Not to be a bitch but sometimes people engage with fiction in the most boring way possible, and nowhere is this clearer than in videogames. Like what you mean you hate a character just because they were kind of abrasive when speaking to the player character? "They were mean to me" and it didn't occur to you to wonder why? Like, what might their attitude toward you reveal about the world? About the social dynamics within it? About their own perspectives and backgrounds and personalities? Does it even occur you to ask? Would you only have liked them if they bowed to your presence and talked about how great you are? Like I'm sorry but you're so boring. How boring fiction would be if it cathered to you

I am reminded of the individual who claimed they didn't like disco elysium because it was "just a demo that ends when you shoot the kid," then never considered you could Not Shoot The Kid

We're getting there little by little, sure. But it's a road.

Anyway happy international asexuality day back to work I go

”I have this artistic idea but not the skills to achieve it to the standard I want.”

congrats! Now you have a motif! A recurring theme! A focus for your art! Something to haunt you!

Seventeen still lives of dandelions? Three hundred poems about grief? A sketchbook dedicated to your grandmother’s house? Two books trying to unravel the complexities of familial relationships?

Don’t let the fear of it not being perfect on the first try stop you from being Weird About It!

Please view Hokusai's gradual working towards The Great Wave Off Kanagawa, over a period of 39 years.

An early exploration of the themes Hokusai would keep coming back to is Spring in Enoshima, done in 1793 when he was 33. The wave is small and there are no boats, but Mt Fuji is clear in the background, and Enoshima is in Kanagawa, so we are clearly beginning to work towards something here.

A second pass, eleven years later in 1803 when he was 44. The title of this one begins to get more familiar: The View of Honmoku Off Kanazawa. It has a towering wave over a smaller boat, but Mt Fuji is not present, and the boat is considerably larger and has a sail. But the feeling of danger in the wave and the smallness of the boat are here, and of course the general composition is definitely recognizable.

This is A View Of Express Delivery Boats, done in 1805, merely two years later at age 46. Here we find the wave and the boats almost exactly as we'll find them in The Great Wave Off Kanagawa, though Mt Fuji isn't present, and the location is uncertain. And it's a good picture! The wave is threatening, the boats are small -- but the feeling of "ocean" isn't really there yet, is it? It's unlikely this picture would have become a classic for the ages. But that's okay, there's still time.

And here we have it, a full 26 years later, done by Hokusai in 1831 at the age of 72. The Great Wave Off Kanagawa, one of the most recognizable pieces of art in the world. The boats are there, the mountain is there, the wave is there, and the FEELING is there. He did it! He reached the apex of his ongoing motif and theme!

Or did he? Because the whole point of a motif is not that you're striving to get to the perfect version of it, the one idealized image you carried in your head all along, and when it is done, you are also done. Hokusai is on record at the age of 73 saying he'd only just begun to feel like he was learning how to draw things properly, and that "if I keep up my efforts, I will have even a better understanding when I was 80 and by 90 will have penetrated to the heart of things. At 100, I may reach a level of divine understanding, and if I live decades beyond that, everything I paint — dot and line — will be alive." He had drawn The Great Wave, but he didn't believe he was finished -- he thought that he was still just beginning to get started.

And he wasn't finished with his ocean motif, either. Please check out his Mt Fuji At Sea, done in 1834 at the age of 75.

It's all there; Mt Fuji, the ocean, the wave. The boats are gone, but replaced with birds, flying with the wave instead of fighting against it. It's not as famous as The Great Wave Off Kanagawa, but that's not what motifs are for -- each successive work does not have to surpass the previous in terms of success, especially in terms of external success. They're there for you to keep playing with, keep remixing and re-experiencing, for as long as you think you have something to say.

did you have to use that photo for that

i mean good on them...? still paired with that image thats uh. interesting

I respect the fuck out of this. The whole site is trying its hardest to go against every selling point the dog robots have as its selling points.

The dog robots are supposed to be autonomous, threehalves is explicitly only for being piloted by a human. The giant horns make it difficult for this machine to enter through doorways, and that is the point. Coupled with the built-in weak points, it is very easy to disable this thing, so it can't be used by the police or the military effectively.

