#A lot of the side characters looked rather boring so I decided to redesign them a little | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

prismasartworks · 4 months

Text

Johnny Test: Power Up! - Show Concept

After seeing @mrultra100 's post about his rendition of the JT cast for Primal Eternity and @rominadrawsart15 about Ultimate Showdown, I decided to do a long followup/post about "Johnny Test: Power Up!" I've already explained about the characters, the new world and the settings of this spinoff in 5-6 posts, but now with lots of redeveloping and brainstorming, I'll give you the redefined concept of the spinoff!

But before I reintroduce the stars as well as the whole concept itself, I wanted to explain the reason on why I came up with the spinoff idea and why I wanted to make it official. My opinion is that Johnny Test has A LOT of potential to shine, but executive meddling from the studio, cutting the budget and overall the infamy from the Internet severely dampened the spark and ultimately became dead. And don't get me started on The Lost Web Series, where the animation looked stiff and cheap. Hell, even when the Netflix revival did some things right (though the theme song was not good), lack of attention and exposure basically sealed its fate indefinitely and extinguishing the spark forever. Which is honestly pretty sad for me, because it had some potential, that needed to be expanded. And this is why I came up with a rather BIG change to shake things up and reinvigorate the series with a cosmic bang!

What's the premise of the series?

So, here's the premise for "Johnny Test: Power Up!":

After a mysterious incident, which involved about a powerful machine and a big mistake, Johnny, Dukey, the sisters and many of their friends, loved ones and enemies, as well as a few strangers get teleported to an unknown galaxy very far away from theirs, inhabited by aliens, anthromorphic animals and a few mystical ones in a futuristic environment. For the main team, it will be in the planet, Lumina, specifically in a futuristc and colourful city, named Starfall City. From there on, the team have to go through (mis-)adventures to find the others, the lost memories and a way back home, while encountering new friends, who would help them along the way and fighting off bigger threats than they would ever imagine. All while forming a new bond, that would last through the cosmos and the chaos, while trying to survive in this new world.

Unlike the last iterations, it'll be a mix between serialized and episodic, striking a balance between the comedic Johnny Test side with some anime slapstick mixed in (i.E., making the characters even more expressive) and the more serious and dark ones, with emotional moments, plottwists and so on. The episodes will be longer though, somewhat between 16-22 minutes of each episode, with the exceptions being specials and movies, which are longer. The series will also take two years after the original and the revival (there has been debate about their ages in the revival, until I talked to Ultra about it), which means the characters will be older and since they will be in a new world, they would be redesigned to fit in the adventurous and stylish vibe. There will be also an in-universe explaination on how they got the redesigns. So, while some familiar elements will be there, an overarching story and a new coat of paint will provide some fresh air.

Let's meet the main stars!

While the cast will be a good mix between returning veterans and newcomers, the show will be mainly focused on the Test siblings, their pal Dukey and finally THREE new characters. The group of seven will be the heart and core of the show, with their own personalities, backstories, flaws, character arcs, etc. So, let's meet them!

Johnny Test (voiced by James Arnold Taylor) - The hyperactive and bright leader of his own team. When he was a kid, he just wanted ot have fun by any means neccesary, despite of how irresponsible he can be. He may be a lazy jerk sometimes, he does have a big heart and courage, which will later be very useful. As the years went on, the usual shenanigans bored him out of his mind, but one day, when he saw a video of some sick parkour moves, he was so amazed, that he and Dukey decided to train themselves some parkour. At the beginning, he struggled without any invention, but as time went on, he became better and better, to the point that he is known for his very quick moves, but also for his cocky attitude. Little did he know, that by the time, he would be mysteriously teleported to Lumina, he would face even more dangerous threats and bigger challenges, this fiery boy would ever imagine and even changing his life forever. On the bright side, this new world allows him to hone more of his parkour skills, while exploring the galaxy, meeting new friends and learning things along the way, which would change his perspective in a new way. However, that means, he had to let go of his old habits and mature, in order to be on par against his new and powerful enemies. When the situation is tense, his demeanor would change into a more serious fighter, willing to go even further beyond to protect his friends, his loved ones and his new home. And together with his best friend, Dukey, his sisters and his three new friends, they'll push through the danger for a better future.

Dukey (voiced by Trevor Devall) - The voice of reason and the sidekick of the team. An anthromorphic dog, mutated by Susan and Mary, acting as a older brother figure to Johnny, going along with him during their crazy adventures and many activities, with the recent activity being lots of parkour. Despite their close bond going for years, Dukey still freuqently expresses his concern and distain towards Johnny's less intellegent and more dangerous antics and is especially concerned about his health, when it comes to the latter being used as a guinea pig for the twins' experiements, either for finding a way back home or just out of curiousity, due to Luminian technology. After being teleported into Lumina, not only he and the others have to adapt in the new galaxy, but the situation made him even more stressed and anxious than ever. Didn't help, that one of the new friends, he made, is such a impulsive hot-head, who also goes through even more dangerous antics, which means he had to watch out for that. His friendship towards the Tests and the new ones will be tested time after time, as the threats would become bigger and more dangerous while trying to survive in this new frontier. But in the end, if the situation is tense, the mutt will swallow his fears down and stand up against the enemies, together with his best friends, while also learning important lessons along the way.

Susan Test (voiced by Maryke Hendrikse) - One half of the team's brains and a talented scientist. Always seen inventing stuff or swooning over Gil, along with her twin sister. She is known to think a lot more rationally and logically than Mary, but also less open-minded. So imagine her reaction, when not only she gets sent to a different galaxy, along with the others, but one of her new friends being a magical fairy (leading to Susan often being at odds against Serena, due to their beliefs and the latter not approving of her using Johnny as a lab rat, which is the reason, why the fairy dislikes the sisters) , one being a robot with a happy personality being built in and one being a teenage, alien snail, whose rage would make her look like a rational and calm person. On the bright side, the advanced technology allowed her and Mary to experiment on it, trying to emulate it, while also trying to find a way back home. Most of the times, they would fail spectaculary, but they're slowly learning. At one point, after seeing her little brother and Dukey doing some parkour, she and Mary decided to train themselves, in case if they have to take the situation themselves, not knowing that it would happen sooner than she expected, with bigger threats and higher stakes. Armed with smart glasses and many gadgets, this headstrong girl will make sure, that any bad guy wouldn't get away.

Mary Test (voiced by Emily Tennant) - The other half of the team's brains and also a talented scientist. Much like her twin sister, she posesses a high IQ and does everything with her sister together. Either inventing stuff, using Johnny as a lab rat or swooning over Gil. However, unlike Susan, Mary is more open-minded, empathetic, but less outspoken. Also unlike her sister, she is more open to more hypothetical sciences such as extraterrestrials and cryptids, which caused her to be at odds with Susan, but at least one of her new friends, Serena, likes her a bit more than her twin sister. After getting sent to Lumina, seeing the aliens and making friends with a fairy, as well as the advanced tech, made her more determined to recreate Luminian technology for more groundbreaking results. But because she is less outspoken, Mary is often in the background, while the others shine. This makes her yearning for the day, she would be in the spotlight. Unbeknownst to her, the day would come sooner than she expected. Fortunately, with several gadgets, smart glasses and a quicker pace, Mary would do anything to protect those, she loved the most and defeat the enemies.

