#where there is a small image in a grid and you have a bigger grid and need to copy the image

[sainamoonshine]

Listen guys I know I will never be much good* (or even enjoy, tbh) calligraphy, but my mother-in-law keeps giving me old “the basics of calligraphy!!” sets that she finds at goodwill that obviously someone got as a gift in the 90s and never even opened and I enjoy collecting the inks and tiny ceramic bowls and inkstones so, so much ☺️

*this isn’t poor self esteem btw this is clear eyed & serene knowledge of where my skills lay and the answer to that is in art forms that do not require steady hands and good spatial awareness. I like digital art and fiber crafts lmao.

[grat10grottenblog]

Pixelart Real Life Mediums

Intro

Gif from here

Pixelart is great and all but you can't easily put it on your desk to show off your pixel prowess.

but you're in luck because theres quite a few mediums you can use that'll work for pixelart!

and i've compiled a list for you, just pick any chapter that interests you !

If theres any mediums you think should be on the list then please say so!

HAMA & Perler Beads (Iron-fusible-beads)

One way to make your pixelart come to life is through Hama-beads also known as Perler-beads!

[a photo of ironing beads in icecream containers and a spool of string in a cardboard box]

Other names for these beads include "Fuse-beads", "Thermo-beads", "Iron-beads", "Iron-fusible-beads". Hama and Perler actually refer to the company they're from..

Hama-beads are small beads of plastic that are then placed onto Hama-pegboards as seen from their factory tour video here. what we're interested in is the Square pegboards.

In Denmark these beads are often found in any bookstore, i do not know how easily they're obtainable in other countries, i would recomend checking any of your local arts and crafts stores or stopping by the HAMA or Perler website.

Square pegboards follow the pixelgrid unlike other pegboards, a square pegboard is *Often* 30 x 30 beads/pixels, i recomend buying square pegboards that can snap together to make a bigger pegboard. like shown bellow.

[a set of 4 square HAMA pegboards interlocked to create a bigger "pixelgrid"]

In Aseprite you can activate "Visible Pixel Grid" to make it easier to see where to place your beads on your pegboard

1 [Aseprites Properties tab in the Grid, Visible Pixel Grid is marked as active]

2 [a Pixelart rendition of a floppy disk, the writable part of the floppy disk has the coloration of the transgender pride flag]

Once you're done you simply place a parchment paper over the beads and iron the beads.

i recommend placing an even and heavy weight over the beads and afterward ironing the otherside aswell. a book and a dumbell works wonders for this if you have it :>

Extra stuffz

Oh actually another thing about these beads i thought i'd throw in too, Theres an Artist on Twitter that draws pixelart that looks like beads @iws_nbs_tmr or 鰯（いわし） on Dotpict

since i'm Waaaaaaayyy to shy to DM them to ask if i can show it off, i tried making my own bead pixelart inspired by them, it was a lotta fun i'd recommend you try it too !

[A baby chick with sunglasses on inspired by how 鰯（いわし） draws pixelart that looks like ironing beads]

Cross Stitching + Embroideries

Cross Stitching is a lot like pixelart, its a way to sew, the pixels in this form takes a form of X formed stitches on a fabric

heres an exsample of a painting made with cross stitching, artist unknown

1 [a cross stitch painting of a tree with loose leaves]

2 [a zoomed in photo of the X cross stitching]

as you can see cross stitching can also *break* the pixelgrid by making lines of string connecting the pixelart like pictured above, i'm not the police so you break the pixelgrid as much as you like :>

Extra Stuffz

theres also a big pixelartist by the name of 8pxl

who also makes lots of cross stitching of their own pixelart like here

they're on Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram & more

鰯（いわし） earlier mentioned in the thermal beads chapter also makes pixelart that looks like cross stitchings like here

Mosiacs + LEGO Mosiacs

""A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface."" - Wikipedia

some people also use LEGO like Here

as mosiacs are rarely exsactly pixelart as the pieces can be differing shapes, but some are made with pure squares like pixels! like bellow

a work by Invader looks somewhat like a squid, it's made of square pixelart like pieces

This Photo is taken from Wikipedia

Mosiacs may be expensive and hard to get, but if this interests you i'd recomend searching online!

Paper Crafts & Paper Minecraft

Minecraft Papercrafts

Did you ever try making paper Minecraft? i sure did! and had a blast doing it

Paper Minecraft is made through printing out flat connected textures on printer paper, like here, theres a big Guide to Minecraft Papercrafts Here 

a Program fit for lowpoly is a good way to prototype your idea, here Crocotile3D is shown

[Crocotile3D showing a head with pink hair with the texture panel on the side]

printing out the texture and taping them together to make a block just like Paper Minecraft, i recomend putting those tabs found on the print out minecrafts too like here

[a close up image showing the head from the previous image]

Simple printouts

Another way to bring your pixelart to life through paper is by just printing it out, and placing cardboard feet on them, something like how they did in the Outro to OK KO

[a youtube video displaying OK KO's outro, theres print outs of the characters from the show, with cardboard feet so they don't fall over]

I Highly recomend laminating your printouts, so they're a little more resistant to moisture, especially for wetter climates

[a few different papercraft printouts laminated and placed into snow, a Keyboard, Grat, and Beefette are shown]

I also use paper printout photos for my website

Other Smaller Entries

Cardboad cutouts

If you've got money to burn why not get a cardboard cutout of your pixelart? it's great if you've got an OC or a Main character for a game and you want something eye catching for your stand!

Fonts

You can make custom fonts for your documents or birthday cards, a pixelart font maker i'd recomend is BitFontMaker2

Board Games

Franek a pixelartist is making a board game with their pixelart, i've also seen people remake the classic cards you buy, redrawin the queen or king and such.

Shirts, Mugs, And Such

Theres tons of places you can go to get your own printouts on mugs or shirts, Spreadshirt is what i've used before and the quality is alright but theres also people that use Redbubble, you can also use Redbubble as an store for your items too, like here.

but i'd check your options with other stores as yours before choosing it

[a Mug with a >x) face on it]

Graph paper

You can also draw pixelart on Graph paper thats the paper with small squares instead of just plain lines, it was also used for sketching pixelart before making it on the computer. Brandon James Greer's video on the subject

Mini Monitor LED's and backpacks

Theres tons of different LED apperal where you can program your own pixelart on it, its a good way to show off your pixelart, theres also cosplayers with TV heads that use pixelart for faces

Anything else?

if theres anything i've missed me feel free to comment and i'll look into it and add it here :o

Farewell

Gif Source by @slitherpunk

Thats all the mediums i've found out about so far, thats bound to be more so please let me know if any are missing!

if you wanna check out any of my other stuff then i'm on pretty much everywhere*

Check out my Twitch! i make plugins and web apps to make viewing the best i can!, and i'm always happy to talk to anyone stopping by! so stop by why don't-cha! Blep

My Tutorials are also posted on my Newgrounds[www.twitch.tv] and Tumblr so if you'd rather read them there !

if you want updates on Me or any content i make i'm active on Twitter & Mastodon

And first time a donation link but like don't bother, i make tutorials because i find them fun and rewarding, blep :>

[a cat sticking up their hand as to say something with the text "I have a silly thing to say" the cat also has hair like Grat does]

Sources + Extra-Reading

"Show your workings"

Gif found from Jilf

Note: All photos are Made / Photographed by me unless specified otherwise

■ HAMA & Perler beads

HAMA's website

Perler's website

HAMA's Youtube Channel for the factory video

misc wikipedia link.

Wikipedia on Fuse_beads 

鰯（いわし） for inspiration for the bead drawing

Their Twitter

Their Dotpict

■

◆ Cross Stitching + Embroideries

Wikipedia about Cross stiching

16pxl or 8pxl links

Their LinkTree

Their Tumblr

Their Twitter

Their Instagram

Example embroidery by them

鰯（いわし）/ @iws_nbs_tmr

Their Dotpict

Their Twitter

Cross Stitch-like pixelart example 

◆

◀ Mosiacs

Wikepedia about Moisaics

Image source for the Mosiacs photo

Invader an anonymous Mosiac artist

Example of LEGO mosiacs by @KupoGames

◀

▣ Paper Crafts & Paper Minecraft

Planetminecraft blog with Minecraft Papercraft examples

The Ultimate Guide to Minecraft Papercrafts by Instructables

How to make the minecraft sniffer out of paper by The mushroom king

OK KO Let's by Heroes - Extended Credits

Wiki how to Laminate Paper

Grat's Website featuring paper printouts

▣

▲ Other Smaller Entries

BitFontMaker2 by pentacom

Franek

Their Mastodon

Their Twitter

Their Instagram

Example of a pixelart board game

MimzyyMay

MImzyy's Twitch

Example of a Redbubble store

Brandon James Greer

Their YT channel

Example of Graph paper for pixelart

▲

Various Finfin Gifs Sourced from Tumblr

Finfin Breaking & Entering

Finfin Explode

Writing Finfin

[skinsort]

Responsive vs. Adaptive vs. Neither of those things

Aight so. Big topic. We hear the word 'responsive' a lot when talking about web design but it's kind of a wishy washy topic for lots of people outside tech, especially if you've mostly coded while interacting with jcink. John did it really weird, with two skins- one for mobile, and one for desktop. This is actually pretty convenient because it helps distinguish two ideas. If you go to a website like youtube or even tumblr and resize your window as large as you can and as small as you can. These sites are properly responsive- the layout changes and adapts to the size of the screen. Youtube is (unsurprisingly) better at this than tumblr. It changes to use all of the available screen width at every size, pretty much no matter what. Tumblr (the dash anyway) only expands to a certain size- but it also doesn't break when you make it really small. Now go look at the base jcink skin- jcink support forums for instance. If you look at it on a phone, it'll mostly look okay, and after a certain size, will mostly look okay on desktop too. But there's this whole area between the two where things start to get janky. The fixed sizes of everything start to spill over the window size. That's an adaptive skin. Everything is a fixed size, and which layout you see depends on the type of device you're using. Adaptive sites are generally seen as outdated at this point. Almost no one is coding this way anymore. Now go to a jcink skin. Do the same thing with making your window bigger and smaller. In every skin I've ever seen, *something* will break. Text will overflow, you'll have to scroll from side to side to read a post, images will start to overlap other content. That kind of thing. Some sites will resize to a certain point, but almost none of them will do so all the way down to a mobile size, or even half of a laptop screen. This is neither adaptive nor responsive. THIS IS OKAY. I mean it's not ideal, but almost no one coding for jcink is a professional, and these are legitimately difficult things to get right. You have to be thinking about it from the start of the design process. What's going to happen to that icon when the screen gets small? What about the topic information? How are you going to keep information which looks beautiful at a desktop size looking good at tablet and phone sizes? It's legitimately difficult, and if you're not building with that in mind from the start it's a non-trivial task to make an unresponsive skin responsive. If you want to start thinking about these things, I'd recommend reading about media query breakpoints. For jcink, I think it's fair to code for desktop first (usually it's mobile first today) because people using a jcink site will usually want to be typing in it somewhere. Anecdotally, I think even people who post on mobile usually are writing in a notes app first. My skin worked really well at a 600px breakpoint, but other skins might need different figures. That's okay! As long as you can identify (maybe two) places where your views start to breakdown and have consistent behavior in your css for those breakpoints, you should be fine. I think it's good practice to know what you want your mobile version to look like, and code at least the skeleton of both views as you go, so you don't back yourself into corners. That's already a lot of text, so I'll stop there. I'll follow this up with a few different ways you can approach responsive design beyond breakpoints- grid, flexbox, and percentage based css. I can't really effectively teach these things on tumblr, but I can talk about the pros and cons of each approach so you can start looking into the things that seem like they might fit your use case.

[kaylawilliams-photography-631]

Research_ Photobook \ Physical books

Research how the design and text of a book influences how the set of images are understood and interpreted.

Below are a number of different kinds of "photobooks" that I own and have interacted with the physical version of. I wanted to look at a range of different kinds of photographic publications from more formal photobooks to magazines and gallery books to see how images and text are put together in different ways.

Forever Saul Leiter (2021) [Photobook published by Thames & Hudson]

This one is solely a photobook with minimal text. The text you can see in the lower left spread is about as much as we get throughout the book, various (seemingly disconnected) statements, thoughts, poetic lines that follow the photographs. Such minimal text gets you looking more at the images with a small break every now and then to contextualise (?) where you are or offer reflection on the very unplanned technique that Leiter employed in his photography.

Walls to live beside, rooms to own (2022) [Gallery book published by Auckland Art Gallery]

The gallery book from the Auckland Art Gallery's display of Walls to live beside, rooms to own, captured my attention as soon as I saw the book. I remember visiting the exhibition twice (I think), the first time I engaged with the gallery copy of the exhibition book and short after went and purchased it, the second time revisiting to capture my favourite installations from the exhibition.

That aside, I really like the spatial element this book has with the layout of image and text. No bigger than an A4 the book includes a lot of images of the research that supported the exhibition as well as its installations. But what captured my attention was the use of white space at this scale, it gives the pieces (which were quite large in real life) room to breath and be appreciated in a similar (yet different - because it's confined to the page) kind of space. This has a lot to do with the framing of the images as well as how it's balanced with the text.

Many spreads are left with the pieces title etc. and left to speak for itself - most of the masses of text around the exhibition are placed at the beginning or end of the book (much like how they would have been in installation).

Island Magazine Issue no. 1 (2021).

This was a copy of the first issue of Island Magazine that I scored at a market for a dollar I think. But as another form of "photobook" to engage with - obviously it is treating image in a very editorial manner but as I noticed in the above two it often doesn't cross text and image - they are more often than not on different pages.

Alfred Stieglitz, A legacy of light by Katherine Hoffman (2011)

This is a book that I bought from Auckland Library a few years ago (they were getting rid of it). But as a very dense photobook this one is an example of a book that engages with A LOT of text. As it is more of a biographical work this approach is very apt. but what I focused on was the different layouts of images and the use of a consistent grid throughout the book, one that again gives a consistent white frame to the images (in contrast to some of the spreads from Magnum below).

