Nexus-Wide Community Project?

Post by **Dray** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 5:34 pm

Here's my pitch: I was talking with Xalia about drawing characters, when the idea came for making a set of cards with various characters on 'em. I was wondering if you'd be interested, as a community, in helping to make a set of Nexus-themed playing cards (as well as a set of major arcana if people are feeling ambitious!)

It would be a huge project, though there are a few options:

We could select only the face-cards (King, Queen, Jack, possibly Ace and Joker) and create images for those, or we could make individual illustrations for all fifty-two of them.
We could use individual characters, be they humanoid or dragon, for a card, or we could represent a Weyr/Agency as a whole, or just a set of dragons (For instance, a Talor Cliff Weyr image to represent a set of traditional images.)
We could have a contest to create a card-back, or just make something generic.
We could also have a contest, or a brainstorming thread, to replace the heart, spade, club and diamond symbols with ones that better represent the Nexus....

And there's so much that could be done with something like this!

At the moment, it's more of an exercise in "Wouldn't it be cool if!" but if there's interest, maybe we could turn them into actual little playing cards... or something like that. X3

Would you guys be interested in working on something like this?

DNS · Post by **DNS** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 5:36 pm

I think that would be nifty keen~ XP With dragon species or with main characters or something?
-thinks- I've been tinking of making a tarot deck with my own characters. Soemthing like that or a playing card deck that's nexus-wide would be badass. I'd include my infamous androgynies and maybe some akhet gods or dragon species or such.
Neat idea. I'm interested~

Post by **Dray** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 5:40 pm

I think a variety would be more fun then saying "Hey, either you draw dragons or you draw people, suck it up." XD Especially since there are some people here who like to draw one kind better then the other!

I think the only groundrule would be that the image has to be G-rated, though people might be able to make PG+ alternates to go with 'em. X3 Most of us here are over 13, but people have different tastes!

What'd happen, if there's interest, is I'd make an outline that's roughly playing-card sized that people could either print out and draw/colour in, or else paste into photoshop to fudge around in. Once they were done, I'd set up a webspace to host them so that people can see the variety (and maybe claim some empty spaces. X3) If I ever find a way to, I'd have a few decks printed out to mail to people, once all is said and done, though I don't know where to begin to start looking, and how expensive something like that'd be. o.o

DNS · Post by **DNS** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 5:43 pm

to my knowledge, printing something like that would be pretty expensive~ probably not worth it unless you were going to print them en masse? of course, I only know this from one of my friends who was trying to make a tarot deck and actually publish it, so i dunno how reliable that actually is.

XP and whee, it does sound like a neat idea. how many agencies/people do we have? if it's a tarot deck, everyone could have one card from the major arcana or something~ or it could be pick and choose~

;-; this is suchagreatidea. ^^ if it doesn't get done, i will be sads forever~

Post by **Dray** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 5:44 pm

I don't think there are enough people to get an entire deck done unless everyone is really psyched to make three or five cards. XD

My only worry is that people will fight over a specific card and there'll be sour feelings over the whole project. :\ I don't know how I'd fix that.

DNS · Post by **DNS** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 5:49 pm

-shrugs- random method? X.x that would be fairest. if more than one person wants to do one card, do a draw, like you did with the abandoned dragons for SCD? and have people choose second and third choices or something.

:/ i'm not much help.

Xenoqueen · Post by **Xenoqueen** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 5:52 pm

Judging how hard it is to get big groups motivated on a big project, including Nexus attempts in the past (remember the notion of a fundraising store? the Survivor RP?)...as much as this IS a cool idea, I doubt it'd ever get finished. ^_^;;

Shard · Post by **Shard** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 5:59 pm

I think it'd be cool to do this!!

I have full 'sets' of my characters (in name only, I haven't drawn any of em) from all my other pursuits such as superheros and my Many o Me picture. This is like, right up my alley.

My suggestion is:

Let's do the *entire set* of tarot/normal cards. Major arcana would primarily be faces and people (with exceptions, chariot lol and struck tower) but the minor arcana could be pretty much just dragons (and their riders perhaps).

