#tables example

[thisonelikesaliens]

random notes on special episode 6:

strap in this is a long one. like i'm seriously thinking if it would be better if i just posted the entire transcript...

Shao Mei Lin (Chen Li's ex): I need your help with something urgent

"mind your own business"

had to look this one up. 喝中藥 (drink chinese medicine) is apparently slang for "cure" for being gay (no joke) (paging @ellsieee let me know if you know anything about this please!)

so what Xiao Zhi is implying is "you're the one who wants to be 'normal'"

"i'm not joking (or this isn't something to joke about). the medicine is expensive so you should take it seriously"

"how much is it? i'll pay you back"

"can you really not see it or are you pretending not to see it?"

lol did AI just insert itself as a supporting character?

"explain clearly what i did to make you mad?"

"if i don't tell you will you just pretend you don't know?"

"your deception?"

"you 'didn't deliberately hide it' or you just don't dare to tell me? if you're afraid to tell me that means you're guilty"

"i didn't help her because she and i have no business with each other anymore"

i actually think the chinese sub had an extra word but what i heard Chen Li say was "i already asked her to find someone else"

"why would i tell you (about things i don't care about)?"

"from now on i (will tell you everything)" (this is just part of the next sentence where Chen Li promises to tell Xiao Zhi everything)

"if you tell me doesn't that mean you still care about her?"

(lol at Xiao Zhi's "damned if you do, damned if you don't" logic)

"i'm the one who wronged you" (this was in response to Xiao Zhi's "i'm sorry")

"so kissing makes you stop crying? i wonder why~~~"

[fanghaunt]

Sparkle on, it's Wednesday! ✨ Vincent for @fangypeach

[mazzystar24]

Just saying if they wanted us to believe Bobby was dead they should’ve gone the traumatising buffy “the body” route 🙄🤚

[mantis-lizbian]

perhaps spiritually piggy-backing off of @anim-ttrpgs' post here, but i'm feeling a sort of way about the number of games i've seen in recent years that seem to just... refuse to have (or perhaps more likely, acknowledge that they have) a pre-made default setting.

now, a couple of caveats i'll open with to differentiate from the cited post: i don't think every game necessarily needs to have a defined default setting. Legacy: Life Among the Ruins, for example, makes creating and filling in the nature and specifics of the game's setting part of the character creation process, which makes sense considering the way that one of your two playbooks in that game is an established faction/settlement, and something that big and influential you kinda have to let the players have more control over the world in order to be able to flesh out as their own unique "character" if you want them to be any less restrictive than fully pre-built factions you pick between. it also helps that in making world creation part of the first session's gameplay, this becomes a fun part of the game done collaboratively.

there are also plenty of games that don't want to have a specific setting (which doesn't automatically make them universal, by the way! and well-designed games know and understand this!) like Old-School Essentials or Fabula Ultima. games like this just want to be rules engines for a collection of well-worn tropes and/or modular toolboxes that can be mixed-and-matched or reflavoured for whatever setting you and your friends are most excited to use to engage in that game's mechanics with. these games will often have supplements that introduce optional mechanics or character options that

but then we come to something like Armour Astir: Advent, a game with a lot of pretty specific assumptions about its setting, and several original terms and concepts. and yet...

The very first part, and arguably one of the most important parts of playing Armour Astir, is setting up the world in which your game will take place. Other than the existence of a few things, like Astirs and other magical devices (which you and your group are free to re fluff to suit your personal tastes, of course), this game doesn’t assume much of your setting—meaning as a group you have a lot of freedom when coming up with the setting you’d like to play in. There are a few important things to iron out, however.

like... hate to break it to you, but players always have the freedom to refluff things to suit their personal tastes. i've been playing Pathfinder for over a decade, and you know how much of that time's been spent playing in the world of Golarion the game ships with? not even half. i've reworked Lancer to take place in the setting of Heaven Will Be Mine before. i'm currently working on adapting Legend of the Five Rings to be in a Chinese xianxia setting (which it honestly feels more suited for to me, than its original fantasy Japan-inspired setting).

