#anime mumblings

[ashe-delta-manic-mumblings]

Alright, this is a write up I've wanted to do for a while. It's about my favorite set piece in fiction. Well, I guess set piece is wrong, but trope isn't the right word either. The concept of veriticality.

Spoilers for a couple of pivotal scenes from some works, including the bible, I guess. If you don't want to be spoiled on Lycoris Recoil's, Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door's, and Gurren Laggan's final scenes, then, like, don't read it.

My favorite scene in Lycoris Recoil, and what inspired this post, opens with the protagonist and the antagonist staring off into the sunset from the top of the tower she's trying to save and he's trying to destroy, as they discuss why they're going through all this trouble.

They're both fighting for the same thing, in this case, Japan. Which brings me to my first point here.

Verticality provides perspective. In this scene, for the first time, the two of them are looking over the very thing they're trying to save or destroy. They can see everything they're fighting for. This is a very common thing to do before a final fight in fiction literally everywhere.

In most pieces of media, this is most common achieved with the cutaway to some far off friends praying or cheering for the protagonist.

You know, winning through the power of friendship, and all that. Classic stuff. This works, but it can feel a bit boring at times, and might miss the mark on providing the impact you want in the big final scene. It also doesn't work in every kind of media, like writing, where once you're in a scene, it's very hard to leave one.

If the media wants to get clever with it, they'll make a peanut gallery for people to comment through. This leads to some pretty funny scenarios where sometimes the scope of the shot is too much and they need to actually pull back to a smaller scale in order to give proper scopes again. Easiest example? Gurren Laggan, where it's scope is so ridiculous they end up throwing actual galaxies around in it's final fight...

...only to rely on defend Earth is it's true final frontier of stakes. Because defending the universe is, somehow, has less stakes than the planet.

Verticality fixes this problem. Everything you're defending, everything you're fighting for, it's right there. It's all around you.

Are you defending a city? Then the top of a tower shows you everything. A kingdom? A sky platform in the sky is a classic place for a final battle? The whole planet? That's a bit harder, but have you considered a fight on the moon?

For many protagonists, its the first time they'll see the entirety of everything they're fighting for. This is on purpose, because often times, that sense of purpose and scale also communicates the finality of the conflict. That it's the final fight, everything, all this is on the line. Which leads to the second point.

Verticality provides totality. Now this is a stretch talking about the bible in a post about a cool scene in an anime, but...

...the Tower of Babel.

Stick with me here.

Even in the most quoted book in human history, verticality implied a sense of importance. This makes sense, I mean, where are the heavens if not above us? And so, in the story, we made a big fuck off tower to reach them, and yadda yadda, at risk of spoiling the bible, it didn't go well.

What's important about the Tower of Babel, though, is that it shows that verticality implies divinity. The final frontier. Quite literally nowhere to go but up.

Other than the aforementioned perspective, verticality by itself signifies importance. Humans aren't supposed to be this high, and see everything. The only people (can you even call them that?) this high should be the gods themselves, looking down upon us much in the same way a protagonist would seeing all they're fighting for.

It's foreign. It's alien.

It's final frontier. The final fight.

The scene which inspired this post, by the way, rises the stakes even higher with everyone's favorite The Timer™, which is a whole 'nother thing, but I figured I should bring it up, because divinity isn't the only thing that's causes the rising stakes.

It's the ground.

Verticality kills.

The thing about getting characters into the air which is fascinating is that while it's pretty easy to justify why a character is higher up than normal, it's a hell of a lot harder to get them down. Well, at least, without killing them.

We've all seen it by now. The protagonist is cornered, back to the wall, although not literally, as all that lies between them and death is the end of the cliff face. Rocks fall, beckoning danger. One wrong step, and they too should fall.

By having the threat of falling, it creates a danger that otherwise might not have been present. Granted, given plot armor as a concept, no one actually falls, or if they do, it's for a quick scare as the best friend character busts in and saves their life at the last moment.

Should the sheer terror of one of the most common fears, that being height, of course, not be enough, you can always finish the job with a big cut away show just how far that fall really is.

