#accurate to his artworks but at what cost

[danzainosolitude]

Richter low key looks kind of ugly in the new show’s trailers

[lassieposting]

So like. I've seen plenty of posts discussing CatNap's death scene, the Prototype's involvement, and whether CatNap was betrayed by his mentor or willingly sacrificed himself, but there's one detail that nobody seems to be talking about. So imma bring it up, because it's relevant, it's important, to the point that we might actually only be seeing half the interaction between them.

Prototype is telepathic.

Or at least, he's something similar. It's strongly hinted at throughout his story:

Prototype manages to befriend Theo, despite the fact that he's kept locked in the labs under constant surveillance. Theo's artwork implies he believed Prototype lived under his bed. It also shows that he was - at least partially - aware of what Prototype looked like, as he drew an accurate representation of Prototype's mechanical arm. So how were they communicating? Likely via telepathy, with Prototype reaching out to Theo from the confines of his cell, and possibly projecting an image of himself for Theo to interact with. Theo feels safe with the fearsome-looking Prototype when they meet in person, which would suggest that Prototype is, by then, a familiar face.

Prototype's influence is clear in the video tapes, such as the instructions for moving a Bigger Bodies toy or the Emergency Alert video - he overrides the original content with new instructions like "RELEASE THE GIANT" or "OPEN THE DOORS. THE HOUR OF JOY IS NOW." And it's implied that this "tampering" came hand-in-hand with some kind of telepathic hold on the Playtime workers - they do release Kissy, against all common sense, despite the original instructions being visible beneath Prototype's override, and at the cost of their lives. It makes me think that the "tampering" is actually more of a side effect - that the control Prototype is projecting is so strong that he affects not only the minds of the workers he's targeting, but also any communication media within range - the messages on the VHS tapes are the orders he was pushing into their brains, flash-framed on film. Perhaps, if a worker had picked up a phone to call for help, they would only have heard a cacophony of voices insisting release the giant release the giant release the giant.

DogDay mentions that he and the other Smiling Critters - minus CatNap - "tried to resist [Prototype's] control". It's said in a way that suggests that Bigger Bodies who weren't fully on board with the Hour of Joy were... let's say "encouraged"...to participate, willing or no, via a helpful jolt of Assuming Direct Control. Given how docile she is most of the time, this could also be true of Kissy, who we see joining in with the massacre.

At the end of Chapter Three, the player joins Poppy on an elevator to go confront the Prototype in his lair. Which is weird, because...we know he's not in his lair. We've just seen him kill CatNap, and by this point we know he's likely been tailing us for a while. The Player would know, as they got onto that elevator, that Prototype can follow them down and trap them. But they say nothing to Poppy, their apparent ally. They don't warn her. Why? Maybe Prototype isn't letting them. If he could reach Theo in Playcare from the labs, deep in the bowels of the factory, it's not unreasonable to suggest that he's also in our head, subtly monitoring our thoughts, gently nudging away any desire to raise concerns with Poppy - who, as we know, wants Prototype dead.

So anyway: we know that Prototype has some variety of telepathy. And we know he has a preexisting connection with Theo - now CatNap.

Now, onto the actual death.

Lots of people have already covered the popular theories - that CatNap willingly offered himself to his god, and that CatNap believed the Prototype had come to save him and was cruelly betrayed. But honestly, on first watching, neither of those were the vibe I got. So I'm gonna throw my theories into the ring.

1) CatNap's death was a mercy kill

The first was that it was a mercy kill. CatNap is, at the end of the chapter, electrocuted to the point of collapse, and then horribly burned. There are no scientists left who can tend to the injuries of a Bigger Body creature. CatNap would be in horrifying pain, and if - as I've theorized here - Prototype all but raised CatNap, it could be that the death he provides is intended to put a quick end to CatNap's suffering. A mortally wounded apex predator will often become the target of groups of smaller, subordinate predators - like the swarming Critters in CatNap's territory - once they are dying and unable to defend themselves. Severing the spinal cord and targeting the brain would take away the pain, and make sure the death was as close to immediate as possible. If he'd wanted to hurt or punish CatNap, he could very easily have done so in a far more agonizing way - Miss Delight says that CatNap reports to Prototype, so they seem to be in relatively regular contact with each other and CatNap has few or no reservations about entering Prototype's territory to see him.

From this perspective, it also becomes interesting that Prototype reaches down to CatNap through a vent it's highly unlikely he could fit into, rather than fully appearing in front of us. Bearing in mind their mental connection, left open in the background of their minds, this could actually be seen as Prototype having an understandable and realistic caregiver panic response to CatNap's sudden, all-consuming agony - he wants to get to CatNap as quickly as possible, and he's picked a physically problematic route because it's faster.

2) CatNap's death was the Prototype fixing a problem he created

It's a sad truth that our children - or, in the Prototype's case, the young friend he assumed responsibility for - don't always grow into people we're proud of.

I've talked before about the Prototype's "parenting" as a positive influence on CatNap, and in several ways, it is - relative to the world they're trapped in.

CatNap is spared from the utter social isolation other experiments endure - he has Prototype to play and socialise with, which allows him to grow up with improved social skills and better ability to read people.

CatNap has a protector during the early years of the food shortage, once the toys begin turning on one another. Theo is shy and gentle, not naturally inclined to violence, so Prototype's protection probably shields him from becoming someone else's lunch at least once.

CatNap has someone to teach him to fend for himself. While Prototype's digestive system is vestigial - he doesn't need to eat to survive - he's an accomplished killer and it seems as though CatNap learned many of his hunting techniques from his mentor. It's likely that he would have learned to hunt the way young animals do - at first, Prototype hunts and kills all his food for him. Then Prototype brings back mostly-dead prey for CatNap to finish off. Then CatNap starts practicing his skills on small prey under Prototype's supervision, growing in confidence and competence until he no longer needs help, and then until he's fully self-sufficient.

But let's face it, Prototype is not exactly the world's most well-adjusted or morally upstanding individual. He's been imprisoned for decades. Tortured. Experimented on. He's deeply traumatised, his worldview irrevocably twisted in the name of survival. He's got a documented history of violence and as-yet-unquantified psychic abilities - the telepathy - that could be wreaking absolute havoc on his psyche. And CatNap is a young, impressionable mind who idolises him.

Now, we don't know how Prototype feels about the cult that's sprung up around him. It's entirely possible that he's thriving on it, that he's bought into his own mystique and begun to see himself as a god with the factory as his domain. @hrhowling came up with a fantastic theory along these lines, where CatNap's death is posed as a reward for faithful service - the opportunity to become part of his god and achieve immortality. A show of favour towards a loyal high priest. And if Prototype does appreciate the worship, honestly, this seems the most likely scenario to me.

But it's also just as possible that he's...not a fan.

It's a popular theory that "Ollie" is the Prototype, known to be a vocal mimic, using a child's voice to win the Player's trust. I vibe with this theory - Ollie's speech and tone is...not quite right, and there are multiple points where he sounds like his sentences are made up of different audio clips stitched together - stitched neatly, admittedly, but stitched nonetheless. That's very similar to the way we see Prototype stitching together words in different voices in his interview tape. Ollie's stitching is far less noticeable, but Prototype has had a long time to practice, and he's using the same voice - probably Theodore Grambell's, the child he's most familiar with - so it's not as obvious.

But if Ollie is the Prototype, that sheds a very different light on his character in general. Ollie is helping the Player. Ollie is known to Poppy and Kissy as an ally. Ollie opens up about CatNap, his history with the Prototype, and expresses obvious distaste around CatNap's religious zeal and tendency to kill anyone who opposes his mentor. If Ollie is the Prototype, it seems a lot more like he's a tired old soldier who's been made the unwilling messiah of a cult driven by isolation and insanity.

To add on to this, it's notable that Prototype doesn't seem to be hostile to the other experiments. In fact, his territory would likely be the safest place in the factory for the very small toys - with CatNap grown, he has no need to hunt or eat them, and although he's quite capable of killing anything in the factory, he seems to have no interest in attacking other Bigger Body apex predators. MLL openly hates and fears him, but Prototype has let her be for ten years, only coming to claim her once she's killed. He's openly benevolent to Huggy and CatNap. The only place we ever know him to have aimed his violence is at the scientists tormenting him and the children.

So yeah. Maybe he actually doesn't approve of CatNap's harcore religious leanings. Maybe he's disappointed at how their relationship has shifted over the years, from friendship to surrogate family to reluctant god and fanatical high priest. Maybe he's guiding and helping the Player in the hopes of finally putting an end to their collective imprisonment and misery. And when CatNap snaps - let's be honest, he does make it clear that the Player is intruding and gives them multiple warnings and opportunities to Get Out Of His Home Or Else - and tries to kill the Player, Prototype can't let that happen. He's forced to make a horrifying choice - the kid he loves the bones of, the only friend he had at his lowest points, or the instrument of his ultimate goal.

And we know the Prototype. He's willing to do terrible things in the name of what he believes is right. He massacred innocents along with the guilty during the Hour of Joy. He tells CatNap it's okay, he's done well, he can rest now...

And he does what has to be done.

3) CatNap's death was requested by CatNap

Let's be honest. CatNap is not doing well after that confrontation. He's probably mortally wounded, and he's facing a slow and agonizing death from - if not the player - his burns or his weakness or his inability to defend his own territory. I would not be surprised if the silent conversation between him and the Prototype involved CatNap asking his idol, his god, to please make the pain stop. To end it, quickly and cleanly. I think that would be a reasonable ask from anyone covered head to toe in terrible burns. And in this scenario, knowing there is no doctor that can treat, heal or gently euthanise CatNap, it would honestly be crueller for the Prototype to refuse him.

Anyway yeah I just. Think there's a lot of missing context added by remembering that Prototype is a telepath, and there is probably a conversation going on with CatNap before he dies. So this is my take on three different ways the death scene could be read.

[etes-secrecy-post]

Hi, before I explain my post, I want to say something important.

• What you see my blog has become a major overhaul. And despite the changes, I decided that my 2nd account will be now my artwork blog with a secret twist.

⚠️NEW RULE! (W/ BIGGER TEXT!)⚠️

⚠️ SO PLEASE DO NOT SHARE MY 2nd ACCOUNT TO EVERYONE! THIS SECRECY BLOG OF MINE IS FOR CLOSES FRIENDS ONLY!⚠️

• AND FOR MY CLOSES FRIENDS, DON’T REBLOG IT. INSTEAD, JUST COPY MY LINK AND PASTE IT ON YOUR TUMBLR POST! JUST BE SURE THE IMAGE WILL BE REMOVED AND THE ONLY LEFT WAS THE TEXT.

⚠️ SHARING LINKS, LIKE POSTS, REBLOG POSTS, STEALING MY SNAPSHOT PHOTOS/RECORDED VIDEOS/ARTWORKS (a.k.a. ART THIEVES) OR PLAGIARIZING FROM UNKNOWN TUMBLR STRANGERS WILL IMMEDIATELY BE BLOCKED, RIGHT AWAY!⚠️

😡 WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT EVER LIKED & REBLOG MY SECRET POST! THIS IS FOR MY SECRET FRIENDS ONLY, NOT YOU! 😡

Okay? Capiche? Make sense? Good, now back to the post…↓

#OnThisDay: Dec 9th, 2017

Title: Cuteness Member - Fuse

Not to be confused with the first Pokemon to joined the 'Cuteness Defender Academy', rather this is the first ever Pokemon OC to joined the said academy was none other than 'Fuse' the Quialva, the leader of the 'Sun Explorers', which still held his position and his created group to this very day! 🔥🦎🙂 And his FIRST EVER 'Cuteness Mecha Armor' of choice, in 2017? The armored 'Star Burning'! ⭐🔥🤖😃

IMPORTANT NOTE: I'M NOT A OF 'POKEMON', IN THE FIRST PLACE. Besides, drawing a POKEMON relation DOESN'T MAKE ME A FAN! Because I've always LOVED GUNDAM IN MY WHOLE LIFE, SINCE 2000. So please, RESPECT MY OPINION.

Star Burning Fuse Based on: SB-011 Star Burning Gundam [CLICK ME!]

Armament(s):

• Vulcan Gun Mounted in the head, the pair of machine guns are not very powerful, but boasts rapid fire rates and high accuracy when working with the main camera. They are usually used to intercept incoming projectiles or contain enemy units.

• Beam Saber A handheld close combat weapon that emits a beam blade. A beam saber is stored on each side skirt armor, and they have high cutting power.

• Beam Rifle The beam rifle used by Star Burning has a foldable design. In the folded state, its firepower is weak but can fire rapidly. With the barrel unfolded, its power greatly increased but at the cost of a lower rate of fire.

• Shield A defensive armament that can be mounted on the left forearm. For more effective defense in melee combat, the shield can be separated into two smaller shields and mounted on each forearm.

Special Equipment/Feature(s):

• Radial General Purpose (RG) System A special system was originate in the Gunpla plastic models (from the "Gundam Build" Anime series") was now converted into 'Cuteness Mecha Armors'. This system improves the 'CMA's performance like the armored Star Burning. When activated, the Star Burning's particle-saturated inner frame glows gold momentarily, while the clear blue parts on the body turn bright orange, similar to the armored Build Burning's assimilated state. The armored Star Burning has strong structure to withstand the particle permeating inside.

• Galaxy Booster Appeared in the ONA "Gundam Build Metaverse", its an optional equipment mounted on the Star Burning's backpack, it is the same support unit as used by the armored Build Strike Galaxy Cosmos. The Galaxy Booster's wings function as particle controlling antennas, and by spreading them in all directions, it is possible to control Plavsky particles within a wide range accurately.

Special Attack(s):

• Hyper Star Burning Knuckle This overwhelming destructive punch is executed after the activation of the RG System. When using this attack, the red attachments on the forearms and the yellow protrusions on them slide forward, and energy projections similar to the armored Star Build Strike's small "Plavsky Power Gates" are generated from the clear parts on the side of the legs. These projections then surrounds the wrist and change into fire effects when the punch is thrown.

