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himehikoshrine · 7 months

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Mary Jane and Frankenstein

In honor of Spooky Month and the imminent arrival of Mary Jane Day, I have done the scariest thing imaginable, returned to tumblr dot com to write a meta/analysis post.

[image description: images side by side of the top of the Mary Jane poster, showing Mary looking down sewing Jacob, next to the 1831 edition front panel illustration of Frankenstein, showing Victor looking down on his creature in horror]

This is a mostly informal attempt to collect my thoughts on the fact that Neji’s little spooktacular, in addition to being a very pointed exploration, as all of his plays are, of art and theater, the school, himself and his classmates (without their permission, the menace) and just, a lot of fun, is perhaps one of the best piece of Frankenstein related media I have EVER seen in relation to the original novel.

This is pulling a lot of things from the Stage Script rather than the in game version, which summarizes a lot of the things I'm mentioning specifically. You can find the full Stage Script in the game menu, or

[ here ]

because I love this play so much that I needed a searchable version.

Caveat Emptor here is that it’s been a long time since I’ve read the novel in its entirety. If this game gets me to read it again, I may have to revamp things. But again, largely informal. But very long, somehow.

Oooops.

If you're curious about anything in here and want to expand on it more, or hear my thoughts on it, please feel free to reblog, send an ask, or message. Or ask me elsewhere if we're already connected there. There's a lot I glossed over, especially at the end of this. I have a lot to say, and if we're back to writing metas on tumblr dot com the chances of stopping at one are slim.

Mary as Frankenstein, Mary as Mother

Mary’s name is acting as several allusions at once. I mean, there are at least 3 Mary’s in the bible one could point to - Mary, Mother of Jesus is absolutely at play. But Lazarus’s sister is also a Mary. And while technically Mary Magdalene is often misrepresented and amalgamated with other characters in retellings, the idea of “purifying” her has canon precedent - having had seven demons driven out of her.

Of course, Neji’s twisting all of it, in his Neji way.

(Interestingly enough, these are the Three Marys of the Quem Quaeritis - widely considered a point of "rebirth" of theatre in Europe during the middle ages.)

But Mary is also the name of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, author of Frankenstein. And this, this is a Frankenstein story. It is, in fact, a beautiful inversion of so much about the book that gets left out in most far more serious attempts at a Frankenstein story.

The original book is about motherhood and its inversion. Much could be said about when during her life she wrote it, or her own mother’s death shortly after she was born, or any number of things that have been hashed and rehashed a thousand times from AP English to the ivoriest of towers. But, fan of Death of the Author that I am, I posit you don’t need any of that to see in the text.

Victor creates a person with science, rather than by ‘nature’. It is an unnatural birth. And Victor is just about the shittiest possible parent. The Creature spends a good deal of time explaining to him, when they meet up again, that Victor is his father, and that he was literally abandoned as a newborn, and maybe that was kind of the worst possible thing he could have done. It’s not a mantle Victor has any desire to take up, the role of a parent. He wanted to create life, but he didn’t want to be a parent. But that’s what it means to create life.

By gender swapping the role, you’re already inverting the inversion - but Mary’s creation is no more “natural” than Victors. But it is different. Neji, ever witch-coded himself, has Mary put one of her own hairs into every doll. It’s returning the shared body to the act of bringing these creations into being.

But even without that. Mary considers herself a mother. She considers herself a mother despite having no memory of one herself - Mary knows lots of things she shouldn’t, and doesn’t know many things she should. But she calls herself a mother. Even before any of the dolls move, she is their mother. A motherhood she wants to desperately share with others. She considers the act of selling a doll a kind of ‘adoption’. These are her children. And they know it. It’s stitched into every stitch in their doll bodies. They know Mary is their mother. And they know she loves them.

[image description: screenshot of Mary in her workshop. The text shows Mary's line saying "I'm back, dear dolls. Mommy's home."]

The Creature comes to think of Victor as a father - an absentee one at that, and craves that love, a love he is never shown. Mary averts this spectacularly. She creates out of love.

Names

Mary takes great care in naming Jacob, and ends up doing so, though she doesn’t say it, after a biblical pun (Jacob, in the bible, is explicitly named such as a pun on the word “Heel”). But names are important to Mary, and she is sure to give one to Jacob as soon as he’s fully formed, even before she sees him wake up. Victor very particularly does not name his creature. Instead, he tends to throw around insults, many of which are demonic or satanic. When they finally meet again, the Creature says to him “I should have been thy Adam.” Mary averts this mistake, among so many others, spectacularly. Being called by her name is important to her, and she extends that offer to Jacob even before he’s fully “born.” Like a good mother.

[image description: a screenshot showing Fumi and Kai dressed as Mary and Jacob, as seen from the stage with the audience in the background. Kai is saying Jacob's line "I did, Mary. You are Mary Jane. My mother."]

Not only does she give him a nice biblical pun of a first name, she shares her last name with him, again before he’s even more than a doll. That’s her boy, that’s her best friend. That’s her family.

The song here, which is only sung and dance AFTER Mary has given him a name is called "A Friend Without A Name" Almost as if specifically calling attention to this fact. Mary is as much the friend without a name as Jacob, if not more. She is the one that has never heard another voice say her name, where as Jacob is called his before he's even awakened by the Island's magic and Mary's love.

[image description: the screen from just before A Friend Without A Name showing Mary and Jacob's CG of Mary Stitching Jacob.]

Mary as a Good Mother

Some of the weirder moments in the play actually make a lot more sense when you look at them through this light. Jacob randomly saying he hates Mary in a fit of jealousy? It’s because he’s a child. He’s a baby. That’s a baby boy. Mary, herself quite childish, forgetting so much of what’s important, as the Island is known for, reacts incorrectly, but understandably. This is her first friend - and far more of one than the others she thinks she’s made, in terms of mutual respect, compassion, and small acts of kindness. But this level of connection and emotional reciprocation is still new to her. She’s hurt. She runs.

And The Order of Shadow’s duo is quick to tell her that that’s just the nature of ghosts, telling themselves a little joke about how they have been lying to her from the start, and fully intend to stab her in the back, far more than any ghost. Victor’s instinct is to consider his creature a monster, a fiend, a demon. Mary is told by characters positioned as far more knowledgeable about the world than her that he must be exactly that.

And how does Mary react? She refuses to believe it. Even hurt as she was, even with someone who just said this is their entire expertise telling her it’s in his nature to be cruel, Mary refuses to accept it. She still loves him. She makes the right choice. That’s her best friend. That’s her family. That’s a (un)life she brought into this world, and she stands by him. No matter what. She would risk her life to rescue him. She will fight for him.

This is why that scene has to be there. Because she has to be given that temptation, that trial. And she passes spectacularly in a way Victor will not, to the end.

It’s also a thematic explanation for the garbage scene, which is probably there as much to be silly as anything. I mean, it’s also there to show many other things — Mary’s eccentricity is ingenious in its own quirky way — the islanders who hated her, who she didn’t understand, give her the tools to save Jacob and the others — Mary not even considering the same level of violence — it being a moment of empathy between Mary and the islanders who never showed her even a shred of it back — she understands that they couldn’t tell which food was rotten. She sees things from their point of view. And many more besides.

But, from the point of view of Mary as a Mother, Mary succeeding brilliantly where Victor failed… Mary is literally willing to coat herself in filth to rescue Jacob. Parenthood is messy. It involves a lot of gross things. Even Victor's, sanitized of the normal processes and cloaked in science, was made of corpse parts. But the play actually brings back a part of parenthood that Mary had been able to avoid thus far - the mess. Mary, once again, doesn’t hesitate. For Jacob? She’ll do anything.

Jacob is shown love and kindness, and he responds with the same. He has the same unnatural strength as Victor’s creature, but he’s only ever shown using it to rescue himself and others. When Mary asks for a handshake, he replies that he can’t, because such would be an invitation for a duel. And that they should hug, instead. Mary didn’t even know what that was. Far from disgusted by the lack of warmth she feels from his skin, she looks beyond that, to the emotional warmth and connection.

Frankenstein’s creature, famously, lashes out in violence. While Victor views this as his responsibility only in so far as he brought a demon into the world, he doesn’t understand, even when the Creature eloquently explains it, that the Creature was a being who had only known cruelty.

Jacob knows love. He knows kindness. He knows sadness and loneliness and pain. And refuses to engage in any form of touch that could even be considered violence. They hug.

Which is not to say Mary’s creatures can’t kill. But they do only to protect their mother, and only after Mary has risked everything to protect Jacob. They are Mary’s children, not Victor’s. Even their violence is an act of love. And in another inversion - they are the ones telling Mary to run. Something she does not want to do. She doesn't want to leave them behind. After all, they are her children. She departs from them only at Jacob's literal tug away, and with an apology and a thanks.

[Image description: screenshot of Fumi, dressed as Mary Jane, shown from stage view, with the audience behind, while a Doll's lines "Protect Mommy, let mommy run away." are shown below.]

Boats and Framing

But the parallels are not only in the most famous part of the novel - consider this - Frankenstein, the novel, is written as a series of nesting framing narratives. The bookend narrative, the one we open and close on, is a boat. Most Frankenstein adaptations cut the boat trip frame, but Mary Jane very specifically opens and closes on a boat at sea, and its ending is EXACTLY the reverse of Frankenstein’s. If for some reason you’re this far in and don’t want more spoilers for a 200 year old book, now’s the time to click away, I guess.

The boat is on a course to the Arctic. Victor is on board, telling his story, because his creature has fled there, away from humanity. Victor intends to pursue him endlessly, to kill him, fully aware that he is almost certainly going to die, frozen and alone, in the process. We don’t get to see this happen - the story ends merely with the certainty that this is what is coming. Victor, on a boat, intending to go to the ends of the earth alone to kill the Creature he brought into the world, treating it like some burden and punishment.

[image description: a screenshot from Mary Jane, with the CG of Mary and the Ghosts on the ship, with the summary text overlayed on it reading "Friends together, fun forever."]

How does Mary Jane end? With Mary, and Jacob, and a cast of playful characters — her friends — sailing off for the ends of the world, together, in pursuit of life and happiness - even in death.

Ghost Party ends the play because its a triumph. Neji throwing out Horace’s Ode to Cleopatra in there because he can’t not do silly things like that — but Frankenstein famously contains many references to classics — many made by the Creature himself, who was forced to educate himself via books, lacking a parent to help him.

Mary Jane takes a section of sheer joy out of a poem of complex mixed emotions, and says them repeatedly. This is a party. This is a triumph. Mary leaves on a boat for the ends of the world a success, a good mother, a friend. And a human.

Humanity, Connection, Isolation

The play deconstructs so wonderfully this question of humanity. Mary doesn’t find any joy in it, despite barely understanding it herself - until she is able to use it to help others. The first time in her life she’s been glad to be human - something she only really understands as “needing to eat food” - is when it gives her the ability to save her ghost friends. If that’s what humanity is, the ability to care for others, the ghosts of the chapel, the play is telling us, are far more human.

One of my favorite exchanges in the play is after Charles and Figaro explain to Mary that the corpse parts used to make Jacob were their friends. Mary is not malicious in the least. She has no concept of this act as sacrilege or desecration. She is genuinely childishly innocent in most of what she does. And she can’t understand it.

Mary says “If you can love unmoving corpses so much… How can you not feel for living ghosts...?"

[image description: Mary in front of the burning town. She's saying "How can you not feel for living ghosts...?"]

Charles responds that she must be completely off her rocker. But she’s correct. Mary sees life in front of her, even undead life, and wants to protect it. Even the Islanders, who only ever treated her with distain, who only ever made her miserable — she doesn’t want them to die, even knowing they are already dead.

Outside of Mary, her oddball eccentric self, in this play, the more human someone is, the crueler they are. Figaro and Charles are only ever here to mess with her before dragging her off to be killed. They have no willingness to even try to understand anything outside their world view. The Islanders, who think themselves human, revile Mary, and make up terrible rumors about her.

