#[ but actual short hair. and out of the tall female model users-- i think she may be the only one? ]

[orchideae]

(We've all seen the first one, but the source for the second one from the official artist is here)

Yelan. Yelan, Madame Yelan, what on earth is this outfit. Granted, please don't get me wrong, I loved and was enthralled when I first caught a glimpse of her (also any glimpse of Yelan thrills me) in it, but geez. And yet, they're so consistent with her design;

— The single-sleeved jacket is a brilliant little nod to her mantle but making it something utterly hers within something that is an AU. No mystical beasts or Tsaritsa here! — The straps near her neck are a very different, but quite nice, summer-like rendition to Hoyo's consistent choice for Yelan of a halter/high neck (even the Pizza Hut ad had her in a turtleneck). A lower neckline is something that they actively seem to avoid for her so far. — The amount of see-through fabric is simply a call-back to her default outfit, but rather than spots of it left and right, it's her full-midriff and leg. It fits, it's nothing new. And if anything, funnily enough, I'd seen numerous artworks pop up of Yelan in swimming attire, and all of the designs felt a little off. I don't actually envision her in a bikini like many draw her, but instead, something like what you see here from her neck, to the midriff to the hips. Much more fitting in my opinion, actually, so I like seeing that concept in an outfit in circumstances where you'd expect a lot of summer influence. — And a detail that makes me laugh: the hand that has the white glove in her canonical outfit is also white here, and same with the black one. Also, the bracelet. God, I love consistency even if it seems trivial. But nothing's ever trivial to me guys, you know this.

All in all, thirst trap, sure, but also, good decisions were made.

[thespianinthebackcorner]

i think I've figured out why Hoyoverse seems reluctant to have a playable character with the base Melusine model instead of a human one like Sigewinne. It has to do with the coding of the models themselves.

Disclaimer I don't actually know all that much about coding at all, this is just inferences based on random events I remember.

We know there are distinct differences between playable character models and NPC models- the intricacy of the modelling, for one. However, I think it should be noted that playable characters have wider movesets, in that they can move in more ways. And I think that's the key to the Melusine model discrepancy. There is genuine code that decides how each model can move, and it's separated into NPC and Playable Character/Enemy. And although we've seen NPCs help us fight recently, their animations are often a lot less nuanced and if I'm remembering right, they sometimes do the slide-across-the-floor thing models do when they're moved without animating steps.

Melusines are coded with the base NPC code. They have their own unique animations, but they're still NPC, and in fact have even less mobility than some human NPCs due to their shape. They don't have separate running and walking animations, just skipping, and they're slow swimmers, "walking" through the water using just their feet instead of using momentum to their advantage like humans do. So Melusines are probably the least viable option for a playable character model, unless they practically rework all their animations.

Playable characters and enemies have bases, from which they are modified and altered so that they become unique. They have code that allows them to be more flexible. We know what those bases are- it's the model heights and genders. Tall, Medium and Short Male/Female. Although the Short Male model doesn't seem to have been used. It could be that they simply have one model for "Short" and don't actually gender it- it's just that the only characters they've made so far with that model are female. After all, there's not really much difference between child boys and girls, and even the NPC models for them are pretty much indistinguishable once you ignore the clothes.

Anyhoo, those bases are the ones that are specially coded to have that extra mobility. And you can actually tell that human enemies share those base models: Treasure Hoarders are medium males, the Fatui are tall male, tall female and medium female, and the Eremites are medium male/female and tall females. They're just more modified than playable characters, since they don't have to be used by the players. (Although the Treasure Hoarders and some Eremites might actually use NPC models, now that I think about it.)

What does this have to do with Sigewinne? Well, she's a Melusine, but takes a more human form. Gamewise, that's because playable character model code probably isn't something the devs want to repeat for another set of models, and with the added fact that the players will be using that model, they'd have to add in the same code that decides how the character interacts with the world. (This is things such as tails, ribbons and hair curling around when someone sits down, idle animations that might have an affect on the world like Qiqi and Neuvilette, and skills or bursts changing the sky like many characters do.)

So Sigewinne can't be a playable character and have the Melusine model at the same time, because of coding differences between models. Great, we've solved the problem! But I have one last piece of evidence that'll solidify this.

