#I'll continue working and refining later

[uphillsky]

Dark Tongue (Warhammer Fantasy and 40,000)

This post isn't perfect, but I'm going to split it into several sections: confirmed, and speculation. This is going to be entirely within the frame of anglicanised spelling, as my conversion of the actual guide to IPA hit a brick wall when my writing software *checks notes* doesn't let me tell it to use a unicode-compliant font.

That all being said, here goes!

OUTRIGHT STATED

Dark Tongue is a phonetic language with many root terms, which uses a mix of specific terms whose origins can be traced to said root words, and complex compound words. Some of those roots are given by my source, the 1988 and 1990 Realm of Chaos sourcebooks for WHFB, WFRP, and WH40K.

Khaos: Chaos / the sea of souls / magic power

Phaos: Psychic essence / soul / will

Dhaos: Psychic Entity / spirit / daemon / power

Tzeen: (the will to) Change

Nurgh: (the will to) live / defy decay

Slaa: (the will to) feel/sense

Khar: (the will to) dominate

Leth/Neth: Lord, master, ruler, source (of)

Kharneth, “Lord of Domination”, Lord/Master/Ruler/Source of the will to Dominate

Slaaneth, “Lord of Sensation“, Lord/Master/Ruler/Source of the will to feel and sense

Nurgleth, “Lord of Decay”, Lord/Master/Ruler/Source of the will to live and to defy decay

Tzeeneth, “Lord of Change”, Lord/Master/Ruler/Source of the will to change

The following are all coloured varients of Magic, that stem from the raw energy of Chaos, and as such while they are root terms for many colours they also have significant culture placed behind them.

Hysh: White / Light / Banishment of Magic/Daemons

Chamon: Yellow/Gold/Metal

Ghyran: Green/Jade/Life [used in all Nurghleth daemon names]

Azyr: Blue/Celestial

Ulgu: Grey/Shadow

Shyish: Pink/Purple/Amethyst/Death

Aqshy: Red/Bright/Blood/Fire

Ghur: Amber/Brown/Beasts

Dhar: Black / Dark / Raw Magic

Qhaysh: All Colours / Rainbow

Now we have the example words given that stem from one these root words:

Aqshy'y: Bronze/Brass

Aqsh: Red

Akhash: Blood

Akh: Battle/Bloodshed/ To slay in battle

Aksha: Battleaxe

Ksy: Key/Solution

Iakash: Lock/Obstacle

Akhshami: Secret (seems to combine Seek and Guardian: guarded from seeking?)

Aksho: To seek

Akhamshy'y: Slayers/Warriors

Akami: Guardians - may include connotations of order?

From now on, we have all of my extrapolation from the terms for various daemons. Be aware this is very incomplete and likely outright incorrect in some places, as my stumbling point occured during major reworking - this is only a first version of what I have.

Q': Common prefix for Slaaneth daemons?

Q'tlahs(i): Common prefix for sentient daemons of Slaanesh?

Itsu: Decadence?

Issho: To Keep?

Ythliss: Unknown, relates to Fiends of Slaanesh

Akaoz: Chaotic/Berserker/Frenzy?

A'a: Beast, connotations of blood? Akh'h: unknown, related to slaying in battle / Battle / Bloodshed, sole indicator of Steed of Khorne - diminutive of battle/bloodshed/slay in battle?

Thashi'i: unknown, sole indicator if Steed of Slaanesh - diminutive of something? lick/lash/whip?

Bahk: Unknown, relates to Great Unclean Ones

Ghuranhi: Unknown, relates to Great Unclean Ones, relates to life?

Aghkam(i): Unknown, relates to Great Unclean Ones and Plaguebearers, relates to guardians? possible relation: creating order?

Ghran'ngi: Unknown, relates to Plaguebearers, root word involves Life?

Gurani'i: Unknown, relates to Nurglings, possibly diminutive, root word is related to life, possibly diminutive of Ghuranhi?

Khan: Unknwon, relates to Nurglings, root word is Khar/Akh???

Gu: Unknown, relates to Beasts of Nurgle, possibly relates to Ulgu? RELATES TO GHUR AS IN BROWN OR BEAST

Nagh: Unknown, relates to Beasts of Nurgle, no known root - possibly relates to decay?

Chi: Unknown, relates to Lords of Change

Khami: Unknown - contraction of akhami? Relates to Lords of Change, possibly relates to Chaos and Magic Power

Tzann: Unknown - Tzeentch? Relates to Lords of Change, potentially Relates To Change?

Kchami'i: Unknown - diminutive of Khami? Little magic? Magicling?

Tsani: Servant of Change

K': Common appellation before non-sentient beasts of Tzeentch

Chamu: Unknown - root is Khaos, relates to Flamers of Tzeentch

Echi: Unknown - relates to Discs of Tzeentch

Tsonae: Unknown - relates to Discs of Tzeentch

Q'tlahs'itsu'aksho: Daemonette / Children of Slaanesh / Debauched Ones / Bringers of Joyous Degredation / Seekers of Decadence / Givers of Indescribable Delight, Name translates to: (Daemon of Slaanesh)(Sentient Daemon of Slaanesh)(unknown - Decadence?)(Seek)

Q'tlahsi'issho'akshami: Keeper of Secrets / Slayers of Slaanesh / Despoilers of the Flesh / Feasters of Pain / Great Horned Ones / Base Ones, Name translates to: (Daemon of Slaanesh)(Sentient daemon of slaanesh)(unknown - Keeps?)(Secret [Seek/Guardian: guarded from seeking?])

Q'qha'shy'ythlis: Fiend / Beasts of Slaanesh / Rams of Slaanesh / Bestials / Unholy Ones, meaning: (Daemon of Slaanesh)(Rainbow?)(Purple/Death?)(unknown)

Q'qha'thashi'i: Steed of Slaanesh / Flesh Licker / Degraded One / Tongue Lasher of Slaanesh / Whips of Slaanesh, Meaning: (Daemon of Slaanesh)(Rainbow?)(Unknown)

Khak'akaoz'khyshk'akami: Bloodthirsters / Fists of Khorne / Deathbringers of Khorne / Drinkers of Blood / Blooded Ones / Lords of Skulls / Guardians of the Throne / Eaters of Gore and Flesh / High-Handed Slayers, Meaning: (Khorne)(unknown - chaos?)(unknown - white/light? HYSH IS USED TO BANISH DAEMONS, IT RELATES TO THEIR ROLE IN SLAYING MAGES)(Guardians)

Khak'akamshy'y: Bloodletters / Khorne's Chosen / Takers of Skulls / Teeth of Death / Horned Ones / Naked Slayers, meaning: (Khorne)(Slayers/Warriors)

Kha'a'a Khak'hyshk: Flesh Hounds / Beasts of Khorne / Hunters of Blood / Flesh-Renders / Inevitable Ones, Meaning: (Khorne)(unknown - a'a may mean beast? connotations of blood?) (dominate?)(unknown - white/light? HYSH IS USED TO BANISH DAEMONS, IT RELATES TO THEIR ROLE IN SLAYING MAGES)

Kha'a'a Akh'h: Juggernauts / Blood/Soul Crushers / Juggers / Feet of Khorne / Blights of Khorne, Meaning: (Khorne)(unknown - a'a may mean beast? connotations of blood?) (unknown, related to slaying in battle / Battle / Bloodshed?)

Bahk'ghuranhi'aghkami: Great Unclean One / Fly Master / Plague Lord / Stench Lord / Nurgle / Father Nurgle, meaning: (Unknown)(Unknown - relates to Life?)(Unknown - relates to Guardians?)

Aghkam'ghran'ngi: Plaguebearers / Tainted Ones / Maggotkin / Rotbearers / Nurgle's Tallymen, meaning: (Unknown - relates to Guardians?)(Unknown - root word is life?)(Unknown)

Khan'gurani'i: Nurglings / Pus Spores / Mites of Nurgle, meaning: (Unknown - relates to domination / khorne or bloodshed???)(Unknown, relates to Great Unclean Ones?)

Gu'nagh'ghyran: Beast of Nurgle / Slime Hound / Nurgle's Lapdogs, meaning: (Unknown - possibly relates to ghur as in magic of beasts or brown)(Unknown - possibly relates to decay?)(Chaos magic of Life / Green / Jade)

Chi'khami'tzann Tsunoi: Lords of Change / Eyes of Tzeentch / Feathered Lords, meaning: (Unknown)(Unknown - contraction of Guardians?)(Unknown - appears Tzeentch related) (Unknown)

Tsani'kchami'i: Horrors, meaning: (Servant of Change)(Unknown - connected to khami?)

K' Chanu'tsani'i: Flamers / Burning Horrors, meaning: (non-sentient beast of tzeentch)(Unknown - root is Khaos)(Diminutive of Servant Of Change)

K'echi'tsonae: Discs / Sky-Sharks of Tzeentch, meaning: (non-sentient beast of tzeentch)(unknown)(unknown)

With that, we are at the end of all the terms I can extract easily from the book, with my next planned stage being to convert the phonetic runes of Dark Tongue written language to IPA, and then convert what we have from this into them and see how that changes them! That being said, I did this in a burst of hyperfixation over the course of three days, and have other things I need to get done this weekend lol. Thanks for the suggestions from the people who reached out to me about my research into IPA, sorry I couldn't apply it yet lol

#me #conlang #warhammer fantasy #warhammer 40k #chaos #dark tongue #I'll continue working and refining later #but I need to take a break lol

[within-your-eyes-if]

A Few Updates

Hello everyone!

