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genaleah · 3 years

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ANSWERING WILDCARD QUESTIONS

For the first time in about a year maybe??? Some of these might be even older than that.

Yes, it is Korka! I definitely want her involved, she’s a wonderful character and there is a *lot* of fun paranormal stuff going on in this setting that she can help them research. Also, I’d just love for her and Nelson to become friends!

Thank you! I love him a lot, and it’s fun to picture him interacting with the other guys. They’d all make for some interesting uncle figures, but they might not be that great in terms of role models.

OHOHO. Devilish laugh. That’s a wonderful idea, and a good way to keep him occupied at some point. He’s a great character, but he’s incredibly powerful, and I want these dudes to solve their own problems whenever possible.

A good question! I don’t remember most of my dreams, but there’s usually a consistent look to the vivid ones. Lots of water, mountains, creeks, and high, winding roads. There are also a lot of buildings that are closely integrated with nature, even though I have almost never seen construction like that.

I had not, but now I have! Here’s a trailer, for anyone else that missed it:

https://youtu.be/33HXHaaagsw

I really like these new models! I’m looking forward to watching a playthrough when that’s available. Just like with Rhombus of Ruin, I don’t think I’ll be able to play this one myself.

DOUBLE FINE, I WISH TO SPEAK WITH YOU- no, I’m kidding! I think great minds think alike. But I’m really excited to learn more about that character and possibly involve them in this whole au eventually.

I’ve actually tried to avoid almost any info about Psychonauts 2 so I can go in mostly-blind, and a lot of the characters are vague to me. It’s fun to look forward to, but it’s also a little harrowing because I don’t know how to anticipate for it!

N...NO..... I NEED TO... Honestly those are old enough that it might be a good idea for me to re-make them, as well as the playing cards I made for the mega playlist cover. I think it’d be nice to remake them as vectors... that might make for a nice art stream sometime. I’ll mention publicly if I start doing that, and sharing any of these conceptual Wildcards arts when they’re done.

And if you’re just curious about what the tarot cards for the other characters are going to be, it’s this:

Eddie: Judgement, The Magician, The Emperor

Manny: Death, Justice, The World

Sam: The Chariot, The Tower, Strength

Max: The Devil, Wheel of Fortune, Joker

Although! I may actually give the Moon card to Max instead of the Devil, and replace the missing card from Nelson’s selection with the High Priestess? 🤔 I’ll decide when I get to it.

Could be! I’ve flip-flopped occasionally on if I want the split-a-cab gang to participate much in the story. I think they deserve a break, and splitting an apartment in New York seems like a good situation for the four of them.

Oh boy, that must be so disorienting for him. The Psychonauts deal with a lot of hippy-dippy weirdness in a seemingly organized way, but it seems like they’re not as paranoid about safety as a real federal organization would be. Not necessarily a good thing, considering one of their camp counselors went AWOL one day, and the head of the Psychonauts got kidnapped the next. They kinda need to get their act together.

Fun fact, in one of the earlier drafts of Chapter 3 I was actually going to make Nelson get scanned by the equivalent of a metal-detector for malevolent thoughts at the door and get really spooked by it, but I decided against it.

YEAH IT’S ON THE LIST

Honestly, a big bulk of the plot in this just regards characters having to face their mental health struggles... via facing it as literal internal demons, unstable powers, etc. It’s going to take a little while for any of Eddie’s teammates to realize how MUCH he has going on under the surface because he does a pretty good job of hiding it. “Needing to help others above ever helping themselves” is a hard issue to notice if you’re not looking for it. But it’s a guarantee that once they find out he needs help, they’ll give it; whether that’s making sure he’s not working himself too hard, or fighting off demonic cultists. Care comes in many forms.

SHE NEEDS TO REST.... POOR SYBIL (on the upside, they don’t TECHNICALLY work there, so she might be fine most of the time.)

Strong Bad isn’t a Psychonaut! He’s just a vlogger and a petty (psychic) criminal. It’s honestly not very different from canon.

Free Country, USA is a smalltown hotbed of psychic activity. Nearly everyone there has some mild capacity for supernatural powers, but nobody really notices or cares. Strong Bad just pops the tops off of cold ones and.... sometimes alters reality, a tiny bit. But mostly just in regards to media. The cartoons, comics, etc, that he invents and talks about have a tendency to suddenly voip into existence and nobody knows how. I swear, there’s actually a line of him saying something to this effect, but I can’t find it anywhere. Don’t worry about it! Nobody in town is ever going to do anything truly nefarious with their powers, so it’s not a high priority on the Psychonauts’ radar, just a weird footnote.

The only reason Homestar is an actual agent is because he seems like exactly the kind of guy to sign up for a job like that on accident and then stick with it. And he’s a talented telekinetic! None of his other friends know about his job or notice his absences.

And just for fun, here’s some weird instances of psychic overpowering that happened in the cartoon:

---

(Poor Strong Sad)

I’ve actually answered this one before! BAM Pretty sure all of it is still accurate.

Nelson: He sees floating sheets of paper containing notes, questions, etc. Anything that he wants to know more about regarding that person. The notes are subject to edits, cross-outs, ripped pages, etc.

Guybrush: He sees the item that the person is carrying that he wants most. As he gets to know people better, he sees them for their useful skills first.

Manny: His view of most living people is not very kind...

The people he’s closest to will eventually look a lot less garish. More like a flattering, camera-ready versions of themselves.

Eddie: Sickass sketch drawings that look like they belong in the margins of a composition book. The illustrations improve as he gets a better picture of where they’d fit in the internal lore of his mental world.

Sam: A lot like Nelson; Sam pictures case files, though his are a bit more in-depth.

Max: Max’s visions of people are highly personal and uncomfortable for those who witness them. He sees Nelson as a puzzle with a piece missing. Guybrush is a ripped up voodoo doll. Manny is a forgotten ofrenda. Eddie is a powder keg with a long, lit fuse. Sam is Sam, but he’s the wrong one.

I also got two questions that were pretty big subjects, or that I didn’t want to repeat, so I’m gonna cover them pretty broadly:

REGARDING [X] CHARACTER OR SERIES INCLUDED IN THE AU

Sure, I support it! I’ve gotten this question a few times in regards to things that I haven’t had time to delve into yet, or I’m not interested in, so I’m not going to include it into the AU myself. But if you want to explore an idea like that, feel free! This AU is pretty dang collaborative.

My main focus is just on the main 6 properties: Psychonauts, Puzzle Agent, Monkey Island, Grim Fandango, Brutal Legend, and Sam & Max.

But my general rule of thumb for “characters that exist somewhere within the background of this story” are any other properties owned by Telltale, Lucasarts, or Double Fine. And considering all of the licensed games that Telltale was getting into before it kicked the bucket, that includes some really weird characters, even up to the Venture Bros. I loved that series, but I’m not really interested in doing anything with them for this story! Partly for my sanity, the canon I’ve picked are already a lot of content to play with.

ASSORTED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE WILDCARD AU DISCORD

There’s no particular criteria needed to join the discord, and it’s not strictly on a need-to-know basis! Because it’s been a long while since anyone has joined, I've been hesitant about adding new people in... But I‘ve decided to try sending invitations again! Everyone who had asked about it in the past will be getting a ping by me in about a day or so, since I want to double-check if you’re still interested. If you’ve been nervous to ask you can reply to this post or message me privately.

Some things to keep in mind before asking or accepting the invite:

If you’re not a friend or a follower I recognize, I will likely double-check your tumblr along with some other current members before sending the invite.

Here’s the Rules page, so you know what to expect before you join:

Be Mindful - Respect other people's boundaries, don't do or say things that would cross the line. If your behavior makes other people feel uncomfortable or unsafe, I will remove you from the chat. In most cases I will try to resolve things with you and offer a chance to do better, but that will depend on the severity of the situation. And if you have any concerns regarding another member of the chat, you can contact me privately.

Health Boundaries - While discussions of mental health do occasionally pop up, do not rely on the chat for help. None of us are equipped to handle serious mental health concerns, and it will only cause distress for everyone. Please seek real help if it is needed! If you rely on people beyond the point that they have asked you to stop, I will remove you from the chat.

NSFW - Generally speaking, try to keep NSFW talk to a minimum. Swearing and humor is fine, but don't get too explicit please! Discussions should usually keep to a PG-13 / occasional R, but no NC-17.

Spoilers & Censorship - Please use the spoiler function to hide story spoilers, as well as discussions and graphic depictions of gore/excessive blood/body horror/severe psychological horror. Include a content warning so that people know what they could potentially be seeing when they click on the censored content. If the spoilered content is the subject of a back-and-forth discussion, please use another warning when you are switching to a different spoilered topic. (Note that these rules were added to the chat later, so be careful when using the search function or back reading.)

The canon series involved with the Wildcard AU are Psychonauts, Puzzle Agent, Monkey Island, Grim Fandango, Brutal Legend, and Sam & Max. Please be mindful of story spoilers!

Channel Organization - Also be mindful of which channel you're in and move a discussion over if need be! That way they don't get too clogged with unrelated info.

Creative Criticism - When it comes to writing, art, or character creation; try to be open to suggestions from others! Nearly all of the creative work in the chat is collaborative, so input from others is important! Creative criticism is not the same as judgement, and is not a personal attack.

Have fun! - Discussions move quickly in this chat! Don't feel bad if you ever need to step back, whether it's because of the speed or a disinterest in whatever current topic we're focusing on. If you ever want to come back, we're happy to have you and can give quick explanations if you feel out of the loop! :thumbsup:

We’re a group of approx. a half dozen to a dozen people, either posting very very quickly in a span of a few hours or barely anything for a few days. We’ve been in an activity uptick lately and there’s about a year and half of back content, too. If it’s hard to keep up on, not that interesting to read through, or you just have a hard time gelling with the group that's already there, there’s no shame in just lurking or dipping out if you need to.

We also talk a lot about Psychonauts OCs, so anticipate that.

#wildcard au #wildcard hcs

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valdotpng · 4 years

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Question. Do you have any specific resources you used to learn art and painting, etc?? Your style and skill is so so good and I'd love to see how you Do It

oh, gosh. i dont think i could ever answer this question in a truly satisfying manner, but i’ll try my best to do it!

learning art in general has just been a road of trial and error for me! looots of trial and error. im a ‘self-taught’ artist & i’ve been drawing since i was a toddler, so i’ve accumulated certain skills just bc i’ve been doing it for so dang long

that being said, i’ll share some links in a moment! but first, some advice from me to you, anon. just.. go wild. try new things and dont set too many rules for yourself, yknow what i mean? nowadays i tend to use lots of weird textured brushes + work on only one layer (which i hear is quite bad for when youre working on commissions, but i paint for myself so i dont gotta worry about correcting things all the time), and as a person struggling w/ a pretty severe case of OCD, i find it so liberating to be Forced to not give a shit through that painting method. just have fun! allow yourself to be messy, to make mistakes, and remember that you can just paint over them later. some of your ‘mistakes’ might even end up being the things that make your drawing look more interesting/organic, in the end! the ‘happy little accidents’ mindset just makes the whole process much more enjoyable imo :]

ALSO, an important thing to me was finding the right brushes for painting. just dl a shit ton of the ones that look fun to you (or make your own if your drawing program allows it!) and make an effort to try out each and every one of them at least once!! the brushes certainly arent that important-- you could paint a masterpiece with a simple square brush-- but more often than not i find my style being subtly influenced by the brushes that i use at the moment. its a thing worth considering!

another thing i should note is that, while im mostly happy with my art nowadays, i AM still learning, and i dont think i’ll ever stop learning, so, like, check in in a couple of years for some better tips i guess asuhdfuashfusdf

anyways, here are some resources that are/were very helpful to me:

when i need to browse for general art tips/tutorials/cheat sheets/etc, i usually go here: [link 1], [link 2], [link 3], [link 4], [link 5],

now, here are some specific posts ive collected over the years that really made me rethink how i approach composition and the like in my, uh, more ‘serious’ paintings: [link 1], [link 2], [link 3], [link 4], [link 5]

this [link] video series is a Godsend, its got some very good advice AND its got nice editing too, my hellbrain was actually able to focus and learn smth from a video tutorial for once

heres a nice post about practice and improvement that you should deffo read before using all of these resources

i also find it very helpful to just.. look at art that inspires you/ that you find appealing Right before painting? that way all of the techniques you might pick up while staring at other peoples art will stay fresh in your mind, so you’ll be more likely to try em out. (setting a drawing that you really like as a phone/desktop bg works well too since youll inevitably stare at it quite often)

i also really like seeing other peoples process, so i tend to watch speedpaints/analyse process gifs & photosets a lot! seeing how messy and abstract most drawings are in the early stages of painting is really comforting/reassuring to me :] heres a couple for u: [link 1], [link 2], [link 3], [link 4], [link 5], [link 6], [link 7], [link 8], and finally, [link 9] and [link 10] (3, 9 and 10 are the ones that inspire me the most atm)

as a bonus, heres one from me as well! (usually i only post these on my patreon, but ik times are tough rn and any of your spare money could (and should) go to a far better cause) im putting it under a read more bc it contains blood and self-impalement, so beware! (bloodborne bosses, man) i might make a speedpaint in the future, too, so watch out for that!

#good luck!#hope you have fun :]#Anonymous #gif #blood

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toysoldiers-rwby · 3 years

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[CS] 4. Duty

4. Duty

Cutting Strings

Characters: Penny, Winter, Xanthic Word Count: 8k

If robots are just tools…

Read on Ao3

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Primary Function: Protector

Penny learned many things during her few short hours outside her father’s facility. Those with familiar background and status gravitate towards each other. Penny suppose the human variable meant different was of understanding the world. Same behaviors and actions can be used to express different emotions, particularly when people whisper under their breath and avoid looking at others.

Though Penny still had a difficulty figuring out how May and Winter communicated with just looks. Even sign language used an actual method of communication.

So far the Military Event was the best day of her excistance. Her true first day out in the world! She got to learn more about her future teammate and possibly made two new friends, Winter Schnee and May Marigold. But… It was odd, that the best day of her excistense could affect someone that was not present.

Penny was starting to understand how powerful the gaze was.

She sat at the facility’s kitchen table, head casted down and hands intertwined in her lap. She ignored the slamming keys and hard-light screens. Across from her, Ashley Xanthic furiously typed lines of code. The hacker would run simulation after simulation, until the checks ran red and continued working. Bit by bit, she hacked into Atlas’ network, byte by byte Penny Polendina was becoming an official citizen of Atlas.

Ironwood wanted her to supervise the hacker. Something that required closer observation but Penny didn’t want upset Ms. Xanthic anymore. She sighed quietly, squeezing her hands. She wasn’t doing a very good job…

“What’s the point in running the Kingdom if you can’t cut corners?” Xanthic growled to herself. Penny spared a glance up. Her future teammate took a break to sip her coffee but her head just kept tilting back and back before she just groaned into an empty cup.

