RadFaw Wars - the revival

[Fawriel]

Radium.

I, Fawriel, hereby challenge you to an Art Battle.


I have developed a rough set of rules which will be refined in a discussion with you, should you agree.

I anticipate your response.


*lightning strikes nearby*

[CrimiClown]

*grabs popcorn and coke*

[Eigus]

*grabs pringles and cherry coke*

[Radium]

I do not have a gauntlet to throw down so instead I will throw down this leather gardening glove! I ACCEPT your challenge!

[Xobim]

Do you happen to need a referee? I volunteer. :)

[Fawriel]

http://www.animedata.org/images/just-as-planned-death-note.png

[Nonomu198]

An art theft fight?


Grand Theft Art

[Radium]

Fair enough. Further discussion may commence whenever convenient for you, Herr Wittke. =D

[Odin]

http://www.animedata.org/images/just-as-planned-death-note.png

<blah>KEIKAKU DOORI DA

[KRSplat]

*grabs cucumber*

[n00b]

Doc, I'm placing 850 on Radium.

[Xobim]

No ref needed, I suppose...



I bet 500 on Radium! :D

[CrimiClown]

I place sevenhundred and fifty intergalactic credits (€0.05) on Fawriel.

[Fawriel]

Certainly, my confidence is boosted to the max.


No ref needed, I suppose...

As I said, rules will be decided on. On AIM.

[n00b]

Oh, oh yeah. Faw. Don't worry about a thing man, you'll do great. Totally rooting for you.











<But not as much as I'll be rooting for Rad>

[Fawriel]

... anyway!


The rules have been decided.

It is written,
- each contestant has a stretchy time limit for their first punch. To get back into the groove, and, potentially, figure out what the groove works like in the first place on Linux.
- every punch after the first will have a time limit of 3 days. Should it not occur within this time, a point is subtracted from that punch's score. Additionally, 1 more point will be subtracted for every insuccessful day that follows.
- points are awarded by voting for every individual round of one punch per contestant. Votes will have to be made in post form.
- the minimum amount of punches will be 4, as in the previous Art Battle. If necessary, the battle shall rage on until a winner is decided. The winner will then proceed to produce a final piece to put a sufficiently epic end to the duel.

[CrimiClown]

This is gonna be so much fun... *muhahahahahaha*

[Fawriel]

HEY RADIUM


YOU SMELL FUNNY <o>

[cooba]

HEY RADIUM


YOU SMELL FUNNY <o>this is beautiful art

[Fawriel]

You smell so funny
My friend or foe Radium
You make me giggle.
<Radium I hope you didn't forget that you were supposed to move first!>

[Stijn]

You're starting with a poetry battle?

[Fawriel]

No, I just wanted to subtly remind Radium that he's supposed to go first while at the same time maintaining the show-battle mood of the thread.


Both of which are ruined right about now. =D

[n00b]

Well shizz, I was looking forward to "Faw and Rad's Poetry HipHopathon- Reverbing the Rhymeabration"

[KRSplat]

anyone up for an INTERNET FREESTYLE BATTLE?!

[Radium]

Woah, crap, just looked at that log and noticed that we DID agree I was going first D=. When you typed "I definitely need you to make the first move" I totally missed the word "you". Evidently I went through the whole conversation thinking you were going first and responding accordingly. I'll whip something up today or tomorrow.

Sorry about that; feel free to dock me a point or so if I go over three days.

[Ae]

Here I was expecting a shiny new game to play when I read the Latest Post block of the The Art Forum!

[Puffie40]

Drop the time limits. I firmly believe that's what screwed up the last art battles.

[Fawriel]

Drop the time limits.

"Eh, I don't feel like it right now. I'll do it tomorrow. Or the day after."
Hence why stepping over the limit doesn't automatically mean that you're disqualified, but just that your score will be cut. We need some incentive to work hard, both of us.
Though maybe the limit is a little harsh. We're already preparing to move to a new apartment next month, and I'm at university practically the whole day on Thursdays. Oh well! I'll manage somehow. With sheer WILLPOWER!

Also, don't worry about it, Radium. This is a battle between MEN. I'm not gonna let some minor slip-up turn the odds in my favor just because I'm up against a superior opponent!
RAW RAW FIGHT DA POWAH

[Fawriel]

Radium.

I arbitrarily decide that your first-punch-time-limit-stretchiness has come to an end. You have three days!

[Eigus]

this is beautiful art

i agree

[Nonomu198]

Thus, the battle has ended with zero casualties.
Alas, the disappointed crowd threw pine trees at the battle field.
According to ledgend, the place is now known as New Switzerland.


Spaken mine words at the internets

[Fawriel]

Well...

-1 point.

[n00b]

This war is pretty awesome.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b281/Frost327/Joker/1181911796832.gif

[Odin]

http://upit.section31.us/uploads/jackson4.gif

[Nonomu198]

Is this like a real war or a respawn war?

[Dev]

I can't believe no one told me this was happening. *whips out a fold-out chair and awaits the bloodbath* Freaking internet people.

[Puffie40]

I don't have any popcorn so I'll have this pencil instead....

http://www.majhost.com/gallery/puffie40/Jazzavatar/finguspencil.gif

[Radium]

Okay, sorry this took so long, I had trouble finding my camera.
http://foxmage.com/FawArtBattle.png
In case you have trouble following what is going on, Eirrukovi (my contestant from the old Art Battles (http://www.jazz2online.com/jcf/showthread.php?t=16213)) is warming up by karate-chopping a stegosaurus while she waits for Faw to come to the battlefield (my Wacom tablet).

I am very proud of this piece and think I can use it to beat Faw really well.

[Radium]

.






















Just kidding!

http://foxmage.com/FawbattleFinal1.png

There's a few cameos in here from the previous art battles, if you didn't notice. Cori belongs to NovaStar, and I apologize for any lesbian subtext. The remains of the rabbitearth soldiers belong to Puffie, and the remains of Face Of God belongs to Birdie. Also, before anyone points it out, I know I forgot Cori's headband. And Eirrukovi is wearing a foxskin scarf because the ring of flowers just didn't work in practice.

Anyway, sorry for the lateness, I haven't drawn seriously in ages and surprised myself with how rusty I was D=. Faw's turn.

[Puffie40]

*Chokes on pencil* Sweet.... It begins...


Also: CAMEO! WITH STUFF BY MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

ZOMG ZOMG ZOMG ZOMG ZOMG ZZOGMGOZNGOZOMGSLDJHEWHLKS *explode*

[Fawriel]

I have but two things to say.

Minus 2 points.

Let the battle begin.

[Torkell]

So, the Mediterranean Sea? Not much to see there, just the wreck of HMS Eagle at N 38.05 E3.02, and an awful lot of Youtube videos.

Yes, I did just copy those co-ordinates into Google Earth.

[Radium]

So, the Mediterranean Sea? Not much to see there, just the wreck of HMS Eagle at N 38.05 E3.02, and an awful lot of Youtube videos.
Hah, knew someone would pinpoint them and it'd be in the middle of a body of water. I was assuming this is a planet other than earth; if continuity from Puffy's comic is to be assumed, it's a world that was being explored for colonization. Though admittedly I didn't think of where the ruined buildings fit into that chronology. I'll leave that up to everyone's imagination.

[Puffie40]

Somthing must have happened between my comic and yours :P

[n00b]

Okay, sorry this took so long, I had trouble finding my camera.
http://foxmage.com/FawArtBattle.png
In case you have trouble following what is going on, Eirrukovi (my contestant from the old Art Battles (http://www.jazz2online.com/jcf/showthread.php?t=16213)) is warming up by karate-chopping a stegosaurus while she waits for Faw to come to the battlefield (my Wacom tablet).

I am very proud of this piece and think I can use it to beat Faw really well.
AWESOME. HOLY CRAP, totally going to win.
Wait thats not it? Wheres the real ent-


Comic
http://i33.tinypic.com/15n9ac7.gif

[Odin]

http://i33.tinypic.com/15n9ac7.gif

gif of the year 2008

[n00b]

So by now Faw has lost a point, right?

[Puffie40]

New point method: The person with the most negative points winz

[Nonomu198]

Relax. They each just don't want to make the other competitor lose. So they both end up losing. And we lose too.

[Fawriel]

Read the rules again. We both have an undetermined time limit for the first round.

Of course, I'd rather not post my response next year, but with university, moving to a new apartment and the fact that I leave to visit my family soon, that... might happen. I'll have to consult Radium about that.

[Fawriel]

I shall now be out of comission for about two weeks. Once I wake up, the countdown may start.

I apologize to everyone including myself for not making this battle quite as fast-paced and action-packed as I had hoped! But if you think I'm going to falter, you thought wrong.

KAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE....

[Radium]

While Faw is busy fawwing I challenge anyone else who wants to accept to an ART BATTLE.

[Nonomu198]

Are Gmod comics art?

[Valco]

I OWN YOU WITH MY
http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/7859/busukuszr8.th.png (http://img209.imageshack.us/my.php?image=busukuszr8.png)

EDIT: I know it's really amazing, but I DID make this myself. All art takes is a little patience.

[Nonomu198]

All and every stickfigure comic on the worldwideweb is a property of xkcd.

[Troglobite]

Not really anywhere close to RadFaw war quality.
But if anyone wants a fight while waiting, here's my submission.
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/troglobite/JazzDarkForest/thegeneral.png

[n00b]

While Faw is busy fawwing I challenge anyone else who wants to accept to an ART BATTLE.

http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Lijik/Scans/lij2.jpg


<Oh jesus christ what the hell did I get myself into, and why did I use such a crappy drawing to get into it>

[Fawriel]

....HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE...


(hi internet cafe hf guys)

[Dev]

*folds up chair and leaves*

[Fawriel]

I find your lack of faith disturbing. Understandable, but disturbing.

Well, I was extremely busy until yesterday. I really picked the absolutely worst possible time for this challenge, as the last two months were quite possibly the most exhausting of my entire life, what with moving, even more moving, living in a dump among boxes and wooden boards, and then studying for exams. It's possible that I could have found some time to finish the comic somewhere inbetween (since it's already done IN THEORY and I only need to actually draw some stuff), but posting it would initiate the second round, with a time-limit, and that just wasn't possible. <s>And... to further complicate matters, I still have to find the cable of my scanner, which seems to have gone missing during the move.</s> [EDIT: Nevermind, got it.] So yeah.

I wanted to post my apology AFTER the comic, but nooooooooooooooo.

Well, time to actually build makeshift desk and get to work.

[CrimiClown]

You're still a hero in my book. http://chaos.foxmage.com/CrimiClown/lfsmile.png

[Dev]

I await your punch. In the mean time, my chair will remained folded in skeptical defiance.

[NovaStar]

There's a few cameos in here from the previous art battles, if you didn't notice. Cori belongs to NovaStar, and I apologize for any lesbian subtext. Also, before anyone points it out, I know I forgot Cori's headband.

That was a terrible character anyway now that I look back. Blah.

[n00b]

Well, time to actually build makeshift desk and get to work.

I find textbooks in a lap work extremely well.

Unless you're working on super huge paper or a papyrus or something.

[Fawriel]

Punch will be up this Thursday, before or after my last exam this semester. (It was supposed to be earlier but got delayed.)

[Radium]

Nova, glad you're okay with my use of your character in that last comic =D.

Ack, sorry I've been ignoring this thread and taking forever to respond. I feel like Faw. Only unlike Faw, I can't even work up an excuse other than "procrastination and Team Fortress 2". My art is horribly out of practice, though, and it'll be nice getting back into the groove.

Anyway, in response to Valco, Trog and Noob:

http://foxmage.com/Fillerbattle.png

[Dev]

For someone with such a short skirt she sure can throw a bazooka.

[Troglobite]

Ouch. Doesn't look like I'm exactly a worthy opponent.

But it's still fun to try my hand at drawing.

http://www.majhost.com/gallery/troglobite/JazzDarkForest/burn-in-gen.gif
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/troglobite/JazzDarkForest/tank.png

[Fawriel]

http://chaos.foxmage.com/Round1-1.jpg


http://chaos.foxmage.com/Round1-2.jpg


http://chaos.foxmage.com/Round1-3.jpg



It figures that I'd finish this not even ten minutes before the deadline I set myself.
But, this is, evidently, what I can do. I made mistakes and poor choices, and it's clear as day that I lack experience. But, this is what I could do with the resources I have. I hope the flaws do not detract from the fun and excitement that I hope you found in this comic, because starting now, this is my foundation. The purpose of this duel was never to win some sort of imaginary prize or to triumph. It was, primarily, a duel against ourselves.

