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mostlysignssomeportents · 1 year

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If sf asks, “what if the machine had a different social arrangement?” then steampunk asks, “what would it be like if we could have the productive benefits of machines without their regimentation?”

A craft worker enjoys enormous autonomy. If they get a cramp or need a bathroom break, they can just stop. If they’re hungry, they can eat. If the landscape outside the window is looking especially picturesque, they can stop and contemplate it, or even step out into the fresh air to enjoy it.

Even the most labor-friendly, cooperatively owned assembly line can’t function if its workers do their own thing. The price of factory efficiency is autonomy: a worker in a multi-stage process has other workers upstream and downstream depending on them to maintain the pace and regimentation of the line.

Steampunk is fantasy in that it imagines lone craftspeople working with all the autonomy of the individual mad scientist inventor or tinkerer, but producing goods characteristic of the factories where workers had to check their autonomy at the door.

That’s a utopian vision, one that was especially enticing in the 2000s, when internet collaboration tools allowed thousands of strangers to engage in large, collective endeavors, like writing an encylopedia or an operating system, without any bosses, working at their own pace, relying on version control systems and wiki pages to coordinate their labor while they worked their tools in their crafters’ cottages all over the world.

-Gig Work Is the Opposite of Steampunk

#chickenized reverse-centaurs #arise #chickenization #reverse centaurs #large firm wage premium #magpie killjoy #brian merchant #blood in the machine #steampunk magazine #love the machine hate the factory #luddites #labor #steampunk

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ephemeral-lace · 1 year

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A priest-style outfit with a real military uniform that is an ancestor's relic. Every day we introduce stylish ladies who gather at the "Shining Celestial Holy Maiden Tea Party"!

Joseph Taro (Born in Tokyo, living in Kanagawa Prefecture) 56 years old, civil servant, 159 cm Today's fashion theme ● Father Cloak ● At the second-hand clothing store Jacket, pants, ● relics of ancestors Necklaces, rings, bracelets ● Handmade

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haaaaaaaaaaaave-you-met-ted · 2 years

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No Quarter Magazine - Jeremiah Kraye by Mariusz Gandzel

#Privateer Press #No Quarter Magazine #Fantasy #ARt #Jeremiah Kraye #Steampunk #Mariusz Gandzel

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arlequin-magazine · 10 months

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FATE GEAR // "European Tour 2023" at Baroeg

The second stop of FATE GEAR’s “European Tour 2023” was for Rotterdam, where the girls rocked the Baroeg with their steampunk metal ensemble, giving the audience a good impression of what they have in store for the other Dutch dates in Amersfoort and Sittard the following two days.

With our ears still ringing and steampunk goggles still fogged up from the energy of their performance, we can now present you some photos we took from their performance at Baroeg. Unfortunately we weren’t able to attend the two other dates, but we do hope you managed to see these girls at least once with this unique 3-dates opportunity!

You can find our photos on our photography portfolio “Arlequin Photography”, here: (Continue reading…)

Also available in: Nederlands | Español | 日本語

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rivertalesien · 1 year

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Ever just go gaga for a story? Steampunk author P. Djeli Clark is a master (read his novel A Master of Djinn if you don't want to believe me), and his latest short is a masterwork of sharp parody, commentary and the ambition of idiotic Europeans, especially the English.

#uncanny magazine #short stories #P. Djeli Clark #How to Raise a Kraken in Your Bathtub #steampunk

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avomagazine · 11 months

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In one month's time, steampunk metal band FATE GEAR will kick off their third European tour, with shows in Germany, the Netherlands and the UK. Which show(s) are you going to attend?

More information about the upcoming European tour of FATE GEAR can be found here.

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angela-yuriko-smith · 1 year

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Space & Time Magazine Announces Special AI Submissions Call

Special Issue Submissions Call: AI & Human Creators May 15-29!

To submit your work from May 15-29, visit Space and Time on Duosuma or at spaceandtime.net. Space & Time magazine is thrilled to announce a unique submissions call for a special issue exploring the relationship between Artificial Intelligence (AI) and human creators in the realms of poetry, prose, and visual art. This ground-breaking issue aims to investigate the ways AI enhances creativity, the…

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bookhoarding · 2 years

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What's up with those Victorian patterns?

What’s up with those Victorian patterns?

