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devilfic · 11 months

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part five of this series dedicated to @aspenaspid because they asked so, so nicely

cw: 18+ mdni, implied masturbation (m), non-sexual bondage... technically. it definitely didn’t start that way, miguel’s definitely got a thing for “sir”, EXTREMELY suggestive, no explicit smut.

miguel cannot look you in the eyes right now.

you’re suspended above the crime scene in a web stronger than your own, and it’s hard to see you the same after what he’d done. it should’ve drained him, made him immune, or at least exhausted his desire for you a bit. and you’re none the wiser, of course, and he’s the only bearer of shame, but he’s watching you wriggle and writhe and he’s struggling not to turn back around and portal himself out of there before he made a mess of his suit again.

jessica had since subdued her anomaly, the one you both had come for, and found miguel standing at the far back of the scene with his mouth set in a hard line, “you might wanna take a sample of that web before we head back. villain’s webbing is double the strength of anything I’ve seen. if you can reproduce it, could be useful.”

it would be useful, yes. the synthetic webbers in the spider-society could definitely benefit. his own webs had their perks, but he imagines what he could do if he had access to something this strong. they’re strong enough to hold you captive, thin enough to look translucent. the white strings knot around your ankles, your wrists and chest, pressing deep into your flesh even as you tug and tug and tug. you keep tugging, growing winded with a fine sheen of sweat across your brow, groaning and whining for someone to just cut you out, that you’d do anything for someone to just run their talon down the axis of your chest and cut you free, catching on your suit in the process and ripping a hole for him to just tear-

you groan even louder this time, “can someone get me out, please?”

jessica laughs, pats miguel’s shoulder, “think I’ll leave this one to you.”

miguel whips his head to her, “me? you’re the one that got them in this mess. you cut ‘em out.”

but she’s already on her way, fashioning a portal out of thin air, “they’re your assistant.” and she falls through before miguel has the chance to argue.

there’s a lot less people around now. this universe’s spider had been tied up on the brooklyn bridge and someone was heading out to get them down, so it was just you and miguel and a spattering of police assessing the damage to the city. you blow a stray piece of hair out of your face and whine, “miguel.”

he swallows. maybe cutting you out sooner than later would be for the best.

you’re suspended horizontally, laid back in the bed of webs spread eagle. he uses his own webs to swing up and onto the surface, careful to keep from getting himself caught, and crawls his way over to you on all fours. he reaches your ankles first and extends a talon to snip away the webbing. it falls apart with a little effort.

as soon as your legs are free, you draw your knees to your chest and sigh and miguel has to look away before he gets any ideas. he crawls toward your wrist next, but hesitates. you’re looking up at him with such doe eyes that he feels his hand tremble a bit, “are you hurt?”

you glance away, suddenly a little irritated, “no. I barely got in on the action before that asshole webbed me up like this. he was gonna eat me.”

miguel raises an eyebrow, “eat you?”

“you should’ve seen the guy. he was huge, had fangs just like yours and six more legs.”

miguel frowns. a giant mutated spider appears in his mind, hovering over you with drooling fangs positioned over your throat, prepared to devour you whole. he was sure he didn’t look much different with a villain in his grasp. “just like mine?”

you turn back to him, eyes searching his own. it seems you both are remembering when his teeth sunk into your arm days ago. “not exactly... one fang was the size of my head,” something that big would’ve killed you with one drop of venom, “I tried picturing you as him to sweeten my imminent death, but he wasn’t nearly as good-looking.”

a comment like that would’ve usually had him cutting a hole in the web just to watch you fall to your demise, but hovering over your body (your trapped body, with nowhere to go, and a tantalizing view of your throat on display) had him thinking... other things.

he crouches on a single line of web, hunching his body over you until he blots out the light of the city above you, until his shadow overtakes you and your eyes widen. he places one hand by your head. his lips part slowly, naturally, revealing the very tips of his fangs to you. he watches your breath quicken and your throat bob with a hard swallow. if he’d had 24 hours to get over the images of you he’d conjured up to get him off, you both would’ve been back in nueva york by now.

but it’s been about an hour since he’d spilled into his hand over you for the fourth (or fifth? or sixth?) time, and none of it compared to seeing you like this.

“oh, really?” his voice rasps low.

for once, for once, he’s caught you off guard.

it was no doubt he was bigger than you. and when he wanted, he could be frightening. but even when he tried—and oh, he tried in the beginning, hoped it’d scare you away—you never wavered. it irritated him then. he’d wanted to make you shake.

and now you’re looking up at him and it’s not quite fear, but it stings like an electric current between you. you’re not quick to quip like usual. he can hear the tremor in your breathing. there are police sirens abound but it might as well be completely silent the way you zero in on him.

he’s committing it all to memory in the event his shame can’t keep his hand from finding its way back into his pants later.

you fill your chest with air and arch your back, a movement that makes his brain short-circuit, just to release your sweet breath and fall back into the webs again, “if I didn’t know any better,” you begin, eyes trailing up from his talons curling around the web by your face to his eyes, “I’d say you were trying to get me excited, mr. o’hara.”

his eyes narrow into slits, “what happened to ‘sir’?”

your face breaks out into a smile so triumphant that he realizes you’d done that on purpose, had tried out that “sir” to see if he liked it, not just to tease him. and now you had him hovering over you with his teeth bared like he had no sense. you were insufferably smug. he could feel how pleased you were, the way your body eased into the webs and each and every twist of your body traveled back to his fingers, overwhelming his senses. you’d caught him in a web of your own.

“if I call you sir, will you let me go?”

miguel doesn’t see it but he hears the sound of you stretching your fingers, making no attempts to free yourself anymore. he feels one of your knees brush his hip and wonders if the web will stay intact if he portals the both of you out like this. he needs it. to research, of course.

“I could just leave you here, let them handle you.” he nods to the people down below, forcing himself not to react.

“it would be just like you to leave right before it gets good.”

“that implies ‘it’ was ever gonna happen.”

your eyes flash with something. miguel watches your forehead wrinkle, then smooth over once more, “you’re right. maybe I should take web-slinger up on his offer when we get back, then.”

web-slinger... hit on you?

miguel’s fist clenches and before he realizes it, the webs underneath his hand snap and his arm falls through, throwing him off balance and dropping his full weight on top of you. he tries to gather his bearings but suddenly something is touching his face—you, your hand that had broken free when he’d closed his talons into a fist at the thought of patrick o’hara (oh, you’d definitely done that on purpose) and you—and holding it an inch apart from your own. he waits with bated breath, all at once at your mercy.

you tuck a stray hair behind his ear and he all but full-body shudders, “don’t worry. you’re the only o’hara for me.”

part six

#a little bit of jealous miguel for the culture #miguel o'hara x reader #miguel o'hara scenarios #miguel o'hara imagines #miguel o'hara headcanons #miguel o'hara fic #spiderman 2099 #across the spiderverse #marvel #mjwrites

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losing-dog-art · 3 months

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I just drafted all of this then lost it I'm going through a wall

Finished murderbot concept!!!

With bonus version with clothes 🎉

I have been making a lot of art lately (this is because I am procrastinating other things 😶)

Explanations below the cut (there was going to be a video but tumblr decided to fuck that)

So I have this old post about some head cannons for MBs appearance, but doing this full body design involved more thinking

I find it interesting that MB really only ever describes it's appearance when it's relevant to the plot/fight/scene, so anything that isn't relevant is left to our imagination. That being said:

MB says all it's inorganic parts are covered by a long sleeve shirt with a collar, pants and shoes. This means no inorganic parts on its face or hands

MB says it has no organic parts on its feet.

Slightly deeper cuts but MB mentions that it has inorganic and organic parts around its knees (I believe in exit strategy) and that it has an accessible company under its ribs (artificial condition)

People are often surprised when they see MB out of armor -- people who aren't familiar with secunits don't expect it to look as human as it does

MBs skin is canonically clear af (network effect I think)

Based on those handful of canon details, you can imagine Mb a lot of different ways -- this is great! And I've said before I think Martha Wells does this very much intentionally. So, that being said, here is some of my thoughts in this interpretation:

Based on that last point, MB looks surprisingly human. For me, this means soft facial features, eyelashes, and more organic parts than you might expect. Also, the inorganic parts are also round and nice looking -- this is partly just me thinking in a fun sci-fi way but also secunits are designed to be comforting

I've seen some people give it mechanical legs that are kind of bird-like or resemble running prosthetics. I think this is super cool and it makes a lot of sense-- those legs are basically a better form of bipedalism and let you run faster etc. BUT they would significantly change your gait. And thus be something MB considers when it is trying to pass as human. So I gave it more human feet, with the important toes and everything

I'm no expert on robotics or anatomy, but I really tried to think a little bit functionally. How would a secunit fold? How would it bend over, squat down, etc? I tried to give the look of some kind of shock system in the ankles, and conical-axis based joints. the hip area is probably the weak point in my design in this areas, idk, imagine ball bearings or something

For clothes, it's pretty straightforward. MB describes this more than a few times, but I tried to give some slightly fun sci-fi decoration bits

I tried to think about how androgyny might be generated in a silhouette in an unintentional way -- androgyny that is the result of functional design decisions and not aesthetic ones.

Idk. I had a lot of fun with this. This took about 4 hours (I've been trying not to overwork stuff lately and let the process show through) I might try and post the speed-draw video later? As a reblog perhaps. Idk Tumblr didn't like it the first time

Also a girl on bumble mentioned reading all systems red and I had to act so normal

#you have to understand these posts are like journals for me #murderbot diaries #murderbot fanart #the murderbot diaries #murderbot #secunit #artificial condition #exit strategy #network effect #art #drawing #digital art #my art #fan art #digital sketch #losing dog art tag #art process

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starshinesparkle · 2 years

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How you are like in school using the 3rd-9th house axis:

3rd house is thought to be early education (until high school) and 9th is higher education like University, Masters or PhD. Observations are my own.

With astrology axis, it's important to note that you are always pulling from both sides. Striving for balance is key.

Aries 3rd/Libra 9th: Likely competitive in school. Given leader roles from a young age. Feeling like you had to do it all yourself. As you got older, you learned balance and depending on others. Learning the art of delegation to lead. Possibly a serial dater in college.

Taurus 3rd/Scorpio 9th: Could love naps and seek stability. An anchor in friend groups. Comfort is a priority. As you get older, you get more private and selective. Could shown interest in occult (astrology, tarot, etc). Magnetic.

Gemini 3rd/ Sag 9th: A talker, a bubbly and witty friend. Could use your hands a lot (Gemini rules hands). Close to your siblings. Seen as inquisitive and smart. As you get older, you could study abroad. Explore religions or philosophies. Have a large friend group. Seen as funny and a free spirit.

Cancer 3rd/Capricorn 9th: Likely emotional in school. Could have been subtly popular. Kind. Could have been a mom friend. People could have been protective over you. As you get older, you are likely more driven and ambitious. Success in later years of school like junior and senior year of college(Saturn rewards). Lots of lessons in beginning years of school like first and second year of college. Seen as put together and hardworking.

Leo 3rd/Aquarius 9th: You were likely popular. Could have peaked in early school years, if not careful. Unapologetically yourself. As you get older, you attract friends who are "weird" or own their individuality like you. Could work with technology. Could thrive in groups and advocacy work.

Virgo 3rd/Pisces 9th: Teacher's pet. Particular about school and school supplies. Could be studious. Unexpectedly funny friend. Could draw people to you who need healing. As you get older, you could be seen as dreamy. Possibly more artistic. Drawn to spirituality a lot. Could have a large friend group (Jupiter) but could be disillusioned or hurt by friends (Neptune).

Libra 3rd/ Aries 9th: Popular, likely known for looks and charm. Could have been a little matchmaker or a lot of people's crush. A mediator between friend groups. As you get older, you are more assertive. May take on leadership qualities and try new things. May get into fitness (especially high intensity workouts). People see you as sexy and direct.

