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#lumen culture
dickwheelie · 2 years
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obsessed w the anachronism of severance. the new phones and the old cars. the 60s-70s aesthetic of the severed floor. the fact that lumen was founded in the 1860s and still exists under the same family line with no change in branding. the renaissance-style paintings of corporate propaganda. such a good liminal feel
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technically if it's not simmered in the champagne region of france it's a sparkling best boy friend
#you see actually this is an ingeniously relevant caption b/c of the concept of Authentic food tying into the film's main themes re culture#Clearly impeccable lol....anyway here's me using this blog as like a tumblr hosted imgur#also just now in the shower it occurred to me the parallels / overlaps with My Big Fat Greek Wedding. obviously also v different but#so your family & by extension their culture aren't the Normal & your father especially holds on to this distinction#& you don't just want to work at the family business forever & then you meet a nice boy & there's no problem there he's just nice#except then how to reconcile this with your relationship w/your family & your culture & thus also your identity btw....#anyways how about that uhh#elemental#elemental 2023#pixar elemental#ember lumen#wade ripple#fanart#always a time & a half trying to decide how to tag these kinds of titles. but somehow i survive#it's really a testament to the so precisely captured Cuteness of wade's design that it's like; trying to just do a shadow of it justice lol#it's So good. definitely went for the like expressive wobbliness...the wavy smile is just thee perfect detail all thee time. ugh#giving both of them that Flow while also ember is pointier & has the whole luminosity element....the chefs are kissing#love the Relationship when it's like yeah it's easy to make it agonizing when it's like ya both people have fun & like each other & enjoy#being together & find the relationship enriching & motivating...you Are a cute couple / again that the conflict isn't really even like ooh#will the won't they as a question of if they really like each other; & Definitely not a question of [these ppl hate each other actually] lo#like me saying i like romcoms sometimes when it Does mostly mean i'll watch mybigfatgreekwedding 500x in a row. it's on youtube btw#then you watch some random other romcom & it's psychological torture. random xmas romcomdram like gave me a headache fr....#anyways really liked this film really had a great time i'm def gonna see it again soon#i loved both these characters & their relationship & the Elemental manifestation of Culture is really inchtaraesting#plus other metaphorical resonance ppl find...physical disability; queer experiences....#it was also fun b/c their interacting & their arcs w/each other having that mutual Effect & Change from their dynamic was like#that also just feels like both of them / their relationship = my relationship with myself &/or both how i interact w/the world/anyone#definitely always describing myself in ways like ''i never x except for when i do always; readily'' like Crying for sure lol. I'm Both....#probably a bit more wade? within Myself; by this point lol. i feel like maybe i'm the wade w/someone i'm more comfortable around#but that otherwise i probably come across more emberesque. usually. except for when it's the opposite except for when it's not lmao etc!!!!
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wipincream · 1 year
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ngl i'm loving the current ak main story plotline but my head is 24/7 thinking about iberia arknights and how for the first fucking time in my life i feel the creators of media I consume knows shit about my fucking country and its history enough to reference and base content on it properly
and i don't know if I should write an essay about it or wait for stultifera navis to drop its two new iberian ops, one of them being the first time in anime gacha existence that a character has a catalonian, not spanish but catalonian, full name. It's just so wild to me. i love this furry plant vs zombies anime game.
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alcrego · 6 months
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On the occasion of the SUPER TERRAM exhibition (February 10 - March 19, 2023), director Matteo Berardone followed the artistic director and the artists in their reflections and their creative processes. It captures their worlds, their inspirations and their relationships with art, the world and the earth - the central element of the exhibition - in a captivating documentary, in 4 episodes. It also highlights the collective & collaborative adventure of this ambitious project in an atypical 3000m2 location in the heart of Paris.
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This is an excerpt of my part in the documentary.
Artistic Direction: Gaël Lefeuvre 
Recording and edition: Matteo Berardone 
Music: Swann Hood
Artists: CELA, Amir Roti, Addam Yekutielli, Gonzalo Borrondo, Matteo Berardone, A.L. Crego, Germain Ipin, Joaquin Jara, Michael Beitz, Axel Void, Seth, Jean Lambert-Wild
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nyantodamax145 · 15 days
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You need to have at least 200 Trust with me before you unlock
Nyan’s TRULY Unhinged Jordi Posting™
My poor closest friends have already been subject to it
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animalpetcel · 1 year
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I wish I could actually enjoy AK’s philosphy/worldbuilding bc then I can enjoy events like SN instead of wishing I was someone who didn’t read
I would love to enjoy Specter teasing Irene, Gladiia being Gladiia and Lumen’s adventures in growing a spine. But then I would need to overcome my immense dislike for the Inquisition.
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prongsmydeer · 3 months
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I finally got around to watching Elemental (2023) and I do think those that were describing it as an immigrant story were accurate. It is also a love story, like the marketing said, but you can't disentangle Ember's experience in the story from her family being diaspora.
But what struck me most about the film is that it's one of the only recent pieces of media I've seen, both in Disney and outside of it, that depicts generational trauma in a way that is fundamentally kind to the previous generation (parents, grandparents, etc).
In most other versions of stories like this I've seen lately, for the (immigrant, usually some variety of Asian, and it is clear that the Lumen family is inspired by multiple Asian cultural influences) parents/grandparents, even if we understand why they behave a certain way, it usually frames that generation as restrictive, oppressive, and perhaps even knowingly upsetting the younger generation. And yes, there are parents that do that. I understand the benefit of telling that story.
However, there are also immigrant families like Ember's. Where you have a family that supports you, that treats you kindly. But even still, you carry the weight of what has happened to them, an indebtedness that you can't ever repay. Bernie, Ember's father, doesn't want to force Ember to do anything. But he carries his hopes for her future, and Ember in turn responds by behaving in the way she thinks would make her parents most happy. So though they have this loving dynamic, the conflict is not in their personality, but in that weight they are both carrying. And that is a story I find relatable as an immigrant, and one that I thought was a standout point in this film.
