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#fortiche studios
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arcane-strangeness · 2 months
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man, Fortiche studios really has come a long way!
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Gorillaz - Do Ya Thang - 2012
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Netflix - Arcane - 2021
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lullabyes22-blog · 2 years
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Zaunites have that swagger...
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It’s so much fun to rewatch the series and note the way every Undercity character conveys effortless confidence/cool-factor simply through how they move.
They don’t walk so much as strut.
In Piltover, most of the characters move at a leisurely stroll, oozing a calm complacence that goes hand-in-hand with privilege. They know they’re right where they belong; safe in their gilded bubble.
Zaunites on the other hand, are accustomed to fighting tooth and claw for every scrap of space. It’s conveyed so beautifully through how each character owns their surroundings.
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Vi:
- leads with squared shoulders and a set jaw. an unflinching fire in the eyes; mess around and you’ll get burned -
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Sevika:
-  a well-oiled machine with a spark of malice in the smile and a touch of brimstone in the bones. this dragon lady means business -
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Ekko:
- a self-made man's swagger. he’s got places to be and keeps time to his own rhythm -
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Viktor:
- a skewed walk paired with a spine of stainless steel. if he can’t find a way, he’ll make one -
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Jinx:
- sleek as a phantom. a thing of shadows and nightmares. this is her realm, and you are simply a plaything -
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Silco:
- a slithering prowl. A shark in the water; a predator in his element. a torturous end of the line for you -
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littleeggrock · 5 months
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sometimes i think im a little insane for trying to connect two fairly different interests but then i remember the studio that animated the Netflix show Arcane (Studio Fortiche, absolutely phenomenal in everything they do) also made a music video for Gorillaz, ("genre bending" virtual band, made Feel Good Inc and Clint Eastwood) and said song was a collaboration with both Andre 3000 (one half of 90s rap band OutKast, the guys who made Hey Ya!) and Converse, the shoe brand. you can see the storyboards for said music video up on the wall in the behind the scenes Arcane series called Bridging the Rift, and various figurines for the band in the background of interviews with studio members :)
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lady-griffin · 2 years
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Animator Moïse’s Section On Ekko
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I just really loved Moïse’s section on Ekko. Especially when we see that he has Ekko’s figurines in his home. 
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While representation is always important - sometimes it can feel paint by numbers. A box to check. Do this and you’ll get this kind of thing. Soulless. Passionless. 
When there’s no passion behind it or in a lot of cases the people who are being represented on screen aren’t behind-the-scenes at all - you get something that doesn’t make you excited or really anyone excited. 
So, seeing this section made me so happy. I don’t know this animator and he was only part of the documentary for a few minutes, but I’m so happy for him and for us that he got to work on Ekko. That his ideas for Ekko were listened to and implemented.
Representation isn’t paint-by-numbers, so it should never feel like it is. 
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Again, I just really love this section.
Moïse talking about how Ekko is the kind of character he would’ve loved to see when he was a kid. 
To talking about how he did something different for Vi and Ekko’s first scene than what was originally planned, which changed the tone of the scene and even the character of Ekko.
How he wanted to work on Ekko and Jinx’s fight so badly and when he was put on that team, he was so happy.
To him using his son as a reference for Young Ekko’s movements. 
It just made me so happy.
I’m not saying this one animator is the entire reason why Ekko feels so real and is awesome - as the entire show feels so real and is beyond awesome. One animator doesn’t deserve all that credit - but clearly because Moïse’s work on Ekko being a focus for this section of Part III of Bridging The Rift, Moïse was clearly a big part in that spark of life for Ekko. 
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The big question is –
Sir, are you the one who convinced them to drop the Original Mohawk? And gave Ekko his amazing hair? Or at least suggested it?
If so, you deserve all the praise for Ekko. Everyone should be so fucking grateful to you. Riot should be beyond grateful to you.
If not, you still clearly deserve so much praise; and I’m glad Ekko had you in his corner and that you got to work on a character you clearly love and care about.
