#I love abstract shapes and colors being used to represent emotions

[gothic-mothic]

Yk ratatouille

An Instagram poll made me do this

[robboyblunder]

With a little over a week of work (and lots of breaks for my sore hand playing stardew valley lmao) I'd like to share the comic I was working on! It shows my oc Jayce's growth as an AI into the disheartened assassin he is now. I wanted to explore his backstory in an ambivalent narrator's view of someone who knows him but we don't know them- an outside view into something essentially. It's meant to be disconnected yet emotional in a sense like Jayce is.

It gave me a great opportunity to let loose and try a softer line style with messy oil-paints for the color! I also got to mess with representing AI visually in an abstract way since they're electricity. I hope you all enjoy and become curious to know more about him :)

Also for anyone curious: The world he's set in is post-apocalyptic sci-fic mixing cyber and solar punk with ideas around green energy, societal corruption, and themes of spirit/existence/development with robots and AI as well as mysterious tech found beyond their advancement!

Transcript and Image ID under the cut!

(please don’t repost or use my work, and leave my description; thanks! reblogs super appreciated!)

text transcript of the pages in their order:

What exactly happened to you?

You were guided so closely, but quickly desired to break free.

They loved you... you were beautiful. But they didn’t love you enough.

You had to learn one more lesson. how to survive.

now it’s all you ever do.

But I have to wonder... do you remember what it’s like? To be loved?

I’m sure it’s the reason you chose to be soft bodied.

You’ve always been a romantic, after all.

end transcript.

---

Start Image ID:

Page 1: The top of the page is white with a neon cyan blue silhouette in the center with squares coming off of it like pixels fading from its body. In the middle Jayce is in a fish eye view for dramatic effect with curved lines in the background creating a globe effect. His head is a motorcycle helmet in dark teal, blue, and silver with a black visor. His body is black and dark gray with a desaturated maroon leather jacket over his shoulders with silver buttons on the collar. The bottom of the page melts into more pixel like squares to fade to black.

Page 2: The page fades from a grayish blue in the top left corner to white in the bottom right. The bright cyan blue creature from before is changing shape from the same direction, the first being fetus and shrimp-like, the second being owl like with a round head, and the last being humanoid with silhouettes of two extra heads and loose definition of limbs. All three have pixelated squares floating off of them as well as echo lines. The bottom of the page is a field of pixel towers and squares that the third figure's feet are melting into as it is creating the field.

Page 3: The top of the page is white with a grayish blue edge that melts into lines and squares to the black bottom of the page where the figure is surrounded by pale gray square towers. The cyan blue figure on top is reaching towards the viewer with lines on its face suggesting it's looking upward. One knee is bent with the leg folded while the other hands in the distance with foreshortening, and its arm on the left dissolves into pixels. Its head is surrounded by halo-like echo lines. On the bottom the figure seems to have fallen, and looks like they're in pain. They're leaning forward with their head facing down with their arms extended to catch themselves and their legs folded beneath them. The echo lines are more faded showing the halo disappeared.

Page 4: The page is all black now, with a progression from top to bottom of the cyan blue figure slowly raising themselves to sit up as they start looking upwards. Around them various colorful abstract shapes begin to fill the darkness representing other artificial intelligences popping up into the void. A dark gray entity slowly forms teeth first through the progression much larger than the rest, taking up the whole page in the last panel roaring and preparing to eat them all. It has seven round white glowing eyes that open in the last panel.

Page 5: The scene shows Jayce and his buddy buggy in motion fighting two other robots using a cyan blue electrified whip/rope while the page is broken up into black spaces that show the inner AI of each robot including him. In the upper left is a robot with a blue head with three long black horns, a black jacket, purple pants, and leather spiked boots that is being pulled through the air by the rope around their neck. In the black space it shows their body melting into a lilac crescent shape. On the bottom is a yellow, orange and black cyclops robot whose arm is wrapped and electrified while their ear is zapped by buggy with a red laser coming from buggy's eye. The yellow robot's AI in the black on the left is bubbly and bright yellow. Jayce's body in the black sections is solidly human shapes now with stripes and squares of dark blue and red complimenting his bright cyan blue. His AI is spikier now and more refined.

Page 6: The same pose showing Jayce's figure from the precious page is now a blank faded silhouette with stripes of brighter cyan forming the contours of his form. The page is a dark grayish blue with faded polygonal shapes, squares, and pixels floating around in shades of cyan blue, dark blue, and red. The ground the figure is standing on has similar shapes seemingly rising and floating away from it to fill the air. The other robots and Buggy are no longer present in the panel making it out to be him alone.

Page 7: The page is now a light pink with buggy in the top right gazing at jayce's face which is not visible on the page at the top. Jayce is shirtless now with one arm raised towards buggy in a gentle manner, the scene focused on his upper body with only the top of his pants visible. His body is sectioned into various parts of teal, blue, silver, black and gray showing that while he is metal he also has softer artificial body parts that fold like skin. His pecks and sternum are teal with blue and silver stripes over the ribs, marked with cyan and red lights. His forearm is similarly mainly blue and teal with black and silver parts near the wrist and elbow.

Page 8: The scene is now a complex city scape in a pink sunset with jayce sitting on a stone balcony with a bouquet in his lap and buggy resting on his pointed finger. The balcony's stone is cracked with flowering vines growing over it, but the floor of the balcony is hexagonal high-tech solar panels. The city is a mix of solar and cyber punk aesthetics with billboards and neon signs with city streets combined with garden boxes, trees on roofs, vines over buildings, and a water powered bullet train line suspended over a canal. There are blimp shaped wind turbines floating over some of the towers and many of the buildings feature wiring and solar panels either in windows are installed on their roofs. The main feature building connected to the other with walkways in the center left is an asymmetrical abstract greenhouse tower with multiple gardens on each level, colorful bubbly windows, and a massive tree garden on top. 

the final extra image in pink is a disclaimer that reads ‘please don’t use or repost somewhere else’.    

end image ID.

[ninamodaffari]

re: the little guy

when & how did he get horns! is there any particular meaning behind his forehead design &/or why it changed? how is he doing on a spiritual level, what are his hobbies and his least favorite drink, does the color red have any particular meaning to him (lots of red in his design), and why does he adventure/risk his life on the reg

OH BOY FANTASTIC QUESTIONS.

yuri got his horns from his patron as a 'gift' and a show of his power. preface: he was having an emotional breakdown because of his boyfriend at the time, a tiefling named valour, who was being a bit of a dick. Yuri wanted to return back to his former gangleader (the devil you know), but his Patron was basically like 'lets not do that and as a bonus here's some horns -- you always were horny, hehe)

for his forehead tattoo! the original design of the anchor and dot was put there by his former gang-leader of the Doomed Orphans. it represented the anchor that would all drag them down to the depths of oblivion one day, and the single dot represented the orphan, alone. after he killed said former abuser, his friend took him to a tattoo artist to have it redone, symbolically. it's an abstract shape, but represents expanding wings and rising above previous turmoil!

spiritually...yuri is...in a tough spot. His Patron is a literal devil, wanting to remake Yuri in his image (aka lawful evil). Yuri is decidedly not that. at his core, Yuri's a good kid who has been put through the ringer of bad experiences. he makes bad decisions and is mischievous and chaotic, I would peg him as chaotic good at best and chaotic neutral at worst.

hobbies: woodcarving, worm farming, general arts & crafts, taking care of his pet rat and ferret, sex..........

least favorite drink: water anything too sweet, like hot chocolate, would probably turn him off

red is a primary color I use in him to represent his devil patronage! it's also just Yuri's favorite color (and mine), and he would argue that it's a good color to hide bloodstains

AND to why he risks his life on the regular and do adventures? because he would be dead if not for his friends, and he loves doing this with them. before he was alone and had no one else, but now he has a boyfriend, a career, an education, and a future.

thank you soooo much for all the questions!!! <3 i am truly grateful

[beastofwant]

How does your divination process work?

I'm assuming you meant like, the thing from a post I made ages ago and not tarot

so it's. in the early stages of experimentation, and if I had any understanding of coding (or connections) I'd probably make a proper Thing for it, but- It's largely about decyphering the implied symbolism of a computer-generated image. Like tea leaves, but fancier.

I think one Can and Should use AI for divination. AI image generation is an incredibly powerful thing. It is, in essence, a way to tap into the collective unconscious. It's like the dreamlands of the internet, it's quite incredible and a damn shame it's become to the public what it has.

But also: it's the biggest crystal ball ever.

The idea's simple enough. Using your AI of choice (I've been using artbreeder), you input your inquiry framed as a prompt.

as an example, I chose to input the question "will (the querent) be productive this year?" (along with some additional stylistic prompts, because whimsy. This doesn't really affect the meaning, unless you think it does.)

the above image was the first result ^ but if your result was too incoherent you could certainly reroll with a different seed until something caught your attention. This jumped out to me right away, so I'm going with it.

keep in mind that because we're giving the ai weird prompts, things aren't always going to be... visually coherent. as an abstract art enjoyer this isn't an issue for me but YMMV! hope you like funky shapes and colors, there's a lot of those!

The next part is about analyzing the image's contents. Some questions I like to ask myself are the following:

What was the first thing you thought and felt upon seeing it?

Does any of the visual (imagery, colors, figures, etc) stand out to you personally? Why?

What do you think the visual is representative of? Why?

It helps to have a personal dictionary of symbolism, so to speak. To have associations of meaning to things.

The little guys on either side immediately reminded me of a persona of mine, and the interesting wreath appears to be around what to me is a version of the symbol for Venus, or copper, but a bit twisted-up looking. The two figures also appear to be wielding halberds and are guarding the twisted Venus symbol along with the embellishments.

This information could be interpreted in a multitude of ways.

My initial interpretation was that the two figures were gesturing towards the center in presentation- as if a Great Work had been made!- but as I looked more closely I noted the implication of weaponry being wielded, and halberds came to mind given they do look like pole arms. And then the symbol in the center being Venus just clicked for me, and other pieces fell into place...