Both of these groups do so, in part, for similar reasons. Because to have empathy would force a realization on them they cannot bear. The last thing Figaro realizes, before he’s dragged into the most poetic of justices, is that the dolls have SOULS. They are ALIVE. It’s a moment of anger and madness, but it’s a last minute realization that he’s been wrong now that it’s too late. Of course it’s not a revelation he’ll remember. You tend to forget what’s important on Kakuriyo Island.

If Mary averts all of Victor’s mistakes, Charles and Figaro make many of them. Seeing the Creature as a collection of corpses, as demonic, as an abomination against God. Reacting only in anger, in cruelty, in violence. Chasing something they view, wrongly, as an abomination to the ends of the earth, until it kills them. Mary has Victor’s role, but Victor’s actions and outlook are given to the antagonists.

It’s fascinating to me, then, that there are two of them. In the version of the play that gets performed, they’re twins - doubles. Two halves of one whole, who egg each other along in their cruelty. But they also exist to show that even these two are capable of empathy and connection. They do in fact understand the thing they tease Mary with. They have the ability and understanding to extend that to Ghosts, or to Mary. They simply refuse to. Figaro really does love his brother - his grief at his death is genuine. It’s a clever way to show that.

In the book, Victor is extremely isolated, by his own choice. He withdraws from everyone in order to work on his creature, and after he runs from it, he keeps to himself just as much, now blaming the idea that he can tell no one what he’s done. Even when he’s surrounded by family, he is utterly alone. By choice. The Creature eventually lashes out and kills the woman Victor intended to marry. In Victor’s mind, he cares about this girl, but it is not in his actions. Like much else, she exists more as a creation of Victors mind than something in the world for him to interact with and care about. Until she dies. Then he’s furious. And decides to spend the rest of his life chasing down the Creature to kill him for it.

This contradiction in Victor has always read as intentional to me. The book is calling out his hypocrisy here. He doesn’t actually desire connection - the connection his Creature eloquently explains his longing for. But if it is denied him, he acts like he’s been affronted, painted with a shallow layer of sanctimoniousness or justice. Murder is bad, of course, and the Creature shouldn’t have killed an innocent young woman to get at Victor, of course. But the discrepancy between the way Victor reacts to her in death and the way he does when she’s alive is intentional.

Victor has every chance for human connection. Time and time and time again he’s given that chance and refuses it. Even to the very end, on that boat. He could stay with the crew. Sail back home. Let it go. The Creature has run away from humanity which it has come to despise as much as its absentee father disdained it. There is no need to keep chasing. But Victor cannot let it go.

The Creature longs for connection and is denied it. Victor disdains and refuses it, even when it’s available to him.

Mary as The Creature

Contrast this with Mary — It is Mary, rather than Jacob, that is in the Creature’s situation here. Mary is constantly chasing connection. Constantly trying to find something to reflect humanity (compassion, life, emotions — rather than the matter of blood and flesh that Figaro and Charles always talk about it as) back at her. And she can’t get it. She, like the Creature, hides in the bushes and watches it from afar. She, like the Creature, chases after it only for people to run away, to treat her with cruelty. Mary is Frankenstein, but she is also a reflection of the Creature. She is both in one, in this sense.

[image description: screenshot of summary text over the church and figures of the church ghosts. it reads "The friendless Mary dreamily watched the ghosts as they sang a happy song.]

Her costume specifically makes her look nearly as much the doll as the ones she makes - in the world of the story, because she's sewing both - but thematically, it ties her to them not only as their mother, but as a reflection of the Creature, herself.

Like the Creature, Mary is an odd mix of naivety and childishness, with startling gaps in her knowledge, and extreme skill and adult abilities. She knows what she knows well. Like the Creature, Mary has no memory of kindness, of family, of parents. She has only ever seen it in the way the Islanders interact with each other. She is the Creature here - raising herself, learning of the world through watching it, being reviled for every attempt she makes to reach out.

One thing the Creature explains to Victor is that he didn’t even understand, at the time, why he was being treated this way. He had no awareness of his own nature and what he looked like in the eyes of others. Only that they ran in fear and chased him away, and reacted with violence.

Mary Jane inverts this. Mary is human, but the humans around her are something she cannot understand. Like the Creature, Mary doesn’t understand why people react this way. The book expects you to come to the same conclusion as the play - the fault lies not with the Creature anymore more than it does with Mary, at this point. It is those around him, those around her, that are at fault, that are a thing neither can understand. Human’s are cruel. Ghosts who think they’re humans are cruel. It is a disconnect between themselves and the world around them they don’t understand, and desperately try to bridge over and over.

Even Mary, as quirky and childlike as she is, is on the verge of giving up, of being consumed by the Lonely Darkness. We don't know what her fate would have been if the Order of Shadows had not come. Victor's Creature, far more morose than Mary, gives up on connection, as well. He is denied the most basic of needs, and eventually, he learns the violence and hatred being directed at him, and, newborn that he is, lashes out.

But, ultimately, companionship and connection are the Creature’s goals, and it is that that he requests of Victor, who refuses to provide it himself. Make for me a mate. Mary is the Creature, and she is Frankenstein. She makes a friend for herself. Her motivation in creating Jacob is not science, it is not in defiance of death or God — very pointedly — it is out of loneliness - the same motivation that the Creature gives for his desire that Victor make him another like him. And when Mary does so, she’s a good mother, and a good friend.

Religion

Frankenstein’s full title is Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus - it is about forming people, but it is also about stealing fire from the Gods. The question of if creating life out of death the way Victor does is an affront to God is something that Victor himself thinks about, but the book is much more interested in exploring it as the way characters view it. Victor punishes himself, it is not the Divine that punishes him. The Divine acts not as a force, but as an idea. One that both Victor and the Creature end up grappling with and trying to find their place within.

So that Mary herself seemingly has no concept of it, is fascinating. She goes to watch a chapel every night, but I don’t know she knows what a chapel even is. She mentions God once herself, saying that the smell of the garbage would be enough to affect even God, but she also talks to the Moon as a companion and a friend. Her worldview is uniquely hers, in relation to all things. As I said, the idea that making the dolls the way she does, or using corpse parts to do it might be sacrilege does not even occur to her.

Rather than go the route of the novel, Mary Jane twists this around too. In the world of Mary Jane, religious objects hold not only the power of an idea but an actual force. And it is a force that is completely, within the world of the show, amoral and nonsensical. The blessed weapons and fire the Order of the Shadows use are “holy” as a property, but that gives it no moral weight within the world of the play. And the play is messing with it the whole time. Holy wood or water can destroy a ghost, but they live in a church. Something that Charles and Figaro comment on, but cannot interrogate in terms of what it means for their conviction. But they’re split on how to proceed - the fact that ghosts can live in it doesn’t shake their faith, though. Sister Ghost is there largely for this joke. A nun who is constantly evoking the divine, who would be killed by a consecrated item.

[image description: the summary text over the chapel backdrop with the text of "the chapel where Jacob and the others were left behind was being filled with the scent of holy water.]

If I could add something to Mary Jane, I would have loved for Mary or Jacob to ask Sister Ghost what “God” means (this is a conversation that happens in bonus material for Tokyo Ghoul once, actually). I would have loved to have that brought up more explicitly. But it’s also very funny that it never is.

The first definitions for a God we get are them being applied to Mary herself, with plenty of ambiguity on if the Order’s faith itself has a mother figure at its center or not. And either way it’s a fascinating play on the idea, and the themes of the novel.

Closing Thoughts, Other Connections and Ideas "Beyond the Scope of this Essay"

Anyway, all of this while playing around with everything else going on in this play, Neji’s totally, without permission, commentary on Fumi, on Tsuki’s legacy (please read the stage script, somehow the game thought it was a good idea to cut that whole specific reference even when making Kisa pick between an “erase Tsuki” option) and on Kai. On himself as an artist. ("I am the one who is strange. With my changing moods, with my hobbies. That is why everyone thinks I'm strange and avoids me.”). As with several other plays, a commentary on authority, and on creation, and on isolation and friendship and connection.

And, of course, what I’ve been holding back this whole little essay is that Mary Jane is, thematically, at its core, playing off the exact same situation as I Am Death. Like — both of these plays center around a woman pouring her emotions into an undead creature. I see you Neji. You can’t hide from me. Reading I Am Death as a Frankenstein Story remixed into an old Japanese mytho-history is a LOT of fun to do, but is, as the academics say, beyond the scope of this essay.

(and, I Am Death itself is about Neji and Chui, and the twisted, messy love-hate revenge drama they are acting out across all the routes in the game. Neji writes the plays that introduce Chui to the world. Then he runs. And spends the whole game trying to beat him (affectionate.). “Make me another like me” you say…

Literally the only thing I’ve come up with to make the “bad end” CG more compelling to me, is that this is what it’s riffing on. I like my I Am Death costumes way weirder.)

Mary Jane is a Frankenstein Story, I Am Death is a Frankenstein Story, Jack Jeanne is a Frankenstein Story. The other, other thing I’m leaving out here is that the Order of the Shadows are OBVIOUSLY pulled from Tokyo Grand Guignol, aesthetically. And the most famous TGG play is Litchi Hikari Club, which is, say it with me, a Frankenstein Story. Also one that takes the themes of the novel (gender, love and sexuality, childhood, genius, violence, blind pursuit to the point of madness, god complexes) harder than most, but runs with it in nearly the exact opposite direction. But again, very much beyond the scope of this essay.

Also also also leaving out the fact that Tokyo Ghoul is... kind of ... not not a Frankenstein story. It certainly riffs on the motif quite a bit. Even if you've never read it, you've seen the mask design (an in universe riff on the joke.).

Even just one dimension of this play, and look how many words you've made me write Neji-senpai.

[image description: image from the bottom of the Mary Jane poster, with the cast list, showing the chapel ghosts with a focus on Ushinoko, Neji's character, looking towards the 'camera'.] Some little Halloween Spooktacular you’ve got there. Bravo.

#jack jeanne meta #jack jeanne #Mary Jane #frankenstein #lit crit #doing lit crit of stories within stories - what a trip #meta

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hopefulsidney · 7 months

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Some people believe that AFO could be Deku’s father, while some others believe Monoma could be AFO’s son, or related to him in some way. But, ever considered that both Deku and Monoma could be AFO sons?

With the end of the series rapidly approaching, and the amount of evidence that has been gathered, it's very likely that the DFO theory could be true and that AFO could very possibly be Deku’s father. But there’s another character that could very possibly be related to AFO; Monoma. As characters have developed and with the discovery of quirk marriages, it is very likely that AFO would have multiple children, very much in the same idea of Endeavor and having the “perfect” child. This could be backed up by the fact that there’s a possibility he could have experimented on them due to the knowledge of his work with Dr. Garaki. These ideas make it a possibility that Monoma and Deku could both be children of AFO, in turn making them half-brothers.

Monoma & AFO

Parallels/Similarities

Quirks - Monoma’s and AFO’s quirks are almost exactly the same, and some people see Copy as a weaker and inferior version of AFO since there’s a time limit and an inability to use two quirks at once. Plus they’re two of the three quirk-based quirks.

Monomania - They both have a singular obsession, Monoma’s being Class A and AFO’s being OFA and becoming Demon King.

Poses - AFO and Monoma do very similar poses, and have one of them for their pop figures.

Comics - AFO has said that he’s influenced by comics (Chapter 364) and Monoma has Franco-Belgian comics listed as his likes in his Shifuku. If he was his son and/or groomed by AFO, he could’ve had Monoma read the comics that he and his brother read in their youth to influence him to help with his plan to become “Demon King,” then resulting in him having his hobby in reading Franco-Belgian comics.

Similar appearances/features with AFO and Yoichi

Monoma and Yoichi have similar features, some being similar hair and eye shapes, and they both have white pupils. In my opinion, if someone drew Monoma or with longer hair I don’t think anyone would be able to tell the difference. And it’s not uncommon for a parent's child to take after their siblings instead of themselves due to the complexity of genetics.

