#I love being an artist as I can just make up a fantasy world that

[sirfluffyknight]

Made myself a ref sheet

Currently cursed to only draw 3/4 head views

Give me a week and I'll learn how to draw him looking forward in a non-cursed way

[tauruswiftie]

about to cry looking at these photos of roman mosaics.... 

[scribeofmorpheus]

Why Dragon Age Veilguard isn't a "Cathedral"

Concept art by Matt Rhodes

"To disinherit the storylines of past games goes directly against the notion of building cathedrals."

What is inherent with Veilguard that keeps bothering me is the fact that the world's choices truly didn't matter--and it doesn't simply bother me from a player perspective, it's not simply a grievance borne of frustration to what I (as a longtime fan) have lost. It's about the very culture of the arts under capitalism's new media habituation cycle [x][x].

Yes, I spent hours of my life playing and replaying each instalment of Dragon Age. Yes, I painstakingly curated a 'canon' world state by replaying what came before in preparation for Veilguard. Yes, I am even more unsatisfied with the end product--time hasn't helped, it's just widened the divide. But, and I can't stress this enough, these very personal gripes aren't what hit home the most. It's the inherent disregard of legacy. A legacy that the previous writers and game developers were building towards.

In the DAV artbook, "cathedral" is the word used to describe the process of making a game. Matt Rhodes' exact words are: "One artist can make a painting, but it takes a team to build a cathedral." Cathedrals took centuries to build. The architect who drafted the first blueprints would likely never see his work realised, he had to rely on those who came after him, like-minded and passionate, to see it through--for the culture, for the future, for legacy. Painters took on several apprentices for this reason too--giant frescoes were not completed by one man's hand, even if it is one man's name that immortalises them. Similarly, if you weave a narrative around choice, what good does it do to take it away at the final act if not to fall to caricature?

To disinherit the storylines of past games goes directly against the notion of building cathedrals.

Late-stage capitalism and profit-margin-obsessed game producers forcing developers to churn out meager content, to make a known brand into something it's not, to chase a fad or a popular trend... o, how reductive and cliche you've been forced to become Bioware. We have lost the cultural thought patterns relative to Cathedrals. We know only of barn-raised churches--done in a day but unlikely to last the turn of the seasons.

And don't even get me started on the music of Veilguard either. From Origins to World of Warcraft to Everquest to Baldur's Gate to Dungeon Siege, you can hear the intricate interconnected weave of sounds inspired by the Dungeons and Dragons-esque fantasy genre. You hear it in the repeated use of certain instruments, in the harmonic weeping notes of a bard-like singer or the foreboding echoes of drums as if of war. In tavern songs. But then, rather than hire someone who loves these worlds and this genre, who is a hungry artist looking to make a name, a legacy if you will, for themselves with a spectacular score, you hire any already sated composer, one well-into the encroaching years of career fatigue, whose notes repeat in countless projects, who feels less concise and more uninterested with each new project. One who has long since cemented his legacy. Someone in it for a paycheck and nothing else! And, to top it off, you let him compose something so minimalist? I am offended actually.

Cathedrals! We should have witnessed the final tile being placed on the Dragon Age cathedral. Instead, some architects walked up, tore down the interior and installed IKEA furniture and called it authentic before having to call the previous architects to come and fix the "load-bearing issues", forcing them to rush and add a coat of varnish and a few 'aged' details for authenticity.

[punkbarbarian]

for folks who don’t follow them on instagram— ally beardsley wrote part of an op-ed in the washington post for the 50th dnd anniversary about a moment playing dnd that really stuck with them and i wanted to share it here!

“a character’s journey — and my own”

I was an aspiring comedian in Los Angeles and had just landed a salaried job at the comedy website CollegeHumor. My co-worker and friend Brennan Lee Mulligan was looking for six comedians to create a show that would be like an at-home game of D&D. Why not? “Dimension 20” became a weird punctuation to my day.

I remember there being too many rules to remember. I kept turning to my friend, Brian Murphy, to ask which dice I should be rolling. I wasn’t paid overtime, but I loved the group and was having a lot of fun.

For the second season, I had my sea legs. I created a character for the campaign who was transgender. I had started going by the gender neutral they/them pronouns at work and among friends, but sourcing hormones or getting surgery seemed equal parts expensive and invasive. A fun thing about fantasy is stripping away the crunchy, real-world limitations and asking yourself: “What would I do if I could do anything?”

That season’s arc for my character, Pete, was extremely euphoric for me. I had described him as a trans cowboy you might see at Burning Man, and the artist drew him dressed as a freaky Hunter S. Thompson in an open shirt to show his top surgery scars. He has wild magic — uncontrollable and dangerous in the game mechanics — which we used to explore the painful chaos of leaving a family that doesn’t accept you.

Since then, I’ve started testosterone HRT and had top surgery. It’s funny to listen back to myself playing a character who had transitioned in ways I hadn’t. It’s full of inaccuracies that make me smile. Pete takes a testosterone pill every day; I now know it’s a weekly injection or a topical gel. I see my face, one wrapped up in playing something so new but instantly right. It was like an oracle. A near-future me who has health insurance! Who’s talked to their mom about being trans and even spent a week post-top surgery on that mom’s couch in Temecula, Calif!

As I started transitioning my appearance, seeing that in front of the camera felt raw. I was starting hormones, and my voice was cracking. Realizing it was all being recorded felt naked at times, but it has been really nice to talk to fans and friends about how important it is to see someone that looks like you taking a big risk on themself.

