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ihvcmplnts · 10 months ago

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I hate the direction Poppy Playtime has gone in the past year. (Part 1)

Does anyone else hate the direction Poppy Playtime has taken this past year? and also not excited for Chapter 3? It really hurts me as I LOVED the first two Chapters! they felt really unique and special! I rarely get into new things, and when I do it's never as strongly as this!! So this may end up a little long, but I'd really appreciate it if people read this and understand the way I feel about this! (Especially you, MOBgames/MobEntertainment!)

Before I get into this, I have to admit that I'm terrible at writing, so this may be a little messy, but I'll try my best. Right, so there are many things I adored about Poppy Playtime: Chapter 1 & Chapter 2. We'll start with one of the things shared between both Chapters: Gameplay.

The gameplay in both Chapters is basically like this: Start Chapter -> do puzzles -> encounter living Toy -> do more puzzles -> encounter Toy again -> Toy chases you -> Toy dies -> End of Chapter.

I LOVE this formula! it works really well and is what the core of the game is: A cute, colourful & sometimes creepy puzzle game! (Too many games try to play up the horror aspect. the fact that these Chapters are cute, colourful puzzle games first, and creepy second, is something I really liked, as I'm personally not a fan of games trying to be "scary". games that try to be scary almost never are, and the thing with things that ARE scary? scares fade over time. creepy things though? those tend to stay creepy and linger in the mind for a long time! so yeah, creepy is miles better than scary!)

Next is the story. One thing I've noticed with many games over the years, is they try too hard to make a complex story. it always ends up feeling like things are forced in purely for "lOrE" and getting theorists to talk about it. this just completely ruins the story. see FNAF as an example. originally the plot was just "Man wearing yellow rabbit suit kills kids and stuffs their bodies in Animatronic suits, causing the children's souls to haunt said suits" nothing too complex here. very easy to understand. this was good. I liked FNAF a lot between 1 and SL. I think SL tied up the story perfectly. after that though, things started to change. now we're at a point where theres books that are apparently somewhat tied to the games? and games made after SL just don't fit in with the story previously told. it just seems very confusing to me and honestly puts me off the series. its just too complex at this point, so much so that I have zero desire to get back into the series. people just need to remember: simple is best! now back on topic: Poppy Playtime's story.

Poppy Playtime's story in the first two Chapters is simple. obviously there are two parts to this, so on to the first part: The Player's story - The Player, a former Playtime Co. employee, recieves a tape, and a note that states that the other employees, who disappeared in the factory 10 years ago, are actually still at the factory somewhere, but no-one has been able to find them. so the Player decides to go to the factory to investigate.

The second part - The Toys story: Toy Company finds a way to make living toys through the use of poppy flowers. minus Poppy herself, who seems to act more human, possibly due to being older and picking up on human behaviours, the living toys are like animals. Playtime Co. tries to teach, train & tame the toys. some, like Huggy Wuggy, are tame from the start, and some, such as Mommy Long Legs, are mostly tame, but also need a bit of training. then there are others who are more like wild animals that cannot be tamed. with the events currently taking place, many of the Toys, having been abandoned for 10 years, have reverted back into wild animals due to lack of socialisation and food. they're forced to eat their own kind in order to survive.

(Just a note I'd like to add is that one of my favourite things about Poppy Playtime is that the world inside Chapter 1 & Chapter 2 feels plausible. everything in those two feel like things that could happen in real life. The Toys being created, and the Toys themselves, with the way they act and the way they move. it's so good!!)

The second part of the story is facinating to me! a story of creating life that doesn't naturally exist, and the process of teaching them about the world they're in, and the roles they're given. it's SO unique and refreshing! the Toys being real, living beings, and not just a bunch of humans or human souls trapped inside a body that's not theirs was AMAZING!! Humans actually being the monsters in games is WAY too common, and honestly extremely boring. definitely a trope I am absolutely sick of. I know many others feel the same. genuine monsters are just SO much better! (more on this later)

Next thing I'd like to mention, which will be short: The look of the games.