I also noticed that Young AFO looks like a slightly older Monoma. They have similar eye and head shapes, other than AFO having a more defined chin, which makes sense as facial features tend to sharpen with age. As of recent chapters, as AFO continues to de-ages with the effects of rewind, he gains a similar appearance to Monoma as seen in these panels.

Monoma’s Birthplace

This could be a coincidence, but The League of Villain’s old bar base and Nomu warehouse was located in Kamino Ward, Yokohama City. This is located in Kanagawa prefecture, which happens to be where Monoma was born. (Ultra Analysis).

Horikoshi Loves Making Star Wars References

In Class B’s Sports Festival play, ‘Romeo and Juliet and the Return of the Prisoner King of Azkaban,’ Monoma reenacts the “I am your father” scene from Empire Strikes Back with him portraying Romeo, who’s an amalgamation of the characters Romeo, Luke Skywalker, Frodo and Harry Potter. Tetsutetsu could be a representation of AFO, as both Kamino Ward and Final Arc AFO and Tetsutetsu's play character are based on Darth Vader, like AFO. Monoma, being in the role of Luke, could be a foreshadowing element of his connection to AFO. Additionally, this is the only scene of the play we see illustrated/animated which potentially highlights its importance to the overall story.

On top of that, Mirio and Eri referred to him as the “dark side of U.A.'' which can be a reference to the dark side that the Sith practiced and was associated with in Star Wars, that could anticipate a connection with AFO.

———————————

Now, it is possible that Deku being AFO’s son could be a red herring. However, with all of the evidence supporting the 'AFO is Deku’s father' theory, I find this doubtful. This also brings attention to all the evidence supporting the 'Monoma could be AFO's son' theory. I am surprised that I have never heard anyone talk about a possible relation, and with all of this in mind I believe there is some likely evidence that could point to Deku and Monoma being half-brothers.

Horikoshi loves making Star Wars references pt 2

When the original DFO theory became popular people would say Deku, All Might, Gran Torino and AFO would fit into the role of Luke Skywalker, Obi Wan, Yoda and Darth Vader. However, we’re missing out on who would fit into the role of Leia. Most people would answer with Shigaraki but it wouldn’t make sense for Shigraki, the main villain, to be Leia since Luke and Leia were always allies. So if Deku and Monoma were, in fact, half-siblings, this would mean that the role of Leia would fit Monoma more than it would Shigaraki.

Mirror AFO and Yoichi

The Deku and Monoma quirk dynamic shares a similarity to the Shigaraki brothers, Yoichi and AFO. Monoma and Yoichi share similar features/appearances, like them sharing the trait of white eyes. However, Monoma has a similar power to AFO and also shares similar personality traits with AFO, like having a singular obsession over one thing. Deku, on the other hand, shares similar features with AFO, most notably his curly hair and people have said his silhouette could look like an adult Deku. Even so, Deku is the one that possesses the power of OFA and shares personality traits with Yoichi like their similar strong sense of justice.

Battle Intellect

AFO is shown on multiple occasions to have a genius intellect. Deku and Monoma have both proven that they have a high intelligence and skill when it comes to strategizing and analyzing in battle. They could have inherited their intelligence from AFO if he was their father.

Ability to hold multiple quirks naturally

AFO, Deku and Monoma are the only 3 characters who have quirk-based quirks, meaning that their base level quirks only work when coming into contact with another quirk. They are the only ones who can naturally hold multiple quirks without body modifications or suffer any repercussions, i.e. becoming incapacitated, having cracks form on their body, having their lifespan shortened, etc.

Class counterparts

Speaking of parallels, Monoma and Deku are very similar to each other to the point they can be called each other's counterparts for class A and B. Both characters share similar backgrounds, being told they can’t live up to being a hero because of their quirk status. Both are the biggest influences to their classmates, despite not being the official leaders or representatives. Their quirks are direct counterparts as well; Deku’s quirk can be given to others and Monoma’s “takes” quirks from others. They’re also, coincidentally, both placed in seat 18 of their respective classrooms.

However, I believe Deku isn’t the only counterpart Monoma could have. It’s been shown multiple times that Aoyoma and Monoma counterpart each other as well. Their personalities are very similar; both are fond of posing dramatically, frequently attempt to grab the attention of their classmates, despite frequently being ignored or brushed off, and are highly insecure of themselves and their quirks and try to hide it by acting eccentric and flamboyant. Additionally, both characters have a habit of breaking the 4th wall in their own respective ways, both shown to be very observant, hinted to come from French descent, and are highly insecure of themselves and their quirks and try to hide it by acting eccentric and flamboyant.

These character traits that all three characters have could indicate all of them having a connection with AFO, especially since two characters already have a canon connection.

#monoma neito #neito monoma #my hero academia #mha theory #mha monoma #mha deku #bnha monoma #bnha theory #boku no hero academia #all for one #izuku midoriya #midoriya izuku #deku #afo

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severants · 3 months

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OH MY GOD, RAISING DROM THE GRAVE,SOMETHING CLICKED. SOMETHING CLICKING. ‘I think I always just talk about small things I like, I’ll never be insightful, I’m just good at putting together a narrative with what I’m given much rather than coming up with my own. Maybe I am? Who knows. I’m not a skilled writer, thinker, anything! I’m knowledgeable because I do everything impairing my own growth…but does it matter, nuhuh!

I’ve been thinking far far too much about the surgeon. Shout out to my one mutual tam for being very much indulging my little interest. But the surgeon or freelance surgeon would make a good cog. Might bring him into the cross over RP I participate in. But still, I also just think it’s so interesting, he’s a character made to appeal to me. Grotesque in the way he goes about this, how desensitized he is and how he think he’s always right. I can’t get over how brutal it is, or just horrifying it is to see him take care of his wife. It’s so fucking disgusting it’s just. FUCK THAT’S AAA!! It appeals to me.

The way there’s a comb running through her hair?? He is genuinely doing all of this out of love, he didn’t do it for just something quick, he loves this amalgamation and is geniunely infautated with it, he’s loving. He’s torturing them. And it doesn’t help with his world view. It’s disgusting, fucking disgusting and it’s so SO GOOD.

I am so infatuated with characters likes this. It’s so gross, it’s so good.

Their eyes bulge, they’re paired together it’s so gross, they scream they’re in pain fucking constant pain and all he does is continue to love it. And it’s something so pure about it, I live for crimes of passion in media soley and when it comes to surgeon case, the rest of his world VEIW demonstrate this is just how he sees everything. This isn’t solemn just because of his wife. He believes himself open minded. A truther sayer. And I can only await more when it comes to the full game.

Tam, shout out to tam. Smiley face. But they where just listening to me talk, and mentioned the fact what he knew he was fucked up. And that’s even better, the message after the demo boots you, yeah? The idea that he knows he’s gross, that the bride is just maybe haunting him in a way.

But it’s clear that isn’t the case. They’re left alive, I wonder who we is though. Why does he love this bride, what does this mean to him. Does he even feel guilt?? The worse idea when you realize or think on this is the fact he can just bring them back. If they die he’ll bring them back, they’ll never die so long as he loves them. And I doubt he won’t any time soon. They’re a sign of his skill, of his talent, of something new. They're a sign of innovation. ‘ I’ll save the world with my procedure’ this is a thing. A once human creature made out of his own belief of right, out of selfishness. For love for life, he did this to prove he could, I feel like. It’s be interesting if that was the case. But he genuinely thinks he did what was good, and oh god I’m repeating myself. But aaaa kicking my feet. He’s proven to science he could do this, but at the same time, I feel like it’s almost botched, as if his ego is clouding his judgement. Theyre suffering. It’s possible. But it’s suffer. I need to do a character study on the little dialouge I have. He’s a beautiful little thang and it’s also hot.

This isn’t an enough, I want more I have this insane hunger for just, I need more. ‘plus I love the one graph wait

This image. The way it illustrates him taking them apart, the steps his actions. A lot of this images imply he was once human. I wonder if they are haunting him because of it. There is a significant gap of time. How delusional is he.

#simon’s ramblings

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kairisk · 1 year

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I'm a different anon, but I'm sorry to hear your audience fiddled out with the nsfw ban from years ago! Your art is absolutely gorgeous, and the way you present your ideas in them is so unique! Especially with the Chinese zodiac animals and the quotes you have for each of them!

Also, I'd like to ask how you started making art. I'm very interested to hear the personal journey of artists. Did you always like drawing animals, for instance? Did you go to art school or to a training of some kind, like ateliers? And do you make traditional art too, or is it all digital?

Oh thank you so much!! I do my best as I really want to just keep making art for as long as I'm alive. I'm really happy to hear you say it's gorgeous and unique ( ᵒ̴̶̷̥́ _ᵒ̴̶̷̣̥̀ ) Yeah it is unfortunate, but I still like being here and sharing art on here, so who ever is here to enjoy it, I'm glad! I only hope new people stick around and old ones come back, I've certainly missed getting to interact and chat like this! Oh how cool! I'm honoured ahahaha I'd love to answer these q's into my process and profession so far: I absolutely have always liked drawing animals. It started with dinosaurs, cats and dragons, I loved them all as a child, just their whole concept and how cool I thought they were! I wanted to get good at drawing so I could depict them and make my own designs, and in learning how to draw their anatomy (mostly big cats) my mom got me a book that had all sorts of animals in it and how they worked and how to render these forms. I devoured the book and I gained an interest in all animals through drawing and learning from it. From there I kinda just delved into researching whatever animal piqued my interest! Not to mention dragons (one of my prime interests) are amalgam creatures and so in my pursuit in being able to draw any kind of dragon, knowing a whole lot about different animals is a huge boon in designing them! I did, I actually went to a Fine Arts university as I originally was going to be a bonafide gallery artist and wanted to gain as much knowledge into different techniques and mediums and conceptualization as I could. I'm pretty poor but had stellar grades so Uni was a great option for me to get access to studio equipment and knowledge thanks to qualifying for scholarships and loans. It was like a pressure cooker for 4 years and I can only describe it as the best of times and the worst of times;; I have a Bachelor's Alma Cum Laude in Fine Arts. I do! Since I originally was going to be a physical installation artist, I know how to build and construct kinda whatever? I have a minor in sculpture and I've made something in almost every medium from paper to concrete to silicone to plasma cutting metal and more.

When I got out of Uni I unfortunately lost my access to a ton of this equipment and wasn't successful in finding a replacement studio due to the financial/location/funding cuts barriers. I kinda became disillusioned with the prospects in the art world at this time and realised this wasn't the only space where I could have a career as an artist. So I changed my focus to becoming an illustrator and character designer. I taught myself digital at the same time I was getting my degree, so I honed my skills from then to be up to snap for production level art. I'm currently art director for an indie game project rn doing exactly that! (Although this is one of three jobs I'm juggling atm, it's why I've been posting less these days, I'm quite busy ( ´ ◇｀)ゞ)

That being said I still make things occasionally at my house as I still like making physical things from scratch when I have the time/money to do so! I like making masks and small sculptures, examples of these being this mask and this keychain :3c I always thought that the medium should be chosen based on what best serves the idea in mind, but most of my art is digital due to the production costs for making this art being nearly zero (as long as I have my tablet and electricity!) and having greater access to offer my artistic services with digital media ;o

#anon #risky rambles #asks #long post #i had a lot to say!#thank you for asking me all this #once I get talking I like never shut up haaaa #i hope this is interesting!#can u tell im on the spectrum?? hahaha

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roachleakage · 2 years

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So. What's the deal with Malroth's human form in Dragon Quest Builders 2?

AKA "but why does he look like that?" (Spoilers ahead for Dragon Quest Builders 2 and Demon Lord Dante.)