Fuse (Pokemon, Quilava OC) - owned by Romulus907 (dA) Armor (Gundam Build Fighters GM's Counterattack) - Gundam series © Bandai Namco Filmworks, Inc. (SUNRISE), Sotsu

[whitedragoncoranth]

Rocket Raccoon Comforted

Crossposted from Ao3

Chapter 3

Through the miracle of the Forge, she had been restored to life. She'd met her raccoon's human, and Rocket had tried to explain the relationship they had; Lylla thought she understood it - the strange, non-sexual, yet incredibly intimate form of love that David and Rocket shared - and yet she sort of didn't. This odd agape - universal love - was strange... but it was definitely good for her raccoon! Rocket was, well, nicer than he used to be; he was less angry, his wit and snark less harsh and biting; and he was open to being petted, touched, picked up, hugged--and he shared this all freely with her, his beloved otter, most often during the downtime between missions, when they rested with their human, little heads on his chest as he stroked their headfur, then down their backs (and, oh sky, the human's touch was bliss...!).

The human, David, in his role as Butler-Bodyguard, served both of the uplifted animals, now. Rocket had shown Lylla his Office - where he kept a small Library, and Workbench with tools all neatly organized to assist Rocket in his duties - along with his weapons; a small, silenced pistol and rapier with monomolecular edge. Most notable and fascinating to Lylla was the Butler Book that the human kept. At first, Lylla had frowned at her raccoon when Rocket had tried to explain; then he'd gently lifted the Book from the Office and had let her see inside as their human had sat with them. The Butler Book contained a wealth of knowledge and information, though nothing intimate or compromising, which made the female Otter sigh with relief; David served his Principals well indeed!

What was in the book, however, was incredible. Lylla beheld Crew Dossiers on all the Guardians that listed their favourite foods, drinks, entertainment, clothing styles they liked to wear. There were crew schedules, copious notes on the day-to-day operations of the Milano; detailed inventory lists for everything she could think of, lists of immediate repairs to be conducted on the ship in the event of attacks or accident, parts needed for said repairs, where they might be found and the unit cost to buy, or - if no inventory was available - how to jury-rig and effect temporary repairs. Notes on their enemies, in particular the High Asshole, the Otter shivering at how accurate much of their human's guesswork was regarding the man. When Rocket had shown her the artwork and doodles drawn by their human, the overwhelmed otter had had to supress a squeal at her and Rocket wearing the Iron Man and War Machine Armor whilst Rocket giggled with glee!

The section on her in the Book was scant, but growing day by day; her favourite foods, drinks, entertainment, jotted notes on medical issues that could occur, how best to wash, groom, and pet her into utter squeaking bliss. Then there were the amazing haunting sketches, the cutaway anatomical works, the theories on how and why she had been made, inventory of her cybernetic parts, and even more. Much of the artwork had made the otter laugh, and yet one powerful image had made her sob gently against her beloved's side. The drawing was of Her, Rocket, Teefs, and Floor; they all were physically dead, yet their spirits were made of stars, and they were united together as they soared through the forever sky... “The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff. May you fly forever, free, through the sea of stars.” Now both Lylla and Rocket were in tears as their human petted and stroked their heads, and down their backs.

Their human was odd. David wasn't clingy or hovering when he served them; on the contrary, he was discrete and efficient; in the background such that the other Guardians started to think he was part of the works of the Milano--but he always seemed to be there with impeccable timing. Whenever Rocket or Lylla needed something, be it food, drink, a tool, assistance with anything, or... just when they wanted to talk, their human was there. What David and Rocket had together... it didn't get in the way of their relationship; in fact, David added to it, the human doing everything he could to softly, gently, discreetly encourage romance between her and Rocket; that private time between her and her beloved raccoon was private, and they were undisturbed. And yet... David adored her and she grew to love the human, too, along with her beloved raccoon.

When she'd tried to work it all out in her head and had talked softly to Rocket whilst they all lay together in bed - their heads on David's chest, covered by the duvet as he petted and stroked them both - Rocket had smiled, and replied, "That's what my humie does, Lady. He... he fills the gaps you didn't know you had in ya, ones beyond you and me. Makes ya... more." And then Lylla's thoughts had become a jumbled mess as David had softly petted and stroked their furred bodies into sleep. As far as Lylla was aware, their human was just that - an ordinary Terran human from Earth, albeit trained as a Butler-Bodyguard - and yet... his Butler Book seemed to have things in it that were written ahead; as if he could predict the future; potential upcoming repairs, ship parts and tools to purchase, potential future enemies they might face--as if he could see far ahead of where they currently were! Her raccoon, however, snorted and brushed off talk of potential clairvoyance immediately.

"Dat's his job, Princess", Rocket said. "It's his work as a Butler; he has to try and anticipate what we might need at any time, so of course the Book's got stuff on potential future scenarios, enemies, plans, missions..." It put her mind at ease. David was usually discrete... but when he needed to intervene and come out of the background, he could be terribly intimidating! Lylla grinned as she remembered when her beloved had sassed a high-ranking Nova Corps member - said Nova Corps member had made to strike her beloved Rocket - and then their human in his sharp black suit had smoothly stepped between the two, black silenced pistol drawn and pointed at the Corpsman's forehead, right between his eyes.

The look in their human's eyes had been that of a stone-cold monster, as if the Nova Corpsman were nothing more than an insect to be crushed; the Nova Corps thug had backed the hell off! There'd also been that mission where - between himself and Mantis - they'd roughed and dirtied up his fur, had used incredible makeup and effect, to make it look like Rocket had been seriously roughed up before being captured, in order to infiltrate a prison to get intel about a bounty. The mission after that had gone off without fail; hugging the stuffing out of their human outright nuzzling him over and over and over, Rocket had half-sobbed, and half-screamed with sheer glee as the units - so many units! - had filled their bank accounts for months when the murdering bastard had been dragged off by Nova Corps!

[claire-starsword]

the hunt for unused content in the game itself is not doing so hot, so i went to look for some old magazines and was immediately rewarded. Again, eternal thanks to Sega Retro for archiving this stuff.

There’s a magazine with some interesting stuff from three months before the game’s release:

“...the king of Guardiana said, ‘you are our last light’...“

First of all, pink haired Simone! Just like in the GBA games. Her face has a few details different as well, there’s an actual line for her nose, lighting in her eyes, which she only gets when looking at you in the final version, and a weird line on her forehead i can’t understand. The whole scene also looks lighter but i don’t how much of that is printer effects.

Anyway, while I like the auburn hair more, I have no clue why they would change it, and bringing it back for the GBA makes me think that at least the designer preferred the pink version. Interestingly her artwork in the manual already implies that, her hair is not pink there, it would probably be too obviously contrasting with the game’s version, but it is far lighter than in game.

Her text is also different here. I have translated part of the JP intro before, she talks of Max and Cain’s bloodline instead, no mention of Guardiana and its king. Makes me wonder if these lines survived in the JP rom, the US rom has unused lines for her but all of this intro was altered in localization, so they tell little of what the JP might have.

Moving on, Ken has completely different sprites, and mind you, they kick ass, I’m wondering big time why they were changed. I guess the perspective might be a little off, but, you should not talk to me about perspective lol. The lower body is also not moving much, but that wouldn’t be reason to change the whole shading. Notably, the spear seems to be part of the character instead of a different sprite, and is accurate to the knights’ artwork.

I didn’t even notice at first, but you can see an axe on the loose behind the sprite, meaning weapon sprites and animations were already in, but unfinished.

For further evidence here’s Max’s sword learning how to levitate as well. This sword sprite is also cooler than anything in the actual game.

It also took me a ridiculously long time to notice Max has no MP here. Perhaps there was no egress at this point, or you’d have to gain the MP to use it first? sounds bad. But Max’s magic suffering late changes would explain the oversight in the final version where his MP continues to grow despite learning nothing but Egress. Would also explain Egress requires exactly 8 MP, which is kind of a random number for a basic and unique. It would come to make a little more sense in future games where the heroes have Bolt and you have to actually manage their MP if you want to be able to retreat later on, but Max has no other spells here.

Of course, the other possibility is that Max was meant to learn more spells. With the trend of GBA version things being planned for the classic all along, it wouldn’t surprise me. This is probably the moment I should bring up that the final game has exactly one dummied out spell, which just so happens to cost 20 MP, a weirdly high cost for a test/placeholder feature, and very in line with the costs of Supernova in the GBA version.

For minor details that don’t excite me as much, Guardiana castle had a gate at some point, and plenty of chickens as well. Even I can’t make a theory out of that, they are probably placeholders.

[jitterbugjive]

Native American Representation

So I’m in a tough spot right now and could use some advice or good places to go for reference-

I want to include Native American stuff in MMG, and this isn’t coming from a place of clueless white person guilt or fascination in the ‘aesthetic’ or whatever, but because it actually was a significant part of my life growing up. My uncle was able to prove his native heritage and went through the rights of passage to become a part of a tribe, where he’s even trusted to build sweat lodges which are such sacred places that if someone swears in one, it has to be torn down. He took me to pow wows and taught me a lot of things. And at a later point I had a Native American teacher who was very active in teaching us about her culture and getting us involved in it by learning things like hunting and preparing meat respectfully, cooking, crafting. She especially wanted me to get involved because of the heritage I had, and like my uncle got me in to some pow wows and encouraged me to sell some of my bead work to a shop that sold Native American goods, mostly artwork.

Heck it was kind of my first introduction to the fact that other cultures could accept me for who I was when I heard about the two-spirit people. I know two-spirit is a little more complicated than a sexuality or gender identity but just the fact that it exists shows an attempt to explain and accept LGBT+ people.

But I’m also not going to say I know enough, I’m still ultimately a white person who hasn’t gotten deeply enough involved to even remotely be an authority on any of this stuff, but I really want to show some proper representation.

I won’t make any native characters a mouthpiece for white guilt (like constantly talking about how white people stole the land, or some angry spirit who’s land was disturbed) And making them a human comes before making them Native, being Native wouldn’t be their whole identity and they wouldn’t base their actions around it, but you can see their cultural influences. I also know to research specific tribes and not just Natives as a whole.

As for writing lore, thaaaat’s the tricky part, because I’m trying to find what things to avoid since I know some tribes have mythos that are just NOT meant to be shared by non natives, or even shared at all because of fear of bad things happening. But I get mixed results, some people for example are certain it’s okay to write about wendegos and skinwalkers, but others will say not to do it period because it gives those creatures power in the real world.

Unlike with a lot of other cultures, I fear if I try to make anything inspired by the culture and mythos, someone is going to get upset. With most creatures in MMG, the point of them is that they inspired legends and myths but don’t exactly follow those myths, such as Fearmongers having many origins in many cultures because a lot of cultures used the supernatural to explain night terrors. I really don’t know if I can do this with Native American myths and beliefs, even if I went in to accurate detail on a myth and then said ‘but actually it’s this’, someone could get mad and call it erasure and I don’t want to do that. But if I only tell what people already know, it’s not exactly creative story telling.

I don’t know if making up a myth would be offensive either, because it’s not accurate representation. But the myth would take elements from known ones and try to create something that feels genuine but is all brand new.

Probably the worst idea would be to make up a tribe entirely, because then no one is being represented and they’ll fall in to the hole of just throwing different tribe cultures in to a mixing pot and that’s not a good thing to do.

The only reference I found for this stuff that looks like a really good way to learn is a master class that costs 55 dollars and I definitely don’t have that money right now. So input from anyone that maybe has Native heritage, or is just good at googling information, would be really super appreciated.

[onelastbreath-writes]

I’ll Meet You There (Part 3)

Pairing: Marcus Moreno/ Wife!Reader (AFAB, no y/n) 

Word Count: 2.6K

Warnings: Talks about loss of spouse, loss of child, medical conditions/inaccuracies, grief/mourning, manipulation/brainwashing (subtext/implied, but we’ll get into it later *winkwink*)

Tags: Hurt/No comfort (for now), ANGST, eventual happy ending, one really sad man for whom I just keep making things worse, #sorrynotsorry, and now I’m just making stuff up as I go along

Summary(lite): You are Marcus’s wife, and you’re definitely not dead. No one is having a great time right now, but like hell if there's a force on this earth that’ll keep you apart forever. This is not a goodbye, its just a see you later. And the interim is going to be everyone else’s problem, you’ll make sure of it.

A/N: Hello dears, welcome back to my twisted mind story,,, guess who showed up like 2 weeks late with a smoothie! So things about this new chapter: I am a criminal with italics and someone needs to stop me, hello switching scenes and perspectives because I just want to fast forward to the good stuff but y’all don’t live in my head and don’t know all the stuff that happens to get us there so here we are taking the slow lane, and I keep brainstorming new and horrible things for my characters because I am A Lot, All The Time, and will not be stopped. Also hey, Marcus the Simp is here for you, so much. I hope this is acceptable to be a reader fic still, because I am giving you some serious personality traits... ehh, it is what it is. Tell me if you spot any of my various references, there’s a lot of ‘em. Thanks to everyone who has liked/reblogged/commented, y’all are gorgeous and I’m so grateful for the love <3 Drop me a message/ask if you want a secret about one of the characters (specify which one), I need an outlet for my endless b.t.s. plotting >;) Please enjoy p3!

AO3|Masterlist

[Previous Part]

---

There were more casseroles in his fridge that Marcus knew what to do with, and more sympathy and “thinking of you” cards stacked in piles around the house than he could count. He appreciated everyone’s gestures, but he could recognize the difference between people who were kind in the interest of helping others, and those who were kind only to help themselves. It was quite obvious which type were flooding his mailbox.

Hell, most of the people sending him cards, his fans, didn’t even know his wife, never spoke to her, didn’t feel the empty Her-shaped-space in their very souls. They just wanted the clout, the prestige, of being ‘involved’ and sympathetic to a grieving superhero. It was exhausting, but no one seemed to empathize with him on that.

The Heroics upper management, and the director specifically after his press conference and the publicity the attack had brought the organization, had insisted on Marcus taking an undetermined amount of leave from the team so he could “process and mourn his loss in the comfort of his own home.” Like he didn’t look around and see every piece of himself and his wife over the years; the Home they built for their family, filled with all the hopes and dreams of two starry eyed lovers ready to take on the world together. Like her absence wasn’t slowly killing him. 

