Extra extra, read all about it! 📰Stretch Goal Unlocked!
We have officially added this 2.5 inch shaker charm (designed by 4ntithesis) to all full bundles of Tokyo Requiem, a ShuAke noir charity zine! Pre-order your bundle today at shuakenoir.bigcartel.com!
If we stay on the case, we might even unlock the final stretch goal: an acrylic standee of Joker and Akechi!
How many cartoons can you name where a Black boy is the hero? Not the sidekick, not the comic relief, but the center of the story, the one who gets to dream, to fall, to grow, to save the day. For too many Black boys, the first time they see themselves reflected back isn’t in a world of imagination it’s in headlines, obituaries, or mugshots. That kind of visibility shapes how the world sees them, and how they begin to see themselves.
FLY exists to shake up that narrative.
A coming of age story about Black kids who finally have power to fight back against systems designed against them.
Because of ArtFight's recent rule clarification, I've seen discussion on whether tracing your own photos is the same as references them. This is, in my opinion, a matter of semantics. Tracing your own photos IS a method of using them as reference. It is perfectly normal and doesn't hurt anyone.
When it comes to self made resources (photos, sculpture, maquettes, 3D sculpts, etc) and resources made explicitly for artists to use (stock photos with appropriate permission, 3D models in CSP, etc), tracing can be ONE step of using them as a reference. It isn't a "crutch", it isn't cheating.
You can also put the photo up next to what you're drawing, and draw from sight. Or trace the photo a few times, then draw it separately. These all have value for different situations for learning, speed, and accuracy, and I recommend trying them ALL.
Regardless of what ArtFight decides, I want other artists to not be afraid of using this type of reference material in this way. It's very normal in both professional and hobby circles, it isn't harmful, and it doesn't make you a lesser artist. Hope this hasn't ruffled any feathers, keep drawing! <3
Transphobia is about to be signed into law in the UK. We can fight this.
I am begging the UK trans community and its allies to attend the Mass Lobby at Parliament on June 25th, 11am-4pm, organised by Trans Solidarity Alliance.
Last year we broke the record for an LGBT+ mass lobby of Parliament. Will you help us break it again? Join us on 25th June 2026 to demand be
The new EHRC Code of Practice pushes trans people out of toilets, hospital wards, and community spaces. It normalises gender policing based on appearance and stereotypes. It becomes statutory guidance in the UK by the end of June.
Trans people are now legally their assigned gender at birth and must join gendered spaces accordingly, but if they are perceived as their lived gender, they can also be ejected from those spaces. The guidance says: either break the law, or don’t pass too well.
A mass lobby is where you invite your MP to discuss your concerns with you in-person. Ask your MP to:
Demand full parliamentary scrutiny, debate, and use their free vote on the EHRC Code of Practice.
Support any motions rejecting the EHRC guidance. As of June 4th, Labour MP Nadia Whittome has submitted a prayer motion - Early Day Motion 240.
Write to Bridget Phillipson, the Minister for Women and Equalities about our concerns
Your MP does not have to be an ally, they do not have to respond to your email for you to show up and greencard them (details below the cut.) What matters is that as many people as possible show up.
I cannot stress this enough: Showing up in person matters. It is much more effective than petitions, emails, and letters.
It is a horrible, stressful time, and I am so sorry if you're trans and live in the UK. But I was at last year's mass lobby and the line for greencarding alone stretched around the back gates. It was a record breaking mass lobby and made us impossible to ignore. Let's do even better this time. Details under the cut:
Worried about what to say?
Bring your personal worries about transphobia being signed into law, and trans friends being excluded from public spaces. You are a living person who deserves dignity. Remind your MP of that. You will also get guidance and brochures from Trans Solidarity Alliance that outlines our demands. This is mine from last year.
Money issues?
Trans Solidarity Alliance provides a travel bursary that you can sign up for via the link.
Got a refusal or no response from your MP?
Come anyway! You can request a same-day appointment with your MP through a process called greencarding. They will come and see you if they’re already in Parliament. Even if they don’t, they’re made acutely aware of your cause because you showed up in person. This is my greencard from last year.
Here is the EHRC Code of Practice in full. It's a tough read, but some highlights are:
Organisations can’t provide trans-inclusive, single-sex services, or they risk being sued for discrimination.
e.g. domestic violence support for women including trans women, men’s rugby group including trans men (12.68).
Trans people will have nowhere safe to pee.
If you’re a trans man, businesses can't allow you to pee in the men's, and you can also be ejected from women’s bathrooms if you’re perceived as a man. Vice versa for trans women. EHRC suggests a ‘third space’ bathroom, which is discriminatory and unworkable for most businesses. (13.130-133)
Sports organisations must exclude trans people from single-sex competitions (13.73).
A women’s only sports competition must exclude trans women because of their biological advantage or face potential lawsuits (13.74), but a trans man who has undergone testosterone treatment can also be excluded based on fairness rules (13.81).
Trans women are stripped of the legal definition of ‘lesbian’, and therefore no longer have legal protections if they’re discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientation. (2.50, 2.92).
Here is the Good Law Project's better explanation of the EHRC Code.
I have also made a PDF printout of QR codes for the government petition, email your MP tool, and mass lobby link to pass around your communities. DM me and I'll send it to you.
It's also important for us cis allies to show up and support our trans community members, so think about joining this if you're able no matter your gender identity.
I'm not going to be able to go, but I do have some experience with lobbying my various MPs over the years, so here's some quick advice off the top of my head:
If you're resident in the UK but not a citizen you still have the right to go to Parliament and be seen by your MP.
