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nicolebonnet · 3 years ago

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🌻 a gif tutorial by: me! 🌻

i know there are so so many WONDERFUL tutorials out there, but i can’t say no to a very kind anon so!!! here we go. hopefully this is helpful for someone out there! if anyone doesn’t do well with picture tutorials and would find it more helpful for me to do a video, i would also be happy to try that too!!

this is definitely not the fastest way to do it, i’m sure, just the way i’ve always done it and i’m bad at learning new things so ldkjfoiw also i’m using photoshop cc 2021 (tho this method should work for any version of photoshop i think) and i use video frames to layers to gif just as an fyi

step 1: get whatever media you’re giffing! i use torrents and direct downloads. that’s how i’ve always giffed, i’ve never tried capping so i can’t help with that. sorry!

step 2: make clips of the scenes your fc is in! i have a folder dedicated to the character the fc is playing and keep all my clips in there. when i do movies, i typically only do about 12 clips at a time because it just feels less overwhelming for me. when i do a show, i only clip one episode at a time for the same reason. i use quicktime to clip, but i know some people use VLC and i’m sure there are other options out there to try, too! again, this is just what i’ve always used so i’m comfortable with it and know how it works.

when i clip, i try to start the clip a few seconds before the scene my subject is in and a few seconds after just to make sure i’m getting every single frame.

step 3: import video frames to layers! so once you have photoshop open, go to file > import > import video frames to layers

then go to your folder where you have all your clips saved and choose the one you want. i took this one out of my trash because the rest of the gifs i have to do in this episode are in the dark and that was gonna be too annoying to me lkdjfkslofw so i’m just re-making one i already did a few days ago. i’m giffing sofia carson and you can see that my clip starts on someone else’s face so i can make sure i have every frame of hers!

step 4: select the range for your gif! just like with clipping, i try to get a few frames before and a few frames after of the fc i’m working on so that i don’t miss anything. if you aren’t interested in giffing them in every single second (which is totally fine, i know a lot of people prefer not to!) then you don’t need to be as concerned with it

because i’m using a direct download, i’m not going to limit my frames to every 2. it’ll be really fast and choppy. if you screen recorded, i would suggest limited to every 2 frames and then going through and deleting each duplicate frame (when i giffed via screen recording, i found that every 6 frames or so was a duplicate). this will make sure your gif is smooth and exactly the same as one made from a direct download. it IS time consuming though, so i recommend doing a direct download/torrent if possible! if you ever need help finding downloads or need something torrented and converted for you, please feel free to message me and i’ll be happy to help!!

step 5: delete the frames you don’t need! this is the time to delete any extra frames at the beginning, end, and any duplicates

step 6: set your speed! you can do this later if you want, but i like to do it as soon as all my extra frames are deleted. my personal preference is typically .06 seconds for most of my gifs. if they’re on the shorter side (under 35 frames), i’ll do .07-.09. i know some people have very strong feelings on gif speed lskdfjpwe i do not. it’s all about what feels best for you! .06 is where i feel my gifs feel the best, but there are plenty of beautiful gifs that are slower or faster!

step 7: crop it! as you can see above, i set my W x H ratio to 268px x 170px. this is a size i really like, but you can make yours smaller or larger. i do suggest using the W x H ratio setting to set it to your specific pixel measurements because it cuts out having to resize after cropping.

also, i have a few hundred frames in this one particular gif that i’m going to cut down in the next step. however, i know that she remains pretty much in the same place throughout the frames which is why i’m cropping them all at once. if it’s a gif where you get a few hundred frames that you’re going to turn into multiple gifs and the person moves around a lot, definitely only crop one gif at a time!

step 8: delete the frames you aren’t using! everyone has a different way of deciding how many frames their gifs are. for me, if they’re talking, i actually go and watch the segment i’m giffing to see what they’re saying, read their lips as i go through each frame, and crop it there. it’s a little more time consuming i guess but i feel like it gives me the best results. totally optional, though! if the person is NOT talking, then i typically just try to make it between 60-80ish frames and base it on facial expressions or body language. sometimes it’s more, sometimes it’s less! again just comes down to what your preference is.

step 9: convert to timeline! basically just press that lil highlighted button down there next to the “forever” and convert to timeline. pretty self explanatory

step 10: sharpening! this is where i use my sharpening action which is linked right here. i’ve been using it for a while now and i really love it! i’ve tried other sharpening actions since i made it and they just don’t make me as happy as this one lol

hit play on your action:

for my action, i get this popup twice and just hit “continue” and it keeps going through the steps with no problem

step 11: COLORING!!! get your psd and slap it on! i have different one base psd that i use for almost everything and will edit it to fit whatever scene/show/movie i’m working on. i’ll also save different versions of it based on the media i’m giffing. for example, the lighting on liv & maddie is SUUUUUPER different from the writing on pll: the perfectionists. so i have a “liv” psd and a “loralie” (name of my char that i use sofia for, idk why i named the first psd after liv and not my char but whatever ldkfjsoi) psd. same base, same layers, just different levels. i also will often combine psds! i’ll put my base down and then add layers from other psds or create new ones to fit whatever scene i have going!

step 12: save your gif! go to file > export > save for web (legacy)...

people use different settings for saving their gifs, too. these are my personal settings. i really like them and feel they work for my gifs. feel free to copy them or play around with your own settings! just make sure it’s always on the 256 colors

step 13 (optional): preview! i like to hit the preview button just to make sure i like my gif before i save it. if i don’t like it (coloring looks off, too fast/too slow, feels like it cuts off in a weird place) i’ll hit cancel and undo everything until i’m back to wherever i need to fix it.

step 14: save your gif, yay!! YOU DID IT!!!! save that beautiful gif and feel so proud of yourself!!

step 15 (optional): if you’re making multiple gifs from the segment you imported, go back and cntrl/cmmnd + z everything until you’re back to having allllll the frames again. delete the frames of the gif you just made (in this case, it would be 52) and start again from step 8!

i hope this made sense and was helpful for anyone! please let me know if there’s anything you need clarification on!!

#tutorial #photoshop tutorial #gif tutorial

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darawonplease · 4 years ago

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trauma. ch9 – wrong judgment.

Dara and Jiwon are ordered to spend more time together by YG sajang-nim himself. Jiwon finally learns the truth about that night.

chapter 9 - wrong judgment.

a.n. I feel bad making the characters go through such hardships and drama, I know you all want them to be happy (together or not). I initially thought of this series to have a k-drama tone to it, it might get frustrating, but I promise you I’ll try to be more light-handed and give more space for them to shine so that we can actually root for them.

[3 days before the script read-through]

「Dara's POV」

I took a sip from the cup of tea, maybe I was hoping to escape from Chae’s questions, truth was I was too embarrassed to explain the whole situation to her. How could I when I just couldn’t make sense out of it myself?

She lived at 500 thousand miles of distance from me, but her boiling rage could be felt through the cluster of pixels of our unstable videocall.

“Just explain it to me so that I can understand it right, he literally said you tricked him into going out? Is he out of his mind? What a lunatic bastard!”, Chae nervously pet Pudding In an attempt to calm her nerves but the poor cat didn’t seem to be interested in that sudden display of affection, eager to be left on the floor.

I left the reg mug on the countertop as I whined at my phone, “I don’t know Chaerin-ah~ He literally said I did all of ‘that’ just to go with him”,

“What does he mean by ‘that’ anyways? Did you ask for explanations?”.

“I meant to ask him but we were interrupted by his manager and despite that… I don’t dare to ask him anything at this point!”.

