#flat mag

[belleleonard]

Flat Mag Progress #1

Group assignments yayyyyyy! 

The flat mag assignment has us put into groups where we will design a huge flat magazine inspired by http://www.chaseandgalley.com/?/magazines-journals/is-not-magazine/. The rules for creating the magazine are simple:

It has to be called “The Wandering Eye” and inspired from the name.

The colour scheme has to be two-toned only (including images)

All images have to be original and taken by members of the team

At least 50% of the magazine have to be text and the other 50% are images/illustrations/vector art.

The lovely people in my group are Kasey and Jess. 

Below is a mind-map of what we want to include in the mag

Mood Board with inspiration from other travel magazines, potential colours schemes, and passport stamps.

[zakdesignprojects-blog]

As part of our flat mag, my group decided to have interviews with rpg characters. It was my job to create and draw them and write the interviews. Two were used in the flat mag, n four weren’t

Zay Torbisver - human paladin

What's your journey been like? Any interesting or memorable quests? Unfortunately many of the interesting quests are interesting for the wrong reasons. The party I've found myself stuck with are incredibly incompetent. I mean, when a portal to what's essentially Hell opens up, no normal hero would spent time trying to tame one of the creatures that pops out of it! Any reasonable person would want to close it! But instead of reasonable people, I get an elf who finds it fun to try and ride a demon, an elf so young and inexperienced she has no place on the battlefield, and a tabaxi who's more interested in studying the realm than closing the portal.

Sounds like you're more of a babysitter than an adventurer. Did you have them along for anymore quests after that? I prefer the term 'hero', but regardless. I've sadly found myself stuck with these three for the foreseeable future. The young elf I don't mind, she's quite mature compared to the other two. My issue is how inexperienced she is, yet she thrusts herself into such dangerous situations. The tabaxi sees himself as above everyone else, and the other elf is just a complete nuisance. And he's a criminal! Working with someone like him goes against everything I stand for, yet the tabaxi refuses to allow me to turn him in! Madness, I tell you. Yet somehow, I've grown... inexplicitly fond of them. That's the real crime here.

You seem to have serious issues with just being around a criminal, where other people might not. Is there a reason for this? Aside from said criminal being a complete and utter bastard? I was raised to value the law above all else. How can we keep order with people like him breaking the peace everyday? And if we allow them to remain free, who knows how many others will think being a thief and a cutthroat is a valuable way of earning money. What happened to good, legal, honest work? Just because this elf has friends, doesn't mean he's above the law, or above facing consequences for his morbid actions. Granted, he has been a helpful ally when he deigns to actually help when he's needed. Don't tell him I said that.

Has there ever been a time you've broken a law? If it was in the interest of properly helping someone? ... I try not to. I believe laws are generally the best for everyone, but... I know they're not always fair. There has been a time or two where I believed the greater good involved breaking the law, and I've gone ahead with it. I always return to pay my dues, of course, I can afford fines quite easily. And I've paid fines for others who I believed were in the right, despite what the law said. That being said, I've made mistakes, stuck by my belief in order rather than siding with my morals. I've let people be punished when I believed they were right. I try not to be bothered by it too much.

You've talked a lot about helping people. Is that something you pride yourself on doing for fame, or because it's simply something you believe in? I'd... like to think it's purely because I believe in it, but I know I can be a bit of a narcissist when it comes to receiving praise and recognition for my deeds. There was a time a while ago, when I first met the tabaxi, in fact, where he closed a portal on his own to save a city. By the time I arrived, if he had not done it, the city would've been destroyed. I should've been happy he saved lives, but I was rather angry at him for it. I'd already closed several portals at this point, I thought it my right to be the one to close this one, and told him he should've left it alone. There've been other times I've let my pride and need to be the lone hero get in the way of helping people, and it's something I've been trying to work on. It's gotten easier, being with this band of misfits. I suppose I should thank them for that.