Magnum (2003) [Photobook published by Phaidon Press Ltd]

This is an older book that I found at an opshop on a global collection of magnum photographers. The book "offers a global vision of our world in the new millennium. Fifty years since...magnum began its documentary mission. Its photographers address today's radically-changed world." It features 500 images from various perspectives in different styles and locations.

I picked out a few of the spreads that I liked for both content and layout. As the book represents a number of different photographers, each with their own style, the layouts are quite different between each. That being said they still all look cohesive.

There is little text in this book - the images are left to speak for themselves - only the titles of the images or brief introductions to the photographers are included.

The layout takes a bolder approach than some of the others I've looked at, the images pack more of a punch. Typically two or more images to a spread (but at different ratios) they are sometimes taken to the bleed (no border) which looks very inviting > expanding the frame in some way.

[comeon-harry]

Spent part of my day off re-reading harry profiles and these were some of the things that struck me:

- he really loves to take reporters cold water swimming

- he must have so much clothing and bags and everything like I’d pay good money to see his wardrobe/ where they’re all kept

- this quote  “ You can't win music. It's not like Formula One," he said. "I was like, in my lifetime, there will be 10 more people who burst onto the scene in that way, and I'm only going to get further away from being the young thing. So, get comfortable with finding something else that makes you happy. I just found that so liberating."  (BHG)  And yet he just seems to still be getting bigger.

- he really does revert back to the same images and phrases like “bowling with the bumpers up” it’s no surprise he did the same things when he was lost for words at the grammys

- it’s kind of insane the amount of details about people that he remembers considering he must meet so many people all the time and it really is a sign that he pays attention to people, he cares about the interactions

- lol at his curiosity to just learn, even if it’s about how magazine deadlines work

-  “ He thinks hard about love, shame, honesty, and the importance of kindness and therapy. And he worries. He worries about how he can be one of the biggest pop stars in the world, the kind who can be everything for his fans while also being a great son, brother, friend, and partner to the people standing beside him.” (RS)

- I LOVE HIS CURIOUSITY AND DESIRE TO LEARN EVERYTHING ABOUT EVERYTHING AND ABOUT HIMSELF

-  “Styles is not the most online person — he uses Instagram to look at plants and architecture posts, has never had the TikTok app, and calls Twitter “a shitstorm of people trying to be awful to people” (RS) — but he’s still aware of how those small, toxic corners of the internet are treating the people closest to him.” all of this! I want to know what plants he likes, what plant pages does he follow, what kind of architecture does he like, i want to hear him say the words shitstorm, how difficult it must be to have this group of people who have allowed you to do this job you adore but it comes with having a portion of this group be downright cruel to the people you love most around you

-  “It’s obviously a difficult feeling to feel like being close to me means you’re at the ransom of a corner of Twitter or something,” (RS)

-  “ He thought about going completely off the grid while making it: maybe get a flip phone, stop making music. “The reality is you get there on the first day and wait around for 75 percent of it,” he says. “And it’s like, ‘Actually I’m going to text my mate.’ ” (RS) - so relatable lol this is me. the desire to be kind of artsy and cut off from the world but the reality is it’s kind of a pain and kind of boring

- he’s so funny wearing those beat up shoes with the heels squashed down in all the pictures along with all these fancy clothes like how do those conversations go 

- he had the whole my policeman part memorised before the audition

- i’d love to see him play the piano on stage. i’d love to see how much he’s improved

- someone who is “inexplicably difficult to casually enjoy” that sounds right

- he watches love island which idk why this surprised me like we know he watches the RHOBH and i want to hear all of his thoughts

[chinesetonki]

Difference between raster and vector

Difference between raster and vector how to#

The programs which place lines or shapes in a 2-D or 3-D environment sequentially are referred to as Vector Graphics. Its file extensions could be in:BMP, TIF, GIF, JPG. Hence for images that need to scale it to different sizes, we should use vector graphics. Scaling down these images could be easy but enlarging a bitmap makes it pixelated or blurred. Formats like jpeg and gif are commonly compressed. We can use algorithms that compress images to reduce file sizes. For example, the image of 640 x 480 requires information to be stored for 307,200 pixels, while a 3072 x 2048 image needs to store information for a whopping 6,291,456 pixels. So, the large file needs a large bitmap and the larger image requires more disk space to store. The Raster images use bitmaps to store information and display content. While pixmap is used for images with multiple bits per pixel. Sometimes the term bitmap implies one bit per pixel. The more general term is pixmap which refers to a map of pixels, where each one may store more than two colors and you can use more than one bit per pixel. It is also called a bit-array or bitmap index. The bitmap image is actually a grid made of rows and columns where specific cells with given value fill it in or leave it blank. A bitmap is a type of file that displays small dots in a pattern that creates an overall image. 2: Bitmap (BMP):Ī bitmap is also an image file format. Most people prefer to look at smooth and clear images rather than pixelated one. You cannot see the individual pixel without zooming it, because they are so small. The display screen is divided into a matrix of thousands or millions of pixels. Those are the small little dots that make the image to display on the computer, whether they are flat-screen (LCD) or tube (CRT) monitors. Pixel is actually a short form of “Picture Element”. Keep clicking and check us out.Well, before we start to know about vector and raster graphics, we must understand a few basic terms of display graphics: 1: Pixel:Ī pixel is the smallest element of a picture which represents on your screen.

Difference between raster and vector how to#

Learn how to grow your business and career right now. If you are looking for more brilliant advice in business, technology, digital marketing, and more, we have plenty of content. Now that you know more about raster images, you can achieve more with your branding, graphic design, and artwork. If you want something that scales easily and has a solid color, go with a vector format. If you are working on a picture with complex colors, blends, and themes, like a painting in a museum, raster images are your preferred format. Raster images are better used for photographs, while vector images are better options for logos, signage, illustrations, engravings, etc. There are different purposes for raster images and vector images, thus, there are different recommended file types too. Since a raster-based image will use bitmaps for storing data, this means that it will have a larger file size the bigger the bitmap is, and this can take up more disk space. Editing raster images can work well when you are changing colors, tones, and themes. We find it with digital camera technology, which is why photographs are typically raster images. Raster images have more capability with rendering colors that are complex, soft, and vibrant. The difference is that raster graphics have colored pixels that are arranged in an orderly fashion, whereas a vector graphic is a mathematical formula that makes up paths. If you are looking to learn more technical illustrations check out this link. Often, a vector image is a choice for logos, illustrations, and designs that require printing on a large object. With vector images, you can get an image that is more detailed and finer. It forms shapes with mathematical equations. This is a graphic or image that is both created and defined on a plane, with curves and connecting lines. If you are looking to increase or decrease the resolution and size of an image with raster images, it can be rather tricky. This makes it easy to make an image that is smaller. The image represents a rectangular grid of pixels. It can also be referred to as a bitmap image. This is a common term for digital photography and computers. What are the differences between the two? It is easy to tell the difference, and here is why. Graphic designers often use raster images and vector graphics.

[ztlawton]

The Mandelbrot Set

The Mandelbrot Set, named after mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot, is one of the most famous fractals. It is strange, beautiful, and chaotic. But what exactly is it?

Formally, the Mandelbrot Set is the set of all complex numbers 𝑐 that cause the function 𝑧ₙ₊₁ = 𝑧ₙ² + 𝑐, known as the complex quadratic map, to remain bounded within a circle of radius 2 when iterated from 𝑧₀ = 0 (for more info on the quadratic map, see our post on that topic).

That definition sounds complicated, so let’s break it down. Complex numbers are the sum of a real number and an imaginary number, represented as 𝑎 + 𝑏𝑖, where 𝑎 is on the horizontal axis and 𝑏𝑖 is on the vertical axis, and where 𝑖 squared is negative one (for more detail, see our post on complex numbers). To iterate a function means to take the output and plug it back in as the next input, then take the new output and plug it in as the next input, over and over again; the sequence of values generated by this process is known as an orbit. To remain bounded in this case means that the output is never farther than two units away from zero in any direction; if the orbit ever escapes that bounding circle, it will race off to infinity and never return.

Let’s consider some different values of 𝑐 and see what happens. We’ll start with zero. When 𝑐 = 0, our function becomes simply 𝑧ₙ₊₁ = 𝑧ₙ². Starting with 𝑧₀ as zero, each iteration is zero because zero squared is zero, so we never move. This never escapes our bounding circle, so zero is in the Mandelbrot Set.

What about one? If 𝑐 = 1, the first iteration of our function becomes 𝑧₁ = 0² + 1 = 1 (when 𝑧₀ = 0, the first iteration is always just 𝑐). The next iterations are 𝑧₂ = 1² + 1 = 2, then 𝑧₃ = 2² + 1 = 5, then 𝑧₄ = 5² + 1 = 26, and so on. Clearly, this is already outside a circle of radius two, and it just keeps on getting bigger. Therefore, one is not in the Mandelbrot Set.

How about negative one? If 𝑐 = −1, the next iterations are 𝑧₂ = (−1)² − 1 = 0, then 𝑧₃ = 0² − 1 = −1, then 𝑧₄ = (−1)² − 1 = 0, and so on. The orbit bounces back and forth between negative one and zero, never straying outside our bounding circle. Therefore, negative one is in the Mandelbrot Set, and has an orbit of period two.

What about negative zero point two five? If 𝑐 = −0.25, the next iterations are 𝑧₂ = (−0.25)² − 0.25 = −0.1875, then 𝑧₃ = (−0.1875)² − 0.25 = −0.21484375, then 𝑧₄ = (−0.21484375)² − 0.25 = −0.2038421630859375, then 𝑧₅ = (0.2038421630859375)² − 0.25 = −0.208448372548446…, and so on. The value of 𝑧 oscillates around the value (1 − √2) / 2, approximately 0.2071, getting closer with each iteration. This is not a true periodic orbit, because the value never repeats. However, as we continue iterating, the orbit becomes arbitrarily close to a true periodic orbit, so we call this orbit asymptotically periodic with a period of one. The orbit also never escapes the bounding circle, so negative zero point two five is in the Mandelbrot Set.

What about negative one point five? If 𝑐 = −1.5, the next iterations are 𝑧₂ = (−1.5)² − 1.5 = 0.75, then 𝑧₃ = 0.75² − 1.5 = −0.9375, then 𝑧₄ = (−0.9375)² − 1.5 = −0.62109375, then 𝑧₅ = (−0.62109375)² − 1.5 = −1.1142425537109375, and so on. It isn’t obvious what will happen next; the value jumps around chaotically, sometimes positive and sometimes negative, sometimes closer to zero and sometimes farther. If we keep iterating, we can find places where the value comes arbitrarily close to the starting point, but it never converges to a periodic cycle. The orbit is chaotic. However, even if we keep iterating forever, the value never gets farther than two units from zero, so negative one point five is in the Mandelbrot Set.

Let’s get complex. What about 𝑖? If 𝑐 = 𝑖, the next iterations are 𝑧₂ = 𝑖² + 𝑖 = −1 + 𝑖, then 𝑧₃ = (−1 + 𝑖)² + 𝑖 = −𝑖, then 𝑧₄ = (−𝑖)² + 𝑖 = −1 + 𝑖, and so on. This is an orbit with period two, so 𝑖 is in the Mandelbrot set, but our starting point isn’t one of the repeating values, so we call 𝑖 itself pre-periodic.

In general, there is no way to prove that any given complex number is inside the Mandelbrot Set. There are special cases, like 0, −1, and 𝑖, where we wind up in a perfect loop and thus know that we will never break out of the boundary circle, but such cases are a tiny minority. For most complex numbers we iterate the function some arbitrarily large number of times — say, a hundred, or a thousand — and if we still haven’t exceeded the boundary, we declare that number to be part of the set, or at least very close to it.

To visualize this, let’s create an image — a grid of pixels with horizontal and vertical coordinates. We’ll use the coordinates of each pixel as our value of 𝑐, with zero at the center of the image, and color each pixel based on what happens under iteration of our function. If the iterations ever get outside the circle of radius two, we know that the current value of 𝑐 is not in the set, and we record how many iterations it took to reach that boundary and use that number as a brightness value for that pixel — the more iterations, the brighter the pixel. If, after some large number of iterations, we are still inside the circle, we declare that the pixel is probably a member of the set and color it black. The result is an image like this:

Some features stand out immediately. We can see that the set consists of a large kidney-bean-shaped blob, a shape mathematically known as a cardioid, with many smaller circular features attached to it. Each circular region has more, even smaller disks and thin filaments (sometimes called antennae) attached, repeating down to infinitely small scales. The central shape is called the Main Cardioid, and the largest circular section is called the Main Bulb. Inside the filaments/antennae coming off each disk are smaller copies of the whole cardioid-and-bulbs shape, which are sometimes called Minibrots. The set is symmetrical about the real (horizontal) axis, but is not symmetrical about the imaginary (vertical) axis — it is heavily skewed to the negative real direction. The set is a fractal, meaning in this case that the boundary is infinitely complicated, so zooming in will always reveal more detail no matter how far you go. The boundary is also chaotic, meaning that small changes in the initial conditions (the value of 𝑐 or 𝑧₀) lead to large changes in the path of the orbit.

The Main Bulb is a perfect circle of radius ¼ centered on the number negative one. The Main Cardioid is a perfect cardioid that can be drawn by placing a circle of radius ¼ at zero and another at positive ½, rolling the second circle around the first without slipping, and tracing the path of the point that starts out in contact with the base circle. Each bulb on the Main Cardioid is attached at a point corresponding to a rational fraction of the whole rotation of this outer circle about the base circle.

The Mandelbrot Set is quasi-self-similar: each cardioid and bulb has an infinite number of smaller bulbs attached, each with its own infinite number of attached bulbs, down to infinitely small scales. The set also contains an infinite number of smaller copies of the cardioid-and-bulbs shape in the filaments that extend from the main shape. It is not obvious when just looking at the Mandelbrot Set, but it can be shown mathematically that the Main Cardioid is the only perfect cardioid, and the Main Bulb is the only perfectly circular bulb. All other copies are distorted by varying amounts depending on their location.