“Unnie, you shouldn’t receive accusation without defending yourself! As if you forced him to go out with you! The nerve to accuse you like that! I told you, men only give headaches!”.

“He really looked disappointed tho…”.

“Stop defending him, you should start defending your feelings, first that selfish idiot of ji, then that opportunistic actor and now this compulsive liar of Jiwon oppa? You seem to attract bad men only”, she concluded.

[…]

“I told you, I predicted Jiwon oppa’s love-life will be troublesome as he’s always surrounded by women! Better stay away from men like that*”. Narae commented as she checked the colorful design the nail tech was executing.

(* //On an old tv program, an 18y/o Narae, pretended to be a shaman and predicted Eun Jiwon to always be surrounded by women, making his love life messy and troublesome.)

I glanced at the selca we shot at the tent bar, I just couldn’t take my eyes off from his eye-smile and his slightly flushed cheeks. He usually carried around a brooding look, that’s why the cheeky smirk on his face felt so much unlike him. Perhaps, that’s how the real Jiwon looked. Well, how could I know anyway? I knew nothing of him.

It seemed as if I had told him everything of me and yet, I really knew nothing of him outside his career. Our relationship was one-sided from the very start.

(//refer to chapter 3)

“I preferred it when you didn’t even look my way”, I sighed.

For once, I thought I became mature when it came to love. For once I knew what was better for me, I knew I had to keep distances, admiring him from afar to avoid hurting myself, not to ruin the perfect image I had of him. Just like a majestic fire, I got too close and got burned.

I almost surrendered at the thought, “He must really hate me right now, doesn’t he? Was I a fool for believing there was something between the two of us?”.

Some part of me didn’t want to blame him although his scenario didn’t look any different from the disappointing ones I had experienced before. He seemed different, but then again, the other all seemed different when I first met them. “Stupid me! How come I fell for that again!”.

I finally understood that I had to give up all my feelings for him at once to protect my heart. I had to go back to admiring him as a junior. No fantasising, no assuming.

How I wished I could’ve avoided him just enough to heal my broken heart, yet he kept appearing in front of me.

Why was fate so cruel to me?

「End of POV」

[…]

[The day after the script read-through]

“Come on Hyung, I promised the others you’d come”, Mino whined on the phone, working his best aegyo against an uninterested Jiwon on the other side of the line.

“Is Seungyoon-ie coming?”, he sighed before asking.

“I told you, all members are coming, we’re going to eat barbeque right after-…I’ll pay”.

Jiwon had planned a long session of World of Warcraft for the night, but his favorite junior’s insistencies and a good free meal were good enough for a change of plan.

“Send me the address”, he surrendered before closing the call.

Jiwon lazily sat beside Mino once arrived at the Karaoke place, immediately resting his tired body on the red cushions.

“Oh no”, the hoobae thought to himself at the sight of Jiwon’s eyelids slightly closing.

“Hyung, choose something to sing while we wait for Seungyoon-ie!”, Mino quickly shoved the music book on Jiwon’s lap, he perfectly knew that he’d be capable of sleeping right there and then and there was no way in hell all four members of Winner wanted to lift his dead-weight again out of the room.

“Hi guys!”, a female voice could be heard from behind his back.

“This can’t be it”, Jiwon cursed Mino with his eyes.

“Dara unnie! You finally came!”, Jinu exhorted as he made his way to go hug her.

“I’m going”, Jiwon immediately stood up only to be stopped by Hoon’s arm, “You just got here Hyung! Where are you going?”.

He silently sighed and sat down again,“Why didn’t you tell me she was coming too?”, Jiwon lightly slapped Mino’s arm with the back of his hand to catch his attention. He wasn’t ready to face her, not when he had such mixed feelings in her regards.

Mino tilted his head, “Eh? Why? Is anything wrong?”.

“No, nothing”, Jiwon’s expression was gloomier than ever.

He secretly threw a glance at her. She looked melancholic, no matter how much she tried to conceal it around Winner.

“Dara Nuna? Is everything ok? Why the pouty face?”, Jinu didn’t take long to actually notice, he wasn’t her cherished dongsaeng for no reason.

“Huh? Did YG sajang-nim scold you?”.

“N-no it’s nothing like that, I’m okay, I swear you guys! Come on let’s sing”.

Jiwon glanced at her for a second too long, she sure sucked at concealing her true feelings.

[…]

[Jiwon’s solo mv shooting – DAY1]

“You clearly told me about your feelings the other day, since we’re professionals let’s just pretend it never happened and get it over with. I won’t bother you anymore so don’t get in my way either”.

The coldness in her tone took Jiwon by surprise, there was something different about her that day. It seemed as if he could see his own self reflected onto her. Cold, unreachable, stoic. Being on the receiving end sure felt hurtful.

How could such a phrase be told by her gentle cherry pink lips? The melancholic expression he had seen on her at the karaoke room completely vanished, replaced by an emotionless glance that somehow felt aggressive.

“Sure”, he pierced her through with the same energy but that didn’t seem to faze her at all.

“CUT! That didn’t seem right, let’s do it again!”.

The stylist hurriedly fixed their hair before disappearing behind the film director.

“Ok, now get closer, slowly!”.

Jiwon cupped Dara’s cheek, shifting his weight on his right hand as he carefully descended into the velvety couch she was laying on. Their eyes met for a few seconds before Dara panicked, scattering her attention anywhere but on Jiwon.

“CUT!”, film director Kim yelled.

The managers looked at each other, concerned by the grim expression on Mr. Kim’s face.

“This is no good, why can’t I feel the chemistry between the two leads? When you interact, I feel uncomfortable too!”.

“I apologize, Director Kim! I’ll try harder!”, Dara quickly bowed with her head.

“Let’s switch to the individual shots, quicky!”.

[...]

Director Kim trapped the managers in an empty spot of the set.

“Dohyun-ssi, Wonjun-ssi, I’ve called you here because I think we made a mistake casting Miss Sandara for the female role, I thought Mr. Yang chose her because of their strong affinity but it just feels like they’re worse than enemies on screen! This won’t work, we need to recast someone else, I won’t put up with this again!”.

“Mr. Kim, I wish I could avoid putting you in an uncomfortable spot but… please look at this”, Dohyun raised his phone, showing the main Naver page, his gaze purposely avoiding the director’s.

“Sandara Park confirmed an appearance on Eun Jiwon’s solo M/V”

“Huh? This is not good, this is terrible! I need have a serious talk with Mr. Yang!”.

[…]

「Dara's POV」

I couldn’t believe YG Sajang-nim actually convoked me to the 7th floor with him.

I glimpsed at President Yang: the moment he adjusted his old gray cap right after crossing his legs I knew I would be nagged at.

“Dara-yah, I thought you were excited to finally work with Jiwon, then why did the director have to complain to me?”.

“I’m sorry president, I’ll try my best”.

“What’s the problem? You don’t like each other? Why are you seated so far apart from one another?”.

maybe because he makes every cell in my body uncomfortable, but I can’t really say that aloud, can I?

We exchanged guilty looks and proceeded to silently scoot a bit towards the center of the long sofa that ran through the CEO’s office.

“The scenes looked fine to me though”. Jiwon interjected, scratching the back of his head as he leaned back onto the seat.

“Fine is not enough. If we want this promotion to work it’ll need to look like you two are very close, that’s why I decided to take action with your respective managers”.

Dohyun rarely had me wondering about his whereabouts, lately he had been fixing my schedule without informing me, that’s how he agreed to my appearance in Jiwon’s MV without my approval.

