Tell-Tale Heart

Wow! That's amazing! I really love the one with the woman in a kimono!

Very nice, I would love to see the painting. The pose and dress are both elegant. Epic job so far, Kusai! It's hard to fit so many into one drawing ^^ Something creepy I drew for a friend. I mean, it's not THAT creepy, but oh well, I tried:

I'm going to agree with this one.

Mine is Mary from Ib. I've only watched Cry play it, but I'm planning on playing it when I forget some of the puzzles. Here's the full picture:

I have always loved the Sly Cooper series. I have played Sly 2 over again just a month ago, and played through the whole series a second time a few months before that. I grew up with Sly Cooper and Sly 2, and enjoyed Sly 3 when it was released. Sly 4 was a disappointment in some aspects to me, though I have only just started the third chapter. I will give a few pros to this game before I list my cons. The gameplay is amazing and enjoyable, although the reason for doing some of the things you do in the game is rather odd (I will go into detail later). Some of the scenery is rather beautiful. Those are my main pros, but now onto my cons. I have been doing a bit of story writing and roleplaying so I have some experience when it comes to plot and dialogue, and tend to pick out what I like and don't like in my own characters as well as others. The first things I have noticed about the characters in Sly 4 is that some of them seem rather different. Bentley, for example, would seem shy and insecure about several things and was only confident when it came to plans, math, and hacking. He would nervously say that he had to keep moving and keep safe, and would freak out at a few things, such as crying out that he was allergic to lemons while Sly and Murray guzzled lemonade down. He also had a rather major panic attack when his laptop went missing, and would cry out if anything didn't go according to plan. I myself have had panic attacks, and having something as expensive and personal as a laptop stolen by the enemy would easily cause one. In this new game, I haven't seen a single one of these relatable traits. Bentley is rather confident, overly so, and seems egotistical at times he never was before. Many other characters in the game already have a big ego and confidence, so it only makes Bentley more like everyone else. Carmelita is another example. She was a justice-obsessed cop in the first three games, determined to lock up Sly in a cell. Now she's Sly's girlfriend. Er, EX-Girlfriend. I'm not kidding, that's they way they introduce her. Not, "Carmelita Fox, the inspector. " She seems more intent on getting back at Sly by giving him the cold shoulder than to do her job and put criminals behind bars, which was her defining feature in the first three games. She was a very black and white cop, and she was shown as a strong defender of the law. Now she's shown as merely a sex object, being defined by her relationship with Sly and the other men. Her slightly coming on to Tennessee was notably out of character. She would never hesitate to try and arrest Sly, even after he saved her life or finished a rough battle that she was included in. Why should it be different for his ancestor, even if he sweet-talked a bit? Another example would be a man coming on to her before a shooting contest, which disgusted me. In the Sly series before the fourth, the men of the game would talk to Carmelita as a cop, someone they knew would try to put them behind bars, and only Sly would occasionally flirt with her. Mustang would simply call Carmelita a hag and challenge her to a battle, shooting at her relentlessly, paying little attention the the fact that she was female. In Sly 4, almost everyone pushes the fact that she's a cop to the side and hits on her. For my next point, I believe that it will be easier to show rather than to simply state the point. I will compare two sets of bad guys for the games. Each Sly game comes with it's own set of antagonists. For now, I will focus on Dimitri from Sly 2 against El Jefe from Sly 4. Dimitri was an artist whose style just wasn't what the art world was looking for. Frustrated, he turned to the underground instead, selling spice and eventually opening up a Nightclub. As an artist with a love for a city at night myself, I can already relate to him. Now, the first thing you may notice about Dimitri when you stalk him and listen in on him is his unique manor of speech. He speaks in.... well, he attempts to use English slang with his own twist, and it comes out in a manner such as this: Dimitri's style of speech is best described in his own words..... "My style, it's like smoke. Ungrabbable, and all over the place!" Lastly and the strongest impression shown of Dimitri is, of course, the confrontation. This is where it gets real. Sly goes to steal the Clockwerk tail feathers, which are being used to print money. He is surprised to run into Dimitri, who smooth-talks Sly and tries to convince him to leave with all the money he wants. When Sly turns the offer down, Dimitri flies into a rage and states many confusing terms of his, ending with "Show your bling and let me shine you!" Sly is lost and tells him that, "I have no idea what you're saying.... and your suit SUCKS!" Which Dimitri emits a (somewhat feminine >__>) scream and exclaims, "LET'S DANCE!" at. And so the boss begins. It tells us exactly who Dimitri is and leaves a lasting impression, as well as a bit of a humorous memory. Not to mention his theme. Now, music