Scorpio 3rd/ Taurus 9th: Scorpio in 3rd can give popular without trying. Something about you that people gravitate to. Private and a bit of a loner. Selective in friendship. As you get older, you earn more money in jobs. People see you as stable and hardworking. Could be likely to indulge yourself and loved ones.

Sag 3rd/ Gemini 9th: Gemini-Sag axis gives class clown energy. Quite popular as a kid, with an abundance of friends and groups. Adventurous and curious. Might correct their teachers. As you got older, you were talkative but still interested in learning (but more selective than when you were a kid). Likable through school and thrives in a learning environment.

Cap 3rd/ Cancer 9th: Could have a hard early school life. Likely seen as a leader and hardworker. Gaining respect and admiration from people. Could have been interested in money from a young age (hustling from all those lemonade stands lol). Could have been seen as stoic and a "little adult". As you get older, you are more nurturing. Could face turbulent emotions. Likely popular (moon that rules Cancer is a luminary).

Aquarius 3rd/ Leo 9th: Seen as weird and eccentric. Possibly lived for computer class. Drew into other people who didn't quite fit in. A young humanitarian. As you got older, you owned what made you different in school in the younger years. Likely popular during college. Could be a drama or theater kid.

Pisces 3rd/ Virgo 9th: Might be religious as a child. Could appear spacey to classmates and friends. Might shock their teachers by saying randomly profound things. Once you get older, you are studious and structured. Likely drawn to fields like medicine.

Happy back to school season y'all! Blessings on your year and studies ✨️

#astro community #astro observations #astrology #astro notes #astroblr #3rd house #9th house #education

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cyan-the-computer · 3 months

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I turned Axis into a fox creature like the rest of his family

Sooner or later, I am going to have to colorize this... After all, I am actually kinda proud of it. Also, if it was not obvious, I took some a bit of inspiration from my humanoid design for Axis.

Speaking of humanoid things, I might make a human design for Axis at some point. I am honestly not a big fan of humans though, so even if I do, I probably will not use it often... I believe in human inferiority (SORRY CLOVER)

I feel like I have not mentioned this much before but feel free to use any of my ideas, draw my alternative versions of characters, etc. As long as nobody claims that something of mine is theirs, I would honestly be happy to see what others do with my ideas.

Yippee (real)

#undertale yellow #uty #axis 014 #uty axis #axis #axis uty #ut yellow #axis undertale yellow #undertale yellow axis #axis model 014 #fox axis uty

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nyuuronfly · 8 months

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quick doodle showing how you draw perspective, if that's ok?

i really like your art btw, you're one of the few people i usually go to for reference for drawings and actively follow

i'm definitely not the best teacher haha! this may not be useful. in general, my approach to perspective is the basic stuff: horizon lines are the most important, and vanishing points are placed along it. I am working on a drawing right now which is pushing perspective, its my first very extreme fisheye lense one. I could use it as an example of somethings.

the horizontal line in the middle is the "horizon line" or "eye level." It shows that anything above the line is above the viewer, and anything below it is below. So below, you are looking at the top of things, and above, you are looking at the under-side of things. The other points are the furthest possible point down an axis. In this extreme perspective, you can see all the way to the right and left (or east/west) of the viewer. So it is very distorted. Anything that is getting further away from a viewer along a certain axis is moving closer to a respective vanishing point. so as we go further right, they converge toward the right point. upwards is converging into the upwards point. etc. The guides are there mainly as reminders of how to keep certain dimensions in mind. But the most important thing is to think of things 3-dimensionally and visualize. I'm freehanding this, so its imperfect. But hopefully that illustrates some of the idea. Normally, perspective does not have to curve. It curves when there is two vanishing points for polar opposite directions like up/down etc. but for lower field-of-view "camera," where just one point on an axis is visible or relevant, i dont need to do that.

If you're interested in learning perspective properly, the two books you might want to look into are either Perspective Made Easy by Ernest Norling, or How to Draw by Scott Robertson. The later is more advanced, but is basically the best resource. I probably could learn a lot from it myself.

#nyuuwips

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utytimeline · 4 months

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Thoughts on UTY (Pacifist Version)

Reactions from when I first played Pacifist, and observations I made as the game progressed. A lot of these will be outdated by the time I get this list compiled, but it’s a faithful list of my reactions. No spoilers, plz. I haven’t done Geno, betrayal kills, or boss kills yet. (I kinda don’t want to, these are my babies.)

Long post ahead.

Ruins

Questions

Clover is the narrator, aren't they? I don’t think Chara’s even in this game.

What happens if we don't leave a tip at the lemonade stand?

Is there a way to wake Decibat after he goes to sleep? (I know that's cruel, I'm just curious.)

Dalv keeps talking about a friend, talking like he thinks he will meet them again- Kanako?

Dalv is mistaking us for the human that attacked him, isn't he? The one that made Chujin decide to kill the next human?

Who was leaving Dalv corn? My best guess is Ceroba- that she's felt sorry for him this whole time.

How to look in Dalv's locked doors/drawers? (Probably have to kill him. That... is gonna hurt. I like Dalv, he's a sweetheart.)

Observations

Decibat's music volume decreases the more you stay silent. (Which makes me think all battle music is being generated by Clover, not the monster.)

"Penilla draws near." (Italics added for emphasis.) *facepalm*

"Rorrim" is "mirror" spelled backwards.

Also, "Dalv" is "Vlad" spelled backwards, so might Rorrim be Dalv's personal mirror? Seems to fit, Dalv is extremely tidy.

Dalv's furniture's "fine craftsmanship" is probably Chujin's work.

Other Thoughts

I feel like a sponge cake with 2x absorption should have an effect where it absorbs damage for at least 2 turns.

Snowdin

Questions

Does the Snowdin ice block ever move? The guy that comes here from the Dunes just stands there and does nothing. Perhaps I need to check very late in the game, return from the last SAVE in New Home or something.

What kind of creature is Mo? I looked it up, and all I can find is "he looks like a raccoon." Yeah, I can see that, but he's kinda reddish-brown, so maybe a red panda? I also considered the possibility that Mo could be a tanuki, a Japanese raccoon-dog (and yes, it looks like a raccoon) that supposedly tricks people, especially tricking them into buying drinks- and Mo is a drink salesman.

What are we to make of the human on the wanted poster that Marty describes? She said they wore a hat like ours, but they came from space. I can’t think of a single equippable UT item that seems outer spacey. And since she’s describing a wanted poster, I don’t think she’s talking about Red (the monster she thought was a human). My first guess is that some monsters may equate the Surface with outer space, since they’ve never seen either (and many monsters are obsessed with the stars- Starlo and all the monsters making wishes in Waterfall, for instance).

Observations

Flowey: "We won't be anywhere near your fancy surface air for a while." (Italics added for emphasis.) He sounds... jealous? This was when I first realized that Flowey's only playing nice, but I still have no clue what he’s really planning.

"Snowy" is just barely recognizable in "Snowfall."

Mo's theme is easy to recognize because not only does it use the Sega Genesis soundfont, it even includes the Michael Jackson whoop from Sonic 3&K.

Ice Wolf was when I started to realize that Yellow isn't that long before UT. (Yeah, I know, Flowey should've been my first clue, but I simply assumed he couldn’t be Asriel, that he was someone else that somehow turned into a flower. Anything can happen in these games, after all.)

The Shufflers are all named after things you do with a drink: Toast, Swig, and my favorite, their leader Rephil (Refill).

The Shufflers scold Clover for starting a fight, but later Axis is the one trying to drag us into a fight. I guess battles can go either way.

Shopkeepers have full animations, it's not just facial expressions.

Yellow finally gives us real puzzles. Some of them even take a bit to solve.

Flowey makes a comment about mailing ourselves to Asgore. He clearly already knows about resets, so I think it’s likely that he’s seen the moment (at the end of The Dunes) that the whales start shipping people by mail.

Other Thoughts

Frostermit is so adorable. I need a Frostermit plushie.

Mo makes me think of what Spamton must have been like before Gaster (no, I'm not suggesting a connection, just that's what he made me think of- but given the other, more obvious DR inspirations throughout the game, I think it’s possible they were going for that kind of character).

Headcanon: Insomintot is related to Knight-Knight. They both inherited a genetic tendency to fall asleep when a human sings.

I love the UGPS jingle, it's so cute.

"(The remnants of a snowman. Once full of life. Now full of potential for new life.)" This line is a little creepy, to me. Clover may not realize it, they're probably just joking, but WE know that some snowmen in the Underground are alive, and I'm wondering what happened to this one.

I don't know if it's the same soundfont, but the Honeydew Resort theme reminds me of Final Fantasy: Mysticquest.

I actually picked "minor scales" when talking to the cellist at the resort, because I actually do like minor scales.

Being a Shadow the Hedgehog fan (the character, not just the game), I got a chuckle out of the description of coffee bean ammo. What do you mean, you can't eat the beans???

I haven't actually noticed any 4th wall moments, but Martlet's message on the second ball puzzle, the message that apologizes for making it too high to see and says the human must be very good at guessing, makes me think it's a very obscure allusion to the fact that Clover is being possessed by the player. There aren't enough moments like that in this game for me to go all crazy with lore and theories, but it's a nice touch to see such an allusion.

In all fairness, Marty has some craftsmanship abilities. Unfinished, shoddy workmanship notwithstanding, it still takes some knowledge of mechanics to make a water-powered door lock.

I just love Marty, she’s so sweet, I want her to be my little sister.

Waterfall

Questions

Why does the Royal Guard bother to survey their prisoners on “auditory ambiance” and things like that when they’re just gonna deliver the SOUL to Asgore??? I mean, isn’t the victim (except Red, apparently) usually dead before they get this far???

Observations

Not sure, but I’m guessing this is a different river than the one we travel with River Person. Not only do we never meet River Person, but the colors of the ground and plants behind Ava look like the marshy sections of Waterfall that we never get to walk in.

Other Thoughts

I love how we never actually visit Waterfall (unless you count the post-credits scene), we just float past it. Acknowledgement of the source material without actually copying it. And gave them that much more time and room to include an entirely new area (2, if you count the Wild East as separate from the Dunes).

The mention of a Royal Scientist threw me off. I totally did not expect Alphys, I thought this game took place many years before UT, and I’ve seen no Gaster references in this game at all.

The Dunes

Questions

More of a complaint than an actual question, but… if they wanted to make a Zelda reference, WHY OH WHY did they have to do the Death Mountain rockfall???

Since the Dunes are so near Hotland, could the gigantic Swelterstone be responsible for Hotland’s heat, too?

Since El Bailador calls us a “Sentinel of Silence,” how will killing Decibat affect the fight with Bailey?

If you do well in the Bailey fight, does he stop saying you don’t love dancing as much as him?

How to move the sunbathing (wait, what sun?) cactus that blocks that one road?

Observations

The Dunes is where I noticed that the battle theme changes depending on the location.

Sea Tea still increases SOUL speed. Loved that they kept this in.

Same black slime that we met in MTT Resort Hotel. And still outraged because of an elevator. Feels like he’ll never find a working one.

Bowll being a china bowl shaped like a bull is probably a play on the phrase “a bull in a china shop.”

Clover got the green healing flowers (the ones in the Omega Flowey fight) from Violetta.

I sucked at Mew Mew Love Blaster, but I watched a walkthrough, and DID THEY SERIOUSLY GIVE MEW MEW A “BIG SHOT”?!? (Coming back to this after finishing the game, I went, “yup, they did.”)

Other Thoughts

“Vigorous Terrain” is my favorite location theme, but I still haven’t figured out whether there’s any significance in it being a remix of “Your Best Friend.”

That first tumbleweed, the one that comes rolling out of the hole in the cliff, had me like “wut?” I did love how they replaced Undyne’s rocks with tumbleweeds.

I also love the mines music. The first few notes remind me of Zelda’s Lullaby (from LOZ).