I nervously started fidgeting, “What do you mean by that President Yang?”.

“They’ll arrange you to participate on the same shows so that you’ll have the time to know one another, become comfortable and also make some public appearance, the shows will air right before and right after the release of Jiwon’s solo album, to increase the public’s interest”.

“I-is that really necessary Mr. President?”, he objected.

as if I wanted to spend any more time with you, Mr. Precious.

“It wouldn’t have been if you had worked harder on your affinity on screen, but you two left me no choice, It’s decided”.

And at that moment I realized, I was done for.

「End of POV」

[…]

[The day of Sechskies’ concert]

“Dara-yah! I didn’t know you came, why didn’t you tell me?”. Suwon immediately sprinted towards the disguised Sandara, the white mask covered her features well and yet- you could really tell her identity because of her unique timid demeanour.

“She’s here too? When will she stop appearing before my very eyes? This is becoming ridiculous”, Jiwon thought as he rolled his eyes away from her image reflected on the mirror right in front of him.

“Was she forced to come here too because the CEO asked us to spend more time together?”. Jiwon couldn’t help but quietly huff alone at the hair-styling station while all the other members and staff were busy smothering Sandara with attention.

“This is the first time I pre-order a ticket by myself, I wasn’t sure how it worked so I waited to tell you, in case the purchase didn’t go through”, she chuckled, slightly embarrassed at her own computer illiteracy.

“What? She did it by herself? No way”, Jiwon continued to silently judge her.

“Why haven’t you contacted me? The staff would’ve provided you with a VIP ticket for free”, Suwon pointed out after helping her carry a basket to the glass tabletop in the middle of the waiting room.

“It was difficult, but I really wanted to support Sechskies since it’s your last concert for the tour, and also- I’ve recently visited the Philippines, so I decided to bring you something to snack on!”.

“Does she ever stop smiling like that? Aren’t her cheeks sore?”, he unknowingly found himself scrutinizing her, all the attention was diverted onto her anyway, why bother ignoring her presence?

Dara readily informed the staff that the big basket of Filipino delicacies was there for them to enjoy and proceeded to distribute individual paper bags to each member.

“Here”, she extended her arms and offered one to Jiwon. He glared at her straight away, not averting his gaze for a second.

Her heart was about to jump out from her chest, “Why is he staring so intensely at me?”, she was not sure if that was meant to make her uneasy or was just his way of dealing with people.

“Here you go!”, she forced a smile and immediately dropped the bag in Jiwon’s hands.

“That’s very thoughtful of you Dara-yah, you’re the best!”, Jaeduck opened his own with anticipation, clearly moved by that simple considerate act.

Jaejin waved a yellow post-it he had just found and questioned: “Is this note supposed to be here?”.

“Oh- that! I figured a couple of encouraging words would be nice!”, she beamed warmly, making her eyes disappear in two cute half-moons.

Jiwon looked down and casually searched for the piece of paper in question amid the packets of chips and fruits, but failing to find it. His eyebrow twitched a little, why was he so bothered by it? Not that he should really care about a stupid note. But why did everyone receive one but him? Was she being petty out of revenge?

Suwon proceeded to attentively read his: “Mine says ‘Thank you for being such a good friend, you improved a lot Suwon-Oppa, fighting!’ ”

“Oh no- don’t read it out loud! It’s embarrassing-… I’ll get going then”.

“I’ll escort you”, Jiwon suddenly stood up and closely followed behind her with a couple of pink hair rollers still attached to his black hair.

An awkward silence wrapped the two of them as they silently walked beside one another through the venue hallways.

“You were the one who told me to get it over with. So why are you being so petty to act in such a childish way?”, he stopped in his tracks.

“Did you accompany me just to say this?”. Dara turned around to face him, glaring at him like she never did with anybody else before, “I’m tired of being accused like this, I’m going”, she turned her back on him without hesitation and crossed the door.

“That woman is unbelievable”, a growl left Jiwon’s mouth as he angrily stomped back towards the waiting room.

“Oh- look hyung, there’s a sticky note attached to your sole”, Jaeduck pointed out as soon as Jiwon sat down at the styling station.

He lifted his shoe only to find the yellow post-it he was searching for.

[Jiwon Oppa fighting! Congrats on your solo debut, enjoy the snacks!]

He sighed at the sight of those supporting words. Why did she have to be so kind for? Perhaps he had a hard time accepting she was more mature than him, in fact, it seemed like he was the only one who didn’t “get over it” between the two of them.

No, she was the cunning woman who manipulated his friend into helping her orchestrate that date.

“Was she?”, he shook his head. Of course, she was. And yet, this time Jiwon was the one at fault. He had just accused her of something she didn’t do. He felt apologetic, but how could you ask forgiveness for something so irreparable? As he said, some things are better left in pieces or you’ll get hurt fixing them.

Wasn’t that exactly what he was hoping for? That annoying woman would definitely stop bothering him. And yet, he couldn’t accept it.

“Come on hyung~ I know you’re trying to keep it a secret, but you’re so obvious, why would you accompany her otherwise?”, Jaeduck interrupted his reflection, playfully nudging his leader to make him spill the beans.

“Suwon-ah, we need to talk”, Jiwon grabbed his member’s arm and dragged him along towards the next room.

“YOU BASTARD TRAITOR!”. Jiwon’s voice was so powerful that it could be heard through the thick wall separating the two waiting rooms.

“Do you think they’re doing fine hyung?”. Jaeduck tilted his head at Jaejin, slightly concerned for their dear maknae.

“It’s fine as long as we’re not involved”, the rapper chuckled calmly while Jiwon’s voice got louder and louder.

“J-jiwon hyung, you’re ruining my stage clothes…”, a droplet of sweat dribbled down Suwon’s forehead as Jiwon didn’t seem to release the grip on his collar any sooner. .

“How could you help her and set me up for that stupid date?!”.

(//Poor Suwon-…)

“H-help her? What are you talking about hyung?”.

“Just admit it, you bastard! We’ve known each other for 23 years old but you sold me to her!”

“Wait- are you talking about Sandara?”.

“I see you’ve stopped playing dumb Suwon”.

“I just told her to let you loosen up a bit! Why are you so mad for hyung?”, he protected his face with his arms as his last resource, ready to get beaten by the leader, “It’s not even me who sent that message, it was Jaeduck hyung!”. He didn’t hesitate to throw his hyung under the bus.

Jiwon’s fist dangerously got nearer to the maknae’s face.

“N-no Hyung! You must be mistaken, I never helped her go out with you!”, Suwon’s voice cracked under pressure.

[after a throughout and embarrassing explanation of the events leading to the misunderstanding…]

“How could you even believe we set you up Hyung?”.

“It’s not my fault I kept seeing you huddled up with Sandara at all times”, Jiwon protested, not even looking at him.

“I wasn’t huddled u—wait, have you been spying on us?”.

“I-it’s not like I was spying on you! You two were always in my way!”, the leader complained, scoffing at Suwon’s assumptions although they were in part true.

“You’ve become so diffident throughout the years Hyung, you always feel the need to push everyone away”, Suwon leaned on the wall behind him, a sudden sense of calm and wiseness possessing him, “She’s different, isn’t she?”, he continued.

(//Suwon dropping truth bombs is everything we ever wanted)

“What are you even talking about…?”, Jiwon nervously rebutted.

“You usually straighten things out with women, you’re upfront If you’re uninterested in them. With her? You even came up with a reason to despise her because you can’t accept the fact you actually like her”.

