RADIX's art stuff

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General-RADIX
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Mostly cross-posting from dA, with additional commentary. Something of note: most of my art has to do with this AU of mine (the Inmortalitas 'verse) that continues directly from M2. Durandal and the Security Officer (Vince) met shortly before M1, and android vessels for AIs are commonplace.

Canon Trilogy ref stuff:

Durandal
Tycho
Leela
Cortana, based off of the Letters.
Thoth

Vincent Callahan, aka the Security Officer. Designed in several ways to invert many of the common traits I see assigned to the SO.
Enzo Lynwood, another second-gen battleroid. She's...complicated.

Lots 'o S'pht

Rubicon:

Haller
Charlie
Lysander

If you're wondering why I made refs for two minor characters (one of whom bites the dust on the same level you meet him), I made these before I'd even gotten out of the Chimera Plank. Haller and Charlie ended up with far larger roles in my AU, and Lysander...well.

Eternal:

Marcus Jones
Hathor, whose ref as of this post is the only one I haven't gone back and fiddled with.

Two of my own AIs, Almace (an alternate-timeline fusion of two AIs who shouldn't have fused) and Joyeuse.

Height data for scale: Durandal and Cortana are 5'6", Charlie and Lysander are 5'7", Vince, Enzo, and Joyeuse are 5'8", Leela and Marcus are 5'9", Tycho is 5'10", Haller is 6'3", Hathor is 6'4", and Thoth is something like 6'11".

--

Scattered bits of non-ref stuff:

Austin del Rosario, aka The Sargent from Pathways into Darkness.

Enzo.

Yrro, Ryu'toth, and Pthia. I mentally group these three together by virtue of them being the only named Jjaro (depending on how you interpret things); note that Pthia is male here, to dodge the "woman dies to give dude motivational manpain" trope.

Blake and Vince.

Terrify the Man with the Ball.

Paco of Marathon RED.

Trying to figure out the recurring elements in Vince's dreams.

Mars-era Vince, with knife.

Bernard Strauss.

Tycho v. Durandal. I figure that if Tycho is going to retain some degree of menace, there has to be some area he consistently holds the upper hand in.

Bungie Day '16.

Durandal again.

Cortana again.

An Enforcer.
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Nathan92
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Quite a different take on the marathon mythos! Admittedly, Marathon doesn't have all that big of a fanart representation, so I'm glad to see another artist that's inspired to do so much of it!

Interesting take on Bernard Strauss too, I can't quite imagine how he'd look, I'm sure you're the first to give it a go! ;)
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General-RADIX
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Thanks! ^^ (wrt: Strauss: glad you think so, and I had a feeling that I was the first. XD)

--

Update:

Thoth looms over Durandal.

Paco, post-RED.

Who needs shirts? (Speaking of...)

A Pfhor Cyborg.

Lysander's a good liar, usually.

Tycho and Enzo.

Outfit (and colour) swap.

Durandal and Cortana in robes.

Four oekaki things (remember when Java cooperated?).

How Durandal thinks normal humans dress.

Qetesh, a Jjaro AI of mine.

Durandal's a bit short.

He's also a clothing thief.

Figured out how Durandal's armour connects in back.

And two things related to a mirror universe concept I thought a bit on here and here. If anyone's wondering what Leela and Cortana got up to--evil queens co-ruling.
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HelviusRufus
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Not my forte, but I like them.
My favourite is the last one with Nan and Bert. Looks like we interrupted something.
The fusion pistol isn't real; it's actually a lunchbox. Just like the Wall $treet banker's briefcase.
I just play 'em; I don't know how they work.
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Looks like we have different tastes stylistically. All these brooding, moody, hair-over-the-eyes, angsty faces don't work for me. They're more Twilight than Marathon. Also, I understand you may have your own alternate universe, but I don't know who many of these characters are.

