12 Days of Seikens Song and Commentary
On the Twelfth Day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
Twelve Motis Dancing,
Eleven Rabites Leaping,
Ten Chobins Sniping,
Nine Swords Orbs Glitching,
Eight Elementals,
Seven Mallards Swimming,
Six Heroes Slaying,
FIVE MENU RINGS!
Four Needle Birds,
Three Beast Eggs,
Two Water Thugs,
and a Mana Sword stuck in the Tree
Commentary and Images
Kassidy: Right, moving on to the subject at hand, before I have to disappear and rest my brain... Otherwise we'll ne'er get this done xDSheexy: Haha, yeah
Faalstar: Well, I has to say is.
Faalstar: Can I has snack?
Kassidy: No, you can't has cheezburger
Kassidy: Yet.
Faalstar: =D
Kassidy: As you can see, his name is Faalstar, and he's going to be our guest commentator.
Sheexy: Ok, so this is the Seikens commentary on the 12 Days of Seikens special that we ran after Christmas. We'll talk about all the little details and where the ideas came from and other stuff.
Sheexy: And go off topic I am sure.
Kassidy: Without a doubt.
Faalstar: Bork.
Kassidy: So, let's try and remember. How on earth did we come up with this mess anyway?
Sheexy: We were trying to think of things to do for Christmas I think. I probably mentioned the Seikens Christmas Carols I made the year before (shameless plug).
Sheexy: And 12 days of Christmas doesn't take much work as far as lyrics go XD
Kassidy: That's true. I think that was round the beginning of December.
Kassidy: We were originally going to record ourselves singing it.
Faalstar: Sheexy can sing?
Sheexy: Yeah, get a few people to help out.
Sheexy: I did Karaoke in Japan pretty well D:
Faalstar: O_o
Sheexy: We were gonna like, do special effects and have stuff over us on the video
Sheexy: Like, Mr. Moti on people's shoulders and stuff.
Sheexy: Never happened XD
Faalstar: Wait.
Faalstar: Video?
Faalstar: REVEAL YOUR SECRETS
Kassidy: Sadly, our budget just didn't stretch.
Kassidy: Sprite animations, live audio, the works.
Sheexy: Mostly we were lazy.
Kassidy: Yeah.
Sheexy: So we decided to just do images instead.
Kassidy: Which only started to take shape the weekend before Christmas day.
Sheexy: Yup.
Sheexy: We threw the song together pretty fast XD
Kassidy: Think it took us about 10 minutes.
Kassidy: Each throwing in a line.
Faalstar: So, what made you gentlemen decide to do this?
Sheexy: The sword in the Mana Tree line was the most obvious one to do, next to Motis dancing and Rabites leaping.
Sheexy: Wanted something neat for the holidays, for just in case someone wanted to read the site D:
Sheexy: I think three people read the thing XD Thank you Ailise XD
Kassidy: Yeah, but the thought was there.
Sheexy: Lucemia you too.
Kassidy: And Faal here present.
Sheexy: He didn't really read.
Sheexy: He just wanted to be a part of this XD
Sheexy: REVEAL YOUR SECRETS!
Faalstar: Secret.
Kassidy: Tsk tsk, you made bunny sad.
Sheexy: So the first image was easy, Mana Sword in the tree.
Sheexy: Too bad the only one we could find had those four fairies in it.
Kassidy: Ah, but there was providence in their presence.
Sheexy: You got back at them though later XD
Kassidy: They were useful fodder.
Sheexy: I always really liked the "Two Water Thugs" line. Kinda almost rhymes with the turtle doves they replaced.
Kassidy: It was one of the more inspired lines (early on before we got our brains frazzled).
Kassidy: I'm not sure I was too happy with the graphical result.
Sheexy: I was just checking again, they sure look calm next to the rest XD
Kassidy: I think I should have sticked to an SD3 sprite for behind the tree.
Sheexy: Oh well, the song didn't state they were actually doing anything XD
Sheexy: SoM sprites sure are clashy colored.
Kassidy: And the perspective isn't quite right. But oh well.
Kassidy: Three Beast Eggs was a stretch.
Sheexy: The beast eggs were tiny XD
Kassidy: And I found better sprites later too.
Sheexy: Yeah
Kassidy: They were really just to try and get LoM in there.
Faalstar: Mmmm... Scrambeled eggs...
Kassidy: So it had to be something unique to that game.
Sheexy: LoM sprites are the hardest to get x__x
Kassidy: No no, that comes later, Faal, hehe.
Sheexy: I ripped that duck out and you can barely tell he's from LoM by glancing at him XD
Sheexy: Got tired of going for different games, so by the Chobins, Rabites and Motis they were all from the same XD
Sheexy: The LoM Motis are definitely the best, they actually have expressions XD
Kassidy: All resolve was lost at that point.