If you're a fan of Dragon Quest Builders 2, or otherwise know a little bit about its lore and cast, you probably know what Malroth looks like in his human form. And if you also know what he looks like in his original, monster form, you might be kind of puzzled by the design they chose to give him. If you're not - well, first of all, fair, but here's a quick comparison image to show you what I mean:

It's not that Malroth's human form is a bad design or anything, and it does have a few neat callbacks to his monster form - most notably, the color scheme, and his bone necklace in place of the original giant skull necklace. But apart from those admittedly minor details? The two really look nothing alike. Original Flavor Malroth looks like Ray Harryhausen's Kraken with extra features and a different face, while Human Malroth looks like nothing so much as the average Japanese concept of a demon, with his oddest features being pointy ears, a pair of hair antennae stylized to look like horns, and red eyes that his original form notably does not share.

If I didn't know these two guys were the same character, I never would have guessed. Your average white twink Tumblr humanization has more in common with the source material than this guy does. And that had been bugging me for a while - again, not because it's bad, but because why? What was going on in the character designer's mind that led to these choices, in particular? It was a mystery I had no idea how to solve.

Luckily, that's no longer an issue. Due to a turn of events that involved the original Devilman manga being misfiled as yaoi on a manga site, I am pretty sure I know exactly what is going on with Malroth's design, and am prepared to explain it with attached evidence. But in order to do that, we're going to have to hop in this little time machine and go all the way back to the far-flung past of 1971.

Part 1: Nagai Go and Demon Lord Dante

For those who are unfamiliar, Nagai Go is the artist and illustrator behind the original Devilman manga. If you know what that is, great, but if not, it doesn't particularly matter - we're not here for Devilman. We're actually here for its predecessor, the equally weird (and unfortunately incomplete) Demon Lord Dante, also known as Mao (or Maou) Dante.

The premise of Demon Lord Dante is similar to that of Devilman - an ordinary human fuses with a demon, gaining supernatural powers and the ability to transform into a demonic form, while retaining his human consciousness and morality. Unlike Devilman, however, who mostly looks like a funky dude or perhaps a Batman-themed stripper, Dante - as Ryo's demon form is known - is a building-sized amalgamation of man, bat, and beast. And, pertinently to this topic, his face looks like this:

If you haven't already noticed the resemblance, go up and take a look at that picture of Malroth again, then scroll on back here. Yes, they have the exact same face, and if you were wondering if that's a coincidence - not remotely. Toriyama Akira's monster designs for Dragon Quest, particularly in the 'demon lord' character category, draw a lot from Nagai Go's artwork - you can see a lot of the details he likes to use for his demon lords in the original Devilman manga, for instance.

Now, while this tells us a little bit about where Malroth originally came from, it's still just setup for the main event. And for that, we'll have to jump ahead to 2002, where the tragically cancelled (and honestly kind of dodgy) manga finally got the adaptation that it, and its main character, deserved.

The anime of Demon Lord Dante starts off basically the same as the manga (albeit with far fewer plothole-inducing timeskips). The protagonist, Ryo, keeps having dreams where he sees (and sometimes is) the demon Dante, escalating in him finding the demon in question, setting him free from his frosty prison in the Himalayas, and immediately getting vored. Next thing he knows, he's been summoned back to Japan by the Satanic cult who's been trying to bring Dante back for ages, only now he's taken over Dante's body and is himself a monstrous hairy colossus. He goes on a confused rampage, and then I run out of manga so I can't really tell you what originally happened next.

In the show, though, another demon explains what's happened to him, and he eventually figures out how to use Dante's powers to regain human form and return to his home. This kicks off a storyline in which he tries very hard not to be a demon, because Angst Angst Angst, while fending off multiple demons whose voices he keeps hearing in his head insisting that he is totally the really real Dante, he just needs to "regain his memories" to supercede the personality of Ryo and get back on track with the whole monstrous rampage thing.

Hopefully this is all starting to sound familiar.

Now, there are pretty big differences between the plots of Dragon Quest Builders 2 and Demon Lord Dante. I won't go into them, because they're pretty major spoilers and aren't really relevant to this topic, but it definitely isn't 1:1. However, there are also some striking similarities, what with the exploration of who is really good or evil, themes of religious violence and exploitation, and so forth. There is also a very cute plane in one episode, which I have to show you not because it's cute, but because... well. See for yourself:

It's not exactly the Buggy Buggy, but it is an adorable animal-shaped flying vehicle, armed to the teeth and ready to fight G*d. I'm not kidding, that's what they use it for. Hopefully they don't keep pushing the wrong button and accidentally shooting beams when they meant to descend.

Anyway, I've been building to a point here, and it's finally time to bring it all together. Because while Ryo spends a little bit of time in his gigantic monster form, and a lot more looking like a normal human, there are points in the show where he needs to demon out without turning into an entire skyscraper, and when that happens, he looks like, well This.

Beefy pecs, pointy ears, fluffy hair, and of course, horns.

It's not exactly Human Malroth, of course. The most obvious difference is that, well, this guy isn't terribly human-looking - he's got wings, furry beast legs, and other assorted features. He also isn't as tan as this screenshot would seem to imply; his skin simply looks darker because, like most of the scenes this form appears in, the ambient light levels are pretty poor. (This particular shot was taken at night.)

But it is a lot closer. Like, weirdly closer. Check out the curve of the horns, which is mirrored in Human Malroth's hair antennae despite appearing nowhere on OG Malroth himself. And while this screenshot doesn't show it very well, his eyes in this form are red, like Human Malroth's.

So... yeah. I won't say there's no possibility of my being wrong, because it's impossible to know 100% of what goes into a game's creative decisions, but it looks like Dragon Quest Builders 2 drew a good chunk of inspiration from Demon Lord Dante - including the design for Malroth's human form.

#dragon quest builders 2 #dqb2 #malroth #dqb2 malroth #demon lord dante

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quindriepress · 11 months

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This week's spotlight is on NORRIE and his comic Flesh & Flora. NORRIE is a comics creator, illustrator and character designer from Scotland. He lives in Dundee, drinks coffee and watches the birds from his window. He has no complaints.(@prehistoricfrog | website | instagram | twitter)

"Flesh & Flora follows two synthetic characters, Gen and Hare, who are doing their best to hold onto their humanity in a strange new world, prompting them to question each other's mortality. The arrival of an unknown species puts their differing perspectives to the test and may jeopardise both characters' very existence."

Read the spotlight below the cut!

NORRIE's goal with Flesh & Flora was to create a book that if he saw, he'd want to pick up straight away. "I love the feeling of picking up a book and that being all I talk about for about six months. That's the essence of comics! I've always been interested in themes of identity and the human consciousness, especially when they are placed onto seemingly non-human characters, and I wanted to use those themes to think about very human concepts like ego and in particular the fabrication of responsibility. to make us feel important and in control of our world.

"I'm also fascinated when people describe the world as a character, like what does that mean? So I wanted to really run with that to an extreme: the world in Flesh & Flora is a character in the way that as nature, it is living and breathing but it's also an amalgamation of undulating flesh and a tangle of pulsating wire, flourishing amongst the flora. I primarily wanted it to be an uncanny image but also work as a sign that this world is evolving and that evolution is a process that takes such a long time, what would it feel like to be amongst those who haven't realised it's happened? This is the position I wanted to show Gen and Hare in really wanting to be able to explore this idea and their reaction to being left behind."

NORRIE's love of sci-fi, particularly robots and mechs, is clear throughout his work. "Look, I'm a simple little guy. I've got no shame in admitting that. I like cool robots, hot babes and bananas sci-fi. I've spent a lot of time reminding myself it's fine to indulge in these things artistically but basically, I grew up watching Anime vhs's like Bubblegum Crisis, Patlabor, Dominion Tank Police and Ghost in the Shell, and obviously there's a strong Cyberpunk vein running through these films and shows that's very exciting on a visual level to a kid. Once you grow and you revisit these stories there's much more going on, usually these questions of what makes us human, etc. than just the surface level Cyberpunk motifs that are plastered on everything these days.

"I love Headlopper by Andrew Maclean and Apocalyptigirl has had a big influence on me. Homunculus by Joe Sparrow is an incredible comic. I'm constantly thinking about SOMA by Frictional Games and more recently SIGNALIS by rose-engine really struck a chord and has already got me thinking about future stories."

For aspiring comic creators, NORRIE has this advice: "Focus on what you love. Comics are hard so you should make sure that you are passionate about what you work on, don't try to please other people – there's no pleasing them anyway. If you want to be a creator, you should create for yourself. You'll always have an audience that way. I think people that appreciate good comics can see work that's honest, you don't have to be the best at drawing or be the next flash in the pan creator, just be yourself and don't be intimidated by others. There is always a place for you."

You may also be interested in some of NORRIE's other upcoming work! "I'm currently working on character artwork for the amazing video game AERO GPX. It's a futuristic anti-grav racer in the style of F-Zero but very much with its own twist. It's roughly scheduled for a 2024 release, it looks amazing and you can wishlist it on Steam now!"

You can pick up Flesh & Flora, alongside the other three comics in our 2023 collection, right here on Kickstarter!

#2023 collection #flesh & flora #NORRIE #prehistoricfrog

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trickstarbrave · 4 months

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a big argument i see for pro-ai stuff not being stolen is "well humans reference things all the time in art and writing. then all people who reference another artist's or writer's work are also unethical"

and this argument misunderstands the nuance of reference in writing and drawing that can be very tricky line to toe in terms of ethics, as well as what "machine learning" is

when you use a stable diffusion model the program is pulling up a variety of images, overlaying them based on the prompt you have entered, finds commonalities, and produces a semi-coherent amalgamation. its basically like making collages. and depending on how specific the prompt is it will have very little to scrape from and thus will at times completely recreate an existing illustration by an actual human artist with some minor tweaks. this is also why there are very common "genres" of ai art like random pretty person makes a neutral face looking off into the distance" or "big titty anime waifu" or "uncanny sports illustrated cover" and are severely limited in scope of what you can easily make or not based on the biases of the data set.

in word models it scrapes information in it's database and uses common phrases and strings of words like a predictive text. when it says things that are accurate or make sense it is basically rewording existing bodies of data or literature. when it's not its basically like bad predictive text that is random phrases that are confusing messes strung together.

both of these things can be done by humans. you can look at an image and basically recreate it with some tweaks. this is called heavily referencing and is done during art studies, and some artists also really hate it and ask people not to, and it is largely frowned upon to not use this artwork for commercial use as it is mostly just regurgitating the years of study, variety of references, and ideas another artist has already done. if someone makes a rip off of finding nemo for instance we can recognize this is a poorly made, cheap imitation that is trying to capitalize off of something more successful for low effort and trick people who dont know the difference or who dont have access to the original. they do not add anything to the medium besides a cheap imitation. they're allowed to exist, but aren't exactly good.

you can also do the same as what chatgpt does: regurgitate the same information with some words changed and rearrange the structure by adding in bits and pieces from other sources you have reworded. this is regarded as a form of plagiarism and is unethical and will get you kicked out of academic or literature spaces. you arent coming up with your own ideas and finding materials to back it up and elaborate upon your ideas. you are taking the finished idea, slapping a new coat of paint on it, and marketing it as your own with a few more things hastily taped onto it. this is what james somerton did and we saw how that worked out: he was eventually called out for plagiarizing much smaller creators.

actually making new material via referencing requires understanding what you are looking at and reading, having your own ideas, synthesizing how these things work best to communicate your vision, and taking care that you are not lifting too much from the source material to the point you are just repeating what someone else did but better than you already. this is a lot harder than people outside of creative or academic circles wanna believe. anyone can read a wikipedia article, reword things, and pull up a few quotes. its very basic. but it doesn't show you truly understand the subject or have anything new to add.

this isn't to say i think anyone who repeats similar ideas or heavily references shit is a bad person. these are often the first steps you learn towards understanding a subject and building your own ideas. people do art studies recreating pictures because they wanna learn through experience how certain techiques are done, why, and then later apply them to other pictures or written works or whatever. you have to follow a few sewing or crochet patterns before you can make your own. likewise i don't have any problem with ai in certain applications--so long as the database is sourced with consent and ethically, it can be a useful tool for reference gathering and idea generation (though i don't like it in terms of academic work or referencing factual information. datasets can be polluted way too easily or the model can get all wonky and end up spitting shit out that is just objectively incorrect. actual fact checking and research is going to be the only real method but companies like it bc its new and its cheap and ppl like google and microsoft prefer people look at ads then actually learn)

but the referencing without fully understanding is the beginning stages of learning art. it should not be the end product being regurgitated and then sold commercially. that's just exploiting other people who did all the hard work of understanding form, lighting, values, composition, poses, and so on as art fundamentals to spit back out something that is a cheap imitation. it is the knock off movie version of art. in order to make anything really worth while it will require a human being to rework it so heavily it is basically more of the human's work than the AIs.

