lawyernovelistpersonal

[lawyernovelistpersonal]

I love the point where Tolkien stops pretending he's writing a mid-20th century fantasy novel and just fully writes in Old English half-lines:

Still she did not blench: maiden of the Rohirrim child of kings, slender but as a steel-blade, fair yet terrible. A swift stroke she dealt, skilled and deadly. The outstretched neck she clove asunder, and the hewn head fell like a stone. Backward she sprang as the huge shape crashed to ruin, vast wings outspread, crumpled on the earth; and with its fall the shadow passed away. A light fell about her, and her hair shone in the sunrise.

There are 3-4 paragraphs like this. It's great.

[lawyernovelistpersonal]

It's not exactly an illustration, but I then wrote a fic on the same topic.

Linked Universe Discord sprint: soft Warriors/Warriors fluff.

Warriors from Linked Universe brushing Wild's hair.

Today's challenges: hands (I could not get them even though I was using photo references) and for some reason Warriors' profile.

6th July 2024

[lawyernovelistpersonal]

the feminine urge to disguise yourself as a man and ride to minas tirith to die in battle with honour

[lawyernovelistpersonal]

[lawyernovelistpersonal]

Amazing, thank you! I might set up a side blog - please let me know if you'd like a link when I start.

I stumbled on your Robin Hood Legend of Zelda game idea and I'm afraid it wormed its way into my head! I hope I didn't overstep, but I already wrote a post trying to work out how the gameplay and plot could work (https://www.tumblr.com/lawyernovelistpersonal/765892861072998400/robin-hood-legend-of-zelda?source=share in case you're interested, since I put it on a sideblog), which was intended as just tossing out a few ideas and then... grew. Would you mind if I kept working on it? I'd obviously credit you with the original idea and anything else I pick up from your writing about it and would be happy to stay away from any particular concepts you'd rather weren't picked up for someone else's attempt. I would obviously get it if you'd rather work on it yourself since it was, after all, your idea. In that case, thanks for the fun thing to think about and best of luck!

Ohhh yeah I did see your post, it just got lost in the boop shuffle XD

If you want to play with the concept feel free! It looks like you’ve got some real cool ideas for it, and I certainly don’t mind XD Plus it might turn out that we go different directions with the concept anyway, so I definitely don’t mind if you want to work on what you thought up for it :)

[lawyernovelistpersonal]

... Well, OK, that planned post on Galadriel in the Second Age just got moved up the schedule. I have research to do.

Uh, guys? Don't confuse your crappy televised fanfic for the story that Tolkien actually wrote.

Galadriel was never "under Sauron's thrall." That's something ROP made up. In Unfinished Tales, she was the only one in Eregion who suspected that Annatar was lying about being an emissary of the Valar. Celebrimbor was deceived by him. She was not. She was certainly not "under his thrall." No, not even because she had Nenya.

Yes, when Frodo offered her the One Ring, she was tempted. It could have given her the power to prevent the fading of Lothlórien. But when she makes this speech in the book, and in the Peter Jackson movies, it's her own thought, she's not repeating something that Sauron said to her once:

“You will give me the Ring freely! In place of the Dark Lord you will set up a Queen. And I shall not be dark, but beautiful and terrible as the Morning and the Night! Fair as the Sea and the Sun and the Snow upon the Mountain! Dreadful as the Storm and the Lightning! Stronger than the foundations of the earth. All shall love me and despair!”

These are Galadriel's words. Her words. Not Sauron's. And she was tempted by the One Ring because she could have been a more powerful queen, not Sauron's queen. Like, you guys really took one of the most powerful and complex female characters in Tolkien's works and you made her story all about a man and his power over her and his manipulation of her. Fuck off.

And stop tagging ROP as Lord of the Rings.

[lawyernovelistpersonal]

Robin Hood Legend of Zelda

So I stumbled on @skyward-floored's suggestion of a Legend of Zelda game based on Robin Hood, in which there's a huge monster problem, an evil king (probably Ganon, unless Ganon/Ganondorf is the power behind the throne, which I agree could be fun) taxing the people for everything they have and not using the money to do anything about the monsters, and Link starts doing something about the monsters and gathers a ragtag band of people to help.

This idea has set up home rent-free in my head.

First of all, I love the idea of Zelda as Maid Marian, but as well as being the damsel at court who's interacting with Ganondorf she's also gathering intelligence and working with Link as Sheik - it's been a while since we've had Sheik. She's introduced soon after the inciting incident and she's bringing Link information about the monsters and what's happening at court, but it's not until midway through the game that he finds out what Sheik's deal is. One option could be that the first plot point/dungeon boss fight is actually that Link has to fight Sheik to prove himself. Sheik then concludes that this guy can actually do something and isn't just another poser or some kid who's not actually as badass as he thinks he is.

Ganondorf has some other powerful minions of one sort or another to serve as dungeon bosses - they can have various quirks and powers. One of them could even be holding onto the Master Sword - I like the idea of it being in a vault in the castle and Link finds out about it from Sheik and then has to sneak in, maybe beat a dungeon, and grab it.

