#it was a fun challenge to try and replicate this style

[krispyykrampus]

It was all just a dream…

[hinamie]

quick megumi style study

[birchclancomic]

wanted to try out one of those old different art style challenges (but with Warriors comic blogs) with Snowbelly from BirchClan and it was actually really interesting to do! i had a lot of fun doing this!!! attached are my version, and then the templates if anyone wants to do their own (first image has white panel backgrounds, second image should be transparent panels if saved directly)

in order, the blogs are:

@fallenclan - this one actually required a lot of adjusting and attention to detail! i also think it turned out looking the best

@jumalanpelko - i actually draw in their style occasionally because i did it once for fanart and its a SUPER fun way to draw!! so i enjoyed this one the most

@loudclan-clangen - this style was the hardest to replicate, and i had to look at a lot of different refs LOL - the angles/poses in the comic are super dynamic (/pos), so i had trouble finding one basic enough to help me with my pretty simple profile drawing!

@our-clangen - i think this style was the most similar to my own and so the easiest to do. i really love how smooth everything is! i wanted to give Snowbelly a power like the OurClan cats have, so I gave her frosted ear tips (my friend's suggestion) and a little lump of snow on his nose :)

@vaporclan - this is the one on the list i've been following the longest, and for a similar reason as LoudClan, this one was pretty difficult to find multiple references for - there were so many panels with super detailed expressions that i wasn't confident enough to replicate LOL

@splinterclan - looking at references for this was actually super helpful for cat anatomy!! and it was interesting to draw, i feel like this style is also pretty similar to my usual one but the anatomy and faces are a bit different

GO CHECK OUT ALL THESE BLOGS!!! ive drawn cats from a few of them before and they are all so good!!! currently catching up on FallenClan and LoudClan right now :)

[nyuklai]

GUYS I DID IT. The fake ROTTMNT Usagi crossover has been completed!! Guys this took me FOREVER. FOR. EVER. And I also hated every single second of it I have no idea how the animators did this shit.

Anyways, here’s the full fake screenshot but I got lazy and didn’t add anything else. I wanted to design him more based on the 2003 TMNT series Miyamoto Usagi crossover just because I feel like those vibes fit best. Also I love 2003 Usagi and am so completely biased bc that show SLAPPED. BUT ANYWAYS. I have a lot of lore for him and then my own little design with my headcanons, but that’s for another day. I wanted to draw him a bit more modern looking for Rise, and the turtles age (like 2003), but didn’t want to take away too much from his design. Maybe I’ll draw him in another fit. Either way, for my first attempt, I don’t think it was half bad! Replicating the ROTTMNT art style was super difficult. It’s a lot different from how I typically like to draw, and it was a challenge trying to do it. I had fun despite wanting to pull my hair out and cry and rethink my hobbies several times during this drawing. (I just called it quits here because I could have kept redrawing and messing with it for another twenty years.)

Of course, tribute to 2003, they meet Usagi in the battle nexus because I SAID SO. I also saw that thing about the other hidden cities around the ROTTMNT world and thought the concept of a hidden city in Japan, probably called like Hidden Edo or some shit, could work as an in-universe explanation. The other dimension thing is also cool though, since I love the Usagi Yojimbo universe.

Anyways, I am working on some more fake screenshots, and maybe I’ll properly introduce more of my ROTTMNT Usagi if you guys like this!

(Also, the background is not drawn by me, it’s a background drawn by the ROTTMNT crew that I pulled off the wiki!)

[cathalbravecog]

daily high roller the "just doodles bc i obviously had other plans but i had to take it easy today because autisms got me*" and "im aware these suck." edition!

* SAID AUTISMS BEING ENA DREAM BBQ RELEASE AND TOMODACHI LIFE ON THE SWITCH CONFIRMED. THATS ALL. and talking to friends and having no time to draw... oops. dont expect much tmrw either. rain world watcher dlcs coming out. (autistic)

extended ramble bc i like yapping but it looks UGLY UNDER THE PICTURE!!!! you get my whole journey always with this daily challenge.

well, i did need to take it back and try some doodling again, AND be okay with posting it! small fun with effects. some experimenting... and just try doodling more cartoonishly with a big brush again.my peak art style is all shapes thick lineart super vibrant like some of my older stuff but i dont have the ENERGY to replicate that most of the times and i can admit my artstyle aint always gonna be that. im still using this daily challenge to just... be ok with SUCKING sometimes !!! sometimes its Bad and its Okay.

im still fighting myself because. these are ugly. they suck. why did i try my sharp style again. i need more sketching for it. this is unnaceptable for the public . its not perfect . however i will purge those thoughts. ever thing this? thats the Evil. dont think it. draw whatever the fuck. im still not putting this on my normal art blog (gets shot)

[daily-riseleo]

[day 33]: Slay the prince(ss)

id really love to thank @thatonetimeidied for giving me the idea to draw this, it was really fun and i enjoyed the challenge of trying to replicate the style! really couldnt have come up with this if he didnt bring it up!!

