2023-10-31 - Happy Halloween!

[SharaIshvalda]

Don't really hate them, don't really like them either, though. But these feel more like a regular release than a holiday one. If these are supposed to be more otherworldly rather than traditional Halloween-like, I do not get that vibe from them.

 

EDIT: Ahem, saying "let people have their opinions without telling them to "stop complaining"" wasnt rude at all but alright. So the person saying "spriters are running out of ideas" isn't rude but THAT is?

Edited November 4, 2023 by SharaIshvalda

[Jack_Lernaean]

...As the 1st person who bring Iridichi as an example, I just want to add that while I said Iridichi doesn't fit "Halloween colour scheme", please note that I use " ". 

I personally didn't celebrating Halloween and I live in country that also didn't celebrating Halloween so for me, anything that scary is fitting for Halloween.

Dragon that work as messenger of the death? Halloween. 

Dragon that come with mist and devour anything that caught up on it? Halloween.

Dragon that come from depth of Ocean once a year and glowing in the dark? Have you guys see video on how dark the sea at night where even flashlight doesn't work? Definitely Halloween.

So yeah, just my 2 cent.

[haligtree]

1 minute ago, SharaIshvalda said:

Don't really hate them, don't really like them either, though. But these feel more like a regular release than a holiday one. If these are supposed to be more otherworldly rather than traditional Halloween-like, I do not get that vibe from them.

 

And yes, god forbid we express anything but praise.

 

? People are more than welcome to express criticisms - and they have. There's a big difference between, "I like this but it seems like a regular release dragon to me" and "spriters are clearly running out of ideas" and I think it's fine for people to object to that second one.

[SharaIshvalda]

3 minutes ago, haligtree said:

 

? People are more than welcome to express criticisms - and they have. There's a big difference between, "I like this but it seems like a regular release dragon to me" and "spriters are clearly running out of ideas" and I think it's fine for people to object to that second one.

Still currently going through the thread, but see what the people above my post are saying.

 

EDIT: Not even far in and people are already doing the whole "stop complaining" schtick.

Edited November 3, 2023 by SharaIshvalda

[TriangledRat]

There's definitely an interesting discussion to be had about what strikes as a Halloween dragon without going too far "off script" and why some things work or are chosen that way. But, imo, that discussion should aim to be productive. This concept didn't work for everyone: why not? What can be done to make it work so future releases strike better? I think we can do so without questioning the creativity of the people involved. 

 

I don't intend to make anyone feel like they're put on the spot. But I do want to point it out, because some of the comments I've seen - here and in some past releases - do not seem to keep in mind that a lot of creative energy goes into concepting, spriting, and releasing a dragon, and to say some of the things that are said will absolutely not motivate a volunteer artist to contribute again. We can go into this with kindness.

 

For what it's worth, I agree that it doesn't strike as Halloween dragon. I'm still thinking on why that is and how to change it, so I haven't made much of a comment on it.

[blinkdog]

new dragon is BEAUTIFUL!!!! reminds me of horror game Barotrauma, so glad i hoarded these eggs this year. Great work @schenanigans and @MoonShark!! Always love your sprites.

Edited November 3, 2023 by blinkdog

[schenanigans]

28 minutes ago, Arwen17 said:

Are spriters just running out of ideas for Halloween?

 

Okay I normally ignore a lot of negativity because I understand not everything will be everyone's cup of tea. But this is rude, and not just to me (which I can shrug off) - but it's really rude to my conceptors, both for the Iridichis and now the Abyss Watchers, as well as all of my fellow artists (in cave and aspiring!) who submitted dragons this year. 

 

I can wholeheartedly appreciate people wanting more traditional things for ween (though I do laugh because of the hatred "traditional" valentine dragons get! xD). Halloween is my favorite holiday and I LOVE all the gimmicky stuff that comes along with it more than any other holiday or time of year. But saying we're "running out of ideas" when the same Halloween ideas are thrown into our face every single year IRL is just... Wrong? 

 

To put it into perspective, I submitted multiple Halloween submissions this year after I was approached for several collaborations. Of those concepts, this was the only "non-traditional" one (which as a concept is also several years old now), and it's the one that got picked. As munin and others have stated, y'all get a glimpse of ONE dragon per holiday each year. 

 

I'm certain I could have done things to make Iridichis and Abyss Watchers "spookier" or more traditional visually. But I have made the two people who came up with and envisioned them incredibly happy and I wouldn't change that for the world.

 

All that being said, I hope this negativity doesn't discourage other people from exploring more "non-traditional" concepts for holidays. Variety is the spice of life. Something one person hates with a passion can drive another person into a frenzy of excitement. 

[haligtree]

9 minutes ago, SharaIshvalda said:

Still currently going through the thread, but see what the people above my post are saying.

 

EDIT: Not even far in and people are already doing the whole "stop complaining" schtick.

 

I guess I'm not seeing the same posts you are. I saw one person saying people shouldn't complain, yes, but I also see people expressing that they don't find this dragon to be very Halloween-y, people having discussions about what does or does not make a dragon Halloween-y, and people talking about Iridichis. and then I see a few people, including myself, saying that claiming spriters are out of ideas is rude. because it is. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Kaini]

Reminder now that the first rule of the forum is to respect others - staff included. Helpful and polite critique of sprites is fine. A sprite not being to your taste is fine. Calling sprites 'generic' or other unkind things that are not constructive and making accusations is not fine. 