And it wasn’t like she was gone gone.  

Dead.  

She wasn’t dead.

No way in Hell.  

Whether it was because she worked with superpowered people, her experience as a medical professional, or if she was just more paranoid than most, his wife was a planner, and she was prepared for this. “In the event of my death...," like she just knew it would be necessary.

Truthfully, she had schemes and contingencies and all manner of reactionary plans prepared for if (and when) the worst happened; terrified to be blindsided or caught unaware, unable to help those she would have been able to, if only if she had the time to think. Unpreparedness costs lives in both of their careers, and she refused to leave anything up to chance if possible. And so, she’d plan, and he’d listen.  

All throughout their relationship, from before they’d even gotten serious enough to discuss marriage, to when they heard their unborn child’s heartbeat for the first time, and just on random weekday afternoons when they would take Missy for walks around the neighbourhood to show her the beauty in their lives, his wife would paint her theories and ideas like artwork. She’d tell him a story, full of action and mystery, humour and theatrics, tragic romance and harrowing adventure; she could spin a tale like she had a silver tongue, but she never lost herself in her own narratives. In the end, they were messages, lessons, for him to remember when everything was going wrong.    

“It’s all about momentum, babe. Bleeding off energy and taking a bad hit instead of a fatal hit. You can’t just full stop; you’d absorb all the kinetic energy, and the resulting trauma will turn all your squishy internals into, like, body soup, which is just super unpleasant. And of course, head is always number one priority. Bracing for impact works better at giving you fewer serious injuries, especially for your neck and head. Muscles should absorb as much of the energy as possible, instead of letting it fall to your ligaments, discs, and nerves to take the force. So, tense up and roll in the case of a low air evacuation.”

Low air evac... she was concerned he was going to have to jump from an aircraft without a parachute at some point in his life. Which was probably accurate he’d admit, but still, he wasn’t hoping to actually need that plan.

Thankfully, it wasn’t always fire and brimstone with her, and she had many strange and terrible schemes to keep the common, everyday superhero family on their toes. Always carry at least two lip balms... never tell someone you don’t have plans for the evening... don’t smile in your mugshot... no clowns. Ever.

She was so weird, a total nerd, and so completely the girl of his dreams.  

He loved teasing her about her unending train of thought, the brain that never sleeps, how she’d go on tangents while on tangents but always circle back around; even nicknamed her (quite cheekily, and because it made them both laugh) Doctor Batman, which was usually saved for when she was being particularly dramatic and gloomy. Turn the supercomputer off for a second, Bats, come see what Missy’s doing!  

He was her anchor, always ready to pull her back to earth when she started drifting off too far from them, but he never asked and never wanted her to change. He adored her, silly or serious, or when she woke him up in the middle of the night to make him promise that he’d never get their kid(s) a pet owl (because they’re “scary”, and “our kids would be too powerful, Marcus. Promise me!”), or that in the event of them inviting a third to their bed, it would “absolutely never, ever, ever be Miracle. No way!”  

He thought it was quite entertaining most of the time, listening to her plan for zombies and old gods and what to do if everyone just started hating cheese one day, but if it was all so important to her: having him remember this or agree to that, he’d accede to her requests in a heartbeat. Most of it was cute, harmless stuff he didn’t think would even happen, but sometimes she would hit him with serious stuff. Entirely out of left field, she’d go for his heart, and ask him for things that would hurt him, destroy him inside, if he ever had to follow through with it.

“Marcus, if it’s a choice between my safety- my life, and Missy’s? I’m always going to choose her. Kids come first, okay?”  

She wasn’t superpowered, didn’t have a shred of anything other than pure, normal human in her, but she was easily the strongest person he knew. Fearless and brave, kinder than this world deserved, she’d do anything for the people she cared about. And she’d promised him, maybe as a way to repay him for all the things he’d agreed to over the years, that she’d move heavens and the earth to return to their family. That nothing in this world, or beyond, could keep her away. “Eventually,” she’d stared into his eyes, glossy with tears from how forcefully she believed, “I will find my way back to you. I swear it, so keep a weather eye on the horizon.” See? A whole-ass nerd, and he couldn’t have loved her more.

So, she wasn’t dead. Pure and simple. She was somewhere, somehow, and he was going to find her again.  

---

“Marcus, the grieving process is different for everyone, but it is always unpredictable and painful. You will have days where you will feel like you haven’t made any progress, or even lost the progress you’ve previously made, but please know that this is natural; it's something everyone experiences, and that it doesn’t mean you’ve failed in your objective. Healing takes time, and a major part of recovery is learning to forgive yourself when you slip up. No one expects you to be back to normal tomorrow, or next week, or next month. Healing from grief is not a race, so we will go at your own pace, and we will work together to accomplish your recovery goals. You aren’t alone in this journey, and you don’t need to handle everything by yourself.”

The grief specialist he was seeing was someone he would describe as an “old soul”. She exuded the patience and peace of someone who had watched empires rise and fall, seen the turning of the wheel of time and drifted along with the current. Her voice was deep, rich in emotion and empathy for those who needed guidance, calming and intriguing with a soft lilt on her vowels. Timeless and ancient all in one, and even if he wasn’t actually mourning the death of his wife, he did find himself deeply grieving being without her. They were two halves of a whole, and though his soul was at a loss without its partner here, he still had their greatest creation, their pride and joy, their baby girl to raise.  

He would do whatever he had to do to be the best parent he could for Missy. And so, if meeting with a physiatrist every week was something that would help, then he would be here, every week. He'd learn to live with his grief, his sadness and loneliness, with just the memory of his Everything, and he’d help their kid with all hers too.  

It’s what he promised to do, after all.

“If anything ever happens to me, you’ll just have to love her enough for the both of us.”  

---

There was nothing they could recover of the people closest to centre of the explosion. No remains, no blood, nothing. Like they hadn’t been there at all.  

Suspicious.

Upper Management had brought in a team of private investigators to handle the case, people who would keep the details quiet and the public appeased with what little information they’d choose to release.  

Marcus was a superhero, and sure, his job was to hit things until they weren’t a problem anymore, but he couldn’t understand why all the highly trained professionals didn’t question the sheer amount of evidence that just wasn’t adding up.  

He tried to bring up the inconsistencies once with the lead investigator, but they had just given the distraught, widowed husband, so lost in his own denial and grasping at straws, a sad smile and told him they would do everything they could to find the truth for him and the rest of the victims’ families.

Typical.

After being brushed off without a second thought, he decided to keep his ideas quiet, and since they’d proven their unwillingness to listen, he’d just have to solve the mass disappearance himself.  

“Have you ever thought about how to commit the perfect murder, mi amor? I have. First: If there’s no body, they can’t prove the person is dead. No evidence of death? No murder. Simple. But of course, completely vanishing a full human would be a challenge. Short of having the superpowers necessary to, like, erase someone from reality in their entirety, there would be a lot of chances to leave evidence. Ordering suspicious chemicals leaves a trail, driving out to a pig farm in the middle of the night is shady as hell and all neighbors are professional narcs, and fires? Hah! Do you have any idea how hot the fire needs to be to cremate human remains, and how long they would need to grill for? Huh, maybe the perfect murder isn’t a murder at all...  

Hey babe...  

Always doubt a body, but always doubt no body, more.”

---

You tended to lose time when there was no one else in your room. It was hard to tell when your eyes were open because you started dreaming about the only things you could see since you first woke up: drop-ceiling tiles, white walls, and pale blue curtain dividers. And it was easier that way, in the end. Your heart didn’t hurt when you only dreamt of the room. You couldn’t mourn the things and people only your soul could remember if you thought of the room. Drifting in and out of consciousness was how you were coping.  

---

You had been here, left in this room alone, for ages. You had agreed to help the man who had saved you from the explosion that killed your family, but apparently you couldn’t help him until you had recovered enough. You’d read your charts, grilled your nurses and doctors more and more the longer you were kept here. What were they all waiting for? There was nothing wrong with you except the mild post traumatic amnesia, and the whole not-remembering-much-(or anything, really)-about-your-personal-life-and-family-of-the-recent-few-years thing you had going on. It was nothing compared to when you first awoke and could remember nothing. It killed you to be without the memories of your husband and child, to know only of them instead of actually knowing them, but there was nothing you or the doctors here could do. The brain was a tricky thing, and you had to accept that your memory loss might be permanent.  

That just meant that you had to put all that you could remember to good use. You could help people here, and work towards getting justice for your family. Years and years of school, practical experience and training, you had gained it all back; re-read textbooks and studies, wrote papers on your re-emerging knowledge and jogged your memory about long nights and early mornings, surgeries and follow ups... it was all still in your head. It had returned to you easily, like diving into a cool pool on a hot summer day. It was like coming home and taking off your shoes; it felt good, freeing, as-it-should-be.  

But still they weren’t letting you leave. So: what were they waiting for?  

“Ah, Doctor, it’s lovely to see you, as always. How are we feeling today?” Okay, so the guy who “saved” you (read: paid the people who actually saved your life)  gave you the heebie-jeebies. He looked like a classic pompous asshole bigwig, like, oil tycoon or something. And he definitely had some sort of thing for you. Gross.

“I’m doing as well as can be expected, trapped in a room with nothing to do, you know, brain rotting, et cetera. Thanks for asking.” The sass was a choice, probably not a great choice, but your choice none-the-less. You really hadn’t had many opportunities to choose anything for yourself in a while.  

Well...

You were bored, and that was going to be everyone else’s problem.  

“Ah, well, good news then! You have been cleared from observation and you’ll be able to be discharged soon. Isn’t that just delightful!” Mister Craig (“Please, just Greg is fine”), was some sort of horrible group hallucination, you were convinced. No one was that cheery, that animated, unless they were on something, or you were on something. “I’ll have someone bring you your personal effects shortly, and then I can show you to your new apartment. The complex isn’t in the best neighbourhood unfortunately, but it's got some real charm, very vintage! You’ll love it!”

“I’ll look forward to seeing it then; sounds like it’ll be a real interesting place to stay. You can also explain what it is I’m going to be doing with your organization. Because you haven’t specified yet. And I expect a proper contract and wage agreement. Legally binding preferably, for your sake, of course, Mr. Craig.” Even if you weren’t the most physically intimidating person around, you knew how, and more so, when, to assert your dominance in a conversation. Especially with men like him. He was the type of guy who would pinch a nurse’s ass and then accuse them of not being able to take a joke.  

“You wound me, Doctor, I am a man of integrity! I promised you an opportunity to make a difference! To get justice for the loved ones so cruelly torn from you! You have nothing to worry about!”  

Sounds legit. Totally above board. Can’t wait.

---

Taglist (omg!! thanks love): @killtherandomness​

Drop me a line if you want to be added <3

[violetmuses]

Grey || Chapter 1

2023

Helmut Zemo

Scheisse!

I’d forgotten that some electronic devices would have spotty reception during this flight to Madripoor, but another part of me cursed once more for attempting to contact someone in particular. Several decades passed since I’d last seen her in and I knew better than to act as if she’d listen to me, especially since my imprisonment.

“Did something in your plan go awry?” James probed, sitting across from me without closing too much space between us both. Meanwhile, Sam perched himself into one chair of the opposite aisle, sitting alone.

“No, James, but I appreciate your concern regarding the mission.” I tucked away the small burner phone, hoping that he would not ask many other questions before we landed. We shared silence, but prompted gratefulness to reach my thoughts.

Only I knew the truth.

______

“Got word from high. You ain’t welcome here.” This bearded guard addressed me minutes after we reached Madripoor. By now, I’d entered the Brass Monkey Saloon with James and Sam, planning to contact Selby then after. This bar also lined with decor that would’ve reminded children of Halloween as skulls perched in all corners.

“I have no business with the Power Broker, but if you insist, either come and talk to me or bring Selby for a chat.” Facing that guard, I motioned my gloved hand between him and James, showing authority I’d held by noting current placement of the Winter Soldier. Meanwhile, Sam, dressed in his red-brown suit, remained silent.

“The Power Broker, really?” James eyed me without much emotion whilst asking his brief question.

“Every kingdom needs its king. Let’s just pray that we stay under his radar.” I remarked, keeping my voice low amid the presence of others.

“Do you know him?” Sam countered, leaning as well.

“Only by reputation. In Madripoor, he’s judge, jury, and executioner.” I continued, acknowledging how influential The Power Broker had been.

“ Зимний солдат, атака.” A different patron of the bar had lurked nearby, but dared to touch my shoulder. In turn, I uttered Russian, signaling the need for James to attack. Voices of shock and surprise had filled the area, adding noise.

“What is going on?” Sam questioned me moments later. Across the room, James then turned the earlier patron’s arm and inflicted more pain to others almost immediately afterwards. Here, we won, earning slight notice in the venue now.

“Didn’t take much for him to fall back into form.” I uttered to Sam , shoving another guest of the bar towards this fray. As long as we kept up notice here, there wouldn’t be problems, no matter how much people recorded with their phones.

“Shit.” Sam mumbled in return moments later, watching as various people aimed their guns or readied other weapons to defend against us. Meanwhile, James had now clutched his brace around someone’s throat, holding him near the bar counter.

“Stay in character before the whole bar turns on us…Молодец, Солдат.” I reminded James and Sam, keeping my warning quick as Sam peered. I then spoke in Russian once more and turned to face James, still encouraging him as The Winter Soldier.

“Selby will see you now.” The Bartender acknowledged what happened and permitted our entrance towards Selby. Meanwhile, that poor and seemingly helpless victim of James slipped off the bar with this large thud, coughing.

“Thank you.” I said, quickly leaving as Sam and James began to trail behind me. At least we could leave this bar alive.

______

“You should know Baron, people don’t just come into my bar and start making demands.” Selby lounged on her favorite sofa once more, resting her arm onto its backend.

“Not a demand, an offer.” I sat down in one of the adjacent armchairs. Both James and Sam cornered themselves to stand in the room, not bothering to act comfortable while staying in character.

