#the more I look at these images the more I want to anthropomorphize the places and make it a love story

[imaginarycircus]

Although it makes perfect logical sense--it still surprises me that you can buy this whole Victorian house from 1893 in Vinton, Iowa for a lot less than we bought a small condo in a slightly older Queen Anne house in metro Boston.

Vinton is a town of about 4k people and Benton County has half the number of inhabitants that my town does. Middlesex County, MA is 1.4 million people. We’re a major center for tech, medicine, universities, finance, and tourism.

The photos give me a distinct sense of the different places. I don’t know what other people will see.

first row: The Vinton House, haunted piano room, and map with closest city. second row: detail of our exterior, our living room (before we bought it), Boston map. 

[7-wonders]

whenever the fates called morpheus love or dear it just gives me this image of morpheus coming to meet reader at their volunteer job at an old peoples home and all the elderly ladies giggling and calling him such a handsome man and why if they were a few decades younger they'd have him for themselves you're standing in the background not knowing how to reply to any of that

(This was like pulling teeth. When will my ability to write return from war?)

There are many little quirks when it comes to being in a relationship with a primordial, all-powerful being such as Dream of the Endless. One such instance is that time does not run the same for an Endless as it does for a human. Morpheus can lose minutes, hours, days to his duties between one blink and the next.

The Dreaming, that fantastical kingdom that your lover rules over, runs on the same logic. You can spend what feels like an hour in the Dreaming, only for it to be an entire day later in the Waking. Likewise, weeks in the Dreaming can be merely an hour in the Waking. It's disconcerting to creatures that have lived far longer than you.

All of this is to say that your meetings often don't have a specific date or time when they're in the Waking, simply because Morpheus doesn't know. He tries, though it's difficult: clocks do not work in the Dreaming, and Matthew is too important a raven to be constantly flying to the Waking to check the time so that Morpheus can "run off" (Matthew's words) with you. You've actually started to look forward to the spontaneity—it helps that he usually gets lucky and catches you when you're home or alone and don't have to worry about explaining how he just randomly appeared out of thin air.

Though it's rare, him coming to the Waking to see you and you being in public has happened before. This time, he shows up when you're just finishing up at the retirement home you volunteer at a couple times a month—you're in charge of what's supposed to be a crossword puzzles group, but what is mainly just a gossip group.

Most mortals aren't able to see Morpheus when he doesn't want to be seen. You're not most mortals, however, and you've gotten pretty damn good at sensing when he's around, which is why you're the only one that notices him lurking in the corner closest to the door.

"Hi," you mouth, trying and failing to hide your grin as you give him a discreet wave.

Your excitement must be palpable, because the women quickly pick up on it and thus catch sight of a tall, dark, and handsome stranger across the room. Ethel, the boldest of the group by far, grabs your arm and yanks you down to her level. "Is that the boyfriend?"

"Yes, that's the boyfriend."

They all know about the boyfriend because you've gushed about your beloved to this little group more than a few times. How can you not, though? Especially when you're surrounded by those who enjoy living vicariously through you and thus cajole you into sharing such stories about your love life.

"She thought he was fake, y'know," Ida informs you.

"Did not!" Ethel retorts. "I was just curious because you never showed us any pictures!"

"I've told you before that Morpheus is a little camera-shy." You don't actually know if that's the case or not; you just haven't yet figured out how to ask the anthropomorphic personification of dreams and nightmares if he wants to take a cute couple's selfie.

"Morpheus! Oh, how exotic." The little group titters, thrilled at having learned his name.

The man (-shaped being) of the hour has moved, placing a hand on your lower back so as to not frighten you when he suddenly stands next to you. You smile up at him and are greeted with the smallest of smiles in return while the sounds of your seniors oohing and aahing fade into mere background noise. Surroundings tend to become meaningless when you see Morpheus; all that matters then is you and he.

Morpheus is the one to remind you that you have an audience when he turns his attention upon said audience. He bows his head politely and says, "I greet you, ladies."

As you expected, they go absolutely nuts when they hear his voice.

"Oh my!" Ida blushes.

Ethel beams. "Aren't you a handsome one!"

"Why, if I were a few decades younger..." Shirley, who has absolutely no filter whatsoever, winks at Morpheus.

You sputter, your eyes wide and blood rushing to your cheeks. "Shirley!"

"What? I have eyes!"

While you're ready to hide your face in your hands and die (maybe you should see if Death has a cell phone), Morpheus simply hums in amusement. "You are very kind."

"And you are a sweetheart."

"Okay, that does it for me today," you interrupt. It's not a lie; you were literally saying your goodbyes and on your way out before Morpheus arrived! "I'll see you guys in a couple of weeks."

"You bring Morpheus around any time, alright?"

You can't get out of there fast enough, and Morpheus lets you practically drag him towards the parking lot. Once you're out in the fresh air (and away from any of the windows that your favorite gals could be spying from), you bury your head in Morpheus's shoulder and groan.

"I'm sorry. That was so embarrassing," you lament.

"Why? They were...sweet, if not a little overt in their affections."

You lift your head up to meet his eyes. "That's why it was embarrassing, my love."

"You are very clearly dear to them. They simply want to see you happy."

"I'm assuming you know that with your super special dream magic?"

"Daydreams and hopes are quite loud, starlight." He smirks because you know damn well just how loud some daydreams can be (specifically yours when you're thinking about Morpheus) before pressing his lips to your forehead.

"Well, you're certainly in their good graces now. They've been so nosy since they found out I'm seeing someone."

"So I lived up to their expectations, then?"

Now it's your turn to smirk. "Baby, you were beyond their wildest dreams."

[chicken-wayng]

Helaena Targaryen rant y'all don't wanna read but need to:

I hate how people insinuate/assume that because Helaena is autistic coded that she doesn't get angry/feel emotion. (Some have even gone as far to say she doesn't love her own children?!?!?!!!)

The sketch below my stepdad did for me when I was little, we both loved LOTR and fantasy and he was an artist. I've moved around a lot since I was younger but I finally have a place of my own and this is one of the few things I have left and I just found it. I cried for hours, I was so happy. Spent another hour putting tape on it so it wouldn't be as fragile.

(Image description: an old, anthropomorphic dragon sketch)

The night I put it up I'd invited a girl I'd been flirting with for some time over. I showed it off, told the story with more details. She said she liked it. Then an hour or so later we ran to a restaurant to grab dinner, and ofc I'm STILL talking about dragons. Then she says and I quote, "I just don't think dragons should have arms. They should be more bat-like. Otherwise they look fake and ugly."

... Okay, bet. Friend zoned.

Now before you call me stupid, or dumb, or a bitch, realize idgaf. Not a single one. The point of this story was to illuminate that autistic people are people, which means we feel emotion and have thoughts,,, wow, amiright???!!! Total shocker! 🤯🤯🤯

Now personal anecdote aside, you wanna look at these pics and tell me she isn't in pain? Set aside your prejudice and assumptions and look at how well she is portraying Helaena's anguish. There's no denying we have not got enough screen time (obvs the producers care more about money than releasing a well thought out story. When the actors, writers and set are wanting to do more episodes and the viewers are watching/paying for it then why not give more? Because more money goes out of MAX/the producer's greedy pockets... But I'll step off this soap box for now) with her and her personality. However a lot of y'all's hcs are just plain ableistic.

It's 3am I'm going to bed y'all sort yourselves out before I'm back🙃💀

[tadpolebobatea]

Day 7 - A song you associate with UU

Oh girlies we're really in it now. its still the 31st somewhere right?

I never know whether to call something an animatic or not. like its kinda static? whatever!!!!

(Yep its billytella again. no apologies. i wont mean them)

i had a few other songs i was considering. i mean I have a couple songs that are A. more actively billytella or B. more actively Undead unluck.

specifically "the truth" by the front bottoms, its very billytella to me with its whole "i will believe in anything you believe in. i will do it for you" and "over at the frankenstein place" from rocky horror, its super sweet and uplifting but rocky horror is complete balls to the wall insanity, which i think suits undead unluck, like theres a quote thats lovely out of context but then the context is "the character is in the middle of trying to kill the anthropomorphic concept of spring with a card game." i think rocky suits that energy

in the end i couldn't get the imagery to work in my head. so maybe another time.

