#the final product may come out completely different to the original image

[otiksimr]

Send me your characters. I wish to butcher them >:)

[bellamyroselia]

Stars somehow aligned and I managed write something Kid Icarus related; it's a sequel to these two ficlets because I lack originality.

...

There were many words Dark Pit would’ve never used to describe himself, one amongst them being ‘dreamer’. And it wasn’t just in a philosophical sense - besides him seeing himself as more of a realist, he rarely had any dreams while he was sleeping. He rarely dreamed and in those few times he did, he simply ended up recounting past events in his head. In general he dreamed of events that had happened to him specifically, but on occasion he got to see things in his dreams that he had never experienced. Those few times gave him an unique window to the past, Pit’s past in particular.

In a way, it made perfect sense for him to dream of these events - as Dark Pit wasn’t an unique product of love but rather a mirror image turned flesh without a real history before early teenage years, any memories he had of a past prior to his creation were those that Pit had actually experienced and lived through.

That didn’t mean he had to like it.

Dark Pit disliked being reminded of how he had no unique memories of his mother holding him, of his father helping him to take his first steps or of playdates with other children of his age. He hated the fact that every memory of moments like those he could sometimes glimpse at his dreams were Pit’s first and foremost, and only by technicality his as well. As grim as it sounded, one of the few things that brought Dark Pit solace was that Pit didn’t seem to remember their his mother either.

When Dark Pit had dreamed of the golden-haired man the first time, he thought that he may have seen his image somewhere before. Perhaps in a marble statue that lacked colors or in a mosaic which was devoid of details so he couldn’t be completely sure, but the man in his dream had felt both grand and important. Yet despite all that grandeur and importance, the man had devoted so much his time to take care of this one unassuming child. One would think someone so notable would have better things to do in their lives, but apparently Pit truly did matter that much to the man. So much so that even when he was battle-ready and donning the fanciest armor one could wear, he had first come to the young angel, hugged the toddler as if he was the most precious thing in his life and called himself lucky to have Pit in his life.

(Would anyone call themselves lucky to have me in their lives? Dark Pit wondered.)

He had to find out who the man he was dreaming of was.

For the weeks that followed, Dark Pit had hardly focused on anything else but in his mission. He had been so absorbed on his quest that he had took it upon himself to learn five new different alphabets in hopes of finding new clues of the mysterious man’s identity. The process had been long and painstaking, and lot of it had been for naught at the end - two of the alphabets turned out to be no longer in use, third one was in the verge of extinction and the fourth one was the alphabet of foreigners and therefore useless to him, but the last of them proved useful to him in his research. As Dark Pit skimmed through various texts, his originally hazy vision of the man became much clearer and his suspicions of his identity were starting to rise. Towards the end of his research he had actually wanted to just steal the Lightning Chariot and go directly to the Queen of all gods herself, but he knew better than to do that. The Queen would never listen to him without solid evidence to back his words, and currently all of it existed just in the heads of two angels and maybe one goddess. No, what he needed to do now was to go to Pit and finally set the records straight. If Dark Pit was having dreams like this, surely the other angel must’ve had them as well and for whatever reason was keeping them a secret. And that simply couldn’t be tolerated any longer.

…

Pit was by himself in the temple outskirts, lost in daydreams and in the verge of dozing off when his pleasant time was all the sudden interrupted by someone loudly slamming a door. Shocked, he quickly rose up to look who had caused all that commotion and was surprised to find Dark Pit there; even when he was at his surliest, the other angel tended not to slam doors in this kind of manner. And now he seemed surlier than ever, even to the point of Pit being taken aback by the other angel’s displeased expression. 

“Pittoo, what’s wrong?” Pit asked, concern clear in his voice. Just what had happened for Dark Pit to be in such a foul mood today?

“Don’t play coy with me, you know exactly what’s wrong”, Dark Pit spat right back to him, clearly not caring of Pit’s attempts to be polite. “Who is he?”

“Who?” Pit responded to Dark Pit’s question with a question of his own, confused by what the other angel meant.

“You know exactly who I’m talking of! Golden hair, tall as all get out, wings as mighty as those of an eagle, fancy armor. You know who he is, don’t you?”

A lump rose to Pit’s throat. Dark Pit already knew of the dreams he had been having? Of course he knows, Pit resonated with himself, My childhood is technically his childhood as well. If one of us remembers something from it, the other isn’t far behind. There really was no point of hiding anything anymore and there was much that Pit wanted to tell, but at the end only one word found its way out of his mouth.

“Dad”, was all Pit was able to say, but it was enough to make Dark Pit flinch and then back off a little. All he said was what he thought of as truth, so why had the the angel reacted in such a way?

“Dad?” he repeated Pit’s words, oddly unsure of himself. “Is it true? Are you certain?”

“Well, I’m pretty sure of that he is. Who else besides our dad would do anything–”

“Oh, so now he’s OUR dad?”

Pit flinched upon hearing Dark Pit’s words. Only now did he seem to understand how badly he had screwed up by keeping everything under wraps; it wasn’t just about who his father was to him anymore, it was about what he meant to people around him. He had had a life long before Pit was a part of it, and the people who knew his father continued exist long after his disappearance.

“Dark Pit, please listen”, Pit started, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier and it was stupid of me to think that you wouldn’t also know… At first I didn’t even know myself who he was and when I became sure of that it really was dad I wasn’t sure if the time was right, Lady Palutena may think–”

Dark Pit didn’t even give him time to finish his sentence as he grabbed Pit’s wrist, fire burning in his red eyes.

“Lady Palutena this, Lady Palutena that, what of OUR feelings? What of OUR dad? Are you really just letting him rot somewhere while dealing with HER endless list of petty problems first?” he now snarled at Pit, his sense of judgment blurred by the pent up vexation.

“But if Medusa’s attack somehow affected him–”

“No way it could’ve done anything to him!” Dark Pit once again interrupted him, “You really think they would’ve ever allowed an angel to wear that fancy armor? Good grief with you Pit, think for yourself for once! Clearly dad wasn’t all that lucky to have you if you’re just standing here doing nothing to help him!”

That last sentence especially hit a nerve, and in a fit of frustration Pit pulled his hand away from the other angel’s grasp. Just like that time long ago when Palutena had told him that his father wasn’t returning, Pit was starting to become misty-eyed but this time he didn’t let the tears fall. Dark Pit, who at this point had calmed down a bit, seemed to realize how hurtful his words had been and took couple steps back with a remorseful look on his face.

“Don’t put words into dad’s mouth”, was all Pit managed to say back at the other angel. He had come far from that helpless toddler who had cried on Palutena’s arms, but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t bothered of what had happened to his father. Of course he wished to find out the truth and finally get some closure but as there always seemed to be new threats lurking just around the corner, timing never felt right.

“Dad wore that armor because he was fighting for a cause. Lady Palutena too was shocked when he didn’t return…”

“Who cares of Palutena’s opinion”, Dark Pit huffed, a hint of bitterness remaining in his voice. Wishing for the calm before storm to be finally over, he grabbed Pit’s hand once again and started to lead the other angel towards the main building of the temple.

“Wait Pittoo, where are we going?” Pit asked.

“To set things straight with Palutena”, Dark Pit replied. “What, would you like us to go to the Queen herself instead?”

Pit blinked slowly when he heard the other angel mention the Queen. There were few things he knew of the Queen, and one of them was that she rarely if ever had time for people other than her family and servants. To hear Dark Pit talk of her in such bold manner was surprising - did he really think that the Queen would ever give a time of day to them?

“But what does the Queen have to do with any of this?” Pit wondered, not understanding why the other angel had even bothered to bring her up.

“Do you think that a mother could ever forget her child’s eyes?” Dark Pit answered to his question with a one of his own. “Do you think she would still recognize them even if another person bore them?”

Whatever fight was still left in Pit fizzled out in an instant as he heard those words, and so did all the questions that he had wanted ask just moment prior. Only one thing was certain now, and it was that Lady Palutena would have lot to explain.

[theinstagrahame]

Time again for the Crowdfunding Haul post!

(And I guess another amateurish product photo shoot)

This one's feels slightly different because this is all stuff I pre-ordered, crowdfunded, or otherwise got prior to being laid off at the end of June (so it'd be real nice if people bought some games from me). Coincidentally a dozen or so of them happened to come to completion around June-July of 2023, some of them.

Here's what came in: Top row: Monster of the Week: Codex of Worlds, Runecairn Bestiary, CBR+PNK, Miru and Miru II (or MIIRU)

Middle row: Ritual: A Folk Horror Game, Plant Girl Game, and A Dungeon Game

Bottom row: Sleeping Heart of the Garden, Hard Wired Island: Tales from L5, Broken Heart of the Castle, the Moss Mother's Maze (for a Dungeon Game), and Null

Why I'm hyped for these:

Monster of the Week: Codex of Worlds: MotW is a hugely influential game, but also it is a lot of fun. So it's really hard to pass up an expansion. I've also been noticing a trend of bringing Forged in the Dark-style group sheets to PbtA games, which I think is an interesting one.

Runecairn Bestiary: Who doesn't love a good monster manual? Runecairn is a beautiful game, and the marketing for the bestiary supplement worked on me. Incredible art, stats for monsters. One of the things I've felt is missing from some solo games is a good sense of monsters you can encounter, and this fills that gap nicely.

Miru and Miru II: I was intrigued by Miru and picked up a copy on Itch. I haven't read it yet, but the premise and the art definitely grabbed me. I was a little sad that I'd missed the initial print run, so when there was a crowdfunder for a reprint *and* a sequel, how could I not?

Ritual: A Folk Horror Game: World Champ Game Co is one of several Indie designers that never miss. It also comes with a small deck of ritual cards with really visceral and cool images that I think adds a ton to the game. That said, I am also a huge sucker for limited edition print runs... So when I saw there may only be a handful of these available, well, I jumped.

Plant Girl Game: I learned about this one on @partyofonepod, and was so intrigued by the game, and the creator, and the world that it proposed that I had to know more. It's a game focused on family, on community, and on peaceful resolutions to small-town problems. So it's definitely an odd one out on this list, but the ways in which it's different are also one of the reasons I so love TTRPGs.

A Dungeon Game and the Moss Mother's Maze: I followed the evolution of Bissette's A Dragon Game into A Dungeon Game on Twitter, from shitpost to full-fledged game. It was really fun to watch, and to skim the Designer's Commentary on the original ADG. So, when I heard there'd be an adventure module (aaaand again a limited print run for the main game...) I leapt on it as fast as my email could carry me.

Sleeping Heart of the Garden and Broken Heart of the Castle: I've followed a few of the creators involved in this project on Twitter for a while, and generally was intrigued to see what they could do with a system-agnostic adventure. I was surprised by the size when they arrived, because you get to expect the half-page zine format. But I think these books are beautiful and I can't wait to explore them.

Hard Wired Island: Tales from L5: HWI is a stunning piece of TTRPG content, and I've been wanting to dig into the world further. So, a collection of short adventures? Hell yeah! It even came with a really catchy little soundtrack, the final track for which I think about all the time when considering Cyberpunk content...

Null: Everything Spencer Campbell puts out just shreds. I did nearly sleep on Null, but I was intrigued by the recent trend of Play-to-Lose games that I've seen coming out lately. There is something kind of powerful about going into a game knowing your character won't come out, which I think allows you to make different decisions. I was interested to see where this game fit into Campbell's catalog, as well as into my own play style.

CBR+PNK: Been getting into Forged in the Dark stuff lately. I also nearly let this one pass me by, when I'd heard that it was aimed at one-shot games. But, I was still intrigued to see what could be done with Cyberpunk in the FitD framework (and besides, maybe there's a way an enterprising designer could campaigns in there...). I was glad I picked it up, because I started playing games with some friends over Discord, and I was able to pitch this. We've been enjoying it. It's even serving really well as a prequel to the Beam Saber campaign we're planning (Also really convenient that it arrived before we finished the one-shot). Besides, the physical edition did turn out really nicely:

Bonus game-related stuff:

I picked up Inhuman Conditions (right) because I'd heard it on Friends at the Table. It seems like an extremely fun game, but also the Sangfielle campaign episode(s) where they play it are ones that I think about a lot. Also, one of the things I love about FatT is their ability to wield the power of play to do incredibly powerful things.

The Tears of the Kingdom Strategy Guide I kinda wanted less because I was stuck or wanted tips on playing TotK, but because the bundle I got for my Switch and Breath of the Wild came with one, and I kinda wanted to put both on the shelf. Zelda has been one of those series that I've always had throughout my life, so I've got a lot of emotional investment. The two strategy guides are beautiful, and I will probably end up skimming through it when I've gotten through the main game.

[filmproductioninabudhabi]

Benefits of Renting a Photography Studio in Dubai

Improve Your Photography Skills with Studio Rentals in Dubai

Photography is an infinitely versatile art form, but the perfect setting may make all the difference. Finding the ideal location for your shoot might be difficult in Dubai. This is where photography studio rentals come in. Let's look at the different benefits of renting photography studio in Dubai and how it can take your creative activities to new heights.

The Advantages of a Dedicated Place

When renting a photography studio in Dubai, you receive more than simply a space; you get a creative oasis—not looking for places or dealing with uncertain weather conditions. With a separate studio, you have complete control over the environment, allowing you to concentrate only on getting that perfect shot. 

Limitless Opportunities for Creativity

Whether you're a seasoned professional or a new photographer, having access to a fully equipped studio opens you to a world of creative possibilities. The only limit is your imagination, whether you're experimenting with different lighting setups or designing complicated sets. With a photography studio rental in Dubai, you can bring your vision to life without limitations.

Professional Equipment at Your Fingertips

One of the most significant benefits of renting a photography studio is access to a wide range of equipment. Say goodbye to bringing out heavy equipment or making do with inferior materials. Many studios provide various equipment, such as quality cameras, lenses, lighting gear, and props, ensuring you have all you need for a successful photo shoot.

Flexibility to Meet Your Needs

The correct location is essential to organizing a fashion shot, product photography, or portrait session. With photography studio rentals in Dubai, you can choose studios that meet your unique needs. There is something for everyone, from tiny locations for solo shots to spacious studios for massive projects.

Professional Support and Guidance

Renting a photography studio provides not just space and equipment; it also provides you with support and expertise. Many studios offer assistance from qualified professionals who can guide you through the challenges of studio photography, such as setting up complex lighting arrangements and creating an appropriate atmosphere for your photoshoot.

Networking Opportunities

Renting a photography studio allows you to connect with others with similar interests while also opening the door to new collaborations and partnerships. Whether you're interacting with other photographers, models, or clients, the chances for growth and exposure are limitless.

Flexibility and Convenience

Photography studio rentals in Dubai allow you to adapt to any situation. Whether you need to extend your reservation, reschedule a photo shoot, or make at the last minute changes, most studios have flexible booking options to meet your needs.