But also, could you point me to the direction of the person who did make/suggest they drop that awful mohawk?
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silvadour · 1 year
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K/DA - POP/STARS (ft. Madison Beer, (G)I-DLE, Jaira Burns) | Music Video - League of Legends
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shon-sobre-stars · 1 year
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I NEED studio fortiche to write an episode for Star Wars visions and I need it NOW
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deilephila-elpenor · 1 year
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Les Mésaventvres de Povdre et de Violette
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ohnoitstbskyen · 6 months
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The Beautiful Animation Touches of Arcane, act 2
It's not exactly a hot take to say that Arcane is one of the most striking and visually compelling animated series of the last few years, the animators and directors at studio Fortiche threw everything but the kitchen sink at this show, creating something intensely dense, layered and absolutely soaking in little animation touches, clever bits of cinematography and just straight up good direction and filmmaking.
It is impossible to discuss everything compelling about Arcane and its animation in one video, but I'm at least going to do my level best to talk about some of my favourite scenes from the second act (episode 3-6), and oh god oh god oh f*** my video about the animation is longer than all three episodes it discusses combined.
In this video we'll focus particularly on Jinx's custom animation rig that lets her swap between the Jinx and Powder personalities, how Silco visually asserts power over Marcus when they argue, how Viktor's entire character arc is contained within a single scene from his childhood, how Vi and Caitlyn speedrun an enemies-to-lovers trope via body language, and the seduction of Jayce Talis and his unfaithfulness to Viktor.
You have no idea how many Netflix copyright blocks I had to edit my way around to get this online.
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ganondoodle · 3 months
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in light of the news that riot games is letting go 11% of their workers (over 500 people), including long time workers responsible for big parts of the best lore in the entire league ip, AND cutting down LoR AND abandoning Riot Forge (the best idea they had in years lol)-
i stopped playing league a long time ago for multiple reasons, but one of the big ones were my annoyance with the increasingly shit ass monetization (thats only getting WORSE and MORE exploitative) and my frustration with its constant boring ass design decisions (like every new champ being either sexy girly girl that looks like all of the rest of them or sexy guy thats also starting to have the same problem plus all skins putting female champs in just another dress no matter how monsterfied the male champs were-) with my only interest in it being the lore and the attachment i felt to certain characters
im not even really interested in arcane anymore .. i was looking forward to it bc i like fortiches work alot but given how riot immedaitely wanted to make it canon (a dumb and stupid idea) after the first season was successful, which already made it less enjoyable for me, this is just ... idk, what does it matter
these news together with how bafflingly badly written totk was and its subpar quality (especialyl for that PRICE) that made me fear the future of loz yet it was still wildly sucessful (we deserve better than this!!), the recent commercial success of the plagiarism pokemon slavery/trafficking game and the general situation of the games industry, with AI rampant and CEOs sucking it up to shareholders only, constant massive lay offs everywhere in every studio
i have little hope left there will be new, good, games from big studios .. what an exhausting shitty world we live in
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“five tickets for Barbie, please.”
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penguinmichael · 5 months
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Analyzing Arcane: A Critique of Classism and Bureaucratic Corruption
Part 1/2
SPOILERS FOR ARCANE SEASON 1
In 2021, the indie studio Fortiche released an animated series called Arcane in collaboration with the video game company known as Riot Games. The game utilized the characters and world of their most popular game franchise, League of Legends. The show was critically acclaimed by both new audiences and fans of the game it was inspired by. The 9 episode animated series was revered for it's incredibly stylized art style, fast paced writing, and dynamic world building. However, a particularly interesting element of the show was the way it tackled various socio-economic issues. The show takes place in the fictional nation of Piltover, where various high society inventors would get together and create fantastical inventions. Below the nation lies a place known as the Undercity, where those of lower wealth reside and are forced to endure treacherous plights while the people in Piltover hoards all of it's resources. Through this simple setting, conflict occurs. There is a distinct antagonistic relationship between upper and lower class citizens, which forces many of the characters to challenge their predetermined notions and biases. These situations can easily be compared to real life instances, and the television acknowledges the underlying roots that cause these problems to fester in the first place. This problem is addressed through the overarching worldbuilding, the characters, and the supernatural aspects of the show.
