#captainwordsmith

[forthegothicheroine]

Dear GH, please pardon my asking but your excellent GREAT DETECTIVES series is guilty of one unpardonable omission - may I please ask how you think Professor Van Helsing would have solved the mystery of TWIN PEAKS?

Oh, this is an interesting question!  I would certainly love to see the Twin Peaks Sheriff’s Department listening to his rambling lectures, leaning forward in rapt attention as he goes on tangents about cryptids.  One big question here is whether traditional methods of monster fighting work on Black Lodge spirits?  I’ll give Van Helsing the benefit of the doubt and assume that he knows enough unconventional folklore to have at least a couple things that would be effective against them.

He would very quickly start looking for supernatural explanations for various mysteries, and in this case he would be mostly right.  Could he resist possession?  I hope so.  Certainly I would dearly love to see a variation on the scene from the 1931 movie where he resists mind control; the Black Lodge calls to him to entrap him, he takes a step forward, then with all his might and every part of his spirit, he takes a step back.

If Van Helsing has a weakness here, I think he might miss the forest for the trees.  If he could exorcise or even kill BOB (is the One Punch Man kid from The Return equivalent to Quincey Morris?  I love that kid!), he might assume the job is done.  But the job isn’t done, not while the town is still woven through with abuse and corruption.  Cleaning up the entire town is a lot to ask of him, granted, and I doubt any of my favorite detectives could do it; maybe Sam Vimes could, but you’d have to give him the kind of power and time he had back in Ankh-Morpork.

I do like to think he’d be very paternal towards all the teens on the show.  They’d probably find him to be weird and kooky and fail to take him seriously at first, but by the end they’d know they could confide in him.  (Please don’t get in Van Helsing’s bed naked, Audrey, you’ll give him a heart attack.)

[alphynix]

Nix, may I please ask how you would distinguish between the Machairodonts and the not-actually-cat sabertooths (like the Nimravids or the Barbourofelids) in you were ever inspired to draw them side by side? (also, may I please ask if you have ever illustrated one of the Amphicyonidae?).

I’d distinguish the “false sabertooth” nimravids and barbourofelids by making them visually less cat-like, since they’re non-felid feliforms.

Differences in nose and ear shape can go a long way in making mammals look distinct from each other, so I’d try to avoid doing the classic triangular cat nose.

Plus they both have those bony flanges on their lower jaws that machairodonts lacked.

Nimravids have slightly longer snouts and smaller nasal cavities, and being very basal feliforms I’d give them more “generic carnivoran” features based on relatives like viverrids and nandiniids.

Barbourofelids have rather deep jaws and a a sort of square-ish head shape. Their taxonomic position is a little uncertain – they’re either the sister group to felids or close relatives of nimravids –  so I could potentially push their appearance even less cat-like, too.

–––

As for bear-dogs… I did actually illustrate a couple of those for a PBS Eons episode a little while back! I’ll be showing them off here along with a few other images very soon.

[amuelia]

May I please ask how tall you imagine King Viserys I to be relative to his younger brother? (I like to imagine The King as not only wider, but taller than his baby brother - it ties into my suspicion that Aegon II/Prince Aemond are intended to serve as a dark mirror to their father & uncle; I'm especially convinced that Aemond is all Prince Daemon's youthful sins come back to haunt him ... also I just like the idea that King Viserys' hugs smother Daemon like a giant teddy bear).

I think for my drawing i had nothing particular in mind, i probably imagined him of average height... However i do love your idea, i might consider this for future drawings! I did have actor Billy Zane, who is 6 feet tall, as a visual inspiration for Viserys, so it would be fitting :)

I can’t find anything about Daemon’s height on the wiki, and i believe i heard someone say (probably in one of the Matt Smith discussions) that he also isn’t described in much detail in the books, so there’s nothing that speaks against your headcanon. Love what you said about Aemond and Aegon II, never thought about it that way!

Btw, thank you so much for your kind comments on my drawings! <3

[rosenroot]

May I please request a slightly older Robert Baratheon being an absolute hooligan with young Ned Stark, with Lord Jon Arryn approximately six second away from looming over the pair of them in a vision of fatherly disapproval?

Ned’s first binge and a dissapointed birb dad

[comickergirl]

May I please ask what sort of lightsaber you would favour if you were required to construct one? (I'm torn between a green or a blue blade - I lean Jedi Consular, which may help me decide - but am definitely in favour of a curved hilt, a la Count Dooku).

You certainly may!

