IZ:TDM! - General Update (and semi-exciting news!)

Hey there, all! Long time, no see. Kinda. Anyway, it's been a while since I've done an update, so - here ya go - here's an update! Yay!

PROJECT STATUS

Alright, so, currently, things aren't going as smoothly as I want them to. I think there are areas we could use more help in, and pick up the pace with. But as far as all else goes, things are on a pretty good trajectory.

Voice acting is great. We only have two characters left - ZIM and Purple - and they've only got Act III left in their lines. So that's good. As soon as all lines of dialogue are recorded, I'll be getting to work editing them together for use in the final product. That will be great.

Concept art is one of the areas we're lagging in. It's unfortunate, but the fact remains that concept art takes a lot of effort, and - generally speaking - volunteers do need constant reminders to ensure work gets done. Now, don't misunderstand me - this is not a jab at anyone, it's a mere statement of fact. If I could pay people in money, I would, because that ensures a more fastidious job. As it is, though, I find that I haven't gotten concept art in over a week, and that's mainly because I haven't poked, prodded, and reminded the few concept artists I have working that we need stuff done. So, that's something that needs to be taken care of.

Another thing currently going on is test animations for alternate animation styles. I'll be honest, guys, traditional 2D animation is not easy. It's hard, challenging, and time-consuming as is. The only way we'll be able to pull it off for a full-length feature film is with a crew of many animators, but that requires supervision, and I shudder to think of the way volunteers could manage to mess up shots, angles, and continuity simply by fact that I'm inexperienced as a director. To help, I'm experimenting with different animation styles which we will show at a later date. If all goes well, we'll demonstrate an accurate representation of how these different items could work to make a good animation in spite of it being a different style.

STORYBOARDING

Storyboarding is going to be interesting, to say the least. On one hand, I have an idiotic urge to do everything myself ("if you want it done right" and all that), but - on the other hand - I'm sane, and know that I cannot do it all on my own. Hence, I need help.

I'm planning to grab as many storyboard artists as I can (ideally eight to eleven members), and have us divy up scenes amongst ourselves based off of rough thumbnails. The storyboards will be refined, accurate, and work well. The only hangup is vision - I don't think many will share the same one I have, and I do not want to overstep a boundary and restrict their creativity. It will be a challenge to strike a balance there, but - hopefully - making a video dedicated to what I'm expecting in storyboards will alleviate this problem.

As for thumbnails, those will need a video as well. You can think of them as rough storyboards, and I would love to do them all by myself, but - in the interest of saving time and keeping the project moved along - I'm going to start staggering the workload (i.e. focuisng all efforts on one sequence at a time) so that actual progress is made (at least up to a finalized animatic).

IZ:TDM! AUDIO DRAMA

I intend to release an audio-only version of IZ:TDM! (complete with a deliberately cheesy narrator) alongside the animated version. There are two reasons for this.

First of all, if someone can't accesss YouTube videos easily, or if they're blind, or whatever the reason is, they can still enjoy the doomy madness via an audiodrama that I can be working on in my spare time.

Secondly, if the animation crashes and burns, well, this is a good backup plan. I'm an inexperienced director, after all, and so it's good to have a gameplan in place.

1,000 SUBSCRIBERS

Alright, this is it! This is the super exciting thing I wanted to talk about: IZ:TDM! has reached over 1,000 subscribers on YouTube! I'm so super pumped for this, guys! You have no idea! :D

Are a sizeable chunk spambots and content creators just subscribing to random channels in hopes to get more attention? Yes, very likely, but who cares? They helped get the number up that high, so I'm happy! ^_^

This is exciting for me, because it feels vindictive, in a way. It feels like I finally have a solidified base of supporters out saying "yes, we want an IZ finale, and we like the approach you're taking." To me, that's profoundly important, as it helps me mentally latch onto this. Every time something like this happens - be it a nice new comment, or a new volunteer, or (as here) a milestone of some sort - I feel more energy come in and pump me up for the project.

To celebrate it, I fully intend to do a livestream sometime in the future, where I answer questions about IZ:TDM! and prove my utter inept n00bishness with livestreaming tech. Should be great.

Mini-rant-ish-thing.

Whatever. It's my blog, I'll write whatever I feel like writing - it's not an official IZ:TDM! blog, after all (lol, otherwise you wouldn't see half this stuff you see on here)

ANYWAYS,

Someone once asked who I support for president.

Well...

For starters, I don't like everything about Trump. I'm not looking for a Messiah, I'm looking for a president, and I fully acknowledge he's got flaws and problems (some very major). Specifically:

Rude, vulgar, careless when speaking, crass, obnoxious, arrogant, condescending, and wants to deport all illegal immigrants. I am 100% against mass deportation. Fortunately, I don't think he'll be able to pull such a thing off even if he wants to, so it's not a major concern of mine.

Additionally, he's in favor of supporting Israel (without paying attention to the volatile situation there. Look, I can support Israel, but not blindly like the right wing usually wants),

While I think it's often overexaggerated, there is a ton of problems in our environment, and Trump is careless when speaking on climate change. However, climate change is something for the scientists and health organizations to deal with - NOT the president!

He thinks there should be no limits on guns (we need sane limits, not total control or total anarchy).

He wants to keep a database of Muslim refugees (which I would be fine with, but it's a slippery slope that could easily lead to future problems - I'd need assurance that whatever happens is only a temporary measure until Islamic Terrorism is shut down).

