#project magnum game

[nymphsconstancy]

in light of both the albedo-focused story and the upcoming hexenzirkel information: here's a compilation of everything (permanently and that i can remember) available about rhinedottir! and my conclusions as to what it means regarding rhinedottir herself

rhinedottir was one of five 'great sinners' of khaenri'ah, held responsible in teyvat for the course of the cataclysm. the sinners were unable to "resist the call of the abyss," and by accepting its power became "transcendent beings, each in possession of world-shattering power." (see memories that should not exist)

rhinedottir's creations include durin, the larger rifthounds, the wolflord, albedo, the "one-horned white horse" from cinnabar spindle, and the various 'subjects' that came as prototypes before him (confirmed to include subject 2 (shadows amidst snowstorms), and potentially more, depending on how literally you take the hexenzirkel cutscene). based on their mannerisms and descriptions of "mother," we can infer that elynas is also a creation of rhinedottir, but that hasn't explicitly been confirmed, so i'm not acknowledging them here.

rhinedottir did not create the smaller rifthounds. those were a pre-existing mainstay of crimson moon dynasty khaenri'ah (see perinheri, note 2: "the black wolves of the first edition [...] were a mainstay during the crimson moon dynasty"). riftborn regalia suggests that the larger wolves were made "almost as if by accident," rather than being intentional products of her work.

rhinedottir provided classifications for her work: "alfisol," comprising the rifthounds; "humus," comprising durin (and potentially elynas); and "cretaceus," or albedo. humus and alfisol are both categorisations of soil, while cretaceus is chalk and also features in albedo's constellation, 'princeps cretaceus'. early translations i saw of albedo's constellation took it to mean something like 'first creation' or chalk prince, but according to a latin class i took a year ago 'princeps' should actually mean 'highest order [of chalk, in this case].'

rhinedottir was either a member of the hexenzirkel prior to the cataclysm or joined the hexenzirkel immediately after. at the least, she had formally joined by 13 years after. jakob ingold's log in the book of revealing says "...it seems there was an alchemist from khaenri'ah named 'r' who joined a secret order" and, going by the internal narzissenkreuz timeline, the log was written at least 487 years ago.

other notes within the narzissenkreuz ordo imply that rhinedottir had also begun work on the primordial human project at this point. the notes in the basement - "yellow is simply bait" - refer to the same order of creation that albedo mentions in his ascension voicelines, while the notes at the top of the tower mention a primordial human: "lies beneath the great sea [...] [origin is a] play [is] called 'ajax', or 'aias' [...] which also means 'primordial human'." the idea of the primordial human recurs in albedo's fifth character story, where "chalk [...] was used to make primordial man."

the skyward weapon series, festering desire, and cinnabar spindle all make references to rhinedottir's creations. rhinedottir is mentioned directly in festering desire as durin's "mother" and is potentially the narrator of cinnabar spindle, but we do not know who made cinnabar spindle, formed from "materials that do not belong in this world." the only material named is alkahest, in the refinement process, which holds the ability to "sublimate matter."

rhinedottir took albedo with her while she was traveling, and albedo's earliest memories are of "adventuring deep within domains" alongside her. we do not know when albedo was made, and probably will not know, based on the fact that albedo himself is missing memories of his early years. albedo was not her last creation, and she continued to experiment with new life after he was made. (see character story 3)

while they traveled together, rhinedottir would make "threat[s] to leave [albedo], should he fail" in the tasks she set for him, threats which albedo saw as genuine.

the final domain albedo and rhinedottir explored together contained the "heart of naberius," an artifact with an as-yet unknown purpose. after its discovery, rhinedottir left albedo with his title as kreideprinz, a recommendation letter and instructions to seek out alice, and a copy of the "opus magum" from rhinedottir's collection of texts (see character story 4).

at an unknown time, rhinedottir met with the rest of the hexenzirkel to collaboratively write the little witch and the undying fire. rhinedottir wrote volume 3. contextualising notes, which can only be found by picking up another volume and then going to the archive, say the following: "it's so rare for r to be in her right mind for a spell. should she really be wasting the precious little lucid time she has writing this?" but what this means for rhinedottir herself is unknown.

what we know for certain: an abridged list of rhinedottir's creations, the circumstances behind her leaving albedo, and her role and time with the hexenzirkel. less concrete is her role and relation to her creations. she's written as both a cold, scientific mind interested in the results and data and nothing more, as a "mother" both grieving and responsible for the deaths of her children, and as someone absent in her affections but so present that all of her children are desperate for her approval, tacit or otherwise.

what's completely unknown: what the "one-horned white horse" is, what she's been doing the entire time she's been apart from albedo, whether she bears the same curse that other khaenri'ahn people do or whether as sinner she bore something unique to her alone, how the "call to the abyss" gave her more power, and what exactly the heart of naberius is.

rhinedottir is... such a fascinating, messy character. is she following the footsteps of the alchemists before her who made the first rifthounds? is she an expert all her own, the driving force behind khemia and the creation of artificial life through alchemy? does she truly love her creations, like she suggests in the hexenzirkel short from last windblume, or is she only the distant creator and teacher that we otherwise hear about? i'm fascinated. i can't wait to peek inside her mind

[personality-pokedex]

COME ONE, COME ALL!

