Artifial Intelligence = Genuine Stubborn Stupidity

Oh gosh. I must have tried to get Drummer into at least an acceptable form over a dozen times before just leaving it; it was like herding cats. I'm also not very satisfied with Firf (labelled here as [generated video 1]; the long title is Firfinfindlefifflefur). The AI insists on turning long muzzles into big noses. The Face in the Frost you would think to be a simple matter, but no. Still, we got what we got, and I'm too tired for any further edits.

B, C, D: Early Elements

We open and close with Druids, and besides my own concepts there are illustrations from Late for Hallowe'en, The Silmarillion, The Silver Stallion, and Walt Disney's Song of the South comic. Also Borrisk gets a redo, as does Dragon in Disguise, as I learn more about editing. And of course the disturbing Bryan Babel in Oz.

Once and Future

I was thinking lately about how few 'Arthurian' illustrations I have in the files. Lots of Merlin's, yes, from before he was even born until he was put in his magical prison, and the few King Arthurs that do appear often feature Merlin too.  Pellinore and Up on the Tower were inspired by the T. H. White books.

"Can These Dry Bones Live Again?"

I'm only including 'my' bones in this post. I really should include Ogre Bones, but the program keeps straightning them up. A little more tinkering is required.

Sometimes I Even Talk to the Darkness. And I Say "Hi, Darkness!"

Now these are a little more closely curated. Try as I might, though, I couldn't quite get the program to grasp the idea of Challenge. That last animation is an illustration from The Haunted and the Haunters, one of the scariest tales in Great Ghost Stories. I need to make something from the illustration of this scene in our old book.

Into the Archive: Literary Outlaw

Literary Outlaw: The Life and Times of William S. Burroughs, by Ted Morgan – January 1, 1988 (Henry Holt and Co., 659 pp.)

“A comprehensive biography of the Beat Generation icon, written by Ted Morgan. The book details Burroughs's life, from his early years to his final days, covering his work, his struggles with addiction, his relationships with fellow Beats like Allen Ginsberg, and the infamous accidental shooting of his wife, which profoundly impacted his life and writing. Morgan's work is considered the definitive biography, capturing Burroughs's "destructive energy, his ferocious pessimism, and the renegade brilliance of his style".  – AI summation

It came yesterday, a day or two before schedule. The order was $8.26. It is a softcover, which surprised me; I was almost certain they had said hardcover but maybe I was being wishful and overeager. Not insurmountably disappointing; it’s still a good price. What was worse was the damage to the back cover: the last few pages rumpled and a tear in the cover, which I am going to charitably assume happened during shipping, though there was no outward sign on the packaging. I’m right now pressing the book to minimize the crumpling and will patch it with tape later when I feel steadier.

Written and read while Burroughs was still alive (1988; he died in 1997), it proved an invaluable key, to me, both biographically and critically, to understanding much of his rather cryptic work. Morgan’s style (he is a Pulitzer Prize winner) is ‘almost indecently readable.’ Rather than borrowing the book from John for a reread I decided I needed my own copy for the Archives, and here it is. Now I’m interested in Morgan’s biography of Allen Ginsberg. 

Back to the Beginning

I dutifully return to the A's and B's. Thus we have Advisor, Anice (which I can't help think is pronounced Anika), Argola, Argument, Astride Attack, Astronomy,  Ban Ban Caliban, Batrachian, Bookstall, and Brother Blessing. Batrachians have their own peculiar backstory, starting from a dream of finding an ancient square lake which is drained and found to be artificial and inhabited by a warren of frog-like, belligerent, intelligent monsters.