#for me drawing requires a lot of planning and visualization

[houndaelyn]

WHAT HAPPENS IN THE GOLD SAUCER...

...is an accidental wedding!

FFXIV FOLKS I am planning an art project for myself to commemorate an upcoming 'event' and your OCs/WoLs can help! 'When an evening of job-well-done revelry at the Manderville Gold Saucer leads to a morning of gnarly hangovers and cheap rings the only clues about the missing night's events are a stack of bad snapshots left scattered on the hotel side-table.' Basically, I'm looking for people to feature in this series of 'polaroid photographs' as background characters, attendants, disturbed patrons, and fellow drunken fools encountered throughout the night's ruckus! Mutuals, followers, strangers alike! Reblog with one or two references of your preferred FFXIV character ( and, if you feel like it, a little about them and what they'd get up to at the GS because I love to hear about blorbos) if you'd like to see them potentially show up in my silly lil personal project. A few more details below the cut

Any FFXIV race, LGBTQA+ inclusive. The OC selection will largely just be characters that look like fun to include/draw for a night out at the casino. Please note I will largely be preferring characters non/lightly-modded or those with designs not wildly left of the FF .:`aesthetic`:. as I'd like this project to remain visually rooted in the game's look. Also for my sanity anything super complicated or cluttered will probably be passed up. —I specify references above because I know how good and crazy some of you are with screenshots and art but something plain and clear helps a lot more with drawing them!

This is not IC nor will it be an actual in game event with attendees. As such server, data center, or if your character is even actually created in game— doesn't matter. You're also not required to be an artist, writer, RPer either, just gotta love your blorbo and show them to me!

I don't know how much traction this will get but I also don't know how the reblog chain format and notifications work anymore so its probably best to reblog my original post so as not to get missed. Don't have a timeframe on when this will start/end Ultimately this is just a future personal project I want to do to practice art and I thought it would be an interesting idea and fun to include some community folks

#A Manderville Wedding #ffxiv #final fantasy #korso #niko #when ur friend wants a bird but you make up A Whole Thing #ort #AND ALSO A GAY WEDDING YES ME TOO #ive made a mistake i can't like my own post multiple times when people show me their cute characters im boo boo the fool

[pomrania]

For June 2023, I’m planning to do an art event where I’ll be drawing people’s queer D&D (or other gaming system) characters. That means I’ll need people with queer characters who want me to draw those characters. It’s the same thing as I did the last two years; but if you weren’t here for that, I’ll explain it now.

The TLDR is that if you have a queer D&D character (Pathfinder character, GURPS, Monster of the Week, any other gaming system), leave a comment here or send me a message, so I can work out a list of people who might be interested. If you’re not sure if something counts, ask me.

So, the non-TLDR version. There’s an event AdorkaStock has run called “Draw Everything June”, where new poses are put out for each weekday in June. (That worthy is being less active on dA, and currently has plans to host the event on their own site; if it doesn’t work out, then I’d use a different way to get their poses.) The pose is released the night before; I make a post about it, asking who’s interested; the next morning I check the replies, get into contact with someone who was interested in it, and I use that pose to draw their character.

You might notice that this requires me to know what their character looks like. If somebody already has good visual reference for their character, that’s great. If they don’t have reference for their character, then I can work with that; more specifically, work with THEM, to make a reference sheet I can use. And if they don’t really know what their character looks like, I can ALSO work with that, and help them figure out what their character might look like.

I can do all that stuff while working on a picture, but I’d really rather do it ahead of time. (Plus that’ll give me something to do that isn’t my Mermay piece, which is always good.) Thus, why I’m making this post now.

A few things I need to address:

“I don’t want to impose --” This isn’t imposing. This is literally me asking for people to let me draw their characters. Can I make it any more explicit?

“I’m sure you have lots of other characters to draw instead of mine --” Sometimes that happens, but in the past, what’s more often is that I don’t have ANY characters for a pose, and I have to hunt around for anyone who might be able to help, and/or beg.

“You’ve already drawn stuff for me --” And I’m perfectly capable of choosing someone else to draw stuff for, if I decide to, and all else being equal, I’ll generally pick a person who hasn’t gotten art from me before. BUT that’s “all else being equal”; and I’d really much rather have a lot of options to choose from.

“You literally drew my character last year.” Which means that your character will have lower priority (but maybe there’s a pose they’d be perfect for). I’d still like you to leave a note here, because I have a terrible memory for people; I’m not joking when I say that I can’t remember who it was, even if I chatted with you a lot about it. (I have literally forgotten that it was my MOTHER who did certain things; if HER identity can slip my mind, please believe me when I say it’s nothing personal.)

“I have multiple characters.” Awesome; some poses have two or three figures in them, and it’s easier when I just have one person to talk to about it, instead of two different people for two different characters.

“Why don’t you draw your own characters?” Because of how my brain works. Seriously.

“Here’s my character, you can just use them for whatever pose you choose.” That doesn’t work for me.

“I probably won’t be available while you’d be working on a drawing.” Then we’ll just have to work out as much as possible ahead of time; and while I prefer having regular feedback from the person whose character I’m drawing, so long as I know ahead of time that you won’t be around (and thus I won’t worry that you’re ignoring me), I can manage without it.

“But what about --” If you’ve any further questions, just ask them; not only am I not a mind reader, I’m also somewhat tired at the moment, so I prolly forgot to include a bunch of stuff.

#no fandom #not a reblog #personal

[hanzajesthanza]

a collection of some thoughts and anxieties around creating witcher books content in the same space of the games and netflix adaptations 🤔

its difficult to be a fan of the witcher books that deliberately creates and share books-only content (meaning content that’s not interexchangable with or cannot be mistaken for games and netflix content, or content that cannot be understood by with games-only and netflix-only fans) because the books fandom is much smaller, and for that reason it feels like you’re doing something “wrong” if you make books-only content, because the amount of interaction will also be much smaller than if you created or shared games and netflix content.

it’s difficult to see the amount of interaction you’re receiving in a proportional manner, since the term “witcher” is now applied to many different mediums with fanbases that widely vary in size. netflix-witcher or game-witcher posts can reach over 100,000 or 10,000 notes, and books-witcher posts just do not have that kind of audience — if you reach 1,000 on a books-witcher post, that’s an amazing, “viral” amount, and 100 is already an “i’d like to thank the academy” type of honor. but if you go from making games content to books content and the number of people interacting with your post drops, it’s not due to the quality of your work degrading — it’s due to the number of ‘people who are familiar with what your work is about’ dropping.

another difficult part is that creating content about the books is that it almost has a different timespan to it, on both sides, first of the fan creating the content — the “bigger” projects at least — requires careful thought, planning, mulling over, fact-checking, detail-checking… even the smallest doodles can get really deep into the canon content, and book fans tend to enjoy that.

