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Cameron Davis
Artist

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#1


Walking into the Artist's Sanctuary made Cameron smile. They'd always been more of a digital artist than a traditional one, so paints and easels weren't the most familiar to them, but they'd taken a class or two in traditional drawing, so the studio setting felt more home-like than anything else they'd encountered in Caido so far. (That bar was low, but it was still nice to have something pass it.) And even if it didn't quite feel like home, it still felt good; they could appreciate the atmosphere of creativity and welcome.

Glancing around the room, they didn't immediately see anyone, but their eyes did catch on a large painting, and they headed over to get a closer look at it, studying it with considerable interest.


cameron ?


"Cameras" by Ennev is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Bastien De Rosieres
the Dionysian
Ambassador for the Hollowed Grounds / Artist

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#2
B a s t i e n

I can fit two people under my skin
Yea I can fit two people under my skin
"Admiring my latest work?" Bastien asked as he peeked his head around the stairway door, having just come down. As usual in his Sanctuary he wore only some loose, colourful pants, though his skin was covered in various splotches of paint, blues and purples that matched the tone of the canvas Cam was looking at. "I have to say I am not sure about it's success, at the moment, but...well. There is time to see yet."

The picture, so far, seemed to be of a pool before a mountain - at nighttime, with a hazy navy sky and soft light blue reflections in the water. The beginnings of a figure were sketched out in the foreground, but detail had yet to be added. Walking back into the studio, Bastien stretched and looked Cam up and down, trying to work out if he'd seen them before.

"Can I help you with anything?"
And I will prove it if you will listen
You crawl up in there and join me within
Cameron Davis
Artist

Age: 30 | Height: 5'8" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
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#3


Cam turned at the sound of Bastien's voice. They were a little surprised to find the man standing there shirtless, but hey, it was apparently his house -- and they could see the sense of not getting all that paint on any more clothes than necessary. Especially since Caido hadn't invented washing machines yet.

"I am," they said, doing their level best not to make this moment awkward -- though sometimes Cam felt like the harder they tried, the more awkward things got. "It looks really nice -- I'm no expert, but I think it's coming along well."

They crossed their arms over their chest, holding the straps of their backpack -- the backpack that had come with them to Caido, that had held all their worldly possessions at the time, that felt too light without the comforting weight of their now-bricked laptop. They still had the laptop, hidden under their bed, but of course it was totally useless, now just a sentimental relic of another world. More importantly, the backpack now contained a sketchbook and pencils they'd bartered for in the Hollowed Grounds. Most of the art they'd made in the last several years had died with their laptop, being digital, but they could pick up a pencil again ... they hoped.

"I heard this was the Artists' Sanctuary," Cam said. For once, they didn't worry that they were in the wrong place; this was clearly an artist's studio. "I just wanted to learn more about it."


cameron ?


"Cameras" by Ennev is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Bastien De Rosieres
the Dionysian
Ambassador for the Hollowed Grounds / Artist

Age: 41 | Height: 6' 2" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 5 - Strg: 20 - Dext: 22 - Endr: 20 - Luck: 10 - Int:
PITTORE - Mythical - Gremlin (Disappearance)
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#4
B a s t i e n

I can fit two people under my skin
Yea I can fit two people under my skin
Bastien, never having been shy about nudity, did not even consider that it could be awkward for his nipples to be on show. Comfortably he leaned against the wall, watching Cam and thinking them a little odd, but well - he ran an artist's Sanctuary. Odd people were his bread and butter. "Thank you. I appreciate thoughts from anyone on art; there are no real experts."

They seemed to be hesitant for a moment, hands on the straps of their backpack; Bastien didn't ask, just politely interested himself in adjusting some pencils on the desk before him until they were ready to speak. When they finally did, he smiled and looked up, gesturing about himself at the Studio.

"Well, this is where I provide studio, home and performance space to any that wish to have it. We have paints, clay, fabrics, wood for carving, a stage for drama or music...anything you can craft creatively, the Sanctuary has a place for it. Do you have such an interest? You don't need to be anything more than interested; there's no experience needed."
And I will prove it if you will listen
You crawl up in there and join me within
Cameron Davis
Artist

Age: 30 | Height: 5'8" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
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#5


Cam smiled, glad that their compliment hadn't gone amiss. It would have been hard for it to do so, of course, but that didn't stop them from worrying about it. They didn't say that some people appreciated art more than others, or could word their appreciation better; they didn't want to disagree with the stranger, or sidetrack the conversation.

