#game Witcher designs because i love the game

[justaferalguy]

Happy extremely late Father’s Day

[artsyarrowl]

Ciri

[zevranunderstander]

okay im off work now, so i can explain: basically for most jobs in the games/film/animation industry the art isnt just there to give you the *aesthetic* of a thing. I mean, yeah, you might also want to convey a *vibe* but that is the LEAST of what you want to do. any given moodboard made by a completely unskilled person can convey a vibe. concept art has a LOT of thoughts behind it - if you just wanted to do storyboarding you didn't need a fully rendered picture in the first place because that's just a massive waste of resources.

so what DOES a concept artist (let's say for a game) think about when making a concept? This is probably not everything but just from the top of my head:

What is the scale of everything? How does the player character scale compared to each object? What are the exact measurements of objects? (you need to model all of them, you need pretty precise details when it comes down to it) What ramifications does the the game camera have on the scale of the level? (= If you want a really tight space, the camera would constantly clip through walls, so you need to adapt space to common game design knowledge. Other examples of this would be that doors usually need to be a lot bigger than they are irl without looking weird or that if your character moves reeally fast through the levels, small details become completely confusing and unrecognizable, so they need to be WAY bigger than they are irl without looking goofy)

What kind of design/style choices need to be applied to this image? Does the game have a specific color scheme? How does worldbuilding influence the environment (building styles/specific types of plants/fonts used in the world/etc)?

What kind of technical ramifications do you need to consider? if you create an environment you need to think about having an asset set that is reusable (= how often can the same tree model be in this scene without people noticing)? does modeling each of these objects work? how to texture these efficiently (texture is like, a whole post in itself)? can the team's shader artists/the engine actually DO this effect?

and MOST importantly: what are your thoughts on level guidance in a shot? Is it readable where the player can step and where they can't? Is it readable where a player would die if they would step there? Is it readable where the player is supposed to go? where is this shot you just made on the map? what other landmarks can the player see from this place?

i want to do this on an example, so take this piece of concept art for fallout new vegas:

this probably took an artist 1-2 days. an AI would be way quicker, right? So what does it matter that the artist put more thought into this, you might ask. sadly i don't have access to midjourney right now to try and recreate this in there, but i tried to find something at least remotely similar on google right now (and i tried to be fair here, and tried to find something that is actually good and not the super unspecific images you get from midjourney *most* of the time when you ask for something complex):

like, the first image is basically production ready, you give this to the team and the 3D artists can think about what models to build out of this so they can reuse as much as possible, the picture shows what textures are needed, its shows how the town should be built up, etc. etc. etc.

it is also worth to note that the image shows Primm, one of the locations in fallout new vegas, which is based on a real small town in Nevada. you can see the visual research that went into this, as this is clearly a post-apocalyptic version of real-life Primm, not 1:1, but adapted to the game's level design. It has the sights Primm has, it shows the quest-relevant locations, it shows WHERE Primm is located and what the surroundings look like - the desert is intentionally flat, because the designers of the game wanted the Lucky 38 tower (seen in the background) visible from almost every place in the open world, because of how central it is to giving you a sense of location and a goal to reach.

And I cannot talk about EVERYTHING on here but this picture holds a lot of information. It shows us exactly what material everything is made out of, it shows us where a player can reasonably stand and where not, it shows us how big this settlement is supposed to be. I will quickly concentrate on the "Motel" sign in the foreground, to show what this image does in a microcosm:

the sign shows a type of sign design that fits into new vegas's style identity of having a 40s vibe

it indicates that this place used to have a motel but the sign wasn't needed anymore

there having been a motel means that this place was probably close to an open road/highway (it is)

the way it is placed indicates that it is used to reinforce an old fence, meaning that the fence in this picture is not just an ancient remnant of Primm, but something that still protects people behind it

...and so on. and you can probably find that much thought in a lot of these props.

now look at the midjourney one. the ai doesn't have any context for the world. you would need to give it *all* that information - for every attempt to generate an image - the story of your world, the concrete setting, the 40s influence, the specificities of the town Primm, the overall world design and conceptualization, the idea of texture and asset modularity, every small detail about the motel sign would be needed to be described. it would need to build a logical structure for a town, and so on and so forth. even if you wrote a perfect description of this picture, midjourney wouldnt be able to be that precise in what you really want to see. it's good for getting a pretty picture, but it's not very good at giving you a specific picture you want.

i will not go into this too long, but look at the midjourney image and imagine you have to make a video game scene of this image, the more you look at it the less sense it makes because midjourney doesn't understand what it is showing per se. where should the player walk and where not? what are ANY of these textures supposed to be? what can the signs tell us about this place? *where* is this? what even *are* most of these items? - answering all of these questions is EXACTLY what an artists job *is* in a game. generating this brings you about 5% further in conceptualizing the world, because you still don't have designs for signs or props or anything. you don't need a *vibe* when making a video game

and managers and CEOs who know jack shit see this now and go "oh? a way to save money and be more efficient?", while having NO idea that the program is ENTIRELY unsuited for the job. like, midjourney couldn't even produce a consistent style for a visual novel where you would get the same character with different expressions in the same artstyle, it can't produce a consistent style in UI elements, i can't do concept art, it can't do any asset sheets that are more unique than a set of rocks. it might be able to give some general inspiration and it might be able to be used as a very rough base for painting over to save some time & already have an atmosphere (artists already do that, thats why its also called "photobashing"), but outside of that it is practically useless

as someone in the games industry and as someone who tried midjourney id say i give it about 5 months until project leaders come crawling back to beg to rehire all the artists they fired

[erika-xero]

My obsession with Yennefer (long post!)

Yennefer was ALWAYS my favourite character from an entire Witcher franchise and easily my favourite character from any fictional story. I drew her, sketched her, wrote about her obsessively since I first read the Witcher in 2013.

Let's give it a try and gather all of the Yennefer pieces and sketches I ever did, because I had a Witcher brainrot for many, many years. Spoler alert: all of my Yens are totally different!

This one from 2014 was probably inspired by the The Bounds of Reason.

