hello

[thea apianæ]

hi, my name's caelo and my pronouns are they/them. i can never figure out a good way to describe myself but i'll try my best :)

i've been a writer for pretty much my whole life, and an artist for ~6 years. i'm way too anxious to link any of my writing here but i'll include my art tumblr for anyone who wants to see. mostly i focus on my original characters.
i also make covers (and, very very rarely, original songs) with synthv or utau, and sometimes videos to go with them.

some stuff i've been into recently is: house of leaves, hp lovecraft, vampires, and the elder scrolls iv: oblivion (i literally have hundreds of hours in that game lol)

i'm not the most social person, so i thought i might feel more comfortable on this type of forum since it's more relaxed than regular social media + the people here seem really nice.

[Neguuy]

Hello!!

Although I literally only got here like yesterday or so, I wish you a warm welcome to this forum! I had a look at your art and it's really cool! The colors are pretty!

I've played a lot of Oblivion as well (although a lot less, and I've never actually done much of anything, just starting a playthrough, going around doing a bunch of things, eventually dropping the game and beginning the cycle anew later on ...i've done this tons of times lol), but I'm mostly familiar with the earlier games Arena and Daggerfall which I've both beaten (the only 2 of the series I've finished, actually).

I haven't read House of Leaves and unfortunately I don't really have the drive to read books nowadays but I've always thought the idea of the house "growing" new corridors and rooms in a mysterious and creepy way was exactly the sort of deal I'm into. I love haunted house stories and this is exactly the type I prefer.

Anyway I hope you enjoy it here! :D

[thea apianæ]

Hello!!

Although I literally only got here like yesterday or so, I wish you a warm welcome to this forum! I had a look at your art and it's really cool! The colors are pretty!

thank you!! for both the welcome and the compliment, i hope you like it here too!
i honestly spend way too much time fiddling with filters to try to make everything look nice, so i'm glad that's not for nothing 

I've played a lot of Oblivion as well (although a lot less, and I've never actually done much of anything, just starting a playthrough, going around doing a bunch of things, eventually dropping the game and beginning the cycle anew later on ...i've done this tons of times lol), but I'm mostly familiar with the earlier games Arena and Daggerfall which I've both beaten (the only 2 of the series I've finished, actually).

yeah, i mean i'm kinda similar in that i'll completely forget about a game for months on end, until i open it again and suddenly i'm logging 10 hours per day lol
i've never played arena or daggerfall, are they any good? i hear they're a lot different from later installments.
i also plan on playing morrowind at some point but i'm kinda cursed with main-quest-avoidance in video games, so i don't want to start anything new...

I haven't read House of Leaves and unfortunately I don't really have the drive to read books nowadays but I've always thought the idea of the house "growing" new corridors and rooms in a mysterious and creepy way was exactly the sort of deal I'm into. I love haunted house stories and this is exactly the type I prefer.

Anyway I hope you enjoy it here! :D

funny thing is i've only read like 4 books this year for the same reasons ^^; but i seriously can't understate how good it is; when i read house of leaves, it was kinda the perfect time for it to really hit deep. so obviously i'd recommend it, and if you ever do get around to it i'd like to hear what you think!
can i ask if you have any recommendations for books (or, y'know, other forms of media) in that vein?

i don't really know how forums work so i hope i'm doing this right lol

[Neguuy]

thank you!! for both the welcome and the compliment, i hope you like it here too!
i honestly spend way too much time fiddling with filters to try to make everything look nice, so i'm glad that's not for nothing 

That's relatable lol, I make simple edits to images once in a while when I need/want to do that for some personal use, and I end up spending forever lining up pixels and making sure it's all right. In general I'm terrible at finding the middle ground between complete lack of care and absurd perfectionism... 

yeah, i mean i'm kinda similar in that i'll completely forget about a game for months on end, until i open it again and suddenly i'm logging 10 hours per day lol
i've never played arena or daggerfall, are they any good? i hear they're a lot different from later installments.
i also plan on playing morrowind at some point but i'm kinda cursed with main-quest-avoidance in video games, so i don't want to start anything new...

They're amazing although they might be pretty rough by modern standards, and they're a bit different from Morrowind and onwards.
The good thing about them is the side quests are very minimal so I can give the main quest my full attention and actually get through it, which is why they're the only two I've actually finished and even gotten anywhere at all with despite my playtime in the other 3.
Daggerfall is much easier to play in a modern form thanks to the amazing Daggerfall Unity that allows extensive mod support and is just the essential way to play the game, even unmodded. Buuut I think it's a much tougher game than Arena, because the dungeons are absolutely massive (and I do mean that), and they're basically giant 3D mazes that go in all directions everywhere.
In comparison, Arena only has 2D floorplans, and although dungeons can also be very difficult and easy to get lost in, you can fairly easily get a sense of where you are with the map, which isn't the case with Daggerfall's 3D map. Arena is also easier to "break" thanks to the spell-making feature (you can create a shield spell, and you can set the way the spell scales by level, and it turns out making a spell with a base power of 1 and a huge level scaling nets you a very inexpensive spell both to create and to use that is extremely strong....aaaand shields in Arena do not run out with time, they only deplete by getting hit! So you can just stroll through the end game with that on.
Also, there are legendary artifacts you can get with side quests, all of them being temporary except the Oghma Infinium, which gives you a permanent 100 (yes, 100) points to spend on stats! And of course, all stats max out at 100 and you generally start with around 50 in each so you can see how strong this is....and the best part is there is not limit to how many times you can find this artifact ! So yeah, Arena, much easier than Daggerfall after all...but i love them both equally! And you might find Daggerfall to be the much superior option for role-playing. I think both are super worth trying, especially considering they're available for free on Steam.

funny thing is i've only read like 4 books this year for the same reasons ^^; but i seriously can't understate how good it is; when i read house of leaves, it was kinda the perfect time for it to really hit deep. so obviously i'd recommend it, and if you ever do get around to it i'd like to hear what you think!
can i ask if you have any recommendations for books (or, y'know, other forms of media) in that vein?

