The Ottoman Empire arises!

Well. It's a small Empire at present. Only six, really.

But still! It's a start! Soon, the grid will be...actually, no, I don't want to take over the grid. But I do want to get better at the occasional furniture build, and to that end...well, here, pictures:



Yes, I did snap these on the fly, and I'm sorry for that; but these are about as simple and functional as I could make them, and I wanted to tell people. They're six prims each, and I may work on a few additional variations, or trade them in and out seasonally. I'm also pondering more animations, but that takes scripting.

On the left, the Lavender Tufted-Leather Ottoman; on the right, the Red Tufted-Leather variant.



From left to right: Green Crushed Velvet Ottoman; then a muted Blue Leather Ottoman; then an Embroidered Velvet Green Ottoman.

I'm contemplating adding a shadow, but that would bring the whole thing to seven prims. Still, I may go in tomorrow and toss a shadow that can be positioned separately into the contents off the Ottomans, so people have the choice of shadowed, or not.



Finally, on the left, the Blue Velvet Ottoman; on the right the Green Velvet. The Blue has silver sphere legs, the Green has copper sphere legs.

While we're on the topic of the Blue, it's currently in the Midnight Mania, so come down and tap that if you want to get one for free. And if you don't quite have fifty Lindens to spare (my asking price), but don't want to wait for the ottoman in the Midnight board to lock, if you hunt around, there's a single-Linden version somewhere on the premises.

Pictures of what started all this--my participation in the Twisted Christmas Hunt, and the three holiday-themed Ottomans for it--will follow in a day or so.

Just hop to the main store to check everything out. Cheers!

(Skin is from Adam & Eve, a group gift some while back; hair was a limited edition offering from Little Heaven, but they sell the style in other colors. Eyes are SN@TCH's "Gloss Eyes" in Blue/Brown. The outfit is Sweet Poison/IMPulse's "Winter Wooly Blue", purchased on one of the 25LT runs, this month or last month.)

all things must pass

I'm leaving the haunted house up until November 3rd; so if you haven't seen it, and want to, go through it before November 2nd! There's around eight hundred prims of haunt, there, that the land owner would like to have back at some point. (My gracious thanks to the lady in question, and to Solace Beach in general, for hosting the haunt.)

In the meantime, I'm contemplating new designs for frocks, but I've decided my first priority is to track down the store texture sets I was plotting out, and finish them. Woefully past the season of spooking, but I will be putting them out. Look for the finished sets in November, on the second floor of the Treehouse of Doom.

And that's all for now. Ta!

I made a group!

Why yes, I have lost my mind, why do you ask?

*cues lightning and thunder*

See, this all started because I came in to the shop to change the Midnight Mania board. (By the way--if you're reading this, and you got a package from my Midnight Mania board last night, contact me? It sent out something bizarre that shouldn't have been in there and I'd like to fix that.) It's now changed from the Bloody Carni outfit to the Darkest Carni outfit:



but that's ancillary. To the group news:

There is now a board in the main store on an easel. Perky red text floats above it if you aren't rezzing sculpts that quick. Touching it should give you this message:

[04:57 PM] Lady Disdain Group Join Board: Yes, this will take up an in-world slot, but do consider it. My Subscribe-o-matic systems aren't functional at present. Just copy this line out of local chat and join up!
[04:57 PM] Lady Disdain Group Join Board: 3fbf40da-5457-7a56-c6de-d23640c054fb

It sits between the Sukkot kit and the fireplace. If you have the group space (and I know, a lot of folks don't), consider coming down and joining up. It'd be a kindness to me, and I promise, I will endeavor to make it worth your while.

In the meantime, I'm contemplating Sukkot animations for the Sukkot kit. Would that be blasphemous? Because technically, they're only supposed to be held by Jewish priests, right?

Or can anyone shake the lulav bundle? Inquiring minds and all that...

all alone, flesh and bone, evil carved in stone

I break with established tradition because I am pairing this with an entry on the Train Wreck. This was too good not to announce in both places.

The past week, I have been spending nearly every hour possible in Twilight Tears, building a haunted house. It's named "Hunt House" partially because I wanted something simple and memorable, but also because, with very few exceptions, what I didn't create on my own, I acquired on various sim-wide and grid-wide hunts. While there are items I've bought in there, even some of those items I bought while on grid-wide hunts.

