#brick effect wall panels

[advancedbrick]

Rainscreen is one of the most effective and efficient cladding systems a property can utilise today. It is sustainable and incredibly popular too. 

Rainscreen cladding is typically made with a layer of insulation, cladding material and the bearing wall. It is fixed to the building with the supporting structure and creates an air cavity. 

Choose the wrong one and the consequences can be dire. That is why you have to be smart and choose a cladding system that works perfectly for the home. Rainscreen cladding can be viable for any property and is energy efficient.

[groupvtec]

Vtec Group offers the largest selection of faux brick wall panels, Brick Effect Wall Panels and other textures. Our wall panels are durable and lightweight. Please get in touch for further details about any of our products and how we can help deliver excellent results for your next commercial project.

[ogh-rambles]

Rewriting Fate - Chapter 4

chapter 3 > chapter 4 (you're here!) > chapter 5(in progress...)

word count! 2k.

warnings! only curses but if u count angst as one... a/n: oh boy we're back with the famed scene (click here for the full scene of the art below!)

A short, comfortable small talk envelops your party as Katsuragi guides you both to the village, an ever-present smile on his face. 

“I see… I’m glad you left that place before the landslide hit.” The man hums thoughtfully. “And your friend…”

Katsuragi’s gaze eventually lands on the golden feather that sways from Kuni’s neck, the latter restless under his intense stare.

His dark eyes grow wide at the sight, shocked to see an item of such importance so far from the mainland where Tenshukaku stands. “You... You have the Plume of Luxury. What affiliation do you have with the Shogun…?” 

You stiffen at his words, watching as he quickly notices Kuni’s avoidance in question to the topic behind the feather. Kuni nervously clutches the golden ornament in his palm, moving closer to you.

Pausing, Katsuragi clears his throat, nodding to himself as he averts his attention away.  “I suppose it’s for the best that you keep your background to yourself.” 

Kuni nods quietly, tucking it into his collar.

Your eyes move on from the two, quickly distracted by the plentiful clusters of homes and warmly lit windows emerging in the distance, exposing a much more lively view of Tatarasuna than you were previously familiar with. The buildings were in their prime, the wooden panels worn yet steady under your feet as you made your way into the village under the cover of night.

The aching sensation in your heart grows strong as you take in the prosperous village, knowing what is to come in a matter of years. Guilt, maybe. Hope? You’re already scared of the butterfly effect that was inevitable with your arrival, but you can’t help but wonder what would happen if you gave a small hint here and there. Would Tatarasuna still be thriving in the future as it is now? 

Your wandering eyes meet the prototype beside you, who lights up under your attention, still holding onto your sleeve with his firm grasp.

What will happen to him then?

You barely stop yourself from face-planting into a wall of muscle as Katsuragi stops abruptly in front of a small home. He slides the door open and turns around, gesturing inside.

“I will take you both to my superior, Nagamasa.” Katsuragi briefly explains, ushering you both into the warm interior before he heads in himself.

Your shoulders sag at the heat that enveloped your shivering body, noticing a small, dusty fireplace nestled into one of the corners. It seems newly built, you note as you stare into the embers. A couple of leftover stone bricks were still stacked up precariously against the wall. 

Kuni looks around, starry-eyed as he stands rather close to you despite the extra space, his synthetic skin cool against you. The one room was a little cramped to be housing three people at once, but you couldn’t complain. It was much better than the small cavern you and Kuni had found a few moments ago.

You lift your head, eyes wide at the sound of footsteps approaching.

“Ah, Katsuragi. I need your help with something, do you think… Oh?” A man, a little older than Katsuragi walks in from the other room, slipping through the sliding frame doors. He looks a little taken aback by the two strangers who seem just as lost as he. “And… whom might they be?”

So this was the man who would later be the one to slay Katsuragi when everything fell apart. You hold back a grimace, the soft murmurs between the two men turning into white noise in your ears as you study Nagamasa discreetly. 

He hadn’t made an appearance in the game, so you were at least a little curious about what he looked like. Dark brows are drawn into a tight crease, and brown eyes, clear and sharp, flicker from his yoriki to you and Kuni. 

He rakes a hand through black hair as he nods at Katsuragi’s explanation. The locks were a little unkempt, loose and just barely brushed his shoulders as he moved to face you. 

“I apologise for the wait. Welcome to Tatarasuna village.” He murmurs, steady gaze flickering between you and Kuni. “Kasturagi has explained to me that he found you both while patrolling on Nazuchi Beach.”

It wasn’t really a lie. Katsuragi had found you on the beach as he said but had excluded any mention of you finding Kuni in Shakkei Pavillion. 

You nod along to Nagamasa’s words as Katsuragi turns to the other man, gesturing to you.

“Yes, this is…” Katsuragi paused, looking a little sheepish. “Ah, my mistake. I forgot to ask you both for your names in the rush to get you both here.”

You blink. “Oh. Right.”

With hidden trepidation, you tell them your name, eyes darting down to your hands. Now your name was out there. You quickly move on from there, turning to the one sitting beside you, staring at you with wide shining eyes. Right, you hadn’t even told him your name.

Kuni whispers your name under his breath, lips curving into a small smile that had you mentally squinting against the pure light that emitted from him.

“And you?” Nagamasa quirks his brow, briefly eyeing the expensive-looking fabric that the other had donned. 

Kuni shuffles uneasily beside you. “I don’t have one.” 

The older man gruffly hums, scratching at his chin while Katsuragi frowns. “Don’t have one, you say…”

Katsuragi thinks for a moment before raising an offer with a subtle tilt of his head. “How about giving yourself a name? What do you think about that?”

The puppet’s eyes widen. “A name… for me?”

"You can think about it as you settle down in our village." Katsuragi leans back, crossing his arms across his chest. He seems pleased at the other's reaction.

The prototype nods as naive hope and admiration blossom in his hollow chest. 

Nagamasa watches the interaction with an unreadable, neutral expression, clearing his throat. 

“Now, about living in Tatarasuna…”

After introducing you to his superior, Katsuragi welcomed you both into his own home, offering a place to sleep for the night before they set up a place for you both to live in for the rest of your stay here at Tatarasuna. 

As you comfortably lay in the warm futon that Katsuragi had so generously laid out for you in a spare room, you absentmindedly stare up at the ceiling. Your new companion was and had been staring at you for quite some time now, sitting on his futon instead of slipping under the covers. 

You think back to the conversation you had with Nagamasa. 

The inspector had given you two a chance to start a life in Tatarasuna after you revealed that you had no memory of ending up on the beach. You were to start learning the basics of swordsmithing by tomorrow morning along with Kuni. Despite having eased your worries about meeting Katsuragi and continuing the story as it was planned, you can’t help but feel a lingering concern. 

Sighing exasperately, you flip to your side, staring back. Innocent indigo eyes blinked at you before a whisper filled the room. “Not sleeping? I thought you said humans needed to sleep?”

“Mn. Not tired.” You prop your head up on the pillow to face him better. “Why don’t you lie down? I know you don’t need sleep but the futon is comfortable.”

You watch Kuni let out a soft ‘oh’, before sliding into the covers stiffly, unsure of his movements. He glances at you for approval. “It’s… soft.”

