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#ye the colors are inconsistent what of it
jenceno4848 · 3 months
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Screencap redraw of my favorite scene from 100 Epitaphs by the famous Ferry
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finvisual · 1 year
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tons of back and forth about headcannons with one of my buds lead to this <333 (aka dear chris with a biiiit too much time on her hands sewing her own galadriel cosplay. for uhhhhhh, no reason at all.~)
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vibzy · 2 years
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i know this is probably like such a dramatic way of thinking about stuff like this maybe but the whole ‘‘are you trans or not’‘ feels so restrictive to me personally sometimes EVEN THO I KNOW that like “trans” means “doesn’t 100% ID w/ agab” so it can like apply to so many different people but like i 200% id w/ my birth gender and also every other gender aka The Genderfluidity Of It All like i got the 9000% gender power all the time anyways will we ever break free from ‘‘one or the other’‘ questions like ever bro i am literally just sitting here. cis trans fuggettaboutit... have a Dr. Pepper or somefing...
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exa-reblogs · 8 months
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Some identifiers for AI generated fashion images that I've noticed
So, recently and not unexpectedly, I've seen a major uptick in AI generated images showing up in my searches for fashion photos, specifically. I've seen people make posts like this for specific art styles, and for 2D art in general, but I wanted to share some observations I made regarding clothing, fashion, and runways. I've seen a lot of people getting fooled by these, but it seems like for every one person thinking it's real there's about three people informing them that it's AI, fortunately. I'll admit, a lot of them look somewhat believable at first, but once you look closer it becomes apparent that they're off somehow.
To clarify: this is about common inconsistencies I've personally noticed in AI fashion images, so that you can learn where to look for these and similar inconsistencies and avoid sharing AI content by accident.
There's this one "collection" specifically that seems to come up a lot (also, click on all these images in this post to see the details more clearly):
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There's more images like this and yes, despite the "houseofai" watermark I still see people asking who the designer is, or saying that they genuinely thought it was real at first. First and foremost: these are all clearly meant to be from the same runway show, right? Then why does each image look like it was taken on a different runway? The lighting and coloring are different in each one, and the middle one has vague red stairs in the background while the other two look like just a plain light-colored runway. This is something you'll obviously only be able to notice in groups of images and not singular ones, but it's a pretty dead giveaway if you see it.
Secondly: AI generated images, as a whole, tend to have this specific kind of super dramatic lighting with very bright, white lights and soft grey shadows. I'm not very knowledgeable about photography, so I can't explain it exactly, but I know it when I see it (and if someone reading this can properly explain it , please do.)
Thirdly: AI generated fashion tends to attempt perfect symmetry, but always fails somehow.
As for the actual outfits: the best that I can describe it is that a lot of the shapes and patterns just don't look like intentional human choices.
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What in the hell is that monogram on the upper right supposed to be? It's clearly mimicking a logo of some kind, but it's messy and indecipherable, not actual branding.
The heart motif is clearly the running theme here, but the hearts don't really make sense. Like the main one in two halves across the chest here: why does it have those two notches missing at the bottom that prevent it from coming to a point at the bottom like a heart is supposed to?
The bottom hem is way longer on the left than on the right.
The little shoulder hearts are like, bleeding into the shoulder seams; those lines in the hair look like they're supposed to be headbands, but they disappear at the part with the rest of the hair; the embroidery on the pants isn't in a clear or intentional pattern.
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Again, compare the lighting on this one's neck with the lighting on the last one's neck, totally different.
Those pink things on the chest look like they're trying to be hearts, but they're so clearly not actually hearts. If your collection is heart themed, why aren't you using actual hearts?
The quilting effect is uneven and the individual lines don't follow through and finish in the places they should. Look at the upper right sleeve, where the diamonds are misshapen and the diagonal lines are clearly disconnected. On the lower right chest, the lines just disappear. This can't actually with quilted garments IRL because the top layer is literally stitched to the bottom one along those lines with material in between. It can't fuck up like that, especially not a designer garment that costs your monthly rent.
Smooth zipper. Zippers seem to be a common fuck up.
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You can't read the text on the hearts. It's nonsense. Nonsense, unreadable text and fucked up hands are the absolutely surefire ways to identify AI art like this. Conveniently, there are no hands in these photos.
What are those embossed shapes on the sleeves? They're not identifiable as anything in particular.
That is not how zippers work.
I suppose that weird folding beneath the hearts is something technically physically possible. But it's much, much more likely that they would create smoother, less ugly seams with less excess fabric.
These generative AI programs don't actually comprehend what they're trying to depict. Thus, they make mistakes like these. Physical inconsistencies that are often totally impossible, but even the possible things are just... stupid choices that an actual designer isn't going to do. Yeah, sure, designs can be weird, asymmetrical, and imperfect on purpose. But it's way, way more likely that this is just an AI.
Experiment: look at these two images of retro-futuristic headpieces/eyewear and determine whether they're real or AI.
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Right one is easy, mostly because of the wonky bitch in the back. But some other inconsistencies I specifically wanna note: if the blue goggles color the "model"'s skin, hair, helmet, and the background behind the lenses blue, why doesn't it do the same for the eyes? And also, I've noticed that a lot of these images have trouble properly rendering the corners of the mouth, which is a weird detail but one you won't be able to unsee once you know to look out for it. Yes, there's a dark line where actual human lips meet, often with some subtle divots at the corners, but in the image on the right, it's rendered as a harsh, gaping hole more like something sculpted out of plastic than actual flesh. On the note of imperfect symmetry again: the left lens isn't perfectly round. And finally, this is a really good example of that giveaway lighting I mentioned. I don't know how you would actually achieve that lighting IRL, but it's so, so common in AI images.
The left photo is an actual model in 1967 wearing pieces designed by Pierre Cardin, a designer that the right image is definitely trying to emulate. The model has a look on her face that isn't super duper expressive, but it's still far beyond any of the AI images I've seen. Every AI fashion image I've seen thus far has totally blank-faced, expressionless "models". They might pout slightly, but I haven't seen any with visible teeth. Something tells me the AI would render teeth the same way it renders fingers. The emblem on the hat is actually perfectly symmetrical, and the glasses are clearly asymmetrical as an intentional design choice, not like the shapes are supposed to be the same but got messed up somehow. And she has ten fingers total, five on each hand.
Two more:
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These are both AI generated. I'm not gonna lie, i fell for the one on the left at first. The right is easy:
distorted faces
woman in back is being absorbed by the train(?) seat
those middle buttons on the jacket are totally useless
AI Lighting (TM)
But the "models" on the left look very, very convincing, and the lighting doesn't immediately register to me as AI lighting. The only really wonky thing on the faces is the mouth on the left "model". However, there's one dead giveaway: the headphone wires. Why are they different thicknesses? Why does the rightmost wire disappear into the jacket sleeve? Where the fuck does the leftmost wire even go? AI, I've noticed, struggles with thin lines, strings, and strands of things. Like with the quilted jacket above, you can often try and trace a single line, only to find that it drops off, distorts, or disappears. And sure enough, as soon as I noticed something was weird with those wires, I went to the Pinterest profile that posted it and found that they exclusively posted AI content. Speaking of the actual headphones, the leftmost ear cushion is sitting on an angle that doesn't make sense, and the one to the direct right of it is significantly thinner than the other three. Again, subtle failed symmetry.
This is by no means a comprehensive guide, and I encourage anyone seeing this to point out ways they've found to identify AI images like this. These are things I've just been on the lookout for lately. And when in doubt: conduct reverse image searches and try your best to identify solid sources for your images. AI images won't list designers, model names, photographers, stylists, makeup artists, etc., while actual runway and photoshoot images will, because there are human creatives behind them.
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willows-peak · 3 months
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*・゚✧ A Teammate, Not A Foe
tags: fem!reader, ramble turned fic, vibrators, cock warming, lotus position, petname (baby, princess)
MDNI
word count: 1.1k
a/n: writers block has lifted long enough to cook this up. Im on my phone so im srry for any inconsistencies in formatting
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⋆。˚ ♡  I think he's the type to find it hilarious if he accidentally stumbles upon a toy you've hidden while you two are together in your room, fiddling around with it while loudly talking about it to embarrass you. He's definitely holding your wrists together so you can’t wriggle it away from him while he switches between the different modes.
"Woah, it's so intense!"
"Aww, it looks cute with the pink color"
"Is this why you weren't talking to me last night, baby?"
That comment especially made your face go especially red because yes, it was the reason why. You'd only had enough energy last night to wipe off your toy and toss it to the side of your bed instead of placing it inside a box underneath it. And of course Gojo had to come over before you remembered to put it away, because when could your life ever be easy?
He'd eventually stop and turn it off, seeing your teary eyes and flustered face and feeling slightly bad. He'd free your wrists but still keep a firm enough grip on the toy that you couldn't snatch it away. "Don't be embarrassed princess, it's nothing to be ashamed about~" He'd say, patting your head in the most condescending way and not bothering to hide his grin from your angry glare up at him. 
"Besides...I think this gave me an idea. Wanna help me out with it?" He asked, his head turning to the side as he twirled the smooth plastic between his deft fingers.
----------
His 'idea', as you've just now learned, was more of a challenge obviously in his favor. You were sat on his lap, hips jerking down as you bit your finger to stifle another yelp threatening to come out of you, body shaking and helplessly bucking as your vibrator was pressed down against your swollen, sensitive clit. Gojo was buried up inside you, sitting still and watching you with lustful eyes as you shook into his chest. 
Your first mistake was not questioning what 'idea' he had in mind before he was balls deep inside of you, and somewhere, in your mind you're sure he knew this would happen, cursing him out mentally. 
"Satoru, why exactly do you still have that?" You huffed out, motioning towards the small pink vibrator he held in his palm, watching it travel up your inner thigh and come to rest just above your clit. “I jus’ wanna see something… You think you can last longer than me with this going?” He asked, nudging the tip of it against your bud and snickering when you tightened down around him in response. “Didn't I make you cum in your pants yesterday?” 
You shot back, your voice lacking a competitive edge when Gojo leaned your body back to push your lips open, the vibrator now laying right underneath your clit. Gojo laughed at your attitude, nodding in agreement as his thumb glided down to the ‘on’ button, not pressing it just yet. You held your breath in anticipation, Gojo's arm snaked around your waist and held you in a leaned back position, the tip of his cock pressing up against the front of your walls and making you shiver with every movement. 
“When I win, you're getting me tiramisu.” Gojo said confidently, giving you a moment to roll your eyes before switching the vibrator on, smiling widely at how loud you gasped and how quickly you started to fidget around into him. Gojo's cock pulsating randomly mixed with the unwavering vibrations near attacking your clit was making you squirm in his lap, against his hand quickly coming to caress your hip and hold you still against the onslaught of pleasure.
Just when you started to get used to the vibrations, Gojo would manage to crumple that ounce of control you got by rubbing the vibrator around in small, slow circles, shuddering in arousal as you once again tried moving away from the loud rumbling between your legs. “Fuck, you're squeezin’ me so tight, princess,” Gojo purred out, his breath labored from watching you quickly lose more and more of your composure, your body coming down to hold his own tightly, nails raking across his tough shoulder blades as you moaned into his collar.
