#Mystery Pond (008)

[greedisland-devs]

How does Mystery Pond (008) determine what is and is not a fish? Cladistically, mammals (and, indeed, all tetrapods) emerged from fishes and so are fish as well. If I, hypothetically, pushed a fellow player into the pond would a another person appear the next day? Would it be another distinct human or a clone of the fellow player? Have you considered the ethical ramifications of cloning players without their explicit consent? Furthermore, would the same hold for NPCs? How are they classified by the game's internal logic? If 'fish' is limited to paraphyletic definition (cowards), which extant groups are considered? Do you account for extinct fish which through unnatural means may be manifested within the game? Are Galgaida (1217) and Chidon (7018) fish or, due to their nature as game constructs, classified differently. Have you considered that differentiating them from True fish might be discrimination?

How does Mystery Pond (008) determine what is and is not a fish?

The definition of fish that we are using goes as follows

The creature must be a vertebrate

They must be aquatic

They must be lacking terrestrial locomotive members

They must not be descended from any land tetrapods

Since tetrapods have terrestrial locomotive members, they are not considered under the taxonomy of what we designate a fish.

If 'fish' is limited to paraphyletic definition (cowards), which extant groups are considered?

There are six distinct modern lineages of fish which were considered when classifying which organisms can show up:

Mixini (hagfish)

Cephalaspidomorphi (lampreys)

Chondrichthyes (sharks & rays)

Coelacanthimorpha (coelacanth)

Dipnomorpha (lungfish)

Actinopterygi (bony fish)

Do you account for extinct fish which through unnatural means may be manifested within the game?

Here are the extinct lineages we took into account.

Ostracoderms (jawless fish)

Acanthodians (spiny sharks)

Placoderms (plate skinned bottom dwellers)

The only extinct fish which appear within Mystery Pond (008) are ones we have substantial records of in order to recreate.

Are Galgaida (1217) and Chidon (7018) fish or, due to their nature as game constructs, classified differently.

Galgadia (1217) and Chidon (7018) do count as fish that can be spawned within the Mystery Pond, however, the cards for these fish cannot be acquired by catching them through mystery pond. These fish can be interacted with but if they are spawned by the pond they are considered to be part of that card, not their own distinct cards.

And now for the more philosophical debate of comments made above.

If I, hypothetically, pushed a fellow player into the pond would a another person appear the next day? Would it be another distinct human or a clone of the fellow player? Have you considered the ethical ramifications of cloning players without their explicit consent?

While players cannot be cloned through the methods stated above, there was an interesting argument we had regarding the insertion of a cloning card. Through our beta testing, we came to realize a few things.

If the clone gained sentience, there was always a confusion of which was the original and which was the clone, as both people had the memory of using the card, and every memory prior to that. The extra confusion came from the fact that the clones were spawned holding a copy of the same card, which gave them resonable suspicion to believe they were the original. This caused a huge ethical issue for the beta tester, who at the time wanted to de-spawn his clone, who had run off and gained new experiences thus becoming a new person.

Is it ethical to be able to de-spawn a person? Would that not be the same as killing?

Therefore, we had to classify any new life as life and not an NPC

Shadow List is still running around Greed Island to this day, we cannot apprehend him.

Furthermore, would the same hold for NPCs? How are they classified by the game's internal logic?

NPCs are beings made of nen that we have full control over. They function as more of an autonomous nen beast until control is needed, in which they can be shut down, edited, or set back into free range motion. Some NPCs have the ability to achieve more structural autonomy in a long form of conjuration, which can happen if the player who wins the game suggests to take an NPC card out of the game. While the NPC will not technically be "alive" in the same way you or I will be alive, that will fullfill the nen condition that makes them fully autonomous from us. However, they must have a constant source of aura or therefore they will start to despawn, therefore they need to eat plant or animal matter from the real world. So long as your NPC will eat, they will live.

-Ging

[lunememes]

🌙 * ― 𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐒 ( a collection of various settings for drabbles or prompts, or both! )