the players do not need your permission to adapt your game for their own setting, if they want. but especially if you clearly have such a specific idea for what the setting should look like, much like shipping your game with a sample module to essentially function as a tutorial level both for how to play the game as well as for how to prep your own adventures for it, shipping with a sample setting both helps a new group start playing your game faster since they don't have to stop to homebrew all their own lore, but also helps give a better idea of what a setting for this game is expected to look like.

it doesn't need to be exhaustively fleshed out, you don't need a three-page timeline followed by dozens of pages of minute lore details including itemization of what each city's major exports are. it doesn't even necessarily need to be something that gets its own section in your book. D&D4e actually makes for a solid case example here. officially, there wasn't even supposed to be a "default" setting in the core books, just a generic "Points of Light". and yet, we still get plenty of proper names, geographical and historical references, and blurbs about, for example, dwarven society and how paladins fit into the world, all to help new players orient themselves and provide a framework that they can fill in rather than have to create from whole cloth.

note: a lot of this also applies, i think, to some of the apparent outrage in anim-ttrpgs' original post. "shipping with a pre-written module" does not need to mean a whole 200-page Curse of Strahd. the original Eberron Campaign Setting had a less than 10-page module at the back to use to jumpstart an Eberron campaign. the WotC website back during 3e had dozens of free adventures for nearly every level range that were sometimes as short as 3 or 4 pages. granted, these are all examples of an approach to adventure design that anim-ttrpg and i both consider flawed, but it's also a much more page-hungry format than the kind of module design we would advocate for!

[sickfreaksirkay]

mordred moodboard for his birthday

[beedreamscape]

This has to be the last thing I say on C3 finale because otherwise, I will not stop, it simply baffles me in its mediocrity. And obviously, this will be negative, if you loved it, good for you, this is my takeaway as someone who loved this campaign and was severely let down.

This finale changes everything that came before and not for good, better yet, it emphasizes all the faults in the structure of what c3 tried to be, it made most of the campaign feel like a true exercise in futility — How far can we go in a campaign that is meandering and unsatisfying? How long can we have the same discussion over and over and over again despite everyone knowing how this will end? How long can we drag out characters that don't change without anyone noticing? (spoiler everyone noticed)

Can't say I was emotionally invested in the finale because I tapped out back in the 70s, came back for Aeor/Downfall shenanigans, and left again. But in experiencing the finale something became clear to me:

THIS STORY NEEDED TO BE SHORTER.

WITH ANOTHER PARTY AT THE HELM.

If the objective from the very conception of C3 was to wipe out the gods, that had to be clear from the very start. And it wasn't clear, at all — not in the characters, not in the starting city, not in theme. This was a completely different campaign at the start! That clarity was what made Calamity so great, it was short and precise, and every pc SERVICED THE THEME, filled with hubris and contempt, not to mention the setting.

Even Ludinus went in circles for convenience of the campaign length and became a weaker opponent for it, more of a nuisance than a villain. The threat he posed at episode 50 was much stronger than now at 120 something. The battle against Otohan was more nail-biting and emotionally engaging than fighting Ludinus and Predathos, a god eater!!!!

This campaign would've benefited from three to four acts instead of one overarching objective like the past campaigns because urgency is the name of the game and we can't carry urgency for 70 episodes straight (and they didn't).

The constant inclusion of the other parties made it clear how easy it was to detach BH from the story, how easy and fun it was for them to tell it through another party's eyes (one of the main reasons why I walked away back when I did, but that's more of a personal preference).

Which is not to say Bells Hell's didn't deserve a long story! They could very well have existed in a more intimate campaign which these characters were clearly built for! Their premises begged for closer looks in slow moments, something tragicomical, exploration of the inner world while developing MARQUET and its microcosm of injustice and politics which was left in the dust mid-campaign (pun intended).