It's also a hunt on its own. There are fourteen (I tried for thirteen; I went one over) pumpkins to find and buy in the house. There are three levels to search. It's a Linden per pumpkin not because I'm wanting to make money--I won't--but because I did put a bit of effort into everything I put out.

With every pumpkin, you get the pumpkin you see (included in its decorated shell) and an item. Warning to the arachnophobic: Spiders are involved in the prizes! And the house, sort of. I'll explain.

Two of the hunt gifts are spider silks; they're all prim-based, because the spiders are talented, hand-trained Chechoslovakian clinging spiders: Primmatica adhesiva, in natural orange, and in specially bred pale, glowing green. There are also four variants of the spider crown.

In addition to those and to the pumpkins themselves, there is a bloodstained clown dress (that I may be inspired now to make additional versions of!); a box of radiant moss textures (you can see examples on the first floor of the house); a box of glowing light beams for spooky ambience; the rest are things I've had up in the store, but don't any longer.

Oh, one more spider thing--the clown dress? Comes with glass spider eyes.

You start here:



Yes, it's a door, standing in a field of black grass! I was amused by the concept of the cornfield with a door, but it struck me that it worked better as just a door, fairly unhidden.

It has an "ENTER" sign above it, that might help. Also a pumpkin tree. And a grave with floating ghosts.

(I love the grave, actually. Click the mound of earth--you're a zombie! Click the headstone--you get to float with the ghosts!)



Each level is a mini-maze; or maybe just a maze of corridors. You'll be going in the right direction, you won't get lost unless you turn around, and in general, if you've heard the sounds before, you're going backwards. It's not that confusing.



Some of the props used in the house are also for sale. If you just want the prop itself (mostly collider sound panels), just buy it when you find one you like. If you'd rather have the sounds full-perm for your own creations, drop me a notecard, we'll work something out. Nearly all the sounds I have--and all the sounds I used in the creation of this house--I either created and imported myself, or I got from royalty-free sites and imported in.



Go up level by level until you reach the attic. And there, you will find a lovely Victorian lady...who still thinks she's alive. Poor dear. But she's very loquacious, and just...dying...to talk with you. Something terrible happened to her, after all...

(There's a door to the side that will let you come back down to the main store, so you don't have to retrace your steps. And if you haven't gotten the gift for the Unknown Hunt, stick around and pick it up.)

I'm looking forward to this. I may tweak some things, as I said, but really--it's open, it's live!

Well...in a sense.

Come join us. We'll be waiting for you.

A few brief announcements

The yard sale is still going strong while I finish up the haunt on the parcel just in front of mine. (More to come on that later; I'm not done yet.)

And new in the store today: a Sukkot kit. Sadly, I have been working on this for three years, and I'm finally realizing--it's just never going to go anywhere unless I put it out. So, if you come by, and are interested, here's a list of what's in the box:

* a small and large Etrog. These are modifiable and copyable, but not transferable.
* a sharp-tipped and blunt-tipped 12-inch-long lulav; these are also mod/copy, no trans. The texture is handmade and based off of bamboo (I've also tossed in a young bamboo texture, also hand-drawn.)
* a mid-green Aravot; I have other colors of willow that I made up, but this one seemed 'accurate'. Ish.
* three different textures of Hadassa, myrtle branches; this includes two different shades of single branches, and one tricolor texture of three branches combined.
* a palm branch, in case more than a stalk is desired.
* three different hand-drawn etrog textures.

All textures are full permissions. I would prefer that you send people to the shop to get their own copy, but I've also made the box itself no copy/no mod/trans, in case you're looking for a friend.

I've enclosed a note in the set, and a picture of some of the items is on the box. I have no animations, no gestures, and really--I think it needs more, but in a pinch, I figure this will work, so...there you go.

It's a freebie. Partially because to me, the set is not complete, and I feel squeechy charging for something that's not all there; but also, because this is an important part of Jewish religious faith, and I'm not Jewish. I'll charge for things from my own religion; I figure that's fair. Not sure about the ethics of charging for someone else's faith...