001. a tattoo parlour, buzzing with machinery and walls lined with artwork . 002. a shopping mall, crowded and loud . 003. a cabin in the mountains, taking shelter from the snow storm. 004. an abandoned tea party, occupied with broken dolls . 005. the shooting range, empty casings clinking on the floor and sulphur in the air . 006. a music room, filled with melodies of an instrument . 007. an empty auto shop, hood of a car left open and quiet music coming through speakers . 008. a bright arcade, coins falling from machines and claws grabbing at soft toys . 009. the kennels, filled with barking dogs and excited companions . 010. a restaurant, where everyone is eerily quiet and staff are overly friendly . 011. a riding arena, with trained riders atop proud horses . 012. a mini golf course, sails of a windmill obscuring the path ahead . 013. a zoo, filled with an array of unique animals . 014. the docks of a bay, boats lining the decks . 015. a pond with ducks, seeking food . 016. a museum, displaying ancient bones and pottery of a history long ago . 017. a closed down prison, ghosts of violent history echoing in empty cells . 018. a quiet train station, lights overhead flickering and announcement board displaying errors . 019. the vast desert, scorching heat baring down at high noon . 020. the dark woods, filled with strange hanging symbols made of sticks . 021. a deep hole in the ground, covered by leaves and sticks . 022. a wishing fountain, base lined with copper coins of past wishes . 023. an abandoned picnic in an empty field, flask still warm with coffee . 024. a barn filled with hay and tools, old wood creaking in the wind . 025. a graveyard in the dead of night, wind howling through the trees . 026. a crumbling bridge above a raging river . 027. the refreshing waters of a lake, away from prying eyes . 028. the crossroads, in the middle of nowhere . 029. a cosy bonfire at summer camp, marshmallows roasting on the fire . 030. the top of a radio tower, with the perfect view of the surrounding area . 031. a lone phone box on a street corner . 032. a large elaborate temple dedicated to a deity, offerings still intact . 033. a drive-in movie theatre, cars empty and projector casting only light onto the screen . 034. a strange trail of breadcrumbs on a woodland path . 035. a haunted mansion, ancient paintings watching every footstep . 036. a decrepit mine located out in the hills, believed by locals to have a powerful curse cast upon it . 037. the edge of a cliff, overlooking the rough waves and distant sounds of approaching danger . 038. a road trip across country, music blaring through speakers . 039. a flower shop, filled with bouquets and a sweet aroma . 040. an airport in the early hours of the morning, deprived of sleep . 041. a train on its way to its destination, a sleeping passenger resting on a shoulder . 042. an abandoned shack filled with strange books of the occult and something mysterious bubbling on the stove . 043. an empty throne room, moonlight glimmering through tall windows . 044. an underwater tunnel in an aquarium, fish swimming overhead and sharks looming in the distance . 045. deep within unmarked cave located in the side of a mountain, lit only by a flare . 046. the dusty streets of a western town, watched by wary residents . 047. the back of a vast library, surrounded by books, when a black book falls from the highest shelf . 048. a room of an asylum, an abandoned camcorder left in the middle of the room . 049. the shores of an unknown beach, washed up from the ocean . 050. the deck of an unsteady ship, waves crashing against the haul and rain lashing down from dark clouds .

[strivingscribe]

Salt of the Earth ~ Ch 008

Salt of the Earth by MsMoon

Chapter 8 ~ Dungeons & Disclaimers

Chapters: 8/?

Chapter Navigation: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,

Fandom: Young Justice

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Angst, Feelings? Violence?

Relationships: Nope.

Summary: After responding to an incident, members of the team are saved by an unknown metahuman. But no protocols are in place to deal with the series of unfortunate events that assail Anitia Moore. What exactly should the team do when a someone with powers needs training but doesn’t want to be a member of the team?

Author’s Notes: Hey, guys. It's been forever. I'm just gonna leave this here. I hope you like it :)

Conner had to cross two streets before he finally got a signal on his comm. “Conner here. Robin? You there?”

“Reading you loud and clear. How is she?”

“Shaken and stirred, I bet.” Conner smirked at Artemis’s quip.

“She’s managing, but it isn’t easy.”

“I just got word that Superman is talking options with her mom.” Robin informs and Conner’s brow jumped up and he huffed out a self-depreciating laugh… what are the odds?

“Why’s your signal two streets over?” Artemis asked.

“Couldn’t raise you. Took a bit of a jog to get a signal through.”

The pause that followed gave the three of them a moment to think.

“Is that supposed to happen?” Artemis is always happy to point out the obvious.

“No.” Robin replies, and Conner can almost imagine the sound of the keyboard keys clacking.

“Could it be her?”

“How do you mean?” Artemis asked.

“She was in pain, something about the lead affecting her. She walked funny too, dragging her feet a bit. Nothing terribly out of the ordinary, but I got the impression there are physical side effects from her abilities.” His words hault, as he considers how much he should say.

He wasn’t just wasn’t sure how much she would want to keep confidential. But these were his observations, so that was safe… Still, should he divulge more? Would they need more to make a decision properly?

“The house has been quiet through the morning. The transcript is still running. I didn’t suspect anything, considering that it’s supposed to be quiet, but something’s jamming the signal.”