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chaospixiemagic · 1 year

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The Known World was never meant to be ALL there was ... now, after the Shattering, the undiscovered and forgotten places of the realms have not only begun to reappear, but to meld and merge in strange ways as new magic takes hold of old legends. Stories and dreams and even nightmares have come to life, drifting into reality like leaves blown in on the wind. Creatures like this one, an apparent amalgamation of several different legendary guardians and storybook tales, are rumored to be lurking in the places where realm barriers once held firm, but are now flickering in and out of existence.

I’ve been using the funding from my TTRPG Kickstarter (MapweaverRPG) to hire on some INCREDIBLE artists to bring the images in my head to life … and I have to tell you I am BLOWN AWAY. As an immersive storyteller, I love having visuals to match the vibe, and honestly I am always thrilled to see someone else’s interpretation of my world. If you’re looking for fantasy illustrators, I HIGHLY recommend her. And honestly I just can’t wait to get prints made of this … but in the meantime? GO CHECK OUT @alliebriggsart IMMEDIATELY!

To answer some questions from the previous version of this post:

- Yes, there WILL be a color version made eventually

- Yes, this is a creature you can meet and engage with in my new Tabletop setting

- Yes, it will also appear in future books set in this world

There are even more creatures like this to come, and I am so excited to dive into the mechanics of how they work, what they do, and even gift this sort of "amalgamation" power to the Wildlings: a playable option in Mapweaver RPG. Honestly, seeing the creature design itself come to life has inspired me SO MUCH more than I expected. The Wildlings themselves were just a brief and amorphous idea, and now they are beginning to really take shape with this as their Guardian. Their Sentinel. Their symbol, even.

AMA! If I don't have the answer already, I'll write one for you!

#am writing #fantasy books #fantasy art #fantasy dragons #dragon art #line art #ttrpg #roleplay #mapweaverrpg #mapweaver #the mapweaver chronicles #art commission

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jsantiagoarts102-02 · 7 months

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project 3 thoughts

Opening this blog I’d just like to start by saying that this project has been my favorite thus far! We’ve reached the point where we’re combining typography and imagery to create a meaningful, interesting piece of art- and I love it. In our reading for this week, illustrator Steve Brodner says, “An artist must be free, first of all, to be true to him/herself.” I liked this explanation for his question ‘What must an illustrator know now to succeed?’ as it’s a timeless answer that so many people can agree with. Correlating it to our current project, when left to my own devices I’m always worried that my pieces won’t be up to par with those of my peers as I’m always suffering imposter syndrome in a way. But, I think I still was able to have fun overall exploring the different pathways as to how I could visually express my ideas and I’m even more excited to see how others approached their designs. Personally, I wanted my piece to feel like an amalgamation of different things as my quote by Frida Khalo, “I am my own muse. I am the subject I know best. The subject I want to know better.” felt very human to me and I wanted something that almost contradicted this organic sentiment with a very ‘uncanny valley’ design that not only looked visually distinct but also forms that idea that we are whatever we choose to make ourselves.

#graphic design #illustration #gamecocks

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theclo4ked1 · 8 months

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(I finally figured out how to do the multi picture table thingy, it was easy.) Damn. The last NEW art thing I posted on Tumblr was eight months ago. I think highly of "Supa Paypa Sistas", even though it was a bit rushed. But for while after ehh June? I was totally burnt out and I didn't feel like making or doing anything artistic. Luckily, that changed during July and August when I became inspired because I did a bit of * t r a v e l i n g ! * and just getting out of the house and exposing myself to other things. Unfortunately, not enough music... but I'll get to that soon.

So what are these drawings? I hope you like my OC (Nina) because she's fucking everywhere, and all but two of these drawings are concepts/ideas that revolve around her world. In fact, let's get those two out the way:

The Sonic one (#6): it was made after I taught my brother how to draw Sonic and Daria (he forced me to, send help). He has the paper I drew the prototype on, so if I can get that paper, I will post it. The two Sonics are based on the depictions of him during the 90s, from Japan (the left) and North America (right). No European, though, sorry. While the American Sonic is based more on Greg Martin's work, Japan's Sonic is now an amalgamation of a lot of the Sonic I've drawn in my life because my spark to draw arose FROM Sonic CD, so that specific Sonic is the one I've known most. They have sentences near them too. JP Sonic's quote is reference to Sonic CD. Not anything specific, but a central message/theme of the vocal songs to believe in yourself. Obviously, US Sonic's quote is a reference to one of his catchphrases spoken by Jaleel White in the cartoons.

Next is the two-point perspective practice (#9). Nothing much else. It looks decent, I think, but what do you think? I didn't have a ruler on hand for any of these perspective drawings, so every gridline you can see was hand drawn and looks like sewing stitches.

Ok then, let's talk Nina.

Drawings #1, #2, and #8 include Clearix Forest. #8 isn't really that place, but it's what I thought of while I was drawing, so I've included it with the other two just because. Now, I want draw attention to the trees before anything else. #1 prominently features this Emerald Hill-esque palm tree as an odd one out of what I think are weeping willows. #2 has all the trees the same palm-lookin' trees at different heights, which I like in this drawing, but in execution of the "real thing", whenever that comes, it's not what I want. The rainforest is said (by me, the creator LOL) to have the most diversity in vegetation of all the land. *looks at notes* Wait no it doesn't. It just says it has the most vegetation of all the land, no diversity. But just by having the most, isn't that enough to mean "oh there's a lot of different greens in this green hell maze right?" right? #8 also shits on the stale vegetation AND the fact the rainforest is NOT flat, it does have a few slopes, but not as crazily varied of slopes as Lunar Valley. Speaking of Lunar Valley...

#7, fittingly, is just a valley with a river running down the middle. Lunar Valley is not structured like this. It does have rivers and streams, but not one big central one flowing through it all. This valley illustrated here is not supposed to be Lunar Valley, but I thought of this place while drawing. Again, it is not Lunar Valley. BECAUSE THE SUN IS THERE OMG oh wait #2 is a more accurate depiction of what it looks like. See for yourself. Nina is in shock of the world she lives in.

#3 was one of the post-burnout drawings that sprang from my mind. Well err, I suppose everything here is post-burnout, it's just this one was of the earliest artworks I have scanned, but anyways, this drawing is a meta joke on how Nina's arms reach past where they would end for any normal human, assuming the particular person has arms in the first place. But hey, the best part is she'll give the warmest, but probably tighter hugs since her arms can constrict.

#5 is another inaccuracy of the world. It might not be, I haven't decided yet, but most likely it won't be because of the flowers AND the Bob Ross lookin' ass fence you see down there (who put that fence there). Lunar Valley does have flower. Singular. But it only sprouts at night and when the moon shines in the sky. You can also see Mt. Ebott Undertale in the distance here because that's part of the story.

Lastly, #4 represents my connection to my character. One of my cousins called it "sus" (insert Jerma face) and I can't understand why. What, is it phallic? Personally, I don't think it matters since that's not the point or the imagery I was going for. It's just two hands (one is a claw) touching via index fingers. Also I don't care what you think it is, unless I purposefully leave it up to the viewers' interpretation.

Hey! Check out this cool stuff I made outside of my sketchbook. Also know as "Man-I-Wish-I-Bought-My-Sketchbook-But-At-Least-I-Have-My-Notebook" Drawings. A mouthful, right? Let me introduce to you to these notebook brain-children.

Let's get this out the way right now, Super Sonic, Nina, and the cake were drawn in the same night.

It's been a VERY long time since I've drawn a Super Sonic as good as this--I'm talking, what? 2014?? I think??? It was a nice coloured one, too. I liked it so much I cut it out and taped it to my wall. I remember I overlapped one of his lines wrong so his ear looked weird. So why does this one have hot dog shoes and a 15min above his hand? It was getting late, had shit to do.

Nina is back at it again, doing Nina things. Here, I drew her without boots this time. I don't have a reason why I did that night, but I think it's good to know what they might actually look like since it's not a part I'm too focused on for her anatomy. I mean, I have drawn them before, just look at my #Inktober2021 posts, she's in there somewhere with them... DOGS out. Sorry, I thought that'd be amusing anyway, the bottom line is that a lot of idea and study has to go into an animated character, y'know what I'm saying? ...wait i just noticed her left hand is fucked. she has two right hands HWAT HAVE I DONE--

CAKE! just CAKE!

Perhaps the most sentimental to me: the nacho bear. It wasn't a commission, @molly_bender_art just, asked me to draw a bear with sunglasses eating something, but I think she asked for cheese, specifically. Looking at it now, it probably was cheese. Please check out her stuff, maybe commission her? Just sayin', schwing by!

Addendum: Apr. 20, 2024. The nacho bear was something I had posted to my Instagram on Aug. 21, 2023. That post gave the drawing a silly narrative with writing that was inspired by the Arabian Nights book (that I have to start over because I stopped reading when the summer ended, and if I go too long without reading an in-progress book, I feel like I have to start ALL over). The post read:

@molly_bender_art this fo' u boo ;) The bear, marveling with exceeding marvel, gasped "THE NACHO!" It shined with such a brightness that the bear's sunglasses almost weren't enough; they were cheap specs.

Okay, okay, you might be bored of reading this, but rest assured, this is the last part, you can probably see the end of the post, I bet. So, along with the burnout came a dry spell of no animation. Not even flash animation. Well recently, I put together two animations just to get my footing back, called "yes, sir" and "ból". It's all practice; the first one looks fine, using the cube drawing technique I did back in Nina's test pilot, but the ball's physics are off a bit. It just sorta...increases velocity more than it should after being thrown up. Furthermore, the wall bouncing should loss strength after each bound. It's been a while since I did physics, please correct me if I'm wrong about what I said. ok..... so why does Tumblr look like Twitter now?

#illustration #flash animation

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2023-512-nadia · 1 year

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Pepeha + Place Research

Using pepeha as a concept of personal reflection, think about what is important to you. It could be a location, place, or an object, but it should be significant to you. Explore this idea and look for details, colours, textures, people, ideas, and meanings. You are expressing your ideas so others can understand what you are trying to express. Explore this in terms of typeface choice/creation. How is the type face sympathetic to your narrative?

"No Tamaki Ahau

I am from Auckland"

This section from my pepeha shows where I am from. This is the aspect that I am going to be focusing on in my type specimen booklet. My place is St Heliers, and this is wha tis going to drive the narrativ eof my design. My type face will be sympathetic to his narrative by relating to the place that I have chosen.

This is a typographical design brief and as such your design needs to consider several different aspects. First, your design must undertake a typographical structure in a sympathetic and creative manner. Secondary elements can be used such as photographs, illustrations, and graphics, but the main structure should be in typographic form.

ST HELIERS:

Sources: Wikipedia // St Heliers Village website

"Saint Heliers is an affluent seaside suburb of Auckland with a population of 11,520 as of June 2022. This suburb is popular amongst visitors for the beaches, cafés, and views of Rangitoto Island, the distinctive volcanic island in the Hauraki Gulf.

St. Heliers is located at the eastern end of Tamaki Drive, and used to be the place where the Tamakiestuary formally divided Auckland from Manukau City, until the entire Auckland region was amalgamated under a single city authority, the Auckland Council, in 2010. Local government of St. Heliers is the responsibility of the Ōrākei Local Board, which also covers the suburbs of Ōrākei, Kohimarama, Mission Bay, Glendowie, St Johns, Meadowbank, Remuera and Ellerslie."