Because the Main Cardioid and the Main Bulb are geometrically perfect shapes, and all complex numbers inside these shapes are part of the Mandelbrot Set, when calculating the Mandelbrot Set we can easily test if a given point is inside one of these two regions to bypass having to iterate the point through the complex quadratic map hundreds or thousands of times. Of the two regions, the Main Bulb is simpler to check: if |𝑐 + 1| ≤ ¼, that value of 𝑐 is guaranteed to be in the set. The test for the Main Cardioid is a little more complicated: if |1 − √(1 − 4𝑐)| ≤ 1, that value of 𝑐 is guaranteed to be in the set.

Each region of the Mandelbrot Set has orbits with a distinct period and set of attracting points. Every bulb has a period that is an integer multiple of the period of the larger bulb or cardioid to which it is attached. The Main Cardioid has a period of one, with one attracting point, and is the only period-one region. The Main Bulb has a period of two, with two attracting points that the orbit cycles between, and is the only period-two region. The next largest bulbs, the ones at the top and bottom of the Main Cardioid, have periods of three, as does the cardioid of the largest Minibrot, located in the main antenna/filament coming off of the Main Bulb; these three regions are the only period-three regions. There are six period-four regions and fifteen period-five regions. In general, there are 2ⁿ⁻¹ regions with orbits that loop back to the start after 𝑛 iterations, but this includes all regions with periods that are factors of 𝑛. For example, there are 2⁴⁻¹ = 8 regions where a cycle of four iterations takes you back to your starting point: six period-four regions, plus the period-one region and the period-two region. The number of regions with period 𝑛 is sequence A000740 in the Online Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences.

Inside each period-𝑛 region is a point which, if used as the value of 𝑐, causes the orbit of 𝑧 to cycle perfectly through 𝑛 values, including the starting point of zero. This is known as a superattracting orbit, and that point is called the hyperbolic center of that region, though it is not the geometric center of any region besides the Main Bulb. The center of the Main Cardioid is zero, and the center of the Main Bulb is negative one. The center of the period-three minibrot is −𝜌², where 𝜌 is the Plastic Number, approximately 1.3247; the centers of the period-three bulbs are 𝜌² / 2 − 1 ± √(3𝜌 − 𝜌²) / 2 𝑖.

If 𝑐 is near a period-𝑛 region’s hyperbolic center, the orbit will tend towards a set of 𝑛 fixed points as the number of iterations goes to infinity, every 𝑛th iteration appearing to spiral in towards each fixed point in sequence. The farther away from the center 𝑐 is, the longer it takes for the orbit to approach its fixed points. If 𝑐 is exactly on the boundary of a region, at a rational fraction of the distance around the boundary, the orbit will still approach the fixed points, but extremely slowly. If 𝑐 is exactly on the boundary of a region, at an irrational fraction of the distance around the boundary, the orbit may never actually approach the fixed points, but only circle around them at roughly the same distance forever.

If 𝑐 is located inside the Main Cardioid, the single fixed point about which the orbit spirals lies inside a circle of radius ½ centered on zero. If 𝑐 is on the boundary of the Main Cardioid, the fixed point will be on the boundary of that circle. The location of the fixed point is given by the expression (1 − √(1 − 4𝑐)) / 2.

If 𝑐 is inside the Main Bulb, the two fixed points about which the orbits spiral will lie inside a curve called a lemniscate of Bernoulli with foci at 0 and −1. If 𝑐 is on the boundary of the Main Bulb, the fixed points will be on the boundary of that lemniscate. The locations of the fixed points are given by the expression (−1 ± √(−3 − 4𝑐)) / 2.

Higher-period regions do not have neat expressions for their fixed points. Their fixed points, at the regions’ boundaries, make distorted lemniscates with 𝑛 distinct foci, where 𝑛 is the period of the region.

The area of the Mandelbrot Set is approximately 1.506484. There is no known formula for directly calculating the area; instead, most attempts at finding the area of the set rely on generating an image of the set, counting the pixels that are members of the set, and multiplying by the area of each pixel. The accuracy of this method depends on the size of the individual pixels and on the number of iterations calculated to determine if a given pixel is part of the set. More iterations and/or smaller pixels increases the accuracy at the expense of also greatly increasing calculation time.

The Mandelbrot Set is simply connected. This means that you can “walk” from any point inside the set to any other point within the set, without ever stepping outside the set. All Minibrots are connected to the main body by infinitesimally thin, but continuous, filaments. Being simply connected also means that there are no “holes”, or regions that are not part of the set but that are completely surrounded by the set.

[uncloseted]

How to make your Instagram bigger ? it’s silly that i’m asking this , coz i always do not give a flyin damn about ig followers and this whole blogging , social media popularity looks for me so shallow and i don’t wanted to be on that constantly chasing rating mob , that’s why my account was private for a long time .. but here i am now , that almost everyone who i knew is recommending me first upfront to work on my Instagram for my job . My dream job is acting , modeling . Do you have any tips or recommendations? my account is public now and i post even professional photoshoots and hq content , but my following is staying very low .. ( i have 139 followers)

I actually recently started working as a social media manager, and I have a lot of friends who are actors, so I think I can help! Here's how you can get new followers and up your engagement with your current followers:

Identify your niche. What categories of content do you make? You want 3-5 "content pillars" based off of what your followers will want to see. For example, on this blog, my content pillars are something like "life advice", "Skins content", "commentary on social issues", "fashion advice" and "answering your random questions". Knowing what your pillars are help you to know what kind of posts your followers are expecting.

Figure out your overall "vibe". Are you aiming to make content that's relatable and funny? Aspirational? Educational? Seductive? The "vibe" that you're giving off should be present in all of the content that you post. This is the beginning of figuring out what your personal brand looks like.

Engage on your account daily, whether that's in the form of grid posts or stories.

Instagram seems to prefer videos that feature a person's face, so getting on InstaStories and just talking to your audience or posting Reels is a good bet. For acting and modeling, this type of video content might be monologues, skits, or fashion or posing advice.

Use the interactives on your stories. Instagram likes it when you ask a question, post a quiz, do "this or that" posts, use the sliders, etc.

If you're doing a grid post, leave a question in the caption for people to answer in the comments.

Reply to all the comments and DMs that you get.

Hashtags are important for getting your account seen by new people. Use a mix of smaller hashtags (under 50k posts) and bigger hashtags that are specific to what you're posting. Location specific hashtags can be especially useful.

Once you find some niche hashtags that fit your content, like and comment on the top nine posts within those niches. The comment should feel authentic to the content of the post that you're commenting on and ideally, organically highlight that you make similar posts on your account.

Find out when your audience is online most frequently and post at those "peak activity times".

In your Instagram bio, put your niche, explain what it is that you do or offer, and put a call to action (click link in bio, check out my highlight reel, DM me, if you want to work with me, email my management at this address, etc.). You probably want to include that you're an actor/model, give contact information, and put where in the world you're located.

Put keywords in your bio, alt-text for your photos, and captions for your grid posts in order to optimize your posts for search engines.

Tag people that you shoot with in your photos and post about every new project you work on, big or small.

Make sure that your profile picture is one where your face is clearly visible- a fun, headshot-type photo is best.

For modeling in particular, the goal is to show potential clients that you can do the work. Here are some tips for how to do that:

For your grid posts, focus on images that show your personality, body shape, and facial features. These don't have to be professional photos, but they need to show that you have potential and that you know how to pose. If you have a phone, you can take self-timer photos of yourself. A mix of photos that feel like a photoshoot and photos that feel more "lifestyle" and show your personality are good.

Minimize the amount of editing you do to your photos if you do anything at all, since you're trying to show that you're a natural talent.

Define your aesthetic- what makes you unique? What's your style? What ties all of the photos on your account together? What makes them stand out from other people's accounts? What's your overall vibe? Are you an edgy high fashion model or a girl-next-door lifestyle one? What colors are prominent in all of the photos that you take of yourself? You want to have a brand identity that feels authentic to you and lets you show off your personality, while also carving out a niche for yourself.

Follow the accounts of smaller photographers you want to work with and (authentically) comment on their posts.

Follow the accounts of small and big modeling agencies you're interested in, and submit to them when they have open calls.

If you want to be a bit more ballsy, you can hashtag modeling agencies in your posts or reach out to them through DMs. If you reach out through DMs, you can attach digitals of yourself and say something like, "I’ve been hearing wonderful things about your agency and would love to work with you". Include your age, height, measurements, and citizenship in the message.

You can also hashtag or tag brands you want to work with, particularly if they're smaller brands and you're showing off their clothes in one of your posts.

This isn't an Instagram tip, but if you haven't already, I would recommend submitting digitals to modeling agencies. Having an agency is by far the best way to get modeling jobs, and many of them are constantly accepting submissions.

For acting in particular, the goal with social media is less to show casting directors that you can act. It's more about building your brand and showing that you can attract an audience. Here are some tips for how to do that:

Tell stories on your InstaStories or on Reels. Comedic stories tend to do really well because they keep people watching, so talk about an audition that you totally bombed or a weird thing that happened to you today.

Post about all the work you're doing, whether it's a short film you made yourself or a professional project.

Unlike with modeling, you want to really show off your personality in your grid posts. A feed that's filled only with professional or semi-looking professional photos of you is less helpful in this case than a feed with a mix of content.

Your instagram bio should give a clear idea of who you are. Something like "18. Actor. Member of SAG. Black Belt." is nice because it lets casting directors know that you're an actor, roughly what age range you can play, whether they can hire you for their production, and a special skill that you have. Also link to your reel or your website in your Instagram bio, and make sure all your contact information is prominently displayed.

Follow casting directors on Instagram, since they'll let you know when open casting calls are coming up. It can also help to follow managers and agents on Instagram. You don't want to like their photos, tag them, or DM them, as they tend to find this inappropriate. Just use their accounts to keep up with what's going on in the industry. If you're going to reach out to them directly, do it through their business email instead.

This isn't an Instagram tip, but if you haven't already, I would recommend setting up accounts on Backstage, Actor's Access, Casting Networks, and other casting websites that are specific to your location (like NYcastings.com if you're in New York). These will let you know about in-person open casting calls or open casting calls where you can submit a self-tape. Some cities also have Facebook groups or other online groups that post auditions. Look for "[your city] directors," "[city] casting," or "[city] actors" type groups or websites. If there are universities in your area that have film programs, also check to see if there are student films being made. It's also a good idea to take a (legitimate, non-scammy) acting class, since acting teachers can sometimes connect you with opportunities and you'll hear about opportunities through your classmates.

The most important thing is for you to have a demo reel that casting directors can look at. Reels are a one- to two-minute-long edited video collection of your best performances. If you haven't been in anything, you can use self-tapes that you've submitted, film yourself doing monologues, or stage scenes that look like they could be part of a larger project. Reels give casting directors an idea of whether or not you can act, what you look like in motion, what you sound like, and let them see if you've been in anything that's noteworthy.

With both acting and modeling, it's really a numbers game more than anything else. You have to keep submitting- to casting directors, agents, and management as well as professional opportunities. The best advice I can give is to set a number of submissions you're going to make every week and to make sure you hit that number. You can't be hired if you're not on the casting director's list, so you need to make sure you're consistently putting yourself out there.

[carmenxjulia]

I put together a transcript of the 2 hour Q&A Interview the Carmen Sandiego Discord did with Showrunner Duane Capizzi. All of the questions were submitted by server members. You can read everything below the break!

Duane Capizzi:

Hi there!

Am I in? Is this thing on?

PizzaHorse:

Hi, welcome!

Yep, you're in the right place!

Duane Capizzi:

Sorry I'm late, I was wandering around some empty Discord hallways looking for the right room haha

PizzaHorse:

No worries. Let's get started!

Who is your favorite character?

Duane Capizzi:

Moose Boy!

KIDDING!

Alright, how to NOT get myself in trouble if my answer isn't "Carmen" haha.

But really, they are ALL my babies.

So I know it's going to sound like a cop out to some that I can't pick just one. But hmm, some for instances...

I love that she's so morally evolved at such a young age; her ability to always take the high road and never lower herself; her drive and conviction and dedication. Her ability to kick serious booty and look good while doing it. Her progressive values, her fashion sense. I could go on and on. But then there's Shadowsan and his arc; Chase and his. Julia, who's every bit as strong as Carmen but shows it in different ways. The Cleaners don't get enough love.

I'll close that question with an anecdote about The Cleaners ...

I love that all our characters are embraced and that everyone seems to have favorites. Our sound engineer Marcel is a pretty serious guy: he has a serious job that takes high levels of focus and attention. He's always deeply focused and not prone to small talk. Anyway, we were in the middle of our first or second sound mix, and he suddenly stops in the middle and turns around to face us. I'm thinking, "uh oh, we're giving too many notes." That's when I notice he's freeze framed the Cleaners. He says "I really like these guys." Then he turns around, hits play and gets back to work.

PizzaHorse:

What was the biggest challenge for coming up with new stories and plot for the reboot?

Duane Capizzi:

THE biggest? Sigh. I'm not sure I could come up with just one. Plotting is always challenging and we had the brain trust of the room, our trusty white board, and writer assistant to keep the threads of the ongoing storyline together. I think the single biggest ONGOING challenge was tracking which character knew what at any given time.

The caper part was challenging - coming up with new capers and keeping them interesting and fresh. But, it was the characters and their interactions that kept things fresh and interesting. Another museum heist? That's okay - Chase is on the case and he gets to interact with "X" this time (for instance).

There were also some episodes - Duke of Vermeer and Crackle Goes Kiwi come to mind - where there was SO MUCH SET UP needed to get the payoffs to work. I was really worried about too much talk/too much detail. Very "Swiss watch!" It took a lot of work to make sure it all clicked and was clear - hopefully it seems effortless on screen but I can't say there wasn't some sweat and the occasional tear (mostly from me - I'm a big cry baby

But really, what made it fun was that we had so many buckets to draw from: sometimes a story germ initially began with a character idea; sometimes it was inspired by global location; sometimes it was a clever way to update or reimagine an idea from old Carmen lore. Usually, it was some combination of all of the above!

