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Topics - RaventheVerewolf

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Commissions, Trades, & Requests / Profile/Sig pic needed

« on: September 30, 2016, 03:00:27 pm »

Hey! I'm in need of a sig and profile pic of my character Raven (Which is based on how I look in real life). Right now it's still my stupid little Christmas card...from last year...and it's Halloween time now...

Here's the best reference I have, I'll try to hunt down or take more pics of him if needed. I just need it without wings. Thanks!!

Request Other Mods/Creations / Dance wanted

« on: May 26, 2016, 03:53:07 pm »

I'm looking for someone to tell me how to make (Or just send me a tutorial link) or make for me an action...dance...whatever it is called.

I ride dressage, and think it would be cool/cute to have a dance that looks like a piaffe!

Thanks!
~Raven

Art Gallery / [Rae's Artwork] 1/20/2016 UPDATE

« on: January 05, 2016, 04:16:40 pm »

I do a lot of art in Paint, and I've started using GIMP some. Most of it is terrible, but funny. Paint isn't a very GOOD art program, but I've gotten pretty good at it. SO, here is where I will put my art for you viewing pleasure. I will add more as they become available.

Paint Pictures

Foxy the Pirate

Ratafat (A fat ratata)

Mrs. Odd Thing, my first Paint creation

Rainbow Dash (Which totally isn't Mrs. Odd Thing...that's crazy)

GIMP Pictures

A dog inspired by Dogmeat from Fallout

A random cat

Character & Roleplay Tutorials / [Raven's Guide to Creating Realistic Lion Characters

« on: December 17, 2015, 11:48:08 pm »

Raven's Guide to Creating Realistic Lions

Hello again, floofs! I'm back with another guide. You know from my first guide (Which is worth the read in my opinion. Find it here) how a lion behaves so you can accuratly role-play, but what about your character? No point in having flawlessly realistic behavior if your character looks like someone went crazy with the hair dye!

So lets get to it!

Lion's Body

Ok, so first things first. We gotta make your lion's body. Now, I personally believe that no matter where you set your sliders, it will look like a lion. It is ALL YOUR PERSONAL PREFERENCE. BUT, if you still want to get real technical with it, the muzzle slider should be short for females, maybe a little longer for males. Males should have more chin than females (Mine have no chin or barely any chin because I don't like chin). Ears should be a little bigger than the head (I don't like doing this because in Feral Heart it looks dumb). I like my lions tall, so I made mine pretty darn big. Lionesses would be smaller than lions. Weight is up to preference, but a lion in a pride would obviously be a big stockier than a loner.

Honostly, if someone doesn't let you join a realistic RP because of your body sliders, that person needs to get a hobby and stop nitpicking so darn much. Unless your lions looks like this (see below), you're fine

Screen II

Once your lion(ess) is the way you want it, we can move on to the next step. Mane, tail, and ears. These features matter much more to realism than your body sliders, trust me.

Now, above I was going for an adult male. Females don't have any mane, but they may have elbow/butt tufts (I prefer just elbow). For an adult male, any of the full manes are great!

   For a teenage or adolescent male, the half manes are perfect. For a lion juuuust starting to grow mane, go for maybe just elbow mane and Side (or something similar. Now you see why I tend to skip this part of growing up in making an RP character. Poor little guy...though if you know of a better way to do this, please let me know) If your lion is close to getting his full mane, but not there yet, Fluffy is fantastic.

   For the tail, just keep it as the Lion Tail (duh).

   Now, for ears I just keep it as normal. Rounded, ripped, and any more rounded ear choices are fine. NO pointy ears please

Screen III

   Now we begin with the eyes, and aaah yes. The markings. The part of lion making (other than color) that can make or break the realism of your feline.

   Let's start with the eyes. If you want to be realistic, go with contracted. I personally think it looks creepy, so I use Whole, or Whole Slit (usually just Whole).

   Now, we move onto markings. Lions don't have very much in the way of markings. They tend to have either very faint spots and/or stripes (Usually as cubs, and lose them as they age), or highlights. I usually use (I'm trying to stick with just normal markings, no Mass Markings here) Back Splotch, a little lighter than the pelt, Cub Spots on younger lions or cubs, either a little lighter or a little darker than the pelt, or Liger, again a little darker or little lighter than the pelt (This just makes it look like the pelt is wavy. For this marking it is very very important not to make it too dark or too light).

