The Deep Woods

 

By Gemma Cleanslate

 

“ℑ𝔫𝔱𝔬 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔣𝔬𝔯𝔢𝔰𝔱 ℑ 𝔤𝔬, 𝔱𝔬 𝔩𝔬𝔰𝔢 𝔪𝔶 𝔪𝔦𝔫𝔡 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔣𝔦𝔫𝔡 𝔪𝔶 𝔰𝔬𝔲𝔩.”

The Spark Project is back. Raven Banrion Falconer (RavenStarr Resident) and her staff of wonderful helpers have created The Deep Woods. 

 

Each project is for four months and this one is“ɪs ᴀ ɴᴇᴡ ғᴇsᴛɪᴠᴀʟ ʙᴜɪʟᴛ ᴏɴ ᴀ ᴄᴜʀᴀᴛᴇᴅ ɪᴅᴇᴀ ᴄᴇʟᴇʙʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ ᴍᴜsɪᴄ, ᴀʀᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ғᴀsʜɪᴏɴ. “and then disappears to make place for a new and very different creation. “The Untold Tales of the Faeries “is exquisite.

How many of us loved the stories of old in fairy tales and the characters that enchanted us. Walk into the woods ,remember and meet them again. The sparkling beauty within the woods charms you as you wander along the footpaths. Every step may bring a surprise so look sharply. When I put on my gift from the Deep Woods it turned out to be Goldilock’s Bear. I carried it as I walked

 

Trolls, orcs and goblins stalk along the roadside. The have a “home” in these woods that I wandered into. A few trolls are on the watch for victims. Take care. As I crossed a bridge high above the party stage I saw a sign warning Do not wake the Troll so I was very quiet as I went by.

Some of the places I visited were stunning and astonishing. I saw a little lady with a pumpkin and knew some magic was going on.

Later I peeked into little gazebo and found Cinderella’s shoe on a cushion. Farther on down the trail I found that the sensitive Princess of the Princess and the Pea left her bed by the side of a road. It really is hard.

Sleeping beauty left her rose covered coffin in these woods. I had to try it out. I think was hers but maybe another beauty.

Look into the Mirrors on the trees and listen and chuckle a bit.

There is so much hidden in the spectacular installation it will take time to discover it all and I plan to do it.A little bird told me there are hidden caves. Over the weekend there will be entertainment and dancing all day and all night. At the entrance there are directions that will help you get the best experience while you are there. I hope you love it as much as I did. I know the parties will be outstanding. I plan to attend a few! 

 

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Spark/67/155/36 

Gemma Cleanslate

 

The Yinglet Avatar Release Party

By Bixyl Shuftan


Some might be surprised to learn that not all comics are in the newspaper's "funny pages" or in magazines. Some you can read online. Some are good enough to be in a real life newspaper with good art and clean humor, and some are done by beginners with not much of a plot. Occasionally, an online comic gets something based on it in Second Life. One example was "ZZ Studios" which was a tribute to Eric Schwartz's "Sabrina Online." Another was a rideable mount I once got that was based on those in Tiffany Ross's "Pure", although it could also be considered one of the "Shiave" of her "Cyantian Chronicles" which had more readers.

"Out of Placers" (http://www.valsalia.com/comic/prologue/01/), or "OOPs" as it's sometimes called for short, is a Fantasy webcomic by an artist known as Valsalia that began in April 2015 in which humans share their world with other intelligent races, including Yinglets. What is a Yinglet? Probably the simplest definition I've come across is "Like the kobolds of D&D, but more comical." They're small furry bipeds that average three to three and a half feet tall (add several inches if the ears are erect), thin arms and legs, large ears and eyes, and a snout with a large single tooth in the front. Although they can speak the same language as humans, the "shelltooth" usually results in a lisp. The majority aren't quite as intelligent as the average human, though there are some exceptions, and they tend to be easily amused and distracted. Most humans in the world see them as pests or amusing distractions themselves. They prefer shellfish for dinner, their large front tooth handy for opening clams and oysters, and are often seen at riverbanks and beaches scavenging for them and anything else that might catch their interest, getting the less than flattering nickname "scavs" from the humans. They have a different sleep cycle, while sleeping fewer hours a day overall will take naps about three to seven times in a 24 hour period.

