#a lot of characters use textures from muir

[zeondraws]

I went down a rabbit hole and figured out how to fix some issues, I still have issues but like, I have some cool references now.

Not sure what I'd use them for, but this makes me realise there is a Douglas helmet?

I should go to bed-

[wifelinkmtg]

Neon Dynasty Kami- wait hang on

Are we still on Innistrad? I thought we did Innistrad last time. Excuse me while I review the previous post.

***

Yes, it seems we started Innistrad, but I got sidetracked by talking about all the corrupted angels from Shadows block. Odd. When I try to remember the process of writing the last post, there aren’t any specifics, just this... warm, hazy thrum. That’s probably fine, right?

Anyway.

INNISTRAD: MIDNIGHT HUNT + CRIMSON VOW, CONTINUED

Henrika Domnathi (art by Billy Christian)

It really is so easy to make vampires hot, isn’t it? Like there’s a formula: take a pretty woman, give her opulent clothes, put a little trickle of blood from her mouth as a crack in the facade of controlled civility, right, just to indicate that she may look like nobility but is in fact a decadent animal, and then give her a wine glass full of blood and have her hover a bit. There you go: buttons pushed, hotness achieved.

Henrika, Infernal Seer (art by Billy Christian)

Oh, by the way, Henrika apparently drinks demon blood exclusively, which is a cool character detail I thought you should know. There is something very Mardi Gras about this whole look, which just makes me want to reread some of Caitlín R. Kiernan’s New Orleans short stories. Actually, you could do a very interesting Innistrad reskin using Kiernan’s mythology, their dog-like ghouls and Southern vampires in houses with decaying wallpaper. Wizards of the Coast did a bunch of alternate versions of cards from Crimson Vow as Dracula characters - I’m imagining something similar with Jimmy de Sade as Sorin, Salmagundi as Avacyn, and so forth. Free Secret Lair idea, if Wizards want to make a product with a target audience of one.

MUCH LIKE THAT WHOLE PARAGRAPH. LET’S MOVE ON, PLEASE.

Gisa, Glorious Resurrector (art by Yongjae Choi)

You know, there is something really compelling about a woman who is passionate about her art, even if that art is raising the dead. Not a lot of fun to be had on Innistrad, generally speaking, but Gisa is having the time of her life: bloody cleaver, picnic basket full of hands, horde of adoring undead, evil shovel. Some respond to the horrors of Innistrad by retreating to the safety of ritual or religion, hiding in their hamlets, hands gripping axe or torch, mouths set in grim hope. Gisa responded to the horrors by saying, “I could do your job better, actually,” and it is working out great for her. Apologies to Olivia Voldaren, but Gisa is Innistrad’s premier girlboss and it is not close.

Bat Whisperer (art by Jodie Muir)

I’m sure the other vampires get judgy about how Sabrina’s always getting fully contoured and dressed to the nines just to go lounge around on rooftops with bats, but frankly she has captivated me with her #AutisticGirlSwag. I am so excited to learn all about the difference between bat species in Nephalia and Stensia.

Saryth, the Viper’s Fang (art by Igor Kieryluk)

There aren’t any gorgons on Innistrad, so Saryth has decided to DIY it. About eighty percent of the sex appeal here is the massive, luminous constrictor. That’s not just me, right? Igor made the snake really hot, right?

ANYWAY, YOU’VE BEEN WAITING FOR THE CROSSBOW SEGMENT OF OUR SHOW.

Apprentice Sharpshooter (art by Steve Prescott)

Personally I think it’s good to have to watch out for spikes when you kiss a pretty woman. There’s a lovely textural contrast between cold pointy metal and the softness and warmth of fur and skin. More spikes on women in 2023, please.

Bloodthirsty Adversary (art by Heonhwa Choe)

Yes, like that, exactly! Spiked pauldron, spiked hips, double crown of thorns, and we’ve escalated to two crossbows. She will kill you, unfortunately, but you’ll get to experience several interesting and different piercing sensations on the way out.

Sawblade Slinger (art by Joshua Raphael)

And speaking of escalation, um. Look. We can argue about whether the Fuck-Off Buzzsaw Hurler is technically a crossbow, but I hope we can all agree that it is an Effective Visual Metaphor for the best goddamn strap game in Innistrad.

THIS HAS BEEN THE CROSSBOW SEGMENT OF OUR SHOW. THANK YOU.

