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62
General Discussion / Re: Go ahead and take a look.
« on: May 23, 2018, 04:10:55 pm »Just curious what are your preferred graphics programs? Anything out of the ordinary? (ex not photoshop or adobe)Just free and opensource software, like Ubuntu operating system (a Linux distro), Synfig and OpenToonz (for animation), Krita (for painting), Natron (for Compositing), Blender (for 3D), etc. All of them are Free (as in beer) and Free (as in Freedom).
I always wanted to work with extraordinary software (and still do) because I'm a tinkerer at heart and absolutely love technology (heck, those very old and bad artworks, like Magus, was made in Photoshop that was supplied with my really old system). But ever since I switched from Windows to Linux, I've seldom looked back. In fact, I haven't used a Windows system for the last 3 years now! And I absolutely don't regret moving.
Although, I wouldn't mind paying for sofware (if I get high-paying clients to work with for efficiency) if they release stuff like, say, Cacani, Toonboom or Affinity Designer for Linux.
63
General Discussion / Re: Go ahead and take a look.
« on: May 23, 2018, 12:59:34 pm »Tushantin I loved the video! Do you have an example of your previous work? From what the others are saying you've come a long way. Would love to see a full on comparison of a then-and-now.
Thanks!
You can check some of my recent animation works heres. Wrapping up another 3D animation, but waiting for client payment in order to do so. I'm also sad because I have no more clients right now to work with, which mans no more money. :'(
Previously I used to mostly do art rather than animation. However, I DID do some little animated avatars for people.
That said, my art wasn't really that good back then, despite the cool ideas in my head. For example, here's some old ones:
1) Crimson Echoes wallpaper: https://tushantin.deviantart.com/art/Crimson-Echoes-Wallpaper-158565513
2) Kid, from Radical Dreamers: https://tushantin.deviantart.com/art/Radical-Dreamers-Kid-138537170
3) Glenn (Human Frog): https://tushantin.deviantart.com/art/In-memory-of-Glenn-98849511
4) Magus (redesigned): https://tushantin.deviantart.com/art/King-of-Demons-Magus-94714358
5) Magil (Radical Dreamers): https://tushantin.deviantart.com/art/Magil-of-the-Shadows-88160110
6) Pollon (Radical Dreamers): https://www.chronocompendium.com/Forums/index.php?topic=9949.0
I've SIGNIFICANTLY improved since then, especially considering the fact I want to turn this as my full-time job (which I haven't been very successful at doing). I've gotten better at colors, proportions, anatomy, etc.
So now I can draw something like this: https://www.facebook.com/cyanlos/photos/a.710388545799650.1073741829.230368313801678/1886797031492123/
Anywho, here's a direct comparison --
When I started the Chrono Tarot project (before disappearing due to life taking over), my art used to look like this: https://www.chronocompendium.com/Forums/index.php?topic=9625.msg213097#msg213097
After a lot of hard-work and learning, now that I'm back, this was what I submitted as my first "proper" Chrono Tarot design: https://www.chronocompendium.com/Forums/index.php?topic=9632.msg226799#msg226799
Hope that helps.
64
General Discussion / Re: Quote Digest
« on: May 23, 2018, 10:47:33 am »Ironically I am half German, but with no dialect ingrained in me. My father lost it after simply not speaking it after moving out from my grandparents' house.
I really do wish I learned German (or any language for that matter)
Learn it! There's nothing better than learning your heritage and where you came from.
I actually learned that word from a movie called Mr. Nobody. Really bizarre but intriguing. Most "out-there" movies really appeal to me. "The Jacket" being another bizarre movie, but by far my favourite of all time. Definitely worth a watch.
You seem like a fan of bizarre stories. Let me recommend to you another bizarre adventure:
Quote from: Speedwagon, from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure
Jonathan! This one's mad as a hatter! Dio's evil yet, but I never see him come out of an animal!
Quote from: Jojo, from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure
Well, my arms are folded and my eyes are closed, this is a victory laugh. You lost today because you snoozed for 2000 years.
65
Welcome / Birthday / Seeya! Forum / Re: Goodbye...
« on: May 23, 2018, 10:08:57 am »Many people, in seeking to avoid confrontation because it is "unpleasant" or "unseemly," elevate their desire for passivity over the other principles whose defense they therefore decline to contribute to. Many people have told me over the years that they have "strong" views on this or that, but choose to keep it to themselves, for want of attracting trouble and bother, even when they would have faced no true risks or consequences in terms of safety or livelihood. I do understand the desire to avoid confrontation--I don't like confrontation either--but, in the end, I can't choose that for myself. To me, it's too close to being a fair-weather citizen. Conviction, and principle, require meaningful defense.
I get what you mean here, and lately (by which, I mean since the past four years now), I has occurred to me that often, for the sake agreement and social cohesion, a lot of people would happily ditch the pursuit of truth or even free-thought, just so that they don't cause confrontations with their fellow people (which may be wise to some extent), but also unwisely having to "accept" the whatever crap their group / sphere thinks -- sometimes to the point of vehemently defending thoughts or ideas that are not even their own. Essentially becoming a hollow mannequin for somebody else's cause.
This bothers me because disagreement (and not necessarily for its own sake), whether you're right or wrong about what you believe, at the very least demonstrates one's capacity to think for one's own self as well as the integrity of one's own soul. In a somewhat tolerant group, that individuality could at least be respected, but when you're in (or near) a group that does not respect individual conviction, then even the act of politely disagreeing will become a risk to you (because the group perceives that act to also be a threat to its own cohesion).
