The Spellbound Forest

My final entry in the Calico Sparrow flickr contest...in the "artistic" category, which allowed for editing.

I have to admit to spending far too much time on this one, although much of that can be blamed on my lack of expertise with Photoshop(Elements)...and changing from one idea to another midway through.

And then there was my own obsessive nature -- it was as if being given the permission to edit compelled me to change every single pixel of the picture.

The hair (Calico Ingmann Creations "Brenna")was the one thing I basically left alone. Just a slight blur to the wispy forehead pieces. The fingers of the hands and the face were relatively unmessed with, along with parts of the background left unscathed.

The rest was cut and pasted from many different shots. Crazy person stuff. I have a folder on my computer with a frightening 233 files of things I shot in-world and the various stages of the edit. (Like I said, crazy.)

Here's the room in the underground maze in the silentsparrow sim that inspired this idea:

I really tried to put those mushrooms in my picture somewhere, but I couldn't make them fit!

The biggest editing challenge was the skirt of the gown(silentsparrow's Ritual)since in-world it just hung straight down into the ground. (I had made the pose with another outfit in mind.) So the skirt was entirely pieced in...I worked on it forever, trying to retain the original textures but have some semblance of realistic drape. Still not 100% happy, but I did the best I could with my fledgling skills.

Below is an in-the-process picture (with original in-world skirt); this was relatively early on when I was thinking about B+W. Poor little skunk didn't make the final cut.


Below is the way the gown is supposed to look. I'm not usually a ballgown person, and originally I was going to wear rouge noir on top with beloved lolita skirt...then decided to wear "how I quit the forest" (because after all, the setting is a forest ;-) But I had an in-store revelation about Ritual and I realized it fit the "fairytale" vibe I was going for much better (although maybe not fitting a ground pose so well.)



Beta pose test with original outfit idea

There's a beautiful back tattoo that's part of the Ritual gown that I wish I had been able to show/use in my picture.


At least we have the leaves and vines in the Brenna hair (Brenna's leaves and ribbons are colorchange btw!) I love this a lot.

And finally (for a post that threatens to be as long as the project) my own favorite part of this project: painting in the thorny vines/ground cover. It really doesn't show much in the finished project - I was trying for ominous shadows - but I think it turned out even a little darker than I had intended when I compressed all the layers down.

Below is a detail, lightened.


It was probably the only thing remaining from my original concept(which was a completely different setting/story...but there's always next year!)

Spellbound

If you run into me inworld (or catch a glimpse as I scurry away) it's quite likely you'll find me wearing silentsparrow clothing and Calico Creations hair. In spite of my packrat inventory, these are the items I wear when I want to be "me."

So it's not a stretch that I've entered a contest sponsored by the two stores. There are four categories, and so far I've managed to enter two. I'm not sure if they highlight the hair and clothing as much as I'd like, but I'm pretty happy with the overall images, especially considering no photo manipulation was allowed.



I've got at least one more idea in mind - in the "creative" category, where you're allowed to photoshop...and it's quite a mess of an idea, but I've got a couple weeks left to straighten it out.

Where I Admit Defeat (Steam Hunt, Episode Four)

The best of intentions often finds itself thwarted by the most simple of masters -- the never-idle sweep of the clock's hand.

In other words, my Grande Plan of cataloging the Steam Hunt prizes in a comprehensive and well-organized fashion has fallen victim to the constraints of time, like so many other grande plans.

But, still, I offer another batch of prize photos here...by no means completing the hunt items, but I fear it's all I will manage to document in this forum. Most, but not all, of these gifts are clothing. Click to enlarge any given photo and you should be able to decipher enough of the photo's name to point you in the right direction if you'd like to grab that item for yourself while the hunt is still on.

Item information also available in the Steam Hunt set on my flickr page.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that a few photos near the end feature a nearly shocking display of bare limbs. Gentleman, be warned. They are intended for ladies only, and I trust your sense of propriety will guide you away from the page at that point.

They'll Need a Crane (Steam Hunt, Episode Three)

They'll need a crane...they'll need a crane...to take the house he built for her apart...

That song's been stuck in my head for days now. I've no immediate need for a crane - but if the necessity ever arises, I am prepared...as I've acquired a fine one, thanks to the Steam Hunt stop #47, Bare Bear Discount Store.

Crane, on rooftop, at the ready. To lift my bloated inventory, perhaps?

The crane's platform, inside my rowhouse.

One could imagine said crane has lifted the following too-large-to-rezz-inside gift -- the SteamMonks Coal Barge, Steam #20 -- onto its precarious rooftop position, although I like to think it was hoisted there Disney Style by a flock of songbirds and a few hundred yards of blue satin ribbon.

Or maybe balloons...
Steam #41 - Alice Went Neko - gifted the diverting "Come Fly with Me. Stand on the cog at the string's end...and you're ready to soar gracefully over Babbage rooftops.

If you prefer your flight to be a little less at wind's whim, Steam #23 Morigi Steam provides the Steampunk Ninja Belt.

No idea what noxious properties the purple emissions of the Ninja Belt might contain...so perhaps care should be taken to not fly too closely behind a lady or gent wearing one.

