Spring Garden Preparations

[wewillwewill]

Who: Elidibus, OTA
Where: Various, Rock Garden for landscape setup.
When: Evening, Quicksand 13 to Quicksand 15
What: Events leading to the Spring Garden Days Quicksand 16 (Platform Day) to Quicksand 18
Warnings: There's no particular warnings other than the possibility of individual character spoilers.


[An announcement over the intercoms goes throughout the train on the evening of Quicksand 13, after everyone's settled post-mission.]

Good day, this is Elidibus. Some of you may recall the brief transformation of the rock garden into a winter day several platforms ago. This coming platform I'm looking to arrange for a spring season change to the same carriage. Last time was a little spontaneous and short notice. This time I would like to ask for help.

One of the major changes is this will last for three days, including the Platform Day. During that time, those willing to help maintain the spring garden will be welcome. Whether by manual labor, organization, a special talent or other contributions. [After all the carriage is only so large and traffic may be regular.] Like last time, the climate, weather and soil will be present, but I'd like to ask some of those talented with the fast growth of plants and trees to lend assistance. Anyone familiar with planning the layout of a seasonal garden in a relatively small space would also be appreciated.

Those who might be interested in preparing food fit for picnic meals, I would like to ask for your help. Though I have a general concept for this seasonal garden event, I would ask you to bring any ideas you have to me. What I've observed on my star may differ from others and anyone should feel welcome to add their ideas. I may also approach some of you but there is no obligation to agree to my requests.

[This is announced over the intercoms. But there will also be signs posted near the public ICPs in each carriage or in a proper obvious place with this message printed on it.

Questions and the OOC prep links!]

Comments

[ranoutofbuts]

Oops. Looks like Faux hadn't done a good job of being as inconspicuous as he wanted.

He tenses up, contemplating on the offer. Advice? Where would he start; how would you do everything?

Okay, perhaps he should start for the very basics then. He gives Elidibus a nod, "This painting thing is a little different to picking up a pen and scribbling down some lines."

The paint he's dipped onto his brush hasn't got the same consistency of Elibidus' own. Faux's egg has now been saturated with clumpy uneven purple paint. Why purple? It was the first paint he saw.

[wewillwewill]

No, Elidibus is just very observant. Faux was probably inconspicuous enough for most people.

"Hm, it can be daunting. Still, it's best to begin with simple things." Reaching over the table, Elidibus grabs a sheet of paper that's thick enough for painting. Probably put there to let people test paints and patterns before turning them to the egg.

"Start by getting familiar with the paint and brush. You should wipe off the excess from the brush since this paint can be used in layers."

Elidibus will demonstrate by picking up a similar sized brush and dipping it into the purple and letting the excess get wiped back into the bottle before brushing a stroke near one edge of the piece of paper.

"Try to get the paint even. The brush is fine for now. If nothing else, you can make a solid background for some of these eggs while practicing."

[ranoutofbuts]

"Yes, yes, simple things," he mutters with a nod, processes the instructions. No excess, layers, background.

Faux looks back and forth between his paint brush and the egg in his other hand. With a tilt of his head, he places the half painted egg onto the table, and it rolls slightly onto the goopy part covered in paint. Looks like he's cleaning up afterwards.

Following Elidibus instructions, his over-saturated brush soon thins to a more acceptable consistency that nicely flows onto the paper, yet quickly ends into crusty streaks as the paint runs dry. Huh. No constant source of medium.

Touching the surface of the paint proves the wrong action. It seems to be wet, which makes sense looking at the paint itself. Now with a finger streak on the paper, he quickly asks, "So I just repeat that?" Smile and ignore his mistake. Yep.

He'll get to the eggs soon enough. Maybe.

[wewillwewill]

There isn't a look of condemnation at least. Elidibus seems fairly good at the neutral, patient expression that tells little.

"Yes. Eventually the paint will transfer to the paper, so you should regularly refresh what's loaded into the brush."

