Blog Post #4: A New Angle
Th. 9/26/2024
(1 hour)
I started researching 2D animation in Blender. So far, I feel like I’ve wasted my time. I watched 46 of the 50 minutes of this video. I learned a bit about the navigation within 2D animation in Blender, but all he covered was frame-by-frame hand-drawn animation— which I still believe is not how modern animators do it. (I hope that I’m not wrong.)
I started this 3D animation tutorial series. It is using Blender, as well.
Sa. 9/28/2024
(2.5 hours)
I watched this video, Character Animation for impatient people, and got some good tips:
• Go to graph editor, select some points, and press Alt O (oh) to smooth movements.
• To save poses, select bones, press F3— search “Create Pose Asset”.
• “Pose to Pose” principle: focus on animating big, recognizable movements first, then go in after and add the smaller movements.
It also went over just general animation principles— not just for characters— indicating that I was partially right and wrong; animation still uses keyframes, but you can blend between poses, instead of literally having to create a new image for each frame.
This video (Ultimate Animation Workflow for Beginners) presents some steps to follow.
Golden Poses and Anticipation: “Golden poses” are the main beats; if the character is turning from the left to the right, the golden poses are the frames when he’s facing the left, and facing the right. More complex movements have more golden poses involved.
Breakdown #1: “Breakdowns” are the poses between golden poses.
Speed of movements is based on the number of frames on which each pose is held. Typically 2 frames, 3 frames, or 4 frames. Cartoony animations are snappier, and have fewer breakdowns.
Leading: Certain body parts lead specific movements.
Arcs: Blender will transition between poses in a straight line, but realistically, characters move more in arcs.
Breakdown #2
Some body part (not the previous leading part) trails behind. *Side note: he talks about the arc movements (versus linear movements), but he doesn’t really say how to change from linear to arc. I’ve rewatched the video, but he really doesn’t. Something that I’ll need to research externally.
Mid-Point Pose: between Breakdown #1 and #2
Lead and drag continuation
Arcs
Ease In + Ease Out
Spacing: the art of inbetweening Timing Charts
Progressive (not linear): the more you get away from a specific pose, the timing gaps are bigger; the closer you get to the next pose, the gaps are narrower.
The Moving Hold: a slight drift while holding a pose (not completely static)
FFXVI (about an hour)
I unlocked this feature that lets me charge up a fiery sword strike. It’s interesting— this concept of delayed gratification. You could easily go just mashing X over and over, but variety is the spice of life, so a good game developer will account for customizable options that are worth it.
I’ve had an idea for Pareidolia: Unbound rattling around within my skull for a couple weeks. After being freed from the Hanging Grove, after meeting the Pumpkin King and learning alla prima, you follow Mason’s keen serpentine senses to a hovel belonging to the witch, Bena. (I still think this is manageable for the vertical slice, but what do I know.) My idea is the focus for the demo, where you meet the witch, who is baking a baby in an oven and proofing her hovel against intruders. The idea is that you have to defend the hovel with her when night falls against a horde of varied enemies, finishing with a giant troll (need to pick a suitable fairy tale creature) tearing off the roof. You fight off the enemies, and rush through the abode pouring salt over window sills and such. The weaker enemies equate to an increase in Inspiration [Points] (with their slaying), which you then use against the troll to dis-integrate it.
Su. 9/29/2024
(3.5 hours)
I started this tutorial series on 3D animation in Blender. I’m about half an hour in at this point. I started at the very beginning, even though I have a little bit of experience in Blender from that community college course I took a couple years ago— I figured there’d be a lot of overlap, but that I might still learn some stuff. So far, it’s mostly navigation instructions, but the instructor went over menus specifically geared towards animation that I’d never used before.
I’m thinking that I want to try and record myself doing the motions of a few evasion and attack animations for Pareidolia: Unbound. I’m thinking about doing that tomorrow, then working on transferring it via free mocap software into a digital animation. I want to have something to show— something that I’ve created— for my Sprint this week. I am hesitant to not make something indicative of my learnings, for fear of it not appearing as though I’ve progressed along this path.
Oh that reminds me! I need to update my Milestones.
