From the Cover of The Legend of Diadamia by C.J. Fisher Rendered
by the Parlor in NightCafe (but the elbow ain't right)
The Parlor's renders of the illustrations on NightCafe are renders of the original illustrations
done by C.J. Fisher.
Using the right settings in NightCafe, it is possible to render an image from a sketch while keeping finer details in the
sketch in the resulting image. This includes any errors in proportions or positioning.
A Word From the Parlor
Click to Expand
Originally, I was going to avoid any mention of this for fear that mention would encourage people to...how do I say this...go
into a situation that could prove dangerous in any way. After just a few more recent events, I changed my mind.
This page of the Parlor discusses real life locations in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts that either did or likely did
inspire locations in a pair of fiction novels by C.J. Fisher, Afterimages and Afterimages II: The Legend of Diadamia.
Another page of the Parlor, Vampires and the Ocean State, discusses both a series of vampire novels by Jennifer Geoghan set
in Rhode Island, and the very real "vampire panic" that ended in 1892 with Mercy Brown. Coincidentally, one thing these two
authors apparently have in common with your Parlor hostess here is Rhode Island ancestry. And when you have that combined
with an interest in the paranormal, for me, there is something that might seem inevitable.
The Conjuring house.
I had not planned on discussing the Conjuring house yet. However, since it would seem inevitable that I might someday discuss
it, I've decided to go ahead and address this now. Or first.
Let me start by saying that this has nothing to do with anything paranormal. What is happening is not about Bathsheba Sherman
or John Arnold or any other since passed on former occupant/owner. It is about what has been happening NOW. This is strictly
about the living.
As you might or might not be aware, several people, including former employees and Jason Hawes, who hosted the show, Ghost
Hunters, have been receiving messages from the current owner of the Conjuring house on a regular basis, despite repeated
instructions to stop. They continue despite repeated No Contact orders. These messages are, I understand, in the form of
texts and emails. Attempts at contact aren't restricted to electronic means, however, and it has all of these people afraid
for their safety.
Some of the contents of these messages have been shared by recipients, and they are... Perhaps it's best to hear it straight
from Jason Hawes. Below, the YouTube video he made on October 19, 2024 gives an overview of what has been happening and shares
one of the most recent communications received from the owner of the Conjuring house. It's a bit unsettling, the content
of the communication he received, so please be prepared...
When I first heard this, no one needed to tell me that this is not a paranormal communication or disturbance causing the owner
to behave this way. This is an individual who needs help. It's my understanding that this lady does suffer from mental illness.
What she needs is medical assistance to treat her illness. However, a dangerous situation is unfolding, here. I understand
that she is operating a business in the Conjuring house. BUT. If patrons are endangered simply because they are there, it
is an unacceptable situation. If former employees or other members of the community are endangered, in some cases due simply
to past association or less, that is unacceptable.
I don't know what laws Rhode Island has in place when it comes to protective orders, but it sounds like No Contact orders
already issued have been disregarded. Now, words on a piece of paper don't necessarily stop a person from doing what those
words tell them not to. Words on paper coming from a court can, however, result in legal consequences if the person refuses
to obey the order. Every state/commonwealth in the Union has their own rules, so what we have here in Oregon might not be
the same as what Rhode Island has. Whatever protections the town of Burrillville or the state of Rhode Island can provide,
I'm not sure. Hopefully, attorneys in Rhode Island will be able to advise these people on what options, if any, are available
to them if they haven't already done that.
Again, I understand this lady is running a business. However, that does not entitle her to stalk, harass or endanger people.
It does not entitle her to terrorize patrons to the point of having to leave for their own safety, only to not receive refunds
they ought to be entitled to. It does not entitle her to refuse to pay wages owed to employees, current or former, when she
is required to. It does not entitle her to make defamatory accusations and statements against anyone. It does not entitle
her to put anyone in harm's way, or threaten to, period. This is why I, too, urge anyone planning on visiting or staying
at the Conjuring house to postpone, change or cancel their plans until this situation is completely under control.
Whether anyone says this or not, though, here is a fact. If she continues this behavior, she will destroy her own business
in time. That's a fact. The concern, here, is that if people do not take precautions now, it's going to get a lot worse.