Your technique is practiced, but to my mind you put too much emphasis on things like fashion design and not enough on things like anatomy. In particular, many of the human/android characters are androgynous in their faces, pectorals, and thickness of the arms & legs. Your females don't need to look like bimbos, but I think you've gone too far in the opposite direction, removing all feminine shape. The alien characters like Thoth and the S'pht come off better, probably because they're less familiar and more open to interpretation than the humans & androids.

It's your work, so feel free to disregard this and do your own thing, but that's my take on it.
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General-RADIX
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Crater Creator wrote:It's your work, so feel free to disregard this and do your own thing, but that's my take on it.
Well, I wouldn't want to dismiss honest critique, so...

I am aware of the anatomical things you mentioned, though I'm not sure how much of it is gaps in my skill and how much is just my preference for androgyny and whatnot.

While I don't really want to change up my designs too drastically as I'm pretty satisfied with them for now, I'd be interested in hearing any suggestions for/takes on individual characters if you have 'em.
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Very well, you asked for it. [MSmile]

Through your emphasis on Durandal's height, you imply he feels inadequate, shy, or lacks confidence. This seems like a mismatch, as Durandal in the games is purpose-driven, proactive, and self-promoting. Physically, I also see him as bald, but I don't have a justification for that beyond him being portrayed that way in the Durandal chapter screen.

If Tycho were to take a humanoid form, the white hair seems appropriate, as does his helmet. Less so for the overcoat. Unless I'm forgetting something, we don't see human characters in Marathon wearing coats or other loose outerwear. The trench coat just doesn't say "24th century" the way, say, BoB's jumpsuit does.

Leela is one of the more feminine characters you have. Still, I don't know how to put this delicately, but she and Cortana's avatars have breasts that don't look much like human female breasts. They're too square, like pectoral muscles. Here's a non-sexual yet NSFW link showcasing the natural variety in shape and size.

Thoth is great. He looks simultaneously alien and intelligent. The "Thothandal" avatar is like 90% Durandal, but whatever, that's a tough one.

The Security Officer, "Vincent Callahan," wears armor that's pretty authentic, but I imagine his body should have more definition:
It's funny, but you've always been the colony's trouble shooter. You're bigger and stronger, and a better shot. In games, you always scored the most points and looked the hero. (Source)
Again, the uniform is form fitting, and he canonically has a hero body type, so in my opinion we should see some of the musculature of his arms and legs. A squarer jaw would also look good.

Enzo Lynwood: Guess I won't comment since I don't know who that is.

S'pht Clans: Looks good. I like the ornamentation around the wrists a lot, though I suppose in a perfect world it'd look different for each clan. The shoulder pads are a creative way of distinguishing the clans.

Charlie and Lysander: I'll just say their faces look as feminine as Leela's, and again the clothing is awfully modern-day.

Marcus Jones: He looks like his dog died in every image. [MTongue]

Hathor: On the avatar version, the breasts curve better, but note the trunk-like torso with no taper at the waist like you'd expect for someone with 6-pack abs.

Yrro and Pthia: I see the Jjaro as too god-like to look this human. Like, they'd just be a blinding blue light the size of a planet or something. I guess that would make it hard for them to emote, though. [MSmile]

Space Between: The moodiness is overpowering. For what it's worth, Robert Blake looks nothing like The Man in the Online Asbestos Suit.

Never Too Tired to Kill: The face is lacking here. The mouth and nose don't line up, and the eyes are a bit crosseyed. His expression is one of fear as much as it is rage. Also, the torso seems curiously long, and perhaps unnaturally twisted a bit.

Mixed Metaphor: When "Vince" opens with "So, uh, these dreams I've been havin'," why does Durandal look like he's been hurt? There's nothing to react to yet! It's like his default expression is one of sadness, and I do not understand this. I doubt this scene takes place in the Melancholia stage of rampancy... this is what I'm getting at with the unnecessary brooding, angsty moodiness. On another note, I think Vince's nose is off the centerline.

Bernhard Strauss: Now here's a character with focus, that looks like he doesn't tolerate weakness or incompetence. Not precisely the attitude I imagined for him, but good to see represented in the mix. Note the not-futuristic business suit.

