Best Cosplay at Dragon Con 2019

DRAGON CON ATLANTA 2019
DRAGON CON BEST COSPLAY MUSIC VIDEO 

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Original Star Trek Crew in New Cartoon Adventure

STAR TREK: The Paradise Makers
Fan-made Animation based on Star Trek

Join the original crew of the starship Enterprise in this full length, 2-part adventure! Star Trek and all related marks, logos and characters are solely owned by CBS Studios Inc. This fan production is not endorsed by, sponsored by, nor affiliated with CBS, Paramount Pictures, or any other Star Trek franchise, and is a non-commercial fan-made film intended for recreational use. 

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▶ Watch Part Two

Cinematics from Tales of Runeterra

Tales of Runeterra

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League of Legends takes place in the fictional world of Runeterra. In Runeterra, the champions of League of Legends are a collection of heroes and villains who have a variety of backstories, often related to the political struggles of the various countries of the main continent of Valoran. Additionally, some champions are extraplanar and come from worlds other than Runeterra, but are visiting for their own purposes. These champions sometimes clash with each other, roughly reflected in the gameplay of League of Legends.

▶ Watch the 2020 Season Cinematic Movie

The setting has gone through two phases: the "original" setting that was canon from 2009–2014, and the rebooted setting from 2014–present. The original setting was very focused on justifying the exact mechanics of a game of League in the world of Runeterra. The MOBA predecessor to League, Defense of the Ancients, featured two warring sides with two separate hero rosters; however, in League, any combination of champions was legal to create a team. To explain this, in the original setting, Valoran was functionally ruled by extremely powerful time mages who could intimidate the other nations into compliance with their whims. They created the "Institute of War", also known as the "League of Legends", to resolve disputes and act as something like an international sports league. In these disputes, "Summoners" (a.k.a. the game player) could control any of Runeterra's greatest heroes or villains in their struggles, thus justifying why a team of 5 characters who all hated each other might form. Additionally, these time mages would actually power-down the characters to "level 1" before each match to make things 'fair'; some character's backstories even involved them explicitly having their powers sealed by the Institute of War due to them being too powerful otherwise, such as the demigoddesses Kayle and Morgana. This explained why characters might participate in multiple matches and have to relearn the same skills each time. After a match, a "Judgment" would sometimes be handed down, with the winning Summoners able to give land and privileges to those they favored.

The narrative team at Riot eventually decided this setup was too constraining, and "rebooted" the story behind League of Legends in 2014. In essence, the original story put too much emphasis on the faceless player stand-in Summoners and the Time Mages of the Institute; "the very idea of all-powerful Summoners made Champions little more than puppets manipulated by godlike powers." Any interesting champions the Narrative team created were rendered as secondary, mere servants to the Summoners, unable to influence their own destiny. Many champion's lore did not give them reason to join the Institute, such as serial killer fire spirit Brand or void monster Rek'Sai. Riot wished to let champions take the center stage and have stories of their own, pursuing their own unique goals. For example, Riot has since released a plotline about a lost empire in the Shurima desert and a plotline about a clash between the pirate Gangplank and the pirate-hunter Miss Fortune in the city of Bilgewater, both of which were driven by the champions of League of Legends, not Summoners. Riot compared this style of narrative to comic book characters and classic literature, where interesting characters can have many adventures over time and not necessarily have all of them make sense in the same continuity. A side effect of this is "that the game and story aren’t one-to-one copies of each other."

