Honestly, the fact that you had to hold back Lion and make something in between like Days to further develop the characters and plot shows how much articulate care and detail you put for this mini animatic series transcends how amazing of a storyboard artist you are.
It’s incredibly interesting how Carnius controls Ash. When he makes Ash prepare to tackle Sanga he makes him crouch, resembling a lion. Instead of just making Ash run at Sanga, he degrades Ash even further by having him feel more animalistic, which mirrors how Carnius and Divinity see the Voa, as animals not people. Your attention to detail and the world you’ve built in and for these animatics is beautiful.
The fact that you were so attentive to even notice and appreciate this is amazing! And thank you for pointing out just another reason as to why they’re such a talented animator💖 all my admiration
Not to mention that I think actually getting lowered to the ground and pouncing with all 4 actually give you more powers and that will infiltrated more pain witch I thing is the result that was wanted though I may be wrong
@@RUBBER-DUCKYS There’s a lore document in the description! Give it a read bc it’s got character names but also an exploration of the magic system and just a lot of world building it’s beautiful and absolutely fascinating to read.
I love that the symbol that Divinity seems to use as their holy mark is... just... the symbol for body. It shows a lot of how twisted that group seems to be, but also shows that there has been cultural drift over time, that a group could co-opt it like that. It's a really lovely bit of world building.
It also does a wonderful job of explaining why they're able to do the magic tattoo stuff, even if they might not be well read/curious enough to actually know how magic works. If the context of "this is just a rune for channeling a kind of magic" goes, it becomes easy to see "needing it somewhere in a spell in order to do magic" as "you need to invoke OUR god for this, and we're the only ones allowed to do that" Especially since they seem to have a pretty catalogued and nailed down list of spell options.
Sorry to comment after all this time but on the paper with the two “runes” (idk if they are called something else) on it there is a secondary symbol next to them made out of thinner lines. The symbol next to the mind rune is the same symbol is on the wooden staffs when they are training at the begging. That leads me to believe that humans can use the body magic and the other creature people (idk I saw someone call the the via but I’m not 100% sure) can use the mind magic.
I love how Ashivon hit Carnius with his feeling transmission and Carnius just became numb, unable to move, whilst Ashivon was able to stand, fight, escape, resist, and build his better future. And overcome all of it.
It really shows who is the strongest ,huh, funny that the one who tortured beat and just all round killed any hope in the other is the weakest of the two.
@@insignia9325 yeah, you can see how much stronger ash is over him yet so caring even if this man made his childhood litteral hell he couldn't just let him die. Power isnt always muscle or agility is just really being able to move on from your past and try make a better future. Im getting wayyy to invested in these daym i sound smart-
The implications of Sanga and Ash as a healthy, recovering relationship between body and mind as well as the setbacks the Carbons represents is just… *chefs kiss* all the nuanced commentary
Ash crying while being forced to attack Sanga was so freaking sad. Good that our hot kickass ex-nun beat that guy into a pulp. She gotta take care of her man (and he takes care of her too).
The fact that when Ash had forced his memory into the man, it was enough to kill a normal man alone. The punches were not needed, and he knew that. Imagine killing someone with nothing but trauma that _they themselves had inflicted._
I also just flat out believe that that barrage of punches was meant to unload all of the anger and pain she felt/getting back at him for all the hurt he caused Ash. I think it just shows at the end when she's finally pulled back from the attack that she was attack him because SHE was in pain over what happened, not just to cause him pain. She collapsed in Ash's arms, and wept.
God, the numb expression on the handler's face as Sanga just beats the shit out of him was so, so much more effective than any sort of triumphant victory they could of had. Holy crap.
This series right here is such a big reason I want to be a writer. Its incredible how ToastyGlow can create such a detailed story through animation and music alone. I could only wish to compare even the slightest to this kind of story-telling. I absolutely adore these animations. The music, the characters, the art, it's so beyond incredible and I hope ToastyGlow knows how creative and incredible they are. I will most likely never forget this series and I hope I never will. It's such an inspiration to both my writing and my art.
The way the music syncs at 3:30 singing “it was not your fault but mine” as the deep emotions and past is almost pushed into the priest is not only visually pleasing but from a narrative standpoint it’s so appealing. You can feel the relief of pain and suffering being almost transferred. The fault was never on Ash.
@@EmptyFeet This was incredible and amazing work I loved everyone of these you are very talented Keep it up ❤️😍🥰 you will always have my love and support 😊
I just wanted to say that as someone who experienced religious abuse and fell in love outside of the church with someone who then gave me the courage to question my faith and leave it behind, this series has been intense and unspeakably beautiful. Aside from how it resonates with my personal history, its a fantastic story and I love the world and the characters you have brought to life. Thank you for putting this into the world. This story lives in my heart now and always.
i came from similar circumstances, and it makes me so happy to see other people connecting with this series the way i do too. thanks for sharing, i hope you and your partner are doing well :)
Similar background here too, though in my case I wasn't aware of just how bad their teachings really were until fairly recently. Just that I was unhappy. So how these videos have evolved... back from when the series began to this entry now, it really hits different and I couldn't have more praise for them. And I hope that everyone who has walked away can find the support they need to stay away and heal
My gosh!! It absolutely breaks my heart that as soon as dickwad appears Sanga just *instinctively* covers the remainder of her tattoo, even though it’s already covered, she just... *knows.* There’s *so* many details in all of the animatics, and I’m honestly crying right now about how fleshed out and amazing this story is, I can feel these characters. I only aspire to be as amazing as you one day, I mean, hell, consider this my love letter to you for everything that you produce because it. Is. All. Amazing. Truthfully. From the depths of my heart.
Knowing what happened **after** Ash refused to kill a child makes his first embrace with Sanga (in part 1) even more heart-rending. So vulnerable, so broken, so helpless, oh my gods. Watching part 1 now is even more crushing.
This looks fantastic and adds so much depth to the magic system introduced in Church. I'm so excited to finally see it and I want to thank you for working so hard to make these lovely things for us. Thank you!
That handler dude just got hit with a consequences of his actions speed-run O.O But honestly what a stellar chapter of this story, it was an emotional whirlwind that hit me hard, absolutely amazing work as always Toasty!
I’m proud of Ash for severing the connection and building himself a new way of expressing his emotions. 10/10 best way to finally start his healing process. Hopefully now his old handler will try to look at things in a different light or at least try to understand. Either way, I am hopeful for their future
OH BOY I love how the dance scene is a parallele to CHURCH when Sanga teaches Ashivon how to fight and they mirror each other's movements, but now it's Ash teaching Sanga the same way but this time it's to dance and be happy! And they finally get to touch and hold each other where in the first one there was prison bars between them, love the evolution!
This was beyond beautiful. Ash forcing his warden to relive his pain instead of killing him was such an amazing story telling device. It shows how much ash is done with causing pain. Just...wow.
A list of incredibly satisfying moments: -return to present when the song vocals starts -sanga and ash sparring to the music -running to the fast instrumentals -the entire dance, let's be real -ash screaming to the the music before pouncing -sanga's kick ehehe -the mind magic hit on carnius in time with the music beat I realize that's most of the video but honestly I can't get over how good the timing is!!
Watching this back for the millionth time, can I just say how much I love everyone in live chat going absolutely FERAL over this? Masterpiece. *chef’s kiss*
The fact that I’m so invested in this that I’m fr crying over this. You did so well showing how ptsd affects daily life, you can have good moments and bad, you can hurt so bad sometimes and it takes time to grow but when you finally do it feels so good. You can be loved again and you are worthy, your past doesn’t define you and growth is possible. These animatics are so beautiful thank you for blessing my day.
