#the soundtrack is everything to me as well

[humansbgone]

I have done. SO MUCH work on Rose's model this week. Figuring out Geometry Nodes effect to make stylized hairs do what I want, figuring out bone constraints to make her eyelashes behave just so relative to the camera, figuring out Shader Nodes effects so I could convert her eye shines to a texture for better deformation while still able to transform them, correcting her cephalothorax mesh and re-rigging it, merging her leg meshes, completely remeshing her jaws and mouth, tons of other possible methods I discarded...

...and all I have that I can show off yet is the work I've done giving her fangs. (It'll be quite a while before this functionality even comes into play, but I figured I may as well add it while I was fixing everything else.) You'll just have to take my word for it that the other things are going to make a tremendous difference in making her much more expressive and lively for animation!

Jade is making fast work of the soundtrack, per usual! I can tell you now this OST will be more bangers.

And the work on Rose is still not done! Next, her eyes need to be finished...however I decide to do that. I've got a couple ideas. Then, more work on the hair method, and actually making the mesh...and rigging. So, so much rigging. I'll do what I can over the weekend, but again, this may take another week. Another month for work on the other characters. A month for staging, assets, and backgrounds, and anywhere from one to two months on animation...let's bump this up to a May or June release. Hopefully, all the methods I've figured out here will save me time on the future. Until next time!

[emotionallychargedtowel]

Hey, Rose. I think we're in agreement here, or at least mostly so. I'm thinking about this a bit differently, but I think the difference might be mostly semantic.

I would say that sex was the problem—in a way. But it was only the problem insofar as it was a specific way of expressing and deepening intimacy that Nakarai and Hagiwara both felt a need for and weren't able to experience in their respective relationships. And although they both complained, and talked as though their frustrations were normal and reasonable, a part of each of them thought that they might be weird or disgusting for wanting sex, or wanting it enough for it to be a big issue for them. It may have been more personalized, too. They may have thought it was weird or disgusting or unreasonable for them to want or expect sex, that there was something wrong with them or lacking in them that made this the case. So when they came together in this intimate way, they wanted sex, but what they really needed was to be seen by another person in an authentic way and still be accepted.

That said, I think it was still crucial for it to happen in a sexual setting, because that's where all of that shame had built up. The reason the emotional intimacy they experienced was so impactful was because they were able to be themselves, including being sexually expressive, while being accepted. Not just accepted—embraced, in the metaphorical sense as well as the literal sense.

I think the sex scene was handled pretty much perfectly. I don't think a scene that prioritized being arousing would have served this story well at this point. Among other things, this version of the scene felt really realistic to me.

Not that more titillating sex scenes necessarily aren't realistic. I think the feeling that a scene like that gets across is really reminiscent of a feeling one can experience in a real sexual context, not because life is like a perfectly lit and edited piece of media but because when the circumstances are right, sex can (temporarily) make you feel like everything is as perfect as it looks in a TV show, or it can sweep you along so that time feels like it's passing as quickly as it does in a montage, or it can make you feel things so strongly that there might as well be dramatic music playing all around you.

But it isn't always like that. Sometimes time feels like it's moving more slowly instead of faster, sometimes the timing of everything feels a little off, sometimes you're so painfully self-aware that it's like the soundtrack of the movie of your life got abruptly silenced. The one time in my life when I cheated on someone, the experience was a lot more like the latter, a lot more like what happened with Nakarai and Hagiwara, than it was like the usual kind of sex scene. And not because it was some kind of terrible event. I was falling in love, or thought I was. I was conflicted, and guilt-ridden, but I was elated at the same time. But that didn't stop everything from feeling strange.

There's nothing wrong with the kind of sex scene we're used to as QL viewers. But I think in this specific instance, that kind of scene wouldn't have made sense and would have taken the viewer further away from the things the makers of the show wanted to foreground. The intense vulnerability of the scene accomplished a few different things. It showed us a realistic path for Nakarai and Hagiwara from mysterious email correspondents and coworkers to lovers, because the emotional intimacy in that scene was so strong and so central that one can imagine how it would mark a huge shift in their feelings. It helped the viewer maintain some sense of affiliation and sympathy with the leads even as they engaged in infidelity, something most people have a visceral negative reaction to. And it brought the story back to its center, back to the themes that have been the most vital part of the narrative from the beginning.

