Key Traits
seed: orthogonal
topology: real projective plane
fade rate: slow
blur: normal
trail colors: radiant
trail color modifier: 4
trail speed multiplier: 0.1
Structure
Key Traits
seed: orthogonal
topology: real projective plane
It has radial symmetry in the center, but there are extra segments in the upper left and lower right -- so it's a 2-sided symmetry. The first couple of seconds of seed:orthogonal look really nice with blur and fade, and #115 is no exception.
Around 6 seconds into #115. The rotational 4-symmetry in the center is still visible at this point -- but asymmetry between the upper left/bottom right and bottom left/upper right mean this will eventually have 2-symmetry with respect to the central diagonal. The upper-left of the piece can be rotated 180 degrees to create the bottom right of the piece
At 6 seconds, we see a pattern I call a "cross" in the center. It's seen with orthogonal seeds, at the moment the trail colors (which are moving from the inside out, spreading from the live cells at t=0) begin transitioning to a new color -- in this case, pink. You can think of it as an echo of the original t=0 seed.
The textures at this point in the animation are a pleasing mix of complex ruffles and straight lines that straddle the border between order and chaos.
The topology:real projective plane shines here. The left/right and top/bottom sides of the animation aren't connected edge-to-edge like a cylinder (as in toplogy:toroidal) -- they're flipped before connecting. So it's as if the cells on each side are mirror images of each other. Really, this animation could tessellate an entire plane -- the real projective plane. The symmetry makes this animation unfold in a pleasant way.
The connectedness of the edges means more neighbors for cells in those areas -- which is good news with burst of growth:off since it helps the automata keep running without dying out.
Color
The colors of "mono no aware" #115 are fantastic, and in part why I've chosen the name "indigo" for this seed. The namesake "indigo" is joined by soft pink, peach, purple, and seafoam green for a really pleasing emergent palette.
Key Traits
fade rate: slow
blur: normal
trail colors: radiant
trail color modifier: 4
trail speed multiplier: 0.1
The fade rate:slow trait means long trails, which combined with the trail speed multiplier: 0.1 trait means that there is a long and gradual color transition in the trails (mostly visible in the peach/pink areas of the color scheme). The addition of blur: normal further helps to smooth the color transitions and prevents black borders from being shown between adjacent cells.
The trail color modifier: 4 trait can be thought of as a rough template for the palette of the piece. It's used in determining how to swap R/G/B values. Most pieces with this modifier seem to follow this sort of pink/peach/purple/seafoam theme, which is then modified by some traits depending on the token hash. In #115, trail colors: radiant also gives us a nice variety of colors through the trail.
Conclusion
There's something about the combination of traits in "mono no aware" #115 ("indigo") that has some really aesthetically pleasing emergent properties. It reminds me of a shifting, psychedelic painting. The colors seem like they'd be at home in the late '80s / early '90s. It has a good balance of symmetry/chaos, and a good balance of life/emptiness. I've let it run for some time, and haven't seen it end or repeat yet. A very satisfying mint!
"mono no aware" is available for mint on Art Blocks (using Ethereum) at https://www.artblocks.io/project/175