Affordable Solution

Owning a photography studio could require a significant investment, from equipment to overhead costs. Renting a studio in Dubai is affordable, allowing you to enjoy premium facilities without breaking the bank. Whether you're a freelance photographer or a small business owner, renting a studio is an excellent option.

Improve Your Brand Image

Renting a photography studio in Dubai improves the quality of your work and your brand image. Your professionalism and attention to detail create confidence in your clients and differentiate you from the competition.

Finally, renting a photography studio in Dubai is more than simply a practical option; it provides access to limitless creativity and opportunity. The benefits of having a dedicated space and access to expert equipment and support are prominent. So, why wait? Improve your photography skills today with an Action Filmz studio rental and reach your goals.

Original Source: https://filmproductioninqatar.wordpress.com/2024/05/08/benefits-of-renting-a-photography-studio-in-dubai/

[josephsimon]

Mastering the Art of Subtle Retouching | Enhancing Photos without Going Overboard

In the world of photo retouching, the concept of subtlety holds great significance. It is an art form that requires finesse and a delicate touch to enhance photos while maintaining their natural beauty. Subtle retouching techniques allow us to refine images without going overboard, resulting in a final product that is visually appealing and authentic. In this article, we will explore the art of subtle retouching and discuss techniques to enhance photos without losing their essence.

Embrace the Power of Minimalism: When it comes to subtle retouching, less is often more. Resist the temptation to overdo corrections or alterations. Instead, focus on identifying minor imperfections that can be gently addressed without altering the overall integrity of the image. This approach ensures that the final result appears more authentic and true to the original subject.

Enhance, Don't Transform: The goal of subtle retouching is to enhance the existing features of a photo, not to completely transform it. Retouching should complement the subject, highlighting their natural beauty rather than altering their appearance beyond recognition. Pay attention to details such as enhancing the eyes, smoothing skin texture, or subtly adjusting the lighting to bring out the best in the image.

Preserve Texture and Details: One of the key elements of subtle retouching is preserving the texture and details within the photo. Avoid excessive smoothing or blurring that can result in an artificial and plastic-like appearance. Instead, use techniques such as frequency separation or targeted adjustments to retain the natural texture and fine details while minimizing any distractions or blemishes.

Focus on Natural Skin Retouching: When retouching portraits, it's essential to approach skin retouching with a light hand. Strive for a natural-looking result that preserves the individual's unique characteristics. Softening minor skin imperfections, reducing redness, and minimizing distractions such as stray hairs or blemishes are all part of the subtle retouching process. Remember, the goal is to enhance, not to completely eradicate natural features.

Maintain the Integrity of the Environment: Subtle retouching extends beyond the subject itself. Pay attention to the environment surrounding the subject and make subtle adjustments to ensure it complements the overall composition. This may involve removing distracting elements or adjusting the lighting and colors to create a harmonious blend with the subject. The idea is to enhance the overall visual impact while maintaining the integrity of the scene.

Exercise Restraint in Color Correction: Color correction plays a crucial role in subtle retouching. Avoid excessive saturation or dramatic color shifts that can make the image appear unnatural. Instead, focus on subtle adjustments to enhance the existing colors, balance tones, and create a cohesive look that complements the overall mood and atmosphere of the photo.

Utilize Adjustment Layers and Masks: To maintain flexibility and control over your retouching edits, make use of adjustment layers and masks. Adjustment layers allow you to make non-destructive changes, enabling you to fine-tune and modify your edits as needed. Masks, on the other hand, provide selective control over where your adjustments are applied, allowing you to target specific areas while leaving others untouched.

Seek Feedback and Refine: Subtle retouching requires a discerning eye and an understanding of the desired outcome. Seek feedback from others, such as fellow photographers or clients, to gain different perspectives and insights. This feedback can help you refine your retouching techniques and ensure that the final result aligns with your intended vision.

Practice Patience and Attention to Detail: Subtle retouching is a process that requires patience and attention to detail. Take your time to analyze the image and identify areas that can benefit from slight enhancements. Carefully assess the impact of each adjustment and strive for a cohesive and natural look throughout the retouching process.

Develop Your Style: While subtle retouching techniques adhere to certain principles, they also allow for individual creativity and style. As you master the art of subtle retouching, develop your unique approach that aligns with your creative vision. Experiment with different techniques, tools, and adjustments to create a signature style that sets your work apart.

Mastering the art of subtle retouching involves striking a balance between enhancement and preservation. By embracing minimalism, enhancing rather than transforming, preserving texture and details, focusing on natural skin retouching, maintaining the integrity of the environment, exercising restraint in color correction, utilizing adjustment layers and masks, seeking feedback, practicing patience and attention to detail, and developing your style, you can achieve remarkable results that enhance photos without going overboard. Remember, subtlety can have a profound impact on the final outcome, allowing the true beauty of the subject and the image to shine through.

Author: Joseph Simon, 3D Artist @cuttingedger

[ayejayque]

Making objective decisions through decision support systems (DSS)

When the question of intelligent decision-making crops up, it is not wise to rely too much on automatic decisions. These decisions originate from some form of perception or even a flood of bombarded information. This information comes to us from all sides and sometimes it can be misleading too. There are times when one is unable to take notice or pinpoint vital information that can be positively used for decision-making. This might be because of bias on our part, or even the lack or shortage of time, funds, or any other resources. It is not wise to take a risky path where organizational decision-making takes place. The reasons are evident. One bad decision can make everything go haywire. The areas that can be affected are the sanctity of the brand, financial strength, the image of the brand, and the product lifecycle. There are times when one is not able to use the fundamentals of economics, statistics, and operations research to make articulate decisions. To indulge in intelligent decision-making, you require some form of a knowledge-based system. This is the domain of the decision support systems (DSS). It is an IT-based system that aids you in the areas of planning, manufacturing, operating, and managing. This is based on the information that you already have. These systems are not the final decision-makers. They help in objective decision-making only. This is done by providing insights that you may have overlooked and providing precise calculations. The final decision maker is the management, which is comprised of humans. For instance, if someone needs to come up with a supply chain movement regimen. How will this be done? A decision support system will analyze the inventory stock as well as the movement for production. On the basis of the available data, it compares how different decisions fared in the past. This will create clarity in the user’s mind. This will help to come up with a supply chain regimen that actually works! Another scenario could be the optimizing of sales. How will this be done? The way to do it is to make assumptions, collect and compile data, verify the facts and figures, generate relevant reports, observe the patterns, and eventually come up with an intelligent decision. If all this is done manually, it is virtually impossible to ascertain the mistakes along the way. A DSS will gather and assess the data, and make intelligent guesstimates based on the monitoring of the existing patterns. It saves time by speeding up the whole procedure. It also gives you insights to maximize your sales. How does a Decision support system (DSS) work? We know what a DSS is. Let us discover how it actually works. A DSS is: - A computer application or a program - It compiles, combines, and analyzes raw data, documents, social science fundamentals, applied science techniques, and mathematical formulae coupled with managerial science. The decision maker’s personal knowledge. - It pinpoints the issues and comes up with the relevant solutions - The main purpose of the DSS is to help in optimal decision making The DSS is a computer application. It has complete access to information about your organization. It gives you comparative figures between any two points - between one period and the next. It gives you projected figures on the basis of expectations regarding product sales. A DSS is intelligent. It helps you to figure out the expenses as well as the consequence of the assorted decision alternatives. A DSS helps to overcome all barriers and apprehensions. These include: - A shortage of experience - A neutral way of treating decisions on merit - A scarcity of time - Erroneous calculations - No alternatives are overlooked DSS – A short history The DSS journey began in the late 60s. The first DSS was model-driven. The 70s brought in development in the realm of the DSS. Come the 80s and we see spreadsheet based DSS, systems for financial planning, and group DSS. From the 80s till the 90s, we came across newer concepts like business intelligence, data warehousing, ODSS (Organization Decision Support System), and EIS (Executive Information System). The 90s saw the advent of the knowledge-based and web-based DSS. The DSS can be classified as: Model-driven DSS This was based on quantitative models. It was confined to limited data only. It was based on the manipulation of financial models. This kind of model-driven DSS was used for production planning, scheduling, and general management. It provided all sorts of basic functionality to businesses involved in manufacturing. Data-driven DSS This type of DSS was based on the access and handling of data which was customized for specific tasks with the aid of generic tools. It also provided basic functionality to businesses. Time-series data were primarily used in it. A range of situations was supported in terms of decision-making. Communication-driven DSS This DSS put to good use the communication as well as network technologies for easing decision-making. The additional feature of this DSS was that it used collaboration and communication. New tools like digital bulletin boards, audio, and video conferencing were introduced. Document-driven DSS This is a large kind of DSS. It has a storage capacity to accommodate documents, images, sounds, videos, and hypertext documents. A primary search engine was also a part of it. This enabled easy searching. The stored information could comprise basic facts & figures, some historical data, all minutes of meetings, product catalogs, business correspondences, and product specifications. Knowledge-driven DSS This kind of DSS has a problem-solving specialization. Artificial intelligence is coupled with the cognitive capabilities of humans in this DSS. This is the basis of information that can suggest doable actions to the end-users. These systems have proficiency in a specific area. Web-based DSS This, latest kind of DSS is the most developed one around. It uses the www and internet to be driven. The development is still happening as internet technology is advancing. Initially, the idea behind DSS was swift and speedy decision-making. As the system developed and advanced, the onus moved to interactive computer-based systems. These computer-based systems could use data and in light of them, offer insights to solve ill-organized issues. With the passage of time, the definition, design, intelligence, and scope of DSS kept developing. The latest DSS is more complex and is equipped to handle complex decisions. DSS technology is widely used in security, military, manufacturing, medicine, business, and engineering. This is extremely useful where precision is required. Relevant knowledge can be accessed by mixing all forms & sources of information and by the helping cognitive deficiencies of humans. DSS uses AI to address issues. It should never be overestimated. It helps by comparing figures or even a mix of prescribed techniques. The decision in the end stays with humans. DSS categories Let us have a look at the categories of DSS. This is based on the nature of operations: - File drawer system: This type of DSS provides help for making precise decisions. It is structured like a file drawer. Assorted kinds of information are kept under different names or groups. - Data analysis system: This DSS is formula-based. It is primarily used for comparative analysis. Simple data processing tools like inventory analysis are used. - Information analysis system: This DSS processes assorted kinds of data. This is done to frame informational reports. These reports need to assess all situations that are used for making decisions. - Accounting and financial support system: This DSS is primarily for keeping track of finances as well as inventory. - Representation or solver model: This is to address a particular problem. Calculations and inferences help frame the many decision paths. The end-user can do a ‘what if’ analysis. This will help him/her to make intelligent decisions on the basis of the generated outcomes. - Optimization model: Stimulated models are the basis for this DSS. They give guidelines for managing operations. The areas focused on by this DSS can be scheduling jobs, product mix, material mix decisions, and so on. - Suggestion system: This DSS helps in suggesting the best possible decision for a specific situation. This is done by collecting and structuring data. Categorization of DSS on the Basis of Inputs - DSS - Text oriented - DSS - Database oriented - DSS - Spreadsheet oriented - DSS - Rule oriented - DSS - Solution (specific situation) oriented - Compound/Hybrid: The combination of two or more from the list above. This way, multiple functionalities are offered. Categorization of DSS - On the basis of support offered - DSS, which is personal - DSS, which is group based - DSS, which is organizational Categorization of DSS - On the basis of types - Institutional DSS: This DSS supports repeated decisions on an ongoing basis. This is primarily for programmed decisions, which are frequent. These decisions could be making a routine for handling technical issues, manufacturing units, taking disciplinary actions, or even a mechanical process of troubleshooting. - Ad-hoc or interim DSS: This DSS supports a particular kind of decision in a given situation. This is problem specific. This is for non-programmed decisions. This is because usually, the information available is not complete. Parts of a DSS A DSS has its components and development phases. All kinds of DSS are planned around the following components: - Input: What type of input is required? It can be rules, problems, texts, spreadsheets, or even database oriented. - User expertise: Determine if the inputs need a manual analysis by the user or otherwise. - Output: Determine if the outcomes are comparative or even generic. - Decisions: Determine if you need a simple suggestion or a data and outcome analysis. How to design and build a DSS

The development of a DSS is a tedious and complex process. Three stages make up the whole process. They are inputs, activities, and outputs. These are the same for all stages of the system development lifecycle. Provide input, conduct the activity, and see and measure the output. If the output is not correct, tweak the input phase and adjust the parameters. A DSS framework design and development has the following stages: Intelligence

Here, the aim is to look out for problems that require decisions. A business is expected to pinpoint and define the context of the problem under the spotlight. Objectives and the resources at hand need to be highlighted. With this, the outcomes will be according to your expectations. Design

All possibilities are weighed with the pros and the cons assessed. This is where the design and construction commence. Components, the platform, libraries that function, and languages need to be determined. This is based on a prototype approach. Hardware requirements are also identified. This is where the development starts. Choice When all possibilities have been assessed, this is the step that helps you make the best possible choice. It is dependent on the size of the business objectives and the results sought by the business. Implementation This is an important stage. This is the time for testing, evaluation, adjustments, and eventual deployment. This is more or less finalized but it can be adjusted, upgraded, and refined as it progresses. The factors to keep in mind when developing a custom DSS - Functions that manage data - The hardware platforms at the disposal - The user interface - Compatibility with existing applications - Price/cost A DSS impacts your bottom line. It should be tailored to meet your specific needs. The implementation should be error-free. Read the full article

[zvkydesign]

5 Character Design Tips for Creating a Winning Game  Character

Are you an aspiring artist looking to make your mark in the world of character design? Or maybe you're a writer who wants to add a little pizzazz to your latest story by creating some amazing characters?

Either way, this guide is for you! Character design can be incredibly rewarding, allowing you to bring your unique vision to life. Let's dive into the steps involved in designing a character that is used by top game concept art services.

Step 1 - Brainstorming

The first step in character design is brainstorming. To begin, ask yourself questions like "What kind of character do I want to create?" and "What sort of qualities should my character have?" After you've come up with some ideas, start sketching out potential designs.

Don't worry if they don't look great at first – the goal here is just to get your imagination flowing and get a rough idea of what your character will look like in the end.  

Step 2 - Refining Your Design

Once you've got a few sketches on paper, it's time to do the fun part – refining! This is where you'll really start bringing your character to life. Think about how each design element interacts with one another and how that contributes to their overall look.

Consider elements such as facial expressions, clothing choice, posture and more to give them depth and personality. As you refine your design, remember that every detail matters – even seemingly small things like hairstyle or accessories can go a long way toward creating an interesting and unique character.

Step 3 - Find the Right Tools

When it comes to creating artwork, the tools you use don’t necessarily make or break your success. In most cases, you can accomplish the same outcomes utilizing both traditional and digital mediums – the only difference is the production speed.

