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niteshade925 · 8 months ago

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April 20, Beijing, China, National Museum of China/中国国家博物馆 (Part 1 - Dehua white porcelain exhibition/德化白瓷展):

Aaand finally, the National Museum of China/中国国家博物馆! I was lucky enough to see the famed Dehua white porcelain exhibition/德化白瓷展 here. Some of you may recognize some of these pieces already, since pictures and shorts of them have been circulating online way before I went on this trip, but there are many many other pieces too. The pieces I post here are only a small portion of the entire exhibition, so if you ever get a chance to see the exhibition elsewhere in person, don't hesitate. This stuff is amazing.

First up is one of the two that has been gaining popularity online, the piece named 神话 or "Legend".

The first time I saw a porcelain piece like this, I thought that the clothing part was made with paper? But no, the light fabric of the clothing, the hair, it's all porcelain. Keep in mind when looking through these pictures: every part of every piece is porcelain.

This piece is the other one that was becoming popular, the piece named simply 纸, or "Paper". If you don't look up close and see the glossy surface, you can't tell it's actually porcelain. I cannot for the life of me imagine the kind of magic that was used to turn clay into this

Anyway, this is a good point to introduce Dehua porcelain a little bit. Dehua porcelain is a regional specialty of Dehua/德化, which is located in Fujian province, and is known for its expressiveness and white color. For this reason it's also known in the West as "Blanc de Chine" (French: "white of China"), and this should be the reason why this exhibition is named 中国白, which basically means the same thing. The history of Dehua porcelain goes back to Song dynasty (960 - 1279), and it is still being produced today. Many of the pieces I'm posting here are modern pieces.

But Dehua white porcelain can be colored too (I imagine the color must be painted on later, because the white comes from the clay itself), and when it is colored, it looks like it came right out of a painting

This piece is especially amazing to me. Look at the texture, look at those details. Zoom in and you will find that there are actually a bunch of porcelain ants on this porcelain tree stump. Porcelain ants. I never expected to use porcelain as an adjective when describing ants. Wtf. It's like a manifestation of a scene from an older animated movie.

Peanuts are called 花生 in Chinese, which literally means "flower grow", and because it also has a long shelf life, it symbolizes longevity and a happy marriage. Also a fun fact: because Watson of Sherlock Holmes is usually phoenetically translated as 华生 (huá shēng) in Chinese and sounds similar to 花生 (huā shēng), you will find that many in the Chinese SH fandom refers to Watson as "peanut".

This piece is titled 春色满园, or "garden filled with spring scenery". This is also a common 4-character word used to describe gardens in spring. I'm guessing the figure depicted here is one of the flower gods. It is one of my personal favorites because of its superb depiction of movement, it's as if the flower god will really fly away on clouds at any moment

More depictions of traditional Chinese deities, specifically Chang'e/嫦娥, the moon goddess. That moon rabbit is too cute.

Depictions of what I'm assuming is the Four Heavenly Kings/四大天王, based on the items they are holding. The Four Heavenly Kings are Buddhist deities.

Look at her clothing! That porcelain is so thin it's almost see-through! Also is it depicting Li Qingzhao/李清照, the famous female poet from Song dynasty? She does have a famous ci poem that's about paddling a boat in a lake full of lotuses while drunk

The piece titled 锦绣前程, or "future as vibrant and prosperous as silk brocade". This is also a common 4-character word used in well wishing. The figure in this piece is holding a xiuqiu/绣球, a ball made of silk, which was usually seen as a token of love

Somewhat more modern-themed pieces:

Among the hundreds of amazing pieces, this one caught my attention for its unique texture. When everyone else was trying to turn the clay into these thin sheets representing fabric or paper or flower petals, this artist took the noodle approach. Not many visitors seemed to like it, but I think it's pretty cool

Piece titled 运势如虹, or "fortune like the rainbow", also a 4-character word used in well wishing. Traditionally horses symbolize vitality and success, hence why many people use the words 马到成功 ("horse's arrival brings success") and 龙马精神 ("vitality of dragons and horses") in well wishes during Year of the Horse

Stay tuned for Part 2 of the Dehua white porcelain exhibition!

#2024 china #beijing #china #national museum of china #dehua porcelain #blanc de chine #porcelain #chinese art #chinese culture #art #culture

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happy74827 · 2 years ago

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Chaos Theory

[Mike Schmidt x Female!Reader]

Synopsis: When Mike's crazy schedule finally aligns with one of the so-called "parental meetings" at Abby's school, he decides to see what it's all about. Little did he know he'd come to seriously regret that.

WC: 2,590

Category: Slight Fluff

I failed an exam today, so I wrote this to cheer myself up. I still feel pretty crappy, but this was really fun to write lol.

Also if you see any grammar mistakes, no you didn’t.

『••✎••』

When it came to Abby’s school, Mike was at a disadvantage. He couldn’t go to any of the parental meetings, not because he didn’t want to, but because he was constantly doing something work-related during the time those meetings were scheduled.

It didn’t mean he wasn’t keeping an eye on her grades and school attendance. It just meant he couldn't be there for the day-to-day things. Abby was a good kid, though; she never gave him trouble about the things he missed, and she did a pretty good job of keeping her grades up and attending all her classes.

Her teacher, you, was also very understanding of his schedule and position. He wasn’t sure how many teachers would have been as patient with him as you were. It was part of the reason he had grown fond of you, though it had been a gradual process that happened mostly unbeknownst to him.

At the beginning of the year, he had only been concerned about getting Abby acclimated to her new school. She was a quiet kid, stuck to her drawings, and it was even hard for him to get her to open up sometimes. Runs in the family, apparently. But, somehow, you were able to break down the wall that had been erected around her. Abby still didn't talk all that much, but she would always come back from school with a smile on her face. So, Mike was happy.

Then, like all good things, it came crashing down like a house of cards when his work schedule finally aligned with one of the “upcoming” meetings. This one was apparently a very big deal, and it was strongly implied to show up.

He hated these things despite never going to any before, but he just knew it would be filled with nosey people asking questions about his life. His sister. His “wife.”

God, he was already annoyed. The only saving grace was that it was the last meeting before the holiday break, so once it was over, he would be free for a while. Free to do what, exactly? Work, most likely, but a guy can dream.

The bell rang, signifying the end of the school day and the start of his personal nightmare. The door to the classroom was opened by one of the school's assistants, who held a clipboard in hand and waited for the “parents” to enter the room. He had arrived earlier than the scheduled time so he could speak to the assistant and find out what the meeting would entail, and already he knew it was a bad idea coming in here.

The woman was a nosy old biddy that was all too eager to learn the details of his and Abby's life.

He kept his answers short and clipped, but it did nothing to dissuade the woman. It got worse when he entered the classroom and saw the number of other parents who had shown up. He felt like an animal in a zoo; all the eyes followed his movements as he went to sit closest to the wall and away from the rest of the people.

The surrounding parents looked as though they lived in the next town over. They were clean-cut, hair styled perfectly, and clothes ironed. It was like they were trying to be a picture-perfect family.

He looked down at his own attire. His work boots were scuffed and dusty. His pants had a few grass stains from a recent job. His flannel shirt was buttoned wrong, and the sleeves were pushed up. Even his hair was a mess; he had tried to style it but didn't have much success, so he eventually gave up. The only thing going for him was that he had taken a shower before he left, so at least he didn't smell like sweat and grime.

As the meeting began, Mike had to try his best not to fall asleep. It was the typical teacher stuff. How the kids were doing. What the curriculum was for the following year. What their goals were. Blah, blah, blah.

Mike didn't care. He trusted you, and he knew his little sister was smart. She didn't need someone holding her hand and telling her what she was doing right or wrong. He knew this because he did that, and she didn't need it.

What did interest him, though, was the fact you kept looking his way. You didn't look at the others, and when you spoke, it was usually aimed toward them, but he saw the way you would look at him from the corner of your eye. He figured you were probably in shock that he actually showed up this time.

The meeting dragged on, and he was ready to leave. There were a few moments he had caught himself nodding off as he needed sleep, and this wasn't helping him. But then, like everything else in his life, the universe decided it was his time to suffer.