This thing really is my excuse t draw the blorbos in the most sappy poses possible. (oh and to make more people listen to will wood )

Images i think deserve special mention (there are 90+ in the thing btw)

this one of wet dog tella. it goes by super fast but i thought it was charming

i was possessed by something and had to draw tella like... giving billy water directly from his hands (oh and the visual of going bottoms up with an unbrella wasnt the vibe necessarily )

pretty proud of this detail, direct gunshot to the head from our dead eye billy and scattered body shots from tella, for flavour

(i regret the blue skin. i made billy look like the purple guy.)

drawing billy like a ditzy clumsy anime girl is deeply funny to me. cutie pie.

gently holds ughhhhhh (Tellla does not enjoy being known)

Im a total sucker for characters hugging in general. but i really love the whole; clinging to you as the only thing thats keeping me sane thing

They are married. to me. (this is the only time ive successfully drawn the back of tellas head. i wanted to highlight it. im really proud)

i did have an ounce of consistency in this whole thing regarding heights. was entirely based on vibes. I need actual measurements (ill ignore them. but theyd be nice to have)

this image exists because i was like "oh shit. i have a ton of "characters facing eachother and doing X" but no like... diverse profiles" so boop, moe over the shoulder shot

[whisperprime]

Note: I was a ditz and forgot Dream's house (the one we saw in the comics) looks like it has more than one floor and his bedroom would (likely) be upstairs. Minor edits made to reflect this.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

Hob wakes with the coming of the dawn, the suns first rays of light creeping across the floor towards the bed like a long missed lover. Although he does not know the exact time he laid down to sleep, he knows it had been light outside when Dream sent him off to his kingdoms soft embrace.

His body has the languid feel of someone who slept half a day away, despite the early hour. He wonders if he had needed the sleep or if his ‘friend’ had thought he needed the sleep. Thinks he’ll let it slid for the sake of feeling safe for the first time in over a hundred years, because he knows whatever happens after Dream has what he wants from him, Hob is safe for the moment.

Hob watches the dawn settle into morning, only partially seeing it. His mind is still and blank, the full weight of his new future circling his peace like a wolf looking for a way in. He does not fear it, for how could he fear this time period, when he already knows what it has in store for him? So much goes on in the world at any given time, he doubts he kind just as much pleasure out of it this time as he did the last time.

No, what lurks just at the edges of his mind, waiting for him to pay attention to it, is whatever the future holds for his ties - should they continue to hold - with the being whose house he currently resides in.

Hob remains in his cocoon of blankets until his bladder remembers it’s a thing that exists. He ponders what it say about his life that the simple need to take a piss has become something novel. It will grow old and routine again all too soon, but for the moment, even bodily functions are a welcome sign that he is free of his bargain.

After relieving himself, Hob pauses in front of the sink in the bathroom. Sitting on the edge by the faucet is an unopened toothbrush and tub of toothpaste, sitting innocuously in a simple black cup. A black comb sits next to the cup.

Those look too new to have been there for some unknown time. Either Dream never uses this house or he set them out for his guest.

Hob is going to assume, all things considered, that it's the later. He doubts an anthropomorphic embodiment of dreams has to worry about brushing his teeth.

He attacks the packaging of the toothbrush with far more enthusiasm than he did his first shower in over a century. This is another habit he has missed and it feels just as nice to have his mouth clean. His hair gets a proper combing next, although it’s not going to be properly tamed until after his next shower.

Feeling a little more like he’s ready to face the world (or at least his host), Hob leaves the bathroom to make his way back downstairs to the kitchen, navigating the stairs a little better on the way down then on the way up. Upon entering the room, however, Hob has to pause in the doorway, his heart doing something funny in his chest as he beholds the scene in front of him.

Dream is working in the kitchen again. Hob watches him as he finishes placing slices of bananas in a bowl full of oatmeal. The look on his face resembles the level of scrutiny one might give a new dish or recipe. A glass of water sits to the side of him, already prepared and ready.

Hob commits the image to memory, wishing he had the artistic talent so that he might commit it to canvas. He tries not to think too deeply on the meaning of any of this. Knows Dream is very well aware of custom and etiquette, even if he’s a little off on how to interact with humans. For all Hob knows this is just simple hospitality to him.

Still. Hob does not think he is soon to forget the sight of Dream of the Endless, King of Dreams and Nightmare making little ol’ him breakfast.

He settles himself in the same chair as last time, content to watch this for as long as he's allowed. He has seen his friend play host in his kingdom. Caught a small glimpse of what his hospitality looks like when he has a full staff to bring them food and drink of the highest caliber. Eating and drinking with the Lord of the Dreaming was a treat one would not soon forget.

But to see him like this? Singular and one on one? It is quite a different sight.

Hob is also aware his face is doing absolutely nothing to hold back how he feels. He tries to wrangle it back into something that merely screams 'happy' and 'fond' instead of 'hopelessly in love' but he's not sure how successful he is.

"Good morning. Did you sleep well?"

Hob doesn't snort, but it's a near thing. As if he doesn't know. "The bed was one of the most comfy I've ever slept in. I slept like a baby."

Dream picked up the bowl and the glass, bringing it over to Hob's spot. He laid them both out, giving Hob a wiff of the oatmeal, which smells far too good for simple oatmeal with bananas. A spoon soon follows. "Light meals are suggested after a period of fasting-" Dream makes a face, a subtle pursing of the lips, as if the word is a lemon and it's personally offended him, "Before moving back to a normal diet."

Hob feels that treacherous swelling in his chest again and squashes it. "Thank you," he says. Pours every scrap of gratitude into it because he is very aware of how outside the norm this is for all that Hob isn't sure how much of it isn't duty or an inconvenience. "Thank you for all of this. Anything I can do to repay you, should it be within my power, I would."

Dreams eyes almost seem to glow, his attention heavy. "Be careful with such promises. They hold weight and being in my debt is not cheap."

Hob shrugs, but not carelessly. He looks this ancient creature dead in the eye, picks up the spoon, and with it eats of the food that was offered to him. When he's swallowed, he says back, "Yes, and I still make it."

Dream stares at him, gaze almost a physical thing. Hob let's him sit with that as he continues to eat, savoring the food the way he hasn't savored food since the early 1700s when his fortunes finally started to turn around. The Dream Lord visibly reigns whatever thoughts he'd been thinking in, and Hobs not sure if they were the good or bad kind.

"I must tend to some things during the morning and early afternoon," he explains, his tone just shy of casual. "I will return late afternoon or early evening. There is food for lunch and dinner, should I not return in time."

Hob pauses, squinting at him. "Although I do appreciate the effort, I can take care of myself, you know."

Dream raises an elegant brow at him, as if Hob is a recalculant child who has gotten themselves into a spot of trouble that should be impossible given the circumstances.

Hob does not say, 'you have no idea.' He also does not prove himself an oversized child by sticking his tongue out at a being older than the universe, but it's a near thing.

Dream's expression smooths back to something professional. "There are clothes in the waredrobe that should fit you." He gestures down the hall. "There is a door to the library down the hall. It can be accessed from up or down stairs. It is a mere portion of my collection, but there should be something in there of interest."

Hob, who has seen the library in the Dreaming, has no doubt even a miniature version could keep him entertained. He looks forward to seeing what Dream might have deemed to add to this collection in the Waking World. He raised his glass, water that it was, in recognition. "I look forward to the privilege. Safe travels and safe returns."

Dreams nods and offers his own parting words. Once he has ensured Hob has finished his breakfast and Hob will take care of the dishes ("I can handle cleaning a few dishes!"), the Dream Lord took his leave. Hob is bemused that Dream waited until he had left out the door before vanishing off to the Dreaming.

Always with the mysterious thing, the prat.

Hob rushes through cleaning the dishes. He wants to get through a quick shower and into that library.

Part 7

[demonfox38]

Completed: Super Lesbian Animal RPG

Yep!

Did you want to see my Twitch recap for last year?

I know, right? Total loser, being in the top 10% for two categories. (To be fair, it's usually that I'm cooking while I have a speed runner on in the background.) Relevant to this image and review is streamer Punchy, pictured above in my top 5 streamers for the year. While primarily known as a speed runner for survival horror games, dude's got a myriad of games that he routinely runs. Like, over 100.

One of those games being "Super Lesbian Animal RPG."

I know. That's a fucking title right there. Instantly curious, I put Punchy on, watching him go through about fifteen minutes of the run. I probably needed less than five to be sold on the game. I've got a certain weakness for RPG Maker games, to begin with. The colorful visuals, mixed sprite/smooth artwork, and catchy music were also sellers. Probably the thing that made me snort-laugh my way into getting this game is one of the main characters sharing a name with me.

Look, man. I only see Allison come up in video games under two categories: localizers needing to fill out names for random Pokémon foes, and localizers just being weird in general (see: "Totally Rad.") Knowing what I know about Japanese, Allison is a pain in the ass in terms of spelling and pronunciation, especially if you throw honorifics into the mix. Given most of my game choices are either Japanese or built in admiration of Japanese games, I just don't see the name come up a lot. So, I was amused it came up here, of all places.