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SECTION 1: A WORLD OF CONFLICT
Classism: Prejudice or favor of people belonging to a particular social class.
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The television series Arcane contains varying levels of conflict that dramatically affect the characters and the fundamental system within the two cities. The main conflict resides in the consistent mistreatment of the denizens within the Undercity, and how one particular incident ended up with high tensions between the two groups. Years before the first events of the show, there was a riot that occurred at the bridge that would connect the Undercity and Piltover. Piltover's enforcers, who are the equivalence of police investigators in the city, were sent to shut down the riot. The riot quickly became violent, and the entire bridge was quickly engulfed in flames. Many people died at the hands of the enforcers, and both sides had people who wanted to ensure that it never happened again. This event is a trigger for much of the upset within the Undercity. Many characters in the show would talk about how the enforcers would abuse them, and how no matter how hard they worked, they would always end up with the scraps while Piltover profited off of them. This event possesses many parallels to real world riots. For example, the Haymarket Riot that occurred on May 4th, 1886. The riot began peacefully as a demonstration of workers rights during an 8 hour work day.
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The violence at the riot quickly escalated when dynamite was thrown a the police, which ensued random gunfire by the police into the crowd of rioters. This lead to the deaths of at least 8 people, and left 40 others injured. Writer Hartmut Keil discussed the historical ramifications of this massacre, stating, "U.S. historians have attributed to Haymarket local as well as national significance; they have viewed it as a conspiracy by the ruling elite against the labor movement, as a death-blow to anarchism in the United States, as an attempt at weakening the eight-hour movement, and as a critical watershed for the organization of American labor at large." (Heil, Hatmut) It is also noteworthy to mention how this riot took place on the tail end of the Industrial Revolution, there was an increasingly bigger gap of technology between the upper and lower classes. This draws from a more minor conflict within the show, and that is the dirtiness of the Undercity due to the lack of better technology. One major character, Viktor, becomes terminally ill due to inhaling an overabundance of chemicals in the air. Meanwhile, Piltover not only has clean air, but is seen as a wealthy pillar of innovation. The Haymarket riot is only one example of how Arcane draws from real world events to tell a story and form a complete message.
An additional conflict that occurs throughout the story is the constant negotiation and corruption that exists between the Enforcers from the Upper City and the business owners of the Undercity. In the beginning half of the show, this negotiating occurred between the characters Vander and Grayson. Vander is a well liked bartender in the Undercity, and everyone in Zaun respects Vander. He was also the leader of the initial riot at the bridge, and deeply regrets his decision to fight as it lead to the death of many of his friends. Grayson, on the other hand, is the Chief Enforcer. She is also well aware of the damage that another riot will bring, and tries everything in her power to prevent it. The two strike a deal.
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(Grayson and Vander privately discussing the terms of their deal.)
Grayson agrees to keep her Enforcers out of the Undercity as much as possible, as long as Vander agrees to prevent people from the Undercity to cause trouble in Piltover. The deal, however, is not an equal one. Vander is forced into a corner as he does not contain nearly as much military power as Grayson does. And although Grayson does not want violence, she does not have much of say over her troops if Piltover's governing council feels threatened. A special report by David Bayley and Robert Perito identifies this particular form of corruption, "The notion of “noble-cause corruption,” that is, illegal actions undertaken to achieve laudable ends, is a contradiction in terms in relation to the narrow definition. Noble misbehavior by police refers to actions undertaken on the presumption that they achieve a larger social good, such as the extrajudicial killing of vicious criminals or dropping of malicious prosecutions." (Bayley, David)
This deal keeps the peace for a while, however, as the issues in the Undercity are repeatedly ignored, the people of Zaun become restless. These leads to an internal discourse between the people of the Undercity. One side wants to fight the Enforcers while the other wants to prevent more bloodshed. What do the Enforcers do about this? Nothing. They instead cause more problems as they mindlessly barge into the Undercity, looking for the thieves who robbed an inventor's workshop. This conflict coalesces into a massive power shift. Both Vander and Grayson perish from this battle, and two new sides are created. Marcus, who was Grayson's assistant, becomes the Chief Enforcer and works out a deal with Silco, a notorious crime lord in the Undercity and the main antagonist of the series. This deal is marginally worse, for reasons that will be better explained later on.* The concept of police making bribes with business owners is not a stretch of the imagination by any means. The special report also referenced, "The reports of the thirty-two police commissions on the police identified thirty-five forms of corruption, which can be grouped into four categories: scale and organization, predatory forms, subversion of justice, and gifts and discounts." (Bayley, David) There is a massive amount of corruption and bias that exists within the police system, and Arcane emphasizes this through the interactions within it's world.
