New Year Visions (Cadeus' Secret Hideout)

I created a 'secret hideout' long ago using whatever I had access to at the time, and this is another attempt with different materials (and cleaner). Also a new headsculpt for Cadeus (that will NEVER be painted, only re-haired). But first let's begin with a pop culture reference that relates to a certain disappointment near the end of last year, but also embracing new possibilities that await thereafter.


CAPT. STINGORPHEUS: ...If you take the red jellybean, you stay in wonderland, and I show you how deep the Astraverse goes...




CADEUS: Billions of sea creatures, just living out their lives...oblivious.






CADE: What a weird dream...I know last night was the New Year's celebration...but I didn't even party that hard.

CADE: (Wait...how many days has it been? Feels like I got hit by a train...and how the hell did the pool table get all the way over here?)




CADE: Well, at least it's not a total mess...but something definitely went down while I was unconscious all that time.


CADE: That's odd...feels like something's bouncing around in my pocket.




CADE: Some kind of tiny fox statue...that's so strange, it's only stone, but almost feels as though it's trying to mo -



CADE: Hahaha...so it just teleported on top of my head. This is obviously some kind of prank magic.



CADE: Thaddeus Taudd Reynard?! Dude, have you been hiding in my pocket this whole time?!
THAD: Look, last night was crazy - a drunk Mage cast some dark magic on me while I was morphing, and I ended up stuck like that until your magic woke me up.


CADE: Oh wow...well at least one of us remembers something. You're gonna have to fill me in. Also, since I technically 'freed' you, does that mean we have a genie-outta-the-lamp type of situation between us? What does that make me?

THADDEUS: Actually, now that I recall, there was a group of thugs who you really pissed off, and they promised they would track you down for payback. Sounds like they're trying to knock down your front door right now, we better get ready for a fight...

[/i]

This is so cool! I love the hideout, must have taken a while to set up. Cadeus' outfit is really nice, well done assembling that. And that tiny little fox figure he holds is precious!

I gotta ask.... what headsculpt is that??? I've never seen it.

And a sword magically appears every time Thad is near... (sung to the tune of "Birds magically appear...") Sorry, I couldn't resist. Another nice twist, although I would be lying if I claimed to have fully understood how Thad got there in the first place. Glad I'm not the only one confused, given they are too. Nice work on the hideout. And excellent use of the Alden head sculpt. Your mod makes it better than the original (perhaps because it no longer purports to be Han Solo), and it works very well -- even in FaceApp (or whatever smiley filter you use); I'd say don't repaint over it unless you have a spare. Sweet reference to the Matrix; what was the disappointing pop culture development late last year?

PS - I agree with Sky, the tiny fox (and other props, of course) is excellent.

Ohhh, no wonder I didn't recognise the head if it's the fake-Han Solo one.

Looks an interesting place to hang out.

Hah! Nice one!

I take it that Matrix 4 was the disappointment?
Nice references for sure. I take it he took the red pill.

Love that shot in front of the activated eye with the snappy fingers.
Beautiful setting overall! It's amazing how your character design made me not see Han Solo at all. All your characters work really well together., which shows just how well you know them. And that mini fox is adorable!  

Such a bizarre Wonderland you've managed to create. Nice use of the Solo head sculpt, too.

Very nice, hard to not get that first reference. Really like the look of all your guys, specially Cade's. Hopefully that sword serves them well.

skywalkersaga wrote:This is so cool! I love the hideout, must have taken a while to set up. Cadeus' outfit is really nice, well done assembling that. And that tiny little fox figure he holds is precious!

I gotta ask.... what headsculpt is that??? I've never seen it.  

Thank you, and it did take a while of moving everything around to get the right 'look' I was going for - that and making the props stand on their own without collapsing. I too am pleased with Cadeus' outfit, it feels like a mash-up of previous characters' fashion senses that I gave a fresh new twist. I am also glad I found a use for those tiny foxes, they are much smaller than I thought they would be when I ordered a while back, haha.

GubernatorFan wrote:And a sword magically appears every time Thad is near... (sung to the tune of "Birds magically appear...") Sorry, I couldn't resist. Another nice twist, although I would be lying if I claimed to have fully understood how Thad got there in the first place. Glad I'm not the only one confused, given they are too. Nice work on the hideout. And excellent use of the Alden head sculpt. Your mod makes it better than the original (perhaps because it no longer purports to be Han Solo), and it works very well -- even in FaceApp (or whatever smiley filter you use); I'd say don't repaint over it unless you have a spare. Sweet reference to the Matrix; what was the disappointing pop culture development late last year?

