#my art skills don't do justice to these characters

[masochist-marmot]

Hades X My Hero Academia

I'm completely normal about rivalries.

P.S. I hadn't decided who won before I was writing the text. I feel like Kacchan's reaction would be more or less unchanged either way.

[mintjeru]

there is no better advertisement than one of your favorite artists drawing art for a fandom you're not a part of. and by that i mean i finally caved and started reading the orv webtoon

open for better quality | no reposts

[eliotbaum]

This is gonna be a weird message and I hope it doesn't put you on the spot (you don't have to answer it at all)! You probably don't remember this (especially since im on anon) but years ago you commissioned me (a small, unknown artist) to draw your characters from Heart of Gold and it made me incredibly happy. But to this day I feel bad thinking back to what I delivered. I gave it my all but it just wasn't a good commission and I just wanted to get it off my chest that I'm really sorry about it! You were one of my fav artists even back then and I still wish I had had the skill to do your work justice. (You were nothing but nice about it though and this really isn't meant as a guilt trip! It's just been on my mind for so long 😅)

Oh!! I have never received a commission I wasn’t over the moon with so I couldn’t recollect which comm you’re talking about! But aaaah please don’t be so hard on yourself anon artist 😭 and no need to apologize! I am sad to hear that after all this time you’re still bothered by what you delivered, but I also completely understand. I’ve delivered commissions/work that I later on was dissatisfied with. But how we perceive what we do and what the commissioner/client in the end receives and views through their pink-tinted blorbo loving glasses is often worlds apart. Maybe there is always some trepidation when it comes to another artist commissioning you, but I don’t look for mistakes when I receive art. I’m just happy to see my guys and gals in another style 😌

What matters is that you gave everything you could at the time and that already means a lot to me. If you’re ever up for it and want to give it another shot, feel free to write me privately and I can see if there’s something I’d like commissioned again 👀

[theresattrpgforthat]

do you know any games that would fit a film noir detective style game? especially one with a gilded age or art deco aesthetic

THEME: Film Noir

Hello friend! So I knew of one or two games - but my buddy Sean, well he knows way more. Most of the games on this list are games that he’s introduced me to or knows about. So shout out to Sean!

Noirlandia, by Turtlebun.

Noirlandia is a murder mystery roleplaying game played with an actual cork board. When you first sit down, no one knows the answers.

You'll figure out the way your city ticks—maybe it’s blanketed in white ash, maybe it’s built atop the back of an enormous dying beetle, maybe only a few non-synthetics remain.

Your story follows a group of interconnected characters, a mind-bending case, and the cold stiff that started it all. Roll well, and you'll be allowed to pin new leads to your cork board or string connections between them.

Find the truth, or lose yourself trying. It’s just another day in Noirlandia.

A GM-less game, Noirlandia sets up each of your characters as someone who is connected to the victim - someone who demands justice in a world that has none. The city is created by the players, which tells me that you can decide some details about what the city looks like. The city itself feels like a character in this game - it has defined sections that you build using a deck of cards, each with a distinct personality and a host of slang words.

Because this game is GM-less, everyone gets to participate in the construction of the mystery, from who the victim is, to why their characters are involved. If you like world-building as much as you like following a story, you’ll want to check out Noirlandia.

Urban Jungle, by Sanguine Productions.

The early 20th century of the United States was rife with fantastic change: from the rise of industry giants, to the great experiment of Prohibition, to the tragedy of the Great Depression, onto the dawn of the Atomic Age. The sky was tamed, the world was mapped, and the possibilities of science seemed limitless, all blue skies and buttered toast…

… for some folks, anyway.

A complete game in one volume, URBAN JUNGLE makes you a player in an anthropomorphic world of pulp-adventure, hard-boiled crime, and film noir. You’ll tangle with hardened gangsters, with jaded debutantes, with world-weary veterans, and with all kinds of shady characters.

Urban Jungle uses different sizes of dice to determine your level of skill. Character creation consists of distributing dice amongst your traits, and then choosing from a list of species, types, careers, and personalities. The type and career options open up a wide variety of backgrounds for your characters - you don’t necessarily have to be hard-boiled detectives. You could be a criminal, an artist, a member of the social elite, or a down-to-earth labourer of some kind, just to name a few. As a result, the differences between the characters in Urban Jungle could lead to a rather mis-matched party, so you’ll likely want to talk with your group about what kind of story you’re telling.

Judging by the skills available in this game, you’re likely going to begetting in and out of scrapes, chasing, running, fighting and investigating. You might tussle with the mafia, or hunt down missing artifacts. You might try to get inside a swanky party, or try to win at a game of cards. If what you want is a toolbox to create your own plots with, you might be interested in Urban Jungle.

Junk Noir, by JadeRavens.

Junk Noir is a cooperative, zero-prep, GM-less mystery game for 2 or more players. Players share control of Tracer as the titular robo-sleuth investigates mysteries, visits Locations, meets Characters, finds Clues, and triggers Events. In Junk Noir, you'll dramatize scenes, form connections, make moves, and play to see what happens! 

Junk Noir mysteries don't come with pre-written solutions — that's the detective's job! Solving a mystery is about more than just finding clues, since clues are only as good as the theory that connects them. Players connect the dots and discuss theories over the course of an investigation. 

This is a game for folks who like generative mysteries, such as Brindlewood Bay or Paranormal Inc. Junk Noir helps you generate clues that you as a group will have to put together, while each player embodies a part of Tracer’s programming. This is also a GM-less mystery game, which means you can all sit down and play with no prep required - the game will guide you as you play it.

Deadlands Noir, by Pinnacle Entertainment.

New Orleans, 1935. Whoever called this “the Big Easy” sure got that one wrong. Things are tough all over. Honest work is hard to find, and even dishonest jobs are getting scarce. The one thing that’s not in short supply is trouble. From shady thugs to crooked cops to Mafia soldiers, there’s plenty of characters out there looking to give an honest Joe a hard time. And that’s not the worst of it.

There are stories going round about things that go bump in the night. Things you wouldn’t want to meet in a dark alley on a darker night. And those stories aren’t just coming from rummies or saps who read that Epitaph rag.

Still, there are a few heroes left in the concrete jungle. Steely-eyed private dicks, fast-talking grifters, wild-eyed inventors, and shadowy houngans still struggle against the encroaching darkness. With enough moxie—and more than a little luck—they might just be enough to turn the tide.

Deadlands Noir is a pen-and-paper roleplaying game set in the world of Pinnacle Entertainment’s award-winning Deadlands universe. It includes new Edges, Hindrances, and powers, as well as new rules for handling detective work, the state of the Union and the CSA in the Depression-era, a complete Plot Point campaign, and of course, more monsters and ghouls than you can shake a smoking .45 automatic at.

