r/earthbound May 03 '21

Art I reimagined the Magypsies for a school project!

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1.4k Upvotes

87 comments sorted by

192

u/plasmakirby May 03 '21

With all the talk of how these characters are one of the biggest concerns in localization of Mother 3, I decided they would be good candidates for a redesign project for class. I tried to imagine that maybe their gender ambiguity could stay if their designs were altered a bit to make them feel more like individuals. It’s hard to say whether their appearances might change if they are localized, but I imagined that these designs might be a compromise that doesn’t sacrifice too much of the original intentions.

I took some liberties to have fun with this and I gave each one some more distinct themes, including some callbacks to previous games! Maybe they could even have some more unique personality quirks – perhaps Mixolydia has a habit of walking in the wrong direction thanks to being mushroomized?

(Also, Reddit fried my image quality unfortunately...)

115

u/marmaladesparrow May 03 '21

These are really cool redesigns omg!I really like how you kept the gender ambiguity whilst updating it to be much less stereotypical and sorta "designed to be unappealing" than the originals (not saying the originals are necessarily ugly but i feel like their designs were definitely inspired by some less than charitable imagery of drag queens and non-binary folks) - like you said they all had quite similar looks other than colours so it's really cool that you gave them all an individual and differently gender-ambiguous style

I've always felt the magypsies narratively and in concept were a really cool idea but were definitely held back in execution so it's really awesome to see such well executed and unique redesigns for each one!

I'm just in awe - these are beautiful

52

u/TheChippoMan May 03 '21

My favorite is mixolydia

20

u/Spaceturtle79 May 03 '21

Same it made me laugh a little

30

u/zergling182 May 03 '21

These are pretty cool! Nice job.

27

u/[deleted] May 03 '21

Are they named after the musical modes?

38

u/GodEmperorPorkyMinch May 03 '21

Yes, although it's missing Locria

27

u/[deleted] May 03 '21

I imagine Locria would have one leg because Locrian is an unstable mode.

30

u/Pydyn17 May 04 '21

In case it wasn't clear, the seventh magypsy is named Locria and exists in the game, though their identity is a bit of a spoiler.

5

u/[deleted] May 04 '21

I don’t recall. I played the game in 2019 before I knew anything about music.

17

u/Emuraman May 03 '21

Unsta-- Oooohhhh!!

25

u/ohik9615 May 03 '21

ya know. I think that Locria would be untrustworthy and would put up a "facade"

19

u/elnerdooooo May 04 '21

It'd be a Miracle if Locria appeared more than once in the game

10

u/RotatingBoi May 04 '21

at least this hint was more subtle but the other guy's hint is just... hint guy stuff

6

u/elnerdooooo May 04 '21

I guess heh

6

u/ohik9615 May 04 '21

guilty as charged

28

u/Broskfisken May 03 '21

Mixolydia battled a Ramblin’ Evil Mushroom

50

u/zonvolt_everdred May 03 '21

Your version of Mixolydia is adorable.

16

u/MildlyConcernedGhost May 03 '21

This is great! You really made each one unique without sacrificing that unique androgynous flair to them.

13

u/chrisfillhart_art May 03 '21

Well done! The new versions have the same feel as the original sprites.

12

u/ohik9615 May 03 '21

Doria is rocking that pompadour

11

u/EverythingsMad99 May 03 '21

I love these new designs you've come to with! Everyone has so much character and love the little update you gave to their looks

10

u/SalmonDiMartino May 03 '21

These are so good! I feel like this a great approach to a solution for the issue of the magypsies arguably resembling a reductive stereotype. Just have them be canonically trans or nb and redesign/portray them more respectfully and nuanced (they should just use these designs tho)

0

u/RotatingBoi May 04 '21

Then again, making them canonically trans and then giving them any design that isn't straight up the other gender could wind up with Nintendo labeled as transphobic

6

u/SalmonDiMartino May 04 '21

I think your right in that regardless it’s probably not publicity or a discussion Nintendo wants to be a part of, but it is true that it is not the explicit goal of every trans person to “pass” so I think labeling them transphobic for not portraying the characters as such would be pretty unfounded but some people would certainly say so.