In the story's world, they are the youngest of the races, having been first recorded by human history there only several generations ago. They also age faster, reaching physical maturity at three years and considered elderly at twenty-five. They also have a severe gender imbalance, with most populations having just one female for every several males (what some guys in real life complain is the ratio of those single and looking in the "Sexual Recession"). So usually females stay in their enclaves. Enclaves are typically led by the dominant female, the matriarch, with those in larger ones having the assistance of the several more competent males or patriarchs. Between their having fewer among their numbers who can think clearly for a while and their being around for only a short time, Yinglet enclaves are not as developed technologically or socially as human settlements. The most advanced ones do so by dealing with and learning from the humans, though this has led to questions by some that this is leading to a weakening of their more traditional ways, as well as some wondering if any human can truly be trusted as so many treat them like pests.

In the online comic, the main character, Kassen Akoll, gets changed from human to Yinglet by some means he and those around him have yet to figure out. But now you can take on the look of these (usually) amusing fuzzballs here in Second Life. But on Saturday March 16, the residents of Second Life had the ability to take on the look of one as Montecito Bay hosted the release party of the Ynglet avatar, by Raphie Jular of Evil Turtle Productions. The avatar is bento rigged, and both male and female chests are included. Two colors are included, and the avatar has bento rigged mesh with bento rigged jaws, ears, tails, and fingers.

Sorry to all the newcomers who are just joining us and are probably wondering WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON! We're hosting the release of Evil Turtle Productions very own Yinglet avatar!

Do you like eating clams? Do you like talking like 'zhis'?! Do you enjoy being a short little cute ball of fluff who's always finding trouble around every corner! Then be sure to pick up this well created little avatar!

The event was held in the Avagora mall well above Montecito Bay, at it's disco dance floor set up in the middle of the place between shops. Dropping by early, some of the staff were already there, having gotten the avie a little early. But as the hour approached, more showed up. And the Yinglets looked pretty small next to the regular-sized furry folk, "normal sized avatars look like freakish giants now!" The maker of the avatar wasn't there at first, "Raphie (the creator) is having a nap because our time zone is crazy." Then he appeared, "Raphie's back (smile)." The avatar's maker waves, "Weh! Okay zhen, I'm a little less half-dead after nap. Hello all." Someone mused, "One of the best things about being a yinglet would be the naps." Raphie agreed, "Oh yes. Nap for an hour, can go ADHD for six again." "Then they can go 'eeeee' again."

It didn't take long for the place to fill up. And finally at 6PM SL time, "Hello everyone that's here so far! We're just now OFFICIALLY starting things off! Thank you all for showing up early to support the lovley Raphie Jular and their release of the Yinglet avatar!! If you take a look  to the right of the stage there's already a nice little board for you to purchase your own Evil Turtle Productions Yinglet!" Becky greeted, "Welcome everyone! Glad to see you! So the rules are as follows; if you want to join zhe raffle, ya must be here the WHOLE event, no join and run. That's the only rule! so click that raffle ball, floating above the dance floor when it opens!" "If y'all have friends who are fans of yinglets or looking for a really cool avatar, be sure to invite them along!  Raphie put their blood sweat and tears into this wonderful little thing, and I'd absolutely love to see it flourish! ...There's also an event currently on the board for 1,500L! ... The theme is 'Fantasy.' ... And you can 100% spend that on Yinglet and Yinglet accessories! ... But let's be serious, any money they get is going to clams more than likely!" Later in the event, it would get raised to 2069 Lindens.

A number got in character with the characteristic Yinglet lisp, "Zhing!" I'm hearing zhe musics." Becky Nosferatu, in one of the avatars was also giving out buckets of their favorite food, "Who wahts a bucket of claaams?! ... Seriously, who wants clams?" "All zhe clams." Apparently with not that many takers, yet, Becky went in character, "They're clams, so, I'm just gonna keep eating them." Ralphie laughed, "You're gonna get so high drunk," mentioning what happens when the often hungry Yinglets finally manage to stuff themselves on their prized food. "Come to Mont Bay and win lots of clams," someone mused. Becky responded, "I mean, we *are* on zhe bay. Zhey're fresh, okay! Caught zhem myself." Someone joked, "Hmmm...never zhought we'd find a way to 'clam' Becky up, but zhere you go (grin)." Eventually, more buckets were passed around, "Scav life." "*noms on clams*" "... Welcome to zhe Scav Life." "Yinglets' stilt legs and hand-like feet are for walking zhe beach, feeling for clams and oysters in zhe sand, and picking zhem out to eat." "It's not our faults are fur smell like low tide or swamps."