Savage Worlds is a great system for pulp-action and protagonists that are good at what they do. Deadlands Noir is a setting for Savage Worlds, meaning you’ll need the core rulebook in order to use it. The Deadlands setting as a number of books that relate to each-other, including a Weird West and a Hell on Earth setting. This means that this version of Noir includes a supernatural element, and the people behind any big upset could have magical powers. The setting itself is based on the New Orleans that often shows up in popular media, with hauntings and monsters turned up to 11. If you want something paranormal mixed up in your noir, this is the game for you!

Sword Noir 2e, by Sword’s Edge Publishing.

Imagine a barbarian prince embroiled in the criminal underworld of a cosmopolitan city as they seek for an artifact in the shape of a falcon statue. Consider two accomplished thieves—one an urbane duelist and the other a brawny skald—hired by a wealthy retired general to deal with a blackmailer, only uncover multiple murders tied to the general’s children. Envision hardboiled crime fiction in the worlds of sword & sorcery.

That’s Sword Noir.

The concept of Sword Noir is a combination of hardboiled fiction, the film noir it inspired, and sword & sorcery. The setting is noir while the characters are drawn from sword & sorcery tales. The PCs live in a world filled with injustice and apathy. Treachery and greed dominate and hope is frail. Violence is deadly and fast. The characters are good at what they do. They are specialists. Trust is the most valued of commodities—life is the cheapest. Grim leaders weave labyrinthine plots which entangle innocents. Magic is real and can be powerful, but it takes extreme dedication to learn, extorts a horrible price, and is slow to conjure.Now is the time for your characters to walk down mean streets, drenched in rain, hidden in fog, and unravel mysteries, murders, and villainy.

Sword Noir is probably the biggest step from the original noir trope, placing your characters in a fantasy world, far removed from technology like telephones or sleek cars. However, the corrupted city still lives and breathes here, full of ne’er-do-wells and shady characters. If you want to revel in noir tropes but play with the setting a little, maybe try out Sword Noir 2e.

Noir World, by John Adamus.

WALK THESE STREETS. TELL YOUR STORY. MAKE YOUR MOVIE.

It’s raining. The alleys are as dark as the streets. You’ve entered a world where light and dark mix with gray and the unknown, where your past collides with your present and future, and it’s safe to assume everyone’s out for themselves.

It’s the stuff dreams are made of, it’s the stuff of old movies, classic movies. Great stories.

This is Noir World. And this is your world and your Movie now. Your story is worth telling, even though it’s not going to be pretty. You might not make it out alive, but it’ll be one hell of a ride.

It’s true what they say: the City is full of stories, and not all of them have happy endings.

As a PbtA game, Noir World calls back to Apocalypse World, Monsterhearts, and The Sprawl as sources of inspiration. This means that you’ll be building your setting together, using noir tropes as guides to construct the story you want to tell. If this game is anything like its’ predecessors, the primary thing you’ll be focusing on is relationships; what do your characters mean to each-other, and how do those relationships affect their ability to get what they want?

Fedora Noir, by Less Than Three Games.

In Fedora Noir, you create the story of a flawed private investigator in the style of a film noir. Players take on the roles of the Detective, their Partner, their Flame – and their Hat, the Detective’s sharp mind and inner voice. Together, players explore the Detective’s messy life against the backdrop of a difficult case.

In Fedora Noir, two players share control of the story’s main character: the Detective and the Hat.

The Detective role-plays a private eye on a case, narrating their actions and speech. But here’s the catch – the person role-playing the Detective doesn’t get to say what they think. That’s the Hat’s job. The other two main characters – the Partner and the Flame – provide the Detective with personal relationships. People to care about… or disappoint.

Fedora Noir is a game for exactly four players. It takes the form of a deck of cards, which provide prompts and references to help you navigate the story - great for folks who don’t want to keep track of character sheets. There’s a whole bunch of settings included - and if you want the art deco style, then the New Hudson setting is made for you. Each city comes with a piece of art to set the mood, a list of locations you can choose to visit, and a cast of characters that may be getting involved in the case. You also choose a Case card to represent the Detective’s mission, Actor cards to help you depict what your detective looks like, and a series of chapter cards that will bring you through the narrative beats of a detective novel.

Other Games to Check Out...

Hardboiled, by Fat Goblin Games.

Noire: Elle Est, Elles Sont, by Ursidice.

Nitrate City, by Evil Hat.

[genshinemblem564]

Genshin Isekai Headcanons

These can be sagau, but they don't have to be.

• Xinyan is stoked that you love her music, and is excited when you offer to play her some music from your world, but she's confused by some of the lyrics. She understands metaphorical lyrics, like the person described in the song isn't actually a rocket, but some of them don't make sense or feel like they were added just to fill a void. Aside from that, she kinda wants to perform some of these songs, now if only she had some band members.

• Tartaglia doesn't have much to say about the guns of your world. The pyro and hydro fatui agents already use guns of some kind, and the cryo fatui agent uses, um. What would you call an ice based flamethrower? No, what he's interested in is the immense amount of new weapons that Teyvat doesn't have, or they probably do, and we just don't hear about them. Like chain blades, I don't know what else to call them, essentially a flail, but instead of a mace, it's blade. I would write something about axes, but I feel like saving that for my crossover series. A scythe is often seen as a special lance, but you tell him that it's much more complicated than that specifically pointing out the blade, and depending on your own skill, you give him a demonstration. He is way too excited to learn all of these new weapons, like a kid excited about a new toy, you can't help but smile.

• Baizhu is perplexed when he first prescribes medicine to you, as you give him a list of allergies, if any, and are more than willing to go through proper examination to learn how resistant your body is to certain toxins. He's even more surprised when you tell him that his unique practice is actually common in your world, so that's why you don't bat an eye at potentially poisonous ingredients.

• Bennett is rather surprised. When you hang out, his bad luck seems to go away. It's actually just you using a bit of foresight, like checking the date on a flyer before rushing to a sale that had already ended, but seeing that glimmer in his eyes, you decide to let his imagination roam.

• You and Cyno are reference lords. You two reference everything, Cyno, his favorite book or book series, and you, your favorite media source. Now, if only people actually understood them, and yes, you do quote Yu-Gi-Oh when playing Genius Invokation.

• If you're an artist, then you quickly catch Albedo's attention. When he sees your drawings, he is quick to ask what you used as a muse, and your answer will have great impact on his reaction. If you point to an object or animal, his response will be normal. If you draw from memory though, he is astounded, especially if what you drew was a scene of some kind, with people, animals, or what have you. Drawing all that from memory is incredible. If you say it's something you made up, he'll compare it to when he's commissioned for his own art.

