So I've noticed a few comments here n' elsewhere that suggests people may be wantin' to get somethin' with Askir! N' m'here to say: YES I WOULD LOVE THAT OH GOD YEAH. I adore collaboratin' with others n' makin' fun ideas into awesome n' potentially sexy art.

If it's a co-commission yer lookin' for, m'usually always readily capable for that! I always go 50/50 on cost for equal measure, n' m'always open to many ideas n' collaborations!

If its a gift piece ya wanna get me, m'very appreciative n' perfectly okay with that as well! You can share yer idea with me or make it a pleasant surprise if you so desire. The only thing I ask is that whatever you include Askir in, it stays within my interests n' fetishes. You can get a good idea of those by lookin' at my gallery, n' if yer unsure if it'd be somethin' I like, you can always ask!

Contactin' me via notes about a gift/co-commission is the best way to go about it here on FA.

As y'all have likely seen, I've finally started uploadin' art after God knows how many years. I specifically have uploaded all the art from artists who aren't  bodyoftemptation or  immelmann at the time this journal was created. I will slog through those collections in the comin' days for yer viewin' pleasure.

The primary purpose of this journal is to lay down what I will n' won't upload, because as I hopefully get everythin' I want to get uploaded here, y'all will notice that some art didn't make it to the gallery. This isn't me bein' absentminded, as I am ensurin' to be meticulous and thorough, especially once I start divin' into the Immelart n' the bro bro art.

WAITIN' POLICY: I give the artist of a piece I commissioned 30 days from the point of commission completion to upload to their FurAffinity gallery before I upload to mine. I do this because I want the rightful artist to get the exposure over me. If they don't upload by the time it has been 30 days, I will then upload to my gallery. If they upload within the 30 day waitin' periods, I will give it a couple days n' then upload to my gallery.

The following is a list of reasons I WON'T UPLOAD a piece I commissioned or a character of mine was a part of:

1) Not in it: This applies either to my fursona or a character of mine. If neither of those things are satisfied, the piece won't be uploaded to my gallery, regardless if I commissioned it or not. This is because it would feel weird to me to have pieces of just other peoples' characters in my gallery. I don't want to give the implication that those characters are somehow mine or are shared. The only exception to this rule is if Askir is stated to be responsible for the situation in a piece, like in "Bimbo CEO" or "The Immelmann Dildo"

2) Artist and/or co-commissioner asked that I not: Sometimes an artist doesn't want me to upload somethin'. Sometimes a co-commissioner doesn't want me to upload somethin'. They have their reasons n' I will respect their wishes. Simple as that, no exceptions.

3) Big group shots: Most of the time, these big group pieces are YCH in nature, so a bunch of people around FurAffinity, nay, the furry fandom at large appear in one picture. It is a logistical nightmare for me to figure out who these people are n' to make sure I have their permission to upload any big group piece I am involved in. I know a lot of people to the "Characters © their respective owners" deal as a compromise, but I am not comfortable doin' that m'self, so I will refrain from uploadin' these type of pieces. Only exception is if I know everyone involved personally.

4) Personal reasons: This is a vague one, I know, but this is the broad reason you won't see a piece uploaded to my gallery regardless if it doesn't break reasons 1 - 3. And no, I will never explain each per-piece personal reason if asked, because I don't want to start a shitstorm of any kind. Obviously, no exceptions on this one.

This policy of course applies to anythin' I didn't personally create myself. So if ya don't see somethin' you know I or a character of mine is in or somethin' you know I commissioned in my gallery, it is because of one or more of the above reasons.

... that someone is stealing character art of Askir n' usin' it on F-list now? Big thanks to  sonicality for giving me a heads up but wow didn't think I'd be popular enough for that to ever happen.

Part of this journal is so I have proof for the F-list folks that, yes, I am the real cutebold and that is my character bein' used without permission. Trouble ticket #65503 and whatnot. They also exclusively used art commissioned from  immelmann, but then again, I almost exclusively get art from him so I guess that makes sense!

Speaking of art, since I finally graduated college on Friday, May 13 (B.I. Electrical Engineering, baby!), a lot of time consumption in my life has been greatly reduced in between finishin' college and gettin' a job. So, that means I will finally take the time n' upload the massive backlog of art from  immelmann n'  bodyoftemptation n' a small sprinklin' of others for yer viewin' pleasure. I may also take the time n' develop my F-list profile which I do in fact have, just so we can keep it clear n' cut who the real Cutebold is around 'ere.