So instead they focused on his conversation. "I do. Back home, I was a photographer -- uh, do you know what photography is? I don't think it exists in Caido."

On the verge of going on, Cam closed their mouth and forced themself to wait for Bastien's answer rather than rambling. They didn't want to launch into an explanation of the technology and then discover that he'd known all along.


cameron ?


"Cameras" by Ennev is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Bastien De Rosieres
the Dionysian
Ambassador for the Hollowed Grounds / Artist

Age: 41 | Height: 6' 2" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 5 - Strg: 20 - Dext: 22 - Endr: 20 - Luck: 10 - Int:
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#6
B a s t i e n

I can fit two people under my skin
Yea I can fit two people under my skin
Cameron did what Bastien would have thought nearly impossible, and listed a medium he had never heard of. He had left Earth some fifty years before photography would become known and the technology was not anything he'd heard of; Nate had told him about cars and movies (neither of which he had really understood). "Photographer...I don't know what that is. Do tell me."

He looked about the studio at his supplies, unsure what Cameron would need for this method. "I can get most kinds of paint from the market, if you need those. I might need to make a special order if you need something very specific." Bastien hummed, his fingers tapping on the table; had he been missing out on a whole subset of artists by not preparing for photography?
And I will prove it if you will listen
You crawl up in there and join me within
Cameron Davis
Artist

Age: 30 | Height: 5'8" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
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#7


Cam grinned, noticing Bastien's interest. Then that grin faded as they contemplated how to explain photography -- and thought about how difficult it would be to set it up in Caido.

"So, photography uses a device called a camera to take a visual image of something in the world," Cam said after a moment's consideration. "I'd show you my camera, but I left it back where I'm staying -- and it doesn't work anymore, anyway. Coming to Caido fried the electronics. Anyway, it's different from painting because it's an ... instant image of a moment in time, I guess. You just press the button and the image, the photo, is created. But it still requires skill to know how to set up a shot, and how to use a good camera. And you can definitely create artistic effects with it beyond just, like, taking a selfie."

This last bit because Cam didn't want Bastien to doubt that photography was an art, despite its simple nature.

"I don't know how you'd even begin to make a camera in Caido, though." Cam found a clear wall to lean against, frowning in concentration as they dredged up all their knowledge of the history and technology involved. "I think the first cameras used ... light-sensitive plates? Or chemicals? But they were big and unwieldy ... These days, back in my world, everyone has a basic camera they carry around in their pocket. But not a lot of people know how to actually make one. Definitely not me."


cameron ?


"Cameras" by Ennev is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Bastien De Rosieres
the Dionysian
Ambassador for the Hollowed Grounds / Artist

Age: 41 | Height: 6' 2" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 5 - Strg: 20 - Dext: 22 - Endr: 20 - Luck: 10 - Int:
PITTORE - Mythical - Gremlin (Disappearance)
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#8
B a s t i e n

I can fit two people under my skin
Yea I can fit two people under my skin
From the rapidly fading smile, Bastien could see he had said something wrong. While he didn't know the ins and outs of Cameron's world or the technology they spoke of, he knew what it was like to have memories of your world not mean anything to anyone else, to feel like the sole owner of your worlds memories and creations in this new reality. He listened as intently as he could, tried to understand.

"A...selfie?" He asked, that being the first word he didn't know, though the rest of it had been hard to follow regardless. "So if I am understanding you, the artist does not make the image, this...camera takes it for them and captures it exactly?" Bastien raised an eyebrow, not sure such technology was possible and feeling his artistic morals rile a bit at the idea of a machine taking over the creation of art.

He could be no help with making one, that was for sure. "I've never heard of it. What is your world? It sounds like it must have been very different from mine."
And I will prove it if you will listen
You crawl up in there and join me within
Cameron Davis
Artist

Age: 30 | Height: 5'8" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
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#9


"Oh, a selfie is when you take a picture of yourself. It's, uh, not really an artistic thing -- more of just ... a way of recording or sharing what you look like? Like if you did your makeup really well one morning? Like I said, in my world, most people had cheap cameras in their pockets. So we took and shared a lot of pictures."