I hope this makes sense, because I'm writing it when I'm very sleepy. If not, I'll try clarifying in the morning!

I love that, for two guys who were apparently desperate to get laid, in the end, them sleeping together was about anything but that. It's almost as if sex was never really the problem.

[mw-draws]

in these booping times may i offer you some art i’m working on?

[hellgram]

when kaos hits with the celestis divinitus insania vero

[cherrybeetle]

oh my god the httyd 2 credits art makes me SO emotional i feel ill

someone get me the art book NOW

[sforzesco]

niccolo machiavelli & biagio buonaccorsi

Machiavelli's Service to the Republic, John M. Najemy

eventually I'll read Sasso's writing on Machiavelli, but even reading Najemy's summary of the text with regards to Biagio and Machiavelli's relationship made me feel unwell™ in some kind of way like. even love. what an absolute gut punch pair of words to put in the middle of a sentence. I feel fine about it!! (a lie)

The Life and Times of Machiavelli, Pasquale Villari

AND NOW. regarding the scene. the letter exchanging hands is referencing their correspondence in general, but to also how Biagio was a collaborator to Machiavelli's plans (and a little bit about how some of Machiavelli's works were copied in Biagio's hand)

Machiavelli, Leonardo and the Science of Power, Roger D Masters

and regarding the red panel with the figure getting measured, it's about how Biagio had clothing for Machiavelli made to his own measurements in Machiavelli's absence.

Niccolò’s Smile, Maurizio Viroli

[furashuban]

One of my absolute positive thoughts on S3 is that it has my most favourite soundtrack by Ryan Carlson of any season, might even go out of my way and say that S3 has the best soundtrack in the whole series :0 Listening to a few songs from it after so long single-handedly saved me from a terrible mood tonight, I just love getting lost in each song and reliving the scenes they were made for.

(This is also another way of me saying that "The End" is—and I mean this genuinely with no exaggeration—the GREATEST song from a TV series soundtrack I have ever listened to and to ever grace television and animation <33)

[thesoulsofthedarned]

So I finished the Farewell Rayashki event:

Wow, what an amazing event. Probably one of my favorites in Reverse 1999. I loved watching the story of the townspeople of Rayashki fighting back against Zeno to protect their home with the help of a down-on-her-luck researcher unfold. This was probably the first event story in this game that got me feeling emotional. I think what contributed so heavily to my enjoyment and investment in the story was how we got to familiarize with the town itself, from it’s backstory, to the lives the residents that live there.

Back before 1.8 released on global, I never had much of an opinion on Vila. All I really knew about her was that she was a top tier healer mermaid who liked talking about freedom and stuff. But man, this event story really warmed me up to her as a character. She’s such a lovely teacher for the children of Rayashki, always encouraging them to be open minded and learn new things (kinda reminds me of teachers I used to have). Vila’s also such a brave leader for the people, not afraid to speak her mind on the unfair treatment Rayashki was facing at the hands of Zeno and rousing the townsfolk to band together to find new ore to support the town. I also really liked her relationship with Windsong and how she encouraged Windsong to not give up on her dreams. And that’s not to mention her backstory of being shunned and scorned by humans and rusalka alike, yet being able to find a place where everyone could live in harmony in Rayashki. Such a great character :)

Avgust was such a cinnamon roll. Just about every appearance he made on screen was a delight to watch. He’s got such an odd yet endearing way of interpreting the world around him and that made for some excellent chemistry for him and the other characters. He’s so strange yet so cute at the same time, it’s no wonder my sibling went for him on Vila’s banner (they got Vila but not Avgust btw).