The one that was inspired by the very first Yennefer render from CDProjektRed.

The weird one. I don't really like her.

2015! The Shard of Ice Yennefer:

Don't have much to say about this one either, I guess it was an experiment.

The one I don't remember drawing. Somehow I predicted the Netflix!Yen having these exact eyeshadows.

Oh I love this one! This is a mix of game!Yen and book!Yen:

The next one is pure game!Yennefer, even though I never liked her in-game design (especially the bangs, the small nose and the lips):

Basically, this is how I saw it: game!Yen meeting the book!Yen.

Late 2015/early 2016 traditional sketches (yes, the second one is Yen from the Hexer):

THE FAVOURITE ONE. I haven't watched Farscape until 2018 and when I first saw Claudia Black I GASPED, because to me she looked exactly like this Yen version I drew back in 2016 and still is madly in love with.

Apparently there was an infinished second piece of this exact Yen design but I never posted the high resolution of it which is kinda sad.

2017! I saw early game!Yen designs and did a sketchy portrait of her. And then I decided to make the second version with the book!Yen:

Finally, Yennefer from 2022 (original sketch and the colored sketch). This design seems the most book accurate to me, but I still love all the previous ones I did (except the weird one, she is creepy).

And the last, but not the least: my own Thanedd ball outfit for Netflix!Yen, portrayed by Anya Chalotra.

And a small bonus! The very first Yennefer sketch I ever did (2013!)

[onlycosmere]

Cosmere/Magic the Gathering

'What IP do you most want to see in Magic the Gathering?' Thunderwoodd: Stormlight Archive!

thyfoolish1: Brandon said they reached out to him and he was excited and ready to go but they haven't gotten back to him. I think this was Dragonsteel last year. So there is hope.

Egi_: Even after the shitshow with the free book he gave them on the condition it wouldn't be commercialized and then WotC commercialized it?

Brandon Sanderson: I knew what I was getting into working with a big corporation. Like the proverbial frog giving a ride to a scorpion, I don't see justification for complaint regarding the eventual sting. I love the game, and the designers, so that's really my metric. As a note, everyone I worked with on the narrative team was wonderful.

I don't want a passing secret lair of five cards; I am interested in a full-blown set, so with that constraint, I wouldn't foresee a Stormlight or Mistborn crossover until one of several things happens:

1) They burn through the bigger properties that match MTG's vibe like LOTR did. Fantasy, or science fantasy, properties that feel legit as a big expansions. As mentioned in this thread alone, there is a pretty deep mine there. Dune, Witcher, Elder Scrolls, Arcane/LoL, Westeros (if they're feeling spicy.) A hobbit set is all but inevitable as well.

Considering they'd be unwise to put these sorts of things out too quickly, and should really give them time to breathe, we're looking at ten years easily before they're out of larger fish to fry. Stormlight is big for a book series, but without any shows/films/games, I'd suspect it doesn't have the casual word-of-mouth reach their marketing team looks for to justify the extra expense of licensing fees.

2) Said bigger properties decide they aren't interested, leaving things popular but without media representation. If they ever decided to experiment with a book-only series, I suspect I'd be very high on the list to approach.

3) Cosmere gets one of said media properties, something I'm actively trying to accomplish--but it is slow going, as I'm in the fortunate position of being able to be very picky about partners, and prefer to take my time.

I've made it clear to them that if a large-scale set were in the, ahem, cards, I'd be willing to make frequent trips to Seattle to be part of the design team on said set.

awakenedjunkofigure: If any author deserves the pick of the litter for production companies, it's absolutely you. Can't wait to see what your books would look like on-screen!!

Brandon Sanderson: Well, the answer to what they'd look like on screen is "Expensive," which a part of the problem...

schloopers: Any large consideration in your mind for spoilers versus fully representing a world or story?

Stormlight you’d of course want all 10 Orders, so spoilers are far as those are concerned are a given.

But maybe a legendary creature “Iron Eyes” instead of any spoiler specific proper names?

I ask because I have so far gotten one friend in the playgroup to start reading, and a couple full sets would for sure help in garnering interest, but I would worry for the story beats getting too greatly revealed out of context.

I don’t know, maybe it’s just unavoidable. I’ve had several Dr. Who episodes “spoiled” for me through that set.

Brandon Sanderson:  This is something I haven't given a lot of thought toward, but I perhaps should be mulling it over. You make a good point.

Thunderwoodd: Woah! Can’t believe you responded. Huge fan! And I loved your commander cube! Saw it on Game Knights right after I finished Rhythm of War.

Curious, do you think the Radiant orders could correspond to guilds or color wedges?

Brandon Sanderson: Yes, I've done thought experiments on that, and think guilds could actively work for them without too much trouble. Problem is, would we want a Stormlight set or just a Knights Radiant set, because ten guilds for ten orders is already a high demand. It might be better to make a wedge set, but the problem there is that the Radiants are actively all colors, so it would be hard to cut out any save black. (Willshaper individuality and artistic expression could be green red instead of red black, for example.) So maybe five four-color wedges? I think the lore could support this, and be something that MTG has had trouble conveying without the expansive worldbuilding an entire book series could provide.

Radiants and sapient spren (all but black, to indicate the inherent selfless Radiant cause)

Human Nations (all but green, to indicate triumph over nature, which is an antagonist on Roshar.)

Singers (All but blue, to indicate the lack of ability to plan for the future, dearth of scholars, and onset of madness in the fused.)

Non-sapient Spren and wildlife (All but white, to indicate lack of overriding societal structures.)

Secret Societies (All but red, indicting the deliberate and conscious planning of these groups.)

Four color signpost uncommons would be WILD, even with hybrid mana. So I can see the design team balking. This (four color guild set) is almost certainly something they've explored and specifically decided not to do.

mediocreattbest: It’s crazy coming onto this post to say “any cosmere set!” And then see you actually replying. Out of curiosity, would you prefer just a stormlight set or a cosmere-wide set? I’d love to see characters through their stories (like we had with the LotR set)

Brandon Sanderson: I'd prefer Stormlight or Mistborn alone, as the planets themselves are so much a part of the stories.