Creepy Puppeteer (art by Marie Magny)

If you’re not at least curious about what it would feel like to get double-teamed by a lovely hammer-wielding maniac and her mannequin duplicate, you might be reading the wrong blog. Hey Marie, this is pretty good, but can we get the horny turned up a couple hundred percent?

Blood Hypnotist (art by Marie Magny)

Amazing, thank you so much. Where to even begin with this? I don’t know exactly what blood hypnosis entails, but I would very much like to learn. The dominating eye contact, the blood-soaked talons, the coy little heart in blood on her previous victim’s face (”previous” because what this image communicates above all else is “you’re next,”) fat braids straining against their prison of riveted leather strips, the way the outline of her head irresistibly suggests a praying mantis head (that one’s just for me, thank you!), and - why not - fat tits into the bargain. Honestly, the only thing that could possibly make this any hornier would be the visible bulge of her thick cock, which I’m sure they only didn’t do because this game is 13+. Then again, they printed this card as-is, so I guess Magic: the Gathering is real educational, huh? Tap lands, cast spells, make friends, feel things about card art you can’t yet identify but which will shape whole swathes of the rest of your life.

Alright, that’s been Innistrad, a welcome change of pace from almost two years of mostly-neutered art. Thanks for going on this journey with me!

NEXT TIME: CYBERPUNK, ART DECO, AND TAMIYO'S HOT GIRL MAKEOVER COMES AT A TERRIFYING COST!

[thejakeformerlyknownasprince]

I have a lot to say about the Gideon the Ninth books drawing from Animorphs, and a huge amount of it only comes out in the sequel, and a lot of it IMO comes specifically from Visser and Ellimist; but a non comprehensive list:

1) Ambiguously consensual, parasitic body sharing is a huge motif in the second book. With a couple plot-relevant exceptions, the only speaking role in these body sharing pairs is the parasitic person; the person being parasitized is a silent passenger whose skills, knowledge, and life force are being continually consumed and who is unable to take any material action of their own. These relationships are treated (by the speaking characters, the ones driving) as familial relationships of huge emotional importance. (Visser!) The question of consent from the silent passengers is constantly interrogated; but certainly they would not have the power to revoke that consent now.

2) Two of the main deuteragonists in the second book are the two highest-ranking lieutenants of the lord of the empire, who despise each other, and whose hatred of each other creates much of the background texture against which the protagonist of the second book operates.

3) There's a weird non-space next to real space that you can use to travel much faster than light speed, and it's creepy as hell.

4) There's like, gods and saints and anti-gods (three separate categories) whose methods of achieving divinity/immortality in some cases include accruing the physical and spiritual detritus of the dead throughout the vast expanse of space, and two of them have gone through a black hole, and I know Tamsyn Muir read Ellimist and it's true the black hole line was tossed in as a throwaway but I cannot believe those guys are not going to show up again.

5) I have a new, kind-of-a-stretch theory brewing about the influence that the death of Rachel, and specifically Jake's choice to sacrifice Rachel, had on this series, because a lot of the second book is dominated by the grief of people who a long time ago each sacrificed someone who they loved very much who was their personal profoundly loyal warrior (who as far as the reader can tell consented to the sacrifice) and they did it in service to an endless war the reader doesn't yet have the information to understand, and they have never really forgiven themselves or each other for it. Like, the relationships between these people, who are a tight in-group that no one else can ever hope to understand or permeate because of what they've been through together, are permanently damaged by that sacrifice.

6) There's a lot of young people in the first book who romanticize war and who want to be soldiers—there's a pair of 14-year-olds in particular, and the protagonist who's 18 has yearned to join the military since she was 8—and this society does conscript soldiers incredibly young and there was some deconstruction of the horror of that, and the reasons it is a terrible thing to do to a child (or to anyone) in the background of the first book that I am confident will come up again more explicitly in the third.

I don't know that this is remotely interesting to you but you brought up Gideon the Ninth and I've been stewing about Animorphs influence on Gideon the Ninth for months.

This is all correct and I have nothing to add.

[fairyfolkreviews]

“The Mermaid Bride and Other Orkney Folktales” Review

Disclaimer: In accordance with FTC Guidelines for blogging and endorsements: The book reviewed has been purchased by me and the opinions I have expressed are my own. All quotes from “The Mermaid Bride” are the property of © Tom Muir, and illustrations are all by artist  © Bryce Wilson. Images used with permission of © Tom Muir from Orkneyology.

