Eorzea's Next Top Model Cycle 4 - Round 2

Alright everyone, it's time to get the contest going properly now! Due to three dropouts in the first round, we won't have QUITE the bloodbath I anticipated. But this round, we will be losing THREE models! Then losing two more per round until we reach the final three. So, let the voting commence!

The theme this week was the return of the most popular round from Cycle 3, the cosplay round! One of the major additions to A Realm Reborn was the glamour system, something that has been hugely popular and saved me from having to tank dressed as a giant tin can. So, in celebration of that I brought back the cosplay round for a second go!

Voting is the same as before: please arrange the models in the order you liked them the most!

I do want to address something - I know it's hard to put someone in last place. But I promise you, getting no votes hurts just as badly, if not worse! Trust me, I know all too well how hard it is - my Cycle 3 judges HATED having to assign a 1 score every week! At least this way it's extremely unlikely someone will get no votes whatsoever and I doubt -everyone- will place the same person last, so at least people can go "Well, x y and z liked me!"

Anyway, on with the round! The shots are below and this week, HAVE been randomized (through use of the shuffle function in the lodash library, if anyone was curious).

LET THE VOTING COMMENCE!

ENTM Cycle 4 Round 2 - Cosplay!

First off, I have to say voter familiarity with the source material will make or break some of these cosplays... These shots humble me and I greatly fear for my chances in the youtube cycle because of them... I'm taking into account both image composition AND connections to the source material. I'm going to offer some commentary because I really want to look into these to offer a FAIR assessment and not just a fan assessment... Overall I will say my key factor is: Did I feel a connection to who that character should be? But I really would love to tie up a lot of you >_<


#1 Brun Hilda I love Breath of Fire III... Even though I could never beat it because my disc was damaged *shakes fist at Playstation* Everything about this shot just seems to scream "Teepo" to me. The composition is great, and I love the positioning of your enemies and the battle ready effect. The fact that Teepo's colors are Purple and everything around you is green is a lovely contrast as well.
#2 Nozomi Kei I am not familiar with the FF7 spinoffs, but the pose and background and color is pretty epic on it's own. For this picture, the lighting and the foggyness make that background awesome and your colors really stand out... a quick google makes the pose and everything seem to work well and the lighting suits a quick search. I just feel awed by this picture, and have a really good sense of this character from this shot.
#3 Sunny Day The outfit is perfect and I love the spell effect you used. It really seems to make the setting seem like the World, it even has a bit of design that seems pixelated and it does seem otherworldly. Your framing is wonderful! And the choice of Ul'Dah seems very fitting. I think the colors and image composition are perfect, I really can't complain about a thing.
#4 Tinsley Tru'hart Everything about this picture is awesome. You really nailed your character and concept and the setting is perfect. This picture was designed to perfection right down to the last color. A part of me does want a little more expression from you... even just a little smile or something... your expression could go either way in being gently amused or I'm going to kill that rat...
#5 Katarh Mest I actually love this outfit and matching with the minion xD It's really well done and I like your scenery, with the cat and the fish. It's well co-ordinated.
#6 Aeon Rakshasa The outfit is great, the effect and expression are great, the background requires a little imagination though... I would guess it's an elegy for Anna and the love they shared, so that would explain the chapel and the rain.
#7 Alexion Skylark I love that you have your own Cersei. The look is just spot on for Jaime and I even like the cloudy sky setting the mood. Composition wise it's good and well thought out, but I feel it could have had a stronger background...
#8 Hopelle Losstoam The effect on this is gorgeous! The water rising around you and the outfit and aesthetition choices make it clear who you are! I'm not sure that dawn/dusk is the sky coloring I would have picked, though.
#9 Stephen Fairbrook Oh man, this is just hilarious! I love this as much as I loved the Lala Yda with the Papalymo minion (I think that was a rejected concept from Iris in a previous cycle). Unbelievably cute, and at the scene of one of their cases no less. There's a lot of negative space in the picture with that big uncluttered sky which turns me off a little on the image composition, but I think getting all those little nightmares in was worth the perspective.
#10 Epsil Ion Gorgeous lighting as always Epsil, I think your outfit choice is great, the entire image is gorgeous, but I don't really feel like it takes me back into Tactics instead of Eorzea.
#11 Arrelaine Fashonti Oh great, did someone else find out that she has a part time job at a maid cafe? Really cute, and being a Miqo'te can even just be considered a gimmick of the cosplay. I do wish you were closer to the action in the background because there are these interesting things going on back there and this vast empty space right up front next to you... it doesn't really come across as a cozy cafe when you have all this empty floor space.
#12 Kaya Solimar I think this is really cute! Your chosen colors work well, but the centered aspect to the picture doesn't add anything... the lighting at the time of day is perfect for the character and source material I think, but I find myself wishing for something more to tie it together... being able to see the moon or having something else to tie it all to the source material...

I tried to vote based off of 3 things. 1. If I recognize the cosplay at first sight. (Even if I don't know the source material necessarily, I'll usually recognize things to some extent.) 2. Accuracy of the character (Gear, Appearance, Environment) 3. Overall picture composition.

