abraxaslogs | [open; July adventures]

[ did she actually find someone who knows what she's talking about?? this is wild, it so rarely happens! ]

It's almost like a post-medieval gothic, which is weird, given this place doesn't have the same historical lead up to the style.

I like it though, whatever made it develop this way. It's my first time in Ikkor, so I'm still getting a sense of it all.

[well he doesn't know about bauhaus and post-modern yet, but....]

Consider: all vampires have a flair for the dramatic. Some conclusions simply reach themselves regardless of what the history itself is.

This is the first time I'm seeing in a day-to-day mode. I don't know if I'll be able to use much of what I'm seeing yet, but it is still remarkable to observe.

[ there's a pause, then annabeth lets out a snort. it's a marked improvement on her vampire thoughts if she can more easily be amused by stereotype. ]

You said it, not me.

I'll have to come back a few times to get a real sense of it all, especially as a collective. [ a beat. ] Use it how? Are you an architect, or just using it in general art?

[ she remembers he seemed pretty fond of art, when she met him. ]

I've met my father's people both at home and here. Some things are true regardless of sphere.

[He's also completely a part of it, but Annabeth can find that out later.]

The former, although most of my works are winding down or otherwise on hold given the current circumstances. I also do historic restorations.

The universal nature of vampires? You're the expert here.

[ something shifts in her expression, almost an excitement to find another architect. her friends listen to her and appreciate her knowledge, but it's not the same. ]

Me too. I mean, I haven't technically gone to college for it yet, but I've done work already. I imagine it's much harder to do anything here though. Restoration is important too.

--College?

[There's a gentle lift of the eyebrows because we don't do that in 1400s Wallachia.]

Well, it depends on a few factors. My first real project was a historic restoration of a public hall which is now primarily a concert space. When Libertas was bombed last year, a number of their theatres were destroyed, so that has been my primary work since. The hall was originally built when Thorne held the Free Cities, and it had an interesting combination of magic and architecture that naturally enhances sound. Figuring out how it worked and restoring it has influenced my thoughts about how the two can be combined for contemporary performance spaces in particular.

University. Higher education. I've been studying architecture for years but I'll still need a degree from a school if I really want to work in it outside of Olympus.

[ wait, only now does it occur to her he might be from a world with vampires but without universities. or perhaps a different time?? apparently there are summoned from all over the expanse of time here. ]

[ but !!! his work here sounds so cool!! ]

So you have been able to work here too. That sounds fascinating. I can't imagine they'd want us touching their shit in Thorne, but I've been trying to get a sense of how they do it anyway. I wish I could see what the structures look like in other territories too.

[Annabeth he is from the 1470s, they absolutely don't have that in Wallachia yet.]

--Well that's ridiculous. Architecture is a trade. You apprentice and learn that way. But perhaps things have changed since before the 1500s.

[Okay so maybe you're just learning from your vampire dad but NEVER YOU MIND that part.]

Thorne isn't just the castle anymore, correct? Maybe that's the better path forward, and--

[Alucard considers, looking across the street.]

I could at least offer a few drawings, if you don't mind sitting in the cafe over there?

[ in her defense, she didn't know he was an old timer till now! ]

- you're from the 1500s? [ she takes a second to process, then ultimately rolls with it. she's getting better at that, the longer she's here. ] But that makes sense. Some of the things that used to be trades kind of got folded into the universities in my time. I'm pretty self taught, but I don't think anyone back home would hire me without a degree.

[ she nods, moving towards the aforementioned cafe. ] Sure. I'd like to see. And I suppose it might be easier to get some kind of architectural work in Nott than the Castle itself, but the coup shook things up a bit.

The 1470s, actually. We still don't know about the Americas yet. [Alucard has learned there's really never an easy way to reveal exactly what century he's from. It's fine.] Hm. I think that's silly, but I don't control the way the world changes. Are you doing practical work, or is it mostly book learning?

[That point is really what requires clarification from where he sits.]

How have things been settling down?

[In truth, Alucard does not think they're settled at all, but he does not say as much.

Entering the cafe reveals a space that is not counter service at all, but comfy lounge seating service. A few scattered books rest on coffee tables, but the focus is on overly plush furniture in deep, rich fabrics or otherwise dark, well loved leather. A fire crackles gently in one corner, animated by magic rather than firewood. There are two open armchairs with menus placed on each seat, and that is what the dhampir goes for.

The menus are divided into pastries, teas, coffees, and blood wines. Alucard has his preference, but it feels correct and less intimidating to let Annabeth figure out what she'd prefer and to follow suit. He's not getting bloodwine if it makes the conversation awkward.

So instead he focuses on his sketchbook, flipping through earlier pages.]

[ she nods immediately in understanding, blowing past the time jump - it's easier to roll with it given everything else about being in abraxas. ] Colombian exchange. No tomatoes or potatoes yet.

[ he's missing out. ]

It was a lot of book learning for a while, with freeform designs and some actual work at my summer camp, but I, well - I was doing real practical work on Mount Olympus for a few months at home. [ before they closed it off, before she got whisked away on another quest, and then into another world. ]

Settling in Thorne, you mean? It probably depends on who you ask. It's like they're trying to carry on business as usual, but. [ she doesn't have the best sense of sidwell yet to form a solid, assured opinion of what the man might do next. ]

[ she picks a pastry that she hopes has zero blood in it, pairing it with a coffee. mostly she's trying to be patient while she waits for alucard to finish whatever he's sketching first, her fingers mindlessly and lightly drumming on the table. ]

I've enjoyed using both of those here. A shame I have to wait so long, if I am ever forced back.

[Although you know the colonialism part is........not good.]