• Depending on your own interests, you'll be interacting with several different characters. I can't think of anything in depth for these few, so here's a general basis. Barbara is relieved that you're so open to different views. She knows how cruel people can be when they're closed-minded, and she's happy to teach you about the Church of Favonius and Barbatos. Noelle was lamenting not being a knight yet, which led you to bring up the seven chivalric virtues. Yae Miko and Xingqiu are very interested in the stories of your world. Xingqiu hoping to learn more about your worlds code of chivalry, but he ends up learning about justice's different forms. Yae is simply searching for new inspiration. She often calls on you when her old nemesis, writers block, appears. Nahida takes interest in you right away, wanting to gain knowledge from your world, and you seem fun. She knows better than anyone how dangerous knowledge can be, so she asks you to omit potentially dangerous subjects.

• Mona was shocked when you said that you only wanted to know the bad stuff coming your way, not that she could help you, with you being an outworlder and all. When she asked why, you told her "It's best to be prepared for all the bad coming your way, and if you know all the good coming your way, it takes away from life's natural wonder." Which was promptly followed by you asking "Where did that come from?"

___________________________________________

I'm thinking making more of that last one, like " Characters reaction to reader who is randomly philosophical" might need to work on the title a bit. Also, as stated above, these can be sagau, but can also be normal isekai, so I'll use both tags so they can be found more easily

[redcomet-stims]

hi! Can I get a Peace stimboard (Jimbojimmy123) with purple themes, angelic themes, and peace signs? Ty! (Oh and I don't support the creator ofc!!)

-Damien

Yw!! Sure! ^^

☮️🪽💜 Peace (Jimbojimmy123) stimboard with purple, angelic themes, and peace signs for Damien ^^

Thank you for the request!! I hope you don't mind that the art in the center isn't actually Jimbo's art ^^; I actually LOVE this design, and I'd be down to draw it. I don't think my artstyle would do the character justice, but WHATEVER...I can draw anything as long as I have the skill >:)

And yeah...I've heard of the drama/controversy this creator's gotten into, and I've read the doc...🥲 I don't support him, either.

Sources:

x | x | x

x | x | x

x | x | x

[salpho]

Current plans (rambles and ideas) for the DCTL redrawn project

First off, I just came up with that title on the spot and it works super well so I'll stick with that probably pffh. Follow the tag if interested in participating !! Anyways, here's my rambles.

I wanna do some more research on Chris Hastings. Fellow Bendy wiki staff have pointed out that he adapts the books rather than illustrate them, which I didn't realise had any difference beforehand. Basically means directing stuff like backgrounds, setting, etc from my knowledge. They sourced this user that seems to know a thing or two about him and his work, along with getting an early copy of the graphic novel. I'll do proper research and make a seperate post soon for this.

Moving onto the project itself, I've got some jumbled thoughts I'll try and make sense of-

I'll reread DCTL to understand the book properly, all work going foreward from there

Design work will start after this, all characters will have set, universal designs based off of canon, official (such as meatly's word), book descriptions and more, such as racecoding (I'll do justice for Thomas and Norman) and time period. I'll likely be designing them alone, but I may listen to other participant inputs and ideas to make sure they're the best they can be.

This novel will be drawn from scratch !! We won't base or reference anything off of the original graphic novel, we'll only be using the original DCTL book and its word.

Every page will act as a "map part", basically having one artist do an entire page/pages. Some may want to collaborate with others (such as one person doing the backgrounds with the other doing characters) for their pages which is more than welcome.

Newer/less skilled artists are more than welcome to offer to participate, please don't let your skill level or own perception of your art discourage you !! I'd love to give you all a chance.

I may be pinging those who said they'd be happy to participate once I make the call post. Once ready to make that post, I'll be starting a discord server for communication. This will also include a google doc or something similar so we can get full quality pages from everyone rather than compressed images from the app.

The project's novel will begin with foreword. This will include background for why it was started, clearly state it was made as a protest against the original graphic novel, Mike's view of minorities in fiction and will also state it was made because we care and love this series, and want it to do better. It will credit and link to the artist who drew the original and explain why we believe the artist was mistreated and should've had more time and pay. Stuff of that sort.

Every page will have the artist's signatures/@'s in the margins, and the novel will have a glossary of all who participated.

Things may change, we'll see, but these are the rough plans I've got so far. Would love to hear your thoughts and ideas as usual !!

[creampuffqueen]

Let’s see the college au!!! :3c

okay so for starters check out this post by comradekatara for the basics/inspiration. gotta give credit for the main inspo!!

this au is where the female avatars are roommates in college and just like. hang out and have shenanigans and whatever lol. their love interests are also included as 'main' characters

so for everyone's majors and sports and stuff:

korra: kinesiology major. she plays several intramural sports (for those who don't know, it's like a club team for colleges) such as soccer, wrestling, and various martial arts

kyoshi: literature major. attends the school on a basketball scholarship

yangchen: international relations major, ends up minoring in philosophy, psychology, and political science. she plays for the school's volleyball and track teams

asami: mechanical engineering, also part of a sorority

rangi: pre-law, aiming to specialize in criminal justice. part of the school's ROTC, army branch. plays intramural soccer

kavik: pre-med, aiming to specialize in emergency medicine. attends the school on a national merit scholarship he got for his math skills

and yeah the other avatars are also here as well (don't think too hard about the timeline or you'll go crazy) but the girls are my favs so here we are

some other random things about the au:

korra was homeschooled for her entire life. so when she goes to college she has ZERO social skills or street smarts

korra's freshman roommate was opal beifong. they met online and decided to room together. they're great friends, but since they were both super sheltered they don't know how to do anything. they dyed all their clothes pink the first time they did laundry and almost burned down the dorm kitchens like three times attempting to cook

this college (it's not any specific college that i picked out it's just like some random made up school. i do feel very strongly that it's in new england tho) was not korra's first choice. originally she was scouted to swim for a big important school. but at the beginning of her senior year of high school she got into an accident that left her paralyzed for six months and in rehab for another six. the school dropped her offer and she was forced to reconsider her options

she ended up going to this random college because tenzin, a long time family friend, is a professor here

kyoshi was in the foster system most of her life, but ended up being adopted by her foster dad, kelsang, when she was 14. they aren't very wealthy so the only way kyoshi is able to attend school is because of her basketball scholarship, even though she doesn't care about basketball that much

kyoshi's freshman year roommate was randomly assigned, and she roomed with kirima. they didn't get along at first due to very differing lifestyles but eventually kirima helped her loosen up a bit and they became good friends