And, unsurprisingly, you didn't win his little challenge. In a matter of minutes, you were bowing into yourself from the intensity of your orgasm, gasping and moaning brokenly into Gojo's skin as he gently thrusted up into you, helping you ride out your orgasm and whispering praises and pressing kisses against the top of your head while you came around him. 
“Sa-toru, fffuck, off off off please-” You stammered out, your post orgasm haze fading away and being replaced by white hot sensitivity, whining out as Gojo dragged the vibrator up, off your clit before turning it off, letting you let out a long sigh of relief. Despite his still hard and aching cock being pulsed around, Gojo resisted the urge to get himself off until you properly recovered from your orgasm, littering your face with kisses and gleefully smiling at how you pushed at his chest in retaliation. 
“Why didn't you tell me you had this thing sooner? That was the hottest thing I've ever seen.” Gojo spoke, his tone thick with arousal still as your panting began to even out, your head lifting to look down into his eyes. “I thought you'd be weird about it.. guys usually don't like girls using toys, so-” You stopped yourself as Gojo let out a dramatic scoff in response. “Like a piece of plastic could replace me~” He said, pressing said plastic against the squishy skin of your inner thigh, watching how they glimmered with a mixture of your wetness and your release.
You pressed your lips together for a moment at the stimulation, looking back at Gojo and quickly realizing he was nowhere near done with you yet. “Hey, baby, I got a new idea,” he began, rubbing the junction between your cunt and inner thigh softly while he spoke. “How bout we see how many orgasms I can get out of you before I cum inside you, hm?” His tone was near sickening with how sweet it was, eyes glistening with mischief as you nodded slowly. “Gimme another minute, ok ‘toru?” You said, a shaky sigh leaving your lips as Gojo continued massaging your thighs, not making any more moves to touch you just yet.
He knew that the toy had more settings to try out, he wasn't in any rush to end things.
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kabuki-draws · 5 months
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I watched Ridley Scott's NAPOLEON yesterday and it was a complete Waterloo.
Yes, I am a big history nerd with a giant heart for movie adaptation of historical topics. But when I watched NAPOLEON I sat there... and tried not to laugh. It was not only so historical inaccurate, that I wanted to cry, at the same time it was filled with cringe dialogues, red flags and terrible color grading. This whole movie made me so sad yet so angry, that I HAVE to write this review:
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(Disclaimer: This review is based on my own opinion. If you enjoyed the movie, it's completely fine. Btw. in that case or if you agree with me, feel free to tell me your opinion. I would love to know!)
First of all: Don't get me wrong, the medium film has its own rules and you can't put as much historical accuracy into a big scale movie as you would into a documentary - sometimes the story needs to be altered to be a good movie. And that is fine. Even if Gladiator is a complete fictional story set in the Roman Empire, I can still enjoy this movie for what it is: A good-written story with great characters, a beautiful score and iconic scenes. With Kingdom of Heaven it's kind of the same - and while the movie cut was very inconsistent, I still kind of liked it. But then the Directors Cut made it a a masterpiece for me.
Funny enough, both of these movies are made by the same person: Ridley Scott. So naturally I thought: Well, Napoleon won't be a historical accurate film, but I surely will enjoy it anyways. Well, ...no. It is not only historical incorrect, it's also a bad movie overall.
To start it short: NAPOLEON clearly lost itself in all the various topics it wanted to tell within a runtime of two and a half hours. It made the whole storytelling very weird and inconsistent, causing the problem, that the audience even loses itself in the questions of when and where. Where is that scene located? When did that happen? And then comes the question: Why is this even happening?
Ridley Scott wants to depict Napoleon as a lover, a military genius, a big political figure, a revolutionary and more. But in the end he tells all of this in the most shallow way possible, which waters down Napoleons personality traits and achievements to a series of small scenes. You never get a glimpse of the "true" Napoleon, who was described as a highly intelligent and charismatic man. In fact, you never really feel ANYTHING about him except that he was a cringe red flag in front of his wife. He just stands there, stares and has very limited dialogue scenes to get a picture of that man. What are his overall motivations? Only Josephine? If so, why is this motivation only vaguely explored?
The whole love story between him and Josephine feels so unnatural and got to the brink of being disgusting. This is particularly sad because I deeply respect Vanessa Kirby and Joaquin Phoenix, they're both stunning actors. I don't know if they just couldn't fit the role or if it was rather a problem of the script (the last one is my guess). Yet whenever I saw Josephine and Napoleon on screen, I felt like acted very stiff and forced. Napoleon seemed more obsessed with her than actual love and that can be a character trait, but there wasn't a chance to explore that deeper. Before the movie entered the cinema, the lovestory between these two was marketed as intense, obsessive, deeper than you could imagine. What the audience got was a few scenes without real conversation, much staring and a bunch of cringeworthy s-scenes. And seriously, these "sexy" scene were the worst. I was so disgusted by them because they were SO DAMN WEIRD. There are no scenes that undermine ANY deep love between Josephine and Napoleon. It felt therefore so off, when they still longed for each other after their divorce.
And let's not start to ramble about the fact that they depicted Josephine ONLY in a somehow sexual way. Yeah, there is that scene where she says to Napoleon, that he is nothing without her. BUT SHOW, DON´T TELL! You never see her doing something instead of sitting there, talking with others or when the plot needs her to have sexy time with someone (not only Napoleon). As a woman myself this makes me so freaking furious, you have no idea. I don't need a marvel-coded super-strong woman with unlimited talents - I just need a female character that is written GOOD and plausible! Make me CARE for her plot and for the plot of Napoleon! Both of them don't even feel like normal human beings because they're like blank pieces of paper with their names written on it!
And don´t make me start to talk about the historical inaccuracies. At first I didn't want to draw that card. Actually, I don't need a historical movie to present 100% facts. If the movie is still enjoyable, it's okey. But even if many people say that the war scenes were awesome, I can only partly agree. Yeah, we have that cool ice-lake Austerlitz battle, but it took me a couple of minutes and a better look on the uniforms to know that Napoleon is now at war with Austria! You get nearly ZERO context to Napoleons battles. Yeah, nice, the scenes look cool - but there is nothing more to it? Is that all you need to show for the audience to care? For me at least, I just didn't care at all and I was very happy when I got out of the cinema. Overall this movie is full of messy non-sense choices that don't contribute to the story. Many moments just confused me and it left me with the question why Scott couldn't simply hire some historians to put together a consistent story. Everyone who read about Napoleons life knows that there are so much cinema worthy moments in his career that would've been so much better than what we now got.
I could ramble about that movie for hours if I´m honest, but I hope this little TED talk was enough to make my statement clear.
In the end, it just makes me sad. I wanted to like this movie, I wanted it to be good. For months I hyped myself up to this, read books about Napoleon, watched the trailer all over and over and talked with friends about how great this movie will be. Now I am just disappointed and frustrated. Oppenheimer was such a great biopic of a historical person that became a great success at the box office - even without great battle scenes. I hoped that Napoleon would push a cinema revolution, that shows people want big scaled films about historical personalities and history topics. But now I just want to forget this Napoleon movie to be honest.
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barananduen · 30 days
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Art Advice: The Misconception Behind "Study Realism"
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Most people who draw anime/cartoons have, while asking for ways to improve, at one point or another been told to "study realism." A common response to this is, "But I don't want to draw realism!"
But, did you know that the purpose behind this suggestion is NOT so that you draw realism? They're not suggesting you change to a more realistic style. What, then?
Let's look at this through an analogy:
Say you don't know music yet and decide you want to learn how to play the Happy Birthday song. You're not interested in playing anything else, just the HB song, and you haven't started learning anything related to music at this point. OK, that's fine, and now we have our situation set up. Once you've decided this, you set yourself to learning the sequence of notes to the HB song. You practice and practice, and, after a while, you can play it really well without a hitch. After a few years, it starts feeling bland to you, and you ask, "How can I make my HB song better?" And someone tells you, "Learn all the other music notes," and "Study classical and other genres of music." And you reply, "But I don't want to play that type of music; I want to play the HB song!" (And that's FINE! It's valid; it's what you want to do.[*Footnote 1]) But without having learned all the other notes and other types of music, you can't make a remix of the HB song, or an "epic version," or a hip-hop-fusion version; you've capped at the end of the first paragraph of this story.
So drawing anime or cartoons is like playing the HB song, or any one song in our example.
And here's where our misunderstanding comes in:
"Study Realism" DOES NOT MEAN "Draw Realism"
Yes, you'll have to draw it to study it (not only your brain, but also your hand needs to learn the skill), but it doesn't mean that's what all your artwork will look like. It is meant to give you more tools to make your anime and cartoon work stronger, more appealing, and more unique.
How will it do that? The more music notes you know, the more types of music you understand and can play, the more original a remix /version of the Happy Birthday song you'll be able to make - and it will be unique. Because you will be able to take all that diverse knowledge and apply it to your song, making it stand out, and the next time you play the HB song, people will go, "Wow! This is a really cool version!"
So now we can be clear: There is a difference between learning something and performing it. You can perform whatever you choose, but by learning all the things, your performance of your "Thing of Choice" will be stronger.
What, Exactly, Will Studying Realism Teach You, Then?
I. VALUES
If you learn how to paint/shade with a full range of values (by learning realistic shading) that properly depict both volume and lighting, you will have no trouble simplifying that to cel-shading or gradient-shading in your anime or cartoon drawings, because you will at once spot when something is undershaded or the shadows are in the wrong spot.
On the other hand, if you try to do cel- or gradient-shading first, you are way more likely to a) undershade, and b) have an inconsistent light source. And when these things happen, you won't be able to tell *why* your drawing looks "off" or bland.
II. COLOR
By studying realistic coloring, you'll be able to learn how color varies across an item (say, a shirt) that is a "solid color." Example: you're drawing a character with a pink t-shirt, standing in the sun, at the end of the school day. The t-shirt is solid pink, however, the colors on it will vary from orange-ish to purple-gray, with some areas almost a bright red (and that's not even considering items around the shirt that would bounce light back onto the shirt and change its color). But you'll only know this (and how to do it) if you study realistic coloring.
Then you can apply that knowledge to your stylized artwork and make it stand out more.
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Painting of a stylized pear, where I studied real pears to understand their coloring and texture. See how studying realism can enhance your cartoon work.
III. MAKE BETTER STYLIZED ANATOMY
By studying and learning realistic anatomy, you will be able to make stylized art that, for example, doesn't have one arm longer than the other, because you will have learned how to measure proportions, even if you don't draw realistic proportions. So that if you decide you want to draw unrealistically long legs (eg: Sailor Moon), you'll be able to make them look good and keep them consistent.
You will also be able to draw figures in any position, because you will have learned how body parts are made up and how they move, as well as foreshortening/perspective. Then, when you go to draw a pose you haven't drawn before, it will be WAY easier.
IV. UNDERLYING SHAPES
Although this is one of the least-mentioned aspects of art-learning, it is, in my opinion, one of the most important, because when you learn to see underlying shapes (the quasi-geometrical shapes that build up a figure), coupled with learning how to measure a form using other parts of the same form as reference (measuring the length of one body part by the number of times another body part fits in it, as mentioned in Section III, above), you will be able to DRAW. (Period.) You won't be able to draw just people. Or just wolves. Or just cats. You will be able to break down a new subject into its building blocks and come up with a very reasonable likeness. And whatever's different, you'll easily be able to make relative measurements to spot why and fix it.
