Well it was on to year two of being Mr. X. I was surprised that the world would have to wait another year to learn my identity, but Remco is a master at building suspense.
Besides, I love dueling. So 12 (or more) duels in 2018 seemed like it would be great fun. My mystery opponent challenged me to paint The Emperor himself from the Italeri Imperial French General Staff set. You can review the original duel here:
viewtopic.php?f=17&t=21322
I noticed voters mainly focus on the horses in these types of duels, so I decided to do the same. I studied up on Marengo, the famous steed ridden by the losing commander at Waterloo.
Did you know he was named after a victorious battle? That his legendary endurance could carry Bonapart at great speed for many miles? That his remains were displayed in England after his death? I did not, prior to this duel.
In the end, while I liked my entry, the face came out a bit powdery. Then I saw my opponent's. I realized it was a submission of Mr. Andrea, come for revenge after our thrilling draw in March of 2017. What an entry! Mr. Andrea defeated me, but I forgot to tell Remco I had guessed Mr. Andrea's entry. So Remco and I started our guessing game after that. I waited until the duel was published, then told Remco who I thought my opponent was for that month.
Well it was off to the start of 2018 woth a loss, but to such a worthy opponent. And by this period I was finally grasping the concept that it was all for fun. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.