Maybe a collective vote on whose characters would be what types (.... I'm going to say RIGHT NOW: the fool = Tenken. Period. lol!!) and sort of stipulate that no one single person's 'stuff' should take up more than a few cards. I'm sure we have more than enough personalities to go around, to do at least the major for a kinda one-for-one basis. (I'd opt for the Healing Den to be mine, as possibly the Wheel of Fortune... and I would also say the Nexus itself should be the World...)

DNS · Post by **DNS** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 6:04 pm

XP if it comes down to that, can i be entered for whatever card best symbolises androgynousness, or something? that, or i'll take a random card. gwee. for a vote or whatnot.

Also, if we can call the minor arcana.. ten of cups? and maybe ten of swords.

also, not related to this thread but to the new candidate i put in for the SCD, I finished sefut completely, stats and all.

JKatkina · Post by **JKatkina** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 6:06 pm

I think if we were going to do the Tarot set, people could put their lot in to get certain cards, and whatever one they end up with they get to choose the proper character for it.

OR, we could go with a randomization system -- people who want in could put their names in, and get randomly assigned a number of cards! That might be fairer, and end up with less of a chance for resentment, you know? And if people wanted they could trade off their cards, in private.

Yakima · Post by **Yakima** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 6:10 pm

Hmmm...I know nothing about tarot cards if that's the direction we're going. I think I tried making my own deck by hand once. Can't remember what the pictures were. Lets just say I know I don't have it anymore!

Indigo · Post by **Indigo** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 6:35 pm

Sounds like a fun idea!

... I can't think of anything else to say. :3

Xalia · Post by **Xalia** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 8:47 pm

Yay! I was wondering if you were going to bring this up to the Nexus at large, Dray!

I want in on whatever you end up doing...though it'd prolly take me forever to finish my card(s)... XD

I'm not terribly familiar with Tarot cards though so if we do that someone would have to explain them to me... >.>

I'd love to have a Nexus playing card deck though...that'd be totally the awesomest...

Yakima · Post by **Yakima** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 9:18 pm

I still have plans on making a Pernese playing card set that is described in DLGtP....

Silver Midnight · Post by **Silver Midnight** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 9:32 pm

Oooh, I'm interested! Just assign me whatever whenever we do this. =D

Post by **Dray** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 9:48 pm

XD Thanks for the vote of confidence, Phe! :P
Honestly, I don't think I'd get angry if it didn't get finished... or if it took several years to do! It's more the working on it and getting to see some of your work put up to browse through that I think is the fun part. (That, and sorting and organizing. *neurotic twitch* >.>)

As for tarot cards vs. a regular deck, for those who don't know much about how tarot cards work: they're much like a set of your average playing cards, where the fifty-two (or is it fifty-four for tarot cards? Isn't there a 'page of [suit] as well?) Anyways, the bulk of the cards are called the 'minor arcana'. The 'major arcana' are a set of twenty-one cards that each have a different meaning. They're like... the same relation to all of the lesser cards as kings, queens and jacks are related to their own suit. They's spashal! XD Since tarot cards are intended to help predict fortunes, each card has a different meaning that can be paired with other cards to create a prediction. If you Google Search for information on Tarot Cards you'll find a lot! If you check out some images, you'll find that there're tonnes of varieties.

I like Kat's enter-a-draw idea because it means we won't all start fighting over what card goes to who, and for which character. Say, you can enter for as many cards as you like, but once you get selected for one or two (depending on how many people sign up, so we get equal amounts) you can't get anymore... you can then trade whatever you got if there's one you wanted to draw for more.

Or, you know, we don't have to limit the cards at all. Since this may not actually ever get published, and may only end up on a website mini-gallery, I don't see why five people all drawing a 'death' card could be a bad thing... perhaps we can mix those up so that you get a draw for random cards, and you can draw whatever else you want on top of those? It'd be nice to have a complete deck, but if drawing 'the chariot' or 'five of hearts' doesn't float your boat, I don't want this to become makework for anyone!