Once you learn to identify underlying shapes and how to measure proportions in anything, you will also be able to pick up and reproduce any existing style without much trouble.
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[link to Tumblr post with this artwork]
For example, this was my first time drawing anything Peanuts. I didn't have to do practice sketches for it (though there's nothing wrong with doing that). But I knew, from realism, that to achieve a good likeness, you need to measure body parts relative to other body parts, so I looked at Schulz's drawings and was able to determine: OK, Charlie Brown's head is roughly this shape, his body is so many heads tall, his eyes are this % of the head, the ears are this far in, the arms reach down to here, etc. I knew what to look for.
V. FOR THOSE WHO WANT SEMI-REALISM
If you want to do "semi-realism," you'll have a way easier time of it by learning realism and then stripping it down as much as you like, than by starting off with "100% anime" and trying to build it up without knowledge of realism. People think the latter is easier, because it *seems* less intimidating, but it's like trying to drive to a store you've never been to without knowing its address: you'll be driving around forever trying to find it, and it will be frustrating. What people call "semi-realism" is stylized realism, and you can't really hit it without knowing how realism works.
CLOSING NOTES
It also doesn't mean you should stop drawing anime/cartoons and focus solely on realism for X amount of time - you can do both concurrently. In fact, the most fun way to study realism is to do so on your favorite subjects; you can even turn your reference into your favorite character!
Studying realism is also one of the best ways to help develop your OWN, unique style; one which, when people look at it, say, "Oh, that's [your name]'s work!"
[*]Footnote 1: It is fine as long as you are drawing for yourself. As soon as art is a job and you're drawing for an employer, you have to draw in the style they tell you to. So, in this case, it's to your advantage to be flexible.
I hope this was helpful and helps clear up a common misunderstanding people go through when receiving feedback. 💞
MORE ART ADVICE ARTICLES
You can find the index to all Art Advice Articles [here] including:
How to Deal with Art Block
How to Have a Positive Outlook
How to Develop Your Own Style (coming soon!)
etc.
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mydisenchantedeulogy · 4 months
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Sweet Decadence || Part 1 of 2 || Bi-Han/Sub-Zero
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A/n: This is the sequel to 'The Bitter Truth'. I have separated it into 2 parts for my reasons, but I want to thank those who read TBT and supported the story.
Please enjoy.
Warning(s): obsessive behavior, female reader, reader uses magic, kidnapping, fights, sequel, post-game.
No Minors Allowed!!
There is something magical about the rain that makes the colors of nature seem much more vivid to you. Though perhaps it is just the blissful mood you are in, altering your perception of things. A rare sight these days, considering how inconsistent your thoughts have been since your heated run-in with Bi-Han.
Hiding away in your room at the newly set up Shirai Ryu compound, you stare out at the forest beyond your balcony in a dazed state as the summer rain pelts the trees and earth. 
It feels like nothing but a dream now, and to be honest, you sometimes yearn to close your eyes and return to that moment again. You do not want to be reminded of the past; of the anger and the betrayal that comes with it. No. You just want to remember the feeling.
He was right, that much is clear now. 
“You are in denial. It's clear to me where your loyalty lies, and until you come to terms with the bitter truth, I'll leave you with that reminder.”
A phantom pain seizes you, but you ignore it. Just like your morals at the moment. No, you are not an idiot. You know what Bi-Han desires is immoral, but you can not put aside your sentiments for him; sentiments that became clear when he fucked you. 
For fuck’s sake. That sounds bad. 
It is true though. Not a day has gone by since then that you haven't thought about him; about the way he made you feel, unintentional or not.
Tilting your head back, you rest it against the doorframe and stare up at the ceiling with the sound of the rain in your ears. Your mind is a labyrinth and you do not necessarily care. This ebb and flow of thoughts proves that you have not yet lost your standards. 
So long as you avoid Bi-Han in the future, you should be fine.
A sudden knock pulls you from your thoughts and you tilt your head to the side, glancing at the door to the far left of you. 
“It's unlocked,” you announce. 
A moment later, Harumi Shirai saunters in. You sit up to address her properly, but she raises her hand to stop you. 
“There is no need for such formalities, not when it is I who came to see you.” 
You grin. 
“As the soon-to-be wife of my Grandmaster, it is indeed needed.”
It is strange to address Kuai Liang as Grandmaster, but after all that he has been through and done to build the Shirai Ryu, he deserves the title. He even found time for love. 
Harumi offers you a kind smile. 
“It is our secret.”
She wanders across the room and sits in front of your vanity.
“Are you faring well?”
You hum.
“For the most part.”
After you came back from the fortress you reported to Kuai Liang about your run-in with Bi-Han, though you opted not to mention the fact you fucked him. The brand he left was hard enough to explain, but it could not be avoided; you needed medical attention. 
Kuai Liang viewed it as a failed attempt to lure you back to Lin Kuei, but it was apparent that he was curious about what dark agenda his brother had regarding you. 
In truth, you should be dead for denying him. 
“And your wound? I can have someone take a look at it if it still pains you,” Harumi mentions. 
You decline her offer. 
“Though appreciated, that is not necessary.” You subconsciously rest your hand against the brand on your side. “The pain went away months ago…yet it sometimes still burns.” 
Harumi frowns. 
“If it begins to bother you, I suggest you tell me.”
You snort. It is no wonder Kuai Liang loves her; she is considerate, yet stern.
“Yes, Madam.” 
Harumi nods her head in approval and then stands. 
“I will see you at lunch. You missed breakfast.”
You are aware. But you suppose that is what warranted this visit. 
“The rain has put me in a strange mood,” you lie. “But I will be there.”
Harumi seems unsure, but she does not voice her concerns. Instead, she wishes you a good morning and leaves you to your thoughts again. 
You understand. Kuai Liang and Tomas are worried about you. But it is not their problem, it is yours. 
Your obsession with Bi-Han is yours to bear.
Shifting your eyes, you stare in a haze at the forest again. Perhaps soon this fixation will pass. For your sake, it had better. 
At noon, you tear yourself away from the comfort of your bedroom, following the briny scent of fish to the dining room. A spread of rice and vegetables accompanies it, making your stomach twist in hunger. 
Before you sit across from Tomas on the left side of the table, you bow in respect to Kuai Liang, who nods his head. 
“I am pleased to see that you joined us.”
You grin and turn your eyes to Harumi beside him. 
“I was encouraged to.”
Kuai Liang glances at her, then returns to his lunch. You follow suit, however, you notice that in attendance, there are only the four of you. 
“Where are the others?” You ask as you pick up your drink.
“Running exercises,” Tomas answers. “Though some are spread out in the nearby villages.”
An unsure look from Kuai Liang makes you pause a moment. You raise a curious brow. 
“What is it?”
The Grandmaster sighs. 
“Nothing concerning as of yet…but we have heard rumors of hostiles.”
Hostiles. A neighboring clan perhaps. This is the first time you have heard about it, but you suppose the brothers have their reasons.
Focusing on your lunch, you hardly notice the injured ninja stumble in until he collapses to the floor in a bloody mess. In shock, you rush over to him, followed by Tomas who carefully checks over his wounds. He is in bad shape, but thankfully alive.
“Who did this?” Tomas asks in anger. 
The ninja raises his trembling hand. You notice a thin metal plate in the palm of his hand and upon further inspection, you notice a familiar symbol etched into it. Your stomach churns in dread. 
“Lin Kuei.”
Here of all places.
Tomas widens his eyes and takes the plate from you. He stands just as Kuai Liang approaches with a healer, handing the plate to him. 
“Where?” Kuai Liang asks the injured man. 
“W-West,” he manages to say. 
Clutching the emblem in his hand, he shifts his eyes to Tomas. 
“We shall go.”
Without a word, the latter rushes off. You feel a bit shaken, but despite this, you stand. 
“Grandmaster–”
“If you are unwell, then stay and protect Harumi,” Kuai Liang interrupts.
You understand his concerns, but you can not just flee from the cryomancer’s shadow every time it threatens to consume you. 
“I can fight.”
He gives you a nod and with a bow, you rush back to your room to change clothes. With your gear on, you retrieve your mask from the vanity, looking at yourself in the mirror. The sanguine look in your eyes is not something to be proud of.
A short while later, with the brothers in tow, you arrive in the village to the west. The earthy scent of petrichor mixed with death permeates the air. Multiple bodies are strewn across the dirt road, all Shirai Ryu. You find it strange. How is it that there are no Lin Kuei among them?  
A scream echoes through the but before the three of you can move, a pair of Lin Kuei descends from the rooftops of the nearest house. Their appearances are unfamiliar.
“Is that armor?” You hear Tomas ask.
It is. Each of them is decked out in similar armor akin to what Sektor and Cyrax wear, albeit they are dressed in Lin Kuei colors. Why, though? What is Bi-Han thinking? 
Another scream from the far side of the village rings out and Kuai Liang grunts irritably.
“We must aid those in need.”
You agree with a nod.
“I can take these two,” you suggest. 
Tomas looks unsure but Kuai Liang seems to agree. He places a comforting hand on your shoulder. 
“Be on guard.” 
You nod. This should be no problem. You have dealt with the Lin Kuei before. Suits or no suits, it makes no difference. Tomas and Kuai Liang separate, leaving you alone with the two assassins. 
“Two-on-one seems kind of unfair,” you state. 
Neither of them comment. That's fine. You adjust the plates on your mask, then take a deep breath, releasing a sonic scream that should disorient the two. However, it has no effect.
What the hell? 
One of them suddenly teleports behind you and kicks you in the side, knocking you to the ground. It feels as though you have been hit by a truck. And to make matters worse, the assassin struck you right where the brand is. 
Fine. If they want to play rough. 
You stand and take a fighting stance. The assassin lying in wait teleports behind you while the other aims a kick at your chest, but you manage to dodge them by shifting to the side. Grabbing the latter by the plates on their shoulders, you yank them off balance and use their momentum to sweep them off their feet.
Lying on their back, you raise your leg in an attempt to axe-kick them in the face, but the other assassin grabs you around the chest and holds you in place as the one on the ground stands. It lifts its hand and an intense heat sizzles from within. You can feel it on your skin. 
It has a flamethrower. 
You grunt in annoyance and lift your lower body, using your feet to push off the fire-wielding assassin, striking them hard in the face and chest. The one holding you falls back onto the ground from the force, giving you the chance to free yourself and roll into a squat above them. 
Adjusting your mask again, you increase the volume of your voice. Then with a deep breath, you release a sonic scream point-blank into the assassin’s face. The metal vibrates at such a speed that it short-circuits, sending bolts of electricity shooting out. The smell that follows is nauseating. You wave away the plume of smoke that pours from the mask, but you are not given a moment to rest as the fire assassin shoots a jet of flames at you. 
Barely able to escape its range, you roll out of the way and onto your feet. Heat licks at your leg, but you manage to put some distance between you and the assassin, hiding behind a house, before you put out the small flame. 