I can't make any promises but m'intendin' to start uploadin' on Sunday; I definitely will start uploadin' within the next week. N' who knows, maybe I'll even start usin' this journal regularly too.

'Sup, y'all? I've been busying myself with college and independent living, but sometimes I can't help but lurk about FurAffinity for my daily fix. And as I was wandering about, I couldn't help but stop on a certain art piece.

Y'know

The brony banner

Ah, the unfairly infamous piece by  dotrook sure sent our website into quite the tizzy, no? The rabid bronies and anti-bronies came out in full force. The few intelligent and coherent members from either side were drowned out. Not a single member was neutral that day. The trolls had a field day. And the admins (well, maybe just one specific admin) sat up high on Mount Olympiad and chuckled at us silly losers.

I'll get this out of the way now, but I was one of the people who absolutely detested the banner. This was WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY before  antipony, however. My main gripe was with how shitty the art style and how purposely drama-inducing the banner was at the time. As of now, that's still my main gripe.

But...as I read the comments, and delved a wee bit deeper...I came to learn this isn't the first time a banner raised such an atrocious stink. Apparently, there was a smaller yet still over-dramatic fiasco involving a "Fat Bunny Week" banner. And if I know the furry fandom...I'm sure there are more similar incidents regarding other banners.

So then, the question is: What the hell is up with people and specialty banners? And quite frankly, the answer is deeper than "furry drama being furry drama." After all, if there are going to be multiple incidents revolved around similar subjects of contention (read: FA banner), there is a more complex answer to the question.

And I think I know the answer. Well, the specific answer for the "FA banner" question, at least. That answer being: NO ONE LIKES WHEN ONE ASPECT/INTEREST/SUBCULTURE IS ELEVATED ABOVE THE OTHERS

Let's face it. With these "X Week" banners, one part of the fandom becomes overinflated in terms of ego, while the rest (or, at the very least, a good portion) of the fandom becomes angered and/or upset that they do not get such special treatment. Both reactions are totally out of the park, but they are practically guaranteed in a polarizing fandom such as ours.

And as always, it most certainly isn't just furries that overreact, or just website banners that cause drama. ANY special treatment for ANY one specific part of ANY fandom will cause massive drama overload. The best any fandom can hope for is that these things never happen. But that is like expecting pigs to one day spontaneously sprout wings and fly (read: IMPOSSIBLE). The reality is, the best any fandom can hope for in these situations is that the drama is minimal or non-existant. And fret not dear fandom, for this cutebold has some advice to ensure such a result!

For the purposes of simplicity, and the fact that I brought up that damned brony banner, I'll be using the following "groups" and will elaborate on what advice works for whom:

"Bronies" - the group or subculture that is for the special treatment, because they are receiving it. Will usually act (emphasis on act) calm or "above the drama," though they contribute to it quite a bit.
"Anti-Ponies" - the group that reacts negatively, as they did not receive such treatment. Few will try to coherently convey the reasons this special treatment is wrong, but most will be clearly and heavily outraged.
"Neutrals" - the group that pretends to be neutral. Few will actually be so, but most will take a side under the common "I'm neutral, but..." guise.
"Trolls" - the group that derives pleasure from the drama, and will intentionally stir up more for the lulz. Some are obvious, some are subtle.
"Admins" - the group that created the special treatment. May not have intended the drama to occur, but sometimes they very much do intend.
"The Artist" - an occasional figure in some instances. Created the thing that eventual became the symbol for the special treatment, whether or not they wanted it to be so. Will most likely been unfairly dragged into the drama.

Note that though this is appearing to relate to  dotrook's banner, you can generally use all of these groups in any situation; a simple name change for some is all that's needed.

---

|ADVICE|

---

1) Bronies

Do not let it get to your head
Letting the special treatment inflate your ego is the worst possible thing you could do in such instances. By doing so, you allow yourself to become so smug and overconfident that you'll likely obsess with ensuring this special treatment lasts as long as it can. You will act volatile towards any dissenters, and your ability to be reasonable is diminished. You don't want to be this, especially if you usually are not like this.

Consider the other side
Regardless if you're ego is inflated or not, be sure to politely consider what the dissenter's have to say. Do not automatically assume their opinions are pure malice or pure stupidity. If, after proper consideration, they turn out to contain those qualities, do not give the fools the time of day and just ignore them. If not, feel free to agree to or respectfully and intelligently debate them.