“The Mermaid Bride” is a varied collection of folk tales retold by the author and is as entertaining as it is informative. It’s a hidden gem among the many Scottish folklore books that line the mythology and local interest section of bookstore shelves. I highly recommend it to anyone who wishes to learn more about Orkney's traditional tales and customs. It is also a great choice for children who love fairy tales. The pages are filled with fantastic creatures, lesser known creatures of folklore: selkies, giants, ghosts, fin folk, mermaids, and trows, to name a few. If you are familiar with Norse mythology, you will notice its influence on some of the legends. Vikings had invaded the Orkney Isles and lived there for a time among the natives long ago. Bryce Wilson’s illustrations adorn the book and add even more charm to the stories. They are incredibly detailed and are done in black ink with a stippling effect, creating texture as well as a three-dimensional impression to his pictures.

The book begins with the “Acknowledgements” page, followed by an introduction by the author, Tom Muir. He explains that his purpose for writing this book was to preserve Orkney's heritage and compile as many folk stories as he could find into one place for fear that all the ancient tales would be lost in time. I believe that he has achieved this goal. He may have even composed a classic that will lay on the bedside tables of many Orkney children for their mothers to read to them for years to come. Following the introduction is “The Creatures of Orkney Folklore” section which provides short descriptions of the mythical characters featured in the tales. I recommend you read this section if you are not familiar with Orkney folklore. Otherwise, it will be difficult to understand who or what the supernatural characters are in the tales. After the collection of folk tales, there is a small segment titled “Short Stories from Old Lore Miscellaneous.” and one labelled “Ernest Marwick Papers, Orkney Archives of the Orkney Library, D31.” Ernest Marwick was a folklorist who wrote one of the first books of folklore of the Orkney and Shetland Isles. The last two sections are “BBC Radio Orkney Archives” and the bibliography, which is designated “Notes and Sources.”

The language of the tales is simple to adhere to traditional story-telling. This combined with the author’s unique voice which captures the essence of the settings in which the stories take place and the dialogues between the characters. They preserve the authenticity to these tales as faithful as the ambiance of  the originals. They invoke emotions of love, loss, wonder, caution and even some  humor. Some tales are short, less than a page long, while others exceed three pages. I found that the narration is similar to that of many fairy tales. Most folk tales  have an underlying purpose, theme, or lesson.. My favorite sayings from the book are: "A close tongue keeps a safe head" and "She shaped her own cloth, now let her wear her ill-fitting dress!" The stories are more plot-driven and the protagonists generally do not play a large part and are not particularly well-rounded. Therefore, the choices these characters make and external supernatural forces/entities are what move the narrative forward. Supporting characters are not mentioned much and rarely influence the events which occur. If you keep in mind that you are reading a book of folktales, not a collection of short fiction, you will enjoy the book regardless.There is plenty of adventure to be found: discoveries of hidden islands and an underwater kingdom, the exploration of the wild, rich and untamed Orkney landscape, which is depicted in Mr. Muir's brilliantly.

As much as I adored the book, I’m giving it ★ ★ ★ ★ instead of five because of some minor vexing details:

Toward the end of the book, there is an increase in common grammatical errors (misuse of punctuation, not capitalizing the first words of sentences, etc.). Also, the language in the tales do not seem to flow as smoothly as they did earlier in the book. Everything feels somewhat rushed. Furthermore, some factors in the tales are difficult to comprehend. I understand and appreciate that these folk tales were told this way years ago, but one wonders if the original storytellers at the time had not been improvising or adding elements spontaniously. A good example to support my opinion is the story "Good Neighbours of Greenie Hill," when a stampede of pigs suddenly appears out of nowhere in the house and starts squealing next to a character’s feet, then one of them carries him or her off to see fairies.

Overall, I enjoyed every moment I spent reading this book. I learned a lot about the folklore of Orkney and a little about the customs of the people who lived there in the past. I loved the stories toward the beginning of the book most of all, which are creation myths that portray how Orkney came to be, as well as stories of Mermaids, Selkies, and Fin Folk. But my absolute favorite tale was by far "Lady Odivre;" it was one of the most epic folk tales I had ever read: an oath made by Odin, a heartbroken lady, a brave knight in a faraway land, a Selkie King, and even a scandal!

I recommend this book to anyone interested in folklore, particularly Scottish folklore. I also recommend it to anyone who loved mermaids, selkies, and stories of the sea. The tales of the Orkney Isles are not as well-known as those from the rest of the UK, but they should be. If not for the sake of scholarly research, then for the pure joy that they will no doubt bring you.  If you are interested in this book, you can  find used copies online, but most are overpriced overpriced. Luckily, you can still purchase a new copy directly  from the bookshop linked to the publisher, Orcadian Limited (Kirkwall Press), here.

