#drawing this made me realize I don't often draw ship art where the characters are the same height

[poetryandbloods-blog]

I have seen you reblog and like some of my HP posts so I wanted to say Hi!

And I have a question for you. I know you love Drastoria so I wanted to ask what you love about it? I never read CC so I don't know Astoria well but the little I do know, I am not very impressed. I just have a lot of small hangups about Drastoria.

What initially drew you to it? Why do you think she is a good match for Draco? How do you feel about Astoria dying off? Are there things you dislike about the ship?

Hi, I really like your Tumblr!

First of all, I have to say that I don't like CC and I don't consider it canon, because it wasn't written by J.K.R., and also mainly because most of the characters are completely different from the personalities in the original books, including the Epilogue, so blatantly that not even age can be an excuse (I always wonder how much money they offered her to sign on for that atrocious story).

That said, I do like some of the characters there, particularly *Delphini*, Draco, Scorpius, and Astoria.When J.K.R. described who Draco married (a pureblood witch who rejects her upbringing and raises her son in a much more tolerant way, I fell in love with Astoria). And Scorpius is a captivating character who demonstrates a loving upbringing.

Astoria permeates CC like Lily should have permeated the books (but unfortunately she only appears at the end). The two seem like a functioning, adult couple who love each other and have overcome many obstacles (like Draco's questionable upbringing) to be together.

If you like Dramione or have read any of his fanfics, you will notice that they always follow this pattern (the girl who makes the former villain realize that his upbringing was not ideal).

Astoria was clearly not fragile if she stood up to her in-laws and didn't let her pureblood ideas contaminate her son.I think Dramione is more popular than Drastoria simply because we don't know about her in the books, Hermione is an important character in the story and the muggleborn/pureblood thing has more appeal than two purebloods together (I'm not knocking this couple, because there are great stories about both of them and Draco's development is often wonderful to read, I just want to point out that according to J.K.R., this development existed and we can prove it in CC).

I hate the blood curse thing and that she died, to me it was a form of punishment for Draco where a supposed villain can't really have a happy ending, and it's something I personally tend to ignore.Another point is that to me their relationship feels mature and healthy, in a way that the other couples in the books never did. I've said a few times that I hate Ginny/Harry (Ginny in book 6 is a walking Mary Sue) and Ron/Hermione seem like a hot couple that would break up after two months of dating.

But I'm going to give them a break here because when it comes to romance J.K.R. is not a good writer and her most believable couples are the ones we don't follow as much (Fleur/Bill and Tonks/Lupin, I'm thinking of you).

We don't have 7 books to learn about her, just a script for a play that reads like a really bad fanfic, but over the years I've created my own idea of ​​who she is and how this couple works, so much so that I've become very attached to both of them. @blvnk-art makes incredible drawings of the two of them (which I love to follow) which only made me like them even more.

They, along with Fleur/Bill and Lucius/Narcissa, are the only couples I have no criticism of in the books, as they seem very consistent together.

**I actually need to make an addendum here, I like the idea of ​​Delphini, but not the execution of the story or her personality, there was a huge potential to make her a parallel to her own father (orphan, unaware of his origins), but with a choice for the good, proving that blood is not always more important, but this was clearly wasted, or of course it could not be done, as it could affect the epilogue of the original books (but now I digress, as this has no point with the original question).**

[no-psi-nan]