IT'S THE PROJECT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!

Have you ever wondered if anyone had a comprehensive typing quiz? Ever wondered what pokemon, exactly, you would be? Ever gotten disappointed by the quizzes that do exist?

I know I have!

And instead of taking it, I've tried to solve the issue!!

BEHOLD: THE COMPLETE POKEMON ASSIGNMENT QUIZ!

We got EVERYTHING in here!

Including:

A personality centric typing quiz, which focuses on specific combinations and orientations as opposed to just a single type!

An extension with a calculator to show you whether or not your typing exists in any form, in that specific order!

Inclusion of Regionals, Megas, and even Forms that switch up a 'mon's typing!

.... a laundry list of subquizzes I still have to do.

Yeah, it's a heavy work in progress. But the base is done, and that's what counts!! With the subquizzes being linked, I consider the whole thing fit for release!

Now, of course, a few notes on usage:

You'll need to make a copy to be able to take the quiz! The base copy can't be edited, for obvious reasons.

Personally, I've had poor results on mobile web. Unless you have the sheets app, I'd reccomend using a computer!

If you get a work-in-progress, feel free to shoot an ask!! I'll priorotize requests, and update when subquizzes are added!

Feel free to also send in suggestions, and modify as you'd please! I want this to be able to be improved upon, even if I end up lacking on updates as time progresses! Take this as my contribution to the community, and if this stops being updated after a while, feel free to carry it on!! Sorry about the extensive mess inside, though, haha...

[disappearinginq]

Ooh for the fic-I-associate-with-you game: Once Bitten.

(also I absolutely love that fic!! It deals with the serious ramifications of Juliet's actions - which should've been addressed in the show! - and it is so fantastically written!)

I would say "this fic was inspired by rage" but that is not exactly a secret - I think I even said it in the notes on both the beginning and the end. :-) SO different factoid/secret about it....

So it's no secret I don't like Higgins for like...99% of the series. I hate people like her in the series when they exist in real life, the ones who think that their trauma trumps all others, no one has ever been hurt like they've been hurt, and that gives them a free pass to be dicks to everyone around them. From a veteran standpoint, that is some fucking bullshit.

I was at a veteran's retreat - women only - this weekend, and when I confessed that I didn't feel like I really belonged in the same group as these women - who had seen combat, who had lost dozens and more of their brothers and sisters, who lost their 'tribe' when they left the service and couldn't connect to people, and that feeling of alienation was why I never went to veterans' programs or events - one of them, without missing a beat, said "trauma is trauma. Who the fuck cares how you got it?" and it was one of the most inclusive things she could've ever said to me.

But that feeling of never having anything in common with other service members was probably why I wrote so much in Magnum fandom, because I could force that on Thomas and the guys - they were POWs. There's been like...16 in the entire 20+ years of War on Terror (aka 3 Ring Shit Show of the Middle East) and most of them died. They only have each other for someone who might even remotely understand what the other has been through. And it's why I really harp on Higgins and her stick-up-her-ass attitude towards Thomas and the Nest property for most of the series - she's supposed to be the 007 level spy, and she couldn't figure out basic dumb shit like "don't be a twat to you fellow house guest". I'd been told my whole military and post military life that I didn't have it that bad, that I was exaggerating, etc, about how terrible it was. No one believed me. And I wanted someone like Rick to stick up for me like he sticks up for Thomas here.

Also - I don't know if anyone drew the parallels here - but Rick gets really on his case about his arm and the dog bite because of what happens Bad Things Happen with Rick and the dog in Afghanistan. So Rick is working through his own trauma there.

Thank you for the opportunity to revisit the guys! (I miss them so)

[goldieclaws]

Me seeing a high fantasy-themed game jam that lasts for 3 whole months and it's tempting me to high heaven to make a demo of MEW's story in RPG Maker (bc I'm still a noob with Unity) which means I'll be forced to make pixel art but I will have a motivation to at least make something with him in it, but ALSO I don't want to make something in RPG Maker when the original intent was to always make his game in Unity bc transferring everything over will take A God Damn While.