“A lot has changed since you were here last. By the way, I thought you were rotting in a German prison. How did you escape?” Selby remarked back, noting my current presence and freedom away from those claustrophobic walls.

“People like us always find a way, don’t we?” I smirked, emitting feigned arrogance to keep us alive just a bit longer. There was no other choice. Once again, I knew much better to give us away, especially now.

“You’re taller than I’d heard, Smiling Tiger. What’s the offer?” Selby bravely purred in the direction of Sam, gesturing her hands to imitate the ferocious cat of his alias-namesake. Yet, her eyes faced me, asking to describe the purpose of our visit.

“Tell us what you know about the super-soldier serum and I will give you him, along with the code words to control him, of course. He will do anything you want” I stood up from the armchair and lurked to James, momentarily baiting Selby here.

“Now, that’s the Zemo I remember. I’m glad I decided not to kill you immediately. Yeah, you were right to come to me. Arrogant, but right. The serum is here in Madripoor. Dr. Wilfred Nagel is the man you or want or thank or condemn, depending on what side of this you’re on. The Power Broker had him working on the Serum, but things didn’t go as planned.” Selby almost plastered her wickedly famous smile whilst I then sat back down in the posh armchair and listened to this extremely significant information. James and Sam were once again quiet.

“Is Nagel still in Madripoor?” I asked, lifting one of my gloved fingers to emphasize the question itself.

“The breadcrumbs you can have for free, but the bakery’s gonna cost you, Baron. And before you get all cute, don’t think you can find Nagel without me.” Selby rose from her sofa and gestured to me. I could only imagine what else had to be done.

Just when I planned to respond, Sam's cell phone buzzed out loud. My thoughts now raced with anger as we all glanced around the room. Selby’s guards had departed the nearby shadows and lifted weapons, planning to attack, of course.

After Selby demanded for the call to go on speaker, we heard Sam’s sister, Sarah. This clueless and innocent woman did not realize our mission in the slightest. As Sam and Sarah bickered to and fro, I froze, eying nothing but the farthest wall.

“Sam, let me call you back.” It was not long before Sarah had acknowledged Sam by name, ruining our cover during this mission immediately. Even James had nearly lost his own composure, for good reason.

“Sam, who’s Sam? Kill them!” Selby glanced around, realizing that we were all imposters now. Just moments later, however, this singular gunshot pierced through the glass of a nearby window, ending Selby’s life without fail. Accurate, perfect.

“They’re gonna pin this on us.” Sam huffed. Between gunshots, guards in the room aimed to put up a fight with us. James and Sam defend themselves as I rose from the armchair and cornered us all, lifting my hands when Sam had addressed me.

“We have a real problem now, so leave your weapons and follow my lead.” I breathed to respond quickly. Outside the bar, cell phones chimed, pinging a bounty message. A reward would be given to anyone who found Selby’s killers.

______

“Deactivate your hustle mode because you sell fake Monet pieces.” Sam wasn’t convinced that Sharon Carter kept such exquisite artwork in this high-rise. James and Sam were moving around, eyeing the property as others would keep sight.

“No, she means real. This gallery is specialized in stolen artwork. Monet, Van Gogh, classics.” I recalled more information, but paused midway through my own acknowledgements… Sharon, James and Sam still conversed, but left me alone.

At that moment, I cornered to take out my burner phone, hoping to see if a call would actually go through. At least I could rid this device if need be, otherwise the digital exchange would be found by others. Blue and white lighting of the room kept me hidden to an extent.

Placing the phone against my ear, I watched as Sam and James kept chatting with one another. Sharon looked uninterested, but annoyed all at once. Meanwhile, I listened as three dialing rings filled my ears. I’d waited too long for this moment.

“Hi, you’ve reached Dionne Charles. I’m sorry for missing your call, but if you leave a message after the tone, I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks and have a great day.”

There it was. Somehow, her sweet voice hadn’t aged in the decades that passed since we first met. I shut both eyes, immediately remembering the pretty smile that always hid whenever she sipped from those champagne flutes after the auction.

Before I could dare to clear my throat and leave a message, Sam caught me off guard.

“Are you just gonna stand there all night to use your phone or change into different clothes? Sharon’s got clients visiting soon.” Before I could dare to clear my throat and leave a message, Sam caught me off guard.

“Apologises.” Facing Sam in return, I tucked away my phone once more, heading towards one of the last guest rooms located here to switch my current attire.

Tonight would show a great reprieve until the next hurdle came along.

[dezigncode]

Difference Between Interior Designer and Interior Decorator

Often the work of an ‘Interior Designer’ and an ‘Interior Decorator’ are swapped. They are mistaken for the same jobs and interchanged. Though they have certain similar roles, they are completely two different professions and have discrete functions. And it is a must for the customers to know who does what and whom they need?

Don’t scratch your mind! Here, this blog will discuss in detail the essentials that a customer needs to know before contacting a designer or a decorator.

Interior Designer:

Interior Designer is the one who according to the customer’s needs understands and transforms a building into a functional and aesthetic place to live. Interior design is the art and science of studying and enhancing the structures like walls, floors, colours, spaces and more into a safe functional living or working place. For better understanding, designers also work with the architecture with the design of the building. Interior designers tend to work closely with the constructors and builders, so they naturally learn about the plans, materials and most of the building process. Also, an interior designer can be an interior decorator as an interior decorator does not essentially need any permit or certification to work, unlike designers.

Qualities of an Interior Designer:  

Ø  A professional interior designer needs to obtain a license to practice. It requires formal schooling and training.

Ø  A good designer will have research skills, be creative with good visionary and organizational skills.

Ø  He often works with the architecture to plan and design the inner space. Must know the blueprint.

Ø  Designer must have a better knowledge of the building and its construction.

Ø  He also works closely with the contractor to help and achieve the look the customer expects.

Ø  He must possess analyzing, programming, cost estimation, inspection and problem-solving skills and make a building look physically, socially and aesthetically utilitarian.

Ø  Some of their basic training includes CAD (computer-aided design), furniture types and design, drawing, ergonomic, colour, texture, metal fabrication, space planning and many more.

Ø  Nowadays modern technologies allow virtual designing of the living areas to be planned, finalized and thereafter to be constructed.  

Ø  As they are familiar with spatial planning, they help in renovation designs, initial floor plans to the final décor.  

Ø  Must coordinate with other professionals like painter, plumber, carpenter, electricians and others.

Ø  Must follow rules & regulations, sustainable environment requirements and building codes.

Ø  He also goes with creative artwork, window treatments, flooring, lightings and decorations.

Ø  A good interior designer tries to fulfill the client’s needs and must complete the project on time.

Ø  Maximum efficacy of place, time, money and aesthetic sense is catered.

Interior designing is regarded as a multifaceted profession but not all interior designers can be specialized in designing all places. Some designers are specialized and experienced in commercial building designing, some in residential sectors and some in renovations. The client must check and carefully look for the interior designer who can particularly design his office, home, hotel, hospital, institution, retail or any other interior space and go for it. A good designer not only enriches the look but also escalates the functionality of the place.

Interior Decorator:

Interior decorators need not be only professionals like interior designers, they can be self-taught decorators. At times, they can be specialized in particular areas like flooring, window treatments, home staging or furniture. Decorators’ work starts as soon as the construction work of a place is complete. He/she only focuses on the art of decorating and furnishing the place to make it more attractive, sophisticated and utilitarian. Interior decorators won’t plan or design the building instead, they enrich the already built place with accessories.

Qualities of an Interior Decorator:  

Ø  Basically, interior decorators are specialized in furnishing, colour palette, wall and floor materials, space planning, lighting, use of accessories and the principles of design.  

Ø  Unlike interior designers, interior decorators do not work with architects and constructors.

Ø  They at times collaborate with the interior designers but generally, decorators act individually.

Ø  So, designers don’t use the blueprint or the layout of the building. They either take up a portion to decorate or the given area.

Ø  They work with the clients, come up with accessories and styles to remodel or update a place entirely.

Ø  Decorators have the knowledge of paint, artworks, upholsteries, fabric choices, furniture, colour and space planning.

Ø  The decorator concocts new colour schemes for furniture, wall, floor and adornments to splash an aesthetic appeal of the room or furniture.

Ø  The accessories commonly include lamps, wall art, sewers, throw rugs and throw pillows.

Ø  An eye for details and an experienced decorator will come up with the accurate colour of lighting in fixtures and ambient lightbulbs.

Ø  Decorators use modern technologies like 3D renderings, mood boards and designing software to create innovative decorations.    

Ø  C.I.D. (Certified Interior Decorators International) certification offers coursework that authenticates the interior decorators’ expertise and practices.

Interior decorators are the one who does aesthetic changes while working within its functionality. Interior designers can decorate and design, whereas an interior decorator can only decorate. Even though no proper education is needed, certain courses, certifications and programs are taken up by designers to widen the horizon and to catch up with the trend. The interesting fact is that decorators work largely in residential places than in commercial sectors.

Whom do you contact now? Interior Designer or Interior Decorator?

By now, you must have known whom to call? If it concerns structural modifications like renovating a room, removing a wall, adding or removing a door or window, moving wiring or plumbing work, it generally calls for an interior designer. He is the one who knows the blueprint of the place and can rearrange, remodel or build new things. But if it regards paints, lightings, furniture, wallpapers, window treatments and accessories that do not involve any structural changes, then you must contact an interior decorator as it calls for aesthetic help. And be wise to pick a professional and well-experienced hand that fits your ideas and needs.

[impracticaldemon]

Hey! So I haven't kept up with a lot of otome games and stuff, including some of the non-hakuouki stuff you are into, but I was curious about it? I wanted to know about whatever the Ikesen (ikemen??) series is, or what it is I suppose lmao? I assume mobile games, which is cool, I kind of want to look into some of those, but I curious about what were your favorites or your thoughts on them, etc.

Hi Miss P!

Just for context, I want to mention that I was a “non-mobile otome only” player until about 2.5 years ago.  I was wary of mobile otome games for a few reasons, including *my* perceptions about (lack of) depth of story and characters, cost, and dependence on a server (i.e., you don’t get to buy and “own” a game).  I took a harder look for two reasons: (1) seeing the artwork from more recent games; (2) discovering some favourite voice actors in the mobile otome world.  Also, I just wanted to find more localized Japanese otome.

What have I played?

I have actively played all the (localized) games by Cybird:  

Destined to Love (historical AU, Shinsengumi / bakumatsu era; thrown back in time; fated lover concept)

Midnight Cinderella (classic “you’re suddenly chosen to be the Princess” concept; setting is sort of mid-1800s, European-type country)

Ikemen Sengoku (historical AU, mid/late Sengoku era; taken in by Sengoku faction, become close to key leaders; thrown back in time)

Ikemen Revolution (fantasy, overarching framework based loosely on Alice in Wonderland; setting is Victorian-with-magic, not weird-drug-trip)

Ikemen Vampire (late 19th Paris, but focus is personal, not much political/historical; famous men now vampires; thrown back in time)

I have also played MLQC (from “Mr Love Queen’s Choice” - the worst localized title I have ever come across - I mean, it sounds ridiculous. The Japanese title is “Love and Producer” [ 恋とプロデューサー ] which is more accurate and less dorky sounding.  This game is Chinese (not Japanese) but so popular that it has been translated into Japanese, Korean, and English. **Note that there is some debate as to whether this is an “otome” game.**

I haven’t played: Voltage otome games; Mystic Messenger; or any other mobile otome games.

How do they work?

Almost every game has these features:

you choose the love interest right after the prologue [completely different story for each guy, no common route]

total story length is approx. 26 chapters of 5 sub-chapters [or 13 chapters with 10 sub-chapters]

you are given 5 free tickets a day; one ticket = one sub-chapter

you can buy more tickets with real money by buying “gems” (or whatever the premium in-game currency is called)

you have a stamina bar that refills over time that lets you compete in simple, totally automated challenges versus other players for experience points (usually a straight comparison of your “beauty” score, where beauty is all about how nice your clothes are and what you own (cue eye roll))

you can buy more stamina with real money, but don’t have to if you’re patient (you recover 1 point per 3 minutes, or 20 points per hour)

you need a certain level of experience points in order to pass “intimacy” challenges throughout the story

you also need certain items or outfits to pass “attire” challenges - you can buy these things with in-game regular currency (you get a bit each day) or in-game premium currency

once you’ve read a chapter you cannot go back without re-reading from the start and using new chapter tickets [there is no save function]

there are dialogue choices that raise your affection points with the love interest (getting the maximum affection score by the end of the game usually gives you a nice bonus gift; a minimum score is required to complete the story)

EVENTS are completely separate from the main routes - you compete against other players for the highest event points in order to get coveted items (outfits, chibis, teddy bears, etc.) - you DO NOT HAVE TO play in events in order to enjoy or progress in the main routes

Favourite:

Ikemen Sengoku is hands down my favourite. I would recommend this to most Hakuouki players in search of some interesting historical otome.

not historically accurate (apart the obvious, the warlords presented did not all work or live together in 1582 as presented; the main AU premise is that certain key warlords didn’t die, and relative ages and relevant details have been adjusted to fit the overarching plot(s)), but captures a lot of historically accurate details

best protagonist (modern sensibilities, has a chosen profession she relies on, sense of humour, generally competent, spunky but not perfect

the modern-era physics grad student and history-buff-turned-ninja Sarutobi Sasuke is a wonderful person, character, and “narrator”

excellent sense of humour (game) - big selling point for me tbh, and the localization team has generally done a great job (translating humour is *hard*, and while the adaptation sometimes strays too far from the Japanese original, it’s generally very good)

all main routes are different (overall, the main story quality is very good and has plot to go along with the character/romance development)

character background and development is very good

variety of love interests, with non-love-interest characters still playing important and interesting roles [sadly, few-to-no developed female secondary characters; lots of bro/mances of different kinds]

main routes all have two different endings (moving toward three); the different endings span several chapters (not just an epilogue) and are reasonably distinct in most routes (but both are clearly happy endings)

dressing up your character turns out to be a lot of fun (apparently I have NOT gotten over playing with dolls, bears, or chibis, go figure)

special “events” feature all kinds of new stories, some more creative than others (imagine Hakuouki with frequent, official new content!)