Continuing my Brambly Hedge year, I decided I *had* to make plushie mice, and I found a free, Victorian era pattern I couldn’t resist. But after a little dive into the free pattern, I found the backstory for this lil mouse, or rather the magazine it came from, was worth talking about. Whether on Pinterest, IG or FB, I think we’ve all seen similar screen grabs of this Victorian-looking…

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#Artemisia Moltabocca #Free Historical Costume Pattern #free historical patterns #free victorian patterns #godeys #ladies book and magazine #penwiper #printable pattern #Sarah Josepha Hale #steampunk #steampunk pattern #Victorian #victorian dress patterns #victorian fashion #victorian magazine #victorian penwiper #victorian society

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niftukkun · 11 months

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New from RECAP Weekly!!! An Exclusive Interview from Hermitopia's Emperor?!?

for the third week of @shepscapades ’s hermitcraft character design event, i offer grian as an empires smp member!

ok so first off, that head. thats just p03 from inscryption. but grian. it fits! but also! go play inscryption go go its on sale Right Now (until june 30) go play it its so good then go watch this video afterwards join my fandom please please please join us

ok back to hermpires! so i originally was gonna take an empire from s2 and just insert grian into it, but while browsing through the esmp s2 wiki i came across/remembered hermitopia and my brain went yep! this one. so i thought a bit about what grian would do if he was an empires smp member and how hermitopia would happen, and i think grian would crash the economy on purpose. i mean it almost already happened when the hermitpires crossover happened so i dont think im too far off. i think grian originally exported something simple, like maybe sugarcanes or mud, something easy to farm yknow, but then i dunno got bored or something so he made a couple more farms. then kept making more farms. then the hermitopia we all know and love happened!

actually maybe hermitopia isnt grians first empire. i think grian has a separate empire but decided to invite his friends to help him make some farms and then it just kept going. then hermitopia happened. i like the collaboration aspect of hermitopia so i think thats how that happens. hermitopia isnt necessarily grian's but its under his command so it gets called his. (isnt there a word for this? was it vassalage? i think its vassalage)

with that in mind i went with a robot-y grian because grumbot and a snazzy cool suit because business man (sidenote im looking over my pre art notes and one of them is just capitalism man and. yeah! not wrong). i gave him more steampunk-y wings than the usual feathery ones cause that fit better. i gave him a crown not really sure why but it fits since without it the design was more Just A Guy but with it he's more Emperor yknow. the buttons have a g on it because he would and an (attempted) gold trim cause that looked nice and fancy. originally he was gonna have four wings cause fun fact four wings is part of my base grian design but four wings kind of crowded the drawing so i didnt include them (sad) and i also didnt include the tail hes supposed to have because i couldnt find a good way to add it in with the pose. but in my heart he has both four wings and a tail

now why magazine style artwork? i 'unno. i thought itd look cool. and it does!! it looks SO cool!!! im so proud of it. recap magazine!! because of course im gonna make a hermitcraft recap reference are you kidding me recap is practically already a magazine reporting what gossip is happening on the hermitcraft server on any given week. its very specifically volume 9 issue 34 because thats when the crossover happened season 9 week 34 babey we love little esoteric details hell yeah!! i looked up how magazine covers work and its supposed to be like, main article big and smaller supporting side articles just kinda floating around so i did that!! and i made them funney references because of course i did! local bard catches scurvy because you cannot convince me that oli orionsound would not catch scurvy he would. does god is gay is a reference to that does bruno mars is gay nonsense article that makes me laugh everytime specifically in reference about mr smallish bean because he. has so many children. and none of them as far as i know from the lady server members theyre all lovechilds from gay lovers its hysterical and hilarious. quit your job join our sun cult is about the dawn empire because thatse the vibe that empire gives me and i think its funny. also!! thats hermitopia!! in the background!! i got the image off of the empires smp wiki and just Biggen'd it and it makes a bomb ass background hell yeah ^-^!!

also version with no text here lookit it!!

#gamble the queue #reblog #art #my art #digital art #artists on tumblr #drawing #fan art #fanart #hermitcraft #grian hermitcraft #hermitcraft recap #empires smp #hermitcraft empires crossover #fake magazine cover #shepshermitdesign23

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mrporg · 23 days

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More Signalis, don't mind me. I can be a bit obsessive sometimes.

I love retrofuturism. There are many types, usually called something-punk and I pretty much love them all.

We all know Steampunk and Cyberpunk. A little less well known are Atompunk (e.g., Fallout), Raypunk (e.g., Mars Attacks, maybe? Amazing stories magazine), and Dieselpunk (e.g., Scythe).

Formicapunk / Cassette futurism is somewhere in the middle. To Gen X and early Millennials, the technology that forms the foundation of cassette futurism is intimately familiar. Growing up, my parents had cassettes, computers programs were stored on tape (at least at first) and floppies were not limited to the save icon in Microsoft Office. The first time I played Sim City was on an orange 3.5" floppy.

So maybe that explains why our generations feel a strong kinship with this branch of science fiction, which imagines a future if the technology had stopped there. Heck, TV shows like Loki are clearly targeting that side of us.

Making a mental note to talk about Loki at some point, because I just love the art in the series.

