Yareach and Farshore Mercantile

By Bixyl Shuftan

Shockwave Yareach and Cynthia Farshore are noted for their activities and builds in the Sunweaver Estates. Recently, the two have teamed up to run a store in the Caledon Steampunk community: "Yareach and Farshore Mercantile" at Caledon SouthEnd. I met up with them to discuss their new venue.

Cynthia, whom already has a location at the Sunweaver  community, "The Puddle Jumper" at the Pacific Waters sim, explained she was "expanding my stores." Just after I had gotten there, a train chugged by. "We have a whistle stop right in front of us," Cynthia mused with a smile. Shockwave then walked over, "I can never catch that thing." Both were dressed in the Victorian style of the location, Shockwave explaining with a grin, "Gotta look good on my lady's arm."

Cynthia explained how the store came to be, "Well, I wanted to have a residence in Caledon and when I found this building, it became clear I could make it a shopkeeper residence, as it is an 19th century building with a living flat above. ... Since I already had steampunk vendors, it was a cinch to set up a store in Caledon. Shocky and I are adding in our own goods to sell as they are ready." Taking a look inside, there was already a variety of wares. The items being offered for sale, Cynthia explained, were, "Victorian, Steampunk, and Western wear and goods. Vendors include Doc Wrangler Men's Wear, Swank Brothers, Golden Oriole, and others. ... I will be constantly looking for new products to sell and in work on many items of my own. ... I have some items that will be updated to a sculpted object so as to reduce prims."

Shockwave added, "The infamous innertube system is for sale here - first time ever and only in her shops." Amused, I asked, "How is it infamous?" He answered, "I'd put some out, see what was good and bad, improve it when I was bored. ... You know how frequently I'm bored in SL? Rarely. I'm delighted to have a patient partner like Cynthia." I then asked, "Was this the inner tube system at the original Angels Beach Club?" Shockwave answered it was, which brought to mind some incidents in the past of "accidental furpiles" caused by groups of people using the inner tubes at once, and instead of the tubes fading away when reaching the shore at the end of the ride, they'd stay on those using it, and if no one got up, the result was a pile of inner tubes with the people still in them. "I see why it's infamous now," I commented with a grin.

Cynthia went on about her building, "I am learning to use Blender, one item I made using it is on the table, an Iron frying pan." Shockwave commented, "I can't use blender.  Can't wrap my head around it." Cynthia spoke, "Now I am limiting what I sell here to what fits the theme of Caledon so more modern things will be at the Puddle Jumper."

Shockwave continued, "And the lady has an iron-clad warranty on parrots purchased here." I then pointed to one that was "sleeping" on the counter, "Like that one?" Cynthia looked over, "Umm, Oh yeah. We had a problem with a customer claiming we sold him a dead parrot." I chuckled, "What's the story there?" Shockwave stated it wasn't entirely unsimilar to what happened in a pet shop in "Monty Python." Chuckling, I asked, "so how many parrots has the store sold?" Shockwave answered, "10,000! ... Well, 100 ... 2 actually ... including that one." He looked to Cynthia, "And um, love, did we decide to count the one that flew away as a sale?" Cynthia answered, "Uh noo hun I counted the fly away as a lose for income tax purpose." Shockwave responded, "Ah. One parrot." I chuckled, "Sounds like your customers have given you the bird. ... So I guess the parrots haven't done so well?" Cynthia told, "I think we'll no longer carry them, hate changing the newspaper in the cages. NOT yours of course!" I chuckled, "Old editions of the 'Herald?' " Shockwave mused, "The only newspaper that smells fishy before you wrap fish in it." Cynthia remarked, "problem is getting the fish to stay wrapped, it doesn't want to be wrapped in it."

After some more chuckles, I asked, "So besides the inner tubes, what else looks especially promising?" Cynthia answered, "I have been working on home items such as this kerosene lamp." She then placed on on the counter, "This is almost ready but it needs to make light." Shockwave commented, "Hurricane lamps I've heard them called." Cynthia turned it on, "It shows the flame but it needs to cast light yet. ...Now I will also have it set so you can say light or light out and a number of lamps in your house will all go on or off together. Or you can touch each and only one will light." She went ahead and tried it out, though my saying the key words did nothing, "... it already has a secure script. Anyway you see how that will work."