“It’s to prevent-”

“Abuse of power, total dictator ship,” Xanthic droned. She put her cup down, looking at Penny through the gasps of her hard-light screens. "But here I am, in a secure military facility, hacking into Atlas Security with resources the General provided."

If the public found out General Ironwood manipulated the system, he would be stripped of both his council seats. If the public found out a hacker had done it, the consequences wouldn’t be as dire. Still the General must have other reasons for using her as a scapegoat.

Penny looked at her hands again, “He cannot make such quick changes legally, the process would take too long. Everything has been signed and approved-”

“Of course,” Xanthic snorted. After hours of working, the hacker finally stood up. In a few short strides she was at Penny’s side, boxing her into the chair with slender arms. Penny knew Xanthic wasn’t fit, wasn’t a fighter. Her hands weren’t calloused like Aro’s but steady, soft, and precise. Penny could easily win but somehow she felt small and weak under that white burning glare.

Staring into eyes that were so similiar to her own… but so full of resentment was not pleasent.

"So why would the General," Xanthic hissed the title out like venom, “Need me to skip the queue?”

“And why should we tell a criminal, one caught red handed by General Ironwood himself.”

“Winter!” Penny gasped, hydraulics in her back straightening her posture. The specialist’s voice alone lifted her Aura, but seeing Winter glower back at Xanthic corrected any insecurities the hacker caused. “What are you doing here?”

“I don’t resume my duties till tomorrow,” Winter said, eyes closed and shoulders tensing for a moment. Xanthic sneered. Penny ignored it because Winter refused to acknowledge the hacker. “I did offer you a tour of Atlas Academy.”

“How about you don’t make my job harder?” Xanthic asked throwing up her hands. She walked to the fridge, making sure to brush against Winter so the Specialist was forced to acknowledge her. Xan was shorter, but somehow she seemed to have just as strong of a presense. “Marigold gets a pass but you and Glade are aware of the consequences that comes with fame. You really think people wouldn’t look up the mysterious ginger? She is a ginger right?”

“Penny did not disclose her identity until after we witnesses saw us together,” Winter said with an annoyed sigh.

“Now you know. Yet you still insist on parading her around?” Xanthic reason. She crossed her arms and glared threateningly at one of the best Huntresses in Atlas. Both women were too busy posturing and trying to intimidate each other to see Penny shrink ever so slightly. She quickly straightened out again when Xanthic lost with an infuriating sigh. “Seriously. Please don’t make my job harder than it is.”

“Penny’s cover is already ruined, what else would hinder your task?”

“Research,” Xanthic said opening the fridge. She frowned and gave Penny a disapproving look. “It’s practically empty. Is that why you’re all skin and bones?”

“I’m not skin and bones…” Penny mumbled under her breath. It felt… bittersweet, a small victory in admitting what she is but what was the point if they didn’t understand it? Predictably Xanthic didn’t believe her. The hacker rolled her cybernetic eyes and peeked into the freezer next.

“Neopolitan ice cream. I can forgive the lack of food,” she said with a small smile. Penny added the favorite flavor to Xanthic’s notes. “I can do what Ironwood-”

“General Ironwood.” Winter corrected.

Xanthic continued without any acknowledgement, “Told me to do, get the legal documents into the system or I can do a good job and actually leave some breadcrumbs for people to find.”

“Breadcrumbs?” Penny asked.

“According to Ironwood,” Xanthic started, ignoring the way Winter’s hand twitched in frustration. She looked for cups and spoons. “You’re another SDC orphan.” At that Winter’s composition changed, for a split second she looked guilty. Guilty and sad over a lie. Penny sealed her lips tight and looked down at her hands. She wasn’t lying but her Aura still flared across her system. “I’m editing old security photos and videos too hide a very obscure Penny in it. So it doesn’t look like she just magically appeared out of nowhere.” The hacker finished, looking at Winter. There was a shift between them… Xan’s voice barely audiable to Penny’s sensitive eqiupment, “We don’t want a repeat of last time…”"

The Specialist hummed, eyes glaring in Xanthic’s direction but not really focused on her until whatever thought left Winter’s mind, “Very well. I’ll inform General Ironwood.”

“Unnecessary but it’s your energy to waste,” Xanthic said waving her hand. She sat back down in front of her temporary workstation and went back to writing lines of codes.

“Waste of…” Winter paused, practically growling under her breath. No sound came out but with her facial expression, Penny practically heard it. “And what would be an optimal use of my energy?”

Xanthic pointedly looked at the near empty fridge. Dr. Pietro’s facility was locked down durng P.E.N.N.Y’s finalization process. There was no reason to stock so much food in the recreational kitchen.

“I am not doing your grocery shopping!”

“I’m under house arrest!” Xanthic threw up her arms. Around both wrist was a bracelet with gravity and lighting Dust built in. Once activated it would pin her arms together or send a volt of electricity. Ideally non-lethal. "And I’m gonna be here for at least three days."

“I’m sure the General wouldn’t mind if we accompany you.” Penny said quietly. The two barely stopped from yelling at each other and looked at her. “The Ace-Ops rudely escorted you here from you’re home. I didn’t see any bags either… so…” Luckily Xanthic was dressed for the day… still dressed from the previous day. Under Xanthic’s unblinking cybernetic eyes Penny’s confidence waned.

Winter took a deep breath, a finger on her temple. Penny stared, wishing she would unclenched her jaw instead. “Was it Herriet and Elm? Those two are quick and rash.”

“Herriet and Vine, actually.” Penny said.

“Figures. Vine has always been to the letter,” The Specialist started to walk down into the living room, “I’ll contact General Ironwood and request your cuffs be synced with my Scroll.”

“Oh how kind! Ms. Schnee and her girlfriend taking me out for a walk. May I have a treat Mistress?” The hacker asked, her monotone voice alive with sarcasm. She even struck a pose along with batting long eyelashes. Perhaps it would be more effective if her makeup wasn’t so intimidating.

Winter scowled and the two Atlas elites stared at each other for a minute. The silent challenged ended in a draw, they broth broke eye contact with Winter taking a seat and closing her Scroll. Within a few minutes Xanthic had finished her ice cream and checked the fridge again. With a some excessive force, Xanthic shut the fridge and continued working. Penny watched her hit the backspace more than she should.

“Alright!” Xanthic yelled, ten minutes later. “I’ll play… nicer than usual.”

Winter looked too dignified and controlled to smirk but the air around her was far too smug. Maybe it was the lack of reaction that held superiority? Whatever it was it annoyed Xanthic and puzzled Penny.

The call only took a few minutes. Winter returned to the kitchen and held her Scroll to the gravity cuffs around the hacker’s wrist. It beeped twice, the cuffs flashing green. Outside an unmarked car pulled up. Once Winter opened the door Xanthic’s attitude resurfaced.

“Are you fucking serious?” She asked staring at the front seat. Their transport was being driven by an AK-200. “I’d like to live.”

“I’ll drive if you’ll shut up,” It seemed the Specialist was nearing her limit.

“Again, I’d like to live.”

“They aren’t that bad,” Penny reasoned softly. She physically stepped between them, even if they could clearly see above her head. That chip of insecurity wedged into her a little. Winter’s patient gaze gave her the strength to continue with a straight spin and even voice, “Safe driving is within their capabilities.”

“Hm… fine,” Xanthic huffed crossing her arms. “I suppose three VIPs dying will finally help people realize these things are horrible.” Winter quickly got into the car, hiding her face but the door slammed with enough force to shake their transport. Xanthic sneered, a small victory. It would take more than a simple crash to harm a huntress… but her future teammate was a civilian.

“How terrifying is it to live without a protective Aura?” Penny asked following Xanthic in. This time Xanthic glared at her while Winter sneered. Penny merely tilted her head in confusion, staring at the hacker for an answer.

“You and fucking Glade,” Xanthic muttered. She looked out the window and the car was relatively silent as Penny tried to figure out how she insulted her future teammate.

Their first stop was Xanthic’s house. It was big enough for a family and gated, Penny could see some trees growing in the backyard and a garden being tended too by a robot and two Ace-Op members. Before the gate could close behind them, Xanthic swung the door open and jumped out of the slow moving vehicle. Winter was quickly to follow so Penny felt compelled to do the same, even if her steps weren’t a confident march like Winter.

“Welcome back, Lady Xanthic.” The robot gardener greeted with a bow. “May we prepare a meal for you and your guest?” Xanthic ignored it, pointing a finger at Clover then Marrow. Rude, Penny frowned looking at the robot. It didn’t seem to mind…

“What the fuck are you two doing here?”

“I could ask you the same question,” Clover said. His eyes gently swept to Winter and momentarily lingered on Penny. She ducked her head, eyes on the ground and stepping behind her Specialist. “But knowing Schnee, it’s classified.” He smiled but it wasn’t directed at Winter. Her professional mask didn’t recuperate any friendliness but the lack of a negative response was approval, in a way.

“We’re ensuring you don’t escape a previously hacked into facility, pack your things, and run off,” Marrow answered. By Xanthic’s scowl and huff at a proper answer, the question must have been rhetorical. Penny was realizing most of her questions weren’t actually questions. Marrow plucked an apple from the robot gardener’s basket and took a bite. He hummed at the taste. “Oh and wonderful place! Very hermit and simple.”

“The singular word would be self-sustaining,” Xanthic growled arms crossed. She finally looked at her butler. It was a different model than the one Penny first saw, smooth and curved, the design and cut in the chassis flowing almost gentlly. “Pack all the leftovers and anything you can prepare in 10 minutes. Not staying long.”

“Understood, Lady Xanthic.” The gardenerbot bowed a little, then knelt back down and resume working on the garden. Through the window Penny saw two more robots walk into the kitchen. The robot did use we when addressing Xanthic, the robot’s AI must share a network, a hivemind. One of the butlers was definitely the model Penny saw driving the night they first met. Sharp edges, thick layered metal plates, intimidating faceplate, a bodyguard?

Marrow whistled, “Impressive. For a criminal.”

“Standard. For a genius.” Xanthic scoffed walking to the front door. She pressed her Scroll to the lock and it slide open. When Marrow moved to follow Clover stopped him.

“You heard the bots, we can enter the yard but not the house. Until we have a warrant, they are authorized to open fire under the Home Defense Clause.”

Xanthic chuckled softly, “Good Bobs.”

“Thank you, Lady Xanthic.” Her butler chirped. Penny frowned staring at it before following Winter. The synthetic voice was flat, could almost past as human if Xanthic wanted it too.

“Man… how does manage to show us up on her day off?” Marrow mumbled walking to Clover. “And the girl?”

“Classified,” Winter called over her shoulder. Marrow yelped, a little surprised his loud voice carried that far.

The first thing Penny’s sensors detected was an increase of temperature. Once she entered Xanthic’s home she understood why. Servers and machines lined the walls, countless of physical monitors mounted onto a surface and displaying news channels across the world. Others had lines of code or blueprints, one monitor occasionally flashed red and ‘Simulation Error. Project: BILLY unable to sync’.

Xanthic stared at it but glanced at Winter. The Specialist glanced around the room for any weapon, then trained her eyes on the hacker. Xanthic grumbled, walking into the kitchen and sitting at the table. Like Aro’s home there was small electrical components and tools, but only one.

A broken robot that looked like a ram laid on the table, small enough to fit in a pocket.

Penny sat down and slowly reached for it. “May I?”

“I can’t exactly stop you.” Xanthic barked. Penny flinched and recoiled. Xanthic sighed, “Right, I’m suppose to play nice… Yeah go ahead.” Slowly Penny scooped up the broken bits of metal and wire. Cradling it. “It was meant to be a monitoring bot.”

“You mean spy?”

“I mean as in a kid’s pet. The current cybernetic pets haven’t been changed in half a decade. It’s boring.”

“… But a goat?” Winter asked with a raised brow.

Xan smirked, “Greatest Of All Time.” This time Winter did let out a visible display of distain, along with… some surprise? Penny giggled at the light flush across her face.

She politely decline the food the serverbots offered. Winter accepted a smaller portion while Xanthic scarfed it down. They continued their neutral banter for a few minute, talking about mundane robots walking around Atlas. Penny tried to focus all her processing power into examining the broken robot, but she kept focusing in on Winter’s voice.

They were objects, they were supposed to be weapons. Xanthic scoffed and argued, they were flexible tools, with familial potential. The two agreed that robots were things but not on the functions. Penny’s function was to protect, she was a weapon. She was her father’s daughter, family… Her Aura stirred throughout her systems, sinking and sinking like it was trying to unplug her power unit.

In her palm was a pet… “May I have this?” Penny asked.

Xanthic looked at her through the glass of her cup and finished inhaling her water. “Sure. I doubt I’ll be able to work on any of my personal stuff now.” She held up her wrist, cuffs shining in the sun.

The hacker spent the remainder of the 10 minutes packing some clothes and books. Winter looked through both, packing it even neater than Xanthic originally had it.

The trip for groceries was short and uneventful now that Xanthic was cooperating. Penny almost missed her antagonism. It was entertaining, Penny found herself fiddling with the broken bot, thoughts drifting. The future members of APCX were quiet. Winter had her usual professionalism on but every so often worry would break though when she looked at Penny.

Robots were tools, not meant to function outside their purpose. According to General Ironwood, she was a protector. According to her father-

“I lied.” Xanthic said suddenly. Her volume was neutral but after a car ride with soft music it was an abrupt cut in Penny’s thoughts.

“Surprising.” Winter sneered. It wasn’t as hostile as it was earlier but not as playful as with May or Aro.

“Me and Glade have… history. That was supposed to be a gift.”

“Really?” Penny asked. Winter held her Scroll to the facility’s front door and escorted the two VIP’s back to the recreation quarters. “I checked Aro’s files. There was some inconsistences during her internship with my father.”

“I’ll have to fix that later then.” They were in the same environment nearly five years ago. That was enough confirmation for Penny. She helped Winter put away the food and memorized what they bought. Penny doesn’t eat, Winter isn’t a frequent visitor- though Penny hope that is going to change, so everything is Xanthic’s. She noted a surprising amount of sweets, either mint chocolate or some kind of strawberry flavor. She favored salt and vinegar snacks. The meals her butlerbots packaged was well balanced, most things fresh from her gardens.

Winter synced the hacker’s cuffs back to the recreational area. Penny pulled the remains of the robot from her pocket… and stared at it. If weapon can’t be intimate with people, what does her time at the Military Event classify as?

“Penny?” She heard Winter’s whisper shortly before registering a light pressure on her shoulder. She almost jumped. Her Aura ramped her system, nearly triggering a fight response. With concentration Penny was able to calmly look up at the Specialist. “Are you alright? Did the crowds at the store bother you?”

