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alex-the-nonsensologist · 8 months

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Disney Dreamland - Part 6: Discoveryland

Here it is, the final part! This area follows in the footsteps of Discoveryland in Paris, allowing more creative freedom than the traditional Tomorrowland. The land would be divided into two major “time periods”, one based on Victorian era / Belle Époque steampunk, and the other based on a high-tech modern day digital era that would evolve from said steampunk era. There would be a decent amount of greenery in the land, none of those lifeless metal tree sculptures. Trees could be in their natural form in the steampunk half, while in the modern day half they could be trimmed into neat geometric shapes.

Timeless Square

This area serves as the entry point from the hub. It is in-between the two major time periods of the land, bridging them. Would feature a detailed astronomical clock tower landmark.

“Discoveryland Thru the Years”: Successor to Carousel of Progress / Progressland, one of the four New York World’s Fair attractions. Tells the land’s “history” progression from the turn of the 20th century to the modern day, and ends with an optimistic hope for the future. I didn’t call it a carousel to avoid confusion with the other actual carousels I put in the park, but it is still a rotating theater.

Discoveryland PeopleMover: Successor to Ford Magic Skyway, one of the four New York World’s Fair attractions. A relaxing classic ride that weaves all throughout Discoveryland, including through various attraction buildings. The only challenge would be creating a vehicle that matches the aesthetics of both time periods of the land.

Discovery Academy

The steampunk-inspired half of the land. While the theming uses elements of British Victorian steampunk, the architecture would mostly be modeled after Art Nouveau / Belle Époque Paris. I want the vibe of the area to be similar to a college campus or museum, but a really fancy inviting one, not a cold imposing one. In the center of the building is the Automaton Courtyard, a garden courtyard to rest and relax, but also part-walkthrough attraction. Would feature lots of fancy automatons and 3D zoetropes that guests can activate. Includes:

Butai Karakuri theater: Performances by Japanese automatons.

Steampunk Carousel: In the center of the garden. Animals could be artistic sculptures made of metal and gears.

Gift shop that sells mini wind-up automaton toys, and features coin-activated booths for drawing automata that produce souvenir pictures.

This area also includes:

Escher Exhibit & Mathmagic Land: Walkthrough attraction inspired by the artwork of M. C. Escher, particularly the multi-dimensional maze of “Relativity”. Guests can also view optical illusion sculptures such as the Penrose triangle and the Impossible trident. Alternatively, I wouldn’t mind an attraction based on “Donald in Mathmagic Land” either. Giant numbers and “square root” trees would dominate the landscape. Interactive geometric shapes and puzzles.

Astronomical Orbiter: This indoor version features a planetarium ceiling that projects the stars and colorful galaxies so guests can actually feel like they’re flying through space. Diverting for both riders and guests still waiting in the queue. Inspired by the Chamber of Planets in Fortress Explorations from Tokyo DisneySea.

The Time Machine: Dark ride inspired by EPCOT’s Spaceship Earth. Travel through various time periods from the age of dinosaurs to the start of the Victorian era (so as not to conflict with the fictional history of the land).

Cafeteria: British, French, and Indian cuisine. Buffet.

“Paris Métro” station: As mentioned previously, this is probably not feasible idea, but I think it’s very neat. Provides underground transport between Discoveryland and Mysteryland (the Mysteryland is themed to the London Underground). The tunnels could contain zoetropes for guests to view during the ride, which tease the theme of the destination land.

Explorer’s Landing

Technically part of the Academy, but features attractions that are “off campus”. Inspired by the original concept of Discovery Mountain for Paris. Features a lagoon for the submarines, and a mountain range for the other rides to blend into; would somewhat resemble the Mysterious Island from Tokyo DisneySea.

Soaring Skies / Weather Kites: Airships are a core part of steampunk, but I wasn’t sure where to put such a ride in my park that didn’t disrupt sightlines. I eventually settled on a version of Soaring. I love Tokyo’s iteration, but sadly, my version of the ride does without the fantasy aspects and GORGEOUS fantasy artwork, but the queue will still feature neat “history of flight” and weather exhibits. Ride vehicles would of course fit the steampunk aesthetic. Most important of all, I want the ride movie to focus on skyscapes and natural landscapes, not famous landmarks (I personally don’t mind the landmarks version, I think it was balanced out nicely with some nice landscapes, but now all the ride movies are the same which is boring). I want winding rivers through forest valleys, fluffy white clouds over mountain peaks with machines blowing clouds on the guests, golden sunsets over the sea, lightning storms with thunder and actual wind blowing and rain spraying the guests, and a starry night sky with a brilliant rainbow Aurora Borealis over a snowy tundra. The building exterior and queue could resemble a giant air zeppelin in an air hangar, similar to the Hyperion in Paris, based on the unbuilt Discovery Bay concept. In hindsight, this area probably has too many rides, so this attraction could also be moved to the Wild Western Frontier area in Adventureland, and be rethemed to environments of the American West, the Rocky Mountains, and the Pacific Northwest.