“L-like her?”, Jiwon was suddenly reminded of how intrusively her face kept appearing in his thoughts, “W-what the fuck are you even talking about?”, a weak murmur came out of his mouths, he was almost embarrassed by how non-confidently he was denying it.

“I’m sure you’ve been acting strange around her because of this”.

Suwon wasn’t wrong, he had been unkind to her, whether in his mind or verbally when she didn’t deserve any of that.

“You sure don’t know Sandara very well, she’s a good and honest person, just be kind to her from now on hyung”, he sighed.

“I-…”.

“Jiwon, Suwon? You’re on stage in 5 minutes!”.

[…]

「Dara's POV」

I hurriedly got back to my seat, careful to put my disguise on not to be recognized by the fans. I was a yellowkie that day.

The huge led cubes turned fiery red were accompanied by a suspenseful beat that slowly grew, just like the anticipation of the audience.

A figure appeared at the center of the rising platform, hidden by a thick cloud of smoke. My heart skipped a beat, it seemed as if I was catapulted back into the 90s, I wasn’t Sandara Park the celebrity anymore, I felt like the sensible teenager who squirmed at Sechskies’ posters in her room in the Philippines again.

The crescendo stopped, the roaring of the crowd making itself heard. I held my breath for a second until the opening song started.

My place was among the crowd, cheering him from afar. Not on stage with him.

♪ I’m dizzy, I’m spinning I wanna close my eyes now I’m dizzy, I’m spinning I’m getting vertigo from thinking about you ♪

[Vertigo – SECHSKIES]

I jumped at the beat, waving the lightstick like crazy. If that was the energy I was consuming for the opening song, I wasn’t sure how could I survive the rest of the concert.

♪ Like the TV that’s turned off We’ve ended But I’m here What am I waiting for? ♪

“We’ve ended, but I’m here. What am I waiting for…?”.

My pace slowed, why did I relate so much with the lyrics? I shook my head to get out all of those intruding thoughts. Why was my heart even acting up?

♪ I wanna run away but I’m at the same place every day My head is about to break from thinking of you ♪

I wish there was a switch to turn it off. That wasn’t the right time to start thinking about him again, I just had to enjoy the show. I was there for SECHSKIES, not to feed my sadness over him.

I was left in awe, his energy was explosive. My eyes were naturally drawn to him, there was no point in denying his charisma. He was born to be a star.

How I wished I could stand on a stage again. Just wishful thinking. Seeing him perform with such infectious energy reminded me of why I wanted to become a singer in the first place.

Seeing Sechskies perform together made me feel hopeful; no matter how lost I felt. I secretly hoped I could find my own way only to go back to sing with 2NE1.

A small teardrop of joy fell from my eyes as I kept cheering on them.

[…]

“Dara-yah! Did you have fun?”, Jaeduck enthusiastically asked me as he held my hands.

“Lots of it! I felt like a teenager again~ ”.

Suwon wiped away the sweat on his neck and joined the conversation.

“You’re here! I still can’t believe you managed to make it to our last concert, thank you so much for the support”.

“We’re grabbing dinner with the staff, are you coming Dara-yah?”.

“I-…”, I looked at Jiwon from a distance and squirmed, “I’ll join you next time! I have a shooting tomorrow morning”. I dismissed myself and left after a round of farewells.

I stepped out of the elevator and caught a glimpse of my red car under the pouring rain. There it was my luck for that day. “If only I had grabbed my umbrella…”, I clutched the hoodie and pushed it onto my head, quickly accepting the idea I’d definitely get drenched wet. I sprinted towards the parking lot, careful to avoid all of the puddles in my way.

“Dara wait!”.

The sloshing sound of steps in the rain followed behind me as I slowly turned around towards the voice calling my name.

“Y-you…?”.

previous chapter. ⋆ next chapter. ⋆ masterlist.

#dara #2ne1 #au #darawon #darawonau #eundara #fic #ff #jiwon #sechskies

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meowchela · 4 years ago

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Introduction to Salem (my deltarune oc)

because i really wanna post about her hsdgjshbdsfhj

info under the cut bc this is gonna be long as FUCK I have a lot to say about my daughter...please read it tho

first things first, her name is Salem and I first made her on my second run of deltarune when I decided to name my vessel properly (on my first run i made the vessel’s name my own since the instructions confused me a tad, haha.)

this is what she looks like in-game. here’s a sprite recreation of the above sprite cuz its kinda unclear (plus a pixel vers)

I didn’t flesh her out until may 2020 though, and since then she’s gone through all sortsa development. the first thing I did was try to make her design stand out from being a basic vessel while still keeping true to the nature of it, if that makes sense.

this is my first ever drawings of her- some minor things have changed as i’ve drawn her. here’s her current design!

as well as her sprite (plus the pixel vers)

she has a dark world form and a “beta” design (aka her in-game design just with a face) but I've shown enough designs for now.

Her backstory is that, after being discarded, she was saved and brought to life by Gaster. He acts as her father figure (she literally calls him father, since in a way he is bc bringing her to life and all that) and she holds him in very high regard. They live together in the void, however Salem can leave and I’m going to explain why in a bit.

Her purpose as a vessel is to house the player’s soul. That purpose was taken from her at the beginning of the game as we all know, and she’s determined to get it back by any means necessary. How she does this is she basically goes down to hometown and/or the dark world to antagonize/attack Kris to get the soul out of them. She hates them for this reason.

Of course, she’s more like a saturday morning cartoon villain than an actual threat to them. She tries her hardest but can never really get their soul. She keeps trying though. The only thing that could divert her from attempting to fulfill her purpose would have to be a genuine change of heart.

Personalitywise, She’s actually very proper and polite to people she’s not actively trying to steal the soul of. Gaster raised her with proper manners! Despite this, she’s also very sassy and not afraid to speak her mind. Also shes not above saying swear words because I think its funny lmao

Her powers are as follows:

Teleportation - Allows her to get to and from the void. she can teleport to places she knows, but not people, and she can teleport small items with her if she’s holding them but not other people, hence why Gaster can’t use her to escape.

Hovering - Salem can hover a few feet off the ground for a limited amount of time. It’s not exactly flight, since it’s loosely derived from Gaster’s ability to control his detached hands (technically a form of hovering). It’s more just so she can look intimidating and cool. Originally, she didn’t have this, but one day I sprite edited a pose that looked like she was hovering and decided it would be cool lmao

Gaster Blasters- Since they’re named after her dad, I figured I’d give them to her. However, I’ve been debating recently on whether to keep them or not, since I don’t want her being too similar to Sans power-wise and he’s the only place in the game we see them. It’s iffy for now, so we’ll see.

Fun facts!

She has a wrench she uses as her main weapon. I tend to forget this fact, but it’s very important. (If I do get rid of the blaster power, she’d use this as primarily, since right now she prefers to use the blasters as a ranged attack. That said she does love to bonk people w the wrench, namely Kris she hits them with it a lot)

Physically, she is the same age as the fun gang (Since I headcanon Kris, Susie, and Ralsei to be 17, she would be 17 as well, however if you headcanon them to be younger she’s essentially just aged to match them. At the very least her and Kris are always physically the same age.) Mentally, though, it’s kinda complicated. She’s as smart as her physical age in the sense she’s able to use logic and wit, however her knowledge of the world is less than a toddlers. If you asked her what something normal like, say, grass was, she would not know. She would be confused as fuck. She could best someone at chess but the second you ask her what a movie theatre is she becomes all questions

She’s naturally very curious. Maybe because she has so little knowledge of the world or maybe because she was raised by Gaster to have a scientific mind, but she just wants to know EVERYTHING about the world around her. When she’s not focused on antagonizing Kris and their friends all the time, she’s usually out exploring and studying things, trying to expand her knowledge.

