Language and Communication

Something I found myself wondering the other night, was about how communication might have began.  The word language and the very idea of it tend to lead us to thoughts about words, grammar, various languages and word origins.  The idea of communication isn't limited to language, and language isn't even limited to the concept of spoken or written communication; think of body language as a concept.

We can easily lead ourselves into thinking about hieroglyphics as a written language, giving a "word value" to an image, especially because it makes it easier to approach the task.  This can be a limiting way of thinking about it though, because structures of written and spoken language are not inherently structures of picto-graphic writing.  As we use spoken and "written" language to convey ideas and concepts complexly, hieroglyphs are their own way of conveying ideas and concepts through structured imagery of sorts.   Our words, characters, glyphs, sounds- all are tools we use to let someone else know what we know, or what we think.  Language is a means to an end, the end being communicating.  This helped me be able to better explain and understand my... let's call it interest, in how the Internet has affected language.

There was a while were I was one of those that "resented to decay of language and social interaction" that the Internet seemed to encourage, with posts of terrible spelling and grammar, memes, posts about what you're doing(except that what you're doing is posting), it goes on.  I didn't stay off the Internet though, and found things that I appreciate about it, like being able to wish a friend across the world a happy birthday, whom you haven't seen in years or have phone access to.  Another thing I've come to appreciate is memes.

Yep. Memes.  Oh and gifs.  As humans have had more time to develop this new "social landscape", as I have previously called it, we've created a lot of new and different ways to communicate not only to each other, but to communicate ideas in whole new ways.  I sometimes get lost watching a gif cycle endlessly, and many can strongly convey a thought or feeling.  Sometimes there are words, and as most should know(this blog is on the Internet), memes are still gifs with words.  That's right, I called a picture a "still gif".  That's legit, right?

Memes and gifs go a long way in communication, which is interesting to me because I resented them at first.  "Oh look, yet another meme about an arrow to the knee."  It got old, then I got used to it, and now memes are kind of a thing that just is, an Internet thing.

For better or worse, the Internet has a global ramifications on human kind(and I'm aware most of the world doesn't have computers), and I feel it would be silly not to complexly think about the role the Internet is playing and will play in human social progression.

Trot On Everypony,
Alturiigo

p.s. here are some memes and I Tumblr shot I had lying around

Drawing Progression

So I've been realizing that I am starting to become capable of drawing larger, fuller pictures.  One of the reasons I usually just do a partial character drawing is because I struggle with a variety of drawing tasks, and have(in my opinion) always messed them up.  I took a couple pages of sketches that a friend asked me to work on for him, and I was actually rather impressed with my result, at least compared to what I had done so far.

Just recently I found a picture I had wanted to draw for him still in a rough-ish pencil state.  I went back at it and finished the picture as best I could, and am quite happy with it(the Sylveon gave me a hard time though)-

This made me want to keep going forward, and I decided I should attempt another large picture, to challenge myself to do what I used to think I couldn't.  I chose Suirlas for a character, and here's the picture in progress - 

I enjoy drawing, largely because I am always dreaming up stories and characters, and making worlds for them.  I'm getting much closer to being able to share my Imagi-verse, the multitude of ideas in my head.

Trot On Everypony,
Alturiigo

Drawing Style... ?

As I take a brief break from a picture I'm working on, I'd like to share a little about how Drawing and I have gotten to know each other.

I never really thought of myself as a "creative type", though I guess I couldn't give a good answer as to why; I suppose I thought I was a nerd and could be nothing more?  Through middle-school(K - 8th grade) Art class wasn't really optional, and after that I took more science and computer classes for my electives.

I ended up playing Dungeons & Dragons(3.5), and began to draw my characters, try to at least.  Before that were some stick figures and eventually "block" figures of both little and great importance I suppose.  As I tried to draw my characters, I had to think about what they would wear, and started to draw a lot of clothing, taking an interest into fashion design.  I lost my pile of drawings over the years :(

I kept drawing, and somehow, things were looking more and more like actual things, even the things I wanted them to look like.  As I started putting pencil to paper more and more, my creative projects began to become real to me. Echoes was really early into this journey, and something that made me explore how I draw.  I picked up a book and worked on some stuff, like the image to the right of Bec.

I suppose in part I feel like I could never draw that well on a mass scale, nor for every aspect.  There's a little more to it though, because I had started to notice that no matter what I drew, it never looked right... well, it didn't look the exact same.  I still liked a lot of my simpler drawings, and I began to open up to myself about how I would draw.  There are three general styles I work with, one of which is pretty much one of my first styles, developed off the "block" characters I would draw.  Another is closer to a chibi style, with a large head and small body by proportions.  The last is one I've used for later Echoes stories, and am still working out.  Here are examples of the three - 

 Trot On Everypony,
Alturiigo

Awareness and Change

There's a lot of stuff to talk about when it comes to social issues, and it can be hard to discuss them without attacking other people, whether you intend to or not.  That being said, it can be hard sometimes to only listen.