Note:  romance/sexiness level varies per route and character (Cybird provides some guidance on this in their route notes for most of their games); you generally have to pay to read more explicit stuff, but even then the level of implied/explicit varies - IkeSen is generally mid-range for Cybird for romantic/mature content in my opinion

Voice Acting:  only a few voiced lines, but more are in the works - there is a PS Vita version of the full game with full voice acting; my attention was drawn by Toriumi Kosuke (Saito from Hakuouki) voicing Toyotomi Hideyoshi (but the voice is deliberately lighter than Saito’s sadly for me); there are a LOT of pro seiyuu in the more recent Cybird games (Hakuouki’s Kazama as Leonardo da Vinci in Ikemen Vampire is a treat for the ears, honestly)

Reviews for other Cybird: 

I enjoy Midnight Cinderella for the sheer Princessy-ness of it all, and playing with dolls *ahem*. The main stories have both “personal development” and “political intrigue” style plots; however, this game is biased toward romance. There are a range of love interests, which is great - everyone can have their favourite(s). The top characters are “poster boy” (Knight Captain) Alyn Crawford (the guy you’d find on the box cover if there were one), (King) Byron Wagner, and (Duke) Louis Howard.  Call them Classic Tsundere, Classic Kuudere, and Classic Appears-to-be-tsun-but-is-really-a-total-cinammon-roll Deredere.

I enjoy the characters and world design of Ikemen Revolution; would definitely recommend it, but feel more could have been more done with the setting and characters. Alice is my second-favourite Cybird protagonist. The character interactions are very good and well-developed. 

Ikemen Vampire is very popular, and has a lot going for it, but isn’t my personal cup of tea.  That said, I’m still playing, and I do enjoy various aspects of it - the characters and character interactions, for instance.  If you’re looking for a more modern, sexy, gothic kind of feel to your otome, this could be a good choice.  

I wouldn’t spend money on the Shinsengumi game, Destined to Love, for two reasons:  (1) Cybird appears to have dropped the localized version completely (you can play all the main stories for free, one chapter per day, and you can buy old event stories, but there are no events or updates; (2) most of the stories have an unfinished feel to them, at least for me. 

That said, DTL isn’t bad if you’re in the mood to read some different stories about Hijikata and the guys (plus there are more love interests from the anti-bakufu side).  Hijikata and Saito have a similar feel to them, Okita and Yamazaki have definite similarities as well; I enjoyed Sakamoto more in DTL than in Hakuouki,and Katsura is nice.  Takasugi has a route if you’re okay with a rougher version of Hakuouki’s Okita - just be prepared for sarcasm and a very aggressive edginess.

Non-Cybird:

MLQC is a lot of fun as a deck-building game and has the most innovative story - character development aside, it’s a mix of modern China (the main plot is set in a fictional Chinese city) and increasingly sci-fi elements as you slowly learn more about what makes the protagonist and the four love interests different. There is a fair bit of grinding if you want to read more chapters and upgrade your cards, which are needed to pass challenge points in the story.

This game does not follow the usual “common route then pick a route” progression of most otome games.  Also, you don’t have choices that affect the main route progression (there are choices that affect each love interest’s affection level, though). You fully control which cards you develop (since some resources are scarce unless you throw money at the game), and you’ll probably develop one or two guys’ cards over the others.  Since each card provides you with a four-part story “date” (mostly implied romance, some more, some less), it’s up to you how you progress.

The art is gorgeous, the story is great, the translation is… not so good but better than many Chinese games… the English voice acting is quite good.  You can also download the Japanese voice acting in a number of places.

This is not the kind of otome/game you play to get an Otomate (Hakuouki, Code Realize, Collar x Malice) kind of experience.  But there are a lot of good qualities.  One of which is that it’s the easiest of the games to play for free.  Also, they have a “post whatever you want” policy.  Which tells you just how popular the game is, since people throw money at it anyway!

~ Imp

PS  This is already longer than intended, but there’s a lot more I could write. I’d be super happy if you (or anyone!) had follow-up questions about the mobile otome experience or specific games.

[radishcard55]

Best Love Tarot Card Cards Analysis Online Free & Accurate

Both a free tarot card analysis and also a psychic reading can provide something distinct and also important. If you're not thrilled with the idea of a in person conversation and also you don't like the task of trying to kind rapidly in an on the internet chat session, the good old telephone is a excellent standby. The tone can be casual or intimate, depending on the psychic you choose after reading their bio. Lots of believe that tarot card reviewing originated from old Egypt. For beginner readers, Howe recommends two standard spreads, a three-card pull as well as the Celtic Cross. The former is where 3 cards are drawn from the deck to stand for the past, present, and future or mind, body, and also spirit of the person reading. Howe says you can even up the ante to a six-card pull, with one card standing for each location. In https://tarot-masters.com , Arthur Edward Waite and also Pamela Colman Smith developed and released a tarot deck freely based upon the mentors of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. This ageless deck is commonly known as the Rider-Waite deck as well as is still the most preferred tarot version for both novice and also professional card viewers. In 1943, sorcerer Aleister Crowley (the self-declared nemesis of Arthur Edward Waite) and Woman Frieda Harris published their very own analysis of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn's tarot. Among the primary ways to get a excellent begin with tarot analysis is to select a excellent deck. Besides these, you might like to recognize that research study has suggested that tarot card analysis may give restorative value in therapy and also therapy. We had our internal tarot reader, Melissa VieiraAKA Mamafiya, share her competence. She's been a tarot card reader for twenty years and has a following of over 1.5 K subscribers on her YouTube Network. Her rate of interest began when she obtained a analysis at 19 from a tiny shop in midtown Provincetown, Massachusetts. They additionally assist consumers locate their way via psychic services, astrology, fortune-telling, dream analysis, as well as assessments on love, connections, professions, as well as financing. When life gets active and also begins really feeling a little bit uncontrollable, that's most likely when you require a tarot reading from Keen.com the most. And thanks to their low-cost prices (10 minutes for just $1.99), you can try among their gifted psychics without investing an arm and a leg. If you want the most effective tarot card analyses, the least expensive rates, and also free mins, right here are my top referrals. The terms " Significant Arcana" and also "Minor Arcana" were first made use of by Jean-Baptiste Pitois and are never ever made use of in connection with tarot card video games. Their Thoth deck, named after the Egyptian god of alphabets, incorporates certain astrological importance into each card, linking the divination practice to the cosmos. Though tarot decks go back to the 1400s, pictorial cards were initially made use of for games rather than prediction. Tarot card is just one of one of the most popular divination methods, and also though occultists have actually been drawing the allegorical cards for centuries, highlighted decks are currently turning up around. The intrinsic aestheticism of this old art has actually rejuvenated rate of interest in tarot card, making it a social networks fave-- there's currently also something as emoji tarot card. Major Arcana, likewise referred to as Trump cards, includes 21 numbered cards and also a single unnumbered card known as the Fool. As I am a go-big or go-home kind of woman, I do not make use of simply one deck. On any type of given day I have 10 to twenty decks of different cards mixed in the spread I make use of in my work. The cards you will certainly locate in my stack variety from rule cards and also spirit pet cards, to siren cards as well as standard Rider-Waite style decks. I such as to maintain points fascinating as well as it's fun to have a dynamic combination of messages and also photos. I have always been taught that the cards you have actually chosen from the deck return into the boxface-up on top of the pile of cards, while the remainder of the deck staysface-down in package. Repeat this method every time you do a analysis on your own or others. Some of the cards in the tarot card deck are rather difficult to obtain in a analysis, nevertheless, don't fear them, they are merely a reflection of existing impacts and often have a positive side to them. Lots of free tarot analyses are based upon an auto-generated script. These sessions will certainly not be special to you or your scenario, so they'll lack the nuance, detail, as well as personal understanding you desire. Established in 1989, Psychic Resource has been around for greater than thirty years, making it the oldest company to make our checklist of vetted on the internet psychics. For nine years I've been working with tarot cards, and also as a tall, blond lady that hates cats and would wear white every day if she could, I hardly fit the Craft-ean stereotype in all. This is the 2nd time that my little girl as well as I have had readings with Shilpa. We truly appreciate her friendly and caring individuality and likewise her exact readings. This time we were a group of 4 ladies celebrating my child's Birthday celebration. Once the free mins are up, you'll have the option to continue the reading at a reduced rate. The price cut is typically very generous to lure brand-new customers to proceed with their readings and provide the psychic a opportunity to demonstrate the worth and also credibility of his or her services. Free psychic analyses are relatively uncomplicated, but you need to recognize what to anticipate prior to entering. The psychics we covered deal complimentary mins at the beginning of the session. Keen is an additional veteran in the psychic analysis market, with 20 years of experience. They've been featured in magazines varying from Refinery 29 to Bustle as well as Cosmopolitan, bringing the choice of totally free psychic analyses on the internet to a broad demographic. This character plays a critical role in the Significant Arcana; he moves through each card, finding out lessons along the road in what's referred to as the Fool's Journey. A Significant Arcana card is typically complex and also considerable, and also its appearance will affect the whole analysis. It's often a prompt to reflect on your life's broader lessons and also general themes. In the late 16th and also very early 17th centuries, tarot was a simple party game. By checking out our overview as well as viewing the profiles on the sites, you can look for a psychic with considerable experience with tarot card cards and also the particular subject of your concern. Wherever you have a laptop computer, tablet computer, or mobile phone and also some downtime to concentrate on you, you can obtain a tarot card analysis. When looking for in-person tarot card readings, you're limited by your location. Online, you have a vast range of visitors to choose from throughout the USA or all over the world. JOURNAL YOUR TAROT READING Log your tarot readings in your journal. Add your own notes and also inquiries to all of your tarot analyses. I am a large follower of having coaches as well as finding out techniques from others and after that making it my own. Take what offers you and also leave the rest behind-- we all absorb user-friendly details in different means. I would certainly constantly advise that you get tarot readings from a expert as well as discover what their procedure involves. After I have actually jazzed up the deck, I wage the type of instinctive reading that I offer my clients. You don't have to invest a lot of cash to obtain a psychic analysis. Actually, you can get started with free psychic analyses online making use of several various choices. Like a horoscope analysis, an astrology analysis will certainly make use of details regarding your exact birth date, consisting of the moment you were born and the location of your birth, to plot a birth graph. This graph utilizes numerous holy factors to identify their result on your life, including your past, existing, as well as potential future. Whether you're wed, in a connection, or searching for your soulmate, love readings can answer deep as well as intimate concerns about your existing, future, as well as also your past.

The minor arcana consists of 4 suits, similar to typical playing cards. These tarot cards take care of events of our daily lives, though they're anything yet boring. The circumstances connected with these tarot cards may have memorable impacts. The website uses a range of solutions in addition to checking out tarot. Some decks exist primarily as artwork, and such art decks often include only the 22 significant arcana. A really casual description of guidelines for a tarot-like deck is given in a manuscript by Martiano da Tortona prior to 1425. Obscure descriptions of video game play or video game terms adhere to for the following two centuries till the earliest well-known full description of rules for a French variation in 1637. Tarocchini has survived in Bologna and also there are still others played in Piedmont as well as Sicily, however in Italy the game is generally less preferred than elsewhere. The job of Eden Gray and others in the 1960s caused an surge of appeal in tarot card analysis beginning in 1969. Tarot card analysis rapidly came to be related to New Age believed, indicated partly by the popularity of David Palladini's Rider-Waite-Smith-inspired Aquarian Tarot, initially released in 1968. A psychic reading, on the other hand, will certainly use the psychic's gift of clairvoyance to acquire and connect details.

[entwinedmoon]

John Torrington: A Portrait of the Stoker as a Young Man

(Previous posts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)

Different forms of art have depicted Torrington in different ways. In my last post I discussed how in music Torrington seems to be depicted as either some sort of restless spirit or reanimated man-out-of-time, with a focus on his death and the eerie undead appearance of his mummified body. There’s not much of a focus on what he was like when he was alive, with the inspiration for these works coming from the image of his dead body. Sadly, we don’t have any pictures of what he looked like when he was alive, but that doesn’t mean people haven’t tried to imagine it. In fact, Torrington’s depiction in visual artworks often focus more on what he was like when he was alive, with various attempts at reconstructing what he may have looked like before he died and was buried on Beechey.

One of the first attempts at recreating what he may have looked like comes from the Nova documentary “Buried in Ice.” At the very end of the documentary, there are artistic reconstructions of Torrington, Hartnell, and Braine. I’m not entirely sure who the artist was, but the credits list an illustrator, Wayne Schneider, and he may have been the one to draw these. I can’t find the illustrations outside of the documentary, so please forgive the bad quality of the screenshot I had to use below.

Here we have a John Torrington who looks aged before his time. He was only twenty when he died, but judging by the state of his lungs, he probably had a hard life, so he may have looked much older than his years. This is a very serious-looking Torrington, as if he were standing for a portrait or daguerreotype for several minutes and had to stay completely still.

This drawing also gives him almost shoulder-length hair. Owen Beattie was a technical consultant on the documentary, so he probably had a say in what the recreations of the Beechey Boys may have looked like. This makes me think that the hair length shown here is most likely how long his hair actually was. Yes, I know, I’m going on about his hair again, but due to the confusion over what his hair looked like, it tends to vary across artistic depictions, as we shall see.

Another thing of note in this recreation is the noticeable lines around his mouth. In the pictures of Torrington’s mummified body, there are prominent lines around his mouth, but how much of that was due to postmortem distortions and how much would have shown on his face in life is hard to know. The artwork above is not an official forensic facial reconstruction, and even official reconstructions are highly subjective, so this is just one possible interpretation.

There’s another artistic interpretation of Torrington from around the same time. Remember the children’s book Buried in Ice? Well, what’s a kid’s book without some illustrations?