“Did she mention anything about it?” Artemis probed.

“Did she mention specifically being able to jam comms?” Robin clarified, choosing to focus on the more troubling matter at hand. “They were working properly up until a few minutes ago. Unless she managed to acquire new abilities this morning.”

“She’s...less than forthcoming.”

“Still?”

“Still.”

Conner looked back towards the Moore house. Everything seemed quiet.

“Maybe you should go and check it out, Conner.” Artemis suggested. “Just to be safe.” she waited, and her only response was silence. “Conner?” she ground her back teeth together. Slowly Artemis started nodding her head. “He’s already on his way, isn’t he?”

“His com just went offline again.” Tim informed as he watched the signal disappear from the map readout.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anita stares at Luthor and the woman just behind him in apathetic shock. There are so many emotions bottlenecked in her throat that she can’t process a single one of them… Her brain has become a chamber of echoes.

She’s used to peculiarity. When you have to deal with younger siblings and superpowers on a regular basis, the absurd happens often.

But she is a rational, orderly-type person. Everything has its place...every thing, every person, every practice, every thought. Everything in. its. place.

Home is safe (just like baseball). Safe and for safe things.

Her eyes drift to the far wall and her mother’s ancient bureau.

“And then God said, ‘Let’s cook this day fuck-side up’, and it was so.” she murmurs to herself before sloughing off her backpack. It isn’t supposed to go in the chair by the door, but today appears to be that sort of day.

A startled almost begrudging laugh echoed form Luthor. Vile intruder that he is. He would be amused at her suffering.

“Our conversation is not over.” he announced, as though his appearance were magnanimous and for her benefit. “And I will not be denied.” ah. There was the edge she expected from a rational sociopath.

Psychopath?

Sociopath?

...she could debate later.

Anita tugged off her shoes, because she was in her own goddamn house and she’d chew aluminum before any outsider told her she couldn’t do what she wanted in her house.

“Suppose I should let you speak your piece.” she muttered. “You’ve made it clear that you have no intention of being discarded.”

He smiled. “At last we understand each other.”

She was so frustrated with this situation, but there was a strange… braking point. It wasn’t that she was unhinged, but she felt so detached from her own circumstances.

She knew she couldn’t fight her way away from Luthor. It would be foolish to try. This was a man of intelligence, at least that’s what he told himself. His ability to be prolific in his circle of influence was due largely to outplaying his adversaries. Even Superboy had said that he owned most of the city...and probably a lot of other places too. If Metropolis were a chess board, it would be hard to find a single square that Luthor couldn’t get to.

Her mind latched onto another thought. It was simple, even if utterly absurd. Bring him into an arena in which she isn’t powerless. There was a place in this very house where she was the master of the universe…. the table where she would play dungeon master for her brothers and their friends. If she could be that person, the one who created the world around him instead of allowing him to have his own control...maybe she could at least stall him.

...or maybe she was fooling herself, and this was nothing more than an elaborate comfort mechanism. Either way, it was something.

“We do not, sir. We do not at all.” Anita grumbled, walking to the center of the living room. “It isn’t uncommon for a man to chase after something he wants, but most of those wants are tied to reason. Only a madman chases things that are unequal to his efforts.….a madman or a fool, and you are not either.” she allowed her eyes to drift as she thought about this. “There can be no reason equal to these actions. There’s no need to waste water on tears while you’re in the desert.” his eyes narrowed as he surveyed her. “This is trespassing, breaking and entering, and harassment. Even if the charges wouldn’t ever see a courtroom... you can’t deny that it makes a man of your situation look bad.” She half scoffed, “Chasing a teenage girl this way.”

“I am not concerned with my appearance.”

“Oh, I think you are.”Anita countered, her eyes widening expressively. “These actions coil of ego. And I cannot fathom how I have any worth in comparison.” she plants her feet shoulder width apart, an easy act as her ankles still feel weighted. “It’s illogical. You are no small fish. Yet you remain. What could possibly be worth your time, crowding in my little pond?”

“I am flattered by your estimation of me.” he said. He seemed so at home in a space that wasn’t for him. It would be unsettling, but Anita forced herself still and chanted mentally to play to his ego as often as she could without it being too obvious. “This is my assistant. Mercy.” The woman stepped forward and nodded.

“How ironic.” Anita drawled with a smile of her own.

Again, Luthor chuckled. “I didn’t realize you were entertaining as well as intelligent.”

“You aren’t here to comment on things I already know.”