Journey to the Center of the Earth: I absolutely love Tokyo DisneySea’s version. It's one of the best rides out of Imagineering, but in my park, this would follow the original drop tower concept for Paris.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea / Expedition Atlantis: Suspension ride like the one in Tokyo DisneySea, with water filled windows that bubble to create the illusion of being underwater. Could either be another take on Jules Verne’s novel, or based on the Atlantis movie. Either one works.

The Nautilus underwater restaurant: Seafood dishes. Table service.

Lunar Mountain: Based on Paris’s original De la Terre à la Lune incarnation of Space Mountain. I love the idea of a giant cannon firing guests into space, and I especially love the cannon’s design with the classical illustrations of the sun and the moon on it. I also prefer the look of Paris’s more secure seats. I’ve only ridden Tokyo and Orlando’s versions, and as fun as they are, I always get an irrational gut feeling I’m going to be decapitated during the ride.

Journey to Treasure Planet / Journey to Mars: Omnimover dark ride. To sell the idea of blasting off into space, guests would ride in a “rocket elevator” prior to boarding, similar to the entry performance for the Space 220 Restaurant in EPCOT. Treasure Planet is another movie that deserves more recognition, but due to it taking place in another universe with its own separate world-building, I am also okay with this ride having an original story instead. Perhaps a trip to Mars with a secret civilization living under the planet’s surface. For reference, I’m thinking of something inspired by the Castle in the Stars graphic novel series by Alex Alice. The building facade could resemble an observatory.

“Planetarium restaurant”: Would feature international dishes not available in the Small World buffet. Table service. The Space 220 Restaurant was really neat (if a little overpriced), and I would love a steampunk version in my park.

Disney Dreamland Railroad Discoveryland station: Art Nouveau steampunk style.

Discovery Institute

The modern digital half of the land. Discoveryland opens a new campus dedicated to computer sciences. I do not want this area to look sterile like the current Tomorrowlands, though I might be okay with it resembling Shanghai’s version of Tomorrowland; I have heard their glass structures described as “organic” and I quite agree. I want the architecture of the area to be a believable evolution from the Art Nouveau steampunk, with the curves of Nouveau transforming into the curves of something resembling what Tokyo has planned for their renovation of Space Mountain.

Visions of Tomorrowland: Based on an idea I once had of a version of Tomorrowland that represents alternate timeline futures. This ride could show different “what if” scenes of different Discoverylands. There could be a main story featuring a scientist as our host, the inventor of a multiverse portal, showcasing his invention to guests, and along the way we run into alternate versions of the scientist from the other realities. One version could be a classic mad scientist from a dystopian world, bent on conquering other dimensions and exploiting their resources, and our host has to fight them off. I guess you could describe this as a much more immersive sci-fi version of the Jungle Cruise. While I would prefer this to be a ride, I guess it could also work as a stage show.

Adventure Thru Inner Space: I have heard nice things about this ride and would have loved to experience it. Shout-out to @disneylanddilettante.

Robot Showcase: Omnimover dark ride. This ride is basically just an excuse to show off high-quality animatronics. Animatronics for days! Could include Baymax, Wall-E, and Lil Bulb as cameos in the ride.

“Robot Cafe”: Based on the unbuilt concept for The Great Gonzo's Pandemonium Pizza Parlor. This restaurant would have robot animatronics deliver guests’ food by way of an overhead "train track" system.

Cyberspace Arcade

Technically an area within the Discovery Institute, but significantly different enough to require its own description. The entire area would be indoors. Guests are “digitally transported” into Cyberspace. For visual reference, I’m thinking of the concept art for the (maybe canceled?) Play! Pavilion at EPCOT, but without the Ralph Breaks the Internet branding (I LOVE Wreck-It Ralph, but the sequel not so much) and without all the Disney IP spam (I’m already putting in three movie based rides, so the IP quota has been met). I want the area to feel more like a representation of a private server, or at least a single website, instead of the broader Internet (the Internet is a very scary family-UNfriendly place). The "sky" would have cool graphic projections, similar to how Mamoru Hosoda visually portrayed the Internet in Summer Wars and Digimon Adventure: Our War Game! As for the three movie based rides, I want the explanation to be that the scientists wanted to be able to travel into their favorite video game worlds, and here is the result. The entrances to each attraction could look like a giant icon you can click on. There could also be an actual arcade area, for guests to just relax and chill. That area would feature actual working console games of Fix-It Felix Jr, Sugar Rush, and Hero’s Duty.