“Isn’t it?” Settling down, you breathe out, the heavy weight on your chest a little lighter after talking to him. “Even if you don’t need to do the things humans do, doesn’t it feel nice to do them anyway?”

A soft shuffling noise comes from Kuni as he turns to you, the covers pulled up to his chin. He nods.

The corners of your lips naturally lift in amusement. “Now go to sleep. Isn’t it boring to stay up doing nothing all night?”

Shifting slightly under the thick blanket, the puppet finally shuts his eyes, letting his body rest like he saw you do before. It’s a little strange, allowing his body to fall slack when he’s so used to being aware of everything, eyes wanting to take in everything that the world presents him with. 

Listening to your soft breaths fill the room, he can’t help but make his artificial lungs mimic yours. He knows he doesn’t need to breathe or sleep. But as he finds his body relaxing, his mind goes quiet.

Finally, he lets himself rest in your presence.

Sitting up, you watch with a bittersweet smile as your companion ‘falls asleep’. Moving slowly and quietly, you slip out of the sheets, your steps silent against the tatami mat as you cautiously move towards the doors.

You glance back with finality at the unmoving form under the sheets, your distant eyes skimming over his dark hair splayed out on the pillow to his tranquil resting face.

You had been contemplating executing this plan since you had first met him in the pavilion. Initially, you had thought that you had ruined everything by leaving the domain with him, however, things had worked out in your favour and now things were where they had always been. 

Now only you were the abnormality in this moment. You weren’t supposed to be here. Staying would only mean you would distort the story more, and the thought of a future you didn’t know frightens you. 

Feeling the biting wind against your skin, you rip your gaze away, slipping out the doors and closing it behind you with a soft click, walking across the wooden panels of the deck that surrounded the home. You had to leave before your hesitation got the better of you and you ended up making a decision that you would regret.

Your feet touch the grass as you ready yourself to leave.

“Where are you going..?”

Your heart sank, head whipping around. Shit.

He’s staring at you with wild, desperate eyes – confusion and terror written all over him. They dart frantically across your face, as if searching for any reason you might have for leaving the room without him. 

It's almost painful to look at him, his trembling hand gripping so tightly onto his veil.

“...”

You say nothing.

What could you even tell him? That this was for his own good? That you swear that you’ll come back to him in the future?... That you were terrified to ruin his life more than it would become?

His expression grows more and more distraught at your silence and he stumbles towards you, desperately clutching at your clothes.

“Do you not like it here?” His thready voice quivers, sounding smaller than ever. “That’s okay, we can go…!”

The inner turmoil was back again, hitting you in full force. It was for his own good, you think to yourself. You’d rather carry the burden of leaving him rather than—

“... I’ll go with you! Wherever you go! Wherever!” His form shudders with every word, tears pooling in his eyes. “So...! So... Please... Please, please, please, please.”

“... Don’t leave me.”

You fail to swallow down the building lump in your throat, steeling yourself as you breathe in and—

…

You find yourself back inside, face vacantly fixed up at the ceiling again. The pressure on your heart is replaced with the arms of a desperate puppet clinging onto your body, his futon discarded for your own. He’s tense, and the extreme closeness is a little stifling but you can’t bring yourself to complain or push him away. 

His face is buried into your shoulder, and your heart squeezes with immense guilt as you feel him hiccup softly against your shirt. 

Your plan failed.

Closing your eyes, you exhale slowly as you tentatively reach up and card your fingers through his silken hair. He goes quiet, holding your arm tighter.

… There was no way you could leave now.

[brainlicking]

Don't Lose Me In Your Memory

A gift for the amazingly talented @lost-in-thought-20 of their amazingly angst-ridden anxceit fic (which I have linked above).

This was suuuuch a treat to work on, I had a lot of fun playing around with textures and brushes and has just been a great learning experience.

Go check out the fic! (after checking the tags of course)

Image ID under the cut

[ID: A two page black and white comic with a brainlicking.tumblr signature at the bottom of each page. The art is black and white and scratchy, creating a grungy effect.

Page 01, panel 01 depicts Virgil Sanders, silhouetted and standing at the mouth of a darkened alleyway . The walls are bricked, with a gaping black archway on either side. At the top of the panel is a speech bubble with a black background and white text that reads, “LOOK AT YOU NOW”.

Page 01, panel 02 is a close-up shot of Virgil’s eye, looking behind him in terror. He is heavily shadowed, almost blending into the black background, emphasising the white of his eyes.

Page 01, panel 03 depicts Virgil on the far left of the alleyway, recoiling away from the figure on the far right. The figure is a shadow version of Virgil, floating slightly off of the ground with a slumped posture. The gaping black archway of the alley wall between them. The speech bubble with a black background and white text above Virgil that reads, “LOOK AT WHAT HAS BECOME OF YOU”. The speech bubble with a black background and white text below the Shadow-Virgil reads, “I AM AS REAL AS YOUR FEELINGS ARE”.

Page 02, panel 01 is a shoulders-up depiction of Virgil, he is looking slightly upward with his expression frozen in fear. The whites of his eyes continue to be the only source of brightness. The background is dark grey with black, scratchy textures.

Page 02, panel 02 is Shadow-Virgil mirroring the previous panel. The background is completely black with a scratchy white outlining the silhouette, with a pair of unnaturally wide, blinding white eyes.

Page 02, panel 03 is a cell-phone dropped on the ground. The screen is badly cracked and depicts a desaturated, coloured photograph of Virgil and Janus cuddled together on a couch. Janus has long blond hair with a port-wine stain birthmark on the left side of his face, with his arm around Virgil’s shoulders. Virgil is looking at Janus, both have smiles on their faces.

In the center of the page, in the middle of the three panels is a speech bubble with black background with white text that reads, “I AM THE DEATH OF YOUR HOPE”.

End ID]

[reasonsforhope]

Catherine Borowski has always had an active imagination. As a child, she dreamed that the car park on her north London council estate would be transformed into a garden. The reality was quite different. “No one had a car, so it was empty, grey and depressing,” she says. Now a sculptor and event producer, Borowski has made it her mission to fill unloved urban spaces with flowers – albeit virtual ones. 

She and her partner Lee Baker are the founders of Graphic Rewilding, a project to install huge nature-inspired artworks into the urban landscape. “Where real rewilding isn’t possible, our goal is to inject the colour and diversity of nature into rundown spaces, urging people to notice – and find joy in – the world around them,” says Baker.   

The pair believe that flowers possess serious powers, even when they’re not real. “We know that spending time in nature is good for us, but studies show that even pictures of plants have a positive effect on the mind,” says Baker. He cites research published in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, which found that imagery of plants in hospital waiting rooms can help reduce feelings of stress in patients. 

Baker, a painter and music producer, has long understood the benefits of biophilic design. Having suffered a breakdown 10 years ago, he found that drawing flowers was the only way to soothe his buzzy brain. “I would set out to draw dystopian landscapes, representative of my state of mind, but I’d always end up drawing flowers, which uplifted me,” he says.