[drenched-in-sunlight]

youve probably gotten this question a dozen times but im just nosy, have you ever read grrm's other work a song of ice and fire? (NOT the tv show) if not, the way you post about messmer & marika's relationship makes me feel like youd love everything going on in those books haha

i do get a lot of comments telling me my OCs looks like characters from that (?) (and to this day i still do not look up any of those characters to see how they look like aksjfjkdfjkd), so a lot of ppl just assume i've read those books but i have never read any of it. yeah 🥲🥲

but some of my mutuals do blog about the show and the books a lot, and ngl after the DLC, im kinda curious ? so maybe i'll check it out in the future... idk yet.

last time i checked out a Western fantasy series........... it was crazy. (the fit i was having after i read through all Witcher books because of the TV show...... idk if anyone even remember that phase of this blog, but the reason i started playing videogame in the first place is because of Witcher)

up until this point i only look at Elden Ring in comparison to other Fromsoft games (and Sinosphere culture influence in the theme and design), but lately i do feel like i should check out GRRM work as well, but i also feel like it'd literally make my brainrot even worse so................ decision, decision.

[assyriangoatfaerie]

I love playing Skyrim with the Legacy of the Dragonborn mod, which adds in archeology and a museum for all the cool unique items you find in the game plus an explorers guild that you get to go on expeditions with, and I rp as a morally bankrupt Victorian archeologist, so now rather than delving into ancient ruins because a quest marker told me to, I do it because that stuff belongs in a museum - my museum. Completely reinvigorates and transforms the game for me, and killing Alduin becomes a pretty secondary concern to my grave-robbing research.

I also highly recommend the mod Inigo, which adds in a Khajit (cat-person) follower who is honestly just such a delight. And also Convenient Horses, which makes horses more convenient

Recommend me a video game. There's gotta be video games worth playing. But empirically it seems that these days, few are.

Don't recommend me one of these games:

Dark Souls etc. Too much effort. I know they're good but I'll get to it later.

Disco Elysium. Same.

Celeste.

Hollow Knight I already played that. Mario I already played like every Mario. Zelda TotK it's already on my list.

Only console I have is the switch and various old ones like the SNES. Maybe I can run some type of game on my computer but it's not very powerful.

Wait actually, I wish I could play PC games. All of you who play PC games: how do you do it? Without spending a lot on a gaming PC? Is there some way that you are all playing all these PC games all the time?

Anyway.

[nogu-d-reamers]

WELCOME TO PLAYTOWN/POPPY PLAYTOWN- CHARACTER REFERENCE #5.

CRAFTYCORN VAN CREATI - DESIGN AND DATA.

INFORMATION AND DATA.

Name: CraftyCorn Van Creati.

Age: 22.

Height: 3'0 mts/9'8 fts.

Species: Smiling critter creature. Unicorn.

Occupation: half-time teacher/artist.

Genre: female (she, they).

Sexuality: pan.

Magical usser type: Witcher.

Birth place: Skylands (Elliot's Heights).

Birth day: april 2nd.

Personality:

The newly titled young witcher DeColorina, is a somewhat shy but enthusiastic lady. A person who usually looks at the beauty of things and can find charm and inspiration in the most common things; Unlike Dogday who grew up surrounded by the typical culture of witchers, Crafty grew up in a family that disowned them to the point that she ran away from home as a child just because she couldn't adapt to what they demanded of her.

She even finds it difficult to admit or carry the attitudes of a witcher such as using her magic so sporadically or the ability to cope with her treatment, which causes her to accidentally manifest her magic in a somewhat explosive way, but not harmful.

She is someone quite cultured, sometimes being a voice of information, translation or presentation in a complementary or alternative way to Bubba; and when she gains trust with someone she can talk about her love of art and plants, feeling freer to be able to use them without problems in the comfort of her studio or talking with people she truly trusts. She's Not only is she good at painting, but she is very skilled at creating sculptures and acting (although she is terrible at sewing)..

Although she is an affable and calm person, she has moments where she usually makes me very emotional, aggressive or explosive. Especially when it comes to things like duels or conflicts(being a recurring gag how he gets too involved in a situation like a sports game or a chase that he ends up helping one of her friends.).

about her work and daily life.

Around half year before the events, the newly titled Witcher DeColorina, trained by the Witcher of "Crow" (Dogday's mother) in everything she could, went to Main City in search of repaying the kindness of the Sunnyhowl family to her.

Since she arrived in Main city, she works in a local kindergarten (because she cannot live on art alone, yet) where she works as a teacher with a group of 10 sisters who each work teaching a different subject; getting along better with the only one of the sisters who is also a witch, Poma Delight.

Depending on the situation, she works 5 days a week from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and on Saturday mornings.

In her free time she will spend it at her house (which she uses as a workshop) or at the restaurant. the piggyA recurring joke is that if it comes suddenly it is full of paint or leaves.

Magic data (and other skills):

Unlike Dogday, she has good combat skills, in addition to that she can defend herself in these ways:

- Quite fast analysis of situations.

- persuasion in difficult situations.

- if things get tense, a stick is also a good option to defend yourself.

- also be careful with his kicks; They are literally hard hats.

as a witcher, she has good handling; but not perfect of it. She still often has the habit of losing control in small ways.

Her title in magic is based on the 'orchidae die Decolorina' or 'Decolorina flower', a variant of the 'Salvae Terrae' or 'plant of salvation' from witcher mythology.

The 'orchidae di decolorina' is also called "royal bloom" because in ancient times it was considered the opposite of poppies and due to its rarity in its color palette it was considered more valuable than diamonds.

The uses that she gives to it are=

#1 plant flowering: this is the most common use you can give to your magic. but it can only give growth to plants that have flowers and fruits; Sometimes it is usually bigger than I expected or it is the wrong plant.

#2 tracking with flowers: she can perceive people through flowers; She can't see them literally, it works more like a radar for "presences."

#3 manipulating and giving life to plants by giving them small commands: similar to Dogday and probably learned from Mrs. Sunnyhowl; Crafty can give life and small commands to plants, although her command is "can you help crafty with...?"