“Cyberspace Playground”: Guests can physically change the environment by interacting with it. If anyone has watched Infinity Train, think of something like the first episode’s Grid Car, but on a grander scale. Could utilize interactive projection mapping.

Videopolis: Stage for live entertainment and dance parties. Just an excuse to have a specific area dedicated to the 80s / 90s. …I just really miss the 90s, okay? I also think the retro music would add the perfect energy to the area.

Star Command Astro Blasters: I honestly just put this here to help balance queue wait times with the other two major rides, and to have at least one thing based on retro space aesthetics. Between this and Toy Story Mania, at least this has physical sets and is less rushed. There would still be plenty of kinetic energy on the ride (not at all like the embarrassingly lifeless and static Ant-Man and Wasp update in Hong Kong). I would only change the animatronic Buzz to at least have a real face though. And maybe at the end of the ride, everyone could get free stickers or postcards or some other physical reward so that it feels like the points earned meant something. I would also emphasize that the context here is Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, NOT Andy’s Buzz from Toy Story.

TRON Lightcycle Run: I have no personal attachment to Tron, but my friend @mewtwowarrior loves Tron, so this indoor coaster is included just for her. Shout-out to @pureimagineering for the idea of two different colored tracks that wind around each other in twists and turns as the two groups of guests race against each other. At the end of the ride, the unloading dock would flash the colors of the track that wins.

Sugar Rush Speedway: Wreck-It Ralph is my top favorite Disney movie. While the movie’s themes of mid-life crisis, rejection by society, and found family would be difficult to adapt into an attraction, this ride can at least embody the “love-letter to video games” aspect, and recreates one of the most visually stunning worlds Disney has ever designed. Sadly this ride makes no references to Ralph, King Candy/Turbo, or non-Princess Vanellope (which includes her glitch, hoodie outfit, and the kart she and Ralph made together), as those aspects are specific to the console in Litwak’s Arcade, and adding them to this ride would have sad implications that Mr. Litwak gave up his console and thereby separated the Sugar Rush characters from their community in Game Central. Alternatively, having the entire Arcade be themed as Litwak’s could fix that, but then would raise questions of why Mr. Litwak let a research team experiment on his games and interrupt his business. So it’s best that this Sugar Rush is a “generic” console to make things simple. That said, I have no issues if the candy shop makes reference to the movie’s events, or with having Ralph and Vanellope as walk around characters (we can say they’re visiting this Arcade via the Internet). When thinking about the queue, I considered it could wind through the candy box grandstands, so that guests that are still waiting for their ride could double as a cheering audience for the guests before them. The theme song by AKB48 would of course play on a loop. On the ride, guests would “race” through rich environments such as Gumball Gorge, Cherry Bomb Cakeway, the Frosty Rally ice cream mountains, and Diet Cola Mountain. To make it feel like a video game, there could be “power-ups” located throughout the ride. The guest that “claims” the power-up first (perhaps by pushing a timed button in their vehicles) gets the advantage. Power-ups can cause some karts to speed up or opponents slow down, or activate obstacles and surprises. Would it be a hazard to shoot “sprinkle” confetti at the guests? Alternatively, this ride could also possibly use virtual reality headsets to enhance the experience with visual effects and make the ride feel like even more of a game, as demonstrated by the Mario Kart ride at Universal Studios, a ride with gorgeous physical sets that is maximized by the VR (again, emphasizing that VR should not be a replacement for good physical sets and effects). The guest who wins the race could receive a free framed souvenir snapshot of their victory.

Finish Line Sweet Treats: Candy shop, bakery, and ice cream parlor. Based on Vanellope’s Sweets & Treats on the Disney Dream cruise ship. Guests could make their own kart cake at the Kart Bakery. Sundaes are served in trophy cups and replicas of Vanellope’s kart like the ones on the cruise ship. The Ralph-in-a-cupcake red velvet cupcake is a must. Would also feature a selection of Japanese sweets such as konpeito and mochi. Giant cotton candy like the kind you’d find in Harajuku.

