WAFFLEZ' BLOG-SPACE
Occassional big brain thots.
Hear me out! I know a lot of people shit on OW, and honestly? Super fair, especially in the context of Blizzard...
And whoever's reading this should know by now that I'm a niche game lover anyways :p
BUT, inspired by Venture's release, I just wanted to say I frickin LOVE their design team, whoever those folx are.
Of course, queer characters are not a revolutionary game concept, but for a AAA game studio who's known for an audience of some real toxics?
I respect the bravery, LOLZ. It's also awesome to see a genderqueer OW fan be cast as the amazing VA for Venture!!
YYyeaah they still have pretty bad monetary practices that don't respect the player base, but I'm thankful for amazing artists, writers and actors that commit to making the game better with each creative addition <3
Here's to hoping that we'll see more cool ass rep in gaming, and maybe even an artist-led revolution? Nah, unlikely... But perhaps???
I can't believe my blog posts have essentially turned into monthly updates. Whoops :D
Better this way tho, cause my original blog posts were too good to beat every single damn time. Man I love being a perfectionist and setting high standards for meself </3
Anyways, my drawing tablet broke recently!! I'm pretty sure it's my abuse of the pen buttons, and now the pressure has completely gone to shit :(
I'm using one of them regular tablets with Clip Studio on it now!! It's pretty great, but it's making me doubt whether I can produce the same quality of work on a portable non-PC device. God I fucking hope so...
I think it's kind of funny that an Ipad artist friend of mine has dreamed of a screen drawing tablet for a while now, and I've wanted a portable set-up. We both got what we wanted, but I dunno if she's quite full of doubt for her abilities with new tech as I am :"D
I might put a quick Wrench piece up in the Artz tab by the end of the month...Maybe I'll even make an OCs dump page...
Be ready, and keep on creating despite the challenges >:)) (I know I'm trying lolz)
Phew, a month of no blogposts... I didn't even notice, to be honest!
I have, however, been working on making website changes, among other things >:)
I think it's kinda funny that there's no change log, since I see a lot of people having those. I'm an artist, not a coder, so I think I get a pass. Plus, it creates more pressure. Oh shit! I haven't made any updates in ages!! Yk?
I did, however, finally make the 'Festo (aka my website manifesto) work and look sorta cohesive!
It took my brain so long to organize it. It was, again, a lot of pressure to make something readable and... manifesto-ey.
I hope it's enjoyable and inspiring, maybe :). I love me a good website manifesto!!
Ran it by a couple friends, and they seem to like it, so I'm satisfied...For now.
Net revival takes a LOT, so we shall take our lil steps :] Thanks for being here with me thru this.
This one was inspired by me seeing a post about Duolingo layoffs, of all things.
You'd think that Duo management decisions has nothing to do with the AI art issue, and that's where I stop you!!! To tell you all about my big brain connections here.
I'd hope that if you're here, you also have great(or at least basic) respect for artists and, well, any creatives...and workers in general. Lemme summarize that post for ya:
"Duolingo laid off a shit ton of translators, just so they could have the new and cool AI doing most of their work!"
...Because the complexity of translation between multiple languages is so EASILY understood by AI, over proficient or native speakers, amirite?
Anyhow, we're diving deeper and deeper into the AI hole with any new inventions and decisions and automations done by corps. I think that's terrifying. Yea maybe it's the future and we're all silly geese stuck trying to build 90s core websites that don't feel soulless. What do we know?
I just hope there will still be enough people left to do that HUMAN work, at the end of the day. And enough people left to appreciate it.
Got thinking as to why I don't watch enough shows and barely EVER read.
The answer is hyperfixations, btw. They last way longer and are full of way more passion when it comes to games for me. Why?
The simple answer is interactivity, and esp in open world games you're dragged in and are part of the space so immediately, compared to having to build up immersion yourself in books or other visual media.
Not my answer, however. It's the HOME-spaces.
An HQ, a shitty apartment as the main option your poor ass can afford at the start, a hideout to come back to, etc. And these HOME spaces are usually something you get to fill out. I think that's so wonderful.
Made a new ally? BAM, they hang out at your fast-travel Home area and give you silly one-liners. A piece of memorabilia from a quest or mission? Over there, in the corner. It's your damn space. And as you progress, whether you just fill it out with more trinkets and stuffz, or share the place with people that have come to be loyal and loving on your journey: it's your space!!!
And you get to feel the atmosphere, be present, feel safe, take a break from journeying and see how far you've come. A HOME space is present in all of my favorite games. I'm so thankful for them. For making me feel safe, living, loving and being loved.
I hope we all get a HOME-space in life, one day < 3
Here we are!! Hi again to anyone reading this :)
You're either a friend who I sent the linkity link to, or a stranger on the internet. Either way, thanks for lending me your eyes and a minute of your time.
I've never written in a blog, or... literally coded one myself?? Jesus, younger Wafflez would lose her shit :D Either way, I'm having an insane amount of fun with this. When I say engineers (including hardware/software ones) are also creatives just like us, the artists, I do mean it. The amount of problem-solving I've been doing these past few days as a clueless script kiddie is more than my average piece of art, tbh. It's very fulfilling, for me.
Either way, full of joy and excitement, I will continue fuck around and find out with this website project. Here's to a good 2024!
I wrote a line I wanted at the end of my first blogpost beforehand, so here it is:
I'm so proud of myself. I think he'd be proud of me too.