I have some exciting news and a few thoughts I want to share. Another long update, I'm sorry!

Codex Update: As you know, I've been working on updating the Codex. I've put a lot of thought into each entry, balancing new ideas with existing lore. While a lot of elements were already established, delving deeper into some topics has inspired some new ideas, and I want to ensure everything fits seamlessly. With this in mind, I'm considering releasing what I have so far while I continue to ponder over some of these newer concepts and refine older ones. In the next few days, I'll be going through more feedback to address some issues found before I plan to release the update.

New Story: I'm excited to share I've released a prologue and first chapter for From Here to Again! Writing something different is meant to help me grow as a writer and expand upon things I might not have considered before, especially when writing Twine.

I will not be making a Tumblr for this story right now, sorry!

I know I've shared other stories that I planned, and here are some updates on those:

Nautical Lost would definitely benefit from a later release as Within Your Eyes grows, as this story will expand upon the world lore and some events that will happen.

The Innkeeper (a working title), I decided to hold off on because I'm terrible at management games, it seems. It was meant to be a fun little story with shenanigans. However, I do want to revisit the idea later.

Short Stories: I've expressed I want to make some short stories, but I feel like there's a point in WYE I want to pass first before getting into them. But I do have one I'm working on that I want to release alongside Part Two that delves into the past.

Worries About Burnout: I know some of you are/might be worried about burnout, but I feel like I have a good system for myself. Writing is a journey I haven't explored much before. I did write, but it's something I didn't think I was good at because, honestly, I was told I wasn't. I know I'm not the greatest, but I want to grow and learn as a writer. I've been taking breaks to focus on other things I enjoy, even if it's still writing out ideas for other stories.

I appreciate all of the concern in this regard, not just for my well-being, but also for the love of my story. To see it abandoned would be heartbreaking not just for my readers, but for me as well. 'Within Your Eyes' has been an idea long in the making, shifting and growing. It's something I've always wanted to share, and I'm so happy I have!

Time for Questions: I'm ready to start answering some of your questions regarding Part One. Enough time has passed, I believe, to start delving into these. To respect those who haven't caught up yet, I'll include any spoilers under a 'Read More' tag. However, be mindful that some questions themselves might contain spoilers.

Regarding certain asks/scenarios, I think that discovering the answers through the story rather than in a post might be more rewarding. While I may still respond to these, I'll be thoughtful about placing them under a 'Read More' tag as well.

Regardless, I've been thinking more about how I should approach questions, not only in a way that's satisfying to you, but also benefits the story.

Closing Thoughts: Sorry again for the long update. I've been very reflective after releasing a second story, and I hope no one sees this as me diverting from WYE. I'm grateful for every one of you and for all of your words of encouragement and love. I hope you enjoy From Here to Again (if you decide to check it out) and continue to look forward to our Warden's journey.

Thank you!

#within your eyes if #wye progress update

[foundry-fabrications]

Hey folks! Been sitting on this one for two weeks, done and ready, not wanting to release so close to the Behemoths and just reveling in the fact that for once I have a small stockpile of brews that are done/close to done. It's nice to take a break and not worry about what's next.

Anyway, this is a complete rework of my Transformation Cog item I did a few years back. For those not familiar with the source material or just need a refresher, the Transformation Cog, or T-Cog, is from Transformers and is the organ that allows a Cybertronian to transform into (and scan in later continuities) an alternate mode.

The original version was a reworked version of the Druid's Wildshape feature, with a focus on beast forms rather than vehicular ones. This time, I've gone the other direction and made various types of vehicular alt mode, each for a different purpose and giving you related benefits. A focus of this new version was, as with most of my reworks, refinement of the old idea and simplifying its mechanics to be easier to use. I think I've accomplished that goal, but we'll see how she plays.

I pulled a lot from the Shifter race from Ebberon, as well as the official Transformers RPG by Renegade Games, which is a pretty robust RPG in its own right, though a touch complicated for my tastes (maybe worth a System Spotlight in the future). Eventually, I would love to use this new version as a base for a beast mode T-Cog, and make a Cybertronian lineage that incorporates perhaps an even more simplified version of what I have now. Something to think about.

Anyway, that's it from me, hope y'all like the update! Stay safe, don't forget to love each other, and I'll see you next time.

Enjoy my work? Consider supporting me on Patreon! Patrons gain access to high quality PDFs for all of my content, weekly updates, early access, and more!

#DnD 5e #homebrew #transformers #cybertronian #transformation cog #t-cog #magic item #magical items #conversion #Dungeons and Dragons #hasbro #the transformers #5th edition #dnd #5e #dnd 5e homebrew #5e dnd #dnd homebrew #cybertronians #cybertron #wotc #wizards of the coast #tabletop #Tabletop Games #Tabletop RPG #tabletop roleplaying #ttrpg

[flamerunn3r]

Sorry this is unfinished but I need to post these now just bc idfk when i'm gonna actually finish the rest realistically. Idk it will happen eventually. For now heres the great p5u ramblings post detailing my thoughts designs

This is my own personal interpretations but is also somewhat speculative in nature. I'm mostly trying to deal in already established characterizations and epilogue set ups but there might be stuff I've missed or forgotten (i also haven't played dancing yet sorry if there's something in there I hadn't accounted for). This is kind of like if I took the creative reigns on the story where I'd continue for it. Only the investigation team for now (and 2 boss characters I have an idea for) but maybe I'll do the shadow ops at some point. Only 4 characters for now but I'll reblog with additions when I finish the rest or if I edit any of these

Yu Narukami

He's currently attending school as a journalism student in the city or just starting out as one. Enthusiastic about his field but still tries to find the time to keep up with his friends and visit Inaba on his holidays. I felt journalism made alot of sense for him with the themes of persona 4. I liked the sport jacket and turtleneck but wanted soemthing different so the scarf was chosen to keep the same kind of silhouette. I made the collar on the winter coat large and I feel like Narukami's large uniform collar is a key part of his design. and I wanted to call back to that in his casual outfit. The summer outfit I mostly kept close to his summer outfit from p4. I'm kind of unsure on it though I might come back to it. I mostly wanted to keep his outfits smart and simple. For his meta verse outfit I really wanted to go all out with the bancho (kingpin) stuff and other delinquent tropes. I lengthened the uniform coat a little because I wanted it to look like a tokko-fuku. Alot of smaller detail inspiration was taken from Izanagi. The lenses in the mask are supposed to mimic glasses. I'd imagine he'd take off the mask the same way he throws off his glasses in myriad truths.

Teddie

I can't imagine him leaving Inaba and the TV world behind. Still staying in town and working largely the same job. He's got his own place now albeit small (still a step up from the closet though). At some point the IT asked Mitsuru to pull some strings so he actually has a legal personhood now. The animal hoodie is something that came to me spontaneously but I knew I needed to include it. I really that his normal outfit in 4 keeps the white and red of the bear costume in the outfit so I tried to keep the colour scheme here too. Most of his later outfits are less flashy and more casual so I tried to continue that trend. I didn't want to lose the rose from the corsage completely so I included a rose pattern in the second shirt. Alot of his outfits feature light blue so I wanted that in at least one outfit. I considered making the hoodie light blue initially. I don't think he'd have a metaverse outfit he'd just use the bear costume.

Naoto Shirogane

I'm under the assumption Naoto is still presenting masculinely to the general public as of p5 but I may be mistaken in this. If I'm wrong I'd still probably largely keep the outfits similar to this. Naoto's still working as a detective and I don't think that's ever really going to change. One thing that a hypothetical p5u would have to address is what Naoto and the shadow ops would have been doing during the events of persona 5 and I unfortunately do not have any ideas for what that would be at the moment.

I feel alot of the appeal of Naoto's design is the kind of boy detective fashion. I went at this design with the intention of kind of refining that into something a little more adult while still keeping in a similar vein. I did have to ditch the pageboy hat unfortunately as I felt it made them look too young. These outfits were kind of design as pseudo work clothes which is why I tried to make them a bit more formal then the other characters. Something I consider notable about Naoto's design but deliberately avoided here was the rolled up pant legs. It's very obvious in 4 it's done because Naoto is short but I feel like Naoto would start getting that either custom made or tailored to fit. I was initially going to forgo the blazer on the summer outfit but the design felt empty without it. Naoto having a noir detective themed metaverse outfit is an idea I'd had for years but I tried to incorporate design elements that were princely. I alot of the inspiration was from Sam Spade specifically. Deliberately made similarities to Akechi's white crow design. The band around the hat is supposed to invoke the similar one on the old page boy hat.

Yukiko Amagi

Still working at her families in but is taking online courses during the off seasons. She's mostly happy where she is but is keeping her options open. Occasionally makes visits to other ryokans out of town for ideas for her families own inn, as well as an opportunity to for her to sight see.

