[Art/Writing] Jairus: Merry Christmas

[Jairus]

Aww, isn't that a warm and cozy scene?

Only one typo I can see,

He felt a leather collar pulled around and buckled, then left to hand loose on his neck.

Hang is what I believe you meant there.

Now the tricky part is going to be figuring out which male feline in DMFA actually wears button shirts.    My vote goes to Merlitz.  Still, an excellent little story.

Ooh, nice catch. I'll go fix that.

And, um, one teeny tiny hint... the "feline" in question is just wearing a button-up shirt for the purposes of the scenario. Normally... he doesn't even wear shirts.

EDIT: Woot! 30 pages!

[Chairtastic]

Yeah, Merlitz wore standard shirts more than anything.

Aniz is much more likely.

[Jairus]

Yeah, Merlitz wore standard shirts more than anything.

Aniz is much more likely.

Yes, Aniz would totally shack up with one of the only named rodents in the setting.

[Chairtastic]

Unlikely pairings is one of founding hallmarks of fanfiction.

And you know it would be hawt.

[Jairus]

Unlikely pairings is one of founding hallmarks of fanfiction.

And you know it would be hawt.

Hannah/Aliph! Deebs/Ink! Dan/Destania! All these pairings and more you will NOT see in this webcomic!

[Inumo]

I'm not sure whether to cower in a corner or cackle maniacally. XD

[Jairus]

I'm not sure whether to cower in a corner or cackle maniacally. XD

Do both, and then you can win a free vacation to a happy white place with all those nice young men in their clean white coats and they're coming to take you away Aha!

[Jairus]

Now, let's put the nasty dirty smut out of our minds, and continue the thread from this! (I will still leave the warning up because it's not THAT far behind, but never mind!)

Vambrace weapon, concept #3

Linky to full-size version

A continuation of this pic (warning, FurAffinity), this is the next version of the vambrace weapon I'm designing for my character Nicky (concept here (also FA)). There's a few major differences between this one and that one, including a drastic slimming down of the design and loosing a few elements. This version feels a lot flimsier than I want, but it might be what it has to be for a while. I've also added a knuckle-duster (not labeled) to provide a good mounting point for the trigger and the wrist switch: it also helps while punching. I also think this is a very steampunk weapon, brown leather and brass and steel. Anyway, onto the description of the various pieces! All the important parts are labeled A through H.

A) The retracting "switchblade." Hydraulically powered (C), once activated (D) it is deployed by angling the hand and wrist downwards (G): this prevents accidental activation outside of combat. It's not designed as a principle melee weapon, and is more of an off-hand weapon. It may still be a vibro weapon, or at least on the tip. I'm a little worried about how flimsy this feels compared to Version 2.
B) The force blaster. I've went with an actual force-field firing weapon, since Nick uses another bit of forcefield tech as a shock absorber, so I know he's got it available. Basically, it's a mathematically-defined barrier that can be adjusted in power and range. It is powered by the rechargeable power cells (E). In addition to the methods used to activate the switchblade (except angling the wrist up), the force blaster uses the duster-mounted trigger (F) to fire it. Again, worried about flimsiness, may have to go back to version 2 on this. I might end up replacing this with something simpler for Nicky's first version, but my idea is that eventually this becomes a full-on forcefield manipulator system.
C) The hydraulic system that deploys and retracts the two weapons, mounted on the underside. It's fairly simple but powerful, and power is supplied by the top-side mounted power cells. It's controlled by the selector switch (D).
D) The selector switch. It has three settings: blaster (turned to the inside), off (set to the middle), and arm blade (turned to the outside). This is a somewhat unwieldy safety mechanism, and I'll be working on a better method for the next in-story version.
E) High-capacity power cells, these are more likely to be capacitors because the force blaster needs quick bursts of power, unless I use these as batteries and give the force blaster its own capacitor.
F) The thumb trigger, mounted on the knuckle duster. Mainly designed for firing the force blaster, it can be used to deploy the arm blade.
G) The wrist switch that I didn't really draw attention to in the last version. This is a pressure switch that helps to activate the two weapons. When the hydraulics are off, the wrist can move freely. When the arm blade is activated, angling the wrist downward triggers it and lets it slide forward: this keeps the hand out of the way while being used. When the blaster is activated, angling the wrist up deploys the force blaster and helps it fold into the palm for easier firing. Again, somewhat complicated, but I like the safety device so I'll be retaining it in a few future in-story versions.
H) The only reason I'm calling this out is because I forgot to include a means of putting on or taking off the vambrace last time. This time, the whole set of crap is attached to a piece of good tough leather by grommets, with a padded liner sewn in for comfort. By making the vambrace leather, I can let Nicky adjust it for his comfort or age if he needs to. The thing doesn't actually open, it just loosens so you can slide it on or off. The laces running up the inside are for tightening it or loosening it as he needs. The kinetic blaster is attached to the vambrace by a series of straps, so it can be adjusted with the rest of it.