PS - I agree with Sky, the tiny fox (and other props, of course) is excellent.

Hahaha, I will add it to the soundtrack list for whenever I get around to making a music video montage or something. I guess I was going for a The Hangover buddy comedy-vibe. And yeah, choosing that headsculpt to give a new identity seemed like a good idea since the actor is not as well-known except for that particular film, which wasn't well-received either. That and the already-removable hair was a big plus. FaceApp, yes it is - I don't think there are any other apps that work as well for our figures? Thank you for appreciating my Matrix fanboy-ness. The big disappointment...WAS the new Matrix film.

BAMComix wrote:Looks an interesting place to hang out.

Thanks, that's exactly what I was going for!

Diana wrote:Hah! Nice one!

I take it that Matrix 4 was the disappointment?
Nice references for sure. I take it he took the red pill.

Love that shot in front of the activated eye with the snappy fingers.
Beautiful setting overall! It's amazing how your character design made me not see Han Solo at all. All your characters work really well together., which shows just how well you know them. And that mini fox is adorable!  

Yes, you are correct! Have you seen it, and if so what are your thoughts? Cadeus probably took both pills simultaneously...yeah.

That eye decor mirror is one of my favorite finds so far, I too love the aesthetic it brings as a prop and the general 'third eye' kind of idea. Well thank you for the praise on both accounts, I figure a wig and hat can go a long way in disguising/changing a headsculpt's identity.

Stryker2011 wrote:Such a bizarre Wonderland you've managed to create. Nice use of the Solo head sculpt, too.

Thank you, this setup was a lot of fun to scrap together. I may or may not have had some weird dreams about it afterwards!!

Theboo-bomb wrote:Very nice, hard to not get that first reference. Really like the look of all your guys, specially Cade's. Hopefully that sword serves them well.

Indeed. I've actually considered making it canon that the Astraverse is a Matrix simulation, and this would allow me to create different, more toned-down 'real world' versions of all the characters.

Wait... what new Matrix film? I must be living under a rock... lol

AlKelAstra91 wrote:Yes, you are correct! Have you seen it, and if so what are your thoughts? Cadeus probably took both pills simultaneously...yeah.

GubernatorFan wrote:Wait... what new Matrix film? I must be living under a rock... lol

LOL, Gub, apparently you do live under a rock.
It was released before the holidays I think. And I knew about it long before that because I saw news about their shoot.
I can't go to the movies since I am not vaccinated. I'll just have to wait for it to show up on one of my subscription services. I tend to be quite forgiving though so I'm not too worried. Hopefully I'll be able to see what good they saw in the script and ignore the fails.

I knew about the Matrix film, but I avoided it for a lot of reasons. The main one being that I'm just very anti-sequels these days.

So, this Screen Rant review perfectly conveys my feelings on the new film. It is also hilarious.


I remember seeing the first one in theaters when I was like 10 years old, and having my mind blown. But trying to bring back a franchise after the original trilogy ended almost two decades ago, usually seems to be a bad idea as of late. The new film Resurrections felt more like a parody of itself rather than the groundbreaking sequel most fans expected, considering the technological advancements and budget compared to 1999 and early 2000s. I knew it was going to disappoint so I opted to watch at home on HBO Max instead of going to see it at theaters. It was amusing though, I found myself laughing a lot more than anything, as if I were watching a spoof attempting to simultaneously break the fourth wall; which is actually a type of humor I enjoy, but not in a Matrix sci-fi film. I guess it at least leaves the door open for other directors/producers to take the helm and do it justice, but idk at this point...

AlKelAstra91 wrote:I remember seeing the first one in theaters when I was like 10 years old, and having my mind blown. But trying to bring back a franchise after the original trilogy ended almost two decades ago, usually seems to be a bad idea as of late. The new film Resurrections felt more like a parody of itself rather than the groundbreaking sequel most fans expected, considering the technological advancements and budget compared to 1999 and early 2000s. I knew it was going to disappoint so I opted to watch at home on HBO Max instead of going to see it at theaters. It was amusing though, I found myself laughing a lot more than anything, as if I were watching a spoof attempting to simultaneously break the fourth wall; which is actually a type of humor I enjoy, but not in a Matrix sci-fi film. I guess it at least leaves the door open for other directors/producers to take the helm and do it justice, but idk at this point...