One last thing: the stunt with not debating Sanders? Made me groan out loud. Stupid, just stupid.

But, of course.... I want him as President (please, please, *ONE* hate message at a time people - my inbox can only take so much).

Here's why:

Firstly, he's bluntly honest. AND he's outside the norm! I once heard that Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump are the two mirror images of the election, because - while both are profoundly different ideologically (putting it mildly) - they both come from outside the normal range, and are not held by party constraints. That, I admire.

He wants to build a wall between the USA and Mexico (I definitely want this to happen! I think the US needs to clamp down on the influx of illegal immigration, and - furthermore - get our system fixed so it allows more readily for LEGAL immigration). I want that wall up to send a message to the thugs that come in from Mexico, that they can't sneak in anymore, and that the people wanting to come to America legally are welcome, while those seeking illegal immigration to cause trouble are unwelcome.

He realizes that once the Supreme Court passed Gay Marriage as law there's not much to be done and we should focus on real issues. While I'm a Christian, America is far from a Christian nation, and the USA will not be saved by bickering over homosexuality.

He supports capital punishment. I do, too - if the crime warrants death (such as murder, r***, terrorism), I fully support the murderer/r*** being put to death. I believe this will drop the rates of such crimes out of fear of the punishment for them.

He believes Common Core is a disaster (it is - any look at those math problems is proof enough to me that Common Core needs to be done away with).

I agree with him on Saddam Hussein (namely that the middle east was more stable with him in charge, in spite of him being evil - taking him down was a mistake, and when Trump says that, it shows me he has a decent understanding of the situation there).

He believes Syrian Refugees are a risk and that we should not let them in until we know we can filter out the terrorists hiding among them (I agree with this - I do not want America to blindly throw its arms open and allow every refugee in without scanning for the terrorists that WILL be hiding among them).

I like that he will not apologize for his viewpoints, meaning political correctness doesn't dictate his moves, and he can't be manipulated by the media. I just wish he'd think more before speaking (by the way, 9 times out of 10, when I've looked into his quotes that cause so much controversy, it's usually the frigging media manipulating/taking them out of context for their own gain. I swear this is true).

Also, he wants to defund planned parenthood and thinks their abortions are wrong (which I believe is true - I am pro life, not pro choice).

He intends to bring back jobs from foreign countries. Now, a lot of people seem concerned that he has no plan, but I'd argue he DOES have a plan, and it makes sense to me: delegate people to do these jobs that he wants done. It's the way building a building goes! You have the guy who wants the building built, then he hires workers to plan it, and then they hire workers to build it. It's all about delegating jobs to people, and I find that efficient, speaking from experience on needing larger tasks accomplished.

He also intends to repeal Obamacare (which is something I'm fully in support of - I want it removed because, if I don't want to pay for insurance, I shouldn't have to! let me go uninsured if I desire that. I know most want Obamacare to remain for those that can't afford health insurance, but - quite frankly - forcing everyone to pay for it is not the way to go about this business). Further, his intention to remove the State limits on insurance companies, allowing a competitive market throughout the United States, will be good for the consumers as competition tends to drive prices down.

So, there ya go. I don't like everything about him, and I think he's too harsh at times, but I support him for the reasons listed above.

And to the few getting ready to lock, load, and rip me apart with a verbal argument: don't. Send your arguments to someone you have a chance of convincing. As far as you and I go, I'm just defending my own stance, and I thoroughly believe people wanting to support other candidates (even Hilary, ugh) have valid reasons for doing so. After all, we're all adults here, and we can all make our own grown up decisions in a country that thankfully lets us think for ourselves.

I *WANT* to do Another IZ:TDM! Vlog Soon!

Hey, guys! So, just to get you up to speed, I want to do another IZ:TDM! Vlog soon discussing a few things:

• The whole "Teaser Trailer vs. Viacom" issue and how I've remedied the situation.
• Alternate animation options for IZ:TDM!
• How things are going with "Dragonchist" (a short film I'm helping animate)
• Progress Update for IZ:TDM! (of course)
• What I'm expecting for storyboard artists and plans in the near future to make preproduction more efficient.

"Stanley," you ask, "why not just record a video right now?"

Well, because Summer vacation just struck, and - as a result - all my siblings are home the whole day instead of school taking them away for a good chunk of time. Basically, I don't feel comfortable recording vlogs in front of them, even though everyone knows what IZ:TDM! is (and the fact that my brother even recorded Smoots's obnoxiously bad voice - big thanks for him again for temporarily ruining his throat for my cause)

So, I'll be with you shortly. I want to do another Vlog to lay everything out on the table, but this sudden (yet expected) schedule shift is making it a bit weird for me to work with. :b That's all.

