So by now there's probably one of you wondering where the hell I've been for the last couple of weeks. I was on a magical journey of discovery. I discovered that 1) it is rare but still possible to get the flu in May, and 2) this is exactly as much fun as it sounds.
It hit me out of the blue a few days into the World Goth Fair. Not only did I miss World Goth Day itself, but I also missed the Abney Park concert at the end of the month. Dammit dammit dammit.
Oh well.
Right now, I still don't know what the end result of the fair was. I haven't had the energy to log in, and honestly the tons of offlines and all the post-fair work waiting for me is still a little daunting. But I'll be braving that pile very soon.
I mentioned it back at the start, but I can't thank the bloggers enough for their work. I didn't have the time (and later the capacity) to do anything more than just the booth and gacha. Didn't even get a chance to make any announcements. I'll make another post soon thanking them all properly for doing even a little of what I couldn't.
And that's about all there is. A full recovery and catching up with life takes the front seat, of course, but I plan on lurking my way back for some of that darkitydark Gothika tunage very soon.
And goodies, I wanna make more goodies...
Stay Beautiful (and healthy),
☥ Stacey
Saturday, June 7, 2014
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Future Imperfect
Before we get going, just a reminder that Surreal Complex is still a thing. It's a thing with lots of good stuff. I have some things there. Things and stuff. Some of it is good! And it is only at Surreal Complex until March 2nd.
And now, The Future!
More to the point, Futurewave. This is also a thing. It is a very shiny, glowy future...y thing. It's also a thing that I was uncertain for a while would be in my future, which is my now. But it is and so is I and I is rambling.
I first heard about the idea of Futurewave in embyro, before Gothmas IIRC. One of the Cursed people told me, "There's probably going to be this new event thing." Soon after that, the event was announced as open to apps. But the same person had told me a few times that this was a brand new thing and to not take it personally if I didn't get in. Of course I knew them better than that, submitted an app anyway and waited. There was much other stuff to do in the meantime.
After three rounds came and went of staying cool, I got the email that I was in. I'm not sure how exactly, but there it is. That morning, I went shopping.
The hair and circuit board hairbase was the first idea I had, back when I first learned of Futurewave.
I was quite pleased at how quickly and closely vision became reality on this one. The first idea I had didn't work out no matter how hard I tried, so I went to Plan B before I heard back about a greenlight for Plan A. But what came out in the end captures the feel of what I wanted without all the bells and whistles originally imagined.
The style itself evokes the early days of Goth but with a flare that is Future all up in your present's grill. Or something. All the underlying hair textures are black only, because darkity dark dark.
The hair and hairbase are copy/mod for tinting, and allows for some adjusting of the hair textures (repeats, etc.). Be sure to make a copy first, of course.
@->~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<-@
The next few pieces came together over the next couple of days. The armwarmers were the next thing that caught my eye. Again I knew right away what I wanted to do with them, and the result was just like the hair; quick and close to vision.
Of the three, this was my favorite to work with and will likely be seen again in another theme.
@->~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<-@
I don't remember exactly when the idea for the headgear came along. I had all the components, and the original idea was to adapt it to work in a different direction. What ended up happening was the kit losing half its weight, an addition born out of the hair's Plan A, and lots of bits turned into shiny glowy bits.
The inside screen is an animated scrolling text field, and the rose icon at the bottom right of the screen pulses at a slow steady interval. The rose is the only part of the whole that's scripted, and it can be removed if you know how. You can also adjust the shine and glow of all parts to suit your tastes. Again, making copies first is a Good Thing™.
@->~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<-@
The dress almost wasn't a thing. I first though about going with an outfit to match the warmers, but decided against it and went with one item with male and female versions and one unisex item. But a few days later, while looking for something completely different (thanks, Marketpoop), I found a different outfit and an idea clicked. The idea turned out horribly. So I left it alone for a couple of days, came back to it and after a day of much swearing I worked out a better idea.
There was a lot more swearing to come, but more on that later.
@->~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<-@
There's also a promo/demo dollarbie wall where you can get several combos of a ninth color: female hair & headgear, male hair & headgear. Not sure what a promo/demo is? Click the info sign at the booth for a detailed notecard before purchase.
Unfortunately I haven't had the time to take any pics of this stuff that aren't ads, but Miss Lainey Thorne has already done a beautiful job in her blog post and Flickr. Aaand...
Here Quan Lavender hits the spotlight and goes for the gold.
Here the multi-talented Aarya Phantomhive manages to run into the ceiling but keep her hair perfect.