The mechanic of stealing things from the castle (or other enemy strongholds) could work on some combination of the mechanic for learning echoes in Echoes of Wisdom and the popular fanon in the LU fandom of Wild storing things in his Slate (plus something like the way cartoon!Link pulls things in and out of his belt pouch in a little sparkly pixel cloud). Link has a magic pouch with an inventory size and maybe some sort of mechanism for controlling the size of things he can take in and out and when the player goes up to something they want to put in the pouch they go up to it, hit a button, and Link magically dissolves the object into the pouch. Then he gets it out again the same way. The inventory and the input/output bandwidth are both upgradeable, so to begin with Link can only pick up small things and can only carry a limited volume of stuff, but by the endgame he can steal entire carts and that kind of thing.

As well as defeating bosses, part of the goal is to put a team together and there are recruitable NPCs with different skills. Some of these people can be rescued from monsters, some have to be won over with specific sidequests. Their skills can vary such that only particular ones are good at combat; maybe some are good at crafting (or dismantling) and mending equipment and maybe that's how upgrades could happen and would be a way of handling weapon durability: Link can steal weapons from monsters, but if he gets something particularly good (maybe stolen from the castle or a dungeon boss or something) it can be maintained. However, the "Merry men" who are good at combat could have a mechanic like in Hyrule Warriors attached to them, where the player can set up strategies and send them to different parts of a battlefield or dungeon to help him, taking advantage of different skills as well as having multiple not-quite-playable characters to use.

One option for stealing things (and getting loot from monsters, finding resources, etc.) could be that different things are more or less easy to repurpose or sell to travelling merchants (Beedle). A team member who can break down something large could therefore be useful so if Link does something wild like steal Ganondorf's bed right out of his bedroom, it can be converted into wood, fabric, precious metals, nails, etc. that can be used. Link can then use those resources for himself or give them to ordinary people in need in the traditional Robin Hood way.

And there could also be a mechanic that incentivises helping ordinary people on top of it being thematically appropriate and giving the player warm fuzzies. I really like the idea of this being how this game has an equivalent to spirit orbs. Kind of reaching to the Robin Hood roots, people Link helps can't pay him with anything - that's kind of the point - so there aren't rupee rewards for doing side quests or saving people from monsters or anything, especially in the early game where people are under the heel of monsters. However, what they can do is pray for him. As more people are praying for Hylia to bless him because he helped them, Link is able to pray himself and gain hearts that way (and maybe something like stamina vessels, maybe special upgrades or abilities, that kind of thing).

So the gameplay loop is first trying to protect people from monsters, then moving on to stealing from the rich ((monstrous) minibosses) and giving to the poor, and these things allow Link to gain more powerful equipment and strength in the form of things like hearts, stamina, and so forth. Sheik becomes aware of him and vice versa and that's the first dungeon - trying to get through something to talk to Sheik and then fighting 'him' to prove himself. After he's defeated Sheik, Shiek offers to help him with information and things like warnings of monster movements. On an open-world any-order basis, he can then work his way through other dungeons, including sneaking in and out of the castle, building up his team of merry men and taking down Ganondorf's minions, all the while protecting and helping the common people of Hyrule and gaining more strength and ability himself. Midway through, Shiek gives him information that leads him into the castle and to getting the Master Sword from its vault, a little after that - maybe something to do with the sword or the triforce or something - he finds out who Sheik actually is and that Zelda, who he's seen from a distance while sneaking around and maybe she's covered for him or hasn't reacted to seeing him or something, is also the person who's been feeding him information and maybe training or something. Then, gameplay-wise, once all the sub-bosses have been dealt with something happens and Ganondorf finds out about Zelda/Sheik, turns on and probably kills the king, kidnaps Zelda (I mean, it's a LoZ game, it's a little bit mandatory) and then Link gathers his resources, leads his merry men in an attack on the castle, takes down Ganondorf, Zelda becomes queen, we all live happily ever after.

And the whole time he's getting tips and suggestions from his fairy companion Little John :P

[lawyernovelistpersonal]

(Hi from a different sideblog!)

Sorry, I forgot I never actually commented with the link! I'm really happy you like it :D

Fan Joy July #19

Hyrule sighed, and slung his shield onto his arm in preparation. “It’s alright,” he said, an artificial calm he didn’t feel settling into his voice. “I’ve got this.” ... Legend slipped it onto his wrist, lifting the nearest chair and snapping off a leg with his enhanced strength. He waved his makeshift club around in the air. “Let’s get out of here,” he said, grinning at Hyrule.

Illustration for We Will Never Speak of This Again by Wolfsong6913 (I don't know if they have a Tumblr). Hyrule and Legend from Linked Universe.

Today's challenges: nudity, Hyrule's arm position (and foreshortening).

19th July 2024

[lawyernovelistpersonal]

Thank you! :D

Would you be willing to link to one of my fics?

(Tumblr is claiming it's not a complete link, so I hope it works!)