Schalot (voiced by Brian Doe) - Despite him not really buff lookng (his body type is slim btw), this teenage, pastel pink snail is the strong and fast fighter of the team, ready for a fight. Described as a impulsive, sassy, moody, introverted (as well as chaotic), yet tough and direct individual, this guy is not afraid to show and speak up his opinions, in form of roasts and shouts to almost anyone. Always armed with a scepter, which has a plasma blade insjde that can pop up with the push of a small button and several throwing blades, he is known for his fast moves and devastating attacks. Heck, instead of running away, he wouldn't go down with a fight (though when he's too overloaded with panic, he would simply faint). His biggest character flaw is that Schalot is so sensitive and hot-headed, that even a slight annoyance would tip him off and he has trouble managing his emotions, due to a traumatic event (which was an alien invasion) at a young age, which lead to losing his parents (He would later find his siblings). In other words, outside of his tough shell is a very vulnerable and damaged person, yearning for comfort, company and happiness. But on the flipside, he is not a full blown jerk, as this snail is loyal and caring, like a big brother to the team, who's willing to protect them at any cost, despite him being the youngest of the pastel siblings. In the free time, he would be seen browsing on his phone, adoring cats and overall minding his own business with milkshakes and sweets.

Serena Rose (voiced by Shannon Chan-Kent) - A shy and timid, yet sweet and kind girl, who's at the same age as Johnny. She just moved to Porkbelly with her dad, when they were mysteriously teleported into a new galaxy. Feeling scared, she tried to find her dad, only to meet Johnny, Dukey, Susan, Mary, Schalot and Ziffy instead. (She will later reuinite with her dad) The amber/yellow eyed girl serves as the heart of the group, taking care of her friends and attempting to solve conflicts. During battle, she moves with so much grace and fluidity, because she did take gymnastics classes before. While she may sound like an average sweet girl to some, Serena is far more special than anyone else: She is in fact, a fairy! Inherited from her missing mother, she has magical abilites of flight with her pink fairy wings and casting spells, with a special necklace. Her biggest flaw is, she is too afraid to use her magic, due to an event, where after being corned by some bullies, her fear lead to an unintenional blast, which also hurt a few innocent people as well. Thankfully, after hearing her story, Johnny and the others will help her overcome her fears and embrace her fairy side, inspiring her to train her skills and use them for good. But be careful! If you commit crime and/or hurt her loved ones, be prepared to be the receiving end of a magical punishment.

Ziffy (voiced by Andrea Libman) - A small robot assistant with a very lively and happy personality, ready to help the team out on (almost) any situation, while also making new friends with a bright smile. So much so, that even in the most dire situation, they never give up hope and keep looking out to the light. They're also the glue of the group, often approaching with a neutral perspective and making sure, the team wouldn't break up, while also acting as a n assistant to the sisters. (Fun fact, they and the robots created the T-05 multipurpose communicators, that houses a special plasma tether, known as the Neolink, which allows the user to latch onto targets to pull them in, throw them around and so on. It can also be used as a rope or even a whip. The users can even combine their Neolinks to make a longer beam, a bungee cord or even a net for example. It's a very versatile tool for exploration, combat and utility.) . Despite their small size, they pack a lot of stuff, like many weapons, gadgets (ranging from practical and useful to outright ridiculous), etc, in case they would protect their friends in a dire situation, when they need their help. However, they have the tendency to overload to stress out and being too emotional, due to the programming and the AI not being perfect. Especially, when their friends, including their best friend, Schalot, would cause chaos. This would result in Ziffy taking breaks and recharging themselves during the night. Regardless of their flaws, if you are down, expect Ziffy to cheer you up with a smile and lots of fun!

Meet their allies!

Our heroes will not go through those adventures alone, as several allies, both new and old will assist them throught the journey. The newcomers will also serve to help the others develop, while also having their own arcs. So, let's meet the allies!

Mr. Black and Mr. White (voiced by Scott McNeil and Deven Mack) - Two undercover agents working for the General. While they try to do their jobs, most of the times, they fail out of incompetence, which leads to Schalot calling them "Agents Dumb and Dumber". But when push comes to shove, they will put extra effort against the enemies. The General (voiced by Lee Tockar) - The general in Lumina's Area 2.1. Being appointed out of pure luck, he would do his usual thing, which would make him at odds with his second in command, Cynthia, who is more serious. However, when the situation becomes serious, he wouldn't hesitate to go all out with the fight, even though most of the times, he and the army would fail against the most cunning villains. Cynthia (voiced by Nicole Oliver) - The oldest sibling of the pastel snail siblings and the second in command in Area 2.1. Unlike her peers, she takes her job seriously with her massive experience in combat and cold and strict demeanor, with some paranoia sprinkled in. One that, even Schalot himself is afraid of her on a bad day. On the flipside, the pastel green snail is a very protective and mature person, willing to sacrifice herself for her loved ones. Especially her young siblings, though she is protective towards her youngest brother, who is more reckless and impulsive.

Sky (voiced by Vincent Tong) - A pastel blue snail, who is the older twin of Melody. He is a very creative and generous being, who works really hard in form of his artworks and masterpieces. Sky is also protective to Melody, who can be a bit reckless, but not as much as his youngest brother, Schalot. However, being an artist would also leave him anxious and somewhat of a control freak, but despite all of this, his loved ones and friends would help Sky overcome his fears and bring out more inspiration. Melody (voiced by Kelly Sheridan) - A very lively and energetic woman with an eye for talent and fashion, since she is a musician and songwriter. This pastel yellow snail is known for her melodic voice, fashionable looks and positive personality. Being the youngest twin of Sky, they would often collaborate each other for many projects. Despite for being a drama queen, her heart is in the right place and truly cares for her siblings. Even though she is not a fighter, when the situation is tight and it involves her loved ones, she wouldn't hesistate to try her best to fight.

Sissy Blakely (voiced by Ashleigh Ball) - Johnny's old rival(/possible love interest?) and an incredibly confident, yet sissy girl. Often seen competing with Johnny, along with her dog, Missy, but this time, they would also often compete in parkour, since she saw Johnny and Dukey doing some sick tricks, before they were sent to Lumina, so the ladies decided to take up parkour as well. When she is not competing, she would try her best to adapt in this new world, until she finds a way back home. In the meantime, she would also have a mutual respect towards Serena, though she would (rarely) comment, if the two have a crush on each other, when the two are together, which both Johnny AND Serena vehemently deny out of embarrasment. Speaking of the latter, Serena would be confused on why they are fighting and would try her best to solve the conflict, even though the situation is far too complex to understand. She does come in a pinch to help them out every now and then.

Gil Nexdor (voiced by Andrew Francis) - A tall teenager with good looks and charm, that even girls and even boys would be fawning over. He's slightly smarter in the show and would even interact with the teenage residents in Lumina, after he got teleported there. He is still friendly towards Johnny and meets his new friends at the same time, though Schalot isn't impressed, due to his stupidity. But unlike his past iteration, he would have more depth to his character and be more interesting.

Herbert Rose (voiced by Brian Drummond) - A middle aged man, who is Serena's father. He is described as a quiet, yet smart and empathetic man, who tries his best to take care of his daughter, after his wife, Delia, went missing under mysterious circumstances. Prior to the incident, he and Serena just moved to Porkbelly and he was about to take a job as a teacher, as Herbert learned about education and psychology. Ever since meeting the Tests, everytime when there is conflict, especially that Serena became friends with the Test siblings, he would act as a mediator, trying to solve the conflict. Mind you, this doesn't happen that often, due to a busy schedule. But despite the new chaotic situation of them adapting in a new galaxy, he hopes, that maybe, Delia would be out somewhere, alive and well. Oh and he is aware about his daughter being a fairy (due to Delia also being a fairy) and is okay, but he is concerned about her safety. Bling-Bling-Boy (voiced by Lee Tockar) - A rich and snobby genius, who also got teleported into the new galaxy. As soon, as he learned about Luminian technology, he started researching about it and even incoorporate elements with his own inventions. Despite being Johnny's enemy, who is deeply in love with Susan, he does like his presence and even hang out with him and Dukey for fun times, even occationally teaming up with them against the other enemies and villains. In other words, he has a hidden soft spot for them and even Schalot, Serena and Ziffy, despite them interfering with his plans. Also despite the fact, that Schalot is not afraid to show his dislike towards Eugene, either by roasts or even attacks, which really annoys him.

