#symbols of fear and hope

[arbitrarycategories]

my own reverse robins au has me in a vice-grip I swear. Little Duke Thomas I love you so much.

#i dont usually read reverse robins because most aus come across as an excuse to switch around the boys backstories and i feel like they miss #the POINT #like. if you reverse the robins then whoever you replace Dick with now has to be the template for kid-sidekicks everywhere. #the first BOY WONDER #you cant just want to give different traumas to different people!!!! #all my fanfic ever is about the characters. i have now read three comics in order to write duke. i love him hes so funny #anyway starting my reverse robins au with duke as the eldest because theres not even a point to the sidekick if they dont bring HOPE #duke is dicks spiritual successor and in this fanfic i will #anyway i love how in canon bruce has a whole Plan to train duke bc he has trained So Many Sidekicks at this point. hes like we can speedrun #dc #reverse robins #duke thomas #batfam #symbols of fear and hope #arbitrary speaks

[fiendishartist2]

*guy who had no control over his fate voice* it's all my fault

#i am a jonathan sims apologist im sorry #i dont think hes a completely good person but i think the way he turned out was not his fault- #-and that his nature as an avatar does not contradict his morals!!!! #idk if this is the best way to convey how i feel about jon being marked by all the fears but i hope it comes across how i want it to :3 #tw eyestrain #potentially #my art #tma #the magnus archives #jonathan sims #alice daisy tonner #if its not clear: daisy is the hunt + his neck scar #the fire is the corruption/jude perry + the burn scar on his hand #the bones in his hand are his ribs + the flesh #the pink explosions are the stranger/unknowing + his explosion scars #the orange cut near his collar bone is the slaughter/melanie #the worms are the corruption/jane prentiss + the pockmark scars on his face #the spider legs are the web + symbolic for the mental mark mr spider left on jon #and the door is obviously the spiral + could be interpreted as when michael's hand cut jon #and you could interpret the clouds around as lonely fog

[martyrbat]

[ID: an uncoloured drawing for a panel next to the publicized version. They're both from the comic Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #194. In them, Batman is shown from the waist up. He's looking at Jim Gordon, who's off panel, with a penitent expression after being accused of something he secretly did do. He has his palm pressed against his chest and is blocking the bat emblem as his other hand is clasped ontop of it. In the initial drawing, there's a halo floating above his head as well as several tiny hearts mixed in with the lights that surround him. In the publicized panel, the hearts and halo has been removed and two speech bubbles have been added. He's in front of a terra rose background and is starting to say, “Jim, I don't even know what you're...” But Jim cuts him off, saying, “Stop it. I'm tired of this.”

The third photo is a description of the drawing from the artist's (Seth Fisher) website. It reads: This is another page that the DC editors changed: no halos or hearts around Batman, no matter how (disingenuously) contrite he is. In the final edition, the halo and heart in the center bottom frame have been excised.]

#happy sad boy sunday !!! #this counts because he's getting broken up with and because im sad bc they removed the halo and hearts #included the link to the website on the word too :3 in case any of u wanted to see his unpublished work too #deleting a big ol rant that no one cares about but basically: #hate seeing how much creativity and personality gets edited and removed despite it being the artist's job & how you have rememberable #and remarkable art. i get the editors got an important job but at the same time at what point do you allow art and personality to exist #just to make comics more fun to read/look at instead of basing everything on a capitalistic stoic reputation that #youre responsible for creating?? turning batman into a symbol of unwavering compassion and empathy and the reminder theres always stars #even on the darkest night if you remember to look up. him going from being a symbol of hope and humanity to being a character #that cant fucking have a heart or visual compassion out of fear they cant market him more or ruin that fragile reputation. #they make editing decisions based on it as a product instead of it as a character/story or an artform and god does it show. #happy sad boy sunday bc shutting down artistic freedom and expressionism for capitalistic reasonings is making me want to shoot myself 🥰🥰 #c: batman: legends of the dark knight | i: 194 #crypt's panels #batman #posts from the crypt

[bumblingbabooshka]

Voyager’s Crew is so special to me because they range from the most average people alive, fresh-faced newbies and criminals who never signed up for any of this. They are not Starfleet’s best (half of them aren’t even Starfleet). They are not uniquely suited to anything about the situation they’ve been thrown into. They were not prepared in the slightest for this. It’s just a ship full of people who were meant to be going on a quick pick-em-up mission suddenly having to fight tooth and nail to survive together for ostensibly the rest of their lives. And even though they do somehow make it back their entire lives have been changed by the experience. Even though they’ve come back home they haven’t returned. They never will.

