u/MysticMind89

(CW: Discussion of suicide and emotional abuse.)

I have seen far too many people both in and out of the fandom who seem to think that Jax's Abstraction is something to celebrate, since she* was a horrible person. We should not be celebrating this as any sort of win or justice, because to do so misses the entire point of Jax's character arc. This is not about justifying her horrible actions.

This is about understanding the root cause. Remember: Empathy is about understanding, not excusing.

Jax is someone who has always been trapped in the cycle of abuse. The digital avatar that is Jax is a snapshot of a person at the lowest point in their life, exploiting the cartoon world to become a the trickster archetype as a defence mechanism. She grew up trapped in the double bind of toxic masculinity, being constantly criticised and even physically abused for not being "man" enough, but simultaneously being too much like her abusive father.

She was brought up in an environment where love was weaponised, and the hug from her mother came directly after more abuse, so it's little wonder she lashed out. She was deeply afraid of getting close to anyone, for fear of being mocked or belittled for being honest about her emotions.

That's why she pushed Ribbit away. She was the only one she ever told about her history of abuse, and getting interrupted by Kaufmo triggered her. She recognised the pattern of expressions of love being a trap.

Furthermore, the flashbacks in episode 9 backs up several scenes we've seen in previous episodes. She is hurting herself just as much as he hurts everyone else. This is why she mocked her reflection after Ribbit abstracted, sarcastically saying "You gonna cry, huh?!" She is beating herself up for her own emotions, because she pushed herself to do something horrible.

Caine being temporarily deleted was the final straw, since she no longer had the wacky cartoon adventures to act as a front to mask her true emotions.

After all this, I need to explain why this is important. The story does not frame this as a win, because to look only at the surface actions is to ignore the pain behind it. Jax is a warning: don't suffer in silence. There are always people who will listen with a genuine heart, not to mock. We can't help people who aren't willing to help themselves, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try.

Nobody deserves to feel afraid to be honest with themselves, especially trans people who suffer under the pressure of cisnormative society. Jax deserved to live her real self, but would never trust anyone to do so.

So instead of cheering that Jax abstracted, we should use it as a warning about the path to self-destruction, and what we should do to prevent it.

My take on The Amazing Digital Fight Club AU. This is my first attempt at doing the multi-punch effect, but I think I pulled it off well.

Focus on creative writing or put in some effort B).

This is more of a doodle compared to my usual affair, so there are a few more mistakes than usual (mostly in the arm length inconsistency and eye placement), plus the 2 head tall chibis are always hyper exaggerated.

Still, it would be nice to get some advice on keeping things neat for smaller scale characters like this. I'm still learning shading and highlights with light direction, so critiques on that would be helpful, too.

Draw this, then Die! is a new anime this season about a high school girl, Ai Yasumi, who dreams of drawing manga, despite her overly strict teacher trying to dissuade her. Turns out, the teacher herself is the manga-ka of her favourite manga!

Episode 2 sees Ai trying to form a manga club at her school, and to show her dedication, is instructed to create her own manga. What the show doesn't shy away from is how much work this is, taking hours just to draw a few panels!

Ai's manga is, without question, hot garbage. But what it does show, and what ultimately moves Ai's teacher, is the raw passion on display. Because when humans love what we do, we seek ways to learn and improve.

Nobody is born with talent, contrary to what A.I Scroungers would have you believe. So while they only care about surface level neatness, real artists care about the details, making art even when we know it's bad. Because, as a great dog once said, "sucking at something is just the first step to being slightly good at something".

I'm an NB who loved Garratts, but also loves being able to view the cab of Linda running on the Ffestiniog <3. The Snowdonia Single is something I do every year!

Linda at Porthmadog, North Wales, earlier this afternoon. I know the faces are usually on the smoke box, but this looks more wacky!

First image is the remake, second is the original. I'm sharing another art piece I just finished, both to share my progress in learning to draw, but also because of the franchise it's from.

High Guardian Spice is not a popular cartoon. The story of its production is a story of passionate indie creators being exploited and abused by Crunchyroll's studio, given a shoestring budget and a ton of executive meddling.

Yet, in my opinion, it still shines through as a beautiful story and setting. We need more queer positive and inclusive representation in animation, as mainstream studios are rushing to cut them out. But most of all, we can (and should) appreciate flawed art, in a time where A.I is being used as a replacement.

Part of what makes us artists is understanding how art comes together, and HGS is a show that became sacrificial trash for the anti-woke crowd (the same people who want instant results from A.I). HGS is an example of why it's so important to be able to give art a fair critique from people who know what they're talking about, because otherwise, we get the attitude of A.I scroungers where they only care about surface level neatness.

TL:DR - Support human art, even when it's imperfect. Don't let the artistically illiterate dictate quality.

As always, constructive criticism is welcomed!

Made by zestydoesthings on Instagram.

I'm not going to tell black people who they should and shouldn't support, or what level of racism they should tolerate. But this is a staggering lack of media literacy that completely (and deliberately) ignores the fact that Jax is supposed to be a cautionary tale.

Jax wants people to hate her, because then she doesn't have to feel vulnerable in front of anyone ever again. She is unable to accept her own emotions, and ends up abstracting because of it. She is the perfect avatar of projected self-hatred, which prop up the themes of mental health outreach and community.

Jax abstracted because she isolated herself from everyone, pushing them away instead of accepting help. So to say we shouldn't feel bad for her, or that she is a self-insert for Goosworx (which, in itself, is another example of unwillingness to let people learn from past behaviours) is just beyond cruel.

I'm doing what A.I "Artists" refuse to do: Put effort into learning and improve over time. I'm still learning, but the rate of which I'm learning is growing exponentially by the day, and I'm always looking for new challenges!

First image is the remake, second is the original drawing of Madeline from Celeste. Also, constructive criticism is welcomed & encouraged =3.

I need art advice. I want to remake this image, but I have two core problems.

1: I always draw the head shape as a circle to start, forming around an equal cross (usually 5cm x 5cm). I add details like the jaw line and better angles after. But if I do that, then I run the risk of making it too narrow, so Amity's lips wouldn't reach. How can I adjust beforehand to make sure the correct parts touch?

2: Likewise, I feel like the curve that leads into the lips is squashed because of the hands holding their sides while cuddling. Their bodies do press together, but the way it looks now, it makes it look like from bust to hips is a perfectly straight line.

What can I do to preserve these anatomy grips while still having them touching the same way?

Second image is my first attempt done a year ago, just to show how much I've improved! I'm still relatively new to art (I've been drawing regularly for 2 years), so constructive criticism is welcomed =3.

I did something that A.I Scroungers are allergic to: I put effort into creating art. I learn from my mistakes, rather than just continuously asking a robot to steal people's art and do it for me. These two images were drawn roughly one year apart from each other, both traditionally with pencil and paper.

Only difference in medium is I switched from Alcohol markers to Acrylic markers. The rest? Research, technique and skill.

Gauntlet's down, A.I Scroungers. You have no leg to stand on.

I shot this at Chester Zoo yesterday in an area with free-flying bats, and other nocturnal animals. This is the first time I've gotten anything resembling a low-light shot where I couldn't use flash. I used the highest ISO setting I could get, but that also meant getting lucky with a long exposure.

I'm still relatively new to photography, and use a Lumnix DMC-FZ72. Critiques for future low-light shots are welcomed!