how everyone met: korra and rangi play on the intramural soccer team together. rangi and kyoshi were already dating when they went to college, so kyoshi met korra through her. basketball practice is right after volleyball practice. perfectionist yangchen always stays after to rep things on her own, and chronically early kyoshi is always like twenty minutes early to every practice. they keep running into each other and eventually start chatting, and become fast friends. kyoshi brings rangi and korra with her to cheer yangchen on at a volleyball game, and after the game the four go out to eat where, once again, they become fast friends

when the time comes to find housing for their sophomore year, the three girls decide to get an apartment together, and they live together for the next three years

korra meets bolin on the wrestling team, and then meets mako through him. mako and asami are already dating. korra judges asami as 'just a typical sorority girl' but quickly realizes she was wrong. there is some love triangle drama with those three but it wraps up wayyyy quicker in this au. korra and asami start dating in the spring of their freshman year

funny enough, korra actually meets kavik before anyone else. kavik is on the wrestling team for a little while, but drops it after winter break. kavik and yangchen meet totally separately, and when yangchen introduces him to her friends korra and kavik share a laugh because they've already met before

yangchen and kavik don't start dating until their sophomore year. but it takes like a whole six months for anyone to figure it out because 1) they didn't make any kind of announcement about it and 2) they don't really act that different anyway. so there's a very funny moment where kyoshi and korra come home to find them making out on the couch and are like 'hello???? when did this start??' and yangvik are like 'what do you mean when did this start we've been dating for six months 😭'

naga is korra's great pyrenees and yangchen has two siamese cats, pik and pak. kelsang has a surprisingly sweet tibetan mastiff called pengpeng that kyoshi dogsits sometimes

basically the vibe of this au is 'five of the hottest women you've ever seen - and this one guy that they drag around everywhere'

yangchen, korra, and rangi like to play sand volleyball together at the rec center. yangchen always wins but the other two don't make it easy for her

even though their partners are over so often they basically live there, the three girls have a 'residents only' night once a week where they all hang out together and gossip

the flying opera company is a band that does small gigs on campus/around town. kyoshi does backup vocals for them

yangchen is still pushing herself to insane levels At All Time in this au. girl is playing two sports, triple minoring, and is a member of like half the clubs on campus (she joins any club with volunteering opportunities). one semester korra and kyoshi start 'yangchen's redbull wall' which is exactly what it sounds like. not that they're any better lmao

the other avatars are also here in this au. kuruk is part of a frat but should be on like. suicide watch or something. bro is Going Through It. but he's actually like best friends with all the girls in the apartment. idk what roku is doing. aang is a philosophy major, he and yangchen are study buddies for philosophy classes. and uh. idk about wan either lmao

anyway that's some of the basics + random fun facts! i have lots more but writing this out has made me realize i probably need like a timeline or something haha. feel free to send more asks about this au!

[orangesand-lemons-234]

Albert running into his art studio wasn't something Jack expected on a random Wednesday evening, but there he was.

He had a tattered notebook in his hands, and his fingers were stained splatters of different colours with what looked to be water colour paints. His face was red and puffy, showing that he must've been crying before he'd came over.

"Al? What's wrong with ya?"

"I need you to teach me how to draw and paint... right now."

Jack snickered, only to be met with Albert's face. "Oh, you're serious?"

Albert raised an eyebrow at him. "Why wouldn't I be? I'm serious as a heart attack."

"Albert, you can't just learn how to paint overnight." He explained. "It takes years to learn- I've been doing it for ages, and I'm still learning."

"Well then, teach me the basics! Please!" Albert exclaimed. "Show me how to draw a person- it doesn't even have to be everything! Show me the easiest of the easiest skills you know!"

Jack stared at him for a moment before speaking again. "Right, Albert, where is this coming from?"

Albert huffed and slid the notebook towards Jack. "I saw you drawin' Davey, and I wanted to try it out myself and draw Race, but I couldn't- I didn't understand how to do it. Every time i did it, it just didn't look like Race."

Jack flipped through the pages and saw the countless drawings of Racetrack on each page. Some were just plain pencil doodles, while others were coloured or painted in.

They actually weren't half bad. Some were definitely a little rushed, while others looked to have genuine time put into them. But on every page, you could read Albert's aggravated annotations in the corner.

"doesn’t look like race."

"too shape-y."

"wtf am i even doing here"

"sketch looked so much better"

"too stiff"

"who even is that"

"why can't i draw my boyfriend???"

"Okay, are you stressed out over this?" Jack asked, holding the notebook up.

Albert nodded slowly, scratching at the skin around his fingernails. At this, Jack threw the book into a drawer and shut it. He got up and walked over to a shelf, pulling a plain sketchbook off of it.

"Right, c'mere." Jack said, signalling to Albert to sit on the seat at his desk. He then grabbed a stool from the corner and sat it next to him. "We're gonna forget about your other sketchbook, and we're gonna start a different one, 'kay? I got this one off of Denton a while ago, but I'monly halfway through my current one, so this can be yours."

Albert nodded again, rubbing at his eyes. Jack reached over into a small basket on the corner of the desk and pulled out a sticker. It was of Simba from the Lion King. He peeled off the back and quickly stuck it onto the front cover.

"There. Now it's really all yours. Got your favourite character and all."

This got a laugh out of Albert, which told Jack that they were free to carry on.

"So something you should know about drawing is that sometimes you just can't draw the people you love. It's odd- some sorta science behind it, I think, but I don't know the real cause." Jack explained. "For me? I think it's because you love that person so much that you don't know how to draw them in a way that does that admiration for them justice."

"But you drew Davey for his birthday?" Albert questioned.

"Albo, when's David's birthday?"

"May 18th?"

"I began plannin' that painting in December. It took me half a year to plan that and practice that and draft that properly."

"Oh."

Jack patted his shoulder and smiled a little. "You don't have to do all that, though, but I can teach you bit by bit how to get to a point where you'd maybe like to try that out?"

"Okay then." Albert smiled back. He wasn't picking at his skin now, and he looked excited to begin.

"So, first step: pick up a pencil. Seems pretty simple, but you wouldn't believe how many times I've accidentally picked up a paintbrush instead."

-

That night, Albert fell asleep the second his head reached the pillow. He'd left the sketchbook out on his bedside table, alongside his bracelet and his black stud earrings.

Race leaned over to give him a kiss before he fell asleep himself, only to notice the book, which he didn't recognise.

He picked it up and went to open it. If it's a diary or something, he'll put it right down, but he did wanna see what it might be.

On the first page, he saw a sketch of himself. There were a few notes in Jack's handwriting littering the page, but that's not what he was focused on.

He didn't care if it wasn't perfect or anything.