It was around this time that Baker met Borowski, joining her production company as creative director. The pair have collaborated ever since, launching Graphic Rewilding in 2021. Since then, they’ve installed floral murals at locations including Earl’s Court station, Lewes Castle and Westfield Shopping Centre in Shepherd’s Bush – all hand drawn by Baker. “We love galleries, but we focus on public art,” he says. “This way, our work is out there for everyone to enjoy.”

This year the pair have grand plans to create a series of stained glass pavilions (think greenhouses with colourful floral-themed panels), which they hope might find homes at Kew Gardens and the Eden Project. “The way light shines through the glass is magical,” says Borowski.  

Even so, they concede that art is no match for Mother Nature. “Some people have suggested that our project detracts from real rewilding efforts. But both can co-exist,” says Borowski. “Of course we want more green spaces.” adds Baker. “But we aren’t gardeners. We’re artists. In the absence of nature, we want to create inspiring spaces through art.”

Overall, the response has been hugely positive. “The joy that these artworks bring is palpable,” says Baker, highlighting an early project in Crawley, West Sussex. “Many people in the town were employed by Gatwick airport and Covid had taken its toll,” he recalls. In a bid to spread some joy, the duo painted brick walls, billboards, benches and even bins with their signature floral flair. “Peoples’ reactions were heartwarming. There were so many smiling faces,” he says.

Elsewhere, in Earl’s Court, the pair transformed “a ratty piece of tarmac” into a modern-day pleasure garden, which is now often filled with children dancing and doing cartwheels on the way home from school. “Putting art into a place that previously felt unloved feels like cultivating joy where there was none,” reflects Borowski. “If something like this had been installed on my estate when I was a kid, it would have been a dream come true.”

-via Positive.News, November 6, 2023

[jjj-no-studio]

鐵皮印象/iron sheet

鐵皮, 一體兩面的呈現出臺灣社會的多元價值觀, 外國旅客眼中的新鮮特色,卻是國人眼中的景觀殺手, 鄉村的鐵皮屋、城鎮的頂樓加蓋、騎樓的鐵捲門、外推陽台的搭建,「鐵皮」都是你我熟悉的主角, 導水的用途, 影響了造型；快速的滿足需求, 導致大量的擴張, 滲透日常, 儼然已成為文化的一部分. 

Iron sheet, it shows multiple perspectives of Taiwanese society, a new feature to foreign travelers, but an unpleasant mark to local citizens. From metal houses in counties, rooftop add-on in cities, rolling steel doors on pedestrian arcades, to balcony constructions, “iron sheets” are familiar to us. Its drainage function made its appearances; meeting the demands this fast leads to huge expansion into our daily, being a part of culture.

盛行因素/Popular Reason

氣候條件/Climate conditions 臺灣地處熱帶及亞熱帶氣候區之交界，夏季炎熱漫長多雨； 海島地形，四面環海導致冷空氣受到海洋調和， 冬季相較鄰近區域溫暖， 鐵皮特性反映臺灣氣候條件。 Taiwan is on the common border of tropical and subtropical region, with the long, hot, and rainy summer; cold air is balanced by the surrounding sea, by comparison, winter is warmer then neighboring countries. The characteristic of iron sheets is the reflection of Taiwan’s climatic condition. 結構疏水/Drainability 傳統多採木構與磚石建築，直至民國六、七十年代， 鋼筋混泥土技術盛行，平屋頂的特性無法有效排水。 Traditionally, woods and bricks are often being used on constructing, not until 60’s and 70’s did the skills of reinforced concrete become very common, but flat roofs are not able to drain the water effectively. 工法容易/Simple techniques 鐵皮局部修補容易；建築時間快速、組裝、生產便利， 儼然成為現代草根性的庶民建築風貌。 Iron sheets are easily to fix, quick constructing time, easy to build and produce, becamethe modern common construction style. 時代流行/Popular by times 二戰後施工技術不佳及傳統建築所需工匠難尋， 以致簡便的鐵皮屋暢行崛起， 民間順應以頂樓加蓋的形式增設空間。 After World War II, by the poor techniques and the difficulties of finding traditional architects, simple metal houses had risen suddenly, people used the form of “rooftop add-on” to expand their space.

設計元素/Design Elements

在設計上取用鐵皮屋的三個元素為特點─鋼骨結構、鐵皮浪板和鐵皮釘. 鋼骨結構簡化為方管用於大型家具；而花瓶則以圓管表現小件作品的細緻.

The 3 elements which based on metal sheet houses are steel structure, corrugated sheets and iron nails. Steel structure will be simplify as square tubes use in large-scale furniture; vases will be perform as circular pipes to show the refinement of small-scale works.

浪板形狀的選擇/Shape selection of Corrugated Sheets

採用鐵皮文化中，最貼近大眾的圓浪板。相對於需要工程製作的烤漆浪板，俗稱「鉛板」的小圓浪板作為主要發展形式，在坊間建材行或五金行即可輕鬆購得，被普遍應用在修補壁面、屋頂局部缺漏或者搭建簡易農舍與房屋。適用於不同用途，衍伸出繁多的種類，包含屋頂壁面角浪板、屋簷遮雨的採光板。

Use the most common “circular corrugated sheet” in the culture of metal sheets. With respect to the painted corrugated sheet that needed engineering production, using the so called “lead plate” which is the circular corrugated sheet as the main develop, it can be bought in any building materials store or hardware store, it is commonly be used in repairing the walls, parts of the roofs or building simple houses or barns. It can be used in different ways and derive to varieties of things, including the polycarbonate sheet used on the roof and lighting panels.

機能隨形生/Form Follows Function 浪板用於建築通常是作為結構與疏水的功能，而我們則思考同樣的造型，當他縮小不再是建材時，會變成什麼。我們發現鐵皮的凹槽平放時可用於置物，以此為基礎，加上大的弧度則發展成盤子；而彎成U字型時，底部的造型則可以積水，便發展成花器。

Corrugated sheets are mostly used as structural and draining of buildings. We are thinking what will happen if the same mold using are minified not as a material anymore. We found out that the notch of the metal sheet can be used for putting things, based on this, if we enlarge it can become a plate; when bending it into “U” shape, the mold beneath it can stand water then became a vase.

層次/Multi-level

鐵皮在搭建時因為材料的關係，會出現一片疊一片的景象。在屏風上我們用兩種間距的浪板，並讓前後分隔一點距離，做出交疊的感覺。前面的浪板也呈現出建材長度需求的特性，分成兩片疊起來。 Because of the materials, when the corrugated sheets were built, the sheets will overlap with each other. On the screen we use two different spaces of corrugated sheets, to make their distance further and become overlapped. The sheets in the front also showed the characteristic of the material’s length, split into two.

半圓拱屋頂/Arched roof

半圓拱屋頂→橢圓椅子，拱形屋頂也是常見於鐵皮建築工法的方式，可以將負載的重力導引轉換，承受更大的受力，相較平頂式屋頂；鐵皮屋使用的弧形鋼構，反倒成為一種沉穩且優美的力學表現。

Half Arched Roof→Oval Chair is also common in the buildings of corrugated sheets, compared to a flat top roof, it can transfer the loaded gravity and supported larger forces; the arc steel which is used in corrugated roof, it actually became a steadier and more beautiful mechanics.

[roachymochi]

biggest disappointment with the Trigger adaptation so far is how they handeld the background of the city.