And a general warning: if you see me take to the skies in a Steam Sparrow Flying Hansom, you'd be best served to run inside and stay there until the danger passes. The plane, from Steam #18 Munro Imaginary Motors, comes with a flight trainer..which, as the photo below illustrates, was completely ignored.
Crashed in the courtyard outside Capalini Furnishings...truth be told, this was before the plane even lifted off the ground.


Uprighted, and then promptly flying off-world.


Back in the safety of the rowhouse, where at least no innocent bystanders can be harmed. All clothing on avs also from the steam hunt.


The Builders Brewery gift (Steam #100) was upgraded significantly since my first hunt post. You still get the lovely lamp - actually now you get four of them -- as part of the "Steampunk Victorian Whimsy Cottage."

Two stories, 279 prims by my count.

A house, but one intended to be a photo set, is what you'll get at Steam #7 -- Atomic Owl's Steampunk Scene

There are 20 different click-to-change textures for the window at the left of the scene.
Rivet Town, I presume.


Not terribly steampunky, but the angel does have a nice gothic vibe (like she'd be just as happy guarding over a crypt) in this Steam #40 gift from Huschi Waterfalls.


I suppose there's a quip I should be making about a mermaid in a barrel, but it's slipping my mind, as is most everything else these days. But I digress. This Barrel Hot Tub was found at Steam #83, Prims 4 U, and the mermaid was courtesy of Steam #30(aeNigma, a shop submerged in the Vernian Sea.)



Hot tubbing also provided by Steam #32 (PdCreations) below:

Tat on soaking gentleman is also part of the mer-gift at aeNigma.

In my first hunt post, I showed store displays in Belle Belle Fantasy (Steam #82), but here is their gift:

It's entitled "Undying Love." Don't be surprised if you encounter me wearing this piece as a hat...or maybe a backpack. It's too wonderful to let moulder in my inventory unseen.

This lovely teapot is from Steam #20...

...mantle clock from Steam #60, Quaint & Curious Contraptions...

...the Jules Desk Set (3 prim desk, 8 prim chair, rug) from Steam #59, Crossroads Dreams...

...and the Steampunk Tip Jar from Steampunk Adventures, Steam #28.

Hunters be advised - I believe the Steam Hunt's last day is Sunday (September 20th).

I've still a few boxes left unpacked...and perhaps another post before the gears all disappear.

Wearable Art (Steam Hunt, Episode Two)

There have been many days when I've questioned my fascination with Second Life. The reason I wandered into Babbage Square in 2007 hasn't been a factor in quite a while...so what is it that keeps me here? I'm not social, I'm not a builder, I didn't even have a home until a few months ago.

The only explanation I have been able to come up with is Art. Exploring Second Life is like walking through a gallery with constantly changing exhibitions. You never quite know what you might find rezzing in front of you. And the virtual creations I experience in SL are just as much pieces of art as any oil on canvas hanging in a RL museum.

Just like in real life, some of the art I encounter in SL is pedestrian or just doesn't "speak" to me...and then, there's the gifts I been picking up in the Steam Hunt. They've been speaking volumes.

Here, for your viewing pleasure, I've selected pieces that can be worn (as attachments.) For more information on where to find the specific items, please see my Flickr set where you will find store names listed with each picture.

The Heartbreak of Prim Count (AKA Steam Hunt, Episode 1)

Is there anything more heart-rending than a beautifully-made furnishing that one can possess but never use?

Well...sure...plenty of things.

But that doesn't prevent my heart from breaking, just a little, whilest opening fantastic gifts from the current Steam Hunt...seeing things I would love to use, if only I had enough prims to spare.

So, in the very least, I can take pictures of the pretty things. And dream of a world where prim counts don't exist.

I've completed the hunt, but only opened about 10% of the goodies so far. But what a 10-percent!

It was an added pleasure to be able to hunt in the familiar terrain of New Babbage. Capalini Furnishings (little more than a cog's throw from my rowhouse, in Babbage Canals) offered a most generous gift...the three pieces (chair, table, clock/globe) pictured above. If you've ever perused the merchandise in Capalini, you know it is of the highest quality. The globe, with functional SL clock, is a sight to behold. Capalini Furnishings is #5 on the hunt, so you don't even need much endurance to score this treasure.

Another marvelous machine is found at Steam #9; Cleanslate Emporium in Babbage Square.
I have no practical use for it, yet suddenly feel the urge to put on a show, if only to have an excuse to display this contraption. (Anyone interested in buying a ticket to watch me as I sort through my bloated inventory for a few hours?)

A nifty Steamtrunk/bed is the prize at Steam #6 - Rusty Rhode

Builder's Brewery (Steam #100) included a note with its gift, saying that they were upgrading to a more grand gift shortly (I believe a skybox, but don't quote me.) But I was plenty pleased with the lamp pictured below.

(The red Brewery sign is not part of the lamp - my photo may be confusing - the sign is actually on the back of an appropriately steampunky picture that was also included in the Builders Brewery gift.)

