u/Toa_Malafe

Every time I read these I am reminded that I have somehow become worse at writing as I have gotten older.

That said, here is the second part of the comic I posted yesterday. To do due diligence, the pendent was a bit of free clip art and the "Chance time!" image was made in a program called Walfas, a Touhou paper doll...thing (idk what to classify such games as)

I will let the audience guess as to what the three books are and where they are from. As for the explanation on how magic works... I was kinda BSing an explanation to a degree. The basic logic I tried to show as that a catalyst is an applicator without innate magical information, compared to a tome, which has information. Admittedly, I really should have tried to write out the magic's logic first, but these are kinda spur of the moment. I MIGHT write down an actual document privately to explain how magic works in this context, but that would not go on this subreddit.

Regarding the last spell: I wanted to use the most evil-yet-harmless spell I could think of, and while "inflict flatulence," "evoke internet search history," and "suggestion: speak of desire" (in which GM would say something out of pocket regarding his own tastes) were all options, I went with "Chance time" for three reasons:

1. As a loving reference to a friend of mine from DA who refuses to play mario party due to his cosmic level bad luck (as in, getting hit by a 3% multiple times in his play through of fantasy maiden wars, a touhou themed SRW fan game.)
2. It was the most harmless in a larger context, as nothing was stopping GM from returning what he got.
3. Because it was the one that felt the most evil. If you have played Mario Party with friends, you know full well how fast "Chance time" can lead to broken friendships, shouting matches, or a controller through the TV

I DO think in future I will actually write out a script for these comics before I go to add words in future, as I feel my writing could be better. I DO have another one of these planned for when my LEO-R finally arrives and all I will say is that it will have liberal use of the word "Peasant"

So, a LOT has happened but I wanted to make another one of these. I decided to go with something simple and expand on the Wizard a little. They actually want to teach, though the wisdom of asking a fully armed mech to "Hit (the Wizard) with his best shot" is... interesting. I also just realized that Newnu actually makes his first intended appearance here and neither says nor does anything of importance. Unlike last time this will likely just be in two parts. I will release the second part later this week.

Not sure what to say other than I thought the Spinatia looked cute and wanted to post it here.

So I am working on the latest Life of GM story and this image was too funny not to post without any context.

It never really clocked to me how large the chest section of the HG Ariel was until I took this shot for what is nominally an emotional scene. The entire time it was hard not to think "bro really be out here with the MS that could probably snap him in half."

Not counting this as NSFW since this is, at most, a hug.

the second image is of the "beast" the antagonist summons. Before anyone protests, he was compensated for his time on set with plenty of pets. Little bastard DID leave a tooth mark in the part you see him gnawing on though.

And yes, I did spend the entire day I was recovering from the COVID shot making a long comic for this subreddit that honestly is cringe, but I put way too much time and effort into it to not post it.

Our fighters are:

The God Gundam (G gundam)

The Weltall (Xenogears)

Doan's Zaku II (UC Gundam)

Mythra's Siren (Xenoblade 2)

We are allowing super forms and weapons, but no teammates (so no shuffle alliance or party members)

You can look at it as a battle to the death or a friendly spar, either works.

Yes, I am entirely aware that putting a damaged Zaku II in the same ring as the slayer of the devil gundam, the host for the slayer of god, and the artifice of the aegis is a bit... unfair, but there are not a tone of martial artists outside of G Gundnam and the Build series. If you can think of anyone else who would fit that spot better, let me know (I know Doan would get folded HARD by any of these three, but he would get points for showing up in my book)

So a bit of context for those wondering: I decided to repaint and change around my GM FAFO (the painting is done, I need to put together the parts for the new weapons) and in the spirit of this subreddit, I wanted to try and make it a bit of a comic. I apologize if I get the wrong tag.

So short guide to names:

FAFO/GM: the one on the ground

Mimi: The Custom gundam aerial with the bits. Originally called the "miko gundam" back when I was meaning to base it of Reimu Hakurei.

Mark: Short for Mark II, speaks like a Californian (I tried to base the speech pattern after my own brother)

the Tall silver mother fucker's name is [redacted] as he is not gunpla.

I also apologize if this is hard to read, making comics on Reddit is still something I am relatively new to.

Looking specifically at crossbone dust for this. Also changed the flair as this will have a lot more of my unfiltered reactions to some of the insanity. Also I am having to source these from the wiki so take my assessments with a grain of salt.