With the Yinglets just a few feet high, it was commented those used to being in very big avatars might find them disorienting, "You know, as disorienting as going from human to yinglet must have been for Kass, can you imagine a massive dragon getting Ying'd?" Jasmine Dawn commented, "Here's my take on the Ying, change to one, go home, can't reach 'nuffin."

Magpie Hyena (VesperBloodwing Parx) had a gift for people attending the party, skins to change the appearance of the Yinglet avie a little, "Raph, I have three skins I can do for this av. I don't have time to set up for selling so, I was thinking about just giving them away." Raphie agreed, "Sure thing Magpie."

Some had a little trouble with dancing. Raphie admitting, "To be honest, Yinglet's won't dance better zhan zhis." Someone else joked, "Friendly warning: Swinging Yings does not mean to zrow zem, as light as zey are. Ying not meant to fly."

Another mused, "Dancing chickenlegs even." Becky commented, "Chicken legged, but far to small to eat! You won't get any meat off these bones." She herself later got hungry, "Be right back, I need another taco." This being the favorite food of the Crux avatars that Montecito Bay is fond of, someone commented,"Seriously, you're going to cruxify your Yinglet at this rate, Becky." Emorald surprised Becky by popping a taco into her mouth, "Ack! Hey! I had zhree dammit!" Emo chuckled, "Eat a fourth one!" Eventually, someone asked, "Becky can I haz some clamz?" Someone responded, "I don't think Becky wants to share her clams, or her tacos."

It didn't take long for a lot of the people there to buy and wear the avatar, "Jesus. The Yinglet group really grew!" "Oh my God the yinglets dancing at the front of the dancefloor are *adorable*!" Raphie grinned, "Thank you, enjoy being a birdrat." Someone pretended to be upset, "How dare you call me a birdrat!  I'm a ratbird!" A third mused, "Anozher birdrat for ze birdrat collection yes." Someone joked about a scene with these and another avatar that was selling well, the Chibi Noodle Dragon, "Imagine a Yinglet sled driven by four Noodles. That is a sugar shock." "I saw ***** and was all 'what is zhat big dragon-cat-zhing?  Oh, is a noodle!'" "Suddenly, for some reason, I'm imagining a Yinglet riding a Chocobo."

Raphie continued to get praise, "Thank you for making them a real thing " "Gotta spread Val's awesome creation!" Raphie responded. "SL real at least! Though I still want a plushie Yinglet at some point." "Oh my God, I want a Yinglet plushie too." Raphie responded, "I believe a plushie skin for the Ying is already in-concept." Someone grinned, "Just barely released and already getting modded." Apparently some had already made adjustments to their Ynglets, Magpie saying, "I am so shocked that there are so many modded yinglets in existence before this avatar even happened. I am sure these yinglet avs will do well." Someone commented, "I've been in a Yinglet avatar for about an hour and I already managed to sell ad space on zhirty percent of my body like a race car!"

Besides myself, a number from the Sunweaver community dropped by Montecito Bay for the party. This included Jasmine, Gil Ottared, Alleara Snoodle, and a few others. Gil mused of the numbers, "Just wait until we get our enclave togezher and start laying eggs."

The contest was won by Iexo Bethune!.

With the party over, people began heading out. "Have a wonderful evening everyone! Thank you Raphie for letting us host your wonderful avatar!" "Yall be safe and good. Don't OD on clams!" Someone responded, "Awwwww! OD'ing on clamz iz de fun part!" Some would say they'd return, "I'll have to come back here, this place is HUGE." Raphie commented, "I will tell (Valsalia) zhe tale of zhe SL Ying takeover, Zhe mighty tale! ...Zhank you all for coming!"

I had been told that in the rush to get the avatar finished by the release party, there were a few bugs in it. But the only person concerned about it at the party seemed to be Raphie himself. They should be ironed out and those who already having brought the avatar getting updates in a week or two. It was also commented that the avatar might have a lasting effect on Montecito Bay, remarking things were crazy enough with the Crux avatars, but with Crux *and* Yinglets, things would be truly insane.

Bixyl Shuftan

Addition: Some time later, Valsalia would message me, "... just gave the article a read. I was really surprised by how much customization has already gone into these, like the bucket-o-clams object (smile). That was a really solid article, and did a great job of both explaining the creature concept and the SL implementation of them. The way people describe these little things is always both fun and valuable for me to read, as it gives me a more solid understanding of the way people are perceiving these little things, and what aspects about them stand out to people the most"

Xymbers' Avatar Reviews: The DreamCrawler Dragon

By Xymbers Slade

Waltzing about the social islands one afternoon I ran into a mesh dragon that looked remarkably like a Seawolf, and I went "Oh, did Seawolf update their dragons to mesh?" -- well, they didn't; this dragon is by DreamCrawler, and at a hefty pricetag of $4700L (!), you're going to have to decide for yourself whether the price is worth the avatar. According to the 50-some positive reviews for the various breeds of this particular dragon (for each breed), I'd say the avatar creator is making quite a lot of $L.

