#I must complain about this artstyle

[gzsd]

WHAT？

[toreodere]

I'm thinking about Psycholonials again ooough, I want to make more panel redraws for some reason.

On an unrelated note, I found out from some random person on SpritersResource that the panels in psycholonials are actually doubly as fucked up as anyone could have expected, and by that I mean that, every panel is actually the same size, they've all just got a shit load of unused blank space for seemingly no reason other than it was probably easier to program, but also, every panel has been upscaled in some way too, idk if its with nearest neighbour, bilinear or whatever else kind of filtering but all that combined with the completely unnecessary jpeg compression too essentially makes it impossible to get a clean rip of anything in that game, it's truly ludicrous!

[thewebcomicsreview]

Happy 4/13!

Happy 4/13 to you as well!

And, as I think everyone was predicting, there's new Homestuck Content today. I'm hoping this is going to be the big update where they get to the point and have the long-teased [S] page, but we're not looking good if we're opening with Dirk, whose primary character trade is long rambling speeches. This is the first we've seen of Dirk since the new team took over, though.

Ready to take the floaties off and dive back into the depths of the churning, primal ocean from which everything that matters in this story evolved, and to which it must inevitably return?

The idea that Dirk's CANON plan is ironically consisting of him sitting around idly discussing The Lore is a decent meta joke, but it got old after a page or two. Please do literally anything, Dirk.

I do like this page, though, with the art busting out of the frame. And, given what I literally just said (I write these liveblogs as I read them), Dirk's opening by repeatedly insisting things are happening in his story is meant to be ironic. He's also claiming he became a god in order to do this HS2 stuff, which is flatly untrue. Presumably he means be became Ultimate to do narrative stuff, which is an interesting order of events if that's the case, and it's not that becoming Ultimate made him evil. Also, let me put some appropriate background music on.

Rose dipped pretty early on in that visual montage to spend some quality time trading barbs and bumping uglies with the supposedly impartial proctor of said Contest, next to the vacant meat-sack that once housed her consciousness. Irresponsible, sure, but to give credit where due, it was irresponsible in a poignant and symbolically weighty sort of way. Classic Rose shit

It does feel weird for the new team to be directly commenting on the quality of the writing of the old team like this, but to be fair, it is classic Rose shit.

New Guardian Mode artstyle, which we were starting to see in Candy as well, since these characters aren't kids any more. But in Candy, everyone keeps their faces, whereas Dirk is just his hair and glasses, like Bro.

TEREZI: YOU H4V3 1NST34D CHOS3N TO W4T3RBO4RD TH3 R4W N3UR4L T1SSU3 OF MY TH1NKP4N W1TH 4N 4CR1D 4ND SUP3RFLUOUSLY OV3RC4RBON4T3D N4RR4T1V3 R3C4P DUMP DIRK: Well, it's a recap for *you*. DIRK: But for those who haven't checked in on us in a while, it's more of a stage-setting thing. TEREZI: 1TS B4S1C4LLY 4 R3C4P FOR TH3M TOO, 1D1OT TEREZI: YOUR 1N4B1L1TY TO SHUT UP 3V3N 4S YOU 4CT1V3LY CH4MP1ON TH3 N33D TO G3T TH1NGS MOV1NG WOULD B3 4LMOST 4W3-1NSP1R1NG 1F 1T W4SNT SO 4STOUND1NGLY OBNOX1OUS

Oh good, I turned quirks back on. There's a lot of meta complaining about the writing this update.

I do like that the humans are looking more like Guardians and the Trolls are looking more like Ancestors. It's odd to have them standing next to each in different art styles like that, but it kind of works.

DIRK: Or was all that hand-wringing about how worried you were that Rose and I were becoming big bad cosmic tyrants with no regard for the poor little mortals buffeted to and fro by the vicious momentum of our designs just virtue signaling?

Dirk's use of the term "Virtue Signalling" is probably worth making a note of here. HS2 has sort of flirted with the idea of Dirk as right-wing, and that appears to be continuing here.

TEREZI: 4NYON3 WOULD B3 GR4T3FUL TO H4V3 4 B3N3VOL3NT CR34TOR L1K3 YOU TEREZI: ON3 TH4TLL ULT1M4T3LY 3NSUR3 TH31R 3NT1R3 PL4N3T 1S ORB1T4LLY BOMB4RD3D 4ND TH31R SP3C13S 4LL BUT DR1V3N 3XT1NCT S4V3 FOR 4 F3W "LUCKY" JUV3N1L3S DIRK: That's just how this shit goes down for species *lucky* enough to fucking *matter*, Terezi.

There's a lot of speculation that the Candy kids are going to end up in the game as well, and that this is even something that the original cast over there is working towards. This would require, as Terezi points out here, literal genocide. And I think that is where the Candy story is going, with Rose/Jade/Jane all being in on it and Kanaya/Karkat being cut out, so it's nice of Terezi to remind us that Sburb is evil and that sacrificing an entire planet to help your kids become immortal is kind of a dick move.

DIRK: But hey, you say you aren't feeling it? DIRK: Fine. DIRK: I can make concessions. DIRK: I've got other agents in play, and as I've said, I know you aren't going to risk fucking your end of the work up.

This is the kind of thing HS2 really need more of, stuff to speculate on. Terezi, Rose, and Dirk are literally the only three people on the entire fucking planet. What "other agents" could Dirk possibly have?

DIRK: You need this session to happen. DIRK: You need a chance to fix the mistake you've got in that wallet, burning a hole through your pocket. DIRK: You've made a lot of those, Terezi, but you know that besides being important, what we're doing here is a chance to rectify one of them. DIRK: And you aren't going to let that chance slip. TEREZI: ... DIRK: I know what it's like to make hard choices for the people you care about. DIRK: To run your brain raw thinking about how to make things right. DIRK: I've been doing it my whole damn life. DIRK: The choice you're presented with here is pretty fucking easy, and you're a very smart person, so I trust you to make the right decision.

Also, it's nice to have a little fucking narrative tension on this planet for once. Dirk and Rose are each creating an entire sentient race for the purpose of sacrificing them. Terezi is in a position to save the world, but doing so means giving up her chance to save John. Wow! Stakes! It's nice when stories have those, instead of just idly fucking around doing nothing for the sake of a meta-joke! Also it means the bad guy is being evil instead of merely boring, which is also a nice thing to do now and again.

There's not much to analyze in this art, but it's stylin'. The guardian mode look is great. Is Rose wearing lipstick on her robot face?

ROSEBOT: I've been very bad and I need to be punished

There's been a very subtle incest-y vibe with Dirk/Rose in Meat, and apparently we're keeping that too. Being sexually depraved is becoming like Rose's defining trait.

Localized time travel, while technically possible, tends to get pretty fucked even in the most ideal of circumstances, to say nothing of the fact that it's way outside my wheelhouse as a Heart player. The concept works pretty well for my purposes, though, and as a burgeoning omnipotent narrative god, I can mimic it in a way that's functionally identical. The move here is that I'm going to envelop the local galaxy group in a pocket of my influence and narratively accelerate it via Bullshit so that whatever's going on in here goes on faster, so we can get to the good shit faster, so we can get on with our jobs, and so you gawking voyeurs have more of our lives to guzzle greedily down.