Image one: Cannon Ball (Combination of a Ball and a Glacion)

Basically a technical but in a good way, this thing is a marvel, chiefly in how they managed to connect systems that are nearly a century apart in age. I would not personally classify this as a mobile suit, but it fits the bill and is arguably one of the better mixing build ideas.

Image two: Kettle Zon

First image where I have to ask what the fuck the context is for (the wiki only lists this image and I do not know how to read japanese) and what did they do to it's eyes? Like I am getting chef vibes, and in absence of any context, I imagine this thing being used as security for an agricultural colony or failing that, a restaurant built into a hollowed out asteroid.

Image three: Verdun (What did I get myself to do this)

So here is all I know about this: IT uses a mace, it's chest plate is the GP02's shield for some reason, and it has what I THINK is a Geara Zulu head. Other than that, I am trying to figure out what the fuck this thing is.

Image four: Gunabi (Is based on a methuss frame)

So I labled the image as "stickbuglookingmotherfucker.png" when I got it's image and actually do know a little about this thing. Basically this uses the large number of guns strapped to it. Honestly, I kinda love how goofy this thing is.

Image Five: Gia Dias

......for the sake of my sanity, I am assuming that the rack in place of it's left arm is for storing heat sabers and it uses them with the two right arms.

Image six: Carmen

So this thing uses parts from an accuguy, a dom, and... the GM Canard? I think this is the first time Bandai has acknowledged École du Ciel existed in years. A coherent design and honestly pretty cool.

Image seven: Wars-mo

Holy shit, an actual original mobile suit that is not just a bunch of parts cosplaying as one. Uses a pair of beam shields, is fucking massive, wears a gundam face for intimidation, 10/10 no notes.

Image eight: Melt Baroque

*ahem*

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH. WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK AM I LOOKING AT?!? IS THIS A MIXING BUILD? IF SO, DID THEY PULL THE PARTS FROM THE GUNPLA PARTS BIN OF THE GREAT OLD ONES?!?

From Gundam Build fighters.

So something that stuck out to me about this shot (while looking through the wiki) was how much the bandit stands out compared to the other gunpla in the shot. The asymmetrical arms, the elaborate head, and the fact that it looks (judging by the shot) to be one of the taller members of this group all give in a silent menace. This is also notable for the fact that it and the Vigna Ghina are the only non-gundam fighers in this shot, and even then it is the only one that does not share some connection to the gundam built in it's era (later developments of the Vigna Ghina would adopt a few features from the Gundam F91, but that is for another post)

If nothing else, it is potent reminder that the majority of MS in Turn A (excluding ones that were straight replicas like the Boujarnoun) had an almost alien vibe compared to the rest of gundam.

Also, why the ever living FUCK does it not have a model kit?! IT was in the Gunpla based anime and yet there is not gunpla of it! Hell, even the WODOM got some form of model kit (I have my issues with that but again, for another post)

Unlike the hank comparison, the dynamics here are more character and history based. While the three have no design similarity, they all have or had the same issues regarding reliability (though with Henry that was later fixed supposedly.)

Henry was a poor performer until his rebuild at Crewe, only to become better and prove to (mostly) be a dependable member of the railway (until hit kinda screwed that up imo.)

Derek's class is both his biggest problem and part of why the fandom loves him: Accurate and horrifically unreliable. Derek is not a snooty diesel and is genuinely a nice character that is handicapped by his own shoddy design.

Norman is perhaps the most bizarre of the three in that his design isn't flawed (Dennis has the same design and works perfectly fine.) and wants to be useful, only to have his own mechanical issues hinder his ability.

There is so much potential there for stories as, while Henry can be a jerk (at times) or scared (at times, depending on the era) it is hard not seeing him sympathizing with either one because, in some regards, he was very much like them at one point. With Derek specifically, he would likely sympathize with the shoddy design that the diesel was stuck with.

