#I'm interested in the cultures of warframe | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

flowersandbigteeth · 12 days

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Hiiii 😭New in blog!

Do you have any tips/source in writing orcs?

Bc planning to do some bc got the spark your fics an inspiration 😩😩🙌

Halllooo! Welcome! 🥰 I started answering this question and it got so long 😭 I could honestly write an essay on this, there's so much to think about. So my candid thoughts are below 👇🏽

As far as pop culture goes: I generally like Durotan in the warcraft movie as my favorite Orc "look". I'm not too inspired by Tolkien's Orcs personally, but technically the DnD Orcs are based on that description. I started out basing my Orcs and half Orcs on the DnD races and elder scrolls online (orsimer are an orc like race) and then it grew into developing my own lore.

The DnD community is great because there are a lot of OCs to consider for reference and spin off games and lore, though (not saying you would, just for those who need to be reminded) you shouldn't steal other people's OCs. You can browse OCs on toyhouse and Pinterest, as well. Warhammer, Magic, and Warframe also have orc type characters to look at for character design ideas. Tolkien originally developed his Orcs from old English monsters, so that would be an interesting rabbit hole to jump down for inspiration.

Aside from the aesthetics there is a big pitfall to look out for when writing Orcs specifically:

Orcs started out as a villain race, but I find that extremely reductive. Orcs deserve culture, art, motives, and a spectrum of personalities. Tolkien's Orcs have been criticized as well as DnD rules about Orcs. I'm not going to do a deep dive into that because there is a lot to parse through. You can look it up if it interests you. There is far, far more discussion on it than I'm going to get into right now.

But my ultra, ultra simplified take away from what I've read is it's important to acknowledge the personhood of any character you write. And that's true for any writing really. Not to say you can't write an orc as a villain, but, for example, there is difference between writing a mindless killing machine and a villain with a personality, motive, strengths and weaknesses, and backstory if that makes sense.

If they are a mindless killing machine, there should be a reason other than Orc=bad. What happened to them to make them that way? Is there a societal expectation that they are trying to live up to? Do they have an internal struggle about it or do they feel justified for their violence? Are they under a spell or brainwashed? Why is that?

Villains are tricky because you want a satisfying ending, the villain may be complex, but they have to reach a point of no return where the hero has to act. So what was it that sent them off the edge? Vanity? Greed? Revenge? Etc.

Separate from Orcs it is a good way to look at all monster writing. As the counterpart to "born sexy yesterday" I think "born evil yesterday" is also kinda blah.

I'm not at all going to say I am great at this, it's often hard to create full, complex characters in short fiction but it's something to strive for. I'm sure I have characters on this blog I could have developed better, but I try to keep it in the back of my mind the more I learn about writing.

It's the same for an Orc hero. Orcs aren't dumb, malleable studs. I personally like expanding on Orcs canon skills (strength, loyalty, stamina, leadership) and flesh them out. Saber is strong, but he's also nimble and charming. Reven is big and can be scary, but is skilled in style and fashion, as well as being steadfast and loyal. Cedar is a warrior but studious and kind. Golmad loves weapons and is a leader but also gentle and good humored.

For visual ideas, I look at a lot of different styles and cultures, but it usually has a lot to do with the environment. I like to look at ye olde hairstyle and clothing ideas relevant to the place the Orcs are from, if that makes sense? Like if they lived in the artic you'd look for cultures that live in cold weather and draw inspiration from the materials they would have at hand for processing, sewing, and decorating.

In general, I tend to lean on more traditional depictions of mountain Orcs, but jazzed up? I don't like ripped, careless dirty rags, but clean, utilitarian and neatly cut leather and furs, as they are big hunters there rather than farmers. If they live in a village or town they'd wear whatever is in fashion, cotton or linen. Where are they from, their social class, and what types of clothes would be best for that environment are good questions to ask when developing costumes, next their personality. Whether they are vain, utilitarian, or cocky and like to roll around with their shirt off. 😸 I think keeping the environment and personality at the forefront of your mind, you won't fall into cliche traps. There's nothing wrong with having dirty ripped clothes but if it doesn't make any sense in the context of the world you're building it flattens the character. The assumption that Orcs are filthy or unskilled at tailoring by nature doesn't work for me.