#most average people alive transformed into freaky weirdos + Starfleets special little angels + War criminals?? + symbols of hope + symbols #of fear <- returning from the dead is a grotesque miracle #ppl who feel like they didn't do anything but also did everything #I'll bet it's strange to be famous for surviving #FOREVER thinking about the two HUGE changes: Voyager crew changed by the delta quadrant return to an alpha quadrant which has been changed #by the dominion war #st voyager #voyager's crew is so special to me bc they aren't special <3

[good-beanswrites]

Just wanted to plant an idea if you wanted a bit of fuel: Mahiru asking Yuno to come to her cell before everything goes down.

Edit: I forgot the ask didn't say it but this is part of Kyanako's incredible Order Of Attack AU!

Didn't mean for this to become a mini Mappi study but here we are ✨ Thank you for the request! I fully intended to write them hanging out, but it's more right before they hang out lol. Went a bit on-the-nose with foreshadowing, but isn't that the fun part? It has become Emotional Over Mahiru Hour...

I kept things vague, but TW for mentioning her boyfriend's state of potential self-harm

Mahiru tried not to act superstitious, she really did. As much as she loved the idea of little luck charms, or avoided easy signs of misfortune, it was easier to keep quiet about such ridiculous things.

Maybe catching a bride’s bouquet meant no guarantees; maybe there was no real harm in stepping underneath ladders, maybe a coin tossed into a fountain had no real magic to its wish. However, the one thing she knew for sure held power was a lucky presence. Being in the right place at the right time could alter everything. And today was the right time for something. There was this waiting in the air. The prison had been holding its breath. Mahiru knew it was time to release it all.

“You must be so lonely, why don’t you let big sis Mahiru keep you company?” She beamed at Amane.

She often recalled the good fortune that she and a certain young man had crossed paths on the university terrace. She used to laugh with him about the wonderful coincidence of bumping into each other outside of the bakery, then the convenience store. 

Though she’d never spoken about it to him, she was also grateful for many occasions where she walked in on him at the precise moment to talk him out of something reckless. She always told him that they’d do everything together. He didn’t need to be alone anymore. 

“I wish to be alone. I need peace of mind to think.” Amane turned away from the cell door.

It was a good thing, too. Mahiru’s smile wasn’t as convincing as she said, “o-oh. Of course.”

She made her way around the panopticon, hearing Fuuta pace his cell in anticipation. He must have felt it too, this holding of breath. 

Or perhaps not. He turned down her offer for a bit of company, including a few more colorful words than Amane had. Mahiru just apologized for bothering him and headed back to her cell. She wasn’t sure where Mikoto was at this hour, but she didn’t feel like smiling through a third rejection.

She shook her head back and forth. She wished the motion could rattle the voices inside, she wished she could shake them all away. With her arms secured in place she could no longer cover her ears. She used to hum to keep them at bay, but lately they’d been too loud to stifle. They just kept on talking.

Their words told her the two were right. Nobody needed her company. No – nobody wanted it. Being together hadn’t helped her boyfriend. In fact, being together had been the very thing that got him killed. No wonder Amane and Fuuta wanted to avoid her. 

So then, this was for the best. She would rather deal with the brief sting of refusal than stumble in one day to find them hurt… or worse. As much as she tried to avoid the superstition of it all, the voices reminded her that her very presence could mean life or death. 

“Mappi, are you alright?” Mahiru hadn’t realized a tear had slipped down her cheek until she hurried to swipe it away in front of Yuno. 

“Hah, I’m fine! Just fine.” It was impossible to fool her, Mahiru had learned, but that never stopped her from trying. 

At least she always spoke tactfully. “Rough morning?”

Mahiru shifted her arms in her uniform, making a small sound of agreement.

“Can I do anything to help? What if I stay with you for a bit? I can do your hair, and…”

The voices were right. Amane and Fuuta knew it, too. Presences did hold power, and Mahiru’s was cursed.

But she would sound foolish admitting such a fear to Yuno. She'd heard plenty from the voices about how stupid and airheaded she was, there was no use in getting the same lecture from someone as grounded as her.

Mahiru managed a weak protest, unable to explain her real reasoning. Yuno was insistent. She didn’t give much of a choice. Could she feel the strangeness of the prison, as well? 

At last, Mahiru allowed her shoulders to sag. Yuno was lucky. And kind. Having her nearby would do her good. Amane and Fuuta would be alright. Mahiru had tried spending more time with them after verdicts were announced. Now, she made a mental note to pull back. If her love couldn’t save anyone, at least she could spare them from her curse. They would be safe. 

“Yes. Please stay. The truth is... I don't want to be alone.”