"If it isn't broke, don't fix it."  Silence is not acceptance, and that's also not to say that if you're not fixing something, you don't think that it's broke... but if what we think is normal is broken, shouldn't we try to fix that?

Some time ago, I was frustrated while thinking about Affirmative Action and feminism, thinking on it from "a logical perspective on equality".  In my old argument, giving a favorable treatment is not a demonstration of equality.  An unfortunate side-effect is that many qualified candidates are thought to have gained their employment without merit, which is not the intent or actuality. This issue is that it doesn't address equality very thoroughly.

As a straight white male, equality for myself isn't something I need to examine in my daily life, and I would argue that it makes it difficult for me to think about equality complexly. That doesn't mean I can't or shouldn't try though, and it takes talking about it to help me understand it more.  Talking to people who have experienced it, trying to listen.  There are posts popping up more frequently talking about "anti-white" and "anti-male" sentiments, and while I saved a few because I wanted to call them out, I'm now thinking I'd rather not give them the merit of showing them.  Let me talk about that for a second-

I've had occasion where things were assumed of me because of my gender and race - HERE AND THERE OCCASIONS WHICH HAD NO REAL IMPACT ON THE OVERALL OUTCOME OF MY LIFE AND MY WELL-BEING.  Not many generations have passed since it was generally acceptable to make racist and sexist jokes, and as the Political Correctness movement gained steam, many resented the fact that they couldn't make the same "jokes and observations(gonna call that out because just don't take that road)" and feel as though it starts to infringe upon freedom of speech.

Libel and slander are real concepts, and there are numerous occasions when rhetoric, WORDS, were used to start wars, incite violence, instigate Inquisitions... I hope you get the point without more examples.  While there's some sort of "logic" in an argument that saying something and doing something are different things, it starts to get fuzzy when you shout "Fire!" in a crowded theater or convince a mob to lynch someone.

Let me get to why I wanted to call out the word "observations" for stereotypes - it suggests a "scientific" or "unbiased" context.  While the use of the word may not be entirely incorrect by the word's definition, the social context of the word seems to encourage or at least legitimize that train of thought.

I once called something "retarded" while with a couple friends who worked with people who had special needs.  They immediately snapped at me for using the word, and right before I defended myself I had the clarity to shut my mouth and open my ears.  Accept that I said something I shouldn't have, even if I didn't intend to.  The word still bears its social context against people who have varying disabilities, regardless of the conversation.  It's my decision, but I now do my best not to use that word, and have said it less than a handful of times(so like probably less than 5 over four years).  It doesn't matter if I never used the word to describe person who is disabled or has special needs, that doesn't really make it a better word when I use it.

Okay let's tie some of this together.  The words we use when we talk have a social context, a social value, many of which have had a lot of negative context.  Some words are more obvious than others, and some are a little more tricksy.  A recent example would be the reference to Lebron James's associates as a "posse" - the context of the word creates a dismissive nature to their role.  The word isn't racist or necessarily has a history of being used racially, but is dismissive and belittling in the nature of his friends/business partners.
When your everyday life isn't made more difficult by who you are, it's far easier to say "toughen up" or "get over it".  There aren't that many years separating us from a time when "normal" words and conversations were racist and sexist, but the people who would be offended weren't being heard.

I like to think I'm a good person so when someone has a misgiving with me, my instinct is to defend myself -  instead I don't.  There is a reason they felt offended, try to listen for what that is.  You may not even realize you're doing it, it could have never crossed your mind - that doesn't change it.  While I like to THINK that I am a good person, I believe it is important to ask myself as honestly as possible if that's true.  When push comes to shove, would I do the right thing?  I believe everyone should be treated equally sure, but that doesn't mean that everyone is.

If it's not broke, don't fix it.  OKAY WELL THIS IS OBVIOUSLY BROKE SO CAN WE TALK ABOUT FIXING IT PLEASE?  If we want to come together as a peoples, we need to be people together.  While there have been trends towards improvements in many social rights movements, ACTUAL EQUALITY is something that is far from... actual.

The notion that since we "won" the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement happened that America is not a racist or sexist country is a false equivalence.  No, this is not the same as saying that everyone in America is racist and/or sexist, or that if you call yourself American that you are racist and/or sexist.  It supports the notion that not everyone has the same "American" experience.  The problem arises when only some of us get to be "American", despite being lawful citizens.

People aren't being treated equally, that's not really a matter of opinion, in fact it sometimes is described as "the way it is".  I'm not here to argue that, but to ask if you feel like that makes it okay.  When the fact that people aren't being treated equally doesn't have a major impact on your life, it becomes much easier to leave it as the way the world works.