Gaster forgot if he taught her how to read and write or not and at this point he’s too afraid to find out.

In truth, Gaster’s better at being a scientist than a dad. He tries to act fatherly towards Salem but most of the time ends up treating her more like a lab assistant. She doesn’t mind as long as he pays attention to her, but it’s still not exactly good for her development.

I headcanon Gaster is ambiguously related to the skelebros, so by extension Salem is related to them as well. He’s told her to respect them. (She gets along with Papyrus, but Sans gets on her nerves sometimes.)

I think I’ve rambled on enough. There’s still so much more to cover but this is all of the basic info and then some. Thank you for reading this far, and if you have any questions or comments about her PLEASE feel free to shoot me an ask about it.

#shut up meow #salem #meows ocs #meows art #meows sprite edits #please ask me questions about her via ask #i could talk about her for ages #also now that ive properly introduced her i will post about her #A LOT #so uh #hope u like deltarune vessel ocs lmao

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leonbastralle · 7 years ago

Text

FINALLY A Flood Of Replies

Hopefully this time tumblr got all of them!

EDIT it didn’t I pulled some out of its ass, if some are missing still I swear I tried ;_;

alfalfalegacy replied to your photoset

I love how these were shot! Really captures the intimacy between them!

skjdgnskdjganskjgbansfasd thank you ;_; I feel like I might have overdone it a little, but it was such a cute scene and I couldn’t not xD so I’m glad my attempt at being artsy was successful!

alfalfalegacy replied to your photoset “Charlotte: Hey Connie, you okay? Conifer: Y-yeah, I guess…it’s just…I...”

I love her so much

alfalfalegacy replied to your photoset “Charlotte: Hey Connie, you okay? Conifer: Y-yeah, I guess…it’s just…I...”

Connie is too pure

sjfhabjhfbajs me too ;_;

monets-pixels replied to your photoset

Ohohohohohooho

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° )

monets-pixels replied to your photoset “Charlotte: Hey Connie, you okay? Conifer: Y-yeah, I guess…it’s just…I...”

i love you both

YOU’RE THE BEST

monets-pixels replied to your photoset

Me too Connie

same XD

monets-pixels replied to your photoset

😍😍😍

honestly I think I took these mostly for myself XD I’m crushing on Charlotte so much, I’ve been waiting for this for...more than a year now, can you imagine?? It was the gen 8 of 2016/17

monets-pixels replied to your photoset “Charlotte: Whoa! Um…maybe we should head inside?”

!!!!!!!!!!!! IM SCREAMING

monets-pixels replied to your photoset

HECK YEAH

YAAAAS MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

melien replied to your photoset

I was waiting to see these pics again ;_;

aksjbfaksjfnakjfnasfasd this one is my fave tbh

melien replied to your photoset “B: Hey, do you remember that video you showed me? Not the gaming one,...”

I dare you to show us a toddler Flame (if it wasn't a thing already)

@twinsimskeletons just said the same to me...I think it’ll have to happen at some point xD I peeked at him, but didn’t like him at all...and Aur’s markings aren’t for tots, these are the two main reasons that keep me from doing this...that and time man, always time.

melien replied to your photoset “Charlotte: Do you really need to write on vacation? There’s so much...”

Connie is my spirit animal

this post is one shameless self insert I tell you (that and I’m having her write a lot of books related to gen 8)

melien replied to your photoset

They look so good in this light ;_;

say what you want about ts4 lighting, but it can be great ;_; especially the campfire one man, I can’t believe I took night shots and didn’t have to fiddle with the brightness

melien replied to your photoset “S: It seems I have attracted a following…”

Everyone wants to be bros with Shine

except Salim

alfalfalegacy replied to your photoset “Conifer: I don-”

*cheers*

monets-pixels replied to your photoset “Charlotte: Okay, Connie. You might hate me for this, but I’m done...”

K ISS????

;) ;) ;)

treason-and-plot replied to your post “I AM A TERRIBLE PERSON PLEASE SOMEONE PUNCH ME OUT OF PROCRASTINATING”

lulz this is me rn

this is me all the time mum, how did you raise me??

treason-and-plot replied to your post “Weekly Ask Meme Time (again)”

stay in yr room till you're 40

treason-and-plot replied to your post “Weekly Ask Meme Time (again)”

you're too young to date >:(

bUT MUUUUUM ;_; how will you have a handsome son in law? And grandchildren?? (tho I wouldn’t mind staying in my room for a few more years if that means I can run from my responsibilities)

monets-pixels replied to your photoset “Conifer: Thank you for coming here with me.”

seeing your reactions makes me so happy ;_; you’re the real mvp when it comes to these two!

monets-pixels replied to your photoset

OMG cutie!!!

Ikr??? I love this outfit on her.

monets-pixels replied to your photoset

aaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH

;_;

monets-pixels replied to your photoset “Conifer: Wait…there’s only one bed?? Charlotte: Yeah…is that an issue?...”

OHOHOHOHO

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° ) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° ) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° )

monets-pixels replied to your photoset

pretty girls

they sure are ;_;

amixofpixels replied to your photoset

Conifer's face is one of the best, and I'm not ashamed to say it.

it’s true! But also...I think all the Miracle faces are the best.

alfalfalegacy replied to your photoset

I approve

;)

sugarsimms replied to your photoset

<.< yes

Approval very high

like sir through most of his teens <.<<<

something new for you

you mean the leaf haired boy liked to...cuddle? 👀

amixofpixels replied to your photoset “Granola Falls 8.20 pm”

The berry name for Granite Falls, is just too cute

tbh, this is my version, there are a billion names for all the worlds out there, I think ppl tried to find a consensus, but you know me XD but yes, I, too, am very satisfied with my names!

limericksims replied to your post “it’s 10 minutes till monday”

Aww, you look so cute and pretty! ♥

amixofpixels replied to your post “it’s 10 minutes till monday”

Look at that amazing face that I just want to squish!

monets-pixels replied to your post “it’s 10 minutes till monday”

😍

aWH SHUCKS U GUYS

bouquet-of-scissors replied to your photoset “S: It seems I have attracted a following…”

Flower beard got sims swarming like bees

it’s true! It just makes everything so much better ♥

twinsimskeletons replied to your post “I Feel Like I’ve Missed A Week - Replies”

I am always okay when Flame is around

;___________; same

amixofpixels replied to your post “I Feel Like I’ve Missed A Week - Replies”

The good old days of Robin family spam. I miss those days! XD

I know, I know, don’t drag me XD

amixofpixels replied to your post “I Feel Like I’ve Missed A Week - Replies”

Also, my heart is forever stuck with the FOB, P!ATD, and Paramore. They are just getting better with age, man.

:ooo well that’s something new to add to the list of Chelsea facts! I rarely feel this way about bands ;_;

#alfalfalegacy #monets-pixels #melien #treason-and-plot #amixofpixels #sugarsimms #limericksims #bouquet-of-scissors #replies #non-sims #saviorhide

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jellojolteon · 7 years ago

Note

Hi! I know you get a lot of asks on the grey long Ay but I was curious about something. How are some of the main characters supposed to get Akumatized. Eg. Nino wanted Adrien to have a birthday party but that didn't happen because Gabe was being a jerk, or Alya when she got Akumatized because she wanted to find out LB secret identity. I know this might be too much to ask but I'll ask anyway. Could you make a master list of how the Champions were made in this AU? (pt. 1)

No, no worries! Every ask I get makes my day! In fact you made my dreams from last night come true by filling my inbox haha ;u;

So as a basic pretense, the champions still come about the same way; the folks who get made into Champions are still upset about something when Greyling reaches them, but it’s the handling thereafter that makes the difference between what Hawkmoth does and what Greyling does. I can still make a master list for you of people who have been akumatized up to S1 (sorry if I miss anyone lol), but there are only a handful of changes.

