Ask-ClueFinder

Ask blog of Clue Finder, Freelance researcher, A simple earth pony with a knack for digging through documents to find information. Hobbies include answering questions, asking them and a penchant for carrots. Hailing from whatever library I happen to be sifting through.

[ask-cluefinder]

Am nerd moment.

Painting on Different Strokes

Check out this painting by patrio_graysmark!

hello from the depths, get scribbled, You.

[ask-cluefinder]

"Melody of the morning " Ah, my old nemesis, proportion.

[ask-cluefinder]

Just a random Octavia, nothing to see here, keep scrolling.

[ask-cluefinder]

Have been meaning to get into drawing a certain thing that's been stuck in my head, but I need to improve a few skills to be satisfied, in the meantime between scribbling random things I wound up starting this and went ahead and lined it... Needs colour and/or shading. Haven't drawn ponies in ages.

[ask-cluefinder]

To my pony followers

So hello there, my sincere thanks for still being here in spite of no posts. Truth is I reply to asks, without them I don't have much to say really. But I digress, I have an ask for everypony; What's the most unusual application of your talents that you've achieved?

[inkblots-writingblog]

Toradora! Anime Blurb

Sup?  

So I just finished watching the entirety of a certain anime titled “Toradora!”

I don’t quite get genre labeling for animes so I’ll just call it a romantic, goofy, passionate high school love story.  A kind of long one, but quite a lovely good one.

I tend to rate the animes I watch in a scale that compares the worst anime I’ve ever watched (Popotan = 0) and the best (Puella Magi Madoka = 10).  Be sure to understand this isn’t your typical scale where 10 is perfect and 0 is “should not exist.”  It’s just as I said in that it merely compares whatever anime to the best and worst I’ve seen.

Anyway, Toradora! Gets a 8/10.  It was formerly 7.5 until I realized there was a post credits scene on the last episode that really helped the ending.  II’m still immersed in the ending hype so I may be biased, after a while the hype will wear off and I can provide a proper less biased rating.  Fun show though.

I tend to come off as abrasive to some people but I am SUCH A DAMN SAP.  Or atleast half of me is, if you want to drag my split personalities into this.  I switch between action to romance with anime.  Last was Akame ga Kill and now it was Toradora.  I suppose I will look into Koyomonogatari since I ejoy that show despite it only being in subs (don’t start).  But otherwise I suppose  I’m on the lookout for another action or particularly good romance one.  My favorite person who ever recommended anime to me was on the now defunct Snafu forums but I could still contact her via steam chat though I’m not sure if she’d be alright with that.  Trying won’t hurt but I feel a need to mention that just after the forum was destroyed one individual made it a point to mention that no one wanted to see me.  Doubtful but some peope are douches who’s statements can’t be trusted.  I am tangenting hard and I’m sorry.

Anyway I’m on the lookout for another anime to watch in my spare time, but Toradora was pretty great.

[ask-cluefinder]

Interesting scale choice, I’ve dabbled in various anime though I favour mecha first with comedy second, don’t mind harem type stuff. for me a 0 would be Gasaraki, I’ve seen a good sample of various things but just couldn’t get into it at all. a lot of long running series ( looking at you naruto, bleach, fairy tale, one piece, pokemon. ) I also just kind of tire of it all. eX-Driver is a 10 for me because theres just not much about it I don’t like. ghost in the shell and the various reworkings of appleseed also rank highly in my book. I haven’t come across Toradora but a short flick through my reference materials suggests it might be enjoyable to my tastes. Side note, have you seen Cromartie high? slice of life with plenty of slapstick and the dubs are good ( I don’t swing either way in the sub vs dub debate, but I find there’s good dubs and there’s bad dubs ) oh and if you haven’t seen it, look into Dog Days maybe.

[inkblots-writingblog]

Decisions

So in case you haven’t guessed I have decided not to do a part 2 to my prior writing tidbit.  I felt that I said everything I wanted to (which was mainly venting) though I am sorry if I got you excited for it.  But as a wise artist/writer once said: 

“Do not commit to anything. As you continue working on something it may and probably should change.” -Plague of Gripes

While my application of his saying seems a bit off I will use it anyway.  On the plus side that vent session was a good step towards where this place might as well head towards.  You see my problem before was that I was expecting higher quality works consistently and thus my quality control got in the way o actually posting any content.  I’m likely not going to get better at this if I keep nixing everything I do just because I’m not perfect.  I’ll still try to keep things up to a certain par.  

But the idea is that when I want to write something I’ll do it here now rather than my previous location, which had over 1k views btw.  Though that was a decently popular forum and unfortunately with all forums there is a risk that one day the admin will say “Aw fuck it.” and junk the entire website to avoid criticism of his abuse of fair use and technical copyright violations.  It makes me rage a bit that it all went poof like that but alas I find myself hunting for another forum.  Meanwhile I will post my writing tidbits here when I want to write.  In the event I do find a new forum I will link this place in my sig and continue writing in both places.

