Character design of Final Fantasy

Although each installment of the Final Fantasy series is generally set in a different fictional world with separate storylines, there are several commonalities when it comes to character design, as certain design themes repeat themselves, as well as specific character names and classes. Within the main series, Yoshitaka Amano was the character designer for Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy II, Final Fantasy III, Final Fantasy IV, Final Fantasy V and Final Fantasy VI, Tetsuya Nomura was the character designer for Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIII, Yoshitaka Amano created and did the concept art for the characters while Toshiyuki Itahana was the final character designer for Final Fantasy IX, and Akihiko Yoshida was the character designer for Final Fantasy XII.

Visual character design

The series has often featured male characters with slightly effeminate characteristics, as well as female characters with slightly tomboyish, but still feminine, characteristics. This trend has generally increased as the series evolved. These characters are usually teenagers, which some critics have interpreted as an effort on the part of the designers to ensure the players identify with them. At the same time, some female characters have been increasingly designed to wear very revealing outfits. Square Enix has stated that a more rugged looking hero had been considered for Final Fantasy XII but had ultimately been scrapped in favor of Vaan, another effeminate protagonist. The developers cited scenaristic reasons and target demographic considerations to explain their choice. For Final Fantasy XIII, Square Enix settled on a female main character, described as a "female version of Cloud from FFVII." This aspect of Final Fantasy can also be seen in Sora, the protagonist of Kingdom Hearts, a crossover series featuring Final Fantasy and Disney characters.

Weapons (album)

Weapons is the fifth and final studio album by the Welsh alternative rock band Lostprophets, released through Epic on 2 April 2012. It's the first and only record featuring Luke Johnson on drums, after being with two other drummers previously, Mike Chiplin and Ilan Rubin (the latter of whom features in archive recordings included on the "deluxe edition" of Weapons, as well as the hidden track "Weapon" on all versions of the album).

Just like their third studio album it features Latin on the front, which reads deus velox nex. When translated it reads Gods swift violent death. This has been confirmed by guitarist, Mike Lewis.

Writing and recording history

The band started writing new material after finishing The Betrayed Tour. The album is produced by Ken Andrews at Hollywood. Several songs were debuted before it official release date. "Bring Em' Down" was played live in the warm up shows for the 2011 V Festival, and was aired as the first single from Weapons on Zane Lowe's Hottest Record on 6 February 2012. "We Bring an Arsenal" made its debut on 25 February 2012. The song "Better Off Dead" received its first radio play by BBC Radio 1's Zane Lowe as his "Hottest Record in the World". As of 6 January 2012 it was made available for download from the band's official website.

Weapons (Icelandic band)

Weapons are an indie/pop indie/punk band from Iceland. Weapons music could be described as melody driven “in your face” indie rock that sounds like an army of punks storming through your city. They take pride in their craftsmanship and their primary weapons are their wide range of songs filled with great melodies and excitement.

Band members

Band biography

As so many great bands Weapons was born out of pure boredom. Óli Dóri, Hreinn and Moni, three guys who all wanted to do something exciting, formed a band and the plan was to do something different from what was going on at the time in Reykjavík. The guys officially christened the trio Weapons in 2005 and the group spent most of that year writing and rehearsing material in a loft in Reykjavík. With similar tastes in music the three began to develop the style and sound of their new band. When the trio gets together something is always bound to happen as the three have a connection that makes them unique. In 2006 the trio started to become a staple of Reykjavík's live scene. They pour their hearts out at every show and it’s a riveting experience to watch them in action. Having performed at all the major and minor festivals in Iceland they´ve gained a devoted following and a valuable experience which shines out on stage. In the summer 2007 the trio recorded their first LP, "A Ditch in Time". They hooked up with NY producer Gordon Raphael (The Strokes, Regina Spektor) who joined forces in the finishing of their first born LP. "A Ditch in Time" was released in Iceland in 2009 receiving positive reviews for its true blend of early rock & roll music and punk rock with modern emphasis.

Lee So-young (artist)

Lee So-young (born 31 August 1973) is South Korean manhwa artist. Her works including Model and Arcana are licensed by Tokyopop.

Works

References

Model (art)

An art model is a model who poses for any visual artist as part of the creative process. The most common types of art works which use models are figure drawing, figure painting, sculpture and photography, but almost any medium may be used.

Art models are often paid professionals who pose or provide the human figure in a work of art. Though professional, art models are usually anonymous and unacknowledged subjects of the work. Models are most frequently employed for art classes or by informal groups of experienced artists that gather to share the expense of a model. Models are also employed privately by professional artists. Although commercial motives dominate over aesthetics in illustration, its artwork commonly employs models. For example, Norman Rockwell used his friends and neighbors as models for both his commercial and fine art work. An individual who is having their own portrait painted or sculpted is usually called a "sitter" rather than a model, since they are paying to have the work done rather than being paid to pose.

Mimicry

In evolutionary biology, mimicry is a similarity of one species to another that protects one or both. In the case of prey species, it is a class of antipredator adaptation. This similarity can be in appearance, behaviour, sound or scent. Mimics occur in the same areas as their models.

Mimicry occurs when a group of organisms, the mimics, evolve to share perceived characteristics with another group, the models. The evolution is driven by the selective action of a signal-receiver or dupe. Birds, for example, use sight to identify palatable insects (the mimics), whilst avoiding the noxious models.

The model is usually another species, except in cases of automimicry. The deceived signal-receiver is typically another organism, such as the common predator of two species. As an interaction, mimicry is in most cases advantageous to the mimic and harmful to the receiver, but may increase, reduce or have no effect on the fitness of the model depending on the situation. The model may be hard to identify: for example, eye spots may not resemble any specific organism's eyes, and camouflage often cannot be attributed to a particular model.