So now, silly story idea (feel free to use or elaborate on, this is just the dumb part I leave at the end): Henry takes a stopping goods service across the island and normally meets Boco or Edward at welsworth for the clay (or other goods from brandam docks.) On the story day, he meets Derek, who breaks down entering the yard on a set of points, delaying Henry while the big engine has to uncouple to pull him clear. Cut to that evening when Henry asks if anyone knows the strange diesel. James claims that the engine is named Derek and that he normally works at the clay pits. James then mentions how unreliable Derek is from the handful of times they two have met. (this is working on the assumption that James would have had to travel down the branch at least a few times for work) The following day, Henry asks Edward about Derek when they meet at welsworth for his goods pickup. Edward would explain Derek's problems (Edward is the head engine on the line and has likely met Derek more than once when picking up clay.) and leave Henry to think on the matter. A few weeks later, Henry and Derek meet again and pair have a good conversation about what it is like to struggle with mechanical faults. It is then that a chance comes in the form of a stalled train on Gordon's hill (IT could be the express or anything really) and a back engine is needed. The stationmaster orders Derek to do it, to which Derek agrees after some encouragement from Henry. The story ends with Derek succeeding and the pair becoming friends.

idk this is all just theory crafting. I swear the next one of these will be far more light hearted. Originally this was JUST going to be about Derek and Henry, but I knew that I was likely not going to talk about Norman any time soon

The Dwage stands at 18.2 meters

That means that It stands just a few meters shy of DOUBLE Giratina's max height, or 4.14 times the height of the in-game version.

Now are these two unrelated and are mainly just compared because the intrusive thought came into my head? Probably.

Now what I wonder is who wins that fight. (My money is on pokesatan, with the only caveat being what pokemon type the scattering beam gun in the Dwage's chest is)

In a world like pokemon, one cannot help but question the logic of a mech for much of anything. After all, when countless species of pokemon have the ability to do stuff that is magic in all but name (shoot fire/lightening/freezing energy, act as individual Solar-powered energy weapons via solar beam and solar blade, punch through metal with high pressure water via hydro pump, you get the idea) The Logic of having a giant robot tends to make even less sense than it does in real life.

Now, with that said, the anime (while Ash was the protagonist) had Team Rocket using a large number of mecha types to try and capture pikachu and other pokemon, almost always with no real success other than creating a large amount of scrap. The mecha design IN pokemon is varied and drays inspiration from a large number of sources. (This is of course not mentioning pokemon that are clearly based on mecha or robots, like Golurk.)

I wanted to both discuss and cataloge some of the mechs that the pokmeon anime (and one from the manga) with a focal point being those that are either inspired or direct imitations of other mechs or mech aesthetics. To be clear, this is mostly what I see in them and I admit my mecha scope is rather limited. I am also sourcing these images from Bulbapedia's list, (link: https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Team_Rocket%27s_mechas ) so there are plenty of examples that are arguably more interesting. From what a friend of mine said, a good number of them are based on Appaman (I THINK that is how it is spelled) or getter robo, with a fair few that are either whole original or take influence from other shows, such as macross or gundam. The images are:

1. (name unlisted) seems to have elements of something from Getter, gigantic monoeye notwithstanding
2. ( The Poaching Machine, Episode 264) This LOOKS like an original design, though I get Gundam vibes from it. I think that mostly comes from the boxy frame and the monoeye. Honestly, It looks like it would be a distant relative of the Dom.
3. ("Super robot" Advanced generation episode 52, was never built for lack of funds) Ok, So, (and this is me drawing on the sum total of my mecha knowledge) That looks like something out of getter robo. The color is a dead ringer for the Xabungle.
4. (The "Good At Grabbing Mucho Extres (G.A.G.M.E.)" from advanced generation episode 135) I am fairly certain this is just a macross reference, though I am likely wrong (Like I am with most of this list lol)
5. (No mech name given, appeared in sun and moon episode 124) Ok, So there are two parts to this: The first is the body, which looks to be inspired by many different "combining vehicle" mecha. The head I recognize anywhere as a reference to the Turn A Gundam. The reason I am so confident the head is a gundam reference largely stems from the fact that this arc had a large number of different gundam references in it (There is even an episode that is an homage to G gundam) and the Turn-A's head design is something so distinctive looking that anyone who knows would be able to see the similarity.

So these are just five examples of the interesting mechs that Team Rocket have used over the years. I am aware that most of what I have just said is probably wrong, but I encourage anyone to look for themselves, as these are just five out of over 150 examples in the link provided.

Yeah, I admit my bias, sue me.

While this probably would have fit better yesterday, I feel like mentioning that there is a LOT of missed potential with hank. While I could list a few examples (his basis, the difference between British and American railroad practice causing issues as hank is versed in the latter, etc.) There is one interaction that we never got, and that is between Hank and Gordon.

Why Gordon and not, say, Rosie or another American character?