🥺🥺🥺 not 2 be sappy on main but omg I actually started off in Deviantart ages ago, that was the closest thing to social media for me until the tumblr migration lol. But I never really interacted with people on there, and even upon moving to tumblr, never really interacted with people here too often either. At first I had my main blog which was meant to be more professional since I was selling art to get a little college income, so I didn't really make too many irrelevant posts. Then I decided that I wanted to be able to reblog art and support other artists, so I made a side blog where I carefully curated and tagged the posts I reblogged. I made a few original posts but no one ever interacted, and eventually I realized that people only ever sent me asks there if I tagged anything wrong. Also I found out that adding stuff like series and character tags to a reblog on tumblr is basically useless because the op will pretty much always tag those things which makes it searchable on your own blog even if you don't tag it yourself. And if op DIDN'T tag it those things, your tags will make the post searchable on your blog but NOT in the general search, so it doesn't give op any more of a boost than just reblogging it tagless. So I made another sideblog, which I still have today, and I just rapidfire reblog literally anything I find shareworthy lol. Not any interaction there but at least I'm not wasting my time meticulously tagging strangers posts hsfjdlshfks. Since I was best friends with a big name fan in my main fandom (we became friends when I left a long emotional comment on their fanfic btw <3), I helped run some small fandom events and met more people as well. When I switched fandoms, it was a fandom event that gave me a new friend too, my posts never got any traction. Large fandom discords didn't really work for me either. But on this blog I was lucky, and for the first time people started like actually responding to my comments and posts, and get conversations going! And genuinely that's what's kept my brain rot so powerful I think, because bouncing ideas off each other and joking around and shitposting is genuinely the most fun I've ever had online!! I have to thank desta and oatmeal for the fun times especially, and hillbilly---man left really nice comments on my first few fics that really encouraged me, and I always have fun trading ideas with alienn, saikikthoughts, and crookedlyinnernightmare, plus everyone else who's on here, that's too many people to type out. AND I TYPED UP A BUNCH MORE STUFF BUT TUMBLR FUCKING DELETED IT!! Are you shitting me.... Well I think I remember saying that even if it's been getting kinda quiet and boring lately so my attention is starting to wander (I've pretty much posted all of the meta that's not deep fanfic hc at this point and my drawings take me a long time to make), I'll never delete this blog and I'll still be putzing around online until the day I die probably. And I'll always remember these days fondly and hope to find another great community like this one. And also I highly encourage everyone to post, reply, interact, and play with fellow fans! I've made lifelong friendships over blorbos and even if we don't have the same blorbos any more, we're still friends. Obviously stay safe online, never send money to strangers, probably wait like a year to start shipping each other stuff but still, reach out because you never know who you might meet! I've been lonely irl for most of my life for various reasons, and my online friends have been a lifeline honestly, they're all really important to me. Two of my best friends today come from fanfic comment sections!! Also I need to get around to archiving my meta on AO3 lol (yup, it's for meta too!) but that's gonna be a lot of work so -_-U).

[au-mashup-party]

✏️ Prismatale ☀️

Prismatale is an undertale AU were sketches are brung to life with the magic of colors, where imagination can bring something beautiful to the world. Aka where young creators can express themselves fully! It can be you me or anybody!

Characters: Prisma!Sans,Argie The Axolotl, Waiter!Sans, Greg the Gaint pencil, and any characters you want.

Prisma!Sans is an out!code character created by the "creator god's" as he likes to call them. He's just a little skeleton who just loves to explore and create new things. He was made without a soul because the creators forgot to draw him one. But they gave him a special ability in return where he is able to feel emotions without vitals.

Now here's some questions that I'm probably going to get asked about him.

☀️ What do you mean by "giant pencil"?

Well as the only skeleton in Prismatale, Prisma didn't really have that many friends, so the creators gave him a giant living pencil which Prisma named Greg.

They have been inseparable ever since that day.

☀️ What is his personality like?

Mostly happy and cheerful, kind of like a child. He loves putting a smile on other people's faces. Though he doesn't really take things seriously during a fight. He would often try to befriend his opponent. Most of the time it has worked, and some other times... not so much.

☀️Is he supposed to be an alternative Ink! Sans?

No, he is his own person with his own personality and his own ability. I can assure you he is not an au version of Ink, though his design was inspired by him, just a bit. These two might be able to create, but that does not mean that they are the same person.

☀️How come Prisma doesn't wear shoes?

Well Prisma feels that wearing shoes are uncomfortable and distracting so he asked Gary to remove them from his design.

☀️ Why didn't the creators just draw him a soul?

By the time they realized it, the character was already finished, so it was too late. So they just went with plan B.

☀️ I'm curious to know, what are his attacks?

Same thing as classic if you will, except the gaster blasters and bones are multicolored and can cause twice the amount of damage as he pleases.

☀️ What is his sexuality?

He goes by he/him pronouns and has no love interest (yet)

☀️ Can we ship him with who whatever we want?