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fantomette22 · 7 months
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Sleepover time part two, tell me your headcanons about Gehrman and Maria
Alright so like we talk about, I will mostly concentrate on a list of headcanons about their relationships. Because if I try to talk about the entirety of *check notes* the 15y? they know each other in my main headcanon/interpretation it’s never going to be over. (ok this is really long help)
So that we're clear their relationship is kinda mostly platonic especially when Maria is a student at Byrgenwerth. Gehrman’s view & feelings on her as well as maybe her view on him, began to change some times after she graduate and become a hunter so they already knew each other for a few years already. After well they were kinda too oblivious to figure things out 😅 (their poor friends were becoming crazy). But they did talk and well if the huge problems around hamlet & afterwards didn't happen… they could have built and planned seriously something together eventually…
So basically, he saw Maria at first and was like omg she’s just like me fr. She really reminded him of himself a few years back when he was kinda lost in his life and mostly alone so yeah must protect.
Maria didn’t get many friends at Byrgenwerth at first. She couldn’t stand most of the rich/noble kids and the ones who were not were not very kind to her + she didn’t really know the others. Laurence noticed it and asked Gehrman to check on his students sometimes (on Caryll & Rom too). SO yeah, they ended up talking. A LOT
They can talk about so many subjects for hours! History, culture, art, weapons, fighting technique, literature, freaking flowers, sewing etc and they both like to be able to talk with someone who will listen and engage in those convos as well. But sometimes just being in other other silence & presence is really great as well.
During springtime and planting plants season he asked her opinion on which flowers to plant where. And by knowing when each variety bloom & their colors it really helped him to organize beautiful flower beds.
Speaking of flowers & plants: Gehrman helped her cultivated the first lumen flowers in Yharnam, (that I headcanon they bring back from Loran). + they planted together most of the flowers and trees at the workshop. The trees seem to have a few decades, I guess? Well they planted little / young trees that grow up ;-; (sorry that wasn't supposed to be sad).
Gehrman teach her how to cook several basic meals and make tea. She did teach him how to make Asian noodles too. But yeah, trust only Gehrman to cook in the old Byrgenwerth squad. Also, he taught her a few homemade remedies! (you except him to go to the pharmacy and bring you back medicine? No, he just takes a few dry plants (like raspberry branches or smt!) from a drawer and make the most useful infusion against chronic/stomach or period pain boom! What a gentleman!)
They like to go on walk in the forest together. Either just walk or for training or to found cool rocks I mean iron ore & meteorite
They love stargazing and looking at the moon ^^
He made her an old hunter badge out of siderite of course! (haven't figure out exactly when but hm not too important)
While at Byrgenwerth he made her a lil white wolf figure out of wood for one of her birthdays 🥺 (yeah he made those types of figures for all his friends XD)
He taught her many hunting techniques then fighting/ fencing techniques etc it did really help her and she made him learn a few things as well! (Like proper fencing and Cainhurst semi fencing/dance choreography they have). They trained together a lot.
One of the reasons, he made the mercy blade (beside to have a smaller secondary weapon) was to be able to train properly with her when she got the Rakuyo, so they could both dual wield.
He made her learned how to sew basic things and in exchange she taught him how to do refined embroidery.
I'm still unsure but either she made his red scarf alone or with the help of others, but anyway they gave it to him as a present. He might have done her red neckerchief and a few of her clothes as well (basically a beta of the doll clothes). 
He also sews back her clothes when she damaged them (he did that for many people too XD). They also sew back each other skins when needed…
Gehrman realized he was in love with her at quite a weird timing. You see he was kinda in denied since a few months of his feelings already (poor guy is not sure he had that intense crush before in his life so he was quite confused) and then they went on a dangerous mission. They're both covered in blood at the end, she just overcome a big trauma and "oh ok I think I love her for real actually 😳. Ok I accepted and acknowledge to myself the fact! I'm going to try to be sure she's happy and safe! But I'm not gonna do anything else about it because I value our friendship first!" jkdjùldjnjknnndq bro! JUST TALK TOGETHER!!! I swear it would have go well you guys are dumbasses! 
Also poor Laurence who had to support Gehrman ranting to him about how his dreams are sinful because "oh no I I held her hand 😭" yeah that was just that, at first. And Laurence was already tired of it: « bro that's just a dream🙄calm down it's 8am what are you talking about?! »
Ok so maria maybe was a bit too oblivious to his feelings like "nah that can't be that I'm dumb" but it wasn't oblivious for lots of other people 😅 their friends tried to do smt about it but oh boy…
I mean they did dance with each other a few times! :3 but everyone danced with each other too so.. ok maybe they did once or twice while completely alone..
Ah yeah Gehrman got vibe check by a part of Maria's family too XD at the Queen's wedding 🤣 poor guy. But well he did pass the vibe check!!! (Maria didn't knew. Laurence, Caryll & maybe Ludwig knew "omg he's getting vibe check?" " he's getting vibe check…"
Actually, they did talk a bit about their relationship (finally it just took what 5-10 years!) just before the fishing hamlet 💀 But it was mostly like "hey after our next big mission could we perhaps hm talk about or future life projects? Maybe we could hm… perhaps think of smt to envision together? If that's alright of course…👉👈" "Oh ok sure 😳 yeah we'll talk about it later!" WELL i let guess how that ended up! ( ;-; the mood was kinda ruined yeah).
Anyway, Maria only trusts Ludwig and Gehrman with her horses + Maria's crows like him enough.
Ok there's maybe ONCE when they passed time together that could be consider as a "date". They were supposed to go to the theater. Just the two of them. Day ruined when some old hunters show up by pure coincidence and didn't leave them alone XD
They practice violin & cello together a bit! They learned a few lullabies from each others as well.
They are both quite good with kids normally (more Maria too) but one day they both had to babysit 1 kid and they panicked because they lost the toddler for like 2 mins💀worst babysitter together pffff (that was baby crow lmao)
They are either the biggest idiots together, balance each other perfectly or are super serious (in mission/fight). Yeah i know x)
Also, if they could, this 2 would be the kind of idiots to go visits far cities, museum, famous places, and all sorts of locations. Like the top 10 of the most haunted castles, frightening forests & weird creepy places! oh you can be sure they would go XD (old hunters vlog when?? Yes of course they would take a daguerreotype with them to take pictures!)
If the 2 are send on mission together at the exterior of Yharnam (for exemple). You know it's really serious a really big deal. Usually, they go alone or with a few hunters but separated. In Yharnam+ labyrinth they either hunt together/ alone or with others. But this two are super powerful and really complementary together.