I actually missed getting a free pickaxe because the monster’s trivia question about the Royal Scientist threw me off. I still didn’t realize this took place after Asgore hired Alphys, I thought it came WAAAAY before that. (This also finally confirmed for me that Flowey is, in fact, the same one we know from UT, Asriel.)

I tried not to make a lot of comparisons to DR, considering this isn’t even canon to UT, but I did feel like the mouse attack in Bowll’s fight was very similar to that one attack in the Maus fights in DR. But I think the Maus fight itself was probably a reference to some old video game (can’t remember which one, it just always felt familiar), so maybe UTY was making the same reference.

Was stunned to see Undyne look-alikes in the Mines, was more surprised that they mentioned her, and was the most surprised to find that they’re not related.

Clover has a very cute animation for hopping in the mine cart.

I could not figure out Bailador’s fight mechanics, and tbh, I got thru it on an absolute fluke (and the silver scarf). I had to look up a walkthrough later to realize you have to move into the right space AND press the action button when the color lights up. I thought it was just being in the right space. Every rhythm game controls differently, it seems.

Wild East

Questions

Do mail whales keep notebooks full of potential rhymes, like Marty and her notebook full of puzzle ideas?

Is “designated naptime” a reference to siestas, or did Star just not want to overwork everybody?

“A ballet shoe could be lethal if used enough times.” Um. Got anything to share there, Blackjack? “Don’t question my morality! I’m not prepared to speak on it!” OKAY, I REALLY NEED YOU TO SPEAK ON IT NOW….

Can we get into the locked farm cellar? (Preferably without killing anyone?)

Observations

Animals still living in the Underground at least provides some explanation for where monsters get their food (in addition to the corn).

The BEST part about the health overcharge? You don’t lose it when you SAVE! He might be a plague doctor, but Doc works absolute miracles.

Star paid double price for the gun he bought us.

They actually take around 15 paces for the dual (I lost count). (And yes, I spelled it “dual” on purpose.)

Moray comments that Star made them walk around with a rubber snake in their boot. I looked it up, and it looks like the first and most well-known movie to use that “snake in my boot” reference really WAS Toy Story (although it has origins outside of film from farther back). So Starlo also watches animations (as long as they have cowboys).

Vengeful Virgil’s comment that not caring about others’ feelings is what makes him a villain, comes while we’re on our way to console Star after his cocky selfishness drove everyone away. This was not a coincidence.

Every monster has a magical ability, and Starlo’s is literal “bullet time” (he can slow you down).

^This also makes me wonder: remember how he flew backwards in slow-motion when we shot him in the dual? I wonder if he was using his bullet time on himself for dramatic effect.

Star’s family: his dad, Solomon (the sun), his mom, Crestina (the moon), and a brother who’s name I never found but looks like a 4-pointed star. (I’ve seen people call him Orion, so I’m going with that, for now.)

Star has several sticky notes in his dad’s almanac, and keeps dad’s almanac on his own bedroom nightstand. Seems like Star probably took his life on the farm seriously before he left home.

Star also apparently had an interest in outer space. Possibly some confusion stemming from Toy Story? (I actually started headcanoning that Toy Story got him into cowboys, and put together a fic on that.)

Not sure where the term “space cowboy” originated, or what Clover’s actually referring to when they say it about Star, but the first use of that phrase that I’m finding is a Steve Miller song from 1969 (referenced later in Steve Miller’s “The Joker” from 1973, the line that a lot of people associate with Steve Miller: “some people call me the space cowboy, some call me the gangster of love”). The phrase has been used numerous times in multiple ways since then.

Seems like Star sewed his own outfit.

Other Thoughts

Picked “no” when Star asked if monsters die when you ride them into the sun cuz I thought the whole town would converge upon me, heh.

Was honestly surprised that the dummy finally showed up. This was the first time I tried using the FIGHT option, and it turned out to be rather difficult. I am not looking forward to Neutral or Genocide.

Star tells Ceroba we’re as good of a shot as him, and she goes, “Really? A child?” Still not entirely sure whether she’s poking a bit of fun at Star, but I don’t think she is. Star doesn’t take any offense to her comment for himself, and her sprite when she speaks next, saying she’s “impressed,” looks extremely surprised. (In all fairness, despite Blackjack’s claims, Star actually is really good.)

I suck at them all, but the mini-games in UTY are all so fun.

Love the change-up to the battle animation during Feisty Four’s attack, how they switch between characters and even team up.

“A tumbleweed rolls by. It says hello.” Well, why not? I mean, the rocks and cacti are sentient.

The first mention of Kanako at The Lab had me in tears, because, like… we KNOW what happened to her.

Steamworks

Questions

“The Steamworks was the main power source of the Underground.” This statement confuses the timeline a bit for me. The Core is now the main power source of the Underground, but my understanding is that the Steamworks was operational long after Gaster died.

I NEED TO KNOW WHAT THAT LAST AWARD ON THE WALL SAYS.

Does the story change at all depending on what parts you use for Axis’ gf? (Also, I wonder how many of us just picked up the first 2 or 3 items and then realized there’s way more than 4 items to choose from and wished Ceroba would let us start over.)

Is there a way to fix the grandfather clock?

Does the grandfather clock say something different if the time on your PC actually is 6:26 on a Monday morning in spring?

Observations

Ceroba telling Clover to wait in the corner, kinda refers back to her doubting that a child could be as good of a shot as Star. She has very little respect for Clover at this point. Not entirely sure if it’s just because Clover’s a human, or if it’s also because they’re just a kid.

Don’t think I missed Flowey’s comment about The Lab. He clearly does NOT want us to go there.

Ceroba must have some kind of dimensional satchel, herself. I don’t see how else she can carry the hunkajunk we built (not to mention pulling her staff out of hammerspace).

BTW, “dihydrogen monoxide” is just water. Vendy probably just called it that to make it sound poisonous.

Vendy said their last boot up was yesterday and that their creator always comes by on Mondays to restock them. Sadly, the grandfather clock is stuck on 6:26, Monday morning. Kinda feel sorry for Vendy.

Guardener is actually nice. She even grows a flower just for the bot that came late.

Telly-Vis starts using the bullet patterns of other monsters during the “reruns” portion of the fight.

You can cheat on the Axis fight if you have the silver scarf. Just deliberately miss Axis when you ping-pong the red balls for enough turns to heal up.

I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m guessing that Ceroba would get mad and ditch you if you kill one of the robots, turning the run into a Neutral.

Other Thoughts

Screw those water puzzles at the start of Steamworks.

DAT MUSIC, THO.

I’m not gonna try to discuss Ceroba’s growing respect for us. That needs a whole analysis post of its own. (Well, everything about Ceroba needs its own analysis.)

Axis rolled in and I was like, “Oh, no, another one.” Seems like we just keep running into these darned toaster ovens on wheels.

Axis music is fire, tho, all of it.

I swear I hear some DR inspirations in the music. Haven’t learned the names for all the tracks yet, but at one point I thought I heard Digital Roots (when Ceroba’s fiddling with the generator) and at another I thought I heard Card Castle (the room where you build Axis’ gf).

A game mechanic I love: Ceroba’s shield effect (well, as long as it’s shielding Clover).

A mechanic I hate: Jandroid’s slippery floors.

I also love the manta ray ferryboat.

Mo’s level of professionalism is off-the-charts. He ain’t about to let a little thing like his clothes and his stand catching fire ruin a sales pitch.

Being a Christian, I’m not going to share what I really think of the Axis chase.

Loved seeing the return of popato chisps.

I swear, I thought all that white stuff was monster dust at first. Walked into the Science Division and nearly burst into tears.

I hope somebody finally has chance to either fix Guardener or shut her down properly once they reach the surface.

Conveyor belt puzzle caused me trouble because I kept trying to box up trash. Took me a while to realize “red” and “blue” referred to the highlights around the objects.

I’ll talk more in depth later, but I love how Clover has this calming effect on Ceroba when she’s chewing out the productivity bot.

Believe it or not, I didn’t get caught by Axis in the fireplace room! Go me! (Actually, it’s really not that hard….)

Still not entirely sure what I think of Axis deliberately handing us a “weapon” just to give himself an excuse to attack us.

I’ve said this before: he took me an hour and a half to fight the first time. I really hate the mechanics in his boss fight. And it was especially humiliating for me because I’d only died, maybe, 3 or 4 times before him. Didn’t have any trouble with Starlo, and while I never did get the hang of Bailey’s fight, I think I only died to him once. Guardener was responsible for the other deaths.

I love how Ceroba’s been insulting the Steamworks the whole time, but I don’t think she ever insults Axis. That was her late husband’s baby. And then she even gives him tips on dating.

Ceroba finally respects us after the Axis fight. It takes remembering why she needs us for her to be able to press on with her mission.

Chujin’s House

Questions

Woodworking, robotics, SOUL research, video game designer, loving husband and father- I know Chujin was kinda old, but how DID he find time for all this???

Marty finds Kanako’s room to be unsettling. Not sure why.

Clover doesn’t like the gas stove and worries it will cause a housefire. I’ve wondered before whether they came from an orphanage. Did they lose their family in a fire?

“The Founder’s Crest.” Who are the Founders? Founders of what? Or is this just a reference to something I’m not familiar with? (Possibly something in Japanese culture?)

Was Chujin actually that much older than Ceroba? Or did he just age rapidly because of his research? If boss monsters only age when they have children, how could he have become so old before marrying Ceroba… unless he’d already had, and lost, one child before?

I’ve been told there’s a secret behind Chujin’s grave. Will have to check it out the next time I do a Pacifist run.

Observations

Strange that Ed found the trapdoor so easily when Ceroba didn’t know about it until Chujin told her. Ceroba must not have covered it up properly before locking up the house. Possibly also Chujin somehow arranged it with her that he would be the one cleaning the dining room.

I feel like Moray’s the smartest one of the Four. They knew it was a good idea to send for Marty.

And THIS is where Marty gets smart. She takes charge in Star’s absence. The Four listen to her, even Ed (reluctantly). And SHE’s the one telling us to stay on track.

(Ok, she’s still a bit naïve- she doesn’t seem to consider that Chujin’s paper with her name is actually ABOUT her.)

The drawings on Kanako’s bedroom wall: Dalv, the monster on the Dunes swingset, her family… and a flower? Well, I mean… a lot of little kids like to draw flowers, so that might not be anything. Also a drawing of what looks like Axis lying on the floor.

“Nuh-uh! Kids shouldn’t mess with knives!” Nice little reference there, dev team.

And, of course, it’s Flowey who makes light of Ceroba’s mission, calling it a “science fair project.” Well. He has every right to say whatever he likes about SOUL research. Doesn’t he.

Of course, we didn’t get Star’s letter in time because Ceroba wouldn’t let us check the mail. But I highly doubt she planned it that way, as she had no idea the Five would be snooping around her old house.

Other Thoughts

Starlo is so. completely. PISSED. And… uh, he has a right to be. Like, she’s doing a lot of what he just did- lying and scheming and using Clover to fix her own problems (those two are a match set, I swear….) And he’s torn. These are his two friends, Clover being the human he practically worshipped, and Ceroba being one of his closest friends (not to mention the love of his life, but I digress). He doesn’t want anything to happen to her, but he can’t let Clover get hurt, either.

The fact that Moray sent for Marty as soon as learning that Clover was in danger just seals in the idea that Marty is part of the family.

…how long has that corn chowder been in that fridge, anyway???

I’ve already discussed my thoughts about Chujin in other posts, a lot of them still in queue.

Hotlands

Questions

Kinda wonder what could’ve made Clover suspicious about the wall to the left of the UG Apartments.

Never did figure out where the “rain” was coming from. I figure it’s just a leaky sink upstairs or something. (I’d thought at first it was from the janitor cleaning the hallway, but that’s on the other side of the building.)

Observations

I’m sure everyone recognized it, but in case someone didn’t, Bailey’s in the colored tile room.

I think Muffet herself blocked the way thru Hotland, renovating for her pastry shop.