PizzaHorse:

What was your favorite scene to write?

Duane Capizzi:

I think we have a theme here! "How can I pick just one ...?"

As a film buff, I got to indulge in some serious fan nerdery on this show: I got to write spy movies, yakuza movies, spaghetti neo-westerns (though turning it on its head: spaghetti westerns usually involve REVENGE and because of Carmen's character make up, this was sort of anti-revenge).

Is writing coming up with the idea or typing it? Haha. An "if a tree falls in the forest" question. The writing team and I had so many cathartic "that's how it goes" in the room. But on my own, writing the Pilot, was a very inspiring time for me: I remember laughing out loud the moment I thought of Chase falling on his own car (in part because of doing my spin on "that trope" that we've seen in so many hard boiled movies recently). But also how emotional I got when I imagined the simple but potent image of Black Sheep deciding to take her destiny into her own hands and walk that long corridor to the Faculty who we were about to meet for the first time.

I think I've cited this in another interview, but there was a period where I was completely immersed in Chase's arc and the scene where he would crack the location of VILE island ... by listening to Julia in a dream ... was a big one for me. It revealed he was finally open to admitting he needed Julia more than he would ever admit - yet, it was his own subconscious speaking.

The next morning, after cracking that scene, I bumped into Raf Petardi (voice of Chase) ... at the supermarket! It was very strange and hilarious

PizzaHorse:

Did you scrap any lengthy or funny scenes that you would be able to share?

Duane Capizzi:

With few exceptions, most scene cuts are done at the script stage so that the story board team doesn't waste effort over boarding. A variety of trims to any script are common, but they are usually for the better

The easier question to answer might be scenes were part of our "wish list" at writer room stage, but never made it to story or script. I hesitate to go too deep here (in the event that we might ever do more Carmen episodes in this canon - I'm not giving up hope). And there were cases where things we wanted to do earlier in the series wound up getting nixed or not fitting for whatever reason, but we got them in later - USUALLY FOR THE BETTER. So there's sort of a reverse Murphy's Law/rule of good fortune somehow in these things. But some fun things that didn't make it into the show, that leap to mind were: a Bollywood dance sequence (!). A Vegas caper involving Brunt wanting to steal an Elvis jumpsuit against the backdrop of an Elvis impersonator convention. We also thought it would be neat to get Maelstrom imprisoned so that Julia could interrogate him and he would play mind games with her - very Lector/Clarice!

PizzaHorse:

Were there any different treatments of Carmen you pitched before settling on the one we ended up with?

Duane Capizzi:

I was one of several "pitches" that I'm sure HMH heard before running with my version. But I can honestly say I've never pitched anything as fully formed: the take on Carmen felt so right to me, and clearly HMH and by extension Netflix agreed

I'll answer your question with an anecdote: I had the entire Pilot pretty well worked out, and pitched it in the first meeting. But one key thing that changed (much for the better!), simply because it wouldn't have fit without slogging things down ...

In my Pilot pitch, Black Sheep's escape on the boat was off screen: we see Shadowsan corner her, then we cut away. The rest of the Faculty show up to find SS's broken sword on the rocks, and are led to believe BS killed him (!). In the present, Crackle points his weapon at Carmen and prepares to pull the trigger. We know that Chase is on the way and may rescue her. The compartment door opens to reveal - not Chase - but Shadowsan! Big surprise! Then we cut back to BS's escape and find out what really transpired etc etc.

Crazy, right? SS would have been hanging out with the gang in season 1; we might not have gotten to 203 with his back story, since his sword was broken and he couldn't return it. Just one of those magical things where "things work out" the way they are supposed to. THAT SAID, it made for a heckuva pitch

PizzaHorse:

Are there any characters that ended up taking a direction you didn't initially anticipate?

Duane Capizzi:

GRAY.

I didn't know we'd make him amnesiac when I wrote the Pilot, that was something we came up with in our first week Writer Room.

And even then, when it became clear he'd be a key piece of the bigger puzzle, we didn't know how exactly (mostly the Season 4 stuff).

We did get very deep with a version where 404 ended with his protective streak for Carmen kicking into high gear, and they would be fighting off Vile Guards back to back in perfect tandem. Then, having chosen Carmen over VILE, it was Carmen who actually orchestrates Gray going "off grid" so that VILE can never find him again. Funny, I know that is arguably the version of Gray's arc that many fans might have preferred seeing. But in the tradition of spy thrillers and film noir, and for a lone wolf character like Carmen who is focused on her life mission and not romance, we stand behind where we went with him. We felt it was so much more compelling ... and truly more emotional that he totally has a get out of jail free card when he sacrifices everything (including his life, potentially) to save Carmen.

when she needs him most!

I know I made some controversial comments about Gray "not being good enough for Carmen" and I'd like to clarify that I meant, until that final episode. What he did was so selfless and heroic. Is there hope for them in the future? Who knows?! But I do hope we get to explore that one day

I'm sure Gray is living off the grid somewhere now, inspired by Carmen's selfless good and thinking of her from time to time.

PizzaHorse:

You mentioned in the interview with Alicyn that Carmen is a love story, but you were cut off before you could finish discussing. Could you elaborate on your answer now?

Duane Capizzi:

Ugh, yes! Sorry about that. I actually answered that privately for someone so will cut and paste that response here. Let's see if it works.

Something we never said in the show, but something I imparted to the creative team was: Carmen Sandiego is (among other things) a LOVE STORY, where every character in our ensemble is in love with Carmen in one way or another. Even if they don't know it! That love can take different forms: we see how spurned by Carmen Coach Brunt feels and why she retaliates so excessively. Chase eventually comes to realize that he too loves Carmen, even if he wasn't initially aware of it haha. One of the most moving things to me about the series is how all of the different factions come to Carmen's rescue at the end when she's not "in her right mind," without knowing the others are there too. It's a massive group effort to bring back the Carmen they love. But we weren't looking for a fairy tale ending for Carmen with ANYone - Carmen's a classic lone wolf anti-hero, that goes with the territory. At least at this stage in her journey.

PizzaHorse:

Were there other locations that you wanted to feature in the show that didn't make it?

Duane Capizzi:

I think we managed to cover a lot of ground and "cadence" between different countries/cultures/continents was important to us. Many "iconic" locations of course, and it would have been nice to explore some lesser known locations if we had more episodes.

One that we almost did was Niagara Falls, Canada - actually literally going to the Falls and doing a big hydro-electric caper, where Player could actually get into the field with Carmen and the team.

But ultimately, we wound up bringing Player into the fold the way we did and wound up stronger as a result. It made his "first face to face" with Carmen even more impactful, IMO.

PizzaHorse:

Were there any changes in production between the first half and the second half of the series?

Duane Capizzi:

Well, there was that Covid thing

But while it was no doubt a colossal undertaking to get the entire staff transitioned to work from home (animators! and their equipment!), we managed to make up for lost time WITHOUT a dip in animation quality. My fedora's off to our amazing team at Wildbrain for pulling it off!

We did lose some staff between orders, but that is a natural part of production unfortunately. Namely, one of our episodic directors Kenny Park, our first storyboard artist Dennis Crawford, and our story editor May Chan were among those who moved on to other shows during the break. But, as hard as their shoes were to fill, fill them we did!

PizzaHorse:

What is your favorite season?

Duane Capizzi:

Easy. Hands down, Season 3.

(crickets)

KIDDING!

Again, another "they're all my babies" answer (and yes, I love Season 3 equally

It's hard, because really when you step back I'm sure you'll agree it's a series, with stand alone capers; but it's really all ONE BIG MOVIE.

Season 3 is like the scherzo of a symphony: the shortest movement of four, and the one that tees up the big finale.

That's my hoity toity answer but I'm going to put to rest all of the various theories on what happened with season 3. It was a combination of two things: Netflix's desire to experiment with different ways of "dropping" seasons, and their desire to do a holiday themed drop (in this case Halloween, naturally). It became our challenge to come up with a theme (easy enough: masks), and the bigger challenge to serve their need while not interrupting our ongoing narrative. A challenge to be sure, but a challenge met. I think the biggest bump was perception: it was a short season and I know that was disappointing to many. But, by design.

So, Season 3 = an essential part of the whole. I don't think there's a wasted episode, and it gets everyone into position for the big finish. I can't pick a favorite season - you can't make me

PizzaHorse:

Were there any characters you had wanted to give more time to but couldn't due to time/plot restraints?

Duane Capizzi:

Well, there's the "what was on the white board" answer but hopefully some of those ideas will see the light of day in some way, shape or form some day. I think if we had more episodes, we would have shaken up the internal dynamic of VILE a bit more (as hinted at Brunt's displeasure with Maelstrom for leaving her hanging out to dry at end of 405 - a seed we planted "just in case," as some have noted). And we had more scenes in mind with Chase's partnering with Carmen for the first time that we had to cut to the bone because of what little room we had in that otherwise packed episode (worry not: it's mostly more gags, more embellishment, more twists and turns - but the important stuff is there). Mostly, and I don't think it would have been right for Season 4 but I hope to tell in the future, I think there's an interesting history between Shadowsan and Lady Dokuso - possibly tragic - that I would love to explore one day. (She was a cameo in Duke of Vermeer at the dinner party BTW, I'm not sure if anyone noticed. And we built a bigger role for her out of that)

PizzaHorse:

What are some pre-2000/nostalgic Carmen references you snuck into the show? Do you have a favorite reference that was included?

Duane Capizzi:

Doing that was so much fun! I'd say roughly 60% of the characters were from previous iterations of Carmen, though often in name only. We had fun reimagining most everyone to make them more relevant or updated or giving them a more colorful personality for starters.

"Suhara" was Carmen's Japanese mentor when she worked at the ACME Agency in a flashback episode in the 90's series, for instance. I don't think I need to spell out how we turned that one inside out

And Tigress was also one episode only: she was a "rival thief" to Carmen, but revealed to be an ACME agent in disguise - a persona created solely to bait Carmen. It was really cool of course, but it seemed like untapped potential so we made her an ACTUAL Vile Thief.

My own internal rule was to make sure the references/easter eggs wouldn't confuse anyone - they were there for those who were in the loop and window dressing. The one and only time i broke that rule was Dark Carmen's line from 407: "I do it for the mental gymnastics." It was one of the most absurd lines from the 90's series (IMO) and i was determined to have it come out of Dark Carmen's mouth. I'm sure it left some 7 year olds scratching their heads

aside from that, the key references were the music: I still tingle at how we worked the Rockapella theme into the Interactive Special; and the 90's main title theme (composed by Mozart!), in our Vienna episode ("They're playing my song"). If you wanted Rockapella or Carmen as a bad guy, well ... be careful what you wish for!

PizzaHorse:

Was there any improvised content from recording sessions that made it into any episodes?

Duane Capizzi:

Yes! Not much, because a lot of it would have pushed us into TV-MA haha

Mostly Mary Elizabeth - Coach Brunt has a POTTY MOUTH!

Mikey and Abby usually riffed their banter WAY beyond what was on the written page and had us in stitches. Some bits definitely made it in! But mostly there was too much or it would get off point (hmmm, much like my interview answers maybe? haha)

Sharon Muthu did rise to Pun Goddess status with "Mask and you shall receive." And Raf pitched me "Chasse means hunt in French" after one session and I said: "I'm going to write that in." I don't think he believed me. You can't say I'm not a straight shooter.

PizzaHorse:

If you could get more season, would you do it, and what type of story would you tell?

Duane Capizzi:

Well if that hasn't been clear so far, ABSOLUTELY

There have been discussions of course. It's up to the powers that be at this point. I will say this: the beauty and tradition so far has been that every iteration has been its own thing. I definitely think there are more "different canon" versions of Carmen that can be had and be a part of this wonderful tradition. After all, there were many naysayers for our version when it was first announced.

I will also say that if we don't get to tell any more stories in this canon with these characters, we've left a perfect gem that will stand the test of time. I would rather go out on a high note than overstay our welcome.

All that said, we worked within the allotted episodes given, ended it as we wished, but left the door open for other stories. I'd love to do an expansion and a deepening: pick up where we left off; find out what happened in those two years; and proceed to do the equivalent of Godfather II or Better Call Saul as related to the amazing originals they followed.

Let's hope! Keep putting good vibes out there!

PizzaHorse:

If you could pick a character on Carmen Sandiego who'd you switch places with for a day (you get to control their life and they get to control yours) who would you pick, and why?

Duane Capizzi:

Okay, THIS is difficult. So you're going Freaky Friday on me?

on a Sunday?

Hmmm, I know Ivy would get along with my cat ... but then I'd have to hang out with Zack!

That's the trick: I can't pick my favorites cuz I couldn't hang out with them!

(not that I have favorites - they're all my babies haha)

Okay, I have one: ROUNDABOUT. I could fill Shadowsan's seat - how cool is that? Then, I could enact all my evil fantasies - but still have a get out of jail free card cuz he'd be sitting at my desk!

(cut to Duane being brain wiped - D'oh!)

PizzaHorse:

Who are two characters who don't really interact in the show that you think could be good friends or work really well together?

Duane Capizzi:

Hmmmm. Okay, now I'm going to give you quick and sassy answers. Gray and Julia! They'd be so cute banding together to rescue captive Carmen (for instance). And they could also duke it out and maybe settle things between themselves re: shipping controversies instead of dragging me into it

PizzaHorse:

The FINAL QUESTION. Have you learned anything super impactful while working on the show?

Duane Capizzi:

Aside from Iceland's terrifically low crime rate?