Yes, I'm up for seeing some ship pairings!

☀️Are we allowed to make alternate versions of him?

Yes as long as you don't judge other people's opinions and beliefs.

☀️ Does he have a canon age?

Not necessarily,like Ink he doesn't really age because he has no soul.

☀️What is his canon height?

His canon height is 4'3

☀️Does he get along with other out!codes and AUs?

Absolutely! He's befriended many people throughout the multiverse.

☀️Does he know Ink!Sans?

These two have met before yes. And Prisma said it was like looking into a mirror of beauty. (Forgive me for being cringe)

☀️Does he know Error!Sans or any other anomalies?

Yea, unfortunately Error tried everything erase him from existence, but couldn't cuz he has no soul. He's even tried destroying Prismatale, but can't thanks to Greg's protection.

☀️ Are we allowed to make fan children?

Please do I want new babies! (Let me stop). 😂

☀️ Does he have another design?

Nope just this one!

☀️ Are we allowed to use him in our drawings/comics?

Yes, you don't have to ask for permission but you must still credit.

☀️Can we make our own head cannons?

Sure as long as you don't make fun of/judge someone else's opinions.

☀️ What does his eye glow look like?

It's normally rainbow colored but it can change colors at any moment.

☀️Are we allowed to make Nsfw art of him?

Ummm.....fine but please don't send it to me.

☀️ what does the AU look like.

Well there is a giant fountain in the middle, a rainbow bridge on the left, the rest is up to you.

☀️ Does he interact with other AU's?

Often yes, only when he's bored though.

☀️ What AU's has he visited?

He's visited Underswap plenty of times (he considers that his favorite), he's only been the Underfell once,Outertale, Microtale, Horrortale (he wasn't afraid of any of the monsters there), and precisely Littletale.

☀️What is Prisma afraid of?

Nothing, knowing he doesn't have a soul, he finds no reason to be afraid of anything.

☀️ Does he like to draw?

All the time yes! He always carries a sketchbook with him in case he wants to make himself a new friend.

☀️Wait Prisma can create life??! That's cray cray!

Yes, with Greg's help that is. No matter how dangerous the task, he will get it done.

☀️ Can he teleport?

Yes he can, but his teleporting works different than anyone else's. All he has to do is tap his foot on the ground three times, and he'll melt right back into the void.

☀️ Wait if Prismatale is an AU why is it called the void?

Great question,it isn't really an "AU" AU, but we got to call it something am I right?

☀️What are his favorite foods?

He simply enjoys a big bowl of ice cream with lots of chocolate and plenty of sprinkles. He also has a thing for pancakes.

☀️Has he met any papyruses in the Mutiverse?

Well he's met one, which was Horrortale Papyrus. And that was the first papyrus that he has ever met. They get along just great and make "spaghetti" together.

☀️ What happens if he is an any danger?

With soft grin, a straight face, he will call upon his friend Greg to defend him. And who wouldn't be scared of a giant pencil able to erase anything in the multiverse?

☀️ What is Greg's personality like?

Normally a pencil wouldn't have any personality because it isn't alive, but this one actually does! You can't really tell what he's feeling, but you can tell his emotions with his every movement.

☀️ What are some of the things that Greg has drawn for Prisma?

A floating cloud (Prisma only uses it when he's too lazy to walk), a blob monster, a fairy wand(it's his weapon) and that's it so far.

☀️ Who are the other characters?

You'll find out later.

And with that my friends, you now know every canon and non canon fact about Prisma! If you want to ask him some questions you can go on this blog : (I got to add it hold on.)

Tags to use:

#prismatale

#prisma!sans

#prismatale fanart

# prisma winter week (we'll talk about this soon)

#prisma

[weirdthoughtsandideas]

1-14-23 for the show questions thingy with violetta

The show I think I've rewatched the most

Definitely Violetta no questions asked. Back when it was on netflix I rewatched episodes so much I know can quote entire swedubbed episodes

A show I loved when I was younger but upon rewatch it wasn't as good

Girl meets world. Mind you I was only here for Riley and Maya and I literally did not care for anyone else, which also meant I missed on some really problematic plots.