Undertale Playthrough - FINAL NOTES

Time for what I assume will be the last level!
-Nice view of the city.
-OH SNAP! It's a montage of the places I've been, isn't it?!
-What the... toriel's house? "Howdy I'm in the garden!"???
-Okayyy... weird. What's going on?! And what's with the yellow flowers?!
-Groge cnounter!
-Oh, they're... telling me a story.
-Human fell and called for help.
-A trash can full of crumpled up recipes for butterscotch pie?
-WHITE FUR STUCK IN THE DRAIN?!
-Did I seriously wind up back in Toriel's house?!!
-Ah, so the longer I stay, hte more encounters I get, the more of the story I understand.
-ASRIEL, the king's son, saved the human. Got it.
-Too much to comment on, really. Wow! Info overload! This is all starting to come together, though. The king had a son...
-Hm.
-Ah, so they adopted the fallen human.
-This is ASGORE's house?!! "Nice day today" says his journal, ink still wet. He's nearby...
-The human fell ill...
-And couldn't see those flowers once more...
-And died. I knew this was gonna be a sad story.
-Oh dang! Plot twist, the prince transformed by absorbing the soul!
-Let me guess, the humans kill the prince. I'm just gonna call it out right now. Also, fitting that he put... the human... on...
-...
-...*FACEPALM* golden flowers. FLOWEY is involved in this, I know it!
-Ah, the fatal misunderstanding. Called it!
-And Asriel could've wiped them all out! I bet he didn't.
-Knew it.
-Died just at the castle's gates!!! Oh man!
-"the humans had once again taken everything from us..." Ohhh. this is what sparked the human hunt.
-"Every human who falls down here must die." Knew it!
-Hopefully Asgore will learn that not all humans are monsters (OH SNAP THE PUNS! XD) and decide to not invade after seeing me.
-Savepoint! Can't stop now, though. I have a feeling this is the end.
-Nice palace.
-Sans!
-Ah so it is the end!
-"You will be judged for your every action." Well, good thing I didn't give him ammo to judge me with! I'm innocent!
-Ohhhhh, EXP doesn't mean experience after all. What a twist!
-And love, too!?!?!
-...
-So what's the verdict, skull face?
-"You didn't gain love. You're not completely innocent or naieve, you just kept a certain tenderness in your heart."
-"You strived to do the right thing." I'd hope so!
-"You refused to hurt anyone." ehhhh, you're wrong there. I *DID* throw many punches when I felt I needed to, such as with Undyne, but I never killed anyone!
-"Even when you ran away, you did it with a smile." HAH! Says you! You clearly didn't see the Undyne fight. I was freaked out! Panicked!
-Ohhh the puns have meaning now. I never gained LOVE, but I gained love. And yes, that makes sense. Hopefully my reputation preceds me, and Asgore realizes I'm not worth killing.
-Dang, so it's either trap monsters or wipe out mankind? Maybe I can convince the king otherwise. If not...
-...
-...If not, the logical thing is to kill Asgore. Sorry! It just is true! The monsters have a chance of survival, that way, and so does humanity. Besides, if they want a human soul, I'm sure a bad guy or a guy on death row would do fine, right? RIGHT? I mean... a little kid? Really?
-I don't know Asgore's pain, of course. And I hope I never do!
-What's your verdict, Sans? What are you about to say?
-"Well, if I were you, I would have thrown in the towel by now." Welll... if I didn't have all these people wanting to know how I react, I would've, trust me! XD
-Ah. What's Determination, then? Is it another special thing?
-Oh. No explanation. That's it.
-Well, that's it, then.
-Here goes nothing....
-Ah, final boss room, and save point. But what's over down south?
-C-C-Coffins?!!
-Ohhh, the seven human souls.
-Oh man.
-OH MAN.
-MY COFFIN.
-"SAM."
-OH MAN OH MAN OH MAN HE WANTS ME DEAD.
-Here goes nothing...
-...oh wow. That's a lot of flowers and stuff!
-*GASP* the king!
-"Dum dee dum..." Lol, does he even know I'm - like - right behind him?
-Watering the flowers. Man, he didn't let go of his son, did he?
-... WAIT! WAIT WAIT WAIT!
-Was TORIEL The QUEEN?!!!!
-...
-...
-WHoa.
-"Howdy! How can I..." XD can't wait for the next part.
-Oh man XD the conflict of playing nice host to the person you're about to kill.
-This's awkward.
-Yep, nice day, indeed. You still wanna kill me?
-Also, I would like to actually go outside once this game's done. It is legitimately wonderful outside.
-"When you are ready, come into the next room..."
-Well, here goes...
-Gonna save, first.
-Okay, good.
-ONWARD!
-Poor guy. I really don't wanna fight him. And I know where he's coming from. I literally can't fault him for wanting me dead. I mean, he's kinda in the right, here.
-"I am not ready either."
-Man, this is gonna be awful for all involved.
-WHOA! That hall is trippy!
-This is the barrier?!
-Should I?
-Should I do this now?
-...
-I should go back and buff up.
-...
-Well, I'll try once, and if he kills me, THEN I'll go back and buff up.
-Onward!
-"It was nice to meet you. Goodbye." I believe it, man. I actually, legitimately believe you don't like having to do this. But I salute you for putting your kingdom first!
-OH MY GOSH! NO MERCY ALLOWED!!!
-OH wow! His attacks are beefed up versions of Toriel's!
-I AM DEAD.
-Oh wow.
-"Don't lose hope!" Hey, that tone of voice! It's Asgore's isn't it?!
-Okay, I'll keep fighting. No more notes until I get through the fight.
-(gonna go back and beef up tons. BRB)
-First stop, Snowdin. For Health boosts.
-Next, the waterfall, to get rid of what I don't need and to buy up some tea. I just remembered the hotel guests wanted stuff, so maybe fulfilling their quests will get me something useful?
-Also, I've equipped the locket and dagger.
-Excellent. 99G
-And 99 more G! Great!
-I slept in the fancy hotel room. OH MY GOSH, that lump under the bed is adorablE! XDD
-This is actually pretty hilarious.
-That... was a waste of time and gold. :/
-Moving on, then!
-Okay, I can buy either a steak in the shape of mettaton's face, or the mystery key.
-...
-Neither seem immediately useful.
-...
-I'm going to sell them two glamburgers.
-Ohhh, I can't.
-Oh well! Helpful in battle, I guess.
-I'll grab the steakface.
-Good as I'll ever get, I guess. Time to face Asgore...
-HERE WE GO...
-(I'll let you know when I defeat him, I have a feeling I won't have time to type notes. Also, it feels pointless to cut off the gameplay right here, when I'm SO CLOSE TO BEING FINISHED!)
-WHOA! "You tell Asgore he's killed you twice before. He nodds sadly!" WHAT KINDA FOURTH WALL BREAKING STUFF IS THIS?! That's seriously weird. What?! Does that mean he techincally won those other two times, and monsters were free?!
-SO CLOSE! HE was at low HP! I nearly had him broke down!
-Gotta try again!