Jillian Vegan (voiced by Maryke Hendrikse) - A very closed off and rebellious girl, who wants to build her own image and become independent, much to her dad's dismay. Arriving in Lumina away from her family would allow her to follow her dreams and later reuinite with Johnny and Dukey, while meeting their new friends at the same time. When Dark Vegan returned, tensions will grow, as Jillian tries her best to grow up and become more independent. Only time will tell, if she can achieve her dreams. Orion (voiced by Ian Hanlin) - A really wealthy, yet hard working, courteous and chill, lilac snail, originating from Nox, who is never afraid to show his kindness and generosity to the less fortunate. At a young age, he and his mom fled from his greedy and mean dad, who was running a company and went into hiding out of fear. Unfortunately, she became seriously ill and without any money for healthcare or even some form of help, passed away. From this point on, Orion decided to help the less fortunate and with the help of his friends, opened up a company, focusing on wellness products. At one point, he met Schalot, who was haunted by his own guilt, after his berzerk form nearly destroyed Starfall CIty and hurting his friends and loved ones and helped him heal and overcome his demons. His efforts worked, when the pink snail managed to stop Orion's father, exposing his shady tactics and saving the employees and other people from his grasp. Ever since then, he's been in touch with Schalot and became very close friends. But maybe there's more to this, than it seems... There will also be other characters, the heroes are interacting in Lumina, ranging from Spritz (voiced by Cathy Wesluck), an owner of a milkshake parlor, to various Luminians and other aliens. Most of them will be one-offs though, with some exceptions.

As for the villains, I already made a post, right here. All my points about them will still stand, apart from Terios being more chivalrous and noble.

What are the themes and goals?

As I mentioned before, the main goal of "Power Up!" is to flesh out the series in a new way, making complex stories and themes, while also keeping the good things about the series and eliminating its weakpoints, both the original and revival had. It also needs much more needed improvements, like better written characters, a more exciting and fantastical world or in this case, a new galaxy for them to explore, having mature storylines with higher stakes and lessions throughout the way, a connected storyline (i.e, finding a way back home, remembering about the past to improve themselves, etc.) Aside from Dukey, most of the characters are quite bland in the two official versions, so another goal is to flesh them out even more, learning more about the new frontier, while also slowly growing up, having more depth and having different morals and goals. This is also a reason, why I introduce those new characters. They'll help them flesh out even more with their interactions and stories for them to listen and learn. For example, Serena would help Johnny to be more considerate to his surroundings with her kindness, Ziffy teaching the sisters to be more optimistic and Schalot helping Dukey to overcome his anxiety. On the flipside, the veterans would also help the newcomers overcome their hurdles in their lives and mature, as the series goes on.

Also, it needs to be better paced, like even when the action will be fast paced, other times, it should be slown down, so that character development would blossom. Not to mention, remove the toilet humor, make the writing more mature and we have something, that can be enjoyed by everyone. That being said, in order to escape from the low-budget past, "Johnny Test: Power Up!" will have better and stronger writing, with three themes being symbols of their new mythos:

Unity - No matter the race and identity, everyone deserves to work and stand together for a better future. Friendships and famiies, as long as they're healthy and really connected, will stand strong against the odds.

Love - Whatever it is self-love, love towards your loved ones and many more, everybody had to embrace themselves to be unique and proud of who they really are. Not to mention, building up confidence and happiness.

Dreams - Even when the world is against it, never give up following for your dreams and keep fighting for it.

On top with those themes, the characters will be alot more fleshed out for this new frontier, with those inspirations for their looks, personalites, etc. listed here:

Johnny - Sonic The Hedgehog (Sonic Prime), his s1 and reboot versions with a few shades of the later seasons, several design elements from Sonic Boom, Luffy (One Piece), Michelangelo (both TMNT 2012 and ROTTMNT)

Dukey - All of his versions in the entire series, Luigi (Super Mario), Yuunagi Tsubasa/Cure Wing (Hirogaku Sky! Pretty Cure)

Susan - All of her versions in the entire series, Chi-Chi (Dragon Ball Z), Donatello (ROTTMNT), Musa (Winx Club)

Mary - Same thing for Susan, Amy Rose (Sonic the Hedeghog), Timmy (Winx Club), Sunset Shimmer (Equestria Girls shorts)

Schalot - Raphael (both TMNT 2003 and 2012), Escargoon (as a design inspiration) (Kirby: Right Back at Ya!) , Sonic the Hedgehog (Sonic Boom), a few aspects from myself (being an awkward introvert, a phone addict, sensitive side and being the youngest), Batman (but only for parts of the backstory), Strider Hiryu (Strider), Ichigo Kurosaki (Bleach)

Serena - Flora and Roxy (Winx Club), Nijigaoka Mashiro/Cure Prism (Hirogaku Sky! Pretty Cure), Cream the Rabbit (Sonic the Hedgehog), Clawdeen Wolf (Monster High G3), Liko (Pokémon: Horizons), Akimoto Komachi/Cure Mint (Yes! Pretty Cure 5 and Yes! Pretty Cure 5 GoGo!)

Ziffy - Pinkie Pie (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic), Navi (Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger), Frankie Stein (Monster High G3), Auriana (Lolirock), Smash (Power Rangers: Beast Morphers), XJ9/Jenny Wakeman (My Life as a Teenage Robot)

As I said, the premise of the show will take place mostly in Lumina. There will be times, they had to travel to other planets and galaxies for finding the others, doing some errands or just to take a break (Although evil wouldn't let them rest so easily of course, so they have to watch out.) The team will reside in Starfall City, a futuristic and eco-friendly city, filled with skylines, hover vehicles, glimmering fauna, elevators connecting ground and sky level, sleek buildings and many more, all connected with a combination of highly advanced technology and magic. Inspired by mega cities, like Tokyo, Zenith from Winx Club and the Y2K aesthetic, this city will be the new hub and playground for some parkour and extreme sports. Its residents are incredibly diverse with anthomorphic aliens and mythical beings, all with their own mythos and culture. As for Lumina itself, it'll have luscious and sparkling fauna with jungles, seas and so on. It also has a vere breathable atmosphere.

The show will be inspired by Sonic Synergy (basically a very early version of Sonic Boom), Sonic Prime, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Sonic X, Ratchet and Clank, Rise of the TMNT, Power Rangers, Winx Club, Danny Phantom, Glitch Techs, TMNT 2012 and several shonen elements, all while being influenced by the first season of the original and the revival in some aspects.

In conclusion, the themes, ideas, stories and mythos would help the series evolve and adapt to modern times, removing its weaknesses, while keeping the good things about it in a fine balance. This has been a dream project of mine, I really want to make it fully offical and have to keep fighting for it, in order to shine brighter than the stars.

More concept info coming soon and Happy New Year, everyone!

#johnny test #Johnny Test Power Up!#ramblings #spin off series #concept idea #concept #show concept #cartoon concept #futuristic #space #Dukey #Susan Test #Mary Test #new world #logo design #logo #new characters

10 notes · View notes

arethereanyoriginalusernames · 3 years

Text

Clairisse Redesign

Hey, as you can see, Clairisse got a bit of an upgrade. I’ve also reworked her story quite a bit.