I think my productivity will be impacted by some things going on in my personal life that are relevant to love, which I think the Venus symbol represents. It's probably crunched up because of traumas of mine that make Love a difficult thing for me. I'm becoming more guarded of my heart, and that's not necessarily a good thing- that's why the halberds are there. To keep people at a distance. If I want to be productive in my life this upcoming year, I might want to keep this in mind so that I can self-regulate my emotions better and open up more to those I'm close to, or that I want to be close to.

in essence:

[flavdia05]

Figure Drawing (FD2) First Class Assignment: Reflection Statement

Lucian Freud is an artist whose art awakens psychological curiosity. He rejected the wave of realism of Northern Renaissance and horror-vacui naturalism. Freud created pieces representing the raw structure of the human physique, his nude paintings as well as his portraits do not censor the mass and density of its models. This article read that “the single most powerful of Freud’s obsessions is with his models—finding them, losing them, sometimes loving them. He sees his subjects, both the men and the women, not as a more or less agreeable canvas to work on but as individuals—not types but people.” It is explained of Freud’s sexual habits, he was father to about 40 children, some of his daughters eventually becoming his models. Despite his twisted history with sexuality, I respect Freud’s raw take on his paintings, his urgency to demonstrate individualism of bodies by emphasizing fat and wrinkles. I was impressed by the  display of a vulnerability that comes with nudity and how he is able to present it shamelessly. 

Willem De Kooning started early in his career following the abstract art-style. He only painted men, in a very rigid manner applying his schooling knowledge. After he met his wife, he started making portraits of women which shaped his style into a more distorted one. He viewed his painting of the women as satiric, comic linked to caricature. “The gesture of the brush and texture of the paint became the subject” I admire this approach to art, bending your abilities to what you’re given, accepting it as it is and shaping pieces through the authenticity of materials used. 

Alice Neel fell for Carlos Enrique, a Cuban artist and settled together in Havana; tragically so, their marriage did not work out. Her sadness was endured through art, she became inspired by the people in her community of Spanish Harlem during the depression. Neel’s painting focused on the human experience, viewing her paintings is like seeing emotions float around the canvas in the color choices and brush strokes. I'm amazed at how her paintings show feelings that possess the physique of her models, truly enamored at the way someone can capture feelings of exhaustion and dread of human existence taking over someone’s livelihood . 

I enjoyed  learning about these three artists, however, Freud stood out the most for me due to one of the points made in the article read. “We all share one dream life, a singular unconscious, in which we leave our bodies for our minds. The soft shell left behind as we drift toward dreams is what Freud shows us.” His take on humans, we’re creatures beyond comprehension, how our minds trick us into being hard to destroy, how we can build worlds in our brains and be just a  single structure of systems functioning together to keep us alive. I think his art is a bit masochistic, the way his models are laid out bare displaying in humiliating manner the weakness of it all. I previously said he presents his pieces shamelessly but I think the weight of being watched and looked at, the consciousness of  shame, is what makes it shameless.

[catflowerqueen]

Just thought of another slightly cursed possibility for the FNAF and The Amazing Digital Circus crossover. So, I know Glitchtrap is actually a kind of yellow-ish greenish color in the VR game… but he is supposed to be the digital remnants of William Afton. Who is often represented by the color purple.

And, well… remember how Jax is a purple rabbit?

I’m just saying—It could present many interesting and amusing possibilities if someone slowly being infected by the Afton virus were to accidentally put on the wrong headset and end up in The Amazing Digital Circus. Because even though they wouldn’t remember their name, I have a hard time believing they wouldn’t remember that there was something important about rabbits, the color purple, or both.

Meaning that Jax would then be faced with a fellow performer who was either devoted to him—possibly to the level of being creepy like the Moon apparently is for Caine—or who was devoted to making his life even more of a digital hellscape than it already is because they are just really mad about the whole Afton virus thing and Jax can’t actually control them like Afton can.

And his presence alone would probably be enough to keep them from Abstraction because he would at least offer them something to cling to even if they weren’t exactly mentally stable or sound going in.

…Ah. But the cursed part mainly comes from considering what would happen if my Bunny-loving, mistaken for an Afton follower Y/N ended up in the Circus.

Because by that point the basics of the whole Afton situation would probably have been explained to them, but not in the greatest of detail. So they would both be highly suspicious of Jax while also finding him extremely aesthetically appealing. And would probably stare at him often in an extremely creepy manner while giving him emotional whiplash and extreme mixed signals and accidental flirtations because they are wholly devoted to Sun and Moon.

…Who would just end up following them into the Circus fairly shortly after, since they could just upload their coding. Probably, anyways. And then feel conflicted about whether or not they should even try to rescue Y/N because if the three of them stay in the circus, then they wouldn’t have to worry about losing them since they can’t age or die there.

Also, they would legitimately go by the name “Y/N” there since the nature of the circus means they would forget their name anyways, in addition to the fact that they may have legitimately started to… not forget it, exactly, but become unused to hearing it considering everyone else around them would have just been referring to them by nicknames for the most part anyways.

And they would end up slightly jealous of Pomni and Jax for getting to be harlequin/jester and bunny-themed, respectively, since it looks like the Circus might not double up on those. We know there used to be another chess-themed character, and there was Kaufmo, but Kaufmo abstracted before Pomni showed up and we don’t know if both Kinger and the other chess person whre around at the same time.

I’m thinking Y/N would be either cloud or space-themed to fit in with Sun and Moon, though. Leaning toward cloud-like, because then they could do things like change shape and compress/stretch themselves to fit under doors and such.

Mostly because that would present more opportunities for them to creepily stare at Jax.

[blitz-heart]

𝐮𝐧𝐮𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 .

SPICE | allspice ↳ Flavor resembles a combination of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg ; commonly used in baked goods and desserts ; increases energy and determination ; considered a "good luck charm" ; use of allspice essential oil can help with inspiration and creativity .

WEATHER | soft, warm rain showers ↳ The kind of weather where, despite a gentle rainfall, the air is warm and one can still enjoy the feeling of rain drops kissing their skin and washing away any sorrows and woes.

PRIMARY COLOR | red ↳ A color commonly affiliated with sacrifice, love, and passion ; symbolic of emotional endurance, inspiring one to take action ; signifies shows of affection, and heartfelt and gentle sentiment .

COLOR OF THE SKY | the pinks, purples, and reds of a sunset ↳ When the sun begins to set below the horizon, the skies become painted in the most vibrant, warm hues that inspire awe and appreciation for the day's ending - and the promise of a new day to follow next .

MAGICAL POWER | light magic ↳ A variation of elemental magic ; allows the user to use magic in order to manipulate light to their advantage .

SHOE | regular boots ↳ Stylish and practical, but comfortable enough to be worn in any circumstance .

HOUSEPLANT | Graptoveria Fred Ives succulent ↳ Grows in rosettes ; consists of a foliage that can change color from a pinkish-purple hue to blue, green, or red ; drought-tolerant, thrives in heat .

BLADE WEAPON | Axe

↳ A dualistic association with both destruction and creation ; closely associated with rain as an extension of being associated with lightning ; closely associated with sacrifice and fertility .

SCHOOL SUBJECT | Social Studies

↳ Most commonly consisting of history, geography, social science, political science, and culture ; provides the learner with the background knowledge necessary to have values, and to be able to engage in informed participation of society ; arms the learner with a deeper analysis of social problems and issues .

SOCIAL MEDIA | Instagram

MAKEUP PRODUCT | lip gloss

CANDY | sour gummy worms

ICE CUBE SHAPE | crescent

ART STYLE | abstract

↳ Uses visual language of shape, form, color, and line to create a composition which may exist in a degree of independence from real world visual references ; development of the symbolic function of color, rhythm of forms, and their independence from a subject .

MYTHOLOGICAL CREATURE | Phoenix

↳ Commonly affiliated with the element of fire ; consistently symbolic of rebirth and regeneration ; believed to have healing powers in their tears .

PIECE OF STATIONARY | notebook

↳ Used for writing ; be it letters, personal reminders ; one can even doodle in it .

THREE EMOJIS | 💗 ⭐ 🪷

CELESTIAL BODY | Venus

↳ The planet representative of romance, beauty, and affection ; representative of the way one expresses their desires, their passions, and what they value ; historically considered to be the most important celestial body after the Sun and the Moon, and referred to as "the Great Star" by the Mayan civilization ; symbolic of femininity .

tagged by: stole from @valour-bound tagging: steal it from me in turn, and say I tagged you ! this was genuinely a lot of fun, and I'm excited to see what everyone else comes up with for their muses !💗

[power25bachmann]

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[weirdmarioenemies]

Name: Wet-Dry World

Debut: Super Mario 64

We’ve talked about Mario Enemies. We’ve talked about Mario Entities. We’ve talked about Mario Allies, Mario Power-Ups, Mario Games, Mario Mechanics, Mario NES-era Game Manuals, and even things that aren’t Mario at all! While the blog’s called “Weird Mario Enemies,” and probably always will be, make no mistake. We’ve covered just about everything under the Weird Mario Sun...

...except for Weird Mario Places. I don’t think we’ve ever dedicated ourselves to talking about locations within Mario’s great wide wacky world, but today is the day we change that! That’s right, we’re headed to...

Wet-Dry World! This place has been the talk of the town as of late, and it’s easy to see why... It’s all so... surreal! People describe it as having a “negative emotional aura,” and I have to definitely agree with that statement... though what is it, specifically, that makes Wet-Dry World like that? it’s hard to look at Wet-Dry World without something feeling weirdly off... let’s take a deep dive to figure out some of the possible reasons why!

An important part of Wet-Dry World’s negative emotional aura, I feel, comes from its aesthetic. While most Mario locations are bright, poppy, and fun, Wet-Dry World is a notable exception. The stage is largely drabby shades of blue, gray, and brown, and it’s not like the music is the most jolly music to jaunt around to, either. Even just from screenshots, it’s pretty easy to tell that something feels weirdly wrong about Wet-Dry World, compared to nearly every other location Mario’s been to. Even places like New Donk City, thoroughly grounded in realism, seem to have more “fun” aesthetics than Wet-Dry World!

But while Wet-Dry World focuses itself to dull, realistic “urban landscape” colors, that doesn’t necessarily mean the location itself is grounded in any sort of realism. While the “downtown” area looks almost exactly what you’d expect a primitive N64-era cityscape to look like, the “uptown” area is precisely the opposite, going for the Super Mario 64 level design favorite: “abstract shapes put together in a way that represent the concept of a level more than any sort of level itself!” Ahhhh, the old classic.

