Your brother is totally right about not hearing a car. That's the real goal. Cranberry is a great call for that. I spent a week out there last fall and the silence is heavy, in a good way. You'll hear wind and maybe a creek, that's it. Makes the parkway feel like a busy street.

That's a great point about brushes making a difference. Just wanted to add that the brush itself is only part of it. A lot of new artists forget about layer modes. Putting a color dodge layer with a soft brush over skin tones can add that glow you're missing, way more than just switching brushes. It's the combo of the right tool and knowing how to use it that really gets you there.

My cousin got lost on a guided tour in Rome last year. The guide was using a map from 1998 and they ended up at a laundromat. Some tours really are for people who can't read a map, including the guides.

Honestly though, is it that deep? It's just some paper and stickers. People can enjoy things without it being a trap.

That guy only reading movie tie-ins, does he even know what he's missing? I mean, how do you get invested in a character if you skip all their actual stories?