An example of this (and I'm going to try being very careful to make this example) can be seen in the political polarization recently. A decade ago (in India, at least) it wouldn't have mattered what political views you had or whom you voted for, you'd still be fellow citizens, caring for each other. These days, however, no matter whom you support, you apparently are a horrible person who deserves to die. This escalated to such a point where my brother, who isn't even interested in politics, found himself unwillingly involved in a fist-fight with a bunch cunts who couldn't even shut-up about how Trump is Literally Hitler over a chill-out-and-drink session, despite the fact that nobody else cares about Trump since he's not an Indian Politician.
Not to mention, a bunch of ideologues actively campaigning to have some of my friends fired from their jobs (and succeeding a couple of times) just because they found out that my friends held a different opinion to them, and not even because of any wrongdoing. It's gotten so bad to the point that the agency to even be who you are has become a liability, so I guess it's no wonder that -- besides those who willingly surrender their own agency to think -- even those who otherwise hail free-thought to be a virtue would rather keep their heads down because they have families to feed. (And don't even get me started about a couple of vegans once stalking me and trying to get my personal information so they could do something about me. Heck, I've got more horror stories where that came from.)
So yeah, I believe that if one is brave enough to stand for themselves it's not just one's own stance that they have to stand for, but also stand for the very idea of individual will, the capacity to think for one's own self, no matter how wrong they might be. After all, the pursuit of truth can seldom even begin unless an individual is given the agency and courage to at least take the first step towards it even if they happen to end up being wrong and thereby testing what they understand consistently; it's nigh impossible for somebody to get things right in a single leap. I find this ordeal, this adventure, to be a sacred rite of passage for anybody.
That doesn't mean group-norms are entirely wrong, however. They exist for reasons. While not being an exact example of this, I wanted to mention either way, hoping it may still explain my reasoning: While I still stand all for an individual's agency, I still won't get into any heated arguments in this forum from now on. It's not because the group / forum has forced me, but because I believe that doing so could seriously hurt the forum's growth while it's still in its revival phase. This is an individual's own decision to make specific sacrifices if they believe that it could benefit an entire group, and I'm perfectly okay with that, even if the norm doesn't have to extend towards anybody else. The only difference, in this case, is that I'm being honest about my boundaries -- which seldom happens in a group-coerced environment, where you are often forced to lie.
Hence all my fire behind my arguments with you and others, back then--and I was less tactful then than I am now. I did not respect your conclusions, and even more so I did not respect your method of engagement, so I registered my contempt with you and everyone. I've always been willing to listen and change my mind, even if it can take me a minute, but I did not perceive the same openness in you, in those days. (I will leave it to your discretion to say whether I was mistaken! It probably doesn't matter either way.)
I'll have to take your word for it, because I can't read your mind.
Though, even if you were willing to listen and change your mind, your standards for doing so still seemed pretty high (though, I don't think I'd entirely blame you, because funny thing, I've actually briefly been in your shoes, lol). Like I said, I may not have been the most articulate back then, but I did have the capacity to just put ideas out there for smarter minds than me to entertain and expand upon, and some of those were non-personal refutations to what you already had said (at least in the earlier days when I did not really think ill of you, and in fact respected you enough to even make those refutations for you to consider). Often times (but not all the times), however, your anger towards me wasn't because I might be wrong; rather, it seemed more like a Moral Fury, because you seemed to believe that I was justifying something morally abhorrent (which was a similar moral fury / discomfort Sajainta once showed me, oddly enough). Hence me pointing out the point about cultural differences (not that I like Moral Relativity, but understanding those differences would at least help people be on the same page before they even bother to disagree). I'd love to go into details about some of them, but I think those topics could end up being far too emotionally charged to reasonably discuss, and would (in the worst circumstances) force me to go against my code I planned to stick to in this forum.
So instead I'll give you this example which, to some degree (but not entirely) resembles what I'm talking about:
When you linked to an article stating that scientists were now certain that the universe was expanding, and I asked you how would they know for sure. Instead of explaining it to me like I'm 5, you instead snapped at me about my arrogance, telling me that I knew nothing about astrophysics and that I ought to go and learn more. You were right that I did not know anything about astrophysics (after all, I did state before that I've never been to college -- heck, even to this day, I've never studied in college), but what you misunderstood back then was that my question wasn't actually rhetorical, but a genuine curiosity, hoping somebody would explain to me what the article couldn't go into detail with, like a lot of other folks usually do. This seemed to have bothered you because you found science to be a sacred subject (what with sharing videos about Neil deGrasse Tyson), and you seemed to believe my question was a dismissal to all the hard-work and intelligence that went into the conclusion that was recorded in the paper, and inevitably in the article. Hence your knee-jerk reaction, rather than trying to understand if I had a reason to ask such a thing (remember: free-thought and all; and, since then, I have gone around to study a whole lot on the subject, including sufficiently about the scientific method, as well as the philosophy of science, to understand that expansion of the universe -- and I still, to this day, stand by my question, even though I already know the answer, because I don't believe I did anything wrong by asking that question).
While, currently, I can somewhat understand your reaction, including perhaps your lack of patience for wanting to explain to a n00b like me (or maybe you just did not have time because you got shit to do IRL), back then all my simpler mind could see was that you were being douche. XD And because you kept doing similar shit, I wanted to pay you back by infuriating you just as you infuriated me. That was probably the very first time I actually started doing that sort of shit, and over time (that is, years after Compendium) I learned that if people have a reactive moral sensibility then one can easily play with it for personal amusement. Interestingly enough, these days I've gotten so better at doing that I can apparently trigger people by just saying Hello. Hahahahahaha! Life is great.
Okay, just so I make myself clear, in case you misunderstand me: I'm not asking for apology or any of that shit for this, nah, that's not the reason I pointed this out. That's not my intention.