I just worked on the GDD for about an hour. I revised the characters to be seen, as well as the premise, and started on writing a prose script of the vertical slice. Basically, I had this idea— shown above— of defending this witch’s abode from an onslaught of fairy Folk, finishing with a troll tearing the roof off, and biting Bena, the witch, in half. I defined the troll— from Norwegian folklore, there is a shapeshifting troll that transforms into a white horse and carries unsuspecting travelers to their watery deaths, His name is Nøkken. (Nøkken becomes an ally of Alice after being defeated, and grants the Boon of Passage— he will transform into his white horse form and carry Alice long distances— either three or seven times.)
Opening Cinematic
A grove of apple trees growing wild in the ruins of a courtyard. We see close-up shots of branches creaking in the wind, and apples swaying from their stems. A gust rushes through the ruins, and we watch an apple blown off its branch, thudding into the overgrown cobbles, before rolling to a stop. We watch it for a moment or two, sitting static, then a snake slithers into view by it. The snake is made of red stone, and is segmented. The end of its tail— the last eight inches or so— is stiff and immobile. Faded runes are carved along the snake’s length. We watch it from close-up as it slithers to the base of an apple tree, and starts winding up the trunk.
As soon as the branches come into view, there’s a flash of lightning, flaring across the screen, before disappearing, and leaving the courtyard— which had been lit by daylight— in the dark of night. And as soon as that change occurs, hanging figures appear strung up from the branches of the trees. Coarse ropes bind their wrists, from which they are hanging. Each figure is unmoving, except for the movement of the trees, and each has a coarse sack over their heads.
The snake slithers along the branches, and, with a decisive movement, slices the bonds suspending one figure. He crashes to the overgrown cobbles, limp as a ragdoll. From a distant shot, we see the scene as the figure stands shakily up, and removes the sack from his head.
We see a lanky, almost emaciated human man, wearing WWI-era breeches; his right arm is encased in a red stone sheath of sorts, carved into shapes reminiscent of gothic churches. He is shirtless, except for a leather harness over his chest, embossed with a large brass “A”.
Gameplay Commences
Alice is walking through the swemp, ducking under branches and vines, swatting away bloodsucking pixies. He is adorned the same as in the opening cinematic, with one change. He has a brilliant red scarf that leads seamlessly into a loose red hood. The snake, who must have been introduced to the MC, as he is calling it by a name— Masinry— is speaking, coiling through the air surrounding Alice’s stone right arm.
“Follow that scent! Smells delectable... you must be famished, ain’t ya— who knows how long you were hangin’ there.”
Visible scent distortions guide the pair to a three-story ramshackle hovel. It has stained glass lanterns— most cracked— hanging from numerous hooks around it, and nailed to the ironbound door is a goat skull and, below it, a dead serpent coiled in an “S”.
“Go on! Knock— I don’t got hands!”
Alice steps hesitantly up the steps to the door. As he passes the edge of the porch, a careless step brushes through a line of salt, which— when he looks down— appears to have been circling the abode.
“Don’t mind that— if ya ain’t famished, I certainly am!”
Alice knocks on the door, causing it to creak, and the dead snake wags limply.
From inside, a voice screeches in surprise, followed by the sound of heavy boots thumping on weak floorboards towards the door. There’s the sound of multiple deadbolts being drawn back, then a creeeak, as the door swings open. Standing in the doorway is a striking old woman.
She is bent with age, and must’ve been tall in youth— but now her stature is diminished. Her skin is wrinkled, with faint brown symbols seemingly tattooed onto all of it. She is wearing a leather apron covered in flour, along with a dirty gray shawl— from which are protruding two goat horns. She is wearing a blindfold stained with some black fluid— as if her empty eye sockets are oozing ink, instead of blood. She is wearing heavy, iron-shod boots, and has numerous iron bracelets encircling her bony arms. Where the metal touches her skin are raised burn marks; they do not appear to be fresh.
I really want this slice to feel cinematic, and I think I got a potent description of the shots to be animated.
I defined why the abode is being assaulted. Rook is the curse-child of Briar Rose and the prince— who was stolen by the 13th Fairy, Pestis, who cursed Briar Rose. Rook became a child of the Court of Whim, until he was stolen by Bena, to be baked into a loaf of bread, to be eaten, to restore her sight. So, the Court of Whim is assaulting the hovel to bring him back.
