BrokenPromise

Art by Wanderingwolf

Mouth/eye cards? I don't think I know what those are.

I do not post any of my blender projects online for various reasons. As for my non-blender work, you can see almost everything I've written in the past six years by looking back through my posts.

Art by Wanderingwolf

@wanderingwolf The mouth is probably the one feature I would solely animate with key frames. I'm not sure if you've watched "Chicken Run," but it's a claymation movie and thus works with stop motion. The mouths of the chickens were animated in an interesting way. They would have several beaks made up for every possible sound they could make and then just swapped them out when the frame called for it. The blender equivalent of this would be setting "shape keys" for your characters mouth and selecting the right one for the right frame. Upfront time investment would be high, but would make animating the character's mouth easier down the road. Though it doesn't seem like smooth animation is your goal here, which is fine. I would be quite happy if my tabletop group did something like this.

As for what I've been working on, none of it is very impressive. I dabble in blender and it's mostly to do still images or high-poly models. I use blender to make changes to models I want to print and occasionally do tutorials. The closest thing I have to an animation is a pot of boiling water, and I don't even know if I have that on my computer anymore. I have been meaning to get back into it, maybe I'll show you something one day. I really just know a bit more than a casual observer when it comes to making films in blender.

The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

”I have the heart of a child… in a jar.”

— Luana Roycroft

Turns out, there weren’t too many ways to collect a trophy from a unseelie. The thing just boiled down into goo and entrails. Luana had initially collected it as a trophy to show that the others had done their job, but it seemed like they were fine just taking Ethelred’s word for it. They weren’t too interested in some unseelie organs, nor did they seem to like the idea of her disposing of it nearby. One thing led to another, and now Luana had an unseelie’s heart in a glass jar, floating among other organs. A macabre thing to have in one’s possession, but unseelie were related to elves. Who knew what kind of mysteries this jar held.

But there was no time to dwell on that! It seemed like she was finally going to get her audience with the queen. There would be others around, but that was fine. Just getting to meet her should be enough to get things going in the right direction. She hadn’t had time to talk to many of the others. Ethelred, Lugh, and Elnith were the only ones she really knew. You could talk to someone for hours, but unless you hunted a creature with someone, you wouldn’t really understand what they were all about.

Which wasn’t to say that talking to someone wasn’t appreciated. Ethelred had revealed his condition to her. She wasn’t well traveled enough to know about a castle on the south end of the continent. It had to be a confusing existence. He was making the most of a curse he had been afflicted with. Luana might have been less formidable in a direct fight, but at least her spear’s power wasn’t so invasive. Though that couldn’t have been the full story. Even Luana hadn’t told her new friend everything about her spear. Just enough to explain why she was there. Something was preventing that curse from taking over Ethelred’s mind, and he likely knew what it was. But everyone had a secret or two.

But enough daydreaming. She needed to get dressed.

---

Luana was not so out of touch with civilization. She left her bedchambers wearing a tunic. Her braids had been opened up, and her long hair fell down her tunic.Aside from her boots, her worn out hunting gear had all been left in her chambers. Even her jewelry remained behind. Though if one looked closely at her back, they might see the shape of her spear head pressing through her cloak. A cloak that, while small, could easily hide a few pouches.

She stepped between Lugh and Elnith. ”Good morning!” For some reason her ears were burning. Had someone been talking about her? It didn't matter. ”You smell a lot better than you did the other day. In hindsight, I could have probably hit the tree, but we were all spread out, and I wanted to make sure you were protected!” She set a hand on Lugh's shoulder. ”I'm not sure how these meetings go, but I hope the four of us get to hunt something again.” She raised an eyebrow. ”At least, I assume that's why I'm here. Everything's been a blur.”

Anime & Manga! Oh my! (Anime/Manga Thread)

I always got the impression that the pokemon anime was a lot like Sesame Street. At least in the sense that it's an ongoing series for children. The show never really grabbed me, but I was older than the target demographic at the time. I imagine that Ash's removal from the series is going to be a lot like that time big bird finally proved Snuffleupagus was real: It'll be a news story for a few weeks, then nobody will give a shit.

Also Vinland saga is worth watching. Kinda weird how the main character becomes a secondary character in his own story, but hopefully that gets fixed in season 2, whenever that airs over here.