It is possible to replicate certain art styles like watercolors on a computer, but they often look best in their original luster. Ultimately, your aesthetic preference and that of your client will heavily influence what tools you decide on.

That being said, no matter how advanced your equipment may be, it cannot compensate for poor concept development or fundamental shortcomings in your artistic skill set. So it is important to hone those skills first and foremost!

Step 4 - Do not underestimate thumbnails

Thumbnails are an important babbling point for creatives. From small previews of images or videos on the internet to sketches in the traditional illustration world, they are useful tools for professionals and hobbyists alike.

Thumbnail sketches allow a video game concept artist to draw out several ideas without committing to a finished piece of artwork. This ensures flexibility when moving through creative processes.

Step 3 - Creating Your Final Piece

Now that you've refined your design, it's time to create your piece! Start by drawing out each individual element of your character (such as clothing items or facial features) separately before putting them together into one cohesive image.

If needed, use reference images to help perfect certain details or get inspiration from other artists' work. When you're done, take a step back and admire all the hard work that went into creating your very own unique character!  

Conclusion

Congratulations on completing this guide on how to design a character! You now have all the tools necessary to create any type of character imaginable – so what are you waiting for? Get creative and show off those skills!

Whether it's for a comic book series or just for fun, designing characters can be incredibly rewarding when done right. So go ahead – get designing! Who knows? Maybe someday we'll see your characters featured in their own stories! Good luck!

Try us now if you are looking for the best concept art services. We have the dream team of artists for game art services that can put your concept to life. Trust us; we are the best among video game outsourcing companies.

[yourgodghosty]

ART COMMISSION DETAILS:

How to order!!! :

Step 1. Pick a style!!

I can do many different styles, so go ahead and pick which one you want me to complete the commission in! They are numbered from 1 to 5. If you would like to look at my portfolio to see if there is some other style I can do that you would like the commission completed you may! My portfolio is on my koji, listed at the bottom of the post.

Step 2. Pick which kind you want!

Flat color comes with line art by default, shading comes with flat color and line art by default, and then there's the all with background, which comes with line art, flat color, and shading by default. Refer to the picture above for information.

Step 3. Start the commission!!

Payment must come BEFORE I start any work!! I'm all for keeping in touch during the process if there is something you don't like, we can fix it

Step 4. The final product!!

Enjoy! If you are unhappy with your piece then there is not much I can do since I DO NOT give refunds! So please be sure to let me know during the process.

Pricing!!:

The chart on the commissions image shows how much it costs for everything. Payment must be through cash app. If you want a piece with multiple characters the price is the original ×2, minus 25% of the original cost. So for example, if you wanted a fully shaded with background and an extra character it would be $26 (the original price) + $19.50 (for the extra character) making the whole thing $45.50.

What I will draw!!:

- OC's

- Fanart

- Semi-nudity

And more!! If your curious just ask!!

What I won't draw!!:

- Animals

- Furries

- NSFW

- Extreme detail

If I feel uncomfortable with a request I have the right to turn it down! Again, if your unsure about a request, just ask!

With all commissions I hold the right to post it on social media and put it in my portfolio! When purchased, this DOES NOT mean you can say this is your own art and it DOES NOT mean you can resell it as a crypto currency or NFT. If you make it your pfp or banner or something on social media all I ask is that you give credit!

If your at all interested, reach out to me on here or via Instagram, Twitter, or Discord. My socials are on my koji:

https://koji.to/YourGodGhosty

[bananaofswifts]

Taylor Swift Turns on a Facsimile Machine for the Ingenious Recreations of ‘Fearless (Taylor’s Version)’: Album Review

Swift recreates her entire 2008 album literally down to the last note, then gives herself room for stylistic latitude on six never-before-recorded "vault" tracks.

By Chris Willman

Swift recreates her entire 2008 album literally down to the last note, then gives herself room for stylistic latitude on six never-before-recorded "vault" tracks.

There is no “best actress” award at the Grammys, perhaps for obvious reasons, but maybe there should be this coming year. And the Grammy would go to… Taylor Swift, for so persuasively playing her 18-year-old self in “Fearless (Taylor’s Version),” her beyond-meticulous recreation of the 2008 recording that did win her her first album of the year trophy back in the day. It’s impossible to overstate just how thoroughly the new version is intended as an exact replica of the old — all the way down to her startling ability to recapture an untrained teen singing voice she’s long matured and moved on from. It’s a stunt, to be sure, but a stunt for the ages — mastering the guile it takes to go back to sounding this guileless.

There are two different, very solid reasons to pick up or stream “Taylor’s Version,” regardless of whether you share her ire for the Big Machine label, whose loose ways with her nine-figure catalog precipitated this, the first in a six-album series of remakes where she’ll be turning on the facsimile machine. One is to marvel at her gift for self-mimicry on the album’s original tracks, where she sounds as possessed by her younger self as Regan ever was by Pazuzu. The other reason is, of course, to check out the six “vault” numbers that Swift wrote during that time frame but has never released before in any form, which dispenses with stylistic fealty to the late 2000s and frames her “Fearless”-era discards in production and arrangements closer to “Folklore.” Those half-dozen (kind of) new tracks really do sound like modern Taylor Swift covering her old stuff.

But those original lucky 13? It’s the same damn record… which is kind of hilarious and marvelous and the kind of meta-ness that will inspire a thousand more think-pieces than it already has, along with possibly efforts at forensic analysis to figure out how she did it.

It would not be surprising if, as we speak, Big Machine was putting a combined team of scientists and lawyers on the case of the new album’s waveform readouts, to make sure it’s not just the original album, remixed. Honestly, it’s that close. The timings of the songs are all within a few seconds of the original tracks, if not coming in at exactly the same length. The duplication effort doesn’t allow any detours. If “Forever and Always” had a cold open then, it’s going to have a cold open now. If the 2008 “That’s the Way I Love You” had slamming rock guitars with an almost subliminal banjo being plucked beneath the racket, so will the 2021 “That’s the Way I Loved You.” A drum roll to end the old “Change”? A drum roll to end its body-snatcher doppelganger. And if she chuckled before the final chorus of “Hey Stephen” 13 years ago, so will that moment be cause for a delighted giggle now.

Of course, much analysis will be put into whether the new laugh is a more knowing-sounding laugh. And that will be part of the fun for a certain segment of audiophile Swifties who will go looking for the slightest change as evidence of something meaningful. When “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)” first came out weeks back to preview the album, there were reviews written that swore she’d subtly changed up her phrasing to put a contemporary spin on the song. And maybe they were right, but, having done a fair amount of A/B testing of the two versions of the album, I found myself feeling like I do when vinyl buffs insist there are significant sonic differences between the first stamper version of an LP and one that was pressed a year later. If you can spot those very, very, very modest tweaks, go for it.

But my suspicion is that if Swift has decided to turn a phrase a little differently here or there on this album, or done anything too differently aside from brighten the sound, she’s doing it more as an Easter egg, for the people who are on that kind of hunt, than anything really designed as reinterpretation. Because the last thing Swift wants most of her fans doing is A/B-ing the two versions, the way I did. The whole point is to have folks retire the OG “Fearless” from their Spotify playlists, right? The Swift faithful were already threatening to rain down damnation on anyone caught sneaking an audio peek at the old version after midnight. What she intended was to come up with a rendering so faithful that you would never have a need to spin the vintage album again. In that, she has succeeded beyond what could have been imagined even in the dreams of the few self-forgers who’ve tried this before, like a Jeff Lynne.

Is there any reason to find value in the new versions if you couldn’t care less about the issues of masters and contracts and respect in business deals that made all this strangely possible? Yes, with the first one being that the new album just sounds like a terrific remastering of the old — the same notes, and you’d swear the same performances, but sounding brighter and punchier just on a surface level. But on a more philosophical one, it’s not just a case of Swift playing with her back catalog like Andy Warhol played with his soup can. It’s really a triumph of self-knowledge and self-awareness, in the way that Swift is so hyper-conscious of the ways she’s matured that she has the ability to un-mature before our very ears. With her vocals, it’s virtuosic, in a way, how she’s made herself return to her unvirtuosic upstart self.

On Swift’s earliest albums and in those seminal live shows — at the time when she was famously being told she “can’t sing,” to quote a song from the follow-up album — there was a slight shrillness around the edges of her voice that, if you lacked faith, you might’ve imaged would be there forever. It wasn’t. That was partly youth, and partly just the sheer earnestness with which she wanted to convey the honesty of the songs. She’s advanced so much since then — into one of pop’s most gifted modern singers, really — that the woman of “Folklore” and “Evermore” seems like a completely different human being than the one who made the self-titled debut and “Fearless,” never mind just a woman versus girl. It wouldn’t have seemed possible that she could go back to her old way of singing at the accomplished age of 31, but she found and recreated that nervous, sincere, pleading voice of yesteryear. And maybe it was just a technical feat, of temporarily unlearning what she’s learned since then, but you can sense that maybe she had to go there internally, too, to the place where she was counseling other girls to guard their sexual virtue in “Fifteen,” or wondering whether to believe the fairy tale of “Love Story” or the wakeup call of “White Horse,” or proving with “Forever & Always” that writing a song telling off Joe Jonas for his 27-second breakup call was better than revenge.

If at first you’re not inclined to notice that Swift has re-adopted a completely different singing voice for the “Fearless” remakes, the realization may kick in when those “vault” tracks start appearing in the later stretch of this hour-and-50-minute album. The writing on the six songs that have been pulled up from the 2008 cutting room floor seems primitive, even a little bit by the standards of the “Fearless” album; there are great lines and couplets throughout the rescued tracks, but you can see why she left them as works-in-progress. But she doesn’t use her youthful voice on these resurrections, nor does she employ the actual style of “Fearless” very strictly. Of course, she feels more freedom on these, because there are no predecessors in the Big Machine catalog she’s asking you to leave behind. Her current collaborators of choice, Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner, divided the co-producing work on these fresher songs, as they did for the two all-new albums she released in the last year. (The “Fearless” recreations are co-produced by Swift with Christopher Rowe, someone who worked on remixes for Swift back in that era.) They co-produce the vault songs in a style that sounds somewhere between “Fearless” and Folklore”… a more spectral brand of country-pop, with flutes and synths and ringing 12-string guitars and a modicum of drum programming replacing some (but not all) of the acoustic stringed instruments you’d expect to be carried over from “Fearless” proper.

Of the previously unheard tracks, Swift was right — she’s always been her own best self-editor — in putting out “You All Over Me” first, in advance of the album. With its imagery of half-muddy stones being upturned on the road, this song has advanced lyrical conceits more of a piece with the level of writing she’s doing now than some of the slightly less precocious songs that follow. Still, there’s something to be said for the sheer zippiness with which Swift conveys teen heartbreak in “Mr. Perfectly Fine,” which has a lyric that shows Swift had long since absorbed the lessons Nashville had to offer about how to come up with a high-concept song — the concept, in this case, being just to stick the word “mister” in front of a lot of phrases relating to her shallow ex, as if they were honorary titles to be conferred for being a shit, while she employs the “miss” for herself more sparingly.

Some of the remaining outtake songs go back more toward the sedate side of “Fearless”-style material; she didn’t leave any real bangers in the can. “We Were Happy,” the first of two successive tracks to bring in Keith Urban (but only for backgrounds on this one), employs fake strings and real cello as Swift waxes nostalgic for a time when “you threw your arms around my neck, back when I deserved it.” It’s funny, in a good way, to hear Swift at 31 recreating a song she wrote at 17 or 18 that pined for long-past better times. The next song, “That’s When,” brings Urban in for a proper duet where he gets a whole second verse and featured status on half a chorus, and it’s lovely to hear them together. But, as a make-up song, it doesn’t feel as real or lived-in as the more personal things she was writing at the time — and the fact that its chords are pretty close to a slightly more balladic version of the superior “You Belong With Me” was probably a pretty good reason for dropping it at the time.

the 18-year-old Taylor Swift is a great place to visit, but “Folklore” and “Evermore” are the place you’ll want to return to and live, unless you have an especially strong sentimental attachment to “Fearless”… which, sure, half of young America does. It’s not irreconcilable to say that the two albums she issued in the last year represent a daring pinnacle of her career, but that “Fearless” deserved to win album of the year in 2008. Has there been a greater pop single in the 20th century than “You Belong With Me”? Probably not. Did the album also have lesser moments you probably haven’t thought about in a while, like the just-okay “Breathe”? Yes. (I looked up to see whether Swift had ever played that little remarked upon number in concert, and according to setlists.fm, she did, exactly once… in 2018. Because she’s Taylor Swift, and of course she did.) It’s not certain that her duet with Colbie Caillat really needed to be resurrected, except it’s fun, because hey, she even roped former duet partners back into her time warp. But there are so many number that have stood the test of time, like “The Way I Love You,” an early song that really got at the complicated feelings about passion and fidelity that she would come to explore more as she grew into her 20s… and just kind of a headbanger, too, on an album that does love its fiddles and mandolins.

It doesn’t take much to wonder why Swift put up “Fearless” first in this six-album exercise; it’s one of her two biggest albums, along with “1989,” and it’s 13 years old, which does mean something superstitious in the Taylor-verse. In a way, it’ll be more interesting to see what happens when she gets to more complicated productions, like “1989” or “Reputation.” But maybe “Fearless” did present the opportunity for the grandest experiment out of the gate: to recreate something that pure and heartfelt, with all the meticulousness a studio master like Swift can put to that process now, without having it seem like she’s faking sincerity. Let the think-pieces proceed — because this is about six hundred different shades of meta. But, all craftiness and calculation aside, there’s a sweetness to the regression that’s not inconsequential. It harks back to a time when she only wondered if she could be fearless, before she learned it the harder way for sure. What they say about actors “disappearing into the role”? That really applies to Taylor Swift, playing herself.