They fight well alone and they can very well fenced against each other, even better fighting side by side but against a common foe? They are at their best!
They already save each other's life a few times.
The day they did arm wrestling together in front of the old hunters was quite the event! Match of the decade ladies and gentlemen! Sadly, someone interrupt because "euh guys beasts are attacking people…😓" "O_O" so they stop and got ready. So, no one won 😅 they were like 5mins in…
You know tv don’t exist so sometimes they read books together at the workshop. Like the how to pick up fair maiden book (still not sure what type of book it's… could be just a series of super action oriented & dramatic novels who knows lol)
Those two are also the champions to have nap at the workshop. On mission they either don’t sleep a lot or have light sleep and always have a 6th sense (they often sleep next to each other too in those case) but at the workshop on day off? Oh dear good luck if you need smt and the 2 are asleep at the SAME TIME! (you can have Maria having a lil nap at the exterior and Gehrman in the interior)
One of them either found/buy or repaired the chairs they have. You know Maria's chair and before it turned into a wheelchair, I imagined it was really Gehrman's chair too. (So yeah, they have both their own fancy chair XD)
He completely trusts Maria to take back the workshop & trained hunters if smt was to happen to him.
She helped him with his chronic/phantom pains in his right leg/foot 😢 (yes besides giving him a few meds holding his hand kinda help a bit)
Even if they tried to be strong and without weakness to show each other and to others, they did share their insecurities and cheer the other up at times. Just a couple of months/years into their friendship they were comfortable enough to share their story, past, fears, "trauma" and insecurities with each other. Especially recent ones… so yeah that was really emotional…. But it's what create such a strong and powerful bound between them for the years to come. And explain how they become so close too.
Ok many books at the workshop belongs to Gehrman but the majority are from Laurence & Maria.
I imagined the picture Maria have (found in the astral clocktower) is well this one I drew. They took It after coming back to the church expedition at Loran. (Alternatively it had Laurence too). For the pics at the workshop Maria is still in a couple of them.
Years after the fishing hamlet, Gehrman gifted her the small hair ornament to cheer her when she wasn't feeling well. (Even if originally, it was supposed to be a proposal gift but hm… things got complicate… he also was looking at designs to do it just before going to the hamlet). She did gift him a pocket watch in return who look like the astral clocktower.
During those hm complicated and gray times (when they were both a mess and didn't tell each other everything!) they were still a source of comfort to each other. Just seeing, talking, and passed time together when they could did help a bit… before well…you know…
He made a mini doll before well... the Doll.
Few years after Maria passed away, he adopted one of the first irish/wolfhound of Yharnam. (Yeah he helped a young Paarl trained them and he got the opportunity to adopted a young pup.) He took the lighter fur one of the litter. Maria would have love her ;-;
(in one of my AU they got a little dog with their cottage house before the wolf hound hehe)
In the end they just both wanted a companion to stick out with and live their life and go on adventures! Similar to some couple of birds like well crows or other animals like wolves… etc
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Ok I think that's a good list I will stop here 😅 I probably forgot a few things and there's a few things I didn't talk about but I tried to stay focus on just the most positive part. Thanks for the asks I hope you like it! (I really like it! Even if iit was longer than expected).
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waheelawhisperer · 9 months
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The 5 abyssal hunters for the ship meme
Oh boy. I feel like a lot of these will end up looking very similar because I ship a lot of them with each other so let's go
Skadidididididi
NOTP: Skadi x Ulpianus. Ulpianus is a clown and does not deserve romance.
BROTP: Skadi x Grani. Skadidi needs a friend and they were cute together in Grani's event.
OTP: Skadi x Specter. God, they're so good. They've been through so much together, and Skadi was so caring and attentive when Specter was being treated at Rhodes Island. Also, Specter's Outstanding durability means she's one of the few people Skadi can top without risk of injury.
Second choice pairing: Skadi x Doctor. Skadi's operator files indicate that she's a bit sweet on Doc, to say nothing of... the entirety of the Corrupting Heart. I think it'd be really cute to watch Skadi struggle to admit she cares for this fragile land-dweller and then finally allow herself to be close to someone and then dote on and be so very gentle with her easily-breakable wife/malewife (as applicable).
Fluffy pairing: Skadi x Doctor, Skadi x Grani. They would be so sweet together.
Angsty pairing: Skadi x Specter. Oh, there is so much potential for pain with these two.
Favorite poly ship: Skadi x Specter x Gladiia, Skadi x Specter x Gladiia x Doctor, Skadi x Specter x Gladiia x Irene. My reading on the Abyssal Hunters is that they aren't strictly monogamous (see: Specter's yuri moments with both Skadi and Irene and Skadi's simultaneous crush on the Doctor and yuri moments with Specter), and so I actually like Abyssal Hunter polycules more than 2-person ships. Love the thought of the three surviving Hunters finding solace in each other's arms on land.
Adding Doctor to the mix is super funny to me because all three of them express some level of regard for them (Skadi is pretty obviously crushing a bit, Gladiia invites them to dance and is rude to them when it's specifically noted that she saves politeness for the people she doesn't like, and even Specter likes to playfully tease them and Irene is a seagull, but she can still be stuffed like a turkey if she tries really hard and believes in herself.
Weirdest pairing: Skadi x Mudrock. Each of them is a bit of a space cadet, and Mudrock's shield passive means that as long as Skadi goes real slow, she can top Mudrock without harm.
Specter the Unhinged
NOTP: Specter x Amaia. Keep your filthy Seaborn-worshipping hands off my girl.
BROTP: Absolutely love the idea of Specter becoming Bros with the other brawlers/troublemakers at Rhodes Island. She probably hangs out at the bar/gym/etc. with Indra, Gavial, Lappland, and other people who cause problems on purpose.
OTP: Specter x Skadi. See above.
Second choice pairing: Specter x Irene, Specter x Doctor. Irene deserves to get railed and they had a bunch of Yuri Moments in Stultifera Navis and Specter does seem to have genuine regard for the Doctor, both promising to protect them and expressing a desire to share her home and its culture with them and lamenting that there are aspects of it they're incapable of understanding
Fluffy pairing: I feel like it's hard to do truly fluffy with Specter because she's too much of a brat, but Specter x Skadi and Specter x Irene could probably manage it.