Anyway, back to Signalis. Everything in this game screams cassette futurism, from the objects you find and interact with, right to the interface of the game itself. Let me show you what I mean.

Everything operates with big pushbuttons, floppies, magnetic key passes, CRT screens...

I know I've said it before, but I find the art of the game to be really wonderful. It's very pleasing, coherent and evocative. It really contributes to the player's immersion, making this world that much more believable.

By the way, I am not sure who coined the term "Formicapunk" for this style, but I love the comic from Boulet about it. Well worth a read in my opinion:

https://www.reddit.com/r/cassettefuturism/comments/p6wg2f/formicapunk_by_boulet/?rdt=57641#lightbox

#signalis #gaming #formicapunk #cassette futurism #retro futurism #art style

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mostlysignssomeportents · 1 year

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This is truly the opposite of steampunk. Somehow, our bosses have invented a form of craft-labor — where you work from your own vehicle or home, using equipment you pay for — that has all the humiliations, dangers and petty authoritarianism of the industrial factory.

This is the worst of both worlds. Under the New Deal, factory workers teamed up with progressive regulators to force the owners of giant factories to share the efficiency gains of the assemblyline, creating the “Large-Firm Wage Premium” (where workers at big companies made more money, not less).

Today, the large-firm wage premium is dead. Workers are moving out of the factory, back into their homes (and cars), but those homes and cars are being transformed into factories, thanks to the camera- and mic-studded digital devices that monitor workers more closely than even the meanest, pettiest foreman could.

It needn’t be this way. The Luddites presaged the steampunks, imagining technology to liberate, not to enslave. Technological tools could be labor organizers’ secret weapons, shifting power back towards workers.

-Gig Work Is the Opposite of Steampunk

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ephemeral-lace · 2 years

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Left: Pi (Living in Tokyo) 156cm Today's fashion theme ♠ Alice and the balloon country Stole ♠ axes femme Blouse ♠ Innocent World Jumper skirt ♠ ALICE and the PIRATES Gloves, socks ♠ Angelic Pretty finger bracelet ♠ online Belt ♠ OZZON Shoes ♠ Queen Bee

Right: Aoi (Born in Tokyo, currently living in Tokyo) Freelance, 167cm Today's fashion theme ♣ Alice and the balloon country Hat, jumper skirt, socks ♣ ALICE and the PIRATES Blouse v BABY, THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT belt ♣ axes femme Hip Holster ♣ OZZON Leg Holster ♣ TH61'S GALLERY Shoes ♣ Queen Bee

Website http://www.kunadonic.com

Twitter @kunadono

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atlantis-archive · 4 months

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Vinny Has a Blast!

Written and lettered by: Michael Stewart Pencils by: Steven Butler Inks by: Jim Amash Colors: John Green Published in: Disney Adventures Collector’s Issue! Atlantis: The Lost Empire Volume 11, Number 6 (pg.80-83). Publisher: Buena Vista Magazines Inc. Publication date: circa July 2001.

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Page 1: Rourke: [To reach Atlantis, we must get the Ulysses through that narrow opening in the rocks up ahead.] [Vinny, you'll have to blast a hole big enough for the ship to pass through.] [Moliere will handle any digging for you.] Vinny: [You want your standard round opening, or maybe something interesting--] [--a diamond... or a figure eight? Perhaps an "A" for Atlantis?] [I've got enough nitro to get creative here...] narrator: [Red alert! The crew of the submarine Ulysses faces the first major obstacle in their quest to find the lost continent of Atlantis!] Mole: [-:Sigh:- I have just escaped the bath and now we go into the ocean?]

Page 2, Panel 1: Rourke: [You're sure there's no other way, Milo?] Panel 2: Milo: [The Shepherd's Journal says we have to go through, Commander Rourke.] Panel 3: Milo: [It also says the seas around Atlantis contain unknown dangers...] Panel 4: narrator: [Minutes later, Vinny and Moliere eagerly strike out into the unknown...] Vinny: [We'll bury two charges--one on each side of the opening.] [Like I always say, two explosions are better than one!] Mole: [I cannot wait to sink my pickax into the unknown delights of this exotic undersea rock!] Panel 5: Vinny: [Remember, the depth of the holes must be very precise!] Mole: [Please! Am I not the famous Moliere?] Panel 6: Vinny: [This explosion will be a true work of art!] Panel 7: Vinny: [Did Michelangelo ever sculpt rock on such a massive scale? No!] Mole: [Something's moving over there...]

Page 3, Panel 1: Mole: [Fish! Big fish!] [Scary fish!] [Vinny!] Panel 2: sfx: THWACK! Panel 3: Vinny: [You got that second hole ready?] Mole: [Sacre bleu!] Panel 4: Mole: [Please--it looks hungry!] Vinny: [Let you're little fishy nibble on this flare.] Panel 5: sfx: FLASH! Panel 6: Mole: [We go now!] Vinny: [If that hole isn't just right, this explosion could be very... messy!] Panel 7: Mole: [Uh... sure. The hole is fine. Let's go!]