Back in late 2.3/early 2.4, there were leaks of a new playable character, although there weren't any model visuals at the time. It was a small leak, but the information was this: Short Male, sword user. They might've said something else as well, I think they said it was a Mondstadt character, but it's been a while since I saw the leak as a tweet, and it was quite short. Since there was no information about the character, people were speculating about who it was. The character's name in the files wasn't one we'd heard before at the time- Dorian.

yyyyyyyup. In retrospect... We all know who it was now, of course.

Turns out that mystery playable was actually Subject Two, given a beta name to identify him from his little brother in the files. (Actually, I think it might have been both Two and Three- there's been nothing about Three's model, so I think Subject Two and Whoppy shared a model.) But here's the thing- he was an NPC, but he had a playable character model, made separately to account for the differences between the two of them. They could have easily just applied Albedo's model and textures to a model with NPC coding- less code to run if they did that. But nope. They fully made a playable model for a character who would appear twice in the span of a few weeks and then never be seen again. Why?

Simple. Same reason Sigewinne cannot be a playable character with the Melusine model.

To truly solidify the double effect of Albedo and Subject Two, they needed their models, right down to the code, to be exactly the same. They cannot just use NPC coding- that would intrinsically lead to model differences- and remember, this model was used in two cutscenes, one of which he was the centre of a fight. Even if they do put different work into the cutscenes, it's still made using the character models in the game engine, and NPC coding just wouldn't suffice for the kind of crazy movement they needed him to pull off. We've all seen Xingqiu, only a playable character or an enemy would have the code to be able to backflip. What's the point in taking a regular NPC-coded model and taking all the effort to put in the mobility code for what they need?

So Sigewinne and Subject Two are alike in that they have the models they do for a single purpose- movement. Subject Two's leaks prove that they have different types of models, which led to people mistaking his file for a new character (although I do hope they'll make use of that and add him to the cast someday). Sigewinne is the result of that distinction, having to change model because the one she should have isn't mobile enough.

So there you go. Whole essay. Maybe it's a crackpot theory but if there's one thing I learnt from an old coding class it's that devs don't want to do any more than what makes it work...

[inkognito97]

Looking-glass AU Very interesting thing here! Was Qui-gon a Jedi before? Do they reach Naboo without killing each other? Turns out Padmé is friendly to both Sith and Jedi XD Anakin will befriend Ashoka right? :D

The atmosphere was tense, Anakin did not even need to be Force sensitive to know that. The four Jedi that they had picked up, mostly kept to himself, just like he and his Master did. Still, the distrust was palpable.

Yet, that ginger haired Jedi Knight seemed completely unfazed by it all. In fact, he was sitting closest to the Sith pair and he looked completely relaxed. Anakin was not fooled however, he knew that the older male would be ready for battle in less than a second should the need arise. He desperately hoped that it would not come to this, the space was rather limited and Anakin had no desire to fight against three fully trained Jedi and a Padawan. Speaking of which, the female Togruta kept shooting him looks, as if there was something bothering her, but every time he turned around, she avoided her glance. It was getting frustrating and very annoying and Anakin would snap were he to ‘catch’ her one more time.

But before that could happen, did the ginger haired Knight, wave the young Togruta towards him. He whispered something to her, which Anakin could not catch and he had the suspicion that his Master could not either. Her reaction was quite startling. She pulled away from the older Force user, as if burned, and with wide round eyes, she shook her head fiercely. 

Obi-Wan just shrugged and said something else to her. The exchange was getting more and more suspicious by the minute, decided Anakin and he threw his Master a quick glance to gauge his reaction. But as usual, was Qui-Gon’s face completely blank.

Eventually, Ahsoka nodded, which earned her a gentle and approving smile of Obi-Wan. Then, she walked towards one of the boxes that were resting nearby and did not stop rummaging through it, until she pulled out a small mechanical object that looked like a partly finished droid. Needless to say, Anakin’s interest was immediately spiked. He shot a quick look towards his Master, who gave a short and amused nod in his direction, before he slowly made his way towards the female Togruta, who gladly made way for him to sit down.

For a while, he simply watched her tinkering with the small object, he was completely unaware of the stares from the adults, but eventually, he began to gave her hints on what to do better. She seemed just a little hesitant at first, but the longer he sat there, the more open she got about his suggestions. It didn’t take long for them to chatter happily, oblivious to everything around them.