Idk without going on too long, I hope some of that helps?

#sweet asks #sweet anons #orc lore #orc headcanons #orc boyfriend #monster romance

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whatudottu · 1 year

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Hello! Just here to say that I love all of yours and anon's DID Blitzwing related thoughts!! I adore Blitzwing and they're (he?) what got me researching DID again after so long (my little autistic brain loves them <33). I'm not a system (or if I am, everyone else is really well hidden!!), but I love learning about all the things minds are capable of doing to protect themselves and I think it's fascinating - though I know that obviously I'll have some misconceptions so I'm always very happy to learn more :)

Do you have any other ideas/ headcannons about them? I would love to hear them /gen

Oh I'm not infallible either, not a system myself but I am fascinated with psychology (looks at my therapist Ben 10 character). Besides Blitzwing is an interesting character to have DID because they're not human and so with our human (and audience) perception, it can be easy to connect Blitz to DID even if that's not what the TFA writers intended- the added bonus is my intrigue in xenobiology/psychology so... Blitz's the perfect sample for that asjdhgblsjfkl-!

As for headcanons, those may need to be under the cut they got a bit much haha-!

You can take some of these headcanons as little hints towards a canon!Blitzwing, but because I've been rambling with the anons about Bot Experiment Triple-Changers these are kinda more focused on that little au rather than the original-

I like to imagine Random would totally eat organic (non-metal) food if given the chance/no one else fronts to stop him. With the power of fire and ice, he at least has assurances for the others that Random can and will ingest flaming fuel and liquid nitrogen just to get rid of any residue of authentic Italian cuisine. It seems to really be his thing idk- Probably doesn't help that Octane would totally be on his side if she ever fronted (certainly eggs him on when they're both in the headspace).

There's a pretty common headcanon that Blitzwing sculpts, but I like to pin the sculpting hobby onto Hothead because metal sculpting would work far easier with a little heat. As a bonus BETC!Blitz exclusive I like to say that Private actually had a passion for carving, his little area of the headspace decorated with what he remembers making, so Hothead took a little bit of a peak at that and got interested in it's complement; building something from nothing as opposed from revealing something from another something.

And Icy I feel is just really intrigued by alien cultures (that little commentary on how fascinating human cities are like nano-bots WILL NOT ESCAPE ME), perhaps a little more so than being interesting in Cybertron itself. I mean he's not gonna say that OUT LOUD with Decepticons around, but he finds the different ways different planets and different countries ON those planets create homes and lifestyles unique to their own individual circumstance. Astrotrain would feel a kinship to that, considering the bot had previously worked in cargo transport across Cybertron and getting to experience the different cultures of it's citystates, but Astrotrain also understands VERY WELL why Icy might not have the best connection to 'home'.

I also think that, out of the hosts, Hothead is the most affectionate towards Private and despite not having any wings in their headspace, Hothead speaks to Private like an older warframe does to a young(er) war bot. Random when not fronting fucks around with Octane if Astrotrain's covering Private's six, the two of them being chaotic little gremlins that spells disaster for any bot unlucky enough to be around the next time Random fronts with a prank idea. And to round this off if Octane is being the wine aunt to Private (or about as responsibly irresponsible like one), Astrotrain and Icy take a moment to sit and breathe, talking about traveling and other more silent contemplations.