"St Heliers Bay is one of Auckland’s most beautiful and desirable suburbs. It has a unique character, flowing from the local residents who treasure the village-like atmosphere, and where friendly, personalised service can be enjoyed while shopping or dining at any of the marvellous restaurants or boutique stores."

The information gathered here shows that St Heliers is a small, local area that caters to a large community and holds many shops and restaurants.

St Heliers Bistro: This is the logo for my local bistro - as I mentioned before St Heliers is mostly made up of restaurants and cafes and this is the topic that I want to cover in my booklet. I want to do specifically cafes and bistro's in St Heliers because I have been to many and my family usually eats in the local area for a celebration. Two of my close friends work at a bistro and a large amount of the St Heliers community can be seen among the many different types of restaurants, cafes that line the streets of St Heliers.

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robyn3ddiary · 1 year

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Journal as Blog Part 1B: Research Statement

For this Assessment, I knew I wanted to address Brief 2 (The Impossible. Fantastical Structures.) using my personal interests as inspiration. It was important that I base the overall design on things I already liked for two reasons. First, I wanted to make sure I would keep having interest in the project until the very end. If I emulated the aesthetics of something I already liked, I would have more assurance I could see this project through until the end with excitement. Second, I wanted to make something that was true to my personal style. As an illustrator, I know that one’s style is an amalgamation of everything that has inspired oneself. Despite being a beginner 3D artist, I wanted to try and transfer my tastes from 2D into 3D. Thus, I started my pre-visualisation work by looking at things I like. I was satisfied with the end result: my plan for my Fantastical Structure 3D project is an embodiment of my tastes and inclinations as both a captive audience and an experienced artist.

The start of my foray into 3D art began with looking at the different video games that I liked aesthetically. I started with the 2020 Nintendo Switch Game, A Short Hike. The game’s creator and designer, Adam Robinson-Yu, has described making the game purposefully “low resolution,” as this often lets players “let [their] imagination fill in the details” (2021). Calling back to when I played the game myself, I knew I wanted to achieve something as charming yet simple as that, with decisions on where to hold back detail being intentional and working towards a cohesive and quaint visual story. From this primary inspiration, I eventually re-discovered the toy series Polly Pocket, which I played with a lot as a child. This matte plastic aesthetic achieved the creative and stylistic visual I sought for in games, but this time in real life. I then knew I wanted to emulate children’s toys to create a bright and fun look. It was something I personally enjoyed looking at, so I knew I wanted to model this type of look for my own project. Basing the design on a real-world object also helped me project what a 3D sculpture would look like.

In terms of overall design, my primary inspiration was based on the game Monument Valley. Drawing inspiration from the artist M.C. Escher, the game creates captivating surrealist towers that have attractive colours and depict awesome heights (Cordova 2021). Compositionally, they fall on flat backgrounds yet appear fully real with how it interacts on the “ground” it is on. Additionally, I also took inspiration from the games Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, and Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Both games create quirky fantasy structures that go from strange to unbelievable. I wanted to channel this type of creativity into my own work and not let myself hold back from creating something weird or crazy-looking.

I also turned to looking at real-world structures that contained a good mix of the surrealist, quirky and weird, and artificially vibrant style I was attracted to for this project. My mind was drawn to the whimsical corniness of the Filipino perya, which are local amusement parks. They are known for being cheap to make it affordable for everyone to come and have fun, and this often results in a bright, cutesy, and kitsch aesthetic. I wanted to take that gaudy and garish look and implement it in my style.

From these inspirations, I looked at artists I felt contained bits and pieces of the idea I had. I focused only on artworks that had some parts I wanted to achieve. Paul Chambers’ Pancakes! (2018) showcased the kind of squishy, cartoony, plush-like look I wanted to emulate. Alex Poirier’s Ramen Restaurant (2022) gave me a great sense of composition, with the way the structure rested on a surface and had a great sense of scale vis-a-vis its background. Peter Tarka’s YOOX: Make a Wish (2017) and Alina Makarenko’s Cozy house (2022) both have an incredible sense of whimsy. It incorporated crazy ideas and fantastical elements that were fun to explore and look at. These are some of the references I enjoyed looking at the most and inspired the creation of my own work.

The combination of all the references I gathered became a fountain of inspiration for the sketches and experimentation I would later create. Through looking at different kinds of art in different mediums and materials, I was able to form a solid idea of what I wanted to do. This made planning my workflow much easier and faster. I plan to work hard in experimenting and practicing more so that the ideas I have in my brain will be implemented successfully on the programme itself. The end result will hopefully turn out as close to what I imagine in my mind as possible.

Reference List

Alvarez K (2016) 10 Perya Attractions From Our Childhood, SPOT PH website, accessed 17 March

2023.

Anon (2016) Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (2011), image, The-Pixels website, viewed 17 March

2023, <https://www.the-pixels.com/2016/05/02/ni-no-kuni-wrath-of-the-white-witch/> Bulbeck B (2020) A Short Hike Review, image, Switch Player website, viewed 17 March 2023, <https://

switchplayer.net/2020/09/04/a-short-hike-review/>

Chambers P (2016), Pancakes!, image, Artstation website, viewed 17 March 2023,

<https://www.artstation.com/artwork/WALZ2>

Cordova M (2021) Game Design Inspiration: Monument Valley I and II, Krasamo website, accessed 17

March 2023.

Makarenko A (2022), Cozy house, image, Artstation website, viewed 17 March 2023,

<https://www.artstation.com/artwork/q9xkwn>

Poirier A (2022), Ramen Restaurant, image, Behance website, viewed 17 March 2023,

<https://www.behance.net/gallery/137629865/Ramen-Restaurant>

Robinson-Yu A (2021) Crafting a tiny open world: A look behind the scenes at the creation of A Short Hike,

PlayStation website, accessed 17 March 2023.

Tarka P (2016), YOOX: Make a Wish, image, Behance website, viewed 17 March 2023,

<https://www.behance.net/gallery/58803435/YOOX-Make-a-Wish>

Toyworld (no date), Polly Pocket Tiny Compact Square Tropical Beach, image, Toyworld website, viewed

17 March 2023, <https://www.toyworld.com.au/products/polly-pocket-compact-playset-blue>

Vogel M (2017) The Latest Breath of the Wild Screenshot Potentially Reveals Beedle the Merchant, image,

Nintendo Life website, viewed 17 March 2023, <https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2017/01/

the_latest_breath_of_the_wild_screenshot_potentially_reveals_beedle_the_merchant>

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lucyhannahart · 1 year

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Major Project - Compilation of ALL Blog Entries PART 1

12/1/23 The final major project is an amalgamation of everything learnt during my time at university. To reflect the skills I have learnt, both practical and theoretical, my response to the brief needs to be a fully realised output utilising several different forms of media. My initial idea was formed as a continuation of my previous project, in which I created a prototype for a website in response to the lingerie industry and its shortcomings - particularly when it comes to misrepresentation of minority groups and the predatory approach of photographers and other creative executives. In order to take ‘burn down the mansion’ further, I am going to fully realise the website and publish it publicly, create an accompanying Instagram to make sure my content can reach as large of an audience as possible, and document the process and context of this movement in a documentary film.

My first aim for this project is to set the goals I’d like to achieve by developing the above ideas. The goals are as follows:

- Reach 5k followers on the BDTM Instagram page by the deadline for this project (March 28th 11:59 p.m.) - Publish the pre-existing BDTM website with 5 posts - Create video content, ideally around 10 minutes worth in total - Guerilla marketing strategy to gain an audience’s attention, spanning wider than just those with an interest in fashion

The first step in beginning this project is to create the Instagram page. In order to engage as many people as possible, this page needs to have strong visual outputs, engaging content and a message that people either relate to or are intrigued by. To start I began to create a logo. This will be used as the profile picture on Instagram and as a visual cue - something eye-catching which intrigues those who may see it in passing on a sticker or in an Instagram advertisement.

Below are the initial designs I drew for a logo. Lexy, a friend of mine, gave some very valuable feedback. For the designs featuring a distressed Playboy bunny logo, she raised the fact that the use of the logo could infringe upon the copyright laws Playboy has. Though this logo was their favourite, I may not be able to use it. She also liked the design which featured the mansion. The final piece of feedback Lexy gave was that the font seemed too 'serious’ and that I may benefit from using a more playful font. However, when I explained that the existing website has a more serious tone, she suggested using a bolder version of a serif font.

15/1/23 I created the Instagram page on the 15th and will be doing regular follower updates so I can track the growth of the page. In order to start posting, I wanted the page to look as good as possible, therefore I continued working on the logo. I asked for further feedback from Lexy and Amelia who are both on the illustration course at Kingston. They both agreed that the strongest logo was the torn version of the Playboy bunny. They also raised the point that the mansion doesn’t immediately come across as being related to Playboy. This is a positive as it reduces the chance of me accidentally infringing upon copyright laws and I don’t think I want the project to centre around Playboy too much. I also received some feedback from my boyfriend Matt who stated that the second logo on the bottom was his favourite. He said that modifying it to include less detail in the mansion drawing would pull more focus to the text, which I agree with.

I’ve chosen the second logo on the bottom row, as I don’t want to spend all my time focusing on logos as this will delay the launch of the Instagram page. I may end up going back to edit this at a later date. I created a few variations to choose between for now and opted for one in which the background was black and the mansion was inverted with a lower opacity. 17/1/23 I have now started to add more to the Instagram. This includes story posts, changing the logo and adding a bio. At this point, I felt really stuck and uninspired, not knowing where to turn for inspiration. I made a mental note to mention this during my group meeting on Thursday to see if either my tutor, Odella, or my peers could give me some direction. When finding a tone of voice for BDTM, I wanted something engaging yet not too serious, which did not come off as pandering or too informal. This is why I struggled to write the caption of the first Instagram post, as I felt that this needed to set the tone for the project and immediately let people know what 'burn down the mansion’ was going to be.

19/1/23

During my meeting with Odella I raised the fact that I felt that creating a docufilm on top of running an Instagram and creating other forms of media may prove to be difficult given the amount of time I have for this project. In response to this, Odella advised that I create TikToks as opposed to long-form content (what I usually make). I have never made TikToks before so this would be a good way to step out of my comfort zone

20/1/23

As for the Instagram progress, I had been able to go from 0 followers to 29 within the first 2 days of the account's existence.

To keep people engaged I have created a linktree, a platform where users can share multiple links to different websites in one profile. BDTM's linktree contains the Instagram profile, TikTok page and a playlist comprised of songs by women that I feel reflect BDTM's aesthetic, attitude and ethos. It will eventually also have the website once it has gone public.

In order to create the best possible content for my intended audience, I needed to further establish who this intended audience was going to be. I began to narrow down my target audience into specific categories.

When thinking of the TikTok content I wanted to create, as per Odella's recommendation, I thought about the types of content that I frequently see on my homepage. One genre that stands out in particular is the impromptu street interviews, in which content creators will ask random people to answer questions. The process is filmed, edited and uploaded to TikTok. This inspired me to use this format, as gathering the opinions of others would contribute to conversations that should be taking place in response to the shortcomings of the fashion industry.

I thought that, instead of filming in Kingston or even in London, that I would travel to Brighton to conduct my interviews. By veering away from the place I have lived for several years, I feel that I could garner opinions that may differ more, as London does tend to be a bit of a 'bubble' at times. I created a list of questions which would act as prompts for myself and any interviewees.

I also created a sign to wear in Brighton in order to encourage people to approach me.

I then ordered a microphone to ensure that the audio quality would be adequate.

This entire process is unlike anything I have done before so I was quite nervous to embark on this journey.

Additionally, to aid my research into what other types of content I should create, I wrote a survey to send out. Examples of the questions are as follows:

How critical do you believe you are in terms of the fashion media and advertising that you consume?

Of the fashion media/advertising you consume, how much of it do you think is harmful?

Do you enjoy content that critically analyses fashion or fashion-adjacent content?

Would a platform/community focusing on critically analysing fashion media interest you?