“No…” It was her and the hacker that troubled Penny. “I’m-” fine. The words stopped in her synthetic vocals. She could feel her Aura swirl in her chest at the lie. “Just thinking. I’m going to gather some tools and materials for this little…”

“Billy. I’ll send you the software after you fix it.” Xanthic said.

Penny quickly excited the room, Winter’s hand just hovering there for a few seconds before Penny turned the corner and lost visual of both of them. Weapons can’t be friends. Penny shrank in, hands squeezing tighter and tighter. She ignored the warnings and only focused on the wires tightening in her chest.

Then the squeezing gave way.

Six days since her last artificial skin tear, rest to zero.

Her room was simple, very similar to the workshop back in Atlas Academy. No bed, only an examination table with mechanical arms for maintenance. The drawers were full of tools, parts, or accessories. Things that was on the workbench for weapons. People did not wear artificial skin. The tear was easy to repair, thin layer of sillicone and wires around her index finger was torn clean off.

A light knock on her door made Penny jump. Xanthic would be stuck in the recreational area, trying to leave would meant a painful shock. Winter… she was Ironwood’s second-in-command, she may have access to most of the facility but-

Another knock.

“Y- Yes?” She called out. To her surprised and relief her father opened the door. “You… knocked?”

“Winter fetched me, told me that you seemed upset,” Dr. Pietro said. His chair slowly walked forward, as if ready to turn on a moment’s notice. “I wasn’t sure if you wanted privacy or not.”

“Ms. Xanthic is restricted to the living quarters of this facility. Winter would be authorized entrance if allowed here,” Penny said. Pricacy was a human concept. She wasn’t… “My privacy is unnecessary.”

“That does’t mean you can’t want it,” Dr. Pietro said gently. He looked at Penny’s hands and took a breath. Concern, worry, love. Emotions meant for people. It was easy to read these emotions from her father, yet somehow tiring.

She was tired of seeing him worry.

“I’m sorry,” Penny mumbled.

“Maybe this entire Vytal Festival is a bad idea…” For once, Dr. Pietro’s voice was stern. It wasn’t hard like how the General’s could get but it was so odd hearing him frustrated.

“No!” Penny yelled. She gasped at her own volume. Dr. Pietro jumped in surprised but he didn’t look mad. In fact he nodded and encouraged Penny to continue. “I want to fight! I want to see Vale.” And after the stories Aro told them during the Military Show, Penny wanted to see Minangire. May told stories about the mountains in Minstral and Winter balked at the heat in Vacuo. She wanted to see the world. Her simulations programs were the most accurate ones developed but nothing compared her own experience.

Her father looked concern again and Penny made a noise. It was a reflex she hadn’t perform before, that hum of frustration May did so much. Her father looked shocked but smiled and laugh.

“I’ve never seen you pout before. My, my, one day and you’ve learn so much already,” He said patting Penny’s hand. “And that’s really the General decision to make. And I doubt he’s changing his mind.”

Penny let him repair the tear in the artificial skin. She made sure to watch, wanting to cherish the moment just as the others cherished their visits to other kingdoms. A moment that was truly hers and not programed into her. A special gel will act as a conduit for the wires and adhesive for the silicone. His hands went to work soothing everything back in place, encouraging the material to bound in a way that wouldn’t leave a mark.

“I will always worry, my dear,” Dr. Pietro said. “I know you are fully capable of taking care of yourself, but it’s just what fathers do.” The word stirred in Penny’s processors, she hoped it would stick. After all, weapons didn’t have fathers.

“Then… what do daughters do?”

Whatever Dr. Pietro had to say wasn’t fully vocalized. Instead the smile dropped for a moment and he sighed. “That depends on the girl,” Dr. Pietro said, “Specialist Schnee chose to leave her family… Family company to protect others.”

“And… Ms. Xanthic?”

Dr. Pietro raised a brow, “I think it’d be best if you asked her yourself.”

Penny flinched at the thought. There was a 2% chance of a pleasant conversation. 95% chance Xanthic would yell at her. Penny left the remaining 3% as open-to-human-nature.

“I… suppose,” She grumbled. There was a 100% chance of avoiding confrontation with Xanthic if she did not ask.

Primary Function: Protector Daughter

#qued #Penny Polendina #fic #cutting strings #pre-fall of beacon #Winter Schnee #Ashley Xanthic #APCX

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asnakeintheboot · 4 years

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Art process

Hey! Here’s what I did to make this fanart. Sorry it’s not a step by step, but I will however talk about the general proces of the whole thing so enjoy!

So my sketches are generally very messy and evasive. Il just try to put a form to my idea and I know I’ll work on it in more details later. It’s really just to put forms and composition and in this case, it’s just a couple so I don’t need to develop it further more.

Then I make a detailed sketch on either photoshop or Sai, but this one has been dran with Paint Tool Sai 2. I can change the proportion easier to make it more accurate and see if I quickly have to edit / change things. For exemple, Medusa’s bread will change a lot.

I then try some ambiance colours and try to decide what atmosphere to choose. The blue and green one would’ve been dark and it wasn’t what I wanted so I choose the orange one (tho on the final result it looks more like I choose the pink one hehe)

Then I colour in more details, add nuances, blush, maybe change some colours, colour lines, etc. I save all the steps. Just in case.

I Then paint over this to make it look better. I “just” paint the same colours but with more attention to it. The coloured sketch is just there to put the colours I want.

I always start with the face, with the skin to be precise. Then I work on the other areas. To me, the faces are the most important in fanart portraits and I love to do them. I try not to put too many details ‘cause you don’t see them from afar. For exemple, you don’t see Medusa’s eyes nuances on the overall drawing.

I’m not so scared of drawing hands but I know I lack of training while painting them. But I kinda like Medusa’s, they’re not as bad as I remember drawing hands several years ago.

I never put pure colours in my drawings. Nothing is really pure black or pure white y’know. Even knowing that, I was actually surprised of how clear Medusas’s snakes were. I’ve put the layer on like 60% and they still look black for the ambiant light.

Since the overall atmosphere is warm and kinda golden, I decided to do the blacks on her more in a purple tone, to also contrast with Maka’s hairs and the general ambience (and imo it looks goes well with her yellow eyes). I also added some light blue in the rosie shadow areas.

I rework the forms alot, like the hair. One of my weak side is my stifness but I kinda like the fresco touch it gives to an illustration (srsly my teachers were so mad with this and they genuenly don’t understand why I do this).

So this is my kinda step by step process and I’m always proud and happy the next two days I draw anything haha!

#step by step #medusa gorgon #maka albarn #maka medusa #art process #soul eater #sorry if it's too long here's a potato #there's no potato #the potato is a lie

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wisdomrays · 4 years

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TAFAKKUR: Part 67

Health and Natural Balance with Patchouli

Studies made recently in relation to aromatherapy show that aroma can be the preparation for many important functions in connection with a person’s spirit and body. Many experts on complementary medicine in the West supply patients with prescriptions for various aromas in relation to their particular illnesses.

Less well known is that research is also continuing into the scent of repellents to deter pests like insects and ticks. Various plants are known for the effects of their aroma, and are in widespread use for protection, especially in very hot and humid climates where there are a great number of arthropods; for instance, it is known that mosquitoes will not approach a house that has basil plants on the windowsill.

Another plant which is well known and used commonly for its scent is “patchouli” (pogostemon cablin), the scented essential oil of which is obtained by steaming the plant and collecting the oil which emerges. The plant is a member of the mint family, and its actual origin is India, where its scent can be found even in the famous Indian ink. Patchouli leaves used to be placed between carpets and rugs made in Iran and Turkey to protect them from any harmful pests or insects before they were sent to Europe. During the Victorian period carpets, shawls and rugs exported from India were also sprinkled with the fragrance of patchouli to protect them from moth, In fact any carpets, rugs or shawls that did not have the scent of patchouli were not favored because they were believed to have been manufactured in Europe. The fragrance of the plant, which is longer lasting than most other scents, is believed by the Chinese, Japanese and Arabs to prevent the spread of infectious diseases and also used frequently in perfumes and soaps. Widely used in Europe in the eighteen hundreds, patchouli became the most popular fragrance of the generation in America in the sixties.

The research into patchouli has been limited so far and scientific observations are insufficient; nevertheless, the chemical composition of the various scents found in the oil of this plant have been identified, and the long human experiences of using this plant and its fragrance may hold great significance for scientific research in the future.

The plant contains patchouli alcohol, pogostone, friedelin, epifriedelinol, pachypodol, retusin, oleanolic asid, beta-sitosterol and daucosterol, most of which prevent nausea. It has also been found to contain alpha-bulnesene, which prevents the clotting of blood. In addition, according to an article in the 2008 February edition of the Phytotherapy research journal, since the oil obtained from patchouli essence is an effective fly killer, the oil could also be an effective as a component of insect repellents and might even be an effective arthropod and tick repellent.

Looking at these studies we clearly see other ways in which we could benefit from this substance; for instance, by adding a few drops to water we could use it in household cleaning and therefore get rid of unwanted odors at the same time as preventing insects in the home without the use of carcinogenic chemicals. The oil is also known to be used to prevent fungus, to reduce perspiration and eliminate unwanted body odors and for dietary purposes, due to its effectiveness in reducing the appetite.

Moreover, patchouli has also long been a fragrance very much sought and used as a form of treatment for its soothing qualities and positive effect on spiritual health. Martin Henglein, who was one of the founders of aromatherapy and developer of the theory of the curative aspect of the fragrances of plants, recognizes geranium, rosemary, bergamot, and patchouli as the four primary aromas, and he emphasizes that these four fragrances perform various functions. Geranium can prevent addictions from progressing and even assist people in abandoning addictions and bad habits. For instance, the role geranium plays in giving up smoking is indisputable: when the desire to smoke increases and becomes unbearable the aroma of geranium temporarily eliminates the desire to smoke. According to Henglein, rosemary improves memory while bergamot increases activity in the brain and the ability to understand; patchouli activates the mechanism which motivates a person’s energy.

Robert Tisserand, owner of a treatment center in England, believes that certain fragrances can also cure psychological illnesses, Tisserand says that these aromas have a positive effect on the signal molecules (neurotransmitters) that provide communication with the nerve cells and can help to cure psychological problems. Fragrances encourage the body to release endorphin, a substance which resembles morphine (a pain reliever) and this is why rose oil, jasmine, sage, cananga (ylang ylang), patchouli, and grapefruit are recommended for depression, to increase confidence, and to help with abnormalities of sexual function. If patchouli is used in excess, it allegedly may cause a sedative effect or may reduce sleep. Otherwise, it is claimed to have a balancing effect on the body’s energy and psychological condition, inspire a sense of calmness, eliminate laziness, support treatment of addictions, and relieve feelings of fear and depression.

Everyone knows that charming fragrances enhance positive thought and feelings, and we also know the negative aspects of bad odors. It is reported that the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said, “I have been made to love perfume,” drawing attention to the importance of pleasant fragrances and reminding us that Jacob received the glad tidings that his son Joseph was still alive because of the scent of his shirt.

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bluekayanite · 4 years

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(SU:F Theories) Pink Steven and Roses

Whew... I struggled a lot with this one, and not because I decided to tackle two subjects at once. XD; Thankfully, I managed to get it done, and BEFORE the next eps came out, so... Enjoy, if you will. =3

EDIT: Added another bit of speculation.

THE Rose is Probably Different

Granted, she obviously would be if she really were Pink Diamond. But as I believe there's more than enough room for doubt, I'm going to tackle the subject as if she were not. (A lot of this may be interesting in either case.)

I'm sure many have noticed by now that Rose has certain features that average Rose Quartzes do not - one that's normally associated with organic women.

(Incidentally, I wonder what the actual odds would be of just getting a Rose Quartz that looks virtually identical to Rose. XD; )

...I will point out that not only did Rose supposedly have the basic shape for them before she'd even met any organic women, but Pearl supposedly suggested that shape.

At any rate, the point is that she's a bit different than usual, and it may not be by choice. Along with her shape, Rose's coloring is different - whereas standard Rose Quartzes all have skin + hair in the reddish-purplish spectrum of "pink," the Rose has more human-like skin, much more in the yellow-orangish range...

In recaps and flashbacks, the narrative seems to be that Pink (more-or-less) swapped her hair and skin colors to achieve the "Rose" look.

(The colors aren't exact, but they're pretty close - particularly with the the Pink hair/Rose skin color.)

...but no clearly-lit shots (or, I'd say, even any shaded ones) of Pink really look like they have Rose's peach-coloring.

...In fact, the only time Pearl clearly remembers Rose having that kind of skin tone is when seeing Garnet's first fusion - otherwise, she looks pink.

One exception to definitely-Rose being peach-colored is in the "Nora" tape... but in that tape,

Greg

is more pinkish, too.

(It looks like they're both being tinted by one of those pink sunsets. =3)

Anyway... sidetracked... compelled to point out inconsistencies with the "Rose = Pink" thing... yadda yadda... While I don't believe that Rose was Pink Diamond, I'm really starting to think that she was specially made. In fact, while I don't think that Rose was the Pink Diamond... I think it's possible that she may have been made as some sort of Diamond-Quartz hybrid. I mean, in Pink's secret room, it looks like she may have been studying the pink stones from a few pieces of rock.

I think it's possible that those stones are from the same meteor/whatever that Pink drew - and specifically pointed out - in her drawing of the other Diamonds, from before she came around.

This said, I've been speculating that the meteor is what Pink may have originally come from (at least supposedly). So if she was studying the crystals that may have come from it, she may have been studying herself... and her composition. And if Pink was planning on making a Gem that shared her powers, it would be a good reason for her to do that.

Heck, it could explain why Rose's Gemstone is different from the other Rose Quartzes.

And even why Pink's form showed up during Rose's/Pink Steven's reformation - part of me even wonders if Pink used a small part of her own Stone, and then healed it.

It could even explain how Blue and Yellow could mistake Steven's aura for Pink's.

...it might conflict with the fact that Steven's aura in reunited has a complete lack of diamond-shapes in it, though. ^_^; (I'm still not ruling out that "recognizing" the aura would be all due to White meddling with their memories.)

At any rate, I've long figured that Pink probably put a lot of herself (maybe too much) into Rose, if not the Rose Quartzes in general. Though now I figure that there's a good chance that Rose may have been intentionally made differently - like how I suspect Amethyst was, except even more so. Maybe she was even made on Homeworld - it would explain why Rose refers to Homeworld as "home."

But most of all, it could explain why Steven is manifesting the kind of destructive powers that Pink apparently had... even if Rose never did.

The New Pink Steven

The main thing I've noticed with the new Pink Steven is that it's... he's? ...that this effect is mostly triggered by anger and frustration - maybe other manifestations of pain, at times. Another thing I've noticed is that said anger is justifiable - at least, in my opinion.