Always be the bigger man
There is literally no other way to feel and look good then this. If the other insists on having the last comment, let them. If the other insists on being immature, let them. If the other insists on overusing memes and bad grammar, LET THEM. In the end, they'll look like the whiny, immature jerk, not you.

Avoid an overabundance of snark, sarcasm, repetitive posts, etc.
I cannot emphasis this enough. If you abuse these tones and concepts, it won't matter if you're the more mature appearing one. EVERYONE WILL COME TO SEE YOU AS THE GUY THAT JUST LOVES TO INSULT AND BELITTLE OTHERS AND/OR KISS THE SPECIAL TREATMENT GIVER'S ASS. And I hope you don't want to be that guy.

2) Anti-Ponies

Express your dissent coherently, respectfully, and intelligently
If you aren't a troll, there is no other acceptable way to express your dissent. No one will give you the time of day or legitimate, thoughtful consideration if you let your anger or upsetness dictate your words for you. And as an addendum, you want to be sure all your points are clear, concise, and detailed. In this way, you avoid any misinterpretation or confusion that may arise when others come to consider, agree with, or debate your dissent.

Consider reaching specific people
A public forum is not always the best way to express your opinion. Often times, your opinion will either be buried amongst the others OR the rabids from other side will twist your words. Thus--especially in hugely dramatic situations--the best is to take it straight up tp the person(s) responsible for the special treatment. Be it PM, Trouble Ticket, notes, or other private way, you'll get farther and will likely receive thoughtful and understanding responses. As with the general folk, be sure to express your opinion as coherently, as respectfully, and as intelligently as you can when you go straight to the top.

Always be the bigger man
Applies the same as it does with Bronies.

Avoid an overabundance of snark, sarcasm, repetitive posts, etc.
Applies the same as it does with Bronies.

3) Neutrals

Actually be neutral; don't respond
If you are truly neutral, than you have no reason to comment or add to the drama in the first place. It doesn't bother you, and you really don't have nothing to say when neutral. Just ignore it all and move on.

If you must respond, avoid the "but..." statement
If you just HAVE TO respond to the drama--be it "epic thread" reasons or what have you--avoid adding the "but..." adder to your comment. By adding the "but..." you immediately stop being neutral because you have officially taken a side at that point. If you are truly neutral, state that you are or whatever non-drama adding, non-side taking comment you want to leave there, and nothing more.

4) Trolls

Sometimes, its better to sit back and watch
Especially as with what happened with the brony banner, each side will provide you with sweet, juicy drama and fantastic lulz without any input from yourself. If that's the case, just sit back and enjoy the show. And you never know; your input may accidentally kill the lulz! And we certainly don't want that.

Be subtle
You don't want to be an "obvious troll is obvious" do you? Avoid abusing memes and bad grammar. "Pick a side" and play as if you are so rooted in that side you'll do anything for it. Using logical fallacies such as the straw man and red herring tend to work best in situations such as these, I have found. Pick a specific target, and stay with it: too many targets, and you risk detection. And if you do feel you're close to being detected, immediately stop and leave, as the drama will most certainly continue without you.

Do not announce that you are a troll
Probably the best advice a non-troll like I can give. Announcing that you've been "trolling this entire time" does not make you a "winner" or some similar variant. Rather, it immediately makes you fool, as everyone will automatically assume (regardless of how true or false it is) that you are some immature little baby that can't accept when people have been beating you in debates or that you're point of view has been wrong the entire time. Trust me, nothing sucks like having the tables turned on you, but don't make it worse if they do.
Better yet, don't guarantee that the tables turn in the first place by announcing your awesome troll status.

5) Admins

End the special treatment if the drama becomes too much
Even though it should never have been in the first place, its better to save face and end the source of drama as fast as possible. Trust me, despite what some will claim, you didn't "cave in" by doing this. Instead, you actually realized this was a bad idea and you corrected it.

Don't give special treatment in the first place
Seriously. Its not just unfair. Many people's interest are so wide and so varied that you are bound to receive negativity no matter how benign you think the subject matter retrieving special treatment is. It is ultimately not worth the headaches and drama that always come with subculture-specific special treatment, so why do it in the first place?