I suppose it could be a reference to Alison Bechdel, now that I think about it…

If the title "Super Lesbian Animal RPG" isn't self-explanatory as to what the game is about, I don't know what is. In slightly expanded terms, it's a game about a fox name Melody who becomes a paladin in order to aid and protect her girlfriend (Allison) while adventuring around the Sapphire Islands. Things go awry after fellow magician and literal cowgirl Claire attempts to power them up and train them, accidentally gaining the attention of both a misanthropic, anthropomorphized VHS cassette tape and the deity long since vanished from their world. What follows is an adventure in sapphic love, undead cowboy aesthetics, winter wonderlands, and some of the greatest collections of color palettes seen since the 1980s.

"Super Lesbian Animal RPG" is also the professional, copyright un-infringing descendant of a title called "Super Lesbian Horse RPG," a "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" fangame. I only bring it up to give some kind of epiphany/explanation for the aesthetics going on here. The main tower, hometown protector Faith, and the main female villain Verena may also remind you of a few characters from that show. So, if you were like, "Hey, these vibes are—" then YES! Yes, the vibes are.

Being an RPG Maker fangame (specifically, RPG Maker VX Ace), the gameplay is pretty intuitive to anyone familiar with this engine or genre. Battles are telegraphed with moving dark, glitchy blotches on screen (although, dens with random encounters are also made available for grinding.) Combat is taken in turns, allowing the player to input commands before the enemy and your party take swings. There are some considerations here that I find both unique and extremely helpful! For example, the game rewards you with using the party members as their role dictates, granting Star Power for actions like Melody healing, Allison and Claire attacking, and fourth party member Jodie defending others and tanking damage. This Star Power allows access to more powerful combat maneuvers, so it's important to get as much as possible to maximize both damage output, defense, and recovery. Additionally, acting as the game wants you to will also adjust the combatants' actions to be most beneficial to you. Like, Melody will always move first when healing, but last when attacking. Similarly, Jodie will also break through enemy defenses before Allison and Claire can attack, allowing them to maximize their damage. It's a super rewarding system, and I appreciate its consistency!

Outside of combat, standard RPG obstacles await the player. This can include challenges like locked doors, ice skating puzzles, bridge manipulation, finding passcodes for safes, and generally what you'd expect for traversal threats. It's not the roughest challenge in the world, but should you need help, the game's creators have your back. (Additionally, lead creative Bobby Schroeder is also on Tumblr, if you want to learn more about her!)

This game really does go out of its way to try and help the player. It offers two difficulty settings (normal and easy), as well as a quest log to help keep track of any pending jobs or story beats. Frankly, I'm tempted to say the game is almost too easy. Like, it was a rare instance to have a character get knocked out. About the biggest threat I faced was a set of side bosses (the VHS tape's sons), and even with them, I was able to squeak by on a first attempt. I also maxed out levels super early, so the final dungeon was more about getting enemies cleared out of the way than actually grinding for strength.

Not that I don't think things aren't trying to kill me! I just think adhering to each character's strengths goes a long, long way. Also, putting the Powerhouse Pin on Melody and having the Amorous Paladin track makes recovering MP a breeze. I've heard rumors of a hard mode being developed, so perhaps this criticism has already been noticed or taken to heart. But, if any tips for hardening the product are needed, nixing the Powerhouse Pin and the Amorous Paladin route as an option would definitely be an easy way to make things harder.

I probably should explain the whole "paladin route" thing, shouldn't I?

The major gameplay style adjustment you make early on is by selecting Melody's paladin specialization of choice. This includes Woodland (granting regen abilities to characters), Amorous (sacrificing Star Power to restore MP or Star Power for your other characters), and Resolute (inflicting damaging seals on enemies.) I haven't experimented with the Woodland or Resolute paths, but considering the amount of money I saved on not having to purchase gobs of healing items, I found what I picked to be pretty darn helpful! I would suspect that Resolute would be the next best option, but maybe I'm just not seeing much value in the Woodland's Nature Nurture ability (healing everybody the amount of health that Melody has.) Or, maybe I see that as a risk, if she gets hurt.

Despite being a stickler for character classes and the roles they play, this game is anything but orthodox. I mean, if the "Lesbian Animal" part of "Super Lesbian Animal RPG" was any indication. It's been a while since I've been as consistently amused with a game's sense of humor as I was with this one! Its characters aren't above calling bullshit on the game's circumstances, and enemies are just as quick at handing sass back. If you have an inborn sense for riffing bad movies and don't mind taking a few potshots, this game will be right up your alley.

Additionally, this is one of very few games that I felt motivated to talk to all NPCs as much as possible. Like, "Tales of Symphonia" got me to pop up to a 50% ratio, and that was only by bribing me with money and goods! Everybody's some degree of weirdo, whether it comes down to capitalist machinations, a family's fascination with world domination (and everyone treating that as cute/sweet), hidden aspirations for competition, or just generally people with urges to do weird things. The NPCs feel very unique, feeding into the motivation to talk with them as much as possible. It's rewarding even before going on missions for them.

Also gotta love an RPG that gives you a quest to get a knife for an 8-year-old, then contemplates on whether or not that's good to do (and even gives the player an exit strategy, if they're narcs.)

Honestly, if I got tired of anybody, it was Melody. But, it's in that way where my own mental defects have made me into a calloused, hardened bitch, so I lack patience with people who succumb to the mind's tyrannical nature. I'm not saying she's not right to have a breakdown or two! It's just one of those things where I go, "Okay, fine. I'll ride out your anxiety attacks/relationship squabbles until you're ready to go again." And then, "Wait, are you seriously being pissy enough to drop some of your most useful skills? GIRL, GET IT TOGETHER."

I want to highlight that the emotions I had were a minor irritant and resolved relatively quickly. Like, I go through this with most RPG leads, if they aren't mute protagonists. It's a part of the cycle. Find a problem -> whine about it -> go solve the problem when no one else will. About the only lead RPG character that didn't trigger that cycle and response for me was "Tales of Vesperia"'s Yuri Lowell, and that's mostly because he reacted to injustice and being pissed off with murder. (It's not the healthiest coping mechanism, I admit! Satisfying, though.)

From a graphical and musical perspective, this game is fantastic. It's a mix of synth instruments and Lisa Frank-esque color schemes alongside smooth illustrations and modern audio samples. Like, if you like "My Little Pony" adjacent palettes, you're gonna like this game. Pretty obvious, considering its development heritage. Approaching this as someone whose favorite furry media includes "Star Fox" games and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle" properties, I thought the visual and audio design here was pretty solid! A little unusually colored? Sure. Not quite full sparkledog. At least, nothing that made me cringe like "Dust: An Elysian Tale"'s Fidget. (Though, I may hate that character more for her accidentally getting the player killed in a subquest more than anything else…)

Having zombie cowboy elves is sure unique! Gotta give it up for that call. Can't say I see that every day.

If you'd like some musical sampling, give the following tracks a shot:

Ancient Machine

Scrap Metal

Labyrinth Rave (Original 998 Mix)

Fighting in the 990s

B.A.D.

t r a n s c e n d

Given the game's subject matter, aesthetics, and ease of gameplay, I'm surprised that "Super Lesbian Animal RPG" isn't a Tumblr darling akin to titles like "Dream Daddy" or "Undertale." (Not to call "Undertale" easy, mind you. It could be called "Super Lesbian Animal RPG" for one subplot, though…) I mean, some of the playable characters are even bi and trans! Isn't that worth something? That's at least 3 letters out of LGBT getting represented! Maybe the ratio is lower in other acronyms, but I still think that's gotta count for something!

I never had to think about what it means to be a trans-passing cow prior to this game, but hell. A good game will help you generate those kinds of thoughts. Feel new things.

If you are equally entranced by the bluntness and audaciousness of this title, you can pick it up online for the current price of $14.99. It's often on sale as well, if you're feeling the need to pinch some pennies. But, honestly, for a 16-20 hour game with multiple route replayability? That's a good deal right there.

And if you need a twisted recommendation—this game pairs quite well with "Space Funeral" and "Hylics." Maybe not in the funky appearances or message. Definitely in the RPG Maker games doing cool shit way.

[cartoon-buffoon]

Doing this because I can't sleep and no one will probably see it but: late night post about one of my favorite characters, SKITZO! I find him so silly and love him!!! He's a fucking awful demon and he's in hell for a reason, being a depraved freak, yet he's still a comfort character of mine. Oh and yeah I ofc don't condone his actions yet I still like him as a horror character, I feel like that should go without saying.

Screenshots from "Spare a dime" where Skitzo tries to get money and does a silly little dance to try and get it from a rich ostrich. Look at him being a goofball and putting on a show (he kills that ostrich literally 5 second later lmao).