Astra · Post by **Astra** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 9:57 pm

I love tarot cards ... I actually have a dragon tarot deck that I got on sale at Barnes and Noble for like $10 ... so purtey. I also have a deck that I got with one of those "Tarot for beginners" sets but I don't like it as much. Makes me kind of want to read tarot cards now ... but no. I must finish my homework.

Shard · Post by **Shard** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 10:20 pm

lol - If we each had a couple different sets of dragons or characters in our set, 'reading the tarot' becomes SO much more fun, because you could make plotlines from em...

And yeah the Tarot has 4 "face" cards: King, Queen, Knight and Page, then 10 numbered cards, plus the major arcana. That's why I like using it to do my own characters because there are sooo many.

(and yet I still run out and have to use 'chess sets (four kinds - music, superhero, magic and tech)', seasons/zodiacs, etc etc...) heh plus I also use poker hands to describe some of my characters.

Cacopheny · Post by **Cacopheny** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 10:35 pm

Tentatively interested. Depends on how it goes, I guess o.o I'm still not clear on how things'd be organized, who draws what kind of character, etc. And, you know, time constraints and all, though as I've been arting more again lately, it's not quite so worrisome.

Neishai · Post by **Neishai** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 10:42 pm

On a crafting show I saw this lady making her own set of poker cards. Wish I could remember specifics, but I think it involved heat transfer with special ink from a sheet of something clear to get the image onto card stock... (sorry that's so vague) I could see about a good way to get these cards formatted, from creation phase through to printing stage. It'd be nice if we could all "make" a set of our own at home... it'd cut down on the publication fees. x3

I likewise vote on a random draw for who gets which cards. I've often times assigned my own characters to different symbols, cards, and the like, so it should be a fun exercise. ^^ It might also be fun for everyone to write a short description for each of their cards in explanation of their image choice, to put into a "booklet" at the end of the project.

Post by **Dray** » Wed Oct 18, 2006 7:49 am

X33 That actually sounds pretty neat! Get some writing involved, too--the Nexus /is/ about both writing and drawing, after all! I was thinking on making a back-design that would work across the entire deck... (XD If we're actually making them into cards one day, you'd know which card was which immediately just by reading the back!) Maybe we could save the writing to go on the same webpage as the card is displayed? That way it could be a story or a description or whatever that isn't limited by the card-size.

Neishai · Post by **Neishai** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 10:13 am

That sounds good. What I was envisioning was like with a CD anthology or something where the booklet gives you lyrics, background story, art background, what the band was doing at the time, etc. It wouldn't have to be that in-depth of course! But I thought it might be helpful if someone chose a lesser-known character to represent their card.

A back design would be interesting and fun to work on. Something that encompasses the entire Nexus... :3

Omniwite · Post by **Omniwite** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 10:13 am

If we did this, I don't know who or what I'd do. After all, nobody really knows my characters but for the people I wrte them for, and I haven't started up my agency yet. ^^; But it does sound like an awesome idea. I've wanted to make a tarot deck of some characters, but I'm so bad at sticking to something. XD

DNS · Post by **DNS** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 10:16 am

XP I kinda have the same problem~ Use fyour fursona? or screw the well-known factor and do a character that's close to you/best represents the idea you're trying t oget across? I'm gonna do that, i think. XP Only jkat knows hte character i'm planning to use, and that because i sent 'him' to her.

Neishai · Post by **Neishai** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 10:44 am

I keep trying to make alter-me's in the Nexus, and invariably I find that their experiences make them more Them than Me. ^^; Sorry, I know that's random...

JKatkina · Post by **JKatkina** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 10:47 am

X3 Who says you have to use characters that everyone knows?

Omniwite · Post by **Omniwite** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 10:52 am

Yeah, I know I don't, but it'd be nice if I could. XD I'll probably end up doing a group if the subject I pick/draw allows me to. XP

hksherra · Post by **hksherra** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 2:41 pm

*sneaks in* I'm on hiatus officially but I still like drawing... I'd participate in this...

XD And thanks for the mention, Shard... Foolish Tenken = <3

Luna · Post by **Luna** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 7:00 pm

Hey, count me in wherever and however! One or two drawings for spiffy cool tarot/playing cards decks sounds awesome. =D