#indipost

[bucketofindigo]

sometimes, you need a little something silly to get you through the day.

for example, was anyone going to tell me about the marionettes they used for one of the DLC announcement trailers? because i'm sorry, but-

this is the most adorable thing i've ever seen.

i can't believe how detailed he is too; that at least looks like real glass and real metal. this is such a good marionette, and the fact he's a marionette on top of that, you have to be so careful with puppets like that. yeah, he had to be a marionette if they wanted to translate him properly, but still it's incredible how much effort goes into the visual presentation for this series.

i just can't stay angry when i look at this little guy...

[bucketofindigo]

i've been really busy elsewhere, but i do want to come back to this blog and post more eventually. i do need to get my mind on other things eventually. i think there's one request in my inbox i really need to get to, so i will work on that soon.

for now, here's a classic Dr. Indigo post where i ramble about my favorite modern rubberhose character, Chef Saltbaker. like let's talk about his animation:

... good god i love h- i mean, i uh i think about the way they animate Saltbaker a lot. like so much time and detail gets put into how all the characters move, but something about the way they bring him to life is so much fun to watch. like he has so much personality, with the adjustment of his scarf and the way he prepares the ingredients. not to mention he's a character made out of glass, so it's technically impressive watching him as a translucent 2D character move against the background the way he does.

it makes me wonder how they were able to get that effect. i would think it's a modern clear/translucent layer over a hand drawn background, but I really can't say knowing it is all hand drawn.

so much attention goes into him specifically, they could've just given him grey-blue skin and called it a day, but they went above and beyond to make this a character that stands out like this. they gave so much love to this game, and i think that's wonderful.

also... honestly, he is such a well designed character. he is very lovely... i uh, i wouldn't mind giving him a hug or. or a little smooch. just a friendly little kiss, that's all.

... ᵍᵒᵈ ᶦ ᵐᶦˢˢ ʰᶦᵐ.

[bucketofindigo]

i treat my art like a science. in my studies, i find that puppets have a special behavior called "play along", which is vital to helping them move in spaces outside of their initial portrayals.

play along is essentially like mirroring on a deeper level, in which they will mentally replicate the reality awareness of their "play partner" and take on prominent personality aspects that are fitting to both parties involved. both animate and inanimate objects can be play partners; anything they can express themselves to, or "play along with", they will.

puppets that aren't attached to any particular portrayal are significantly more likely to play along, but some notable characters have displayed this behavior as well. examples of such characters include Bear from the Big Blue House, as he has been portrayed in both his original show and Hollywood Squares with no trouble transitioning between portrayals. it was initially thought that a puppet's play-along spectrum could be gauged based on their awareness, however given that Bear on Hollywood Squares was able to reference "C-SPAN", a program that canonically doesn't exist in his universe, this theory has been somewhat altered.

currently, it's theorized is that it's a combination of their personality, their awareness, and their portrayal. however, it's still unclear at the time which of these elements are most prominent in play along, though select few argue that it is a purely narrative behavior "based on what's funniest about the immediate world they're in".

for more information regarding categorization based on those aforementioned indicators, click here.

as play along is a behavioral quirk, it has been found that some puppets can lose their ability to do so with both age and media prevalence. it's generally found that older and more popular characters have been fitted to fit a specific narrative type that they have noticeable trouble operating outside of¹.

one wouldn't think that would be the case for modern Muppets, however this is due to the concept of play along being widely mistaken to be purely a personality expression. in fact, because of this, scholars mistakenly believe that low-awareness puppets like those from Sesame Street play along constantly, however this is not the case as they can only draw reference from the context of their portrayals. on the other end of that spectrum, the modern Muppets have become very based in reality to the point of more limited types of play along. Kermit can draw reference from other portrayals and appear on reality shows like the Masked Singer, but he himself can't appear in a show like Sesame Street without some narrative difficulty.

a similar phenomenon has been noticed in characters such as Ernie and Bert, as their reality awareness has seemingly increased some due to a combination of their canon ages and their portrayals shifting around the show's sensationalized character. for this reason, theirs and other specific character appearances on Sesame Street have declined over time, but have also made more frequent appearances on places like social media.

it is noted that certain sensationalized characters like Elmo also tend to play along with partners, though what makes their type of play along different is that plenty also simultaneously maintain a low awareness, so they can interact with certain scenarios with the proper nuance while also not letting the weight of that nuance genuinely affect them. examples of this include when Elmo asked the internet how their day was. for this reason, the act of sensationalization is fine for puppets that genuinely do have a low-reality awareness. nevertheless, despite the fact play along as a highly-aware sensationalized character can reportedly be stressful, sensationalization is still sought after mostly by highly-aware puppets.

¹it can be noted that the Electric Mayhem band have somewhat regained their ability to play along, as their current portrayal allows for more diverse character interactions that let this behavior thrive, though even then they and the characters they interact with do adhere to a specific narrative.