But that is not to say that I won't do all I can to win.

Radium, I am ready for the next round. You have three days, starting now, and once you are done, I have three days.

Everyone else, please tell me what you like in the comic and what you think I can improve. The next comic can't be done in the same style, and I'll need all the help I can get to get a better grasp on how to produce comics.

I will now end this with the obligatory phrase that's expected of someone like me showcasing the work they are proud of:
"Enjoy, and thanks for reading."

[Stijn]

Somehow comic-Faw really reminds me of Questionable Content's Sven.

[Radium]

=D I'm actually quite impressed. This will be fun! Responses to Faw's and Trog's will be up as soon as, uh, I draw them.

EDIT: Though I can't quite figure out what the second panel on Faw's is. Help there? )=

[Dev]

Your story has changed? Trees?

[Fawriel]

Somehow comic-Faw really reminds me of Questionable Content's Sven.
Is that a good or bad thing?

=D I'm actually quite impressed. This will be fun! Responses to Faw's and Trog's will be up as soon as, uh, I draw them.

EDIT: Though I can't quite figure out what the second panel on Faw's is. Help there? )=
1. \o/

2. Yeah, trying to draw a tree from an odd perspective although I can neither draw trees nor perspective, and then obscuring the whole thing further with a magical light source I made up myself, was probably one of those poor choices I noted.

Your story has changed? Trees?
Fawriel has not been the same character in any of the comics I've drawn.
In other words, this is a self-contained little continuity.


Incidentally, voting for the first round is open. And I still didn't receive any constructive help from anyone.

[Nonomu198]

Comic page 3 isn't marked.

TEH NOES!

[Fawriel]

Stop babbling and tell me how to make the next one suck less.

[Dev]

And I still didn't receive any constructive help from anyone.

Your backgrounds look fantastic, but your figures need work. Fawriel looks flat in most panels, and I think some more distinct wrinkles in his clothes would help that. I see you very faintly defined a few wrinkles, but just barely with light shading, and it just doesn't show up beside that bold line art. Some more dynamic, bolder wrinkles would have really given him more depth. You're still highlighting and shading most things with a light area on top and a dark area on the bottom, which is pretty unprofessional-looking compared to your line art. Some more sophisticated shading would have done wonders for this comic, like defining bumps, bulges, muscles, etc. As it stands the shading is subtle and almost cowardly, like you were too afraid of making a mistake so you tried to make your shadows so light that no one would notice either way (or else you just have really hard pencils? I don't know).

Your hands need work. For some reason Eirrukovi's hands (in the one frame where you can see them) are infinitely better drawn than Faw's. In the panel where he's leaning on the wall, his left hand is much smaller than his right, and in the final panel his left hand looks like it was cut out of paper. That hand is all fingers and no palm, and two of his fingers look broken. You meant for them to be bending but they're bending out of perspective, and with no crease lines to show where they're bending.

Everyone's hair looks clumped together. You just need to define more strands/spikes of hair so it looks less like cloth on their heads. Easy enough to fix.

The panel with the PUNCH POW is confusing to me. I know some action is happening but I think you would have been better off drawing a character in motion instead of a blur, even if they were supposed to be moving super-fast. I don't know if that blur is an arm in motion punching her or if Faw is quantum mosh-slamming her. Either one would be awesome, though.

A lot of your lines are kind of shaky. Compared to the perfectly straight lines in the panels and the architecture it's pretty jarring. If you were doing it for style then you should have either avoided straight lines entirely or made your backgrounds geometric and your characters wonky, for contrast. Right now the contrast is inconsistent.

Final panel, I'm seeing pixels. You colored Faw with real medias and the background digitally, but there are white spots outside of his outline speckled on the black area. Use the multiply layer setting and it'll blend together seamlessly, or if you DID use multiply then maybe you forgot to merge the layers before resizing? Anyway, yeah, pixels.

Your handwriting is not great in most of the speech bubbles, and yet you wrote "light" very nicely in the second panel so you're not incapable of good penmanship. Just write more carefully next time.

The shading is my biggest issue; if you shaded with more confidence in your... well, shading, the whole thing would be improved immensely. I also want to add that I am shocked by how good your backgrounds are. Dialogue's a bit weak, though.

[Fawriel]

... the BACKGROUNDS are good and the dialogue and characters are bad?
One of us is looking at this thing backwards. o_o


Well, thanks for the suggestions, I guess.

[Nonomu198]

Stop babbling and tell me how to make the next one suck less.
unsaid by Dev:

1) Be consistent with page marking... really. Really.

2) Left arms and hands in general! Just look at Fawriel's left hand in that last panel. Is he a witch? Eirrukovi's left arm is huge and wide when she knocks on the door, and has a pretty long left arm when she trys to get out of the... stairs? What is it anyway? And on the panel right after that Fawriel's left arm is quite tiny, with a smaller hand. Pay more attention to left arms.

3) Fawriel's pants. I don't know if this is the way you draw all your pants, but man, the part where both legs merge (I'm no pants term professional) supposed to be about 1/3~1/4 of the pants, where here it's about 1/6 of it. I can tell my eyes are not tricking me because I can see the belt. Maybe I'm wrong.

4) What the hell is in the second panel on page 3? Tell me, I must criticize it! I can't make sense of most page 1 too. I hardly understand where the comics takes place in (surly not the desert from Rad's comic).

5) There is a loose string in Faw's pants on the last panel of page 2. Is that on purpose? Is that a pencil gone mad?

6) You have really slacked on drawing background (especially on page 2 and 3). More backgroung means more interesting comic and more information on where it takes place.


your comic is k O+

[CrimiClown]

...everything they said. Otherwise, awesome. +1

http://chaos.foxmage.com/CrimiClown/thisisartrly.png

[cooba]

Somehow comic-Faw really reminds me of Questionable Content's Sven.*NOW* I know who did Sven always remind me of -_-

[Radium]

And I still didn't receive any constructive help from anyone.Yes you did. Nobody said "Who is the girl in the sweater supposed to be", which is a huge complement. Nobody could understand what the trees/magic were, and some people drew parallels to Sven from QC.

People's first reactions are much more telling than what they say when you ask for them to tear something apart.

[Eigus]

I OWN YOU WITH MY
http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/7859/busukuszr8.th.png (http://img209.imageshack.us/my.php?image=busukuszr8.png)

EDIT: I know it's really amazing, but I DID make this myself. All art takes is a little patience.

http://i44.tinypic.com/jsyn8x.png

drawing with mouse in paint is not fun

[Stijn]

I thought this was RadFaw Wars, not Everyone Wars.

[CrimiClown]

I thought this was RadFaw Wars, not Everyone Wars.

While Faw is busy fawwing I challenge anyone else who wants to accept to an ART BATTLE.

Though the busy part is now over. STOP INTERRUPTING. D:

[Nonomu198]

art is all about the proffesional people who are EDUCATED AND WENT TO ART SCHOOL FOR 4 YEARS drawing VERY PRECISE pictures, not about SIMPLE PEOPLE sharing drawings for FUN.

your PATHETIC attempts to mimic the HOLY ART disrupts the o-great-and-mighty ARTISTS.

[Radium]

art is all about the proffesional people who are EDUCATED AND WENT TO ART SCHOOL FOR 4 YEARS drawing VERY PRECISE pictures, not about SIMPLE PEOPLE sharing drawings for FUN.

your PATHETIC attempts to mimic the HOLY ART disrupts the o-great-and-mighty ARTISTS.I love you so much. Hahahaha.

Anyway, for the record I'll probably only respond to Trog and Faw since they were the quickest to jump on the bandwagon. Well, Trog was, but I'm kind of obliged to respond to Faw too. Sorry guys!

[n00b]

ButButBut I was/am stuck with the faw-like excuse of having to finish an animation for class.

[Troglobite]

As you guys have seen, I'm fast, but not a really good artist. I'd be willing to resign, or fight someone else in a diffrent thread if I'm distracting Radium from drawing to full potential. However, I'll also be happy to provide the sideshow of me being demolished and continue the war.

[Radium]

As you guys have seen, I'm fast, but not a really good artist. I'd be willing to resign, or fight someone else in a diffrent thread if I'm distracting Radium from drawing to full potential. However, I'll also be happy to provide the sideshow of me being demolished and continue the war.No, no problem here, I love a challenge =P. And I really need practice prioritizing. I was halfway through my response to you when I realized "wait, there's no time limit on this one but the response to Faw's is due today" and I've been working on the Faw one ever since.

Ideally I think I'll try to fix it so I'm responding to you while Faw's drawing his response; that way I never slide back from being out of practice.

[Radium]

Comic done. Eirru evidently doesn't care about what Faw has to say, or if she is distracting him or not.

Forewarning, it's probably not child appropriate. If anyone has complaints I'll put it behind a link.






















http://foxmage.com/Faw2.png

[Fawriel]

I'm not sure if making her fight naked was ultimately such a good idea. Especially due to the action poses, that makes her look pretty awkward in most panels.

... of course that also means I'll have a harder time with it.

That said: OH CRAP ARE THREE DAYS OVER ALREADY BUT I JUST GOT A COLD AND IT FEELS LIKE A DAY AGO AND okay done I go to work now, yes?

[Nonomu198]

Now you have to cover her (-)(-)(-)(-)(-) every panel.

[Dev]

I cannot believe you churned this out of that sketch so quickly. I am in awe. Had no idea you pulled all-nighters like that. You'd fit right in at art school.

The colors are great. John K.'s wisdom has not been lost on you.

Eirru's frame and build are too masculine in a lot of panels, even for a warrior woman, which is weird because she was practically naked before and you didn't seem to have any trouble with that. In the "too much talk, fighting now" panel her arms are way too thick (is thick the right word here? bah) even though you did give her a nice smooth shoulder, and her jawline is missing. There really needs to be something to define her jawbone there, especially since if you draw it properly it will help to suggest her femininity. She looks really unfinished there and it reminds me of something but for the life of me I can't think of what. =/ Second-to-the-last panel has similar problems; positioning her hair over her back was a mistake because now we can't tell if she's skinny, fat or what. It's like I said about the silhouette thing, except this is a little worse because it's still confusing even when you have all the information. Also, the perspective in that panel isn't very good, but I know you have trouble with that. For some reason I think you could have drawn a kick there better than a punch, and it would have been much easier to identify, too. I LOVE how Faw looks in that panel, though. Having his shirt come up and reveal some skin as he leans back was a good move, it really accentuates what's happening. Maybe it was an obvious thing to do, but I can't think of many times I'm seen anyone draw that, so yeah.

In the faceplant panel Faw's outline looks wiggly; I think you overdid the ear fluff. Showing a bit of his legs there would probably have been good, like instead of showing just his head hitting the floor you had his lower body landing with it. I'm pretty sure he could fall that way if he was spinning at the right speed. People falling head-first onto the ground like that is something you almost never see in real life (maybe on 4chan or something) so it's hard to not make it look awkward, especially with a character whose anatomy is fairly realistic.

All of Faw's expressions are hilarious and awesome. I'm guessing Eirru is supposed to be less expressive and more serious, but I really liked Faw's face in nearly every panel.

Not much else to say. The panel where she's tripping him is really good; their poses suggest movement well and it was the time you were most successful at making Eirru look strong but still totally female.

Aaand the backgrounds are weak but you know that. Time probably had something to do with it. No trees anywhere. <s>Bob Ross would be appalled.</s>

I'm sorry I didn't point all this out during sketchphase, but this stuff just isn't as obvious until the whole thing is done and can no longer be saved. Still a good punch, though.

[CrimiClown]

Dev, why do you need to see details that tell her gender or 'femininity'? I think it's pretty obvious. ;)

Nice comic, but don't overdo it! I still got intergalactic credits wagered over Faw. D:

[Dev]

Dev, why do you need to see details that tell her gender or 'femininity'? I think it's pretty obvious. ;)

Obviously yeah, she's a female, but in some panels she looks more fem than in others. Inconsistency in the character model is best avoided when possible.

[cooba]

I lol'd at the dead fox and Faw's speech bubbles.

[Nonomu198]

Just noticed we don't see her taking her gloves off.

Dev, do you need details that tell her gender or 'femininity'? I think her big (-)(-)(-)(-)(-) can help you finsing out.


I wanted to say that :mad:

[CrimiClown]

Obviously yeah, she's a female, but in some panels she looks more fem than in others. Inconsistency in the character model is best avoided when possible.

Yeah, I know, I just wanted to be the first one to make a corny joke about her breasts and naked-being.