Meanwhile Obi-Wan had gotten to his feet and wandered out of the main living space that the small transport had to offer. He was very much aware that he was being followed, even though the tall and long haired man was silent on his feet.

“You knew they would understand each other,” accused the deep baritone voice, but there was no spite in it. It was merely a fact being stated. 

“I did,” confirmed Obi-Wan, who finally reached the cockpit, where he seated himself on the co-pilot chair to stare out at the countless stars that were rushing past them. There was an odd beauty about space and Obi-Wan had always been drawn to it.

“Is this your try to bring the Sith and the Jedi closer together?” Qui-Gon had seated himself on the pilot chair. His arms were crossed over his chest, but his posture was otherwise relaxed. His gaze was fixed on the ginger haired male next to him.

“Who knows,” he replied mysteriously and with a teasing note in his accented voice.

A huff escaped the tall Sith. “How long do we know each other now, Obi-Wan? Do you truly think that I do not know, when you are planning something?”

“I would say… my whole life,” there was a brief pause in which the younger Force user turned to regard his companion. “Or rather, a couple of years of my life. You threw me away for the next best model after all… Master.” It was only for the briefest of moments and had Qui-Gon not looked, he would not have seen it, but his eyes had briefly turned golden.

“I did not throw you away,” barked the older male. “I knew that the life of a Sith, that the life that I could give you, was not for you.”

“And it had nothing to do with you having found the Chosen One?” one of his eyebrows was raised and when the older male did not immediately reply, he knew that he had hit his mark. “I thought so,” he said bitterly and turned back to watch the passing stars again.

A heavy silence settled between them and Qui-Gon had no idea how to break it. Obi-Wan was right. They did not really know each other, not anymore, not since Obi-Wan had joined the Jedi. Back then, Qui-Gon had not been sure if he had truly made the right decision and today, today he still did not knew. It had been very important that Anakin had someone to train him, but at what costs? He had gained a very powerful apprentice, but he had lost a loyal, skilled and highly intelligent one. How else had Obi-Wan managed to become a Jedi.

“Why the Jedi?” he asked eventually.

“Why not?” there was a reason behind his decision and the two of them very much knew that.

“Obi-Wan,” his tone was warning.

“What?” snapped the ginger haired male. “I am not your apprentice anymore, you made that very much clear, after you left me of this Force forsaken hellhole to fend for myself. I am not beneath you anymore… I don’t have to tell you anything.”

Obi-Wan was absolutely right and Qui-Gon knew that. Had the younger male still his apprentice, he would not have showed such open disrespect and he would not have needed to ask twice for an answer. But this man was no longer that insecure teenage boy, who he had taken under his wing. This was an adult, who had already found his place and his way in the galaxy.

The Sith was startled out of his thoughts, when his companion rose to his feet and turned to leave the cockpit. He briefly panicked, he did not want the other to leave just like this and on such bad terms.

“Obi-Wan,” Qui-Gon was glad that the ginger haired male actually stopped walking. He did not turn around and he did not step away from the open door, but at least he was listening. “I am sorry,” he simply said.

The Jedi made an acknowledging sound, but did not offer anything more. He stepped outside, leaving the brown haired Sith to his own thoughts and doubts. Sometimes, life was a cruel and unforgiving mistress.

[ohnohetaliasues]

oops a fairy tail oc

Ophelia Valkyrie Ryuuto

Okay, to start off, that’s a Danganronpa sprite, more specifically Kyoko Kirigiri’s sprite. I’d choose a different appearance if I where you.

introduction →

 Ophelia Valkyrie Ryuuto is a female mage from the guild Fairy Tail. Her name means Serpentine The Slain Dragon.

It does…?

She is 17 years of age, born on the 15th of October, x767. 

appearance → 

She is a somewhat tall woman, standing at 5"9, making her the same height as Erza and Natsu. She has long, lavender hair that she keeps down, though she has a braid in the side that is tied with a black ribbon. When loose, her hair reaches the very top of her thighs. She has dark purple eyes and a pale complexion. Her usual outfit consists of a dark purple jacket, a simple, plain white blouse with a brown tie, a short black skirt, along with knee high, heeled black boots. She is often seen wearing black leather gloves, purely because her hands are often very cold.