I'm a big fan of this scene personally for TRIPLING DOWN on the vertical nature of the scene and really hammering home everything they're fighting for, the importance, and the danger of it all by having it end fighting on a crumbling glass floor, that's such a good touch.

Literally no where else to look except what they're protecting.

It's about time to wrap this up, but a few minor points.

This is part of what makes the moon so special as a symbol in media. It's inaccessibility, it's divinity, it's deadliness, it's call to be explored, it all borrows from the sense of verticality. It's the tower, in a sense. The reverse is not true for the Earth while on the moon, as it usually what's being protected. You can make the Earth a symbol of verticality while on the moon, but it's a lot harder, as it's more a symbol of home before it's a symbol of danger.

Finally, the symbolism of verticality can be reversed too, although it's usually way harder when you're trying to raise stakes by going deep underground. When doing so, it tends to borrow a lot of the same stakes from high up symbols anyways, like death from falling, and grand scale structures. Communicating depth is just harder than height in general because it's not exactly like you get a window into the sky to see how high you are.

Enter Made in Abyss, which solves this problem by... adding a sky! Okay, well, I guess that works. It solves the issue of showing depth by having it feel like height instead. It does create a new problem of not really making it clear how deep you are, but that can be done on purpose to create a sense of mystery. And frankly, I don't think Made in Abyss needs anymore more stakes, I think they've got it covered.

Verticality manages to check three boxes you want in a big showdown. It shows the stakes, feels important, and threatens to kill. Even if you haven't noticed it—and everyone I've babbled about this to haven't, at least not on purpose—it's always been there. It's everywhere. It's not a symbol, at least not in the traditional sense, but it's ability to create stakes and purpose out of thin air makes it a great tool for writers and designers alike, and even if we don't actively study it, it's there.

Trying looking for it sometime. Take the plunge and look for when the stakes get so high the fight can only take itself into the sky.

Or, actually, maybe you should wait under after the fight. That jump does look mighty high.

[mumblesplash]

furious that there is ONE hand-drawn frame of wolfwood, and it’s the best his character design looks in the entire show, and it’s right after meryl hit him with a truck

[your-local-crypt1d]

Kurt Wagner is SO pansexual to me he just leans into the whole "ladies man" thing for the shits, he'd so flirt with the men too if it wasn't the 90s and he already has to deal with anti-mutant bigots on his ass.

Don't worry though! Rogue could smell the boy kisser in him from a mile away. She was raised by lesbians it only makes sense.

[merakiui]

he’s so cute……. 🥺🥺

[skyburger]

genuinely devastating that it's been four years since hlvrai came out and i still haven't seen ANY art of dr. coomer and dexter jettster together 😢 come on bro hes dr. coomers FAVORITE star wars character. they can hang out in the diner (from star wars: the clone wars)!!!! i think he would love that shit. we have the freedom to draw whatever we want and yet.........!!! 💔 world is a fuck

[pchjun]

(me when I hyperfixate on genshin for four whole days and the suppression of the need to draw and animate sampo mdm brughel poisson as Jessica rabbit from that one scene)

[smille-c]

I don't usually talk about it but i'm animation student and i'm currently working on graduation movie! If you want to check out the project you can find it here, and if you want to support us you can find our ulule here!

[murky-tannin]

Begging people to realize that just because a character believes something doesn't make it true. Foolish can say he's not pro fed all he wants but functionally he is in the ways that matter for the islanders. Just because he's selfishly motivated and doesn't care for the wider values of the federation doesn't make him less pro fed. What he's doing with his fish bowl plan is not "infiltrating" even if he believes it to be.

Same with Jaiden, a supporter and defender of the census bureau representatives and Foolish. Jaiden, who actively helps them to the detriment of the islanders and to the benefit of the federation. And otherwise? Tries to stay neutral. Which means she's really only supporting and helping the reps and Foolish, AKA the federation, whether she's self aware of it or not. Even if she didn't actively help to be "neutral" to oppressors is to be on their side, even though she isnt a fan of a lot of the stuff they do.

It's important for their characterization that they don't believe themselves to be pro fed, and "pro fed" in of itself is a very general label that can mean different things. But in terms of how it relates to the conflict between the feds and residents? They are pretty indisputably pro federation. And getting mad at fans for acknowledging this is missing the point imo

Pro fed does not mean they agree with every little goal and thing the federation has or does. Cucurucho certainly doesn't, neither does Osito, nor does Fred or WB017 or the other workers Quackity met or the unnamed scientists. That doesn't make them less pro fed.