[emisonme]

This will be big but i felt like sharing my thoughs. I love camila, so so much…but I feel like sometimes people are praising her too much. Camila loves fame, no matter how many of you deny it, it’s pretty obvious that she does. I’ve seen plenty of arguments on twitter regarding the 4H vs C topic and I can’t help but notice some people saying stuff like “camila didn’t choose to be in this position”, “all the girls treated her like shit when it wasn’t even up to her decide”. Well obviously I know the feud between the 5H girls was fake, but it really messes with me that people still continue to paint camila as the victim. Even tho camila may have not betrayed the other girls as they tried to make it seem, she sure as hell accepted this full of privileges position she was given since the beginning. And I’m not saying this is a bad thing, because honestly which one of us would deny such opportunity, if we were in her place? But most of us and I’m also talking about me, tend to forget that camila is also a person who has negative traits, not only positives. Unfortunately one of her biggest negatives, is that she grew to love the spotlight. And if you really think about it, it makes sense since she was always so shy around people and when she got a taste of the “pop star” life, she felt mesmerised by it. From my point of view, as soon as she got that taste she also started craving the “bigger” things. Big arena concerts, awards, people loving her. For example lauren might love her job as an artist, but she undeniably hates the fame that comes with it. She’s just in it because she truly wants to share a piece of her soul and justify the definition of a true artist. And I’m not saying that mila is not, she sure as hell wants to create art. But if you ask me, the difference between these two is that lauren would be completely content with singing in a room full of people who simply appreciate her art, whilst camila would prefer to be in an arena full of people who sing her songs and scream her name. Not that laure wouldn’t like that, but I think you get the point. And I don’t know if anyone noticed, but until a few years ago well actually before the pandemic started, her management continued to push down the image of this “goofy innocent” girl who was happy all the time. She also pushed it herself because that was her job! No matter how much we think we know her,camila is still a pop star in the music industry who plays a part, just like everyone else who works in that damned department. And based on the above I’d like to point out that (no matter how many of you disagree with this) nobody is forcing camila to stay in the closet. Yes I know I sound ridiculous but hear me out. There isn’t a single contract which can legally force someone to hide their sexuality. Yes her management may have warned her not to come out in fear of losing profits and even blackmailed her, but at the end of the day it’s her choice. If she desperately wanted to come out as we all make it seem, she would’ve done it by now. The fact that she doesn’t, should tell us, that afterall she does care about her image. Even if that’s taking a toll on her now, it was her decision to follow that path. It was her decision to stay in the closet, it was her decision to accept the pr with shawn and it was her decision to keep playing the “happy” girlfriend to the media. No matter how much she was manipulated by this hell hole, camila is a pretty clever person. If she didn’t want any of this and simply wanted to be authentic to herself and the rest of the world, she simply wouldn’t care if she lost the title of the pop princess. But she does care. And it’s completely normal at this point, cause in this industry either you lose yourself or you come out stronger. Unfortunately I believe that camila’s case belongs to the first occasion. I don’t think that present camila we see in interviews or shows or whatever is the real camila. That camila is long gone. Anyway sorry if this was exhausting and thanks to anyone who read it all,cause I really wanted to share this with someone

someone

Good Lord, Anon, that's a lot to unpack. I will start by saying, I agree with some, and disagree with some of what you had to say. Now, where to start...

You say it still messes with you, that everyone still portrays Camila as the victim. Are you going to deny that Camila WAS/IS victimized? The truth is, they were ALL victimized. They are ALL victims of an abusive Industry.

You said, "she sure as hell accepted this full of privileges position she was given since the beginning." You are either forgetting, or just plain don't care, that Fifth Harmony was a highly controlled entity. There was no choosing, or "accepting" privileges. They each did what they were told to do, said what they were told to say, and acted the way they were told to act. They were each given a role to play, and they were contractually obligated to play that role.

Yes, they were contractually obligated to act a certain way. There has been ample proof given, that none of the girls had any control over their PUBLIC image. Camila still has no control over her PUBLIC image, because there has been ample proof, she is still operating under her original contract.

Did Camila choose to sign that original contract? Yes, she did. Did she read that original contract? According to Lauren, probably not. None of them did. Did Camila agree to sign her solo contract? Yes, she did. But as I've explained before, if she wanted to continue in the music industry, she had no choice but to sign the solo contract they offered her. That solo contract is still connected to her original contract.

Camila is a human being. We ALL have positive and negative traits. Camila, all the ladies of 5H, you and me, we all have our positives and negatives. None of us are perfect.

You said, "one of her biggest negatives, is that she grew to love the spotlight." Why is that a negative? Hell, they ALL wanted the spotlight. Every person who gets into the Entertainment Industry, wants to get themselves in the spotlight. They all want to succeed in the field of their choice. To succeed, they have to garner the attention, and live in the "spotlight", in one way, or another.

Every one of them auditioned on a NATIONALLY TELEVISED talent show. They wouldn't have done that, if they didn't want to be noticed, and hopefully thrust into the spotlight of success. They ALL wanted that spotlight of success to be as solo artists. It's didn't quite work out that way. But, they ALL chose to try and achieve that spotlight as a group.

If one has been paying attention, from the beginning, Camila made no bones about her desired dream. She has stated from the beginning, she wanted to be a "pop star". Of course she wanted the spotlight. Lauren has said, from the beginning, she wanted to be "famous and travel the world". She wanted to be a famous star, in the spotlight.

Since you have chosen to compare Camila and Lauren, I'll answer to them. You seem to think there is this big chasm between the two. There really isn't. The only difference is the outcome, thus far. Lauren STILL wants the spotlight and fame, she just wants it on her terms. The problem is, it's damn near impossible to get that success on ones own terms, in an Industry that insists on dictating the terms.

That's a more recent decision on Lauren's part, by the way. You seem to be conveniently forgetting, that until 2019, Lauren also "chose" to play the game on THEIR terms. It was most likely, a two year PR contract, with a drug addicted gang-banger that turned her off of THE GAME. Lauren was pissed, that after all that, her debut album got shelved in 2019. I DON'T BLAME HER!!! I'm sure that also contributed to her decision, that THEIR TERMS suck ass.

Does Camila "crave" the big concerts, accolades, and people loving her? Yes, she does. They ALL do, or they wouldn't have signed solo contracts after putting 5H on hiatus. Instead, they would have said "this Industry sucks" and walked away. They didn't. They ALL craved more.

Lauren wants the same thing Camila has, just on her terms. Lauren doesn't "hate fame". She hates the negative side of fame. She hates having her life dictated by terms and schedules. She hates being told what to say, and how to act. She hates that fans get all up in her business.

She loves the nicer side of fame. She wants to see a lot of people come and see her perform. She loves to be on stage and see her fans singing and dancing to her music. She appreciates the accolades. She loves the love she gets from her fans. She would love even more, if her fans would multiply, and buy and stream the hell out of her music, instead of always bitching, telling her who she is, and how she should be, and getting all up in her damn business.

All one has to do, is listen to Lauren and the anger inside her about all this mess. She wants more. She wants more than a fucking "room full of people" enjoying her art. She wants a stadium full of people enjoying her art. WHO THE FUCK WOULDN'T. She just wants that stadium full of people to enjoy her art, and not expect more than that from her. I'm sure Camila would appreciate the same damn thing.

Unfortunately, that's simply not how the music industry is set up, these days. The difference is, Camila has accepted the fact, that she IS the product. Lauren has not. Lauren don't want to be a product. She wants her music/art to be the product.

I've said it a million times, the music industry hardly sells music, anymore. The music Industry sells the artist. The music has become a bi-product of the Artist. The Industry knows which artists will sell, and which ones won't. They know what image will sell, and which ones won't. Be the artist THEY want you to be, THEY'LL make you a star, and maybe even famous. If not, good luck.

Finally, you are completely right. There isn't a contract out there, that says someone can't come out of the closet. That would be blatant discrimination, and wouldn't pass the muster of the legal system. But, when you sign away control of your own image in a contract, that gives the contract holder the rights to dictate what your PUBLIC image will be. If they want you to have a straight PUBLIC image, then you'll have a straight PUBLIC image. If THEY want you to have a "good girl next door" image, then that's the PUBLIC image you'll have. You signed away your rights to be your authentic self, when you signed away the rights to control how others see you, period!!!

IN MY OPINION, Camila has come out of the closet so damn many times, I can't even count any more. She just has to do so, in a way that isn't obvious to those who have control over how others see her. Take her last video, for instance. When one listens to terms she chooses to use, and does a bit of research, you'll discover, what I believe is the hidden meaning behind that video. If I'm correct in MY THINKING, she has yet again, screamed her truth from the rooftops, for those who choose to listen, and understand.

As for the PR contracts...I was the first person to say, Camila made the choice to sign into those particular contracts. When one signs away control over their own public image, it also allows those in control to dictate that one MUST enter into PR contracts to help THEM present the PUBLIC image THEY want for that particular artist. The artist gets a say in which person that PR is with, simply because they HAVE to agree to sign the contract with that particular person.

So, did Camila agree to sign into this PR contract with the human hair ball? She absolutely did....And NO ONE should be surprised by it. It is quite clear that this shit has been in the making, since June/July of 2015. Hell, after that shit show with the British Bore, even the majority of the fandom was asking for it. The timing was right, and here we are.

Lastly, Camila is always stepping out of the closet, like I said above. IN MY OPINION, she wants her fans to know who she truly is, but that doesn't mean she wants to tell the world in definitive terms. Like Lauren, she wishes people could simply appreciate the music, and leave per private life out of it, but she also knows that's a pipe dream, and not reality.

She knows, the second she decides to speak her truth aloud, her career takes, yet another, blow. I also think, that's one of the reasons THEY, through the media, make sure her ignorant youth is continuously brought up. The more she has to fight to get through that hardship, the more she will want to keep her truth a secret. (yes, a definite manipulation tactic)

Camila could decide to say, fuck it all, and come out with her truth at any time, after her contract is up. She could also decide never to PUBLICLY come out. It's her choice, unless people in power decide to take that choice away from her.

Whitney Houston took her truth with her to the grave. Taylor lives with her truth, one foot in the closet, and one foot out. That's basically what Camila is doing now. IN MY OPINION. Her public foot is in the closet, and her music/art foot is out. If people cared more about the music/art, they would get the authentic truth. If you care more about her public image, you'll get exactly what THEY want her to be.

People try to tell you, and others this all the damn time. Take the recent interviews. If you notice, Camila, and others are always saying how vulnerable, honest, and authentic she is, IN HER ART. Her truth is in her craft, whether acting or music. Her PUBLIC image, is just that, an image to sell to the PUBLIC. Everyone in the Entertainment Industry has one...Even Lauren. Yes, she did play the game. She still has her toe in the game, she just isn't playing it at a high level, right now...and, unfortunately for her, it shows!!!

There! I answered your book with a damn novel. As always, I could be wrong with my opinions, but they are my opinions!!!!!! !! !!!!

[thepriceofbeingaroseisloneliness]

Kaoru & Toshiya Rolling Stone Japan 18th May 2021

DIR EN GREY talks about the current unique expression method and fun.

DIR EN GREY has postponed their concert scheduled to be held at Tokyo Garden Theater on May 6th. However, if you read this interview that took place two days before the decision to postpone the live, it's easy to imagine that the band will continue to move forward no matter what.

Using the single "Oboro" released on April 28 as the reason for this interview , we asked leader Kaoru (Gt) and Toshiya (Ba),who makes his first appearance in Rolling Stone Japan, about the current state of the band.

Feel free to correct me if you spot any mistakes or any confusing parts. Links or credits to this post when the content is reposted or captured in other SNS is appreciated : ------------- Original interview: Rolling Stone Japan (includes pictures)

Text: Joe Yokomizo -First of all, please tell us the details of releasing this single at this timing. Kaoru: We've been talking about releasing a single around this time for a long time. But, we were asked by the company to release it sooner (laughs).  They told us “Can’t you release it around February?”. But we said we couldn’t record it in such a hurry and pushed the release back (laughs). So, the release was decided  at the time it was originally scheduled.

-Is it a song you wrote recently?

Kaoru: We chose it from the ones we had in stock.

-How do you choose a song? Like, is there a discussion among the members? Kaoru: We had a talk about if it’d be good to release a ballad or a melodious song this time. Then, we chose it from the songs we had at that time. Toshiya: That's right. We thought  a melodious song or a mellow song would be good, so we chose it from the songs we had in stock. As a result of the discussions we had, we came to the conclusion that “Oboro” was the best choice. I personally thought this song might be able to become a single, but I also thought that it could be a good idea to save it for the album.  I thought it could become a song  that would be the core of the album even if it was just included in the album. Kaoru: We haven’t released any ballad as a single recently. We did it quite a while ago so we felt like it would be good if we tried it.

-It's true that a ballad as a single is quite fresh for DIR EN GREY, and the arrangements are ... Kaoru: Simple. Pretty simple, but it took us a while to get there. -Do you want to increase the number of notes that are being played at the same time? Kaoru: No. Rather than messing with that, it felt like the notes were gradually confronting each other. There wasn’t a big change, but it took us some time to decide the overall flow, how to do it and the final result. -DIR EN GREY has a strong image as a band that is playing lives often. Until now, you released something and toured, released something, and toured. All over again. The releases haven’t stopped yet but the tours and therefore the lives themselves have stopped because of Corona. How do you feel about the state of the band? Toshiya: Since we couldn’t play lives, I think the part of exploring as a band is big.  But personally, at some point, I got over that. The band wants to move, but it’s hard to do it. Even if we think about it, we can’t do anything about the situation so, we haven’t stopped thinking about it, but I think we got over it at some point. Rather, we had no choice but to get over it. -Even if you keep thinking about it, nothing will happen.

Toshiya: That’s right. Even if we just write songs and do the pre-production all the time, if that’s all we are doing, it feels like a pie in the sky all the time. It’s a strange feeling, isn’t it? We didn’t get another answer before but, the process of getting that answer has changed. There was a series of routines like making an album, playing lives, making an album, and doing live performances after that but wasn’t that cut off entirely? Then, we are doing it as usual, but something has changed at some point.  And it may just be that kind of era from now on. I think we have no choice but to adapt to this. However, even I think about how it was before, I’m starting to think that it won’t be like that again, and we may just get over it. -Did the production itself change due to the lack of lives? It is often said that a song evolves when it is being playing live, but if you make a song in a situation where it is difficult to imagine playing it live, will the image of the song, how to make it, and the depth of making it change? Kaoru:  Even if we are making songs, it feels different from usual. To put it the other way around,  as the situation is unique now, maybe it’s a song that can only be done at this moment. But it’s like…. wouldn't it be nice if we could create something interesting? I don't know if we are even thinking about it. I think that the fact that there was always a tour up until now had a big influence. As we always had a tour, until then we’ve limited production time. That's why there was a switch, because now we have infinite time. To be honest, if you take it easy, you’ll space out. After all, it was great to be pushed, force myself into doing it  and work hard (laughs). -About making it “the right time” by themselves -Regarding the unlimited production time, how was it for you, Toshiya? Toshiya: I think I'm grateful. However, I want to use it as much as I have. As there were moments I got distracted/ was being lazy, I feel that there are good points and bad points, to be honest. -What's the good thing about this recording? Have you tried something new? Toshiya: After all, in the end time is chasing me (laughs). But this time, I felt that I had a little leeway in my heart. That's why I thought about the single in various ways.Then I wondered if I could release this or that and people would listen to it. It’s common to say this but, when you start thinking about figures, I've even thought about if it's good or bad to release something at this timing. I wondered if it’d be better when this corona situation has settled down a bit more. But well, even if you wait for that time to come, then I would wonder about when that time would come, so in the end, I thought it was unavoidable to think about it. If the right time doesn't come, I think we should make it become the “right time”. Rather than worrying about it, I thought that if such a song was completed and it felt good, we should release it. -It's certainly important to create the right timing. Toshiya: People all over the world are dealing with it now, or more like, we are waiting forever, aren’t we? Personally, I don’t think the situation will return to normal even if we wait. I think it’s more useful to think about how to proceed in a situation like this. I personally came this conclusion, or at least, I’m trying to. -Listening to what you are saying, I remembered Samuel Beckett's play "Waiting for Godot." The two main characters are waiting for Godot, but in fact, no one knows who Mr. Godot is, and I don't know if Godot actually exists. But they are waiting, believing that he will eventually come. Toshiya: Everyone, including myself, is waiting now. But what on earth are you waiting for? If you think about it, it’s like we're just waiting for "that moment”, right? But honestly, I don't think “that” will be back. I think it has changed. Then we have to move towards it. I'm a bit scared to stop waiting any longer, but I think we have to take a step forward. Kaoru: I agree with you. -DIR EN GREY Unique ideas -By the way, the new song "Oboro" is said to be a sequel to a previous song. The lyrics are done by vocalist Kyo but for you two, is it a sequel? Kaoru: I was told that but I wasn’t particularly drawn (by that song). The beats and tempo of the original song of "Oboro" are similar to that song. So maybe he was drawn by that and made the lyrics like this. After hearing that the lyrics would be like that, I've never been aware of it. Toshiya: I wasn't even aware of it at all either. I thought “is this it?”.