Mr. Cursor mentions a 10-sided die. They have some version of D&D in the Underground. Probably more like… idk, Houses and Humans?

Working for Mettaton must have taken quite a toll on the janitor. He doesn’t look nearly so tired or decrepit here.

There was a flier on the bulletin board in the Wild East that was advertising the acts at the UG Apartments. The band we saw in Honeydew Resort has a gig at the Apartments on Fridays. So, this game- or at least by the time we reach Hotland- is on a Friday.

Other Thoughts

The monster candy is butterscotch-flavored. *nods* Of course, what else would it be?

Poor Heats. Defeateeeeeeeeed again….

Star can actually survive drinking magma. I’ve got headcanons about this boiling in my brain….

I thought Know Cone said he was just gonna look at Hotland from a mountaintop…?

New Home/Pacifist Ending

Questions

If there’s an elevator leading to the castle, I’m guessing that means at least one of the other endings has us actually fight Asgore.

How exactly does Kanako’s mask give Ceroba superpowers? I feel like it might be a reference to Japanese mythology, but I know very, very little about Japanese mythology.

How exactly does Clover have the ability to see into Ceroba’s memories?

I kinda hate myself for asking, but… what happens if you choose FIGHT after you beat Ceroba?

Observations

Star is the one asking Ceroba if she’s gonna kill them all because while he doesn’t know all the details, he recognizes the headspace she’s in.

Other Thoughts

Not only am I thrilled to finally get to explore some of New Home, I’m absolutely in love with the design and the music.

I think when Ceroba says she lied about Kanako, she’s not saying she lied about Kanako falling down, or about sending her to the lab. She lied about having any hope that Kanako would return safely.

How the heck do frikkin’ cherry blossom petals have so much attack power???

The dash mechanic took me time to learn, but if Toby ever decides to steal from Yellow, I hope he steals this :P

My reactions to Ceroba’s plan: “But Chujin specifically begged you NOT to use Kanako! How do you think you’re honoring his memory by going against his final wish?!” “Oh, I see, finishing the serum was his death wish. That’s still no excuse to use your own daughter, tho.” And finally: “…oh…”

I tried to get thru the game without cheats (except for being on easy mode) but I did have to turn on auto-fire for Ceroba’s final phase.

#undertale yellow #my thoughts #questions #my analysis #long post #pacifist #too many characters and locations to tag

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24hrsoda · 2 months

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So I've been trying to read more stuff on the al ghuls in comics and I already know so much can be.....counterintuitive depending on writing, but at one point I think in son of the demon ras says he fought the axis powers then death and the maidens he left Nyssa in a concentration camp 😭😭😭 how do u even parse thru everything tbhhhhh

Death and the Maidens is a run i read once and never want to touch again. Might be one of the worst comic runs i have ever read. I don’t hate many things but I hate that run so much I wish I could forget it.

It’s exactly what I mean when I say there’s moments of Ra’s being so unnecessarily evil, and it’s usually just to make another character look better/stronger/tougher. (Fanon does this too, especially with the other bat boys who afaik don’t have deep relationships with Ra’s like Bruce and Damian do.)

What reason does Ra’s (who is supposed to be a Brown Man and an extreme environmentalist) have to work with Hitler and let his own family suffer at the hand of Nazis??? Most of that was to build up Nyssa’s character as the “feisty bad girl oldest sister with daddy issues”. I think that wasn’t a great choice.

For many obvious reasons. In a world where anything can happen because it’s fiction, why use the suffering and tragedy of real people to portray a character being bad/evil? Why do you have to pair him off with some of the worst real life people? Also, how relevant is Nyssa’s entire character anyways? She doesn’t show up or do anything significant anymore. I would argue she wasn’t significant then either.

(There was also the weird pseudo incestuous thing with Nyssa and Talia where she took off all of Talia’s clothes and had her crawling around and clinging to her while naked that just…feels like it was written by A Man™️)

And it’s very much a product of its time. The 2000’s were…kind of bad for a lot of comics. It’s not a wild thing to believe that the villain who’s supposed to be Arab man in a post 9/11 world is compared to the likes of hitler for no reason other than to show readers he’s supposed to be a bad guy that we all need to hate.

Recently, in comics, Ra’s has had a redemption and has admitted his wrongdoings. Followed by him turning himself over to the authorities and wanting to share the science of the Lazarus Pit and his knowledge of Physiology with the rest of the world. Damian later came to understand that Ra’s did this because he was 100% serious about turning his life around and an “I’m sorry I was bad” wasn’t enough to prove to everyone that he wanted to be better.

Everyone can decide for themselves if they like this take on Ra’s or if they prefer him evil. At the end of the day it’s not my job to make sure everyone enjoys the character the way I do and learns what to ignore or look past. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

That being said…nobody has to like my art or my headcanons or my takes on characters. Especially the Al Ghul’s. The things I make are not canon and I really don’t want them to be canon. I just like to create things and I like drawing cute stuff ! So…can y’all please be mindful of some of the tags and comments you leave on some of my sketches 🥲

I guess I kind of waffled on….the short answer would be some comics are very much written poorly or with some kind of bias and it’s up to you to decide if you want to acknowledge it. (Canon doesn’t seem to be acknowledging these things anymore so there’s no harm in us being like “yeah that sucked” and moving on to something else)

And to remember that at the end of the day, Ra’s is not real and he has never hurt real people.

#ask #long post #ra’s al ghul

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e-the-village-cryptid · 11 months

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Still thinking the way Bix’s character arc was cut short in a way that’s feeling less and less like a deliberate writing choice and more of a fall into misogynistic tropes and a willingness on the writers’ part to sacrifice her story to further Cassian’s. She was introduced to us as this strong mechanic figure who owns her own saleyard and has rebel connections, willing to take on a good bit of risk bribing officers and secretly contacting Luthen in order to sell the Rebellion stolen Imperial equipment. As the story develops, we learn she’s been selling parts to Luthen for two years, and the fact that Luthen was willing to meet with her after only one meeting with Paak probably indicates she already had some black market experience. We also learn more about who she is as a person— she cares deeply for her people and her community and would do anything to protect them. She is incapable of just standing by and doing nothing if she sees the slightest chance of attaining whatever her original goal was— she makes decisions that she knows are risky, to the point of almost being stupidly so, because she cannot make herself stand by and give up. And yet through all this, she’s still managing to hold together a fairly normal life, going about her days without the Rebellion taking over her life the way it’s taken over, say, Cinta’s or Vel’s or Luthen’s. Her connection to Cassian appears to be childhood friends and former young lovers before time and diverging paths tore them apart, but they still have a deep bond of trust and care despite all the distance between them. She’s his closest confidante; he trusts her with things he doesn’t even tell Maarva.

This all sets her up for a fascinating arc. And it was partially fulfilled! It makes sense that we would see the “part-time rebel” character gradually become unable to simply go about her normal life as the Empire tightens its hold— she is forced to make difficult choices, to either commit to the Rebellion more fully or take a step back, to take bigger risks. It makes sense that we would see her experience loss and grief and suffer in a more personal way as the Rebellion goes public and being casually involved is no longer possible. And it makes sense that her and Cassian’s history would become something that both creates tension between them and can draw them together. And we see all of this in the first 7-8 episodes.

But then we don’t see the rest. We don’t get to see a moment where she finally realizes it’s time to stop running and her only option is to fight back. We don’t get to watch her make a conscious decision to step into or back from the Rebellion. Even the plotline of getting captured by the Imperials could have been an amazing character-building arc if it had been allowed to be. How did she handle the interrogation? Did she resist? Did she lie? Did she try to carefully mislead them? Even if she ultimately cracked, what was her path to that point? We don’t even know, they never showed us. All we get is one off-handed line from Dedra, “the interrogation was thorough; we’ve no reason to believe anything was withheld,” but that’s a blatant lie as their later suspicion that Anto Kreegyr might be Axis shows that Bix never even gave them a basic description of Luthen’s appearance, one of the main things Dedra was after. Dedra has a strong motivation in that moment to lead the other Imperials to believe that Bix is cooperating fully, in order to paint herself as competent and give her a reason to continue holding Bix, but it’s clearly at least partially untrue. So what else did Bix withhold, how did she continue resisting them? We have no idea, we never see it.

And that’s it. They just leave her there. For the rest of the episode, all we see is a random 5-10 second cut to Bix looking defeated and miserable, and then we’re on to something else. She isn’t even in the next episode, and for the next episode and a half after that we mostly get little clips of her just shivering and suffering and looking completely helpless. And it honestly started to make me a bit angry. They had so little to say about this character that they have to show us basically the same sort of clip of her doing nothing over and over again just to remind us she still exists?? Her arc and her contribution to the overall story are that unimportant?? Bix, who previously made a run for it when completely surrounded by multiple armed solders twice, is now completely resigned to just waiting for Cassian to save her and is making no attempt whatsoever to escape or resist at all? Bix, who has previously seemed practically incapable of just letting go and giving up on anything she fought for, is now completely unable to find any hope or fighting spirit?

I understand the Watsonian, in-story explanation for why the torture she’s endured would have completely broken down her resilience, but the writers chose to do that, they chose to convert her into this helpless, damsel-in-distress character for the entire last third of the season. It just feels like this strong, complex, interesting character got reduced to just a tool to further Cassian’s story, a princess in a tower for him to come and rescue. And of course, as he dumps her on a ship and leaves again, all she expresses is undying faith in Cassian. What happened to the emotional depth of this character? What happened to her story? The writers have a massive debt to pay off to her character in season 2, and I really hope they do her justice. If in season 2, Bix gets a full, satisfying character arc that brings back that emotional complexity and handles her response to everything that happened to her with the depth her character deserves, and a recovery arc that doesn’t rely on a relationship with Cassian somehow ‘‘‘fixing’’’ her, I will eat my words, and I really really hope I do. But right now I feel disappointed and frustrated with the lack of payoff for her character.

#bix caleen #andor #an e original

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shanamahtopoeia · 5 months

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Porting Models from Dragon Age: Inquisition to Dragon Age: Origins or Dragon Age 2

Part 2b - Into Origins

Tools needed: Blender 2.49b Blender ImportExport Script GDApp The DAO Toolset OR pyGFF and TlkEdit

Make sure you have the ImportExport script installed correctly (all the files dumped into the same folder as Blender.exe), and open DragonAge_tools.blend. (Blender uses a lot of shortcut keys, so if you're unfamiliar, you might find it useful to go through a Blender tutorial)

By default, Blender will open with 4 windows: a 3D viewer in the top left, a buttons window in the bottom left, and two text windows on the right. In the upper left, use the File menu to import your DAI obj(s), setting 'Clamp_Scale' to 0. (if you haven't yet extracted your model from DAI, see Part 1 of this series)

Then right-click in the upper text window, and hit 'execute script'. Select 'MSH Tool' and browse to wherever you've extracted Origins mesh files.

Select a mesh that's similar to the one you're porting, and click 'Load MSH'.

Click 'Import as mesh'.

You'll need to adjust the Inquisition mesh to roughly the same proportions and pose as the Origins mesh. This is something that takes practice, and a lot of trial and error.

A couple little tips for armor/clothing: -Do all your adjustments in Edit Mode. -First scale (S) the entire mesh on the Z-axis so the neckline roughly lines up. -Then scale and skew (Ctrl+S) so that the fingers match up. You might need to adjust the arms separately from the rest of the body for this. -Skewing works from your viewing position, so to skew on the Y-axis, for instance, you must be viewing your model from the side. -In general, you want to make the major joint areas (shoulders, elbows, knees, hips) line up as best as you can. -Rotating a group of vertices around a single vertex can be very effective: Select that vertex, then do Shift+S, Cursor to Selection. Change the pivot point by clicking on the pivot box (two to the right of the 3D mode selection) and choose '3D cursor'. Box-select the vertices you want to rotate with B. (if you miss some, hitting B again won't remove the ones you've already selected; it will allow you to add more. Also, hitting B and drawing the box with the right mouse button removes enclosed vertices.) -I usually alternate the pivot point between '3D Cursor' and 'Median Point' a lot. -You can rotate around a specific axis and to an exact degree with keyboard inputs. For instance "R, X, 10" will rotate your selection on the X-axis by 10 degrees. This is especially useful when you're trying to keep limbs symmetrical. -'Shrink along normals' (Alt+s) is another very useful function for widening/slimming cylindrical areas, like arms & legs. -Check the model from all sides before moving to the next phase! It's always annoying to find out later that a few random vertices are sticking out weird, and got badly weighted as a result.