Resources for research and further reading:

1. Orkneyjar:  http://www.orkneyjar.com/

2. Orkneyology: https://www.orkneyology.com/

3. Orkney Library: http://www.orkneylibrary.org.uk/

4. Marwick, Ernest W. The Folklore of Orkney and Shetland. B.T. Batsford, 1986.

5. Muir, Tom, and Sheila Faichney. Orkney Folk Tales. The History Press, 2014

6. Black, George F. County Folklore. Facsimile ed., III, Folklore Society, 1994.

7. Dennison, Walter Traill, and Tom Muir. Orkney Folklore & Sea Legends. Orkney Press, 1995.

[josephafmp]

                                                    CITY SCAPE

Above are some pictures of the varying films, music videos, tv programmes and games that have inspired my cityscape. 

The previously mentioned films, games, programmes and music videos all include a futuristic ‘cyberpunk’ city skyline of some description. All these futuristic city skylines except ‘Fifth Element’ (1997) incorporate bright lights, tall towers and flashing billboards or other forms of advertisement. All of these examples also include a lot of cloud and fog cover with hazy blue lights protruding through the various buildings. Blues, pinks and purples appear to be the primary colours of these scenes and this will be something I consider when constructing my city. 

These cities have all been created either digitally, with miniature models or by digital manipulation of a real city. (sometimes all these elements occur) 

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(Slice of Life, 2017)

In a ‘Slice of Life’ (2017) the city/buildings were constructed in miniature form using junk materials like tubes, wiring and Christmas decorations. Projectors were used to beam advertisements onto their city billboards. The city is introduced by using a fade in pan. This was done to give a sense of realism and movement to the city. The camera is positioned in a low angle shot looking up, this gives height and depth to the city making it look bigger and taller whilst also adding a sense of awe and excitement to the audience. This then cuts to a high angle/ bird eye shot looking down on the city, showing flying cars. Yet again this adds height to the city.

(FOR MORE INFORMATION SEE APPENDIX 1)

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In order to achieve an effective panning shot they used a motion controlled camera rig to synchronise multiple passes of background lighting, billboards and the buildings individual room lights. This allowed them to composite all the clips together and edit the separate clips accordingly to achieve the final result. This was done so that they could control the brightness of separate pieces of the city. 

(FOR MORE INFORMATION SEE APPENDIX 1)

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In order to achieve the glowing, hazy fog the city was backlit using led lights whilst smoke was pumped into the shot. Each pass allows for more control over the outcome of the final product. 

(FOR MORE INFORMATION SEE APPENDIX 1)

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Miniature models were also used in the creation of ‘Blade Runner’ (1982) and ‘Attack of the Cyber Octopuses’ (2017). In a ‘Slice of Life’ (2017), ‘Motorsport’ (2018) and ‘Blade Runner’ (1984) the city is revealed by fading in from black. 

The way in which the city is revealed is like the audience opening their eyes onto the city for the first time. We as an audience have awoken in this city and this is where the story begins.

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In the book ‘Digital Domain’ (Piers Bizony, 2001) it describes the process of how a scene from ‘Fifth Element’ (1997) combined composite alpha channels, green screen footage, CGI, 3 colour channels (RGB), miniature models and matte paintings to create a scene where the character Leeloo leaps from a building. 

(FOR MORE INFORMATION SEE APPENDIX 4)

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For my city I attempted to recreate a miniature model city using random things from around the house. I spray painted them grey like in ‘Attack of the Cyber Octopuses’ (2017) but I didn’t like my final result so I decided the way forward would be to teach myself CGI. 

(FOR MORE INFORMATION SEE APPENDIX 3)

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(SEE APPENDIX 5 FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HOW I TAUGHT MYSELF BLENDER, MY PROGRESS AND FURTHER INSPIRATIONS)

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Whilst constructing my city I was conscious to make the buildings look as tall as possible. I used a slightly low angled shot to give the scene height but also made the buildings in the background taller than those in the foreground to give extra height and depth. 

(*)

Another way in which I made the city look larger was by adding reflections of other buildings at night. This was achieved by using a custom environment texture and setting it as an emission. The image I used was from a family holiday in New York in 2011 (See Below). In order to make the buildings look as though they are lit up I made the buildings metallic. This reflected the environment texture making the buildings appear lit.  I also added billboards onto varying angles and different buildings to the depth of the scene. 