Here Sonya Marmurek done the impossible.* I don't really like green. Sonya? Sonya made me like green.
Here Shadowed Luik once again nails the presentation for the event, and the does-this-woman-ever-sleep pinner Ely Hynes makes sure everyone is on the same page.
{@I'll post more blog links here when I can@}
* last fandom reference, promise.
@->~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<-@
There's more stuff below, a bit on the ranty side If you don't want to stay tuned for that, then for you the Future is now! ...until Feb 23rd. You can hop your cyberhearse to the Future, or come by the main store and get a landmark from the display in New Releases.
Stay Beautiful,
☥ Stacey
@->~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<-@
(disclaimer - tl;dr territory below; might be ranty, might be boring, might be both)
So why 'Future Imperfect'? There's a few reasons, starting with the overtone that in a cybergoth future, not everything is perfectly polished and shiny. Entropy's always hanging around bumming ecigs. While the hair and headgear is all (mostly) perfect and shiny, the warmers and dress have a rough edge under the shiny stripes. Some of it was intentional, some wasn't. The base textures came together better than could be planned. From there it was a roller coaster. Which brings us to reason two: while there are aspects of every item than I'm pleased with, all of them are faaaaaar from 'perfect'. But like everything else I make, I put in the best of myself into what I'm making now.
And it was beyond frustrating for this event. Not because of the event, I was confident I could easily stay in the theme even though I've only ever made one other 'cybergoth' item, for a hunt yonks ago. Not because I was for the first time sharing space with people who are big in their own right, I've always chugged along as The Little GothShop That Could. The frustration was in the making of things. The latter half of the set felt like an exponential increase of mistakes, errors and rework. At one point, there were five dress colors to redo because of an uncaught earlier change in reproduction. The adshoots were a nightmare. The front and back shots of all the hair colors, male and female, had to be reshot at least twice each. One dress color had to be redone from almost scratch on the spot during that set of ads. Then SL itself decides to act up while shooting the warmers, refusing to load the mesh and forcing me to start over three or four times.
I never once came close to quitting out completely, but a couple items came close to getting the axe. Sure, I wasn't under any obligation to finish any of it. But I was determined to finish what I started and all four came out in the end, for better or worse. I wanted to prove, to myself more than anyone, that I could tackle a new subgenre. The obstacles I faced were more technical than anything. Are my creations perfect? No, but then what is? Could I do better? I won't know until I try. Are they the best I could give now? Totally yes. After I had the booth set up, one of the the staff that I've liked for quite some time because they Know Their Shit and come to admire in a few ways and appreciate in many many more for the same reason, told me, "We're proud of you."
I couldn't ask for better than that. I'm still cracking smiles about it.
☥ Stacey
And now, The Future!
More to the point, Futurewave. This is also a thing. It is a very shiny, glowy future...y thing. It's also a thing that I was uncertain for a while would be in my future, which is my now. But it is and so is I and I is rambling.
I first heard about the idea of Futurewave in embyro, before Gothmas IIRC. One of the Cursed people told me, "There's probably going to be this new event thing." Soon after that, the event was announced as open to apps. But the same person had told me a few times that this was a brand new thing and to not take it personally if I didn't get in. Of course I knew them better than that, submitted an app anyway and waited. There was much other stuff to do in the meantime.
After three rounds came and went of staying cool, I got the email that I was in. I'm not sure how exactly, but there it is. That morning, I went shopping.
The hair and circuit board hairbase was the first idea I had, back when I first learned of Futurewave.
I was quite pleased at how quickly and closely vision became reality on this one. The first idea I had didn't work out no matter how hard I tried, so I went to Plan B before I heard back about a greenlight for Plan A. But what came out in the end captures the feel of what I wanted without all the bells and whistles originally imagined.
 |
| Full 1-color ad showing back of hair |
The hair and hairbase are copy/mod for tinting, and allows for some adjusting of the hair textures (repeats, etc.). Be sure to make a copy first, of course.
@->~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<-@
The next few pieces came together over the next couple of days. The armwarmers were the next thing that caught my eye. Again I knew right away what I wanted to do with them, and the result was just like the hair; quick and close to vision.Of the three, this was my favorite to work with and will likely be seen again in another theme.
@->~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<-@
I don't remember exactly when the idea for the headgear came along. I had all the components, and the original idea was to adapt it to work in a different direction. What ended up happening was the kit losing half its weight, an addition born out of the hair's Plan A, and lots of bits turned into shiny glowy bits. The inside screen is an animated scrolling text field, and the rose icon at the bottom right of the screen pulses at a slow steady interval. The rose is the only part of the whole that's scripted, and it can be removed if you know how. You can also adjust the shine and glow of all parts to suit your tastes. Again, making copies first is a Good Thing™.