I mean, consider when we've seen the newer Pink Steven, so far:

Not allowing Jasper to talk bad about him (defending self-worth)

Being frustrated about Smokey not having enough time to save the rollercoaster riders (defending people)

Not being able to deal with the idea of Rose/Pink having hurt anybody (defending his emotional wellbeing)

Not allowing Aquamarine and Eyeball to just hurt people - especially his dad - without consequence (again, defending people - also, not allowing blatantly unethical behavior)

Not to say that there's no danger or that he never goes overboard... or loses control entirely. I mean, not only did he end up causing the Reef to malfunction...

(Closest pic I've got. -.-; )

...but he took out a chunk of the forest while fighting Jasper!

(Sadly, no pic on this - I'm a little low on cash, XFinity shows the wrong show right now, and CN only has the latest ep. -.-; And no, I'm not going the YT route or anything like that. >.<)

Still, it looks to me like Steven "powering up" might have to do with righteous anger. The kind of anger that really drives him to try and do something - especially something that has to do with protection. I mean, it doesn't trigger with the anger he's having when Bluebird is beating him up.

And it didn't trigger when he was ticked-off at Jasper for not wanting to join Little Homeschool.

(Again, no pic. -.-; )

So it can't be just any form of anger. There's gotta be some other criteria - like I mentioned, it could be that it has to be the kind of anger that comes from wanting to bring something good... or at least to try and protect something important.

If so, then this could also say something about Pink: it could be that she wasn't just "throwing tantrums left and right" just because she got angry at everything, but rather because she was prevented from doing things that would genuinely bring something good. It could be that - even if the use of these powers led to some destruction - the emotions behind them weren't inherently destructive. I'm not even ruling out that she didn't even throw tantrums that often, but that it's just another case of White altering memories. (Or if she did throw tantrums that often, White may have changed the memories about the reasons for them. XD; )

That said, if the basic trigger is "defending something important," then it is still possible that the powers could've been triggered for misplaced priorities: just because something was important to her doesn't necessarily mean that it was inherently a good thing. XD;

At any rate, there weren't any signs of that kind of power being triggered in the dream sequence of Jungle Moon, despite there obviously being tantrums involved.

...Though granted, one of my theories is that she hadn't grown into her powers, yet. XD;

Still, I'm not ruling out that the trigger for the powers is less about the reason for the anger, and more about the flavor of the anger. It might be exact enough that I'm not sure of the exact word for it, but so far I'm leaning toward something like "fury." XD;

The Moon Prisoner has Likely Seen Pink Steven by Now

I basically believe that the moon showing up is almost-always a sign that someone - who I believe to be Pink Diamond - is watching the scene through the Diamond Base orb, which she is trapped in.

The moon wasn't in the first two SU:F eps, but it was there for Volleyball.

And it was also at the start of Bluebird.

I also believe that the sky being pink will also indicate that the moon-prisoner is watching; the pinker, the more-intensely she's watching, and the sky is INCREDIBLY pink in Bluebird when Greg is being kidnapped.

And is like that through the point where Greg cuts himself free.

Interestingly, even before Steven catches Greg, the sky takes on more of an orange gradient (on the left) - and stays that way until the end of the ep.

Though it’s still largely pink.

I'll note that I noticed that they apparently used the same orange-pink sky for all the backgrounds from the point where Steven catches Greg, onward - not that I blame them; I can say from experience that doing backgrounds can take a LOT of work. (...but I still find it funny. XD)

Still, if they were intent on saving themselves work, then why change the sky at all? ;3 I would guess that the fact that they did change the sky is a sign that it was important. =3

In this case, I would guess that the moon-prisoner was worried about Greg, and relaxed a bit once she realized that he would be safe. But regardless, she continued to watch the whole fight.

If so, then she would've had to have seen Pink Steven fighting Aquamarine and Eyeball.

...but she probably wouldn't have seen his time-control powers, or his sonic scream (which, IIRC, would've been off-planet).

Basically, I've been wondering if Pink's not supposed to know just how much of these powers he's inherited. She may or may not suspect, but depending on what she sees, she might be left not knowing if Steven can do more with this than fly up and smash things.

(...Or wear hats. XDD)

At any rate, I think there's a good chance that she would know about how these powers work, and have some good advice on how to use them. ;3 83

Rose May Have Been Carrying a Secret Payload

...one that she didn't even know about.

This would be one of the ways that Rose would be special... one of the ones that I think she would probably not be proud of, if she knew about it.

In the movie, White had already picked up on a pinkish tinge.

It wasn't there at the end of Change Your Mind.

But in the SU:F opening, she looks REALLY pink. =O

Everyone else's color in that shot seems normal (for being shaded), so I think odds are good that White really is is going to look like that at some point.

But what would make her that way? I doubt she'd do it on purpose... What would've changed to make her that way?

Well, obviously, the biggest pink-(or Pink-)related thing to come into her life is Steven, and I really doubt that Steven would be doing something like this on purpose. XD; So what seems most likely to me is that it was something that Steven did without even knowing it.

I doubt it's simply an effect of gradual exposure to Steven, since 1) he's been spending most of his time on Earth, and 2) if that were the case - and Rose was Pink - I think it would've happened looooong ago, from exposure to Pink. XD So to me, it seems mostly likely to be a one-time thing that Pink put into Rose that would be activated on its own.

Like... a color-changing virus? =O

A logic bomb is a type of malware that will only get triggered under certain circumstances - for example, "on this date, activate a virus" or "if employee X is fired, erase all employee info." I think that Rose was made with a type of logic bomb, just in case White tried anything funny - like, trying to turn Rose into a replacement for Pink.

If so, then it is both kind of amazing that Pink would have that kind of foresight, and saddening that she would think it necessary to prepare for something like that. It would mean that she knew (or at least suspected) that White was the kind to try something like that.

I will note that one of the things about a logic bomb is that, if the conditions for triggering it never happen, then the "bomb" never goes off - if Rose really was made with such a bomb, then it's possible that Pink put it in there with the hopes that it would never be triggered. If White would prove herself, then she would never get hit with the punishment. But if White did do the worst... well, Pink probably figured it was better not to risk it.

One of those "Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it" sort of things. ^_^;

It's also possible that the color-change is meant for more than just punishment, payback, or exposure: it could be meant as a lesson in empathy, to give White an idea of what it feels like to be "wrong" - and/or treated as such.

EDIT: I also think it’s possible that it could be for learning empathy for what it’s like to have a change forced onto you by someone. (Have I mentioned that I believe that White’s been using mind-control?)

Another idea is that Pink may have done it in the hopes that, if anything did happen to her, it could prompt others to try and find out what had really happened - maybe even find her, if White decided not to break her. XD; (Or heal her, if White did. ^_^; )

Though that said, so far, the effects seem to be fairly harmless... and yet not. ^_^; At the very least, the sudden saturation would be embarrassing for the "White" Diamond. Though even if the change itself is harmless, it could have MASSIVE implications for her position as the "flawless" ruler - at any rate, it could be a very good way to catch and expose her red-handed (or pink-handed, as the case may be).

I do wonder if the malware could've affected more than just White's color (though even just THAT could make for a good payback-prank) - maybe it affected her powers, or even her feelings in some way... big or small. Maybe it's the reason why she was even capable of blushing the way she did.

Maybe White's words were more accurate than we thought. XD;

As for what would've triggered the virus... It could be a number of things. I think the most likely one would be "trying to insert being-Pink-related memories/personality traits," but still, there's no rule that says that a logic bomb can only have one trigger... a programmer could put in as many triggers as they want, really. Pink could have put in any number of possible conditions for White to start getting pink-ified. So while I do think it most likely that White using her powers in certain ways would be the trigger(s), it could've also been triggered by, say, White physically handling Rose's Gemstone... or even removing it from whoever Rose's child would be!

(...I could provide visual examples, but I'd rather not in this case. ^_^; )

Heck, she might've even included things completely unrelated to what panned out, just in case a number of different scenarios happened. XD;

Though that said... it's also not impossible that the trigger was also made to remove any inserted memories/traits of the being-Pink-related sort. ...But not restore any lost ones. Which could explain - among other things - the comment about Pink being "gone."

... (RIP Rose. ='( )

...But yeah. All things considered, it looks most likely to me that the idea was to try and bring things to light should White ever try to replace Pink. If anything, maybe that'll lead to the truth getting out, as well as the true Pink.

(And maybe we could get some laughs along the way about White's new look - as well as what to call her. X3)

#su:f theories #su:f #steven universe: future #pink steven #rose quartz wasn't pink diamond #white diamond's mind control #theories

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malphiguswrites · 4 years

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The Evolution of Art

Denada Permatasari, 23 March 2018. Edited 26 September 2020.

Through analysing some contemporary artworks in the duration of my arts diploma, I have discovered a trend with art periods, what each period emphasises on and why they change overtime. I shall provide a gross oversimplification of the progression of art throughout history as far as my own knowledge goes: At first, humans made art to communicate and to leave a mark, evidenced by cave paintings. This purpose is purely practical, before people discovered that they can communicate while at the same time making it look pretty. The moment people start decorating their clay vases and walls, using colourful feathers for their clothes, is when art starts to become a vehicle for aestheticism.

From there, the subsequent art periods focus on how to make the images better and more enjoyable to look at. They also focus on making art as a social and political tool. Enter the Medieval period and see all the artworks done to promote the church and the goodness of God. By the Renaissance, balance, composition, and perspective started to enter the picture, and ideas on objective beauty were bolstered by the Enlightenment. Next, the Baroque takes the meaning of objective beauty through the grand, the wealthy, and the opulent. Romanticism sprang as a counter to the vanity of Baroque, as the Romantic era embraces the natural, the emotional, and the imperfect self as beautiful. Romantic art also emphasises on self-expression, which was unprecedented at the time.

Before you know it we enter the Modern era, which is basically ‘out with the realistic drawings and paintings and in with art that is unreal’. This unreal-ness is the cause of experimentation that exploded in this era. Impressionism, Expressionism, Dadaism, Surrealism, and many other sub-movements are all just different ways of making art non-realistically. As a follow-up from Romanticism, the Modern era also further explored the personal aspect and incorporating the artist’s personal identity and flair to their artworks. The Modern period introduces the concept of relative aestheticism, which is a direct counter to the mindset that there is an objective beauty in art that has been prevalent for centuries.

Contemporary art has been, then, as the execution of this relative beauty. Artists seek to challenge what does beauty look like and what even counts as art. From Warhol, the commercial and the consumerist is now art. Vandalism and illegal markings are now considered its own art form, thanks to Graffiti. A whole new trend started when Marcel Duchamp first posited that a fountain can also be considered as art. Conceptual art is therefore where the idea behind the artwork is an artwork in of itself, and the actual artwork does not mean as much.

At the same time art is being constantly questioned and redefined, art has also become increasingly more personal, more accessible to the everyday people. Self-identity is also a major theme in Contemporary art, particularly when discussing identity politics. Names like Barbara Kruger, Frida Kahlo, Robert Mapplethorpe and others constantly pop up in the background of social and political reform.

Now, why is this important? Why I am even discussing art history and its progression? Well, I feel that it’s important to understand that with art periods and the attitudes in them explain the progression of human values and what society deems important. Nowadays, contemporary art has reached a point where it is so personal, it is impossible to understand the work without understanding the artist. The artist, their identities, life experiences, and personal values have become so deeply entrenched in the artworks, it is as if they become an artwork all on their own. In the past, especially pre-Modern Era, artworks were judged by their skill and objective beauty. One can appreciate an artwork and the artists behind them remained largely unknown and unpopular, the popular being the masterfully skilled at rendering realism.

Nowadays, and I realised this as I was analysing the likes of Jeff Koons and Martin Creed, the world has finally made room for personal and conceptual art to a whole new degree, to the point where I think the aesthetic aspect of art is ignored completely, in favour of the idea and meaning. When reviewing art, it is like I’m reviewing the artist more than the work itself. This is not always a bad thing, but the problem arises when the idea and meaning are even not there! Art has evolved from a purely practical tool to a purely objective thing, then to a purely meaningful thing, and now finally art is just a thing. In one case of David LaChapelle’sArchangel Michael: And No Message Could Have Been Any Clearer, he uses art for a socio-political critique. In the case of Jeff Koons’ Popeye sculpture, he uses art to express just how objectively amazing he is. In the case of Martin Creed’s Work No. 1092 (alt. title ‘MOTHERS’), he doesn’t even know why he creates art, and he doesn’t even think that what he makes is art! In three artists I have described the progression of art: from the practical and rational to the personal and finally to just is.

Public outrage when David LaChapelle as good as committed blasphemy is not wholly unfounded, and so on and so forth when Jeff Koons’ sculptures are sold for millions of dollars, and Martin Creed has a whole gallery space for him displaying canvases painted in one solid colour, chairs stacked high, cacti arranged from small to tall, and a 12 metre wide monstrosity that is a possible danger to heads. What does this tell us of the human condition at large?

I think it is important to remember why we make art in the first place. Why we want something that has not existed yet to exist. In every era of art, their emphasis comes from what was lacking at that time. The Renaissance focused on the elegant and beautiful, in a world full of injustice, death, and disease. The Romantics focused on the natural and the self, when the Industrial Revolution hit and now everyone was dull and the same factory workers. Modern art focuses on personal identity and social critique as Martin Luther King orated his I Have a Dream, as feminism started, as LGBT rights soared to new heights.

Now, in a day of individualistic self-importance, supported by platforms like Facebook and Instagram, in a day of every man for himself, in competition with other 7.5 billion people, in a day where suicide rates has reached never before terrifying, unprecedented levels, one must ask: how do we make our art in response to all that?

With rapid advancement of technology and rise of the middle-class, making art has never been so accessible as it is now. Art is no longer exclusive to the privileged few of the educated, upper class. Technology has advanced far enough that physical limitations such as colour-blindness or paralysis does not make it impossible to create art. Accessibility makes art come from anyone, anywhere. It is maybe a point to my own bias, but I am seeing more and more diverse artworks highlighted made by diverse artists. Diversity has always existed but it is only now that they’re starting to get properly celebrated and given the spotlight it deserves in mainstream media. Diverse storylines coming from minority experiences and voices. Unique narratives that are non-white, queer, and or neurodiverse.

It is an era of self-conscious art, where we are finally brave enough to confront the fact that facets of our identities influence our perceived worth and place in society. An era of celebrating the unwillingly-invisible. An era of clearing away the fog from the fringes.

The era of unsilenced truths.

#the evolution of art #art #essay #writing #art history #david lachapelle #jeff koons #martin creed #2018 #2020 #philosophy #malphigus #malphiguswrites #denada permatasari

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thatu · 6 years

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hi. I am someone with the same struggles you have about the looks. I really hate the way I am. I see you have the same problem but you are able to at least take a lot of selfies and share. And I can't do that, I can't take pictures without delete all them. How do you deal witch your problem so well?