Anyway. That's about it. Oh! And the Unknown Hunt has started! Remember, my prize has been moved, and the hint is now "Going up?" Come by the store to pick it up.

There's a male and female prize in the hunt box, as mentioned. Enjoy!

oh, come on now.

Group Notice From: The Unknown Hunt

OK so some of you have hidden your hunt items early. 2 days early. I need you ALL to move you hunt item. Why? Because if people have already been to your store they will know where the hunt item is!! That defeats the purpose of it being a HUNT! Please move it ASAP because Ronnette will be doing a walkthrough TOMORROW. This is why I told you to PUT IT ON YOUR SIGN! I'll also need new hints.
Thanks. Evelyn

Okay, so, because I'm efficient--and I want people to find the damned thing--I have to think up a new hiding spot and a new hint, and man. It irks me, it really does. And all my old objections about grid-wide hunts come surging to the fore.

So, I am "re-hiding" my hunt item. The new hint is "Going up?" If that doesn't help people locate it, I will gladly take IMs and notecards.

*grumbles and wanders off to move the hunt prize and build more on the haunted house*

introducing Hauntine!

I know, I know, nothing's up now, but I promise, by the weekend, there will be! And in the meantime, my hunt gift for the Unknown Hunt is live in the store, so you can start that hunt on the 9th, or come by and pick it up early.

What you'll be getting:

This is a very simple, casual outfit, that's much the worse for wear post-zombie apocalypse. I made it for guys--and believe me, without the aid of sales at Nightshade (for the skin) and Discord Designs (for the hair), I wouldn't have been able to pull a male avatar together. Since, you know, I'm not a guy.

(Bizarre side note: I essentially took my base shape, switched the gender, made him taller, then tweaked here and there until he "looked right" to me. Then I tracked down the Nightshade skin and decided on black hair, and...realized what "looked right" to my eyes? Was young Asian male.

(Miss Neome tells me it doesn't surprise her, but--considering I'm also not Asian? Is kind of perplexing to me. Still, I think he looks good--young, and fey, but good--so I'm happy with him for occasional male-avatar needs.)

Now, on the fun side? I made the top and the jeans for guys, but they look pretty decent on girls, too.

Next up: Hauntine in green:

Last Friday, Twisted Thorn Textures had a texture hunt, and tossed up some similarly-themed Halloween fabrics in various prints, stripes and solids. They went together wonderfully for a set of dresses, and I'm definitely planning more with the series. In the meantime, this is the Unknown Hunt prize for women: it includes a dual-layer cocktail-length flexi skirt, bloomers on two layers, a striped corset, self-stockings, and two versions of the off-the-shoulder top (one with the fingerless gloves, one without). It's a fun little dress, and it's yours for the finding (along with the Zombie Hunter outfit).

Want more information? Drop by the store. Consider going for a dip in the pool...

In the meantime, I made two other versions I plan to put out for L$100 each, Hauntine Orange:

and Hauntine Purple:

They came out great, too. They'll be up in the next few days, so check back!

not dead yet

So, the leg continues to heal--slowly--far slower than I wanted--but I am to the point of hobbling around, and slowly getting away from absolute reliance on the brace (which, again, was specially designed for the right leg, not the left. So...these are all good things.

What's wrong? Still not spending enough hours on the main comp to finish the Wear Gray outfits.

How'ver, I do have the Wear Gray brain jar at the store--check back entries for the SLUrl, and I'll likely put it in the sidebar at some point--so you can always drop by and donate. And there are Wear Gray stands at Hair Fair, so you can donate independently to them, or to Wigs for Kids, even without buying anything at either event.

And Sanura Snowpaw has been very understanding, and says if I do get something finished, she'll give me wall space somewhere. So that's cool, too. Because it's a great cause; as with most cancers, the more research that's ongoing, the likelier it is we'll find a cure.

In the meantime, there's Wear Gray. And I'll dig out the SLUrl for them in the next day or so, now they're open. Go look at the offerings of designers who didn't get injured, and help 'em out if you can.

the slow, steady, infinitesimal sense...of progress

SO...I was slated to be in two hunts and another charity event. One of the hunts booked up the day I applied, so that was that (and likely a good thing, considering). But I'm still in the Unknown Hunt and the Wear Gray for a Day charity event.