[zakdesignprojects-blog]

As part of our flat mag, my group decided to have interviews with rpg characters. It was my job to create and draw them and write the interviews. Two were used in the flat mag, n four weren’t

Duric Aeducan - dwarf ranger

What's your journey been like? Any interesting or memorable quests? I haven't been on many adventures as of now, so I suppose my 'first' one would be the most memorable? Granted it wasn't the... nicest thing that has happened to me. Your younger brother killing your older brother and framing you as the killer, all to take the throne from your dying father to name himself king and banish you into the monster-infested caves beneath your home... Well it put a bit of a damper on things, to say the least. I don't regret the life I lead now, as I quite enjoy living on the surface, I only regret how I got here. But if things had been different, if none of that happened and I remained underground as a prince, who would I even be?

Sounds like you've got a lot weighing on your mind. Have things gotten better since you've been on the surface? Yes, things have been great! Of course I'm still deeply saddened at losing my brother and father, and being betrayed by my second brother, but I've plenty to keep me distracted nowadays. I'm one of the older adventurers in my party, yet most things regarding surface life are completely foreign to me, and I'm at a loss until one of the others takes pity on me and explain the culture quirk I'm stuck on. It's something they find quite amusing. I believe we'll be heading down to a dwarven town soon, so it'll be a nice change of pace, being the one who has the answers for once.

Is it difficult, being so out of the loop on surface culture? It must be a severe change, going from nobility to this. It is, but it's a welcome change at that. I never knew how much I could miss out on, not just on surface life, but from being seen as a commoner. People bump into me as they walk past, they swear at me, have no problems asking me to do menial tasks. As odd as it sounds, it's wonderful being treated like an ordinary person! It's made me realise how distant I was from everyday problems, how much I truly didn't understand the plight of the people. Aside from being above ground now, I see the world differently, and I cannot be more thankful for it.

What are some of the things people have asked of you that seem simple, but completely new to you? Oh, where to start. Some of the more exciting tasks involved clearing a trade road of bandits, driving out ogres from a family's farmhouse, and exterminating spiders from multiple locations. Then there's the 'fetch quests' as some of my party call them, where a person wishes for us to locate something they've lost. And the places people lose things, on my beard, I didn't know people could be so forgetful. My favourite task however, involved us helping a young boy track down his missing... donkey, I believe it's called? Creatures we don't have underground that seem quite common on the surface still astound me.

Have any other surface animals caught your attention? How do they differ from the wildlife you know? In dwarven kingdoms, most creatures are blind, fit for a life of foraging in darkness, or digging through hard dirt and stone. They're usually quite small and sickly looking. Some nobles have the odd surface animal here and there - cats, mostly, sometimes dogs, as a show of their wealth. But those animals are common up here, hardly seen as a statement of power. My favourite creatures so far are 'cows'. Such wonderful faces, and their uses! I never knew so much food could come from a single animal. I adore them, but I've been told it's strange to simply pet a cow. Amazing surfacers don't appreciate their own creatures. But the same could be said for dwarves, eh?

[zakdesignprojects-blog]

As part of our flat mag, my group decided to have interviews with rpg characters. It was my job to create and draw them and write the interviews. Two were used in the flat mag, n four weren’t

Kalanar Laemore - high elf cleric

What's your journey been like? Any interesting or memorable quests? In hindsight, I've been on a ton of fun journeys. But my life has never been normal so they've all been weird as shit too. Have you ever willingly let yourself become a vampire thrall just to enter a place only undead can go? No, because that's not a thing normal people do. It's not even a thing weird people with a kink do. Gods, my life is a mess, isn't it? No wonder I'm a depressed alcoholic.