1.Sunny Day
2.Tinsley Tr'uhart
3.Epsil Ion
4.Stephen Fairbrook
5.Hopelle Losstoam
6.Brun Hilda
7.Nozomi Kei
8.Aeon Rashasa
9.Alexion Skylark
10.Kaya Solimar
11.Katarh Mest
12.Arrelaine Fashonti

Tinsley Tr'uhart // Gosh, I hate assigning first to the same person twice in a row, but this is my favourite shot of the bunch again. The mouse, angle, and cosplay are all perfect. I almost would have gone with a different hairstyle, since she doesn't actually have her hair tied BACK but that's really just nitpicking the details. Great shot again!
Sunny Day // Recognizeable! Good job! I haven't even played .Hack and I could see who it was when I clicked past. Great background, as well, what even is that? Ul'Dah with some effect? Lovely! It definitely screams .Hack to me.
Hopelle Losstoam // A good concept and a recognizable character! (also one of my favourite sailor scouts hehe) The water was a great choice, but I'm not sure about the time of day. A little bit earlier, when the sun is a bright orange and the sunbeams are coming out, would have been nicer I think.
Bruhn Hilda // I'm not all that familiar with BoF3 but after looking the character up, I had to put you higher. The composition is great, and the cosplay is on point. I like the effect you used, but I feel like if you were going to use something that obscured your face like that you would have benefited from zooming in a bit more (though, that would have ruined the composition, so there's that!). Good cosplay though, and the little fence in the background works great to mimic the sort of isometric feel of the BoF games somehow.
Aeon Rakshasa // A great job with what you had! Again, I'm just not sure on the time of day. Could you imagine if you had gotten "tension" as a weather pattern for this shot, given FFIV? Waaah~ As is though, really great and a good use of the bardsong effect!
Nozomi Kei // I'm personally not against back shots, but I feel like, for this round and for this particular cosplay, a more 3/4 view, maybe looking over your shoulder towards the sunset, would have been better. As it stands, the only part of the cosplay we can see is the back of your jacket and one glove, and I feel that makes it look cheap. That said, I love the background you chose, and the shot does have a good feeling of Genesis, so I'm gonna put you somewhere in the middle.
Alexion Skylark // I like it, I haven't read the books but you do look like a nice mix of the art I've seen of the Jaime from the books and the costume design of the Jaime from the show. and I like that you got a friend to come be your sisterlover. The composition, though, is lacking I think.
Stephen Fairbrook // I love your shot and I love the use of minions, the cosplay is spot on, but I feel like cosplaying a character from the game is a bit too "easy" since he's designed with items that are already in the game :< The shot itself is lovely, though.
Epsil Ion // Ramzaaa~ I really wanted to score you higher, I did, I adore Ramza and I've tried to put together a cosplay of him myself, but I feel like there were things that could have been done so much better here. If you were going for early ramza, you would have benefited from a pony-tail and black pants. If you were going for squire ramza, the Odin chest (or even a black chest-piece in general) and silver sabatons would have looked so much better. The location is nice, but the cosplay itself isn't as recognizable as it could have been ;_; sorry.
Katarh Mest // Cosplaying as a minion seems a bit tricky, and I'm just not sure how I feel about this. On one hand you manage to hit the colours decently enough, you're recognizable next to the fat cat minion itself, but I don't feel like you'd be recognizable without it.
Arrelaine Fashonti // Cosplaying as someone dressed up as a maid seems a bit off, but I can't fault you too terribly. The location is nice, the pose is nice, but the shot itself seems really bland. Better lighting, a better angle, maybe even from below so you've got that frightened look to your eyes with the whites showing?
Kaya Solimar // I'm so sorry, I'm just not feeling this cosplay or shot. These last few have been really hard to place but I had to double check google a few times for yours. I like your background, and your pose, but a centered front-on view just isn't doing it for me. I feel like, if you had taken it from above, it would have helped a lot to give that "short" feel for chibi moon. So sorry ;_;

For people having trouble scoring everyone, I usually just go from top down. I do one I love the most and then I find another I love the most of the remaining. In no time flat, I'm at the end with only one picture remaining.

I scored mine based on how recognizable, unique, and accurate the cosplay was, with extra attention paid to how the overall screenshot looked. To me, the cosplay was a theme, but it's still a screenshot contest.

Thanks everyone :)
I do read all feedback even if I don't post. I really appreciate it!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Oce

Could you imagine if you had gotten "tension" as a weather pattern for this shot, given FFIV?

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I wish I could just summon tension. Or if there was like, a Tension Weather Day.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Terrini

being able to see the moon

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I tried doing this, but for some reason everywhere i went the moon was directly above my character, so i couldn't get it in the shot without having a serious panty view. Oh well :P

First and foremost: terrific job, each and every one of you. This was really tough for me. If this is any indicator, I think we're all in for a brilliant competition. For those of you on the bottom, don't feel badly--you're all wonderful and the competition is fierce. My ranking, this time, is as follows:

1. Tinsley Tr'uhart
2. Sunny Day
3. Brun Hilda
4. Hopelle Losstoam
5. Alexion Skylark
6. Aeon Rakshasa
7. Stephen Fairbrook
8. Katarh Mest
9. Nozomi Kei
10. Epsil Ion
11. Arrelaine Fashonti
12. Kaya Solimar

For this round, I really wanted to send a big big BIG "thank you" to my IRL Girlfriend (and soon-to-be in-game bride), the beautiful Bellatrix Skylark who played Cersei in my shot, accompaning me in the personal hell it was to position everything in the scene ;) You're the best, hun. You really are <3 Love you deeply.

Also, a big hug to the "Envoys of Valhalla" FC on Behemoth, who endured 19 runs of T1 and T4 to farm the armor pieces for the cosplay. I couldn't ask for better friends in this game. Kudos to you all :)

As for the feedbacks, yeah. Choosing a setting was the biggest challenge here. I did some shots in Ul'Dah that came out nice, but I feared it lacked contrast (the main negative feedback I got from last round) so I looked for a more colorful place. But there's still room to improve... Promise to do better next round, if I'm still around :D

Suppose I should comment as well then -

Gotta throw out a huge thank you to my great friend Mini Ninja for helping me with lighting and angles, and to my boyfriend Ranulf Squires for being our Sacred Soil mule and putting up with this flappy, over-thinking cat. I'm really impressed with all the other entries (and also incredibly intimidated by them). I knew I was going up against some really talented people but wow. /tugscollar This round was really difficult for me to decide on a subject and I spent longer than I want to admit trying different locations and variations of the outfit.