Page 4, Panel 1: Vinny: [OK, time for the first big boom! Mole: [Are we fare enough away?] Panel 2: Vinny: [The view is much better up close!] [On the count of three!] [One... ah skip it--boom.] sfx: KA-BOOOOM! Panel 3: Vinny: [Let me guess--you didn't finish digging the hole...] Mole: [Not exactly, no.] Panel 4: Vinny: [My foot is trapped! And your helmet is cracked! Get help from the Ulysses!] Mole: [Yes! I'll go back to the ship!] Panel 5: Vinny: [Might as well finish the job...] sfx: BA-BOOOOM! Vinny: [Ahh! Is there anything more beautiful than a very large explosion?] [No, I think not!] Panel 6: Vinny: [Hey! Look who's back!] [That explains my sudden craving for fish sticks!] narrator: [Turn to page 84 for the exciting conclusion!]

Notes:

This post is passed the weekly deadline! That's 1 demerit for me. I'll need to figure out something to do with those to make them effective. This still counts as last week's post so I owe another this week, which I have decided will be the last comic in the Disney Adventures issue.

The story here takes place prior to the battle against the leviathan, seemingly before Milo's presentation on the bridge in the film.

We see that the Ulysses, unsurprisingly, carries diving equipment. However, these are ambient pressure diving suits, good for protection against tearing and cold but useless against the pressure at deeper levels. Humans can't really survive more than 60 meters (196.85 feet) below, which is why Atmospheric Diving Suits were invented! Imagine them in steampunk-esque, underwater robot suits instead!

The "scary fish" (the nayap according to Sweet's Fish Story!) is the first fantastical creature encountered by the expedition. It doesn't seem particularly interesting, though. A weird shark with a feathery tail and long snout?

Vinny's dialogue really shows how much Don Novello brought to the performance. Without his adlibbing and weird energy the character just doesn't hit the same.

#2001 #july 2001 #buena vista magazines inc.#disney adventures #media #comic #atlantis: the lost empire #Helga Katrina Sinclair #lyle tiberius rourke #milo james thatch #vincenzo “vinny” santorini #Gaetan “Mole” Molière #ulysses #nayap #late posts (SHAME)

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aghostrandom · 11 months

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W.I.T.C.H., interview with the creators

Some time ago, I made a post about "the original Elyon being a guardian," and since everyone was confused, I thought I'd translate the interview from which I read this information.

I don't know if someone else has already done it, but since I didn't find anything online, I decided to do it myself. I will translate the entire interview with the help of an online translator and a friend of mine.

Just remember that this interview was published in April 2021, marking 20 years since the release of the first volume.

Enjoy!

Here the original link in italian: https://heroica.it/w-i-t-c-h-20-anni-barbucci-canepa-intervista/

It is April 3, 2001 when Italian newsstands are hit by a small earthquake, which will soon transform into a hurricane...

The first issue of W.I.T.C.H. is released, a comic magazine that will shatter every sales record in a matter of months, embarking on a quest to conquer the world.

It all begins in Milan, at the headquarters of Walt Disney Company Italy, with an intuition of the then-director of the company's women's periodicals, Elisabetta Gnone, and the talent of two young artists, Alessandro Barbucci and Barbara Canepa, whom I have interviewed for you.

Interview with Alessandro Barbucci and Barbara Canepa

Let's start from the origins: How was W.I.T.C.H. born?

Alessandro Barbucci: It was 1997, Sailor Moon was still fresh in everyone's memory [the last series had been broadcast in Italy between March and May of that year, editor's note]. And then there were the Spice Girls...

"Sailor Moon was ironic, arrived at the right moment; the Spice Girls were five purely pop characters, worthy of a cartoon - during that period, we were big fans, we even went to see the movie in the cinema!" Alessandro revealed to me.

Elisabetta Gnone, who was then in charge of the women's periodicals at Walt Disney Company Italy, had a great intuition: she realized that there was a missing product for teenage girls, an audience segment that had never been considered by the major company before. When thinking about teenagers, one couldn't ignore what was happening in pop culture at that moment...

Barbara Canepa: During that period, a passionate fanbase for manga was beginning to take shape. it was clear how this new language was able to respond to the tastes and needs of teenagers - not just boys, but girls as well!

In fact, up until that moment, it was believed that girls didn't read comics. It was precisely with shoujo manga (like Sailor Moon, but not only) that this belief began to falter.