There was one woman who had sat at the front of the classroom. She wore her hair pulled back tight in a bun, her shirt was pressed, and her face was set in a permanent frown. He hated that lady; she reminded him of his good-for-nothing aunt who only wanted to criticize every choice he made.

The lady was also the mother of the most spoiled, brattiest child in the whole class. That damned kid had made it her life mission to torment Abby. He had come home more than once with her complaining about it, and when Mike had brought it up with you, you had told him that you had spoken with the parent.

That, of course, had done nothing. The child was an annoying pest, and he hated the way she treated Abby, but his sister had learned early on to deal with the bullying on her own. It didn't stop him from wanting to throttle the little shit, though.

The woman, the one who had started all his problems, took the opportunity to start a round of questioning. The first few were innocuous until they weren't.

"You seem to be a very patient woman." The woman had spoken to you, but her eyes were locked on him. "Is it a skill that was learned?"

The question itself was innocent enough, but the inflection and tone she used were meant to cut. He wasn't stupid. He knew she was alluding to something. It was always something, but he had to force himself not to say anything; the woman was a viper, and if he said something, she would attack without hesitation.

"I think anyone can be patient," You had responded diplomatically. "It's just a matter of the situation."

The woman didn't look happy with your answer, but she didn't pursue the line of questioning.

"Well, I couldn’t help but notice a certain someone who decided to finally drop in."

There it was. That was the opening.

Mike could tell you didn’t like the turn of conversation, and you were clearly trying to divert it elsewhere. It was no use, though. Mike could see the glint in the woman's eye as she prepared for the kill. She had a smile on her face, but her eyes were cold. "I was starting to think that Mr. Schmidt had abandoned his responsibilities. Wouldn’t be the first time someone in that family did such a thing."

He couldn’t help but have visions of his accidental mall incident from last year flash in his mind when he processed what the woman had said. He could easily hop over the desk and deck her right in the mouth. He had the muscle for it, and it was very tempting.

However, he would not.

If there was anything Mike had learned over the years, it was how to control his emotions, even if the situation was dire. The last time he had lost his cool, he ended up getting fired, but that was a long time ago… okay, not really, but the point was, he wouldn't make the same mistake again.

He wouldn't give the woman the satisfaction.

Mike leaned forward in his chair, arms crossed over his knees, and looked the woman straight in the eyes. "That's funny. I could say the same thing about your kid."

"Excuse me?!" She hissed, and she seemed offended. Good. He hoped she was offended.

"Okay, okay." You intervened, hands up as if to placate the two of them. "Let's keep this civil, okay? The last thing we want is to be kicked out of the school for brawling. That's not beneficial for any of us." You then looked back at the woman. "Let's not bring personal matters into this."

"Personal matters?" The woman was appalled at your statement, and her voice was so loud in the quiet room. He could tell many of the other parents were looking at them now, and he felt the weight of their gazes on him. It only made his anger spike. "That monkey of his tried to bully mine for three months now, and she's never done anything."

Monkey? Monkey?! Oh, he was going to kill her. It was one thing to talk shit about him; he was used to that, but Abby? No. Absolutely not. His little sister was the best damn thing to come into his life. He wouldn't have it.

But before he could say something, before he could even get out of the chair, you had done something he would never have thought you would. You got up and went to your desk, then you returned, holding a paper. You held it up for all the parents to see.

"This is a drawing my students did a few weeks ago," you started, and he was surprised at the level of calmness you were exuding. "The assignment was for them to draw the thing they loved the most."

Hearing those words, Mike had a feeling what was coming next, but he wasn't going to say anything. It would be like tempting fate. Still, he watched as you grabbed one of the papers, and then you turned it around so he could see it. Abby had done the drawing, and it was not only of him but of everyone else in her class as well. She had even drawn you standing near her with a kind smile. It was the picture she had brought home from that field trip months ago. It was a nice picture. Really nice. He liked it, and he knew Abby was proud of it.

"I made copies of every drawing so the parents could see them," You continued as you held out the picture for everyone to see. "So, tell me, would a bully do this?"

Your voice had a bite to it now, and he could finally see just how angry you were. He was surprised at how much control you were exerting. The other parents, however, were shocked at your sudden display of emotion. Even the woman, who had looked as though she was ready to take you on herself, looked like a deer caught in headlights. She didn't know what to say. No one said anything. Even he was shocked by your sudden outburst.

You were normally such a mellow person. Understanding, even. Always ready to listen, always ready to understand. You were the one who was there to help when something went wrong. You were the person who everyone turned to. You were… nice. You were a kind person. You were—you were just like Abby. That's all he saw in you now. You were just like his sister. You were just like her. You had that same determination and that same look of knowing something that others didn't, but there was also something else. You were a fighter, too. It was just something he hadn't noticed until this very moment.

You weren't the nice teacher everyone thought you were. No, you were more. You were the person he knew his sister was becoming.

"And to answer your question from before," you continued, ignoring the growing outrage from the other parent. "I'm a very patient woman because I understand that not everyone has the same opportunities. Some of us have a responsibility to provide the basic necessities for our family, which can often lead to not being able to attend these types of meetings.”

You looked directly at the woman when you spoke the last part, and you did not look happy. At all. In fact, he was pretty sure that was a little vein on the side of your head.

"Not everyone can be at their best every moment. Not everyone is at their best all the time. Not everyone has the privilege to complain about things not going their way. So, while I am a very patient woman, I will not have any of this derogatory about my students and their guardians." The calmness in your voice was gone, and your voice was rising, and you had started pacing back and forth behind your desk as you spoke. "Because if there is one thing that I cannot stand, it's someone who criticizes others just to make themselves feel better."

You went on to speak about your experience with the woman's daughter, explaining that a meeting needed to be called upon to address the issues with the child. You didn't stop there, though. No, you also spoke about how she should have addressed the situation when it was first brought up and how that, in turn, impacted the rest of your class. You had even pointed out some of the other parent's children who had done the same thing.

Suddenly, this meeting wasn't as bad as he thought it would be.

It took a while, but once you finished your little speech, everyone had finally gotten over their shock and embarrassment. The meeting, as such, continued without incident, and by the time it was all said and done, Mike was ready to go home.

As he stood from his seat and made his way to the door, however, you stopped him. You had your bag in your hand and your coat on as well.

"I just wanted to—"

"You don't need to apologize," Mike cut you off. He didn't want an apology. He knew you weren't at fault here. In fact, he was surprised you took the time even to defend him. That didn't happen often. "I was expecting something like that to happen, but I appreciate you speaking up for Abby. She's got a good teacher."

He thought you would be embarrassed or even annoyed, but instead, your face lit up, and your cheeks turned red. "Oh, uh, well, it's my job. It was what I needed to do."

"Maybe, but you did it anyway. So, I appreciate it." He looked around the room and noticed everyone else had left. Even the nosy assistant had disappeared. He didn't know what to say, so he settled with saying the first thing that came to mind. "And hey, maybe next time you can tell them this is why I don't go to these meetings."

Your laugh was light, and you had a smile on your face. He liked the sound of it. He liked seeing it, too. He also liked the way it lit up your eyes. They had a beautiful color. So bright, so shiny. It was almost hypnotic.

"I'll consider it."

Mike wasn't sure how, but somehow, he knew you were telling the truth.

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ranchstoryblog · 23 days ago

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Ranch Story's Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma Review

Setting out to be a new take on the series, including new mechanics, setting, theming, and even a new director, Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma has a lot of questions to answer and, as the first entry for a new console generation, expectations to surpass. After my time with the game, I feel that while there are some rough edges, Guardians of Azuma is a thoroughly enjoyable breath of fresh air for the series.

This review was primarily played on Nintendo Switch, though some comparisons are made to other platforms.

A New World to See

From the outset, Guardians of Azuma sets itself apart from its predecessors in scope and theming. The Japanese-inspired fantasy setting feels fresh, and shortly after the start of the game you'll find that you're not just being confined to a single village and its immediate surroundings again. While not exactly an "open world," there's easily more places to explore than in any previous game in the series, literally and figuratively soaring above its predecessors. By the end of the game, it was easy to feel like Azuma as a setting was an interesting and well-realized setting, with plenty of its own lore and quirks to explore.