[ranchstoryblog]

Ranch Story Community Q&A Volume 3: Igusa Matsuyama Returns!

Igusa Matsuyama, the legendary artist behind the Story of Seasons series since the original 1996 game has once again agreed to a Q&A featuring questions from fans from around the world! A big thank you to all the members of the community who helped make this possible.

Some aspects of the text have been altered to match localization people are familiar with. (Japanese names to English names, for example: Bokujou Monogatari (牧場物語) was formerly localized as Harvest Moon and is now localized as Story of Seasons, etc). Images were not part of the original text and have been added as a visual aid. Though we translated as many questions as we could, we did not include questions involving personal information or regarding unannounced releases. Please understand.

If you would like to read our original correspondence (in Japanese), that will be provided in a separate post.

Additional cosplay photo provided by Foxface from our community Discord.

Translations: @artycharmy (correspondence, outline) Editing and Clean-up: Jerome, @artycharmy, and @regularcelery

——— Anonymous asks: What is the relationship between Jamie and the Harvest Goddess?

Igusa Matsuyama: Jamie was treated as a fairy or spirit. I'm sorry, but I'm not sure if there's any points that link them and the Goddess.

Editor's note: the term Matsuyama uses is "妖精."

Tomato asks: I would like to ask about what their inspiration was for the outfits designs in the original release of harvest moon another wonderful life. Since I got reminded of the girl clothing brand Mezzo Piano when looking at the I love Kuma/I love bears outfit.

Igusa Matsuyama: I remember the only thing I thought of was using Spring-like colours! (All designs were made with seasonal colours In mind) When I knew that Daachan, who was planned to be used in a lot of events, wouldn't actually play a big role in the game, I put him on the T-Shirt so he could at least get some attention as a mascot-like existence.

Pansy asks: If you were able to create your own game for the Story of Seasons franchise, with no rules or limitations whatsoever, what do you think it might look like?

Igusa Mastuyama: Since I love dogs, I'd like to try making a Story of Seasons that's set in a world just full of dogs. Though that dream of mine probably won't come true.

Anonymous asks: The look of Story of Seasons has changed a lot over the years! What would you say is more challenging to create - simple designs, where you have to work with very little space, or complicated designs, where you have to consider many little details?

Igusa Matsuyama: A long time ago there were a lot of things you weren't able to replicate in video games. There were constraints for things like the number of colours and patterns for hair styles and clothes. It was difficult to work around those constraints, but at the same time a lot of fun. Nowadays, it's the complete opposite. Now we can design anything with hardly any constraints. And unlike a long time ago, now I'm asked to make more complicated designs, like patterns and decorations. However, if it's a big request, sometimes I run into quite a lot of trouble when designing. They each have had their own difficulties.

Anonymous asks: Hello, Matsuyama! Thank you for bringing the worlds of Bokujou Monogatari to life for many years. Your art has had a huge influence on me!

One of my favorite candidates is “Rock” from “A Wonderful Life.” I’d love to know any particular influences for his character design from 21 years ago, and his new design for the remake.

Igusa Matsuyama: I was told that he was a young, wannabe playboy, so I somehow ended up with that sort of design. For the remake, I made his clothes a little looser without changing his design, so he'd look even more playful. I, too, wanted to avoid changing him as much as I could as there are other people among the staff that also like the original for his “Rockness”. So, he got that makeover after everybody shared and checked their opinions with each other.

Jerome asks: On page 130 of the "Special Comic" manga there's artwork of Super Famicom characters that have never been printed anywhere else. Do you or Marvelous still have these? It would be great to see them in more detail in the future some time.

Igusa Matsuyama: They're all characters that appeared in the SNES version of "Harvest Moon." Nina's parents, Ellen's mother, Ann's father, Maria's parents (The mayor couple). I'm sorry. My SNES illustrations have gone missing...

Raven Bloom, Ryan, and Moth ask: How did you feel when your designs for the men in A Wonderful Life were repurposed to be bachelors? What do you think of the changes made to the bachelors in the remake of A Wonderful Life? I miss the “Bruce Campbell” look Matthew used to have.

