#[covers it in overlay layers and effects so you cant tell]

[uponthewind]

ahaha hiiii [drains you of your aether cutely]

[astranauticus]

post mortem for my orv animatic bc i have lots of thoughts and yall are gonna hear all of them (that is a threat)

first is the obligatory special thanks/plagiarism declaration section but a lot of the shots in this are inspired by the original changgwi lyric video which like. please watch it there's a reason this song is a classic animatic song on bilibili like the music is good but the video definitely helped. also speaking of bilibili, special shoutout to this arknights chongyue animatic that introduced me to the song that will haunt the next 8 months of my life!

the original inspiration was the thought that the verse of the spirit telling the story of its own death felt very yjh coded but it took like another week of stewing on it to have the idea of using the final chorus for the dkos arc which was the moment i decided i have to actually make this thing

going strictly by when i started putting pen to paper (pencil to ipad screen? whatever) this took almost exactly 5 months since i created the first drafts in february but the first 3 months ish from february until may were also my school semester so. most of the progress (id say about >60%) was done in the last two months of me working on this every moment i wasnt at work (or playing project sekai, for some reason)

also! funny little detail but counting the drafts and some discarded frames my procreate stack for this thing has exactly 49 artworks in it! neat little easter egg i guess (yeah 51 wouldve been more fitting but whatever)

this fully slipped by both me (at 2am) and my friend whom i sent the finished version to (fighting the flu) but in the final edit i didn't actually include the second half of the last lyric?? it's 'i will take you to the mountain god' i apparently just wrote 'i will take you' and never finished the rest LMAO

speaking of the lyrics i dont speak korean and im not a huge fan of most english translations of this song that exists so on multiple occasions i was so tempted to just use the chinese cover someone on bilibili did because then i'd at least be confident i know where the fucking line breaks were (there's one line at the end where im pretty sure i didn't edit on the line breaks correctly but that was more of an intentional compromise because the timings would've been off otherwise. anyway) tbh the only reason i didnt do that is the atmosphere and delivery of the original song is. really unbeatable like the cover's also pretty good but it doesn't quite achieve the same effect

also speaking of things i fucked up im aware i drew sys in the wrong outfit for the dkos fight but like. ok full disclosure my orv reference folder is a complete mess (theres like 400+ images in there. for some reason) so on net ive gotten character outfits wrong while working on this thing like at least 3 times bc id just grab a random webtoon screenshot from my folder and go w it. it's just that by the time i realised i fucked up i'd already finished drawing all of sys's frames and i was too lazy to go back and change all of them LMAO

anyway yeah some other random things i wanted to whinge about:

there's a lot of effects i wanted to do that didn't quite come across due to. lack of skill/time/patience/all of the above but the one im really annoyed about is the yhk postchorus bit with the 3 circles bc. first off i think i drew those while halfway dozing off on the train to school once because uh. yeah

anyway poor drawing aside id really wanted to recreate the sort of. drawn-in effect on the circles and lines that the original lyric video had but i could NOT for the life of me figure out a way to execute that in capcut so. here we are (also you cant put transitions on overlays in capcut so that's why those also looked so bad. youre welcome)

honestly my timeline for this in capcut looks pretty ridiculous bc if you want to do word by word animations/effects you need to pay for the pro version so my workaround was just to have like five thousand text layers with 1-2 words on it each (do not recommend btw)

speaking of the text im a moron so i kinda forgot to account for the text when drawing frames and wow you can tell. yeah next time im just hand writing the text fuck this

and i have some more thoughts that are. mild to moderate webtoon spoilers so past this will be the spoiler warning line

__________________________________________________________

actually my original plan was to upload this the day dkos dies in the webtoon but a. i genuinely did think it was gonna be yesterday like i dont pay for the early access episodes so i was just kinda going off orvtwt LMAO b. i could feel myself burning out on this like the last few frames i drew for this were fucking dogshit so i figured either i finish it soon or i wont finish it at all

i will probably still draw something for dkos' death day though for those who celebrate (basically when i was thumbnailing for one of the frames in this i ended up with one that didnt fit the video aspect ratio at all but still looks pretty good so im promoting it to a full drawing. so look forward to that)

like for an idea of how fucking sick of this shit i was by like. last week pretty much like for the last few frames of the dkos fight i straight up forgot to draw dkos' wings and had to add them in halfway through editing last night. like that's how fucking out of it i was by then lmaoo

looking back its actually kinda funny cuz the whole put this up when dkos dies thing was my plan since february but i had literally no way of knowing when that would be especially since the webtoon stopped going with the novel chapter numbers exactly (i could.. guesstimate but my original estimation was in june so yknow. real useful) but like i can find evidence of me panicking about that deadline since may. why did i do that

given that deadline i knew i cant really include stuff from the novel past the dkos arc but man. the amount of times i wanted to use something from later (ESPECIALLY 1863 arc). i actually have another idea i want to test out thats like full epilogue spoilers partially because working on this for so long made me realise i really want to make more epilogue content <- what

yknow how i mentioned discarded frames yeah i had to draw dkos' death 3 times because the first two compositions just never quite panned out. i mean the current one is also pretty unreadable with the colour scheme but trust me the previous ones were way worse christ alive