I guess, for me, there are two main things that play such a heavy part in the selfies I take and share so much.

1. The first thing is that the selfie is a controlled environment? I’m taking the picture, I’m editing it, I’m manipulating it, I’m choosing the ones that work and the ones that don’t. That said, if you see me posting five selfies, know that I took around 350. No exageration, actual 350 photos. I’m constantly deleting data from my phone and if I take a certain number of photos and they don’t work I can experience terrible feelings. I feel like I can’t recognize my face and that theold tricks don’t work, it’s rather insane. In this aspect it is also worth mentioning that I am NOT the same when people are taking pictures of me. I will not pose for pictures, I will do ugly faces, I will stand behind other people or I won’t try to look pretty ‘cause it’s pointless. I would never manage to pose for pictures with a photographer cause I’d always look away or try to look purposedly bad because it would be someone looking at me and I’d be too ashamed to be me. The selfies don’t happen because I like the pictures, the selfies happen because I control them.

And why do I take the selfies ? This is aspect number 2.

2. I fascinate myself as a scientific and artistic subject. I hate seeing my reflection and I often avoid mirrors but I will watch myself while I’m talking or doing some activity because the lines and the movement confuse and surprise me? I like to see my eyes or my mouth and my teeth not because I find them attractive but because they’re human and they’re mine so I’m curious about the shapes and the lines. I look for different spots, new marks, I pay attention to the curve on my eyelashes, it’s sort of a curiosity thing. And then I take pictures because I’m the subject I speak from. I like to have themes that match like facebook cover that goes with the profile picture and stuff like that and the same way I’m obsessed with drawing myself I’m into the pictures. I am in the pictures cause I’m part of it but most of the time when I take selfies I take them to make a composition. I’m thinking hair, clothes, make up and background, I’m thinking quotes and photo filters, I’m thinking I want to wear pink so this can look kind of bubblegum-like??? This part is harder to explain but a lot of me taking pictures has to do with me liking concepts and colors but also being self-centered enough that I want to be a part of it.

And here are some tips on what to do:

Don’t delete the pictures. Don’t post what makes you uncomfortable, but save the images. Go back to them later, maybe in a two years time or even less you will find it and be surprised by your looks. It has nothing to do on finding yourself beautiful but just on how your own features can surprise you. In five years you will think fondly of a stain on your hair or you will feel a little nostalgic about the yellow on your teeth because it’s somehow a different shade of yellow than it is now, it’s hard to tell, but save the images and revisit them from time to time, maybe you will find something nice about them sooner than you think. And if you do, then post it. Don’t delete it later, let the good compliments in.

I care a lot about being ugly or pretty or disgusting. I don’t know at each point while being raised it became such a big deal to me that I wasn’t pretty that if I post a few pictures and no one says I’m pretty I will start believing I’m getting uglier and uglier and my time is done but this is NOT healthy and the truth it the people in your life they love you and your face and they won’t be bothered by what you think is a bad picture. They also won’t think you think too much of yourself for posting it, so do it. Don’t make excuses, do it. It’s your face, watch it. Don’t waste a lot of time thinking about how people feel about that face, it’s the one face you have. Most people will just like it because your face is a face they are fond of.

A practical tip is doing what I do and taking it as an art project. What colors do you like? What is a concept you want? What music are you listening to? What kind of picture would match the feelings of that song? Think about these, put up a look, a make up, take a shower, comb your hair all nice, watch some makeup tutorials or don’t and go for a clean face but add some vaseline or moisturizer to make it glow, get some good lightening and a fair enough camera (just a good cellphone camera will do god knows mine sucks) and try some faces, make different ones, try out those 100 ones and have fun, don’t get frustrated you don’t owe anyone a good picture. You can take some photos from a window, under the sunlight, your eyes will look so pretty no matter what they look like and your skin will shine, have fun, set up a story. Your face is just an element as are the colors and the song you though about

and finally, remember: this is the face you have this is the body you have, register it, embrace it, know it. People say selfies are self congratulatory or narcisistic and I don’t think that would be bad because we should love ourselves but remember that they’re also the way you register who you are and how you answer the questions of how you look how you portray yourself, it’s a way to know yourself a little better, even if she just to find out which angles work better or whatever, but it’s you taking control of your image. There’s nothing wrong with that. GO. Have some fun with it.

You’re complicated and intricate work of art. You’re beautiful.

#selfies #self love #hi im thatu #Anonymous

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comicteaparty · 5 years

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April 11th, 2019 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party chat that occurred on April 11th, 2019, from 5PM - 7PM PDT. The chat focused on Kitty Kitty Bang Bang by Moe.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB START!

Good evening, everyone~! This week’s Thursday Book Club is officially beginning! Today we are discussing Kitty Kitty Bang Bang by Moe~! (https://tapas.io/series/kkbbcomic)

Remember that Thursday discussions are completely freeform! However, every 30 minutes I will drop in OPTIONAL discussion questions in case you’d like a bit of a prompt. If you miss out on one of these prompts, you can find them pinned for the chat’s duration. Additionally, remember that while constructive criticism is allowed, our focus is fun and respectfully appreciating the comic. All that said, let’s begin!

QUESTION 1. What is your favorite scene in the comic so far and why?

Superjustinbros

Hello!

RebelVampire

hey super~!

Superjustinbros

Coming in and I'd like to give a big shoutout to that header image on the comic's Tapas(edited)

I dunno, I thought it looked badass

RebelVampire

it is a nice header image. although what sells it for me is the logo design. its a really nice logo.

for favorite scene, hmm. ya know, i cant not pick it. the convention scene. that scene legit almost made me cry at how touching it is both with its message about how anyone can cosplay whatever they want regardless of how they look. not to mention the themes of reaching out to others. all wrapped in a nice package of no dialogue so that its the emotions at the center forefront.

Superjustinbros

Yeah.

Also this guy's hair.

RebelVampire

i like his hair and his smile combination. like both scream cocky little shit design wise and i love it cause he kind of is a cocky little shit. XD

Superjustinbros

Oh yes XD

Cocky little shits are my favorite

RebelVampire

another scene i want to show some appreciation too is the scene where we first meet kit's mom. like, i knew it was coming from the chapter title. but i enjoyed the twist it was her step-mom and theres a deeper issue going on. it turned what was easy to guess to something surprising again just by how the story plays out the reveal

Superjustinbros

https://tapas.io/episode/1370747 This is a pretty good page.

Hm, Doug McClure sounds a awful lot like this chap. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUg6e072vgA

RebelVampire

anything in particular you like about it super?

Superjustinbros

The last two panels.

And the followup

https://tapas.io/episode/1371714

dat backside

RebelVampire

i really love the back shot composition. like what a great way to show overwhelming odds

mathtans

Evening. Made it as far as the start of the Bully arc, so late 2018.

Superjustinbros

Yeah. Also ello

I love also how Doug's got like, a million pouches on his belt

I dunno it's a detial I like

mathtans

Yeah, the convention stuff was good. Some of those real-life scenarios that made you want to shake people are good when done right.

Superjustinbros

Yes

mathtans

I'm not sure if I have a big favourite moment, but I have some little ones. Like when that "pinball wizard" thing played as Kit was taking on that nozzle in the gaming store, and it turned out it was the coworker.

The guy at the school in the knight suit, who had the fascination with corndogs. Weird background detail, added some humour to an otherwise tense scene.

RebelVampire

i love the corndog knight

i want a spin-off comic of just them

cause i want to know about them

why are they a knight

why corndogs

so many questions

mathtans

Heh. Made me think of that other bounty hunter, pointy-ears, who also couldn't speak.

Also, did not expect the female reveal there.

And I liked how the scientist flipped out over his research having the higher bounty than himself. Like, that trumped everything else he was in the process of dealing with and he went on a rampage. Amusing.

RebelVampire

yeah the scientists in general was fairly hilarious in everything he tried to prioritize. although i enjoyed that at the end of the mission the crystal wound of broken anyway. cause i felt it was fitting given everything it had been through

mathtans

I thought it was really clever how the rock was used to blind the scientist. Kitty is this weird mix of hyper competent (like when she used the snack habits of that one guy to track him down) and absent-minded (like when she then didn't make a grab for the compound).

I'm not saying that's unrealistic or anything, I can totally see it.

Very "living in the moment" with a dash of forward thinking.

RebelVampire

nah i agree shes a really interesting character. like at first i wasnt sure id like her but some of her plans have been pretty spot. and to be fair a lot of the absent-minded ness you could write off as it her being a kid. so of course shes expected to be a kid and not always think through with her actions.

a more comedic moment i liked was at the end of Mor where Kit and Mary both have to stand there awkwardly making their false apologies to the whole school. this page especially cracks me up just cause of the sheer height diff between the two. i think that makes it extra hilarious https://tapas.io/episode/1215017

mathtans

It's true. And I'm still wrapping my head around the kid thing.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 2. One of the comic’s focuses and highlights are the action sequences found within. Of the characters Kit has pursued so far in her bounties, which has been your favorite? Why is that? Likewise, which bounty did you think had the best fight choreography? What do you specifically think makes the choreography the best one? Do you think we’ll see any of the criminal characters again? If so, what could that mean for Kit? Considering many of the villains parody stereotypes and similar things, what other sorts of characters do you think or hope we might see? Lastly, do you believe Kit will encounter more of her professional rivals? If so, what do you think will happen?

its okay i had my struggles wrapping my head around but the convention scene really cemented it for me for some reason. but that might just be personal association of conventions being largely for the youth.

mathtans

Incidentally, I wondered initially about the use of "der"... and then when Kitty used the term "Hoser" I thought she was Canadian. That proved incorrect, what with the Norwegian thing.

Ahh... yeah, I went to a certain convention for 20 years straight soooo...

Like, I want to ship, but it feels wrong. Normally if they're young I just think of it as cute, or picture them as older, and neither of those things kinda work here.

I wonder how big Kitty's gonna get when she's 20.

RebelVampire

i didnt start going to conventions till i was an adult but at the same time my experiences is that theyre largely dominated by the youth. not to say there arent older adults there. but the youth are the ones always around drawing attention to themselves being loud. but i digress, just wanted to give context for why it worked for me

mathtans

That's fair.

RebelVampire

tbh i just assumed she was full grown. cause i was actually only an inch or two shorter than my full height at 13 cause i sprouted up early

mathtans

As to the question of the moment, I admit I'm not huge on seeing action and choreography, tending to be bigger on characters anyway. Which is probably why that scientist one sticks out so much, since we got his whole backstory and everything.

I am gonna be in for such a shock when my little one grows up, aren't I.

That short gangster guy who stole the boat might return. It was implied.

RebelVampire

and i legit cant imagine kit taller cause she literally towers over everyone. although is she still shorter than her dad? cause if she is, shell probably be his height.

mathtans

I think she is. I'm equally bad at noticing that sort of thing.

RebelVampire

id have to look again just cause it wasnt something i was looking for and her dad was only in so many scenes XD

im torn on my answer to this question of the moment. i think i agree i like the scientist the best cause he got a lot of backstory. not to mention when kit was doing their dialogue for them from the roof i was like "nah shes gotta be exaggerating" then we meet the scientist and nope, he really is just that arrogant and she was spot on. so overally he was definitely the most entertaining

but for fight choreography, im picking the first bounty with the spin off kool aid man. i really enjoyed the use of the environment and just the sheer level of destruction that was visited upon that grocery store

mathtans

She knows her business. I wonder how long she's been at it.

Oh yeah, almost forgot about that one. I liked when Kitty roped the random customer.

RebelVampire

i liked when after the fight ended, the old lady asked if the employee who was buried under rubble basically could get her a new box

MoeAlmighty

And that was most difficult one to come up with

mathtans

The one with the orcs going after cows was also good, not for the fight (which I think was offscreen) but world building. Until then it was sort of, like, what's reality here anyway.

Oh, hello creator.

MoeAlmighty

Hello there all ^^\

mathtans

Rebel: That was a good scene for setting the tone.

Superjustinbros

Hello Moe!

MoeAlmighty

Thank you. It's always a challenge to come up with a beginning for a series.

Superjustinbros

Thanks for this cool comic of yours.

MoeAlmighty

Howdey

Thanks

Superjustinbros

No probs

And yeah all this talk about conventions is reminding me of all the ones I've been going to lately. Comic focused ones and hugely commercial conventions are easily the most populated-by-youth ones.

mathtans

"Annie" con was a clever name.

MoeAlmighty

It was a little play on words. I always like to make those little puns when I can(edited)

RebelVampire

i did enjoy the orcs with the cows. probably just cause of the extreme accent going on in that dialogue. but i also just love this concept that someone would think clearly humans are only good cause they drink milk. like someone really watched those got milk commercials too much.

mathtans

I very much approve of puns. Also Senshi Kitty.

The head orc was milking his time in the spotlight.

Superjustinbros

Puns are always good

RebelVampire

i do agree with you math that i got the impression well see the gangster who got away from the scientist again at some point. what it means for kit? i could see her being extra determined to catch him since he got away last time. but then maybe thats when well see buff elf chick again who is out for revenge.

MoeAlmighty

Defintely. Orcs have always been my favorite fantasy race to play around with

mathtans

biab

RebelVampire

i do appreciate orcs getting some love in a way cause in my experience theyre really underutilized in a lot of fantasy settings. can find elves everywhere, but nobody wants the orcs.

MoeAlmighty

Well nothing is off the table.^^

Orcs have always been treated as the bad guy or the henchman merely due to their monsterous appearence.

RebelVampire

speaking of not elves, i really like that this guy turned out to be the real villain from bully bully https://tapas.io/episode/1348464. partly cause it was a good twist that it was a bully victim becoming the bully. since that is very true to life. but also, selfishly, i noticed this character immediately in the background one time and i was like "ah man what an interesting looking side chara too bad well never learn about him" and then we learned about him.

QUESTION 3. Even in Kit’s dynamic world, she still has some unique mysteries surrounding her. Why do you think Kit is the only female in her family to receive Freyja’s blessing/curse, especially after it’s been so long it’s almost a myth? What do you think the story is behind Kit’s rage modes that seem to take over when she gets mad? What do you think happened to Kit’s mother, and why is Kit so sensitive about the subject of her mother in general? Additionally, why did Mary calling her mother a whore set her off in particular? Lastly, how do you think Kit got involved with being a Bounty Killer? Why do you think her family lets her pursue the career given how dangerous it all is?

MoeAlmighty

Oh yeah the Goblin. I thought it was a perfect opprotunity to not just introduce the Goblins , but I was also playing around with laying out clues in plain site for the reader to notice.

