#also consistently drawing characters???? never

[rei-ismyname]

UNCANNY X-MEN #5 From The Ashes

First of all, I should acknowledge that something I've been calling a missed opportunity has received an attempt on page - the X-Men killing in FotHox, specifically Kurt. It's a single line and doesn't make a lot of sense, trying to have cake and eat it too by nodding to it in issue 5 but not meaningfully engaging with the recent past. Kurt did NOT think he was a killer, ever. That's just a bad faith reading of the text. He was in a war against genocidal fascists, come on.

Cool new form for Calico, though.

Kurt putting his sword/s away doesn't quite cut it. Errol Flynn swashbuckling has been an influence on him since he was a child and he's been big on sword usage almost since the beginning of his publication history. It's his thing, and he badly needs personality in FTA. Also, he didn't kill anyone with a sword in Fall, he teleported them into space. Swords parry and block, they disarm and intimidate. They have use outside of combat. They look cool, and it's something Kurt is very good at. So yeah, the barest attempt was made, but it didn't land for me. There could have been space to set it up and sell it too, perhaps by toning down the Charles Xavier/Sarah flashbacks that were ultimately just a fakeout.

Speaking of things that were given lip service in issue 5 and could have benefited from more attention, Jubilee told us who she is - kinda. A panel or two of origin story that was established in the 90s, but nothing about why she's here or what she wants out of life. How she feels about the loss of Krakoa, where the hell her baby, Shogo, is. It fits in with Uncanny's overarching sense of unfocusedness and her role could have been performed by anyone - not a good look for the end of the flagship book's first arc.

We get the resolution to and defeat of Sarah Gaunt. 'She's crazy, always has been' is so unsatisfying. I can't think of any other description. It's nice that we don't have another sin to lay at Xavier's door, but attempted baby trap is not a frequently used trope for a reason. She acknowledges she was lying, but then blames him for the loss of her son years later in a different country - then transfers that hatred to all mutants? Comicsxf have criticised her characterisation as 'Monstrous Mother' and I agree. What was the point of giving it so much space, to the extent that we spent more time in the past than with most of our putative main characters? She beat the shit out of Logan and Rogue the last two issues, nearly killing them - only for Rogue to draw strength from deus ex dead kid and completely wipe her out. It's lovely that Rogue is able to summon empathy for her, it shows us why she's a hero, but taken as an arc she's rewarded with victory despite making bad decisions. Long time readers know Rogue can lead, but I think Gail Simone is going to have to do the work to convince new readers that she's right for this. It's well and good to have moral authority but leading your team to death isn't.

Harvey X was unexpected but felt unearned. Surprise is fun but internal and narrative consistency is better. I thought it was Charles moving people around, because it was signposted. Harvey X being the puppet master felt almost silly as he revealed previously unseen very powerful abilities. Why would he wait for Rogue and Logan to be nearly dead to act? Maybe that's the only time he can act, because he's dead? Idk, at least he didn't scream how hot Rogue is again. He speaks about a sacrifice he's making but what sacrifice is that? Is his power finite and burns him out, Proteus-style? It's not quite clear, and I guess we'll never see him again.

Precognition. Healing. Telepathy.

Gambit and the Eye of Agamotto was a Chekhov's Gun that mostly worked (and made me feel sah smart for calling it.) Remy prays (?) to it and then blows the possessed cultists away. I'm pretty sure Jubilee could make a bigger boom than that (I know she can) but rule of cool wins the day.

These are/were captured and possessed mutants. I hope we see them again, especially after Fawn's introduction in #1. They're not doing this willingly.

Rogue flies to meet Warden Ellis to give her Sarah back, further muddling Ellis' characterisation. I have no idea what she's about now. Nuance is good in antagonists, but for someone who wants to crush mutants with her government mandate she's awfully cooperative with them. No threats, no riddles, no ultimatum, just meekly accepting two threats? I want to give a fuck about the closest thing we have to an antagonist (for a crossover event right around the corner) but there's nothing there! This was an opportunity for something, anything. Gah! I don't understand this writing.