At Bastien's other comment, though, Cam winced a little. They could hear the skepticism in his voice, and that was exactly the interpretation they'd tried to forestall: the idea that since the camera nominally created the image, the photographer wasn't actually an artist. "It's not an exact capture -- you can play with the focus and zoom of the lens, motion blur, exposure, etc. Sometimes you'd spend longer editing your photos after taking them than actually taking them. But there's also artistry in setting up a shot -- composition, rule of thirds, etc." They paused, trying to think of a convincing argument, something that would make Bastien understand their interest in photography. "It's a way of sharing what you see with the world -- finding a unique perspective or viewpoint and showing it to others. And like I said, not every photo ever taken is art. People take selfies just to show what they're wearing, they take photos of their lunch, they take photos of their dogs." Cam tapped their fingers against the wall behind them. "I mean, it kind of goes back to the definition of art, right? Like, any photo can be art, if the photographer creates it as art? But the focus needs to be on the visual effect of the photo or it's just ... a photo."

They were thinking of MoMA, performance art, the avant-garde -- which was maybe a little beyond Caido's stage of cultural development. But then, they didn't know what world this man might be from. Probably not Cam's future, though, if he didn't know what photography was.

"I'm from Earth," Cam said. "Georgia. In, uh, the early twenty-first century?"


cameron ?


"Cameras" by Ennev is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Bastien De Rosieres
the Dionysian
Ambassador for the Hollowed Grounds / Artist

Age: 41 | Height: 6' 2" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 5 - Strg: 20 - Dext: 22 - Endr: 20 - Luck: 10 - Int:
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#10
B a s t i e n

I can fit two people under my skin
Yea I can fit two people under my skin
"Oh. Like a self portrait, then?" Bastien asked, turning to a pile of paintings by the wall and sifting through them until he found the one he was looking for and lifted it to show Cam; the canvas bore his own face, an intense gaze towards the camera with a vague blue background and a light coming from behind. Just like now, he was shirtless, the painting ending at his chest. Arresting, not really the kind of thing one would do for a selfie, but an image of the self nonetheless.

Seeing the wince in Cam's face Bastien tried to delay his judgement once again, going to sit at a table in the studio and lean his head on his hand as he tried to visualise what they spoke of. "I...don't know what most of those things are, but it does sound like more work than just seeing something." He'd never really gone too deeply into debates of phenomenology, but as he thought about it, he began to nod. "It is a tool then, like the paint brush, to be used however the artist sees fit. I am sorry we do not have it for you here to use."

With such a device he never expected to hear his own world said back to him; Bastien sat up and with a confused smile, laughed and pointed at Cam. "I am from Earth! Venice, in Italy! I have a friend who has been to the Kingdoms. He said it was beautiful, though there was trouble from the Russians-" He paused, the second half of Cam's sentence settling in. "...Twenty first century. My God. When I left the year was 1783."
And I will prove it if you will listen
You crawl up in there and join me within
Cameron Davis
Artist

Age: 30 | Height: 5'8" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 2 - Strg: 13 - Dext: 17 - Endr: 15 - Luck: 8 - Int:
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#11


"Yes." Cam smiled, a bit amused by the sight of Bastien's striking self-portrait -- not that he thought the art itself was funny, per se; it was the comparison to the average selfie that made Cam want to laugh. "Though self-portraits take a lot more work to make ... For people taking selfies, it's not usually about the art of the image. It's about recording who they were at that moment in time. But it depends on the person and the image, too."

Cam saw Bastien trying to understand, even if he didn't seem to quite get it, and that brightened their mood a bit. Not too much, though, especially with the reminder that they would never take a photo again. "Yeah. I thought, actually ... I wonder if the Voice might be able to help me? Someone told me she was a goddess of technology, and a camera is a piece of tech. And I've been thinking of Ascending anyway, so ..."

They remembered then that there was another reason they'd come here, besides discussing photography -- some art that they could share with Bastien. "I sketch, too, but I've never gotten very into painting or anything -- I used to line and color stuff digitally, but obviously that's not an option here. So I was wondering if you might have, like, classes or something?"

And one more thing: "Oh, cool! Venice is a beautiful city -- I've never been there, but I've read about it, and seen pictures. Oh, but I'm not from Georgia the country -- Georgia the state, in the United States."


cameron ?


