#bandit running

[guy60660]

Bandit Running

[macarelstyle]

[squaringthacircle]

[burquillos]

Post-war fantasy au dkbk save meeee

[banditblvd]

bandit?.? Riptide posting?.????? It’s more likely than you think!

I was going through my screen recordings and I realized—not for the first time, mind you—that most if not all riptide clips are so animatic-able

[stickerscritter]

i like this brush

[mothcpu]

smoke bomb

[bluejulius]

Okay, I have to ask. Since you got Heather and Dagur, do you have any ideas for Viggo in the Howdy train your dragon AU? 👀

Just for fun, here’s Viggo! He would actually be running his trade from London, getting Ryker to do his dirty work from afar, but after multiple letters recounting his workers’s failures he decides to pay the west a visit himself.

Here he is, conspiring to capture the elusive dark horse known as the Night’s Fury. (how much do you think Drago Bludvist would be willing to pay for such a beast?)

[beifong-brainrot]

Zuko's blue spirit persona parallels Toph's Blind Bandit/Runaway personas more than it does Katara's Painted Lady and I'm, frankly, so exhausted of hearing this comparison. Like I understand why those wires would get crossed. The Blue Spirit and the Painted Lady are both spirits in Fire Nation mythology -though the Blue Spirit seems to have some symbollic connection to the Water Tribe, (perhaps for propaganda reasons, as it appears as a villain in Love Amongst Dragons), as well as having its masks common around the Earth Kingdom to some degree, and enabled Zuko and Katara to work towards their goals in secrecy.

But that's really where their similarities end, in my eyes. Because the aforementioned goals are what sets them apart. Katara seeks to use the visage of the Painted Lady in order to help people, even if they are on the opposite side of a war. It serves as another way for Katara to connect 'across the isle'. Many have pointed out that Katara's Painted Lady parallels Aang's Kuzon, and I tend to agree.

But I want to focus on Zuko and Toph's parallels here.

The Blue Spirit was a tool for Zuko to further his own goals or support himself and Iroh. Yes, the Blue Spirit is introduced to us as Aang's rescuer, but let's remember that it was only to stop Zhao from turning Aang in, bacause Zuko has to be the one to do it in order to regain his honour.

The Blue Spirit is deeply tied, in my opinion, with self preservation, and going further, Zuko compromising his morals in order to achieve his goals. Say what you will about Zuko's morals, but he has that fixation on the concept of honour, which certain other Fire Nation citizens seem to share. He stands up to the war council when they come up with a ploy to sacrifice their soldiers, he keeps his word in the South Pole and he is explicitly presented as more honourable than Zhao.

Iroh: No, Prince Zuko. Do not taint your victory. [Turns to face Zhao. Condescending.] So this is how the great Commander Zhao acts in defeat? [Close-up of Zhao lying on the floor.] Disgraceful. [Cut back to a closer shot of Zuko and Iroh.] Even in exile, my nephew is more honorable than you.

However, as the Blue Spirit, Zuko utilises trickery and subterfuge, often attacking from the shadows when his enemies turn their back to him. His first appearance as the Blue Spirit is him literally acting against the best interest of the nation he loves.

Now, Toph's Blind Bandit is a much milder case, as it doesn't involve literal treason. However, she is, like Zuko, concealing her identity to act in ways that her background would hate her engaging in.

As Toph shed the role of the perfect lady her parents wanted her to be when she fought in the ring, so Zuko shed the role of honourable prince when he donned the blue mask.

Toph and Zuko seem to be the characters with the most rigorous roles imposed on them when they were growing up. Even Aang was afforded a little leeway with his identity as Avatar being concealed until he turned 12.

Of course, Zuko's upbringing was cruel, an abusive father moulding him into a prince of a genocidal nation. The noble, royal ideals ingrained in him were, to him, intrinsic to his naive, idealised view of the Fire Nation. Which is why he had to don the disguise of a theatre villain to commit acts that go against those ideals.