The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

”Ohwhatyouthinkpostingfasterthanmeonceisgoingtothrowmeoffmygame?Idon'tthinksomisshaughtyspellflinger!”

— Luana Roycroft

_{@Crimson Paladin@Rune_Alchemist}

”You'll have to tell me more about yourself on the way back, Ethelred. Being the mysterious helmeted knight that you are.”

Maybe Ethelred had more to say, maybe he was content, but Luana turned towards the others as soon as they started speaking.

”I have heard of you, and Lugh too.” She answered Elnith. ”But that was only because Ethelred introduced us. With all this excitement you forgot, huh?” Come to think of it, Ethelred had mentioned they worked for a Queen Sorcha. That had to be the woman she was looking for. Her apologizing for making an assumption earlier was kind of silly. Seemed even she wasn't above forgetting things in excitement. ”But why not? I'm Luana, in case you forgot. You likely haven't heard of me. I was a hermit up until a month or so ago.”

She turned to Lugh. ”Why not tomatoes? They are delicious and nutritious... which makes it a bit sad that we won't be eating them.” Luana shrugged her shoulders. ”You're going to bathe in them. I'm no chemist, so I can't explain why it works. It's very effective for getting skunk mush off of yourself and your clothes.” She pat him on the back. ”And then we'll have to rinse you off afterwards, so if you like bathing, you get to do it twice! And I do have an assortment of flower seeds we can use to freshen you up afterwards! Do you like lavender? Roses? Jasmine? Or would you prefer a more citrus-like scent like lemon or grapefruit?”

It didn't look like Luana was going to be done with Lugh any time soon.

Art by Wanderingwolf

@wanderingwolf Cool animation, though I do not believe the uninitiated realizes how long it takes to make such a simple animation. Not only the actual animation part, but the time it takes to render the images. More intensive images can take hours to render, especially if you have a lower end computer.

Mind telling me your computer's specs? If you're a fan of the low poly style, you might find some value switching from cycles rendering to evee, (if you haven't already) which I find is MUCH faster and doesn't harm NPR content. Then you could get some free frames if you wanted to use the frames you animated yourself as "key" frames and had blender generate a few in between frames. It would do a lot to make your animation look less like a slide show. If you had access to some 2d tools you could also edit the mouth after the fact, but that's extra and not something I'd consider necessary.

The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

”I am speed.”

— Luana Roycroft

_{@Crimson Paladin@Rune_Alchemist}

”Crushed?” Luana chuckled. ”No, I was not 'crushed.' I was fortunate that my body partially dropped into a void where the tree had been rooted. I assure you I'd have crushed down quite flat if your mark had fallen on me directly. As it were, I think I've cracked a few ribs. Moving is uncomfortable, but the adrenaline hasn't worn off yet.” Her grin only widened. ”Not to dodge your question, of course. For the longest time I made my home in the outskirts of Lymensari forest. Before that I lived in a small town to the east of Harzelslack called Gillia. The Roycroft name belongs to a long line of Gillian hunters. They didn't care if they had daughters or sons, that was our life calling before we left the womb. The last person you'd expect to know any form of spell craft, right?” She drew her spear and stood beside Ethelred. ”During a hunting expedition, we chased a wild animal into Lymensari forest. I was saved by some elves, and one of them left me this spear. Endless Eclipse use to speak to me a long time ago. It was my teacher for my druidcraft, but now it just shows me things.” If Ethelred cared to look towards the blade on the spear. he might have seen Sorcha looking back at him. ”Do you see her? I originally came to Hrelskins' Fall because of the fey. I've always wanted to meet an elf, you see. I figured they might know a trick. But my spear wants me to meet this woman. I have to confess, my spear has shown me images of you with her. This is the first time we've met, but not the first time I've seen you. I apologize if your relationship with that woman is different than how I saw it. My spear is unable to do more than show images. I've never heard her voice and have no context for what I see. Your helmet has made your interactions with her hard to read.” She tucked the spear behind her back.

”I'm afraid turning into animals and accelerating growth is about all I can do with my magic.” She huffed. ”Which is why we need a tomato so that I can make a remedy for him.” Luana pointed back towards town. ”So let us return! Such things do not grow in areas like this. We will have to procure what we need from the market!”

The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

”TIMBERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!”

— Luana Roycroft

_{@Crimson Paladin@Rune_Alchemist}

Luana did not hear the tree fall, she felt it.