tastes vary greatly from person to person, but Dimitri's theme suits him a little too well, and is rather catchy and memorable. It tops him off well and makes him a very defined and unique character. That's Dimitri all right. Now for his opponent in this argument.... his comparison.... El Jefe. Him. Right. So this guy's traits seemed made up as the writers went along with events. As far as I can see, he's sort of a jerk. Okay. Sure. Most bad guys are. Sadistic jerk? Artistic Jerk? Confused and just sort of ends up as a jerk? Aloof and vengeful jerk? Nope. Just your average jerk. I nearly died from confusion when I saw him come out of a brothel in old traditional Japan. So suddenly he's also a pervert? Then a cutscene said some of his backstory. He didn't have anything relatable. He was a general, a rather good one, who took over a few small countries and sold them. A bit unique, but I haven't seen much before this showing that he was a general. Nor after. It seems a random fact, something thrown in there to help define him, but it was never shown that he had brilliant plans to use to stop the gang's plots or trap them. So suddenly he's a general that's a pervert and a little bit of a jerk. Lovely. And then there's the confrontation. Maybe THIS is where things get real, like it usually does in Sly games. But no. When Sly chases after him, he catches up to El Jefe on a giant statue of himself. So suddenly he is the most egoistical guy I've seen in awhile? Oh. More lovely. All he really has to say to Sly about it is telling him to take a long look because El Jefe wants him to, "Remember the one who CRUSHED you." Okay, that line sounds a little familiar than it should. And unnatural. And he hasn't crushed Sly yet. Sly tells him that he has nowhere left to run, not even responding to the comment I quoted above. El Jefe then mocks Sly for standing up for his family, which is completely random and I'm not seeing how it's a response to what Sly had to say. He then tells Sly that he'll never see any of them ever again. If it weren't for Sly's jawdrop, I would think that this was a threat saying that Sly is going to die. But the jawdrop tells me that Sly could be thinking about his murdered parents. But how the heck would El Jefe know of Sly's parent's demise? This has yet to be explained. One last thing I will say about El Jefe. "WELCOME TO YOUR DOOM, COOPER" That is all. Now, to be fair, I will add a second set of bad guys. Muggshot versus Toothpick. They share a few similar aspects, both taking control of a western U.S. town and being inspired by movies to develop a certain way. They are weak at some points and turn strong at others, but there is a huge contrast to this. Muggshot took over a town by using a huge gang presence, which seemed somewhat reasonable. He had a huge amount of brawn, but he wasn't always that way. He was the youngest and smallest of his brothers and was picked on a lot. He saw a few movies of gangsters and had an idea of what he wanted to be when he grew up. He spent a lot of time and effort making himself stronger, lifting weights and working out. He then was able to stand up to the brothers that tormented him in his youth. Toothpick grew up loving cowboy movies and decided to go back in time to become a sheriff in the old west. Now, maybe his love of cowboys may be relatable, but I find Muggshot's past of being bullied and becoming head of a gang to make sure that he was never pushed around again much more believable, and a bit more.... well, it adds an emotion aspect to it. Also, Toothpick, when enraged, will suddenly become very large. How does- er, why? Just.... Why does he turn big when angry? Muggshot lifted weights and worked hard to get his strength. This guy? Just... turns big. Never explained. One last point I shall make. The dialogue itself. The Sly series always had somewhat cartoon-like dialogue, but it was always unique and well thought of, seemed natural and conversations flowed well, and when it was cheesy, it was often lamp shaded. Take this conversation, for example: Carmelita (Strapped down and in the process of being hypnotized): I'm a honest cop! Why are you doing this?! The Contessa (Who is the one brainwashing her): Because, my dear, you're honest. You see, it was only a matter of time before you figured out that I was a member of the Klaww gang. Carmelita: Coward! You're a disgrace to Interpol! I'll make it my life's work to destroy you! The Contessa: I'm afraid that you're life, as well as your, "life's work," is going to be whatever I tell you. So yes, a bit cheesy with some lines, but overall, flowed well and even had a slap in the face to Carmelita. Now to compare, as I love to do, I will quote a scene from Sly 4: Toothpick: I'm only happy enough to get rid of this one! Her tongue is sharp enough to cut leather. (Okay, an attempted new spin on a idiom that's been used a bit much. It doesn't make it fresh enough in my opinion.) Carmelita: Stinking Cowards! (It was better when she just left it at coward.) Afraid to untie me and fight like men? (Also overused. One cliche is alright in a scene, but two for each of the starting lines? A bit much.) I swear, when I get out of this....! (Overused again, and what? You'll destroy them?) Toothpick: "No sense fretting about that, little lady...." (Uhm, do I need to say it? And it was more of a slap to the face when Carmelita's life's was going to pretty much be a slave to an arachnid.) "Just enjoy... the ride!" (....I'm not even going to say it.)

