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Canopy Crepes!

Did I expect a new Fairgrounds game? No. No, not at all.

But let me tell you, I ADORE it! It probably won't replace G&G as my daily source of income (because G&G doesn't require as much attention), but I LOVE all the new characters, new CANON characters, they're wonderful, amazing, marvelous, and NEW ART! And what it shows of dragon society! And the background art is such a treat, too!

Furthermore... there's room for expansions. More characters. More. MOAR. HAR HAR HAR

Ahem.

New Items!

We're building a whole restaurant with these vistas!

This familiar is glorious, I love them. No notes, just marveling at the art and design. :}

Crepe Cap? Crepe Cap. Yeah, why not!

More aprons, in a variety of colors! These actually look best on dragons that turn to show their underbelly (and might be difficult to dress), like Nocturnes. And on Ridgebacks (because Ridgebacks). (No, seriously, the aprons fit them like a... glove? Eh. Speaking of! Oven mitts? Do dragons even need oven mitts? ...can we get some?)

And lastly:

"In Canopy Crepes you'll craft custom confections for a continuous cascade of colorful and occasionally cantankerous customers."

New Layout

I was prepared for change. Returning to the site shortly after the launch was rough, but upon going online the next morning (for me), I can see that a lot has been fixed already!

I have a few minor, more or less aesthetic nitpicks, like:

the top right box not containing the numbers, links, and symbols; I had hoped they would get reinstated after the response to the previews;

alert numbers being missing (though they might come back?);

the Waystone being glued to an arbitrary point somewhere on the left sidebar;

grayed-out buttons being difficult to tell from functioning ones;

alerts as a whole: can't close the menu by clicking elsewhere, new alerts being indistinguishable from older ones, the types of notifications all looking the same on the alerts page;

spacing issues;

the mixture of soft lines, hard lines, and lines being missing;

the dark themes, in their current state; I'd need one, but those two don't help me at all, personally.

But above all, I get really, really bad eye strain and headaches? The adjustments made to the forums overnight helped a little bit, but any text on-site still hurts to read. I can't quite put my finger on it; everything I want to be looking at (text, dragons,...) feels way too small, while other elements feel disproportionately large; the font sizes are all over the place and the new fonts are much less legible to me; the background feels so much brighter (even though it isn't supposed to be). I'll have to see how I fare; it was really bad yesterday and put me in some genuine distress because I couldn't do anything, let alone read forum posts, without feeling my eyes go and a headache creeping in after two minutes.

With all of that being said, massive, massive, MASSIVE props to the team, though, they've been troubleshooting and making sure the launch goes smoothly all day long. After the release of the new UI, the Vigil breed release, bot waves, etc., I hope they can treat themselves to something nice, they deserve it! ❤︎

Regular broadcast:

I was messing around with Tarnish Flecks, but I'm obviously not done scrying yet, or else I would have posted them. :P

Also, sorry for the wall of text, I wasn't actually planning to go in-depth (and I didn't even, really)? Oh well.

Got the achievement for breeding dragons 400 times!

Happy Brightshine! 🔆

Items & Genes

The audible gasp that escaped my mouth when I saw the banner! Needless to say, the familiar does it for me, and I'm excited for those that will follow. Constellations are a very reasonable choice, and I'm always up for more depictions of the deities (because I just really love their designs). What's more, getting to see actual Sornieth constellations! And space aesthetics in general, very much to my liking. The next familiar will reveal whether they'll all have a similar color scheme, or opt for color-coded accents or overall hues.

Moving on to the apparel, I simply adore the Enlightened Librarian. It's unique and has an intriguing design.

This cycle's new items: whimsies! Is that what we're going to call them? That by itself is quite amusing and, well, whimsical. I like this one a lot, it's a good alternative to auras and necklaces and will be tons of fun to play around with. The coming festivals should reveal more about them. I do have questions, though: What exactly are they? What is this creature? Where did it come from? What does it mean?

Anyway. I can't say I'm disappointed (far from it!), but I'm always craving more scenes, and I still long for elemental effects from the bottomest bottom of my heart. I'm kind of glad they're not this cycle's item because I know that many people aren't fond of them for a variety of reasons, so I hope we'll get them in an effect expansion at some point.

The Hydro Helm! A versatile recolor of a versatile item. I feel like this one could be material for fandragons.