#4 give life to the paintings: as an extra skill with his love of art and his somewhat tight economic situation, he realized that by using crushed flowers and fruits, his paintings have a more striking finish, and sometimes when they continue cool ones react to your mood (scaring someone once you made them angry or scary)

(funfact: For Picky's birthday he decided to take a portrait for her; However, while painting her, she had been scared after watching a movie by a certain "Tomie" and the painting of her unconsciously took on a similar appearance. Bubba thought her gift was in bad taste, but Picky was so delighted with it that she insisted on paying her a miniature version of theyself.)

Unlike Dogday, she has not yet mastered the voluntary form of overflowing, so she never resorts to that form... yet.

other random data:

favorite food: margarita pizza «especially the restaurant version of picky that includes real daisys *jiggles*»

Favorite dessert: Pavlova «creamy and delicious!!! especially with confided flowers!!»

hated food:haute cuisine, especially tenderloin Wellington «I have bad memories of haute cuisine in my biological home, it didn't help that most of my relatives were carnivores and it was disgusting»

smell: Jazmin.

strength: creativity, thinking outside the house, kindness

weakness: explosive, shy, low confidence

favorite physical appearance: long hair «At home they would have hated me for having it so long, but I love it and I can customize it however I want»

hated physical appearance: height and horn «I don't hate them per se, but it's very difficult for me to find clothes and especially hats without having problems»

person you respect most: Mr. Sunnyhowl's pack «I can't choose anyone from Didi's family over another! everyone was so sweet and kind to me that they treated me like part of her family! *ugly crying*»

person you don't want as an enemy: Bobby «I had bad sleeping habits, but the mere idea of her chasing me like she does Catnap terrifies me so much that I prefer to perform less but sleep well»

hobby:visit art galleries, gardening, participate in duels

Some crush?:«When I was younger I quite liked Dogday, but now I see him as an older brother. Now... I have seen a strange bounty hunter who... is cute... I would like to know more about him...»

[shehangsthemoon]

To anyone out there that may be reading this… hi.

My name is Sam. I am 33 years old, married, and drifting through life like a plastic bag. Which might sound negative, but it’s not all bad. I create stained glass from my home, and I’ve been trying to build and run a brand new business with absolutely no prior experience or knowledge. I also also work a part time job at the zoo, and I do gig driving when needed.

Lately I’ve been avoiding glass to do literally ANYTHING else. Escaping into the worlds of Witcher III or TOTK, painting/watercolor, digital art (Procreate), photography, taking long baths, doom scrolling, ordering craft and “cosplay” supplies from Temu, creating blogs, etc.

I actually am glad the idea of a blog came to me today. I struggle with depression, general and social anxiety, PTSD, and lord knows what else. I’ve gone untreated for a majority of my life, and pretty recently started my journey to becoming better.

The reason I am bringing this up is because, this morning, while having a mild meltdown about finances, I realized I needed to make a change, for myself, and for my business.

Social media (Meta) has become a monster to me. It’s too polarized; I get interaction one day, the next, nothing. And it doesn’t lead to sales. I, like most people, don’t understand the algorithm, and I know it’s not designed to be understood. It’s also too competitive for my baby business, and if we’re being completely honest, I have been relying on those likes and follows WAY too much. When I don’t receive that instant gratification or feedback, I fall into negative or fearful behaviors/thinking, and none of that is conducive to my, or my business’ growth.

I’d like to use this platform to share my glass work and trials and tribulations of running a small business in a recession, but I would also like to utilize it as a kind-of-journal. I promise I will not be sharing extreme or in depth details from my life (unless asked), but my therapist told me to put my feelings down somewhere. He probably very explicitly meant somewhere private, but whatever. Oh god, is this the introvert’s answer to starting a podcast?

Anyway, some other things that you can probably expect to see or hear from me:

- Any creative projects I am working on, including my own photography and editing,

- fantasy,

- art, music, television, books I like,

- gaming,

- self realization and integration,

- self love and self care,

- burn out and compassion fatigue,

- tarot/astrology (I’m a beginner),

- pictures of my cats.

If you took the time to read this, THANK YOU. Please stay a while.

Sam

[tschulijulesjulie]

I do have two upcoming exams in two and three days respectively so naturally i spend all my time thinking about Radskier (as you do). Those circumstances let me to a thought which will not leave my mind, and i'd love to here more opinions on it. (sorry, long post incoming)

Before i start, a little disclaimer: I haven't read the books nor played the game, so what im about to say is only and purely based on and referring to the show.

So, I'm not sure how everyone else feels about Radovid, but it actually took me some time for him to grow on me. And this is partially because i had envisioned him differently, especially after seeing Hugh Skinner being cast.

So my first thought seeing him on screen was literally "what's this wet cat looking man?"

Those didn’t quite fit, but i couldn't put a finger on what's my actual association was. So I ignored it. The man and the ship grew on me, and so I've spent quite some time watching fan-edits of Radskier on YT these past days (side note: i need MORE, there aren't enough out there!)

One of those videos feature The Calling from TAD's lates album ruin and when Madeleine sang about that fox, it hit me. THAT was my initial association!!!

I mean, just LOOK at him, he's so fox-coded?! the hair(-colour), his red coat, the FURR!!! And thats only the visual resemblance. I can't help but also notice parallels in his characterisation and with what personality traits foxes are usually associated.

all of those traits we have also already seen in - or can assume for - Radovid.

He's intelligent (and tries to hide it), as Jaskier so perfectly points out for us. He's sly, and deceptive. Cunning, and determined - and charming. We might also assume that he has at least some cruel tendencies from the way he's portrayed in the games...

But now, whats REALLY interesting is looking from this perspective at the Geralt/Radovid comparison, which Jaskier so cleverly opened with his hammer-spoon-metaphor.

Because more than Radovid, Geralt even is canonly referred to as "White Wolf" (which a friend of mine so cleverly pointed out might have been Jaskiers invention!)

This is not only because he is from the school of wolf witchers and has white-ish hair. He's tall, muscular, grumpy looking, fast, a hunter and so on.

