14 September 2019

¡Sea Un Hombre! ¡Sea Como Blanco!

Okay, let's try this again...

Once upon a time, nearly a decade ago, there was a tale in the works called MASKS...


Our story takes place in a socially fragmented world where the one unifying cultural factor is that Everyone (human) wears a mask. (Face paint and tattoos are considered masks, as well)

When evil manifests, blocking the sun as a plague of walking (and hopping) dead rises up around the globe, the people panic, praying for the return of Blanco - the legendary Hero Luchador who saved the world from this before - but disappeared doing so.


A young Lucha wannabe, a Feminative exploring the world of men, a Taoist magic using Martial Opera performer, an animal spirit worshiping steampunk scientist, and an empire weary rogue armored soldier come together to take up the task. And perhaps discover the fate of Blanco, and his semi-mythical mentor, the Jade Sifu.

Blanco and Jade Sifu (Here in a Spirit Realm) have not been seen since the last time the world needed saving.

The first, most obvious, question regarding this tale is - What's with the Masks?

It began many years back, a reaction to government watchers and the perpetual camera society. Rebel movements began wearing masks in public at all times, often all wearing the same mask to help confuse the watchers. Masking spread as a concept, and in time, the masks became fashion, and then custom. Now it's the social norm, with highly individualized masks completely defeating the original purpose of the social movement.


So, where & when does this story take place?
Nope, that's one of "The Rules". The prologue, as you can see from the caption on the panels above, takes place "There & Then" The main story takes place "Here & Now"
No proper name locations for anything larger than individual buildings or complexes.
No proper dates, only relative time. (ie - ten years ago, three weeks from now, etc.,.)


That both made it easier for me, and removed or weakened some reaction triggers from the audience.

MehLani - a Totem - wearing her hand-carved totem mask, as always.

This one was the last big project i attempted to do. 
It was during the process of prepping things that i began to realize how badly things were breaking down internally. I prepared a fairly detailed and elaborate Treatment presentation for Masks, sent it out to some folks for feedback before going deeper into full script preparation. It was weeks later that i came to realize that i had completely omitted the other story - not even any reference to it.
You see, it was designed as two interlocked stories told from opposing viewpoints. In each, the opposition is only mentioned in vague and shadowy terms, acting as nothing more than a set of circumstances and obstacles in the other's tale.
So the treatment i had sent out was woefully incomplete with almost no direct enemy to the story, and huge parts just missing.

And only one person commented a couple months later about it.
That, too, led me to realize there was even more going wrong inside than i had perceived. At that point, Masks went off into the files and shadows.
 




As you've seen here, in the years since my ability to focus on a singular subject has deterioated further. So i may piddle around and play at building games at times, as i have lately, but with no expectation of it ever reaching a releasable state. I believe it's been just over 15 years since the last time i let one out into the wild.

And that's why you tend to see paintings and such as the most frequent form of artwork when the brain kicks into gear. None of the long-term focus required for story telling, the paintings are good for those bursts of output.


Especially compared to the work method i was using for Masks. Rather obviously, i'm working with 3D models for reference (Who can afford human models?) Fortunately, by that point i'd been doing 3D modelling and rendering for a couple of decades. That helped tremendously for putting some life into the models...


From the render...






...to finished art...

By the way, for those of you inking at home...
This image in the files is worth noting. I always used vector based programs for my inking, for the simple reason shown here -


Flash is actually surprisingly decent in this regard. It started life as a natural media emulator before diverging and growing into what it became. But those roots are still there, and actually rather good once one gets past the defaults.

So, moving along...
While parts are still missing, i have found the first few pages in my digging. Here's a look at how it would have opened (following a brief prologue with Blanco and Jade Sifu in the Spirit Realms)...


Okay - at this point we'll have to step into the back room at The Other Voice Of Odd. Here's a direct link to the companion post (which also contains some other bits and tidbits).