the moment carnius was controlling Ash and attacking Sanga i was legit shriveling up in my seat saying 'oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck' over and over again and almost cried
Honestly the magic that was used was cleverly done. It was established that the mark on his arm controlled him, and it was seen when he touched the symbol for "mind" while probably having ptsd sadness, someone else started to cry and he noticed. When he was broken free of control he used that power to show the jackass controlling him how he felt, and honestly, I hope said jackass realises the harm that "church" did (it seems kindof like a cult to me tbh) and not only improves, but maybe even befriends the two, because sometimes the closest friends are the ones who realised they did wrong and fixed it. Hell, I was bullied heavily throughout my entire schooling, and one of the bullies became my closest friend because they realised they were being a jackass and stopped and fixed it. Thats also why I think Ash stopped her from beating the jackass, because he just now was seeing the consequences of his actions and that was punishment enough, he could hopefully change for the better and maybe even expose/help Ash or someone else take it down
I don't personally agree with the "everyone redeemed" mindset, this guy should NOT become friends with these two! He tortured Ash his entire life without remorse. Just like sanga he could have chosen to help but he abused him instead. Yeah sure there could be circumstances forcing him to "behave properly" and stay in line such as family or something, which is why he had to do his job, but that doesn't change the fact he did awful things and Ash will always have suffered at his hand. He is traumatised by him! How could you ever be friends with your abuser? No no no. Wrong message entirely if you ask me
@@mimthyss I mostly agree with you, those are good points. I dont think Sanga would forgive (ony reason I think Ash would is because of how god damn kind he is) but my reasons for him redeeming himself are based on personal expirience The first of my reasons: when you are raised a specific way, you dont realise how horrible it is. From what I see, the "church" thinks of Ash's people as basically animals that are dangerous. If you are raised in a place that abuses animals, you may not realise how bad it is. Second; often its hard, or even nearly impossible to see how bad a religion/cult is until you leave it. I was raised in a religion and after I left I saw how bad and harmful it is Third; its much easier to change for the better when you see how your actions negatively effect others. I myself did a horrid thing to someone in the past. I dont expect them to forgive me, and i hate that i did that thing, but I am glad that i have never done it since. Fourth; i think that he could help destroy that church more than Sanga could. Sanga had a really public escape from the church, this guy didnt. For all the church knows, hes the same person, so he could expose its harmful ways easier To wrap up in a way that changed because of your comment, I think that he should be redeemed because he felt how his actions traumatized someone, and although Sanga and maybe Ash wouldnt forgive him, hopefully he helps them bring the church down
@@aprilmay3302 although I agree with your points that he would be USEFUL to them in terms of his position and inside information, sort of like a spy, and him seeing first hand how his actions have hurt him (even though that is so blatantly obvious, like, "I made this guy against his will murder a child as well as many other people and if he disobeyed i tortured him over and over again, but I'm sure he didn't mind".. no. Like lol. No) No matter how manipulative, how sticky the situation, and all that about cults and stuff, he should have KNOWN how bad it was regardless. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out he was hurting him, even if he thought it was ok. Now I agree its important he felt the extent of ash's trauma like that, but that doesn't mean he has to be redeemed!!!! There's a vast difference between doing one awful thing in your life like you said you did, and never doing it again, and constantly day in day out being a vile, awful human being, you know??? He doesn't deserve redemption as this suggests forgiveness. No abuser has to be forgiven under any circumstances, no matter how much they may change for the better and regret their actions, no matter why they did it in the first place. I don't mind if he contributes and helps them out, but there should definitely not be any speck of forgiveness or redemption for him from those two. I just hate the expectation on victims to forgive those who wronged them for the sake of forgiving, and "redeem" them. Not everybody has to be redeemable. Some people are just awful. Expecting an abuser to be redeemed is just unfair if you ask me. Like, if anybody no matter how awful can just be forgiven for their past actions, isn't that saying "hey, do whatever messed up stuff you want because you'll be forgiven later on anyway as long as you realise you hurt them"? That's a bad message in my opinion. I respect that you have your own take on it, but I really can't budge on the fact that redeeming somebody that's been so terrible doesn't sit right with me. Especially expecting redemption to come from the victim and a secondhand victim who bore witness to all the abuse and sick, twisted stuff he put Ash through. Bad people don't always have to secretly be good at heart with tragic backstories and reasons, lol, and certainly not everyone in real life is deserving of redemption. So why should every villain in fiction be redeemable? Sorry, I just don't agree haha. No disrespect intended at all, I just feel quite passionately about it.. forgiveness isn't a must, but if Ash chooses to, then that's ok too.
@@mimthyss that makes total sense to me, I get that 100%. I dont disagree, even though i dont fully agree, but I do think that you have extremely valid points, he shouldnt be forgiven, even if he does "befrend" (used loosly) Ash and Sanga
Redemption is a tricky concept, especially when it comes to someone who's committed as heinous actions as Carnius. However, i don't think it's completely impossible for him to become a better person after an experience like that. If his character were to disappear from the plot after this, he would still have been well-written and served his purpose. But in another scenario, wherein if were to realize through feeling everything Ash felt how horrible the church was and work to fight against it, that would honestly be one hell of an interesting character arc. It would take a static antagonist and turn them into a complex person who displays the damages of cult indoctrination and show that it's still possible for a terrifying, malicious person to learn and change. The one thing i would disagree on though is having Ash and Sanga befriend or forgive him. Even if he were to change and become a better person, it doesn't change the fact that he deeply and irreversibly traumatized both of them. You can see from their reactions to him in the animatic how much damage he did. Ash can't spar with Sanga without having flashbacks of being tortured by Carnius, and immediately starts hyperventilating when he sees his face again. Sanga is so filled with rage and grief toward the end of the animatic that she loses her entire composure and just keeps punching him over and over, and probably would have killed him if Ash hadn't stopped her. At this point it seems too far-fetched that they could ever have something resembling a positive relationship with Carnius. Plus, let's be honest here, the guy definitely doesn't deserve any semblance of forgiveness from either of them after what he did, and the two of them have the absolute right to never want anything to do with him. What is not far-fetched, though, is an actual, possible chance for Carnius to realize his past actions and actually work toward redemption. Honestly, this animatic could work as a setup for it. It establishes him as an individual character and not just a faceless past villain, giving a name and a face to one of the monks that were so prominent in the church. It puts him in an individual setting, taking him outside the church and all the way into Ash and Sanga's new home, which is a good way to set him on his own path (preferably somewhere else that is not the home of the people he tortured) . And finally, it gives the perfect opportunity for an "oh shit, what i did was really fucked up, actually," moment by literally having him experience all of the pain he inflicted firsthand. This is genuinely a pretty good setup for an individual character arc for him, perhaps even a redemption. I myself am pretty interested in seeing if his character goes somewhere after this. I'm definitely not opposed to a redemption arc for Carnius, I just think that redemption needs to happen as far away from Ash and Sanga as possible. A character (or any real person) doesn't require the friendship or forgiveness of the people they hurt in order to be better, they just need to make an effort. Carnius could become a pretty kickass character if he's willing to learn from this experience and he works to fight back against the church. It would also put the actual responsibility of fighting against it onto someone who was complicit in it's system, rather than Ash and Sanga, who were victims.
your expressions are so phenomenal. the blatant pain on ashivon's face when experiencing his flashbacks, sanga's grief and stress and the way she clutches at her chest, carnius's rage and then his wide-eyed, blank shock and slack mouth... you convey desperation in all its forms so beautifully, not just in expressions but in body language and in movement. i can feel the tension, so palpable you could cut it with a knife. also i love how ashivon's lines grey out with every flash of flashback. it looks like how disconnect from reality tends to feel, like you're not on the same layer as everything else, conveyed just by value change! that's so good! it's wonderful. your work is wonderful.
I agree! I LOVED the expressions in this whole series. Just found this on UA-cam and I love it! 💗 This conveys more emotion in a handful of minutes than many full-length movies do. Bravo to the creator!
Very well said! Every facial feature is given life and detail with these animatics, and it plays out each scene with an intense emotion that's often not given as much thought or attention in other works.
100% agreed. Also, many frames have very rough lines while other frames are packed with harmonizing detail. It really develops speed and motion with rough lines, detailed sections feel like Ash wants to treasure and never forget them. Make every detail of this scene become an inseperable part of him. (see DAYS. He's learned to live there, and it is precious to him. You feel that every second.) And oh god, the expressions... They seem to change the characters entirely, but knowing the story up to each point makes them so right and fitting for the character's mentalities. Ash was treated like a monster, like a ferocious animal. His flashbacks temporarily brought him back to this, but this is no longer him and it feels wrong and alien. After scratching through his executioner seal, he could have killed Carnius just like he did kill the people marked as murderers. But he became a little nerd that read scrolls and books when reality and memories were too much to bear, he learned that he could use the same source of power as the monks - at least in a way - and he gave him a taste of his own medicine. But unlike what the monks wanted him to be, he is no bloodthirsty monster, killing and violence brings him no joy, and he doesn't want others to delve into this backflash-solitute aswell... Rage doesn't set things right, so there is no gain in losing yourself in it. Maybe I'm over interpreting this a little... But I tend to do that even with my own drawings and characters... Guess I'm just in love with twisted stories ☺
Wow, this series has really one of the most emotional pieces of media I've ever had the pleasure of watching. Words can not describe how you capture emotion, story, expressions, and timing so well. I totally did not tear up. Please keep up the amazing job I look forward to more amazing works of art from you! :,)
This section of the story is just so intense, and I'll admit that I've watched more than once when I need a good cry. The emotional capacity of this one is immense, and I can never watch it through without my eyes getting teary. Beautiful, masterful, and deeply emotional. This specific part of their journey is just so important to me
i love how as sanga beats an immobilised carnius to a pulp, the background is white, but when ashivon stops her, her surroundings slowly fade back in, showing how her rage blocked out everything else.