Do not do it on purpose
If you are doing just so you can see the drama unfold, then FUCK YOU. First, it is terrible for whatever business or means your site keeps itself afloat with. Secondly, really? Are you so conceited or jaded that you have to derive pleasure from the misery of others? Exclusive to FA, we aren't a trolling website like Encyclopedia Dramatica. Despite how easy it is to generate furry drama, this is not the point of the site, and it ultimately hurts YOU, THE SITE, and YOUR REPUTATION...all for a few cheap laughs.

6) The Artist

Report any extreme harassment, but otherwise ignore it
Honestly, most of the time, how whatever you created attained its infamous status is not your fault, yet you will inevitably be dragged into the ensuing drama anyway. While unfortunate, your best bet is not to pay it any heed. Only acknowledge it if its out of hand or specific sources are really causing trouble, then take the appropriate action to correct such moments.

Do not do it on purpose
Applies very much the same way as it does for Admins

If you must respond, do not play the victim, yet don't be an ass either.
You will get absolutely no sympathy from anyone if respond melodramatically or assholishly over the course of the developing drama. If you do, the best you'll get is the worst of the Bronies groupset backing you up, and this will further tarnish your reputation on top of what your responses have done by themselves. The worst: everyone will become convinced that you are the twat that the Anti-Ponies claim you are, and you can basically kiss a good chunk of your business goodbye. Honestly, the best way to respond is to the few comments the actually constructively critique, give unbiased praise to, or ask unbiased questions about your work. All else should be noise to you.

---

I want to reiterate that this is NOT brony/anti-pony specific. They are just examples I used for the for the otherwise general groups that can be involved in such similar drama

As fandoms, we'd all be better off if drama just stopped existing. This is impossible for a variety of reasons, but at the very least we can minimize what drama does occur.

And, again, this is all just advice. As much as I would love if everyone took this too heart and followed it, I realize that words are words, and this is advice is not needed for many and unnecessary for a few.

As for the specific issue that is the FA banner at times, I advocate that there be no more special weeks. None. The banner should just be there to showcase artists and, at the VERY MOST, tell us what season and/or holiday we happen to find ourselves in. We've seen what special weeks can do hear, and it is just ridiculous. For everyone's sake, FA staff, no more. Let the subcultures celebrate amongst themselves.

ANYWAY, I'm off to finally give my body the rest it needs. Feel free and please comment and debate my points and advice below. Askir out.

I honestly did not think I'd find myself joining the ranks of  antipony but here I am. If you are offended by that fact, feel free to unwatch me, block me, whatever. I ask that you hear me out first, as the constant, gross exaggeration of both my point of view and the intent of the Anti-Pony group has become very annoying, and its about time its been told, simply, what is really going on.

---

MY POINT OF VIEW
Let me be very, very, VERY clear with all of you. I do not hate the cartoon MLP:FiM, its creators and producers, or the calm fans (commonly known as "bronies") who enjoy the show. Furthermore, I do not hate anything associated with the show. There is no hate involved here. There is, however, annoyance. I am annoyed at one, and ONLY one aspect of the brony fandom: the rabid, fanatical, obsessive fans. The "rabid bronies."

Rabid bronies are guilty of the following:
-Spamming ponies and pony memes everywhere, regardless of relevance
-Emulating/roleplaying aspects of the MLP canon (such as attitude, pony words, etc.) regardless of the conversational situation
-Obsess over MLP with an almost cult-like passion
-Claim to "love and tolerate," yet act hypocritically to those who express a dissenting opinion against MLP and/or the brony fandom
-Cry foal when horrible/sick things are done to the MLP characters unless they--as bronies--do the exact same thing.
-Insist on ponifying EVERYTHING and EVERYONE

I am tired of these kind of fans. And trust me, its not just bronies that do this. However, it appears as of now, the vocal minority of the brony fandom--the rabid bronies--are the most annoying of them all. "But Askir!" you say...

"Furries are guilty of similar rabidness, too!"
S'not just furries or bronies, darling. Every fandom has that god awful "vocal minority" that takes the fandom way too far, and thus ruins it for the rest of the fandom and those viewing the fandom from the outside. Here's the stickler though: at the current moment, bronies are currently the worst offenders in the rabid department. After only ~1.5 years, the vocal minority of the brony fandom has managed to annoy a large portion of the Internet moreso than furries and otakus, both of whom are considered infamous for their rabid behavior as well.

"[insert "don't be a dick song" here]"
Great sentiment, but ulitmately a cop-out. Having a dissenting opinion does not automatically make anyone a "dick." And as I said, its a cop-out. If you don't have anything to actually debate whatever the dissenting opinion is trying to argue, then just ignore it and move one. This applies to other cop-outs like "love and tolerate."