Housing, then? For the camp, I mean. Or was it more recreational buildings?

--Hm. Interesting that they're trying to go with that. I would have expected another big explosion of violence, truth be told. [He doesn't like that information, but that's neither here nor there.

Alucard goes for tea and a small cheese board, hoping that no one has figured out "bleu cheese, but blood?" and that such a thought won't make it onto the plate.]

My most recent project is something I probably can't show you, so here. This is one of the theaters I finished two months ago in Libertas. [He turns the sketchbook over to Annabeth entirely.

The page stares back at her with an ornamented exterior focused on sweeping, curving lines and delicately sculpted desert creatures adorning the entrance. The interior lobby seems to continue the same design, all in neat, precise lines. Alucard doesn't seem to do much underdrawing, nor does he add too many pen marks into the image that serve to show a mistake.]

More like... leading structural repairs. There's already cabins and buildings, but sometimes they get damaged.

[ she wrinkles her nose. ] Well, there's no ruling more violence out given the way it was ushered in.

[ she peers at the work he shows her and takes her time looking it over, curious after what the architecture might look like in the free cities as well as alucard's own drawing styles. she doesn't think he'll mind any delay in commentary, especially when her interest is genuine. ]

I like the animals decorating the outside - good placement. What are they made of in reality? [ she gestures at one of the archways in the lobby. ] This part really draws the eye.

And I assume that they're in classical styles? Are you sticking with white or are you using full color?

[Alucard has in fact missed 21st century polychromatic science on ancient art. He just thinks plain white is boring.

The Free Cities may be a little industrial revolution mixed with magic, but the dhampir's style is some bastard combination of gothic nonsense and art deco. At least for the theatres, he's leaned into the deco.]

The interiors are sandstone in order to take advantage of color, the exterior is granite since it stands up to weather far better. I've generally deferred to others with material since they know the environments better.

It depends on the cabin - each one belongs to a god and their children and the colors kind of match the vibes. Everyone's more or less in charge of their own decorations, so like, for example the Ares cabin stuck barbed wire on their roof. Not a practical choice, but I've always understood the aesthetic for them.

But there's classical influence in all of it.

[ she nods along, envisioning it wholly with more clarity the more he describes it. ]

And this style aligns with the rest of Libertas?

Ah, I see. Anachronistic color. It sounds almost like a popular classicism?

[Not having the correct art vocabulary for things like pop art makes this difficult. Relying on Annabeth to bridge those gaps is perhaps rude, but it's really the only option Alucard has.]

More or less. There's a lot of variation there, which is a boon in my particular case.

[ she blinks. and then remembers when he's from. ] Actually, the solid white is anachronistic - most of the ancient statuary and temples were painted, but the colors wore away over time. We've known that as demigods, but the science is finally catching up back home too.

[ she looks again at his design and wonders again what the rest of the free cities might look like, having this example. some of this world's architecture is familiar in a distant way, but the historical context makes it differ just enough. ]

Thanks for showing me.

Hm. With your existing color palettes, are you going for something mostly bold, something more natural...?

[tell him about polychromatic evidence, please, he's intrigued.]

Of course. When I was in Thorne I didn't see much. What are the villages outside of the castle like?

[Owing to the nature of the discussion, Alucard turns his sketchbook and pen around towards Annabeth, assuming that drawing is going to be the easier explanation here.]

The palettes in antiquity were very bold and bright - think a lot of use of the primary colors. Certain statues still retain traces of the paint, which finally allowed for more proof. For me now it just depends on what I'm designing or fixing. I like variety.

[ she's a little surprised to be offered the page, but she accepts without hesitation and with a nod, immediately getting to work to sketch out one of the houses she remembers seeing in the nearby village. her skills are very good, if only vaguely unpolished without the technical schooling - but she's a child of athena. it's still very good! ]

I haven't been able to spend too much time in the villages. Things have been chaotic on and off since I got here. [ turning into gods and coups have left for a lot of instability in her adjustment period. ]

I also imagine the variety is appreciated by everyone else. No one wants bright yellow constantly.

[Alucard can imagine that some of the colors are similar to what he has at home, at least as far as a general range goes. Pigment for dyes and pigment for paints often share similar resources, and it isn't as if the garments in his own time are that drab. Basic in their colors, yes, but not grab.

He makes a point not to loom over the page until Annabeth is done. Or at least until there's a good amount of buildings on the page.]

Ah. Those are very familiar to me, at least in the overall construction.

Yellow has a time and a place, but an abundance of canary colors doesn't have the same wide appeal anymore, thank the gods.

[ perhaps the ancient greeks felt differently, but they're too dead to have an opinion now. ]

[ she will turn the book around for him when she mostly finishes - it doesn't have to be complete to give him an idea of the design after all. ]

Housing doesn't really look like this anymore where I'm from, but it does resemble older styles we've had. Though there isn't exactly uniformity either - different countries, even different states, all have variable infrastructure. You probably know what I mean. It's always been that way.

Blue, though. Blue has enough variety that you could probably get away with it.

[Alucard nods as he takes in the sketch. It's definitely interesting. Not something he'd come up with on his own, Alucard is confident in that.]

I do. But I can appreciate the wholly novel to my eyes, although I'll also admit I would need a little time to adjust to such novel styles

[ a smile flickers on her face. ] There's a lot you can do with blue.

[ and not just architecture and construction, but they're not about to get into a food discussion. ]

That's one of the best parts about architecture, I think. There's always going to be something new to discover, as styles change. You'll get there, I'm sure. Thanks for sharing with me.

[open; July adventures]

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aim to wrap?

yes sounds good!