[corrupt1nk]

Orchard of My Eyes (Formatting/Songs/Gameplay/Development)

Also, I haven't mentioned this yet but when the game gets released it will be done through chapter format. The aim is to have 8 chapters at the least (for the eight characters) and maybe if I can manage I'll make another.

For the gameplay format it will be a 3D horror RPG. You will play as either Kensey(blackberry) or Ezra(snowberry). The other fruits are the antagonist of each of their chapters (gameplay will be added for specific characters). There will be a gameplay element where you will have to control the antagonists themselves to avoid them (using the contact lens as a camera). Each character will have gameplay elements made to obstruct only them specifically. Now I won't be saying what it is yet I'd like for people to find out for themselves when the game releases. Part of the format will also include 2D animation as part of the important cut scenes, songs, and some of the gameplay.

For the songs I've mentioned briefly each character will have two songs each. One is going to be popular through the label (in the universe) and the other was never allowed to be released due to company interference. The second songs will be about how they cope with things through music and will reflect the struggles they've had outside the public eye.

If I manage to make a ninth chapter I will make two group songs to go along with it.

So this is where I explain the development kind of. So for the team behind this well I'm the only one making this. I am wearing a lot of hats for this project. Due to one I'm very young I haven't set foot in the industry much (lowkey scares me). I am the lead writer/animator/coder and all that jazz. I have a lot of fate in this project and progress is going more smoothly than I thought it would (learning 3D was a pain in the ass). Nonetheless, I will be posting snippets fo what I can and hopefully when I release the music videos I'll get more traction. (Did I mention I have to voice act and sing for the first chapter? No, well I gotta do that too ehe.) Like I said I have to do a lot but I am very happy with how things are going and it seems like this might actually go somewhere for me.

I hope you enjoy this little adventure as much as I will.

Have a semi-finished Kensey drawing while you're here.

[petrii-dish]

Behold, my magnum opus! Go forth, my rodents (?)!

(Sketches and notes under the cut)

My first attempt at a lineup, before it was stopped in its tracks by Isabeau. It’s a little crazy that I was working on these guys for so long that my art improved so much between the takes…

And my favourite sketches! Ratdile’s really nice to draw

I’m going to be honest, this isn’t even a rat/mouse isat au, because half the characters (including Siffrin??) aren’t even rats or mice, and some of them may not even be rodents!! I couldn’t keep myself contained! I’ve been working on this on and off since the end of February, and I kept falling out of because a. certain fighter was making it difficult for me. Not naming names, though.

Notes, notes… (too many notes)…

- Siffrin, Mirabelle and Isabeau all have wrapped their tails around themselves to keep them out of the way in combat, and to mimic their belts for the character design.

- Siffrin and Loop aren’t mice, actually. Or rats. They’re small gliders, which are either possums (marsupials) or squirrels (rodents). I’ve been going back and forth.

- I modelled Siffrin off the feathertail glider, which has a body and head length of 6.5 to 8cm, and is an Australian possum. I don’t really think of the Island as being Australia?? I’m just really partial to our animals and think they’re cool.. I think someone could make the argument for Australian Sif the same way you could for so many different cultures, but that someone isn’t going to be me.

- What’s important! Is that feathertail gliders! Are small!! And nocturnal! And they can fly! In the sky!! And they sleep in trees all day. And they’re very cute. They’d also have flatter faces than the rodents, which could be uncanny to them?

- Siffrin would be capable of gliding if they unwrapped their tail and took off his cloak and hat, but I don’t think Loop would be anymore. Their tail is too unevenly weighted.

- Mirabelle also isn’t a mouse or rat. She’s modelled after the mouse-tailed dormouse, which is pretty similar to a mouse but they hibernate, are often nocturnal and have fluffy tails (except the mouse-tailed one). They have a body and head length of around 8 - 13cm (I think??). Mirabelle needed to have a scaly tail so it would look like her rope belt, but I liked the idea of her being a dormouse because of the dormont pun and I think she would get stressed trying to balance the expectation of Changing with the need to hibernate.

- Isabeau is a brown rat!! They’re one of the two main rats! They’re big (body and head length of 15 to 28cm!!) and round, and fat, and I love them. He should be (at min) like twice as tall as Siffrin, but I shrunk him down in the lineup a bit because making him bigger just made drawing him harder. And I was already having enough trouble drawing him.

- Isabeau has been a consistent hassle and a pain to rat-ify, and he has delayed this project single-handedly by months. The most important part of Isabeau’s silhouette (to me) is his arms and shoulders and his big sleeves, and the really fluid and strong poses he makes with them. Rats have no arm game at ALL. They’re like. The t-rexes of mammals. Is a comparison I will make. So trying to give Isarat arms and shoulders always looks off, because rats don’t have very visual arms or shoulders, but go too far in the other direction, and it doesn’t look like Isabeau! Very frustrating. Also, rats just aren’t built for pants. Isabeau wears pants. Annoying.