Oh, that's kind of a cool ability, but also what can't an Ultimate do?

A while back, it became apparent that while my Deltritan offspring were to be terrestrial, Rose's were going to be aquatic.

Rose's team is going to win, and it's going to be the 48-player Squiddle session that creates the troll universe, making all of Homestuck canon an inescapable time loop through which no new ideas can emerge, except for the influence of Candy.

ROSE: For all my temporary discomfort with the prospect of settling down on Deltritus and starting what could very loosely be considered a family with you,

Rose he is your dad.

DIRK: I'm doing this for all of us.

Hm. No big [S] page and we still haven't gotten to the point, but we've made the Dirk half this story significantly less fucking boring, so I guess that's a win. This is an update the story desperately needed, giving Dirk some characterization and leaning in to how fucked everything here is.

Also, spending the entire update teasing a timeskip to the start of the game and then ending without doing it is a good meta joke, provided we don't keep doing it for ten more updates.

[crazysodomite]

i see a ton of issues with 'creativity' in art online spaces on social media... not just the 'adoptables' community or whatever but it's REALLY bad in there. and i think i know why... man it's hard to structure my thoughts...

'originality' is actually extremely narrow in art spaces specifically on social media. people get extremely fixated on having an 'original art style' but at the same time all art is being funneled into 1 specific way of making it. and when someone DOES go outside of the norm it becomes their 'thing'. their 'brand'. read: what sells their art/gets them popular.

a few examples: so many posts on the internet complaining about hating drawing lineart, having to redo the line 100 times, etc.

lineart is immediately suggested for beginners and most art is based on lineart first, which makes some people hate art. and they end up thinking doing it any other way is 'wrong' or 'too difficult'. beginners feel like they must make their art like this. sketch > lineart > color fill > shading > detail. when in reality you really don't have to do any of this at all. your art can truly be anything and anything that you hate about creating art can just be removed from the process. am i making any sense? i think i went through this process too. i started out doing lineart and i fucking hated it. i couldn't initially realize that painting is the easiest and most fun way for me to do art. because most art advice on social media (how most people nowadays try to learn i think) is aimed at this specific way to do it.

we aren't giving advice on how to explore art and creativity but only how to make your art most appealing...

same thing with smaller stuff like not being able to do the second eye in art. you don't even HAVE to make your art symmetrical. you can obviously desire that result but i feel like some people aren't even considering the possibility. and this isn't just because people are just lacking in creativity. if your art is 'too weird' and 'not pretty' 'outside of the norm' you will get bullied and made fun of viciously. your art can only venture outside the norm if it's still appealing. and most people aren't up to taking that risk because a few horrible words about a persons art can end their desire to do it completely!!! am i making any sense. when you venture and see art outside of what's popular on social media it's like your eyes are wide open...

and then, when someone does venture out of the norm in a creative and appealing way, it suddenly becomes 'their brand' and if someone creates something remotely similar to it, it's considered 'plagiarism' and drama and harassment follows. it's MY THING to draw this in that way. you can't get inspired by it. it's MY BRAND.

so we come to the conclusion of people trying to claim ideas as their own only and try to make profit out of it. and attack anyone who threatens 'their thing'. the endless battles over adoptable markings and palettes. the 'style theft'.

the 'my artstyle is so inconsistent'. it's okay to want to feel like your art is truly your own but the reality often is that. 'i need a concrete style so people expect this one specific thing from me and will pay for it' which obviously there's no blame in people trying to make money but the way it affects artists is just horrible.

the 'artist branding' thing is really fucking bad in adoptable spaces. if you're an 'in demand' artist a lot of attention is paid to your art not because people really enjoy it but because it has trade value. and even really gorgeous designs from people are looked over and devalued because they're not a high trade value artist...

im tired of trying to make my art appealing and popular instead of what i like to do. and im also tired of people not being able to appreciate art outside of it's most appealing form and calling ANYTHING outside what appeals to them bad or boring or whatever the fuck. i can really say more but i have trouble structuring my thoughts...

Mommy needs cigarettes 🚬 i just ranted on facebook.

[pikaflute]

☕️ adult animation in general :}

i really feel like adult animation, as a whole, is an aspect of animation so overlooked by people online because they have mushed peas for brains. do not get me wrong, there's a lot to criticize/is bad, but thinking that the only "good adult stories" lie in animation geared towards kids is stupid and really doesn't highlight the stories adult animation does tell. like if animation is for all ages, why the hell do people only recommend shows and movies clearly aimed at an audience made for children. "oh but(x) is for all ages" i don't think i have to tell you why the talking cat movie and the Australian show that airs on a kids channel may be aimed towards a certain demographic.

a main criticism of adult cartoons is that they rely on sex, drugs, and cursing jokes. now i could point out that people laugh when that jokes are animation for tweens but whatever. all i'm gonna say is, so? adults do those things, obviously they're gonna joke about it. (also people loveeee saying smiling friends and hazbin are so different than adult animation despite BOTH shows using this humor. hell, while not a western animated cartoon, panty and stocking's humor is like this and no one shits on it.) and when adult animated shows aren't focused on humor (LIKE PEOPLE WANT THEM TO BE) people complain About them being too depressing or miserable to watch (DESPITE THEM WATCHING SHIT LIKE THE OWL HOUSE WHICH PEOPLE PRAISE FOR IT'S DARK STORYTELLING). basically no matter what genre it is, I feel like adult animation can't win.

people always point out the artstyle too which again really isn't a problem. there's a lot of beautiful adult animated cartoons and ones that are really stylized, but everyone ignores them to make fun of the family guy ripoff that will get canned in two minutes. and that's really the biggest problem yeah? the family guy ripoffs are what people judge literally the entire landscape of adult animation by. despite there being really good stuff out there, it's judged by the few that suck dick and balls. people used to do with kids' animation and now people complain about how the whole genre must suck. and then when people recommend shows that are good they get all mad and go "well there's only a few that are good!" or "well...that's comedy based so it doesn't count" LIKE AT LEAST GIVE IT A CHANCE!!!!