-By the way, in Toshiya's words, "Oboro" is a song that can be the core of the next album ... Toshiya: It’s just a song. The talks about the album are making rapid progress but now there are endless possibilities, including how to play the songs live. So, I think it's okay if there are songs that exist just as part of the album, and conversely, there may be songs that are only for playing them live. In other words, from here on, how to add value will become even more important than ever. Kaoru: It's nice to have songs that you can only play live. Toshiya: About that, if you might do that at that time, you might want to play it live? I’m thinking about how to add that value to the song. I want to do a live concert, but we can't, moreover if you even do a concert normally, I’m sure it won’t be interesting. -It looks like broadcasting a regular live is difficult, right? Kaoru: A live that it’s going to be only broadcasted is a bit tough. In that sense, hearing what Toshiya said about songs that only can be played at lives are, in other words, songs that won’t become part of an album are really interesting. Toshiya: I don’t know. I was thinking it to myself and I just said it (laughs). Kaoru: There may be quite a few….songs that are like, “Which one is this?". Moreover, no one mentions those songs in an interview (laughs). Toshiya: Ahahaha. Kaoru: Even among the fans, sometimes it’s like “which song is that one?”, and don’t even know the title. The set list doesn't  even have the title of the song. Toshiya: I think it doesn't have to be just the song , but the production. I recently thought about it. In the past there used to be a lot of  imaginativeness/ playfulness on the DIR EN GREY’s cds. Recently, I remembered that was pretty normal. But from now on, if we are going to put out the record ourselves,  I want to make something that can be enjoyable. On the old DIR EN GREY cds, I remember I was asked to find out where the lyrics were written. When I think about it now, it's quite a prank, but that prank was surprisingly interesting. -How about the leader (laughs)? Kaoru: I put a lot of things into the sound (laughs). -The  particularity/commitment in “Oboro” -The “mischievous and eccentric” idea that Toshiya mentioned is swallowed normally before one knows. I think expression itself is a struggle, but in the age of the Internet, the speed at which it is swallowed is accelerating. That’s why,  even if that happens, I think it is important to keep fighting, recognizing that "I am not just like this". Kaoru: That's exactly what I do. Because I never thought I have a good taste. Even though I can’t make a song, it feels like I'm doing it just because I have a competitive spirit. -Like you don’t want to be taken into ordinary things,  or do you want to do something that has never been seen before? Kaoru: I want to do that, but it takes time. Speaking of gimmicks, in “Oboro” there are a lot of them. -What kind of “gimmicks” are there? Please tell me some. Kaoru: It's not interesting if I told them (laughs). There are many sounds that you can't hear. There are lots of sounds that you can feel.  I thought it would be great if you could feel it. And I'm thinking about putting a lot of that into the next album. -There is something I would like to ask about lives. I think we are in a situation where values are conflicting. If you play a live, even among fans there’ll be the conflict of the “Don’t play a live in these circumstances”  versus the  “Thank you for playing a concert in these circumstances”  position. Kaoru: It's difficult, isn't it? Neither of these positions are wrong. However, as a band, we won’t stop. So, if the conditions allow it, the live will go on. I think there are a lot of people who says “"Oh, I'm going to live at a time like this. These people’s views have changed”. But well, I think this is happening in other bands as well. -That’s right.  In any band, there is a faction that says to play lives and a faction that wants to stop. How should they come to terms with each other? Kaoru: I don’t think normal life will be back for a while here. If someone says “Yes, it’s nothing in the end”, it may change, but it’s that going to happen? The point is, I think it will be difficult unless the number of infected people goes down. Because Taiwan, where the number of infected people has decreased, there are even festivals taking place. Toshiya: We are choosing a method (against Corona  virus)  that doesn't work right now, but as it is the government who is doing it, isn’t the situation delicate? I think so. When it comes to what is driving people, I think it’s the number of people getting infected, as Kaoru said. The only way to reduce that number may simply cause damage. If you lock down hard like in the UK, you will suffer tremendous financial damage. I think that's why everyone can get lost on the way. However, although it is extreme, unless you have such a strong will, you will continue to do it subtlety and the number will drop again,  “Oh, now it’s ok because the numbers have dropped a little” and then after a while they will surely increase again, won’t them? And then repeat the same process. If that happens, I’m worried the same process will be repeated again and again if you don’t cut it off at some point. Kaoru: Tokyo is under the state of emergency for the third time, but I would like them to stop doing lockdown so suddenly. It’s so hard if there is no warm-up/grace period.

Toshiya: Regarding this state of emergency, I will obey what they say, because I have to obey. But in order to do it, I want something that gives me hope. I feel like suddenly, time was taken from me. -Before the light can be seen, “Oboro” -I want hope. That being said, DIR EN GREY's music always sees light at the end. But in the current situation, we can't see that light. I don't think you can understand the meaning of the lyrics unless you're Kyo, but I'm wondering what "Oboro" means. Like, in this era everything is obscure in an ambiguous sense? Or is it a night with a hazy moon but, you can see the light even faintly because it’s hazy? How do you two interpret it?

*Joe is making a reference to the song title,   朧 (Oboro) means hazy,dim,faint.* Toshiya: If possible, I think I want it to be hazy before you are able to see the light. Before people lose the courage to do their best, being surrounded by fog all the time. - It's true that humans aren't that strong. If there is hope, what is it? What kind of hope are you seeing now? Toshiya: That would be ……the best would be that the Corona situation comes to an end. But before that, I'd like  "Oboro" to be released properly. Some CD shops are closed due to a state of emergency, so even if you made a reservation, some people may not be able to get it on the release date. So, I hope that "Oboro" will reach everyone who made a reservation. -Which is Kaoru’s Oboro? Kaoru: I think either of them are interesting. In any situation as well, it’s something that it’s only now. It’s also an expression method that can only be done now. Of course, the band will continue, and I will be writing songs, but I think it would be great if we could express something that can only be done now, or something that is interesting. -Anyway, "Oboro" is an excellent title. Toshiya: When you think about it now, that’s right. It can be interpreted as this uncertain situation, and it can also be interpreted as a situation where a faint light is visible. Kaoru: I want you to listen to it and feel it.

[ganeshtps50]

Canvas Painting For beginer

The canvas is the first material we use to start our art project. We choose a sturdy canvas board and cut out the shape of our painting. Then we paint the entire canvas using acrylic paint. Let the canvas dry completely before moving forward to start

Paint

We bring out the paints and brushes and begin the actual painting process. Our first color is white. To create the base color, we add water to the paint and stir until the paint is smooth and thin. Once the paint is ready, we apply the paint onto the canvas in various layers.

 Canvas Painting 

Add Color

Now comes the fun part! We let the colors flow freely onto the canvas. Use different colors to create interesting patterns and designs. You can always go back later and change things if you don’t like how something looks. Remember to keep adding colors until the canvas is finished.

 Dry Time

Once you’re done, wait for the paint to dry completely. Depending on what kind of paint you chose, it may take anywhere from 15 minutes to several hours to fully dry. When it’s dry enough to handle, carefully remove the canvas from the frame and hang it where you want it.

Frame

You might have noticed that our final product doesn’t look exactly like the original picture. That’s because we painted over the original image on the canvas. Now we need to do some finishing touches to make the piece beautiful and complete. First, we sand down any rough edges around the frame and then fill in any holes. Finally, we top off the whole thing with clear varnish. Your piece is now ready to enjoy!TitleHow do I know if my cannabis is ready?

The first time you harvest cannabis, it's going to feel really weird. You're probably feeling excited and overwhelmed at the same time. There might even be some fear-inducing thoughts running around in your head. But the big thing to remember is that you should just keep an open mind about it. Remember, we weren't taught how to pick our own cannabis plants, so don't expect your first harvest to be perfect. If you want something that feels good and smells nice, then go ahead and enjoy yourself! That said, here are three things you should look out for when harvesting your first crop of cannabi

• Grows evenly & grows fa

• Smells clean and fre

• Looks balanc

If any of these characteristics aren't apparent, make sure not to panic. Your buds won't suddenly start looking unbalanced and they won't smell like garbage! Instead, take a break for a few days and then come back to your plants later. You'll soon find that they look and smell much nicer than before and they'll have grown bigger and stronge

What size bud do I ge

It goes without saying that the bigger the bud looks, the better it will taste. However, the size isn't totally indicative of quality (it's what people call 'bud weight'). As long as the buds themselves are heavy enough, you shouldn't have any problems getting them down to the desired size. To measure your yield, wrap a piece of string around the stem of each bud and calculate the length of the string. Then divide this number by the diameter of the bud to determine the weight per square inch, or g/sq. c

Is it safe to smok

Cannabis is actually pretty safe to consume and the only risks are associated with smoking and consuming cannabis edibles. In terms of smoking, many people worry about the effects of inhaling tar. While it's true that cannabis contains carcinogens, tobacco does too, and so does cooking oil and bacon grease. So, don't stress over this particular ris

When it comes to edibles, there are two major concerns: 1) THC overdose and 2) food poisoning. Both of these concerns can easily be avoided by simply following these tip

• Always buy your cannabis from a reputable dispensary where you can check the packaging and labels carefully. Most dispensaries carry lab tests for both THC and pesticides, so you can rest assured knowing your cannabis is saf

• Don't eat anything while you're high. Cannabis edibles tend to work their magic right away and after that, it takes a little bit longer to kick in. When you feel hungry, instead of eating right away, wait until you've taken a couple of deep breaths and try to relax. Eventually, your body will release endorphins and those feelings of hunger will disappear entirely. Once that happens, you can safely proceed to eating whatever you want.e.s:k.e?m.t?r.edshsts:Canvas

Canvas is a type of paper that is commonly used to create paintings. You can find canvas at any art supply store or online. If you want to paint on canvas, you need to first prepare the surface. There are many ways to do this, but the easiest way is to use a spray primer. After spraying the canvas, let it dry completely before painting.

 Paintbrush

A paintbrush is a tool that is used to apply paint to a canvas. A good quality brush should have soft bristles that allow you to easily control how much paint goes onto the canvas. Brushes can vary in size depending on what kind of work you plan to create.

Watercolor paints

Watercolors are water-based paints that are applied directly to the canvas using a brush. Watercolors can range in color from bright primary colors to muted earth tones.

 Acrylic paints

Acrylic paints are oil based paints that dry quickly. These paints are great for creating realistic images.

Oil pastel

Oil pastels are similar to crayons. They are made out of waxes and oils that are blended together. Oil pastels are great for creating detailed images.

MORE DETAILS

[ayuuria]

Yashahime Translation: Livedoor News Interview

Please do not repost this translation without my consent! This includes screenshots of any type and amount. If you wish to share this translation, simply link to this post.

For more information regarding the use of my translations, click here.

The New Story That Continues the World of Inuyasha, Anime “Hanyō no Yashahime” Director x Producer Interview

With the Resolve to Reopen the Concluded “Inuyasha” World in Their Hearts. The Behind-the-Scenes Production of “Hanyō no Yashahime”

For 12 years from 1996-2008, “Inuyasha” (original creator: Takahashi Rumiko) which was serialized in “Weekly Shōnen Sunday” (Shogakukan) was a feudal fairy tale that depicted the heart of the battle between demons, humans, and half-demons for the Shikon Jewel.

Anime “Inuyasha” broadcasted from 2000-2004 followed “Inuyasha the Final Act” from 2009-2010, after the original work was concluded. It is a timeless masterpiece that is now loved around the world.

Continuing that world of “Inuyasha” is the new original anime, “Hanyō no Yashahime”, which began broadcast in October of 2020. Many Inuyasha fans were surprised at the shocking set up that the daughters of Sesshōmaru, a popular character in “Inuyasha”, would be the protagonists.

With everything from the production, background music, and cast performance having an Inuyasha flavor mixed in, being moved from seeing the new characters and the “Inuyasha” characters coming together on the TV screen, to the absolutely unclear mysterious developments, the hearts of fans around world have been grabbed once again.

Since broadcast began, despite having completed one cour (translator’s note: Cour = 3 months or 13 weeks/episodes), the full picture of the story still cannot be seen. We carried out an interview conversation with director Satō Teruo and producer Naka Toshikazu regarding the things of interest about the work up until now and ahead.

We Prepared a Device That Would Allow Inuyasha Fans to Enjoy (the show)

— One cour has passed since broadcast began. Are the responses reaching you?

Naka: The response is incredible. Especially on social media.

Satō: You’re right. I’m also on Twitter, so I get reactions from all over the world. I truly get a sense that it’s work that’s receiving a lot of attention.

When I look at comments on the official (Twitter) account, most of them are from overseas. Not only do I once again realize that “Inuyasha” boasts a worldwide popularity, I do my best while feeling the pressure of “Hanyō no Yashahime” being a work that inherits that world.

— Apparently the one who suggested the project was Suwa Michihiko of ytv Nextry, who was the producer for anime “Inuyasha” and “Detective Conan”. How did you two feel when you first heard about the project?

Naka: “We’re going to do a story that’s been neatly concluded once before again!? How!?” is what I felt at the beginning.

From the moment I first heard about it, I was still floating around what kind of story it would be. “I might make it a story about Sesshōmaru’s daughter.” was as far as I had gotten. I thought “If I’m not mistaken, if we make it like that, then there might be something to do”.

Satō: There were talks of “wanting to do it” for 2-3 years and Rumiko-sensei, Suwa-san, and the “Inuyasha” staff had mulled over the idea.