Albert had drawn him. And he loved it.

[seven-gill]

Hiya!!!! Just wanted to pop in and say I LOVE your art!! You're an incredibly skilled artist, and I desperately wish I had better connection on tumblr so I could look more closely at your designs

I actually had a couple questions! Feel free to not answer if you don't wanna, but they popped into my head as I was scrolling through your art ^^

What's your design process like?

I've noticed a very high interest in SeaWings and especially with your Moray and Shark designs, I was wondering if there were any fish you really want to incorporate into a design but haven't had a chance to yet?

Your pinned post mentions a long list of marine life - could you explain that list a bit more? What leads you to putting something on the list? Is it in a specific order? What are a couple of your favorite entries and why?

Thanks for sharing your exquisite art with the world - I look forward to seeing more!!!

Urgh I wish I could say I had a proper process but I'm a little all over the place. Generally I tend to follow these steps when conceptualizing WoF characters:

a. Read up on that specific character, usually by skimming through the books/reading the wiki. What is the most basal information I can work with. For Listener, I know she is tall, curvy, and looks like a successful hunter. She's got some spunk and spontaneity to her character, although she's occasionally ignorant and air-headed. In the end, she's a devoted friend with a strong sense of justice and empathy. At least, that's my reading of her.

b. Start sketching! Play around with shapes and motifs. What does this character feel like to me? What color are they if that's never been specified? What shape are they? What sort of theme do I want them to have? Can I incorporate their name into their design? How does their personality reflect their visual appearance? Translating personality traits into physical ones is a "whatever feels right" sort of deal for me. Listener felt loose and round to me and I wanted to give her a tom-boyish look with some little quirks that I felt made her endearing and lively. This is also where personal headcanons come in. Now Listener has the equivalent of a dragon bob-cut. Now she has buckteeth, a snub nose, and hey- her name is Listener, so why not give her big ears?

c. Clarify and refine. The original sketch is typically a huge mess of gestural drawing so I'll go over it/redraw it a few times and clarify any details I might have skipped. Sometimes I try a different pose or expression to see if it still looks alright under different conditions. Maybe I flip the canvas lol. I might end up changing minor aspects of the design at this point, or scrapping it entirely if it isn't working. For Listener's design I clarified the shape of her snout, ears, and shrunk her earrings.

*

2. Yeah I've drawn a lot of SeaWings by this point, lol. I'd like to say it was a coincidence, but maybe my subconscious would argue otherwise. I think it's because all the SeaWings have such large named families consisting of prominent characters, so if I draw one, then I feel compelled to draw their mother, or brother, etc... As for what fish I'd like to base a SeaWing on, I have no idea! I tend to, rather uncreatively, base a character's design off their name. Although, I've been working on a Indigo design with betta fish inspiration.

*

3. OH BOY, the List. The List is actually a Google slideshow I've been working on and off of for the last five years. It's a list compiling aquatic organisms (extant or extinct) that I find strange, whether it be due to their appearance or behavior. Think animals like cookie cutter sharks, giant isopods, stoplight loose jaws, and siphonophores. If it looks weird or does weird things, it's going on the List. I've always had a fondness for unusual sea creatures, and I love to make organized lists! The List serves no actual purpose beyond my own amusement. It's arranged alphabetically and each slide consists of a name (common and scientific), a photo or two, and a brief description of the species and any explanation for their unusual appearances or habits. It's very informal, but I'm working on tidying it up and adding actual scientific information rather than a funny quip from me. Most slides only feature a picture and have yet to receive a thorough description. There's currently 346 entries so it's hard to pick a favorite, but here's some highlights:

Fried Egg Jellyfish (Phacellophora camtschatica) It looks like an egg. It's great.

Predatory Tunicate (Megalodicopia hians) Most of it's relatives are vase-shaped filter feeders, whereas this one is anything but.

Red-lipped Batfish (Ogcocephalus darwini) Just look at this thing. Who put lipstick on it.

*

Annnnd that's about it. Sorry for the long posts, I have no idea how to be concise! Thank you so much for the kind words! It's honestly surreal to be here.

[livingmydreamlife5555]

MHA Dr #3

Name: Apollo Kamiyama

Birthday: January 24th

Height: 5'7"

Appearance: Low-key just a pretty boy. Imma add some art breeder photos at the bottom for more visuals of like my facial features. I combined multiple ones into a few that I liked. But yeah, I'm really pretty and I have freckles and curly hair 😻😻 me and midoriya twinning 🫶🏾🫶🏾 scripted that I remind people of the actual God Apollo if he was a human on Earth

Backstory: This one is a very interesting backstory lol. Long story short, my parents were devoted worshippers of the Greek gods. To show their devotion, they allowed the gods to bless me, aka their first child. So I have the blessings of the gods, like Percy Jackson type blessings, as if I were their child. They named me Apollo in honor of the first god they worked with. But that's not all 😏. They wanted me to become one of the greatest heroes. I was born with no quirk, so they gave me an advanced version of my parents quirks with some blessings of course. And that's how you get the gamer system, but the version from the web novel "Solo Leveling". I was born in Nigeria, but moved to America and did school there. I moved to Japan to do highschool at UA of course 💪🏾💪🏾. Don't know if imma actually script siblings, I already have some here 😭

Quirk: My life is mostly like a RPG player. I have quests I receive from the 12 gods themselves and some others. I can do anything a RPG player can do. The gods can open gates like in the webnovel solo leveling which the Gods open the gates to help me get stronger, with mythical greek monsters too. After my first gate, which the Gods use to test me, I get the skill shadow extraction, like from solo leveling. Anytime I defeat a monster, I can resurrect them to join my army under my command. In the original they are black and blue, but I scripted them to white and gold. The gates that the gods spawn can only be seen by me, and if I want others to see them then they could. The blessings I got from the gods show up as passive skills in my system (This whole quirk makes more sense if you read up on the main character's power).

Voice claim: Probably more higher than I sound in my other realities. I scripted something around Kenma Asmodeus (obey me), and Milo thatch combined. Just soft, pretty and angelic. "I sound like a beautiful tune from the instruments that the God Apollo would perfectly play" quite literally from my script

Extra info-

here are all the blessings and what they actually do (I don't get them all at once. There are six I get first, then I get the rest later on. They can grow from there too)

Zeus ⚡- power to control all elements (I start with the 4 basics, before moving into Lightning, metal, etc.)

Hera 🦚 - blessed with a loving relationship in my family

Poseidon 🔱 - power to breath underwater and and summon water beings on command

Hades 💀 - (couldn't really decide on one from him. But just something not over the top.)

