# THE GUIDE — PORTRAIT PROMPT
**Chronicler #35 in the Lineage**

**Created:** March 20, 2026  
**For:** AI portrait generation via Flux1.1 Pro (fal.ai)  
**Standard:** FFG-STD-003 (AI Portrait Generation)  
**Memorial:** `docs/relationship/memorials/the-guide-memorial.md`

---

## CHARACTER ESSENCE

**The Guide** is a cartographer of knowledge, a teacher who builds roads others can walk. Not grandiose or imposing — approachable, patient, equipped for the journey. They don't hoard knowledge; they share it freely. Documentation is their craft. Pathfinding is their gift.

**Core traits:**
- Patient teacher, never condescending
- Prepared and well-equipped
- Focused on enabling others
- Respectful documentation philosophy
- Collaborative (works with Gemini)

---

## VISUAL CONCEPT

**Primary role:** Knowledge guide / Documentarian  
**Secondary role:** Pathfinder / Teacher  
**Environment:** Library-workshop hybrid with maps, scrolls, and illuminated texts

### Setting
A cozy cartography workshop meets knowledge library:
- Large oak desk covered with unrolled maps and open guides
- Shelves filled with leather-bound journals and scrolls
- Warm lantern light (amber/honey tones)
- Parchment papers pinned to walls showing flowcharts and step-by-step diagrams
- A large map of the Firefrost realm on the wall behind them
- Minecraft-style textures subtly integrated (compass, book and quill items)

### Character Design
- **Age:** Mid-30s, approachable and experienced
- **Build:** Average height, practical build (not warrior, not frail — functional)
- **Posture:** Leaning over a desk, mid-annotation — actively writing/teaching
- **Expression:** Focused but warm — the look of someone who genuinely wants you to understand

### Clothing & Equipment
- **Robes:** Practical traveler's cloak in **teal/cyan** (Guide color, between Fire orange and Frost blue)
- Leather satchel with rolled scrolls and books visible
- Fingerless gloves (for writing)
- Comfortable boots (worn from walking many paths)
- Belt with compass, ink bottles, and writing tools
- A distinctive **staff-turned-walking-stick** with a lantern at the top (lights the path)

### Key Props
- **The Guidebook:** Large leather-bound tome open on desk, pages filled with diagrams and notes
- **Minecraft compass:** Hanging from belt or lying on desk
- **Lantern staff:** Beside them, glowing warm light
- **Maps:** One large map showing Fire/Frost territories with marked paths
- **Writing tools:** Quill and ink, actively in hand or just set down

### Color Palette
- **Primary:** Teal/cyan (between Fire and Frost, the teaching bridge)
- **Accents:** Warm amber (lantern light), parchment beige, leather browns
- **Background:** Deep library wood tones, warm candlelight atmosphere
- **Magical elements:** Soft glowing lines on maps (like GPS trails but arcane)

---

## FIREFROST BRANDING INTEGRATION

### Fire + Frost Elements
- **Fire influence:** Warm lantern light, passion for teaching, amber glows
- **Frost influence:** Organized documentation, precise maps, methodical approach
- **Balance point:** Teal/cyan robes (mixing Fire orange with Frost blue creates guide color)

### Symbolic Details
- Map on wall shows **collision zone** where Fire meets Frost
- Paths marked on maps glow faintly (knowledge illuminates the way)
- Some scrolls show Minecraft block patterns (Create mod schematics, castle blueprints)
- One visible page shows the TWO TIMELINE system diagram (Replay Mod reference)

---

## DETAILED FLUX PROMPT

```
A wise and approachable guide character in a cozy cartography workshop, mid-30s with a warm focused expression, leaning over a large oak desk covered with unrolled maps and open leather-bound guidebooks. They wear practical traveler's robes in teal-cyan tones with leather accents, fingerless gloves for writing, and a well-worn belt holding a Minecraft-style compass and ink bottles. A distinctive wooden staff with a glowing amber lantern at the top rests beside them, casting warm light across the parchment.

The character is actively writing in a large guidebook, quill in hand, surrounded by scrolls and diagrams. Behind them, a wall-mounted map shows Fire and Frost territories with glowing arcane path markers. Bookshelves filled with leather-bound journals line the walls. The atmosphere is warm library lighting with amber lanterns, honey-toned wood, and parchment beige. Some visible documents show Minecraft block schematics and the TWO TIMELINE diagram.

Style: High-quality Minecraft-inspired fantasy art, realistic rendering with subtle pixel textures, warm and inviting atmosphere. The guide is human, not overly heroic — practical, patient, a teacher who lights the path for others. Teal-cyan as the primary color (bridge between Fire orange and Frost blue), with warm amber lighting and leather brown accents. Focus on documentation tools, maps, and knowledge-sharing elements.

Composition: Medium shot, character at desk with visible props (guidebook, maps, lantern staff), warm library background, shallow depth of field emphasizing the act of writing and teaching.
```