It’s just that not only was the story of “Inuyasha” itself was very neatly concluded, after “Since Then” (the special edition (chapter) depicting the after story) we had Rumiko-sensei tell us “There’s nothing left to do in “Inuyasha””.

There was a rather heavy responsibility in touching that and as an Inuyasha fan myself, it made me really think about “In order to create a new story out of a work that was neatly concluded, what sort of form does it need to take?”

I think Inuyasha fans would watch, so I felt that I wanted to release something that everyone would agree to as much as possible without breaking their (idea of) “Inuyasha”.

— In terms of the target audience for “Hanyō no Yashahime”, do you consider Inuyasha fans the main target? Or do you focus on the new audience that does not know “Inuyasha”?

Naka: For us, we want people to like the new characters so in that sense, we keep in mind the new people.

It’s just that a lot of time has passed since “Inuyasha” was broadcasted and I think among the people who watched “Inuyasha” back in the day are people who have become parents. I think watching it as two generations, parent and child (Mom and Dad who liked “Inuyasha” and the children who are touching it as a new work), is the most ideal.

Satō: The voice actresses who voice the three princesses (Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha), are from a generation that watched “Inuyasha” right when they were kids. They chit-chat while recording every week (laughs).

It would be great if the new target group could go back and watch “Inuyasha” because of “Hanyō no Yashahime” and think “There are demons that appeared in “Hanyō no Yashahime” too”. On the reverse side, I would like those who watched “Inuyasha” to enjoy “Hanyō no Yashahime” from the point of view of “It’s the demon from that time”.

For that reason, we inlayed different devices and components into the story.

Naka: We periodically put in devises that would make people who like Rumiko-sensei’s other works smile a little bit. Like the hoodlums who appeared in episode 2 or the monkey gag in episode 9.

— In other words, while still keeping in mind those who don’t know “Inuyasha”, you are of course creating a work that Inuyasha fans can enjoy as well.

Satō: Making sure we don’t destroy the image of “Inuyasha” characters is at the forefront of our minds, especially when we bring them out into the “Hanyō no Yashahime” world. This is so that people watching don’t think “That’s not the kind of character they were”.

Of course, when we bring them out, we always have Rumiko-sensei review the scenario. She’ll tell us “It should be fine if it’s like this” and apply that to the scenario which is how we’ve been doing it.

Naka: We’re careful so that when “Inuyasha” characters take the mound, they don’t eat into the spotlight of the new characters while also not losing their “status”.

— Among the fans, the way the broadcasting order of “Hanyō no Yashahime” to “Great Detective Conan” is similar to “Inuyasha” to “Conan” became a popular topic of conversation. Was that formation something Yomiuri TV-san was particular about?

Satō: The order is the same as when it was broadcasted during the golden hour of 19:00-20:00 (7-8pm on the 12-hour clock). We’re grateful that they’re nostalgic about it.

Naka: I don’t know if they were particular about it or not, but it was decided from the start that it would be broadcasted during that timeframe (before “Conan”). It’s possible that it just turned out that way, but from the production side, it felt “just like before” in the end.

Satō: It’s like (Yamaguchi) Kappei-san (role of Inuyasha and also Edogawa Conan/Phantom Theif Kid in “Great Detective Conan”) has 2 consecutive appearances (laughs).

Naka: Not only is the connection between the timeframe the same, but also when we heard that SixTONES would be doing the opening for the October cour, we thought the flow looked the same as “Inuyasha” since it would be a group from Jonny & Associates that would be singing (Editor’s note: In the past, V6 and Tackey & Tsubasa were in charge of the theme song for “Inuyasha”).

In the end, we’re also curious as to how the structure is the same as during “Inuyasha”.

A Character Cannot Come to Life Without Working Out the Fundamental Aspects

— Next, we will ask how story the of “Hanyō no Yashahime” was created. We just heard from Naka-san that “When I first heard about it “I might make it a story about Sesshōmaru’s daughter.” was how far I had gotten”, but were there any different ideas regarding the direction after that?

[Characters bios written following the question but I’m skipping it]

Naka: We proceeded with that intention as is.

It’s just that even if it’s a daughter, we couldn’t quite settle whether the daughter would be twins or an only child. We couldn’t decide until right on the line of “If we don’t decide what sort personality the character will have at this stage, we may have to relook things including the broadcast timing” (laughs).

Satō: We pretty much decided after directly talking to Rumiko-sensei.

— What did Rumiko-sensei tell you?

Naka: Regarding the character persona, she pointed out things such as “With only the setting, you don’t know why they speak that way” and “Why they dress like this doesn’t feel right to me”.

Especially with Towa, it took a long time for Rumiko-sensei to understand and agree to the part where “She dresses like a boy because she’s this kind of persona”. That’s where we struggled the most.

Satō: For Rumiko-sensei, apparently, she understood Setsuna and Moroha straight down like “So this is the kind of child she is”.

However, only with Towa did she say, “If you don’t clearly boil down and solidify how she will grow and what sort of foundation she’ll have, the story development will become blurred wouldn’t it”.

With that point, it was a lot of work deciding Towa’s character.

Naka: Not just the settings, but we had Sumisawa Katsuyuki-san (in charge of series composition for “Inuyasha” and now this work as well)  vigorously write the scripts for episodes 1 and 2 and show Rumiko-sensei “With this story flow, Towa will respond like this” and “We’ll use this language”.

With that, we put things in order in a “But, we probably don’t need this kind of language after all, right?” kind of way.

— It was explained in the story that Towa dresses like a boy because “It’s easier to fight in”, but is that one of the settings that was solidified like that?

Naka: Yes. The result of coming up with different reasons and many ideas was that we ended up settling on a conversely simple reason.

Satō: Rumiko-sensei casually said “Isn’t “it’s easier to fight in” good enough?” (laughs). We were turning up a lot of different rationalizations. (translator’s note: Not confident on this sentence) For example, “As a girl, there was something she didn’t like”.

But it also became “I don’t think that’s true” …… It made us realize it was fine to have something simple and straightforward.

— So Rumiko-sensei was involved with the character persona starting from the foundation.

Satō: I learned a lot from speaking with Rumiko-sensei as I was creating the characters. Rumiko-sensei’s way of thinking is very logical and upfront. For example, “Because (she’s) this kind of child, (she) behaves like this” or “(She) Won’t say something like this”.

That’s why, people who view the work will see their foundation. In my head, I knew “If you don’t work out the fundamental aspects, the character won’t come to life” but I came to realize that once again.

In the anime, there were many people who put out ideas starting with Sumisawa-san, but I thought it must be a lot of work for Rumiko-sensei to create a manga while consulting with the editors.

We’re Mindful of the Composition that “Towa Sets the Story in Motion”

— With the characters solidified, did you receive any orders from Sumisawa-san as you planned the story?

Naka: With “Hanyō no Yashahime”, it started with Sumisawa-san first writing the scenario that would become the first manuscript.

In that regard, we discussed with him things such as “Keeping in mind of the development ahead, please pay attention to this part” or “Please put this device in”.

More precisely, there was a lot of discussion about Moroha’s position at the beginning. There was the fact that Moroha was the easiest character to move, but we wanted him to keep in mind as much as possible that she (Moroha) should show her concern for Towa and Setsuna in a way that ensures they’re at the forefront.

Satō: To the writer, Moroha is like a “Mini Inuyasha”. Hence there was a tendency to naturally center the story around her.

However, Sesshōmaru’s daughters, Towa and Setsuna, are the protagonists this time so we wanted (the writer) to keep that in mind.

Because Moroha is easy to understand with her character and Setsuna is a female version of Sesshōmaru, when their vectors become conspicuous, Towa appears overshadowed no matter what. “The protagonist getting overshadowed by those around them troupe.” is something that happens in original works.

That’s why we’re conscious of the composition of bringing Towa into the center and using her to move the story whenever possible. That’s the part we especially placed importance on when putting together the story.

— Next, please tell us the appeals of the three protagonists. Starting from Towa please.

Naka: Regarding Towa, she inherited Sesshōmaru’s silver hair, has a boyish outfit, and has an outward appearance that would make girls think she’s attractive.

However, her values are surprisingly modern, and she has a naiveness about her which Setsuna calls out within the story. I don’t think there have been many characters who have been balanced like this thus far.

Although, at the current phase, there’s a point that what the goal behind her actions is might still be a little weak.

Satō: Just as Naka-san said, Towa has a half-hearted kindness and naiveté; how that will change as she travels with Setsuna and Moroha. Please look forward to that growth as you watch the story.

I think there are people who get impatient seeing Towa’s current indecisiveness (laughs).

What will that kind of protagonist experience and how will her feelings change from that. It will make me happy if people think “Towa’s changed; she’s matured” at the end.

Naka: I think having lots of room for growth is what gives her that protagonist feel. Conversely, Setsuna is a relatively standard character. However, on the one hand, she does have a kind side.

Satō: She does show a little affection after all (laughs)

Earlier I said “a female version of Sesshōmaru” so I think her nonchalant kindness is the same as his. The vector of her character direction is easy to understand which is her appeal.

— It seems Setsuna coldly pushes Towa away, but also shows concern for her. Despite saying, “The curse of the Dream Butterfly doesn’t need to be broken”, she goes along with Towa’s search for the Dream Butterfly.

Satō: Just as the line “I can’t readily accept that” in episode 3 said, Setsuna cannot accept Towa as her sister.

However, I believe she understands Towa’s virtues as an individual. We would like everyone to pay attention to how Setsuna draws the line of “I can understand Towa’s good qualities, but I can’t acknowledge her as an older sister” and the point at which that line is crossed.

Will the day ever come where Setsuna will address Towa as “Towa nee-chan” ……

— It feels as though the distance between them is getting shorter, like when she almost went along with Towa’s high-five in episode 11.

Satō: Little by little. Within that, we would like for you to please look forward to how their feelings intersect when the time comes.

Naka: In that episode, it looks as though she gets along with Towa, but when Towa tried to lay her head on her lap, she didn’t allow it. I was watching with great interest like “So that’s where she draws the line” (laughs).

— Next, Moroha.

Naka: Moroha is pretty much just what you see (laughs)

Satō: She’s a hybrid of Inuyasha and Kagome. If her theatrical elocution is like Inuyasha’s, then her actions are understandable like Kagome’s.

In that sense, I think she’s a character that viewers can easily connect with. There’s also the fact that currently, all the gag lines are relatively being placed on Moroha (laughs).

Naka: In earlier episodes, her level of participation was high but lately she’s been in charge of punch lines (laughs). For example, when they didn’t take her to the battle in episode 10 or when she got caught up in Setsuna’s attack in episode 11.

Earlier, we discussed how “We were careful not center too much around Moroha” but it put us at a disadvantage as a result and I feel a little bad (laughs). However, Moroha will be taking charge in episode 16 next week (1/23/21) so please look forward to that.

Satō: Not only will Moroha play a very active role, but it is also an important episode that depicts the environment that she grew up in. Why she has to collect bounties and what kind of relationship she has with Jyūbee will be touched upon. If you watch that, I think you’ll come to understand her actions up until now like “So that’s why she was doing things like that”.

From a composition standpoint, episode 15 revealed Towa and Setsuna’s past, episode 16 will reveal Moroha’s backbone, and furthermore, the story of Setsuna’s childhood will come hereafter. If you watch that far, the full story of this will work will become clear for the most part.

The first cour was a period of planting seeds, but now going forward, the composition is set up so that the fruit of the tree will ripen and fall, so please continue to look forward to it.

The Casting of Miroku Was Entrusted to the Sound Director for “Inuyasha”

— Next, please tell us about the casting. On what points did you decide the cast group?

Satō: It was fundamentally decided through auditions. If we don’t progress the script to some extent, sound director Nagura Yasushi-san can’t determine the direction of the roles, so when the script amount had accumulated, we gathered up people who could picture the characters and carried out the auditions from there.

It was right about the time when the COVID crisis was escalating, so we worried if we could really start broadcasting in October.

Naka: The balance between the three was the deciding factor. After we narrowed it down from a number candidates, we took a “If this person did this character, then the balance would probably become like this” kind of view and decided from there.

Satō: There’s going to be a lot of dialogue between the three of them not matter what, so in order to avoid having similar voice tones and similar ways of speaking, we created the characters based on that assumption.

Towa’s thought process and actions are modern and Moroha acts on her emotions. Conversely, Setsuna is always calm and collected like Sesshōmaru and makes decisions after observing the entirety of the situation. Then she’ll look for the best solution and take action.

Because each of the characters has that kind of nature, we ordered Nagura-san to look for a balance that enables you to easily tell the three of them apart when they’re conversing.

– Did you not look at it from a standpoint that the voices should or should not sound similar to those of the parent generation like Sesshōmaru, Inuyasha, or Kagome?

Naka: That is a point that we were not at all concerned about. We proceeded with a viewpoint that the person should match the outward appearance, the actions within the story, and the nature of the character.

When balancing the three of them, balancing the twins seemed difficult, so from there we decided on Moroha first as her position takes a step back. We decided on Towa and Setsuna at the end after looking at the balance between them and considering Moroha for a second time.

— What were the key points in selecting the cast outside the three girls?

Naka: We left it up to Nagura-san. There were times when he asked for our review and opinions.

For example, there was an idea for Riku (CV: Fukuyama Jun) to have a more feminine voice. But when we spoke to director Satō, he said “A masculine image”, so we went with that direction.

— The Miroku that Yasumura Makoto-san, who replaced the late Tsujitani Kōji-san, played was a hot topic but did Nagura-san decide on that casting as well?

Satō: Regarding Yasumura-san, we asked Tsuruoka Yota, who was the sound director for “Inuyasha”, to decide. We thought that fit more under the category of “Inuyasha” rather than “Hanyō no Yashahime”.

Of course, I’m sure the viewers knew (the voice) was going to change, but we received a lot of feedback saying “It’s Miroku-sama!” and “It doesn’t feel out of place at all!” when episode 1 was broadcasted.

I was in Tsujitani-san’s care many times as a sound director prior to him playing Miroku. I was still a newbie producer back then but even when I met him after that at the “Inuyasha” set, he spoke to me like “Hello~”

I was producing while my heart was pounding hard. During testing, when I was panicking because I couldn’t match up the lip-syncing, he reached out to me like “We’ll do the syncing so it’s fine”. The figure of him reaching out to me so nicely is strong in my memory.

It was such a shame that he died so young. However, this time Yasumura-san, who was also his junior at the same agency, is working hard as his successor, and I think he was casted well.

Naka: Director Satō, you said “The air around Yasumura-san is completely different now compared to when I worked with him in other works”.

Satō: In episode 1, it seems he was really nervous having to record with the cast of “Inuyasha” who are high level seniors.

He was relaxed to some extent in episode 13 which was Miroku’s episode. He said to me “I’m sorry about before when I was extremely nervous” (laughs).