With Pete, it was really important to me to tell a story other than the dramatic lead-up to a medical transition. So we started with him having just gotten out of surgery, but that’s all you see of that process. Part of his backstory is that he doesn’t have a relationship with his transphobic parents, and before shooting the first episode, I felt sick to my stomach. I’ve been on a journey with my parents, and our starting place didn’t have much common ground. When my character meets with his father, it felt as though I was actually running into my own on the street.

Brennan could sense that discomfort, and as my character’s dad was about to call Pete by his deadname, Brennan shut the interaction down, surrounding his dad with bubbles that carried him into the sky. Magic is the power and freedom to manipulate your reality, and you can banish the awful voices in your life — let them swirl away into the air.

[baewritez]

Just A Little Touch Up (0)

( Aaron Pierre X Plus Size OC )

Summary : The black and white life of a makeup artist is given color by A-List Client

Tags : Work Place Romance , Age Gap , Plus Size OC , BDSM , 18 +

 How does one find themselves bent over a kitchen counter with their hands tied behind their back? Better yet how does one find themselves pent under one of the most beautiful men to grace my eyes?! But that is it; that is what holds the answer. If you were to ask how I ended up in this position, I would say it was an exchange of looks, eyes full of desires, wants, needs so pure like honey that you could almost taste its sweetness. His eyes, like crashing waves held me captive fixed in place while a smirk started to spread on his face. I want to be the next thing spread across those juicy pump lips, as if thunder rolled out his lips so confidently, he said “So do you know how long we are in hair and makeup for?” his voice piercing the darkest part of my desires leaving with a newfound longing.  

Strumming over my words “t-t-t-two hours I think” warm air filled the trailer blowing past him as he walked up the stairs closing the door as he stepped in. His cologne of warm nutmeg and patchouli oil filled the air as I fought the urge to take a deep breath. “Thanks, my assistant and manager won’t be on set til 9:00am so it’s just me and you.” Looking up at him I felt like a dwarf, and he was a skyscraper as he moved closer towards me. “Um that is okay I think I can be finished with your makeup before then. You can sit here.” I gestured with my hand to the black makeup chair in front of me. He held out his large hand towards me. “I am Aaron” I looked at the veins near his knuckles; my mouth started to water as I tried to swallow my thirst down. The image of his big hands grabbing my curly puff and pulling flashed in my mind. SLAPPING my hand down I took a step a back and smiled. My heartbeat was like an alarm in my ear at just the idea of being close to him set it into a frenzy. “Would you like a water or coffee?”  His hand slowly went back down to his side as confusion blossomed on his face, but he gently brushed off the interaction and exchange. As he started to get settled into the seat his bulky frame filled the space around me as I instinctively grabbed the counter behind me. A look of concern washed over his face as his handsome facial features scrunched up. Holding up both of his hands the white shirt and black leather jacket raised up to show his chiseled deep v leading to what I could only think was euphoria “I don’t bite, Love” his husky voice breaking the awkward silence. But all I wanted was for him to leave bite marks and hickeys where no one could see and even in places where they could be seen. I wanted him to show the world that I was his; but that was a fantasy. “So, water, right?” My voice trembled, as I started to break my gaze from his charcoal jeans as it now covered the valley of ecstasy. Slowly tracing up past his white v neck t-shirt into his hazelnut brown and storm cloud eyes taking in his clear and blemish free skin. “Water is perfect, Love.” he replies. Aaron moves his arm to rest of the side arm of the chair and he places his hand on chin and rests it on his full amber beard. Taking a deep breathe I turned to face the counter and mirror; I bent down opening the mini fridge to grab a cool bottle of water as a shiver ran down my spine. Coming up from the fridge I am stopped in my tracks as I glance into the mirror only to be frozen in time as Aaron’s eyes created a fire in his wake. I am the match, and he was setting me ablaze his eyes moving from legs to my ass gliding up like a feather. My palms start to form sweat beads became clammy. It’s as if I was rubbed up against a balloon the hair on my neck and arm stands small shocks pulse throughout my body. The sound of our heavy breathing and the humming of the ac unit filled my ears. He was my Hades making me his Persephone as his bottom lip is captured by his teeth. My mouth is left open the idea of his thick finger filling that emptiness sends another shiver down my spine and my body goes relax. The thud of the bottle snaps both of us out of drunken stupor.

** A/N : I hope i didn't keep you waiting too long. If you like the preview let me know. Welcome to BaeWritez where desire can be fulfilled. - XOXO BAE

[petday]

I make fandom art I make porn I make stuff that makes me miserable and I make stuff that makes me happy and I follow all the advice online but still nobody likes my art. I know it's good art and im not insecure about my talent level but no matter what I post or where I post it, nobody wants to like or interact with my art at all. I know people see it I know people are scrolling past without acknowledging what I make and it fucking sucks. I don't have friends to share stuff I make with and nobody online cares clearly. What do you do when nobody likes you or what you offer.

Good question. This response involves some of my history. I try to talk about my experiences at a comfortable distance. But please skip to the 'Solutions' part if you're bored.

My thoughts below:

It's painful. I have a lot of memories of high intensity pain due to no one engaging with me, at school and online. 'If I live in the same world as others, but it still feels like I am in a world with just myself, what is the point of trying to make things? Sure, I will feel better about myself as I grow, but I've still got no one to grow with, so I am just talking to myself. Amusing myself is fine, but I want to reach a level of fun above amusement, a level that others seem to reach so naturally.' 

In fact, maybe you are less 'outward' with your emotions, but as a child and teenager and young adult, there was a lot of screaming and crying and thrashing about 'not being granted the ability to make things others will seriously engage with me about.' 