#milgram #mahiru shiina #yuno kashiki #amane and fuuta mentioned #i dont know how well this all fits in with your vision of the au but i had a ton of fun with this lmao sorry 😂 #oh hey if anyone knows any japanese superstitions like those in the beginning lmk #i was trying to research them but i kept getting lucky symbols/words - not necessarily actions like that #anyway thank you so much for this!! it was a really interesting moment to capture >:0 #drabbles that take me way too long to combine my three brain cells but im really pleased with the end result #i had a lot of Mahiru Thoughts but it took a bit of fiddling to make them fit together #the superstitiousness - the focus on one's presence - the parallels with his bf - what she's dealing with from the voices #im glad it came together semi-smoothly in the end asdfsd #i didnt mean for mahiru t break the fourth wall or anything -- #i always saw her as a master at picking up on social changes/cues so she can tell when things are most tense/kotoko is fully prepared #but she doesnt consciously know it -- she just knows that things feel Off #not only do the attacks confirm mahirus fear that shes cursed - but yunos involvement confirms her belief that shes extra lucky #i wonder if shed still end up spending all her time with yuno now that she thought she was such a protective person... #i couldnt articulate it right since the end was wrapping up so nicely - but mahiru starts to wonder if most people are fine being left alon #and *shes* the odd one out for craving company #then she feels isolated because by getting what she wants shes dooming someone else #i mean... if everyone you try to get close to starts getting hurt... wouldnt you worry about the same...? #AHAHAHAHA hope you enjoyed 🙃 #*posts this then retreats back into the void for a bit* #drabbles

[lobpoints]

Angela in LC, consistently telling the manager that she felt trapped and helpless and considerably miserable working in LC because she is denied of her individuality and personal choice and personhood and is also denied of any meaningful interactions whether with the sephirot or her own creator, lc hokma saying that what they have done and are still doing toward Angela was inherently cruel, even A at some point knee down to apologize to Angela because he also recognized what he was doing to her is inherently cruel in one of the loop (day 40), Angela in the epilogue straight up saying that she felt abandoned since her birth to the end for nothing hence she wanted to live her own life now, the lines in the dark in between day 47-50 are literally her begging to be noticed one last time:

LC essayist: but we literally can't know Angela's personal motivation until ruina she has never once showed her motivation and she was supposed to be hated by the narrative always and forever in LC

#i think this is less the case of narrative trickery but more case of the fandom being blatantly misogynistic hope this help #also people dont know how to read #absurd with people saying that LC trying to tell us A is good because LC only worked because A is a horrible person #even in his narration he portrayed himself as some sort of monster #and every characters in LC have beef with him pre and even AFTER their personal suppressions #the only difference is that LC made clear that LC cycle is supppsed to be a symbolic cycle of A tried to escape being a harmful person #and kept fall back into pattern because of his uncertaincy and fear and many other things #people who are aware of the loop (Hokma Angela Binah) literally made this very obvious analog toward the players #and literally guys in his head that he must overcome all tell him that kept perpetuating the loop or destroy everything #would be the most comfortable and easy choice for him to make because changing is suffering changing is dying for them #and the reason why day 50 is GOOD is because it is when A decided to move pass those mindset and break the pattern once and for all #when lor binah said that ''the cycle was broken once'' and in the end lor Angela repeated day 50 to break her own cycle of misery #what do yall think it was suppposed to mean #i hate lc essayist i hate lc essayist

[paeden-babyboiiii]

I was re-listening season one while waiting for the newest episode and when they were speaking with The Lance in episode one Darryl says:

“Henry, who would be scared of the doodler?”

And

…oh boy Darryl

you have no idea.

#that aged like milk #or did it tho? #I think it aged perfectly actually #idk it fits that little subversion of expectations #or rather the taking of a symbol that represented the kids as a team and it’s all cute and fun (and actually a bit ugly) #and turning it into an eldritch horror chaos god #AND now in season two our boy the doodler is maybe finally going to stop being hated and feared and misunderstood by normal :) #and of course the rest of the gang #I hope #dungeons and daddies #dndads #dndaddies #dndads s2 #dndads s1

[sskk-manifesto]

(´･ᴗ･ ` )