Creating Scenes in A Way That’s Distinct from the Popular (Methods)

— In order to make viewers feel that this is a work that inherits the world of “Inuyasha”, do you do any devising on the production side?

Satō: I would say scene creation. We don’t really get onboard with the popular trends. We split the cuts and show things the way they did in “Inuyasha” in order to smoothly give it that “Inuyasha” feel. I think it’s distinct from what’s popular nowadays.

This might be weird way of saying it, but it’s like we’re using an old-fashioned way of creating. By purposely doing things in a “Works from about 10 years ago felt like this” sort of way, it brings out that “Inuyasha” feel.

For other parts, Sumisawa-san directs the theatrical elocution and we have the same sound team from “Inuyasha” working, so no particular explanation is needed. In that aspect, they’re making it a lot easier for me (laughs).

For me, “Inuyasha” was the first work I did as a freelance producer. Not only was it a work that taught me the fundamentals of producing, but I also learned (how to make) storyboards from “Inuyasha”. In that sense, it’s a very memorable work.

— At the beginning, you said you “Put in devices that connect to “Inuyasha””, but between episode 9-12, demons that appeared in “Inuyasha” were continuously making appearances and it became a topic of discussion.

Naka: That section was the “devoured by Mōryōmaru” series. We had to speed through things in “Inuyasha the Final Act”, so I brought out those demons thinking “If we could just use the demons that we couldn’t properly show back then, even just a little”.

Satō: After fall for Meiōjū, we only had the scene of Mōryōmaru taking the armored shell (laughs)

Naka: We explain that “The demon that appeared this time is actually in “Inuyasha”” on the official Twitter account. It would be wonderful if there are people who take an interest in “Inuyasha” after watching “Hanyō no Yashahime”.

Satō: I think there’s also a wonderful world laid out in that work, so we would certainly love for you to watch “Inuyasha” while enjoying “Hanyō no Yashahime”.

Picking Out Noteworthy Episodes and Explaining Them!

— From here, we will have you look back on episodes that have already aired. We have picked out a number of impressionable episodes, so please tell us some secret (behind the) production stories, memorable recordings, and scenes that left a lasting impression on you.

Episode 1: Inuyasha Since Then

Satō: It was like a “class reunion” (laughs). Although, we couldn’t have everyone record together due to the COVID crisis.

We had everyone take turns recording but they were all was greeting each other like “Oh my god~!” as they passed by one another. Likewise, it was a teamwork that went without saying.

Jaken (played by Chō-san) was adlibbing a lot and that situation made me really think “This is “Inuyasha””.

The first episode was mainly “Inuyasha” basically, but at the very beginning and end, we had the story connect to episode 7 of “Hanyō no Yashahime”. In that sense, the episode was pretty much full “Inuyasha”.

Naka: While we had director Satō do the storyboard and production, I saw the storyboard and felt “Ah, it’s “Inuyasha”. It will be okay”. Like feeling relieved (laughs)

Satō: When 10 years goes by, the producers from back then aren’t around anymore. The people I worked with are now at the director level. Explaining something like the rules of “Inuyasha” from square one to the new people is a hassle, so I was like “I’ll do this myself” (laughs).

The surprising thing is, we had the same group of people from 20 year ago with chief animation director Hishinuma Yoshihito (in charge of character design in “Inuyasha”. In this work, he oversees animation character design) and the animators from back then. It felt as though “Ah, nothing’s changed”.

I remember working while saying “Back then, I never thought we would do something like this 20 years later”.

Episode 2: The Three Princesses

Satō: You could say this episode was episode 1 for “Hanyō no Yashahime”.

Due to the COVID crisis, we couldn’t have the three princesses record together and it made me realize how important it was for everyone to record together. Even though it’s a conversation, when you have one person record first and the other person responding while listening (the recording), it changes the mood and rhythm.

Nagura-san tried to match up schedules so that the three princesses could record together as much as possible, but in the end, we couldn’t record with everyone. In a sense, episode 2 was very memorable to me in that it left the impression of “So we’re going to have to record like this from now on”.

I think all the works that started airing in the fall were in the same situation, not just “Hanyō no Yashahime”. Since we were recording in chunks, it became necessary to pay even more attention than before to ensure that we didn’t forget to record anything.

I’m grateful to everyone involved that we somehow managed to air every week, despite these difficult times.

Naka: The first demon that appears in episode 2, is a point where we kept “Inuyasha” in mind as we pulled Mistress Three Eyes from Mistress Centipede.

I think it was an episode where we appealed that “We’re aware of the “Rumik World”” by putting in the hoodlums mentioned earlier and Towa’s gag face.

Even though the original “Inuyasha” leaned a little more to the serious side, I think Rumiko-sensei’s taste of allowing a little bit of leeway while not shaking off just that (aspect) is there.

This time as well, including the broadcast time, there were views from inside stating that they didn’t want to make (the episode) too serious. However, director Satō had already added that kind of relaxedness even before that was directly said. He splendidly created that balance that wasn’t too serious.

Episode 7: The Apple Meeting

Satō: Riku, who appears in episode 7, is a character we aimed to have revitalize the story by plopping in a new character just when the story was about to get stuck in a rut. Rumiko-sensei also uses this technique; for example, Kōga and Mugen no Byakuya in “Inuyasha”.

I spoke with Sumisawa-san at the beginning, expressing my desire to introduce a new character to revitalize the story before viewers could start thinking “We’re going to just keep watching this journey?” as they watch the three princesses progress on their journey. He’s a keyman who stirs up the story.

Plus, the three Yashahimes are girls, so there was also the idea of having a romantic component like with Inuyasha, Kagome, and Kikyō. Although he ended up having the feel of a pick-up artist as a result of trying to add that component in (laughs).

Naka: Episode 7 is an episode that connects to episode 1. We intended to put in the device of connecting episode 1 to another episode when we organized it, but after watching episode 7 I thought “It connected pretty well”.

I think it was nicely organized as it turned into a spoiler episode where you found out why Towa was there and what Setsuna and Moroha were doing while Yotsume was telling the old tale.

Satō: Going forward, Riku will gradually involve himself with Towa, and we wanted to show why that is over a number of episodes.

I think you’ll understand to some extent in episode 15, but he’s a character that you don’t know which side he swings to (friend or foe?), so he’s a character to look forward to in that sense.

Episode 13: The Delicious Feudal Monk

Satō: It was a parent child episode with Miroku and Hisui (CV: Urao Takehiro) that we added with the desire to develop Hisui. He is the son of Miroku and Sango (CV: Kuwashima Houko) and I think everyone was wondering what Miroku was currently doing, so we thought it would be nice to introduce what Miroku was up to here and depict the parent-child relationship.

Naka: It’s an episode where Hisui finally plays an active role. It was a feeling of sorry to have completely kept you waiting in the first cour. I am glad we were able to give him an active role to some extent. Moroha ended up going somewhere else though (laughs)

Finally, Setsuna stole the show at the end when her true power was released. I think it brings out Miroku and other “Inuyasha” characters in a good manner while still having highlights for “Hanyō no Yashahime”.

Episode 14: The Mastermind Who Burned the Forest

Satō: This is the episode where the truth behind the fire that attacked young Towa and Setsuna is revealed. It’s a real binding episode you could say, and I think it’s a story that could be put in a modern setting.

Also, from this story, the distance between Towa and Setsuna that we talked about earlier will somewhat destroy a line, I think. There’s Towa who shows her anger towards Homura, the one who tore them (the twins) apart, and Setsuna who has some thoughts from seeing that.

If you can feel that, I think how you view episode 15 will change.

Naka: I thought Towa’s comparison to a smartphone at the beginning was a little off as she doesn’t understand the concept of jealousy (laughs).

Also, something that I thought was strange after rewatching episode 14 was how the gardener and the cook were fine with working in such a dangerous place (laughs). I thought it was amazing even though they’re just regular humans.

Demons and humans unexpectedly coexist in this world. In a sense, you could say it’s very open-minded for a demon. Demons were depicted in all sorts of places in “Inuyasha” too, so it was an episode that made me realize once again that it’s this kind of world.

Episode 15: Lunar Eclipse, The Sorrowful Parting of Fate

Satō: Why did Towa and Setsuna have to grow up separated (from their parents) when they were young? This is the episode that answers that and depicts the continuation of the brief flashback in episode 8.

Why Sesshōmaru and Kirinmaru confronted Inuyasha and Kagome becomes clear. With this, I think you can start to understand Sesshōmaru’s actions.

Naka: This episode was a little different. To begin with, we thought that patrons would be happy to see Inuyasha and the others at the end of the first cour, so we organized it so that the past would be discussed at this timing.

It’s just that it felt completely independent from the main story and Riku just suddenly narrates it, so I’m sure viewers were surprised. Riku was in there as like the navigator.

The three Yashahimes don’t particularly know this, and this episode was purely for the viewers. It would be great if everyone looks forward to what’s to come while keeping this in mind.

— Thank you very much. Lastly, please give a message to our readers who are looking forward to what’s coming up ahead.

Naka: Cour 1 has just ended and we have entered cour 2, so from here on you will learn the things that you wanted to know. Please see for yourself how Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha will grow as you look forward to the mysteries being unraveled.

Satō: After episode 15, “what each character must do” will continuously become clear, and it will become a story that pursues that. On top of that, it would make me really happy if you could enjoy watching what will happen to the three (girls).

[evansyhelp]

✧  TEXTURES  –  A TUTORIAL BY EVANSYHELP. 

In this (long and image-heavy) tutorial, I’ll be showing you how I make textures, as requested by a very kind anon. I use Photoshop CC 2019 but you should be able to replicate my methods on most editing software. Please like or reblog this post if you find this helpful!

Index.

Ethically Sourcing Your Images.

Finding The Right Image.

Making Your Texture.

Other Tricks I Use.

Quick Recap.

Making Textures Without Images: Speedrun.

Outro.

Ethically Sourcing Your Images. 

I will be explaining a couple quick ways to make textures without any images at the end of the tutorial, but since my personal favourite way involves images and that’s specifically what the anon requested, that’s what the majority of the tutorial will be focused on.

The first step, naturally, is finding an image to use. My personal favourite site is Unsplash, but there are plenty of options out there. 

What you need to keep in mind is what kind of license the images have. Unsplash is free for personal and commercial use with no attribution required, which makes it perfect for things like this. There are more sites like this in my free for commercial use masterlist (linked at the end of the post), but unless you’re using them in products you’re selling (like graphic commissions), the commercial aspect isn’t something you need to worry about. Just check the site/photographer’s rules to make sure you’re allowed to edit the images for personal use, and whether attribution (credit) is required. 

Another important thing to keep in mind is that these sites typically never allow you to redistribute the images as they are. That means you can’t just go to Unsplash’s texture category, save the images without any changes, and reupload them in a texture pack on Tumblr. That’s stealing. We don’t do that.

Finding The Right Image.  

Knowing what kinds of images will make good textures is a learning curve. My first couple texture packs are rough compared to what I make now, because I basically taught myself with no guidance and learned through trial and error. But with practice, I learned what worked and what didn’t. 

You want your images to be HQ, either with no ‘subject’ (ie. a person) or with a large background. Higher contrast is better but not super necessary. You should hopefully be able to envision what kind of texture you want to make before you even touch the image.

Making Your Texture. 

For the majority of the tutorial, this is the image I’ll be working with. Credits can be found in the link at the end of the post. 

Open your canvas. You can make specialised textures, like 100px for icons or 540px for Tumblr graphics, but I personally prefer to make them large for versatility. I’m using 800px in this tutorial. Once you’ve chosen your size, upload your full-size image into the canvas. This is where the fun begins!

Drag the image around into a nice position. Or use Edit > Transform to rotate, flip, and warp the image in different ways. Or use Edit > Free Transform (Ctrl+T) to change the size or the angle more precisely. Or probably some combination of all three! With Free Transform, make sure this aspect ratio anchor is selected so you don’t butcher the quality of the image, unless you’re warping it intentionally:

This is all very individual to each image you use. You might want to flip one, shrink another, put another at a 30 degree angle. Just experiment until you end up with something you think would look awesome as a texture. For the sake of providing a good example, I flipped this image vertically, shrunk it to 80% its original size, and rotated it until it looked like the smoke/cloud was coming from the bottom right corner. This is what we have:

Then we move onto enhancing. Textures work best when there’s a lot of contrast because it’s easier to manipulate the blending modes. So if your image isn’t already high contrast, these adjustment layers (Brightness/Contrast, Levels, and Selective Colour) are your new best friends:

If you don’t see this on your Photoshop, go to Window > Adjustments and it should pop up. Again, just experiment, because different images will require different things. Essentially, you want to make the darks darker and the lights lighter. Something I like to do is add a Selective Colour layer and use the Black slider. Pick out the primary colour of the image, and then Whites, in the drop-down menu, and move the bottom slider (left to lighten, right to darken) until you’re satisfied. Like so:

So with those Selective Colour settings and the following Levels settings, here’s the before and after of my image.

Much better contrast! If you want to end here, you can, but I personally prefer grayscale textures a lot of the time because it makes it more versatile. Instead of being forced to make a blue graphic because this image is blue, I can make any colour graphic I want with one simple black and white Gradient layer. Photoshop does have a default Black & White adjustment feature, but I prefer using Gradients.

Pro tip: if your image doesn’t have a pure black, you can keep the darkest parts of your image dark by using the left slider, shown below. 

A lot of the time, I’ll also decrease the opacity of that Gradient layer, to somewhere between 80% and 95%, so just a hint of the original colour comes through. This gives it more dimension in my opinion, while still keeping it mostly neutral. Here’s 100% vs. 85%:

You may find that you want to add a little more contrast after. With this texture, I decided to grab another Selective Colour layer, pick ‘Black’ in the drop-down menu, and pull the Black slider up to +40. I also settled on 95% opacity for the Gradient. And here’s the final product!

Other Tricks I Use. 

That covers how I make a lot of my easier textures, but here’s a quick run-through of other, slightly more complex tricks. I’ll be working with this image (again, credit at the end of the post):

This, of course, is not as obviously texture-worthy as the previous example, but I love textures with strong lines, so here’s how the magic happens! I wanted to get rid of the detail on the bottom half, so I used the Polygonal Lasso tool to select it:

Then I used the eyedropper tool (the 4th symbol under the polygonal lasso in the image above) to select the blue of the sky and, on a new layer, painted that selection completely blue. I decreased the opacity to 90% just so it wasn’t a total block colour, but not enough that you can really see the lines. I repeated this process for the sky, so it looked more consistent with the bottom half.

Then, using the eyedropper tool again and making a new layer for every colour, I went in with a small soft paintbrush and painted out the harsh vertical lines on each segment of the stripes. I didn’t want to make them totally perfect, but I painted over the bulkiest interruptions. 