Kassidy: And the SD3 Motis were not to my liking.
Sheexy: Needle birds is an obvious take on the original calling birds, kinda boring.
Sheexy: The thing started out pretty boring really XD
Kassidy: Yeah. The only graphical story for them too is that one of them is eating from one of the flowers.
Kassidy: I didn't even get that many varied postures in for that shot.
Faalstar has left
Sheexy: Oh wow, I didn't realize he was eating the flower there.
Sheexy: Faal died.
Kassidy: Of boredom, probably.
Kassidy: See, you get something new out of the picture with every viewing.
Sheexy: If you are still reading this, congratulations! Go to www.seikens.com/sheexy/secret/awesome/surprise/award/for/paying/attention/to/this/commentary/thing.html for your prize!
Sheexy: Now I'm really gonna have to make that. For the one person who reads this XD
Kassidy: The FTP will have your guts for breakfast.
Sheexy: I really like day five XD
Sheexy: That was a hard one to think out.
Sheexy: The Menu Rings, golden rings, PERFECT
Kassidy: We had something else at first. What was it?
Sheexy: Hmm, I forget...
Sheexy: Probably something ending in "thing"
Kassidy: Five Mana Orbs, I think.
Kassidy: Was poo in comparison, I remember that.
Sheexy: I didn't suggest Menu Rings at first cause I figured it wouldn't work for the image
Kassidy: It was a hard one to do, but we got it in there.
Sheexy: Riesz staring dumbfoundedly at the rings from SoM was perfect though
Kassidy: It took me ages to get that sprite.
Kassidy: But it worked so well. It's one of my favourite parts of the piece.
Sheexy: I wonder if anyone realized it was endgame SoM equipment, but with a rusty sword.
Kassidy: I was amazed at you picking that up when I sent it to you.
Kassidy: Answers on a postcard, guys!
Sheexy: Haha, it was a Mana Sword at first, but we decided to change it since day 9 needed to do something with it...
Kassidy: Except that we only realised that once I'd finished Day 9.
Sheexy: Yeah XD
Kassidy: And from here on is where the fun REALLY started.
Kassidy: 6 Heroes Slaying
Sheexy: Action finally showed up in Day 6
Sheexy: FFA Hero is stabbing the Needle bird who was drinking, Randi knocked over a Lotus
Sheexy: Poached eggs Popoie XD
Kassidy: Wanderer is shooting a Fairy.
Kassidy: Duran is rolling up for the kill.
Kassidy: And Purim is kicking another Fairy head in.
Sheexy: Gotta love that one XD
Kassidy: From behind, no less.
Sheexy: Right to the head
Kassidy: Bam
Sheexy: Randi is giving that fairy down there a scare too, her eyes rolled back in shock.
Kassidy: Sadly, the Lotus didn't render all that well, but can't win them all.
Sheexy: The Seven Mallards, managed to work in every game there.
Sheexy: Save for HoM.
Sheexy: SwoM and CoM use the same sprites.
Kassidy: HoM would have been a nightmare, especially because of the perspective.
Sheexy: Yeah XD
Kassidy: And here is where transparencies came heavily in to play.
Sheexy: With the Eight Elementals.
Sheexy: You worked forever on positioning them and getting shadows right XD
Kassidy: I'd used them for Duran and Randi, so their feet are underwater, but because the Mallards are specifically swimming, had to use that resource a lot.
Kassidy: Yeah, that was right at the end too.
Kassidy: I'm far too picky sometimes.
Sheexy: Haha
Sheexy: Nine Sword Orbs
Kassidy: Ah
Kassidy: The difficult and surprise one
Sheexy: I wonder if anyone realized what happened XD
Kassidy: It's subtle... kind of.
Sheexy: The sword turned green!
Kassidy: That was a long pixel edit.
Kassidy: At first we had a few different ideas on what to do for that day.
Kassidy: Including having all three SoM heroes battling Mantis Ant.
Sheexy: Change Randi's sword, change the little Menu sword, etc.
Sheexy: Yeah
Sheexy: I think this worked the most awesome.
Kassidy: It was worth the effort.
Kassidy: The result was better than expected.
Kassidy: Ten Chobins Sniping was a PAIN!!!
Sheexy: Had to piece them together from a sprite sheet.
Kassidy: I did have fun hiding them though.
Sheexy: I like the one freaking about the Needle bird's stab wound, haha.
Kassidy: And there's another imitating Popoie.
Sheexy: And the one helping Popoie out, totally forgot to mention that Salamando showed up to help him.
