September Wrap Up

We deployed the trusty Ecchi Image Process (EIP), and Miss Palutena is coming together, ever so terribly slowly. It's one those situations where I wish I could maintain my momentum, work the weekend, and wrap up the hair, get onto the clothes, dick, etc. Sadly, overtime is no longer allowed. I'll be back onto Palutena on Monday.

Enjoy this goddess sized dick and balls in the meantime.

Two other images in the works which I really hope I'll have together before the end of this month.

As we start into October, I'm thinking about witch character concepts. Every year, October comes and goes and I always want to draw witches and other spooky-sexy themed characters, but never really get around to it. I'm hoping that this month, with a bit of foresight and preparation, I can get something together.

Come to think of it, with Palutena nearing completion, I'll need to run a poll and see what the majority-mind would appreciate next. Shall we continue forward with more Smash Beach, or perhaps divert to a different wellspring of inspiration. I'll leave it up to all of you to decide.

( I feel a dark surge of energy demanding that I draw Boosette this year. Who knows...? )

Other thoughts

I’ve been listening to the Armored Core 6 soundtrack. I'm no music expert, but it's fun to pick out parts that seem influenced from film scores and elsewhere. Do I have any idea where the composer actually pulled their inspiration from? Of course not, but regardless, here are my observations.

Some examples of possible inspirations: Terminator's throbbing and clanking mechanical noises and dark-synth instrumentation. Du-dun – du-du-dun. There's the electro-industrial sounds of Nine inch Nails (and similar ilk), with the overdriven guitars and waves of layered power tool noises. There are occasional shifts to jazz and plenty of EDM for the bulk of the mission tracks. Blade Runner seems like a big source of inspiration, as Vangelis' shimmering and airy space-synth wafts throughout the soundtrack, along with Han Zimmer's Blade Runner 2049 reimagined take, with its much more ominous throbbing electronic dread. Speaking of Zimmer, several tracks evoke Interstellar's feeling of grand cosmic religious awe with the mix of strings, pensive piano, and deeply stirring pipe organ. There also hints to Zimmer’s earlier works, like Crimson Tide with the various electronic pulses bouncing across the sound field. Floating amongst all these sounds, a lone female voice sometimes drifts in, aching to be heard and acknowledged.

Like the grim future the music represents, AC6's soundtrack is rarely pleasant in a conventional sense. Even so, there's a strange and evocative beauty to be found amidst the noise and distortion, giving the soundtrack a unique character. Steel Haze (rusted Pride), is a good example of an anthem where everything comes together in dramatic fashion. Give it a listen.

All of this is to say that the soundtrack was so rich and well-structured that it retroactively kindled my interest in the game. I'm a gamer dude, so AC6, with its From Software and Miyazaki pedigree, was on my radar. I saw the trailer, and felt hype build as dozens of SoulsTubers acted like unpaid promoters and posted their early impressions, lore theories, excitement, and persuasive essays as to why I should buy AC6, even if I don't care about the franchise, or mechs, or games.

The AC games never clicked with me… and maybe still don't. Long ago, I'd similarly written off the Souls games. The overall impression conveyed was that these games were masochistic pain simulators, and that wasn't an entirely incorrect take, but it also ignored the richness present in the totality of the experience. There's something to be said for dwelling in pain and overcoming challenges. So, while I wasn't wrong with my initial assessment, I was failing to see everything on offer. I was failing to see the joy within the agony. Perhaps the AC games were the same? Certainly, if the thoughtfully composed music was any indication, the same might be true for the overall game as well, right? Perhaps I just haven't come to understand the hidden joy of fast paced, brutally difficult mech combat, and maybe I never will.

Having grown up in the 1980s and 90s, with Robotech/Macross and BattleTech, I've always been quite into mechs. That awareness included Gundam and the Armored Core series when they came along. Before puberty fully kicked in, big lumbering machines of war and death were my Eros. To this day, I still hold a dream in my heart for a mech game I devised for the Nintendo Wii that uses two Wiimotes, and the WiiFit Balance Board for mech combat and movement. (It would work, Miyamoto-san! Are you reading this? Call me!)

"Crash and burn." I even dragged my family to see Robot Jocks in the theater. (Sorry family.)  
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(Are those RCA/composite audio and video cables? Hahaha! Making the most of that withered technology.)

Back during my adolescence, I'd pour over my BattleTech game guides, carefully studying the manuals and sourcebooks. I'd heedlessly fiddle with those lead miniatures, piecing them together, painting them and probably losing several dozen IQ points from the toxic lead exposure. I'd annoy my friends with the intensity of my interest, hounding them to choose a mech and fill out spec sheet so I could setup a game. It was quite fun... for me anyway. Then life changed. Me and mechs gradually grew apart. By the time AC appeared on the PlayStation, it just didn't resonate with me. I tried it, but only remember a visceral, "Doesn't like, this not how Mechs should feel," upon playing. Maybe it had nothing to do with the game, but was more a reflection of how my interests had changed.

While I doubt that I'll play the newest AC game any time soon, I did manage to take in the story via various LoreTube channels. (This is what I do with my time while painting skin, shading out water drops, and dabbing little specular highlights on things.) Anyway, the game seems very much in the vein of the Souls games, with branching story paths, an emphasis on big questions like free will vs. determinism, and endings hinging on grand cosmic significance. Very interesting themes to ruminate on, if you’re me.

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As always, thank you for your support.

-Ecchi