“I assure you, I am no adversary of yours.” his words sound so genial, and yet there is no assurance in his assurances. “Not yet.” And there he went, insinuating that edge into the conversation. “I have disabled the listening devices planted in your home so that we might speak privately. I’m sure it’s knocked out long-distance communications as well.”

Anita’s mind hummed as she processed this. Jamming frequency. Listening devices. Long-range communications. What for? Privacy? An attack of opportunity? He had to know she was being monitored….

Of course, now she realized how invasive that monitoring had been. The listening devices were in her home.

“No idea how long it’ll take them to realize.” she murmured. “You’d better say what you need to say.” she walked past him into the kitchen. “Coffee?” that’s something adults do, right?

“No, thank you.” he responded, eyeing her as she sat at the table. “As to my intent…. A recent associate of mine seems to consider you in high regard.”

“Associate.” She sat back in her chair, forcing her spine to relax against the chair back.

“I would be more forthcoming if I could.” Luthor admitted. “However, stipulations were made in our alliance, and they are centered on you. Of course, like any good businessman, I had to investigate this oddity. Know your enemy, know yourself; all that.”

“That’s reasonable.” she allowed. She’s honestly more concerned with the comment about knowing your enemy. “In this scenario, when you say ‘enemy’... are you referring to me, or���?” he laughed, interrupting her question, and she nodded feeling reassured. “This mysterious associate then.”

“After yesterday’s debacle, I think we can confirm that said attentions are not entirely unfounded.” Luthor said, meandering slowly back into the kitchen and sitting across from her. Mercy remained standing, just behind him and slightly in the doorway between rooms.

Anita’s eyes narrowed slightly.

So. He did know about the incident on the bridge… but how?

“I didn’t realize you had any hand in that Metro-Narrows fiasco.” she said, and he smirked.

“I...can neither confirm nor deny—”

“It’s a little late for disclaimers.” Anita grumbled. “Besides, with the communications disabled, it’s not like you’ll have to worry about incriminating evidence.”

“True, but you could tell anyone you liked.” she watched his throat flex in a very firm swallow. “Perhaps someone who regularly sports an over-embellished S on his chest.”

Anita snorted. “The likelihood of me remaining on close terms with people I regularly push away hardly seems a decent fear. Not to mention, their knowing one way or the other wouldn’t be of any inconvenience to someone like yourself.” That’s it. Play to that ego. She eyed the tablecloth, absently wondering why gingham was a pattern her mother loved so much. “That asshole in the masks was with you?”

Now his smirk unfurled into a full grin.

“Yes. The ‘asshole in the masks’ is ‘with me’.” he says... Something about him seems more relaxed now. “At least, I am aware of his activities via….” he paused, taking and releasing a breath as he searched for the right word.

“Associates?”

He smirks again. “Yes. Associates.”

“Hm.” she murmurs, still staring at the tablecloth. “Tangled web.” her absent words aren’t really meant for anyone. Her eyes snap up, fixating on his tie. “So you’re here…. to see me with your own eyes?”

“It’s best we meet now, before you’re steeped in whatever dogma the League will stew you in.” he countered, leaning his elbows forward and folding his hands under his chin.

So.. He isn’t just here to see her, see who she is… He’s also here to find out if she’s a threat, and see if he can secure an in.

Her eyebrows tick up, there’s a level of annoyance and suspicion evoked from those words. For both of them, it seems. She reminds herself to remain calm.

Well. First, she needs to keep herself safe.

“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I have no desire to festoon myself in spandex and “fight” crime.” she announced, using air brackets for added emphasis on the word ‘fight’. “All I want is peace.”

“You wanted more than peace yesterday.” He reminds.

“I suppose allowing Superboy to die would have been giving him a type of peace, but… the way of the grave is less than satisfying.” Again, his eyes narrow at her words.

“Well.” Luthor sat back in his chair, eyeing her. “What I want you to consider then, is this. Do you honestly think the Justice League will allow you the peace you so crave?”

“Why should they not?”

“I believe my presence alone will prompt immediate action on their part.” He announces.

Now it’s Anita’s turn to regard him with narrowed eyes. They wandered to the far wall.

“Sir.” Mercy interrupts. “Superboy appears to be circling the house.”

“How wide a radius?”

“He’s observing from other yards.”

“Hm.” Luthor smirked. “It won’t take him long to close in. My boy is not the brightest, but he learned caution well enough.” Anita blinks, her eyebrows lift and her eyes dart back to Luthor in surprise. “Ah, I imagine he prefers not to discuss his parentage with errant damsels.” Lex said, in a way that’s so patronizing and yet fond...he almost seems like an indulgent parent.