But he's also characterised that way!

He might be the lone wolf, but he cares for nothing more than his pack and will protect them at all cost.

Both animals are canines, but theyre characterised as differently as possible. Both are predators but but their way of hunting couldn't be more different.

Now, coming back to the witcher and those two characters, it's easy to assume this character design of Radovid wasn't a coincidence.

In a way they're parallels when it comes to Jaskier, both fighting for his heart loyalty.

Geralt is a hammer, a wolf, secure in his ways, stubborn, but not always right.

Radovid is a spoon, a knife, a fox, with tricks up his sleeve and a mind like a maze.

[nirerhyz]

Something I think doesn't get discussed often on the subject of Fable is the Knothole Island DLC. I feel that that DLC is so well designed on a variety of levels, and it seems like a lot of people worked very hard to create something special.

The overworld of Knothole island is SO interesting and unique, featuring a weather system that completely changes the landscape of the island at various points, making exploring the island itself extraordinarily fun and rewarding when you finally figure out how to reach an item that wasn't previously accessible. The changing weather is also refreshing since it's not seen elsewhere in the game (maybe with a few exceptions? I'm thinking about westcliff after Barnum's restoration, but I could be wrong and it could just be raining the whole time - lmk if there's any other instances of weather in a (fable 2) biome changing that I'm forgetting?)

The dungeons are also particularly fun, and feel like they give you a nice break from the feel of ordinary Fable 2 content. Often when I'm in the mood to go back and play this game, one of the things that first comes to mind is the Storm Shrine... not for any particular reason, I just think it's a really well structured experience. They do a great job of keeping the overall feel of the game and not making the new areas feel too jarring in terms of art style or overall aesthetic... often times DLC content is very recognizable as add-on content because it doesn't fit with the core game (Shivering Isles comes to mind). The designs of these dungeons feel unique, and make use of core fable 2 mechanics in ways that make them feel refreshing and interesting.

(The story is spread out over 3 installments that become accessible at various points in the Fable 2 timeline, meaning you don't get too burnt out on DLC content and can return to regular game content after completing 1/3 of the DLC. also great design.)

I wish I could speak more on the actual level design of Knothole Island (both dungeons and overworld) but I just don't have enough knowledge of the mechanics of that to speak about it... (feel free to add on if you know something about this aspect of game design, lol)

It also adds a ton of fun items, including some easter eggs, but especially cosmetic items which are not strictly necessary for enjoying the game. They're entirely an enhancement to the experience of the game so players who don't have the DLC aren't missing out. Not to mention the Box of Secrets, an entirely new type of item trade mechanic. (a really stupid niche thing I love is when a DLC gives your character a pair of stupid sunglasses to wear. the Solar Shielding Spectacles and Professor's Spectacles in the Witcher 3 my beloved)

Overall I just feel like it's a really good example of a quality DLC. It doesn't add an insanely large area or huge, time-sink amounts of gameplay, but it iterates on the base Fable 2 design and mechanics and makes something that's a very fun, worthwhile addition to the game. There's also enough depth to the content that is there so that it rewards you for spending more time on it, depending on your preference for how thoroughly you want to explore or be a completionist.

(Traitor's Keep in Fable 3 is also good but I personally didn't find it as memorable... it had a more ambitious plot, though. love the Milton reference.)

[card-queen]

Title Card / Writeblr Intro

Hey ho, redid this because I wanted my post to look pretty!

My name's Gem, I've only started writing in earnest for the last two years, give or take. I mainly write with games in mind but the only impact that has had is making me more insane about lore and world building. Languages, countries, monsters, world maps, I go a bit overboard with it all.

My favourite book is Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy My favourite book series is the Brother Cadfael series My favourite author is Brandon Sanderson

I love being tagged in things

I love being asked things

I can offer advice of impressively suspect quality

I have room in my heart for only one annual crunch month and that's ArtFight

I draw lots of stuff: Fire Emblem, King of Fighters, Blue Exorcist, The Witcher mainly but also some Otome game stuff for my sisters~

Always happy to be tagged in Sylvie Paula Paula content <3

My current projects are...

Memories of Aether: Shadow Elements

Fantasy / Suspense Series

It is the working title for the fantasy story I have in mind. The ‘story’ as it is, was designed to be a Strategy RPG with war, conflict, companionship and secrets that shake the foundations of the world at its core.  While much of the original concept has remained, writing it as a novel first has allowed some of the finer points to be enhanced, improved and given new life.

The unprovoked burning of a manor by a wild rebel faction. The murder of a simple woodsman with no known enemies. The slaughter of an unknown military campsite that not even the locals knew about. Three events, all brutal and all seemingly isolated, linked by an unseen connection that seeks to bring the nation of Ethelia to its knees. Castowen Daine, a young captain in charge of keeping peace in the Ethelian town of Peaton, discovers an unmarked campsite whose occupants lay slaughtered and hidden within tents. Their leader, a young nobleman completely unknown to Cas. Amidst the corpses, two survivors were found: a soldier on death’s door and a mysterious woman in black. At the same time, Cas’ brother Conoric discovers the unfortunate remains of the local woodsman; a man with no enemies or friends to speak of, murdered and hidden from view. The tragic events shrouded in mystery seem to have a common thread around the town of Peaton, and Cas comes to understand how close his town, and even the whole of Ethelia, came to devastation. Together, Cas and Conoric find themselves swept up in a bid to find out who or what is threatening Ethelia.

Accessories to Murder

Faux-1920's Detective Game

A four-chapter adventure game with an emphasis on deduction and conversation. Each of the four chapters will contain a murder that, through twisting circumstances, needs to be solved by the main character, the fabulous dressmaker, Stella St. Clair, and her friends & associates of a more criminal leaning. While each case is separated by chapter, they are connected by the involved characters and underlying motivations. At the midpoint, a common thread appears to emerge as the story progresses, revolving around the mystery surrounding Stella’s past and her true identity.