Also, I just want to thank everyone in advance for voting at all. I think I can speak for all of us involved when I say it really means a lot to have your support and hear your opinions about our shots. This is a really fun and I'm enjoying getting to participate. Hopefully if I make it past this round I'll be able to move on and really impress you all. ^^b

I reeeealllllly liked them all T.T Here goes:
1. Stephen Fairbrook
2. Sunny Day
3. Epsil Ion
4. Tinsley Tr'uhart
5. Hopelle Losstoam
6. Nozomi Kei
7. Brun Hilda
8. Aeon Rakshasa
9. Katarh Mest
10. Arrelaine Fashonti
11. Alexion Skylark
12. Kaya Solimar

This was an insanely challenging round! Everyone turned in some terrifyingly stellar work. *_* I'm absolutely in awe.

1. Tinsley Tr'uhart
2. Brun Hilda
3. Hopelle Losstoam
4. Sunny Day
5. Alexion Skylark
6. Aeon Rakshasa
7. Katarh Mest
8. Stephen Fairbrook
9. Arrelaine Fashonti
10. Nozomi Kei
11. Epsil Ion
12. Kaya Solimar

Wow! such an amazing round this time! I'm so proud of all you guys! New and Veterans! /cheer /cheer I love cosplay, I was so scared of it when I did it in cycle 3, but then when I found out who I wanted to do, I got all happy and excited about it! It's really a fun shot to be super creative with, and you all were! I want to say, I fail as a nerd for not recognizing all the cosplays, that despite me not knowing'em all even after looking up the ones I didn't, you all hit the nail on the head so well!!! Seriously, I don't think anyone really was too off the marker when doing it. I don't have critiques atm, but I may come back in an edit b4 voting is over if I have the time. Welp, on to voting! It was so close for me XD.

1. Tinsley Tr'uhart
2. Sunny Day
3. Brun Hilda
4. Hopelle Losstoam
5. Nozomi Kei
6. Katarh Mest
7. Epsil Ion
8. Stephen Fairbrook
9. Alexion Skylark
10. Aeon Rakshasa
11. Arrelaine Fashonti
12. Kaya Solimar

Just a note real quick, I didn't hate anyone's pic at all! They were all so good, votes reflect tiny details some had over the others, again very tiny too. GL to you all! <3

shameless bump just because people should see the cool cosplay screenshots :)

1. Brun Hilda -- I love the battle effects you used here! Really sets you apart from the others.
2. Stephen -- I agree! That MUST be his worst nightmare and it made me crack up!
3. Tinsley -- Cinderella was one of the three Disney movies I had growing up, so I tried to be very critical and I can't! You made a perfect setting and I love the rat that's included.
4. Alexion -- I love that you pulled in the lion on this one, even though Jaime uses two swords. Good job!
5. Hopelle -- I'm not sure what skill was being used, but for that attack, I might have gone with the ball of Fluid Aura (I'm aware this is a very hard shot to try to take)
6. Kaya -- Another Sailor Moon character! Random question...are you married? If so, I might have suggest the ringport action to pull hearts into a shot for her, just because they're in most of her attacks (Piiiink, sugar, heart..... ATTACK! .... or whatever the Japanese equivalent is -- after so long I don't remember!)
7. Epsil -- First off, I'm so sorry you're so far down! I just saw this as a very easy shot...
8. Arrelaine -- Like Epsil's, I just thought this was easy as well
9. Katarh -- I'm not sure it's a real cosplay! But it's very cute!
10. Nozomi -- As much as I love Genesis, I think something other than a back profile would have been better for this. My love of Genesis comes from his looks, after all :3
11. Sunny -- A smidge more lighting and perhaps another pose would have put you higher in the ranks!
12. Aeon -- Like Sunny, I think more lighting would have benefited you

I forgot to mention the round closing time.

11:59pm EST, Tuesday May 12th

Minor bump - Vote while the maintenance is happening!

1. Brun
2. Tinsley
3. Nozomi
4. Alexion
5. Epsil
6. Hopelle
7. Stephen
8. Sunny
9. Kaya
10. Aeon
11. Katarh
12. Arrelaine

Sorry for lack of crits again - it's really late but i wanted to make sure i got my votes in in time! This was sooo, so difficult. Picking between the first 6 and trying to order them was almost impossible, i wanted to put everyone in first! q.q Great work again guys. I'm so glad i'm not in this round up against you lot - the standard has been so high!

Only 10 hours left to vote!

I always find cosplay rounds a bit polarizing. Some people like the characters more - or even don't recognize some - and that has a big influence on some votes, since one of course wants to look at the accuracy of the cosplay.
Some are kind of staple characters, like the 2 Sailor Moon entries, but some are a bit more obscure, and those were a bit troublesome, because while a reference pic is only a google search away, it'd be probably easier to see them in a side by side fashion (kinda like so http://k35.kn3.net/taringa/6/7/4/1/9...f/8DA.jpg?9369).
I have to say, it was very hard to put anyone at the bottom. With most pictures I found a nitpick or more, so by no means does it mean your pictures were super bad compared to ones higher up. For some, like for example with Epsil’s, I was just so conflicted… All of your pictures had things I liked, there were none where I said: “Ugh, No!” Just, some pictures made more of an impact on me than others. It has to be stressed that in hard choices like these it comes down to personal taste more than quality. For me at least.
On to the pictures!