Ha, well at least you were somewhat entertained. Still, sorry it was a disappointment for you. I know the feeling.

And ugh, if I am honest I am avoiding most franchises lately because they seem to exist solely to perpetuate their own existance. It's not really about telling the best stories or creating the best characters, it's just about continuation for continuation's sake, to milk as much $$$$ out of it as possible. As someone who values the integrity of stories and storytelling above all, there just isn't much appeal.

Hope you continue to keep up your latest photo story series! These have been fun to follow. : )

LOL I suppose watching the ScreenRant review was more entertaining than the movie would have been. Thanks, Alkel!

I honestly despised the first two Matrix sequels, as they totally killed the original film with their ever increasing existential bull$#@t. They should have left it just the original film, which is a masterpiece of science fiction cinema. I have zero interest in this latest Matrix movie.

Looks like your characters are waking up in a new year confused and on the defensive... much like most of us!

Until a more effective method comes along, I suppose 1/6 scale adventures are a way for us to escape this matrix in which we're currently stuck and search for a better one.

The Thad the Fox fig is bad-*ss awesome!

skywalkersaga wrote:

AlKelAstra91 wrote:I remember seeing the first one in theaters when I was like 10 years old, and having my mind blown. But trying to bring back a franchise after the original trilogy ended almost two decades ago, usually seems to be a bad idea as of late. The new film Resurrections felt more like a parody of itself rather than the groundbreaking sequel most fans expected, considering the technological advancements and budget compared to 1999 and early 2000s. I knew it was going to disappoint so I opted to watch at home on HBO Max instead of going to see it at theaters. It was amusing though, I found myself laughing a lot more than anything, as if I were watching a spoof attempting to simultaneously break the fourth wall; which is actually a type of humor I enjoy, but not in a Matrix sci-fi film. I guess it at least leaves the door open for other directors/producers to take the helm and do it justice, but idk at this point...

Ha, well at least you were somewhat entertained. Still, sorry it was a disappointment for you. I know the feeling.

And ugh, if I am honest I am avoiding most franchises lately because they seem to exist solely to perpetuate their own existance. It's not really about telling the best stories or creating the best characters, it's just about continuation for continuation's sake, to milk as much $$$$ out of it as possible. As someone who values the integrity of stories and storytelling above all, there just isn't much appeal.

Hope you continue to keep up your latest photo story series! These have been fun to follow. : )

Yeah I definitely know where you are coming from, I think in some cases the series route is a better option for extended storytelling these days, instead of trying to pack everything into a single movie followed by several sequels. I actually recently had a dream that they chose to continue the Matrix universe's stories as a tv series and it turned out much better. Maybe get Neil Gaiman to write/co-write some episodes.

GubernatorFan wrote:LOL I suppose watching the ScreenRant review was more entertaining than the movie would have been. Thanks, Alkel!

You're welcome. It was super easy, barely an inconvenience!

Stryker2011 wrote:I honestly despised the first two Matrix sequels, as they totally killed the original film with their ever increasing existential bull$#@t. They should have left it just the original film, which is a masterpiece of science fiction cinema. I have zero interest in this latest Matrix movie.

I have to agree with you to some extent, the first film will always be the best as a whole. The third was the most boring to me. But the second, Reloaded, had some of the best action scenes to teenage me at the time. The freeway chase was awesome. The Animatrix anthology series also had some interesting concepts and animation styles.

davidd wrote:Looks like your characters are waking up in a new year confused and on the defensive... much like most of us!

Until a more effective method comes along, I suppose 1/6 scale adventures are a way for us to escape this matrix in which we're currently stuck and search for a better one.

The Thad the Fox fig is bad-*ss awesome!

That is a great outlook for sure, one I embrace whole heartedly. I swear since getting into this hobby I've been able to flex more ideas and stories than I was ever able to before just writing or drawing. Even if they aren't all good or exceptional, it lets me get them out there and past my creativity block.

Glad you are digging Thad, I hope to give him another dynamic solo adventure here soon.

always nice to pass by in your Astraverse.
always cool characters to discover. Not always up my alley but always interesting and intriguing.
Love this tiny fox.

so, keep the stories coming

had planned to watch Matrix on the big screen (even though I expect a disappointment - 2 and 3 already had been - but I still need to get rid of some vouchers - AND: it's Keanu, stupid! )
but I didn't want to go through the hazzle with testing and planning the visit to meet the least number of people possible with infections sky rocketing
for one going to the movies every two years, this might not really be the time...