And finally, Brightshine for Vigils (expected) and Aberrations (a surprise)! I had been hoping Thorntails would get it when they were new, although I don't really mind anymore. I think the distribution of the sparkles is fine on Vigils, but the head fans (?) could be a little bigger and look kind of awkward on the M pose in particular. They're far more interesting on all Aberration poses, flared and fish-like.

Skins

It should be plainly obvious I'm fond of Light aesthetics, so I won't dwell on that; they're all gorgeous and right up my alley.

I'm overjoyed we got three Everlux skins, one for each pose; as well as a Vigil skin, since they have a lot of catching up to do!

What's more, two Obelisk skins! I'm always struggling to find good skins for them.

Plus, catering to my favorite breeds, one for Ridgebacks and one for Sandsurge.

And ooooh, the Guardian skin!!!

AAAAH Sailfish and Marlin expansion!(!!) At this time of year, at this time of day, in this part of the country, localized- They're one of my top favorite sets of genes, + FOR MODERNS!, dear gods, I can't believe it, thank you, devs!

*composure*

Okay. I'll click through them. I'll check them out. I can do this. Ancients first, featuring my crude, high-contrast scries.

Aberrations: Beautiful, beautiful gradients on their manes. Equally gorgeous wings. The F pose is heavenly.

Aether: I'd say it doesn't floor me quite as much... but it's Sailfish/Marlin we're talking about.

Auraboa: Gah, absolutely WONDERFUL wings, and Sailfish swirling around their serpentine bodies is delightful. I love it. I need it.

Cirri: Amazing, so many details. That being said: I would've liked a bit more gradients from Marlin on the F pose's back wisps in particular.

Everlux: Oooh, my Luxes, my Luxes... <3 No surprises with the clean-cut shapes of the breed, just pure visual joy.

Gaolers: Manes, manes for miles, sooo good. And Sailfish on their fluffy tails!

Undertides: It was HIGH time for them to get these, rather obviously. Again... ooh, the gradients, save me.

Veilspun: I feel like I'm repeating myself. They're perfect. The manes. the freaking manes. The patterns. All the colors.

Oooh, I can scry any Ancient now (I mean, Banescale too, just... with different genes, for now), thank you very much. >:)

Call me the one who scries.

Bogsneaks: 10/10. 11/10. 10^10/10. Perfection. Marvelous.

Coatl: ...same. Special shout-out to the plumage on their chests/shoulders.

Fae: Also, wonderful. Could do with more gradient, though.

Fathoms: Oh gods, it's so freaking vibrant! And their faces! Just look at that pattern!

Guardians: *ring* Hello? Yes, I'd like to place an order for Guardians. | This is SO. GOOD. No words to describe it.

Imperials: OH. MY. Everything. Their manes. The genes themselves. The teeny tiny gradients.

Mirrors: By the book, but it's Sailfish/Marlin. Can't go wrong.

Nocturnes: :) ... :} ... :D The Gs! The GRADIENTS!

Obelisks: Manesmanesmanes. BUT ALSO: The transition from the wing arms into the wings is immaculate. I absolutely ADORE it. (I also think I might have spotted an inconsistency with the top layer of their mane around the jaw, but if the Marlin pattern is meant to stay, it'd be the cherry on top.)

Pearlcatchers: All of the aforementioned. Fantabulous.

Ridgebacks: Aw, my Ridgies, awww... Particular attention should be drawn to how Sailfish works on their faces. Perfect nosy bois.

Skydancers: Gradient galore, obviously. Less pattern, but eh. It's still... *drumroll* you got it, Sailfish/Marlin.

Snappers: Mmmh, yes. Why not. You get fish'd, too.

Spirals: Beautifully complex, although Sailfish's blank underbelly takes up a bit too much visual space on M Spirals for my liking.

Tundras: Both poses, absolute rainbows.

Wildclaws: As vibrant as they are on Fathoms. No complaints, only love.

No favorites this time around, I love them all too much. But I fear I might need to go on a lengthy detour to the Scrying Workshop very, very soon...

Some scries as a treat! (+ the mandatory Grapefruit Eclipse plug)

Jupiter, Saturn, Eclipse

Jupiter/Saturn was not a set I expected to see ported any time soon! I don't usually care that much for them, though I do have a G1 with Saturn and I've seen some pretty dragons sporting them.

I probably won't be seeking out Saturn on a maned breed like Aberrations (to a degree; Grapefruit doesn't leave the neck completely flat) and Gaolers in particular, and it's a little bland on Banescales, but it's kind of really, really neat on Auraboa, actually, oh my!