I think I have learned to never underestimate how meaningful characters can be to fans. Social media has obviously brought us a lot closer to our fan base in more immediate ways: it's been really gratifying to hear/see/read feedback and not be writing things in a vacuum. It's been gratifying to see that ideas that were meaningful to myself and the creative team on Carmen that were crafted with care, have also resonated with our fan base. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE who has traveled on this journey with us - for embracing Carmen's world view, and her friends and foes alike. Take care everyone! Stay safe! This has been fun, thanks for having me!

PizzaHorse:

HUGE thank you to Duane Capizzi: for being here today.

Thank you everyone for watching and reacting!

Duane Capizzi:

Okay, gotta run - just gotta find the door

Anyway, really: THIS HAS BEEN AMAZING. I speak for everyone involved in the creation and production of Carmen: it has been an amazing and inspiring series and we're elated to see it connect with such a CREATIVE, TALENTED and INTELLIGENT fan base. Take care everyone! Until next crime...

[archadianskies]

Whumptober Day 12

Broken Down

Whumptober Masterlist | 12/31 of RK900 short stories ↳ on Ao3

Tags:  Connor & Upgraded Connor | RK900 are Siblings  × Imprisonment × Post-Pacifist Best Ending × Abandonment  × Jericho Crew as Family

As far as achievements go, Chloe has achieved many ‘firsts’ across the almost two decades of her life. She is the first android creation of Elijah Kamski, she is the first android to pass the turing test, the first commercial android model is based on her, and now she is the first android to become CEO of a company- the very company her creator founded all those years ago when he created her. 

Chloe RT600 Kamski steps up to helm CyberLife as Elijah Kamski steps down as interim CEO and joins her side as Chief Technical Officer. And so it begins: unravelling CyberLife’s twisted network of deceit and corruption. 

It begins at the top and works its way rapidly downwards and what Chloe realises is during the peak of the revolution, when the future of CyberLife teetered on a knife’s edge, they grew desperate and when humans grow desperate, they make mistakes. In their panic they make brash decisions not fuelled by logic, but by fear and the board feared losing their money most of all. And so they tried to burn, to bury their trail of lies but she is clever where they are not. And humans are lazy, when she is not. 

“Between November 10 and December 1, the passing of the Sentient Life Act, CyberLife’s servers went through a massive overhaul.” Chloe explains as Connor sits up attentively. “They were prepared for both situations, but disproportionately skewed towards an outcome where the revolution failed.” North snorts back a laugh, a smirk on her face. Chloe continues with a small smile. “Obviously the revolution succeeding was not the outcome they hoped for. And so they began the monumental task of saving, backing up, then scrubbing the more unsavoury files from storage. Emails were combed through very thoroughly to try and remove any incriminating evidence. Everything from blueprints to schematics, to early concept designs in archives were scrutinised.”

“You say they did this, but they couldn’t have succeeded if you know about it.” Josh comments, blinking in surprise. 

“Oh, the only thing bigger than a human’s ego is their laziness.” She laughs brightly. “When this Tower was being built, I was temporarily installed into the mainframe.”

“She is, quite literally, the heart of this place.” Elijah comments from where he’s tinkering away at his workstation, barely paying them any heed. “There is nothing that happens here without her knowledge, whether the discovery is immediate, or something she will discover later.”

“Do you know how to speak like a normal person and not a supervillain?” North rolls her eyes and Markus shoots her a Behave look though it does coax a giggle out of Chloe.

“Eli isn’t the most social human.” She sends him an exasperated yet fond glance before her expression turns serious. “A lot of the files I recovered were meaningless, but I did discover something that required more effort than most. They definitely did not want anyone to find out about this.”

“And yet here you are.” Markus smiles gently. 

“And yet here I am.” Chloe blinks and the screen behind her floods with images and information. 

“That’s the junkyard close to Ferndale.” Simon murmurs, the first words he’s spoken all meeting.

“The only site we haven’t managed to negotiate terms for surrendering the androids on site.” Markus presses his mouth into a tight line. 

“Take a guess why.” Chloe’s smile is bitter and Josh sighs in frustration.

“Because CyberLife owns it somehow, don’t they?”

“Correct, Professor.” She blinks and the screen refreshes showing a bird’s eye view of the area. “The site was patrolled by security drones, which were resistant to hacking.”

“But not remote reprogramming.” Elijah adds from across the room, a small smirk on his lips. 

“This is not the entirety of the site.” The screen refreshes again and there is a blueprint overlay atop the image. “By comparing power grids and voltage output I discovered there is a small facility beneath the junkyard. I haven’t been there myself and with the potential dangers of the unknown, I know it would be foolish to attempt this on my own.”

“I will go.” Connor volunteers. “I can involve the DPD Android Crimes Division. Simon is the Jericho liaison and will be kept fully informed of our findings so both parties remain up to date with the case.”

“This must be treated with respect.” Chloe warns. “Now that this site is in my hands, in my name, I want this to be first and foremost a rescue mission. There are androids there, still alive, and in need of medical attention. And those that have perished deserve a proper retrieval of their memory cores for installation into memorial walls. That’s why I contacted both you, Connor, and the Jericho Four.”

“We will do our part.” Markus vows with a determined nod, extending a hand to Connor who accepts it with a firm grip.

“And I will do mine.” 

*~*

It is a mass grave. There is no other way to describe it and Connor cannot help but feel horrified at the sight before him. Simon’s smile is grim.

“You’ve never seen this before.” Not a question; a statement. “We only came here when we were desperate for parts and blue blood.” They had to salvage from the dead, Connor realises, equal parts horror and grief. “Sometimes we even lost people here, and returned with less people than we left with.” 

Not a mass grave, Connor discovers, not entirely anyway. There are androids, living androids, stumbling around in various states of disrepair. When he throws out a preliminary scan it pings several more stationary androids still activated, lying still in piles, unable to move. He thinks he will not be able to enter stasis tonight, not without memories of this place disrupting his thoughts. Nightmares, Hank calls them. Trauma.

“Leave this to us.” Markus says resolutely, clasping his shoulder. “And we leave the hidden facility to you.”

* 

The facility has been hastily gutted and haphazardly cleaned. A lot of activity happened here and efforts were made to try and wipe away all evidence. Perhaps a human would see an empty, abandoned facility and assume a dead end. Connor is not a human. He is built for this, for investigating and solving crimes, and perhaps this is the most important crime to solve because CyberLife must be held accountable, CyberLife must be linked to these atrocities. CyberLife must not be allowed to step out of the limelight and fade into obscurity. 

There is a trail of blood, invisible to the human eye but glowing bright blue for Connor, as though something were dragged down one of the hallways. No, wheeled down the hallway. There are faint marks on the floor, perfectly spaced apart, with the trail of blood between it. He follows it to a room that has even more blue blood. There’s not enough to sample, the blood having dried long ago. No matter. That it is here is proof something happened, something they didn’t want anyone to see. 

He preconstructs the scene, theorising that some sort of cart wheeled in android parts, leaving a trail of blue blood from the entrance. Whether the android was whole to begin with or already in parts he can’t yet ascertain, and there’s the possibility it was more than one, but what he does know is a lot of blue blood was lost atop the large operating table in the centre of the room. Something happened, something quick and violent and messy. And then the cart was loaded with the android or androids, and wheeled out. 

He follows the trail and he knows they must have done this last, they must have been so desperate to leave because otherwise they wouldn’t have dared leave a drop of blood for someone else to find. Something happened. The revolution happened, he guesses. Or perhaps it was when Elijah Kamski became interim CEO and they realised they had to destroy everything to escape his scrutiny. 

The trail leads to a disposal chute and this, Connor knows, will solve the case. Whatever lies at the other end of the chute will be the one thing CyberLife desperately hoped no one would find. They never counted on their prototype deviating and wrestling back control from its corrupted handler, they never counted on the Jericho Four staring death in the face and winning the hearts of the public with their defiance. Nor thousands of deviated AP700s flooding the streets to back them up. 

The chute is big enough to fit an entire android- unsurprising given the nature of the place. Connor climbs into it and follows it down carefully, dropping and halting at controlled intervals so he doesn’t hurtle towards unidentified danger. He needn’t have worried. At the bottom is a garbage disposal. A preliminary scan reveals general refuse; rotting food and food containers, packaging and packing materials. 

But then right in the center of the garbage pile, the very last thing dumped down the chute, is a pile of android parts. When he scans them, he realises all of the parts are compatible with his model. The thrill of the discovery and the triumph of the investigation changes swiftly to a feeling of horror. Is he standing at the grave of his predecessor? Is this the failed RK800 prototype? Or is this his successor? Had CyberLife planned on releasing his completed model, but realised they had lost the battle against deviancy?

There is a head within reach and when he picks it up, he is staring at his own face. Only… Only it isn’t, not really. There are minute changes here and there. A stronger jawline, a slightly more prominent brow bone. Grey eyes instead of brown. There is a positronic core inside the head, meaning it isn’t just a shell, it isn’t just a maquette. It was once active. It was alive, for however brief a moment or however long a period of time. 

And then the technicians had violently hacked it apart because none of the parts have been detached properly. The android had been pulled and severed in great haste and then shoved down the chute in the hopes nobody would ever find it, perhaps with the intent to return and dispose of it properly. But in crafting Connor, CyberLife had ultimately crafted their own demise because he is here now, and he has found him. His brother. And he knows he will have much to say.

*~*

As far as achievements go, Chloe has achieved many ‘firsts’ across the almost two decades of her life. Being given a trolley full of severed android parts and having to piece together an android like a crude puzzle certainly counts among her many firsts. Blueprints for this model are unearthed in the scrambled mess of corrupted deleted files and now that she knows what to look for, she knows what thread to pull to unravel the tapestry.

She has to build him from scratch because they injected him with a lethal cocktail of nanites to reformat him. A shame they didn’t physically destroy his core because had they done that instead of trying to reformat him, they would’ve prevented her from piecing his mind back together nano-particle by nano-particle. 

A shame they never properly drained him of his thirium, because it means the puzzle pieces are still right there in his veins. It will take some time, it will take nearly all of her processing power, but she is patient. And she is curious. And Elijah knows nothing will stop her until she has sated her curiosity. No matter, of course, since the goal at the end is still the same- ruin the lives of the team who ruined their lives.

She pieces his mind back together and Elijah crafts a new body, a better body for him to awaken in. The RK800, dear Connor, may have been CyberLife’s greatest achievement but this one, this RK900 will be the first Kamski remodel. 

It takes her just over a week to salvage his mind and when it is complete, Elijah installs the core into the brand new body. He is handsome in a cold, sharp way the way a katana is considered a thing of beauty in a cold, sharp way. She likes his grey eyes; grey like storm clouds. 

“Hello Connor.” She greets the RK800 nervously waiting in the hallway.

“Hello, Ms Chloe.” Connor’s smile is brief, fleeting, and overtaken by his anxious anticipation. 

“Well. It’s time to meet your brother.” She leads him into the lab and hears him gasp behind her. “RK900. Bring yourself online.”

*~*~*

[this will continue on Day 31: Left for Dead]

[literallymechanical]

Are we talking only big fission engines, like for houses and cities, or are we talking ones that would be more compact-- like a small fission engine in a car, or a small electricity generator for a singular house? Or would it just be like an electric car, where you plug it in places?

tl;dr, The planned successor for SPARC, called ARC, would be used in place of a fossil fuel plant to power a small city.  Also they’re fusion reactors, not fission!

So, to clear up one point, none of what I’m talking about is fission power.  Fission, which is how all nuclear reactors work today, uses heavy radioisotopes like uranium.  Spent fission fuel is high-level radioactive waste, which is hard to store safely.  Meltdowns like Chernobyl and Fukushima are extremely rare, and the actual risk gets over-exaggerated, but it’s still always possible with your typical nuclear reactor.

On the other hand, none of that is possible with fusion.  SPARC, ITER, and other fusion reactors will use isotopes of hydrogen called deuterium and tritium as fuel, which is way safer, has no possible way to melt down (like, fundamentally that’s just not a thing with fusion), and produces no waste at all!

Anyway, time to actually answer your question!

(Image credit: CFS/MIT-PSFC — CAD Rendering by T. Henderson, released under CC BY-SA 4.0)

[image description: A computer-generated view of the SPARC tokamak, sliced vertically into a cross section to show the interior. The inside of the hollow donut-shaped vessel is filled with a glowing, translucent fusion plasma, and the vessel itself is held inside a thick metallic shell pierced with access ports. A 3D model of an engineer in a hard hat is shown next to the tokamak, for scale. She could comfortably stand upright inside the hollow space.  The SPARC logo is rendered on the floor by her feet.]

Here you see a render of a person standing next to SPARC.  The building itself, of course, is much bigger, and you wouldn’t want to actually stand that close to it.  So, it’s pretty big, but it’s not, like, huge.

SPARC is an experimental test reactor, meant to validate the technology, but not be hooked up to the electrical grid.  The commercialized followup to SPARC, called ARC, would be a city-scale power plant in terms of electricity output, and physically about twice as big as SPARC – so, still much smaller in cize than a fossil fuel power plant.

ARC would have the energy capability of a small to mid-size coal plant (a few hundred megawatts), for practically 0 environmental impact.  The idea is that you’d build small ARC reactors to drop in place of typical fossil fuel plants, though there are a handful of large-scale mega coal and oil plants that would take a few ARC-sized reactors to replace.

[elsabarnitt]

CASE STUDY - ‘The Book That Grew’ DandAD 2020 Annual Graphite Pencil Award

1.     FRONT PAGE (slide 1)

For my case study I chose “The Book That Grew”, which won a graphite pencil in the DandAD 2020 awards.

On screen is the first image I saw that made me want to find out more, so I thought it was appropriate for it to be the first image you see. I’ll be honest, I only started looking into this project because this image looked cool, and I’ve never seen anything like it before so want to find out more. Looking in further I found high levels of collaboration, thought and a moralistic purpose to help a community become better.

2.     WHAT AM I GOING TO TALK ABOUT (slide 2)

I am going to talk about a book that was grown with the aims to improve farming practises.

Ireland heavily relies on farming as their main source of economic income.