These suits are no joke. You hope the brothers are faring better than you. It is like they were built to withstand your magic. You are not even certain there is anyone inside the suits. But how else are they moving?
When the flames stop, you dart out from behind the house, but to your shock, the assassin is gone. Before you can search for them, the whir of jet boosters catches your attention, and when you look up, you see a familiar warrior in red armor hovering above you.
“Sektor.”
What is he doing here? 
“This is a sight, running into you like this,” he states. “I should be upset that you managed to demolish one of my suits, but there is always more room for improvement.” 
You turn up your nose as you look at the smoking hunk of metal lying on the ground. So he is the one controlling them. 
“Bi-Han let you make that thing?”
“The Grandmaster has thoughtfully embraced my ideas for the future,” Sektor states. 
You snort.
“I'm sure he rewarded you well too. Tell me, does he like it when you spit or when you swallow?”
Sektor laughs.
“You are just as direct and spirited as ever. It’s too bad he considers you a waste.”
It shouldn’t have but his words make your blood boil. Your defiance must have switched the cryomancer’s opinion of you.  
“Your potential is wasted with Kuai Liang.”
The brand he left on you felt spiteful, a mark of shame.  
“Let's see who is the waste.”
You take a fighting stance but to your irritation, Sektor flies off toward the far end of the village. Where is he going? You tighten your jaw and chase after him. His defeat will deal a massive blow to the Lin Kuei, should you catch him. 
Chasing him around the side of a nearby house, you do not consider calling for backup. All that is on your mind is beating Sektor within an inch of his life. But as you cross in front of a side alley, something akin to a net shoots out and seizes you, knocking you hard to the ground. 
You groan in pain, arching your back as the rock-littered street bites into your skin. What the hell? You struggle but the neon yellow net will not loosen. 
“Do not fight it. The energy net will only grow tighter,” a feminine voice orders.
You tilt your head to the side to see a familiar figure in a yellow suit approach from the side alley. 
“Cyrax. I should have known,” you sneer. 
She is never far from Sektor. You did not think that in your pursuit of him, she would ambush you. It is irksome.
From above, Sektor flies by and then lands beside her. Both of them ignore your attempts to test the net. 
“Are we done here?” Cyrax asks. 
“I have all the data I need,” Sektor answers. He pauses, then motions with a finger toward you. “All that is left is dealing with our friend here.” 
What is that supposed to mean? 
Cyrax removes a spherical gadget from her chest plate and approaches you. 
“This isn't personal,” she states, sounding as if she is about to put an end to you. 
Leaning down, she yanks off your mask, much to your displeasure, and then presses a button on the side of the gadget. 
So this is it. You sneer at her. 
“Tell Bi-Han he can rot in hell.”
“You can tell him yourself,” Cyrax states.
Before you can figure out what she means, the device beeps and then pops open. From inside, a sweet colorless odor sprays out and consumes you. Instantly your throat tickles, making you break out into a fit of coughs. You attempt to hold your breath but it does no good. Whatever the gas is, its fast-acting properties take effect and everything fades to black.
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weirdmarioenemies · 11 months
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Is Birdo the only member of her species?
"Yes!” you confidently proclaim. “You included an image of multiple Birdos right there in the post, silly!”
I know I did! I did it on purpose, because it is relevant to the subject matter! But it does not mean all that much, ultimately. Look. Here are five Luigis.
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Luigi is not a species. So allow me to explain why I am reasonably confident in believing that the existence of multiple distinct Birdos has been retconned!
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It all started with Wave 4 of the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass. When Birdo was finally added to the game, her alts were named strangely! With Yoshi and Shy Guy, we had, for example, Light-blue Yoshi, and Light-blue Shy Guy. Birdo, however, gets Birdo (Light Blue)!
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This is how basically all the alts in Tour are named, just like our dear brother Luigi (Lederhosen). So did they lazily just port these alts over from Tour, without bothering to make the formatting consistent with what was already in 8 Deluxe? But wait! Yoshi and Shy Guy are named with their colors first in Tour, just like in 8 Deluxe! Were THOSE ones hastily ported into TOUR? What’s going on here!!!
Well, let’s look at the trends that already exist in these naming conventions!
-A character simply wearing a different outfit than usual has the name format of “Character (Descriptor)”. Example: Luigi (Lederhosen)
-A character who is in a different FORM than usual has the name format of “Form Character”. Example: Penguin Luigi
-A character who is a member of a species that has been seen in multiple colors has the name format of “Color Character”, not counting the default colors. Example: Light-blue Yoshi, Light-blue Shy Guy
One other thing of note is characters like the Koopa Freerunners and the Pit Crew Toads. These fit into both the first and third categories! For example, we have Blue Koopa (Freerunning), who is a Blue Koopa wearing a Freerunning hat, and Light-blue Toad (Pit Crew), who is a Light-blue Toad wearing a pit crew uniform.
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With all this established, Birdo’s conventions fit into the first category! I am inclined to believe that, if these were meant to be distinct individuals, they would be named like the Yoshis and Shy Guys, yet they are named as the same individual in different outfits. Maybe she can change her color like a chameleon, and uses it to complement whatever bow she wants to wear at the time!
The real question is why in the world they would retcon Birdo as her own species... but it is not actually that weird, to me. As awesome as it is to have an entire species of glamorous transfem dinosaurs who all share the exact same fashion sense, maybe Nintendo decided that was where they draw the Weirdness Line in Mario’s world. Birdo’s current design is very much a design for a distinct character! It’s like how Donkey Kong Junior was used in contexts where many of him appeared for a while, until he himself was removed from memory. And don’t get me started on Toadsworth! They can and will alter anything from character intricacies to the existences of entire characters, is what I am saying here.
Also, as a little Grammar Tidbit, it is entirely intentional that “Birdo (Light Blue)” and “Light-blue Yoshi” coexist, and it is not inconsistent! “Light-blue” is a compound adjective, and as a result is hyphenated if it is written before the article it describes. I have learned this purely thanks to the funny dinosaur, and now so have you!
So do you agree with my findings? How does the concept of Birdo being the only one of her kind make you feel? And how did it get this way? Maybe she just invited herself out of the dream world and established herself! Maybe she is a mutant Yoshi, not in the realistic genetics way, but the cartoon toxic waste way. Maybe she just hatched from an egg that was there one day. Whatever the case! I think she is really great.
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kalimaxxing · 11 months
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Patrick Bateman’s card design was lackluster. Too much space at the top and the & sign was off center (if an artistic liberty, a bad one). Overall, it’s an average card at best, even when I attribute extra points for the font choice (projected an elegant but minimalist design which is vital to the reputation of the modern upper business class, this is because it gives the impression you’re a man of fine taste, but not decadent) and bolding. I like the color palette, bone is a beautiful white because it doesn’t ambush the eyes like other corporate whites. Bone white is preferable to a white like bright or porcelain (loud and emotional) because it’s subtle, and by extension you are subtle. More imperfections in his card include the rigidity of the layout, which gives it a harsh geometric feel, the centering of the phone number in the upper left hand corner, and the font sizes.
When contrasted with Van Patten’s it simply cannot hold its own. What sticks out first is the texturing of the material. When you give your card to someone it’s an intimate tactile experience, the sensory pleasure of a textured business card can leave a lasting impression on the receiver (Is it enjoyable to the touch? Can the brain derive a stimulating sensation from interacting with it?) The spacing on this card, if not perfect, is several times better, though the bolding is excessive and makes him come off as self important and clumsy. Eggshell white is lesser than bone but still withstands in the corporate world. I have no personal opinions on the specific font he chose other than it not having the depth of Bateman’s. I would not brag on this one either, it looks like something you would find in the suit of a geriatric chainsmoker.
Bryce says his card is pale nimbus white, a pretentious way of saying cloud and a nod at his tendency to over-complicate simple concepts to appear more intelligent/interesting. His is also geometrically rigid with a void at the top. The center text is too high with a skeletal attempt at bolding. Font size inconsistencies and font choice paired with everything else makes it the worst one. Bonus points for texturing.
The first thing that sticks out about Paul Allen’s card is the bolding. Whereas Bateman doesn’t bold, possibly due to subconscious insecurity, Paul Allen makes a brutal decision to tell everyone what he thinks of himself. His name and job title are so black and thick that I can’t finish this joke because it’s in bad taste. It’s not egocentric, but narcissistic? Yes. Bateman describes the card as tastefully thick, implying the card has a sturdy structure. It is unfortunately without texture. The division of the bottom row into two separate rows does more harm than good, it gives the bottom left and bottom right a gaping void of white space, but I like the font. None of the cards were striking to me but Paul Allen’s takes the cake.
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thatscarletflycatcher · 2 months
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Sense and Sensibility (2024, Hallmark) a review
I had expectations for this movie. They were not surpassed. It didn't perform below them either.
Spoilers under the cut.
So, this is a short movie (1.24hr long) a tv movie, a hallmark movie. You must keep that in mind as a frame of reference for what I'm about to say. You cannot really compare this with theatrical movies on equal footing.
Where to start. Costumes and sets. It is Bridgerton's world and we live in it. Everything is VERY colorful and shiny and not very real looking; that was to be expected. I think that sort of semi-fantasy aspect didn't hurt at all, and it was consistent. If you are not going to stick to the time period, at least go ham and show me something really interesting. I'm looking at you, Netflix Persuasion. There are some dresses that are pretty, and some others that... aren't. Considering that apparently the costume designer had to make something like 60 pieces in a month, it's kind of impressive that it came out as it did.
One funny bit, though, in this respect, is that they complain about how small the cottage is like some actual estate houses aren't the same size IRL XD Allenham we only get to see from afar, and it is rather disappointing.
Music: nothing to write home about, to be expected. Yes, we got one of those Vitamin String Quartet modern-song-played-by-strings. IDK. They were a bit dorky in their heyday, I don't know why they are so sought after in these pieces lately. I digress.
The acting. Deborah Ayorinde was a really good Elinor. She definitely deserved better writing and direction. The rest of the cast was good enough; I feel some roles really benefited from their characters being a bit hammy already in the source material (Lucy, Mrs Jennings, Anne, Fanny, Robert), others were really struggling because of being given very poor dialogue (Mrs Dashwood), and others were just... not good (Willoughby and Brandon, sadly). Edward was... a very special case. I can only describe it as the actor having two expressions: one, an attempt at reaching Hugh Grant's adorkableness AND Dan Stevens' ease at the same time, and two [SCREAMING INTERNALLY], but I guess those two were indeed enough to make it work just fine!
Which leads me to the writing. We all knew this adaptation was going to live or die in the writing, and most likely die.
The thing is that most of it is written around repeating 95' and 08's greatest hits, while attempting to compress the narrative into an hour and a half. And that goes as well as you can expect it to. Some scenes are painfully rushed -Brandon's backstory was extremely awkward to get through- some things are over before you have any time to assess their real weight -Marianne's illness, and many others end up being... incongruous.
Let me stop a little on those. The movie keeps Margaret, and gives her the whole play acting as a pirate with Edward from 95', but then removes the only real plot relevant thing she does in the book. So why keep the character at all? (Willoughby asks for Marianne's handkerchief in exchange for Queen Maab, instead of cutting a lock of her hair).