[Radium]

I'm sorry I didn't point all this out during sketchphase, but this stuff just isn't as obvious until the whole thing is done and can no longer be saved. Still a good punch, though.This is a suckface attitude, Dev! You're forgetting I'm a vector specialist; I just went back and fixed like half the stuff you brought up. Thanks for the pointers.

I cannot believe you churned this out of that sketch so quickly.It took me hours D=. Next time remind me the floodfill tool exists for a reason; for some reason I thought my lines were disconnected enough that it'd be time beneficial to draw in the colors by hand as opposed to just closing the gaps in the lines and floodfilling them.

Obviously yeah, she's a female, but in some panels she looks more fem than in others. Inconsistency in the character model is best avoided when possible.I swear I cannot get her to look like the same person between two panels. I like to think I'm getting closer, though, and by the next comic she may actually be solidified.

Aaand the backgrounds are weak but you know that. Time probably had something to do with it. No trees anywhere. <s>Bob Ross would be appalled.</s>Hah, admittedly here I was trying to stay consistent to the environment Faw made. I think the tree is in another room. I'd love to do some more complex backgrounds, but the only environments I ever draw are either ruined stone buildings (http://foxmage.com/CandlehawkConcept/Exploration.png) or large trees (http://foxmage.com/3_5.png), and the setting of this comic evidently doesn't really expand my horizons any.

Over on Trogside I've been having some fun trying to draw convincing tanks, though.

Just noticed we don't see her taking her gloves off.I actually forgot she had gloves until I already had most of it inked (admittedly, they are very forgettable. Faw forgot about them too). I like to think it's implied enough that she took them off while Faw was talking in panel 7.

[Fawriel]

Hah, admittedly here I was trying to stay consistent to the environment Faw made. I think the tree is in another room. I'd love to do some more complex backgrounds, but the only environments I ever draw are either ruined stone buildings (http://foxmage.com/CandlehawkConcept/Exploration.png) or large trees (http://foxmage.com/3_5.png), and the setting of this comic evidently doesn't really expand my horizons any.
Not to be a (-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-), but you have only yourself to blame for that one. =P Personally I would have been happier with a non-ruin environment - at least that would've given me some practice for stuff I'll actually draw in the future, yes? But oh well.
Of course, I'm to blame for the tree, but I just really wanted to subvert the expectations you were trying to build up. ^^

And, yes, the tree is in another room. I should've given you a description of the next room because it would've made for a much more interesting setting, but given your time restrictions, I guess you wouldn't have used it anyway... and given my restrictions, I evidently won't, either. Maybe for the final comic, yes?

I actually forgot she had gloves until I already had most of it inked (admittedly, they are very forgettable. Faw forgot about them too).
Lies!

And by "Lies!" I mean "I read your comic and was like OH SHI-" SO err yeah.

Though I had no problem imagining her taking off the gloves off-screen.

[n00b]

The colors are great. John K.'s wisdom has not been lost on you.

John K. is a master on color?
The man can be considered close to an expert on some things (such as timing) when you remove the forum troll esque attitude that is wrapped around almost everything he says, but I've never considered color to be one of them.

[Dev]

John K. is a master on color?
The man can be considered close to an expert on some things (such as timing) when you remove the forum troll esque attitude that is wrapped around almost everything he says, but I've never considered color to be one of them.

This is actually sort of an inside reference. Rad was reading John K.'s blog one time and one of the things the guy complained about was that modern animators have no unity in their color schemes, which inspired Rad to experiment with such things. I know what you mean, though, in his own work John K. never seemed to care about that stuff, so it's strange that he thinks other people should.

[Puffie40]

Not to hijack the thread, but I thought it would be cool to "Up the ante" a little bit...

http://www.majhost.com/gallery/puffie40/Jazzavatar/rvfbatc.png

Not my better works, and If I stepped over some boundry, I'll remove it...

[Fawriel]

Cute.

This could either be a cue for NovaStar to make Cori fight those guys, or ... well, something to face after the duel.

[Radium]

Two battles at once is enough for me, really. I'll gladly respond to Puffie's in my response to Faw's, but it will be a total cop-out response and probably not up the ante much.

Though I admit I was a bit disappointed when I saw the picture was was like "Faw responded already! And he's doing digital art!" but then it wasn't.

[Fawriel]

My response will be late. I didn't do any work besides gathering ideas on the first day because I was recovering from the cold, then it turned out the next day that I was too depressed to do anything, and now here I am. Though I must say I'm surprised by how much I managed to do in a few hours. Unless something stupid happens again, the response will be ready tomorrow.

Oh, and after that, it's voting time. If the result is clear, the winner is decided and gets to draw the victory comic.

[Puffie40]

I was thinking more like the "Get the battle done before the area get vaporized" kind of deal to up the ante, but If you want to take on the rabbits, go ahead :-)

[NovaStar]

Cute.

This could either be a cue for NovaStar to make Cori fight those guys, or ... well, something to face after the duel.

Damnit, but I was going to use my newest mega-awesome terror that will mortify you and make your blood run cold!

*silently weeps and reaches for a pencil and paper*

[Fawriel]

You can do whatever you want, dear. Cori just seemed appropriate because she's, you know. There.

[Radium]

Damnit, but I was going to use my newest mega-awesome terror that will mortify you and make your blood run cold!

*silently weeps and reaches for a pencil and paper*=D Do something awesome!

[Fawriel]

http://chaos.foxmage.com/round2final.jpg






... Well that came totally out of left field!


So, this is the second night I've spent up until 3-4 am working on this thing.
There are some parts in this that I'm proud of. I penciled some nice stuff and had some good ideas. But in the end, it all kind of drowned in the mediocrity of the rest. Some of which stems from inexperience, the other from, well, the fact that I really can't be bothered to try correcting anything anymore. Still, I made mistakes that I can learn from, so, hey. EXP is EXP.


You may now cast your votes.
If the winner becomes clear from the votes alone, they... win.
If the difference in votes is not great enough yet, another round shall be done.

Choo-choo. Ten points to Hufflepuff!

[n00b]

Spirit bomb?
(-)(-)(-)(-). Gonna have to wait 5 episodes of charging before we get back to the action.

[Risp_old]

So I am assuming that Faw is going for the "the spaceships can't blow up my temple if I blow it up myself first" approach?

[Radium]

You get continuity points for having him pick up the glasses in the first panel =D.

Also, you posted this RIGHT after I got a haircut. If you'd been a bit earlier I would've written "Rad ♥ :D ♥" on a shirt and taken a picture of myself mimicking that panel perfectly. I can't do the arcing bangs anymore, though.

EDIT: question, though. Why did she wait through that entire song while he made a glowy?

[Risp_old]

Well, obviously, she was surrounded by the choir girls. She could have killed them, I suppose... but it would not have helped, because it's an intrinsic law of the universe that you can't walk over corpses no matter what.

[Fawriel]

The chargey ball is readily charged. She didn't stop him because he's been hiding it in front of himself, and the voices and spotlights acted as a diversion.
And those aren't hearts on the shirt. They're thumbs ups. Because.
Uh.

...


NOW VOTE YOUÖb .KDFJABFJIÄajofüpä0gu9
+j

[LittleFreak]

Haha, I really love how her breasts are censored in the second picture. Awesome!

For the rest: I'm not in the state of being a relevant art critic anytime soon, but what I can say is that you've quite improved over the years. You got a nice style and I like that, your faces are especially good. I also like how the Fawriel character is so calm and carefree all the time. :)

*edit*

As for the vote... hm, I haven't yet decided. I like both, but I'm not yet sure which is better.

[CrimiClown]

My vote will have to wait 'til tomorrow. I seriously have to overthink the pros and cons of both artists. It's gonna be a close call.

Also where can I buy that Rad (y) :D (y) shirt?

[Radium]

The chargey ball is readily charged. She didn't stop him because he's been hiding it in front of himself, and the voices and spotlights acted as a diversion.But I mean, why did everyone just start standing there because Faw and the little girls were talking? I'm not sure that made sense to me, and I want to make sure I'm not missing something obvious D=

[Fawriel]

The randomness broke her brain.

[Troglobite]

It's hard to decide for voting, but I think I'll have to go with Faw. A spirt bomb just seems a bit scarier than getting tripped and face-planting.

[Enigma]

Hmm, tough one. I liked the moves from both of you, but I think I'll go with Faw here. The serenity with which he fights (except when he's about to throw the spirit bomb, that is) really appealed to me, and his moves are slightly more original than Eirukkovi's (God, I hope I came close to spelling that right), especially those Greek chorus girls, which, to be honest, scare me beyond reason.

[Dev]

But I mean, why did everyone just start standing there because Faw and the little girls were talking? I'm not sure that made sense to me, and I want to make sure I'm not missing something obvious D=

First law of anime fighting: If your opponent has something to say, wait politely for them to finish speaking before resuming the battle.

[Dev]

I vote Rad, btw.

[Risp_old]

I think I'm going to go with Rad. The only attack he used which I really found interesting was the greek chorus thing, and that didn't make sense tactically. I mean, Eurri came into the battle knowing nothing about his abilities; the first time he uses magic, therefore, he has the advantage of surprise... so he uses that element of surprise to provide some ambiance and distract Eurri slightly.
The spirit bomb itself couldn't have appeared more then a second before he used it, since there is NO way Faw could have hid a giant opaque energy ball three times the size of his head behind his body. Therefore, he could have just had the room lights turn bright blue and talked to distract Eurri from the fact that his hand was glowing. That series of actions would not have required the use of the greek chorus, and would have been more realistic anyway (it's not like it is in-character for Eurri to pay attention to what the greek chorus was singing anyway.)

[Puffie40]

I vote for rad.

Faw focused too much attention to himself during his punches causing Eurri to stand around like a lemon (And acting completely out of character). I let it slip during the first punch because that was a character introduction, and we were learning about the characters.

The second punch, as said before, Had eurri acting out of character. She had just punched faw out. I don't think she's going to stand around and let faw get up and dust himself off. What might have made more sense is if he managed to get to higher ground and out of her reach, THEN let loose with the choir/bomb.

[Nonomu198]

Yah, I really didn't like Faw's last strip either. It's pretty selfish. I'm going with Rad for showing Faw how boring and not in place these stories are in a FIGHT.

[CrimiClown]

... it's a close call.

Radium first of all draws really well. Fawriel does, too, but he's obviously a bit rusty. Rad draws the subtle things that make a change (for example, the remains of previous art battles). Best of all, he gives us a naked girl to look at.

Oh sorry, did I say best? Yeah, well, I meant cheapest and corniest. Call me old-fashioned, I don't care.

Faw also possesses more than just endless storytelling, he does a good job of breaking the fourth wall. I really liked the way he drew Radium being all 'liek lol wtf'. Plus breaking one's brain and Dragonball references make my vote go to..............

Fawriel.

Sorry Rad don't hate me. D:

[Fawriel]

Yah, I really didn't like Faw's last strip either. It's pretty selfish. I'm going with Rad for showing Faw how boring and not in place these stories are in a FIGHT.

..."selfish".









What.

[n00b]

I'm placing my vote for the most Radical of the two.
I think my awesome pun allows me to forgo the explanation phase.

[Nonomu198]

..."selfish".

What.

Well, I'm not sure if it was <s>the BEST</s> a good word to describe it, but it seemed pretty cheap when you saw that Rad wants to have an actual fight after the introduction, and after all, it is a fight, and it is supposed to be a story bouncing back and forth between two people. Just like in drama, you are supposed to give and take. If the point of view changes, you go with the flow, you can't decry and ignore the change because it dosen't suit you well. You just ignored the intense action and Eirrukovi's now known character shown on Rad's comic, and made her go aginst it. A cheap move just to show push in your story.

When Eirrukovi slapped Faw in the face it was in character, Rad didn't change the "stage" for it (unlike you putting them greek chorus).

Am I doing a good job explaining this? I think I need to use more examples.

[Fawriel]

Eirru heard that Faw was distracted by her skimpy clothes, so she took them off completely to spite him.

He noticed that she was bothered by his long-winded speech and dramatic behaviour, so he played it up all the way in order to irritate her and throw her off balance.

[LittleFreak]

I have decided, and I vote Fawriel. Really close, but I really liked his ideas.

[Nonomu198]

Eirru heard that Faw was distracted by her skimpy clothes, so she took them off completely to spite him.

He noticed that she was bothered by his long-winded speech and dramatic behaviour, so he played it up all the way in order to irritate her and throw her off balance.

She WAS off balance. She was fighting him. All of the sudden she is patient enough to stand there for all these panels?