I just wanted to point out two things by providing that example: 1) You seemed to want to know if you were mistaken, so I thought I'd show you that at times your actions did not reflect your intention; but that's okay, nobody's perfect and I've guilty of doing this shit too, so we can all learn from these errors and grow wiser, 2) This situation is far more common than anybody believes (me personally finding myself in such a situation with multiple people I've met), and sometimes can even go down a really dark path, so it's worth being aware of it just so we can understand it better and learn how to circumvent it when it happens. I mean, condemnation is all well and good, but we gotta first understand somebody before we condemn them for it, don't we all?
After all, if we don't, then when it happens we will Nazi that coming.
Eh? Ehhh?! XD
.....
*walks himself out*
66
Welcome / Birthday / Seeya! Forum / Re: Goodbye...
« on: May 22, 2018, 04:08:44 am »
Oi, I did tell you I come from a vastly different culture with little understanding about the world, of course it would take a me a long time to comprehend all the new stuff I was gathering, and I was already doing the best that I could. The information that was already flowing around in the Compendium was too much to simply "get it" instantaneously -- I needed to understand the foundations before I could make sense of the rest. And besides, I was only beginning in my journey as an artist, so I was also slowly learning how to take criticism properly. I just did not appreciate the way you made those criticisms -- like I did not appreciate Boo's unsolicited jabs at me in this thread.
In short, how can you or anybody expect me to understand the full breadth of your own comprehension while simultaneously trying to piss me off? Right now, I'm a bit more articulate than I was back then to suggest that you were unwise in the fact that you were setting yourself up for failure from the very beginning. And that's important, because I did not want to hold that anger against you, which is provable by the fact that I -- at times -- even messaged you in good faith, if you remember.
Doesn't mean I didn't understand you. For example: Yeah, back then I may have been very anti-capitalist (probably because of the historic Socialist influences of my country on me, not knowing it was ultimately Socialism that held economically backwards), I actually completely understood and agreed with you on the Capitalism and Ice-Cream analogy. In fact, I agreed with you till such a degree that I was willing to change my mind (which may also have been an important influence, considering I'm already pro-capitalism right now). After all, I care more about good information than a stranger on the internet.
The only reason I still antagonized you was because I was pushed to the point of resentment towards you, and let's just say I have a way of getting under people's skins (which is why I mentioned you don't want to be on my bad side XD).
Man, I don't seek apologies for somebody being who they are or holding the beliefs and ideals they do, I'm no judge and jury to decide that. The only apology that matters is for behavior. And you apologized. I very much appreciate that. Thank you. And I want you to know that I don't think you're some bad person or something (at least as far as I know you anywho).
So yeah. Chill. It's alright. Friends?
In short, how can you or anybody expect me to understand the full breadth of your own comprehension while simultaneously trying to piss me off? Right now, I'm a bit more articulate than I was back then to suggest that you were unwise in the fact that you were setting yourself up for failure from the very beginning. And that's important, because I did not want to hold that anger against you, which is provable by the fact that I -- at times -- even messaged you in good faith, if you remember.
Doesn't mean I didn't understand you. For example: Yeah, back then I may have been very anti-capitalist (probably because of the historic Socialist influences of my country on me, not knowing it was ultimately Socialism that held economically backwards), I actually completely understood and agreed with you on the Capitalism and Ice-Cream analogy. In fact, I agreed with you till such a degree that I was willing to change my mind (which may also have been an important influence, considering I'm already pro-capitalism right now). After all, I care more about good information than a stranger on the internet.
The only reason I still antagonized you was because I was pushed to the point of resentment towards you, and let's just say I have a way of getting under people's skins (which is why I mentioned you don't want to be on my bad side XD).
Man, I don't seek apologies for somebody being who they are or holding the beliefs and ideals they do, I'm no judge and jury to decide that. The only apology that matters is for behavior. And you apologized. I very much appreciate that. Thank you. And I want you to know that I don't think you're some bad person or something (at least as far as I know you anywho).
So yeah. Chill. It's alright. Friends?
67
General Discussion / Re: Go ahead and take a look.
« on: May 21, 2018, 10:07:35 am »Tushantin, that really looks awesome! You've dedicated yourself to your craft, and it's paying off! Awesome job!
Thank you!
Wanted to keep this as a surprise till the end, but fuck it.
Since Boo and the others specially created an Animation category for the Dream Splash, I've started working on something that I had in mind since then. Going to approach this in the same fashion as I did Rona.
Storyboard: https://youtu.be/fppq9ZJdoFY
Yeah, it sucks, I know. But I just wanted to quickly jot down exactly what I want to see in the animation and how it ought to be paced -- basically organizing the cuts so that I can actually complete this ambitious project.
After all, it's 19 Cuts / 2075 Frames long, and no money....
I should probably take short-cuts. Does anybody have a model of the Mammon Machine and the Masamune, so that I don't work harder than I have to? I'll also probably just have abstract paint-dabs as backgrounds.
EDIT: For some odd reason, I'm still not happy about this...
EDIT 2: Should I keep Toriyama-style, or just do my own thang?
68
Welcome / Birthday / Seeya! Forum / Re: Goodbye...
« on: May 21, 2018, 08:05:50 am »I hope you can trust that you will, in turn, be listened to by others, myself included.Look, man, it's been a while, and I doubt anybody even knows me that well. I'm past caring at this point. The only shit I write for others anymore is if it might be useful to them, or if it personally amuses me. If you find it helpful, that's fine, I'm glad you did. If you don't want to hear it, that's fine too, just tell me as honestly as you can, and I won't have to waste my time doing it -- the time I can utilize on other things that are important to me. Like emailing clients (which I don't have enough of, and need to win over more of them).
