One (hopefully) final Overture story post

[rallamajoop]

I’m having this rather horrifying revelation about Overture.

It’s taken a couple of days of being irritated at the game for having the nerve to exist at all and gradually hunting through the web for answers to all the really difficult questions about just what we were supposed to think was going on. However, if you can somehow put aside the fact this game is simply incapable of fitting into the canon we know, has graffitied over my favourite pairing and hardly even let my favourite characters interact on screen, then I’m stuck with this nasty little conclusion about the story.

I enjoyed it.

See, almost all the problems with Overture come from the fact it’s set in a poorly defined AU. AUs don’t have to be such a mess – they did a great job with the one from the Side Red/Side Black drama CDs. The big difference is that by the end of the CDs, we knew exactly when, how and even why the timelines had diverged. On the other hand, the best we can say about Overture is, “it sort of seems like it was probably supposed to diverge around GGX somewhere or something?” Except how that still doesn’t make any sense. Maybe there’s a way of fitting it into the continuity after GG1 with a lot of effort, but they haven’t told us how, and it’s a bit unfair to expect fandom to fill in a gap that big.

Making things worse, it’s a whole different style of story, so it doesn’t even feel much like it’s part of any world we know. The only way I can get it to work at all is to assume it’s set in a world that’s completely AU, and the only things it shares with the main timeline is some of the world history and a couple of characters (and lets just say it also helps an awful lot if I patch in one of my new set of crack Sol/Ky theories to make my inner yaoi fangirl stop whinging). But if you can get it far enough that you’re looking at it basically as a story in its own right, with only minimal connection to do with the main GG canon… then I’m stuck on this problem that I did actually enjoy the story.

There are three fantastic new characters, and a new villain who I wasn’t so impressed with, but who had some interesting stuff in her own backstory. The story was full of unexpected twists, but a lot of good stories are, and once you’ve got your head around what was going on, most of the pacing and development worked pretty well. There was some very interesting development to the world – a colony of sentient Gears, a lot of new information about the theory of magic, some tantalising hints about Justice’s backstory. Sol never entirely feels like the Sol we know thanks to that voice, but damn if it wasn’t fascinating seeing him actually doing the Frederick thing for once and talking science for so much of the game. Complicated as it was (so help me) I even liked all the magical technobabble they kept throwing around. And at the end, they did leave me at least generally curious about what would have happened next.

If they ever actually got to make a GG3, anyway, which doesn’t look likely with the sales figures I’ve seen for GG2 . According to VG Charts, Overture only sold 5000 copies in its first week, and has gradually crawled its way up to around 8000 since. I’m no expert, but for a game which sells for around $70 and built for a 7th gen console, I can’t imagine that’s even going to be close to covering their development costs, let alone turning a profit. For comparison, Accent Core (which wouldn’t have had a fraction of the cost to make) sold 33,000 copies in its first week in Japan, and was up to 45,000 by the time sales had dropped off; Slash sold over 75,000 total and XX nearly 160,000. Clearly ‘more new content and story’ = ‘more sales’, but ‘leaping completely out into uncharted territory’ = bad idea. There were supposed to be plans for an English version, but I wouldn’t be surprised if even that’s fallen through with the game doing so badly. A bunch of story mode videos on youtube might well be all we ever see of GG2 over here.

So, I’m not going to try to say everyone needs to give it another chance, because the fact remains that it is one hellish mess of continuity problems, and people can’t be expected to just ignore all that – it’s a pretty major flaw (and even then, it’s not going to be everyone’s kind of story). But at least it’s restored a little of my faith that when AC+ comes out, we’re not going to discover they’ve completely forgotten how to write out a coherent storyline and have turned even our main canon into canon soup.




While I’m here, you know what? I can come up with a plausible AU timeline which makes the discrepancies from Overture make sense. It just doesn’t work the way they seem to want us to think.

The idea is that the timelines diverge before the war ends. Sol never steals the Fuuenken and never leaves the Order. Somewhere between that and the end of the war, Ky finds out about his Gear nature and past, and however the detail might work, that leads to them settling their differences. Sol’s still looking for That Man after the war though, so they go their separate ways, just on much better terms than they would have otherwise.

Illyuria could be a kingdom founded after the war ended. Ky would be an obvious candidate for king – he’s the heroic commander who saved the world and he’s a natural leader. Since he’s one of very few who knows enough about Sol’s past to realise Gears aren’t always evil, it’d make perfect sense that he’d get involved when he heard maybe-Dizzy had shown up and offer to keep her existence secret by hiding her in Illyuria. (There’s not so much I can do with the part with Ky falling for her except shrug, shake my head and make sure the AU stamp on this world is so big it’s visible from space. But aside from that, it could all fit.)

Trouble is, that’s not what they want us to think happened. In attempt to give GG2 some legitimacy, they’ve told us it’s a direct sequel to GG1 and doesn’t become AU until around GGX. All that despite the fact there’s nothing I’ve seen story-wise to connect GG2 to anything that actually happens in GG1, and a whole lot that contradicts. I have a feeling they went and forgot that GG1 had a story at all.

It’s a shame though. Gameplay problems aside (which I’m not in a position to comment on since I haven't actually played it), there’s really not that much they would’ve had to change about Overture to fix most of what turned me and so much of fandom against it.

Comments

[aphelion-orion.livejournal.com]

But then, I can even see Ky topping if I squint at the right angle, so clearly I'm already a freak by the standards of our fandom.
I have absolutely no problem with Ky topping. 8D As long as it doesn't mean SOL's got to play the blushing virgin now, I'm all for it, in fact (not that Ky playing the blushing virgin is any better. Virgin he might be, but he wouldn't act like a mentally regressed shota porn character about it). Variety is the spice in life, after all. :D

And seriously, Japan is a lovely place to visit, but I'd never want to live there.
Agreed. I'm thinking of going there this summer, just to see what it's like. Hopefully nobody will expect souvenirs, because I will go buy porn. XDDDDD

You should've seen me going through the story mode in XX "High resolution Sol art on my screen with his every line, thankyougod!
YOU MEAN I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE? 8D
I'm also guessing that, aside from the stupid fangirls, the fighting game genre would frighten some of the more intelligent variety away. I know it frightened ME away--I remember holding XX Reload in my hands more than a year ago, at a gamestore, going "HYUUUUH PRETTY PRETTY MAN" at Sol on the cover, and when it flipped the case around and read that it was all about bashing somebody else's skull in in 245,076 different ways, I kinda went, "naaaah" and put it back. Silly me, yes, but the package description was stupid, too.

