Just finished this up:



Maybe it makes me a bad Myst fan, but I've always had a simmering hatred for the Falling Man. I love the symbolism, I love the idea and the iconic nature of the imagery, but the actual silhouette looks so bedraggled and poorly-vectorized over the years that my artistic brain can't wrap itself around it.

I've played with the idea of doing a piece based on the Falling Man for years, but I think this is the only time I had a solid enough composition to finish it up. Atrus would, in actuality, be holding the book as he jumps into the fissure, but I was too in love with the idea of him reaching out for it in the darkness.

I need to do more finished Myst art,
-C

I love both the original falling man and yours. Can I ?

Wonderful work, thank you for sharing it with us .

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MOUL is
KI 10444189

"All things are subject to interpretation whichever interpretation prevails at a given time is a function of power and not truth." - Nietzsche

That looks really cool. I wonder if you could try making a version where Atrus is fading out slightly, so you can see the the stars behind him shining through, to convey that he's mid-link? Could be neat.

Great art style though. I'd love a wallpaper of this.

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Now shut up and make it so you only have to jump once. (Spoilers)
Luig'Ahn KI: (need to update)

Awesome rendition of Atrus. A lot of people fail to realize how "steampunk" D'ni is in a subtle way. You've captured that perfectly. I'm reminded of the animated movie Treasure Planet for some reason. I also love the smoke coming from the linking panel. The idea of the panel being more than just a flat image and actually being more of a tangible gateway is difficult to convey in a still image. Bravo

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MOUL KI# 10281985
MOULa KI# 1492059

Fear is the mind-killer

I see an Anime Movie in the future...Bravo

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How Many Times Does A Myst Player Play Myst Before A Myst Player Decides To Play Myst Again

Alright!! Excellent Work! i love artist interpretations of Atrus. it's kind of difficult to visualize him in his early years.

and about the Falling Man logo looking as good as it could for its day, I've always admired the retro look of great granddaddy Myst. despite its "outdated" appearance, it does lend it a bit of a nostalgic flair. even the quality of the sound effects evoke a pleasant vibe. I'll just never forget the sound of Rand's first lines of the opening intro, the drumbeat as the word "MYST" appears on screen one letter at a time as the starry expanse is punctured by the fissure and the eclipse with that iconic sillohette disappearing into nothingness cued by that beloved linking sound.

chills!!

First, I love it. Plain and simple. It's way better than how I imagined Atrus falling (or just imagined Atrus ).
Secondly, I tend to think that that silhouette falling isn't Atrus, but the Stranger. Don't know, it always seemed weird to me to put Atrus as the icon for the game, instead of the player, especially because he appears so surprised at what he sees.
Thirdly, I still prefer just the silhouette. Sorry, it's just the perfect iconic representation of the Myst series as a whole.

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Lyrositor
Explorer #16601888
Unless otherwise stated, opinions are mine only and not Guild endorsed.

Lyrositor wrote:

First, I love it. Plain and simple. It's way better than how I imagined Atrus falling (or just imagined Atrus ).
Secondly, I tend to think that that silhouette falling isn't Atrus, but the Stranger. Don't know, it always seemed weird to me to put Atrus as the icon for the game, instead of the player, especially because he appears so surprised at what he sees.
Thirdly, I still prefer just the silhouette. Sorry, it's just the perfect iconic representation of the Myst series as a whole.

Don't get me wrong- I love the silhouette, I just wish his fingers weren't broken and his anatomy wasn't so... Off.

My big problem with the silhouette representing The Stranger is 1) we see it as we hear Atrus' dialogue about the book falling into the fissure, and 2) that's a very limited representation of who the Stranger is. When I was playing Myst for the first time, the Stranger was a six-year-old girl. When I replay it now, she's a 24-year-old. You can't ever have a visual representation of the Stranger beyond each of our own personal interpretations- he/she is, quite literally, the everyman. One of the few video games out there where it's you going on an adventure.

