Worldbuilding: How the Empire Got Its Mark (Patreon)

Otherwise known as "the animation with the WORST HANDS EVER." Seriously, what is that. My only excuse was the sangria I had with dinner. >.>

Anyway, this is what I wanted to show you, with the three middle fingers creating the downward swipe, and then the counter mark with the one finger. One of the things I enjoy best about worldbuilding is that it makes you stop and ask 'why do we do things a certain way?' There's almost always a reason, even if it's obscured by history. Most of the time, though, the reason is 'it's easy, economical, or makes sense for the body/environment.' So in this case: critters with hard, non-retractable talons, who started making marks originally in mud or clay, would find it easy to make these particular motions, and other associations with those motions (like the downward side-swipe being common in fights) lent themselves to the metaphorical interpretation.

Worldbuilding is about wearing other people's shoes--or hands, in this case--and living in them a while. It's fun. :D

(Related: I stopped messing with the animation tools shortly after my Surface cracked, because if drawing on a broken tablet is frustrating, animating proved almost impossible. Re-installing, I discovered I'd bought the upgrade that gives you more animation options, so I am staggering through the learning curve here.)