You were a vampire's thrall? For how long? How did you get in that situation to begin with? My life's weird, okay? I teamed up with a bunch of vampires to investigate a cult, and everything lead to a portal to a realm only spirits or the undead can go. Compared to my lovely blood-drinking companions, I still had a heartbeat, so I was kinda stuck. I couldn't just sit out, the three vampires are all mages, and I'm a warrior and a healer. Unbalanced teams get nowhere in the adventuring-into-Hell business, I've learned. And it was either become a temporary thrall, or become a vampire. The second option was a no-go considering I've got a slight case of lycanthropy. So, thrall it was.

You're a werewolf? How did that happen? Weird shit is attracted to me I guess. I thought I was part of a merry band of mercenaries until they offered me to join their higher ups, who also happen to be a werewolf psuedo-cult. I can never go anywhere fun anymore. I mean, I could've said no, but the guy I liked was there and I wanted to be cool. Which is easy to say until you choke on werewolf blood and pass out, then wake up naked in the woods with an awful headache and a weird taste in your mouth. Though don't get me wrong, it's not a choice I regret. Gives me a great opening for a whole new world of jokes. And I met my best friend through it, so werewolves are fine in my book.

Seems that you managed to get quite lucky in life, don't you think? Ha, uh, wouldn't say that. Not to get all therapy session here, but I had a shit upbringing. Angst-y backstory and whatnot, you've heard one, you've heard them all. Sure, things got better when I set out on my own, but calling me lucky? Lucky people don't accidentally get into a drinking contest with a god, then get so piss drunk they marry a bird-witch. That's the worst walk of shame in the world. But... I dunno, maybe I am lucky? Got some good friends, a nice little house, a husband, a dog. I could easily be a dead body on the side of the road with only four gold pieces on me, so I mean, comparatively I'm doing better.

Odd outlook. Do you always respond with jokes and anecdotes? Oh absolutely. Someone's gotta be the funny bitch in the party, may as well be Mr. Coping Mechanism here. I can also stand around and look handsome. Oh, and I suppose I'm a healer too, huh? But that's the last point on my resume. Being funny and handsome are the first two, they're the most important facts about me that people need to know if they wanna hire me. Too many adventuring parties are out there being ugly and unfunny, and I won't stand for it anymore.

[zakdesignprojects-blog]

As part of the flat mag, my group decided to have interviews with rpg characters. It was my job to create n draw them and write the interviews. Two were used in the final flat mag, n four weren’t

Daro'hila Sero - tabaxi fighter

What's your journey been like? Any interesting or memorable quests? It's not the quests that've been the most interesting, per say, usually the lead up to getting one. I'm typically a loner and work for a thiev- ah. A guild, we'll say, and get given my orders via dead drops. So imagine my surprise when I find myself dropped into a lovely little band of adventurers who stumble their way through a skeleton infested cave, fight a lich king, swim through muck, all to find some old warlock at the end to ask him if he had any work for them. No reward! Nothing in return for all the fighting! For wading through absolute filth! I was washing waste out of my fur for weeks afterwards! The only good thing to come of it was a few things worth looting from the skeleton bodies.

Sounds horrible. Did you end up staying with those adventurers, or did you return to you solitary lifestyle? ... Eh. What can I say, they grew on me. Like parasites. Our dynamic just works, y'know? I'm the quirky scoundrel everyone loves to hate, and this group was missing that. I just fit right in, honestly. Course, the reason I even joined up with them in the first place is cause my boss figured falling in with some adventurers was the best bet at getting some dwarf artifact or something, she don't pay me to ask about details. All I was allowed to know was that it was deep in some cave in a dragon lair. An' trust me, it was not easy tryna convince the party to head down to a place like that. I mean, none of 'em where novices, but they ain't exactly seasoned warriors.