We have the power to change how the World works, for We are the World.

Character Share: Bec from Echoes

Still putting off that post continuing the Echoes Arcs, in large part because I'm still trying to get a better feel for it.  In the spirit of that, I would like to talk about the character of Bec for a moment -

Bec came about as I was working on a fuller cast for the series, and wanted a foil protagonist for Kelly.  If Kelly is water, Bec is fire, Kelly is cool and collected, Bec is quick-tempered and passionate.

Bec(Rebecca Evelynn Stersh) is an introverted character and somewhat shy(close but still different ideas), in addition to being often stand-off-ish. Some of this nature is likely due to her circumstance upon entering the story.  She has moved to this city after the death of her parents, to live with her aunt and uncle.  Her father was a music producer/lover, and her mother is where she learned her love of dance.  Even before their death, her parents were her closest friends, as she often felt she didn't fit in at her private school.

Bec continues to wear part of her old uniform as she did when she attended the school, it helps her feel a tiny bit like who she was before losing her parents.  She loves to listen to music, and can occasionally be caught dancing, though she hates being watched.

Bec's original character design started as some sort of lycanthrope, which became more of a human/spirit bonded pair, which eventually lost the fuzzy ears and tail.  For a spell I began to consider what it might be like if music was her method, such as drawing is for Kelly.  In the end, I've been going with the idea that she actually has a powerful spirit contained/bound within her spirit, and channels energy that way.  So instead of drawing something, she starts to manifest more of a fiery personality.  Channeling this spirit can be dangerous though, as she loses a bit of her own control as she channels more energy.

This image to the left is an older design for the character, and one that I still really like.  Sometimes I feel a little torn and debate using this design, which is not impossible but rather unlikely; the character of Bec that I have now has become the Bec that I imagine, that I've gotten to know so well.

Part of what I love about Bec is the relationship between her and Kelly.  It begins as an almost unwilling friendship as Kelly just starts acting like her friend much to Bec's chagrin, but slowly Bec comes to appreciate Kelly's aloof and fluid nature.

I did up a page to try and get a feel for the characters and writing a scene and dialogue with a more "everyday" kind of feel, and as lame as it is to admit, I really enjoy it every time I come across the page

Trot On Everypony,
Alturiigo

A StoneBridge Survivor: Ella Surin

Before I get back to going over Kelly's story, I would like to share a picture of a character designed for my Role-Playing System, the Zombie Apocalypse version -

Ella was a CNA before the apocalypse, and also loved photography and jogging.  She's is of a curious nature, always trying to understand the things around her.  She would jog almost every day, at least around her neighborhood just to get out and about.

She is a determined person with sharp eyes and a quick mind, as well as the skills to help those in need of medical aid.

The little bubble is the character concept phrased like the Cypher System, as seen in Numenera.  I enjoy that take on character design, and I recently came across a couple other instances of presenting a character that way in my notes.




In the "story", Ella photographs the apocalypse and its toll on StoneBridge and its residents, and even does reports when Luke Fields, Cassie Anderton, and the other Residents secure the radio station several months in.  Ella is not "designed" to be a combat-oriented character, her ability to survive is mostly boosted by her Perception and stamina, both mental and physical.



There are a few other characters to the story, I'll add some other ones here for fun -

Kelly's Story Bit 2(Echoes: Teen Angst)

Kelly's story continues past Echoes: Origins, and it picks back up when Kelly is about 14, and is getting ready to enter High School.  It's early into summer break, but we come into the story with Kelly standing in the rain, dressed for her mother's funeral as she stands before her grave.  A traffic accident on a stormy night leaves Kelly without family. Kelly's godparent happened to be a man who was a family friend for years, having known Kelly's grandmother, and he becomes her legal guardian.

This is a pretty rough time for Kelly, who paints and draws to express herself.  One night, while painting through an emotional breakdown, she swears she sees the paint move and almost come alive.  She dismisses it and tells herself to go to sleep.  She dreams about her time with Gus - something which several years of therapy would have her believe was an imaginary coping mechanism from the loss of her father.  She wakes after having a vague flash of a man who helped her and Marçai recover from injuries during that time.

Master Orey, the man who had helped her in the Spirit Plane was her godparent, someone who had known Kelly's grandmother as an Archon - like Kelly.  Kelly begins to realize that the chalk was not the true power behind what happened, more importantly Kelly channeled energy through the chalk as she imagined it to have power.

There are positive and negative energies and spirits, and Kelly begins to be able to see these things more and more.  Kelly's father had been a police officer, and had many long talks with Kelly about helping people, and not being afraid to stand up for what is right.  The importance of this to Kelly causes her to feel a need to do something about the malevolent and harmful spirits and energies she finds.