When the ground shook, Luana and the mandrakes looked towards the Tree. It seemed that the tree was a cocoon for the Unseelie inside. But much like a cicada pupa, it was freed from the cocoon before it was strong enough to survive. Her eyes jumped from the motionless tree to the fleeing mandrakes. The druid stood up a little straighter and yanked the ear plugs out of her head.

”An exhilarating hunt!” She shoved her spear into her scabbard before approaching the others. ”Though I imagine they will become emboldened as soon as another strong one joins their ranks. I would give chase, but I suspect they're splitting up as we speak.” She gave Lugh a sniff as she walked past him. ”We'll be a bit too easy to track ourselves. We should return to town and get some tomatoes for Lugh's bath. So long as we have one, I should be able to grow as many as we need.” She patted him on the shoulder before stopping in front of Ethelred. ”That's my suggestion at least. When you're satisfied with your expedition, I would like to meet your boss.” She bowed, but winced when her rib acted up again. ”A-anyway! We didn't have much time to talk before the fight. I'll gladly answer all of your questions.”

March of the White Rabbit: A Roll-Your-Own Magical Girl Roleplay

"ITS JOHN CENA! BA BA-BA BAAAAAAAAAA, BA BA-BA BAAAAAAAA!.”

— Tonya “Mac” Murphy

Tonya “Mac” Murphy

Age: 24/11 | Gender: Female/Female | Illusion, Gravity
Body | Power of Friendship, Regeneration, Third Eye | Cradle
Coercion, Soul Jar, Martial Training, True Sight, Parasite, Gifted, Awareness, Overcity Shift, Mystic Artifact

Magical Overload, Cradle Supply, Connected, Gifted Item (Aigorost) | Monstrous Form, Exposed, Mercy, Distrust
Redirected Magic, Second Specialization | Non-Standard Limbs, Destroyer

STR: 05 | AGI: 04 | VIT: 05 | MAG: 03 | LCK: 03
+46
STR: 20 | AGI: 20 | VIT: 20 | MAG: 20 | LCK: 20

Earnings this post: Zilch

Remaining: 8 Gold, 30 Silver, 39 Bronze
Total: 12 Gold, 162 Silver, 183 Bronze

Annabelle the 3rd wouldn’t have much luck contacting Iron Mouse. She had already burrowed into the ground as per my last post and was not around to hear what the girl had to say. In fact, the illusion known as Iron Mouse was no longer anywhere on the battlefield.

However…

@Crusader Lord@Shifter_Master@Flamelord

Mac, still cloaked in invisibility magic, had moved to a rooftop to examine “Suwako” and also all of the other conflicts erupting all over town. It looked chaotic, but compared to some of the things that happened to Penrose, it was tame by comparison. Phase two was doing a good job of cleaning up, and wasn’t at all convinced the tanks would be enough to stop them. This was a problem for Mac. If she wanted to destroy the truce between Beacon and Wonderland, they would need to witness Suwako attacking them a fair bit. Suwako’s actions were no doubt troubling for Beacon, but she was just a footnote when compared to the likes of phase two.

Another development was how Beacon chose to react to Suwako’s appearance. Her bestial hearing let her hone in on Alicia’s voice. It seemed she was able to tell it was a ruse. That could be a problem down the road, but she made the choice to focus on her mission. This baffled Mac. Beacon were a lot of cowards who enjoyed ganging up on people who were different than them. It was weird to see the leader prioritize a rescue over saving their image. Perhaps she had more moxy than most Beacon girls. But this worked out for her, really. It would have been more bothersome if they had all tried to stop her. The clone was concerning, and Mac had considered striking it down, but it was just one clone. It probably wasn’t worth the effort to remove, and could even be beneficial. Time would tell, time would tell.

With the card men utterly annihilated (for now), Suwako moved away from one battlefront and towards another. The center of the conflict was before her: The Queen and Penny. She turned towards the pink Aurelio clone.

“I know HQ will not approve of my actions, but can we be at peace with these savages?” She pointed at the Queen. “Beacon’s laws can be bent. We can allow a monster like Penny to exist out of necessity, but the queen of hearts?” She aimed her bow at her target. “If we do not defeat her here, she will come right to Penrose and destroy everything we’ve just rebuilt. I won’t stand for it. I won’t!”

Yggdrasil’s Bounty!