I LOVE the look of both Chapter 1 (OG) & Chapter 2!! they look unique and have an amazing aesthetic. from these, you can easily tell what game you're looking at! cartoony, with a bit of realism. I've never liked realism myself, but the cartoony style with a hint of realism seen here really works!! its just a shame they ruined Chapter 1 a bit with the update they put out a few months back.

I also LOVE the Toy Factory setting!! normally factories in games are really ugly and unappealing, but Poppy Playtime Chapter 1 & Chapter 2 managed to make a factory that is adorable and colourful!! seeing the character art and colours everywhere makes it so appealing! with those and other things like the way the pipes on the walls look, and just how cartoony it all looks, including the machines seen in both chapters, the factory itself looks like a giant toy! it's wonderful and magical and I cannot praise it enough!

Now I'm going to focus on the things I liked about both Chapters individually.

Chapter 1: Short, to the point. a great intro for the game. Huggy may have had little screentime, but what he had was perfect. he was basically "tutorial monster", which really worked for him. his role has been fulfilled. overall, just a nice little experience. 10/10 experience for the original Steam version.

Chapter 2: A longer, more story-driven Chapter. All of the Toys in this one were great in the roles they were given, but of course Mommy Long Legs stood out. I absolutely LOVE Mommy!! her playful, childlike personality was always so fun, and she's utterly adorable!! I love that she talks! it made her so much more interesting, really adds to the cuteness of her character, and is the sole reason why she was also a bit creepy. The minigames of this Chapter were great fun! and the green hand is cool! I miss the red one though. :( red and blue go better than blue and green! anyway - Chapter 2 really is amazing, and basically took what we had in Chapter 1 & made it so, SO much better!! 10/10!! honestly, Mommy alone makes Chapter 2 deserve a 10/10 score! she's THAT amazing!! (I also LOVE that Mommy is the baby of the living toys!! it's so cute! I hope it stays that way as being the youngest really suits her!! she's very cutesy, has a somewhat child-like personality & way of speaking, and is the smallest of the bigger toys, so its perfect! I like to imagine she's like a little sister to other toys like Huggy & PJ! and I think there's enough reason to think she may have been close to those two in particular, especially Huggy, which I really like as those three are my favourites! Huggy, Mommy & PJ were the original Playtime Trio too. I miss that group so bad!! I'd love to see merch of just those 3 together! a blanket would be the best thing!!)

Next: Toy Designs The designs of the main cast of toys (Huggy, Mommy, PJ, Bunzo, Poppy, Kissy, Candy, CatBee, Bron & Boogie) are all great in that their designs actually look like toys that could exist in real life! Huggy, Mommy, PJ & Bunzo are easily the stand-outs. they're the ones I think look most plausible, and most interesting. Mommy's design is by far the best! super cute & pretty. she's absolutely a toy I would've LOVED to have when I was a kid. she and PJ feel very nostalgic to me as they actually do look like the sort of toys that were about from my childhood! I haven't got anything more to say about Huggy or Bunzo, but they're just great designs! I also don't have anything else to say about the other main toys - Candy, CatBee, Poppy, Kissy, Bron & Boogie. again, just great designs! Candy in particular I have a soft spot for. she's cute!

I will say though: Huggy's & Mommy's designs were totally butchered in Project: Playtime. Ugly and no longer look plausible as actual toys. (same for Bunzo's design at the end of the Easter comic, and now Kissy & Poppy.) not sure why they ruined them so bad in that game. they should've left them alone! I was REALLY hoping they didn't use them again, especially not in the main game. The person who made the redesigned models completely missed the point of the characters: they're meant to look plausible as actual toys, be cute, and in some cases a bit uncanny. also the inspiration for certain characters is lost in the redesigns. The GrabPack also looks bad. more on all this later. probably in a separate post.