Asking her what else has she been working on, Cynthia answered, " Well I'm looking at expanding to airship parts, even including boilers like what the Cutlass club has." They also directed their attention to a "Wheel of Fortune," Cynthia saying, "The wheel of fortune is sold in the Golden Oriole vendor. But you will provide the cash prize so you have to grant money transfer." She had set the one in her shop set to giving out one or two Lindens. It was at this point a shopper entered the store, whom Cynthia invited to give a spin. She won a boxed avatar "ruler." Others continued to enter, "Congratulations on your new store, Miss Farshore!"

Cynthia again explained that the story's inventory would continue to grow. As for plans for expansion, "This store will be a humble little store in keeping with the neighbor hood. But I am looking at the concept of a skybox above to house large items like airship parts, like a storefront with a hidden warehouse. You can all see such that Shocky and I have made in the airship (Club) Cutlass. It has functioning aircraft elevators."

It was about this time Shockwave had to head out, so it was this time we parted ways. But with customers continuing to drop in, no doubt word has been getting around about the store.

So for quality items for a Victorian/Steampunk themed place, check out "Yareach and Farshore Mercantile."

Caledon SouthEnd (128/91/24)

Bixyl Shuftan

The Steampunk Meets Flowerpower Hunt

By DrFran Babcock

 Admit it, you love hunts. For me, a hunt is a way to chill out from a hard day in the non-digital world, or when things get drama-laden here. Which never happens, right?

 
Well, if you are like me, the lure of freebies, meeting people, and finding just that special treasure keep me searching. The Peace on Earth Hunt, over for now, is my favorite, but the name of this hunt grabbed me. I love Steampunk, and I am a hippie. What could go wrong?

 DrFran was a little busy with real news, so she sent her alt: Mai Waffle out to do the hunting. Below are the things she found. The hunt item you are looking for is a gear that is pink.

There are 25 items in the grid-wide hunt, and Mai was able to find all but one. She enlisted the help of Oakesy Ogg to help her show off the items that had both male and female items.

IMPORTANT: The Newser is usually not on the Hunt trail. If you are interested in seeing more hunt reports, please let Editor Bixyl Shuftan know. Thanks.
 

The Steampunk Meets Flowerpower Hunt runs from January 1^st – January 31^st. The blog for the hunt, with hints and teleports is here:
http://insidethepeapod.tumblr.com/post/39071952659/steam-punk-meets-flower-power-hunt-212

 DrFran Babcock

Editor's note, Luminous Designs has informed the Newser it will soon be joining the  hunt.

Luminous Designs

By Bixyl Shuftan

In Steelhead, there are a number of personalities, such as the Sasquatch, Baron Wulfenbach, and everyone's favorite lycan, Sherif Fuzzball Ortega. Then there's Lumina Elvehjem, better known by her friends as Lumi. Popular among her friends, when I asked people around Steelhead who deserved an interview, it was suggested I talk to her. So I contacted Lumi, and we agreed to talk about her store at Steelhead, "Luminous Designs."

Lumi has been in business for about four years. First logging into Second Life in June 2006, "I started with furniture at 6 months, I got into photoshop at around two years. and opened a clothing line around that time." The store offers, "mostly womens'  clothing, but I have several mens' things too, in a few generes. Among her items, "historically accurate, steam/Victorian-inspired, boudoir (lingere / bedroom), and whimsical. And some stuff I make 'cause I want to."

Among her top selling items are the lingere sets, "I have been thanked by boyfriends for some of them (smiles)." But the best selling one, "my most popular item of all time (was) a total surprise to me, it's my Greek/Roman shoes." These "gladiator style" shoes were pretty simple fitting men and women equally well, a single prim sole and a "wrap around the legs." While Steelhead has had some Greco/Roman events, the reason she made the shoe, "was actually a request from a customer." And once in the store, people began buying it again and again.

Another top seller is her Sheerly Sari, available in a number of colors and about 500 Lindens, "I have to say, this is the thing I'm most proud of. I nailed it. That is a classic historically correct bit of lush gorgeousness. No sculpts, and it's pre-mesh."

The store itself was fairly large, with several floors, "First floor is for newer stuff. I have some things I need to put out for New Years. Next floor up is Oriental. Third floor is Steam/Victoriana, loosely interpreted. Fourth floor is boudoir, and the whimsical stuff ends up there too. Top floor is ancients. Asking her further about the whimsical items, Lumi answered, "Fairy  stuff, skimpy lil miss nothing outfits." I then asked what was her whimsical item that got the most laughs. Lumi thought for a moment, "Hmmmm, toss-up between the shower bubbles and the sparkle suit." Camming up, a picture of the wearable shower bubbles wasn't exactly safe for a family newspaper.

