(This message is about Unicode, not ASCII. I would have posted it to
rec.arts.ascii per the FAQ, but rec.arts.ascii appears to have lost its
moderator such that nothing can be posted. I will include "[UNICODE]" in
the subject of any Unicode-related postings I make to alt.ascii-art.)

Recently, some people at Unicode proposed the development of a
'Terminal Complex Script Support' specification:
<https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2023/23107-terminal-suppt.pdf> (1.3MB)

Relevant to text art: If this TCSS were standardized, the width of
every Unicode character/sequence in the terminal would be precisely an
integer number of cells, and these widths would be the same across all
terminals. This would mean most any Unicode characters could be used in
text art. Maybe this will open many new possibilities in text art! Or
maybe it will largely have no effect on text art! We shall see.

--
Viatrix she|they https://viatrix.is-hella.gay

In alt.ascii-art, Viatrix <viatrix-usenetting@purelymail.com> wrote:
> Recently, some people at Unicode proposed the development of a
> 'Terminal Complex Script Support' specification:
> <https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2023/23107-terminal-suppt.pdf> (1.3MB)

That is a complex subject. :^)

> Relevant to text art: If this TCSS were standardized, the width of
> every Unicode character/sequence in the terminal would be precisely an
> integer number of cells, and these widths would be the same across all
> terminals. This would mean most any Unicode characters could be used in
> text art. Maybe this will open many new possibilities in text art! Or
> maybe it will largely have no effect on text art! We shall see.

If you're dealing with less complex scripts, the results are already
here. It's perfectly practical to use English, Japanese, Korean, and
Braille within a single piece now. Emojis are trickier because some have
a character presentation and an emoji presentation, most notably U+263A
"White Smiling Face": ☺ which is a single cell character in my xterm
but may render as a wider emoji elsewhere, such as a terminal window on
my phone.

But straight Japanese is quite consistent at using two cell width.

Here's automated conversion of a JPEG to "full width" (used in Japanese
when it's desirable to have English text print at the width of Japanese
characters). Because it's the same characters as English, I can just sub
them in a regular automatic image to text tool without thinking much.