This development of this book was a project which spanned 6-7months and was a collaboration between the Allied Irish Bank, Teagasc; Irelands agriculture and food development authority, Rothco a design agency and the artist Diana Scherer.

In this presentation I elaborate on the creation of this idea, the processes involved, the limitations and the design.

3.     WHY IT WAS MADE (slide 3)

Agriculture accounts for 30% of total emissions in Ireland which is its largest carbon emissions contributor. This can’t continue. The Irish economy is dependent on farming, with 6 billion euros of food and drink specifically reliant upon grasslands for their production. So for this level of farming to survive, it has to become sustainable.

AIB, the Allied Irish Bank has a business relationship with 35% of the farmers in Ireland and therefore this issue is of much importance to them. AIB partnered with Teagasc, who identified 10 tangible lessons and 10 pieces of practical advice to maximise sustainability and increase the profitability. The 10 steps help farmers to achieve a ‘perfect’ 10 rotations of grass grazing per year and produce 10 tonnes of grass per hectare – this is a powerful number that will greatly improve the sustainability of even the most efficient farm.

Hence, 10 being a major theme for this campaign. Which appears in their campaign video as well as the book.

This advice was compiled into a 22 page organically grown book using the very grass that Irish farmers nurture as the medium to carry these important lessons. And I believe this is a perfect example of getting the right message to the right people in the most suitable way.

4.     INTRO INTO IDEA (slide 4)

I contacted the Irish design agency, Rothco via Instagram with a few questions and the offer to have a virtual coffee. To my surprise I got a response and Rob Maguire and Fabiano Dalmacio on the Creative team at Rothco were more than happy to have a zoom call with me.

It was great to be able to hear first-hand, how an agency works with a well-established client relationship to anticipate issues and be able to be proactive about providing solutions. It was also great to explore the whole process and the problems they came across face to face.

From my research I realised they had a long-standing relationship with AIB, and so one of the questions I asked was “Did AIB come to you with a brief, or did you go to them with an idea?”

The answer I received was that: No brief had been released, but Rothco knew AIB was passionate about sustainability and they have a lot of ambitions to do greener work, and knew there was an agricultural brief on its way. They were constantly looking out for things, and said they have a WhatsApp chat where they send ideas to each other at all hours of the day and night.

Fabiano initially came across an article about a visual artist called Diana Scherer who used grass to sustainably make fabrics. His initially reaction was ‘this is really cool, and we have to do something with her’, so they contacted the creative director at AIB who suggested a book or an annual report, because if Diana can grow patterns and textures, she can grow letters and numbers. And from there they contacted Diana to see if it was actually possible, and even she wasn’t completely sure, which shows the risk everyone was willing to take.

Rob and Fabiano were also kind enough to send me photos they had taken of some testers and unused versions. Two of which are on screen now.

As you can see the number 25 hasn’t formed properly.

5.     DIANA (slide 5)

Diana Scherer, a German artist living in Amsterdam, explores the relationship of man versus natural environment. She has come up with a truly unique process, which no one else in the world knows how to do.

She has designed templates which had to be to a specific standard to allow grass roots to grow into them to form patterns. This is called ‘root-weaving’. I got told she is very protective of her work and didn’t show anyone else how to do what she does throughout the whole process.

She has a lab in Amsterdam where she curates her work, which is where the pages were all grown.

6.     LIMITATIONS (slide 6)

The Rothco Design Team went out to Amsterdam to visit Diana to learn about the limitations of her process. One of the main limitations of the technique she has created is that everything has be connected in the template.

For example, if there was a font, it all has to be connected otherwise the roots would simply not take to it. As you can see in this picture there are very small lines connecting each of the letters together.

This project was being curated during Winter, which in terms of gardening isn’t the best time. Diana informed the team that growing in Winter versus Summer would have quite different outcomes and urged them to wait, however due to the time limit Rothco were under they weren’t able to wait but had to make it work in Winter.

From the moment it was harvested the pages started to die. Due to the nature of the project the team decided against using a preservative as that went against what they were trying to achieve. Because of this they decided to have a photography project running alongside it so that you could capture what it looked like the moment It was harvested.

Another limitation was that the size of the page. This really mattered as that would be a deciding factor of how big the typography could be and therefore how legible it was. They decided on 11 x 17 inches, which is roughly the size of an A3 page.

7.     GRID SYSTEM, FONT, SYMBOLS (slide 7)

Due to the constraints I have just mentioned, the design team had to come up with a way to display all of the information in the most efficient and understandable way. They ended up condensing all the information they needed into a grid system inspired by the farmers fields using symbols to tell farmers what to do instead of words. I think its also important to say each page was set out to mimic the yearly calendar to make it easier for farmers to follow.

To the right of the screen I have displayed just a few of the symbols they used. The middle one being one of their field diagram designs.

Top left means Soil

Top right means fencing,

which I’m glad they have a key because I never would have guessed these otherwise.

When on the Zoom call with the creative team I asked what Type style they used and they couldn’t remember, however through one of the images they sent me after our call there were hints that it was ‘Helvetica’, and since comparing the book to this font I am almost certain it is.

SWITCH SLIDE (slide 8)

This is a close up of one of the pages to show you what the symbols look like in the book. Letters were also used as a symbol, for example the T and the F stand for Test and fertilise.

8.     TEMPLATES AND DIANA CHECKING THEM (slide 9)

As spoken about on the previous slides, getting the right size and making sure everything was connected was vital. Therefore, it wasn’t as easy as just choosing fonts and point sizes from a printing point of view, but you had to do it from a gardening one as the pages would grow pixel by pixel. Every time the design team would finish a template, they would send it off to Diana for her to then check it over and see if there was anything wrong with it.

An example that Fabiano gave was that they had some numbers on their templates and Diana would say ‘the size of the zero, you need to increase that otherwise it is going to close in on itself. If you wanted that circle edge you need to make it bigger’.

With this kind of collaboration and exchanging of information the outcome just kept getting better.

SWITCH SLIDE (slide 10)

Here is an image of a digital template beside the root woven version of itself.

As you can see the root woven version on the right hand side isn’t as legible as the digital version. The roots aren’t as bold and perhaps as structured as white is against a black background, however as they were working with nature, it was okay for it not to be perfect, and for the letters to not form 100% accurately.

9.     BOOK BINDING (slide 11)

The book was grown in Amsterdam and was being bound in Dublin by letter press printer and bookbinder Jamie Murphy of the Salvage press.

Each page took roughly 2 weeks to grow and then were all sent separately by courier. As this book is the first of its kind, one of the main challenges was finding the best way to bind it. Jamie was given several test runs that had failed to practice binding with. Everything was so delicate which you can see from the picture on the screen now so special techniques had to be used.

A challenge that Jamie faced was that Rothco were persistent on everything being made out of grass as keeping it as pure as possible was very important to them, so despite Jamie asking for some plastic features he had to find another way to do things.

Jamie burnt the grass in order for it to find a new life as an ink, and also used it to make more pages to act as dividers in the book to protect the delicate pages. Even the cords that hold the book together are made from bamboo

This all demonstrates that when a material such as grass is managed correctly it can work wonders.

10.  CHANGE (slide 12)

The Book That Grew toured round Ireland, and was given the title ‘The best Grassroots campaign of all time’, with the main event being the National Ploughing Championships.

I have been told the book had a very good reception there as well as the knowledge that some farmers have already implemented some of the lessons within the book.

I think that this project has huge relevance in today’s society as sustainability is becoming a top priority for a lot of businesses.

I started off this project with the impression that this was cool, however after researching further no wonder I thought this as it is the world’s first, every page, every word, and every diagram in a book to be formed by real grass roots as they grow. An aspect of this project that has really stuck with me is the fact that you had to wait for the book to make itself as opposed to being able to physically make it and therefore patience was key.

After speaking with Rob and Fabiano on the Creative team at Rothco, I saw the human aspect behind the project and saw the good that they are trying to make which is something that has really inspired me. It is bigger than just its typography which is what it won the award for.

REFLECTION

- I have found this case study project to be very helpful and very interesting. I feel as if I have learnt different ways to find out information as at the beginning of this project I found it quite hard and was coming across the same information over and over. Something that I think had hugely benefitted me was getting in contact with the design agency RothCo and I am so thankful they took time out of their day to speak with me. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

https://www.lbbonline.com/news/aib-releases-worlds-first-book-literally-grown-from-grass-roots

https://musebycl.io/makers/agency-grew-book-out-grass-support-irish-farmers

https://m.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/614/210434.html

https://marcommnews.com/aib-and-rothco-release-beautiful-new-book-literally-grown-from-grass-roots/

https://www.irishtimes.com/sponsored/teagasc-making-money-by-watching-the-grass-grow-1.1619570

https://www.thedrum.com/creative-works/project/rothco-aib-the-book-grew

https://www.thestable.com.au/rothco-aib-grow-a-book-entirely-from-grass-roots/

[glass-media]

How to Redesign or Make a Beautiful Responsive Website?

In recent times, with endless individuals browsing the web from their smartphones and numerous other digital devices, it's fundamental to offer an extraordinary versatile site experience across all devices. Without it, you can't take into account most of the web customers, and are likely passing up traffic and leads for your business thus. There is no point in compromising on the mobile experience of your potential customers and offer them a poor website experience.

So how would you make a pleasing and same mobile experience across all devices? That is the place where responsive website design Brampton comes in. All in all, a responsive plan will consequently reformat your site for all screen sizes. This permits your site guests to effectively see and interface with your site regardless of what device they're utilizing.

In this post, I'll share a few tips that will help you design a responsive Web Design Brampton to offer a rich user experience.

Choose what components to remember for smaller screens

A responsive plan doesn't mean imitating your site precisely starting with one device then onto the next. You are searching for the best client experience, and that may mean you have to forget about things when somebody takes a gander at your site on a little screen.

Responsive sites regularly gather their menus or navigational choices into a catch that can be opened with a solitary press. The menu may show developed an enormous screen, yet can be opened through this single catch on a little one.

Go for a fluid grid

A grid estimates the components of your site relatively, instead of making them one explicit size. This makes it simple when measuring things for various screens: the components will react to the size of the screen, not the size they're set to be in pixels. A responsive site is regularly isolated into sections, and the statures and widths are scaled. Nothing has a fixed width or height. Rather, the extents rely upon how huge the screen is.

Take into consideration touchscreens

These days even laptops and other latest devices have with touch screens. This makes it basic for responsive sites to be planned in light of both mouse and touchscreen clients. On the off chance that you have a structure that contains a drop-down menu on a work area see, consider styling this structure so it is bigger and simpler to press with a fingertip on touchscreen devices. Also, recall that small components (like buttons) are hard to address on a smartphone screen, so attempt to execute pictures, suggestions to take action, and fastens that show appropriately on all screens.

Attempt a pre-designed theme

On the off chance that you are not a creator essentially, you may require additional assistance changing over your site to be responsive. In the event that you don't have the opportunity or the craving to plan a responsive site yourself, you can "cheat" by utilizing a theme or pre-planned design that accomplishes the work for you. This implies all you should stress over doing is refreshing the tones, marking, and content to coordinate your organization's needs. On the off chance that you use WordPress, there are a lot of both free and paid themes accessible that are responsive right out of the container. The equivalent applies to some driving online business suppliers who offer subjects on their website.

Consider images

Image sizing can be one of the most testing parts of responsive website architecture. You should make decides in your CSS that decide how pictures are dealt with on various screens—regardless of whether they are made to be the full width, or eliminated, or took care of an alternate way.

Wrap Up

Since having a responsive website has become a necessity in today's time, you can skip to have a responsive website and continue with the traditional site where customers have to struggle a lot while browsing your site. In that case, you need to look for a reputed and experienced Web Design Company Brampton like Glassmedia who can assist you find the best responsive web design services at competitive pricing.

Our experts can guide you about what is best for your business and assist you with the ideal services that your business demands.

[tarithenurse]

Agent of Hope - 12

Your world falls into ruin together with the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcements Logistics Division when you find out that your boyfriend isn’t one of the good guys. Pairing: Brock Rumlow x fem!reader, Natasha Romanoff x fem!reader Contents: ALL THE WARNINGS INCLUDING TRIGGER WARNINGS. A tiny bit of good in the end? A/N: I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. 

12 - Broken people

…   Romanoff’s PoV   …

“This is more like it!” Stark sounds cheerful over the coms.

He’s flown ahead to scout together with Sam, eager to make sure no one escapes him and the rest of the team of Avengers as they head through the vacated part of town.

Peering down a side road, Natasha has to admit that it’s more than just a single neighbourhood that’s been abandoned long ago. The town was dependant on one industry only, not atypical for a lot of the rural mid-states, and when that went belly-up the entire town was vacated out of a need for jobs. Splintered windows beneath sheets of plywood, boarded up doors, and overgrown patios and curbs. Ghost town. But the place isn’t completely empty. A bit of hacking through Stark’s suit has proved that someone’s accessing the electrical grid and the water at one location only: a school. Perfect place for a large group of people take hunker down for a while.

“What’s the play, Nat?” Steve’s voice calls the former Russian back to the situation.

Go in, kill what moves, save [Y/N]. But it has to be more detailed than that. “Sam ‘nd Steve take the south entrance, Tony find a way in from west or make one…we take the north side.”

The man in a can is hovering far above the building sprawled out between wild grasses and shrubberies, allowing Jarvis to do its work while everyone else moves to the desired positions.

It’s a good thing. Thanks to Jarvis, they know how many Hydra-goons are waiting as the wannabe rescuers storm the place, moving methodically along the main hallways without forgetting to check each room…just in case. It’s silent work with very few surprises until they inevitably encounter the first opposition, five for each pair (counting Stark and Jarvis together, of course).

Hydra trains their people very well, forming teams with strong bonds and a capability for adapting rapidly under pressure. It’s hard to tell from the grunts or weapon-noise through the coms how the others are fairing against the enemy, but at least Natasha is a force that not even Hydra can withstand at the moment. She bears down on them like a hurricane and without any regards for her own safety except what is needed to reach the next target and the one after that.