   For face markings, I tend not to do anything, cub spots to match the description of them above, and I personally never put Liger on the face. Actually...for my lions I personally don't put any markings on the face.

   Again, for the tail, rinse and repeat from the face markings.

Screen IV

For your realistic lion if you aren't on this screen to add whiskers, then you're not getting accepted into a realistic RP. Move along (With my markings pack, there is nothing a lion in real life would have on it on this page)

Screen V

Ladies, and gentleman. Drumroll please! We've now reached the color sliders. The breaking point of many a character. Where getting that perfect shade of tan makes me almost explode. Here, is where it aaaaaall comes together.

   If you're not exactly sure what shade of tan you're going for, or you don't know how to make it, upload a picture of a lion to a "Color Finder" website. It will give you the RGB codes for the color so all you have to do is put those numbers in for Red, Green, and Blue and presto, the color of a lion.

   Now, a lion can be many shades of tan and tawny. No NORMAL lion has pure black, or pure white on it ANYWHERE. Keep this is mind. Some lions are a lighter shade of tan than others, and some have a different colored mane than others, usually a shade of brown. NO JET BLACK, make a very, very, very, dark grey, a dark brown is allowed, but a lighter brown is preferred. Look at pictures of lions for a general idea. Usually the farther down the back, the darker it is, but FH does not allow for that at this moment. The underfur should be slightly lighter than the pelt. (Take note of the word slightly)

   The markings you chose are meant as shading for your lion, NOT as "markings" like you would see on a tiger. They are simply to add depth to an otherwise one tone body.

   The tail tip matches the mane, the nose is usually a dark tan, or brown. The eyes are an amber or brown to black color. The darkness or lightness of any of the tan colors is all up to you. Make this lion YOURS.

Go RP!

You've made your realistic lion. You've read up on realistic lion behavior (In my previous guide I hope *wink wink*). Now, you are prepared to realistically RP a lion. Good luck, and happy RPing!

Pst....hey...if you're looking for an RP to use your brand new lion in, take a look at this

In-Game Roleplay & Group Advertisement / [OLD THREAD, Please lock]

« on: December 17, 2015, 02:34:26 pm »

New thread

Character & Roleplay Tutorials / [Raven's Guide to Realistic Lion Behavior]

« on: December 17, 2015, 06:37:49 am »

Hello all!

If there's one thing I know about, it's lion behavior (I have a few guides that need making. When your hobby is research, you learn much, about many things. For me it's primarily animal research). SO, this will be a in depth, complete lion behavior guide for all your role-play needs. Written with a lion documentary "roaring" in the background.

SO, let us begin. This guide is currently a work in progress so do tell me what needs improvement, suggestions, or typo corrections.

Pride Hierarchy

Now, you may have seen some posts involving "ranks". Well, sorry folks. Lion prides do not have ranks. They have the huntresses, the lionesses. And they have the lazy, guardians of the territory, the lions.

When it comes to hunting, the lionesses do all the work. For big prey (example, a giraffe, or elephant. Google pictures if you wish) or during desperate times, the males may step in, but under normal circumstances, the lionesses do the hunting.

What does the lazy ol' lion of the pride do then? Well, other than sleep and take the "lion's share" of whatever the lionesses bring down, he protects his pride, and it's territory, from predators, and rival males. A very important note. Unless multiple lions take over a pride together (more on that later), there will only be ONE lion in the pride. All male cubs once they reach sexual maturity (Around two to three years), will be exiled from its birth pride's family by it's father. They are NOT allowed, under any circumstances, to remain in the territory, or with the pride. The male of the pride will not allow that.

Nomadic Life

SO, a young male has reached maturity. For days his father has been giving him aggressive looks, maybe even a snarl or two. Then the day comes. He is chased from the territory by his father roaring one thing, and one thing only. "Leave now, or die". With barely a fuzzy little bit of mane growing over his neck, he is being forced into the dangerous unknown.

If our unfortunate male wasn't so unlucky, he wouldn't have to go alone. If multiple male cubs are born around the same time, and a strong enough bond forms between them through play as youngsters, they will set out together to make (or take) a pride of their own. This greatly increases their odds of surviving to that point. Just as with the pride, strength in numbers. A band of brothers can more easily catch food, and defend themselves than a male that is out on his own. Their numbers also increase their odds of taking over a pride for them themselves. If there is only one lion in a pride, then the bigger your band, the easier it will be to overthrow him.