[Puffie40]

Current tally: Rad 5, Faw 4

It's real close guys :P

[Torkell]

Hmm... they are both pretty awesome, but very different in style (and not just the art). Fawriel's has a lot more plot, while Radium's turned quickly into action. Eirrukovi does seem rather out-of-character in Faw's second strip - from the previous ones I'd expect her to either continue fighting or do the classic "I know I've beaten you so I'll just turn my back on you and walk away". On the flip side, Fawriel has actual backstory whereas Eirrukovi just turned up looking for a fight. The poetry was a nice touch too - it fits Faw's character (although the patterning went a bit strange at the end).

It's *very* close, but Rad has the slight edge here.

[Fawriel]

If you mean the "patterning" in the second bubble, that's because I stopped writing it as a poem. Some exposition can be spoken by the choir rather than sung. Says Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_chorus), at least.

[Fawriel]

Three-day countdown starts... now.

[Puffie40]

1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10...11!

RAD: 6
FAW: 4

K! O!

[Fawriel]

What.

[Radium]

I was at a two point penalty for being late, though. Meaning it was a draw, and needs to continue another round.

My turn again =D

[plunK]

IS there any place we can find the whole story from the very beginning?

[Fawriel]

Yes! It's right... here (http://www.jazz2online.com/jcf/showthread.php?t=17973).

[Radium]

IS there any place we can find the whole story from the very beginning?If this is about how the first comic in this thread starts with "Chapter 8", that was just to give the illusion that this is part of a series.

The closest thing to actual precursors is the previous art battle threads, where various competitors faced off in some art competitions. Namely, Cori VS Vitamin Cici (http://www.jazz2online.com/jcf/showthread.php?t=16277) by Dev and Nova and my (http://www.jazz2online.com/jcf/showthread.php?t=16278) two (http://www.jazz2online.com/jcf/showthread.php?t=16320) Eirrukovi battles, which were rendered in Legos.

[Fawriel]

Oh. I didn't even realize the "Chapter 8" thing. Or at least didn't memorize it.

[plunK]

ya thatd be it. i thought that this was building of some previous story which id totally read. Personal as far as this art war is concerned, i think that Faw's signature is enough to win. I love that picture every time i see it.

[Fawriel]

Ceci n'est pas une pipe, c'est le freak. C'est chic.

By which I mean, *thumbs up at plunK*

[Risp_old]

...looking back at that art battle I "had" with you, I just noticed that I had 2 votes to your 1. Despite never responding to your punch.

[CrimiClown]

If this is about how the first comic in this thread starts with "Chapter 8", that was just to give the illusion that this is part of a series.

The closest thing to actual precursors is the previous art battle threads, where various competitors faced off in some art competitions. Namely, Cori VS Vitamin Cici (http://www.jazz2online.com/jcf/showthread.php?t=16277) by Dev and Nova and my (http://www.jazz2online.com/jcf/showthread.php?t=16278) two (http://www.jazz2online.com/jcf/showthread.php?t=16320) Eirrukovi battles, which were rendered in Legos.

Aaaah, nostalgia trippin'! I still have Super-Ultra-Hyper-Super-Monkey on my bed. :)

[Puffie40]

I wish my (http://www.jazz2online.com/jcf/showthread.php?t=16280) battles (http://www.jazz2online.com/jcf/showthread.php?t=16321) had more than just me contributing. :(

[Troglobite]

I wish my (http://www.jazz2online.com/jcf/showthread.php?t=16280) battles (http://www.jazz2online.com/jcf/showthread.php?t=16321) had more than just me contributing. :(

I'm up for a fight, if you so desire. Just start a new thread, and select your character.

[LittleFreak]

oO I just realized how much Birdie's character is a ripoff of my avatar.

[Fawriel]

... So, Radium. You're at almost -20 points.

... Should we just quit this or what?

[Radium]

I count -9 )=.

Btw, sorry this is taking a bit. Perfectionism is kicking in D=.

[Fawriel]

Upon closer inspection, I count -17. So yeah.

[Pako]

While Rad prepares her attack...

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/9575/pakoisbackhypens.png

Sorry, I hope I'm not too late

EDIT: Oh, (-)(-)(-)(-), I killed it

[cooba]

<strong><em>RadFaw Wars - the revival</em> has been closed by an administrator.</strong>

[Fawriel]

Reasoning: He called Radium a girl.

[Risp_old]

=D tiny robots make the best PBJs.

[Radium]

My posting will be delayed a few more days than I planned. I ran into some software frustration (e.g. getting halfway through and deciding I wanted to do the whole thing in a different way) and don't want to have to put off some schoolwork to get it done in time.

Sorry for delays! Expect something wednesdayish.

[Puffie40]

It's now fridayish.

PIAGCLAYM!

[Radium]

Yeah, horribly sorry about the delay guys; I've been learning a lot of lessons about how not to approach something like this, and will impart these lessons to you guys for your reference upon completing the comic. Have some schoolwork and stuff, though, and may not get this up until after the weekend.

Faw, drop me an IM if you want to get a head start on your response. I've had the sketch done for like a week and have just been playing around with a bunch of inking/coloring methods.

[Radium]

Having completed this comic, I am going to impart some wonderful nuggets of knowledge unto you forumfolk:

When trying a new art program, don't try it with a 7 page comic. Try it on something small, to decide early if you don't like the program.
When making a seven page comic, make it 7 images.
When trying out a new art style, try it on something larger than a single character before trying it on something really really large.
Despite what I said about the last comic the floodfill tool really doesn't save any work and, with details, just makes everything harder.
Have colors in mind before sketching, to save trouble later.



Anyway here, picking up from Faw's last comic (with the Spirit Bomb):

http://foxmage.com/Longlonglongcomic.png

Again, sorry about the delays. This puts me, like, 20 points behind. Doing so much wrong on this comic, though, has given me a lot of ideas on how to do better next time, and I'm somewhat itching to try out new methods. I'd hate to see this art battle end definitively so early.

What do you forum-people think? I feel I need some kind of penalty/disadvantage for being late, but near-automatically losing due to point penalty feels anticlimactic to me.

[Dev]

So here's what I think:

You basically lost all your points. Unless Faw's really on the ball this week, he'll probably lose all his points via delays just like you did unless he just tosses something out tomorrow to win on a technicality, which would probably defeat the purpose of this whole thing. I suggest that we make the first two punches the warm up rounds and have this one count for the win.

[Fawriel]

... What a disgusting comic.

You think it's out-of-character for Eirru to be so confused she has to stop for a minute to try and get what's going on? But it's fine for Fawriel to use an attack so powerful it KILLS SEVERAL INNOCENT GIRLS? What the (-)(-)(-)(-) is WRONG with you?
You've turned him into a MONSTER! How am I supposed to WORK with that!

Bah.

Anyway.

I'm still going to honor the three-day-limit. I went with this competition to prepare myself for having my own webcomic, and that includes time-limits.

Obviously Radium won't have a chance to win by points unless I really mess up, which won't happen.
Obviously his comic is also well-produced enough to gain all votes from everyone unless I work pretty damn hard.

So I stand by my earlier proposal.

I gain one vote, I win.

[Radium]

But it's fine for Fawriel to use an attack so powerful it KILLS SEVERAL INNOCENT GIRLS? What the (-)(-)(-)(-) is WRONG with you?But he made them out of light and aether D=. Presumably their death was made out of light and aether too.Obviously his comic is also well-produced enough to gain all votes from everyone unless I work pretty damn hard.This made me =D very much, though I think you exaggerate. It wouldn't be THAT hard to outdo.

[Fawriel]

Yeah, that blood looks very light-and-aether-y. Extremely so.
It shouldn't surprise me that my reply actually made you smile. Let me assure you that by "well-produced", I meant the artwork. Very solid style.

The rest, on the other hand.

[rant removed]

[LittleFreak]

Do I just not get it, or should you seriously calm down?

[Fawriel]

Both, I'd assume!

Hmm, that rant sounded a lot calmer in my head.

EDIT: Removed the rant because I guess I'm only giving Radium what he wants by getting worked up about his blatant lack of respect. I found it pretty funny, though, so I'm saving it to a text file. =P

EDIT 2 - Electric Boogaloo:

But don't let it be said that I didn't raise any points!
Here's a rundown:

The characterization makes no sense whatsoever. Fawriel is not a sociopath. He would never kill the girls. There are a thousand ways that could have been avoided. The only reason you wouldn't, and even draw attention to it like that, is to put Fawriel in a bad light.
Further, his emotions skip from psychotic to calm to psychotic straight back to calm in whatever fashion seems most suitable to Radium at the moment.
And even further, this Fawriel has absorbed the wisdom of the world, but falls for a stupid trap that was even ANNOUNCED BEFOREHAND?

There have been small personal blows before, but at least those were in-character and in-universe. But here, Radium just did whatever he could in order to make me seem hateable.
I always worked under the assumption that there was at least some mutual respect going on here. Apparently I was mistaken. But was it really necessary to create a whole comic when you could've just said "Fawriel is stupid and not as nice as you all think"? I thought we were trying to create a story here.

The whole thing isn't even funny. It just goes from one "ha ha you suck" moment to the next with no structure. The "make Fawriel talk and hit him while he's distracted" was so bad I could've sworn you used it before.

Some of the poses look stiff and awkward. The aforementioned punch, for instance, has no motion. I can't put my finger on it, because Fawriel certainly moves and all, but it feels lifeless. An onomatopoeia would've helped there.
Your speech bubbles look weird. Don't stick the pointer up a character's nose. You only need a subtle one to indicate who's doing the talking.
Fawriel's snout occasionally turns into a crocodile's for some reason.

Yeah, I can't say much about the art. That part is solid. But the writing is just tasteless and childish.

EDIT THREE DUDE:

Relevant link. (http://bayimg.com/DAoKmAAbL)

[Torkell]

Awesome link is awesome!

I'm largely with Faw on this one - I wouldn't expect comic!Faw to get caught out by the same trick twice (especially given that comic!Faw just used it on Eirru), and I thought the Greek chorus got killed off by Eirru in Faw's last comic. On the flip side, zipping comic!Faw's trouser legs together was very funny.

[Radium]

I wouldn't expect comic!Faw to get caught out by the same trick twice (especially given that comic!Faw just used it on Eirru).Hmm... personally I viewed them as significantly different, but maybe that was just me. The first time Eirru attacked Faw while he was talking it was because she got tired of listening - she even warned him before doing it. When Faw created the choir girls it was sheerly a distraction/confusion tactic.

I tried to make her actions in the last comic unique in that this is the first time Eirru has actually asked Faw to speak. Rather than a repeat of previous actions I was aiming for it to come across as a variation based off assessed weaknesses. By now Eirru has been able to pick up that Faw likes to talk - and not just talk, but talk in long, winding monologues. By now she has also noticed (but of course, is not vocalizing) that she likely isn't capable of facing him head-on. As such she is willing to get a bit more underhanded in her tactics - such as implying that she is finally awed by his power and now genuinely cares about his backstory, only to dash these dreams by quickly revealing it was a trick to get his guard down. His reaction is meant to reflect this (as opposed to being something more generic like "I wasn't ready!")

I probably could've made the instances differ more, but I personally felt that making the two instances differ too vastly wouldn't properly convey how she is having to adjust her tactics specifically to suit the fight. You're definitely right, though, I should probably have her take the stuff she learns and apply it in distinctly new ways.

comic!Faw's trouser legsAck! Now I feel like I used the wrong word in the comic. His vocabulary in the previous strips struck me as predominantly American, but I don't know what word he would use for los pantalones.

[Radium]

From the distance between March 11 (http://www.jazz2online.com/jcf/showpost.php?p=444774&postcount=139) and April 1 (http://www.jazz2online.com/jcf/showpost.php?p=445761&postcount=163), and the distance between April 1 and today, am I correct in assuming we are now equalized, point-wise?

I know there was some discrepancy with when the last round began (when Faw (http://www.jazz2online.com/jcf/showpost.php?p=444452&postcount=138)meant to imply I had three days to finish it was misconstrued as three days until the end of voting), so I'm not entirely sure if we've been equalized or if I am still at -3.

[Fawriel]

... Jesus, you scared me for a second. What makes you think that Puffie's countdown had any bearing on the score? I started the countdown right before that, and you can't exactly expect any mercy in that respect since you even had a long enough time beforehand to think of what you're going to do next. Based on my calculations, this puts you at -29 points. Which means I still easily have all month.

I definitely learned some things about time management, though. It's amazing how long this is taking, primarily because I had some major inhibitions to even start. I guess brute forcing my way into my dormant potential is a pretty painful process. The results are not bad so far, but I think there's a limit to how far I can push this in one go, so it's good that this'll be the last round. The pressure's totally screwing up my studies and everything anyway.