1) Nozomi Kei - Never played Crisis Core but I do know the character. Seems pretty on point. Your picture shows, there is ambient empty space and dead empty space. Perfect use of the first. A risky backshot but in my opinion totally woth it. No words. Except: I love it! XD

2) Trinsley Tr’uhart - A classic, therefore easily recognizable. Check. Simple, but on point costume. Check. Great setting and framing. Check. Getting a friggin minion to pose perfectly for you. Doublecheck that for the patience of a saint!
Only nitpick I have here is that the picture is overall a touch dark, but given the concept it does make sense. Just very tone in tone, which makes it a bit unexiting to look at.

3) Stephen Fairbrook - I love this one! I can definitly see the character and the mutliple Hildys are a nice touch. I do get why you chose that location, but the framing could be nicer (eg either have that building on the right more in the picture or completely out) and the upper third of the shot is a bit empty. Also, despite clear weather there seems to be a bit of a grey overlay, it doesn't look as vibrant as I expected it to be. Could be the sun - I found around high noon in certain angles the lighting becomes quite strange...

4) Brun Hilda - I don’t know this character. ._. Though, signature scarf aside, google tells me the costume is quite spot on. The framing is interesting, using two npcs to show yourself off in the center. An interesting effect as well, makes it feel like crackling anger. Maybe a touuuuch too far from the camera. If you maybe had stepped 2 steps forward, zoomed back in to get the framing back, we could see more details of you.

5) Hopelle Losstoam - Great use of water effects! The sailor outfit definitly asks to be used by the sailor moon characters as well. Small nitpick: should the gloves not be white? Also maybe you could have experimented a bit more with the effect of the lighting and water on your hair, it’s more greenish (Almost like Nepune’s dress colour) than dark blue. :/
But very nice expression and pose as well as lighting. Despite the effect your features are clearly visible.

6) Katarh Mest - Oh my, this is a different one! And a reference right there, praise be! (Damn you, I want that cat) Seriously though, this is quite creative and I can definitly see the resemblance. Cute expression and pose and nice touch with the pink cheeks! But… the framing T_T I wish the camera would shift more to the left, putting you right of the center and the cat less squished into the edge. As is we have a big boulder on the right, not much more.

7) Sunny Day - I never played/watched .//hack but I do recognize the character from pictures I have seen over the years. So your cosplay is definitly spot on. The angle and framing is nice and you have an interesting expression, plus the effect intrigues me. This is one of the ones where I wish I knew a bit more about the franchise, because this seems very well thought through, but I probably cannot appreciate it fully because of the lack in knowledge.

8) Epsil Ion - This was one of the difficult ones. In itself the picture is great, though maaaybe a bit more zoom could not hurt. Again, the lighting is out of this world and I stared quite a while wondering if you snuck in some SweetFX. Brun pointed me to the location though and made me realize it is indeed genuine. As is, still an impressive picture. But as a cosplay? I don’t know honestly. I never played Tactics, so again the characters and lore are kinda foreign to me. I googled the name and this was the most frequent image: http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb2...7/7a/Ramza.jpg
I just feel while you do get close with the colour scheme, there are several gear choices that might have been a closer fit - if indeed this is the correct reference. Same goes for the pose/blurb. Not sure what to make of it.


9) Alexion Skylark - I have only watched the 1st season of GoT, but I DO know this guy. And his sister. Creepy people. The outfit seems to fit quite well, my more GoT watching bf tells me the lion shield is a nice touch. Not sure I like the grey sky, as it likes to do, it gives so much greyness to the entire setting - except you and the lady, who quite shine, so that was maybe the intent. What really freaks me with you is your eyes. They are already this super light blue and then you’re looking somewhere off camera pushing the pupils in the corner. You look like you have those possesed no-pupil-eyes… Also would it not make more sense if the eyes look toward Circe?

10) Arrelaine Fashonti - Hahaa! Finally one I recognize well! Good outfit choice and pose. However, you are quiiite zoomed out, making the outer edges of the screen look very empty. It might have sufficed to zoom in to a medium shot, maybe put you a touch off center, with a dinner table next to you. That way we’d have a better look at you and your expression. Might be the emote as well, but I am not sure you’re facing the camera here, doing that might make a bigger impact.

11) Aeon Rakshasa - Another one that is a bit obscure to me, since I played IV once and that was ages ago. XD This character also has a bunch of different iterations, so finding a good reference on my own was a touch tricky. From what I can see you do fit the basic feel of him though as well as the colour scheme. Also very good use of your song animation!
As for setting and lighting, ther could be improvements. You have a massive lightsource in the center, which draws the eye, but especially your left side is quite shadowed over. A well placed sun minion might be a fix for that, or different weather.

12) Kaya Solimar - Ooh another Senshi! I can see why you chose this outfit over the sailor one, it does emphasize the small statue of Chibi compared to the others. Since I nitpicked it before, this time I have to point out I really like your choice of gloves! Great pose as well!
The setting is a touch confusing though. I hoped to see something that helps underline the character but this seems rather random. Since you do have an evening shot, maybe holding out a bit longer and capturing the moon with your character might have been a better choice.

1 Brun Hilda (BoF3! ♥)
2 Sunny Day
3 Alexion Skylark
4 Tinsley Tr'uhart
5 Hopelle Lossloam
6 Aeon Rakshasa
7 Stephen Fairbrook
8 Nozomi Kei
9 Kaya Solimar
10 Epsil Ion
11 Katarh Mest
12 Arrelaine Fashonti
(13 Me. Cos I could never do as well as you guys D: )

#1 Brun Hilda - Amazing shot! This takes me back \o/
#2 Katarh Mest - Haha! So unexpected, I love the sense of humor XD
#3 Stephen Fairbrook - A most gentlemanly nightmare....
#4 Epsil Ion - Lighting and pose are very striking :o
#5 Aeon Rakshasa
#6 Nozomi Kei
#7Arrelaine Fashonti
#8 Hopelle Losstoam
#9 Sunny Day
#10 Tinsley Tru'hart
#11 Alexion Skylark
#12 Kaya Solimar

Running out of tiiiime! You're getting this, typos and all XD

1. Sunny Day - This is sooo .//hack! The outfit, the effect in the background, how the plants look like they're affected by the virus... A lot of my excitment comes from my love of the series, but I'm trying to look at the shot objectively too: It's a very good balance in the picture, with the character in that sweet spot of a third and the plants and banners filling up the left side without cluttering it. The orange of the outfit pops extremely well against the purple of the plants. The spell effect fading into the sky creates depth. A sky you could fall into.