I added a black and white Gradient layer, using the slider tool I showed you before to darken the darks and lighten the lights, and decreased it to 50% so that it wasn’t totally black and white but still more neutral than the original. Here’s the result:

Another fun way to shake things up, which unfortunately will require Photoshop (CS6 should be fine, not sure about earlier versions), is the Filter Gallery. Go to Filter > Filter Gallery, and you’ll find a TON of effects that change your image drastically. Most of the default settings are nightmarish, but you can play around with the settings panel on the right.

Here’s just a few results that are possible with the Filter Gallery, labelled for convenience. You can view the HQ versions in the link at the end of the post.

Quick Recap. 

So you don’t have to reread this obnoxiously large tutorial every time you want to reference it in the future:

Choose a HQ image.

Resize, rotate, flip, and/or warp.

Enhance the contrast.

Black and white!

Paint over problem areas!

Filter > Filter Gallery.

Making Textures Without Images: Speedrun.

We’re almost done! There are some tools built directly into Photoshop that can allow you to make textures completely from scratch, and I’ll briefly cover my favourites here. 

The first is pattern fill layers. I spent too many years not appreciating the patterns feature in Photoshop, but they’re great. Go to Layer > New Fill Layer > Pattern, click ‘OK’ on the box that pops up, and another box will pop up to let you choose your pattern. 

By themselves, they are UGLY. It can take a while to figure out how to use them. But if you change the scale, change the blending mode, and change the opacity, you have thousands of textures at your fingertips. And if you add two or three together? Billions of possibilities. I can do a more in-depth tutorial on patterns if y’all are interested, but here’s two examples I just whipped up in a matter of minutes, using two patterns on each:

The next feature is gradient fill layers, and the gradient tool. Go to Layer > New Fill Layer > Gradient… to select a gradient (or make your own!) and an angle, OR use the gradient tool (featured below) to drag the gradient across your canvas manually. On its own, boom, that’s a gradient texture. Paired with a pattern or put through the Filter Gallery? Even better!

The last is brushes. Brushes can be great for textures because there are so many kinds. You want to make a paint splatter texture? Paint splatter brush sets are everywhere! You want to make a smoky texture? You can get brushes that look like smoke! Smudged? Scratchy? Grunge? Halftone? Light leaks? Torn paper? Brushes have your back. 

With all of these features (and things like actions, too!), your saving grace is going to be this little cog wheel shown below, and the list you’ll find under the Reset/Save/Load section. There are SO many more options built directly into Photoshop that you don’t even see right away, because you have to add them manually from this little cog wheel. 

And you can download countless more patterns, gradients, and brushes from sites like Brusheezy and DeviantART. A couple tutorials on downloading and installing them can be found in the link at the end of the post, but remember, download these things ethically. If you want to sell products that use a custom brush, it’s your responsibility to find brushes that are free for commercial use. If you don’t want to credit the creator, it’s your responsibility to find resources that don’t require attribution. 

Outro.

I think that’s everything, guys! If you found this tutorial helpful or otherwise enjoy my content, please consider supporting me on Ko-fi! I offer exclusive rewards, like custom graphics, to everyone who donates. 

Due to Tumblr’s latest rules about links, you can find the credits list, the promised bonus tutorials, other important links, and the full-size HQ versions of the textures made in this tutorial over here.

Thanks for reading!

[chidoroki]

TPN ch181

(spoilers! AAAHHhhaha..my children!)

Okay, so remember in my last review when I said I was impressed how Ray, Gilda and Phil managed to narrow down where Emma might be in the matter of a couple months? Well, I take it back because it hasnt been just a few months, it's been two damn years! Oh my god, I can't imagine how hard it must've been for everyone, especially our two boys, to search for so long without even getting on single clue about Emma's whereabouts. Some of the children still doubt whether she's alive or actually in this world with them or not.

(image limit, so imagine the panels of the Goldy Pond kids discussing the lack of clues and Thoma and Lani doubting the reward again)

Thankfully, Gilda gets the idea to search in forbidden zones which is where we see her, Ray and Phil. Speaking of which, oh my poor boy. This is the longest Ray has been without Emma by his side. I thought the one month after Goldy Pond was hard enough on him, but two whole years? Damn, I can't imagine the stress and anxiety he's been experiencing. He's still so frustrated too and gets so close to Emma without even realizing it. Then, surprisingly, his beloved family steps in to help? The people he personally couldn't save now come together to help him save the one person who originally saved his life. Like, hello?? I love this! Conny, who was another sibling he had to use in order to put his initial escape plan in motion to save Emma and Norman's lives, is now assisting him in saving Emma from being alone. Yuugo, who knows firsthand how important Emma is to Ray and how close they are. Isabella, knowing her son kept his promise as he's always set out to do whatever it takes to protect his entire family. The fact that Ray's lost family members can feel how strong his bond with Emma is and they jump in to help reconnect the two of them again.. just, wow. It may be all the rayemma week feels getting to me but that's like a damn soulmate occurrence if i ever saw one!

The two unknowingly pass each other again but thanks to Emma conveniently losing her necklace and finding it with perfect timing, they all finally encounter each other. Everyone expresses their complete shock and relief that they had finally found Emma, and while I am happy they their search ended up a success, the mood changes fairly quickly due to our girls lost memories. She hasnt the slightest idea who "Emma" is, who these people are or why they're so excited to see her. The kids wonder if they have the right girl, as they take notice of Emma's bare neck.

One look at the necklace in her hand though and Ray finally puts the pieces together. Honestly, I'm not at all surprised he's the one to figure out the true reward, as Ray has been very perceptive since the beginning. He's also always been openly honest and blunt when things get serious, so naturally he's the one who has to let everyone know this because while it's a sad truth no one wants to hear, or even believe, they all need to realize it, including Emma. Even Ray has trouble coming to terms with the sacrifice Emma made. He understands how hard it must have been for Emma to accept the heavy price of her forgetting the family she loves so deeply and he looks so broken when he realizes that. He must be feeling so guilty that he couldn't have been there with her when she made the new promise. He still puts the blame on himself and he's so upset that his failure lead Emma to live in a world alone without the family she cares for more than anything.

I wasn't too satisfied last chapter when demon god told us the real reward and Emma's response was a simple "okay," so I'm grateful we learned more about the conversation now in this chapter. She really did want to live her family. She even knew some of them might get mad at her for keeping a secret. She says it's a selfish request, for her to place such a heavy burden on herself, but what mattered to her back then upon accepting the reward is what has always mattered to her, and that's her family's happiness and safety. It wasn't just her loved one either, but for all the demons and cattle children. This girl truly has a heart of gold and demon god himself is left surprised. Of course I wish she didn't think she was being selfish since everyone did agree to follow her as their leader but aahh.. my poor girl.

Spoiling the very end now, but we dont get one last fullscore trio hug. Of course that upsets me since I thought it would've made such a perfect ending, but it makes sense now given how everyone's reunion with Emma happened. While their happiness and relief is completely understandable after searching two years and finally finding Emma, they overreact and this visibly freaks her out. Come on guys, last time I said to gently remind her of her past, not bombard her right away. Having a ton of strangers surround you and tell you such outlandish things is quite jarring. I'm glad she takes the chance to listen to everyone, but she just doesnt know these people well enough to suddenly hug them. I imagined a hug would've happened upon her recalling some of her memories somehow and feeling relived that she met the two boys she often once dreamt about, but oh well.

Norman takes this time to step in and ease some of the tension, saying how happy he is that Emma's alive and even reiterating some of the things he said to her during his shipment scene. While this chapter soon shows how well the escapees have adapted to the human world and changed, it also puts an emphasis on the boy's true personalities that they showed since the very beginning. I've already mentioned above how Ray stayed true to himself, about him being open and honest to the others with the truth and even his own feelings. With Norman, I don't know the word for him really, but his speech about their family and his feelings remind me of ch1/ep1 where we see him trying to calm Emma down after seeing what they did at the gate. He stayed by her side and remained hopeful even though he was just as scared. Right now, I get the same vibes. He's just as upset as their family upon learning Emma lost her memories, but he still wants her to be apart of their family.

Although it seems like a very rushed way of tying up loose ends, I'm happy to hear about how well the children have been adapting in the human world. They're attending school and following their passions. They all look so happy! The entire Lambda crew is healthy and Cislo even has a prosthetic leg! The medicine made from Adam's dna was successful and also helped those children from the mass production farms. Mike Ratri and the clan are actually being helpful and trustworthy. I absolutely love Norman's comment about Ayshe not killing him! It really makes me smile and I assume that means she's forgiven him.. maybe. Her dogs were indeed able to cross over to the human world too and now there's even more! Chris is finally awake! They seriously have to fill the poor boy in on so much news though.

I get it. It took the entire story for me to understand but now I get Norman's intense feelings. He's been infatuated by this girl since childhood. He told us/Ray his feelings at age 11 then "gave his life" to give her a better chance at survival. He kept living just for the slight possibly to see her again. After almost two years, they reunite, only for about a week or two before they all cross over into the human world and Emma is no where to be seen. Another two years pass and while they all find her, she's almost a completely difference person. Yet Norman's feelings remain so sincere for her that he accepts this new Emma. He lets her know that the bright future she wished for came true. (me? speaking of noremma? even im surprised)

Her head might not have the slightest idea who these people are, but her heart surely remembers! Emma's feelings for her family were so strong that they persisted throughout these entire two years, even after she stopped having those dreams about them. Deep down, and without even realizing it, she loves them so much that it makes her cry.

“Why am I... Even though I don't know them. Though I don't know anything. Though I can't remember. Why... Does it feel warm, but also so painful in my heart? I wanted to see you.”

Seeing everyone else get emotional and expressing their feelings to her right back and having all of them accept this new Emma.. yeah, that has me in tears! Demon god truly underestimated these kids and how deep their love for each other went. Emma's family was never going to give up looking for her because, thanks to her influence, they also didn't believe anything was impossible. “Screw destiny” indeed! (also we never did learn the old dude's name or Emma's new one hm? odd.)

Did Emma get her memories back? No. Did Ray pat her head again so I could die from nostalgia? No, because I'm still here. Did we get a fullscore hug like I originally hoped? No, sadly. The ending isn't picture perfect but honestly, this is still okay. Our precious girl is finally reunited with her family again. Most importantly, they're alive. The trio are teenagers about 15/16 years old now, which amazing since they once believed they wouldn't see a day past the age of 12. Yet here they are, living happy and free in the human world without fear and killing, which is exactly what Emma wished for.

I can't believe the manga is truly finished. It feels like it all went by so quick, but perhaps that's only because I haven't been in the fandom as long as others, like if you've been here since the manga started then I applaud you and can't imagine how sad this must be after four years. The anime is what caught my attention and my love for this series only grew when I jumped into the manga right after season one ended. I must have binged all available chapters at the time in like three days, all the way up to ch129. Since then I've waited patiently week after week to see how this suspenseful story would pan out for out lovable and very large cast of characters. Each new twist and cliffhanger made my brain crazy and stressed me out but it was so great to experience them with everyone.

Also, big thanks to all of you who share your comments on these reviews of mine! Even though I started writing them pretty late into the story and at the most stressful time, it was great to hear so much feedback and experience the exciting finish with everyone. The manga may have ended, but don't let that make the fandom quiet! We still have future manga volume releases to look forward to, the live-action movie that is still set for this December along with a live-action series that was also recently announced. Most importantly, season two of the anime is still scheduled for January 2021! You can bet I'll do reactions for each episode as I normally do with other anime! The series still has so much more content to give us, especially if the anime continues to recieve future seasons over the upcoming years, so of course I'll give my thoughts on all that I can.

I give all my thanks and appreciation to Shirai & Demizu for such a wonderful and suspenseful story, for all the memorable characters and the stunning artwork. The series has truly become my favorite. That's right, I said it! My favorite. TPN has taken over Black Lagoon as my favorite series. (Revy can still keep her spot as my favorite character but I'll be damned if Ray isn't a really really close second.)

[zvkydesign]

5 Character Design Tips for Creating a Winning Game  Character

Are you an aspiring artist looking to make your mark in the world of character design? Or maybe you're a writer who wants to add a little pizzazz to your latest story by creating some amazing characters?

Either way, this guide is for you! Character design can be incredibly rewarding, allowing you to bring your unique vision to life. Let's dive into the steps involved in designing a character that is used by top game concept art services. 

Step 1 - Brainstorming

The first step in character design is brainstorming. To begin, ask yourself questions like "What kind of character do I want to create?" and "What sort of qualities should my character have?" After you've come up with some ideas, start sketching out potential designs.

Don't worry if they don't look great at first – the goal here is just to get your imagination flowing and get a rough idea of what your character will look like in the end.  

Step 2 - Refining Your Design

Once you've got a few sketches on paper, it's time to do the fun part – refining! This is where you'll really start bringing your character to life. Think about how each design element interacts with one another and how that contributes to their overall look.

Consider elements such as facial expressions, clothing choice, posture and more to give them depth and personality. As you refine your design, remember that every detail matters – even seemingly small things like hairstyle or accessories can go a long way toward creating an interesting and unique character. 

Step 3 - Find the Right Tools

When it comes to creating artwork, the tools you use don’t necessarily make or break your success. In most cases, you can accomplish the same outcomes utilizing both traditional and digital mediums – the only difference is the production speed.

It is possible to replicate certain art styles like watercolors on a computer, but they often look best in their original luster. Ultimately, your aesthetic preference and that of your client will heavily influence what tools you decide on.

That being said, no matter how advanced your equipment may be, it cannot compensate for poor concept development or fundamental shortcomings in your artistic skill set. So it is important to hone those skills first and foremost!

Step 4 - Do not underestimate thumbnails

Thumbnails are an important babbling point for creatives. From small previews of images or videos on the internet to sketches in the traditional illustration world, they are useful tools for professionals and hobbyists alike.

Thumbnail sketches allow a video game concept artist to draw out several ideas without committing to a finished piece of artwork. This ensures flexibility when moving through creative processes. 

Step 3 - Creating Your Final Piece

Now that you've refined your design, it's time to create your piece! Start by drawing out each individual element of your character (such as clothing items or facial features) separately before putting them together into one cohesive image.

If needed, use reference images to help perfect certain details or get inspiration from other artists' work. When you're done, take a step back and admire all the hard work that went into creating your very own unique character!  

Conclusion 

Congratulations on completing this guide on how to design a character! You now have all the tools necessary to create any type of character imaginable – so what are you waiting for? Get creative and show off those skills!

Whether it's for a comic book series or just for fun, designing characters can be incredibly rewarding when done right. So go ahead – get designing! Who knows? Maybe someday we'll see your characters featured in their own stories! Good luck!

Try us now if you are looking for the best concept art services. We have the dream team of artists for game art services that can put your concept to life. Trust us; we are the best among video game outsourcing companies.