I worked way too much this week at the coffee shop. Makes me sick. Anyway, I made a major mistake last week in the update. Maybe I was too exited about the comics, or maybe I just rushed things a little. Or maybe I got confused, but I want to correct my mistakes. Edge's Muse is not the title of Wyvern14's comic. The correct title is Twin Moons, and the subtitle is Silence and Dust. Edge's Muse was merely the title of the drawing used for the title page on which you can read TWIN MOONS very clearly in big letters. Sorry about that! I played only a little bit of Dragon Quest IV this week. I'm somewhere in chapter 5 and I'm not sure how much I like it. I'd like to play Baldur's Gate some more, but I don't have much time to play on the computer.

Art time! This week on the top spot, Axel is thinking about Roxas. I haven't played Kingdom Hearts, but they seem to have an intriguing backstory. The warm colors and rich textures give the piece a personal, intimate feel while the contrast of lights and shadows add a strong, deep emotional and sensual touch. This is a nicely detailed piece of art that shows good facial anatomy and obvious software and hardware talent. Remember when I mentioned empty space behind a character? Well here is a good example of how it can work. First, the hair is pointing to the other side of the picture and the way the spikes are shaped forces your eye around the picture. Second, the theme of memory lends itself pretty well to this kind of imagery. My only complaint is about the hard light hitting the character's cheek and nose. It seems kind of brutal for such a delicate and subtle picture.

Another warm picture here. Mostly sepia colored with some hints of red and yellow, this sketchy piece features three characters from Final Fantasy IX. The dynamic lines makes the piece look lively and alive while the colors make it look like an old picture or document. I really like how Freya looks relaxed, how Vivi is posed casting a spell, and how Quina looks... rather dumb, as usual. I think the game logo isn't necessary and although it is very small, it has been given too much space, centered as it is between the characters. Maybe a sketch of the crystal would have been better?

Everybody loves flying dresses, white mages, and moogles, right? Well, the third picture this week is just that! Pimienta offers you a lively picture of a white mage trying to stop her dress from showing too much, while letting us see the cool boots she wears. This pose is quite popular, actually, but it is still interesting in this image. I think the white mages have always been seen as innocent and chaste characters. But are they really? I really like the wavy dress since it's full of movement and that's what we're looking for in order to have a dynamic composition.

Well, talk about dynamic composition and unusual poses! Pryce's first submission to the column shows Mao, who does not want to. Although the thumb looks quite skinny, I love the hand. Good pose, ambitious angle and strong line work in general. The picture is very expressive. The hand, the screaming face and the puzzled look of the character in the background: everything speaks to you. You don't need to read the title to know that he DOESN'T WANT TO! Being dragged by the feet, face to the ground, while screaming like a madman gives quite a pathetic personality to the character, but I guess he deserves it.

Prepare yourselves before you look at the next picture. So far we've had pictures with very mild and warm colors. Wolfe Wallace suggests something completely different with his Secret of Mana picture. Look at those bright colors! If you signed the diablo 3 petition, skip to the comics right away, this will be too much for you! Me? I love it! Even the pink trees are wonderful. This picture reeks of joy and happyness. The sprite is even carrying an ice cream cone and the hero is wielding a huge blue candy. Ok, maybe not, but with imagination, it works. The hero looks determined to follow the path although the other two seem to feel like they'd rather take a walk around the park. Good drawing, nice variation in the lines. Thank you for submitting such an uplifting picture!

This concludes this week's regular pictures update, everyone! Don't worry, it's almost done! This week in the comics corner, check out Wyvern14's second page to her story about Final Fantasy IV's characters after the events of the game. Also, Orinocou lets you rediscover Final Fantasy VI with her adaptation of the game's original story. I've been criticized last week about showing too little of the comic. Well, see if I care! You get the intro! Thank you for reading and watching, and a special thank you for artists who submit their art. With some luck I won't be working for other people friday at work so I can post the column sooner. Take care!

Maxime Viventi hates to update that late.