This dragon follows the rest of the DreamCrawler line of avatars; you buy the dragon and get a few "soul gems" that determine its color (buying a dragon gets three gems, each with a different base texture that goes over the dragon mesh). You wear the dragon (itself a solid black blob until you pop in a soul gem), wear the variety of horns (several types) or ear fins (one type) you like, then wear a soul gem and boom, the dragon mesh is colored. This dragon currently has three styles: "Nocte" (mostly reds, oranges and blacks, making me think of volcanic dragons), "Voluptas" (Purples and blues that make me think ice or crystal), and "Marenostrum" (blues and whites mostly, ice drakes).

I grabbed myself a Nocte, popped in a soul gem and went to wander some sims. The animations on it are exceptionally well done and I got a lot of compliments on it. If anyone whined, it was about how the claws appeared "clipped" instead of full-on claws, but you can only do so much with mesh and that's just a minor thing. Flying is good, and every so often the animation has the dragon doing a little mid-air flip if you're hovering idle somewhere. The dragon does not come with a saddle but I think with a little bit of work one could be modified to work with the dragon. The breath weapon is customizable, with three different breaths (fire, frost, or poison gas), and the colors of the breath weapon are editable (one color for starting particles, one for ending particles).

It's not without its flaws. The hud has an expressions tab that has the names of the expressions in a tiny, almost unreadable font that almost requires the hud be resized, especially if someone has bad eyesight (on the plus side, my experience was that dreamcrawler avatar huds are slow to respond... not so with this one). When in flight, the head bobs and weaves, meaning you're not getting a direct line from your breath weapon, but a spray/blast all over the place like a firehose. There's no talkjaw, but this seems to be a theme with mesh objects, so I can let that slide. If you want more colors you have to buy more soul gems, and last I checked, extra color schemes were $999L each for a pack of 3. That's expensive when the easier way would be to add a colorchange hud like the mesh dinosaurs of Prehistorica... which would allow for individual customization of various parts of the dragon rather than just layering over one color scheme.

If anything, the real "flaw" is its price. I do not think any avatar with the current level of SL-tech is worth nearly $5000L. A well made dragon like the dragon from Spider Productions is half that (and has options for biped or quad when the Dreamcrawler is just a quad), and this DreamCrawler dragon certainly fits the definition of well-made. That's really the only reason (other than the "blurry" low rez hud, or at least it was blurry to me) that it gets Four Dragon Hoards out of five. If you can afford it, great, because you won't be unimpressed by it. If you can't afford it, there are cheaper just as good mesh dragons out there.

The Dreamcrawler dragon can be found on the Marketplace (here).

Pammie Venkman – RFL Designer Builder

By DrFran Babcock

I have known Pammie Venkman for many years, although we have not crossed paths in many years. I was a member of the Elf Circle for several of my years here in Second Life™, running a building school with Rodney and Vanilla Jessop, and loving my time with these peaceful, fun-loving, dedicated and passionate people. I participated in Relay for Life with the Circle of Life team for three or four years.  Pammie was, and is, and elf famous for her purple hair, a feature with which she was associated, and for which I envied her. Purple is my favorite color. I caught up with her this year during the Relay for Life building period when I noticed she had a designer build.

SL Newser: Pammie, how did you find out about Second Life™, and what is that has kept you here for all these years? 

Pammie Venkman: My husband told me about Second Life™.  I have some health problems and cannot get out much.  He was reading an article in Discover magazine about the cornfield time-outs that were once used as a punishment—boy does that date me! I logged in and got hooked. I stay because of my friends, and, of course, because I can live purple:).  The volunteer things I do here give me a sense of purpose that I found missing before I joined.  

SL Newser: You are famous in the Elf Circle for your purple hair.  How did you come to be an elf? What do you love about the Elf Circle? 