So, I suppose my ‘in universe’ answer would *probably* be a green blade. As much as I personally favor all things ‘blue’ and ‘glow-y’, I too would most likely lean towards Jedi Consular. I don’t have strong preferences w/ regards to hilts, admittedly. I suppose I’d stick to something fairly basic? (But Count Dooku’s saber does rule, I must say, so. Curved hilt might just be the way to go.) 

(Buuuuut if we’re talking, like, a saber that I have ACTUALLY built and therefore, are throwing both canon and caution to the wind:

I don’t have the blade in for display purposes, but the kyber crystal is purple!) 

[tyrantisterror]

TT, if you were trying to add three members to a Villain Team comprised of homages to Universal Horror icons (currently including Dracula, Imhotep, a Wolfman and a Frankenstein) so that there is one member for each Deadly Sin, may I please ask which characters you would draw on for inspiration?

Dracula is lust, natch.

Wolf Man is gluttony, since he’s a predator that needlessly kills and devours people.

Gill Man is envy.

Frankenstein is wrath, since his debut book is basically a revenge narrative.

Imhotep is Pride, since his desire to deify himself leads to his downfall.

Invisible Man is greed, since he’s basically a selfish asshole.

And Mr. Hyde is sloth, because he was a sloppy fucker who failed to think any of his crimes through.

[mikejbecker]

May I please ask which worlds of the DC Multiverse are your own particular Favourites?

Great question! I definitely have always really enjoyed Earth 3, the evil doppelganger universe. It’s just a really simple big concept that’s fun to play around with. Earth 2 only recently has been sparking my imagination, it as this parallel history to the DCU is really interesting to me.

The rest are more story specific. Multiversity is one of my favorite comics, so that whole entire series is pretty awesome. Thunderworld is definitely a favorite there. 

Picking out highlights from the Multiversity Guidebook...Kingdom Come (Earth), The Batamn Beyond/DCAU (Earth 12), New Frontier (Earth 21) are faves.

Earths I’d like to see more from: The gender swap Earth 11, and cast from Earth 23 are cool, and the spooky world of Earth 13. And Earth 36, with the Justice 9 who are really obscure and just cool designs.

[anghraine]

captainwordsmith replied to your post: Re: Faramir’s name

So the name means something like ‘Jewel of the Shore’ if memory serves.

Yes. His mother came from the seashore and “turned her eyes ever south to the sea that she missed,” so it makes sense (eta: not that a name needs to have a direct etymological significance, but in this case it does fit the circumstance).

[castellankurze]

May I please ask if you have any thoughts on how the "Dauntless Four" whom Primarch Guilliman most esteems regarded HIM? (I'm especially interested in seeing your thoughts on the 'Black & Blue' combo suggested in the Horus Heresy allies matrix).

OK but you’re getting my headcanons on them instead of anything Black Library’s written because I’m still miffed about that excerpt from the Ferrus novel.

Rogal Dorn - outwardly, the most professional relationship among the entire fraternity of primarchs.  The Fists and the Ultramarines click so well that at times it seems like they could operate as a single Legion.  Dorn and Guilliman swap papers on strategy, tactics, and logistics frequently, and Guilliman especially taking note of the Fists’ defensive strategies and naval tactics.  Quietly, the two are practically best friends - Guilliman is one of the rare few to know of Dorn’s artistic streak, and has made him gifts of pre-Imperial art found along the Crusade.  Guilliman, in turn, is one of the small number of whom Dorn has actually asked advice.  

Sanguinius - Sanguinius is more distant a friend than Dorn - while Dorn is stoic and imperturbable, his gestures of friendship are unmistakable, whereas the Great Angel treats Guilliman more as a valued acquaintance than a true friend.  Despite that, Sanguinius ever warm and courteous, and has made use Guilliman’s models of governance for post-compliance worlds.  Sanguinius treats Guilliman as a talented politician - shrewd, likable, effective, but best kept at arms’ length.

Leman Russ - although he’s certainly smart enough to intellectualize why Guilliman is the way he is, Leman just can’t help himself.  He teases Guilliman mercilessly as the straight man whenever they work together, a relationship which Guilliman gamely returns with a few barbs of his own.  The pair have gotten drunk off mjod together, which for Leman makes them good mates if not brothers.  Guilliman is allowed to pet the dogs - that’s their permission, not Leman’s.  Guilliman is still a blowhard, but he’s alright in small doses.