Superjustinbros

That's smart thinking/writing

MoeAlmighty

There are plans for future stories that are straight up mysteries Kit will have to sovle.

RebelVampire

that sounds exciting and like a good challenge for her character too.

in regards to the current question, i want to dissect the fact that kit's specific phrasing about her mother was that mary hadnt even cared who her mother was as a person. and to a degree, i kind of feel like it was projecting that set her off. that kit herself didnt know a whole lot about her mother. so it might not be so much that her mom was called a whore that did it, but that someone would make a bold claim about her mother when kit herself didnt even know her that well and has since lost the chance to get ot know her. but thats just me theorizing.

mathtans

Back, little one's asleep in the crib again. For now.

MoeAlmighty

Mm hm, It would show that Bounty Killers in the world aren't used for just nabbing a bad guy with a hefty sum on their head. Sometimes folks need someone to investigate with the police's involvement and not ask any questions

mathtans

Was Kitty maybe given up for adoption? (Is that what makes her worthy of the cat ears?)

The police were handy against the scientist too, for a little while.

Superjustinbros

That's a good way of expanding upon bounty hunters.

RebelVampire

i dont think given up for adoption fits cause mor said shes the step mom which implies kit's father is her biological dad. that and there is one pic where the dad is with the mom

mathtans

Oh, right. We did see her biological mom in that holiday special though, didn't we? And Kitty must remember enough to have taken up violin playing (on the roof). So... yeah I dunno.

RebelVampire

thats interesting to know that the bounties arent just for nabbing bad guys. although makes me wonder what kit is going to do when shes told to do something shady and just not ask questions

mathtans

Or was that not the biological mom, was that a younger Dar?

I can't see Kit not asking questions.

RebelVampire

that was her step-mom. her bio mom we only see briefly in a pic

https://tapas.io/episode/1279607

mathtans

I wasn't sure if it was her dad remembering another time in that scene though. Like, the previous stuff was a memory.

(I also don't get enough sleep these days.)

RebelVampire

i could see how youd get that interpretation but pretty sure it was the step-mom and the bio mom was just in the picture

MoeAlmighty

There are a lot of things I don't want to say because of spoilers and I'll be answering those kind of questions down the road. But to answer the question pretaining to Mary, they do indeed have some History as hinted.

mathtans

Mary is actually the younger cousin of the short boat-stealing gangster.

It's why her dad went into law.

MoeAlmighty

heh. that is a pretty interesting theory.

mathtans

(I need to have at least one insane theory and one ship per comic chat. I think it's in my contract.)

RebelVampire

puns are also in your contract math. although you already fulfilled that one.

mary's dad kind of spooks me. like hes a really domineering presence and idk if i want to believe hes good or bad.

MoeAlmighty

Truth is, when I created Mary, she was developed as just the rich girl who presented herself as Ms. Perfect while also having the spoiled brat persona as well

Superjustinbros

lol

mathtans

Oh right. Well, those come naturally. I wonder if her dad is part orc.

Superjustinbros

That's one of many ways to describe that

MoeAlmighty

Best way to describe him is that he's a Lawyer... a very wealthy lawyer.

Oh no, he's part Dutch lol

mathtans

Incidentally, I kind of like that Kit's got both cat ears and human ears, it tends to be how I draw my characters too (even if mine are just headbands). But it does make me wonder how the curse might have rewired her brain to deal with the extra input.

Oooh, a flying dutch man.

RebelVampire

all the dads just drink lots of milk

Superjustinbros

What about Doug.

RebelVampire

to be fair if kit's cat ears are more sensitive than her human ones the extra input probably doesnt matter cause one would hear it better than the other anyway. at worst i imagine things just sound even louder XD

mathtans

It's that special beer.

Maybe it's partly why Kat's so on edge at times.

Superjustinbros

mm, beer

Wait, what kind of beer we talkin

MoeAlmighty

It's kind of a mix bag with it comes to her ears. Internally they do connect to her regular ears and she can hear through them, but only if she concentrates. Mostly they just act like a short range radar or a sixth sense. Something like spidey's spider sense.

Ah yes, I've notice some folks like our esteem adventurer. Others not so much

RebelVampire

QUESTION 4. Besides the action, there is still a lot of slice-of-life material to be had in the comic as well. Do you think Kit will eventually tell Bia about her career? How do you think Bia will react to finding out about it? What challenges do you foresee awaiting Bia and Kit as their relationship continues to develop and secrets reveal themselves? Further, how do you see Kit balancing her school life in general with her job? Will she manage to maintain her grades and everything, or will things prove tougher than she expects? In terms of Kit’s regular life, what things are you hoping to see be explored in how she lives her day-to-day life? Lastly, are there any themes (like bullying) that caught your eye from the slice-of-life segments? What about them did you enjoy?

mathtans

It's cool that youv'e thought about that.

Honestly, the bounty-hunters clashing, while not necessarily slice-of-life, felt realistic and added depth to the idea of the job. Also revealed how their methods are non-lethal. And was the first ship I considered.

MoeAlmighty

Ah yes, I had a lot of folks doing a double take when I revealed her age.

RebelVampire

unrelated to the current question, i really hope we get to see more bounty killers in the story just cause they cant all work out as well as buff elf chick. also id really like to get a feel for the age range cause its concerning the gov was like "nah a 13 year old bounty killer? thats fine"

mathtans

That's a good point. Did she register under an assumed name?

Superjustinbros

Seconding Rebel.

MoeAlmighty

Well due to Kit's size, she may or may not of lied about her age when she took the job

mathtans

Also, I feel like the construction job field gets a lot of work in this universe. We only see Kitty's exploits but there have to be other incidents in the world as well.

Actually, magicians too must be a thing. And mimes.

Did not expect the mimes.

MoeAlmighty

Their are plans to explore other parts of world. One in particular is the Bounty Pick Up units sent to pick up the bounties and make out the reports.

Yes, beware the mimes ^^

I will be exploring a lot more of the Magis and how the magic works as well.

mathtans

Silent but deadly.

MoeAlmighty

very

mathtans

That short magic comic did a good job, I thought.

And I liked the money van guy critiquing the pun.

MoeAlmighty

Hm Hm, well not everything can be a homerun for our little cat girl

RebelVampire

yeah i really liked the short magic comic. cause it was funny and really did some good world-building

i also loved the cowboy bank robber

just cause he was a cowboy

and that was ridiculous

mathtans

Oh yeah, forgot about him.

I wonder how Kitty practices her quick draws.

Where do they lock these guys up, anyway? Regular jails seem like they wouldn't be sufficient.

MoeAlmighty

Yes, you don't see that many cowboys these days. But it was a perfect nod for one of the inspirations of the comic

Superjustinbros

Cowboys are fun.

MoeAlmighty

Um, they go to regular prison and go through the same process as the law provides^^

Superjustinbros

Always love one with an appealing design when one shows up.

MoeAlmighty

Very much so

RebelVampire

what sort of lawyer is mary's dad?

mathtans

How do you lock up an orc so that he doesn't just bend the bars?

MoeAlmighty

He's a defense lawyer

mathtans

He lawyers der fence.

RebelVampire

ah so i can say maybe mary's dad defends all these criminals kit tries to send to jail.

MoeAlmighty

Booooo

It's a possibility and her dad is very much against the Bounty Killer and the Bounty Board in general

Superjustinbros

ooh, is that so(edited)

mathtans

Circling back to Bia, it'd be amusing if someone in her family was also a bounty hunter. Kitty admits it and she's like, "oh, okay, I can see how you'd be good at that too".

RebelVampire

just to talk a bit about the current question, i do feel its inevitable kit has to tell bia about her job. cause i mean...kit isnt the most undestructive. just takes one time of showing up burnt to a crisp to school to give it away. but i think bia is gonna take it better than kit thinks shell take it. cause tbf, if i was bia i would not be surprised.

tbf i kind of agree with mary's dad. they might be catching criminals, but holy shit that property damage

mathtans

I feel like Bia might find out not through Kit though. Like maybe even via Kit's brother. Which could strain the relationship.(edited)

RebelVampire

especially the property damage caused by the scientist

cause even if they have the money to fix it, it still takes time

mathtans

Or magic.

MoeAlmighty

Bia finding out Kit is a Bounty Killer is inevitable, and it might happen happen sooner than you think

RebelVampire

it could strain their relationship too. though for some reason i feel for bia itd be more about the age thing than the danger thing if that makes sense. cause the career suits kit. just maybe not when kit is still 13, in school, and all that

mathtans

'Cept her dad is okay with it.

I feel like I'd totally be that dad by the way. Who makes concessions. Then ends up in trouble with mom too.

MoeAlmighty

It is going to a very unique exploring the relationship Kit and Bia have. In many ways, Bia will act more like the straight man of the relationship

Well Edward looks at it more like she's hunting game. expect the part of gutting it and cleaning it for food^^

RebelVampire

i just want to say i really love kit's dad and i hope we get to see him more. he seems just so utterly likeable. like a gentle giant

mathtans

Just want to give a shout-out to the school nun badass. Possibly like the opposite to dad.

MoeAlmighty

He is indeed^^

Superjustinbros

Since the CTP is wrapping up in a bit, I'd like to wish @MoeAlmighty the best of luck with Kitty Kitty Bang Bang, it's got a great artstyle, story, and some good humor.

mathtans

Oh right, pretty good stuff done with only black and white too.

MoeAlmighty

Yes, Beatrice is indeed a beast^^

Thank you so much^^

Superjustinbros

You're welcome! ^^

RebelVampire

yeah i loved the nun. especially her epic entrance and this page https://tapas.io/episode/1188530

like everything about that page is perfect

"Keeper of the Lunch Period"

MoeAlmighty

God help the guilty

mathtans

Indeed.

Probably a bumper sticker on her car.

MoeAlmighty

I'm sure everyone here remembers that one teacher that kept everyone in check at lunch period

best bumper sticker ever

mathtans

Kitty has some nice exclamations too.

Superjustinbros

lol

Anyways, cya till next time, and thanks for dropping by @MoeAlmighty

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB END!

Sadly, this wraps up this week’s Thursday Book Club chat for now. Thank you so much to everyone for reading and joining us! We want to give a special thank you to Moe, as well, for making Kitty Kitty Bang Bang. If you liked the comic, make sure to support Moe’s efforts however you’re able to~!

Read and Comment: https://tapas.io/series/kkbbcomic

Moe’s Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/MoeAlmighty

Moe’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/theMoeAlmighty

#ctparchive #comics #webcomics #indie comics #comic chat #comic discussion #book club #bookclub #webcomic book club #webcomic bookclub #comic tea party #ctp #kitty kitty bang bang #moe

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mostlysignssomeportents · 7 years

Text

Eulogy for Erik "Possum Man" Stewart #5yrsago

Today, many friends and loved ones of Erik "Possum Man" Stewart gathered at Toronto's Mount Pleasant Cemetery to remember him and his life. I gave a eulogy. Many of Possum's friends asked me for the text of it, and I promised them that I'd post it here. He was remarkable, and the event was bittersweet, full of beloved old friends and sad contemplation.

Erik "Possum Man" Stewart was one of my oldest friends. His death was a freak occurrence, one of those awful outflows of the statistics of small probabilities and large numbers. Take any infinitesimal outcome, multiply it by a large enough population and it becomes a near certainty.

It was the sort of statistical oddity that Possum loved to chew over. Though he was technically a vegan or a vegetarian through all the years we knew each other -- we met when I was 16 -- what Possum mostly liked to chew on was oddities.

Possum was an odd guy. I think he'd be offended if I failed to note that from the start. Possum was a glorious weirdo, a one-of-a-kind limited edition angel-headed weapons-grade oddfellow of the first water and of the very highest standing. He had a ponytail, and he had gotten pretty serious about yoga every now and again, he subsisted largely on elements of the vegetable kingdom and he liked living in group houses, so you might be tempted to call him something trite like a "seeker" or a "hippie" but how wrong you would be.

What Possum was was *fearless*. Oh, maybe he was afraid of heights or getting punched in the nose by random drunks or getting hit by a car on his bike, but that's just rational calculus. It's math. Possum was very, very good at math. If he feared those things, he did so in precise keeping with their statistical likelihood and took whatever steps were available to mitigate them and then he didn't sweat them. He never sweated the unimportant stuff. He used to lose his movie tickets between buying them and giving them to the ticket taker. All the time. It got so that I would carry the tickets for both of us. He didn't mind.

What Possum was fearless of was social disapprobation. He wasn't afraid of looking stupid. He wasn't afraid of looking odd. He wasn't afraid of being laughed at. These are the fears that skewer us poor normals through our hearts, freeze the blood in our veins. They're the reason that the Emperor takes his tailors at their word when they assure him that his new invisible clothes are impeccable. They're the fears that cause the townspeople to profess admiration for those clothes. They're the fears that cost the Emperor all authority and power when a small, fearless child points out his nudity.

These are the fears behind every act of greed and depravity, every moment of selfish grasping. They are the root of cowardice and shame. The fear of looking stupid, of saying the wrong thing -- these are the fears that make good people do bad things. And these are the fears that Possum lacked utterly.

We call him Possum because when he was in elementary school, at the Waldorf, he invented a superhero alter-ego for himself called Possum Man, and he drew this character, complete with a cape. Erik actually owned a cape at one point. When you asked him what Possum-Man's super powers were, he would laugh and say that Possum-Man was super-powered-ly nearsighted, and had the ability to super-sleep while hanging upside-down from his super-tail. But he never enumerated Possum-Man's most important super-power, the one that let him fight crime and foil evil: he had the power of absolute moral courage.

Because that's what moral courage is: the refusal to give into fear of being ridiculed or despised. Possum was the bravest man I knew.

How glorious that sort of bravery is. Everything was up for grabs with Possum. He had a sweater he wore inside out for many years. Why inside out? Because the information-rich tails and cross-weaves and seams revealed on the sweater's inside were more interesting than the uniform weave of the exterior. When he pointed this out to me, I thought about it and realised, objectively, that he was absolutely correct. I think I was 17 and he was 19 when we had that conversation, so, about 24 years ago. In those intervening 24 years, I can't tell you how many times I've caught sight of an inside-out sweater and thought, you know, Possum was *right*, this *is* better than the outside. I should totally wear this sweater inside-out. But I never do it, because I'm not nearly so brave as our Possum was.

Possum and I used to joke that one day he would wear his underwear on his head. He'd get up one morning, open his drawer and contemplate his underwear and think something like, "Well, it's got that great elasticated waistband that would form a good seal around my forehead, but it'd leave my ears free so I could hear the cars when I was out riding." And out the door he'd go, underwear on his head. I don't know if he ever tried wearing his underwear on his head, but I rather think he did, and I'll tell you why: it's because he *didn't* wear his underwear on his head routinely, and that means that he almost certainly tried out wearing an underwear hat under various field conditions and concluded that it wasn't as good in practice as it had seemed in theory. He never took anything at face value.