@->~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<-@
There was a lot more swearing to come, but more on that later.
@->~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<-@
There's also a promo/demo dollarbie wall where you can get several combos of a ninth color: female hair & headgear, male hair & headgear. Not sure what a promo/demo is? Click the info sign at the booth for a detailed notecard before purchase.
Unfortunately I haven't had the time to take any pics of this stuff that aren't ads, but Miss Lainey Thorne has already done a beautiful job in her blog post and Flickr. Aaand...
Here Quan Lavender hits the spotlight and goes for the gold.
Here the multi-talented Aarya Phantomhive manages to run into the ceiling but keep her hair perfect.
Here Sonya Marmurek done the impossible.* I don't really like green. Sonya? Sonya made me like green.
Here Shadowed Luik once again nails the presentation for the event, and the does-this-woman-ever-sleep pinner Ely Hynes makes sure everyone is on the same page.
{@I'll post more blog links here when I can@}
* last fandom reference, promise.
@->~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<-@
There's more stuff below, a bit on the ranty side If you don't want to stay tuned for that, then for you the Future is now! ...until Feb 23rd. You can hop your cyberhearse to the Future, or come by the main store and get a landmark from the display in New Releases.
Stay Beautiful,
☥ Stacey
@->~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<-@
(disclaimer - tl;dr territory below; might be ranty, might be boring, might be both)
So why 'Future Imperfect'? There's a few reasons, starting with the overtone that in a cybergoth future, not everything is perfectly polished and shiny. Entropy's always hanging around bumming ecigs. While the hair and headgear is all (mostly) perfect and shiny, the warmers and dress have a rough edge under the shiny stripes. Some of it was intentional, some wasn't. The base textures came together better than could be planned. From there it was a roller coaster. Which brings us to reason two: while there are aspects of every item than I'm pleased with, all of them are faaaaaar from 'perfect'. But like everything else I make, I put in the best of myself into what I'm making now.
And it was beyond frustrating for this event. Not because of the event, I was confident I could easily stay in the theme even though I've only ever made one other 'cybergoth' item, for a hunt yonks ago. Not because I was for the first time sharing space with people who are big in their own right, I've always chugged along as The Little GothShop That Could. The frustration was in the making of things. The latter half of the set felt like an exponential increase of mistakes, errors and rework. At one point, there were five dress colors to redo because of an uncaught earlier change in reproduction. The adshoots were a nightmare. The front and back shots of all the hair colors, male and female, had to be reshot at least twice each. One dress color had to be redone from almost scratch on the spot during that set of ads. Then SL itself decides to act up while shooting the warmers, refusing to load the mesh and forcing me to start over three or four times.
I never once came close to quitting out completely, but a couple items came close to getting the axe. Sure, I wasn't under any obligation to finish any of it. But I was determined to finish what I started and all four came out in the end, for better or worse. I wanted to prove, to myself more than anyone, that I could tackle a new subgenre. The obstacles I faced were more technical than anything. Are my creations perfect? No, but then what is? Could I do better? I won't know until I try. Are they the best I could give now? Totally yes. After I had the booth set up, one of the the staff that I've liked for quite some time because they Know Their Shit and come to admire in a few ways and appreciate in many many more for the same reason, told me, "We're proud of you."
I couldn't ask for better than that. I'm still cracking smiles about it.
☥ Stacey
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Past, Present and Future
Ooh, yeah. I knew I had a blog under all this dust. Let's see if I can remember what all the buttons do...
The Past
First and foremost, thank you to everyone that stopped by Cursed for Gothmas by Gaslight. It was a wonderful event all around. The regular items now have a home in the store, and soon the Marketplace. The exclusives and gachas are all packed away.
While we're still in the past, let's have a fairy tale now.
Specifically, the Surreal Complex event at Havendale Village. The event is as much an art gallery as it is a shopping event. Take the time to stop by to admire the scenery, it's a fun little trip.
Of the three themes, I went with 'Fairy Tale'. Now, while fantasy elves don't figure into fairy tales, there are plenty of other pointy-eared creatures about.
The Sidhe Ears and Headpieces come in three themes: (from L to R) Dragon, Celestial and Nature.
Each theme comes in gold, silver and copper.
