#this is about a myriad of things

[khalixvitae]

I’m filled with hate and desperation btw

[serpentface]

how do you come up with the ways cultures in your setting stylize people/animals/the world in general in their artwork, i.e. jewlery, rock carvings, statues, etc? Each culture in your world seems to have a very unique "art style" and I love it a lot - makes them seem that much more 'real'. This is something I struggle with a lot in my own worldbuilding and I'd love to pick your brain if possible 😁

I think a starting point is to have a research process based in the material realities of the culture you're designing for. Ask yourself questions like:

Where do they live? What's the climate/ecosystem(s) they are based in? What geographic features are present/absent?

What is their main subsistence method? (hunter gatherer, seasonal pastoralist, nomadic pastoralist, settled agriculturalist, a mix, etc)

What access to broader trade networks do they have and to whom? Are there foreign materials that will be easily accessible in trade and common in use, or valuable trade materials used sparingly in limited capacities?

Etc

And then do some research based on the answers, in order to get a sense of what materials they would have routine access to (ie dyes, metal, textiles, etc) and other possible variables that would shape how the art is made and what it's used for. This is just a foundational step and won't likely play much into designing a Style.

If you narrow these questions down very specifically, (ie in the context of the Korya post- grassland based mounted nomads, pastoralist and hunter-gatherer subsistence, access to wider trade networks and metals), you can direct your research to specific real world instances that fit this general idea. This is not to lift culturally specific concepts from the real world and slap them into your own setting, but to notice commonalities this lifestyle enforces - (ie in the previous example- mounted nomadic peoples are highly mobile and need to easily carry their wealth (often on clothing and tack) therefore small, elaborate decorative artwork that can easily be carried from place to place is a very likely feature)

For the details of the art itself, I come up with loose 'style guides' (usually just in my head) and go from there.

Here's some example questions for forming a style (some are more baseline than others)

Are geometric patterns favored? Organic patterns? Representative patterns (flowers, animals, stars, etc)? Abstract patterns?

Is there favored material(s)? Beads, bone, clay, metals, stones, etc.

When depicting people/animals, is realism favored? Heavy stylization? The emotional impression of an animal? Are key features accentuated?

How perspective typically executed? Does art attempt to capture 3d depth? Does it favor showing the whole body in 2 dimensions (ie much of Ancient Egyptian art, with the body shown in a mix of profile and forward facing perspective so all key attributes are shown)? Will limbs overlap? Are bodies shown static? In motion?

Does artwork of people attempt to beautify them? Does it favor the culture's conception of the ideal body?

Are there common visual motifs? Important symbols? Key subject matters?

What is the art used for? Are its functions aesthetic, tutelary, spiritual, magical? (Will often exist in combination, or have different examples for each purpose)

Who is represented? Is there interest in everyday people? Does art focus on glorifying warriors, heroes, kings?

Are there conventions for representing important figures? (IE gods/kings/etc being depicted larger than culturally lesser subjects)

Is there visual shorthand to depict objects/concepts that are difficult to execute with clarity (the sun, moon, water), or are invisible (wind, the soul), or have no physical component (speech)?

Etc

Deciding on answers to any of these questions will at least give you a unique baseline, and you can fill in the rest of the gaps and specify a style further until it is distinct. Many of these questions are not mutually exclusive, both in the sense of elements being combined (patterns with both geometric and organic elements) or a culture having multiple visual styles (3d art objects having unique features, religious artwork having its own conventions, etc).

Also when you're getting in depth, you should have cultural syncretism in mind. Cultures that routinely interact (whether this interaction is exchange or exploitation) inevitably exchange ideas, which can be especially visible in art. Doing research on how this synthesizing of ideas works in practice is very helpful- what is adopted or left out from an external influence, what is retained from an internal influence, what is unique to this synthesis, AND WHY. (I find Greco-Buddhist art really interesting, that's one of many such examples)

Looking at real world examples that fit your parameters can be helpful (ie if I've decided on geometric patterns in my 'style guide', I'll look at actual geometric patterns). And I strongly encourage trying to actually LEARN about what you're seeing. All art exists in a context, and having an understanding of how the context shapes art, how art does and doesn't relate to broader aspects of a society, etc, can help you when synthesizing your own.