Once your mesh is adequately adjusted, it's time to add some weights.

Switch back to Object Mode, and select the DAO mesh, then your DAI mesh.

Find and click the 'Scripts' button in the upper right window. Click on 'Object', then 'Bone Weight Copy'.

Change the quality to 3 or 4, and hit OK. (if you're making LODs, using a quality of 1 is fine)

Wait. And wait. And wait. Seriously, this can take several minutes. You can tell it's working by the red to green progress bar at the top. If nothing happens, you likely didn't select both meshes, or both meshes already have weights.

Eventually, the weight copy will finish, and you can check how it did. Move the DAO mesh off to one side, select the DAI mesh, and then change the 3D viewer to Weight Paint mode.

Hit F9 to change the Buttons window to the Editing tab. Use the Vertex Groups box to go through the bones one-by-one, and make sure they all look reasonable. (unfortunately, they're numbered, not named, so that makes things trickier)

Mostly, you want to check that certain areas aren't trying to move when they shouldn't. Common culprits are the elbows getting a bit of weight from the chest bone(s) and vice-versa, or adjacent fingertips getting weight from each other. This is another one of those 'trial and error' things. You might find it helpful to switch back and forth between the DAO mesh and DAI mesh, going through the bones at the same time for comparison.

The weight paint brush can be used to subtract unwanted weights, or add weights where needed. You'll have to play around with the brush settings to your liking (I suggest starting with both weight and opacity at 1/2).

You can also switch the 3D window back to Edit mode, select vertices that shouldn't belong to the selected bone, and then click the 'Remove' button under the Vertex Groups box. MAKE SURE NOT TO HIT 'DELETE'. That can seriously mess things up.

Once you're done playing with the weights, it's time to get ready for export.

Minimize Blender, and put a copy of the vanilla mesh you used for weighting in a new folder. (the export script works by overwriting the info in a vanilla file. Don't want to mess with the original!) Also copy over the corresponding mmh & phy while you're at it.

Go back to Blender, execute the DragonAge_Tools script again, and hit the MSH Tool button. 'Browse' to your copied vanilla msh, and load it.

Instead of importing this time, you're going to make sure your ported mesh is selected in the 3D window, and then click the yellow-outlined 'Replace' button in the script window.

Then make sure the submesh (also called a "chunk") you want to replace is selected (for armor and clothing, there'll probably only be one, but with hairstyles you'll want to replace 'HairM2'), and click 'Replace chunk'.

Click 'Save filename' to confirm.

If the replacement failed, the most likely cause is that you have unweighted vertices. Finding them is frustrating, and I'm sorry. There's no easy way in Blender 2.49; the quickest way is to save your file, and reopen it in a newer version of Blender that has a "Select Unweighted Verts" function. Moving it to a new version of Blender, however, has a chance of scrambling your UV map.

Now you'll want to minimize Blender, and navigate to your overwritten vanilla msh. Unless you're making a replacer, rename the files to something unique.

It needs to start with a race/gender code (hm = "human male", hf = "human_female", and so on), and end with "_0". See Bioware's naming conventions for reference.

Open up all three files with either the DAO Toolset or pyGFF. Rename each instance of the vanilla file name with the new file name. (no need for the filepath like in DA2, thank goodness) If you're using pyGFF, you'll need to make sure to hit 'Save' in the bottom left after every change.

In the MMH, also expand MMH_CHILDREN, GOB, MMH_CHILDREN, and then the bottom list, *mshh. MMH_MATERIAL_OBJECT refers to the mao, you'll need to replace the vanilla with a custom mao (more on that in a bit).

If you want, you can also change the chunk name under MMH_MESH_GROUP_NAME to match the new file name. If you do, make sure to change it in the msh as well. (there's a rare glitch where if you change between two pieces of equipment with the same mmh_mesh_group_name, the mesh will not change, leading to vanilla items appearing with custom models or vice-versa. It doesn't happen consistently, but it can happen) Also in the mmh, you may want to activate some lighting options: CAST_RUNTIME_SHADOW should be active by default; if it's not, change the 0 to 1. You can also activate CAST_BAKED_SHADOW, RECEIVE_BAKED_SHADOW, and RECEIVE_RUNTIME_SHADOW in the same way, but these are less noticeable if they're inactive.

Save your files.

Making a .mao file:

My tutorial for converting DAI textures to DAO using Paint.NET can be found here. If you prefer to use GIMP or Photoshop, I recommend these tutorials: magpie's for GIMP sapphim's for Photoshop

If all you want for now is quick placeholder textures, simply extract the DAI textures as .dds files. Use a text editor to open up a vanilla .mao of the same basic appearance (color & material matters most) and replace the vanilla texture names with those from DAI. Save the new mao with a name matching your model.

Put your msh, msh, phy, mao, and textures in the DAO override folder. If you're making a replacer, testing is as simple as opening up your game and equipping the right item.

If putting in a new unique model, you'll have to tell the game how to find it. Extract the variations GDA matching the item type (armor_heavy_variation for heavy chestpieces, clothing_variation for clothing & robes, etc).

Open up the GDA with GDApp, and delete all lines except one, which you'll use as a template (so don't use line 0).

Change the 'ID' entry to something (hopefully) unique.

Thanks to a weird quirk of UTIs, the highest number you can use is 256. If you already have a lot of equipment mods, you may want to look through the Item Variation ID spreadsheet (NexusMods, Google Sheets) to avoid GDA conflicts. The item variation GDA tells the game what mmh to look for. The modeltype, modelsubtype, and modelvariation columns are combined together, along with the race/gender code, to form the model's mmh (the final "_0" is ignored for this): hf_cth_comd_0 = (human female)_(clothing)_(commoner)(d) = (race/gender code)_(modeltype)_(modelsubtype)(modelvariation)

If you've named your mmh a bit different than the Bioware convention, that's fine, as long as you can break it up into those GDA columns. I don't think there is a character limit.

Now save your GDA, keeping the original file name but adding a unique suffix (for example "armor_variation_medium_edit.gda"). The file name cannot be longer than 32 characters, including ".gda".

Put your new GDA in the override as well, and open up the toolset.

Open up a local copy of the same type of item, click on Item Variation, and look for your new model. If it doesn't show up, the most likely cause is that your GDA is missing or its name is too long.

Change the item to your new model for viewing. If your model is not for human males, you'll need to change the race & gender at the bottom. For testing, I recommend now exporting the item (Tools, Export, Export without dependent resources), and consoling yourself the item in-game if you don't already have it. (model swaps like this are not baked into the save, so you don't have to worry about permanently messing up things)

If you're NOT using the Toolset, you'll have to change the item variation in an extracted UTI with TlkEdit, and then console yourself the item for testing.

If something doesn't quite look right, go back to Blender and experiment. You'll need follow the process for overwriting a vanilla mesh every time you edit, but you shouldn't need to redo the mmh & phy.

Common problems: -- Distorted/noodly body parts: used a mmh that didn't match the msh -- Model is mint green and t-posing: can't find the mao -- Textures are gray and/or shiny: can't find texture(s) -- Game crashes: bad msh export. Try exporting again, or compare it to a vanilla msh for errors -- Invisible model: wrong msh name in the mmh, or mismatched chunk names between the msh & mmh -- Won't tint: the chunk names in the mmh MUST be BootsM1, GlovesM1, ArmorM1, HelmetM1, ClothesM1, or RobeM1. Chunk names must also be consistent for all different race/gender variations of the same model, and any LODs.

The next tutorial will cover porting static meshes for either game, since it's the same process/tools for both.

#dragon age #modding #tutorial #dai to dao #dragon age origins

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saucylittlesmile · 1 year

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The ISU technical requirements for ice dance 2023/2024 have finally dropped, and with it comes some saucy thoughts!

First of all... confirmed is 1980's rhythm dance, to no one's surprise. For some, it will only come as a surprise that the 1980's was 40 years ago.

The theme selected for the Rhythm Dances for both Junior and Senior for the season 2023/24 is “Music and Feeling of the Eighties”. Any music is possible provided it was originally released in the decade of the 1980s. The couple should demonstrate through dance the culture and feeling/essence of this decade. The selected music may be remastered.

Music and feeling? I guess that's to help keep the skater's in line - no obscure, ahead-of-their-time, or 'made in the 80's but with a retro vibe' sneaky RD's allowed. And, it needs to have been 'originally released' in the 80's, but may be 'remastered', which to me means, the recording was fixed up to sound better - but does that mean that it can't be a cover that was done at a later time? Guess we'll see.

The Rhythm Dance should NOT be skated in the style of a Free Dance. The couple must use dance movements and dance holds to interpret the chosen music from this decade.

I mean - the dance movements that I'm picturing are not especially ice-dance friendly, aside from those still-present (and personally irking) numerous stops that are allowed. And I can genuinely say I don't know of any particular dance holds that are representative of the 1980's, unless the school dance hold is one of them (and no idea when that originated).

Choreographic Rhythm Sequence Tempo: 100 beats/minute minimum Steps: Silver Samba, steps #9, 9a, 9b to #47 Woman’s steps and / or Man’s steps skated by either the Man or the Woman or a combination of both provided there is continuity of prescribed steps always performed by at least 1 partner (starting on step 9 and concluding on step 47). No restriction in the number of beats per step. Hold(s): in contact, any holds are permitted Pattern: starts on the judges’ left side with step no. #9 of the Woman and #9a and #9b of the Man and finishing with step #47 May cross the long axis without any restriction Separation - 1 separation is permitted for not more than 2 arm lengths and duration not more than 2 measures of music Loop - One (1) permitted Retrogression - One (1) permitted Stop - Not permitted The Choreographic Rhythm Sequence (ChRS) is evaluated as a Choreogrphic Element as one unit.

The choreographic step sequence is gone!!!!! Well, sort of gone. Sort of a mess. They took the steps from the silver samba - more on that in a moment - and then said, you have to do them, but you can do them however you want! Someone needs to do them, the other one doesn't. Pick a tempo, any tempo. Pick a hold, any hold. Pick a way to skate them, any way. Skate in one direction, do a retrogression (but not more than one because that's where they draw the line!).

And then, it's all GOE, baby!

So I can't complain, exactly, because hey, I hated that the choreographic step sequence was useless in every possible way besides entertainment (and as a judged sport, I do want to be entertained but not at the expense of the validity of it as a sport. Technically, we got back the compulsory, which is what I sort of wanted. But it's been so tweaked that it is next to impossible to compare teams, even then. After all, if the skaters can do any combination of the steps (the man's steps, the woman's steps, or any combination as long as all the steps from 9-47 are done, performed by one or the other skater, and they can do a loop and a retrogression or one or neither... well, you get my drift. There is a vague idea of similarity, like they are trying to placate me specifically, while also giving themselves so many loopholes that they almost might as well not have bothered. (I would make a little meme of Madonna's Vogue into Vague, but it was released in 1990 and is not the music nor the feeling of the 1980's, unfortunately.)

And then, the judging is still the same. There are no levels, no particular requirements about edges or turns being correct, no expectation beyond being able to decipher and follow an arbitrary set of rules, and Sell the Samba! to receive your happy face sticker from the judges. Unless they don't like you, and then they pretend you just didn't do it as well.