The headband was included in her design in p4 as a like retro design thing but I find it too important of a marker of her design to remove it. I understand the why they went with the hairstyle they did for her golden epilogue but I feel it just ends up making her look way older then she is. I thought her having her hair up would be a nice change since she does it so rarely and settled on a ponytail. Tried changing the bangs but the ones she already had just felt right. I wanted her clothes to carry this kind of air of sophistication so I tried to keep them relatively simple and sleek. She's wearing pants in the winter outfit but I chose the longer coat to keep a similar skirt silhouette. The choker was largely inspired by the scarf she has in her winter outfit. Despite being a different colour the cardigan was also chosen to tie back somewhat to the sweater she wears with her school uniform.

In some side material it's mentioned that Yukiko has an interest in western fashion and aesthetics (part of what made the castle manifest the way it did) and I wanted to lean on that in some way for her metaverse design. I ended up going with a masquerade ball theme. I tried to keep the dress to something simple and easy to move in. The gloves and boots take inspiration from her persona in terms of design and size. I wanted to incorporate elements from her work kimono as well hence the ribbon around the torso and flower patterning. Probably the most unsure of this one of the metaverse designs so far. Especially the colours (considered making the reds pinks initially). Might revisit this one.

Ok that's all I have for now I'll probably do Rise's next 👍👍👍

#sorry these are of wildly varying quality i did them at completely disconnected times #i guess feel free to critique my ideas if you want but be nice pleaseeeeee #persona 4 #fine this can go in the main tags #also this took like 3 days to type up. i just proofread it but if theres something that makes no sense then oops my bad #ul

[antlerqueer]

hii, megan! I hope everything is going well for you. I was wondering if you'd be willing to share how you created the gifs and images overlay effect in this /post/727210103698259968/scott-pilgrim-2010-lgbtqcreators-bingo pretty set? Have a nice day.

I will do my best!

First and foremost shout out to @nelsonnicks Norah whose beautiful gif set here inspired me!

In order to make this as succinct but also thorough as possible, there are some assumptions this tutorial makes:

We are working in photoshop

You know how to make a gif using photoshop

You know how to use the timeline feature to make/edit gifs

Okay let's learn how to make this gif:

(Due to Tumblr's image number limitations, there is a PART TWO linked where I add that "item" and gif, which you can find by clicking this entire sentence.)

STEP ONE: The Image Overlay

Pick your image! Here's the one I've picked, I cropped a page of the graphic novel:

From there, I'm going to click on that magic wand tool:

And select subject (crudely circled for emphasis)

If it's not perfect, you can either use the quick selection tool to refine the selection before or continue on with these steps and use the eraser later. I do both, but it's up to you.

Now I have a lasso around the subject, and I'll click that "Select and Mask" button next to "Select Subject"

Now I can see what my lasso'd image looks like against a white background, and I see that it's pretty good, nothing I can't fix with an eraser if I really want to later.

If the image looks rougher than you were expecting, use the SMOOTH option and play around with that slider.

If it looks a bit more smooth than you wanted (not clear defined lines where you were aiming for clear defined lines) use the CONTRAST option and play with that.

And if you wanted a little more or less around the edges, you can use the SHIFT EDGE tool to grab like 1px-ish of additional space.

Anyway, I like what I've got, so I am gonna CLICK OK

And I'll either cut or copy it onto a new file, and throw away my scraps.

Now it's time to add my character details! I'll use the same format I did for the original set here, and create 3 equal-sized rectangles using this lovely shape tool tool:

So my working file now looks like this:

I move the rectangles closer, I'll want them behind the image of Ramona after but here's just what it looks like while I'm adjusting them.

Then I add the text:

Now, it looks like when I put the bars behind her it'll cut off her name! I don't want that, so I'll adjust the side of the bar for her name and scoot it over....

Nice!

Now I'll adjust those layers to be closer together and behind Ramona...

And this is what my screen looks like now!

It looks how I want it, so now I'm gonna merge all of the layers EXCEPT the background layer. This makes it so the part that's merged has a transparent background.

Highlight the layers, right click, and find the "Merge Layers" option

And now it looks like this:

Step one COMPLETE. Great job. Have you been drinking water? It helps you think clearer. Or something.

STEP TWO: Make the gif you want. Sorry I'm not doing this step-by-step it would be so long I'm sorry!!!

STEP THREE: Put Ramona on the gif!

So I just use the selection tool and make a square around my bestie Ramona here to create this:

And then paste her right on top of my gif here:

Woah! She's ginormous!

Let's resize her by hitting CTRL+T....

This is where we get a little creative. Personally? I think the font is legible, but doesn't look nice now that I've resized it. So I'm going to back to the original file and UNDO my last action (merging the files):

And hit CTRL + T on the Ramona layer (Layer 1 pictured) and adjust her size:

Time to merge these layers again, and redo the process:

MEGAN SHE'S LARGE AGAIN! I know, I'd rather work with big files I have to make smaller than small files I have to make bigger. Sue me.

Resize the layer, make any adjustments to the gif you have under it in terms of placement/size:

And WHEW we got this part done.

STEP FOUR: Add color overlay

I'm gonna make her color overlay blue like her cartoon hair, so I'll eyedrop tool her hair:

Go to Layer:

Add new, and then using a regular brush at like 5000px just click onto that new layer, and...

Bump that layer under your Ramona cut-out,

Go back to the layer drop-down menu, and select Blending options...

And this little menu will pop up:

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE PROPER LAYER SELECTED FOR THIS. Otherwise you're going to be very confused.

See where it says "Blend Mode" and it has a drop down under normal? For these purposes, I'm gonna use the drop down and select COLOR:

Now you can see that all-blue layer in the background now is showing the original gif behind it, but you know your original gif? "I know of it." It's all blueee. /ref

This is what it should look like:

Before I go any further, I'm going to check my timeline to make sure this is covering the WHOLE duration of the gif:

It does, so let's drag that bar on the right to line up with the end of the gif:

All fixed!

So now we've got this:

Oh man! See those white spaces between her arms? I'm gonna go back and fix those now, fortunately I can edit it directly on the full file itself, by just editing that layer.

Using my magic wand tool, I'm selecting those white spaces between her arms and her jacket and deleting them-

She's not perfect but you can always be nit-picky and zoom in really close and refine with the eraser.

PART TWO

#answered #Anonymous #usergif #userairi #usernorah #userbarrow #userhallie #usercats #tuserheidi #tutorial #gresource #gif tutorial #pscentral

[solarishashernoseinabook]

Yk, I was going to ask this in the comments, but then I thought, why not a nifty little ask?

Do you actually write all your stories by hand? And how does it work? Cuz personally I am always put off by the fact I like, don't write fast enough to be able to keep up with the sentences forming in my head, yk. And do you then retype the chapter after you've handwritten it? Genuinely curious as to why/if/.. you prefer doing it this way

I'm glad you asked! And I'm glad you asked as an ask, because this would be a weee bit long to go in a tumblr comment 😅

I handwrite most of my fics, yeah! Tho it's more of a hybrid model instead of strictly handwriting, then typing. I bounce between handwriting and typing based on if I'm having writer's block or not. If I get stuck when typing up a chapter, I save what I have, close down my computer, and pick up a notebook and start writing from the last point I remember. Not being able to refer back to what I've written previously means I'm not stuck agonising over it, and allows me to write more freely than if I was constantly going back to earlier paragraphs. If I get stuck when handwriting, I boot up my computer again and transcribe everything. Y'know that bit of writing advice that's like "if you have writer's block, your problem is actually half a page back"? Yeah, that's why I transcribe! The process of rereading my earlier writing lets me identify what's not working and how to fix it.

TRR2 is actually the first fic where the majority of it has been handwritten beforehand, because Angel bought me a gorgeous notebook to write it in (and he got me a second to continue with!). A good portion of every chapter so far has been handwritten, and some chapters were entirely handwritten before I transcribed them :D

Further reasons I like handwriting include...

...no longer worrying so much about making it "perfect", and letting a first draft just be a first draft Sometimes in the middle of writing a scene I'll realise it works better in another character's POV, or in another setting, or any number of things. Instead of going back and changing it, I make a note saying what the change is and then keep writing as though I've already made the change. That way it doesn't break up the flow of writing and I can continue on a roll! Similarly, if a line is wonky or weird, but I can't immediately think of a better one, I just write down the wonky line and continue. Without the ability to erase what I just wrote, I don't get bogged down making every line perfect, and usually when I go to transcribe it later I have a better idea of what to write

...it helps me be more considerate of my words Wait, isn't this a direct contradiction of what I just said? Let's pretend it isn't I also write slower than I type, which I find is a bonus! My brain keeps working on the words and scene while I write, and they can often end up more refined than if I was typing everything because I had more time to turn the words over in my brain. There's also just something about handwriting things that helps my brain remember them more

...it's way more versatile I can't type on phones - it's actively very uncomfortable for me (small hands yaaay). Unfortunately, this means if I'm not at a computer, typing anything more than a couple of sentences is a no-go. Notebooks are easy to carry, don't require an external power source, and I can easily curl up with them to write in the car, in bed, or outside (bonus: it's MUCH easier to see a notebook in direct sunlight than it is to try and make out words on a screen). It also means I can write at work without worrying about keystrokes being logged, people seeing what's on my screen, forgetting a USB, or - disaster of disasters - computers crashing and erasing my data

...purely autistic/aesthetic reasons :D Writing is a huge physical stim for me. Typing can be too depending on the keyboard I'm using, but writing with a pen on paper is remarkably calming in a way that very little else is. Also, notebooks pretty ❤

thanks for dealing with all that (and also giving me an excuse to ramble on for way too long :D)!

