Lots of ideas in my head Many Fanfictions on my desktop Mostly Anime and Manga stuffLittle time to write them all
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Marchdancer - Marchdancer - Tumblr Blog
I was not able… To repay you… In any way… Jaswant, do not… Choose the wrong path…
You were holding back earlier?
I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and a great start to the to new year, @moccino!
General Jimsa performs a traditional Turanian piece at King Arslan’s banquet.
I drew this on A3 paper, so I had to take a photo of it, but I can try and take it to work and scan it in there if you would like a higher resolution image. I wanted to work in as much Turan imagery in as I could, plus everybody’s respective family crests. Isfan’s outfit is a shoutout to Nakamura’s manga version, while fem!Jimsa’s outfit was inspired by Otoyomegatari. For Zaravant I tried to pick out Persian clothes.
Why does nobody's 'Ghibli-inspired' TTRPG ever look like this?
Supernova
I didn't draw an illustration for years due to depression, I am glad to be able to finish this artwork within a month.
I am still trying to overcome my illness, and this is my very first step for this year. Thank you so much for all your support and encouragements, I would like to create more if it is possible. I pray for all of you be blessed with lots of kindness 🙏
I know that we probably won't get this scene because it looks like the puppets created by the wizards can't talk.
However, one scene has been stuck in my head for the last two chapters. It almost seems as if we're going to get a fight between Shapur and Kubard and Isfan (my poor heart! I'm not sure how I'll cope with this. Daryun and his uncle as well as Zandeh and Hilmes and Kahrlan have already torn me apart inside).
But of course I would be even less able to cope if something were to happen to Kubard or Isfan (after all, they are still alive and I would find it even more terrible if they died at Shapur's hand). So of course I hope that this won't happen and since I hope that it will be Kubard who defeats this Shapur puppet, the following thought occurred to me. Some time ago I read, and I think it was on @innerchorus , that in the novella Isfan asks Kubard/Kishward what his brother was like as Marzban and Kubard replies that they always competed against each other and he won more often than Shapur (which Isfan doesn't really want to believe).
So how would it be if Kubard won this final fight between them and Shapur then (with a smile on his lips) said something like "that was our last competition, it almost seems like you're the better of the two of us" or "It's a shame, I thought I could at least get a draw between us. It almost seems like you've finally won our competition, Kubard" and to Isfan "I'm proud of you, little brother" Urgh... that would be a scene that would break my heart and at the same time I need exactly that kind of scene.
Not to mention the panel where Kubard will comfort Isfan with a bittersweet smile on his face, knowing that his rival will be now gone forever.
I don’t now if we will get such a scene but yeah….this is something that is spinning in my head for a few days now.
I am ver curious, excited and anxious for the next chapter. (Impossible that a Manga can cause all those mixed up feelings. It is like a rollercoaster.)
At last, ArSen chapter 132 is out now on mangasee!
You know, I'm quite worried for Tahamenay. If Team Zahhak do end up coming for Andragoras's body, I don't trust them not to kill her or kidnap her.
Yeah like the moment Team Arslan left her and ran into undead Vahriz I was like, “shit, there's nobody of significance guarding her” like sure there's a couple guards but I don't think they're gonna be able to do anything if Team Zahhak were to show up suddenly... Like, I like the direction the manga took with her character but I can't help but be afraid for her. She's had her revenge, I think she's accepted that she'll never see her daughter again and that's what enabled her to kill Andragoras, like she's essentially a flag untethered to a pole and one possible way to utilize her narrative-wise is to...
Her life has been so hard already, I hope it won't have to end like this.
ARSLAN SENKI (2013-?) by arakawa hiromu
It's that romantic kind of rain~
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Arslan Senki Chapter 132
Received screencaps from @innerchorus , thank you for your service, and without further ado here we go!
Gieve knows. Gieve knows what Tahamenay has done. I don't know why but this is tickling my brain.
Screencap not featured but I believe there's a mistranslation on this page. Yeah that would make sense. Arslan's line, “There is to be more fighting between Parsians” I think should've been “There is to be no more fighting between Parsians” instead.
Wasn't expecting to see Tus wear such an expression but I guess this is the appropriate response for news like this.
Zaravant's reaction was funny, ngl.
Not much in terms of commentary, just interesting how rumors evolve— and makes sense considering how little information people had regarding the duel.
“queen consort” and “his majesty”. There's just something incredibly heartbreaking about how Arslan no longer calls them “mother” and “father”, though I suppose they haven't been much of parents to him in the first place. It's just. It makes it sink in, y'know? They're not his parents. Not even in name. Not anymore.