Azuma is undeniably a pretty place, with lots of nicely designed environments, set-pieces, and inhabitants in vibrant colors. With the characters being one of the strongest selling points of the game, it's nice that they not only look great, but many of them have their own distinct animations while idling and expressing themselves during cutscenes in a way that the static portraits of previous games in the series never managed to achieve.

Unfortunately, while the strong art style and use of colors helps bridge the gap, it's hard not to find the Nintendo Switch version specifically a little lacking compared to other platforms. There is frequent detail pop-in, with shadows and textures nearly constantly in flux somewhere on-screen while you're running around. This is an issue even during cutscenes at times, where it seems the level of detail can't keep up with the camera's movements; a great disservice to otherwise enjoyable event scenes.

Zoomed-in examples of detail shifting in the background of a cutscene.

Fortunately for those who don't have access to a PC or Nintendo Switch 2, the game still runs well overall. Loading times are relatively speedy, and the framerate doesn't have too many issues keeping up even when there are plenty of enemies, effects, or items on-screen. A very welcome and noticeable improvement when compared to Rune Factory 5.

Life in Azuma

One of the most drastic changes for players that are used to the typical farming sim fare will probably be that traditional farming isn't really a focus at all in Guardians of Azuma. Instead, as Village Chief, you'll largely be benefiting from your villagers managing farmland for you while you place buildings, decorations, and other resources. Designing your town is simple and intuitive, and each distinct addition, whether it's a new business or a cute little Lucky Cat statue, will provide an immediate benefit by increasing your stats and working towards the town's overall growth, unlocking new development zones along the way. It's a very different feeling system, but still a fun and rewarding one as you balance the needs of your villagers, maximizing your stat boosts, and just making something that you like looking at.

Villagers aren't always perfect though. Often, some negative traits get in the way, so you'll still need to go over their homework to keep the fields running if you're too soft-hearted to evict them. If everything's going smoothly, you'll be making more money than it costs to feed everyone while hardly ever lifting a finger. So long as everyone's happy, I'm sure they won't mind when you use the money they generate on crafting a shiny new bow instead of building more housing.

Speaking of a bow, it's one of the tools you'll always have on hand while exploring the more dangerous parts of Azuma, along with whatever you use as your main weapon and the Sacred Treasures you earn while progressing through the story. There's not as much weapon variety as in previous games, but none feel exceptionally stronger than the others, so it's nice to just use whatever feels best at the moment. Sacred Treasures also help provide some variety, allowing the use of other non-standard fighting styles such as punches and elemental magic attacks that can generally cut through any standard enemy so long as you have the RP to use them.

If you need any help, you can also recruit up to six monsters or characters you've bonded with to journey with you. Each one has their own specialty and some bring along skills the player doesn't have access to, like Hina's lasso-like Spell Seal for binding enemies in place. While exploring, characters will also sometimes talk among themselves, with some amusing interactions that might even hint at things you haven't really learned about them yet.

Forging those bonds can also be much more engaging than the standard farmsim fare of just giving everyone their favorite item every day, though that option is still available as well. While speaking with both potential love interests and the supporting cast, you can choose to hang out, which uses time as a resource to do various activities. Just like with giving gifts, each character has different things they like to do, with more options unlocking as you get closer and learn more about them. It's a much more natural way of getting to know someone, and several interactions don't just include cute little animations, but also some short dialog scenes, such as having a discussion over dinner or cuddling up while sharing an umbrella that's maybe a little too small for two people. It’s left me wanting this socialization dynamic for future Rune Factory games and wishing for it in past games - we’ll have to wait and see if it makes a reappearance.

One of the best qualities for how the characters are handled is probably just that almost everyone gets to participate in the overarching story to some degree. This review is aiming to generally be spoiler-free, but suffice to say that it's probably the most memorable and well executed story in the series and hovers around a minimum of 40 hours to complete if you still do a bit of farming and socializing between objectives.

Closing Thoughts

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is a wonderful, unique entry in the series, and very possibly the best so far. While it does do a lot of things differently, the new ways to play are fun and show a lot of promise if they continue to take the series in this direction. Whether this is your first Rune Factory or you're a long-time fan, this is a must-play for fans of the genre.

Additional coverage and a second review that includes more focus on PC and Steamdeck performance will be shared soon.

Review codes provided to Ranch Story staff by Marvelous USA and Marvelous Europe.

#story of seasons #rune factory #guardians of azuma #rf goa #rf: goa #goa #rune factory: guardians of azuma #nintendo #nintendo switch #switch #review #switch 1 #farm sim #life sim

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whereispearlescentmoon · 1 month ago

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Hermit-A-Day Day 19: ZombieCleo

A reminder that these are both individual bits of writing that can be read on their own and supplemental material for my fic Glitch.

@hermitadaymay

Notes on the Player Known as ZombieCleo, Taken by the Admin.

Name: Cleo Tag: ZombieCleo Age: 45 Species: Zombie Season of Arrival: 2 Method of Arrival: Invited to join at beginning of the season Species Traits: Cleo is, unlike most of the players on the server, not in fact a hybrid, but a full zombie. At an indeterminate point which they have chosen not to share, Cleo was a human who died. Having already had some experience with necromancy magic in life, Cleo rose from the dead as a zombie via their own residual power. Unlike most zombies, however, Cleo was not a brainless mob, set on killing players. Rather, Cleo has full sentience and player abilities (breaking and placing blocks, using tools properly, respawning, coherent speech, and so on). They also do not burn in the sun, though they do make an effort to wear sunscreen with a high SPF due to her skin being more delicate. Due to having more longevity than a typical zombie, Cleo regularly has to replace parts of her body with fresh ones, using her necromantic abilities to meld these to their body. Typically, these are provided by other Hermits, as our server has unlimited respawns and thus the loss of an arm or spleen is not sorely mourned. Observation has found that Cleo's respiratory and digestive system function normally, if a bit slower than a living player. Their resting heart rate is 20 beats per minute.

It is unclear why exactly Cleo has retained so many traits of a player despite being a zombie. It is possible that it is due to being animated by their own magic rather than the latent magic of the world. It is possible that is because Cleo was an active player when they died. It is also possible that Cleo is a fluke, a glitch. A welcome one of course. Admin Notes: Cleo's builds are always lively. In a literal sense of just the builds, Cleo has a propensity for building large animals or characters as part of larger structures. But of course, what Cleo is really known for is their armor stand magic. The kind of patience it takes for them to make the detailed models they do, often made of dozens of individual armor stands that are painstakingly posed and arranged, is insane. They have a creative mind that allows them to the potential of any item to represent something in an armor stand model. Flint and steel can be claws, shroomlights can be eyes, pickaxes can be wheels. Her skills are put to use populating their builds (and others, such as Scarland) with life and movement. Cleo has a dry and sarcastic sense of humor. They are rarely fully serious and often poke fun at fellow Hermits. However, all of this is done with affection. Despite their outward snark, Cleo shows clear care for the other Hermits and does not hesitate to praise their work, especially when they've used her beloved armor stand magic.

#zombiecleo #hermitaday

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whirligig-girl · 1 year ago

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Eaurp Guz Rocks!

WIP and details in the read-more:

This one had a bit of a false start. For the life of me I couldnt' get the motion right.

The gif's pacing was all wrong, the hair started out not moving so it wouldn't have looped right... it looked jittery... i just didnt like it. (she's lip syncing to "saturn five" by inspiral carpets in this one. i ended up not doing any mouth movements in the final one)

so i had a play around with some sine and -cosine charts to figure out where the body and hair should be. I ended up not really using the -cos chart for the hair and just kinda animated the hair to what felt right, but using the sine wave for the body position helped a lot, and it meant i could reuse several frames for the body animation (they would be differentiated by what the hair is doing of course).