But why let males have all the fun? Lionesses are nomads too! When a band of brothers leaves the pride, sometimes their sister will tag along (usually because she shares a strong bond with her brothers). She will usually stick with them until she finds a male and creates a new pride with him, or when her brothers take their own pride, she will be chased off by the existing lionesses.

Nomads are a very important part of keeping lion prides healthy. Eventually the lion of the pride will grow old, and weaker. A stronger, younger nomad will come along and take his place. This new big man on campus not only is much more efficient at protecting his ladies, but also restores the prides genetic diversity. The old male could only breed with lionesses that weren't his offspring, otherwise inbreeding would occur (And that would be disastrous). After a while, the offspring greatly outnumber the lionesses he can mate with, putting a dent in the growth of the pride. Then comes the nomads. They can breed with all of the lionesses, restoring the reproduction rate and deepening the gene pool! (Huzzah!)

Hunting

Like precious blood through an animal, hunting is what keeps the pride healthy and alive. The lionesses are responsible for all of the hunting, as we have already covered. Depending on what prey is available in the area, and the size of the pride and the hunting prowess of the lionesses, what meal they dine on most can vary. For a larger pride, going after big game like buffalo, elephants, or giraffe will most likely not only be easier, but essential to keeping the pride well fed (And your ever so helpful(hue hue hue) lion at his best). For the smaller pride, wildebeest, zebra, and the larger horned beasts (Kudu and the like as opposed to the small gazelle) are the most ordered entrees on the menu. A larger pride could and probably will hunt smaller prey, but will need to hunt more often to sustain themselves.

For the nomads, or a pride individual looking for a snack, the menu is smaller (Kiddie menu. Not seven course, 100+ bucks per diner, meals). Warthogs are always an option if you want to put the work into yanking those squealing bags of bacon outta their burrows. The smaller horned beasts (Think gazelle instead of Kudu) are also an option if you're quick and agile. One thing the nomad always has it's eyes peeled for, is newborn, or very young prey. Poor saps don't stand a chance, and they'll go to bed on a full stomach.

One problem that plagues the nomad, and that the lion of the pride defends against, is meal thievery. There is nothing like an easy meal to a hyena. If they smell the blood the air will be full of cackles and hoots in no time, and soon enough his hard earned meal is gone.

The Day to Day Life of the
Pride's Lion

While lionesses are out hunting, you can bet that their king is either lounging in the sun, sleeping with a full belly (Thanks to his ladies), or watching the hunt, patiently waiting to pounce on the kill to get all the good parts of the lionesses' hard earned meal. (They aren't known to be gentlemen). Luckily for him, the lionesses don't keep him around for his manners.

"Well if it ain't for his manners? Then what do they keep him for, Rae!?!" well, why wouldn't you want five hundred pounds of muscle? He's there to protect his grocery shoppers and young, and his prized territory, from cackling food thieves, invading neighbor prides, and nomads after his throne and all its riches. When he's not sleeping, or eating, he's patrolling his territory, sniffin' around to see if someone's been snooping who shouldn't be, and leaving scents of his own as warnings to others to stay out.

But what happens a bit less often than "day to day" is making the next generation. I will not be the one to explain to you how that works, kiddies. All you need to know is that it's done away from the pride, and many, many, times to ensure that there will actually be cubs soon. (If you've ever played the DOS game LION, you know that can be a pain)

The Day to Day Life of the
Lionesses

Since we have a section for hunting, and that's the lioness' primary day to day job, we'll just let you remember the information from that section. Other than hunting, the lionesses have one job. Playing nanny, or mothering their own cubs. In the pride, raising the cubs is a group effort. The "nannies" (All adult lionesses other than the cubs' mother) work together to ensure that the cubs stay out of trouble, and away from harm. The lionesses also train the cubs how to defend themselves, and how to hunt.

Cubs

We've discussed bits and pieces of a cub's life in the other sections, but what about the stages of their life between being born which is done away from the rest of the pride. No community births for a lioness., to leaving their home to start their lives.

   After being born (AWAY FROM THE PRIDE), they will start walking around after ten days. During this time, mom stays close by to feed and protect her new babies. She keeps the cubs away from her pride until they are four to six weeks old. At this time they are old enough to meet the family! For the next year, they spend their time playing with each other, and with the other members of their pride. There will usually be a few older cubs too for the new comers to play with!

   When they turn a year old, the real work begins. At a year, they are weaned and must learn to hunt. This is an important time in a cub's life, especially the males. If they don't learn to be an efficient hunter with a pride backing him, he'll starve once exiled.