-Temmie armor is superior. I have to keep it on.
-Oh - thought just hit me. ASRIEL is DEFINITELY Toriel and Asgore's kid. The name, clearly. So, obviously, Toriel was the queen.
-THE STICK DID NOTHING!
-DEAD AGAIN.
-WON'T GIVE UP, THOUGH!
-I AM SO DETERMINED TO END THIS GAME, RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!
-OH MY GOSH, I DID IT! WHEW! FIVE DEATHS LATER, I DID IT!
-"I remember the day after my son died..."
-So he began his campaign against humanity, for his people's sake.
-It makes sense, it really does. I can't fault him, honestly. I mean, I'm not gonna let him kill humanity, but I cannot fault him for wanting to.
-AHHHH, so Toriel left him over this! I get it!
-It's all making sense now
-"I do not want to hurt anyone." I knew it! Dude, I get it, I really do. You're just trying to do right by your kingdom.
-FIGHT OR MERCY!!! AH, the decision!!! Uh.. uh...
-...
-Logically, if I kill him I'll leave, but *NOW* if I spare him, the condition has changed. He's changed his heart.
-We can...
-I CAN spare him.
-I'll live out my days down here, then - since I'm a human - I can die. I'll die eventually, of old age or whatever.
-I'll donate the soul I have to the monsters, and they can be free.
-Win win
-...
-Mercy!
-...
-...Aww, he's smiling. Great! I guess that means I got the good ending!
-That rain... it's the music from the statue I created a while back!
-"Human, I promise you..."
-"For as long as you remain here, My wife and I will take care of you as best we can."
-"We can sit in the living room, telling stories..."
-"Eating butterscotch pie..." Yes! This is an awesome ending!! I'll be happy to leave the game on this note.
-"We could be like a family." Yes. I'm happy to have gotten this. I think I did the right thing.
-WHAT?!!?!?
-WHAT?!
-...
-Flowey.
-FLOWEY!
-...
-I LOVE YOU FOR THAT AWESOME TWIST IN THE PLOT!!! OH MY GOSH, BRILLIANT! KILLING ASGORE! I mean, yeah, I'm obliged to be sad, so "boo hoo", I guess? But DID YOU SEE THAT VILLAINOUS PLOT TWIST OF EPIC PROPORTIONS?!
-In this world... it's kill or be killed?!
-He has the hearts.
-I can't let flowey win!
-...
-FLOWEY, I AM GOING TO *KILL YOU!*
-...my game closed.
-Hang on.
-Whoa! The intro is different!
-Whoa! It's glitching.
-Ohhh, coooooool. This is really cool.
-HE'S ERASED MY FILE!
-FLOWEY, YOU'rE HUGE
-What?!
-"Without you I never could've gotten past him." I was being used!!
-"But now with your help, he's dead" that FACE is scary! I love it!
-GAH, this is the final boss fight I was wanting. That laugh! :DDD
-"I still need one more." YES! BRING IT, PUNK! I WANNA KILL YOU!! THIS WHOLE GAME'S BEEN NOTHING BUT A STUPID RESTRAINT ON MY VIDEOGAME INSTINCTS, BUT I WILL *GLADLY* RIP YOU TO PIECES NOW!
-He wants to kill all life! YEssss! I can totally destroy him! I actively want to! This is awesome! THIS IS AN AWESOME BOSS FIGHT! YES YES YES!!!
-He referenced my save file! He destroyed it, didn't he?! OH WOW
-OH MY GOSH!
-HHAHAAHAH!! No wonder he said it's kill or be killed! He knows it's a game! He knows it's just a videogame!
-Flowey, you are now my favorite character. Also, I am going to kill you. But you're - hands down - my favorite! Muffet's probably a second.
-"I'll save over your own death!" I LOVE THAT FACE!!!! IT'S SO HORRIFYNG!!!! I'm legitimately smiling like a child right now. This is the most fun I've had in this game since muffet. NO JOKE! I love facing this guy!
-And I'm sure his boss fight will rock socks!
-...whoa. WHOA! His final form!!! OH MY GOSH! YESSSS!!!! HAAHAHAHAAAAH!
-Dead already. HAH! XD I love that fight.
-"This is all just a bad dream." AND YOU'RE NEVER WAKING UP! Oh, this is awesome.
-Wait... logically, if I keep loading the game, he'll never get my soul. And he's bound to slip up eventually. He has to!
-What if I keep closing him out?!
-Oh, no. I have to fight him to beat him. Okay, sweet!
-"You called for help" The souls are listening to me!!! If i can talk to THEM, I should have a chance!!
-"Do you even realize what will happen if you defeat me?" no, but I'll find out!
-The saving and loading is out of control! He's losing control!
-"no such thing as happy endings, this is all that's left" psssh! whatever! Says you!
-I think I did it! All six other souls! Igot 'em!
-Flowey, you cold monster... PREPARE TO DIE!
-I did it! I got him!!!!
-"You idiot!" XDDDDD HAHAAHAAH! That's great! Oh my gosh, Flowey, you're an awesome villain.
-Wonderful callback to the first encounter.
-Also, I love his face as his plan failed. XDDD
-"Load failed!" OH my gosh! Flowey, bro, you're so done for!!!
-Oh man, they are ruining him!!! Oh my gosh! He shouldn't have absorbed that which he couldn't control.
-What now?
-Blackness.
-Oh, flowey... Fight or mercy?
-...
-...I wanna kill him. I really really do... but...
-...mercy?
-"what are you doing?" I'm experimenting.
-"do you really think I've learned anything from this?" no.
-"no" yep, knew it.
-"Sparing me won't change anything." Oh wit won't? How so?
-"Killing me is the only way to end this." Let's find out.
-"If you let me live..." Oh, the anger's coming back.
-"I'll come back." ---that wouldn't be good!
-"I'll kill you." Pshh. You have.
-"I'll kill everyone" OH WOW. THE EYES!
-"I'll kill evryone you love."
-"..."
-Okay, I'll stop it here. I know sparing's an option... but... I don't want to!
I won't spare him.
Flowey, you had this coming. Also, I'm really really wanting to just end you right now.
-"I knew you had it in you!" Duuude!!! :D That's soooo coool!!! So, he's like the Joker, he feels he's won my me killing him, but I really really know I've won because he's no longer a threat.
-Truth be told, I think I did that for the best. Flowey got his "happy ending," for himself (went out smiling, after all) and I've rid the world of him. It's best for everyone that he's gone. (lol, I can hear some fans out there now: "UM, STANLEY, ACTUALLY, IF YOU REPLAY THEN THE GAME CHANGES AND THE BACKSTORY REVEALS STUFF, SO-" Nope! I don't wanna play again, so I'm ending it *MY* way, not the fandom's way, not the game's way, *MY* way. It is - after all - my playthrough)
-Wheeeew. oh, man. What a fight, though.
-Well...
-...
-I liked Muffet's fight the best, truth be told. Actually posed a challenge and stuff. This one... while it was "challenging," at first, the game was over before it began, because Flowey's fight consisted mostly of just letting him kill me until what's essentially an interactive cinematic played out.
-Loved the graphics on it though.
-Might as well finish things off, then. I'm sitting alone in that room, but Flowey's gone now (in a way).
-(it's just a regular flower) indeed it is. Now the nightmare is over.
-What's behind the door?
-It's over! Oh wow, this is the credits!