2. Brun Hilda - Beautifully framed with a great contrast of colours! You're centered, but it really works here. All eyes and angles are pointing towards you, emphasizing you as the focal point. Every part of the image are filled without being cluttered and hard to make out, and the trees help give depth to the image, fading into the mist. The cosplay itself is cleverly composed and spot on, the battle effect clearly expressing Teepo's fury.

3. Hopelle Losstoam - My favourite Senshi! I like how much this is zoomed in, with the water effect taking up the whole frame, and those gorgeous silouettes in the background. The outfit is close enough to tell who it is and it feels like I'm there with her in her watery bubble. This is a shot worthy of printing and framing, but for a cosplay round it wasn't able to beat the other two in outfit accuracy.

4. Tinsley Tr'uhart - The framing in this shot is wonderful in so many ways. The body angled outwards, but the gaze weaving your character together with the rat on the other edge of the shot, the crate that takes up so much of the middle not being overwhelmingly big, the fireplace and plate of food making sure there's no negative space. The smudges on your face are perfect. What brings it down is the muted lighting, blending the colours together a little too much - the colourscheme works for the scene, but you're losing out on textures and depth!

5. Aeon Rakshasa - This shot has some really good and some not so good things about it. I really liked how you interpreted the old SNES character! You're excellently positioned in the shot, and that prominently placed music note was a good stroke of luck! What I don't like is that it's so dark. I wish you had used a mini sun to give some light to the outer side and face of your character. The background looks a bit bland - maybe another weather could have worked better?

6. Epsil Ion - Oh Epsil! I'm such a fan of yours, but this was not one of your better works T_T The character being small on a gridlike surface works with it being FF Tactics, and I like that you're positioned so well in the shot, a good balance between the top and bottom and offcentered. You're usually a master of lighting, but I think this time it trips you up. Lighting coupled with the angle on the arm makes your torso and arms blend in so much you can barely tell them apart. There's a lot of negative space on the left, and together with the distance it makes the shot feel a bit empty.

7. Katarh Mest - This made me laugh XD Definetly a very different and unique type of cosplay! Great use of being Miqo'te and having those ears, and clever mixing and matching of various gear to get the Fat Cat's patterns. There are some things that could have brought this picture to the next level, however... Using a friend or the lock on feature on something in the background to offcenter you, maybe get a little more of the fishrack in the picture instead of bland stone. Maybe the fishrack angled in front of you to creat depth by having a foreground? Though that might not be possible due to invisible walls, so I'm just speculating. It's a good shot, but it doesn't pop as well as the others.

8. Alexion Skylark - I was able to tell right away who this was, even without reading the title. You've really captured the feel of Jaime! Great use of extras in the background, adding to story and recognition without stealing the limelight. Even if he doesn't use a shield, the prescense of the lion on it is a wonderful extra touch. The reason I rated this in the bottom half of my ranking is because the framing could have been improved on. By changing the 3rd person camera angle to 0, your character could have taken up more of the space in the shot, and with lock on a more dynamic shot achieved.

9. Stephen Fairbrook - The humour in this is great! Very good use of being Lala and the size of minions to create a charicature. Even being centered works in this shot, since the minions balance it on the sides. What brings it down for me is all the negative space up top. I know that as a Lala it's super hard to fill a frame well, but I wish you'd found a location that added something to the top half of the image!

10. Nozomi Kei - The background is gooorgeous and could work for a scenic shot, and seeing a character from the back can have a lot of impact. Unfortunately there's just a little too much back, and I can't even see a hint of your face. If you had just been peeking over your shoulder like Genesis did in one of the images I found in a search, like when using the face camera option, it might have bumped you up a few spots in the ranking for me.

11. Kaya Solimar - The hair is right, the outfit works, but with so little happening in the shot it's not enough to overtake the others. Just by using lock on on the mini sun in the background, you could have offcentered your character and made the shot a little more exciting. Hard to do when doing emotes, though, so maybe a friend could have been enlisted to be your camera? I really wish you had interacted with something, brought a little more oomph to the shot! Kudos on zooming in, though, and taking up so much oif the shot height-wise.

12. Arrelaine Fashonti - The outfit is great, but there's just soo much empty space! I wish you had gotten closer to the other waitresses or customers and found a way to make it appear as if you were interacting with them. If you had changed the 3rd person camera angle to 0, you'd have had less empty space above your characters head and not be cut off at the knees. Using lock on you could have offcentered your character. With the mini sun (used carefully) you could have made your character pop. I'm so sorry to place you last, but you just needed something more! T_T

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Wings

Alexion Skylark - I was able to tell right away who this was, even without reading the title. You've really captured the feel of Jaime! Great use of extras in the background, adding to story and recognition without stealing the limelight. Even if he doesn't use a shield, the prescense of the lion on it is a wonderful extra touch. The reason I rated this in the bottom half of my ranking is because the framing could have been improved on. By changing the 3rd person camera angle to 0, your character could have taken up more of the space in the shot, and with lock on a more dynamic shot achieved.