Closing thoughts:

There was a lot I wanted to include, but couldn't think of solutions for, such as attractions based on Zootopia and Monsters Inc. But I'm quite happy with this end result. (I say this like it's actually being built, and not an elaborate daydream in my mind, lol.)

As you might have noticed, my park does not feature Marvel or Star Wars in any capacity. While there are some Marvel shows I like, I do not consider myself a Marvel fan, and I have little interest in Star Wars. And quite frankly, I think that visually, they clash horribly with most Disney aesthetics.

There are a lot of minor things I forgot to mention, like there would be plenty of benches and sitting areas with shade, plenty of restrooms, the food would have effort and quality put into it to be worth theme park prices, and backstage would have plenty of space and comfortable break rooms for Cast Members. Not related to the park itself, but I would also like to imagine the Cast Members here are paid and treated well, and have a good amount of free benefits, like park tickets and room and board for out-of-town residents and interns.

I realize that in order to accommodate everything I want, this park would have to be MASSIVE, at least the size of Shanghai Disneyland. I just like far too many things. I realize it would have been smarter to break off some parts for a second park, but I'm just too fond of the idea of having everything all in one place.

As I mentioned, I REALLY love carousels and could not resist putting so many themed carousels in my park. They might not be exciting rides, but I legitimately think they are GORGEOUS works of art that add perfect visual beauty and musical atmosphere.

Much like Walt's initial sentiment, I don't think my ideal park will stay this way forever. Who knows, in a few years I might update this. We'll see. Thanks for taking the time to read these. :)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The rest of the park:

World Galleria

Adventureland

Mysteryland

Fantasyland

Create-It-Land

#disney parks #disney dreamland #armchair imagineering #tomorrowland #discoveryland #wreck it ralph #the tomorrowland problem #theme park design

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the-frizzle-fry · 2 years

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So I think Vegapunk isn’t 500 years in the future. He’s studying tech from the past. 800 years past to be exact. I mean this isn’t new but it makes more sense to me now. Why was 1 kingdom so powerful? Technology.

It’s fairly obvious from the cover stories. Enel’s and even that old man, Tsukimi. The Automata are ancient tech sent to or from the moon 800 years ago. Tsukimi was from Karakuri island just like Vegapunk and just like Vegapunk he understood the past tech. The Vegapunks might be new Automata…….

The World Government somehow won. And either the Ancient Kingdom sent it’s tech to space or the WG erased it. And that’s why it’s a pirate story with robots. VEGAPUNK.

But is everything he’s working on from the past? Like I mean everything we’ve seen in the recent chapters. That could literally just be Ancient Kingdom tech resurrected. Life was probably good until the government had to be dicks.

#one piece #ancient kingdom #Vegapunk #automata #Tsukimi #cover story #enel #technology #beast pirates

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ninthfeather · 1 year

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Scaramouche/Kunikuzushi/Wanderer is likely in part based on the early Japanese automata known as karakuri ningyo, so I decided to draw him with the appearance of one.

#genshin impact #fanart #scaramouche #wanderer genshin #kunikuzushi #ninth's art

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automatayaoi · 10 months

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thinking abt arle’s post series outfit made me realize there’s a lot of Drip Variety in karakuri circus. like i think whenever time passes, when we see the characters again they’re actually wearing different clothes rather than have a set, on-model outfit design. the only exceptions really being the automata, since the pionniers only changed their outfits since the first ones sorta…got destroyed with their old bodies lol

#i should compile some of the best looks tbh #frog croak

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ninjaboyjoel · 2 years

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(En)Elbaf Part 2

So a few things about 1066 (Spoilers! Obviously):

Saul is most likely the burn-scarred man

Kid is most likely on Elbaf

It looks like Hajrudin and his crew were there on Ohara.

SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE FUTURE?

Elbaf, Ohara and Vegapunk are now inextricably linked. Vegapunk and his satellites are are also heavily linked to the moon. Each of his satellites are named after craters or something else related to the moon.

In Enel's cover story we see Vegapunk's homeland of Karakuri Island and the scientist Doctor Tsukimi who fixes up automata that were seemingly created by the sky people in the past.

We see very similar automata working on Egghead island in the background. We now know that Vegapunk has learned things about the ancient kingdom and the void century via the books from Ohara and that it appears that he even has some technology from that time.

The large robot indeed has a very Viking-esque appearance to it which must be noted, invoking both Elbaf and the Ancient Giants (who may well be from Elbaf themselves).

