18961/Sweet Treats and Some Talks

Sweet Treats and Some Talks
Date of Scene:	31 August 2024
Location:	Sweet Dreams
Synopsis:	Kyle and Caleb have a talk about the world, metal and art.
Cast of Characters:	Kyle Rayner, Caleb Dykstra

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Kyle Rayner has posed:
Kyle walks into sweet treats. One of the last romps of Summer before Autumn's Rust starts to settle in the trees of Central Park changing green to sees of oranges and reds. He's wearing a pair of jeans, a black t-shirt that proudly says, "Strongjaw Ale: Aged Six Months in a Bag of Holding." And he's wearing a dark red hoodie. The hoodie has feint stains of multiple colors. Apparently, he wears this while doing some painting given those stains. Ordering his simple go-to treat, a soft serve twist cone dipped in chocolate. He's forced to eat it inside because the heat, humidity and anything else will make the thing melt furiously. Like the dish sweats like Jordan Peele in that Key and Peele sketch often used in Gifs.

So, Kyle's sitting down enjoying the sweet treat. Not only does he savor the dish, but the moment. There's no rush to be a hero. Sometimes that's nice. A small chance to be normal.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
Caleb can be found sitting at one of the booths, with a drawing pad in his hand, which is connected to a laptop on the table. He's scriblling there, taking his time to sip the smoothie he's got safely away from the devices.

It's when he pauses and turns his attention to the smoothie, that, in the casual glance, he knows the familiar face of Kyle.

"Hey, man!", he waves him over. "How's it going?"

Kyle Rayner has posed:
"Been a while. It's going...okay...ish." That question is a little loaded because some parts of life are great. Others need some work. And a final portion feel chaotic.

"How about you? How's life been treating you?" it's nice to see a familiar face when a uniform isn't involved. The looming threat of Galactus has everyone on edge. He's just taking a moment to reassess himself, life and other things.

"What are you up to?" he moves to sit across from caleb.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
"Taking one step at a time, in this most troubling world", he says cryptically.

"Things've gone...", he searches for the word, "quite interesting, as of late, given the...", he points up, "if you've been keeping up to date."

"So, I'm trying to keep myself busy, focusing on what little I can do."

"So, right now... I'm drawing."

Kyle Rayner has posed:
"I have. Not as much as I should, but that's going to change real quick," Kyle admits.

He sighs, "Somehow we'll work things out. I have faith in the world. Well, Hope," he admits softly. The details are fuzzy, but if people like Superman can believe in the potential of people then Kyle can have some faith. Right now it's not just humans or mutants fighting for survival. Nor is it only a certain country fighting to live. It's everyone. Sometimes people can be surprising when a mutual threat happens.

"What else have you been up to?"

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
The young Gothamite shows the drawing to Kyle, which is really just a sketch, "You might find this interesting..." And then shows him the laptop, which is connected to an AI engine. With a few prompts, the drawing looks highly realistic.

"AI assisted drawing...", he shrugs. "It's like having a work ready to go."

Kyle Rayner has posed:
Kyle's mixed on AI and drawing. He doesn't mind what digital animators do where they save expressions like cut outs. Then they get pasted into position to help create a fluid motion. It's because the expression are drawn at one point. That's just saving time, especially when someone's happy with the work. No need to re-draw something and risk it being worse.

"How does the AI assist?" he asks looking at the piece. Those green eyes just drinking in the deatils. His artist mind going to work as he takes in the piece. Trying to see where the human effort ends and where the AI kicks in.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
"It depends on how you want to do it, really", Caleb says.

"I'm not the most talented of artists", nevemind that he made quite a good sketch of Mary Seward when he pointed her out as an adversary to the JLD, "but you can, with the right models and prompts, add the lighting, create the theme and ambience, what mood the artwork should reflect, a lot of factors that come into play to make a piece."

He actually provides the sketch of the vampiress for example, "Before you ask, my sketch, by the way", and he provides a prompt for an eerie setting with lighting to match, and a photorealistic quality, with digital artwork highltights.

The result comes out pretty good, something that could go well in commissions. "What do you think? You feel this is like, intruding on your line of work?"

Kyle Rayner has posed:
"What do you mean?" Kyle asks of Caleb's first comment.

"Your lady sketch was good and practice can make anyone good. Well, practice, practice and practice," he says knowing about how much practice needs to be done. Also, to keep at it regardless of what people say.

"Like it's good. I don't know if -this- is intruding on my line of work. I know the general AI from the start does, when it's not all weird, like giving people six fingers, inexplainable limbs appearing and disappearing. All things like that," he says honestly. This hybrid style is something he wants to think of. Because he knows at one point people were against photoshop and now it's mostly acknowledged.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
"People most of the times just do it because it's fun", the Gothamite shrugs, pointing at himself. "Not unlike me, really. I mean, this is my canvas and easel, and I'm damn well happy with it."