#asks #my writing

[dolly-macabre]

⚙️ 𝕶𝖑𝖔𝖐𝖙𝖔𝖇𝖊𝖗 𝕯𝖆𝖞 𝟏𝟔 ⚙️

ℑ𝔫 𝔐𝔢𝔪𝔬𝔯𝔦𝔲𝔪: ℌ𝔬𝔫𝔬𝔯 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔉𝔞𝔩𝔩𝔢𝔫

Memorial Services are hard! Have a fic about it!

In Memorium

"I don't think I can do this…" Dolly chokes back tears as her hands fiddle with the written speech in her lap. She's so nervous that she almost tears it.

"Hey, hey… Yer gonna do great, babe." Pickles attempts to reassure her, but nothing anyone says seems to be helping. It's just one of those things. 

You can't get around this, Twinkletits had told her. You need to go through it. She'd been repeating that affirmation in her head all morning, but how is she supposed to properly pay tribute to so many fallen?

She blames herself, of course. She was supposed to be coordinating the klokateers during that epic battle, but had gotten caught up buying time for the boys. She can still hear the screaming from her earpiece that day, loud and clear.

And Jess…

She'd made many friends along the way as she became a klokateer, but he was the one she held most dear. He was always there to patch her up or give her a kind pat on the back for a job well done.  Not being able to see him every day anymore was rough.

Charles had been kind enough to put off the memorial service until she could be a part of it. She was only just starting to get used to not laying in a hospital bed all day, so this whole event felt like too much for her. She peers around the room to get a feel for her audience. There were hardly any klokateers left to attend, and the ones that were there were very new or had been guarding Mordhaus during the battle.

Pickles can feel her tremors and nervous sweating. He watches as she reaches into her black studded clutch bag and pulls out an amber pill bottle.

"Hey, you uh sharin' that by any chance?" he whispers.

She hands him a couple bars of Xanax and gives him a stern look. She trusts him to keep it together, but the rest of them… 

"Oh! You handings out Xanxies????" Toki loudly chimes in.

"I want some, too!" Nathan wasn't nearly as loud as Toki, but Dolly had had enough. She whirled on them, hissing, "All of you shut the *RIFF* up! This is a formal event!"

"Yeah, in our church. That they built for usch. There'sch hardly anyone here! Don't be a schtingy asschole!" Murderface whines.

She realizes it's been some time since everything went down, but she didn't think it would be long enough that they'd act so negligent about it. Maybe it was just their way of coping? She'd have to ask Dr. John about that. 

"Here, just take it!" she hisses, throwing the bottle on the floor in front of their pew.

"Sahrry," Pickles bashfully says. "I shoulda just kept my mouth shut." 

"Don't worry about it," Dolly says, taking a deep breath to steady herself. "Soon I'll be flying and nothing'll matter. I'll give my little speech and go home to my bed and everything will be fine."

Charles takes the stage first, refined as ever. "Good evening, Dethklok family," he says. "I'm forlorn that we must meet under such devastating circumstances. We have gathered here to honor our fallen soldiers, the klokateers. Their sacrifice was not in vain, for we can stand here today, proud for all they have given us. Working tirelessly to meet the needs of their masters and staff alike–"

How am I supposed to follow him? This guy is like the king of public speaking… 

Dolly begins to fidget with her rings as a cold trickle of sweat runs down the middle of her back. She only glances up when Pickle's hand settles over hers. 

"Hey, yer shakin' pretty bad," he whispers. "It's okay if we gatta step out for a sec. Do ya wanna take a breather?" 

He tosses a nod at Charles, who nods in return. Charles continues on to cover for her. He's always been a great boss to her. She'd have to find a way to thank him later. Meanwhile, Pickles walks her out of the Blacklok church's sanctuary. 

Dolly had begun hyperventilating before they even made it out. She's so embarrassed. She's supposed to be Dethklok's fearless defender, for fuck's sake!

"Angel… I know this is sumthin' you really wanna do, but I hate ta see ya all worked up like this…"

"Just… gotta wait for the Xanax to kick in…" She shakily sits down on a nearby bench. 

Pickles kneels down before her, setting a hand on each shoulder as she wipes away her tears. 

"No one would think any less of ya, Dolls…"

"No! I– I need to… "

He lets out a sigh and sits next to her. He begins digging in the black tote bag he's started carrying everywhere. He pulls her dab pen from the bag, looking weary.

"I know yer supposed ta cut back on the smoking while your lungs heal up, but I think this might be a special circumstance. '' He hands her the vape, and she thankfully puffs at it a few times. Pickles always thought of everything; He's fully embraced his role as band mother. 

"There ya go," he says in that gentle tone he reserves just for her. "Yer gonna be fine. "

After about 10 minutes passes, Charles steps out of the sanctuary to check on them. 

"Dahlia," he says, "if you feel unwell, I'm more than happy to read your segment for you, but we can't delay this anymore. People are starting to become restless."

Dolly takes three deep breaths. "No," she replies. "I– I can do this." She makes her way back into the sanctuary, speech in hand, as others whisper and mumble. The aisle may as well have been a million miles long. Would this ever end?

She stands silent at the podium for a moment.  Pickles has made his way back to his seat, and he gives her a thumbs up along with Toki and Nathan, after some prodding. 

She lets out a soft sigh and sets her paper on the podium. Finally, she begins to speak. 

"My dear friends and family, I come before you with a heavy heart. Though right now that feels like an understatement. We all know life is unfair, but this incident has rattled us to our very core. The klokateers were more than just yes-men to answer our every beck and call. They were the very life blood of this company.  A lot–" She collects herself, keeping the sobbing at bay before continuing. "A lot of them I had grown so close to in my time as a klokateer and now when I see their posts empty, it feels as though my heart is being ripped from my chest. They were my family when the outside world had forsaken me. Life will never be the same now, no matter who we recruit, and no matter how much we build ourselves up going forward, but…" Her pause feels like it lasts for a century. "We will become stronger because of their sacrifice. We will overcome, for their sakes. Because that's what it comes down to when serving Dethklok. Death may always seem inevitable in this line of work, but they always put their best foot forward and kept going until they no longer could. And for that, I can't even begin to thank them enough for their service. The least we can do for them is to keep going no matter how hard life gets. For we are all gears in the wheel of the Klok, and we fear not our mortality!"

"That's my girl," Pickles whispers proudly to himself as the crowd respectfully applauds.

#kloktober2023 #mtl oc #dahlia birkett #dolly macabre #pickles the drummer #dethklok #charles offdensen #my mtl #dollym.writing

[quaddmgd]

Meet Misty

Since I rediscovered my love for Tekken, I'm back playing it regularly. In the post I mentioned about working on an OC and here's Misty!

Name: Misty Esprit

Age: 24 (T1) / 26 (T2) / 45 (T3) / 48 (T8)

Misty is a promising karateka from Phoenix, AZ, that was active during first two tournaments. The assassination of her dojo's master led her straight into the criminal underworld. After getting a lead on the culprit, she forged her invite to the first King of Iron Fist Tournament.

Misty fighting Marshall Law in Tekken 1

During the tournament she learned that it's Nina Williams who's allegedly responsible for her master's death, but she only got to talk to her two years later, in the second tournament to which she actually got a real invite this time. Their meeting ended up being an absolute mess - she witnessed Nina and her sister getting abducted to be put in a cryogenic sleep. Knowing she's dealing with something much bigger than she can handle, she decided to bail and stopped looking for revenge, instead trying to honor her master by leading the dojo and leaving the criminal life behind.

Misty fighting Kunimitsu in Tekken 2

Throughout her time at the tournaments she met and fell in love with Michelle Chang (she actually has a similar reason for getting into the tournament - their pasts helped them bond). They ended up living together. After a dozen years, during the search for Michelle pre-Tekken 3, along with many world renowned fighters Misty became a target for Ogre. She managed to survive the fight thanks to Julia's (her adoptive daughter) intervention. Due to her injuries she couldn't continue searching for her lover and left everything in her daughter's hands.

Michelle was found by Julia and brought back safe to Misty, but Misty still chose to not attend further tournaments to focus on her family and the dojo.

Obviously she's going to return to fighting, now more mature and experienced (being 48 years old at the time of Tekken 8 compared to 24 during Tekken 1). I'm still working on a reason for her to come back but she will, looking absolutely badass. Just look at her pics, her 40+ rendition is my favorite to play as.

Misty fighting her daughter in Tekken 8 for some reason

I always imagined her fighting style being fast and brutal and after playing a bit as Hitomi in Dead or Alive I realized karate was the style I was looking for, including most of the moves I was thinking about. Few days later I read a news article about Lidia coming back to Tekken and I remembered that she's a karateka as well! I instantly booted up Tekken 7 and started editing her, so she looks more like how I see Misty.