Possum was a glorious and frustrating conversationalist. Not being afraid of seeming stupid, he would cheerfully question anything you brought up that he didn't understand. He didn't mind detours. In fact, the more the better. He wasn't talking with you to get somewhere: he was talking to find out where he would get to. So if you said, "It was cold out there day and I couldn't find my hat and --" He might interrupt and say, "Did you think of wearing your underwear on your head?" And off you'd go. Any conversation with Possum Man was conducted on a narrow ledge over a deep chasm of meta, and at any given moment, he might happily plunge off the ledge, wearing wings he'd fashioned from wax and feathers, and take you with him for a swoop.

He was Possum at N-Space Dot Org. Why N-Space? Because he could visualise up to seven spatial dimensions using only three physical dimensions. He thought it would be great if the rest of us could do so, too. This lifelong, off-and-on project began with an attempt to write a four-dimensional Pong for the 386 in assembler. Then it morphed into an attempt to make four-dimensional Tetris for the Newton. There were attempts in Java and I wouldn't be surprised if he was contemplating WebGL and cracking his knuckles and thinking, "here, at last, is the way that I will show the world to see as I do."

I never quite managed to see the world Possum did, though sometimes I got flashes of it, and I count myself lucky for having caught those momentary glimpses. Possum-Space is curved in a way that makes everything far more interesting. For instance, Possum went through a stage of fascination with stereoscopy, and made stereoscopes from paper-towel rolls.

Now, before I go on, I have to explain how Possum became ambidextrous. Because, of course, he was ambidextrous! It started one day in his teens when he woke up and discovered that his dominant arm -- I want to say he was left-handed then, but I could be wrong -- was paralysed. A freak thing. But he switched to his other hand, and when his dominant arm came back, he taught himself to juggle in order to rebuild his strength and coordination. Man, could that guy juggle. At our housewarming party, he juggled machetes in the living room and flaming torches on the porch.

Anyway, the incident left Possum ambidextrous. He was always doing different things with his hands, not really multitasking per se, but figuring out how to use this coordination to his advantage. And then he got into the stereoscopes. And one day he said to me, "I think I want to learn to focus my eyes independently, like a lizard." I nodded. "All right, why?" "Oh," he said. "Because that way I could walk and read a book at the same time. I might even work my way up to cycling and reading, eventually."

So he taped two identical pictures to the ends of paper-towel rolls, and hold them up to his eyes, and focused his eyes on them, and then, slowly, he pulled the rolls apart, trying to keep the pictures in focus. He kept this up until his next optometrist's appointment. He told the optometrist about his training regime and the guy apparently nearly keeled over. "You're doing WHAT? Dammit, you're going to blind yourself! Cut it out!"

"OK," he said, and moved on to the next thing. Probably something to do with juggling, and/or n-space.

Possum did comics. He'd read comics all his life, and my first really exciting comics discoveries came from of his collection. But one day he came home with a copy of Scott Macleod's magnificent UNDERSTANDING COMICS, and he was full of holy fire. Now he understood how comics *worked*, and he was eager to try his hand at them.

There was only one problem. Possum couldn't draw very well. He was not one of nature's born draughtsmen. I say this without condemnation, as a man whose four-year-old daughter can already draw better than he can. But Possum didn't *care* if he couldn't draw well, because he could draw *recognizably* and *expressively*, and because what he lacked in draughtsmanship he made up for with composition and story ideas and sincerity.

Possum would draw you comics. If you had a good discussion with him that reached some natural limit, he'd sometimes try to continue his point by means of comic. He once drew me a comic explaining how a fourth spatial dimension would function. He was a great one for giving comics to his ex-girlfriends. I remember the first one of these he drew. When my relationships failed, I'd end up a roiling ball of pointless bitterness and recrimination. When Possum's heart was broken, he drew sweet, forgiving funnybooks that continued his point by means of comic. He didn't care that he wasn't the greatest drawer -- he just patiently worked through every graphic storytelling style he could imagine until he arrived at one that didn't demand virtuosity in drawing. That's what fearless people can do: turn lemons into lemonade all day long.

But please don't get the impression that Possum was a pushover. Possum's gift of bravery was coupled with profoundly held principles. I rarely saw him get angry, but I *never* saw him yield on a point of substantial principle. As easygoing as he was, I literally can't imagine him saying, "Aw, just this once, no one will ever know."

Possum was a brilliant, terrible student. He absorbed knowledge like a sponge, and that meandering, boundless curiosity made him a natural synthesist, finding the unsuspected connections between different disciplines and ideas. He spent many years at SEED School -- and inspired me to hang around high school for seven years! -- and when it was done, he refused every credit and told them that he would not accept a formal diploma for the work he'd done. Assigning numerical grades to learning cheapened knowledge and undermined education. Take your A plusses and your C minuses and give 'em to someone who cares about them. I learned for me, not for you, and it is an insult to both reason and math to say that someone is 80 percent competent in history or 68.5 percent competent in English literature. Even worse is the absurd idea that someone has attained 100 percent in Calculus. What a boring world it would be if you could really attain 100 percent in anything that matters worth a sweet damn.

Education was Possum's overweening passion. When we worked together at OpenCola -- he was the first person we hired -- and I asked him what he'd do if his stock was worth something someday, he said, without blinking, that he'd establish a free school where anyone could learn in the way that suited her best. Years later, he helped found the remarkable AnarchistU project, because in the final analysis, you don't need a dotcom fortune to do education right. A wiki will suffice, if you have passion.

I want to finish these words with a memory of Possum that I've turned over in my mind so many times that it's gone all soft at the edges. It was a February night around 1990, and I was going through a very rough time in my life. I was walking home from something or other, and I had a tape on in my walkman, and song came on and it was one of those moments when music punctures your gloom and sends you a single shaft of hopeful light. I got home and Possum was still up, and I said, "Hey, come listen to this song, it's really put me in a good mood."

I cued it up and Possum listened and smiled and tapped his feet and somehow, we started to dance. You know that proverb, "Dance as though no one were watching?" I've never really mastered that. Even when I'm truly alone, I can't quite escape the critical gaze of my own mind's eye. But that night, Possum taught me to dance as though no one was watching. That night, being with Possum, I had a moment of true fearlessness, a moment where he taught me to silence the nagging doubts and the stupid meta-cognition and the artifice and affect. For that shining moment, I got to be as brave as Possum. It was truly one of the greatest moments of my life.

Like all of you, Possum touched my world and made it a better place. He opened the transdimensional gateway to a realm of boundless curiosity and patient, good-natured charm. He lived his life as though he had all the time in the world, and would neither hurry you nor would he be rushed. He didn't have all the time in the world. He was taken at a cruelly early age. But it would be a mistake to take his death as a sign to live our lives as though we were running out of time. Remember Possum by wearing an inside-out sweater. Remember him by wearing your underwear on your head. A fitting tribute to Erik would be to take inspiration from him to live life as though you had all the time in the world: time to be curious, time to be thoughtful, time to be kind, and above all, time to be fearless.

Thank you.

https://boingboing.net/2012/06/27/eulogy-for-erik-possum-man.html

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millyonmarz · 4 years

Text

Nick Church full response

Firstly, how long have you been in the photography industry? I started quite late in life. I got my first camera in 2015, and it went from there. I sold my first photographic prints early in 2015 and that funded some better equipment. My first wedding was late in 2015. I have always had an interest and hobby in art, using pen and inks, so this meant that I already had compositional skills about what makes an appealing image. Also, with a technical and physics background I knew how optics work, how light works and so learning a camera and all the software I needed was quite easy for me. This is not necessary at all as anyone can pick these things up, but it did mean I ramped up very quickly.

How did you transition from a career managing software companies to one specialising in photography? This was tough. If you are going to make it a new career (rather than a sideline) then you need to either 1) have enough capital to fund you while you grow your business or 2) try to grow it in parallel to your current job. I took option 2 as with a young family, large mortgage and other commitments, I could not take the risk of leaving a well-paid job unless I knew it was viable. The techniques and strategy I used to grow my photography business quickly and successfully are now taught to others through my Photography Workshops.

How has your previous career managing companies in the software industry benefitted your practise as a photographer? I think a photographer and a photography business should be the same thing. Many creatives are not as strong on the business side of things, but it’s so important if you want to make a successful career. Remember, you do not need to do this yourself, if its really not your thing, get someone else to do that bit. Do what you do best, outsource the rest. My previous career means that I am able to make strategic decisions around what areas I want to grown to meet market demand. I have systems in place to ensure I can adapt quickly to new opportunities and this too is from my previous career and it’s called being Agile. Agile is a term well used in the software development industry, but has yet to make it in photography. But it’s what I do and means I have a competitive advantage over companies that may not even detect new opportunities, yet alone have the mindset to be able to adapt to take advantage.

How have your artistic talents; specifically architecture and drawing, impacted the way in which you shoot your images? As mentioned above, it meant I was quick to ramp up. With a civil engineering background (actually what I studied at university) I like to use perpective to draw the viewer into the shot. This is especially important with architecture where sometimes you want an immersive experience so that the viewer can really appreciatre the space and how it has been designed and produced within the wider environmental context.

What lead you to decide to specialise in wedding photography specifically? Fundamentally it was financial. 80% of money spent on photography outside of commercial is on weddings. It’s the one genre that most people will use at some point in their lives, and so it was the easiest to get traction in. It is also the genre where lack of photography skills are the least barrier. That sounds bad, I know. But what I mean is that yes to be regarded as among the best you need to be exceptional. But for many couples, especially those on a lower budget or those without appreciation of what photography should look like there is an opportunity to start getting work. Weddings especially need more than photography skills, it’s inter-personal skills, blending in, being professional and pleasant on the day, managing crowds well etc etc. Someone that can do all this really well, but have less skill in photography may still do really well. Portrait photography is the opposite, as all that is important is the portrait. If it looks crap, regardless of how chatty you were, you are unlikely to do well

How much creative control do you have when working to create something specifically catered for individuals? I retain creative control over almost everything. Clients book me because they want what they have seen me do with other weddings, and so most realise the way to get that is to just let me drive things. Sometimes couples have a ‘shot’ in mind that they want or an idea that they would like to expore. This can go one of two ways, it can be either horribly cheesy or awkward in which case I wish I’d been firmer and not done it, or it can take me out of my comfort zone and I’m really pleased we took the ideas on.

Practical elements

What are the processes involved with planning a wedding shoot and to which extent do you involve the client in this practical planning prior to the event? I have a consultation meeting with my clients 2-3 months before the wedding. This is when they will mention any speciflc shots that they want to have and let me know what formal group shots they would like. I will usually then take any ideas they have had and spend an hour or two thinking about how to make this wedding different and create something stunning. Experience of the venue, perhaps a visit, or at least a google-stalk is useful in put to this.

Your use of lighting in a multitude of different venues and locations is really impressive, how do you cope with ever-changing, unpredictable weather conditions and available lighting? Weddings are all about doing ‘your best in all circumstances’. Being good at adapting to conditions not only makes for better shots for your clients, but makes for a much more relaxing shoot. There are wedding photographers that never get over the ‘being sick in the morning’ nerves. This is always caused by the unknowns ahead of them and whether or not they will be able to adapt. In particule if in winter, will it be too dark so that they need to use flash. If you are confident using flash then this is no problem. The light can always be used to your advantage. If there is not much light, then finding pockets of it can create really atmospheric shots, shots much better than you will get with streaming sunshine in August. For those weddings the problem is finding enough shade, so we head into tree cover and look for some shady shafts of light. Always a winner. I am really keen on the Chiaroscuro style of lighting, as used by Rembrandt and co. I think it gives great character to the image and this increasingly defines my style.

Wedding photography often means working with a multitude of different characters with different requirements and specific tastes; what personable skills have you learnt as a result of this? I’ve always been fairly good at adapting to groups of people and fitting in. After a while you get a good sense of who will happily be teased a bit, who you need to be super polite to, who is paying your fee etc etc. This is probably one of the most important bits of the job as no one ever recommends a photographer on their work alone, it’s usually because they were really friendly and nice.

I feel that there must be an enormous amount of pressure on a wedding photographer in having the responsibility to successfully capture such an important day, how do you manage these expectations? Its all about confidence. You can increase your confidence by being 100% trusting of your kit. Dual card slots, dual cameras and extra lenses. You want to make sure that there is no event that you could not cope with (within reason). The other thing is that when your camera becomes an extension of you, then a strange calm comes over you as you know that you will intuitively find the controls you need to get the shot you have in your mind.

The other thing to remember is that most shots you can take twice, even a first kiss in a church you can take again if you cock it up. At a push, confetti can be done again. There are a few bits that can’t so that’s why you over shoot heavily to make sure you get something. Also, the clients do not know what shots you have in your camera (which may not be useable) and they do not know what you had in your mind. Most shots they wlll love, even if its not what you really wanted to deliver. Take any lessons learned to the next gig.

do you hire a retoucher/editor for post-processing? If so, how much creative control do you have over the final result? Yes, since summer last year I started using an editor. It saves me so much time that I wish I had done it before. Initially you provide your lightroom presets and so the tones are correct, and for the first few shoots you give a bit of feedback so they can re-work things. But after a while a good editor will simply start sending galleriesr that look like yours. And in any case, any differences are very small, your clients will never notice. We are our biggest critics. Outsourcing editing is a good example of working out where your efforts are best placed. I suddenly realised one day that I was spending 20 hours on an edit (3 days) and actually, I could outsource it, the client would never know the difference and I could spend all that time working more interesting and valuable things. For me, this was how I grew Nick Church Photography Education to train other photographers.

Is there a specific balance between candid/staged photographs you aim to achieve at every wedding or does it depend on the client? Some clients are more relaxed than others, and some actually request that most shots are documentary style. I do a combination of posed/natural shots. So I put the couple in some nice light and let them interact naturally so that the connections between them come out. Then I get back and take the shot so that I’m not interfering with those emotions at all. This makes photos feel real.

I noticed Nick Church photography offers both photographs and film packages, how do you allocate your time both shooting film and images? That’s easy, my Son who studies film at Ravensbourne Uni in London shoots my wedding films. We have a similar style and so the two compliment each other well. I do not market the wedding films, rather just offer them as an add-on. The reason for this is that I worry that clients might think that the more services I can offer the less expertise I’ll bring to both. Ie. The jack of all trades, master of none principle. I might change this view in the future, but I want to be known as a photographer first and foremost.

Which camera/lenses/flashes do you use?