Sun & Moon Stories

Fantasy RPG

A joint-RPG my sister and I have been working on for quite some time. The main idea behind Sun & Moon Stories has remained unchanged throughout its development: two different sides of the same war. The war itself has become less us vs. them, and the lines for every side are a lot more blurred due to the complex nature surrounding all the involved parties. Another idea that has remained is the parallels between the two main characters and their individual struggles.

The main characters for each side are Lu Greaves and Rai Reed. Lu takes on the more political aspects of the war, dealing with traitors, lies and figuring out who benefits for any given conflict or alliance. As the child of a fledgling Antisian bureaucrat and an outcast within her own family, she is perfectly suited to figure out who is who on the main stage of the conflict and get to the heart of any matter. Her most powerful allies will be from important families or with unwavering loyalties and it will be her keen eyes and clear head that will allow her to thrive and broker alliances. Rai’s story revolves around the Dhamunsa (Dark Moon Saviour), Roha Din and the Dark Moon Gate: the true desire and threat the whole war revolves around. Finding the truth and clearing the names of those involved is paramount to Rai and his side of things. He lived a simple life and has a much looser grasp on the political aspect but he’s intune with the call of the world and his earnest nature earns him friends in high places. His dedication to the truth and justice earns him allies and inspires those who believed things hopeless until then.

[erika-xero]

So, yeah. A fun alternate Witcher Yennefer design based on Anya Chalotra (click the expand button for a full-body image).

As a huge fan of the Witcher book series I couldn’t skip the Netflix show entirely: I watched the first season when it aired but haven’t touched the season two. The first one was okay for me, but it wasn’t my thing and I am not a person who eagerly spend time watching something I can’t fully enjoy.

But! I’ve been watching a bunch of essays on the TV series though, and some interviews too, because I love learning how things are MADE. I found it interesting, to say the least. For example, I learned that the scenario was written in a quite short period of time, that the costumes for an entire cast were made from scratch in a few WEEKS with barely any guidelines from the showrunner.

It made me think: what should I do if I was a designer for the show, how would I dress Yennefer? What if, for a brief moment, I pretend that I didn’t even read the books? How would I dress the character, knowing only that she is a powerful and independent sorceress wearing black and white? Not relying on Eastern Europe fashion, going more fore a bizzarre fantasy wibe? And I came up with this fun design I would love to share.

I decided to keep the color scheme monochrome so the dress is plain black (don’t mind it looking a bit brownish in the warm light), with silver embroidery (canonically she did wear silver jewellry though, at least from what I remember).  I also kept her hair braided up like it sometimes was in the season two. Also the fun makeup and the ornament on her dress consist of thorns and flowers because, you know, reasons. Yes! It doesn’t look like the books or games but it is intended. It was a fun experiment and I enjoyed it a lot.

[hanzajesthanza]

Dude, I just wanna say I am SOOOOO excited for your video essay on the Witcher. I have been waiting for a good essay covering more than the games and Netflix series for months now, as I like to listen to longer videos as I work during the mornings and I just know this is going to be so good. I've always loved reading your posts and analysis on the characters and arcs that books encompass, so I just wanted to share that I'm incredibly hyped for this, and I know you did an absolutely wonderful job piecing everything together and creating it :) I hope it gets the millions of views it DESERVES!!

i don't know where to begin, all i can say is thank you!! this ask totally made my night!

thank you not only for the encouragement, acknowledgement, validation... but for being. for being there, being excited, interested in the same topics. i'm just so happy i get to share this with people, that we get to share this—the fandom, the whole story, not just the video—together.

i'm really just so excited to share it and i hope everyone likes it or gets something useful out of it (and if it's not your vibe that's ok too!! everyone is invited!) like, i'm excited that you're excited... lol!

i really wanted to make something "quality" for people and for the channel, both in writing and in design. so there's a degree of storytelling that went into it, and i tried to make it visually engaging and structure it so that it's not just a spew of information, but like a little journey for everyone to come along with me on. most of the research was new for me too, so it's like we get to figure it out together.

below the cut is this kind of "diary entry": a long, contemplative, stream-of-consciousness response, haha...

(you don't have to read this, especially because i got a little emotional in it, i just thought i'd take the time to respond to authenticity with authenticity and get some things off of my mind... in reflection of the video, but also just about my personal life lol.)

i initially felt worried that people wouldn't get what i'm doing and would misinterpret my arguments, but despite these urges to explain myself a thousand times, i ultimately let my writing speak for me, and shut down the need to apologize and cover up what is decent work with a littering of disclaimers. i realized i actually can't stand it myself when youtubers go through the whole rigmarole of "sorry i haven't posted," "sorry it's not perfect," "sorry my pronunciation is bad," "sorry i'm not an expert" before they get to the actual video or what they want to say... i'm all: "lol, no worries. i wasn't expecting perfection, i'm just here to watch what you made." and i feel like most people have a similar reaction.

i know the concept of "fandom" has often a poor reputation online as a toxic space filled with drama, witch hunts, offensive behavior, self-absorbed conduct... and of course, there is some truth to that... but, there's also the good side of "fandom," which often goes ignored in narratives about it. i think "fandom" is just a niche kind of "community," and communities are simply groups of people (human beings, which have primal troupe-like natures, both build each other up and tear each other down, faction-like, warring, but also protective, loving fiercefully)...

it was different fandoms back then, of course, a little over ten years ago, but when i first got into "fandom" stuff online as a pre-teen, it was just night and day as opposed to my socializing in real life.

in discovering niche interests, passions, and yes, of course fictional universes that draw you in... i've always had only so few people to share that with in real life—when it comes to popular medias, of course, these medias were things that everybody in my school class was into, my friends had gotten me into it—but as i grew a little older and went on my own explorative journeys, i became most passionate about things that no one around me knew of or cared about, and suddenly, it was really lonely.

it had been a bit lonely before that, i always liked the media a little "too much," to the point of my friends asking me if we can stop playing pretend on the schoolyard and go watch the boys play four-square instead :'D or if we could please talk about anything else other than [media]. these are just childhood stumbles, which i imagine everyone has... but i mean, in this younger childhood, at least we could talk about media stuff sometimes, and i wasn't shunned too badly for it. but interests shifted and i got into things that only interested me, then i became truly alone on the recess yard.