The Silver Samba. It is a quick tempo, and the steps are almost all quick feet and few demands on edges. It is a short dance - to do the section of steps that is required here, assuming that the team doesn't stretch it out, will take less than 30 seconds. It is not a compulsory that was used very much at a senior level, since it's origin (just three times, from what I can see). Here is Grishuk/Platov performing it; but also, here is a team that is doing this as a dance test, because the camera is stationary and it gives you a better perspective on the dance as a whole (the camera is opposite where the judges would be, so step 9 is starting on the far side of the rink from the camera, in the corner, and step 49 is on the side closest to the camera.)

As another interesting note, this is the only step sequence that is permitting a retrogression this season; every other step sequence specifically prohibits them.

On to the FD!

One (1) Set of Synchronized Twizzles At least 2 Twizzles for each partner, with a minimum of 2 steps and up to 4 steps between 1st and 2nd Twizzles. (Each push and/or transfer of weight while on two feet between Twizzles is considered as a step) Partners may be in contact between the 1st and 2nd Twizzles.

Unlike recent seasons, the partners are not required to touch between twizzles, though they are still allowed to do so. I guess the ISU got tired of watching teams reach out and literally place a hand on a boot or arm, and consider the rule fulfilled, lol.

Choreographic elements...

Three (3) Different Choreographic Elements chosen from: Choreographic Lift Choreographic Spinning Movement Choreographic Assisted Jump Movement Choreographic Twizzling Movement Choreographic Sliding Movement Choreographic Character Step Sequence Choreographic Hydroblading Movement

Yes, that's right, Yet Another choreographic element added to the list of possible choices, to allow judges to give egregious marks expand the creativity of the dances, and get points for them specifically instead of being creative just for creativity's sake. Hydroblading, which was popularized in the 1990's by Bourne and Kraatz, has continued to have skaters who make use of it during their programs. But, they will have a fine line to balance, as any hydroblading they do must be careful not to allow any body part to actually touch the ice, or else it will become a choreographic sliding movement, instead.

Choreographic Hydroblading Movement: performed anywhere in the program, during which both partners perform hydroblading movements The following requirements apply:

A low movement with the upper body almost parallel to the ice. The core of the body must be clearly positioned away from the vertical axis. No other part of the body other than the boot of the free leg is allowed to touch the ice. If any other part of the body, (other than the allowable boot/foot drag of the free leg) touches the ice it may be considered a Chorographic Sliding Movement

Hydroblading movement by both partners at the same time for at least 2 seconds. The start and end of the Choreographic Hydroblading Movement does not have to be performed simultaneously.

May be in hold or not touching

Also of note - if the team choses to do a choreographic character step sequence, they must not do it in the same pattern as their required Style B step sequence (circular, midline, diagonal, short axis).

The other aside, was that the junior teams, also skating to the 80's, also have an interesting caveat to their pattern dance, the Rocker Foxtrot. The original pattern is only 14 steps, taking up half the rink. The juniors will skate two sequences of this pattern; the first is the traditional pattern, while the second half on the other side of the rink, has the woman dancing the man's steps, and the man dancing the woman's steps! Now, they may have chosen that to add interest, but it feels like a very, very minor way to play with the idea of moving past defining ISU ice dance as 'one man and one woman'. (There is also a note about being allowed to alter the type of hold expected in the dance overall, except for the key points, which I of course find interesting after talking about it so much over the years.)

Two (2) Sections of the Rocker Foxtrot: skated to any dance style with the range of tempo: 26 measures of 4 beats per minute (104 beats per minute) plus or minus 2 beats per minute. The first step of the dance begins on beat one of a musical phrase. 1RF and 2RF: Steps #1-14 Two (2) Sequences of Rocker Foxtrot may be skated in any order, one after the other or separately. Step #1 of 1RF skated at the Judges left side. Step #1-14 of 2RF skated at the Judges right side. 1RF must be skated in accordance with Rule 707, paragraph 2, the Man must skate the Man’s Steps and the Woman must skate the Woman's Steps. 2RF, the Woman skates the Man’s steps and the Man skates the Woman’s steps (switch tracking/sides on Key Points in a recognized hold excluding hand in hand). Variation of Hold is permitted except during the Key Points. Crossing the Long Axis is permitted for Steps #5, #8 – 9. The description, chart and diagram of the Pattern Dance Element Rocker Foxtrot are included in the ISU Handbook Ice Dance 2003.

One last video for some definitive 1980's music and feeling (and dancing).

#sorry for the long post #(but not really sorry)#obviously I only picked and chose for the items to focus on #mostly for if they are different from last/recent seasons #didn't touch on things already expected

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rotzaprachim · 1 year

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12, 17, and 18 for the asks!

12. the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

uhhh... no one in my particular circle of people with Taste, but Jyn. not even in terms of immediate fandom disk horse, but that in the wider-off tumblr star wars cultural reception, I think that even if rogue one is remembered as that That Time SW managed to Make Another Film That Was Good, the individual characters have been kind of... swallowed up. and that's why i love her. she's such a fucking mess. she's kind of petty and mean but in the space of things feels really human and fragile and somewhere outside the sw Strong Female Character Warrior Queen thing. her introduction scene as an adult where she takes the fucking shovel and just starts swinging is one of my favorite things in sw.

i think the same could be said of a bunch of the individual characters in andor, who i deeply adore, especially cinta, vel, bix, and kleya. not that they're unpopular in the I Hate These Women Way fandom sometimes does but that you just don't really see much... about them. (i do wish things about bix's writing were different, but i am fascinated by her as a CHARACTER and the fact that not only was she part of the extremely nascent rebellion before cassian, before almost everyone we know, if you draw the lines she's probably REALLY central to the axis circuit which is.. fascinating. like because she has no reason to tell Anyone the Truth of her secret dealings, we actually know extremely little about her, and that fascinates me. also she's this woman stuck in a small town she's tied into the fabric of and that's this source of complex ennui and pain i really love seeing in genre fiction and would love to root around in some more.)

vel and cinta... HELLO... vel and cinta.... cinta and vel... my brain is always thinking about them. just a lil.

also! i think leida mothma is second only to dark vader in greatest villains of the star wars universe. she's annoying as hell and she's this generational ticking time bomb about what happens when the kids born into the empire swallow it, when they /aren't/ leia organa.

17. there should be more of this type of fic/art

instead of twitter misogyny i would like to see jyn/bix also jyn/bix/cassian. nothing will save us but bi threesomes.

AU's where cassian drove the van for the aldhani rock group's cringe death metal band (or, if we're placing SW into the 1970's, the aldhani group's 60's scottish folk band.)

honestly extremely attached to any kind of thing where jyn and cassian have a deep connection to each other that isn't laterally a hallmark greeting card. like i actually really find the extremely close FWB vibe with them during the rebellion era to be tremendously interesting, and i don't think fandom does enough with the whole fact that maybe a 70's space-futuristic leftist army /might/ not have the same ideas around social organisation and intimacy as a a netflix rom com OMG ARE YOU GUYS LIKE TOGETHER TOGETHER???? (like i'm sure the goss on echo base was insane but i'm also not sure it might have been That.)

Anything which recognises the Real Fact that Rogue One AU's should be set in the 1970's and everyone should be wearing 70's fashions and there should be way more oblique mentions of bellbottoms and paisley. except arguably andor might be set in the 60's. in which case they should be wearing 60's fashions.

This might be summoning snakes into my house but... you know all the stuff i said about kidfic aus? turns out what i really dislike are bad kidfic aus! because they thing is is that i think jyn and cassian's narratives are profoundly focused on the question of What It Is to be Someone's Child, and sw in general is really interested in the questions about what it is to be someone's parent and someoen's child in extremity (how well they carry this out ESPECIALLy with women is debatable) and there's a lot of room to do some seriously interesting character study work and post-war How Do We Break These Cycles work if it's something aside from the kind of bioessentialist hey guys woman's purpose Fulfilled because she's had biological children/ narrative OR the you can tell how Healed jyn and cassian are and how Over the War is cause they have two (2) biological children in space!suburbia called lyra and galen scenario, which proliferates in fandom. basically what i'm saying is there's no weird indie movie about rey climbing into cassian's car at the Jack-Q service station to steal his potato chips and him being like WHOSE KID IS THIS i have to RETURN you so this isn't KIDNAPPING [terrible flashbacks] and rey being like nooo mister and then they go on a loopy roadtrip to find her parents when of course the answer is in the journey. also nobody's written the scenario of Ye Classic Space!Road Trip to The Beach and the kids in the back seat are like BISCUIT BARON BISCUIT BARON and cassian is squinting over the top of the steering wheel because he thinks he missed the turnoff and pulling ye old Hay Comida En La Casaaaaa but Jyn's just like actually every single Biscuit Baron in the galaxy is closed, just for today, and the only thing they sell is black coffee.

18. it's absolutely criminal that the fandom has been sleeping on...

not to be like people would Care if they were white men BUT the amount of press and buzz and fics there would be if velcinta were white men like literally shut up about white war criminal superhero x white war criminal superhero when there's antifascist lesbian guerillas shooting fascists AND wearing twee hats in the highlands while they feed sheep in their lil space!scottish brokeback moutain moments. i think they're slept on as individual characters and as a ship especially when Cinta is one of the only women of color in the modern star wars and vel's story is on some level literally about queerness, being a queer woman in a conservative society (always hiding, always changing.)

jyn and cassian's matching magical girl anime moment soulmate chrystal kyber necklaces

still boggling over the fact that cassian and jyn's Rebellion Kidnappers/Dads canonically are people with History, c'mon guys, there's an infinite amount of stuff to do with saw and luthen accidentally setting their kidnapping victims/adoptees/proteges up together. (also i'm just extremely fascinated by saw and luthen as characters, up there with Guys Fandom Sleeps on.)

#this was so fun thank you. thank you #rogue one #andor

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doctor-disc0 · 8 months

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I finally received motivation to do this piece I've been meaning to draw for a while...

Anyway, introducing MCU Loki in the Agent of Axis costume!

(I can't quite remember who asked me to draw this because it's been so long, but I believe it was @evilkitten3)

I might color it later, depending on how I'm feeling about it. Don't count on it, though 😅

#my art #artists on tumblr #loki #agent of asgard #loki agent of asgard #Loki Agent of axis #agent of axis #that left arm took forever to get right #nobody ever talks about how hard drawing can be #I'm mostly happy with this drawing though

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randomfoggytiger · 11 months

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Personality Typing: Return to Me

So! I had all these thoughts from my first watch-through experience (link here for live-blogged reaction) and nothing to do with it... might as well Personality Type the characters, I guess!

**Note**: Will edit later.

Disclaimers and Glossary at the bottom~

Bob Rueland-- ESFP

Bob is an ESFP-- also called 'the Bard’ or ‘Entertainer’-- who moves quick, talks quick, and slap-dashes his way through life (which is why Dan calls him “Bob the Slob.”) He flits from one new project to the next, rarely staying in one thing long enough to finish; but if he does, it is with Herculean effort and willpower. His dedication to Elizabeth’s gorilla enclosure project was the epitome example of this; and it’s why Grace’s compliment (“I'm sure she's very proud of you”) meant the world to Bob, having gone against his natural grain for his late-wife’s memory.

ESFPs pragmatically work their way through the world, asking for forgiveness after instead of permission first-- which lands most of the smooth-over in his friend Charlie's lap-- preferring to get as close to the spotlight as possible, unashamed or unembarrassed to entertain among friends (or a crowd of zoo donors.)