People are going to get hurt. THAT is the concern.
So please, if you are planning to take a trip to Rhode Island for paranormal research, I urge you to avoid the Conjuring house
at this time for your own safety and well-being. There are a lot of well-known haunted places in Rhode Island, yes. But
how about places that are not so well known? Maybe fit one or two in as a sort of side trip if you are taking a trip to a
well known haunted place? If you do, be sure that wherever you go is a safe place for you to be. ~The Parlor
Recently, I discussed what my definition of fan art is. I enjoy looking
at fan art from novels and I enjoy creating it, as long as the art is true to the novel to the best of one's abilities.
This page is meant to provide an excellent example of how I define fan art, but with a unique twist. This art was created
by the author of the novel! Also, I get to talk about the novel, which I absolutely LOVED.
So, let's take a look at the artwork of The Legend of Diadamia...
Generative AI has quickly become a topic of an absolute raging inferno of a debate in just about
every sector you can imagine. From the implementation of generative AI in graphics to automation and moderation of social
media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and more, the debate is attempting to address many concerns. Those concerns
can range from issues of copyright to allowing too much room for error when automation replaces good old fashioned customer
service.
When it comes to translating text to images, that has tended to spark controversy amongst those who actually create graphics
with such things ranging from scanning artwork one has created on paper to realistic 3D models and rendering engines. The
Parlor has plenty of graphics produced in a range of ways. However. when it comes to the use of text-to-image AI generators,
the Parlor has its preferences as to HOW that will be done when creating graphics based upon the novels themselves. The words
of the author.
To demonstrate what I mean by this, let's use The Legend of Diadamia.
Cover Art of The Legend of Diadamia Left: Original by C.J. Fisher;
Right: Cover Art by C.J. Fisher with 3D model of car by Demilune and Diadamia in AI
As you can see, on the left in the above image is the original artwork for the cover of the novel.
It shows the ghost, Diadamia, posing beside her car, a home-built roadster/racing-type car referred to in the novel as the
Paxxton. Behind the car is a low clearance sign with 11'11" on it. 11 11 is, in fact, a well known spiritual phenomenon
that seems to have a multitude of meanings that are deeply personal to those who see it frequently showing up at random in
any number of places and ways. For Diadamia, it was her "calling card" and the month and day of her birth, November 11.
Fellow Mayflower descendants, did you know the Mayflower Compact, a sort of precursor to the US Constitution, was signed on
November 11, 1620? Yep. But I digress.
Behind Diadamia, along the dirt road she's on, the cemetery where she was buried can be seen in the background. It is a whimsical
image that I think does help to set the tone of the story contained in the novel. It was created by the author, C.J. Fisher,
who also provided the illustrations for his novel.
The author later created 3D models of some of the settings in the novel, and a model of the Paxxton. You can see some of
these models below in the embedded SketchUp viewer from 3D Warehouse. Included is the model of the Paxxton, seen in the section
below.
Now, let's move on to the image on the right side.
As you can see, Diadamia and her car look a bit...different. The background was left as is. The road sign was created using
one of those mock up generators specifically for road signs and the results combined into a PNG image that was then tilted
to the same degree as the one on the original cover. The car used in the image on the right is the 3D model of the Paxxton,
positioned and resized to fit the perspective on the original cover using SketchUp Pro, the same software the author used
to build the model of the car.
And now, we arrive at the part where things get interesting.
To recreate the image of Diadamia, I decided to see if one of those AI generators could actually create the image of the character
(with the correct number of appendages and fingers). But how to describe her? To begin, I turned to the novel itself.
"...a long, slate blue, military-style woolen coat, black jodhpurs, leather boots, and a new bright red scarf."
C. J. Fisher. The Legend of Diadamia (Kindle Locations 4738-4739). 'AuthorHouse. Kindle Edition.
I had to add this was a young woman with pale skin and long black hair. Long dark brown hair gave the wrong hair color, a
light brown. Telling it that the hair color is black got me the right result. However, the generator, Magic Studio, thought
that when I said, "flight goggles", I meant eye glasses. And the leather cap came out all wrong, as well. I found that sometimes,
particular details added in with the rest tended to produce the wrong result. Unfortunately, I had to go without.