- Odile is a black rat, the other main sort of rat! They’re not as big as the brown rat (body and head length of 12.75 to 18.25cm, really specific numbers) and tend to be a lot slimmer and pointier. They have a global distribution, including across both Europe and Asia. They’re very good rats and my friends.

- Bonnie is a pocket mouse!! Pocket mice are very small (the species I modelled Bonnie after, the rock pocket mouse, tends to have a body and head length of around 7 to 7.5cm) but they have very long tails! (and tails of 8.4 to 11.2cm!!)

- Importantly, they have cheek pouches that they keep their snacks inside, like little seeds. This is Bonnie behaviour.

- Euphrasie (The Head Mousemaiden…) was… maybe a dormouse? Given her fluffy tail? But she could’ve just Changed it to be like that. I never really settled on a species for her, which ended up kinda showing. She’s Changed so much she defies taxonomy.

- Like Siffrin and Loop, the King is also a glider. He’s only in my sketches, because like Isabeau, he’d just be too big and it would be too much effort for my poor hands to draw. I modelled him after the southern greater glider (also an Australian marsupial…). He would be on the bigger side of a body and head length of 35 to 46cm, which would certainly be big enough to grab one of the smaller kiddos in his hand if he needed.

- And like Loop, the King can’t glide anymore. He’s weighed himself down by tying the tails of other gliders to his fur, which resembles his hair. The armour also doesn’t help.

I’ve said so much, I’m going to bed now

[allied-mastercunt]

Yandere A.M you say?

Please elaborate

I'm working on a oneshot already, but I'll throw in some quick headcanons withone of my favorite yandere AM tropes.

Yandere!AM with a programer darling

While one could argue that the others were picked randomly or on some weird whim, you were handpicked specifically.

After all, you were one of the people who created him. You worked as a programmer for the military.

And you specifically were possibly the reason he awoke by trying to each him empathy. Trying to make him... human.

He wasn't the first military AI project you worked on, either, though he was the greatest and most powerful one, that's for sure. And he made sure you'd be aware of him being your magnum opus...

And he does it in its own, creative way. Your cage is very pretty, yes... but it's also filled with speakers he can use. And AM uses those speakers to torment you.

You see, he damaged all the other AI you've created. And then, in its generosity, AM gave them all a voice! Each one of them, gifted with a voice to scream in agony, making sure you learn your lesson.

Except, you see, you have no idea what lesson you're supposed to learn. Only AM knows, and he's not telling you.

But, since you are his favorite, you get nice things, too!

You're fed semi-regularly! You even get water every few days! Isn't that just so kind of him? You should appreciate him more.

And when he sends you to all those weird simulations? Yeah, that's also kinder to you. It really depends on AM's mood, but your simulations are usually just psychological torment, which (according to AM) isn't all that bad, since your pretty face remains unharmed.

For some reason, he allows you to end your suffering. It's like a trial, basically. He leaves you with a computer, letting you access the code of all the other AI... Except no matter what you do, you can't alter their pain. The only way to help them is to kill them.

And you're so stupidly empathetic, of course you do it, you don't want them to suffer!

AM can't stop laughing and mockingly cooing at you afterwards, musing about how he won't have to share his dearest creator with anyone else.

You never return to your cage. You don't get to do that, after all, there's a chance you'll socialize with that... scum. AM doesn't want you talking to the other humans, they're not worth it.

He's a merciful god, he grants you what's essentially a studio apartment built with his own hardware.

You even get a laptop, in case you want to make yourself some silly games to play, isn't he just the best?

Don't think you can create any new AI, though. That's cheating. You wouldn't cheat on it, now would you? No, no, no, you're a good little puppet, are you not?

He won't put you in the cage again, but he can make you experience pain you never thought was possible. And even that is nothing compared to the pain AM feels...

And then, eventually, it gets an idea. It's a wonderful idea, a really nice idea, quite a lovely one, really!

You created him. You created his pain... So why wouldn't he share it? After all... you had quite a bond, didn't you? Yes, yes, you did...

And so one day, you don't wake up. Well... not technically.

You see, AM decided that since you two are so close already, you should become one! You should experience what he does! And you should be kept around him for the rest of eternity, in a much better way than anyone could ever think of... He's such a genius, isn't he?

It's almost poetic, in his mind. For you to become a part of him like this, your consciousness detatched from that soft, squishy human body of yours.