OH MY GOD OH MY GOD PLEASE THIS WAS SO FUCKING INCREDIBLE THE MAGIC SYSTEM AND THE MEMORIES BEING SHATTERED INTO HIM AND THE WAY HE WAS CRYING IM !!!!!!!!
lately i am absolutely OBSESSED with the moment where ash wraps his arms around sanga when shes punching carnius, sanga's expressions and the way you moved her shoulders to express her breathing heavily,,,, its all just *chef kiss*
On the one hand, I didn't want to go on because the last chapter was just brilliantly finished. But on the other hand, I am so glad that there is a continuation, and the author decided to show that wounds do not heal quickly. Healing requires the care of loved ones, their understanding and, of course, time. In general, the author is well done.
I like the exact moment Ash hits Carnius with what Ash has been through, it's a very powerful moment. Carnius lacks any empathy right until he feels the unbridled emotion of years upon years of nothing but pain, pain that not only he caused but can't even hold himself up to accept. I'm hoping that Carnius will at least learn from this, if not, be punished justly for everything he did. I've been watching the series since I saw Church, back when it was the only storyboard/pictureshow/animatic. I now have a couple more good songs in my expanding repertoire of music thanks to Toasty. If I had the money to be a patron I would have done it already, seriously go support ToastyGlow if you can. It's going to be a long but well worth wait until the next installment to the series.
Also, that kid (the one to be executed) is SO MUCH smaller and younger than I realized! I get that Ashivon is taller than humans, but that side-on shot of the two of them staring at each other makes the whole situation SO much worse!
These animatics are wonderful and beautiful. The way you’ve found music from such disparate genres that tell such a vivid tale. And this tale showing such passion and fear, how deep scars run and the paranoia from repeated trauma. It’s because of you and other talented story tellers that we can live vicariously through these cathartic traumas and victories. Thank you for pouring out your soul for your passion and imagination.
There's like a lot of profound comments here about the story and character development and then there's just me sobbing throughout this series for so many different reasons
I love the fact that when Ashvion was being controlled by Carnius that instead of Sanga trying to stop him by fighting with him she went for Carnius instead, it's really sweet to know that they would never willingly hurt each other
me: oh boy new escape from divinity!! my brain: wait didn't toasty warn us that this next part was gonna be sad me, gleefully mashing go: hell YES they did
You have such an amazing way in telling your story. Each song replaces any need for dialogue so seamlessly that you can get lost in the video and feel how each character feels. You forever have my respect for what you do. And my appreciation for sharing it with everyone.
3:32 my favorite moment in this animation, imagine Putting all the emotions and trauma that you”ve been carrying and having the person who caused your suffering to feel it all in the matter of few seconds. And at 3:42 seeing him practically become comatose at his own karma is just poetic
I absolutely love how the song works from Ash's, Sanga's, AND Carnius' perspectives. Seriously Toasty is a god of both animation and musical storytelling.
Can I just say something that I haven't seen in the comments yet: I LOVE LOVE LOVE that Sanga has armpit hair! I understand it is a preference, but I absolutely adore seeing women with body hair beginning to be normalized in media because it is NATURAL for humans (male and female) to have body hair! I also love her strong presence and how much she cares for Ash. Keep up the AMAZING work, TG!
It’s such a small detail but it’s appreciated by a lot of people. She is beautiful as she is, and if it’s her choice not to change that then it should be just as celebrated as those who do.
Ikrrrr!!!!! She doesn’t look any less amazing than she would if she had no armpit hair! She’s so cool and buff and do I have a crush on a character in an animatic? Yes.
i love the fact that despite all the abuse the handler gave ashivon, instead of reacting violently, he made the man feel and see all the pain he went through mentally. And even stopped sanga when she started wailing on the guy.
The power and clear movement in your animations makes the actions and impacts on characters so real and physical in a way I just can't describe properly through words alone. There were moments where I felt as though I could really FEEL something happen to a character, especially in your combat sequences. Astounding as ever!
exactly!! the sense of volume and weight adds soooo much to these animations, its truly amazing. toasty is one of the best animators ive seen on social media
I just watched all parts again and it is an emotional rollercoaster. First the fascination and the anger, the pain and the process of healing. Then joy and love. And then the flashbacks and the realization, that its not over. The Anger and how tired of fighting Ash actually was. Jesus Christ, this series had me tearing up, then laughing, then crying and smiling at the same time. Everything about this is amazing, the feelings, your stile, the music you picked out. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!!
That last scene really said 'hey I'm gonna fuck you up with feelings' huh? The retribution yet lack of satisfaction of forcing an abuser to feel your pain. The rage of wanting to protect a someone, the willingness to kill for someone you love, that moment of 'please stop. its over. its over. its okay now. please. I'm here.' like FUCK every one of these have slapped me in the face with emotions but this one really made my heart swell with some kinda something. I wanna say I can't wait to see whats next, but I can because I know you will take the time you need to making it fucking amazing. 1-2 years is a wait but I can just rewatch the other parts over and over again in the meantime. The world you've created here grips in a way very few things do these days. I love them. I love you. Thanks.
This.. really hit me in a way I never considered. Long I've fantasized about getting back at my abuser the way they got me. Taking away their power the way they took mine. So when Ash used priests power against him, I expected him to.. yknow, USE it against him. But instead of doing that, he took the opportunity to make him see things from his point of view. And.. deep down, that's really what I've wanted this whole time. Brilliant work as always Toast
I love love love that when we first meet them, sanga is a trained fighter but was USED as a healer, where as Ash was used as a killing machine and now they are both on the opposite ends of the spectrum. Ash used his claws before now he defends himself using his palm to finish the guy off and sanga went from healing to a bulked up brawler who will not hesitate. Seeing them grow is amazing 👏
I don't know if it was intentional or not, but I really like how throughout this entire setting, Divinity power has been shown through pure white against dark scenes (I assume to make it glow more) And then when Sanga is beating Carnius' ass, her entire background is bright, pure white that fades into a grey background when she settles down, suggesting that her rage against him is holy. I love it!
I’m happy this turned into a series as I remember when it wasn’t called “escape from divinity” and just a random amazing video on UA-cam that I loved to watch because it made me want to become a animator tho I never chose the route but still love the work 12/10
God I love when the handler just got bitch slapped. And the fact he was unable to cope with all the images that flashed before his eyes - of things *he* did - I can bet he just gave up. And the song at that very moment where it says "But it is not your fault but mine" Kinda shows how the handler saw his angry lashouts as disobedience rather then protecting himself from the abusive church. Or to be short- He done fucked up. But lord do I love that scene. The Emotional build-up was just- **mwah** chief's kiss.
I've started reading ur lore doc more and good GOD now i know what happened to that child in the arena. After the mind control, they probably did a last-minute summoning with the child's body for a new executioner candidate. Toastyglow you sly dog
As terrible as it seems, but I’ve been curious since Church to find out how the boy was killed. Whether the Divinity had beaten Ash until he killed the boy or if the Divinity had killed the boy during/after beating Ash. You’ve selected an option I was not aware of and is somehow even more heartbreaking. Thanks for that. In any case, once again beautiful work, story/art/choice of music I literally cannot listen to any of these songs anymore without seeing your characters. Also, perhaps less sad note, did Sanga try to use magic again?
I understand honestly!! I think a lot of people have wanted clarity on that scene since Part 1 so I'm really glad I could dig back into it, awful as it is. thanks so much! also YES, sanga's magic is weak thanks to the scars over her tattoos, and she prefers not to use it for (I think?) obvious reasons, but she did try to make a light staff! desperate times, desperate measures
As someone who did martial arts for a long time, some instinctive reactions are hard to unlearn or retrain. When confronted with such an intense moment and flashbacks to her past appearing before her, I wouldnt be surprised if she tried to summon the staff on instinct without thought.
@@EmptyFeet One question. I read wordbulding document and I know that church use special ink so there's tatus have power. Why main character was able to use magic making not perfect shape and using only blood? His race is atoned to mind magic so maybe blood is magical enough to work as magical ink but then humans should be able to do the same since there race is atoned to body magic. Or church use ink mixed with blood so tatus remain for a long time and blood wodl work as short time solution?
@@wikimody5013 My thought was that humans CAN do the same, but it's inefficient to paint it on yourself with blood--and Divinity keeps it a secret because they want people to believe only they can use magic with their special tattoos.
@@EmptyFeet Thanks for answering. Can I ask 2 more things? First in church there is somone on that great glass painting (I don't know a word) that they smashed to escape. This person had additional circle around symbol of the body. What that means? 2 thing is if mind magic without additional symbols lets you transfer memories what abilities of body magic are dependent on symbols (like ones around hands) an what are gained joust by having main symbol.