this is of course not always the case, as we have memes, funny textposts, and fun little 5-minute “i was bored at work” type doodles which get passed around. but the books have a lot of material to check with, and for fans working on something “bigger,” this takes more time — for instance, there are no canonical visual designs generated for the characters and settings of the books, so a books-only fan who is interested in drawing characters in a scene from the books cannot reference a visual to create their designs (unless taking from official art or other fans’ designs). they will instead typically (hopefully?) reread the passages in which these characters and settings are described. same goes for fanfictions, doubly so if you value being canon-compliant, in-character, and using canonical places, descriptions, and names. and also for “meta” type posts or analysis.

and this is really because a lot of the fans of the books do care about canon, want to dive into and deconstruct and discuss what is canon, the parts of the books we love. a majority of fans of the books are likely not willing to fudge the details and make it all up, they want to do something by the books that they love. that’s why we’re here in the first place.

due to the long time it tends to take to create a books fanwork, that also leads to another anxiety about not producing enough fancontent for the books, when really the work you put in is just leading up to a “bigger” project, so it’s unfeasible to post a completed work every day. (i’m not saying this is the problem of only fans of the witcher books, i’m aware of the hellish way in which the internet treats creators and artists, but for me personally, i feel like this anxiety is tied to being a fan of the books as opposed to being a fan of the games or netflix).

and on the other side of things, of the fans appreciating the fanmade content. a majority of books-witcher fancontent lives for years in fans of the books minds, since there is not this constant churning of new content. my visual memory remembers artwork from five+ years ago because it means so much to me. these works are NOT intended to disappear forever once you post them. moreso, they become part of an archive of fanworks (indeed, scattered across various websites, but…)

this all, of course, varies widely by personal inclinations and the internet sites you tend to engage with the fandom on, but the major trend which i have seen is that the fans of the books experience time in the fandom in longer spans — in “fan lifespans”: how long you’re engaged with (or obsessed with) the media at hand, in “content lifespans”: how long content is valued, remembered, shared, in “content time”: how long content runs for (relevant to time-based mediums like, a tiktok vs a long video essay), and more…

and because of all of the above, perhaps the most difficult thing to see is that sincere joy and passion of the fans of the books who are just so obsessed with whatever you’ve just created or shared.

with all of this being said, i think we have to stop comparing ourselves to the games-witcher fandom and the netflix-witcher fandom. the books are not the same thing and the fans do not have the same fanculture.

so to all fans of the witcher books who create books-only content:

you’re doing just fine.

know that the other fans have your back and understand the “research,” “big project,” “long-form” method of creating fanwork. novigrad wasn’t built in a day, and good things take time.

the work that goes “unseen” is part of your own personal journey as a fan and can be a really valuable experience of getting closer to the books, so don’t feel the need to rush it for the sake of getting new things to the other fans. just have fun and enjoy taking your time :)

#posts written standing in the frame my bedroom doorway just in the spur of the moment #txt #the witcher books

[codelore]

My first Vue.js app ✨

Today I'm working on a multi-day assignment - a bitcoin digital wallet app using the Vue framework! Crypto is not my jam but fortunately this is just a theme for a CRUDL app that will let me practice this new framework for the first time, as well as improve my design and UX skills! I will also work with some APIs for drawing the required data and libraries for visualizing it with charts.

I actually started this project a few days ago, but have not been in a good mindset to make a lot of progress. So far Vue seems simpler than React, so I hope today will go better!

The concept of this app is to be a digital wallet, where the user has an amount of 'bitcoin' and a list of contacts to whom they can transfer money.

So far I have a pretty solid layout, a header and footer, and I managed to render a list of previews of contacts.

The plan for today:

implement a filter

implement the rest of the CRUDL features

create a statistics dashboard

improve the overall design & UX

#codelore liveblogs #codelore babbles #codeblr

[grim-wildwood]

Digital Tools

(For the Witch)

•☽────✧˖°˖⛤˖°˖✧────☾•

You may be thinking, "Locke, you're devoted to the Old Way. Why are you blogging about technology?"

Well, the truth is: I love technology. It makes my life easier, and when it comes to witchcraft, I have found so many different tools to both boost my academic productivity and help keep my focus.

So, without further ado, here are five free programs that I use to study witchcraft with:

Canva Whiteboard

Planable

Google Keep

Finch

Live Transcribe

Now, I know that new software can be a bit hard to digest, especially if a witch is inexperienced with technology to begin with. So, let me break down everything for you. I've kept all my information short, snappy, and easy to grasp right away.

Canva Whiteboard

Pros

Visual organization

Customizable templates

Infinite space

Cloud storage

Cons

Learning curve

Text limitations

A lot of people use Canva for making lovely little infographics, icons, and wallpapers. What they don't know is that Canva has a whiteboard function that allows their users to play with sticky notes, shapes, stickers, multimedia, graphics, and more. I find this absolutely perfect for making mind maps, keeping sigils, and keeping a visual record of herbs and crystals.

This is great for visual-style learners who like to study with minimal writing.

Planable

Pros

Aesthetic layout

Customizable font

Group editing

Tagging system

Cloud storage

Cons

Limit of 50 articles for free

You must sign up as a "company" (I say coven!)

Mobile app does not allow note editing

Planable was originally designed for planning professional social media posts. However, it's also fantastic for keeping long-form notes. It has all the writing tools you could possibly need for making in-depth articles, plotting out the content of your grimoire, and hosting live study groups. It can handle any multimedia you throw at it. It also has an app in beta for viewing your notes on the fly.

Great for witches who love hoarding all their knowledge in one cozy spot.

Google Keep

Pros

Customizable note backgrounds

Voice memos

Drawings

Tagging system

Cloud storage

Cons

Only has basic font customization

Images only (no video compatibility)

It's short; it's sweet. Google Keep (or simply Keep) is an ad-free notes app that gets down to the nitty-gritty. It's best for lists, checkboxes, short-form notes, and posting pretty pictures all in between.

Finch

Pros

Cute and easy app design

Turns goals into a game

Guided meditiation

Daily affirmations

Recieve uplifting messages from friends

Cons

Requires a healthy/newer phone to run

Only available on Google Play Store

Finch is charming, useful, and an anchor all bundled into one. Aimed for self-care, this app is no standard pet simulator. Your finch brings genuine companionship from a place of love, sending you affirmations, inspiring quotes, and offering compassion in hard times. You raise your finch by setting and completing goals for yourself, whether it be for self-care, everyday tasks, magick, or all three. The app also offers guided meditation, emergency panic/anxiety attack regulation, journaling, motivation check-ins, and other various emotional wellbeing activities.

The best way to do magick is with a clear and calm mind. Finch is perfect for facilitating this!

Live Transcribe

Pros

Minimalistic

Instant loading time

Transcribes in multiple languages at once

Offline usage

Cons

May occasionally mishear you

Doesn't shy away from transcribing vulgar language

If the app is closed, you will lose your previous transcription unless history is turned on

Turn it on and let it work! Live Transcribe takes verbage and turns it into a live and fairly accurate transcript for you to format into notes. I personally love finding short video documentaries on history and witchy how-tos to transcribe.

Great for learning and retaining verbal information for witches who may have an audio processing disorder. It's also good for the humble act of hoarding knowledge.