Rogue's threat is interesting, though I have to wonder what she and Scott are going to disagree about. It's implied Jubilee will get captured, and we know Beast already has been. 2/3 X-Men teams have their motivation to wreck Graymalkin I just struggle to see them coming to blows over it.

Rogue and her elocution lessons feel very out of character and came out of nowhere. If it was setup earlier and tied to insecurity or identity that would work, but being introduced and haphazardly paid off in issue 5 baffles me, frankly. Rogue's southern upbringing is never something she's been ashamed of, her angst has almost always been related to her powers. She's a confident woman. A story where she struggles with that could have legs, but that's not the story that's been told. She certainly doesn't need Gambit or Logan to tell her - I'd expect it to be the other way around.

I'm not sure what to make of the images we get from Harvey X's visions of the future. I'll write about them separately if I find an interesting hook.

So ends the first arc of Uncanny X-Men volume whatever. My main issue is that it doesn't meaningfully engage with what came before it, and it doesn't quite manage to establish its own identity either. What is its mission statement and what kind of book can we expect? I don't know, and I hope Gail Simone does. It's not the end of the world, mind you. Following Krakoa was always going to be tough, and the world was going to feel smaller, less connected. I can't help but wonder what it might have felt like without a lot of Charles Xavier flashbacks amounting to nothing. Maybe we'd know more about Kurt or Jubilee, even the Outliers. Ideally that'll be corrected. I don't do number ratings so I'll just say it was okay, higher if you are a Rogue stan.

[sideprince]

I wonder if OP is referring to the kind of analysis found in posts like this one or this one, which identify Snape's characteristics as consistent with that of gothic villains, who were often described as dark, menacing, foreign, and a threat to good Christian heroines. While Snape is very much British, there's definitely a trope Rowling is leaning on in how she writes his character, and given her background in studying literature and preference for 19th century British literature specifically, it makes sense that how Snape is written draws from these tropes. This means that whether or not it was her intention, she's leaning on tropes that have historically racist and anti-semitic undertones, because given the history of British racism, it's a fairly accepted conclusion that the idea of the dark foreigner who poses a threat to Christian innocence does potentially include Jews. There are even certain Gothic works that specifically describe these characters with "aquiline" noses, but none of this information is contained in OP's post and it's presumptuous of them to think anyone reading it will know what they're referencing (I would actually argue that most of the people their post is intended for likely have no idea of any of this background information).

While OP is right to ask others to pause and examine potential internalized biases, they make a lot of assumptions that anyone reading their post has the same frame of reference as they do. Instead of sharing information thoughtfully, they're judging anyone who doesn't understand their perspective or have the information they do, and tbh calling people "pieces of shit" isn't going to motivate anyone to do learning or introspection, but just to dig their heels in and get defensive, because that's how most people's psychological reaction works. The lack of referential information also shifts the tone and I can see why users like @pet-genius would interpret these presumptions as being anti-semitic themselves (and if OP isn't referring to the tropes in the post I linked above then honestly, I have some questions too).

I also haven't seen this kind of content either tbh, but I keep to the Snapedom side of tumblr. I do often get the sense, though, that users who engage in fandom across platforms lose track of the fact that 1. not everyone shares their specific fandom experience and 2. not everyone uses the same platforms they do. I have never had a tiktok and don't plan to, therefore I don't know what goes on there nor do I want to. I have no interest in wading into the messy cage fight that passes for discourse on reddit. So OP's post may not even be for me, but as someone who belongs to several of the categories of people they named, their post makes me uncomfortable and I don't feel represented by it, at least not in any way I feel is palatable to me.

In general I tend to be really uncomfortable with posts that have an attitude of telling others what's what - they're not open to alternative perspectives even if they're in the same realm of thought and are more about expressing frustration through a patronizing attitude than spreading awareness. And it's not that we don't all have these moments of frustration, we do, but when you vent it on a public blog you're inviting arguments and conflict because your'e already starting by being on the offensive (which will just make others defensive). If that's your goal, be prepared for arguments and further frustration, not to mention for being misunderstood if you're not willing to present sources or any kind of basis for your perspective. If it's not, please buy a journal or open a new note on your phone and put it down there where it doesn't affect others.