AND. AND!! it seems like even the industry is stacked against adult animated projects. netflix cancelling qforce, tuca and bertie, and inside job for one, but also adult swim's "put eggs in one basket" strat they have with rnm. it seems like adult swim only (for many years at least) cared about rnm and it seems they didn't put as much effort in promoting the other show on the network. adult swim being one oif the only (besides like fox) that host adult animation kinda sucks but a lot of these stories that people create don't seem to reach their full potential because networks are scumbags. adult swim has built a good will reputation with most of it's fans (i say most because [looks at paper shredder]) by being cool and hip with what their audience likes but at the end of the day they are a network. and they act like any other scumbag network. see their desire to just cancel shows: moral orel and venture bros for instance. and well. you know. [looks at a paper shredder] or adult swim refusing to pay carey means (the voice of frylock) residuals. in other news there's a new season of aqua teen coming soon.

the only adult cartoons people talk about are the really popular ones or the ones that suck. from my experience (see: college campus in nj) the only adult cartoons people discuss are rick and morty and south park. which is like UGH. Ive seen people in archer shirts though, but it's mainly those two, which sucks because i feel like there's much to choose from. and on the other hand people love to talk about the ones that suck. despite everyone saying they weren't going to watch velma they did. they hatewatched it. and they gave it attention social media. "but it was all negative" king, that's still attention, do not act surprised when they green light this for season 2. you hatewatch the bad shows and then act surprise when good shows that you don't watch at all get canned but the bad ones do. curious!

conclusion: i think if you want to say animation is for all ages you gotta watch adult animation! yes! it's not going to be what you want sometimes, it might be a bad artstyle, or have dumb humor, but you gotta go out of your comfort zone sometimes! ask people for recommendations online and i am sure you'll fine something for you. and most importantly STOP MAKING TWEETS AND POSTS DISPARAGING ADULT ANIMATION. YOU'LL NEVER APPRECIATE THE MEDIUM FULLY IF YOU KEEP SHITTING ON WHAT IT HAS TO OFFER!!

second conclusion: i don't care how good arcane is i'm not watching a league of legends show.

third conclusion: stop recommending bluey as a show for adult it is literally for preschoolers. i know you'll say it's good and i'm sure it is, but if you think bluey is the best show for adults right now you literally have mushed peas for your brain. go see a doctor.

fourth conclusion: also metaloclaypse sucks dick. don't watch that

[vacantgodling]

Hello I am here to pay back the attention you gave me, if you want it lol. Pwease tell me about your art style. Do you feel like you really have one? Did you develop it on purpose (and if so, how), or did it just gradually come about?

i always want attention LMAO

oooo so this is a very interesting question and like tbh i didn’t really develop it on purpose. art has always been a PURE hobby for me, and by pure, i mean i refused to really put Extreme effort into learning it as a “craft.” figure drawing bores me, i don’t want to sit down and spend Hours trying to learn anatomy and shit etc etc. much of my style has been really influenced by

things and art styles that i like

the need to doodle possessing me at literally all times.

doodling was my adhd “go to” thing bc my brain needs to focus on something else while i do stuff. i used to read a lot in class as a kiddo but then teachers complained to my mom that i was being “distracting” somehow (??? still don’t get this) so i started doodling instead so it looked like i was still working LMAO.

a lot of my artstyle is definitely influenced by anime and manga like i’m a weeb through and through or whatever. but usually if i see something i like or i learn new ways to draw something after watching or seeing something else i’ll incorporate it into my belief system.

i think an easy example to showcase ALLA this is kind of this thing i’ve been doing since 2021 where i’ve redrawn the same character a few times:

so like, as you kinda see it’s getting more and more detailed. like more practice, more doodling, but it’s actually super hard for me to personally tell when my artstyle is changing? so that’s why doing this redraw the past few years has actually been super illuminating bc i can actually SEE how my style has gotten different. cuz tbh i don’t feel like i’m doing anything different but like i must be for these to all come out SO differently lol

i hope that makes sense?? i don’t really think about art too deeply i usually pick up my ipad and go “i’m gonna get silly :3” fjfjfjfn

[rapid-prototyping-project]

Brick Breakers

Bruce Bee's Arachnoid

Arachnoid, like the last Bruce Bee game, is fairly simple. The colours are fairly understated, the gameplay is slow and simple, and the themeing is good. There's little to complain about, but not a whole lot to praise it for.

Against Great Darkness

Yeah I'll be upfront. This is absolutely excellent. The pixel art is clean and smooth, the physics are satisfying and consistent, the gameplay is fun and rewarding. I love this. Obviously I can't create anything to this scale, but combining a bullet hell game with a brick breaker is absolutely a concept I intend to use.

Lest Ye Falter

Lest Ye Falter is more of a creative brick breaker like Against Great Darkness - instead of breaking bricks, you're trying to keep them there [and playing the Helldivers 2 DDR minigame when they fall???], which is an interesting twist and something I may use. The artstyle is a little weird but I like it, although it isn't something I intend on using in my game.

Tilebane

This is just that one game on the Ipod. It's well-made - it's simple, clean and fun, but it is very much that game. I don't intend on making my game a circle like here or adding local multiplayer as not only would I simply lack the time, it's not something I feel that would add too my game enough to justify its existance.

Brick Breaker

This is the stock Brick Breaker game. It's simple, it doesn't innovate but it keeps the gameplay polished. It has compatibility with different inputs, screen shake, powerups and a save system. These are all features I'd like to include in my game but I may lack time.

Conclusion

Although Brick Breakers all have the same core mechanics, different game tend to vary wildly how the mechanics are used - Against Great Darkness and Lest Ye Falter implement secondary mechanics to supplement and add to the gameplay, whereas the others keep it simple. I fully intend to use Against Great Darkness' bullet hell gameplay as I see that as an excellent twist on the Brick Breaker gameplay.

[kadderx]

I must agree with them. Although the pace of UBW by studio deen is a little faster in some important parts, I must admit that there are some very good moments, both in stay night and in this movie.

And cold take: the fans tend to complain mostly about the artstyle of stay night 2006, but I really like this kind of dated artstyle, so for me some of the characters are much more attractive in deen's style.

[icy-blue-rose]

Okay I just HAVE TO get this off my chest right now.

I was watching the new episode of 2.43 seiin koukou danshi volley-bu, and well, I decided to check out the comment section because hey! I want to hear what other fans of the series have to say, liked, and so on.

Instead however-

I was met by the most horrid comment section it reminded me why I usually dont actually interact with the anime community (and usually just talk to myself or make posts like this one that nobody will read aha)

But shit, I like, felt so uncomfortable.

Now before I rant a bit, if anyone skimming this may get offended let me make something clear.

If you just arent into the series, or don't like the show/series, then that's fair.

I have literally no problem if you dont like the show, or are simply expressing that you just dont like it and list your own reasons, I completely respect people's opinions and right to openly criticize series, even if I dont agree with it.

However, the following, while I wont actually attack people for it, just made me so uncomfortable for liking the show that I had to talk about it.

So here we go.

2.43 seiin koukou danshi volley-bu is not a sports shonen and so you shouldnt expect it to be written and animated like one.

People are free to say they dont like the animation, artstyle, or way the series is written, we all have our personal tastes.

But, like, it felt like non of the people commenting had a single brain cell.

No I am not exaggerating.

This series is written is a very particular way, one that I'm ABSOLUTELY loving.

I'm not fond of most writing styles and usually have a hard time reading novels but this one I particularly enjoy.

However, it felt like everyone was bashing it for how it's being written, not understanding what the author is doing or setting up, not even understanding the basic structure or style the author has used for their series.

It honestly made alot of the people complaining sound really dumb, no offence, but you all sound stupid.

Then there were our typical HUGE swarm of "ewww gaaaay, omg he blushed, omg so cringe, ewwww"

Which I mean, every sports anime has so I'm used to the endless flood of these types of comments but I find them really annoying because dont get me wrong.