[j0sgomez-blog]

Backpack Gregory Baltoro 65 and Deva 60 $300, 65L/3,966 c.i. (men’s medium), 4 lbs. 15 oz. (men’s small, without the rain cover) Sizes: men’s Baltoro S-L, women’s Deva XS-M Moosejaw.com

Loaded with up to 40 pounds on a four-day, nearly 30-mile family backpacking trip in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains, this pack felt almost unnoticeable on my back—even climbing over three 9,000-foot mountain passes (two of them in one day). That may sound hyperbolic, but it’s true: I was thinking about the scenery rather than about my pack. That observation speaks volumes about the comfort of the fully featured men’s Baltoro and women’s Deva, which rank among the two or three best backpacking packs for hauling heavy loads—and may be the very best of them all. Here’s why.

Gregory Baltoro 65 harness.

Gregory has updated these classic big-load haulers for 2018, cutting a pound from their weight without compromising support, comfort, or their deluxe feature set. The Response A3 Suspension (stands for Auto-Angle-Adjust), with Gregory’s PreCurve 3D AIR hipbelt and shoulder harness plus an aluminum wishbone frame and plastic framesheet, seems to take 10 pounds off a heinous load. Gregory rates the pack for 50 pounds, an estimate I consider accurate based on abundant past experience with more than that in the Baltoro (I previously reviewed the Baltoro 75); strong backpackers could easily handle more weight in it. The suspension directs most of the pack weight onto the hips as effectively as the two or three top competitors out there.

The hipbelt acts like a friend offering to take most of your pack weight, thanks to a pre-curved wrap that smoothly embraces your hips, with no pressure points; ample padding with ventilated mesh; and independent rotation on each wing of the hipbelt, which significantly dampens the normal pack bouncing created by hip motion when walking. That translates to a noticeable reduction in back and shoulder fatigue, a benefit that grows as you add weight; but you’ll only find that feature in a few high-end, large-capacity backpacking packs.

  Find your next adventure in your Inbox. Sign up for my FREE email newsletter now.

  Gregory Baltoro 65 front.

The plush EVA foam padding in the shoulder straps, hipbelt, and Matrix ventilated back panel absorb a lot of the abuse of a heavy load, and shoulder straps and hipbelt come in multiple sizes for a customized fit. Plus, the heavily padded lumbar area has silicone grip to keep that load-bearing area from sliding around and causing irritation or blisters on your lower back. A removable lumbar insert behind the back panel allows some added customization of the lower back fit and support.

The Baltoro and Deva both come in three sizes with some adjustability in the shoulder straps and multiple sizes in the hipbelt for fine-turning the fit. With an 18-inch torso, I straddle the line between a size medium or small Baltoro, according to Gregory’s pack sizing chart; in that situation, I often go with the smaller size, and the Baltoro small fits me well.

At a tick mark under five pounds (for the small Baltoro), it’s more than twice the weight of top ultralight packs, of course. But that’s comparing apples to oranges. The Baltoro weighs virtually the same as the Arc’teryx Bora AR 63 and just four ounces more than the Osprey Atmos AG 65—two packs that most closely compete with it for comfort, fit, and features. It doesn’t feel huge on your back or impede movement much whether packed full or underfilled.

Gregory Baltoro 65 U-shaped zipper open.

While I’ve used the Baltoro 75 (the women’s equivalent is the Deva 70) on numerous family backpacking trips when my kids were young and I carried most of our food and gear, the Baltoro 65 has more than enough capacity for a week or more, even for someone carrying an extra share of group gear. The top-loading mouth opens widely enough to slip a Bear Vault BV 500 bear canister horizontally into the main compartment (I had to angle it in, and then it fits horizontally in the middle of the pack bag). A U-shaped front zipper accesses most of the main compartment—you can yank out another layer or lunch quickly, or completely open up the middle of the pack to pull out a tent in the rain while keeping everything else inside—and there’s a sleeping bag compartment zipper and removable divider. (I generally don’t user a sleeping bag compartment divider, preferring to fill every nook and cranny inside a pack.)

Few packs sport such a deluxe feature set as the Baltoro. Dual zippered lid pockets provide plenty of space for your headlamp, knife, sunglasses, and other small items; and I like the convenience of two pockets because there’s less digging around and fewer objects to fall out accidentally. I fit a gravity filter kit and rain shell in the vertically aligned, twin zippered front pockets and still had space to spare, while the mesh front pocket overlaying them swallows a damp rainfly.

  Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, creator of The Big Outside, which has made several top outdoors blog lists. Click here to sign up for my FREE email newsletter. Subscribe now to get full access to all of my blog’s stories. Click here to learn how I can help you plan your next trip. Please follow my adventures on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube.

  Gregory Baltoro 65 WeatherShield hipbelt pocket.

The removable Sidekick hydration sleeve doubles as a sub-5-ounce daypack with shoulder straps, a drawcord top closure, and a small zippered pocket for an ultralight summit hike carrying some water, a jacket, and a little food. The two girth-hitched bottom compression straps on the Baltoro and Deva can be used to attach a foam pad, and either is removable to double as a waist belt for the Sidekick daypack. One of the two hipbelt pockets has PU-coated WeatherShield material and a waterproof zipper.

One side pocket consists of a zip-out bottle holder canted at an angle to easily grab or replace a bottle in it while wearing the pack. I like the elasticized, retractable attachment on the left shoulder strap for briefly stashing sunglasses or poles. The two side compression straps wrap around the entire pack bag to attach large gear like snowshoes or maximize load compression, plus there are two straps and shock cords for ice axes and trekking poles. An included custom rain cover stashes in the zippered pocket under the lid.

  Plan your next great backpacking adventure using my downloadable, expert e-guides. Click here now to learn more.

  This is certainly not a pack for someone who wants to travel light, and the assortment of pockets will seem like overkill to a committed ultralighter. Plus, the industry’s full shift to lightweight and ultralight gear has transformed packs built for big loads into a niche market. But if your destiny routinely involves loads of 40 pounds or more, and you need a high level of organization and features, this is arguably the best pack on the market for that job.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog by clicking any of these links to buy a Gregory Baltoro 65 or other sizes at moosejaw.com, ems.com, or rei.com, or a Deva 60 or other sizes at moosejaw.com, ems.com, or rei.com.

  Tell me what you think.

I spent a lot of time writing this story, so if you enjoyed it, please consider giving it a share using one of the buttons below, and leave a comment or question at the bottom of this story. I’d really appreciate it.

  See all of my reviews of backpacks and backpacking gear at The Big Outside.

See also my “Top 5 Tips For Buying the Right Backpacking Pack,” and my stories “Gear Review: The 10 Best Backpacking Packs” (the Baltoro and Deva are on that list) and “Ask Me: What’s the Best Ultralight Thru-Hiking Backpack?”

  You live for the outdoors. The Big Outside helps you get out there. Subscribe now and a get free e-guide!

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See categorized menus of all of my gear reviews at The Big Outside.

—Michael Lanza

[j0sgomez-blog]

Backpack Gregory Baltoro 65 and Deva 60 $300, 65L/3,966 c.i. (men’s medium), 4 lbs. 15 oz. (men’s small, without the rain cover) Sizes: men’s Baltoro S-L, women’s Deva XS-M Moosejaw.com

Loaded with up to 40 pounds on a four-day, nearly 30-mile family backpacking trip in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains, this pack felt almost unnoticeable on my back—even climbing over three 9,000-foot mountain passes (two of them in one day). That may sound hyperbolic, but it’s true: I was thinking about the scenery rather than about my pack. That observation speaks volumes about the comfort of the fully featured men’s Baltoro and women’s Deva, which rank among the two or three best backpacking packs for hauling heavy loads—and may be the very best of them all. Here’s why.

Gregory Baltoro 65 harness.

Gregory has updated these classic big-load haulers for 2018, cutting a pound from their weight without compromising support, comfort, or their deluxe feature set. The Response A3 Suspension (stands for Auto-Angle-Adjust), with Gregory’s PreCurve 3D AIR hipbelt and shoulder harness plus an aluminum wishbone frame and plastic framesheet, seems to take 10 pounds off a heinous load. Gregory rates the pack for 50 pounds, an estimate I consider accurate based on abundant past experience with more than that in the Baltoro (I previously reviewed the Baltoro 75); strong backpackers could easily handle more weight in it. The suspension directs most of the pack weight onto the hips as effectively as the two or three top competitors out there.

The hipbelt acts like a friend offering to take most of your pack weight, thanks to a pre-curved wrap that smoothly embraces your hips, with no pressure points; ample padding with ventilated mesh; and independent rotation on each wing of the hipbelt, which significantly dampens the normal pack bouncing created by hip motion when walking. That translates to a noticeable reduction in back and shoulder fatigue, a benefit that grows as you add weight; but you’ll only find that feature in a few high-end, large-capacity backpacking packs.

  Find your next adventure in your Inbox. Sign up for my FREE email newsletter now.

  Gregory Baltoro 65 front.

