#anime scenery art is so close to the real view

[blerdsunited]

Japan Street Views - April 2024

• There was so much to see and hear while enjoying walks through the city. It was a very interesting yet aesthetically pleasing experience. Everyone was on a mission to get to where they were going while I was cruising, enjoying the breeze and the views. The city buildings and different displays were really awesome to look at even if I had to use the google image translator to read the wording. #FirstTimeVisit

-Admin Rabbit

[robertgolfcartrentaltips]

Things to do in Jensen Beach

Introduction

Jensen Beach, a hidden gem on Florida's Treasure Coast, attracts visitors with its relaxed charm and wide range of outdoor activities. Whether you're an experienced explorer or a family in search of tranquility, this coastal haven has something for all. To discover the delightful downtown area especially, think about renting a golf cart and meandering through the streets bordered by pastel cottages and local stores.

Beaches and Water Sports

No trip to Florida is truly complete without lolling in the sun on the beautiful beaches. Jensen Beach offers a variety of stunning shorelines, each with its charm. Walton Rocks Beach, a local gem, provides gentle waves ideal for families with young children and includes a special dog park so your furry mate can enjoy the beach too. For a more hidden retreat, visit Waveland Beach to relax under swinging palm trees and listen to the soothing sound of the ocean.

The real enchantment of Jensen Beach lies in its waterways. The Indian River Lagoon, a protected estuary overflowing with marine life, is a paradise for water lovers. Rent a kayak or paddleboard for a peaceful adventure through the mangrove forests. You may find playful dolphins, graceful manatees, and a variety of bird species. For an exciting experience, consider hiring a fishing boat to challenge your fishing abilities against the diverse marine life. The Indian River Lagoon is famous for its plentiful game fish, making it a must-visit destination for fishing enthusiasts.

Explore at Your Own Pace

The beaches are quite long in length, and I know you don’t want to walk all the way from your hotel to the beach. While exploring Jensen Beach, consider renting a golf cart for a unique and convenient way to navigate the town. Imagine cruising through the streets in a 4-seater golf cart in Jensen Beach, enjoying the fresh air and soaking in the sights at your own pace. This is particularly advantageous for families with young children or those who may find walking long distances challenging. Rental golf carts offer the freedom to explore hidden gems, charming shops, and tucked-away restaurants, all within the comfort of your electric vehicle.

Nature Trails and Parks

Jensen Beach is a haven for outdoor lovers. Discover the picturesque paths of Savannas Preserve State Park, a vast 5,000-acre sanctuary filled with a rich collection of plants and animals. Trek or cycle through the vibrant scenery, watching for gopher tortoises, sandhill cranes, and various bird species. To add a special touch, take a guided airboat tour through the mangroves. This exciting adventure offers a close look at the fragile ecosystem and provides insights into its significance.

A Touch of History and Culture

Jensen Beach offers more than sun, sand, and surf. Immerse yourself in the region's rich history with a visit to the Mansion at Tuckahoe, a meticulously restored historic landmark. Explore the beautifully preserved rooms and learn about the area's captivating past. For a touch of whimsy, head to the Artist Cottages, a charming enclave where local artists showcase their talents. Browse through vibrant paintings, handcrafted jewelry, and unique souvenirs, taking home a piece of Jensen Beach's creative spirit.

Sunset and Vibrant Nightlife

As the sun dips below the horizon, Jensen Beach transforms into a haven for relaxation. Enjoy a delicious seafood dinner at a waterfront restaurant, taking in the breathtaking views of the Indian River Lagoon. Downtown Jensen Beach comes alive in the evenings, with its charming boutiques and art galleries staying open late for relaxed browsing. Catch some live music at a local bar or enjoy a delightful performance of Music at the Mansion series, held at the historic Mansion at Tuckahoe.

Conclusion

Jensen Beach offers an unforgettable escape, catering to every traveller's desires. From action-packed water adventures to serene beach days and cultural exploration, this charming coastal town promises an experience that will leave you yearning for more. Don’t forget to go for a 4-person golf cart rental near you in Port St. Lucie to save your money on Uber or walking all day long on the roads. With wheels secured, you'll be cruising towards unforgettable memories in Jensen Beach in no time!

[buscharterblog]

Orlando, Florida is the Perfect Vacation Destination for Everyone

March 3, 2023

While Orlando, Florida is known as the world's theme park capital, it is far from a one-trick pony. This location receives approximately 233 days of sunshine per year. It is the most visited city in the United States for reasons other than roller coasters and thrilling theme park experiences. That's because it has something for everyone, young and old, adventurous and laid-back, nature and big city.

Come to Orlando, Florida, and you'll discover even more reasons why it's the ideal vacation destination!

Additional Attractions Away from Theme Parks You do want to visit Disney and Universal, after all. But keep an eye out for additional hidden jewels in Orlando's attraction scene. There is Gatorland, where you can get up close and personal with enormous gators and other animals, and ICON Park, which is home to the renowned Wheel, formerly known as the Orlando Eye. The rides and activities of Congo River Golf and Fun Spot America have a nostalgic boardwalk ambiance. And that's just the shortlist!

There's Always Something New Happening Theme parks often introduce brand-new activities, entertainment, and dining options for visitors to enjoy. It's the reason why locals eagerly anticipate stopping by on a day off and why visitors return year after year. New roller coasters are opening at Sea World and Universal Studios (Jurassic World VelociCoaster at Universal and Ice Breaker at SeaWorld). Remy's Ratatouille Adventure at Disney World lets you shrink to Remy's size in Gusteau's kitchen for a more kid-friendly new experience.

It Has a Unique Kind of Nature Florida has a distinctive ecology and is one of the most beautiful states. Even if you are unable to travel all the way to the south to view the Everglades, Orlando has an incredible selection of breathtaking natural sights that you shouldn't miss. When you're surrounded by theme parks, it can be difficult to remember that Florida was once home to the Timucuan Indians. There are locations like Wekiwa Springs State Park where you may swim in crystal-clear water that is always 72 degrees.

Want to observe the wild side of nature? Don't forget to take an airboat ride. It is the quickest method to go across Florida's swampy, natural scenery in order to view alligators, turtles, snakes, a variety of magnificent birds, and other elements that contribute to the state's uniqueness. You can go sightseeing on a leisurely boat ride with one of the tour companies and enjoy anything from gawking at the opulent real estate to a more natural setting.

You'll Satisfy All Your Wants Don't allow missing Epcot's Food and Wine Festival deter you from experiencing international cuisine in Orlando. You can find meals from different cultures right on International Drive, which is close to the theme parks. Here, you can eat anything you want, from Greek to Ethiopian cuisine, as well as simple family favorites and elegant fine dining. Orlando is undoubtedly a gourmet city!

Give In to Your Cultural Side Orlando is a great destination if you enjoy live music, Broadway plays, symphonies, ballets, and other performing arts. You can immerse yourself in culture in a variety of ways at Dr. Phippip's Center for the Performing Arts. There are several of museums as well, including the Orlando Museum of Art and Ripley's Believe It Or Not. You'll find so many fascinating new things there that you'll never get bored.

Get In The Game Sports are available in Orlando as well as the excellent arts and culture that Orlando has to offer. Catch an Orlando Magic basketball game, an Orlando City or Orlando Pride soccer match, or even a hockey game with the Orlando Solar Bears. Over 170 golf courses and the USTA national training site for tennis are available for anyone who would rather participate in the activity than only watch it.

Recharge Your Spirit Most people are unaware that Orlando is one of the best places to live an active lifestyle. Look beyond the theme parks for ways to recharge your mind, body, and soul, such as paddleboarding in nature, walking trails in the city at Lake Eola Park, biking the West Orange Trail, and luxury spa treatments at top resorts.

Dance and Groove to the Music of the Night Whether you want to go club hopping and dancing until dawn or prefer a more intimate evening in a cozy wine bar, Orlando has your nightlife needs covered. Splitsville, a luxury bowling alley, is available at family-friendly locations such as Disney Springs. On International, ICEBAR is a great place to grab a drink and escape the notorious Florida heat. Furthermore, there are numerous additional options all around International Drive, the Mills 50 District, CityWalk at Universal, and Disney Springs, making it simple to find nightlife near your Orlando hotel.

Excellent Value Orlando truly satisfies all of your senses, with so much to see, do, taste, and feel. Whether you're traveling alone or with the entire family, from kids to grandkids, it's easier than ever to plan an epic vacation here. The best part is that package pricing from hotels, theme parks, area attractions, and restaurants offers excellent value. There are also free activities such as visiting nature parks and outdoor markets, walking around Lake Eola, and even visiting Disney Springs, which has free parking.

When you visit Orlando, you will have so much to do that you will have to return the following time you visit. Or, even better, stay even longer.

Posted by https://www.eastcoastlimo.miami/miami-bus-charter-to-orlando

[adelha-mathilde]

Very Unexpected (Trigun Sanctuary AU) fic

content: Wolfwood is not dealing with the change of scenery well. So he goes to find Adelha and demand a few things. But he finds that his hostess is not in her usual look. Established relationships. Grumpy Wolfwood. Talk of insecurities and trauma. Vash is there to mediate. Art used is by sandara.

Wolfwood was about ready to lose his mind. Being in this new world where there was tons of green and water and noise. It set him on edge. He wasn't used to all the animals making their various chirping or rustling or squeaking. Or having to deal with all the insects. Add in he hadn't had a cigarette in weeks, and he was about to murder something. So Wolfwood grabbed his shoes and headed out of Adelha's cozy cabin to march out and find her. With the intention of giving her a few comments and cuss words.

The path was easy to follow around to the secluded fresh water pond that tended to act as a drinking water source for both the animals and the Fae who lived here. The island sanctuary holding tons of rivers and ponds to also be surrounded by the ocean. This pond in particular was the kind that acted more like a swimming pool. Since there were lounge chairs and a little camping area close by the water. Wolfwood guessed this was where Adelha would be. Since he could hear Wesson barking. But the one playing with the puppy was Vash. His smile bright as he tugged on a worn out sock for Wesson to try and pilfer. Vash had skipped putting on a shirt today. All his scars out in full view as the blonde grinned down at the playful puppy. Which just had Wolfwood frown. His reaction being one of mixed emotions. The old Vash would never have showed all his scars out in the open. Yet here he was not caring one bit.

Wolfwood stomped up for Vash to look up and blink. The blonde losing his smile as Wesson moved to hide behind Vash and try chewing on his pant leg. So Vash scooped the puppy up as Wolfwood openly growled. "Where is she? I want to have words with her and sort things out." Vash frowned to then shake his head and look rather sad. his words hinting at his worry. "Nick. We both know she can't just snap her fingers and send us back home. Especially when traveling to other world is a highly guarded advanced form of ancient magic. So you shouldn't push the matter." Wolfwood ran a hand through his hair to huff and fume out loud despite the sense Vash was making. "I don't care! This feels like she's just brushing us aside to leave us hanging! I want to actually have a long conversation over this! Not get told it's classified and get shooed away like a toddler or idiot! What about the orphanage?! What about the people who have zero idea where we went?!" Vash flinches to hug Wesson close and look very hurt at Wolfwood's insinuation. "You think I don't think about that, too? As far as we might know, anyone who knows us may believe we died. I hate the very idea of letting the people who care about us grieve for us. But we don't have any real way of going back that we know won't get us killed. So be patient."

Wolfwood throws his hands up and open shouts, "I tried that! It's obviously not working for me! So please tell me where Adleha is so I can have her say the exact same things! But with a ton more detail!" Vash hesitates on that to then glance over at the fresh water pond that might as well be a deluxe swimming pool. His sigh heavy for him to set Wesson down in a big caged play pen. The puppy soon rolling about with a squeaking chew toy as Vash gets on his feet. "She's soaking in her source of life. The Fae that are of her particular Water Dragon lineage have to return to the water every three or five days. As well as... Well... How to put this..." Wolfwood raises an eyebrow as Vash rubs the back of his neck to sigh again. Soon turning to walk over and reach out for a tied tassel line that leads right into the water. Vash gives the tassel three tugs for lights to flicker under the water. Wolfwood looking confused as Vash sits himself down so his legs are in the water. The blonde saying, "Maybe it's better for you to see for yourself and not have me spoil things. Just be respectful, okay?"

It only takes a minute for bubbles to roil along the water. then a creature emerges from the water for Wolfwood to go slack jawed. Since the creature is an actual dragon. One with white scales with blue undertones and elegant antlers. A slender neck followed by a lithe frame. It wasn't a big dragon. More the size of a tiger or lion. Yet it was obvious this creature was powerful and fast. Wolfwood actually tumbled back to land on his ass and stare as this gorgeous and deadly creature fully emerged from the water. A tail that was extra long and held wisps of fog in places for Vash to openly grin. The blonde saying with warm amusement to Wolfwood, "I toppled over the first time I saw Delly like this, too. She's gorgeous, isn't she?" Wolfwood blinks a few times as the dragon gives a long sigh of air that comes out more like a rumble. That long tail moving to dip into the play pen for Wesson to yip and lick the tail with happy abandon. Wolfwood finally regaining his voice to say, "More like highly intimidating. If she was any bigger I'd be sprinting for the hills for my life."