Like architecture is not Kui's forte and the endless brick architecture feels fake as fuck, but in the manga it's just background and is left out of most panel.

But in the anime the background is by necessity much more prominent, so we get ugly gray wall texture in all direction, which make the whole place feel completely artificial. It also make a lot of scene lose there punch because the heavy dark texture take most of the screen where the manga had simple but effective mood gradient.

It's really a shame because every prior stratum felt better in the anime (especially the lake it was such a glow-up)

[jcmarchi]

Seen and heard: The new Edward and Joyce Linde Music Building

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/seen-and-heard-the-new-edward-and-joyce-linde-music-building/

Seen and heard: The new Edward and Joyce Linde Music Building

Until very recently, Mariano Salcedo, a fourth-year MIT electronic engineering and computer science student majoring in artificial intelligence and decision-making, was planning to apply for a master’s program in computer science at MIT. Then he saw the new Edward and Joyce Linde Music Building, which opened this fall for a selection of classes. “Now, instead of going into computer science, I’m thinking of applying for the master’s program in Music Technology, which is being offered here for the first time next year,” says Salcedo. “The decision is definitely linked to the building, and what the building says about music at MIT.”    Scheduled to open fully in February 2025, the Linde Music Building already makes a bold and elegant visual statement. But its most powerful impact will likely be heard as much as seen. Each of the facility’s elements, including the Thomas Tull Concert Hall, every performance and rehearsal space, each classroom, even the stainless-steel metal panels that form the conic canopies over the cube-like building’s three entrances — has been conceived and constructed to create an ideal environment for music. 

Students are already enjoying the ideal acoustics and customized spaces of the Linde Music Building, even as construction on the site continues. Within the building’s thick red-brick walls, they study subjects ranging from Electronic Music Composition to Conducting and Score Reading to Advanced Music Performance. Myriad musical groups, from the MIT jazz combos to the Balinese Gamelan and the Rambax Senegalese Drum Ensemble, explore and enjoy their new and improved homes, as do those students who will create and perfect the next generation of music production hardware and software. 

“For many of us at MIT, music is very close to our hearts,” notes MIT President Sally Kornbluth. “And the new building now puts music right at the heart of the campus. Its exceptional practice and recording spaces will give MIT musicians the conservatory-level tools they deserve, and the beautiful performance hall will exert its own gravitational pull, drawing audiences from across campus and the larger community who love live music.”

The need and the solution

Music has never been a minor pursuit at MIT. More than 1,500 MIT students enroll in music classes each academic year. And more than 500 student musicians participate in one of 30 on-campus ensembles. Yet until recently there was no centralized facility for music instruction or rehearsal. Practice rooms were scattered and poorly insulated, with sound seeping through the walls. Nor was there a truly suitable space for large performances; while Kresge Auditorium has sufficient capacity and splendid minimalist aesthetics, the acoustics are not optimal.

“It would be very difficult to teach biology or engineering in a studio designed for dance or music,” says Jay Scheib, recently appointed section head for Music and Theater Arts and Class of 1949 Professor. “The same goes for teaching music in a mathematics or chemistry classroom. In the past, we’ve done it, but it did limit us. In our theater program, everything changed when we opened the new theater building (W97) in 2017 and could teach theater in spaces intended for theater. We believe the new music building will have a similar effect on our music program. It will inspire our students and musicians and allow them to hear their music as it was intended to be heard. And it will provide an opportunity to convene people, to inhabit the same space, breathe the same air, and exchange ideas and perspectives.”

“Music-making from multiple musical traditions are areas of tremendous growth at MIT, both in terms of performance and academics,” says Keeril Makan, associate dean for strategic initiatives for the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (SHASS). The Michael (1949) and Sonja Koerner Music Composition Professor and former head of the Music and Theater Arts Section, Makan was, and remains, intimately involved in the Linde Music Building project. “In this building, we wanted all forms of music to coexist, whether jazz, classical, or music from around the world. This was not easy; different types of music require different conditions. But we took the time and invested in making spaces that would support all musical genres.”

The idea of creating an epicenter for music at MIT is not new. For several decades, MIT planners and administrators studied various plans and sites on campus, including Kendall Square and areas in West Campus. Then, in 2018, one year after the completion of the Theater Arts Building on Vassar Street, and with support from then-president L. Rafael Reif, the Institute received a cornerstone gift for the music building from arts patron Joyce Linde. Along with her late husband and former MIT Corporation member Edward H. Linde ’62, the late Joyce Linde was a longtime MIT supporter. SANAA, a Tokyo-based architectural firm, was selected for the job in April 2019.

“MIT chose SANAA in part because their architecture is so beautiful,” says Vasso Mathes, the senior campus planner in the MIT Office of Campus Planning who helped select the SANAA team. “But also because they understood that this building is about acoustics. And they brought the world’s most renowned acoustics consultant, Nagata Acoustics International founder Yasuhisa Toyota, to the project.”

Where form meets function

Built on the site of a former parking lot, the Linde Music Building is both stunning and subtle. Designed by Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa of SANAA, which won the 2010 Pritzker Architecture Prize, the three-volume red brick structure centers both the natural and built environments of MIT’s West Campus — harmonizing effortlessly with Eero Saarinen’s Kresge Auditorium and iconic MIT Chapel, both adjacent, while blending seamlessly with surrounding athletic fields and existing landscaping. With a total of 35,000 square feet of usable space, the building’s three distinct volumes dialogue beautifully with their surroundings. The curved roof reprises elements of Kresge Auditorium, while the exterior evokes Boston and Cambridge’s archetypal facades. The glass-walled lobby, where the three cubic volumes converge, is surprisingly intimate, with ample natural light and inviting views onto three distinct segments of campus. 

“One thing I love about this project is that each program has its own identity in form,” says co-founder and principal Ryue Nishizawa of SANAA. “And there are also in-between spaces that can breathe and blend inside and outside spaces, creating a landscape while preserving the singularity of each program.”

There are myriad signature features — particularly the acoustic features designed by Nagata Acoustics. The Beatrice and Stephen Erdely Music and Culture Space offers the building’s most robust acoustic insulation. Conceived as a home for MIT’s Rambax Senegalese Drum Ensemble and Balinese Gamelan — as well as other music ensembles — the high-ceilinged box-in-box rehearsal space features alternating curved wall panels. The first set reflects sound, the second set absorbs it. The two panel styles are virtually identical to the eye. 

With a maximum seating capacity of 390, the Thomas Tull Concert Hall features a suite of gently rising rows that circle a central performance area. The hall can be configured for almost any style and size of performance, from a soloist in the round to a full jazz ensemble. A retractable curtain, an overhanging ring of glass panels, and the same alternating series of curved wall panels offers adaptable and exquisite sound conditions for performers and audience. A season of events are planned for the spring, starting on Feb. 15, 2025, with a celebratory public program and concert. Classrooms, rehearsal spaces, and technical spaces in the Jae S. and Kyuho Lim Music Maker Pavilion — where students will develop state-of-the-art production tools, software, and musical instruments — are similarly outfitted to create a nearly ideal sound environment. 