SECTION 2: THE DIFFERENCES OF PERSPECTIVES
Arcane also utilizes it's characters as a mouthpiece of it's core themes and messages. The story revolves around at least 10 major characters. Each with their own backstories and perspectives that interact with one another. Each choice a character decides to make drastically effects the course of events that happen throughout the narrative. These choices come from predisposed beliefs that each character contains. For example, a character from Topside may automatically distrust a character from the Undercity. Below is a description of some of the key majors characters, and their ideologies that are a direct result of the hierarchical system of Piltover and Zaun.
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(Character name from left -> right: Viktor, Heimerdinger, Mel, Jayce, Caitlyn, Vi, Vander, Silco, Jinx/Powder)
Vander: Known as the "Hound of the Underground," Vander is a large, bulky man who prioritizes keeping the peace above everything else. He runs his bar "The Last Drop" and takes in the orphans Vi, Powder, Mylo, and Claggor. He is haunted by his past misdeeds, and is partially responsible for Silco's resentment. Vander represents a misguided complacency, and his faults lie in his avoidance to conduct any change in the unjust status quo.
Silco: Another resident of the Undercity, Silco is a deceitful, calculative crime lord whose main goal is seperate the Undercity into a seperate nation of Zaun. He plans to do this by using Shimmer, an addictive substance that grants temporary super strength to those who consume it. He is the archnemesis of Vander, whom left him to die after a fight on whether or not they should launch an attack on Piltover. Silco represents the highest form of radicalization against the monopolistic hierarchy of Piltover. He possesses an end justify the means' mentality by using his criminal organization to topple the power of Piltover's government. Because of this, he is seen as an unethical monster to most of the other characters.
Vi: The oldest of the orphans that Vander adopted, she is a tough and rebellious thief that wants to fight for the Undercity that she grew up in. Her parents were killed during the riot on the bridge. She is the biological sister to Powder. Vi represents a younger, more naive perspective of fighting for what you believe in no matter what. Towards the beginning of the show, she does not fully understand the cost of what a full revolution would truly have. Despite this, she follows Vander out of a familial bond.
Jayce: Jayce is a young inventor from Piltover who experienced first hand the power of magic. He wants to combine magic and technology to bring forth a new era of progress in Piltover. He succeeds in this endeavor, and creates what is known as hextech. Hextech is the combination of science and magic to create new inventions. but becomes so swept up in politics that he begins to lose sight of why he wanted to do these things in the first place.
Viktor: Viktor is a young scientist who moved from the Undercity to Piltover in order to attend a prestigious academy. He meets Jayce, and assists him in his invention of hextech. Viktor, unlike Jayce, does not get too involved with the politics of Piltover, and becomes increasingly frustrated at Jayce's hesitance to push newer inventions to the public. This impatience is exemplified by the fact that Viktor is dying, and wants to progress hextech to a point where it can potentially heal his disease.
Jinx/Powder: The youngest orphan that Vander takes in, and is seen as helpless by most other characters. In order to prove herself, Powder uses a force she does not fully understand and incurs a tragedy that leads to the death of those close to her. She is then taken in by Silco, who becomes an adopted father to her. However, as she becomes more violent and impulsive. She, like Silco, becomes a major antagonist towards the second half of the show.