Because 2008 makes Brandon suspicious of Willoughby from the get go, this one makes it so that they know each other and implies that Brandon knows dirt on Willoughby, but then plays the rest of the story straight, which makes it... pretty inconsistent.
Speaking of Brandon, we have reached adaptation #5 that cuts out the fact that he tried to elope with Eliza sr. This time the backstory is that his father promised to let him marry Eliza if he proved himself as a soldier, but when he came back, he found his father has kicked her out of the house. Yeah, that was utter nonsense.
The adaptation makes a clumsy attempt at including the dinner at Mrs Ferrars... but Brandon isn't there to see Marianne defend Elinor.
We needed to have a "Brandon rescues Marianne in the rain" scene, but in this case, she's not faint or anything, he just grabs her because she's sad XD
And the list goes on and on and on. It was to be expected that the shadow of both 95 and 08 would be large over this one, but it truly is to the point that the references and contrivances are almost constant. Which is a pity because I think most of the original choices were interesting.
For example, Marianne twists her ankle running after Margaret, to try and stop her from asking something embarrassing, which is a good choice in terms of showing that Marianne is passionate, but she has more sense than Margaret.
On his deathbed, Mr Dashwood makes Elinor promise that she will take care of her mom and sisters and keep the family together. That added pressure on Elinor works really well in the context of the adaptation, and ads a new layer of interest.
John Dashwood is written mostly as a hapless but not malicious idiot. This is similar to what From Prada to Nada did (though there it made more sense because of the father having two families simultaneously), but I'm not sure where was that going. They did cut the Palmers, so I suppose the choice was so that they could go to Norland instead on their way to Barton (it is never established that Norland is so far away as it is in the book, so I guess one could give it a pass), but in that case, I feel the most cost effective shortcut is... have them go to Barton? Because we do get to see Barton (Marianne goes alone with Brandon to see it close to the end, and they get engaged before Edward returns, don't think much about it, manners and such are... for this movie... loose guidelines. But it isn't super offensive most of the time).
Anne Steele is decent fun as she's supposed to be, but Lucy really suffers the flattening. The mastermind has been flanderized into just a mean girl, and that's a pity.
Oh, Edward is sassy at times! And the sassy jokes land! I have to say it is not my preferred way of doing the character, but he does show some sass at the end of the novel, so, you know, I'll allow it I suppose XD
Edward's return and proposal started pretty good, but it overstayed its welcome. I cannot emphasize enough that, when writing this kind of proposal, you must avoid the word love if you can, and if you must use it, use it once, and with great reluctance.
The movie chooses to dedicate quite a time to the reveal of Edward and Lucy's relationship, and it's honestly... decent? For a scene made out of whole cloth it stands on its own feet reasonably well. But there's no Fanny freakout. This is probably the most shocking plot twist in the adaptation. This very on-the-nose Hallmark adaptation decided to cut the Fanny freakout of all things. Impressive restraint.
One thing, however, that was sadly cut out was Elinor and Marianne's conversation about Willoughby at Barton. It is instead replaced by an unsubtle comparison between Willoughby and Edward, and an exchange between Brandon and Marianne. It is one of the several points where the storytelling relies on previous knowledge of the work.
These are my main, disordered thoughts. I leave you with this choice from the ending, that I cannot form a thought about:
At Elinor and Edward's wedding, on the first pew are in attendance, from center to side: Mrs Dashwood, Margaret, Marianne, colonel Brandon... and Eliza Williams with her baby in her arms.
As a summary, I'd say Elinor and Edward's story was good enough, the relationship between the sisters was sweet, there were some odd choices, some interesting choices, and overall the writing was severely downgraded by attempting so much to stick to the choices of previous famous adaptations.
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fronomeeps · 10 months
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Abriged text of Off’s 15th anniversary stream!
official VOD on youtube: https://youtu.be/RG4yEM9J3Zg
full disclaimer there are inconsistencies with the typing and punctuation and capitalization, but here it is!!! the full 4 hour stream in abriged text form! i tried including as much as i can while making it short and sweet-ish, everything under the cut!
Part 1: Off’s Childhood (Off creation)
Q: Did you design and draw the characters before you decided to make a game for them or did you have the idea to design a game first and have the visuals come after?
Some of them he drew before. He knew about RPGmaker for a long time and used it to make little games. Most of the RPGmaker games he would make before were using the RPGmaker assets. When he started Off, he decided that everything would be made by him. He never made a game with his own resources before, so he had no idea what to do with the graphics. He made everything very simple with flat colors and lines, which made it easy to use and easy to create. The first map he made in OFF was Zone 0’s building extremely fast to test his chipset and as an exercise. Afterwards he thought of what characters to make for the game. He had piles of drawings he did for fun with no particular meaning, and he happened to have a drawing of a baseball player and a cat with a “very big head” and decided that these would be characters in the game. There was no symbolic meaning to it, he just thought the drawings were cool.
Yes, the characters were made before the game was made but not intended to be in the game.
Q: Was there anything in the game you weren’t happy with or anything you didn't get to finish when OFF released?
He was quite happy with everything in the game, there was some cut content, but when he finished he was really happy with what he made. It took him 1 year to make Off. He is still happy about the state of Off. Sometimes he was frustrated with the limitations of RPGmaker2003, such as the battle system, that he would change if he had total control of these things. But with the tools he had, he was happy with the results.
If he had tools he had today back then, Off would be a completely different game. There are some things he is unhappy with and says he was a completely different person back then, but it’s been 15 years and he’s proud of what he made and what Off is and is happy people like the way it is.
Q: If you could easily implement any game mechanic into off regardless of how hard it would be to implement, what would it be?
He would make a battle system from scratch. He likes the JRPG battle system, but the balancing of the numerical side of things (HP, damage, etc.) were difficult to manage and he feels he could have done it in a more fun way. He thinks there's better ways to do things with the system.
Battles such as Dedan are hard to beat but not very fun since it is hard because of his large amount of HP, since that’s how he saw to make it hard.
So if he could change the combat, he would.
Another thing he would change is the puzzles, he feels they are too hard. Especially in zone 1 he feels they are not fun. Reading text and remembering random information he does not think is very fun and weirdly difficult. The Calendar puzzle in Alma in particular comes to his mind when he thinks of a hard puzzle. The calendar was inspired by a Killer 7 puzzle that he liked at the time but doesn’t like it now.
Q: Were any of the characters inspired by real people in your life or by pets?
Real people no, but his friend made the voices for the characters.
The judge is inspired by a drawing he made of his roommate’s cat back in college. The cat was named Madame Le Judge.
Q: Have you considered other sportsmen other than batter?
No, Batter was made from a drawing he did of a baseball player from a book from the library and had no correlation to the game.
Q: Was Zacharie originally planned to be fightable?
There were doodles of Zacharie with angel wings and a sword, but they were just for fun and he was not intended to be a fighter in the game. But he is aware that it has made the fans question if Zacharie was intended to be a battler in the game.
Q: Was there anything cut or scraped from the game?
Not really, but in the doodle pack on his old website where he posted Off originally, there was a version of Enoch with a mask on as well as some items. And for the ballman and boxxer part he had some more enemies planned, one being a baseball with eyes. He scrapped it because it was an unimportant part of the game.
There were some really complex puzzle ideas that were cut because they would be too complex to put in. He likes reaction based games, rpg games where you have to think not so much. There is a game called MYST on pc where you travel to an island and are tons of insane puzzles which he was hypnotized by as a puzzle. He did not solve many of the puzzles but thought it was extremely cool as a kid and wanted to make a game as cool as MYST.
Q: Can we get the full list of magaka and artists the bats are named in reference to?
Harrold: Don’t remember
Masashi: Naruto creator
Emmanuel: French comic book artist, he liked at the time but no longer likes, but was a huge inspiration for Off.
Michael: Hellboy creator
Yoshihiro: Hunter x Hunter creator, which Mortis is a big fan of.
Lewis: French comic book artist.
Katsuhiro: Akira creator, “still a banger” -Mortis
Ashley: An American comic artist who did paintings.
Q: What went into the decisions that went into the creation of Zacharie’s masks?
If there was an inspiration, he doesn’t recall. He designed them that way because he thought he looked cool.
Q: What are the inspirations behind every character in the game?
Elsen: Just a business man, office man, supposed to featureless and “boring” or “normal”, some inspiration from his hatred of administration(?). He is sorry for what he puts the Elsen though.
Dedan: “I don’t know…” -Mortis, he has a military jacket.
Japhet: Fire bird, Final fantasy 6’s Valigarmanda who is a fire bird trapped in a block of ice was a big inspiration.
Enoch: Inspired Nicolas de Crécy’s comics. There is a character who is large like Enoch that he was heavily inspired by. He enjoyed the comics at the time but now sees there is some fatphobia with the character.
Vader Eloha (Queen): Generally, a mysterious, strange, princess-like lady. A beautiful lady to contrast the heaviness of the rest of the game.
Queen’s Addons: Just complex stuff.
Bad Batter: No direct inspiration, but is a scary, terrifying version of the batter.
Hugo: Child with a big ham, no direct inspiration.
Sucre: Was designed by a friend.
General aesthetics of the game: Inspired by Killer 7 for the aesthetics, backgrounds, feelings. If you like Off you would like Killer 7. It is similar to off, and is very violent. In general, Final Fantasy 6-10, Metal Gear Solid 2’s “Meta” content (THE GAME SPEAKS TO ME?!?!?!?!?!?!), Silent Hill 2 (after completing off, he played more silent hill games but SH2 was played before and was inspiration).
In the game, there are 2 maps that are a silent hill reference, in that the maps themselves spell “SH” “Silent Hill” and there are long hallways with locked doors like Silent Hill.
Q: What had to be the most difficult part of Off development for you?
There were some times he would get stuck not knowing what to do next. Alias Coldwood, who also made the soundtrack of the game, was his roommate at the time. Alias helped him code parts of the game as he was already a programmer, such as the Elsen balloon minigame in the Zone 2 amusement park.
He was stuck on the balloon game coding for 3 days and then Alias came in and fixed it in half an hour.
Zone 3 is mostly pretty straight forward and doesn’t have that much coding, except for the dropping Add-On collection minigame. He says that the way the engine is, if you want to do something other than classic RPG it becomes very hard.
Q: What is the overall feeling you want people to have when they play Off?
A bad feeling, guilt, sadness, emptiness. He says he was quite edgy at the time, he wanted the game to make you feel like you were the good guy, then gently make you feel like maybe you aren’t the good guy, and then at the end confirm that you are in fact the bad guy.
There is a short poem called 10 Little Soldiers, where the narrator is revealed to be the killer of the story, and it was shocking and unexpected. He wanted to recreate this feeling of shock in a video game setting. In the end, you end up doing what the creator of the game put before you regardless of feeling of freedom.
Q: How was the planning of the game?
Production of the game was 1 year, and there was no clear idea in his head before he started making Off. He sorta winged it as he went. He made all the characters, then went and made maps chronologically and made it up as he went.
Q: Who was your favorite character to design?
Japhet. There are 4 different forms of Japhet, and he likes the way he transforms. He wouldn’t change much about his design.
Q: What was your process for making the sprites?