I use Sony cameras, 2 x A7Riii. I have a range of lenses. For most the day I have a Sony GM 70-200 f/2.8 on one camera and a Sigma ART 35mm f/1.4 on the other. Later on I might swap to my Zeiss 85mm f1.8 when light starts to fade, or I might move to a wide 18mm for dancefloor shots. Depends on how I want to convey the atmosphere. Like many wedding photographers I use Godox v860ii flashes. These are amazing things that allow you to trigger any of the others from the flash using a radio link. It’s a really versatile way to get the lighting you need on a wedding day when setup times are short.

How many meetings with the clients occur prior to the actual shoot day? Usually just the one. Sometimes two, sometimes none. But usually one. Some couples want to meet before they book which is fine if it’s not too far away, or if they are happy to come to my studio. I’m thankfully past the point of driving all over the place to chase bookings and then have then choose someone else.

What are three essential parts of your photography kit you are never without whilst shooting? 70-200mm lens. Don’t really care about the camera system/brand as long as I can have this I also always have a spare battery, SD card and a cleaning cloth. With those things I can pretty much shoot a whole wedding if I had to. If I travel on a plane, these are the things I keep in my hand luggage for that reason!

How much do you charge for a deposit vs the full price to hire you for a day? I always specify it as a booking fee rather than a deposit. There is a legal advantage to this, as a deposit can be requested back if it goes to court. A booking fee though is to pay for your time and systems to take the booking so easier to argue that they cannot have it back if they ever cancel. I charge a 20% booking fee in almost all cases. It’s high enough that they won’t want to lose it (by cancelling or going with someone else), but low enough that it’s not too much of a barrier to booking me.

Please tell me a valuable mistake you made when you first started shooting weddings, how have you learnt from this? I think my mistake was to not have the systems in place that I needed. This is always a problem, because when you are starting out a google spreadsheet and a calendar are enough. But then during a conference call with my ‘day job’, I had a sms from a client saying simply ‘Hi Nick, we’re at the venue, are you on your way?’. I went pale, felt sick and thought I might have a heart attack as it sounded like something had slipped between the cracks and I’d forgotten a wedding. I looked up the person’s name, found the email,s and discovered that I had actually just missed the wedding meeting at the venue. Still bad, but not something I’ll get sued over.

This made me immediately invest in a studio management system. This is a package that manager contacts, shoots, invoices, contracts and diary. It is now my second brain. I should have had one from the start as if you are organised you come across as professional.

do you have liability insurance? Yes, always, and make sure my clients know it.

how do you manage your pay x time if the event lasts longer than expected? With weddings, referrals are a big part of your marketing strategy. So it’s tough because if a wedding runs over and you need to stay longer, you don’t want your last face-to-face interaction to be you saying you are leaving or they need to pay more. To cope wth this I often ask people during the consultation meeting what should happen in this event. Then I stay longer but retain the option to invoice later for the extra hours. To be honest, the reason I stay later is usually to capture some fireworks and so who is going to complain too much about that, so I often do not bother invoicing. Again, it would mean that our last interaction would be ‘thanks for letting me see the fireworks and have some more food, here is an invoice for my time… “

do you charge a travel fee and what does that cover? As above, I put in my contract that I may charge for travel at 45p per mile. If it’s under 50 miles I tend not to bother, but if it’s in Cornwall, I would be out of pocket otherwise. But it’s case-by-case. IF I think saying that travel will be free will get me the booking, then I’ll offer it.

What is provided as part of Nick Church photography’s service? How many pictures will be taken and how many does the client get to choose for an album? I usually will take around 4000 images on a wedding day. After culling (choosing the images to deliver) this ends up with the client getting between 500-700. If they have ordered an albm, they can choose 40 initially. This is set steatefically to sound like plenty, but not enough in practice, so they often need to buy extra pages.

- how many are then edited and sent as final images?

do you offer your clients digital negatives or unlimited downloads? I will never send a raw image out, and this is the general case for all photographers. I have found that any clients asking for raws do not understand what they actually want. They are usually talking about very high quality formats, so TIF is an option as this is raw-like in quality, but still contains the edit.

I tell my clients that they are unable to share the full-resolution digital images. Naturally, there is no way to administer this but I think most adhere. The reason for this is that I have an online store which they CAN share to family and friends, and I get a small revenue from prints that way. This revenue would be zero if people could get free images.

How many team members are present at a wedding shoot? Often it’s just me, but sometimes I will have an assistant. The assistant could be someone that is keen to learn, someone that I am training to shoot weddings on their own (for Nick Church Photography). Sometimes there is a second shooter and a film-maker also.

How do you manage finances considering you are freelance? Al invoicing is managed from my Studio Management System. This means that payment of a booking fee will send a receipt and confirm the shoot, blocking my time out on in the calendar etc. In terms of accounts I used to do this myself, and submit my returns to HMRC, but it took me about 7 days total effort every time. I have since had to register for VAT which means returns every quarter so I now have an accountant and use Quickbooks to manage everything. Yes, there is expense attached to it, but to be honest, it’s much cheaper than 7 days of my time

Branding/team

How many people work for your company and are a part of Nick Church Photography? I have no direct employees, but have 6 sub-contractors that I employ as needed for shoots, video, editing etc. Nick Church Photography has become a collective of photographers that I aim to give the same experience as if I was shooting myself. This is a really useful model.

How did you navigate branding yourself in such an oversaturated industry where there is a lot of competition? You have to offer something different. For creative industries that means just don’t be the same as everyone else. The more style you have in your images that defines you the better as people will see it, want it, and pay more for it. If everyone is the same the ONLY thing you can compete on is price.

What would you say is Nick Church Photography’s USP? I am passionate about delivering images that take people’s breath away – something for them to put on the wall, not in the back of a cupboard. I also want to do this with a service level that is above the normal

How have your features in magazines such as ‘your Bristol and Somerset wedding’ and a multitude of podcasts benefited your company in terms of exposure to a greater variety of clients? I would say that your example is one that has NOT been very useful. I don’t think brides shot for wedding suppliers by magazines these days, so it is something that I will not be too bothered chasing in future. However, podcasts and professional photography magazines are a different story. These give you a known name in the industry. It’s not something that is directly marketable to photography clients, but it is something I am now using for my workshops. Many of my attendees of classes first heard me on a podcast.

I have also created a Facebook Group called Nick Church Photography Collective. This is a space for supportive, collaborative photographers to learn, talk and share work together and it’s a really good place to hang out. You are welcome to join.

How have you insured that the branding of Nick Church Photography (specifically your website) branding has represented your company? My branding is aimed to be elegant, and identifiable but straightforward. I think that represents me as a person too. Logo etc is very simple, partly this is because it means it is less likely to date, but also without a branding expert I had to do it myself! 😊

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drink-n-watch · 4 years

Text

Editing Irina here: I have to admit this post got a bit away from me. instead of a simple list of anime directors I happen to like it turned into this little diatribe about the role of directors in anime production and now it’s way too long. Still I did enjoy writing it so I’m leaving it in but feel free to skip to the list section. I won’t be sad!

For some time I’ve been under the impression that anime directors have a much bigger impact on their end product than live action directors. By no means am I trying to imply that a traditional director does not shape the works they are a part of but for me, it wasn’t as flagrant. There are a lot of directors whose filmography stuns me. Unless they’re big names they don’t necessarily have that much control over the final cut so even renowned directors have some pretty confusing early movies. To me, I tend to notice writer directors way more, than those that stick to just directing.

But in anime, I almost never get caught off guard. I can usually see clear family resemblances between shows from a same series director even if they get produced by a different studio and are in completely different genres. I’m sure there are a lot of reasons for that but I think one of the main differences is storyboarding.

As far as I know, pretty much all shows and movies have storyboards. It’s a basic part of film production. I’m sure there are some rebels out there who just go out and wing it, but when it comes to animated works it’s considerably less optional. It also has more impact.

Even if a director didn’t write a particular series (or adapt it as is usually the case) they always have a final say on the storyboards, if they didn’t outright create them. The storyboards guide and shape the action in such a precise and deliberate way that it’s impossible not to leave a trace. This makes the director’s input as important and obvious as the writer.

or maybe not… no need to get mad

Of course, anime directors also have control of the appearance of a given series but unlike real life shows they are not bound by physical or budgetary constraints when it comes to setting and are never forced into bad casting…. Actually that’s not true. They don’t have to deal with any particular actor’s looks or physicality but they could get stuck with some horribly miscast voice actor and that can be just as damaging.

This said, as far as appearances go, animation in general allows for a much tighter control over the look of a series than would otherwise be possible. It also allows for easy signature looks. You know certain design styles and colours are favoured by certain directors and show up in most of their works. After a while you can tell at the glance when a new show is likely from a director you like. Of course you can get fooled.

The same type of signature look is very difficult and mostly, very expensive to recreate in a live action setting. Not to mention that because it is so involved, a lot of directors will purposefully avoid creating one as it can end up distracting from the story. I heard that in an interview. I don’t remember the director who said it but I like to think it was subtle shade at Tim Burton.

Animation is a more independent venture than traditional film making. Unlike actors on a set, animators do not have to be physically in the same room to create a scene. Everything is compartmentalized. Designers come up with a design. The tons of artists draw the different elements and scenes, separately. The images go somewhere else to be cleaned up and coloured. They then get put together and edited by different people once more. After that the voice and soundtracks are created. And all these people never even have to meet. The producer and director become much more vital to making sure all the moving parts fit together.

it sometimes works better than others

Because of how central the anime directors role is, they tend to leave their fingerprints all over the production. Not to mention that generally speaking, aside from new media (i.e. YouTube) most media has more oversight than anime and as such anime directors have more freedom to mould their shows than even western animation directors. Let me tell you, most of the stuff that comes out of the big anime studios would never fly at Disney. Wait, does Disney own anime now? It’s possible, they own everything else…

Once again, I want to make sure that I don’t sound like I’m trivializing the role of classic directors. They can make or break a movie or show in any format. I’m just saying that I personally feel the director’s presence more in anime than other mediums.

And it’s therefore particularly bad that I hardly ever acknowledge them. I speak or writers, voice actors, studios but I hardly ever mention directors. I would like to fix that today with a very short list of anime directors I am currently interested in. This is by no means an exhaustive list!

Hiroyuki Imaishi

Renowned key animator, director and co-founder of studio Trigger. Regardless of what people may say about Trigger’s narrative choices, most do agree that their productions are usually stylish and distinctive.

As a director Imaishi has helmed:

Dead Leaves (2004)

Gurren Lagann (2007)

Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt (2010)

Kill la Kill (2013)

Space Patrol Luluco (2016)

Promare (2019)

Considering my deep love for both Gurren Lagann, Kill la Kill and Promare, it’s not surprising that he tops my list. Beyond just the visual flare and fantastic palette choices, I find that Imaishi is very skilled at pacing high action with emotional verve. His works are often tongue in cheek and meant to convey deeper meaning and questioning through high speed antics and crazy over the top moments. He manages to balance out both plot and character development with good ole fashion fun in a way that has always managed to suck me in.

Kunihiko Ikuhara

A fantastic creator and veteran of the anime industry, if his name is attached to a project, it has my attention. Especially as a director. Utena alone was enough to win my devotion but this guy also directed:

Sailor Moon R (and a lot of Sailor Moon in fact – also Hell Yeah Sailor Moon!!!)

Revolutionary Girl Utena

Penguindrum

Yurikuma Arashi (will see this really soon)

Sarazanmai (I fell in love with this)

I don’t think I made my point clear enough, but Sailor Moon was a great series and it does NOT get enough credit. It should have been considered on of the Big Boys but somehow never makes the list. A travesty. Since Ikuhara often has a hand in writing or storyboarding the shows he directs, they often have a certain feel to them. That feel is bonkers. This guy loves him some surrealism and so do I. I don’t know what his next project will be but count me in.

Yuki Yase

Ok, I’m not gonna lie, I enjoy good visuals and strong compositions. I sort of give them disproportionate importance. So the director of Fire Force made this list. Whatever else it may be, the series has given me some of my best gallery posts by far.

Yuki Yase may not be quite as seasoned as the two I mentioned so far and although he’s worked as an episode director a lot (and in some very prestigious shows), he only has a few full series to his name:

Fire Force (TV)

Hidamari Sketch × Honeycomb (TV)

Kubikiri Cycle: Aoiro Savant to Zaregoto Tsukai (OAV)

Mekakucity Actors (TV)

Admittedly aside from Fire Force I’ve only seen Mekakucity Actors but it made an impression. I would say he is one of the most adventures directors I know, unafraid to experiment with productions. Sometimes even a bit too much but then again, I appreciate the verve. Both shows are distinctive and visually interesting which is enough to make me want to see what’s next.

Naoyoshi SHIOTANI

Naoyoshi Shiotani has been in the business for a while and racked up quite a few credits but as a director, he’s basically done two things. Blood+ and Psycho Pass. But pretty much all of Psycho Pass) I haven’t watched the second season of Psycho Pass (and I haven’t great things), but I have seen clips of it. And one thing I enjoy about Shiotani is his consistence. I can tell its Psycho Pass from a mile away. And it’s not all up to character designs and backgrounds. Colour choice, voice actor delivery, movement framing and camera angles. All of them have a very specific style and remain true in both movies and series throughout the years. There’s a dedication to his direction which I just appreciate. He also manages to spread out a complicated story in such a way that it’s clear for the audience without talking down to the viewers. That’s a gift.

Takuya Igarashi

Wikipedia makes a point of stating that Igarashi is a freelance director, I’m not sure why. And I might never have picked up on this guy until last season of Bungo Stray Dogs basically made me get a pinterest account so I could keep all my screencaps safe. It was gorgeous. The framing in the series, the angles… Beautiful and masterfully integrated into the atmosphere and ambiance of the series.

Bungo Stray Dogs (TV) : Bungo Stray Dogs (TV 3) :

Bungo Stray Dogs 2 (TV) : ) Bungo Stray Dogs: Dead Apple (movie) : Bungo Stray Dogs: Hitori Ayumu (OAV) : Captain Earth (TV) :

Ojamajo Doremi (TV) :

Sailor Moon Sailor Stars (TV) (Hells Yeah Sailor Moon)

Soul Eater (TV) (whoa)

Star Driver (TV)

Zatch Bell: Attack of Mechavulcan (movie 2)

So I guess the moral of the story is, I like directors who worked on Sailor Moon at some point? Good moral. Let’s go with that!

I am going to start paying more attention to the production team when new anime get announced cause that’s usually the best indicator of how likely I am to enjoy a show. Who am I kidding..? I’m gonna look at the promo picture band decide entirely based on that. Reading is hard guys! But maybe I’ll look at the production staff of the first few shows! Baby steps.

Do you have any favourite anime directors? Who are they?

Way Too Long My Top 5 Anime Directors post Editing Irina here: I have to admit this post got a bit away from me. instead of a simple list of anime directors I happen to like it turned into this little diatribe about the role of directors in anime production and now it's way too long.

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