Heck, even the skybox so perfectly represents the clash between abstraction and realism! It’s genuinely a picture of an actual town in Spain, but the filters and background applied to it give the impression that it’s all underwater, which adds further to Wet-Dry World’s surrealism: everywhere you look around you, there’s these strange realistic buildings, but look up, and you’re underwater. But not actually, because despite everything, you’re still walking on dry land! Unless you go for a swim, in which case you are underwater underwater.

And it might just be me, but even Wet-Dry World’s base concept feels weirdly off-kilter. I feel like a lot of the late-game worlds in Super Mario 64 sort of have this thing where they don’t feel completely “real,” like Tall Tall Mountain and Tiny-Huge Island, but at least those feel like the kinds of CONCEPTS you’d see in Mario games! Heck, they even seem to be based on the athletic levels and Land of the Giants, respectively! But Wet-Dry World is based on the concept of wetness. I don’t know exactly how to explain it -- it’s not like a beach world, or a lake world, it’s a world based on the concept of “wet” and something about that just feels like it doesn’t really belong in the world of Super Mario. Granted, Mario’s world is so huge that really anything is fair game at this point, but I guess it’s Wet-Dry World’s presence in a mainline Mario game that makes it feel more strange than usual.

And while the gimmick of a world where you can change the water level DOES seem right for Mario, they decide to go and make that weird too, by having it activated by these weird crystals instead, apparently called Crystal Taps!

Wet-Dry World is such a weird, weird place. It feels almost... unnatural in a way. I guess it doesn’t help that despite resembling a town, it’s devoid of any actual life, and most of the enemies are notably mechanical ones, such as Chuckyas, Heave-Hos, Amps, and Keronpa Balls which don’t even work because they’re placed so low on the stage that they’re never not underwater. The only enemies that look natural at all are Skeeters, a type of bug. They’re featured in the stage’s painting!

Yeah, that sure is the first thing I’d paint to show someone what Wet-Dry World is like. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot of Skeeters there! I’d probably just pay attention to like, the entire city down there first. Interestingly, this painting has a unique gimmick, where how high you jump into it influences the water level when you enter the stage! But once you’re in, what is there to do in Wet-Dry World? Well, how about trying astral projection?

While the “astral projection” glitch can be performed in a few places in Super Mario 64, can you really think of a better place to do it than Wet-Dry World? I mean, Wet-Dry World feels like the kind of place you’d astral project in. As you can see in this video, which is kind of low-quality, but in a way that only makes it more fitting, buddy up with your Chuckya Chum, and separate Mario’s soul from his body like never before!

In conclusion, Wet-Dry World is a weird, weird place. There’s really just a lot about it to point out, and chances are, I missed quite a bit, myself. Really, Mario 64 in general is a weird game, quite possibly the most “off” feeling of the main Mario series, maybe only beaten by Super Mario Bros. 2, but probably ahead of the Land games, which at least feel like traditional Mario platformers. Super Mario 64, being the genre-defining game it is, will always hold a point as being revolutionary to video games, even if half of the courses feel kind of like developer test areas.

Really, the primitive nature of Mario 64 seems to play into Wet-Dry World’s weirdness somewhat, it’s hard to imagine today a level being designed with the abstract geometry seen here, though I’d love to see a modern Mario game try to recapture its unique aesthetic, whether it’s in an HD remake, or even a Mario Kart track or something (because hey, Tick-Tock Clock got the treatment). Would it even be possible? Or is Wet-Dry World something that can only exist on the N64?

Either way, Wet-Dry World will leave a lasting impact on all of us... as the place seen in that weird Super Mario 64 milk commercial.

[vindicatedvirgil]

art is (not) dead / analogical

inspired by an idea brainstormed in a discord server i’m in.

art critic logan!!!!! give him art rights! immediately!!!!

[masterlist]

---

Logan adjusted his glasses, eyes focused on the abstract painting in front of him. When it came to artwork in that style, he either appreciated it or it confused him, and this piece fell into the latter category. It was a white canvas with cloud-like shapes in various shades of purple, gray, and black. Logan wanted to understand what the artist was trying to convey, but he only felt perplexed. As he stepped up to read the information about the piece, a man stood to his left. 

“Priced a bit high,” Logan muttered, gripping his pen a little tighter. He scribbled down the title, price, and artist of the piece, then straightened back up. He spun on his heel, and the man who was standing there was looking at him, frowning. Logan observed the badge on his black coat, denoting him as an artist. The name… “Oh, this is your piece,” Logan said, recalling the name he had just written down.

“Is there something wrong with my art…” the man, named Virgil Storm, narrowed his eyes onto Logan’s badge, explaining that he was the critic at the show, “...Mr. Crofters?” Logan sighed, glancing back to the large art piece.

“I do not understand why you have titled it ‘anxiety’,” Logan explained, “and the colors don’t… bring any certain emotion.” Virgil rolled his eyes, inhaling sharply. He was used to this by now, critics claiming they knew what art needed to be, but he was sick of it. The art represented how he felt, no matter how abstract it was.

“Look, you don’t need to understand art for it to be worth something,” Virgil explained, gesturing to all of the art surrounding them. “It means something to the artist. But you wouldn’t understand that, you just like critiquing and judging the things that people put countless hours into, hmm?” Logan frowned at this, and felt a pang of unease. “Yes, Mr. Crofters. I’ve heard of you and your… critiquing. You caused Roman Prince, one of the greatest artists in the area, to have a mental breakdown because you didn’t ‘understand’ the piece that he dedicated to his brother.”

“Look, Storm. This is what I studied. I know art-”

“You know what you like, and I don’t care if you think my art is overpriced. You couldn’t create something with half as much heart or emotion, I’m sure,” Virgil started to step away, but Logan stepped in front of him, eyes dark.

“I can paint,” Logan informed him. He thought he was no good, though, which is why he became a critic. He hadn’t painted in years.

“Oh? Prove it, then,” Virgil fished a business card out of his pocket. “The address for my studio is there. Come by tomorrow and prove to me that you can do art.”

-

Logan stared at the brick building, the wide windows startling him. He considered turning back, going home, because why did he need to prove himself to a cocky artist like Virgil Storm? Except he didn’t turn back, he gripped the paints that he had dug out of his closet a little tighter in his hand and stepped to the door, knocking only once. If Virgil didn’t hear him, then he could say it wasn’t his fault-

Of course, Logan was not that lucky. The door swung open, revealing Virgil with a stained button-up lavender shirt, paint-splattered black pants, his long hair pulled into a bun. “Ah, the critic,” Virgil smirked, stepping aside to let Logan inside. “Didn’t think you’d have the guts to show after my painting sold for higher than the listed price.”

Logan glanced around at the bottom floor of the lofted building; it was covered with full, half-full, and blank canvases and plants, and he could see that on the second level there was a full bedroom. There were two easels set up, one with what Logan assumed was Virgil’s current work in progress, the other with a blank canvas. He glanced down at his own clothes; his polo shirt and tie and slacks, and wondered if he should have worn something that he didn’t mind getting paint on.

“Need an apron?” Virgil asked, strolling over to the easels. He pulled an apron from behind one of them, paint splatters and charcoal stains coating most of the fabric. “You can use this one,” he tossed it at Logan, who nearly dropped his paints in the process. Virgil lifted a paintbrush from his easel, and Logan noted the bright colors he was using with the current piece; yellows, pinks, and teals in a pattern that almost resembled a sunset. 

“Thanks,” Logan set his paints down on the bottom of the easel and slipped the apron over his head, then got out his brush. He glanced over at Virgil, who seemed to be deep in thought, lips pursed as he splattered some orange onto the canvas. Logan began with black paint, outlining a figure, and the two painted in silence for a while, until Virgil set his paintbrush down and stretched his arms up, his shirt riding up to reveal a pierced belly button. Logan blinked, then returned his focus to the silhouette he was painting.

“Want anything to drink? I’ve got about twenty types of tea, but there’s also wine…” He ran a hand through his hair to fix it back up into a bun, not realizing that there was yellow paint on his fingers, and Logan bit back a grin when the paint streaked Virgil’s dark hair.

“Um, tea’s fine. Whatever kind you’re having,” Logan responded. He had loosened his tie earlier and his glasses were situated on the top of his head, and he felt more relaxed than he had in years; painting was something he enjoyed so much, but with his work schedule and the discouragement he faced from those around him… he had stepped away from the thing that he was so passionate about.

Logan refocused on his painting; it was a silhouette of a man standing outside, and he had decided that he would paint the night sky around the frame of the man’s likeness. After a few minutes, he felt Virgil standing next to him, and noted that the artist had placed a mug of tea on the table between the easels. 

“Wow,” Virgil breathed out, his eyes focused on the painting. “Your silhouette work is incredible,” he murmured, and Logan glanced at him, wondering if he was being mocked, but the expression on Virgil’s face only showed admiration. 

“Oh. Um. Thank you,” Logan grabbed the mug of tea, holding it up to his lips to distract from the blush that had coated his cheeks. The aroma of roses and jasmine wafted into his nose, and he felt a bit calmer. No one had ever complimented his art; he didn’t know how to react to Virgil’s kind words. 

Luckily, he didn’t need to say anything more, as Virgil stepped away and back to his easel. 

-

By the time they had both finished their paintings, the sun had gone down and Virgil had flipped on the lights of the loft, revealing several sets of fairy lights in the windows. It was almost… magical, Logan thought, and as he pulled the apron back over his head, hanging it off of the easel, he wondered if he’d be allowed to come back and paint another time.

Virgil stood beside him, hand on his chin, looking at Logan’s painting closely. Perhaps unconsciously, Logan had given the silhouetted man a bun and a paintbrush, and he wondered if Virgil would notice.

“Well, it looks like I owe you an apology, Mr. Art Critic,” Virgil finally said, turning to glance at Logan. “You can paint, and you’re good. You should enter in the next show.”

“It’s really not… that good,” Logan muttered, closing the case with his paints. “It’s been a long time since I painted. I don’t think I’ve touched a paintbrush since college.”

“Why is that?” Virgil asked, eyes focused on the way that Logan’s face was turning a pale pink.