His earliest art also includes stuff like this drool-worthy pic of Sol half out of his jacket and leering at the camera which I cannot find a high resolution version of anywhere!
OMG. Do you have a non-high resolution version? *big, big puppy eyes* Heh, in case you hadn't noticed, I LIKE the current topic. >__>

[rallamajoop.livejournal.com]

YOU MEAN I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE? 8D

Not at *all*. *g* Honestly, one of my first thoughts when I found those AC+ story mode screenshots was "Aww, they changed his close-up character art! They didn't really need to do that, did they?"

I'm also guessing that, aside from the stupid fangirls, the fighting game genre would frighten some of the more intelligent variety away. I know it frightened ME away--I remember holding XX Reload in my hands more than a year ago, at a gamestore, going "HYUUUUH PRETTY PRETTY MAN" at Sol on the cover, and when it flipped the case around and read that it was all about bashing somebody else's skull in in 245,076 different ways, I kinda went, "naaaah" and put it back. Silly me, yes, but the package description was stupid, too.

And to this day, I am still wondering how I got hooked on a fighting game - normally I'd have done the same thing you did. People don't expect a fighting game could be this interesting because generally they aren't, more's the pity.

We get totally cheated out of a lot of good cover art around here, btw. In the PSP game, for example, the English language cover just has a couple of random character portraits. The Japanese version? Original art of Sol doing up one of his gloves with his teeth. I have yet to get over the unfairness of this.

OMG. Do you have a non-high resolution version? *big, big puppy eyes*

This (http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b117/rallamajoop/sol.jpg) is the best version I could find in a hurry. I know better ones *exist*, the Japanese are just so very careful about posting official artwork online.

[aphelion-orion.livejournal.com]

People don't expect a fighting game could be this interesting because generally they aren't, more's the pity.

Yeah, that's true. And I admit I suck so badly at hand-eye coordination and remembering all those button combos that I've almost given up on beating the game, anyway. I think I'll resort to watching the story mode videos on youtube. T___T

We get totally cheated out of a lot of good cover art around here, btw.
And to this day, I will never understand why they feel the need to CHANGE COVER ART for different regions. American covers are by far the worst because they always feature some random "artsy" montage of the characters together, in more or less silly positions, but sometimes us PAL folk get stupid stuff, too.

This is the best version I could find in a hurry.
Oh gods. I PRAY THAT THIS WILL FOLLOW ME INTO MY DREAMS TONIGHT. *____*
And yeah, I think there are some strange laws about republishing/distributing official images. And on the other hand, it's totally legal to draw doujinshi and whatnot. At least, I heard about that once.

[rallamajoop.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's true. And I admit I suck so badly at hand-eye coordination and remembering all those button combos that I've almost given up on beating the game, anyway. I think I'll resort to watching the story mode videos on youtube. T___T

I actually was determined enough to go through all 61 different endings, though with my skill level, it really wasn't a short job. ^^; Suffice to say the 'beginner' level difficulty got used more than once, and instant kills are like, my favourite move on some characters. (And I am officially *never* using Johnny again if I can possibly avoid it.)

And to this day, I will never understand why they feel the need to CHANGE COVER ART for different regions. American covers are by far the worst because they always feature some random "artsy" montage of the characters together, in more or less silly positions, but sometimes us PAL folk get stupid stuff, too.

I know, right? And the art they always stick on the cover instead is just the character portraits you'll see when you buy the game anyway, so you're losing a nice cover pic and getting nothing in return. Sooner or later I'm going to put together a comparison post just to show how much we miss out on over here - mostly Sol and Ky art, more's the shame. Ever since GGX2, even art of them that isn't particularly suspect always seems to get the cut.

Oh gods. I PRAY THAT THIS WILL FOLLOW ME INTO MY DREAMS TONIGHT. *____*
And yeah, I think there are some strange laws about republishing/distributing official images. And on the other hand, it's totally legal to draw doujinshi and whatnot. At least, I heard about that once.

I've found thumbnails showing that there was a wallpaper-sized version of that pic in a GG Desktop Accessory pack released years ago, but you just try and find any info on it now... ;_;

I don't think the laws are actually that different between here and Japan, it's just that most creators (mostly) turn a blind eye to fans posting official art in Western countries, whereas Japanese fandom still treats it as a big no-no. On the other hand, doujinshi is still technically illegal in Japan, but the producers overlook it (on a freaking *huge* scale too) because they're smart enough to realise that it's actually free promotion and it works in their favour. It's a really funny double standard, however you look at it.

[aphelion-orion.livejournal.com]

I actually was determined enough to go through all 61 different endings, though with my skill level, it really wasn't a short job. ^^;
Wow, I admire your determination. *bows* And heh, without beginner's level, I would be DEAD 100% of the time instead of only 99%. And I can barely execute a normal move, let alone an insta-killer. (Also, what about Johnny? *hasn't even touched him yet*)

Ever since GGX2, even art of them that isn't particularly suspect always seems to get the cut.
I actually doubt they're cutting those pictures for that reason. I mean, I bought X where Ky has his head between Sol's legs, you can't get more suggestive than that. I think a lot of the time, they change the art for retarded marketing reasons - e.g. for Americans, they have to make the covers FLASHY AND COLORFUL AND SHINY. So, for example, games like the FF series or Shadow of the Colossus get retarded super-colorful character pictures plastered over them. Other times, they think they're better off sticking on montages of the characters so EVERYONE KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT THEIR PARTY/CAST WILL LOOK LIKE. I refuse to believe they put more thought than that into these changes.


I've found thumbnails showing that there was a wallpaper-sized version of that pic in a GG Desktop Accessory pack released years ago, but you just try and find any info on it now... ;_;
Wah. Wahwahwahwahwah.

It's a really funny double standard, however you look at it.
Yeah, that it is. But I think it's smart of them to turn a blind eye to it (or two blind eyes, actually) because a) they get advertising and don't have to pay and b) we get porn. It all works out.