And I'm not suggesting this just for our enjoyment, I know it's them playing and their enjoyment comes first blah blah, though this is a multi-million company therefore their jobs but this would contribute to their enjoyment! You could see several moments in the campaign how tapped out they felt and acted. I doubt it was "fun" discussing the gods situation ad naseaum, trudging through landscapes they barely cared about, with empty arcs.

I could nitpick every fault I see in the finale but it would be pointless, these issues have been dragged from ages ago and poor character matching, and now this is a culmination of everything and it barely fazes me anymore.

(And yeah it's their game and it's "free", but that doesn't undermine its weight as a story, stories were made be analyzed, and it was a poorly structured one no matter how much I still like and admire them as people.)

WHICH is not to say I had no fun at all ever, I did! several times! and that's what makes me upset, it could've been great instead is just meh.

[shallowseeker]

“but shal, how could crowley have slept with naomi when fergus macleod wasn’t alive yet????”

well. for starters, “mesopotamia” could’ve just been a general poetic.

but also could be as simple as… he didn’t.

he has intel on her. and he’s posturing, as usual. because that’s what crowley does.

double entendres and innuendos are his weapons of choice to sow distrust, suspicion, discomfort, derision. to put you off balance, if he can. (and if that fails, he’ll switch to insults or, at worst, incessant goading.)

And the thing is… almost ALL his posturing is sexual. it’s how he wields power (from what traditionally tends to be from a weaker position)

it’s more about how he operates and fergus’s victimhood/ historical demon trauma more than it is a statement of de facto truth

he wants you to read into it

get distracted; get discomfited

just long enough to take your eye off the ball or give him the upper hand in a power struggle

[indignantlemur]

Full size: HERE

Detail shots - and a secret, seasonal fourth panel - below:

I'm really pleased with the Andorian panel - everything turned out just right, I think!

Working with the limited expressions of Andorians is definitely a challenge at times, because it feels like I'm relying on a lot of body language and antennae cues to convey what the other characters can convey through comparatively simple facial expressions. Still, I think I did alright here!

As for the Vulcan panel... somehow, Soval's assistant (originally intended to be Rekan from Deck the Halls (And Not The Vulcans)) turned into Sarek, so I guess that's happening now.

And onto the Tellarite panel! As much as I like how the Andorian panel turned out, I can't help but love Ambassador Gral in this panel just a little bit more. He was a lot of fun to draw!

And now for the super secret fourth panel, in honour of the season! (full size here)

(I choose to believe that Archer moved a decimal point two places over in a stalled trade agreement and waited to see how long it would take them all to notice. At least they're all talking again!)

Look at that face. That man has been concussed so many times. (We love him.)

Season's greetings and happy holidays to all who celebrate!

[ranticore]

One of the first book series my mother introduced me to was pern. I just love how your version of the dragons makes me think of beetles and their shells.

thank you!! the membranous wings are partially insect-inspired (i need to think more about how the folding works instead of defaulting to a bird wing fold too ...oo..) and i added a lot of insecty details to the markings of the dragons, estibarith for example has dots along the side which are supposed to look like spiracles on caterpillars, and when she's in her mating colours she has eyespots on her wings like a butterfly hehe. i went this route because i love insects but also because the copies of the books i read had the cover illustrations which showed wings with translucent membranous panels, rather than the batlike wings from the most popular illustrations

the 1978 illustrations with the fun wings

[clumsypuppy]

i feel like im not making any sense but does anyone else feel like there are stories that let u run with them and ones that spell everything out for you

[whatthehellvictorhugo]

You know you’re too far gone when you wake up from a vague dream and your brain is screaming at you to write a Enjoltaire fanfiction (?) in fucking Google Sheets.

Not google docs,

But

Google fuckign sheets

(Yes it is in table format.)