Okay, I think that's everything. Major ideas for the next concept are making it a bit more rugged, so the blade doesn't look like it'll shatter the moment he smacks someone with it and the force blaster looks like it could actually work. Overall, though, I like this one a bit more than version 2: it looks more refined, like its creator put some more thought into it. Oh, and I've decided to leave the buckler shield off for simplicity's sake, since that would really complicate this design.

So, thank you for reading this. Now, do you have any questions? Comments? Constructive criticism? Really, I don't bite.




Much.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

So, thank you for reading this. Now, do you have any questions? Comments? Constructive criticism? Really, I don't bite.

Nah, I think I'll let it slide. ;-]

[Inumo]

The switchblade looks fine in terms of sturdiness, so long as you're only stabbing. If you're planning on slashing, then AFAIK any switchblade with that kind of extension system will have problems at the connections. Better idea would be to have it all one piece, though it takes up more space that way.

As for the kinetic blaster, I feel like that's how pretty much any kinetic blaster works... If you want it to be sturdier, though, you can always have some extending metal supports that go between the thumb and index finger and around the pinky that connect to the blaster.

My thoughts.

[Jairus]

The switchblade looks fine in terms of sturdiness, so long as you're only stabbing. If you're planning on slashing, then AFAIK any switchblade with that kind of extension system will have problems at the connections. Better idea would be to have it all one piece, though it takes up more space that way.

As for the kinetic blaster, I feel like that's how pretty much any kinetic blaster works... If you want it to be sturdier, though, you can always have some extending metal supports that go between the thumb and index finger and around the pinky that connect to the blaster.

My thoughts.

Well, the original version of the switchblade just had three sections instead of four, and extended to roughly the same length. And while a two-piece blade would be even sturdier, the mechanisms required would be fairly bulky and the length would be slightly limited, especially with that annoying hand there.

And I'd like to avoid unnecessary bits as much as necessary, if only because these aren't really designed to be out all the time. A more permanent fixed weapon version of the force blaster would be much more reinforced, though.

[techmaster-glitch]

A little late to the party on this....

I do like the Vambrace. Love all the little gadgets that are all just strapped together in a single system. I even went through and mentally superimposed it over my own hand, following the instructions to "see" how it would work. Everything seems to work smoothly, except one thing, the Selector Switch (D). It seems to be on the wrong side of the arm, it's hard to reach all the way over to get it.

Otherwise, loving all of this

[Jairus]

A little late to the party on this....

I do like the Vambrace. Love all the little gadgets that are all just strapped together in a single system. I even went through and mentally superimposed it over my own hand, following the instructions to "see" how it would work. Everything seems to work smoothly, except one thing, the Selector Switch (D). It seems to be on the wrong side of the arm, it's hard to reach all the way over to get it.

Otherwise, loving all of this

Well, this is meant to be an early version of a much smoother and more advanced weapon later on, but I figured that mounting the control switch near the elbow and on the underside of the arm would keep it out of the way of being accidentally activated.

[Jairus]

Another weapon! I'm enjoying designing these.

Storm Scepter

Full size

This is the Storm Scepter, a somewhat-pretentiously named control mechanism for an antique weather control machine built by an ancestral Blitzberg (the Blitzbergs are among the oldest and strongest Genius dynasties, at least until they were wiped out about twenty years ago, but that's neither here nor there). Basically, it's a high-powered laser (itself partially lost tech) that ionizes the air when it's fired at a target and provides a proper conduit for a man-generated lightning bolt. Originally designed as a simple targeting mechanism for a somewhat-innacurate weapon system, it became a lot more symbolic as the family strengthened. This weapon is the fire of the gods held in your hands, after all. Nothing like a lightning bolt to put the fear of the Genius into some future peons. The whole thing is fairly simple, designed to look a lot like a wand.