I think I did a great job capturing her in various parts of her life, even though Lidia herself looks very young. For Tekken 1 I went for a PS1 render look, especially with her hairstyle (hard to explain). Her Tekken 2 look is supposed to be a more refined, definitive version of her young self, while her present appearance is just being a badass mature woman with a lot of experience and a family (of fighters, nonetheless) to take care of.

I don't think I'm going to post about her a lot. Tekken 7 has no photo mode and shooting the pics for this post was a pain in the ass. As for Tekken 8, as I mentioned in a post I linked above, I'm not going to buy it until it gets all the content and a massive discount. Then, if I can still turn Lidia into Misty, I'll make use of the newly introduced photo mode and maybe add some more lore.

But I just like thinking about her and what she's like, whether it's when I'm working or just vibing - such was the case with Crimson as well! And as with Crimson - her background just came to me in an instant and I just rolled with it. I love when that happens.

#tekken #oc: misty #text.qd #screen.qd

[virgilisspidey]

Do you have any writing tips for beginners?

I'm sorta a beginner writer too lol, i do not follow any of the grammar rules when it comes to dialogues as you can tell because u didn't know those exist—

But i'll try my best!!

The only advice i could give that really helped me when i was clueless and just starting out (aka not knowing fanfiction existed) is having a notebook around you at all times. Or maybe a quick access to your notesapp on your phone, but i prefer a notebook but a notesapp works better.

Just write whenever you yet an idea in there and you can refine it later.

Like if you get a cool concept and have bad memory, write it down immediately. Even if the words don't make sense, as long as you have a general idea of what you want to write, write it down.

This one also helped me a lot woth writing.

If a chapter feels off or you don't know how to continue it, leave it for a few days and come back to it once you have a fresh pair of eyes. Or you can have other people read it to ask about their opinions.

You can see what's wrong with your work once you took a break instead of just continuing to stare at the screen.

And if it still feels off you can always restart, just make sure to save your first draft to compare and contrast as well as borrow ideas you like from the first one.

That's all i could really think of from the top of my head

I hope this helps!!

[rubykgrant]

Just thinking about my RVB character Poppy... I'll eventually get her in my story-line, there's just all the other plot stuff that needs to happen first. I do have some pictures of her, though! I can't draw armor to save my life, but hers would be white (with tan accents, styled a bit like Florida's during Project Freelancer). When I started absorbing RVB, my brain sparked several potential story concepts and characters... eventually, I refined what I wanted, and combined a few ideas into Poppy! She's going to be part of Red Team; for one thing, they almost never get new people (true, this is because their current members don't... die... as often as SOMEBODY, but still. even though Carolina isn't technically on either team, she and Wash kinda gravitated toward the Blues. The Reds "unofficially" have Doc, because he hangs out with Donut, and Grif caught Locus in the friendship net, but we need a REAL "New Red!"). For another, they've got exactly zero girls. Blue Team gets all the ladies (*finger-guns from Tucker*). Somebody needs to even this out. Finally, with white armor, the prophecy of Red Team being the lesbian flag has been fulfilled!

Her name was chosen because I wanted to use a flower, but not one I've named a character before. I was also re-watching Little Nemo, so I borrowed the name McCay

Some more info about her below~

Poppy didn't actually "join" the army. At least, not in a traditional sense. She was "selected" to be part of a "special training program", which turned out to be tricking poor and homeless people into working at dangerous outposts. When one area was getting attacked, a lot of the people running the show took escape ships for themselves. Poppy was able to find a set of armor, and now looking "official", she helped guide all the people who would have been abandoned to safety. When she got them all to a rescue ship, a soldier asked if she had been in charge of that outpost. She basically pretended that yes, she TOTALLY was the boss. Yep. Hired herself, and gave herself a promotion. Before she could back out or escape, she was congratulated for saving all those lives, and then thrown into a new "assignment". Whoops.

Poppy was later sent to a group of Red and Blue team Flag Zealots (during the Blood Gulch days, but they never interacted with anybody from there). She was supposed to evaluate their efficiency, and order more supplies as needed. The Blue Team contained Lou, Drew, and Hue. The Red Team was made up of Ted, Jed, and Fred. Obviously, they weren't very efficient at ALL, but were suprisingly endearing. Because Poppy wasn't technically on one side or the other, both teams decided she was off-limits when it came to fighting; nobody hurts Poppy! She's everybody's friend. At most, they would fight over who was her favorite~

Eventually, they ran out of ammo, and Poppy just... didn't order more. The fighting turned into more harmless pranks, and they perhaps would have eventually reached a point of shared friendship if things had continued like that. Unfortunately, something terrible happened. It started when Poppy was injured saving the others from a mine they forgot they planted. She was hurt and knocked-out, but recovering. That wasn't the terrible thing; while she was out, Somebody from Temple's group came looking for new members. These Reds and Blues refused to join. They were killed, and when Poppy woke up, she was alone.

For a while, Poppy had to stay hidden and keep a low profile. A lot of stuff was happening in the background. By the time she got discovered by UNSC soldiers again, she was still recognized as part of the Flag Zealots (even though she literally DID NOT CARE ABOUT THE FLAGS), and Temple just tried to pull his big plan... so they decided this made her a criminal (ha! when she does something illegal, it's on purpose, and she's less annoying about it, thank you). Somebody at the UNSC thought the best thing to do with left over Flag Zealots was to use all their "devotion" for a different cause... which is INSIDIOUS AS HECK. The person called in to handle training these soldiers is somebody very LOYAL and PASSIONATE, the Reddest Red to ever Red; Sarge.

At first, Sarge is very happy to be back in his comfort-zone. However, well... he might always be seeing red, but he doesn't quite have the rose-colored glasses when looking at the military that he used to. In particular, when he hears about the life of one particular trouble-making smart-mouth named Poppy, it reminds him of the people he's been spending the last couple of decades with. The way the military chewed them up, spit them out, and told them it was a good idea to take other people down with them. Papa Warcrimes has some things to think about!

One thing he knows for sure, he's adopting this little firecracker! Although she's introduced to the Reds (and the rest of the group) through Sarge, once she's in there, Poppy is meant to sort of mirror Simmons. Just like the Reds rarely get new people, Simmons rarely gets new friends. She has things in common with him, like rattling off random trivia she knows, and she's also very different from him. The fact that Sarge likes her, and she's a nerd, SHOULD make Simmons hate her guts, and he was about ready for that... but after one conversation with her, he internally just clicked with her- "Oh, sibling? Sibling!". This is extra symbolic, because the one who killed her Reds and Blues was, in fact, Gene. Poppy really doesn't care for him very muchly, but she likes Simmons a lot, and that makes him very happy (she DOESN'T think he's the same as Gene? She LIKES all his nonsense nerd chatter? SIBLING!). Also, she and Simmons are trans in opposite directions~

Some of my favorite little lines I have for her-

(after being ordered to inspect a dark area in the woods) "I'm not going in there. It looks like the Blair Witch is in there!"

(somebody rudely tells her what to do) "Hey, how about you try asking me again, but this time, get that tone out of your mouth when you talk to me~" *sarcastically cheerful*

#red vs blue #rvb #rvb oc

[vitospaghetta]

Hello~

Hopefully this isn't an out of the place question but i'll keep it on point

Do you think Remake is taking a different approach to the RE as a whole but also specifically Leon's character? While not entirely different from the OG and retaining some aspects he's also more organic and refined than OG version.

Which makes me wonder now just how much ground CGI movies will hold to this new approach given that they were always intended to run along the OG. That and what RE4R producer has said about things being different this time around. In any case, would love to know what you think about this, if you've got time to spare :)

It's not an out of place question at all, no worries!! It's been a while since I've posted any sort of character analyses on tumblr and I've missed talking about silly fictional guy stuff with other folks here so it's definitely welcome!

I absolutely think that Capcom is taking a different approach to RE as a whole and with Leon's character in the remakes for the same reason. Like you said, at his core, remake Leon still feels like Leon. However, his character is being approached from a more realistic perspective. We get glimpses of this in his later appearances (post OG RE4), where you can tell Capcom wanted to give him a bit more depth, but it was usually exactly that — a glimpse. I think the CGI films definitely made up for a lot of what was lacking in the games.

Video games never really focused on character development back in the day. They were more gameplay-focused, with an emphasis on visual storytelling, not so much narrative-driven storytelling, and it wasn't often that you found games rife with realism. They were fictional works, and there wasn't much attempt at making them seem like anything other than that. However, as time has gone on, players came to appreciate deeper explorations of thematics and character development, which led to game developers striving for more and more realism. That's definitely the direction that Capcom is taking with the RE franchise moving forward, both with the primary timeline (as seen in RE7 and RE8) and the remakes.

I think Capcom is approaching the remakes as an opportunity to explore things that were always there, but never properly brought to light in the games' narratives, as well as an opportunity to make the narrative more cohesive and logical which is why some things deviate from the original games. Leon's struggles in RE4 remake are things we could all assume he's felt, but they're being approached from a modern perspective that is very much grounded in realism. He's not being written so much as a character that is highly fictionalized, but as close to being an authentic human being as possible.