The world of Runeterra consists of a number of countries and city-states, locked in a web of rivalry, alliance, and conflict. The two largest and most powerful entities are the states of Demacia and Noxus, who have fought wars in the past, and are in a Cold War-esque state currently, with each seeking to quietly undermine the other. Demacia is inspired by an idealized Medieval European kingdom, while Noxus is reminiscent of the Roman Empire. Demacian champions tend to value themes like chivalry and honor, while Noxus prides itself on vision, might, and guile. Piltover and Zaun are a city-state at the forefront of technology; Piltover, the "respectable" half of the city, has a "steampunk" style, while Zaun, the neglected undercity of Piltover, is a darker vision of the power of technology, engaging in ethically questionable research. The Freljord is an icy domain riven by a three-way civil war between rival claimant Queens Ashe, Sejuani, and Lissandra. Bandle City is a peaceful domain of yordles, a race of small humanoids unique to League of Legends. Ionia is an island nation with a strong connection to magic and features champions inspired by monk and ninja archetypes, as well the Vastaya, a race of animal-human hybrid creatures also unique to League of Legends. Bilgewater is a port town with a pirate theme. The Shadow Isles is an island chain that was magically corrupted, and has become haunted by a malign force known as the "Black Mist" which leeches life and empowers the undead. Targon is an ancient mountain peak with a Greek mythology theme. Shurima is a recently resurrected empire that was until recently lost to the desert, with a somewhat Egyptian theme. Icathia is another fallen and abandoned city where Void monsters from another dimension have crossed into Runeterra, with a Lovecraftian theme.

Of the current maps, Summoner's Rift is set at the Institute of War from the 'original' League storyline; the Twisted Treeline is set in the Shadow Isles; and the Howling Abyss map is set in the Freljord.

Trailer for 'The Croods: A New Age '

The Croods: A New Age

The Croods need a new place to live. So, the first prehistoric family sets off into the world in search of a safer place to call home. When they discover an idyllic walled-in paradise that meets all their needs, they think their problems are solved … except for one thing. Another family already lives there: the Bettermans. The Bettermans (emphasis on the “better”)—with their elaborate tree house, amazing inventions and irrigated acres of fresh produce—are a couple of steps above the Croods on the evolutionary ladder. When they take the Croods in as the world’s first houseguests, it isn’t long before tensions escalate between the cave family and the modern family. Just when all seems lost, a new threat will propel both families on an epic adventure outside the safety of the wall, one that will force them to embrace their differences, draw strength from each other and forge a future together.

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The Final Attack on Titan Begins!

A T T A C K  on  T I T A N

F I N A L   S E A S O N

Upon the airing of the final episode of the third season on July 1, 2019, it was announced that the fourth and final season of the anime series was scheduled for release on Fall 2020 on NHK General. On September 22, 2020, Crunchyroll and Funimation announced that the final season would be streaming "later this year" in 2020. On September 23, 2020, NHK listed the final season on their broadcasting schedule as airing on December 7, 2020. On May 29, 2020, the final season was confirmed to have switched production studios to MAPPA. Jun Shishido and Yūichirō Hayashi are replacing Tetsurō Araki and Masashi Koizuka as chief director and series director respectively, scriptwriter Hiroshi Seko is taking over the series composition from Yasuko Kobayashi, and Tomohiro Kishi is replacing Kyōji Asano as character designer. Hiroyuki Sawano is being joined by Kohta Yamamoto to compose the music

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Celebrating Giant Robo's 40th Anniversary

Giant Robo 40th Anniversary Pilot Film
- ジャイアントロボ

Pilot film for the 40th anniversary Giant Robo TV series 

that aired on Japanese TV.

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WandaVision - Official Trailer

WandaVision

Welcome to WandaVision. Coming soon to Disney+. Marvel Studios' captivating new series "WandaVision" stars Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany, and marks the first series from Marvel Studios streaming exclusively on Disney+. The series is a blend of classic television and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in which Wanda Maximoff and Vision—two super-powered beings living idealized suburban lives—begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems.

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100 Things to do in TOKYO, JAPAN

100 Things to do in TOKYO, JAPAN

Follow the beautiful Kim Dao as she travels around Japan.
"This video took me almost a year to make! I wanted to release the video last year, however there were many complications involved (lost footage, broken hard drives, footage not good enough etc) and I wanted this video to be perfect! Some of the footage was filmed from up to 4 years ago, if you are wondering why I look so different in some of the footages haha. Really hope you guys enjoy this video, it took me hundreds of hours to film/edit so I hope it was useful!!"  - Kim

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Captain Scarlet Goes CGI to Battle the Mysterons!