If you’re interested in learning about this punk angel, feel free to keep reading under the cut.

Before we talk about Clairisse’s backstory, I should explain what angels are in this universe

Angels, like demons, are morally grey, immortal creatures. They are neither good nor bad, and they don’t concern themselves much with mortal creatures outside of work. The general view angels have of mortals is basically that they’re just things that exist, and then die. And that’s it. It’s a sort of unattached, matter of fact way of viewing the world.

In terms of work, angels are like lawyers. While demons hunt down and punish sinners, angels can actually step in and prevent someone from being taken to hell. Usually, this is by given them some sort of task or quest that gives them a shot at redemption. If they succeed, they’re forgiven. If not, down to hell you go. It’s a bit like a plea bargain, except a little more extreme.

Angels are raised in what’s basically heaven, and are kept in a restrictive, specific way of life. So, white robes, being these “pure figures of hope”, yadda yadda yadda. Once they reach a certain age, they’re allowed to go to Earth and do whatever the fuck they want. Some stick with the white robes and purity thing, but most go “alright, how ‘un-pure’ can we make ourselves?”This is because being an angel is really boring. They don’t seek people out to redeem them. People have to seek them out. And since angels are always just sitting around waiting for a job, they have to find some way to occupy themselves. They’re also allowed to choose their names. It works like this: “hey, I know we’ve always called you Bob so that we have something to call you, but hey, if you’re feeling more like a Maurice or a Karen, you go for it.” So a lot of angels have pretty... unique names. In Clairisse’s case, she got stuck between “Claire” and “Reese”, so she decided “Fuck it”, and smooshed them together.

Clairisse was also born with larger, white wings, but had them replaced. Bc yes, angels can do that. Her original wings were too large and just gave her back pain, and when the doctor asked what new wings she wanted, she decided “Give me black and glitter.” (I didn’t draw the glitter in the image above bc... look, I’m lazy, ok?)

Clairisse has always had an appreciation for edgy music, and a hatred for traditional music. Playing an piece of organ music is a sure fire way to get on her bad side, as she’s had to listen to that shit so much growing up that she can no longer stand it. She quickly grew attached to rock music as it was first emerging, and developed an appreciation for the edgier aesthetic brought about by the 90s rock scene. Mainly due to how exciting it all was, seeing people lash out against the system, starting scandals, bringing on a revolution.

She’s had several crushes on women in rock, but never acted on them as hey, they’re mortal, they’ll die anyways. She still nonetheless went to as many concerts as possible, both to watch performances and collect merchandise so she’d have memorabilia of these moments in time. Her biggest crush, however, was on Jadis, back when Jadis was a massive figure in the grunge/rock scene.

Jadis was attractive to many, Clairisse included. She had many songs about having sex or seducing people, which Clairisse already found pretty enjoyable. But then it was revealed that Jadis was a lesbian, which gave a bit of a different context to those songs, and Clairisse loved them. Not only was this new at the time, and rather scandalous, it made Clairisse’s pre-existing crush on Jadis develop further. She even started to miniature covers in her bedroom for fun.

Then Jadis was killed and revealed to be a serial killer, who targeted people high in the industry who were screwing over those with less power. Being an angel with the previously mentioned view on mortals, Clairisse wasn’t broken by this, but was disappointed to see Jadis meet an unfavourable end, and leave a legacy that would make her universally hated. Sure enough, Jadis’ music was quickly pulled from store shelves and radio stations, and her music could only be sold on the black market. Clairisse still kept her memorabilia of Jadis, and continued to listen to her work. She ended up researching Jadis’ life, as she was fascinated by what led to the musician’s actions. Again, with her view about mortal life, she wasn’t as concerned about Jadis killing people as most would be.

Five years after Jadis’ death, Clairisse had been performing at bars for fun, usually doing covers of songs she liked. Jadis had faded from public memory thanks to the media’s erasure of her existence, and Clairisse didn’t encounter any issues preforming covers of her songs.

Then, one night, she came across the last person she expected. She had sensed a demon nearby, and upon approaching to see who it was, to her shock, it was Jadis. Jadis had been resurrected as a demon, cursed with a life where she could see how little her actions did to change things, and how her life had been ultimately pointless. Meeting someone like Clairisse, who still remembered her, was a surprise.

The two started hanging out, preforming together at bars where nobody recognized Jadis. They didn’t develop a romantic relationship for a while however. Since the abuse and murder of Jadis’ girlfriend was what initially sent her on her killing spree, Jadis was hesitant to start a new relationship. With how she “failed” her love, she felt that it wouldn’t be justifiable to begin a new relationship.

However, both Jadis and Clairisse shared a feeling of being bored by the world around them. Clairisse was down for anything remotely exciting, and Jadis, rapidly developing a strong sense of nihilism, stopped seeing how it’d matter for the two to be an item.

What started out as them just living the old lifestyle of rockstars (booze, drugs, sex), however, started to develop into something more. Their relationship had initially been based on finding each other sexy, but as they would have deep discussions together late into the night, they both developed a strong, mutual appreciation for each other. For Clairisse, Jadis was someone who failed to change the world, who saw the ugliest parts of life, and who ironically helped her see the purpose and beauty of the small positives. For Jadis, Clairisse was a ray of light in an uncaring world, the one gift life had actually given her after years of being fucked over, someone irreplaceable and who she couldn’t exist without.

Their relationship is unexpected to those who know them, but, despite who the characters are, they ironically have one of the most stable relationships in the story. The two click, and give each other something to look forward to in life.

Personality wise, Clairisse is usually reserved and doesn’t talk much to people. When she does, she tends to be brash, and comes off as polarizing. She acts as though she has very little patience, and is always preoccupied with something. She exudes an air of confidence when preforming, and is very quick witted. She does now when to act more understanding to others, and it’s here that she shows that she’s very mature and intelligent. She loves speculating on topics and discussing uncertain things with others. She’s also an undeniable lover of gossip and conspiracies.

Power wise, she, like all angels, has cleric like powers, and is capable of creating miniature, separate dimensions that exist for a period of time. She also has the power to bless those with forgiveness, a blessing that protects them from demons

12 notes · View notes

danwhobrowses · 3 years

Text

One Piece 1000 - 10 Confessions as a One Piece Fan

Although we did the Initial Thoughts a week ago (a long week ago, damn) which you can read here I wanted to do something for the official release of One Piece’s 1000th Chapter At first it started out to be ‘10 things I wanna ask Oda that I don’t think we’ll ever know’ but I couldn’t think of 10, then I was gonna do a General opinion post about it, but didn’t want it to come off too negative. So I am settling on a confessions post, which will have elements of these anyway.

So as we have a happy 1000, let’s talk about some stuff I usually don’t get to talk about in One Piece

Note: There will probably be spoilers so make sure you’re up to date

10. Late Beginnings I think the first confession I have to have is that despite being older than One Piece I am unfortunately not a ‘Day One’ fan. In fact I think I mainly got into One Piece around mid-Whole Cake Island arc, before I had of course known about One Piece, it was a ‘Big Three’ anime after all but the most I knew about it was that they had a guy named Luff-y and another called Zorro, and it was about ‘Pirates who can’t swim’. My curiosity only developed when in a youtube deep-dive of anime clips I kept being recommended One Piece clips, and decided to give a couple a go. Most of them were Paradise arc stuff from the anime, the dub voices were mostly atrocious so I stuck to sub. I was happily surprised about the amount of fun and emotional weight these clips gave me, which led me to check where One Piece was as of current and backtrack from there (Ironically I did the same with Beastars). I did eventually get caught up around the time of the Mafia Meeting and I’ve kept up with each chapter since.