"This is so totally hate against something I like!"
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hate

Given just that definition, hate implies I so extremely dislike MLP:FiM and the brony fandom that I am actively attempting to remove both from existence, using malice and threats to do so. That couldn't be farther from the truth. I'm annoyed and tired with the extreme, rabid brony fans. I'd rather they begone so that MLP can simply be enjoyed by those who enjoy it. However, I'm not going to rudely and spitefully try to force them out of existence. Interestingly enough, this allows me to bring up my next major point...

THE ANTI-PONY FA GROUP
The title is quite awful as, at face value, it does not truly express the group's purpose.  antipony is not a hate group that targets bronies and MLP. Anti-Pony is a group that speaks out against the rabid bronies. Like myself, most members of Anti-Pony are annoyed with the spammy, obnoxious MLP fans who try to cram their interests down everyone's throats. The group is primarily designed for discussion and--to be honest--a place to vent. There are rules in place that denies harassment of bronies and any attempt to single out certain users. "But Askir!" you once again say...

"Members of the group do harass!"
As with any gathering on a website that promotes anonymity through fictional personas, the group can not regulate who joins. We cannot weed out the "bad seeds" before they come. However, any members who have harassed users, repeatedly misinterpreted the group's purpose, and otherwise circumvent civilty while members have been blocked from the group and (in some cases) even reported. We do not tolerate any disregard of the group's rules or the site's rules.

"What about those awful pictures depicting cruel actions against [character]? That's hate art!"
I want you to tell me who, in IRL, those MLP characters (as in, those part of the canon) represent. No one. Why? Because they are fictional characters. What does that mean? It means, by killing or doing whatever action against them, we aren't actually targeting real people. Think on that: what if we faved or created pics of use targeting the pony personas of certain bronies? Then we would be directly targeting--and directly harassing--that particular brony! Whereas with the characters of the show (or even just generic ponies), who don't represent anyone real, we aren't maliciously attacking an actual, real life person. Plus, most of that "hate art" is just artists venting their annoyance towards the rabid fans, instead of keeping those feelings haphazardly bottled up. They're channeling their stress into something vastly more positive then an eventual emotional explosion. Furthermore, the only bronies that usually express distate towards such images are the rabid bronies to begin with. Most of the time, bronies are either giggling alongside us or ignoring them and moving on.

"So, I can draw similar vent art towards [fictional character, race, etc.] and it not be considered 'hate'?"
Depends on your intent. If you draw said art towards a general idea or a character in a franchise of what your venting against, by all means do so. But if you target a specific person either through their actual self or their persona, then you have delved into actual "hate" by expressing malicious intent towards that person. Otherwise, if your vent art is met with negativity, it will most likely be the rabid fans of whatever thing you vented against anyway.

"I still don't like your group, regardless if its hate-filled or not."
That's fine! All I'm doing (and the group as a whole) is trying to help others understand we aren't a hate group. We get it if it isn't your cup of tea. Plus, we welcome coherent debate. Its ultimately your call with what you do with us, but please try not to see us as a hate group. We honestly are not.

Now, I have one final thing to get to. Due to the nature of its subject, I will not include the "common FAQ" spiel I've been doing thus far. If you want to question/debate anything I say next, do so in the comments. And now...

MY LITTLE PONY AND WHAT IT IS
There is something rabid fans do that warps and contorts there view on whatever it is they are obsessing over. The cartoon of MLP is no exception. Sorry rabid bronies (and maybe even some of you regular bronies), but I'm going to have to break your heart with what I'm about to say. For instance...

The show is designed for young girls, and made for young girls.
Specifically adolescent/prepubescent girls. This is the shows target demographic (TD), and the structure of each episode is designed with that demographic in mind. Despite what creators or even the corporate tell fans, rarely anyone outside the TD is ever factored in to the overall structure and intent of the show. But wait, there are references only older people would get in some of the episodes! Yeah, so? Those mature references are common in all cartoons designed for a younger audience, and most are born of either in-jokes in the producing staff or as a simple means to give parents some slight entertainment to derive from a show not otherwise intended for them.