Angsty pairing: Specter x Skadi. See above.
Favorite poly ship: Skadi x Specter x Gladiia, Skadi x Specter x Gladiia x Doctor, Skadi x Specter x Gladiia x Irene. See above.
Weirdest pairing: Specter x Lumen. Breed that twink, Laurentina.
Gladiia
NOTP: Gladiia x Kal'tsit. This is, honestly, an excellent pairing with a lot going for it, but I do not like Kal'tsit.
BROTP: Gladiia x Blemishine. Idk, I just really like the idea of Jaded Supersoldier Science Lady Gladiia taking this young, peppy engineering nerd under her wing.
OTP: Gladiia x Doctor. It would be Gladiia x Kal'tsit if I liked Kal'tsit because I do think the setup and chemistry is really good, but alas. That said, Doc x Gladiia has a decent foundation to it, what with the way Gladiia asks Doctor to dance with her and is generally somewhat abrupt and impolite with them when her files note that she reserves her manners for people she doesn't much care for. I feel like there's a good opportunity to bond over the nature of power and responsibility and leadership. Late nights discussing tactics or playing chess together that become something more? Yes, please.
Second choice pairing: Gladiia x Specter. Gladiia shows so much care for Specter, and somebody's gotta punish this bratty little shark.
Fluffy pairing: I'm not convinced Gladiia does fluffy, but I think Gladiia x Doc has some potential, given the talk line where she offers to teach the Doctor how to dance.
Angsty pairing: I feel like every Gladiia pairing is inherently angsty but I'll pick Gladiia x Ulpianus here because their interactions in Stultifera Navis get both funnier and more tragic if they yearn to explore each other's bodies.
Favorite poly ship: Skadi x Specter x Gladiia, Skadi x Specter x Gladiia x Doctor, Skadi x Specter x Gladiia x Irene. See above.
Weirdest pairing: Gladiia x Saria. Science parents unite!
Andreana
This is hard because the lore kinda forgot she existed but I'll try.
NOTP: I don't have a real NOTP for Andreana, but I think perhaps she should stay away from Jaye before she ends up being made into seafood.
BROTP: Andreana x Exusiai. They can shoot guns together.
OTP: Andreana x Incandescence
Second choice pairing: Andreana x any Abyssal Hunter.
Fluffy pairing: I want to say Andreana x Incandescence but they have no lore pain emoji
Angsty pairing: Hard to pick one here but all the Abyssal Hunters are pretty good at angst.
Favorite poly ship: Andreana x Abyssal Hunters. She deserves to be railed from three directions at once. As a treat.
Weirdest pairing: Andreana x Exusiai. Show her the power of GUN!
Ulpianus:
NOTP: All of them this man gets negative bitches he is utterly swagless he cannot have romance until he learns to fucking communicate like a normal person
BROTP: Ulpianus x The Last Knight go fight the ocean together boys
OTP: Gladiia x Ulpianus but strictly in the sense that she beats the shit out of him for being a dumbass and then maybe if he's very very good he gets pegged.
Second choice pairing: Bruh I can barely even come up with a first choice pairing but I guess it'd have to be Ulpianus x Mlynar
Fluffy pairing: This man is too much of a loser for fluff I think the closest he could get is like... Ulpianus x Skadi??? But I don't even like that one.
Angsty pairing: Any possible pairing will be incredibly angsty based on the fact that Ulpianus is in it but Ulpianus x Gladiia would probably make waves in this respect
Favorite poly ship: None there is no universe in which this man has enough game to pull two or more bad bitches at once.
That said, I'll go with Ulpianus x Mlynar x SilverAsh because all of them are shit at communicating and being emotionally available. Three of the most miserable bitchless losers on Terra.
Weirdest pairing: Ulpianus and the Last Knight. It gets lonely in the ocean, guys.
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theresattrpgforthat · 8 months
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are there any systems that work for player vs player combat with well-defined characters and broad powersets? street fighter the storytelling game really opened my mind to the possibilities of a potentially purely-pvp tabletop game with full character sheets, but the balancing is kind of a disaster in that game and it kinda restricts you to unarmed martial artist characters (as opposed to, say, mages or weapon users)
THEME: Combat, PVP
Hello friend, so I tried to focus on games that prioritize combat. When it comes to mechanically detailed games that specifically centre PvP, I don’t know very many. Some of these games may fit some of what you’re looking for, but I can’t guarantee that anything on this list will fill all of what you’re looking for. That being said, these games are likely to carry at least something that speaks to you, and you might even be able to combine one or two of them to get what you’re looking for!
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Gubat Banwa, by makapatag. (@makapatag)
Gubat Banwa is a  Southeast Asian fantasy martial arts Role-Playing Game, inspired by the refulgent cultures of Southeast Asia. Raise your spears, KADUNGGANAN, you elite warrior-braves and asura-knights who travel The Sword Isles to prove their conviction and dictate the fate of the world. Revel in larger-than-life war drama like in Asian Dramas, ballistic tactical martial arts grid gameplay in the vein of Lancer or Final Fantasy Tactics, and find glory beyond heaven. Wield the Thunderbolt of Liberation! Rejoice! In the Glory of Combat!
Gubat Banwa is all about combat, and it provides you with a wealth of martial options to choose from. The styles include fighting with long-ranged attacks, magic, defensive, offensive, and balanced styles. This means that while the team works well together, each character will have their own strengths and weaknesses. That being said, I can see at least fictional reasons why two players might end up squaring off against each-other - for example, if their convictions clash. I’d say this is worth checking out for the mechanical richness and unique setting: for PVP I think it might have potential, but might require a bit of work on your part.
Vibe Check: Enter the Inversion, by Ostrichmonkey Games. (@ostrichmonkey-games)
Vibe Check is an illuminated by LUMEN tabletop role-playing game for 3-6 players inspired by The World Ends With You.  Players take on the roles of Players in the Watcher's Game - a week long challenge with the prize being another shot at life, while another player takes on the role of the Game's Master to introduce complications and consequences the Players must overcome as they fight to survive the Watcher's Game. 