Maybe there was a lot of wind or a storm a few miles off, and it affected power lines connected to yours.

I also tend to judge games by the atmosphere, which is why I loved TP so much. The atmosphere was absolutely lovely. Another thing, even though TP was a lot like OoT, I still loved it. Sure, it might be leftovers, but a few game series do that anyway. Sly 2 and 3 were almost identical other than a few things added, but I still thoroughly enjoyed both. There is a balance between copying too much and straying too far, though. I mean, sure Epona was reused and so were many things, but they were greatly improved and added upon, which is common in game series. With as many games in the Zelda series as there is, some repetition should be expected. As I said, balance is key. Twilight Princess may have reused a little too much, but it was still an enjoyable game. My question is.... if you hadn't have played OoT first, would TP have been more or less enjoyable? In my personal opinion, it's still equally enjoyable. OoT is a fun game, though a bit slow-paced, it feels like, with some areas speeded up too much. TP felt like it had better pacing, with a lovely atmosphere to enjoy while going through the slower areas.

I can think of an exception, actually. My closes RL friend prefers the "musicians" that have been mentioned, and knows a lot of the media about them, but she is a genius of sorts. She is in upper-level classes and makes straight-A's in them without much studying, and she's very sympathetic and kind. She has stood up for people she doesn't even know against a larger group. Even though she has a, in my opinion, rather annoying taste in music and interest in the people who produce it, she's a really neat person.

Oh, so you're saying that degredation in music is a degredation in humanity? Sure, music is a huge media and there's a lot of money put into it, but I don't think that it destroys society as a whole. As Nero said, technology and many other things are advancing, even if music taste is changing.

Well, everyone enjoys different things. I see no reason why we should just become robots focusing on only intellectuals, nor should we only party. We should have a balance of both, a time to work and think, and a time to let our hair down and play. I've worked all day long, especially today. All of today, I've worked on my art, I have done a bunch of schoolwork and written some scenes for a project's plot. I've been working and thinking almost constantly today, and I probably will for the next few days. But see, it's exhausting for anyone to work almost constantly, and it tends to wear on your emotional state. It's good to relax every now and then. That's what music and playing is for, to relax for a little bit so you can get back to work with more energy.

Heh, great job, Mods! I really need to practice hands myself >_> Very lovely Kusai, and I really like the colors you put in your pictures. Here's a slightly old one that I'm not too proud of:

Cute and epic as always, Kusai~ I very much love the concept. And Mods, I am a fan of the sword, and you did well with the arms.