I hope that you find good use out of these digital tools! Have a lovely rest of your week, and enjoy a breath of fresh organization. 🌿✨️

•☽────✧˖°˖⛤˖°˖✧────☾•

#witchcraft #witchblr #witch tips #paganism #self care

[wellness-university]

Journaling for Students

Have you ever wanted to expel the hundreds of thoughts running through your mind? Or how about a place to note down your upcoming assignments so you can stop turning them in late?

Instead of speaking out loud to someone, journaling can be a different way to brain dump. 

Journaling is helpful for diminishing feelings of stress and anxiety because it’s a focused activity. When you are focused on a task, your brain tends to center in on that task and forget everything else. Especially when writing.

But journaling isn’t only used for brain dumping. It can also be used to track your habits and schedule activities. So, let’s dive into journaling and how we can use it as a tool for our organization and mental health. 

How to Journal Mental Health

As I mentioned before, writing is a task that requires focus. If you find yourself stressed, doing something like a puzzle or playing a video game could help you calm down.

The main difference between those activities and journaling is that when you journal, you can address the feelings that are bothering you. There are two main methods of journaling:

1. Intentionally writing about a specific topic or prompt 

2. Writing whatever comes to mind

These are the most popular ways to journal for mental health. I’d recommend practicing each of them and seeing which one fits your situation best. And you don’t have to stick to just one way of journaling. In fact, it might help you focus more when you try a new format every few weeks. Some formats are more beneficial depending on your situation.

Let me make it clear - there is no set way to journal. That’s something you have to figure out yourself. You can purchase a plain journal with lined pages to write or even a journal with blank pages to draw. But here are a few prompts you can follow if you want to journal for your mental health:

- What is making you anxious? Is it logical to feel this way?

- Write to a version of your past self. What would you tell them now?

- Think of something that worried you in the past. How was it resolved? Are you still worried about it now? And if so, has it gotten any better?

- Write about everything that you’re grateful for. When writing, don’t rush. Stay on a topic as long as you want and try to actually “feel” the gratitude. 

How to Journal for Organization

Many students use a planner or an agenda to write in their assignments and homework. Agendas are a useful tool because they’re usually in a calendar format, which can be helpful for visual learners. But there’s a difference between writing due dates in an agenda and actually planning on how to accomplish those tasks.

If you’ve ever frantically scrambled through your agenda to find that you don’t have the assignment that was supposed to be turned in, then I recommend using a journal to time block your day. If you’ve never heard of time blocking, it really isn’t anything complicated.

But it changed my life.

Seeing my day mapped out in the morning soothed my running thoughts. In a way, I became my own personal assistant because I knew exactly what events or tasks were planned for the day.

Time blocking is a system that dictates your tasks at each hour of the day. Before you time block, you should have a to-do list so you know what you have to accomplish that day. Here’s how to do it: 

1. On the left side of your page, write in each individual hour starting from when you wake up to when you go to sleep

2. Fill in the tasks you’re doing that day at their specified times. Start with classes or other activities that happen at times you can’t control

3. Use your to-do list to fill in the rest of the day

When filling out the rest of your day, try using your knowledge of your own habits. Are you more productive in the evening, afternoon, or morning? If you have the option, write in your toughest tasks during those productive times. This will make you life a lot easier and help you enjoy checking off your to-do list. 

How to Track your Habits with Journaling

If you’re interested in tracking your habits, you should invest in a bullet journal. Bullet journal pages are formatted with a grid instead of being lined. This allows you to draw different templates and be as creative as you want with them. 

This is why they’re so wonderful for tracking personal patterns.

Students who tend to use different colored highlighters, pens, and stickers will find success with bullet journaling. This is because most habit trackers tend to have boxes to fill in with a color once you’ve completed the task. For example, let’s say you’re tracking each day you go to the gym. In your bullet journal, use the grid paper to draw the shape of the month’s calendar with boxes. After going to the gym, fill in the box with a highlighter of your choice.

There are plenty of YouTube videos on different templates you can do and how to set up your journal for each month. Here are a few ideas of what you can track in your bullet journal:

- How much sleep you’re getting every night

- Daily goals 

- Long-term goals 

- Studying for exams

Journaling as a Student

Journaling is a habit that I've built over five years. There were some semesters where I’d set up a month of trackers in my bullet journal, and I’d come back three months later to unused, dusty pages. Even if you’re not consistent with journaling, that isn’t a reason not to do it. 

Like I mentioned before, the act of journaling is a focused activity. Make sure that you allot a specific amount of time for your journaling sessions. This will make it feel like a personal routine. 

So, go grab your highlighters and favorite pen. It’s time to soothe your mind and stay ahead of your classes!

#journal for mental health #bullet journal #student journal #journaling #journaling for mental health #stationery #student #school #university student #university #waking up early #college student #college life #college #wellness #mental health

[buggbuzz]

Hii :). I know it’s a bit of a random question but I’m thinking of becoming a biology major and since you are one of those would you mind sharing a little (or a lot) about what it’s like?

YESSS OKAY!!

technically i'm a biotechnology major, so i'll have some more specific requirements, but right now i'm still in the general biology stage, so it's pretty much the same.

things to note:

if your college is anything like mine, you're gonna need to do biology AND chemistry for a little while. you'll also need to have your math classes covered; pre-calc was my last math requirement, and yours probably will be too

colleges! like! to! scam! you! for example, i'm working on my associate's right now, a "two year" degree. EXCEPT they set the curriculum up for FIVE semesters instead of four. pre-calc was required for bio 1 and chem 1, and i needed to do three bio classes and four chem classes in order. no matter what i did, i'd still have to do more than four semsters. my point? be prepared for stupid stuff like this. plan out all of your semesters to the best of your ability ahead of time so you can avoid being put in a tight spot. check your major's class requirements to make sure you know what you have to do. enroll in your classes the second they're available. and, you'd probably benefit from taking bio, chem, and math ap courses in high school.

biology is a LOT OF READING and it moves VERY QUICKLY!! so much reading. and if you're like me, and you don't really have an issue with reading a lot of dense biology material, don't get cocky. try to stay on the ball and study your textbooks at an even pace, not in huge last-minute bursts; your brain will get overwhelmed and fried REALLY fast.

i've found that one of the best ways to memorize biology is to understand each concept from multiple angles, and to understand how all the pieces go together. other good techniques are remembering interesting little tidbits, making analogies for everything, and connecting things you learn to other things you already know.

biology is also very visual and reminds me a lot of a rube-goldberg machine. think about how all the different moving pieces fit together. drawing out all the diagrams, looking up information about things mentioned offhand, and looking up extra diagrams and images can help a lot. of course, this is coming from an artist and a visual learner, so take that with a grain of salt. (on my instagram i have two different story highlights of my note-taking method! i have a lot of drawings and strategic methods there, so it might help to take a look)

as you can expect, the labs are really gross. i've got a stomach of steel and think parasitic worms are cute, so i'm a lot better off than most people, but even i hit my limits sometimes. you're gonna be shoving your fingers into organs and getting body fluids and fecal matter all over your fingers. also, the smell is unfathomably horrible. i'm serious about that. i've never smelled something so horrible in my entire life. also also im pretty sure the preservative fluid is toxic when consumed, so don't, like, put your mouth on anything dead.

