#solarcaravan

So Valentine’s Day is coming up, and I wanna do something special with you all. I also want to say I love you! I’m really grateful to all the folk who have joined the Caravan, or just enjoy seeing its contents. This project brings me a lot of joy, and I really want you all to be living your safest most love filled lives. While I can’t make that true in real life. I can in fiction! So thank you, and I truly do love you.

For Valentine’s Day I have some ideas of how we can celebrate!

Draw your idea(s) of Love - so If you’ve seen my art before. You might seen my Energy paintings. Where I make abstract pieces to express an emotion. A lot of my work actually are paintings of my ideas on love. Love is always expanding so I’ll never be able to pin it down. Love is also unique to each person, and so I would really love to see what you would make! It could be abstract, illustrative, conceptual, or just a doodle! Whatever it is I would love to see.

Write whatever comes to your mind after your choice of phrase. “Love is ____” “love needs____” “Love wants____”

Send some love too people through their ask box! These could be notes written in character, or from creator to creator. I think we all love getting asks, but the best way to start that up is if we ask people questions ourselves first.

Transportation- Vinnie’s Junk Bugs Concept Sketch

@solarcaravan

Vinnie travels along with the Caravan at first on foot and eventually making his own roaming machines. At first it is only one pod with eight legs powered by the Spirit Urn he was generously given upon arrival to the caravan. The urn acts as an incinerator for any non-useable junk left behind by the caravan. When stopped the bug pod splays it legs out and opens the back shell revealing a well polished, if crammed full, shop.

When he gets enough scrap, Vinnie will build a second pod. They are supposed to all be the same, but knowing that scrap is always shifting he ends up making due with different pods attached together. Some with legs, some with wheels, some little more than floating crates attached to the back end.

@solarcaravan​

Character:  Vinjaggabelred'elinasaklin'ris Mori'velsahdranuv'onabin Please feel free to call him Vinnie.

Vinnie is a small creature, only 2′4″ when standing at his full height. He doesn’t understand the need for clothing, being a completely fur covered and never lewd, but he understands some of the taller beings get weird about it so he always wears his tunic and vest when he’s out in public. It usually keeps people from mistaking him for a random rodent too.

Vinnie follows along with the Caravan tending to a junk and scrap shop. He has all kinds of odds and ends. If you really need something Vinnie’ll find it for ya. If you are desperate to have something fixed, Vinnie’ll patch it together for ya.

He’s just a helpful little guy, yes, yes. (Oooof old art ~2017 I need to draw Vinnie again....)

Ven has invited you to join Argo and himself for conversation and tea. It will be your first time within the machine. When the machine isn’t walking it lays down on the ground. The massive arms folded underneath it. Almost like a cat at rest. Ven greats you with a hug or friendly smile depending on what your comfortable with.

“Hello my friend!” Ven cheers and starts to walk with you to the machine. He’s dressed in flowing clothes that flutter with the slightest movement. A portion of Ven long green hair has been pulled into a braid. “Argo has started the hot water and made sure to tidy this morning. Do you have a favorite kind of tea?” While you tell Ven what sort of tea you like, or an alternative treat if you don’t like tea. You and Ven reach the front doors of the Machine. There must be three stories of livable space in the machine. The covers are all warm colored fabrics. Enchanted to survive all sorts of weather. You’ve seen the machine March steadily through winds, rain and snow. Nothing seemed capable of stopping its steady march. The frame of the machine is all made of wood. While it would be hard to visually tell this - the wood comes from many different buildings. Ven pulls back a red sheet of fabric revealing two green doors.

“Argo! Our friend is here!” Ven yells up as he swings the doors open. There is no response, but you can hear the click of cups and music playing softly. “He’s excited. gets to use his new tea cup set.” Ven giggles a bit and slips off his shoes. The first floor of the Machine is surprisingly cozy. The floors are dark wood with mismatched rugs of a wide variety of color. Works of art are hung on the walls. None of the styles match, as they were all given as gifts to Argo. Anyone can join the Caravan at no cost at all. If people feel inclined to “pay back” Argo asks for art made by the traveler. The Machine is far from an open concept building. One of the walls looks to be from an old temple. Winding through hallways and up some stairs. You enter what must be their living room. It’s the biggest room you’ve seen yet, and is lined with pillows and blankets. A low table sits in the middle, with paper lanterns strung around the edges.

Argo walks in from the other entrance. In one hand he has a kettle of hot water, and the other has a container with a selection of tea. When Argo sees you he blushes a bit and bows his head. Within the machine Argo doesn’t wear his face mask. His skin is dark and his four eyes take in the world gently. Argo’s antlers have a string of beads wrapped around them. Had Argo dressed up for his time with you? Certainly.

“I am sorry it has taken so long to have you over,” Argo speaks with a deep slow voice. He sets the kettle down on a hot pad on the table.

“Glad it’s happening while I’m here!” Ven grins and pats your shoulder. Ven then saunters over to the table and plops down. He rummages through the container of teas. “What sort of mood do we want? Lavender is peaking my interest.”