One thing I'm slightly surprised that was brought up in this topic is Twilight Princess having a dark story. I still don't get that vibe from the game. I'm going to say this first: The main thing that stands out to me in Zelda games are the places you get to explore, which has placed Twilight Princess at the top at the list, as well as being able to play as a wolf while wondering through them. Majora's Mask did have some nice places to explore, but no where near as beautiful as some of what Twilight Princess had to offer. One thing I liked about Majora's Mask was the dark story, which a lot of people do apperciate. The children cowering in fear in Kakariko did bring out some emotions in the player that these were people who needed to be rescued, but it still doesn't come across as dark to me. I suppose this could be partly due to the fact that one of my stories I read as a young child consisted of a little girl being bit by a snake and dying BUT that's off-topic. Even death to me isn't all that dark, it tends to matter to me more how they died. Majora's Mask had an entire valley of the dead, and all that you were really sure was that the land had a major war, as well as the mystery of the Giboes (I know I'm spelling that wrong). The Zora Queen dying was slightly dark, as well as the guards, but that's what happens in war. As for the Arbitor's Grounds, I suppose it did have dark lightening and odd enemies, but nothing that sent even a shiver down my spine. Majora's Mask and Ocarina of Time had eerie parts to an extent, though I feel that they should have had more buildup to the eerie parts. Another point that was brought up was I agree that he would have been a much stronger character if he was, as well as adding to the story (I prefer Zant, anyway).

I'm with HellRaiser on this one. I agree that entities nearly as old as time itself should probably seem a little more serious. Besides, I would find it more interesting and humorous seeing someone curse out an age old demon that's sounding somewhat.... like what Raise said it should. It would add the prefferable sort of irony to the scene. As for the look..... there are some pros and cons to both appearances, but my personal preference is the old look. Then again, I tend to be more partial to an anime-like look, which white hair and a red cloak tends to remind me of.

Oh, you're self taught? That's amazing! I had art teachers try to teach me some traditional art, but I never had the touch. Lately, when I draw, I sit and open up ten tabs on DevainArt, all tutorials and pictures done by artists that I love. So most of my digital art technique is self-taught, though Mom has pushed me a little (Buys me magazines about digital art, tells me to use the techniques), and critiques from my friends have helped me so much more than I can describe. The internet is one of the best reference sources, as well as tutorial sources.

Thanks, I still have so much to improve on, though Thanks, and if I may offer some sugesstions, eyelashes might assist slightly, long sharp ones for serious females, long, yet thin and many eyelashes for more playful ones (That's what I tend to do, anyway, feel free to expirement and see what feel you obtain, it's different for everyone and their own style.) Eyebrows also tend to be a bit more thin on anime females. The face is the most important part of the character, it defines them, especially the eyes. I do like the trim you added, and the concept is well thought out. Remember the girl with the green eyes I showed earlier? Meet her father (I need so much work on my backgrounds And clothing folds D8)

Final Fantasy IX is also my favorite; it had the most interesting characters and I enjoyed the battle system, though I wish that you wouldn't automatically go over limit. Final Fantasy VIII I didn't like too much; the story felt rather flat and the leveling up thing kinda annoyed me (the enemies leveled up with you), but I really loved some of the maps. I really like the opening song of IX, and Jesters of the Moon is a really fun tune.

I just wanted a little practice drawing someone from above, but it became a full picture.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rzvtayc0y9w&feature=BFa&list=PLB3115623CECD881E This man is making a Majora's Mask opera as a project. He has several instrumentals as well as a few songs he wrote and found others to sing for him. The voicework is very good, and his takes on the songs are impressive as well.

Mary grinned again. “I’m Mary!†she exclaimed as she quickly ran to Garry’s side. She didn’t seem bothered by the noise one bit.

Mary grinned at Gary’s offer. “Yes, I was looking for others!†She then frowned again. “I wanted to get out…†she muttered, looking away. Her green dress was vibrant compared to the dark surroundings, almost as if it gave off a very small bit of its own light.

The girl thought for a while quietly. She had a sad look on her face. “…..Mary,†she replied after a pause. Her deep blue eyes flecked with different shades. Nothing too noticeable, but there was something slightly… fake about her.

The girl gasped slightly when she heard someone call out to her. She stopped dancing and giggling, and suddenly became very solemn. When the man asked her if she was from the gallery, she was only able to open her mouth slightly and give a small noise in confirmation.

A girl with long blonde hair and a lovely green dress danced around one of the hallways. She held onto a yellow rose gently. She spun around, looking at the many works of art surrounding her with a smile. Her deep blue eyes were filled with life. “Someone came, someone finally came!†She smelled her rose a bit before continuing on. “Will I be able to leave…?†she whispered to herself, suddenly losing her cheerful expression. She quickly regained it with a sweet, yet odd, giggle.

All of the win!