CAPTAIN SCARLET

and the

MYSTERONS

The series begins in 2068. In the first episode, the crew of the Zero-X spacecraft are investigating the surface of Mars after mysterious radio signals are found to be coming from the planet. The source is discovered to be an alien city, which the astronauts fire on and destroy after mistaking a harmless surveillance device for a weapon. The city's inhabitants, the Mysterons, are sentient computers that form a collective consciousness. They are the remnants of the original Mysteron race: beings from another galaxy that maintained their colony on Mars for 3,500 years before abandoning the planet at the turn of the 20th century. The Mysteron computers use their power of "reversing matter" to rebuild their city before vowing revenge for the humans' unwarranted aggression.

Reversing matter, also called "retro-metabolism", enables the Mysterons to re-create people and objects as facsimiles that they can control. This ability is used to wage a "war of nerves" against Earth whereby the Mysterons issue threats against specific targets (from world leaders and military installations to cities and continents) and then destroy and reconstruct whatever instruments are needed (be they human or object) to carry out their plans. The presence of the Mysterons is indicated by two circles of green light that trail scenes of destruction and reconstruction. Although the Mysterons are able to influence events from Mars, their actions on Earth are usually performed by their replicated intermediaries.

Zero-X mission leader Captain Black becomes the aliens' primary agent when they seize control of his mind. Prior to the events of the series, Black was an officer of Spectrum, a worldwide security organisation that mobilises its personnel, vehicles and other resources to counter the Mysteron threat. Spectrum's most senior agents hold military ranks and colour codenames and are posted to the organisation's headquarters, Cloudbase – an airborne aircraft carrier stationed 40,000 feet (7.6 mi; 12 km) above the Earth's surface – where they answer to its commander-in-chief, Colonel White. Cloudbase is defended by Angel Interceptor fighters flown by a squadron of five female pilots codenamed Destiny (squadron leader), Harmony, Melody, Rhapsody, and Symphony. Spectrum also incorporates a fleet of armoured Spectrum Pursuit Vehicles (SPV), which are hidden in secret locations around the world, as well as patrol cars, hovercraft and machine-gun equipped helicopters.

Captain Scarlet becomes Spectrum's main asset in its fight against the Mysterons after the events of the first episode, in which the Mysterons attempt to assassinate Earth's World President as their first act of retaliation. The original Scarlet is killed in a road accident engineered by the Mysterons and replaced with a double under their control. However, after the reconstruction is shot by Spectrum's Captain Blue and falls to his death from a tower, he returns to life with the consciousness of the original Scarlet restored and is thereafter free of the Mysteron influence. Scarlet's new body possesses two extraordinary abilities: he is able to sense other Mysteron reconstructions nearby and, if injured or killed, returns to full health through retro-metabolism. Now able to use suicidally reckless tactics to thwart Mysteron plots, Scarlet repeatedly sacrifices himself in the knowledge that whatever his injuries he will return to face the Mysterons again.

Over the course of the series, it is discovered that Mysteron reconstructions are particularly vulnerable to electricity and can be detected by X-rays, to which they are resistant. Consequently, Spectrum develops two anti-Mysteron devices: the "Mysteron Gun" and "Mysteron Detector". A three-episode story arc focuses on the discovery of a Mysteron base on the Moon, its destruction by Spectrum, and Spectrum's efforts to negotiate with the Mysterons after converting the base's salvaged power source into an interplanetary communication device. A failed attempt to survey Mars, aborted military conferences and the sabotaged construction of a new Earth space fleet hinder Spectrum's progress in taking the fight to the Mysterons, and the organisation twice fails to capture Captain Black. In the penultimate episode, the Mysterons destroy Cloudbase with a fleet of spacecraft, but this is revealed to be a nightmare dreamt by a shot-down Symphony Angel. The final episode is a clip show that ends the series inconclusively with regard to the war between Earth and Mars. 

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STAR WARS - The Musical

STAR WARS - THE MUSICAL

What if Disney remakes Star Wars... as a Musical? We think the Lucasfilm take-over could look something like this...

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New RPG in the Harry Potter Universe

H O G W A R T S

L  E  G  A  C  Y

Trailer for Hogwarts Legacy, an RPG set in the Harry Potter universe for the PS5.

