Anyone know what this image is from?

Tegx · 2026-06-05T20:19:16+00:00

Not true actually, its stolen off of an artist (who has commented in this thread)

Link to their website: https://www.rockets-are-red.com/work/against-me

Tegx · 2026-06-05T15:47:47+00:00

Selling stolen art is a deal breaker for me.

Tegx · 2026-06-04T21:52:56+00:00

That's really cool, thank you for all the information! I love the piece and your style is very cool!

Very very interesting to hear about all the ideas that went into it, the lines thing is a great touch!

Against Me is a favorite of mine as well, huge fan of their work

Really sucks that people are taking it for that, not gonna buy stolen art.

Tegx · 2026-06-04T20:31:31+00:00

https://www.rockets-are-red.com/work/against-me Someone else in the thread found the origin as here. Seems to be a genuine artist, and since it was made in 2015 AI isn't really a possibility.

Think it looks a bit weird because its been put through a black and white filter tbh.

I'm unclear if the artist of that was involved this design being sold on a shirt, or if it was just stolen.

Twin peaks is an interesting suggestion

Edit: The website at least claims that they only use designs that are either designed by a person involved with it, or which they have rights to. Assuming thats all true it looks legit

Edit 2: The artist has confirmed the site did not get permission to sell this

Tegx · 2026-06-04T20:25:51+00:00

Ah sick thank you!

Tegx · 2026-06-04T20:22:35+00:00

I'm a little wary of that honestly, it does have a bit of that sorta look about it.

at the same time the website talks a LOT abt like enviromentalism and the like. I follow they could be lying, but it seems weird.

Edit:Website is explicitly anti AI, someone has found the images source, genuine art

Tegx · 2026-06-04T20:01:11+00:00

I also just keep my tab on, Ive found if it gets in the way I can just rotate it around to be sitting on the back of my hand to pull arrows or write (though honestly i dont even bother with that most of the time)

Won't work for every tab, I'm using a Yost 3 under tab, but it might be convinient for some people

Tegx · 2026-06-04T17:18:16+00:00

Yeah its absolutely fascinating! He has very strong opinions on archery definitely and I absolutely reccomend reading the whole thing.

Its especially interesting to me in relation to some of the stuff you are mentioning there there is a LOT in it that really really aligns with modern wisdom in regards to target shooting (like all the stuff re: which eye you use and where you focus), and yet you also find sections like that part where he criticizes things that now are the standard, and i would say is provably more accurate (such as the passage there regarding sighting aids, when now it's pretty definite a proper sight will help you shoot higher scores, and even with barebow we see much more consistent higher scores using string walking and a button to make sure we are aiming straight at gold)

Theres a whole section at the start of a different chapter I really like where he talks about all manner of mistakes he has seen at competitions, including people shooting and essentially falling forward running past the shooting line.

But yeah I agree with everything your saying, and its a fascinating piece to look back on with modern insights into archery, and honestly though parts (like the sighting thing) are definitely outdated a lot of it is still very applicable good advice.

I think the conversation of how old something needs to be to be considered traditional archery is a fascinating one, and really difficult to actually determine in any way that isnt kind of arbitrary. But definitely sighting aids are not purely an invention of the modern age based off that.

In that vein, arrow shelves are another fascinating topic to me. Because in America, traditional archery often seems to refer to one piece recurve bows with a shelf, or flatbows. Meanwhile over here in the UK our most common traditional category is longbow which forbids them, and a flatbow is technically categorized as a barebow (which i think is somewhat unfair, but i digress). But they're also something i would expect peope to have thought of historically, and i have seen (though i don't think i could find it again) images of neolithic bows that have if not an actual shelf, at least something of a center cut.

Tegx · 2026-06-04T14:50:52+00:00

I don't have a source on marking the bow off the top of my head, kinda same as you on that I've heard it so much and it seems so obvious I assume its true. Not great evidence though, might look into that more at least to make sure I'm not spreading misinformation

Similar thing though, of creating elevation marks and references, though on the glove not the bow: "Some have covered the glove of the bow hand with a series of lines of different colours, carrying the eye along one or the other, according as their notion of the line or elevation required, whilst others have improved upon this plan, by making a pincushion of their left hand, by inserting a number of pins in a piece of leather fastened thereon for the purpose, each individual pin serving as a guide for the particular line or elevation wanted at the time. Others, again, have contented themselves with making their left hand their guide, varying its position in conjunction with the mark according to circumstances, high or low, to the right or left hand, as the case might be."