I'm Queer.

I like LGBT anime/manga but I also really enjoy Yaoi and Yuri in it's pure ridiculous form at times (not I'm not saying all BL or GL is the same, I dont think I need to get into this rn)

And of course I enjoy shamelessly shipping and headcanoning characters as well, whatever I want because it's fun and I am aloud to HEADCANON all I want.

So or course I like to jokingly ship sports anime characters for fun, even if I dont genuinly ship it , or sometimes do.

Because I like certain relationship dynamics they can have that are never explored in anime/manga.

However, being serious for a second, I dont genuinly go around saying characters are "Gay for sure 100% yeeee"

People blush at their friends. People and characters can have deep bonds and relationships that arent romantic whatsoever and can STILL feel more like a romance than a real romance, despite it not being intended in that way at all.

It's so stupid to bash a character for "ewww gaaaay shit" when they blush at, someone they genuinly care about and have a non romantic relationship with?

Idk it just makes them seem dumb, internet trolls suck and I usually ignore them, I just feel like complaining today.

In the end I must say, the most annoying group of people in the comments were, as any 2.43 seiin koukou danshi volley-bu fan has seen, the fucking haikyuu fandom.

I feel like I should note that I love haikyuu, I do, it's great, for a sports shonen I do enjoy it alot.

After all I do love me some sports shonens.

But haikyuu fans need to buy some brain cells or critical thinking abilities.

Listen, to all the normal haikyuu fans like myself, I salute you and this is in no way direct towards any of you.

It's for the....other ones.

Haikyuu and 2.43 seiin koukou danshi volley-bu have a couple things in common.

Volleyball

Their source material started getting serialized around the same times

Some character designs look similar.

And I'd say that's about it.

Neither one "copied" a premise from the other.

Okay? Haikyuu fans? For fuck sake? Can you stop "omg they really are running out of ideas huh"

"Omg this is a haikyuu rip off"

"Omg this is a watered down shitty haikyuu knockoff"

I'm going to shoot myself I swear to god shut up.

No.

No.

And fucking no.

It isnt. They started coming out in the same few years, and start completely different, a knock off? How?

I dont even see it one bit.

Now on the topic of some similar character designs.

To put it in a way haikyuu fans would understand, I've seen over 12 Kageyama "lookalikes" in anime, ones from LONG BEFORE haikyuu, and long after.

It's literally a common thing in any media platform, but we've all seen the same character design used before in diffrent shows.

It's not new, character designs were not stolen, please get a fucking brain cell.

Also he looks more like Saiki.K in most of the anime shots in my opinion.

Now, if you like haikyuu and you're looking for another sports shonen to

Live up to the hype, have the same premise kinda or just that awesome animation and typical sports shonen storyline you love to fill the void until another haikyuu season comes out.

Just feel like watching another sports shonen in general.

It isnt the show for you.

Now if you want to check out a volleyball show, check it out and form your own opinion on it and for the love of god dont compare it to haikyuu.

It's a sports drama.

If you like shes like Stars Align, Battery, or even Ahiru no Sora (which I feel has a nice balance of sports and drama, rather then focusing on either category, it balances both really well) then this is a show for you to check out.

I've watched I think 4 diffrent baseball anime? Maybe 5?

I never once compared them to each other while watching.

While comparisons are fun to do! I love reading about parallels, series that inspired other series and examples of how it was done and all that awesome jazz!

It's not the same as actively comparing a show to another one while you watch it.

Especially when they arent even in the same genre category.

Anyways this probably seems like a pointless rant but the comment section actually crushed my week long built up excitement for the new episode, cause I had the misfortune of opening it first to see who else was hyped and enjoyed the episode, only to find well, all of this crap.

And fans like me who tried to politely digress and explain how the writing style is different than the average sports series, or explain why it's written how it is, alot of them got met with SWARMS of more ignorant and just plain ride comments.

Also all my "you're fucking stupid" comments in this rant, are directed towards those people in particular.

Now if you are simply genuinly confused about why there are time skips, why it's written how it is, or any other things, this is not directed at you.

Not at all.

Not understanding a writing/directing style is a completely innocent thing and there are many fans who would be happy to explain it.

The hate is directly towards the arrogant, annoying, internet trolls and haikyuu fandom who has been getting annoying lately? Especially about this show.

[weirdmarioenemies]

Name: Sidestepper

Debut: Mario Bros.

What better way to end Crab Week than with the very first crab to ever grace the Mario series with its presence? Look how cool the Mario Bros. artstyle was! And man, has this crab got an attitude! But I guess it’s justified. Sidestepper only gets angry when Mario or Luigi bumps it from underneath, and I can understand that. I would be angry too. I don’t blame it for being crabby! Yes, we’re still making “crabby” jokes! If you don’t like that, then this must have been a grueling week. Too bad. I will not apologize.

This here is an illustration from the Perfect Edition of the Great Mario Character Encyclopedia. What a mouthful, but a delicious one that I will savor, because this sure is the book for me! I’m not sure where the reptile-like underbelly on this one comes from. Not a fan of the nostrils either. Give me the original artwork any day!

Thank you. That’s nice.

They also appeared in Mario Clash! Yeah, that ol’ thing. But look how cool THIS art is! This thing is battle ready, like a robot or something! Totally awesome! Totally ‘90s!

One of the best parts? Sidesteppers have never left! They continue to appear in the Mario Kart series, actually replacing our little friend Crab. But I guess that’s okay, because look at this face! What’s going on there? Are they anxious instead of angry now? Probably freaked out that someone stole their eyebrows while they were sleeping.

And just between you and me, they even appear in the battle with Hermie III in Superstar Saga, running around in the background! In the remake, they’re replaced with Huckit Crabs. So many crabs replacing other crabs! But I really cannot complain at all! 

One final thing...

Name: Clawgrip

Debut: Super Mario Bros. 2

I should talk about this guy too! Why? Because he’s really an evolved Sidestepper- in the GBA version, one is seen magically transforming into him! Neat. I also like that he sounds like a pirate. Very Mr. Krabs-like. And check THIS out!

I do not like these pincers or teeth one bit, but at least they got the number of limbs right, I guess? And there’s another one for the bandana-wearing crabs list!

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed Crab Week! We sure did! Let’s end with a quote. A great crab once said, “blfbflbflbflfbfbl”

(that’s the sound of blowing bubbles probably)

[tinypigeonlord]

Don’t mind me, just have had a lot of thoughts on the new Pokemon game so imma write them down. There’s been a lot of posts and videos on what people wanna see or don’t wanna see in the new game too and I wanna give my own two cents to no one in particular.