The visual storytelling in all of these is SOOOOO good but this one I feel is just even more so, you definitely know how to hit someone hard right in the feels and in just 4 min
I have to come back to this series every time I hear this song. I love at the beginning how Sanga can immediately tell that Ash isn’t okay once they start sparring. She looks caught between stopping and respecting Ash’s choice to join in. I’ve been a fan of yours for almost ten years now (wow) and you’ve always been a huge inspiration for improving my drawing skills and I’m obsessed with your talent for visual storytelling! I’ve always really struggled to pick up on sub tones and stuff in film (which gets discouraging sometimes because I really want to be a filmmaker someday) but you somehow make everything so crystal clear while being incredibly subtle at the same time! I aspire to be able to do that someday, too
Is it mercy? Or is it that he doesn't want Sanga to know the pain that comes with killing someone, even someone as loathsome as Carnius? Dun dun DUNNNN
Conflicted between “I don’t deserve to breathe the same air as this perfection” and “Toasty why would you hurt me this way” Either way, great animation and I desperately need to get back into the lore
I remember being outstanded when the first part came out and joining you, waiting for the next parts to be realised (And them being even better than what I imagined) this whole journey has been a treat and I'm ever waiting your next upload! I will be heart broken when this series comes to an end but I wouldn't change it for the world. Thank you so much
It's been several years and I keep coming back on a regular basic and re-watching the series over and over. Had half of my animation class watch it, 'cause I think it's absolutely a must see. The story telling is incredible and I could praise it for a long time, but I'm absolutely in love with a style and the visuals of the world. It's so vast and beautiful it takes my breath away every time. Really waiting for the next part and preparing to be emotionally destroyed again
I swear, the amount of detail you put in each of these is astounding, the reference to the first video's training sequence at 2:05 absolutely killed me. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seemed like Sanga didn't know about the control magic before this happened? Her face told me that she was piecing it all together as she was dodging Ash's attacks
aah thanks so much! I can absolutely see it reading that way, I'm trying to remember what my thought process was exactly? I'd guess probably she was vaguely aware of it, but might never have seen it in action before? I imagine they didn't use it often, so it would be more of a "oh wait shit it's That Thing", but still deffo with the element of putting it together.
@@EmptyFeet I had been wondering if Sanga’s duties mostly kept her out of the arena, so she wouldn’t have seen most of Ash’s kills or the mind control. Seems like a Church built on strict delineation of duties and privileges, one on which you don’t go where you’re not invited or allowed.
@@happynaturalist1793 I could absolutely see that! I think I've drawn some nuns and monks in the crowd before, but keeping Sanga away from the arena would be very helpful plotwise for sure...might have to make it canon retroactively lol
Watching inst enough- I need to inject this entire series into my veins. I don't even remember how many times I've watched this over, I've studied almost every frame and still find something new on every rewatch. IM OBSESSED!!! I hope nothing but success for you cause this is- WOW
I think I’ve said this before, but this story has gripped my attention 100%. I love the characters, the story, everything about this. The animation is chefs kiss. Can’t wait to see what happens next :]
It's not often that art genuinely makes my heart race, but this and part 1 definitely did. It's absolutely gorgeous and honestly it's just so amazing that you conceptualized and brought such a compelling and emotional story to life with your art!!! Your work genuinely inspires me to do the same.
this and Days were just a glorious two-punch combo, and i can't tell you how wonderful it has been to witness the process. beautiful work, as always, toasty! thank you so much!
I love this series so much, it has inspired me so much in my own stories, and I can’t wait for the next part to come out! Take your time. It’s worth the wait 100%. ❤️
I’ve always loved your song choices for this story- always so fitting and heartfelt. Ushering the story along without dialogue just visual storytelling and powerful melodies. The dance scene here is absolutely beautiful.. I was in awe. My, the way you capture feelings and emotions is an inspiring feat. And the way the dance turned into a fight got my heart racing! Thank you for sharing this story with us. Keep up the amazing work, it’s really incredible.
That was smart. He used the mind glyph and showed him how he felt. When he did the guard was so overwhelmed he lost all the will to fight. I wonder if that will come in handy later.
On one hand that makes me think he's going to get a redemption arc and be that person on the inside of the church to act as a spy or something, but on the other hand people generally don't like redemption arcs when it comes to characters like him.
I have a feeling he's just going to get sent back with his hands between his knees and Ash is going to start learning nun magic. Maybe climatic battle with demon mage and warrior girlfriend against an army at one point? Considering how the videos are set up and how many are left... I dont have highish hopes, but chances aren't at zero.
@@thrallath Personally I hope he is redeemed, not as a spy but just accepts that the church was wrong and leaves. As for the couple I'm hoping they use the mind glyph to show the church and others their point of view and everyone accepts them as people rather than monsters.
Wow. I'm don't even know what to say. This animation has absolutely blown me away. The art, the story and how everything fits the song, the detail - just everything about this was perfect. Thank you so much for your work Toasty, you are unbelievably talented 🧡
The way you portray trauma memories, the PANG, the horrendous electric feeling. As someone with fresh trauma, you did an amazing job visualizing it and how it feels to work through and even somewhat overcome
Oh my god wow! I didn’t expect it to be released so soon after part 3! 1. I am so happy you are working so hard with this series, you must be so passionate about it and that is amazing! 2. Please don’t overwork yourself! It would be terrible for you to suffer from burnout or something! I hope you are taking breaks and everything
Gosh I haven't enjoyed something this much in ages, I love this one as much as part 1 which is really saying something, your storytelling is so good I feel so much for these characters
The .pdf of EfD art I made while working on LION is finally here! You can pick it up for $2 (or pwyw) on gumroad: toastyhat.gumroad.com/l/efd-weep
En serio!!! Muchas gracias!!! Me encanto la animación por completo, es una belleza y muy buena continuación de la historia!!!!!
🇲🇽❤️❤️❤️🤟🤟🤟
This is incredible keep it up
@@BLOODSTONE2138 pp0pp0pp0p0p
@@BUGGG_1 ?????? What mi friend?
@@BLOODSTONE2138 omg sorry
My cat stepped on my phone while i was letting the song play 😳
"wow, has sanga been working out" yes. she is a jock and ash is her nerd boyfriend.
Damn straight!
Perfectly balanced, as all things should be.
Love that combo. :)
the undercut with the shaved designs... how could you have created such a hot character 🥺
I was literally thinking that lol, how cool! Thought maybe I was imagining things
Sanga: Mess with my man, catch these hands.
no she beat his ass!
Talk to me I talk back incarnate
Sanga is a role model 😌
Talk to the hand✋
Oh no sorry
To the fist
Lmao
Honestly, the fact that you had to hold back Lion and make something in between like Days to further develop the characters and plot shows how much articulate care and detail you put for this mini animatic series transcends how amazing of a storyboard artist you are.
🙃
It’s incredibly interesting how Carnius controls Ash. When he makes Ash prepare to tackle Sanga he makes him crouch, resembling a lion. Instead of just making Ash run at Sanga, he degrades Ash even further by having him feel more animalistic, which mirrors how Carnius and Divinity see the Voa, as animals not people. Your attention to detail and the world you’ve built in and for these animatics is beautiful.
The fact that you were so attentive to even notice and appreciate this is amazing! And thank you for pointing out just another reason as to why they’re such a talented animator💖 all my admiration
Not to mention that I think actually getting lowered to the ground and pouncing with all 4 actually give you more powers and that will infiltrated more pain witch I thing is the result that was wanted though I may be wrong
Especially since we've seen Voa scampering a little for fun. Compared to that, it's blindingly obvious that Ash is Not Having Fun.
wait how do you know their names is there an actual show or something?
@@RUBBER-DUCKYS There’s a lore document in the description! Give it a read bc it’s got character names but also an exploration of the magic system and just a lot of world building it’s beautiful and absolutely fascinating to read.
I love that the symbol that Divinity seems to use as their holy mark is... just... the symbol for body. It shows a lot of how twisted that group seems to be, but also shows that there has been cultural drift over time, that a group could co-opt it like that. It's a really lovely bit of world building.
It also does a wonderful job of explaining why they're able to do the magic tattoo stuff, even if they might not be well read/curious enough to actually know how magic works.
If the context of "this is just a rune for channeling a kind of magic" goes, it becomes easy to see "needing it somewhere in a spell in order to do magic" as "you need to invoke OUR god for this, and we're the only ones allowed to do that"
Especially since they seem to have a pretty catalogued and nailed down list of spell options.
Sorry to comment after all this time but on the paper with the two “runes” (idk if they are called something else) on it there is a secondary symbol next to them made out of thinner lines. The symbol next to the mind rune is the same symbol is on the wooden staffs when they are training at the begging.
That leads me to believe that humans can use the body magic and the other creature people (idk I saw someone call the the via but I’m not 100% sure) can use the mind magic.
@@Honest_Abe1yep!
That's pretty explicitly confirmed in the worldbuilding doc, but good job picking it up
I love how Ashivon hit Carnius with his feeling transmission and Carnius just became numb, unable to move, whilst Ashivon was able to stand, fight, escape, resist, and build his better future. And overcome all of it.