It’s bothersome because she isn’t certain where those feelings are truly aimed. It seems… just… there. But for all Anita knows, he could feel them for her or Superboy… what a psycho.

“I’m a millennial, Mr. Luthor.” Anita reminded. “If there’s one creed we adhere to, it’s not judging someone for their circumstances.” Lex huffed out another laugh. “Everyone has their own sword of Damocles….” Anita admitted, almost an aside to herself. “..and genetics don’t matter until they do.”

“And who decides when genetics matter?” Luthor asked, his words as sharp as his focus.

“That’s a philosophical question I haven't the time for. I imagine you don’t have the time for it either.” she muttered with a shrug. “It’s enough to know that everyone decides when and how much genetics matter to them as it suits them. Do they matter to you?”

Lex pondered this for a second before a smile curls at his lips. “Are you...stalling me?”

“I confess, we’ve had quite the conversation, but I still don’t know what you want.” she says, crossing her arms. “I suggest you make your closing statements simple. It would be a shame to be….” she pauses, huffing out a tiny laugh. “...interrupted.”

Lex actually laughed again. “Then I suppose it is lucky that my message is relatively basic. I only want to convey that you have options that don’t begin and end with the League. Their pomp and circumstance are hardly the ways of peace you seem so eager to embrace.”

Three knocks at the front door, hard, heavy, and unrelenting. “Anita?” Superboy, his voice as urgent as the knocks on the door. It is so strange to hear him call her name…

“Back door’s open.” Anita’s tone doesn’t slip any higher than a typical conversational tone, but she knows he can hear her. “This ‘associate’ of yours. You never mentioned exactly what ‘they’ wanted.”

“Unfortunate then, that our time is up.” Luthor murmured.

“Well played, or it would be if that were enough to tempt me to initiate or maintain contact.”

Luthor takes merely a second to weigh his options. “My associate wants ….anonymity.” his eyebrows jump and his eyes roll. “There’s a question as to how effective that demand will be, considering the absurdity of it.”

The back door swung open, and Superboy stopped only to glare at Luthor. Mercy’s posture became tense, as she stepped into the kitchen.

“Luthor.” Superboy growled. Anita was momentarily distracted by the change in his posture. This is the boy who’d ambled beside her down the street, slouching with his hands in his pockets? Now… His shoulders seem… loaded. Not hunched, but more imposing. His neck was almost bent forward, almost as if in preparation for a luge.

“Hello, son.”

Superboy actually bared his teeth. “I don’t care what you’re doing here. Get out.”  

Luthor’s eyes almost softened, though only by a fraction. Then he looks back to Anita. “Is that what you would prefer?”

Anita takes a deep breath through her nose, somewhat surprised that she was being consulted… The man with the devil’s smile was most concerned with being courteous now? After insinuating himself into her safe space….. the cheek.

“As fascinating as this conversation has been—and trust me, it truly has been—I would prefer my mother’s house to remain unscathed.” she said.

Luthor nods, rising slowly. “Please, consider our conversation carefully.” he advised in closing.

“Thank you for your time.” she responded, and it felt almost cordial, if not for how automated it sounded. He gave her one last smirk, and she hoped that means he found her curious or amusing.

He strolled to the front door, Mercy hovering just behind(again, the most ironic name. It’s almost poetic ‘Mercy strolls in Luthor’s Shadow’, or something like that). She eyed Superboy as the front door was opened, only returning to Luthor’s side once he’d passed through the portal.  

Superboy relaxed when the door was shut, only to start in surprise when Anita’s chair scraped out a foghorn sound as she pushed it away from the table. She half collapsed onto her knees, slithering into a heap beneath the table.

“Anita.” he murmured, crouching down to check on her.

“We have to stop meeting like this.” she whispered, but her breathing was off. She drew air in and held it for what felt like long seconds at a time.

He realized that she was counting out how long the process takes for each part. The taking of breath, the holding, and the releasing. A simple coping mechanism, not a health hazard.

“Superboy, come in.” The comm was loud in the stillness. Even Anita could hear it.

“Superboy here.”

“Finally.” Robin’s voice was a breath of relief. “We’re closing in on your location.”

“We?”

“Impul—uh..Kid Flash, Artemis, and I.” after a second he half muttered. “The computers run themselves, after all.”

“Status report?” this came from Artemis.

“Luthor was here, but he’s gone.”

“Damn. What did he do?”

“Other than knocking out the comms and having a chat?” Anita muttered, massaging her temples. “You put bugs in my house?”

“Listening devices.” Superboy admitted. “And just two of them, to keep an eye on things.”