Jinx is an important character due to her development throughout the series. Her relationship between her sister Vi and Silco very much resembles the relationship between the upper and lower cities. While she wants to depend on Vi, and have her sister there to look out for her, she cannot deny the damage she both endured/ inflicted. Much like Zaun, Powder reaches her breaking point and decided to become the villainous Jinx by the end of the first season.
Each of these characters interact in a way that advances the concept of these barriers that exist between the upper class and lower class.
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The above clip is an example of how societal differences can affect how a character may perceive a different "group" of people. In this scene, Jayce reaches a limit and lets his internal biases control his advice to Viktor. The show does an excellent job at avoiding focalization- and provides other counter views in the story so the audience can immediately come to the conclusion that Jayce is clearly in the wrong for saying something like that. This comes to an emotional point in the show, where Viktor explains how he is FROM the Undercity, and Jayce realizes the impact of his words.
This is absolutely true outside of fiction. The article "The Dangerous Separation of the American Upper Middle Class" describes the disconnect as, "An upper middle class status is likely to be both a cause and consequence of a high degree of self- confidence and ability to navigate the complexities of the world." (Reeves, Richard)
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The graph above compares the proportion of those believing things are changing too face and the amount of income they have. Interestingly, those of higher income are more comfortable with change than those of lower income. These complex viewpoints are shown in Arcane, particularly with Silco. Silco fears the development of hextech, because that means Piltover can create a better defense for itself against Silco's shimmer. He desperately wants to delay it's progression because he believes that the Undercity will not stand a chance against it.
SECTION 3: MIXING THE FANTASTICAL WITH THE POLITICAL
The central story of Arcane revolves around the development of two technologies: Shimmer and Hextech. Shimmer is a purple liquid substance that puts it's consumer into a manic bloodlust. The consumer possesses supernatural strength, however will return to normal after the effects wear off. This substance is extremely addictive, and spreads rapidly throughout the Undercity. This is executed by Silco, who creates multiple Shimmer factories in the Undercity.
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(A vial of Shimmer being held by it's creator, Singed)
The fictional substance of Shimmer is a clear symbol for real-life drugs that have created an epidemic in society. It closely resembles steroids or hallucinogens. Steroids can give temporary muscle growth, however, there is an extremely large risk on a unhealthy dependency. The Journal article Drug Legislation and the Minority Poor mentions, "Minority communities have been hardest hit by addictive drug epidemics over past decades and the sentiments of their representatives will of necessity carry great weight in legislative debates. The violence associated with the sale and use of drugs is found primarily in the minority communities of large and medium-sized cities." (Kornblum, William) The correlation of drug usage and low income has been an issue throughout American history. But why is Shimmer most popular in the Undercity? It is because of the lack of power the citizens feel like they have. Many Undercity residents are forced to defend themselves against criminals, and this desperation has them clamoring for any form of power they can get. The St. Joseph Institute states that drug abuse can come from, "Feeling as though you are powerless over your own future..." (St. Joseph Institute). Poverty increases vulnerability and fear, and that fear is covered up through drug addiction. Arcane shows how this feeling of helplessness stems from the lack of proper protection from those who are supposed to protect them.
The other primary invention throughout the show is called Hextech. It was developed by Jayce and Viktor. It is the combination of magic and technology, which was originally a taboo within the community. Hextech is used to create incredible inventions. One example being a way to teleport an entire flying ship to other nations. This granted huge benefits to international trade, and Jayce was seen as an icon by Piltover.
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(A Hexgate, which transports airships across the world instantly.)