"My calling is more electronics and engineering, but it doesn't hurt to dabble in other things."

He laughs, "Yeah, getting around that part - or those parts, if you will - is a real pain. The negative prompting for that... Jeezus." He chuckles, "At first I was going, 'why does this have so many heads??', almost pulling my hair."

Kyle Rayner has posed:
"As long as you're happy with it, that's what matters," Kyle doesn't want to squash anyone's feelings. If it makes Caleb happy then who is Kyle to gatekeep it? That just makes him an ass, at best.

"Well, what else do you dabble in?" and he's genuinely curious on this one. Is it music? Is it devices?

"It's still a new technology," Kyle tries to console as his own opinion on the stuff starts to change a little bit. It has since the start of this conversation.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
"Well, let's see...", Caleb thinks as he starts to enumerate. "Mechanics... repairs and restorations... forging, too... construction... inventing... tinkering..."

Deadpan to sip his smoothie, and... Wait for it...

"And that's only on an uneventful day." It's followed by a shit-eating grin.

Kyle Rayner has posed:
Kyle nods as the various bits come forward. All the ways Caleb is creative and expressive. And that list goes on a bit.

Taking antoher piece of the chocolate coating. Then he licks at the ice cream.

A second later that last line drops, "'And that's only on an uneventful day.'" Kyle's eyes widen and they almost bulge out of his head. "What do you call an eventful day!?" he asks and then looks at Caleb, "Ever think of Industrial Art?" he asks curiously.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
Caleb chuckles when asked about what an eventful day for him is, "Oh, something that gets me out of Boredom Land. Though I very much like to spend my days there."

"Until some asshole or big bad comes pissing down on my plate. That's when migration time comes, and screw the paperwork and red tape. I have pair os scissors just for that."

He ponders. "Industrial art...? Hmmm..." He points outside, to a 1970 Dodge Challenger across the street. "Rebuilt that thing with my dad, converted the engine from gas to electric. And you haven't even seen the inside - which is off limits, by the way. Would that count?"

Kyle Rayner has posed:
"So, days off," that's what is meant by uneventful day. Kyle's not sure if he meant an uninspired day or day without any threat.

"I hate when bad days like that happen, but part of the job," he takes antoher bite and works on the ice cream cone some more.

Kyle nods to industrial art, "The car is a beaut. What I emant is a little different. Some people will make, for lack of better words, abstract sculptures made of metal, coins, and pretty much anything you can weld," he says looking back to the car. "I mean someone with your skills could really do well there."

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
"Ah", Caleb nods in understanding. "Oh, I've sculpted, and I welded. Trust me. Though not abstract stuff." He produces a picture, and points at the photo of a xiphos, the traditional greek short sword, made in bronze. "...I'll give you three guesses to whom I've donated that to."

Then, he pulls out another picture, this time of a japanese sword made in damascus steel. "And that one... Well, that one got stolen back when I was in Gotham. Just the artwork behind it, would've been something around 20K." Considering 'stolen' would be forced to work for a crime boss however this one would see him fit for to repay a debt that would never be settled, but that's something he's not gonna go into right now.

Kyle Rayner has posed:
"Simpsons even did an episode on it. Home was going to build a grill, or BBQ pit, and it soooo didn't look like how it was pictured. Yet, it gained the eye of the art community," Kyle says just explaining how long the medium has been around. Long enough for the Simpsons to spoof it.

And then he looks at the photo. "So do you have a signature to your blade?" he asks looking at him.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
"I do, but not the way one would think to look for it", Caleb smirks victoriously. "Generally, you engrave emblems at the base of the blade", he says. "I found a ways to engrave it along the whole handle tips, and the hilt." He laughs, "The guys who have it would think I couldn't prove it to be mine...?" A shake of his head. "Believe me, some explaining to the police and some forensics...?"

He smirks, "And that would be a heavy charge of stolen property and extortion."

The smirk dies down, "Sadly, I know who has it, and they have an army of lawyers at their disposal, not to mention the ears of boys in blue who wouldn't bother to file a complaint over their weekly fees."

Kyle Rayner has posed:
"Well, I'm sure the blade masters of old were just happy to get the signature on the blade. Plus, somewhat harder to replicate, despite copycats out there," an odd fact Kyle knows. "So, you have your signature over everything."

"And yes it would." Then that smirk does down. "So, who has it? Can you liberate it?" he asks with a raised brow.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
"Eh, don't worry about that...", Caleb says. "They're over there, I'm over here, right?"

But that doesn't sound all too reassuring to him. Bounty on his head and all that...

"There will be other swords", he says.

And he looks at the time. "And right now, I need to go." He starts to gather his things. "Got to meet my sister for a project she's working on." Finally, he gets up, "Untill the next time."