Ferrus Manus - ‘I have an idea’ precedes way too many crazy stunts in the history of operations between the X and the XIII.  Guilliman is constantly trying new strategies, and Ferrus is fully of the mindset ‘if it’s stupid and it works it’s not stupid’ meaning the pair of them get up to all kinds of antics when they’re left to their own devices.  Both of them are irredeemable punsters as well - Guilliman is one of the few around whom Ferrus feels comfortable enough to let his shields drop.  They’ve traded a number of gifts, most notable among them being a high-powered grav-gauntlet made for Guilliman named ‘the Heavy-Handed’ and an upgraded Legatine axe known as ‘the Interrogator’.

[atundratoadstool]

May I please ask if it would amuse you to know that my favourite quote from DRACULA is Doctor Seward's reaction to the realisation Miss Lucy is NOT in her coffin and Professor Van Helsing's reaction to same? (Does that make me a most ridiculous fan or are you as disappointed as I that this sort of thing didn't get the full Mel Brooks treatment in DEAD & LOVING IT?).

Are you referring to:

“I am satisfied that Lucy’s body is not in that coffin, but that only proves one thing.”

“And what is that, friend John?”

“That it is not there.”

“That is good logic,” he said, “so far as it goes. [..]”

Because that whole exchange is gold, and it is a disappointment that it isn’t in every Dracula adaptation whatsoever. Pretty much all of VH’s bizarre exchanges with Jack (the talk about he’s like a good piece of corn, the massive rant about how parrots are immortal and there are giant oil-drinking spiders, the King Laugh scene) all get tragically underutilized, because adapters keep shoving in useless expansions of Dracula’s character, dumb romance plots, and cringey flashbacks to 15th century Wallachia instead of doing us right and giving us the magical dork protagonists we deserve.

[forthegothicheroine]

Dear Heroine, may I please ask if you would share your thoughts on/ideas for the Caped Crusader? (Your latest post has most definitely piqued my interest!).

So, here’s what I would do if I was given a limited-run Batman series to write:

Put it in the 30s or 40s.  Less increasingly ridiculous tech, more mobsters in pinstripe suits being a thing.

Just let him and Selina get together already.  Not right away, but let it happen and let it stick.  Gothic noir can still have its Nick and Nora Charles (or its Philip Marlowe and Vivian Rutlege.)

To hell with the Joker.  He isn’t Batman’s shadow-self.  Scarecrow is.  Make him the main villain (or one of the main villains), just as convinced as Batman that the city can be controlled through fear...but with more selfish and vindictive goals.  (And keep the tragic pining for Becky Albright, because I’m a gothy teenager at heart and I loved that story.)

(Come to think of it, you could have Harley without the Joker even being in the story.  There’s a clown master-criminal pulling lighthearted but deadly pranks, and she calls herself Harley Quinn.  She would still have the backstory that she was introduced to crime by an abusive lover, but I’d really like to see what an always-solo Harley would be like.  Anyway, I wouldn’t necessarily do this, but I think it would be interesting.)

I’d love to do a thing with Penguin where he’s in his late fifties and was the first real supervillain.  He was a gangster with a flair for the theatrical, and when people called him Penguin, he started playing with the persona as a sort of calling card.  Sure, he murdered and stole, but the penguin gimmick was all in service to his criminal ends.  These new kids, who are committing crimes in the service of their gimmicks?  That he doesn’t understand, and he wonders what kind of monster he’s created.

Play up the freaky science aspect to Poison Ivy.  Maybe she was like the scientists who became contaminated by the radiation they studied, but the plant-based substance she was contaminated with was harmless to her- just not harmless to those around her.  She would obviously still be beautiful and flirtatious, but I’d love to get some art for her in full bloom that looked like something off the cover of Weird Tales.

If nobody’s going to do anything with Mr. Freeze anymore, why not reform him?  He took his stasis-trapped wife and his equipment and set up camp in the Arctic.  But he still sends letters back to Bruce Wayne, when the latter needs to consult him for a case on a matter of science.

My new OC for this comic is Gotham City’s public defender, because I think we really need to see what their life is like.

[jewish-privilege]

captainwordsmith replied to your link “Jews Are Tweeting With The Hashtag #FirstAntiSemiticExperience, And…”

I would like to suggest that the Jewishness of Our Lord - pardon the term, but I am an observant Christian - does not matter to Christian BIGOTS; please don’t lump the rest of us in with them.