9. I mostly still prefer the Pre-Timeskip looks When I first felt this I thought it to be pretty controversial, nowadays not so much. I understand that Oda wanted to change the look for many characters but some of them did feel like a downgrade. I think the ones who got it worst was Franky, I think it’s the bulbous shoulders, Franky was no stranger to body horror from Enies Lobby to Sabaody but I kinda preferred that he still had a lot of his humanity rather than looking like an action figure. Otherwise I think Robin, Nami and Chopper had it bad, maybe Brook too but his was more fashion than design; the women in general took heavy hits by Oda’s proportion design - I mean I get it boobs are nice but proportions are what make them better - but Robin also underwent a skin color change in the anime, who pre-timeskip shaded her skin darker than in the manga and corrected it to match the manga, I think most of us would’ve preferred Robin to have kept the darker skin tone and possibly even the fringe, Robin’s hairstyle (and her fashion in general) can be hit and miss. I go to and fro about Nami, other than the general waist and bust adjustments I think it fits her character to use her sexuality a bit, she was no stranger to that pre-Timeskip, sometimes though I can’t tell whether I preferred her with short or long hair (Short was definitely better on Nojiko), I do think though that Oda could have her show less skin, she is still very pretty in outfits such as Water 7, Thriller Bark and even her fake pirate disguise in the early chapters/episodes. Finally with Chopper I think it was a bad move to alter the hat, that was a memento from his father figure Hiriluk, it’d be like if Luffy altered his straw hat or Zoro replacing Wado Ichimonji, I do also feel that the design for Chopper’s points while easier to draw don’t look as good, I think a lot of it is the scruff, or lack thereof in favour of smoothness, Walk Point is fine but Heavy Point, Guard Point and Horn Point seem less threatening, Monster Point especially too, in Enies Lobby he looked like a cave painting of menace and destruction, now he’s smoother and his scruff lighter so it’s not as good. The rest of the designs I’m quite fine with though.

8. I wish some markings stuck as well Tattoos and Scars seem to be optional in the One Piece world sometimes, unless it’s branded in molten heat like the Dragon’s hoof, Sun Pirates logo or an attack from Sakazuki. While Nami’s redesigned tattoo has stuck around and Luffy and Zoro’s scars persist, they are mainly character reminders/mysteries for huge moments in the story, and I kinda wish that some of the Straw Hats had littler markings, not just scars either. For instance, the Alabasta X on the arm, I really wish that stayed on each of the Alabasta characters’ arms since it was a symbol of friendship with Vivi, I also wish that Luffy kept the 3D2Y mark on his arm. In terms of scars though it would’ve been nice to see the characters a bit more battle-worn; Zoro’s ankle scars from Mr. 3 have faded and frankly he should be covered in little and long scratches given his fights with Mr. 1 and 2 years of Mihawk Training, Nami’s shoulder scar is hidden completely by her tattoo and she has no scars on her hand (from fake stabbing Usopp) or foot (from blocking Miss Doublefinger), Usopp himself could’ve used some small scratches because lord knows how there’s even still bones in his nose plus he was in murder island for 2 years, Chopper could at least have a small bald patch from when his shoulder was impaled and burned by Shura’s fire lance too, other than that there’s just Jimbei’s potentially missing shoulder scar from Marineford, though Oda has kept it obscured a lot so maybe that is still there. I understand why Oda doesn’t or forgets to, but it would’ve been nice if we lived in a vacuum of no time limits and whatnot.

7. Dead End Adventure is my favourite One Piece film I don’t know what it is, but Dead End Adventure just gives me the most fun out of the One Piece films. It has a good side plot and the side character Shuraiya was a blast of a character. Granted, Gaspard wasn’t too good of a villain side for actually harming the straw hat and his defeat was a bit underwhelming but the race, the settings it was all fun. It is not to say I don’t enjoy any other One Piece movies, I delight in the horror fuel of Baron Omatsuri - and that killer final punch - and Z’s tragic tale of a fallen marine, Strong World has that epic entrance to the party and Stampede also had some great team up moments and fantastic writing for Usopp and Smoker but Dead End Adventure always feels like the movie I could watch in any mood.

6. Skypeia and Fishman Island are some of my favourite arcs While I can understand the criticism of the Long Ring Long Land arc (especially since the anime dragged out the Davy Back Fight) it surprised me that people found Skypeia and Fishman Island arcs to be boring or less entertaining than previous arcs. Everyone has their preferences of course but I felt that Skypeia and Fishman Island were very powerful arcs especially with the theme of racism. Both had glorious setting design different to the common customs of the world we had seen, Oda made both Skypeia and Fishman Island feel very much lived in with its own budding culture and prejudices, with a villain who was dead set on destroying everything just to have their way. With Enel and his priests we were able to push several characters to newer limits, with Robin showing her fighting capabilities, Zoro learning his projectile slashes, Chopper having to endure fighting 3 priests and even Usopp growing all the more braver in the face of seemingly indestructible opponents and later gaining access to the dials. With Fishman Island it was different because it was basically a ‘flex arc’: where the main villain is meant to be a stepping stone rather than a threat but even then the symbolism of the enemy is what’s significant with them, the inherited hatred of humans. But at the same time we do learn new strengths from the crew; Red Hawk, the use of armament Haki, Skywalk, Hell Memories, Franky Shogun, Usopp’s pop greens, Nami’s weather eggs, Brook’s Soul Solid and his new DF power (which is possibly an awakening), as well as the first true steps of Jimbei joining the crew. The biggest strength of both arcs is the flashback as well, like Wano would in present time both arcs demonstrated that Oda can carry a story without his main characters and still keep it as captivating as ever, be it the friendship of Noland and Calgara, the tragedies of Otohime and Fisher Tiger or the life of Kozuki Oden and the man who would be Pirate King. And the impact of Fishman Island and Skypeia’s flashbacks both come back around in Dressrosa with the dwarves and Koala, and Fishman Island really does kick off the whole Yonko saga with Luffy challenging Big Mom, these arcs were definitely significant as they were entertaining with silly faces, strong fights, challenging themes, lorebuilding, good side characters and unique twists. And the overall message of healing from the past is still significant to this day. Through Wyper’s sacrifice and the Bell ringing to Jimbei giving blood and the Ryugu royals wanting to attend the Reverie, it is all very powerful stuff and while the arcs are similar in nature its their similarities that make me love them. Also the cover stories with Enel and Gedatsu on their own mini adventures are fun

5. I really want to know where Ghin is Ghin/Gin was such an interesting character in Baratie. Given that this was right before Arlong Park too so we had not seen a character conflict with different loyalties in One Piece until then, his gratitude to Sanji against his loyalty to Krieg created a fantastically complex character, but then he left and we didn’t hear about him ever since. Did he survive Krieg’s poison gas? Is he still with Krieg? One reactor of the episode said “maybe he’ll become the next Don” which was a concept I kinda really liked. The guy was pretty strong given that he had bested Sanji at that time, and since he didn’t appear in a cover story my mind does wonder. It’s not just Ghin either, a lot of the early East Blue characters kinda fell off the map; where is Morgan? Last we saw he was sleeping as he sailed past Jango, where is Kuro? For someone wanting to resume piracy after some years off he has been very quiet, where is Krieg? Only Arlong and Morgan were arrested and the latter escaped so the rest of these characters are a mystery. Recently in Wano I am still wondering where Law’s crew that he brought to Onigashima went, as well as Caribou - where is that slippery bugger?