12 skin tones and 5 gemstones are controlled by touch menu in the ear (scriptless tone/gem visual guide HUD included).
All ears and headpieces are made with 100% mesh components. Copy/Mod for tinting and adjustment.
The Surreal Complex vendors are packaged as 3-packs by metal type, one for each theme of ear and headpiece—a total of 3 ear vendors and 3 headpiece vendors, plus two more for complete packs.
If you only want one particular metal color of any theme, ears or headpieces, contact me and I'll be happy to make arrangements.
One blog post showing the Celestial Ears is already up, by the awesome Miss Tigist Sapphire: Immerse - Autumn Chair
The Present
What started out as a one-off project turned into a new release for February: Gothic Romance.
Both items and their pretty face packs are now in the New Releases section, half off for BHD: A Gothic Romance Hunt.
Speaking of hunts, there's that hunt I just mentioned. There are two
gifts, a vest and corset in a sixth color, rose. Click the link above
for SLURLs and pics of other prizes.
The Future
The future is coming fast and I, for one,welcome our robot overlords am working hard on being ready for it.
Working on what, you may ask?
And that ain't the half of it.
Stay Beautiful,
☥Stacey
The Past
First and foremost, thank you to everyone that stopped by Cursed for Gothmas by Gaslight. It was a wonderful event all around. The regular items now have a home in the store, and soon the Marketplace. The exclusives and gachas are all packed away.
While we're still in the past, let's have a fairy tale now.
Specifically, the Surreal Complex event at Havendale Village. The event is as much an art gallery as it is a shopping event. Take the time to stop by to admire the scenery, it's a fun little trip.
Of the three themes, I went with 'Fairy Tale'. Now, while fantasy elves don't figure into fairy tales, there are plenty of other pointy-eared creatures about.
The Sidhe Ears and Headpieces come in three themes: (from L to R) Dragon, Celestial and Nature.
Each theme comes in gold, silver and copper.
12 skin tones and 5 gemstones are controlled by touch menu in the ear (scriptless tone/gem visual guide HUD included).
All ears and headpieces are made with 100% mesh components. Copy/Mod for tinting and adjustment.
The Surreal Complex vendors are packaged as 3-packs by metal type, one for each theme of ear and headpiece—a total of 3 ear vendors and 3 headpiece vendors, plus two more for complete packs.
If you only want one particular metal color of any theme, ears or headpieces, contact me and I'll be happy to make arrangements.
One blog post showing the Celestial Ears is already up, by the awesome Miss Tigist Sapphire: Immerse - Autumn Chair
The Present
What started out as a one-off project turned into a new release for February: Gothic Romance.
 |
| @->~ISD Gothic Romance Vest & Shirt; Rigged mesh in 5 sizes 4 colors; Vest and shirt can be worn separate. |
 |
| @->~ISD Gothic Romance Corset; Rigged mesh in 5 sizes 4 colors; Tango applier for top and pasties. |
Speaking of hunts, there's that hunt I just mentioned. There are two
gifts, a vest and corset in a sixth color, rose. Click the link above
for SLURLs and pics of other prizes.The Future
The future is coming fast and I, for one,
Working on what, you may ask?
 |
| so WIP. much glow. wow. |
And that ain't the half of it.
Stay Beautiful,
☥Stacey
Monday, December 2, 2013
Beginning to Look a Lot Like Gothmas
Another December in Second Life is here. This will be my fourth, and second as a merchant. The last few months have been spent slowly updating the store after rebranding to @->~ISD. I knew it wouldn't be an easy process, at least as far as the amount of work involved, but I admit I could have planned it all a bit better. I did it in spurts as my time and energy allowed instead of waiting and dropping it all down at once one it was finished. There's been some confusion with organizers and bloggers as a result, and to add to the mess was a small move of the in-world store, but all in all it was pretty painless. But there's still a lot of work left to be done. The in-world store is completely updated now, but the Marketplace store is in shambles (more on that later) and I'm no closer to opening the in-world group I've been wanting—I might end up shelving or even scrapping the idea, I haven't decided.
One thing I am rather pleased with is the new vendors in the store. One of the complaints I've been hearing around the grapevine is not having clear permissions and price shown on an item. To address this, I've come up with new vendors for the store that have both price and perms below the vendor ad. Vendor adds have also been added to all the boxed items, another complaint that had been going around about merchants in general.