What would encourage you to follow a platform that focused on reshaping the fashion/lingerie industries and posted fashion/lingerie content that was inclusive, creative and aimed to raise awareness of industry issues?

Which of these issues in the fashion/lingerie industries would you like to see an analysis of?

I began putting together a presentation to show to my peers and tutors on Tuesday 24/1, which outlined the idea, my plans for content creation, the target audience and research to support my idea.

24/1/23

I presented my work to my peers as well as Niki, Odella and Tony. Tony stated that he was impressed with my work from the previous project, which was very encouraging to hear. Both Niki and Odella suggested that a podcast would be an interesting format for the type of content I was going to be creating. I may use this idea after I have properly launched the TikTok content.

30/1/23

I had a varying level of success with my video interviews in Brighton. Many people approached me with enthusiasm, or responded kindly when I approached them to participate. Many onlookers stared at me, which I expected. In one instance, I had someone make a derogatory comment, stating that they 'wanted to talk about sex with me' in a manner that made me feel uneasy. Though this was uncomfortable, it definitely played into the idea that men see openness about sexuality as a means of taking advantage of people and thus proved a lot of the points I am aiming to make in this project.

Having conducted the video interviews, my next step was to edit my clips down into short form video content to upload as TikToks or Reels. I've had some difficulty with this as the most recent Premiere Pro update has moved a lot of tools around therefore reducing my ease of use. I have watched YouTube tutorials to help counteract this.

Recently, whilst researching for this project, I came across a video in which ex-MEP Alex Phillips cited the new Sam Smith video for an increase in reports of sexual misconduct, also referring to David Carrick's presence in the Met police and the sexual crimes he committed during that period. This shocked me, as I believe there to be no correlation between somebody expressing their sexuality creatively through costuming, dance and other visual elements, and crimes that greatly impact and disturb others. This led me into creating another post for the BDTM Instagram which tackled the perception of lingerie, sexuality and how bigotry can misinform people.

2/2/3

On this day I had my usual seminar with Odella and was able to update her on my progress. She recommended writing about how BDTM could create waves in the fashion industry.

I believe the relevance that 'burn down the mansion' has within industry is through its message of increasing awareness of how fashion content impacts consumers. BDTM is a representation of change in the way that fashion media is produced, valuing creativity and representation at its' core. This could affect the way in which many existing fashion brands and publications operate. From a business perspective, BDTM could be beneficial as it could help to encourage sales. If people feel represented rather than excluded, they are far more likely to buy from a brand, or at least have a positive view of it.

Another recommendation from Odella was to be more daring in the content I create. As part of this challenge, I want to utilise an older model in a BDTM campaign. Not only will this prove that diversity as at the heart of BDTM but it will also go directly against the standards set by the media - increasingly youthful people dressing in a provocative way. In order to get this process underway, I began brainstorming concepts and created a moodboard.

I specifically wanted to use an older woman in this photoshoot, because as women get older, the media tends to "forget" about them. Young models, actresses or women in other fields are offered opportunities that their older counterparts are not. This phenomenon does not tend to extend to men in the same way. I also believe that women of this age are discouraged from embracing their sexuality, so I want to encourage this to change in a raunchy, fun way.

My reasoning behind using Pamela Anderson as inspiration is because I see her as someone who had her identity stolen from her. Anderson was a victim of a sex tape leak in 1995, which caused her career to collapse and her reputation to be ruined. Though neither Anderson nor then-husband Tommy Lee consented for the tape's distribution, they were forced to sign the rights to it away after a laborious legal battle. I felt as if utilising Pamela's likeness in a way that is powerful would be extremely effective.

Finding models for this is proving to be hard; at this point I have used Facebook groups, contacted my parents friends and have had very little luck.

7/2/3

Recently, I have been editing down the TikTok video. It's been a very lengthy process as I don't tend to create short-form content and am not used to having to edit down 2-3 minute long clips of people talking. I wanted to make the video eye-catching in order to grab the attention of TikTok users, as this demographic are used to short, snappy videos. At this point, I am very close to finishing the video, and will just need another day to record a voiceover for the intro.

8/2/23

As I'm quite prone to anxiety, at this point I felt my stress mounting. The self-directed nature of this project caused me to panic and feel as if I'm not doing enough. Additionally, the lack of following on BDTM's Instagram made me nervous about reaching the goal I had set for myself. I realised that uploading the TikTok/Reel I was making would most likely assist in growing my follower base, so I prioritised finishing it off.

9/2/23

I managed to finish the TikTok then showed it to Odella, Louis and Kitty, who all gave me really positive feedback. This boosted my confidence a lot as I was nervous throughout the editing process and was convincing myself that the video wasn't good enough. I was praised for my editing ability and my diverse array of interviewees. I was encouraged, for the any future pieces of content I created, to try interviewing people in a different area.

I waited for a good moment to upload it, as TikTok's algorithm prioritises videos posted at certain times. I chose popular hashtags by looking at other creators' street interviews. I also uploaded a teaser as a reel on Instagram.

I then ran into huge difficulty as my video got removed on TikTok for violating community guidelines. This meant I had to go back, censor certain words, then attempt to reupload.

Fortunately, the Instagram teaser reel is fine.

My next endeavour for this project is to adjust the video for TikTok, then to create posters to put around London to gain a larger following for BDTM.

13/2/23

Over the weekend, I was able to create a flyer with a QR code link to the Instagram. I wanted to put these up in Kingston and around central London in order to attract more followers.

I decided to use bold text in one of the fonts used in my other communications in order to be both consistent and eye-catching, despite the lack of colour. The design is in black and white thus keeping printing costs down, meaning I could print more leaflets.

In order to build hype for the launch of the website, I wanted to create content that I could tease. This includes the photoshoot with an older model. Fortunately, my tutor Niki has been able to provide 2 potential models for me to work with.

17/2/23

I was able to talk with Veronique, one of Niki's friends, to outline the shoot to her. She was very on board with the idea. I sent her this list of requirements and details.

I had browsed for studios for a while to find one that was a good fit. QUEST is based in Canning Town, is affordable, and has facilities which are ideal for the shoot: Hollywood mirrors, a wind machine and several different coloured backdrops.

Whilst waiting for Veronique to confirm availability for a shoot date, I uploaded the full censored version of my Brighton street interview video to Instagram. Previously, I had only posted the teaser which was 90 seconds long, but since I had difficulty uploading the full video to TikTok, I thought it made sense to post it to Instagram at least.

I got two of my friends who are also on fashion promotion, Tali and Anna, to watch the updated censored edition of the video to see if they could identify what wasn't passing TikTok's community guidelines. Anna brought up the fact that using a banner over the word 'sex' that said 'censored' may be the reason the video was flagged. She suggested putting a plain line through the word instead, or creating several shorter videos to post. I will be taking on this feedback and re-editing the video again.

I then decided to take a look at the results of my primary research again. I noticed that my friend Megan, who hosts a podcast, had offered to talk about BDTM in an episode. Megan's podcast, 'Blonde Moment', is described as 'a discussion of stereotypically 'girly' topics that covers their impact on fashion, media and wider culture'. This sounded like a perfect platform to promote BDTM on and a great way to discuss topics that were relevant to both parties. Blonde Moment is broadcast on Livewire1350, which is University of East Anglia's award winning student radio station. This would allow me to reach an even wider audience than before.

18/2/23

I began adding more information to my BDTM presentation pitch, as all of our year will be presenting to eachother on Tuesday the 21st. This included adding a SWOT analysis, competitor analysis, primary research, secondary research, an overview of aesthetics and an overall mission statement as per Niki's recommendation.

When looking at competitors, I found it hard to think of many, yet the most obvious was Polyester Zine, as their aesthetics, ethics and overall message are similar to that of BDTM. One of the key differences is that they have a large team and are therefore able to produce far more content than I am able to currently. I also compared BDTM to Crack magazine, a publication which interviews well known and lesser known artists in equal measures. Their editorials are fantastic which is why I want to embody their essence into my own work. Additionally, giving a platform to smaller artists is an aspect I would like to incorporate into the way BDTM operates - all the way from models to makeup artists to writers.

I had another go at reuploading the Brighton video to TikTok and was once again met with a guideline violation, which I have appealed. If the appeal is successful, my video will be reinstated.

19/2/23

After discussing shoot arrangements with Veronique, the time slot I wanted at QUEST Studios had unfortunately already been booked. I discussed times with her again and have booked a slot for Tuesday 28th February for 2P.M.-4P.M. Though this is not the slot I initially wanted, delaying the shoot allows me more time to acquire the props and clothing items that myself nor Veronique own.

20/2/23

I decided that, since my shoot is not until next week, I should use this time to upload more content to the social media pages and website, especially since I want to start teasing the launch of the website. In order to plan the content I would release, I came up with a provisional timeline.

I thought that this would make it far easier to plan what I was going to post and when, and would also hold me accountable. For today's post, teasing the website launch seemed like a good idea to build hype. I therefore decided to update the look of the website to make sure it was up to standard.

I began adding more of my content to the website and changing the layout from how it was in the mockup from the last project, as I felt it would be better to have a menu where viewers could browse all of the types of projects individually, rather than having links to each project in the 'top bar' of the website. This made the site look a lot less cluttered and made navigation far easier.

I added a dynamic wallpaper to the homepage, as well as a featured articles section and the playlist.

My priority now is preparing for the shoot I have on the 28th.

21/2/23

My presentation to the tutors and rest of my class went well - not much feedback was given and we were limited to just 3 minutes each but I felt that I said almost everything I set out to. My task today was to buy the remaining props and clothing I wanted to use. I thought that going to Boux Avenue was the best option but was unsuccessful there, so went to Ann Summers instead. I purchased a black bodycon dress with a cutout section in the middle which had corset-style criss cross ties. This was perfect for one of the outfits, as it bears similarity to the one Pamela Anderson wore to play Barb Wire.

23/2/23

Yesterday I was able to post another Instagram story teaser for the launch of the BDTM website. This was a screen recording of the website in mobile view, blurred as to not reveal too much too soon, with the countdown over the top of it.

In line with my content timeline, I also created another set of 'slides' to post to my Instagram. One of my pieces of feedback from Odella was to explain or demonstrate to people beyond my 'echo chamber' why BDTM exists. This led me to look back at the survey responses I had received and analyse them.

The above three questions stood out to me the most as being helpful in demonstrating the value of BDTM - easily interpreted statistics as well as answers written by survey participants. I set to creating my own graphics to post to the Instagram.

I posted this to Instagram on 24/2. One of the issues I've found with the social media is that I haven't had much reach, despite myself and my friends reposting the content on our own social media. I'd realised I probably wouldn't achieve the goal of 5,000 followers which I had set at the beginning of the project. The page is currently on 65 followers. I spoke to Odella about this and she assured me that the amount of followers was not a graded metric and that the content I was creating was a lot more prominent than the follower count.

1/3/23

Yesterday I had my photoshoot in Canning Town with Veronique, her friend Michelle and my runner Lexy. We arrived at around 1:50 P.M. Immediately, we began preparing the set with the help of Dean who owns QUEST Studios. This included fixing the lights and sorting out the backdrops, as well as helping me connect to the speaker to create a good atmosphere to shoot and giving me a few tips regarding my camera settings.

I started by letting Veronique change into the outfit which comprised of the pleather dress I had bought and items from her own wardrobe and selecting her favourite songs for Lexy to add to a playlist so she felt energised during the shoot. Afterwards I began doing her makeup. I used a minimal amount of concealer, then creating a smokey eye look. In order to waste no time, we then began shooting almost immediately. Veronique was a fantastic model and was really embodying Pamela Anderson throughout the shoot.

04/03/23

Yesterday I launched the BDTM website for the first time, complete with its first blog posts written by myself and the other content I had created from the first iteration of this project in 2022.

I also began to work on post-production of the photographs I shot on the 28th. In my tutor group session with Odella, I had been advised to opt for a warmer tone rather than cool tone when editing my pictures. I was unsure about this at first but after editing the images I thought that the warmer ones had a more vintage feel. Though the original Barb Wire promotional images are cool-toned, I prefer the warmer editing on the photographs I took.

