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More from ~TaralWayne

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April 30, 2009
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:icontaralwayne:
Among things I wanted to do for this year's Worldcon, "Anticipation" in Montreal, was a cover for one of the Progress Reports. They asked if I could do number four, and I lept at the opportunity. For some time now I've been doing sketches of Saara Mar on Mars, but have had no reason to finish one, let alone colour it. This was the chance I was hoping for.

The location isn't one anyone has yet seen on Mars, but seems plausible enough. I think of it as a blow-out, where water melting under the surface during the summer has surfaced and begun an episode of rapid erosion. By rapid, I suppose I mean several thousand years. Gradually the surface has collapsed here, and the rubble transported downstream by natural forces. Many features on Mars, observed from orbit, resemble this sort of thing, so why not?

Saara herself needs no space suit. Tangel' in the background does, and wears a conformal silvery "force field" to protect her from the near-vacuum and cold. A human could probably stand on Mars in summer -- for maybe 30 seconds. It isn't the cold that would finish you off. The problem is air pressure that's about 1% what it is at sea level on Earth. It would suck the air out of your lungs. Unconsciousness would follow within seconds. The same thing happens when aircraft above 20,000 feet suddenly depressurize. And that's with higher air pressure than on Mars! But if you held your breath, and wore your long johns, a human being could indeed take in the wonders of Mars with his own two eyes for just long enough to probably think, "this hasn't been worth it."

The progress report this is the cover of is due to be mailed in a day or two.
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:icontharvia:
~tharvia Apr 22, 2013
I read your comment about the demise of fan art. Would you like to contribute to the LoneStarCon3 program book. Wife Diana is the editor and I foolishly agreed to solicit artwork. Whatever you think might fit a Texas WorldCon.

Beast wishes, Teddy Harvia
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:icontaralwayne:
~TaralWayne Apr 23, 2013  Professional General Artist
...a lot of jokes about chili? Well, maybe I can. Is your email address still good? Contact me at taral@teksavvy.come to verify.
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:iconkratsminsch:
~kratsminsch Dec 3, 2012
More of thee same.
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:icontaralwayne:
~TaralWayne Dec 3, 2012  Professional General Artist
Ditto from you.
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:iconemmetearwax:
~EmmetEarwax May 11, 2012
Tho I haven't done any stories with my characters in at least 16 years, I still think about them. I've retconned a lot of story-arcs, tho.

My M the Magnificent would be able to endure the condiitions you describe for a good length of time, but he'd finally HAVE to get into a shelter. Anerobic mode, sheer endurance & extra-stamina ... just last so long. The oxygen level is such that what air there is, isn't worth breathing. BUT proximity to Saara would enable him to boost his natural ability to her level - the M stands for MIMIC. He COPIES other people's abiliities - with definite limitations !
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:icontaralwayne:
~TaralWayne May 11, 2012  Professional General Artist
Ah... Air pressure on Mars is about 1/100 what it is here, and virtually none of it is Oxygen. It's all CO2. While that's probably more of a vacuum than in most vacuum tubes, it's still enough for winds that raise dust, and for clouds to float in it.

Saara's abillities are superhuman as a result of her artificial physiognomy. I don't want to get into details, but they are limited to around 50 times the strength of a normal human. She can tap into greater power supplied by her ship, though, so blowing up a star would be easy to do, though not a natural abillity.
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:iconemmetearwax:
~EmmetEarwax May 11, 2012
Again you weird me out, just like you did with the house gamins. Still, the title of the story I shelved, is useful for a story detail in a future fan-fic chapter - should I manage to director-cut an already written chapter, a letter dated "Hour of the scritching in the walls".

I WAS going to say something about an entity of mine, Sephira, but you'd just see as my trying to weird YOU out ! And I don't want you to see me as a lunatic with a runaway imagination.
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:icontaralwayne:
~TaralWayne May 12, 2012  Professional General Artist
Better a lunatic with a runaway imagination that the usual kind of lunatic with no imagination...
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:iconjoelfry:
~JoelFry Apr 30, 2009
Glad to see new stuff!
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:icontaralwayne:
~TaralWayne May 2, 2009  Professional General Artist
I don't update DA much -- it's where I keep stuff for viewers who might not react well to furry, or erotic art, so I keep that to a minimum here. I also post written work to FA -- there doesn't seem to be the means here, or else I just haven't found the option.


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