Lumi has more than one store in Steelhead. Stopping by one of her "annex store" locations, there were a few chuckles at the place such as a "Beware of the neko" sign, and a can of "anti-drama spray." More examples of her humor.

So what does Lumi do when not minding the stores or making items? "I hang out with the Steelheaders. I often lead several of them in Sync dancing where you match animations to the tunes that are playing in real time." Her favorite regular event is the Steelhead Friday Night Dance, "I sync-dance everyone at that. (smiles)"

As for her title of "Steelhead Ambassador," Lumi answered, "It's something Lunar thought up. We represent Steelhead, and help locals with various things, invite people." She's happy to have her store here, even though. "I'm not a 'steampunk' store. It's not genere-correct, but I'm not going anywhere else."

One can find information on some of Lumi's items at her blog on: http://lumisbloggiebits.blogspot.com/

So whether to get a Victorian-era outfit to fit in better at Steelhead, or a little something for the spouse, or something just plain funny, come by Luminous Designs.

Steelhead Shanghai (67, 21, 31)

Bixyl Shuftan

Steelhead Participates in the Hunt Steam 5

The steampunk hunt, Steam 5, began September 1 and continues throughout the month. It has with over 200 residents officially signed up to participate. Since the Hunt is free and doesn’t require any special gear to play, there are probably more residents who are hunting informally. Approximately 190 stores are participating.

Since I had recently visited Steelhead and liked it, I decided to visit the shops that are located there. The first shop I went to was Peterman Ltd Dry Goods, located at Steelhead (88, 214, 25). Peterman’s are “purveyors of 19th century clothing, hats, and objects d'art.” Like all great general stores, they carry a little bit of everything. In this case that includes oil paintings by Pacific Northwest artists, Victorian, Edwardian, Western, and of course Steampunk clothing and items. This cog was easy to find, and the gift was a unique outfit.

Next I strolled around Port Harbor to find Cedar Bay Home Furnishings. This store is located at Steelhead Harborside (159, 15, 25). Many of the stores in the Hunt, especially the larger ones, leave a hint near the sign. The hint at Cedar Bay was great. It read, “Avast ye scurvy dogs! Hoist th' mizzen, fire th' guns an' prepare for plunder!” As you can see in the picture, the clue was as good as a treasure map. The treasure at Cedar Bay is a tea set that tells fortunes. I hope it predicts that I’ll find all the hidden cogs.

The third shop on Steelhead that I visited was Luminous Designs. This shop advertises that it carries “clothing for the elegant brat.” The store, located at Steelhead Shanghai (68, 13, 56) is a tall cylinder shaped building. An easy-to-use teleport system zips you quickly from area to area, or you can use the ladders to go at a more leisurely pace. Luminous Designs (LD) carries everything from elegant evening gowns to historically accurate outfits. This cog was harder to find, but probably because I was window shopping as much as hunting. They gave out both a men’s gift and one for women. Foxettes, I decided, were allowed one of each. I can’t wait to wear them.

The last two shops were smaller, but they gave out very unique prizes. Froobert’s Furthest West is the smallest of the participating Steelhead stores. It is located at Froobert's Furthest West , Steelhead Shanghai (153, 32, 49). Their gift included AOs for both gents and ladies, a pose stand and more. St Helens Dry Goods, located at Steelhead St Helens (73, 146, 39), gave out a revolving dance gear.

If you are a Steampunk fan or like the challenge of a hunt, Steam 5 is a great way to visit new sites and have fun in Second Life.

Grey Lupindo

Steampunk Art Show

On April 17, 2011 a steampunk themed art show opened at Kafe Kruemelkram, Ataria (46, 204, 63). There’s enough metal and fire to please a steam aficionado, but the art extends beyond that genre. This exhibit should appeal to anyone who likes modern, experimental, or eclectic art. Well-known SL artists and designers, such as Bryn Oh, Sextan Shepherd, Glyph Graves, Artistide Despres and many others are featured here.

The exhibit is dedicated to the memory of Sabrinaa Nightfire, who died a month ago. She created the "Steaming Hot" Festival in 2010, a steampunk art event. The current art show aims to keep Sabrinaa’s vision alive. An exhibit of her metal flowers is on display, with links to her other SL artwork. A tribute and notecard created by Glyph Graves honors her memory, too.