OP alluded to how unsettling the machine looks, and I believe that it was a concious decision; the robot dogs have garnered sympathy due to their apperance, which makes it easier for the police to morally justify their use. This thing? You're not gonna get many people to sympathise with it. The only people who would are monster and-or robot fuckers, and I believe these circles generally understand that a machine cannot be trusted (though of course many would willingly approach it for pervert reasons (positive) knowing full well it's a bad idea).

oh yeah i saw everyone on tiktok freaking out about "if it can't harm humans why does it come with instructions to kill it" it's a safety feature in case of an emergency or malfunction where it needs to be quickly deactivated. "why is it so big and demonic why does it look like that" it's a safety feature so it can do dangerous labor and so you don't feel bad about killing it. "it was designed not to be able to follow you through doors?? why the fuck would it do that that's scary" it's a safety feature so you can't get cornered or have the person piloting it misuse it. "it doesn't have hands but it can attach CHAINSAWS to its limbs???" it's MADE TO WITHSTAND WILDFIRES IT'S NOT GONNA USE IT ON YOU "this thing gives me such bad vibes i do not trust it" GOOD!!! IT'S A ROBOT!!! IT IS A TOOL!!! IT'S A REALLY BIG AND COMPLICATED MACHINE THAT IS DESIGNED TO GO IN DANGEROUS ENVIRONMENTS WHICH WOULD MEAN IT COULD POTENTIALLY MALFUNCTION! USE YOUR BRAIN!!!

admittedly i do think that picture of it standing in the doorway with glowing white eyes is like comically frightening but it's SUPPOSED to be so you don't feel bad for it or approach it

Power Off (Full Comic)

freedom at last i can draw other shit now :,)

CRYING

I LOVE THIS COMIC

I think Cinder's is the design I'm most looking forward to seeing in Vacuo. We've already seen her grimm arm spread above her elbow to over her shoulder from volumes 5-9. Since the end of volume 9 implied there'd be a bit of a time skip, the grimm could have potentially spread much father. If grimm replaced her arm it could also replace her eye!

There's also this concept art from volume 4/5 where she has these cute (tiny!) arm spikes on her grimm shoulder so I hope we at least get something like that eventually.

well guys i think we all remember what happened in the white trailer.

heres my interpretation of Weiss’s scar!

this is the size or arma gigas compared to Weiss

this is what hit her. a metal armored fist with sharp edges from something 4 times bigger than her

this is the impact

realistically, this would have killed her by shattering half of her skull. but she lived so she wouldn’t have only a little scar. we know that she has a lot of aura (no pun intended) to withstand using her semblance that many times. realistically, this broke her aura and she would be vulnerable now, like what happened to Yang. but for the sake of the narrative, let’s just say that just weakened it a lot. she was using the last of her strength to fight after that blow.

heres a little thingy i did a while ago to explain my view of her injury

I have been meaning to talk about Pyrrha and Ruby since V9 ended. There are a lot of parallels between Pyrrha and Ruby that become particularly clear after Volume 9, but I genuinely haven't seen anyone talk about them. I think you can look at Pyrrha’s arc as a bit of a microcosm of Ruby’s, albeit with a tragic ending I don't think Ruby will have. Pyrrha may be viewed as a cautionary tale for Ruby. There are four main things they have in common which are:

Prodigies

So first off, Pyrrha and Ruby are both prodigies. Pyrrha is already a world famous champion fighter known as the 'Invincible Girl' (with a sponsorship to go with it) and is implied to be the best fighter of her year. Ruby is accepted into Beacon two years early, is noted to wield a particularly dangerous weapon she herself designed, and is a natural leader and strategist. She is thus made leader of her team despite being the youngest. Their status as prodigies gets both of them noticed by Ozpin as well (we'll come back to that). Yet, both strongly wish to be seen as 'normal', not exceptional.

Ideal Heroes

They are also characterized as ideal heroes. Both aim to become huntresses for selfless reasons, emphasizing the importance of helping the world, unlike WBY and Jaune, who have more ‘selfish’ reasons for doing so. It's why Oobleck only asks WBY about why they want to become huntresses in V2. Ruby (and Pyrrha) already have the right outlook to be huntresses, whereas WBY needed to reflect and grow. Ruby and Pyrrha are both deeply selfless and feel personal responsibility to help the world.