I keep hoping they'll change them back to their original designs in the spinoff, (and now the main game) as it is one of the major reasons I've been completely put off of ever playing it. because they look so horrible!! actually, there's a LOT about Project: Playtime I don't like. Its actually the reason Poppy Playtime started to go downhill for me, due to it making so many changes, retcons and just not making sense. I'll get to that in a bit. first though: The Chapter 1 update.

My main issue with the update is it made the game too dark, which really ruins the experience. how can a game be enjoyed properly when you can't even see anything? it just completely changes & ruins the atmosphere, which is sad. I have other more minor complaints about the update, but I won't bother with those here.

I REALLY hope they don't update Chapter 2. or at the very least, visually. I understand if they want to add subtitles like Chapter 1, but Chapter 2, just like the original version of Chapter 1, is perfect as it is. I'd be so devastated and heartbroken to see Chapter 2 ruined. It's very important to me.

also, I really hope they bring back OG Chapter 1 someday.

I'm probably forgetting something, but for now I think I'm done with the stuff I loved & liked. now onto all the crap that I feel is ruining the game, starting with what started the decline: Project: Playtime.

Project: Playtime, as previously stated, is definitely what started the massive decline in the series. it made so many awful, unnecessary changes & retcons to the main game. I'm surprise I haven't seen as many people as I thought I would talking about all the issues it (and Chapter 3) introduced. here's a list of the changes & retcons made in this game:

1.The living Mommy being made before her toy. So she only had a matter of days to bond with the other living toys, the ones that she was so attached to? and the staff only tried to train her for a few days before deciding to move her elsewhere so they could condition her into tolerating & looking after or guiding kids with the hope it MAY calm her down? such a stupid retcon that makes no sense. I figured they'd at least try working on her behaviour for a couple of years, or heck, even just a few months, before trying this method! also I'm pretty sure its impossible to create toys, and send them to stores in less than a month. (If anyone is confused: Mommy's toy came out 2nd of February, 1991. this means that with Project's retcon, which states the living Mommy was also created in 1991, was made somewhere between 1st January 1991 to 1st of February 1991. it just doesn't work!!)

2.While on the subject, Mommy's personality. part of her profile in Project states "Mommy is best described as a spider-like psychotic murderer who kills for fun." I have multiple problems with this.

To start, I don't see how she's spider-like. Sure, there are some references, but her design is clearly human, and her personality is more cat-like with the way she watches & plays with the player.

Next, how is Mommy psychotic? sure, it was obvious in Chapter 2 that Mommy is mentally ill, the way she behaves and speaks feel like a young adult, who acts very child-like. but looking at what I can see from a quick search of psychosis, most of the symptoms don't seem to match. I thought her illness was either because her handler(or whatever they call the person/people who takes care of her) didn't treat her very well, (which, along with being taken away from the toys she loved, also caused her to hate humans) or just a random, made up illness that would never be explained.

Also, it called her a murderer. how is she a murderer? as far as we're aware, she's only killed Bunzo and some of the Mini Huggies, which could be justified. bear in mind the main game establishes two things: 1.The toys are starving due to a lack of food, and 2.There appears to be multiple different sides, or groups, amongst the toys. Mommy could've made a deal with Bunzo & the Mini Huggies where she'd spare them and find food elsewhere if they killed the player, or maybe they'd share the player's corpse, as I'm sure it would be plenty for all of them. as they failed, and she was starving, she could've chosen to eat them, so of course killed them. in regards to "sides", it seems to me that there are at least two or three different sides that the toys are on. Huggy & Mommy seem to be on the same side, as there's quite a lot out there that suggests the two are close, and also that they both seem to dislike Poppy. Poppy herself seems to be on her own side, though it wouldn't surprise me if she was secretly working with the Prototype. speaking of which, Prototype seems to also have his own little group. but again, wouldn't surprise me if Poppy's on his side. people wonder why Mommy didn't kill PJ. there are multiple possibilities, though the ones I think apply: He's too big for her to kill as he's much larger than her. he could also have been part of her group, and her friend. It also could just be that she didn't get time or was too focused on finding the player, but I doubt that. I think its possible that Mommy could've killed Bunzo & the Mini Huggies because they were of a different group, though I find that unlikely as they live where she lives, and she set the Mini Huggies free. It could've just been pure rage, but even if that was A reason, I think food is probably the main reason she killed them. I wouldn't call her a murderer for that. It was simply survival.