While acoustic concerns drove the design process for the Linde Music Building, they did not dampen it. Architects, builders, and vendors repeatedly found ingenious and understated ways to infuse beauty into spaces conceived primarily around sound. “There are many technical specifications we had to consider and acoustic conditions we had to create,” says co-founder and principal Kazuyo Sejima of SANAA. “But we didn’t want this to be a purely technical building; rather, a building where people can enjoy creating and listening to music, enjoy coming together, in a space that was functional, but also elegant.”

Realized with sustainable methods and materials, the building features radiant-heat flooring, LED lighting, high-performance thermally broken windows, and a green roof on each volume. A new landscape and underground filters mitigate flood risk and treat rain and stormwater. A two-level 142-space parking garage occupies the space beneath the building. The outdoor scene is completed by Madrigal, a site-specific sculpture by Sanford Biggers. Commissioned by MIT, and administered by the List Visual Arts Center, the Percent-for-Art program selected Sanford Biggers through a committee formed for this project. The 18-foot metal, resin, and mixed-media piece references the African American quilting tradition, weaving, as in a choral composition, diverse patterns and voices into a colorful counterpoint. “Madrigal stands as a vibrant testament to the power of music, tradition, and the enduring spirit of collaboration across time,” says List Visual Arts Center director Paul Ha. “It connects our past and future while enriching our campus and inspiring all who encounter it.”

New harmonies

With a limited opening for classes this fall, the Linde Music Building is already humming with creative activity. There are hands-on workshops for the many sections of class 21M.030 (Introduction to Musics of the World) — one of SHASS’s most popular CI-H classes. Students of music technology hone their skills in digital instrument design and electronic music composition. MIT Balinese Gamelan and the drummers of Rambax enjoy the sublime acoustics of the Music and Culture Space, where they can hear and refine their work in exquisite detail. 

“It is exciting for me, and all the other students who love music, to be able to take classes in this space completely devoted to music and music technology,” says fourth-year student Mariano Salcedo. “To work in spaces that are made specifically for music and musicians … for us, it’s a nice way of being seen.”

The Linde Music Building will certainly help MIT musicians feel seen and heard. But it will also enrich the MIT experience for students in all schools and departments. “Music courses at MIT have been popular with students across disciplines. I’m incredibly thrilled that students will have brand-new, brilliantly designed spaces for performance, instruction, and prototyping,” says Anantha Chandrakasan, MIT’s chief innovation and strategy officer, dean of the School of Engineering, and Vannevar Bush Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. “The building will also offer tremendous opportunities for students to gather, build community, and innovate across disciplines.”

“This building and its three programs encapsulate the breadth of interest among our students,” says Melissa Nobles, MIT chancellor and Class of 1922 Professor of Political Science. Nobles was a steadfast advocate for the music building project. “It will strengthen our already-robust music community and will draw new people in.” 

The Linde Music Building has inspired other members of the MIT community. “Now faculty can use these truly wonderful spaces for their research,” says Makan. “The offices here are also studios, and have acoustic treatments and sound isolation. Musicians and music technologists can work in those spaces.” Makan is composing a piece for solo violin to be premiered in the Thomas Tull Concert Hall early next year. During the performance, student violinists will deploy strategically in various points about the hall to accompany the piece, taking full advantage of the space’s singular acoustics. 

Agustín Rayo, the Kenan Sahin Dean of the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, expects the Linde Music Building to inspire people beyond the MIT community as well. “Of course this building brings incredible resources to MIT’s music program: top-quality rehearsal spaces, a professional-grade recording studio, and new labs for our music technology program,” he says “But the world-class concert hall will also create new opportunities to connect with people in the Boston area. This is truly a jewel of the MIT campus.”

February open house and concert

The MIT Music and Theater Arts Section plans to host an open house in the new building on Feb. 15, 2025. Members of the MIT community and the general public will be invited to an afternoon of activities and performances. The celebration of music will continue with a series of concerts open to the public throughout the spring. Details will be available at the Music and Theater Arts website.

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Psycho Analysis: The Wall

(WARNING! This analysis contains SPOILERS!)

Spidey Super Stories is what you get when you take Spider-Man from The Electric Company and give him a comic run of his own. It’s geared more towards kids, so there’s a lot wackier and out-there concepts on display, and is the originator of not only Spider-Woman (though not Jessica Drew), but also this:

And also this:

And, of course, the evildoer known as The Wall. Or more specifically, the Wicked Wall.

Now, here’s thing (and I ain’t talking about that other bricked-up superpowered Marvel character): The Wall is a villain in a Spidey series loaded with some of the wackiest and most bonkers one-shot villains ever put to page. Case in point: Thumper, the girl who dresses as Napoleon Bonaparte, wields a boxing glove, and is defeated by being gifted the pony she always wanted since she was a child, a villain who will definitely be getting one of these reviews someday soon. And then there’s the panels like the ones above, where we get the iconic Thanoscopter. How is The Wall supposed to compete with such iconic madness?

Motivation/Goals: My man Joshua here is, quite simply, a hater. He saw Spider-Man was having a day off, and decided, “Oh HELL no, if I gotta be a brick wall I’m making that his problem!”

And he does! In an impressive twist of fate, The Wall manages to get Spidey kicked out of the Mets game the poor hero was trying to enjoy! Sure, he’s kicked out too and he doesn’t seem particularly happy, but a Pyrrhic victory is still a victory. Kind of.

Final Fate: In a fate even the Kingpin would agree is far too cruel, The Wall… is kicked out of the Mets game alongside Spider-Man. They’re last seen moping outside the stadium together.

Best Scene: The guy’s on four fucking pages, let’s just say his entire existence is perfect. But if I’m singling out a tiny sequence, I think this one might be the funniest:

Of course, there's also the sheer comedy of his backstory, where he was a simple boy building a wall when suddenly it fell, somehow turning him into a monster. Maybe the cement was radioactive? It defies all logic in the best way:

Best Quote:

Final Thoughts & Score: The Wall is a great example of the weird, off-the-wall (heh) creativity utilized in comics at the time. He really has it all: A ridiculously punny name that kind of had his fate sealed from birth (Joshua Waldemeyer), no real reason for villainy, an absurd and nonsensical accident that created him that defies any and all logic, a ridiculous yet endearing design, and an endless supply of corny one-liners. This is what goofy one-shot villains should aspire to be.

Of course, that doesn’t leave me with much to talk about in regards to him; there’s no deep complexities or tragic backstories here, just a simple case of a goofy gimmick villain being a lot of fun due to an absurd design and a simple scheme. Unlike the last villain I reviewed, I’d say the relatively simple and straighforward gimmick of being a fucking wall was used to great effect, giving plenty of goofy puns and gags as well as utilizing his bizarre ability to be a nuisance. Like yeah, you could probably swap out The Wall with someone like Rhino or Juggernaut and get the same basic effect, but would it be nearly as funny?

A 7/10 is a fair score for this guy. He’s just a perfectly fun one-shot who, despite only a brief time in the spotlight, isn’t such a terrible idea he couldn’t work if brought back in some regard. Hell, they almost brought him back for Across the Spider-Verse, with his absence being the only thing holding the movie back from true greatness.