Igusa Matsuyama: Matthew (マシュー) is Masshu (マッシュ) in the Japanese A Wonderful Life (Editors note: Charmy made a careless mistake when translating the questions, sorry Matsuyama san 🫣) When I first heard this name, the first thing that came to mind was Evil Dead's protagonist, Ash. You're right. I designed him after Bruce Campbell. I still love Bruce Campbell today. When Wonderful Life was under production, I had heard they weren't going to make a girl version, so I designed him not as a love interest, but as a quirky character. Knowing that he'd appear in the remake as a marriage candidate, I redesigned him as a character that would be liked by many. I hope you can enjoy the game for its nostalgia, as well as for being a shiny, brand new release.

Salmon Axe and Anonymous ask: I personally adore Doraemon x SOS game. Are you interested in working directly with or collaborating with other franchises in the future? And is there a series outside Story of Seasons you would like to work with now as a guest artist? (Could it be Pokemon?)

Igusa Matsuyama: I've loved Doraemon manga since I was a kid! Working as a guest artist? Hmm, I'm happier being the main illustrator, so nothing in particular comes to mind. I enjoy a lot of games in my free time, such as Fallout, Far Cry and Border Lands.

Anonymous asks: Even though we never see his face, was there ever a concept of how Woofio would look without his costume?

Igusa Matsuyama: I designed Woofio as the being that is Woofio, so there's no design of him without his costume.

Idris asks: Your style has upgraded a lot over the time to match the trends. Do you think you will ever go for an old school look (early HM) for a SoS game again? What do you think is the secret to your art’s charm?

Igusa Matsuyama: What I'm particular about when designing for Story of Seasons is making characters with head/body proportions and an atmosphere that go well with that release. First, I listen to the client's request then think of a design according to that. These days, game visuals have gotten fancier and fancier, so there's not many opportunities for characters with short proportions to make an appearance. To me, what's important when designing is "playfulness." More so than "pretty" or "cool" and such, I get attached to the character, have fun making the character. I find joy in character creation itself.

MacGyver asks: Yasuhiro Wada has shared some interesting stories about how chaotic the original game's development was. Is there anything interesting you remember from around that time? 

Igusa Matsuyama: Now it's a memory I can look back on and laugh about, but I'm not sure how much I can talk about it so please forgive me. If Wada hadn't been there back then, then "Harvest Moon" wouldn't have become a thing.

Toyberb and Anonymous ask: There’s a lot of different cow designs now, which is your favorite to draw?

Igusa Matsuyama: I've loved drawing animals since I was a kid, so I love all of the cows. Although the easiest one to draw is the cow with the big nose.

Anonymous asks: Were there any games where you made designs for protagonists of genders that did not end up available to play as? (Like a girl protagonist for Save the Homeland/Hero of Leaf Valley or a nonbinary protagonist for any game before A Wonderful Life)

Igusa Matsuyama: There's so many designs that got scrapped, but as far as I recall, there's not really many where that character's setting itself was scrapped. (Excluding Thumbelina, mentioned below)

Koharu asks: Were there ever any character designs made for other older SNES characters like Ellen for 64? Some magazines had Marie with blue hair, like the SNES character, so it made me wonder if she (SNES Maria) was meant to also be there at some point.

Igusa Matsuyama: I'm not in the position to make settings or scenarios where characters from other games appear, so I can't say, but I like the idea of older characters making an appearance!

Amina/k0iisu asks: Hello! I really love Hiro’s design specifically. Could you tell me a few facts about him/his design that might not be well known information? Thank you so much! I love your art :D

Igusa Matsuyama: Thank you very much! Hiro is a future doctor, so I tried to make them look as much like a doctor as I could. Also, to make him look friendlier, I designed him as your average everyday boy you'd see in the neighbourhood. He doesn't have a flashy face or hairstyle, but he's one of my favourite designs, too. I wrote this in the guidebook too, but what I like about him is the Asian flair I added to his clothes and the spot of colour around his feet.

Bunbun asks: I'm excited for the Nendoroid that was announced of Claire! I hope there will be ones of HM64 designs too. Since you have a lot of figures on your blog, how does it feel to be able to add one of your own characters to your collection? Are there any of your other characters you hope will get figures of?

Igusa Matsuyama: A nendoroid of Claire! I'm looking forward to it too, but when is it going to be released? If it's possible, I'd like one of Woofio.

Editor's note: Preorders are open for Nendoroid Claire now!

Chickee asks: A purple-haired princess character was rumored to have existed in Harvest Moon 64, but she didn't make it to the published game. Did you create a design for this character?