The generator allows for a refresh to see various results, and it took several clicks on that button before I arrived at this
image. I used the art generator rather than the one that generates what appears to be a photograph but isn't. Instead of
trying to get the generator to create the face of Diadamia, I did something else.
I blended the actual image that appears to have inspired the author's physical description of Diadamia. The one that can
be seen on a wall in the 3D model of the house in Charles Addams' 1938 comic. For those unfamiliar, Charles Addams was the
creator of the Addams Family, a comic series later made into a television series and several films.
I then removed the background from this combination, flipped it in the opposite direction, and matched it in size to Diadamia
on the cover.
After adding a drop shadow individually to Diadamia, the car, and the sign, I positioned it on the background of the cover.
And there you have it.
This is actually a pretty good example of what I mean by creating fan art that is as true to the author's descriptions of
their characters, settings and stories as possible. Also, when it comes to the responsible, ethical use of AI, that means
it really should be treated like anything else one would use under the doctrine of Fair Use in the US Copyright Act. That
means that although I might be the one who created this cover with the use of AI and plain old fashioned photo editing, it
is really a newer, more realistic version of the author's cover graphics.
That means it's not something that I consider myself the owner of. Therefore, it's not me who would be entitled to make money
from it. Say the author were to decide to use the image as an updated cover. He has the right to do that.
This is something I did on my own, not only for fun, but because I dearly love the novel and because of the author's graphics
and 3D models, I have also learned a great deal from him about how to create digital graphics in similar ways. It is not
unlike all the things I learned about and were inspired by when I read Anne Rice's novels. It's very similar, in fact. This,
I believe, is one example of the power of a good story. Through their work, the authors inspire others in so many different
ways.
Anne Rice's novels did this same thing for so many people. This novel by C.J. Fisher has also inspired me in certain ways.
This is the spirit in which the Parlor was created to begin with.
I have made videos from Demilune's models, and one that has appeared
often is of the 3D model, "Car from Legend of Diadamia". Click the link or the image above to see the model on Demilune's 3D Warehouse page.
The fictional town of Amethyst Hill, Rhode Island, is set within Ashaway,
which is a village within the town of Hopkinton, Rhode Island. There are not one, but two areas in Rhode Island that are
called Diamond Hill. One in Cumberland, and one in...Ashaway.
In 1991, amethyst mines were discovered in the area of Ashaway called Diamond Hill. Like the Lives of the Mayfair Witches,
details based upon real life, even relatively obscure details, can find their way into the story the author is telling.
Blending a fictional place like Amethyst Hill with actual details of
the time and place a story is set in can help a reader visualize the world the characters live in. Amethyst Hill is a fictional
place, but Ashaway, Diamond Hill and Hopkinton, Rhode Island are not.
Again, Amethyst Hill is obviously a fictional place. However, its name might have been inspired by a unique detail about
the real place it is located in: the amethyst mines in the area of Diamond Hill in Ashaway.
Below, you will find embedded Demilune's models of Amethyst Hill, Rhode Island. The SketchUp for Web Viewer is browser based.
It will allow you to explore the models yourself with basic navigational controls. Demilune's Amethyst Hill is in two separate
3D models, Upper and Lover Depot Street. So give yourself a self-guided tour of these remarkable models of Amethyst Hill
and enjoy!
If you have given yourself a tour of Demilune's Amethyst Hill in the SketchUp for Web Viewer above,
you will have seen one of the buildings is an old railroad depot called "Good Morning Lydia's". If you have read The Legend
of Diadamia (and I hope you have), you will no doubt recognize the illustration from the book below.
Left: Render of Good Morning Lydia's by the Parlor on NightCafe
The book has several illustrations, all done by the author, C.J. Fisher. This illustration shows the railroad depot that
was converted into a coffee shop by the book's main character besides Diadamia, Lydia Gwyndorra.
Now, plenty of former railroad stations--passenger and freight--have converted into coffee shops, delis, ice cream parlors,
and even full restaurants. There was even a train depot coffee shop where Julia Roberts' character is eating fried green
tomatoes in the film, Mother's Day.