Canepa: Exactly. I had already been an avid manga reader since the days of Candy Candy: we're talking about 1986 when Mondadori released the first monthly editions at newsstands. I started reading my first manga at the age of 12, and at 16, I saw Akira (1988) for the first time in theaters. In fact, I was the one who got Alessandro passionate about this style, even though he already had some knowledge of it. We felt that the language of manga was the best way to visually "tell" this story.

Barbucci: Initially, I proposed girls in a steampunk, military style. I was a big fan of Tank Girl by Hewlett and Martin.

In my mind, Hay Lin had already existed for a long time: I had been drawing her since high school, but she was a punk with military boots," Alessandro revealed to me.

Elisabetta Gnone told me that the concept was considered too "masculine," so she proposed the idea of the five witches, which directly connected us to manga. Some people at Disney Italy were afraid that, given the theme, it would veer into Satanism, but their greatest fear was the manga-style big eyes!

Canepa: For them, it was inconceivable to publish a comic even vaguely inspired by manga, which at that time were their direct competitors in the market.

Barbucci: At one point, they considered investing in the relaunch of Daisy Duck by introducing our five characters as anthropomorphic animals. It was an attempt to somehow connect with the Disney universe.

Canepa: Yes, exactly. The project was called Daisy D. and it was intended for the monthly magazine Minnie Mag. The story featured Daisy Duck as a private investigator, accompanied by our W.I.T.C.H. characters, who in this version would have had snouts and gloves, just like Minnie and Mickey! I still have the first page done in watercolors, as we wanted to make it like the pages of Paperinik's Trip...

The scriptwriter, Ilaria Isaia, revealed to me that the inspiration for Daisy D. came from the success of "Minnie and the Magnificent Five," a story published in Minnie & Company in 1993. It featured Minnie in the role of an investigator, solving a mystery connected to five girls. Daisy D. wouldn't have been very different: "It revolved around Daisy Duck as an investigator, called by her friend to investigate mysterious events happening in a college attended by five students with magical powers," explains Ilaria.

Barbucci: Fortunately, nothing came of it.

Canepa: We were well aware that a story starring Daisy Duck wouldn't resonate with teenagers. We needed five normal girls that the readers could identify with...

Barbucci: So, the W.I.T.C.H. characters returned to being human.

For Will's design, Alessandro Barbucci Alessandro Barbucci was also inspired by "Alita" (1990) by Yukito Kishiro.

The graphic style of W.I.T.C.H., while drawing inspiration from manga, remains a hybrid of the West and the East. It doesn't stray too far from certain Disney characters, starting with Ariel from "The Little Mermaid" (1989).

Barbucci: I can tell a funny anecdote about this! As we mentioned, Disney Italy opposed W.I.T.C.H. in every way possible: they particularly disliked those manga-style big eyes. Together with Elisabetta Gnone, we came up with a game, a kind of bet with the top executives of Disney Italy. I drew a series of eyes, including manga characters, Disney characters, and our W.I.T.C.H. characters. Only the eyes were visible, nothing else. "Since you have so much to say about these manga eyes, guess which ones belong to the W.I.T.C.H. characters!" That was the bet: they could no longer complain. Well, they were wrong: they chose the eyes of Ariel from "The Little Mermaid" (1989), the protagonist of the Italian magazine of the same name, directed by Elisabetta herself, and successfully published by them for years. They didn't take it well...

Indeed, Ariel broke the Disney graphic conventions with the proportions of her face.

Barbucci: It was a "graphic shock," something that had never been seen in Disney until that moment. It was certainly a step towards manga aesthetics, with these very large eyes that we later found in the design of many subsequent characters, from Belle and Jasmine to Anna and Elsa.

We remember that you and Barbara worked on the magazine "The Little Mermaid" in the 1990s, just before W.I.T.C.H. started. In the covers drawn and colored by Barbara, I can already perceive some hints of manga style. Was it intentional?

Canepa: Absolutely yes! At that time, I bought Japanese magazines like Newtype and Animage to get inspiration. In one of the illustrations I made, there's Ariel with a straw hat: I think I took inspiration from an image of Nadia from "The Secret of Blue Water" (1990-91), or maybe from some other cover. The close-up of the face, as well as the fluttering leaves [like flowers in shoujo manga, editor's note], the pose of a model on the cover of a fashion magazine... it was all too innovative and "manga" for Disney Italy at that time, which often had something to say about my work! Even before W.I.T.C.H...

The scan on the left is taken from the website www.onlyshojo.com.

Walt Disney Company Italy didn't want anything to do with W.I.T.C.H., as we mentioned. What made them change their minds?

Barbucci: We worked on it secretly for at least a year, even at night. Then, finally, a ray of light... At the time, the main headquarters of Disney would send representatives around to other offices to find out what was being done in the rest of the world. Elisabetta was lucky to come across an American manager who was a big fan of Wicca. [Secretly from the top management, editor's note], she presented W.I.T.C.H. to him: he fell in love with it and financed the project, ordering Walt Disney Company Italy to proceed with its production.