   Of course, once the cubs reach maturity at three years, their life is forever changed. Their father exiles them from the only life they've ever known, and now they must fend for themselves. Some have brothers that survived cub-hood, others leave before their father exiles them with some older cubs they have bonded with (who ARE being exiled). Those that leave in a band are more likely to survive without a pride.

   At five to six years old, a lion is fully grown. The vast majority of males never live to see themselves at their full potential. Starvation, fights with other lions, and disastrous hunts are some of the many things that can bring a lion down before it reaches it's prime. The lucky few who survive to this point, are either soon to take a pride, or already in one.

   A lion's life expectancy is over twenty years. A lot of lionesses can live deep into their teens if they have a pride with good hunting skills. Lions however, usually don't survive to adulthood, let alone into their teens. They usually reign over a pride for a few years, then are overthrown.

   What happens to the pride after a new king takes his crown? Well, it's sad really. All existing cubs in the pride are hunted down by the new lion, and killed. It's terribly sad, but for the lion it ensures that the last king's reign is over, and his bloodline is now running the show. When a lioness' cubs are killed, she is brought back into heat sooner, allowing the new ruler to create his own brood of offspring.

Hunting and Fighting

Lions tend to hunt at night, or early in the morning. Lions are opportunistic hunters, and if a good food opportunity presents itself, they don't care what time of day it is. Where you see a cute baby zebra, a lion sees dinner.

   The tactic used most often, is the stalking method. Lions aren't very fast compared to their prey. To make up for this, the lion must have the element of surprise. To achieve this, the lion slowly slinks it's way as close to it's prey as it can get. Once she feels like she's within striking distance, she uses a burst of speed to catch the prey off guard. The lioness (or lion) then holds it's esophagus, or nostrils closed so it suffocates, severs a vein so it bleeds out, or just tears in to begin the feast. For bigger animals, multiple lions attack at once, some attacking the legs to bring it to it's knees, and the others on it's back pulling it down. Killing it is done in the same manner as smaller prey.

   Another method is to sit and wait in the brush surrounding water. When the unlucky prey comes over for a drink, it's snatched up and dinner is served. A much less energy sapping method of hunting.

   And of course, snatching up the weak, old, and very young is what lions do best.

   Lions also fight other species, and each other. They use their sharp, curved claws to rip through flesh and hold their rival. Their sharp teeth easily fit through spine vertebrae to sever the spinal cord. When two male lions fight, their thick manes help defend their necks from sharp teeth and claws. Lionesses, while still strong, tend not to engage in fights, they leave that to their lion unless that isn't an option.

Hyenas Vs. Lions.

The lion may be king in Africa, but even her has a rival. The spotted hyena. They eat the same prey, and roam the same territories. When one gets a meal, the other is there to claim it as their own. The two species are in constant competition against each other. The lion may be stronger than the hyena, but hyenas make up for that with numbers. In some parts of Africa, hyenas outnumber lions 3-1.

Lions and hyenas hate each other so much, they will go so far as to murder each others young! Nothing strikes fear into the heart of a lioness like the cackle of a hyena clan closing in on the hiding spot of her cubs.

More updates coming soon, as soon as I think of another section to add!!

Characters / Raven's Character Gallery

« on: December 16, 2015, 10:32:59 pm »

Introduction / Hey! (Been here for a bit, just forgot)

« on: December 16, 2015, 09:47:35 pm »

It occurred to me I never made an introduction thread!

Hi! I'm Raven! (Duh). I am a teenage male currently living in the U.S. You can usually find me in game as the character I made to look like myself (Well...my hair anyway. It's black with red at the tips)

I love any kind of roleplay, but can rarely find one! (-wink wink-)
I have a lot of different characters and randomly decide to expand on my char closet.

Thanks, and hope to make some great friends!
~Raven

Screenshots / Merry Christmas Screenie

« on: December 10, 2015, 08:47:00 pm »

I finally went and downloaded an items pack, and it had a few Christmasy items in it. SO, naturally I made a Christmas card

And also made it my sig...and my avatar...

Game Help / Two Mapping Questions

« on: December 10, 2015, 02:23:11 pm »

Hello!

I have two questions regarding map making today.

1:
I want to change the sky (Not just it's color) and moon for just one map I'm making. How do I go about doing that?

2:
No matter how much I blur and blend, my maps still come out all lumpy instead of smooth. Any tips on making my land less lumpy?

Thanks!
~Raven