So first of all graphics. I hear a lot of shit on that. Personally I don’t really have all that many expectations? Like yeah it’s gonna be a Switch game, the quality could possibly be better than we’ve seen. But also did people look over that ‘game footage not final’? Things may still improve and be further optimized. More than that, I love the artstyle atleast? Everything looks so colorful and vibrant and alive and goooood ;w; It sure got my attention. I can’t wait to see all the new areas on my big tv <3

Pokemon popping up and roaming vs random encounters: On one hand I love how lively everything looks with pokemon showing up in the overworld, on the other hand I love the random encounters? I personally liked hunting down specific pokemon, not knowing what I would encounter. I feel like this is also more fun when you’re doing a Nuzlocke; You can’t ‘cheat’ and select a pokemon from those that are currently roaming with random encounters. Aside from that, people mentioned that the roaming aspect made areas look more vacant instead because a lot of open space is needed for bigger pokemon roaming. And finally, it makes the surprise way more fun if a shiny shows up in a random encounter, instead of roaming between the rest of the ‘mon?

Pokemon following you/walking with you: PLS PLS PLS bring this back and expand on it, for all pokemon. Also the option to select which partymember you want to walk with. That was one thing that bummed me out in HeartGold/SoulSilver. If I wanted to walk with my fave, I also needed to have it in the front of the party and throw it out in battle, even in areas where it was at a disadvantage due to type or level. And sometimes I had a pokemon in front for the sake of progression but I didnt necessarily want to walk with it, but there was no option to turn walking off in HG/SS. I believe they did add these options in Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee, but I havent played these games so I don’t know for sure what the options are. I kinda also want to have the option to pick whether I will walk with a ride pokemon or actually ride it? Like, it was hella cool that you could ride arcanine, persian, haunter or snorlax, etc. But what if I wanted it to just follow me? :/ What I also want back is the national dex once you completed the main story. Let most of the pokemon which first appear be gen 8, and after you beat the main game, pokemon from other generations show up more and you can catch new pokemon that were previously unavailable. I hated how in SuMo, I couldnt see a pokemon’s national dex number, and couldnt get any data on it if it wasnt native to Alola. 

Also this is gonna sound surprising coming from a shiny hunter, but I want the shiny charm to be a reward for filling the entire national dex again (minus mythicals/events), and make the shiny rate 1/8192 again instead of 1/4091. As much as I love my shinies, I kinda feel like they’re becoming a really common thing and way too easy to obtain? I do like there being methods to find shinies easier, such as Masuda breeding, chain-fishing, SOS-chaining, etc, but make it atleast a little bit harder than it currently is, to make all that effort worth it.

Compatibility with pokebank/the 3DS titles!! I want to transfer all my precious bbies I caught over the years to come join me in the next adventure. That would make it even more awesome if walking pokemon also returns; I can walk with my faves then, not just the pokemon available in Sword/Shield. Also Cloud compatibility. I know Nintendo is afraid of people abusing Cloud to edit save files and I can see them not adding cloud for Pokemon to prevent peeps from somehow cloning or editing pokemons, but on the other hand... Right now, I have ALL my rare, valuable pokemon stored on a Ultra Sun cartridge. Every super rare shiny legendary I spent MONTHS on to encounter, every event pokemon from events that will never happen again, and every pokemon that has nostalgic value to me. If that game cartridge breaks, they’re all gone. If Cloud storage would be a thing for pokemon, I’d have a lot less anxiety about gathering all my babies on a single game with the risk of losing ALL OF THEM. Besides, I pay for online service and cloud, and thusfar havent been able to use the feature for my games :/

And definitely compatibility with pro controller. I really do not like the feel of the joycons, nor the pokeball plus, especially not after playing for a few hours, so I’m really hoping we’ll be able to use the pro controller. Considering we seem to be getting the old battle system back instead of Let’s Go’s, I don’t see why they shouldn’t add pro controller compatibility. Besides, I spent a lot of money on this thing, lemme use it >:v

Customization. The new trainers look absolutely adorable, but being able to make your trainer fit your style more is still great and makes things more personal. On one hand I’d love even more options for customization than in SuMo, on the other hand I fear I will never even get anywhere cause I’ll be spending hours mixing and matching outfits :’D I am not at all fashionable irl, but my characters in games have to look tip top. Most importantly, I want gender-neutral stuff!! As in, the option to wear clothes or hairstyles regardless of the gender you picked at the beginning. Give me a girl and the female pronouns, but the option to get the haircut that the boys get and that flannel he wears. For example.

Minigames! Not everyone is a fan of them, but personally I love things like Contests, PokeAthlon, the Underground, Missions in the Festival Plaza, etc. Especially multiplayer stuff. Give me other stuff to do besides battling. And on that note give me fun multiplayer features; besides trading and battling! The feature where you can call for another trainer in Let’s Go seemed fun to me. Being able to connect with other players and joining them in your game to do stuff together. Like how you can invite people to your town in Animal Crossing, go to the island and take on island challenges from Tortimer.

Story-wise, it would be great to have a big long story, also post-game, which doesn’t end too soon, but with the option to skip cutscenes if you so please, and more importantly, have the freedom to also explore. In Sun/Moon, you were constantly forced to go to a very specific location, everything else was blocked, and you had a cutscene every new area. Like, it was all very linear. I love the older games in that regard, where there is a story, but you figure out yourself how to progress without NPCs constantly telling you where to go and what to do. I always have this issue where after I’m done with the story, I’m kind of... lost on what to do next, so personally I love a long story to keep me busy. Give me a serious threat for the antagonists. Team Skull was lovely and I enjoyed their antics, but I want to feel like I’m saving the Galar region or even bigger, rather than just stomping on some bullies, PETA (Plasma) or fashion disasters (Flare). Also gimme an asshole rival. Lately we’ve had a bunch of precious bbies who must be protected, now bring back a rival who deserves an asswhooping and had it coming. :v As for the new gyms with gym masters instead of leaders, I have no opinion yet. I like the good ol’ themed gyms, I liked the trials. The arena thing looks pretty neat thusfar, but there’s not enough info yet for me to have much of an opinion now. I heard a rumor that this game will also have missions you can do to earn rewards & brownie points, and that would be really cool. I always really love missions in RPGs. I’m just hoping that there will be like, a combination of one-time missions AND daily missions so you don’t run out of things to do eventually after completing a whole list.

I’m also hoping that any potential mythical pokemon will come in the form of missions. The whole serial codes giveaways suck. Just entering a code for some random delivery man to appear in the pokemon center, just casually handing you a super rare mythical pokemon like it’s nothing is just bs. Give me new story, sidequests or missions DLC for a mythical pokemon instead. Like Celebi in Crystal + HG/SS, Mew in Emerald, Shaymin and Darkrai in Platinum, and then expand the missions even more. Pokemon Ranger actually did this really well; you had to go on a mission involving the pokemon before you got it.

Finally, maybe a difficulty setting. People always complain that the games are too easy and that you have to use self-imposed rules such as Nuzlockes to make it remotely challenging. Maybe add a normal or easy mode for young kids just getting into the games, including tutorials such as the trainer school so they can get used to how everything works. Make a harder setting for veterans who like the games to have some challenge but are still in it for the story, and a Very Hard/Ultimate mode for competitive players who know every in and out of the game and are looking for a challenge where you really have to balance your team out and know what you’re doing to progress, and for people who can’t care less about the story elements of the games.

[serendair]

So this happened: 

...a few days ago actually. I still don’t know how I feel about this.