(The pain remained after making a few friends during teenage years. The pain's attitude shifted slightly to accommodate this new life change of gaining friends. Much later, even after I became an artist with a large visible number of 'followers/people interested in something you make', the pain shifted its shape around this life change again. "People make bad assumptions of me because I have a big visible number in my profile and most websites do not give me the ability to hide that number." Summary: If your pain/frustration still remains after you gain a friend or find people who engage you, don't beat yourself up. Emotions don't work in such a way that the outcomes you desire are only guaranteed to make you happy and no other emotions will rise.)

Although I loved to look at art on websites since I was a child, one may assume I enjoyed the community aspect. I did, but only as a spectator for the vast majority of the time, since age restrictions and the harsh attitudes that exist to 'prevent the weak from touching the strong' was present in many of the sites I visited. Similar to how children get frustrated when another child cannot keep up with their play, but the child that is 'left out' can still enjoy watching other kids play from afar. It makes perfect sense to me these feelings will always exist in the world no matter what 'social media' websites people invent.

Anyway, two solution attempts in succession I tried over long-term:

1. My first attempt at a solution was immersing myself in a fantasy world I created in my mind and I held my imagination in high esteem. "I know my imagination takes influence from the things I read and admire, so it's not such a lonely world anyway." Creating episode lists of imaginary cartoon episodes and such, so dedicated to something I hardly told anyone about. It felt good. But my friends had original characters too, and they could describe their personalities and dynamics to others naturally and quickly, likely due to their earlier experiences with 'communicating ideas to others.' I was quiet and envious. Although it was fun to play with the imaginary characters in my head, I decided to take another step. Of course I could not simply go back in time to gain the similar social experiences my friends had. But I could use that desire to 'go back in time' to 'go forward in time' and gain the experience.

2. Engage in others first. Because I spent a long time in my imagination, I felt more secure about myself, so I wanted to extend the feeling of 'caring about my own work' to 'caring about others' work on an equal level.' The internet allows you to assess people before engaging to see if your compatibility might be okay. If someone had posts that resonated with me, I tried to say 'hello, I like what you posted/I like your drawing because [...]' Even if the contact ended there, it was a good practice. Gently communicate with people over time. Especially since I am sure there are people who rarely receive questions about their artworks who would love someone to engage with them as well. Of course do not do this in a 'pity' sense – you have to genuinely find something that 'touches your heart' and if the artist seems to not get much curiosity in regards to their art, you can go ahead and try to express your curiosity to them. Keep posting whatever you like, but if you engage with others, you may find someone engaging with you without even expecting it, and that is fun.

(I think society should practice finding genuine value in things they like even if they see nobody has touched it. Not pity, but removing the "does anyone else like this? If I see no one else liking this, it must be a bad thing to like, so I won't engage" attitude. Some of my favourite artwork has maybe 5 visible 'bookmarks/favorites' on an art-focused website.)

[wellofdean]

I wanted to make a separate pose to big up these excellent tags on this post about how a show can be about misogyny when it's about men from @deangirlism101 :

#by virtue of watching the show long after it stopped airing and after years of exposure to the fandom#I've experienced a very interesting phenomenon wherein i went in expecting a very straightforward male fantasy#specifically in regards to dean#and was continuously surprised by how dean was around women who were actual characters and not caricatures#with caricatures of women dean also becomes a caricature of a womanizer#but with woman characters? with victims and friends?#dean is constantly paternal/brotherly#endlessly protective and respectful#in fact dean's utter lack of sexualization of the complex women around him in the first few seasons#kind of had me thinking he might just be straightforward gay#additionally it's interesting to point out that dean is the only one of the three winchesters who does not have a#''symbolic woman'' that drives his narrative#i.e. of the three winchesters he is the one who engages with the women around him as people and not someTHING to give him ''purpose''#which ties pretty well into his own role in his family being a typically femenine one#john endlessly relies on dean to serve the role of his mother yet he resents him when he does it so naturally#which from a queer lense is pretty much spelling out ''john can't put his finger on it but something (queerness) about dean bothers him''#anyways it just surprises me how#the fandom has perpetuated this image of the characters#and how#ironically#that image is the exact caricature dean so obviously puts on and we so obviously are supposed to KNOW he puts on

Some really nice points here, and bang on target:

Dean is not called to his adventure/journey because a symbolic woman dies like John and Sam are; he is put upon it by his father and his own sense of responsibility and love before he has the agency to choose. He wants his father's approval, his brother's love, and he wants not to be alone in a world of monsters...and...is HE a monster? A killer? Is everything his fault?

John resents Dean because what he needs from Dean (obedience, domestic work, emotional labour) is feminine. It's what women are for. Dean internalizes that resentment. Sam defies John and is driven by his own losses, and John can respect that, but Dean becomes the family repository of what they've lost. Dean is the eldest daughter who can never do enough.

John has chosen to abandon normal life and live on the fringes to pursue his revenge quest, and Sam is fighting to get back to the center -- left his family, hot girlfriend, Stanford Law, credit in the straight world, friends. But Dean? He has accepted that he will never be normal. He has accepted that he will always be a lonely, liminal weirdo who knows something terrible about the world that most people are spared from knowing.

Like:

If you leave Supernatural season 1 without realising that everything Dean pretends to be is pretty much the opposite of what he is, then you are not watching it right, full stop. The Dean Winchester he pretends to be is a character invented by a terrified, homeless, wounded little boy who doesn't know how else to protect himself.

Second, if you can't see how totally fucking queer all that is, I CAN'T HELP YOU. And,

you cannot hit that many nails on the head without knowing where you're swinging your hammer, and in conclusion, Dean was always deeply queered, and that was in the DNA of his character.