People online have been pointing out that the Space Pirates jolly roger looks exceptionally similar to Doctor Vegapunk himself (with a very looooong head! Hey, who knows maybe this can link to Long Ring Long Land somehow).

It seems like Elbaf will be an arc of reunions, Dorry, Brogy, Oimo, Kashi, Saul, maybe Hajrudin and his crew and perhaps the Kid Pirates too. A lot of allies gained by Usopp and heavy ties to Usopp and Robin’s developments in Enies Lobby.

Speaking of Hajrudin, we can see what appears to be him, Gerd and Goldberg being captained by Saul in Chapter 1066! How odd, seeing as Saul was not from Elbaf and didn’t seem to have a very high opinion of him when he spoke to Robin. I wonder what changed in the month between the Buster Call and his return to Ohara with his new crew.

Now as to why I believe he is the burn-scarred man? He’s really the only person who could be, he has the most info about the void century thanks to his retrieval of the books and he was most likely burned by the fires of Ohara during the Buster Call or by Kuzan’s ice (which was most likely the thing that saved him! Cheeky “Ice Time Capsule” we really should have realised he was alive from that).

This only compounds the link between a few key things to me, ancient technology, Elbaf, and the sky people. Sky People -> Ancient Tech -> Vegapunk and Saul -> Elbaf. Its a trail of connections and I still need something a little more concrete, but this could very well be paving the way for info about Birka, which I believe establishes a key connection between the Giants and the sky people. I think Birka is the key and that is what would bring us to the return of Enel. I should make some kind of web to show how everything connects but I’d look like a conspiracy theorist...

if Elbaf is an arc of reunions, both friends, for Usopp and Robin, and enemies/rivals if Kid appears, (Which I believe he will!). A lot of people are hoping for Vivi’s return here and if the theme of reunions really does ring true, I think we can expect this! Kid and Enel could cause some real havoc together, electromagnets anyone?

I unfortunately can’t really find a way to tie Urouge into this any more than I already have, other than the fact he’s now the only Supernova not to be a major arc character yet. His time will come soon.

Sorry if this was kind of light compared to the previous part, I just wanted to make sure I had my thoughts out there about this. Information is coming at such a fast pace now, if I’m right about this we’ll know before long. A strange tidbit- an early concept for Film Red was in fact the return of Enel, but it was shot down. I can’t work out if that’s good or bad for the theory, I’ll leave that with you.

All the best everyone and I hope to have more to share soon.

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biglisbonnews · 1 year

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Yokohama Doll Museum in Yokohama, Japan The Yokohama Doll Museum, or more accurately translated as the Yokohama Dollhouse, is home to over 10,000 doll-related items collected from 141 countries around the world. Since its establishment in 1986, the museum collection includes antique bisque dolls from Europe, karakuri automata of feudal Japan, ethnological figures from various cultures, vintage Mickey Mouses, and traditional Japanese dolls. Some of the specimens are works created by traditional doll-makers designated as Living National Treasure. The collection's highlight is the so-called "blue-eyed dolls," which were sent to Japanese children in March 1927 as American ambassadors representing friendship, just in time for the annual Hina-matsuri festival. Of the more than 12,000 blue-eyed dolls that Japan received, only 344 are said to have survived to this day, four of which are owned by the Yokohama Doll Museum. Normally, the blue-eyed dolls that are on display in the permanent exhibit are replicas, and the original ones are showcased only on special occasions. In front of the museum is a bridge called Pauline Bridge, named after the blue-eyed doll once gifted to a local elementary school. There is also a statue of the Pauline doll near the entrance. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/yokohama-doll-museum

#history & culture #dolls #museums #Atlas Obscura

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ingmar-albizu · 2 years

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Different Types of Robots in Science Fiction

Our Fascinating Mechanical Servants humanoid robot worker wallpaper from Wall Here Robots are prominent characters in science fiction. They are also essential in our industrial society to perform many jobs. Did Karel Capec know his creation would become this famous? Granted, the karakuri puppets and other automata were the precursors of robots. Humanity fantasized about moving machines before the…

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#androids #reference #robot types #robots #science fiction

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sleepyizanami · 5 years

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vimeo

Song : Lotus by Nohidea

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6P_2FkOZ2M

Anime : Karakuri Circus

https://twitter.com/TanakaNadeshiko

Feel free to download or whatever but don't forget the credit please.