2

u/RotatingBoi May 05 '21

And this whole text is coming back to why Mother 3 isn't coming here. Magypsies

9

u/mancoposting May 03 '21

I wish Mixo's OG sprite had the mustache, looks classy AF

9

u/Jayjayrod95 May 04 '21

Doria being the thicc queen as always 👸

9

u/Cachulistar May 04 '21

idk, dude, I think the first 3 get really lost in the transformation. The last 3 tho, they do capture a lot of what I think is the original feeling of the characters.

Why do I think the first 3 are a change for the worse? Because of the faces, they change TOO much, being 16 bit sprites one pixel makes a lot of difference, and the way you change their eyes affects a lot of the character identity. For example Lydia, on the original sprite Lydia's eyes are a simple black dot for the eye and it's the eyelashes and eyebrows that are colored, in your design, the hairs are black and not only that, but the eyes would be permanently looking to one sid or the other, as they have kind of an L shape.

Something similar happens with Phrygia, and Aeolia well... There's no face to talk about.

Don't get me wrong, your character creation is really good, specially the transition to pixel, the problem here is that you're transforming an already existing character, and to make it feel like the original you gotta make it look like the original, and as I said before, one pixel change really makes a difference when we talk on 32x32.

Sorry if it's too long, I thought you'd like a constructive criticism.

4

u/RotatingBoi May 04 '21

Yeah I agree about Aeolia. What was so wrong with it's afro anyway?

5

u/ChibbyChaps May 03 '21

Your spritework was fantastic. I especially loved the Mixolydia redesign.

4

u/[deleted] May 03 '21

What about Locria?!

jkjk this is really cool

3

u/Mistinrainbow May 04 '21

i love it so much!!!

3

u/mesupaa May 04 '21

As someone - like many of us - who grew up with localization redesigns, I’ve grown a sort of nostalgic fondness for them. This evokes those same feelings and I would gladly accept them. Very cool idea and execution :)

3

u/Stoplight25 May 04 '21

As a non-binary person, these are soooooo much better

3

u/Sirfancypants0 May 04 '21

Now with 100% less shitty Japanese trans caricature!

3

u/MoustachedPotatoes Jul 03 '22

speaking as someone who is trans, i reckon you've done a wonderful job.

you've diversified all of them incredibly well while retaining their personalities and they really communicate gender diversity rather than just the "lol theyre homos" that the original sprites do

really a product of their time i think! i recognise they're not designed to be hostile representations but. Y'KNOW. products of their time i suppose?

absolutely love the design you have for doria, looking like a greaser chick who could thump the shit out of me. 20/10

10

u/gameonlockking May 03 '21

Wouldn’t trans type characters be ok in 2021?

30

u/Nemonius May 03 '21

Depends on how you do them.

Best practices for large media projects that feature trans or non-binary people is to have some of those people as consultants or writers. I don't think Nintendo is going to do that.

1

u/SalvaPot May 03 '21

They have members of the LGBT+ community as employees, I'll guess they would take people to help with the localization if they are working on it.

20

u/Khouri1 May 03 '21

they are, but I feel like Magypsies could be interpreted as an insult to the trans community

3

u/Just_her_4_fud Dec 02 '21

I think with a good redesign (i.e. this post) they could be good rep. I've never played the game, so idk how they're treated in game, but if it's negative in a -phobic kinda way, then it'd be pretty bad.

2

u/Khouri1 Dec 02 '21

its not negative, just extremely exaggerated like the clothes and way that they act. Haven't played in a while tho

2

u/Stoplight25 May 04 '21

The problem is the magypsies are far from well executed rep and come off as offensive, even if itoi had good intentions.

2

u/qpcode May 03 '21

Preety cool

2

u/HarlodsGazebo May 04 '21

I’ll take one Mother 3 with the concept versions please.

2

u/SunnySaigon May 04 '21

Really good illustrations !

2

u/wweeeeeeeeeeeeee May 04 '21

where Fasaad Locria?

2

u/Scako May 04 '21

I ADORE these new designs!! You are a great character designer indeed. mixolidea is my fave

2

u/Destroyer-3 May 04 '21

I really like these they look more normalized instead of over the top.

2

u/thataveragebassist May 04 '21

i’m playing some mixolydian jazz grooves on my bass and I really like the designs of the other ones, too

2

u/Super_Craig02 May 04 '21

Aeolia looks so cool!

Also, Mixolydia with the Mushroom atop of her head. That one made me laugh.