Vash openly laughs as the dragon turns her head to study Wolfwood with those striking blue eyes. Another rumble escaping before she speaks. Yet the tone is very different from Adelha's usual lilted notations. Instead, her voice is richer and hold a slight reverberation. "Please. I am tiny compared to other dragons. Apologies for the startle, Nicholas. But it takes me a moment and a lot of magic to shift forms. As such, I would ask we speak right away." Wolfwood shook his head a few times to then tisk and nod his head. A huff of air coming out before he says anything. "Sweet Lord. If I had known you were currently- I mean- I was expecting to rant and fume at the lady hostess that might as well be a saint. Not be talking to a creature that looks like they could instantly smush me."

Wolfwood grunts as Adelha takes her tail to every so gently tap him on the top of the head. her purr making the air vibrate for Wolfwood to get the feeling she is laughing at him. Soft and warm words confirming such. "Silly man. I bet you were all eager to bellow and rage like a Kodiak bear at me so as to get all your emotions out of your system. Not the most healthy way to deal with such. But one I am very familiar with. I used to do the exact same thing." Wolfwood looks very surprised to instant ask, "Seriously? You? Losing your temper? Since when would you do that?" Adelha purrs again to settle herself down and scoop Wesson out of the play pen with her tail. The puppy soon charging off to try and climb the dragon like a jungle gym. While the dragon simply muses aloud. "Not but a few decades ago. I was still considered to be young and far too passionate for my own good. Many a times my guardian and teacher would have to take me outside for sword practice. just so that I wouldn't be able to go charging off to break whatever fool decided to rile me up. Claude learned the hard way early on that just trying to sit on me until I calmed down would mean I let my anger loose on him in all my fury. Which he found amusing after the first time I exploded on him to chase him around the mountains for a day."

Vash openly laughs at the mental image for Wolfwood to feel himself smile. So he scoots himself closer to carefully lay a hand on Adelha's head. Giving the most gentle rubs to those antlers for the dragon to close her eyes and sigh. A trill escaping her throat as Wolfwood feels his anger all but wash out of him. "Must have been quite the day. Okay. I get it. You really aren't trying to treat us with kid gloves when it comes to getting us back home. It's not because we're ignorant or stupid and totally out of our depth." Adelha purrs to lean into those gentle pats to confirm Wolfwoo'ds words. "Far from it. The ancient and potent art of cosmic travel is one that the elders guard quite fiercely. For many reasons including the dangers trying and failing may lead to. By the usual rules and guidelines of the magic community, such arts are not open to study until one either reaches a certain age or shows extreme potential in their spell craft." Wolfwood asks after a second, "How old is the minimum requirement?" Adelha answers with, "For humans it is fifty years of age or study. For the Fae with longer lives and slower development it is one hundred and sixty years." Wolfwood goes bug eyed to then whistle. "Shoo. That's a good chunk of time." Vash nods as Adelha grumps a little at this point. "The only member of the Currier clan who qualifies in such teachings is my adopted father figure. But Eugene is not proficient in his spell crafting of that nature. He is pursuing the road to study and learn what he may. But we won't here anything concrete for at least five years. I already reached out to several more ancient Fae that hint at having mastered such spell craft. But that means bartering with literal powers of old deity status."

Wolfwood grumbles a cuss word out to actually flop over and lay against Adelha's scaled frame. Soon giving a huff when Wesson decides to land on Wolfwood's chest and give him face licks. So Wolfwood pets the happy puppy for Vash to walk over and sit next to them. The blonde leaning on Adelha's other side to sound patient and accepting. "Well. At least we know we have options. And that said options are being pursued. But until you hear anything from anyone on the matter, I say we just enjoy the day to day. So then. What should we think about making for supper?" Adelha chuckles when Wolfwood instantly exclaims out loud, "Pasta! With lots of meat!"

[evolutionsvoid]

The rainbow mountains are a truly marvelous biome to visit, as words or drawings can never do them justice. The sheer colors on display! The plants and animals that are so vivid and bright, despite being in an alpine environment! Normally, mountainous places are seen as more barren and simple, not quite desert but certainly not an area you would describe as "vibrant" or "lively." Here, though, the landscape is a work of art, and the wildlife is so gorgeous that you can hardly choose which species to focus on! While its beauty is beyond words, one should remember that this is a wild land, and caution must always be taken. At higher altitudes, the air is thinner and the weather can be harsher. Traveling over the steep and rugged terrain can easily leave you out of breath, and improper planning can get you trapped in bad situations. This is why locals always advise tourists to hire guides to go with them if they seek to visit these beautiful mountains. When one is captivated by the scenery, they aren't paying attention to things like distance or weather. In the quest to see it all, or to get the perfect view, outsiders may climb too far or high and then not have the strength to make it back. The other thing to remember is that the wildlife is still indeed wildlife. Gorgeous as they may be, they are still animals that need to be treated with respect. One must keep their distance and know which species to avoid in general. In a rainbow painted world, one may believe everything is nectar and sunshine, but there are still the harsh rules of nature and the beasts that need meat to thrive. The Fabulous Lancejaw is a species that many get enamored with, seeing them as colorful, shimmering serpents. From afar, they are indeed a beautiful sight as they slither and stalk. Up close, though, they are an incredibly dangerous species and a scourge for the herbivores that call these mountains home. While they have the long flexible body of a serpent, they are not reptiles. The Fabulous Lancejaw is actually a crustacean, whose form has become greatly elongated. It doesn't just slither on its belly, as it has countless legs running down is length, which allows it to easily navigate the slopes and cliffs. Numerous antenna and appendages around its head help it sense its environment and locate prey. One such pair of paddle-like limbs has patterns that look like eyes, which make many people believe this is how it sees. In truth, these are just for startling predator and prey, as well as for courtship. The real eyes are smaller and subtler, but they are by no means weak! The eyes of a Fabulous Lancejaw have incredible vision, allowing it to spot the smallest prey from far away, while also picking it out from the mess of colors surrounding it! With the land being a rainbow, and most food blending into that palette, the Lancejaw needs good color vision and depth perception to figure out what is meat and what is just vibrant rock. When it spots prey, it is time to slither in and go for the kill!

As a predator, the Fabulous Lancejaw needs a way to take down its prey after tracking it down. Though it has a serpentine body, it does not kill by constriction. It can use this to hold prey in place, but this is not its method of execution. Hopefully by now, readers should have keyed in on the name "Lancejaw," as that is quite relevant now. Located under its head is a pair of sharp appendages that resemble spearing claws. Compared to its body length, these limbs may seem comically small, especially when going up against armored prey like the Rainbow Naotul. While these claws are pointy, there is much more to them than that. These limbs have joints that allow them to fold up and lock into place. When in this mode, they are hidden beneath the head, with only the tips of the pointed claws sticking out. This isn't just for storing them, as the muscles and joints are perfectly designed to store up energy. Think of a ballista when it is winched back and ready to fire. It doesn't look like much, but there is an incredibly amount of energy just waiting to be released. These limbs function on that logic, ratcheted back and then released with explosive force. When the claws are launched, shell shatters and flesh pops. They rip through prey as if they were paper, leaving gaping wounds and broken bones. Smaller prey dies instantly, as the impact of these skewering claws tends to destroy organs and practically punch the blood right out of them. Larger prey can last a bit longer, but the injuries are too grave to ignore. A direct hit from these claws are a death sentence, either perishing on the spot or from blood loss a few minutes later. The Lancejaw may grab struggling prey in its coils to hold it still for a clean shot, but this is only done on large victims. It needs a good amount of mass between its claws and its body, that way it doesn't accidentally skewer itself! When prey expires, the Lancejaw wraps its body around the carcass to keep away those that may try to still a bite. It then dines on the flesh, sometimes using its powerful claws to further break down shells and armor that protect tasty morsels. 

A myth I want to dispel, while we are on the subject of hunting, is the idea that the Fabulous Lancejaw hypnotizes its prey. Due to their shimmering colors and eye-like limbs, people think that it uses this display to mesmerize its food and leave it vulnerable to attack. This simply is not true (and you are probably thinking of a different creature). The colors and eye patterns may startle or distract struggling prey, but it does not entrance them. Of all observations done with this species, there has been zero cases of this ever happening. People tend to point at the fact that prey freezes up when this swaying rainbow beast rears up and displays its eye marks. While this does happen, it is usually because the victim is terrified of the carnivorous crustacean and the two spears that are about to be punched through their skulls. Their movements are indeed dance-like and their colors are quite marvelous to behold. I certainly would be entranced by their display when studying them, but the second one actually looked at me or got remotely close I would be sprinting myself to the other side of the mountain. It is not a show I want to see up close and neither should you! Due to their beauty and abilities, the Fabulous Lancejaw is quite the famous species in their regions. Their image and likeness is used on a variety of banners, shields and crests, while their shells are used for ornaments and arms. While they look great on a family crest, locals know quite well to keep far away from them. Lancejaws are very territorial and protective of their food. They already have to compete with one another to score a good meal, and there are other serpent-like beasts of the rainbow that threaten to kill them and take their food. With that, they are quick to turn hostile and will not hesitate to strike down those that get too close. That rearing back like a cobra with their eye markings displayed is the one and only warning you will get if you agitate them. Fail to leave them alone, and your organs will be punched right through your spine. Fatalities to this species is rare amongst locals, as the deaths that do occur are from cases of "wrong place, wrong time." Where the body count really racks up, though, is from tourists and visitors to these regions. Maybe the Lancejaw does have hypnotic capabilities, because for the life of me I cannot understand why people keep getting close to these dang things. Is there some idea that colorful things aren't dangerous that has been going around without my knowing? Do they tell you at school "if it is pretty, then it isn't bad?" Because I think the rainbow mountains are the one place where I have seen the most people make the dumbest decisions possible. If it isn't walking right up to a Lancejaw, it is mingling with its prey! Yes the Naotuls and Gardenbacks are beautiful, and they do indeed eat lichens and molds, but GET AWAY FROM THEM! Not only will they take you out if you make the wrong move, but if a predator shows up, you are standing right on the dinner table! The rainbow mountains are about to get a whole lot redder!   It should be noted that the Lancejaw is species that has been highly sought after for collections, coliseums and zoos. They are pretty to look at and their feeding methods make for quite the show. You will not see this species amongst these places, though, as it turns out keeping them in captivity is extremely difficult. The first thing is that the rainbow mountains are rare and remote places, so transporting one is already going to be costly and frustrating. The other problem about keeping them is the whole "keeping them in one place" thing. Those powerful pincers that can blast through prey are also good for punching through fences, walls and bars. Even if they can't power straight through an iron gate, they will find the lock or weak point that they can shatter to force it open. Combined with their ability to scale cliffs and mountains, and that their body can squeeze through pried open bars, and you got a beast that refuses to be contained. Which is good, because they already kill enough people when they are in their remote habitats, I can't even imagine the death toll if you plopped one of these into a circus. Chlora Myron Dryad Natural Historian

-----------------------------------------------------------------

“Fabulous Lancejaw”

Well I mentioned them before, so figured they should be up next! I bet folks who read the name "Fabulous Lancejaw" from the previous entry had a pretty good guess of what this beast was based on! Also I just went through writing this and proofreading this until I remembered that I already have a beast with "lancejaw" in its name....Oops.

[sadman-morgan]

rainy night muse

pairing: arthur morgan x neutral!reader

summary:  Heavy rain slammed against the tent’s folds as thunder roared throughout camp. This night felt longer than any other. You were exhausted. You just wanted to get some sleep.

word count: 1.7k

warnings: none, other than extreme fluff with one cowboy. 

---

You and Arthur had spent the day hunting, gathering supplies and various items requested by fellow camp members, all while committing petty crimes along the way. Hunting always made you incredibly sore to the point where other members had taken notice. Ms. Grimshaw always assured there were other ways for you to earn your keep, but you brushed the offers off. Despite the aching, hunting was always your favorite pastime to share with Arthur. 

After rounding up your hunts, you and Arthur decided to head back to camp. When you both approached your horse, Arthur saddled up first, then reached out his arm for you to hop on. On the way back, nightfall slowly began to creep into The Heartlands. Arthur had spent any free-breathing second scribbling away in his journal, which soon became the quickly discussed topic on the ride back. 

“What’d ya draw today?” you questioned. 

Despite not seeing his face, you could feel tints of red smearing across his face, and the heat coming off of it. 

“Uhh.. scenery? Not real sure, jus’ random things I saw beauty in, I suppose,” he laughed nervously. 

You were both usually quiet after strenuous days like today. Occasionally, you mumble-sang random songs together or pointed out breathtaking views. There was always something about talking to you that made Arthur’s heart skip beats, and his palms drown in his own sweat. Speaking his true mind was always a difficult task. 

Once you arrived at camp, the day turned into a deep pitch black, only to be combated by the bright illumination of the campfire. Arthur hopped off first to hitch the horse, then came back around to help you off. 

You both went around saying your hellos to those still awake, and gave your hunted animals over to Pearson.

After handing over the hunted animals, you and Arthur went back to your tent to drop a couple of things off, and to turn in for the night.

You sat down on your shared cot and quietly watched Arthur rustle through his satchel before finally placing it down on the table. 

Before coming over to sit down, Arthur mumbled, “Shit -- I’ll be right back, just forgot to do somethin’.” 

“Y’alright?” you questioned him. 

“Yeah. Just forgot to.. to give everyone their things. I hope they’re still awake. Shouldn’t be too much trouble, I’ll be back in a minute,” Arthur said as he shuffled through his satchel, picking out the few items that camp members had requested. 

After Arthur left, you dug through his satchel, took out his journal, and began to flip through his beautiful paragraphs and illustrations.