when i first got into "fandom" online: groups of fans of [shared interest], who want to learn more about/talk and listen to others about/share and see more of [shared interest], and that entire world fit on my little iphone as i sat by the fence during lunch period, okay, i'm being so melodramatic here, but it was like a "welcome home." it was like discovering an entire little fairy world in the hollow of a tree. you mean to tell me, this place has existed, all this time? people who have the same interest, who want to talk about it, who are even—ha ha, just imagine—interested in what i have to say about it? those people exist, and they also have their own things to say, which i can listen and respond to? an actual faerieland. magic.

alright, i'll chill out. it's just social media, it's just social exchanges. but social exchanges are powerful, as human beings, we're evolutionarily driven to crave them. social media so often gets seen as fleeting exchanges, shallow engagement, but i—and probably a lot of tumblr's demographic—don't most often speak in staccato sentences online, but rather paragraphs, essays, hell, documents. we try to talk to each other kind of like we would in real life, we collaborate in building canons, worlds, have real discussions about media and society and... life. i don't know if anyone's studied this kind of experience as much as the generic "social media rots your brain" narrative, but it's been mine.

when i talk about [media interest], of course here and now it's specifically the witcher, i'm doing it because i'm part of this community, this whole forum, agora... i want to talk, but i moreover want to be listened to, to share, to be in conversation, not just be alone with my thoughts and interests.

it kind of boggles my mind, because i spent so long (ever since those aforementioned playground days) feeling like talking about anything fandom-related was excruciating for the people around me: that absolutely no one is interested in this but yourself, so get used to it.

so now, the fact that, sometimes when i post something, write something, draw something, make a video, or just say anything about this interest, that other people see that and it resonates with them, they enjoy it, it moves them, they're not annoyed, but also inquisitive, eager to talk about this thing, to share, too... like yourself, so kind to send me a message like "i'm interested in, excited for what you have to say," that's fucking crazy to me, it makes me so grateful, and also puts me in almost a state of disbelief! not just that i'm flattered, but that we share the same interest, have similar questions and desire for discussion about it, and live in a time where we can talk about this together over an instant, online communication... that no one has to suffer alone with their interests, no one has to feel isolated and weird and not know what to make of themselves.

despite fandom being seen as mean and shallow, (... similar to fantasy, come to think of it—interesting parallel with the actual subject of the video!) it's also a group of dynamic communities, that are sharing and criticizing and... just, communicating. the ability to communicate, the culture of communication is so important.

working on this project, somewhat fittingly, made me realize that the world is very gray, and nothing is even wholly good or wholly evil. this, of course, mostly applies to the politics and history and the story of the witcher which i'll be talking about in the video;

but what i realized is that this lesson also applies to mundane things, common anxieties i have. for example, that social media is not just bad or good, it's a tool with certain outcomes depending on how you use it. that people probably won't totally ignore you and shun everything you have to say, but they also won't listen to your every word. that success in life isn't impossible, but it's also probably not going to turn out as it is in your wildest dreams.

we're (~gen Z including zillennials and young millennials) surrounded with so much doomerist culture related to our prospects in life, especially as relates to contemporary media culture and life success, but it's not hopeless. you can always be an outlier of the broader trend. sometimes, you have to choose to be an outlier of the trend.

this is something i begin to talk about towards the end of the video. bagiński and hissrich basically see the trend and go: "looks like their attention spans are fucked, better speed up the process" instead of allowing themselves to be different, instead of embracing what makes them ("fantasy") special, trying so hard to conform... and hurting themselves from it. and looking at that, i just realized, i really don't want to follow that example and do something similar to myself.

i have to be bold enough to put my authentic self out there, even if it's "too complex to be understood", if it doesn't appeal to everyone, even if it turns some people away. it doesn't matter, because i only have one "me" to share, i can't force myself to be something i'm not. what i can do is seek out the people who i think will understand, who will be interested in that complexity. of course, this is something anyone whose advice is worth a grain of salt will tell you, has told me—but maybe i only understood it best when a witcher metaphor was applied :p

i'm in my 20s, and it's been so strange for me after i graduated college (undergrad), since what's now been two years ago. i spent my entire life in school, and suddenly no more school :( so i'm trying to regrow, or maybe grow in a different direction, that part of me that i lost when i had to graduate and get out... i'm struggling with feelings of failure every day, that i haven't met anyone's expectations for me since graduation, there has been so many feelings of worthlessness and confusion, i've so lost without school: a neat structured framework where everything gets measured and you get nice summaries of how you're doing in life.

it's horrified me upon discovering that, in life, no one measures how you're doing! you just live, and no one says "you're doing alright here, but here you could use some improvement." no one gives you direction, you have to plot your own map of unexplored territory. and suddenly, i don't know who i am anymore, where i'm going, why i do anything, what my purpose or use is. and, because i'm not in a class where there's a grade average, i also have no idea how everyone else is doing, only a vague feeling that i'm far behind. so it's really been confusing, demotivating...

as this video essay project dragged on, for about double the time i thought it was going to take, this sense of guilt and shame started to overtake me. throughout the project, i had this nagging paternalistic chiding in my head that i should be chasing success, career, relationships, life... but instead i'm wasting my time on the witcher, writing something no one cares about and people won't acknowledge me for. throwing away my time on something that doesn't matter. it was very contradictory, because i liked working on this project a lot, and of course and obviously i love the subject(s) it's about.

but i felt so fucking guilty for not pounding the linkedin pavement everyday and instead spending my time and effort on this video, lol. related back to what i spoke of earlier in this, that fandom is seen as petty and stupid—it's not something to be proud of. in my saddest moments, i thought of how my favorite professors might react if they knew that after graduation, this was the biggest project i had pursued. and my cheeks reddened in shame, i sweat from anxiety... literally as i write this, my hands are kind of shaking and i'm a bit nauseous imagining having to admit something like that to them. i mean, just think of every little kid that's like "i wanna be a youtuber!" it's adorable when you're 13, not so much when you're 23. and again, contradictory! because this is something i'm so stupidly passionate about, i'm unable to abandon it for something more "honorable"! i felt, i often feel, pathetic for how much i love things that no one cares about.