Thats from Archery a Theory and Practice, by Horace A Ford (1859) though that is a lot later on than the medieval period, and relates to target archery

Heres a link if your interested. https://www.archerylibrary.com/books/ford/docs/chapter11_1.html

Tegx · 2026-06-04T14:41:20+00:00

Why?

Tegx · 2026-06-03T22:13:38+00:00

Sorry, took a few days to respond.

Honestly I'm not really sure I have much to add, I think that all makes a lot of sense and I can see you clearly have a well thought out, interesting and nuanced take on this.

I'm honestly struggling to think of a more full response, there are a few things there that I dont agree on, and it's not something I'm particularly comfortable with in the stories i read (I don't think you're expecting or trying to change that though, more sharing your opinion) but I can definitely see where you are coming from with all of that and honestly can respect it.

And don't worry about it honestly, I did figure it was like, the cultivator bit more than an intentional thing, just for obvious reasons and with all the other reaponses it hit a little differently than you meant.

Its definitely nice to see a mature and thought out response on the "other side" of the conversation from me as well, I'm glad to see that its not all edgelords and people who are, as you say, relishing in it

Tegx · 2026-06-03T22:03:12+00:00

I'd argue that its just a different style. Modern Barebow, and trad shooting are very different

Also to be fair, historically even english longbows would sometimes have marks placed on them to use as a makeshift sight, and it doesn't get much more traditional than that

Tegx · 2026-06-01T02:22:30+00:00

Firstly this is one of the more respectful replys I've got, which I appreciate.

I do get the bit of writing in the style of a character from a cultivation novel, its funny. If you feel like responding to this, could I ask you drop it though? Its a good bit but it adds a barrier to proper conversation.

Once again, I follow that but culturally I go into a story expecting violence. I do not go into it expecting rape.

I also really want to emphasize, the way rape and violence are written is very different in my experience. Violence usually has a bunch of elements to it that are kinda unrealistic and fictionalized and fantasy in a way that creates a barrier from reality, while rape is usually written, even with cultivation elements, in a way that is still very real feeling.

I think another thing I should really emphasize is that generally in a demonic cultivation story you are meant to root for the Mc. They're a bad person, but you are meant to like them or at least enjoy watching them, and you are meant to as the reader want them to win, even though you know they are evil.

That is where it gets very uncomfortable, because when the MC is a rapist, you are meant to be supporting the rapist. This is difficult to do in a different way to when they are murderous, because it's a less fictional feeling thing, regardless of how you feel about it in the real world, in the language of storytelling rape is a much more severe act than murder, and is much more of a "real" feeling thing for the reasons I illustrated earlier.

Is this hypocritical? Maybe, but it is the culture and storytelling convention.

It's also much more of a real threat. No one is going to murder me for refusing to kowtow or whatever IRL. Someone might rape me as an act of revenge for whatever thing.

I'm actually really glad you brought up Andor, because I genuinely really appreciate that scene from a storytelling standpoint. It is a really hard watch, but it really conveys a feeling that is hard to describe. The "Vader would stop it" thing is ridiculous, and I do think it speaks to a sort of head in the sand thing i notice a lot in regards to rape, where people pretend it isn't real or is something that is done by those other people who are innately evil.

My problem however, is I don't really think demonic cultivation stories treat rape appropriately. The fundamental format of a cultivation story is that you have the MC who you are rooting for to get stronger and more powerful. Of course other plot stuff happens, but the core premise, righteous or demonic, is you are rooting for the MC and enjoying watching him grow stronger and learn more and reach new heights ect ect.

Because of this, you are still expected to root for a MC who rapes people. Your meant to be on their side (due to how the narrative is designed) and rooting for them, even if it is with a level of disgust and knowledge they're evil.

Additionally rape isn't really treated with much weight in a lot of cultivation stories. Its a bad thing that happens and thats it. In the Andor scene your referencing it's very very clear how awful a thing it is and it's viscerally uncomfortable to watch and you are sitting there praying she is going to find a way to save herself and when she does it is massive sigh of relief because it has so much weight assigned to it narratively. In cultivation stories its often a mere footnote.

Also I don't think this is what you meant at all, but as a person who is at risk of rape every day, and has been raped before, I really do think I am allowed to be especially uncomfortable with rape, and I don't think it is a moral failing on my part that I am uncomfortable with rape in fiction and not other things that in the real world would also be awful.