Arthur knew you read his paragraphs and looked at his drawings. It was mostly because of how you spoke about different things, and how you would try to compliment him on his art, which was never received well. He was self-conscious about his art and writing being seen by anybody else; it initially was for his eyes only. As time went on, he grew less worried about your reading, as long as it was only you seeing his work. He never believed you when you tried to compliment him on his art, and would sometimes grow defensive if he thought you were kidding. You would never do such a thing, but he suspected otherwise. 

Flipping through the pages, you finally found his writing and drawings from that day. On one side of the page, he wrote a small blurb about enjoying hunting with you, and how beautiful the scenery was. You laughed a little bit, before flipping the page to see his daily drawing. 

Tears immediately filled your eyes and trickled down your face. You glided your fingers across the page. His daily drawing was a beautiful portrait of you, "Muse" scrawled hastily underneath. You closed the journal and slipped it back into his satchel. 

You sat down on your cot and continued to happily cry with the cheesiest smile smeared across your face. You meant the world to Arthur, but he always struggled to outright say so. You raised your head to Arthur’s return, still teary-eyed.  

“I’m back, y’alright?” he questioned. He seemed mildly puzzled. 

“Yeah~ I’m alright. Nothin’ to worry about,” you responded.

But Arthur knew exactly what to worry about.

Arthur felt his heart begin to race out of embarrassment. He felt loved, but he also felt his usual sense of guilt. He didn’t believe that he deserved to be loved by such a beautiful person like you. After Mary had left, he grew afraid of history repeating itself. 

Arthur didn’t know what to say or do other than nod his head, and mumble, “Thanks.” 

You couldn’t bring yourself to look him in the eyes, so you gazed off into the void behind him.

“Don’t mention it, Morgan.”

Once you stood up, Arthur pulled you tightly into his arms. While nearly suffocating, you were welcomed by the soft aromas of pine and whiskey, mixed in with sweat. You felt at home. 

Arthur loosened his hold on you with one arm and used the other to gently ruffle your hair. 

“I care about you, Darlin’... so, so much,” Arthur mumbled into your ear.

Arthur could feel you smiling deep into his chest. He pulled you away so he could gaze into your gorgeous eyes.

“You’re my world, Y/N,” Arthur said as he carefully dragged his thumb across your face, wiping away the remainder of your tears. “You’ve turned me into a goddamned fool”. 

You pulled him back in and kissed his cheek, his stubble scraping against your skin. You felt a sudden temperature change in his face. 

You carefully pulled away while tracing his jawline, only to have him tug you back in and give you a quick smooch on the lips. 

“You’re so handsome,” you said. 

He gave you a puzzled look and chuckled. “Maybe it’s time to visit the eye doctor then?” 

You playfully shook your head. “Don’t think so, cowboy”. 

Your mutual flirtations were interrupted by bellowing thunder and heavy rain, and nearly every camp member rising to their feet. 

“Sonuvabitch,” Arthur sighed. “Let’s go help out.”

Everyone rushed to get their belongings out of the rain and load them back into the proper wagons. Thank God there wasn’t much to move around. You and Arthur were both completely drenched in no time, but kept on loading the wagons. 

“Everyone alright?” Arthur called out. 

“Yes, Mr. Morgan," "Yes, Arthur,” various voices across camp responded. 

“Alright, Just a bit of thunder and rain, nothin’ to worry about. Let’s try to get some rest.” 

As everyone went back to sleep, you and Arthur headed back to your wagon and tent. 

You looked and felt like shit, and so did Arthur. You were both overworked, exhausted, and soaking wet from the rain -- not to mention the deep aching pain throughout your neck, back, and shoulders. 

Arthur walked over to the small area where you both kept your pajamas and took them out. 

“Here ya go,” he said in a deep, exhausted tone. 

“Thanks,” you responded.

As you took your pajamas from Arthur, you gave him a small head notion for him to put his eyes elsewhere, or to turn around. 

“Alright,” he said as he turned around and covered his eyes. “I won’t look at ya.”

“Thanks,” you said as you finished getting dressed, pulling your shirt over your head. “‘Free to turn around now.” 

After you returned the favor, you both crawled into your shared cot. The rain continued to pour hard against your tent. 

You snuggled close into Arthur and carefully sprawled your hand across his chest, before putting your head down. 

His soft breathing and heartbeat were more comforting and relaxing than he could ever understand. Arthur raised his hand and gently played with your hair, which always sent tingles down your spine. 

You could’ve passed out immediately on his chest, but the harsh rain had decided otherwise. You hated it when it poured. Arthur never understood your hatred for the rain, as it always immediately lulled him to sleep. On stormy nights, he would battle the pull of gravity on his eyelids so he could lull you to sleep first. It seemed like this night would be the same. 

“Y’did good today, I’m so… so proud of you.” Arthur mumbled into your ear. 

His voice had dropped a ton in comparison to when he last spoke. His voice was naturally deep and raspy, but when that man grew tired, his voice sure could tell. He spoke so much slower, deeper, and raspier the more exhausted he was, and God did you find it to be one of the sexiest things about him. 

You gently kissed his neck before rolling off his chest and onto your back. 

You tried so hard to stay still and quiet, but you mindlessly tossed and turned. Sometimes you would move so much, you would accidentally kick Arthur. 

What felt like two hours passed, and you were still wide awake, kept conscious by the relentless aches in your muscles. 

 Arthur hadn’t slept. Your constant movement, kicking, and whimpers had kept him awake. 

“Wh… What’chu whimpering for? Is something wrong, Darlin'?” Arthur slowly said, barely conscious. 

“My back and shoulders… they… they hurt so badly, Arthur,” you whined. 

You sounded like you were about to cry. You just wanted to get some goddamn sleep.

Arthur laid still for a moment. “I… I have an idea, can you roll over on your stomach for me?” He muttered as he carefully nudged you onto your side, and then onto your stomach. 

Arthur motioned behind you and grazed his hand across your shoulder, “I’m gonna rub your shoulders and back for you, is that alright?” he asked. Once you nodded, he applied a bit more pressure, which caused you to wince. 

“God damn.... knotted up to high heaven,” he murmured as he began to gently massage your back and shoulders. You whimpered and groaned when Arthur found a sore or sensitive spot, but he could feel you begin to relax underneath him, telling him that his hard work was greatly appreciated. Arthur gradually slowed down for a minute to admire you. He smiled softly as he watched the rise and fall of your shoulders as you began to nod off. 

Only ten minutes after he started, you had fallen completely asleep. 

“Goodnight, Muse,” he mumbled as he ran his hand across your shoulders. 

After a job well done, Arthur slid off of your back, rolled onto his, and quickly dozed off. 

He loved to sleep to the ear-pleasing harmonies of the pouring rain, but only if you were taken care of first.

---

an: first fic for this fandom, I hope you guys like it! I’m always open to writing suggestions, feel free to leave some in my inbox. 

[stillinaincrad]

Aldnoah.Zero stole quite a bit of quite a bit from other anime that came before it in both the characters and in plot. It’s amazing to me how many parallels there are between the fight scenes of the second half and those from Sidonia no Kishi, which was released about the same time as the first season. The second season uses one of my absolute favorite songs as OP music, even though the op itself has no real life to it and is a tad too histrionic. 

And yet, none of that really matters to me, because here we are in 2021 and just over 7yrs from the day that Ep1 premiered, there are still very few shows that have matched the absolute beauty of A.Z as far as I’m concerned. The first half is astounding, the detail in the backgrounds and the crispness of the animation is still phenomenal. S2 has moments where the CGI blurs the lines of what is and isn’t fluid and sometimes looks like a cut & paste being dragged across a storyboard. And, in S2, when viewed from the side, the characters talk out of the side of their mouths and yet the other side is “closed off” from the background, which makes them look hella awkward at times, when they don’t look that way already from rounded and simplified facial features in the first place. Still, the sceneries and details are more than just a leap past noteworthy. S1 definitely looks worlds better, but S2 isn’t exactly vector art, it’s still quite beautiful. 

Ei Aoki directed Aldnoah.Zero. He had just come off of another project that he was the artistic director for, a little show called Fate/Zero. Am not going to hijack my own post talking about the two FSN series that I love so much, but part of the reason I hold both Fate/Zero and FSN-UBW so highly is that there is just nothing out there that looks like them - not before, not then, not since. The story and characters are plenty compelling enough, but the art in those two series is the true masterpiece. I’ll never get over it. And just like one of the axial plotlines of Aldnoah.Zero itself, the art production follows it’s bloodline. The visual feast is second to very, very few. 

I can’t really seem to get out of the rut of watching new anime just because it’s there but not really wanting to be a part of it like I have in the past. Dragon Maid is sweet and I enjoy the new episodes, Slime/Datta Ken is a truckload of fun, but they’re nowhere near submersive (if that was even a word) and are just something to watch. I don’t get swallowed whole anymore and become tied to the stories or characters. I don’t need these characters to be ok or to pay for their sins like I have with so many. So, I have to go back and watch the old stuff over and over again if I want that fix. I want to be wow’ed like that again, sure - it’s not like I’m that ‘everything new sucks’ hipster dbag who wears flannel in July and drinks canned PBR which tastes like feet but some article in Tight Jeans Monthly said it’s what trendy men who want people they’ve never met to think they’re trendy do. But I’ve wanted it for a while and it hasn’t happened, so sometimes I have to go back to a show like Aldnoah.Zero to remind myself why I love this anime stuff like I do. 

[charmedseoull]

House of Cards by sugamins Review (contains spoilers)

This review discusses an 18+ work. Please read at your own discretion.

House of Cards by sugamins is an exhilarating thriller that is jam packed with moral questioning and an affirmative grasp on adult content. Its descriptions are laced with accuracy from an author who pays attention to every tiny detail.

When reading House of Cards, I was enraptured by its concept and storytelling. The Neo-Seoul setting is painted as a bottomless pit of drugs, sex, and violence. Readers and characters themselves feel helpless to where the truth of what happens beneath the eyes of society is shoved to their faces involuntarily. I adored the way the story sucked you into this world that’s loosely based on our own reality. There’s many quotes and observations from the characters that can eerily remind you of reality’s own issues.

Many fanfics don’t tackle these larger than life subjects, at least in a way that is this satisfying and coherent. House of Cards deserves its spot as the second most read English work on Archive of Our Own. Its writing, although wordy, fleshes out moral concepts in a way that isn’t romanticized or dismissive. There are multiple times when reading this fanfic where I had to stop and process a line or phrase. This fanfic is an experience of true entertainment that deserves a read when you have time to truly observe it.

In the beginning, its protagonist Kim Taehyung offers a point of view and introduction into the gangster world that readers can follow closely. Readers develop with Taehyung, witnessing him spiral into the world and eventually become desensitized to it. He loses a part of himself when he is in Haedogje Pa and at the end of the story is no longer so set in his moral beliefs. House of Cards brings up the same questions again and again: What is right? What is wrong? Can something be both? These questions are simple, but the situations the story puts Taehyung in allows us to question the true answers to them. The story frames these questions and concepts in a way that isn’t contrived as well with sugamins having a solid vision of where the story will go with them. Park Jimin is a character that has these moral questions thrust upon him unwillingly. In the story, he is but a victim to the entire world of Haedogje Pa. Unlike Taehyung, who chose to enter the world on an undercover mission, and Jeon Jungkook, who was born into the world as its rightful heir, Jimin did not choose to enter the world. He was stolen off the streets against his will. His perspective in the story introduces a contrast that engages readers to question the roles of each character.

Kim Taehyung is our protagonist with no real antagonist except society itself and a character that’s built up towards the end but eventually killed. However, Taehyung does bad things. We’re supposed to root for him, but he tortures a man, kills another, and threatens one that we grow close to as readers heartlessly. Then, take Park Jimin. As readers, he gets all our sympathy as an involuntary participant in the world. He’s taken advantage of sexually and never has something genuine happen to him. Hidden agendas plague the characters with our protagonist himself having an extensive one that works to take down the entire gangster world. Jimin never has a hidden agenda. He seeks love and comfort, indulging in designer clothing and an exotic animal as a pet. Even with all the luxuries around him, he doesn’t live for those. He lives for the knowledge that he cared for and safe. Readers themselves don’t come to terms with that until the end of the story. 

The one genuine thing that happens to Jimin is in the second to last chapter. Here, he’s the breaking point of the entire operation and has to deliver the hard drives with evidence to convict Jungkook. There’s this heartbreaking moment where he’s in the penthouse apartment by himself, downing pills and trying to gain the courage to go through with his actions. It’s a moment that hurts as a reader as we’ve witnessed his struggles and have gotten to understand his backstory. There is deep pain and trauma within him, but then he does it. He enters into police custody with the hard drives and exits the world of Haedogje Pa. In that scene, this is where the genuine thing happens. One of the side characters named Sungah comforts him in this hard to read moment. She offers him a plushie and he denies at first, but then accepts it. There’s a tonal shift in this scene that takes us out of Haedogje Pa and back into reality. It's a sobering effect that affects the rest of the chapter with the eventual arrest of Jungkook and end of the operation.

The dialogue in House of Cards is impactful as well. There’s so many lines in the story that hit and invigorate me. Sometimes they drive me up a wall with how wrong they sound or they strike a nerve and push me to the ground. If House of Cards were a television show, I can imagine the camerawork and music playing as characters say things. The most powerful lines have to be at the beginning and end of the story. In the beginning, they set the tone especially all of Kim Namjoon’s lines that, if you follow and know BTS, are filled with wisdom and experience and warning of what’s to come from the story. Then in the end, the lines act like they are closing a book or flipping a page. They make readers move on from the story which has given them more than enough to ponder in its 25 chapters.