My favorite book is Wuthering Heights which isn't a particularly obscure one, and not the same kind of story at all. I've been thinking of reading House of Leaves for a long time so if I ever build up the motivation to pick up a book it's certainly this one. I don't think I can recommend books like that but I'll look through my movies and games and edit this post with my findings...

i don't really know how forums work so i hope i'm doing this right lol

You're doing perfect so far! I haven't used forums in a long time but I think they're pretty intuitive and quick to get the hang of.

[shevek]

Hi caelo
I really like the textures you use in your art and how you use them! Gives it a nice depth and makes me wanna physically touch it and engage with it. What's your favorite software to use for digital drawing? I like to use Procreate and Aseprite

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[thea apianæ]

Also, there are legendary artifacts you can get with side quests, all of them being temporary except the Oghma Infinium, which gives you a permanent 100 (yes, 100) points to spend on stats! And of course, all stats max out at 100 and you generally start with around 50 in each so you can see how strong this is....and the best part is there is not limit to how many times you can find this artifact ! So yeah, Arena, much easier than Daggerfall after all...but i love them both equally! And you might find Daggerfall to be the much superior option for role-playing. I think both are super worth trying, especially considering they're available for free on Steam.

wow yeah i can see why they changed how it works in oblivion -- you can only get it once, and it doesn't give 50 points.
i'll add arena to my steam library.... and.... y'know...... leave it on top of the pile of games i still haven't played. (from the screenshots on the store page it kinda reminds me of doom? but maybe that's just how games looked back then..)

My favorite book is Wuthering Heights which isn't a particularly obscure one, and not the same kind of story at all. I've been thinking of reading House of Leaves for a long time so if I ever build up the motivation to pick up a book it's certainly this one. I don't think I can recommend books like that but I'll look through my movies and games and edit this post with my findings...

i've read wuthering heights too! i thought it was pretty good -- didn't 100% click for me, but maybe that's because i read most of it while on the bus, lol.

Hi caelo
I really like the textures you use in your art and how you use them! Gives it a nice depth and makes me wanna physically touch it and engage with it. What's your favorite software to use for digital drawing? I like to use Procreate and Aseprite

thank you!! (honestly i just can't stand leaving the colors all flat and smooth, something about it hurts my brain.)
nowadays i use krita -- mainly because it's free, but even then i think it's a really good program! when i started digital art i used medibang paint, which is a lot simpler in comparison, so switching to krita was kinda like taking the training wheels off (even just figuring out how to make a brush was seriously an endeavor lol). and like i said before, i'm the type of person who likes to spend my time messing around with all the little settings to see what looks good, so having a more advanced program has been amazing :)
conversely i also like ms paint, because the complete lack of robust features means i get to relax and not worry so much about the end result. kinda like the digital equivalent of doodling on scrap paper.

[Neguuy]

from the screenshots on the store page it kinda reminds me of doom? but maybe that's just how games looked back then..

It does look like that. The funny thing about Arena and Daggerfall is that to hit enemies, you need to move your mouse around while holding down the attack button so it's like you're really swinging your weapon yourself! To be fair, it's quite pixelated and aged a bit more poorly than Doom visually, and you'll need some tinkering with DosBox to get a modern control layout like WASD (it's not TOO complicated but it is a bit involved). Daggerfall Unity on the other hand is very handy to customise so you can add regular Daggerfall to the (all too relatable) backlog as well if you feel like trying it out someday.

i've read wuthering heights too! i thought it was pretty good -- didn't 100% click for me, but maybe that's because i read most of it while on the bus, lol.

That's understandable! I think for me it's mostly the way it's written that just pulls me in immediately and has me read 5 pages before I realize it. By the way, I had a look at my movies like I told you before (I think it'll be easier to just put them here rather than edit my previous post, after all).
> Event Horizon
> Deathwatch
> Suspiria (1977)
> Inferno (same director as Suspiria)

[thea apianæ]

It does look like that. The funny thing about Arena and Daggerfall is that to hit enemies, you need to move your mouse around while holding down the attack button so it's like you're really swinging your weapon yourself! To be fair, it's quite pixelated and aged a bit more poorly than Doom visually, and you'll need some tinkering with DosBox to get a modern control layout like WASD (it's not TOO complicated but it is a bit involved). Daggerfall Unity on the other hand is very handy to customise so you can add regular Daggerfall to the (all too relatable) backlog as well if you feel like trying it out someday.

That's understandable! I think for me it's mostly the way it's written that just pulls me in immediately and has me read 5 pages before I realize it. By the way, I had a look at my movies like I told you before (I think it'll be easier to just put them here rather than edit my previous post, after all).
> Event Horizon
> Deathwatch
> Suspiria (1977)
> Inferno (same director as Suspiria)

sorry it took some time for me to get back to this! anyway, thank you for the recommendations :)