(And I'm not going to get into the whole mudblood thing again because I've already talked about it, but OP is boiling a complex and misdirected discussion down far too simplistically in a way that targets fandom, not the author who implemented a nuanced and sensitive subject in an insensitive and uninformed way.)

I've said it once i'll say it again

Making fun of Severus for his skin color, nose, hair, eyes, childhood trauma and defending the marauders for everything they did is not "haha relatable quirky funny"

It's anti-semetic and promotes bullying! You pieces of shit❤

(ALSO. Him calling lily a mudblood was him being defensive after literally being s3xually harassed and ALSO he gets a pass to say that word because HE'S A HALFBLOOD. Give that HUMAN BEING a goddamn break.)

[velvetwyrme]

DOG DRAGON?! // The Nebular Theory: Chapter 16

A sketchy comic for The Nebular Theory (@theundertalenebulartheory) which has been dominating my thoughts for the last while!!!

Please please PLEASE go read this fic. It's absolutely amazing and delves into some REALLY COOL exploration of timeline shenanigans and has a hella neat way of visualising that!!

I could sit and spout praises about this fic for hours but honestly just go read it, it's SO good.

[alicenpai]

whoever asked for more rozen maiden dolls it's your lucky day i got you bro (gender neutral)

[malonlon]

You can't improve perfection

[art-is-kayos]

Phone games

[sforzesco]

CAIUS TREBONIUS AND MARK ANTONY, MARCH 15th

The Hetairia of Cassius, Luciano Canfora

Cic. Phil. 2

(taps mic) so as we all know, conspiracy is a kind of seduction, and actions not taken can be just as loud as the ones that are. so. uh. fellas! hey fellas. heyyyyyy.

like, I was looking at the Dolabella-Caesar-Antony mess yesterday, but something really fun and vicious happened here and I will be rotating it around in my head at maximum volume for the foreseeable future

the red panels are the Assassination of Julius Caesar by Vincenzo Camuccini (the pen and ink drawing, not the painting)

[scoliosisgoblin]

@marlomagica is this what you had in mind?

[egginfroggin]

*yeets this and runs*

My hand regrets my decision to try for more realistic wings, frankly

Transcriptions:

Mabel Pines - Steller's Jay

Dipper Pines - Blue Jay

fledglings

can't quite fly yet

wing's aren't adult-sized yet

Dipper often forgets to preen

Mabel likes to put glitter in her wings (and Dipper's, when possible)

Dipper collects his primaries to make quill pens

Mabel collects their feathers for crafting

Yeah so I'm just gonna drop this here and uhhhhh run, thanks for checking this, and I hope you have a good day

(program: krita; time taken: about 1 hr 45 minutes)

[determinedowl23]

they should be in the same blunt rotation

[mochiiniko]

rd art dump featuring some old stuff that i just forgot to post lol

[inkykeiji]

i still cannot believe dabi actually showed up in this lil white number like he is such a theatre kid

like genuinely got himself all dressed up for this fight and kept the belt—because of course he did, because the belt is iconic, the belt has come with him throughout all three of his outfit changes—and showed up looking sexy as hell to what he was essentially intending to be his own funeral.

he definitely has a flare for the dramatic!!!

[sskk-manifesto]

!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[krispytm]

Here's the comic I promised to make based on my pinned post!! I'll color it as soon as I can, it'll just take a while!

[turtlespancake]

me when i write a character who is prone to dooming themself and then they run off and doom themself. core traits are stubbornness and a willingness to disregard their own humanity gET BACK HERE IM NOT DONE WITH YOU

[tooni-the-demon-gal]

drew a bunch of boardwalk empire characters bc somehow i've only been able to draw al and charlie consistently despite being hyperfixated on the show for at least a year. i still have room on the page so i'll probably draw ralph n frank later. i'm also open to recommendations so if there's a character you want drawn hit me up. i'm planning on drawing a bunch of kaiju next so stay turned for that too.