You can't see much of it in my photo, but the "Steampunk Throne" above was the hunt gift from .:Condensed Chaos:.


Below, is the "Nevarian Tesla Rose" from Steam #33 ..::Rasetsukoku::.
My snapshot doesn't do the Rose justice...it's pretty darn Tesla-y inworld.


Steampunk and Tesla (Steam #25) gifted an entire Control Room!

It's mod, so I've already pulled off the metal floor and plunked it in the middle of my upstairs (as seen in of couple of the previous photos) and will likely use some of the other bits and pieces in the future. Hurray!

Steam # 85 is from Oblonski (at the Caledon SouthEnd location)...it's a suitcase that transforms into a bench. Great fun. If you remove the suitcase after the bench rezzes, it (the bench) is only 4 prims...the suitcase is 3 prims.

Another cheer for low prims!

Not part of the hunt, but worth noting: it seems Oblonski's Metaversal Arts (main)store is closing and they are having a clearance sale. I grabbed a 6-prim chaise for a mere 75L. It's not as finely detailed as most of the store's other furniture, but it fits my low-prim needs perfectly.

(What am I doing here, lazing around in my parlor? I should be unpacking hunt boxes!)


Steam #99 is from the Julia Collection:
This is a new-to-me merchant, but I felt like uprooting the whole store and plopping it down in Babbage where it belongs...there's some fantastic stuff for sale there.
(I don't have room for any of it in my rowhouse, but it is fantastic!)


There were a few other new-to-me stores along the hunt that really made an impression...and although I haven't opened their gifts yet, I couldn't resist snapping a couple of screenshots while I was hunting. I left the tool bar across the top of the snaps - if interested in locations, click on the photo to enlarge and it should be legible.


I believe this was some sort of teleportation machine in the right side of the photo.


I would love this bathtub if I ever felt the need to bathe in such a manner(but isn't that what the Canals are for?)



Some incredible items were found in the displays in this store (this is one area of a rather large store...but if you are hunting, you will find yourself here...so do take time to look around and enjoy all the creations.)


I need to repeat that the gifts I've shown in this post are from opening only a few of the 100+ gears found in the Steam Hunt. And doesn't even touch on the lovely attachment-type items (jewelry, spectacles, goggles) that I have unpacked but didn't feature in this furnishings-oriented post.

Fear not, I do intend a sequel...or two...or three...

Oh, the Grimness of it all

Maybe it was an unawareness of the tenderness of a developing psyche. Or the world was simply less child-oriented in the 1960s and so we children were less sheltered from life's harshness. After all, it was a time when spanking (or threat thereof) was a parent's main disciplinary tool.

Whatever the reason, little RL Cyn was exposed to all sorts of excitingly disturbing stories. Bookcases offered Robert Louis Stevenson, Sherlock Holmes and classic "fairy tales" in all their non-Disney glory. I was fascinated by the brutality (and sadness) of Hans Christian Anderson's Snow Queen, and the matter-of-fact dismembering in his Red Shoes.

Can you imagine Big Bird telling toddlers about a girl having her feet chopped off and watching them dance away? (Sesame Street Tarantino style...)

A couple of summers ago, my daughter and I checked out a huge book of Grimm Brothers stories from our local library. Original versions, that interested me far more than my 7-year-old. Luckily. Because in Cinderella, one of her stepsisters chopped off a toe while the other stepsister lopped off a chunk of heel, in their attempts to squeeze their feet into the golden slipper.

Times were tough when the only way you could attempt to land your prince was to leave a few stray pieces of flesh behind.

Oh, there was more than to the stories than things getting chopped off...there was eye-pecking-out too. And then the Hungry, Hungry, Caterpillar came and gobbled up all the errant body parts. The End. (Sorry, writer's embellishment.)

The Grimm book included a lot of historical background as well...and (from what I remember, so don't quote me) a lot of what the Grimms wrote was based on German folk tales - stories not specifically intended for children in the first place - and meant to be morality tales of sorts.

But I digress...when my true intent is to tell a tale of a glorious gifting gorilla at the Grim Bros store. Yes, we're back to Second Life now (where foot sliders would have solved all those stepsisters' problems.)

This morning, Grim Bros' gifting gorilla (Midnight Mania set-up) delivered the fantastic "voodouette" outfit above - which included shoes and hat.


The shoe's detail floors me. A label on a sole makes my heart flutter.

I've lightened the hat a bit here to try and show the skulls and bone along the brim. And I was happy to see that both the voodouette hat and shoes work with my ancient, but still beloved, silentsparrow bonegarden suite. As much as I adore the voodouette dress, a proper lady couldn't be seen in public showing that much leg, now could she?

Grim Bros has a huge store, full of imaginative well-executed items, many of which are geared (pun intended) to the Steampunk crowd. The scrolled and cogged shoes are truly a sight to behold. The Vapour Vault Steampunk boots (bottom photo) even have moving parts!

And that, my friends, is today's happy ending.

In my attempt to keep this posts from taking me forever - especially after Blogger ate my first draft - I've left out many shopping details...but will happily provide more info upon request (just comment below.)