#atmaflare

[eirikrjs]

why do so few people make fan demons in smt fandom unlike pokemon and digimon even yokai watch (I can think of only a handful of members who have done this.)?

Phew, it's been a busy (and tiring) week.

My first reaction to this question is to admit I see far fewer fan creations in general due to the disappearance of @atmaflare. Who, coincidentally, made a ton of original demons himself. Now, when I see stuff like this, it's often when I browse r/megaten, since I've stopped using Twitter entirely.

But as for the why…I think that SMT fan culture has shifted over the years, like, since smt 5 released. One thing you see far less of today than you did in the 2010s is fan demon sprites based on the SFC sprites. It used to be that edited and rearranged sprite assets were the entry point for fan artists to make their own demons. But as those games reach farther and farther back in the past and out of the reach of the newer generation of fans, it should be no surprise that this approach to fan creation is a dying art.

^sprites by Atmaflare

Of course, demon sprites are just one expression and it is far more likely these days to see regular illustrations. As for why the frequency of even these may have dropped off I have no idea. I will say one thing, we need to move past this smt5 era we've been stuck in for like 10 years (counting pre-release anticipation and post-release "blehness") and hope for a paradigm shift with smt6.

I don't think this has anything to do with Kaneko vs Doi, as both designers seem popular and continued sources of inspiration for other types of fan art.

The only other thing I can think of is that SMT/SMT5's predilection for de-emphasizing mythology has come to a head. You know, how the whole Nahobino concept emphasizes that the only real gods/god-forms are these handful of original creations made for smt5, which makes all the other demons just seem phony and less exciting to a new player (I guess). That and all the nonsense sources they use for demon plots that have been talked about on this blog for a frankly sad number of years. Imagine being a new fan and you do a cursory search online for such-and-such quest and you discover the basis of it is from a cursed source like The Woman's Encyclopedia. Are you really going to be enthusiastic to create something from it/express yourself with it or curious to discover more?

[b-reis]

@duckpasta-kamonabe Saw your take on Demeter’s design on Talking Time and instantly fell in love with it! I want it to be an official thing so much! Had to do something with it, hope you like it!

[eirikrjs]

Besides TSJ and OLdRingo, what other artists making fan demons/personas have you seen and liked for yourself? And on that note, what are your opinions regarding the tumblr artist known as AtmaFlare?

I know there are some others like them out there, but the only one that springs to mind is DoctorChevlong!

The influence here should be immediately apparent.

Atmaflare... I miss him so much. I'm pretty sure he's okay, but I haven't heard from him since last summer (and it's been almost 2 years since our last DM; I also saw him among the viewers of an SK stream last year). I have other friends who just fall off the face of the earth one day and it hurts but, like, I get it. The world is an unforgiving place and can be extra nasty to certain people. But sometimes you just want and need for a sign of life, you know? "I'm not doing well/feel like shit--but I'm still here." I know that's being selfish because more than likely that other person would not hesitate to contact if they felt like they were able to--or were deserving of it. Well, Flare, if you're reading this, I think there's a reason why we talked SMT and other shit pretty much daily up until the day of my stroke. You're missed and loved and deserving of our attention. So jump back in to the server, a lot of old friends are waiting for you with open arms. And of course, Flare, too, is a great artist who understands good demon design.

https://yokai.com/setotaishou/

[eirikrjs]

I wonder why they never bring back the flying organs one (by Kaneko) She could be a boss if she's too much for a random encounter.

Are you talking about the Pontianak art he did for his Kazuma Deluxe/Creature Feature columns? Because otherwise I don't know what you mean.

^Color version by Atmaflare. If I post enough about him, he'll come back. 😿

The reason art like this never reappears is because it is not work done for SMT/Atlus.

[theotherrealm]

Scylla

A sea monster from Greek mythology. According to one legend, Scylla was and nymph and daughter of the river god Cetus and lover of the god Glaucus. Circe, a sea witch and also a lover of Glaucus, became jealous and plotted vengeance against the nymph. While she was bathing herself at the seashore Circe poisoned the water with a potion that transformed Scylla in a hideous monster with four eyes, six hideous heads with three rows of sharp teeth, tentacles and six hungry canine-like heads ringed around her waist. She then started haunting a channel of water along with the monster Charybdis, each one guarding one of the entrances, origin of the saying " to be between Scylla and Charybdis", that is, to be between two choices each causing a great harm.

[theotherrealm]

Charybdis, Raging whirlpool

A sea monster from Greek mythology, who terrorized the Strait of Messina (a strait between Sicily and Calabria in modern Italy), alongside another Greek sea monster, the Scylla, who destroyed any ships that drew close to them. Both monsters dwelled on opposite sides of the narrow channel they called home, and those who crossed had the dangerous task of trying to avoid both monsters, or else, death was certain. This gave the birth to the idiom "To be between Scylla and Charybdis", meaning, to be forced to choose between two evils. Both Odysseus and Jason had encounters with both monsters in their respective stories, and both manage to avoid them (albeit with some supernatural aid). While Scylla had a pretty consistent appearance in the legends, Charybdis was never properly described, only as a vague sea monster responsible for creating whirlpools.