[mattastr0phic]

[tangledinourstrings]

i think doll lines have a bad habit of giving up and quitting when they have so much room to improve and grow.

[moonshynecybin]

morning glory (8136 words) by appalachianpie Relationships: Marc Marquez/Valentino Rossi Additional Tags: Genderbend, some mild dysphoria, 2016 MotoGP season Summary: When Marc wakes up, he’s in the hospital. His body doesn’t feel right.   Or: Marc gets turned into a girl. He deals with it as only Marc can.

hello everybody i have finished my rosquez temporary genderbend fic go give it a read if youre nastayyyyy

[pine-rhyme]

Today we thinking what if Anastasia knew Māori. Do you think maybe she had a moko kauae (the chin tattoo) and John freted awkwardly around her the first days before he gathered his courage to finally salute her in Māori? Surprised but very kind she salutes back. John instantly becomes a puppy when around her and often attempts to speak his rusty Māori around her, like a secret they are both partakers into, immensely pleased that there are families out there that kept their traditions and languages even if it would have happened outside his control. But the she kindly stops him, forgiving herself that her knowledge of the language only goes as far as a few phrases. Her mother only knew very few words, she can speak even less than her.

This momentarily sets John aback but he offers to teach her (from the little he knows himself), so she could teach it to her children (gesturing towards her already visible stomach).

She laughs bitterly. She wouldn't want to keep him from more important business. But he still finds time to teach her. He desperately wants to reconnect with his coulture. He obsessively latches to Anastasia.

We don't know for sure what happens next. She becomes a sewn tongue? Takes the silent vow? Retreats into the tomb before her children come of age?

Thousands years later John with almost the same emotion and apprehension salutes Harrow with a very akward "kia ora". She doesn't understand. The language was lost entirely in time. He cannot manage to connect to her in any meaningful way.

He could have done better for her. He could have passed down the generational knowledge. He could have been her parent.

Except she wouldn't accept his teachings.

He renames his daughter Kiriona.

[guayabana]

elden ring attracting so much attention from audiences that usually wouldn't touch a fromsoft game has been so annoying when it comes to discussions about its story.

like maybe ironic considering grrm was involved in the writing this time, but the response to elden ring & specifically SOTE feels very similar to what happened with game of thrones, where the story is pretty explicitly about the dangers & violence & cruelty inherent in certain systems of power, and 95% of the audience response is to look at that & be like "wow i hope my fave character gets to be the good ruler who fixes everything because they're so cool & nice :D"

[little-de-vil]

How we feeling in this fine SOTR day, fam?

Because I’m feeling…something for sure!

[prince-liest]

PRINCE is that a HEATHERS reference in once bitten or am I projecting my myriad of obsessions

Jesus suffering christ I can't get away with ANYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope you heard it in the exact fucking tone of voice that Heather Duke says it in.

[telestorm]

will the day ever come where people talk about mel and viktor parallels without making it about jayce? they don’t parallel each other because of him, they parallel each other because they are the characters in the show with the strongest ties to the arcane. their dreams are similar as are their goals, they are physically changed by magic, viktor seeks to distance himself from emotions while mel’s powers exist because of them, their magic likely repels each other (reasonable explanation for why viktor was not protected by mel’s shield), etc. etc. the only thing here that involves jayce is the fact that they both saw him as a way to get closer to achieving their dreams/goals.

[ankle-beez]

bad writing that's so funny that you can give it a pass. does this make sense

[griancraft]

>be me

>dysphoric but well into my transition

>look up “how to pass as a transman” on google

>specifically add the query “while on T” 

>google doesnt understand and shows me stuff for young men pre T

 >put quotations around “on T”

>google shows me results

>click the first link

>it’s all advice for pre T transmen

[mattastr0phic]

I went on the 963 wiki thing and hit random and the first one I got was Myr!!!!

Congrats on the roll! You received a 5 star Myriad!

[windsweptinred]

....

[thresholdbb]

You know, I really don’t care how other people engage with their favorite media. Like everyone, I have my preferences and opinions about things that annoy me personally, but none of my posts should be read as prescriptive

You do you, boo-boo

[crofter]

001: a (visual) study into lara croft.