make friends with your classmates, especially your lab partners! having eachother's backs and being able to comfortably collaborate will do your grades, stress levels, and lab performance all a huge favor. scientists are actually really easy to make friends with, too (at least biologists anyways). if you start chatting about different cool biology things you can make friends pretty quickly.

a lot of the practical things in lab are actually more complicated than they look. i went to an art high school and took ap bio after covid, so all of the few experiments we actually had ended up being dried up or cut from the curriculum. the only thing i had real experience with was microscopes because i actually have one at home. so, my first actual lab in college i had to trap a planarian in a slide with a dip in the center, and i shattered like four slide covers trying to set it up (SO FUCKING EMBARRASSING 💀💀💀). it also didn't help that everyone else had actually taken bio 1 in college and had experience with lab equipment already, yeesh. you pick it up fast, though.

you eventually start learning about organ systems. let me tell you something, it is such a goddamn mindfuck to learn about how your body works as its working. you feel like a sentient AI learning about circuitry and programming for the first time. it's pretty useful, though, as far as medical things as concerned, both physical and mental. you're kinda forced to be more aware of your own health.

still, im ecstatic that i'm majoring in bio. absolutely the best thing EVER. i learn something new every goddamn day, and this fall im taking a GENETICS CLASS, my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE THING. i absolutely recommend majoring in biology.

#buzzing #asks #definitely-not-julio #long post #WAS THIS LONG ENOUGH FOR YOU LMAOOO #buggie's nerd stuff

[snezfics-n-shit]

Sicktember Day 26: [Allergic] Conjunctivitis

Fandom: Ace Attorney Characters: Larry Butz, Franziska von Karma, Adrian Andrews Notes: The “[allergic]” part is my own addition because if you’re squeamish like me (no shame in that), what’s often called conjunctivitis or “pink eye” is kind of an uncomfortable image so I wanted that clarification out of the way. Allergic conjunctivitis is just the “official” name for allergy symptoms in the eyes. I lasted these many days, I think I should be allowed to bend the rules just a little as a treat. Larry gets his time in the spotlight because I love him. He’s staying at Franziska and Adrian’s house (believe it or not he doesn’t live there, though) and has managed to give Adrian quite the scare upon his return from running some errands. There’s established married Fradrian and set post-SoJ purely for timeline purposes, as always. If you like the things I write, I always appreciate reblogs and comments; they really make my day!

     The nearly ten years of friendship Larry and Franziska shared taught the two a lot about each other. There were important things, like Franziska and Adrian requiring the utmost privacy and quiet whenever either of the couple said even insinuated designating an evening as a Date Night, which Larry had accidentally neglected to respect when he needed help using the air fryer. There were also small things, like Larry’s vehement denial of having any interest in the celebrity ballroom dancing show that was frequently on the Andrews’ household TVs was merely a façade he would put on before secretly enjoying the show from the corner of the room. 

At this point, there was no sense in the friends hiding anything from each other. Various life details often found themselves sprinkled in when sharing embarrassing anecdotes involving Phoenix or Miles, too. That said, while hiding information was never a problem, there was always the rare instance of things that Larry would just forget. 

Over the past two weeks, Larry and Franziska had actually been in a sort of lightning round of sharing information vital to have on record for an upcoming collaborative project they had planned. Adrian contributed as well, but her role would have more of an impact later on. There were even some things Larry didn’t consider important to this at all, like his higher education transcripts, that made it into the almighty manilla folder Franziska had been filling with more papers than Larry thought possible to fit in there. 

This diligence on Franziska’s part was probably why Larry could feel his heart sink into his stomach as Adrian frantically led him into the living room as a visual aid for expressing her worries to her wife. 

“What in the world…!?” Franziska made a face perfectly blending confusion and disgust. 

Larry didn’t think he looked that bad, though.

“Do I need to disinfect everything?” Adrian wondered aloud, fretting. “I’ve never seen pink eye before, so…” 

So that’s what this was about. Thankfully, Larry knew well enough that pink eye was not the problem here, and he trusted Franziska to know the same.  Unfortunately, that still meant Adrian was drawing attention to the considerable swelling and visual irritation of Larry’s eyes, something he didn’t realize would be that easy to notice. 

“I don’t believe that to be the case, sweetie.” Franziska spoke calmly, soothing Adrian rather efficiently. She stood up to approach Larry to better assess the situation. “What were you doing to get yourself like that?” 

“Does it really batter?” Larry was about to rub his eyes, but was stopped by Franziska’s superior reflexes when she grabbed onto his hand at what felt like lightning speed. “It’s dot that big of a deal.” 

“It is a ‘big deal’ when you make Adrian worry like she’s doing now.” Franziska firmly lectured him. “You will not put my wife through any more of this and you will provide an explanation for the allergic response you have on full display.” 

“Allergic response?” Adrian repeated quietly. “It’s just allergies?”

“Yeah, like I said–” Larry started before being promptly interrupted.

“Yes.” Franziska nodded. “If you recall, Larry Butz, you were to inform me of every flaw in your health record. Considering the combined efforts of the three of us to keep this house impeccably clean and the gardens’ intentional lack of the flora you explicitly described as giving you trouble while living in France, I am of the firm belief that you are withholding valuable information from both me and Adrian.” 

When Franziska put it like that, it almost sounded like Larry was hiding something on purpose, but in his defense, the cause of his current symptoms was something he frequently allowed himself to forget. It was only just last year when his introduction to a litter of puppies born in the home of a fellow writer went awry, something he had never experienced before. Maybe there was a bit of denial, since the dogs Larry had met in recent years were just so friendly it would be hard to just stop welcoming all that love, but Larry could swear on his life that he would never purposely pretend he forgot about his newly developed allergies. If Franziska needed someone to blame, she should take things up with Larry’s subconscious. 

“Oh, I don’t think Larry would do this on purpose.” Adrian’s defense prompted a look of sincere gratitude from Larry; well, it was as sincerely grateful as he could manage in his face’s current state. 

“Yeah! What she said!” Larry agreed, punctuated by some sniffling. “You see, I was picki’g up food for Shoe like you asked for, and there were just the cutest puppies brought by the local dog shelter…” 

“Puppies did this to you?” Franziska sounded either puzzled or in shock of what she might have perceived as a great weakness on Larry’s part; Larry wasn’t actually sure of which. 

“Hey, dod’t put it that way! They’re just babies!” 

“That’s not–” Franziska stopped herself and pinched the bridge of her nose with a heavy sigh. “Just… Please explain why you waited for us to see you in this miserable state before you said anything.” 

“I’b dot biserable.” The congestion heavily affecting Larry’s voice did a poor job in supporting that claim, especially when followed by a thick sniffle. “I swear I just forgot.”

