Another attempt at an A Softer World clone, this one inspired by a conversation with Songward whilst playing Legends of Terris.

( Courtesy Cut for friends Pages )

Guise says 'I wouldn't know, but sometimes cultures have magics beyond others...'
Guise says 'Look at genies...'
Songward says 'Genies? '
Guise says 'There were three who formed Devardec from the rock and sand...'
Guise says 'Who have rebuilt it time and again with their will'
Songward blinks.
Songward says 'I've not heard this...'
Songward asks 'Why did they build it?'
Guise says 'Alvogyl and Eridanian, the children of Deori, were tasked with helping man build its first city so they could live in'
Guise says 'Peace between tribes...'
Guise says 'So they called on the genies for aide'
Songward says softly "Well at least one of his cities stayed up"
Guise says 'The genies willed the finest grains to compact in to solid blocks to form the first houses and walls'
Songward ponders on the problem for a moment.
Guise says 'I've yet to see any other culture perform the same feat'
Songward nods towards you.
Songward says 'I've always wondered how it was built...'
Songward says 'Turning sand into building store is quite a thing for a person to do... and so much of it'
Guise says 'I await the day they decide to reduce the city to sand and reforge their handiwork'
Songward chuckles away.
Songward says 'Try not to be inside... that doesn't sound like it would be healthy'
Guise says 'All the buildings turn to a flood of sand, the streets become like dunes'
Guise says 'Glass windows melt to fine grains and scatter in the breeze'
Songward shudders at the thought of it all.
Songward says 'I hope they'd keep most of it from sliding into the ocean'
Guise says 'It'll probably fill the sewers first'
Songward says 'This... doesn't sound like a good day'
Guise says 'Maybe spread as far as the huge crack and fill it...'
Guise says 'But, to be rebuilt...reformed'
Guise says 'A new dawn'

Another image based on A Softer World.

( Courtesy Cut for FList )

The tide was high tonight, not surprising as the time of month and the gale winds were having their impact on the Bristol Channel. Where the slipway at Knightstone Island had been closed, the Police took to parking on the pavement by Marine Lake, right in my view, which was highly amusing as the waves got higher and higher. The eventual outcome was waves crashing over the sea wall and splashing down on the Police cars.

So, I decided to take photographs from my flat. Unfortunately, I have no windows which open, so I was shooting through glass and it was getting dark out. If I used flash it was reflected off the glass; if I didn't use flash the image blurred. Thinking laterally, I used the video setting of the camera.

The picture seemed to be fine in the viewfinder, but not when it actually transferred - seeing as how it is a digital camera and I'm seeing images on a screen, I'm not quite sure how that works. I didn't lose hope though. I saved the video, adjusted the Brightness and Saturation and saved it as an WMV file and ran it through BSPlayer. When I got to the scenes I wanted (available here) I then used the BSPlayer's screen capture function to get the image. It's low quality, but it got the job done.

Thing was, I've been inspired for a while to do a few more strips in the manner of A Softer World. Preferably better than my last attempts.

However, most of that inspiration has been towards making strips based on the creepy valentine messages, and lacking 'models' of 'victimunteers' has meant I couldn't do it. This is a common lament whenever I want to try tricks in Photoshop. Tonight though, I had a chance for something.

( Courtesy cut for Friends Pages )

With a combination of the comic strip from today for Irregular Webcomic, which did a send up for A Soft World. I loved the artsy look and given the day, and the evening for that matter, I felt slightly inspired to do my own piece.

The message is simple, the meaning not so clear.

I liked the effect, but even the 300x100 banner I made to start with looked good to me.

( my composite photo piece )