#I really like the “We're the bad guys' enemy” line. For someone I generally despise Dazai has all my favourite lines in this show… #Idk I can't really vibe with the unbalance that there is between s/kk. #Like when push comes to shove‚ Dazai has the power to keep Chuuya alive or let him die. #I understand why they make a compelling dynamic in their complexity‚ but it just doesn't do it for me. #I'm a little sad my opinion on them hasn't really changed since I watched the anime for the first time... #Also; I really can't vibe with Chuuya allowing Dazai to kill Q. Yes I know Chuuya cares about his comrades deeply. #Yes I know it can be interpreted as Chuuya seeing himself in Q as a living weapon and being disgusted by it #(though I honestly don't think that was intentional of the author). #Yes I know Chuuya is a mafioso and kills people. No I don't think your personal issues justify you being a dick to other people I'm sorry. #Back to my main annoyance with the episode: I must have already talked about this but I hate hate hate the narrative #“the mafia works for the city” “the mafia deeply loves the city too” it's so so sickening and insulting please stop I'm begging. #Please visit any actual city with a rooted mafia presence for once in your life (signed: someone whose hometown was destroyed by the mafia. #The writers really don't know what they're talking about and‚ politely‚ it's offensive.) #Also b/sd keeping being extremely nationalist with Mori (who's largely depicted unsimphatetically for the first part of the episode)– #bringing up western thinkers and subtly mocking Fukuzawa for not knowing them– #and Fukuzawa (the righteous man. the noble spirit and just soul in this episode and Mori's antithesis)– #stepping forward to say that he knows strategists from the east (because who else would he need?) #I don't know if it's meant to symbolize the conflict with an hostile and invading foreign power (the Guild). #But it does come across as. A very isolationist way of thinking. #I know it's subtle but it's really evident for me. And I didn't want to talk about this any further… #But by bringing actual examples of this I hope I can better explain why I think that b/sd holds nationalist views– #and that I'm not just making it up out of nowhere. Otherwise I fear I'd only come off as pettily hostile to b/sd in everything #That's it. I feel like I've been losing a lot of mutuals over my main recently due to not shutting up (sorry) #so I suppose it's only fair I lose them on here too pffttt. #Tune in next week for more bad takes #random rambles

[sigma-el]

I was just here, sketching to help me fixing ideas and concepts of characters I write about... and while I was messing with Xangr's hair of the period he left the mage guild to listen to some obscure designs, I fell on... Darra. @downontheupside

Hi, 2E male Darra.

#at this time xangr cutted his hair bc he always had a thing for metaphors and symbolism #to sum up: he did sick shit past then #really sick shit #his mentor learnt about it and dragged him by the hair at the dead of the night #right to the auriel chapel of auridion #to make him pray this god that was not even his #hoping it would save his soul and needing some silent space to have a serious serious discussion #as an answer xangr cutted everything to never let that happen again #so even this altmer he likes really much would not have a grasp on him anymore #xangr seeks freedom at any cost and as a teen (or what can be considered a teen for a mer) was extreme as oblivion itself #chaos began to take form when he entered adulthood #symbolized by a real glowup un his way to behave and dress #apperance of makeup #pearls and jewelry #but something never left him dispite how calm and serene he may appear now #xangr is very dark #dark dark dark #his hair drinks light and his eyes vomit every glimpse of it #his skin is painted in a coal so black it blurs his silhouet #and his upper lip is always stucked in a sibyllin smile that people learn to fear

[mickidona]

Praying for a miracle 

Their first channukah alone, together

#Dick Grayson #Damian Wayne #DC #Hannukah #gottta use the more common tag wheeze #feat. the wayne's fancy antique channukiah #there's a bunch of subtle symbolism in this that I could go into some detail in.. #the main thing being the two candles #Dick as the shamash; the helper candle; lighting others #Damian as the first candle; the first night; before we knew it was a miracle #but still a miracle nonetheless #the candles waiting to be lit; Stephanie and Tim #I hope the energy of fear and safety and comfort and prayer comes across #not my usual colouring style but I pushed myself on this one #My Art

[arbitrarycategories]

@guesst for you <3

Chapter two of my reverse robins au!! Idk why tumblr is killing the link. anyway ch2 feat Duke thinking Batman is pretty cool but Bruce is kinda weird and lame. because Duke is a real one

https://archiveofourown.org/works/55943314/chapters/142100771#workskin

#batfam #dc #duke thomas #bruce wayne #alfred pennyworth #symbols of fear and hope #reverse robins

[valleyfthdolls]

(Old -> new)

Redrew & redesigned Virgil bc I miss him sm. My funny guy I will find more to do with you <3

#danganronpa #danganronpa oc #fanganronpa #rp: hopes reprisal #oc art #oc: virgil wagnon #i forgot my art tag #at risk of sounding like cinemasins #obvious chain symbolism is obvious #he's so sad with it tho i love him #boy who is kind of a girl and kind of an old clown doll on a shelf or a marionette with twisted strings #boy who is his own greatest fear #y'know the deal #favorite oc kg #was that the tag #i forgor

[whoviandoodler]

[Image description: a digital drawing of Thomas from Transatlantic holding Varian's hand and kissing his fingers while crying. We only see Thomas's face and their two hands covered in dripping blood. Behind them are black shards with designery red eyes on them. The pieces is coloured in desaturated blues with red accents. End description.]