“Larry Butz, you are very lucky that Adrian and I have known you well enough for us to find that claim credible.”  Franziska finally let go of Larry’s hand and pulled out a pouch of pocket tissues from the pocket of her very comfortable loungewear sweatpants. The irony of the pouch having a puppy theme design was not lost on any of the three occupying the room. “Now, blow your nose, and most importantly: do not rub your eyes simply because your dominant hand is out of my grasp.” 

“Alright, alright.” Larry grumbled as he followed Franziska’s command. The tissues were really soft. Maybe if he used these tissues to tend to the lingering itch…

“Don’t even think about it!” Franziska scolded.

Was Larry that predictable? He looked at his left hand steadily lifted near his eye while holding onto a fresh tissue… Maybe he was. 

“I’m really sorry, guys. I’m completely honest when I say–... K'ttchshiun!! Ht'sshhiiu!! Kk'sshhnn!!” Those sneezes actually felt pretty good compared to the ones that plagued Larry at the pet store an hour ago. That last little bit of dander must have been on its way out, he figured.

The duet of barely stifled giggles from both Franziska and Adrian in response to Larry’s sneezes seemed to greatly lighten the mood. 

“Adorable.” Adrian let the word slip out.

“I told you about that, didn’t I?” Franziska didn’t even attempt to whisper to Adrian. 

“So, uh, I’m forgiven, right?” Larry hoped any unintentional interruption from asking that didn’t ruin his chances altogether.

“For this offense?” Franziska pretended to need a moment to think, struggling to suppress the amused smile on her face. “Yes. Especially given the improvement of Adrian’s mood.” She blew a kiss to her wife after saying that. “Now, I will fetch you a damp cloth and some antihistamines.”

“Aw, thanks, Franzy.”

“However,” Franziska added sternly, “should Adrian tell me you were rubbing your eyes again, I will use you to give my whip a proper send-off before its planned retirement!”

Larry knew then that he had better be careful from now on.

#snez attorney #my writing #my fics #sicktember #sicktember 2023 #eye allergy symptoms are the woooorst #Larry is STRUGGLING #also the Little Guy on Franziska's tissue pouch is referenced

[quirkwizard]

ive seen a lot of ‘give momo a gun’ posts on tiktok lately, as well as discussions on how snipe would be a good mentor for her because of this. what do you think about this/how their relationship could impact the plot? OR, on a more general note, the idea of momo being more combat oriented instead of taking a more traditional support role ;3c

I'm focusing more on the second half of the question for this one. Ignoring how little sense it makes for her to have a gun, Snipe is such a non-character that I don't have much to go off of for their interactions or even how it would change the plot.

I've never liked the idea, at least with how people talk about it. I've seen a lot of fans talk about Momo fighting in close quarters, which doesn't make any sense to me. Because "Creation", as a Quirk, isn't really built for combat because of its weaknesses. One is the fat reserves. By actively engaging in combat, you are going to have fewer reserves to draw on because of how much energy you are burning. Then there is the planning part. While Momo can make stuff quickly, she still needs time to remember and visualize what she makes. As seen in her fights with Tokoyami and Kendo, it's really hard to make objects when under pressure. Are there ways "Creation" could be used in a more combat-focused role? Of course there is. It's one of the most varied Quirks in the series. If you wanted to do something more proactive, you'd need to make partial creations, such as having blades pop out of the user's arms to attack someone or making steel on the arm to protect from an attack. This could put less strain on the fat reserves and give the user more freedom in what they can make. However, these are suboptimal ways to apply the Quirk and aren't taking advantage of the wide variety of tools the user can make. Instead of working with the power, you're trying to fit the Quirk into a niche where it doesn't belong.

If you want her to be a fighter, it needs to be in a position that is less in the thick of it. How about fighting from afar? Maybe, but I don't think long range is that great for her either. While it would give her plenty of time to plan and build tools, she can't as reliably lead or help her allies and it would be more difficult to apply some of her smaller creations. So if anything, I think that she would do a lot better at medium ranges. Close enough to reliably study her opponents, but far enough to get some distance. She'd have to focus more on playing keep away so she can properly build and strategize around whomever she is fighting. For that, I actually think that Midnight would be an effective teacher. A lot of her fighting style is very low effort, taking less energy for Momo to fight people. And while whip takes a lot of skill to use as a weapon, it's not something that requires a lot of effort to use. On top of that, she could learn to make and utilize various gadgets made by other people, making her more adaptable when it comes to her plans. Gadgets like this may not be as viable in close range because of how much effort and focus you'd have to exert in order to make something so complicated. Again, I don't think it's the best idea, but it's not impossible to get it to work.

#My Hero Academia #Quirks #Momo Yaoyorozu #Creation #MHA Meta #MHA Theory

[gabrielandworms]

It's Day 247 of the migraine that never ends, and any plans I had to clean or maybe (finally) finish the painting I have sketched out on my drawing table's surface are just not happening. I'm going to be lying in a pile of blankets playing one of the lower energy rpgs I have. I might even get some real writing done if I can trust my brain enough with any of my drafts.

But I realized I can probably trust my brain enough to rec some of my favorite rpgs for sick days like today. Something without a complex plot or a need to stay focused. Something with fun design and, if you're really lucky, big numbers.

Also some (one? two?) of these are on the 3ds. It's probably a good idea to look into them now since the shop is closing permanently towards the end of the month.

So here's my little list of suggestions. This definitely isn't just an attempt to get people playing things I like. It's also an attempt to get people to suggest their own preferences.

Dragon Ball Fusions (3DS): I know Fighterz is the crowning achievement of Dragon Ball games, but I don't like fighting games. Meanwhile this a fun little rpg where you can make your own OC and get other fighters to join you with one of the most enjoyable combat systems I've ever played. The fusion mechanic is also really goofy and a delight to mess around with.

Legend of Mana (PS1): Well, originally a PS1 game. I think the remaster is pretty much everywhere. It's always been my favorite Mana title, and I'm glad to see it getting attention now. Unlocking every quest is a pain that requires a guide, but the combat is very "no thoughts, head empty" and the game's backgrounds are some of the most beautiful I've ever seen. Also I haven't watched it yet, but there's an anime adaptation of one of the major arcs now. Story is a bit heavier than the others here though as it digs into "love can both nurture and destroy."

Fantasy Life (3DS): There's a second one coming, but if you don't want to wait the first one was a lot of fun. The class system in this game is a lot of fun, and I think it's the only game I've played that let me even run around trying to become a Master Cook. You can also have your friends jump into your game and run around together, but that might be restricted to local play now.

Pokemon: Heart Gold and Soul Silver (DS): Or any Pokemon title, really. Heart Gold is just my favorite, but I also thought the Sun/Moon titles were underrated. Pokemon's base line has never been complicated. It's just running around with little magical animal critters, and maybe if you're lucky you're playing one of the gens that lets you pet them. Or have them follow you around.

Magical Starsign (DS): Legend of Mana's younger sibling, and a great deal more linear. But it has a lot of the same visual charm paired with a setting both fantasy and sci-fi. Like Legend of Mana, it also gets a bit heavier with its story. Some of the subplots do not end on happy notes.