I’m a skimmer to a fault when it comes to stories. Long descriptions of scenery and appearance bore me and that’s just the reality of what I like as a reader. However, I found House of Cards’ wordy writing grasping me by the throat and keeping my eyes glued to each word. I absorbed every detail voraciously because it kept it so interesting. If you skim, you miss out on all these tiny details in the descriptions or nods sugamins puts in the story. The BTS members’ habits like how Taehyung licks his lips is put into the story seamlessly where you don’t recognize it. Usually I notice those things, but House of Cards makes those habits and nods its own. 

I could do an entire breakdown of House of Cards’ writing conventions and details, but I don’t want to keep you here all day. This story is wonderful. It’s deep, rich, and captured my attention like no other. That comes from someone who's been inhaling novels since a young age and studies them to no end. House of Cards is not only a fanfic, but it is an experience. 

Its adult themes are written with care and I love every bit of its story direction. Its ending is the best part where all this build up pays off in a way that’s unsatisfying. I love that dissatisfaction. Do Taehyung, Jimin, and Jungkook truly love each other? In the words of sugamins herself in the interview I did with her, “I didn’t want House of Cards to be seen as a romantic story when I created it. If readers see it that way, they are more than entitled to their own interpretations. I cannot tell them how they can interpret my art, that is not my role as the creator.” 

This fanfic is a must read if you can handle its themes and are of age to read it. It's a heavy read though and even if you go into it with the intention of keeping it casual, I assure you that its writing and world will suck you right in. I love House of Cards and I can’t say that enough.

-

Thank you for reading this review. You can read House of Cards here. You can read the interview I did with sugamins here. Then, of course, feel free to follow me to see more of the work I do.

[bokunoheroanalysisforthefuture]

Alright, so this is a bit later than I intended, but real life is a pain sometimes. And for those who missed the last post, that’s mostly on me for posting it at midnight, so you might want to go back and check for that - it covers the whole convo between Toshinori and Izuku on the rooftop!

But yeah, this is the final stretch, all the rest of chapter 1, so let’s hop right into it because it’s gonna be a ride.

[No. 1 - Midoriya Izuku: Origin]

Lookit that firebreath (I know it’s not shh). Also, again with the weird lack of crowds / people around in what should have at least a few stragglers. I get that drawing crowds / background masses is annoying, but in a wideview scene like this it’s unnerving. Japan is a high-population-density country, so… uh...

Izuku stares forlornly at his notebook, thinking about all the things people have told him over the past half chapter I mean day about being realistic and thinking seriously about his future. Izuku turns the book so the title faces away from him and starts tearing up, rubbing them away while he chastises himself for crying when he already knew he was being unrealistic, and that his knowing was what had driven him so hard to not see reality.

Overhead sign: 田 (den/ta) 等 (tou) 院 (in) 商店 (shouten) [business] 街 (machi) [boulevard, street]

Store sign: (コ)ネストアー (konesutoaa) [cornerstore]

Well, there’s the crowds, though still not able to account for all that empty street. We also see that Izuku has managed to wander his way to another hero fight despite not even really paying attention, and even though he tells himself he’s going to make himself feel bad for watching, he still heads over to join the crowds. 

He snaps out of his funk when he sees the villain, asking himself how they got away, then realizes he must have made All Might drop it, which means it’s his fault (which kid, honestly, considering he just left those bottles in open flap pockets instead of holding them firmly in his hands, you are not the one to blame.) Also, he utters the ‘this is my fault’ out loud, but the people in front of him obviously don’t hear, distracted as they are with the reason the heroes are just standing around - which is the middle schooler the villain has.

Izuku has a brief flashback to when he was being violated by the villain, and is horrified that someone else is going through the same pain. We get a brief panover of the crowd:

Izuku and Toshinori are like, only fifteen feet apart here, and have the same reaction to the crowd’s commentary. Incredible. We zoom back in to Izuku, who is blaming himself for All Might not being able to do anything. He mentally echoes the same words as the heroes, that someone with the right quirk needs to show up to help catch the guy. He internally tells the captured person to hang in and apologies, saying someone will save him soon.

God I love this spread. This is everything about Izuku right here. You can actually see where Izuku shoved himself through the crowd in order to sprint forward, and you can also see the genuine fear in Katsuki’s eyes in that moment where he and Izuku locked gazes. Also I checked, he sprinted right past three pro heroes, with none of them reacting in time. Incredible.

Toshinori and said heroes all freak out, and Izuku’s panicking right along with them but is still rushing forward despite that. Death Arms and the bird-helmet hero both yell at Izuku to get back, but don’t actually go after him. The sludge villain and Katsuki both react as well, recognizing Izuku.

Izuku’s notebook hits the ground spine first, and we flash over to Izuku wondering what the hell he’s doing. The sludge villain moves to try and hit Izuku when he gets close enough, while Izuku pulls off his backpack and continues to panic-think over what to do… with the book just so happening to open to the page he ends up thinking about, on Kamui Wood’s signature attack from the beginning of the chapter. 

He throws his backpack right at the sludge, all the stuff in it flying out as extra ammunition for the villain’s face to dodge, and while distracted, Izuku ducks underneath the strike and calls for Kacchan. Fortunately, the sludge has been forced to pull away from Katsuki’s mouth, allowing him to take a breath before demanding “You? Why?!” 

Remember this for (checks watch) 284 chapters from now. Also fuck, I just realized, remember this?

'a pro should always be ready to risk his life'

'the reason I smile is to stave off the overwhelming pressure and fear I feel'

'a symbol of peace who saves people with a smile must never be daunted by evil'

Izuku took those words to heart as well, and is already reflecting them only moments after his dreams were crushed. And you can tell in the next panel that Toshinori heard those words and was slammed right to the core because of it, because he knows that kind of drive, that sort of spirit.

We see the villain going back to suffocating Katsuki, while telling Izuku to stop it. Toshinori calls himself pathetic again while powering up, and the villain tells Izuku to stop getting in his way, that it’s only a bit longer, and moves to smash Izuku out of the way. Inside the sludge, we can see Katsuki close to passing out. The other heroes finally dash forward to try to get him out of there in time, only for someone else to latch onto the arms of both kids instead.

That someone, of course, being All Might, still steaming from going into his hero form. He tells Izuku that he (All Might) should ‘practice what he preaches’ and reiterates that a pro should always be ready to risk his life (while blood seeps from his teeth). 

I’m blown away by Horikoshi’s art in this, and this is where he started. God, just thinking of current manga events and the art there… this man needs to be stopped, he’s too powerful, I am going to cry doing comparisons and I don’t even have a clue about any fancy art terminology or the like, all I can do is stand back and be awed.

Izuku has had a rough day.

And here we see the force of the blow, which somehow didn’t blow away the crowds or damage the windows of all the buildings of the surrounding blocks. Jesus fucking christ. And then the remnants of the blow head upward, causing it to start raining because of the rising air current from that one punch. 

How was all that shit not blown away????? A mystery to everyone. Also, Katsuki and Izuku are both passed out on the ground while the crowd and media go fucking wild over what All Might just did. All Might turns to keep an eye on the two while also wobbling slightly, the pressure of holding this form past his limits.

After that, we go back to narration from Izuku, talking and showing the cleanup efforts and the villain in two garbage bags (as he deserves). The heroes chastise Izuku for putting himself in danger (I want to note that this has nothing to do with his quirklessness as far as the scene portrays), while Katsuki gets praised for being tough and having a good quirk, and gets an offer to sidekick. Katsuki isn’t listening or just plain doesn’t care, too busy glaring… or not really? At Izuku.

We get a short scenery panel, I guess to suggest the passage of time, and then we see Izuku putting his backpack back on, thinking moodily about wanting to apologize to All Might but not being able to, so he’s planning on leaving a message on the hero’s website. Katsuki calls Izuku out, and takes a shaky moment before snapping at him, saying he didn’t need Izuku to save him, that he could have handled it himself, that he doesn’t want a quirkless kid’s pity, and that he’s not gonna get won over just with this and to stop mocking him. He then spins on his heels and stomps off with a last ‘stupid nerd’, while Izuku thinks Katuski’s a tough guy. He still agrees with Katsuki, though - he didn’t do anything, he didn’t change anything, but he’s still happy, and now he can focus on a realistic future.

And then All Might zooms into view, scaring the hell out of Izuku. Izuku asks why he’s there when he was surrounded by reporters, and All Might says it wasn’t hard to shake them off, considering who he is- before he hacks up blood and deflates into Toshinori. Toshinori continues on more calmly, saying he’s there to thank Izuku and revise his earlier statement, as well as offer a proposal. 

He starts off on how, without Izuku’s story, he would have been nothing but ‘fake muscles and insincerity’, and thanks Izuku. (Izuku quietly muttering ‘fake muscles?’ here makes me cackle, because honestly, same.) Izuku tries to refute it, saying it was his fault from the beginning, getting in All Might’s way and daring to ask if he could be a hero despite his quirklessness- only for Toshinori to cut in and say that that was exactly it - out of everyone there, it was only the timid, quirkless kid who acted, and in so spurred him to action.

He goes on to talk about how the top heroes show signs of greatness as children, how many of them claim that their bodies moved before they could think. Izuku is shaking and clutching at his heart, hunching over and tearing up as he recalls his mother’s words, her apology to him. Toshinori continues, asking if that was what happened to Izuku, who replies with a yes while crying. He thinks about what he’d wanted his mom to say back then, and so we cut to the end of the chapter:

God, what a fucking great first chapter. I can’t think of another series I’ve read that hooks me in so well right from the start like this. 

Also wait, holy shit, the anime LIED to us.

‘The story of how I became a great hero’, not ‘how I became the greatest hero’. There’s a massive distinction in there between the two, and Izuku’s character leans WAY more towards the manga phrasing over the anime phasing. He’d never consider himself the greatest, those would always go to All Might and likely Katsuki first, and then probably his other classmates and friends as well. He’d be happy to be among the greats, but he’d never consider himself on top of them all. 

...huh, that’s the end, besides the one character panel that I’m gonna throw in a separate post. I fucking love this project so much, and I really wanna see what else the manga has to offer that the anime has lied to me about. This section went by a bit faster than expected, but I suppose that’s what comes from almost all of it being action, so. Thanks for sticking around so far, and let’s see what’s to come in chapter 2 together! :D

[hanadolphieron]

lunar artist!yeojin; chapter two~

warnings; fish, fish bites?

genre; sci-fi, strangers to friends to lovers, fluff

pairing; im yeojin x gender neutral!reader

word count; 1.8k

summary; your small crater town on the moon was rarely visited. one day, artist!yeojin travels all the way from mars to paint the serene, wistful scenery of your planet.

-----------------------------------------------------------

day one-

you return to the same place every day, the place you met yeojin, the first spark in your life for as long as you can remember. she isn’t there.

day two-

again, you go back. she isn’t there.

day three-

she isn’t there.

day four-

you still go back. she isn’t there.

day five-

you don’t go back.

day six-

you stay home.

day seven-

you go back. she’s there.

-----------------------------------------------------------

yeojin looks up and says nothing. 

“you’re back!” you exclaim rushing towards her. you go in for a hug, but balk at the last second, wondering if yeojin would appreciate physical contact or would prefer to remain at a distance.

however, yeojin pulled you in, a big smile on her face, clearly overjoyed to see you.

“i missed you. where have you been?” you inquire, pulling back and looking into her eyes. somehow, you seem to have gotten closer over the week you’ve been apart.

“can’t say.” she tells you.

you both stand there, unsure of what to do. or, at least, you’re unsure, yeojin seems perfectly content standing there and staring up at you. you’re bending your legs a little so she doesn’t have to crane her neck, but we’re just going to leave that unmentioned for the rest of this chapter for yeojin’s sake.

“where do you live?” yeojin asks shamelessly. you lightly sigh, glad she spared you the task of saying something first.

“just over the hill. my house overlooks a little moon pond, there’s fish there too!” you ramble, excited. you’ve never talked about your house to anyone before. communicating has become a chore lately, and you haven’t bothered reaching out to anyone else except your plant, named rock, so talking to yeojin is a practically entertainment, “the water even freezes during the night! we could go ice-skating together!”

yeojin seems unaffected by your exuberance. in fact, she looks delighted by your plans. (even though she pretty much initiated it, with her not-so-subtle self invitation to your house)

“come with me,” you say, turning around, reminiscent of the way yeojin did just a week ago.

yeojin follows, a bounce in her step. her legs are moving insanely fast to keep up with you and you can barely see them. 

breaking the ice with a sledgehammer, you ask yeojin, “why did you leave so early last time?”

“i- like i told you, i had to be back by 17:33,” she stutters out.

“how did you do that,” you make weird floaty hand gestures at the air around you, “thing?”

“it’s just a habit i picked up when ships became scarce and i couldn’t fly,” yeojin says shortly. maybe you shouldn’t have asked. however, you decide to go against your gut and inquire more.

“isn’t that something plutonians do?” you seem to have hit a nerve with this question. yeojin opens her mouth, then purses her lips. her steps slowed a little, and she stumbled a bit.

you save her from your own question by asking another one, “do you like salt on your pretzels?”