ＭＭＭＭＭＭＭＭＷＷＷＷＷＷＷＷＷＷＷＷＷＭＭＭＭＭＭＭＭＭＭＭＯＯＯＯＯＣＣ＋
ＭＭＭＭＭＷＷＭＷＷＷＷＷＷＷＷＷＷＷＷＷＷＭＭＭＭＭＭＭＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＣＣＹ
ＭＭＭＭＭＷＷＷＷＷＷＷＷＷＷＷＷＷＷＷＷＷＭＭＭＭＭＭＭＭＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＣＣ
ＭＭＷＷＷＭＷＷＷＷＷＷＷＷＷＷＷＷＷＷＷＭＭＭＭＭＭＭＭＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＣ
ＭＭＷＷＷＷＷＷＷＷＷＷＷＯＵＵＹＸｍｚＸＵＯＭＭＭＭＭＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＣＣ
ＭＭＭＷＭＷＭＷＷＷＭＹｍＸｍｍＸｍｘｘｚｚｚｍＣＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＣＣＣ
ＭＭＭＷＷＷＭＭＷＣｍｚｚｚｍｍｍｚｘｘｚｚｚｚｚＵＭＯＯＯＯＯＯＣＣＣＣＣＣＣ
ＭＭＷＭＭＭＷＷＵｍｚｚｚｘｚｚｘ＋＋＋＋ｘｚｚｘｚＹＭＭＭＭＭＭＯＯＯＯＯＣＣ
ＭＭＭＭＷＷＷＵｍｍｚｍｚｘ＋；；＋ｚｚｘ＋＋ｚｚ＋ｘＵＭＭＭＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯ
ＭＭＷＷＷＷＯｍｘ＋ｘｚｘ；；＋ｍＹｍＹＹｍｘ＋ｚｘｘｚＯＯＭＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯ
ＷＭＷＷＷＷＸｚ＋＋ｚｘ＋；ｚＸｍｍｍｍｍｍｍｘｘｘ；ｘＹＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯ
ＭＷＷＭＷＯｍｘ；ｘｘ＋；＋ｚｍｍｍｍｚｍｍｚｚ＋ｚ＋＋ｘＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯ
ＭＷＭＭＷＹｍｘ；ｚｘ＋＋ｚｚｍｍｘ＋；＋ｚｚｘｘｘ＋；＋ＹＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＣ
ＭＭＭＭＯｍｍｘ；ｚｘ；ｍｚｍｍｘ；ｘｘ＋ｘｚ＋＋ｘ＋；＋ｘＣＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＣＣ
ＭＭＭＭＵｚｍｘ＋ｚｘ；Ｙｘｍｍ＋ｍＹＵｍｘｚ＋；ｘ＋ｘ；ｘＹＯＯＯＯＯＯＣＣＣ
ＭＭＭＭＹｍｚ＋；ｘｘ＋ＵｚｚｍｚＵＵＣＸｚｘ＋；ｘ＋ｘ＋＋ｚＯＯＯＯＯＯＣＣＣ
ＭＭＭＭＸｍｍ＋＋ｘｘ＋ＵｍｚｚｚＸＹｍｚｚ＋；；ｚ＋ｘｚ＋ｚＯＯＯＯＯＯＣＣＣ
ＭＭＭＭｍｚｚｘ＋ｘｘ＋ＸＸｘｍｍｍｚｚｚｘ；；ｘｘｚｘｍ＋ｚＣＣＯＯＯＯＣＣＣ
ＭＭＭＭＯｍｘ＋ｘｘｘｘｘＹｚｘｚｚｚｚｘ；，＋ｚｘＸｘｘ＋ＸＣＣＣＣＣＣＣＣＣ
ＭＭＭＭＭＯｚｘｚｚ＋ｘｘ＋ｍｘ；＋＋；，，；ｘｘｘＸ＋＋＋ＵＣＣＣＣＣＣＣＣＣ
ＭＭＭＭＭＯｍ＋＋ｍｘｘｘ＋＋ｘ＋；，，；＋ｘｘ＋ｍｘ＋；ＹＵＣＣＣＣＣＣＣＣＣ
ＯＯＭＭＭＯＯｍｘ＋＋；＋＋＋＋＋ｘｘｘｘ＋；；＋＋＋；ＸＵＵＣＣＣＣＣＣＣＣＣ
ＭＯＯＯＯＯＯＵｚｘ＋；；＋＋；＋ｘｘｘ＋；；；＋＋＋ｍＹＵＵＣＣＣＣＣＣＣＣＣ
ＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＣｍ＋＋＋；，，，；；；；＋＋＋＋ｚｍＹＹＵＵＵＣＣＣＣＣＣＣＣ
ＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＵｍｘ＋＋＋＋＋＋＋ｘ＋＋＋ｘｍＸＸＹＹＵＵＵＣＣＣＣＣＣＣＣ
ＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＣＣＵＸｚｘ＋＋＋＋＋＋ｘｚｍＸＹＹＵＵＵＵＵＵＣＣＣＣＣＣＣ
ＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＣＣＣＵＵＵＸＸｍｍｍｍＸＹＹＹＵＵＵＵＵＵＵＵＣＣＣＵＵＵＵ
ＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＣＣＣＣＣＵＵＵＹＹＹＵＵＵＵＵＵＵＵＵＵＵＵＵＵＹＹＸＸＹ
ＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＣＣＣＣＣＵＵＵＵＵＵＵＵＵＵＵＵＵＵＵＹＸＸＸＸＸＹＹＹＹ
ＣＣＣＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＣＣＵＵＵＣＣＣＵＵＹＵＹＹＹＸＸＸＸＸＸＸＸＹＹＹＹ

The source image is a set of onion rings that got stuck together in the
fryer to look like an eye.

Elijah
------
but yeah, combining forms sadly don't work well