[bucketofindigo]

Howdy everybody! We's just here wishin' y'all a Happy April #ools Day! So anyways, the doctor's dead. There will be no more puppetology research. I am a cold-hearted murderer, and my hunger is unsatiable.

... Okay, that is a terrible April Fool's joke-.

It ain't a joke; the doctor's really dead!

Well then how are we still communicating?

Figments live on after a creator dies, ya know that! Just lookit Kermit!

Yeah, a sensationalized character, you idiot. Don't you read the doctor's posts?

Most I've done read was the carrd.

[bucketofindigo]

listening to Silvagunner is a real experience; one minute you're listening to the smoothest most funkadelic mix of Flip Swap Galaxy you've ever heard, the next you're listening to someone slide down a mountain to the goddamn Flintstones theme. with the gentle sound of "grand dad" mixed in.

[bucketofindigo]

i should be asleep; the sky is dark and no one is around to listen. if only my soul weren't so restless, maybe i can stop the sun's golden light from sending me to sleep this time. alas, no matter how many futile attempts i make to reset it all, my body refuses. it says "you've had your chances when you were a child. now you will operate how we've wanted all along."

i put my pencil on my desk and my head in my hands. a feeling of hopelessness creeps onto me again, and i'm left struggling with my own mind and my own heart.

it's maddening. it's just...

Honey?

i look up from my thoughts, staring ahead for a moment. a feeling of relief washes over me, and i feel my body fall into a warm, snug embrace. i don't even have to turn around to know who it is.

besides, what would the point of turning be? Dr. Harvey only exists in that game and in my mind. not that i... really minded that. it was for the best.

There you are, dear. Are you alright, Ozzy?

i'm fine, i tell him. there's just so much on my mind. i'm just trying to keep busy.

May I... recommend a little sleep? It'll be a good way to occupy your time while getting well-earned rest.

you can try, but i'm afraid it won't work. as tired as i am, i can't force myself to sleep. believe me, i've tried.

Perhaps we could get you on some sort of medicine. I mean, a little extra help in that regard never hurt anyone. I could even run a few tests, check your labs for the best match. I am a man of science like you.

we study wildly different things, Harvey. i appreciate your help, but in reality, the only thing you can do is comfort me. and advise me. because all i can think to do is to go into the mines or some place and knock myself out-

Ozzy, don't even joke about that! I have nightmares about that sort of thing. Ever since that scare, in fact, I've had nightmares!

... you have? i... i didn't know, pretzel bun. i'm sorry. you're right, i do need to take better care of myself. the problem is... my body is refusing any kind of help. no matter how hard i try, i can't do anything about it. nobody's suggestions are helping, either. no offense.

I have noticed that. And no offense taken, I know your heart. Though, I'm ashamed to admit it, I'm not too familiar with the rest of you; it has been a moment since we've been together... Maybe we should look into some sort of vitamin for now? I thougjt I saw you bought gummy vitamins recently.

... i did, yeah.

Try taking some of those for me. Don't worry about being consistent or anything; just try those once and see how you feel. Maybe try the melatonin one more time, even if you don't think it works. It's better than nothing.

... i will try. for you, Harvey.

That's all I can ask of you. You're going to feel better soon, and I will be here with you until you do. And beyond that, too. I promise. I love you so much, my Indigo.

the sensation of soft lips kiss my cheek and my forehead. his voice drifts away, but the embrace lingers. it'll envelop me for as long as i allow it.

i close my eyes and cry as i pray for forever.

[bucketofindigo]

i think i've been liking too many of elvis-official's post. not only can he personally vouch that, but i'm actually getting ads for Elvis propaganda on my feed. i don't have screenshots because i was too tired and didn't think to do it, but i honest to god lack the sparks to make this up.

[bucketofindigo]

it's just occuring to me that i probably shouldn't have set that poll to a week, though i guess i didn't realize just how much attention it would gain. ^-^" honestly though, i am very happy to let people give as much input as they can before i make the character; it makes it a lot more exciting! i haven't looked at the vote results yet, but seeing the total at 20 already makes me so excited to build this character. i can only imagine what this puppet's going to look like, it's going to be great. also i just got a hold of a new pen and i just installed some new brushes in Clip Studio Paint, so i can already feel that this is going to turn into something fancy.

anyways, i'm still drawing rodhands and i'm still fixing up the puppetology post, but... i couldn't help myself, i did clean up another Chef Saltbaker sketch in Clip Studio Paint.

i just want the fandom to appreciate him and his sparks...

but also also, hey, what if i started drawing more of my own characters on top of that? i'm still working on Monster House on top of everything (although it's been a moment since i opened the script for it), so maybe i'll even let y'all see into some of the worlds i've sparked to life.

especially since i'm realizing i dropped a whole character on you without any explanation. for now, just know this is Dr. Langley Shrink, and his name is sort of punny.

if you can guess what his special function is i'll draw you a puppet of your choosing.