The truth is, that Dean is a very cohesive character. He is written and performed beautifully, and with intention. He is not an accident, he is an artistic creation, and he is excellently drawn. I am not "giving the writers too much credit", I am taking an Occam's Razor-type view of it, and coming up with the simplest explanation for what I see on the screen.

That said, if by some insane magic trick they managed to make Dean this queer by accident? It doesn't matter what they intended, because THE TEXT IS WHAT IT IS. I don't need the permission of the authors to see a church by daylight, and Dean is THAT OBVIOUS.

[ineffectualdemon]

Separating Art from the Artist doesn't mean "I'm going to ignore everything this person has ever done in their life and pretend they are a pure good person"

It means when evaluating the work on its technical and artistic merits, you need to separate from your opinion of the artist as a person (good or bad) from the actual work

It's an exercise in looking past your bias both negative "this person kicked a puppy!" And positive "this person saved a puppy!"

It's about not rating art down just because the artist is someone you dislike but also not rating up art just because you like the artist

It's also one part in the process in dealing with art critically

Let's say an artist painted flowers

He also is a serial cheater

His cheating has nothing to do with how well he painted those flowers on a technical level

You can call the painting well done with good use of colour and light and it's not endorsing his cheating

Similarly if someone who is well known as the nicest guy in the world creates a dog shit painting to be judged, then judging it on artistic merits and finding it lacking is not attacking their character

Because the truth is bad people can make good art and it's fine to find the work objectively good and appreciate it for what it is separate from the artist on a technical and artistic level

Now there is a point when you're going to have to take into account the person who made it but that's a different step in critical analysis. That also doesn't mean you have to throw out their work and never touch it again

It means engaging with it critically

I have said it before but a series of books that was important to me as a child I read again after finding out some really horrible stuff the author (David Endings) did to his adopted children (who luckily were taken off him and he and his wife were banned from having children)

And I read it critically. I could see why I enjoyed it. The dialogue was witty and fun. The political intrigue was intriguing. The battle scenes were exciting and descriptive .

It was well written. That is separating the art from the artist. The books were well written and entertaining. I can say that honestly

HOWEVER I hadn't read these books in a very long time and I was reading them critically. And yeah how he wrote children was... uncomfortable. It wasn't full on but there are parts that I brushed off as being set in fantasy medieval time period as "what parents might have done" when I was a kid. But as an adult with more education it was...not great.

But that's not what I noticed the most. What I noticed more was the racism, particularly against Asians, and rampant antisemitism in the books. It was so in your face I was surprised I didn't really notice it as a kid. And to be honest I couldn't even get to the end of the series I was reading because it was so intensely racist.

I probably won't read them again because it was so full on racist.

Saying that I have also read Sherlock Holmes critically. They are again well written. They also have racist storylines and characters pop up. I still can, and do, read them. What makes it different? Well the time period when it was written makes a difference. I expect a book written in in the late 1800s by a well off white man to be racist. Also it is considerably less racist then Eddings. With Sherlock Holmes stories a racist bit will pop up occasionally and I will go "ah. Racism. Duly noted"

With Eddings it was racism stacked on racism with added racism and a sprinkling of child abuse for added flavour

Bad people make good art

Sometimes the shit they did that means they aren't a great person has nothing to do with their art.

Like a guy who cheats but also draws sick ass dragons

Those aren't related. You don't have to be faithful to draw a sick ass dragon.

And sometimes it does.

Like a guy who cheats who built his entire career about how much he loves monogamy and being faithful and has that as major themes in his work. His actions will have a major affect on how his work is seen

But also if you own idk a painting by that person that you got for your wedding to symbolise you and your spouses devotion to each other. You can still see it that way if you want to. Because it has meaning to you separate from the artist who made it.

I think you have to accept that sometimes things you love are made by people you don't like. Don't put creators and artists on pedestals and don't tie the emotions that their creations gave you to them being "good"

[hopepunk-humanity]

Can I ask for some little things you do to help restore your faith in humanity? I can’t seem to even begin behaving in radical or humanitarian ways without being overwhelmed by the suffering or cruelty of others.

Spend time with friends and supportive family. It sounds basic, but I'm serious. If you spend too much time alone marinating in your own anxieties, it is very easy to see humanity as a waste. You gotta spend time with humans you like to help you remember we can be good. Humans can't be a waste if they include your best friend or favorite aunt.

Next time you're doing something you like--your favorite hobby, watching your favorite show, playing a sport you really like--remember all the people who made it possible. The sheep farmers that tend the sheep which make the wool for the yarn you knit with, the humans who came before us who domesticated those sheep, who invented knitting. The writers and make-up artists and camera folks who brought a show to life, the passion of the people both behind the screen and in front of it who keep the show going. The people who invented and popularized your sport, all your fellow athletes who love it just as much as you do, everyone who is bound together by that spirit of competition and rivalry. We are an endlessly innovative and creative species, and none of us are in this world alone. Everything we love is shaped by the hands of millions of others, today and in the past.

Find a public park or a library or just a neutral place to exist, and observe. Be among people, even if you're not interacting with them. It reminds you how normal we all are. We're not some one-dimensional fantasy species, pre-destined to destroy everything we touch. The vast majority of us are just some guy. You spend a little time somewhere, being mindful of that, and it can really dial down the misanthropic catastrophizing.

[schneiderenjoyer]

Now that global's getting some more good world lore with the recent two events, I can finally just talk about how much it fascinates me that arcanists, by nature of their genetics, actually are just a different species of their own.

Like, the clear discrimination aside, the fact they definitely stand out among humans truly emphasizes the battle they face to be recognized as equals to humans if you view their race as not a sub-category of human, but as a different species entirely. How like fantasies depict humanoid creatures such as elves and dwarves, but they're never classified as human. That's what arcanists are starting to feel like.