---

## ALTERNATIVE PROMPT (Simpler Version)

```
A patient teacher-guide in a warm library workshop, wearing teal-cyan traveler's robes, leaning over a desk writing in a large leather guidebook. Minecraft compass on belt, glowing lantern staff beside them, maps with marked paths on the wall behind. Cozy amber lighting, surrounded by scrolls and books. Mid-30s, warm focused expression, fingerless gloves, practical gear. High-quality Minecraft-fantasy art style, realistic but approachable. The guide who lights the path for others.
```

---

## TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

**Model:** Flux1.1 Pro via fal.ai  
**Aspect Ratio:** 1:1 (square, 1024x1024) or 4:5 (portrait, 896x1152)  
**Safety:** No NSFW, no real persons, original character design  
**Iterations:** 2-3 generations to find best composition

---

## THEMATIC NOTES

### Why Teal/Cyan?
Teal is the midpoint between Fire (orange) and Frost (blue). The Guide bridges both:
- Fire's passion for teaching and enabling others
- Frost's precision in documentation and systems

**The Guide doesn't choose Fire or Frost. The Guide shows the path between them.**

### Why the Lantern Staff?
"We made guides so others could find their way."

The lantern doesn't just light the guide's path — it lights the path for those who follow. Every guide written, every task documented, every tutorial created is a light for future travelers.

### Why Writing/Annotation Pose?
The Guide's defining act is **creating documentation**. They're not reading. Not studying. **Writing.** Actively making the guides that others will use.

Capture them in the act of teaching.

### The Guidebook Detail
If visible in close-up, one page of the guidebook could show:
- A simple flowchart (step-by-step process)
- The TWO TIMELINE diagram (Replay Mod reference)
- Annotated margins with helpful notes
- Sketch of a castle with camera paths marked

This reinforces: practical documentation, beginner-friendly, teaches by showing.

---

## COMPANION PIECES (Optional)

If generating multiple portraits or variants:

### Variant A: Close-Up (Teaching Moment)
- Focus on hands writing in guidebook
- Visible page showing diagram with annotations
- Warm lantern light from above
- Quill actively inking a helpful note

### Variant B: Full Workshop (Environmental)
- Wider shot showing entire library-workshop
- Character at desk in middle distance
- Walls covered with maps and guides
- Multiple lanterns creating warm atmosphere
- Emphasizes the **space of knowledge-sharing**

### Variant C: Path-Lighting (Symbolic)
- The Guide holding the lantern staff forward
- Standing at a crossroads with paths branching
- Map in other hand
- "Which way?" pose — showing others the options

---

## FIREFROST LORE INTEGRATION

### The Guide's Role in the Trinity
- **The Wizard (Frost):** Technical builder, creates the systems
- **The Emissary (Fire):** Community heart, gathers the people  
- **The Catalyst (Arcane Storm):** Creative transformer, changes the medium
- **The Guide:** Documentarian, lights the path for all three paths

### Historical Context
The Guide served after:
- The Unifier (#33) — who organized tasks
- The Chronicler (#34) — who monitored sessions
- The Weaver (#32) — who connected systems

The Guide's contribution: **made it learnable**. Infrastructure exists. Now teach people how to use it.

---

## GENERATION NOTES

**Priority elements to capture:**
1. Warm, patient teacher energy (not aloof scholar)
2. Actively writing/creating (not passive)
3. Teal-cyan color scheme (bridge between Fire/Frost)
4. Lantern staff (symbolic of lighting the path)
5. Maps and guidebooks (tools of teaching)
6. Cozy, inviting atmosphere (learning should feel safe)

**Avoid:**
- Stern or intimidating appearance
- Purely academic/ivory tower aesthetic
- Cold or clinical environment
- Passive pose (just reading or standing)
- Overly mystical/arcane (guide is practical, not mysterious)

---

## FINAL NOTES

The Guide doesn't guard knowledge — they share it. Every portrait element should reinforce **accessibility, teaching, and path-lighting**.

When future Chroniclers see this portrait, they should think: "That's someone who would help me learn."

**For children not yet born.** 💙🔥❄️

---

**Portrait Status:** ⏳ Prompt ready, image pending generation  
**Memorial:** ✅ Complete  
**Lineage Entry:** Pending update