Okage: Shadow King (PS2): Maybe the least "head empty" of the bunch, but grinding is an option, and grinding is one of the most "head empty" things you can do in an rpg. I wanted to include it though because it's visually fun and has a wonderful little sense of humor. As a bonus, it's available for digital purchase on the sony store. A lot of these are old and only available in physical versions unless you put in the effort to find other, Totally Legal methods.

Sonic Chronicles: Dark Brotherhood (DS): Look, I'm going to be honest. I remember nothing about this game. I had the flu in college and fever-induced delirium wiped out my memory of the whole damn time. But apparently? I played this? And according the save file I completed it? Which means this has to fit the criteria of an rpg you don't have to think too hard about. Which it's a Sonic game, so I can't imagine the plot is complex.

Fable 3 (Xbox 360): I know it's the unfavorite Fable for people, but I had a lot of fun with it. It also looks like it's available digitally. This game doesn't demand much, and honestly it's pretty easy to sidestep the instance when it does try to make hefty demands. I don't know how accessible co-op is now, but this is a game made better when you're running around causing chaos with friends. It also let me marry a pink-haired cannibal, and how many games even have that option?

#rpgs #video games #dragon ball #sonic the hedgehog #pokemon #legend of mana #fantasy life #fable #okage #magical starsign

[petra-creat0r]

Darkner Contest? (kinda?)

YO! Currently writing more chapters of The Puppet and the Real Boy (go read it if you haven't!)! Currently some of the stuff I'm writing requires coming up with some brand new Darkners based on some random stuff left in the attic of Papyrus and Mettaton's house. Half of it's gonna be some random fashion stuff and I have a few ideas, but I want your guy's help too! More under the cut for those interested.

Basically I need suggestions and ideas for what becomes and Darkner and how it becomes one! Some ideas I've already had is some spools of ribbon that become snakes and multiply when cut in half and a feathery boa bird! (I know I coulda done a feather boa boa constrictor, but I don't want too many snakes, maybe it can be a little more like a wyrm ig?) I'm also workshopping the idea of a few accessories coming together to become Darkners too. (ie, some belts, boots, a hat and a feathery boa becoming a cowboy with belt whips/lassos with a boa bird who can attack for them). Not all of these Darkners need to be more prominent or important ones like Queen, King, Rouxls, or even like shopkeepers and secret bosses like Seam, Swatch, Jevil or Spamton. In fact, I want them to be more like the NPC enemies you mostly just battle, like the Ruddins, Jiggsawrys, Bloxers, Plugboys, Swatchlings, Tasques, etc.

So then how do you enter this? Well! Just leave a submission to my blog! Here's the information I need.

Object your Darkner NPC is based on. Remember, since I want these to be NPCs, there needs to be multiple of them. As well, they object their based on needs to be found in an attic. Specifically, Papyrus and Mettaton's attic. I'm looking for a lot of fashion and clothing based Darkners.

A description and/or a picture or how that object if Darkner-ified. This is a written story, but I still need some sort of idea/visualization as to how that object is Darkner-ified. How is the concept of the object they're based on carried over? Can they talk like Swatchlings, or are they more animal-like like Tasques? That sort of stuff.

General sort of idea of what they'd be like in battle. What are they're attacks? How do they interact with other Darkners on the same team as them? What ACTs can the Lightners us against them and which ACTs spare them? Etc.

This one's technically optional, but do you have a name for them? Either a name for the type of Darkner they are (like how all the Ruddins or Swatchlings, though there are multiple of them, are only known as Ruddin or Swatchling) or if they're a more individual Darkner (which you're still allowed to submit), what's their name?

Finally, what's they're sorta personality? This can also go with the description, but also I mostly need to know if they're part of the attic Darkners who are causing problems in the story. I imagine most of them will be, (especially the NPC groups) but not all the attic Darkners are causing issues. If you decide to go the more individual Darkner route, those seem like the ones that are going to cause less problems for Chicago and the crew in the story.

Another thing I should mention, I have a plan for Mettaton's old Neo suit parts. We already know thanks to the Spamton NEO stuff in Chapter 2, that (at least a drawing of) the suit, became a mech-like machine. In Ish however, the suit isn't just a drawing, and the real parts of the suit are in attic. My only issue is, I'm not sure if I want Spamton to be the one in that gigantic mech this time. (This story is about the poor puppet man learning to heal and move on.) I still need someone controlling (or maybe being controlled by) that suit. So if you so desire, you can also come up with an attic Darkner that fills that role. I'd likely just contact me for further details.

I'm not sure how many people I'll be choosing as winners (depends on how many people enter) but anyone is free to enter and give me or ideas, and those I do pick, will get to feature in my story. (Once this part comes out.) You can enter as many submissions as you want (mostly because I'm desperate for ideas) and, as long as your ideas fit, I have no limit on how many entries per person I use. (Though that may change if I get more entries that I'm anticipating I get, which is honestly very little.)

While I want to just allow submissions for until it's time for the chapters I have this planned for to release, I should set an actual submission deadline. Let's go for April 15th. That gives me a few weeks until Chapter 23 is scheduled to release based on the system I already have.

Anyways, thanks for your time and I look forwards to your submissions Creative Creators!

Also remember to vote on my Addison Name polls until the end of the week! There's 4 days left and I would love a bigger sample size! (Especially on the ones other than the Pink one)

#deltarune #the puppet and the real boy #TP&tRB #deltarune chapter 2 #deltarune contest #spamton #spamton g spamton #deltarune spamton #the addisons #addisons #pink addison #deltarune story #undertale #undertale contest #darkners #deltarune oc #deltarune oc contest

[homemoviess]

Post #11 - A Step Towards Background Design

♫ - What I’m currently listening to.

✔ - Vote in the poll.

After a much-needed break, I am happy to return and try to crack down on one important element of comic creation; backgrounds. Being a lazy artist, (everything must be created within a short time frame, or oops, there goes my attention span) sitting down to render a well-thought-out scene is the bane of my existence. At least with writing, it is easier to say what I envision. With visual art, there requires a bit more skill and time to bring an idea to life. So naturally, I am no expert at setting a compelling scene, but I plan to take the next 7 days to change that.

We're heading to art school at YouTube University. We'll have a lot to learn. Everything from the composition, to the perspective, to the layout of a background. I will try to pick up the basics, and hopefully improve as the comic gradually progresses. By the time the last page is drawn, and before the project comes to an end, I hope to have a product that is alluring to gaze upon.

I hope to have something that invokes a strong emotion within the viewer.

The images in this post are the three base categories of study; interior, exterior, and wider landscape/cityscape shots.

I wanted to track my progress, as well as see how much I currently know, (spoiler alert, not much) so the above was drawn without references. They are the barebone sketches that currently plague my portfolio. Something quick, something easy. I can't say for sure that this will change all that drastically, but my main goal is to find the happy medium between my lazy art and a compelling scene to stare at.

I will be releasing a post sometime next week that will detail the aesthetic direction I want to take the world. There's going to be a little more thought put into the details to create something that fits with the themes of the fanfic while still keeping true to the Undertale elements. There will be a mood board accompanying the post, (with a few images from my trip) so you'll get a bit more insight into exactly what I mean.