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Hey, thanks for the critique, Wings! Now, this contest is all about learning and improving... I chose to answer this because those points noted struck a memory bone... I was indeed looking very hard for a means to occupy more space of the shot, and didn't learn about the 0 camera angle trick until AFTER I submitted the shot. Imagine my face when I heard about it, and was like "oh wow... REALLY, I can do that? LOLZ". As for the lock-on, I ALSO didn't know you could use while NOT having the character looking at the focus lock-on target (the reason I didn't go with it). So, yea... each week I'm learning new tricks!

My colleague models and Tyriont are being AMAZING to this newcomer here, and every shot will surely be better than the last! :) Hopefully I'll stick around for a couple more weeks and will have a chance to delight you in a better way, it's been amazing to be a part of this contest! <3 Cheer for meh! :D

I'll do the fancy formatting when I get home later. For now:

Adam's Feedback:

Brun Hilda

Now THIS is an action shot. Great use and coordination of and with NPCs that makes this shot exciting! Your pose and costume choices are amazing, adding to that; you managed to pull focus onto yourself even with the NPCs being closer to the camera. I personally think you have the best shot this week - but that's just my thoughts anyway. The effect that surrounds you is flashy, yet also doesn't overpower your shot which is great! I knew I was right in expecting great shots from you!

Tinsley Tr'uhart

I think you nailed what you were aiming for hands down. The framing, costume choice and your little friend blend well together. Your props are also spot on. I guess my only complaint would be the clipping by the box of veggies on the fireplace (Sorry, I'm very picky when it comes to these kind of things). Amazing job nonetheless!

Sunny Day

I know a Sacred Soil when I see one! There wasn't much to go on by your explanation of the shot; but I'll try my best at interpreting it correctly. I love this shot. Costume and pose, with the use of expression is abso-f***in-lutely amazing. Great framing, and nice use of the effects. My only suggestion would be if you panned the camera down just a smidgen. Other than that, good luck! I'm sure you'll be a tough competitor!

Alexion Skylark

This shot is great!.. but then you notice the background and how empty it is. The shot and concept are spot on, and you and your friend's costume choices are great! I think you picked the wrong area to take this shoot. Maybe somewehere in Ul'dah? I think that you should turn just a little anti-clockwise so that we can see your other arm a little better. Still, this is a good shot - better than the one you submitted the last round. Keep it up!

Nozomi Kei

A sunset shot! My one weakness.. noooooooo..! Just kidding. This shot is amazing in of itself. Even though there isn't much going on in the scene, you don't feel like it's empty. Props to you for taking a risk and having a back-to-camera shot; I think you pulled it off very well!

Hopelle Losstoam

First things first - and it's just this one thing - the effects you chose are overpowering the shot. Other than that, costume choice, pose, expression, background (basically everything else) is spot on! Though I do want to kind of poke at those gloves you're wearing. It's kind of off for some reason. Also, maybe you 'd like to have taken this shot sometime in the morning? Still, this is a good shot!

Epsil Ion

As much as I love the tactics series, I don't think you've done Ramza justice completely. It is a good shot; just not enough I guess? Still, pose and effects blend well together and the background is lovely! Costume could have been better (might I suggest the allagan chestpiece from BCoB?), but is decent enough. The lighting kind of drowns out the colour in the shot which is kind of a big no-no. Can't say that I'm not slightly disappointed; I had high expectations from you.

Katarh Mest

This shot is absolutely cute. Your costume, pose and expression are all lovely, but the location isn't as much. Your shot is a great concept and would have been amazing had you chosen somethere else to stand! I guess another complaint would be the fact that the Fat Cat pulls focus from you just lightly. If I could make a suggestion, you should have also participated in the fish-napping!

Arrelaine Fashonti

Dammit! You missed your chance to include Usui in the shot to make it more awesome! Costume, expression, location, and pose is great! But the rest of the shot is just empty. Maybe move in closer to the guests or pan the camera towards the kitchen or entrance instead? Good shot though!

Kaya Solimar

The shot concept is great, but the execution is just "meh" in comparison. Your costume, pose, expression is spot on, but that background is just odd to say the least and is very empty too. I know you can do better though! Like I said to you in the previous round, be mindful of your background because a bad background alone can pull you down to the bottom!

Aeon Rahshasa

I think you faced a similar issue as well. Costume, effects, pose, expression - all amazing! But the surrounding background..! You missed the mark on this one. The location is amazing; just that you picked the wrong time and weather to take it in. Had you waited till dawn and clear skies, this would have been an amazing shot!

Stephen Fairbrook

This was kind of a disappointment for me. The shot is great; costume is great, pose, expression, also spot on. The problem with the shot is how dreadfully empty it is; mainly the background. I think you should have moved to a different location so that you can fill in the background with the buildings in the area. As it is, it doesn't really "pop" out as much as the other shots.

Adeline's Feedback:

1) Sunny Day – Dear lord my childhood nostalgia just got sent to an all time high with shot. The fact that you went out of your way to make the area look infected with data gave me chill. A lot better than last week’s shot. If you had equipped yourself with the .hack slashers from t9 I’d be squealing even harder @_@! The only thing I find weak about this shot is your pose, but I do get that you’re trying to look confused by the infection. GREAT JOB EEEE!!

2) Nozomi Kei – Although this shot is a bit simple, I think it really captures the essence of Genesis. I love the background, and how well you managed to mimic him with in game cosplay. I also need to ask what sword is that?! It looks almost identical to Genesis’s, minus the color. Great job!

3) Epsil Ion – I love the crispness of this shot, and I think you look a lot like Ramsa, and his motions. Although I’ve seen some comments that say this shot was easy to take, I don’t believe to be true. You most likely had to play around with a lot of spell detail function to capture the accented glow dots around you! I also love how your feet are placed around the symbol on the ground.

4) Tinsley Tr’uhart – I love the set up here, and the effort to detail you put into making it sync so well with the story you’re trying to tell us. From the dirt on your face, to the fireplace, to how the food and table are set up are fantastic. The main reasons for me that you weren’t a bit higher up on the list is that my eyes are more drawn to the details and the rat more than you. Regardless great job!