I think my only gripes with him are that he's only there for four pages, which while understandable is rather disappointing, but more importantly is that he's in a comic that seems filled to the brim with utter absurdity around every corner. After seeing the Thanoscopter, would you not be comfortably numb to a living mound of masonry? All in all, is he not simply another brick in the wall?

No you fucking goon, he IS The Wall itself. And nothing can take that away from him. If nothing else, I’m definitely going to have to look through more of these Spidey stories to see what other bonkers villains lie waiting for me.

[gamesception]

Sception Reads Cass Cain #10

Batman: Gotham Knights #2 written by Devin Grayson, pencils by Dale Eaglesham

We're finally out of No Man's Land! Gotham's no longer cut off from the rest of the country, and the city is largely rebuilt already - even though that should have taken many years. But it's not like the lasting effects of the year-long mega crossover vanished completely, there were still stories here and there in the months following the end of NML that still referenced the events of the story, like this one. It's a one off story, focused on Bruce & Cassandra - specifically his perception of her - by the same writer and artist as the The Batman Chronicles #18, which we looked at earlier. I wasn't a huge fan of the story in that issue, but I thought they handled Cass alright, which has me feeling optimistic going in.

The basic set up is pretty straight forward. NML is over, but records of who died and who survived in Gotham - especially among people who were homeless to begin with - are still extremely spotty, and a crew of slave traders have kidnapped a bunch of people to sell overseas... which is a very 'conservative conspiracy theorist' take on what human trafficking looks like, but whatever. Bruce and Cass track down which ship the people are on, but not until it's off shore, and before they can get to it there's an explosion onboard and the ship starts to sink, after which it's a race against time to rescue the ship's crew, the traffickers, and the victims alike.

As with the Chronicles issue, I do mostly like how Eaglesham draws Cass in costume. I think it'd be better served with the bigger, chonky belt pouches that can flare out or flop around to help convey motion and better break up the overall black form, but whatever, this is mostly good. He's also really good at rendering a variety of faces and body types, much as in the group shot above. About my only complaint is that he can go a bit overboard in detailing big veiny muscles. It's ok on his Arkham-game style, hulking meat wall version of Batman. Not my preferred take on Bruce aesthetically, but that's more a matter of taste. But he occasionally goes overboard on Cass's musculature too, and it doesn't work as well on her.

Now, a Bat hero storming a room full of guys is normal everyday fare, but Batman hanging back in the doorway and shouting "WAIT!" tells us that we're supposed to read Cass as being careless and impulsive here. Which touches on multiple important aspects of her character - her combat skills make her near unbeatable in a fight with normal human opponents, which in turn makes her overconfident in a way that can come back to bite her in a world where aliens and super-people exist

Anyway, this issue is focused on a different contributing factor to Cass's recklessness - guilt. Cass killed someone, a sin that can never be taken back. She feels deep down that the only way to make up for that is to give her own life in return - not just to save other lives, but to dedicate the rest of her entire life to doing so, to eventually lose her life in the attempt. This death wish makes Cass not just willing but seemingly eager to take on lethal risks - in ways that jeopardize not just her own life but potentially also those she works with or tries to protect.

Batman doesn't know what exactly it is that Cass feels guilty about - if he did then this version of Bruce wouldn't be so willing to let her wear his symbol - but he does understand recklessness and guilt and death wishes - his core motivation is as much about survivor's guilt as it is about vengeance. And as such, he believes that this is an internal conflict for Cass. It isn't something he can save her from, she needs to save herself, and that will mean letting Cass endanger herself in ways that others would absolutely find unacceptable.

That first panel there is the one I was talking about when I mentioned Eaglesham sometimes going overboard on Cass's musculature.

Brick shithouse Cass aside, this is good stuff. So good that we'll be seeing it again. This exact dynamic - Cass struggling with a guilt-fueled death wish, Batman letting her face death in order to confront and overcome that wish, and others judging Bruce to be callous and even abusive for letting a teenage girl under his care endanger herself that way - will play out again in a more expanded form in Cass's ongoing title.

I honestly have only two really minor complaints about how Grayson writes Cass here. The first is that it's just a bit too monotone dark and serious. The story is high danger action emergency through much of it, but we could have had a bit more lighthearted tone early on before they get to the boat. If not a sense of Cass having fun, then at least of her trying too hard to impress Bruce or something, or Bruce giving her some small word of praise and show her being overly excited over it. Something. Cass has these darker aspects to her character, but she's not all downer all the time. This misery is a burden she carries, not who she is.

The other minor complaint is a lot of this characterization is coming to us from those narration blocks. It's not that Cass's feelings /aren't/ being shown. You can really feel Cass's desperation in that top panel as Bruce slips away, abandoning her to face her ghosts alone, or her misery in the center right panel, her head buried in her arms, unable to escape the memory of killing someone. That's good angst, there! The left panel with water and wreckage crashing down on her, the last panel with Cass small and trapped... the art here is fantastic, but the text all over this page is distracting from the emotion and getting in the way of feeling what this character is going through. The narration is mostly fine throughout the issue, good even, but imo this page in particular would have been stronger without it.

The boat captain calls Bruce out for leaving Cass behind, and while he defends his choice, Eaglesham does an excellent job conveying how pained and conflicted he is over this choice.

I mean, obviously she's going to make it at the last moment, but Grayson drags it out for a whole extra page, and I can't complain at all, because the way Eaglesham puts all of the emotions on Bruce's face there is just very good. You can see how much he cares about Cassandra, despite how short a time he's known her. In her core personality and her internal struggles, Cass is very much like Bruce, arguably more so than any of his other proteges. Or, at least, this version of Cass was the most like this version of Bruce. It's part of why Bruce is willing to let her go to these extremes, he believes it's what she needs because he believes it's what he needed, he trusts her to persevere through impossible odds because he trusts that he would persevere through the same. From the very start, Cass very much feels like Bruce's daughter, for better and worse.

We do at least end on a bit of a brighter moment. You have to imagine Barbara was watching Titanic in the tower recently.

All in all, good stuff. The kind of thing that will define Cass's book. A low fantasy/street level story concept, with normal human antagonists and stakes rather than colorful supervillains and city or world-scale action. This focus opens the space to delve deep into the characters' emotions, motivations, and internal conflicts, and a particular focus on the relationship between Bruce and Cass.

Big goofy dramatic superheroics are fun and good, but it's this angsty, layered character business that caught my attention and got me to care about Cassandra in the first place.

[itnseo87]

Best Designs for Modular Kitchen Interiors

Source of info: https://www.regalokitchens.com/best-designs-for-modular-kitchen-interiors.php

Introduction

When it comes to creating a perfect cooking environment, selecting the right modular kitchen layout is important. From modern modern shapes to evergreen style, the greatest designs combine usefulness and attractiveness. Regalo Kitchens is skilled in creating flexible kitchen interiors that not only add sparkle to your house, but also increase functionality and comfort. Explore our best design ideas to make your kitchen a welcoming and useful area.

Understanding Modular Kitchen Interiors

Modular cooking spaces are created from already-made components that can be assembled in any number of ways depending on different spaces and needs. This flexibility allows homeowners to personalize their kitchen layouts to their own needs and tastes. The modular kitchen stands out for its beneficial use of space, modern look, and simplicity in maintenance. Regalo Kitchens specializes in producing flexible kitchen layouts that match your home's decoration while improving usefulness.

