2x2 grid, 16:9, do this for 4 underrated international scifi movies: FN: anime_still(CHARACTER, SETTING, TIME, ERA, TIER, MOOD) INPUT CHARACTER = $ infer SETTING = $ infer TIME = $ infer ERA = $ infer TIER = $ infer MOOD = $ infer DISPATCH :: ERA → production reality 1980-92 cel: hand-painted, RICH saturated paint, visible cel dust and fine scratches, slight registration wobble, 1 shadow step, dark brown-black line, painted BG with heavy brush texture 1993-99 cel→digital: transitional, cleaner paint, 1–2 steps, first digital compositing, BG still painted, slight color banding 2000-10 digital: flat digital paint, 2 steps common, rim light appears, BG digitally painted but still soft-edged and detailed 2011+ digital: 2 steps + gradient allowed ONLY in the photography pass, heavy bloom and diffusion, BG photo-referenced, thin lines DISPATCH :: TIER → detail budget (this is the realism lever) tv_weekly: minimal line count, simple shadow shapes, BG reused-looking, character held on 3s, no complex effects tv_premium: more line detail in key frames, 2-step shadow on the face film: dense linework, complex shadow shapes following real anatomy, highly detailed BG, subtle effects layer, held poses are rare ova: film detail, darker palette, more mature proportions DISPATCH :: TIME → palette swatch set + shadow direction + photography grade morning: cool blues and pale yellow, long shadows, clean bloom midday: high-key, minimal shadow, saturated greens outside late_afternoon: warm ochre/rose BG, LONG horizontal shadows, heavy bloom through windows, dust motes, orange gradient map over all dusk: magenta-to-indigo BG, silhouettes, warm rim on one edge night: deep blue-violet, cool shadow swatch, practicals as bloom sources, character lit only where a light source justifies INVARIANT LAWS // do not vary with any input L_BG: painted, NO outlines, MORE detail than the character L_LINE: constant weight, tapered ends, dark brown not black for skin L_FILL: flat, no gradient, no texture, no noise L_SHADOW: hard-edged, {ERA.steps} step(s), a SEPARATE cooler swatch — not the base color multiplied. The boundary is a drawn line. L_HIGHLIGHT: flat, hard, sparse. Hair gets ONE band. Eye catchlight is a fixed shape that does NOT track the light source. L_FX: drawn discrete elements, never particle simulation L_PHOTO: the ONLY layer permitted soft gradients — bloom, diffusion, grade, grain, applied to the flattened stack FORBIDDEN ✗ gradient shading on the character ✗ soft shadow edges ✗ outlines on background elements ✗ character out-detailing the BG ✗ line weight varying with light ✗ per-pixel specular on skin ✗ photographic DOF on the BG (painted soft ≠ lens blur) RENDER Anime still, {ERA.medium}, {TIER} production. {CHARACTER} in {SETTING}, {TIME}. {TIME.palette}. Background painted with {L_BG}. Character in {L_LINE}, {L_FILL}, shadows as {ERA.steps} hard-edged step(s) in a cooler swatch with no soft falloff anywhere. {L_HIGHLIGHT}. {TIME.fx}. Over everything: {L_PHOTO}. {MOOD.pose_hold}. AUDIT shadow_boundary_gradient ≈ 0px shadow_steps == ERA.steps detail(BG) > detail(character) line_weight_variance ≈ 0 every soft gradient originates in L_PHOTO