For now, here we are.

[ask-cluefinder]

I know the feeling with regards to upkeep of a standard, yet I contest that no matter the quality, there are those that will happily consume what you serve on a plate, I can’t talk as I’ve been quiet for posting but that’s because of how I’ve ran things ( purely replying to asks ) I can only suggest that if someone needs to be written but not shared, compile it for your own use, otherwise step forth and speak your mind, make it about getting it off your chest rather than reacting to so called opinion. To throw a saying around; Those who never make a mistake, never make anything else. I take that to mean this: Take pride in errors as you spot them because knowing they are errors is a step toward not repeating them. not repeating an error is of course improvement. Personally, I think the bar of which errors need correcting and which are passable is one set by the creator alone. But there is never any shame in where the bar is set, merely aim to slowly raise it.

[ask-cluefinder]

LoE

Legends of Equestria has an open weekend thing going on, I’m trying to get logged in, once the materials download. Will be roaming about under my name helping ponies find their way, say g’day if you see me.

[ask-cluefinder]

AH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH MERRY HEARTHS WARMING EVERYPONY!

[asknursemd-moved]

They know who they are

[ask-cluefinder]

I tried customer support work once. as the kids say, ‘know that feel’

[ask-cluefinder]

I think in some circles it's acceptable to use a new line instead of a whole no paragraph, as it visually breaks up the writing, but yea the general rule of thumb is changed subject, changed person, or changed location is a new paragraph.

After receiving the initial response I did think to myself ‘no, really?’ So as per my usual instinct, I did some research and looked up the details. Indeed it appeared to me to be mostly a context / clarity thing which is understandable, just because I may know the pacing a second pair of eyes might get lost. So I took the tip on the chin and worked from there, I had never come across it before though, thus my initial confusion.

[ask-cluefinder]

Today I learned

That apparently changing characters without breaking the paragraph is a no-no. Seems there is a fine line between trying and learning but that is kind of the point. Who would have thought.

[ask-cluefinder]

Random apple siblings doodle while I was waiting to start my day job. Penciled then inked afterward. Messy lines but I'm a scribbler, not an artist after all.

[spookyceeblathers]

someone help me understand 

[keyblack-hl]

CEE I AM CRYING

[dynjay]

LITERAL TEARS ARE FORMING ON MY FACE, JESUS

[inquisitive-inquiry]

Best no-play summary I’ve ever seen!

[ask-cluefinder]

1) Wow, you’re still alive! Salutations! 2) Aside from confirmation of the Goat.... character, I still have 0 understanding of Undertale. 

[ask-cluefinder]

Haven’t broken out the tablet in way too long.

[ellistiaa]

I’ve been digital drawing for 3 and a half years, and while I do like it, the hard part is being enthusiastic about it. Because when I look at how much I’ve improved in that time compared to how much pretty much every other artist I’ve come across has improved in that time, its just depressingly pathetic. Like I kinda want art to be a big thing for me but everything just seems to point to “look, you’re not gonna get anywhere with this, just stop trying” and I don’t know what to think any more, this is the only thing I have that’s even close to an ambition.

[ask-cluefinder]

In my humble opinion, art in all it’s forms is expression, and while some may be more articulate than others, this takes nothing away from the expression itself. Every day before my day-job, I do a doodle / scribble into a sketchbook usng a pen. by being unable to undo errors, each stroke has to be deliberate. have I improved? only in speed really, my sense of proportion has always been a bit off and I find that I trade details like shading or backgrounds for ‘on the point’ subject matter. Looking at it, I really do my morning sketches just to fill time before my shift starts.

But I digress, if you’re looking to improve I can only suggest to dtaw freely and seek feedback, things like ‘does something look out of place’ or ‘is there adjustment needed’ then the age old repetition will make more sense. I can’t say much for motivation, creativity isn’t my strong suit but to yse an old quote; “Those who do not learn from their mistakes, are doomed to repeat them” that is to say to improve, cnsider what you feel is wrong and explore the corrections but never forget, art is expression, there isn’t a solid right or wrong

For me, it’s not about developing some style that others may envy, its about doing it my way. I have a couple of friend who do great hand drawings but are in awe how i can line-scribble something random so easily, i don’t understand how they can spend hours pouring over an image, as impressive as the result may be.

Long story short, Don’t worry about improving or not, look to what you like most, do more of that, granted it’s not like there’s a magic ‘make it perfect’ wand to wave, but then it’d be less of a journey. from stick figures on a post-it to poster sized large group subject peices, just do it only because you want to. 

[ask-cluefinder]

Before work, I generally have 30mins free time, so I do sketches of random things. Today was the last page of my current book (my third) so I took time to add some description of a background. Just a random post.