Igusa Matsuyama: That's probably Princess Thumbelina. Wasn't she Incredibly small? What I designed didn't end up being used. Speaking of HM64 characters, I pushed for them to include a pet turtle, but in the end it only appeared as an ornament. For A Wonderful Life, I asked for a turtle to be included again and designed a tortoise with a scarf, but it didn't make it as a pet and appeared only as a wild turtle that walks around the pond. I'm waiting for the day they finally include a pet turtle in the game.

emery flower147 asks: omg  I saw the pics where the AWL girls are in a team and Muffy has a shotgun and stuff? Do you think any other characters would work in a cool team like that?

Igusa Matsuyama: For the Friends of Mineral Town guide book, I had the five girls, Popuri, Marie, Ran, Elly and Karen work hard as Harvest Sprites. Also, for the guide books, I drew Pete (The old male protagonist), Sarah (The GB version female protagonist), and Claire doing whatever I wanted them to. I don't know if you can call it cool or not, but it was fun being in charge of that.

Ixur asks: A lot of the PoOT character designs for the regular villagers seem more popular than the marriage candidates in my region. Is that something that's been noticed by you/Marvelous in Japan? Lars, Clemens, Beth, and Misaki for example.

Igusa Matsuyama: Marvelous doesn't really talk about that sort of thing so I'm not sure if they're aware of it or not. I don't do social media so I'm also not sure which characters are popular. I'm happy as long as the characters are liked. The design on Lars’s shirt is modeled after my beloved dog, so I’d be especially happy if you like his shirt too.

Anonymous asks: What do you think about people cosplaying your designs?

Igusa Matsuyama: It makes me very happy! I'm no good at sewing, so I really admire people who can make their own clothes. It's an honour having the designs I made be made into real clothes, and I think it's great to have fun acting out the characters.

Afro Fae asks: When creating designs for characters, how do you settle on a specific color palette? Do you take color meanings into account with a character's personality or do you go purely off of feeling?

Igusa Matsuyama: I keep in mind the overall colours the client asked for while designing. Sometimes I propose a new colour when I think there's one that fits better. I'm also careful when choosing colours and everyone's traits to make sure it's easy to tell which character is which when seen from a distance. However, in the cases of families and such, I do the opposite and give them all a common colour to give them a sense of kinship.

———

From all of us at Ranch Story, we'd like to thank Matsuyama from the bottom of our hearts for answering our questions again! Whether a fan has only just discovered the series or has grown up alongside it, so many people have loved these characters and worlds that Igusa Matsuyama brings to life, so it feels truly special to be able to have this opportunity. We'll end this article with Matsuyama's own words, as well as a parting gift.

Igusa Matsuyama: I'm so glad I could answer your questions again. I'm the one that should be saying thank you. It means the world to me knowing that everyone enjoys my illustrations! I added an illustration as thanks. I'll keep up the hard work!

[pukanavis]

Kiroku Kinugawa SSR "Cosplaying With Love" Track 1

Location: Living Room

Nanaki: Thanks for waiting on this page for me, Kiroku. You can turn to the next one now.

Kiroku: Okay…

Momiji: (Huh? Everyone except Ushio-kun is crowded onto the sofa around Kiroku-kun…)

Ushio: …

Akuta: Umm~? “Indeed…I have come to–” …Re…rejahvenate?

Muneuji: Rejuvenate.

Akuta: Thanks! Rejuvenate! “I have come to rejuvenate this school. To carry out my plan, I have traveled from the future” —

WHAAATTTTTT!? HINOMIYA IS FROM THE FUTURE!?

Nanaki: Woah, chill out.

Kiroku: Isotake…my ears…

Akuta: Oops, my bad.

Ushio: The shrieks of a first-time reader never gets old.

Momiji: You boys look like you’re having fun. What’re you up to?

Nanaki: Oh, it's Chief.

Muneuji: We’re reading the new volume of Patibato together.

Akuta: None of us could wait for our turn with the book, so we ended up putting Kiroku in charge of holding it while the rest of us read over his shoulder!

Momiji: That's nice…Patibato is Ushio-kun’s favourite manga, right?

Kiroku: You…know it…too?

Momiji: Mhm, I remember it from a heated café conquest that me and Ushio-kun took on together…!

Nanaki: What’s that all about…?

Ushio: Let’s not talk about that, Chief-san.

Akuta: Do you wanna join our read-along then? Come sit, there’s a spot next to Kiroku with your name on it!

Akuta: I’ll watch from back here—

Kiroku: …Isotake…stop clanking your jaw…against my head…

Momiji: Ahaha, thank you! I’ll squeeze in here then…

Nanaki: gh…

Kiroku: …?

Muneuji: Let’s carry on from the scene where Reito obtains a new spatula and challenges Hinomiya to a rematch.

Kiroku: Okay…

…Ah.

(The paneling on this page is…incredible. It communicates Reito’s resolve and his relationship with Hinomiya, all in just a single drawing…)

I want…to try drawing this…

Ushio: …!