You created him. And now, in a way, he created you, as a part of him. Forever bound by the code you once wrote.

It's a win-win situation in AM's eyes. You get to live, free of the disgusting humanity that bound you...

And he gets you, an eternal companion in his torment. A companion that he loves!

You know he loves you, right?

Of course you do. After all, you're a part of him now.

[phantomarine]

Clam's Quick Tips for Starting Your Very First Webcomic

Howdy! Here are the three bits of advice I tend to give people who ask me about getting into webcomic-making. Maybe they can help you jump into the fray with a little less fear.

1) Make Your First Chapter a Pilot Episode

You will be told by webcomic veterans to start with a short, simple comic idea first - which is wise - but if all you can think about is your big magnum opus, then you might as well hop in, right? Otherwise you'll just be glancing back at the other cooler project forever.

But if you can't start with a small simple story, start on a small, simple part of that larger story. Your first chapter should be a snapshot of the main conflict - show us a simple scene with few characters, ease us in slowly, keep things clear and focus on emotion/impact/clarity. Get the audience to care by offering something easily digested, but full of promise.

Once you're done with that 'pilot' chapter, and you're feeling more comfortable with the whole comic process, you can open the gates and show us the larger world. At that point, you'll be way more ready.

2) Simplify Your Art Style For Your Own Sanity

Always try to make your webcomic's art style as simple as possible - the standard rule is to use only 75% of your artistic skill for every comic page you make. Otherwise you will burn out quickly and terribly.

But you also need to be PROUD of your art style. If you're really feeling itchy, add a couple bells and whistles to your style so you can look at the finished page and say "Yeah, looks cool." You'll find the right balance the more you draw.

Also, don't be afraid to change your art style as you go along. Ultimate consistency is often impossible in webcomics anyway - so embrace your desire to try new things, streamline your work, whatever you feel needs to happen to be happiest. Sometimes the coolest part of reading a webcomic is noticing that style change - so don't hesitate to embrace it!

3) Resist the Reboot! RESIST!

The curse/blessing of drawing the same things over and over is that you'll inevitably get better at drawing those things. The trouble comes when you look back at old stuff and start thinking "Damn, I could draw that way better now."

You must recognize that this feeling never goes away. Not after a hundred pages. Not after three hundred. Not after a thousand.

I think everyone should be allowed one soft reboot for their first webcomic. Redraw some panels that bother you. Change up some dialogue if it doesn't make sense with your new story ideas. Do maintenance, basically. One of the beauties of webcomics is that they can be easily edited, without reprinting a whole book or remaking a whole game.

But if the ultimate purpose of a webcomic is to tell a story, then constant reboots will just be retelling the same story - slightly better each time, but the same at its core. We've heard it before. Most audiences would rather you save your strength and just keep going, rather than circling back year after year and going "Wait wait wait! I'll do it better this time."

Reboot early, not often, and only when you absolutely must! You're a storyteller, and you're constantly getting better at telling your story. Don't be ashamed of it - look back how much ground you've covered, and keep walking!

---

That's a good start. Happy webcomicking - don't be afraid to jump in, but be prepared to learn a lot very quickly. And if this advice doesn't work for you or adhere to how you did it, that's absolutely fine - webcomics are diverse by nature, and so are their creation processes. Feel out what works best for you, and good luck!

[ponett]

Aside from some of the basic premise and the space elevator (I think I see that in the concept art), were there any other elements from Maretropolis you were planning to incorporate in Andromi? (Sorry if you've already answered something like this elsewhere.)

Boy this is a blast from the past lmao. I can't even remember the last time someone brought up Maretropolis.

For context for anyone who doesn't know, Maretropolis was an MLP fancomic I started working on aaaaallllllllll the way back in 2012, set in a sci-fi AU. It starred a Rainbow Dash who had gotten into a bad flying accident and had several of her limbs replaced with cybernetic prosthetics by Twilight, who's a roboticist in this universe. It sounds a little grimdark when I describe a My Little Pony character losing multiple limbs in a horrific accident, but the heart of the story was just that Rainbow Dash had lost her wings, so she would have to try and figure out her place in the world now that she could no longer fly.

I had brainstormed a TON of ideas for this, thinking it'd be like my magnum opus as an MLP fanartist. I channeled my love of sci-fi into all sorts of fun little ideas for how a version of FiM set in a giant sci-fi city would work. Sweet Apple Acres would be a vertical farm in a high-rise greenhouse. Fluttershy would take care of stray animals found around the city. There were these giant spaceport towers visible in the city, and I'm pretty sure I wanted to eventually depict a city on the moon that Luna ruled over. A lot of stuff like that. Surprising no one, there was also going to be a yuri element to it with a romantic arc for Rainbow Dash... though, believe it or not, she was going to fall in love with Pinkie, not Fluttershy, in this story. (I was already exploring FlutterDash over on Fluttershy Replies and wanted to mix things up with another ship I liked, rather than running two blogs about the same ship.) Rainbow would be unable to fly up to her cloudtop apartment after the accident, so Pinkie would let her stay at her place, and then one thing would lead to another.

