#also artbreeder isn't as good with buildings as with faces

[queenlucythevaliant]

This is about how I visualize Cair Paravel on its little hill by the sea:

And then at sunrise the stone goes all golden like this for a few minutes:

If you've ever seen sunset over the Badlands or the Grand Canyon, I imagine it like that.

The Sunrise Castle

Cair Paravel is built in white stone, cut and polished so that it catches the light. When the sun is high, the castle glitters on the seashore like a gem. It can be seen from a great distance, from the hills and ridges of the surrounding country. Most days, the castle can be seen from Galma. On a clear day, a sharp-eyed man can make it out from the shores of Terebinthia. Eagles and Hawks and other birds of prey use the Cair to navigate; among Birds, it is called the East Beacon.

Yet it is at sunrise that Cair Paravel is the loveliest; anyone who has ever seen it will tell you so. At sunrise, the fires of dawn dance across the white stone and the castle itself glows pink and orange and gold, gold like an otherworldly ember. Standing on the beach, with the sunrise at your front and the Cair at your back, one can almost feel engulfed by light—so Edmund and Caspian and Lucy thought, at least until they saw the Last Sea.

Cair Paravel is also a castle of windows. Large windows; wide panes of uninterrupted glass created by dwarvish and mermish craftsmen who together excel at such things. The most desirable bedrooms face east; in them, one can throw open the curtains and gaze out at the sea from one’s own bed. Yet every living space in the castle has a view. The windows let the light in; there is scarcely any need for lamps in the Cair until evening falls.

It is not a large castle; certainly nothing like the Tisroc’s palace, nor even as large as Anvard. It is a castle built to awe its guests rather to intimidate them. It is built for beauty, not for power. Its rooms are comfortable and its hallways easy to navigate. Yet from within and without, it is a castle of light. As King Cor of Archenland once remarked, the Cair never lets you forget whose it is. A castle of light, standing on the easternmost shore of Narnia, which once a day glows gold with the sunrise: Cair Paravel belongs to Aslan.

Twice in its history, Cair Paravel was abandoned and left to molder. Both times, the shine went out of its stones. The white was covered in years and layers of dirt and neglect. The four kings and queens, sitting in its ruins, could not tell its stones from any others. Yet the light still shone through the empty places where great panes of glass, now broken, had once sat. From Stone Table hill, the castle still shone on the seashore. Peter could see it, when he stood at Aslan’s side.

[zorlok-if]

Meet Dev

Art by @enspey

Name: Dev Vaghela

Gender: Nonbinary (Xe/Xem), Cisgender Man (He/Him), or Cisgender Woman (She/Her)

Identity: Bisexual, grayromantic, polyamorous

Species: Human

Status: Alive

Age: 29 (by the time you meet xem)

Occupation: Private Investigator and Monster Hunter (+ "Former" Criminal)

Adjectives: Playful, Observant, Impulsive, Sarcastic, Daring

Personality: Dev is a daring, confident, spontaneous, and often reckless individual. Xe is persistent, curious, and nosy but respects xyr allies' privacy—mainly because xe wants xyr own privacy respected. Argumentative and unafraid of conflict, Dev isn't one to back down from a fight. However, xe always seems to be running from some aspect of xyr past and it seems like if xe is pushed too far, xe's unafraid to cut and run at any moment. Dev is a charismatic and passionate person with a silver-tongue and the wits and insight to convince people of almost anything. Socially insightful and inhumanly observant, xe has no trouble finding out what others want and using their desires to satisfy xyr own. Xe is quite cynical—often about people's true natures and intents—though there is something about xem which can't help but hope for the best. Dev likes to say that xe doesn't care what others think about xem but xe has tried very hard to change xyr image for someone who apparently doesn't care how others percieve xem. Deceit is a natural defense mechanism for xem (and though xe will brag about how good of a liar xe is, Dev secretly loathes this aspect of xemself). Dev tries xyr best to come off as purely arrogant and unfeeling, but xe cares very deeply for xyr close allies and—when tested—xyr loyalty always trumps xyr instinct for self-preservation.

Appearance

Original artbreeders by me, edited by the incredible, wonderful, and talented @lapinlunaire-games 💜

Height: 6'0" / 183 cm

Body Type: Slender with lean, toned muscles

Hair: Long (lower back), wavy (2A/2B), very dark brown (almost black), shorter pieces around xyr face (like xe had bangs that are growing out)

Eyes: Smiling, upturned, dark brown (right), purple (left)

Skin: Warm brown, covered in tattoos (most are of plants and nature, others look like fay designs)

Other: Many asymmetrical ear piercings, nostril piercing, nipple piercings (mismatched silver and gold metals), left eye normally covered by a black eye patch, short line shaved in xyr right eyebrow

Style: Somewhat understated (for xyr personality at least), like a punk kid who grew up and got a job in an office building. Xe likes wearing leather jackets, trench coats, good denim, and boots. Most of xyr clothing is black or very dark colors. Xe is also frequently seen wearing xyr motorcycle gear including a sleek black helmet, a thick leather jacket, and (if xe's going a long distance) matching leather pants. Regardless of gender, Dev tends to wear pants but it's worth noting that xe's never opposed to wearing a hot ass dress (and Dev knows xe'd look sexy as Hell). For more on Dev's style click here.