"Cameras" by Ennev is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Bastien De Rosieres
the Dionysian
Ambassador for the Hollowed Grounds / Artist

Age: 41 | Height: 6' 2" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 5 - Strg: 20 - Dext: 22 - Endr: 20 - Luck: 10 - Int:
PITTORE - Mythical - Gremlin (Disappearance)
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#12
B a s t i e n

I can fit two people under my skin
Yea I can fit two people under my skin
"I see...I do enjoy works of self-portrait. A shame I will not get to see this new medium." As much as he was struggling to get his head around it, Bastien was fascinated by the idea of an instant capture of the face; an immediate impression of who one was at the exact moment. Perhaps it was a good thing he didn't have access to the technology, because he could see himself becoming rather obsessed with capturing his own image. (IE he'd be a selfie ho big time)

If there was someone to help with technology, the Voice was the one; Bastien nodded, a smile coming over his face as he heard Cam was thinking of Ascending too. "I am sure she would do everything in her power to help you, especially if you became one of her own. It's a wonderful thing - I don't want to rush your decision, but...I have never regretted my choice." It had caused a few raised eyebrows, the sworn hedonist choosing a life of less sensation, but Bastien had found in the Voice so many things he had yearned for before.

As for classes...Bastien stood up and went to the back of the room, where he pulled out a roll of brushes and a pack of paints and came to put them on the desk. "Not so much a class, but if you want to learn painting, you are welcome to begin that journey here. If you want to ask me for advice, you are welcome to, though I think one of the best parts of art is working out your own path." He pushed the supplies across the desk towards Cam.

At their reveal that they were not from the Georgia he knew, Bastien blinked a couple of times in surprise. "Those 'states' are successful? I...when I left, the Europeans had barely begun to recognise them as anything other than British colonies. Of course, I supported their independence, but I never thought they would be successful.."
And I will prove it if you will listen
You crawl up in there and join me within
Cameron Davis
Artist

Age: 30 | Height: 5'8" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 2 - Strg: 13 - Dext: 17 - Endr: 15 - Luck: 8 - Int:
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#13


Cam grinned, weirdly amused by imagining Bastien -- or anyone in Caido -- taking selfies. "Who knows? Maybe we'll get to see it invented here."

Especially if Bastien were Ascended, and therefore immortal. That was a cool idea, in Cam's mind -- getting to live through the centuries until Caido invented cameras. Maybe even helping invent them. As long as, they remembered with a sour note, the Ascended didn't all die in the coming conflict.

Nodding, Cam said, "It's ... pretty scary, to be honest. But the alternative is ..." Wait, they didn't really want to go into their mental illness with Bastien; he seemed cool, but they had just met. "Well, I have some health issues that Ascending would help with."

Being handed paints immediately wasn't what Cam had expected, and they tried to cover their surprise. "Oh, uh, OK. I -- yes." They had only the vaguest idea of what to do with these objects, but they picked the paints up anyway. "Yeah, I can experiment." They had some sketches in their backpack that they could probably start with.

"Successful?" Cam thought about the America they knew. "Well, for a certain metric of success, sure. They're considered the most powerful country in the world now. Wow, if that's when you came here ... That's, what, 150 years ago for me?"


cameron ?


"Cameras" by Ennev is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Bastien De Rosieres
the Dionysian
Ambassador for the Hollowed Grounds / Artist

Age: 41 | Height: 6' 2" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 5 - Strg: 20 - Dext: 22 - Endr: 20 - Luck: 10 - Int:
PITTORE - Mythical - Gremlin (Disappearance)
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#14
B a s t i e n

I can fit two people under my skin
Yea I can fit two people under my skin
"Maybe! The Voice invents things that amaze all the time." Bastien agreed, nodding passionately, though he really wasn't sure if something that lent itself to art and not advancement in war or land would be valuable to the Goddess right now. Perhaps if Cam asked on a genuine, personal level - much as Bastien meant to ask for his own favours, eventually.

Ascending could be a large change, and any kind of major adjustment in life and especially to one's body could be terrifying; Bastien understood that. "Ah. Well, The Voice will be able to help, I am sure. Personally, I have enjoyed not having to work out to keep up my physique." While he'd always liked the aesthetic benefits, Bastien had never particularly enjoyed the sweating and struggling part of building up muscles.

Laughing as they seemed so taken aback by the paints, he clapped his hands. "Experimenting is all you can do! You will see, it will bloom into more."

The news about America was hard to take in, but Bastien had heard weirder things about Earth's future before. "Yes...I've spoken to others from much later on Earth - Nate, for example - and it is strange to know we have had the opportunity to meet one that on our world, we would never have crossed paths with. I daresay I would have been over a hundred years dead." A grim thought.
And I will prove it if you will listen
You crawl up in there and join me within


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