To be fair Ashivon had time to process his trauma. Carnius just got it all at once.
It really shows who is the strongest ,huh, funny that the one who tortured beat and just all round killed any hope in the other is the weakest of the two.
@@icywolf1012 and still Ash didn't want him dead.
@@insignia9325 yeah, you can see how much stronger ash is over him yet so caring even if this man made his childhood litteral hell he couldn't just let him die. Power isnt always muscle or agility is just really being able to move on from your past and try make a better future.
Im getting wayyy to invested in these daym i sound smart-
@@jack727dave5 yea, but even so
The smack of "feel everything negative you've ever inflicted on me" is the biggest power move, and the best revenge
Honestly one of my favorite magical abilities in fiction. Especially in the hands of someone who has gone through a lot of trauma (e.g. Ash)
Ghost Rider's Penance Stare < Ash's "Feel my pain"
And he still got FUCKED UP
Ashivon cast inflict PTSD, nat 20
Eragon does something similar, if I recall!
The catatonic look on the dude's face after feeling EVERYTHING Ash has ever felt. Damn.
Carnius did deserve that, very much
The implications of Sanga and Ash as a healthy, recovering relationship between body and mind as well as the setbacks the Carbons represents is just… *chefs kiss* all the nuanced commentary
Holy crap I DIDNT EVEN NOT ICE THAT.
Omgggggg SO GOOODD
Okay I absolutely love how he attacked his attacker with his own trauma, showing him the extreme pain he caused him thought the years!
Karma came back with holy water the Bible and the entire nuclear payload of earth
@@Rhino-Prime xD right?
Ash crying while being forced to attack Sanga was so freaking sad. Good that our hot kickass ex-nun beat that guy into a pulp. She gotta take care of her man (and he takes care of her too).
The fact that when Ash had forced his memory into the man, it was enough to kill a normal man alone. The punches were not needed, and he knew that. Imagine killing someone with nothing but trauma that _they themselves had inflicted._
i gotta say it now... but it was the Uno reverse card of the century
So, It is confirmed that he died???
@@kayeleesabey8325 IIRC Toasty said that Carnius isn't dead. Just traumatized and badly beaten. Basically catatonic from shock, I think.
He is not death just traumatized
I also just flat out believe that that barrage of punches was meant to unload all of the anger and pain she felt/getting back at him for all the hurt he caused Ash. I think it just shows at the end when she's finally pulled back from the attack that she was attack him because SHE was in pain over what happened, not just to cause him pain. She collapsed in Ash's arms, and wept.
God, the numb expression on the handler's face as Sanga just beats the shit out of him was so, so much more effective than any sort of triumphant victory they could of had. Holy crap.
This series right here is such a big reason I want to be a writer. Its incredible how ToastyGlow can create such a detailed story through animation and music alone. I could only wish to compare even the slightest to this kind of story-telling. I absolutely adore these animations. The music, the characters, the art, it's so beyond incredible and I hope ToastyGlow knows how creative and incredible they are. I will most likely never forget this series and I hope I never will. It's such an inspiration to both my writing and my art.
I feel the exact same way! Except I'd like to be an animator ;-;
The way the music syncs at 3:30 singing “it was not your fault but mine” as the deep emotions and past is almost pushed into the priest is not only visually pleasing but from a narrative standpoint it’s so appealing. You can feel the relief of pain and suffering being almost transferred. The fault was never on Ash.
Honestly I’m really impressed this was held back for story reasons. All this work and not being able to show it for so long!!!
IT WAS EXTREMELY PAINFUL THANK YOU FOR RECOGNIZING THIS A;SDLKFJ
@@EmptyFeet This was incredible and amazing work I loved everyone of these you are very talented Keep it up ❤️😍🥰 you will always have my love and support 😊
Aaaaaaa. So fucking done good
I just wanted to say that as someone who experienced religious abuse and fell in love outside of the church with someone who then gave me the courage to question my faith and leave it behind, this series has been intense and unspeakably beautiful. Aside from how it resonates with my personal history, its a fantastic story and I love the world and the characters you have brought to life. Thank you for putting this into the world. This story lives in my heart now and always.
from the bottom of my heart, thank you--this is really humbling to hear. I'm glad it resonates in a meaningful way!
i came from similar circumstances, and it makes me so happy to see other people connecting with this series the way i do too. thanks for sharing, i hope you and your partner are doing well :)
Similar background here too, though in my case I wasn't aware of just how bad their teachings really were until fairly recently. Just that I was unhappy. So how these videos have evolved... back from when the series began to this entry now, it really hits different and I couldn't have more praise for them.
And I hope that everyone who has walked away can find the support they need to stay away and heal
Sangha: stronk gf
Ashi: cottagecore bebi
Both of my types, in a beautiful relationship together. I am very very bi and very very lonely :,)
@@sneakysnek572 so… your bi-yourself
@@disappointingpotato7660 damn you didn't had to fucking murder peep
@@justanothercomment damn you beat me to it. waa waa waaaa.
toastyglow did say that Sanga was a jock and Ash was her nerd boyfriend so yee
My gosh!! It absolutely breaks my heart that as soon as dickwad appears Sanga just *instinctively* covers the remainder of her tattoo, even though it’s already covered, she just... *knows.*
There’s *so* many details in all of the animatics, and I’m honestly crying right now about how fleshed out and amazing this story is, I can feel these characters.
I only aspire to be as amazing as you one day,
I mean, hell, consider this my love letter to you for everything that you produce because it. Is. All. Amazing. Truthfully. From the depths of my heart.
Hehe.. dickwad XD
I'm sorry
Part 3 was so nice and sweet, I should've braced myself for the absolute sucker punch that part 4 would be
Knowing what happened **after** Ash refused to kill a child makes his first embrace with Sanga (in part 1) even more heart-rending. So vulnerable, so broken, so helpless, oh my gods. Watching part 1 now is even more crushing.
I'm fucking tearbending right now
@@dumpsterDeity I know I know! Gods it’s so good and so painful
This looks fantastic and adds so much depth to the magic system introduced in Church. I'm so excited to finally see it and I want to thank you for working so hard to make these lovely things for us. Thank you!
thank YOU!!! ^O^/
That handler dude just got hit with a consequences of his actions speed-run O.O
But honestly what a stellar chapter of this story, it was an emotional whirlwind that hit me hard, absolutely amazing work as always Toasty!
**dream speed run music plays**
I’m proud of Ash for severing the connection and building himself a new way of expressing his emotions. 10/10 best way to finally start his healing process. Hopefully now his old handler will try to look at things in a different light or at least try to understand. Either way, I am hopeful for their future
One of my favorite forms of punishment is forcing the bad guy to experience all the pain they imposed on others.
OH BOY I love how the dance scene is a parallele to CHURCH when Sanga teaches Ashivon how to fight and they mirror each other's movements, but now it's Ash teaching Sanga the same way but this time it's to dance and be happy! And they finally get to touch and hold each other where in the first one there was prison bars between them, love the evolution!
This was beyond beautiful. Ash forcing his warden to relive his pain instead of killing him was such an amazing story telling device. It shows how much ash is done with causing pain. Just...wow.
“Ash is done with causing pain”
Ohhh THAT’S why he stopped her. And why he preferred the dance.
A list of incredibly satisfying moments:
-return to present when the song vocals starts
-sanga and ash sparring to the music
-running to the fast instrumentals
-the entire dance, let's be real
-ash screaming to the the music before pouncing
-sanga's kick ehehe
-the mind magic hit on carnius in time with the music beat
I realize that's most of the video but honestly I can't get over how good the timing is!!
aaahhh salomé thanks so much!! I'm a firm believer in the power of proper timing a;sldkfj
Watching this back for the millionth time, can I just say how much I love everyone in live chat going absolutely FERAL over this? Masterpiece. *chef’s kiss*
Oh yeah absolutely! I watched it again with live chat, amazing
The fact that I’m so invested in this that I’m fr crying over this. You did so well showing how ptsd affects daily life, you can have good moments and bad, you can hurt so bad sometimes and it takes time to grow but when you finally do it feels so good. You can be loved again and you are worthy, your past doesn’t define you and growth is possible.
These animatics are so beautiful thank you for blessing my day.
the moment carnius was controlling Ash and attacking Sanga i was legit shriveling up in my seat saying 'oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck' over and over again and almost cried
Honestly the magic that was used was cleverly done. It was established that the mark on his arm controlled him, and it was seen when he touched the symbol for "mind" while probably having ptsd sadness, someone else started to cry and he noticed. When he was broken free of control he used that power to show the jackass controlling him how he felt, and honestly, I hope said jackass realises the harm that "church" did (it seems kindof like a cult to me tbh) and not only improves, but maybe even befriends the two, because sometimes the closest friends are the ones who realised they did wrong and fixed it.