[Puffie40]

waitawaitwaitwaitwait.....double-you-tee-

You said Three-day countdown starts... now.

I said eleven days later

1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10...11!

RAD: 6
FAW: 4

K! O!

now you are saying ... Jesus, you scared me for a second. What makes you think that Puffie's countdown had any bearing on the score? I started the countdown right before that,

so how do I get into this argum- oh, I threw a wrench in Rads gears by summing up the votes. Sweet.

[Radium]

Oh whoops didn't even notice that was 11 days D=. I misinterpreted you as misinterpreting that 3 day countdown as the end of voting (given that you posted a countdown and a "KO"), and figured it looked the same way to everyone else.

Disregard me, sorry!

Edit:
it's good that this'll be the last round.Woah, hey:
- the minimum amount of punches will be 4, as in the previous Art Battle. If necessary, the battle shall rage on until a winner is decided.D<. Though if the pressure from this one is causing you problems, you know I'm perfectly amenable to mutually agreeing to make this round a tie and continuing another (hopefully faster paced) one.

[Fawriel]

Minimum amount of "punches". Not "rounds". I really don't want to drag this on any further than this.

[Radium]

Minimum amount of "punches". Not "rounds". I really don't want to drag this on any further than this.I know, I was referring to the "until a winner is decided". It seems presumptuous to assume it'll happen.

[cooba]

The punches should have been drawn in secret, waiting to be revealed in some dramatic manner. That way you would have had less pressure on your work *and* you would have spared all this useless chit-chat from the readers, both of which would then give a very positive effect.

But then again it looks like instead of collaborating, you preferred to treat this as a real battle just so that a "winner" would be set. If that's the case then something is wrong with you.

[Fawriel]

Yay, there's something wrong with me. You know what the funny thing is? You're right. I have issues. And I'm trying to deal with them by confronting myself with them. Now if you could possibly restrain your cynicism for just a little bit, that would be very appreciated.

[CrimiClown]

This will be over before you know it... MARK MY WORDS, boy, and MARK THEM WELL!

[Fawriel]

OH GOD DAMN IT!

Okay so heads up everyone: Next comic will suck.

It was better before I decided to start inking the (-)(-)(-)(-)(-). So yeah.
Oh well, doesn't really matter if I win or not anyway. As far as I'm concerned, I leave the competition as the winner either way. Because I still learned a lot.


Except for inking.

*goes kill something*

[Fawriel]

I could still finish the comic today if I really wanted to, but then I'd have to miss out on some quality, and after all the skimping out I did with the inking and whatnot, trying to make something good out of it seems like the least I can do. I think finishing it tomorrow will mean Radium and I are equal in points? How cute. Oh well, who cares. I got what I wanted from the battle already. I know I could produce a nicer comic if I tried again. But I still have to make the best of what I'm dealing with here, yes?

PS: The inking is hilarious. After realizing that I suck, I basically ate my collection of One Piece mangas, then proceeded to regurgitate them all over the penciled pages to see what sticks. It's a glorious mess, that much I can tell you! I believe the scientific term for this would be, hm, "haphazard"!

[Dev]

I believe the scientific term for this would be, hm, "haphazard"!
=D That's the title of my story. Nice.

Looking forward to seeing it on the morrow.

[Radium]

It's a glorious mess, that much I can tell you! I believe the scientific term for this would be, hm, "haphazard"!Haphazard is not a scientific term D=. Scientifically your actions were probably experimental in nature, focused around an attempt to imitate various aspects of the One Piece mangas to see which, replicated by you, yielded the most visually appealing results. The appearance of a mess is likely just an unlabeled series of failed and successful trials.

[Fawriel]

... Yes, Radium. Thank you, Radium.

[Fawriel]

Among the most important lessons I have learned in this battle is: "It always takes longer than you think. No exceptions." There's still some stuff to be done there, but I think it's in my best interest to call it a day for now.

Well, god bless this mess.

http://chaos.foxmage.com/round3-1.jpg


http://chaos.foxmage.com/round3-2.jpg




But wait, there's more! If you didn't like this comic, I have prepared an alternate continuity comic for you! (http://chaos.foxmage.com/Round-3-alt.jpg)

Yaaaaay.

[Risp_old]

=D I like the alternate comic. It's the kind of deus ex machina I can get behind.

[Radium]

=O not bad at all, I'm glad to see you stepping a bit out of your comfort zone.

The new shading technique works really well for you, especially in the first half of the comic. The use of darks and lights really makes the figures pop in some panels. This effect diminishes a bit near the end when the background grays start to diminish the bold and powerful contrast effect. The background gray seems darker there, but in retrospect it could just be because Faw got lighter without his shirt.

Personally, though, I think the final panel is one of the weakest. You had a good thing going with the black-gray-white color scheme, and branching out into color so abruptly really makes your lack of knowledge on the topic obvious.

I think Dev mentioned this a few pages back, but a lot of the color experimentation I've been doing myself through this thread was based off some things I read off John K's blog. While I'd hardly consider him an expert on color and don't agree with a lot of his statements, it's very entertaining to see his analysis of various color schemes. Any of his posts on the subject are worth a look (http://johnkstuff.blogspot.com/search/label/color).

The major criticism I have of your last piece is pretty plainly that it's hard for me to follow. Some panels are notably ambiguous: in the "DOM" one near the top the blur effect makes it hard for me to tell who hit who, and in the panel directly below it I can't really tell what is moving. It looks like someone broke through the wall and into the room with the tree, but a few panels later it looks like both Faw and Eirru are back in the room with the stairs. Except there's evidently some tree there too? I don't know. Somewhere a tree got Eirru too. Did Faw's arm suddenly go General Ysengrin (http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=272) in the panel where he heals the little girl?

I've never really thought you were good at handling Eirru's movement and dialogue. I tried to establish her character as something of an antithesis to Faw's more anime-styled "stand still and monologue" (which I definitely poked fun at a lot), and evidently did well enough for it to stand out when you wrote her out of character (http://www.jazz2online.com/jcf/showpost.php?p=444163&postcount=126). It's not very interesting when every character is pretty much like you (http://www.thinkin-lincoln.com/index.php?strip_id=661).

If you have trouble capturing her character it may help if I show my sources. For her dialogue I'd suggest reading Watchmen (http://www.amazon.com/Watchmen-Alan-Moore/dp/0930289234) and paying special attention to the sentence structure of Rorshach's speech, and for her movement/fighting style I'd suggest watching a TF2 Scout tutorial (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRSW0Y1SgoA) (and ignoring the parts about the pistol). One of Eirru's lines in my second comic is pretty much directly pulled from that video, and the whole idea of avoiding direct combat is pretty central in her actions - especially after Faw starts to get crazy powerful. You can convey a lot about someone by how they stand, how they move, and even how far they stand from other people.

(I guess voting starts now?)

[Fawriel]

I don't get what you mean about my characterization of Eirru in this one. She kept attacking him even when he was out there. The only time she stops to talk is to diss him, which she's been doing plenty of already.

I agree that it's hard to follow in the middle. Some space between the panels would have helped that. It's one of the things that I didn't get to do anymore in the end. The other thing that would've helped is if we had planned out the frikkin place beforehand. As far as I'm concerned, by the time we got to your last comic, the place has turned into some sort of ficto-dimensional time-space vortex that shapes itself based on the plot.

I agree that the last panel is weak, but whatcha gonna do.I think it might've worked better if I'd gotten the time to do something else I've been planning, which is to use colored lighting to set the mood in earlier panels. Red for the burning rage, green for after the epiphany.

But yeah, one reason this took so long is because at first I was downright terrified of working on it, and in the end... I kinda lost interest. As I said, I got what I wanted out of the art battle. At some point I managed to combine my increased understanding of anatomy with the just-for-fun stuff I've been doing and managed to find a way to draw that actually makes it fun. For the past years, and I'm blaming this on you, drawing has been a painful struggle to me. So yeah, that's what I owe you, I guess. Can't change the past, gotta make do with what I have.

I'll check out the stuff you linked to at some later point.

[Radium]

As far as I'm concerned, by the time we got to your last comic, the place has turned into some sort of ficto-dimensional time-space vortex that shapes itself based on the plot.Man, you should've asked me D=. Before drawing the last comic I made a 3D model of the place based off what was shown in your first comic so I could track the relative locations of people and environmental features; I would've been happy to give it to you.

[Fawriel]

... I call shenanigans. Your model makes no sense.

It's very defining that you took the time to link one of your criticisms to what is nothing more than a personal attack. Why, yes, the fact that Eirrukovi doesn't have a distinctly aloof way of picking her nose means that I'm on the level of a horrible fanfic writer! I will admit that I see some things I could have done better in her acting <s>since she's apparently such a flat character she's incapable of displaying anything but arrogant distance</s>, but you'll have to excuse me if I'm a little skeptical of your criticism regarding characterization after you got every single possible thing about Fawriel wrong in your last comic. You can come up with all the fancy words in the world to describe her, but if your idea of Fawriel is nothing but "stupid manga-type guy who talks a lot", then the antithesis to that is nothing more than "not-manga type girl who doesn't talk much". I've been working on the idea that she's a battle-hardened fighter who accepts challenges from strangers in the hopes of finding a real challenge for her superior skills, and she's thrown off a bit by Fawriel's unconventional style (a side-effect of being experienced is that you don't expect completely unconventional things) but has no patience for his weird antics, since she expected an intense battle rather than a show fight, and despises him for being basically a child with too much power on his hands.
How would YOU describe her?

Hell, I helped you with Fawriel's characterization in a PM. He's an entertainer who wants to go out into the world and be awesome. I show that in his dream-world at the start. He's been inside a capsule underground for a long time watching the world from a distance. He's basically like a kid whose knowledge of the world comes completely from reading adventure stories. He challenged Eirru in order to prove his worth, and wanted to do so in a way that shows just how awesome he is (and got really damn pissed when it just refused to work).
Yet all I see in your characterization of him is "Fawriel is an arrogant idiot who talks about himself a lot (and that is funny)".

I admit that I could have done things better in Eirru's displayal (her emotions are too strongly pronounced in many cases now that I think about it, she barely even opens her mouth in earlier pages, so her teeth-gnashing is out of place even when she's surprised, among some other subtle things)... But you don't get to make fun of me for those mistakes when your displayal of my character is nothing but a thinly veiled clone of the way you see me with some added personal attacks for good measure.

EDIT: Oh hey, John K. My new "mentor" links me to that blog a lot. Fun times.

[LittleFreak]

I've gone from finding this immensely fun to asking myself why I am even reading this... internet argument. How could this get so lame? Because some people might take this too seriously? Nah. Must be something else.

[Fawriel]

Yeah, I can see why I've fallen from grace around here in the process of this war. I just couldn't keep up a facade anymore, had to deal with some troubles, you know? Radium's impact on my artistic process is something that's shaped my life quite strongly, possibly quite badly as well, and there's a strong relation there to the fact that I lost my former best friend, who is also watching this battle. Put me under quite some pressure. I'm afraid I had some terrible issues to deal with, and let it out on you guys. But a deal of coping with pain is humor. I try hard to smile at this whole ordeal, and I tried hard to be able to make you smile while I'm puking my heart out at you. I'm sorry for not being terribly entertaining. It's been a strange balance act between wanting to win, wanting to prove myself, and all that stuff, so I can see that my submissions were probably pretty weird to read and that my behaviour has tainted their reception. I can do nothing but apologize and hope that you can find it in your hearts to understand my position, yeah?

[Fawriel]

Buargh. Really, I just want this to be over. I've been making a fool of myself for the sake of not making as great a fool of myself in the future. A major fool. Like, an internet dramaturgy. I swear I had nothing but practice in mind when I started this! But it came as it had to!

Let's not bother with the voting. Radium won because he was actually trying to entertain people, as was the original purpose of it all. But I don't think I deserve to lose, not only because that would kinda put me back to square one, but because I've really been trying hard to better myself, which is kinda what I've been "battling" for.

Let's call it a done deal.

The rules say that the winner shall produce an ending comic in which his character wins the fight. Let's both make one and put an end to this. Then people can choose whichever of the two endings they'd prefer to be "canon".
Sound good?

[Stijn]

Well, dunno, Radium's stuff is of course well-drawn and such but I think I enjoyed your comics more, since they had more soul. The rough edges actually added something to it, whereas Radium was as well-drawn as expected but apart from that nothing surprising either.

[DoubleGJ]

...that was awesome.

