Calliope Mori (Hololive)

EDIT: Fixed issue with alt outfit ponytail color not syncing up with the rest of the hair by using a different color for the shading. 

Card can be found here! 

https://mega.nz/file/phpkXbAK#5oDceV8pLMhrwN_N_qop4vtVbD30ran9KrkEEDmE-Vg

(Backup MEGA link just in case. Be sure to copy paste the ENTIRE link otherwise you'll get a decryption key error. Don't just click on it it doesn't work trust me.)

This card is not brought to you by PekoSubs. However, I insist on  shouting them out anyways. 

I'll never not shill PekoSubs whenever appropriate. This guy puts out quality work which unfortunately the heartless machines over at Youtube have zero appreciation for. All of that time and effort spent only to get erased in a blink of an eye. That's not bullshit blazing, that's just bullshit. 

https://discord.com/invite/eDbR8J8ZGE 

Enter, Peko Sans Frontieres.  An offshore archive for his subs so now if and when Youtube does another one of their copyright strikes, it'll still be readily available over there. Plus, due to no longer being beholden to the whims of Youtube, he has now uploaded uncensored versions of the subs. ...uncensored meaning being able to show, say, the movie playing alongside the watch along stream properly instead of having to fuck around with it to fool the machines. Yeah I initially was like "Wait what do you mean uncensored, did they stream shirtless or somet- oh right." 

Anyways, despite the name, he covers more than just Pekora, for example, he did a hefty translation of Subaru's Let's Watch of Aliens which I'm gonna rewatch again but this time with the uncensored version. I consider their videos to be professional in the sense that it's like, hm, like a very well constructed piece of furniture. Everything fits together seamlessly, clean and precise. Like an Apple product I suppose, sans the pricing. 

Of course, quality such as this takes time, and time is money. So, if you liked his content, I would highly recommend tossing a coin or two his way which you can do here. 

https://ko-fi.com/pekosubs

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcVKr6RasthkICFOylmmhXg 

Also would like to shout out michaeL who does subs for entire playthroughs. I understand that subbing the latest n' hottest shit is how you get the most value, so I don't got any beef against that. However, it's stuff like that is exactly why I respect those with the dedication to stick to a long form series. I'm sure they're more than aware that chasing trends would benefit them a whole lot more (in the short term at least) but they choose stick to their guns. I admire that which is why I want them to get the appreciation they deserve. So yeah, do check him out as well. 

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Now back to our irregularly scheduled broadcast. 

"Remind yourself that overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer."  

Okay so, I have been pestered by my brain on the topic of Calliope Mori.  My brain would occasionally suggest making Calli next which I'd refuse on the grounds that making her would be incredibly mind numbingly simple. This argument would rage on over the course of a few months until my brain wagered a bet to settle the debate once and for all. Because it would be so easy, I would be only given a week to complete Calliope. I agreed, if only to finally get my brain to shut the hell up already. 

How hard could it be, I wondered. I mean, I could just take a 02 (Slide 4) and then take an already existing Calli and merge it with that. Oh and look at that, Keiyuu (S6, Left) (https://www.pixiv.net/en/users/23961929 ) just made a Calliope exactly to specification. Call me Luigi, because I'm winning this bet by doing absolutely fuck all. 

Y'know, I think the reason why I like Pekora so much is because of how much I can relate to her. 

I did end up mugging a 02 for her outfit but that's all I could use. While not everything is made from scratch, (Her alt outfit was taken from some 4chan archive), all of it had to be extensively modified. There were a number of errors, most of it being color issues, that had to be corrected.  On that note, man I feel bad for Keiyuu. If you see the original texture, there's a whole lot of brush work n' shading done, but then Koikatu renders it as pitch black. So, all of the effort all for naught. Pouring one out for you buddy because wow that must've sucked to see. 

Speaking of pals, I have a few who have graciously offered to be betas. And no, this has nothing to do with the debunked wolf theory that it's author is actively making an effort to correct. Nor anything to do with sigmas and Steve Jobs. No, a beta is basically someone who looks over your first drafts in say, writing, who then reviews and offers advice based on their analysis. I'm not sure if that's purely a fanfiction writer term or a general one, but I digress.

In my infinite wisdom, I decided to turn on all the "fun" extra difficulty modifiers because otherwise this card would be finished way too early. So, I badgered my buds to be as utterly nitpicking as fuck. I wanted them to go over the card with the finest toothed brush they could find. They, after repeatedly demanding they be even harsher, obliged. I want to preface this with by saying I am very thankful for what they do and their help has been immensely helpful...wait I already said that, hold on *pages through thesaurus* excuse me, "ameliorative". This is on top of putting up with me in general so the fact that they still found the time to help me is something I am grateful for. Okay? Okay. 

Never have I felt the urge to strangle someone so strongly before this. I asked them to be nitpicky and boy did they deliver. I'll go into more detail later as I'm hungry and tired but yeah, never thought it'd be possible but I somehow managed to ragequit in Koikatu. That said, it's because of their efforts is why Calliope doesn't look like a blind kid's coloring book. 

I have zero qualms in admitting that I pretty much gave up halfway through Calliope's alt outfit (S2+3) so be aware of jank. I may have lost the bet, but what I earned was a valuable lesson in understanding the limits' of one's own ability and in doing more risk assessment than none at all before taking on a project. 

If you can't tell, I'm pooped, so, be seeing ya next mission. 

P.S: Is 02 smug or is that just the fandom characterization of her? I never watched the show nor do I ever plan to.