#touchstarved speculation

[garams-rambles]

Do you think Mhin picks at their skin? Subconsciously, and sometimes obsessively, searching for signs that their transformation is becoming permanent

Ripping out feathers as they change, fighting tooth and nail to stay human

Are they filled with self-loathing to the point that they believe they deserve to be punished for what they are, so full of shame over it that they punish themself because they don’t want anyone to know their true nature?

Does Kuras wrap bandages around their arms, raw and bloody because they could have sworn they saw feathers starting to poke through, and they had to be sure about it?

Does he try to convince them that they’re beautiful and worthy of love? Or does he acknowledge their monstrosity as little as possible, ignoring it to give them a semblance of normalcy, yet inadvertently feeding their shame?

[garams-rambles]

Yall really liked the Mhin clothing analysis so here’s one for Vere:

Vere’s clothes are very loose, very sheer, and very lightweight. Quite the opposite to Mhin. He seems to be trying to wear as little clothing as he possibly can.

He’s also chained and collared by the Senobium. Chains are heavy, thick, and restrictive.

So his clothes are the complete opposite to that. He wants freedom, it’s been stolen from him. His is forced to wear restraints, so his clothes are the one thing he can use to give himself a sense of freedom

[garams-rambles]

Mhin has A LOT of straps and buckles throughout their outfit. Like a lot

I feel like it brings them a sense of comfort and containment. Like they can contain their monstrous nature more easily with all the closures on their clothes

Even if it can’t help them, it makes them feel more secure

[garams-rambles]

Everyone, a drumroll please! It’s time for what you’ve all been waiting for! Garam’s analysis of Leander’s clothing!

(Or has no one been waiting for this? I dunno, how much do yall care about what I have to say?)

Anyways…

Leander’s clothes:

Leander has honestly been the hardest for me to get a read on. He has such huge fuckboy vibes, but he doesn’t like…dress like one?

Well, okay his shirt is so tight that I guess he does.

But the man doesn’t show a lot of skin. He’s just as covered up as Mhin is, really. But why? As someone with so much confidence, why is he covering things up?

And then, like a brick to the face, it hit me! I feel like a lot of Leander’s monstrosity (since he’s kind of just a guy) is him hiding things and lying.

He’s always hiding something, including his body. There’s a lot of secrecy with Leander and that extends to his clothing too.

Perhaps he also wants to hide as much of his scar as possible. To hide what could be seen as a weakness.

A lot of secrecy exists with Leander and his clothing shows that too

[garams-rambles]

I guess I’m just gonna do all the LI’s now lol

Ais’s turn!

Ais wears clothes that are much more traditional than the other characters. They show very clearly his East Asian heritage (yes, specifically Japanese, I’m just trying to use more words to make this post look more impressive)

Of course, these clothes have elements of western style mixed in, like all the belts and the boots. And the spikey studs on his boots.

I like to think that the traditional aspects of his clothing, most notably his coat/jacket, he wears to try to keep a reminder of who he is. Clinging to his own identity so he doesn’t lose himself to Ocudeus and the group mind.

So the more western aspects are symbolic of a bit of rebellion against Ocudeus, refusal to let any one thing have complete control over him. Ais doesn’t play by anyone else’s rules, and his clothes reflect that

[garams-rambles]

Kuras’ clothing:

Kuras wears all white, with golden accents. White lab coats are associated with doctors, so from that standpoint his coat being white makes a lot of sense.

But why is almost everything else he wears white? Angels often are depicted as wearing all white. A symbol of the holy light that they carry in their beings.

So perhaps it’s something that Kuras does subconsciously. He’s drawn to wearing all white because it’s so familiar to him, because it’s the closest thing a mortal can create to holy light.

Gold is one of the softer metals we have, it’s malleable and very shiny. It’s also a very stable element so it’s doesn’t tarnish. More symbols of Kuras’ divine heritage, a part of him that cannot be changed.

He also has test tubes on straps across his chest, because he’s always prepared. He always carries some medicinal ingredients with him in case he needs to help someone but can’t get them to his clinic.

His clothing is not only the mark of a doctor but the mark of his divinity, and perhaps that divinity is something the Senobium tries to emulate, or believes that they have, being why they also wear all white (they lowkey seem Catholic trauma coded to me)

[garams-rambles]

In this image of Ais from the Kickstarter page, with his monster form in the background, his tattoo seems to have grown to now be crawling up his neck (excuse my bad cropping, tap in the image for a better look)

So what if the tattoo, being a symbol of Ocudeus and all that, is also a meter of how much power Ocudeus has over Ais?

So when Ais either uses those powers or as Ocudeus gains more control over Ais, the tattoo covers more and more of his body

[garams-rambles]

Why is Ais the only character who doesn’t have an outline drawn around his irises?

Is this significant? Is it because of Ocudeus?

Am I other-thinking?

The answers to these questions and more will be aired….i dunno? Eventually? Never? *shrug*