Walking through the courtyard where Arslan used to receive lessons from Vahriz, now dilapidated... I too can't believe it's been only a year in-universe since then, if even that. How long has it been for us? The manga started in 2013. It's 2024 now. Eleven years for us, even if I did join the fray somewhat late.
Sorry, I'm just getting emotional over here.
BUT THEN.
UNDEAD VAHRIZ.
OHHHHH I DO NOT LIKE THIS AT ALL. THE HEAD DOESN'T LOOK LIKE IT GOES WITH THE REST OF THE BODY, ESPECIALLY NOT IN THIS PANEL.
And this panel especially shows the damage on his head. HOW ABOUT I SCREAM, ARAKAWA.
Okay, another mistranslation in the chapter, this time a line from Kishward: “I saw your head displayed at the city gates.” Kishward was not in or near Ecbatana in that time frame, he did not and could not have seen Manuchurh's head. Probably this line was meant to say: “Your head was seen displayed at the city gates.”
In any case though the soldiers get all excited to see a marzban alive (it seems Manuchurh could've possibly been well-respected and beloved? which could mean numerous things for what I have in store for him for Wolfsong...)
Not pictured but y'all. The way Manuchurh is drawn, as well... Freaky as fuck. Looks so creepy and unnatural and I do not like it.
The way he's drawn here (and I've had this thought ever since I saw undead Shapur from the previous chapter) feels like they have no body (just heads + limbs protruding from formless smoke), the posture and stuff just feels really, really unnatural, I wonder what's going on beneath those shrouds. All the undead marzban were shown with bandaged limbs, does it perhaps mean something?
OH OKAY NO THEORY IMMEDIATELY DEBUNKED. Kharlan at least seems to have a solid body from what I can tell— which would mean the unnatural posture and movements a side effect of being puppeted by Team Zahhak rather than having no corporeal body.
...maybe they move uncaring that their own bodies and bones are being harmed, they're dead after all, what is there for them to care about anymore? That would explain the unnatural vibes.
BRUH I'm gonna have nightmares for days.
Zandeh even gets injured because he was too shocked to react in time— but thankfully our Durian Denka comes to the rescue! He held Kharlan off.
And he's rightfully pissed at Team Zahhak for this. High time you realized their evilness, boy. You shouldn't have been so harsh on Saam.
So there's something I noticed with a couple marzbans in chapter 132...
At least with Khayr and Manuchurh (and perhaps Shapur, though he's not in 132), their expressions seem unchanged from the ones they seem to have been wearing upon death— as seen when their heads were on display:
Manuchurh
(does his mouth not look like it's slightly ajar here?)
Khayr
It doesn't seem to apply to all marzban, however, as Vahriz's expression changes within his one scene in the chapter and while his teeth were visible way back when his head was on display, that looked way different from this expression which looks like he's actually moving his facial muscles:
Can't say definitely about Garshasp however I find it very inch-resting to see him framed in front of a wall with the Parsian banners like so:
Considering his final sight before death:
Okay he actually seems to also have a different expression from death. Hmmm.
Arslan Senki Chapter 132
Hoooooly fuck. I knew from the chapter title (Warriors From Beyond the Grave) that some horrific stuff was going to go down, but after spending all month worrying about Isfan and Kubard facing Shapur, the fact that they don't even appear this time didn't make this one any less traumatic, lmao.
So, the contents of the other head jars were revealed as dead warriors pop up across Ecbatana. Seems as though they are the ones Team Zahhak were able to gather the heads of (the two who were missing in action at the first Battle of Atropatene are not included; presumably their bodies were never located and were left somewhere on the battlefield).
I enjoyed how Arslan does as Tahamenay asked and tells Gieve to spread the word that Andragoras died in the fall when Innocentis flung them both from the tower... and that Gieve looks at the bloody dagger on the floor. You know that he knows, his look to Daryun and Narsus before he gives his assent just confirms it, and you also know he won't breathe a word of that truth.
(And here we have the first of the dodgy translations in this chapter, because of course there's not going to be further fighting between Parsians at this point unless you count undead Parsian warriors...)
I like that we see word spreading like a ripple through the city. Zaravant's reaction of "NO FUCKING WAY" followed by "Wait, really?" was hilarious. And as we see a lot of the citizens are thinking the same; a man of Andragoras's might, toppled like that? Zaravant had a close encounter with Andragoras; it's no surprise that his first reaction is denial.