I think we’ll end the vertical slice with the upgrade HUD appearing, as Rook tattoos the tale of what just happened onto Alice’s exposed skin. As he tattoos, the player can upgrade certain attributes of the MC. I’m picturing it as the tattoo scene happening on the right side of the screen, and the stat upgrade HUD on the left.
I’m going to watch more animation tutorials, but I just had an idea! In the living room of Bena’s hovel are a number of story books. One is open, and has pages wrinkled and stained with inky fingerprints. The illumination depicts someone who looks just like Alice currently does, with a red snake twirling above his head. The passage legible describes the “hero’s tragic and impotent struggle against the bonds of mortality.”
“I” inserts keyframe menu.
After designing a new keyframe, press “I” to make it official, choosing rotation, location, and/or scale.
Auto-keyframing removes this necessity.
“G” moves keyframes, too.
Clicking the stopwatch icon by the keyframe start/end notation makes it possible to edit only select parts of the timeline.
(Another 20 minutes watching 3D animation tutorials.)
I just played FFXVI for another hour. It’s odd, because I typically haven’t really liked playing video games before— but I am enjoying this one. I started playing more games because that’s one part of my education; I didn’t expect to actually enjoy it. And I haven’t enjoyed every game that I’ve played recently. For Honor has a pretty droll campaign. (I know it’s more of a multiplayer game, but still.) It’s also interesting how much I’ve turned to liking 3rd person action games. Not entirely surprising— most of my gaming as a child was on the Wii, and that was primarily 3rd person. But I do know that I should play outside of this genre. In the near future, I’d like to play a more casual game, and a sidescroller. For the casual game, there’s this Early Access witch apprentice game, Reka, that looks intriguing. It seems like Hogwarts Legacy, but less grand and no combat. For the sidescroller, I’ve been interested in The Last Faith for a long time. It’s like a sidescrolling Bloodborne. One of my favorite games as a child was actually on my Blackberry phone— it was a sidescrolling Batman game. The Last Faith seems much more complex than that. Maybe it’ll ease me into soulslikes.
M. 9/30/2024
(2.5 hours)
I worked on the worldbuilding/plot of the vertical slice more today. I’m using the worldbuilding project for my Literary Development of Virtual Worlds course as an opportunity to build upon this project. This week, the assignment is culture. It’s a tough assignment— for my project, specifically. In the Epilogue, there are humans, and there are Folk (fairy tale creatures). Fairy tales are, obviously, super varied, and they don’t have a unified culture. So I’m choosing to focus on key characters present in the vertical slice. I have to have four sets of attire for the assignment, so I’m doing four characters: Bena the witch, Masinry the stone snake whip, Rook the binder faerie curse-child, and Nøkken the Norwegian troll.
I need to redefine my remaining milestones. Let’s do that now. I’ll write them here, as well as making new physical notes taped to the wall above my desk.
Milestone #2: October 2nd, 2024
What it was: Continue learning Unreal Engine; start filling in GDD for the end project.
What it now is: Continue filling in GDD; make character profiles for key characters; start learning animation.
Milestone #3: October 16th, 2024
What it was: Start working on the greybox prototype; continue completing GDD.
What it now is: Start work on art bible; model MC body + prosthetic stone arm; record mocap (even jank self-done) for an evasion move, whip swing, and idle close-up; make a list of ten fairy tale creatures for the assault scenario.
Milestone #4: October 30th, 2024
What it was: Continue work on the greybox prototype; start work on developing the alla prima mechanic.
What it now is: Continue work on art bible; learn Marvelous Designer + model MC’s clothing; animate the three mocap movements; find references for the Hovel abode.
Milestone #5: November 13th, 2024
What it was: Finish GDD (including base script for vertical slice); finish basic development of the alla prima mechanic; finish the greybox prototype.
What it now is: Write script for vertical slice; map out the three floors and basement of the Hovel; focus art bible work on key characters to be seen; make another list of ten fairy tale creatures for the assault (total twenty).
—
I really want to focus on learning animation— especially based on video references/mocap— as well as focus on character modeling. I’m going to stick to just modeling the MC— because I don’t think I’ll have time to do more, and because his design has organic, cloth, and artificial materials— so I think learning to do all of that will be beneficial for future character designs.