Aphrodite 🦪 - the gift of absolute beauty and power to uncover the emotions hidden deep in one's soul

Apollo ☀️ - blessed with the voice of an angel and the powers of healing. My smile is like a beacon of light and shall illuminate the darkest of nights and usher hope for anyone.

Artemis 🌙 - blessed with the instincts of the best hunter, when needed. I shall radiate with calming light, soothing the ones around me.

Athena 🫒 - blessed with the gift of knowledge and learning capabilities. I can solve any puzzles and learn anything very quickly.

Hephaestus ⚒️ - blessed with the ability to forge anything with the right materials. I know how to use any weapon.

Hestia 🔥 - blessed with the burning desire to bring justice and gifted with the eternal flame.

Hermes 🪽 - blessed with the ability to tell if a person is pure of heart and tell if they are lying. I have the movements of water and can build up to the speed of light.

Demeter 🌿 - blessed with the power to control plant life and animals. Anywhere I go, the place shall prosper

Dionysus 🍷 - blessed with the ability to create anything only when in need. I can always find food

Ares ⚔️ - blessed with the power to solve any crisis and instill chaos when needed.

i have a more androgynous beauty in this Dr. Got a lot of beauty from Aphrodite of course 🙏🏾

I can also communicate with the gods as well and they come like little inboxes in my gamer systems.

I might script that we are rich, but just depends on how I'm feeling.

I have the same skills from the other drs obviously.

Welp that's it for this reality. This is also a really good way to reconnect with myself in my other realities too. Below are the art breeder pics of me. One more to gooo

-Honey out 🍯🍯🍯

[yansimstorythatiwillnotworkon]

Bea Gemron

Name: Bea Gemron

Gender: Female

Class: 1-2

Club: None

Persona: Phone Addict

Reputation:

Overall: +6

Liked: -30

Respected: -50

Fear: +100

Crush: None

Strength: Incapable

Likes: Animals, School, Gossip, Memes, Family

Dislikes: Justice, Music, Anime, Socializing, Money

__

Bea is another one of my longest-lasting OCs from so long ago. She was on the same level of importance as Colleen and Amise and would likely make some pretty big changes to the story. This is because I imagined Bea able to be both a secure ally or enemy depending on Ayano's actions.

I don't have the entirety of the story planned out, and really just have some rough drafts of the main events in each week, so I'm not sure when exactly I'll decide that Bea will be an "important character" and make whatever changes I have planned for her.

__

The text in the pictures read:

1. Bea is known for being a pain in the ass. She usually casually insults people in any situation. Greetings, departures, such and such. No matter the event, she speaks so casually that it either flies over the heads of her peers or they're too used to it to care.

2. She seems pretty good with computers, and spends most of her time on her phone and other electronics.

3. Thanks to her computer skills and love for gossip, she's great at spreading information (and even misinformation if need be).

4. She'd like to start her own talk show or something of the sort in order to spread news and announcements in a fun way. She tried to use the past newspaper club as a reason to start her own "talk show" but the guidance counselor didn't trust that Bea wouldn't bully her peers with that new access.

5. Bea often leaves her motives and goals ambiguous, so whenever she finds out someone's "dark secret", that person remains on edge simply because they don't know what she'll do or why.

Kokoro Momoiro: Kokoro and Bea have known each other since middle school. Bea was Kokoro's very first friend and remained as such to this day. Bea was really good at making sure Kokoro didn't do stupid things. Whenever she did anything remotely embarrassing, Bea made sure to react in an intense manner so that Kokoro felt too ashamed to so it again.

Midori Gurin: Bea likes making stupid conspiracy theories about Midori due to Midoru refusing to say why she has her scar, amongst other things. Since Midoru is already pretty weird, most of the students either believe what Bea says or ignores both of them collectively since they're both weird. When students ask Midori about Bea's claims, she usually answers ambiguously.

Maka Tansei: Bea likes testing out Maka's artistic talent by requesting she draw weird or unique things. Sometimes, Bea puts her art on the walls of the hallways, which honestly just makes the students feel unnerved.

[natelawtism]

THIS IS ALL IN MY OPINION BUTTT what I think the xod characters would be in dnd... the ssb server inspired me to make this post ( @/sunstream7 's art to be exact) and I kind of went crazy.

For clarification! This is WHO they'd be if they existed in dungeons & dragons, not what they'd play as.

Nate- Paladin. Don't fucking play with me. Oath of either the Crown or Devotion. Because of the fact he upholds the rules and... a lot of the things that happen at SSB, I could see the Oath of the Crown being similar to that. Enforcing the rules of the kingdom and the royalty- but on the other hand, he's SUCH a stereotypical oath of Devotion paladin. Even though I don't think he'd care much for the devine aspect of devotion, (which is why crown is also an option), he is absolutely devoted to being a bringer of justice to EVERYONE. He's also the very stereotypical "knight in shining armor". He has honor, strong morals, and logical decision making.

He would also be an aasimar- which are a race descendant of angels/celestial beings. Don't ask me why I just think Nate would be an angel boy.

Pran- druid. If you've taken one look at his younger OR older design you'd understand why. HIS BIRTHDAY TRADITION IS PLANTING A TREE (even if it isn't "his"). ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? DON'T PLAY. He'd be Circle of the Shepherd or the Land. (I don't know much about Pran, but I DO know about druids, so hopefully this is accurate.) Druids of the circle of the Shepherd commune with the ghosts of nature- mostly animals. They use the aid of spirits to guide them on their adventures. I could see him using spiritual powers like this! Druids of the circle of the Land (which I think is more accurate to him) have a strong connection to the land of which they were born. They safeguard ancient knowledge and pass it down from each generation of druid- which is very fitting for his behavior. Their strong connection to the land and to nature gives them special abilities.

He'd probably be an orc, and I realize now I'm just turning him into my current DND character. But I could see his insecurities and behaviors translating to him being an orc!! He doesn't want people to point out his height, which orcs are very tall. He's also quite stoic and often has an rbf- and orcs are quite intimidating.

Jeremy- I think he'd be a ranger!!! Not only because of his connection to cats, but also his skills in archery as a hobby. A ranger is your go-to bow user. Any ranger knows how to lurk and make good use of a bow! Jeremy would not be a fan of close combat, and I think he'd MUCH prefer to go unnoticed in the distance until it's his time to strike. Jeremy finds people tiring, and people find HIM tiring in tandem. He probably prefers animal companions over people- as they aren't as troublesome. Cats understand him when no one does... His conclave would be gloom stalker. The name was made for him. Gloomy boy lurking in the gloom of the world- the underdark and alleyways. Attacking things hiding from society before they can present themselves and become a threat. THOUGH. I could also see him having the fey wanderer conclave because it's just like him to accidentally forge a connection to the feywild and gain fey magic.