There is no plot continuity to the episodes.
Given the TD, the overall intent of MLP is to teach young girls the importance of such qualities as friendship, generosity, loyalty, etc. Each episode follows the same formula to deliver its intent; a character is doing something, a problem arises, the problem starts to adversely affect the character, and then the character learns an important lesson that allows them to solve the problem. With the exception of the two-parters in the series, there is not plot thread connecting any of the episodes in MLP, and even then, the two-parters follow the same formula, but just in a larger and more impacting time frame.

The show and canon are innocent.
This sounds cheesy, but the reason I bring this up is because of two major, disgusting issues seeded in the brony fandom and propagated by the rabid bronies: Rule 34 and grimdark. The show intent, the characters, even the animation style are all as they are because they are innocent. The show is about a group of friends who, while flawed and different in personality, are able to overcome their flaws and learn important lessons. So then, where do they become in any way, shape, or form SEXUAL? What is so sexually appealing about cartoon characters designed to be enjoyed by young children? Why is it interesting to through these cute and innocent characters into very dark and disturbing situations? I honestly cannot understand it at all.

A franchise owned by Hasbro, not the fans.
This is not to say fans cannot create fanwork of the series. It is to point out that seeing as how Hasbro owns MLP, they can do what they want with it. They can produce toys that do not actually look like their cartoon counterparts. They can decide how characters are portrayed (yes, I am talking about the "Derpy Hooves" fiasco) in the series. While giving constructive criticism is always fine, a sense of entitlement over MLP by the fans is unacceptable and fruitless since the fans don't own the show, regardless of how popular they made it. An analogy: MLP is Hasbro's closed-source firmware, not an open-source freeware created by Lauren Faust.

---

Yeah, this is incredibly TL;DR. But I implore you to give it a read. I tried to remain neutral toned, so if I sounded otherwise in any part of this, please tell me! I really, really, REALLY TRULY do not hate you for your interest in MLP if you are a brony or fan. I'm just tired of the rabid bronies who spam it like nobody's business. I am full aware that the brony fandom is not the only fandom guilty of containing such people as well, but as of this time, the rabid bronies have become the most annoying. I just want them to simmer down, as I'm sure many of you (brony or not) do as well. Thank you for your time. Askir out.

I'm usually not one to get on the hype videogame bandwagon, such as Modern Warfare and WoW, but once in a while, I come across a hype videogame, like Bioshock, that I find quite enjoyable. FFXIII is one of them. While I am still in the process of playing it, I'd figure I'd throw in my two cents on it.

PROS
-Probably some of the best graphics ever. Clear, sharp images, identifiable character emotions during cutscenes, beautiful environments.
-The battle system is quite nice too; it gets away from that turn-based style that's now more suited for Pokemon than Final Fantasy and makes it time-based. The whole Paradigm Shift system, along with character roles, allow for a more diverse field of battle, and makes it easier to battle as well; instead of everybody knowing everything (magic, attacking, defense, synergy, etc.) and thus having to scroll through a long menu bar to find your desired action, each character is given on single battle focus, so you can have one dude healing, one dude stat-modding, and another dude hammering out attacks.
-The storyline is pretty intense as well. It is well engaged, and out of the base plot, many other subplots (such as the Thirteen Days flashbacks) stem from. The story also deviates away from heroic cliches and instead thrusts our heroes in a totally different perspective; instead of saving the world, they must destroy it.
-Save Points now double as shops, where you can buy a lot of medicines, weapons, and components. You can also now upgrade weapons and accessories--at Save Points--into more powerful versions, and even upgrade them into new and more powerful ones.
-Instead of EXP and leveling, you get "Crystarium Points," or CP, instead. With this CP, you can upgrade a character's role(s) to give him/her more powerful abilities and stats. You earn CP after every battle, which makes it easier to upgrade
-A BLACK GUY IS NOW A MAIN PARTY CHARACTER :0

CONS
-The story is very linear, meaning that most of the places you journey through you'll never revisit again. The game also removed towns, as you can now shop from Save Points and your health regenerates after every battle, eliminating the need for inns. For Veteran FF players, FFXIII deviates greatly from what they were used to
-You do not earn Gil from battles, meaning you must earn your gil from treasures and selling. This also greatly limits the total amount of gil in the game.
-Unlike in FFXII, FFXIII returns to the battle being separate from the world once it begins. This is more of a personal opinion of mine, given that I liked XII's battle system of fighting right then and there, instead of the screen phazing into a battle room.
-The bosses are unbelievably insane. You are gonna die at least once on most of the bosses before you beat them.