Short pitch.
For the rest of the semester, I will be developing the plot and characters, art bible, and MC character model and animation for the vertical slice of Pareidolia: Unbound— the studio project that I will lead next year.
—
*One small thing. I know how to rig joints, but I don’t know how to rig facial features. I think I could get by without doing that this semester, but I would like to animate an idle animation— and having some facial expression change would really bring something extra to that.
—
I’m going to go to Amanda’s office hours again tomorrow, and show her these updated milestones. I’ll make any suggested changes, then make the physical notes to put over my desk.
From the culture assignment.
Fictional Race: The Folk
The Folk are the race of fairy tale creatures inhabiting the Epilogue of Ettingrad. They live in the Outer Circle— commonly known as the Wyrdwoods. They are composed of all of humanity’s [public domain] fairy tale creatures. As such, they are as varied as is possible. There are Folk of similar origins— even the same origins, such as the pixies— resulting in multiples of the same kind of Folk, but mostly, the Folk are a race of wildly different individuals.
As such, defining a central culture for them is challenging. I will define a number of cultures of various individuals and “Courts” (localized governed societies). I will do so for a varied group of individuals of differing social standings.
I will start with Folk directly related to the project— as in, Folk that will appear in the game that I will run next year.
Bena the Witch.
An outcast of the Court of Whim.
She is bent with age, and must’ve been tall in youth— but now her stature is diminished. Her skin is wrinkled, with faint brown symbols seemingly tattooed onto all of it. She is wearing a leather apron covered in flour, along with a dirty gray shawl— from which are protruding two goat horns. She is wearing a blindfold stained with some black fluid— as if her empty eye sockets are oozing ink, instead of blood. She is wearing heavy, iron-shod boots, and has numerous iron bracelets encircling her bony arms. Where the metal touches her skin are raised burn marks; they do not appear to be fresh.
Attire. A cloth-sack dress of indeterminate color; a dirty gray shawl; iron jewelry; a stained blindfold. She was outcast from her court, the Court of Whim, for devouring fellow members, to gain their power. As an outcast, she has limited access to materials and resources; most of her possessions are ancient, broken, or patinated. She was outcast with only a sack of potatoes; she must’ve repurposed it into clothing. Her iron jewelry is both a curse and protection. A curse, because she still is faerie, and iron burns her skin on contact. Protection, because her enemies are mostly also faerie, and therefore she is warded against them. She must have acquired it from non-faerie Folk or humans. Her blindfold obscures her empty eye sockets. They are empty and dripping ink as a withdrawal symptom of not having consistent access to Folk to feast upon. Folk are made up of literature, so she is a representation of ruined literature.
Gender. Folk can come in any gender imaginable... to folktale writers within the public domain. So that limits it. Bena is a witch. Witches, in this setting, are all female.
Relationships.
Love. When she was an accredited member of the Court of Whim, she had many a romantic tryst with powerful Folk. The most notable was with the legendary wizard Merl. As a witch, she was incapable of bearing children— except curse-children— children born of individuals she cursed. Perhaps that is why she sought out Rook— the curse-child of Briar Rose. Not her curse-child, but a curse-child still.
Young. Bena had a carnivorous attitude towards the youths. As her infamy grew, parents and wardens of the Folk’s youths warned their offspring to avoid her neck of the Wyrdwoods. She did have an apprentice— a “witchling” named Maro. I encountered Maro after leaving the ruins of the hovel. She had been bringing jugs of Ether back from Bruise Lake. She did not seem that distressed when I informed her of her patron’s demise.
Outsiders. Bena seemed hospitable towards me when I appeared on her doorstep. Perhaps it was a guise, masking latent underlying cannibalistic tendencies; perhaps she meant to set me at ease. But, despite her harrowing appearance, she was a fine host... at least, until the attack. She seemed cut off from her people— which she was— and more welcoming of outsiders than her own kin.
Education. Her hovel was full of books. While she only had one apprentice at the time, she seemed as if— at one point in the past— she was capable of educating a full school. Of course, when I was there (before the attack), most of the books’ pages were wrinkled and ink stained. She couldn’t see, see? She did seem intent on keeping me from her literary resources. It must’ve been the taboo against teaching men. Most of the books— as well as the faded brown ink on all of her exposed skin— were written in some kind of Romance language.