Interestingly enough Skitzo shows an interest in money which I guess considering he's from hell and works for Idolatry makes sense. However this was before his cartoons were burnt and he got sent down there where he then presumably met Idolatry. I guess greed is also another trait of his? Granted he's fucking insane and ONLY does things for his own amusement and pleasure or because he's angry, yet it's still weird on why he would want money? Eh, he's just crazy I suppose

From "Too Hot to Handle" where Skitzo "works" (killed everyone else) at a fire department leading him to have to go save LD. He technically does save LD but ya know, it's not a Skitzo animation without that dog dying. Anyways: Skitzo himself in this episode puts on a little fire fighters hat and uses an axe as compared to a knife, I think his knife is iconic yet seeing him be a murderous psycho while wearing that hat and brandishing an axe is adorable to me. He also looks so cute when he's sleeping, the little skull exhales make me just wanna pet him while he snoozes despite the fact that he'd rip my arm off.

Screenshot from "Birds of a Feather" where Skitzo communes with nature and tries to befriend a bird. This animation has one of the few moments demonstrating his less crazy side and actual affinity for other—non anthropomorphic—animals. This animation has Skitzo not only enjoying the birds presence but also goofing around with it, it's only when the bird turns it's back on him does Skitzo get annoyed. Skitzo proceeds to murder the bird after it disregards his petting as well and as seen in the second ever animation it seems he dislikes and can't physically handle rejection and because of it he lashes out violently. Back to the image itself however: LOOK AT HIM!!! HE EEPING!!! I find him so cute when he's sleeping and just at peace not hurting anyone (⁠╥⁠﹏⁠╥⁠).

Skitzo's origins are a mystery and I'd love to one day just compile as much info there is about him in one place (either by digging through the animations and the YT descriptions or the little bits and pieces we get from Comick's illustrations) as his villain wiki page doesn't do him justice. I find him so interesting as despite his weirdness and downright psychotic nature, he doesn't exactly mean to be murderous 24/7? There's certain things that specifically tick him off sending him into a frenzy and it seems like there's moments where he wants nothing more than to sleep, eat, or mess around. Don't get me wrong, he is still inherently an evil entity that got rightfully sent down to hell, yet as his name implies he's obviously not okay in the head and there's certain factors that contribute to his nature. The most I can compare him to is Nny from Johnny The Homicidal maniac, like yeah they are both fucked up mentally and are sadistic crazy killers, yet there's moments where they don't exactly want to be and certain things specifically trigger violent, crazed, outbursts and episodes. Skitzo is in no way comparable to Nny and his reasons for what he does aren't fueled by an innate distaste for people nor a cosmic curse placed upon him to kill, Skitzo does what he does because he finds it funny, still it's the only real thing that comes to my mind in terms of characters he's similar to (in one specific way). When I say I think about this character a lot I mean it as you can see, THIS IS SUCH A WEIRD HYPERFIXATION TO HAVE BUT ITS JUST AUGHHH!!!! I LOVE THE CRAZY MURDER BEAR! I physically can't describe how much I wanna ramble on about him (⁠-⁠_⁠-⁠;⁠).

(final note/warning: all the screencaps are from the Skitzo animations on YT created by Comick. Skitzo himself is her creation and all credit goes to her for all the images in this rant. Wanna put a disclaimer as well if you watch the animations yourself, warning!: loud noises + flashing lights + gore + disturbing imagery is a KEY part of each of the Skitzo animations. Reminder he's a horror character and does bad things)

[therobotmonster]

Making a Monster: Smackoderm (or maybe Ogrephant?)

Technically, this is a WIP despite the main image being complete, because I’m planning on toy package graphic design elements, but this might be an interesting look into my “completed piece” AI process, for those interested.

I wanted to see if I could use Midjourney V4 to produce something resembling late 70s, early 80s toy package paintings, the kind you’d see on lines like MOTU and late-run Micronauts.

Long post after the fold.

To this end, I started prompting with:

bio-mammoth, cyborg mammoth/mastodon/elephant with glowing green bio-goo cannons on its back, huge metal claws, and glowing green eyes. barbarian warrior with green skin rides the beast into battle. battle painting, Masters of the Universe package painting, 1985, by frank frazetta and earl norem, pulp fantasy painting

I didn’t really get my Bio-Mammoth. Complex ideas are difficult for text-to-image at this stage, and I intentionally introduced a lot of conceptual chaos with my image prompts, which included such things as the MOTU slime pit, a beast of the apocalypse, and yes, a Frank Frazetta of a mammoth.

A couple of attempts got me at least a few that were pachyderm-like (the other weirdos aren’t necessarily wasted, as I can adjust prompt and evolve them into their own creations)

I wound up developing about five strains of the concept, tweaking the prompt as I went, until one started to produce results that fired my imagination.

Not just in that it was a cool beast, but in that it had the right look for an early 80s 5.5″ fantasy toy release. A battle-steed creature, with the not-included figure riding on the back (probably in an awkward bucket-seat that leaves little room for organs), four easy-to-lose tusks. Just scary enough to be cool, just goofy enough to be fun.

In all, I enlarged about eight of couple of dozen variants of the image I worked up, and began compositing and repainting. I knew I was going to need more real estate for packaging so there be space for logos, text blurbs, feature call-outs, etc.  So once I got the basic chunks’o’phant squared away, I reposition, and start expanding out and replacing background features.

Then I run into the problem that the humans generated in-picture are all pretty much mush, which isn’t shocking given they’re small portions of the overall composition.

So after upscaling my main composition, I start working on the hyena warrior.

an orange anthropomorphic hyena warrior, gnoll, with a bioluminescent blue spots, shouting, 2/3 portrait composition,, Masters of the Universe package painting, 1985, by frank frazetta and earl norem, pulp fantasy painting

I didn’t spend as much time iterating the hyena, since he was going to be small and I’d have to retouch his hands extensively regardless. Eagle eyed viewers may note that most of what I’ve got here isn’t quite what I requested. AI art is bad as specificity, one of the many things humans do better.

For funsies, here’s a hyena I didn’t use.

I was playing this one free-and-loose, and rolling with elements that looked cool, rather than those that matched my initial vision. If I’d been more intent on a specific result, I’d have prompted more generically and leaned more on manual reworking. This time, however, I was steering with, rather than against, the current, so as to learn how the AI responds to different kinds of requests.

Once the hyena-rider was in place, I did work compositing him in, and did some more background touch-up. After that is color-adjusting and balancing (I like to shift the darker values of the piece toward the blue to add depth), another round of cleanups and tweaks, and then pushing it out for all to see despite not really being sure its “done.”

[mimicrypkmn]

introooo

✨ hiya! i’m chat, 22, right now i’m studying at an EDUCATIONAL PLACE in paldea to learn more about freshwater ecology and water types (that’s vague enough for any school faculty that i won’t get in trouble for my social media image, right?) but unova is my home! they/them pronouns please!

more below the readmore ^^

✨ i do work with other pokemon for academic and ‘helping classmates with training’ and demonstration reasons, but my team is all tatsugiri! (don’t ask about how long i hang out and look for them to have found shinies like this. don’t ask) they are as follows:

🤍 twitch, shiny droopy tatsugiri! he’s my first pokemon i caught and own, since i’m not the one who’s the OT for the family pets. he’s really cute-looking but he’s a total manipulator and will steal food right out of your hands if you don’t watch him </3 the others tend to listen to him, so he helps me keep a lid on things when everyone’s out at once! very helpful little guy outside of his shenanigans. if i can only keep one of my pokemon out at a given moment, usually he’s my go-to.

❤️‍🩹 kirby, regular droopy tatsugiri, and towards ME, he’s very sweet. buuuut he’s a bottomless pit and likes to try to hunt a lot though, so i can’t let him hang out around a lot of flying-type pokemons or trainers who specialize with them :[ i’m doing what i can to try to curb and redirect this behavior, any advice from others in a similar boat is very much welcomed

🤎 choco, shiny curly tatsugiri, she’s very much cuddly. note to anyone who hasn’t pet a tatsugiri before: they are slimy-feeling and they keep themselves wet so if they flop on your shoes you WILL get wet socks so keep that in mind when i say she will almost Always curl up next to me if we’re settling for the night and she’s out of her ball and there’s nowhere better (aka, a lake) to sleep.

❤️ figy, regular curly tatsugiri, she’s the biggest of the bunch and is pretty mild-mannered and chill. i think she was a clodsire in a past life tbh... i HAVE made sure it’s not a health issue since at first i was worried it could be some kind of lethargy, but she’s just older than the rest and has a laid back personality, clean bill of health otherwise.

🧡 stripes, shiny stretchy tatsugiri, he is sunny’s big brother! they’re inseparable. they’re the youngest of the bunch, very playful with each other, though stripes is a bit nervous around strangers.

💛 sunny, regular stretchy tatsugiri, she is stripes’ little sister :] she’s a bit more brave with new faces than stripes is, she’s helped get him out of his shell. really likes cheese.