 While I was somewhat ok with this:

...although I still can’t handle those goggles. Are these welding spectacles? Or for VR? It’s hilarious lol

With the new pictures in the V Jump magazine I am in shock and my first reaction was: 

Agumon and Gabumon look like they put on quite some weight, but that happens when you grow older, doesn’t it? Then again the characters look younger than in tri which is putting me off quite a bit considering they’re 5 years older here. This doesn’t add up.

While I can see Taichi wearing a button-down shirt over a t-shirt and shorts not only because he’s been rocking the shorts since 1999 but also because I kind of expect him striving for his mentor Daigo Nishijima who left quite an impact on him (I really do picture grown up Taichi like Daigo personality-wise) I just can’t agree to Yamato’s style. That’s so out of character even when you don’t compare to tri but to Adventure 02 where he already had some sense for fashion. This here is so plain I’m having a hard time accepting it. Maybe he changed profession and works fulltime as a freelance artist? Who knows. He could go borrow Miyako’s hat.

There’s a general lack of love for detail in their expressions (What’s with the  °_° face, Taichi?), gestures and clothing in these pictures which I grew very fond of in tri. This does go along with the rather plain art of  Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru in the original series who is recruited for this project again. There’s still hope, since we all love Adventure to this day and there wasn’t anything wrong with it, right? Right? (Ok, this is me becoming desperate) 

Overall I did expect something of more value than this with their first character presentations. To me this appears more like a half-hearted drop of concept art to give the audience at least something. That is what I hope this is though: concept art polished to present to public, not much heart put into it. (I’m probably insulting the artists at this point. Please forgive me. My spoiled with cool outfits and adorable facial expressions fangirl heart is bleeding a little.) 

In my defence they did say in the article:

Nakatsuru-san has been put in charge of the character designs.These feel like they’re “still in development!” but please look forward to it later! 

Well... I’ll try. No promises though. I just really hope they get the feel for the characters and transport it as well as tri did.

However I must admit that while I am a huge fan of the tri artstyle and the way you can feel the love that was put into the characters I didn’t like it from the start either. It was so far off from the original series I wondered if this could ever feel like Digimon at all. That nagging feeling was blown away the moment I saw them moving and talking. So for now I stop the rant, sit back and wait anxiously patiently for the pros to create that movie. (Or the next publication of art that I can complain about as loyal fans do! Please look forward to it! lol)

[kenmaiii]

stop being jealous and bitter!

Now i know you cant outright just throw away your jealousy in the art community. You see a really cool popular artist or just someone with absolutely amzing art and you think “wow holy shit their art is so good i wish that was me and that i could do that....” I understand that spite can be a good thing sometimes; it can be what motivates you to improve and do well, especially if the artist is well... not the best person in terms of personality. Great, that’s even more motivation to do well right!? 

But when does all the comparing go too far?

----------------------------------------long post incoming------------------------------------------

Now i’ve had people very close to me do this. I’ve been told that im ‘popular’ which im honestly not seriously. They could probably be reading this right now, but this has been bothering me for awhile so i must get this out there. Let’s step into a certain mindset for a moment:-

You hate your artwork. You hate your current skills. Sure there are artists you like. But then there are ‘THOSE’ ones. You have very specific artists you follow just because theyre so good and popular they make you feel bitter and you still check up on them regularly to fuel that bitterness. You know good and well that they make you bitter and angry and peeved but you just keep going back.

Step back for a moment and think.... why on earth am i fucking doing this???? Comparing and feeling bitter about another persons skill or popularity and letting yourself stay sad and bitter isn’t good for ANYTHING, art aside. It’s good to want to feel validated at the work you spent time on but it WILL get tiring if you keep complaining that ‘your art is bad’, ‘your art isnt good’, ‘its shit’ or ‘garbage’. Your brain is just internalizing that and hindering your work and future improvement. It’s most importantly WASTING YOUR own time, YOU the creator. And not to sound snobby here, i really truly dont intend for that, but some of you know good and well that you keep belitting you work because you only just want people to compliment your art when youre only doing the bare minimum to improve! I can only tell you as a friend or an on-looker that i love your art so many times (as much i really do love it and hope for your improvement) if you continuously decide to still turn around and say you hate your work and tell me im wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!! Why reach for compliments then! Why continuously turn them down?

And i’m not saying you cant ever not like your art (cause it happens) or decline a compliment, but to do it every single time....it leaves a bad image for your work. You either start to believe it, or the person complimenting you will get put off from your negativity!  

It makes people feel bad, especially if theyre also artist AND also your friends. You can’t keep saying you prefer their work and still put down your own. It makes your artist friend uncomfortable. They might not know how to respond when you keep doing it. And im sure they wouldnt want you to keep making yourself feel bad. Personally, i wish all my art friends success and improvement, and i want them to love and feel proud of their work more than the times they hate it. We really need to uplift each other as artists.

Thanks.

What you think and say is what you become and if youre always negative and comparing youre gonna tear down both the person you admire and yourself. Ie, if youre constantly thinking ‘ill never be as good as this person’,’no ones ever gonna like my work’, ‘i cant color as well as they do’ or saying that your work is only ever garbage... newsflash asshole! your mind absorbs that negativity and makes you believe it! u fool!!!!! Because brains are stupid and can be your worst enemy at times! 

Sometimes you just need to stOP looking at certain peoples work completely if it gets you that bitter or angry or sad. Unfollow them! Block them! Delete their name from your search history if you have to! Stop hurting yourself and forget about them, it’s like trying to think about an ex thats moved on. Pointless.

Negative emotions such as sadness and anger are our brains direct ways at trying to reach out to ourselves.

You: seeing cool art Your mind: remembering you dont have some of those skills or popularity + comparing = sadness/ anger/ bitterness at not being able to be at that lvl withtin the same timeframe or less

Your brain is trying to tell you to fix this! But you know you might not have the tools to gain that much popularity or become so good at anatomy, coloring , compositions or backgrounds overnight, so the only solution for your brain is to self-sabotage.

It’s just the same as suddenly feeling sad for no reason. It’s your mind trying to work out a problem you never resolved. Maybe your friends haven’t replied in awhile and you feel ignored. Or you subconsciously remembered a bad experience without really realizing. You’ll get sad. Your mind is is saying ‘Hey asshole im sad. I know it might be out of your control but I’ll stay sad about this one thing until you resolve it somehow. ’ (whether it be blindly distracting yourself on purpose or fully wallowing in the feelings)

So we realized youre feeling intensely about this persons work vs your own...then what exactly happened there? The answer is pretty simple. Some kind of information processing happened in your brain. The result of this processing made the your mind conclude that one of your existing problems (art in this case) can never be solved; whether conscious or unconscious, and this explains why your mood might change all of a sudden without any kind of warning signs (in relation to what you saw). 

Inspired VS Jealousy When youre inspired youre working against yourself in a GOOD way. You’re feeling motivated to make something great! Youre feeling motivated to make something better than the last piece!! And honestly thats wonderful!!!  That is a lot nicer than being in art-block, comparison negativity hell.

