i would love to explain my thought process about my Hazama genderbend - or mostly why the Lost Saga design made me go "lemme. do this one myself actually"
maybe this is terrible and i'll have to delete this and formally apologize for my horrible takes.
one way to find out - doodles included!
while my opinions on redesigns vary, i think if it's done for fun and with no malicious intent, its probably fine. probably. my opinions on genderbends are as follow - gender shouldn't change their whole personality, the character should be recognizable and the key design elements should stay or be adapted in some way. (says the guy who forgot a chain? on the 'my motif are snakes and chains' character? ok.)
i am not a guy who works on games or does character design professionally. neither am i bashing the studio or intend to disrespect the work of artists who work on this game. this type of character design can exist, as can anything. someone loves it, and i think that's wonderful. i never wish to tear these people down, i honestly think she's cute as a standalone character. not as.. Hazama. my fanon design is not a fix, nor is it a better one. it's honestly just me drawing what i'd imagine her to be,
i think there's a point to be made about characters who do actually depend on their gender, like their identity being rooted in toxic masculinity/femininity, genderqueer characters and if their gender plays in how the characters around them view them or what they have to do. though that last one is more of a story thing, rather than a visual thing, but as both storyteller and brushstroker (huh.?) i tend to think about that too
honestly i find the most based genderswap designs to just be like, the same character exactly. like that's what im talking about. but that's not very creatively challenging. but very funny
so why did i feel upset at the Lost Saga design, a game i know nothing about, with a character i am familiar on the surface level?
well. have you ever had a friend who loves a character very much. so much. you see their dumb ass blorbo every day and you do get familiar enough and feel a touch of respect. that's your friend's blorbo. their little touy. and let's assume it's a boy. boytoy if you will
boytoy in action, for those unfamiliar - in official art, with different styles
and one day they tell you, "oh there's a fem design!". and imagine: you love women!!! so this is thrilling news
and then you're met with
this...
huh.?
who. hwo is that. WHOI IS THAT.
i respect a shamelessly sexy design, i can respect sexual fanservice, i think there's always an audience for that and it works and it can be done well. but who is tha.t. and why
she's cute, really. she should have a knife too
and a tangent on characters being sexually appealing, or hypersexualized, you do you, sex sells, etc - i am not the market for it, i don't find this design sexy and i am more interested in the original one, but i am a korean mmorpg player so the design genre of sexy woman it's something that i grew accustomed to. and yet. um. i DO find it weird when only women are sexualized, i find it frustrating, even. i love sexualizing men. that's one of my favorite hobbies and being deprived of that is devastating
now. benefit of doubt: perhaps lost saga has a perfectly logical lore explanation to why she looks like that. where everything makes sense, and it's totally necessary for her character design to be this way. the rolled up sleeves add more aerodynamic to her, actually, making her superior to the male counterpart - and when she kicks people with a high kick and flashes them it actually makes for a stronger combat strategy, as it stuns them for a turn.
but i don't know and will work under the assumption that this is simply a genderswapped design
let's start with what i agree with:
THE HAIR!!! YES!! KEEP IT SHORT!! i like the style they went with, it reads a touch more feminine, but otherwise is short :) and that's awesome. i don't always fancy when masculine characters get long hair in their feminine designs. short hair are perfectly fine and often make so much more sense (though i love long hair on characters, so i am guilty of doing this too. absolutely hypocritical.)
SKIRT AND STOCKINGS! its a very businesswoman look, though i'd go for tights instead (and i did). a girlboss vibe. (ominous noise)
next, things i am neutral on: confused about:
the .. hat? why did they feel the need to change it and add studs? that's, uh, cool. i like his original hat shape more. i'm more or less just confused by this choice
...rolling up the sleeves? okay? i suppose? i don't think that's something he does, ever. i don't think it takes away much of anything
and then, i just kind of dislike every other choice that was made in adapting this character in feminine attire:
the SHOES! they are NOT! striking shoes. do not be cowards. add metal to it. make em hurt. she's wearing high heels - they can be at least metallic or something? i think there was a better way to adapt them in the design, if we are choosing a heel
the skirt and stockings. (ominous noise) again. truly, not bad at all, .. in concept. however, the way it is in this artwork is... a choice? it makes me think of a cheap sexy teacher halloween costume instead. which is fine, but that is not in any way how Hazama presents himself (or how the designers present him to us). he's a police/military captain, basically, and while i wouldn't say the original design evokes that too much either but he does read as someone classy, sleek, shady. she does not.
the cropped ... everything? cropped shirt and vest? again, i just don't understand the choice. Hazama, as a character, doesn't use sexiness as a weapon as far as im aware - he pretends to be normal (couldnt be me) and rather meek. i think his waist has enough of an accent without the shirt being halfway up
and my final point - the face. Who is that woman. if i give them the benefit of the doubt; her expression looks soft and not very threatening. but she doesn't look meek, either, with her frowned eyebrows meaning to convey some sort of fierceness. so. So i do not think that this is them having a "mask on" moment; i think this is just a denial of a freaky woman.
look at Hazama's expression, face, the shadow and how obviously evil he looks. he is allowed to be so. however, when he is genderswapped. she is not allowed to be a freak. she is forced to be normal. and that is MY job. not hers. LET WOMEN BE WEIRD. LET WOMEN BE EVIL. THAT IS ATTRACTIVE. I PROMISE.
with these points, i think you can already see how my design came to be. it's just hazama with boobs, tights and a pencil skirt. and heels with metal tips. i also gave her some makeup: black lipstick as that is correct (looking at shego and kanaya).