Kelly goes to school as well and tries to lead a normal life, working hard to make time for training, studying, and removing bad spirits.She makes a couple friends, Claire and Anne, who don't initially know that there is anything different about Kelly.  The pair end up being exposed to Kelly and her happenings though - 

Claire is a bit loud and overbearing at times, but she's a good person at heart and cares about her friends.  Anne is rather quiet and keeps to herself, but she looks out for Claire and tries to keep her out of trouble. While some might think Claire probably bosses Anne around due to their personalities, others can see Anne is just as much a caretaker as a sidekick.  Anne also appreciates that Claire helps her be a little less reserved and timid.

One day there's a new student in Kelly's class, a girl named who goes by Bec and generally wants nothing to do with anyone.  A little about how Bec came about - I was drafting character ideas and had a few concepts before I settled on who she is now(more or less).  I've always felt like water was a good thing to compare Kelly to, adaptable and flowing, yet at times deep and resolute.  Bec is in some ways a foil to Kelly, a fiery character driven by passion, fierce and unyielding.

Here's where I'm trying to figure out if there's a second half to Echoes: Teen Angst with Bec, or if the rest of the story would all be its own arc.  Either way, I'll cap this post here with one more pic

Kelly's Story Bit 1(Echoes: Origins)

Some time ago a friend and I discussed a story about a little girl and a ghost, and the character concepts stuck with me long after we generally forgot about the original idea.  I ended up growing attached to Kelly as a character, imagining her as this young girl who didn't give up, on herself or others.  I had started watching more animated series, and I began to imagine a broader story for the character(s).

Perhaps Kelly had some magical chalk that can create the things it draws(which I'm aware isn't wholly original), and maybe she finds it while hiding out in the attic after her first day of school.

This was probably eight or nine years ago that I began exploring the idea of Echoes, a series about Kelly, and her journey as a character.

The story begins before Kelly's first day at a new school; they've moved into her grandmother's old house after her father died and it's in a city some ways from where they had lived.  Kelly's first day is rough, and upon getting home she retreats to the attic, and stumbles across a chest which contains among other things, a large piece of white chalk.
Kelly takes the piece of chalk and makes a few marks on the floorboards to test it, and catches an oddly shaped shadow, which she decides to trace, imagining it at some new friend for herself.  An ethereal shape rises from the shadow- this is Gus.

A brief bit about Gus- they were not made by Kelly, they are actually a powerful spirit which has also served a seal to help ensure that the planes of existence stay separate(wouldn't actually ever play out well to combine them).  She calls them Gus, which they seem quite pleased with, having no distinct name of their own

Here's where I'm foggy and only have a general story.  Kelly gets bullied at school, but with the help of Gus, she rids herself of his torment, most likely by teaching him not to mess with her(scaring/intimidation).  There's more to Kelly's story than some "magical" chalk, and this bully was one of the first things she'd need to overcome.  Kelly is special, and not just because her mom told her so.  In fact, her mom doesn't really know how special Kelly is.  In the Echoes setting, there is a Spirit Plane adjacent to our own, and souls tend to be the rare travelers between the planes, if only briefly.  Kelly is what some refer to as an Archon(term for this setting, I liked the word so what), someone who has a strong connection to the Spirit Plane, and can draw from and channel its energies, though it is something she must learn to use and control.

Kelly begins to be more adventurous and curious as she is spending less time being sad, perhaps has some small adventures using her magical chalk, before finding an abandoned manor said to be haunted.  Here, Kelly begins to see a more serious world, more dangerous adventure.  There is a malevolent spirit sealed in the manor, and in exploring Kelly finds herself in a struggle to escape the demonhound and the manor, and must use her powers to stay alive.  Unable to escape even after defeating the hound, she draws a door which instead of leading her our, leads her into the Spirit Plane.

Here, is where she meets Edos and Ryelle, two Children of Gaia(nature spirits) who become a loyal friends to Kelly, and Ryelle is much of a big sister to the young heroine.  Kelly learns that a malevolent spirit whom I still need a name for wants to cross planes to feed in the Material Plane("our" plane), and plans to find and destroy the seals, and open a special gate between the Planes.  Kelly also meets Marçai, a wandering spirit of a swordsman with a troubled soul, unfinished business kinda thing.  He remembers being charged to protect someone and failed to do so.  It still haunts him, and some of his motivation to help Kelly comes from seeing her in some ways as his previous charge.


Despite best efforts, it comes down to Gus as the last seal and the villain at the Gate, attempting to break through it in its weakened state(probably blasting it with energy or something).  Gus wraps himself around Kelly one last time and helps her understand before using his energy to reseal the Gate, using the Villain as an additional seal(remember, Gus is a powerful ancient spirit, despite often being little more than an emotive wisp).  Kelly loses Gus, and after the blinding flash and disorientation, Kelly finds herself in a park near her home.  She no longer has the magical chalk and despite wishful checking, Gus is indeed gone.  Kelly starts walking home.