However, despite initial appearances, nothing happens between them. She teaches him the technique for massaging the gungliax cluster (useful later), which he adapts to readily without realizing the pleasure stimulation it gives her as a side effect. Meowria, aroused, comes on to him while naked, but our poor virgin freaks and bails at high speed.

Outside, he has a Por Dios! moment, before starting on his way. Crossing the shanty town sprawl, Juan passes an old woman, Senora Lopez, who scolds him for STILL not eating enough, urging him to come in and sit down at the table. He explains that he can't - he needs to go find and pay Jorge. She gives him a quick tamale & horchata to take with him...

(Yes, Senora Lopez's mask has animatronic features, like blinking eyes and moving mouth)

That's the most complete version of page 6 I've found so far. From there, he heads over to eat under the wizard's Cactus Tower - the odd yellow structure we see in the promo image from this morning's post:


...then things start to get strange, as often happens around wizards. (Okay, carloads of killer clowns may not be typical wizard fare)

Worlds still build in my head, but i no longer have any expectations of others getting to visit. At least not in any depth. Perhaps some short stories, paintings, or game bits to give windows through which to view.

But, at least it rarely gets lonely being a hermit. There's plenty of company in here.

(Okay - they might be a little angry at me for not letting them out to play)

stuff by -3- for Masks (2010)

Adventures In A Slightly Different World

Brain resisting severely, for reasons that may become obvious. So, going to stop trying for now - let it think it's won.

I'm off to sleep for a while. Hopefully, after that we'll talk a little about Masks -


art by -3- from Masks (2010)

13 September 2019

This Is A Story Of Coyote.

Well, hot steaming damn. I found full print size versions of the 24 Hour Comic i mentioned yesterday. According to the file dates, this was back in 2006

Hmm...   Actually, it seems like 24 Hour Comic Day should be around this time of year - maybe recently passed? Us hermits tend to miss those things unless we actively go looking.

If it is unfamiliar to you, 24 Hour Comic Day is an annual challenge to create a 24 page comic in 24 hours. It's a lot of fun, if you're up for it. Not something i can do these days - my mind won't focus on one thing for that length of time any more.

Anyway, as i mentioned yesterday, twice did i participate in 24HCD. This was the first time, and the results far exceeded the second attempt. (In partial defense, i had been sick for a few days prior - but i think it was also a lazy concept i was playing with. Possibly as a result and knowing i wouldn't last the full 24 hours in my condition at that time. But, no one cares.)

I have, at various times, thought about going back to complete things which time did not permit in this story. But, it just seems wrong. So here is Chasing His Tale in the original form -


We'll get back to some real comics soon.
Promise.

page art by -3- for 24 Hour Comic Day (2006)

12 September 2019

Never, Ever, Get Tattooed While Drunk And Crossdressing.

What's your favorite word to describe the current potus? (One of the only times you'll see me use that as a word. Since it sounds like a rude bodily function, it works here.)

Come on, folks. Break out those vocabularies!

FLIBBERTIGIBBET! 

BRUMMAGEM!

SNOLLYGOSTER! 

Show me what you got. 

Meanwhile, i've been rummaging through the past as old geezers getting senile tend to do; pulling files from old hard drives stashed in dark corners of the cave. I think i'm gonna dump some of it here so i won't lose 'em. Again. 

It's an assortment of old works, like some t-shirt designs -



I already ran the Jesus Saves! (And He Keeps Archived Back-Ups) design in a previous post, right? I think so. If not, it can always run later. That one's still in my wardrobe.

Some odd little fake movie posters, most of which were results of Warren Ellis's old remake challenges. Good fun, they were -




This one is nigh on 20 years old now - from way back when the younger son was barely starting his acting/comedy career -


And, no - despite basing the 'movie''s storyline on the Mayan calendar ending, that's not something i believed. I knew full well that there was a 'second page' to the calendar which continues right along from the end of the first. But it made a good movie set-up.

Some fairly random bits...


Hmm...   actually, i think that one came from one of Ellis's challenges, too.

This one's turn of the century -


Some guy...