[rallamajoop.livejournal.com]

Wow, I admire your determination. *bows* And heh, without beginner's level, I would be DEAD 100% of the time instead of only 99%. And I can barely execute a normal move, let alone an insta-killer. (Also, what about Johnny? *hasn't even touched him yet*)

I can win rounds on normal-moderate difficulty some of the time, but throw me into a regenerating-I-no boss battle and instant kills quickly become the only hope I've got. ^^; Don't get me started on the battles where you had to win with your health starting low on your first try to get the right ending. (Johnny's one of those characters who's probably fine if you bother learning him properly, but for me he was a nightmare. Can't dash, hardly any decent hard hitting moves I could pull off, and his main selling point is his Mist Finer move which requires way more strategy than my button-mashing approach allows for. Give me Ky or Millia any old day. ^^; Don't ask about Venom either)

I actually doubt they're cutting those pictures for that reason. I mean, I bought X where Ky has his head between Sol's legs, you can't get more suggestive than that. I think a lot of the time, they change the art for retarded marketing reasons - e.g. for Americans, they have to make the covers FLASHY AND COLORFUL AND SHINY. So, for example, games like the FF series or Shadow of the Colossus get retarded super-colorful character pictures plastered over them. Other times, they think they're better off sticking on montages of the characters so EVERYONE KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT THEIR PARTY/CAST WILL LOOK LIKE. I refuse to believe they put more thought than that into these changes.

I'm pretty sure you're right there, much as that logic depresses me. But I do have a nasty suspicion that part of the reason they change the art is so they can put some of the girls on the cover to draw in the male audience. I'm also sure the reason Accent Core got Order Sol and A.B.A. on it's cover was because they were trying to sell them as TWO CHARACTERS NEVER SEEN BEFORE IN THE US!!1! Nevermind that A.B.A. was in Isuka and that was released in the US *years* ago, and anyone who imported GG Slash has seen Order Sol before anyway. Sounds like marketing to easily distracted people who are only passingly familiar with the series. >< "Easy to understand" trumps "good artwork" all the way in their brains.

Yeah, that it is. But I think it's smart of them to turn a blind eye to it (or two blind eyes, actually) because a) they get advertising and don't have to pay and b) we get porn. It all works out.

I'm more amused that what is or isn't acceptable is more or less backwards between here and Japan, but I love that they realise that doujinshi work in their favour.

[aphelion-orion.livejournal.com]

Give me Ky or Millia any old day. ^^;
LOL Ky is my poor sod of choice for learning how to play this damn game. Which means I get to hear his screams of pain and outrage every time I can't dodge or hit the opponent to save my life. I've never felt so sorry for a character before... I mean, the only reason he's suffering is because of my incompetence. XDDDDD

And heh, Venom. I heard that he's insanely difficult to play, so I'll stay clear of him unless I want to bash my own skull in with my controller out of frustration.

Sounds like marketing to easily distracted people who are only passingly familiar with the series. >< "Easy to understand" trumps "good artwork" all the way in their brains.
Wow, I didn't know they were that stupid, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised that they don't even know who appears/appeared where and when before. And sometimes they even shell out blatant OOC just to draw an audience. For example, I don't know if you're familiar with the Shadow Hearts series, but the American cover looked like this. Typical montage--the hero (who is ridiculously tiny, btw) holding the fainted, helpless heroine. Nevermind that the hero isn't all that heroic actually and the heroine would sooner jump off a cliff than allow herself to be cradled tenderly. XD

And of course, art references go right over their head, like with Ico: This is the original cover, which is a hommage to Giorgio de Chirico's paintings, which resemble the mood and theme of the game perfectly. Instead, the American release got this atrocity.

Can you see this has been bothering me for a while? XDD;;;;

I'm more amused that what is or isn't acceptable is more or less backwards between here and Japan
I love the irony that the conservative country doesn't mind that everyone and their mom are producing porn about its artistic creations, but the progressive countries to the west are all "HOMG EVOL, COPYRIGHT COPYRIGHT". XD

[rallamajoop.livejournal.com]

Ky is my poor sod of choice for learning how to play this damn game. Which means I get to hear his screams of pain and outrage every time I can't dodge or hit the opponent to save my life. I've never felt so sorry for a character before... I mean, the only reason he's suffering is because of my incompetence. XDDDDD

If it balances it up any, I spent an afternoon a while back playing as Ky against a friend who mostly button mashes as Sol, and won so many times I felt like I was letting canon down somewhere.

Wow, I didn't know they were that stupid, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised that they don't even know who appears/appeared where and when before.

Someone on Dustloop actually asked them about the A.B.A. thing directly, and their response was 'but A.B.A.'s been totally reworked in Accent Core, so she's like a completely different character!' Suuure, like the whole selling point of AC wasn't supposed to be that *everyone* has been reworked like that. *headdesk* Honestly, I'm pretty sure they knew perfectly well they were lying about it, they were just counting on people not knowing the series very well and being instantly sold on the TWO NEW CHARACTERS line. Maybe good marketing, but damn if it doesn't irritate me to be treated like a dumb consumer like that. (Yeah, so this would be another one of those details that got to me more than it probably should have. >.>)

For example, I don't know if you're familiar with the Shadow Hearts series, but the American cover looked like this.

...ugh, that is ugly. My first thoughts on looking at it would have been 'Why's his hand so out of proportion? What on earth is up with her anatomy? What a boring generic pose. Back on the shelf with this one." It'd be kind of relieving to know the cover was misleading. ^^;

It's a typical problem with all things American - they market everything to dumb people with short attention spans. 'Art' just doesn't factor into the equation.

I love the irony that the conservative country doesn't mind that everyone and their mom are producing porn about its artistic creations,

Fun fact about so many societies - the more conservative the surface, the seedier the underbelly. Just because people aren't allowed to be crazy and perverted in public doesn't mean they can't do it out of sight. *g* Victorian England was a pretty damn good example, and I'm sure Japan isn't the only other one.

but the progressive countries to the west are all "HOMG EVOL, COPYRIGHT COPYRIGHT". XD

It seems a bit more like in America, the rule is 'do what you like with the images (within reason) but don't you dare try to make any money out of our characters!' whereas in Japan it's more 'don't you dare reuse any of our art directly, but if you want to make some small change showing people that you loved our series enough to dedicate hours on end creating fanwork for it, we'll pretend we didn't notice'. It does maybe help that I'm sure the Japanese are a whole lot politer about it, whereas I can all too easily imagine that in America, it'd be a lot harder to make the fans stop at 'not making any significant profit' before someone would have to go and ruin it for everyone else. I still wish they'd loosen up the rules a little though, all this debate about even non-profit fanwork being borderline illegal is never fun to watch.

[aphelion-orion.livejournal.com]

If it balances it up any, I spent an afternoon a while back playing as Ky against a friend who mostly button mashes as Sol, and won so many times I felt like I was letting canon down somewhere.

XDDDDDDD And I know this is an old hat, but I love Sol's fighting style... if you can even call it a style. Ky does all his uberpretty moves with clasping his sword religiously and producing pretty rainbow-colored special effects, and Sol goes around headbutting people. It's just... I know it's immature, but it makes me laugh.