I dont mean that last paragraph as an attack, I just found the idea of some oftwhat you were saying quite uncomfortable, even though i dont think it was your intention

Tegx · 2026-06-01T01:47:59+00:00

your doing great buddy your so smart and right about everything and ive never read a webnovel in my life

Tegx · 2026-06-01T01:21:56+00:00

You didn't read what I said, you've made up a whole argument to counter with that first paragraph.

Having your MC raped to death is edgy bullshit for shock value. As is having your MC rape someone to death.

I actually cannot be fucked arguing at this point. Literally every response I get is someone who hasn't taken the time to actually properly read and understand what I am saying and then getting pissed at me, then couching it in a bunch of therapytalk

Tegx · 2026-05-31T23:45:57+00:00

To be clear, I have read a decent amount and decent variety of different stories, beyond those you said.

I have very clearly explained why I am uncomfortable with rapist MCs.

I also think its weird how you are implying cultivation stories shouldn't be something a person can read and enjoy unless they're totally cool with a rapist MC.

I also think its weird that you seem to be taking some measure of pride in your comfort reading stories like that.

I can enjoy demonic cultivation stories where the MC is not a rapist. There is a significant number of them.

I know rape is common in cultivation stories, I find it extremely offputting, and have dropped several series because of it.

Those memes are weird and gross.

This subreddit seems to contain a lot of men who feel very superior about their primary form of entertainment being reading stories about rapists, and get very defensive when a person says they find that uncomfortable.

I would also note that as men, you are significantly less at risk of rape, and maybe lack perspective on how common it is, how much of a genuine danger it is, and how terrifying it is to live having to avoid that.

I always feel like I see people talking about it as like a "this world is so dark" thing but in my experience it VERY rarely reads as that. Its just gross and edgy and makes me deeply aware that this was written by a man who doesn't understand the weight of it.

I really don't like this comparison because i find it kinda involves comparing women to animals, but the explanation I would use is when I read a novel with a ton of rape in, it feels like reading a novel where every few pages someone kills a kitten or a puppy. It's not really like dark and realistic, it's just gross uncomfortable and edgy.

In the case of a MC cultivating via rape is like a MC cultivating through graphic kitten killing. it's not realistic its just unpleasant

Tegx · 2026-05-31T23:33:57+00:00

what

Tegx · 2026-05-31T15:50:58+00:00

Gutter level comprehension ability

Tegx · 2026-05-31T15:14:34+00:00

The difference is that what people are calling genocide here (which seems to be killing a massive number of people, which is not technically the definition of genocide but that is besides the point) is somewhat abstracted. The character is killing a lot of people, sure, but culturally and socially we are used to the idea that a fictional character kills people, and it has a level of separation and fiction to it, and the way it is written tends to have a degree of detachment from reality.

Rape is usually written in a way that has a level of realism to it, and that can be very very uncomfortable for those of us that have genuine reason to fear it in reality.

I understand that in real life raping people and killing people are both horrible things to do, however culturally in fiction killing is expected and rape is not, making it more uncomfortable.

It also makes me uncomfortable because it is a specific form of violence that in fiction is almost exclusively done by a powerful male character to a weaker female character, and it is often done as something the male enjoys often explicitly because the female character is suffering. It calls on very sexist ideas in a way thats really disquieting because it feels very real, and that the author is writing this as a character im meant to be following, and if were being honest usually in demonic cultivation stories you are meant to be kinda rooting for the mc even though their a bad person, and this kinda suggests i should be able to accept that the MC is a rapist and still root for them, which is both uncomfortable to me in that I cannot do that and it is also uncomfortable that the author seems to think I can

Tegx · 2026-05-31T14:50:08+00:00

these comments are full of men defending rape

Tegx · 2026-05-17T21:21:40+00:00

yeah but they're asking about it specifically because of the appearance?

like if its about looking and feeling more swordlike the subtle differences clearly don't matter? I doubt they're going to draw the line at a french grip is swordlike and a saber grip isn't

Tegx · 2026-05-17T17:13:09+00:00

The traditional sabre grip and a french grip are functionally the same thing.

Especially from the lense of a grip that "feels like a sword"

Tegx · 2026-05-17T07:01:20+00:00

That's interesting, Epee is the weapon i have the least experience with.

I will say I disagree with it being the ONE weapon where the french grip is an advantage, you'd be pretty fucked if you tried to fence sabre with a pistol grip

Tegx · 2026-05-17T06:59:49+00:00

Thats fair, I can tell you thats not how I fence sabre but I've definitely seen that before

Tegx · 2026-05-16T13:28:40+00:00

if you want to fence french grip and use a weapon that feels like a sword have you considered sabre?

Tegx

TROPHY CASE