Overstepped Your Bounds: Tycho's face is like "ha ha, noogie time!" and Durandal is like "Oh God, I'm coughing up blood." I guess it works from the perspective of Tycho being a psychopath.

Bungie Day 2016: Oni's not my strong suit, but Konoko has always cut a trim figure, whether in game, in cutscenes, or in reimaginings. The armor doesn't add much bulk.

Enforcer: Hmm. I liked the floor-length robe for whatever reason. When you narrow the one pair of eyes, it changes to look like a pair of human-like eyes that draw your attention, with some extra eyes tacked on. I liked how the original art looked like a fully alien face, with eyes in an unrecognizable alien configuration.

That's all from the first post, so I'll break it off here.
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General-RADIX
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(Not sure how much time I have to reply at the moment [EDIT: got time now] so apologies if I miss something)

Durandal: in regards to his height, I see him as being more annoyed with his relatively small stature than anything else. (Though at least he's no longer 5'3" as he was when I thought 5'5" was on the tall side. :U Taller than my short ass, anyway)

Tycho: Well, the only humans we see were all crewmen who presumably had to adhere to a dress code... (Not that it makes Tycho's duster look less un-24th-century, I guess, but I figure he wouldn't bother to stick too closely to human fashion trends)

Leela (and Cortana): I'll keep that in mind.

Glad you like Thoth's design. : )

Vince: Will keep those points in mind as well, though I'm not sure I want to alter his face to drastically.

Enzo: She's my take on the Dark One, sort of (most of the time she's more a friend-turned-rival, and also she and Vince never dated).

S'pht clans: Thanks. : )

Charlie and Lysander: As far as their faces go, they're both meant to look fairly young (I dunno what their canonical mental ages--if any--were meant to be, but AU-wise Charlie is 18 and Lysander is 22).

Marcus: Well, given what he goes through in Eternal...

Hathor: For what it's worth, hers is the only ref (originally drawn in 2015) I haven't gone back and edited yet. Might finally do that if I find enough details that bother me.

Yrro and Pthia: Plus, massive blue lights might not be that good at punching things (how I imagine Yrro deals with most annoyances by the time of PiD). XD

Space Between: It goes a bit more into AU-stuff than I likely have time to explain, but in short: Vince was on good terms with Durandal in M2, and hearing that everyone else was glad he was dead was rather...unwelcome.

Never Too Tired and Metaphor: Those are both older pics (around mid-16, IIRC), so by now I've noticed the bits of wonk. Still, it's useful having someone else pin down specific bits, if that makes sense. (Also, Durandal was meant to look less hurt and more neutral, or rather his form of neutral)

Strauss: I gotta wonder--what sort of attitude did you have in mind for him?

Overstepped: Sounds about right. XD

Bungie Day 2016: Alright.

Enforcer: Yannow, my first shot at an Enforcer was more alien-looking, but I wound up going down the route I did for the sake of consistency with my other Pfhor renderings (that, and easier conveyance of emotion).


Hopefully I didn't just rudely interrupt your own series of posts or something...
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General-RADIX
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Sorry to update this before you were done commenting on the stuff I already posted, Crater Creator, but my backlog's getting long.

--

Durandal is not suited to lower-tech life.

Nor does he enjoy wandering solo.

Sheep.

Quick Tegaki doodle of a F'lickta and a S'pht.

Vince in an appropriate shirt (spoiler: because he's a blackhat hacker, not 'lol durandal').

Determination.

Chamberlain Sioned, one of my many Pfhor characters.

Stargate SG-1 crossover. Accidentally made Durandal too short...

Reverse Eternal.

Don't read over Durandal's shoulder.

Sappy Infinity stuff.

Two of my S'pht.

Tegaki Thoth.

Suddenly, Lain.

A BaB; not to be confused with a BoB.

Get your hair outta your eyes, man.

A strange post-Infinity idea.

Hunter/Hunted.

Vince as a member of the Jovian Republic (a faction I created; some more info here.

Lysander with the bane of Rubicon's Salinger Plank, the MaserBoB.