Maybe good marketing, but damn if it doesn't irritate me to be treated like a dumb consumer like that.
I fully understand your irritation; nothing's worse than a company who can't admit they committed an obvious idiocy, and then go around treating the customers like they're the stupid ones who need help.

It'd be kind of relieving to know the cover was misleading. ^^;
It's very much misleading, actually. Shadow Hearts 3 is a great game... not as uber-awesome and funny as its predecessors, but still very much worth the money. And the funniest thing is that the romance this cover wants us to believe is happening is actually reduced to one single scene, where the little guy gets distracted by her boobs, and then it's never brought up again. XD

Fun fact about so many societies - the more conservative the surface, the seedier the underbelly.
Heh, don't I know it; if I had any kind of stomach for this, I'd venture into the scarier yaoi/hentai subgenres to see just HOW depraved the human mind can get, but... I'd say I can imagine, but in all likelihood I can't.

it'd be a lot harder to make the fans stop at 'not making any significant profit' before someone would have to go and ruin it for everyone else.
Yeah, some idiot would probably go and ruin our fun. In fact, it has already happened: some idiot company tried to introduce a new fanfiction website where people could post and essentially give THEM the right to make money off their fanfiction, which brought the whole of fandom precariously close to something very nasty. Luckily, it seems to be mostly dead.

I still wish they'd loosen up the rules a little though, all this debate about even non-profit fanwork being borderline illegal is never fun to watch.
I find Americans ridiculously paranoid in copyright areas... I mean, apparently there are companies who have FORTY patents on toilet paper, I kid you not. I'm sure that says something significant about their culture, but as it is, it just makes me a sad panda. I mean, the vast majority of us are not trying to do anyone any harm--we're just trying to enjoy our favorite fandoms. I mean, I for one would never even think of selling a fanfic of mine, even if they were any good. It's just... bwuh. Whut. I put it out because I enjoy something and hope people can share my enjoyment this way, not because I'm looking for a way to make bucks. But most corporate guys are too dumb to understand that.

[rallamajoop.livejournal.com]

XDDDDDDD And I know this is an old hat, but I love Sol's fighting style... if you can even call it a style. Ky does all his uberpretty moves with clasping his sword religiously and producing pretty rainbow-colored special effects, and Sol goes around headbutting people. It's just... I know it's immature, but it makes me laugh.

Oh, I'd say the fighting styles of everyone in that game are terrific - the animation is so unique to each character that you can get a really good idea of what kind of character they are just from how they move. So Ky fights like a guy who actually remembers every tricky little bit of footwork he's ever been taught even when his life is on the line, whereas Sol fights like a fist-fighter who happens to have have wound up with a sword in one of his fists somehow. One more entry on my list of reasons why GG is more awesome than any other fighter I can ever remember seeing. (And as a minor aside, we have way too much fun with how Sol is always *ahem* 'headbutting' Ky around here. XD)

the romance this cover wants us to believe is happening is actually reduced to one single scene, where the little guy gets distracted by her boobs, and then it's never brought up again. XD

*snigger* Oh yes. Very romantic, that. And I bet she's just the sort to swoon dramatically like that so he can look cool and save the day.

Yeah, some idiot would probably go and ruin our fun. In fact, it has already happened: some idiot company tried to introduce a new fanfiction website where people could post and essentially give THEM the right to make money off their fanfiction, which brought the whole of fandom precariously close to something very nasty. Luckily, it seems to be mostly dead.

Fanlib - yeah, heard all about that big fiasco (I still check life_wo_fanlib now and then just to see if there's any new crazy for me to snigger at). Their complete incompetence was nearly as impressive as the greed angle. It's not often you see a company go out to alienate their entire prospective market quite that effectively.

I find Americans ridiculously paranoid in copyright areas... I mean, apparently there are companies who have FORTY patents on toilet paper, I kid you not.

XD Good lord, now part of me wants to see those forty patents just to find out how anyone could come up with forty distinct and innovative different things that could be done with toilet paper. It's like the set up for a joke.

I mean, I for one would never even think of selling a fanfic of mine, even if they were any good.

Well, I'm a bit borderline there, since I have written for doujinshi which have been printed and sold, but it's seriously not something you make more than small change for. The real appeal is still the thought that someone would be *willing* to shell out enough money to cover the printing costs on something you contributed to creatively. ^_^

[aphelion-orion.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'd say the fighting styles of everyone in that game are terrific - the animation is so unique to each character that you can get a really good idea of what kind of character they are just from how they move.
Of course. I'm just biased because those two are my favorites. XD And I love how their styles reflect their attitudes--Ky is the perfectionist who follows the protocol down to a T, and Sol is the guy who just uses whatever works to get the job done.

And I bet she's just the sort to swoon dramatically like that so he can look cool and save the day.
LMAO if "swoon" means "castrate with tomahawks", then yes. I could take Shania a lot more seriously if she wore more clothes and didn't regularly undress in a Sailormoon-esque transformation sequence, but yeah.

It's not often you see a company go out to alienate their entire prospective market quite that effectively.
Yeah, fanlib. I'm very glad they bit off more than they could chew, because that project could have meant serious trouble for all of us. Maybe not those of us who write fanfiction for non-US productions, but I bet we'd all have had to move to servers not in US possession and... yeah. Bad stuff.

Good lord, now part of me wants to see those forty patents just to find out how anyone could come up with forty distinct and innovative different things that could be done with toilet paper.
I have NO idea. I mean... what did they patent, the flower print? The lemon smell? The flower print AND the lemon smell in combination with each other? The mind boggles that someone bothered to create forty patents for something people wipe their asses with, quite literally. XD

Well, I'm a bit borderline there, since I have written for doujinshi which have been printed and sold, but it's seriously not something you make more than small change for.
Well, when I think of "selling", I don't mean doujinshi, I mean turning fanfiction into a huge novel and trying to turn it over to professional publishers and all that. Because it's as you say, doujinshi usually just charge to cover their printing costs. That's not really turning a profit.

[rallamajoop.livejournal.com]

Yeah, fanlib. I'm very glad they bit off more than they could chew, because that project could have meant serious trouble for all of us. Maybe not those of us who write fanfiction for non-US productions, but I bet we'd all have had to move to servers not in US possession and... yeah. Bad stuff.

Well, they're still around, it's just fandom as a whole is mostly ignoring them. They're still throwing around all these lofty promises about letting fans connect with the original creators (as if that was ever remotely what fanfic was about), but no-one much actually seems to care about them. Including the creators they didn't have the approval of, fortunately. And honestly, how much success they would have had in trying to pin the blame on the fans if things had gone bad for them I don't know, and I suspect they didn't know too well either.

