utmv-united

[utmv-united]

On the Nature of Fanwork Critique/Commentary.

This is -ironically- the most dividing factor of my initiative.  I went into this aware that not everyone likes to see criticism, and may be open and direct about not liking it’s presence. This is especially so when taking into account that most authors of Undertale fanworks do not make any profit off of their passions. I am well aware of this, and it is part of the reason that I want to bring these works of passion to the table for discussion.

One thing that I will stand firm on however is that I will continue to write these pieces. I will still do so with careful thought and consideration, but unless I am doing severe harm I will not take anything down. Opinions are opinions. 

I have repeated this before and will continue to repeat it going forward: you do not have to read my work, let alone agree with it. The argument that these critiques are unsolicited can be opposed with the fact that no one is being forced to be subject to these opinions. This includes the author the work was made by. They can see the title and choose for themselves whether or not they want to read it. Simple as that. 

If you put up your work to the public eye, you need to accept there is a risk that your work will be given feedback. I am well aware of this fact with my own work.

I myself am a creator. I create comics and art and I put it up online to a modest following, much like the people whose work I write about. Accepting the fact that my work may be critiqued (and sometimes not in a positive light) is necessary for me to keep a long term online presence. In fact, I myself encourage such discussion because it shows to be the impact my work has on others.

(On a side note, I choose not to reveal myself to this blog for numerous reasons, both practical and personal. Perhaps in time I will, but there is no guarantee.)

If I were to ask anything of the people reading, please be aware that I am still learning. I do not have robust experience in writing opinion based pieces, but the only way I can get that experience is to go out and do it: Make those mistakes, learn from them and move on.

Thank you for reading. 

[utmv-united]

“A Conversation” Undertale Short Comic Review

I came across this little comic on my regular checking of what new Undertale comics were popping up on tumblr. I wanted to find a short comic to cover that wouldn’t take me long to talk about, so I could have something small that I could finish. It took me by surprise that something with such simplistic art was as successful as it was, so it intrigued me enough to look into the comic: a decision I do not regret. 

The comic, titled “A Conversation” is only 3 parts long, but what it does in that length is shine a light on a side of Papyrus that many so often overlook. 

But before I delve into that, credits to @jazzyartsssss for creating this little slice of goodness. And of course, a link to the comic below: https://jazzyartsssss.tumblr.com/post/674560274404130816/a-conversation-part-1-part-2-is-here-happy   Light spoilers ahead.

Now, one thing is certain upon first read: the author/artist has a clear love for Papyrus as a character - going in depth (for as much as a three part comic can) into his desires and struggles more than most dare to. Most notably it portrays a disappointment of what Papyrus perceives as shortcomings. In Undertale, we see him rave about how one day he’s going to be a royal guard: famous, beloved, and even more great than he already is. Though, often his actions and nature directly go against his goals, whether he intends it or not. 

It’s refreshing to see this form of frustration come from the character, which all comes to front when he expresses these thoughts and emotions to Gaster, of all people. Perhaps he felt more safe to do so with Gaster because he isn’t an ever present figure in Pap’s life, and is unlikely to tell anyone who is (thus making said people ‘pity’ Papyrus, which I’m sure he would want to avoid). Gaster takes on the role of the wise all seeing character, trying to oppose Pap’s view of what makes for a good life. 

The visuals -as simplistic as they are- communicate very complex ideas regarding Papyrus’ own worries surrounding existentialism and the more insecure side of his self image that is masked behind surface level confidence. The best example in the comic is the panel of Pap’s soul drowned out by a background full of identical souls. It perfectly conveys the feeling like he doesn’t actually matter unless he can achieve something great. Something I still struggle with myself.

The comic also sheds light on how Papyrus views the things he has actually done. It’s interesting to see Papyrus see his more memorable acts of persistent kindness as just something anyone can do, failing to see that is not the case with most. But not only that, it also brings up the question of whether he would truly feel accomplished after capturing a human, or would he fall back into his old problems after the high wears off.

