British Columbia, Canada By david__barkman

The Trap

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PATREON // SHOP // YouTube // Instagram

Sequences from my finished animation. Inspired by a dog named Teacake.

The Kokol - or the Bid'ha "water boars"

These 1,400 lbs beasties are around 6ft at the shoulder and 8ft in length, and can be found up and down the main valley waterways - from lakes to rivers. They mostly scavenge at the bottom, using their sharp claws and powerful limbs to crush and push aside boulders for whatever critter is hiding under, but do actively hunt both in and out of water. So just because you managed to evade the first water ambush and made it to land doesn't mean the Kokol has given up the chase. And, since they live in medium sized family groups, it's often not just one of these on your tail.

They can be hunted and eaten, in turn, but their meat is tough and unpleasant in palate. Better than nothing, however.

I want to speak up about something important, not just for the person suffering in the center of this, but for all of us who love creating and engaging with art and writing. It’s deeply troubling to see an artist harassed simply for using long-established sci-fi design tropes, like a white suit or a cybernetic spine, especially since she was just having a good time in her own page without bothering anyone. These concepts are not proprietary elements. They’re part of a wide, rich creative language shared across decades of storytelling, from Ghost in the Shell to Alita, Mass Effect, The Matrix, and countless others. Suggesting someone "stole" an idea based on this kind of common imagery is not only unfair, it’s actively harmful to the spirit of artistic creation.

Let’s be clear, tropes like white futuristic suits, cybernetics, or cloning are not original concepts (much less the texture or color of a character's hair), they are building blocks. Policing who can use them and accusing others of theft over vague similarities only serves to create fear, exclusion, and hostility. This kind of gatekeeping has real consequences. It's exhausting and emotionally devastating for creators, especially for people who already have to deal with real life struggles. Turning this into a battleground over who’s "allowed" to have fun with an idea or a character concept is cruel. This artist provided receipts, showed that her character predates her joining the fandom, and yet the harassment continues. That’s not about plagiarism, it’s about control, and it needs to stop.

These spaces should be a place for creative freedom, connection, and play. When we start acting like gatekeepers of tropes or aesthetics, we lose sight of what makes these communities special. It's okay to share similar ideas. It’s okay to be inspired. It’s not okay to weaponize vague resemblance into public shaming campaigns.

Support each other. Let’s do better as creators.

Statement and realtalk:

I have to adress something open to you, something that is going on on bluesky atm.

It is one of the reasons why my chronic illnes is flairing bad up and noramlly I would not adress this on my blog, this blog is not about drama but I feel forced to do it:

(also I don't want you to harass anyone I mentioned in this post, I just want to view my side before they try to ruin my reputation even more. I want you guys just to know my side.)

I got accused of stealing the design form Ava from other artists, coz she has a white suit on and red curls. I proofed afterwards with a statement that she exsisted LONG before I joined the Avatar fandorm. But they don't stop talking openly about my name in bad manners, dragging my name to the mud. So here is my open statement I posted on bluesky already:

Just want to say: I see you, and I see your bullying behavior towards me. How you speak about me being evil while you call me a copycat and an entitled European. You step on me even though I just PROVED that my OC is not stolen. You never stop, even a person is already on the ground. You are evil. I'm not going to stop drawing a character in a white Lab coat just because these people don't like it. I can only advise you: if you see people publicly trashing other people, keep your distance from them. Don't support bullying. I didn't do anything wrong by having my character wear a white suit in a sci-fi franchise. It's a common trope in sci-fi, just like Ghost in the Cell and Alita: Battle Angel—just examples. Pinterest is full of such examples. So why shouldn't I have a character with a white suit? It's obvious in a sci-fi movie. Why can't my character have red curls to look like me? Is that forbidden now, too? Am I no longer allowed to have red curls?

