"You're sure you don't want to lean on me, darling?"
"I'm quite alright, exhaustion has never slowed me down. Just...give me...a moment......"
i wanted to do something simple and sweet for the last day! this is also me saying thank you to @arcana-echoes for hosting such a lovely event, it's so fun seeing the community come together. i had a lot of fun both participating and reading through some posts in my spare time. everyone is so cool!! i really wish i could have joined in on all the days but sadly i'm still battling thesis…definitely looking forward to next time 👀
more under the cut! i get ramble-y about his character + old art reveal
the original idea for this drawing was a redraw of my earliest art of chunyu and julian from like…a 2017/2018 arcana inktober event. but then it morphed into something of its own. i like to imagine this as a small post-credits scene you'd get long after their upright ending, after the unspoken problems in their bond are brought to light and they're able to turn over a new leaf :]
here's the original 2017/18 drawing! i can't believe they've stuck with me for almost 10 years </3 sorry for being sappy. i do genuinely hope the arcana community keeps on having more fun <3
extra: characters who inspired chunyu + more detailed descriptions because my handwriting here is TINY
sing from kung fu hustle: chunyu's overall character arc about false righteousness was inspired by him. in sing's case, it was more about finding the real strength within himself rather than the superficial machoman ideals he hid behind. chunyu starts out as a man who let notions of "destiny" get into his head—he believed that he was seizing life by fulfilling his duty, when in reality he's stuck in one place and he doesn't notice it until one day he didn't get what he want. he believes that he knows what's best for others, dancing on a very thin line between inflated self-importance and actually being a good leader for his hometown. you can't be a good leader when you shut everyone out in favor of your own judgement. also chunyu's overall character story has a lot to do with martial arts!
barnaby from tiger and bunny: seeking vengeance vs. embodying goodness. much like barnaby, chunyu spends his arc trying to avenge his family. the rage would have consumed him had it not been for The Power Of Friendship (and homoeroticism). additionally, barnaby puts on a idealized persona for the public and his heart wasn't truly in being a hero at first, just like chunyu and choosing which parts of himself he wants to display. that way he looks like he has everything under control while ignoring his issues. also just Look At Them
agnes tachyon from umamusume, specifically beginning of a new era: surpassing the limit and a detached view of their body, calling it "this body" instead of "my body." characters who are unhinged at first, but are genuinely passionate just like their peers. characters who love something so much they can't bear to part from it completely even if they leave it behind. for tachy it was running, and for chunyu it's ribbon dancing. similar to tachy in the movie, chunyu suffered a leg fracture that ultimately made him withdraw from the world of sports. he was 17 when it happened, afterwards he dedicated his years to preparing himself to take over the family business. the pain flares up when he's under emotional distress, which is why he's very health conscious
miranda from devil wears prada: The vibes. honestly. but also the way she knows what must be done to stay at the top. her tenacity, harsh efficiency, and overall meryl streep's performance were big inspirations for chunyu when i was revamping his character as a businessman!
louis from beastars: the text i wrote reads "ohmygod bruh the entire arc about reclaiming yourself and overcoming your prejudice and-" and honestly that's really all i have to say about the parallels between chunyu and louis. it's been a while since i finished the beastars manga but louis' character arc remains top tier for me. having his flawed worldview be challenged over and over again until he dismantled it, when the same worldview had been the one thing that kept him "safe" as a child who went through Horrors
herrscher of sentience from honkai impact 3rd: HONESTLY. THIS ONE IS PURE VIBES because she's been an inspiration for chunyu since around 2021. plus i use her trailer theme "domineer" as chunyu's theme
last two characters i didn't have space for in the chart was tai lung from kung fu panda and (reads notes) the yakuza franchise's general aura (i imagine chunyu's version of the julian route to have THRICE as many side quests and brawls)
long time no post!! i'm finally free from my thesis but i haven't been able to draw much because of revisions and also this is where i've been:
my little arcanalings living their island dreams...most of my screenshots are of julian
portia too! i think her and julian's facepaint hair turned out really well. (and i think she's subtly hinting that she wants the wrestling themed room)
there's also This Guy i suppose (/lh) i swear to god everytime these two have a chat it's always Something
and finally all of them together... (ft. @thepastaplace 's renley!!)
local man's oc x canon ship has been plaguing him since 2017, more at 9!!!
i had recently (around the start of january) finished replaying julian's route and it's just as exciting and yearnful as i remembered it...though...i did not remember the romance progressing so quickly 😭😭😭 it's probably because i first played it as a middleschooler. they really were doing All That in the first chapters. my goodness. so i'm making my own apprentice x julian more slowburn!!! with a huge chunk of codependency, as one does.
here, chunyu (my apprentice) follows julian's whims to bide time for his own ulterior motive: to betray julian in the end and sacrifice him to the devil. if all goes well. which it does not.
more yaps under the cut....
chunyu is the heir of a prominent silk and dyes company named "the pearl moth". he grew up under the pressure of his future leadership and very much started out with a "the end will justify the means" kind of mindset (original 2017 chunyu had a similar backstory, though i had made him to be in his mid-20s back then because middleschool me thought that was an experienced age to be. i was wrong. so now i aged him up because i thought it would do his character better, since it would mean he had stuck with those beliefs for much of his life)
the pearl moth fell from grace after the red plague hit chunyu's hometown, having been involved in the spread of the plague since they made and distributed crimson dyes made from plague beetles (and because of A Certain Blonde Man's frequent visits)
chunyu makes it his goal to restore his family legacy's honor through any means, with each idea becoming more and more desperate as he raced against time before finally resigning himself to a deal with the devil
at first, he wanted nothing to do with the devorak case due to his distrust towards physicians, but then it clicked to him that. wait i can use this guy as my pawn later
i like to imagine that their route would center on their morals/beliefs being constantly challenged by the world or one another and chunyu questioning if he is truly fit for leadership. okay i think that's all i have to yap about for now....have this rough matching cg i made for these two doofuses
(fun fact chunyu only has one hand on the bars to symbolize his lack of true commitment towards julian while julian has both hands on the bars because. well. he's dramatic /silly his unhealthy devotion to the mc which was still based on him indulging in his self-sacrificial tendencies)
i must yap about my arcanalings but thesis holds me back release me. everytime i read about other apprentices i must pace my cage bc its inspiring UNHAND ME I MUST SPEAK ABOUT MY 41 YEAR OLD BUSINESSMAN
ohmygawd i've been away for a hot minute. thesis is currently blocking me from brainrotting about my blorbos...but i do have an idea for a Very Belated Birthday Piece for julian💆💆💆 better late than never!!! we shall see.....
i so badly want to fill out those apprentice asks/prompts when i have the time bc i have A Lot to say about chunyu 💆💆💆💆💆 i wanna do a proper trivia post of him!!!
if anyone has their own favorite asks list/apprentice prompts do tell 👀
(sounds of a tin can rolling around in an empty room)
hi...this pinned post will serve as my intro of sorts and a directory for my personal tags🤸♂️
☆ i'm martin but i also go by tin or mars (he/him)
☆ adult
☆ based in 🇮🇩
☆ i really like yapping about my interests whenever i feel like it!! i made this sideblog as to not clog my main (@kappaology)...i think this sideblog will mostly include me yapping/sharing art of my OCs, OC x Canon, and whatnot. not too sure if that will stay the same. but we'll see
☆ multifandom. the variety/intensity of my interests wax and wane like a weird moon. but as of right now i've been really into the arcana!! julian devorak still has a grip on me even after all these years.
☆ i'm also quite fond of the matter of france, specifically works about roland, because of A Knight from the hit game Reverse 1999