4. Basil Hawkins is probably one of my Top 5 Supernova There’s something about that dude I gravitate towards, which makes it quite frustrating when the anime decides to add extra malice and creepy faces to him. Hawkins in Wano is still a victim, if anything he is simply a prisoner with better working conditions, if he thought he could survive escaping Kaido he would but he doesn’t so he won’t, he’s also gonna feel sore about Drake betraying him and letting Law cut him up, so it annoys me that Hawkins is seen like a villain. Not only does he have an extremely interesting Devil Fruit and creativity with it but he’s also audaciously confident in his fortunetelling, even Luffy ran from Kizaru at Sabaody while Hawkins looked at his cards while Kizaru was about to boot him to holy hell and said ‘nah I’m not dying today’, you gotta respect that moxie. At the same time though as a pirate he has that shades of grey element, he’s okay with letting some of his crew be disposable and we don’t even know to what end, he doesn’t look like a guy too concerned about being Pirate King or having riches. I also get a good laugh in that his hobbies are interior design, it makes me really want to see what the inside of his ship looks like. I think as a top 5, I have Luffy, Zoro, Law, Hawkins and then Kid, Bege, Killer and Bonney are not far behind with Apoo dead last because fuck Apoo. Kid and Killer are cool but I do feel like they need a bit more character, Bege earned some points in being funny and his care for his family in WCI and then there’s Bonney - I really hope we dig into Bonney’s significance, she feels really important and that mystery keeps her fresh whenever we see her. Drake too has only really started to become interesting because of SWORD, we could still see more fleshing but for now he is like bottom 3. It’s a shame Urouge has to be so low, he’s not bad but he’s not spectacular either, gotta admire his hobby of lovemaking though, you do you Urouge.

3. I don’t think that either of the ‘Most Beautiful Women in the World’ are the Most Beautiful Women in One Piece The in-world consensus seems to be that the Most Beautiful Women in the World are Boa Hancock, Komurasaki and Shirahoshi, and granted they are very pretty, but the most? Not for me. I mean, y’all know that Nico Robin, Nami and Vinsmoke Reiju exist right? Makino as well is stunning, as are Tashigi, Bonney, Margaret, Ishilly, Nojiko, Vivi, Rebecca, Pudding, Perona, Cosette and I’m sure a few others, realistically I think they could all give them a run for their money. I get how for those three their beauty is a plot point (Boa it’s drilling home Luffy’s obliviousness to it, Komurasaki it’s the swerve of her not being awful and for Shirahoshi it’s due to Vander Decken IX pulling the creep factor on her) but it would’ve worked the same way without the ‘world’ hyperbole I think. As much as Oda is iffy with proportions and rarely writes women with as much attention as the boys he sure knows how to make them attractive.

2. Some of my favourite individual Straw Hat scenes aren’t in Canon If I were to have a top 5 moments of each character, it may surprise you that some of it comes from movies or filler episodes, particularly Sanji’s flexing on Jessica in the G8 Arc (in fact, Jonathon is one of my favourite marines, T-Bone is in there too, but I don’t have room to fit that). Some are of course obvious because of how iconic they are but it does go to show that sometimes filler isn’t all bad. Since you’re probably curious: As a Group Goodbye Merry [Enies Lobby] Entering Shiki’s Palace [Strong World] Walk to Arlong Park [Arlong Park] Entering the Grand Line [Reverse Mountain] vs a Stuck Oars [Thriller Bark] Jimbei Giving Luffy Blood [FMI] Vagabond Drill on Big Mom [WCI] Leaving the Big Mom Pirates [WCI] Returning in Wano [Wano] Trying to argue with Luffy [FMI] Brook vs Chess Soldiers & Big Mom [WCI] Flashback [Thriller Bark] Breaking Mother Carmel’s Picture [WCI] Baron Corpse vs Dog Minks [Zou] Hysterically laughing at seeing Duval [Sabaody] Franky vs Senor Pink [Dressrosa] Playing with the Kids [Punk Hazard] vs Fukurou [Enies Lobby] Freedom Roller [Wano] Trapping Caribou in the Barrel [FMI] Robin I Want to Live [Enies Lobby] Clutching Spandam [Enies Lobby] Throwing Usopp under the bus [G8] vs Yama [Skypeia] Clutching Tequila Wolf guards [Amazon Lily] Chopper Monster Point [Enies Lobby] Flashback [Drum Island] Chopper Man (& Minoru Kazeno) vs Usobada [Chopper Man Special] Don’t blow the whistle: Immediately blows whistle [Skypeia] Dr Chopper the definitely Human Doctor not wearing fake glasses [G8] Vivi w/ Karoo (she counts okay!) Goodbye speech [Alabasta] Escaping Bon Clay [Alabasta] Karoo Digging Luffy Out [Little Garden] Luffy Fan Club Meeting [Reverie] Slapping Usopp awake [Drum Island] Nami vs Kalifa [Enies Lobby] Standing by the kids [Punk Hazard] Saying goodbye to Bell-mere [Arlong Park] Helping Luffy vs Cracker via Lola’s Vivre Card [WCI] Luffy WILL be Pirate King [Wano] Sanji ‘I needed a light’ [Skypeia] Flexing on Jessica [G8] Saving the Vinsmokes [WCI] O-Soba Mask [Wano] vs Doflamingo [Dressrosa] Usopp Alabasta speech [Alabasta] Awakening Observation Haki [Dressrosa] Sogeking Theme Song [Enies Lobby] vs Perona [Thriller Bark] Saving Luffy from the fire [Stampede] Zoro Nothing Happened [Thriller Bark] vs Ryuma [Thriller Bark] vs Mr. 1 [Alabasta] vs Gyukimaru & Kamazo [Wano] “He’s sweeping our floors that fiend!” Test of Luck [Loguetown] Luffy ‘On the Sea, you fight Pirates’ [Wano] Red Roc [Wano] vs Katakuri [WCI] Haki clash with Doflamingo [Dressrosa] Punching Saint Charloss [Sabaody] I will have to say that for some characters I could go to 20 so if one’s missing it may’ve just missed the mark, such as Usopp and Nami vs Enel or Luffy putting back a Zombie or Stealth Luffy, I mean it is 1000 chapters as well as movies and filler episodes/specials...

1. I’ve learned quite a lot due to One Piece Since my fascination started with a deep dive of checks, I did start to learn a hell of a lot more not just about the franchise itself (you know it’s almost catching up BATMAN on total sales, which has been around more than 3 times longer?) but I also learned a lot about stuff Oda has used as a reference key; folklore, actual pirates, actual practices, the amount of detail Oda puts in is astounding. Which does lean into another thing I’ve learned, One Piece has changed the way I approach some of my ideas for writings and whatnot, before I would be afraid of either spoonfeeding or being too vague, Oda’s mastery not only in storytelling but character development, character quality and pacing has both helped and intimidated me a lot of times, I mean consider this: it took hundreds of chapters to get a proper backstory on Luffy, the main character, how unprecedented is that? Often I could fall into the trap of making sure you knew everything about the main character from day one but now I wonder about what’s necessary for the now and what can I work on. Another thing that both inspires and intimidates me is his drawing, I suck at colours and still do, and a lot of Oda’s attention to detail is incredible considering he’s gotta whip that out on the weekly, but at the same time you see some of his rough sketches and they’re pretty similar to a rough sketch of my own, so in a way it’s a ‘there’s still hope for you’ moment seeing those. I can’t say I’ve learned Japanese from listening to One Piece, but I have picked up on some stuff, some hiragana there, some phonetics here, I also appreciated some of the stuff kaizokuou-ni-naru does (I won’t tag them in case that’s a bit rude to do it out of the blue but check out their tumblr) when it came to deciphering the Japanese of chapters and the little puns and hints Oda puts in his native tongue. And of course any One Piece fan has learned one thing above all else: Patience. Oda himself included, it took over 20 years to get to 1000 chapters and we still have plenty of questions to ask, plenty of islands to see and thus plenty of chapters to go. So Straw Hats off to you Oda, and a happy 1000th!