They were drawn on paper, inked, scanned in, scaled down in photoshop, then the edges were cleaned up with a black border to work with the game (which took up most of the time in game production).
Q: What was the creative process behind the music and what did you use?
He did not make the music, Alias Coldwood did. He would come into Mortis’ room, check what Mortis was up to, see the areas, then go off and make music for the game. He would come back and give him the music gifts. He would ask if it was good or if anything needed to be changed but usually no changes were needed.
Q: Why was Over the Rainbow used for the ending of the game?
He loves the song, and it is a strong contrast of gentle music, reassurance, after the extremely brutal game.
It can also be interpreted that the game itself is a rainbow, with the zones being very brightly colored.
Q: What sorta things did you think about while making Off? What did you think it would be?
He didn’t think much about the game itself, he mostly thought about being done with the game and how cool it would be. He thought it would be so crazy and cool if 50 people played his game, or if his friends played his game.
It was his last year of doing comics studies at school. He had his studies which were art related, but his free time was filled with working on Off, which was fun for him.
Q: What role does the battle system play in the story?
None, other than Batter attacks everything he comes across. In most games you fight a lot, maybe it was more so that fighting is in games, so his game needs fighting. But it makes sense to look at it that you are fighting everything you come across, which is sort of evil. You can actually flee from most battles other than the bosses. But it is not easy to defeat the bosses without killing people beforehand.
Q: What was it like to work with Alias Coldwood?
It was really cool.
Q: Did you have a theme you wanted to follow?
Yes, the idea that the main character is the bad guy was the main theme. He had the ending idea in mind.
Q: What was the last thing you made in the game before releasing?
Since he did it in chronological order, he believes the last thing he did was the secret ending(space apes ending).
Q: Do you have any old concept art for the game/ characters?
He doesn’t have them on his computer, but if his website is still searchable, there should be a zip folder full of art. Website: http://gaarabis.free.fr
Q: Is it true that the train stations in zone 1 are based on pens?
Pentel: A really good brush pen he has
Sachihata: Don’t remember
Alma: An actual train station in brussels.
Damien: Don’t remember
Q: What were those unused soundtracks for?
Music for zones that already existed and he didn’t have a purpose for.
Q: How were the sketches for Off made, were they sketched and scanned in?
Yes
Q: Do you have any beta builds of Off?
No, just the one version.
Q: What happened to the Off Demo?
It disappeared, lost on the old website that died and he didn’t have a backup. It stopped at Dedan’s office in Alma, and a text would show up to say that’s the end of the demo. It was made for a french rpg forum for people to play there, and he received a price in a french rpgmaker contest. There is no additional or different content in the demo that isn’t in the main game.
Part 2: Into Off’s big castle (Off lore)
Mortis notes, nothing is cannon in Off, he had things in mind when he made it but nothing is cannon, “everything is cannon” anything that comes to your head when you play is cannon, everything is cannon and nothing is cannon.
Q: when the batter turns into a monster, is that a shapeshift or is it just how the judge sees the batter?
It’s based off Killer 7, whose final boss is an angel. It is implied though that the character is not actually an angel, but is the way it sees itself. He liked the idea that you can people can be represented differently than how they actually are, and it is up to you whether that is batters view of himself, the players view of him, or the judges view of the batter.
Q: What is Zacharie and Sucre’s relationship? Are they friends? A couple?
They like each other, but as you prefer. If you want them together then sure. But he doesn’t have any thought on it.
Q: is the Judge a fluffy cat or a hairless cat?
Madame le Judge, the inspiration cat, was a fluffy cat, so the Judge is fluffy. Though he doesn’t look fluffy in game so that is up to the player.
Q: Top 3 vegetables for every character.
Too long of a question, but for the judge: Zucchini, Eggplant, and Tomato
Q: Do the zone guardians get along with each other or is there a reason they all rule their own zones?
They do know each other based on the events in The Room, but if they’re friends is uncertain. But Japhet did save Enoch from a hole, so they are probably on good terms. In the room, they have similar ideas on what to evolve the world into and at that point they are probably closest to being friends, more so that they tolerate eachother or are more akin to coworkers. Once they are in their own zones, they have no need to talk to each other.
Q: Is Off a universe or world?
There are definitely past events to Off, the world is already in a crisis point with its dead appearance. Maybe it is our own earth.
Q: What do Elsen and spectres taste like?
Elsen would taste like a human, and spectres would taste like smoke.
Sucre is also supposed to be a human, please don’t eat her.
Q: How is Zacharie doing, what are his views on the world?
He is not well, he is quite nihilistic and sees the world is not doing well, but he doesn’t care.
Q: Could you go into the game’s nomenclature, specifically the names for items, guardians?
The reason he calls the health items tickets was because he wanted a cool, clever way to refer to them rather than health potions.
He chose flesh for SP items because it was gross and fit with the universe. He chose demon names for the flesh because he thought it was cool and edgy at the time.
The guardian’s names are from the Bible, but there is no significance to the names themselves.
Q: How do you imagine the voice of the Judge?
He’s a cat with a big head so maybe there’s some resonance.
Q: What’s the Judge’s favorite brand of kibble/cat food and what is his favorite fish?
In zone 2’s marketplace, Judge is looking at an ad for catfood. Catfood made with meat from the fountains of Alma is his favorite food.
There is no more fish in the world, Judge doesn’t know what a fish is.
Q: What the heck is the zone 3 secretary?
It was a drawing he did based on a photo from a book from a library. They are drawings of wood carved baby artifacts. He drew clothes on them for the game.
Q: Does the batter like men?
In a previous stream, he and chat decided batter is a lesbian. He also states that batter (he/she/they) doesn’t like men.
Q: Is there a cannon explanation for the ending?
It’s in the game, it is cannon.
Q: Did you intend Sucre to have more content, and did you plan for other secret bosses to be in the game?
Sucre was the only planned secret boss and no other content was planned for her.
He asked his friend to design Sucre, asking her to design a character to be a secret boss in the game without knowing anything about the game.
Sucre’s speech pattern (using emojis and speaking in small sentences) is based on a character from Killer 7 as well.
We don’t know why she’s in the zone 0 room, though it’s implied she has changed and Zacharie knows she has changed.
Q: Why does Sucre like ducks?
She doesn’t like ducks.
Q: Is the art depicting Zacharie with wings and a sword cannon?
It is cannon and it isn’t cannon.
Q: How far does Zacharie’s self awareness go?
He knows he is in a videogame, and being in the videogame Off is quite depressing.
He knows everything, he knows about batter and his powers.
Q: What happens when the switch turns Off?
Everything is gone
Q: Was there any reason for the Panic in Ballville section in the room?
Everything in the room are hints to what led to the creation of the world, but the hints are obscure and it is up to the player to figure that out.
It’s up to interpretation
Q: Do you think Deltarune Queen and Off Queen would be friends?
The Queen from Off is not very friendly, and probably wouldn’t want to be friends.
He has played Deltarune and loved it and loves Toby Fox’s work.
Q: Do secretaries appear because of batter’s desires?
Secretaries have no emotion, they are mindless monsters. They are not even humans, they aren’t even living. They just exist in an empty world, symbols of despair and emptiness.
Q: Did spectres appear because of the Queen’s neglect?
Enoch says they’re just the souls of the people, so yes they are just the dead Elsen.
He had another idea with Alias that in the past of Off, when people die their souls would go to the future. But since there is no longer a future, they pile up in the present as the ghosts we see.
Q: How were Elsen made?
They are one person, who was cloned. They are all named Elsen. There are lots of him.
Cannon and not cannon: Before the events of Off, there was a man named Elsen, and he cloned himself over and over and had many of his clones in a bunker. When he died, his clones were all released. It is ambiguous that the Elsen know this fact about themselves.
Q: Is it possible that there are other lands in the nothingness or across the sea?
The idea is that it is a post-apocalyptic place, and the Queen and Hugo have power that emanates from them that certain people are strong enough to use that power to create worlds. Judge, Dedan, Enoch, and Japhet are those who can use this power, which is why when you kill them their zone dies. Though it is possible there are other survivors out in the world that may weild the Queen and Hugo’s power to create lands.
Q: Is batter bald?
Yes?
Q: Does the batter have any pets?
No, he would not be a good pet owner.
Q: Do the burnt elsen have any purpose other than being enemies you can fight?
The black material exploding from them comes from inside of them.
Since they are office men, it makes sense they are stressed. Burning is a direct representation of burnout. The world is too horrible for them to continue existing. As the world dies, they have a physical reaction which is dying and burning.
Q: Has the batter ever played baseball?
No
Q: Are Zacherie’s wings in the drawing Add-ons?
There is no cannon for this non-canonical drawing.
Q: How powerful would batter be in the real world?
He can kill lots of people, he can heal himself, and has magical powers so he would be pretty powerful.
His power is “4000”
Q: What is the Judge drinking in the drawing where he’s drinking from a cup?
Orange juice
Q: The drawing with the red dots in the room, is it an illusion?
The drawing itself is made by Hugo in the game world.
Q: How tall is Enoch?
Maybe like 4 meters.
Q: We saw the story of the zone guardians but what about Zacharie, Judge, and Valerie? Did they exist before the zones?
Yes they did exist before the zones, and they survived the apocalypse somehow, maybe in a bunker.
Maybe because Judge and Valerie have 9 lives as cats they came back to life, and Zacharie’s 4th wall breaking power allowed him to survive.
Q: Is there lore behind the important people of Zone 1 or not?
They are all dead.
Q: What happens to the puppeteer/player after we finish the cannon ending of the game?
You get back to your life, game ends.
Q: Does Hugo sees him as a monster or his human form?
Hugo would see him as a positive form, since Hugo created the batter, and is happy to see the batter arriving. But batter kills him. And Hugo probably changes his mind as he’s killed.
Q: Is the anniversary of Off also batter’s birthday?
When you start the game it is batter’s birthday.
Q: What is the reason the Queen isolated herself from everyone?
She doesn’t like anyone. She wanted to make a new world, but was disappointed in the outcome, and isolated herself and became crazy. She may be a bit of a narcissist.
Q: Who would win in a fight between Omori and Batter?
Omori
Q: How come the final hallway before the switch looks like a skull and spine?
It was not intentional, and he was just designing a strange hallway. But agrees that it looks like that.
Q: Is batter truly evil or is a victim of circumstances.
He is spawned from hugo’s wishes, in batter’s opinion he is not evil, but he is evil.
Q: Is there a timeline where Valerie lives after Japhet’s fight?
In the main game he dies, but there is many timelines where he lives.
Q: What does batter think of the player? A tool, a psychic?
He thinks of the player as a tool.
Q: Do the characters have cannon ages?
No, never thought of it.
Q: What is the meaning/story behind Off?
Play the game.
Q: Why does hugo have 8 dots on his forehead?
He doesn’t know why, but it was somewhat inspired by Krillin from Dragon Ball.
Q: Tell us more about Enoch
He’s a guardian of the zone 3, he is very big and tall. He tries to make people’s lives easier with sugar, but it is a drug in this world. But he does genuinely want his elsen to be happy, but he’s really not a good guy and doesn’t go bout it right.
Q: What characters from other franchises would batter get along with?