Masinry the Snake.
A crucifix of Sadism.
He is a segmented red stone snake. He instructed me to wield him by the end of his tail, which is not segmented. Along his length are engraved fine details— passages of words in a runic language, as well as illuminations— images of the scenes told, supposedly.
Attire. As a crucifix (whatever that means), he is composed of stone, and as a snake, he is incapable of wearing clothing. He did mention that others of his kind come in other forms— some humanoid, and therefore, capable of wearing clothes. He said that they tend to wear shades of red— uniformity with the color of the stone. Speaking of, my right arm is red stone. Am I a crucifix?
Gender. I refer to him as male, but he is stone. He said that crucifix creation is a dead art; no more are being made. And they must be made. I’m not sure whether he chose his name, or if it was placed upon him by someone else, but it seems a bit pointed.
Relationships.
Family. Well, not a biological family. More of a found family. He first guided me to the grotto of Obe, the King of Vines. That sentient jack o’ lantern seemed to have earned Masinry’s trust. The snake seemed quite content and loyal in the grotto. And it was Obe who instructed me in how to wield the snake as a conduit of the art known as alla prima. Masinry also seemed to know quite a few of the rocks and boulders that we passed. He called out to them. They did not call back.
Old. In the Hanging Grove, there was a red stone altar near the back of the overgrown courtyard. Masinry was intent on leading me to it. There were words— runes— engraved upon its surface— but they had faded, eroded, and crumbled. Will that happen to him, some day?
Outsiders. He didn’t seem off put by my presence— and I certainly am the oddest of strangers. I don’t know how long he had been slithering through the Wyrdwoods, but he seems capable and confident. We were attacked, several times, but he always told me the best way to deal with the various hostile creatures. He kept referring to me as the “Chosen.” I am certain that I do not know what he means.
Language. Upon hesitant questioning, Masinry disclosed that the language engraved along his stone length was known as “Old Runic.” It was the precursor to the Common-Tongue— which is what we’re speaking, and what I’m writing this in. He was uncharacteristically quiet when I inquired further. “Look I don’t know much,” he admitted. “But they’ve been there for as long as I’ve been, ya know, cognizant.” I found a book in Bena’s hovel— before the assault— in the same language. Masinry was able to translate some of it for me. It was about a coven— an “Unholy Trinity”— of witches who dealt with stone dust from “The Age of Sacrifice.” What that was about, I am uncertain; we were attacked by a drop bear shortly after beginning translation. But Old Runic is a runic alphabet, based phonetically, and it shares many similarities with the Common-Tongue— just more archaic. I wonder who engraved the runes along the snake, wrote the book, and crafted my arm.
Rook the Binder Faerie.
A curse-child.
Rook is the curse-child that we recovered from Bena’s oven. He is the size of a young toddler, with an infant’s body, the head of a crow, and crow wings for arms, ending in simeon hands. When we retrieved him, he was wrapped in iron chains. Nøkken, as well as the other Court of Whim denizens, couldn’t touch him. It was my task to unbind him. It did not lift Bena’s iron-curse, though. So, I was instructed to take him with me.
Attire. Rook is naked, except for a white loincloth.
Gender. Faeries have a unique relationship with gender. They can change their own at will, but most maintain a “mask”— their current preferred form— for the most part. Rook is currently male, and is branded with a Taboo of Age— keeping him a child.
Relationships.
Family. Rook had been raised as the son of Briar Rose, but he recounts that time almost as if it were a dream. When he was stolen away by the 13th Faerie, that is when he remembers waking up from that previous delirium. His new mother, the faerie known as Pestis, raised him as a lordling in the Court of Whim. He was eager to return to her, but the iron-curse would not allow him to be carried by the present Folk, and his feeble form would not survive the trek back alone. In the Court, he apparently had many “siblings.” That court (I am uncertain as to whether it is the same in all courts) is as a giant family, all living together within the verdant walls, bound by shared experiences.