1. Contemporary Minimalism

The current simple design is perfect for people who value clean lines and simplicity. This style often features stylish, handle-less cabinets, high-gloss finishes, and a basic color scheme. The focus is on creating a free of mess environment with built-in appliances and smart storage solutions. Regalo Kitchens focuses on designing simple flexible kitchens combining beauty and functionality. Our designs use materials such as laminate and glass to raise an updated appearance while maintaining longevity.

2. Classic Elegance

Classic beauty is still a popular choice for those looking for evergreen beauty. This design has traditional features including raised-panel cabinets, crown molding, and rich wood finishes. A center island and go into detail tiling patterns are common features of traditional kitchens. Regalo Kitchens provides a variety of classic modular kitchen styles that maintain the attractiveness of classical beauty while welcoming technological advances. Our use of high-quality materials and professional craftsmanship guarantees that your kitchen remains stylish and useful for years to come.

3. Industrial Chic

The industrial trendy design is perfect for people who would like a city life modern look. This design, with exposed brick walls, metal fixtures, and open storage, offers an organic yet stylish feel. Industrial-themed kitchen designs often feature dark tones, stainless steel equipment, and recycled wood highlights. Regalo Kitchens can help you achieve this appearance with unique modular layouts that combine the industrial vibe while providing practical storage and workplace options.

4. Scandinavian Simplicity

Scandinavian design focuses on ease of use, practicality, and natural light. This design is highlighted by light wood finishes, clean lines, and a neutral color palette. Scandinavian kitchens are designed to take advantage of natural light and create an open, natural atmosphere. Regalo Kitchens specializes in Scandinavian modular kitchen interiors that will add a touch of Northern European style to your house. Our designs include effective storage solutions as well as eco-friendly materials to create a healthy and stylish kitchen.

5. Bold and Colorful

For individuals who want to make an impression, bright and colorful patterns are a great option. This style often features colorful cabinets, patterned backsplashes, and exciting accessories. Flexible kitchens with bright colors can be both useful and eye-catching, providing an energetic environment in your cooking space. Regalo Kitchens will help you in creating a modular kitchen that reflects your personality and style, using high-quality materials for both longevity and simplicity of maintenance.

6. Eco-Friendly Designs

Many homeowners value sustainability. Eco-friendly modular kitchen layouts use sustainable materials, appliances that save electricity, and water-saving fixtures. This design not only reduces your environmental impact, but it additionally supports a better living environment. Regalo Kitchens are committed to introducing environmentally friendly techniques into their flexible kitchen layouts. From bamboo cabinets to low-VOC coatings, we provide options that are in keeping with the importance you give to the environment.

7. Smart Kitchens

As technology progresses, smart kitchens are becoming more popular. These designs use modern devices, automated systems, and connected technologies to increase efficiency and ease of use. Technology can be smoothly added to your kitchen with features such as smart ovens, touchless taps, and built-in charging stations. Regalo Kitchens is at the top of innovation, providing modular kitchen layouts that include the latest and most recent technological advances for an updated and effective cooking environment.

Choosing the Right Modular Kitchen Design

When choosing a perfect modular kitchen layout, you must think about your available space, lifestyle, and design tastes. Regalo Kitchens' team of professionals works directly with you to understand your requirements and ideas. We provide individual consulting and design services to guarantee that your modular cooking area surpasses your expectations. Our attention to quality and customer satisfaction guarantees that you will receive a kitchen that is both functional and stylish.

Conclusion

Finally, the greatest ideas for modular kitchen interiors are the ones which combine usefulness with style, customized according to your own tastes and requirements. Regalo Kitchens is ready to support you in achieving your dream kitchen with our experience in customizable kitchen layouts. Whether you like modern simplicity, traditional beauty, or another design, we are committed to providing a kitchen that complements your house and increases your cooking experience. Contact us today to begin creating the kitchen structure your desires.

[thenixkat]

[id: Three comic panels. In the first Blue Beetle 1 (Dan Garrett- Blue and red costume) and Blue Beetle 2 (Ted Kord- two-toned blue costume with yellow goggles and accents) are fighting. In the second panel, the blue Scarab amulet flies into the air between them briefly stopping the fighting. The ghostly visage of a pharaoh behind it. Both heroes stand looking up at the Scarab, which radiates yellow light as it talks to them.

Ted: Dan--if it really is you somehow-- you've got to fight this thing--! Don't let it control you--! Dan: ...Con...trol...me...?

Ted: It's this lousy Scarab--! Gotta get rid of it before-- The Scarab: No! I am not so easily discarded!

The Scarab: I am part of you-- Part of you both!! /end id]

[id: Three comic panels the view starting far away looking up at the buildings where the heroes were fighting on top of as the Scarab radiates yellow waves of energy. The view zooms in across the next two panels till the viewer is looking at the two Blue Beetles as the Scarab amulet speaks.

The Scarab: It was I who saved Garrett's life those long months ago on Pago Island-- Keeping him alive during his long imprisonment beneath the Earth-- Until your recent battle with Carapax unwittingly released him!

The Scarab: For countless centuries, I have sought a champion to wield my power! For a time, I thought that one was Daniel Garrett-- But I know now that I was wrong!

The Scarab: You are the one I have waited for, Ted Kord! Slay Daniel Garrett-- and the power will be yours! Ted: What--?!? Dan: No!! /end id]

[id: A single comic panel featuring Blue Beetle 2's face in profile, eyes blank, as the Scarab amulet talks to him. In pink lineart are hypothetical scenarios of Ted using the Scarab's power to fly, shoot beams, and tear things apart with his bare hands.

The Scarab: Think of it, Ted Kord-- the power to sunder mountains-- to soar through the skies like your insect name-sake--! All this can be yours-- And yours alone! /end id]

[id: Four comic panels. Blue Beetle twists and turns struggling against the influence of the Scarab on his mind visualized by yellow beams surrounding his head. Once he finally shakes off the Scarab's influence Blue Beetle 1 appears behind him, heavily shadowed which hides his human features before attacking Ted, punching the other Blue Beetle into a brick wall with a 'Pow' sound effect.

The Scarab: All you need to do is take it! Ted: Yes! Yes!!

Ted: What wonders I could work with such power--! I could-- could--

Ted: --No!! I can't listen to this--! I won't listen!! It's wrong! It's--

Ted: --Uunnhh!! Dan: Fool!! /end id]

[id: Three comic panels. Blue Beetle 1 tackles Blue Beetle 2 off of the roof they were on. As they fall Ted manages to switch positions with Dan. They fall into an alleyway knocking over a dumpster and other trash.

Dan: You've already stolen my name! You won't live long enough to steal my power! Ted: Dan--Uunnff-- Please! You've got to listen to me!

Ted: The Scarab is using you! It's using us both!! Dan: No! The Scarab saved me--transformed me--!

Ted: Yes-- into what it needed you to be! The Scarab is alive, Dan-- some sort of alien entity--! It must require a human host to give it mobility and-- uunnff!! /end id]

Continuing Khaji Da's original speaking role in the original solo Blue Beetle run from 1986. In which it attempts to mentally dominate Ted, and try to seduce him with ultimate power for the low low cost of murdering the old Blue Beetle. Ted manages to fight off the Scarab's influence and hypothesizes that it's actually an alien parasite.