First up is the BHD A Steampunk X-Mas Hunt. I mentioned before that the Clockwork Spiral finally gave me a reason to work on Steampunk wares, so when I saw the announcement for this one I jumped at the chance. It didn't take long to decide on what I wanted to do:
There are two versions of these mesh wings. The ASX version is a full-sized open pair of wings (on the right), copy only with a resize script. The 'full' version offers much more: regular and petite sizes, copy/mod with resize script, plus an HUD that changes the wings between open and folded with a shine option. The ASX Hunt is a 1L hunt, and the full version is available in-world (and soon on MP) at a reduced price of L$200 until the end of the hunt.
Next up is the Winter's Dark Hunt, another 1L hunt, with many great gifts to be had. My offering for the hunt is a gift each for the ladies and the gents:
A second color for each is available on Midnight Mania boards:
Both colors of the scarf and vest are a taste of what's to come, with the upcoming and much anticipated Gothmas by Gaslight Event.
Gothmas by Gaslight is one of the bits of Second Life I eagerly look forward to. It started out as a simple grid hunt, then became a gacha fair, and now it's blossomed into a full shopping event. If I seem to gush a lot about Cursed Events, that's only because the masterminds behind it are some of the best people and beautiful freaks I've ever had the fortune to meet in SL.
Though the event is still two weeks away, I got to work right away on the goods for it. Both the scarf and vest will be for sale in five other colors, one of which will be exclusive to the event. There will also be two gachas at the event:
Gothmas by Gaslight begins on Dec 15th, and more details will be made available as the date draws closer.
One thing I am rather pleased with is the new vendors in the store. One of the complaints I've been hearing around the grapevine is not having clear permissions and price shown on an item. To address this, I've come up with new vendors for the store that have both price and perms below the vendor ad. Vendor adds have also been added to all the boxed items, another complaint that had been going around about merchants in general.
@->~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<-@
Despite the slow rebranding process, I've still been busy putting new stuff together. Items that premiered in A Clockwork Spiral and Horrorfest are now on the walls, the latest TSG Sinner's Hunt has just ended and now into December, there are two hunts and an event with many more goodies. | ||||
| @->~ISD Clockwork Celestial Wings - Black Snow (Retail version) |
Next up is the Winter's Dark Hunt, another 1L hunt, with many great gifts to be had. My offering for the hunt is a gift each for the ladies and the gents:
A second color for each is available on Midnight Mania boards:
Both colors of the scarf and vest are a taste of what's to come, with the upcoming and much anticipated Gothmas by Gaslight Event.
Gothmas by Gaslight is one of the bits of Second Life I eagerly look forward to. It started out as a simple grid hunt, then became a gacha fair, and now it's blossomed into a full shopping event. If I seem to gush a lot about Cursed Events, that's only because the masterminds behind it are some of the best people and beautiful freaks I've ever had the fortune to meet in SL.
Though the event is still two weeks away, I got to work right away on the goods for it. Both the scarf and vest will be for sale in five other colors, one of which will be exclusive to the event. There will also be two gachas at the event:
Gothmas by Gaslight begins on Dec 15th, and more details will be made available as the date draws closer.
@->~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<-@
On a closing note, I've decided to extend an offer to everyone for the month of December. It's the season for gift-giving, and as I stated at the beginning my Marketplace store is a royal mess. A good deal of stuff isn't listed, and everything that is listed needs updated. So by way of apology and in the spirit of the season, December will be a Buy One Gift One special. Every regular item purchased in the in-world store (past hunt gifts and current hunts excluded) will be delivered to one other person of your choosing. As easel at the front of the store will have the full details.
@->~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<-@
With best wishes for the season,
☥ Stacey
Sunday, October 20, 2013
This is Halloween, Everybody Make a Scene
Boys and girls of every age
Wouldn't you like to see something strange?
Without a doubt, Halloween has become the most celebrated event of the year for almost everyone I know. It's the time when we all get together and have fun, being what we want to be and reliving some of the childhood of Halloweens past. Of course, a lot of our 'treats' are a little more grown up, now...
And what would Halloween be without lots and lots of goodies from the neighbors? As usual, SL pull out all the stops and fills the month of October with more events, new items and gifts than you can shake a Pixy Stix at. I dove in to the fray with several new offerings for both the Goths and Gothlings
The three-week event is back after a hiatus and The crew has pulled out all the stops to make sure the comeback is a memorable one. Dozens of vendors from around Second Life have come together to bring you a sim full of amazing items for all your Goth, Horror and Halloween needs.Every vendor has at least one brand-new item with all proceeds going to the Epilepsy Therapy Project, as well as many more with new items donating 25-75% to the charity. There is also an eerily beautiful gacha graveyard filled with even more items
I decided to go back to my 'roots' for this event. As much as I enjoy the challenge of working with mesh clothing, I absolutely love making jewelry. I found the perfect centerpiece to work from, and it all came together beautifully. The Death's Grip set comes in five colors, and are packaged as a set and earrings and choker separates) with a complete pack of all colors for each. The 'Death' color is a Horrorfest exclusive with 100% of sales for all three options going to charity. All other colors and complete packs donate 50% of sales to charity and will be available after the event both in-world and the Marketplace.