Race. As a curse-child, Rook is part human? Unsure. Briar Rose lives in this Epilogue— and she is one of the Folk, but is in human form. She may not be truthfully human. Either Rook is insecure about this mixed blood, or is so at ease with it as to account for his cavalier attitude about it. He regularly screeches jokes about it— frequently screaming, “I’m an abomination!” or “What am I? No idea, kid!”
Gender. Faerie, as I have stated, can alter their gender at will. Rook does not do this. There’s no Taboo on him restricting his shapeshifting— at least where it concerns gender— but he retains his tiny, chubby male body. I am uncertain if I could tactfully ask about this. He doesn’t joke about it— which could mean anything, truly— but perhaps the constant flux and change around him inspired him to keep a static form; stability from within.
Art. Shortly after retrieving him from Bena’s oven, Rook manifested a thread, needle, and pot of ink— asking if I would like a tattoo. It seemed rude to refuse, and I have ample visible skin, so I allowed it. He was not gentle. I bled, but it was a gaudy orange liquid mixing with the black ink. His work was skillful, though. As he toiled, I recounted how I came to find him. As I spoke, he transcribed the tale on my skin in elaborate script and bold images.
Nøkken.
A giant.
Nøkken is a giant, thirty feet tall. I saw him for the first time as he was ripping the roof off of the hovel, grabbing Bena around the middle, and biting her in half. He was humanoid in shape, but had equine ears and short white fur covering his body. His white hair flowed as a mane from his low forehead down his back. Instead of feet, he had hooves. He had tusks protruding from his thin-lipped mouth, and icy green eyes— like a lake in winter.
Attire. Nøkken wore a giant suit of black enamel plate armor. From it, from hooks pierced through— cracking some of the enamel— dangled thick coppery-green chains. Upon close inspection of his corpse, I noticed that the chains— caked with algae— nonetheless were clearly engraved with hundreds and hundreds of names. At the joint of where his left armored arm met the shoulder, there was a red stone disk engraved with the face of a screaming demon. Masinry instructed me to take it. It is just big enough to serve as a shield.
Gender. Nøkken was a giant. Specifically, he was a faerie giant. Upon his defeat I used the snake to slice off the end of one of his tusks. It was hollow inside, and was easily converted into a horn. After leaving the ruins of the Hovel, after encountering Maro on her way back, we came across an impassable ravine. The snake instructed me to blow the horn. Immediately, I felt the rush of a thousand winds at my back; I heard the whinnying of a horse; I was carried over the gorge, accompanied by the sounds of cracking hoofbeats. Nøkken was a shapeshifter. Even for faeries, true shapeshifters are uncommon. It seems that the giant had the power to transform into a horse, and I gained the ability to summon him when the path proves impassable. He appeared male, and Rook referred to him as such, but his chimaeric nature offers an interesting question. If he could shapechange into a horse, was his shapeshifting limited to that? Was he like most faeries— fluid in biology? Could he have changed his sex? I almost regret slaying him. However, he was trying to eat me.
Relationships.
Family. Like Rook, Nøkken was of the Court of Whim. He had a similar family situation— a found family. Rook told us over the crackling of a bonfire many nights after that Nøkken had had a giant family ages ago, but that they had all been slaughtered by human raiders. I have learned during my growing days in this realm that giants are more than brutes; they are powerful mages. Folk magic is a treasured secret, and even more so for giants. Folk magic can be taught; it can also be restricted. Giant families are, therefore, strict and clinical in nature.
Old. There exists a world of spirits in the Epilogue. They are Folk, yes, but differ in their interactions with the material plane. During a séance held in the Mycomancer Lair, I offered condolences to Nøkken’s spirit. He didn’t answer, but a handful of looming pillars of smoke and shadow pressed in on me. I froze, but the sound of sibilant voices carried on the wind. As the smoke was blown away, I was left with the message, “He’s with his family now.”
Outsiders. Rook disclosed to me that Nøkken had the unfortunate tendency to lure travelers onto his equine back, and carry them to their deaths in the watery depths. So, obviously not a fan of outsiders. Learning of his family’s deaths, I sympathize with him, to an extent.
