[2020-02] Some novel character portraits

I implemented a movable moon.

The moon in the picture below (#302) is able to move in the sky over time.
 
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New screenshots:

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A new screenshot:

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I had thought this portrait was painted with a bit of glazed over eyes, but I found it appropriate in this part of story.

This section is Haga's recollection of one of his former companions, and his expression after he remembers that he finally understands some truths was a bit complex.

This small part is almost done, and the next part will be the interactive part, about the discussion and understanding of Haga's recollection.
 
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The chapter is about a post-war veteran interview with an old Kilrathi pilot who took part in the McAuliffe ambush.

I tried to write out the first draft of the dialogue. It may be very immature, but it is a start after all. Looking forward to your suggestions.

haga "After confirming the existence of Terran Confederation, the question for us {i}Kilra'hra{/i} was actually when the Empire would strike."
haga "The Kaligara, as a merchant {i}hrai{/i}, certainly could smell some clues from the trade at the edge of the Empire's territory."

haga "None of these clues, however, was more convincing than the transfer orders given to me and a few colleagues."
haga "By order, I would be leaving the test flight department and substituting into a fighter squad of the Imperial Claw."
haga "It was unusual for large scale personnel changes involving us {i}Kilra'hra{/i} to be downplayed, as we are considered... commoners, by Terran standards, and our position in the fleets was not noteworthy."
haga "But fleet command was subtle about it regardless, which indicated that something big was about to happen."

haga "Of course, at the time, I was excited about my chance to finally make a name for myself, and for my {i}hrai{/i}."
haga "After all, in the Empire, merchants were despised, although we were able to have a good life."
haga "My father pulled a few strings to get me into the pilot program so that my talent for flying could be explored. However, even though I graduated with excellent grades, I was only sent to the test flight department due to my status as {i}Kilra'hra{/i}."


haga "As an Imperial test pilot, my status was naturally inferior to that of a full-fledged combat pilot. But in any case, it was an unprecedented honor for our {i}hrai{/i}. "
haga "Then, my test flight career passed quietly for a few years."
haga "Suddenly, reliability testing for active fighters and bombers began to increase in frequency. In my case, tests of the ejection system were conducted several eights of times."
haga "It was also from this time that I had a feeling that there was something different about my connection with my {i}hrai{/i}."
haga "I always felt like there were more eyes watching my correspondence with my parents - I didn't know if the letters I sent were read by my {i}hrai{/i}, and I couldn't be sure if the letters I received in response were written by my parents."

haga "Of course, these were not reasons to have doubts - and even if there were doubts, they should never be shown."

haga "After this intensive wave of testing was completed, I suddenly received that transfer order. At this point I understood that the war was about to begin."
haga "..."
haga "After coming to the new squadron, I certainly understood that newcomers like me were the lowest in the hierarchy - Not to mention the fact that I was a merchant's cub."

haga "I will not speak of that time of suffering."

haga "Slowly I learned that two of the original best veteran pilots of this squadron had been transfered to another squadron - most likely a squadron of the nobility - and they were to be responsible for escorting the lords of that squadron."
haga "What about the original aces of that noble squadron? Perhaps they went to serve the lords of higher status."

haga "So, what information can be interpreted from here?"

haga "What information can be interpreted from here? Can you tell me the most likely answer?"

"Oh? Are you asking us a question?"

haga "Exactly."

"I read in Action Stations that the training and selection elimination rate for Imperial pilots was extremely high during that period. Only about one in five cadets would qualify."

"A TIP FROM THE NOVEL: ACTION STATIONS, CHAPTER SEVEN"

haga "Less than two eights of eight pilots qualified each year. And that's just an overall figure."

haga "For us {i}Kilra'hra{/i} cubs, only one out of eight, maybe one out of several eights would be lucky to qualify."
"It was quite..."

haga "I am not saying this to prove how outstanding I was or how lucky I was."
haga "If you had read all the reports of the maneuvers, declassified by the Imperial Archives, you would know this:"

"A TIP FROM THE NOVEL: ACTION STATIONS, CHAPTER SEVEN"

haga "After the first strike, nearly half of the Empire's elite pilots were expected to be lost."
haga "Such losses could not be replaced in a short time."

haga "This was likely the announced reason I was transfered to a combat sequence."
haga "And at the same time, despite the excitement we felt about our first battle the war, everyone knew that many of us would not return alive."
haga "Can you understand that feeling?"