Batter wouldn't really be friends with anyone, he doesn’t really communicate, he doesn’t like to speak and he doesn’t want friends. He has a mission and he’s going to complete it.
Q: What’s up with the ring party members?
At first they were just there to add more party members, since being the only one is boring. So how do you have only 1 main character but multiple party members? The Add-ons do not have personalities but fill the party. But at the end they have meaning.
Each guardian is represented by an Add-On, and their ideas and thoughts and relationship with Hugo are represented by each Add-On. But as the world was created, the promises of their ideas were broken.
Q: How did the batter know what his purpose to purify the world was?
He just knew in his brain, in his programming.
Q: Was the batter the correct answer to the world’s problems?
It’s up to you to decide that, but there is probably a better solution than batter. Alooot of bad choices that led to batter.
Q: What are ghosts? Did the queen send them? Is it capitalism?
Mortis confirms he hates capitalism and you can see that in the game, and in a clumsy way it does speak about capitalism. But the ghost’s source is a mystery but they’re probably souls of Elsen.
Q: What happened to Hugo’s parents?
Probably dead.
Q: What did the batter save the elsen in zone 2 if they were all going to die anyways.
He didn’t care about saving the Elsen, he was just going after the spectres.
Q: Is each zone a planet or different universes?
They aren’t planets. The world is broken, and there are floating continents with light points that can be traveled to.
Q: Do Boxxer and Ballman have names?
Ballman is Casper, and Boxxer is Jeremy.
Q: Is it the player’s fault that batter is the way he is?
No
Q: What are the actual names of the Elsen?
They’re all named Elsen.
Q: What was the batter doing before the game started?
Nothing, he didn’t exist before.
Q: What would happen if you microwaved an elsen?
They would die.
Part 3: Off, the game
Q: Will the game be on steam or console?
He already got some proposals from companies to put it on different platforms, but for now he doesn’t want to, but he isn’t against it. It’s a long process of copyrights and other things and maybe one day it’ll happen, but for now no.
Q: Would you ever reconsider remaking Off in another style or game engine?
No, he’s happy that people enjoy Off as it is, but he’s not as invested in it as he was when he made it. He won’t be making any remakes or continuations, since he has other projects and plans and stories and universes.
Q: Would you ever make a sequel, comic, any continuations of Off?
When he first made Off, he had an idea for a part 2 and even spoke to Alias about it but dropped it because it works so well as a one-shot.
Q: Would you ever be interested in making projects similar to Off?
He has another videogame in the works, and RPG he’s working on with friends called HELP.
Q: Do you see yourself working on something Off related in the future? Or are you done for good for this world?
He doesn’t close every door but probably is done with the world.
Q: Will you ever expand on Hugo’s lore?
Probably not
Q: Will you ever remake Off with your current style?
If he did something Off related now, it would be in his current style, he can’t recreate his old style.
Q: Have you ever considered making merch, plushies or artbooks?
He doesn’t have any of the original drawings anymore, he sold his sketchbook. All the files he still has are too small to be used in an artbook. For plushies, it would be fun, but it isn’t a priority right now.
Q: Do you regret being better known as the creator of Off rather than other things you’ve made?
He is a little frustrated by the fact that nothing else he’s made is as popular as Off, such as comics he’s made since Off or other work he’s done. He isn’t complaining though. Whenever he does anything Off related, people give him lots of love and he’s extremely happy and moved by it and is happy that people love the game lots. He’s happy with his life.
Q: What’s your favorite piece of music from Off?
He loves all the music, his favorite would be Fake Orchestra, Dedan’s boss music.
Q: Do you think there’s a good way to adapt Off into an animated series?
It could be fun, but he doesn’t like translating video games into other mediums other than video games.
Q: What’s your favorite character from Off?
Japhet, he is a bad guy, even though he’s egotistical now, he really tried to please his elsen. Reading his journal, we can see he is disappointed in himself, and self-reflects.
Q: What’s your favorite spectre design? Which one is the sexiest?
His favorite is the 6th spectre, the one that explodes into many little spectres.
Smash or Pass round: He passed every spectre. The sexiest is the large spectre.
Q: Which character/creature design is your favorite?
The whale is still a favorite of his.
Q: After 15 years, what do you honestly think of Off as its creator?
He is happy that so many people still like, so he feels he succeeded in making something that speaks to or is relatable to so many people. To himself however, he thinks there’s a lot he would’ve done differently if he made it now. He’s a different person now, and elements of the game don’t resonate with him anymore.
Q: What was your reaction after the game’s big success?
Before the success, there was a translation to english, and then a while after that it really exploded. He was not prepared. He felt successful from just 50 people playing it and thought that was it for Off.
After 2 years when youtubers started making let’s plays of Off and fanart was being made, and now he is used to it. But it took a long time for him to understand that the game was a huge success.
Q: What ending do you choose, the batter or the judge?
For a long time, he liked the batter ending more. But now he likes the judge ending more. It feels like a small small spark of hope. You have a choice to not destroy everything.
Q: Do you think Off would ever get as big as it is now?
No, never.
Q: Did you expect Off to have such a big impact on people? Were you overwhelmed by it?
It wasn’t overwhelming, but he didn’t understand it at first but he was really really happy.
Q: Had you ever made a plan in case the game becomes popular?
No, he only made it to be played a little and got a price from a french rpg forum and that was all he thought would come of the game.
Q: If you could pick 5 songs not from the soundtrack to encapsulate the game what would they be?
The Kid A album from Radiohead was an album he was listening to while he was making Off and encapsulated a lot of Off’s themes that you can find in the game.
Q: How do you feel about Papyrus looking like Dedan?
He is so glad that his game had an impact on Toby Fox when he made his games.
Q: Would Papyrus and Dedan be friends?
No, Dedan is really mean and Papyrus should not be around Dedan.
Q: Where do you consider Off in your artistic journey? Has it impacted/ influenced you?
It is a part of him. Even though the stuff he does now doesn’t look like Off and everything he does doesn’t relate to Off anymore it’s a big part of him.
Q: Are you willing to/ planning to release the music on vinyl? Limited releases?
It is not in his hands, that is up to Alias.
Q: Is there anything about Off (the game, the characters, etc.) that you like much more (or less) now?
He is happy about the alternate ending with the Judge.
Q: What’s the biggest thing you scrapped out of the game?
Nothing was really scrapped out of the game.
Q: What would you say is the concept that defines OFf as a whole?
It’s a really nihilistic game about destroying a game that’s already destroyed. It’s a very sad and dark story.
Q: Which character was your favorite to draw?
Zacharie was the most fun to draw, as well as Judge with his big mouth.
Q: What do you think of the fangames?
He’s really glad and happy that people like the game so much they want to make other games. But he always thinks, why? It takes so much time to make these fangames when you could be making something you want to make.
Q: Can you explain the philosophy in the game?
It’s nihilistic and depressing.
Q: Do you have a favorite zone?
Zone 2 is his favorite. It’s more like a city, and it’s more organic than the other zones. The center of the city is a bit maze-like and he likes the way you move around it, and with a library at its center.
Q: For the longest time, I thought the batter’s left eye was a nose. Can you point out the intricate details of his face, for clarity?
Mortis sees it as a nose for the first time. But his nose is actually a left eye, both of his eyes are visible. The top 2 lines are his eyebrows, the bottom lines are his eyes closed.
Q: Is the judge smiling or is his face just like that?
He is smiling.
Q: Is there any want for batter to get into frame makers or any fighting game?
No, he won’t contact any companies to get batter into any game. If someone wants to put the batter in their game, it’s alright. Though he’s not a big fan of fanservice stuff.
Part 4: Officionados
Q: What is your favorite Off fangame and is it cannon to Off?
He doesn’t play any fangames but will in the future. He’s planning to play Home. All fangames are cannon. He’s really happy that there’s so much work around his universe.
Q: Why do you think people are still talking about and playing Off today?
Society is quite dark today, the future is not too happy, and maybe it makes sense to people nowadays. Maybe it is also because of the funny jokes.
Q: Have you seen the animated series by Tanblaque?
No, but he has seen animated content made about Off back a long time ago.
Q: What is your opinion about fan projects nowadays?
Do what you want, and he is 100% ok with it.  You can use any of his graphical assets, you have to ask Alias to use the music, and you can’t use the space monkeys since they were not made by him. He is happy if you make stuff for him, but also he would like people to make original stuff too.
Q: Have you ever played or seen gameplay of Home?
He has seen gameplay, but never played. He was in touch with Felix when he started the game, Felix would send him screenshots.
Q: What do you think about fandom theories?
It’s awesome and he loves it. What he loves the most about it is that Off is a very cryptic and vague story, and people are able to piece together things from what is presented. He thinks many of the theories are really cool. Even with the small community in the french rpg forum the game started getting really cool theories which made him really happy.
Q: Would you be open to someone remaking the game in a modern take?
He would prefer it not be done.
Q: Any silly fan ideas or head-cannons that you personally consider cannon?
He saw a lot of fan characters and fan ideas that he finds impressive, and his own personal story is not cannonic, and he doesn’t like the “trying to find cannon” way of thinking, anything is cannon. Once you play the game, the story is up to you.
Q: Thoughts on Zacharie being a tumblr sexyman?
It’s funny, there’s lots of sexy drawings of his characters and he was shocked at first, but finds it funny, but some of them are not ok. But mostly funny.
Q: Do you like my roblox cosplay?
Yes, it’s fun.
Part 5: Off-topic
Q: What’s your top 3 favorite sauces?
Archiduc sauce, Pili-Pili sauce, Pepper sauce
Q: Are you working on a new game? How is it going?
New game is called HELP, it’s being made by a team and it’s a sci-fi rpg. It is just at the beginning of production. If you want to help make the game then you can support him on patreon.
Q: Have you ever thought of making another game?
There was a large gap between Off and HELP, because making a game is a lot of work, and HELP is in another engine.
Q: Can we expect any Off references in Vold Vago?
Vold Vago had to be pushed aside for now, he doesn’t have the tools to make it right now. Maybe it will exist in the future or be restarted. But he is more comfortable staying in rpg games for now. And maybe there will be a reference, but probably not, he doesn’t like fanservice.
Q: Have you heard of other popular rpgs like Yume Nikki, Undertale, or Omori?
Yes, He has played the others but not Omori yet.
Q: Would you ever consider taking art commissions?
He did before but he doesn’t have time to do that right now. He has a lot of work to do right now, and he doesn’t see a future where he can.
Q: How much weed you’ll smoke?
He doesn’t smoke or drink.
Q: Have you made other comics similar to Doctor Cataclysm?
Yes, he worked on Star Delivery with Marie Spénale, and is working on other comics.
BONUS QUESTIONS he wanted to include but not answer:
Why is the game called Off when you have to turn on your computer in order to play it?
Does Zacharie know I love him?
Can I hug the batter? (no)
Can Sucre be my wife? (no)
Bye Bye!
182 notes · View notes
bonny-kookoo · 1 year
Note
hehe YES!!! i was talking about the cutie from tongue tied 🥹🥹🥹
Referring to this ask though I changed it up a bit. Warning bc fluff
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Everyone's completely occupied with each other, no one really paying attention to you for a second.