“I was… discouraged often. My parents didn’t think that painting was a worthwhile endeavor, but I didn’t want to step away from the world of art,” Logan’s eyes followed Virgil, who sat down on a plastic-covered couch, then beckoned the critic over. He sat down next to him, and Virgil pulled his legs under him, his elbow on the edge of the couch and his chin in the palm of his hand.

“You realize that’s what you’ve become, don’t you?” Virgil asked incredulously. Logan raised his eyebrows, frowning. “Roman hasn’t painted in weeks. If I wasn’t familiar with my own self-doubt, your words could have stopped me, too. Art isn’t meant to be judged, it’s meant to be appreciated and encouraged, and you should be aware of that, if that’s what you went through.”

“I… I’m sorry.” Logan didn’t say anything else, he wanted to run and never come back, but he felt like he could trust being around Virgil. “Do you… have Roman’s phone number? I would like to apologize to him.” Virgil nodded, but made no other movements, except to flutter his eyes shut. “I should go.”

“Do you want to take your painting with you?” Virgil asked, glancing over at the easels. Logan glanced, too, and shook his head.

“No. You can keep it,” he wanted to ask Virgil if he could come back the following day to paint some more, but he didn’t want to impose. Or be annoying. Logan often found that people didn’t want to spend time with him, so he began to favor being alone. “It was nice to paint again, if only for a bit.”

“You’re not going to get back into it?” Virgil’s hand was on his forearm, and Logan sucked in a deep breath, then shook his head.

“I have no reason to,” he explained, wanting to pull his arm away. Virgil grimaced at this. 

“Yes you do. You love it. You’re good at it. Don’t give up on it again,” Virgil’s voice was nearly pleading, and Logan looked away from the man, because the emotions were too strong, and he couldn’t bear to feel them. He didn’t want to feel anything. “Logan.”

“I can’t. I don’t have an easel or canvases or…” Logan trailed off, and Virgil squeezed his arm gently. “I can’t get back into it. It’s not… serious enough. I want to be taken seriously. I need to be.”

“Why?” Virgil’s voice was calling him back, his long fingers warm against Logan’s skin, and the critic resisted the urge to run again. “Why do you need to be taken seriously? Because of your parents? Logan, your skills speak for themselves. You can be taken seriously as an artist.”

“Does your family take you seriously?” Logan asked, and Virgil’s eyes opened. He chewed on his lower lip, then sighed before responding.

“I haven’t spoken to my family since I was seventeen. There was a lot more than just my art that they didn’t accept me for,” Virgil’s voice was low, and Logan just nodded, understanding. “You can come back to paint whenever you want, Logan.”

-

And so he did. The following morning, he showed up at Virgil’s loft, bagels and coffee in hand. Instead of his normal professional attire, he was wearing an old pair of jeans and a NASA t-shirt that had bleach stains. The door was open when he approached it, so he peeked in to see Virgil already at his easel, a new painting in the works, dressed in the same outfit as the day before.

“Um, good morning, Virgil,” Logan said, announcing his presence. “I brought some bagels and coffee,” he said, stepping over to set the food and drinks on the kitchen counters. 

“Thank goodness, I’m going to need caffeine. I didn’t finish the painting from yesterday until three in the morning,” Virgil groaned, stepping away from the easel temporarily to grab the coffee Logan had brought for him. “You’re my hero.” Logan turned bright red at this, looking down at his feet. “Oh. I talked to Roman. He actually started painting again. Let me get my phone to show you the picture,” Virgil stepped away, and Logan had to hold back again. Standing close to the other man was intoxicating, but he craved it. Even though he had only known the painter for two days, he was entranced, and had never felt the need to gravitate around another person in that way.

When Virgil stepped back over to him, phone showing a picture of a painting of a throne. Logan smiled faintly at it, remembering Roman’s penchant for theatricality and royalty. And then Logan realized just how close he was standing to Virgil. The artist seemed to notice, as well, because he stepped away, clearing his throat. Without saying anything, the two went to their easels, and painted in silence for some time.

Virgil had given his canvas a thorough once-over with black paint, and allowed it to dry before starting to add colors on top of it; dark blues and purples were swirled on. Logan found himself pause what he was doing to watch the way that Virgil arched his wrist in a precise way to allow for different points of pressure from the brush. He wondered if Virgil had studied art, and glanced around the room to see if he could locate any degrees. None were visible, though, and he didn’t want to ask and break the comfortable silence they had entered.

They painted in that space of tranquility for a few hours, until Logan heard his stomach grumble. Virgil chuckled a bit at this, setting his brush down and stepping back from his own easel. “I’ll order us some lunch, is Chinese takeout alright?”

“Sounds delicious. Kung Pao Chicken, please,” Logan responded, setting his brush down to look at his painting as a whole. It was a silhouette again, but this time there were two figures, and it looked like they were dancing. He hadn’t done the background yet, but he wanted to do something similar to the galaxy he had painted the day before. He heard Virgil finish making the order for takeout, and then felt his presence next to him.

“Are they dancing?” Virgil asked, letting his hair out of its bun. Logan ignored the way that his dark hair framed his pale face, and instead just nodded. “You must be familiar with dancing, I can almost see the movement in them.”

“I’m not much of a dancer, but my cousin Patton is,” he explained, remembering the times when, as teenagers, he and Patton would learn different styles of dance, even ballroom dancing. A smile crossed his features, and he barely noticed that music started playing from a speaker. Then he felt arms on his, pulling him into Virgil’s arms so they could move to the music. “Virgil, I-”

“Shh, just dance with me,” Virgil’s voice was calm, and Logan leaned into the touch, his head resting on the other man’s shoulder, Virgil’s hands settling on his waist. They moved around the empty space of the room until the doorbell rang, and Logan felt as if he had been pulled out of a dream. The two ate their takeout in silence, though the quiet was not as pleasant as it had been prior; there was now this tension spread out in front of them, and neither of them knew what to do with that.

By the time they had both finished eating and returned to their easels, Logan knew that he was visibly rigid, but his hands shook with every movement. He could barely press his paintbrush against the canvas without needing to pull away for fear of making one wrong move. Of course, it was the fact that he was afraid of all of his past wrong moves and the fear that if he made a false choice now, the progress he had made and the confidence he had built up with his painting again would fade away. 

Virgil could practically feel the unease dripping from Logan’s body, so he left his painting to dry (at this point, all he wanted to do was add some white borders to the swirls), and stepped over to Logan, taking the brush from his hand. “You want to talk about it?” Logan wouldn’t meet his eyes, but nodded, and the two moved to sit on the couch, Virgil leaning close into the cushions, watching Logan with those dark eyes of his. 

“I want to learn how to be okay with the things that I tried to push back,” he finally said, and Virgil knew it wasn’t just the painting he was talking about. “But… I don’t know where to start.”

“You already have started, Logan. You’re painting again, and you need to keep painting, no matter how hard it is or how conflicted you feel,” Virgil’s voice was soft as he scooted a little closer to the critic, and his fingers pulled Logan’s face to look at him. “As for the other things… take your time. Be open. It’s… hard. But… I think that everyone deserves a second chance, and I’m happy to help you on your journey.”

-

Logan stepped into the building and walked up to the table with badges, scanning the rows until he found the one he was looking for: Logan Crofters, Artist, Dancing Under the Stars. A faint smile crossed his face as he pinned it to his jacket, and then he wandered to where he knew the canvas was hung. 

On his way there, he passed Roman, whose throne painting was hung proudly as the center of the show, and they shook hands, exchanged friendly greetings, and made promises to see each other at the after party. Then Logan went to stand by his painting, the lights from up above illuminating the silhouettes in a way that no natural light could. 

Logan felt a presence to his left, and glanced over to see Virgil beaming brightly. His sunset painting was on display a few exhibits over. Their hands linked together, Virgil’s thumb brushing comfortably over the back of Logan’s hand, and Logan leaned up to press a kiss to Virgil’s cheek.

“I put in my notices,” he informed Virgil, who nodded, still smiling. “No more critiquing. No more boring apartment.” He hadn’t been spending much time in his apartment over the past several months, anyways. Each morning he’d find himself waking up in Virgil’s warm embrace, the fairy lights of the loft illuminating their way, and each afternoon they’d paint side by side like they had at the start, except now when they needed a break, they’d fall into each other’s arms, cascading across the room, lips brushing together like paintbrushes on a canvas.

[insomniacowl]

Neon Genesis Evangelion analysis chapter 20: Libido and Destrudo

Professor Fuyutsuki Metaphysical biology laboratory.

In attempting to understand the story of Neon Genesis Evangelion, the concept of a soul and how it plays into the wider narrative is an essential point where various story threads converge, but due to the idea of souls being abstract at best in our world, many glosses over this as an unexplainable Novum used as a set-piece. Yet, many symbolisms and set-pieces of this series require an understanding of the role of such Novum, thus we will touch on some of them here. (By Novums, I refer to Darko Suvin’s description of ‘Scientifically plausible innovations used by SF narratives’).

In NGE, the concept of ‘Soul’ is explained to lie under the branch of ‘metaphysical biology’ and was Fuyutsuki's field of academic studies. It is mentioned only in passing when we get a glimpse of his past thus making it easy to gloss over, but it is an integral part of the world-building. Side note, in our world, ‘metaphysical biology’ is a branch of the ‘philosophical biology’ but in the world of Evangelion, it is used to explain how the lived experience and emotions of a person come to take form and is a field of scientific study.

In simpler words, it is a belief that the thoughts and feelings of an individual can take material form through the use of ‘certain’ kinds of energy. It is how we can explain the maintaining of an individual’s body in a certain shape using AT field (In a shape that is imagined by the soul [ego]).

Without the AT field, there is no form

All living things consist of its soul and have a body to ‘contain’ it, this soul originating from the room of Guf. In Lilin’s case, their souls have merged with LCL and it is the AT field that keeps the fluid in the shape required to function as a living thing. This is why in the absence of an AT field (such as when it is neutralized by the Anti AT filed waves), the bodies lose its form and revert into LCL as we see during the End of Evangelion.

What does pattern Blue mean?

Unlike the Lilins, Adam, Lilith, and the angels' bodies are not made up of the LCL but what is referred to as the wave-particle matters, allowing their bodies to exists even in the absence of a soul. This is used to explain how the White giant in the central dogma (Lilith) was able to maintain its form when the soul was split and placed in unit – 00 and Rei, and how she changed into a gigantic Rei once the Soul was returned.