A show I loved when I was younger and upon rewatch realized it was just as good, if not better

PHINEAS AND FERB. Seriously it never gets old. Just as funny today as it was then.

A show I watched thinking "hey, why didn't I watch this before?"

Soy Luna. I refused to watch it for years (and also the fandom kind of scared me off watching it. Sorry to older SL fans but y'all scared the crap out of me). But then as I started watching it, I was like "huh... this ain't too bad".

Still, I do not think I would have liked it when it originally aired. There's a lot of shows I just refused to get into when I was younger and liked as I was older. Some stuff I just couldn't appreciate until later.

Quote something from any show, first one that pops into your head

"But the years went by, and... I still don't like her." - Quote from Good Luck Charlie.

A show I refuse to ever watch again

13 reasons why. I felt bad every second I watched it.

Which show do I wish had more seasons the most?

RISE OF THE PINK LADIES is a big one! But it could have ended when it ended too. A bigger one is probably I AM NOT OKAY WITH THIS. YOU CAN'T END IT ON A CLIFFHANGER?!

I am also still pissed One day at a time got cancelled, even though it did get 3 and a half seasons.

Which show do I think had too many seasons/episodes?

Glee... sometimes I think both Family Guy and Simpsons have too many seasons but they go on for so long that they somehow get back again???

Any show I'm watching right now?

Mostly just rewatching the same shows I'm always watching. Rewatching a little of Revolutionary Girl Utena rn.

My favorite character in -insert show-?

You picked Violetta. My favorite character is Francesca.

My least favorite character in -insert show-?

My least favorite character in Violetta is probably Germán. No one has made me as mad as him. Gery is close but she's also a teenage girl and only in one season, so I feel like she can change with some maturity... maybe.

Which show have I found myself engage in shipping the most?

Violetta lmao. I loved all the canon ships as a kid (minus Germangie I always hated it), and now I'm still big on ships, even though nowadays it's more non-canon than canon.

A show where I did not care for any ships at all

I can't come up with a concrete example right now. The only one I can come up with right now is like... Rugrats/All grown up? We've seen them as literal babies and now we wanna ship them just because they're preteens now? (also I find it a little disturbing seeing people make ship art of them as babies. They're not even potty trained and you're drawing them kissing?????????)

Which show has the best fandom according to me?

I'm gonna be honest and say the asoue fandom. Both for the show and for the books too. The way people come together and theorize, headcanon and interpret scenes and dialogue... it's so fun! This series is begging you to analyze it and it's a blast!

Plus, the people I've met in the fandom have often been so cool, and so fun to chat to.

The most unpopular opinion I have about a show?

The most unpopular opinion I have about a show... hmm...

You know, every time I get asked unpopular opinions I forget every single one I've ever had. I feel like I'm gonna be able to answer this when I'm about to fall asleep and realize a perfect answer. But for now I can't.

[gyroshrike]

Hiruma needs to be sure that Yukimitsu is ready to dance with the devil himself.

My part for the Eyeshield 2021 gift exchange for @blaka-smoko​! I’m so glad I got you as my giftee! Happy Holidays!

[olderthannetfic]

I absolutely understand why people are uncomfy with RPF but sometimes it makes me laugh how ... I don't want to say hypocritcal because it is "different," but it's funny to me how people in fandom can be absolutely okay with one thing and find another thing that isn't *too* different bad. Like, I was having a reasonable discussion about RPF with someone (they're not an anti) and they just mentioned how they felt it was crossing boundaries and they used a celebrity they liked as an example to explain their difference between shipping and RPF vs. typical stanning/thirsting/occasional "aw he and his SO are cute."

And all of that was a fair point imo ... but I thought it was weird to talk about the boundaries of actors and how RPF might make them uncomfortable ... when the person I was talking to was a NSFW artist. Like, yeah, sure. You draw the "character" but the character looks exactly like the actor and your style is realistic so you are essentially drawing an actor naked. It is "different," of course, but on the basis of being a (percieved) violation of an actor ... I fail to see how sexy RPF fic where an actor nails their costar is fundamentally different from drawing a character with the exact likeness of the actor fucking their costar. Both have the potential to make an actor very uncomfortable and personally I'd probably be a lot more uncomfy with art with my face than words (but I'm also not an actor). Anyway, I just don't think what might makena creator uncomfy is a good basis anyway and it's intriguing to me how people often have these blindspots about their own opinions where they fail to realize how their own arguments can be used against them in such a way.