"I see..."
"..."
"As I know, dying in battle would be considered an honor, right?"

haga "Certainly..."
haga "..."
haga "..."

haga "... But let me tell you something."

haga "As mentioned earlier, I was transferred to the squadron as a replacement."

haga "..."
haga "And I was not the only one who was sent to the front lines as a replacement. There was another test pilot who came with me."

haga "In those... difficlut days, it was more or less a luxury for a merchant cub to have a wingmate from a similar caste."

haga "Well, you know the hierarchical order of our common borns?"

"The hierarachical order of {i}Kilra'hra{/i}..."
"Well, is it the order of WARRIOR - FARMER - ARTISAN - MERCHANT?"

haga "Correct!"

haga "..."

haga "We merchant {i}hrai{/i} are generally the richest but lowest in the {i}Kilra'hra{/i}."
haga "This may be because we travel from world to world, coming into contact with lords, warriors, slaves, and even other races."
haga "A potentially destabilizing factor for the empire..."
haga "But we are indispensable, because the lords need our money."
haga "..."
haga "The farmers and artisans are much more settled."
haga "Perhaps a lifetime of living on a planet, commanding slaves and producing a steady stream of supplies, for the Empire back then."
haga "..."
haga "Of course, some talented cubs can also work their way into the warrior class by becoming soldiers."

haga "Like us."

haga "He was a cub from an artisan family."
haga "As I just said, it was not easy for commoner cubs to become pilots at that time."
haga "He was very skilled, too."

haga "In fact, at that time, our skills in the cockpit could be considered above average in our squadron, what we lacked the most was battlefield experience."

haga "But at that time, I was aware that as a merchant cub, I should not flaunt myself too much in front of the squadron leader and other flight leaders, and just do what was required to keep a low profile."
haga "He was different. He was always doing his best to show his fierceness."
haga "In fact, at that time, I was actually the better pilot."
haga "I suggested to him several times to be more humble, to not stand out."
haga "I felt that our squardon leaders would be happier with us if we did not invite jealousy."
haga "However, he was not convinced and insisted that cubs like us could only be accepted by the warrior class if we did our best."
haga "..."
haga "Gradually, my position in the squadron solidified, although I was still often the subject of teasing by our leaders."
haga "But he was secretly ostracized by his seniors."
haga "..."
haga "I was his only friend."
haga "..."

haga "Our final test were coming, massive battle exercises."

haga "During that time, it seemed as though all the Imperial fleets were excited by the impending war."
haga "In addition to preparations for the raid, most of the soldiers were even more aggressive than usual, in everything they did."
haga "..."

haga "Not everyone could come back alive, this was well known to all."
haga "Some warriors chose to leave their offspring in those days."
haga "He and I didn't have to worry about that..."
haga "Because, at that time, there were no females in the fleet who would be interested in such low-born and unproven cubs like us."

haga "He was even more reticent than usual, and his whole mind was devoted to training."

haga "I was the only one in the whole squadron who really cooperated with him wholeheartedly."
haga "..."

"A TIP FROM THE NOVEL: ACTION STATIONS, CHAPTER FOUR"

haga "Soon, several formal maneuvers began."
haga "It was... about eighty days before the operation."
haga "Specific detailed battle plans for each unit were distributed."
haga "Analysis reports for specific targets were distributed along with them."

haga "Everyone was amazed at how thorough the analysis of the targets were."
haga "Admiration to the court among the common-born soldiers was noticeably increased. The nobles seemed almost... omniscient."

haga "At that time, there were also rumors that a large amount of data actually originated from the public information of the Terran Confederation."
haga "Everything we learned from the Terrans had led us to see them as a laughing stock."

haga "The pressure on us increased steeply."
haga "I flew cautiously and the report estimated that I could have roughly a 50-50 chance of returning."
haga "..."
haga "..."

haga "However, he was not, and his extremely aggressive flying style had actually exceeded the limits of his ability. Many times he expected to be shot down even before he got close to his target."
haga "I reminded him many times that our own honor was not as important as completing the mission."
haga "But he insisted that nothing was impossible if the operation was perfect."
haga "..."
haga "Finally, he had an accident."