Momiji: I’d love to see this scene in your artstyle!

Kiroku: Nanamegi, could you…help me again…

Ushio: Buddha Statue~? Drawing is one thing, but you’re not going to ask him to model for you again, are you now?

Kiroku: uh…

Nanaki: Wellー

Akuta: Did someone ask for a model!?

Hold that thought! To the kitchen!!!

Akuta: Here, hold this spatula! 

Nanaki: You’re zipping around like a hummingbird.

Akuta: I, the great Akuta Isotake, will provide you with the perfect poses for you to draw to your heart’s content!

One. Two. Three—

Kiroku: This…feels more like a croquis…than a sketch…[1]

Muneuji: This is the scene you’re trying to replicate, yes? Why don’t we dress Nanamegi in an apron as well then?

Akuta: You’re a genius! I’ll change up his hair style with a hair tie while I’m at it.

Momiji: Ahaha, that’s perfect. Wait, isn't this type of thing called cosplaying..?

Ushio: As if. This is way too scuffed to be cosplay.

Kiroku: Cos…play…

Nanaki: Aren't you good at that type of thing, Akuta? I remember you showing me a horseshoe crab outfit once.

Akuta: Oh, the magic horseshoe crab! I wouldn’t call that a cosplay, it’s more of a costume for making films with.

Cosplay is like, something too sexy for me to even directly look at…I’m not ready for that yet…

Momiji: I definitely see a lot of those type of cosplays during Halloween…

Ushio: …

Don’t talk about—

Sakujiro: —Cosplay in such a manner!

Akuta & Momiji: AAH!?

Momiji: Sakujiro-san!?

Kiroku: W-Where did you…come from…

Sakujiro: Pardon me. I heard mention of my area of expertise and had to intervene.

Nanaki: So it’s not just dressing up in an outfit you like?

Ushio: *sigh*…Allow me to offer a simple explanation that even a casual like yourself can understand. 

Cosplay is about using your understanding of a character’s personality and lore to embody them.

Sakujiro: Likewise, it is just as much a way of expressing your love for a character. It would be disrespectful to describe cosplay as anything short of a distinguished art form!

Akuta: Ohh, I get it. It’s kinda like those super dedicated actors that do method acting! I guess I can manage to look directly at something like that!

Kiroku: Cosplay…is an art too…

Ushio: If you still want to do it, then I’ll be putting your love of Patibato to the test.

Momiji: Huh? Do…what?

Akuta: He's gotta be talking about a modelling contest, right?

Muneuji: I believe he’s saying that we should all try embodying the Patibato characters. I will do my best not to disappoint. 

Kiroku: ah…

Sakujiro: Allow me to join you as a judge, if I may.

Nanaki: Even Sakuchan-sensei got roped into this…

Kiroku: (All I did was say I wanted to draw something…how did we end up here…?)

(But…this’ll help me draw a sketch so…it’s fine…right?)

Next

Notes 1. Croquis is a french word that refers to a rough sketch of a live model before they change poses.

[zoolitsky-fandom]

Art style challenge but make it Zoro because I’m normal about him (disclaimer below cut)

THIS WAS ACTUALLY SO FUN CHAT YOU DONT EVEN KNOW??? It was really interesting to try replicating art styles I’ve admired for so long, and it helped me notice things I might want to incorporate into my own art too! I’d highly recommend doing this!!

For those wondering why there’s a difference in skin tones!! Each style has a different way they choose colors and this does impact the they choose skin tones as well. It’s not raceswapping I promise <3

[danganronpasuddendeath]

Have you ever explained your process of adapting your own style to a more DR-esque style? I've always admired how unique your style was while also maintaining fidelity to Danganronpa's own aesthetics...

I tried to make a little example image for this explanation; starring an oc of mine from a very different original universe! I think generally the biggest difference is that I retain my own sense of anatomy and proportion. Not that original DR style is limited in face or body shapes, but the general proportions face to face / body to body save for a few characters isn't a lot. For my DR-Inspired art, I mainly kinda just take what I like about it, and discard what I hate about it in that sense. I've always thought Komatsu Rui's eyes were like, the soul of the DR style, what makes it shine for me. I really like the way they're shaded and I think it even sort of affected my normal art style when I got into DR hehe, but I tend to do somewhat simpler eyes for my own preference here too. I also try really hard to represent differing facial features while still keeping it within a simpler anime style, its a fun challenge most of the time.

As far as coloring goes, I'll be honest, I don't try at all to replicate canon and just do kinda what I normally do. I never liked the duller colors, and while the shading method and texture are easy to reproduce, I just simply don't want SD to look that way. It is colorful af and flatter on purpose.