This test image uses only 8 frames instead of 12 and looks a little clunky, both because of the smaller amount of frames and also because of which positions are shown in each frame. i also made a 12 frame version (like the final version), which did look a lot smoother, but i didn't save it.

applying a sine wave like movement to Guz's head and body and then fixing the arms resulted in a much more natural, consistent, and easy to loop animation.

so i added the hair jiggling and a little hand movement to imply scribbling in some shading. The hair jiggling is honestly the most fun part.

her body was too stiff, so i um. i made it um. jiggle. and um. yeah it uh. it was too much. lol.

so i basically just averaged it, frame by frame, with the previous version.

Doing the glitter/bubbles visible in the final version was a challenge. I decided that since the hair was moving so wildly, the glitter in it could be essentially random in each frame and it wouldn't really matter. But the glitter on the face had to track with her face or it would look strange. I solved that problem by drawing the glitter on the first frame, then drawing two white dots over the eyes, and aligning the dots with the eyes for every frame (which is similar to how I aligned the highlights).

finally, here's the "concept art" (which i repurposed for the first frame)

and here's the drawing of the Saturn V rocket Guz was making (which i showed in another post). And did you notice that the earphone she's using is the one Uhura uses in TOS? :)

Guz is enamored with the space exploration histories of many worlds, but the ones with large moons (or the ones that are large moons), are her favorite. Imagine not having to wait months for interplanetary maneuvering, or decades for close encounters with your coorbital giant planet.

#Eaurp Guz #Slimegirl #Slime girl #Star Trek #Star Trek Lower Decks #Lower Decks #Original Character #Lower Decks OC #stimming #art #animation #gif #music #dancing

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dock57 · 4 months ago

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{I’m going to blame Tumblr for this one- but this post WAS a reply to one of the Asks I got but, it seem to have remove the ask itself all together? So if the writing is odd, that’s because this was originally an ask reply.}

[I actually been wanting to talk about the animation of Monkey Wrench for some time. Apologize to the low quality video, Tumblr has a 5 MB size limit...

I record the beginning snip of when we first meet Shrike, because the detail to detail and the flow of movement in this scene is one of my favorites.

There are many reasons why I love Monkey Wrench, the animation is one of the main reasons why I got into this show.

At the time, I was really getting into the Indie Animation episodes that people were making, and majority of them being good, there was not one I saw that really spoke to me and what I enjoy. So when my friend mentioned Monkey Wrench, I am BLOWN away that this series was an Indie Animation and not studio created.

I know I saw Glitch Studio TADC before Monkey Wrench, and I love that one very much as well, but 3D animation isn't always my preferred style. Don't take that the wrong way, it has awesome animation and a very fun style, but I tend to be drawn towards 2D styles, as 2D artwork is just what I enjoy!

I could go on and on about the style of the show, but I want to try and stay focus on the animation itself to keep this post a tad shorter. I will say, I do not know a whole lot about animation and its terms, as its a spotty field I done little of.

However, I love the use of "short cuts" you might refer it to that is use to make the animation so slick and clean. From using smears to flashing, it really helps the animation to continue having this flow and consistency without needing to animate every little detail or movement. That shouldn't be a surprise though, as a lot of the artists who work on Monkey Wrench have great animation experience, but of course, Zeruel as well who has been doing animation for a long time- has a lot of experience in the industry too. The series has great timing and movement.

Like with episode four, I honestly forgot that the episode was suppose to be more of an "animatic hybrid." The animation was needed in where it had to be, on scenes that were focused, such as the fight scenes and when characters were speaking. If there were times if animation was "choppy" I never saw it or know a moment where the quality felt like a downgrade. It was still just as inviting and interesting like the last three episodes.

Also loves Zeruel's obsession with "floating" and "flowy" animation, such as the sheets in this snip, or when Beebs and Shrike are on their ship and the hair and tentacles on them are moving due to having zero gravity. I actually become quite memorized by that myself.

When I describe Monkey Wrench to others, I always say its like an early 2000s cartoon love letter, as in it reminds me of cartoons from that time, but, better. A refresh is sometimes another way I would describe it.

I will say that doing animation alone is. So time consuming and takes SO SO MUCH WORK. I done a few short like, few seconds animatics and my goodness, it took me a few days to finish those (though, this is coming from someone who also has ZERO animation skills as I have yet to take the time to learn it). So doing a full episode? Alone? That's a lot. Its SUPER impressive. Though, not ideal when creating a series... I hope Monkey Wrench continues to receive more funding so the animation can be distributed more, as well where the artists are paid nicely too!

The passion is incredible... So I hope that more can join along the "Monkey Wrench" crew and continue animating and creating the series! Monkey Wrench is by far, the series I really really would love to see continue on as I am very invested in its story and characters.]

#indie animation #indie cartoon #indie animated series #monkey wrench #dock57post #adult cartoon

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unyandere · 1 year ago

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Yandere jock x reader who is really into how to kill people with poison and therefore finds training the body useless

Tw: plants (the poisonous ones), mention of killing and murder, curses, yanderish behaviour (both me and you know that’s not the most triggering over here), bad English I guess, reader is… uh… like those little kids who love to tell people how they would be able to kill them in extreme detail for no reason whatsoever

In need of more unhinged parodic stories? Check out the MASTERPOST ✨✨✨

At school you were more or less a loner, no friends, teachers always forgot your name, are your lunch alone,… Yeah, you spent most of your time at school inside the library, reading books about murders and poisons.

Poisonous plants and animals had always been one of your many passions and the librarian, knowing you as well as your mother had known you, always kept some new books about plants and animals for you.

One day as you were reading about the atropine contained inside many plants and its uses you caught the eye of one of the school’s top football players.

At first he came up to you, sat beside you and looked at you while you were reading.

He was hypnotised by your beauty, your elegant movements, your oh so cute shyness,… As he set his eyes on you he decided you two would have some fun together.

“Hey hun~ Wanna… ya know?” He said pointing at one of the doors that lead to a utility room.

You lifted your eyes from the book and looked at him straight in the eyes.

“Getting inside a small room with someone you don’t really know just because of an high libido is one of the most common ways to get killed” you answered looking at him coldly

“And how would you kill me? You don’t look like someone with muscles~ You don’t really look like someone who could beat me up~” he said walking behind you and grabbing one of your arms.

“There are countless ways in which you could get killed without the use of muscles” you answered jerking your arm away.

He got closer to you, he sniffed your hair and touched your neck.

“Reeeally? And how would you kill me?” He said smiling at you, putting his hand under your chin and lifting your face up to him.

“Well I could poison you with berries by putting one berry in my mounts and slipping it into yours during a kiss, I could put some rhododendron leaves in my pocket and scratch your skin as you get close giving you some of the nastiest infections, I could put some hemlock in my hands, cup my hand above your nose, make you breath some hemlock and kill you slowly and painfully,… and these are just some examples of how I could, and would, kill you” you answered briefly.

The jock looked at you in the eyes, for a moment his smile disappeared and he stepped back a little.

But just as soon as you thought he’d finally leave you alone to read, his smile reappeared and he got as close as he was before.

“Well, couldn’t I kill you in just as many ways with my hands?” He whispered in your ear smiling at the thought of you under him asking for help.

“While the answer is yes, you would definitely get in prison for that because of the signs on me and everyone being able to testimony that you were with me at the time of my death making you the prime suspect, while I, killing your with poison, will not become the prime suspect because most poisons take time to start showing their signs and kill people so you would be able to meet more people before dying making them the prime suspect for your death instead of me” you explained crushing his dreams.

The jock smiled at you taking again a little step back.

“I… see” he mumbled trying to keep up his smile and think of something to answer you.

“But what if I… erm… didn’t care about going to jail?” He asked whispering, getting close to you again (to your dismay) and sniffing your beautiful hair thinking of you, scared, doing whatever he asked you.

“Well, you would be quite stupid! Getting to jail is no joke, you will have a much harder time finding a job after you get out of jail!” You answer apathetically.

“Then, why would you risk your carrier to kill me? Am I more important then your future?” He asked again smiling while touching you thinking of you giving up your whole life for him made him quite excited.

“No, I just know I wouldn’t get caught… I know what errors killers usually make, I just have to avoid those and I’ll be able to do whatever I want” you explained again.

You were starting to get on his nerves, if your cute face didn’t make up for it he would’ve already beaten you up.

“I see… And what if I force you to come with me, without killing you, and see me play a game just for you?” He said expecting some more scared response to that.