The idea of competing to come back to life feels like a great premise for some player rivalry. LUMEN games are also one of my go-to recommendations for folks who want some truly satisfying combat, as it lends itself to really impressive combos. In Vibe Check, since your clothing is one way to improve your fighting ability, I can see your combat options being really abstract and unique. The game has a Quickstart that you can peek at to see if it’s your style, so you should definitely visit the link above to check it out!
Arena: Valor and Victory, by The Adventure Co.
Whatever ill fate or delusional promises of fame led you here, your only way out is to fight. Imprisoned with no guarantee of release, you are forced to battle for the entertainment of impressionable onlookers. Using your charm to win their favour or brute strength to best your opponent, your fighting style is yours to choose.
Arena is a combat-based TTRPG run by and for two or more players, that rewards good roleplay and planning, forward thinking and those who choose to get back up when they are knocked down. This is a specifically PvP-focused game, in a gladiator-style arena that relies on a grid to track your combat. I’m not sure if the rules allow more than two players in the arena at a time, but the game also provides a role for anyone not currently in the fight, as members of the crowd. A player whose fighting spirit is reduced to 0 can no longer fight - this allows you to avoid character death and bring a character back for revenge in a future bout! And rewards (apart from status) come in the form of pay, allowing your characters to avail themselves of food, a place to sleep, and better weapons for future fights.
I could see you re-flavouring this game and pairing it with something like Gubat Banwa for moments when your characters want to fight each-other, rather than a slew of enemies.
Guardians vs. Kaiju, by Kormar Publishing.
In the future of 21xx, kaiju threaten the existence of humanity. Emerging from the earth, sea, and cosmos, these gargantuan monsters can only be stopped by GUARDIANS, human piloted mechas and Earth’s last hope.
GUARDIANS vs. Kaiju is a tactical tabletop micro-game that simulates battles between giant robots (mechas) and giant monsters (kaiju). One player takes on the role of a GUARDIAN and one takes on the role of a kaiju as they customize their avatars and battle for supremacy. 
If you want PvP, two-player games are the most popular ways to go about it. This game is an example: each character is thematically unique, with their own method of attack. It also allows the player characters to feel reasonably balanced, as it’s a lot easier to make sure two opponents are evenly matched than it is to balance five or six different move-sets. I don’t know if this really scratches the itch of broad power sets, but it does allow you to tell an epic story about well-matched opponents on a grand scale.
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t-n-c · 9 months
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My thoughts on Elemental... (CAUTION: CONTAINS SPOILERS)
So, I went and saw Elemental with my twin over the weekend and I really liked it; granted, I wouldn't say it's ground-breaking or anything, but it was way better than I thought it would be--the trailers/marketing really didn't do the movie justice.
To clarify that last part a bit, the trailer (or at least the impression I got from it) kind of implied it would be an analogy for a (straight) interracial couple in a kind of "Romeo-&-Juliet-Their-Love-Is-Forbidden" romance. While there's nothing inherently wrong with that kind of story or anything, the "experiences of fantastical creatures used as stand-ins for real-life issues" and "guy-meets-girl=love" schticks are over-done (imo at least).
With that being said, the inter-elemental relationship between the two leads wasn't actually the main point of film. Sure, the romantic element (excuse the pun) does play a big role, but the crux of the story is about Ember Lumen (the fire elemental) and her experiences as... (SPOILERS AHEAD)
...the daughter of immigrants who came to the city build a better life for her and themselves.
It's this aspect of Ember's identity that moves the story forward not her developing relationship with Wade Ripple (the water elemental).
We see this throughout the film. It's Ember's beginnings that we're originally introduced to and it's Ember who we follow as she experiences being othered by a city that wasn't made with fire people like her in mind, respecting/retaining traditions important in her culture, and feeling that she has no choice but to take over her father's shop as a means to repay him and her mother for the tremendous sacrifice they made in leaving their homeland to build a life for the three of them in Element City. It's Ember's desire to do right by her parents, specifically her father, even if it means giving up her own wants/dreams that makes up the drama of the film.
This desire is also what creates conflict in her romance with Wade. The closer she gets to him the more conflicted she feels; she becomes torn between continuing to see him and honoring the obligations she feels she has to her father and their way of life. At first, she chooses her father and culture over Wade and (in a rather emotional scene) tries to end the relationship. They do end up together at the end however—I don’t want to spoil everything that happens between the scenes but I’m comfortable revealing that much.
All-in-all, I felt it was a pretty good show with a moving story and cute little romance. When I have a bit more time I'll make a more detailed post going over what I liked/disliked/had mixed feelings about, but for now I’ll just say that I thought it was good and leave it at that.
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autumnnnsun · 1 year
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Rating each Ambience Synesthesia 2023 looks because I have nothing else to do
I just felt like talking about some of these lines so why not. Warning for a bit of neg and talks of orientalism underneath. This is just my opinion, if you like the outfits, I am very happy for you. Feel free to disagree and stuff idk
First up, Umbra in the Sand, oh jeez
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Really? on Ramadhan?
I'm always super icked out whenever anime games try to feature anything middle eastern because they treat the middle east not as a place that has people with hundreds of cultures and landscapes that one could take inspiration from and instead as a "Genre" to make fanservice with. It sees the middle east not as a real place with its own societies to explore but as an excuse to put waifus in belly dancer outfits and husbandos in whatever the heck Stainless is meant to be wearing.
The whole point of a lot of middle eastern clothing is to protect the skin from the death rays of the sun and that completely clashes with the goal of showing cleavage, bellies and thighs. So designers always end up making... This.
The fashion itself is uninspiring, Carnelian is decent but Gavial's just in a bikini, I dislike Stainless' clothes and I can't see what Erato is wearing because she's holding a ~Middle Eastern Instrument(tm)~
2/10, it's half assed orientalism, I give it 2 points cus its only half assed and Carnelian at least looks good but it's only getting that because it's orientalism.
Next, Fast & Stronger
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Fast & Furious reference alert. This one is a huge step up but that's prolly only because Umbra in the Sand was such a Low for me.
You can't really go wrong with black leather jackets and this kind of edgy fashion so everyone looks good here and are solid with the concept. Penance is my favourite we love a hot bitch.
My only thing with this concept is that I feel like it could have been pushed just a little further I feel. I think it needs a bit more accessories to really give out that edgy "we are committing illegal racing" vibe. It'd also be funny considering that most of the characters here would most likely not approve of it.