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Take a Long, Long Vacation in France During WWII

The Long Long Holiday

The Long Long Holiday (Les Grandes Grandes Vacances) is an animated series broadcast in 2015 on France 3, which tells the story of the occupation of France during the Second World War through children living in Normandy.

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In September 1939, Colette and Ernest are welcomed by their maternal grandparents in a fictional village named Grangeville, near Dieppe in Normandy. The short vacation becomes semi-permanent when their father goes off to fight, following the mobilization of France to fight the invading German Army, and the poor health of their mother, required to leave to be treated in a sanatorium. The two little Parisians discover life in the countryside during wartime, including occupation, Resistance, deprivation, but also life with friends.

 

The ten episode mini-series (sometimes shown as five episodes, including on Netflix) was created by Emile Bravo (graphic design), Paul Leluc (director), and Delphine Maury (author), and produced by Les Armateurs Cyber Group Studios. Olivier Vinuesa and Alain Serluppus assisted Delphine Maury at the beginning of the writing on the narrative arc, then Guillaume Mautalent and Sébastien Oursel became co-writers on the whole series, along with Timothée de Fombelle, who also lent a hand on the arc of the ten episodes. Syd Matters composed the music for the series. 

In 2016 the show won Best Children's TV Program by the Paris Radio and Television Club.

Kyoto Animation Studio - One Year later

Aftermath of the Kyoto Animation Studio Fire

It's been over one year since the July 18th Kyoani fire. Things have changed since then, so we are going to look back today to reflect on how this amazing studio was able to overcome the biggest tragedy in anime history.

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Trailer for 'THE MANDALORIAN' Season 2

THE MANDALORIAN - SEASON TWO

The Mandalorian and his precious Child return in the epic trailer for season 2.

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NETFLIX presents Dragon's Dogma

DRAGON'S DOGMA

After losing his home to a dragon, Ethan sets out to hunt it down once and for all. A pawn appears by his side and serves to protect his life. But the dangers that lie in wait for Ethan are beyond their imaginations, for when you fight a monster... you just may become one too.

Premieres September 17 only on Netflix.

▶ Watch the Trailer

Anime Viewing Schedule for September 19, 2020

 

 A N I M A T R I X   N E T W O R K
Saturday, September 19, 2020

Fountaindale Public Library

VIEWING SCHEDULE

            11:15 - 12:05   Deca-Dence 3-4
            12:05 - 12:55   Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! 3-4
            12:55 - 1:30     Club Meeting / Announcements
            1:30 - 1:55       Re:ZERO - Starting Life in 

                                       Another World S2 ep 2
            1:55 - 2:45       Vinland Saga 2-3

            2:45 - 4:40       Weathering With You [Movie]

"It's a beautiful day outside,

so let's stay indoors to watch anime!"

Fountaindale Public Library
300 W. Briarcliff Road
Bolingbrook, IL 60440

Meeting Room A, First Floor

From 11:15 AM to 5:00 PM

All anime presented are fan-subtitled unless otherwise noted.

 

Don't miss the exciting anime series: Deca-Dence and Vinland Saga

* ANIME DESCRIPTIONS ARE BELOW *

Honkai Impact 3rd - The Anime

Honkai Impact 3rd

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Honkai Impact 3rd is a gacha, free-to-play 3D action role-playing mobile game developed by miHoYo. It is the third entry in the Honkai series and spiritual successor to Honkai Gakuen, using many characters from the previous title in a separate story.

Honkai Impact 3rd is set in an alternate version of Earth, plagued by catastrophes resulting from "Honkai" (in Chinese translates as "Chaos", while in Japanese, it is said "Houkai".). Honkai is largely viewed as a malevolent force with a will of its own, able to corrupt humans into undead creatures, manifest itself in the form of various monsters, and select various individuals known as "Herrschers" to imbue with god-like powers able to trigger apocalyptic events. The Honkai is a cyclic phenomenon, returning to end civilization on Earth each time it gets too advanced - the Previous Era ended 50,000 years prior to the game's start, after the 14th Herrscher defeated humanity.