He'd be a human. No other explanation I just feel it in my bones.

Everett- THIS STUPID TWINK WAS THE HARDEST FOR ME. But I think he'd be a sorcerer! I don't think he'd EVER be a close-combat type of person, so I think he'd be a magic caster of some sort. But, I also didn't think he'd be willing to study to be a wizard LOL. I think he inherited his magic from his bloodline! Most likely his mom. She probably taught him everything he knows about his magic, and guided him until he became an adventurer. This is probably due to a draconic bloodline origin- one of his ancestors making a pact with a great dragon to grant them and their bloodline power.

Sun elf (high elf). He's a pretty boy and he KNOWS it, as high elves often do.

Shiloh- Rogue. He's a sneaky bastard, I can't give him anything else. Rogues aren't JUST limited to stealth and sneaking around physically- it also means sneaking socially. It means knowing your opponent and being able to understand their vulnerabilities to use them against them. What does Shiloh do? LEARN PEOPLE'S VULNERABILITIES, AND USE THEM TO HIS OWN GAIN. He's shown to know his group mates VERY well, even if they don't like him. He's good at studying people to properly manipulate them and get what he wants, which is a very rogue thing. Rogues can also be proficient in insight, performance, deception, and persuasion. He'd probably have the Inquisitive or Mastermind archetype, for reasons said before. For Inquisitive: has a sharp eye and a good ear- and he's able to break someone down quite quickly. Mastermind wise, he is VERY good at changing himself to be what someone wants to hear. At level 3, mastermind rogues can mimic the speach patterns and accent of a creature they hear speak for at least a minute. I think he'd use this skill so evilly.

I think he'd probably be a changeling just because of the fact you always see the face you want- and not his real one. You never know what Shiloh fields is actually like. He will never let you in. I could see him changing his features, but always keeping the name "Shiloh"

Bae- warlock. This sweet talker DID talk his way into a deal with a diety/higher power to lend him magic, are you kidding? And he thinks his pact makes him better than everyone. He wants to know arcane knowledge, and why do that alone when he can have the help of a higher power? His patron would probably be a fiend, as I could see him working with a VERY powerful archdevil (like Asmodeus, the Lord of the nine hells). He doesn't care about having a patron that's "good" or "holy", just one that will get him where he needs to be.

As for race... the one calling to me is tiefling because he's a demon in xobd. I mean, it was kinda already laid out for me.

[quantomeno]

"Today we play it my way!"

I like Klavier a lot. I have not played Apollo Justice in several years, so my memories of what he's like in game is not great, but he's a fun character and I welcome more of him.

I also ship him with Apollo. The way I like to imagine their relationship is that Klavier noticed Apollo seemed really interested in him and sort of assumed Apollo was gay and had a crush on him (and he's vain enough to assume anyone who likes men would be attracted to him). So he teases Apollo (with his 'Herr Forehead' comments etc) to fluster him, not overly maliciously but because Apollo can be so uptight and serious that he enjoys ruffling his feathers. But then, Klavier starts to become fond of Apollo and starts to wonder if maybe he has feelings for Apollo too.

The thing is: Apollo is an idiot (I mean this in an endearing way) and has no idea any of this is happening. He doesn't really even register that he's attracted to Klavier (which he is). He just thinks he's obsessed with Klavier out of competitiveness and because he's jealous he's so cool.

(I like to think they're both bi, by the way. There's no particular reason except that it makes it easier to explain why they both take some time to realise their feelings because they had assumed they were straight up till now.)

So Apollo keeps trying to impress Klavier, which Klavier takes as him flirting with him, so he teases Apollo more, which causes Apollo to try harder etc etc non-non-stop.

It ends up being a weird thing where Apollo doesn't realise he's dating Klavier until they've been together for months. Everyone else knows but him. Even the Judge thinks they're together. Apollo just assumed Klavier was his really cool best friend who would buy him dinner a lot.

Notes about the art: this is a linocut print. The design is nothing special because I just traced over official art of Klavier and transferred it to the lino. The carving took skill though (the necklace and the eye were both a pain). Also carving letters is a pain. I keep telling myself I'll never carve letters or buildings again, but I keep doing it.

I'm sure I made other prints of this but I don't have them on hand; this one was done on a scrap of printer paper. I think I may have turned one of the prints into a card for someone and the rest may be in storage.

[robins-egg-bindery]

ever in your favor by @iron--spider

Peter startles awake when someone shakes him. 

“Sorry, honey,” May says. Peter blinks a couple times and she comes into focus, her hair pulled back from her face. She’s trying not to look a certain way, but he can see it in her eyes anyway. She clears her throat, keeps talking. “But it’s…” She glances away, wets her lips. “You gotta get ready.”

He remembers what day it is, and his heart beats like a drum at someone’s execution. But he tries to put on a mask, make it all seem normal. It’s everything but, despite the fact that he’s been dealing with reaping day since he was born, between himself, Ben and May. That fear that one of them could be taken away. Sent to surefire slaughter. But now Ben is gone, taken despite never having his name drawn from a bowl, and May’s finally safe. Now Peter’s name is in there alone. The last Parker sitting on the chopping block. He doesn’t know how to be. He doesn’t know what normal is, when the Hunger Games are looming on the horizon.

fic by @iron--spider

art by @angel-gidget

624 pages / 153,984 words

Title Font: PP Hatton, Rustic Printed

Body Fonts: Californian FB, Moonglade, Bebas Neue, War Is Over, Architects Daughter

More on the process below the cut!

I have...SO much to say about this project! This fic was one that I've wanted to do ever since I started fanbinding, and it was one I saved until my technical skills caught up with my vision for the book. @iron--spider is my favorite author and a wonderful friend, and I wanted to be able to do this masterwork justice!

Given that it's a Hunger Games AU, I wanted to touch on the Hunger Games aesthetic while still being unique. I started with the cover; I knew I wanted red and yellow, something bold and evocative of the Iron Man, Spiderman vibe. It also doubles as an implication of the blood spilt during the games, especially in volume II - when Peter actually enters the games. I chose the spider for the cover, and painted it on the cover paper with inky black paint; I cut a stencil, and while the images did have some drippy areas, I don't mind it so much. It's meant to look like graffiti, Peter's symbol that the people of the Districts scrawl everywhere they can get away with it.

In turn, I also experimented with a paint pen on this one of the titling, done on the spine piece, which is black Better Than Goat leather! Again, I went in with a stencil, and opted for blockier letters, like something you might see spray painted onto a wall.

