Sharing is Caring #2

OKAY, SO… You will probably recognize that I have used the costume in this video for inspiration for one of Radu’s fabulous fits, BUT… I actually have more to say about it.

Early on in the Blades of Furry development (I think while it was still an animatic), I decided I wanted to give each character some signature moves and recognizable characteristics, a very prominent one of them being that Emile is a LEFTY. Now, you might not be aware but people are not only right or left handed, but they’re also right or left FOOTED, and their dominant hands and feet don’t always match (mine don’t).

What I didn’t think about before making this decision is how DIFFICULT it would make it for me to find good Emile reference!! It is WAY more common for people to be right footed, and very few top level skaters are lefties!!

If I wanted to use Yuzuru Hanyu as reference, for example, almost every little element needs to be flipped -  If I’m referencing an axel, Emile enters into it with the opposite leg, spins the opposite direction and lands on the opposite foot.

I’m quite directionally challenged and have a hard time with my lefts and rights, so trying to use rightie skater videos as reference was VERY CONFUSING - many times I thought I got the PERFECT reference pose in the EXACT angle I needed for a panel only to find out that once I flip things, the skater is actually going the wrong fucking direction. Turns out It was NOT as simple as flipping the image.

ENTER JOHNNY WEIR, who is… y’know, controversial and problematic, BUT ACTUALLY A LEFTIE!!!! He’s ended up being my main reference for Emile’s jumps, spins and whatnot because I can count on the leg positions being correct!!

Anyway, after going through all of these struggles drawing Emile as a leftie for a while, I finally got to the point of skating where dominant foot mattered and found out… >> I << AM A FUCKING LEFTIE. I fucking cursed myself.

Anyway, yeah.

x,

Deya

PS: If you wanna see something really cool, Sonja Hilmer (https://www.instagram.com/gosanjaygo_03?igsh=MmdpaGE0ZzF5dGRi) actually does a Rightie Salchow + Leftie Salchow combo and it’s SICKENING, like, EXTREMELY COOL OF HER!!