One person left a comment for Demilune asking if the coffee shop had been inspired by Fried Green Tomatoes. The Whistle
Stop Cafe, another fictional place in a novel that was adapted into the 1991 film, used an old hardware store for the film.
But similar to the fictional Amethyst Hill, the little Alabama town of Whistle Stop became a ghost town when the railroad
no longer ran through it.
This is where an area's actual history can inspire fiction. When the railraod was built throughout America in the 19th century,
little towns and villages formed around these little depots. Tutwiler, Mississippi is an example. It was named for Thomas
Tutwiler, a civil engineer for a railroad company who brought the railroad to the area and the small depot (now demolished,
I understand) for passengers and freight in the late 19th century.
This, too, is a major feature of the Lives of the Mayfair Witches novels. All of Anne Rice's novels, actually. Fictional
characters, places and events set amid historical time periods and locations are found everywhere. One example: Maye Faire
on Saint-Domingue (now part of modern Haiti), a sugar plantation built by Charlotte Mayfair and her husband, Antoine Fontenay.
Charlotte's descendants fled and relocated to Louisiana when warned of the revolution coming towards them--the Haitian Revolution.
Right: Render of the Stable at Brenton Point by the Parlor on NightCafe
Looking at the illustration here, one can see a very interesting structure in the background. It appears to be a structure
beyond the hillside, a tower. This little structure is remarkably detailed for something in the background. This is where
we note that this tower was likely inspired by an actual location in Rhode Island--a dilapidated old stable and carriage house
that had been a part of an estate but became an abandoned ruin--The Stable at Brenton Point, in Newport, Rhode Island.
The image of the stable ruins you see to the left was taken in the
late 1960s. The clock tower was still in place at that time, although it later collapsed. It is very easy to see the striking
resemblance of the clock tower to the tower in the background of the illustration of Good Morning Lydia's.
Reefs Estate images courtesy Newport Buzz.
Fictional places in stories that were inspired by actual places is, of course, a well known feature of Anne Rice's novels.
From the obvious--1239 First Street, Anne's own house, as the home of the Mayfair Witches--to the not so obvious--Belle Grove
plantation as a possible inspiration for Fontevrault--actual locations that inspired fictional ones helps us to further suspend
disbelief as we read the story. This is especially effective when the story involves the supernatural or paranormal, as we
now call it.
Formerly part of an estate built by Theodore Davis, who lived there
until his death in 1915, the stable and carriage house were all that was left for many decades. The mansion was gutted by
fire in 1961 and its ruins were razed in or about 1963. One account I was able to find stated the remains of the gutted mansion
were buried onsite and remain there to this day. The only surviving structure besides the stable (until 2023?) is a building
that is now the ranger station at Brenton Point State Park.
Very few photographs seem to be available of the mansion Davis built
and named The Reef. There are a few I've saved that are no longer available online, and I will try to find them. I hope
more exist in archives that can be shared to help document the history of this unique place...
Davis named his estate The Reef. After his death, the Budlong family
bought the estate, renaming it The Bells. I might go into more detail about the history of this site at a later date, but
for now, I'd like to discuss current events.
As you can see, the condition of the abandoned stable and carriage
house deteriorated over the years to such a degree that it was dangerous. When you have ruins where parts of the structure
have collapsed, it's only a matter of time before people end up riding shotgun as the structure or any part of it collapses
beneath them. That is what happened here.
Despite the fact that the decaying building was surrounded by a fence, people still managed to gain access over the years.
And this time, a roof caved in with four kids on it. As a result, the decision was made to demolish what was left of the
stable and carriage house that had once been part of The Reef/Bells.
Photo to the left courtesy The Entertaining House.
It's a sad day when a decision has to be made to demolish an historic structure. I have a deep love of preservation, myself.
Many times, I've amused myself on YouTube by watching videos of urban explorers going into tumble-down wrecks that looked
like they couldn't withstand so much as a strong fa--wind gust. Seeing people filming as they move around in ruins has really
not been good for my ticker regardless of age, because I could not help but worry that someone was going to end up hurt or
killed if the structure should pick that moment to collapse.
As much as I, a descendant of Rhode Island myself, grieve the loss of this piece of history, I do have to draw the line somewhere.