As for Chloe? An excellent question. I think it’s complicated because she’s still Adrien’s oldest friend and now she’s indirectly doing him a huge favor, but he is also much quicker to wake up to the bully she’d become since he see what she’s like when he “isn’t watching”.

Unfortunately for this end of the story I’m more interested in the interactions between the main three, so it’s likely that a lot of this, if I can get this big ol thing off the ground, won’t make the actual cut.

(See below cut- numbering is not indicative of order, but if order is important I’ll mention it. Also note that this may change in the final go, if I get there.)

1. Stoneheart - This is LB’s first fight against Tux and while the theory of it is the same, Greyling does not exist yet to bring Stoneheart to life. Marinette encourages Ivan much the same way as she does in canon and he and Mylene still get together.

2. Stormy Weather - We’ll go with this one as Greyling’s first Champion. Aurore loses the weathergirl competition, but Adrien tells her that if it’s recognition she’s looking for, he might be able to help. Help he does.

3. Mister Pigeon - Ramier gets chastised by the police for feeding the pigeons. Adrien consoles him (somewhat regrettably considering his allergy) and tells him that pigeons are not inherently bad, and that a good way to show how honorable and invaluable pigeons can be might be for Ramier to help enlist them to fight Tux. This champion marks the beginning of Mari’s internship.

4. Lady Wifi - Alya snoops in Chloe’s locker, she pitches a fit, gets suspended. Greyling comes to her explaining that he knows her intent was innocent, and that if she really wants to show everyone she’s the bigger person, perhaps she can help him fight Tux today. Alya is of course like “oh fuck, I’m communing with my homegirl’s crush” and wholeheartedly agrees. Things look dire, and hers is the first instance of possession we see. I’m going to (unoriginally) henceforth call this special “ability” the Butterfly Effect.

5. The Bubbler - Mari introduces Adrien to Nino and Alya via video chat. Adrien is super excited to have friends and both Nino and Alya want to meet him. Adrien’s birthday is soon and Nino suggests a party. Gabe never yells at him directly but Nino finds out from Adrien that it’s a no and gets upset on Adrien’s behalf. Greyling suggests later, when Tux attacks, that it’s no birthday but hoo boy would Adrien think it great if Nino helped fight one particularly nasty adult. It might help get all those negative vibes out.

6. Copycat - This one might ultimately not happen in the AU, just because the pretense is so intertwined with the canon dynamics.

7. Kung Food - This is the first time LB witnesses and must repair a cataclysm death. Mari is lucky that her Uncle is in town to help her through the experience. Greyling reasons with Kung Food in Chinese (which is much better pronounced than in the show) that the cooking competition isn’t the end of the world, and that he’ll help him get another chance to prove himself in a fair environment.

8. Darkblade - not sure where this one falls, but when D’Argencourt loses the mayoral election, Greyling explains that maybe he can help show Paris true nobility by standing up to another person who has usurped the peace.

9. Vanisher - Greyling catches Sabrina at a low point when Chloe is snubbing her. He points out that there are many many unsung heroes throughout history but if it would help her, he might be able to arrange something that would get her recognized in the form of assisting LB.

10. Antibug - Here’s a fun one! This one doesn’t go super hot but I think this is where Chloe develops a little bit. Greyling tells Chloe that if she really wants to make a good impression on LB, maybe getting in the way isn’t the answer. But what if she was a champion instead? Chloe is too bitter to be working alongside LB at the moment, but things eventually turn out ok, even if it involves Tux getting the upper hand for a bit there.

11. Horrificator - Mylene is scared and Greyling explains that sometimes it takes some help to face your fears. I’ll help you face down the scariest monster in all of Paris, and I assure you that you’ll always be able to face your fears after that. This one is also a bit of a shaky one but it works out ok because as she grows bigger, Tux gets more frightened by her.

12. Timebreaker - another that I’m not sure happens? I feel like time travel is a bit of a slippery slope in this AU for some reason.

13. Princess Fragrance - After Chloe belittles Rose, Greyling compliments her heart and says that helping him fight tux might be a good way to prove Chloe wrong. (Aside: I can’t imagine a lot of these kids would normally have the sense to take down a murderer. But Ladybug hasn’t lost anyone yet and the trust they put in her to keep them safe is immense)

14. Reflekta - You might see that showing Chloe what a good person looks like is a pretty common thread here. Greyling gets good at convincing people that Chloe is wrong and that fighting Tux with the things she demeans about them is a great way to prove it. She slowly learns.

15. Evillustrator - Nath wants a date with Mari, and also for Chloe to Not. This one doesn’t go well.

16. The Puppeteer - This is where Greyling figures out that Tux is his dad. In his rage, he makes a very bad decision to send out Manon after Tux. Granted she’s not doing anything directly but still. Ladybug deadpans him a look through Puppeteer and he has an ‘oh shit’ moment. He pulls her out and goes for Simon Says instead.

17. Simon Says - Adrien isn’t quite ready to let go of his petty yet and this is just as much for himself as it is for Simon. Nooroo and Adrien have an important talk about choosing champions after this battle is over.

18. Heartbreaker - Much of the same spiel about proving Chloe wrong, though I don’t know how his powers could be of threat to Tux. Not sure if this one makes the cut.

19. Rogercop - After getting fired, Greyling hits Roger with the whole “If you really want to serve and protect, boy could I really use your help.” After Roger’s proven bravery against Tux, he regains his job. There are probably more long-winded effects of this in the au but I’ll have to get there before I figure it all out.

20. Animan - When Kim insults Otis’s prized panther, Greyling suggests that maybe a catfight is exactly the kind of shakeup Tux needs, and it would certainly prove Kim’s ridiculous comments wrong. As for Alya and Nino getting together? I can still see them getting locked in the exhibit for their own safety.

21. The Gamer - Mari and Adrien kick ass in a gamer tournament, and Max gets upset because he’s overthrown by someone he’s never even met. Adrien just has a lot of time to play video games when he’s shut in, y’know? But Adrien realizes he may have gone a little too hard and requests Max’s help defeating Tux. He fluffs Max’s confidence by pointing out what a skilled and analytical fighter he is. Ladybug could use someone like that (instead of someone who sits from afar… hm…) in her fights against Tux.

22. Guitar Hero (pffff oops) - “Hey Jagged Stone, you know what would absolutely skyrocket your popularity? Riding around Paris on a DRAGON while blasting a cat man with SOUND WAVES. Does that sound like some killer album art to you? It sure does to me. Also I’ll throw in glowy tentacle hair as a bonus, I’m a big fan of your work actually.”

23. Pixelator - Greyling says, “Hey, man, maybe let the guy have some space, y’know? Being famous is stressful. Here, if you really want to be like him though, help me fight this guy.” Please don’t ask me how that works Greyling just gets real good at his job at some point.

24. The Mime - Fred’s meddling understudy tricks him into missing a performance, but Greyling sees an opportunity for the most kickass show of Fred’s career. He’s not wrong.