Landmarks for the main booth and the gacha are available at the store by clicking the Horrorfest sign in the New Releases section.
A hint is available on the hunt sign at the top of the stairs.
Several bloggers have already showcased the Death's Grip set, and each one of them have stunningly beautiful pictures for us.
Anika Bellissimo - Classy Trashy 'N' Free
Zivaah Jansen - Haute Selection
Tigist Sapphire - Ticklemetummy
Purz Nirvana - Hurry Up and Change
Cindy Gedenspire - Gedenspired
Zivaah Jansen - Haute Selection
Tigist Sapphire - Ticklemetummy
Purz Nirvana - Hurry Up and Change
Cindy Gedenspire - Gedenspired
Thank you, each and every one of you. I'll update this list and Plurk each new post during the event.
@->~~~~~~~~~<-@
Isabelli Anatine of Uncertain Smile Poses is holding a Spooky Times Halloween event at her store, and was gracious enough to let me join in.
For the event, I've created a new set of mesh backpacks called 'Don't Fear the Reaper'. A Grim Reaper pattern in six colors with a matching metal skull dangle, 100% unrigged mesh resizable for both Goths and Gothlings.
The orange backpack is a free Halloween gift and only available until the end of the event. All other colors are sold as separates or a complete pack of five. They will be available after the event both in-world and the Marketplace.
@->~~~~~~~~~<-@
Not quite done with the Halloween goodies yet! There are three more gifts I've out out for the Halloween season.
This first is a seventh color of the Death's Grip jewelry set, available as a Midnight Mania prize. The board is set to auto-deliver when the target is reached, and will be available on the board until I have something new to put up.
Next is two Halloween freebies, one for the grown-ups and the other for the Gothlings of all ages.
Hoodoo Voodoo Corset Piercing
Skully Hair Bow - Orange
Both are on the floor in the Discounted & Freebies for 0L until Halloween.
@->~~~~~~~~~<-@
More events and new items will be coming soon, including the next round Flux and The Sinister Goth Sinner's Hunt (Greed). Stay tuned for updates.
Stay Beautiful,
☥ Stacey
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Something Steampunk This Way Comes
I've always had a soft spot for Steampunk. A lot of it has to do with the Victorian attire at the heart of it, which is something it has in common with Goth; trading black and silver for brown and brass, much of the attire is just the same. There's even a Steamgoth subgenre that blurs the distinction between the two even further. And I don't think that's a bad thing.
Plus, they both have corsets. I have a thing for those.
Much like the 'Gothling' category (for lack of a better word), I've had an interest in designing stuff for the Steampunk/goth crowd, but never got around to it. I had my first chance with the now-concluded Burlesque vs. Steampunk Hunt. Originally I was going to go all-out for it, and had even planned to make entire outfits. Then something even more exciting came around at roughly the same time: Bronxelf announced the A Clockwork Spiral event. With the rousing success of the last World Goth Fair, I jumped at the chance in participating in another Cursed charity event with a line-up of amazing talent. You can check out all the hows and what-fors of the event in the link above. Suffice it to say, I knew right away I'd want to focus my attention on bringing the best new merchandise I could to the event. While I was happy with my hunt item, this is where my attention would go.
Sadly, time and real life conspired against me and I couldn't bring half of what I'd planned to the event. But I do have a handful of items available in my little storefront there, and once again I'm happy with the results and pleased to be part of yet another fundraiser event.
So without further ado, here's a quick look at what I'm offering:
@->~ISD Clockwork Spiral Corsets
Rigged mesh corset in five sizes. There are three 'tightness' variations available (what I've personally dubbed Loose, Fitted and 'Ribs? Who Needs Ribs?'), each available separately for L$200. These corset will be available after the event, but I encourage you to buy them this weekend if you can, since half of the proceeds go to charity.
@->~ISD Clockwork Spiral Cane
Unrigged mesh cane with a built-in hand grip AO. The cane is copy/mod sit it can both be resized and if desired, the AO removed. This item is an ACS event exclusive, selling for L$100 with all proceeds going to charity.