Se Hero moves and manipulates the physical world around an ESFP effortlessly, allowing Bob to dexterously handle heavy machinery as naturally as a ballroom dance; and he seeks out opportunities to entertain, show off, or integrate into a group and have a great time. His Fi Parent craves others’ praise and validation-- without which Bob feels terrible about himself (bowling attempt #1 and #2-- his let-down before the thunderous applause.) Te Child is wounded if others assume Bob isn't smart or doesn’t know what he’s doing-- hence the thunder and lightning in the boardroom-- because he is well-researched and incredibly intelligent with his information. Ni Inferior makes Bob afraid he wants the wrong thing, leading him to second-guessing and confusion (ex. his love for Grace after finding out about Elizabeth’s heart.) Si Nemesis combines with Ni Inferior to stun-lock an ESFP into “failure to launch” syndrome since he fears bad experiences (ex. having never bowled before, as Charlie points out); so, it’s a good thing Bob met Grace the same night as his disastrous first date, or else…. Fe Critic is suuuuuuper selfish (ESFPs think they’re a good person but you might not be); but we only had a glimpse of this side when Bob got angry at Mel's ingrained habit of waiting for Elizabeth to eat. Ti Trickster believes ANYTHING can be true or false, with no absolutes; and, while this boosts the ability to become a master strategist, it leaves Bob in a bind over figuring out what is true or not about Grace’s revelation. And Ne Demon-- the 8th and most powerful function-- will destroy everyone else’s desires if Bob is not given one for himself: only little bits of this "bad" side popped up, i.e. refusing to let Charlie stay and comfort him after Elizabeth's death and pushing his team almost beyond their limits for over a year (until he had a successful date with Grace and excellent progress on the gorilla enclosure.)

IMPORTANT

Here’s a little concept I’m going to crunch down into as much plain English as possible, so bear with me:

Bob is an Ni/Se User (which means ESFP = E/Se/Fi/P = primarily Se User; and Se always pairs with its opposite Ni on an axis.) Ni/Se Users are all about willpower: they are tenacious, relentless, and dauntless to achieve their goals. Always able to find hope, always desiring.

Elizabeth and Grace are both Ne/Si Users (we’re getting to them: Elizabeth is ISFJ = I/Si/Fe/J; Grace is INFP = I/Ne/Fi/P… anyway.) Ne/Si Users are all about giving other people options and choices, not reaching after their own. They are always seeking hope, wanting to be desired.

This means Bob’s purpose in life puzzle-pieced nicely with both Elizabeth and Grace for different reasons: lightening their loads with humor and drawing them to him and out of their often-hopeless perspectives on life by desiring them. It’s very common-- though not with all matches, of course-- for Ni/Se Users to match up naturally with Ne/Si Users; and that’s what Bob did here. He saw someone (plural) that he wanted and relentlessly went after her (them); and Elizabeth and Grace prized and loved that about him (ex. the donor banquet dance, the bowling alley show-off, and the garden dance.)

Grace Briggs-- INFP

Grace is an INFP-- also called 'the Mystic'-- who is a Background Type (like Elizabeth, spoilers), preferring to sit back and take life at her own speed (as opposed to Bob's Starter Type hyper-speed.) She paces through life navigating her interests and those of the people around her: very aware that her interest-- living-- was at the cost of someone else's interest-- dying. Her abstract nature comes out to play by painting her dreams and planting the abundant garden with "no rhyme or reason"; and this abstraction makes it all too easy for her to see how different outcomes would have occured because of the choices of those around her.

Fi Hero leads Grace, guiding her life by her own personally-held morals and beliefs (whether they are true or not.) It also makes her very moods-based-- putting off hard decisions until later when she's, hopefully, in a better mood (as she did with Bob and her transplant information... then it all snowballed.) Ne Parent is a great look-out for disaster in everyone's futures, seeing how things are likely to play out and warning accordingly (hence why she was usually right about different people's reactions to her scar.) Her sensitive Si Child is "abused" if others malign her as disloyal, which is why she'd panicked and bawled over Bob possibly thinking she'd been dishonest or unsteadfast when finding out about his late wife's heart. An INFP's Te Inferior fears what others think of them because their reputation with others is everything: as long as they think well of Grace, she won't care if she actually is (swapping out the bottled water for tap and not caring once Bob cosigned her revenge.) Fe Nemesis drives the worry that Grace isn't good or caring enough, getting her out of her moody, personal routines to make sure she's made her loved ones feel taken care of. Ni Critic is afraid to choose anything; so INFPs sit and do nothing: in this case, Grace sat in her grandfather's restaurant or at Megan's after work, not seeking a partner even though she was pining with loneliness. Se Trickster blindsides INFPs to how the world perceives them (ex. walking into the restaurant in her bathrobe and shower cap without realizing her crush was seated at the table.) And Ti Demon-- the last and most vindictive function-- demands to be heard; and if her voice or opinions are squashed, Grace will set a trap and gleefully watch as someone steps into it (the bottled water strikes again.)

Supporting Characters Are Going to Be Short and Sweet

Elizabeth Rueland-- ISFJ

ISFJs' Si Hero is all about duty, faith, endurance, and loyalty; and Elizabeth was all three when she did what she feared: speaking to a crowd so that Sydney the gorilla could have a bigger enclosure. Fe Parent responsibly enforces ethical behavior on others in good-- or bad-- ways, caring and nurturing for their loved ones' best interests (telling the dog to eat or chastising her husband for running around thoughtlessly in his tux before the big ceremony that night.) Ti Child is pure, unadulterated truth; and to hurt Elizabeth is to take her polite manners and misconstrue them as unintelligence because she can't lip service the social but untruthful compliments flung around at socialite events. Ne Inferior is afraid of the "what ifs" that might disturb an ISFJ's comfort (ex. worrying over the donors' reception of her speech.) Se Nemesis worries they are giving others a bad experience, fussing over the list of do's and don'ts she has to accomplish before she event gets to the charity ball and whether anyone will even like her presentation. Fi Critic makes Elizabeth judge herself with impossibly high, moral standards; and she feels worthless by default every day of her existence until she learns to checkmate those thoughts with healthier, more honestly-balanced ones. Te Trickster is unaware of the thoughts or beliefs of others, making it easy to dupe ISFJs with good sounding information (especially if they don't remember to fact check it.) And Elizabeth's Ni Demon will grab for what it wants if she hasn't been given the freedom to meet her own needs, becoming high-chair tyrant if it feels it's being inhibited by others' intent.

Marty O'Reilly-- INFJ

Marty's Ni Hero is focused on tenaciously making what he wants out of life come to pass, literally willing his granddaughter's new heart to life in the chapel and fishing out a boyfriend for her to make her happy. Like Elizabeth, his Fe Parent forces ethics on others' for their own good (though it can be annoying if misplaced... *cough* overbearing *cough*) and his Ti Child cuts through others' misty excuses and rationalizations to the heart of the matter. However, his Se Inferior shines in social situations-- for a short time even outperforming Bob's Se Hero if given the chance; but it also makes him insecure (or vain) about appearing foolish, so he is unlikely to show off to a group. Ne Nemesis wants to know others' intentions, shining a light on their minds and jumping to hasty conclusions if what they say doesn't match their behavior; and this often leads INFJs to undo paranoia most times. He also shares Fi Critic (feeling useless and worthless as a baseline) and Te Critic (unaware of others' thoughts and beliefs) with Elizabeth; but his Demon Function is all his own. Marty's Si Demon seeks loyalty, but its quest is knee-capped by his previously stated Ne paranoia, leading him to constantly second-guess even his closest loved ones and acquaintances. With maturity, this is tempered and even cut out-- and he seems to have lived long enough to have learned that lesson.

Angelo Pardipillo-- ESTJ

Angelo's Te Hero is all about titles, prestige, metrics, rules, and achievements, hence why he constantly parades Frank Sinatra before the group with Italian pride. He uses his Si Parent to encourage his loyalty, duty, and responsibility to others, relying on their feedback to steer the rudder in his care for them. Ne Child makes Angelo need to be wanted, reaching out and connecting with others to fill a hole that is bottomless; and he will always repay that love by magic-wanding miraculous presents from the sky, having the ability to make anything possible. His Fi Inferior makes him fear he is not moral enough; but he can assuage that fear by flexing and stretching this function until-- for a short time-- he out-morals someone with Fi as their Hero Function (INFP Grace, for example.) Ti Nemesis fears not knowing the truth, which leads ESTJs to ferret around for as much information as they possibly can before reaching a conclusion. Se Critic is a funny one: an ESTJ will judge and criticize someone's outfit to the moon and back-- because they equate intelligence with a well-groomed appearance-- yet wear hideous combinations themselves, completely blind to their own hypocrisy (as his criticism of Wally's outfit proves to be the case.) Do not let Angelo make his own choices, because his Ni Trickster makes him think he knows what he wants when he very much does not (we didn't see it here, but he likely got fleeced at a used car dealership once or twice or all throughout his life.) And lastly, Fe Demon will be activated if someone accuses him of being uncaring; in which case, he will stop caring about everyone until HE feels cared for, maybe.

Megan Dayton-- ISTJ

Megan's Si Hero focuses her entirely on loyalty, duty, responsibility, community, and family. Her Te Parent uses common sense and rationality to understand the people around her, building frameworks around human quirks and behaviors to better peg and predict their next moves. Fi Child has the miracle of sympathy; and if others were to call Megan heartless or soulless-- as her Type is not stereotypically wired around outward expressions of heartrending empathy-- they would be inflicting the deepest hurt imaginable. Megan's Ne Inferior is afraid of the 'what if's (not even able to say aloud the 'awful truth' back to Grace while encouraging her) and needs support from others when stepping into an unknown in her life. Se Nemesis, like Elizabeth, wants loyalty from others; and will discipline herself away from bad habits to ensure she is presentable and above criticism-- to "earn" that loyalty in her own way. Ti Critic assumes it's the smartest person in the room; and it takes Te Parent's patterns to "predict" what will happen "next" (giving date advice to her friend Grace, for instance), often inaccurately if it has not learned the wisdom of fact-checking. Megan's Fe Trickster gives her zero social awareness (calling her husband a gorilla but not expecting her children to repeat it and the other words she lets slip in her exasperation.) And lastly, her Ni Demon-- like Elizabeth's-- will kick and scream for her own wants and needs if she feels others have inhibited them too long (yelling at Joe for not pulling his load fast enough, for instance.)

Joe Dayton-- ESTP

Joe shares his Se Hero with Bob Rueland; BUT his Se Hero is focused on performance as a natural leader (in this case, of his unruly house of children) rather than the attention-seeking life of the party. His type naturally exudes machismo-- in Joe's case, he is aware of his limitations and doesn't make more of himself than there is; but is not ashamed to flex his gut at his wife or sweep all his kids about like a whirlwind when necessary. Ti Parent is very skeptical and closeminded to what is true or not, making him double and triple check everything that everyone says; and it pairs well with his wife's Te Parent: he keeps her centered by providing skepticism of her pattern-drawing while she pries away Joe's iron grip on his narrowed opinions. Fe Child is the most innocently caring: it hands out balloons and ice cream and good times to all freely; and to be called uncaring is a death-blow to the ESTP. Joe is also very, very hesitant to commitment-- or would have been early courtship-- because his Ni Inferior constantly fears making the wrong choice; and he is one of the Types most likely to have a little black book of all his options rather than settle with one. He shares Si Nemesis with Bob, too, preferring to stick to what makes him feel good rather than branching out; and, like Bob, it combines with his Ni Inferior to cause "failure to launch" syndrome (which Megan constantly pushes him out of, thank goodness.) Joe's Te Critic assumes others are stupid; and his Fi Trickster will believe anything can be "true" (hence why he's so distrusting of what others tell him.) And lastly, his Ne Demon will dismiss the desire of others who have wronged him, burning their house to the ground as they have burned his (or, in this case, willing to beat up Bob if he hurt Grace and, by extension, everyone else.)

Charlie Johnson-- ENTJ

Charlie's Te Hero is wired around merit, rules, status, and reputation (ex. his annoyance at being called "Sammie Sosa" was quickly drowned out by all the kids running after him like a celebrity.) Even though Ni Parent balances his wants (the whole point of Ni) with responsibility (the whole point of the Parent Function), his Se Child is where Charlie goes hog-wild. The hallmarks of an ENTJ are his childlike jokes and party-hard behaviors-- and Charlie sure showed off his Se Child in abundance during the awful date Bob had. His Fi Inferior fears he is not moral enough (like Angelo); and his Ti logic goads him to research away the worry that he is stupid (like Angelo.) His Ne Critic drives a lot of his romantic behaviors: ENTJs fear others will betray them to an unhealthy level, preferring to bounce from one detached relationship to another (which is why he assumed Grace was stringing Bob along-- and which makes it even sweeter that he had a partner and son by the end.) His Si Trickster forgets EVERYTHING, which feeds into his aforementioned Ne Critic's paranoia. And, lastly, we have Fe Demon (like Angelo): if Charlie is portrayed as uncaring or unkind, he withdraws all kindness and care, focusing solely on what will make him feel good.