I don't want to call it hypocritcal because I think that implies this is a black-and-white thing with a clear cut answer and I do think a reasonable person could come to the conclusion that "RPF bad but porny art of character good" (I'd disagree but still) without being a hypocrite. It's just something that I think people need to think about and explore more because so many of our opinions that we think are based on facts, logic, or genuine moral values (ie. do no harm/don't be a dick) are really just the result of squicks and fake moral outrage over what makes us feel icky.

--

Yeah. Plenty of actors over-identify with their characters, and plenty of others are flattered by RPF or just don't care. There is no hard and fast ethical argument that can be made here about actor discomfort.

[mcnuggyy]

I didn't even know you used to do sp stuff. (how did you escape? - like I literally don't wanna be into this show any more but it's also like the only thing that stopped me "offing myself" at 15 so it's kinda hard cause it means a weird amount to me :') )

honestly the biggest thing is acknowledging it is one of the few series’ out there that has caused real life hurt and damage to people, especially the Jewish community, and the role it has in normalizing antisemitism, racism, transphobia, etc. Acknowledge that the fandom itself is full of nazi apologists, racists, antisemites, etc. It may not effect you personally but it is something that definitely effected me, my friends, and other real life people. Know that for a show that’s meant to be satire, it often punches down, and takes a centrist standpoint with no clear viewpoint so that both bigots and liberals can say “ oh yes, this is taking my side on the matter :) “ which makes it an easy ground for people to get radicalized, become normalized with nazi fetish art (boy is there a lot of it), and exposed to overall dangerous and harmful ideas.

Tbh I don’t care if you like watch it from time to time and get a laugh out of it, I’m not a cop, but if you are actively producing content for it, and engaging in the fandom, and shipping the characters, and promoting its ideologies in any way, then sorry but you probably shouldn’t be following me and should probably reevaluate the way you interact with the show and maybe even your own morals a bit? Because I’ve also noticed that while me and all my Jewish mutuals and mutuals of color that were into the show as teens eventually left, both from bigotry and just becoming more mature, most of the white friends I had made.... ended up staying... (cause again it probably doesn’t affect them the same way)

So this is what I’ve seen other people do as well as what I did, when it comes to leaving unhealthy hyperfixations and potentially dangerous fandoms. So obviously as stated above realizing the real harm it does really does go a long way, and will keep you motivated in trying to leave. Consume less of it, little by little if you have to! Engage with other fixations and hobbies and content you really enjoy! Maybe something kind of similar! Like another adult cartoon but one that isn’t actively causing harm to minorities. Though for me I ended up getting into TAZ specifically because it was so different from SP, where I didn’t feel constantly in danger, and at worst have to deal with the usual micro aggressions and liberalism LMAO. So maybe you need something totally different instead! Examine what you really get out of the show and look for something similar! For me, SP is very character driven but also the characters were kind of flexible so you can kinda have fun in the fandom space with it, which is why I love TAZ so much! It’s extremely character driven but because it’s an audio medium I can really focus on character design and my own interpretations and making and creating art for it! It really was the perfect series for me to latch onto and get away from SP entirely!

If you draw fanart and make content for it, you have to stop, if you find it hard to do so, then do not post it whatsoever. And try to draw/write/etc less and less for it. After a while I promise you will lose interest, because feeding into your fixations will only ensure in keeping them and make it impossible to leave. So you have to really just stop consuming, stop engaging, no matter how much you want to, it’s not worth it. Remind yourself that you are actively engaging in something harmful. Especially if you have friends who fall into the groups that South Park is always shitting on... it would not make me feel safe at least...

I hope this helps! Sorry this is a bit all over the place but there are a few other posts out there about leaving unhealthy habits and fandoms and hyperfixations! I saw one yesterday actually but wasn’t able to find it again, but if I do I’ll be sure to add it to this post!