Pammie Venkman: Heehee.  I don't always wear purple hair, (well I do most of the time), but I am always purple.  When I first came into SL it was a wild time—kinda like the old west.  A lot of people were quite rude in many different ways.  Then somehow I found out about groups.  I have always been a Science Fiction & Fantasy fan.  Looking through the groups I thought: Elves! YES!  I visited a few elf groups, but knew Elf Circle was home right away. I love Elf Circle because of the people here.  At my first rez at the Elf Circle Drum Circle there were many folk who said hello and welcomed me. I am happy to help keep that tradition alive now seven years later.  I also love the fantasy builds here -- and the fact that I can do my own.  I like to help keep Elf Circle a good place to be by volunteering.   I am a council member, a guardian and a greeter.  I spend most of my SL in Elf Circle sims.   

SL Newser: On to Relay for Life. Please let us into your creative process a bit. How did you go from idea to build this year? What are your favorite tools for content creation? 

The design group held a meeting and we bounced around ideas. We all quickly coalesced around the botanical theme—we are Elves, after all.  One of the ideas was a rainforest; not sure who came up with it. We all liked it. Going on the rainforest theme, I first researched what, if anything, the rainforest had to do with cancer.  When I found out that 25% of the active ingredients in cancer-fighting drugs came from the rainforest I was off.  I visited rainforest sims in SL for ideas, and checked out the marketplace (I am not a great builder, I am more a decorator).  When I saw Luna Bliss’s waterfalls, I knew that was the basis for my rainforest. The members of my design team helped by terraforming, creating and placing many of the items used.  With my own prims I just moved things until I was pleased with the look.  Thankfully the team all gave me rights to their prim so it could be done.  I used Photoshop to create some signs (learning as I went) and did more Google research for information to be used in the hunt items.  I asked everyone I could to help look over the sim to make sure things were not awkward or hanging in the air! My favorite design tool is my camera, or you could also say my eye. I am one who creates organically, not by the numbers so much. My second favorite tool is the delete key.

SL Newser: Why do you Relay? 

Pammie Venkman: The same reason we all do.  Cancer is an insidious disease that takes too many people.  Research has given so many hope and much longer lives. Money is needed for more research—so I relay. My personal story is of my grandfather, aunt and two brother-in-laws that I never even met (one died at age 12), and losing a friend or two.

SL Newser: What would you like the rest of the world to know about Second Life™? 

Pammie Venkman: Second Life™ is what you make it.  There is the fast and sexy hangout we hear about in media, with the headlines about it breaking up marriages. Then there is where I go.  It’s where people stay for years.  All kinds of people of any age meet around some idea to socialize with others and enjoy the company.  You can listen to music (even live music) and dance better than you ever thought you could.  One can be as creative here as one can wish. You can even get involved in things that make a difference in “real” life.

SL Newser: What's next for you? Do you have any plans for new projects?  In the off season (until the 2014 Relay) I plan to learn a whole lot more about Photoshop.  Perhaps even make some cool PURPLE trees! Maybe I’ll become a creator.

Well, in my humble opinion, you don’t have to make “things” to be a creator. Pammie has spent years creating harmony and peace in the Elf Circle, and sharing her open heart with the people of like mind. The Elf Circle is a generous and loving group. At this writing, The Circle of Life’s relay team has reached Sapphire level, and contributed over a million and a half Lindens to the American Cancer Society.

You can visit Pammie’s wonderful rainforest, and, learn about the cancer-curing treasures hidden within. You will have to hurry though, the sims won’t be around much longer. Walk through the dark and lush jungle today.

Pammie Venkman Designer Build:  http://slurl.com/secondlife/RFL%20ACCEPTANCE/125/136/21

DrFran Babcock

Dragon Avatar Review

So, wandering the Grid, I decided to go out and revisit some of my favorite dragon avatar makers. Dragons of all shapes and sizes are one of the less common avatars I see these days, so I thought that spotlighting a few of them, people would know that they're out there and available for purchase.

My first stop on my list was the Isle of Wyrms. It's a big place, very mountainous, with a giant cathedral where the dragons are sold.

The first thing I noticed about the Isle of Wyrm dragons is that they are ornate. Very reminiscent of Eastern dragons. They're also very static. The last time I had one of these, there were no or very few flexiprims. With all the dragons that are out there with flexis for the wings, this could be a point that hurts them just a little bit. They're very customizable, with dozens of scale textures/colors to choose from (per dragon), and they also have a Bast and an Anubis dragon which is something I haven't seen others try to recreate.

The second thing that I noticed is that the dragons seem to be in a "limited edition" or limited hatching (there were only 3 fire dragons left when I dropped by, for example). I am not a part of the Isle of Wyrms groups so I don't know if it's a RP reason behind the limited hatchings or not, so you will have to visit and see for yourself.