[mohntilyet]

love that even though every dragon age character has people who hates them, they will always have at least one diehard fan who loves them. even sebastian vael has shooters and he can try to annex our beloved kirkwall

[lovecolibri]

SaL anon hear friend and you know what I find particularly telling about that certain group of fans and their "Eddie is abusive" bullshit take?? Remember way back in November when BT thankfully broke up and those people got all up in arms about it?? It was never "this is Buck's fault" or "this is Tommy's fault" it was always the "bad writing". The writers made the break up "come out of no where" and there was a whole writing campaign about how bad the writing choices were for a bland, bigoted character to be left alone, boo fucking hoo. Where's all this outrage at the writers now?? Where are all the posts about how the "poor writing" made Eddie unnecessarily aggressive and how bad it looks for his character and how the writers just flagrantly let "abuse" be forgiven on primetime?? Cause I haven't seen a single peep critisizing the writers about this episode. Instead all I've seen is posts about how Eddie is just "that way" and "he's always been violent" and he never treats Buck well, as if this is something the writers would actually intend for a popular main on the show. Why is the break up you could see coming from space "bad writing" but Eddie getting upset while he's grieving a clear sign he's an "abuser"?? We all know why.

10/10 no notes. You think the show that wouldn't even let actual racist, homophobic, misogynistic characters or shitty parents stay bad guys while not even bothering to show them being sorry for their actions and changing, is going to actively make a main character an evil abuser out of nowhere? On the "everyone makes mistakes and can learn and be better the next time" show? On the "both main characters are a little in the right and a little in the wrong in this argument between them" show? Please. It's so transparent.

[gawrkin]

Tristan's Leap and Jumping in General

[...]

(Source: Prose Tristan, translation by Renee L. Curtis)

80 yards = 240 feet. The current record holder for the highest dive into water is Laso Schaller by 190 feet, according to Guinness World Records. Nevertheless, anything beyond 30 feet risks significant injury and death without proper form.

For that matter, we do have to take note that Superhuman Jumping seems to be notable trait with Tristan:

(Source: Prose Tristan, translation by Renee L. Curtis)

(Source: Romance of Tristan and Iseult, by Joseph Bedier)

(Source: Tristano Panciatchiano)

(Source: La Tavola Ritonda)

It also exists to some degree for some other characters:

Lancelot (Source: Lanzelet, by Ulrich von Zatzikhoven)

Balin (Source: Post Vulgate - Merlin Continuation)

Gilla Coes Hydd (Source: Culhwch and Olwen)

I do wonder if it's inspired by the Irish Mythological Heroes and their superhuman leaping feats.

[prissyprince]

I actually had barely touched v5 until we started planning out the game.

And yeah, ok, I feel the hate now.

[boinday]

beloved question about RTR. Have you ever put thought to the map of the ship eclipse?

hahahahaha.... no :')

I do know the general layout of the ship, but i don't have a specific "map". To me, it's quite irrelevant to the story proper, as the geography doesn't inform the action much. I had a very basic, linear path for below deck during The Storm episodes, but other than that, we can just accept we are either below deck or above deck as needed 😅

here is a super simple map i drew up in five mins:

As a little bonus lore (you'll find out later in the story), the Eclipse had a crew of 56 men when Muin was captain, and Roha has a crew of just 11 (including Rose). For this reason, there are canonically a lot of cabins on the ship that are now full of storage and clutter (see: Kia and Rin's private treasure room). Every crew member could have a private cabin if they chose, but Gallan and Roha are the only ones who use this privilege most of the time. The rest of the crew habitually sleep in the hammock zone, always ready to jump into action.

Edit/addition:

Certain rooms do have consistent layouts (the galley, Roha's cabin, the Tiger den) because I made a loose proxy of them on the Sims 4 which I draw over for these scenes 😅 Many Webtoons use asset packs for their backgrounds, but I didn't have access to clipstudio assets until recently so I used the sims instead. While I redraw pretty much all of the furniture anyway, you can sometimes see recognisable sims furniture shapes in these rooms for this reason 😂