Posted

Apr 8th 2008

Mood

Anxious

It was quite frustrating getting a picture of Sketch done in the modern PuyoPuyo style. Looking very closely at the newest set of character art from the series, I did what I could with what patience and Flash would let me work with. And I put up my resulting art.

And to be honest, I'm happy. I've gotten a fair amount of positive feedback about it. That's always good. And it's left me in a good mood. For once.

So I'm thinking of making another TUL character in the style. But I cannot decide who, as there are many possibilities for a second entry. Yes, I only plan on ONE other at the moment, so don't expect a full series.

Anyway, I've listed who I think works out as good candidates. You may need to tell me who would work best, be it in situational terms, who best suits the style/scenario, etc.:

1. Heather Britannia
This was a no-brainer option, as Sketch and Heather are rarely seen far apart. Yes, Heather is very similar to Sketch in her Legend, but her fighting style is slightly different. Regardless, the similarities may not be ideal. But it's always cute seeing them together. :3
The real draw to this possibility is the fact that Heather does wish to reach the level of potential that Sketch has reached, and she's really quite close. She even appears more alert and energetic than Sketch... but this can cause her to be a bit careless. While her body has the potential, her focus needs some work...

2. J. Mirai
Sketch's rather constant rival in the first half of The Utopian Legend, J. Mirai bears an appearance that I believe would look nice in PuyoPuyo style. My imagination prefers him bearing his "Sensei" outfit and wielding both his magic katana and the Myth Sword.
His backstory is one of achieving self-pride; his boastfulness (a Karasu Tengu characteristic) is one-upped by Sketch's uncelebrated fighting prowess. Furious, J. Mirai made it a point to train and challenge Sketch to battle until he comes out on top. While J. Mirai never beats Sketch, his consistent training caught the attention of local and worldly Legends to the point of nominating him as the new Great Legend. And even Sketch must admit that J. Mirai's training has been paying off; it's become a real challenge for Sketch to keep up his guard.

3. Russell Parallax
The bad guy-turned-good guy seems typical in a number of stories, almost as much as the vice-versa scenario. However, Russell's situation was never involving the direct will of his heart, but resulting from the Dark Energy's previous manipulation of his mind... he never WANTED to be evil, but his heart was not strong enough to fight it. After meeting Terry Gato, he found new strength and was able to begin anew, much to the Dark Energy's dismay.
Much like J. Mirai, Russell Parallax could serve as a good "conflict opponent" for Sketch, though pertaining more to the times after Russell became good. Russell's silent, solitary personality is different from Sketch's more welcoming and casual tone, and his mirror powers could prove interesting... not to mention his infamous Mirror Scythe! And like J. Mirai, part of me thinks Russell would look good in this style.

4. Kazuya
I can't sugest secondary characters without Kazuya, as he is quite important to the story. Representing the strife of "Creations," Kazuya attempt to make a good name for himself among the fears of his kind that once spread like wildfire throughout the populace. Very kind-hearted, he never wishes to fight. But there are conflicts that arise that force him to showcase his fighting prowess.
From his build, he is obviously more powerful than swift. His fiery figthing repertoire can be quite impressive, yet at times he seems apologetic as he fights. It's not as easy to picture Kazuya in the PuyoPuyo style, but I don't believe that it's a farfetched idea. It will just be hard to make his shape work well...

5. Giovanni
Appearing in the second part of the story, Giovanni's biography starts in moments of drama and tragedy, but turn to happier times as he grows older... or, "supposedly" older. While he bears the spirit of a natural-born person, his body is a Creation, and a flaw in his build has given him an oft-childish attitude. Regardless, he's more capable than any full-blooded Byakko, and he wishes to impress Sketch to the point of experiencing the Tokaru fan's dream: the Tokaru Bond.
Giovanni could be called a new rival for Sketch, but he's not as arrogant or spiteful as J. Mirai. He is full of energy and confidence, and wants to let Sketch know that he has the potential to make a great Tokaru Bond partner. But he struggles to refine his above-average Byakko skills and hasn't fully moved away from the use of the Typhoon Saber. Whether the saber would be used in a PuyoPuyo game is unknown, but he does make for a good versus competitor.

And while I've wanted to step aside from making an "evil" opponent like this for Sketch, this character can't be left out:

6. Dark Sketch
Like Heather, practically a no-brainer. Dark Sketch is the quintessential enemy in the story, and obviously similar to Sketch in fighting ability save for a few extreme and/or underhanded versions of the maneuvers. Very imposing in appearance, it would still feel cheap to make the second character a near clone of the first character, even if differences are present.
Obviously, he is an enemy that is composed of Dark Energy. He is especially peculiar in that his attitude is not like that of Sketch, while Dark versions of other folks are usually similar to their "neutral" counterparts. Coupling that with the bizarre ability to achieve "True Darkness," Dark Sketch is feared by everyone, even the Dark Energy world population, and it is unknown what his true motives are, or how this nature came to be...

So there you are. Ther are probably some other characters in the TUL universe that some folks may prefer, but I personally find this batch to work the most as a second character coupled with Sketch. Now all I need to know is which I should make as the second character.

So! What do you suggest?

--Malamite Ltd.
"You try my patience! Make your choice!"