Unfortunately, Ted can't get through to Dan who was revived/kept alive by Khaji Da and healed of his injuries as Dan's entrapment underground without food or water for months in a state of near death likely left him easily dominated by Khaji Da's will.

[groupvtec]

Vtec Group offers the largest selection of faux brick wall panels, Brick Effect Wall Panels and other textures. Our wall panels are durable and lightweight. Please get in touch for further details about any of our products and how we can help deliver excellent results for your next commercial project.

[zvetenze]

Gloženski manastir (Glozhene monastery), wall details of konak complex

Gložene, Bulgaria

The konak consists of linked structures of various sizes constructed using stone, brick, and timber with stone panels serving as roof shingles to protect the interiors and resist the winds of the area. The diagonal roof panels promote effective draining of the rain from the roofs. (photo 2000)

[totenrand]

Gelatinous Cube in a Dungeon

Another attempt at starting a quick project series where the second entry immediately got well out of hand, though it did produce an element that I’m quite happy with, so I’ll post that later.

This first piece is an exercise to try and get my head around Blender’s Geometry Nodes system, at least a little bit. Here I’ve been following two main tutorials, one for distributing air bubbles inside a volume, and one for creating a brick wall on a curve; there was also another video that helped with erasing bubbles that escaped from cube, but for the life of me I can’t find that one again.

Edit -- Breakdown of Blender process and links to relevant tutorials now below the fold, now I know I can add a fold.

The Gelatinous Cube

The gelatinous cube’s mesh is just a cube primitive that’s been gently subdivided and rounded off, and then pinched in around the middle a little so it looks like it’s squishing down toward the floor.

Its surface shader is just a couple of noise textures, fed into a Voronoi texture, then fed into a Musgrave texture, which is then fed through a whole bunch of colour ramps into the Principled BSDF shader’s various inputs to make something glistening, organic, and unpleasant looking.

The same Musgrave is colour multiplied with a couple of different quadratic sphere gradients to feed into the density and emission strength channels of a Principled Volume shader, to give the impression of a thick, viscous, turbulent interior and a glow nucleus. (I know gelatinous cubes are supposed to be completely translucent, but that’s not as visually interesting.)

The main bubble distribution is adapted from this tutorial video by Via Crescendo,

but I’ve also used the newer than that tutorial “Distribute points in Volume” node to create some more randomly placed bubbles, using a node group from the third tutorial (the one that I can’t find again) that does some maths I don’t understand to erase any instances that leave the bounds of the geometry.

The Dungeon Walls and Floor

The dungeon floor (and ceiling) are by far the simplest things here, they’re just a single tile model that’s been distributed on a grid with the Z position set to randomly jiggle a bit so it looks old and tumbledown.

The walls are more complicated, I’m mostly following a tutorial for generating a brick wall along a curve by Joey Carlino,

that I’ve modified to instance from a collection of square bricks instead of a single rectangular brick and this random instancing is where the limits of my understanding are reached, as something this node system does means that points get instanced on in pairs which are sometimes adjacent, and sometimes not… This has led to my three ‘detail’ bricks being more clustered in their distribution that I’d like, but the effect this there at least.

Brick variants wise, going from right-to-left there is, the standard brick which has a heavily worn stone material, a brick with an inset corroded copper mirror, a brick with an inset panel of ‘hieroglyphs’ that have been worn away, and a hollow brick with a glowing gem surrounded by corroded copper mirrors (because the ‘unexplored dungeon lit by burning torches’ trope bothers me).

[istherewifiinhell]

anyone wanna get emotional about collaborative art with me?

[Mirage 19 Story: E&L, Layout: Eastman, Pencils: Jim Lawson, Inks: Laird, Letters: Steve Lavigne]

ID from alt: Cropped section of the page annotations by Laird, (relevant) text: Page 18 is also the beginning of what I think of as "Brick hell" - Jim drew so many panels with hundreds of bricks in them, and I felt obliged to ink them all in. That was a LOT of bricks." Left is a panel showing Raph running down a curving brick tunnel, the wall is drawn with individual bricks, uncountable amounts of lines that illustrate the curvature.

If not, enjoy brick hell instead (I'll leave, just a doozy of a brick hell image at the end)

(this issue has beautiful layout paneling, which little snippets of could never replicate. great one to check out. imho)

come one come all to the worst barn party of the decade...

[IDS AND ALTS THE SAME]

ID: Jones family barn interior. Mike and Don speaking to Raph (off panel). Mike, in an open gesture: Life is good here... It's given us time to heal, to accept what's happened. Leo's needed this time, too--. Don, by his work table, no mask, wearing an apron. More neutral: We're not the guardians of society, Raphael... we never were. END

ID: Three panels, Raph pushing Leo around, yelling at him. The background moves from uninked, to midtone, to dark tone, as they both get more angry. Raph: No-- You're hiding out here... scared to face facts... And you're dragging all of us down with you! Fun and games are over, Chump... Look at yourself! END

ID: Two panels, Raph looks down to a wooden sword Leo (off panel) has held up in his way. He looks at it, unimpressed. Then looks up, pissed off and says only "Mistake." END

1. Three panels, Leo in the forground, just his leg seen. Raph on the floor against a wall. He whips his chin, saying "You were always good, Leo...". Close up, spit hangs from his mouth, continues "... One of the best..." He stands and finishes "...Which makes life here even more of a crime."

2. Four panels, Leo has Raph in a choke hold, holding him from behind, they are on the floor. Sweaty and teeth grit with exhertion. Leo says "--Do you hear me?!" Raph starts throwing punches to Leo's head, just above his own. As each one land we close in on Leo's face. END

Well. Thats great. Ill eat my own heart out how abouts.

AND ANYWAY. My favourite favourite effect.

ID: 1. Four panels, Leo, Mike and Don, run along a roof top, grab some fire escapes, and make their way to street level, skirting the edge of a street lamp's glow. The entire set is pen inked normally, and washed completely with the mid tone, save the small circle around the lamp, glowing white.

2. Large panel. Raph, 3 point lands, kicking up dust in the center of a spot lit section of sewer. The tail ends of a hood he wears trail up with the motion. Very little double-tone is used on the page, instead the shadow is communicated by increased hatch lines still following the shapes of every object in shot. END

ID: Raph sits in the tattered remains of the turtles lair, his brothers shadowed in the foreground. Raph, not very warmly says "Welcome Home." END

Okay okay. cry forever and every. please for the love of god. read comics. now. more brick hell

ID: Three panels, showing the entrance of a sewer tunnel into a larger area, closed and open pipes along the wall. The shot holds empty for two panels, then with the inclusion of Raph jumping out the exit in the third. If you are to look carefully. You can tell, though the scenery remains the same, in each, the intricate pen inked brick work and shadows have been done three separate times. END

LIKE. I KNOW ITS TRADITIONAL MEDIUM COMICS. But sir.... SIR? Another annotations from Laird specifically. Have mentioned using the copier to place certain things in backgrounds.... i just.... SIR?