“I’d ask for a restraining order against you” you answered with a plain pretty apathetic voice.

“Yeah but what if-“ he was going to ask but you got up and walked out of the library leaving him alone.

#yandere x darling #male yandere #yandere x reader #yandere oc #yandere x you #yandere #parody

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life-in-toontown · 12 days ago

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It’s truly a tragedy how much Toothless’s design has devolved throughout the HTTYD franchise

How to Train Your Dragon

The og. The king. The man, the myth, the legend. One of the greatest character designs in character design history, possibly the most unique and creative dragon design in all fiction with his beautiful markings based on the spots of a black panther and his ear nubs like an axolotl. The attention to detail on him in the film is perfection, such as giving him scars after being shot down by Hiccup and even adding specks of dirt on his skin.

He’s also very expressive while still feeling animalistic, a perfect blend of both a frightening and dangerous predator and a playful, adorable friend.

How to Train Your Dragon 2

Clearly a whole new model, there’s several negatives but overall pretty good. My favorite thing is that they added subtle changes to show that he’s aged, such as his nose spikes (sorry I’m tired and can think of the proper anatomy term lol) being longer and new little nubs on his chin.

Now the negatives…his beautiful markings are less visible, his head is taller, more smushed in, there’s a dip in his lips, his eyes are rounder and closer together and he has large brow bones. The brow bones are expressive, sure, but was perfectly expressive in the first film without them. They make his expressions seem more human-like when he previously was able to still feel like an animal no matter how expressive he got. Aging doesn’t smush your skull in and magically make your eyes move closer together, so it’s clear the changes here were done to make him cuter and more marketable.

He’s also noticeably bulked up and as a result seems less aerodynamic than in the first film. Sure, you could argue this is another sign of aging, and I understand that argument, but Night Furies just feel like they’re meant to have that sleek aerodynamic build throughout their lives so idk what to think about this change.

How to Train Your Dragon 3: The Hidden World

MY EYES

Dreamworks really said “What if we took all the negatives from his first sequel redesign and dialed them up to a billion”.

His head is now even taller and has been mutilated into a bulky square, his eyes are now completely round with permanently dilated pupils even when angry or frightened (can’t forget to keep him cute for marketing!) and are now even closer together and forward facing with even more massive eyebrows to help make him look like the braindead, slobbering dog he’s become.

Also by this point his body language and expressions no longer feel like a real animal, his expressions and movements are either too human or animal-like but in an exaggerated, comedic way. Like I said above, he’s also become a “derpy no thoughts head empty” meme in both his mannerisms, personality and facial expressions. Seeing him devolve into the “animal that isn’t a dog acts like a dog” trope is especially sad since him having mannerisms inspired by felines and bats feels just felt so creative.

His aerodynamic build has been replaced by a bulky square beast and his beautiful markings have basically vanished. His velvety black color palette is gray now, his skin looks less textured and oddly smooth and he weirdly seems shiny (especially his face scales). A majority of his scars have also vanished as well.

The artists also clearly gave up on showing visible signs of aging. Spikes haven’t grown, the new nubs from the last film haven’t grown, he hasn’t grown any new nubs (true we don’t know how many nubs a fully mature night fury would have but it’s fun to speculate lol)…

Well, the positive side is that it can’t possibly get any worse, right?

How to Train Your Dragon: The Cashgrab

Mom can you pick me up I’m scared.

HTTYD 3 Toothless looks like peak character design compared to this thing. Hell, the friggin LIGHT FURY looks like peak character design compared to this thing.

This is uncanny valley Toothless. You can tell it’s meant to be Toothless, but something is way, WAY off.

From what we’ve seen so far, he’s no longer a brainless slobbering dog but he’s seen to devolve into the other extreme by being emotionless and soulless (which I guess is fitting considering this is a soulless movie lmao). He seems brainless again but in a different way; while HTTYD 3 Toothless was “DERP, NO THOUGHTS, HEAD EMPTY 🤪” brainless, live-action Toothless is “😐” brainless.

His skin texture also looks…slimy? The scales on his face are also gone. And yes, once again his beautiful markings are gone.

His anatomy is also fucked up once again. The awful head shape from HTTYD 3 is back, he has digitigrade legs now, his bat-inspired wings now look generic, his eyes are once again front-facing, his head is massive now and those damn brow bones are back. Weirdly enough he also has extra nubs.

His skin is once again dark gray instead of velvety black and his eyes are a VERY saturated shade of green which funny enough makes him look faker than the original Toothless. Overall the original animated Toothless looks more like a realistic animal than the new Toothless that’s meant to be the “realistic” one c

I’m sure there’s more to analyze about live-action Toothless but I’ve been typing this too long that my brain is begging me to end this post lmao.

Let me end this by saying that I’ve seen some people theorize that the reason Toothless’s markings disappeared over time is because night furies lost their markings as they get older (like lion cubs). Yes that would make sense but me personally I refuse to believe night furies ever lose their markings. The movies can’t tell me otherwise and neither can you.

#dreamworks #how to train your dragon #how to train your dragon 2 #how to train your dragon: the hidden world #toothless #night fury

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pianokantzart · 9 months ago

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When you pointed out the green lighting in the climax scene, it reminded me of how it seems like people who watched the Mario movie seem to think that it's either some barebones mediocre flick, or it's a cinematic masterpiece and I don't see a whole lot of inbetween. Partly because of your posts I'm finding new things to appreciate it with more with all those clever cinematography things that I never even noticed.

This movie deserves more credit honestly. I never understood why people think the plot was super thin when I'd say the story is at least on par with (and exceeds in some respects) the stories that Mario RPGs have.

In all fairness, the entertainment value of an RPG is based partly on gameplay, while in a movie the experience relies way more on the story and characters. It's easier for an RPG to get away with a thin plot than a movie.

The thing about many modern critics is they tend to focus on a desire to be challenged in some way; presented with novel ideas, unexpected twists, or new takes on classic tropes, but The Mario Movie doesn't really focus on that.

It gives you just enough information to connect with the characters, then proceeds to put all its focus on cinematically recreating the emotions you feel while playing a Mario game: exploration and discovery, fun/bouncy movement, fast paced action, and as much silliness as one can get away with without ruining a sense of stakes.

The movie pulled it off about as well as it possibly could, which is why it was such a big hit with its target audience.

Now, there are some things in The Mario Movie that are extremely unique. For instance, adult brothers who are intensely (yet healthily) attached to and protective of each other as the central focus? Not something I can say I've ever seen before.

And... this may not be a positive for everyone... but the main male and female protagonist growing closer over the course of the story but never really establishing a relationship beyond mutual respect? Given how almost every other animated movie I've seen that isn't a Miyazaki film has to force a romance by the end of its runtime, Mario and Peach's relationship was a huge a breath of fresh air.

But if neither of these dynamics grab your attention it's pretty easy to see the movie as nothing more than a silly romp with straightforward characters and a simple story.

But even as a silly little romp a lot of love and care went into the set pieces, the worlds, and the way the characters move and interact, as well as all the tiny background details and easter eggs. Say what you will about Illumination, but it is a company with extremely skilled animators and designers in its ranks.

So while the end result is nothing ground breaking, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is what it set out to be: just fun. Likable characters, funny jokes, beautiful visuals, and just a general good time.

#askbox #pixiedustandfairypowers #The Super Mario Bros Movie

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redthemarten · 4 months ago

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Omg I got rina recently with my standard five star picker and she’s so fun, I love her movement style a lot. Ngl the whole faction of Victoria housekeeping has some of my favorite playstyles (besides lighter whose my absolute fave, idk I love the boxing/fighting style gameplay he has)

Who has your favorite playstyle in zzz? :)

(ALOS SORRY I SEND SO MANY ASKS, if it’s too much just tell me)

ZZZ genuinely has some of the most amazing fighting animations!! And animations in general (even if some of it is overanimated). I know exactly what you mean with Rina, her whole movement feeling like she's actually a ghost is so fun! I also finally recently got Piper and, although I don't think I'll be using her a lot, I really like the way the physics of her using a big heavy weapon while she's herself very small are shown.