Concept art created by Barbucci and Canepa between 1998 and 1999. Notice the homage to Minnie in the first illustration!

Images provided by W.I.T.C.H. Italia.

The project then gets underway. How did you divide the work?

Canepa: It's hard to say. Officially, Elisabetta wrote the plot, Alessandro created the character design, and I took care of the color and atmosphere. In reality, the three of us worked together on the concept, characters, and the world they would inhabit. We drew inspiration from our personal lives when creating these five girls. The city of the W.I.T.C.H., Heatherfield, is a mix between our hometown of Genoa and San Francisco, which we had visited together. Will shares my birthdate, while Elyon shares Alessandro's. At the time, I was a big fan of frogs, just like Will! Cornelia's cat is named Napoleon, just like mine - I also gave the same name to Elisabeth's cat, the protagonist of the first volume of END, the comic I created with Anna Merli. For Hay Lin's restaurant, we were inspired by a small Chinese "hole in the wall" where we often ate near our apartment in Milan... In short, W.I.T.C.H. was built and conceived based on our personal experiences: friends, memories from adolescence, and more.

Based on these characterizations, I created the character profiles that you can find in the first five issues of the magazine, as well as some internal editorials.

The character of Irma is inspired by Barbara Canepa in terms of design and personality, while Will is inspired by Elisabetta Gnone: with her, she shares an introverted personality and the detail of touching his hair when she is embarrassed.

Scans by poochieandotherfriends.it

Elisabetta chose the ethnicities and names of the girls, coming up with the acronym W.I.T.C.H., while Alessandro created the symbols of the Guardians. To draw the Heart of Kandrakar, Alessandro was inspired by a pendant, a unique piece that I was very attached to and still possess to this day!

Scans by poochieandotherfriends.it

Lastly, I'll reveal something you may not know: I was the one who designed the Witch's transformed costumes! I remember when Elisabetta jokingly scolded Alessandro, telling him to draw them less provocatively... (laughs). As for their everyday costumes, Alessandro created them, often drawing inspiration from his and our friends.

Scans by poochieandotherfriends.it

Another significant responsibility of ours was to form a team of artists who would work on W.I.T.C.H. alongside us. In fact, Alessandro and I couldn't have done it all by ourselves: W.I.T.C.H. was becoming a massive and important project, especially since it would be released on a monthly basis! Therefore, we conducted courses at the Disney Academy: Alessandro taught how to draw the Witch, while I taught manga techniques, coloring, and graphic design.

Scans by poochieandotherfriends.it

Did you encounter any other issues with Disney Italy during the production?

Canepa: There were some controversies, but at that point, the project was already underway. There were several delays, actually: the first issue was supposed to be released on Halloween in 2000. I remember that they criticized the covers: they didn't like the white background, and in the first cover, they didn't like the difference in proportions between Will and the others, which is another typical graphic characteristic of manga.

Barbucci and Canepa created the first five covers of W.I.T.C.H. and the corresponding chapter opening pin-ups.

You create the comic of the first issue: On the third page, there's a very intense panel with Will partially nude (without nipples); she appears like that later during the Sailor Moon-style transformation as well. These are not erotic images, but they certainly deviate from the Disney style. Did you face any issues regarding this?

Barbucci: Strangely, no. Maybe they had already given up at that point...

Scans by poochieandotherfriends.it

You left the project after the sixth issue. What happened?

Barbucci: The back and forth with Disney to bring W.I.T.C.H. to newsstands was incredibly exhausting. By the year 2000, we were drained from the continuous meetings, discussions, and delays... Moreover, both Elisabetta and we had realized our potential as authors. She was the first to leave: she left the world of magazines to fulfill her dream of becoming a novelist. And she succeeded greatly, as a few years later, she created the Fairy Oak series of novels, which sold millions of copies worldwide! Barbara and I were already in contact with various French and American publishers. In France, they allowed us to express ourselves artistically in a completely free way. It felt like a dream! There were so many things we wanted to talk about, things that weren't even proposable in Disney: sex, religion, politics... Sky Doll was born during this period. Furthermore, there were legal disagreements with Disney regarding the moral rights of the Witch characters. In short, after a few years with the multinational company, it was time for us to move on to other things. We needed a change of scenery!

The story you had in mind for W.I.T.C.H. was different from what we later read in the issues after your departure?

Canepa: Yes, it was darker, introspective, and more complex. It was a glimpse into teenage life presented through five very different girls. The plot had different layers of interpretation, including ecological aspects. It was certainly closer to manga in terms of themes: there was more focus on the girls' personal lives, their adolescent struggles. There wasn't a clear division between good and evil: the girls would be drawn to the Metaworld and tempted to join, crossing over to the other side of the barricade. Elyon would be the first to succumb, but they would all do so to some extent, even fighting against themselves.