14 notes · View notes

wuxian-vs-wangji · 4 years

Note

How do you choose quotes to make edits for (like do you have a list that you choose from or is it whenever you see something good) and how do you choose which characters/scenes etc to gif to go with them - like for example the last set you did with the ‘carry you with me’ quote. How did you choose which scenes to use and pair together with the quote (sorry if you’ve answered something similar before)

I’ve done some live edits in the past to kind of show my process with making very specific edits

(Link, Link, Link, Link, Link, Link)

But those are like, specific to each edit, so I’ll also give a general answer. I’m putting it below a “Keep Reading” because it’s a very long answer :)

How do you choose quotes to make edits for?

My other fandom page, @Rhysand-vs-Fenrys , has endured weekly reminders to watch The Untamed for like... 8-9 months now (Friday at 9am, usually an aesthetic GIFset I reblog from someone and add links to the bottom to the different platforms to view it on).

To be fair to them, I decided most of my edits would be done with quotes from the Rhysand-vs-Fenrys fandom (Sarah J Maas book series). Some quotes are very famous within that fandom and came to mind immediately, and I went through the Goodreads quotes lists for it.

As for other quotes, some I knew off the top of my head (the Carmina Burana, Aeneid, and LOTR ones) and some I just did a general google search for quotes with different themes like power or fate or love and saved the ones that kind of sparked my interest.

As I feel like doing an edit I’ll just look through the list until something snags on my eye and go with that. Most quotes gave me immediate ideas and I saved a little bulleted point beneath it saying what I thought of when I read it.

How do you choose which characters/scenes etc to gif to go with them?

I have some rules for what I look at for edits:

1. Once I have the quote divided into how many GIFs I’d like it to be, the first line of text is the theme and the last line of text is the tone. This is explained further lower down

2. First GIF has to be the star of the quote or, if it’s a group one, a high profile character.

3. NO LITERAL GIFS. Know if something is literal, I hate it and I only used it because I had no other choice. For example, in the “carry you with me” edit there is one that is “Walking in the light”. Originally it just worked out that the GIF of Wangji walking would have fallen there, with Jiang Cheng and Wangji as “the words that dance between people” and the final GIF in the edit (’Remembering being alive together’) being the teahouse. I rearranged and redesigned the entire edit just so Lan Wangji would not be walking in a GIF that had the word “walking”.

There are a few others, but those are more nit-picky. Those three above are the main ones, and they apply to every GIFset.

I’ll make my example the “Carry You” GIFset you referenced, which feeds into your final question---

...the last set you did with the ‘carry you with me’ quote. How did you choose which scenes to use and pair together with the quote (sorry if you’ve answered something similar before)

First off, here is the “Carry You” edit for anyone who wants to look at the thing I’m talking about

I almost didn’t even consider this quote because I immediately knew it’d be about Wuxian and Wangji, and that I would want to exclusively rely on the period where Wangji thought Wuxian was dead, which equates to A VERY NARROW SELECTION OF SCENES AND SHOTS OMG.

--- Wangji looking at the sky

--- Mo Manor

--- On Dafan Mountain

--- Tea with Jiang Cheng

--- Flashback to Burial Mounds burning

--- Flashback to saving A-Yuan

--- Flashback to being whipped

--- Flashback to Cold Pond Cave

That was enough to populate a 6 GIF edit if I really picked at the bones, so next I look at the first line of the quote: “I carry you with me into the world”. That became the theme of the entire edit. The final line is the tone- “Remembering being alive together”.

So every single GIF from the first to the last and anything in between had to have a direct line to ‘Remembering being alive together’ and an overall feeling of wangji ‘carrying (wuxian) with me into the world’. So what does that mean? Living your life in the spirit of that person. Chosing actions to honor their memory, either in behaving as they would or changing something bout yourself that was in conflict to them.

The original plan for that edit was as follows (these are direct quotes from my edit plan written in my shorthand):

“I carry you with me into the world” ➜ Ep 1 looking at sky (no Wuxian scene selected)

“Into the smell of rain” ➜ whipped alone, w/wuxian

“and the words that dance between people” ➜ Ep 2, JC in woods (no Wuxian scene selected)

“and for me, it will always be this way” ➜ Ep 1, holding sword, wuxian burning (my shorthand for when he gets smokey)

“walking in the light” ➜ Ep 1 with ducklings, in burial mounds with A-Yuan

“remembering being alive together” ➜ Ep 2 tea w/Yiling meal

I was just going to throw those shots side-by-side, but then I thought about how cool it would look if I could actually put Wuxian across the table from Wangji in that last one. I was still in the planning phase, which is why I never came up with a Wuxian for the first 2 GIFs.

At that point I started thinking about how it would fit the tone and theme so much better if I could make all of them that way. So at this point I abandoned the written plan and as I kind of thought about and processed what i wanted to do, I went through Episodes 1, 2, 44 & 46 and grabbed Wangji’s shots alone.

I decided- no reason just felt like it- that I wanted to step into this edit, rather than begin it already in process. I tried making a few GIFs of Wangxian for that “I carry you with me into the world” and just didn’t like them. I really wanted it to shine through that this was a theme and not tie it to specific scenes. Then I saw that slow pan of Bichen’s hilt that you see in episode 1 and was like “I bet I can find a Chenqing from the right angle to match that...”

**at this point I should say my rule for this edit was that every single shot of Wuxian had to be a scene Wangji was also in.

I decided to break that rule for the first edit, because Wuxian never holds Chenqing up against Wangji at the right fucking angle unless it’s pitch black in a thunderstorm and the tassel isn’t red in that shot so what’s even the point. So that shot is from Wuxian raising it against YANLI in Episode 21(?), rotated, horizontal flipped, cropped, spotlight on the tassel, selective color enhance, and a motion tracking filter just to smooth it out.

Once I decide on the GIF itself, I look through the effects editor just to kind of throw everything at it and see what helps me achieve my mental picture, so it was a lot of dicking around to see if that would even work.

After that, focus went to *Wangji*. Pick WANGJI’s shot, and then look for a Wuxian moment from the right angle to match Wangji and ghost into the shot (which was hard as all FUCK. That last shot of Wuxian with the alcohol was a last ditch attempt to find a shot). As I said, I rearranged three GIFs just so I wouldn’t have Wangji walking during a GIF with the word “walking” in it.

This edit was easier than others in that the first and last lines- “I carry you with me into the world/ remembering being alive together”- are really the only thing you need. Every line contributes directly to that theme, so the GIFs themselves are pretty interchangeable.

I wanted JC there for “The words that dance between people”, which is why Wuxian has such attitude in that GIF- like he’s reacting to nasty words being exchanged (I decided it still worked in its new home of “walking in the light”). I decided I *loved* “the words that dance between people” being Wangji sitting alone at the table, not speaking at all. It has a sense of longing and regret that really suits the overall themes and tones.

I hope that made sense and answered your question? Sorry it was a long response, I wasn’t sure how much you were interested in hearing. But yeah, I do my edits live if I’m pretty confident in the game plan, so if you keep an eye on the page I’ll try to be better about scheduling those and not making them last minute.