And I think that might be all from the top of my head? Only saw this ask about nearly 12 hours after the timestamp says I got it so hopefully you weren't waiting to long asjdhfgaslkfkl-! But nah, I love Blitzwing, just needed to sit on my thoughts haha-

#ask #nerdylittleguy #blitzwing #tfa blitzwing #octane #tfa octane #astrotrain #tfa astrotrain #because though they are alters they are introjects based on other BETCs blitzwing was surrounded with #transformers #tfa #BETCs #bot experiment triple changers #maccadam #i realised in making this headcanons that i totally just gave blitz an extra 3 alts #totally unintended but i guess pairing a canon alt to a BETCs alt helped a little with headcanoning lmao #a little part of me is debating on whether random actually ate bots or not-#i mean war doesn't bring out the best in people and if mr teeth over here is a unicron demon what will stop him #on the other hand- don't wanna make random make blitzwing's system a stereotype #i mean i already have thoughts about mal total drama who kicked mike squad's representation into the mud #but if that was the random headcanon i'd probably have to give icy and hothead a headcanon of equal theme to prevent whiplash #which would have made the post probably not a fun little headcanon page #but here is the return of BETCs octane and astrotrain-#featuring 'god forbid women do anything' octane and 'what's in your chassis (cargo)' astrotrain

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brandwhorestarscream · 1 year

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amnesiac starscream au: horrid histories, horrid discoveries.

Starscream, following the weeks of skyfire rescue mostly spent it helping him in physical therapy.

Even after such a strong awakening such as his, after cooldown he definitely needed time to actually heal.

Not the first time he needed to help skyfire healing, the shuttle had a knack for getting himself hurt for his sake.

not that starscream minded (he did mind theedamge he keeps doing to himself , primus knows skyfire had no sense of selfpreservations skills), he gladly stuck to any excuse to be near the shuttle side at all cost, during his recovery, the flyers stuck together like glue, conversing themselves with a long forgotten language among the autobots, strange glyphs with clicks and chirps.

And naturally, the small human and her seekerling friends got curious.

Their friends from the elite gaurd, however , seemed stricken with guilt.

Sari peeked up that the amnesiac seeker with innocent curiosity in her eyes "what's that language?"

Jetfire tilted his head "yes yes, what language you speak sir star?"

Starscream expression dropped in an instant "oh..... that's-..t-t-that's...."

Skyfire quickly sensed his friend's distress, wrapped his arms around him with a comforting purr of his engines "that's vosian, a near dead language"

Jetstorm interest peeked "oh, near dead? But is so pretty! Why not alot of bots speak it anymore?"

Skyfire explains, that the language was made fun of and used as a example of vosians being ""lesser"" intelligent that most other cybertronians, which lead to many to only use it in presence of other warframe and vosians.

More and more skyfire spoke, more and more prime's team looked uncomfortable, scared doubtful, and it made skyfire so mad.

"But that didn't go too well, they still veiwed us as animals-"

"Skyfire!"

"It's true!! You know it, i know it and every flier worth their wings knows it! No matter how hospitable we were and how much we gave to them thEY STILL SEE US AS LESSER-"

"SKYFIRE!"

Skyfire stopped, starscream's more distressed and terrified, the seekerlings are quivering, the autobots looked scared and horrified-

He needs to shut up.

"I'm sorry, this won't happen again" his tone is tense, emotionless, mechanical.

The tesion is thick, no-one moved, no-one said a thing, starscream wings peaked up with a smile.

Forced, strained, smile.

"We apologise dearly for that outburst, i must get skyfire to back to berth, that's enough for today, right dear??"

"...yes.."

Before anyone could even process the information, the seeker hurred his friend away from autobots eyes, leaving them with a dead sense of dread and doubt.

His intake tight, turns to the elite gaurd member with a pleading look, please don't let my doubts be true-

"Jazz, i thought vos was a mythical city...."

....

"It isn't , I'm sorry "

And hell broke loose.

-------

"Lord megatron, i have found interest intel..."

"Oh? Please do tell, shockwave"

I love the implications of this. I love the idea of the autobots completely wiping the sky cities from history, destroying Vosian, Helexian, and Kalisian culture, denying their very existence. The flyers had beautiful cities full of culture and art and beauty, but it couldn't be allowed into the future in order to further their goals. It's the ugliest, cruellest form of genocide, denying the victims the right to even be remembered. Vos's memory lives on only in the exceptionally scarce survivors, and Starscream is terrified that, if they speak out of line, they'll take Skyfire away. Shadowplay him or just flat out have him executed

Also all hell breaking loose? Higher up autobots knowing about the destroyed civilizations but forbidden from speaking of it to the general public? Spicy

Also also 👀 Shockwave? What did you find??? I need to know!