Now that’s the face of a man who got sick of backbreaking, lung-destroying labor in Manchester and said, “Screw it, I’m going to the Arctic.” The hair here is similar to that depicted in the documentary illustration, but the lines around his mouth are softened. The illustrations for this book were done by Janet Wilson, and she brought a liveliness to Torrington’s face that the somber drawing from the documentary greatly lacked. He still has a slightly careworn face, but he looks closer to his actual age. Janet Wilson also did wonderful detailing on the shirt that he was buried in, which he is wearing in her drawing. The kerchief tied around his head in death is here tied around his neck—and I love the inclusion of the blue border around the kerchief, which is not really noticeable in the photos from his exhumation but is noted in the reports on his burial clothes.

I’m fond of this picture because it gives Torrington some personality beyond that of a sad, tragic victim. It makes him seem like a real person who lived, with a bit of a sly and carefree attitude. He also gives off a kind of back alley salesman vibe, like he knows a guy who knows a guy who could sell you a kidney. But I especially like it because he’s smiling as he’s speaking, and after seeing picture after picture of Torrington’s frozen death grimace, I would love to know what he looked like when he smiled.

There’s another artistic reconstruction which I found on YouTube. It’s by artist M.A. Ludwig, who has a YouTube channel (under the name JudeMaris) dedicated to facial reconstructions of various historical figures, including all three of the Beechey Boys. Here’s Ludwig’s interpretation of what Torrington may have looked like:

He looks much younger here than in either of the two previous interpretations. This John Torrington looks like a young man ready for adventure, with hopes and dreams of a long future. He has slightly shorter hair in this interpretation, but also, he’s blond. I’ve noticed confusion online about the color as well as length of Torrington’s hair, with a lot of people these days thinking he’s blond. I think that may have something to do with the wood shavings he’s resting on in photos, which as I discussed in a previous post, some people have confused for his hair. I’ve also encountered a few versions of the usual photos of him where the lighting looks different, resulting in the few visible wisps of his hair looking much lighter than official reports have described them. Interestingly, the blond hair makes him look younger and gives him an innocent and almost naïve appearance, completely different from the sly, I’ve-got-a-bridge-to-sell-you Torrington from the children’s book.

Now I’m going to move on to an artist who is well known to Franklinites. Kristina Gehrmann (@iceboundterror​) is a German illustrator and graphic artist who specializes in works with a historical or fantasy setting. She has drawn many pictures inspired by the Franklin Expedition, and I have bought several of them from her shop on Etsy, including three different versions of the ships Terror and Erebus sailing in the Arctic or caught in the ice. Currently, those three pictures are on my wall next to a large painting I inherited from my grandparents of two non-Franklin-related ships that I pretend are Terror and Erebus anyway (I call this wall The Boat Place). Gehrmann also wrote and illustrated a graphic novel in German about the Franklin Expedition, Im Eisland, published in three parts and available through Amazon. But if, like me, you don’t speak German, Gerhmann has made an English translation, titled Icebound, available for free here.

Gehrmann has actually drawn two slightly different versions of Torrington, one of which is more like the artistic reconstructions shown above and the other is of a fictionalized Torrington in the graphic novel Im Eisland. I love both of her interpretations, but they are of two different styles. Let’s start with the graphic novel version.

Im Eisland uses a manga-like style, so this version of Torrington is based in that. It gives him a wide-eyed, youthful—and joyful—appearance (when he isn’t dying of consumption, of course). This is the happiest and liveliest Torrington I’ve seen. The manga art style results in some simplified features and a rather modern hairstyle, but there’s nothing wrong with using some artistic license to better convey the personality of a character.

Gerhmann’s other illustration of Torrington is possibly my favorite, even if it might not be the most accurate:

This is a lovely illustration, and it really plays up Torrington’s youth, making him look almost angelic. I’m going to be completely honest—he is very pretty. This version of Torrington is an incredibly handsome young lad, and if Torrington really looked like this, then I think he probably would have been very popular in life. I could go on, but I probably shouldn’t.

I also love the amazing detail on the shirt. You may have noticed some slight variations in these recreations when it comes to his shirt, and I think that’s due to the fact that his shirt looks downright complicated in the few pictures we have of it. There are horizontal stripes and vertical stripes. There’s a high collar and buttons and all these folds that it can be hard to see exactly what it looks like, and unfortunately there were no textile experts present during the exhumation, so there was no one to lay out the shirt and take a closer look at it before redressing and burying him. But every time someone gives their best attempt at figuring out the puzzle that is his shirt, I’m happy, and this one looks very close to how it may have actually looked. My one issue with this picture is that his hair is short and blond, which doesn’t fit the description provided in the autopsy report. But the facial features look true, so I tend to overlook that little nitpick.

This version of Torrington, by the way, is probably the most well-known interpretation. In fact, when you search for John Torrington on Google, this picture crops up:

I have even seen online articles about Torrington that use this picture as a reconstruction example. This is in no way an official reconstruction of him, but it is by far the most popular. (And yes, I bought a copy of this picture, too.)

While reconstructions of what Torrington may have looked like when alive are common among artists depicting him, there is some artwork that uses images of his mummified body as inspiration instead. Irish artist Vincent Sheridan has a gorgeous collection of work inspired by the Franklin Expedition. Several of these feature the mummy of John Torrington, including an etching aptly named “John Torrington.”

Torrington appears as a ghostly apparition in many of these prints, alongside the repeated imagery of a skull, two very physical signs of the human cost of the expedition. While most of the bodies of the men lost have yet to be found, their bones scattered or buried across King William Island, Torrington’s body is a stark reminder that this tragedy did happen, and that these men did die, not just vanish off the face of the earth. I’ve described Torrington as the poster boy for the expedition before, and here his death seems to represent the death of everyone who sailed with Franklin, his face a haunting piece of evidence for the fate that met them all.

Now, I’m not entirely sure how best to transition between that solemn reminder of death and this last piece of Torrington-inspired artwork that I would like to mention, so I’m just going to dive in. This next artwork also uses the image of Torrington’s mummy as inspiration, but in a completely different manner from Sheridan’s work. I refer, of course, to the John Torrington plushie.

This adorable little mummy plushie was created by craft artist Nancy Soares, aka sinnabunnycrafts on Etsy (@sinnaminie​). Whether you think a plushie of a mummified body is in good taste or not, you have to agree that this little guy is freakin’ cute. I might be slightly biased, though, because he was originally crafted for a custom request from my sister as a birthday present for me. But now anyone can buy him or his Beechey buddies. This little guy even made a special appearance during John Geiger’s presentation at the Mystic Seaport Museum’s symposium, Franklin Lost and Found.

I think the fact that there’s a plushie of John Torrington is amazing. People used to take pictures of the recently deceased and use their dead loved one’s hair in jewelry to remember them, so this isn’t that different. To me, at least, it’s a memento to honor him, reminding me that Torrington was more than just a boy who died but a boy who once lived as well.

It is also super adorable.

Next: Torrington as depicted in literature. Spoiler alert! He dies. A lot.

<<Back | Next >>

Torrington Series Masterlist

[theoriginalartw-blog]

Do You Know How to Choose the Right Art Restorer?

By information how a restorer thinks, you may determine in case you are operating with the proper person

Susan Minassian spent her unfastened time portray, with a focal point at the antique masters, while a gallery proprietor said “You’re the sort of accurate painter on this style, why don’t you simply begin restoring artwork.”

Minassian took this concept severely and went to England to apprentice. “I already knew the portray a part of it, I simply had to analyze the craft side,” she remembers. “I had to study solvents.”

Solvents are alcohol combinations that take away dust and polish from a portray. Varnish yellows, that is why it wishes to be eliminated and replaced. Restorers want to be very cautious that the varnish they're the usage of is best doing away with the varnish or dust–and now no longer the paint. “I attempt the mildest solvent, that is a low stage alcohol, and cross up [in potency] from there” Minassian explains. “It’s a tribulation and error.”

After talking with Minassian we gleaned that restoring a chunk of artwork calls for a careful due diligence. Restorers want to take into account components just like the time period, substances, sort of canvas, and value earlier than they comply with paintings on a chunk.

Here are a few questions that a restorer have to ask earlier than agreeing to repair a portray:

1. When Was This Work Created?

A portray’s introduction date influences the substances that would had been used at the canvas. The antique masters, for example, have been commonly the usage of a easy selfmade paint. Minassian is aware of the combination and different substances of the generation and is cushty operating with them. In a few cases, she can be able to encounter a current portray this is crafted from combined substances. “They could have acrylic paint, oil paint, acrylic varnish,” she describes. “The unhappy factor is that the artists don’t recognise the chemistry in their substances that well.” For example, in case you placed acrylic paint on an oil portray, the acrylic paint will subsequently peel off. In this case, the best risk you need to repair it's miles if you may reference the picturegraph you've got got indexed for your Artwork Archive account. A restorer can be capable of attempt to re-affix or re-create the acrylic paint withinside the unique place.

2. Is There an Original Photo of This Painting?

Especially after catastrophic harm, like a hollow or portions of paint falling off (as mentioned above), a restorer loves to have a picturegraph of the unique portray. This offers a visible concept of the painting restoration beforehand and the cease goal. If Minassian doesn’t have an unique picturegraph to reference, and the maintenance require a recreation, she can be able to commonly advocate the consumer cross returned to the artist. If the artist is now no longer living, the high-quality wager is consulting a gallery that has labored with the artist earlier than. In all cases, it’s most secure to have a reference picturegraph if there takes place to be harm to restore. You can shop those pictures for your Artwork Archive account.

3. Do I Have Experience Working with Similar Paintings?

Every restorer have to have a portfolio you may reference. You need to make certain she or he has revel in with comparable projects. The high-quality manner to verify that is with the aid of using soliciting for earlier than and after pictures, that is a regular a part of the hiring process.If a restorer is operating on a current portray, with the bulk of his or her revel in in vintage paintings, repairing a hollow could require a one of a kind method than usual, for example.

Canvasses have made enormous modifications over the years. For instance, all canvasses made in Europe earlier than 1800 have been hand stretched. Antique canvasses are lots less complicated to restore while they're ripped due to the fact they're free and less complicated to carry returned collectively. A machine-made canvas produces a gaping hollow while torn and it’s greater tough to piece it returned collectively. “It’s a area of expertise to recognise the way to near a tear well while it’s that tightly stretched,” Minassian confirms. Because her revel in is with older canvasses, if a consumer brings her a hollow to restore on a more recent canvas, she can be able to commonly refer it out to her nearby museum’s conservation program.

4. Will My Professional Insurance Cover This Painting?

Professional coverage will cowl the value of your portray withinside the occasion of a loss. Like maximum businesses, restorers have an coverage plan so as to guard them withinside the unlucky case of an irreparable mistake. Certainly verify that your restorer has a insurance plan this is big sufficient to cowl your portions.

It is likewise the healing expert’s obligation to inform you that the expert coverage isn't sufficient, and also you can't paintings collectively at the piece.

5. When Was the Last Time This Painting Was Cleaned?

The museum preferred is having a portray wiped clean each 50 years. Varnishes are yellowing through that point. In a number of cases, you could’t inform your portray desires to be wiped clean till you are taking the body off and spot how pristine the included edges are.

Restorers commonly supply loose consultations on an artwork’s condition. Minassian will be given pics through e mail and will let you realize her ballpark estimate of the paintings wished and cost.

Work with a Restorer Who Understands the Complexity of the Project

The secret's to paintings with recovery professionals who're assured sufficient to realize their strengths and weaknesses. One of the pinnacle factors that inspired us whilst talking with Minassian become her clean knowledge of what she could be very professional at. And even extra so, her capacity to refer a bit out whilst appropriate. This suggests a professionalism and believe that helps her illustrious career. As the collector, you could use this perception to recognize and affirm if an artwork restorer has the precise revel in to paintings in your collection.

[markteare]

Fallout 4: Nuka-World DLC

Nuka-World trailer featuring DLC cover art by John Gravato.

It has been a while since I have had the time to post and I wanted to get something up about Nuka-World. Rather than hit all of the details in a bunch of smaller Nuka-World posts I decided I would cover as much as I could in one overview post. While re-watching the trailer recently, I was reminded of just how many different aspects of that DLC I got to work on as the art lead. Highlighting my work from the trailer felt like a good way to run through my efforts, so take a look at the trailer linked above and then read on below.

Nuka-World screenshot I created for marketing.

My general responsibilities began with creating the pitch for the DLC. The two design leads, Justin Schram and Alan Nanes, and I started developing a series of ideas for the DLC. After one false start, we came in with a stack of new ideas as one-sheets and started the pitch meeting with what was then called “Raiders and Rides” as a working title. Todd accepted it before even hearing the other ones. I was very happy about this as it was my favorite pitch of the group.

Nuka-World screenshot I created for marketing.

As the art lead for the project I was responsible for overseeing all things art-related; art direction, pipeline, etc. Since this was a DLC for Fallout 4, much of the core art direction was established by Istvan Pele, the art director on the base game. My job for the DLC was to create a reason for players to want to come back to the game for more. I also wanted to test some of my ideas for improvements to the pipelines and the smaller scale of a DLC was a great place for that. More than anything I wanted to use my additional influence on the DLC to give the players loads of memorable fun and value for their money.

My Nuka-World key art based on the original Fallout 4 key art.

One of the first things I did once the plan was greenlit was to create the key art. I used it in all of my slides for internal and external presentations and to set the initial tone and pillars of the DLC for the team. More detailed post on the key art here.

My original Bottle & Cappy slide art turned into Nuka-World coffee mug art.

A key contrast built into the DLC from the start was the mix of horrible, violent, raider gangs with the fun, lighthearted, theme park. To add that contrast into my slides I created a closing slide featuring who I imagined the park mascots to be. Bottle & Cappy were born as a way to incorporate a fun note as my closing slide. As the DLC progressed it became clear we needed to use them in the park and then in the marketing. Post DLC they have joined the permanent Fallout lore in other titles and in merchandising.

Nuka-World screenshot I created for marketing.

As the first artist on the project, I started by sketching key broad strokes of the DLC into the engine to guide the art team toward my vision. I added in the first-pass landscape and weather to get the environment feeling like I wanted. Then I started blocking in key landmarks of the park in grey boxed art to get the layout started. I added sub leads for the park environment art (Jason Muck) and the landscape (Andrew Barron). To help build enough new geometry to fill the park, I prototyped some park assets using the color remapping I developed for the base game. This workflow would allow faster park asset creation allowing us to build a larger environment with a smaller team.