Mac had no way to pour a lot of her mana into a single spell, but she was going to push as hard as she could for this one. Suwako fired an illusionary arrow tipped with a tiny glowing seed. Mid flight, it sprouted vines that reached at the ground and pulled anything the gravity well it was surrounded by could get a hold of. Rocks, debris, a gravity well this strong could hold a lot. But rather than holding everything at its center, it held it out at the fringes of where the well ended. It would look like dozens of vines were latching onto things and carrying them behind the arrow.

One the arrow hit its mark, and there was no way an illusionary arrow would miss, the debris would scatter all around the queen, before being sling-shotted towards the center of the gravity well: exactly where the queen was standing.

Where the hell was Finn in all of this? He was coming back, right?

---

"I bet you thought you were a real smooth criminal with that one, huh?"

— Chloe Irving

Chloe remained silent as Al divulged quite a bit of information. But in the end, it seemed that he hadn’t been convinced. She held her breath as the puff of smoke rolled over her face, only snorting in response to it.

"So let me see if I understand.” Chloe was still hanging off of his arm, though her tone had changed. Her eyes were half closed, and she wasn’t smiling. "You’re willing to sit here and tell me all about your woes, reveal secrets from men who treat it like a form of currency, but not make me a broker? If brokers have such little power now, wouldn’t it make more sense to have me as a broker so that we could pool our resources?“ After staring at Al for a moment, she cracked a smile. "Oh! I get it now! You don’t want me to get hurt when Penrose inevitably falls! That’s so sweet Al! I had no idea you cared so much!“ She kissed his bicep, hid her disgust, and dropped to the ground. "But since you care so deeply about me, I’ll let you in on a little secret. When I went north, I was in New York. I had to meet with an old acquaintance, and I also stopped to chat with the wolf of the north. You know? The New York coin broker? It actually makes a lot of sense now that I think about it. If they made you guys less powerful, you probably have no idea what they’re doing out there. But Nuncio and the other escapees had fled there and she was trying to find a way to get him out of hiding. I gave her a few pointers before coming back here. She really wanted me to stay, but I figured you were starting to miss me. Of course I had no idea you were so serious about our relationship. I always considered us professional acquaintances, but this?” She stepped in front of Al and placed her hands on her hips. The disgust on her face was visible. "I know how this game is played. Give me a job, Al. Let me ‘prove’ myself. But for the record, I’m not leaving Penrose since that’s a no-no for some reason. No attacking wonderland, no saying hello to Veronica for you, just work around Penrose. That’s how you’d prefer it anyway, correct?”

The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

”That tree dropped a doom reference.”

— Luana Roycroft

_{@Crimson Paladin@Rune_Alchemist}

Well, that was one way to get out from under her opponent.

The branch coiled around Luana's shoulders and freed her from that dirt prison. Just as she was whipped away, she reached for her seed pouch. A vine burst from her hand and coiled around the spear head still stuck in the tree. When she was thrown, she wouldn’t move to far as-

Oh, the spear head came free.

Luana hurdled through the air. She had some choice words for the tree that kept throwing her, but that wasn't her problem anymore. In just a few seconds, she was going to land on a bunch of carnivorous creatures. Her head changed back just as one of her arms turned into a wing. This acted as a sail that stopped her from spinning through the air. Her remaining hand tightened around the spear-tipped vine, which spun overhead.

The plant creatures scattered, likely not wanting to become a salad. Luana stumbled as she landed, but was able to stay on her feet by using her wing as a giant air brake. But the creatures weren’t stupid. They had surrounded her now, but none of them wanted to make the first move. They’d make threatening advances, only to hop backwards once Luana looked in their direction. An attack was coming, and it would come the moment's she didn't expect it.

With a yank, the vine and spear head flew into her hand. Her winged arm turned back to normal as she reached into her seed pouch and pulled out an acorn. In just a few seconds, Endless Eclipse had been restored. One of the mandrakes felt this was a good time to attack Luana, and lunged for her ankle. As it drew close, she thrust the butt of her spear into its head and smashed it into the ground. If it had seen Endless Eclipse’s sheen, it might have noticed Luana could see herself from an overhead view. No attack would have come as a surprise. But now an opening had been created. Luana spun like a whirling dervish, and a tiny green creature was slain with every swing. With every creature she slew, her smile broadened.

Though her rib was starting to bother her.