Education. From what I have pieced together from literal scraps of literature scrounged, looted, and conjured along my travels here, giant kind has a strict academic culture. Typically inhabiting caves and tunnels carved into the litterae terrae— to ward off the sense of towering over the trees— giantlings were brought up learning a special amalgamation of Folk and human knowledge. They were taught survival skills, court etiquette, and morals— but also sciences, arts, and critical thinking skills. Giants have short lives— usually less than 70 years— and remain with their cloistered families, devouring (sometimes literally) information. I’ve only come across one hand-scrawled account of it occurring, but when great injustice is brought into the world, giant kind will rise from their self-imposed isolation, weighing in with their potent magicks to sway the tides.
Later.
I played The Last Faith for half an hour. I chose the Stargazer class (the mage), and had a tough time. I could not beat the first boss, and my low wizard health did not help. It is a sidescroller— a Metroidvania— and I know— despite my tough time— that it was a good idea to start playing it, because now I’m picturing Pareidolia: Unbound simultaneously as a 3rd person 3D game and as a sidescroller. It also brings questions to my mind— such as how did they animate the characters— especially the MC? He has dynamic shadows cast from his complex combat animations— it makes me wonder if they really modeled him in 3D, and just made it look two-dimensional.
—
It’s almost tomorrow. Tomorrow, I will do the following tasks to further this seminar project. My Milestone #2 is the following day, and I’ve 1) started learning how to animate, in both 2D and 3D, and 2) done quite a bit in expanding my GDD. So, to fulfill my prospective Milestone qualifications, I just need to flesh out the main characters more. I did quite a bit for my worldbuilding project— pasted above earlier today— in writing about them; I think I just want to do some really basic sketches of them— just one each?
Of course, I will also be going to Amanda’s office hours to go over my new prospective Milestones. So that might change things. I have a lot to do tomorrow; tomorrow is a big day. I am going to journal, meditate, then go to bed. I will be getting up at 7am, per usual.
T. 10/1/2024
(1.75 hours)
I did not go to Office Hours, tragically. I slept until 3pm— which doesn’t feel great.
I just spent the past hour and a half doing these little sketches of the four NPC MCs.
I tried to do four different styles— mostly just to amuse myself. Left-to-right, we have: Bena the witch; Masinry the crucifix; Rook the curse-child; Nøkken the troll.
I sent my updated prospective Milestones to Amanda— but that was past 5pm when I did, so I’m not expecting a response until tomorrow— which is my Sprint #2.
And then compiling this into a blog post.
I don’t intend on sleeping tonight. I still need to do my slides for my Seminar presentation tomorrow, as well as the slides for Studio sprint (tomorrow, as well). Before I do my slides for Studio, I need to make more progress in whiteboxing the library. I’m planning/hoping to complete the whiteboxing for the entire first section.
I bought snacks to bring to Studio tomorrow: almonds (that were on the clearance shelf), trail mix (with cranberries and dark chocolate), more lemon zest Luna Bars, a blueberry muffin-flavored Larabar, and I have pineapple juice to bring, as well.
Hopefully I’m not making a mistake by not sleeping. We shall see!
I had an idea about reframing my sleeping dysfunction. I mean, obviously, it started with depression— which sucks and couldn’t have really been avoided. But now, I’m doing much better. And I’ve noticed that when I sleep so late, I wake up multiple times and fall back asleep— even after seeing the progressing time. I seem to have this mindset that the more I sleep, the more I just admit defeat— causing me to sleep more. Maybe it would be beneficial to reframe this into not “sleeping as much as doesn’t directly negatively impact me in an irreversible way,” to instead
“I sleep just as much as is necessary— no more (and sometimes less).”
Because sleep is not simply about hours. It’s about cycles. I can sleep three hours and do better the following day than if I slept seven hours. The completion of REM cycles— and at what point in a given cycle that I wake up— matters more than just time elapsed.
I’m going to look into this in the following ways: 1) I’m going to check on Mindvalley (because I still have a subscription until February) and see if there’s a quest on sleep; 2) I’m going to look on Spotify and YouTube for sleep health guided meditations (and possibly hypnoses?); 3) If I cannot find something like either of those, I’m going to write a script and record myself reading it in my most inspirational, resonant voice— add some instrumentals/frequencies in the background— and listen to it as a custom guided meditation.
Because I truly do need to fix this.