Nuka-World screenshot I created for marketing. 

Once the environment team was going I shifted focus to characters, creatures, and weapons. I knew they going to take much more hands-on work from me duse to the small team size. We had one character artist (Charles Kim) and one weapon artist (Dane Olds) in house. Concept art and the bulk of the non-environment art was planned to be outsourced. Raiders were the main focus for the DLC and I knew they would take up the majority of the resources. Inspite of that limitation I also wanted to get the players as many new creatures as I could. I came up with a list of easy but dramatic creature ideas to test to maximize reuse but feel new to the player. I did fast "proof of concept" tests for each idea to determine which ideas would work in-game. I repeated this same pattern to fill out the weapon list with cheap and fun additions at a minimal cost.

Nuka-World screenshot I created for marketing.

The raider gangs were the main feature of the DLC but due to the volume of work they required, and our lack of staff in those departments, the decision was made to outsource all of the raider concepts and the models. I knew outsourcing the concepts was going to be tricky since the outsourcing group was in China but I had no other option. I supplied lots of ref and photo bashed some quick collages to get something for them to start with besides a written description. This method yielded a few good designs but nothing good enough to move forward with alone. Luckily for me, John Gravato (concept artist) stepped up and took on wrangling some of the design revisions and additions in his spare time. Ray Leder (concept artist) also knocked out a few additional helmet designs. Leveraging their stellar support and iterating with the team in China I was able to arrive at the armor sets that defined the three raider gangs and could combine for massive variety for the player.

My trailer directorial debut: the Nuka-World E3 teaser.

For this DLC, in particular, Todd's plan for us was to market it like a full game. This meant we would work with marketing on screens, a teaser, a trailer, a theme song, a Bottle & Cappy trailer (similar to the SPECIAL videos for the base game), and a physical park map. The Bottle & Cappy trailer was handled by an outside vendor which took most of the load off of us except for lite direction and feedback. The rest was up to myself and a handful of people on the team. Animator Neal Thibodeaux did a lot of the heavy lifting on both the teaser and the trailer which were both made in the engine. Artist Natalia Smirnova created the logos and artwork for the map and we worked very hard to make it accurate to the park and have that authentic theme park map feel. Not only were we going to use it to guide people around the park in-game, we were also putting a physical version in Game Stop as a preorder bonus.

Bottle & Cappy trailer.

Nuka-World park map pre-order bonus.

One of the things that got me the leadership role on the DLC was my history of adding all kinds of content to the game in addition to my role as a VFX artist. I don't like it when a good idea dies from a lack of resource time. Over the years I have learned all of the workflows in our engine to find clever ways to make my ideas come to life without additional help. This often includes sourcing existing art for kitbashing new work from in order to save time. Unfortunately, this is the kind of work that has often proven hard to teach and or delegate. Having the lead role allowed me to incorporate it more than ever before into our pipelines, but throughout the DLC I still had to do a lot of the work myself.

Below is a breakdown of all of my work in the trailer which turns out to be a good cross-section of all of the additional things I did on the DLC.

00:02 Direction and feedback for outsourced Bottle & Cappy video.

00:15 Unique models and editor setup for Nukatron. Flipbook port of B&C video for in-game Nukatron and Nuka-Cola machines.

00:20 Water VFX for the landscape. Art direction for the five themed areas of the park.

00:23 Ported mannequin models to animatronics and animated them. Created all Nuka-World mannequin outfits as texture swaps or new meshes.

00:24 Set dressed and captured trailer footage in-game.

00:26 Developed efficient color remapping pipeline (CRP) for the fast creation of park assets. I built fake western mountain rocks for themed park area.

00:28 Created a quantum variant for all 6 Mirelurk creature types. Created the water and VFX for the Quantum river.

00:30 Concepted and built the armor for Porter Gage the main companion for the DLC. Modeled and posed Bottle& Cappy park sculptures (using CRP). Built the Fizztop Mountain asset for the main landmark for the park (using CRP).

00:40 Technical assistance on execution of the intro train ride.

00:42 Created park color guide and prototype weathers for DLC color direction.

00:43 Concepted and built Nuka bottle Protectron (using CRP). 

00:45 Art direction for park map and then execution of in-game navigation via map kiosks.

00:48 Created all of the painted feral ghoul DLC variants.

00:51 Created the Gatorclaw death claw variant model. Created a Nuka-World specific lunch box player prize system from my lunch box system in the base game.

00:52 Created the Brhamaliff models. Planned a high-level melee tree with art assets to supplement a limitation of the base game.

00:56 Created the unique robot meshes for Nuka Spray Mr. Handy

00:57 Designed the damage structure for weaponized Nuka-Cola flavors.

00:58 Created all of the western clothing meshes.

01:00 Prototyped the original sandworm concept in-game to test viability. Created the Sandworm VFX. Trained the character artist in kitbash modeling to add Acid Soaker. Created all of the VFX for the acid soaker.

01:03 Art directed the raider factions. Designed all clothing as armor/under armor for maximum mix and match. Cleaned up all outsourced outfit meshes for maximum compatibility within the armor system.

01:04 Created all texture variants for raider underclothes. Brought the slave collar from Fallout 3 and rebuilt for Nuka-World with power on/off functionality.

01:07 Added motion to some Bottle & Cappy statues.

01:09 Designed trash pile loot system to add the feel of overflowing trash at a theme park and add a new loot system to the park.

01:13 Concept and design for paddleball weapons and mods. (see other post)

01:18 Art direction for raider gangs.

01:19 Ported alien mesh to animatronic enemy for the park. Revised the Fallout 3 alien blaster as playable weapon (not shipped).

01:20 Built the Overboss bumper car power armor. Worked with design to create the plan for the opening boss fight with squirt gun mechanic (see other post). Built all of the electric VFX for the boss fight.

01:21 Original concept for spider cricket hopper enemy.

01:17 Tuxedo mesh for Kiddie Kingdom boss ghoul.

01:23 Flying swarm as a single enemy proof of concept. All ant variant meshes.

01:28 Shot this shot setup and set dressing for the teaser.

01:33 Original Bottle & Cappy idea and concept painting.

[justwritingscibbles]

Much Needed Inspiration

Thank you so much to @milky-chxnce for the purchase of this commission. It was so relaxing to write with Robbie and Antisepticeye. 

Hope you enjoy!!

Want a Commission? Find the Costs here

Want to buy me a coffee? Or a cookie? Support me here!!

Colours.  Shades.  Lines and blank canvas’.

You’ve worked with it all. And the art you produced has brought you much happiness and relaxation. You practically breathed sketches and paints. Sometimes accidentally drank it in the water you mistook for a coffee mug.

But it was all worth the end result. Even if a certain detail was a little too round. Or a shade was too dark against the rest of the piece.

Sometimes, it was better leaving the mistakes. It gave you something to learn from. And also gave the artwork some personality.

But even with all the ideas and fantasies; sometimes you ran low on inspiration. And when you did; it hit HARD.

It would go on for days. Sometimes weeks on end your hand would never stray near a pencil or a brush. And it would weigh heavy on you sometimes. What if there was a reason you stopped drawing? Maybe you’re not good enough. You were losing interest in the thing you loved because you couldn’t see your artwork getting any better. No one would notice your silly little paintings. Nor give compliments to how hard you worked.

You sighed and rolled over to press your face into the pillows of your couch. A low groan of irritation rippled from your chest; muffled by the plush material that smothered your mouth.

“This is so annoying. I want to paint but my mind doesn’t remember how to draw!” You grumbled. Frustration biting at your words, despite the gentle cool hand that filtered through your wavy strands of hair.

“I think your mind just needs to rest.” Robbie murmured softly. Not wanting to upset you anymore than you already were with yourself. “Everyone needs a break from what they enjoy.”

“Yeah,” You reluctantly agreed. “But I want to do something! I hate sitting still; but I also kind of don’t want to go anywhere.”

Robbie wheezed a gentle laugh. His fingers freezing to detangle a knot from your hair before continuing the comforting motions. “Lets go to the art museum. I know that sometimes helps with your art-blocks.”

You lifted your head from the stuffy confinements of the pillow to rest your chin on Robbie’s lap. He smelt almost overwhelmingly like pine today. Obviously he had used half a bottle of fragrance to cover the smell of decay. “I don’t think that’ll help. We’ve gone loads of times already. I know you’re getting bored of staring at the same art pieces.”

Robbie was a terrible liar. Everyone knew that. His eye twitched and he couldn’t look you in the eye. But he always tried his best; just so your feelings weren’t hurt. Not that Robbie could ever do such a thing.

“I like the ex..ex..exhi-bits.” Robbie’s face scrunched up in concentration as he forced the word through his pale lips. “It just confuses me that people would pay so much money for a splatter of red. Or a weird painting of a dog.”

“Because it’s art, Dead-Man. People don’t need to understand it. They only need to think it’s pretty.” Anti huffed as he wandered back into the lounge-room. Taking a seat on the arm of the couch near your feet. A warm cup of black coffee wrapped between his hands. “Take the guy who made that scream painting or whatever-”

“Edvard Munch,” You butted in.

“The fuck kind of name is that? Anyway. People don’t understand why he painted such a horrific painting. It’s popular because it’s weird. Cool looking. And no one understands it.” Anti said, taking a moment to sip his coffee. Stretching out the moment now he had your attention on him. “The same goes for art these days. People just need to like it, it doesn’t need to be good.”

You huffed a soft sigh and shrugged. “That doesn’t help my burnout situation.”

“Like Corpse said, ya brain just needs to rest.” Anti took another sip of coffee. Smacking his lips together in a dramatic way before nodding down at your discarded sketchbook. The same one that you had thrown down in frustration after attempting to draw the same accursed hand for the past hour. “Maybe Walker and I can try. You can teach us.”

Robbie tried, very hard, not to look excited by the suggestion. He loved watching you work on your art. He’d curl up next to you with his head resting against your shoulder or nuzzled into your side. His grey eyes following your hands as they glide across the paper. Robbie was absolutely enraptured by how you could turn a white slate of paper into a colourful picture.

And with Anti’s suggestion, his leg started to bounce and a wide smile stretched across his lips. His way of showing excitement, while trying valiantly to sound uncertain.

“Only if Sam wants too. I’m not very good, but I’ve always wanted to learn.”

You couldn’t help but grin up at Robbie. He was too damn adorable for you to resist him. To Anti however, you gave a warily raised eyebrow. As if suspicious of his suggestion. “You hate art! Why would you want to learn?”

Anti was one of those people that tried to draw once, failed, and then called quits. Whenever you were doing something, he’d try to distract you. Growing bored with idly sitting near you, waiting for you to finish. He’d chat with you. Occasionally knocking whatever surface you were drawing on to make you stuff up your work. Snatch your pencils and paper. He has even swapped the labels of your paints before, and hidden your sketch pads until he was satisfied with the time you’ve spent with him. Never once in your friendship, has Anti asked you to teach him to draw.

At your question; Anti shrugged. A disdained expression crossing his face as he hid his answer behind his mug of coffee. “Because I wanna draw but I suck. And you’re really good.”

You heard him nonetheless. But decided not to push your luck on getting the compliment spoken out loud. You nodded and pushed up from Robbie’s lap to pick up your fallen sketch-book. Beside you, Robbie was eagerly bouncing in his seat. Smiling so wide you could see most of his teeth. You laughed and scooched aside to give room to Anti. Who slid down onto the couch beside you as you tore some empty pages from your sketch-book and handed one each to the egos.

“Ok, so we’ll start off simple. Drawing eyes is a pretty good start. Since you can make them as little detailed as you want.” You explained. Getting up from the couch to go and get some pencils and erasers for the egos. Also snatching up something for them to lean their pages on and draw somewhat more accurately.

“Before I start to get annoyed,” Anti started. Placing down his coffee to position his paper on his lap, resting against the hard surface you handed him. “How long have you been practising your art?”

“A few years.” You replied. Smiling at the low groan of exasperation from Anti. “Also you’re the first person to actually say ‘practising’. Not called it talent or ignored the length of time I’ve been doing this.”

Anti gave you a small wink and shrugged a one shoulder shrug. “I got that screwed into me from Marvin and Schneep. Marvin has been practising Magic for years. He had the talent to begin practising. And the passion to learn through those practices. But he didn’t get as good as he is today because of that talent. It was because of the time he dedicated to his work.”

Anti very rarely rambled on about a subject. But when he did; you were reminded just how deep his personality was. He wasn’t just an annoyance. Which he sometimes stretched out to be all he was to you. “Must have been a pretty bad curse if you remember to talk like that about Marvin.” You teased. And Anti grimaced in a threatric way.

“I saw things I never want to see again.” He murmured. His voice a low drawl that matched the long distance stare he plastered onto his face. You laughed and waved dismissively. Turning back to the papers in the egos hands, you started to instruct them on how to draw an eye. Halfway through you decided it was better to actually show them and let them follow along with your instructions.

Anti was quiet with concentration. His fingers held the pencil carefully but with a white knuckle grip. After a few attempts at making an oval like shape, Anti found it easier to sketch the shape than try to draw the shape in one movement.

Robbie had a harder time. His hand shook alot when he was excited. And with the big puppy grin and eager expression, you could tell his drawings were going to be a little more than scribbles. He managed to get the shape correct after a few attempts. The lines weren’t smooth, but he was very happy with how it looked. And his smile was contagious. Plus, art was different for everyone. So, they didn’t need to follow your instructions to the absolute point. Which you needed to explain to Anti after he started to glitch a little from frustration. Causing his eye to become misshapen and a little misformed.

“Look, Sam! Mine sort of looks like Septic Sam.” Robbie exclaimed happily. You leaned over his shoulder and smiled. You had been helping Anti so much with his eye that you had left Robbie to his own devices for a few minutes. And he had gone off on his own to start another drawing. This one was wider and more round. It was smudged in places, but you could see the resemblance to the green eye that zoomed around the Septic House.