I chose not to do this one live because I knew it was going to be really complicated and I wasn’t confident in the scenes. When I’m doing it live I feel pressured to make decisions very quickly so people aren’t bored and in the past have made GIFs I am not happy with just because I felt bad about waffling on shots. I wanted this one to really fit what I was imagining and to do that I had to be able to be indecisive.

#ask #Anonymous #mine

4 notes · View notes

dlamp-dictator · 5 years

Text

Your Dictator’s Works: Kyo-Annie

Okay, finally getting down to writing these Dictator’s Works posts. Originally, I was going to talk about both Kyo and Reyna, but Kyo’s stuff turned out a little beefier in text than I thought, so I’ll just talk about Kyo for the entire thing and talk about Reyna... eh, later.

Oh yeah, since it’s been about... over a year since I’ve done this kind of post here’s a quick summary. Your Dictator’s Works is a analysis/breakdown of my own creation, ranging from characters, to stories, and so on. Basically, a big info dump where I gush over whatever thing I’m talking about. When it comes to OCs, I’ll try and keep it to their design, but no promises.

So without further ado, here’s a Dictator’s Works on Kyoko-Annabelle Mushi, or Kyo-Annie for short... or just Kyo.

Summary, Origins, and Inspirations

In a nutshell, Kyo is a kung fu demon girl, and that’s where most of her character starts and ends. Unlike Claudia, I don’t have a 3-year-old RP blog to reference, and a lot of characters I creator from drawings rarely have a higher purpose other than what concept I had for them, but Kyo’s origins are pretty interesting. I was on a discord server and the mods decided to have a sort of Art Jam where the theme was to make a kung fu girl. I technically already had a kung fu girl, Reyna, but I wanted to make something more original. So after awhile of scribbling, Kyo came out.

And boy did this little demon girl go through a butt load of redesign. after about 2 years of doodling her. I literally just pulled up some older pictures from my art tag and... Lord Alive, the difference in design is staggering.

Speaking of...

Design

So, like I said before, Kyo was a product of an art jam. I didn’t have a real idea for her other than “make kung fu girl that wasn’t Reyna.”

This is the oldest sketch I could find of her. For all that’s change, not much really has. The basic ideas are still present. Chinese-styles sleeveless shirt, biker shorts/spats, and bangles. Color scheme aside, the only thing that’s changed is that she wears shoes now.

And much like I said in my Dictator’s Works, I tend to give my characters a very specific kind of fray in their hair for the sake of the silhouette looking unique, so Kyo has a bit of cowlick sticking out of her hair. Canonically, Kyo’s cowlick is purposely done up with hairspray to hide her horn, but I didn’t come up with that until later.

The emblem she wears is... well...

Yeah, remember when her name was Kyo-Annie? Canonically, that’s short for Kyoko-Annabelle, as her Japanese mom and Western-demon father kept argue on what her first name should be before settling for both their ideas. Out-of-Universe, Allen X is extremely lazy when it comes to his characters and was watching some K-On reruns when thinking this character up.

And that’s really it for design. Kyo’s a pretty simple character, both in design and concept, so there’s not much to go over. The only thing I can add is that Kyo is now blond so that her original dark hair doesn’t blend into her gray skin. Canonically, she dyes it blond to be rebellious, but it’s more for design reasons than in-universe ones. Other than that, I think her design explains itself pretty well. Though... this’ll be a pretty short Dictator’s Works if I end this here, so...

Story Background

I don’t feel comfortable talking about Violacous Storm yet since I’m kind of redoing the story, and I really don’t want to talk about the made typings known as that story, so I’ll just talk about Kyo’s background and bio instead.

Kyo is a half-demon, specifically a Cambion, a half-human, half-succubus. The gray skin Kyo has is a product of her father that didn’t show up until she turned 12. Being half-succubus, Kyo is aluring and attractive on a super natural level, but she hates it. The bangles she wears around her wrists are actually enchanted to heavily hinder her succubus abilities. To most people she just looks like a dark elf until you see her fangs, but without the bangles normal humans would be entranced by her appearance and flock to her. Kyo found this extremely annoying once she realized the attention got was due to her sucubbus abilities and not for her as a person, so she did her best to hide that fact. Wearing tomboyish and rebellious clothes, dying her hair a wild yellow, taking on a more punk-ish persona, and taking her martial arts lessons more seriously as a way to literally push away people advancing on her.

Oh yeah, I should probably explain why such a kung fu girl in the first place.

For a bit of backstory, Kyo’s human mother is a Japanese Shrine Maiden, Yoko Mushi. Yoko... got knocked up as a teenager by a really hot incubus she was suppose to seal away or kill, but fell for his charms and had Kyo at age 15. After failing in her task (and getting knocked up at that), she was reprimanded and nearly banished from the family if not for the mercy of her mother. Yoko promised to raise the child as the next shrine maiden in her stead, one that would bring honor, glory, and worshippers to their shrine. And as a show of her determination, she immediately banished Kyo’s father to the demon realm a few months later after tracking him down. Kyo herself has no clue about this aside from her father being an incubus that was banished, but does want to be a shrine maiden to both help her mother out and out of honest religous faith, though worship at the Mushi Shrine is... odd.

Kyo’s shrine worships a god of war, so martial arts is strict practice. All shrine maidens have to go through some brutal combat training to be viable, and the last test includes defeating their teacher via knockout or death. Well, death in the old days, but modern times have made the Mushi family lighten up on the tradition. Kyo herself is versed in karate and judo, though not on an expert level. Given that she wants to beat her mom and earn the title of heir she decides learn kung fu as a way to diversify her techniques as a martial artist, along with thinking that karate and judo were boring due to their family’s style being more for practicality, self-defense, and worship rather than modern-day competitions.

And... she happens to be a huge fan of kung fu movies, but that’s beside the point.

Kyo and her mom had a pretty big fight about her switching styles, and Kyo walked out the room in a huff before trying to apply at a shaolin academy for girls. It tooks some effort, but she was accepted on a scholarship after holding her own against one of their top students, Reyna. The two have been bitter rivals ever since.

Personality-wise, Kyo is hard-working, determined, and tomboyish, but also has a pension for pranks and mischief. She can come across as a bully with all the fights she picks, but thankfully only picks fights with people that she either knows can take her on, or are annoying her to the point of violence... though it’s pretty easy to rile her up to that point. This is a product of her background as a shrine maiden in training. Worshipping a god of war tends to leave you pretty excited for a fight to show off your skills not only to others, but to God watching you kick butt in his name.

And as stated before, she’s half-succubus, but hates that half of her. Despite the kung fu girl aesthetic she’s a very religious and faithful girl, and while sexual purity isn’t as heavily looked at nowdays for shrine maidens, at least at her shrine, Kyo herself wants to remain sexually pure until she takes over the shrine, marries a priest and has a daughter of her own to continue running the shrine. To that end, the bangles she wears holds back her demonic abilities, namely her hypnosis and alluring aura. Mostly out of the loathing she has for her demon-half, but also because she can’t control her abilities yet. Like I said, she hates her half-demon side because it heavily clashes with her tomboy martial artist side. One of her hopes is that becoming a full-fledged shrine maiden will help purify her and get her humanity back.

And despite that heavy paragraph above I never talk about that side of her in the story. It’s something she keeps to herself, and you’ll mostly just see a tomboyish martial arts demon. This is namely because she’s more a rival to Reyna, who’s the main character in Violacous Storm, but I might make a one-shot or two focusing on Kyo in the future, who knows?

Conclusion

Anyway, I think that’ll be it for this Dictator’s Works. That... took long than I though it would. Next time I’ll talk a bit about Reyna, so look forward to that.

#your dictator's works

0 notes