[caseythebunnyboy]

kinda specific thing im in to but i want to have sex with a nerdy passionate person so bad 😵‍💫 while they talk about their favorite game i just keep saying "uh huh" as i reach to unzip their pants, because i got so needy once i saw how their face lit up while they were talking about their game 💜 id start riding them in their gaming chair because they just looked so happy while telling me about a cool character they got a few minutes ago, how could i not instantly mount their lap? maybe id put on their favorite show just to watch them explain every little detail from memory, and then give them a blowjob immediately after while its playing in the background 😊 (he/him, im a guy)

[lets-try-some-writing]

Do you have any fanfic recommendations for tfp?

Good Advice - Its fun. I like it.

The Song Forever Calling - This made me CRY. Dadimus will forever be something I adore.

I Come not to Praise Caesar - A fic that gives Jazz development he deserves and a solid reason for him to know Op in a world where he didn't know Op when he was Orion (at least I think. Its been a while)

The Death of Orion Pax - This fic gave me the base for many a headcanon.

Protoforming - You want angst with a sort of bitter sweet end? Here it is.

Lost and Found - Megatron becomes a sparkling and Optimus decides its time to dad.

Carry on Wayward Son - TFA fic Optimus has his life pulled out from under him with the revelation that he's Megatron's lost son shoved in his face.

Heir of the Empire - TFA fic where the Allspark turns the earth team into sparklings. They are then raised as Cons. Years later, Optimus remembers.

Nor is he Early - My fav fic by far. A pure worldbuilding no war fic based around Optimus becoming Prime and needing to deal with the slag in a VERY interesting interactive manner.

[italoniponic]

I saw some people confused over the backgrounds in the new event SSRs and decided to rewatch Pinocchio to give me some clues (at least, for Kalim's card that was the most mysterious). I'm still settled that Ace's background is Gepetto's shop with the wood-clocks and Ortho's bg is Stromboli's room with the bird cage where Pinocchio was kept... but then, where the hell is Kalim's bg??

I was sure it was Pleasure Island and oh boy, I was right! It's almost the same broken piano from the scene where the boys are being a menace through the island

And I already have a bad feeling about this...

[mumblesplash]

my favorite thing about comics specifically is how much it checks your ego if you think you know how to draw characters. like i’m pretty sure people who don’t do comics assume the hard part would be how *many* drawings are involved in making a comic, and sure that’s part of it, but i think the real challenge is having to accept you’re not as good at drawing characters as you think you are. being able to depict a convincing character, a dynamic pose, or even an expressive face out of context as opposed to within a narrative is such a different skill set in ways i don’t think a lot of people realize

[bitronic]

mismag house beasts

[merakiui]

breaking news: my third eye is open again and i'm falling for lilia and his charms.

[plushpyromoved]

small scribble of my pyro ocz so far one of these thingz are not like the otherz 0_0

[satellitesunset]

and what's worse is I can't stop thinking about how gojo was responsible for geto's initial death. thinking of the years of guilt he carried from killing his best friend, his soulmate - convinced that he'd never see him again. So to then hear geto's voice calling his name, to be maybe given another chance, to not only get back what he's lost but to also undo his greatest sin...

how could he not turn around?

HOW CAN HE NOT TURN AROUND !!

geto('s body) was the only possible option to seal him. the only thing that would have made him pause. it's literally called an 'impossible task'.

BUT THE LOVE GOJO HAD FOR GETO WAS ENOUGH TO DEFY THIS IMPOSSIBLITY !!

BECAUSE HE PAUSED. HESTIATED.

the concept that suguru had somehow came back was enough. enough for him to start reminiscing despite the danger. despite everything.

this panel specifically highlightes your point about gojo's guilt. the guit of killing his own best friend a year ago. the guilt of losing geto 11 years ago. that melancholy of being left at 17 is something that he has never escaped. he's been grieving geto even tho he was alive for 10 years. and he mourned him again after killing him for another year.