@->~ISD Clockwork Spiral Necklace
Mesh gears and spring coils in red copper suspended from a sculpted 'vine' cord of engraved iron. Female fit, but copy/mod for custom fitting. Also an ACS event exclusive, L$100 and 100% to charity.
@->~ISD Clockwork Spiral Eyes
Unrigged mesh eyes, rusted scrollwork sclera and engraved brass pupils. The package includes three different pupil sizes and an alpha layer that hides both system eyes and eyelashes. Work for all genders and most species (they'll even fit petites with a little bit of prim wrangling), and copy/mod to help that along. ASC event exclusive, 100% charity item also for L$100.
And finally, my little storefront has a gacha machine. The prize:
@->~ISD Clockwork Spiral Goggles
100% unrigged mesh unisex goggles, red copper eyepieces and gears with black leather straps. Eight colors of lenses are loaded into the gacha, with adjustable transparency (manual edit, not scripted). There's also one rare prize loaded, a scripted color-change pair with all eight colors.
The gacha is L$30 a pull, with half the proceeds going directly to charity.
Plus, they both have corsets. I have a thing for those.
Much like the 'Gothling' category (for lack of a better word), I've had an interest in designing stuff for the Steampunk/goth crowd, but never got around to it. I had my first chance with the now-concluded Burlesque vs. Steampunk Hunt. Originally I was going to go all-out for it, and had even planned to make entire outfits. Then something even more exciting came around at roughly the same time: Bronxelf announced the A Clockwork Spiral event. With the rousing success of the last World Goth Fair, I jumped at the chance in participating in another Cursed charity event with a line-up of amazing talent. You can check out all the hows and what-fors of the event in the link above. Suffice it to say, I knew right away I'd want to focus my attention on bringing the best new merchandise I could to the event. While I was happy with my hunt item, this is where my attention would go.
Sadly, time and real life conspired against me and I couldn't bring half of what I'd planned to the event. But I do have a handful of items available in my little storefront there, and once again I'm happy with the results and pleased to be part of yet another fundraiser event.
So without further ado, here's a quick look at what I'm offering:
@->~ISD Clockwork Spiral Corsets
Rigged mesh corset in five sizes. There are three 'tightness' variations available (what I've personally dubbed Loose, Fitted and 'Ribs? Who Needs Ribs?'), each available separately for L$200. These corset will be available after the event, but I encourage you to buy them this weekend if you can, since half of the proceeds go to charity.
@->~ISD Clockwork Spiral Cane
Unrigged mesh cane with a built-in hand grip AO. The cane is copy/mod sit it can both be resized and if desired, the AO removed. This item is an ACS event exclusive, selling for L$100 with all proceeds going to charity.
@->~ISD Clockwork Spiral Necklace
Mesh gears and spring coils in red copper suspended from a sculpted 'vine' cord of engraved iron. Female fit, but copy/mod for custom fitting. Also an ACS event exclusive, L$100 and 100% to charity.
@->~ISD Clockwork Spiral Eyes
Unrigged mesh eyes, rusted scrollwork sclera and engraved brass pupils. The package includes three different pupil sizes and an alpha layer that hides both system eyes and eyelashes. Work for all genders and most species (they'll even fit petites with a little bit of prim wrangling), and copy/mod to help that along. ASC event exclusive, 100% charity item also for L$100.
And finally, my little storefront has a gacha machine. The prize:
@->~ISD Clockwork Spiral Goggles
100% unrigged mesh unisex goggles, red copper eyepieces and gears with black leather straps. Eight colors of lenses are loaded into the gacha, with adjustable transparency (manual edit, not scripted). There's also one rare prize loaded, a scripted color-change pair with all eight colors.
The gacha is L$30 a pull, with half the proceeds going directly to charity.
@->~~~~~~~<-@
Like other past charity events, my only wish is that I had more to offer, but like those events I'm more than happy to help out the cause in any way I can. If you want to help out more towards the charity (the National Kidney Foundation) beyond the generous merchants at the event, there are donation jars around the entire grounds and several DJs playing over the weekend in fundraising shows (including a big show with a Best in Steampunk contest—check the site for details), and you can donate directly to the NKF.
The event is through this weekend only, Sept. 18th-22nd. But a little Broxelf birdie tells me that if the event does well, it'll be extended to an entire week next time around. So let's do what we can to make it a success and help out a great cause.
You can get a direct LM to my storefront by clicking on the ACS sign on the New Releases wall of the @->~ISD store.