This idea is also supported by the many hints and factoids scattered around the in-game UI. How the Celluloid Activity (the game's energy system) is a form of genetic DNA seen only in arcanists that help them control arcanum. Or how the concept of Gnosis or Deep Thought is their way of focusing their energy and help process the world and the arcanum around them. Blonney's struggle narratively in the event shows just how much arcanists think very differently compared to humans that it's seen as "odd" and "not normal" (also love the neuro divergent subtext of that for arcanists honestly).

But the real kicker of how it makes me confirm that it's not just a human discrimination of a race, but straight up xenophobia for an entire species is the conversations we get from the entire Nightmare in Green Lake, where the majority of the cast is purely arcanists interacting with other arcanists.

From the conversation in car of casually talking about Tooth Fairy eating fairies to the point she got cursed to have her teeth stolen like it's a conversation about the weather, to them just glossing over the erratic behavior of Changeling keeping campers hostage and later just getting rid (or throwing them out of the campsite) once she's bored of them. These are seen as normal behavior to arcanists.

Like, forget the members of the foundation probably seeing worse, I'm surprised Blonney didn't react more to the realization, it's honestly hilarious. But that just shows the clear divide of what makes arcanists different from humans. Which also explains why a lot of the arcanists talk so cryptic and artistic, sometimes not making sense unlike the human characters who talk straightforward and direct.

Because to us, as humans, we understand that language better and viewing arcanists' language is hard to decipher since they're a different species with a different culture and way of thinking.

This opens up larger avenues of viewing the struggles of arcanists in a human dominated world and the dark implication of the Foundation potentially experimenting on arcanists not to find the cell to withstand the Storm, but to transplant the ability to use arcanum onto humans through genetic alteration. Which can be backed up with the masks the Manus gives to humans to withstand the Storm, but in exchange turns them into monstrous beings because they can't handle the forced application of Celluloid Activity on their body.

[jesncin]

Lil' musing about Public Domain, AI theft and Transformative creativity

Old essay originally written on Cohost in February 2024. With additions.

I'm putting my thoughts here because I don't want to risk going viral for subtweeting discourse again, here we go! So with the Steamboat Willie Variant of Mickey Mouse going to public domain I've seen the usual cynical pushback over transformative art. Particularly in response to overplayed EDGY DARK WINNIE THE POOH and EDGY DARK STEAMBOAT MICKEY and YOUR CHILDHOOD THING DARK NOW that inevitably happens around this time.

But to group all transformative art as derivative, soul-less, profit-driven, lazy and "reliant on past successes" is frankly just...really silly? I saw a notable concept artist making this over-simplified talking point, and I find it odd that someone can look at the most visible (by being formulaic, provocative and made by rich people) examples of public domain adaptations and just generalize all art ever inspired by a thing as uninventive and compare artists who do that to being "ai-like". It feels like the false dichotomy constantly set between "real books" and fanfiction.

We've seen marginalized people reclaim cosmic horror from Lovecraftian fiction. I've seen queer people reckon with and reclaim the queer history of Peter Pan. There's something special about taking a familiar thing and informing it with a perspective that wasn't present in its original iteration. It takes a whole other part of your creative brain muscles to adapt and reimagine something that already exists. And it can be just as creatively fulfilling as making original stuff.

While it's important to recognize and remember the origin of archetypes in stories or movements in art, I think there's sometimes a misplaced reverence put towards the original version of something. Whenever I talk about how Asian writers like Gene Yang and Sarah Kuhn have more thoroughly integrated Superman's immigrant themes in their re-imaginings of his mythos than their white peers have, I get hit with the constant "hey remember Superman's creators were the sons of Jewish immigrants (who made racist jokes about Chinese people)" and "hey remember, Gene Yang and Gurihiru's Superman Smashes the Klan was based on a radio show arc made by WHITE people first (who made the story about a binary of Good white people vs Bad white people, along with centering how white people feel about racism)".

Especially if it's a means of centering white creatives, people love to dismiss the transformative contributions of marginalized people, but especially that of people of color. It took until 2016 for the World Fantasy Award to change their statuette to not be based after the face of renown racist H.P Lovecraft, after all.

Last year I gave myself the goal to do something "unnecessarily ambitious" with no plan of pitching/printing/selling it. Just "art for art's sake", something really not-algorithm-friendly. And yeah, that ended up being a fully rendered, 40-page martian manhunter fan comic. I did it for no other reason than being a huge fan of a severely unpopular character and feeling like there was a new story I really wanted to tell about the character that would never happen in canon with how little there's been written about him. I don't think it's fair to call writing 40 pages of a new origin story, drawing fully colored pages with unique re-designs, reading hours of martian manhunter comics to tie different aspects of his lore into coherent worldbuilding, putting that comic up for free for the few other Green Justice League Guy fans to read, as lazy, profit-driven, and soul-less.

There's tons of artists who do stuff like this all the time. It just comes off as being very out of touch to view true creativity as only existing one way. That transformative media must inherently be "less". One time a white guy pitched to me some ideas he had for Superman if he ever had a chance to write him, and I said "that sounds cool, you should write a fanfic about it" and another white guy (who felt the need to come to the first one's defense), viewed what I said as an insult. There's something about doing fanart because you enjoy it and don't need to profit out of everything you make that's seen as lesser than having the seal of canonicity from a company.

My motto with making needlessly ambitious fancomics is "You don't need to work for DC Comics to make DC comics". Because canonicity has nothing to do with what makes art special.