Dev's Pinterest Board

Random

MBTI: ESFP - A

Birthday: July 10th

Zodiac: Cancer

Hometown: Casper, WA

Connections

Family: Mother and Father (moved to Florida 11 years ago when Dev graduated and moved to California)

E.J.: Best friend

Adam/Eve: Former friends turned bitter enemies

Sally & Kevin: Dev's neighbors

Picrews:

Top: elena-illustration; Middle: nase_nikyuu, hiigari, alohasushicore; Bottom: baydews (flipped)

For more on Dev, check out these links:

Dev's Pronouns

Commissioned Art of EJ and Dev

Commissioned Art of Dev

Dev Possible Poly Routes

"Treasure" - A Cute Dev Short

A Spicy Dev Prompt

An Analysis of Dev's Style

A/E Reacting to Z and Dev

Dev and Valentine's Day

A Quote That Describes Dev

A Video With Dev Energy

A Hint for Interlude 1 😉

Ask About Dev's Pinterest Board

All Cast List of NDs/Disabilities/Etc.

[kollapsar]

what does a well-constructed commission brief/reference entail? (side note your ask title i love it)

That's such a good question!

I could probably talk about this one all day but for me it's in the options and details! Largely, a good amount of details and visuals provided in a careful way that's easy to follow and construct.

This also varies depending on the commission (clients with a specific idea vs. clients who wants to construct a design/concept sheet)

Some of the best sheets I've read basically follow the format of:

The Brief TL;DR here's a short summary of precisely what I want.

Here is a short description and maybe a very rough stick figure/bashed-together setup (if I have a very specific composition in mind.) This is my "launching point" that I'll use as the prime directive, and usually only about 1-2 sentences + the comp setup if you provide one.

The Specs

Here are some very brief point-by-point specs that you can't miss (e.g. physical details about the character, other things that are very important) This is information I will use like a checklist to refer to almost every time I sit down with a piece. This is usually a set of bullet points that outline the absolute essentials I need to include, from scars, a very important accessory, a specific angle or expression, or even an overall vibe. If this piece is getting made to be printed, this is also where you give me dimensions. Essentially this is stuff I absolutely have to follow.

If you have a “definitive reference sheet” or portrait of your character/characters available, this is where it goes!

The Background

Added details: Here's a longer paragraph with more written descriptions as a "vibe" and general background on the piece's context, the character's background, etc. Here's various pictures, sketches, inspirational moodboards, etc. This is information I will review usually on first sit-down and building the reference board, and then again on my final pass to see if there's anything I can work in/am contradicting/etc. While this isn't necessarily information I find completely essential I still enjoy having this available because it gets me a rounder feeling for what I'm working with and can pre-emptively answer any more probing questions I may have about the subject. Detailed world information, playlists, etc. go here. I take it all as long as it's neatly separated from your hard-line details.

The Bonuses

Circling back to content that’s really cool and nice stuff that isn't required but still helpful: The stick figure diagrams, artbreeder face refs or faceclaims, etc. Pieces that I've done before that you absolutely gelled with, along with aspects of them you'd like. I know some artists may not prefer it but having something I've done before in front of me along with a direct pointer of what specifically you like lets me know pretty well what you'd like me to specifically bring to the work.

Presentation?

In general, I prefer reference provided to me in a single Google Doc with the pictures included. Wrapped text with smaller resolution pictures peppered in is fine- some clients even provide a separate Google Drive link that has that document in it, plus the high resolution versions of those pictures.

If it's for a concept that we're developing together, having "hard yes" reference in one folder and "maybe/neat suggestions/ideas to explore" in a separate one is great.

If it's for a character that you kind of want me to take the wheel with, Refsheet.net is a very excellent source for archiving your overall character details and visuals! I know I keep my OCs there for anytime I need to commission someone. (Example sheet. This one is of my OC Evgeny, and is specifically over-detailed but allows me to cut any content I may need from it to put the relevant stuff in a commission document if I write one, then provide this as an added reference if the artist wants more stuff.)

Thanks for asking and hope this helps! If I can further clarify anything let me know- kind of wrote this up in a tizzy.

(PS Glad you like the Ask page title lol! It's one thing on my Tumblr blog that hasn't changed in 10 years.)