That’s fine, but still the Danganronpa appearance. Maybe tweak it a bit? She’s cute though.

magic →

 She uses Tornado Magic, a branch of Wind Magic that allows the user to harness the power of a Tornado. It is a Caster form of magic. It is mainly used as an attack magic, though those that have mastered it are capable of using it to defend themselves as well. It also allows the user to use heavy winds to form a tornado, if the weather allows it. Both herself, her aunt, her mother and her grandfather use this magic, though the only one who was able to master it so far was her grandfather. The spells that she herself uses are: Beast Tornado - This produces a Tornado in the form of various creatures. This also gives the tornado the powers of the creature itself. For example, if the user chose for the Tornado to be a Fire Dragon, the Tornado would take the form of a Fire Dragon, and would be able to produce fire. Her personal favourite form for her Tornado to take is that of a Wyvern. Another spell she uses often is: Ice Breathing Tornado. As the name suggests, this spell produces a Tornado that is harmfully cold. Another one is: Unbreakable Tornado. This creates a Tornado that traps the users opponent inside. It does them no harm, but they cannot get out until the user wishers for them to do so. The last spell that she uses is: Tornado Blast, which hits the target with The force of a Tornado, without one actually appearing. This spell is the one that she most often, since it drains the least magic power.

This is nice, but I’d suggest just plain old wind magic, like Erigor and Wendy. You can keep the tornado theme, though, it’s pretty cool.

I don’t entirely understand the whole shape shifting tornadoes bit.

The advantages of this magic are that: it covers a large area as opposed to just one small patch of land, which means that she can stay a safe distance away, but still be able to hit her target, which helps her greatly since she is not at all talented in any form of self defense that doesn’t include magic.

The drawbacks to this magic are that: when it is sunny, she finds it difficult to form any sort of Tornado, and so, even the simplest spells drain her quickly. Another drawback is that, with the exception of Tornado Blast, her spells replenish her magic power fairly quickly, which means she cannot act impulsively without dire consequences. In her guild, she is not an S-Class Mage, though she was chosen for S-Class tryouts once. Being an S-Class Wizard isn’t something that she strives for, but she did try hard when the Master chose her for the tryouts.

This is pretty good. She’s flawed, so she’s not a mary sue.

guild →

She is a member of the rambunctious guild known as Fairy Tail. She joined in the year x778, at the age of 11, and has been there since. Her guild mark was branded in a pale lilac, and is placed on her waist, right above her belly button, which means that it often covered by her clothing. When Fairy Tail disbanded, she did not join a different guild, nor did she search for a job at the Magic Council, like some of the other members of Fairy Tail did. Instead, she found herself a job as a model in Sorcerer Weekly, and worked there until she received an invitation from Natsu, inviting her back to the newly reformed Fairy Tail.

team 

→ 

She doesn’t have a specific team that she goes with on missions, since she admittedly prefers to work alone, though if a mission does require more than one guild member, she will often ask Cana Alberona, and the said female will often say yes. 

Okay, but Cana typically works alone. She doesn’t bother with people she can’t drink with. Maybe Laki or someone like that?

personality →

She has varied personalities depending on who she is accompanied by, though she is generally a sweet woman. She is fairly patient, and unless it’s regarding her guild, it takes a lot to get her angry, though her magic seems to blossom when she is angry. She is a clumsy woman, which is often something that others around her find annoying as opposed to something she minds. She tends to get pretty paranoid over the most trivial of things, like whether or not someone still likes her because of something that she said, or if they hate her forever, even if they didn’t express any irritation over what she said. She is protective over those that she cares about, which includes practically every member of Fairy Tail, especially those that she is particularly close with. Because of this, she also tends to be defensive against people that her friends or guild mates don’t like, even if they haven’t done anything to her personally. Around enemies of Fairy Tail, Grimoire Heart members for example, she tends to be more cold hearted, and while she would usually have some sympathy, has none. 

That’s a good description. She has some flavor.

friends →

 She likes to class everyone in her guild as her friend, and also her family, though obviously there are people in the guild that she is closer to than others. She is particularly close with Cana, Gray, Loke, Bickslow, Freed, Evergreen, Elfman, Mirajane and Erza. She also has a soft spot for Wendy: she finds the child very cute and will defend the Dragon Slayer in a heartbeat. 