It also says she kills for fun….. No she doesn't. In Chapter 2 she clearly doesn't want to personally kill the player, as she has them play games with other toys in the hopes that one of them kills the player instead. it was only when she was out of options that she went after the player herself. It's true that she threatened to kill the player during her intro scene, but I'm sure that was purely to scare the player into playing her games. So yes, she DID want the player dead, and she may have wanted to watch it happen, but she still didn't want to actually do the killing herself! and to be honest, even if Mommy DID decide to kill the player herself instead of having other toys try first, I still wouldn't say she's a murderer, or that she kills for fun. We know the player was a member of staff as Mommy recognised them. Mommy hates the staff. if she was actually treated poorly, and I bet she was, especially with her "conditioning", killing the Player would both feel like vengeance for how she was treated, and give her food to eat. So yeah, Project's info is false. I really don't know why they wrote it that way.

I won't delve too much into it here, but I also don't like the nonsense abilities made up for the characters in the game. The Steam page also lists how the characters play incorrectly, but that's a topic for a different post.

Other things I don't like are: 1.The change in art-style. I can't pinpoint exactly why it looks so different, but it looks bland and ugly. though at least it still looks cartoony, so I'll give it credit for that.

2.The locations. they don't make sense and do not fit in the world. though I don't think they were meant to be canon, which is good, but I think creators should take care with spin-offs in making sure they fit in with their main series.

3.Boxy Boo. I think his design is bad. he doesn't look like a toy Playtime Co. would make, and doesn't look plausible. He just doesn't fit into the world. he also lacks the "cute" look of the other toys. his name is also awful, but just "Boxy" would've been fine. He honestly just feels like a rip-off of both Huggy (combo of eyes, sharp teeth, furry.) and Mommy. (stretchy, even if done differently.)

I also HATE his fleshy mouth. He's a toy! why is his mouth fleshy?? I could say more, but I'll leave it there. I may delve more into his design in another post.

This game is also the thing that introduced two things to the series: 1.The Bigger Bodies Initiative (BBI for short) & 2.The possibility that some of the living Toys are made using human parts. some people also think that its suggesting that the Toys are actually not just made from humans, but ARE the humans they're made from. PLEASE NO. (more on this in a bit.)

The first of the two, the BBI, is just so silly to me. I hate the name. it sounds stupid. and the whole need for a special title for certain bigger toys, when there was no need for the smaller toys or previous bigger toys doesn't make sense. also the game suggests that Boxy was the first living Toy created, but that doesn't make sense either. Prototype was suggested to be the first of something due to his name. I have an idea of what it is, but I'll be saving that for later. Next, its heavily implied that Poppy is the first ever living Toy. why another "first"? what else could he be the first of? the only thing I can think of is he's the first that used human parts. though the game seems to have retconned Huggy & Mommy into BBI experiments too, which I do NOT like.

This leads me into the next one: that some Toys are made using human parts.

I HATE this!! it's SO unoriginal and boring. it was far more interesting with them all being created using only poppy flowers! (and I'd assume lab created blood. though it could also be the poppy flowers mixed with some sort of water to make it look & function like blood)

The whole "The Toys are humans" thing is even worse!! it doesn't make sense and it completely ruins the characters and the plot!! it also completely removes any creepiness from the games! how is it even the slightest bit creepy if the Toys are just a bunch of people?? pretty much everything given in the first two chapters basically said that the Toys were exactly as they're presented: Living Toys. stuff outside the game also heavily suggested this. If the Ch1 & Ch2 Toys are people now, it's definitely a massive (and awful) retcon! one that, again, makes NO sense whatsoever! The Toys being simply just living toys trying to adapt to and navigate a world they weren't naturally made for is so much more interesting! I'll be talking more about this in a bit as I'll be talking about all the evidence for both sides.