-----------------------------------------------------------

you make it to your house, finally, the tension between the two of you was tight and you needed a distraction. 

walking over the hill, you stop, letting yeojin take in the view.

decking out the area around your house had become a full-time job once you realized there was nothing to do on this planet, and you had quite the plethora of beautiful, thoughtful places nestled around the lake’s edges.

a pier stretches out into the glistening water. fluorescent fish glide around its support. to the right of the pond, there is a garden, filled with all sorts of purple plants, creating a splash of dull color in your gray world. on the cliff behind the lake lies a mural, painted across the rocky edges in vibrant hues.

on the right sits your home. it’s wood, a native material of your home planet, that you brought with you as a keepsake to remind you of your roots. considerably small, your cottage only takes up a tiny sliver of the space surrounding the lake. it’s in the corner, a cute hidey-hole for you to stay safe and secure in.

yeojin looks out at the expanse of your property, her face expressionless. suddenly, as if she remembers that she has emotions, awe and adoration spread across her face. she turns to you, “it’s beautiful,” she says, and looks back at the view again.

“thanks,” you whisper back. “well, let’s get to it i guess, gotta get those pretzels pretzeled!” you say, slightly awkwardly, but that’s normal for you.

as you move past the pier, yeojin looks out into the water and sees the fish up-close. apparently having an epiphany over how much she wants to touch a fish, she drags you by the sleeve closer to the water’s edge.

you stumble over there, knowing exactly how this is going to go down.

yeojin rips off her left shoe and stabs her foot into the water. the fish, luckily, aren’t scared by her aggression and continue blandly swimming. (just keep swimming swimming swimming) 

yeojin isn’t satisfied with this, and reaches into the water.

“wait, yeojin, no!” you clamber after her. those fish are hostile!

it’s too late. yeojin tries to touch the fish, and, not used to abrasive humans attempting to make physical contact, the animal flips and flaps around, teeth out, and bites yeojin.

“ow!” yeojin yells, in a loud, raspy voice.

however, her poor finger did not bleed, and she was fine after a few seconds of glaring at the fish, who was oblivious to her anger.

you laugh, and head on towards your house. yeojin follows with narrowed eyes.

opening the door, you are met with a subtle silver glow from the lights.

“is everything on this planet gray and shiny?” yeojin exclaims upon entering.

“no! did you not the see the exquisite purple colored vegetables i tend to over yonder?”

yeojin says nothing. you won. hah!

going to the kitchen and leaving yeojin to fend for herself, you drag up two pretzels from the depths of your pantry.

yeojin survives the trek of 10 feet from the doorway into the house to the doorway to the kitchen and stands in the threshold, hands on her hips. 

you look at her, your eyes inspecting her dominating stance.

“just trying to scare you. guess it worked.”

huffing, you slap the doughy carbohydrates onto the counter and throw them in the oven.

“that was almost as aggressive as me,” yeojin comments, sipping from a drink. you think its yours. than again, who else would it belong to.

yeojin doesn’t seem to mind that she is inhaling your germs and slurps loudly.

you shake your head and look at the oven, trying to persuade the minutes to go by faster with the force of your mind. they don’t comply.

-----------------------------------------------------------

after talking for a while and becoming more familiar with each other, the oven screeched, causing you to jump from the noise and yeojin to cackle.

you stalk over to the oven, shoving on some super-mitts as to not burn yourself. you pull the pretzels out of the kitchen appliance and place them onto plates. 

sitting down across from yeojin and snatching another glass that had been laying on the counter, (there was a total of six sitting there, they started to pile up once you realized no one was going to tell you to pick them up and you had complete freedom to be lazy) you began to snack.

yeojin wasn’t the most delicate eater.

with cacophonous munching and smacking, she consumed her carbohydrates. 

you looked on, not exactly in disgust, but definitely in curiosity as you had never seen such an warrior-like eater.

yeojin notices you observing, but pretends she doesn’t, and chews louder.

in the middle of your small meal, yeojin interrupts the precious silence and asks, “can you play music?”

“you have music on mars?” you respond, surprised that she asked for such an elegant item.

“that didn’t answer my question.”

sighing deeply, you move to turn on the radio.

“yes, we do have music. some. besides, i paint. it’s hard to feel passionate about creating without indulging in other art forms.”

“oh.”

both of you are quiet for a while, listening to the sound of the music. 

suddenly, you decide to forego your normal daydreaming and imagining music-related tendencies and jump up. starting to fling your limbs out in all directions, you begin to dance.

yeojin falls out of her chair laughing at your attempt.

you, delighted by her clumsiness and happiness, topple over too, laughing as well. the two of you are on the ground for a few moments, and then you drag yeojin up with weak arms, pulling her into the middle of the room. 

falling to each other’s floppy embrace, you jump in circles, not exactly in tune with the music but that doesn’t matter anymore.

what matters is yeojin’s cute laugh that contradicts her tough persona, the way her cheeks get all chubby with the force of her smiling, the stars sparkling in her eyes, her hair flying around her face, sticking to her forehead now sweating from the exertion of laughing so hard you are about to perish, and the way she’s looking at you right now. 

the way she’s looking at you right now. 

it’s not the normal, happy, platonic look. 

not the same way your childhood friends looked at you when you made a great joke, or did something sweet for them. 

there’s something more there.

something that reminds you of waves crashing over the enormous beaches of you home planet, on the nights that don’t feel real, the ones that make you experience emotions that you can’t fully comprehend because they’re so beautiful, and so, so painful at the same time.

something that reminds you of roses, fluttering out into petals, blooming despite the thorns attached to their sides.

something that reminds you of illuminated evenings, talking and laughing, with an inexplicable tension in the air, one that makes you feel all warm and nervous inside.

something that reminds you of swirling blackness, that goes on forever, hidden from normal eyes, the perfect, dangerous place to explore and be addicted to.

something that reminds you of white clouds, floating across the sky, creating tapestries of gorgeous pictures, free to interpret and giggle over.

something that reminds you of actions, colorful vivid experiences. ones that leave a mark on your memory, but you don’t exactly remember who or what was happening, just a specific smell or sight or feeling.

and through all of those visions, you see yeojin in all of them.

not exactly see her, but she’s there, a presence that overpowers everything, so strong, taking over your mind, bringing you back to reality but ripping you away.

and then she’s right in front of you. close to your face. too close.

so close your lips are almost touching, noses brushing, eyes looking deep into each other’s souls.

and you pull away.

yeojin does too. 

and you’re back to where you started. slightly awkward, with a connection you can’t explain. back to where it’s safe.

masterlist - previous - next

[majorshiraharu]

Discussion of Limitations in Live Action & Style Choices

This will be all spoilers for the new episode of the Mandalorian.  I’m putting it under a cut so no one accidentally gets spoiled. Fair warning it is long af, I tried doing a mix of my opinions and information from the show, films, etc. I tried putting the more opinion parts in italic, might have forgotten some parts tho. I spent way too long on this lmao

--------------SPOILERS BELOW------------------

I'm putting my thoughts for each time I watched it. That way, you can see how rewatching changed my mind some. I also had almost a whole day to process the episode before I watched it again, then I had a few hours to think about it and add to this, and then now I've watched it for the third time. This will be a mix of my reactions and opinions and then some information about The Mandalorian and things I think many people are overlooking. Especially in a time when we have major blockbuster films with pretty amazing CGI and people have come to expect that level of detail in everything. If you don’t want to read my reaction/opinion parts, skip down past “3rd Viewing” (the sectioned area)

1st Viewing When It Dropped; Right After Watching: — Okay honestly not the biggest fan of this Ahsoka, I feel like they could have done a bit better with her lekku, montrals, and the contacts because they kinda took me out of it a few times. She didn't move a lot like Ahsoka, but then again she does move and act more like the Rebels version, so if you haven't seen that I can see how this would be more off-putting. She's much older at this point and probably can't move as well as she used to. Also, I know we've come to expect the effects of high-budget films and their fancy CGI, but this show is not that and I think they truly did the best they could with what they had. I'm too tired now, but will write about that stuff in my second viewing section. Overall, I think in the scenes where she interacted with Mando and the child were very well done and felt like how I thought Ahsoka would be after the journey she had over the past years. Those moments felt like Ahsoka to me, and I really enjoyed. 2nd Viewing; About 16 Hours After First Viewing: — So I took some time today to think about last night's episode, I also decided to hop on social media and see what people's reactions were. I was surprised how on Twitter and Reddit I hardly found anyone who disliked this version, longtime fans, new fans, people who didn't know Ahsoka. It seemed like most people really loved it and were extremely happy to see her in live-action. Some people didn't like the way her lekku & montral looked but otherwise enjoyed it, and then there were a few people who said it didn't feel like Ahsoka to them. Now here's my opinion on the second viewing, I liked her more after watching it again. As mentioned above she's definitely more like her Rebels version, and we have a few years when she and Sabine were out searching for Ezra and Thrawn. We don't know what she's been through but clearly, she's much calmer and wiser, which I think fits, it's not like how she was in Clone Wars but it's been like 25+ ish years, so she's had a lot of time to grow and shouldn’t be the same. The actress who played her was pretty stiff and monotone during more scenes than I would have liked, but all her scenes with Din and the Child were excellent, and felt pretty close to Ahsoka, really liked her in those. The action scenes were very cool at the start. Her fighting style was more like her fighting in Rebels. I would have liked a few more shots of her with her signature lightsaber hold, but they included them during the right moments, so that doesn't really bother me that much. Now for the mostly on Tumblr infamous lekku & montral, on second viewing I didn't mind them as much because it wasn't as shocking. The length should have been longer imho, and they definitely needed to change the montral, that's what I have the only real problem with. The montral just looked too short, was angled back quite far, and yeah, just didn't look like any animated version, concepts, or even any cosplays I've seen. This was the only thing about her that I really just didn't like and bothered me some. 3rd Viewing; Most of my opinions stayed the same, I watched it this time with some of my friends who love Star Wars and one who loves Ahsoka as much as me, so I wanted to see their reaction. They all loved her, tho they agreed the length should have been longer and the top should have been different. But they all really loved the episode and her.

--------------------- Now all that said, here are some counterpoints and information because I thought it was important to look into why it might be that way, and I will also include ways that I think it could have been done better. Besides having some cosplay experience of my own, I have no idea what they went through to pick or make this look, and it could have been always ended up a lot worse. First off they need to consider the actress, the material, how it moves, how heavy it is, how it looks in movement, fight scenes, etc. - There is concept art that shows many types of looks for her, and while I think they picked my least favorite of them, people need to understand that there was a reason. We don't know and may never know, but it was a choice made. Concept art from the end of the episode:

It could have also been that it looked better in person, or that they wanted a distinct look for it in live-action to make it feel more realistic or unique. Here is other concept art of Ahsoka from Rebels and The Clone Wars, Link Here

----------------- Also, many people aren't aware of this, but the Mandalorian is made to look a lot like the OG movies. They specifically try to only use camera angles/ movements from that time. They try to do action that fits the original films style and also is similar to old westerns. They have a very specific look they're going for, and a lot of people don't know this. This also includes the use of miniatures, puppets, and as many realistic things as they can for costumes and the interactive parts of the set. They use CGI and new tech too, but aside from the large screen they use for scenery they seem to only use CGI when it's really needed and not for everything like blockbuster movies or even some shows do, aka they don’t overuse it.

Here are two links for more info on this. They are long but have a lot of cool insight into the show: link for filming style here — link for the tech they use for filming here They have the tech and probably money to have made Ahsoka's lekku & montral CGI, but it was a deliberate choice in style not to do this. Was it a good idea, maybe yes, maybe no, maybe a mix? In Season 1 Chapter 6 of The Mandalorian when they had the Twi’lek Xi’an and I saw how her lekku moved I was concerned for if they ever included lekku in a more prominent role.

As you can kind of see in the above gif, they didn't have enough weight to them and were too foamy/rubbery in their movement. It seems like the same stuff was used for Ahsoka's, which resulted in the same problem. Since we've only known her in animation where they can change things to a much more finite degree, it's off-putting in live-action, and it kinda falls into the uncanny valley which I think is why it's slightly weird to see. If we had seen her in live-action first this probably wouldn't have bothered people as much.

Video Link to show it better

I included the older Clone Wars version of Ahsoka in here because I believe they mixed her looks together to come up with the live-action design. - We saw Shaak Ti in live-action years ago and many people are pointing to that as what they should have gone with for Ahsoka. A reminder that was done for a film, not a TV show, so there will be differences in quality and style. I do think they could have used that as a model to base Ahsoka on, they should have access to old headpiece unless it just deteriorated with time. Here’s a video that includes behind the scenes looks of Shaak Ti, Youtube Link Here  

Also here’s a look of Ayla from the Prequels and from the original trilogy of the Jaba palace Twi’lek to compare how they look with the Twi’lek in the Mandalorian.

I think the original trilogy looked better than the lekku in The Mandalorian so if they’re using similar material to keep it more fitting to that time, maybe they need to make them longer to hold more weight and look like actual flesh and not foamy rubber.

They could have also gone the route of making different headpieces with other material depending on what they were being used for. Again it's a TV show, not sure if they have the time or money to do this or think it's worth it for just one episode. But they could have had one made of that foamy material for action scenes, and then one that looked more like Shaak Ti's for scenes where she just talked or moved some. Honestly, this would have been their best option, and as far as I can tell, that wasn't done. I see people mention they could have done no action or less action and made better lekku, but there are already people complaining that there wasn't enough action or movement in her action scenes. You can't please everyone, and I think they struck a good balance.