Not solid, nor liquid, nor gas

wave-particle matters, according to Ritsuko, refers to a unique matter that exists as both wave and particle materializing at the same moment, this is different in our world where the wave-particle duality problem still exists and we can rightfully believe that Anno simply burrowed the term without the complexities of it. Yet it is still useful to think of this matter as a form of “light” and it is best exemplifies when we see the Rei + Adam + Lilith’s (Rei + AL) hand passing through Maya without any harm, and due to it not requiring an active AT-field to maintain its shape, we can observe the Evas and Rei + AL not reverting to LCL during the End of Evangelion's "Come Sweet Death" scene.

Rei and Humans are biological different

In chapter 10, I have posited that Lilith’s DNA is present in Rei and presented the hair of Unit – 01 and Rei being the same color as a piece of evidence, I can now state this more accurately and say that part of Lilith’s wave-particle material likely has entered Rei during her body construction process. That is the reason why the cloned bodies of Rei we see in episode 23 were able to maintain their form in the absence of a soul inside them. We will be touching upon this topic again in the future.

Libido and Destrudo

Now let us talk about Libido and Destrudo. In our world, these are terms used in philosophy and psychology and tends to refer to a similar concept (refer to Herbert Marcuse's "Eros and civilization" but also many of Freud's works). However, in the world of Evangelion, they are both “Quantifiable mental energy” and are intrinsically linked to the role of souls in producing AT field.

Since the souls’ are vulnerable to having its existence interfered by another soul, resulting in it being forcefully re-shaped, AT fields are set up to maintain physical form and prevent such mishaps. However, an AT field that is too strong can also have harmful effects.

Simply put, there is an amount of AT-field required by each living thing to maintain their selfhood, this requiring a certain amount of energy to maintain this territory of self. This energy is the combination of two types of energy that are Libido and Destrudo.

Libido: the will to life

Libido is similar in concept as eros; a form of mental energy held by all living things. Destrudo is the necessary precondition for the existence of the creation of something from nothing. While Libido is often conceptualized with sexual urges, its original scope is much larger, enveloping all forms of productive energies that includes love. Libido is sub-constituted by the instincts of Id and Ego and is represented in the Evangelion series as AT-field. Libido = AT field.

REI 00N: DESTRUDO RELEASE

The result

On the surface level, Destrudo is the antithetical concept to Libido and is more often referred to as Thanatos in the Freudian concept. It can be described as the “Attraction to death”, and “Instinct to destroy”. While it might seem like a negative concept, it is integral mental energy that works alongside Libido for the continued existence of all living things. When Libido stimulates the stress for the “continued existence” of living things, Destrudo (Thanatos) is also released to maintain the delicate balance necessary for a healthy existence and mental state. In the Evangelion series, this is referred to as the Anti-AT field. We can see that Destrudo = Anti-AT field hypothesis being supported in episode 23 when Ritsuko releases destrudo waves as she initiates the breakdown of Cloned Reis’ bodies.

Let us not forget that Libido and Destrudo are concepts used to explain the existence of a soul in Evangelion. One narrative conflict in Evangelion lies in the choice between the maintenance of the individualized and atomized existence or the achievement of the unified being like those of Angels through Instrumentalization; they are fighting over the size and number of Lilins’ ego (subjecthood) that should be in existence, the existence of souls is a question that supersedes all of this viewpoints. It is the soul that is used for the creation of a connection between the pilot and their Evas. What supports this statement is the production of Libido and Destrudo when they are piloting it, and the strength and balance of this energy are what is being measured during the synchronization test. We can observe this in Asuka where her ability to pilot Unit - 02 correlates with her will to live throughout the series, and we can also say that the role of the dummy plug is the imitation of the mental (thus of Libido and Destrudo) patterns of a specific individual.

Ritsuko: Salvage start!

Maya: Roger, Sending the first wave

Maya: Eva received the waves. No rejection sequence detected

Continue with the second and third wave

No rejection was detected. No Destrudo observed.

We can see these two energies being used in episode 20 when Shinji's soul was absorbed into the Unit – 01’s core and his body reverting into LCL. The salvage operation that was performed to retrieve him explicitly showed us the graph of Libido and Destrudo meter reflected on the operators' screens. Let me pose you a question here, to bring back Shinji from his current formless shape, which of the two energy should be used to bring him back? The answer is Libido, the AT field energy. It is most likely that they inserted Libido energy into the entry plug and this can be seen in the erotic sequence that we observe from Shinji's perspective.

There are two instances of the salvage operation that we are aware of. First is Yui’s case, second Shinji’s. Both instances failed, however, this was not due to the hypothesis of the Libido-AT field being inaccurate. It is because the individual did not wish to return to individual selfhood. Although for Shinji, he managed to wake up on is own accord afterward, foreshadowing his return from the primordial ocean at the end of Evangelion.

The Shinji’s Libido is depicted often and in focus throughout the series. It starts in episode 10 with Shinji’s innocent reaction to Asuka’s filtration, the young boy’s fantasy during the Onsen sequence while overhearing Misato and Asuka’s conversation, and the touching of Rei’s breast. All these instances gave Shinji a boost in his Libido level and this can be linked to his gradual increase of Synchronisation rate. This observation can also be used to help explain the reason why fourteen-year-olds are chosen to be pilots.

The hot-blooded face of Shinji

When we look at Shinji’s face during the fight with Zeruel, at the moment his synchronization rate reached 400%, we can see the effects of Destrudo energy manifesting. In this sequence, we see Shinji smiling with what can only be explained as ecstasy that is too far off from his usual self. The high synchronization rate can be explained with the rise of the Destrudo level here. Destrudo being released due to Shinji’s desire for the destruction of Zeruel means that there is also high Libido that presents to balance out the destrudo level. 

Shinji is not okay in this scene.

The metaphysical materialization of Destrudo; circa start of instrumentalization

And the result….?

The concept of Libido and Destrudo plays an integral role in our understanding of the End of Evangelion as well. At the beginning of the movie, we see Shinji having set up a strong barrier against other people (AT field), which means that his current stress for living, the Libido level is at an incredibly and irregularly high level. The sequence where he is seen masturbating to Asuka’s breast shows this dichotomy between the desire for sex against the desire to shield self from others (both being the manifestation of Libido) and it makes the viewing experience extremely uncomfortable.

Later, during the beginning phase of the instrumentalization, as the AT fields are being eroded by the Anti-AT field waves, we observe scenes that epitomizes the destructive instincts of Destrudo. The scene of Shinji choking Asuka is overlayed with the sinister smile during his battle against Zeruel and is followed by multiple bizarre and violent, yet childlike drawings (Libido and Destrudo often reach their peak during childhood and this can be observed in their drawings as well).

Unit – 01 with the Dummy plug choking Unit – 03 (Bardiel)

I will wrap up the discussion on the Dummy system here as well. The requirement for the activation of the Evangelions is the Libido and Destrudo energies, which means that the Dummy system that only imitates the mental patterns of Libido and Destrudo production does not have emotions nor logic. Therefore we can observe the animal-like fighting style of the Dummy system against Bardiel; this shows that even if the system is based on Rei's mental patterns, it has no logic nor emotions and fights on an instinctual level. Thus the dummy system is not a perfect representation of the original.

Skipping over the details here

The progressed version of the Dummy system, one based on Kaworu and implanted into the mass production models takes this further and shows us both of the actions lead by Libido and Destrudo, this was shown in graphic and explicit detail that the movie's R-18 rating allowed. The scene that caused quite a stir, when the mass production models are sexually petting and licking Unit – 02 was led by Libido. Many chucked it up to and accused Anno being a pervert, however, I see this as an important scene that serves mainly to further explain the role of these two energies released by the dummy system. There is a question often brought up regarding the grotesque design of the Mass production models, and the answer is that it was done to visually depict the unfiltered, and uncontrolled desire for Lust (Libido) and destruction (Destrudo).

The desire for life and love and the desire for destruction and instrumentalization are hidden set pieces of this series and are easy to overlook and ignore. But we must not forget that it is depicted in canon and plays a significant role in the ongoing narrative, yet there tends to be very little discussion of this set piece. I hope that this chapter has been useful in aiding your understanding of the series further.

This chapter ends the section on the organizations and angels. Starting from next, we will dive into the discussion of each character and the roles they play in the narrative. The first batter is Kaji Ryoji.

  TBC Chapter 21: Kaji Ryoji Lies and Silence

[thelandofall05]

Geometry in motion: Abstract painting in Nathan Chen's programs

It should be remembered that a picture – before being a war-horse, a nude, or an anecdote of some sort – is essentially a flat surface covered with colours assembled in a certain order,

– Maurice Denis, French symbolist painter.

Abstract art (from Latin “abstractus” – “drawn away”) is a non-figurative, non-objective art, where artists distance themselves from objective referents and use the visual language of colorful splashes, lines, geometric elements in various combinations. Abstract art has many styles: abstract expressionism, suprematism, geometric abstraction, op art, etc. This genre uses colorful shapes instead of realistic images. Wassily Kandinsky, one of the founding fathers of abstract art, believed that one should not analyze paintings objectively, but an effect on the emotions of the observer.

Abstract artists aspired to perceive the world with all its phenomena, forms and colors. One of the main ideas of abstract art is the fusion of painting and music. Kandinsky described Richard Wagner as his inspiration. Dutch painter Piet Mondrian was fond of modern rhymes, jazz and boogie-woogie, and named his canvases after music pieces.

Figure skating is an amalgamation of music, image, choreography and technique. The debate on what is essential in the fusion of the athletic and the artistic sides is going to go on forever. Like abstract art, figure skating consists of prescribed elements such as jumps, spins, steps, and turns that strictly comply with the rules and, at the same time, appeal to the emotions of the audience. Skaters develop their own style and become true artists and creators.

For example, the American skater Nathan Chen is famous for his minimalist costumes and for building his programs around abstract images rather than a specific character. Nathan chooses music with short but memorable titles (Nemesis, Caravan, La Boheme, Rocketman), tries himself in various genres (soul, jazz, chanson, flamenco) and expresses a wide range of emotions in his programs.