Those who know me well are no strangers to the fact that I largely try to live my life on the principle of utility. Anything that serves none of it is ultimately useless to me. Including this post of mine as I write, but I just believed you might deserve a response either way.
I supremely disliked you, but today I realize that much of what made me dislike you was simply a lack of paying attention to, and addressing, what was important to me. I spent a lot of energy trying to give you insight into my thoughts, and you gleefully ignored that and continued on in your own vein. It wasn't ignorance on your part, just distinctiveness, self-absorption, and a lack of social tact (each of which are qualities I share).
Funny, I could say the same about you.
I really had no qualms trying to understand other people's perspectives in the Compendium before, having learned so much from Xcalibur and Syna on Tarot Cards, Satoh when it comes to art, some other members when it comes to mythology, Zeality when it comes to Atheism and the Stoics, etc. despite the fact that my primary personal beliefs aligned with none of those. I did not have to keep tying "Yes, I agree / acknowledge" for them to know that I understood them -- I simply built upon their statements with my own perspectives, and that was largely understood by everybody except you. And yes, I even understood you, even though I did not agree with you -- I instead chose to antagonize you because you deliberately chose to piss me off for no apparent reason besides your own ego back then, even if I initially meant no ill towards anybody (however, it seems like you've changed since then).
Heck, I even tried to relieve tensions between Katie Skyye and Zeality bickering over atheism / religious people by understand both their perspectives. There's a reason nobody else besides you drew my ire.
You have to understand that I was very new at this sort of culture back then, with nothing similar existing in my neck of the woods, not to mention the massive cultural differences between us, despite which you chose to judge me based on yours rather than the integrity of my own -- which is, before I even understood what your culture was like. Unlike you, I wasn't very articulate either, so obviously I had a harder time trying to explain my perspective, many times which was (somehow) taken to mean something else entirely (for example: Sajainta's chimping out, which I now I believe i should not have apologized for nor deleted my post, because I did nothing wrong, but still -- back then -- thought was a mature thing to do, and I really did not want to hurt anybody; which you also conveniently used as a means to bitch about me to other people at least once). Back then I actually expected that somebody like you, who really liked to flaunt their intelligence, would have the capacity to at least understand what I'm saying rather than distort it and fling it back at me like a turd. Maybe I did not know how different intelligence was from wisdom -- you possessed only one, while I possessed neither save for practical artistic potential.
Weirdly enough, that's what FaustWolf did: Even though I was seldom able to explain myself well, he was always able to articulate exactly what I was thinking better than I ever could. So in some way he helped calm the extreme stress that you provided to me, while refocusing me back to art and helping me understand things that would -- inevitably -- also help me assess things and speak better. Which I sucked balls at. He also helped me learn (at least a little bit) how to deal with this sort of stress / experience, which was the first step for me to learn how to not be a fuckin' snowflake.
Honestly, if it wasn't for FaustWolf, I'd probably have quit Compendium pretty early, because the toxicity was really affecting me and the way I was starting to behave. But I don't blame that on you. Ultimately it was because I was too freaking weak, stupid and vulnerable, and perhaps I needed that bad + good experience to learn from it. If I were to go back, I'd probably slap my younger self, rather than slap you, for being so pathetic, and subsequently tell myself to man-up.
Now the question is: How far will you go to understand and acknowledge what I just wrote here for you, in the same fashion as you asked me to be accommodation of different viewpoints? If it's far enough, then I'm glad if we can be on the same page so we can discuss more important things. If you can't even, then I'm afraid this was yet another of my futile attempts at writing a wall of text that benefits nobody, not even me, and I'll try not to do that again.
Tush, I don't think Boo deliberately refused to address your points. At worst he didn't understand them. More likely, however, is that, as is always the case, people have different things that are important to them, that resonate with them. (I mean, hell, I just spent two posts in another thread talking about my Fat Celes FFVI fanfic. No one is going to care about that the way I do.)
This lack of resonance in others should never be taken as a personal affront.
Man, i don't really give a flying fuck what you and Boo believe. That's how libertarian my spirit is right now. I have no business telling you what you should or shouldn't believe (so long as it's not threatening me in any way currently, or as long as you're not my friend to be concerned about your well-being), because I cannot even pretend to be in your shoes and therefore I have no way of knowing what is even good for you. Besides, you two are adults. You folks should be able to know and decide what's good for you and take responsibility for it better than anybody else can -- and I think you can agree with that.
(IF it isn't a debate) The only thing I can do is to understand why you believe the way you do, and in return offer my perspectives in as detached a manner as possible (unless we're close friends, so I can call you a moron, and you'd know I don't mean ill by it). If we disagree on something, and if I find your disagreement to be lacking perspective, I will offer you that perspective and explain why I believe differently, and I will leave it up to you to make your own conclusions. Which is precisely how I approached my conversation with Boo, because if it earns me no benefit (such as, actual money I can have in my bank-account) then it serves me no benefit to try to change your mind.
I don't have conversations to change people's minds. I'm not a sales person, and I suck at the job anyway. And this partly comes from the fact that I have no master to serve in the name of any ideology or religion / atheism / cult, and I'm entirely driven by self-interest.
I've stated my linchpins in my conversation with Boo. However, I'll also point out that I do not appreciate being intentionally misconstrued and/or have my statements be taken out of context. I'm not belligerent so long as one doesn't annoy me with one's unfairness. Boo went beyond mere unfairness, often taking what I offered to him for consideration in good faith as a weapon to somehow make a jab at me in another context. I wasn't really expecting that, and therefore I consider that to be a betrayal of my trust.