#anime #amv #anime amv #karakuri circus #narumi kato #nohidea #lotus #music #lo fi #automata #fight

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marzipanandminutiae · 6 years

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throughout human history, everyone just wants a tiny robot to serve them tea

#automata #automaton #karakuri #history #some things are universal #like the desire for tea served via tiny robot

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benjaminfitzenreiter · 4 years

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「カラクリの乱」作業中 "Karakuri Chaos" work in progress #robot #Karakuri #automata #prometheus #inventor #deusexmachina #japan #pencildrawing #graphicnovel #カラクリ #からくり #ロボット #江戸 #蘭学 #発明者 #人形 #お人形 #puppet #puppe (Tokyo, Japan) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEBxQihgNAP/?igshid=4nrxydsrjif2

#robot #karakuri #automata #prometheus #inventor #deusexmachina #japan #pencildrawing #graphicnovel #カラクリ #からくり #ロボット #江戸 #蘭学 #発明者 #人形 #お人形 #puppet #puppe

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ejmayall-blog · 5 years

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youtube

#automata #robots #karakuri

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onjapanesecyborgs · 7 years

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Edo Period links in Oshii’s Innocence

In honor of my presentation on Innocence at SFRA 2017 yesterday, some screenshots from the amazing, beautiful, haunting film.

Unruly dolls are central to the exploration of the non-human/posthuman in Oshii’s second film in the Ghost in the Shell cycle. Here we see a citation of Edo Period (17th century) automata in the form of a tea-serving zashiki karakuri 座敷からくり or parlor/living room mechanical dolls. These little dolls had small repeatable tasks that they performed: serving tea, painting a single kanji and the like, and were powered by springs. But this little doll, after serving its purpose of distracting and hacking Togusa (and capturing Batou and Togusa into a virtual time loop), drops her tea tray and seeks to escape from their control. This scene of escape suggests the small doll body may be the secondary house for the haker Kim’s ghost, and while ultimately Batou interrupts the escape, the unruly nature of the doll escaping from her clothing and the confines of her programming is jarring and fascinating.

#ghost in the shell: innocence #zashiki karakuri #karakuri #japanese sf #sf animation #oshii mamoru #automata #sfra2017 #meta #criticism

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disneydeb1928 · 4 years

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One Piece Theory: Ancient Moon Kingdom

I began this theory, with a broader concept: “The Importance of the Moon in One Piece”. Within it, I was going to discuss all the ways that the moon is connected to the story of one piece. However, after beginning, I realized that I had already written a substantial amount on the first segment I wanted to discuss. So, I figured, I would just let it be its own discussion post, that I could refer back to once I get around to finishing the original concept.

With that being said, for this, I wanted to focus on a cover story: Enel’s Great Space Operations.

Summary: [Taken from Wiki] Having finally reached the moon, Enel encounters a group of small robots known as automata, as well as a vicious group of Space Pirates. After a series of events, Enel's Goro Goro no Mi powers wind up activating not only all of the automata, but their city as well, and the self-proclaimed God discovers his true roots.

The span of these covers occurred during the events of Thriller Bark and I would encourage you to read this story if you haven’t already.

Ancient Moon Civilization & Skypiea

Enel discovers, through the paintings on the wall, that there was an ancient city on the moon named Birka, where technology was highly advanced. This city was where the Skypieans, Shandorians, and Birkans hailed from. One day (at least 1,100 years ago), the three groups left the moon and headed to Earth due to lack of resources, leaving the Automata behind.

· Skypieans - Settled in the Sky Islands

· Shandorians - Made it as far as the Blue Sea and settled on the island of Jaya

· Birkans - Settled on a sky island far to the southeast from Skypiea

The Automata

The Automata are robot-like creatures that were created before the three angel races left the moon. What is interesting, is that, the art depicting this event shows both the angel races and the automata crying.

This would seem to indicate that the angel races weren’t happy that they had to leave the Automata behind and that it, perhaps, wasn’t by choice. There are a lot of reasons why a race of people would leave behind something they clearly loved. I think many people like to jump to the ‘they were left behind to protect something’, which is definitely a possibility. This could also explain what the space pirates were doing excavating in the first place. That could explain why their city was underground despite the wings on their back.

What is also interesting, is that, from the pictures, it seems as if that Automata were left on the moon awake. However, when we see them in the cover story (Ch. 468) it looks like they’ve been put into storage.

I find it interesting that there are depictions of what appear to be a lobster and a sea king (?) on the wall. In our world, I know that water can exist on the moon, but I don’t think they’ve ever confirmed the possible existence of oceans.