Feel free to DM me as well! I still talk with other people who have left the fandom or are trying to leave and it really helps to have other people to talk to who have gone through it too I think! :> it especially sucks when you get into it really young (which I did too) but trust me, once you’re out you’re out for good and it is WONDERFUL. God I hate the show so much it’s not even funny <3 hate the creators too <3 come join me LMAO

[clickbliss]

Battle Princess Madelyn is an enchanting Ghosts N Goblins tribute that's hard to recommend

by Amr (@siegarettes)

Battle Princess Madelyn

Developer:

Publisher:

PC, PS4, Switch

Born of a daughter’s request to have a version of Ghosts ‘N Goblins with a playable girl, Battle Princess Madelyn carries both the spirit of that childhood desire and the series it pays homage to. This results in a game that both challenged and charmed me, bringing spooky character designs with a sense of cuteness, alongside familiar chaotic action.

It leaves a good first impression. I was drawn into the world and simple joy of warding of the assault of the undead. Changing the damsel into a pup that needed to be avenged (and watches over you as a spirit) was a cute, if sad, touch. But as I went on it slowly dawned on me that it wasn’t the game I wanted. The levels were unfocused, too often full of sprawling areas that felt barren and tedious to navigate. Alternate paths and secret areas seemed promising but often led to...dead ends? Or side quests with no tangible reward.

I felt pretty down on it. Until I was met with the realization that Battle Princess Madelyn was actually two totally different games.

It’s true! Selecting Story Mode from the main menu gives you a sprawling quest, complete with dialogue, cutscenes, collectibles, side quests and a non-linear hub world that unlocks as you gain new abilities. Selecting Arcade Mode, however, leads you to a very different game based on the arcade Ghosts ‘N Goblins style! The stages here are remixed from the Story Mode into more compact stage designs with a straightforward action game approach.

I stuck with Story Mode for a few more bosses to get a better feel for it and see if it could impress me, but ultimately I didn’t enjoy it. Simply put, it’s not very good. Battle Princess Madelyn namedrops Wonder Boy 3 as its secondary inspiration, and while I can see its influence here it doesn’t take any of the elements that game successful. Wonderboy 3 uses its different abilities to recontextualize the world and force you to play differently upon revisiting other areas. Metroidvania style games has a different approach, gradually unlocking the world with each new ability.

In either case, it results in a world that gradually begins to feel bigger as you gain new abilities. Battle Princess Madelyn fails to resolve either of those approaches, instead feeling as if it was designed with a moveset in mind then had the character stripped of those moves to crush down the world. It doesn’t feel empowering, just restrictive.

By contrast Arcade Mode gets off to a much better start. You aren’t given a very extensive moveset, but having the double jump and chargeable ghost dog attack from the go allows for better navigation and stage design. Immediately I was leaping around, changing course mid-air and dashing through its spaces while tossing lances and ghost dogs around. It definitely captured that arcade sensibility, and the more compact level design kept it dense with action and demanded my attention at every second. I was having a grand time, but there was one problem: I couldn’t get past the first level.

I don’t mean that the first stage was too hard. It was difficult, but not unreasonably so. Instead I was stopped in the first stage after defeating the boss, with the victory screen just hanging there announcing how legendary my battle was but refusing to move on. This didn’t happen on every playthrough, but it did happen a few too many times and made me terribly anxious that the same thing would happen after each boss. Thankfully it didn’t, but another major obstacle stood in the way instead.

Stage 2, to put it mildly, is a massive, unfair difficulty spike that almost made me quit the game entirely. I eventually got through it after literal hours of practice, but it was a huge early roadblock that kept me from seeing most of the game. A combination of projectile enemies that never let up and a long precision platforming section repeatedly aggravated me until I could find a solution. The archers in the stage barely give you a gap to retaliate once they become active, and the platforming section involves climbing on precarious platforms with snakes around them who also spit venom as bats fly around you, with a single hit sending you falling for seconds to an instant death. This section tormented me with its cheap deaths, leaving me with barely any health to try to figure out the boss. And if I died? Back to the start of the level.