Regarding the CGI movies, they're not going to hold up at all with the remakes, but that's okay given that they're not supposed to. The remakes don't supersede the original games, they just created a divergent timeline with a slightly different narrative. The events of the CGI movies can only be applied to the original games, as that is the continuity in which they exist. They are not canonical to the remakes.

#anon #reply #asks: leon

[shadowsong26fic]

Coming Attractions!

Yes, I'm aware it's Tuesday not Monday but shhhhh XD

Just a quick one this month. Not even going to split it up by fandom as I usually do, just kinda blitz through.

So I ended up...essentially taking January off from writing, apart from a scattered few sentences here and there. Which on the one hand was probably good for me but on the other hand I'm behind on projects lol. Ah well.

Priorities for this month: 1. SWBB I'm picking up the project I had to step away from last year. Anakin was not found at age nine and never became a Jedi; we're handwaving that TPM ended roughly the same way anyway because Padme and Obi-Wan are very good at what they do and one of the other pilots got lucky on the droid control ship. Fast-forward to like a year and a half/two years into the Clone Wars, Ahsoka ends up briefly stranded on a planet that's neutral mostly because it's a black market hub. They click pretty quickly, hang out for a while, stumble into a Separatist plot to test a chemical weapon and blame a limnic eruption for the deaths, and Deal With It. Hondo and Bo-Katan are briefly involved because I said so XD 2. P&J We're getting to the part where Ari actually finds stuff out, lol. Getting to Europe and talking with other researchers, etc. There's some interesting stuff in Marseille, and Calais is important. And Ari and Phil continue to be cute in the background. 3. The Other Battlestar Baltar ends up on Pegasus; there's a bunch of stuff built up around the two OCs who fill the plotholes he left behind...I need to get more text down in general, lol. And also figure out how I want to structure it? Like...I do need to establish the new people (including a few on Pegasus, like the senior medical officer, a marine officer, there will also be a Four who gets pulled from the civilian fleet...) and also clarify why Baltar ends up in a different position (and why Helo doesn't because he and Athena still need to meet). And it would probably make the most sense to just go linearly and handle all the miniseries exposition in order. But then again would that actually be Interesting; or would it be better to pick up later and jump back and forth in time...yeah, you see my problem lol. 4. Acheron Javert Groundhog Day fic; looping the last 36ish hours of his life. (from right before he heads to the barricade to his death). 5. Maybe get back into Precipice or write some origfic if I have time/brain.

Longer-range projects: 1. Percussive Maintenance is still hanging out in my head, so I'm tentatively planning on that for GBB (aka the one where the at least two concussions Sam gets during Downloaded unlock Enough of his memories) 2. Or maybe I'll jump back to The Blood of Angry Men, we'll see. (aka a Zarek character study; looking back on his life (and the allies/friends/tools that he's led to their deaths) from the night before his execution) 3. What I'm definitely not doing is any of the crossovers floating around in my head; either the Star Wars ones or the WoT ones. (the one I talked about the other night; and a fusion is actually sort of building in my head because of course it is. Mostly because of the Kara-as-Mat thing I pinged onto the other night; but also Baltar would be an interesting Logain; possibly Zarek as Taim? I think I'd leave Rand as Rand and just fill in the roles around him. Lee also lines up really well with Perrin...and since this would derail pretty early on I feel a little more Flexible about love interests/etc. lol. For reasons of Tuon, Moiraine, and Lan, mostly. Also Faile. Also I'd still want Caprica as a sul'dam, I think, but Logain doesn't have a canon love interest IIRC sooooo that's easier to sort out XD ...although now that I think about it, Athena as Nynaeve and Helo as Lan could work...) 4. Incinctus/other Castlevania things. 5. I'm doing pod_together again once signups open. I need to refine my fandoms list, haha. Not that I haven't had interesting times the last couple years, but it'd be nice to get matched based on something that Isn't a very secondary/tertiary fandom for me again. 6. AtLA may come floating back into my head enough to pick up some of the projects I wandered away from there, we'll see.

Not writing, strictly speaking, but there's some admin/modding stuff for this year's GBB that I should get a move on, especially since the event is moving to May-October, plus helping out with SWBB the way I do every year.

...yeah, that's pretty much where things stand. Hopefully I'll hit a nice groove this month!

What about you guys, what are you working on?

#coming attractions #miscellania

[flamerunn3r]

Ok making this as a new post bc I adjusted a couple of minor things on these. In the order I drew them in, heres the great p5u au design post finalized after working on these on and off for like 5 months

This is my own personal interpretations but is also somewhat speculative in nature. I'm mostly trying to use already established characterizations and arena epilogue set ups as a branching off point but there might be stuff I've missed or forgotten (i also haven't played dancing yet sorry if there's something in there I hadn't accounted for). This is kind of like if I took the creative reigns on the story where I'd continue with it. Only the investigation team for now but maybe I'll do the shadow ops at some point.

Yu Narukami

He's currently either attending school as a journalism student in the city or just starting out as one. Enthusiastic about his field but still tries to find the time to keep up with his friends and visit Inaba when he's free. I felt journalism made alot of sense for him with the themes of persona 4. I liked the sport jacket and turtleneck but wanted something different so the scarf was chosen to keep the same kind of silhouette. I made the collar on the winter coat large and I feel like Narukami's large uniform collar is a key part of his design. and I wanted to call back to that in his casual outfit. The summer outfit I kept close to his summer outfit from p4. I mostly wanted to keep his outfits smart and simple. For his meta verse outfit I really wanted to go all out with the bancho (kingpin) stuff and other delinquent tropes. I lengthened the uniform coat a little because I wanted it to look like a tokko-fuku. Alot of smaller detail inspiration was taken from Izanagi. The lenses in the mask are supposed to mimic glasses. I'd imagine he'd take off the mask the same way he throws off his glasses at the end of P4.

Teddie

I can't imagine him leaving Inaba and the TV world behind. Still staying in Inaba and working largely the same job. He's got his own place now albeit small (still a step up from the closet though). At some point the IT asked Mitsuru to pull some strings so he actually has a legal personhood now. The animal hoodie is something that came to me spontaneously but I knew I needed to include it. I really that his normal outfit in 4 keeps the white and red of the bear costume in the outfit so I tried to keep the colour scheme here too. Most of his later outfits are less flashy and more casual so I tried to continue that trend. I didn't want to lose the rose from the corsage completely so I included a rose pattern in the second shirt. Alot of his outfits feature light blue so I wanted to feature that. (I considered making the hoodie light blue initially) I don't think he'd have a metaverse outfit he'd just use the bear costume.

Naoto Shirogane

I'm under the assumption Naoto is still presenting masculinely to the general public as of p5 but I may be mistaken. (If I'm wrong I'd still probably largely keep the outfits largely similar to this.) Naoto's still working as a detective and I don't think that's ever really going to change. One thing that a hypothetical p5u would have to address is what Naoto and the shadow ops would have been doing during the events of persona 5 but I haven't worked that out yet

I feel alot of the appeal of Naoto's design is the kind of boy detective fashion. I went at this design with the intention of kind of refining that into something a little more adult while still keeping in a similar vein. I did have to ditch the pageboy hat unfortunately as I felt it made them look too young. These outfits were kind of designed as pseudo work clothes which is why I tried to make them a bit more formal. Something I consider notable about Naoto's design that I deliberately avoided here was the rolled up pant legs. It's very obvious in 4 it's done because Naoto is short but I feel like Naoto would start getting that either custom made or tailored to fit. I was initially going to forgo the blazer on the summer outfit but the design felt empty without it. Naoto having a noir detective themed metaverse outfit is an idea I'd had for years but I tried to incorporate design elements that were princely. I alot of the inspiration was from Sam Spade specifically. Deliberately made similarities to Akechi's white crow design. The band around the hat is supposed to invoke the similar one on the old page boy hat.

Yukiko Amagi

Still working at her families in but is taking online schooling during the less busy seasons. She's mostly happy where she is but is keeping her options open. Occasionally makes visits to other ryokans out of town for ideas for her families own inn, as well as an opportunity to for her to sight-see.

The headband was included in her design in p4 as a like retro design thing but I find it too important of a marker of her design to remove it. I understand the why they went with the hairstyle they did for her golden epilogue but I feel it just ends up making her look way older then she is. I thought her having her hair up would be a nice change since she does it so rarely and settled on a ponytail. Tried changing the bangs but the ones she already had just felt right. I wanted her clothes to carry this kind of air of sophistication so I tried to keep them relatively simple and sleek. She's wearing pants in the winter outfit but I chose the longer coat to keep a similar skirt silhouette. The choker was largely inspired by the scarf she has in her winter outfit. Despite being a different colour the cardigan was also chosen to tie back somewhat to the sweater she wears with her school uniform.

In some side material it's mentioned that Yukiko has an interest in western fashion and aesthetics (part of what made the castle manifest the way it did) and I wanted to lean on that in some way for her metaverse design. I ended up going with a masquerade ball theme. I tried to keep the dress to something simple and easy to move in. The gloves and boots take inspiration from her persona in terms of design and size. I wanted to incorporate elements from her work kimono as well hence the ribbon around the torso and flower patterning. Probably the most unsure of this one of the metaverse designs so far. Especially the colours (considered making the reds pinks initially). Might revisit this one.