If the place is actually dangerous, and there is no reason for its still standing other than its historical pedigree, meaning
it has no other practical use, then I'm afraid demolition is justified.
Although Anne Rice wrote her Lives of the Mayfair Witches series many decades after Belle
Grove was demolished, historical research could still be made into its history. This is the type of research we hope to at
least have the ability to do when an historic structure is demolished for any reason.
If you are familiar with the history of Belle Grove Plantation in White Castle, Louisiana, you might also be aware of what
happened to it. For those who do not, the mansion at Belle Grove Plantation, built in or about 1857 and believed to have
been the largest plantation mansion ever built in the South, has been gone since the late 1950s.
By the time the mansion burned in 1952, it had been vacant for many years, having been abandoned when the Ware family lost
it some time in the 1920s. In fact, an entire section of the house had completely collapsed long before 1952. The remains
of the house stood for maybe a handful of years before it was declared a hazard and completely demolished. To learn a bit
more about Belle Grove, you may go to this page of the Parlor:
I was only going to feature the image of Demilune's Stable at Brenton Point 3D model that will
take you to the details page on 3D Warehouse. Because of the demolition soon to be underway, however, I'd like to also embed
the viewer on SketchUp for Web so you can explore the model yourself, if you wish...
The
Stable at Brenton Point by Demilune Render by the Parlor on NightCafe Click image to view 3D model on 3D Warehouse
As I was searching for information on the status of the demolition,
I learned via the Twitter post above and elsewhere that mitigating the loss of this historic structure will be necessary.
How to preserve history, the history of a building, if it's no longer standing?
By showing it as it once was while documenting its history for people to see.
The Parlor has been working on a 3D model of 1239 First Street. I've been using video and images to provide updates on its
progress on the Mayfair Witches In 3D page of the Parlor. So I'm thinking, "What about Demilune's 3D model of the stable at Brenton Point?" What if Demilune's
model, simple but extraordinarily accurate if photo comparisons are any indication, could be used for these purposes?
There is an incredible house in Milton, Massachusetts, a truly magnificent
piece of art--the Eustis estate. On its website, there is a 360-degree virtual tour of the mansion. What if something similar could be made of the stables at Brenton Point using Demilune's 3D model of it?
That might be something truly amazing, don't you think?
To learn more about the incredible Eustis Estate, visit Historic New England's website about the estate and its history:
Historic New England has made available several digital tours of properties, of which the Eustis
estate is one. The properties on Historic New England are still standing, but realistic renderings of 3D models is quite
extraordinary. Even if the stable and carriage house are gone, a 3D model can be rendered to look very realistic. One of
Demilune's models, Scariest Haunted House, has become a very popular model and has been rendered using software such as Lumion
as have the models of Upper and Lower Depot Streets. The results are astonishing!
Below is a link to the properties Historic New England has provided online digital tours of, including the Eustis estate.
If you're like me, you'll lose track of time getting immersed in digital tours of these properties...
In doing a little more looking, to see if I can find any updates on
plans for the demolition of the former stables and carriage house at Brenton Point in Newport, Rhode Island, I came across
this Opinion letter in the Fall River Reporter, published September 10, 2023. Yes, Fall River, Massachusetts, where the Lizzie
Borden house is. However, this letter was written by a man named Jesse Correa Jr., an amateur filmmaker who spent decades
researching the history of Brenton Point that he made into a documentary in 2018.
Correa gives a brief but fascinating summarization of the history of Brenton Point, and of the stables and carriage house.
In it, he explains the origin of the name "The Bells". It was a reference to the bells that once chimed in the clock tower
that once sat atop the main entrance to the stables and carriage house (see photo above)! There is still a structure standing
on the property that had once been a windmill--and a water tank with hoses. The turning of the blades would propel water
through a hose system in case of fire--which had destroyed the original structure.
If this piece of engineering is not important to historical preservation,
then this descendant of Rhode Island doesn't know what is.
Correa's research into the history of Brenton Point seems to have been quite detailed, on a level Anne Rice herself would
certainly have appreciated. I hope the documentary still exists somewhere, because I, for one, would love to see it. Here
is a link to the article in the Fall River Reporter:
Upon Theodore Davis's death in 1915, Milton Budlong bought the estate.