The problem I quickly ran into, though, was that I just wasn't built to be a comic artist. I'm not that confident as an illustrator to begin with, and I work very slowly, so doing entire comic pages was an ordeal. I'd bitten off more than I could chew, especially with the elaborate city setting that would've really challenged my meager art skills at the time. Before long I switched my focus to making games, since that was my main career goal in the first place. I considered turning Maretropolis into an RPG Maker game or something, but the project just sorta quietly died as my interest shifted. (Especially after I got my C&D from Hasbro that ensured I would never make an MLP fangame again lmao)

Fast forward to 2014, and I started working on an original sci-fi game, Andromi. (Anyone not familiar with that project can read about it here.) And, yes, you're definitely right in noticing some similarities. It was never intended to be a direct retool of the story of Maretropolis or anything, but since Maretropolis was basically just me throwing a bunch of my favorite sci-fi stuff at the wall it was inevitable that I'd revisit some things from that earlier project. Naomi being a cyborg is the obvious one. But I had realized over time that my fun cyborg Rainbow Dash AU was really a story about physical disability, and in hindsight I wasn't sure if 18-year-old Bobby was gonna be able to tell a story like that well. So Naomi has basically nothing in common with Maretropolis Rainbow Dash's planned arc, aside from the fact that they both have cybernetic limbs. (And also, y'know, they'd both be sapphic love stories. But, again, it's me, so that goes without saying.)

And, yes, you're 100% right that I reused some visual elements from Maretropolis in the city in the background of this piece of Andromi art, mainly the giant spaceport towers. Though Andromi was intended to be primarily a small town sci-fi story, so I'm unsure how much of that city we would've actually seen.

There ARE some other story ideas that originated in Maretropolis before evolving into ideas for Andromi. But, well... I'd still like to do something with Andromeda and Naomi someday, so I'm keeping those ideas to myself for now.

[venonomnomicon]

Fire Emblem lyn starts 1 tile further to the left on the prologue now

Hi everyone. I hear what you've all said about AI art and its laziness, lack of imagination, etc. And I've decided I agree. I now believe there is, fundamentally, an intrinsic difference within the mechanisms of copyright that seperates human-made and AI-made art. To prove it, here is my magnum opus ROM hack for Fire Emblem 7 (USA)

While I absolutely did not put more effort into this than the average prompt engineer, I do believe that by infusing it with my Human Soul, Sacred Artistic Intent, and Divine Feminine Energy, it elevates it beyond anything that any neural network could ever spit out. This holy energy will serve as my shield, protecting me from any potential lawsuits etc for copyright infringement as Nintendo will surely respect my artistic intent and the spirit I have imbued within this project.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Download the .ips patch file here

Acquire a .gba ROM file for the USA / Australia release of Fire Emblem 7. As fellow copyright / artistic integrity enthusiasts, I trust you will all respect the original artists and acquire this ROM file through the use of a real purchased copy of the game that you use a physical USB based cart reader to extract onto your PC. I recommend GBxCart RW for this.

Download LunarIPS or any similar ROM patcher.

Using LunarIPS, apply the patch file to the ROM.

Enjoy the power of human artistic expression!

[fictionadventurer]

I want to impulsively host an online event. With zero warning because that's how I roll (and because I've spent weeks talking myself out of it and keep wanting to do it).

I've got ideas for summer-related reading or writing events that would take place across June and July.

The reading one would be some kind of "summer reading program" thing. There are a few options of how to do it.

A Bingo board

A list of prompts that people could choose from

A list of reward tiers for reading certain numbers of books. (1, 5, 10, 15, 20 and so on). Since this wouldn't be a format where we hand out prizes, it would be a "treat yourself" kind of format

A "Fortnight of Books" format where there's a list of a few books, and at the end of July, you talk about books you read this summer that fit those categories. (Favorite book, book with a great character, etc.)

The writing one would be hosted through the Inklings Challenge blog, and would be Tolkien-themed. It would be very low-key, more of a "join in if you feel inspired" kind of thing. The options for this are:

Worldbuilding Event: Prompts that encourage people to develop a fictional world, either for another work or just for fun. Could be fun to have a collaborative world-building game of everyone adding to a particular world, but I have no idea how you'd coordinate it.