Actually, I'm going to make a part 2 of this post to go over other things in more detail. I've spent hours writing this out and I'm so tired. so I'll leave it here for now, but I'll try to get part 2 up soon. I'd love to post it today, but I think its more likely to be within a couple of days or so. maybe longer. we'll see. anyway, if anyone had read all this, thank you! if anyone does read this and agrees with anything I've said here, please feel free to add your own thoughts on what you agree with as it's always nice hearing from others who share opinions. :) or alternatively, make your own post about your thoughts on the series! or both!

Just quickly going to add: I'm VERY disappointed in the Console version of Chapter 1. I was hoping for a normal port of the OG Steam version with the Steam picture for the console menu icon. this version doesn't look very good and the icon used for it is hideous!! bring back the iconic steam picture you cowards!!

I also have much to add about Chapter 3 aswell, such as:

1.The Smiling Critters have a bad design (why 8 identical designs with minor differences though??) and also don't fit in. (Especially the bigger ones)

2.How ugly the game and characters look.

3.The new hands are bad and again, don't fit in.

4.The fact that CatNap seems to be confirmed to be a human, which is a massive retcon for the series.

Also a couple of other things related to both Ch3 & Project:

1.How MOB have clearly lost sight of what Poppy Playtime was meant to be & what made it so special.

2.How MOB clearly doesn't care about pleasing actual fans and are only trying to pander to haters, and their clique of Discord users/Partners In Crime members/a particular set of theorists.

I've probably forgotten something, but I tried my best. I wish I could've posted this months ago (and also in complete form) but things kept getting in the way. Any questions? feel free to ask. bye for now.

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naffeclipse · 10 months ago

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What if Eclipse from AP was a naga? And this took place in the deep jungle of the amazon, where photographer y/n is trying to take pictures of the wildlife?

I'm vibrating at the speed of sound over this ask while also nudging my naga au

Naga Eclipse from AP would have the tail of a Green Anaconda, with an olive green scaly color dotted with black, framed by burning-like flares of orange along the length of his slithery body. He's also decorated with orange-yellow striping on either side of his long, slipper form. His upper half is scaley with a lithe deadliness to his musculature and decorated by frills surrounding his head with brighter orange-yellow colors, almost hypnotic in their gradient hues. One eye is deep emerald green, and one is midnight blue.

Lucky you—you're out on a once-in-a-lifetime expedition to explore a jungle closed off to the public, funded by Fazco, and occupied by two researchers who will be your bunkmates for the next few weeks. You're itching to take photos of the large river, including swamps, marshes and streams, and whatever wildlife is out there.

The few locals you did meet before you left to hike the rest of the way to what would be your new, isolated home warned you of a dangerous snake—a large, mythical beast. You take note of the local folklore. You understand the truth is hidden in there somewhere, and you are well aware of the dangers and diseases you could be met with in such a harsh environment, but you're determined.

It doesn't take long for you to feel eyes watching you when you first venture out by yourself. You take beautiful pictures of freshwater fish, big and beautiful, unlike any you have ever seen. Of course, you have hundreds of snapshots of the local flora, the trees, the floating meadows, the thick vines that drape each branch and hang thickly about the ground. You almost forget that you eerily don't feel alone.

But you swear something moves in the water—the ripples stop as soon as you look. The stillness is suddenly stiff, lifeless. Even the birds have stopped chirping.

You lower your camera and carefully put it away. A trickle of fear slips into your heart. You turn away from the river's edge only to be met by a low hiss and a creature, unlike anything you witnessed in your travels, spooling itself neatly out of the water, blocking your path to the base. An incredible creature with long arms and a great, serpentine tail that seems to stretch for yards and yards. You can hardly breathe in his presence—he's otherworldly with his frills and scales and fangs.