Magic Inheritors

With respect to magic, they’re not quite the same. Ruby is born with her magic, while Pyrrha is chosen to, but doesn't actually, receive magic.

However, both are singled out by Ozpin due to (potentially) inheriting magic. Pyrrha is chosen by Ozpin to receive the powers of that Fall Maiden (it should be noted that Ozpin frames this not as his choice, but something that would happen regardless, which is not true). Ozpin's first words to Ruby are to comment on her silver eyes. It's implied that Ozpin allows Ruby to attend Beacon early and gives her team special treatment due to her silver eyes. It seems likely he was setting her and team RWBY up for recruitment into his secret war with Salem (the way he did with STRQ), bolstered by the fact he let them go on the mission to Mountain Glenn as first years when it was clear Ruby was lying.

For both Pyrrha and Ruby, magic has the potential achieve their heroic goals, but it puts them in direct danger. If Pyrrha had received the Maiden powers, it would have placed a target on her back, and even without them, Pyrrha is placed in direct conflict with Cinder and is ultimately killed by her. Cinder also wants to kill Ruby and Salem sends Tyrian to kidnap her due to her silver eyes. I also think it’s interesting that Ruby unlocked her own magic powers the moment Pyrrha died. Very Maiden-like of her. While obviously Ruby couldn’t inherit Maiden powers from Pyrrha, I do think symbolically Ruby inherits important themes regarding choice, destiny, and heroism that were being explored in Pyrrha's arc. The most interesting parallel , though, is the isolation both girls feel.

Isolation

This quote is at the crux of Pyrrha’s (and Ruby’s) arc. When Pyrrha says this, it's a good moment. It's her finally beginning to open up about her feelings to Jaune. It's a high point in Pyrrha's story. She's getting exactly what she most wants: to be treated “just like anyone else.” To have lasting friendships with people who see her, for her. It's worth mentioning that Ruby also initially struggled with making friends (Jaune is the first friend to both of them, actually).

But then V3 happens and everything goes downhill. She’s singled out by the Ozluminati as special, as above her peers because they've chosen her to inherit the Fall Maiden's power. Before telling her about the Maidens, Ozpin compliments Pyrrha’s performance at the Vytal Tournament, calling her “exemplary” and noting that she’s been chosen to move forward into the singles round. Pyrrha states that “[she] would never have made it this far without [her] teammates,” emphasizing her role as being on equal footing with team JNPR. Even if she was chosen to move forward, she didn't succeed alone. But Qrow disagrees, replying, "Personally, I think it’s the other way around” (V3Ch6). This visibly upsets Pyrrha. Ozpin and co. have placed her right back up on that pedestal. With the immense pressure of having to decide whether or not to accept the Maiden powers as well as keeping it secret, she’s further isolated from her friends. When she tries to speak to Jaune about it, she's vague, withdrawn, and confusing.

From Jaune’s perspective this makes sense! Pyrrha has her own personal goal she’s on the cusp of achieving, but she isn’t sure if she can. So Jaune tries to support her. Of course she can do it! She’s Pyrrha Nikos! She’s great! But Pyrrha isn’t supposed to tell anyone about the Fall Maiden. She doesn’t tell him what’s actually wrong. And Jaune says the exact wrong thing as a result, inadvertently telling her to accept the Maiden powers and potentially lose herself in a way Jaune doesn't have the context to understand. Jaune’s attempt at support brings Pyrrha to tears, and she pushes him away and runs, further isolating herself. Later in the Volume, she accepts the Maiden powers, and when Cinder steals them, she chases after Cinder alone, pushing Jaune away again, fights Cinder, and dies.

Ruby doesn't start out on the pedestal, but gradually, through love and praise, her friends and family put her there.

All of these are initially framed as positive. Ruby gives a grateful smile and is comforted by these words. None of these are inherently wrong things to say. But this praise builds up over time and the dynamic starts to shift:

There's a pause before we see Ruby's face, as if she needs an extra moment to bring up a smile for Blake. Throughout the Atlas arc, as Ruby takes up position as leader of their group after Oz disappears, she starts to get more and more overwhelmed. Just when she was starting to lose hope, though, they manage to come up with a plan to save everyone.

