[2020-02] Some novel character portraits

capi3101 said:
Fair warning: this is the sort of question that has been known to cause thread-derailing debates before...
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Got it! OK! Then stop it here. I do not want to cause unhappy debates. Sorry.

If the second topic is not that kind of thing:

Younger Vakka’s birth date... I guess it should be with in a few years after 2634? Jukaga was really in danger though he was protected as well as possible in McAuliffe ambush (Nargth’s ship was severely hurt), so I guess elder Vakka would make arrangements on the offspring issue as soon as possible. Actually it's one of the assumptions underlying the premise of my current original fan fictional section.
 
EmuMusicFan said:
Younger Vakka’s birth date... I guess it should be with in a few years after 2634? Jukaga was really in danger though he was protected as well as possible in McAuliffe ambush (Nargth’s ship was severely hurt), so I guess elder Vakka would make arrangements on the offspring issue as soon as possible. Actually it's one of the assumptions underlying the premise of my current original fan fictional section.
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It would be likely that the elder Vakka would still have been alive at the time of the younger's birth, so lak Jukaga would be the proper form - and without adding conjectures about his function and place of birth, and in the absence of additional data the full name would be Kal Vakka dai Vakka lak Jukaga nar Ki'ra.

Of course, when I went off on this tangent I'd forgotten about the provision I'd made for the concept of husiv ("war name"). Vakka nar Jukaga is perfectly valid as such...
 
capi3101 said:
It would be likely that the elder Vakka would still have been alive at the time of the younger's birth, so lak Jukaga would be the proper form - and without adding conjectures about his function and place of birth, and in the absence of additional data the full name would be Kal Vakka dai Vakka lak Jukaga nar Ki'ra.

Of course, when I went off on this tangent I'd forgotten about the provision I'd made for the concept of husiv ("war name"). Vakka nar Jukaga is perfectly valid as such...
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I just read your explanation of this part. It’s really interesting. Thanks! I even have a thought that if that was the name Younger Vakka uses in academia since his father was the most famous Terran culture specialist in the Empire... it would be interesting.

By the way, after finishing the Varni Kna's coloring draft I could start working on the "high-tech pay-back" part, and I'll think of some good ideas to add to it.
 
EmuMusicFan said:
By the way, after finishing the Varni Kna's coloring draft I could start working on the "high-tech pay-back" part, and I'll think of some good ideas to add to it.
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I missed the fact that Kna was Varni...that's what I get for not taking a closer look at the picture.

I don't think there are 'official' guidelines for Varni names, though if you go off of what I've got in the core rules of the RPG then 'Kna' isn't a Varni name (then again the naming rules in the RPG are pretty loose; the naming conventions for Kilrathi in Elegy weren't developed until a few years after the core rules were completed). It'll still work, though. It could be a term of 'endearment', if that's the correct word - a name given to a Kilrathi master to his slave. My mind jumps to the beginning of Red Storm Rising and the character of Ibrahim Tolkaze (the guy who kicks off the whole mess) - the Russians called him Isha and he hated them for it...
 
capi3101 said:
It could be a term of 'endearment', if that's the correct word - a name given to a Kilrathi master to his slave.
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I do think so, and perhaps it could be designed as he had been bought from "market" by Haga Kaligara. There might also be a question of how the enslaved Varni were born and raised... still with biological parents or with eggs that were "industrially" hatched because they were spawned....

And that line... that is Kna answering Catscratch's question. As Khajiit had given Kna and the Intrepid crew some alone time, which two questions would Catscratch most likely have asked? I guess:

1. "Sorry, no offense, but are you really just the assistant?"
2. "_______________________________________________?"
 
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The following is my original fanfictional plot. I hope I could write a story that complements the "High-tech Pay-back" of WC4, and keep the comedy level at "you got me veggies" and "Didn't go bang".

As of now I have not updated the Visual Novel demo. Since I am not a native English speaker, I am afraid there are lots of problems in the lines. Afterall Pliers, Sosa and Catscratch, as well as Blair and Melek... They are famous characters and I was afraid I can not hold their lines well. Especially Pliers, whose accent I had a hard time imitating. So first, I'll post the script here for criticism....

"High-Tech Pay-Back" Scene 01

In the hangar of Intrepid.

catscratch "Lieutenant!"

sosa "Catscratch?"
sosa "What is the matter?"

catscratch "It's all right! Well, Captain Eisen agreed. I am joining you to receive the Kilrathi."
catscratch "I'll be your assistant."

sosa "Ah, thank you. But I'm here just to do some simple data work and basic communication support for Pliers."
sosa "What work does the Captain ask you to do?"

catscratch "A... Actually... Captain said... I think you..."

pliers "You think we need a body guard?"

catscratch "Ah... ah, well, even."

sosa "Alas, it's not that serious."

pliers "You guess you can beat a cat hand-to-hand, nop, hand-to-talon? Kid?"
pliers "Bet you ain't so stupid to meet guests with a weapon in your pocket, huh?"

catscratch "Ah... the captain has explained the precautions to me."
catscratch "But, if necessary, I can at least... ah... at least..."

pliers "Be a shield?"
pliers "For her?"

sosa "Come on, take it easy."
sosa "Our war with them ended four years ago. Let alone now we're the ones who saved this convoy."
sosa "They are paying back."

catscratch "I understand. But the cats are fierce... I was just worried..."

pliers "You know what? That Chancellor is one of the smartest political minds on Intrepid right now."
pliers "It's not our business to worry about such things."

sosa "By the way, I think we should pay attention to some appellations."
sosa "Afterall, your callsign ‘Catscratch’ is a bit... I call you Lt. Carter, OK?"

catscratch "Ah, got it! You do whatever."
catscratch "..."
catscratch "You can also call me Troy."

sosa "I see, Mr. Troy."

pliers "Haha, guess what they're talkin' about us with now? Apes?"

sosa "Oh, come on."

pliers "Well, I'm really lookin' forward to it. I've never met a mechanic cat before."

sosa "Hey! Pliers?"

pliers "All right, I promise not to use that word, OK?"