As tensions build between Topside and the Undercity, the ruling council of Piltover approach Jayce and Viktor with ideas of using hextech as a means of defense. Both Jayce and Viktor are opposed to this, because it went against what Hextech was designed to do in the first place. They created it in order to help people only. But, due to the divide between the two sides of the nation, it was being used to harm others. A Pandora's Box was opened. The story turns from an attempt to create something new to an arms race. Hextech was kept from Undercity in order to prevent Undercity denizens from using it to revolt. Historically, there has always been a level of inaccessibility of new technologies for lower class citizens. In modern times, the technology of a school possesses greatly impacts the effectiveness of educating it's students. The article Is Technology Widening Opportunity Between Rich and Poor Kids? references sociologists Keith E. Stannovich and Anne E. Cunningham, who says, "'The very tool designed to level the playing field is, in fact, un-leveling it. The not-so-small disparities in skills for children of affluence and children of poverty are about to get even larger.'" (Paul, Annie) While educational technology and weaponry are very forms of innovation, they mark a similar precedent. Arcane highlights how something that may seem beneficial for all may only create a bigger divide.
The series Arcane does an effective using it's story to commentate how there is a fundamental disconnect between the upper and lower gaps. Additionally, those who govern this society will inevitably abuse the system they control in order to make themselves feel safer or wealthier. While violence is not an answer to these issues, allowing them to sit and fester will make the gap worse. If class equality is to be achievable, those who are not given a platform must be given it. And the higher class must do their part to adequately assist in reform.
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lullabyes22-blog · 1 year
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Only just noticed the heartbreaking symbolism in this final shot.
Silco is turned away from the brightness of the tea party candles - his literal “seat at the table” - and facing toward a Shimmer-riven darkness. Jinx kneels before him like both a penitent and supplicant swearing fealty, and also as a child in mourning for their parent. But that’s the side she’s chosen: the shadows and Shimmer - literally Silco’s two biggest legacies to her, and the Undercity in general. 
And yet, it’s not all shadow. The candlelight’s secondhand glow still shines past Silco’s head and illuminates him, and in turn Jinx. It’s a reminder that despite the wretchedness of their lives and the unhealthy dynamics of their relationship, Silco was, in that darkness, her guiding light, and his love gave her a source of brightness and a sense of belonging at the table. He sustained her when she would have starved, literally and metaphorically.
Once again, massive kudos to studio Fortiche for doing so much with so little. Let’s all go cry now.
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embershroud108 · 4 months
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If it were animated by Powerhouse or Fortiche studios and written by Larian, I’d be on board.
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itsme-tori · 2 years
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In French, the feeling of an orgasm is described as 'Atteindre le 7éme ciel' which means 'To reach the 7th heaven'.
Fortiche, a French animation studio animating the Mel/Jayce sex scene in a beautiful, heavenly scenic way:
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Those geniuses.
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leagueoflasagnas · 8 months
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Saw this under the post about Arcane 2 and thought "yeah right what about the WGA strike?"
So here's some reasons why I don't think Arcane 2 will face repercussions from the strikes (these are just hypotheses, clearly I'm not Riot Games so there could be something I'm missing but I thought it was interesting to analyse some facts):
- The writing is already finished. Arcane 2 writing process is probably already finished since the creators and composers were already talking about the soundtrack on X. The various scenes are strictly coordinated with music so I really think that all the episodes scripts are already finished by now.
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- It's an animated series. Animation has different guilds and different rules regarding law and workers rights so it might be influenced in a different way compared to some Hollywood movies like Dunes etc. However, recent news suggests that even videogames could be involved in strikes so it is definitely an evolving situation.
- It's a french production. Although Riot Games is based in L.A., Fortiche, the animation studio behind Arcane, is based in Paris. The WGA strikes do not involve European countries so this could be a work around to prevent repercussion.
Also a personal note:
Of course seeing your favourite shows being postponed is terrible and disappointing, but the entertainment business is really going through hell right now especially after COVID and the current economic crisis. I give my full support to everyone who decides to strike and raise their voices against a system that doesn't allow creators to be treated fairly. The same creators that prevented us from losing our mind during lockdowns I would say. Fortiche isn't just "lucky". There are laws in Europe that protect writers and artists and I would like to see the same in America.
Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk
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