I am also biased towards Lighter, hehe. I love me my punchy boys, but honestly I think one of my favourites in his animation is his footwork. The little jumps he makes when dodging and all the details showing he's actually a boxer. I also love dual wielders and guns, so I like playing as Billy, but his gameplay is a bit more cranky (well, he's just an A-rank and one of the first characters, so it's okay. I would totally love to see an S-rank Billy, though. He should be Physical Anomaly).

I am also currently losing it over Hugo Vlad animation leaks, but I'll refrain from mentioning his gamplay until he's officially out!! And in my hands!!!! But boy is that vampire going to be a snack

#asks #zzz #doodles #I also kinda enjoy playing as Grace and Evelyn and of course my man LYCAON #Lycaon being one of the first S-Ranks I got was such a blessing I love him so #but I am actually scared to turn the game on and have his voice replaced........ please bring Nicholas back...................

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slashfic-daydreams · 4 months ago

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If the Slashers had normal lives, what jobs would they get? These are my headcanons:

Ghost - Movie director / Actor

We all know that Ghost has a huge passion for horror movies. As he grows up in this life, he would undoubtedly take the path of becoming a director or an actor. He will either produce movies of his own or act in theatres.

If he takes the job of becoming a movie director, he is actually very serious in the set. He makes sure everyone gets their roles, ensuring that each and every scene is perfect. Even so, Ghost can still be fun and humorous in the set, especially during breaks.

If he takes the role of being an actor, he is usually the star of the movie. His acting skills are flying over the roof! From his facial expressions to the sound of his voice, Ghost just executes it precisely. He can get a tad cocky, though. But he is still fun to be around.

Leather - Wildlife veterinarian

Alright, so this one is definitely obvious. It's confirmed in one of the latest chapters in the game that Leather likes to rehabilitate injured animals. If this is the case, then I think he is suit for taking the job as a wildlife veterinarian.

As much as I think he is also suitable for becoming an urban veterinarian, I just really prefer him as the guy who helps the wild animals. Not only does his muscles get stronger, but he gets to help more animals! He is probably the most fond of helping mammals and birds, and not much for amphibians. (That doesn't mean he will just leave them injured!)

Jay - Pediatrician / Kindergarten teacher

I have said in one of my headcanons that Jay is very good with kids. He also says that he would never hurt one, so I guess he would a great pediatrician or a kindergarten teacher.

If Jay becomes a pediatrician, I think he would be very gentle on the children. Knowing that kids are fragile beings, Jay will do his best to soothe the child and give them the checkup they need. He gives the child stickers or candies after the checkup. The kids are always excited to see their doctor again.

If Jay becomes a kindergarten teacher on the other hand, he is the perfect guy. He can balance being fun-loving and patient, suitable as a kid's mentor. Jay will teach them basic literacy, help them develop their social skills, and introduce them to simple mathematics. During naptimes, the children will always take the chance to get Jay's forehead kisses.

Mike - Expressionist artist

Surprise, surprise! I bet you didn't expect this one. For those who didn't know, Mike likes to be careful in everything he does, confirmed in the Christmas Special. He secretly loves to draw, too, but it only appears as black scribbles on a page. If this is the case, then he would be a great artist of expressionism.

My knowledge in learning about impressionism and expressionism will come in handy here, hehe. There are many types of expressionism and I think Mike will excel in surrealism and dadaism. Going back to the fact that he likes to give careful detail, he is definitely going to put a lot of that in his artworks. Whether the people will see it or not, he is proud of it. His most favorite art movement is abstract, by the way.

What do you think of my headcanons? Do you have any of yours about their careers? If so, what will they be?

#slashfic #dorian slashfic #dorian #slashers #masked men #slashfic ghost #slashfic leather #slashfic jay #slashfic mike #slashfic headcanons #slashfic imagines #dating sim #headcanons #imagines

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kittygamer2888 · 5 days ago

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[One Piece chapter 1152 spoilers]

Well...

You know what they say....

Like father like son.

SO- I AM SO SORRY J DIDNT COVER LAST CHAPTER PPFFNRJD BUT HERES A RECAP:

• We learn the rules of Othello- I mean Imu shows the rules of their own powers-- apparently from what I'm getting (and from what other people are getting), the way that Imu turns giants into these demons is if 2 of said demons are standing next to a regular person on both sides, so with the regular person standing inbetween these demons, they get flipped and turn evil like them.

SO UHM... GUYS, DO WE STILL BELIEVE THIS IS A DEVIL FRUIT???? This screams like dark magic to me ajhsmdjdnd

(Fun Fact: Robin was also seen playing Domi/Othello with Zoro in the One Piece anime Opening 12. So uhm..... COINCIDENCE?? Yes. PPFFTTNRJH

And that scene I believe was a recreation from one of the color spreads from the Manga, so uhhhhhhsgfnf COULD JUST BE COINCIDENCE-)

• was NOT expecting Qilingham to look like TH A T. I was imagining them with like.. A clumsy or goofy demeanor, but the moment they stop being in their zoan form the design makes things change everything about them in an INSTANT, holy fuck😭🙏

Looks fire tho, lmfao

Bro looks emo and a badass🔥🔥

• Instead of swimming in the air for movement, Chopper decides to kick his feet like G5 luffy in the air just to get to Gyaban😭🙏

JDKDNFFM that's crazy, lmfao

Both are safe tho, Chopper used guard point to break both of their falls💥

• not sure if this is something we should pay attention to, but a detail that caught me a bit off guard was how perplexed Luffy was when he sensed Chopper and Gyaban falling... observation upgrades, perhaps? Cus I doubt it's the Voice Of All Things--

• Luffy also finds out that Gyaban is Roger's left hand man

• and then Imu sends it's dominance haki from the Sun Realm to the Real of the Dead, so uh.... with the scale of Elbaph, I think this haki might just reach more than Joyboy's, but who knows?

-End of recap.

....we good?

OK.

GUYS.

EVERYONE CALLED IT😭🙏

THE VERY THING THAT NEEDED TO BE ASKED HAS COME TO FRUITION

Who knows if he actually will in the end, though...

But if he will, will... will we get a Sunny upgrade???👀

Sunny's been through a lot, here's to us hoping she'll get another makeover or have a lot more space for an upcoming crewmate!! :0

AND I LOVE THESE NEXT PANELS OML😭

The amount of trust Luffy has for Loki is insane

AND NOT ONLY THAT BUT BASICALLY WHAT HE JUSTSAID HERE WAS: "if you don't want him I'll take him :D" AND ADOPTED A BIG ASS GIANT I- C H R I ST😭😭

reason why I say whether if he really joins or not is cus, same thing happened with Yamato in a way. Yamato was going to join, though he changed his mind the last minute and stayed in Wano instead, so ye.

SPEAKING OF WANO???

THIS FINALLY GETS BROUGHT UP

HOLY SHIT???

LIKE... ITS ACTUALLY CONFIRMED, FULLY, AND NOT JUST A SAY IN WORDS IN THE KING VS ZORO FIGHT, THAT ZORO HAS CONQUEROR'S HAKI NOW

and the fact that it's an untamed one just kinda speaks for itself, Enma you wild beast of a sword😭🙏

I like how Zoro didn't even take into account until now that he actually had it even though it was told to him in the fight with King back in Wano, bro was too in the moment to care at the time😭

Severely wounded too, so makes sense--

Though, the fact that Conq. Haki is the Gods knight's weakness (or im assuming it is) is pretty interesting, and it definitely hurts them.. but the whole thing of them being immortal is a whole other thing.... (unless I'm understanding it wrong)

Also also...

THIS?????

THISSSS???

....

Bro was framed...

CALLING IT RIGHT FUCKING NOW

HE. WAS. F R AM E D.

MANY PEOPLE WERE ALSO THINKING OF THIS TOO

HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT HOLY SHITNRKFF

AND DONT YOU FUCKING SAY THAT I AM NOT GOING TO IGNORE THIS EITHER.

SHANKS???

WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS MARK SHANKS????