This style of editing wasn't going to work on all of the photographs I took, as there were 3 different 'scenes' I was shooting: the first with flat lighting and a red backdrop as can be seen above, the second in front of a Hollywood mirror, and the third using a red gel over dark lighting in front of a black backdrop.

The above before/after was shot in the third 'scene'. Though I like this edit and it makes the image clearer to an extent, I think the raw image leaves more to the imagination in a very sultry fashion, making it more suggestive. However, the clarity of the second image is better.

Odella also suggested that I create a contact sheet from the photographs, print them out in A1 or A0, and display it at the exhibition of our final projects that we are having in a few months time. I thought this was a fantastic idea and will definitely enact it. She also said I could draw over the contact sheet in lipstick. This seems like something that Pam would do as it's a little 'tongue-in-cheek'. I thought it may be a better idea to provide cheap lipsticks in different tones for people to draw on the contact sheet with, but realised this may backfire as it would make the photographs less visible the more people drew on the sheet. I believe having an interactive element at the public showing would be brilliant but will continue contemplating what this could be.

5/3/23

I set out to do another photoshoot with another model - my friend Lib. Lib is a plus-size non binary student who embodies a very feminine aesthetic. I felt that, by shooting with them, I could prove to the public that embracing sensuality and wearing lingerie is doable no matter your body type or gender. Below is a moodboard I created for this shoot.

Lib has a love of the colour blue and I felt that embracing this would not only make them more comfortable but would also veer away from the colours traditionally associated with romance and love, such as pinks and reds. Shooting in their own bedroom keeps to this blue theme and is a lot more intimate as it lets us delve into Lib's "world".

6/3/23

Tomorrow is the due date for the blog which unnerves me slightly as I'm vastly over the word count and don't feel as if this project is finished; I've not yet posted the images from the Pamela shoot as I've been editing for several days and the website needs more content. The fact that I'm handing in something that feels unfinished is nervewracking but I'm going to persist nonetheless and I'm proud of the work I've done thus far. I've had a fair few difficulties throughout this process - finding a model in the 40-60 age demographic, having my content blocked on TikTok, finding the funds to create the best possible outputs - yet this has all helped build my problem-solving skills.

12/3/23

As the end of my project nears, I have been making sure to tie up loose ends and publish the content I created. This past week, I've finished editing the images from 'Pam: Reborn', uploaded them to the website, posted them to Instagram and altered the 'videos' section of the website.

I was able to set a shoot date with Lib - Friday 17/3. Though this is a little later than I would've hoped it gives me time to make sure I get other facets of the project completed before embarking on the shoot.

My next task was to upload more of the photographs from the Pam shoot to Instagram.

17/3/23

Unfortunately, I became extremely ill over the weekend, however I did not cancel the shoot I did today with Lib. The shoot took place in their bedroom and was themed around embracing plus size women in lingerie.

CLICK HERE FOR PART TWO OF THE FMP FINAL BLOG POST

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victorialeejones1 · 1 year

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Abstract Painting

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Abstract art is one of the most admired ways of expressing sentiments visually. The magic of abstract oils is that they represent randomness and at the same time, they speak to the observers. It generally involves the mixing of colors to make a beautiful mix but abstract art oil is so much further than throwing the colors on oil and calling it a day. similar work also requires attention to detail and presence of mind to make it seductive to see. The most notorious abstract art in history was created with careful casting of the detail and not by erratic applying of colors. This requires many ways to follow. Abstract Art, Art Décor, Home Décor, Hotel Décor, Office Décor, Restaurant Décor, Wall Décor, Unique Art, Unique Art Décor, Framed Art, Abstract Painting, Modern Art, Contemporary Art, Online Gallery, Buy Art, Art for Sale, Art Collection, New Art, One of kind art, Art Prints, Art Prints for Sale, Original Art, Original Art Work, Modern Décor, Contemporary Designs, Art Designs, Living Room Designs, Kitchen Décor, Gifts Ideas

1. Go From Concrete to Abstract

Standing in front of a white empty oil with your mind more abstract than the oil you're going to make? Yeah, this feels a bit frustrating when you have no idea where to start. Because indeed though it's abstract oil, it still requires a foundation to make itself on. The result lies in drawing commodity concrete first on the oil. You can call it a reference point of your piece. This point would decide the coming step. For illustration, consider drawing a messy forecourt or a flower in any area of your oil and also crop different abstract lines or blotches leading to nothing.

2. Leave Patterns Within complaint

Your abstract art oil doesn't have to be a big pile of a mess not making any sense. Leave some order and pattern in it for your observers to paint a internal picture. That is why it was recommended before to start from concrete. This would give you a important clear idea about what kind of reiteration you want to leave in your piece while still making it abstract in the stylish possible way. The notorious abstract art called Piet Mondrian- Tableau I painted in 1921 involves the messy connected places that give the bystander commodity to observe and respect. By applying this fashion, you would be amazed to see how numerous different stories people can tell from one picture.

3. Add And Remove Colors to Make a Perfect mix

It would be a mistake to suppose that abstract oil allows any combination of colors and would still look good or relatable. Colors make colors. So, it's important to be apprehensive of which combination is gon na work and which would not. It's advised to use introductory colors on an empty oil and also start blending the colors in. It's also a good idea to test possible color combinations nearly differently before getting to the main piece.

4. Keep the Whole Picture in Perspective

It's important to note that what your picture is ultimately gon na look like. Indeed if it's abstract art, it should still have a launch and an end. This is gon na make your piece visually agreeable and stable to look at. People would only be disturbed by commodity they can not make any sense out of. So, it's necessary to make your abstract art oils look like commodity. It doesn't have to be an object or a person, it can a demonstration of a moment or commodity dissolving or rising that can play to mortal senses.

5. Take Care of the Forgotten Parts

Checking your work constantly to notice any failings is a great way to compensate for anything missing in the piece. Some people generally do not pay important attention to edges which makes a oil look deficient and uninteresting. Others generally leave the space between two amalgamated colors and this shows up in the piece latterly. All these miscalculations ruin the majestic substance of abstract art that observers crave.

You can do this by letting the makeup drop down to other corridor of the oil and also remove them where necessary. Are you overwhelmed to paint using oil painting maquillages? Below are some guidelines that can help give your oil the depth and understanding of the world of oil painting art.

The first step is to choose the right inventories for your abstract oil

Gather paintbrushes with synthetic filaments.

A oil, it can be a wood plank or indeed a paper.

Water doesn't dissolve with canvases so you would need some other detergent to use with your oil painting maquillages, like linseed oil painting.

A palette or a plate to mix your colors on, also arrange for a palette cutter to mix the colors with.

Apkins or an old rag.

An easel, if you need it.

For the alternate step, prepare the base of your art piece

Before you claw right into painting an abstract it's first essential to flash back canvases are thick and it'll transude into your oil if you do not apply a manual called gesso to the face before. It enables the face to be fluently painted on, it also repels any acids from the maquillages. Gesso gives you a important smoother face to work on.

Sketching your abstract idea on step four

It's wiser to first sketch the idea you have of your abstract art on the face before painting over it, you do not have to draw the whole art just give yourself an idea beforehand so your strokes do not derange with the idea you're going for. After this you can start painting.

Understand the layering order for your oil painting abstract art

Another thing to flash back before you start the main oil is to apply a thick covering or subcaste over the thin and to decelerate dry over fast drying. Which in simple words means to use thinner makeup and lower oil painting for the first subcaste and also a thicker makeup with a advanced oil painting rate with for the coming layers. This will dry the earlier layers much briskly than the after layering and will make sure no cracks appear moreover. Keep the linseed oil painting rate to 21 because it tends to unheroic with age but dries important quicker than the other canvases .

Step- by- step tutorial to making an abstract oil painting oil

After you have primed and sketched on the face of your oil, it's now time to apply different tinges of colors on the oil directly or it's recommended to use a palette so you can more control over the shading and angles. Abstract Art, Art Décor, Home Décor, Hotel Décor, Office Décor, Restaurant Décor, Wall Décor, Unique Art, Unique Art Décor, Framed Art, Abstract Painting, Modern Art, Contemporary Art, Online Gallery, Buy Art, Art for Sale, Art Collection, New Art, One of kind art, Art Prints, Art Prints for Sale, Original Art, Original Art Work, Modern Décor, Contemporary Designs, Art Designs, Living Room Designs, Kitchen Décor, Gifts Ideas

Start to paint with just a many colors first, use one color at a time, and start putting tones on the different areas and in different shapes. Align them with your idea of an abstract.

After the tones are where you want them, now use a encounter or palette cutter for the coming step. Flatten the makeup globs with a palette cutter and also blend them with a encounter for a smoother look. You can also dab in lighter or darker makeup for lower details.

After the first original subcaste let it hot dry, subsequently move to darker tones and highlight lines and angles where you want them with thicker makeup. You can use the encounter to produce edges or bristles on the face to produce a texture. Move the encounter in the direction of how you want the texture to be shaped.

Let the makeup laggardly dry and store the wet artwork nearly dark and cool with no dust. The maquillages can dry inversely, some matte and some may shine with a lustrous face, but do not worry as you'll be applying the final fleece of shield in a month to give it a lustrous face also after another eleven months apply any removable protector shield to make it last for times to come.

you're looking to see how the oil painting Abstract oils turn out you can always check out some finished options online and in stores. Be sure to check notorious Abstract Art pieces online if you can not in person. Being passionate about art is a characteristic that not numerous will have, and if you're fortunate to hold such a gift and skill do not let it go to waste. You can check out the website ofvictorialeejones.com to see the work of other artists and get alleviation for your work as well. You can indeed buy a piece of abstract art for your chesterfield to place over your settee set, it can be a source of your alleviation and a good purchase as well. There's no rule to flash back while working on an abstract artwork, there's no shape, color, or design that does not go in an abstract oil.

6. Give it an Emotional Touch

People are more drawn to commodity they feel emotionally connected to. Your abstract oils should be one of these effects. People would appreciate it more if they can feel commodity while seeing it. For this purpose, you must understand the air different colors give so that you can combine or blend them consequently. For illustration, the tones of grandiloquent represent kingliness, the combination of red and pink symbolizes the womanlike spirit. also, the combination of black and red gives the feeling of power and strength just as gold and sanguine give the sign of wealth and glory.

The notorious abstract art Full Fathom Five by Jackson Pollock involves the black field on which the white is dominant among all colors. This gives different emotional prayers to different people.

7. Avoid Overblending

The understanding of attendant colors from blending is necessary to add oneness and creativity to your abstract oil but be careful about how much you do it. Blending the colors blindly generally leaves you with nothing but a various mess that is not seductive to look at. To avoid this, test the composites before applying them on the oil and decide when to stop blending and start conforming.

Abstract art isn't limited to mentioned ways. There's so much further to take care of. One of those effects is texture. It must be invariant throughout the abstract oil and the composition should be valid. It means considering the nature of maquillages. Your oil painting maquillages would not do well with gouaches, so try to apply them both on the same piece. Other than this, you're free to put your creative ideas into practice because abstract art oil rejects the limitation of three confines. It's measureless.

Abstract oil is a great way for cultural minds to demonstrate their most disordered studies. The delightful fact is that utmost people can make the sense out of it. This explains that abstract art isn't limited to the debonair mixing of colors but it demands the more systematized arrangement of arbitrary patterns and righteous blending of colors to make commodity that is good to look at. For this purpose, it's important to incorporate some ways to make your piece visually respectable and seductive. originally, your Abstract Art Painting must have a concrete foundation, to begin with. It should have some patterns to it but still, it must make nothing. You can add and remove colors consequently to craft a perfect mix that is eyecatching. The most notorious abstract art appealed to people's emotional state which made them stand out from the rest. Different color blending reflects different feathers of emotional energy. So, it's important to understand the effect of different colors on the

#Abstract Painting

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