✨ team intro aside, school staff if you’re reading my posts: no you are not <3

✨ clavell if you’re reading this: i promise there will not be another kirby incident and i am making honest efforts to prevent him from chasing after other students’ pokemon. also if you are reading my posts no you are not

✨ if you’re at the academy and taking a class i’m in feel free to hit me with an email if you want to meet up and have our pokemon meet up! (no bird-like ones yet!! i’m sorry) kirby, stripes, and sunny would really benefit from socializing more and we can trade some class notes, maybe?

-----

[[ ooc: ]]

ok that all aside, this is a pokemon irl blog, and i tag all posts as pkmn irl!!

irl i am a biology major, so my activity will probably flux as the semester progresses since it’s the last one before graduation and i can NOT fuck up my grades. if i go inactive dw abt it, i probably got busy or distracted :]

when it comes to my interpretation of pokemon its like schrodingers cat when it comes to People just over-anthropomorphize their behaviors Vs they are all quite intelligent like in the anime. its like the way people talk about cats on the internet but being a cat owner and knowing cats can really be Like That. like yeah tatsugiri are probably very smart but also i do see them as coldblooded little bird eaters and dondozo egg-destroyers being little brood parasites. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

also if it bothers anyone i do hc ppl eat pokemon outside of those that r mentioned in the pokedex bc how else do you get the beef for paldean hamburger patties than the local tauros + miltank. and also bc i think pidgey tenders should be real. i will make an effort to minimize talk of it on the blog fr those that dont hc that or dont like the implications but i am a pokechicken nugget truther

[darklight-owl]

3,5,7,10,11,16,22 and 13,you said 3 years but what has changed since nice then?

EEEEEE tysm for the ask!!

3.) any recurring images/elements?

I'm not really that good at using motifs tbh, but I have a lot of scattered feathers deliberately placed in a few scenes. Smoke as well, even though I haven't illustrated any of those yet. I'll leave the interpretation to the readers :]

5.) pick a theme song for the tv adaptation.

Laplace's Angel by Will Wood! (this has been the theme song from before my Will Wood phase started, it's just got very similar themes)

7.) how would you describe the relationships between the characters in the story within eight words or less?

Not friends, just people sharing the same pain.

10.) if your story is titled, why did you choose that title?

It was always going to be called after whatever I named the organization. I had this idea of a kind of cultish group of assassins who worshipped a god of hunting. Since all the characters are animals hunting is pretty much just murder in this world, after all. My placeholder name for it was Artemis' Children, but I wanted to create my own mythology since I know virtually nothing about irl myths. the name Ullyca (and Ramedin while we're on it) was a result of me mashing words together at 1am until it sounded right. (I think it sounds cool though)

11.) give a general summary of the plot/world/characters.

Set in a world populated by several species of anthropomorphic animals, a serval named Umbra finds herself covered in blood, a body at her feet. With no memory of what happened, yet desperate to keep her involvement in this event from coming to light, she winds up making a deal with an organization of hitmen known as the Children of Ullyca, and by the time she realizes she's in over her head, it's too late to turn back.

16.) imagine the entire story takes place but in the meantime the characters all also have tumblr. what kind of (terrible) tumblr posts would happen?

Ahhhahahaha yk I'm pretty sure Fier has a tumblr (if anyone in this series does it's them) but for the other ones I'm absolutely sure Amala would be blazing Umbra's vent posts all the time, Hadron would do nothing except rb the worst takes known to mankind, Rena would have a bait account and Uriel just uses his to promote his fanfiction. Not sure what Kan would use his for, but something tells me he keeps getting blocked because he never made a profile and everyone thinks he's a bot.

22.) you have been given unlimited funds to make two adaptations of some sort, however you cannot make any other adaptations of any other sort. which two formats do you choose?

Ohhhh this is a tough one. I've always thought CoU would make for a banger animated series but for the second adaptation? Maybe a novel. I would have really loved for it to be a novel (even if the comic medium does fit better)

13.) how long have you been working on this project? what has changed from the outset?

SO much has changed in the past three years. Hell, not even joking this thing started as a bunch of Beastars ocs until I realized they didn't have anything to do with Beastars anymore and I was just a furry. Now, aside from the anthros and the canniballism, they have absolutely nothing in common.

The architecture has changed, it used to be just normal human cities but somewhere between the original chapters and the Call to Action entry I changed the buildings to use more natural elements like trees and cliffsides. I still struggle with it (a lot) but I love how lively and a little wild it looks.

Some designs have also changed, the uniforms used to all be plain dark grey jumpsuits but now all of them have their own unique design for each character for different purposes (Kan's uniform has armor plates, Rena's is a wetsuit, etc.) Out of all the characters, Kan has changed the most physically. I didn't know how to make the "grizzled war veteran" look I wanted so he just kinda looked... weird. Also he didn't have any scars which I later realized was stupid, he's been an assassin for 20 years.

Speaking of characters, Umbra's character has changed a LOT. She used to be the definition of an edgelord, a cold hearted killer with no remorse. However that was boring as shit and I thought it would make for a more compelling story if she really didn't WANT to join the CoU but was pressured into it.

I used to post pages on Instagram (i know, ew) but I realized the story was very disorganized and stopped to work on the script. I'm remaking the first chapter bc my art has... definitely improved. This is 2021 vs. 2023:

I know they say don't redraw old pages but... I think you get why I started over in this case lol

[rainbowfoxes]

IDW! Raph Should be a Cat-Boy, Here's Why

Good evening (or whenever this post may find you) I have a silly little theory for you today.

(A brief content warning: the comic pages shown here do depict two animals fighting. Just a heads up)

So as we all know, Mutagen tends to work like so:

Critter + Ooze + DNA of Another Critter = Mutant

Simple, easy, consistent, right?

However

In issue #3 of IDW's run, we learn how itty bitty not-yet-a-mutant Raphael got separated from the other turtles. The stray cat that would go on to be Old Hob had scooped him up with every intent to eat him, and little Raphie was lost in the scuffle when Splinter came to his rescue, as you can see below:

{Start Image ID: Three pages from IDW's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles issue #3. Set in an alley, the pre-mutated turtles, Splinter, and Old Hob stand in a pool of glowing green mutagen. Old Hob has snatched one of the baby turtles, Raphael, into his mouth with intent to eat him. Splinter attacks Old Hob to save the turtle. Raphael is lost in the scuffle, Splinter sustains a serious leg injury, and Old Hob loses one of his eyes. Old Hob flees the scene. :End Image ID}

That glowing green goo up there? That's mutagen. Everyone is getting covered in it. But it also means that Raph-a-little's first post-mutagen exposure DNA contact is Old Hob, a cat. It also means that the most significant presence of outside DNA on little Raphie is feline DNA.

Ergo, Raph's a cat-boy.

Now what does this mean in practice? Whatever you want, I'm not a cop. Does he have a luttle fuzzy tail and toe beans? Cat eyes and sharp teeth? does he get high off of catnip? Up to you! Do whatever sparks joy. 🌈

Preemptive Counter-Arguments:

Wait, doesn't this mean Splinter is part cat, too? And part turtle? Yes, but this isn't about him.

Doesn't it also mean that the other turtles are part rat? See above.

Doesn't it ALSO mean that Old Hob — See. Above.

Okay, but what about the Mutagen Bomb and Mutant Town? We never see any hybrid mutants there! Look. Look. If I had to design dozens of unique anthropomorphic characters that I could reliably draw the same way each time, and that other artists who I may never talk to can ALSO reliably draw the same way each time and keep them identifiable as the same characters? I'd walk into oncoming traffic. Making any or all of those characters hybrids between two or more species? Forget about it. I could look at Sophie Campbell's art all day, but I would not wish such a task on my worst enemy. Plus writing wise? It gives them an easy way to power scale mooks like Bebop and Rocksteady. What's scarier than a rhino man with no regard for the laws of men? A rhino man with no regards for the laws of men who is also a shark.

Fine, but where'd their human DNA come from? Not that it really matters, but probably the Foot genin who put the turtles in that sack in the first place (you can see he isn't wearing gloves in the flashback from issue #2, if you care to look). Or maybe from all the scientists that handled them on the daily, seeing as they were lab animals. Or the alley they're in in those pages up there. Do you know what people do in alleys? There's probably hundreds of unique samples of human DNA in the square foot they're standing in alone.

But they're TURTLES not CAT-BOYS!!!!! This is you:

{Start Image ID: The classic, unedited "NO FUN ALLOWED" robot with a sign meme. :End Image ID}

Go forth and prosper with this new knowledge. If you make any fanworks based on this fun little headcanon, tag me in it or shoot me a link. I wanna see all the little cat-boy Raphs.