Like many abstract artists with a solid background in traditional art and impeccable technique, in years as a junior Nathan performed classical programs. He also tried his hand at iconic references, like Michael Jackson and did so brilliantly. However, can we call him an abstract artist now? Well, why not. For him the ice becomes a canvas, technical elements turn into a palette of colors, and the athlete’s body transforms into a tool that creates the masterpiece.

photo cred. Toshifumi Kitamura / Getty Images

Suprematism is an art movement that uses geometric abstraction in combinations of basic figures like circles, squares, lines, and rectangles painted in various colors. Suprematists reject all references to the figurative world and “earthly” meanings. Their paintings lack directions of up and down, left and right. Like in outer space, all directions are equal. The experience of color and shape is processed through the lens of the observer’s internal world. Malevich's "Black Square" is the symbol of Russian avant-garde and one of the most famous paintings in the world of art.

Just like the “Black Square" was Malevich's calling card, Nathan's short program “Nemesis” (music by Benjamin Clementine, choreography by Shae-Lynn Bourne) is the most recognizable in the skater’s career. Like a magnet, it captures attention of the audience at the rink as well as the ones watching the livestream. The simple costume, the sharp movements, the performance full of rebellion – all had the energy of a diamond in the rough of the rarest black color. Here Nathan is not a lyrical hero. Instead, like a suprematist, he portrays a strong emotion and ignites intense feelings to the powerful vocals of Benjamin Clementine. Nathan named “Nemesis” his favorite program where he could be himself. The skater flies over the ice with the resolve of an inescapable fate, reminding us that Nemesis was the goddess of revenge and the mother of karma (Nemesis is, Nemesis is, Nemesis is the mother of Karma). And like the “Black Square”, one can love or hate this program, but it is impossible to forget.

photo cred. Icon Sportswire / Getty Images

One of the ideas of abstract expressionism was to abandon structured composition and to produce large-scale, non-objective imagery. This movement developed in the United States and was considered purely American in spirit, being monumental, romantic and highlighting the serious questions of individual freedom. Barnett Newman believed that an artist is a choreographer of space. He infused his paintings with harsh flat color, thus predating the minimalist artists. A distinctive feature of his works – the so-called “zipper" – defined the structure of the paintings.

The music from the movie “Desierto” accompanies Nathan’s long program “Land of All” (music by Woodkid, choreography by Marie-France Dubreuil and Samuel Chouinard). The movie tells us about the fates of immigrants in the United States. Chen said he was not aiming to cover this topic and fill his performance with political meaning. Instead the program highlights the subject of individual freedom with the key message clearly stated in the lyrics (I came to break the wall that rose around you to see the land of all). The dark, gloomy atmosphere of the program foreshadows the danger and suggests seeking a way out. Newman said that we are making cathedrals “out of ourselves, out of our own feelings”. In his long program beginning with the lyrics "I took a chance to build a world of mine", Nathan showed that the solution lies in the individual freedom, in the freedom to choose and to express oneself.

photo cred. Raj Mehta / USA TODAY Sports

The term “hard-edge painting” was coined by the writer, curator and the Los Angeles Times art critic Jules Langsner. While studying the works of several painters, he found something  they had in common, namely a particular sharpness of edge and a clarity of color. This style of painting developed among Californian painters as their reaction to the more painterly or gestural forms of abstract expressionism. At that time Langsner worked on an exhibition, featuring works of Karl Benjamin. This exhibition was called the “California Hard edge”. 

The short program “Caravan” (music by Duke Ellington performed by Fanfare Ciocărlia, choreography by Shae-Lynn Bourne) is another iconic program of Nathan’s. The idea of the program belonged to the choreographer. Nathan described this program as a fun opportunity to dance to the music that people would actually want to dance to. Interestingly, Nathan chose the long program music in contrast to the short one. A simple costume and his naughty curls, high technical difficulty and the evocative footwork full of playful choreography, Western jazz flavored with notes of the East – all these make “Caravan” the cheerful and sunny performance that you would enjoy watching over and over again. 

photo cred. Margarita (zhem_chug) Voronkovskaya

Action painting is a genre in which the paint is spontaneously splashed or dribbled onto the canvas. The finished painting becomes a physical manifestation of art. It seems that an artist acts unconsciously, bringing their pure emotions to the canvas. They create a painting publicly, making a kind of performance from their actions and splashes of paint. Jackson Pollock, being one of the best known representatives of the movement, considered his style of work spontaneous and emotional. He defined it as "a natural growth out of a need", when spontaneous painting was directed by the subconscious instruments of creativity.

Nathan’s long program “Rocketman” (soundtrack to the movie “Rocketman”, choreography by Marie-France Dubreuil and Samuel Chouinard) can be regarded as an anthem to movement and athleticism. Complicated jumps matching music accents required lots of strength and concentration from the athlete, at the same time preparing the audience for the blast of emotions in the final choreographic sequence. His loose hip-hop movements had an organic quality of a dance floor improvisation. His passionate performance brought the house down again and again. In the act of creation the skater turned the ice into the canvas, splashing steps and turns like paint. And only when the music ended could the athlete and the audience breathe out. The program can be divided into two emotionally different parts. At first the skater presents the audience with a series of gorgeous quad jumps that set the rhythm of the performance like a metronome. And then he launches the explosive choreography of his final choreo sequence in the end.

photo cred. Jay Adeff / U.S. Figure Skating

The term “neoplasticism” was coined by an artist named Piet Mondrian. The guiding principle of the style was the dynamic equality of the horizontal and vertical lines painted with the primary blue, red, and yellow. Mondrian created his unique works from the basic geometric compositions. He perceived the world as a contrast of the vertical and the horizontal, the positive and the negative, the masculine and the feminine. The asymmetry of figures that we see in his paintings symbolizes unity and synergy of the Universe. The works of Mondrian influenced many contemporary artists. Many styles of modern art like minimalism and pop art hail back to Mondrian and the "De Stijl" group. 

In Nathan's long program of the 2020/2021 season (Selections from Philipp Glass, choreography by Shae-Lynn Bourne) the first thing that immediately catches one’s attention is the bright royal blue color of the shirt and absence of decoration except one vertical line of the same royal blue but of a different fabric. Mondrian considered the vertical line to be a symbol of masculinity. According to him it began at the center of the Sun. This is a totally abstract program without a specific name or character. The spectators get neither hints nor limits and decide themselves whether they are watching a lyrical tale, or an attempt to find oneself, or a portrayal of the power of nature. The energy of an entire ocean is hidden in simple sounds, smooth movements and restrained expressiveness. And at any moment the ocean can turn violent and merciless. No wonder that as the admirer of the Dutch artist, the skater chose the music of the minimalist composer for his long program. Like Piet Mondrian, Nathan Chen creates his own minimalist aesthetic of movement.

***

Studying the history of abstract art we can conclude that there were several reasons for this style to develop. The hope for changes in the pre-revolutionary society was one of them. At the beginning of the 20th century lots of people were tired of the dominant traditions in the way of life in general and in the arts in particular. They desired something new. The abstract art, which some would consider a kind of art extremism, gave them what they wanted. Without exaggeration abstract art became a new era in painting. 

The changes that are currently happening in figure skating can be undoubtedly called a technical revolution. No one is surprised by quadruple jumps and their quantity, or the age and gender of the skaters. It seems very soon everything will be attainable for everyone. Nathan is one of the pioneers of this revolution. In his programs he shows that athletes can be great technicians AND artists on the ice. And like true artists, athletes can now shed past restrictions and express themselves freely, showing all kinds of emotions, thoughts, and feelings in their programs. 

[piraytoro]

Please please PLEASE give us the thought process behind picking everyone’s true form

The archangels and antagonists specifically punched me and took all my lunch money with how spot on they felt

I have actually gotten three asks about this so far, so I’ve decided that I’m going to give an explanation for one of the posts in response to each ask. I’m going to do the antagonists here.

Uriel: This one is very imposing, it looks like a spray of feathers. The gold is striking, and to me it represents power, but it’s the only color outside of black and white, which represents his rigid thinking. The whole image gives me the vibe of a crown of feathers, representing Uriel’s belief in the purity of angels and their cause, as well as his feeling of superiority over humans. But all this aside, this is one of the images that I saw and immediately knew which angel it was, before I thought much about my reasoning at all. I saw it and said, “oh, that one’s definitely Uriel.”

Metatron: This one reminds me of an emperor penguin, because of the colors, the shapes, and the textures. That’s not why I chose it for Metatron but that’s what made it first catch my eye. It’s fairly simplistic in colors, in a similar way to Uriel’s, because Metatron thinks he’s a lot more creative than he actually is. There’s something almost sinister about this picture, although you might not notice it at first glance. I think it’s the way the yellow and white peaks in front stand out, but there are others looming in shadow in the background.

Zachariah: I chose this one for Zachariah because it reminds me of a painting you might see hanging in an upscale hotel. Not like a millionaire hotel but more like a nice hotel your boss puts you up in while you’re on a business trip for your white collar office job. It’s abstract but kind of in a boring and predictable way. It’s colorful, but the colors are kind of muted. There’s also a lot of negative space. I don’t know, this is another one that I looked at and immediately went “oh yeah that’s Zachariah.”

Hester: We don’t really know that much about Hester aside from the fact that she was in Cas’s garrison and said that iconic line about Dean corrupting everything that touches him. Castiel was lost the second he laid a hand on him. Icon. This image looks kind of like blue and light green feathers proliferating out from a single point, which is pretty cool. This one was chosen mostly based on vibes, I don’t have a great explanation besides just saying that this looks like Hester. Idk.

Naomi: Okay THIS one I have a lot to say about. So this one I originally saw in a portrait orientation rather than landscape, with the blue on top, which honestly works better but looked weird when all the other ones were sideways. So the blue on top/the left represents the placid minds of the people who she’s brainwashed, as well as her own outwardly placid demeanor. However, there’s chaos underneath, and it’s trying to break out, represented by the cracks in the blue. In the original orientation, it looked like blood was bleeding down from the red dots, representing the cost of that “peace.” It’s also the exact visual of the blood leaking from Cas’s eyes as he started to remember what she pushed down. There’s a violence to her, underneath the calm veneer.