Moreover, the Metaworld was a fascinating place, a natural paradise that was quite different from the medieval setting that Disney eventually created. At the heart of it all was the concept of growth and transformation, which is so dear to adolescence: the girls would have had the ability to transform into fantastic animals! Like teenagers who find themselves caught between childhood and adulthood, the W.i.t.c.h. would have been caught between two worlds, remaining trapped in one or the other, by choice or against their will. It wasn't always clear...

The W.I.T.C.H. transform into adult versions of themselves, adhering to the main theme of many majokko ("magical girl") anime.

Even Elyon, who in the version you have read is the princess of Meridian, was a very different character in our story. She was the Guardian of the Metaworld and had powers related to time, wild nature, and death. She would have tried to bring the other girls to the dark side and then redeem herself: in the last issue, she would have sacrificed herself to save the lives of her friends.

In W.I.T.C.H. #2, you can perceive some traces of the original Elyon, who at a certain point addresses the girls repeating, "Come to me, come to me..." as if trying to lead them to the dark side.

I transferred her main power, the ability to "bestow" death, to the protagonist of END, Elizabeth: with this character, I have done and will do everything that I couldn't do with Elyon, who was initially supposed to have white hair like her.

Barbucci: What was actually realized was a harmless mythology, closer to fairy tales and therefore to the Disney style. There is no mention of witches anymore... We would have focused on a more New Age aesthetic, with references to Wicca, which was very popular in those years.

After leaving W.I.T.C.H., you left Italy for France, from where you embarked on various successful projects, with Sky Doll first. It can be said that you found your dimension and creative freedom. Now that 20 years have passed, what is your relationship with W.I.T.C.H.?

Canepa: It's needless to say that the bond has always been very strong and still is today. It was our own creation for a long time: seeing it succeed worldwide brought joy, but also suffering because we felt disconnected from it.

Barbucci: It was a love-hate relationship, but I must say that it gave me the greatest satisfaction of my life: seeing dolls of the characters I drew being sold in supermarkets!

Some sketches made by Alessandro Barbucci at the beginning of 2021, to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of W.I.T.C.H.

Canepa: After twenty years, perhaps it can be said that we have made "peace" with what happened. The hardships we endured have now drifted away with the wind, and that's how it should be. Today, I can talk about W.I.T.C.H. with more tranquility, almost with tenderness. For many years, I didn't even want to face it. Initially, leaving Italy helped, but then W.I.T.C.H. reached France and the rest of the world. Over time, this forced me to look at it with more "serene" eyes, so to speak. If I hadn't left W.I.T.C.H., I would never have created Sky Doll and END, and perhaps I would have never become the director of a French series that, today, celebrates nearly 100 books 12 years after its creation. Destiny, then? I believe so. Fate wanted to take something away from me to give me something else. In hindsight, I truly believe there was a magical thread in all of this... or rather, a true witch's touch! There is a happy ending to it all: today, history reminds us that we are the true creators of W.I.T.C.H. The readers know it, and so do industry professionals. Even Disney, in the end, acknowledged us. Every now and then, Elisabetta, Alessandro, and I talk and, laughing, we say, "What if we got back together and remade W.I.T.C.H. in our own way?" In any case, this remains and will always be the most important project of my life. And to have touched so many hearts around the world... well, there's nothing more beautiful and satisfying. So, thank you all. I was happy to give you these five girls.

For Women's Day 2021, Barbucci drew again the famous pinup from the first issue, Halloween.

Current and Future Projects

Alessandro Barbucci His most recent work is "Le Sorelle Grémillet" where he returns to portraying teenage girls ("it's a bit like how I would have liked to create W.I.T.C.H. back then, but it wasn't possible"). Additionally, Alessandro continues to work on "EKHÖ" and other projects. Follow his Instagram and Facebook to stay updated!

Barbara Canepa For over 12 years, Barbara Canepa has been the editorial director of the Metamorphose series for the French publisher Group Delcourt, with over 100 published books. She has several projects in the works, including "MINA's Diary," where she will serve as the writer, while Isabella Mazzanti will handle the artwork and coloring. The work is a free interpretation of Stoker's Dracula, introducing a new way of conceiving vampires. For the past two years, she has been finishing the writing of 12 volumes of a new jeunesse series, "GREENWOOD," aimed at rediscovering and respecting nature to the fullest. Stay updated on her activities by following her on Instagram and Facebook!

#w.i.t.c.h.#interview #alessandro barbucci #barbara canepa #disney #witch #elyon escanor #will vandom #irma lair #taranee cook #cornelia hale #hay lin #end

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hpowellsmith · 9 months

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Hi! I have played and enjoyed all of your games, and even though I am a big fan of CoG, I have struggled to find any other companies who make similar games.