Did you all end up going down there and facing the dragon? I've heard dragon fights are mostly fatal unless you really know what you're doing. After like six moons, yeah, I convinced 'em to go down there. The cleric wanted even more time to make sure we were 'ready', but by then I'd managed to weasel my way into the leader's bed, so it didn't take much for her to listen to me. Well, at the time that's what I thought had her listening to me. The trip through the cave was pretty boring for the most part - not much wants to make its home in a dragon's lair aside from little scavengers and spiders. It was tough battle, and we nearly lost some people, but we managed to beat the dragon. Then... well, I had told them about the artifact, and said we'd return it to some dwarven scholar in the city. So when I turned around and pocketed it, the party was more than confused. I came clean about what I was there to do, expecting to run like Hell to escape them, but they all just looked... sad. I hadn't really realised that after six moons, they'd all grown to respect and care for me.

So you didn't feel anything for them? They were just a means to completing a job? I thought so, yeah. Until I saw them all realising I was stabbing them in the back. Then they got pissed. Because of me, some of them nearly died. I didn't even notice I'd grown attached to them, too. The bard wanted to attack me, but the leader stopped him, all without looking at me. She let me leave. I always laughed at that 'I'm not angry, just disappointed' line, but Gods, that shit hurts. Still, I had a job to do, and I'm emotionally constipated, so I left. Climbed out the exit to the cave the dragon would fly out of and ran for it. Didn't stop until after I handed the artifact over to a guildmate.

And that was it? You never saw those adventurers again? Ha, that'd make for a shitty story, wouldn't it? A few moons after all that mess, I ran into them again in a ghost town when I was looking for shit to loot. Saved them from dying to a lich. And lemme tell ya, that was the awkwardest moment of my life. We all stood there like a bunch of kids in school learning they were just about to practise couple dancing and they all needed to pair up. Just as I started to walk away, the leader knocked me over and it took me a bit to realise she was hugging me and not choking me. Then the rest of the bastards piled on, blabbering about how much they missed me. Maybe I apologised, maybe I cried and told them I missed them too. We'll never know, huh?

[zakdesignprojects-blog]

As part of the flat mag, my group decided to have interviews with rpg characters. It was my job to create n draw them and write the interviews. Two were used in the final flat mag, n four weren’t

Adahna - wood elf druid

What's your journey been like? Any interesting or memorable quests? Definitely! It's hard to travel with a group of people for months without getting some good memories out of it. My favourite was when we travelled through a haunted forest - well, we didn't know it was haunted at first. Aside from my party almost dying to a demon - which was not the fun part, by the way - we ran into a possessed tree. He was quite lovely, and eloquent too! It's been my dream to be able to speak with a tree, and he proved to be a wonderful conversation compared to the other ghostly inhabitants of the forest. He even showed us some poetry he'd writte- oh. Oh my Gods. He's a poet tree. A poetry! Why did it take me so long to realise that!?

Does your party often get into unexpected situations like that? I wouldn't say often, but more than the average wanderer goes through. If I had gold piece for every time we got jumped while travelling the roads, I'd have seven gold pieces. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird it happened so many times. We've been stopped by everything from bandits to farmers needing help to mages, to even assassins! Though not every encounter was so bad. The assassin ending up joining our party, and now he's one of my closest friends! ... Though come to think of it, a lot of our party joined in not so pleasant ways. It seemed that wherever there was trouble, a new friend was waiting to be found!

That's quite an optimistic way of looking at things. Are you always so positive? I try to be. The world's such a dark place sometimes, it's the least I can do to try and bring a little happiness and light into it! My party says my mood's infectious, that when I'm happy, they all feel it, too. And when I'm upset, they all feel gloomy, too. For them, I try to keep my spirits up, even when I'm having an off day. That's not to say they don't comfort me when I'm feeling down, we're all very close and comfortable with each other. Well, mostly, anyway. Some friends aren't as touchy or emotional as me, and I've had to learn that they have other ways of showing affection or comfort, like giving presents or protecting in a fight.

Have you had to change your habits much while travelling with new, different people? Of course. I am the only wood elf, and the only druid in the party, so no one else really understands some things I do or some ways I act. And in return, I don't understand the practices of orcs or tieflings or humans, or even other elves! It isn't always easy, but it's amazing to learn about so many new cultures and people, and how they see other groups of people. I can rethink how my people view other races, and clear up misconceptions my party may have about wood elves. We're not murderous cannibals, or dainty elves who prance through meadows, crafting flower crowns and conversing with trees. Well, not most of us, anyway.