Part of the reason he seems to have done this is because he believed that I was in it for a debate -- which I wasn't; I dove in to offer a perspective in a friendly, unstructured conversation without much forethought. I was more concerned about playing with ideas, while he seemed to be concerned about rhetoric / persuasiveness. So it's almost like he was trying to win a game that nobody else is playing. As ridiculous and hilarious as that sounds, I don't appreciate that. At any other place and any other time, I would have mocked him and made an example out of him for this, no matter how good at heart he may seem to be.
But I don't want to do it here. Because when I came back to the Compendium, I told myself I won't be having any more debates or being involved in further toxicity -- especially if that debate and toxicity has something to do with politics and religion. After all, it was this toxicity that, partly, killed the community here. That, and Boo has been trying really hard revive the community, so I can't allow myself to contribute to the problem by digging the community even deeper in its grave.
If you want to debate, if you want to fight, I'm happy to do it elsewhere if I can find the time to do so. Just not here. Anywhere but here.
Other than that, eh, I forgive his transgression. He obviously didn't mean harm by it. I'll still be pretty wary of him though.
For whatever it's worth, I'm going to try and put my negative feelings about you in the past and move forward in this Bold New Compendium Era with goodwill toward all.
Like I said, I don't really care. Bygones are bygones. Sure, I may still be suspicious of you (and might be susceptible to be annoyed by you, which you haven't done so far recently except for a bit in your current response towards me which I can't be arsed to address right now), but I'm not the sort of person who holds grudges or resentments unless there's a problem that still isn't fixed, at which point I will hunt it down like a bloodhound.
So if you want to talk to me, that's fine, you can talk to me. I talk to practically anybody, regardless of what they believe or don't believe -- whether it's Nazis, Marxists, Scientologists, Buddhists, Jains, etc. -- so long as they are reasonable in their communication. I neither have the time, nor energy nor motivation to tell people what they should believe; all I can do is offer a perspective for them to chew on, and if they don't want it, that's fine by me. You want to buy my stuff and still believe that Sindhis like me should be sent to Concentration Camps like the Jews? That's fine, help yourself to it -- I make art for everybody.
Social tact doesn't matter to me either, you can swear your ass to the moon and be as politically incorrect as you want, as far as I care. But no matter who you are, there are still ways you can get on my bad side, which -- ideally -- is where you don't want to be. If you don't want to be there, let me know, and I'll tell you how you can avoid it.
Speaking of which, if you have the money and ever wanted an artist to collaborate with, hit me up. I'm reasonable with my costs (or at the very least, somebody you can negotiate with). Yeah, I don't give a shit if you hate Trump while I don't, I'll still work with you if you like so long as your project is benign and isn't too political / propaganda (I have my ethos too, after all).
69
Dream Splash VI - Dream of Zeal [2018] / Re: Children of Clay: War-Cry. [Written Word (Long Form)]
« on: May 19, 2018, 08:29:24 am »you are quite the poet good sir. Nice work. I like the artwork that prefaces the song.
Thank you! I appreciate it. I was starting to get nervous, wondering if it actually sucked. Hahaha
70
Chrono Compendium Discussion / Re: Bad Gateway.
« on: May 17, 2018, 01:23:46 am »
Weird, I keep getting that every week or so.
71
Chrono / Gameplay Casual Discussion / Re: French book incoming -- share your Chrono recollections!
« on: May 15, 2018, 04:54:44 pm »
1. How did you get hooked on the games?
A couple of friends and I used to play Ragnarok Online at a gaming cafe and bonded over mutual interests, like anime and games. One of them was a big fan of RPGs, and he told me about Final Fantasy, which I had the chance to play at his home. I instantly became a fan of the series, especially the 6th FF game, but eventually I saw in his collection a game called "Chrono Trigger", by the same company that produced FF.
Curiously, I decided to sit down and play it, without knowing or expecting anything about it. Immediately what hooked me in was the art-work -- it looked like Dragonball! Being a Toriyama fan, always trying to imitate his art-style, I was already sold.
And because I was playing blind, without knowing anything about it beforehand, pretty much everything about it surprised me and hooked me in slowly, deeper and even deeper. The battle system was refreshing. Time Travel was interesting. The Trial shook me, and ultimately the trip to the future. Magus scared me. The mythology captivated me. It was love at first sight.
It cut deep, like a cinematic event before me (except with pixels). When Frog began to recollect why he became what he is, and why he lost his will to wield the Masamune. When Lucca saw why her mother lost her legs. When they plunged the Ruby Knife into the Mammon Machine, and when Janus revealed that one of characters could die soon. When Robo decided to stay back to rejuvenate the forest.
With characters as vibrant as the ones in Chrono, obviously any fan would become so attached to them that they feel almost like old friends. And you want to know what they're up to, how they've been. This was why I started Radical Dreamers and Chrono Cross too, and while they did not entirely deliver what I wanted, they did give me something what I didn't know was missing.
2. What do the games mean to you?
To me, they are modern fairytales (or, at the very least, Chrono Trigger itself is a modern Epic).
With ideas like,
- A group of heroes from across time band together to battle against a representation of their own fate,
- or A band of thieves burgle into a magically secured and haunted manor in order to reclaim the most precious jewel in the world, and along with it, one's own memories,
- or even, A boy finds himself into a world very much like his own, but where he supposedly died, taking its world's hope with him,
...just how many video games today do it, or do it as well as, Chrono series did it? Just how many such stories exist in video games alone, and not mediums outside it, such as in books?
I'm glad I played it in my teens instead, because it really vivified my imagination. It made me want to be a better storyteller. It made me want to be a better artist. It introduced me to a very passionate community with whom I grew. It introduced me to scientific and mythological and metaphysical concepts that I may not have otherwise known, with every aspect of the game bustling with meaning.
For something that deals with Time Travel, this game feels so timeless.
3. What feelings have they left you with?
My feelings are a wibbly wobbly... timey wimey... stuff.