The Unknown Hunt I am telling myself is not a large worry; they don't officially start for hunting until October, so I have time. Wear Gray, on the other hand, starts September 12th, which is--now--eight days hence.

I'm worried because first, my hard drive died, and it took too months to get a new drive. Now, I had been working on designs, but three days before we procured a new drive, something ate itself on my machine--I lost access to EVERYTHING I'd stored on the desktop, but also on internal folders. The only folder that remained clear was something I'd extended off from C: and...frankly, that was a lot of work lost.

We installed the new drive, I started transferring files over (both that I'd burned off from that one available folder, and files saved from before the first drive died), and then two days ago, I injured my leg (SOMEhow), and was stuck away from the comp, elevating the leg, applying ice to lower the swelling.

Now, I have a netbook, and it is a peachy-keen netbook, and I love it and I cuddle it and it is wonderful--for what it is. It will run Second Life, it won't do major graphics. And up until recently, photography was laughable.

So...I'm stuck. I've contacted one of the organizers behind Wear Gray with questions, but I'm not hearing anything back. I will likely send another notecard, along with an IM, in a couple days. But in the meantime, I'm having to face it--if I can't use the main keys, I can't finish the projects I'm planning for the events.

The Unknown Hunt has more lead time. I think my leg will feel better in a few weeks, no problem, and I'll be able to get back to pixilating bandages on dead skin. But Wear Gray? I just don't have it done. I was at the point where I had mocked-out patterns, and started to do template work without aging--but all I've really gotten accomplished? A half-aged pair of gloves.

Yeah. Really.

So yes, I'm worried. If I don't get the mummy skins done, hey, I'll do them for the store. Not a problem. I'm working on two store texture sets, and one--or the other--would also work as a gift. SOMEthing will be done in time for Unknown.

But the 12th...that's very nearly just a week from now. A week from now will I be able to sit at my desk without elevating the leg? I just don't know.

I'll keep you posted.

On the plus side--and this is good news--I finally have everything fixed and running in the main store lobby. By that, I mean, I have:

• the Virtual Haiti relief kiosk for donations
• the Thrifty Goth group join board
• the Unknown hunt board
• a Midnight Mania board up and running (with one of the Darkest Carni outfits in it, bloodspattered stripes, pretty sure it's still the only way to get that particular dress for the moment)
• the Wear Gray donation jar
• the Lady Disdain subscribe-o-matic board
• the notecard-giving logo board
• and two vendors for two different vodoun veves sets, both sending all proceeds to Haitian earthquake relief

Not bad. Next up: getting non-charity products up for sale!

[Also, yes, I am amused at my brain. I can just barely manage to vaguely hint at something going wrong on the main blog, but here and on Twitter? I can give all the RL details I think are meaningful and relevant.

[My brain is weird. But then, this is nothing new for anyone who knows me.]

a tree grows in Twilight Tears

Yes, friends and neighbors, I discovered I do still have the haunted treehouse from my art-sim glory days. So, in defiance of protocol (but after checking with the lass what owns my sims), I am popping it up as the main store. I'm going to keep the yard sale going for a bit longer, but everything will slowly be coming down and either going into my inventory, or going up on the walls.

If you port in and think things are in a bit of disarray, this is why. I am making great sweeping changes on the business end of things, and this is all part of that.

I still haven't decided yet if I'm changing the name. But if I do, this blog will still stay as the shop blog. Therefore.

Give me a week or two, I'll have more things out. In the meantime, the only thing new I've added is changing the Midnight Madness board to the Dark Carni demi-Victorian gown, and adding a second set of veves for the Virtual Haiti Relief campaign. I've also reduced the cost on both sets, so now, you can get either set for L$120, for six different veves (for a total of thirty textures in all, five per lwa) in each set, or both for L$240, which is still over half off what I had them priced before.

And all proceeds from those vendors go, as stated, to Virtual Haiti Relief.

Coming up: If I ever get it done, two mummified skins for the Unknown Hunt; at least one dress, if not several outfits, for Wear Grey for a Day; a voudon doll skin for the Voodoo Hunt; and whatever I think of for the Hunt for Roleplay hunt. (Though those last two may fall apart, I haven't yet applied.)