I’ve seen you post on a few occasions about similar games and was wondering if you had any recommendations, CoG or otherwise. Thank you!

There isn't really a company that does exactly what CoG is doing, but there are lots of places to find IF or IF-adjacent games to play!

There are a lot of companies making and/or allowing users to make narrative mobile games which are often free to play with a model where paying opens up "premium" choices or cosmetics. Lots have sprung up over the years and sadly a lot of them have shuttered (Storyscape, Lovestruck, and others). Some friends have written for the Storyloom and Whispers apps. For a couple of years I worked on Love Island the Game but haven't been keeping up with it after I stopped working on it (which was during late Season 4/Bombshell). Then there's things like Dorian, Romance Club, and the older Chapters, Choices, Episodes, etc, some of which are created on commission and some of which are user-created games... It's worth having a look and seeing if any catch your eye.

I'd always recommend the work of Failbetter Games and inkle. (Mask of the Rose, Failbetter's first visual novel, is out now!) Both have branched out beyond being purely text-based but they have strong foundations in IF. Similarly Over the Alps, which was made by my former colleagues at Tributary Games, and King of the Castle (a narrative multiplayer game that I finished working on last year) are a great time. Games from Hanako Games are great, and if you liked Crème de la Crème I'd point you to Black Closet for dark academia school scheming. Christine Love and Autumn Chen are incredible creators too. I haven't played them fully yet, but Pentiment and Roadwarden promise fantastic narrative experiences with great storytelling.

I recommend having a look through the AdventureX lists of past exhibitors which include lots of really exciting narrative games. Narrascope also has plenty of speakers who have made or are discussing interesting games.

Also take a look at the IF Comp and Spring Thing archives for a huge collection of free IF with loads of different genres, tones, and sizes.

sub-q magazine isn't publishing new material anymore and you'll need to click past the expired security certificate but it published a wide range of short IF, some with more branching and some with less, but always interesting. (my first game writing sales were to them!)

On here, @/interact-if often posts themed recommendations. There are a lot of authors posting ongoing progress and devlogs of IF projects, sometimes on the CoG forum and dashingdon, sometimes on itch.io, and @/interact-if can be helpful for filtering though or finding ones that match what you're looking for. @/manonamora-if-reviews has started doing in depth IF reviews too. And on the subject of itch.io, there are many interactive fiction games on there both complete and in-progress.

Finally, if you're interested! Some of my all-time favourite ChoiceScript games include:

A Study in Steampunk

Asteroid Run

Choice of the Deathless

Heart of Battle

Heart of the House

Professor of Magical Studies

Tally Ho

(You can play Choice of the Deathless and Heart of Battle for free with ads.)

Thank you for the ask!

#asks #interactive fiction #choicescript games #twine games

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robo-milky · 1 year

Text

Cloche: Steampunk AU

(AU by: @the-trinket-witch + Notable Creds to @/simpingseafood @/squidwen @/twstinginthewind | Do Check it out ^^)

“For a housekeeper, she doesn’t seem to do a lot of house keeping…” - Townsfolk A

Meet Cloche, a housekeeper maid who can be seen anywhere and everywhere in Nightraven— with a basket of groceries in hand.

She’s known by many names, often addressed as:

• Miss Mouser

• Ms. Grimalkin

• Miss Felidae

but “Cloche” is the only name that stays consistent. Her actual age and surname is unknown.

Within the City:

Cloche is an outsider, but because of how often she frequents Nightraven— always running an errand, be it taking clothes to a tailor or buying the freshest pastries, she has been considered a local by most. Her knowledge of the current events, technologies and trends of Nightraven help integrate her with other locals. Which house she belongs to and who she serves is unanswered. If asked, she’ll curtsy and give a polite smile until the topic changes to something else.

Despite not engaging with the community too much, except for exchanging pleasantries about the weather and such— gossip circles her.

“Miss Mouser sure has a lot of free time! She’s the first maid I’ve ever seen in my life. Why? Cause they’re supposed to be working inside, aren’t they?”

“Ah, Ms. Grimalkin? She’s such a delight. It’s a treat whenever she drops by our store to buy detergent.”

“I got a feel of her sleeve once and let me tell you— no one in their right mind would distribute such a fine cloth for a simple maid’s uniform! She’s either one of those prissy girls hiding out and playin’ house, or she’s working under a madman with no concept of money.”

She can be found…

• Picking up lost items and returning them back to their owner

• Standing by the wall with her head down at an extravagant party

• Waiting outside the city hall or embassy houses

• Paying the Jubilee Port a visit

• Enjoying a light meal at the Monstro Lounge

• Reading the latest fashion magazine