“To keep an ear on things.” Anita corrected, her shoulder leaning heavily against the table leg as she pitched forward. “And not very well, it seems.”

“Is she really mad that we spied on her?” Artemis grumbled over the comms.

“Am I angry that you violated my civil liberties?” Anita clarified, and Superboy had to wonder how keen her hearing was. “No. I’m angry that you did so, and it didn’t do a goddamn bit of good.”

“Here.” Conner offered her a hand, and she stared at it and then at him. He watched as she contemplated this, her hands coming up to grip the table leg and not his offer of help.

“Could you just… turn around?” she asked, and he complied because… well.

Many people could lecture her on relying on the help of others, but he had been in that place. The spot where you’re confused and you feel shaky, and you just want to find your footing all on your own… and you don’t want anyone to see the struggle. He’d definitely been there.

“I’ll open the front door.”

He doesn’t see her nod, because he knows better than to watch her as she processes and recovers.

“I’m sending Kid Flash to deliver a message to the mother.” Robin announced over the comm. “It’s as good as alerting the League, since Superman is there.”

Anita heard that, and something about it gave her pause. She was suspended in a strange headspace, anxiety hovering there with her. She took a breath, and reminded herself that she couldn’t remain idle. Things needed to be done. She walked through the kitchen doorway and into the living room.

“How much time do we have?” she asked, and Superboy finally turned to look back at her.

“Not much.”

She nodded but was avoiding direct eye contact.

Her eyes landed on the chair near the door. Her hand shot out, snatching her backpack up onto her shoulder. As she was trotting up the stairs to her room, he heard her mutter, “Come at me.”

...it didn’t sound confrontational, so much as motivational.

Well, I feel better :)

[craigwinslow]

2 0 1 6 👋

Go, Hustle, Be.

Personally, I’ve had a breakthrough of a year. I feel more confident, more financially stable, and just damn proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish.

Landing the Adobe Creative Residency back in April has propelled my independent design career in wonderful ways. It’s given me a massive platform to promote my work, share my process, and educate others along the way.

99U wrote a feature on Projecting West. Creative Review and then FastCo Design covered my work from the London Design Festival. Most affirming of all— one of my favorite publications, The Great Discontent, did a fantastic long-form interview on me.

I’ve met an incredible amount of new people, produced an impressive amount of work, but by the end of 2016 I had one big problem. One that’s hard to admit.

I’m completely overwhelmed.

I made a bunch of work in quick succession and it’s all piled up. Finding time to document work is a common struggle if you have another immediate project to jump to next. I push myself hard, but in the pressure put on myself to make the most of this residency, I’m drowning by being overly ambitious. 

Hell— even finishing this recap post has a been a crazy-daunting task. I haven’t even posted on my blog since I got the residency in April. That needs to change. I miss writing about bits of process & behind the scenes of projects.

Typically when I get stressed, I let myself go on a tangent and work on whatever I really want to work on. That usually means I start another new idea, but so long as I’m happy & being productive, it works. Eventually I’ll snap out of it, and stay up all night churning out actual work to get out of a creative rut. This time, I completely shut down instead.

So, I spent the holidays reflecting, took some good time with friends and family, and disconnected— slowed down to better move forward.

I’ve succeeded in many ways this year, grown personally more than any other year in my life, yet I can’t help but be self-critical and focus on the ways I failed. 

Here’s what I did this year.

january

Future is Inevitable

I kicked off 2016 with my first solo art show, which turned on just before midnight. Neutrally named, passers by stared into a magic doorway containing fleeting future memories.

Scoble Show — Napa Valley

Robert Scoble invited me to his 2nd annual party and I made a fun impromptu light installation on a tower of wine barrels and vineyard doors.

White Noise Now Announce Video

After quietly experimenting with materials and bouncing ideas, I filmed and edited this launch teaser for a new collaborative with movement artist Erika Senft Miller and sound designer Miles Dean. (Scroll down, we launched the first performance in VT in Oct!)

february

Take F(light)

An impromptu short made with two other PWLF artists, flying a glass airplane with a custom-built drone, to promote our creative works for the Portland Winter Light Festival.

Between Them — Portland Winter Light Festival

Bringing the bridges of Portland to life, imagining what inside jokes the pillars must have about these interesting Portland-folk. Given a spare projector, I showed the Future is Inevitable doorways on two neighboring pillars.

ZX + Future is Inevitable at AFRU Gallery

Same weekend as the PWLF, I showed these two pieces in a group show called ByteMe 5.0.

march

Object Theory Branding

I was fortunate to work with creative director Amy Hillman to create a visual brand for Object Theory, named Most Innovative AR/VR Companies of 2016 by Fast Company.