Shedding light on this makes the ending all the sweeter. It isn’t a huge surprise, but it doesn’t need to be. It keeps very simple and straightforward in how it shows that the superficial desires Papyrus obsessed over aren't what actually gives him a meaningful life.  Though, I have a couple minor nitpicks I want to point out. These are merely subjective takes, so take it with a grain of salt.

 For one, I didn’t really see a need for Sans to join Pap’s and Gaster in part 2, since he really didn’t do anything and the point of him struggling alongside his brother was already made. 

Another criticism is more towards a missed opportunity; I feel like the mystery of Gaster’s presence in this comic would have been better portrayed if his face was hidden. It feels as if Papyrus is just sitting with just about anyone, and I feel if Gaster was more concealed it would have rung more effective. 

Despite that, the message the author intended is delivered quite well. It keeps simple and sweet with it’s message. 

[utmv-united]

0915 (aka PRISONER METTATON); an Undertale Fan-comic Review

In the early years of Undertale’s fandom, many fan made comics emerged from the young and passionate fanbase; a popular genre being to stick the established characters into sticky situations they’ve never experienced. One of which is the more or less obscure 0915, also known to some as Prisoner Mettaton. A comic about Mettaton’s thrilling start at life in Hollywood as he is framed for murder and ends up in California state prison. 

Though despite such a premise, this comic manages to be light and full of heart, and doesn’t get lost in the weeds of court lingo. Not only is the art well composed and of professional quality, 0915 keeps the narrative simple enough to understand, while still being able to slam dunk most of its dramatic notes. It is a fun read that I stumbled upon, and after several readings have still managed to enjoy.  The comic in question is made by @spectrumelf , you can find most of their 0915 comics at the link below: 

https://spectrumelf.tumblr.com/tagged/origins  Now with that out of the way, let’s get into the meat of things.

Story

There are two main sections of the 0915 narrative: the main, fully fleshed out origin comics (consisting on the arcs titled Misdemeanor and Felony), and the various short comics and tidbits about MTT’s life in prison. The short comics and tibits aren’t all that easy to find, so I will be linking to some at the end for you to enjoy. 

If you haven’t read the comic yet, I highly recommend you do, as I’ll be getting into spoiler territory. 

The main narrative of Misdemeanor and Felony act as the origin story to how Mettaton got into prison (as they have made 0915 content beforehand). Misdemeanor starts and ends very simply; Mettaton unknowingly committing a crime when he plants his feet in wet concrete on the walk of fame and getting arrested for it. It’s quite fitting.  

This arc serves as the introduction into the setting of not only the surface world (implying this is a post pacifist run), but to the story important settings of jail and the courtroom. A theme that is apparent in this arc is that Mettaton is clearly inexperienced with the laws and customs surrounding human society, and makes for many cute little gags as the robot struggles to understand what things mean, which can lead to him overreacting at times. It’s a small and easily consumable preface into what is to come later… 

The Felony arc is where shit gets real. Occurring not long after the previous arc, Mettaton is on his way to an audition when he runs into a suspicious human in the middle of an alleyway, who gives him a bloody chainsaw and runs off. Soon after MTT comes across a body in the alley, in which he is caught by police soon after. He is taken in and put on trial for first degree murder. 

As the days pass and Mettaton slowly realizes this is nothing like the misdemeanor he committed before, the pressure builds more and more. Even Alphys, whom he depended on to help get him out, was unable to guarantee an easy out, which, to MTT, was seen as betrayal. 

Between these points lies a period in which MTT needs to survive the two months before the trial date. He’s been given a lawyer, and with limited battery reserves, waited until the day of reckoning. But as that day of court dawns on the robot, things… fall apart. Evidence and motive is connected to him in ways that kept pushing his fate for the worse. The final nail in the coffin was when the prosecutor took Frisk up to the stand, and revealed that Mettaton has put the ambassador in a similar situation back in the underground. Yet another motive.

So while in the moment, the guilty verdict was devastating, the pieces in play make such a fate unsurprising the more it’s thought about. Mettaton is stuck in state prison, and has to cope with his new life… but as the years pass there is… a glimmer of hope. 