Hell, I was bullied heavily throughout my entire schooling, and one of the bullies became my closest friend because they realised they were being a jackass and stopped and fixed it.
Thats also why I think Ash stopped her from beating the jackass, because he just now was seeing the consequences of his actions and that was punishment enough, he could hopefully change for the better and maybe even expose/help Ash or someone else take it down
I don't personally agree with the "everyone redeemed" mindset, this guy should NOT become friends with these two! He tortured Ash his entire life without remorse. Just like sanga he could have chosen to help but he abused him instead. Yeah sure there could be circumstances forcing him to "behave properly" and stay in line such as family or something, which is why he had to do his job, but that doesn't change the fact he did awful things and Ash will always have suffered at his hand. He is traumatised by him! How could you ever be friends with your abuser? No no no. Wrong message entirely if you ask me
@@mimthyss I mostly agree with you, those are good points. I dont think Sanga would forgive (ony reason I think Ash would is because of how god damn kind he is) but my reasons for him redeeming himself are based on personal expirience
The first of my reasons: when you are raised a specific way, you dont realise how horrible it is. From what I see, the "church" thinks of Ash's people as basically animals that are dangerous. If you are raised in a place that abuses animals, you may not realise how bad it is.
Second; often its hard, or even nearly impossible to see how bad a religion/cult is until you leave it. I was raised in a religion and after I left I saw how bad and harmful it is
Third; its much easier to change for the better when you see how your actions negatively effect others. I myself did a horrid thing to someone in the past. I dont expect them to forgive me, and i hate that i did that thing, but I am glad that i have never done it since.
Fourth; i think that he could help destroy that church more than Sanga could. Sanga had a really public escape from the church, this guy didnt. For all the church knows, hes the same person, so he could expose its harmful ways easier
To wrap up in a way that changed because of your comment, I think that he should be redeemed because he felt how his actions traumatized someone, and although Sanga and maybe Ash wouldnt forgive him, hopefully he helps them bring the church down
@@aprilmay3302 although I agree with your points that he would be USEFUL to them in terms of his position and inside information, sort of like a spy, and him seeing first hand how his actions have hurt him (even though that is so blatantly obvious, like, "I made this guy against his will murder a child as well as many other people and if he disobeyed i tortured him over and over again, but I'm sure he didn't mind".. no. Like lol. No) No matter how manipulative, how sticky the situation, and all that about cults and stuff, he should have KNOWN how bad it was regardless. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out he was hurting him, even if he thought it was ok.
Now I agree its important he felt the extent of ash's trauma like that, but that doesn't mean he has to be redeemed!!!! There's a vast difference between doing one awful thing in your life like you said you did, and never doing it again, and constantly day in day out being a vile, awful human being, you know??? He doesn't deserve redemption as this suggests forgiveness. No abuser has to be forgiven under any circumstances, no matter how much they may change for the better and regret their actions, no matter why they did it in the first place. I don't mind if he contributes and helps them out, but there should definitely not be any speck of forgiveness or redemption for him from those two.
I just hate the expectation on victims to forgive those who wronged them for the sake of forgiving, and "redeem" them. Not everybody has to be redeemable. Some people are just awful. Expecting an abuser to be redeemed is just unfair if you ask me. Like, if anybody no matter how awful can just be forgiven for their past actions, isn't that saying "hey, do whatever messed up stuff you want because you'll be forgiven later on anyway as long as you realise you hurt them"? That's a bad message in my opinion.
I respect that you have your own take on it, but I really can't budge on the fact that redeeming somebody that's been so terrible doesn't sit right with me. Especially expecting redemption to come from the victim and a secondhand victim who bore witness to all the abuse and sick, twisted stuff he put Ash through. Bad people don't always have to secretly be good at heart with tragic backstories and reasons, lol, and certainly not everyone in real life is deserving of redemption. So why should every villain in fiction be redeemable? Sorry, I just don't agree haha. No disrespect intended at all, I just feel quite passionately about it.. forgiveness isn't a must, but if Ash chooses to, then that's ok too.
@@mimthyss that makes total sense to me, I get that 100%. I dont disagree, even though i dont fully agree, but I do think that you have extremely valid points, he shouldnt be forgiven, even if he does "befrend" (used loosly) Ash and Sanga
Redemption is a tricky concept, especially when it comes to someone who's committed as heinous actions as Carnius. However, i don't think it's completely impossible for him to become a better person after an experience like that. If his character were to disappear from the plot after this, he would still have been well-written and served his purpose. But in another scenario, wherein if were to realize through feeling everything Ash felt how horrible the church was and work to fight against it, that would honestly be one hell of an interesting character arc. It would take a static antagonist and turn them into a complex person who displays the damages of cult indoctrination and show that it's still possible for a terrifying, malicious person to learn and change.
The one thing i would disagree on though is having Ash and Sanga befriend or forgive him. Even if he were to change and become a better person, it doesn't change the fact that he deeply and irreversibly traumatized both of them. You can see from their reactions to him in the animatic how much damage he did. Ash can't spar with Sanga without having flashbacks of being tortured by Carnius, and immediately starts hyperventilating when he sees his face again. Sanga is so filled with rage and grief toward the end of the animatic that she loses her entire composure and just keeps punching him over and over, and probably would have killed him if Ash hadn't stopped her. At this point it seems too far-fetched that they could ever have something resembling a positive relationship with Carnius. Plus, let's be honest here, the guy definitely doesn't deserve any semblance of forgiveness from either of them after what he did, and the two of them have the absolute right to never want anything to do with him.
What is not far-fetched, though, is an actual, possible chance for Carnius to realize his past actions and actually work toward redemption. Honestly, this animatic could work as a setup for it. It establishes him as an individual character and not just a faceless past villain, giving a name and a face to one of the monks that were so prominent in the church. It puts him in an individual setting, taking him outside the church and all the way into Ash and Sanga's new home, which is a good way to set him on his own path (preferably somewhere else that is not the home of the people he tortured) . And finally, it gives the perfect opportunity for an "oh shit, what i did was really fucked up, actually," moment by literally having him experience all of the pain he inflicted firsthand. This is genuinely a pretty good setup for an individual character arc for him, perhaps even a redemption. I myself am pretty interested in seeing if his character goes somewhere after this.
I'm definitely not opposed to a redemption arc for Carnius, I just think that redemption needs to happen as far away from Ash and Sanga as possible. A character (or any real person) doesn't require the friendship or forgiveness of the people they hurt in order to be better, they just need to make an effort. Carnius could become a pretty kickass character if he's willing to learn from this experience and he works to fight back against the church. It would also put the actual responsibility of fighting against it onto someone who was complicit in it's system, rather than Ash and Sanga, who were victims.
your expressions are so phenomenal. the blatant pain on ashivon's face when experiencing his flashbacks, sanga's grief and stress and the way she clutches at her chest, carnius's rage and then his wide-eyed, blank shock and slack mouth... you convey desperation in all its forms so beautifully, not just in expressions but in body language and in movement. i can feel the tension, so palpable you could cut it with a knife. also i love how ashivon's lines grey out with every flash of flashback. it looks like how disconnect from reality tends to feel, like you're not on the same layer as everything else, conveyed just by value change! that's so good! it's wonderful. your work is wonderful.
I agree! I LOVED the expressions in this whole series. Just found this on UA-cam and I love it! 💗 This conveys more emotion in a handful of minutes than many full-length movies do. Bravo to the creator!
Very well said! Every facial feature is given life and detail with these animatics, and it plays out each scene with an intense emotion that's often not given as much thought or attention in other works.
YES it just adds so much extra to each animation and the feels hit so much harder
100% agreed. Also, many frames have very rough lines while other frames are packed with harmonizing detail. It really develops speed and motion with rough lines, detailed sections feel like Ash wants to treasure and never forget them. Make every detail of this scene become an inseperable part of him. (see DAYS. He's learned to live there, and it is precious to him. You feel that every second.)
And oh god, the expressions... They seem to change the characters entirely, but knowing the story up to each point makes them so right and fitting for the character's mentalities. Ash was treated like a monster, like a ferocious animal. His flashbacks temporarily brought him back to this, but this is no longer him and it feels wrong and alien.
After scratching through his executioner seal, he could have killed Carnius just like he did kill the people marked as murderers. But he became a little nerd that read scrolls and books when reality and memories were too much to bear, he learned that he could use the same source of power as the monks - at least in a way - and he gave him a taste of his own medicine. But unlike what the monks wanted him to be, he is no bloodthirsty monster, killing and violence brings him no joy, and he doesn't want others to delve into this backflash-solitute aswell... Rage doesn't set things right, so there is no gain in losing yourself in it.