The image below that is a concept for an "upgraded" version of the Storm Scepter, which adds high-energy capacitors and a spark gap so that the Scepter can fire its own lightning bolts without the bulky (and antiquated) support system, though it can still function as the targeting device. Obviously, these bolts are nowhere near as powerful as regular ones, but a low-powered bolt is still capable of stunning or paralyzing a target, and a sufficiently-charged one has enough amperage to kill. One of its limitations is the need to be linked to a battery pack on the belt, which also limits the amount of times it can be used: the whole system only has enough power for three lethal bolts. It's directly linked to another bit of lost tech that can recharge the capacitors, but it doesn't charge fast enough to allow for constant use. This is better designed as a "shock and awe" weapon (no pun intended), but it's also very effective against machines. Nick wears this next to his blaster for ease of drawing into his weapon hand.

Design-wise, I absolutely love the old version. It's got a very steampunk/magitech feel to it, and has this elegant simplicity that befits a Genius out to stun someone (again, no pun intended) with his accomplishments. I'm a bit less satisfied with the upgraded version, since it doesn't fit the feel of the original. Which I suppose makes sense, but part of me actually feels somewhat heretical for modifying a six-hundred year old weapon in such a way. I think my improved version will concentrate all of the extra bits at the handle end, with two long tines stretching from the hilt to the front and supported by non-conductive material, with the Scepter simply slipped inside: this should help it still feel upgraded without me defiling the original too-much.

Anyway, there's my description. Questions, comments, constructive criticisms, quiche? Sorry, I was on a hard C sound there for a bit.

EDIT: Oh, right, my announcement. As a few people know, I'm getting my wisdom teeth removed tomorrow. So, I'll probably be fairly quiet (ha ha) for a few days.

[techmaster-glitch]

....

Taking a leaf out of Gilgamesh Wulfenbach's book, eh?

[Jairus]

....

Taking a leaf out of Gilgamesh Wulfenbach's book, eh?

It's actually a sensible design, though Gil never clarifies how his version works. It's also loosely based on an older battle idea of mine, from a mecha story. Two giant robots are fighting under storm conditions, and one of them fires their particle beam weapon at precisely the wrong time and in the wrong direction: the ionized air makes a perfect path for a massive bolt of lightning that strikes their unit and completely fries it in one hit. And considering these things were hardened against normal EMP weapons...
In all seriousness, there's actually a bunch of electrostatic weaponry in this setting. Some characters use them for thrusters, other as air controllers, stuff like that. The old Blitzbergs (note the name: Lightning Mountain) built this as the ultimate demonstration of their power and skill: the ability to match the forces of nature themselves. Six hundred years later, it's still fairly impressive. Some people actually believe the Blitzbergs to be descendants of some storm god or goddess. Nick's just gone for the more portable personal defense version rather than the installation defense version. As to why exactly Nicky is using a priceless historical artifact in such a manner... aheheheh. Let's just say that it involves pulling a Frankenstein and leave it at that.
And really, this is attempting to justify the usual video game-style lightning weapon: the only way you're going to get anything close to an actual bolt of lightning is an installation weapon (mages are no exception, storm spells take a lot of effort), and you're going to need a means of targeting this weapon. There are few psychological weapons greater than seeing someone conjure lightning from the sky with no more apparent effort than pointing a stick. Nick's version is closer to the standard video game weapon, but makes a lot of trade-offs in order for it to be remotely wieldable, and the most powerful bolt it can manage is just a fatal one. Albeit, not too difficult given that it only take six milliamps across the heart to electrocute someone, but since this is designed to be used with a range of at least fifteen feet that's a hell of a trick.

Phew, I said a bit more than I intended to. Sorry.

[Jairus]

A short story that I wrote for Spooks for the CCC, and decided to post since it's one of the only art things I've done recently. This started out as a much more serious story before it went in a silly direction about halfway through. The characters belong to Spooks. Anyway, enjoy!