And that's all fine- you yourself are busy reading all the fast comments and looking at the colorful hearts in the chat, before you turn to look at all the snacks on the table. No one's said you can't have any of it- but you've also not asked either, and won't, because no way in hell will you embarass yourself in front of people ever again.
Not in front of people you're starting to really like, that is.
All seven of the guys are nothing but sweet to you, but also never hide whenever they become a bit overwhelmed by your presence. You learned to backtrack when that happens, go to someone else to give them some breathing room, and in your eyes, you're doing the best you can to make sure this all works out just fine.
You don't wanna go back, after all.
It's hard to understand for you why they drag you away from them at ever end of the day, and why sometimes you don't get to see them at all. You must be doing something wrong sometimes. But it's so inconsistent that yore starting to become frustrated, because you just can't find a pattern to make out what exactly might be you're doing wrong here.
Either way, you sneakily try and 'steal' a small snack, when your eyes meet Jungkooks.
Everyone else has not noticed anything for a good moment, until they note the wolf's tail starting to wag. It's then that Seokjin starts to laugh, because your curled up one does just the same, your little staring contest never stopping for even a second, no one moving.
He's using silent body language. Presenting an alpha persona. Keeping you in check with just a look, and you're frozen- though not scared.
You're not scared of them.
"Yah Jungkook, let her have some! Come here, this one?" Jimin coos, pulling you close almost protectively before giving you the snack you wanted, effortlessly making you smile and unwrap the piece of candy on his lap.
The staff isn't too fond of it-
But the fans don't seem to mind at all, so they let the skinship slide.
This time.
306 notes · View notes
apompkwrites · 2 years
Text
the betrayal of a god || scaramouche
masterlist characters: scaramouche (platonic) genre: angst contains: spoilers for chapter 3 act iii, scaramouche spoilers, character death, injuries summary: how did things end up this way? how did you go from his beloved sibling to nothing more than a corpse? notes: speedwriting this before the next update comes out >:))) maybe will rewrite as a separate part when it comes out?? we'll see :D also, side note, i like how a lot of you seemed to hope for a good ending for (name)? >:)) you thought wrong~ parts: [the making of a god (1)] || [the betrayal of a god (2)] || [the loss of a god (3)]
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the rage that bubbled in scaramouche's body was intense, the feelings coursing through his veins into the mechanical body that was his god form. the traveler darted around effortlessly despite their injuries, which only fueled the anger.
"just die already!" his voice bellowed and echoed throughout the sanctuary, nahida's quiet sobs doing the same, albeit almost silently. the traveler didn't respond with words. instead, they dashed forward to try and pry at the god's body. scaramouche only growled, swiping at the blond(e) with his hand.
"traveler!" nahida cried out as the adventurer skidded across the ground. scaramouche cackled at this, his body towering over the one person who dared stop him.
"how sad," he mused, his body creaking as it moved closer. "the poor little traveler that celestia smiles down upon... will be reduced to nothing but a splatter of blood and guts under my hand."
and with that, scaramouche slammed his fist into the ground. nahida screeched, her small hands banging against the orb surrounding her. the traveler's body, beaten and bloodied, fell into the hole that was created by the attack. paimon screamed their name, falling down into the sanctuary with them.
they let out a quiet groan, shakily pushing their body up from the ground. it was dusty, they noted, the supposed basement of the building containing various objects.
medical equipment was the best way to describe them. tubes and pipes were strewn on the ground, most likely broken prototypes of the ones that held scaramouche in his body. a large box was rolled off to the side, the opening dripping some sort of liquid, as if it were emptied not too long ago.
but what caught the traveler's eye, what made their heart drop to their stomach, what burned itself into their brain for them to dream about at night, was a body.
a body that hung limp in the air, its arms held up by straps that seemed to be attached to the ceiling. its mouth hung open ever so slightly. its clothes were reminiscent of inazuman fashion, albeit the white was now stained to a pink color that barely complimented the light purple accents.
the traveler could only hope the body moved. but it didn't.
over the countless hours they put into adventuring, they had seen their fair share of bodies. they saw human bodies, they saw hilichurl bodies, they saw mitachurl bodies. and the one thing they all had in common was that they didn't move, indicative of the loss of life.
and that was the same for this body.
it was human, yes, but there were the little inconsistencies that made them quite the opposite.
no blood poured from its various gaping wounds, especially the one on its chest. in addition to that, the wounds it had practically carved on its body revealed, not guts, but the other side of the room as if the traveler were only looking through a hole in the wall.
and what unnerved them the most were the eyes. or lack thereof. what stared back at the ground as the body's head lolled to the side, were empty eye sockets. simple black voids were what remained, no red muscle or veins to be seen. it looked as if it were nothing but--
"a doll..." the traveler gasped, managing to limp over to the corpse.
"they were one of the two byproducts of the shogun... those two... are somewhere, i'm sure of it," ei reminisced, mindlessly floating in plane of euthymia. "dolls that were to serve as its prototype."
the telltale marking of electro was barely visible since a large hole took most of its place. paimon let out a shriek, the sound echoing out and up into the main floor of the sanctuary.
"ah," the god breathed as its head peered into the hole. "you're still alive? how dissappoint--"
and, as if a switch had flipped in the god, no, scaramouche's brain, the body fell silent. it merely disappeared back onto the upper floor.
only for a majority of the ceiling, or rather the floor, to be ripped up from its foundation, allowing the large robot-like god to stare down at the traveler like a child at a doll house.
"...no," the word was strained, the most amount of human emotion that traveler had ever heard from him. they were used to the anger he hissed, the rage feeling the slightest bit human. but this was it. the most human sound they had ever heard from the manmade god.
anguish.
"no, no, no," scaramouche cried, the god's hands moving past the traveler to rip the body out of the straps. "no, no, no, no, (name)..." he seemed to sob as he held his hands up to his (the god's) face. it opened upwards like a door, allowing the real scaramouche, the controller, to be seen by the traveler, paimon, and nahida. "(name)... what did he do to you...?"
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the body seemed to slump in his hands like a doll. they slumped over the way he always imagined they would if they were... no, no that's not it. they're just asleep! they must have been so lonely. oh, so lonely in that wretched basement.
"(name)," he sniffled, holding out his hands. yes, his hands. not the god's, but his. the god's hands moved closer to scaramouche, allowing him to grasp onto his beloved sibling's arms. he pulled them close, their body holding no resistance as they began to float in the subspace created in the god's head. one of scaramouche's hands moved to lay on their back of their head, cradling it close and pressing their face to the space between his shoulder and neck.
oh, what he would give to feel any sort of life in their body.
"i... i'm so sorry," scaramouche sobbed, the god's face shutting on them, leaving the traveler with the very god they had been fighting for the past couple of minutes (or was it hours?).
now, secluded in the subspace made to mimic their mother's plane of euthymia, scaramouche allowed himself to revert. not to the god, not to the balladeer, but to kunikuzushi.
in the subspace, it was just kunikuzushi and (name), two dolls abandoned by their creator, by their first friend, by their youngest "sibling".
and now, it was just kunikuzushi, who abandoned (name) in his desire to become a god.
the fourth to betray us... was me. it was i who abandoned and betrayed them for godhood.
godhood that i had pled to the doctor for to protect the one person i wanted no betrayal to befall.
and yet... i betrayed them in the end, didn't i?
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taglist: @rainys-personal-garden @atsuki-mitsuri @tuskaruska @crxwned-mxnarch @angryhope @quintessentialdreaming @unknown-kitsxne @yu-rylee @local-mr-frog @justreadings @shizunxie @nothing-leave-me--alone @boba-is-a-soup @astro-pioneer
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sapphuric-acid · 3 months
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Lore Dumps in Furby Valentines??
So I went out and bought the Furby valentines from Walmart (very surprised my Walmart in the middle of nowhere carried them) and this is my little showcase.
The pins come in a bag separate from the cards. It only comes in the one design, and as far as I could tell (I kind of just grabbed it as soon as I saw it) that's the only one available.
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The pins are roughly 2.5 cm/1 in in diameter (and yes, the image actually does look overexposed).
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A complete scan of the cards, front and back, are available here.
Also they came with a sheet of little heart stickers, which apparently are supposed to seal the cards shut:
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This is what a completed valentine looks like, sealed and opened:
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But now we come to the reason behind the semi-clickbait title. There's been quite the debate among many over what exactly a furby is, and I feel that these officially Hasbro-licensed designs can give us some more insight.
These designs, which appear to be done by separate artists, stylize the sensors in different ways (one of the Dalmation cards even has a white sensor while the others are dark grey). This could of course just be a difference in the artists' styles (and/or a number of oversights in the designs), or it could be interpreted as furbies having different types of "crests," which could be indicative of different subspecies/breeds (like I would argue the presence of mane/tail furbies does) or just a natural variation like fur color.
And of course there's dem beaks:
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Unlike the sensors, it appears both artists agreed that this is what a furby beak looks like, and the fact that these designs were approved by Hasbro officials gives it more support in my opinion. From what I gather, this sort of beak is most common among seed-eating birds, which suggests that furbies primarily eat grains (anyone more familiar with birds please correct me if I'm wrong).
And as we all know by the furbies are predators jokes, furbies had no evolutionary pressure to develop a wide range of vision, which indicates that they have no natural predators/competition. As such, I propose that furbies are basically their universe's equivalent of the kākāpō:
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This ground-dwelling bird (also called the owl parrot) has the shared traits of forward-facing eyes, strong beaks made for grinding, flightlessness, and very few natural predators.
(Also PSA: the kākāpō is critically endangered with fewer than 250 individuals alive as of 2023 so please help where you can, here's a link to the New Zealand government's Kākāpō Recovery Programme).
But as to what sort of animal these little guys are? Jury's still out, because even the artists are inconsistent with whether they have feathers or fur.
These are just some interesting things I found through my brainrot, feel free to share your thoughts!
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adobe-outdesign · 3 months
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Thoughts on genesect? I disliked it when it came out (partly because I hated the movie), but now it's really grown on me
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I do have mad respect towards Genesect for being our first mythical bug-type, which has long since been overdue. That said, I was never really all that huge of a fan of it, despite being a big bug-type person. I think it just looks a bit too robotic to me. Yes, it's been artificially modified with the cannon—but even without it, the body looks more like a mech to me than a bug. The head is most likely the issue, as the body's not actually too dissimilar to something like, say, Scyther.
Beyond that, the lore is interesting (albeit inconsistent; some 'dex entries say Team Plasma gave it the cannon, while some say they upgraded a pre-existing cannon). The drive gimmick is also fun, though I do wish the eyes changed color with the drive to avoid clashing accent colors.
And visually, I do like the primarily monotone color palette. The body has a nice shape to it, with spurred knees, a pointed wasp-like torso, and the lighter purple accents are tastefully placed. The cannon itself has kind of a neat shape to it, and I like that it fits the shape of the head. Once again, a bit too robotic for my tastes, but I can see this being really appealing to people who are into things like mechs.
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And as a final side note, I think Genesect would've been an interesting one to get a paradox form of, mostly to get a taste of it without the cannon. I don't know, maybe it would just be the same design minutes the cannon, but there could be interesting potential depending on what direction it's taken in.
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