Bro.... I swear.... if this is what Shanks meant when he said it's time for the new generation to take charge or whatever he said.... (in like a flashback between Mihawk or Whitebeard, I think, back in the older pages/episodes of One Piece)

If this is why Shanks no longer has contact to Marijoise... ALL BECAUSE HE SACRFICED THAT ARM WITH THE MARK FOR LUFFY

PL E ASE

THIS GIVES THE SCENE WITH SHANKS SAVING LUFFY SO MUCH DEPTH IN TERMS OF SHANK'S CHARACTER

HOLY FUCK

I can only imagine that Shanks was set free from having that mark on his arm... because I assume that it's bad, IT LOOKS LIKE THE W.G SYMBOL BUT WITH A CIRCLE.

IS THIS THE ABYSS MARK THE GODS KNIGHTS HAVE OR IS THAT JUST VIZ HAVING TRANSLATION ISSUES??? WH.. ok no, it probably wouldn't be that easy to get rid of either way, BUT STILL- it's possible it could just be to identify whether if a person with a tattoo like that is from Marijoise and if they come from a very important..... family...

....

FUCKING..

G A R L I NG.

Real question is.. for how long did he have that tattoo on his arm? I can only assume since birth, but who knows really--

AND WE ARE NOT IGNORING THIS EITHER-

Talk about Father and motherfuxking SON-

HARALD, WHAT THE SHIT???

THIS WAS HUNDREDS OF YEARS AGO, SPECIFICALLY 109 YEARS BEFORE THE DAMN PRESENT

HARALD LOOKS LIKE HE WAS AN ASS AT HIS 40'S☠️

So we can only assume, something must've happened between him and Imu that involved Elbaph to turn into the way it is now, because the way it's been said how Elbaph is now learning to be at peace instead of being at war or fighting all the time for honor implies to me that.. they had no choice but for Elbaph to turn out this way so Imu could lose at something, not sure what, but something happening at that time that resulted to the W.G not ruling over Elbaph as much (I think)

Holy shit, though... this chapter was.. kinda shocking in terms of lore ngl

Was not expecting for Harald to be like that, but hey, Loki's gotta get his attitude somewhere, especially since Loki and Hajrudin don't exactly have the same mothers..

Edit:

AND NO BREAK NEXT WEEK

#one piece #manga #anime #one piece 1152 #one piece spoilers #kit's ramblings

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pearlisadollgirl · 21 days ago

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Ginormosia: The Most Baffling Feature I've Seen In A Long Time

I recently played through the entire main story of the newly released Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time. I have some thoughts, many of them good, many of them bad, but few of my thoughts are as passionate as my feeling that the game's open world exploration mechanic, Ginormosia, is the single most baffling feature I've seen in any video game in years. I'll put a cut below for anyone who doesn't want negativity or spoilers about the game, but if anyone wants to see my insane ramblings, feel free to click through and see the mental breakdown I had attempting to wrap my head around why this feature exists.

A Starting Point

For the sake of full disclosure when talking about this, I want to state that my relationship with open-world designed gamed is rocky at best. While I do like Horizon: Zero Dawn, I don't like Horizon: Forbidden West. I like Middle Earth: Shadow of War, I dislike Breath of the Wild. I enjoyed Infinity Nikki while I played it, I was profoundly mixed on Genshin Impact. I wouldn't call myself a fan of open world games, but I don't hate them either, I'm trying to approach this from a balanced perspective.

I'm going to be breaking Ginormosia down mechanic by mechanic to fully detail why I find the mechanic not only to be bad or unfun, but truly bizarre in a way that makes me ask one massive question: Why the hell is this even here?

Exploration

The most fundamental aspect of any open-world experience is that of exploration. At the end of the day, everything else in these games folds in to exploration, the feeling of discovering something new, getting distracted while on the way to an objective, even the simple act of crossing the terrain is part of the experience. The appeal of Breath of the Wild is to run across Hyrule and serendipitously stumble across shrines, koroks and bokoblin camps while swimming, climbing walls, gliding, riding horses and shield-surfing. In all of these ways, Ginormosia flounders.

Let's start off with the basic fact that you literally cannot look up. Fantasy Life i is a slow-life game, or at least wants to be, and as such sticks to a top-down point of view camera angle not unlike Animal Crossing. For the main game, this works perfectly, but in an open-world environment, not being able to look toward the horizon is a massive hindrance.

Trying to spot the game's Googly Eyes, the staple "giant tower that gives you a map of the area you're in" is virtually impossible until you're right next to the building in most circumstances because you can't look toward the horizon to spot them standing above their surroundings. There are some regions mountainous enough that you can climb up and look downward to survey the landscape, but that's not a universally available solution by any means. This problem is even worse when it comes to the 'Shrines' which are intentionally put in places off the beaten path. They're large buildings that literally glow but you literally cannot see them in the distance you just have to wander until you stumble into them.

Luckily, finding resources and enemies isn't as much of a hassle, as once you've managed to bumble your way into a region's googly eye, they're all marked on the map and you can set waypoints at your leisure. There's also five tiny NPC villages out in the world, but they also get marked on your map so they're fine, too.

Of course, the fact that everything is immediately marked on your map means there's nothing to discover, either. Once you've found the region's googly eye, the only other thing there is the 1 or 2 shrines per region, and if you're really lucky you're in one of the three regions in the game that possesses a hidden "dungeon" somewhere, only one of which is particularly interesting.

So there's not much to explore, but is it at least fun to traverse the environment? No, not really. Your movement abilities consist of: Walking, running, or riding a mount, the latter of which is the fastest and comes with no downsides so you're always riding a mount. There's also climbing, but it consists solely of walking up to a wall and just scaling it with zero effort, regardless of how tall the wall is. There's no gliding, all of the mounts are identical, there's no alternate methods of traversal, no boats, no trains, no nothing. Again, this works perfectly fine for a slow-life game where you're spending most of your time running around streets and visiting NPCs, but if you're trying to enjoy an open-world experience, this shit gets tedious FAST.

The World

So the exploration process is a dud, but is the world itself at least interesting? Well, to be absolutely fair to the game, it definitely has its strong points. For one, the entirety of the continent of Ginormosia is shaped as a big ol' dragon, and that's cool. It's not groundbreaking, mind, fantasy continent shaped like a dragon has been done before numerous times, but it's still fun, I'll give it that.

Additionally, the way the player is introduced to the continent is quite interesting. The player starts in Western Dryridge Desert, the tip of the dragon's tail, a locale unlike any other seen in the game with unique ore, trees, and even some unique monsters. Progress toward Eastern Dryridge Desert, the upper part of the tail, is mandatory, but is prevented by a region-specific mechanic of hot red sand that the player needs a mount to cross, so you set about getting a camel to cross the desert with in a brief sidequest.

And then... there's... well... virtually nothing. The rest of the continent is mostly composed of rolling grasslands and forests, one region comprising the dragon's lower jaw is a series of islands, and there's a couple rocky valleys that make up the rest of its head. The only other places of particular interest are the story-relevant castle in the center and the volcanic landscape, the Moltana Wastes.

After you leave Dryridge Desert and head north, none of the new areas possess unique resources of any kind, only the Moltana Wastes contains any enemies not found elsewhere in the main game. Hell, a massive portion of the world map is dedicated to giving you oak trees and copper ore, the basic starting resources you'll outgrow almost the moment you leave the tutorial area of the main game.

And that unique hot red sand you needed a mount for? There's two patches of it in the entire game and none of the other regions have any regional mechanics. That is, unless you count the fact that only one of the regions actually possesses vegetables you can harvest with the Farmer Life because of a context-less farm that exists in the middle of nowhere with some crop patches up for the taking.

The only landmark I found particularly interesting exploring the entire map was a skull-shaped lake I found up on a mountain and thought was cool. Then I found the same lake copy-pasted twice more elsewhere on the map and it lost its magic immediately.

Collectibles

I think I've made my case that Ginormosia is built on some pretty shaky foundations by now. It's an open world experienced glued onto slow-life gameplay with a largely empty and mostly uninteresting world, but I still haven't touched on the main thing that would drive a player to explore these locales and engage with these mechanics: the collectibles. All in all, there are four types of collectibles located within Ginormosia: Legendary tool recipes, Strangelings, Cashnuts, and Leafes.