I have NO idea. I mean... what did they patent, the flower print? The lemon smell? The flower print AND the lemon smell in combination with each other? The mind boggles that someone bothered to create forty patents for something people wipe their asses with, quite literally. XD

*snigger* And even better is the thought that there could be someone else out there coming up with his own innovative new idea for toilet paper and having to go, "It's been patented already? NOOOOOO!!! My plan to become rich through toiletry sales has been thwarted by their clever legal team!" XDD Or, good grief, can you imagine them trying to take someone else to court for using their idea? It just gets worse.

Well, when I think of "selling", I don't mean doujinshi, I mean turning fanfiction into a huge novel and trying to turn it over to professional publishers and all that. Because it's as you say, doujinshi usually just charge to cover their printing costs. That's not really turning a profit.

Yeah, that one remains well in the no-no arena (and if I hadn't seen people actually *try* it and similar bursts of inanity, I'd laugh at the idea anyone would be that stupid). And even posting fanfic online with the intent of profiting from advertising is pretty damn questionable, not to mention unlikely to even succeed in making you a profit.

[aphelion-orion.livejournal.com]

They're still throwing around all these lofty promises about letting fans connect with the original creators (as if that was ever remotely what fanfic was about)
Well, yeah. They don't die that easily, unfortunately. But I don't like to imagine what would have happened if fandom really had flocked to them--we would've all appeared as a bunch of greedy idiots.

Or, good grief, can you imagine them trying to take someone else to court for using their idea?
Oh gods. XDDDDDDD

Yeah, that one remains well in the no-no arena (and if I hadn't seen people actually *try* it and similar bursts of inanity, I'd laugh at the idea anyone would be that stupid).
Yeah, agreed. And I can't see understand this mindset... not only is it stupid, it is also dangerous, and damn. I always thought of fanfiction as something for everyone to enjoy, not as something which should be marketed and sold commercially to make millions of bucks. It's all so... I can't explain it. It just makes me boggle.

[rallamajoop.livejournal.com]

Well, yeah. They don't die that easily, unfortunately. But I don't like to imagine what would have happened if fandom really had flocked to them--we would've all appeared as a bunch of greedy idiots.

I don't know that fans would've looked that greedy, we weren't going to be making any money from fanlib whatever happened - we would just have been giving them permission to make advertising dollars off our hard work while they tried to shove all potential legal problems on to our shoulders. Gullible idiots would be more accurate.

Yeah, agreed. And I can't see understand this mindset... not only is it stupid, it is also dangerous, and damn. I always thought of fanfiction as something for everyone to enjoy, not as something which should be marketed and sold commercially to make millions of bucks. It's all so... I can't explain it. It just makes me boggle.

Considering I've seen branches of fandoms where people will go on and on about about how great the fic is but claim to hate the original author and everything they ever dared do with their own characters (and similar examples of boggle-worthy crazy), it's easier for me to believe than it should be.

[aphelion-orion.livejournal.com]

I don't know that fans would've looked that greedy, we weren't going to be making any money from fanlib whatever happened
Well, you can bet that the media would have presented us as such. But yeah, "gullible idiots" fits very well, too. I still can't believe that there are people stupid enough to post on that site. I wouldn't touch something like that with a barge pole... who knows what it would dump on my HD.

Considering I've seen branches of fandoms where people will go on and on about about how great the fic is but claim to hate the original author and everything they ever dared do with their own characters (and similar examples of boggle-worthy crazy), it's easier for me to believe than it should be.
Oh yeah, there is that. I mean, I'm pretty critical of the stuff I play with, just because, well, those are the pros and they should know their stuff--for example, I'm pretty cross with Squeenix for all the retconning in Crisis Core--but hating the creators? Bwuh? Doesn't compute in my head. Same way it doesn't compute how some fans want to kill off a female character so they can Sue themselves into her position as lover/friend/potential love interest of character X.

[rallamajoop.livejournal.com]

You know, I think life might be less surprising for you if you'd get used to the idea that half of fandom is always going to be completely batshit insane one way or the other. =P All this earth-logic stuff only gets in their way.

Well, you can bet that the media would have presented us as such. But yeah, "gullible idiots" fits very well, too. I still can't believe that there are people stupid enough to post on that site. I wouldn't touch something like that with a barge pole... who knows what it would dump on my HD.

Nah, the outside coverage I saw (what little there was online) was pretty clear on the idea that the fans weren't making any money out of the site. The main mistake I saw was people buying the idea that fans really did want the creators attention (which wasn't a whole lot better when it comes to proving that we do actually get that what we're producing is seriously unofficial) or were trying to break into writing for the shows professionally by writing fic. Makes us look lame and egotistical, but it's not quite as bad.

As for who'd post there, well, we've already discussed the average intelligence you see lurking around the pits of ff.net. Plenty of people in the world who don't bother reading a TOS and just want as much exposure for their crap fic as possible.

Oh yeah, there is that. I mean, I'm pretty critical of the stuff I play with, just because, well, those are the pros and they should know their stuff--for example, I'm pretty cross with Squeenix for all the retconning in Crisis Core

Most of what they've done to poor FFVII since '97 has been one big pile of ugly, more's the pity. -_- (Doesn't anyone else remember the days when Cloud rode chocobos and happily gave airsick ninjas long speeches on dealing with motion sickness? Where did all this emo crap come from!? ;_;)

--but hating the creators? Bwuh? Doesn't compute in my head. Same way it doesn't compute how some fans want to kill off a female character so they can Sue themselves into her position as lover/friend/potential love interest of character X.

Well, in some fandoms you do get something that started with a good idea that was executed badly, was passed on into the wrong hands or went rapidly downhill after season two. Hell, if anyone really wanted to kill off Ky's new girlfriend right now, I can't say I'd blame them...

And then there's Harry Potter fandom.

[aphelion-orion.livejournal.com]

You know, I think life might be less surprising for you if you'd get used to the idea that half of fandom is always going to be completely batshit insane one way or the other.
XDDDD Yeah.

Nah, the outside coverage I saw (what little there was online) was pretty clear on the idea that the fans weren't making any money out of the site.
Ahh, I see. I admit I haven't kept up with the news coverage as much as I probably should have, but yeah. I guess that sort of judgment always gets passed when people have no understanding of the group/idea/mindset/whathaveyou they're dealing with. I don't know how many articles I've seen painting gamers as computer-addicted teenagers with Social Problems TM, for example. Problem is always how that kind of reporting influences the general populace. So I'm really glad most creators don't seem to be ready to start a witch hunt over it.