Ava is a cloned human with a cybernetic spine. She doesn't even have a kuru. She's a test subject and won't have much to do with the suit once she's out of the lab. One of the core aspects of Avatar is the aspect of artificial bodies, so its also not really something only one group of people can claim, as their "IP". I hate to openly discuss this and address it. But I won't let the perpetrators continue to bully me. They'll just continue to show their true color by continuing to publicly drag my name through the mud. I suggest we just leave each other alone from now on. I'm working on my sick note, and she's working on hers. You two should just start behaving like adults again, not like 10-year-old elementary school bullies. My proof that I designed Ava before I joinded the fandom: bsky.app/profile/ritr... Her character sheet with more infors to her origin story outside of the Fandom: bsky.app/profile/ritr... I don't know what else to say, except that I want you to stop, because I'm not going to stop drawing Ava. Just leave me alone to enjoy myself. I've been warned by so many people independently of these people, and I always form my own opinion. But they've clearly shown me that it's true: they systematically exclude people, publicly drag their names through the mud, and bully them. This has to stop. I don't want anything more. And because my name was also publicly dropped, I'm now also publicly speaking out names: It's about the bullies: Celbizarro, kingsevil, hypodriive, mapiezaddy, sabasquatch I could drop more names, but I'll leave it at this point. These people are together on an Avatar AU Discord and are united against one person. It's an echo chamber of bullies, and I want people to understand that. I'm not going anywhere. I'm peaceful and just drawing a red-haired woman in a white suit. Inspired by many sci-fi universes out there. People need to understand that similar concepts that aren't even that original, like a simple white suit in a sci-fi universe, red curls, or a clone in an Avatar universe, don't necessarily mean that anything was stolen. No attempt was ever made to clarify this with me privately or to ask about it. Why do people embrace my idea of ​​painting cloned creatures and humans? Quite simply, because it seems to have been forbidden by a certain group, and you can't forbid something so simple. It's meant to prove a point. side note: I didn't encourage anyone to be inspired by my AU. These are just people who support my idea, and I'm not saying it's unique, but I'm not going around accusing everyone of stealing it either.

here again my screenshots, that I had ava since 2018 and designed her suit 2023:

(If you wonder about my screenshot. I have a German PC I had to translate it with Google lens so everyone can understand. So I added the original and the translated version. Also the created status is newer than the last edited, coz I moved all my files to a new storage. But edited means, when I worked on it the last time in my art program. Last acces is when you view a picture in big.)

I have more old pictures and artworks from her to prove my point. I never ment to steal anything and I never did. It looks similar coz Avas look is a common look in the sci-fi franchies.

Here is also pictures, that shows that I drew white suited characters quite a while already:

Its just a trope I really enjoyed already since ages.

And here my OWN design for an adapter for her cybenetic Spine:

Also more proof how old Ava my OC is already

Even with her new suit already:

The oldest pictures I have from her:

I joyined the Avatar fandom 10 month ago on tumblr and bluesky btw (my bluesky acc is older than that, but I was not active or part if the fandom.)

The thing is, I just want my peace and I want you guys see this before you hear their bully words from somewhere. I want you to know my side. I never wanted to do harm or have a fight. I am a chronic ill person and this blog is my safe space.

I just want to be in peace!

I blocked all these people above and just want them to let me alone. They don't need to like me, but they should stop dragging names from others through dirt. Thats the worst behavior and they call ME evil and I am just trying to defend myself and try to have fun. Nothing more than that.

I hope you are not mad about me, that I shared this openly on my blog this time and I hope its the last time I have to do that. What else can I do more than just proof that my OC Ava is an old OC of mine that I've now turned into an avatar AU to have a little fun with it. Without any ulterior motives, without stealing anything, because I didn't need it, I already had the design finished, yeas ago.

I hope this is enough for me to get some peace and that I finnaly can enjoy the fandom now and they let me do my own thing. I just want to have fun with you guys drawing about my characters and enjoying the fandom. Nothing more.

Thanks to everyone who read this long post till here. I know its silly that I was even presured to adress this childish behavior of these people. Stay save and happy.

Signfromeywa/ -> RiTroxart.

oh hell yeah salamander time I love salamanders and how they can't hunt :) i mean they can, but they mostly try :) this is Barro and Charco after their first rain of the spring, in Chiapas, Volcán tacaná! the bug right there is a Nucú, they are more of summer, but I wanted to add the nucú cause its very iconic! Thank you Lilith Vázquez for your help with Charco's cleanup!

I think it's safe to say that Dilla and Neytiri would not exactly get along, especially after Dilla and Caleb adopt Miles/Spider. Neytiri's attitude towards him would not be tolerated.

Dilla is already fiercely protective of children and the young. Messing with her own babies is throwing fuel on an already raging fire.

Kai is scared, but still trying to cover his brother 😭❤️

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