25. The Pharaoh - unfortunately, another one I’m not sure happens? Remnants of this ep might be involved though, with Jalil helping LB uncover some of the history of the miraculouses. Looks like the Kubdels get off easy in this story haha

26. Volpina - Lila’s compulsive lying gets her into a sticky situation (probably actually not with LB tho) and Greyling tells her that maybe he can give her a true story about herself worth telling. Greyling has been itching to get out for a few attacks now and this is where he finally gets the opportunity to go out. He just has a bad feeling about things and goes out to check. As I mention in the comic about their first “meeting”, Greyling’s intuition is correct and he saves LB from a nasty head injury as she passes out on top of a building from a previous wound. This also incidentally marks, for the most part, the end of Greyling’s use of others to fight. He still brings a few out (maybe I’ll get to integrate some from S2?) but this pretty neatly ties up most of the pre-outside timeline.

Sorry this got so long, but thanks again for the ask, @randomstar365! I hope this is a satisfactory answer.

#greyling au #miraculous ladybug #jello gets an ask #long post #akumas

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builtinadaygames · 7 years ago

Text

Games on itch: what I played this month

Hi, my name is Kevin Beissel. I make game projects under the name ‘builtinaday’ and lurk on Twitter @builtinadayKB.

The purpose of this post is to cover some of the free games on itch.io, from a developer and fan perspective. I'd like to make it a recurring series, maybe a monthly breakdown but who knows. Like Douglas Adams said, the best part of deadlines is the great WHOOSHING sound they make while flying by.

Before we get to the games, I just want to clarify why I'm doing this and what I hope it accomplishes. So here's the what, why and how:

The WHAT

Discuss free games available on itch.io

I've got a list of profiles to check out, but please send along any recommendations.

There are no restrictions on genres. The whole point of this is to be curious and ask questions. So no dumb rules like "No walking sims" or "No puzzle platformers", which would prolly eliminate half of the available games anyways.

The WHY

I want to become a better developer and playing experimental/small/art/trash games could help.

Getting an audience is hard and getting constructive feedback is even harder. I can't help the devs covered in these posts with the former but maybe I can with the latter.

The HOW

There is no rating system.

There is no alter ego here, these are not 'angry' reviews.

These aren't even really reviews.

The goal is to focus on the design choices that were made and discuss the reasoning behind them.

I don't really care about being right, I don't really care about sounding smart ("Yeah, no shit" the reader grumbles), I don't really care about agreeing with you. I'm more interested in looking at the hierarchy of ideas (to borrow a phrase) that form game design. By working at the ends and working in the middle we can find out more about it, right?

Enough with the formalities, let's get started.

Profile: Steven Miller (@stevenjmiller37, steven-miller.itch.io, 30 projects available)

Game: Calor

Genre/Style: Strategy, base building and combat modes

Strategy games are tall orders, especially as jam submissions, but Calor has plenty of good things going on. The visuals are charming, the two game modes are fun, and it has some of that 'one more turn' gameplay you want in a good strategy game.

It sort of reminds me of FTL and X-Com, except it's also nothing like those games. I still caught echoes of them, like an eerie trumpet call over a lost battlefield. Except there's no sound in space, or so I've heard.

Hey, what spins faster: the planet in Calor or Hunter Thompson in his grave after I just mangled his 'eerie trumpet' line?

The base building mode revolves around placing resources (farms, solar panels, factories) on sections of a planet. Every turn the planet rotates, and the direction can be changed with wind turbines. Part of the planet has sunlight and resource tiles produce plus-1 per turn in sunlight. Sun spots pop up every 7 or 8 turns and will destroy any resource on a tile or damage the player, but a warning message pops up when the sun spot is three turns away.

Enemies can't damage tiles but can attack the player. It's better to move onto the enemy's tile and initiate combat, especially if the tile contains a resource. Letting the enemy move onto your tile has a combat penalty.

The combat mode has two parts to consider: a top section with three bars that contain the enemy's attack and shield points and a bottom section laid out like a hex-style grid. The grid has three starting nodes on the left and three ending nodes on the right with bonus nodes in the middle. You can choose whether to use a shield node or an attack node during your turn, but not both.

If the top section has a shield in any bar, connecting to the corresponding ending node reduces your attack points. So you have to plan paths that pick up as many bonus nodes as possible and avoid ending on a penalized node.

Both modes are good and it would be cool to see them expanded on. There's a few things I'm curious about though, like the attack only/shield only choice you have to make in combat.

If you start a fight with low health, the enemy will prolly wipe you out with one attack. So I suppose the design incentivizes you to keep moving away from the enemy until your health is refilled during the base building mode, then turn around and engage. I just wish there was away to use both a shield node and an attack node on the same turn. I know upgrade systems can be tricky and usually avoid them in my projects, but this ability would be a great addition.

Forgive me if there is this ability, but I'm pretty sure there isn't.

And I gotta ask: if you can't combine the abilities, then what's the point of including a shield option at all? If you're low on health to start, using the shield just creates an endless loop of defensive turns. Does health regenerate between turns in combat or only outside of combat? Could I block the enemy's attack enough times until I'm healed and then switch to attack nodes? What am I missing here?

I know that sounds negative, but I swear it's just curiosity. Calor is fun to play and also gave me some challenging design questions to consider. There are plenty of games that fail to do either of those things.

Game: Capture Horizon

Genre/Style: Puzzle platformer, side-scroller

This is a puzzle platformer that requires you to manipulate the level by taking photos of it and arranging them to form a path to the exit. I played Camera Obscura on Steam, which uses a simiilar idea, and it's a cool concept. I like that it relies on spatial design/reasoning skills, instead of using oblique hints to solve unfair challenges based on muddy logic/lazy rulesets.

The photo taking/placing mechanic is easy to understand. You can't take a new photo while on an existing one and you can have up to three at a time. It seems simple but I quickly became stumped, especially on levels five and six.

The platforming is OK, but it leads to many cheap deaths. Most levels have two sections you need to reach; the first is relatively easy and the second is much harder. The harder section requires a lot of trial and error, due to both photo placement and jumping issues, which means you have to redo the easy section a lot of times which is tedious.

Traditional difficulty progression states that a level should have an ascending scale of difficulty, not a descending scale. But for short, self-contained levels like this, inverting that formula might have worked well.

And since we are here to inquire within about everything and not here to disparage, let's consider some alternative solutions to this problem:

New speed setting: I hate when people suggest new settings for traversal speeds in my own work, because there is usually a bunch of connected factors to consider/change that they aren't aware of. What sounds like a small tweak is actually a much larger change.

So, even tho I hate being THAT GUY, I too often found myself running right off of a platform or, even worse, jumping way too early to compensate for the fast movement. A walk/run control setup might have fit nicely.

Change the jump mechanic: Something like the style of jumping used in Gunpoint would have made the platforming simpler, but much more satisfying. For those who don't know, the Gunpoint-style allows the player to activate a jumping stance, adjust the height/distance of the jump and then confirm or cancel the jump.

This style would eliminate most of the frustrating trial and error sections. You could place a photo and test whether your jump could reach it, instead of placing a photo and jumping one pixel short and having to retry the whole level.

What helpful advice, huh? "Ripoff a more popular game to make your own work seem better" is just about the most lazy advice you could give an artist. And yet here I am, handing out shopworn cliches faster than Michiko Kakutani. So where the hell is my goddamn Pulitzer?

Game: Entropy

Genre/Style: Roguelike, 8-bit isometric view

Lately I've been seeking out games that put a strong emphasis on combat, like "Superhot" or "Deadbolt". Roguelikes usually have a heavy emphasis on combat and Entropy certainly does.