If you don't know who your MP is you can look it up by putting your postcode into the Find My MP page on Parliament's website (pro tip if you are a uni student, check your MP for both your family home and your uni, one may be a better option for lobbying than the other, you may even be able to Green Card both of them, but I don't know if that's possible, ask on the desk when you ask for the card).
And everyone needs to remember that while officially you're not required to show photo ID to get into Parliament the official guidance from the House of Commons is "you don't need photo ID to get in but we suggest you bring it anyway" (which is just unhelpful)
You will also be required to pass through airport style security which obviously may be a stressful experience for some of the people taking part in the mass lobby. That can take anywhere up to half an hour, the staff are usually pretty nice, but the entry into the security check is a sloped metal ramp with zero shade and nowhere to lean or sit so plan accordingly.
If your MP is not in the building to come and meet you they are required to respond to your Green Card as soon as possible via the contact details you put on your Green Card. While meeting them in person is the ideal you will get a response so it will be worth it even if your MP is unavailable.
Have a safe, productive lobby! Proud of all of you who can go and support the cause.
Yes! This is also a good point! MPs are traditionally expected to spend their Fridays in their constituency and to hold regular opportunities for you to meet with them to discuss issues. This is called a constituency surgery. If you are unable to make it to London you can look up when your MP is holding their next surgery and make an appointment to see them in your home town to discuss it there. Maybe even reach out to local pride groups in your area and do a local mass lobby of your MP in order to show them this is an issue that matters in your area too.
it’s good for you to look at things that make you lightheartedly say “ew” while snickering like a little kid and then carry on. i say this genuinely. it will shift your knee-jerk reaction towards things that mildly disgust you away from fear
Akechi here! We've gotta keep the Phantom Thieves on their toes, so we're pulling a fast one and extending pre-orders to June 30 for Tokyo Requiem, a ShuAke noir AU zine benefiting the charity Safe Horizon!
*Please note that I'm not actually making any of these. Think of this as my form of fan art and these designs are all just for fun.
Hello! Ever since I watched Iron Lung in theaters I've been inspired to design merch!
1.) X-rays (crew neck & pants): This one is currently my favorite out of everything I've designed in this collection. It's based on the radioactive super X-ray Simon uses throughout the movie. It has the button with the peeling tape on the front that looks like it's glowing in the dark. The back is based on the first time we all realize it's actually an X-ray and we see the skeletal system of the crew top side. The pants have the same effect on both the front and the back. Alternative idea would have the front plain and the back with the X-ray.
The color and grainy look is my closest imitation of what the images look like after it takes a picture. On the bottom is the arrow of the compass facing the light. This took me forever, but the X-ray effect was worth it.
2.) The Eel/Elli (varsity jacket & pants): This one is my second favorite. I really wanted to add the eel, but keep it in the dark basically. So I used this sketch-like feel to be a bright negative on a dark backdrop. I decided on a pink/red for the outline so it would represent the blood ocean. The sleeves also represent the ocean. The back has a more full body look of Elli curling around. I can't draw feet for the life of me so I just kept the hands as the focal feature. The front has bloody hands (I have a version with no blood) grasping at you. I wanted it to look like Elli was trying to drag you back.
The pants just have the same sketch design, but of Elli's teeth trying to swallow you whole. The sketching effect is so cool and it kind of gives it a wild feeling, especially in the dark.
3.) The Sub & Ocean (reversible hoodie & pants): This one isn't exactly my favorite and the map portion gave me the hardest time for some reason. So the main point was that I wanted something to represent the sub. So there is a bunch of little details all through it. It has the depth on one sleeve, the
oxygen meter on the other sleeve. The compass on the chestwith the arrow facing the direction the most during impacts. On the other side there is the coordinates (roughly) that Simon went to in order to see the light. The cherry on top is the blood seeping through the seams and slowly flooding the sub.
I really wanted a reversible jacket where one side is the sub and other side is the map. The map is so important to the story so I really wanted to incorporate it in some way. So it has the original map (was going back and forth on adding the blood on it) and the extra paper Simon added to expand it. Even added the tape on the paper for more detail. Since the whole idea was already a lot I decided to just let the rest of the jacket be a solid gray and the main focus is the map.
The pants are just the blood ocean as a whole. I figured having more plain pants with just the color would be best. Especially paired with such a detailed jacket.
4.) Hot Image Mug: So I'm not sure if these types of mugs come in any color other than black (before the hot water gets added), but if it does I think it would be cool for it to be red (blood ocean). The image would be the iconic scene where Elli's picture is captured. The main reason why I wanted it to be a image mug was to have the effect of Elli appearing and disappearing just like how the X-ray works in the movie.
5.) Ita Bag: Ok so I'm mainly an ita bag designer so of course I have to design one of those.
*Ita bags have windows in them so that you can display merch safely. They usually house enamel pins, but you can put keychains, stickers, plushies and more.
I've designed one for the movie already, but that was way before I ever saw it. So the idea for this is the window. They made a big deal about it in the movie and the crack through the glass was such a prominent point. I've seen a slime ita bag that has this liquid in the window. I would want the same effect, but in red of course. The overall bag is a unique shape and the window is also the window of the bag. If the liquid effect can't be done then the insert will have both the "crack" and the blood on it. The back has the plant pendant as the zipper pull.
So that's all! I had a lot of fun designing these and I would love to know what y'all think! Any constructive criticisms and opinions are welcome. Also if you have any merch ideas I would love to hear about it. Please let me know which one is your favorite.
baratheonpilled
annaxmalina
blakekathryn
yousharknotpass