No idea if I will try to copy the splash style 1 to 1, I've done it a few time's before and it didn't spark joy LOL but maybe I just need to work to blend again rather than recreate.

ancient relic art from 11 years ago.....

[shibee-inu]

Style study I did of @quezify's art for their eggtober challenge! It was a really fun challenge to try and replicate, since I love the shapes in their art SO much

[greyplainsttrpg]

This is kind of a random post that is TTRPG related. This is about running games as a GM/DM/etc., not a callout to indie game designers/developers.

However, this will be meaner/more self aggrandizing then usual, which is why I wanted to gauge interest in this kind of post before going through with it. You have been warned.

If you find this post and are outside my 5-8 most honored mutuals, I don't know what to tell you. My bad.

Sometimes, it feels like I'm the only one directly challenging the medium of TTRPGs. And while I know this isn't strictly true, I wonder why I don't see/hear about more creators like me running games the way I do.

I have been working on a presentation to my local TTRPG group titled "Psychedelia in Fantasy Gaming." And while I stand by everything in the presentation, the idea of framing the style of GMing I use as "psychedelic" serves only to launder my ideas into more philosophically moderate language. It is a new framework I have developed to teach people what/how my GMing is. I don't know if it is intellectually dishonest to develop an entire philosophical framework to explain to people that "no, you should make your players actually explain how they do X," but we work with what we've got. It feels dishonest because I have to engineer a bunch of bullshit just to have my ideas, which I feel are actually really obvious/straightforward, to be taken as thoughtful advice instead of weird edgelord trolling. I will post the presentation slides to this Tumblr after the presentation and I get some feedback.

My larger point is that my style is (I would say "very") relatively confrontational to players. That's not in a typical GM v. Player dynamic where I am trying to kill their characters to prove a point. My style is much more "I am testing you, the player, and your capacity to expel your presuppositions about the situation and think in new/unconventional patterns." The result of doing this is often "having a melancholic time" as the players realize that they have willingly entered a no-win situation that they have to examine their own sense of morality v. their character's agency to navigate. The point of the adventure is not to have fun. My adventures are often grueling, stressful, and resolve without clear narrative answers.

YET, especially as I've gotten better at perfecting this, Players who make it through really love my games. They often tell me that it was the best game that they've played at a particular event or whatever. I know why this is: it's because my games are engrossing and escapist in a way that the rest of the field doesn't offer. They are, ironically, more fun because they are not designed to be fun. However, when I have tried explaining my style to others in the past, other GMs often ridicule me for negative traits they assume are parts of the games that are not actually present. They assume the games are pedantic, cruel, boring, etc., but this is simply not the case. It just sounds like it would be some of those things when you hear elements of it in isolation from the context of a whole session/adventure linked together.

Like, yeah. Letting players aimlessly futz about for 4 real-time hours as they seek methods to research a problem that doesn't make sense sounds really fucking boring if your standard of "a good game" is X number of combat encounters per session, X minutes of roleplay, and X number of "cutscenes" per session. HOWEVER, and I know this sounds crazy, futzing about for four real-time hours can be pretty epic. Watching as the players slowly chip away at their expectations and learn about the insane situation you've developed is really engrossing for both you and them. There's something about "no, actually the dumbest thing you've ever thought of is probably the correct methodology to crack this puzzle" that is amazing and cannot be replicated in any other genre of media.

I also take umbrage to the framework that my games are "simulationist" as per GNS theory. Yes, there is simulation involved, and the games do provide an experience that could be described as a simulation, however that is not really the point of it. The purpose of my games is not to provide an accurate simulation to a fantasy world. The purpose might be, for example, to trick players into performing state violence so that they can reconcile the nature of power and the convenience of fascism as an apparatus to wield power. Is that "narrative"? No, because I usually do not have a pre-planned, grander story. Is it "gameist"? No, although I do heavily rely on the inherent mechanics of the systems I've built to play these kinds of games. Are they "simulationist"? Closest, I guess, but not really because the circumstances are so odd and I rarely have planned the exact mechanics of what the party generates as the solution to the problem to create a convincing simulation. This is why GNS theory is generally considered passeé. It's a convenient tool, but it doesn't have the means to solve the nuance of the actual experience of playing a TTRPG outside of what the text of the game presents in a vacuum. Being called a "simulationist" dumps me into a pool of game design that I don't think actually fits what I am trying to achieve, and it also allows the people who place me there (usually without ever having actually played one of my games) to kind of belittle the theory of what I'm doing as "lesser" than their "pure" gamist/narrativist experiences. This sounds like the most stupid takedown, but I swear this has happened to me lol.