Redheaded Durandal.

Gilgamesh and Enkidu. This one's a bit complicated.

Who punched Tycho in the face this time?

Jovian arsenal info-graphic.

Sharpie pic.

We got movie sign.

Have I mentioned that Tycho has issues?

The situation doesn't look good.

Yrro and Vince.

The Head Chamberlains.

Gilgamesh and Enkidu again. It's still complicated.

Leela, too, is confounded by the potato anus (not actually as filthy as it sounds).

sheepy sheepy

Ishtar, aka the first possible incarnation of the Dark One.

A really-real thing I drew for Easter.

Metal Gear related.

Thematic similarity? What's that?

--

And some scraps that I like enough to cross-post here:

Durandal with some hair mishaps and odd weapons. Also this.

Inmortalitas!Lysander probably needed one of these from the start.

If Vince decides he wants to try alcohol, don't let him.

Some of my S'pht.

Lilith and Cortana. The former is a character of mine who mentored Cortana for a while in my AU.


(If these posts are getting too long, I can put them behind a spoiler cut)
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Meerjel01
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I do art too!

Simple art.

I've gotten a Dev too, it's EX475.
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General-RADIX
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Maybe I should update this thing.

Vince and my Warlock, Naedia.

Halo 5!Cortana...and Durandal.

First 'n current lives.

The Rozies.

Smug Durandal.

Yrro with his hair untied.

Emotional stuff.

Swimwear (mostly OCs).

Cortana and Hauteclere (OC).

Bungie Day '18.

...and a sort of thing I don't normally cross-post here, but I really like how it turned out, so.

I've also redone a bunch of character refs (a process which began earlier this year). The two latest ones are for Volker and Strauss.
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Vacation on an alien planet.

Perspective thing of Vince.

Carkinekros (open-source character) and her wares.

The Five Gods of Pfhor Prime.

Durandal gets clingy. Again.

Tycho harasses Durandal.

Rasputin/"Raz" ref.

Raz meeting his mom.

Crossover shenanigans (for a given definition of "shenanigans").

Tycho harasses Durandal, with less violence.

Raz and his cousins.

Jeanne d'Arc.

Mugshots for the crews of the Rozinante and Stingray (Tycho's second ship).

Vince in the rain.

Vince and Cassiel (more crossover stuff).

Pitt pen tests featuring Vince 'n Durandal and Leela.

Durandal in cyberspace.

...and some stuff in scraps that I wanna cross-post here:

Master Chief and Durandal. The latter might be MC's second AI partner in Halo Infinite, which I would like to see, but I'm still very much in "try not to get too excited unless 343i confirms it" mode right now...

Random Cortana, Durandal, and romantic stuff.

Romeo and Juliet and Joker, some recently-made AIs of mine.

Durandal got muted. It's emotionally painful.
Last edited by General-RADIX on Oct 16th '18, 01:18, edited 1 time in total.
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The Man
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I haven’t clicked on all of those yet, as there’s a lot to take in there, but the ones I have clicked on look really good. I love the vegetation for that alien planet near the top. Maybe Antichthon’s trees can take some cues from that.
“People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.” —V, V for Vendetta (Alan Moore)

“The trouble is that we have a bad habit, encouraged by pedants and sophisticates, of considering happiness as something rather stupid. Only pain is intellectual, only evil interesting. This is the treason of the artist: a refusal to admit the banality of evil and the terrible boredom of pain. If you can’t lick ’em, join ’em. If it hurts, repeat it. But to praise despair is to condemn delight, to embrace violence is to lose hold of everything else. We have almost lost hold; we can no longer describe happy man, nor make any celebration of joy.” —Ursula K. Le Guin, “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”

“If others had not been foolish, we should be so.” —William Blake, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell

“The law cannot protect anyone unless it binds everyone; and it cannot bind anyone unless it protects everyone.” —Frank Wilhoit

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General-RADIX
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Thanks. ^^ I imagine Antichthon looking a lot like Earth in many respects (since it's a Counter-Earth of sorts), but maybe the less-inhabited areas are a bit less Terran-looking?
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No problem.