Akenai, Private Eye

   Spooks knew the jackelope was trouble the moment he walked through the door. But then, they all were trouble eventually.
   The fennec fox leaned back in her office chair, trying to ignore the squeaking and resolving once more to get it oiled someday. She had more pressing concerns, like the bills piling up on her desk. And a notice from her bank reminding her that her savings account had been drained. Oh, and her landlord threatening to throw her out. Akenai (Private Eye) better known as Spooks, had had a slow month. A few slow months, actually. And by this point, Spooks was desperate. There was a calendar on one wall, with next Wednesday circled in red: crunch time. Even if it was a cuckolding wife this guy needed help with. She started to try and get a feel for the guy, try and guess what he needed.
   The jackelope was gray with green hair, an interesting combination. His horns pushed up through two matching holes in a ratty fedora. His suit was neat but slightly stained, a few years out of date. His jacket was unbuttoned, the elbows patched. The 'lopes' shoes were old and worn, his tie stained. His fingers twiddled: there'd be a cigarette there if he wanted it, or maybe it was a subconscious gesture towards a missing ring. The fur on his left left wrist looked weird, not as neat as the rest: a missing wristwatch, perhaps stolen or pawned in desperation? His little pink nose twitched, sniffing at the air. Cheap takeout and old coffee, familiar smells to the detective but strange to her visitor. Spooks suddenly felt a little self-conscious, but decided against opening a window: cool and confident was the way to get a customer. She'd nonchalantly open it a little later... never mind, a crack of thunder and the sound of raindrops tip-tapping against the windows scrapped that plan. Oh well.
   She casually waved at one of the seats across her desk, smiling in welcome. He smiled back, but there was no joy or mirth behind it. He was tired, his shoulders slumped and his eyes sunken and haggard. He wasn't taking care of himself. He sat down in the chair with visible exhaustion, leaning back and making it squeak. He closed his eyes for a moment, inhaled long and deep, and then turned back towards Spooks. A missing girlfriend or family member, perhaps. Either way, she probably wasn't going to get much out of the man, but every little bit helped...
   The lights briefly flickered, followed a few seconds later by more thunder. Appropriately dramatic, she supposed,  but annoying if the power went out.
   "Welcome, sir. Coffee? Tea? Water?" she asked with practiced ease and a welcoming smile. The jackelope shook his head, and the fennec shrugged. She stood up to stretch lightly, and walked over to the record player. Some piano piece was playing, she just liked the ambient sound when no one was around. She turned the volume down until it could barely be heard. She sat back down in her chair, lightly brushing her brown hair out of her eyes, her ears twitching in barely concealed interest at her new client. "How can I help you today, sir?"
   The jackelope opened his mouth, then closed it again. Then...
   "What are we doing in some stupid film noir story, Spooks?"
   Spooks leaned back in her chair, looking very confused. "Um... to be honest, I'm not sure. I mean, I don't even like film noir."
   Spooks and the jobless jackelope
   "My name's Raj. "
   "I know your name, Raj, you're my character and I created you," Spooks said with some annoyance.
   "Yeah, but... did you hear someone say 'jobless jackelope?' Also, that's needlessly alliterative."
   "Now that you mention it..." Spooks trailed off. "I kind of heard someone saying what I was thinking, but that doesn't make sense, does it?"
   "Something very weird is going on here..."
   The two looked about warily
   "There!" Spooks pointed in a random direction. "No, there!" she pointed again.
   "I heard it too!" Raj's ears twitched.
   "It's... a narrator?!" Spooks said in a shocked voice.
   Dammit.
   "What the hell?" Spooks shouted as she shot up from her seat.
   "More trite alliteration," Raj sarcastically quipped as he looked around, trying to find the mysterious narrator.
   Oh, come on, it's film noir. It's supposed to be cliché and somewhat silly.
   "Yeah, but film noir is supposed to be narrated by the protagonist," Spooks pointed out as she futilely checked her desk's drawers.
   "Where the heck are you, anyway?" Raj asked.
   I'm the narrator. I'm everywhere and nowhere.
   "You're sitting at your computer writing this, aren't you?" Spooks asked.
   
   "That's what I thought."
   "You're getting outsmarted by a pair of fictional representations of two people you barely know. Impressive."
   Shut up.
   "Nyah-nyah!" Raj said as he stuck his tongue out like a spoiled child. "Hey! Don't make me do that!"
   I'm the narrator. What I say, goes.
   "Really?" Spooks asked as she inexplicably decided to start doing jumping jacks.
   Yes. There was the unmistakable feeling that somewhere, someone was belting out an evil laugh.
   "A thought," Raj wondered out loud as he performed a position from the Kama Sutra.
   "Yes?" Spooks asked as she started trying on silly hats.
   "Can't we just... leave? I mean, we're not really his characters, so we can act like we'd actually act, right? I mean, provided it's not described in narration, right?"
   Um...
   "Good point."
   "So, wanna go out for pizza?"
   In the 20s? I don't know if they had pizza parlors.
   "Oh, shut up."
   But please, I had this great story all worked out. You were looking for this dame with a suitcase, and
   "It's been done before."
   "Yeah, seriously. I'm hungry."
   "Yeah, me too. Takeout? Come on."
   But... but...
   Oh, fine. Might as well wrap it up.
   The room lay abandoned. Coffee cups stacked up in the sink, dust collecting in corners, paperwork on the desk that would never be finished now. A nearby crack of lightning shook the apartment with its thunder. The soft sound of Chopin's second sonata mixed with the pitter-patter of rain, creating a low lulling sound that filled the room
   "Oh come on! Five S sounds in a row?"
   I thought you were going to go get pizza, Spooks.
   "We were, but that was just horrible!"
   All right, fine! I'll just end this now, okay? The end!