Unfortunately, when his marriage ended in divorce in or about 1928, the estate and mansion became the focus of a bitter court
battle. No member of the Budlong family lived in the mansion after 1928, and the property passed to the Budlongs' daughter.
During WWII, the United States took control of the property to defend US shores. The property was returned to the Budlong
family after the war, but still no one in the Budlong family resided there. Nor did anyone else.
Today, the mansion is long gone, but it's said parts of its foundation can still be seen in places on the land it once stood
on. The diagram above shows a hand drawn map of where the mansion stood, which is labeled Budlong Estate. If you are interested
in the military history of the property, the link below, which you may copy and paste into your browser, will take you to
see more from FortWiki:
Battery 155 at Brenton Point on FortWiki http://fortwiki.com/Battery_155_-_Brenton_Point
Let's take a closer look at Brenton Point's contribution to fiction set in Rhode Island.
Let's head back to the fictional town of Amethyst Hill, and a piece of architecture that is fictional, but has some rather...recognizable
features. Let's take a look at the eerily whimsical Spenceton mansion.
The Spenceton Mansion by C.J. Fisher from The Legend of Diadamia Rendered
by the Parlor on NightCafe (but its's s'posed to have a skylight)
Now, let's take a closer look at the structure behind the Spenceton
mansion--a structure with what appears to be a clock tower...
Though there are some differences between the carriage house and stable
at Brenton Point and this illustration of the carriage house behind the fictional Spenceton mansion, there is still quite
a bit of detail here. Looking closely, one can even see details of the clock tower, the archways, the windows and doors...all
of which are extraordinarily similar to the stables and carriage house at Brenton Point.
Being a work of fiction, there will, of course, be some differences. One whole section of the Brenton Point structure was
not included in this illustration of the Spenceton mansion and grounds. But oddly enough, there is a section of the Spenceton
mansion itself that could include what appears similar to that section of the Brenton Point stables and carriage house...
Brenton Point Stables Full Facade Courtesy Odyssey Online
Look at the section of the Brenton Point Stables that is to the right.
Another similar structure comes to mind. The only surviving structure from the former Davis/Budlong estate still in use today--the
ranger station (see image above).
Another distinctive feature of the Spenceton Mansion that figures prominently in the story is its tower.
...and the Spenceton Mansion appears to have TWO towers, the second
being a round structure with a whimsically curved roof, and it appears the mansion also has a portico just to the far side
of that second tower...
Striking similarities between the long gone clock tower at the Brenton
Point Stables. The clock tower appears as it was on the fictional Spenceton stables and carriage house, and its style seems
to have been repeated in the tower of the Spenceton mansion, built as an observation tower...
Ruins of the Clock Tower at Brenton Point Late 1960s
To the right: Image Courtesy Scenes From the Trail
The Reef also had a round tower with a conical roof, and a portico on that side of it, which is very similar to the fictional
Spenceton mansion...
Not all of the architectural details appear to have been inspired by the Davis/Budlong estate,
though. Coming soon, I'll show another interesting feature of this fictional old mansion that seems to have been inspired
by another historic structure, the Ames Gate House in North Easton, Massachusetts...
I hope I've been able to show how much history and real places become part of the ingredients of storytelling when used to
"set the scene", so to speak. Facts very much inform fictional stories, and I don't believe you'll find any fiction that
was not inspired at least in part by actual places, events, and people.
Folks, even the looooooong running series, Sweet Valley High, drew inspiration from real places, events and, occasionally,
real people. And I don't mean the Cape Fear-inspired "Super Thriller", either.
This novel, The Legend of Diadamia, is like a cozy mystery, a classic ghost story that, as the author himself stated,
isn't really seen much anymore. C.J. Fisher also provided the illustrations for this novel, which is a sequel to his first
novel, Afterimages. Both novels not only provide a detailed description of the world the characters lived in, but also
show glimpses of that world through the illustrations. Now, several of the settings of the novels have been "brought to life"
by 3D models of those places.
This is an excellent example of what I hope to be able to do with the Lives of the Mayfair Witches novels.