Maybe I'm over interpreting this a little... But I tend to do that even with my own drawings and characters... Guess I'm just in love with twisted stories ☺
Wow, this series has really one of the most emotional pieces of media I've ever had the pleasure of watching. Words can not describe how you capture emotion, story, expressions, and timing so well. I totally did not tear up. Please keep up the amazing job I look forward to more amazing works of art from you! :,)
This section of the story is just so intense, and I'll admit that I've watched more than once when I need a good cry. The emotional capacity of this one is immense, and I can never watch it through without my eyes getting teary. Beautiful, masterful, and deeply emotional. This specific part of their journey is just so important to me
2:04 these are the same shots from when she taught him how to fight in Church! Except this time, he went first. That's beautiful!!
I just noticed the parallel!!! This makes the dance sequence so much more emotional :')
i love how as sanga beats an immobilised carnius to a pulp, the background is white, but when ashivon stops her, her surroundings slowly fade back in, showing how her rage blocked out everything else.
OH MY GOD OH MY GOD PLEASE THIS WAS SO FUCKING INCREDIBLE THE MAGIC SYSTEM AND THE MEMORIES BEING SHATTERED INTO HIM AND THE WAY HE WAS CRYING IM !!!!!!!!
lately i am absolutely OBSESSED with the moment where ash wraps his arms around sanga when shes punching carnius, sanga's expressions and the way you moved her shoulders to express her breathing heavily,,,, its all just *chef kiss*
I am so happy that i can come back and watch and listen to all 4 parts, whenever i like. I love them all
On the one hand, I didn't want to go on because the last chapter was just brilliantly finished. But on the other hand, I am so glad that there is a continuation, and the author decided to show that wounds do not heal quickly. Healing requires the care of loved ones, their understanding and, of course, time.
In general, the author is well done.
I like the exact moment Ash hits Carnius with what Ash has been through, it's a very powerful moment. Carnius lacks any empathy right until he feels the unbridled emotion of years upon years of nothing but pain, pain that not only he caused but can't even hold himself up to accept. I'm hoping that Carnius will at least learn from this, if not, be punished justly for everything he did. I've been watching the series since I saw Church, back when it was the only storyboard/pictureshow/animatic. I now have a couple more good songs in my expanding repertoire of music thanks to Toasty. If I had the money to be a patron I would have done it already, seriously go support ToastyGlow if you can. It's going to be a long but well worth wait until the next installment to the series.
Also, that kid (the one to be executed) is SO MUCH smaller and younger than I realized! I get that Ashivon is taller than humans, but that side-on shot of the two of them staring at each other makes the whole situation SO much worse!
These animatics are wonderful and beautiful. The way you’ve found music from such disparate genres that tell such a vivid tale. And this tale showing such passion and fear, how deep scars run and the paranoia from repeated trauma. It’s because of you and other talented story tellers that we can live vicariously through these cathartic traumas and victories. Thank you for pouring out your soul for your passion and imagination.
I agree full heartedly
There's like a lot of profound comments here about the story and character development and then there's just me sobbing throughout this series for so many different reasons
*sees Carnius actually there*: HOW DARE YOU INTERRUPT
I love the fact that when Ashvion was being controlled by Carnius that instead of Sanga trying to stop him by fighting with him she went for Carnius instead, it's really sweet to know that they would never willingly hurt each other
me: oh boy new escape from divinity!!
my brain: wait didn't toasty warn us that this next part was gonna be sad
me, gleefully mashing go: hell YES they did
I can’t get over how incredible this series is. I’d love to see it as a tv show.
You have such an amazing way in telling your story. Each song replaces any need for dialogue so seamlessly that you can get lost in the video and feel how each character feels. You forever have my respect for what you do. And my appreciation for sharing it with everyone.
3:32 my favorite moment in this animation, imagine Putting all the emotions and trauma that you”ve been carrying and having the person who caused your suffering to feel it all in the matter of few seconds. And at 3:42 seeing him practically become comatose at his own karma is just poetic
I gotta say, I'm super appreciative of the note saying that this will have a happy ending. I can take a rocky road if I know it ends somewhere happy.
the heavy breathing at 2:28 while the rest of the body remains perfectly still is really expressive, i love it
I absolutely love how the song works from Ash's, Sanga's, AND Carnius' perspectives. Seriously Toasty is a god of both animation and musical storytelling.
0:58 shows Sanga can tell right away something is wrong with Ash. They have such a connection and care for each other so much.
Also… they can DANCE!!!
I KNOW THE DANCE WAS SO MAJESTIC AND JUST AHHH!!!
I love it ❤❤
Can I just say something that I haven't seen in the comments yet: I LOVE LOVE LOVE that Sanga has armpit hair! I understand it is a preference, but I absolutely adore seeing women with body hair beginning to be normalized in media because it is NATURAL for humans (male and female) to have body hair! I also love her strong presence and how much she cares for Ash. Keep up the AMAZING work, TG!
Oh what! I didnt even realize that i thought that was just her under arm thats super cool!
GIRL, YES!¡! When I saw it on the lake part in part 3 I was cheering so hard
It’s such a small detail but it’s appreciated by a lot of people. She is beautiful as she is, and if it’s her choice not to change that then it should be just as celebrated as those who do.
Ikrrrr!!!!! She doesn’t look any less amazing than she would if she had no armpit hair! She’s so cool and buff and do I have a crush on a character in an animatic? Yes.
@Mindless Beast bro what its just natural body hair 💀 thats like saying "not being bald is disgusting no matter what gender someone is"
i love the fact that despite all the abuse the handler gave ashivon, instead of reacting violently, he made the man feel and see all the pain he went through mentally. And even stopped sanga when she started wailing on the guy.
The power and clear movement in your animations makes the actions and impacts on characters so real and physical in a way I just can't describe properly through words alone. There were moments where I felt as though I could really FEEL something happen to a character, especially in your combat sequences. Astounding as ever!
exactly!! the sense of volume and weight adds soooo much to these animations, its truly amazing. toasty is one of the best animators ive seen on social media
I just watched all parts again and it is an emotional rollercoaster. First the fascination and the anger, the pain and the process of healing. Then joy and love. And then the flashbacks and the realization, that its not over. The Anger and how tired of fighting Ash actually was. Jesus Christ, this series had me tearing up, then laughing, then crying and smiling at the same time. Everything about this is amazing, the feelings, your stile, the music you picked out. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!!
That last scene really said 'hey I'm gonna fuck you up with feelings' huh? The retribution yet lack of satisfaction of forcing an abuser to feel your pain. The rage of wanting to protect a someone, the willingness to kill for someone you love, that moment of 'please stop. its over. its over. its okay now. please. I'm here.' like FUCK every one of these have slapped me in the face with emotions but this one really made my heart swell with some kinda something. I wanna say I can't wait to see whats next, but I can because I know you will take the time you need to making it fucking amazing. 1-2 years is a wait but I can just rewatch the other parts over and over again in the meantime. The world you've created here grips in a way very few things do these days. I love them. I love you. Thanks.
aahh thanks so much!!! makes deliberate eye contact, shakes your hand. you. you get it.
"the nasty monk's name is carnius" his name literally means like. carnage and violence i love it
This.. really hit me in a way I never considered. Long I've fantasized about getting back at my abuser the way they got me. Taking away their power the way they took mine. So when Ash used priests power against him, I expected him to.. yknow, USE it against him. But instead of doing that, he took the opportunity to make him see things from his point of view. And.. deep down, that's really what I've wanted this whole time.
Brilliant work as always Toast
here we have very strong and overprotective girlfriend and very soft boyfriend dynamic
I love love love that when we first meet them, sanga is a trained fighter but was USED as a healer, where as Ash was used as a killing machine and now they are both on the opposite ends of the spectrum. Ash used his claws before now he defends himself using his palm to finish the guy off and sanga went from healing to a bulked up brawler who will not hesitate. Seeing them grow is amazing 👏
I don't know if it was intentional or not, but I really like how throughout this entire setting, Divinity power has been shown through pure white against dark scenes (I assume to make it glow more)
And then when Sanga is beating Carnius' ass, her entire background is bright, pure white that fades into a grey background when she settles down, suggesting that her rage against him is holy. I love it!
I’m happy this turned into a series as I remember when it wasn’t called “escape from divinity” and just a random amazing video on UA-cam that I loved to watch because it made me want to become a animator tho I never chose the route but still love the work 12/10
In the voa OC fan book there was a mentioned discord server is that public or private cause I’m interested in all of this
God I love when the handler just got bitch slapped. And the fact he was unable to cope with all the images that flashed before his eyes - of things *he* did - I can bet he just gave up. And the song at that very moment where it says "But it is not your fault but mine" Kinda shows how the handler saw his angry lashouts as disobedience rather then protecting himself from the abusive church.
Or to be short- He done fucked up.
But lord do I love that scene. The Emotional build-up was just- **mwah** chief's kiss.