[intersexroadshow]

A.I. illustrators are still trippy.

I know a lot of visual artists are having a freakout about how quickly illustration AIs are improving. They’re worried they’ll be put out of work. Customers and patrons will just type a description of what they want into an AI app, and out will come the fulfillment of their desires.

As someone who has been using the MidJourney AI now for months, let me tell you that that day is not yet at hand.

Don’t get me wrong--the latest version of the MidJourney AI is amazing. It has a great sense of composition, is excellent at capturing stylistic vibes, and is capable of a photorealistic feel.

Ask it to produce something novel based on popular cultural figures, historical periods, and artistic styles, and it is gold. You want a painting of the Joker in the style of Rembrandt? You got  it!

But specify details that are less common, and the AI is just going to fudge it, in creative but often truly bizarre ways. So:

I asked MidJourney v4 to draw me an anthropomorphic cat version of Sherlock Holmes, in a Victorian street, smoking a pipe. This is probably the best image I got out of many rerolls and tweaks of the search, and a lot of it is great! The depth of field, the light, the fur textures, the Victorian feel. The steampunk detail of the top hat is a lot of fun. But. . . why is the smoke coming out of the hat, not the pipe? I suppose because the pipe entirely enclosed. . . not a very functional design. And look at the hand, eek. MidJourney is very agnostic as to the number of appendages a person or creature should have. And the text on the sign in the background--is that Cyrillic or Greek or the Roman alphabet?

Rerolling the search and hoping for a more plausible hand and pipe, I get this:

The clothing and setting are again excellent. But. . . what is up with the ears? Does the pipe end in a blob of solidified smoke? Of cotton wool? Of an abstract mouse sculpture? And oh ghods. . . the right hand. Does it have a dozen fingers? Let’s try again.

Ok, now the pipe is just a stick, and Sherlock the Cat holds some bizarre smoke-fuzz creature. Clearly we need to keep trying to tweak the prompt with descriptors of the pipe shape and how it is held. The result? 

Oh, better! Kind of. Our Sherlock-cat is now smoking a demitasse espresso cup, but the pose is right. Six fingers on the right hand and seven or eight on the left, but it feels like we are getting close. I like the detail of the mirroring quadrupedal cat in the corner of the image. Let’s try again!

This looks great initially. Then you notice that the quadruped cat in the corner is some kind of small eldrich horror. And Sherlock’s left ear and hat are a single item, with what appears to be a bonus third ear in the place of a feather in the hatband. And what is going on with the bicycles in the background? 

Once more unto the breach!

Great outfit here, and I love our Sherlock’s coloring. But. . . now the cat in the corner has morphed into something Sherlock is smoking. I presume that the AI was exposed to a few meerschaum pipe images, while tripping on the entirety of Google Images. And we get six fingers on the right hand and an earhat again. Are we getting any closer to a ten-fingered, pipe-smoking Victorian detective cat--an image that won’t make human viewers tilt their heads and feel vaguely woogy inside?

No. No we are not. What the heck! Sherlock smokes a cat tail, while a bonus tail frolics by itself on the Victorian cobblestones. Dare we try again?

Uh oh. MidJourney’s definitely gone Lovecraftian. 

Now instead of the pipe being a small cat, the corner-cat is a pipe.

The pipe is a tophat! The anthro Sherlock-cat and the corner quad-cat have merged into a single entity! The fur is a suit! And the entity’s eyes are multiplying. . .  

For sake of our sanity, it’s best to stop.

At least our journey has brought us some understanding. Illustration AIs are becoming better and better at doing what we want them to do. But they are also very, very high, and they insist on putting their own vision into what they produce. 

And that, in the end, is what makes them fun for me! But I don’t think they’re going to drive human artists to extinction any time soon. 

And remember, similar hand-wringing claims were made about the end of human artists when photography was invented. The camera did empower ordinary non-artists to generate all the self-portraits their hearts could desire. And artists were freed thereby to do other things.

[cjgladback]

[ID: First image is a swift 8-frame base walk cycle of a stylized 3D scorpion character and an anthropomorphic potted cactus riding in a chair on its back. Nearly everything bounces a little, including the simulated fabric of an umbrella-like sunshade attached to the scorpion's stinger. Only the characters' faces and the cactus's arms have no animation keyed on them.

The second image is a work-in-progress render sequence of the scorpion and cactus characters. It follows the finalization of the scorpion's claw forms, the sculpting and retopologizing of the cactus character, painted textures for each of them, the formation and texturing of the umbrella as well as the chair the cactus is sitting in and the cloth and straps under it, and finally the addition of a not-yet-textured hat that was not in the walk cycle. The rigging of the characters is unseen other than a change in posture of the scorpion's legs. End ID]

After some unexpected travel and delays, I pushed until the final weekend of the Endless Engines challenge but opted not to submit an animation and environment that just made the characters look sloppy. I saw a ton of incredible arthropod, cute, stylized, and desert renders from the community that I'll be rooting for in my place.

So from here on, I'll be keeping the trappings of the challenge that serve the characters but composition, timing, etc can just be for me. I've already slowed things down a bit and raised the main scene camera to see more of the characters (different from the character progress camera used for the renders above). I'm also making all the props, including those whose rigging is a bit more of a puzzle; starting with the hat I modeled during part of stream today. And for the environment I'll be excited to apply the texturing and generative plants skills I gained during the Bellicosaur project to the best of my ability rather than the fastest.

Still thrilled to have gotten that challenge-initiated jump start to make these characters (again, credit to Nicholas Kole) after almost two years of wanting to.

[multi-lefaiye]

happy sts!! I can't think of a specific question but please tell me anything about any of your wips, I'd love to hear it

happy sts!!! a day late but still :D

thank you!!!! hmmm... right now i'm thinking about my biomutant OCs still, so i'm gonna talk about one of my vague biomutant-inspired concepts!! not unhinged fantasy wip right now unfortunately, but another one kinda inspired by the general world.

so there's this vague idea i've had for a biomutant-inspired story called the 29th cycle. have i done much with it? nope! i've mainly just thought about it a bunch and gone "oh that's fun." it's a good example of a wip that's just a bunch of vibes and me going "yeah that'd be cool" and doing it.

HMMMM... okay so i talked the other night a bit about my oc sol whitetail. and sol is a minor antagonist in the 29th cycle. i will talk a bit about them.

so this is sol <3 my baby

[Image Description: A sketch of my OC Sol, an anthropomorphic character with pale yellow fur and darker markings, leaping into the air. They have a long, fluffy tail with a darker tuft at the end and long ears that are folded back. Their muzzle is similar to a cat’s, and they have a furry mane behind their head. The character is wearing mostly purple, including purple fingerless gloves, a purple vest over a darker purple corset, dark purple pants, and socks the same color as their gloves. The character has blue eyes and a determined expression on their face. End ID.]

the basic concept for sol is that they're a mercenary who hunts bandits (or anyone they deem a bandit) for sport. they're very motivated by rage and a desire for vengeance, and their character arc is kind of an examination of revenge narratives, trying to look at it from a more nuanced perspective than just "revenge bad" or "revenge good actually." over the course of the story, sol becomes more of an ally to the protagonists as their character arc progresses.

what does sol want revenge for? well. a lot. but the biggest thing is that sol lost their family, specifically their husband crane. crane was like the last thing in their life keeping them stable, and after his death, they went fucking feral. they'd been very angry and full of violence for many years, but it was crane's death that made them finally snap.

generally, sol travels around the valley that the story takes place in, burning bandit camps to the ground and enacting their own version of justice everywhere they go.

anyway uhhh last fun thing about sol! i still have to draw him. but they have a dragon companion, a big scary monster that they tamed and ride around while hunting bandits down. his name is mars and he has like eight eyes and three sets of wings, and he breathes bright purple fire.

sol is my poor little meow meow and i love them and thinking about their character arc makes me emotional.

[avboni]

I will be comparing two games within the Sci-Fi category that I had mentioned in my previous post, Star Fox and Destiny. These two games within the industry continue to have massive changes to its storytelling and gameplay.

Brief summary: You play as Fox McCloud, an anthropomorphic fox that is a leader in a space fleet that must rid the Lylat system free from the evil plans of a mad scientist… For most of the games. Depending on the title, some games differ from one another on who exactly the antagonist is and their end goal.

I bring up this game in particular as it is one of many games that attempt to try out different formulas in their storytelling and gameplay and it is obvious what the fans want versus what the company keeps trying to do. No one faults them for attempting to add some interesting elements to the story, but how much of a change is too much before it becomes too different from the original IP?

