The glasses are good, make him look really cute.

As a mouse that wears glasses, I am pleased with this outcome. Democracy in action!

Wow, last place for Crispin? Shame. But mice are still good.

The glasses are a nice touch, but they're very subtle, so his figure did a lot of the heavy lifting.

A day later and I can confirmed I’m still thrilled by how cutely you drew Brett and how lovely Desmond looks in his victory sash 😭

The reviews are in, and I've got another essay on the brain.

Welcome to the winner's circle, Dez. I will have to agree with you on the glasses part; They really do complete the look for him and accentuate how damn cute he is. Combine that with the fact that he's a mouse and you've got yourself an ensemble with an undeniable appeal. Nerds and mice just go really well together, aesthetically speaking, so I can't say I'm all too surprised at the result.

Next up is Arturo. On a significantly smaller note, while he does have his own accessories in the form of his piercings, they're not a dead ringer for a personality like Desmond's glasses. His facial profile alone already gave him that gruff "bad boy" vibe, and here he is in his wife-beater and jeans. Whether it's the "I can fix him" crowd or the folks who want to crack through his tough outer shell, he does make for a solid second place.

Following up in third is Brett, whose placement actually subverted my expectations. As much as I love him, I honestly thought he'd be perceived as the most boring of the bunch and stuck in last place. He doesn't seem all that upset to have placed third- Heck, he looks happy to have been in the running at all. I said I liked the vibes he gave off, and he genuinely seems to have that sort of personality that'd actively make me want to hang out with him on the regular. What kind of person wouldn't want to spend time with their prospective partner? And hey, even if he wasn't boyfriend material, he'd still probably make a great buddy.

As with all popularity contests, there's always going to be someone given last place. Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Picture is Crispin. His profile, giving him a more distant and somewhat shy personality probably made him difficult to pin down for some people, but I thought that little air of mystery about him would be enough to give him some attention. Heck, it's an open secret that rabbits and hares are one of, if not my most favored species out there, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested in seeing what makes this guy tick. He was by far the hardest one for me to pin down in my initial review of the bachelors, and that alone could count for something.

I, too, have some thoughts on all of this.

I talked to a few in my Patreon's discord server and I feel like anybody who got the glasses would have received a bump in their votes, and I remain convinced and Arturo would have won if he had the glasses instead. I saw some others deny that, suggesting that unlike the mouse, the glasses wouldn't 'work' with Arturo's overall vibe but I disagree, combine the brooding bad boy thing with 'but also he's near sighted and needs glasses to read the amount owed on his citation for a dubious parking violation' seems like it would have immense appeal, juxtaposing the expectations like that. I maintain the glasses were kind of a ringer and seriously wonder what would have happened if Desmond had to go it without them.

I also expected Brett to come in last though not at first. In the original drawing, every character had their advantage. Arturo had coolness/bad boy, Crispin had those flowy ears and femininity, Desmond of course had the glasses, and Brett's main appeal was his charming buck-toothed smile. I've been trying to years to really nail a rodent smile like that and thought that was as close as I'd come and hoped it would lead to a strong result for him, even if he didn't win (I figured Arturo would get it because Rats are basically my signature species so they enjoy more credibility among my followers). Since Brett came in so low I'm forced to ask myself if I indeed botched the smile. Of course, it's very possibly he was simply outshined by glasses and bad boys but, still, I can't help but doubt myself at every available opportunity.

And that brings me to Crispin. I often say about my lops, if I could ever draw them at "full power" as they appear in my head, they'd be unbeatable. I'd say Crispin came out at maybe 79% power. And part of me blames his low favor with me somehow failing him but I also think it speaks to a changing culture. Or if not changing, changed from 'my day.' Crispin's designed to be like the demure girly boy of a 90's teenaged girl's dreams. Think Castlevania Character concept art. But these days, it really feels like people are super, duper into...some guy. Any guy, really. So long as his hair is short, he's of an acceptable weight, and he's not causing a fuss. And that seems especially true among say, gay men who were likely the primary audience of this poll (ironically a purported straight man was one of Crispin's backers, and he mentioned his feminine looks as why he chose him...success?). It's possible that a character like Crispin would appeal more strongly to cishet women of a certain age? Or maybe I just didn't do a good job, who knows.

I could go on but whose asking for that. Either way, those are some of my thoughts on this little experience. I appreciate the time and detail you put into your comments on this, especially as a non-watcher from the blue, these are the kinds of discussions I wish I could conjure up more often.

The glasses help bring the whole together!