Rise Kujikawa

Canonically still making music as an idol as of p5. She thankfully has a little more time to herself now then she did at the height of her popularity but shes still enjoying herself and her career.

I really liked her epilogue design having her hair down because it feels alot more relaxed. I feel she probably stop wearing the pigtails as regularly outside of work as time goes on. I went for a more casual relaxed style for her in for her general casual wear, but I still wanted a kind of cute vibe.

Wanted her to have two metaverse outfits mostly because I wanted her to have this little magical girl transformation thing when she fights. But I also think it kind of emphasizes her thing in arena with Himiko about having different sides of herself. Tried to keep them visually similar. General coloursheme of these were inspired by the album cover she has in p5 bc I really liked the kind of more mature vibe to it then weve been shown with her previous idol stuff.

Himiko kind of has this like emphasis on a lack of mobility with the mermaid dress so I ended up using this with Rise as well bc I thought it would be fitting for a navigator. I based the battle outfit mostly on her idol oufits from the anime and DaN. I was really unsure the direction to go with for the mask but I wanted it to be two-toned to emphasize the multiple faces thing again and I like what I ended up with.

Yosuke Hanamura

Studying in the city and struggling to juggle college and a part time job. I'm unsure on what he'd major in but he's paying his own way through college. He's working at either a Junes branch or a Triple Seven or something. I think he's rooming with someone in a rented apartment currently (either Narukami or someone outside the IT. Leaning towards the latter)

I'm trying to go for outfits that are like flashy but still pretty casual and I think I did an alright job. Darker colour pallete in his outfits here then the p4 ones but I think it works. The headphones being wireless was an immediate obvious design choice I thought of as a way to show the difference in time period (sounds weird to talk about it like that since its like 5 years difference but it is what it is/)

I went for this kind of tropey ninja/super hero thing with his metaverse outfit. The primarily black colour was something I also chose for this reason. The tools on the belt are also kind of typical in this regard. The headphones were something I felt was integral to his design so I had to include them. Charge suggested the googles as a mask idea and I think it works really well.

Kanji Tatsumi

Continuing the family business as well as expanding to sell his work online. Generally doing fairly well for himself, rightfully confident in his work. I feel like he's probably tried out a few things when it comes to his personal style before settling where he is now. Has gone back and forth quite a few times on his hair but eventually decided on keeping in black.

Going to be honest I sketched this out after Naoto's but ended up psyching myself out of working on it for a while. Anyway I went at this with this kind of idea of trying to like soften the though guy aspect of Kanji's appearance without losing them. I did try out a couple of other hairstyles but I couldn't come up with something else that felt right.

The Metaverse Design was initially going to have more samurai inspiration but it ended up only coming through with the mask in the end. Deliberately harkening back to his initial design with this but I feel like it's warrented because Kanji's fashion in 4 is as much a facade to keep people away as it is just his own personal taste.

Chie Satonaka

Still pursuing police work around the Yasoinaba area. I think all the IT are signed on with the Shadow Operatives in case of emergency but Chie is more actively involved with the Operatives then the rest of the IT as she actively asks and tries to be. Still talks to Akihiko fairly regularly as well (mostly exchanging texts).

Generally with her everyday outfits I mostly wanted to keep it sporty but relaxed. Deliberately made these a little less overtly feminine then her p4 outfits because I feel like she'd grow more confident in herself not being as feminine as her peers. Tried to keep an article of clothing the same between the two of these outfits to call back to the jersey she was wearing in 4. I considered having her not continue to dye her hair but I didn't feel like Chie once I changed her hair colour so it gets to stay the same.

Her metaverse outfit takes inspiration from kung fu uniforms, particularly the pants. The chest plate is styled after a hotoke dou albeit shortened. Charge also came up with the mask for this one; a blindfold to invoke the idea of a uber competent blinded martial artist, the fabric here is sheer though. The shoes on this design are not necessarily finalized as they are not technically part of the outfit. They are her weapons and would change as such like in the rpg.

Ok that's all for now. Glad to finally have this done

#persona 4 #ul #most of this text is copy pasted from the original post if you've seen that already #its late sorry if some of this doesn't read correctly. #feel free to leave asks as well if you want more like clarification or whatever #I do have like a loose plot for this but i didn't want to write it out rn #2023 #2024

[bluetomorrows]

The Top 10 of the '10s (Part 1)

Many moons ago I noticed something about my history of watched films on Letterboxd. There was a huge drop off in the amount of films I had seen pre-50s. I'd say it's normal to have seen more recent movies than older ones, but I didn't like just how sparse my viewing was of those earlier decades. So I set out on a mission to familiarize myself with every year I was missing. I decided to watch 5 of the most popular films from every year that ever had films. I finally finished the 10s today. The 1890s and 1900s are also very interesting, but the 10s are when the film industry really began to take off and movies took a form more recognizable to modern audiences. Maybe some other time I'll talk about my favourites from those more experimental decades, but today I wanna talk about my 10 favourite films from the decade where modern film was born.

10. The Rink (1916, dir. Charlie Chaplin)

The Rink is a comedy where Chaplin really gets to show his strength at creating gags that continue to build, and his surprisingly strong roller skating skills. By this point, the tramp character is really coming into his own and Chaplin continues to invent new and exciting ways for him to be stupid. The specificity in the action and choreography make this occasionally feel more like a Keaton short than a Chaplin one.

9. One A.M. (1916, dir. Charlie Chaplin)

One A.M. is an incredibly interesting short for Chaplin as it's just him performing by himself on one small set. He plays some guy who comes home piss drunk at One A.M. and struggles to navigate the foyer of his own home. It really speaks to Chaplin's talent as a performer that this is as consistently entertaining as it is. Maybe there's something just primordially funny about people failing at simple tasks, but he seems to squeeze every ounce of potential out of this setup. It feels like this guy is Sisyphus if he was crushed by the weight of his own stupidity. Great stuff.

8. Coney Island (1917, dir. Roscoe Arbuckle)

While he's now remembered as one of the "big three" silent comedians, Buster Keaton got his start acting in smaller roles in films by and starring Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, who was also funny in his own right. I would describe the plot here but it's pretty meandering and unfocused, all you need to know is Fatty is hiding around Coney Island. The plot being weak doesn't really matter in this kind of short, it's just a vehicle for gags which is all it needs to be. Adding a theme or moral to this through a more focused story would honestly bring the short down. There are some great gags here with Buster getting his girl stolen from him and Fatty crossdressing (something he apparently did a lot), as well as plenty of slapstick and humour derived from carnival games. It gets incredibly ridiculous and is not at all interested in being grounded or feeling real. This whole style is a nice change of pace compared to some other silent comedies that tried to be something they weren't. This is primarily interested in getting you to laugh, and it gets there in some quite impressive ways. Something I do want to note is that the original release of this movie has an extended ending which is super racist. Modern restorations use the later versions which cut this out, but it still exists and is pretty gross.

7. The Unchanging Sea (1910, dir. D.W. Griffith)

The Unchanging Sea is a much more emotional and subtle film than much of Griffith's later plot-focused work, however, the ways it stands out from the style he went on to refine in this decade is what makes it so interesting and memorable. It's really a film about longing and the quiet sadness and isolation women experienced in this time period. I've always maintained that despite him being behind on other groups (i.e. being a vile racist), Griffith's films were always much more feminist than his contemporaries. Perhaps his willingness to portray complex female characters with unique issues was a factor in his early success. For the women in The Unchanging Sea, the work of their husbands out on the open ocean transfers them to a liminal state, unable to tell if their lover and possibly only friend would return until the moment he did. The sea does not care for their sorrow and their concern, it's a force much greater and mysterious than any fight they could muster. The light plot here lets us sit in the anxiety of these women and understand the way that their experience of life is fundamentally limited by the circumstances they were born into. There isn't even any real way to protect each other, as the ways of love for a woman in this time and place are a force more powerful than their pleas for other women to stay alone and self-reliant. The Unchanging Sea is about how human connection is all we have yet for many it's a prison. It's a kind of story that was only possible by someone like D.W Griffith when he and film were in this more primordial state, more willing to experiment and craft experiences that differed from the stories pioneered by other mediums, and is a shining example of exactly why this period of film history is so worth returning to.

6. The Cook (1918, dir. Roscoe Arbuckle)

Don't worry, this post isn't all silent comedy shorts. But in said genre, The Cook stands above the rest. This one feels a bit more focused than Coney Island, I know I ranted about how a proper plot wasn't super important in that one, but it did still feel a bit too disconnected overall, where here there's a full funny throughline from beginning to end. Not a throughline that's really trying to say anything, just a method to build tension and add onto gags to make them the best they can be. There are a lot of setups that take quite a while to pay off, often with several gags in between them, as well as some gags that feel like Rube Goldberg machines. It's an impressive piece of work that clearly took a lot of planning and care to execute. It has workplace safety violations and a cute dog, what more do you want?