I will be mentioning three games from the series as to compare the adaptations the lore has had over the years of titles. These games include Star Fox 64, Star Fox Assault, and Star Fox Adventures. Star Fox 64 focuses on a young space pilot who travels with his team across the Lylat system to keep it safe from evil forces. Along the way you encounter old friends, old enemies, and even older haunts from the past. So why is adding lore to the characters as well as breadcrumbs of secrets on each mission important to the game?

Creating a game relies on more than just updated graphics and game mechanics, there also needs to be that drive behind the game in order to keep the player not only finishing the story once, but multiple times. Games from over twenty years ago were often meant to be played in a short amount of time, usually a few hours compared to games today where games have sixty plus hours of gameplay.

What sort of gameplay did Star Fox bring into the gaming world that made it so appealing? There are a few factors that come into play and I will be expanding on this with various viewpoints from the perspective of a fan of the game and as a game designer.

Image on left: Star Fox Assault (Ground) Image on right: Star Fox 64 3DS

Initially, the game itself is known for being a rail shooter game. Rail shooters are games that keep players on a very limited movement path while the world around them evolves over time. This is a great introduction to shooting games for people who may find a free roaming shooter game too intimidating or difficult to play. A lot of early video games implemented this design when video games started to make use of better graphics to emulate a 3D space or actually shifting into a 3D space.

The first game in the series I will discuss will be Star Fox 64, one of the early games on the Nintendo64. 

Star Fox 64: This game takes place inside an air or ground craft, depending on the mission's location. The game itself is often quoted as one of the best games in the series, regardless of it being a remake of the original game, Star Fox. With improved graphics, added voice acting, secret pathways where adventurous players would find, and additions to the overall game mechanics, it sets up the series to focus on finding new ways to push the limited rail shooter system to new levels. But how far can it go before the game repeats itself? Overall, the game itself brings in fun ways to try out something different with each new title in the series. The game is even considered to be a space opera, if you can believe it! The story is rich with little details and dramatic turns, a lot of people fondly look back at it as a fantastic addition to that genre.

“It's still an excellent game all these years later, with thrilling action, delicate and precise controls, stirring music, humour, spectacle, and edge-of-your-seat excitement.” (Lane, 2023)

Star Fox Assault: A mixture of aircraft gameplay as well as foot soldier gameplay. This is one of the other games that they have in the series that uses this out of aerial and tank combat and has never been favorable among fans. These segments could have been worked with a different type of combat system that allows players to explore the cities they fly over in some sort of new form of warfare.

“However, playing on foot….sort of sucks. If it was as competent as the Arwing parts, this might be an all time favorite. However, it’s not and it often feels like two different games entirely. “ (dollerz, 2024)

The technology the game has is more than capable of handling a person (animal?) in a mech suit of some kind. Unfortunately changes between the highly advanced to the… Not so advanced hinders the game and how it plays out in more than just one way. However, there are times where the Player does gain access to some pretty cool tech on the ground level instead of just a somewhat futuristic gun.

Image: Star Fox Adventures

Star Fox Adventures: Almost entirely on ground. Adventure exploration game, that completely deviates from the original game plan for the series. This game was changed to be a last minute Star Fox game and was not meant to be a part of the series.

“According to legend, Shigeru Miyamoto was shown footage of Dinosaur Planet and suggested that the game should be re-tooled to incorporate Fox McCloud and company. Rumours also abound that the change wasn’t accepted willingly by all of the Dinosaur Planet team, as the plot had to be rewritten in places to accommodate the Star Fox canon.” (McFerran ,2022)

The gameplay itself falls under a very unique and unfortunately seen as an often disliked feature in collectathon games. These games where you have to collect a certain amount of items before you can progress on the story can make storybeats feel underwhelming at times if the player becomes too frustrated with its repetitive mechanics. After this game received a lot of negative backlash and seen as one of the worst installments to the series (gameplay wise, a lot of the fans enjoyed the story due to a fan favorite character being introduced to the series) Nintendo opted to return back to its futuristic setting in space.

Brief summary: You are brought back to life after the near extinction of human civilization and must now defend the last remaining human species on Earth in a place called the Last City. A small drone-like piece of equipment who calls himself Ghost, is your new companion that brought you back from the dead. Depending on the character creation you are brought back with one of three types of Player classes Warlock, Titan, or a Hunter and given other worldly powers and must use the last bit of Golden Age technology available after the Collapse of humanity.

In Destiny, the worlds you explore have once been a part of a greater civilization when humanity reached its Golden Age by a traveling machine god dubbed the Traveler. Sounds intimidating to have a machine god bring you back to life for a war that has been going on for billions of years, so how do you show and tell a story this vast without losing your audience? Story beats that are broken into bite sized chunks, extra lore on the side, and a lot of community effort.

The Traveler above Earth.

This giant machine first appeared near Jupiter and started to reshape one of its moons into a habitable place. Once humanity officially came in contact with the Traveler on Mars, they were able to study and learn from it to advance their technology to unseen heights. This allowed interstellar travel, major advances in medicine, as well as planetary colonization.

“We called it the Traveler, and its arrival changed us forever. Great cities were built on  Mars and Venus. Mercury became a garden world. Human lifespan tripled. It was a time of miracles.” (The Speaker, 2:04)

Destiny does not only limit itself to science fiction, it also brings in magic to help fill in the gaps to bring in wonder and exploration. However, this does not shy away from using high end technology to its advantage. Shapeships (Jumpship), space motorcycles (Sparrow), and even the Ghost that revives you are part of the advanced technology.

“... While you’d think stepping outside in a Venusian storm would mean your skin would be dissolved by the acid rain, in Destiny’s case that’s not what happens.” (Hadzaman, 2021)

There are people within the game, Exos, who were once human and now are completely machines. The lore behind them consists of a research facility named Clovis Bray Exo Science and Engineering, named after its creator, Clovis Bray that first created these machines to house the human mind. However, his company was not the only one that used this newfound technology in this way. BrayTech (another name given to the company from its many branches) and held a rivalry with another company that also experimented with human to robot machinery, Ishtar Collective.

An Exo, previously a human.

Whether you are playing against the enemies of humanity or other Guardians (Players) there is a wide variety of weaponry, magic, and a whole lot of unexplainable science that goes on behind those trigger fingers. Though, magic is also unexplainable science, so double the magic?

Image: IKELOS_SG_v1.0.3 a weapon from the Mars branch of BrayTech.

A shotgun repurposed with the technological feat of a super intelligent A.I. called Rasputin, a Warmind in game. One of its purposes is meant to monitor the solar system via a vast array of satellites that are scattered across the solar system. Both the Player and the characters within the game use technology like this as a means of protection as well as attack. Other facilities based on various in-game research companies are used to their disposal. While many post-apocalyptic games use weapons from their past, Destiny brings in narratively that these weapons may be “outdated” by a few hundred years, but they are able to be crafted as brand new weapons and armor.

“While in the Destiny universe, weaponry and energy are dictated by the game’s own lore and concepts of how everything functions, it’s clear Bungie’s writing team did their homework on this one. The weapon’s name doesn’t just serve as flavor, but is a simplified demonstration of a foundation of electricity and magnetism.” (Hadzaman ,2021)

This type of narrative within the game allows players to truly be a part of the game itself with its better immersion of actually needing to gather supplies such as blueprints and materials in order to craft them on a machine that literally pulls from them different timelines. (Not the first time that this happened either!)

So what is any of the above different from other games such as Mass Effect, Borderlands, Anthem, or even other MMOs? One of the reasons is the constant testing and feedback process. In earlier segments of the game's lifespan, gathering resources was a chore that was almost unbearable. Exploits were almost mandatory in order to complete blueprints and quest steps in order to craft items in a timely manner. With live testing that the majority of the other games were unable to do due to not being online based games, adjustments were made readily available. With Destiny being a live game and nearing the major climax of its story, there are bound to be more changes within the coming year.