I’m envisioning a futuristic Earth, perhaps with some aspects of tropical locales, but also with some genuinely alien features. For sure, a lot of vegetation should genuinely look like Earth vegetation, but it’d be cool to have some exotic colours mixed in – maybe blue or purple leaves, for instance – and some features of vegetation, etc., that don’t resemble anything found on the surface of this planet. (Maybe undersea vegetation – coral reefs, etc. – could also be an influence. A lot of undersea flora/fauna look genuinely extraterrestrial.) Of course, I’m open to suggestions on that.

I also should paste in some discussion I had with raven the other day on Discord about Tau Ceti. I think it’d be nice to coordinate the appearance of Tau Ceti between M1R and Chronicles, bearing in mind the passage of about a century between the two games. (There’s the 17 years between M1 and M2/∞, of course; then Rubicon seems to be another 50 years later or so. I’d envision another time skip after Rubicon, maybe at least 30 years, which would add up to roughly 97 years.) I’ll likely put that in the Chronicles thread when I can be bothered to go back a few days for it.

(Are you in the Discord? If not, it might be worth joining. Probably easier to do some of this planning through real-time chat rather than forum posts.)

…also, I should note that I genuinely lol’d at some of Carkinekros’ weapons.
“People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.” —V, V for Vendetta (Alan Moore)

“The trouble is that we have a bad habit, encouraged by pedants and sophisticates, of considering happiness as something rather stupid. Only pain is intellectual, only evil interesting. This is the treason of the artist: a refusal to admit the banality of evil and the terrible boredom of pain. If you can’t lick ’em, join ’em. If it hurts, repeat it. But to praise despair is to condemn delight, to embrace violence is to lose hold of everything else. We have almost lost hold; we can no longer describe happy man, nor make any celebration of joy.” —Ursula K. Le Guin, “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”

“If others had not been foolish, we should be so.” —William Blake, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell

“The law cannot protect anyone unless it binds everyone; and it cannot bind anyone unless it protects everyone.” —Frank Wilhoit

Last.fm · Marathon Chronicles · Marathon Eternal 1.2 · Where Monsters Are in Dreams · YouTube Vidmaster’s Challenge
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General-RADIX
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The Man wrote:(Are you in the Discord? If not, it might be worth joining. Probably easier to do some of this planning through real-time chat rather than forum posts.)
Not yet, but I've been thinking for a while that one of these days I'll have to join up, seeing as how some other friends of mine seem to be there near-exclusively now.
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It’s worth it, I’d say. A lot of really good Marathon gameplay/story discussion in there, and I think it helps content creation when you can bounce ideas ideas off each other in real time. Registering doesn’t take very long, either. There are a few aspects of the interface that may take a bit of time to get used to, but once you’ve done so, it should be smooth sailing.
“People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.” —V, V for Vendetta (Alan Moore)

“The trouble is that we have a bad habit, encouraged by pedants and sophisticates, of considering happiness as something rather stupid. Only pain is intellectual, only evil interesting. This is the treason of the artist: a refusal to admit the banality of evil and the terrible boredom of pain. If you can’t lick ’em, join ’em. If it hurts, repeat it. But to praise despair is to condemn delight, to embrace violence is to lose hold of everything else. We have almost lost hold; we can no longer describe happy man, nor make any celebration of joy.” —Ursula K. Le Guin, “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”

“If others had not been foolish, we should be so.” —William Blake, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell

“The law cannot protect anyone unless it binds everyone; and it cannot bind anyone unless it protects everyone.” —Frank Wilhoit

Last.fm · Marathon Chronicles · Marathon Eternal 1.2 · Where Monsters Are in Dreams · YouTube Vidmaster’s Challenge
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ravenshining
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nice job on that action scene with the simulacrums. and especially the reference to the cyborg's days on the asteroids!
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ravenshining wrote:nice job on that action scene with the simulacrums. and especially the reference to the cyborg's days on the asteroids!
Thanks! ^^
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