The answer lies in the strange relationship the Pennsylvania K4 class has with the A1. While calling it a direct inspiration is a stretch, there were multiple elements of the K4 that Gresley integrated into the A1, most notably the tapered boiler. (even if Gordon does not have one on the model, you get the point) One could then argue that, depending on how interpret it, Hank's class is part of what led to Gordon's existence. The parallels are even noticeable in their other attributes: Both are large, blue pacific with red accents that are best known for express work. Granted, this may be more of a coincidence (Hank's colors are Blue, with red and white , similar to the colors of the American flag, While Gordon is the same shade of blue as Thomas and Edward with yellow instead of white) One could even argue that the two share a few personality traits (both are good at heart, though Gordon is far more boastful while Hank is far more jovial.)

I could also 100% see Hank thinking Gordon is smaller than him (because he is, even in the model Hank's is a little larger) And Gordon taking that more as a jab than as a want to help.

Though this DID give me a dumb idea for a story: Gordon and Hank swapping stories of their respective express work, with the conversation eventually changing to talking about their classes. Hank would mention how he and his brothers were the basis for a lot of other engines (Which is technically true, as outside of the A1, the PRR created multiple loco designs that trace their heritage back to the K4) While Gordon would list his creator and siblings, with the former catching Hank's attention. When asked, Hank recalls meeting a "Nigel" before back in the states (This is not entirely outside of the realm of possibility, as the information I could find never listed which K4 Gresley saw, so in this case, it could very well HAVE been Hank.) and how the man was impressed with his power. Gordon does not catch the fact that they are the same person, though at least one other engine does (I would say Thomas, and the reason for using Thomas would be that he has worked with hank before and sees Gordon as a close friend, as seen by their alliance. Thomas would be the only one with enough of an understanding of both engines to really have to think about if they should tell Gordon.) The story would revolve around the character debating on how or even if they should tell Gordon. Thomas would be unsure if they even were the same person and was unsure how Gordon would handle it. Ironically, Thomas would decide to tell Gordon and would meet with the pair right as either Flying Scotsman or Spencer would be telling them the exact same thing (At least with Scotsman, he has been stateside so he may have picked up the connection to the K4s during his American tour, or from an American trainspotter.) In the end Gordon would still claim to be the best, having been an improvement on the innovations Hank pioneered. Hank would actually affirm this and state that he was so famous, that they named a hill after him (HE probably would have heard that it was called Gordons hill but not why it was called that) The story ends with Gordon spluttering and Thomas and Spencer/Flying Scotsman laughing while Hank tries to figure out what is so funny.

Idk, at the end of the day it is a fun interaction that we never got and some potential for stories for fan creators.

So, story time: The gun the MK II is holding is a modded version of the Gatling kit that I made easier for an HG to carry, and the idea was inspired by a Russian badger video (hence the paraphrased quote)

I was taking photos for a trio of models and when I put this in the hands of the MK II, the quote came to mind.

And no, the EZ8 is not titans (the color was something between a personal choice on my part and a reference to blue destiny)

Artwork by @takekawasin (source tweet: https://x.com/takekawasin/status/1512754005235355648 )

Please tell me I am not the only one seeing it.

Reference Art by Dairi https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/50268144

I was not sure which tag to put this under and apologize in advance if I mistagged it.

I was inspired to honor a truly ancient meme regarding Kanako and her similarities to the RX-77 Guncannon (similar color, large gun-like things on the shoulders and back, etc.)

So I tried this! I need to paint the rear guns to better fit her color scheme, but I have finished the head painting.

I had wanted a Gyan of some sort for a while and was able to FINALLY find one, albeit the Gquux version. I tried to use the stickers, but the ones from this series are small and finicky, so I said "screw it" and decided to try my hand at painting parts of the armor and the shield. For color I used a "Mocha Gold" Chrome marker (it looks more like bronze, but idk) and Metallic green from a Uni Posca marker. I also used some of the larger stickers and the base colors of white and grey.

How different would the UC be if, rather than the first alien contact being Angel Call, something like the specimen on image 2?

Like imagine, for a moment, what the various factions (The Jupiter republic, Zanscare, the federation, The cross-bone vanguard etc...) would handle a living, breathing, psychically powerful monster appearing in the outer edges of the solar system.

Like Gundam aliens tend to all be in the camp of "all consuming horde/ potential destroyer of humanity as a species" (the latest game notwithstanding) So how would something that showed genuine intelligence shake things up?

Also, I am fully aware that, in all likely hood, SOMEONE would stick it in a mobile suit and things would go pear shaped really quickly.