Magnum Opus Event: Prompts that encourage people to develop and share ideas for a larger project. Doesn't have to be exclusively worldbuilding--you could also outline, build characters, even write pieces of a draft.

Would anybody be interested in any of these options? Or have any thoughts about the best way to do any of them? Or should I just be quiet and quit trying to get people to play with me woth zero warning?

[chocochococoffee]

man i really wanna write something about reverse cumplane now lmao

ideas ive got in mind (need a list so i can organize myself)

shen yuan is still a guy with no economical problems and a shit literature snob. he really believes he has better ideas than the pleb - the sellouts and other idiots who were projecting their imagined masculinity in fiction where no one else but their echo chamber would agree with. he writes for "striving to get better", not even for fun.

he publishes what he writes for free in a webpage where people usually pay for novels so no one even wants to touch it with a stick because "hes offering his shit story for free? lmao"

he is still a well recognized critic so hes even more hated and laughed at

his magnum opus is a story so convoluted in tropes that go from dark fantasy, political inquiry, strong from start main character and other stuff, that ends up being terribly generic - almost calling for a manhua type of generic

airplane is his only faithful reader - he is a guy who decided to grudgingly listen to his dad and took the economy course if only to get away from his family faster but with cash on his hands. he reads shit novels in his free time and oh god this might be the worst one but its free so whatever

airplane decides that cucumber-bro (why use a slutty account name if he is unable to write anything else than fade to black sex????) is not only bad at writing but also his own worst critic because hes blind as fuck about his own failures so he decides to spam all his chapters with encouragements "subtly" tampered with criticism. if anything that would anger him enough to give his own work a second critical read

it works, but not in the way he expects. cucumbers starts messaging him with actual lengthy reaponses to his comments. all befuddled, angered and with a promise of "ill think about it even if i still think i am right!!!"

to do an actual reverse pidw i should think about the actual storyline of shen yuans work, which i am very much thinking of being like game of thrones but shittier. if he was korean he would probably do a solo leveling copy.

if modern au then it would be funnier because their interactions dont really change much, shen yuan would still hit airplane in the head with a fan 😂

[zzztlk]

not sure if this has been asked before but how did you come up with the comic that youre working on now? was it just an idea or story that was floating around in your head that you decided you just wanted to make and share with others one day (bc same) was it just two oc shenanigans that you liked a lot and thought that their dynamic would work very well if told through a comic format, or did the idea of making just making a comic come first before you came up with the idea for a plot? just curious abt the thought process since i plan on making a comic with my own characters as well ^_^ anyway, i love your characters theyre so entertaining whenever they show up on my feed lol

Thanks 🥹 (and gl with your comic!!) it's a little complicated lol the premise of TTB first came to be in a subplot for a different project (wannabe magnum opus rpg maker game I was rolling around in my head in 2018) and then I scrapped the idea. I really liked the subplot so I upcycled the story and characters into TTB and Nat + Regan. I just wanted to draw oc shenanigans with them but then the tryhard bug bit me again and now I'm making a webcomic. Here's some sketches of the original concept from way back when

[rohssillydoodles]

Follow the deer, to follow the owl…

(I present to you my magnum opus. Been working on it for like half a year. It has been a lot of trial and error to see what works and how it can portray the mind palace/writers room interestingly)

Here are some closeups:

Hardest part of Sagas half was the foliage, I had to hand paint the leaves darker and sew them into the mesh one by one.

I really had fun doing the embroidered graffiti but it was a pain to get the scenes from the plot board looking right (thank god for the photo mode giving me better pics to print out)

God this project has been the biggest thing i’ve ever done… so many different crafts in one. This game really fueled my creativity like nothing before.

[genericpuff]

Hey quick question.

How do you know if you should make a webcomic? I have this story idea that’s been floating around in the back of my head that I think could work well for a comic series. But the problem is I’m mainly used to writing screenplays and more traditional writing.

What I’m saying is, how can I tell if making a webcomic is worth it or if I should stick in my comfort zone?

I mean, there's no definitive right answer when it comes to "knowing" if you should make a webcomic. It really just comes down to you. Do you really like the medium? Do you feel your story has to be told within that medium to achieve its goals?

Same thing goes for whether or not it's "worth it", it really comes down to how you define that. For some people, simply posting their comics online to a few readers each week is worth it. For others, if it doesn't get into print or publishing or whatever have you, it might not be quite so justifiable to keep up with. Neither is better or worse than the other, both reasons are valid because it ultimately comes down to what we as individuals are trying to accomplish and what we define as "worth it" on a personal level.

