Interesting find about MI mermaids...
According to World of Monkey Island, "These pictures are used with permission from Bill Tiller and LucasArts.
The first image was supposed to be in the opening credits, but was scraped because the project leaders found out a mermaid wasn't suitable for the Monkey Island world"
http://www.worldofmi.com/thegames/monkey3/index.php#Bill%20Tiller%20art
I still like the Mer-folks, but I know a lot of people here don't, and I thought this would make an interesting discussion.
(But Telltale, don't listen to Mer-folk haters.).
The first image was supposed to be in the opening credits, but was scraped because the project leaders found out a mermaid wasn't suitable for the Monkey Island world"
http://www.worldofmi.com/thegames/monkey3/index.php#Bill%20Tiller%20art
I still like the Mer-folks, but I know a lot of people here don't, and I thought this would make an interesting discussion.
(But Telltale, don't listen to Mer-folk haters.).
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You know what I'm curious about? All those statues in Spinner Cay.
What are those? Merpeople? Some kind of sea lions? Manatees? They look like nothing we've seen in the game so far.
And anyway, I don't think the project lead for Curse really had the absolute best grasp on what was right for Monkey Island. They didn't have that bad of one, mind you, but I'm already a bit more fond of Tales atmosphere-wise, hand-painted backdrops aside.
...I never thought merpeople would be out of place in MI universe...
"Here be dragons" is a phrase used to denote dangerous or unexplored territories, in imitation of the medieval practice of putting sea serpents and other mythological creatures in blank areas of maps.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Here_be_dragons
as for merfolks, and whether they fit or no, who am i to judge... if Mr. Grossman thought they would fit then i can not argue with that, although we can have our opinions on how they are actually presented in-game and whether they could go with a different approach
the concept art of their place is great and much more believable
the actual approach and appearance could be better maybe with a slightly different background story to them, with an added feel of them as a group. you also have cannibals which are actually three or four characters but you think of them really as a tribe... i think i'd be more satisfied with something more in a line of a classic "The Little Mermaid" style
...and a GIANT MONKEY ROBOT. Though I'm sure that last one didn't fit much.
Pretty much my feeling.
It seems people, including the game, are mostly not counting anything in EMI, because it was terrible.
And even a Narwhal
my thoughts exactly. there are quite a few people with mi background working on tales, so accepting merfolk as canon should be okay...
...also, merpeople would probably be unfitting for the first two monkey islands, but for everything newer and cartoonier, the work i say.
Just the plot holes.
Ahem. I think I did a little sideways-headtilt at the mer-folk when they first appeared, but...well, I like Amenepopp--...Anemone. And since this is the same canon that's involved, among other things, a giant robot, grog vending machines, Stan, "Madre de Dios! El Pollo Diablo!," and a main villain who's come back from the dead so many times the Underworld must've installed a revolving door...eh, why not throw some mer-folk in there, too?
Exactly!
The name "Vacaylians" always sounded to me like they were aliens on vacation.
it's like saying you want a game about pirates but there'd better not be any sailing or drinking in it because it doesnt fit with pirates! yes it does! and so do mer-folk.
Yeah, but I'm a little sick of the traditional mermaid to be honest. I really like the MI mermaids! As for them looking like aliens, most deep sea creatures look like aliens anyway!
The map also has a guy blowing wind.
I think the merefolk are loosely derived from an aspect of filipino culture: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_in_the_Philippines#The_Third_Sex
I think the idea fits well with the monkey island universe. Traditional mermaids would probably been too overtly sexual to allow for bantering dialogue, and laugh-at-guybrush awkward silences.
Yeah, that made me laugh! And Winslow's reaction when Guybrush tells him that he can't tell the males from the females!
People keep saying that mermaids are part of the pirate/sailor's lore, and they're right, but there's a big difference between little references to this overall lore here and there (like those drawing on the map) and having such creatures actually present.
Now i'm not part of the ones who think there SHOULD'NT be any mermaid in Monkey island. I have some issues with the way they were treated in the game, but not at all with them actually being in there (i explained why in a few other threads and i'm too lazy to repeat myself here).
Just wanted to say that i really don't get how this MI2 screenshot, or even the CMI's credit screen for that matter, "proves" anything regarding whether or not the fishmen fit
besides that mermaid looks like a traditional half-man half-fish not the TOMI ones
I thought that was an awesome idea! When was the last time you looked at any sea creature and could tell what gender it was? It actually made a lot of sense!
If they had the fish part on top it would be easyer