Image Sources

Journal, J. H. R. G. (2016, April 20). Do a barrel roll: Star Fox Zero review | Technobubble. Reno Gazette-Journal. https://www.rgj.com/story/life/2016/04/20/star-fox-zero-review-technobubble-do-barrel-roll/83282762/

Star Fox: Assault. (2023, December 18). The 500. https://dollerz.com/the-500/374-350-a-positive-outlook/star-fox-assault/

Star Fox 64 3D. (2011, July 17). Eurogamer.net. https://www.eurogamer.net/games/star-fox-64-3d

Star Fox Adventures. (2023). reddit. Retrieved February 11, 2024, from https://www.reddit.com/r/nostalgia/comments/zy9frr/star_fox_adventures/

Albert, W. (2020, April 27). Destiny 2: Will the traveler finally awaken? Game Rant. https://gamerant.com/destiny-2-season-11-darkness-traveler/

Destiny: Exo 02, Mike Jensen. (n.d.). ArtStation. https://www.artstation.com/artwork/NJb2P

Klemke, D. (2014, September 25). Destiny: All Ends are Beginnings. - The Refined Geek. The Refined Geek. https://www.therefinedgeek.com.au/index.php/2014/09/26/destiny-all-ends-are-beginnings/comment-page-1/

Bacon, R. O. (2023, November 30). IKELOS_SG_v1.0.3 god roll - Destiny 2. Shacknews. https://www.shacknews.com/article/137936/destiny-2-ikelos-sg-v1-0-3-god-roll

Duwe, S. (2022, February 23). Here’s how weapon crafting works in Destiny 2. Dot Esports. https://dotesports.com/destiny/news/heres-how-weapon-crafting-works-in-destiny-2

Cited Sources: (APA formatting when finished)

Hadzaman, A. (2021, October 14). The science behind Destiny 2’s Lorentz Driver weapon. Space.com. https://www.space.com/destiny-2-lorentz-driver-science-explained

Hadzaman, A. (2021b, December 9). How realistic are the terraformed planets of Destiny 2? Space.com. https://www.space.com/how-realistic-are-the-terraformed-planets-of-destiny-2

Lane, G. (2023, February 21). Best Star Fox Games of all time. Nintendo Life. https://www.nintendolife.com/guides/best-star-fox-games-of-all-time

McFerran, D. (2022, September 22). The making of: Star Fox Adventures, the game that was once Dinosaur planet. Time Extension. https://www.timeextension.com/features/the-making-of-star-fox-adventures-the-game-that-was-once-dinosaur-planet

Shirrako. (2014, July 17). DESTINY - Intro Opening - Welcome to Destiny [1440p HD] [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ny7XhR4URZE

Star Fox: Assault. (2023b, December 18). The 500. https://dollerz.com/the-500/374-350-a-positive-outlook/star-fox-assault/

[kookyfabarts]

For this week’s assignment,I’ll be posting my final project showcasing my entire body of artwork/characters in a fittingly thematic GIF format,as for the past few weeks and months I’ve dedicated the time to posting the works in progress so as to highlight my process on how I draw my characters and create their thematic GIFs using the GIF making program—PhotoMosh.To describe this final project very briefly—briefly,I took on the approach of exploring the more niche aspects of the aforementioned Internet Culture,which was in this case,video gaming/otaku culture,more specifically,the phenomenon of online artists creating their own characters and incorporating them into the lore of their respective video game/anime/comic/cartoon series.I’ve decided to combine both the previously mentioned outline with the second.The second outline pertaining to one of my favorite group of undersea creatures:Sea slugs.I figured I would combine the two in order to showcase my extensive body of artworks,especially since each character’s final look will be presented in the form a fittingly thematic GIF format,redundantly speaking.Now with that being said,here are my personal favorite GIFS that I made fitting with each of my characters:

Up first is my Sonic Original character,Candle Wisp Lightbulb,The Cybernetic Phyllodesmium Sea Slug!

I used PhotoMosh as a GIF making program to add the subtle effects of pixelating and shaking the character,in this case—jittering.As Candle has the ability to travel through Cyberspace through the form of pixelation for ease of access,hence the square and rectangular markings all over the body,that and that the character itself is an homage to Sonic’s form,Super Sonic Cyber,a form that is exclusive to the game Sonic Frontiers.(Although,these effects,Jitter and Pixelate are applied to a very minimal degree for the sake of clarity on Candle’s design).

Up next we have Noumé Speckles Umber,The Noumeaella Sea Slug Hybrid Species! I added the Dot Matrix,Wobble,InstaColor,and Rainbow effects and adjustments to emphasize the enigmatic essence,given that I took inspiration from the Succubi and Incubi from the Lust Ring in Helluva Boss.(I also took inspiration for Noumé’s facial design from the main character of the show Blitzø,as you’ll see here):

I’ll place a content warning here,as while the works themselves don’t contain any offensive content,the web series,Helluva Boss does:

This next one is an alternative rendition to the character’s original design,mainly due to the lack of spots on his wings,meet Rubrus”Tangerine”Marigold,The Red Batwinged Sea Slug!

I wanted to showcase how elegant the original bat winged sea slugs are,the only difference is that I toned down the effects slightly.The effects used in the GIF such as,Wobble,Melt,DuoTone(consisting of blue and orange)—as well as InstaColor,all of them compound to theme of Rubrus’s actual species being peculiar,yet wonderful little sea slugs exploring the vast ocean that encompasses our world.

The next image is a crossover fusion between two characters,Blitzø from Helluva Boss,and Joker,the code name for the character named Ren Amamiya in Persona 5! I’ll be showing only the final product for this one:

The subtle effects used here are Bad TV”,”Solarize”,and”Slices”. I used these effects since both Blitzø and Joker use electronic media,with Blitzø using TVs and billboards to promote his business,and Joker using radio brocasting stations and televisions to spread his message of standing against the corrupt adults of society.That,and Joker uses demonic powers to achieve his goals,whilst Blitzø is a demon who does the same thing,only with murderous intent.This one is very simple,but yet so stark(and dark in terms of contrast.It also fits with themes pertaining to both pieces of media).

Up next,we have my first ever Friday Night Funkin’ original character,Nebula Stardust,an amorphous and anthropomorphic amalgamation of literal stardust and gas given form.They meet the main characters of the game,Boyfriend and Girlfriend respectively long after they’ve high levels of recognition after winning a plethora of rap battles with numerous entities.

I decided to add a DuoTone,Glow,and decreased the hue and saturation of the final product.For the Duotone colors,I picked magenta and blue to further showcase Nebula’s easygoing personality as well connect with the notion that they are an otherworldly entity.(Using PhotoMosh,of course).

Last but not least,my personal most favorite GIF I’ve made by far!Both this character as well as there GIF has a special connection to me due to the fact that they originally started out as part of a final project for my Intermediate Painting class.The story goes like this: To further elaborate,the inspiration of this particular character came about in my Intermediate Painting class,in which I had bought 2 14 x 18 canvases for the creation of my final independent project.I had talked to my painting instructor about wanting to choose between 2 concepts:1 concept would revolve around painting abstract art inspired by some of my favorite characters’ color palettes from the web series,Helluva Boss.Those being, Blitzø,Fizzaroli,and Asmodeus.The second concept would revolve around me painting an abstract piece on my favorite aspect of undersea life: Sea Slugs,Marine Flatworms,and Sea Snails.I will be focusing on my first part of my final independent painting project: Wandering Wisps of Imaginative Wonders!The abstract art piece that I made inspired by Blitzø’s,Fizzaroli’s,and Asmodeus’s color palettes!

The actual painting made with acrylic paint of course:

I used paint water to create the lighter portion of the background,along with a combination of smaller paintbrushes to create loose strokes!But that’s not all! This abstract piece inspired me mold it into my very own original character.I was very loosely inspired by a newly made web series called The Amazing Digital Circus,a dark comedy series,created by Gooseworx,and had its pilot episode posted on the GLITCH YouTube channel!

I’ve decided to use the abstract painting shown above as my primary muse to draw yet another sea slug character,so without further ado,meet Chromia Willows,The Abstract Wispy Art Inspired Sea Slug,in GIF format!

I applied the Melt,Wobble,Dot Matrix,and InstaColor effects yo emphasize the nebulous being that is Chromia,a being purely made as a product from the perpetual streams of my vivid imagination,which is entirely comprised of my geeky obsessions/interests.From indie web series,to sea creatures,and video games.Chromia is all that,bundled into one peculiar package!

Now before I conclude this post,some of you may be curious as to why I decided to showcase my personal favorites and not all of the GIFs I’ve created for this particular semester.Well,first and foremost,I’ve realized that within the ample time I’ve been given to develop this final project,I’ve realized that my first set of thematic GIFs for my selected characters needed much more work,then as I began to play around with PhotoMosh a bit more—given its large range of effects,I’ve decided to be more meticulous not only in terms of picking my most vibrant drawings,but also my most eye catching GIFs,regardless of both my characters’s and GIF’s style complexity.As such this course has allowed to be expand my knowledge on Internet Art,while also allowing me to explore the endless depths of my imagination. I can also say that with 100% confidence that I’m thoroughly proud of this project!As a freebie,I will show you all my late birthday gift to myself,Meet Chamomile Quercitron,The Yellow Ochre Trinchesia Sea Slug!Codename:Saffron Tenelia Mustard!

I was given a new set of color pencils from my aunt in law for my birthday back in mid to late November.The brand is called Castle Arts,and the set is filled with up 120 color pencils!A few of which I’ve used to create Chamo over here!I love the mix of mystical teals,turquoise,combined with yellow ochre and a futuristic metallic blue.Hopefully I can make a game with all these creations,well that’s all for now!Thank you,everyone for a wonderful semester.Merry Christmas,and a Happy New Year!