in-fact talking.
Edit: and before anyone tells me she is UNABLE to speak English: why? Other zombies can speak English, Slo-mo can speak English when he’s motivated, Neughthan speaks English, Moanica speaks English AND Spanish AND Zombie (she understands the Zomboys) our trilingual queen.
She IS however canonically disabled, she has mobility issues & uses a scooter when she has too.
I apologize, let me try to rephrase this.
ghoulia is fully capable of understanding English, both spoken words and writing. But she is incapable of speaking it herself. This makes zombie similar to sign language, in the sense it’s the only language she can speak. Zombie is also similar to sign language in the sense it’s a language built on need. The fact all zombies can only speak it implies that there is a disability effecting all zombies ability to make the full range of sounds other monsters can, or that all zombies have a mental impairment that prevents them from learning other languages(this is not a dis to the mentally impaired. I am a semi verbal honours student). This would make zombie a disabled languages, like sign.
The inability to speak any different languages is a disability. Someone who doesn’t know Spanish could take a Spanish class and learn to speak it. Ghoulia does not have that ability. She is able to understand other languages, but She is only able to speak zombie, making it a disability.
it meant so much to me seeing ghoulia on screen as a child. She couldn’t speak a language others did, so others learned hers. She couldn’t speak, but that didn’t make her stupid. Ghoulia was the first time I ever saw a character that couldn’t speak, but still made noise. Every other non verbal character I’d seen made no noise at all. It was always a physical disability that made them nonverbal. No one would touch mental disabilities that affected speech with a two foot pole. Ghoulia made me feel normal, that my days where I list the ability to speak were ok, and she showed me a better world, where people won’t make a fuss, and will just learn to communicate with you on the terms you are capable of.
all of that was taken away in G3. Why? I don’t know, but it means the best representation for mine and many others disability was ripped away from us, the change telling us that we aren’t normal and accepted, actually, and that we would be better off speaking words we aren’t able to.
G1 vs G3 "signature" looks
Some very, VERY crude edits of the new refresh ghouls. I didn't change much for frankie or drac, & cleo was just some color & shoe adjustments.
Clawdeen needs such an overhaul i didn't bother editing her. But i think her fit could work if you get rid of the jacket & make her grapic tee into a longsleeve (none of the others have outerwear but they all have some kind of sleeve, clawdeen should match!). Give her a silhouette similar to rainbow high emi or pinkie. The main thing tho is to EXPAND HER COLOR PALETTE. There's waaaay too much purple going on here. Bring back the blues and greens from her 1st skulitimate doll!
I actually really like lagoona as she is, the only thing I'd change is to pull her hair back in a fishtail braid
Ichigo: absolutely WOULD & would get pride themed gifts for the others; loves doing couple's outfits w/ masaya
Minto: only small trinkets (courtesy of ichigo or lettuce) that she doesn't wear often or just keeps in her room
Retasu: like ichigo but only little trinkets/accessories (mostly homemade); is too nervous to wear hers as openly as ichigo
Bu-ling: can't remember which colors represent which label but wears gifts enthusiastically; gets excited whenever she sees stuff in public (often assumes ANY colorful horizontal striped pattern is some kind of flag)
Zakuro: has worn pride-themed outfits for promos/events bc she's a public figure, but doesn't wear that kinda thing casually; will wear small gifts occasionally
Ryou: absolutely not (keeps a few small gifts in his room)
Keiichirou: initially unfamiliar w/ anything other than the rainbow flag; wears small items gifted to him; designs a line of subtlety pride-themed menu items for the cafe
Masaya: initially unfamiliar w/ anything other than the rainbow flag; wears things ichigo gifts him; really likes doing couple's outfits w/ her; starts off as an "ally" but becomes interested the more he learns & eventually figures out something about himself
*Human concepts of gender/sexuality don't line up w/ the aliens' own
Quiche: doesn't get the different distinctions at 1st but finds it fun; tries to do couple's outfits w/ ichigo
Tart: doesn't quite get it, doesn't really care to; can be needled into wearing things gifted to him, but complains the whole time; will point out stuff he finds to others
Pie: finds it a somewhat confusing but respectable human custom; will wear the rainbow or ally things gifted to him for special occasions, but otherwise politely refuses them in order to avoid misidentifying himself
I have a question for the Monster High fandom, specifically for Gen3 fans.
What do you actually like about Gen3? And if you think that it's better than G1, why so? Would be even better if you explain in details, like what exactly you like about designs or the character writing.
However, I have one condition: your answer must contain something other than "diversity and representation".
I agree w/ what other folks in the replies have said re: the dolls being studier/more posable, more intricate face ups, etc. G3 also more consistently mixes fabrics/textures in outfits & even individual pieces, which gives them more variation in silhouette, detailing, etc. All that comes down to advances in technology across the industry tho, not MH specifically.
I do think g3's CASUAL lines excel at showcasing the characters' personalites/styles, just as well if not better than early g1 did. The more conceptual & event-based lines are incredibly samey, but that's been a problem since g1. (That's not to say interchangeable designs are inherently bad - sweet screams & freak du chic are beloved lines, even tho you could swap the characters' outfits around & it wouldn't make much difference.) I think MH as a franchise just works best when designing signature, everyday looks & struggles w/ lines that require all the characters follow a theme.