-Well, that game was okay. I mean, it could've been better. it really could've. And truth be told... I dont' feel like playing it again. Sadly.
-Oh, the phone's ringing.
-Sans! Hi!
-"You made a snowman really happy" Oh yeah! The snowpiece. Hehehh. Cool!
-"The queen returned, and is now ruling over the underground." Good.
-Hey, yes! I knew it! Because of my actions, the humans will be spared if they fall in.
-"It's probably for the best anyway." You got that right.
-The human souls are gone. Well, we wait until seven more people fall, live out their lives down there, and then - bam - you're good to go. Given the lifespan of humans and monsters, shouldn't be a problem.
-"If we're not giving up down here, don't give up wherever you are, ok?" You got it.
-"Who knows how long it will take? But we will get out of here." That's the spirit!
-Papyrus! Hi!
-"The queen disbanded the royal guard. Since we don't have to fight humans anymore." Ah, sorry to hear that, man. But don't worry! I'm sure you'll need a royal guard again for something else, eventually. I mean, not all monsters are peaceful (flowey clearly taught me as much).
-"That's okay because I'm still working hard!" Good!
-"Even if it's on nothing at all!" XD okay, nice.
-"Papyrus is fine!" You sure are.
-Oh. Undyne lost her house and job. Yikes!
-But she's chilling with the skeletons. Good.
-Oh, and she wants me dead, of course. lol
-And papyrus would love to see me again even if it means having to fight me, lol. Okie dokie, then.
-End game.

Well. That's it.

Truth be told, I didn't actually enjoy it much. Sorry, all. I mean, sure, it's a well-made game, and the graphics rock, but the pace is SOOOO SLOOOOOW at times, and the characters, humor, and plot is hit-and-miss.

The greatest parts were the first section (with flowey) some of the boss fights (*COUGH* MUFFET *COUGH*) and the last one (with flowey again). Everything else fluctuated between me not really liking it to finding it irritating beyond belief. RPG's aren't my thing. AT ALL. Really, really, not. And yes, I know the game gets different endings if I play it again after beating it once, with different easter eggs throughout and stuff, and a big reveal about Sans kicking your rear end on a Genocide run (that was spoiled for me, along with his nature as a time traveler).

Truthfully, I DON'T WANT TO PLAY IT AGAIN. I *DIDN'T* want to play it in the first place, but - for some reason - being "uninterested" in it is a sudden crime! I swear, let me rant real quick, if it were *ANY* other fandom, such as FNaF or Mario or Zelda, I could honestly say "Nope, not interested," and the general consensus would be, "Hey, that's alright, everyone has different tastes."

