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 Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2015 3:50 am
“The first thing you need to do when you’re making a map is think about why and for who” M’ere said, crouching down with the chalk in her hand, ready to sketch on the boards of the deck. “Like, if you’re making it for other riders, you include reference points that everyone knows. If it’s for traders, you might include fords, and how many days between holds, and where the thread shelters are as well as how big. Most of the time, as a rider, you’re just going to be sketching something out so other people can understand you, right? ’specially important if you’re planning refugee camps and things, ‘cause you can’t just throw those up and hope. Like Tarazeth says, being able to get airborne and actually see what you’re trying to draw helps, yeah?”
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2015 4:13 am
Nodding along with M'ere's words, V'via stood beside her looking from the wood to M'ere and then back again. Maps were very useful. They would be especially useful soon as a method to note down the layout of the new islands. It was likely somebody had been charged with making these maps who had experience in such things. She would still sketch one out anyway just in case, but knowing the more appropriate ways to make such things would be helpful. In this instance riders would be most appropriate. A shadow passed over as Horteth glided in to peer at the scene.
...
"So, what are we going to draw a map of?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2015 4:23 am
“We’ll start with High Reaches” M’ere said brightly, tossing her the chalk. “You know it well enough to between to it, you know it well enough to sketch out at least the bowl, the Seven Spindles, all of that. The external buildings like the Wher complex, as well. We all need to practice our memory skills, right?”
(planning. She was… good? at it? maybe)
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2015 4:30 am
"Okay," V'via said as she tried to catch the chalk. She still wasn't great at physical things and catching unexpected projectiles counted in that. Successfully managing to keep her grip on the chalk she looked down at the boards. Okay, High Reaches, she could do that. They knew that.
Kneeling down the rider started to sketch out the outline of the bowl. This wasn't a drawing, so what perspective did she use?
"How do I mark the spires without just drawing a picture of it?" How did she acknowledge height for that matter?
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2015 4:37 am
“Well, who’re you drawing it for?” M’ere asked, settling back onto her heels, some of her weight resting on one hand, the other arm across her knees. “…a map is kind of a picture, though” she added, “Just enough of one that people understand where you’re talking about, right? It’s practise keeps it in proportion"
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2015 4:41 am
"I guess riders?" That seemed the most logical. She was a rider, she probably understood their needs better than she would a trader. So that seemed a reasonable place to start.
Creasing her brow slightly V'via tried to draw the spires as she would see them from between, but leaving a bit more room. "Like that?" The result was shakey and the spires weren't really the right proportions to each other. Drawing hadn't really ever been a passion of hers.
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2015 5:00 am
“That’s a good effort” M’ere said encouragingly - because well, it was, for a first go. Who had the paper and time to practise drawing? “So what else would a rider need to know about High Reaches? The buildings? Where they could get firestone from if they needed to refuel? The infirmary?”
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2015 10:17 am
Pausing V'via tapped the chalk against her chin. They were all important, but for different reasons. Really the layout of the buildings altogether for betweening purposes and a map would help visualise if they were perhaps a little rusty on the image, although it certainly wouldn't be V'via's first choice to refresh her memory.
"The infirmary?" That seemed the most likely to be needed in a severe emergency. V'via's hand hovered over the drawing, at the top near the middle, and she slowly drew her hand down and to the left before starting to draw out the shape of the building. "Would it be better to draw the buildings top to bottom rather than in order of importance?" She asked aloud as she drew. It seemed less likely for her to end up with too little space for something that way.
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2015 10:24 am
“Bottom to top so you don’t smudge the chalk?” M’ere suggested, inspecting her fingernails briefly before returning her attention to the map. “I mean, that stuff does smudge. It’d be different if it were ink and you could wait for it to dry, but… and how 'bout the sands? Lots of visitors want to go there"
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2015 10:41 am
"Mm, it's why I started making my own ink. Charcoal was getting everywhere," V'via mused as she drew a rough outline of where the entrance to the hatching sands. Pausing a second she shifted a started drawing the outlines of other buildings; the weyrling barracks, firestone sheds. The rough shapes soon filling up her outline of the Weyr.
"I'm thinking place all the buildings first, get locations right, then fill in shape and detail bottom to top?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2015 10:46 am
“Sounds about right” M’ere said cheerfully, peering down at the drawing of the Weyr. “It doesn’t have to be perfect - don’t worry about making mistakes. It’ll be cleaned off the next time they do the deck anyway. Do you think you could sketch the tunnel layout as well? Maybe next to it”
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2015 10:54 am
"Do you know the tunnels well enough for that?" V'via laughed, looking at the older rider. It had been what, two and a half turns, but still the winding corridors caught her out sometimes. There were some places she didn't go often enough and some of those tunnels just looked far too similar.
Horteth rumbled above her, swinging out and flying lazy loops around the ship.
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Posted: Mon Apr 06, 2015 3:38 am
“Of course” M’ere grinned, templing her fingers. “It’s what I do! I work for three-two, and if I couldn’t remember a silly little thing like my own home’s tunnels, I wouldn’t be much good at my job, right?”
So her wing didn’t make the Weyrleader’s honour list so often, and their methods were frowned on, they were still professionals, they still got results, and they got respect.
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Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2015 3:32 pm
"I suppose not," V'via laughed lightly, shifting her weight and dropping onto her stomach. Resting her head on her hand she sketched the finer details of the map. She wasn't quite ready to go tackling the tunnels just yet, she'd finish this bit before getting all ambitious about it.
"Doesn't seem to matter how long I stay there, some of those tunnels still look too similar. If I get turned around I can get completely lost." It didn't last as long as it used to, which was lucky since as a rider she couldn't really get away with being late to everything anymore.
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