In my eyes, Faw wins. Although technically lower, this is exactly why I prefer his latest blow - you can see the emotion put into it more than cold thought. Of course, Rad's comic isn't all dry and boring and all, but I just find Faw's more interesting. Especially with the alternate ending. :D

[Radium]

Let's call it a done deal.

The rules say that the winner shall produce an ending comic in which his character wins the fight. Let's both make one and put an end to this. Then people can choose whichever of the two endings they'd prefer to be "canon".
Sound good?Yeah, how about no. I am quite sure we agreed to continue this until a winner became clear.

Yeah, I can see why I've fallen from grace around here in the process of this war. [...] I can do nothing but apologize and hope that you can find it in your hearts to understand my position, yeah?I think this is your problem. You are definitely portraying a bad personal image, being way too dramatic about everything, and showing an inability to read yourself from other people's viewpoints (I know at least one person was relatively offended by how you ignored their criticism). Your reaction to this, however, is apparently to ask for forgiveness and attempt to end the battle as soon as possible.

I'm not a strong believer of solving problems by sweeping them under the carpet.

You have definitely "fallen from grace", but trying to end this won't change anything. Rather than looking to get away from your failure, try to amend it. At any moment you can stop being dramatic and we can just keep on drawing naked amazons and color-changing furries or whatever. You can take criticism in stride and learn to see every piece of advice as a method of analyzing yourself. Maybe you wouldn't've lost your best friend or whatever if you tried to learn and adapt rather than just trying to end things that are difficult.

Seriously, let's make this fun!

[Fawriel]

Thanks, Stijn and 2xGJ. I'm glad you appreciate my work! Like, REALLY glad!

@Radium: I could agree to this if I wasn't also getting bored with it all. The story is getting nowhere. From a plot perspective, my last punch already hit the climax. After this, there can only be a strong finisher and a denouement. Dragging it on will not be fun at all. Besides that, I don't think I'm brushing anything under the carpet. In fact, my problem is that I'm dwelling in the past and can't manage to get over with it. In the last year of high school, I had a classmate in philosophy class who was really pretty neat and I thought I could be friends with him, but at some point, probably due to a misunderstanding, he started hating me, and when our philosophy teacher gave us all our final grades and I protested because I was second from the bottom (in a class of four), he disdainfully commented that I'm "showing my true face". That has been years ago, and it still haunts me terribly. You know, that's just to bring some perspective into this. It's silly, but that's how it goes.
I'm slowly coming to terms with the idea that I'm not a completely worthless artist (hell, up until a while ago I didn't consider myself worthy of the term "artist" at all), and that other people's views can help me improve as a person and I shouldn't take them personally. I don't think ending it at this point would be shameful or anything.

If you insist on fighting it out until the end, here's the alternative: If the winner isn't clear by the end of this voting round, we'll both submit our own endings and then people vote for which one they prefer.


PS: I can't find a good segue for this, but I really wanna get off my chest a big problem I realized with this whole thing. You know, before the duel really started, I thought I'd make the plot all silly and over-the-top awesome since that was pretty much Eirru's schtick in the Lego comics and it's fun, right? But then I figured that that kind of plot requires drawing skills and wit. And you were obviously ahead of me in those respects. (Though I may have overestimated your wit. *polite cough*) So I figured the only way I could win was to build a strong world out of the bits you gave me.

... Whiiiich would've been fine if it weren't for the format, because in the end that forced me to do an infodump in the START to show that I have a backstory, and more infodump in the middle to really set it up, and any fantasy world will just sound cliched if it's summarized in a few worrds, and it requires you to sympathize with a character who's only established very briefly and is mangled by someone else half of the time... basically I tried to make an inherently stupid format epic. Too bad I couldn't back out of that anymore by the time I realized it.

[Pako]

It would be very awesome/cool/tubular to have an huge climax involving everyone's characters (you know, the Rabbit Troopers, Inexplicably Greek Pako, Boosokus Guy, etc). But yeah, your last punch pretty much sealed this up.

[Fawriel]

I was kinda planning to include the troopers in my ending, really. Maybe I'll go a bit further than that... =3

[Stijn]

Though, no offense, but I'm a bit puzzled about what the connection between this comic and your, er, personal issues (for lack of a better word) is. Did I miss something?

[Fawriel]

Eeeh, it's complicated and boring and stuff. You don't wanna know, trust me.* Just imagine Fawriel as me and Eirru as Rad and you should get the rough idea. A lot of elements I used have some sort of meaning that only I get. Because that's how I roll, apparently!


*Err. Unless you do. In which case, PM me I guess?

[cooba]

Just imagine Fawriel as mehard

[Fawriel]

I know, right. It just boggles the mind!

[Spotinik]

I'm voting for Radium. Because I liked his punches since I felt they connected well and were easy to follow. He did well with using subtlety and it's really hard to use subtlety well and I admire him for making it through with that.

That's not the only reason I'm voting for him, but I'm also voting for a tie. I think another round would do good - especially to you, Fawriel. You could use more practice. It would also give you a chance to experiment and try out new things.

I'm sorry I have to be blunt on this, but you should really cut back on using excuses to excuse "this is why I couldn't do such and such." and blaming past personal experiences on this. It's not going to help. Looking back at the past and blaming it is not going to get you anywhere with this, nor is it going to solve anything. I'm not a fan of wallowing in personal problems. It will only get you more depressed.

But then I figured that that kind of plot requires drawing skills and wit. And you were obviously ahead of me in those respects. (Though I may have overestimated your wit. *polite cough*) So I figured the only way I could win was to build a strong world out of the bits you gave me.

Please. If you think you shouldn't try something because someone is better at said thing than you - Then you're not going to get anywhere. You shouldn't be aiming to win. But rather to give yourself a chance to try different things. Doesn't matter if it turns good or not - you tried. Better than not trying at all.

One of the things I really didn't like about your punches is that you threw in a really humongous backstory. Not that I'm against giving information about the character for people to work with - But keep it concise as possible as you can. I honestly really got bored reading the large bubbles of backstory. =| Again, this is my personal opinion.

If this ends in a tie and you two have to endure another round - I suggest you start accepting criticism. I didn't approve of how you turned down someone's criticism twice during the whole battle. If there's one thing I learnt from my personal experience, is that feedback is very important. I wouldn't be where I am right now if I didn't accept criticism. I'm not going to sit back here and pat you on the shoulder - You really ought to learn to accept criticism and stop seeing it as something that's trying to rain on your parade.

[Fawriel]

That's not the only reason I'm voting for him, but I'm also voting for a tie. I think another round would do good - especially to you, Fawriel. You could use more practice. It would also give you a chance to experiment and try out new things.

Who says I won't be getting any practice after this?

I'm sorry I have to be blunt on this, but you should really cut back on using excuses to excuse "this is why I couldn't do such and such." and blaming past personal experiences on this. It's not going to help. Looking back at the past and blaming it is not going to get you anywhere with this, nor is it going to solve anything. I'm not a fan of wallowing in personal problems.

I'm not a fan of wallowing in personal problems, either, actually! It kinda sucks, to be honest. But I don't think I really thought that my problems excused anything... Well, some of the time maybe I did. I dunno. This thread has been lasting more than a third of a year. A lot changed in that time. I know I haven't been claiming today that anything justifies my past behaviour. All I can do is try to explain it so people don't get all too pissed at me, and to remind myself of my faults as well.

Please. If you think you shouldn't try something because someone is better at said thing than you - Then you're not going to get anywhere. You shouldn't be aiming to win. But rather to give yourself a chance to try different things. Doesn't matter if it turns good or not - you tried. Better than not trying at all.

It's hard to decide on what you really want to do. I did want to win the battle, and if I had played Radium's game the same way he did, I would've invariably ended up looking like a worse rip-off. And there's the question whether I'd really want to beat him at his own game, because his isn't mine.

And yes, I already said that trying to stuff the backstory in there was stupid. Not to mention doing so in such an unsubtle way. And yes, I know I need to start accepting criticism.

[Nonomu198]

I vote Radium. I liked how he drew Fawriel, kind of like a puppy. I really didn't like how he kept pushing Eirru away to tell some backstory again and again.

[Dev]

and there's a strong relation there to the fact that I lost my former best friend, who is also watching this battle.

I'm right here. D= You didn't lose me.

But I don't think I deserve to lose, not only because that would kinda put me back to square one, but because I've really been trying hard to better myself, which is kinda what I've been "battling" for.

This mindset is destroying you as an artist and a human being. Losing this art battle does not put you back to "square one". You would still have all the experience you gained from it. If this was a contest of needless suffering I think everyone would definitely vote for you (or for themselves for having to read all of this), but it's an art battle. We vote for who was the most entertaining and original with their handling of the duel. The winner really doesn't even matter, ideally, since this is for the artists' benefit and the audience's amusement.

I'm voting for Rad. I think that ties the votes, or comes close. You really need to learn some empathy, man.

You don't need to win this battle to become a better artist, the battle itself is what will make you great. Also, you don't have to beat Rad and put him behind you to move on; dropping your resentment toward him would be moving on in itself. And I've been trying to be your friend but it's tricky with you not exactly making such a valiant effort at conversation. It really kind of hurts me to hear you say that we're not friends anymore when I have really tried my best to be nice to you and get back on your good side. If that's really how you see me, as a lost thing never to be recovered, then I don't see why I should bother pulling punches anymore.

You don't know what a friend is. You think they should come to you, and you aren't willing to meet them halfway. You are not such an alluring and fun person to be around that people are going to just walk up and beg to spend time with you, it takes some effort on your part, too. A friend isn't a bottomless tap of positive energy for you to draw from, and everything they say to you won't be exactly what you want to hear. Radium had the potential to be the best friend you ever had, because he genuinely wanted to help you long after everyone else stopped caring, and yet you see him as an enemy. Why don't you consider how he feels, because even though he doesn't spill out every little hardship and sad feeling he has for all the world to see, I assure you he must be getting pretty tired of this crap by now.

Show some class and see this through to the end. Don't whine if you lose, don't gloat if you win. Do your best, learn what you can, take it with you and do better next time. Impress us all.

[Fawriel]

...

I don't think it's a good idea to vote in order to make a tie. Nobody has officially voted for me yet. And. Stuff.

The rest of this discussion is not something that belongs here. I've irritated enough people with my blabbering already.
I'm going to sleep over this.

[Torkell]

Again, they're both awesome, but Faw gets my vote this round.

[Pako]

I second that motion. Faw's not getting enough love D=

[Fawriel]

Thanks, Torkell.

EDIT: And Pako, too. I appreciate the thought.


Now, everyone who's not interested, just skip this post. Because tell you what, I'm replying now, because there's no way I'm going to be able to sleep at this rate.

Dev. What you say about how I need to improve myself is true. Everything you say about how to live life is true. It works. I'm sure of that. It's a wonderful philosophy.

But Dev, you DO NOT KNOW WHO I AM. And NEITHER does Radium. You guys might think you have some sort of moral high ground. You probably do. I'm unfortunately very emotional and that makes me an unpredictable menace. Sad thing. But what you seem to forget is that YOU TOO ARE HUMAN. You have HUMAN PERSPECTIVES that are just as flawed as any other! You, Dev, had trouble understanding who I am when we were close and talking every day. You saw everything in extremes. And then you developed away from me completely. I have come to accept that. And now, many years later, you claim to be able to tell who I am, after you already couldn't understand me back then. No, Dev. No.
I don't know what you see me as or whether it's in any way an accurate portrayal of what I was like back then. But I know what a friend is. You remember the Finnish guy I wanted you to talk to once? And you couldn't bear talking to him? I've been one of the only things keeping that man alive for years now. I have made a new friend who is completely different from me and rarely likes any of the artwork I produce. We are close friends for more than a year now and I'm constantly listening to him and trying to help him get by in life as best as I can. I have a new friend who is far above me intellectually who enjoys my presence for some reason I can't fathom, and he gives me criticism just as powerful as Radium does, but you know what, it doesn't hurt when he does it, because he's not Radium!

I don't claim to know who Radium is! I have no idea! But, you know, first impressions, human shaping images of humans in their own minds to understand them? Radium is EVIL in my world. I can't HELP it. It's been imprinted like that! I've tried to befriend him! He doesn't DO friends. That's what he told me himself when I offered him my friendship! I will not believe that I am in any way capable of hurting Radium until I have solid proof. For all I know he could be crying right now. But based on what I've experienced of him, no.