Yet, with Undertale, it's "Hey! You aren't allowed to do that! You must play it, regardless of whether you're interested in it or not!" Well, just like I can say I wouldn't like sushi, though I've never eaten it, or I wouldn't like Twilight, though I've never watched it! People know their tastes, and mine is not Undertale.

It was fun (at times), but I'm done.

Unless...

This game's all about giving the monsters the right ending, yes?

...

And if I don't play the game, from what I understand... then that's equal to me just leaving their world. If I were to drop the game at a given point, and never touch it again, that's the same as their world going on after that point, right? That's the "ending" I get.

-...

-So...

...

...

...

...I'm going to do this...

...yeah. Yeah, actually. I like the idea.

-...I'm going to let Asgore kill me.

-Yes. That's the ending I choose. I choose to sacrifice myself for the underground's sake. I know there are better endings, but I don't care. I will give asgore the soul I have, so that the underground can be freed. And I feel that by doing this, I'm trusting him not to make war. I'm trusting him to see my good faith as a chance to be peaceful. He's no flowey. He doesn't WANT to cause destruction (heck, from what Sans said, if he had killed and killed and killed, he'd find killing super easy, and he doesn't find killing super easy). He'll be a good ruler. He'll destroy the barrier, and do what's right.

-Reloading the save file...

-Okay, approaching the barrier room...

-...Battle begins. Mercy is gone...

-Okay.

-Asgore, do it.

-Okay, that does it. Game Over, for real. Outta my hands, *FOR GOOD!*

So, in review, what'd I think?

Well, overall, if I'm being generous, it was an alright game. In fact, it was very well made. But... it's not for everyone, and definitely not me. The world is more than a little "Alice-in-Wonderland" for my tastes. The gameplay is average, and sometimes just bad, but the boss fights are DEFINITELY the enjoyable parts. The character designs are nice, though sometimes just plain weird. The character personalities vary from stagnant to acceptable (only a handful of characters are actually good, and Flowey is the best, in my opinion). The scary parts were perhaps my favorites. The funny parts fluctuated between being too bizarre, to just bizarre enough to give me a laugh, to genuinely funny, to morbidly hilarious. The game got preachy at times, and when it did, I didn't like it. Also, my distaste for RPG's followed me through this to the end, even though this game was above and beyond creative and had awesome graphics.

In the end, my favorite parts were Flowey (loved his whole character, he adds a bunch of interest to the game, being a great villain who is fully aware that it's just a game he's in), the graphics (I know many might criticize it for this, but I love the deliberately pixellated graphics, which allow for a lot of surprising and awesome art choices), the soundtrack (my favorite scores are Muffet's boss theme and the song that plays when you put the umbrella on that statue), and the boss fights (Flowey rocked for his fourth-wall breaking, but - truth be told - his fight was too easy because you were guaranteed victory after a certain amount of deaths, and healing items came too readily... my FAVORITE boss fight? Muffet. Hands-down (all eight hands down, in fact *OH SNAP*)).

Parts I thought were alright were the story (pretty enjoyable when it was brought to focus) and the characters (those whose personalities weren't just too weird for me to get, or who didn't quite click with me)

Things I disliked were the pacing (my personal distaste for slow burns in all but horror games comes through here), most of the gameplay (walking and talking and walking and talking and walking and talking...), the RPG elements, and the occasionally heavy-handedness of the morals (by the way, it isn't really a "pacifist" route if you throw so much as a single punch, is it? lol). Also, the puzzles were too easy, and the harder ones were set at a difficulty that I would've liked at the start, before progressing and getting more and more of a challenge.

Also, I respect the commitment and hard work of this development team. They made a good game, a little world on its own, that I simply don't enjoy playing.

I'd give it 5/10, but I'm definitely not the target audience, so I won't rate it at all. The target audience would likely be people who play a lot of RPGs and enjoy deep intricate meta morality. I like assembling armies in Age of Empires and wiping out vast swaths of enemy soldiers, or puzzling my way through casual iPhone games, or in a high-intensity FPS showdown. Making fictitious friends who won't matter at all in a few hours, combined with the loooooooong RPG crawl/random encounters thing? Just not my cup of tea. AT ALL.

To address the elephant in the room, also: I will not be playing it again. I do not feel like it, and I like where I've left off my first playthrough; in Asgore's hands. Like Shrodinger's cat, he could either be responsible or conquer the humans, and I don't know what he'll do, but the child's story is over. She sacrificed herself so the monster's could be free, and - hopefully - left a great impression on them so that they are merciful to humanity. End of story. What happens next is not my affair at this point. c:

Oh, and I kept track - I didn't cry, or even tear up. Not once. The most emotional I got was feeling a sting when Asgore died, when Metatton was talking to his viewers, and when I had to leave Toriel. But it was a seriously far cry from making me water up inside. I also felt high emotions when facing flowey, but it was more a "OH MY GOSH! FLOWEY, MY FAVORITE CHARACTER, IS BACK!! GAH, I MISSED YOU!!! I'M FINALLY ENJOYING MYSELF SO MUCH AGAIN!!! HOLY COW!!!!" type thing. ;b