Finally, if you take a look at the balloon type instruments in their hands, you can make the assumption that that is how they traveled to earth. I say this, because this is how the Automata from earth managed to make it to the moon after the professor’s death.

The Space Pirates

As seen in the cover story, the Space Pirates are a group of animal-like aliens. Along with other strange creatures, they appear to mine the moon for anything they can find.

Connection to the Minks Theory

I think, visually, these so called ‘space pirates’ are very interesting. For starters, let’s explore their possible connection with the Mink Race. Both these two group of creatures share resemblance to animals. The first space pirate we are introduced to has a fox-like resemblance, according to the wiki. Interestingly enough, we have been introduced to a Fox Mink named Concelot.

Chapter 441 vs Concelot

Clearly there are some obvious differences, the main one being the shape of their snout. However, I definitely think they could pass as both being Fox Mink. I personally feel like the space pirate looks like a coyote, but a fox could work too. Some of the other possible animals include 2 alligators / crocodiles and one that looks like some type of bear-creature.

Another similarity is their use of electricity. All minks are able, though unknown means, to produce electric shocks known as Electro. They can emit this from their bodies or through weapons, such as swords and spears. This could be what the space pirate is using in the picture above.

Thirdly, the Mink Tribe is heavily influenced by the moon. It is through a full moon that they are able to enter into their Sulong form. It would make sense, that they have a deep rooted connection to the moon itself.

Cyborg Theory / Steampunk Elements

One of the most glaring details regarding these space pirates outside of their animalistic appearance are the circular devices that are located throughout their bodies. At first I thought these were clocks, but upon further inspection they are definitely gauges (in the red).

Another instance where we see a similar design of a gauge is when Lindbergh, one of the commanders of the Revolutionary Army is introduced. The design is the exact same.

Ironically (or possibly further evidence of a connection?), he is a short cat Mink.

[Note: It is supposed that Lindbergh was named after Charles Lindbergh, a man who was famous for making a nonstop flight from New York to Paris.]

Just for some background (and by that, I mean what I found on the internet), mechanical gauges are instruments that measure pressure, dimensions, levels, etc. Pressure gauges are used for checking the pressure of steam. Aesthetically, pressure gauges are very popular in steampunk fashion, which is where Oda seems to pull from, visually, when drawing the members of the Revolutionary Army. For example, the goggles that all of the RA members where are a staple of steampunk fashion. Steampunk, according to Wikipedia is “retrofuturistic” that “incorporates technology and aesthetic designs inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery”. It is most commonly seen in science fiction. Science fiction usually deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts, one of the most popular being space exploration and extraterrestrial life.

Is it possible that Lindbergh is from space? Yeah, at this point, I think anything is possible.

I have seen some people theorize that the gauges indicates the space pirates are some form of robots, which is also very possible. But that would lead to the question: Who built them? (more on that below)

The Connection to Vegapunk and Future Stories

Okay, this is when things begin to rev up. During Enel’s backstory, we learn that the current Automata (Spacey) was created by a man named Professor Tsukimi. In fact, he refers to that memory as “the day when I was born on Karakuri Island” (Ch. 448, Cover Story).

The first thing that needs to be addressed is that Spacey makes it sound as if he and the other three Automata were created from scratch and not discovered and fixed (The fact that they are slightly larger than the Automata found in hibernation on the moon and lack wings could be proof of this fact). This would mean that Tsukimi would need to have a point of reference to base his creations from. Furthermore, he would had to have a knowledge of the history of the moon and its Automata. According to the history recorded on the walls of Birka, all of the Automata were left behind on the moon (something all parties seemed very sad about). There are really only three places he could have gotten this knowledge:

1.) Traveling to the moon and seeing the history on the walls himself / Knowing someone who did

2.) Being there to experience it himself

3.) Through visiting Skypiea or the ruins of Shandora himself / Knowing someone who traveled there

All of these are technically possible (especially knowing One Piece). However, if you take a closer look at Tsukimi, it might shed some light on the subject.

On his robe, he has a small picture of a cloud. In the world of One Piece, we usually connect that back to Skypiea. Therefore, I think we are supposed to make the assumption that this old man has some connection to Skypiea / Shandora. However, the question still remains: Where did he get this information? After Shandora was defeated during the Void Century, a lot of their own history seems lost to them. Enel appeared to be the only one who believed in “Fairy Vearth”s existence. Most of Jaya doesn’t even believe of Skypiea’s existence. I also think it should be noted, that it’s not like he could have heard a story and create creatures that are so similar to the ones on the moon (at least, not to the scale at which he did). That man must have gotten hold of some type of schematics or have had previous run ins with similar Automata.