Sure! So how are you going to divorce yourself from about 2,000 years of institutional Christian antisemitism that’s baked into your theology? By just asking that you not be lumped in with them? How’s that going to work without actually confronted and reconciling yourself with that history? I’m 34 years old, and I guarantee to you that the five-year-old who asked me when I was four-years-old why I killed Jesus probably didn’t completely understand the accusation they were throwing at me. But the idea that I was a Christ Killer didn’t occur to them out of thin air! They had to have gotten it from somewhere!

In other words...

[mrsjadecurtiss]

@captainwordsmith​ thank you for the question! :D

!DISCLAIMER!  Nothing of this is set in stone... since i’m not producing for an official comic or TV show, i keep myself the freedom that i can sometimes change things up if i find a better design idea.

For any history/fashion buff reading this, I’m really sorry if i name things wrong xD this is more about what i’m looking for when i look up references, but i always also change things up or combine them.

So, since the seven kingdoms are loosely based off europe, i always thought it a given that the fashion in them is different from region to region :D When i look at a character or house i get like... an idea in my head, and i try to finetune research until i find the real life fashion that mirrors it. While i always name a country it’s never really 100% consistent since i’m not making accurate historical art... i always mix it around with several influences/time periods, and im more about getting a look that’s semi-consistent in itself than a look that’s necessarily consistent with a historical period. after all im trying to make fashion for a fantasyland... So this is more of a list of what stuff i look up when researching.

Also, unless speciifed, if i say a country’s name i either refer to folk clothing, or medieval fashion and up to the 16th-17th century.

The amount of info is based on how often i draw the people from the region, so sometimes a lot, sometimes very little (yet!).

There’s also my pinterest wall where i collect references, nothing i uploaded myself just stuff i favourited from browsing the site

The North

The North makes me think furs, and clothing from solid materials. My mental image is always primarily slavic countries, but with added scottish and scandinavian influences since it’s a huge region and should have differences in itself.

House Stark: Since they are the main northern house and have many important characters, i try to give them a more standard "fantasy” appearance; they are kind of like an introduction to both the north and the series itself, so while i want to already start with the furs and all, i still like to kind of keep them like the readers and show watchers would expect. though i saw a really rad polish eddard and it makes me want to up the slav with these guys

House Karstark: what i would call “high russian”... I don’t really have a deep reason for this it is just the mental image that immediately springs to my mind. Maybe their sigil reminds me of that aesthetic

House Bolton:  Elegant clothing, not too fancy but not conservative either. I first kind of got an idea for their vibe when i saw someone describe roose as “westeros’ vlad the impaler”; so usually when i look for references i try to stick to romanian and hungarian clothing, and stuff that fits in with that fashion; The dreadfort lies in the east, so hungary/romania/ukraine seems fitting to me.

House Ryswell: Very loosely scottish influences... also for the women, 14th century french/german vibes

White Harbor: They migrated there from the south, so i try to give them a more “southern” fashion (ie fashion that does not look like the rest of the north). Influences from france/italy, and netherlands.

House Umber: Vaguely russian, but not very elaborate. Kind of simple, big, warm, clothing (they are the closest to the wall), but with those cool hats.

House Dustin: Pretty celtic, invoking an idea of “the first king”. Maybe a king arthur vibe added... normannic...

Riverlands

When i read descriptions of it, i always think germany... Green, with a river through it, and medium climate...

House Frey: really vibe me as german, flemish or dutch, so that’s kind of what i’m going for with their clothing. Also some 16th century influences, i often see paintings in museum’s where im like “thats walder!!”

also these hats

House Tully: Kind of a conflict with the german/dutch thing i want to have going on, but the name is irish and they have red hair so irish fits... usually a case by case decision how i mix it

Vale

this is hard to specify because i can’t quite name what exactly im seeing in front of my inner eye... It’s this sort of, really medieval style, maybe 12-15th century, influences english and german?

The eyrie is so far up and kind of magical seeming, it reminds me of a fairy tale... so that is the vibe im slightly trying to achieve, this innocent medieval vibe you get from history books geared at kids. Maybe also sort of a king arthur feel.

Obviously neighbour to the riverlands so it can have similar fashion at times... exchange of trends....

And since It’s near Essos we can also look at cultural exchange there. It would make sense if a vale lord or two had mixed heritage...

House Royce: Their seat is runestone, and runes are on their sigil, so maybe these crowns... or some fantasy dwarf elements... Also general celtic influences (very vague and i WILL research more about celts when i actually draw members of this house). Hope when i research, that i will find a good idea on how to differentiate to two cadet branches well.