At its core, the Chrono series almost seemed to be centered around a fight against one's own fate, under different circumstances and by different means, with various characters dealing with it their own way (or our way, since we're the ones making the decisions). And I don't mean that generally: After all, the whole point of Crono and gang's struggle was rooted in destruction and extinction caused by an alien lifeform, which is complicated by the fact that this lifeform was also the reason why they existed. So taking arms against Lavos also, in some subtle way, meant the need to conquer one's own self, and therefore, also destiny. And if nothing else, Janus' own prophecy of a character's death is pretty much on-the-nose.
For instance, Frog's story may be about honor and vengeance, but it was also about resentment -- which, he must decide whether to avenge his friend or let go of his resentment after witnessing why the murderer of his friend did what he believed he had to. It's the same with Magus, who knew his past deeds would inevitably come haunting back to him.
This is even truer for the Reptites when you confront them in the Prehistoric time. You difficult as their fight may be, and as ruthless and superior they might hold themselves to be, at the back of your mind you know that they are fated to be extinct -- it's only a matter of finding out how or why.
Radical Dreamers and Chrono Cross, however, expand on this in their own ways. In Chrono Cross, despite what may seem as inevitable at first, it also shows you a world or life that could have been. Likewise, in Radical Dreamers, given how it holds you at the edge, expecting you to die in every corner you turn your eyes to, because you're always expecting the unknown, a part of you begins to wonder just what the fate of our characters would even be by the time they reach for the Frozen Flame, or if things would even work out the way we expect them to -- a constant sense of foreboding that you can't really shake away.
But whatever it is, I'm glad it happened to me. And it personally gave me a whole lot to think about the way I see my own life, and the ordeals that I have to face. It's when I look back to Chrono Trigger and explain to somebody, articulating exactly why I love this game so much, is where I find my strength to either embrace my destiny or fight against my fate.
A couple of friends and I used to play Ragnarok Online at a gaming cafe and bonded over mutual interests, like anime and games. One of them was a big fan of RPGs, and he told me about Final Fantasy, which I had the chance to play at his home. I instantly became a fan of the series, especially the 6th FF game, but eventually I saw in his collection a game called "Chrono Trigger", by the same company that produced FF.
Curiously, I decided to sit down and play it, without knowing or expecting anything about it. Immediately what hooked me in was the art-work -- it looked like Dragonball! Being a Toriyama fan, always trying to imitate his art-style, I was already sold.
And because I was playing blind, without knowing anything about it beforehand, pretty much everything about it surprised me and hooked me in slowly, deeper and even deeper. The battle system was refreshing. Time Travel was interesting. The Trial shook me, and ultimately the trip to the future. Magus scared me. The mythology captivated me. It was love at first sight.
It cut deep, like a cinematic event before me (except with pixels). When Frog began to recollect why he became what he is, and why he lost his will to wield the Masamune. When Lucca saw why her mother lost her legs. When they plunged the Ruby Knife into the Mammon Machine, and when Janus revealed that one of characters could die soon. When Robo decided to stay back to rejuvenate the forest.
With characters as vibrant as the ones in Chrono, obviously any fan would become so attached to them that they feel almost like old friends. And you want to know what they're up to, how they've been. This was why I started Radical Dreamers and Chrono Cross too, and while they did not entirely deliver what I wanted, they did give me something what I didn't know was missing.
2. What do the games mean to you?
To me, they are modern fairytales (or, at the very least, Chrono Trigger itself is a modern Epic).
With ideas like,
- A group of heroes from across time band together to battle against a representation of their own fate,
- or A band of thieves burgle into a magically secured and haunted manor in order to reclaim the most precious jewel in the world, and along with it, one's own memories,
- or even, A boy finds himself into a world very much like his own, but where he supposedly died, taking its world's hope with him,
...just how many video games today do it, or do it as well as, Chrono series did it? Just how many such stories exist in video games alone, and not mediums outside it, such as in books?
I'm glad I played it in my teens instead, because it really vivified my imagination. It made me want to be a better storyteller. It made me want to be a better artist. It introduced me to a very passionate community with whom I grew. It introduced me to scientific and mythological and metaphysical concepts that I may not have otherwise known, with every aspect of the game bustling with meaning.
For something that deals with Time Travel, this game feels so timeless.
3. What feelings have they left you with?
My feelings are a wibbly wobbly... timey wimey... stuff.
At its core, the Chrono series almost seemed to be centered around a fight against one's own fate, under different circumstances and by different means, with various characters dealing with it their own way (or our way, since we're the ones making the decisions). And I don't mean that generally: After all, the whole point of Crono and gang's struggle was rooted in destruction and extinction caused by an alien lifeform, which is complicated by the fact that this lifeform was also the reason why they existed. So taking arms against Lavos also, in some subtle way, meant the need to conquer one's own self, and therefore, also destiny. And if nothing else, Janus' own prophecy of a character's death is pretty much on-the-nose.
For instance, Frog's story may be about honor and vengeance, but it was also about resentment -- which, he must decide whether to avenge his friend or let go of his resentment after witnessing why the murderer of his friend did what he believed he had to. It's the same with Magus, who knew his past deeds would inevitably come haunting back to him.
This is even truer for the Reptites when you confront them in the Prehistoric time. You difficult as their fight may be, and as ruthless and superior they might hold themselves to be, at the back of your mind you know that they are fated to be extinct -- it's only a matter of finding out how or why.
Radical Dreamers and Chrono Cross, however, expand on this in their own ways. In Chrono Cross, despite what may seem as inevitable at first, it also shows you a world or life that could have been. Likewise, in Radical Dreamers, given how it holds you at the edge, expecting you to die in every corner you turn your eyes to, because you're always expecting the unknown, a part of you begins to wonder just what the fate of our characters would even be by the time they reach for the Frozen Flame, or if things would even work out the way we expect them to -- a constant sense of foreboding that you can't really shake away.
