Hey there! The design of the mascot serves a dual-purpose, and was done very intentionally.

Your workflow getting interrupted, especially with a full-screen challenge page, is a very high-stress event. The mascot serves a purpose in being particularly distinct and recognizable, but also disarming for first-time users. This emotional response was calibrated particularly for more non-technical users who would be quick to be worried about 'being hit by a virus'. In particular I find that bot challenges tend to feel very accusing ("PROVE! PROVE YOU ARE NOT A ROBOT!"), and that a little bit of silly would disarm that feeling.

Similarly, that's why the error version of the mascot looks more surprised if anything. After all, only legitimate users will ever see that. (bots don't have eyes, or at least don't particularly care)

As for the design specifically, making it more anubis-like would probably have been a bit TOO furry and significantly hurt adoption. The design prompt was to stick to a jackal girl. Then again, I kinda wished in retrospect I had made the ears much, much longer.

What does all of this have to do with (depictions of, references to, etc.) Anubis though? You responded to a comment about the mascot surely being a "jackalgirl" as opposed to a "catgirl" because of the Anubis name and other references. It seemed like you had an issue with the artwork, that it wasn't Anubisy enough, or something. Why would the drawing being more like the statues improve the situation?

Now you seem to be saying that anything that isn't what you wanted to find on the website is the problem. This makes sense, it just has nothing to do with what is shown on that page. But you're effectively getting frustrated at not getting to the page you wanted to and then directing your frustration toward the presentation of the "error message". That does not make sense.

> I like to talk seriously about art, representation, and culture. What's wrong with that? It's at least as interesting as discussing databases or web frameworks.

I don't have a problem with talking about art, you'll note that I responded in kind. When I said "I think you're taking it too seriously" I wasn't expecting that to be extrapolated to all subjects, just the one that was being discussed in the local context.

As far as I'm aware it is already possible to change the art displayed (don't know about turning off), most just seem to not care and use the default

>I like to talk seriously about art, representation, and culture. What's wrong with that?

It's no fun.

For one, you pulled your original response out of your ass. That the mascot is not a "catgirl" as identified by OP, but a canine variant of the same concept, because the project is named after the Egyptian god, is both obvious and uninteresting. You added nothing to that.

You're running around shouting "I get the joke, I get the joke" while grandstanding about how serious you are about art, one of the human pursuits helped least by seriousness, considering.

If you've decided you also need to be silly about it today, then at least have the decency to make up a conspiracy theory about the author being in fact a front for an Egyptian cult trying to bring back the old gods using the harvested compute, or whatever.

>massive failure of understanding the target audience.

Heh.

The anime image is put there as an intentional, and to my view rightful, act of irreverence.

One that works, too: I unironically find the people going like "my girl/boss will be mad at me if they see this style of image on my computer" positively hilarious.

>Maybe they could allow changing the art or turning it off?

They sure do. For money. Was in the release announcement.

Not enough irreverence in your game and you can end up being the person who let them build the torment nexus. Many such cases, and that's why we're where we are.

>That said, the anime I tend to like is more Miyazaki or Satoshi Kon and less kawaii girls.

A true connoiseur only watches chibi :3