green eyeshadow, and green nailpolish. those came around when i was drawing her in black and white, it was a fun pop of color, and i just liked them as design elements - that's something i'd just add to the masculine design if it was mine anyway. i am aware of makeup having a gendered implication in the current society, but i lack the ability to care about that
i still feel guilty for forgetting her chain, though. i love hip chains <3
my image of her was an office siren, basically. the artwork is meant to portray her seductively and dangerously, somewhat menacing but inviting. the snake that makes the apple look so good. like in them bibles.
i'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies;
i'll tell you my sins so you can sharpen your knife.
happy birthday (late), hazama!
it felt a bit wrong to draw my own genderbend design on the date, so the next one feels totally justified.
the design idea was inspired by the existence of the Lost Saga design. which i hated
my wife really likes her :)
she's very fun to draw. also i have realized that i've never had the chain on her design? all of the budget went into these full length tights. sorry
can we honestly e date? you’re so beautiful. You always make me laugh, you always make me smile. You literally make me want to become a better person... I really enjoy every moment we spend together. My time has no value unless its spent with you. I tell everyone of my irls how awesome you are. Thank you for being you. Whenever you need someone to be there for you, know that i’ll always be right there by your side. I love you so much. I don’t think you ever realize how amazing you are sometimes. Life isn’t as fun when you’re not around. You are truly stunning. I want you to be my soulmate. I love the way you smile, your eyes are absolutely gorgeous. If I had a star for everytime you crossed my mind i could make the entire galaxy.
yesss tell me more
question eight:
how would you describe your art style?
(and not in the way of "looks like i'd be drawing dark and or gross things")
DEFINITELY looks like i'd be drawing dark and or gross things. Also. You got the eggo.
Trying to describe my style is difficult, because I'm constantly changing it in terms of design from lazy to completely obscene.
I can only say for sure that I choose a dim palette because I want to keep the strain on my eyes to a minimum (my eyes get tired of bright colors faster).
The angular shapes are inherited from the panty and stocking style. At some point, I liked trying to draw hair as something solid, drawing the minimum necessary number of curls to set the shape.
I'm not a fan of smooth color transitions, so sharp and rough lines are followed by equally rough rendering. Thus, my every move is visible to the viewer. My layers are transparent, the viewer will see how many times I have stroked in the same place.
If the situation requires it, I'll use a brush that blurs the colors.
I can't handle it in any way. The art block is just a deterioration of my skills and I see that I draw disgustingly, and my hand feels heavy and clumsy. And I'm like, oh, so I'm not drawing today. And this lasts until the debuff disappears. Tragically, I have nothing more to say. I'm just waiting for it to go away. I don't have time to try to deal with this.
If it's about drawing ideas, then I'm in a permanent art block. No thoughts, head is empty.
Question 5, I believe. Whatever: what's your least favorite body part to draw? (Mine are teeth)
My guy, did you ask two questions, or did you write the wrong number?
I don't have any particular body parts I don't like to draw, I just don't have much practice in drawing certain body parts. The less practice I have, the longer I draw it, and the longer I draw it, the more I hate it. Based on this, I can make a list.
Feet. No matter how much I try, they'll still look wrong. I don't draw fullbody that often, but when it comes down to it, I encounter feet. Drawing shoes doesn't make the situation easier for me. I just draw a silhouette and throw some colored spots, hoping that it looks right.
Armpits. I do not know what the problem is, since a several of correct lines are enough in the drawing. And I always make the wrong lines. It's better to put hands down. Sleeveless clothes are my worst enemy.
Lips. The mouth is usually one line and everything is fine. But when I want to make it a little more detailed, everything turns into a war zone. Too thin, too big, too bright... My fucking precious time is spent on this optional thing...
My favorite body part to draw is what I would like to grab the character by. This is the waist and neck (yes, the two lines make me happy, next question). I also draw character's butt, and then cover it with a cloth. I've seen enough myself and I'm not letting others see it, lol. (Thanks that Hazama has a coat.)
Hey everyone! I've seen many artist ask games going around on Tumblr over the years and I've always wanted to make one of my own. If you're reblogging from someone other than the source, and you'd like to help foster a bit more community here on Tumblr, consider sending an ask to the person who put the post your way! :) Without further ado:
1. When did you start creating art?
2. Do you do art in any professional capacity? (Graphic design, commissions, animation, etc.)
3. What are your favorite subjects to draw? (OCs, your fan faves, etc.)
4. What's your least favorite part of the body to draw, if any?
5. What piece of art are you still proud of to this day? (Show or describe)
6. Favorite and least favorite angles/perspectives to draw?
7. Who are some artists that have inspired you?
8. How would you describe your art style?
9. What's the longest you've ever suffered from artblock?
10. How do you deal with art block?
11. Have you ever drawn a meme with your OCs or canon characters from a fictional media?
12. Ever participated in a multi-artist collaboration (3 or more) such as a multi-animator project?
13. What kind of art do you personally not see the appeal of, and why?
14. Do you prefer to make fan content or original content?
15. Do you/have you participated in Artfight or art trades in general?
16. What was something you used to struggle to draw with confidence/ease, but have now mastered?
17. Your personal favorite works of art (not made by you) are...?
18. Do you typically use filters on your art?
19. What's your biggest insecurity when it comes to your artwork?
20. What motivates/inspires you artistically? (topics, emotions, etc)
What a hard week of pure work and study with a break for sleep and nothing more. And next week will be the same. And the next one… And next... And next... I just want to live, omg.
(I'm tired but I really needed to express how much I want a plush of one of those things to squeeze and squish... those things being either Hazama or the puffball bunny)