YOU are the only one responsible for where you are as an artist. That goes towards every artist of every skill level! There’s always someone better than you and there’s always someone worse than you. People get better at art in different intervals depending on how much they take in or put into practicing. Some people just get some concepts and fundamentals a lot easier and quicker than others but that doesn’t mean they naturally had that ability from birth. They put in the work just as you should be doing instead of feeling so intensely negative! But when you’re jealous and negative all the time, that’s when it starts to go downhill. :/

Jealously is a very human emotion at its core. And im not saying its super easy to deal with and just suddenly get over, but there are things you can do to slowly help yourself do it at least a little less.

Here’s the best things you CAN do instead:- - Write down some of the things you find yourself feeling bitter over about, especially when you look at another artists work? Ask yourself why these specific things? If it’s something you yourself can work on in your own pieces then maybe uh do that?  - Find the time to practice your work. - Practice even more. - If it’s your style that you arent happy with think of the artstyles you like and set aside time to mimic the way that artist might draw something (hence adding that to YOUR style). Take a sketchbook page or two and just draw entirely in those styles. - Practice. I can’t stress this enough. I know artists say this a lot and it can kind of just be thrown around carelessly, but if you keep putting this off and saying you don’t want to practice or talking about how time is going by when you should be practicing things.... and STILL refuse to practice then???? I cant help you sorry. Time waits for no one, so sometimes you need to grab time by the horns and kick its ass for awhile. Put in that effort! - Please use references. Even better if you use it nearly EVERYTIME you draw something, especially yknow...if its a pose, body part or background that you know you have no idea how to properly express! Find a stock image or a variety of websites to use! Save poses that you like from online magazines, other artists and photographs you see anywhere online. I like to look at online magazines from other countries or photographers, and there are tons of places like pinterest or instagram and whatnot. - Stop comparing and being bitter. Ii cant say this enough it gets me so ticked off, but my stubborn taurus self refuses to fully go off until it all piles up and this post is the result lol. If you know you can’t let go hating on a certain artist (for no good reason) then dont hate-follow them! Don’t check up on their work constantly! Don’t even talk about them!!!!!!! Try to get them out of your head for goodness sakes. Majority of the time they dont even know who YOU are so why are you worried about what they’re up to. - STOP SHITTING ON YOUR OWN WORK. - STOP IT RIGHT NOW. - AS THE ARTIST SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO FORCE YOURSELF TO SAY ‘’hey, my work isn’t exactly where i want it to be at this point in time and it may never be but i can appreciate that i’ve gotten better at a lot of things and im better than where i was a few years/ a year/ a month ago/ even weeks ago.” - ”I’m proud of this piece and can’t wait to get even better.” - Art is a struggle that takes time, effort and a lot of work. There’s always going to be someone better than you and there’s always going to be someone worse than you. You can only strive to get to the level that would make you happiest, otherwise you will get irritated with it and feel absolutely miserable about everything you produce. - PUT IN THE WORK TO GET YOUR ART OUT THERE. Social media has been both a curse and a blessing to artists all around. It’s made it easier for us to share our work around and opened paths for making money online and at home and connecting with other artists, but competition grows everyday as more people post their work in the same market. (ie another reason why it can be hard to get your commissions out there) Also as artists we want that dopamine rush you get from people liking your stuff, i get that its gucci. -But if you aren’t tagging your works well, posting somewhat consistently, not really bothering to talk to people in certain art communities (even people in your fandom because hey potential friends and even partners on future projects), not adding your works to groups (a big problem i see with people on places like deviantart mostly), joining and sharing them in art group chats/aminos/discords, joining events to get yourself out there (such as zines/big bangs/gift exchanges etc), giving tips and advice or even little helpful tutorials to people then how do you expect to be noticed? How.  If youre not doing at least TWO of these things then hoW can you complain about not getting attention. :(

 Of course you dont have to do ALL of this. Im just saying ...if you arent out there advertising how will more people know about you? This leads to you thinking no one likes your art (skill level excluded because even my cringiest old art would have a few comments or encouragements to see my future improvement, and i still want to hide when people like/comment/reblog said old art to this very day). 

I understand mainly OC artists feel this way that no ones gonna like their characters, or it just doesnt get reblogged enough in general but thats understandable too. No one is ‘selling out’ if they only do fanart. No one is ‘snobby or scared to get themselves out there’ if theyre really enthusiastic about their stories and worlds. Otherwise we wouldnt have fandoms int he first place, theyre all someones work. And hell, good for you if you draw both. It really is just a matter of how you put yourself out there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It’ll take some time but there IS always someone out there that likes your stuff. And sometimes you just have to be content with making work for yourself, work that makes you happy. The online art world is tough especially when youre small but once you fall into the depths of bitterness its hard to rewire your mind...

This is how yall should be looking at your/others work majority of the time: You: seeing cool art  Your mind: omg thats beautiful! i wish i could draw and paint like that. i should practice more , try out some poses and anatomy or implement what they do into my work. i wanna make a cool ass piece like this too i feel so pumped to draw and work!! 

And that’s that! Do yourself a favor and be happier you bastards! Its tiring being negative and sad all the time and i want tf out of it. Its so very tiring and annoying to be sad and bitter as shit!!!!! My goD

I can’t really think of anything else to add to this and the text may appear angry sometimes as i was very heated when i wrote this but tried to tone it down a lot hfkds. Im not some ‘art guru goddess with supreme skill uwuw’ but advice is advice! It’s always up to the person listening to take it or not.

I’m gonna end this with one of my favorite art quotes of all time from t h e Arin Hanson himself. Because it really is true. 

Get yourself out there, practice towards a level that makes you content and try to have more fun with loving your work.

It’s taken me a long while to post this, as i’ve been feeling this way for...at least a couple months??? but i finally put it all out there i just needed to do this lol.  Sorry if i mightve repeated info sometimes here and there?

This post is just as much of a call out to my own actions but more so @ those of you that specifically do this! 

[ichika27]

My Thoughts on Magia Record

I forgot to take screenshots lol so this post has no other photo making this extra boring. Sorry!

Story:

The main plot of Magia Record is similar to the main series’ wherein a girl can make a contract with Kyubey  - in exchange for any wish to be granted, the girl becomes a magical girl who fights witches.

Our main protagonist, Tamaki Iroha, hears from a colleague about a rumor: a little girl shows up in the dreams of magical girls telling them they’d be saved if they went to Kamihama. An encounter with a witch takes Iroha to Kamihama where she finally remembers that she has a little sister who for some unknown reason has been erased from everyone’s memories. Including hers. Now she has to investigate to find her whereabouts and meeting the magical girls of Kamihama along the way.

Characters:

Unlike the main series, there are a lot more characters here as it’s based on a game. Aside from Iroha, we also have veteran magical girl Yachiyo who wasn’t that open to making friends or even team mates due to past experiences. She owns the villa the other characters end up living in and slowly gain friends anyways. There are also the rival magical girls from the Wings of Magius. Aside from all the new characters, the main characters from the original series show up, too but they’re not the main focus (Madoka and Homura haven’t shown up but they may in the next season).

There are also apparently lots of Kyubeys but none exist in Kamihama...