I also think the ethnic/body diversity does actually improve the designs visually. It takes character/design archetypes that are kinda generic or stale, & puts an unexpected spin on them. A token punk/rocker/alt girl is pretty common in doll lines, but the aesthetics associated w/ that archetype usually give you a doll w/ straight, dark hair, pale skin, & european- or east asian-coded features. G1 venus fell into that, but stood out by adding plant motifs & most importantly, the side shave (which was somewhat gender non-conforming for the time period). G3 venus stands out by combining that aesthetic w/ ethnic features it's not usually associated with. It's specifically being black (instead of white or east asian) that sets her apart from other "punk" dolls, past & present.
Other examples:
Frankie isn't the only fashion doll with a prosthetic limb, but they are the only doll that has it incorporated across multiple outfits. Making sure the leg is always visible requires the designers get creative w/ their silhouettes. I can guarantee you, if g3 frankie didn't have the prosthetic, they wouldn't get nearly so many asymmetrical pants & shoes. Whether or not you personally enjoy those design choices, they help make g3 frankie's style more distinct from the rest of the g3 cast, as well as from g1 frankie.
(In the western market) asian dolls wearing traditional clothing isn't new, & often relies on outdated stereotypes of what "traditional" asian clothing even is. G3 jinafire's outfit maybe isn't distinct personality-wise from other g3 characters, but it does pull from real MODERN Chinese fashion trends. That design approach helps the characters feel more authentic & natural. Like actual teens who live in the world & go to school, rather than personifications of certain countries/cultures/concepts.
Best MxF Magical Girl Ship - R1
Choose
Retasu Midorikawa x Pie
Retasu Midorikawa x Ryou Shirogane
who is your favorite
Sailor Moon
Sailor Mercury
Sailor Mars
Sailor Jupiter
Sailor Venus
Sailor Neptune
Sailor Uranus
Sailor Pluto
Sailor Saturn
Chibi-Moon
Tuxedo Mask
@keyofjetwolf @docholligay @ladyloveandjustice
How could I choose though. Don't do this to me.
(It's generally a tie between Mars, Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune. Decided to pick Michiru/Neptune because I figured she'd have the least votes out of them aaaand I was right).
wait looking at the results is this a troll thing or is it genuine misogyny, or did everyone voting assume he'd be underappreciated and that's what's happening, based on the fans I know he shouldn't be this popular.
You see why I tagged you three, we need to fix this
it's lesbophobia too. i've decided. why aren't we respecting our modern yuri queens.
He is falling behind now, and it's good, I may be beating a dead horse (and this will be my last post though I'm tempted to do a propoganda post for all four faves (actually all five including usagi) because I miss them)
But Mamoru himself wouldn't want to win this poll, he's aware he's not the main event and perfectly happy with that.
also for the record.
Love the people in the notes doing exactly this
Also the heath/jackson/holt stans, as if they're the only mh characters who are pathetic &/or mentally ill
it's worth mentioning that golden.boi.draws is problematic: he's aged up the MH characters to draw porn of them
ah I did not realize that, I was only aware of the kids generation
This isn't true. He's posted waist up, shirtless pictures of adult Clawd & Deuce; a comic about Clawd & Draculaura on their honeymoon where they're implied to be naked & talking about baby names; & a comic about adult Frankie & Andy the morning after an implied one-night-stand.
Depicting nudity/partial nudity isn't porn. Implying that characters have had sex offscreen isn't porn. It's reasonable to find those things uncomfortable, but that doesn't make them morally wrong or harmful.
Also all of these are posted to a separate account from his Boo Gen art. On the main account he's posted several completely nonsexual pieces about his adult versions of the characters just living their lives & being parents. None of his teenage ocs are ever depicted in any way close to sexual (implied offscreen kisses at most).
It’s so hard to follow doll ppl bc they keep complaining about the first gen of monster high that I have ever liked, and yet will do anything for MGA, who regularly spits out absolute dogshit quality dolls. Like “oh can’t you tell torelais eye is 2 micrometers left of where it should be??” No I can’t but rainbow high dolls have awful face screening and hair, their joints don’t work, the entire concept is boring as shit, the company is honestly not child friendly at all, horrifically ecologically irresponsible and not to mention some of the higher ups are blatantly racist. “But ooo they have inset eyes” get fucked
OP forgive me for dredging up an old post, but as some1 who has some very specific issues w/ G3 (mostly related to its treatment of clawdeen) — G3 is better:
The bodies are studier w/o sacrificing articulation
The face screenings are more expressive & the makeup more intricate
(With the exception of the skulimate secrets line) the outfits have more character specific styling & silhouettes
The clothing is generally well constructed & made with quality fabrics
Really the only things design-wise that I think G1 consistently did better are more experimental hairstyles & shoes, & utilizing the boys
Spin this wheel of ~300 AO3 tags three times.
Congratulations! The 4th dimension exists and you are their FAVORITE blorbo. The tags you got are from the most popular, most influential fanfic starring you. How are you feeling?
this is the best possible outcome for me
this is pretty good
this is fine. i guess.
this is terrible actually
they're assassinating my character
i'm suing the fourth dimension