Also lol Elam, not quite lying in his attempt to uphold the official version of events. Yes, he saw him die, but not quite in the way that was reported. So Zaravant wasn't wrong, really. Not that he'll ever know it.
Rumours spreading that Arslan killed Hilmes in a duel! It does make me wonder, might the truth of Hilmes's survival be kept quiet and this rumour allowed to flourish instead? Mirroring Hilmes surviving when all thought he had perished in the palace fire, this would allow him to eventually make a quiet exit with Irina and go and live out his life peacefully beyond the borders of Pars. (I would still like to see him rule Maryam with her, though.)
Tahamenay being left alone to watch over Andragoras's body is giving me prickling feelings of imminent Team Zahhak interference...
Dark storm clouds heading towards the city in that one panel look veeeery ominous. I still keep wondering whether we are going to see any of Team Zahhak's creatures unleashed on the world. I'm not sure exactly how dark things are going to get, but we did see winged apes when the legend of Zahhak and his earlier defeat was presented in Chapter 127. So who knows?
THE FACT THAT UNDEAD VAHRIZ SHOWS UP IN THE VERY COURTYARD WHERE HE USED TO TRAIN ARSLAN! I cannot scream about this coming full circle enough, and here it is so very wrong.
But even though it's his uncle, Daryun's typically fast warrior's response saves the day and he gets in front of Arslan to defend against Vahriz's blow (and fuck, these undead warriors are fast!).
The horror just continues to mount as more and more famous undead warriors return, but wrong, so very wrong. I am really digging the way they are presented, though.
Silent, black-eyed, still bearing the wounds they wore in death on their faces, their bodies wreathed in bandages... I'm... honestly not sure that anything below the neck is even corporeal. They look like severed heads on bodies formed from sorcery, wrapped in the same sort of magic-infused cloaks that Team Zahhak wear. Even their weapons are formed from tendrils of snakes (see Kharlan's spear forming). It makes me think that when they are defeated, their bodies may just disintegrate and only the severed head will remain. And that's... fucked up, considering they are fighting people who remember them, who fought by their side, who loved them.
More off translation when Manuchurh shows up; Kishward didn't see his head (he was in Peshawar), he only heard about it. I did wonder why Gieve was so slow on the uptake given that it was his report that confirmed Manuchurh's death to Kisward and Nasrin, but he heard about it from Parsian soldiers rather than recognising Manuchurh for himself. That's why he only infers it from how Kishward addresses him here.
I do like that we get to see Manuchurh's sword here! Sure, it's probably made of snakes, but it is at least modeled on the weapon he would have wielded in life, and that's a neat detail to have so late in the story.
As always, I badly wanted to see Team Hilmes but given what's going on my heart still started to beat faster in alarm when we cut to the room they're in. But it's Sam who leaves the room and is confronted by Garshasp! An undead version of the man whose death he envies... not sure I'm ready for this but please for the love of god let Sam kill a sorcerer before this is over.
Please know that when I scrolled down just far enough to spot Kharlan's moustache I scrolled back up so fucking fast and had to sit for a bit before I could continue.
ZANDEEEEEEH. THAT'S NOT YOUR FATHER! His face and the way he says "Father?" so questioningly breaks my heart.
Hilmes sees quickly that it's not, it can't be Kharlan, because he knows Kharlan is dead, and (unlike Zandeh, who hasn't actually witnessed any sorcery yet) he knows that this is something Team Zahhak are capable of... in fact, he knows it can only be them.
For one horrible second I really thought Zandeh was going to get stabbed right in the heart. Definitely made me realise how utterly devastated I'd be if he died in the manga version.
Thankfully the wound he receives on his shoulder doesn't look life-threatening, but you can see how unprepared he is for it, how he can't quite understand why his father (IT'S NOT YOUR FATHER!) is attacking him like this. I really don't think it would have gone well for him if Hilmes hadn't gotten involved. The way these jar warriors move.. It's fast, it's unnatural, it's deadly. These were all skilled warriors in life; are they even more dangerous now they are dead?
Hilmes protecting Zandeh like this is a brilliant moment, and never have I been so fucking glad to see Hilmes in a rage as I was to see him FINALLY display some anger towards the sorcerers who he knows are responsible. He must finally see now that they are not, and never were, on his side. Sam was right, and I hope Hilmes lets him know before this is over.