7/10, Love the concept but the execution needs more oomph.
Next on is Chamber of Virtuoso
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Another traditional chinese esque aesthetic but a bit more regal and fantastical(?)
I love the clothes here, Lava and Lin here are my favourites, Ling looks nice and Lee is Lee.
I dont really feel for anything about these designs because I'm not exactly too sure what direction it's going for, nor am I familiar with what genre exactly it's referencing. It also feels like that instead of a reimagining of these characters we're getting the same thing that we've seen from these character again when Ambience of Synesthesia is one of the biggest chances to dress up these characters in ways that they wouldn't usually dress in the game.
5/10, looks pretty but the concept bores me a bit.
And lastly, the chosen looks that got turned into skinlines, The Lost Tideline.
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Just gonna look at this purely in a fashion sense and not look at the skin art because reasons.
This line is prolly the only line that matches the whole Phantom Thief theme that this year's Ambience Synesthesia is going for by trying to do the whole "Mystery on a Cruise" thing.
Irene is in a maid dress, Lumen is reimagined as this romantic rich boy almost and I like that so much, Roberta looks nice and Horn is in yet another white dress.
Yet another concept that I really like but I feel could have been pushed further. Especially with Lumen we won't be able to see him in this kinda richboi outfit so give him a bit more jewellery! Give him a fancy robe! Slick up his hair or smth idk! Turn him into the arrogant rich character who is the red herring for the murder that happened on the ship.
It felt like they held back with this one for some reason and it's a shame cus with a name like, The Lost Tideline, I would have expected some dumb fun I guess.
7/10 again, good concept, wished it was pushed further.
Overall this Ambience Synesthesia gets a 5/10 from me. The thing that was really missing for me was the cheese and camp that we got from the previous Ambiences. Like, 2022 gave us Flamebringer with a gas mask in a cyberpunk setting, Mr Nothing The Flop (Affectionate) as a serious looking general, Dream Land had our operators in gorgeous dresses and suits, and we get to see Mudrock, Phantom, Tequila and Reed doing dumb spy stuff. It had charm, it was cheesy but it was dumb fun.
And then 2023 gave us Orientalism, Black Leather Jacket Gang and Fantasy Traditional Chinese (again). The Lost TIdeline looks really good but it really felt like they held themselves back because they wanted to go for something actually serious this time ig?
I feel like the concepts weren't explored enough here and that kinda sucks cus there's some potential here.
Except for Umbra in the Sand. That should have just been binned.
Maybe I'd think differently if I see the livestream and the context and story behind these lines but rn I think it's pretty mid.
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ravenwitch45 · 9 months
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Helluva Boss x Bayonetta crossover idea:
Assuming that Bayonetta would meet the main cast of Helluva Boss in the show's current events, imagine the possibility that she wasn't the first Umbra Witch to come into contact with anyone from the Seven Rings.
What if, say, there was a history between Bayonetta's mom Rosa and Stolas's dad Paimon?
Rosa might have visited the Seven Rings or Paimon might have discovered Vigrid on an excursion to Earth (maybe even summoned), but somehow and someway, they both meet each other.
Perhaps on their first encounter, they are curious about each other or they get off on the wrong foot. Then again, not every run-in between a witch and a demon is a smooth one.
If the first meeting is one of hostility, they have a fight. If it goes cordially, Rosa might chaperone Paimon to Vigrid, but he might not be received the same by the other Umbra Witches and especially the Lumen Sages - This predictably leads to the witches and sages attempt to bring Paimon under control, which he doesn't like, so he whips out his Goetian powers and resists. He's able to trounce a number of witches and sages, but Rosa intervenes to make him stop, leading to both of them fighting each other after Rosa somehow gets the witches and sages to stand down and let her deal with him.
The fight may end in a draw or Rosa momentarily bringing Paimon to his knees, but Paimon is amazed at the witch's strength, skill, and cunning. (Plus, she's one hot witch, to boot!)
As a powerful demon in his homeland, Paimon doesn't really have trouble returning home whenever he wishes, but is too fascinated with Vigrid and the clans to leave right away thanks to Rosa. So he hangs around, getting to learn more about the culture and heritage of Vigrid, though he mostly learns more about the witches since Rosa is the one he trusts the most out of all of them. He's especially enamored with the two clans' possession of 'The Eyes of the World'.
Eventually, Paimon and Rosa are able to form a sufficiently friendly relationship, somewhat of a friendship (kind of), that they can be casual with each other about sharing who they are and their roots, among other things. They would even be comfortable enough with each other to engage in some friendly sparring, at least when they're alone.
But alas, there is still the chance that Paimon may have something else up to no good in mind. He might be sneakily trying to find a way to snag the Eyes of the World for himself to bring back to the Seven Rings for an edge in whatever hellish ambitions he has that are typical for his kind - whether to rule over the other Goetias, all of the Seven Rings and beyond, even take over Heaven, you name it!
Of course, Rosa finds out and won't stand for it, especially after Paimon learns to his surprise what the true nature of the Eyes really are, the truth of which would make whatever plans he was cooking up impossibly difficult if not pointless. Regardless, Rosa is compelled to confront Paimon on his attempted actions, and they once again engage in a serious fight like the first time, but now with the sincere intent to finish off the other.
Rosa is able to beat Paimon and for the first time, he is humbled by the very same qualities he earlier praised her for. Understanding her seriousness and the futility of trying to steal and use a gift that is outside his scope of understanding, he admits defeat and finally decides to leave Vigrid and go home. As Paimon prepares to leave, he tells Rosa that he genuinely enjoyed his time with her and seeing Vigrid, implying that he's promising to never return if that's what she wants. But Rosa replies that she might have other surprises waiting for him in store and show him a thing or two, implying that she isn't exactly forbidding Paimon from returning if he so wished.
Paimon can only take that response in light humor, silently telling Rosa that he might take her up on that offer, before he resumes leaving and officially returning to the Seven Rings.
Only time will tell if either one of them feels like sharing this private little story to anyone else. Until the situation somehow, somewhat calls for it, it would be one helluva riddle for the ages!