In the present day, various global factions exist to combat or take advantage of the power of Honkai. These include "Schicksal", a European-based peace keeping organization that deploys human warriors known as Valkyries to combat the Honkai; "Anti-Entropy", formerly the North American branch of Schicksal that objected to the use of human soldiers in favor of mechanized robots; and "World Serpent", a shadow organization manipulating events since the end of the Previous Era.

Prior to the story's start, three Herrscher awakenings (or "Impacts") have occurred in the Current Era: the Herrscher of Reason who became the leader of Anti-Entropy instead of fighting humanity, the Herrscher of the Void who was sealed away by Schicksal under mysterious circumstances, and the Herrscher of Lightning who was prevented from fully awakening and sent to train her powers as a Valkyrie at Schicksal's St.Freya school.

The storyline of Honkai Impact 3rd spans multiple supplementary media including an anime series, multiple manhua series, and promotional videos.

The game's story starts with three Valkyries-in-training (Kiana Kaslana, Mei Raiden, and Bronya Zaychik) boarding the Selene, a hostile flying battleship. The three take control of the battleship, then subdue Bronya when she is abruptly controlled malevolently. Following the successful mission, the girls take a graduation exam, during which a mysterious voice contacts Kiana and informs her of her lost parents, Siegfried Kaslana and Cecilia Schariac.

The Valkyries then dispatch to Schicksal's Oceania Branch to recover the Gem of Desire following a local Honkai Eruption that decimated the area. The trio discovers Wendy, who was implanted with the Gem of Desire, and learn that Wendy triggered the Honkai Eruption due to a hatred of Schicksal, which had crippled Wendy. Bronya is controlled again and attacks, causing Wendy to transform into a Herrscher. Although Mei and Kiana are able to subdue both girls, Anti-Entropy forces appear and Bronya kidnaps Wendy and Mei. The Valkyries subsequently track Anti-Entropy to the hijacked ME Corp with Bronya's assistance. There, Bronya destroys the biochip in her brain to free herself from Cocolia's control and enable the Valkyries to escape, but leaving Wendy behind.

Searching for a way to revive Bronya, Theresa Apocalypse creates a virtual datascape to find data on the biochip. Kiana is transported to a recreation of Siberia during the year 2000 in the midst of the 2nd Honkai War. Kiana meets virtual recreations of her parents, Siegfried and Cecilia, and while Siegfried is badly injured, Kiana and Cecilia team up and successfully defeat a recreation of 2nd Herrscher, Sirin. Upon Sirin's defeat, it is revealed that the events that Kiana experienced were a hallucination created from Kiana's desires by Sirin. Fu Hua captures Kiana and takes her to Schicksal HQ.

Theresa, Mei, and Himeko ally with Anti-Entropy forces and storm Schicksal HQ to save Kiana, breaching its defenses with the Selene and the Hyperion. While the Valkyries are successful in infiltrating Schicksal HQ, Rita Rossweisse and Fu Hua captures Himeko and Tesla. Otto Apocalypse successfully reawakens Sirin using Kiana's body as a host. Sirin dispatches Mei, Theresa, and the Anti-Entropy forces and engages Fu Hua in combat, stealing the 3rd Herrscher's power in the process. Himeko and Tesla, with Fu Hua's help, obtain a vial of anti-Honkai serum and a prototype battlesuit imbued with the Herrscher of Flames' power. Himeko dons the battlesuit and engages Sirin, fighting her to a standstill. Einstein uses the Selene's cannon on Sirin, forcing her to retreat into "Imaginary Space" with Himeko being pulled in as well. Himeko duels with Sirin in the Imaginary Space and injects the anti-Honkai serum into Sirin, causing her to revert to Kiana. Suffering massive losses, the remaining Valkyries and Anti-Entropy mechs retreat, and the world is left devastated in the wake of Sirin's attack. Himeko and Kiana both go missing.