Sheexy: The swimming one looks great
Sheexy: Even if he probably is actually drowning
Kassidy: Salamando and Jinn were the only ones to get special treatment.
Sheexy: Jinn has that funny animation, looks good there.
Kassidy: It's the knackered look.
Sheexy: For the Rabites we were getting worried about space, were thinking about just doing a Rabite Rainstorm from SD3.
Sheexy: Just noticed the yellow one biting the silver one down there in the corner, haha.
Sheexy: Didn't know what was going on at first.
Kassidy: Couldn't help myself.
Sheexy: Lots are falling from the tree. Like they live up there or something.
Kassidy: What can I say.
Sheexy: They are being spawned.
Kassidy: Bad spawn point.
Sheexy: Green one over there is thirsty.
Sheexy: Or trying to drown like the Chobin.
Kassidy: He may have fallen out of the tree and can't swim.
Kassidy: Before realising it's not that deep.
Sheexy: Oh right. Chobins Sniping, pipers piping, I liked that.
Kassidy: Lords a leaping, Rabites leaping.
Sheexy: Mallards swimming, geese a laying. Well, worked the water fowl in there anyways XD
Sheexy: Oh wait... Heroes Slaying, geese a laying...
Sheexy: Whoops.
Kassidy: I knew there was some reason for choosing the heroes.
Sheexy: I think the Mallards Swimming was just my way to work an -ing verb in there nicely.
Sheexy: Wasn't that line the reason you stuck with this watery picture?
Kassidy: No, the watery picture was completely by mistake.
Kassidy: It was only afterwards that I realised just how fortuitous the choice was.
Kassidy: Love it when a plan goes well, eh.
Sheexy: Yup.
Sheexy: Motis Dancing is the best.
Sheexy: Way to go!
Kassidy: That was the brown alert moment.
Kassidy: I didn't think they'd fit
Sheexy: One wants to swipe the sword
Sheexy: They're freaking out at the way the Heroes treat the baddies. Too much time cooped up in a shop I guess.
Sheexy: Life isn't all dancing. You gotta kill monsters sometimes : (
Kassidy: Another took collateral from Randi's swipe at the Lotus.
Sheexy: Randi kinda took one of them out. That one learned that lesson the hardest.
Kassidy: Got stuck int he shrub.
Sheexy: Haha
Sheexy: Oh
Sheexy: A Moti got spawned by the tree.
Kassidy: The one hiding behind it?
Sheexy: The one about to get a concussion XD
Sheexy: I guess that one could have gotten spawned too, he just knew how to climb.
Sheexy: The LoM and SD3 sprites go together surprisingly well.
Kassidy: Well, mostly.
Sheexy: Moti might be a giant though...
Kassidy: Just big-boned.
Kassidy: From all that dancing.
Faalstar returned
Sheexy: Works lots of muscles, especially when you do it 24/7
Sheexy: Oh hi Faal.
Kassidy: The two in the top left were just a case of me running severely out of room.
Sheexy: We are like, pretty much at the end almost.
Faalstar: Bork.
Sheexy: It's amazing they all fit XD
Sheexy: Even had room for "The End"
Kassidy: Ah, yes.
Kassidy: Reversed the colours from the ending of SoM.
Sheexy: Always something to see in this XD
Kassidy: As long as it amused some people, mission complete.
Sheexy: Noticed the Chobin copying Wanderer there, except Wanderer really has an arrow heading for the fairy.
Kassidy: I was feeling too lazy at that point to put another arrow in there, let alone source one.
Sheexy: Hehe
Sheexy: This picture gives me a headache.
Kassidy: Imagine what it did to me making it. xD
Faalstar: Hey! Get back to slaving over there!
Sheexy: No kidding XD
Faalstar: Or, we could make fun of Shoe.
Sheexy: ??
Kassidy: Nah, I think slaving will have to be the choice.
Sheexy: Christmas break is over, gotta do more work D:
Faalstar: You ain't even back in school.
Sheexy: I meant Seikens work.
Faalstar: SLAVE HARDER THEN!
Faalstar: PEOPLE WANT TO READ YOUR CONTENT
Sheexy: Like the one person who will read this? XD
Faalstar: ALL THREE OF THEM!
Kassidy: Viva Encouragement
Sheexy: I wonder how long this is XD
Faalstar: anyone got a craving for Frosted Flakes?
Kassidy: Dunno, but we should probably finish here.
Kassidy: So it's goodbye from him.
Kassidy: Or me even.
Sheexy: Frosted Flakes time it is I guess.
Faalstar: OK BAI GUYS
Faalstar: THNX FOR HAVING ME
Kassidy: And with that, I'll head out. So long, and thanks for all the Iffish.
Sheexy: I bet the Google Ads will like that.