Undertale Playthrough Notes 22

Back at it.
-Hotel elevator stuck. Okie dokie.
-I'll just buy a starfait from this sad fast food employee.
-OH MY GOSH THAT HAPPY FACE IS TERRIFYING BYE!
-Among all the backstory he's throwing my way, he dropped some info about Asgore just needing one more soul to escape this underground prison. I'll make note of that.
-All these room service sidequests suuure sound neat, but NO thank you! I'm just gonna advance the plot (though I did get a hushpuppy outta the deal)
-Well, how about I go through the big CORE door?
-Two mysterious figures guarding the door. Tweedledee and Tweedledum, I'm sure.
-OHHH I bet they've been tinkering with the layout of the place! The dude in the restaurant talked about that being a possibility!
-MADJICK!
-Okay, staring seems to work.
-Stared at each one, and whaddya know? Problem solved!
-Don't freak out, Alphys. You're doing fine! It's arlight, you got it backwards, but I'm okay.
-"Try heading right..." Well, she's said backwards things so far, so I'll head up.
-KNIGHT KNIGHT encounter!
-I'll sing.
-Hey, it's working!
-Okay, sorry about that, alphys, I'll keep listening to you from now on.
-LASERS CAME BACK ON!
-ach! Hurt again! But I'll make it. No sweat. Don't worry, Alphys!
-Savepoint. Done for now... except no. My notes are too short. :/
-Gonna get through this next section.
-(North, the warrior's path, West, the sage's path. Any path leads to The End).
-Then what about East?
-(East... the end)
-Well, I'll head East, then!
-(Solve this puzzle, and the end will open) yess!
-Solved it!
-Dead end. i'll head right.
-And up
-And Right again.
-Whoa! Whimsalot and final froggit!
-Dead. Trying again!
-Got through that a-okay.
-MErcenaries!
-Got through them with ease.
-What a nightmare indeed!
-Easily accomplished. I like how I'm facing beefed-up versions of the original mosnters I fought. feels very final and epic. Again, the boss fights are enjoyable.
-Pressing a switch.
-"behind this door must be the elevator to the king's castle." OOOH snap!
-Okay, guess I'm going to press through! I mean, no need to be a tease, here.
-METTATON!
-Alphys! You weren't quick enough! Also, no hard feelings about this, still. You've got orders, after all. Nice of you to help, regardless of why you did it.
-I USED THE SWITCH!
-Alphys said this wasn't finished, so hopefully it's unstable enough for me to deactivate
-OH MY GOSH.
-WHAT IN THE WORLD
-OH SWEET HEAVENS
-WHAT
-I'M AT A LOSS FOR WORDS
-D:
-...
-(Fighting and increasingly creeped out later...)
-AHA! BLEW THE ROBOT'S ARMS OFF!
-I am dead!!!
-Gonna take a break and try again. GAH
-Wait...... can I make the ratings go down by just standing still??
-I wanna do that.
-5450...
-5400
-5300
-5200
-5100..
-...gonna keep going. I won't give up.
-Ah, they stopped at 4998.
-Gotta keep fighting, then.
-DEAD AGAIN.
-I hate this.
-FINALLY got past that third heart stage!
-Thank goodness I have the armor, lol
-All the phone callers! Thank goodness! Save me, save me, callers, please! I have literally 2 HP! I've had 2 HP for about 5 turns now and oh my gosh, no health items!!!
-Oh, yeah. I'M FINE, BY THE WAY, APHYLIS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONCERN OVER MY 1HP
-Oh, good. She's tagging along.
-"A human SOUL isn't strong enough to cross the barrier alone." WHAT?!
-"If you want to go home, you'll have to take his soul?"????
-Welp, getting on the elevator. This must be it. The final boss fight...
-Ah, a save point! Good. Picking this up LATER!