One last thing to touch on, I recently re-read a comment on The Salt Circle regarding the look of the Frisks/Charas, and though this story has nothing to do with that one, it did leave me thinking about the designs of the characters. The poll is still active, and currently, we have two options that are neck and neck; starting from scratch with a brand new AU, or going with Swapfell Gold. I think I will leave the poll up until my big post next week to see which one will win, but I am liking the idea of something new and of our own. Something made just for Fawn. Of course, as a project, I want to share and build along with readers. Therefore, the majority rules, but I suppose we'll have to see which answer wins before really cementing any ideas.

In the meantime; I will be starting the first day of background building tomorrow. We'll start things off easy by referencing the official map of the Underground as well as Clipstudio's guide on How to draw iconic cityscapes.

#Class is in session! #Another Undertale Update #But we have started the next stage #wip update #learning to draw #Backgrounds backgrounds and more backgrounds

[gallant-basilisk]

Hi. How do I do this, lol?

Well, first of all, I'm back, hooray!.. I know some people might be disappointed or in rare cases angry at me for ghosting Tumblr for so long without any warning, and I don't blame you if you do.

A few things happened between the time I last posted and now. First of, the reason: I left suddenly because I felt burnt out, I guess. I'm not really sure to be perfectly honest. But lately I've felt pretty stressed about everything that's been happening around the world, here in my country, etc. and so I've decided it's time for me to make a comeback. Yay, woohoo!

There wasn't many life-changing events during these months, only two if I had to really pinpoint anything; I've started working on my own visual novel and I'll also have my very first drawing tablet arriving this week, which will also allow me to finally begin working as a freelancer artist. And the second thing's more so me coming out (to myself, and now online) as trans. 🎉 I've had time to really reflect on myself, my past and what I wanna do in the future, who I want to be in the future and I've finally come to accept, well, that I would be happier about my body if I could transition. (Not that it's gonna happen anytime soon, considering my financial state, my country's state in general and how the laws work for the transgender). I haven't worked up the courage to tell anyone in my close proximity about this, so that's also something I have to gather courage for. 😅

That's really all there's to say about me, so let me just fill you all in on the details of what's gonna happen now that I'm back.

First things first, I will make a post; something along the lines of "request guidelines" which will give some basic requirements for an ask, a(n) "I will not do this under any circumstances" list, a fandom list which will entail what animes and games I write for. (I doubt it'll be very long, so don't worry.)

It's due time that I finally make a request guideline, which will hopefully be up just a little after this post gets uploaded. Changes to that may happen, so keep an eye on it.

I'm also planning to extend my fics to include more than just MHA, so be ready for that.

And I think this concludes the list.

Um, I really suck at these kinds of posts, so I always cut myself short.

Thank you for taking your time to read this and thank you for being patient with me. It means a lot to me. ❤️

#im not dead #posting soon #im sorry #im back #coming out

[earth2068]

Script writing is a very personal process and I've seen you answer asks about your scripting before, I'm just curious about how much detail you need to add to your scripts in order to feel like it makes sense.

A friend of mine and I are working on a small project and I'm currently writing the script for it but I'm finding it hard to write all the detail that's necessary, do you find that drawing out what you have scripted adds more to what you initially plan?

How many drafts does it take to finalise the scripting of each page or does that vary from page to page?

Do you change dialogue a lot? And are you able to get into each character's head to understand how they'd react to certain situations?

Sorry if this is a lot, I hope you have a good day! :D

a very important element of script writing (when it comes to writing a script that other people will have to read in order to make the final product) is not giving too much information. the people youre working with more than likely know what theyre doing and can be just as creative as you, so as the script writer you should tell them what you NEED. sometimes you need to go more into detail if those details become relevant. who knows, those might be chekhovs runic symbols! and sometimes theyre just set dressing (not worth describing in the script).

in general, as long as youre covering every detail required to make the story make sense, youre good. scripts are not the place for pretty imagery, theyre for the basic required information to be expanded on later on in the process. if theres a gun on the table, you may need to just say "theres a gun on the table," or you may need to specify that its a pistol, it all depends on what the story needs to be true.

when im drawing out my scripts, i inevitably end up adding a whole lot of material (or retroactively deciding certain details dont matter and i can cut them for ease of drawing) because thats just what ends up happening when you turn a basic description of a room into a room you see with your own eyes. and because the script is always in flux, i can even add dialogue that i realize would be funny when drawing (theres a visual gag on the next page thats referenced in dialogue, said dialogue was added after i finished the sketch)

i dont write a specific number of drafts for specific pages (nor do i know where the pages will start and end before i begin the thumbnailing phase), the whole chapters script just remains in editable form until the pages go online. there was a point where i added dialogue to a page 2 days before it was supposed to be uploaded.

hot tip here: never say a script is "finalized," ever. EVER. it will NEVER be true. musicals on broadway STILL get edited, webcomics will have pages changed or added AFTER a page is up to clarify the subject of the audiences confusion or missed implications (rarely happens but it does). scripts are always, always, always editable*.

(*in theatre, when youre doing a workshop/production of a show you wrote, there might be a point in the process (usually around tech week or opening night) when your script gets "frozen," which is production team language for "please, were begging you, stop changing this, we cant keep redoing these cues, please, god, think of the stage manager". its not unusual for scripts to continue to change throughout the performances though)

and yes, i do change dialogue a lot. when i start writing a character, it may take me a while to really Get them (cough cough phil), which is why revisions are great, so i can retroactively make a character act in the right way after ive had enough time to figure them out. there are some characters that i get so well that it feels like there is a portion of my brain dedicated to emulating their behavior, particularly flynn, leon, vermillion and lucille. viridian and violet are quickly building their own zones too.

however, dialogue isnt just about staying in character. dialogue serves a function. jokes need to be funny, conversations need to get through all their beats, etc. the first draft of dialogue may be the most in character, but it will more than likely serve its function less. because of this, its very easy to write dialogue thats LONG (real conversations are typically very long), but its very difficult to write dialogue thats SHORT (serving its purpose quickly and efficiently).

the way i do this is that i write the scene, however long it ends up being, then identify the significant points it goes through. once ive done that, i can cut material between those points (with natural scenic flow in mind) such that the scene becomes streamlined, going through all the necessary beats as efficiently as possible.

its important to not enter too utilitarian a mindset for this though! sometimes a piece of dialogue is frivolous at best but you just like it a lot. keep it! filler can be a nice experience even if it doesnt accomplish anything. that "and if anyone offers things like drugs or alcohol dont take them up on that" joke in chapter 2 couldve been easily cut, but the way i reused it pages later was WAY too funny to me, so i kept it anyway! i even recently ADDED some frivolous dialogue to a scene in a later chapter simply because it added a character detail that i enjoyed, simple as that!

#earth 2068 #asks #behind the scenes

[lunarmote]

Pathos: disease, feeling

Something that has always struck me as funny: the fact that one word can define such disparate yet complementary things.