#amnesiac starscream au #this may very well be my favorite au of all time #Starscream #skyfire

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thefoulbeast · 2 years

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hiiii im a mutual just on anon cuz shy but anyway, all ur patho art has gotten me rly interested in the game, and now that it's finally on sale im getting it!! i'm really excited to try it out, so thank you for introducing me to what is hopefully a new favorite game! :D

Oh my gosh! I am very pleased to hear this! Heheh, the patho propaganda is working... ❤❤❤ I hope you like it!!

Though I (and the fanbase in general) might be misrepresenting what it's like to play, a little bit. It's a tough game with lots of reading and dealing with the physical needs of the player character among tedious tasks.

Pathologic classic hd was actually the first game I started playing after a several year pause from video games (and the last one i had played was warframe, still wanna get back into that tbh) and it was a Huge culture shock, because it's so... idk. The game puts you in the thick of it with no hand holding. You either figure the thing out or flounder about and get lost as hell (very important to know - look at your letters. those are important! for figuring out what the fuck you have to do each day!)

And a word of advice? Play guides are your friend!!! Seriously. Don't be afraid to use them otherwise you might get so frustrated that it stops being fun (or maybe you like that, who knows...)

Also, at least for me, despite loving the game a lot, it is really draining so i have ended up taking huge breaks in between completing days to recharge brain. I am still to complete my first playthrough of p1 (have finished 9/12 days of bachelor route) and i started in... way back in may, i think. So it's going slow, but I am enjoying the journey immensely -- And i hope you will as well!!! :D :D

#ask #Anonymous

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honestlyvan · 4 years

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(Crossposted from DW.)

So I was talking to Bri about medical frames -- how medical flight frames are a tiny minority and out of them the majority of them are rotaries. Which, y'know, makes sense because in the real world, medical jets aren't... exactly practical. Helicopters can take off and land in a far greater variety of places, they're far more stable and flexible and for human purposes, their carry capacity... is fine... but

But.

When you think about it, most rotaries we see aren't particularly more flexible with where an how they can fly -- VTOL is largely standard, even for big shuttleframes (although as I've argued elsewhere, that's probably just when they've got light loads) -- and also most rotaries aren't big enough to do medevac either way, acting more as field medics like their grounder counterparts. In that sense medijets make way more sense in that role -- they're faster and have an easier time getting around, even while grounders still beat them out in sturdiness and evac ability.

And that's already quite interesting until you put it together with how there aren't many civillian jets in general. Smaller airframes are almost uniformly soldiers, to the degree to which medics and scientists with airframes are pointed out as being a thing that is Consistently Weird in-universe. So, does this imply that rotaries -- many of whom are also warframes, let's be clear -- are considered a more "civillian" class of aiframes than fixed-wings? There must be some interesting interactions there also with how shuttle and tanker frames are considered "less ideal" fliers.

But at the same time... rotaries probably have a much easier time operating in occluded areas, as they're not nearly as reliant on radar and tacnav as flightframes whose cruising speeds are so high as to be unsafe. On an open front -- the kind of fighting you'd expect aerial frames to mostly engage in -- rotaries objectively the worse choice over jetframes for medics, but that kind of just leaves aerial and seeker units without any medical support.

Is that a cultural thing? Or is that also simply practical?

There's interesting things out there beyond the Doylist explanations.

#Transformers Meta #Maccadam #My non-sexy obsession with flight frames and Vos and aerial culture persists #For someone who is self-admittedly a tankfucker I'm sorry to say #grounder warframes are just not as interesting or complicated #and every time I go digging I find more fascinating cultural aspects I could potentially talk about #I also made a crack to Bri about how I don't so much rabbit hole as I black hole on research topics like this #because every time I think I find a corner to unravel I realise that ah shit I'm thinking about this like a human again #gotta get back to those materialist roots and fucking finish ITB at some point #next century #at this rate #After THAT #maybe we can talk about social clades

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