Westerlands

House Lannister: I’m seeing the Lannisters as like, really hip english and french fashion. You know the awesome hats, and beautiful dresses... The hair up in this horn-like headgear... jewels and ornaments...

Not so sure on the rest of the westerlands houses since i don’t “see” the characters around as much, i didn’t form a good impression... But I’m thinking solid english/french folk. Not the same as the ryswells, more of a rennaissance flair.

The Reach

House Tyrell: something in me wants bosnian Tyrells... The way the reach’s described in Dunk&Egg makes me think of my summers there, and they have brown hair/brown eyes. Though realistically (as in, what seems intended by grrm) i’m getting a huge french vibe (highgarden like those french gardens), so i’d strive for a good mix. I just need to differenciate it from the Lannisters, probably by keeping the mediterranean influence strong.

House Hightower: Burgfräulein vibes

Crownlands

Nobility/King’s Landing: Should scream “king’s court”, im thinking just the coolest looking medieval fashion i can find. A bit more modern, rennaissance-y, maybe. And stuff like this

House Targaryen: very boring but whatever the influences for LotR elves are, plus generally european kings, those with all the drama that martin was inspired from... i will need to work out something right proper for future targ drawings tbh

Dorne

House Martell: I had a drawing or two using the indian influence that is popular in fan art, but i'm not sure if i want to keep it... ivansbadart gave me the idea for north african influences, i might use morrocco myself, and i think i might also look into middle eastern fashion a bit. Or i mix a bit of both, considering the Region’s history of both the martells and the rhoynar... Most importantly i need to agree with myself on what my main inspiration for the rhoynish look will be.

Stormlands

Mainland: I don’t really have an idea for the stormlands at all, i can’t remember if any of the books ever had a segment there... i just have zero impressions so far.

House Tarth: Toying with a greek vibe, since it is located in the narrow sea... maybe mixed with a bit of italian.

Iron Islands

I really really have to get into researching a bit for this location... whenever i want to draw greyjoys my mind’s just like “uuuh vikings” and that’s that. this is theon

[lunwil]

May I please compliment you on producing such a spectacularly beautiful depiction of a be-gowned Burgundian Sansa Stark? (I'm also fascinated by your association of the Riverlands with the "Grand Duchy" of Burgundy - which makes so much sense, since the Dukes of Burgundy ruled a strange patchwork of fiefs from the Mountains to the Sea in much the same way the Tullys get to lord it over Westeros' most dysfunctional Realm from the Vale to the Ironborn!).

Ahhh thank you so much!! 

I have to admit I didn’t completely come up with the association myself though, I once read a post on a forum which likened the Riverlands to the low countries and I’ve kind of been ruminating about it since. But I think it’s quite an exciting idea as well!

[comickergirl]

If you were asked to assemble a Justice League from the various versions of DC characters seen in Feature Films & on Television in the past few years (and were asked to pick roughly equal numbers from each medium), may I please ask which characters you would pick out?

You certainly can!

So, I approached this using the classic lineup, because I’m a little short on time today, and if I picked a NEW lineup I would want to devote some serious time to it, THUS:

My TV/Film/Animation version of the Justice League

NOTE: I like Movie!Aquaman just fine, but I kind of wanted to get a little bit closer to gender parity, so we’ve got Mera. And then Jessica, b/c she’s my fav Lantern. 

[tyrantisterror]

TT, watching BUFFY Vs DRACULA I thought about your old suggestion that Alyson Hannigan play Madam Mina - then I got the mental image of a version of DRACULA as imagined by one of the Scooby Gang (with each of the characters played by one of the core or recurring cast members): which Buffy may I please ask which characters you think should be cast in the various roles? (Also, whose daydream do you think this should be?).

Willow as Mina is a good choice.

Oz would then make for a really interesting take on Jonathan Harker.

Giles is Van Helsing, obviously.

Buffy is Lucy (and perhaps a bit annoyed that she gets taken out so easily).

Xander is Dr. Seward (even though he was the Renfield character in Buffy vs. Dracula, I feel he’s got Dr. Seward’s “friendzone” vibes down the best).

Angel is Lord Godalming.

...Riley would be the obvious choice for Quincy, but I hate Riley as much as I love Quincy, which is a lot, so I can’t go with that.  Let’s say Faith gets to be Quincy instead.

Jonathan gets to be Renfield.

Cordelia, Harmony, and Anya get to be Dracula’s brides.

And Dracula... gets to be... Spike.