(Doesn't anyone else remember the days when Cloud rode chocobos and happily gave airsick ninjas long speeches on dealing with motion sickness? Where did all this emo crap come from!? ;_;)
Word. I mean, Cloud has plenty of reasons for angst, but most people seem to forget that he's also a dork who ENJOYS things about life every once in a while. But emo seems to be the new fashion statement. D:

Hell, if anyone really wanted to kill off Ky's new girlfriend right now, I can't say I'd blame them...
Well, if by kill you mean "happily ignore and write slash all over the place", then yeah. I rarely hate characters so much that I actually want to murder them.

And then there's Harry Potter fandom.
Oh gods. THAT. I'm so glad the books bored me more the longer it went on, until I finally stopped trying to keep up around vol.3. Tales of the Potter-mania would reach my ears, but I admit my first real life encounter almost led to me being beaten into a pulp. No really. I was asked whether or not I was going to see the movie, said, in a totally inoffensive way, that it wasn't my cup of tea, and was promptly faced with a lynch mob. >____>

[rallamajoop.livejournal.com]

I don't know how many articles I've seen painting gamers as computer-addicted teenagers with Social Problems TM, for example. Problem is always how that kind of reporting influences the general populace.

Hah, and I don't know what I love more - the garbage they pass off as 'scientific' evidence or the suggestion that we're all such mindless sheep that we'll copy anything you put in front of our eyes. Did you see all the media wank about that Mass Effect game? Missed the mark on that one so badly all you can do is boggle or laugh. (Next in the news: porn makes people rape each other and Dungeons and Dragons makes kids try out satanic rituals ZOMG!!!)

So I'm really glad most creators don't seem to be ready to start a witch hunt over it.

Generally it seems to be just the really crazy ones who make a fuss, thank god. Same principle behind doujinshi, really - anyone with half a brain realises that having a fanbase that dedicated works in their favour. Still, they'd have every right to be pissed at a company doing what fanlib tried, and it wasn't all paranoia that people were worried the fans themselves would catch some of the flak for it.

Word. I mean, Cloud has plenty of reasons for angst, but most people seem to forget that he's also a dork who ENJOYS things about life every once in a while. But emo seems to be the new fashion statement. D:

And wasn't half the point of the game him getting all that stuff sorted out? Honestly, I try to connect their new Cloud and the original one with all his big speeches about saving the planet and cute-funny moments like him telling Tifa he'll make enough noise for everyone if the others didn't come back to the airship before the final battle, and I don't know how anyone in fandom bought them as the same person. (But I should probably make myself shut up on the subject before I start rambling again. ^^; Advent Children is a bit of a sore spot for us over here.)

Oh gods. THAT. I'm so glad the books bored me more the longer it went on, until I finally stopped trying to keep up around vol.3. Tales of the Potter-mania would reach my ears, but I admit my first real life encounter almost led to me being beaten into a pulp. No really. I was asked whether or not I was going to see the movie, said, in a totally inoffensive way, that it wasn't my cup of tea, and was promptly faced with a lynch mob. >____>

I enjoyed the series myself more than enough to read it through to the end, and the more I hear about how J.K.Rowlling herself handles her own fanbase the more I like her. I just stay waaaay away from the fandom as much as I possibly can.

[aphelion-orion.livejournal.com]

(Next in the news: porn makes people rape each other and Dungeons and Dragons makes kids try out satanic rituals ZOMG!!!)
LMAO. Sad thing is, I can so see that happening. Also, I haven't heard about that Mass Effect thing, but I take it was utterly retarded? The one thing that bugs me the most, perhaps, is that video games are seen as the new virus of the millennium, ready to infect THOUSANDS of INNOCENT TEENAGERS as soon as their VIRGIN EYES get exposed to them. Seriously, I know there are some very violent and fucked-up games out there. But videogames aren't the ultimate evil in this world. And if the idiots who sell them knew how to ask for ID, a lot more videogames wouldn't end up in the wrong hands.

Generally it seems to be just the really crazy ones who make a fuss, thank god. Same principle behind doujinshi, really - anyone with half a brain realises that having a fanbase that dedicated works in their favour.
I'm never entirely sure how to react to the ones that go "OMG DON'T WRITE ANY FANFICS OR I'LL SUE YOUR ASSES". On the one hand, yeah, it's their right, they're the creators and all, but... it seems like such a bitchy way to go about things, really. A lot of us are really harmless crazies who just want to write some maybe-porn and enjoy ourselves. But then again, I'm not into anything with a cease and desist rule, so I shouldn't complain.

(But I should probably make myself shut up on the subject before I start rambling again. ^^; Advent Children is a bit of a sore spot for us over here.)
XDDD It's fine. I find it funny how much our viewpoints overlap on this, though. Half the reason I've so totally fallen out of FF7 fandom and don't really want to get back into it is that it's all about the angst. Cloud!angst, Vincent!angst, Sephiroth!angst... yeah, there are some great fics out there, but sometimes it almost seems like it's wrong to write a character a happy or at least not totally emo story.

I enjoyed the series myself more than enough to read it through to the end, and the more I hear about how J.K.Rowlling herself handles her own fanbase the more I like her. I just stay waaaay away from the fandom as much as I possibly can.
I heard that she's pretty awesome with that, yeah. And LOL that reminds me of the "Harry Potter Fandom Summary" video on youtube, where they listed all the craziness from the first book to whatever book was out at the moment, set to a Billy Joel song. xD

[rallamajoop.livejournal.com]

LMAO. Sad thing is, I can so see that happening.

Oh, I only mention it because it all happens, and with alarming frequency too. ><

Also, I haven't heard about that Mass Effect thing, but I take it was utterly retarded?

Believe me, it was. I've only seen a few videos from the game myself, but there's a brief (and, honestly, barely above PG-13 level) sex scene somewhere in its god-only-knows how many hours of plot, which you can get if you play through some story paths and are particularly nice to one of the female characters. Somehow, some reviewer got the idea that this meant Mass Effect was in fact some kind of full on choose-your-own-adventure porn game and plastered their outrage all over the Internet, and even got the story picked up on the news in America where the matter was discussed by a panel of 'experts' who hadn't even seen the game either. A lot of fandom is simply too busy laughing at it all to bother getting angry at them. XD

One of the funnier things I've seen brought up about it was some annecdotes from way back in the period when printed novels were first beginning to be produced in a large scale. There was this group of crazies who were terribly worried about what sort of influence all that reading might have on impressionable young ladies. XDDD Some things never change.