[Gabi]

That was really funny. I like it.

[Jairus]

Wow, it's been a while, hasn't it? Anyway, here's a little something to worm my way back into my poor forgotten thread...

Some of you may have heard of a little game called Jurassic Park: Trespasser. If you haven't, I'll give you a quick rundown. Trespasser is set approximately one year after the events of The Lost World (the movie, not the book). It involves a woman named Anne whose plane crashes on Site B, leaving her the only survivor and forced to make her way to safety through the entire island, surrounded by hungry dinosaurs and numerous threats. The game was ambitious, dealing with many at-the-time unique concepts, including a robust physics engine and one of the first examples of ragdoll physics, as well as lacking a HUD system with Anne guessing how many bullets her guns had left and a tattoo on her left breast for a health bar: the Half-Life team were heavily influence by the work done on Trespasser, and had the game been a success Half-Life may have ended up being called a "Trespasser clone." However, Trespasser was not a success. Numerous delays and hardware difficulties left the game unfinished and unable to run on many computers when it was released in 1998. Despite its failings, Trespasser is an interesting game with a robust fan community to this day. A lets-play of Trespasser can be found here (go to page 3).

Why am I telling you all of this, some of you may ask? Because I was bored, and wrote this:


The Twelve Things of Trespasser

For the twelfth thing of Trespasser,
The developers gave to us...
Twelve Tribe C raptors,
Eleven broken cars
Ten floating boxes,
Nine stupid puzzles,
Eight big long levels,
Seven hungry Rexes,
Six different dinos,
Five key card quests!
Four shots left,
Third person mode,
Two floating breasts,
And a really freaking broken game!

Thank you.

[Ren Gaulen]

Words. They fail me. XD

Here's a link to the Trespasser's LP on the Let's Play Archive, by the way: http://lparchive.org/LetsPlay/Trespasser/ . It's not much different from the link Jay provided, but it contains a couple amusing pictures.

[Jairus]

Poem time! I'll do something holiday-themed later.

Forgotten Memories
Atop a far-off cliff remains
A suit of armor, bronze and gold.
Scattered about the foul terrain:
A field of blades, their tales untold.
As grains in glass flow to the past,
The wind blows on, the sand blows by.
Each passing day much like the last
While sun and stars dance in the sky.
Each blade a marker where they fell.
What fought they for, what wrong to right?
Each name long lost. Each cause as well.
Naught else remains, save this lone knight.
The victor he, triumphant will
Alone, always. He lies there, still.


Also, a Haiku:
A lone masked Rider
Stands tall above all others.
For justice, transform.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Words. They fail me. XD

Here's a link to the Trespasser's LP on the Let's Play Archive, by the way: http://lparchive.org/LetsPlay/Trespasser/ . It's not much different from the link Jay provided, but it contains a couple amusing pictures.

For some reason, the health meter reminds me of Legend of Neil...

[Inumo]

Interesting poem. Not sure how Shakespearean you were aiming, but... don't sonnets usually have ten syllables per line, not eight?

[Jairus]

Interesting poem. Not sure how Shakespearean you were aiming, but... don't sonnets usually have ten syllables per line, not eight?

Iambic pentameter sonnets have ten syllables per line, but I usually write iambic tetrameter. For some reason, tetrameter comes really easy to me (one of the four-line sections took about three minutes, including rewriting sentences and shuffling), while writing pentameter is like pulling teeth.

[Inumo]

Ah, that explains it. I've only had experience with iambic pentameter, forgot there's many more styles.

[Jairus]

A time of joy and one of caring,
For love and friendship and for sharing
The times we've had, the good and bad
When we've been happy and been sad.
Gifts we exchange, and songs we sing:
Such wond'rous joys these mem'ries bring.
As night draws in, draw loved ones near
And treasure those who aren't here.
These are the stories we've been told:
In summer's heat or winter's cold,
If flowers bloom or snowflakes whirl,
Tis Christmas time around the world.
May love and peace always remain,
Until this time comes once again.
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a great year.
(PS: Now get to your gifts, and get out of here! )

[techmaster-glitch]

It's always a gift to read your poety, Jairus I like this one, it is particularly touching.

[Jairus]

It's always a gift to read your poety, Jairus I like this one, it is particularly touching.

Thank you very much. Happy holidays to you and yours!