You said most of your group met under poor circumstances. Can the same be said for how you joined them? ... Yes, I suppose. I lost a very dear friend in my village to a terrible disease. I... I blame myself every day for what happened, thinking that if I only tried harder to find him when he wandered off, our leader might have been able to save him. If it's my burden to live with the memory of failing him, then it's what I deserve. Ever since that day, I've travelled where I can, helping whomever I come across. It's gotten me into trouble plenty of times, sure, and I know he'd object to some of the things I've managed to get myself into, but I like to think he'd be proud of what I'm doing with my life now. Nothing can bring him back, but I can lay his memory to rest.

[zakdesignprojects-blog]

As part of the flat mag, my group decided to have interviews with rpg characters. It was my job to create n draw them and write the interviews. Two were used in the final flat mag, n four weren’t

Ditch - wererat rogue

What's your journey been like? Any interesting or memorable quests? Ooh, Ditch has plenty of good memories from journey! She remembers one time, group leader needed us to sneak in cave without alerting bandits, to try and free important person. Friend Xan had idea where he stand on Ditch's shoulders, and we wear big coat to look like one person so we pretend to be newcomer wanting to join bandits! It looked to work until Ditch's nose poked out from coat... It is not easy to fight with large sword wielder on shoulders. Moreso when you are big rat in small cave. Group leader was not happy with us for almost compromising job... But we won!

I'm glad it turned out alright. Do you often get into conflict with others in your group? Often, yes. Ditch is big and clumsy most times, compared to others being small and skilled. She tends to get in way during fights by mistake. Others get angry at Ditch for this. Also get angry because Ditch does not understand lot of things, like why tiefling has horns, or why gnome so small. Or boots. Ditch does not understand boots. Maybe because none fit her paws. She used orc's boot as chew once, and he was very cross with Ditch. He had to fight dragon with only one boot on, and Ditch kept stepping on his paws. Ditch does not like fighting with group, she does not find it comfortable. She prefers fighting by herself, or not at all.

If you aren't comfortable fighting, what's your role in the group? There's got to be something only you can do. Of course! Ditch is big, yes, but Ditch also sneaky! Sneakiest one in group! Ditch can shift into little rat and be very hard to see in dark, and fit in spots no one else can. Also can spy on enemies in plain view. No one ever suspects little rat of being bad! Being little rat also makes easy to take things... food things, little things, shiny things... many shiny things... shiny things get left behind a lot, waiting for little rat to take. Big rat Ditch is also very strong. And good at hugs! Ditch can break very hard things in group's way. Group leader also trusts Ditch to carry all group's things and protect them from damage. Ditch is not very smart, but she is smart enough to know group only has her for being strong and shifting into little rat. But Ditch does not mind! She likes having safe place to sleep at night.

Aside from that, what else do you like to do? What goes on during your off days? Ditch likes to swim, though she is not very good. She does not feel so big in water. She likes to chew on many things, too, teeth grow fast and need to be chewed down. During rest time, others in group make things with sheep fur, and Ditch likes holding the fur ball when they work. Oh, sometimes during dark, Ditch will wander off to village and take things! Village scared of Ditch, so she must hide, or shift to little rat to find and take shinies and food. Ditch keeps shinies in special tail bag only she can hold, cause they are her shinies. Ditch also hunts for group! She is fast at take down deer and bear, and feeds group for many moons with only two hunts!

You're a were-rat, right? Why don't you ever stay in your human form? Uh... Ditch thinks she must go. Right now, immediately. Thank you, sorry, goodbye!

[zakdesignprojects-blog]

Semester 2 - Assignment 2

Logo concepts for the flat mag, adhering to the theme of ‘the wandering eye’