Windsong was definitely the MVP. At first I assumed she’d be like Yelan from Genshin: cool, alluring, mysterious, all the typical tropes you’d expect from a woman like her in a gacha game. Turns out she’s almost nothing like I’d expect. Windsong at first was awkward, anxious, not confident that the study of ley lines will even make a comeback due to past experiences. She was on the verge of giving up, yet throughout the story she’s able to finally prove the study of ley lines can be a valid and useful field with the help and encouragement of the townspeople. Watching her become a teacher for the kids at the school was also heartwarming to watch. Also watching Windsong tell that Zeno guy where to shove it was also pretty satisfying, seeing her developing friendship with Vila and the rest of the town was sweet, watching her slowly helping the town achieve their goals and subsequently reach her own and finally coming to her own as a researcher was so cathartic aaaAAA-

Overall, this event was incredible, thanks in no small part to the excellent writing. I absolutely love this story, and I can’t wait for it to rerun :)

[shady-groves]

man....the uzumaki anime..............

episode 1 was brilliant. i think it had just the right amount of material for the span of time that it covered, the pacing was really well done, and the animation looked great.

and then..........episode 2. god the drop in animation quality is so damn distracting 💀every single walking or running scene just doesn't look right, the sound is straight up not in sync in a few places, the emotion from the VAs isn't at all matched up by what's shown visually, you can tell where they skimped out on animating certain beats, and shuichi just straight up doesn't look like the same character from the last episode. it looks like a different studio animated this one, which explains...pretty much everything.

i think of that one incredibly brief but striking transition from ep 1 where it's a closeup of shuichi's face and it goes from his normal face to his more freaked out face in the space of a few frames...that singlehandedly was more natural and impactful than pretty much everything in this episode.

it doesn't help that i think they overdid it with trying to adapt the material this time around. it's constantly switching plot threads in ways that don't really fit (why on earth would kirie and shuichi not stop to get kirie some nourishment right after she passes out from the hair?? why is that the best time to conclude the snail plotline?? and then immediately hopping over to the lovers plotline???)

but to its credit at least, everything on a sound/audio front is still really good! the VAs do a good job, the sound design is appropriately horrifying, and the score is still fitting and enhances the mood (that is unfortunately being killed by everything we're seeing but it tries its best 💀)

[sskk-manifesto]

!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[licorishh]

Replayed Modern Warfare 3 2011 on Veteran tonight and goooooooood night. Blood Brothers never gets any easier to watch no matter how many times you've done it and the ending really never misses huh

I apologize for the amount of yapping in the tags I reread it all on mobile and started giggling because it went on for so long but eh. Blessed are those who won't shut the freak up and all that

[thestrangestwatermelonofall]

i will never forget the time I was hanging out with two other people who were new friends and they were like "let's do a sonic fandub" and one of them started looking up sonic game footage on youtube for us to dub while we discussed who would speak for who and we decided I'd voice tails. But also I knew nothing about sonic at the time, i'd only seen the snapcube fandubs because I'd heard they were good and funny, I didn't know the plot or characters very well. I couldn't remember what they sounded like so while the other two started to say silly things in sonic and amy's voices I asked "what does tails sound like again?" And I was laughing because I was embarrassed and also shocked by how quickly they had started commiting to the bit of trying to do some voice acting and my friend just said "he sounds like a twink" and I could not stop laughing and I could not take the idea seriously and I just told them that I couldn't do the voice oops. And so we moved onto a different topic pretty quickly and just enjoyed the pizza we had while we waited for our other three friends to get back from the store

anyways all of this is to say that Tails is NOT a twink, he is an 8 year old little boy and my friend was misguided.

[edge-oftheworld]

help i'm listening to an orchestral arrangement of holiday by green day and i can't deal with it

[theflagscene]

Does anyone else feel like Playboyy is the fever dream of like one really horny yet virginal closeted teenager who’s watched too much porn, read too many mystery novels and also like one really lousy bdsm manual from the 1980’s?

…Just me?

Okay.

[rainc0at]

I LOVE THIS FUCKIJG FILM SO MUCH EVERYTHING ABOUT IT IS PERFECT

[infizero]

currently having a hamilton moment .