The Architects

Above the eight frames, centered, is a plaque with text just too small to be read from the doorway.

The Architects

Thomas(Theo) Ezeral

The portrait closest to the door has the most vivid colors and the least dust, with a small silver plaque describing the person depicted as Thomas(Theo) Ezeral. Theo is depicted in an open plain black vest over a long-sleeve white button-up, though the portrait only goes down to their fourth button. Their face is framed by a messy braid of brown hair draped over their right shoulder and decorated with small dandelions. Theo has an easy closed smile and though their eyes are probably meant to be brown, the portrait artist went overboard with orange to make each iris look like a small fire. Shoulders comfortable and back straight, Thomas Ezeral seems as though they could be seated across from you in the middle of a pleasant conversation about flower meanings. Dandelions, huh?

Ida Reyes

Second from the door, to the right of Theo, was a portrait of Ida Reyes. Though Ida’s posture is just as perfect, there is an obvious tension in their form, likely some anxiety from the prospect of having a portrait painted that was left unfiltered by the artist. Their black coils strained against a tight high ponytail, and their portrait only showed a small portion of their body- just enough to establish that Ida’s neckline was low and their sleeves were green. Despite the obvious tension in their sharp features, Ida’s eyes were soft and full of admiration. Ida had gone through the uncomfortable process of having a portrait painted and they had emerged victorious, just as they had powered through the process of earning a spot on that wall. If you look closely, the light catches her bright green eyes and moves when you shift, like shooting stars.

Nikolaus Zinner

A black turtleneck. Really? Nikolaus, with overly-slicked blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, and a sharp jaw, had chosen to wear a solid black turtleneck- knit, if your eyes weren’t deceiving you- for their portrait. Well, if the stereotype was their goal, then they had certainly succeeded. Nikolaus seemed firmly displeased to be sitting for their portrait, and if the lack of details- comparative to the other portraits, of course, the portrait was quite lovely and the artist was clearly skilled- was any indication, then the artist had clearly grown similarly fed up with their subject. You wonder if the distaste was personal, or if Nikolaus just had ‘better things to do’.

Ackley Venning

Just left to the center of the portrait wall is the portrait of Ackley Venning, and the difference of age between their portrait and Nikolaus’ is more obvious than the difference between any other. Ackley’s portrait is positively coated in dust, and every color is distinctly muted and yellowed with age. This difference in quality only adds to Ackley’s ethereal appearance, however. Their face seems to glow, outlined by dark brown hair and their skin tone is not unflattering when yellowed. Rather, their eyes gleam hazel through the tint and the off-white of their polo shirt has become soft and warm.You wonder briefly if she appeared quite so friend-shaped when the portrait had first been painted, or if the polo shirt had made her seem nearly as pretentious as Nikolaus. There is no one to answer your question.

Liliahn Nguyen

The paint portrait of Liliahn Nguyen is beginning to crack, just enough that the soft yellow background has begun its transformation into a crumbling building, making Liliahn less of a collected architect and more of a victim, standing silently in the rubble of their art. Liliahn is still stoic, though, standing quietly and waiting for the wreckage to spread to their skin, to their puffed black sleeves and their short brown hair. Their eyes are determined, as though they had posed not for whatever their portrait had been once, but for that final resting image- prepared for the passing of time, never resting even as they earned their place on the wall. You wonder if the cracks will reach their lips, and if the resulting expression will be one of bitter victory or stressed burn-out.

Gerhard Muller

If the aging made Ackley appear ethereal and Liliahn appear stoic, it made the portrait of Gerhard Muller like that of some happy fool. The yellow tint- even the slight cracks- played themselves off as a modern filter over the person in overalls depicted. Gerhard's smile was genuine, their hair was essentially a mop of straw, and patches of dust stains in advantageous positions made them seem like a manual laborer of some kind. The illusion was only broken by their thick neck, which had been cracked several times over as though time had a personal grudge against it. Gerhard's eyes are happy, though, and truly content. No ambition, no admiration, no casual humor, just... contentment. Clearly they had lived well.

Philip Alvez

The cracks have already reached the lips of Philip Alvez- and indeed, the rest of them as well. Philip wears large, circle-frame glasses in his portrait, and is dressed finely in a suit and tie. They have little hair, and the cracks of the portrait easily fall into the wrinkle lines of their face. The yellow wall behind them has long fallen into disrepair, and yet Philip seems completely and utterly unbothered. They smile like a person who is already dead, who has been done up and pumped full of chemicals by a mortician, as though their cheeks are full of stuffing to prevent them from falling inward and their eyes are like plastic imitation beads. Their skin is like leather which was already wrinkled, left in the sun for two decades and then poorly flattened. You almost feel bad for Philip, though you’re unsure if they were any better looking in their past.

??? ???

There is no actual portrait in the eighth and final frame, just a blank canvas. The placard is unlabeled, as well.