Check back if you're curious! And slowly, things will start to make more sense in the big empty tree.

announcing the yard sale

If "yard" applies to "skybox over the main store"...

I finally feel I have enough items that are transferable to hold a yard sale. They are mostly older items; there's at least six to ten Last Call/Dazzle dresses in the mix, I know that. I'll be adding more when I have the time to excavate my inventory further.

All boxes are as complete as they were in my inventory; in the early days, I generally deleted landmarks, notecards, and product pictures; moreover, in the case of both Dazzle and Last Call, the businesses no longer operate on the grid.

Go here to travel directly to the yard sale; keep in mind I am charging L$1 per box. This is not necessarily a fee, and I do understand I'm not in this for the money; but these items are no-copy originals. Once you purchase it, you will need to take it.

more Madness!

This time with Rapture's End:



I'm honestly not sure if I even have this outfit for sale downstairs, but up at the farmhouse it's available for free. Or at least for a click.

Well, if you and 99 other people do it, I mean.

It'll be up for a few days, and then it will be marked at a discount and set out for sale. You can find the Warm Cocoa outfit from last week, f'rinstance, next to the fireplace for L$50.

I suppose, if I get enough outfits out, I can just start a product wall of discount stuph. Wouldn't hurt.

Rapture's End is a textured heather violet plaid, with two different corset styles, beaded gloves, self-stockings, and a mock-bustle flexi skirt. I put everything on all the layers I could think of (keeping in mind, this was pre-2.0). If there's enough demand for 2.0 layers, I'll go back and add them in.

Enjoy!

it's still there.

Seriously, go look for yourself.



I really should return this thing. All 22 burning prims of it.

Hey, busykya Starship! I am holding your bike for ransom! If you don't take it off my land, I'll...I'll...um...I'll...

Throw it in the ocean! Yeah! And it will...uh...GO OUT!

Take THAT! HAH!

a bit of Madness for you

Yes, I know, I said the next post was going to feature new dresses. Well, is one new dress okay? I won't even ask you to pay for it.

Just go to the main store and click the board; I'm trying out a new thing. Somewhere in my inventory, I have a lucky board, too, and I can likely get that out and stocked, if I can figure out the instructions. (The manual's in Japanese, it makes it tricky.



I'm starting out with something I never put out for the winter season. The Warm Cocoa frock is a lovely marshmallow/chocolate plaid, with self-stockings, two different skirts, gloves, and separate corset, all on multiple layers. And, since it was my mistake not getting it out for sale last winter, you can benefit from this. Just go tap the board, and if there's a hundred of you that do so, everyone gets a copy!

You can just keep it in your closet until fall rolls around. Really, it's too hot to wear now.

it begins anew

There are times when conventions become rote, when expectations pall, when creation is less the fire that sparks creation, and more the sullen embers fanned to no flame at all, the taste of bitter nostalgia heavy on the tongue.

But forget all that; that's for the other blog.

Yes, I finally decided to make a shop blog. I can't use Autogenica as a launching field indefinitely; I'm still announcing there, but I thought it was far and away time I concentrated on one thing at a time.

So; this may create some confusion, following, therefore, I will enlighten you:

Welcome to the Train Wreck: Emilly Orr's personal blog, which will now cover everything it's covered in the past, save for product launches;

Autogenic Alchemy: the former conjoined shop blog of Autogenic Alchemy, still hosting Mr. Fawkes Allen's diverse creations, and Lady Disdain, Emilly Orr's charity and texture ventures; from this date forward, it's just Mr. Allen's product launches, for the most part;

Disdainful Musings, Lady Disdain's shop blog, for product launches and charity updates.

I'm still pondering whether I want to start a shop group, when I could just as easily announce things here, and on the Subscribe-o-Matic for Autogenic Alchemy, which frankly, gets used once a millenium. I'll let you know when I decide.

In the meantime, expect five new frocks soon: the "clean" versions of the Operation Squeegee dresses. (The "Oilslick Green" dress will only ever be offered at Operation Squeegee. Three more days to get that, or the five oilstained frocks available there, which also are editions limited to that event.

Learn more about Operation Squeegee here.

In the meantime, look for new announcements soon!