Toph, once again, was not in such horrific conditions, however, I believe a good case can be made for the awful effect her upbringing had on her. She was isolated and forced into the role of a calm, polite, obedient young lady. The persona of the Blind Bandit was the natural pendulum swing in the other direction, crafted, most likely, from watching other fighters trashtalk each other.

Some may argue that Toph didn't care for her parents' opinions as much as Zuko wanted to honour his nation, but I disagree wholeheartedly with that notion. Toph wanted her parents' approval more than anything, it's the reason she lived a double life, hiding her true desires and personality.

An interesting time for both these personas is when they're both 'on the run', Zuko hunted by the Fire Nation alongside Iroh, while Toph joins the Gaang.

The Blue Spirit becomes a bona-fide bandit, stealing to survive. And while Toph is free to be herself for a bit, eventually the Blind Bandit is rechristened into the Runaway.

This is where the Blue Spirit serves the other reason for its existence- self preservation. And that of Iroh. Similarly, Toph earns money for the Gaang's spending, albeit through scams.

Aang: [While holding up a silver piece.] So, guys. What are we gonna get with our last silver piece? Toph: [Stops walking.] We can get more money. [They both look back at her.] Right there.

However, both go astray a little, Zuko taking far more than needed, and Toph getting overly cocky with her scams. The youngins love comitting crimes ig.

I'd say that the definitive end to both these personas comes with some kind of personal reckoning.

For Toph, it's a moment of weakness, when she admits that she misses her parents, after which she asks Katara to help her pen a letter to her mother. It's an issue we've seen Toph repressing essentially since she left her family and what fueled Toph's feuds with Katara in the Chase and the Runaway. The Runaway, as much as people like to focus on Katara's 'motherly behaviours', I think it mainly portrays Toph's own struggle with her perceptions of freedom and parental or authority figures.

Now, Zuko is much more dramatic, as is often the case. The Blue Spirit's last mission is very similar to his first. A rescue mission (this time of Appa) fueled by personal gain. But this time, Zuko has uncle Iroh to ask them hard hitting questions. Zuko is going through a very hard time at that moment. As the Fire Nation fully rejected him, his life essentially became pointless, and he had no idea how to go forward.

Both Zuko and Toph have to acknowledge some hard truths, truths that had gotten attached to the very alter egos they once used for their own gain.

And once they do, they let go of their alter egos.

An additional interesting tidbit is how Zuko's mask is inspired by Nuo masks in Chinese theatre, and Toph's headband also seems to be lifted from Chinese theatre (note the characteristic 'pompoms')

[fizzy-dizz]

Recent commission!

[moeblob]

He identifies as a villain and he wants to become a god but he's not doing the best job at being bad. Aside from ticking off the gods, he's done nothing but good - though claiming it's in the name of evil.

Himst: WHY would anyone of actual intelligence rely on such petty tactics as brainwashing or enchanting? So much can go wrong! On the other hand, I have a devoted following who will do as I say! (because he quite literally saved the lives of a town and they appreciate their savior)

[goddidntdothis]

[ DAY TWENTY-TWO : LAST VICTIM ]

‘PRIMUM NON NOCERE’ or ‘first, do no harm’ isn’t technically part of the hippocratic oath, either a mistranslation or paraphrasing from the 17st century, but i’m willing to bet it would have been above the doors of a 1900s university of medicine.

[stellar-collective]

this episode of Bluey is called Dragon!

yesterday i watched The Sign, cried over it, and decided to make something Bluey related. my drawing skills are not good enough to do justice to The Sign so take these guys as an adventuring party instead

[yo-yo-yoshiko]

this is me sifting through my textures folder looking at the pictures of people's floors I've taken and just doing whatever with them haha!

[banditblvd]

I finished my current sketchbook last night and wanted to post some of my favorite doodles in there :-)

there's so so many more in there that I didn't take photos if so I'm probably gonna post a bunch in phases

so I guess sketchbook reveal 1/?

[robo-dino-puppy]

horizon zero dawn (remastered) | nil 2/?