haga "It was one of the last few maneuvers. He pushed his fighters so hard that it was strained beyond its limits."
haga "That time he really almost did it perfectly, but... his fighter could not finally withstand that long period of full afterburners."

haga "Fortunately, with my help, he landed safely."
haga "..."

haga "I was glad he wasn't hurt, but he was extremely disappointed..."
haga "After the maneuver, we happened to pass outside the door of the squadron commanders' room and overheard the conversation inside..."
haga "They were laughing at him... despite how hard he was pushing himself."
haga "They said... \"That would be the first and last no honor mission for the...\""
haga "..."
haga "The meaning of this word may be translated as..."
haga "..."
haga "\"Low-born scum\"..."
haga "..."
haga "I was afraid he would rush in in a fit of rage and get himself killed."
haga "But he was only silent for a moment... and then left."
haga "..."
haga "I did my best to comfort him, to encourage him, to assure him that we would work together perfectly."
haga "And, we agreed to become aces together, to become admired warriors and to glorify our {i}hrai{/i} and clans."
haga "..."

haga "After that, he seemed to be in a better mood. Training was not as hard as it should be. In contrast, the training results were much better."
haga "..."
haga "..."

haga "Until..."
haga "..."
haga "Until one day, high retainers dressed in beautiful clothing came, and took him away."

"!"
"Took him away?"

haga "Yes. To be precise, they treated him as though he was almost... divine."

"Divine?"
"!"
"Could it be..."

haga "Yes..."

"A TIP FROM THE NOVEL: ACTION STATIONS, CHAPTER FOUR"

haga "A volunteer who gave up his life for the mission."
haga "He was treated as beings who were semi-divine until he left upon the mission. Any female that sired a cub from him was held in honor, and the offspring would be granted a special honorific."
haga "It is difficult to explain in your language, right? There were few things that would grant greater honor than to die for one's mission."

haga "..."
haga "I was eager to ask him why, but didn't get the chance."
haga "He was preparing to gain great honor, and those around him could no longer harass him. It seemed he had no time for me."
haga "..."

haga "The last time I saw him was at the court ceremony before the operation."

"A TIP FROM THE GAME: ARMADA, VOICES OF WAR, PAGE 15"

haga "Such kind of ceremony was held in the temple city of Kilrah."
haga "The semi-divines would drink {i}Vak'qu{/i} in the cheers of the crowd, and finally board the ship in line dictated by blood and rank."

haga "..."
haga "At that time, he was completely different. He was with his new companions, dressed in splendid attire and receiving the admiration of the crowd."
haga "Finally, all of his seniors who had once despised him, now had to bow down under his condescending gaze."
haga "..."
haga "However, to my surprise..."
haga "He didn't look at me any differently."
haga "..."
haga "Or I should say, it was even more..."
haga "..."
haga "In that moment, I understood so much."
haga "I was alone, and always had been."

"Excuse me..."
"What do you mean by this? You had always been alone?"

haga "..."

haga "Nothing, forget it."

haga "..."

haga "..."
haga "At that time, I was firm about one thing."
haga "I would survive!"
haga "Whether as a warrior, or a merchant's cub, Haga Kaligara would survive!"
haga "I would live to find my true lair-mate! Hold my cubs in my arms!"
haga "I would make my mother proud with smile on her face, and never let her crying secretly in the night."

And...

My question:

What do you think Haga meant by the statement "I was alone, and always had been"? What happened to the reltionship of Haga and that wingmate?

I would like to know your understanding!

Thanks to Mikori for the help!

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"Teaching our cubs to learn about human culture is not an easy job."
 
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Scribe

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The senior scribe of nar Ki'ra clan.

This character is from the novel of End Run, but he is just mentioned once in chapter XII.

The baron smiled. “The feeling is mutual, Cousin. If you wish, though, I would be happy to lend you the scribe of my clan. He is most proficient in writing up rubbish that tells of stirring victories, his lies so convincing that no one ever discovers the truth. For that is how I see what we are doing. We live in a fantasy, and until that changes, until we study these humans and learn to think as they do, this war will drag on and on.”

A civil servant kat, OK, I think it would be more interesting to depict some events from his point of view.