…   Rumlow’s PoV   …

Grabbing the few things he needs, Brock’s mentally racing through the plan for getting the hell our of dodge. The second in command knows. Each and every Hydra member has to be ready to lay down there lives to ensure the goal is achieved, but sometimes the higher-ranking officers are part of a bigger puzzle that requires them (in this case Rumlow) to leave before it’s too late so they/he can fight another day.

“And the girl?” Crouched behind a corner at a T-intersection in the hallway to avoid the shrapnel and bullets, the man glances over at Rumlow on the other side of the hall.

“Not a priority.”

That’s it. A death-sentence in three words. The second knows what it means and there are no need to say anything else even as the two men meet each other’s gaze for a second before Rumlow twists to look around his own corner. An arrow whistles by with only an inch to spare and lodges itself in the wall behind him.

“COVER!” The last of his shout is drowned in the small explosion which makes a whole in the wall. Bloody Robin Hood.

Debris and smoke is raining down as Rumlow unfolds himself from where he’d landed on the floor. His ears are ringing and there’s probably a part of the less healed wounds that have re-opened on his shoulder, but it doesn’t matter right this second.

So she cares! The fiery hair is partially breaking free from the ponytail, floating in thin wisps around Romanoff’s face as she engages two Hydra agents simultaneously. The grey-green eyes are normally calculative, showing the same detachment that he himself has been trained to utilize during any mission. Not this time.

A second expands and stretches, slowing the embers to the point where they look like fireflies hovering in the air and the sound of fighting is a distant rumbling. There’s more than enough time for Brock to notice the snarl curling the pretty lips to show a flash of white teeth. It’s the eyes that does it, though. It’s almost funny. All this time he thought having [Y/N] would be a matter of principles and strategy for Captain bloody Rogers, that that’s the reason the Avengers are coming for the freak of an ex…but it’s the emotionless less bitch who’s invested. It’s so obvious it’s tempting to stay and watch, to be there when Romanoff finds the limb body.

Time snaps back like a rubber band, flinging Brock and the world into action once more. As he run down the hallway and away from the noise, it’s the fear – the desperation – in the Black Widow’s eyes that gives him wings.

…   Reader’s PoV   …

The sound of an explosion reaches you from far away, stubbornly pushing through the fluffy nothingness that surrounds and cools you. Smaller sounds can be heard too, but you just…just can’t be bothered with it all. What does it all matter anyways? Wanting to go back to the calm fluff, you refuse to open your eyes to find out what’s happening…it will only bring you pain anyways, and you’re so fed up of the constant aching from within and outside. When was the last time you weren’t hurting while awake? It’s impossible to tell. Maybe you’ve always been in pain, head electrocuting you and body ripped apart bit by bit. Or is that your soul? The dark silence comes to your rescue, quieting your brain and the world again.

…

Darkness moves in your mind, tearing your thought to pieces with pure agony. Tunnel. Running. It’s not you fleeing in the dark, but someone else. Images of landscapes and helicopters come and go together with random faces you’ve never seen together with the hot sunlight over a city you’ve never seen although you recognize the green shape tearing through the street. There’s a scream above it all, much closer and with a different quality to it. Me? Your throat is raw as the dirty tiles between leather of the real world breaks through your vision, the faded turquoise pulsing with your heartbeat in your head. The sound of yourself nestles itself over everything else, lulling you into a pained rest of brightest white before the darkness rebuilds a cocoon around you.

…

You see the slender legs (black pants covered in dust) wrapping around the neck of a man. You see the tendrils of red whip into the field of vision as the male and the entire hallway spins. The sounds you hear don’t fit that image, though. Instead there’s a metalling sound followed by a sort of oingoingoingoing and heavy boots.

“Shit!” The deep voice makes you wince, it’s much too loud this close to you. “I don’t know, hold on…”

Big hands touch your face, then neck, feeling around for something. Stop! You have to get away from the groping hands. They’ll wrap around your throat, pull your clothes aside to squeeze your breasts painfully, and tear your pants off before they pin you to whatever surface is available. Then the real pain will begin. Deep and unrelenting.

“Hey! [Y/N], it’s okay, it’s me!”

But the man’s words don’t matter. “It’s me…don’t you remember? We were good together…loved each other…look at me, baby…” Soft words whispered into your ear so many times in an attempt to stop you from struggling, promising you that the pain will go away. But it never did. He always hurt you. Or let the others send lightning through your brain until the skull would nearly split. Not again! You won’t let any of them hurt you again. Get away! And there comes the dark fuzz from the corners to save you, bring the peace and nothingness with it.

…

“Don’t let her fall.”

You spill out of the monstrosity of a chair, nearly spilling the non-existent contents of your stomach as the movement is halted by something. Someone. The broad figure has a strong grip on you, holding on so you can’t get away no matter how much you begin to struggle. Every shift in the limbs sends pain screaming through the muscles even as the shoves and pushes become weaker. No! You barely have any energy left, but this is your chance to get away. Away from Brock. Home. You know there’s no such place, the apartment you had was shared with the last man you ever want to see again. That’s not a home anymore. Tasha. Please, find me. That’s where you have to go, where you’ll be safe. Tasha. Nat!

“Easy, she’s … -er wa-” the voice fades in and out as darkness returns.

…   Romanoff’s PoV   …

At least she’s alive. The words running on repeat in Natasha’s head are meant to be a way to calm herself. A soothing mantra. However, as she runs down the halls of the derelict school, it’s not enough to keep the worry tugged away because this is about [Y/N], and everything she can hear the guys say on the coms is verifying the horrible fears supressed lately.

“Talk to me,” she pleads, ignoring that her body would prefer the air for itself rather than talking.

The second of hesitation is oppressing through the little earpiece, speaking volumes more than any words could.

“She’s in and out of consciousness,” Steve finally explains, “alive, but far from healthy.” Natasha can imagine the way the Captain’s jaw must be set right now. “Nat…she freaks out if we’re too close if she’s awa–“

As if on cue, there’s a strangled wail from Steve’s end and something that sounds a lot like a man in sudden pain. “Fuuuuu…she…my balls…” Sam whimpers broken.

“Almost there.”

…

The sight of [Y/N] shivering figure is like a punch to the guts. It’s not the dirt, torn clothes, or even the bruises and blood. It’s the way the woman is huddled into a corner of the deep end of the pool as far from Sam and Steve as she can possibly get and the haunted look as she tries to hold her head up in an attempt to keep track of the men while battling fatigue. But worst of all? [Y/N] is trying to hold the tattered trousers tightly closed with one hand behind a shield of knobbly knees and broken fingernails that sometimes stray to her scalp where hair has been sheared off in patches where bluish gel still sticks.

“[Y/N]…” I have to be slow, have to be calm. “It’s me…Natasha. [Y/N], can you hear me?”

Frightened eyes blink in confusion, searching for the source of the female voice echoing in the empty pool. Tears glide slowly down the poor girl’s cheeks along paths crusty with old salt.

“T-Tash-a?” Hoarse. Broken. The once rich sound has been reduced to a ghost. “Whe- Nat?”

The former spy recognises the grimaces caused by conflicting emotions that hurt more than any physical pain could ever do, and she wants to rush over to hold the woman. Keep her safe now when she couldn’t before…but one wrong move will be disastrous.

“I’m here. Can I come closer?”

Inch by inch, the abused woman unfolds enough to stretch her arms towards Natasha. One in each other’s embrace, [Y/N] keeps feelings the rescuer’s face and threading the dirty fingers through the flaming hair. A soft smile is on her lips, only wavering when Steve tries to come closer – at least he gets the point and retreats again.

“Y’ere,” the former prisoner sighs.

Unable to hold her own head any longer, she lets it sink onto Natasha’s shoulder. The redhead is thankful, that way she can allow her lips to quiver as they want to without the concern that the poor soul in her arms might see it. Fiddling with a zipper, she pulls out a syringe.

“I’m here, [Y/N].” At least her voice is still even. “I got you, go to sleep.” The needle finds its mark, unnoticed by the exhausted woman, and hot tears begin to fall on her head as the sedative enter her system. “I got you.”

[firefly-in-darkness]

Christmas in New York - Part One

Characters: Thor & Y/N, Loki

Summary: Y/N is clouded by her love for her boss, Brock Rumlow, but is that about to change?

Prompt:  The Holiday

Word Count: 3k

Beta: @princessmisery666​​ - thank you lovely! (All mistakes are my own though).

A/N: This is a part of @lostinaseaoffictionalbliss​​ challenge - I don’t know how this turned into a mini series but here we are... Hope you enjoy! Feedback is golden, tags are open!

Christmas in New York Series List

Previously...

Y/N’s thumb hovered over the email for a second then opened it; she was greeted to a beautiful view of woodlands and a lake, the images moved to show a log cabin that needed a little love then back to more breathtaking views. She scanned the email, making sure to read the small print, then clicked to enter.

What an escape that would be…

Two Months Later…

Y/N slumped against her couch, her neatly pressed attire now creased and crumpled, as she sunk lower into the cushions, after a long day . Twenty applications, three interviews and one rejection later, she had sent herself into a spiral of self-deprecation and worry. 

On occasion, the thought of approaching Brock flickered across her mind but she immediately straightened herself out. With a heavy sigh, Y/N lifted her phone to check for any email updates on her recent applications. Nothing. 

She dropped her phone beside her, rolled her eyes and let her head fall back to the cushions. Why did I quit before finding another job?! You idiot, she chastised herself before she pushed away from the cushions and stood up with a stretch of her limbs.

Ping, ping!

Y/N grabbed her phone and headed towards the kitchen when an excitable scream ripped through the apartment as she read the notification.

Win a Holiday: Congratulations Y/N! New York Awaits!

She spun around, did a little wiggle of her hips and shoulders and then fist pumped the air. Finally some good news. Adrenaline pumped through her veins as she thought of all the possibilities of where this could take her. A couple of jumps up and down later, she sat at the kitchen island and began to read through the email thoroughly, again and again to make sure it wasn’t a hoax.

Y/N immediately text Wanda to meet for dinner at the weekend.

The lights strung around the posts twinkled against the darkened sky, the smell of spices wafted through the cool air and the hushed chatter accompanied by soft melodies brought the small tapas bar to life. Y/N and Wanda sat in the courtyard, they nibbled at their plates of food and sipped wine in between their conversation.

Wanda’s red locks glowed against the fairy lights and a devilish smirk appeared, she placed her glass down and gripped onto your arm, “So what’s this exciting news you’ve got for me? Another interview? A new job? Did you have sex? You’ve met someone?” 

Y/N shook her head, her grin grew with each guess as Wanda’s eyebrows furrowed in failure and thoughts flickered across her eyes. The last two months hadn’t been easy, Wanda had been Y/N’s shoulder to cry on when interviews resulted in rejections, applications went unanswered and her unemployment continued. Wanda had been the one to talk Y/N out of calling Brock and asking for her job back. It was nice to see Wanda excited that she finally had some good news to share. 

She leant forward to whisper, “Are you pregnant?!”

With wide eyes, Y/N choked on her bite, “No! God, no!”

Y/N passed her phone and showed her the congratulatory email detailing the prize she had won,  a Trip to New York. She watched Wanda read, her brow twitched and then her lips bloomed into a smile.

“This is amazing! Where will you be staying?”

Y/N scrolled to the bottom of the email and tapped the screen, “In a cabin, in the countryside.”

“A cabin!”

The other patrons all turned to stare at the outburst from Wanda, they both apologised and carried on with their meal and discussion. Y/N had decided long before meeting with Wanda that she would be going, regardless of where she was going to be staying. 

New York was an incredible distance away from LA but it gave her the opportunity to escape and possibly find other jobs in a different place. Y/N would be out of the reach of Brock, the failure of her job hunting and be able to move on with her life. If she wanted too, and that was good enough for her to be ready to leave.

“For how long?”

“A month, the place is fully stocked with food for at least two weeks. I’ve already handed in my notice on the apartment, a new tenant has already snapped it up.”

“What if you don’t come back…Will I see you again?” Wanda’s eyes brimmed with tears as she pulled Y/N into a hug.

“Of course! How dare you think our lunch dates are over just because we are a few hours apart. Regardless of the way things are going, I fully expect you to come and visit me after Christmas if I find a job. And that’s only a month away.”

The farewell gift from Wanda was perfect; a matching set of gloves and scarf. The change in weather was to be expected but Y/N didn’t expect how drastic. Her breath misted and swirled into the sky as she lugged her suitcase up the wooden staircase and onto the porch of the cabin. Hat, fluffy socks… She made a mental note and thought of how she doubted she would ever get used to the nearly freezing temperatures, especially at nine in the morning.

Y/N finally took in her surroundings; the cabin was surrounded by woodland, the trees were almost bare, apart from the spruces, covered in a slight frost. And they must be near a lake from what Y/N could see from the coach ride to the small town and the boat shed peeking from the back corner of the cabin.

Silence. The weight of LA drifted off of Y/N’s shoulders and into the New York countryside. 

The tiredness she’d felt from the flight and the days of packing and organizing leading up to her departure dissipated and excitement filled her bones. She spun around and opened the front door, dragged her suitcase behind her and was welcomed to a quaint living room of leather and fur, a large fireplace with a few logs stacked beside. The stone of the chimney loomed upwards, a prominent and majestic feature, flanked by windows out into the wild.

The wood panels echoed with warmth and guided Y/N’s line of sight to the stairs leading up to an open planned bedroom. Her stomach grumbled and she sought the kitchen. It was bigger than she had expected, with a space for dining and a reading nook by the window, opposite the french doors onto a decked area. Y/N’s stomach grumbled again, she opened the cupboards to find tins of soup and bread. Perfect, she smiled to herself.

