Notes

Fantagians have always been very open to change and innovation. Of course, every update from the Fantage Gods, every new shop or event or change has its dissenters. But even the most vocal haters of MyMall will have gold in their IDFone. Fantagians are quick to leap onto the newest bandwagon, quick to take advantage of the latest feature.

Fantage is a beautiful place, rich in culture and history. And the basis of Fantage culture is clothes. Looking into Fantageville's All Fantage Items List, you can see the entirety of Fantage history, laid out in clothes. You can see the changes in shading styles, the different types of coloring. You can see how some clothes became popular, and some rose to popularity. You can see how some extremely rare, sought-after clothes seem to be completely ordinary, and how some old, beta items are simple and commonplace.

Fantage styles and trends change just as fast as real life clothing trends. In fact, the pixels might even outpace the celebrities and the stores, because a single shop or update could damage the entire Fantage economy irreparably.

Despite all the changes, throughout the rise and fall of some of the greatest Fantage empires (Oasis Bazaar, Trade 'N' Sell, Vintage Gold, MyMall), one item has always been a constant. Fighting to stay on top of the growing pile of released items, struggling every second to compete with the newest clothes and latest trends, the white flats have always been on top. Walking Downtown in 2008 was vastly different from walking Downtown today, but despite the eight year difference, I guarantee you will still spot Fantagians showing off their white flats.

Fantage stays alive and running through continuously releasing items. The gods try to keep their subjects appeased, and you can see it come out in their pixelwork. Look at the awkward shading and amateur pixeling of 2007-2009 items; study the elegant and natural beauty of 2010-2014 items; and closely examine the outrageous and gaudy attention-grabbers of 2015 onwards.

With Trade 'N' Sell, items were all assigned a "worth", through a mutual understanding from the community. With Vintage Gold, and later MyMall, every items' worth entirely changed. Items have been popular and items have fallen from grace. Some items carefully straddle the line, being common enough to be known and used and traded often, but uncommon enough so that the item is still worth something in said trades. Items and popularity change, and that's not a new fact.

The white flats have lived through it all. They lived through the Golden Age of Trade 'N' Sell; the Great Depression when all items simultaneously became worthless; the Final Stage of Fantage, when the gods are forced to create wacky and strange items to continue being relevant. They survived through it all, fighting and kicking. There's a reason why white flats are still alive today when more powerful items have already fallen. Mouse ears, bunny nose, frisky and cool cat and blonde bb.

Why didn't white flats fall? Why are they still alive, in a world where Fantage doesn't seem to know how to release anything but repetitive recolors of previous items, in a world where items have spikes and let you burst out of your skin and make you transform into shapes that would make any 2007 Fantagian turn in their graves. White flats are unassuming and plain. A newcomer's shoes. Why are they so powerful?

The truth is, all popular items are temporary. They enjoy their moment in the spotlight, when they're traded around and talked about throughout the Fantage world - but in the end, they fade away. They become commonplace, they're sold in Vintage Gold... All popular items will someday be laid to rest in the Graveyard of Dead Items. Popular items burn fast and bright.

On the other hand, white flats are a constant. They're always there in your inventory when you need them. They match with everything. Those seventy-three pixels will always be there for every Fantagian. White flats are the baseline, the foundation, of the entire game of Fantage, and they will always continue to support Fantage, no matter what. If and when Fantage dies out, the popular items will be remembered. Fantage's legacy will be heavily based in Trade 'N' Sell. No one will remember the importance of the white flats. White flats do everything for us, and we should return the favor. They're underappreciated and deserve to have their story told.