Looking into the World of Steampunk

So apart from looking into ship designs and cosmic horror, I have also taken a keen interest in the world of Steampunk. Having looked around the internet, it is quite fascinating to see not only how creative it is, but how people seem to really get into the cosplay of it. A mixture of Victoria Era England mixed with steam based technology which comes of as both primitive and yet more advanced then what we have now, Steampunk has a unique feel to it that I really can't describe, but certainly leaves me excited to look more into it.

I know I've used it as inspiration for one of my characters, but I've been looking into it deeper to see what else I can be inspired by. Certainly the outfits and mechanical limbs and add-ons are something I would like to try out, but I also wonder if it is possible to blend both the mechanical Steampunk aesthetic with the clean Sci-fi appearance together and not make it seem too out of place.

Who knows? Maybe I could come up with a starship Captain's outfit based on such a blend for use as part of that starship model project I'm designing. We'll see.

The Freedom Fighters in Sonic Petition Video

Oh boy, as a Sonic fan, in regards to this I have really been out of the loop on this one lately (in fact, I'd actually forgotten that I signed this petition some time ago). I must say, this one was a well researched video, but I'm deducting points due to having an image of Tony Abbott (here in Australia we don't speak of him, we don't acknowledge him. He is, in my opinion, probably our worst Prime Minister ever).

But enough of that political nonsense and into another. I have to agree with most of this video and now must re-evaluate my opinion of Sega at this point. I was under the belief that they had tried to distance themselves from the Freedom Fighters as much as possible. I would like to see much of the Archieverse of Sonic & Co return and certainly done by people who actually have a passion for it.

That's not to say the IDW comic is bad. Heck, you want a franchise done right then hand it to IDW cause from what I've read from them, it is done fairly well (with even nods to other versions within the same franchise as the Ghostbusters one did). They even did great with Beebop and Rocksteady in their TMNT version, giving them their classic 80's style stupidity, while making them seem more badass then ever before and some of the MLP stories had some deep and dark moments that felt appropriate. As for their Sonic comic? I'm enjoying it so far, but I'll wait to see what happens further down the road before giving a full opinion on it (of course, there is no reason a spin-off with the Freedom Fighters couldn't be done, but as I have agreed with the video and give it to someone who actually cares for the characters and canon)..

As for which versions of the Sonic universe is better, I think the best way to see it is through what the Archie comic introduced into the series, the Cosmic Interstate. In simpler terms, the multiverse. I see each media and universe as it's own and that all are equally valid, but also all acknowledged. I don't see why we have to keep having the whole Amy vs Sally debate when they can both exist, just in separate universes. The last thing I want to be reminded of within the fandom is the blasted Amy vs Sally forum wars we had (the ones that lead to full on death threats left, right and center. Seriously, this crap is unacceptable).

As for a future appearance in games? Unless it's something like a Sonic Chronicles RPG style, I don't see them ever appearing in a game as Sega has enough trouble trying to do stuff with the characters they do have (and lets not get into just how limited the character designs in Sonic Forces was). I think that if anything they would have to have their own game universe much like Sonic Boom and then it would have to be more of the mentioned RPG style to really incorporate them all in it.

Still, this video has opened my eyes up to possibilities as well as updating me on certain people that I didn't have much of a proper insight into. Do look forward to seeing what people create from this.

Update:

OK, so been thinking about this and I'm going to be honest, this one has actually changed my view on a few things. I have already mentioned changing my view on Sega, but I feel it's more those specific people that the video addresses. That said, I was very surprised to see their views and it is great to see they still have that passion for Sonic and Co and that even issues with people like Penders can have their redeeming moments (Although the that part about Sega and their issues with Sonic's relationship status on the who Sally/Amy thing is interesting, if not somewhat confusing).

I think what got me more was those who actually worked on the comic series. I blame myself for not looking into who was working on the IDW series, but was more concerned about the opinions of these people when it comes to the characters and the community. I sis have concerns about some of the story lines and character personality changes back when they worked on the Archie Sonic series, but seeing their view points now, it seems to make sense now. They clearly didn't have the kind of passion for many of the characters and it obviously shows in the work.

Perhaps with more time I might be able to put something together better explaining my thoughts on all this (that and maybe a thought series on both the comics, shows and games of the franchise), but until then, I'll try to do my best to keep myself updated on all this. 

Update 2:

The more that I've looked into some of these people, the more I worry just why they are in charge of a book which, to be fair, is marketed towards kids to young teens (well, Sega prefers to focus on them in regards to the way they are focusing their games). Unfortunately, trying to find a more civilized discussion on any of this is also very difficult to find as the aggression is just unacceptable. It's sad when I can't tell who's side is the worst.  