Edit: Got the link! Here's the proper recommendation

Summary:

Warriors' anxiety gets the better of him when he notices Wild not tasting the stew he's cooking for dinner.

Tags:

Warriors Has Issues

Wild Has Issues

Warriors-centric

Anxiety

Paranoia

Word count: 10,595

Finished: Yes

[lawyernovelistpersonal]

Star Wars is Greek; Star Trek is Roman. 

[lawyernovelistpersonal]

Yeah, it was pretty tricky, but a fun challenge! I'm really glad you like it :D And yes, suddenly topical again; I'm waiting to see how he handles a dungeon in canon, albeit I assume he's going to have some help in the comic.

(This is one of my many sideblogs, hence the different name :P)

Fan Joy July #11

The next room had another encounter with a skeleton that was easily destroyed, followed by another chest. This one had some parchment and he unrolled it curiously. Wait. It was a map! He almost cried.

An illustration for Puzzles by MrsMusica (I don't know if they have a Tumblr)

Today's challenges: pose (I was trying really hard to get the HW item pickup pose!), foreshortening, hands

1st July 2024

[lawyernovelistpersonal]

No matter what a post on tumblr tries to tell you, your moral and ethical stances will never be determined by what you reblog and what you scroll past. Don’t let manipulation tactics force you into doing anything you don’t want to do.

[lawyernovelistpersonal]

The Hobbit really did Tauriel dirty, for more reasons than one.

I like the fact that they added a pivotal female character into an otherwise male dominated movie. But as per usual, her purpose was of little more than to be a love interest for two attractive men, as much as the writers tried to pretend that wasn’t the case. After interacting with Kili a staggering number of three times, she’s head over heels in love and ready to turn her back on her own people - as well as kill her king - to save him. Despite the two of them being raised together, and Orlando Bloom himself saying that he sees their relationship as a sibling bond, the movie was recut to have Legolas crushing on her like an angsty teen, ready to throw everything away just to please her. Doesn’t even bat an eyelid when she’s ready to murder his own dad.

They could have easily included a strong female character without reducing Tauriel to a love interest. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that women can’t fall in love and be strong characters at the same time, but given that most movies seem incapable of doing it right, I think it’s sometimes best to just not do it at all - especially for a book like The Hobbit, where romance is neither present nor necessary.

As is always with this trilogy, there was so much wasted potential.

[lawyernovelistpersonal]

Just so we're clear, I'm not seeing that new Gollum movie.

[lawyernovelistpersonal]

“Dogs don’t know what they look like. Dogs don’t even know what size they are. No doubt it’s our fault, for breeding them into such weird shapes and sizes. My brother’s dachshund, standing tall at eight inches, would attack a Great Dane in the full conviction that she could tear it apart. When a little dog is assaulting its ankles the big dog often stands there looking confused — “Should I eat it? Will it eat me? I am bigger than it, aren’t I?” But then the Great Dane will come and try to sit in your lap and mash you flat, under the impression that it is a Peke-a-poo… Cats know exactly where they begin and end. When they walk slowly out the door that you are holding open for them, and pause, leaving their tail just an inch or two inside the door, they know it. They know you have to keep holding the door open. That is why their tail is there. It is a cat’s way of maintaining a relationship. Housecats know that they are small, and that it matters. When a cat meets a threatening dog and can’t make either a horizontal or a vertical escape, it’ll suddenly triple its size, inflating itself into a sort of weird fur blowfish, and it may work, because the dog gets confused again — “I thought that was a cat. Aren’t I bigger than cats? Will it eat me?” … A lot of us humans are like dogs: we really don’t know what size we are, how we’re shaped, what we look like. The most extreme example of this ignorance must be the people who design the seats on airplanes. At the other extreme, the people who have the most accurate, vivid sense of their own appearance may be dancers. What dancers look like is, after all, what they do.”

— Ursula Le Guin, in The Wave in the Mind (via fortooate)

[lawyernovelistpersonal]

You know

I talked about how Wars needed his emotional support scarf back to be happy

But I did not expect the reaction to be this fast and strong

Normally I'd say it's not literal- but it's a BIG difference

Wars without the scarf:

:/ >:/ :( >:(

Wars with his scarf:

:) :D :P

.

Art by Jojo @linkeduniverse au :D

@breannasfluff

[lawyernovelistpersonal]

Now, just hear me out here...

This scene ain't just a one off joke, it's hinting that something's going on in Skyloft. Something bad.

The fact that Sky is disappointed implies that every time they've had a visit from the postman he's had a letter from her. The reason this time there's no word isn't because she didn't write, but rather she couldn't write. I'm just saying the boys must have been in town for a while and Dink has been awfully quiet- sure he's been regenerating and all that, but maybe he's moving onto the next phase of his plan.

Maybe in a few chapters the boys will walk through the portal into a war-torn Skyloft destroyed to a level they didn't think Dink was capable of. Sky is freaking out, Warriors is having war flashbacks and everyone's worried about it being a multipronged attack on all their eras. Just a thought :)

Art credit @linkeduniverse