but upon completing this essay, i realized that this was something i started and finished, by myself, for... well, not "for myself," it's for you guys, but for self-motivated reasons, i.e., i wasn't seeking anyone's pride or approval—of course, your pride and approval would be nice to have and i wouldn't deny it! but i really did this for the values i have about community, for educational and discussional purposes, and of course, love for the witcher.

i realized that i made this because i wanted to make something to share with others, for other's benefit, which, upon reflection, has little to do with what others think of me. and that's really interesting, because i've, in school, in the majority of my life, i think i've been chasing the approval of others, i really wither away without it... so it's cathartic to realize that i put effort into, i spent my time on, making something not for approval, just out of passion. there's some kind of valuable life lesson learned here, i bet... some kind of personal growth...

but yeah, it's kind of weird. i guess my path doesn't look like everyone else's, i probably look like a loser to a lot of people right now if they could see me. but this video is evidence that i've grown and matured (in ways which maybe other people had already achieved for themselves, and maybe they haven't...) it's proof that i'm not stagnant, that life does exist in me still, and it's taking a form i didn't expect. a person is emerging from me. i can only watch with anticipation for who they'll become.

[dasha-aibo]

Witcher still hurts my fucking soul. You know, Cavil at least cared, he's not Slavic, but for the love of God, he fucking tried to keep the story on track with the books. He fucking cared. He constantly fought to keep the story more in line with the books, even managing to have Geralt mourn Roach, when they tried to just pave over Roach dying.

But everything else? It was a fucking insult to everything. Slavic history. Slavic story telling. Slavic culture. POLISH CULTURE. POLISH POLISH POLISH. THIS WAS A POLISH STORY. I don't even think you need to read the books or play the games to see how little the producers cared about Witcher or what the story meant to people. Don't get me started on the fucking adaption, what the shit was that "Blood origins" bullshit? You come into this house, and spit on the soil of our history.

They just wanted to do a pisspoor adaption to try and get the ex-GOT fans hooked. Which didn't even fucking work, congrats you fuckers.

The world was a mess. No distinction, no soul no heart, every place looked the same. Obnoxious US politics. Ugly designs. Story telling was ass.

Sorry that people OUTSIDE the Anglosphere exist, but they fucking doooooo. In fact, people outside the Anglosphere and the Western European sphere actually do have fucking flourishing cultures that aren't all built on the manure of US culture. They actually do have stories that are told and written about, and they do not match up with what the US experiences, because it isn't the fucking US.

If you want another fucking US-centric fantasy world, then go find a US author who's just as stuck up about putting US politics into everything, but don't ruin the heart blood of all the cultures that don't align with the US.

I mean, geez, they did the same with Rings of Power, exact same bullshit US politics shoved in, and that's based on works that did come from the Anglosphere. So I guess anything not US conscious is going to fall victim to this bullshit.

But it just hurts ten times more when it's something that already comes from Eastern Europe, that constantly gets depicted as being uncultured, and filled with brainless violent drunks. Because so little is even able to reach the Western mainstream to fight against that stereotype.

Fucking preach it, man

[rainbowbarnacle]

@stick-arms suggested I list five things that make me happy, so here I go! If you would like to do the same, consider this your sign to!

For funsies, I will not include coffee, tea, colorful things, sea creatures, or beatrix on this post because those are givens and I go on and on and on about how much I love those all the time.

LET'S BOOM-DE-YADDA THIS THING I LIKE @mercurialmalcontent! They make me incredibly happy. Their fiction makes me happy, their thoughts on books and videogames make me happy, their face makes me happy, the way they think makes me happy. The things they like about me are things I wouldn't realize about myself in a billion years, it's always a delight to see what they'll think next. Also if you've read something of mine and really liked it, it's very likely that it's because they edited it; they are *so* good at thinking up things that make a story go from mostly decent to FREAKIN' EPIC.

I LIKE WHEN VIDEOGAMES LET YOU MAKE REALLY AMAZING CHARACTERS. One of my favorite things about baldur's gate 3 is that there's so much you can do with with your character creatively--I have been devouring all sorts of wonderful stories and comics and designs and concepts. FFXIV has some amazing warrior of lights too--the sheer amount of lore and history and headcanons floating around are just amazing.

I LIKE WHEN VIDEO GAMES HAVE REALLY COOL MONSTERS. These are the creatures that instantly make me go, "IT'S MY BABIES, MY BABIES ARE HERE." Often these are monsters that I want nothing more than to adopt. The Endermen from Minecraft have stolen my heart and are likely taking turns carrying it around like a grass block. In FFXIV there is an entire family of mandragora plant monsters with their own pasts and hilariously dramatic stories. Secret World Legends has humanoid Familiars that toddle around a school making wheezy screechy sounds and I love them. Baldur's gate 3 has these Silent Hill-esque nurses that I want to put somewhere safe and care for. Same goes for the Noonwraiths and the Spoon Wight from Witcher 3.

I REALLY LIKE HORROR STORIES SET IN CREEPY HOUSES. Does the house have a curse? Is something in the attic? Is something in the basement? Is it full of ghosts? Is it full of memories? Does the house exist in different universes? Is it stuck forever in time because all the clocks stopped when That Bad Day Happened? Is the house conscious and aware of the people inside it? Does it magically grow hallways and stairways and new rooms until the people inside are hopelessly lost? GIMMIE.

I LIKE FOOD IN JARS. Yeeeah it's kinda silly, but I do. Storing dry beans or lentils or pasta in them and tucking them safe in the cupboard like I'm a little squirrel. Making quick pickles where everything looks like a cute edible snowglobe. Storing freshly washed fruit in jars. (Really, soak in water and white vinegar for a bit, pat them dry, and stick'em in a jar, your strawberries and stuff will last longer!)

boom-de-yadda-boom-de-yadda-boom-de-yadda-boom-de-yadda