I must also now re-evaluate my opinion of IDW as well. Given some of the stuff that people have said and shown (though screenshots etc) I really have to wonder why no one has been reprimanded or fired. Even when contracted, you still represent the company through your actions and as we've seen on sites like Twitter more recently, anything you put up on social media is such a reflection and people have lost their jobs over it. Maybe game developers are more stricter then comic book companies, but I would assume that given the financial nature of the comic book industry, keeping on good terms with fans (at least in regards to the actions outside of the books themselves) would be at least something they should consider.

A shame how the further you look into something the more disappointing it becomes.

Ulix Nightmare Box Ideas Update

So now that I have the box set, I'm currently in the 'putting together and conversion' stage of the project.

(I'd like to note that mine did not come with Upgrades for Ulix, so at this point I am looking around to see what is the best way to get physical upgrade cards for the packs).

As such, I've put together some ideas on how I want them to look. This obviously involves converting/painting them to resemble more of the MLP look and thus, make it more appealing to my sisters to play. So far, this is the current plan:

Rocinante Benoit (counts as Ulix)

Will update her cosplay to include a horn and wings (copies I can make from the set). I may also have an open book from my Warhammer bits, but if not then I'll just convert my own, with the pages perhaps showing a story which has inspired her look.

The Night Mare (counts as Old Major)

The 'Applejack' one, I have taken the hat from the dead body and placed it on her head. I have a Warhammer wooden bucket which I will add green stuff apples along with more apples on the base. Looking into what else could be done.

Little Sebastian (counts as Penelope)

The 'Pinkie Pie' one, I will greenstuff a cake to sit on top off along with adding some sliding icing and a candle on top of the hat.

Gift Horses (count as Wild Boars)

The 'Rainbow Dash' one will have the straps filed back to make wings look more natural (with green stuff to blend them in) and her base will be another 2-part epoxy resin water one, but this time will have the surface altered to add speed waves to show her trying to change direction (with the model legs leaning to be more inline with the surface.

The 'Fluttershy' one will have wings added to her, with the base more filled with flowers to add colour. I have an old metal Jackalope model on order (quite cheap I got it too, given they're out of production for a while), which I will probably remove the antlers and make a more Malifaux style Angle the bunny.

Finally, the 'Rarity' one will most likely just have gems on the ground. I may add some jewelry for effect, but am still not sure on this. If I could, I might see about finding a tiny dragon or sculpting a dragon teddy just as some form of representation of Spike (who would have more room being on this base then on Benoits base).

There is still much to do and more planing to be done, so hopefully my next update on this will actually contain some photos of progress.

Of Upcoming Lovecraft Games

So having read a bunch of Lovecraft's stories and watched a number of videos analyzing both them and the lore, I have taken an interest as to see how modern works depict his world. Naturally, as someone who doesn't like horror (confusing I know), things like movies tend to be out of the question (that and despite my love for wanting to make videos and movies, I have a hard time watching them....again, confusing I know). However, we have the world of video games to help with that, so even if I can't play them, I can always watch someone else play them (which is always more fun to watch anyway).

There are some games that take inspiration of Lovecraft's work and do it quite well. The main one I can think off the top of my head is Darkest Dungeon, a game where you enter dungeons to face off against all manner of horrors, where death is permanent, maintaining stress is a key component and is a story of delving into madness and terrible truths would certainly feel quite at home in a Lovecraft story. Heck, the developers are called Red Hook Studios and the name itself appears to have been taken from a Lovecraft story called 'The Horror at Red Hook' (not to mention it's logo has a tentacle). Looking for more, I have been keeping up with trailers and gameplay for a few more Lovecraftian horror games.

The Call of Cthulhu:

So two trailers of the same game, but both show off the type of story your going to get (a.k.a. A struggling detective sent to investigate a murder event and ultimately stumbles on things he shouldn't). Come to think of it, that tends to be the theme with a lot of these games, people with troubled pasts trying to do a job to move on, but just ending up finding a pit of madness. It's based on the pen & paper role-playing game, so I suspect it will involve more stealth then actual combat, which (in my opinion) is what you want as you need to feel helpless against such powers.

The Sinking City:

Possibly my favourite video of these ones, this game is a bit more open world with more combat, but still limited enough to make you question fighting. I like this trailer more because of the feel of the madness and how everything has a twisted view of reality. My only complain is the symbol on the door. It is a version of the Elder sign and so they seem to have gone with the more famous version, though not Lovecraft's version. This video should help explain the Elder Sign:

Regardless, I'm interested to see how these games play out and what stories will be told.