5) Hopelle Losstoam – This shot is really spectacular effect wise. I love that you also dyed Sailor Mercury’s signature the right color J! I also thinking you went with the best hair choice too, and omg the headband! I have to ask what spell is that you’re doing, it’s great! The weaker thing I find about this shot is that I don’t think I’d really imagine her smiling while she’s doing her attack, that and the background shade of orange kind of throws me off. I always imagine her scenery to be always blue, but that’s me nitpicking.

6) Alexion Skylark – Love the originality here, and how you stand out amongst your extra, which can be quite hard at times. I love the minor details too, such as the lion shield, you did a good job at capturing Jaime! What knocked this shot down a few notches was the background…it doesn’t scream King’s landing to me at all. Next time just be sure to work with your background, and pick one that best suits the message you’re trying to convey. You did a lot better this week, keep it up!

7) Brun Hilda – I’ll be honest, I’m not too familiar with Breath of Fire series, so I had to do a bit of research to see how well you capture your character. I think you did that just fine, and I love the story you’re trying to tell us here (though I don’t know if the hair is spot on, since the character has more slicked back hair, but limited hair options gahhh). Shot wise, I like the effort you’ve put forth there, and I can only imagine how hard it was to time this, working with npcs and all. I just find it extremely busy, and I’m not fond of how far away you feel from the camera.

8) Katarh Mest – I like the originality here, and the effort you put in to tell us the story of Fat cats, one the most beloved ffxiv minions. I can only imagine how hard it was to put this whole outfit together. I’m just not really fond of the emote you’re doing. I think something along the lines of you eating something while maybe interacting with the fish rack would of really told the story you’re conveying with your description. Gj though, defiantly one of the most creative cosplays I’ve ever seen!

9) Kaya Solimar – I like that you used a different type of cosplay to show us Chibi Moon, since most would use the Sailor outfit, and I like the use of the heart necklace, and how your hair even looks a lot like her’s does with the Miqo’te ears representing the little knots she has in her hair. I also like the use of the pink shade in the background to accent her choice of pink in her outfits. With that, as others have said, I don’t see a moon, which I find very iconic if you’re going to cosplay a Sailor Moon variation. I also find there to be a lot of negative space surrounding you, since you’re so centered. Also I don’t think your use of emote really screamed the description you chose.

10) Aeon Rakshasa – Wow, this is the first time I’ve seen someone pull of Edward in game! I love the effort you put forth in your outfit. I guess what I don’t like is that I see one of your eyes open, and it just looks a bit odd…Also I’m not sure who you’re looking at, since you have your eye open. I also find your background really dark, and I think a use of a sun minion might of helped brighten you up a little. I like the effort though, I’m thinking you tried to use the rainy weather to tell us of the gloom in Edward’s heart.

11) Stephen Fairbrook – While is a really cute idea, I’m just not super fond of ffxiv cosplays. I find them to be a bit easy, since the tools are easily at your disposal to use to express the idea you have. I do like the story here, and I find it quite cute. I do find the placement of the Hildebrand minions a little odd, and I think you could of placed them a bit better. Also I find the top portion of your shot to have a lot of negative space.

12) Arrelaine Fashonti – I like the effort you put forth to use a background of the Limsan Café, I just find everything too spaced out, and so much negative space drowning you out. You’re also really far away, and I can’t really see the emotion you’re trying to convey of being worried. Also…I see this random little cat to the right of you. I’m not sure if he’s in the anime or not, but I find him a bit out of place of he was just place there randomly. I do find this shot to be quite cute though, and the first one I’ve seen of this anime

Flare's Feedback:

1) Tinsley - This is a very unique shot.It's the type of simple shot that tells the most. It looks like you took the time to place everything accordingly. Nothing looks rushed or out of place. Your on a roll girl! Keep up the fantastic work.


2) Sunny - So .//Hack was one of my favorite games when I was younger as well. This shot had a lot of thought put into it and you executed it with ease it looks like. The use of soil gives it that .hack feel with the added effect of making everything in the soil blue. Whats cool is your kitty markings on your face looks similar to Kite's face markings. Super nice work!


3) Alexion - I was so excited when I saw this picture! GoT is my favorite book/tv series. In my humble opinion, you captured not only the complicated relationship of Jamie and Cersei, but your execution of the shot was well done. I enjoyed the small details like the Lion shield, using the back of the wedding dress to look like a gown fit for a queen, The way shes standing across from you and that harsh look on your face. Very nice work!


4) Brun - Loved how you used the NPCs to your advantage! Solid Teepo cosplay. Loving how your using the NPCs in the foreground, and especially love their expressions. The archer looks a little terrified which brings that realness factor to your shot. great work!



5) Hopelle - I know nothing of Sailor Moon, so I actually had to look up Sailor Mercury. Nice work with the overall outfit and hairstyle. What made me love this picture is the softness of your face and the pose. The water effect, while a tad over the top, adds another soft element to the picture. Beautiful work!


6) Stephen - While it's really easy to recreate a character from XIV, creating a mini Briardien was brilliant. The use of the Hildebrand minions was a nice touch. The background goes well with the shot, and that natural sunlight gives you some great lighting. Great work.

7) Aeon - This my friend is was a true bard looks like! I really like your concept and love how you captured the music notes dancing around your character. Your face looks peaceful with your eyes closed like that. Come play a song to me!

8) Katarh - WE NEED A FAT CAT OUTFIT ASAP! You my dear took something original and made it your own. Mister PHAT Cat is slyly looking at that camera like "Yeah I'm about to eat all this fish again, what about it?". Your outfit fits well with your little fatty, down to your rosy cheeks. Thank you for making me laugh!