5. Dante's Inferno (1911, dir. Francesco Bertolini, Giuseppe de Liguoro, and Adolfo Padovan)

Dante's Inferno/L'Inferno is the oldest surviving feature film, and the first one ever produced in Italy. I hate to call a film "an experience" but it really applies here. The narrative simply consists of two guys wandering around hell for 70 minutes. It's just an excuse to look at some really gorgeous visuals. The sets and effects in this are gorgeous, and the film seems determined to keep outdoing itself in its scope and ambition. This is much more inspired by Meliés than the likes of Griffith. It's something you look at and take in like a painting. You really need to just appreciate the artistry and imagination. It doesn't work for everyone, I'd forgive you if you got bored, but for me, it's a wonderful and astounding piece of art, that exemplifies the facet of early film to portray sharp and impactful images.

I'm realizing now that I have much more to say about these films than I expected, even ones that didn't make it into the top 10. So I'll end this post here! Look forward to seeing the top 4 and a ton of honourable (and dishonourable) mentions.

#film #history #film history #list #buster keaton #keaton #chaplin #charlie chaplin

[maverickuk]

I'm proud to reveal a first peek at Gameminder

On my retro PCs I typically arrange my various games into groups of directories for specific genres (e.g action, shooter, strategy) however it can still be a bit fiddly scrolling through my games using various DOS commands.

Also when I come to launch a game, I often find that I'd not yet got it configured correctly or that there was a slight issue. For example, the sound effects not working.

All of these minor irritations got me thinking about creating a DOS based games launcher which would bypass these issues by creating a lightweight UI to browse my games and view information about them.

After a little research I decided to use Turbo Pascal 7 to create my launcher, using a combination of DOSBox and VSCode to provide a better IDE whilst compiling and testing in an emulated DOS environment.

I can imagine writing something like this on an actual retro PC in the Turbo Pascal being much more of a challenge! We've certainly been spoilt by using modern intuitive IDEs, large screens and other refinements.

One of the most complex challenges so far was working out how to launch a game without the launcher itself taking up too much memory. Thankfully some other skilled Pascal developers have already solved this issue by writing the current program to EMS or disk and leaving only a 2K stub in conventical RAM to manage the swap in and out of the launched executable.

The UI is modelled on an old DOS utility used to navigate, edit and execute files called PathMinder.

I first came across this on my Dad's XT PC he used at home for work. When I got a 286 EGA PC a few years later, I carried on using and enjoying it.

I know that XTree seemed to be a more popular utility that performed a similar function, however I always preferred PathMinder. To me it was the superior underdog. So I'm creating GameMinder as a kind of tribute.

What's left to do

I'm currently struggling with understanding how to work with arrays of records in Pascal. Unfortunately it seems to be a lot more fiddley than the modern languages that I'm used to!

Once that's out the way, I need to implement the scanning of the file system to find the files in each game directory that will hold information about that game. These will need to be manually maintained and will contain simple text meta data about each game.

With that in place it'll really just be continued refinement of the UI to offer features such as

Ordering of games (Name, release year, most popular)

Playtime statistics (How many times played each game, when last played)

Help (List keyboard commands)

Editor (Setup meta data for each game)

I'll also make the full source code available so that others can extend, improve or just learn from what I've done.

#dos gaming #xtree #pathminder #gameminder #turbo pascal

[ketchupkio]

Hi! I adore your art, it’s so beautiful, and was wondering how you draw heads/face shapes? No pressure to answer by the way. I just tend to struggle with getting the face shapes to look normal and was wondering how you start at least- again you don’t have to answer!

hi, thank you so much!! i use a pretty stylistic approach to faces (and my sketches are veeery rough lol) but it does have a base in knowing what structure is underneath the skin, so anatomy fundamentals will aaaalways help (and references if you're struggling with a pose). but with that said, i used Warriors as a guide for this and hopefully this answers your questions! everything under the cut.

Step 1

i start with a circle and the standard cross shape guidelines for the face on a layer with much lower opacity. the top of the circle is irrelevant and will get shaved down/refined later when i'm ready to do the hair, but i like having the full circle when i'm starting my sketch bc it just makes me feel better. if I'm trying to block out a full pose i'll usually sketch the jawline too, but i didn't this time. (note that if you're newer to drawing and not used to knowing where the face shapes go, you can use more lines! no shame in that, whatever works for you)

keeping in mind which side of the character's face will be more towards the viewer (primary side), i draw the basic shape of the eye first-- upper then lower lash line. repeat on the other side and adjust as needed by flipping your canvas, though i usually wait till later when i have more features on it to do the first flip and something looks wonky. i did a pretty decent job this time lol.

i usually use pretty short strokes when i draw because i use an ipad and i don't like to rest my hand on the screen. this was different when i used sai, i had a lot more continuous strokes then and rested my hand on the tablet, but the change in medium/program got me to do things differently. with smooth pens you're going to want to use longer strokes usually, but with fuzzier/textured pens i find you can get away with shorter pen strokes and just erasing.

Step 2

i add the irises and nose, then draw the beginning of the eyebrows and then go towards the outside of the face, indicated by the arrow. primary side first usually. the eyebrow closest to the nose should either touch or could hypothetically have a line touching the bridge. the length of the eyebrows is up to you, but usually natural eyebrows extend a little past the outer corner of the eye, so it just depends on your character. here i sketched the jawline too on the guideline layer. feel free to adjust proportions as needed.

Step 3

jawline! all my jawlines start with the same shapes, they just vary from sharper to rounder depending on the character. Wars has a slimmer, angular face with a strong jaw and chin, so his lines are usually pretty sharp and square. sometimes i put the jaw/neck/shoulders on a separate layer than the facial features, but it just depends. here they're on the same layer.

starting from the primary side, i draw one line down, then another line down on the secondary side. then i connect them to meet the chin, which should always fall in the middle of your face's centerline (or where you've put the centerline in your mind's eye bc my guidelines don't always stay accurate). i usually fiddle with the jaw a bit with the transform tools to make sure it's where i want it to be.

i've also added eyelid creases (the top, curved line is the approximate ridge for the eye socket, i just like doing that) but i'm not fussy about when i do that, i just did it here :shrug: imo eyelid creases help the viewer more clearly see the structure of the face and where things are supposed to be, but that's just the way i do it. and it's also to fill space lol

Step 4

mouth and ear(s)! i wait until after the jawline to draw the mouth just so i know how much room i have for the expression. if you're drawing a smile or something and you want it to be lopsided, the higher side should be your primary side, just trust me. when drawing the ears (or just singular ear in this case bc i wasn't feeling drawing a second one) i usually do SOOO MUCH warping and resizing. on a real person's face, the top of the ear lines up w the tail of the eyebrow and the bottom lines up w the tip of the nose. usually with my style, it ends up being the corner of the eye and the nose, but it's just depending on what looks right. poor wars' bad ear is on the primary side so he does not get the full long hylian ear. i cannot draw upturned hylian ears to save my gotdamn life.

i've also gone ahead and drawn the neck and a little bit of the trapezius muscle. y'all i BEG of you to look up how the neck muscles, tendons, and bones work bc they are so important, i think i reblogged a post about it a little while ago? or i at least saw one. everything is connected and all of the lines lead down to the divot of the collarbone. the back line of the neck should never be before the corner of the jaw and the tendon should lead up to that corner. very very very important. also the collarbones should point to the start of the deltoid muscles and that's important for posing, but i didn't draw that much for this. neck width varies depending on your character's build, so someone skinny would have a thinner neck than a chubby or muscular person.

i added the nose and cheekbone lines i always do in this step. i think they look nice and fill space well, and they can help indicate the angle/curve of the cheekbone when the face is more tilted. just my thing i've done forever tho! sometimes i wait until after i've done the hair to draw them so i know they can be seen (and i ended up moving them for this drawing bc i didn't wait vnkdsnl)

in preparation for the hair, i added a guide for the hairline and refined the shape of the skull to where i actually want it to be

MAKE SURE TO FLIP YOUR CANVAS TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING LOOKS RIGHT!

Step 5

hair! it's always on a separate layer for me, and that has to do with how i color too. i do the little floofy thing at the swirl of the hair first, at the back of the part, then i start the first line for the swoopy side of the hair (line 2), then the other side. i guess you could call it the major side (side w the most hair) and minor side (side w the least hair).

i usually use a lot of lines to indicate hair direction, but it just depends on your style. i'd recommend identifying the major shapes of your character's hairstyle and replicating those whenever you draw that person. so for wars, it's the big bump where his part starts on the major side, the top of the hair usually stays flat, and it waves out to the side. on the minor side his hair is shorter and flips out and there are waves and stuff in the back. what i didn't draw in this step that's an identifying feature is his sideburns, which curve inward, but that's next. warp tool is a godsend for hair.

Step 6

finish the hair! refining shapes, floofies, the back, you name it. it's all about filling in space and making sure the weight is right before you start erasing lines underneath it. i lower the opacity of the face line layer to make sure there's no weird/stray lines.

Step 7

add finishing details, erase lines, and you're done! at least with the lineart bit lol. if i know it's just going to be lines, i add scars here, but if i'm gonna color it, i leave scars and other face markings for the coloring stage. and that's it!

i hope this was informative lol. thank you anon for asking, i had fun doing this!

#replies #art tutorial #my art #not lu #kio talks #Draw with Kio