“That’s really good, Rob.” You cooed softly. Ruffling his hair as Robbie giggled softly. His trembling hand picking the pencil back up to start drawing again. This time, you could tell he was attempting to shade the edges of the eye. Which indicated that Robbie had been listening in on your instructions to Anti about his eye. That was complete with a pupil, the iris and a border of eyelashes. But Anti was frowning down at it. His green eyes flashing every once in a while as he scanned the sketch in his lap.

“What’s up, Anti?” You asked softly. “You did really well for your first try.”

“Thanks.” It was a forced reply. He was trying to be polite, and you could tell Anti was struggling with keeping his irritation from making his words sound harsh. You didn’t miss how his gaze flickered from your page to his. And you didn’t need to ask why he looked so disheartened after taking a glance at yours.

“Would you like to start again? Drawing is learning from your previous artworks. Or you could try to put some colour in it.” You suggested the last bit because now your mind was urging you to put colour in your own sketched eye. Anti sighed and grabbed the eraser. He scrubbed away the sketch and flicked the remnants of the rubber from the page with a glitching hand.

“Mind if I try drawing something else?” Anti asked, and you nodded. Although, his hand was already beginning to glide across the page. His concentration now on the paper in front of him, you turned to Robbie. Who was gently poking your arm to get your attention.

“Can I colour my drawing in? I want to make it purple.” Robbie said. Clapping happily when you nodded and he followed you to your room to get the coloured pencils you keep on your desk. He ran back with the colours firmly hugged to his chest. This time he sat crossed legged on the floor with the pencils set down beside him. He looked like a toddler now. And it was adorable.

Anti looked like a moody teenager slouched over his drawing. Shoulders stooped down, bottom lip in between his teeth as he traced the shapes of his sketch.

You’ve never seen them working together. Nor sat beside one another without Anti picking on Robbie or Rob getting a little anxious around the Glitch. So, it was a relaxing image to you. And it was definitely a nice space to be in as you sat beside Robbie and picked up one of the colours.

By the time you had finished shading and colouring, your back ached and your fingers were close to cramping. Poor Robbie wasn’t so lucky. His hands had seized up ages ago. The pencil still clutched in his stiff fingers, he tried his best to finish his purple Sam drawing. He had added another Sam, this one wasn’t coloured yet. But Robbie had explained that he wanted it to be the green Sam. So, then purple Sam would have a friend and green Sam wouldn’t be alone anymore.

It was an adorable little sentiment. And by that time, you realised that you’ve thought Robbie was adorable alot lately. But he was. So, you can excuse yourself by this point.

Anti didn’t want to show you his drawing. Not yet at least. When you attempted to sneak a peek, Anti had basically crushed the piece of paper against his chest. Glaring at you with sparking green eyes. You instantly backed away with your hands up in a surrender like gesture. But the way he was acting made you laugh nonetheless. It had been how you had acted when you first started drawing.

Now, with your nicely coloured eye done and the shading how you wanted it; you turned around to look at Anti. His legs were propped up on the couch. Back pressed against the back of the chair but he was horrible hunched with the paper resting against his thighs. He had been tapping the top of his pencil against the paper for half a minute now. Obviously deep in thought. But when he noticed you looking at him, the tapping stopped and his green eyes flashed a warning.

“I’m not done.” He said before you could speak. You chuckled and tilted your head, almost in a pleading manner.

“Come on, Glitch. Show me what you’ve been doing. I promise I will love it no matter what.” You said. Flashing him your best puppy eyes and pouty lips.

Anti grumbled and inched up into a more sensible sitting position. He gave his draw one final look over before sighing heavily and handing you the paper. You eagerly snatched it up and turned so Robbie could see over your shoulder.

“It’s meant to be you drawing us.” Anti said. His voice huffed and he scratched the back of his neck in slight embarrassment. “The first time I saw you drawing us, I thought it was really cool. So, I kinda wanted to try to draw you. But I fucking suck at drawing….”

You could definitely see that it was you. The hair on the person’s head was wavy and shaded in a way that was obviously meant to make it a darker shade. The facial features were blank and you could see the many attempts Anti did at drawing your face. The imprints of the previous mouth and nose were still embedded into the paper. But now, even though it was heavily smudged. Anti had left your face blank with no details. But even so, your sketched body and even the canvas that was propped up on a easel, was drawn well enough you could tell what they were.

“Aww Anti, this is so sweet.” You said. Smiling as you looked back at Anti. “And I mean it. I love it. And if you ever think of trying to rub this one out, I will destroy you.”

Anti chuckled and nodded. Handing you the pencil to add to the pile on the floor. “Thank you. And I am done for the day. I can feel my hand bones aching now. Also, are you feeling like drawing again?”

You rolled your eyes and shrugged. Glancing down at your sketched eye, the shaded colours and darkened tints were definitely scratching that urge that’s been annoying you for the past few days. “A little. But this helped. Thank you. Also it was fun drawing with you guys. We should make this a thing.”

“Oh, yes! I’d love that!” Robbie peaked excitedly. Though his gaze was now back on his drawing, adding some more purple to the eye he sketched.

“I wouldn’t mind either. Stops me from harassing you, right Sammy.” Anti shot you a wink, leaning down to pick up his coffee mug and take a sip. But as soon as the beverage struck his lips, he spat it back into the mug. “Holy fuck. Cold coffee is disgusting.”

You chuckled and nodded. “It happens. You start drawing, you gotta remind yourself that you have a drink next to you. Otherwise it goes to waste.” Anti mumbled his annoyance and got up to go back to the kitchen. No doubt to make himself another cup of dirty bean juice.

[komatsunana]

Chronicles of Exandria: The Legend of Vox Machina II

I did this for the first volume, so I bought this artbook right away just to do it again. <3 My Winter’s Crest gift to all the critters.

The art. Once again I cannot overstate the stunning artwork of the critter community. I know some fans balk at the price, but all the artists are paid to have their art in the book - and I think the big price tag is well worth artist getting some compensation for their work (do correct me if I’m wrong). I won’t be sharing any photos of of the art, but most of it is available online already.

However, I will share this photo of the print on the box the book came in:

Excerpt of the Foreward:

“The memories in this book are real. They were created with love and laughter around a table with friends, and let loose on the wind to find what ears would listen.  The joys and pains of every winding turn still occupy our minds daily and if you are reading this, I suspect they live on in yours as well.  We were there.  We witnessed it unfold.” 

Vox Machina was only able to scry on Scanlan once, as seen in the episode Jugs and Rods, but some time after Scanlan warded himself against arcane sight.

The Mantle of the Tempest is described as “eternal autumn leaves.”

Keyleth goes on to rule with wisdom and grace.

Usually the Cobalt Soul has problems researching historical figures for whom there is little written word about...... With Taryon they had the opposite problem: there was too much! lmao. And 90% of it is believed to be embellished or flat out lies.

Nicknames that Taryon gave himself and were never used by anyone ever: “The Winsome Winner of Wildemount,” “Talented Tary,” “Golden-Maned Guardian of Good,” and “The Vindicator.”

Uvenda, the gnome in Vesrah, is still alive!! She’s stepped down as leader now and is the tale-teller of Vesrah.

The Ashari call the kraken that VM fought for Keyleth’s Aremente “Ulugrah the Requisite.”

Uvenda claims that Ulugrah, upon learning that the creatures it had trounced were legendary heroes (I’m assuming they mean Vox Machina), it boasts about it’s victory against them to anyone who will listen any who come to its lair in the Plane of Water.

Tova went by different epithets including: “The Bear,” “Little Half-Ear,” “The Bloody-Handed,” and “The Skin Changer.” After surviving the Hells thanks to Vax’s ring of invisibility, she gained the name “The Unseen Death.”  Little else can be verified about Tova, but none of her friends she went to with Dis survived.

Grey Hunt Lore

Lord Wolf de Rolo and Lady Melanie van Musel de Rolo were the leaders of the 4th reign of Whitestone. It was a political marriage and Melanie was particularly unhappy. She had a garden filled with flora and fauna from her home in Wildemont. The garden is now known as the Widow’s Garden and many of the plants were poisons that she used to slowly assassinate Lord Wolf with.  

After being injured in the Great Whitestone Fire, he couldn’t recover because of the poison and he died leaving Melanie the ruler. She decided to redraw the lines of the city walls, pushing into the Parchwood Timberlands which didn’t go well. Construction was plagued by accidents, animal attacks, and phantoms were reported (such as of Lord Wolf) - though the construction of a Temple of the Dawnfather went unhindered.  

Lady Melanie’s cousin was Ivan van Musel, a cleric, and he declared that Melanie had pissed off the Dawnfather by expanding without showing reverence. Ivan went into the forest after much mediation and was later found battered but alive atop a felled Direwolf.  Ivan had a vision in which the Lawbearer agreed to the expansion no further than where Ivan had felled the Direwolf and that from here on, a citizen of Whitestone must venture into the Parchwood when called to do so and be tested. 

Melanie created the title Grand Master of the Grey Hunt, the third ruling house of Whitestone, for Ivan.  The third house has since forth been in change of the Grey Hunt and managing the city’s relationship with the world beyond the city walls.

Hundreds of gold in property damage during Vox Machina’s stay at Dalen’s Closet while VM “relentlessly pranked” each other.

Whitestone became a thriving metropolis during VM’s year off - in part because of Allura keeping it safe during Thordak’s reign while everywhere else was ravaged.

K’yrrn - the dark elf that kidnapped Taryon - is from Xhorhas!

Though Tary could be called a fool, a braggart, a coward... in the moment he stood against his father’s selfishness and bigotry and forgave and reconciled with him is described as being more valiant than slaying.

Lionel Gayheart had “an unusual case of amnesia.”

JB Trickfoot continued to work in Whitestone’s library and it’s thanks to many of her notes that the Cobalt Soul has as much as they do on Vox Machina.

“Uh, yes, the very first thing I remember about meeting Vox Machina was when the red-haired lady jumped off a mountain.  It was grisly.  But what I’ll remember forever is what happened afterward.  The coin that Lady Vex’ahlia used, the glow of light, the power.  It brought her back to life.  They really were like gods.”

Taryon’s autobiography’s dedication:  “This book is dedicated to Lawrence.  But it is for my family.”

Taryon thinks his father was actually proud of Tary’s Darrington Brigade.

Tary never liked his father, but after returning home Tary began to love him.

Mariya, Tary’s mom, was part of the Brigade and took care of the injured warriors.

Maryanne, Tary’s sister, became the driving force behind the Darrington Fund charity and even gave up her home for those less fortunate than herself.  When she called Tary “brother” it was no longer an insult.

Tary is most proud that his mother finally has a united family, one to be proud of.

Kaylie Shorthalt talks a bit about Lionel - says he was a goofy son of a bitch. He kept talking to her about ducks though.  He once tried to show her his house, but he just took her to an oasis in the middle of desert that was full of ducks.

The Cobalt Soul doesn’t like to spread rumors but they do have theories of Lionel’s Marquesian mallard heritage.

Aes Adan, aka the Meat Man, rise to power coincided with the disappearance of several low to mid level criminals.

A scholar once went to visit Scanlan to interview him to see if the rumors were true that Scanlan had been the Meat Man.  The Scribe returned, unable to remember anything from his visit.  In his notebook were only crude drawings of ducks.  Scanlan still using that Modify Memory...

The fucking Cobalt Soul knows that Scanlan sacrificed the 9th level spell he was saving for Vax to stop Vecna from leaving.  It’s history folks.

For the folks out there who love the Briarwoods’ love for each other, some of an excerpt of Delilah’s journal:  “No matter the cost, my love, I will do it.  I care not how many must die, or how grave the sins must be that I commit.  I broke the world once for you, Sylas.  I shall do it again, and again, and again, for you.  For us.  Forever.”

Vecna envied the Raven Queen, as her followers did so not just because they feared her, but because they loved and respected her too.

Vecna threatened the assembled protectors of Vasselheim, saying that it would be the perfect place for ambush, but that’s no fun when there are many less-protected loved ones.  People he threatened include Earthbreaker Groon’s daughter (Desir), Vord’s family, J’mon’s concubines, all of Whitestone and particularly Cassandra.  And Young Velora Vessar, “playing alone in her room.”

The Everlight: Redeemer of All

“Comprehension is the only true measure of dominion.”

Pelor, The Dawnfather: The Primordial Light

“Faith is defined by the darkness we have not conquered.”

Ethrid Brokenbranch AKA Sprigg the Obnoxious gets his own book of history by the Cobalt Soul.  Autobiographical writings were found in the wreckage of his house

The Goddess Ioun: Our Knowing Mistress

“Comprehension is the only true measure of dominion.” (This is the same quote as for the Everlight - idk which one is the error.)

The Raven Queen: The Matron of Ravens

“By my grace, all are rendered equal.”

It is forbidden to study Arkhan the Cruel.

Vox Machina lived out the rest of their days in relative happiness and peace.

Percy’s magnum opus is the Clock Tower of Whitestone - a national treasure of Tal’Dorei.

Vex continued to rule as Baroness for a time after Percy’s passing.  Vex saw her bother’s spirit after the birth of her first child.  She reconciled somewhat with her father and showered Velora with love and blessings.

Kaylie went to school at the Alabaster Lyceum in Emon on Scanlan’s dime.

Pike and Scanlan had a lengthy courtship.

Tary’s book The Daring Trials and Tribulations of Ser Taryon Darrington contained an accurate account of his time with Vox Machina, even if nothing else is accurate.

Grog helped Earthbreaker Groon restore the Temple to the Stormlord while staying Vasselheim, defending his title in the Crucible.

The final, actual words of the book that aren’t a dedication or part of an image:  “And as the story is told: ‘Everyday that raven comes to visit.’” ;’(

There is a stunning four page fold-out page of Percy’s clock tower. I cannot emphasize enough how lovely it is.  The end of it dedicates it to Vex and is quoted with, “I couldn’t have asked for a better dream.”

On the other side of the fold-out are some... sketches of Percy’s notes? It seems that Diplomacy is now powered up by Cabal’s Ruin.

 As part of “Cobalt Souls” thank you page: “Within a book, a story can only sleep. It requires a reader to give it life.”