I keep thinking about the way the eyes of some of the undead seem to leak blood like tears... their faces look... empty, I guess, but this does make me wonder, is there any sort of awareness there? Do they know what their bodies are being used for? That bit of blood in Kharlan's eye at the end; is there part of him that somehow knows he's attacking his son? Perhaps it's nothing more than the remains oozing blood as they are puppeted by sorcery. The thought that there might be even a fragment of consciousness there is horrific, so I truly hope not.
So yeah, no sign of the encounter with Shapur but all of the undead jar warriors have now taken to the stage, and that stage is set for some unpleasant clashes next chapter. I hope to see some Team Zahhak deaths for sure, and I'm still banking on Team Arslan capturing a mage before this is all over. I imagine the disciples are largely seen as disposable by the Holy Master at this point, but there's no way he would allow himself to be killed or captured so easily, not when he is so close to his goal.
I am worried, though. This is... a lot... for all of Team Arslan to come through unscathed. What a horrible position for them to be in, and even if their instincts tell them that they're not fighting their comrades/relatives, they're surely at a disadvantage due to the shock and emotional turmoil involved. And I'm left wondering, what are Team Zahhak up to? What's the purpose in bringing the dead back like this? Do they wish to kill, torment, or capture other warriors as snake food? Do they simply seek to cause Ecbatana to fall into chaos? Where the heck is Zahhak?
It's going to be a difficult month until the next chapter, lol.
slope point, the southernmost tip on new zealand’s south island, is hit with such persistently violent southern antarctic winds that trees grow in the leeward direction. (click pic or link for credit x, x, x, x, x, x)
Finally finished this piece about the toxic beauty standards imposed by my parents while growing up. Painting all those eyes felt both meditating and drove me insane.
TW: child abuse
I included some of the comments my family has made about my appearance over the years, some of which are contradicting, just to show how impossible it was to please their toxic beauty standards. To them, I was always too skinny and too fat at 115lb. And being 5'6 was too short.
My mom told me to get plastic surgery for my monolid eyes, because only double lidded eyes are considered beautiful by Chinese standards. She pointed to her friend's daughter, who did get plastic surgery for her entire face, and said how much better the girl looked, how I should be like that.
My dad commented on my flat chest, asking how come my mom has boobs while I don't. My stepmom pointed out the frown lines around my lips, saying I don't smile enough. My stepmom always bullied me to the point of crying (by calling my mom a whore and such), so she knows exactly why I don't smile enough. My stepdad said my personality is too horrible to get a normal job, so I would have to prostitute myself, but that I'm too ugly to get clients so I would starve. When I told my mom what he said, she told me to stop lying.
After a lot of therapy for my CPTSD, I can look back and realize that they were the ugly ones, in all sense of the word. But for so long I had such little self-esteem, I would avoid photos. At my first artist alley over a decade ago, fans of my art wanted photos with me but I was too ashamed of myself to accept. I've improved a lot and no longer fear being photographed. I still struggle with other aspects of my childhood abuse (a story for a different day), but with each passing year I feel like I'm regaining bits of myself.
___
A peek of the painting process, the full hours long videos will be DMed on my Patreon on Sep 5th
Arslan Senki chapter 130 is hereby out on mangasee!!!!
A photographer’s portrait in a mirror, a hundred years ago, Japan, ca. 1920. Text and image via Old Japanese Photos on Facebook
You know, we never actually saw Hilmes draw Rukhnabad in Fuujin Ranbu. Not when he took it from Kaykhusraw's sarcophagus, and not when he stole it back from Bodin in Maryam in the last episode. And this dialogue from Episode 1 concerning his ability to wield the sword is original to the anime.
So (years after the anime was left unfinished) here is my theory: Hilmes would have found himself unable to draw Rukhnabad, and that would have been fucking HILARIOUS. He gets to some kind of final confrontation and the thing just won't come out of its scabbard for him? Kaykhusraw says no? The gods of Pars (the Master refers to Rukhnabad as 'a gift from the gods' in this scene) have seen what he did to his country and they don't like it?
Funny how in the manga we've currently got Arslan incapable of drawing the sword, yet in the anime maybe it would have been Hilmes! Shame we'll never know what their plans were. Though given how obsessed Hilmes is with his bloodline and right to the throne, there's no way he wouldn't have tried to draw it as soon as it was in his hands. The fact that he never does so (it even looks like he's about to in Maryam and then he just... doesn't!) feels weird and something about all this seems deliberate. Honestly, a moment where he tries and fails would have been funny enough that maybe I would have forgiven the dubious grasp of how Hilmes would act when holding an object that could prove his legitimacy. Maybe.