I'm never entirely sure how to react to the ones that go "OMG DON'T WRITE ANY FANFICS OR I'LL SUE YOUR ASSES". On the one hand, yeah, it's their right, they're the creators and all, but... it seems like such a bitchy way to go about things, really. A lot of us are really harmless crazies who just want to write some maybe-porn and enjoy ourselves. But then again, I'm not into anything with a cease and desist rule, so I shouldn't complain.

Seriously, fanfics are only about one extra level up from people writing critical reviews or essays, or harmlessly discussing character motivations and predicting where the plot might go. And really, how ridiculous would the authors look if they tried to ban people from doing any of that?

XDDD It's fine. I find it funny how much our viewpoints overlap on this, though. Half the reason I've so totally fallen out of FF7 fandom and don't really want to get back into it is that it's all about the angst. Cloud!angst, Vincent!angst, Sephiroth!angst... yeah, there are some great fics out there, but sometimes it almost seems like it's wrong to write a character a happy or at least not totally emo story.

Oh god, no kidding. This would also be why the one time I ventured into writing FFVII fic in recent years I had great fun in keeping it as light and silly as I could make it and imagining all the characters with their blocky little original skittle-arms and legs all the way through.

I heard that she's pretty awesome with that, yeah.

There's this big thing going down right now with this absolute twat who thinks that just because he's running a Harry Potter encyclopedia website online, it's perfectly okay for him to publish it as a book for his own profit - and with not so much as an 'unofficial and unauthorised' label on the cover. Fandom was kind of panicking that she'd deal with it by clamping down on fansites of all kinds, but instead, practically the first thing she's said about the whole legal mess is that she's determined not to let this spoil the fun of anyone else who isn't silly enough to try to cash in on it. Even though I'm not in HP fandom much, it's been beautiful to watch an author being that sensible about everything. ^_^

And LOL that reminds me of the "Harry Potter Fandom Summary" video on youtube, where they listed all the craziness from the first book to whatever book was out at the moment, set to a Billy Joel song. xD

I have trouble believing they could possibly have found a song long enough. XD

[aphelion-orion.livejournal.com]

A lot of fandom is simply too busy laughing at it all to bother getting angry at them. XD
Oh gods, that is SO stupid. It gets even more stupid when politicians join the fray, who so clearly have never touched a video game in their life. I remember this one documentary about violent video games, and one of their contributions to "OMG HORRIFYING VIOLENCE OMG THINK OF THE CHILDRUUUUUN OUR YOUTH IS CORRUUUUPTED" was Samurai Legend Musashi. I kid you not.

It's even funnier, of course, when this sort of idiocy starts having an effect on one's own parents. My mother had heard all sorts of terrible stories about video-gaming children--how dumb they were going to be, what diseases they would develop, how they would all grow up to be mass-murderers--and when I bought my own console, she started watching me out of the corner of her eye with this really weird expression, like I could morph into a hideous chainsaw murdering mutant at any second.

There was this group of crazies who were terribly worried about what sort of influence all that reading might have on impressionable young ladies. XDDD Some things never change.
Oh gods, yeah. I heard about that. It's kind of funny, in a sad way, how they use "think of the childruuuun" to propagate their own warped ideas of what people should adhere to.

Seriously, fanfics are only about one extra level up from people writing critical reviews or essays, or harmlessly discussing character motivations and predicting where the plot might go. And really, how ridiculous would the authors look if they tried to ban people from doing any of that?
Agreed. And while I do think that some things that get written on the Internet would make me roll my eyes if I were the original creator--honestly, there was that one fic about a male character being raped by a trollish caveman and then falling in love with him and bearing his baby (don't ask me, I haven't read it o_O""")--hell, putting a stop to it by issuing such a statement is like demanding that people should NOT enjoy your stuff. And to answer your question... pretty damn ridiculous. I remember some Anne Rice stuff where she condemned fanfiction as the ultimate evil or something. Convinced me to never ever even glance at her books.

Oh god, no kidding. This would also be why the one time I ventured into writing FFVII fic in recent years I had great fun in keeping it as light and silly as I could make it and imagining all the characters with their blocky little original skittle-arms and legs all the way through.
Oh gods, LOL. It's scary how similar we are in that area. My forays into FFVII were 99% cracky or humorous stories intended to make people laugh. Even then, I was tired of all the "FFVII IS SIRIUZ BIZNIZ" stuff.

Even though I'm not in HP fandom much, it's been beautiful to watch an author being that sensible about everything. ^_^
Wow, mad props to her. I hadn't heard about THAT particular insanity. I love when authors/creators realize we're not all the devil's own spawn out to devour their precious creations. And I especially love it when they can laugh a bit at their own creations, because when they start taking themselves so uber-seriously, that's when things go bad.

I have trouble believing they could possibly have found a song long enough. XD
Well, when they made it, the series was only up to book four or five, I think, but... here you go. I laugh at it everytime I see it.

[rallamajoop.livejournal.com]

Oh gods, that is SO stupid. It gets even more stupid when politicians join the fray, who so clearly have never touched a video game in their life. I remember this one documentary about violent video games, and one of their contributions to "OMG HORRIFYING VIOLENCE OMG THINK OF THE CHILDRUUUUUN OUR YOUTH IS CORRUUUUPTED" was Samurai Legend Musashi. I kid you not.

*watches video* Awww, what a cute little game! XD But as that example with the novels probably proves, there's always going to be some nutjob who thinks anything new must be evil, just because they hate change. Pointing and laughing is probably the best bet.

I remember some Anne Rice stuff where she condemned fanfiction as the ultimate evil or something. Convinced me to never ever even glance at her books.

Well, glancing at some of what she passes off as 'prose' these days can be good for a laugh (up until the point where your eyes start bleeding). Of course, Anne Rice really does kick up a big stink if anyone dares to say nasty things about her writing. She's one of those really special classes of batshit.

Oh gods, LOL. It's scary how similar we are in that area. My forays into FFVII were 99% cracky or humorous stories intended to make people laugh. Even then, I was tired of all the "FFVII IS SIRIUZ BIZNIZ" stuff.