Secondly, if you needed another reason as to why this man will most likely be important later on in the story, just take a look at where it says he was from: Karakuri Island. Sound familiar? It should, because not only is it the island that Franky was sent to during the timeskip, but it is also the home of the infamous Doctor Vegapunk.

Brief Pause for Timeline Speculation

Another interesting thing to point out is, we are given no reference to where in the timeline the events of the Automata’s flashback occurred. All we can say definitely is that it occurred before the events of Thriller Bark (since that is when these cover pages were published). However, it is possible that the weather could gives us some hints. We know that Vegapunk once tried to install an in-ground heating system for his kingdom. That, plus the images we get of the island when Franky lands there seems to confirm that it is a winter island. I suppose it’s possible that it’s only cold during some parts of the year, but then why go to all the trouble of trying to control the weather? No, I think it’s safe to say that Karakuri island is usually snowy and cold. However, the Karakuri island we see in the Automata’s flashback paints a very different picture. There doesn’t appear to be any snow on the ground, and the foliage is drastically different to the one we see during Franky’s time on the island.

You see what appears to be bamboo in the panel above and even sakura petals during the funeral scene. It is totally possible that since these were published so in advanced to Franky’s trip to the island, that Oda hadn’t made up his mind on the design of the island and that could explain the differences.

However, we do know that the space pirates were already excavating on the moon at this point, since one of their explosions is what killed Tsukimi. This would actually lean towards the occurrences of their flashback occurring closer to the current storyline. Because, how long would it really take for the space pirates to find the ruins of the ancient moon kingdom? Not hundreds of years.

Resuming Actual Theory

Vegapunk is a character shrouded in mystery. Truly, the amount of information we have on Vegapunk is barely enough to fill his wiki page. He has yet to make an appearance in the story himself, however we get our first look at him that really only consists of his upper torso. In addition, one of the G-5 Marines states that he is an "old man", suggesting he is at an elderly age (Ch. 658).

However, during Punk Hazard, during Caesar Clown’s flashback, we get this figure on the side of the page that is supposedly of Vegapunk. Interestingly enough, this was replaced in the anime with a more innocuous shot of his arm.

I remember that this panel caused a lot of discussion when it came out. Because, if what we are looking at is Vegapunks head, that has a lot of implications towards the plot. For starters, let’s take a look at the different sections and their proportions.

If this is, in fact, a silhouette of his head and not Oda just throwing us for a loop, then he has a noticeably large forehead. Now, if you’re thinking ‘that isn’t crazy for the world of One Piece’, you would be 100% correct. Besides, Tsukimi has a crazy shaped head as well and they’re both from the same island. So, why is this important? Because, we have other pieces of the puzzle that help form a larger picture.

A.) Koby mentioned to Luffy that Dr. Vegapunk is at least 500 years ahead of current technology (Ch. 433) and we know from Franky’s time there, that Baldimore, the kingdom on Karakuri Island is known as the “future land” and that it specializes in advanced technology. It is unclear whether the kingdom earned that moniker due to Vegapunk’s infamy or whether it existed previously. Either way, it produced two geniuses (Vegapunk and Tsukimi).

B.) Tsukimi was able to create 4 Automata to almost the exact likeness of the ones on the moon

C.) Vegapunk has previously created animal cyborgs on Karakuri

D.) Vegapunk’s large forehead, while not unusual in the world of One Piece bears a striking resemblance to the jolly roger of the Space Pirates

E.) Many believe that the pressure gauges located across the Space Pirates bodies indicate that they are some type of cyborg (possible even based off of the monk race)

Is Vegapunk from space? Did he, during his travels as a young man, make the trip to the moon where he found the ruins of the ancient civilization and created cyborgs with the technology found there? No one but Oda knows. However, I will say this: I believe there are too many things connecting these stories together for them to be considered coincidences. These characters are related in some shape or form. Given the fact that this cover story ties directly back to Vegapunk we know that it’s going to be important, because we know that Vegapunk is important. If this side story is going to become pertinent later down the line, it is going to be through him.

#My OP Theories #one piece theory #one piece theories #op theory #op theories #one piece #op #the moon #enel #vegapunk #dr. vegapunk #ancient moon kingdom #karakuri island #franky #tsukimi #space pirates

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