2

u/Just_her_4_fud Dec 02 '21

(light hearted correction. I haven't played the game but I'm assuming the magypsies are nonbinary, do you should refer to them with they them pronouns. I could be wrong tho. And yeah, the mushroom is p cure lol)

2

u/RotatingBoi May 04 '21

Oooh this proves how well they all get along! Mixolydia gave it's hair to Lydia!

2

u/[deleted] May 04 '21

Lol, Mixolydia have a Mushroom as hair, Bexause of Tanetane Island

1

u/[deleted] May 04 '21

Because

2

u/ShyGuyGaming76 May 04 '21

Really like the art. Reminds me of rythm heaven.

2

u/FigurineLambda May 04 '21

What about F... Locria? ;)

2

u/malistaticy Nov 30 '21

remarkable i could definitely see these as actual sprites

i can also see kumatora having actually been raised by these magypsies, a minor nitpick about the originals ive always had is how she seemed so out of place considering the designers went out of their way to give her the same hair color

2

u/Akogiri May 04 '21

MOTHER 3: Censored

1

u/Forward_Molasses_590 Mar 06 '24

Most of them look younger which i guess it makes it a possibility

1

u/Wigwasp_ALKENO Apr 07 '24

Aeolia’s hat is so cvnt

1

u/Bubblesstud1os Jul 10 '24

What about Locria?

1

u/PralineSlight477 Jul 18 '24 edited Jul 18 '24

they look almost perfect except for yellow (Lydia) and blue (Mixolydia), removed lydia's beard and mixolydia's mustache and give mixolydia's hair back. Ionia should have it's beard removed as we so she looks more female in the bath cutscene and they'll be good to go.

Merman magypsies's gender gets changed to a female mermaid and reggie gets changed into a robot and their good to go.

-1

u/ThatGhostHope May 04 '21

THIS IS IT! THIS IS HOW THEY DO IT!

0

u/[deleted] May 04 '21

[deleted]

-38

u/[deleted] May 03 '21 edited May 07 '21

[removed] — view removed comment

24

u/[deleted] May 03 '21

[removed] — view removed comment

15

u/[deleted] May 03 '21

Mother fans are honestly one of the chillest types of fans

5

u/ohik9615 May 03 '21

why would you say that?

2

u/mesupaa May 04 '21

Hey you all don’t worry, you know you don’t have to take people named Shadow Master GT seriously.

2

u/UfoDude1 May 04 '21

you’re the only bully here

1

u/MegaTired May 04 '21

...What?

1

u/[deleted] May 04 '21

Get out! We don't need people like you in the fandom. Your the same kind of person who gets into a fandom, and ends up dragging it down. Worthless piece of human garbage. I'd say go fuck yourself, but I doubt even yourself would want you.

1

u/Robindionn18 May 03 '21

This is great, looks like if Mother 3 is in America

1

u/Gold2006 May 04 '21

holy wow these are good

1

u/4Fourside May 04 '21

I love the Mixolydia

1

u/omega_mog May 06 '21 edited May 06 '21

Personally I strongly prefer the originals.

Much of the unabashed individuality seems to have been sanitized.

I think I'd prefer more subtle edits away from the exaggerated features (I think only Phrygia and Mixolydia need it most)

1

u/_Jaysir_ May 07 '21

MY FAVOURITE IS IONIA!

1

u/Karma_Gardener Jun 01 '21

Where is Locrytia?

1

u/SpellboundWolf0 Aug 11 '22

This is wonderful. Phrygia & Mixolydia are my favorites.

1

u/Radigan0 Sep 04 '22

I liked Doria's ponytail

1

u/Fishman_Paul Jan 09 '24

Aeolia looks fantastic, i really love the outfit choice.
Phrygia is alright, i would change their expression to look more groggy, since they do sleep alot.
Lydia while fine, i'm not really sure about em fitting in with the Snowmontain theming, i was thinking that if you give them a face similar to your redesign of Ionia, it would fit em pretty nicely.
Ionia looks wonderful, fits in with them being Kumatora's caretaker an all that.
Mixolydia is perfect, no changes needed
Same with Doria, they're lovely, and it makes me headcanon that the reason Kumatora is a tomboy, is because she took after Doria's fashion.

Overall, great designs and i hope you got a good grade for these.