----------------

Other opinions of mine on her live-action version. I think Ashley Eckstein should have been the one to play Ahsoka in live-action, or I think they should have dubbed the voice. The actress playing her in this wasn't bad, but honestly, she brought nothing new to the role and didn't do enough to capture the smaller nuances of Ahsoka's character. Some of these problems could have been fixed by dubbing her voice, even if she didn't move or look like how people wanted Ahsoka to in live-action, having her voice would have made a big difference. I don't know if Ashley was brought in on this; she hasn't mentioned anything as far as I have seen. I would find it strange if she wasn't involved since Dave and her are friends. Both really love the character, but he doesn't have full control over the show and maybe she wasn't made a part of it for one reason or another. But if she wasn’t, I think that was a bad choice, she’s the one who brought her to life in the Clone Wars.  -  I also think that we don't always need a big name or famous person playing a character, we could have a dubbed voice and had someone performing it who was a stunt woman or an actor who isn't as well known, this has been done in Star Wars before. 

Also look at this cute cosplay of Ashley as Ahsoka:

--------------------- TLDR: Lekku and Montral are not easy to make or look real, I think the creators did the best they could with the style they try to achieve (again we don’t know behind the scenes stuff or their choices), there is stuff that could have maybe improved the look. Many people don’t understand the amount of work that goes into something like this and that sometimes choices are made for a design that you may not like, but that doesn’t make it wrong. Art is a creative thing which includes taking risks, putting a unique spin on something that exists, and sometimes making choices that not everyone will like.

--------------------

But still I’m happy we got to see live action Ahsoka and I’m glad she was able to bring joy to so many people. I’ve watched the Clone Wars since I was a kid and have always loved Ahsoka and while I have my nitpicks about her live action version, overall, I think they did a good job. I was disappointed at first, but now not so much, and instead I just view her as a different version and that she’s unique in her own ways. I remember when Rebels Ahsoka came out a lot of people hated that version, personally I loved it, there are aspects of her design I didn’t like as much tho.

I also feel this was her only appearance in The Mandalorian, I don’t think she will return again, as far as the story goes, I don’t think there is a need for her to return either. I personally would prefer to have Ahsoka stay as an animated character if she got her own show, animation suits her better and has fewer limitations for the creators.

[livefuntravelposts]

7 Must-See Places to Explore in South Africa

Having lived in South Africa, I had the chance to explore the country.  Having a great infrastructure, coupled with staggering landscapes, diverse, rich cultures, and unbelievable beauty, South Africa is one of Africa's most sought-after  destinations. Renowned for its breathtaking sceneries, spectacular wildlife, beautiful beaches, and vibrant multicultural cities; South Africa has so many unique sites to discover that you could spend a lifetime exploring. Nestled at the southern-most part of the African continent and roughly spanning an area two times the size of California, South Africa is Africa's most iconic wildlife-touring destination. More often, when you think of the Big Five,  Kruger National park  comes to mind. Not only do you get a chance to see the king of the jungle, but you also get to see the magnificent view of Cape Town while relaxing atop the iconic Table Mountain. It is relatively easy to move around South Africa with the country's elaborate transport network. You can explore different places with ease either by car hire, rail or air transportation or you can drive yourself. Packed with so many places to visit, it is pretty hard to pinpoint which areas to explore and which one to leave for your next visit. Luckily we have compiled the best places you shouldn't miss while touring this incredible country.  

Best Place to Visit in South Africa

  1. Experience the Big Five at Kruger National Park Your vacation to South Africa won't be complete without a full-day game drive to Kruger National Park. Covering roughly 7,000 square miles of mountain ranges, exotic tropical rainforest, and grassy landscapes, Kruger National Park is an exciting place for an unforgettable Safari experience. Home to the most diverse wildlife and providing exciting game watching experiences worldwide, Kruger national park is full of award-winning vast landscapes, wild luxury, and exclusive accommodation. It has a reliable and excellent road network and some of Africa's best trackers ready to take you on the most memorable game drive experience. This historic conservation is home to a thriving wild animal population; lions, cats, giraffes and wild dogs. Plus, it's an excellent spot for bird watching. Kruger is also an exciting place for trekking safaris. If you are up for the challenge, you can replace your game drive experience by venturing out accompanied by an experienced guide, to explore the Park’s intriguing ecosystem. Where to stay - Camp and Lodging Options Kruger National Park is the ultimate rough diamond of South African expeditions. The private reserves make up the landscape commonly referred to as "The Greater Kruger," they are an entirely diverse entity than the National Park.  The private reserves are where you find some of the finest game lodges, offering luxurious African accommodations in the bushes.  The Kruger is a vast area, so vast; you cannot visit the entire landscape in a single visit. The massive park stretches over 20,000 square kilometers of thick forests and open plateaus. There is always more flora and fauna to discover.  For those who prefer private safaris, the National Park is not your cup of tea. It is crowded with visitors and self-drivers at animal sightings during peak season. The lodges in Kruger include simple bucolic rondavels, safari tents, to lavish bungalows. You can choose between the self-catering facilities or check-in at any of the exquisite bush rest camps' restaurants.  It is an excellent place that accommodates simple to extravagant budgets. Places to stay in include: The Greater Kruger the private reserves of the Sabi Sands  The private Timbavati lodges and camps (Ngala Tent Camps) These private reserves offer exclusive accommodations and game drives/walks in the vast park with private guides that will drive you around the heart of the reserve, offering you an exclusively relaxed, intimate African Safari experience. Ulusaba Safari Hotels Sir Richard Branson's Ulusaba safari hotels offer various accommodations with medium to extreme budgets of great value. It's a friendly high-end service and a preference to many return guests to the region. Singita Lebombo A contemporary South African choicest lodge with unique safari lodge designs. Singita Lebombo has exceptional services and perfect game viewing landscapes. Tintswalo Safari Lodge Perfectly squeezed between the Timbavati Game Reserves and the Sabi Sands, Tintswalo Safari Lodge sits on the Manyeleti Game Reserve - as part of the Greater Kruger Expanse. The lodges offer six deluxe rooms, a presidential suite, and a secluded private Manor House.   

2. Cape City

Consistently ranked as one of the best holiday spots in the world for honeymooners, families, groups, and lone travelers, Cape Town is one of the best tourist destinations in South Africa. Sitting on the mountainous peninsula between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, with the symbolic Table Mountain as its backdrop, this Mountainous City sits on some of the world's most remarkable tourism attractions. Breathtaking sceneries, intriguing museums, and many bars and restaurants, many of which can be found on the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, make Cape Town a must-see attraction. Enjoy more scenic landscapes if you take a short drive outside the city. You will be mesmerized by the sandy beaches, rugged mountain ranges, and the small traditional fishing villages. Cape Town is appealing to practically anyone looking to have fun: honeymooners will appreciate the luxurious accommodations and picturesque views. Families with kids will love sharing the beach with curious penguins. The city's renowned food and wine experience are as enticing as its legendary and historic landmark: -The Table Mountain, a natural wonders of the world. Adventurers will have fun uncovering the secrets of Table Mountain.

Cape Town is a wonderful location to start your exploration of South Africa.    

3. The Garden Route

This one tops the list, especially when it comes to South Africa holiday ideas for families, nature lovers, and outdoor fanatics. The Garden Route is a beautiful coastline stretching 200km in the East and West Cape Provinces of South Africa. This world-renowned length of coastline stretches for a couple of hours from Cape Town to the Plettenberg. Renting a car and driving yourself is the perfect way to enjoy a wonderful mix of picturesque indigenous forests, colorful towns, and rough sandy beaches along the way. The official Garden Route is a fantastic self-drive route from Mossel Bay in the west and stretches to Storms River in the east. Knysna is a strategic stopover town on the Garden Route with reasonable accommodations, all the attractions within easy reach.  Visit the beautiful beaches within these vast landscapes, scenic lagoons, indigenous forest, and coves. Offshore see the friendly African penguins, dolphins, whales, and great white sharks.   Mossel Bay has superb beaches, a museum showcasing the Portuguese explorer Bartholomew Diaz's life, who discovered the Famous Garden Route.  Explore the bordering mountains; a trip to Oudtshoorn, the South African Ostrich industry with farms producing Ostrich feathers for extravagant hats and gigantic eggs is not to be missed. While outdoor activities are the main attractions on Garden Route (home to South Africa's best golf courses), delicious South Africa cuisine is never far away. Enjoy fresh oysters, and sunset boat rides at the famous Knysna Waterfront or a fast food place with a beach view in the neighboring Plettenberg Bay.   4. Cape Winelands Flanked by sub-splashing vineyards and rocky mountain peaks, the breathtaking valleys of Cape Winelands is best known for the great historic estates, beautiful little villages, five-star resorts, and  the wine. The beauty of these Wineland's valleys surrounded by scenic mountain views is a real treat for to experience. Though the Winelands is an ideal option for romantic getaways and honeymooners, children enjoy the Winelands as well. There are roughly about 20 vineyards in Cape Winelands. However, the term refers to the three main vineyards in the region: - Stellen Bosch, Paarl, and Franschhoek, all located in mountainous countryside with stunning Alpine-style views. You can start our day testing different wineries while feasting on a home-style farm-to-table delicacy or stroll through the oak-lined sidewalks to local art galleries while taking in the breathtaking scenery. Despite being only one hour's drive from Cape Town, a few nights in this quaint mishmash of vineyards and mountains will wash away any lingering city stress. It is truly one of the fascinating places to visit in South Africa.

From Cape Town, rent a car and head to the Winelands. It is a beautiful area with great accommodations for all budgets.     5. Pilanesberg National Park Sitting at the heart of an ancient volcano and positioned next to a vast hippo-filled lake, the Pilanesberg National park is one of the top tourist attractions in South Africa, i.e. if you don't want to wander far from Johannesburg. Just a few hours from Johannesburg and right in front of the world-famous Sun City resort, this readily accessible park gives tourists an authentic safari experience. Home to some of the most fantastic wildlife, a game drive to Pilanesberg National park is frequently marked by incredible sightings of elephants, lions, brown hyenas, and a beautiful collection of birds. You can spend your day game – viewing, and if you are lucky enough, you will get to watch up-close as lions hunt. If you have seen enough animals, take to the sky riding in a hot air balloon for some picture-perfect views. The spectacular landscape and the lush greenery make for excellent photography, and since the park is outside the malarial belt, you won't need anti-malarial medication.   6. Sun City To be honest, Sun City is not one of my favorite places in South Africa, but travelers seem to love it.  It is like Las Vegas and I would much rather be in nature.  Sun City began as a "sin city," where gambling was allowed during the apartheid era, but ironically it was illegal elsewhere.  The Sun City complex is located in Rustenburg, less than three hours’ drive from Johannesburg. It sits on Pilanesberg National Park's brink in an extinct volcano crater, which erupted millions of years ago. Sun City was constructed in the heart of this quiescent volcano crater. If you are looking for pure hedonism and endless entertainment, Sun City, also known as "the Kingdom of Pleasure," is the place to be. It is no exaggeration to say that Sun City offers the most vibrant range of South African holiday activities. Start your day playing golf in one of the famous golf courses. Then spend the afternoon relaxing at the slide-filled water theme park (Valley of the Waves) or go searching for the big five in the great Pilanesberg National Park, which is right next door. But don't assume the fun stops there; at night Sun City turns into a flashy hub of eateries, wine bars, casinos, and dazzling live shows. You will never want to leave Sun City. The world within a city resort complex includes four deluxe hotels, The Palace of the Lost City, two expansive golf courses, the Waterpark Valley of the Waves, a Grand casino, South Africa's finest concert and sports venues, and so much more. Most of the resort's activities are family oriented.    7. KwaZulu Natal It’s often stated that the locals know the best places to explore. When most South Africans go for a holiday, they often choose KwaZulu Natal as their vacation spot. KwaZulu Natal is home to brimming extensive five wildlife reserves, historical battlegrounds, soaring mountain peaks, and pristine waters of the Indian Ocean. If you are an independent – mind traveler, then KwaZulu Natal has some of the finest South Africa holiday spots for a bush and beach safari. Unlike the more sedate Garden Route, a KwaZulu Natal tour has other activities like scuba diving, battlefield excursions, and horseback riding in the scenic Drakenberg Mountain. For an authentic African experience, explore the northern part of KwaZulu Natal coupled with stunning beaches, excellent game reserves, and typical Zulu villages nestled together on sloppy hillsides near the historical battlefields. As you head further south, the terrain softens as the tropical winds pass through the countryside grasslands of the Natal highlands and down to Durban's colorful city.   Our Final Word Nothing compares to the breathtaking and spellbinding sights that South Africa has to offer. This incredible country will impact you like on others. From the flourishing urban cities of Cape Town and Johannesburg to the vibrant indigenous Ba Kaap villages and the sun-kissed coasts, South Africa has it all in fashionable culture and history. As you explore South Africa, you will experience countless magical moments in every city mentioned in this article.  I loved living there and having a chance to explore such a wonderful country.  

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[putschki1969]

Hikaru//’s Free Writing Vol.#2

Note: This is my English translation of Hikaru//’s Free Writing Vol.#2. Please enjoy!