I never wound up getting into FFVII fic much at all myself - it was one of those stories I loved so much that fan interpretations rarely seemed to do it justice. ^^; Right with you on the crack and humour stories though - there's always room for fun with that. =3 (First doujinshi me and my sister ever put together was an Advent Children parody - man, did we ever have an easy time coming up with ideas for that one. XD)

I have vague hopes there might be something worthwhile left in Crisis Core, because at least they managed to remember Zack isn't all about the angst, but they're not too high. A friend with the game showed me one of the movie sequences last night, and good grief, but their new range of Sephiroth-lite copy-and-paste pretty boy villains bore me to tears. 'Evil and pretty' are like the only character traits they can think of anymore. And the fight scenes with characters waving around their massive weapons like they've weigh as much as toothpicks just look dumb.

Wow, mad props to her. I hadn't heard about THAT particular insanity. I love when authors/creators realize we're not all the devil's own spawn out to devour their precious creations. And I especially love it when they can laugh a bit at their own creations, because when they start taking themselves so uber-seriously, that's when things go bad.

Oh yeah. I mean, I hear she asks her fans not to write graphic porn about her characters and stuff, but even then it's not like she hunts them down and has their websites shut down when they do. Whereas I wonder whether Anne Rice realises that anything the fans write will probably be better than her own drivel these days. XD

[aphelion-orion.livejournal.com]

*watches video* Awww, what a cute little game! XD But as that example with the novels probably proves, there's always going to be some nutjob who thinks anything new must be evil, just because they hate change. Pointing and laughing is probably the best bet.
Musashi is cute, even if it makes no sense and the story makes me weep. XD And yeah, you're right that one shouldn't get too worked up about it; it's just that every once in a while all the stupid will make me hit my head against something hard in order to drown out the idiocy.

Well, glancing at some of what she passes off as 'prose' these days can be good for a laugh (up until the point where your eyes start bleeding).
I admit I don't know much about her in the first place, but I have some friends who mock her sometimes by posting interviews or excerpts, and yeah, I'm right with you on naming it "drivel".

I have vague hopes there might be something worthwhile left in Crisis Core, because at least they managed to remember Zack isn't all about the angst, but they're not too high.
Crisis Core is all one horrifying trainwreck and the stupid prettyboys will make your eyes bleed, because what they really are are canon Gary Stues who quote angsty poetry and sprout wings of blackness and evilness and change the original canon and are the supervillains or the tragic ikenie and gah. I've resolved to not touch that game with a ten-foot pole.

And the fight scenes with characters waving around their massive weapons like they've weigh as much as toothpicks just look dumb.
Well, I've played videogames for such a long time that this hardly bothers me anymore. But I'm right with you that the fight scenes are ridiculous filled with more angsty poetry and more ridiculous reasons. At this point, it's like watching Squeenix beat a dead horse by re-inventing and re-CGing all those scenes that were really much cuter and made much more sense when it was all a blob of polygons.

I mean, I hear she asks her fans not to write graphic porn about her characters and stuff, but even then it's not like she hunts them down and has their websites shut down when they do. Whereas I wonder whether Anne Rice realises that anything the fans write will probably be better than her own drivel these days. XD
Well, I can see to some degree why that would make her uncomfortable, considering what fandom can put out when it is in the mood, but yeah. I'm glad she's not instigating witch hunts about it.
And heh, I've come to the conclusion that Anne Rice is the prime example of a published fanbrat: "OMG LIEK I'M SO KEWL YOU SUXX Y U LEAVE ME FLAMES I KEEL U."

[rallamajoop.livejournal.com]

I admit I don't know much about her in the first place, but I have some friends who mock her sometimes by posting interviews or excerpts, and yeah, I'm right with you on naming it "drivel".

Though she does give us fun phrases like "You are interrogating this text from the wrong perspective!" So basically, her writing has been reduced to the level of inspiring low grade Internet memes. >D

Crisis Core is all one horrifying trainwreck and the stupid prettyboys will make your eyes bleed, because what they really are are canon Gary Stues who quote angsty poetry and sprout wings of blackness and evilness and change the original canon and are the supervillains or the tragic ikenie and gah. I've resolved to not touch that game with a ten-foot pole.

Yeah, and that would be the part I was worried about. -_-

Well, I've played videogames for such a long time that this hardly bothers me anymore.

Only they're not usually that bad. I mean, if you play a bit of FFX, for example, Auron's weilding a sword on the same kind of scale as Cloud's, and when he swings it over his shoulder you can damn well tell how much it weighs and how hard it hits. Whereas in all these new FFVII movies - despite all these graphics rendered to look as realistic as they can make them - there's no sense of weight at all. It's not even just a few overblown finishing moves either, they're swinging those giant swords around their heads like that all the time. Turns me right off.

But I'm right with you that the fight scenes are ridiculous filled with more angsty poetry and more ridiculous reasons. At this point, it's like watching Squeenix beat a dead horse by re-inventing and re-CGing all those scenes that were really much cuter and made much more sense when it was all a blob of polygons.

Dude, and I mean, Sephiroth used to freak me out way back when he was just a couple of polygons hung together with string. They don't need to update their graphics, the original worked fine! god, not more angsty poetry, all their angsty dramatics are always so utterly lame. ><

[aphelion-orion.livejournal.com]

"You are interrogating this text from the wrong perspective!"
...Bwuh? Bwuah? Bwuahahah. Gods, that is so stupid it's amusing.

Only they're not usually that bad. I mean, if you play a bit of FFX, for example, Auron's weilding a sword on the same kind of scale as Cloud's, and when he swings it over his shoulder you can damn well tell how much it weighs and how hard it hits.
Yeah, you're right about that; again, I've started to ignore laws of physics (and sometimes even aesthetics) when it comes to videogames and anime, but those swordfights really don't look like swordfights anymore for the most part. More like... toothpick-twirling acrobatics with metal clangs in between. Also, rainbows.

Dude, and I mean, Sephiroth used to freak me out way back when he was just a couple of polygons hung together with string.
Man, Jenova in that Shinra Tower laboratory? Without her (its?) head? With that music? I quivered. But then again, I'm easily scared. XD Eddie would scare me, too, if he didn't randomly do goofy things like transforming into a shark. But those pictures where he looks like some kind of natural history exhibit come to life with saliva dripping from his prehistoric mouth? I'm not looking at that in the dark, as ridiculous as it sounds. XD

god, not more angsty poetry, all their angsty dramatics are always so utterly lame. ><
Don't forget wanky Jpop songs! They are essential! Honestly, have you heard the CC theme? The singer crying out "Why-hyyyy?" doesn't seem very heart-rending to me... just like she's asking why they did what they did to this game. I don't know what I'd do if Guilty Gear ever jumped the Jpop bandwagon. Good thing Ishiwatari loves his guitar riffs too much. XD