Oh Baby we got some history with these famlies! I think this idea is so cool. Especially since I already kinda wrote Bayonetta's and Stolas's meeting so imagine there reactions to finding out about this. Not to mention Paimon learning Rosa's fate eventually. Okay let me add a few ideas ^^
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The Umbran Witch and The Goetia Demon that came before...
You already lined out a pretty good story, so I won't add much there except a few ideas I have. Maybe when they meet, Rosa assumes he must belong to another witch, a notion he's radically insulted by, explaining who he is and they calm down, Paimon starting a full conversation asking about her practices of magic, pretty polite and curious at that age, and after that they hang out, Rosa herself also curious of him.
Maybe when Rosa chaperones him to the city itself, the person that makes a big fuss is Morganna, since we know her very dehumanizing view of demons and all, personally I feel her and Rosa had a bit of a rivalry but not important rn.
When Paimon freaks out and Rosa fights him to a stalemate, and maybe knocking him to the ground. I could certainly feel him panicking a little, having never been bested or threatened by any creature, but he surrenders anyway, calming the situation.
With the friendly sparring I could see both being impressed at the others magic, Paimon finding the Witch time and bullet arts an interesting magic, while Rosa is intriqued by Goetian Magic as well the soceity of the seven rings. Also Paimon being incredibly nervous if Rosa introduces him to Madama Khepri XP
But of course Paimon sees power and sees oppurtunity with the Eyes of The World, and won't just back off upon his friend telling him he can't understand them exactly or steal them. The fight would certainly be dramatic, both fighting on all cylinders. Paimon going full shadow beast and Rosa going serious mode with the wicked weaves, maybe even pulling off a demon masquerade or two.
With Paimon coming back eventually, maybe after some time they start discussing how there lives are changing, there views clashing as Paimon is resigned to marry a woman he barely knows, while Rosa falls for Balder against all law. But there still friends albeit ones with conflicting views.
Maybe despite all they went through, when Rosa is caught and imprisoned. Paimon really starts distancing himself from her. Rosa won't let him help her, and he can't stand to watch her suffer for something even he can't blame her for even if love barely makes sense to him.
He comes by her cell one last time, to say goodbye, but before he leaves Rosa asks him to look after her daughter, telling him her name. "Cereza." And he just leaves, never going after the child. Focusing on his status and power back home as he marries his kids off to succeed. Thinking of her occasionally, having nightmares he ignores of her hating him. Never daring to go back to see what happened to his old friend. Ignoring how his heart skipped a beat when Stolas gave him a bouquet of roses he grew as a child. Finding the flowers so bittersweet even though he likes having them around to remind him of her...
I can not tell you just how much I LOVE this idea, deepens both of their characters greatly and complexs how Bayonetta will interact with the Helluva cast. Not sure what next but this sure is cool.
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moth--knight · 10 months
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i was wondering if you had anything in mind for balder in the dh timeline - like did he die or is he just an absentee father or something (sorry if that was answered in the fics and I forgot abt it/no pressure to answer this if you dont rlly care:3)
First of all - OF COURSE I CARE ! ! ! THANK YOU FOR ASKING ! ! !
Secondly - this was not answered in the fic, and is an excellent question. So let's see if I can answer it without rambling. (EDIT: I could not so putting my answer below the cut,,,,,sorry oomf)
We need to start with some context. In the DH universe, the group of clans situated in the desert are the largest gathering of witches in the world, but they aren't the only ones. Thousands of years prior to our story, there was no collective Umbra or Lumen society like we see in Bayo canon. There were small groups of people with magical potential who made pacts with angels and demons as a means to gain power and influence.
However, a significant portion of witches ended up in the desert and began fighting for control of the area, because it held a lot of magical potential (the Valley of the Queens, which Cereza visits in Ch 4, is a great example of this - the desert has a lot of pockets to Inferno and it is the easiest place in the world to commune with Infernals and make pacts. Yayyyy.) Eventually, the Left Eye passed on to what would become the beginning of the royal family (Cereza and Rosa's ancestors) and that person along with their clan managed to wrangle control in their favor, and called a truce between all of the various desert clans. Each clan was allotted their own section of land to tend, with its own unique ties to Inferno (this is why each clan bonds with a specific kind of demon!!!) and agreed to live peacefully. If anyone tried to get out of hand, the royal family with the power of the Left Eye would keep them in line.
Eventually, the clans settled in to what you see them as in DH - various groups of witches who have their own customs and beliefs, but defer to the royal family to settle disputes and make decisions for the whole of the desert. The desert Umbra ended up becoming notoriously insular - witches were free to leave their clans and the desert as a whole to travel, but most chose not to. The royal family was also picky about who was allowed into the desert because of the potential issues it could cause.
Enter Balder. During Rosa's reign as Queen, Balder and a small contingent of Lumen request permission to meet with the desert clans - they have met other desert witches who left to travel, and wanted to form bonds of friendship. Rosa, against the advice of her council, allows Balder and his Lumen permission to enter the desert and they become guests of the royal family for a handful of months. (The reason Rosa allows these weird ass men into the desert is because ISABELLE is actually very interested in other cultures, and Rosa is hoping the Lumen will bring news from outside the desert that Isabelle will find cool/fun/etc. This whole situation is what leads to Isabelle's death however - Rosa's guilt over this is SOMETHING ELSE. Oof.)
Balder is immediately smitten with Rosa, of course, and spends most of his time trying to woo her in court. Mind you, Rosa is madly in love with Isabelle still - but Isabelle has deemed a relationship between them impossible (please read THIS FIC by Wilma for more context on Rosa and Isabelle) so Rosa allows herself to be charmed by this odd man. They begin a very quiet affair over the course of a few months. Balder falls in love - Rosa doesn't. But they get along supremely well, so it is a nice distraction.
But while Balder is interesting and charming, the rest of the Lumen are......not. Unlike the witches who are very insular, the Lumen are NOT. They actively travel spreading the word of Jubileus and recruiting humans to their religion (aka the most gaudy missionaries you've ever seen). But they also see humans as inherently lesser to them, since they have no magical potential and cannot see the angels themselves.....and thus treat them like shit.
The small contingent of Lumen traveling with Balder have a handful of humans with them, and it is clear very quickly how terribly the Lumen treat these humans. Most of the desert Umbra haven't interacted much with humans, outside of saving them from dehydration at the ends of their territory and sending them home, but they are for the most part HORRIFIED at the Lumens blatant disrespect.