Jupiter, on the other hand, doesn't do Auraboa any favor, lots of flat color underbellies. It's hard to tell yet because of the (presumably) miscolored parts, but I think I dig it on Gaolers. And OH, Banescales, especially the F pose! So much depth! Oooh!

As an Eclipse enjoyer: YESSSS. For Banescales, too! Banescales with Eclipse have my heart, I adore it, it's fantastic, I need it! I also love it on Aberrations, the neck fur is so much fun. Speaking of fur, the same goes for Gaolers. Aether win as well, it fits like a glove thematically and there are so, so many fun little details!

Gryphon Friends!

GRYPHOOOONS YEAAH!

New Modern genes on a random Friday wedged between two events???

I don't really have anything to say about the individual breeds. It's a beautiful set of genes that is spread across the dragons' bodies in an engaging way; Tear in particular is gorgeous (maybe except for Veilspun and Obelisk manes, there could be more action there). And the color distribution on Ragged for F Tundras seems a little unfortunate, but I'm unsure whether it's intended.

So, here are some scries instead! Dishing out extra love for:

First things first. THE SCENE!!! HOLY MOLY! This the THE BEST ANYTHING EVERRR! I ABSOLUTELY ADORE IT! Good gods, the water, the lush greens, the soft yellow lighting, the rocks, help...

AAAAARGH I LOOOOVE THE NEW FAMILIARS! They're so full of personality, so dynamic, all the shapes!

A few quick musings about the familiars:

The Cockatrices have such a beautifully dynamic design, + bonus points for birb.

The Blazewing Croaker immediately caught my eye (colors!), I love these Croakers and enjoy the bit of lore about their vocalizations!

THE FELISLUGS! Their designs are SO creative, I adore them, everything about them...

Bosses! The Cloudriders are quite expressive, and I love the concept! Ironically, the Thundercloud Herald does NOT look angry at all.

TALONOK LORE and lovely familiars! Gosh, I love their designs.

The venue background itself is amazing, too, especially the lighting... and the water... and the mist swirling around it... and the stones, and and and-

Equally delightful: the vista!

...the tooltip for the Golden Camellia is a reference to roses in Animal Crossing, isn't it. Oh my. I can't bear seeing two of my favorite things combined like this.

Nope. These Frogfish are friends, not food. I mean, look at them! And the pins.

NEW MODERN TERT!

YESSSS!

Sadly, not a gene with accent colors, but it adds a pleasantly intricate pattern and could be a good alternative to Thylacine.

Ooooh, that reminds me. I might have to revise some of my scries. Good thing that it dropped before Light Dom!

Detailed observations:

Oh gods. It's so nice on Bogsneaks, with their fans and wings, and it even adds a pattern to the neck!

Darts on Coatl feathers is top notch, too, and especially gorgeous on the hatchling pose. Oh no.

Argh, it's perfect for Fae!

A bit mixed on Fathoms. Somewhat mangled, and lots of empty space.

I kind of like it on Guardians. It's great on their fins(?) and contours the heads nicely, but secondary genes will have to fill most of the wings.

All the spots of color it adds to the head areas! On Imperials, too. It's somewhat obscured on them, otherwise, but solid.

It flows well with the F Mirror pose.

Nah, Nocturne dragons don't really mesh well with Darts.

OH MY. It is THE Obelisk gene. The mane. Their mighty paws. The head pattern. This could save a LOT of scries.

Ooooh, I just LOVE what it does to manes. Such fierce-looking Pearlcatchers!

GAAAAAAAAAAAAAh OOOOOOOOOOO-

YES YES YES YES YESYESYESYES

ALL OF THEM. THE WHOLE RIDGEBACK FAMILY.

Oh no, it's MAGNIFICENT on Skydancers. Their feathers, the way it's distributed...

Snapper gene Snapper gene! Yes! I was waiting for this, and they delivered!

I don't like it as much on Spirals, any pose. It's doesn't fit their heads very well, and their wings are too small.

YES for Tundras, especially the M pose! Darts is a blessing for furry breeds.

It goes well with Wildclaws, too. Pointy meets pointy.

Here are some (other) personal highlights:

Fiona Additions & Jigsaws!

What a wonderful color scheme! More Boneyard, too! Awww, it's... kind of cute?

And I was able to collect the familiar straight away!