9) Epsil - There's a whimsical sort of feel to this picture, a fantasy aspect that brings the picture together. The lighting is wonderful here, and gives the picture a unique look.

10) Kaya - While your outfit is on the safer side for this character, it fits well with the picture as a whole. You captured a beautiful Eorzean night that actually complemented the outfit very well.

11) Nozomi - I like this a lot! This is another picture where the background (mainly the sky) gives the picture that extra something. While this is a back shot, and we can just see the coat, for your character this is all we need from you to get that mystery that makes us want more.

12) Arrelaine - This was another character I had to look up. This is a cute cosplay that you worked in with your character and made it your own. Fits perfect with the background and super cute expression!

Sakuraya's Feedback:

I wanna say off the bat - everyone made this really hard for me and I had to nitpick to put these in order. Making my job so tough, lol!

Tinsley Tr'uhart
I love your shot, I feel it fits Cinderella perfect, and you even put on the face paint to make it look like ashes! The rat minion was a nice touch to play one of the mice as well - and the items within the scene make it look like a storage area in some basement because of the stone walls. A perfect setting for the 'little cinder girl' to be hiding out. The only critique I would have is - it does come off a bit muddy and wish there was a bit more light. I love this shot!

Sunny Day
This is a great shot and I really do like it. The cosplay is great and I instantly knew who you were going for without even having to look it up. That effect you have in the background is great - and gives the look of some type of technological shield. It's a nice way of using effects without letting the effects overwhelm you. Great touch! Only real critique I have is I wish you were a bit more lit so you stood out a more - but that's really it. Other than that, love it.

Hopelle Losstoam
This is a great up close shot and totally fits the character that you're going for - which I recognized off the bat. I love the effect and I feel it goes great with the background of the character - but like I've said before - effects are hard to work with and I feel it does obscure your face a bit but your darker skin helps you pop out from the lightness - just wish your features popped a bit more! Over all, great pick, love the idea behind it and good job!

Nozomi Kei
One of my favorite characters, and you did him as much justice as FFXIV will allow! Honestly I think this is about as close as you could get, and it's pretty much nailed. Though there is a lot of negative space around you - in this instance I feel like the sunrise is beautiful and really fits the character. It reminds of that scene up on that building with the sun rising in the background while they are fighting. The only thing I wish is that you were looking a bit to the side, over your shoulder. I think it would have brought it up that extra notch.

Stephen Fairbrook
I really like this pic - and I am sure if Briardien was actually there, that would be his nightmare - lol. The lighting is good, and the cosplay is well done (even though I know some might say - easy way because FFXIV - I still appreciate it!). Careful of the light - it's getting near that line of over lit, but not quite. It's just because you're pale, I am too - we need to watch that, lol. I do wish the background was a bit more interesting - But over all I really don't have many complaints. Really good job!

Brun Hilda
Great shot - I love the set up of this shot and the cosplay is great! You got super close to the actual character! There is something interesting going on in this scene everywhere you gaze - and it seems you've put yourself in a bit of trouble from the looks! The only critique I can really give is the effect - they are really tricky to work with and it is distorting your features a bit - but good lighting and nice presentation.

Epsil Ion
You take beautiful shots, no doubt about it and I can see where you were going with the cosplay. I do wish the shot were a bit closer so we could see you better, but I can see you were trying to keep as much of the rune in the shot as possible - at least that's how I read it. This spot is one of my favorites in the game, I love that rune at night - but the light looks as if it's washing you out like an exposing effect in some areas while others seem overly dark. But, good shot!

Alexion Skylark
I like the picture, and the cosplay is really good! I do wish that maybe the camera was down a bit more so I could see more of the stance that you're in. But the view is nice, and your model in the background gives it a nice touch! The only real thing I can say is you are skirting that edge of lit and over lit - I feel like you're slight over lit in this image so watch that.

Aeon Rakshasa
I like the composition and setup of this shot. Can totally see where you were going with the cosplay, and over all you got as close as you could to him - so kudos! My only critique would be basically what I said last week - I feel like you forget your face and then you have all these bright lights and colors next to you - so my eye goes for that. You have a darker skin tone, and with the shot being at night remember to give just a bit of light around there to make that handsome face pop! Other than that, I really like this shot.

Arrelaine Fashonti
The cosplay is great, very cute and a good pick for that outfit! Though I will say I wish you were a bit closer - you seem so far back that it's hard to see the details of your expression. Also I love the place that you picked, once again going with the cosplay, it was a great pick to go with the theme - but to me there seems to be a lot of negative space and I and wishing for something more. Over all, good cosplay and I love that you stuck with the theme of the character.

Kaya Solimar
This was a really cute idea, and I can see where you're going with the outfit though without you telling me who you are I don' think I would have gotten it off the bat. That said, you defiantly got the pep and happiness of Chibi Moon! Other than that, the background is lovely, but I'm not sure how it ties into the series - if you'd done something like Crystal Tower in the back like a mock Crystal Palace and the moon in the background or something along that lines to tie it in maybe?

Katarh Mest
This is a cute idea, and I would have never thought of dressing up as one of the minions as a cosplay. The outfit you picked, along with the colors, were perfect for it, though if it wasn't labeled I'd think I'd be confused on what you were going for. Also the scenery around is a bit underwhelming, maybe if you'd been up by the fish, almost like - oh you caught me... with a more eclectic background. But kudos for doing something I haven't seen done before! Nice job!

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RESULTS:

577 Tinsley Tr'uhart
567 Sunny Day
481 Brun Hilda
441 Hopelle Losstoam
397 Nozomi Kei
396 Alexion Skylark
346 Epsil Ion
277 Stephen Fairbrook
230 Katarh Mest
223 Aeon Rakshasa
149 Kaya Solimar
128 Arrelaine Fashonti