Stay Beautiful (and Steamy),
☥ Stacey
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Barker? I hardly knew 'er!
It's that special time again that only comes around twice a year, and I don't mean your haircut. September is here, which means the Twisted Hunt has landed on us all again.
If you don't know what the Twisted Hunt is, it's one of the oldest (if not the oldest) grid hunt in Second Life. There's been many imitators over the years, and now dozens of grid hunts every month, but Twisted still holds a special place for those that have done it, either as a hunter, a merchant or like me, both. This was THE hunt I wanted to get in on when I opened shop. And now I'm on my fourth romp into the insanity. If this is your first time, please take the time to read through the website. It won't stop you from going insane, but it will slow down the process and maybe even make it a somewhat enjoyable trip.
The theme this time around is Carnival. Not a new theme as far as hunts go, but Twisted being Twisted, well... I think that scary clowns will be the least of your worries.
While it would have been easy to take the macabre route for the theme, seeing as how easily it lends itself into Goth, I decided to keep it a little more traditional.
There are three gifts in total: two outfits in the main path and the doll key on the Petite path.
In addition to the three hunt prizes, there are two gacha machines set up in the store.
I'm particularly tickled with how the eyes turned out. It quicly went form "I wonder how this will turn out?" to "Oh, these things just scream Twisted!"
Both gachas are L$20 a pop, ten prizes and one rare each. All prizes are mod/trans for trading or gifting. The cheek piercings are ready to wear out of the machine, but the eyes are boxed. I've set up a small rezzing area for you to open them up. Look for the Lament Cube stripe around the gacha:
Even though it has an auto-return in effect, please be kind and clean up when you're done.
Best of luck with the Twisted Hunt, and all the fabulous prizes along the way. I hope you—
"HEY! What about the other stuff in the picture??"
Oh, you mean the top hats, the collar, bowtie and the shoes?
"Yeah! They're not in the prizes! What kinda scam is this?!?"
Don't get your panties in a bunch. You can have them too. They're in the chest in the middle of the store.
"...What's the catch?"
Oh, so you ARE familiar with Twisted Hunts. Good. If you want the extra prizes, you'll have to do a little more hunting. For all the gory details on the mini-hunt, click on the easel next to the chest for a notecard.
@->~~~~
That really is all, now. Have a Twisted September, everyone.
Stay Beautiful,
☥ Stacey
If you don't know what the Twisted Hunt is, it's one of the oldest (if not the oldest) grid hunt in Second Life. There's been many imitators over the years, and now dozens of grid hunts every month, but Twisted still holds a special place for those that have done it, either as a hunter, a merchant or like me, both. This was THE hunt I wanted to get in on when I opened shop. And now I'm on my fourth romp into the insanity. If this is your first time, please take the time to read through the website. It won't stop you from going insane, but it will slow down the process and maybe even make it a somewhat enjoyable trip.
The theme this time around is Carnival. Not a new theme as far as hunts go, but Twisted being Twisted, well... I think that scary clowns will be the least of your worries.
While it would have been easy to take the macabre route for the theme, seeing as how easily it lends itself into Goth, I decided to keep it a little more traditional.
- The Circus Tent outfit is comprised of an underbust mesh corset and mesh v-front skirt, both in 5 sizes. The velvet long-sleeved crop top comes in three clothing leyers, and a Lolas Tango applier for both top and bra layers.
- The Ringleader outfit is a mesh vest and pants, also in 5 sizes each. The velvet pullover shirt likewise comes in three clothing layers (plus pants and underwear layer for the bottom) with an unrigged mesh collar.
- The 3-Ring Circus Petite Doll Key includes both a rotating and static (non-rotating) key
In addition to the three hunt prizes, there are two gacha machines set up in the store.
 | ||
| (it's not a perfect loop, but you get the idea) |
Best of luck with the Twisted Hunt, and all the fabulous prizes along the way. I hope you—
"HEY! What about the other stuff in the picture??"
Oh, you mean the top hats, the collar, bowtie and the shoes?
"Yeah! They're not in the prizes! What kinda scam is this?!?"
Don't get your panties in a bunch. You can have them too. They're in the chest in the middle of the store.
"...What's the catch?"
Oh, so you ARE familiar with Twisted Hunts. Good. If you want the extra prizes, you'll have to do a little more hunting. For all the gory details on the mini-hunt, click on the easel next to the chest for a notecard.
@->~~~~
That really is all, now. Have a Twisted September, everyone.
Stay Beautiful,
☥ Stacey
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