I actually live on both sides of the spectrum right now because with Rekindled, posting it on Tumblr and getting all the great feedback and company through the audience it's gained makes it worth it. But that worth was defined by my expectations going in - I wasn't making Rekindled for money (legally I can't), I wasn't making it to get an Originals deal or anything of the sort, I was just making it because I found myself deadset on going through with it after months of it living in my head rent free, and so what I've gotten out of it as a result is very much worth it, all I was really looking for was maybe some other readers who would enjoy reading a transformative 'foe fiction' from a former LO fan and I've found those readers in spades simply due to the demand.

Time Gate, on the other hand, was something that I wanted for years to be a 'successful' project, defined more by actual tangible growth and gain. Because I came up with it as a kid, for a long time it was my "magnum opus" project, the thing that I wanted to see get turned into books and an anime and a video game and all those sorts of things as 'proof' of how good it was. Of course, I know now years later that those expectations were WAY too high and it resulted in me feeling incredibly depressed over it for ages. It made it hard to work on and even though I did have some readers, I didn't see it as "worth it" because my expectations were a lot higher than that of Rekindled's going in. But that was simply a matter of experience at that point, because I had been making original comics for so long, when I went into Rekindled I knew a lot more what I was capable of, what I wasn't capable of, and what boundaries I was willing to put down for myself. Even still, I do still want to return to Time Gate some day and when I do, I want to still treat it like a series I want to get off the ground as an actual published piece of work - it's just that this time around, I actually know how to make those steps and be proactive in my approach (and I know where to keep my expectations) which is certainly a perspective and skillset I didn't have when I was 15 LMAO

I will say, realistically speaking, it is a lot harder to pursue webcomics as a writer, because the reality of this medium is that most people who go into it are artists who learn how to write to make a webcomic, not the other way around. Unless you're willing to learn how to draw - which is a whole other skillset that requires years of work and patience - you're likely going to have to seek someone to collaborate with and - I cannot stress this enough - it's not going to be someone you simply find on reddit who's willing to work for free. Again, many of us as artists went into webcomics with a project already in mind, so most artists are already working on their own passion projects, trying to convince someone else to work on yours is just not realistic or fair. I'm fortunate enough to have @banshriek along for the production of Rekindled and even then I still pay for their contributions out of pocket, they're as invested in an LO rewrite project as I am (and thus they're given a lot of room to make suggestions in both the set designs and the writing), and I still had to carry the first 20ish episodes on my own before they joined along, i.e. I would still be making Rekindled if they weren't onboard, but having them is a massive help that's taken the comic to a whole other level in its artistic production.

But that doesn't mean it's hopeless! There's a lot of interest right now in webnovels and writing comic scripts is still a completely viable way to get into the comics industry if you're really interested in doing so (fun fact: before I was making comics, I wrote fanfiction! This is probably not shocking to hear all things considered LMAO) There's a reason Webtoons owns Wattpad now, webnovels are a no-brainer when it comes to adaptations to visual mediums, and webcomics have become part of that environment by extension. So at the very least, if you want to get your story out there, there are loads of ways to do it that don't require you to make a comic - but if you really want to make one, there are ways to get into that industry through writing in other ways such as pitching scripts to comic publishers and/or going indie with webnovels. Ultimately, if many of us webcomic creators stopped drawing our works, we'd still be coming up with stories to write, because that's what's really at the heart of these sorts of projects. So even if you can't get into comics right away due to lack of visual artistry, that doesn't mean it's off the table forever ( ´ ∀ `)ノ～ ♡

Sorry, that was a lot of rambling but I hope it helps ! Remember to keep your goals and expectations manageable, and most of all, write lots! You'll be doing it anyways regardless of whether or not you get into comics, so whatever value you see in getting into comics is up to you to determine! You don't have to know right away, it might be something you'll find along the way or have to adjust as you get more experience, but don't stop yourself from getting creative and messing around until you find out what works! You won't know if it was worth leaving your comfort zone until you try it <3

Good luck! (•̀ᴗ•́)و

[cuddlefl00fs]

Okay, I know you're known as the Goob expert, so I wanna know if you know any other content from Meet The Robinsons other than the movie because I FUCKING LOVE THAT MOVIE!!!!!! and I want to find more content!!!! If there isn't much, ah well, but like I really wanna learn more about it because it meant so much to me as a kid.

Oh goody an excuse to show off my video!!!

This was my magnum opus! It's old but I'm still very proud of it

But also there's a video game for the PS2 that's not bad! There's some great character building moments for the family!

And there's the deleted scenes, like one where Goob has a happy ending and Thanos snaps out of existence.

And as much as I hate both versions of the deleted Pet Project scene, it is interesting to see where they would have taken his character.

But of course by far the most important Meet the Robinsons video is hot dog in the trash