I've been trying really hard today to take everything in stride. I've listened to criticism of my art. I've listened to criticism of my personality. I tried to keep my cool and I thought about it. But for (-)(-)(-)(-)'s sake I have a LIMIT.
EVERYTHING I do is colored in your perspective in the colors of that old, whiny (-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-) of a Fawriel that I'm trying my (-)(-)(-)(-)ing damndest to overcome here. I can't do anything that won't make me seem like it. And that's what I've been dealing with for the past years when I've been communicating with you or Radium. The knowledge that whatever I do, it will be interpreted as weakness. Do you have any idea what I'm talking about here? It's like something from a goddamn Greek tragedy about trying to avoid your fate! You are weak, so you try to act strong, but everyone's still saying you're weak, so you try to act even stronger but you don't know how to be that strong yet and the facade crumbles and then you fall down and everyone's opinion of you is confirmed again! Do you have ANY idea how that is?

OF COURSE I have to get over my hate and regret. It's irrational and it's destroying me, duh! But how do you SUPPOSE I should just STOP those deeply rooted feelings? Sprinkle magic Nietzschean fairy dust on them? That's not how the human psyche WORKS. I have a HORRIBLE mindset that makes me see everything like it's part of a greater story, so I see everything as chapters, and I wait for significant events to cause epiphanies in me. It's HORRIBLE and I have to get rid of it, but I can't just DO THAT. I have to WORK with it for now, and that's how this whole (-)(-)(-)(-)ing MESS came to be. I cannot possibly save my past anymore, so I have to put a lid on it, move somewhere else, start anew, and gather the strength to reform myself and accept what has happened with my newfound strength.

I don't hate you. You are more likely than not a great guy. But right now, I can't help seeing my past in you, and I can't help acting the same way around you as I do with Rad: Trying to be all mature and smart and cool so you don't get a chance to see me as the weakling I was. And failing.
I'll gladly talk to you some after this is over. But you don't have to force yourself to make friends with me again. You are not the man you used to be. And neither am I. We can talk. But we can't build anything on the ground of our past friendship.


I really just want to be free of all these regrets.

[Dev]

You think everything is about you. It's not. You're getting angry and defensive because you know what I said is true.

You say there's no way that you could possibly seem like a decent person in our eyes. You said you've done everything possible to try and seem strong. Funny thing is, you've done everything EXCEPT follow the very simple advice you have been given. You've blown everything out of proportion and you sound like a lunatic, calling Rad "EVIL" and saying I'm putting myself on a moral high ground. All I did was tell you what I think; I'm not the one who's trying everyone's patience. Now you're telling me what you think. Do YOU have the moral high ground now? Is that how it works?

You always say that you seem like a childish person when you talk to either of us. I can tell you exactly why that is: because your logic is so obviously flawed and you are just incapable of admitting it, so when someone points out the massive gaps in your way of thinking you can't defend yourself with a logical argument and resort to calling things evil and wrong without any grounds for your accusations.

Whether or not we "know you" is irrelevant. We know your actions, and that's enough for us to be capable of making criticisms. See? Simple. It's not convoluted circular logic like the kind you're so fond of. Life is not a story, and you are not the main character.

I don't know why I'm bothering with this, though, because you don't care. I'm wrong because I'm not saying what you think. Heaven forbid you might try, just once, to better yourself and see things from our point of view. What are we supposed to think about you? Heart of gold because he doesn't listen to anyone at all? You thanked everyone who said "good job, Faw!" but didn't thank Rad for his much more useful and insightful criticisms which he obviously spent a long time writing and put much thought into. I wouldn't have even bothered to hyperlink you to sources like he did.

And don't just post some big sarcastic response where you pretend to agree with everything I said and act like a jerk ("OH, YOU'RE SOOO RIGHT, DEV, I AM A HUGE JERK LOLTHANKS"). Give some thought to my words.

[LittleFreak]

Goddamnit, get over it already.

You are not such an alluring and fun person to be around that people are going to just walk up and beg to spend time with you, it takes some effort on your part, too.

Actually, he was once, in my eyes. And that's what I'm wondering about, what in the world happened?

I'm not going to write huge walls of text like you guys, because I don't know what's going on anyway. I only know that Faw deeply believes that to beat Radium is the only way to fix his life. I'm also not that far, intellectually, to really give good advice in this.

Or maybe, I actually am. I might not be able to psychologically analyse behaviour the way you're doing it, I might not be able to understand the problems Faw has, but I know that there's a simple way to fix them:

Just stop and leave it all behind.

No further explanation, find out yourself.

*edit*

I also vote Radium.

[Fawriel]

LittleFreak... verdammt noch mal, ich versuche es doch! Lies doch bitte was ich geschrieben habe nachdem ich den Comic gepostet habe. Ich habe Radium's Kritik angenommen... zugegeben, ich war ein wenig defensiv. Aber ich habe nichts bestritten. Ich habe mich vor allem aufgeregt, weil er mich persönlich angegriffen hat mit so nem blöden Comic... Vielleicht war das ein wenig kindisch. Und dann kamst du. Was du gesagt hast, tat weh, aber ich hab darüber nachgedacht. Und ich habe gemerkt, wie kindisch ich war. Ich wollte einfach nur noch alles zurücklassen und neu anfangen. Ich wollte alles akzeptieren. Ich wollte erklären, warum ich mich so dämlich verhalten habe, damit die Leute verstehen und mir verzeihen. Damit ich nochmal von neuem anfangen kann.
Aber wie soll ich denn ruhig bleiben, wenn Dev solche Sachen über mich sagt? Darf ich mich denn nicht verteidigen?

Ich will wirklich nichts lieber als dieses ganze Gejammer und diese ganze Fehde und all das hinter mir zu lassen. Echt. Aber was soll ich tun, wenn einer der Schatten aus meiner Vergangenheit persönlich mich mit genau dem angreift, vor dem ich solche Angst habe?
Bitte versuch, zu verstehen.


Dev... ugh.
I've gone from being angry to being sad to being angry and sad and again, and now I'm just ... exhausted.

Dev, you are childish and stuck in the past. Dev, you don't know what a friend is. Dev, you only get angry because you know what I say is true.

Dev, everything you say might be wrong. I don't even know where to start replying to what you said. But, in general: Everything you say might be wrong. This is a principle I've been living by for the past many years. And judging by the extremes you use in your post, I think it might be a valuable lesson to you.

I guess I'll go through it chronologically.

"You think everything is about you. It's not."
Ah. I really don't know what this has to do with anything or where it comes from, but okay. Is it because the thread has turned into something about me? Because I wouldn't call a thread "everything", and I don't think I wanted it to turn so personal.

"You're getting angry and defensive because you know what I said is true."
How am I supposed to reply to something like this without resorting to sarcasm? You assume things about me, you assume things about what you say. This is just bull and nothing else.

"You say there's no way that you could possibly seem like a decent person in our eyes. You said you've done everything possible to try and seem strong. Funny thing is, you've done everything EXCEPT follow the very simple advice you have been given."
The simple advice in question is basically "accept criticism and don't take it personally", right? If so, that's what I've been trying to do here. I didn't take the criticism leveled against me personally. I only took a personal attack personally, and replied by leveling some of my own criticism against it. Am I not allowed to criticize Radium just as much as he can criticize me?
I'm not sure if I understand what I meant by "trying to seem strong". Allow me to illustrate it.

Rad: "This and this sucks."
Faw: "Oh, okay. ... Iiii had the feeling already. I should have listened to it. I mean, I would have! I mean, I - next time I will! I mean-"
Rad: "Shut up."
Faw: "NO SERIOUSLY I will totally do better next time trust me I can do it pleaaaaaasssseelineäojEDOPJ"

Something like that.

"You've blown everything out of proportion"
Yup.

"you sound like a lunatic, calling Rad "EVIL""
You can't talk about your own psyche without sounding lunatic. I didn't claim Radium was evil, I can only say that my mind is suspicious of everything he says and does because of past experiences with him that have resulted in pain.

"and saying I'm putting myself on a moral high ground."
Either that's what you're doing, or it's what it seems like to me. I mean, look at yourself. You are preaching to me. "You only get angry because you know what I say is true"? That is not something you say to someone you consider on the same level as yourself.

"All I did was tell you what I think; I'm not the one who's trying everyone's patience."
You'll have to forgive me if I won't quietly accept your alknowing criticism of my personality when it's not founded on anything sensible? I'm not trying anyone's patience, either. Nobody who isn't interested has any business reading this bull(-)(-)(-)(-). Hell, I wish I didn't have any business reading this bull(-)(-)(-)(-).

"Now you're telling me what you think. Do YOU have the moral high ground now? Is that how it works?"
No, I have the moral ground where I'm tired of everyone blowing everything I say out of proportion after I've acknowledged that I've been blowing everything they say out of proportion. It's like a comedy routine without the comedy.

"You always say that you seem like a childish person when you talk to either of us. I can tell you exactly why that is: because your logic is so obviously flawed and you are just incapable of admitting it, so when someone points out the massive gaps in your way of thinking you can't defend yourself with a logical argument and resort to calling things evil and wrong without any grounds for your accusations."
I don't call things evil and wrong. I never do. I direct you again at what I said about what I said about Radium. I don't claim he's evil. As far as I know, he's True Neutral. The only time I said anything was evil was when I talked about what my emotions think, and the only person my emotions call evil is Radium. If you want to tell my emotions personally to shut up, then good luck. They're persistent little (-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)s.

"Whether or not we "know you" is irrelevant. We know your actions, and that's enough for us to be capable of making criticisms."
Ah, see. This is the part I've been looking forward to. One of the great wisdoms Radium taught me is that "Friends will lie to you". Think about that one for a moment. Friends will lie to you. But what other people say is fair game. Friends will lie to you because they like you. But people who are indifferent towards you, or people who dislike you, or people who hate you, will only say the truth about you.

Hey, guess what? No.

A friend is someone who understands. The opposite of liking someone is hating them. Hate. Hate means to not understand. People fear and hate what they don't understand.

And oh, boy, yes, I'm playing the Nazi card. Because you know what the nazis did? They hated the Jews! Didn't think of them as humans at all! So I suppose the Jews should've taken the Nazis criticism to heart and tried to be a little more human? Hey, you know who else hates people? A homophobes! Them homos with all their buttsex and their corruption of children, amirite? Or those furries with their dicknipples and raping of animals and blasphemy!
Yes, I'm talking in extremes, because I'm running out of options here.

You know how much I know about Radium? I know his actions! I know, for example, that he sought out the forum I'm at now and started defending his points and started linking to places that show me acting stupid. So obviously my criticism that he's purposely trying to create doubt among my new friends about what my "true face" is like, is justified, right? And when he asked myself, before I was leaving, why I thought that he even wanted to win the battle, obviously my idea was justified that he only wanted to hurt me by making it sound like he's not even trying and just playing around with silly little me, is justified, right?
WRONG! IT'S BULL(-)(-)(-)(-). BECAUSE I'M A FLAWED HUMAN BEING WITH A FLAWED PERSPECTIVE INFLUENCED BY EMOTIONS.
AND SO ARE YOU! GET THAT INTO YOUR (-)(-)(-)(-)ING HEAD.

... lost myself there for a moment.

A person is not artwork. You can criticize them all you want. But a painting is a 2-dimensional object that you can see in one view. A person is not.

I don't know if you hate me. But you sure as hell don't respect me. You are incapable of understanding me, as you have just proven. And understanding is all I ask of a friend.
You are not a friend of mine.

"Life is not a story, and you are not the main character."
Life is not a story. I already said that I'm trying to rid myself of this mindset. But if it was a story, I'd be the main character. Because it's my life. And you are the main character of your own life. Yours is a story from a completely different era of mine, and our values don't match.

"I don't know why I'm bothering with this, though, because you don't care. I'm wrong because I'm not saying what you think."
It's always so nice to hear that someone who hasn't known me for several years knows better about what I think than I do myself.

"Heaven forbid you might try, just once, to better yourself and see things from our point of view."
I try to see things from your point of view. I decided that your point of view is not a whole lot clearer than my own.

"You thanked everyone who said "good job, Faw!" but didn't thank Rad for his much more useful and insightful criticisms which he obviously spent a long time writing and put much thought into."
Would Radium have cared if I had said "thank you"? If so, he can tell me himself and I'll honor it next time around. I try to assume a similar mindset to his when I deal with him. He says that if he doesn't criticize something, it's okay. When he's criticizing me, if I don't respond to something, take it as an "okay".