A teleport exists to quickly transport you to the artist of your choice. But a more interesting way to view the exhibit is by walking. The exhibits are placed on metal platforms connected by metal bridges and walkways, which creates a work of art by itself.

I didn’t have a chance to view all of the exhibits, but the ones I saw were excellent. I started with “Nightmare” by Bryn Oh. This artist is a SL favorite, and this exhibit shows why that reputation is well-deserved. Like many of the exhibits, this one is interactive and takes advantage of SL’s features to create a memorable experience. The horse has many interesting steampunk elements, such as a wheel for a hoof, worked into its design. Be sure to sit on the horse to get the full impact of Byrn Oh’s imagination.

Next I viewed “Bio-Mecha”, which is an interesting piece by Sextan Shepherd. The reflection in the mirror gave a surprising and imaginative twist to the sculpt. All of Shepherd’s exhibits were interesting, but “Bio-Mecha” was my favorite.

“Clock Art Deco” and “Stellar Supernova Beta-3” were also created by Shepherd. Be sure to click on the clock, and be prepared to spend some time at “Stellar Supernova Beta-3”. There’s a lot to experience here. Sit in the explorer chair for a memorable trip to planets and the heavens. It took me a few attempts to get this to work, probably because I tend to be technology-challenged. But the colorful images are not to be missed, and I was glad I got it to work.

One of the largest exhibits was a steampunk structure by Daallinii Rae. I couldn’t find a name for this exhibit, but I really enjoyed it. The structure is on multi-levels, with ladders, ramps, and teleports to aid in its exploration. On the house level, you can sit in a basket and rotate around the exhibit. What a great view! There’s even a picnic table so you and your friends can pause to discuss the exhibit.

Next to this exhibit is the Jenney Mand'dson "1915" Scrambler 1.01 by Jenne Dibou. This is a fun steampunk motorcycle with metal workers oiling chains and getting it ready to rev. Be sure to sit on this exhibit, too.

Random music was the focus of a sound-based exhibit created by Artistide Despres. Make sure your sound is on when you are near the six trumpet horns that form this build.

There are more exhibits to be found at the Steampunk Art Show, but I had to save them for a return visit.

Grey Lupindo

Steam4: The Grid-wide Steampunk Hunt

The 4^th Steampunk hunt is going on now through March 31. The Hunt begins at Mieville Doyle Victorian Steampunk located at Mieville Doyle (84, 77, 23).

The Hunt started with a pre-hunt party on the night of February 28. I missed the party but came in world about two hours before the Hunt began. The excitement and anticipation in the Group chat was unmistakable as experienced hunters talked about the great prizes and fun of past Steampunk hunts. Well before midnight some hunters were roaming around Mieville, hoping it would open early. I was too sleepy to stay, but I returned the next day. And the day after that. In fact, I’ve been doing a little hunting almost every day since Steam4 started.

There are over 190 merchants participating in the grid-wide event and countless hunters. I chatted with one, resident Nagash Demina, at The Naughty Victorian. Like myself and many others, Nagash was hunting in Steampunk attire. Although I usually avoid creatures with eight legs, I found Nagash to be a friendly and experienced Steampunk Hunter. “It's getting larger and larger every year,” Nagash said about Steam4, “and that's a good thing. The few times I've gotten stuck, the group is always helpful.”

For those of you new to hunts, the Steam4 event is a good one to learn on. At the beginning site, join the group for free. Wear the necklace and arm band, which will help in finding the small gear that marks the prize. The first shop’s landmark will be given out there, too. When you find a prize, it will also include a landmark to the next shop. You can go through the shops in that order or you can find a list of all the participating shops at the webpage, http://steamthehunt.blogspot.com.

The list is also helpful if you can’t find the gear in a store. You can skip on to a different store and come back later to find the stubborn one. Alternatively, you can ask someone in the chat for a hint or a TP to their location and pick up the hunt from there. Circling back is a technique I like to use in Hunts.

The prizes are all high quality and exclusive to the Hunt. I’ve found great items, including a plane, a Steampunk Hat from Destiny Designs, and a Steampunk Victorian lamp from Alkahest that I placed on my dock. Their web page shows a preview of some of the prizes, which include jewelry, boots, an observatory, and furniture.

Grey Lupindo