The endpapers are custom; I messed around with a weird cityscape I found and came out with the image you see above. The setting for the games is a futuristic city, much like MCU NYC would be, complete with an Avengers Stane tower.

And then of course, there's the typeset itself! The Hunger Games books don't have particularly striking typesets, but I did go for the dystopian vibe with the Rustic Printed font on the chapter numbers, and Moonglade for the chapter titles, giving it a very industrial feel.

It was also a pleasure to include the art that @angel-gidget did for the fic as well! Her book covers are so gorgeous and I love her manip style so much <3 I also included the short drabble @iron--spider did on her Tumblr, a post-story snack-sized fic, as well as a meta question she answered via her asks that I thought was particularly interesting. The District guide at the back, including what Districts each character belongs to and whether or not they are deceased was interesting to put together, and I hope I didn't make any mistakes!

Last, but certainly not least, this book was the first one I was able to do really nice headbands on. Shoutout to @morningstarbindery who helped me learn how! They look phenomenal and I never would have figured it out on my own <3

I'm excited for everyone to see these books! One day I'll have all your works on my shelf ;)

[venticuliao]

Thoughts on Arcane

Arcane's writing is built on a basis ideologically opposite to mine, as every work of American fiction is by design.

I like it on its own terms, without projecting my beliefs into it. All American media is held back by ideological constraints, this one has great writing within these limitations which I don't see often, so I like it a lot. Doesn't represent any ideal for me, is all.

I don't know why that is, if every American creative director just happens to be a loyal imperialist dog or if executives in the corporations that own the product share a guidelines of what has to be portrayed by the narratives. Every villain with a reasonable goal has to be morally antagonized in some way, Killmonger wants to be the head of the new power structure, Magneto wants to return the violence, so on and so forth, for whatever reason.

What I know is it's inescapable, even biopics of real life people have their beliefs trivialized or sidelined, even when the directors behind them sympathize with it. Oppenheimer defined his role in the creation and use of the bomb through Hindu beliefs that he was very serious about, yet the movie trivializes it with a scene where he recites the Vedas during sex; Fred Hampton was openly a communist yet Jesus and the Black Messiah gets away with mentioning it only once.

This is just how American media is allowed to exist, I've never had the luck to encounter any exception. When I started Arcane I didn't have any different expectations, regardless of what was presented to me on the screen. Anything that has the remote appearance of a reflection of my ideals can only be a mirage that sooner or later will show its real face, that's more or less how I interact with American media, and I've learned to not resent it. I don't compromise my ideals in watching and enjoying how the enemy makes art, something like that. Everything can be appreciated within its own terms.

Such is the case of Arcane, although only explicit in the second season at the very least. I think fans in general attribute what they consider flaws in the writing to a lack of skill or a failure, but just from my perspective drawing from what I described before, these are deliberate choices.

The optics of having rioters, especially black rioters, willingly join armed forces against the threat of war is pretty incriminating on itself. When the country demands duty from its citizens even the most rebellious ones will attend.

On the other hand, for every act of violence against the people of Zaun there is a reasonable justification, although parts of a larger conflict between the two cities.

This story was never about rebellion to me, that much I can vouch for. It seemed to me that it was rather about powerlessness. I think just most people are used to dystopian YA novels where the teenage protagonist overthrows their corrupted government at the end, but that's not usually how dystopia genre works. Outside of YA you're more likely to see pessimistic stories where the characters are beaten down by the system into submission. This isn't a bad thing, fiction that produces negative feelings like this or tragedy aren't bad media, they're good, it's good to experience these bad feelings in this context. And Arcane never seemed to me like it would build up into a grand rebellion that would serve satisfactory justice, it starts with a failed one after all. Vi has a rebellious spirit when she's a teenager because she doesn't understand the consequences of impulsive acts, even when these impulsive acts have justified rage. Vader tries to teach her that the potential losses aren't worth the risk, it's his fault her parents are dead after all. Hence....... the powerlessness..

I felt that's mostly the vibe of season 1, following the characters through their struggles in this realistic approach to dystopia. I wasn't paying a lot of attention then, so maybe there was something I didn't catch, but that's how I feel right now.

I do however have some notes on season 2, beyond the fact that the sociopolitical conflict between the two cities was sidelined, and this is mainly a confirmation that it all stems from deliberate choices and not careless or rushed writing: the narrative of the hextech.

I, uh, appreciate how it was written, and I enjoyed it a lot, like I said I can enjoy fiction that's rooted in ideology or philosophy I disagree with. And I think it was well written in its own terms too, under its own rules and themes.

How do I put it..

Themes of individuality and identity in western philosophy tend to be contrasted by the equality of socialism and the unity or denial of ego from eastern philosophy. The threat is a collective force that takes your identity away from you and to which you have to stand up to as an individual. Philosophers like Nietzsche specifically identified dharmic religions (Buddhism and Hinduism) and social changes that sought equality like liberalism (of that time period), socialism and even democracy as culprits of producing mediocre culture, anything that subordinated the individual's will to the will of a majority or sought to control the individual's will was understood as a threat in this type of western philosophy.

In Arcane Viktor attempts to absorb every individual into a collective consciousness where they become everything and nothing at the same time through a violent process. The peaceful commune formed by his cult that works on the basis of mutual aid and collectivism is framed as the first stage for this authoritative resolution. By Viktor's own admission, this pursuit ends up being meaningless.

Socialism is framed with similar threats: the leaders are authoritarian, it deprives you from your own individuality, followers are cult like believers.. and so on.

Another thing that called my attention is that Viktor is seen mediating in a pose that resembles that of eastern religions and he remains isolated. Another enemy of Nietzsche's was the figure of the ascetic that he mostly associated with the dharmic religions, someone who by western standards denies their own self to live in isolation. Dharmic religions are rooted in beliefs of unity with the world, universal consciousness, a concern with unavoidable suffering, and the separation of or control over one's ego, all which stand in conflict with western ideals of power.

Like I said, these are elements that already make up parts of the western sci fi genre in and of itself, precisely because the pursuit of technological advance acts as an affirmation of power over the environment and others. Imperialism but through creative lenses, and of course the beliefs of unity and self restraint stand in its way.

Like I also said, they wrote this in such compelling ways! If they're gonna write imperialist western values, at least make it interesting, y'kno.

The resolution between Viktor and Jayce is incredibly moving too, it has made me feel things I hadn't felt in years, but in perspective it seems more like an enforcing of the status quo.

Anyway, I don't know if the creators or the writers are to blame, it's not the first time a popular franchise suddenly asserts this kind of ideology (see Korra or superhero movies), singling out individuals for what seems like a problem in the industry (dare I say the country) doesn't seem useful. Perhaps Netflix executives had their hand in this, who knows.