To bring this back to edgy Mickey Mouse spin offs, even if you do just want to make cliche mascot-horrified stuff because you enjoy it, then by all means go ahead! I always go back to this video Sagan Hawkes did about petscop-inspired video series. There's a running theme about grappling with the concept of Originality in Art in relation to youtube horror projects (the thesis comes around at 2:04:10), and some valuable words are shared in the collected interviews with web series creatives (2:18:47) in the end. SeireaSong (creator behind Diminish) talks about how misguided conversations surrounding "originality" can be (2:29:43). It's so worth it to watch when you have the time.

Anyway happy 2024! Be good to each other.

[imagines-to-quench-thirst]

Joker Masterlist

Disclaimer: stories are fictitious and should not be taken literally, the behavior is entirely imaginative and the content may be inappropriate

Updated & repaired: 16/07/2023 (if a story won't load or something else, please message me and let me know)

MAIN MASTERLIST

Fluff🌺  Angst 🌩️ Smut❤️‍🔥

MY HEADCANONS W/ OTHER CHARACTERS:

Speak In Flowers 🌺 Flowers speak their own words and show their actions. And your man loves to speak it out loud.

Visiting Your Hometown 🌺 how would your boy act when you drag him along to your hometown

Helping You To Accept Your Stretch Marks 🌺your boy helps you accept your beautiful stretch marks as they are...pure perfection

Explaining To Your Man Kdramas🌺I (V) wrote small drabbles that paired my favorite men and dramas that I absolutely love

Dating A Tattoo Artist 🌺 being a tattoo artist and your boyfriend being part of it

When Tough Times Occur 🌺Life itself can be a pain and with its obstacles, it can seem impossible to overcome it but that’s what makes us stronger as people.

Someone Rubs You The Wrong Way With... 🌺 how would your man protect you when someone doesn’t mind your business

Having A Shower ❤️‍🔥having a shower with your man sounds like heaven right?!

One Thing He Loves About You (Physically Or Mentally)🌺 the title spoils the ending a bit

No Nut November ❤️‍🔥in the glory of No Nut November, you make a bet with your liver saying if they fail you cuff them and use them to your liking but if you lose they get to fulfil one of their fantasies. And you are keen on it to make them lose, by any means.

ASKS

Taking Off Their S/O's Makeup 🌺(Could you do Duncan Vizla,the Joker and whoever else you’d like.)taking off their s/o makeup after they come from a nightout because they are too drunk to do it themselves 💛

Stress Test 🌺can i request Duncan Vizla, the Joker, Victor Creed and what would they do if they see their s/o down because they're stressed due exams?

DRABBLES FROM MY🧠

Leaving Legacy 🌩️the Joker is captured by Batman. Leaving Y/n, his girlfriend to hold up his legacy but what happens when a woman nudges herself between the criminal and the good girl turned mafia leader?

You Just Wrote Your Death Wish 🌺Y/n is taken by the Penguin and Joker is ready to collect

Lipstick Kisses🌺

Living On The Edge 🌺Dating the Joker had its ups and downs, some would say more downs...

Waves 🌩️ J doesn't like waves

Surrounded In Gold🌩️🌺

The Queen Of Gotham🌺

Purple Coat🌺

PICTURE IMAGINE

Joker stealing the world’s rarest and most expensive diamonds as a surprise for you🌺

Joker Looking At You🌺

[do-you-ship-it-polls]

Do you ship it?

reason under the cut! there is a lot.

PLEASE THEY WOULD BE SO FUNNY. Man clocked her fujo ass IMMEDIATELY right after she went on about fanfiction being beneath her. They are trash and they love trash and being dysfunctional as fuck. Stupid bickering over bullshit my beloved. Imagine her cussing him out in public and then secretly commissioning him to make nsfw art of her blorbos in private or something. YOU KNOW SHE WOULD. Bonus points he won't even draw it and she never lets it go. Or he accepts the money but draws them as like, stick figures. What's she gonna fucking do, call the cops because he drew porn bad. Is she going to admit to ANYBODY she commissioned shit from his loser ass after she's done nothing but shit talk him for the whole semester. He's not even cute enough to reap Genocide Jack. Fuck

MORE IMPORTANTLY. Dumb bullshit aside they're creatives with insane output, imagine the critiques and professional rivalry. Starts off like "Don't you think you rushed x here? This is super corny." "Philistine!" "Hack!" "HACK?! KYS HOW DARE-!" and several arguments like that. One of them releases a new work? Guess who's first to comment! But the thing is, they're still consuming eachother's work. Obsessively. And it can lead to "This scene is in poor taste!" "Well what would YOU have done?!" "Maybe the lead could *inserts an actually good plot point*" "...huh". Imagine them overtime getting engrossed in eachother's creative visions and analysing their processes, even for the most seemingly simple of pieces. Hifumi drawing content for her characters he knows she'd like. Toko giving him pointers for his first original novel and actually trying to support him in her own incredibly awkward Toko way. Aha, you thought this was just here for the pervert4pervert crack, didn't you? Didn't expect this to be about two profoundly unpopular social rejects with issues comprehending the real world falling for eachother because they see a brilliant, lonely, artistic mind reflecting back, did you?

"That's dumb. I want it FULL toxic" i mean if you WANTED you could go the route where they settle for eachother in an "i resent you but the person I actually want is a fantasy and you're the only real person who talks to me" way. Ig. But I like the former more.