For the window scene when Robyn is asleep ‘looking’ out of her window I wanted to make sure I stayed true to the cyberpunk genre and included rain. I placed green paper inside of a large photo-frame and from above I sprayed the glass with a hosepipe. This gave the effect of water running down a window that I could key and replace with my city.

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City Scape - Pictures

Глеб Гридневский (2017). Blade Runner 2049 Scene - Flight to LAPD & Baseline Test [FULL HD]. [video] Available at: https://youtu.be/Yv8xEhv_hLE?t=89 [Last Accessed 25 Apr. 2019].

MIGOS ATL (2017). Migos, Nicki Minaj, Cardi B - MotorSport (Official). [video] Available at: https://youtu.be/9v_rtaye2yY?t=10 [Last Accessed 25 Apr. 2019].

chaosmonger studio (2017). Attack of the Cyber Octopuses - Official Trailer. [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFolO07bDdw [Last Accessed 25 Apr. 2019].

Movieclips Classic Trailers (2014). Blade Runner (1982) Official Trailer - Ridley Scott, Harrison Ford Movie. [video] Available at: https://youtu.be/eogpIG53Cis?t=13 [Last Accessed 25 Apr. 2019].

Netflix (2018). Altered Carbon. [video] Available at: https://www.netflix.com/watch/80097693?trackId=13752289&tctx=0%2C0%2C52b93d06-c8fb-4fed-95d0-7754286dccec-57886770%2C%2C [Last Accessed 25 Apr. 2019].

Slice of Life (2017). Slice of Life - Official Trailer. [video] Available at: https://youtu.be/fcDJCZrwkLw?t=3 [Last Accessed 25 Apr. 2019].

Netflix (2018). Mute. [video] Available at: https://www.netflix.com/watch/80119233?trackId=13752289&tctx=0%2C0%2C33f665ed-08ae-4f7d-a941-4a377aeeffca-56183651%2C%2C [Last Accessed 25 Apr. 2019].

Cooper, D. (2019). Cyberpunk 2077. [image] Available at: https://gamerant.com/cyberpunk-2077-release-date-leak/ [Last Accessed 25 Apr. 2019].

Movieclips Trailers (2016). Ghost in the Shell Official Trailer 1 (2017) - Scarlett Johansson Movie. [video] Available at: https://youtu.be/G4VmJcZR0Yg?t=7[Last Accessed 25 Apr. 2019].

Muir’s, J. (2013). Sci-Fi Cityscapes #4: The Fifth Element (1997); circa the 23rd Century. [image] Available at: http://reflectionsonfilmandtelevision.blogspot.com/2013/01/sci-fi-cityscapes-4-fifth-element-1997.html [Last Accessed 25 Apr. 2019].

City Scape - Films, Tv Programmes, Games, Music Videos

Blade Runner. (1982). [film] Directed by R. Scott. Los Angeles: The Ladd Company.

Blade Runner 2049. (2017). [film] Directed by D. Villeneuve. Alcon Entertainment, Columbia Pictures, Sony ,Torridon Films, 16:14 Entertainment, Scott Free Productions.

MIGOS ATL (2017). Migos, Nicki Minaj, Cardi B - MotorSport (Official). [video] Available at: https://youtu.be/9v_rtaye2yY?t=10 [Last Accessed 25 Apr. 2019].

Attack of the Cyber Octopuses. (2017). [film] Directed by N. Piovesan. Estonia: Chaosmonger Studio.

Altered Carbon, (2018). [TV programme] N/A: Netflix.

Slice of Life. (2017). [film] Directed by L. Hrgovic and D. Julius. Croatia: Blue Creative, Brandomack Productions, Julius Film, Skalpel Studio.

Mute, (2018). [TV programme] N/A: Netflix.

Cyberpunk 2077. (2019). [Game] Directed by A. Badowski and M. Kanik. Poland: CD Projekt RED.

Ghost in the Shell. (2017). [film] Directed by R. Sanders. Paramount Pictures.

The Fifth Element. (1997). [film] Directed by L. Besson. Gaumont.

Book Reference for further in depth research on how the city in ‘The Fifth Element’ was created and mixed with green-screen.  

Bizony, P. (2001). Digital Domain. 1st ed. London: Aurum Press LTD, pp.24,25,26,27,28,29.