The plush EVA foam padding in the shoulder straps, hipbelt, and Matrix ventilated back panel absorb a lot of the abuse of a heavy load, and shoulder straps and hipbelt come in multiple sizes for a customized fit. Plus, the heavily padded lumbar area has silicone grip to keep that load-bearing area from sliding around and causing irritation or blisters on your lower back. A removable lumbar insert behind the back panel allows some added customization of the lower back fit and support.

The Baltoro and Deva both come in three sizes with some adjustability in the shoulder straps and multiple sizes in the hipbelt for fine-turning the fit. With an 18-inch torso, I straddle the line between a size medium or small Baltoro, according to Gregory’s pack sizing chart; in that situation, I often go with the smaller size, and the Baltoro small fits me well.

At a tick mark under five pounds (for the small Baltoro), it’s more than twice the weight of top ultralight packs, of course. But that’s comparing apples to oranges. The Baltoro weighs virtually the same as the Arc’teryx Bora AR 63 and just four ounces more than the Osprey Atmos AG 65—two packs that most closely compete with it for comfort, fit, and features. It doesn’t feel huge on your back or impede movement much whether packed full or underfilled.

Gregory Baltoro 65 U-shaped zipper open.

While I’ve used the Baltoro 75 (the women’s equivalent is the Deva 70) on numerous family backpacking trips when my kids were young and I carried most of our food and gear, the Baltoro 65 has more than enough capacity for a week or more, even for someone carrying an extra share of group gear. The top-loading mouth opens widely enough to slip a Bear Vault BV 500 bear canister horizontally into the main compartment (I had to angle it in, and then it fits horizontally in the middle of the pack bag). A U-shaped front zipper accesses most of the main compartment—you can yank out another layer or lunch quickly, or completely open up the middle of the pack to pull out a tent in the rain while keeping everything else inside—and there’s a sleeping bag compartment zipper and removable divider. (I generally don’t user a sleeping bag compartment divider, preferring to fill every nook and cranny inside a pack.)

Few packs sport such a deluxe feature set as the Baltoro. Dual zippered lid pockets provide plenty of space for your headlamp, knife, sunglasses, and other small items; and I like the convenience of two pockets because there’s less digging around and fewer objects to fall out accidentally. I fit a gravity filter kit and rain shell in the vertically aligned, twin zippered front pockets and still had space to spare, while the mesh front pocket overlaying them swallows a damp rainfly.

  Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, creator of The Big Outside, which has made several top outdoors blog lists. Click here to sign up for my FREE email newsletter. Subscribe now to get full access to all of my blog’s stories. Click here to learn how I can help you plan your next trip. Please follow my adventures on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube.

  Gregory Baltoro 65 WeatherShield hipbelt pocket.

The removable Sidekick hydration sleeve doubles as a sub-5-ounce daypack with shoulder straps, a drawcord top closure, and a small zippered pocket for an ultralight summit hike carrying some water, a jacket, and a little food. The two girth-hitched bottom compression straps on the Baltoro and Deva can be used to attach a foam pad, and either is removable to double as a waist belt for the Sidekick daypack. One of the two hipbelt pockets has PU-coated WeatherShield material and a waterproof zipper.

One side pocket consists of a zip-out bottle holder canted at an angle to easily grab or replace a bottle in it while wearing the pack. I like the elasticized, retractable attachment on the left shoulder strap for briefly stashing sunglasses or poles. The two side compression straps wrap around the entire pack bag to attach large gear like snowshoes or maximize load compression, plus there are two straps and shock cords for ice axes and trekking poles. An included custom rain cover stashes in the zippered pocket under the lid.

  Plan your next great backpacking adventure using my downloadable, expert e-guides. Click here now to learn more.

  This is certainly not a pack for someone who wants to travel light, and the assortment of pockets will seem like overkill to a committed ultralighter. Plus, the industry’s full shift to lightweight and ultralight gear has transformed packs built for big loads into a niche market. But if your destiny routinely involves loads of 40 pounds or more, and you need a high level of organization and features, this is arguably the best pack on the market for that job.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog by clicking any of these links to buy a Gregory Baltoro 65 or other sizes at moosejaw.com, ems.com, or rei.com, or a Deva 60 or other sizes at moosejaw.com, ems.com, or rei.com.

  Tell me what you think.

I spent a lot of time writing this story, so if you enjoyed it, please consider giving it a share using one of the buttons below, and leave a comment or question at the bottom of this story. I’d really appreciate it.

  See all of my reviews of backpacks and backpacking gear at The Big Outside.

See also my “Top 5 Tips For Buying the Right Backpacking Pack,” and my stories “Gear Review: The 10 Best Backpacking Packs” (the Baltoro and Deva are on that list) and “Ask Me: What’s the Best Ultralight Thru-Hiking Backpack?”

  You live for the outdoors. The Big Outside helps you get out there. Subscribe now and a get free e-guide!

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See categorized menus of all of my gear reviews at The Big Outside.

—Michael Lanza