But it doesn't work, and Ruby falls.

It's in Volume 9, after the the Fall of Atlas, that Ruby can't take it anymore. Her sense of self has shattered and her self-esteem plummeted. Comparing the quotes above to what the smoke version of Ruby has to say, and you can see the breaking points (also check out this video for more examples).

Ruby ignores or rebuffs any attempt at comfort throughout V9 until she explodes. Weiss, Blake, and Yang all gently try to get her to open up, but whether they are too gentle, distracted by their own grief, or distracted by the problems immediately in front of them, they don't realize the extent of Ruby's suffering. When Weiss invites Ruby to comfort Jaune in the wake of the Paper Pleaser's Ascension, Ruby just can't do it. She is particularly resentful of her position as leader and what it has come to entail:

And the need to stay positive:

After Jaune is set off, and then apologetic, Blake tries bring everyone together, but Ruby completely rejects her.

Even if inadvertently, Ozpin has isolated Ruby here, too. His advice to Ruby all the way back in V1 has come to haunt her:

We even see shortly after how much she has taken this advice to heart:

It is through her position as leader that Ruby has become so isolated.

Jaune/WBY try to support Pyrrha and Ruby, but they aren't able to help since they don't actually address the root of the problem. Jaune/WBY don’t know what the problem is, in part because Pyrrha and Ruby don’t tell them. As a result, Pyrrha and Ruby end up lashing out at their friends and running away instead.

Pyrrha's arc ends tragically, of course. She chooses to fight Cinder, even though she likely knew she would die. She chooses her destiny/duty (the Maiden powers/protecting the world) over her own desires (to be normal/Jaune). Ruby also dies in a way, but importantly Ascension isn't death. That being said, I think you could read Pyrrha choosing the Maiden powers (choosing her ideals as a hero resulting in a heroic sacrifice), which could have cost her her self-hood (since she was taking Amber's aura and may have ended up in a similar fate as Ozpin/Oscar) in contrast to Ruby rejecting Summer.

Summer was Ruby's idealized image of a hero, who she presumes died heroically while on a mission (whether or not that's true remains a mystery for now). In rejecting Summer, and instead choosing herself, Ruby may also be rejecting not just the idealized image of a hero, but the heroic sacrifice that goes along with it. Essentially, Pyrrha chooses being a hero over her own identity and Ruby does the opposite. I'm not as confident in this reading, because choosing to accept the Maiden powers and choosing to go after Cinder are two distinct choices. The use of the Aura Transfer Machines has always been viewed as wrong so far, but based in the memorial scene in V6, Pyrrha's choice to go after Cinder is supported by the narrative. Pyrrha arguably just risked it all to fight for every life which helped mitigate the tragedy of the Fall of Beacon.

Still, I think Ruby will be able to open up and get the supports she needs post V9, and that will help her avoid Pyrrha's tragic fate. Perhaps Ruby's arc will feature more parallels with Pyrrha's in the future. Whatever may be, Pyrrha’s tragic arc and death is what got me invested in RWBY initially. It’s so fascinating to me how thematically relevant it remains throughout the whole series. Truly, her death just keeps on giving.

@vigilantsycamore this is the Ruby and Pyrrha meta I mentioned before

being alive is great because there are so many different vegetables you can sauté. but then there are also the horrors

with faith and perseverance, one day we will sauté the horrors

maybe i’m crazy but i’m not actually convinced you care about human dignity and inalienable rights if your outlook on the world is primarily about who should die and suffer

Ranni the Witch. Its time for elden doodles!

Print available: Link to my inprint 

you love gay wolf girls. reblog

My Life Changed When I Discovered Peer-to-Peer File Sharing at Age 10 by heart__rot

28x28

Acrylic on Canvas

It's largely airbrushed! That's why it doesn't look like you expect acrylic to look, if you're expecting it to have been applied with a traditional brush

I love how art programs have spent decades building tools to ape traditional materials and techniques digitally, while at the same time artists have gone ahead and aped the digital funk of MSpaint and bad photoshop in traditional mediums. That's just really fun to me!