You have a fast-moving, low-damage ranged shot that repeats quickly but you can charge up a power shot. The charged shot literally turns you into a bullet, and can be used offesnsively or defensively. You could knock out a powerful enemy or escape from a crowd by firing to a safe spot. You can also use the charge shot for traversal, usually shooting across gaps filled with spikes.

If I could transform into anything, I'd transform into a machine that could make ANYTHING. I would make anything then transform back into myself and enjoy whatever (or whoever) I just made. That might seem like an awfully large loophole, a loophole so large you could drive a Pagani Zonda thru it. A carbon-fiber supercar loaded with guns, cash, and women (or MEN) you made in your ANYTHING machine.

But what are you? A lawyer? I don't remember making any of those in that ANYTHING machine.

Or you could turn into a bullet. That is also a pretty cool thing to do.

The character movement speeds are nicely balanced. Strafing a lone enemy is fun and juggling large crowds is intuitive. Some enemies felt like bullet sponges, but I wasn't using the charge shot enough. Moving around till I had space and time to get it off made those enemies easier to deal with. The enemy design is good too, with variations in size/speed/strength that feel balanced. They have a nice spectral, eerie look to them.

The game also opens with a short cutscene. My favorite part was the "standing" animations. All the characters constantly bounce up and down, which is fun to watch. I love this choice. Animations more sophisticated than this aren't really the point of LD jams and if they stood still that would be boring, so it's a nicely off beat decision.

The one minor problem I had was the reticle color. It's green, which would be fine except some levels have patches of grass that make it hard to track the reticle. Otherwise, the game has the color palette nicely split up between player, enemy and enviromental assets.

Remember: Split up the colors, but don't split up your pants! Why do people breath in when trying to squeeze into jeans? If you breath out you get thinner, or at least that's what my bitchy mother-in-law keeps telling me. I get it, Joan! Also, get Entropy and shoot stuff.

Profile: Tooth and Claw (Dan McGrath, @daninfiction, toothandclaw.itch.io, 24 projects available)

Game: Valley of the Moon

Genre/Style: Walking sim, puzzle

You are supposed to collect four relics to reactivate your ship and leave the planet. Despite the walking sim label, there's a couple of nice platforming sections too. But the real point of this type of game is to create a distinct atmosphere, a space worth getting lost in.

Of all the games in this post, this is the one that gave me the purest moment, or at least the type of moment you can really only get with a videogame. The game starts up and I see a nearby building with a large door. Since its a puzzle game and I've just started, I assumed the door was locked. But I went over anyways, intent on asking one of the fundamental questions videogames can offer: "Can I do that?"

Turns out, I could do that. The door popped open, and I got a little thrill out of it. Seems silly maybe, that something so simple could feel that rewarding, but it did.

Inside the building is one of the relics and another nicely put together moment. You climb the final step and see a platform with a relic on it, and a giant orange moon lined up right above it. The symmetry of the relic and moon is really nice and its a striking visual moment.

The only question I would ask is about the ending: Why not try something wild or unexpected, something totally abstract or bizarre?

I don't mean this as a criticism, because it's quite good and I'm glad I played it, it's just a question.

If you've played other walking sims all the way through, like "Dear Esther" for example, then you know how a surprising and offbeat ending can really resonate with the right type of players. I happen to really like the way that "Esther" ends, and can more strongly recall that odd, poetic moment better than I can recall some of the other supposedly famous moments in recent games.

A unique and challenging ending can make a lasting impression on the player and, whether they loved or hated it, that player will remember your work.

So, in the case of this game, why not do something more eccentric? Like when you take off and leave this peaceful planet behind you end up crashing onto an uninhabitable, hostile planet? Or you take off and safely land on a new planet, only to find out its exactly like the one you left? Is that too 'Twilight Zone' for you?

Or maybe you take off and turn into a freaking Star Child? Then the Star Child grows up and becomes Galactus?

Anyways, that's what happens when you leave the audience hanging. They start out reasonable enough and end up arguing about Galactus and his big, dumb headgear.

The point being: not every game needs a meaningful or profound or abstract ending, but some do.

Game: Zealot

Genre/Style: FPS, looks like a 90s shareware game

Other Info: made in 3 days

This is a dope throwback to shareware-era FPS games. Zealot is like a resurrected title from this era, with glorious visuals and punishing combat.

There was a wider range of titles than most people remember, mainly because the iconic titles of the time (DOOM, HEXEN) loom so large. I was flipping thru an old PC game magazine (prolly circa 1995) and there was pages and pages of ads for obscure shareware titles, some looking totally generic and others beyond bizarre. I prolly spent more time looking at those ads recently than I did when those games came out. Sorry, marketing geniuses!

There was also an article about how advanced stats would become important in sports. Something about how coaches, players, fans, journalists and gamblers would be interested in new ways to analyze performance and predict outcomes. Who would have thought? You know besides Paul Allen and his 300-foot yact and his investment stake in STATS LLC. Also, fuck Paul Allen, fuck his yact, fuck his Dorsia reservations, and fuck me while we're at it.

But don't fuck Zealot! Do play Zealot, it's quite fun. You run and jump around on a floating platform blowing up various types of demons. You play until you die. My best time was 74.67176 seconds. It was much more fun once I realized I could hold down the attack button to autofire, which seems obvious but hey, if you're so smart how about you come over and unclog this drain? I've tried nothing man, and I'm all out of ideas.

Thankfully Dan McGrath isn't out of ideas, tho! And Zealot is a pretty good idea. I've never had a bad idea. I've had great ideas that turned out horribly wrong, but never any BAD ideas. I've also stolen ideas/entire jokes from 30 Rock, but Dan McGrath hasn't yet!

Profile: Trasevol Dog (@TRASEVOL_DOG, trasevol-dog.itch.io, 24 projects available)

Game: Blast Flock

Genre/Style: similar to Luftrausers, but more colorful

This is the profile to check out if you like games with bright color palettes and visuals that really pop off the screen. It helps that the gameplay is excellent, too.

And hey, people who care soooo much about what engine a dev uses: this game wasn't made with Unity, so try to find something else to complain about.

Blast Flock is a variation on Luftrausers, which is an OK game. I really wanted to like Luftrausers, but whenever I play it I'm always left with the same two questions: Where is the rest of the game and how come it isn't more fun?

Luftrausers felt like it was all about keeping your multiplier at 20 which feels like a chore, like an uncreative grind. I was more interested in finding fun and interesting ways to attack enemies, especially since it had such great body/weapon/engine variety. It felt like they incentivized creative approaches, but instead only rewarded you for following a narrow path.

Well, Blast Flock doesn't have more content, but it certainly is more fun. The controls are intuitive and allow for a lot of experimentation. Your group of ships always flies towards the reticle, with fire and boost mapped to lmb/rmb. You can shoot down enemies and save them as they fall, expanding your group.

Building your squadron up and tearing thru a huge group of enemies at top speed with guns blazing feels so great. Whipping the mouse around the screen and creating total chaos also feels great, like orchestrating your own bullet hell symphony.

Or you could conduct a symphony of the night. But how the hell am I supposed to read music in the dark? My conductor baton glows in the dark, but I don't want people to know that. It only does that in case I drop it during a performance and have to find it on the ground real quick. Symphony of the night? How about a 'symphony of the comfortable recliner' instead? Or ‘symphony of the better jokes’?

Thanks for reading! If you liked this then maybe check out my itch profile, too.

#itch.io indiegames indiedev

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