Epiccurence — The Montues

Invited by Dann Petty to augment the space, ended up creating an impromptu projection with live visuals. I met so many amazing creative humans.

Portland Monthly

I did a couple projection mapping installations at various events for Portland Monthly. One of them was ruined by an amazing sunset.

Applied for Adobe Creative Residency

My good friend Mike Ackerman told me about some creative residency thing but the deadline was only 2 days away. I stayed up all night and submitted my Light Capsules concept for it. Glad I pulled that all-nighter.

april

Soundtoys / Julianna Barwick

Projection mapping live graphics on a cyc wall at Soundtoys while responding to the beautiful sounds of Julianna Barwick.

Jackson Hole Road Trip

Drove out to Jackson, WY to hang out with a close friend Nick, scope out ghostsigns, and mentally prepare for the upcoming year of residency work.

Preparing for Residency

Adobe sent a video team to Portland to create an intro, announcing my residency. You’ll find that video directly above these words you’re reading.

may

Full Moon Masquerade with Greg Davis

Projection mapping into a fish tank, stairwell, and shipwreck at ECHO Aquarium. Thanks to my friends at Signal Kitchen for bringing me on!

Light Capsules — Adobe Creative Residency

For my residency I proposed a project I had in mind since Day 6 of Projecting West, projection mapping ghost signage around the world, bringing the previous layers of history back to life.

Light Capsule 001 — Burlington, VT

To kick off my residency project, I thought it was only right to start on the building where my design career truly began.

Light Capsule 002 — Joseph, OR

During a camping trip, I brought my generator and projectors, and found this little Shell sign and brought it to life at sunset.

Light Capsule 003 — Portland, OR

For a promotional live news segment about the project and my residency. Stay tuned for a Portland takeover for Portland Winter Light Festival 2017!

june

Light Capsule 004 — Astoria, OR

The first palimpsest of my residency project, the whole process from research to projection, was shared on Adobe’s Snapchat. I also wrote a big process post published for Adobe Create Magazine.

99U Article — Projecting West

After being interviewed by Matt McCue, he wrote a long piece on 99U about the story and origins behind our road trip kickstarter adventure, Projecting West.

july

Light Capsule 005 — Cincinnati, OH

Visited the incredible American Sign Museum, worked with Ronny Salerno, and revived the last remaining wall by sign painter Chuck Keiger.

PBR Unicorn Mask

Totally forgot to share this one. I worked with Jen Fuller Studios to design & produce a kit to make your own unicorn head out of a PBR box. They shipped the guide for Halloween 2016. You can get your own template for free on PBR’s site. Oh, and here’s the video I shot/edited as a making-of.

august

NikeLab x RT

As soon as I began the residency, I was separately approached by NikeLab for an animation/installation project. Adobe completely encouraged me to pursue it, taking time to focus on what resulted in an animated Ricardo Tischi pattern that was shown globally.

Light Capsule 006 — Portland, ME

Of course I had to put my hometown on the map. This one was quite a challenge to figure out, with a few mysteries that remain... Read more about it in my latest article on Adobe Create Magazine.

Light Capsule 007 —Portland, ME

For a “ghost sign,” this one wasn’t too worn, but I couldn’t resist using it to confuse people in the Portland out west.

september

XOXOFEST 2016

Collaborative light installation with my studiomate Ben Purdy. To commemorate the 5th year and impending hiatus of the festival, we blended glitched recap & speaker videos of past with a secret live feed from the bar. This was our first time actually working together on a project. (We’ve actually been paid to not work together before, but that’s another story.)

London Design Festival

Whoa. Huge trip to London to bring a series of Light Capsules across the pond. Collaborated with Sam Roberts of Ghostsigns. I was also honored to kick off the festival by speaking at the V&A Museum and share my story & process.

Light Capsule 008 — Take Courage

I couldn’t not do this sign for Courage Beer. The message actually comes from war time era, and ‘take’ is used like ‘take your medicine.’ So many meanings and history in this simple two-word phrase. So good in fact, we did this sign twice, the Saturday to start the festival, and the following Saturday to end it.

Light Capsule 009 — Barlow & Roberts

Up close & personal, this wooden sign tucked under a bridge and squeezed between two structures was a great way to demonstrate the projection mapping technique and process.

Light Capsule 010 — Cakebread Robey

Another palimpsest, this one up in Stoke Newington, it was interesting to analyze the two layers and see what changed as the business changed and grew.

Light Capsule Worldwide Party — Distillery Bar

Halfway through the London Design Festival, we took over a blank wall and brought to it a digital collection of signs from all over the world.