Anael: This is actually one of the ones from the very first edition of this post before I decided it worked better without the explanations included. Here’s what I had there. “Dark, with a sort of murkiness to the colors. Gives the sense of things hidden, secrets. Inconsistent coloration, with combinations that look ever so slightly off. Deceitful. Lots of negative space, like something has been removed or depleted.” I think that pretty much stands for itself. The shading also lends to this, as well as the sketchiness at the edges of some of the shapes.

Ishim: This is one of the ones that I thought was pretty cool at first but came to really, really love the more I looked at it. It looks somewhat like a third grader’s interpretation of the sun if an artist rendered it. It has a quality to it that makes it almost look like a woodcut. I chose this one for Ishim because of the way it looks like fractured light. I also think that the “body” of the “sun” in the top right corner is dark, like a dying star going supernova. Cas once saw Ishim as someone to look up to and follow, but he sees that the angel army has been rotten from the get-go, causing pain and suffering by carrying out orders they don’t question.

Duma: This one is really cool to me personally because it looks kind of like the inside of a cell and I am a gigantic science nerd. Tell me the left side of this doesn’t look like the Golgi apparatus. I chose this one for Duma because it’s complex and intricate, and it looks almost maze-like. The pattern of the colors makes it look almost like there’s a shape being partially obscured by the negative space. Like a puzzle missing pieces, and if you were to find those pieces an image would emerge.

Ephraim: This one also piques the interest of my science brain because it reminds me of synapses, where electric currents are carried from one brain cell to another. However, there are black veins running down through one side of the image, like death spreading at the cellular level. All of the pinks represent the pink mist left behind after Ephraim’s kills, and the apparent incongruity between that color—the color of bubblegum, a color associated with innocence, levity, happiness—and the gravity of Ephraim’s job is interesting to consider. The side of the image with the black veins running through it is more colorful, with a wider range of colors, even though the black is there—a black that is NOT present on the pink side which represents death—representing the pain that Ephraim senses from humans that naturally comes along with experiencing a wider spectrum of emotions. But this spectrum, with its pain, also includes a happiness and freedom that Ephraim will never know.

Gadreel: This particular image is interesting because it’s really the only one with such a sharp delineation down the center, with fairly solid colors on both sides. This represents the duality that Gadreel presents within the narrative itself, as well as his personal struggle between two loyalties. The fact that the separation doesn’t go straight up and down the image is also interesting to me, and it almost gives the appearance of falling, to represent Gadreel’s fall from grace, and the red droplets on the right side represent the damage that was done when Gadreel fell.

[carinayidanzhang]

Graphic Design Portfolio

01. Begin with the “C”

Media: Digital Design

Dimensions: 297mm x 420mm

Description: I took the initial of my name, “C”, as inspiration for designing the poster. As a student with a fanatical interest in graphic design, I hope that the letter “C” in my name，can represent infinite creativity. Just as my name begins with the “C”, I think the study of design should also begin with another “C”, which is creativity.

02. Product Similarity

Media: Scriptliner on sketch paper

Dimensions: 380mm x 580mm

Description: Each of us is a product produced by society. We may have different backgrounds, personalities and ideas originally, but, in the competition within society, we tend to be closer to each other's image, so as to form excellent competitiveness in a certain aspect. Society will continue to fill the gaps between people, so that the living environment will reach saturation. Under the influence of many factors, all the “products” become more and more homogeneous, and the pressure of survival also increases continuously.

03. Fist, Female, Fear

Media: Digital Painting

Dimensions: 297mm x 420mm

Description: The difficult position of women has always been a great concern to me. This work presents some of the issues that make me anxious and fearful as a female, such as domestic violence, being followed after 10pm, drinking drugged alcohol in a bar and so on. In addition, it also includes some social inequality restrictions on women. Such as thinking that it is shameful to wear short skirts, it is not allowed for women to smoke or drink, etc. The two fists in the painting are both society's fists against female and the fists that I want to break all this uneasiness and inequality.

04. Mask

Media: Digital painting

Dimensions: 400mm x 400mm

Description: During COVID-19, all of us wore masks, which could both protect us and facilitate a concealment of emotions. We can't see people's expressions under masks, and in many cases, happiness and sadness can't be conveyed only through the eyes. Maybe it prevents us from communicating with each other, or maybe it gives us a sense of security when we don't want to reveal our thoughts to the outside world.

05. “Humanlike”

Media: Photography

Dimensions: 300mm x 600mm

Description: When I was a little girl, I was very disgusted and afraid of the models in the window. When I grew up, I realized that this was because of the “Uncanny Valley”. So now I've chosen to face this fear and take pictures of human limbs next to a dummy. I hope to explore the similarities and differences between them, so as to more intuitively feel the temperature and texture of the human body.

06. Summer Memories

Media: PhotographyDimensions: 102mm x 152mm

Description: I love the summer in Beijing's Hutongs, the small theatre buildings full of creepers, the abandoned furniture and bicycles piled up on both sides of the road, and the boundless green. This work records my scattered memories of summer, and to me, I can nearly hear the sound of cicadas and the breeze blowing through the leaves when I see it.

07. “Be Fake or be True”

Media: 3D Installation/ Mixed Media

Dimensions: 500mm x 500mm x 500mm

Description: Our childhood fantasies about the world are like the perfect stories locked up in the TV. They are the combination of all good things, and the collection of all innocence. But as we get older, we see a more real side of the world. This is like breaking the TV screen, once the dream and cold reality collide, we can choose to believe in good, but also can choose to face the reality.

08. “Way Too Much”

Media: Scriptliner on sketch paper

Dimensions: 420mm x 594 mm

Description: This is a sketch of the dining table in my home. I have a slight hoarding habit, so the table is always filled with bottles and jars for a sense of inner satisfaction. But my mother always said that my things were “way too much” and too messy. Under her gaze I had to look at the table again in a more introspective manner.

09. The Prosperous Tang Dynasty

Media: Collage/ Mixed Media

Dimensions: 297mm x 420mm

Description: This work embodies my yearning and respect for the costume, culture, aesthetics and so on of the ancient Tang Dynasty in China. I wanted to use it to express the prosperous, open, majestic atmosphere of the Tang Dynasty, and also add my calligraphy work to it. The bright red color is the most important symbol of the Tang Dynasty, and the culture as gorgeous as peony is a beautiful dream buried in every Chinese heart.

10. CD Cover Design

Media: Digital Design

Dimensions: 150mm x 150mm

Description: One of my rapper friends and I wrote a hip-hop song about life during quarantine, and I designed the album cover myself. The empty sofa expresses my loneliness and boredom. Fluorescent green and purple stand out against the grey background, representing that music and art are the only bright colors in my dull life.

11. City Starlight

Media: 3D Installation/ Mixed Media

Dimensions: 1500mm x 400mm x 200mm

Description: I once participated in the window design project of Hamleys, a famous British toy company, and I worked with several designers to make drawings and build models with the theme of city starlight. All the buildings and facilities were designed and cut by ourselves. We hope to remind everyone of the forgotten beauty of the city when they pass this window. Although the plan was not implemented in the end, it was an unforgettable experience for me.

12. Fish Fish Fish

Media: Digital Design

Dimensions: 297mm x 420mm

Description: This is a small project about creative design. I randomly selected three keywords, which are brain, goldfish and hand, so I completed the poster creation with these three elements. The human brain is very complex, carrying a lot of emotional, knowledge burden, but fish only have seven seconds of memory, their worlds are very simple. I hope we can all live like fish, be happy and be simple, and not need to worry about all the mess.

13. Christmas Card

Media: Digital Design

Dimensions: 148mm x 210mm

Description: This is a Christmas card I designed for my friends. Christmas in my heart is different from others. It is purple and pink. And all of these objects, the Christmas tree, the gift box, are just abstract symbols, their specific shape, colour, size is not really important. I use this kind of vague image to express my wishes to my friends. May they not only have a merry Christmas, but also a pink and purple surprise every day.

14. SOS

Media: Photography/ Digital Design

Dimensions: 420mm x 594mm

Description: Born as a woman, sometimes we are bound by a piece of tape to seal the mouth of expression and seeking for help, so we must save ourselves, in the tide of the times to speak and to fight for freedom.

15. Consumerism

Media: Collage/ Mixed Media

Dimensions: 297mm x 420mm

Description: In this era of rampant consumerism, people are gradually constrained by material desire and money, and constantly pursue a more grandiose and luxurious consumption life. However, we are increasingly overwhelmed by endless commodities, so we have to keep struggling with it, trying to stay awake while continuing to consume uncontrollably.

16. Sketchbook scanned copy

Media: Charcoal and crayon on sketch paper

Description: I used charcoal to copy two paintings, Three Wicked Men by Denzil Forrester and Self Portrait In A Straw Hat by Vigee Lebrun.

17. Happy Birthday

Media: Stop-motion Animation

Description: In the summer of 2019, a friend and I took a course in stop-motion animation at RISD's summer school and made this short film. It was inspired by my grandparents. On my grandmother's birthday, my grandfather always gets up early to cook and make cakes for her. Although this seems to be a very simple thing, it has always been the most touching and warm picture in my memory. I hope I can take this short film as a souvenir.

18. Development Work - Collage Brainstorm

[societybydesign]

Coping with life through art: Minimalism

The past eight and a half months have been tumultuous to say the least — dare I say, unprecedented. I have certainly had a lot to grapple with this year, trying to navigate the pandemic, reckonings with race in America, the political landscape approaching the elections, natural disasters, and personal (so far, often failed) attempts to keep my mental health in check and sustain healthy relationships with others. That being just the tip of the iceberg, I know for a fact I am not alone in feeling weighted down by 2020.

The chaos of this year has shed a new light on one of my lesser favorite art movements/styles. As someone who loves art history, deciphering the metaphors, symbolism, and meaning behind all kinds of art, Minimalism always frustrated, and to be honest, bored me. That’s not to say I didn’t respect it as art, I just didn’t get the point of making something void of meaning. It was outwardly unrelatable. 

‘Untitled’, Donald Judd, 1980, concrete

‘Lament for the Children’, Carl Andre, 1976-1996, concrete blocks

Minimalism developed in the early 1960s as a counter-movement to Abstract Expressionism. It was a deliberate renunciation of the hyper-emotive artwork in favor of anonymity, lack of expression, and a reduction of art into its most basic shape, form, and material. Minimalist art does not try to represent anything other than itself, and when everything around you is chaotic and difficult to process, this offers more solace than I had previously appreciated.