Four months after Sirin's attack, Mei, Theresa, and Bronya attempt to meet with an intel dealer named Gray Serpent in Arc City who claims to have seen the Herrscher of the Void, unaware that Otto Apocalypse had dispatched Rita to obtain his information as well. Rita seems to kill Gray Serpent and steals his cybernetic implants, leading the Valkyries to capture a cyborg girl called the Ningyo. Before they can extract the Ningyo's information, Rita intercepts the Valkyries, steals the data, and formats the Ningyo's memory. While Einstein and Tesla attempt to retrieve the Ningyo's lost memories, the team is contacted by Cocolia, who convinces them to help find the Gem of Desire. Gray Serpent, seeking payment for the Valkyrie's theft of the Ningyo, hacks into the Selene. When Bronya follows Gray Serpent into virtual space, he traps Bronya in a data labyrinth formed from her memories to deter her. Bronya is able to escape, though she witnesses a record of the 1st Herrscher, Welt Young, and Einstein battling the World Serpent, who is sealed within the Sea of Quanta.

Bronya, Theresa, and Einstein travel to The Deep, where Bronya is reunited with Cocolia and childhood friends Rosalia and Liliya. Cocolia informs the trio that the Gem of Desire was lost in the Sea of Quanta, and must be retrieved. While Einstein prepares to enter the Eye of the Deep, a portal leading to the Sea of Quanta, Bronya attempts to reconcile with Cocolia. When Einstein discovers Cocolia scheming with Gray Serpent, Gray Serpent attacks Einstein and she vanishes. A swarm of Honkai emerges from the Eye of the Deep and attacks, leading Bronya to dive into the Sea of Quanta alone. In the Sea, Bronya is greeted by Joachim, a fragment of Welt Young. Joachim sends Bronya to multiple pocket universes as a test, during which Bronya is reunited with Seele Vollerei (Bronya's childhood friend who became stuck in quantum state following a failed X-10 Project years ago). In efforts to guide Seele out of the quanta, they resolve to escape together.

After clearing some honkai beasts and being separated, Seele and Bronya reunite and try to escape the labyrinth. The two girls reach the edge of the Quanta but are caught by tentacles. Bronya makes a sacrifice and cuts the tentacles binding Seele, succumbing to the tentacles herself. However, Seele dislikes her powerlessness and the Dark Seele (Velonia) finally agrees to lend her power to Seele, and they use their combined power to rescue Bronya.

Back to Kiana; after recapturing control of her body, she has been living in exile alone in the Arc City in order not to hurt others with the Herrscher personality. One night, she is fighting with Honkai beasts when Sirin seeks the opportunity to torment and brainwash Kiana, attempting to reawake the Herrscher. Fortunately, Fu Hua reaches Kiana's mind and drive Sirin away. Kiana holds hatred towards Fu Hua at first, but Fu Hua tells Kiana that their spirits are combined forever due to the power of Key of Deity, and that Kiana must learn to control the Herrscher power by herself. Under Fu Hua's training, Kiana finally succeeds, and returns to fighting against Honkai in Arc City. 

Wolfwalkers Trailer

W O L F W A L K E R S

The wild within cannot be tamed. The legend of Wolfwalkers is coming soon to Apple TV+: https://apple.co/_Wolfwalkers

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In a time of superstition and magic, a young apprentice hunter, Robyn Goodfellowe, journeys to Ireland with her father to wipe out the last wolf pack. While exploring the forbidden lands outside the city walls, Robyn befriends a free-spirited girl, Mebh, a member of a mysterious tribe rumored to have the ability to transform into wolves by night. As they search for Mebh’s missing mother, Robyn uncovers a secret that draws her further into the enchanted world of the Wolfwalkers and risks turning into the very thing her father is tasked to destroy.

Genshin Impact Impressions - Overall Thoughts

G E N S H I N   I M P A C T

After playing Genshin Impact's final beta for 20+ hours, questing through the story, trying out the co-op, rolling for characters in the gacha and more, here are our overall thoughts/impressions. 

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In a world called Teyvat, certain individuals chosen by the gods are given a Vision — magical gemstones that give their bearers the ability to control an element. The player starts out as a Traveler of unknown origin who is searching for a lost sibling. The player can choose between a male or a female version of the Traveler. As the adventure progresses, the player controls several other characters met by the Traveler on their journey, each with unique personalities and special abilities, as they undertake quests to understand the truth about the primordial gods of this world.