After a few months, there is an incident where an Umbra watches a Lumen strike their human companion. When she attempts to intervene on behalf of the human, a fight breaks out, and all three of them end up dead.
Now, mind you, the witches in the desert rarely die. To angels on occasion, but in most clans there are witches who are thousands of years old. And each clan is pretty small!! So for a witch to be KILLED is a huge deal.
There is an immediate uproar, and Rosa makes the executive decision to ban all Lumen from the desert permanently. The Lumen want to fight, but Balder as their leader respects Rosa's decision to prevent more bloodshed. Balder himself is not particularly cruel and is indifferent to humans, but he has fallen in love with Rosa (who wouldn't?) and is starting to see from her perspective and rethink the way the Lumen lead their lives. He leaves with the Lumen peacefully, heartbroken.
THEN SHIT HITS THE FAN. To keep this part short - essentially some witches disagree with Rosa's decision, and want the Lumen to be allowed to come and go. They crave the power Lumen have over humans, and long for the outside world. Pretty much everyone else agrees with Rosa's decision though, so this relatively small group of witches break away from their clans and incite rebellion, attempting to dethrone Rosa so they can change how the Umbra are led.
All this conflict is happening while Rosa is pregnant. She realizes shortly after Balder is sent away that she is pregnant with his child, and decides to keep it - she needs an heir, and wants a child..... Balder has no clue Rosa is pregnant when he leaves.
Rosa gives birth to Cereza, and the conflict ends a few years after Cereza is born. Rosa never tells Cereza who her father is - witches can reproduce magically, so no one KNOWS that Rosa was fucking Balder and had his kid (lmao) they just assume she decided to have a child on her own. (Jeanne, for example, was a magical birth. She has no father. Just Isabelle. RIP Isabelle though.)
The only people who know about Cereza's true parentage are Isabelle (dead) Rosa (dead) and ......... ZAHRA ! ! ! She knows fucking everything, for better or worse.
Anyway. In the intervening years between Balder leaving the desert and the events of DH and Bayo 3, Balder embarks on a mission to restructure the Lumen. The Umbra prioritize clan and loyalty and respect, and his time with Rosa basically prompted a change in heart where he realized "damn, maybe abusing humans and our power over them in the name of a gracious goddess is not very cash money of us." He and a growing contingent of followers change how the Lumen lead (whether through peaceful negotiation or murder. You know how it is.)
Eventually, he returns to the desert, hoping to begin for forgiveness and prove that the Lumen have changed (and hoping to rekindle his romance with Rosa, whom he has carried a torch for all these years).
But now Rosa is dead, and Cereza is Queen. Cereza ends up hearing him out because Zahra makes some vague comment about Rosa once trusting him, and he alone is allowed in the desert for a short time. He doesn't know Cereza is his kid, and she doesn't know he is her father. They do grow close, and end up forming a kind of friendship - Cereza refuses to trust the Lumen as a whole because of, well, everything, but allows Balder to visit every so often on his own.
Zahra watches this all happen and says nothing. Cereza and Balder become close and never know the truth of each other. Yayyyyyy
Anyway! I hope this answers your question, and I am so sorry for rambling. I just feel like it doesn't make sense without the context :') I am not sure if I will ever write something with Balder in the DH-verse, but he is alive! And well! Just heartbroken!
I really love talking about my fics and the background lore, so never hesitate to ask if you have questions or clarifications or anything (this goes for everyone. Ahhhh. So cool that people care about the things I am writing enough to have questions sadklfshdjwfdhjk)
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a fantasy culture of greek and aztec design, people with gold flecks of glitter adorn their bodies, abs, woman, stomach, slim, athletic, pretty, Epic beautiful scene, cinemtaic, post production, depth of field, cinema photography, cinema, color grading, professional color grading, 55 mm lens, Exquisite detail, , sharp-focus, intericately-detailed, long exposure time, f/8, ISO 100, Shtter speed 1/125, diffuse-back-light, award winning photography, realistic photgraphy, hyper realistic, unreal engine, realistic lense flare ,real lighting, inscriptions, hyper realistic, 8k, detailed, photography, Cinematic Lighting, Studio Lighting, Beautiful Lighting, Accent Lighting, Global Illumination, Screen Space Global Illumination, Ray Tracing Global Illumination, Optics, Scattering, Glowing, Shadows, Rough, Shimmering, Ray Tracing Reflections, Lumen Reflections, Screen Space Reflections, Diffraction Grading, GB Displacement, Scan Lines, Ray Traced, Ray Tracing Ambient Occlusion, Anti-Aliasing, FKAA, TXAA, RTX, SSAO, Shaders, OpenGL-Shaders, GLSL-Shaders, Post Processing, Post-Production, Cel Shading, Tone Mapping, CGI, VFX, SFX, insanely detailed and intricate, hypermaximalist, elegant, hyper realistic, super detailed --q 2 --v 4
unco
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earlgreycoffee5 · 1 day
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someone explain to me why Elemental from Disney gets hate. I just watched it and it was the cutest shit ever. it explores such important themes too?? there's a girl who's never loved before, generational pressures, social stigma, and finding yourself in life ESPECIALLY what you want to do. and there's this adorable goofball wade who literally worships ember and its the sweetest shit because she can't connect and he can connect so well and together they're literally making each other better. it's such a beautiful way to bring together so many complex themes into a simple animated movie, and it honestly deserves to be appreciated more.
I loved that they literally altered each other's chemistry because of love, and that wade is actually hella smart with that love test ember's mom did, he gives ember all the freedom to be herself without any societal pressures and ember literally becomes calmer and more even tempered because of wade. the vivisteria flowers were such a great detail too because at the heart of it the movie is about breaking cultural barriers. for a little fireball to love the vivisteria is for her to want to be included in a society that has always considered fire the most dangerous. there's something so very romeo-juliet about fire and water falling in love, and it was honestly as if the beloved game fireboy watergirl reversed and made a movie. plus the music score of the movie HAS to be appreciated, that was some beautiful beautiful music and it's so relaxing to hear. overall I LOVED that movie and all the themes it explored
also I'm sorry their names are so cute???? ember lumen and wade ripple??? man that shits adorable, i love that they're literally in character too
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