Featured Fan Art: Bluebird of my heart by sebychu

The featured Bluebird's Illusion fan art for 6 May, 2012 is a compelling piece by the artist "sebychu" on deviantART titled "The bluebird of my heart."

"Bluebird of my heart" by sebychu

This piece depicts a version of "Pride!Ed" of the artist's imagination. This is indeed all digitally created (on Open Canvas v3 and Photoshop) and beautifully, at that.

This was, in all seriousness, the first Bluebird's Illusion fan art that I consciously viewed. It is also by far the best. I was disappointed that the artist had become inactive on both deviantART and their personal website/email, but nonetheless I left kudos for sebychu to find should they ever awaken.

Support them

• Original posting (deviantart.com / 10 August, 2005)
• sebychu on deviantART

Reflections of a Bluebird will feature deserving fan art irregularly. If the credit for a work of art is incorrect, and you know the proper information, please do not hesitate to contact WLI.

That Darn Battle System

1 May, 2012 [7:00 PM CST] - BBIRB

"This is a very important question to y'all so you better listen," said Archeia on behalf of Bluebird's Illusion: Rebuild yesterday. They ask fans to volunteer opinions on what should be done with the current battle system. Keeping it as-is is not a popular idea. Complaints range from the unpredictable amount of time it may take to complete a duel (sometimes up to three hours) to the luck-based process. Current votes on the poll are leaning towards keeping the battle system and adding RPG elements to enhance the story. Fellow fans are encouraged to cast their vote and share their opinion.

...we really need this input right now because it will affect the development and how we will write the script.

-- Archeia (1 May, 2012)

Read the full article on Bluebird's Illusion: Rebuild for more info.

References

• Battles in BBI - Bluebird's Illusion: Rebuild

Article history: this article was first posted on Reflections of a Bluebird on 1 May, 2012. Second post at the Bluebird's Illusion Wiki on 1 May, 2012. This is the master-post.

• http://bluebirdsillusion.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:WarriorLoverInc/That_Darn_Battle_System

Progress Now At 60%

27 April, 2012 [6:10 PM CST] - BBIRB

Sometime around 10:19 AM (EST) today Archeia, Co-Project Leader of Bluebird's Illusion: Rebuild (BBIRB), updated their blog's "Progress Report" page. Completion status as of 27 April, 2012, is now at 60%.

This is following posts assuring a dwindling fandom that the project is still alive, but progressing "slow as molasses." Reportedly, the main hold-up is translating and rewriting the script for Bluebird's Illusion. BBIRB is an ambitious group, who not only want to release this visual novel in English, but also in the best possible quality. They have completely remastered the graphics of the game, and despite the snail's-pace of development, they intend to rewrite the whole script as well, opposed to simply translating it into somewhat-comprehensible English. They will have a fandom full of thanks for that.

Currently, BBIRB need only to translate and rewrite Days Five, Six, Seven, and Eight. A majority of the Systems and the Developer Diaries still remain incomplete as well.

The project has been laboring for exactly eight months and four days, as of today, not including the time Deja Vu: All Over Again spent with Bluebird's Illusion. Bluebird's Illusion was released in 2004, eight years ago. Yes, progress has been slow with this visual novel, but no one can deny that the tortoise beat the hare.

... I thank you all for your patience. REAL updates will be streaming in shortly.

-- Bluebird's Circle (16 April, 2012) 

References

1. Progress Report - Bluebird's Illusion: Rebuild
2. Slow as Molasses - Bluebird's Illusion: Rebuild
3. There is Progress! Just not that great. - Bluebird's Illusion: Rebuild

Article history: This article was first posted on Reflections of a Bluebird on 27 April, 2012. Second post at the Bluebird's Illusion Wiki on 27 April, 2012. This is the master-post.

1. http://bluebirdsillusion.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:WarriorLoverInc/Progress_Now_At_60%25

Music of Bluebird's Illusion

It has been praised as one of the best Fullmetal Alchemist doujin-soft (fan games) of all time, but where would Bluebird's Illusion be without its music? The opening sequence, featuring Ayumi Hamasaki's "Moments" (as sung by ChrisFox), would be a rather humdrum collage of images. As a player entered the title menu their ears would hurt in the silence. Battle sequences, treats that are few and far-between, would be dulled if a track like "Fighting Spirit" were not there to bring the player's excitement to the front. Sequences of happiness or pain would lose their intended emotion. Bluebird's Illusion, like so many other games, movies, and media, relies on its soundtrack to set the mood and hook the audience. Many never realize the importance of a few notes strung together into catchy tune, but a Bluebird's Illusion without "Moments" would not be the visual novel we know and love today. The "background music" alone is fantastic, but including the four singles also encompassed in the Bluebird's Illusion Unofficial Soundtrack, the fan-spun tale of Col. Edward Elric and Company is brought to life in an excellent way.