When Mettaton is taken to see Alphys in one of his weekly visits, he is given a popular culture magazine, to which he finds the face of the exact killer right on the page of a newly released film: the film Mettaton was going to audition for. 

He shows this to Alphys, and when Alphys gets him to reexplain what happened that day, that little spark - the hope of freedom and redemption - of one day getting out. Free. Able to leave that old prison keeping him locked up behind.

Redemption… its… yeah. That fits quite well here. This whole narrative, Mettaton was trying to create a new life for himself on the surface. A life full of opportunity and novice, but once that murder takes place in the alleyway�� everything from his life in the underground seems to… come back to him again. Even the prison has parallels to the underground; something Mettaton never asked for or wanted, but was put upon him regardless. 

Perhaps this is just an interpretation exclusive to myself, but I feel that it would be a fault to not bring it to light. 

The story itself is fleshed out under its simplicity, which surprisingly enough, reflects well on its art style…

Art

For as simple as the art is, it’s shockingly easy to take it for granted (I know I did at first). But as I looked at it more, and closer, I began to see something really special. 

One of the easier to notice aspects is the full colour, with expertly chosen palettes with shading that fits the mood of each scene. It’s incredibly diverse, yet nothing ever feels out of place. It doesn’t try to go out of it’s way to impress, rather staying in it’s lane and excelling in that as much as possible.

But one element that took me longer to pick up on was the composition. 

The layout and composition of each page (and the panels within them) are so easy to overlook if you don’t have a trained eye towards them. More so, good composition is made so that you DON’T notice it, which thus would disrupt the flow of your reading. It’s one thing to have good composition in a single image, but it’s another to have it consistently good throughout an entire PAGE, full of panels and dialogue that you need to convey to the reader all in one piece. 

It’s surprising, because when I saw the art, at first I just brushed it off. I didn’t pay much attention to it. But the more that I read the more it dawned on me just how much skill and talent that was behind it (even in the tidbit whiteboard sketch comics) 

Conclusion

0915 was a comic that I stumbled onto years after it was initially made, the last major posts about it going up around… 2018 I believe. Nonetheless, this comic still holds up as a small scale story with a lot of charm, heart, and passion that went into its pages (even the little tidbit one offs that are hard to find, but if you search hard enough it’s a real treat). 

What I find most charming is that the comic never tries to be too upscale with the story it is trying to tell. Sure, the drama of it can be intense, but never in a way that is forced or unnatural from the core of the narrative. A compelling plot paired with skilled knowledge of how to effectively use the visual medium of comics makes the 0915 origins comic a compelling read. 

[utmv-united]

For the many years I’ve been involved with Undertale’s fandom, I don’t think I’ve come close to consuming all the fanwork the community has to offer. Each comic, animation, and piece of writing is bursting with passion that made me fall in love with a game I’ve never even played myself. 

Despite this, I don’t think I’ve ever really seen any tangible pieces of commentary dedicated to these works. 

All the commentary I’ve seen had been either of the base game, or barely scratching the surface of the AU community. Perhaps it’s because many are scared of offending or hurting the creators who are mainly doing this for the fun of it, making little money, if any. But I feel that this commentary needs to exist regardless. 

As a creator myself, I always love when people take the time to say or make something for my work. I don’t get it much, but when it does happen, it’s a monumental feeling. With it, there is always the chance that what is being said is critical or even negative, but I feel that the risk is better than not having anyone say anything at all. 

It’s vital to bring light into these fan works, considering they are often the product of passion and labor for the community. To go in depth about Undertale’s community as someone’s who’s experienced it first hand, in a way I never felt able to publicly express before. Every creator has an impact on what they make, and I believe that should be seen by them. I know I would want that for myself. This is an attempt to make that a reality. 

Perhaps this will also start more conversation in the community, and perhaps bring it together in a way I may or may not expect. Only the future can tell. 

If you want to support this endeavor, please share the work that will come with the people around you. Start a conversation. You don’t have to agree with anything I say; that is not my goal. 

All I want is to give the attention these fan works deserve, for all the hard work that is put into them.  Thank you.