Worse, there was no coming back to this stage later after a break. Unlike Story Mode, if you quit in Arcade Mode you need to start the whole game over. So I decided fuck it, I’m going all in and completing as much as I can in one sitting.

While the game can apparently be completed in less than an hour if you know the stages, I didn’t and there wasn’t exactly a way to practice them. Instead I spent several hours grinding through the stages. Completing Stage 2 confirmed my suspicions that it was out of whack with the rest of the game, as most of the following stages were more reasonable in difficulty, and I even defeated a few bosses within a few or even the first try. Plenty of these stages are memorable in their own right as well, with stages set during storms as you cross on a rickety boat, or one set in a snowstorm, prompting Madelyn to change into a winter coat for its duration.

The bosses are enjoyable as well. It’s a familiar bestiary, with large wolves, crabs, possessed trees and the like, but they often have a fun gimmick for taking them down. For instance, you might have to drop a load of cannons onto the crab, or distract the wolf with a large chunk of meat. These gimmicks aren’t very involved, mostly requiring you to shoot something to open up a vulnerability, but they add variety and remind me of some of the cool boss fights in something like Dragon’s Crown.  

Despite enjoying these later stages it became really hard to ignore Battle Princess Madelyn’s faults. There are many bugs that make it more difficult that it already is. Objects frequently get stuck in walls, at times I repeatedly became stuck in a ladder climbing animation or had the walking animation freeze to a single frame. Your ghost dog is also the only way to attack at oblique angles, but it frequently fails to detect enemies, wasting your charge and leaving you defenseless as enemies approach.

The camera is by far the worst offender, constantly obfuscating platforms from view despite having plenty of screen estate to work with. A certain area on the pirate ship area kept having the camera briefly flicker to a different view, and jumping on a ladder causes the camera to instantly snap to it in an unpleasant and distracting way. All these problems mean it frequently forces blind jumps, which become more of a problem as the stages progress. One later stage even has an area where a horizontal platform you need to jump on isn’t synced up with a vertical one, forcing you to go to an area above where the horizontal platform is totally out of view, forcing you to make a jump with nothing but a guess of where it is based on the timing of its movement. If you miss you of course die and start the section over.

Even the once charming art started to wear on me. The heavy use of glow effects to simulate lighting isn’t my bag, but I can take it or leave it. What looks worse are some of the background art, which don't’ seem like they were originally created as pixel art but are rather higher resolution art that’s been scaled down. This gives it a highly compressed look not unlike the use of pre-rendered backgrounds from the PSX or Saturn era. It’s just a blurry, hard to look at mess.

This is especially true for the title screen and opening cutscene, which were clearly lovingly hand animated. You can see the high resolution art of opening scene in the trailer, but in the game it’s inexplicably compressed as if run through a terrible ancient codec. My guess is that this was an attempt to make it feel more in line with the pixel art aesthetic but it doesn’t work and ruins perfectly good looking artwork.

I hate to admit it, but Battle Princess Madelyn is hard to recommend. The initial charm wears off quick in the frustration of trying to overcome both its daunting challenge and technical issues. You might argue that this brand of frustration is in line with its source material, but the best of the Ghosts ‘N Ghouls series, as well as spiritual successors like Prinny or Maldita Castilla bring a consistency that’s missing here.

Even as I began to enjoy Battle Princess Madelyn my run was eventually ended by sheer randomness. A random weapon drop gave me a leg up early in my run, then a subsequent drop cut my range short and made ever encounter more difficult. Unlike other games in the style drops are inconsistent and you retain weapons after death, so a bad pickup means you’re forced to play with a disadvantage for a while. After hours of struggle this finally killed my run.

I kept playing after, but the decision of choosing between the meandering stages of the story mode or the forced marathon of arcade, stopped my momentum. Between that, the bugs and the inconsistent general direction, Battle Princess Madelyn has too many caveats to recommend. Maybe you could argue its lack of saves in Arcade Mode and unrelenting difficulty are in line with the games it draws from, but it’s hard to stomach that excuse when it so many other problems plague it. There’s a core to the game that might be salvageable, but as it is Battle Princess Madelyn brings back the frustration of the arcade without its magic.