Legendary tool recipes are pretty inconsequential, so much so that I nearly forgot to include them in this part. They're just these podiums you walk up to and collect the recipe for a piece of end-game level gear. They're not super relevant as you're almost certainly not getting the materials for them until pretty deep into the post-game and are pretty much entirely extraneous given that you're pretty much all-powerful as is by the time you can make these things.

Strangelings are by far the most important of collectibles in Ginormosia as they actually have bearing upon the main game. For those unfamiliar with the game, Strangelings are magical objects that are actually remarkable people who had their life-energy stolen from them, they act as NPCs and party members back in the base game once revived. There's a Strangeling in each of the Shrines I mentioned earlier and in each of the five NPC villages, plus an additional pool of Strangelings hidden in places around the content, some hidden well, some out in the open. I don't have much to say about them because they're kinda just okay. They serve their purpose as rewards for doing Shrines and visiting towns, and finding the hidden ones can be decently fun.

Cashnuts are the primary currency of Ginormosia. Unlike the base game which uses golden coins given the charming name of "Dosh," Ginormosia NPCs demand to be paid in acorn-shaped currency instead. Now, disregarding the fact that "Paycorns" was right there, Cashnuts are mostly inoffensive but also feel almost entirely irrelevant. Cashnuts are rather scarce, mostly obtained through Area Challenges (I'll get to it) and through selling vegetables at NPC villages, neither of which give more than 5-10 at a time. That said, the only thing really worth buying at any NPC shop are the crafting recipes as everything else is available for the very plentiful Dosh currency back in the main game. The price for these tends to be in the 50s and 60s but without much else to spend them on and the total number of recipes available this way being rather small, it really doesn't take too much grinding to get what you need.

Lastly are Leafes, the collectibles which are somehow the most difficult to find and the least rewarding by far. There's a total of 75 Leafes hidden around the map, 5-6 per region. They're little plant guys and the act kinda like this game's equivalent of BOTW's koroks. Unlike koroks, though, you're not solving a tiny puzzle to find these guys, no, they're all buried in the ground with only the little sprout on the top of their heads poking of the ground and you've gotta pluck them out to rescue them. Now, in rocky areas like the Moltana Wastes or the sandy terrain of the Dryridge Desert, these guys stick out fine enough, but the majority of Ginormosia is positively lush. Verdant plains, abundant forests, sunny valleys, tropical isles, brimming with foliage and flowers. These features make the game pretty, but they also make finding the specific tiny sprouts that stem from a Leafe's head absolutely nightmarish. And your reward for finding these little guys? A scant few of them give unique crafting recipes, the majority of them give low-tier consumables or easily crafted furniture, and a large number have the audacity to give you a singular Cashnut for their release from their Earthy tombs. You do get an additional reward for freeing every Leafe in a given region, but they're only moderately better than the individual rewards. I freed all 6 Leafes in Petalwing Forest and my rewards was ten Cashnuts so I'm basically a billionaire at this point.

Shrines

With the broad stuff out of the way, I want to take a few more paragraphs to talk about the truly Ginormosia-exclusive mechanics before wrapping up this rant. I want to start with Shrines because they are in my opinion the strongest of these mechanics. Now if the name "Shrines" made you wonder if these are essentially just the Sheikah Shrines in Breath of the Wild you'd be dead on the money, that's exactly what they are, they don't even pretend to be anything different.

Shrines can be split into three categories: Puzzle shrines, gathering shrines, and combat shrines. Gathering Shrines are the rarest of the lot, as a single one exists for each of the Woodcutter, Angler, and Miner lives, and they consist entirely of a time-limited trial to fell/fish/mine a set of resources in a short time limit. Combat shrines are the same except you're dealing with waves of enemies on a time limit. Puzzle Shrines are by far the most common, and consist either of puzzles where you have to cross a path of coloured tiles without ever stepping on the same tile twice, or a three-round game of Simon Says.

That's really it. Besides the annoyance of finding the damn things because, again, you cannot look up, they're kinda bland, but they're a fine distraction and a break of pace. The Puzzle Shrines are the game's sole source of puzzles, anyhow, save for a couple bits which are literally just Legend of Zelda Lost Woods gimmicks. I don't have anything more to say other than these are a decently engaging source of Strangelings.

NPC Villages

Dotted across Ginormosia are the five NPC villages, tiny settlements of friendly monsters who you can talk to and do business with. That description, simple as it is, actually makes them sound more interesting than they really are.

Each village starts with you doing a "savior quest" for the town, the majority of which are just "beat up a group of angry monsters" but there's also "clear out this landfill of ore with your pickaxe," and "chop down these trees that sprouted out of nowhere." After that, you unlock the rest of the village which consists of three things: a pair of crafting stations, a tool shop with a completely unexceptional inventory save for a small handful of unique furniture crafting recipes, and a leader NPC with a trio of sidequests that ends in them handing over a Strangeling.

Before you get your hopes up that these sidequests might be interesting, two of the five towns just ask you to beat up a progressively escalating series of monsters while the other three just ask for small amounts of easily craftable items in small quantities. The sole difficulty I ran into was the questline in East Dryridge Desert, because that required an Alchemy recipe I had to go and buy from an NPC back in the main game. Riveting stuff.

Once you've completed the associated questline in a village and bought out the shop, the only purpose they release serve is as fast-travel points, as crafting in Ginormosia is one of the least convenient places you could possibly choose to craft given the lack of available merchants.

Area Challenges

The last of the major Ginormosia mechanics is Area Challenges. At random intervals, a small portion of a region will light up with an Area Challenge, beckoning you on the map to come over and do a simple challenge for a small reward. Area challenges can be anything from fighting a small group of enemies, to harvesting a small group of resources, to fighting a small group of enemies and a boss, to even harvesting a small group of resources then fighting a small group of enemies and a boss.

The only challenge that breaks the mold is the "Watch the Race" challenge which, I swear I'm not kidding, entails you sitting down and watching a pair of monsters briefly reenact the fable of the tortoise and the hare, ending with the hare spontaneously dying of shock and granting you the challenge rewards.

There's also a second type of Area Challenge, the "Legendary Challenge" that pops up after you've completed a certain number of Area Challenges in a single session. Legendary Challenges cause a special legendary fish, tree, ore vein, or vegetable to will itself into existence somewhere on the map waiting to be harvested. These things are extremely tough, to the point that you can only really hope to succeed in these challenges if you're geared up in high-quality post-game gear.

The resources dropped by these challenges are the only way to make those legendary weapons/tools I mentioned earlier, but they're scaled so insanely high that once you can pull off a Legendary Challenge, you just don't need those pieces of equipment anymore. There's no point bothering with these unless you're deep into the post-game.

Conclusion

Finally, I think I've made my case. Ginormosia is a mess of poor decisions, bad mechanics, unfun gameplay, and bland ideas. It's my opinion that it was added purely in an effort to pander to a crowd of RPG fans that have grown to expect open-world gameplay as a default in a post-BOTW world.

In truth, there's plenty more I could've gone over, I skipped over some minor mechanics like mimics and how they're an entirely unnecessary pile of loot that exists solely to pretend that the Treasure Groves (a mechanic in the main game that I am also not very fond of) aren't just an infinite source of resources and EXP. I also didn't touch on how many mechanics are completely disallowed during multiplayer Ginormosia sessions. Ultimately I couldn't cover everything not because it's impossible but because I just don't care enough.

Ginormosia is exhausting to think about at this point, and I thankfully got everything I wanted to say about it out of my system with this post. I think it stands as testament to how bland and disappointing I find Fantasy Life i to be in general, but that's a topic for another time, really. I hope you, the person reading this, have a lovely rest of your day. I'd love to hear anyone else's thoughts on Ginormosia, particularly ones opposed to mine as I'm genuinely quite curious what the actual appeal to this thing is to people who aren't just mega-fans of open-world grindfests. (And why you wouldn't just play Runescape at that point).

I'm putting this post to bed. Goodnight.

#fantasy life #fantasy life i #the girl who steals time #ginormosia #jrpg #rpg #video game criticism #I don't like fantasy life i #I do like carla though #I'll give it that #carla is pretty good

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