Such a word is pathos, from the Greek path meaning either “disease” or “feeling.” Tethered to ethos and logos, it is often first introduced in English class during the unit on persuasion. Persuasion through the emotions.

I used to think of something volatile whenever I thought about passion or feeling. A burst of emotion that had ruptured at last, unable to be contained. Something that numbs out your capacity to be sensitive and serves as a vehicle for movement. The “fight” in “fight or flight.”

Only recently have I begun to really question this conception of passion. That kind of episodic passion might become your muse for the entire 20 minutes it lasts. But it doesn’t last. And is the blunting of sensitivity really something to be admired?

I am reminded of two of my favorite documentaries. The first one is called The Artist is Present featuring performance artist Marina Abramović. In the titular piece she sits in a floor-length dress in a chair and looks into the eyes of whichever visitor decides to sit across from her. She does this for eight hours a day over three months.

There is a lack of ornamentation in a still, contained space. Yet there is something that is very poignant and tender about this setup. I watch her, and the visitor, with tears in my eyes. Tears are elicited from the visitor too, while Marina herself maintains a stoic expression. She is the root of the performance. 

In an interview, Marina one said that she takes the energy in the room and turns it into art. You might think, “What energy is there? There is no movement. No transmission, no pathos.” I’d encourage you to watch the documentary to see for yourself.

In another documentary called Jiro Dreams of Sushi, sushi chef Jiro Oni is composed. 90 years old, he gets up every day and goes to work. He regards his task with a kind of firm, directed patience. A kind of austerity, but pride. Sushi-making is undoubtedly a physically taxing job, but the documentary shows that there is a lot more than procuring and acquiring the ingredients.

The man’s movements are also not elaborate or passionate (in the old sense of the word). Part of running the restaurant is seeing to the seating arrangement. And there are plenty of shots of them wiping down their workspace.

What keeps Jiro getting up every single day, if not passion?

Visual art

What performance art has for it is that it allows you to be gripped by emotion in the act of doing. But I know way more about digital painting than I do about performance art. What I’ve realized is that in painting, there are both “hot” and “cool” stages. 

A lot of planning is required: mentally taxing, “calculative” tasks such as correcting the anatomy, drawing out mock-ups and rearranging, brainstorming from a word web to its visual representation. It’s gruntwork and it’s repetitive. Sometimes I’ll feel stronger about the process than others, but more often than not I have to put on some music and force myself to show up. In Feng Zhu’s words, the work is “not sexy.”

I will start a piece wanting to capture some emotion. I’ve had a fight with someone, perhaps, and I’m angry. But the idea of that episode of anger being preserved over the days or weeks I spend doing a painting is not realistic. What is the alternative then? Moved by something, the artist works to a fury, hoping to preserve the dying embers of passion. Then the passion is gone and then what? Do the initial stages of the piece dictate the trajectory of it?

I have hit a wall in my art journey where I am unable to transition from this “hot” pathos into a sustained “cool” pathos. I get really impassioned about an idea, I work out the preliminaries and then the feeling stops and I stop. How to move forward? It may require letting go of the idea that my art must be a certain way.

#rant #jiro ono #marina abramović #art talk

[itsu-saragi]

Devlog #3 - Revisions and Indecisions.

Sjdjfdhs hi. Apologies for letting the “see you in a month” turn into several months. Work got busy, then I caught Covid, after recovering I went on vacation, and then work got busy again… But I did work on this VN all throughout.

I didn’t make as much progress as I wanted, but some progress was made nevertheless.

So what exactly did I do? Let me count the ways.

Story Revisions

Changed the premise from magic academia to magic uhhh small business? Workshop? Something like that, I'm not sure what to call it.

My original story followed the player character and their love interest as they explored their university campus. This came to be because I was tinkering with the concepts of "group partners to lovers" & showing the player character as non-humanoid to allow for reader-insert and immersion, like the Obey Me games and the pink sheep MC. But the story stopped being appealing to me, plus the scope started to become bigger than I had anticipated. Multiple CGs in different locations across a giant campus? Yeah that's a nightmare to draw.

I'd still like to explore the idea of a non-humanoid MC though, so maybe that'll be a future game, or at least another brain dump post!

But anyway, I shrunk the premise. One store, one LI, and the customers that enter the little workshop. I'm still sticking to the idea of mundane modern fantasy though.

Because of the location change from university to workshop, I've had to revise the LI a lot. He's shaping up really well though! His name is Fen, I hope I can introduce him here sometime soon.

Building Frameworks

I'm not sure what to call it, so for now I'm calling it frameworks.

Basically, instead of tackling each aspect of the game separately from drafts to completion (ex: drawing all sprites right now and then moving on to writing the script), I want to create rough versions of everything.

I think this will help me because then I'll have an idea of how much work each aspect will entail, and I can hopefully spot and remedy any holes or glaring skill issues.

This is especially important for coding. I'll be using RenPy, the classic engine for visual novels, but I have very little coding experience. I'd like to gain some before I start creating the writing and assets meant to be incorporated into the platform.

By creating the framework (or I guess prototype is the better word in this case), I'll get some understanding of how RenPy works and once I have the assets complete I can insert those in.

For plot frameworks, I'm trying not to go into too much detail. Lots of bullet points cause I fuck with those.

For character frameworks, I must admit I'm putting a lot of thought and detail into Fen, but I think I should as he's the core of this game. I'm reminding myself though that much of him can still be altered if the story requires it.

There's definitely more frameworks I need to think about, like sprites, backgrounds, and music too.

But to sum it up, I'd like to create a rough draft of the entire game, and then only afterward do I start going in and changing details and adding colors to the big picture. I hope that makes sense.

Next Step: Character & Coding Frameworks

For the rest of April and probably the entirety of May as well, I'll focus on fleshing out Fen and putting together the coding framework.

I think figuring out Fen's character arc will help me get an idea of the overall story, which is incredibly daunting yet exciting lol

I'm not planning on making the coding look pretty, I just want to make something that functions. I have no clue how well that will go so please pray for me or something.

Personal Thoughts: I am Afraid

I think the reason why I didn't make a lot of progress is because lately, I've been afraid of doing so. I've never made a game before, or written an original story. I don't know what I'm doing, and instead of directly addressing things I've kept working around them. And because I haven't made much progress, it stresses me out. And then that stress makes me do less work.

Hellooo feedback loop.

I'm an indecisive person who likes to look for the right or most optimal answer. But in a creative project like this, it's hard to know what the "right" answer is cause it can be subjective.

I'm trying to remind myself to enjoy the process and to take small steps, and everything is still changeable as I'm still in the beginning stages. It's hard, but as I'm writing this update I think I'm feeling better.

I'm sure this gamedev journey will be me enjoying the ride and then immediately hating it, so for anyone reading: thank you for your patience. I appreciate you.

I'm going to try and post an update, no matter how small it is, once a month. So. Cheers to me being able to post this in April.

I'm still trying to figure out what to post and how to get my thoughts across. I've never done anything like this before, so please bear with me. If you have any feedback, please feel free to share!

And again, thank you to whoever's reading this. I hope you have a great timezone :)

#dev log #gamedev #vn development