But whatever it is, I'm glad it happened to me. And it personally gave me a whole lot to think about the way I see my own life, and the ordeals that I have to face. It's when I look back to Chrono Trigger and explain to somebody, articulating exactly why I love this game so much, is where I find my strength to either embrace my destiny or fight against my fate.
72
General Discussion / Re: Any Metroid fans here? If so, awesome-looking fan remake of Metroid II inside!
« on: May 15, 2018, 10:23:14 am »
Hah! Can't believe this thread is a decade old! And funny that the project really did get a DMCA (not a C&D). Though, thankfully, only after the game was actually completed and in the wild (WITH the source-code, apparently; thank god for opensource culture).
I managed to get it working on my Ubuntu system, with some fellows somewhere finding a way to get it to work in it. Had to get AntiMicro to have it work with my joypad, but otherwise it runs like Usain Bolt.
If anybody hasn't had the chance to play it, I highly recommend it (whether or not you've ever played Zero Mission, before it). The map system isn't as categorized as Zero Mission, but it still offers even more non-linearity than Zero Mission ever did, and I just freaking loved exploring this world and committing mass-genocide on alien species like I'm some Literally Hitler.
It's hard. It's fun. Through and through. I've played other Metroidvania games, like Axiom Verge, and as much as I love them, there's just nothing like a good old Metroid game.
I managed to get it working on my Ubuntu system, with some fellows somewhere finding a way to get it to work in it. Had to get AntiMicro to have it work with my joypad, but otherwise it runs like Usain Bolt.
If anybody hasn't had the chance to play it, I highly recommend it (whether or not you've ever played Zero Mission, before it). The map system isn't as categorized as Zero Mission, but it still offers even more non-linearity than Zero Mission ever did, and I just freaking loved exploring this world and committing mass-genocide on alien species like I'm some Literally Hitler.
It's hard. It's fun. Through and through. I've played other Metroidvania games, like Axiom Verge, and as much as I love them, there's just nothing like a good old Metroid game.
73
General Discussion / Re: Radiant Historia
« on: May 15, 2018, 10:05:39 am »Oh, that series. I know a good number of people who are fans, and some who were convinced by them to try it, heh.Yeah, I think I might try it too. Definitely seems something that's right up my alley (by which I mean the storytelling, world-building, politico-economics, little guy trying to find his place in the world, etc.)
74
Dream Splash VI - Dream of Zeal [2018] / Children of Clay: War-Cry. [Written Word (Long Form)]
« on: May 14, 2018, 05:27:50 pm »
Since nobody else would even imagine doing this, thought I'd give it a shot. Make sure you grab a drink and relax in order to read this leisurely. I was hoping to hit the 500 words mark, but I overstepped by 94 extra words.
Even though most Chrono fans probably wouldn't think much of the Golems, what with them only serving as comical monsters, I've found myself captivated by them, projecting their significance based on my own fascination with the older source mythology that these golems are based on. And you try to slice them up with Chrono's sword in the game.
But they're not some ordinary monsters. They're alive. They are artificially built sentient creatures, newly born, probably with minds that are very child-like. And yet their purpose was already decided since the day they were born, which is why they were built in the first place.
For what purpose, you say? It's obvious, isn't it? With fears, ambitions and dreams as great as the ones of the citizens of Zeal, there needs to be a soldier to protect it with its life, no questions asked -- whether heroic or cruel, serving under the questionable morality of their master Dalton, they fulfill their duty without hesitation. In their perspective, they're the real heroes of this song.
Imagine this song as a war-cry by Dalton to his little clay warriors. I hope you enjoy it. (Also, this may or may not have something to do with Atash Kedah, but I forget.)
(Note: Though it took me a week to write it, this is just the first draft of the song, so very imperfect, and therefore probably needs some refinements in the future. Critique is still HIGHLY WELCOME, however! I also might wanna get a composer to turn this into an original song, idfk.)
Children of Clay: War-Cry (A Song)
Do you still possess
A resolve that made you whole
When I sculpted you
In the image of my soul?
Chiselled into being,
A monolith of monochrome,
A face in painted hues
Of the place that you call 'home'.
When a kingdom crumbles all afloat
It plucks a calling from the throat,
Engulfed in thousand winters' cold,
A legend, built to remain untold.
Your people's names and their paradigm
Are being lost in the sands of time.
If we hope to reach for paradise
You must make the ultimate sacrifice.
It will take a fall to the sword to make
Someone else's dream come true.
Will you freely give the life
That I've breathed into you?
Will you cast yourself a monster
To do what you must, and to deprive
The lesser men of heaven to keep
The Dream of Zeal alive?
Craters in your flesh, they hate you,
And no calluses will make you
Alabaster.
But no catastrophe can wilt you,
Which is exactly why I built you
As your master.
--------------------
Do you still possess
A resolve that made you whole
When I sculpted you
In the image of my soul?
Chiselled into being,
A monolith of monochrome,
A face in painted hues
Of the place that you call 'home'.
As hell is turning colder,
It is on your rocky shoulder
That you cause the winds to petrify
And lift the kingdom to the sky.
If you fear your failure would mortify
You, then for your kingdom you must deny
The poets of tranquility
To walk along the shores of eternity.
The crimson drums resound for the one
Who stays behind to fight.
The righteous will be tested
Through the turbulence of might.
The Almighty is he
Who braves to kill at will or die.
Make me a little promise
You'll never allow yourself to cry.
The language of crunching bone
Says the spirit in the hollow stone
Is not worth confronting.