『teamLab Borderless Forgetting Time Within “Art without Borders”』〜 Hikaru//’s Free Writing Vol.#2〜

Hello, this is Hikaru//. In this second column I will be doing another "report" just like I did in Vol.#1. I was super thrilled on the day of the shoot because I have always been interested in this place! This time we went to... 『MORI Building DIGITAL ART MUSEUM: EPSON teamLab Borderless』 !

The nearest stations are Aomi Station on the Yurikamome Line or Tokyo Teleport Station on the Rinkai Line. In the stations you will see lots of posters guiding you to the venue. When you look at all the ads you will get even more excited!

At the venue itself visitors are asked to wear a mask as a measure against COVID-19. You also need to disinfect you hands at the entrance. If you wish you can also get disposable vinyl gloves. On the left side of the entrance there are also lots of coin lockers where you can store your luggage. You should definitely make use of that...I recommend going inside carrying as little as possible! When entering the first room your temperature is measured with a thermo camera.

After the temperature measurement there is this huge message plastered to the wall. What do they mean by "wandering"? That’s what I asked myself when I saw these words. But once you have experienced it all, the words will make sense *laughs*  Well then, let’s go inside! You have three options at the beginning. Many museums have a certain route that you need to follow in order to enjoy everything properly but with "TeamLab Borderless" it’s up to you where you want to go, you can go wherever you feel like going. Being led by your feelings is the best way to enjoy art!

I really like butterflies so I am going to the "Butterfly House" first. Butterflies are flying all over the room! If you try touching the butterflies because you think they are so beautiful and cute they will crumble and fall to the floor...The butterflies born here jump out of the room and move on to join the other art in the museum. So you don’t have to feel sad about saying goodbye to the butterflies since you will meet them again soon, you only have to take a few steps to see them flying around in various places.

After chasing butterflies I went to the "Forest of Flowers and People, Lost and Reborn". There are flowers all around the ground and across the walls! Flowers will appear where people are standing and after a while they scatter again, when you stay at a single place for a longer time the flowers will bloom. It’s a very photogenic space. It's large as it is but since there are so many mirrors the space feels even wider! ♪ You can easily take a ton of selfies here *laughs*. Enjoy the various flowers! There are some smaller rooms with several little spaces where the work is displayed on monitors. Also, you can see some animals decorated with flowers moving along the walls. Please try to touch those animals and see what happens ♪

After encountering the animals I entered a space with a big waterfall. The flow of water changes when people stand or sit on it and when you stay there for a while flowers will start to bloom. On the walls where the water doesn’t flow you can see all kinds of art. What might happen when you touch the flowing kanji? Please experience how the art changes when you manage to touch it!

"Team Lab Borderless" is a permanent exhibition but depending on the season you can see lots of different art! Right now you can experience a special "seasonal exhibition", I got to see it. iI’s amazing art that feels reminiscent of Japanese paintings! Apparently this is the first time the exhibition, “Proliferating Immense Life” is open to the public in Japan. Even though it’s a seasonally limited exhibition I would like to talk a little about the art. In the “Flowers - Layered Ultrasubjective Space” you can drown within countless semi-transparent images of hydrangea from June to July. The space “Memory of Topography“ depicts a rural mountain landscape of varying elevations. The scenery instills in the viewer a feeling of eternal permanence. From June to August you can enjoy lush rice fields and crepe myrtles. With the flow of real time the scenery is continuously changing so when I was there, thunder struck and it rained down heavily onto the rice fields (※ Please note that there is no actual water in this exhibition).

In the “Forest of Resonating Lamps” you can experience the sensation of being surrounded by the soft light of lamps whose colour scheme changes as people stand nearby. This production is very much reminiscent of the hydrangea you can see from June to July. The lamps are specially arranged and they are hand-made from Murano glass (Venetian glass). If you take a close look at each individual lamp you will notice that they all look different. The seasonal art is constantly changing. Even the staff members do not know when something new will be installed. So I consider myself very lucky to have been able to experience all these seasonal exhibitions.

Now, let's return to the permanent art. When you continue onwards you will be joined by crows as you enter the “Cave Universe”. This work is to be viewed from a position close to the entrance. The work begins when crows of “Crows are Chased and the Chasing Crows are Destined to be Chased as well” enter into the Cave Universe in the middle of the aisle.  If you stand at position close to the entrance the boundary between the wall and the floor disappears, the real space dissolves and the lines drawn by the trails of the crows appear to be drawn in three dimensions in the space. Eventually the body becomes immersed in the artwork world, and the border between the artwork and the viewer dissolves. I really want everyone to experience this!

The next space you will reach is "Wander through the Crystal World". This interactive installation artwork uses an accumulation of light points to create a sculptural body. The Crystal World is created when people use their phones to send elements of the natural world into it. It's beautiful and fun ♪

Then we continue towards the “Athletics Forest“ area. In the “Weightless Forest of Resonating Life” you can be three dimensionally immersed by various objects of light that move as though they’re defying gravity, they will also be changing colours... I tried putting an object above my head *laughs*. The “Aerial Climbing through a Flock of Colored Birds“ space features connected boards hanging in mid-air on ropes, creating a floating three dimensional space. You can train your body by trying to navigate the space in mid-air *laughs*.

In “Graffiti Nature - High Mountains and Deep Valleys, Red List” various creatures drawn by visitors live in a large, three-dimensional space consisting of slopes with different elevations. Challenge yourself and draw one of the endangered animals! I did it, I completed my drawing! Once you hand your drawing to a staff member it will appear within the space..It almost feels like you are a parent watching over your child *laughs* You start getting attached!

Last but not least I would like to introduce the "EN TEA HOUSE Genka-Tei". This is the only food and drink art space in the museum. The first thing you will notice when you enter the room is the strong aroma of tea. There are four types of tea, tea leaves from the mountains of Hizen in Kyushu are used. There is also a set menu with rich green tea ice cream filled with umami flavor and accompanied with shirotama. You have to order first at the reception. Then you will be guided to your seat. Tatami mats are used for the tables and chairs, making it a relaxing space. Tea and ice cream are brought in, the art starts once the set is placed in front of you. Make tea and a flower blooms inside the teacup. Flowers bloom infinitely as long as there is tea. Smell, taste, sight... It was a space where all senses were stimulated, a truly healing experience.

There are so many great artworks in "Team Lab Borderless", I cannot possibly write about all of them. I hope you will visit and experience it all for yourself! These are the words written at the exit.

This time, I was wanderiing around the museum for about two and a half hours without a map. Even though I spent so much time there I still couldn’t go everywhere, I only saw parts of it. There is still so much left to discover. I wanna come here again! And here’s a bonus pic for you! I was so absorbed in the art that I didn’t really take too many pictures of myself... *laughs*.

I had a great and exciting time, this experience gave me the opportunity to reflect on many things! Well then, until next time! Text = Hikaru// Photography = Yuki Ohashi, Hikaru//

[omega-deku]

So I would love to progress on my art and try comics any tips? ÙwÚ

Hi! I’m so sorry about the late reply. D: I hope you don’t mind if I take this opportunity to address all the anon messages about how we can improve as artists. 

I have a tough time answering this question because there is so much I need to learn. I’m super flattered that some of you feel that my art is good enough to ask me for tips, first of all!! So thank you, guys.

It’s a struggle because I only recently started taking up art again. So I’ve forgotten a lot of the things. So I’m probably not the best person to ask about this.

I used to draw all the time as a kid, but after high school, I stopped drawing. I stopped drawing for almost a decade, pretty much. I really regret it. I feel like I could have come such a long way if I did keep going. My parents really discouraged me from pursuing art, even just as a hobby, too. Even when I left home (I’m back now tho), my ex-spouse, greatly discouraged me from doing art too. I mean, “proper” art. They told me my art wasn’t “real art” because it’s not studio art, it’s “sellout” art, like anime/cartoons/fanart. I had even worse self-esteem as I do now, and I listened to them and gave up. I convinced myself I hated drawing. 

Please don’t deny yourself things that make you feel engaged and connected. If drawing makes you feel good, if it makes you not realize how much time has passed and makes you feel like you’re accomplishing things, even little by little, please don’t stop. Even if you suffer from depression and feel like things like this are pointless, remember that just doing things in general will help you. Drawing is an awesome way to get into the flow state. To me personally, it’s almost like a meditative state and I find it helpful in dealing with chronic pain and mental health issues. 

Anyways, I’ll try to compile some advice sort of things.

ART IN GENERAL

1. Draw what you enjoy! I think the most important thing is to draw what you like. It’s okay if it’s “dumb stuff”. Draw your favorite characters or pairings from your favorite tv shows if that tickles your fancy! You’re much more likely to be spending more time drawing if you’re drawing stuff you like. And as long as you’re drawing, you’re improving. (But still, challenge yourself and get out of your comfort zone!)

Especially for those of you who are planning to pursue art as a career, it’s essential that you don’t view practicing art as a chore. 

2. Draw from life. If you really want to take your art to the next level, drawing from life is vital! I think many of us have come across artists who are just amazing, but there are things that look a little “off”. For example, the anatomy doesn’t look quite right, or the perspective is a little wonky. Things like that can be a tell that they’ve learned to draw from other people’s art rather than from life. Or just haven’t practiced the basics enough. (My art isn’t amazing or anything close to that lmao, but it definitely suffers from this. I need lots of life drawing practice.)

There is nothing wrong with learning from your favorite artists, but to really train your “artist’s eye”, you need to strip away all the stylistic choices and go back to the basics. Training that Eye is one of the most crucial things you could do as an artist. 

Just take a piece of paper, a pencil and start drawing what you see. If you can, take figure drawing classes at your local community college, or draw the animals you see at the zoo. Sit on a bench and draw the scenery in front of you. Over time, you’ll start to recognize common patterns, simplify/think of things in terms of lines and shapes.

If you can’t afford a class or have the ability to go outside easily, drawing from photographs can be the next best thing. (See the Resources below for an online figure drawing tool.) I’m not experienced enough to definitively say why this isn’t the #1 idea, but from what I hear, there are things that you’ll miss out on, such as subtle shifts in shadows, colors, and other things that will happen from small movements in pose changes, a cloud moving, or whatever else. A different “feel”, if you will.

With the digital art boom, a lot of artists are learning how to do cool digital effects and fancy things, but forgoing basic anatomy, perspective, shading, etc. Which is all fine if you’re just having fun, but isn’t the best idea if you’re really serious about improving. Practice the fundamentals!

(If you have been dreaming about CalArts at one point like I did when I was in high school, one advice I came across from everyone who went there was to draw from life. All the time. It’s not an answer I expected from people who draw funny looking characters all day. You mean all these people who draw such simplified cartoon people and animals can actually draw like masters? Perfectly rendered bowls of fruit? I didn’t realize how much work goes into animating simple characters.)

3. Put in the time. 

It’s really easy to get suckered into just watching “how to improve” videos all day and thinking about improving. Watching how other artists work is an important learning tool, but you’ll never actually make progress if you aren’t practicing. 

Sometimes, the best thing to do is to not think about it. Just do it. 

It’s like when I’m spending a whole lotta time thinking about getting physically fit than just, you know.. just doing it. “Tomorrow for sure.” 

It may seem like it’s worthless, but doing those lame 5 push-ups a day instead of the 20-minute workout you wanted to put in, is better than nothing at all. You are making progress, no matter how small it may seem.  

Make it a habit to practice every day. That way, you don’t even hesitate. It’s as automatic as brushing your teeth.

All the artists you see who have fantastic, awe-inspiring art may seem like Unreachable Gods sometimes, but those artists didn’t just pull that out of their ass one day. They put in hours and hours and hours of work. Let’s not disrespect other artists by ignoring that and chalking it up to “talent”. No one is born with an innate ability to draw. WE can get there too if we practice!

I want to get good enough to draw the things I have in my head one day!

Some resources that may be helpful:

Draw a Box - This is a site for free lessons for absolute beginners. Look under “Lessons” to learn. The creator of the site is the mod for r/ArtFundamentals. You can post your work there to get critiqued.

Check out Proko’s videos on gesture drawing, art fundamentals, etc. Daily routines of successful artists.

Use this site to practice figure drawing, gesture drawing - Set aside some time to practice drawing people and animals every day. Start trying to see things as lines, shapes, and go big. Don’t get too caught up in the details, and tiny drawings. Learning to draw fast (not draw FAST as in speed, but as in capture the gesture in a post, the “feel” of the movement) will force you to do this more, and with more experience, make your figures less stiff looking. 

And it’s okay if you’re aren’t good at it. You’ll make loads and loads of shit drawings until you can get decent. 

I’m most definitely in this stage right now, trying to train my Artist’s Eye. As in, I can’t just draw a figure from memory. I don’t really know what goes where without a reference, or how they move, etc. You can tell by how stiff my drawings look.

Lulusketches How to Improve video - She has similar advice, but her point about looking at “Art of” books something I have come across from multiple professional artists; Her advice on worrying about finding your own “style” is really good too. Do challenges like she said!

Her playlist of art tutorials & advice is great. They’re short and sweet. Her beginner digital art tutorial got me started on digital art (the one with Ginny Weasley). 

Not free ($30 a month), but these online Schoolism classes look helpful. It’s run by Bobbie Chiu. I saw some great reviews and I want to try them someday. They’re taught by artists in the animation/film industry. But you gotta have a basic grasp on digital art/photoshop for many of the classes, I think? I’m not 100% sure. They’re pre-recorded video lessons. 

You can pay more for feedback from the teachers, but you can also just use it as a self-learning guide. 