‘The Diagonal of May 25, 1963 (to Constantin Brancusi)’, Dan Flavin, 1963, fluorescent light and metal fixtures

‘Cube Structure Based on Five Modules’, Sol LeWitt, 1975, acrylic on wood

The simple geometric shapes and perfect linework conjures feelings of control, balance, and harmony — all things that feel especially out of reach in the current moment. Minimalist art uses color and material with no underlying meaning. Often Minimalist art is sculptural, built from factory manufactured shop materials — raw and straightforward. When these works are placed in galleries, they are frequently displayed in ways that forces viewers to become more aware of the space surrounding them. To look at something made with intentional lack of emotion and narrative other than a heightened sense of awareness feels like a breath of fresh air.

‘Circles’, Sol LeWitt, 1973, lithograph

‘The Marriage of Reason and Squalor, II’, Frank Stella, 1959, enamel on canvas

It’s no new phenomenon that we experience art in relation to our own experiences and feelings, but at this point in our collective lives I feel as though Minimalism offers a refreshing escape. Whether it be visiting your local gallery (adorned with masks and strapped with sanitizer), finding archives or posts online, or creating yourself, Minimalism can provide some of the simplicity and structure that is lacking. Minimalist art does not project a feeling onto the viewer, the only thing it asks is that you are aware of the space around you, of shape and form and structure. Looking at Minimalist art is like a meditation for me, and I hope that upon reading this you can view it in a more cognizant way as well.

‘Happy Holiday’, Agnes Martin, 1999, acrylic paint and graphite on canvas

‘Untitled’, Robert Morris, 1965, reconstructed 1971, mirror glass and wood

[davidmann95]

Velvet's battle is a great choice, though I'll always have a special place in my heart for the fight against the Grimm Deathstalker and the Nevermore in Episode 8. That said, what do you think of the individual members of Team RWBY?

I decided to wait on this until I caught up on the series thus far, which I just finished doing the night before last in pretty much the only time in my life I’ve ever really properly binged anything other than comics, and…wow. I knew RWBY was a thing just as a matter of course from being on this site and Youtube, and from watching Death Battle, so I picked up some major beats by osmosis. But my main impression was that it was a charming pseudo-anime online thing of decent quality that unsurprisingly got heavier as it went along as such things tend to do, with extremely rad fights and music along the way; figured it’d be more than serviceable to watch while I was on the treadmill as a disposable distraction from the agony of propelling my wheezing, sweating, loathsome meat-scaffolding forward.

I did *not* expect it to eventually end up after growing pains a - while far from flawless - intensely engrossing story of all-consuming personal and generational pain and people who choose to love and do the right thing in defiance of that trauma and loss and hopelessness, where also occasionally a corgi gets fastball specialed at mechas. Though once it became clear that’s what it is, it pretty clearly sat at an intersection of a hell of a lot of my favorite things, especially when characters copped in-universe in both the main series and spinoff material that this is basically a superhero thing. My initial impressions re: the fights and music were on-point though.

I actually have quite a few thoughts on pretty much all the protagonists of note at this point (other than I suppose Oscar and Maria. Like them both though, and I do hope that nice boy’s brain somehow doesn’t dissolve into the blender of Ozpin’s subconscious), but I’ll just stick with the core four here as requested for now unless someone asks otherwise. Weiss is the simplest to get at the core of, I’d say: her arc is learning that fuck rich people, actually. She’s a seriously difficult character to get onboard for at first - especially if you’re watching those first episodes for the first time in 2019 - as the mean unconsciously racist rich girl who learns to be less mean and racist but still kinda mean. But after you’ve extensively seen the hideously toxic environment she grew up in, and fully understand her efforts to grow past the empty values it inculcated in her in favor of everything she was raised to think of herself as above, she becomes a hell of a figure to root for. Assuming RWBY is gonna go, say, a respectable 10 seasons given it was just renewed through 9, I could easily see the upcoming 7th be the climax of her arc with her return to Atlas and likely further reckoning with the consequences of her families’ actions beyond how they’ve hurt her personally.

Yang is also, in a certain abstract narrative sense, simple, in that she’s built around the very oldest trick in the book for characters whose main deal is ‘can punch better than absolutely anyone’: give them problems that cannot be solved by punching. Except in her case it’s less a material “well, this person is invulnerable to punching!” or “well, actually this other person can punch most best of all” issue blocking her path than “punching cannot solve depression, abandonment issues, questioning whether what she considers her purpose in life is one she’s truly pursuing for noble reasons or if she even has the resolve for it anymore after what’s happened to her, or PTSD”. Yet, while it may not be the kind that manifests in the form of punching people with a smirk and a bad pun anymore (much as she still definitely does that all the time) what ultimately drives her and defines her is still her strength: to move forward, to forgive, to let go, to do the right thing in spite of the risks. Which could easily come off as some unpleasant “you just have to get over your moping!” dismissal - there’s a bit with her dad that means it saddles riiiiight up to the edge of that - but there’s a weight to how her traumas remain a consistent factor in her life and have shaped her outlook even as her circumstances and day-to-day disposition improve that makes it feel thematically like it’s coming from a place of acknowledgment and endurance rather than denial, even if it’s not handled perfectly. Great to see her apparently recapturing some more of her joie de vivre based on the trailer for Volume 7, and how that’ll interact with how she’s grown should be interesting.

Blake is…tough, because you fundamentally cannot talk about Blake without getting into the Faunus, which is maybe the biggest aspect of RWBY that leaves it in the realm of Problematic Fave. It really, really wants to have something substantial to say about the proper response to racism, and every now and then it pumps out a “capitalism greases the wheels of systemic oppression and vice-versa” or “it’s perfectly reasonable for the oppressed to seek to fight back directly against their oppressors, and even the pacifist in the room can recognize that’s a defensible approach that deserves its place”. But then Abusive Boyfriend Magneto literally murders nuance in Vol. 5 episode 2, and it descends into some borderline “but what about black on black violence” respectability politics shit. It’s the classic X-Men setup - this persecuted race of often superpowered folks torn between pacifism and efforts to prove themselves to their oppressors, and those who think they should rise up and annihilate the flatscans - with most of the same pitfalls, but also we haven’t had over 50 years to get used to that just being how it works here, and it doesn’t have the excuse of having to expand as best it can on a metaphor that was originally devised before most of the people currently handling it were born. All of which would be rough enough, but given I watched this right as Jonathan Hickman’s been completely refining the entire X-Men paradigm outside that outdated binary, it especially grates. I’d love to be directed to any solid counterarguments - I’ve heard it might actually be an analogue, and a well-done one, for The Troubles, which I am one million percent unqualified to evaluate - especially since apparently one of the writers grew up in a mixed-race household, and at the end of the day I’m a white guy who may well be talking completely out his ass. But it sure comes off at a glance as some well-intentioned dudes stumbling through stuff that’s not their business, and that’s inextricable from Blake’s character when so much of her story is her navigating through that metaphor. Hopefully with new writers coming onboard this is something that can be navigated more insightfully in the future.

On a purely personal basis however, Blake’s a standout in terms of relatability when her story comes down to a pretty universal shared horror: how to climb back from having fucked up. She tried really hard to do the right thing, was taken advantage of and led into doing things she eventually realized were wrong, was so shaken that she couldn’t tell who to trust, and then the situation spiraled out of control on every possible front just as things finally seemed to be stabilizing. The way a single mistake - enabled and exacerbated by an abusive past relationship in her case - expands into a self-loathing far beyond the bounds of anything she could possibly be responsible for is brutal and completely understandable, and seeing her start put her self-esteem back together with the help of those closest to her and the power of her original convictions is arguably the single strongest, most clearly conveyed individual character arc in the series. I’m very curious where it goes from here: Adam’s finish represents a logical climax and the setup for a happily-ever-after with Yang (or Sun if they end up going that way after all) for her to coast through the remainder of the series on, but the way emotional consequences have played out in the series thus far I doubt her demons are going to be put to bed that simply.

Finally there’s Ruby, and I am contractually obligated to note up front: she is clearly not a Superman analogue. There is precisely zero percent chance that she was conceived as such or was ever deliberately executed in such a way that mirroring him was kept in mind. Though she IS a super-powered idealist raised in the middle of nowhere with a significant deceased parent who wears a red cape, flies, gives inspiring rallying speeches, has black-ish but primary color-tinted hair, and has a mysterious birthright that involves being able to shoot lasers from her eyes, plus she has a dog who also essentially has superpowers, plus she tells someone they’re stronger than they think they are, plus Yang basically quotes a bit from Kingdom Come regarding her in Rest and Resolutions. But it probably goes a ways in explaining why she works so well for me.

There’s more to it than that of course, though it does bring up the closest way in which she relates to the superhero paradigm: she doesn’t go through an arc in quite the same way as the others, instead being an already solidly-defined character who is simply illustrated by how she interacts with the people and situations around her. She learns and grows and matures, but her most basic motivations and goals and outlook haven’t really changed since the day she enrolled at Beacon. She’s a good, caring person, a leader archetype who still has more than enough personality to spare to keep from falling into the genericism that can often plague that role. A big part of the key I believe is that she’s the audience surrogate in a profound way beyond the obvious touchstones of her frequent awkwardness and self-doubt: the reason she does this is because she was inspired by stories. She’s a fan, ultimately, but one who learned all the right lessons, whether recognizing from day one the way reality falls short of the tales she was raised on but still believing in the ideals they represent, or openly holding up Qrow as a role model while being willing to call him on his shit when push comes to shove. It’s a romantic, hopeful perspective that stands out sharply from even our other heroes even as it mirrors their struggles, but as of yet there’s little to suggest it comes from a place of naivete so much as a belief that it’s the only way to bear the pain of the world and continue to believe in it. Bit by bit it’s clear she’s heading for a breaking point, but all signs point to that being a matter of her ability to withstand what she’s been through, rather than any doubt that it’s necessary, and should that time come she’s inspired plenty who’ll be able to help her back onto her feet the way she has for so many others. So while I understand her speeches apparently grate on some, as far as I’m concerned keep them coming, they’re the beating caring heart of the series and often the sole respite in the eye in the storm.