Again there will be a small demonstration. Another stroke near his own first 'sample', returning the brush to the jar and refilling, repeat.

"And as you've discovered, when the paint you've applied is still partially wet, it reacts differently. It may smear when you attempt to apply a second color or become marred by the brush's bristle. Or form clumps of the pigment."

Either this man is the world's most thorough teacher or very observant; it's clear he's been watching Faux not just to follow through with instruction but to see what sort of instruction might be needed. Most importantly though he's willing to give it.

Now, a cup of rinse water is added as a factor. And gasp a second color. This one is blue.

"When you want to use another color, whether you are placing it on top of the first or on a clean surface, make sure to rinse the pigment out of the first brush. Even you intend to use a smaller or larger brush for the next color, you should rinse the brush and set it on its side. This will prevent the pigment from drying in the bristles or mixing with your new color on the brush."

Elidibus will demonstrate this as well, using a towel that's nearby for just such purposes to wipe the brush he used for the example. Sure there's techniques for loading two colors into a brush but it's clear this will be advanced techniques for Faux right now. Baby steps first.

[ranoutofbuts]

The sagely advice Elidibus gives out readily is definitely harkening back to the wizened Tower Guardians Faux remembers of his earliest cycles in his runtime. Such refined patience and attention must pertain to some great experience.

Nodding, he places the brush in the cup of water, "Gotcha."

Finishing off the purple base with minimal marring, he swaps to a wider brush and applies the blue onto it, layering it over the top of the now dried purple. The colour is darker over the purple, yet more vibrant than just a single layer had been. He raises a surprised eyebrow at the discovery. He thinks he might be getting the gist of it now.

Painting is clearly a mode of addition rather than precise line-work from pens and pencils.

Faux stops to take in the page he has covered. "All this blue is kinda reminding me of a user sky." If he were to apply a gradient somehow... He turns to Elidibus, curious of the user's own interpretation, "What would you put in a blue background?"

[wewillwewill]

While Elidibus is still watching Faux experiment but he still has enough attention for his own work. Other than the ones given a bit of his memories, the colors are right for spring. Most have filigree patterns he'd seen on what were called 'archon eggs' during the seasonal event of the world he's from.

"It depends what image you have in mind," Elidibus answers. He'd paused and fully focused on Faux again when he mentioned a 'user sky'. "Could you first explain what you meant by a 'user'?"

[ranoutofbuts]

A cringe forms on Faux's face from the question, again caught out by inserting program speak unconsciously into his words. "Haha, ahh, that's more of a habit. Program lingo; since I'm a computer program."

He dips his paint brush into the water jar while answers Elidibus, "A user is.. well anyone outside of a computer system. Those that use or create a computer. I admit I may be a little too aggressive with the tag." Not all users here seem to fit the definition, yet he can't quite get himself to drop it yet.

"In this case, a 'user' sky, is one out here. I've been to a fair few systems in my days. They're all kinda dark, not quite.... real." Yeah, that sounds right, "None of them look like ones I've seen so far." Well, unless it's a night cycle.

[wewillwewill]

"Hm? How interesting." Elidibus looks intrigued and studies Faux for a long moment. If it seems as he's looking at something deeper than the physical, it's because he is.

Well it doesn't matter in the end other than making a note of it for future possibilities. It does explain why Faux is so unfamiliar with anything outside of a certain paradigm.

But that has nothing to do with the question he asked; which was to gain perspective on what Faux meant by a user sky.

"Do you know what clouds are? Birds? A sun as seen from those on the surface of a world? These are things found in the sky from my perspective." Elidibus makes certain to be clear on what the sun's appearance would be. You know, versus a ball of exploding hydrogen.

Still there's another thing to consider here. "With these eggs, blue doesn't have to be the sky. You may paint designs with a contrasting color or gradients." The Ascian indicates the selection that are already finished with a variety of approaches. Some geometric designs, some actual 'scenes'. The ones with constellations? Well if Faux is familiar with Earth constellations, they would be ...familiar.