[ Image ID: Two drawings done in traditional and colored digitally.
The first image is Jameel and Saboor from the webcomic Puu, in a passionate kiss. Jameel is a thin dark skinned man with very thick eyebrows and short straight black hair. Saboor is a fat light brown skinned man with an unibrow and slightly curly short black hair. Here in the art he has a double chin. They both have long, protruding noses. They both wear white shirts. Jameel has a single gold bangle. They are embracing, with their hands on each other. Saboor seems lost in the feeling, while Jameel sweetly smiles.
There are simple white flowers on their heads, with Jameel having a flower crown while Saboor has scattered white flowers, with a bigger one with a yellow centre. Both of them are surrounded by flowers which are common to or found in Tamil Nadu. From Jameel’s back view to the left, jasmines and a sunflower spring to life. To the right, gloriosa lilies are unfurled. Marigolds are seen in front of Jameel’s outstretched hand on Saboor’s shoulder. Inbetween the sunflower and marigold, a passion flower sits in the middle. From the top of the drawing, to the left, the Indian coral tree’s flowers display in blazing red. Soft, deep pink hibiscuses drop down below them. To the right are voluminous chrysanthemums in peachy pink, red, orange and deep pink. Inbetween the left and right creep in small bougainvilleas. The leaves and veins in the leaves of each flower are in varying shades of green and varying sizes and shapes.
There is a bright, sunny, slightly warm filter over the drawing and its lines are very sharpened and clear. The gouache paint effect shows.
The second image is of Kamal Bora and Dr.Habit from Smile For Me kissing. Here in the artists interpretation Habit is more muppet-like. He has yellow fur, sewn-on blush patches with 3 big white freckles, more smaller fur-toned freckles, purple eyeshadow, ears with fluff in them, pink two toned hair which is dull on one side and brighter on the other, stitches and patches on his hands and deep red nails. He also has a snaggletooth. He wears his usual outfit, the coat looks fuzzier. Kamal wears a mild pink button-up shirt and a single small round gold earring. In the artist’s interpretation he has acne on his face, and eyebags. His hair fluffs out more and has a shine to it.
Habit is holding Kamal from above in a dip. Kamal caresses Habit’s blushing face, his other hand holding the nape of Habit’s neck. Their eyes are closed, they look happy. Deep yellow dog-tooth lilies with big bright, saturated leaves and dark veins come in from the top, from Habit’s side, while red roses with small dark leaves and bright veins bloom from Kamal’s side, both flowers representing the each of them. Fluffy dandelions sway below the couple.
The brush used is watery. There is a blur surrounding the picture, and a warm orange filter, with a faint orange glow coming in from all the sides. A very faint rainbow is seen passing the pair in the middle. end ID]
Talk and alt versions under the cut!
‘Konju’ is a Tamil word and it means something like acting very affectionately. I wanted to use it to express more precisely then an English expression!
Anyway..have I ever told all of you how much I love flowers being used to represent queerness?! I think its such a beautiful, poetic thing. I really wanted to draw something for that out of my own hands.
I realized in my knowledge were prominent two flower gays...
Puu is the first queer work I’d ever read with a Tamil sense about it..it was and is truly instrumental to me finding my identity. I am glad it touched me, far away from the country where I came from. The artist’s little jokes, poems, historical references and insights give it such lovely flourish. And the art-style change deeply impresses me as well, switching from simple shapes to abstract senses to Tinkle comic’s style. A message from it that sticks with me to this day is that tragedy is not a predetermined destiny to queer people such as myself and that, while unearthing history and legend is important, we simply exist in the now, and should be accepted as we are.
Puu is a comic which changed my life( and my name *winks* ). Maybe you could check it out...do heed the warnings. I’ll promote it until the end of time babes!
https://hiranyaksha.tumblr.com/puu-chapter-index
Smile For Me...OK, full disclosure, I’m half sleepy right now after tution and just kind of giving raw thoughts, so pardon lack of eloquence, i wish my tears could just soak through the keyboard and write proses.
Anyway..gosh..its my latest obsession going strong for a year and a half and onwards and into the stars, what do I say!! I get a painful twist of nostalgia. Like I’m sitting with an old friend in the grass and watching a mountain, everything glazed over in sweet, sweet, heartbreaking sepia.
This game is the gift that keeps on brushing my teeth. Its just...its just *wheatley voice* bloody good, that one. I admit..I’m not much involved now but while the game itself is great, the fandom is really what got me...it was very close to a home, away from the chaos of a my physical house. The characters are silly, lovable and gimmicky- thanks Kamal ‘’teeth lube’’ Bora- all with a goofball exterior with some chills covering a message of hope, human connection and second chances. Theres a song that I think is the BGM to my life, corny as that sounds heh, and I associate it with Smile For Me too. It has a special, secret place and importance with me.
And um, Platitudes from the epilogue made me cry. Hopefully the next time I’ll be bawling my pretty eyes out over that, I’ll have, like, facial hair and a few inches and a self-sewn doll of Dr. Habit in my arms, my ever faithful aide through medical school...hehe. I like to dream.
About the art itself, well I’m quite proud, imagine me twirling my stache smugly at your doofus self...
I picked common flowers or ones found in Tamil Nadu for Jameel and Saboor. I also described their appearances since the comic doesn’t have a wiki and stuff.
Habit and Kamal’s representations are fairly self-explanatory, except the dandelions. One of my dear friends told me this pairing fits the song Dandelions by Ruth B. once, and I liked the tune, and the rest is history. You can hear a cover I did of it gayly sobbing all over the mic!
Well, lets get onto the alts my dears!! They’re just more unedited versions.
[Image ID: The first image is the same as the first in the previous description with Jameel and Saboor except without filters and effects. It looks softer. The paint effect is still seen.
The second image here is the same as the second in the previous description with Habit and Kamal except unedited with no blur and warm filter. It has sharper lines and starker colors. end ID]
Hey um... Puu is such a good comic holy moly!! I love it and the creator is so sweet y'all. He's 👌👌👌 and so is his comic so you should go check @hiranyaksha out pls!! Also Jameel and Saboor are so gay for each other I cry. 😪