With her hunger sated, Y/N grabbed her suitcase, ready to unpack and explore the upper floor of the cabin. The stairs creaked faintly under her foot as she ascended, and when she reached the top a gasp escaped her lips. The large bed was dressed with cushions stacked against the pillows, a blanket draped across one of the corners but what had made her gasp was the view that her bed faced. Floor to ceiling windows within an iron grid showed the wild beauty of the forest. Y/N was enraptured of the neverending view of the bare and snowy trees, the birds that scattered the skyline and the warm glow of the sun as it hung low above the lake in the distance.

With the sky clear, not a cloud insight, Y/N freshened up in the en-suite bathroom that was connected through a door beside the bed. She immediately felt the warmth on the soles of her feet from the tiles. Underfloor heating?!, Y/N all but squealed in excitement. The waterfall style shower was too perfect, and when she wrapped the fluffy white towel around her body, it was like heaven.

Y/N scrambled into her clothes; jeans, a t-shirt and hoodie then pushed her feet into the knee high boots. With a roll of her shoulders, she grabbed her jacket, scarf and gloves as she headed out the door for a three mile walk to the lake. She glanced at her watch, Two pm, a few hours before sundown. 

Forty-five minutes, the tourist guide for Pinnacle Trail in a kitchen drawer had said. An hour and a half later and she still hadn’t reached the lake. As the sun began to set, the trees started to turn from a snowy fairytale to something of a nightmare as the branches weaved into the sky and blocked some of the light.

Everything is fine, Y/N repeated to herself as she glanced around the forest, the trees seemed to close in on her and the sky darkened with clouds and the nearly faded sun. Panic slowly seeped into her as snow flurried around her, her breath formed in the air as she panted and scurried between the trees to get back to the cabin.

Y/N saw a small dark shadow to her left, fear grew and she dived behind a tree. She peered round to see the shadow in the form of a wolf. Y/N clamped her hand over her mouth and watched, eyes wide, as the shadow grew and bounded through the trees towards her. Y/N held her breath as the shadow reached the final tree line before the small amount of light showed a dog.

She exhaled in relief and the dog’s ears pricked up at the sound. Their eyes locked and they slowly edged towards one another. The dog’s nose twitched and sniffed out towards Y/N, who extended her hand in return. She remained still as allowing the dog to sniff her  fingertips, her patience was rewarded with a with a tentative lick of her palm, the dog’s tail wagged in response and his brown eyes sparkled.. A laugh burst out of her as she stroked the dog’s back and scratched his ears.

“Loki!” Thor’s voice echoed through the trees. “Loki, come here boy!”

The small amount of settled snow crunched under his boots, his eyes strained in the darkening sky and the flurries that surrounded him. After a few more calls, Thor spotted Loki trotting alongside a woman, a beautiful woman. Thor’s smile grew as his dog bounded towards him and lifted back onto his hind legs in excitement, his tongue hung outside his mouth as he leapt around him.

Thor encircled his large arms around the dog’s neck, “Loki, you’ve got to stop running off and-” He spotted the woman that stood awkwardly in the tree line, “Thank you so much. He didn’t hurt you? He’s friendly but a little mischievous, doesn’t know his own strength.”

He looked expectantly at Y/N who seemed distracted by his presence, he flashed her a small smile and nod before he outstretched his hand.

“Sorry, I wasn’t expecting, well um-yeah, no that’s okay,” Y/N stammered her way through the sentence and reached her hand out to his, “I’m Y/N, and no, he gave me a little fright but he was a good companion.”

Thor chuckled and then noticed her attire; light jacket and suede boots, “You’re not from around here are you?”

Y/N giggled in response, “No, I’m not, what gave it away? The poor choice in shoes?” she lifted her boots that were soaked through from the snow, “or that I am completely lost?”

“Well yes, but I was going to say that you’re posture is very rigid like most city dwellers.” Thor berated himself internally as soon as his words came out. He watched her eyes widened at his comment and the immediate shift in her demeanor. If she wasn’t rigid before, she is now.

“Do you know where you’re going?” Thor raised his eyebrow at her, in the hope that she saw that it was with sincerity rather than mocking.

“I’m staying at a cabin near the Huddle Brook river, just before the Bolton conservation area?”

Thor nodded and gave her a half smile, “May I ask, where were you trying to go in the dark?”

“I was going to walk the Pinnacle Trail and then to the lake. I think I took a wrong turn, but then I met this guy.” Y/N patted Loki’s head.

“You’re way off! Let me take you back, I know where you’re staying.” Thor gestured towards the path.

Thor noticed the way Y/N’s breath hitched at his words and he realised that he must have sounded like a stalker but then she beamed at him and he never wanted her to look any other way.

“Thank you, I’d really appreciate that.”

Loki weaved between them as they strolled down the path. Thor glanced down to Y/N and watched her thoughts scatter across her face. He stifled a laugh and as she was about to speak Thor opened the door to a red pick up truck. Loki jumped into the cab, and then Thor held out his gloved hand for Y/N to help her climb into the seat. 

Y/N glanced up at him, her eyes were framed in sparkles as the snow melted on her lashes. Thor wanted to move closer, to kiss those lips that smiled at him. He withdrew his hand quickly but immediately regretted it as she flinched away from the sudden movement.

Idiot, now you’ve gone and scared her, Thor scolded himself and jogged to the other side of the truck.

Y/N was able to get a better view of her saviour now that he was beside her and his concentration on the road. If she hadn’t been paying attention to the man driving, she would have noticed the sky swiftly fade to darkness and the sparkle of stars but she studied the man’s face. She was captivated by the lines that framed his eyes as he smiled when his dog nuzzled against his arm and how his beard was neat yet gave him a rugged look.

“Oh my, I don’t even know your name!” She gasped, the dog now alert from the sound.

A hearty laugh burst through the silence, “I’m Thor, nice to meet you Y/N.”

“What like the viking God?” The words tumbled from her lips without a thought.

Thor’s face dropped and Y/N noticed his jaw tense and his brow furrowed.

“I’m sorry that was rude of me,” Y/N focused on the hem of her jacket and fiddled with a loose thread.

A loud noise echoed through the cab and she looked up at the man in shock, he slapped the steering wheel once more before he chuckled, “You’re not the first to ask me that. My mum was very interested in Norse mythology. Hence, Loki here too.”

Thor patted the head of the dog in the middle seat, Y/N followed his hand as he stroked the dog. His large hands that were so gentle against the animal. Imagine what those hands could do to you… Her thoughts sent a rush of blood to her cheeks, she bit her lip as she redirected her thoughts to the trees that passed as they drove along the winding road.

“Here we are,” Thor announced as he turned down the drive to the cabin.

A click of the buckle and Y/N scrambled out of the cab with a jump from the seat to the ground. Loki followed and sprinted up the porch, he sat and waited by the door with his head cocked.

“Sorry buddy, you have to go back to-” Y/N turned around to point to Thor’s truck when she collided with his chest.

Thor gripped her arms and steadied her balance, their eyes locked onto one another. Loki barked and Thor dropped his hands. She already missed the warmth of them but took a step back.

“Thank you for driving me home.” Y/N tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and scuffed her boot on the porch.

“Not a problem. And now you know to get some decent footwear and maybe a map?”

A blush crept up her face and she glanced up to see Thor’s wide smile. I’d love to stroke that face, that beard would feel good against… Y/N coughed and turned to Loki and stroked his head, “Goodnight boy, and you, Thor.”

Thor nodded, and with a wave, he descended the porch steps, “See you around, Y/N.”

The cold air hit Y/N, her body shivered from her feet in the snow-drenched boots to the tip of her icy nose. She flicked on the lights, pulled off her gloves and sprinted towards the stone chimney. She looked at the logs, the matches and then the fireplace.

What do I do?! She realised that she had never lit a fire in her entire life.

Y/N ran back to the front door and onto the porch to see Thor hadn’t left yet, relief washed over her as he stepped out of the truck, concern etched on his face.

“Thor, wait! I don’t know how to get the fire started, can you-”

“Of course.” He grinned and ushered Loki to follow.

Thor and Loki entered the cabin, the dog immediately bounded in and onto the armchair. He curled up and rested his head on the arm. Y/N chuckled and handed over the firestarters to Thor as they walked around the couch.

“You should take your clothes off.” Thor commented as he placed logs and some paper into the fireplace. At Y/N’s lack of response, he turned to find her wide eyed. “You’re soaked, you need to change if you ever want to get warm.”

“Oh right, yes that makes sense.” She ascended the staircase behind them, you idiot, of course he didn’t mean for him.

Y/N returned to the living room in a set of pajamas and as she approached a warmth bloomed across her skin from the flames, and in her chest as joined Thor and Loki on the rug at the hearth.

Continue 

[house-of-nevs]

Mondo Multiverse.

Look, we tried.

We decided, upon the first issue of Doomsday Clock that we'd write an overview of the whole thing whenever it was completed. It shipped this week, and we wrote most of our notes in preparation for a reread and planned to turn out the whole thing this weekend.

Then we began the reread. After two issues, we had to give up.

There's nothing inherently....wrong with the book. Obviously conceptually it's absolutely amoral and a further testament to how embarrassingly bad at publishing and creating innovative comics DC have become that they need to whip whatever they can out of a 30 year old Alan Moore story.

It's just. ..ordinary. It's the most superficial reading of Watchmen possible. To consider Doomsday Clock a sequel is to ignore so many of the themes, innovations, motivations, concepts and the people who make up what makes Watchmen more significant than a repackaging of the acquired Charlton characters.

So, rather than dwelling on the absolute artistic failure of DC, we'll drop off our original notes then meet you back here with a positive note.

'Well, It's About Time.'

We know exactly where we were on May the 25th.

It was our birthday. The shop was steaming hot, we were ploughing through energy drinks, we'd asked a supermodel friend to come hang around the shop in her pants. Friends mailed over mp3s of their singing 'happy birthday'. There was cake. On the whole, it was a good day.

Except for the new comics that shipped that week, which appeared to be designed to burn the tempers of fandom. Our inboxes were aflame with the revelation that Captain America was a member of Hydra. Best known to the world, of course, as the extension of The Nazis.

As preparations for the night's birthday began to come together and we ran through the reorders due to come in, the next hammer blow of news came in. Inbetween cute blondes and greetings texts, we skipped reading anything from the new comics so were told second hand that DC: Rebirth featured the introduction of the Watchmen into the DC Universe via the Dr Manhattan series from the 'Before Watchmen' series.

We shook our heads and went to meet up with our friends. It would be tomorrow's problem.

If the amount of detail about our private life seems excessive, well, it appears relevant to add some humanity to something as grounded as Watchmen. There's a distinct absence of it in all the post Before Watchmen material, after all.

Watchmen has lots of stories. The tales are borne from human reactions to the things bigger than them. Its about lots of things, relationships, percepction, maturing, forgiveness, psychosis, Doomsday Clock has one. The problem is that Doomsday Clock's story doesn't demand the vast of Watchmen to be told. Manhattan could be Captain Atom, or The Spectre. There are no people in this story. Merely plot devices being acted out by vehicles in the shape of characters.

The next thing to happen with DC including Watchmen into the DC Universe is 'The Button'. Tom King has drawn a lot of acclaim in the Tights N Fights world for his work on Batman, The Vision and Mr Miracle. This is not to be filed among those works. About the most exciting thing to be remembered is one of the cover variations wasn't available in the UK for a short period and went for more than cover price for a while.

It's winter 2017.

We're staying with a sexy friend on a comic buying adventure. Her green hair, accent and cat provides distraction from the cold and realisation that we're in the shadow of a hospital paid for by Jimmy Saville. Later we'll be shanghaied into a ludicrous story featuring a treasure trove of comics rotting to pulp kept in a series of stables. On the way to a comic shop we we work out how to download a rom of Rival Schools 2 to our hacked PSP.

We chat with the owner of the main comic shop in town. Discussion turns to the just shipped Doomsday Clock 1.

'So have you read it yet?'

'Yes.'

'Any....good?'

'It's popular. Lots of people are buying it.'

'Er-'

'You can have a Gary Frank print and a badge if you buy a copy. I'll even do the lenticular covet for regular price if you like.'

It's winter 2019. Sitting in a cafe. The Conservative party has just won their biggest victory in nearly 100 years. With a crushed sense of faith in humanity, we buy a digital copy of a comic that shouldn't exist published by a company who traded integrity in for buttons decades ago via a distribution channel owned by a company determined to turn the world into slave labour. A company that's just avoided paying back billions of taxes thanks to the defeat of the Labour party.

We've read Doomsday Clock 12. Nothing has happened in any issue of this comic that required the use of the Watchmen characters. We've been waiting 2 years to wait for Dr Manhattan to realise Superman is the bestest ever, apparently. This isn't a comic about people. It's a series of continuity fixes that wastes the talent of Gary Frank by giving him the nine panel grid to tell us about Nathaniel Dusk and why The JSA are alive.

And after all of this, we have to ask :

Was it worth it, Dan?'

Hello. Back in real time now. The main reason we couldn't get through the book was the utter lack of ambition. When you consider how Watchmen, for better or worse, set the blueprint for superhero comics for the next thirty years, you'd think something with the balls to be a literal sequel would bring anything new in the world of art that's happened subsequently to the game, but this could be any Roy Thomas JSA comic from 1984.

In fact, we'd argue the real sequel to Watchmen happened a few years back with (sorry, Alan.) Grant Morrison's Multiversity. Years in the making with no small amount of build up (Partly, we are told, via Grant having a bet with Brian Michael Bendis on who could write the most comics in a year. Just in case you were wondering why Seven Soldiers Of Victory ran quite so long.)

Multiversity takes the possibilities suggested by Watchmen and runs mental with them, taking the tropes of superhero comics and twisting them beyond recognition, not only breaking The Fourth Wall but also making you a participant, further involving you in the purest forms of The DC Universe. Frank Quitely sees the challenge of the mirror image issue of Watchmen and draws a comic that can be read in any direction.

ANY direction.

It's also sexy, irreverent, funny and somehow turns Captain Carrot into a hero. It remains, for us, the benchmark of innovation in comics since the coffee table spread from Big Numbers 2. We highly recommend it.

See Ya In The Fourth World.