Did I mention they're both pervs. They would accuse the other of being terrible and filthy while simultaneously trying to one up each other. The godawful sex jokes i am cringing on the spot this is so horrible. -11/10 they deserve each other. im going to be sick no one Is safe. Actually I changed my mind. I can't ship this. For the good of planet Earth oh my fucking god they can't be alobe in the same room together longer than 2 minutes abort abort abort abort what have i wrought

[ramiecutesy22]

I illustrated 100 ASoIaF Characters

" A Song of Ice and Fire" is a series that has become rather (in)famous for its depictions of violence, and abundance of s3x scenes .and while criticism can definitely be made for these, it's important that we dont end up overlooking the important life lessons, nor end up with wrong takeaways from the story.

you see, at its very heart , i believe ASOIAF is a story of the human experience, as well as a commentary about the twisted ways of this world ( set within a fantasy backdrop). being caught in the middle of loyalties, ambition, Reputation, vengeance, culture, faith, and familial acceptance . its themes like this along with complex and relatable characters that youll pity and root for in one scene, only for you to be appalled by and flinch at in the next scene, is what i find so appealing in this series.

Spectacle, Political Intrigue and Character Drama (all present in the story too btw) aside , its a story that really makes you think ,reflect , and learn upon. and i love it for that!

so today , i just wanna show my appreciation to arguably the best aspect of this series: The Characters . for over a year now, i have made fanart for 100 characters from the series. some are major pov characters. some iterally appear for only 1 chapter. but all help bring so much depth and color to this story!

special thanks to:

@nobodysuspectsthebutterfly . your blog has been such a HUGE in help giving me inspiration and references for design and clothing . i also appreciate you reblogging art from fellow asoiaf artist to help give them a boost

@amuelia , i really love your design for Areo, and it was actually the basis for art for him! its only fitting that i give you credit

@whoknowsnugget . i was having a haaaard time coming up a pose for Asha when i first designed her, it wasnt until i saw your own fanart for her ( the one with her arms crossed while holding axes) that i finally found a fitting pose for her. because it was such a huge help, i figured i should give you credit as well!

@buildoblivionthenwewilltalk for being with the journey since last year!

and @squidprinceofwinterfell too, who is my other fellow asoiaf pal from tumblr!

..............................................................................................................................

i really hope yall like this one! i know this may really come off as unexpected, but ive actually liked asoiaf since 2018! ( with a massive revival of interest starting late 2022). as for THAT show, i have yet to watch an actual full episode yet hehe.

as for my account, let this be considered my proper comeback after months of inactivity. this project of mine played a large chunk for my absence, because i frequently get artblock coming up with a new post for every new character i make.

#asongoficeandfire #asoiafart

[iri-desky]

An ALNST Dungeons and Dragons AU?

Howdy! So I mentioned trying to make an alnst fantasy au on a previous post. To be more specific, I thought I'd try to make a DND style au!

Although before I get into the details of it, I thought I'd establish the classes of the characters first and foremost. That's what this whole post is about. Please note that this is just a draft and big idea dump, as well as test of how well these classes fit each character...aaaand how well other people think each class I chose fits each character.

In other words, if you think some other class or subclass fits better, feel free to speak your mind. I'm actively looking for a bit of criticism on these choices.

Mizi - Paladin, oath of redemption OR oath of the ancients. Mostly because of the "belief that God is human" speech and uplifting, positive nature. And how I think that Mizi should be seen in armor (/lh). I also think it'd be ironic for her and Ivan to be best friends while she's a Paladin and Ivan's a warlock. I'm very unsure about this one, though-- she's probably the one I'm struggling with most. An exchange I've had with @mirrorcatcreditcard also is making me consider a Monk or Rogue, though in general I'm trying to give her a class with a good dexterity. If I do end up giving her Paladin as a class, I chose the subclasses I did to give her a less "smite-y, all who defy me must die" flavor and more of a "starry eyed idealist hero" flavor.

Sua - Cleric, Life Domain. Mostly because I think it'd be funny as hell for the most reserved and secretly temperamental one to be given the responsibility of healing the party. She gives the vibes of any cleric-- gentle and elegant on the outside but secretly cursing the world and everyone else in this stupid party on the inside. Except Mizi. She's an angel and we're glad she's here. I also wanna see her deny healing to Ivan at least once. Also, Sua has angel symbolism, so I had to go through with that in the classes.

Hyuna - Rogue, Swashbuckler subclass OR Fighter, monster hunter subclass (or gunslinger). I think it's pretty obvious that a rogue really fits Hyuna, and I think it'd be neat to continue her "outlaw" thing in this universe, just in a different context. Swashbuckler is so she's still high energy and in the thick of things. That said, a fighter can fit just as well given their versatility and spirit-- being a fighter doesn't necessarily have to be "basic". She could be a monster hunter subclass (inspired by her destruction of the aliens in the original series) or even a gunslinger subclass. A champion could work as well.

Till - Bard, college of lore. Despite how the original series is music based, I feel like he's the only character that I can see being a bard outside of the context of alnst just because of his creative genius. He's an artist at heart, and I wanted to reflect that. I don't see him being too flamboyant of a bard, of course, but I feel like his excitement and his genuine love for what he makes might start to bleed into a crowd when he's, yknow, not being judged by thousands of aliens and instead being watched by fellow humans. My choice of the college of lore is especially inspired by his drawings in the Io comic and desire for a better world while knowing what the natural world used to be. It's also come to my attention after an exchange with @nilladrawsstuff that a healer Till that complains about having to heal everyone but still expresses genuine concern would be a neat idea--While I don't think a pure healer Till would be too in character, Bards CAN function as healers and I can see Till being a jack of all trades. That's just what Till is in Canon--a jack of all trades. I want to reflect that in this au with his class.

