Same Planet, Different Language

What we have here is failure to communicate. 

So, I have a minor issue with Deskster. He's a good boy and I love having him around, but, we don't speak the same language. See Deckster spent a few years living with the late Joe the Just and they had their own language. Honestly, I don't remember Deckster saying much of anything when visiting or cat sitting for Joe. Julian was the chatty-Cathy. I was not prepared for sheer amount of talking when I took Deckster in.

Again, I'm not complaining. I was too young to remember Hershel. Max was very direct in what he said. Spica would sit for hours talking, actually having a conversation with my family (she spent the first year of her life at the Vet's office and had plenty of people to talk to). The kittens I had with Andrea (we fostered them for a couple of months, she didn't literally have kittens) were just beginning to have personalities and did kitten meows. And Marmalade rarely made noise.

Deckster has a lot to say and I don't understand most of it, and I can tell that he gets frustrated. Check out this video for an explanation of why cats meow to people and the language they develop.

Deskster speaks Joe-cat pidgin. With a bit of Dani-cat pidgin thrown in. When he speaks to me, he might as well be speaking Greek.

Now, I understand his, "You're talking too long to put food in the dish! Use both of your thumbs!" meow. And I understand his, "I'm starving! I haven't eaten in years!" meow. Those two I figured out. They have a certain cadence and volume to them and he uses one when I'm opening up a can of gooshy food and the other only when I'm walking the dish over to his place-mat. But the other meows are a mystery.

Last night, he was sitting on the back of the couch, looking out of the window at something. He told me something. "mEOoow!"

"What is it? Is it a squirrel?"

"mEOoow!"

"Are you looking at a bird?

"mEOoow!"

"Are you looking at a rabbit?

"mEOoow!"

"Is it another cat? The mailman? A car?"

"mEOoow!"

"Is Timmy stuck down the well and needs his insulin?"

It was at that point that he pulled his head away from the curtains and gave me a look. If you own a cat, you know what look I'm talking about. I may not be able to understand Deckster, but he certainly can understand my sarcasm.

He's settled in and trusts me. When he's happy he stops meowing and starts making happy buzzing and chirping noises. He thinks I'm a big cat, at least sometimes.

Done, Safely.

Now it's no longer a safety issue.

As I said in my Nobel Prize winning post Hold! Hold I say! [1] This group of archers from the Luttrell Psalter were not performing safe archery. In my scroll, I made sure that the archers are shooting according to current SCA target archery standards. 

Now, these archers are no longer shooting behind the back of the archer, here depicted in red. The gaggle of archers are shooting at a dot-shot and only one of the archers have managed to hit the dot. But, at least, no one is in danger of getting an arrow in the back of the head.

[1] Seriously, who actually listens to Caleb?

Paint By Numbers

Because I'm the Scribe. That's Why.

This is another version of Martin Bodmer, MS 127; the second I've done this year. Here is the other version.

While I was working on this version, I had a thought. Now, bear with me, but what if Stacy's mom was Jessie's girl?

Then I had another thought. The image is of a scribe painting an inhabited initial from inside of the initial, what if I were to do this exact same image only as a paint by numbers scroll?

Obviously, I'm going to keep this blank until I receive an assignment for a fellow scribe.

Deckster kept me company while I was working. He didn't try to help; he just curled up next to me and napped. Occasionally making noises that sounded like he wasn't impressed with my using both hands with painting and using zero hands petting him. But, he did get some belly rubs.

Cats notwithstanding, the point of this post is to show that as a scribe, I can do almost anything I wish. I am the scribe. If I want to change the colors of a medieval design; I am the scribe. If I want to use only part of an image; I am the scribe. I am not completely bound by the original image. Most of what I do is inspired by medieval images, but if I want to make changes, I am only constrained by my limited talent and good taste.

The Scroll Progresses

I Had the Blues, Today

With the crappy weather. I spent a few hours today, between naps, trying to work on some scroll blanks. Here is one based on the Luttrell Psalter, with safely placed archers, with the first layer of ultramarine blue applied and half way through the 2nd layer. 

As I have written before, and taught to other scribes, I prefer to use very thinned down coats of paint. Yes, it means that I have make more passes, but each layer dries very, very fast. I also have better control on the final appearance and can avoid blotchy images. 

The Ice Dragon has passed.

And left a mess in it's wake.

Welp! Ice Dragon 2018 has come and gone and I feel like I ran a couple of marathons. I blame dehydration, not eating, lack of sleep, a lot of set up/break down work and fencing.

The heavy fighters were required to make some piece of artwork for their tourney, with crayons. For some reason, some fighters complained. They didn't want to draw something using crayons. A few of us fencers joined in in solidarity. The above is my entry. Scroll number green. I had offered it up as the tourney prize scroll, but... that didn't happen.

I acquired a new buckler and dagger, but didn't use them. I did manage to fence for an entire 90 minute tourney. Don Diego asked me if I would join him in some shenanigans and donate my points to the late THL Wolfgang Starke. The two of us, and one other fencer, made sure that Wolfgang won the tourney. 

Worth it.

I did better than I expected: winning about 1/3 of my bouts. And I did challenge Her Majesty of the East to a duel to the death. Her, with The Duchess ( a great sword that was as tall as her) ; me with The Great Gatsby (my great sword that's almost two feet shorter than The Duchess. I managed to kill Her Majesty (she's very fast) and only managed to fight three bouts with my two-hander. I don't use it often as I am trying to perfect my I.33 technique and the two-hander tends to throw my back out. Still, a good day.

On top of everything else, the weather was goofy. It started sleeting right at the end of court, and the weather was getting crappy to our north. The above is a picture taken near the end of court (I was loading Baronial stuff while the Laurel elevations were happening.

 This is my driveway when I got home a few hours later. Flippin' snow! In April! Flippin' Ice Dragon.

Modified to meet SCA Standards

Now it's no longer a safety issue.

As I said in my Nobel Prize winning post Hold! Hold I say! [1] This group of archers from the Luttrell Psalter are not performing safe archery. That one dude standing in front of the other archers. Where is the marshal?

Well, I am working on this image, once again, and I am making it adhere to SCA target archery standards. The dude in front is now in the rear, perhaps acting as the marshal. Or, perhaps, talking smack to the other archers. "WTF! The target is ten feet away, and only three of you punks have manage to hit it! It's bigger than you are. Y'all are not Pennsic ready and we're going to lose the War Point!"

Apparently, the dude I drew is a jerk.


[1] Caleb has never done anything deserving of a Nobel Prize. And they don't hand them out for blog posts.

Life imitates Looney Toons

Life imitates Looney Toons

I don't know if this is a real thing or an April Fool's prank. And I took the picture. I didn't spray it and check (although it looks like someone did). 

Things you probably should not put on a scroll

Things you probably should not put on a scroll

I honestly don't know under what circumstance one would use this image for a scroll. The image is from Royal 20 A II f. 3

Miniature of Vortigern within his burning castle, and a king standing with courtiers and a hawk.

It's a lovely image. 

Perhaps for a siege tourney.

Now. When I say I don't know when I would use this; what I mean is, "I don't know what I would use this image for, on a scroll, that wouldn't be mean or insulting." I mean, someone less nice than myself might use this for a Millrind scroll for someone who ruined a group as that group's seneschal. Or for a cook known for setting off smoke alarms. I'm not suggesting that you do it for those reasons, or any of the reasons I thought of but will not be putting in this blog. I am saying this image is probably not one that you would want to use on an SCA scroll.

Fun fact: a zebra's skin is not striped.