We all have blood on our hands.

#transatlantic #lovefry #varian fry #thomas lovegrove #so uhhhh yeah if anyone remembers me saying i was sketching some ideas to do w how they met this is one of them #i started getting too many ideas in the middle of it so i kind of lost the original vision but thats ok bcs experimentation baby #basically the first idea was to have knives in the bg but then i was like glass shards bcs of the beer glass that was probably shattered #and bcs its less complex than a knife while still signifying violence (wanted simpler elements in this bad boy) #and then the eyes are all the people who just watched and the red signifies the underlying violence of being a silent observer #in these kinds of situations #and then i got distracted w thomas's suit lol bcs i accidentally did stripes and i was like omg criminal symbolism #and then i was like ok what if they werent normal stripes (bcs that strict angularity is more a part of varian's symbolism) #but instead were more scale-like bcs thomas is resilient but his throat is open bcs a part of his resilience is a lack of fear #of vulnerability #see what i mean by got distracted lol #it doesnt belong in this piece bcs it almost creates a second accent colour when red is meant to be the only one #but id love to do something w it in a different piece #thanks for coming to my ted talk it has to be in here bcs ill see this in 6 months having forgotten everything #and i hope u enjoy the drawing bcs if i cant be completely happy w it (artist disease) at least someone else might enjoy it #artist brain insists i shouldnt share it but i must face the horrors in order to grow /hj

[yamineftis]

I find super interesting how the armorer let Din keep the dark saber despite excommunicating him from the tribe.

He’s technically their leader now, and of course she won’t accept him as mandalorian but still lets him keep the saber, his helmet and the armor for his foundling.

Seeing how she believes the saber’s mythos, if she despised Din for what he did, she’d have taken the saber herself (pretty sure she’d be able to defeat our non saber-expert Din). I feel like she’s doing what any spiritual leader would do because it’s their duty but she has nothing against Din, her actions also may imply some little faith in him finding redemption.

“The dark saber is a more noble weapon for you to wield” he’s an apostate in her eyes now yet she lets him keep it? HMMMM

#the armorer #the mandalorian #din djarin #star wars #mandalor #I really reaaaally hope we explore her more in the new season #i really hope they don't make her a villain character #much like din she adheres to the creed out of fear of extintion #and it's so interesting gwa #also it's funny that paz didn't make a tantrum at din keeping the mandalor symbol despite being an apostate??? #HMMMM #hope there's a reason for all of this and they're not actually inconsistencies XD

[agentark]

reading The Fernweh Saga for the first time: this town is definitely weird, but I'm not scared yet

chapter 11: 🧍

#fernweh saga #fernweh saga spoilers #I was reading like 'the author was so right about slow build horror - it's scarier for the characters than me rn' #spoilers ahoy if you plan on reading: #how arrogant of me to expect a giant snake the whole time #and then suddenly TREE #my train of thought at 3 am was like that audio clip 'is that tHE GRIM REAPER?' #I was truly nervously laughing lmao #my expectation made that reveal so much better tbh I hope that's exactly what the author was going for #'these chumps are gonna take the ouroboros symbol and run with it' #and I did #anyway sry if ur seeing this post again I want to make fernweh friends & I accidentally nerfed myself by hiding myself from search results #the way you and the tree monster just stare at each other made me laugh out loud (in nervous fear)

[rosecrowned]

saddest thing is I really do think it's plausible that cersei will kill marg in the books. it might not go down like how it did in the show but I think cersei making this happen will be the point of no return for her.

#♡ ooc. ⊱ ❝ 𝘖𝘩 𝘯𝘰 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘪. ❞ #marg represents everything she was & wanted to be & could have been if she could have let go of her own self destructive ways #marg is all of her hopes for herself turned into one of her greatest fears (as cersei believes she is the young queen in the prophecy) #and for cersei to be free from that she has to kill her #in order to take that final step into the void of her own making #she has to symbolically kill off those parts of herself and her lost possibilities #and not be shackled by them anymore #and at the same time (on a more conscious level) she is actively defying the prophecy that has haunted her for her entire life #and might even think herself safe from it after this as if by killing the one she thought meant to replace her she's broken it #unaware that her actions are likely ultimately only serving to expedite her own fate #so anyway I'm just gonna gooooo *cries* #I should probably reblog this on my multi for my cersei muse but shhhhh just pretend I did #this is a lil meta for both of them