His eyes contain a mesmerizing shine as if staring into a fire as it burns or watching the ocean as it laps up against the beach, drawing your attention, demanding you don't look away. You couldn't anyway. Half-frozen, you struggle to keep from collapsing. He beckons with a sharp talon. He hisses softly for you to come closer, mouse. He wants to see you. You try to beg no without revealing how terribly you tremble. He doesn't let you go. He insists. His eyes flash with an allure. You almost step close when he murmurs that you need to be good.

But then your sense of survival kicks adrenaline into your heart, and you turn to run—

He strikes faster than your eyes can follow. Two loops of his green and orange tail surrounded you in an instant. You're dragged to the ground, your arms pinned under his mass, and the back of your head cradled by his large palm as powerful muscles squeeze you in the slightest—a gentle rebuke for thinking you could get away. You're hyper-aware of the terrifying bulk of muscles as you lie trapped in his coils. One strong twist and your eyes could pop out of your skull, and every bone protecting your heart and lungs would crumble to shards. You gasp. An urge to kick your legs and struggle erupts in your panic; a sinking feeling tells you it would only make things worse.

He coos over you, hissing and humming in an ancient song of the jungle you have no name for. When you whimper, he shushes you and strokes your cheek. He tells you how lovely you'll be. When you talk back to him, somehow finding your tongue amid your horror, you find out his name. Eclipse. He moves you more upright, resting you on his tail so you're not petrified by how vulnerable you feel lying down, but he never loosens his scaly bindings. He hovers over you. You gaze into his stunning frills of yellow-orange and wonder how a being like him came to exist. He studies you as you study him. He grins at how you shiver when he traces your collarbone with a sharp fingertip.

You remind yourself that you can still breathe. He hasn't crushed you—yet—but you don't like how wide his smile is. Sometimes, his jaw stretches a little too long as if dislocating from his skull, ready to devour you. His eyes gleam with a ravenousness as scales twist around you, holding you close enough to smell the slick green water he had been in and deep musk.

He tells you that he'll see you again very soon—away from other humans, lest you bring him a fine gift for a meal. You can only flex your fingers, silently pleading in your heart that he won't unhook his jaw and eat you alive.

Then, he unravels himself from your limbs. But before he lets you go entirely, he leans in close, his serpentine tongue flickering close to your neck and by your hair, tasting the air around you as you muster all your strength to not scream. He inhales deeply, pleased, before he murmurs, "Sweet mouse. You are mine. Say it."

You don't understand, but you echo his command, and when he taps your chin once in what might have been a loving gesture, you force your jelly legs to solidify before you run and run, all the way back to base. You slam the door to your room behind you. You touch your ribs, your arms, still caught in the heavy sensation of his loops as if he were upon you right now.

The stories are true—there is a giant snake in this jungle, and he wants you. You're afraid to discover if Eclipse's intrigue with you is only an exotic way to satisfy his hunger.

#i'm not normal about nagas #this is great because in the naga au with sun and moon #eclipse isn't a naga so this gives me my fix of naga eclipse #just augh #love these monsters #anyways he's gonna squeeze you and love you and you are just so lucky he finds you adorable he could just eat you up (not really but ya kno #he has plans for lovely little you #he's going to show you so many cool creatures like pink river dolphins and big big BIG floating meadows and the best brightest birds!#he's also gonna try to get you to eat vermits and promise that he'll protect you when you get sluggish after eating #and you have to explain that your metabolism is very different from his but then you get to see him sluggish and sleepy after he eats #(whoops that means extra long cuddles for you and boy does he like to take long naps and wrap you up tight so you don't go anywhere)#apex polarity #<<< just tagging for the same characterization of Orclipse and photographer y/n #but i am calling this:#blackwater lure #naga!eclipse #photographer!reader #naff writing #the serpent den

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