Light Capsule 011 — Wire Works

The left part of this sign was on the corner of a building that collapsed during the war. When it was rebuilt, they filled in the bricks, but didn't repaint.

Light Capsule 012 — Westminster Gillette

As the finale of the London Design Festival series, we brought to life this triple palimpsest that took some special figuring out using historical photographs.

october

White Noise Now presents — SALT

When we announced this back in January, I had no idea the second half of my year would get so insane. Fortunately, Adobe was super supportive of the WNN project, funded it, and I roped it into my residency. It was named Best Art Installations of 2016 by Seven Days. We’re very close to sharing the video of this performance installation, and I can’t wait to grow this collaborative further.

Light Capsule 013 — Detroit, MI

Pushing the Light Capsules project further, I collaborated with Miss Van to augment her mural alongside an existing ghost sign. This was also recorded in 360º on a Gear 360.

november

Adobe MAX Speaker

Third talk of the year, and the biggest of my life. I broke down a 60 min talk into a 10 min backstory, 20 min on Projecting West, and 20 min on Light Capsules. It went super well.

Adobe MAX BASH — Entrance

I created a light installation at the entrance to the MAX BASH, projection mapping on a sculpture of 42 surfboards. Naturally, I titled this MAX BORTS.

december

New work studio

Prior to the closing of the XOXO Outpost, my studiomate Ben Purdy noticed a new studio on craigslist… with a ghost sign in it. We toured a few other places, but the Goldsmith Blocks are pretty great and now I work up close with Big Philip.

New loft apartment

In another crazy timing circumstance, my roommate was moving out and I noticed a dream apartment opened up downtown: a big gorgeous studio loft in a converted historical industrial building. Pulled the trigger on it. Moved everything in a day. First time living alone, too, but it feels just right.

Monster Project SF

My mentor at Adobe, Stefano Corazza, organized an incredible gallery show for The Monster Project, hosted in the freshly renovated Adobe SF Headquarters. I flew down to create something fun and impulsive for it. With only a day to put something together, I brought on my pal Mike Ackerman and we ended up getting a bunch of paper lanterns and turned a festive tree into a creepy monster.

1 Hotels

Another side venture started in 2015 that is gaining some solid momentum, I’m working with 1 Hotel to realize an experimental new type of immersion room in their South Beach location. Details to come!

This recap post.

Last year I was in the same situation, everything piles up, holidays hit, and I bury myself in unrealistic expectations for a massive end of year post. (You know, something epic like what Mailchimp does.) This year, I reached a limit, and quietly imploded.

2 0 1 6 mantra. Go, Hustle, Be.

GO. — I certainly went. Even hit my goal to go international, too. London, Vancouver, Tijuana, plus lots around the states.

HUSTLE. — Looking at the above, I definitely got a lot done this year. Biggest accomplishment by far was landing the residency of my dreams.

BE. — I’m proud of the quality time I’ve had with many of the new people in my life, but I still need to dedicate more time to reflection and sharing my process.

2 0 1 7 mantra. Let’s do this. (smarter, better, together)

Everything is lining up for me to propel myself forward with the momentum gained through this residency with Adobe. I want to do some incredible things next… but I can’t possibly do this alone. Nor do I want to. 

Especially in the wake of this volatile election, I want to band together with my creative peers to build projects that bring people together and create ripples of positive impact.

This year I’m going to take serious steps to work smarter, optimize my workflow, and take more time for myself. I’ve stopped flying around like an idiot for a bit, and started an actual routine. I wake up at a certain time, make breakfast, coffee, read a chapter of a book, then walk to the studio. 

And now I’ve completed this post, and can somewhat satisfyingly check it off my list, and move forward.

Let’s do this, 2017. —Craig

A FEW THINGS COMING UP 2017:

Jan 20 — Speaking at Adobe Creative Jam Portland, PSU Feb 1-4 — Light Capsules series at Portland Winter Light Festival Feb/Mar — Light Capsules road trip to SXSW from LA to Austin Mar 30 — Immersive visuals for Beowulf at Princeton University.

[greedisland-devs]

What's each devs favorite gi card?

G: Tome of a Thousand Tales (023)

R: Virtual Restaurant (063)

E: Beautiful Skin Spa (004)

E: Mystery Pond (008)

D: Luck Bankbook (013)

I: Secrets Video Rental (059)

S: Angel's Breath (017)

L: Hormone Cookies (033)

A: Imp's Wink (018)

N: Connection Severing Scissors (014)

D: 3-D Camera (097)