That's why I've pivoted to calling the style "psychedelic." I'm fronting my GMing strategy as a counter to "Surreal" games that I consider to be the generally established norm within the fantasy game space (not that there's anything wrong with that). The core of the argument is that a Surreal adventure is one that fronts the themes of the experience via the emotional demands of the character and the story as the primary vector of narrative progression. A psychedelic adventure is one that fronts the situation (in abstract of a planned "story") via the intellectual demands of the players as the primary vectors of narrative progression. In other words, surrealism is themes v. characters, while psychedelia is setting v. player.

This is all leading to my major point: I think GMs are cowards for not believing enough in players. The most common criticism I get for this kind of gaming is that "my players wouldn't like that." Maybe. I've had some failures with players who were NOT ready for this style of play. However, I have found that most players, when given the time and creative space to figure out what is going on, are really interested in and excited to experience a real challenge. A challenge that isn't based on playing their character optimally to output damage but a challenge to themselves directly. It is paradoxically a more mature AND childlike form of play because it is more creative and challenging. It's really fun for myself (because I get to organically react to shenanigans), and it's fun for players who are actively rewarded for creating shenanigans. Going "off the rails" isn't a "the GM was so mad" kind of experience. It is literally required to advance the session. I am happy to see my players figure the situation out and come to their own solutions to the problem.

This gameplay also leads to players talking to each other and playing together. Players are not focused on their character, they're focused on the situation and how their character, as a tool, can engage with it. In this style, the players actually need each other for more than just managing the action economy of the game with their character's abilities. Players need each other because they need the shared experience, knowledge, and creativity of everyone at the table. There's a lot of talk about TTRPGs enabling collaborative storytelling, but my games are among the few times I actually get to experience players collaborating to tell the story during a TTRPG session.

What would a greyplainsttpg on tumblr dot com post be without shitting on 5e and 5e culture? I have had this issue with games for a long time. Long before 5e. This is not an issue unique to 5e culture. However, I think 5e has increased the daycare-style of engaging players that I find genuinely insulting. More than anything, this "googoogaga don't worry your little head, you'll be able to beat the BBEG, here's a clue to your puzzle uwu please don't be upset, please don't cry, you're a good boy/girl/pal aren't you!" is so rude to me. I'm an adult. Give me something to chew on. Let me ponder the morality of the situation I've found myself in. Why am I even playing a game that doesn't respect my agency? That doesn't expect me to be a human? Why am I playing a game, RAN BY A FELLOW PERSON, that doesn't seem to respect my agency as a human being by the structure of the culture of the game that they are playing? I don't think that they know what they're doing is disgusting to me. Maybe this is just the turbo autism talking. But do y'all (players in general) like this? Do you enjoy having a car toy shaken in front of you as a distraction with no real substance. Evil is bad, good is good? That's the game we're playing? Fucking really?

This is related to my disdain in 5e culture of referring to characters solely by their class and not their name or their role. It's so cookie cutter. It feels like the goal of 5e is to make exactly 12 characters that you can add custom gear to and then go through all the "wacky" little adventures the GM cooks up. It's the same 12 characters in every game of D&D in different permutations. The same 12 characters reacting to every situation forever and for all time. You are the ones in a simulation. You're not playing a game. The game has already been played the second you picked your character classes, you just get to see how it plays out (exactly as you predicted it would). Playing 5e in particular makes me wonder why I'm even playing a game instead of letting the AI play my barbarian for me. Would it be any different? Because if I play my Barbarian "correctly" than what is the difference between me and every other barbarian player in that adventure? You know? It's soul-crushing. Playing 5e crushes my soul in a way that "I don't know, I like 5e" people will never understand. It's not a game. It's not collaborative. It's lines on a chess board of optimal play for "WOWEE" points. It's so fake.

If you try to use 5e to play a real fucking game, the entire math of the system collapses around you. This can be funny to do intentionally, but god damn is it annoying to endure. 5e does not have the tools in it to play a game of Dungeons and Dragons. All it has are the tools to simulate what playing a game of Dungeons and Dragons looks like from the opposite end of the camera on the set of stranger things where they roll a d20 to determine if fireball hits? What the fuck am I watching that's fucking crazy the demogorgon has MR it first would need to roll a % die what are you doing mike fireball was a fucking terrible spell to use you're all in a confined space, WILLIAM YOUR WIZARD HAS NO MORE THAN 30 HP WHAT IS GOING ON IN YOUR SWEET LITTLE GAY HEAD CAST A SPELL THAT DOESN'T INTERACT WITH MR. The entire plot of Stranger Things happened because Mike refused to let Will TPK his own party as the demogorgon is immune to fireball. Ironically, this could have been used as part of the plot because Psionics SPECIFICALLY gets around MR and that would been a way to tie the events of the show to the game that they were playing but what the fuck do I know. I swear this is on topic for my post at large. Cause, like, watching people play D&D wrong feels pretty similar to watching people play D&D "correctly." People have their characters act so bizarrely/rigidly it makes me wonder why I'm even playing a game.