This is his portrait of 2686. As for this pair of pince-nez, consider it a gift from Col. Wilhelm Schwarzmont.

P.S. FF XIV Hrothgars are good models!
 
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Senior scribe...hmm...

'scribe' is not a word I have in the lexicon.

So...wiktionary: Someone who writes; a draughtsperson; a writer for another; especially, an official or public writer; an amanuensis, secretary, notary or copyist. A person who writes books or documents by hand as a profession.
Thesaurus: clerk, copier, copyist, scrivener, secretary, transcriber.
The word for 'clerk' is drada'iki'a = dra + (da + ik)i + -a = to keep + (to make + knowledge / information = record)-plural + one who does
Similar idea, but we're looking for the person who makes the records - so use lede = "to write" instead of dra = "to keep", and add kal = senior and we get ko Kal Lededa'iki'a.

Given name. I'm tossing out Uza (= "one who helps"; an Earth-equivalent name would be "Ezra" (one of those fringe cases where the Kilrathi is reasonably close), who was an Old Testament scribe as well as a prophet).

So...

Uza ko Kal Lededa'iki'a nar Ki'ra. Eh?
 
Senior scribe...hmm...

'scribe' is not a word I have in the lexicon.

So...wiktionary: Someone who writes; a draughtsperson; a writer for another; especially, an official or public writer; an amanuensis, secretary, notary or copyist. A person who writes books or documents by hand as a profession.
Thesaurus: clerk, copier, copyist, scrivener, secretary, transcriber.
The word for 'clerk' is drada'iki'a = dra + (da + ik)i + -a = to keep + (to make + knowledge / information = record)-plural + one who does
Similar idea, but we're looking for the person who makes the records - so use lede = "to write" instead of dra = "to keep", and add kal = senior and we get ko Kal Lededa'iki'a.

Given name. I'm tossing out Uza (= "one who helps"; an Earth-equivalent name would be "Ezra" (one of those fringe cases where the Kilrathi is reasonably close), who was an Old Testament scribe as well as a prophet).

So...

Uza ko Kal Lededa'iki'a nar Ki'ra. Eh?

OK, let's add a little character background?

1. Upper middle class noble family background. I have a vague feeling that his hrai is dedicated to paperwork for several generations.

2. Myopia.

3. He likes to quote classics when he speaks.

4. RP accent English with a little bit of common growl. But young Harga will tell the player that he can actually speak with a standard human voice style. Do you know why he still speaks with the Kilrathi growl?

5. Close to Col. Wilhelm Schwarzmont since 2670s.

6. He despises the court historians around the emperor's family. He holds that the Kiranka court historians were so crude and tactless even in lying.

Any good ideas?
 
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Khitz nar Ki'ra

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"Pay more attention when walking, Terran cub."

As of now this is a draft portrait. I am still not so good at drawing mane.

And, please guess who he is. Hint: His name appears in Star*Soldier.

UPDATE:
Some adjustments were made to the portrait and the answer is published.
 

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"Gathdyapagara ja'lesh ri'am, gar Terran'hra."

Then guess who he is...going to say it's Skitz (Khitz nar Ki'ra), a character that also appeared in the CCG. There aren't too many Ki'ras that appear in Star*Solider, it turns out.
 
"Gathdyapagara ja'lesh ri'am, gar Terran'hra."

Then guess who he is...going to say it's Skitz (Khitz nar Ki'ra), a character that also appeared in the CCG. There aren't too many Ki'ras that appear in Star*Solider, it turns out.
Thank you!

Yes, that's him. The plot I want to write is that the player is walking while checking the map on the cellphone without looking at the road, and then hits Khitz's back at a corner.
 
Vance Richards

Vance_young26.jpg


This is a portrait for his 26 years old age, in 2634.

According to Action Stations, young Vance had “cool dark eyes” and "Wrinkles already creased back from his eyes and his hair was going gray", although he was only 26 by that time.

I refer to Charlie Nash from the Street Fighter series - who is also a 2nd lieutenant.
 
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Hans Maximilian Kruger

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This is Hans in 2634, in his 21 years old. At this time his was a privateer.

I do not know how to draw the texture of this hair style, so I simply painted black, the outcome is okay.

Not sure if it is too Stallone-like, but I always image Hans looks like Rambo.

I am waiting for your suggestion.
 
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