[Rhahatl]

There is a huge gap between constructive criticism and insulting the artists and conceptors involved.

 

It's also very interesting to hear a bit more about the creative process on Schen's end- I had known that there would be a lot of submissions, but learning that you submitted a number of designs is really cool!! In the end a lot of this does also just boil down to TJ's choice. (I also really want to see the other breeds you worked on now, I hope we can some day- throuh Halloween or otherwise)

[TriangledRat]

The fact that the rule of 'be respectful' has to be brought up like every single release now is frankly, depressing. Be kind, be empathetic; it's not hard. Especially when it comes to a volunteer-aided game that you play for free on the internet. Please.

[Kaini]

7 minutes ago, Kaini said:

Reminder now that the first rule of the forum is to respect others - staff included. Helpful and polite critique of sprites is fine. A sprite not being to your taste is fine. Calling sprites 'generic' or other unkind things that are not constructive and making accusations is not fine. 

 

Whoops got the last comment on a page so going to bump this for the new page. 

[blinkdog]

I love that Halloween dragons have started branching out into more general horror themes - looking forward to seeing more! Tbh Kohrakis are some of my favorite, remind me of the more modern interpretations of the Wendigo (from Ho-Chunk and other cold-region tribes history in North America).

 

As for this years - now I’m itching to play barotrauma or subnautica again. Thank you spriters and concepters!!!!

[Merlot]

OMG I love these! Thank you for this release and a Great Dragon

[Alpacalix]

I love these guys. I played the  out of Subnautica, and that game is still my #1 for terror- there was nothing scarier than hearing the wails and roars from the darkness below before you knew what made that sound... and for the leviathans, even when you knew what it was! So yeah, maybe they aren't "traditional", but they come from one of the scariest/most dangerous places mankind has explored so far, to include space. I love the color scheme, and I think the sprites are stunning. I look forwards to snagging more of these next year. Thank you to the artists/creators, these guys are wonderful.

 

and if you want to know why the deep is so scary, I highly recc Subnautica (The OG, not Below Zero). ❤️

[random_dragon_collector]

Love the art and the descriptions--I'm very happy with these as Halloween dragons!  Very slinky and spooky--great job to all artists involved--

[seventeendeer]

Ohh it's really fascinating to hear a bit of behind-the-scenes about other sprites submitted for the season! I am absolutely 100% the "candy and pumpkins and witches and skeletons" kind of commercial Halloween addict myself, so now I'm itching to see the other sprites schenanigans mentioned working on alongside this one ...

 

Just thinking about all the unreleased sprites floating around (Halloween dragons or otherwise) always has me acting in ways, I know TJ can't very well release all of them, but it's like knowing there's a giant candy bag on the top shelf out in the pantry and being too short to reach. It is so not any of my business, but I'm nosey and I love pretty pictures! 😂

[blinkdog]

Already drafting up some breeding plans. I think these two were made fore each other 😍

[Cthulhu]

Ooooooh,  I do love the adults, so pretty!

[AnthillDragon]

Ohh these remind me of the Lotaan dragon, I think they'll look beautiful together! I adore the vivid colours.

I'm also more in the 'glow in the dark plastic skeleton' camp regarding my preferences, but the eyeball/optic nerve thing is neat! I don't find them all that spooky, but I guess I'm just not really all that scared of the ocean in general haha. It's just animal down there, he don't mean any harm : >

 

I like the lore with them being mistaken for ghosts or spirits a lot! Reminds me of the giant oarfish

[Rhikasa]

I was also thinking about oarfish upon seeing the adult sprites for the first time. They look stunning, I loved reading all the lore about them, and the fact that they're based off both the angler fish and the bioluminescent octopus is cool to see. Thank you to everyone involved for such a lovely new addition to Halloween! ♥️

[TehyaFaye]

Gosh, these are so pretty! Looking forward to seeing what cool things I can do in lineages with them.

[LizardMonster]

YOO the adult sprite is stunning! I definitely think it looks more beautiful than terrifying, but its a great addition to the halloween lineup. I think it's cool that the concept leans more into phobias than generic halloween imagery, but I understand why some dislike that. Looking forward to paring them with Thalassas or Lotaans

[Naruhina_94]

It is a lovely and well designed dragon, nice color, lovely shading and pose. The concept is cool too, being an abyss creature is fascinating. I'm very happy for a new sea-dragon to be relased in the cave, its actually the first holiday dragon to be marine breed i think. That being said I humbley think it is not fitted for an halloween relase as it doesnt give me any halloween vibes... if it could be more of scary looking, i would absolutley adore it. maybe it could be made reminding a kraken? With tentacles? I dunno. Thank you for a new wonderful dragon relased tho, I think it will make beatiful lineages with many existing dragons ❤️

[blah]

Lovely dragons. I especially like the glowy blue orbs and the female pose because we get to see the beautiful back. I can also imagine that little fishing town in autumn, as the winds grow rougher and the days darker and the sea starts glowing blue… definitely would have people bring the children in early before darkness falls and everyone huddling up for warmth around the fire, telling tall tales about the blue spirits that draw you deep, deep under the water… plenty spooky enough for me. 

 

I am however another person who likes a properly camp special release dragon. Kitschy and on the nose is my speed, so I do hope we’ll get a more halloween-y Halloween dragon again at some point.