Play games with people and systems that respect you. Play games that value your human spirit. Play games that could not be better replicated on a computer. Play games that challenge you and ask you difficult questions. Play games that are worth playing. Be a player that is worth playing with.

[d-catzartwork]

Got into designing Arcane OCs... I love them! It was fun trying to replicate the lineless art style, obviously adding my own chunky lineart into the mix. Was a fun little challenge!

[speedyartist30]

Aftermath

A while ago me and @chelmyra did another art challenge of our ocs after a rough expedition. I experimented a lot with the shading on this since I wanted to try something new and replicate the AOT shading but mixed with my style.

Ironically it kinda looks like the mha shading 💀

Anywho this was fun and I enjoyed going crazy with the clouds🥰

I didn’t hold back on making him look beat up and for those who watch aot know how dangerous it is when they fight those titans so I hope this looks realistic for the situation✨

This is also my first time drawing Jays electric burn scar, in the AOT verse he got it from fighting a horde of titans in the rain. He took a gamble and let his self get hit which took out the man eaters around him. The scar stretched pretty far but you can see glimpses of it here.

[ambystoman]

Low-poly style recreations

256fes did not leave me satisfied so I came up with a sort of challenge for myself; Replicate the model style of various low poly games and adapt a Lima to them. I've had this idea for some time but finally got to make it. It was very fun to do.

The games I chose were Banjo-Kazooie, Super Mario 64, Minecraft, and Katamari Damacy. All games I love and have a special connection to.

Banjo-Kazooie (1998):

This one probably took the most effort out of them all but I liked how it came out. He looks so goofy. It took the longest to rig as well since the whole body was a single mesh.

Super Mario 64 (1996):

While I grew up with the DS version, I still really like how the original game looks. This one was very simple to do. So much that it almost resembles the model from Soul Trail lol. I think he looks great with that type of eyes.

Minecraft (2011):

I finally got to try Blockbench for this one. It is very fun and easy. Probably my favorite one. If I have time, I could learn how to mod him into the game at some point.

Katamari Damacy (2004):

One of my favorite games ever that brings me so much happiness. That aside, he looks quite unnerving lol. Was a bit of a challenge since there weren't many analogue points of reference.

They can all be friends

[fullbl1tz]

Reblog game o7

I was tagged by @justanothermachine !! One of my really cool mutuals, go check um out.

Last song: Other than some stuff in shows and videos, I think the last song I listened to was called "Answer" by Frederic and Keina Suda

Favorite color: THIS IS A HARD QUESTION FOR ME !! AAAAA I just love colors 💔 // to think of choosing just one ... I find they function better together plus I'm indecisive. If it's apparent by my art I hope you can tell I like a variety of them. Apolocheese for the non answer [this question has puzzled me for years]

Last TV show: FMAB !! Stayed up watching the last few episodes last night uhh ... I was watching it with my dad but we were close to the end so I watched the rest in my own time. Still gonna watch the rest with him later.

Last Movie: I'm not much of a movie person but !! My sibling and I watched K-pop Demon Hunters together. It was better than I expected. They had already watched it soooo I asked if they wanted to watch it with me, and they said yes.

Favorite Flavor: I typed a bunch of stuff here and it was a rant about food. I failed the challenge. Anyway I like sweet and savory about equally, not a big fan of spicy. Sour and bitter are ok too.

Tea or Coffee: I like tea and coffee. Usually when I have tea, my dad made it for me anddd ... coffee I usually drink when I want something sweet. I like black coffee but I also just really like dessert liquids [milkshakes and such], coffee with some amount of creamer hits a similar spot for me. Ideally though, I like my coffee to taste bittersweet. Neither tea nor coffee I have that often.

Last thing I googled: I was googling about FMA 2003 cuz I'm tempted to watch that too. My pops is currently looking for a way I can watch it o7

Looking forward to: I don't know. My family is going over to a lake with some of our other family members but I'm not too excited for that. Otherwise I don't have much going on in my life.

Relationship status: I'm married to Character Designing !! [/j]

Current obsession: 99% of the time if you ask it'll be character design. Occasionally a show, game, or book will pop in there but ... art has a chokehold on me. Especially designing characters. I have been trying to replicate some of my friend's art styles recently though !! That's been fun.

Hmmmm uh @azazeldoesartiguess ✌️