A very different guy...


...and an only slightly even more different guy...


That one was contest prize from the old webcomic. The winner requested the subject matter.

There was another old webcomic called Who's Line Is It Anyhoo?, in which other webcomic creators stepped up to, in this case, answer the question of How Did The Dinosaurs Die Out?

Since i was, at the time, the 'star' of my comic, i appear herein to solve the mystery. They're tall strips, so the system tends to over-shrink them. You'll need to click on 'em if you actually want to read along. I should perhaps warn you that my strip was a bit surreal, a bit mad, y'know...


And a few bits of ink work/play, though i could never decide on several bits for this first one, not even how much white space i wanted to leave in the end...




Okay. Let's call that a post.

I twice participated in 24 Hour Comic Day. Once resulted in a piece of crap about which i can barely remember anything. The other turned out quite nice, and i'm still rather pleased with how it came out, even if there were unfinished bits (like the Raven was apparently albino since i didn't have time to ink the blacks) So far, i've found a small 500 pixel wide version of the pages. Hopefully, further digging will uncover larger images, and we'll see it here before long.

Okay. Let's call that a post-post teaser.
I'm going to go park my body and take off for a while.

Oh, yeah. Those are indeed real words up there at the top. Look 'em up!

Night!

art & stuff by -3- (1999-2014)

11 September 2019

Serve KOOBA

We've got a little add-on to the midnight post. This City, as the place i've been piddling with in RMMV is called, has only one soda available to its denizens. We were talking about it early last month - the soda that never existed, KOOBA. This also gives me an excuse to run one of the adverts omitted from the previous post -


The add-on to the tiles from this morning is simply three various coloured Kooba Cola machines:


These were reworked from some tiles for which i have no clue whence they came. I've been digging through old hard drives and folks may have noticed that i'm perhaps not the most organized individual on the planet. Never used to need to be before the internal Editor quit.

Anyway - KOOBA Lives!

It's Greek To Me, Too!

Mind still not cooperating, so let's follow it again to a bit more from the playing around i've been doing with RPG Maker MV. We've got a random collection of tiles here, both indoor and outdoor dumped together on one sheet. Anyone wanting to use them will have to cut them apart and drop them in to their own sets. (A handy grid is provided at bottom for sorting, just drop the transparent .png with the tiles on top of it in your favorite image editor.)



So - what's here? Obviously some artwork for the walls at the upper left, along with and assortment of simple wood frames down at the bottom. Most out there are rather ornate, taking up too much space at times. These are basic Dollar Tree frames. To the right of the paintings, middle sections for the standard 2-tile couch so they may be extended to 3, 4, or more tiles wide. Those two horizontal bars following are fence tops. Set them on top of wall tiles, tag them for overlay (star); be sure place them after placing the ground behind the fence. Nice when you don't want that massive wall top. The vertical bars just beneath are shadows for giving depth to building walls and such where the system doesn't place any. A blue dumpster. Bookcase alterations - the standard, moved up a half register for better placement against walls, and with some variety tiles to mix things up in libraries and such.
Below those, we've got a mix of custom signs and generic wall hangings. A camera on a tripod, some blank signs, vertical stairs down...
There's a ticket window down by the Help Wanted/Now Hiring signs. Ropes & barricades - white for boxing, red for Events.
Those are notices that can be overlaid beneath the corkboard. And down by the business signs, a basic newspaper dispenser for the free daily news. (It says FREE on the top)

And just above the red velvet ropes, you might note that one of the wooden signs is not blank. It sits outside the Sorority House in the game. (Kekko Kamen needs a University to patrol, y'know) The Sorority in question is taken from my old web comic, so let's go there to read the little sign on the tiles -

(Apologies to Mme Theuriau for putting words in her mouth)

(Actually, only a few on the council and the original founders - not the general membership.)

And there's that grid mentioned above. It's the same size as the tile image, just no need to display it larger here.

stuff by -3- from experiMental Theatre and This City (2019)