You must be more than what you've been,
There are no veins under your skin!
You feel nothing.
Not grief, not pain,
Not guilt, disdain,
You feel nothing.
Not the pain to bleed it out
Not a shadow of the doubt,
Not the conscience of your kin,
Nor the pleading of your sin.
But a furious fist against the flood
That turns a hoard of heads to blood
That stains the gloves.
A fear that failure is unknown
Reveals the heart beneath the stone
And it loves.
It loves.
--------------------
Do you still possess a fragment
Of the heart that made you whole
When I sculpted you
In the image of my soul?
I held you in my arms
When you were yet to grow your teeth.
And now your face is blurred in hues
Of the wounds of defeat.
A killshot arrow trapped in distortion,
You lose sight of your devotion,
Tide of footsteps seize your motion,
There's no grace beneath erosion.
Heaven trembles, but you're unshakeable!
Come the storm, you're a wall, unbreakable!
Blood erupts right through, it's traceable
To what you lose, it's irreplaceable.
Purge yourself of this malady
That erodes your lust for victory
What's the proof of gallantry if not war?
Clashing swords descend,
But death is not the end.
Go tell that to the heavens with a roar.
You're a mortal barrier
With the spirit of a warrior,
So a kingdom stood.
You were born for a purpose
You live only for the service
Of the Greater Good!
Of the Greater Good.
Even though most Chrono fans probably wouldn't think much of the Golems, what with them only serving as comical monsters, I've found myself captivated by them, projecting their significance based on my own fascination with the older source mythology that these golems are based on. And you try to slice them up with Chrono's sword in the game.
But they're not some ordinary monsters. They're alive. They are artificially built sentient creatures, newly born, probably with minds that are very child-like. And yet their purpose was already decided since the day they were born, which is why they were built in the first place.
For what purpose, you say? It's obvious, isn't it? With fears, ambitions and dreams as great as the ones of the citizens of Zeal, there needs to be a soldier to protect it with its life, no questions asked -- whether heroic or cruel, serving under the questionable morality of their master Dalton, they fulfill their duty without hesitation. In their perspective, they're the real heroes of this song.
Imagine this song as a war-cry by Dalton to his little clay warriors. I hope you enjoy it. (Also, this may or may not have something to do with Atash Kedah, but I forget.)
(Note: Though it took me a week to write it, this is just the first draft of the song, so very imperfect, and therefore probably needs some refinements in the future. Critique is still HIGHLY WELCOME, however! I also might wanna get a composer to turn this into an original song, idfk.)
Children of Clay: War-Cry (A Song)
Do you still possess
A resolve that made you whole
When I sculpted you
In the image of my soul?
Chiselled into being,
A monolith of monochrome,
A face in painted hues
Of the place that you call 'home'.
When a kingdom crumbles all afloat
It plucks a calling from the throat,
Engulfed in thousand winters' cold,
A legend, built to remain untold.
Your people's names and their paradigm
Are being lost in the sands of time.
If we hope to reach for paradise
You must make the ultimate sacrifice.
It will take a fall to the sword to make
Someone else's dream come true.
Will you freely give the life
That I've breathed into you?
Will you cast yourself a monster
To do what you must, and to deprive
The lesser men of heaven to keep
The Dream of Zeal alive?
Craters in your flesh, they hate you,
And no calluses will make you
Alabaster.
But no catastrophe can wilt you,
Which is exactly why I built you
As your master.
--------------------
Do you still possess
A resolve that made you whole
When I sculpted you
In the image of my soul?
Chiselled into being,
A monolith of monochrome,
A face in painted hues
Of the place that you call 'home'.
As hell is turning colder,
It is on your rocky shoulder
That you cause the winds to petrify
And lift the kingdom to the sky.
If you fear your failure would mortify
You, then for your kingdom you must deny
The poets of tranquility
To walk along the shores of eternity.
The crimson drums resound for the one
Who stays behind to fight.
The righteous will be tested
Through the turbulence of might.
The Almighty is he
Who braves to kill at will or die.
Make me a little promise
You'll never allow yourself to cry.
The language of crunching bone
Says the spirit in the hollow stone
Is not worth confronting.
You must be more than what you've been,
There are no veins under your skin!
You feel nothing.
Not grief, not pain,
Not guilt, disdain,
You feel nothing.
Not the pain to bleed it out
Not a shadow of the doubt,
Not the conscience of your kin,
Nor the pleading of your sin.
But a furious fist against the flood
That turns a hoard of heads to blood
That stains the gloves.
A fear that failure is unknown
Reveals the heart beneath the stone
And it loves.
It loves.
--------------------
Do you still possess a fragment
Of the heart that made you whole
When I sculpted you
In the image of my soul?
I held you in my arms
When you were yet to grow your teeth.
And now your face is blurred in hues
Of the wounds of defeat.
A killshot arrow trapped in distortion,
You lose sight of your devotion,
Tide of footsteps seize your motion,
There's no grace beneath erosion.
Heaven trembles, but you're unshakeable!
Come the storm, you're a wall, unbreakable!
Blood erupts right through, it's traceable
To what you lose, it's irreplaceable.
Purge yourself of this malady
That erodes your lust for victory
What's the proof of gallantry if not war?
Clashing swords descend,
But death is not the end.
Go tell that to the heavens with a roar.
You're a mortal barrier
With the spirit of a warrior,
So a kingdom stood.
You were born for a purpose
You live only for the service
Of the Greater Good!
Of the Greater Good.
75
Dream Splash VI - Dream of Zeal [2018] / Re: Childhood's Dream [Written Word (Short Form)]
« on: May 14, 2018, 05:00:33 pm »
I like this! Very slice-of-lifey. Man, if there's more to the story, I'd like to know.