Ivan - Warlock, with Unsha as his patron, Great Old One subclass (because squid). Unsha gives enough cthutulu vibes for this to make sense-- furthermore, I feel like Ivan's detached and transactional realationship with Unsha makes this make even more sense. I also wanted Ivan's class and subclass to reflect his intelligent but somewhat distant nature, with the theme of "unfathomability" being something that really fits him. The class parallels Luka, as well, a character that Ivan is known to reflect. Hexblade could work as a subclass as well, although I'm leaning towards The Great Old One. Tbh, I'm not too sure about this one, although Warlock Ivan definitely goes hard in my book.

Luka - Sorcerer, Aberrant Mind. He's got the vibes. Luka was the one I figured out first, actually, simply because he screams sorcerer; Annoyingly dazzling man with his powers handed to him (no offense to Sorcerer mains at all, yes offense to Luka /j [jk, we love Luka in this house. I just like bullying him /lh]). That bitch did NOT need to research for that or beg for a thing. Also, a sorcerer's main stat is charisma, so... yeah. The inherently mysterious nature of Aberrant Mind also gives me huge Luka vibes, hence my choice.

Anyway, that's all. Again, if you have any criticisms, comments, or better ideas, PLEASE do no hesitate to tell me. 👍🏽 This is a sapling of an idea so far and I need your help for it to grow!

( ahaha pls don't let this flop... I've been working on this post for over an hour )

(Tagging people who I know might be interested in this / were present back in the previous post below the cut)

@junebluues @awaggaa @mirrorcatcreditcard @ravelroses @nilladrawsstuff @kingofanemptyworld

[ni4lovesu]

nia’s diary 𐙚₊˚⊹♡

⊹ ࣪ about me ˖ ʚɞ.

hihi!! my name is nia (a nickname, i also go by nini, but feel free to hypothesise my name)! i’m pretty much your typical teenage girl, hyperfixating on every piece of media i consume and calling it an era. i’m wasian (though a relatively uncommon mix), trilingual, chronically obsessed with miffy, and try to be mysterious (if you couldn’t tell from me having you guess everything about me) but am incapable of shutting up once i start talking (im baiting you into becoming friends with me) i try my best to keep an open mind in all things related to shifting and i ADORE making friends so plss don’t be shy to drop me a dm

⊹ ࣪ my favourites ˖ ʚɞ.

my favourite movies are endless and it’d be impossible to name every single one but i’ll try my best to. harry potter (philosopher’s stone & poa), nanny mcphee, chronicles of narnia, dead poets society, 10 things i hate about you, how to lose a guy in 10 days, indiana jones, teen beach movie, sleepy hollow, the conjuring etc. although, if i had to say gun to my head, my favourite movies of all time are the mummy trilogy (what can i say, im an archeology nerd)

my favourite series is either derry girls or modern family, favourite kdrama is extraordinary you, cdrama is when i fly towards you (absolutely no competition at all)

for books, i’d have to say i definitely read more fantasy books. i generally like almost every book i read because im a chronic dnfer and can only finish a book if i enjoy it. that being said, my favourite book series of all time is caraval because it got me back into reading after a very long reading slump (i can’t keep my hands off books now)

music is apart of my identity and being i absolutely LOVE it. listening to songs isn’t enough i need it engrained into my soul. i listen to (pretty much) every single genre of music so it’d be impossible to list every single artist i listen to so i’ll just list my favourites — oasis (goated), AC/DC, boynextdoor, zerobaseone, red velvet, the ronettes, piero piccioni, lana del rey, taylor swift, gracie abrams, six pence none the richer, the cranberries, lady gaga, britney spears, tupac, abba, david bowie etc. i’m always very open to listening to new artists and am always 200% welcoming to music recommendations

more random things i like include the colour pink, peonies, deer, bunnies, italian/japanese/indian cuisine, sunny weather, candles and pinterest

⊹ ࣪ my variants ˖ ʚɞ.

— haley dunphy (modern family)

— lela avery dean (teen beach movie)

— evangeline fox (once upon a broken heart)

— clare devlin (derry girls)

— jasmine (aladdin)

— ling miaomiao (lgief)

⊹ ࣪ my shifting journey ˖ ʚɞ.

my journey is not unlike many other shifters. i found shifting in november 2020 through pinterest (ik… rough) and fell victim to a lot of misinformation (which i have thankfully been able to leave behind). i’ve sort of been very on and off in my journey and have taken many (long) breaks and had periods where i place all my time and energy into shifting. however, i’ve decided to come back into shifting with a more open and relaxed mindset. ive gotten very close to full shifts multiple times so im certain its real sooo why not stick with it, right?

the thing that attracts me most to shifting is the uncountable opportunities it offers. as someone who constantly battles fomo and the nagging feeling that im not doing enough in life, shifting has been nothing less than a gift. it’s a chance to explore new experiences, live out every single life i’ve ever dreamt of. little me daydreaming about living out life in all the shows she watches would be ecstatic at the thought of it becoming a reality. shifting has become a way for me to embrace the infinite possibilities of existence and i genuinely absolutely love that.

⊹ ࣪ dr masterlist ˖ ʚɞ.

not necessarily in order of preference

— marauders

— golden trio

— narnia

— dead poets society

— modern family

— lab rats

— boy meets world

— boynextdoor

— zb1 (2)

— once upon a broken heart

— the mummy

— mermaid

— 60s

— ballet

— better cr

⊹ ࣪ my posts ˖ ʚɞ.

— s/o scenarios

— s/o scenarios (soulmates edition)

— s/o scenarios (predating edition)

— s/o scenarios (school edition)

— s/o scenarios (dates to go on)

— school events to script

⊹ ࣪ my socials ˖ ʚɞ.

— pinterest

— insta