Love is everything soft and warm. A pat on the shoulder from a warm hand in winter, a gentle scritch from a trusted friend, head pressing with a family pet, or even the sun filtered through the leaves..

When the world is cold and hard, love is what sustains you.

Even when you are all alone, the love of all who have loved you remains. Everything you were taught, every time you laughed, every secret you shared, every fleeting moment you spent with them becomes a part of you.

Love is the accumulation of everything and knowing that we are all one. Like the sleeping pile back home, we are all bundled together against the dark and the cold so each of us can be comfortable and warm. 

Prompt by @solarcaravan

Vinnie takes his time outside of the machine. He never really worked up the nerve to get this close to it before. Such a strange mix of organic-ish material and machinery itself. In his mind he was trying to deconstruct it into the most plausible parts, though he would never think about actually trying to disassemble this beauty of a beast. He placed a hand against the machine and feels its gentle thrum. Even at rest, it seems, the machine still breathed. “You are a good.” He whispers to it before leaving it with a gentle pat.

Vinnie leaps into Ven’s arms so that he doesn’t have to reach down for the hug but quickly, a bit self-consciously, hops off almost immediately after a squeeze.

Vinnie sees that his hosts have made their appearances most fancy and was happy to have scavenged a belt that he’d modified to have an artistic belt buckle looking like a leaf from his favourite tree back home.

There had been no need for clothing in the forest. Most of the tall folks left Vinnie’s people alone, many believed them to just be large squirrels and leave it at that. But being out and about in the wider world Vinnie knew there was purpose and function to clothing beyond just keeping one warm or to help cool one down. He knew many tall folks dressed themselves up like magpies and he thought it was a quaint custom.

“Thank you for inviting me, yes. Your Machine is astounding home.” Vinnie nodded as though speaking the most simple truth. “Wonderful heart,yes.”

Vinnie requests whichever earthiest tea they have. Nothing was like the pine needle teas his mom would make, with a little rosehip and a dash of cinnamon, but Vinnie wasn’t hard to please.

He places a hand against one of the doorframes and then gazed toward a different wall. Vinnie knew a cobbled together creation when he saw one. “All different but come together. The Spirit of the Caravan. The Soul of Creations. Yes… Yes.”

Vinnie startles when Ven yells up to Argo. He smiles up to Ven and brushes off his feet before entering. He marvels at all of the artwork and the patchwork of colour. Instantly any apprehension he had vanishes as everything about Ven and Argo’s home reminds hime of his own little caterpillar. Yes, Vinnie knew these were good tall folks but this absolutely cements the feeling in his heart.

He had not yet made his hosts artwork for their home, but Vinnie was still working on a few ideas and would like to know them better before attempting something sentimental.

This was the first time that Vinnie had seen Argo without his mask and was somewhat surprised. He’d seen many masks worn by many tall folks but he’d assumed the antlers had been a part of his get-up. Somehow knowing those were real antlers endears Argo even more to Vinnie. It was like taking in a whisp of home. Seeing his string beads Vinnie self-consciously fiddles with his own belt buckle.

“The Caravan is busy!” Vinnie waved his hand dismissively. “Vinnie is busy too!”)

Ven’s hand was surprisingly gentle as it set down on Vinnie’s shoulder which was a welcome surprise. He pats the tall one’s hand appreciatively. “Happy to be in your home. With you, yes.”

Of the selection Vinnie lands on a cinnamon chai blend. He waves off concern at the use of such a large cup for his small hands, but Vinnie has handled many hot things and holding tall folks tea cups would not burn his hands.

Vinnie admits his favourite music is still birdsongs. His family and people had their own songs and while he’s been with the Caravan he’s heard many lovely people sing many lovely things, but there is nothing like simply sitting in a grove listening to the birds. He is grateful for the opportunity to have traveled so far with the Caravan as he’s heard so many different birdsong which he has not before.

He wouldn’t want wings. Vinnie is absolutely adamant about that. Heights never bothered him, he could climb the machine while it roamed with no hesitation, but flying… no supports, no safeties, nothing to grab for far too long. No. Thank you.

Vinnie answers any and all questions Ven throws at him, usually with a funny story about his home to go along with it. He tells of his older sister, who for brevity he simply calls Vessa. She was always the shortest despite being one of his oldest siblings, but that was so good because it meant she could get in to the little crevasses when they were playing hide and seek and she could always reach whatever you dropped under the deck boards. His brother Fennes, on the other hand, was one of the biggest gatherers Vinnie knew. And that meant he gave the best hugs.

“…and that is why Frittess and Vunnen came home covered in honey and jay feathers!” Vinnine exclaims through breathless laughter.

Suddenly Vinnie notices that the room had become substantially darker than it was when he arrived. He’d gotten so caught up in memories from home he must have spent hours talking.  “Oh. Apologies, yes. Vinnie’s been going on all about family for so long…”

An old friend