Undertale Playthrough Notes 21

Okay, here I am again.
-Cobwebs. Spiders everywhere. the silence is ominous.
-stuck in the spider web! Ohhh dear.
-I should've saved the pastry I got at the game's start.
-Too late now! Wasted it in the Toriel fight!
-Hehehehehehe, little miss MUFFET. I get it. Spider selling pastries.
-Sweet, purple battle mechanic!!!
-Ah, nice! So it's like inverse guitar hero. See? once more, the fights are clever, and the best part of the gameplay. I don't enjoy the plot very much, the characters are alright, I guess, the pacing's all but killing me, and I can't say much for my own enjoyment of htis so far, but the fights? Awesome. If only this was a game where you were actually fighting, lol
-I'm not gonna pay her anything to let me go! You can count on that.
-Alright, muffet, last warning before I start fighting back.
-Whoever wants me dead was in the shadows, changing shape? -... ominous, to say the least.
-Predictably dead. Maybe paying her will spare me?
-AH, that gets her attack down!
-Dang, dead again!!!!
-Trying again.
-DEAD. TRY AGAIN.
-WAIT. I've been hitting her trying to get her beat up enough to let me go, but only using the money once the pet spider muffin attack comes up. BUT if I give her all the money, will she be able to rent a limo and not have to bother with me?!
-Worth a shot at this point.
-DEAD AGAIN. But I didn't start paying until later in the battle. Maybe if I pay sooner?
-Can't do it. I'm going to go back to temmie's shop and leverage all the money I can. Maybe grab that armor, maybe not. Then head back. Brb
-Side note: I *LOVE* this fight ht emost of all! It's such a challenge!!!
-Idea: Gonna get the 9999g spider pastry. Gonna do it. BRB
-Better idea: buying the temmy armor. (much faster... okay, not really, but I feel like I'm getting *NOWHERE* with this fight, lol)
-*puts on Temmy Armor* LET'S DO THIS.
-Wait! I'll head to Snowdin and rest at the hotel first! And maybe swing by Payrus and see how he's doing.
-Okay, first hotel stay (funny as usual).
-I'll stay again, just to see if I can get more health out of the deal (if so, WOOOW that is broken).
-Ah, it only works once. Good. What's Papyrus up to?
-Ah. He's out. OH well.
-Swinging by the shop to get a bisicle again.
-And heading back to the hotlands.
-I'll walk instead of taking the boat, however, because I feel like I might find more items.
-Grabbed Astronaut food.
-And that was it. But worth it! Heading back!
-...THANK YOU, SPIDER RUIN TELEGRAM!!!
-I'll spare her... *AFTER* paying her money.
-I can't give her any?
-Hmmm... one more try?
-Another?
-Her dialouge's getting uncomfortably threatening. I'm leaving.
-Oh my gosh, a poster for mettaton. And it's a play... a romance, no less. I am not looking forward to this... but I *AM* looking forward to the boss fight!
-OH MY GOSH. never would I thought to see the day a box robot is playing juliet in romeo and juliet (or something like it, at least).
-Oh boy.
-And also, what's the threat gonna be this time?
-It's no Sweeney Todd, but it's an alright musical, lol
-I love how absolutely THROUGH with this Sam looks the whole time, too. LOL
-"so sad that you're going to the dongeon... WELL, TOODLES!" XDD
-Heheheh. Firewall deactivated. heh.
-BOSSS FIGHT!!! YESS!
-Handy shooting mechanic!
-Aww. Super fast fight was super fast. :C
-But I have a feeling Mettaton's got a trick up its sleeve still.
-Also, glad to help Alphys boost her self esteem. Onwards
-First some exploration.
-The guards bought all the ice cream. Great. Oh well, I guess. I got a big smile out of the deal.
-Also, I remembered the guy's name and he's shocked! lol
-Sans! I'll hang out with you.
-Oh, okay, I guess we can grab some dinner. Why not?
-Aww, sorry Sans, but I really do wanna get home.
-Story time!
-OH! OHHH!! TORIEL! THE JOURNAL! IT MAKES SENSE!
-.."watch over them, and protect them, will you not?" Ohhh snap! That's why Sans has been so nice to me! Toriel's promise!
-"... You'd be dead where you stand." OH SNAP! Wow, dang! Serious scary face! But I get it, Sans, I do. You've got a job to do. Stop making that face, though. Gah.
-Sans, you are dead wrong. I've died so many times! XD
-HEhehe, the bird dad knows his son's puns stink.
-...aaaand tragic backstory. Moving on.
-Save point.
-Back out front, now. To see what this suspicious "deal" thing's about. After figuring out, I'll head back in, save again, and then stop playing this session because WOW is this long!
-I could only afford some junk food. LIKE IN REAL LIFE, HA!
-Okay, saved game.

Undertale Playthrough Notes 20

Back to it for the second part!
-Oh, the two guards. hey, anything to get a break from Alphys's status updates!
-Oooh! I should've put on the apron! Maybe then they wouldn't have recognized me. Here, I'll let them kill me so I can put on the apron after reloading.
-Got a few hits on 'em during my thrown fight. Because why not?
-Okay, apron on this time! Now, let's see if they recognize me.
-Equiped the burnt pan, too, to furhter complete my disguise. Let's hope this works... or at least does something interesting.
-AH MAN. Didn't work!
-Well, time to... clean their armor?
-"The cooling dirt begins to go away." HAH! Yess, that's it! Overheating, just like Undyne.
-Cruud, at one HP already!
-Dead.
-Tryin again!
-Ah.
-Well, that entire "fight" made me beyond uncomfortable. Moving on.
-The game compensated me 100g anyways, which is great! Also, low health. Saving on the previous save spot before continuing on.
-Back to the annoying status updates.
-Aaaand back to the blackness. Time for another game show battle thingy or whatever, lol
-XD Is this a news studio?!
-Props for creativity. As usual, the boss battles are the best parts of this game. And - gameplay wise - are the only parts I enjoy, truth be told.
-Uh... sure. I'll... report on the water. Also, how is this going to result in my death? Also, I see that irritating dog in the background cityscape outline.
-THAT....... is a lot of bombs.
-Two minute bomb challenge!!!! Sweeeet! (please don't make this too easy. PLEASE)
-Dog diffused.
-Basketball.
-nooo, I failed!
-But of course,t he game couldn't let me have consequences for failure.
-Moving on.
-That call about asgore was very ominous, lol
-Elevator! Moving up.
-Wow is this trippy or what? lol
-Heeeyyy another spider bake sale!
-Aaaand I can't afford anything. WELP. MOVING ON.
-Alphys, you massive dork. Puzzle time!
-North: wayyyy too easy. -_-
-Nifty conveyor belt laser trap!
-Oh man, Alphys... I really DON'T wanna watch anime. I really don't. But I don't wanna be rude, either. Well, crap.
-Uh...
-*sigh* ...sure. -_-
-Well, further confirming that it's not my kinda show. But I'll humor her anyways.
-South puzzle: Super easy as well. Now I realize that I've been typing the same face that Sam has on: -_- And I also know why she has that face on. I WOULD, TOO.
-Hey, I missed that cactus! Heading back.
-(you stop to smell the flowers...)
-Well, waste of time. Moving on.
-Big doors are once more opened.
-Game saved!