EDIT: I just recalled a point I missed, so I'm just gonna throw it in here.
For a long time, I tried to put up with Radium. That's because of my philosophy. Believe it or not, I always try to respect people's viewpoints. While it's hard to remain objective when it hits me personally (and I do apologize for any criticism I reacted harshly to), I always try to listen to all perspectives. And you know why?
Remember one of the last arguments we had?
Where I told you about my idea that a single truth exists? And you vehemently denied it and got angry? That is the very thing you are trying to teach me about art. There is one definitive world. We all live in it, but our perceptions are incomplete. But if everyone can communicate respectfully, the pieces can be combined, and we can approach completeness. That is the same principle as with art. You have to listen to different viewpoints because they all add a bit of truth to it to make it more complete.
It's the same thing. But you got angry at me.

"And don't just post some big sarcastic response where you pretend to agree with everything I said and act like a jerk ("OH, YOU'RE SOOO RIGHT, DEV, I AM A HUGE JERK LOLTHANKS")."
I've gone from being angry to being sad to being angry and sad and again.
And at no point did it occur to me to act like that. But maybe I should honor your wish so you can tell yourself that you know me? You seem to be so convinced of it after all.


Dev, drop it. I've been trying to drop this (-)(-)(-)(-) the whole time. This stopped being about art long ago. I got the idea. I have to just keep going, respect people's views of my art, consider their points, incorporate them as I deem it right, and keep on going again.
What you are telling me is not about art. You are raging at me because you see in me all the things you hated so much when you left me back then. You are doing exactly what I didn't want and dragging me back into the past. And you're acting just as childish about it as I was acting childish about all my fears of criticism. It doesn't matter that you know about stuff like circular logic and such now. In the end, you're still on a bunny-rabbit forum telling someone you don't know about what a horrible person they are.
Yes, I did lose a friend back then. The Dev who was my bestest friend back then is no more. He's lost forever. You are a different Dev now. And I'm a different Fawriel. If we hadn't had this past together, we could be good friends now. But we are both too damn stupid to get over this old crap.

Drop it. Accept that you don't know everything about me, just like I don't know everything about you. Start looking at how you've been acting. I'm not the only one who thinks you were being hypocritical and speaking in extremes.

Let's drop this crap and move on already. This is getting beyond tiresome.

[LittleFreak]

Aber wie soll ich denn ruhig bleiben, wenn Dev solche Sachen über mich sagt? Darf ich mich denn nicht verteidigen?

Darfst du schon, aber du siehst doch, wozu es führt. Du hast nen riesigen Haufen Text geschrieben, nun wird Dev einen weiteren Haufen Text daneben setzen und das wird so lange weitergehen, bis einer nen Nervenzusammenbruch bekommt und in der Gummizelle endet.

Was ist dir wichtiger? Deine Kunst voranzubringen, im Leben voran zu kommen und letztendlich deinem Traum ein Stück näher zu kommen, oder übers Internet mit einem Kalifornier zu streiten, den du nicht kennst?

Schüttel dich mal, geh ne Runde squaschen, mach irgendwas kaputt und schrei so laut du kannst. Oder was auch immer du tust, um dich abzureagieren. Und wenn du's endlich mal hinbekommst, deinen Kopf freizukriegen (und das wird sicher nicht passieren, indem du diesen sinnlosen Streit weiterführst), dann gehts auch wieder aufwärts.

Dann kann ich dich auch wieder respektieren. Und es ist mir egal, ob du Recht hast, oder Dev. Selbst wenn er sich kindisch benimmt, du tust es auch. Fang lieber bei dir selbst an, denn andere Menschen kann man nicht ändern.

[Fawriel]

Hmh. Du hast Recht.

PS:

So, I'll try to summarize and end this whole stupidity for everyone now, yes?


At the start, I made an agreement with Radium to duel so we both have a framework that forces us to draw and improve so we can both get better at stuff.
But I realized I'm still under the effect of some relic from the past that makes me afraid of drawing, because drawing was associated with the pain of disappointment. So I told myself that I will not only make this an epic start to a new chapter of Actually Working On My Webcomic, but also the start of a chapter of Leaving That Past Behind So I Can Grow.
Except it didn't go too smoothly. OH CRAP.
And then it kinda turned into a mess about my whole inability to leave the past behind.

And now I've reached the point where I'm gonna leave my past behind because I've realized dwelling in the past is a total drag.

I totally managed to start liking drawing, though, so, err, success?

Okay, so, next round, right? We both draw an ending and have votes?

[Stijn]

If the issues are so important you're switching to your native language please take this to another medium than the JCF which is still an international, English forum.

I increased the max character limit for PMs to OVER 9000 recently. I suggest you to make use of this marvel of modern technology.

[Fawriel]

Righto! Sorry about that. We've already switched mediums, though.

[cooba]

I can't help but get the mental image of Radium reading all the walls of text about him and his only reaction being "D="

[Fawriel]

*snicker*

Yes, I am hellbent on making every second post in this thread my own. IT IS MINE, MINE ALONE!

I'm gonna take this opportunity to apologize to everyone I've been a jerk to (this time, outside of some stupid wall nobody wants to read).
I can't justify my behaviour. I can only hope to explain it. And ensure that it won't persist. So:

I'm sorry everyone. I hope you can forgive me and believe in my ability to change myself.

[cooba]

I can't justify my behaviour. I can only hope to explain itAnd yet you chastised Radium for sincerely doing the same thing when he said that he doesn't make friends?

[Fawriel]

What do you mean?

[Radium]

I can't help but get the mental image of Radium reading all the walls of text about him and his only reaction being "D="No, I'm LOL'ing pretty hard. Didn't expect what Faw posted. Can't wait to see Dev's and Dal's reaction to it, though they might not LOL.

If you insist on fighting it out until the end, here's the alternative: If the winner isn't clear by the end of this voting round, we'll both submit our own endings and then people vote for which one they prefer.The more diplomatic wording would've been "here an alternative", given that we agreed on rules beforehand and you just want to change them because it got hard.

I could agree to this if I wasn't also getting bored with it all. The story is getting nowhere. From a plot perspective, my last punch already hit the climax. After this, there can only be a strong finisher and a denouement. There was no climax yet. Just Faw doing progressively flashier things. I think there's plenty of room to continue it.

First I want to respond to this, since it kind of sets the occasion:you got every single possible thing about Fawriel wrong in your last comic. You can come up with all the fancy words in the world to describe her, but if your idea of Fawriel is nothing but "stupid manga-type guy who talks a lot", then the antithesis to that is nothing more than "not-manga type girl who doesn't talk much". [...]
Hell, I helped you with Fawriel's characterization in a PM. He's an entertainer who wants to go out into the world and be awesome. I show that in his dream-world at the start. He's been inside a capsule underground for a long time watching the world from a distance. He's basically like a kid whose knowledge of the world comes completely from reading adventure stories. He challenged Eirru in order to prove his worth, and wanted to do so in a way that shows just how awesome he is (and got really damn pissed when it just refused to work).
Yet all I see in your characterization of him is "Fawriel is an arrogant idiot who talks about himself a lot (and that is funny)".I tried pretty hard to give Fawriel consistent characterization based off both your PM and his portrayal in the comics. There were conflicts between what you said and how he acted, but I attributed those to just mis-use of words.
Namely, I built Faw's characterization off the premise that he is not wise. He is powerful and probably knowledgeable, but his weakness comes in the fact that he only thinks he's wise.

Fawriel acts powerfully and dramatically, but when it comes down to it he's basically just doing things at will. Anything he does to Eirrukovi could be done equally well to a punching bag; he simply decides what he wants to do and then does it. What's going on around him does not matter, partly why I felt justified making him wipe out the choir girls (they just happened to be standing around Eirru).

Eirru contrasts Faw in that her actions pivot entirely on his. She attacks when he's doing something else, when he's looking the other way, or after distracting him. It's not in her character to charge up some powerful attack she's been hiding; instead, she chooses her actions in the moment based on what is happening. When Fawriel blocks her punch, she hits him with her other hand. When Fawriel announces he has a bomb, she runs. When he begins going ranged, she finds cover and does not approach him until she has a clear shot. Eirrukovi listens and adapts, and that is her strength. She understands Faw better than he does. Of them, she is the wiser.

What happens if it this round of voting ties and it continues another round? Like you said, the story is getting nowhere; eventually you are going to run out of flashy attacks for Faw. But that is where the story gets interesting: what happens then? Fawriel is always pulling tricks out of his sleeve - all Fawriel's tricks come from up his sleeve. All Eirrukovi's tricks are a response to Faw's. What happens when he runs out?

You'll have an easy time continuing this comic another round, if not more - especially if you keep up this pattern of trying to portray yourself through Faw and me through Eirrukovi. Will Faw develop an ability to respond to Eirru's actions rather than simply act on his impulses? Will he develop true wisdom, as opposed to just arbitrarily declaring whenever he thinks he gets it?

That's why I want to see this tie: I think there's an amazing amount of room for Fawriel to evolve as a character.

Oh and I also think the Fawriel character in the comic could evolve too.

EDIT: "I know, for example, that he sought out the forum I'm at now and started defending his points and started linking to places that show me acting stupid." Where did I do that )=?

[CrimiClown]

Oh and I also think the Fawriel character in the comic could evolve too.

Oh no don't say that! HE KNOWS POKÉMON! D:

[Fawriel]

Eirrukovi listens and adapts, and that is her strength.

Funny you should say that. The way you described Eirru's style is exactly what I've been planning Fawriel to evolve into in the finale, namely the part following the last panel and the evolution displayed in it. (For the blind, he changed colors. And attitudes for that matter. I figured it'd be as good a time as any to change the color scheme of the character since green fur looks horrible unnatural and brown body and green hair is one of my favourite color combinations ever. And that it makes him look more tree-ish is just a nice bonus.)

And no, all things considered, I still don't want to keep dragging this on. I have other things to work on. If this round ties, we'll vote on the final comic.

[Radium]

And no, all things considered, I still don't want to keep dragging this on. I have other things to work on. If this round ties, we'll vote on the final comic.I think you miss my point. We kind of agreed on some rules and I don't think it's fair that you get to arbitrarily change them when you get bored =/. If we can do that then I want to arbitrarily declare that this auto-ties for six more rounds, because summer break is approaching and I need something fun to do.

[CrimiClown]

I'll vote for the artist that gives me the most Johnny Walker whisky.

Just kidding, I will announce my vote soon.

[cooba]

What do you mean?You can't justify your behavior and hope us to understand. Why did you choose to be mad at Radium's behavior, which he couldn't possibly justify?The more diplomatic wording would've been "here an alternative""an alternative" is wrong, because it implies that more alternatives exists, which is against the definition of "alternative".

[Fawriel]

I think the rules have been kinda mangled all over the place from the get-go. We never did have the same idea of what "until a winner is decided" means anyway.

Uuuurrrrrrgh. I REALLY don't feel like dragging this on. Whatever happened to your duel with Dal anyway?
If all else fails, be prepared that I'm willing to bend the rules by seeking out people to vote for me or just forfeiting right out. I said it before and I'll say it again, I have other projects to work on.

Why did you choose to be mad at Radium's behavior, which he couldn't possibly justify?
I'm sorry, I'm still not quite sure if I understand. For one, I don't exactly "choose" to be angry at anyone... So you meant specifically the time he said he didn't want to be friends? I'm not sure if I was really calling him out on that or something like that... It was more of an example of what shaped my image of who Radium is. I think. I don't even know anymore. *rubs achy head*
It's natural to get mad at someone, and I don't blame anyone for getting mad at me, I'm just asking for forgiveness. For that matter, I don't think Radium ever apologized to me about anything (except that time he made me suicidal), so ... maybe that answers your question?

[CrimiClown]

http://chaos.foxmage.com/CrimiClown/thevote.png

[Puffie40]

Err, i may be slow on the uptake, but is it just me, or has faw started taking the duel personally since punch #4? I am definitely noticing his posts are getting longer and longer as he rants and raves.

[Fawriel]

Actually it was probably at an earlier point. But worry not, the situation is under control now.

[Puffie40]

This topic will eat BRRRRRAAAAAIIIIIINNNNNNNSSSSSSS!!!!!!! :r

I just stumbled on a explanation of what sounded like our art duels (http://www.whiteponyproductions.com/products/crusade.htm). to quote:

This all came about as the result of something known as the Barr Wars. Barr Wars (http://furry.wikia.com/wiki/Barr_Wars) was a rather strange game pitting one artist's character against another artist's character in the format of comic style picture art (sometimes referred to as "zaps"). It was drawn by a number of artists for their own enjoyment. The challenge lay in one artist putting another artist's character into weird and wacky situations, while getting their own character out of whatever trouble another artist had supplied them with. The Crusade was all just for fun; to see who could outdo whom, who could taunt whom; which character would ally with which, who would double cross whom, who would throw fits first.

This sounds like what happened here, only, it seems like, the objective is slightly different.