Thoughts:

Okay, so the artstyle might seem to be the very same as in the original series but if you compare, the one for MagiReco is better (although I can’t explain how). OP seems fun with the visuals and all (until you look up the translations) and the ED is the opposite which is the same as in the main series.

I must say though, this series feels different from the original as it’s less dark, I guess? Like, the first series felt like it was just going downhill as time passed by while this is still kinda hopeful despite the bad things happening but then again, this is the first season so it might change later on. Also, since I already know the ‘twist’ about what magical girls are, the reveal wasn’t as shocking anymore but I’m not sure about how first time watchers who only saw this and hadn’t seen Madoka Magica.

The story is getting interesting and I am excited for the next part but I do see some people complaining about how things are going a different direction from the game version. Whether or not this means it’d be better or worse is something we just have to look forward to,.

[retphienix]

Alright, it's about time I give this game a fair shake at things instead of just hating it from the bottom of my soul for an hour of gameplay over a decade ago.

Here’s the gist of the story.

FFT is quite possibly my favorite game. Most definitely my favorite FF game.

Many years ago I rarely purchased new games due to being a kid with no money, but a friend of my cousin had this game an I got a chance to play it (and FFX) for the first time when we visited once.

I hated it.

I ended up just playing FFX for the remainder of our visit, another game I don’t like too much.

This time around I’m doing things a little differently.

First off I’m older and more willing to accept a game for what it offers rather than what I demand it have due to expectations or namesake. Difficult in this case, but I promise to give the story it’s own room to grow.

Secondly I’m finishing the game regardless of anything so that I feel I get a truly fair shake at how all it’s features, story, and gameplay mechanics sit with me. (Not that I feel you have to beat a game to get a fair idea or opinion, but this is me judging for myself so that’s what I’m doing)

Third is that while I’m giving it a chance, I’m still going to complain about the things that bother me. The reason I’m playing is to see if it can change my mind or offer something I didn’t see before. I can stay open minded while still mentioning the things that urk’d me both 10 years prior and today.

Starting out you find that you are -

In ‘modern day non-descript-land’, I mean Ivalice that super fun place from FFT.

Not Ramza or anyone interesting from FFT

I quickly rectified that second point.

Neither of these are really negative on their own. Though the artstyle not being nearly as charming as FFT or interesting as it should be seeing as they did bother to use some nice details doesn’t help at all.

You’re introduced to a few interesting characters such as protagonist who isn’t Ramza but I’m calling Ramza from now on, Five-Head the girl, and shy bullied child.

In all truth, I don’t mind any of them so far.

Ramza hasn’t said or done anything to give him a character yet aside from caring for his brother.

Ritz (cracker) is loud and proud and inoffensive*.

And Mewt is... I already said all the characterization he’s been given.

They are all flat right now and I’m left to hope they expand from here. Unfair to say anything about them this early on because they’ve been given a grand total of 14 lines (split between them) to characterize themselves seeing as the wonderfully detailed spritework from FFT hasn’t popped up to give them characterization through animation.

*= She does offend in one way and that is by making the terrible artstyle PAINFULLY obvious. In FFT we had noseless characters whom I grew to love and find endearing. So far FFTA has upgraded the portraits by adding noses and by GIVING EVERYONE RIDICULOUSLY HUGE FOERHEADS. Everyone looks like eggs! I’m not a fan.

The first bit of gameplay we’re shown is a snowball fight and this ‘fight’ is a huge reason as to why I quit playing way back when.

It’s boring.

It’s dumb.

It doesn’t introduce gameplay efficiently or in an interesting way.

It doesn’t progress the story or push the characters strengths/weaknesses/traits or personalities.

It’s filler, as the start to their game.

You waste a few minutes of your life playing a small handful of rounds as you throw 1 damage snowballs at classmates and they do the same.

The only interesting thing I noticed was the lack of camera controls.

I will honest to god try my hardest not to do this often, but compare this to the first fight in FFT.

FFT has you start the game in a real engagement. The pre-fight intro was much more interesting with Olevia and carried urgency through the injured squire rushing through the door.

It got you interested in what the heck was going on immediately, and that was just the pre-fight. The fight itself was a REAL fight that had people dying and let you use a small array of moves to get a little bit of a handle on things while getting you interested in pushing further into the game by showcasing sweet abilities that you couldn’t do yet, but these clearly ‘end-game’ units could use.

In this one you throw snowballs. That’s the ONLY thing you can do. The pre-fight was silence followed by lining up to have a snowball fight, followed by one kid complaining and switching teams. No one does anything other than throw snowballs unless you count the end of the fight where someone throws a *gasp* snowball with a rock in it.

ANYWAY.

We finished the snowball fight, or rather it was interrupted by Mewt getting bullied, and we agree to join up after school to hang out. Mewt said he’s getting a sweet dnd handbook and Ramza invites him and Ritz over because it might cheer up my brother Doned (dumb name).

We do that, it’s a short visit.

Doned is a sickly character who feels like he exists to give Ramza depth. That feels cheap. Ignoring that he’s fine I guess. He’s just bored and wants some joy, which makes the premise of this game seem like a possibly outlet for him seeing as we’re about to be transported to a mystical land of possibility.

We look at the book, immediately say it must be magic despite it not showcasing anything magic to us. Our reasoning is literally that since we can’t read the language it must be magic, lucky coincidence.

Our guests leave the shortest visit ever and that night the book transforms the town of Ivalice into the continent of Ivalice (Neither Ivalice is thematically the same as the Ivalice from FFT so honestly I don’t care and wish it had a different name).

Entering this strange new world immediately throws us some curve balls.

It tells us that there are plenty of new races in the world. That’s kind of cool.

It tells us that there are Judges for every battle. THAT’S THE LAMEST THING EVER AND IS WHY I IMMEDIATELY STOPPED PLAYING AS A KID.

And it implies that it might be too scared to show death in this title compared to FFT seeing as this fight ends with the enemy knocked to his knees and TAKEN TO JAIL for breaking the rules. Lame.

Ignoring that and hoping for the best, we’re introduced to a moogle and dragged along to his clan which he lets us name as we will presumably be making all the leadership decisions regardless of any title we’re given.

Weird, but I like clan mentality things in games. Just.... I didn’t even become leader or anything and I’m naming them and undoubtedly leading them now.

Ok.

I chose the only name befitting Ramza and his misfit gang of do-gooders. Heretics, as we were in the Ivalice of old.

This is where I begin my new adventure.

I may end up mentioning these complaints way down the line but

1. I’ll also throw in that whenever a new location is discovered via plot reasons YOU LITERALLY CHOOSE WHERE IT EXISTS IN THE MAP. I don’t really like this. Like at all. If it’s meant to make me feel empowered in some way, or add thematically to SOMETHING it doesn’t feel right and it just makes the map look like a stupid mess to me that I’m supposed to fill in because the devs couldn’t figure out how to make a world.

2. Classes are separated among the various races. You can’t become every class. Each class is basically race exclusive. I really don’t like this and I don’t feel like explaining how limiting, arbitrary, and annoying this is.