"High-Tech Pay-Back" Scene 02

wc4blair "People, Chancellor Melek now brings us his mechanics, who will teach us some advanced cloak techniques."
melek "Please allow me to introduce my mechanic Khajiit Karigara and his assistant Kna to you."

khajiit "Wow, my blood warms at the sight of y'all!"

pliers "Welcome aboard. Chief Tech Robert Sykes and parteners. Call me 'Pliers'. Howdy?"

sosa "Lieutenant Sosa. How do you do!"
catscratch "... Ah..."
catscratch "Lieutenant Troy Carter. Nice to meet... y'all..."
catscratch "Oh..."
sosa "Ah, Ni'ka'akh du aiy'rai."

melek "Khajiit Karigara and Kna speak Terran language. I wish they could help you."

khajiit "I still don't speak Terran language very well, so please forgive."
khajiit "Kna?"

kna "..."
kna "Your Lordships, I beg your pardon."

wc4blair "Well, that's it then."
wc4blair "If there is no other questions, Melek and I will go and talk about other things."
wc4blair "Good luck!"

pliers "All right. Let's get started, then."
pliers "Come here."

khajiit "Got it!"

"High-Tech Pay-Back" Scene 03

TBC...
 
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It occurred to me that I had been ignoring the issue of Kilrathi's physical and mental adulthood time.

If I get it wrong, wouldn't it be a bit wired to let a Terran to talk about WC4.123016 plots in front of a kat who is actually only 5 years old? 😥
 
EmuMusicFan said:
wouldn't it be a bit wired to let a Terran to talk about WC4.123016 plots in front of a kat who is actually only 5 years old?
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Depends on how taboo the subject matter would be in Kilrathi culture. You probably would be okay with sticking to WC4 plots (since it's the same story largely without all the comedy/cultural references/lewdness).

While not official in any way, the core rules of my RPG puts the onset of adolescence in Cats at eight Terran years. Do with that info what you will...
 
capi3101 said:
Depends on how taboo the subject matter would be in Kilrathi culture. You probably would be okay with sticking to WC4 plots...
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Yes, I will. Actually I am planning to make all the three parts of the Blair and Melek story to be told by the students in the class (e.g. the 2nd part, Great Savior Blair, is the Kilrathi Heroic story version of what happened in WC4 novel story world, so Blair in this plot looks like Luke). Maybe there will be someone wants to tell stories of a historical comedy which spreads online in the story world. "Professor, could we discuss a famous historical comedy? You know that one, WC4.123106."

Of course, I am not planning to directly depict THAT kind of plots in WC4.123106...
 
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@capi3101 This part is almost strictly sticking to WC4 game script lines. But this time I got something that the screenshot can't show. I'll release a video clip soon.
 
EmuMusicFan said:
@capi3101 This part is almost strictly sticking to WC4 game script lines. But this time I got something that the screenshot can't show. I'll release a video clip soon.
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Alright.

Ri'hagathwinhal k'harikvima'ga?


(Sometimes I chuckle at the origins of some of my Kilrathi words. For example: k'har = "avenge / vengeance / revenge / lit. 'lack of shit'", as in "take no shit")
 
Khajiit Kaligara

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"I sometimes imagine what Terrans see the sky and the ocean as."

Mekt-Hakkikt said:
I also like your Kilrathi test pilot he looks...likeable.
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Do you like this one? Is he likeable too? I hope so! Haha!

He is the Kilrathi mechanic who helped Pliers on cloaking in WC4 (Yes, I would like to make a fan fictional plot of this part). Actually, I set him as the son of that test pilot.
 
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EmuMusicFan said:
Finally... I have released a demo video.
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Oops...I'd forgotten about the context of the scene. k'har = "payback (revenge)" is wrong in this case...it should be jaqdugath = "compensate / reimburse / lit. 'return payment' ". Thus the line should read Ri'hagathwinhal jaqdugathikvima'ga?

EmuMusicFan said:
"I sometimes imagine what Terrans see the sky and the ocean as."
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Two translations, not sure which one fits better in this case:
Ni'aiydudapa eshmang ja'lhu Terran'hra'aiy takh karhmakslanshikthrak. = lit. "I imagine sometimes what Terrans see as sky and ocean."
Ni'aiydudapa eshmang ja'lhu Terran'hra'sa karhmakslanshikthrak. = lit. "I imagine sometimes what Terrans consider sky and ocean."
'sometimes' and 'imagine' get transposed in the translation either way thanks to the grammatical rules (such as they are).
 
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@capi3101 , Could you please tell me how to translate this line?

“What separate a true warrior from a killer, is the warrior only fights when provoked.”

I actually make the fan fictional episode above to discuss Blair's position in post-war Kilrathi culture (at least on Melek's side) of the official games and novels.

I envision Khajiit, the mechanic, talked about Blair's status as a savior and lamented the fact that seeing the great savior in person was truly impressive that such a great hero was so gentle. Catscratch recounted what Blair said to himself earlier.
 
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