This drawing faces from any angle video was pretty helpful for me. The artist has loads of other tutorials.

COMICS

I don’t feel qualified enough to give much advice on comics. I mean, I don’t even draw the lines for the boxes, haha.. However, these comic books are basically required reading for some courses:

Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics & Making Comics.

I can’t remember which one it is that I read, I think it was Making Comics? But wow, if I remember correctly, it was FULL of really useful things about how to make effective comics. I lost the book while moving years ago, but it was FANTASTIC learning material. I loved every panel of it. 

He talks about everything from perspective, placement of characters, speech bubbles, how big panels should be, etc. 

If you can afford it, get a used one and start reading! Even if you don’t want to make comics just yet, it’s super interesting. 

[fleur-marigold]

BROOOOO i just watched klaus?? and??? (SPOILERS)

i hadn’t heard ANYTHING about it up until now so i had no idea it was so eagerly anticipated but i can completely see why, when i first saw screenshots i either thought it was 3d or more akin to something like tangled’s flash animation, but... WOW! this is EVERYTHING 2d animation could be if it were still practiced (still waiting on that nostalgia cash-in renaissance) and more - the beautiful blending of 2d/3d like treasure planet, the gorgeous detail, effects and vividity of princess and the frog, the strong geometric 3d turn-style of el dorado and spirit, the showstopping scenery, lighting and colouring, the fantastically unique character designs, expressions and gestures, and the storybook stylization, texturing and natural look to everything akin to cartoon saloon and other indie studios... i’ve been waiting for a movie that makes every second feel like raw ART and this one had by eyes glued to the dang screen not wanting to miss a single second!

the trailer made it look a little more cheesy & literal, something more like you’d expect from a kids’ xmas movie, kind of like those indie movies that are a little on the corny/below average side but that you forgive or endear out of artistic ingenuity, but it turned out sooo much better than i’d hoped and beyond, my only real gripe in that area being that one or two of the better jokes were spoiled in the trailers but they were far outbalanced by the in-movie ones. the characters were a mix of pleasant surprises (i didn’t see many trailers but the advertising would NOT have made me of jesper as the kuzco type) and familiar faces (klaus’ wife is a story heard before but it’s still felt as genuine and heartfelt), the story so layered and clever, the setting and interactions so charming and lovable... augh

i feel like people are going to be quite open with their criticisms on account of how good the movie is otherwise so here are my main critiques that i’ll get out of the way so i can keep gushing: - geo setting is a subject but could definitely have included some racial diversity (though the saami being handled so respectfully was a breath of... icy fresh air) - alva is a little too close to disney pixar same face design (pale, thin, round and smooth but pointy chin/nose) especially in comparison to the exaggerated and whacky features of the others  - romance didn’t feel necessary (plus being rushed) but alva was fleshed out beyond love interest and it felt done without making too big a scene that i can’t really complain (though the ‘of course she did’ line is -_-) - i loved the subtle commentary through the inter-clan grudges! maybe a little more on that topic and how overcoming differences and finding similarities can be so empowering - i can’t tell if they were fat jokes or just big tall strong people jokes? there was only one but it still would’ve been cool without it - some music choices were a little on the dated/pop/distracting side but nothing too bad - i LOVE the ‘you were using us?’ ‘yes- no- well, at first, but-’ trope but it HAS been done in this way many times before, and the reveal felt a little weightless when jesper’s bad side wasn’t really known to the townsfolk so i’m not sure why they’d assume the worst of him automatically (someone mentioned making him more openly arrogant but still entertaining would’ve been useful), but knowing it would be wrapped up well took away most discomfort here

the entire viewing was filled with my FAVOURITE emotion to be filled with when watching anything new: surprise! i had absolutely no idea how gorgeous, entertaining and delightful watching this would be, and i kept having to yell about how great everything was to my brother any time there was a quiet moment. the witty dialogue, visual & situational humor were all freaking hilarious, the development of the townsfolk and the heartfelt nature had me ‘aww’ing’ nonstop, alva’s story of devoting herself to teaching in a happy and encouraging environment was gorgeous, their efforts to include nonenglish speakers in the festivities, the sneaky and unintentional explanations for the santa mythology... ALL great stuff. and of course the star of the show klaus was an absolute darling sweetheart ;__; i love... unconventional santas and he’s definitely up there in my faves alongside rotg’s, having him be cold, quiet and even scary is such an awesome way of doing things... i almost wish he’d stayed in that atmosphere a little longer but watching him open up, regain his joy and realize he’s safe to laugh and help others feel the same in the process was just 8′) having him hardly say a word and communicate so much of his intent through action, be it silly or tragic or toothachingly sweet (the birdhouses........ the reindeer ;o;) made him a treat to watch!

which brings me to by far my favourite part! this might be the only christmas movie i’ve ever seen that actually FEELS like a christmas movie, y’know you get all those ~true meaning~ and ~magic~ and ~family~ messages that try to make it deep but not once has one of them felt genuine until i saw klaus’ face upon seeing the pure, glowing childlike wonder his gift gave to the first child, realizing just how much it meant to him from that singular frame it just. guh. shoots me right through the heart. the setting for it was perfect too, having an entire TOWN play the scrooge role was wonderfully inventive and sooo satisfying and uplifting and purely FUN to see even the grumpiest of characters show change... it made me especially sad thinking about all the children trapped in such a horrible and unloving place, and knowing their parents had been born the same and forced into the cycle of violence to survive, so having them be the main focus of the letters, having innocence and good will and PLAY be the driving force that changed not only the heart of the town, but that of jesper too, is just... something i’d never get sick of watching. that scene where they gift margu her sled and she tries it for the first time? THAT scene is... pure, unbridled magic unlike anything i’ve seen before. i don’t think there’s any point in discussing ‘meanings’ of contemporary christmas unless it captures a feeling like this

i’ll likely add to this as i remember more (/rewatch a whole bunch) but i really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it! it’s something i feel like i could watch people’s reactions to and still get the same wonder and elation i got from my first viewing for years to come :’) which is great for a yearly rewatch hehe

[theantoniomabs]

Today I am here writing on my laptop because I seem to have lost most motivation on working. Not just on my game but perhaps on everything. As a last dish resort that I swear will work, I will be essentially looking into my psyche, in hopes of finding the reason to why I do this and why I want to do it. The first thing I want to think about is Moai: An Interactive Experience. In a way this is very much for me to figure out my ideas a bit better, not necessarily to gain likes, views, or comments. More for me than for you, but I hope you get something out of this as an development blog.

   What is Moai: An interactive Experience?

First Ever SpriteSheet for Moai

Moai Prototype made in Flash CS3

Spritesheets put into use to build out the first concept levels.

Moai is a puzzle platforming game I have been developing for the better part of last year. About 7 months since I started the first devlog on youtube.

About 10 videos in so far, which feels good but at the same time a little bad. I started doing the devlogs in order to promote the game but understandably that hasn’t been working too well, or rather maybe not as well as I had hoped, but that’s ok. I do enjoy the process of editing my progress into bite sized pieces of milestone markers. So in a way that’s nice.

Level Art

Level 0 Sketch

On the other side of the marketing sphere is of course the actual creation of the game. The art is awesome! I love working on this kind of stuff, the ideas are always pouring out of me. For example this is the first sketch of the first level. Technically Level 0 because this is the intro of the game. Here we can see how Moai receives life by a buttefly laying on his head and causing a flower to come to life.

  Moai Level 0- Concept Art

Level Sketches

After I have completed the initial level I decided to continue working on the next levels. I know I want a couple of puzzles but all in all what I really want for this game is to make you feel like you are there. That sorts of stuff will really help you relax as you play, which in truth is the whole idea of the game. It’s a tool for you to disconnect from the world, and just relax in a beautiful serene world inhabited by beautiful animals and a stone giant.

The music should help you with that. I think that it would be a great wonderful idea to play the bell sound I have for the frequency of love segments. It gives space to the whole game so that’s wonderful. So it can play whenever Moai does his magic life touch. I also just though that perhaps it could be a good idea if Moai got slower the more he gets close to the end. That sounds pretty cool. That way he can start fast at the beginning, full of life but as he activates the points in the island he becomes weaker. Not sure if it’s visible in the art, but perhaps it should.

Character Sketches and Base Sprites

Moai Turn-Around Sketch

I like how Moai looks right now. He can have a bit more definition here and there but overall his animations are starting to look good. Once I do the revise on the art, I’m thinking I will animate it even further in Photoshop, make the necklace move, and add some motion on the the flower and the clothes. That secondary motion really brings live into the art.

Moai SpriteSheet Twee

Moai Pose Sketches

The character continues to evolve as I continue to create art and grow my artistic skills. Which is very good because my unique art style and techniques will play heavily on the feeling this game will give to the player. The stoic expression feels very good for a stone statue that can walk. I also like that it’s gender ambiguous, because I would love for everyone to be able to feel like they are the character, not just men and women, but pretty much everyone in the whole planet, same goes for his age. Moai could be 10 years old, or anywhere from 10,000 years old. Relaxation and positivity should know no exclusion.

Meaning behind the Stone Garden and the Growth Symbol

Stone Garden and Flower sketches Tiny Loading Screen guy

When I did my research on Eastern Island, I learned several things.

1- There are a lot of birds, fishes, and butterflies.

2- There are also several plants, tress and of course the stone statues.

3- People that live there make these very pretty stone structures used to basically encompass gardens.

I love that, and I decided to make it into an important mechanic in the game. The general game is a journey, however the journey is blocked off and segmented into several sections where the player must learn something new about themselves, their environements, or their personal story, in order to progress further into the island. Every time they find a point in which they have to progress, Moai must give a little bit of life force into in a sort of exchange of energy that activates certains parts of the island that will teach him or allow him to pass.

In some cases, Moai and in turn the player must give time to the game in order to accomplish something. Like waiting 5 minutes at the docks for a wooden boat to arrive and take you to a secret part of the island. Or sitting down and waiting at the top of a particularly beautiful hill that rewards you with a cinematic pan of the whole island as seen from the highest point, which is where you are sitting.

In the case of the Stone Garden however, Moai will literally give from his own life force to connect himself into the earth and help a small plant blossom. This blossoming results in a domino effect throughout the level that changes the scenery for better. Very reminiscent of the amazing and beautiful game, Okami. Whenever this happens a beautiful bell should sound in the background, as the plants grow around Moai and his path is revealed. In some cases, like in the magical forest. Moai will not be encumbered by simple gates, but rather by secret foliage that parts it’s way for Moai to continue his journey.

In the island as I mentioned earlier there is also a lot of wild life.

Real things like:

seagulls

fishes

crabs

iguanas

snakes

grasshoppers

fireflies

insects

bugs

frogs

deer

As well as fantastical animals like:

El bugalopo which is a sort of magical deer that appears randomly and has a bone mask covering his face.While in some cases the animal will act as art assets and not necesarilly interact with the player, for the case of the bugalopo, whenever he appears he will run away from the player, and will always be behind the woods. In the forest, you can see his yellow eyes appearing through the mist. In a way he simbolizes desires, and the attainability of wordly pleasantries. Because you want to catch him, but in truth you never can. He will always be away from you, ever running, he is not to divert you from your highest truth which is to bring postivity, love and growth into the island for as long as you live.

There is perhaps another fantastical animal, something like an oax or a boar. A big leathery animal that likes to eat the grass pastures. I’m not sure what they do yet, but I can see them in my mind’s eye for this game.

    Early Moai Sketch

This is a very important sketch for me, as it started the journey towards the ending of the game. I don’t want to spoil the big ending, but here we can see Moai sitting and pondering his life as he traversed through the island. This gave way to this sketch of the moutainside.

Last Level MountainSide Sketch

Which gave birth to this scene.

      Download the Moai Wallpaper when you Join the Email List

This scene helped me create all the base character assets and animations for the game, plus it serves as a wonderful promotional piece of content. With this in mind, I am thinking that the game, even though it’s starting to look like an actual game. With levels, movements, and controls. I feel like it still lacks life.

https://www.reddit.com/r/unity/comments/glt1r6/art_assets_art_in_the_game_moai_an_interactive/

This is why I think that besides just working on polishing out the engine and it’s bugs, I wilt working on some of the more aesthetically elements, like background and foreground animations, and the creatures I mentioned earlier that will interact and live in this world with Moai.

The next devblog will have to be about how I created:

animal art assets

new stone garden assets

and a burst of energy asset for when growth has been activated

Technical things like:

sound manager system

debugging

water reflections

the sitting and waiting mechanic

the boat mechanics

loading screen mechanics

polishing up the UI

dialog system (narrator/info boxes)

Environmental Effects like rain,mist, and the interactivity of the npc creatures

In a way this devblog will help me not only to stay focused and know what to keep top of mind, with myself and this game. I feel better overall now that I’ve written this. In the next work session for Moai I think I will be able to be productive and efficient, and continue aiding the process for Moais growth and materialization.

It will also help me divide what I want this game to be versus what I want PixelPeeps to be, which is a whole ‘nother blogpost on it’s own.

Here’s a question if you made it this far. What sort of cool mechanics would help you relax? What would you see implemented in the game that will perhaps better the world of Moai: Interactive as whole? Maybe snow, and not just rain and mist? What are your thoughts, and while we are at it, what’s your favorite animal?

Moai Devblog 1: Focus on Growth Today I am here writing on my laptop because I seem to have lost most motivation on working.