Okay, it’s good that she isn’t just friends with the main characters.

romantic interest →

Her romantic interest is Gajeel Redfox. She and Gajeel actually get along pretty well, and have done ever since he first joined the guild, and she told him that she liked his singing. The former teases her quite a lot, and though she doesn’t particularly enjoy being teased, she puts up with it because she cares for the Iron Dragon Slayer.

Okay, I’m going to flat out say it isn’t such a good idea to do this. I don’t mean to be harsh, but Gajeel and Levy are a couple canonically. Being friends with him is probably a better bet. As for love interests that would probably be acceptable would be:

Lyon Vastia, Macbeth (Midnight), Mest Gryder, Freed Justine, Rogue Cheney, Bickslow, Sawyer, Eve Tearm, Bacchus Groh (???), Rufus Lore, Max Alors, Jet, Droy (If you want. Not my first choice), Warren Rocko, Toby Horhorta, Reedus, and Nab. The first few I mentioned are probably the best choices. You did say she was friends with Bickslow and Freed, so either of them would work.

mother →

Marianne Ryuuto. Marianne died after giving birth to Ophelia’s younger sister, Sakura. In the time that she was alive, Ophelia was very close with her mother, and she was devastated at her death.

It isn’t the best plan to use stolen art. I think this is Sakura from Fate/Stay Night. I have limited knowledge of the series, though.

father → 

Minoe Ryuuto. After the death of Marianne, Minoe no longer wanted to spend time with his family, and spent more and more time at his guild, taking job after job after job, until eventually, he overworked himself, and got himself killed while on a job.

I do, however, know for certain who that is. That’s Decim from Death Parade. I would advise you not to use known anime characters as your oc’s parents. It just makes it seem like a strange crack pairing.

The dad story is sad, though. It’s different than most OC’s dad stories, so it gives her some more flavor.

siblings

 → 

Sakura Ryuuto. She used to be very close with her sister when they were both young children, but as they grew older, they drifted apart, especially since they barely see each other anymore.

That’s sorta sad, but that picture is of Nagisa Momoe from Puella Magi Madoka Magica. I’d seriously advise not using anime characters that exist as her family.

other relatives 

→

Tomoe Hawksworth. Tomoe is her aunt that lives in the heart of Magnolia. She knows a little of the same magic that Ophelia and her mother do, though she was never truly interested in magic. However, Tomoe and Ophelia are close, since Tomoe let the girl and her sister move in to her apartment when she was 11 so that she could join Fairy Tail.

That’s nice of her, but this is Hitagi Senjougahara from Bakemonogatari. Please don’t use actual characters as your family members. I’m begging you.

background → 

She was born in a town just outside of Magnolia, Fiore. She lived with her mother and father, both of whom were wizards. When she was 9, her mother fell pregnant, and by the time she was 10, her baby sister was born. Unfortunately, shortly after her mother gave birth to her sister, she passed away. Her father was traumatized by Marianne’s sudden death, and began to spend less and less and less time with his family, and more and more time at his guild, taking job after job after job. Eventually, they began to eat away at him, and he eventually got killed by members of a dark guild by taking a job that he couldn’t handle. At this point, Ophelia was 11 and Sakura was only 2, so they moved in with their Aunt Tomoe, who lived in Magnolia. Ophelia, who was practically unfazed by her father’s death due to how little time they spent together, begged her Aunt to let her join Fairy Tail, and even despite her brother in law dying because of a guild, Tomoe agreed.

This background is pretty unique, so not bad.

hobbies →

 She has several things that she enjoys doing in her spare time, but one of her favourites is running, or any other firm of exercise. She enjoys running, not only because she is somewhat athletic, but also because she finds it very calming, and a good way to clear her head. Often when she is annoyed, she tends to go out for a job around town, and it often calms her down.

talents →

 She finds herself to be rather skilled in baking, though her cooking skills are far worse. People don’t usually believe that they’re made by the same person because they differ so much in taste.

Okay, all in all, I like this character. She needs some tweaks in appearance, love interest, magic, and her family member’s appearances, but she has some promising characteristics. I like her backstory and her personality, they are unique and give her a distinct flavor. Just make some minor edits (or don’t, I can’t force you) and I think you’re set to go! Thanks for the submission!

~Kat