-C

LuigiHann wrote:

That looks really cool. I wonder if you could try making a version where Atrus is fading out slightly, so you can see the the stars behind him shining through, to convey that he's mid-link? Could be neat.

Great art style though. I'd love a wallpaper of this.

Dang, that's a cool idea! I might have to do an alternate version.

Shoom'lah wrote:

My big problem with the silhouette representing The Stranger is 1) we see it as we hear Atrus' dialogue about the book falling into the fissure, and 2) that's a very limited representation of who the Stranger is. When I was playing Myst for the first time, the Stranger was a six-year-old girl. When I replay it now, she's a 24-year-old. You can't ever have a visual representation of the Stranger beyond each of our own personal interpretations- he/she is, quite literally, the everyman. One of the few video games out there where it's you going on an adventure.

You've got a point.
But I persist. And by the way, I don't think the silhouette falling into the fissure is the same as the one falling on the cover. This is a representation of Atrus falling into the fissure, that we can agree upon. However, the cover silhouette I think IS the Stranger. The Stranger is the everyman... or is he? He could be anyone, but why do you assume he's you? For all we know, we're just invisible stalkers, looking at what the Stranger does, on his own. Might seem a bit far-fetched, but this is all conjecture, and I must admit however such conjecture is futile.

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Lyrositor
Explorer #16601888
Unless otherwise stated, opinions are mine only and not Guild endorsed.

imo, it could be either, possibly both. the falling man might be a shilohette for a reason. 1.) because the player as the "stranger" is ambigous. the games never give any reference to age, race, gender, or any sort of personal identifiers. the only problem with this theory is it's a falling *man* pretty distinctly. in addition, the myst games always have an "ending is tied to the beginning" thing. Myst and Riven were a cycle. Riven ended where Myst began. *both* the stranger and atrus fell through the fissure. making the falling man a silohette makes him a blank slate for us to project a face onto.

personally, i like to think of the falling man as atrus. makes more sense to me.

i do like that the artist visualizes a young atrus so well. i like the cartoony vibe. even though it's never seen nor mentioned the mist rising from the linking panel adds a mystical quality to the illustration, and while the background is nice... where are the stars?

the form and color reminds me a lot of Disney's "Treasure Planet"

Main_Avvie wrote:

the form and color reminds me a lot of Disney's "Treasure Planet"

Me too!

But a last thing on the silhouette, so that we don't spoil Shoom'lah's thread. He's probably supposed to have this ambiguous signification, supposed to represent everyone "falling" into Books. Atrus, the Stranger, the player (if we assume the latter is a different person)... It's an icon, and as such SHOULD be ambiguous. I like to believe it's the Stranger, but I have little difficulty believing it could be Atrus.

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Lyrositor
Explorer #16601888
Unless otherwise stated, opinions are mine only and not Guild endorsed.

Main_Avvie wrote:

even though it's never seen nor mentioned the mist rising from the linking panel adds a mystical quality to the illustration, and while the background is nice... where are the stars?

the form and color reminds me a lot of Disney's "Treasure Planet"

Great minds think alike

Loshem wrote:

I'm reminded of the animated movie Treasure Planet for some reason. I also love the smoke coming from the linking panel.

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MOUL KI# 10281985
MOULa KI# 1492059

Fear is the mind-killer

That looks sweet. If it was a different size then it would be perfect for a wallpaper.

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-Stu

Loshem wrote:

Main_Avvie wrote:

even though it's never seen nor mentioned the mist rising from the linking panel adds a mystical quality to the illustration, and while the background is nice... where are the stars?

the form and color reminds me a lot of Disney's "Treasure Planet"

Great minds think alike

Loshem wrote:

I'm reminded of the animated movie Treasure Planet for some reason. I also love the smoke coming from the linking panel.

Sorry Loshem I hadn't noticed your post. I also like your comment on the steampunk influence of Atrus's attire, and you're right, it is a rather subtle touch in Myst. i've always admired that quality.