I cannot get over how incredibly beautiful this series has been, both artistically and story-wise :,)
SCREAMING, CRYING, THROWING UP
gods this series is so good I love it to death
I've started reading ur lore doc more and good GOD now i know what happened to that child in the arena. After the mind control, they probably did a last-minute summoning with the child's body for a new executioner candidate. Toastyglow you sly dog
All of these in “Escape from divinity” have been incredible but this was (to me) the best so far
As terrible as it seems, but I’ve been curious since Church to find out how the boy was killed. Whether the Divinity had beaten Ash until he killed the boy or if the Divinity had killed the boy during/after beating Ash. You’ve selected an option I was not aware of and is somehow even more heartbreaking. Thanks for that. In any case, once again beautiful work, story/art/choice of music I literally cannot listen to any of these songs anymore without seeing your characters. Also, perhaps less sad note, did Sanga try to use magic again?
I understand honestly!! I think a lot of people have wanted clarity on that scene since Part 1 so I'm really glad I could dig back into it, awful as it is. thanks so much! also YES, sanga's magic is weak thanks to the scars over her tattoos, and she prefers not to use it for (I think?) obvious reasons, but she did try to make a light staff! desperate times, desperate measures
As someone who did martial arts for a long time, some instinctive reactions are hard to unlearn or retrain. When confronted with such an intense moment and flashbacks to her past appearing before her, I wouldnt be surprised if she tried to summon the staff on instinct without thought.
@@EmptyFeet One question. I read wordbulding document and I know that church use special ink so there's tatus have power. Why main character was able to use magic making not perfect shape and using only blood? His race is atoned to mind magic so maybe blood is magical enough to work as magical ink but then humans should be able to do the same since there race is atoned to body magic. Or church use ink mixed with blood so tatus remain for a long time and blood wodl work as short time solution?
@@wikimody5013 My thought was that humans CAN do the same, but it's inefficient to paint it on yourself with blood--and Divinity keeps it a secret because they want people to believe only they can use magic with their special tattoos.
@@EmptyFeet Thanks for answering. Can I ask 2 more things? First in church there is somone on that great glass painting (I don't know a word) that they smashed to escape. This person had additional circle around symbol of the body. What that means? 2 thing is if mind magic without additional symbols lets you transfer memories what abilities of body magic are dependent on symbols (like ones around hands) an what are gained joust by having main symbol.
And now Toasty you're gonna kill me with sadness, and goddamn good animation in here. The run through the crowd is a mwah, but the rest is pain
The visual storytelling in all of these is SOOOOO good but this one I feel is just even more so, you definitely know how to hit someone hard right in the feels and in just 4 min
I have to come back to this series every time I hear this song. I love at the beginning how Sanga can immediately tell that Ash isn’t okay once they start sparring. She looks caught between stopping and respecting Ash’s choice to join in.
I’ve been a fan of yours for almost ten years now (wow) and you’ve always been a huge inspiration for improving my drawing skills and I’m obsessed with your talent for visual storytelling! I’ve always really struggled to pick up on sub tones and stuff in film (which gets discouraging sometimes because I really want to be a filmmaker someday) but you somehow make everything so crystal clear while being incredibly subtle at the same time! I aspire to be able to do that someday, too
I bursted out in tears as Ashivon held Shanga back. He still has mercy in his heart for those who hurt him that much 🥺🥺🥺
Is it mercy? Or is it that he doesn't want Sanga to know the pain that comes with killing someone, even someone as loathsome as Carnius? Dun dun DUNNNN
Conflicted between “I don’t deserve to breathe the same air as this perfection” and “Toasty why would you hurt me this way”
Either way, great animation and I desperately need to get back into the lore
I love that Sanga refused to fight her man & instead, went for the guy controlling him. I love this story you've created & the animation is beautiful.
I remember being outstanded when the first part came out and joining you, waiting for the next parts to be realised (And them being even better than what I imagined) this whole journey has been a treat and I'm ever waiting your next upload!
I will be heart broken when this series comes to an end but I wouldn't change it for the world.
Thank you so much
It's been several years and I keep coming back on a regular basic and re-watching the series over and over. Had half of my animation class watch it, 'cause I think it's absolutely a must see. The story telling is incredible and I could praise it for a long time, but I'm absolutely in love with a style and the visuals of the world. It's so vast and beautiful it takes my breath away every time. Really waiting for the next part and preparing to be emotionally destroyed again
I words cannot describe the emotional and visual masterpiece that this is.
You can really FEEL the anger in Sanga's eyes and body movements as she beat up the monk, incredible!!
I swear, the amount of detail you put in each of these is astounding, the reference to the first video's training sequence at 2:05 absolutely killed me. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seemed like Sanga didn't know about the control magic before this happened? Her face told me that she was piecing it all together as she was dodging Ash's attacks
aah thanks so much! I can absolutely see it reading that way, I'm trying to remember what my thought process was exactly? I'd guess probably she was vaguely aware of it, but might never have seen it in action before? I imagine they didn't use it often, so it would be more of a "oh wait shit it's That Thing", but still deffo with the element of putting it together.
@@EmptyFeet I had been wondering if Sanga’s duties mostly kept her out of the arena, so she wouldn’t have seen most of Ash’s kills or the mind control. Seems like a Church built on strict delineation of duties and privileges, one on which you don’t go where you’re not invited or allowed.
@@happynaturalist1793 I could absolutely see that! I think I've drawn some nuns and monks in the crowd before, but keeping Sanga away from the arena would be very helpful plotwise for sure...might have to make it canon retroactively lol
Every now and again I just come back to rewatch everything, it scratches an itch in my brain
Watching inst enough- I need to inject this entire series into my veins. I don't even remember how many times I've watched this over, I've studied almost every frame and still find something new on every rewatch. IM OBSESSED!!! I hope nothing but success for you cause this is- WOW
I think I’ve said this before, but this story has gripped my attention 100%. I love the characters, the story, everything about this. The animation is chefs kiss. Can’t wait to see what happens next :]
It's not often that art genuinely makes my heart race, but this and part 1 definitely did. It's absolutely gorgeous and honestly it's just so amazing that you conceptualized and brought such a compelling and emotional story to life with your art!!! Your work genuinely inspires me to do the same.
this and Days were just a glorious two-punch combo, and i can't tell you how wonderful it has been to witness the process. beautiful work, as always, toasty! thank you so much!
thanks so much lilac!! ;O;/
I hope you never forgot about this. I genuinely love this series, and hope to see more ❤
I love this series so much, it has inspired me so much in my own stories, and I can’t wait for the next part to come out! Take your time. It’s worth the wait 100%. ❤️
Honestly as someone who lives with PTSD myself I love how you represented that in this. You did such an amazing job!
that means a lot to hear, thank you!
I was gonna mention this! They did a really good job and I feel Very seen lol
@@slattic8334 Agreed!
I’ve always loved your song choices for this story- always so fitting and heartfelt. Ushering the story along without dialogue just visual storytelling and powerful melodies. The dance scene here is absolutely beautiful.. I was in awe. My, the way you capture feelings and emotions is an inspiring feat. And the way the dance turned into a fight got my heart racing! Thank you for sharing this story with us. Keep up the amazing work, it’s really incredible.
That was smart. He used the mind glyph and showed him how he felt. When he did the guard was so overwhelmed he lost all the will to fight. I wonder if that will come in handy later.
On one hand that makes me think he's going to get a redemption arc and be that person on the inside of the church to act as a spy or something, but on the other hand people generally don't like redemption arcs when it comes to characters like him.
I have a feeling he's just going to get sent back with his hands between his knees and Ash is going to start learning nun magic. Maybe climatic battle with demon mage and warrior girlfriend against an army at one point? Considering how the videos are set up and how many are left... I dont have highish hopes, but chances aren't at zero.
@@thrallath Personally I hope he is redeemed, not as a spy but just accepts that the church was wrong and leaves. As for the couple I'm hoping they use the mind glyph to show the church and others their point of view and everyone accepts them as people rather than monsters.
Wow. I'm don't even know what to say. This animation has absolutely blown me away. The art, the story and how everything fits the song, the detail - just everything about this was perfect. Thank you so much for your work Toasty, you are unbelievably talented 🧡
OH man that spin when they were holding hands while dancing was so beautiful!!! I loved this!!
The way you portray trauma memories, the PANG, the horrendous electric feeling. As someone with fresh trauma, you did an amazing job visualizing it and how it feels to work through and even somewhat overcome
Oh my god wow! I didn’t expect it to be released so soon after part 3!
1. I am so happy you are working so hard with this series, you must be so passionate about it and that is amazing!
2. Please don’t overwork yourself! It would be terrible for you to suffer from burnout or something! I hope you are taking breaks and everything
Its okay! They already had this one prepped long ago! Check out the description :)
Gosh I haven't enjoyed something this much in ages, I love this one as much as part 1 which is really saying something, your storytelling is so good I feel so much for these characters
I love your series!!! I revisit all the time, I hope to see all you're future projects and cant wait to see what you create!!