Wally Jatczak-- ENTP

Wally's Ne Hero is focused on expectations, potential, gravitas, and possibilities, leading him to be prideful about his assumptions (and the group to pick on him all the time.) He shares his Ti Parent's skepticism and Fe Child's balloon-giving with Joe, though Wally's Si Inferior's fear of bad experiences is more different than similar: it's used to a more positive effect if worked on from an early age, making him fearless of any new experience in his later years. Ni Nemesis worries Wally about his future; and he twines his own fate with others for a more supported outcome (hence why he turned sweet on Sophie once he knew she had a crush.) Again, he and Joe share a Te Critic's mutual conviction that others are stupid and a Fi Trickster's absolute zero lack of morals. His Se Demon Function is the strongest of all the Types, willing to cast the earth into the sun to avenge his grievances against the whole of humanity.

Emmett McFadden-- Not enough info. Educated guess: INTJ.

Similar to Marty except with a more pragmatic (forgiveness instead of permission) and systematic (develop one way and stick to it) approach to life. Same Ni Hero, Se Inferior, Ne Critic, and Si Demon.

Sophie-- ESFJ

Sophie's Fe Hero is all about inclusion, ethics, acceptance, and culture (which she demonstrates by squawking about being left out of the plane ticket surprise) while her Si Parent provides her long-term memory and deeply ingrained loyalty. She shares Ne Child with Angelo, always wanting to be wanted and rewarding that affection by making miracles appear from thin air. Her Ti Inferior is always afraid she is perceived as unintelligent (the dumb blonde stereotype) because Sophie is really smart-- it just takes her longer than others to reach sound conclusions because she is weighing "all" in the balance. Her Fi Nemesis makes her worry if she's a good-enough person; but this is easily conquered by her natural proclivity to do good things for others in her personal life or community. Sophie shares two more functions with Angelo: Se Critic-- both of them judging Wally's outfit and manners (who is clueless) while wearing less than stellar attire themselves-- and Ni Trickster-- neither of them knowing what they really want and getting taken advantage of because of it. Lastly, her Te Demon demands her voice to be heard; and will silence everyone else's voice until she is listened to.

Dan-- ISTP

Of course, I'm including Dan the Man, standout star that he is.

Dan's Ti Hero is all about facts, deduction, criticism, and verification of data and information and opinions. His Se Parent responsibly deals with his physical performance, giving him more intense focus with his abilities as compared to the free-and-easy loose canons that Bob and Joe are (focusing on mastering the mechanics of rollerblading rather than bouncing around making a big spectacle.) Ni Child gives him uncanny lady luck, able to bounce back from near fatal accidents with injuries far less than expected; and what counts as "abuse" to this function is to take away his freedom, which will lock him up in a cage and stifle him. Fe Inferior is where Dan gets into trouble: he is easily guilted; and pairing this with his Ti Hero is what made him answer "tall" to Bob's fashion inquiries (because he didn't like Bob's choices but didn't want to be mean.) Te Nemesis constantly worries if others are correct, leading to verification; and Si Critic becomes hypocritical with wanting commitment without committing himself. Ne Trickster is unaware of others' plotting, making him blind to the bus barreling his way until it hits him on the nose. And, lastly, Fi Demon devolves into depraved debauchery if Dan is taken advantage of too many times, leading him to seek a "feel good" experience that degrades and ruins him in the long run.

And that's all, folks!

Thank you for reading~

Enjoy!

Glossary because Why Not?

Ni = Introverted Intuition ("my wants, my goals")

Ne = Extroverted Intuition ("everyone's wants, goals; collective fate, future")

Si = Introverted Sensing ("what's my comfort, what I'm loyal to")

Se = Extroverted Sensing ("others' collective experiences; joins with or copies others")

Fi = Introverted Feeling ("what I feel, what I believe")

Fe = Extroverted Feeling ("how others feel, how we're bonding")

Ti = Introverted Thinking ("what I think, what the facts say")

Te = Extroverted Thinking ("what's collectively thought or proven")

Disclaimers: This is a self-assessed analysis. This information is not based on the abominable MBTI system (which has been butchered from its original Jungian typology since ~WWII); instead, it’s a combination between the works of Jung’s type psychology, Dr. Linda Berens’ Communication styles, Dr. Dario Nardi’s EEG brain scan compiled research, and others’ data and practices as compiled and simplified by CSJoseph. This system is based only on the Nature side of Nature/Nurture; and each “type” is not a “box” to fit everyone into– simply a tool to help understand the basics of the human mind that science has only begun to fathom in its limited scope.

**Note**: I am definitely not an expert, so these assessments are subject to change with corrections or scrutiny.

#Return to Me #Typing #Type #Personality Types #DD #Minnie Driver #David Duchovny #analysis #mine

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elamimax · 1 year

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Principles of Non-Euclidean Romance

Okay, because I wanted an excuse to post this: An Eldritch abomination (Sammaël, for convenience) has split off a piece of itself (Sam) to experience music (it has already cried to Bonnie Tyler's I Need A Hero and can you honestly even blame it) but now it seems it has to reconceptualize all of its ten dimensions while in a frail little human form. This is actually quite well into the story, so if you were already planning on reading this novella, there might be (will be) spoilers. Enjoy!

Sam floated in the nothing, the nothing before waking up, when unconsciousness is a blanket slipping away. But Sam was not an ordinary person, and her consciousness wasn’t either. She held onto the blanket, and looked into the Darkness, which has less in common with regular darkness and more with the traditional abyss. The biggest difference is that the Darkness screens its calls. Sam stared into the Darkness. It stared back. This wasn’t going to keep working, was it? No, the Darkness seemed to say, although it didn’t say anything, of course. It isn’t. So, what then? Sam thought. The world was falling apart, on a bigger and bigger scale. Reality was beyond fraying, it was tying itself into knots to keep from turning into spaghetti. If she kept repeating the same pattern, it was only a matter of time before she was just a pair of eyeballs in a bowl of soup, bubbling up letters to talk. She was going to have to do something different, this time. Yes, the Darkness didn’t say. You are.

But what? She looked up, although ‘up’ was a ridiculous concept when you were floating in the nothing between sleep and dreams. Up there* was Sammaël. Her original identity. The One she came from. She wondered if it could see her** and how different it was from her now. Was she her own person, or was she a small aspect of a larger creature? And would it be best to return to it, after all? She’d caused all of this, hadn’t she?

*ish **It can, and it waves at her. She can’t see it.

Yes. She thought and tried to imagine the universe, all of it, and found herself failing. Okay, fine, this meaty human brain didn’t have a way to easily conceptualize it. That was something she’d learned to accept, but she knew how to do this when she had thought herself into being aeons ago. She’d start from scratch, if she had to. She imagined a dot. No dimensions. A point. Points were easy. Every entity could be represented by a dot. It was both every dimension and none. It was the zero and the one. Then, a line. Infinite points adjacent to each other, on one axis. A line, going from somewhere to somewhere, infinitely long and infinitely thin. One dimension. Then, another line next to the first. And another, and another. Infinite lines, adjacent to each other, until there was a plane, perfectly visible in her mind. Planes were easy. You could draw stories on them. Write on them. They were easy to imagine. Two dimensions. Still very easy. So stacking planes on top of each other was also easy. Stacking them above and below until this infinite plane covered every conceivable corner of the imaginary space. This was now imaginary space, stretching up, down, left, right, forward and backwards. Space. Three dimensions. This was where things got tricky. She reduced space to a point. For ease of imagination, she turned the point into an apple. All of space. As an apple. She imagined the exact same apple, one unit later. In the same space, but still different. All coordinates the same, except the fourth. The apple, but a little older. She imagined it older and older, rotting and falling apart, and then younger, becoming first red again, then green, and then turning into a bud, then nothing. Then, she imagined every point next to each other. A line. Time.

Four dimensions. She took a deep breath. Now she had to go quantum, and going quantum was one of those things that was usually a bad idea unless you were an interdimensional horror from beyond the bounds of reality. It never ended well for superheroes and action heroes, after all. Across all of time, there had been trillions of quantum particles, existing in superposition until they collapsed. And every one of them could have collapsed in a different way. Every single one branching off from the original line. Every single one adjacent. Parallel. Infinite lines, next to each other. Creating a plane. Five dimensions. Sam stood on the time plane and looked up. This bit was easy, at least. The universe was built on numbers, and all those numbers were reducible. The distance between atoms. The strength of covalent bonds. Up and down, infinite planes made of infinite timelines, and almost all except the one she was on mostly useless. If the universe had been slightly different, it would’ve been incapable of life. Sometimes even incapable of fission, or forming planets. But they were there. Spacetime. Six dimensions. She took a deep breath. Floated in the void for a bit. Now she had to get… conceptual. Weird with it. But it was fine. She’d done this before. Sure, back then she’d eaten concepts alive, and they had been a tasty cheat-day treat, too. Now, she wasn’t even sure about chocolate. But she could do this. Couldn’t she?

Yes, the Darkness implied. You do. All of spacetime existed. In a single point. An apple in an apple. No, that didn’t help. A hypercube. A cube extruded from itself in every possible direction. Slightly better, but useless. She tried, instead, to imagine a field. Now, she imagined one next to it, but where concepts were slightly different. A tree in a point in space and time. The same tree, shifted across all axes, and then… then just one more. An idea. The tree not growing apples, but pears. Then oranges. Then nuts. Then pineapples. Bananas. Carrots. Potatoes. Further. Trees growing smaller trees. Every conceivable concept. Growing on a tree. And then all of them in a line. Every concept. As fruit on a tree. All in a line. Seven. Then, every concept instead of every concept. Lines adjacent. A plane of concepts. Everything that could be. Everywhere. All at once. Eight. And then, everything that can’t. Up and down. Infinitely. Nine. Squeemp. The final axis of dimensionality. Sam realized she’d been holding her breath, which was a hell of a feat when she wasn’t even technically breathing. But the idea made sense, now. She could see it. The nine base dimensions. And now, the fracture. But it was going up, wasn’t it? Space itself seemed to be fine. Space falling apart was usually a lot of nothing. Nothing and nuclear fission.

And then, everything that can’t. Up and down. Infinitely.

This was different. The cause was time. And that was simple to pinpoint too. There was a tear, across reality. Someone had ripped it like a cheap cloth, and now the whole thing was bleeding in on each other, and it wasn’t going to last much longer like this. And Sam knew she had done all of this. She had rewound time, that first time. Not as Sammaël, who was all-present and powerful. Sam, before she’d known she was Sam, limited by a frail human body and a frail human mind to go with it. She’d shattered reality, and it was killing her over and over again. She was at the center of it. She was going to have to fix it. Yes. She was going to have to go back. Back back. Not just in Time, or Space, or Squeemp. Reduce all of them to a point. Go a step back. Ten dimensions. But she couldn’t do that. No. But someone else could. Yes.

She looked into the Darkness, and Sammaël looked back at her. Had it always been so… terrifying in its formlessness? It didn’t scare her, because she knew it. And she’d conceptualized herself more than half of the way there, and she was even a little proud of that. I have no need for Pride. “I do.” Interesting.

If you liked this and want to read more, consider picking up the whole book! It's on amazon right here. It's about an eldritch abomination trans lesbian in a time loop.

#Principles of Non-Euclidean Romance #my writing #writing #writeblr #excerpts #author #novella #self-indulgent nonsense

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