The third thing I noticed is that they are *pricey*. Adults cost 3500 L. That's the most expensive dragon I've seen on the grid so far. Is the price too high? I don't know, I don't build so have no "effort-to-cost" appreciation.

RATING: 2 Dragon Hoards out of 5. I'm biased, they're just not my style and I personally think they're too expensive for their appearance. Your milage may vary. If they weren't popular to begin with, however, they would have disappeared from the grid entirely due to lack of business. So clearly the Isle of Wyrms is doing something right.

Next Stop: Grendel's Children.

If you haven't heard of Grendel's, find it in Search. Now. They've been around a long time and at least to me, have become a synonym for quality content, variety of all kinds of avatars and inexpensive pricing.

There are two varieties of their dragons. Their originals ... *does a double take* Oh hey, they're 0 $L now. I remember when they were 500. Anyway, their originals are larger than a normal avatar and are very very well done, with flexi-tails, extra purchasable breath weapons (15 $L, last I checked) and excellent scale detail.

Their most recent versions are more sculpty, more flexi, more detailed, and less expensive than others, costing about 500 $L. They have them in Plains, Canyon, Forest and Ravine dragon varieties.

They have a lot of other types of dragons (eastern chinese dragon avatars spring to mind) and a few two-legged varieties as well.

RATING: 4 Hoards out of 5. Good variety and very low pricing make it the perfect spot for those of you who want dragons but are on a budget.

Next, it was off to Kinzart Kreations.

They have four varieties: Northern, Southern, Western and Eastern. They're not quads, they're anthropomorphic. So if you're looking for the four-legged kind, look elsewhere. Variety is large and prices are good (1000 to 1500), and the style is a bit unusual. The Northern Dragons look a little bit like a winged lion with horns (lack of better words, it's in a good way), the Eastern variety have a definite chinese feel to them, while the Southern ones look like something reminding me of Bahamut (and it would not surprise me if that was the inspiration).

The avatars come in decorative boxes, which is a nice touch. I had several eggs in my hoard on my home sim for the longest time, having bought almost every variety of two different varieties (at least until the next shiny thing came along).

RATING: 3.5 Hoards out of 5. The effort shows and it's a nice choice if you want an unusual style in your dragon.

After that, it was time for a quick trip to the Spider Productions vendor in the Northstar Mall.

They're a maker of anthro dragons as well (no quads here) but the textures are very very good and the animation of flight is one of the better ones I have seen on SL. They too have their dragon boxes as collectable decorative eggs, and on top of that, their dragons are rideable in the same way a normal four-legged dragon is, which is unusual. I haven't seen many anthropomorphic dragons that have a saddle option.

They are EXPENSIVE : 2800 $L for either gender (each sold separately). However, this time I will say the work shows and this is a reasonable price for such a dragon (I would have charged maybe 2000, but I'm not the creator so what do I know). The hands are posable, the wings and eyes are recolorable, and they advertise a "hud packed with tons of features but only one script" --- I have three of these dragons, and I can vouch that this is a non-laggy dragon. :)

RATING: 4 Hoards out of 5. They could use more scale colors (even though they have about a dozen), and they should probably put both genders in one box, in my opinion. Their female dragon is a bit "blocky" in the chest, but I guess that's what one gets when one is effectively having a scale-armor bra stuck to your chest (grin).

Final stop, the Seawolves.

Everyone by now has had to have seen one. You know, the sim-sized reptilians stomping about or flying through the skies (and when I say sim-big, I mean they are huge, approximately 30 meters long and ten high for their Ancient size). They have juvenile and adult varieties too, which are Big and then Really Big, but I think it is the Ancient ones that they are known for the most. The price is good for all the work, too... about 2400 $L.

These gigantic behemoths are not for the lesser of heart (or lesser of computers --- if you have a slow computer, the ancient ones are not for you). If you are looking for something to sit around in and people watch, though (and be seen from two sims away if you have draw distance maxxed), this is your dragon.

In my opinion, their hud can only be described as a work of art. You drop new textures into its inventory and can then use those to style almost any part of the dragon. It already comes with a lot of options; the fact that the hud is so easy to use after adding your own is what I enjoy the most.

There are two types of breath weapons (fire and ice); click and fire a ball, hold and breathe a stream. They also come with a biped version (standard avatar size) of the same dragon, which is just as easily customizable as the quad version.

RATING: 5 Hoards out of 5. The only downer is that if you don't have a high-powered computer and you get an Ancient, your computer will scream, cry and melt (and probably make other low powered computers cry, as well).

So there you have it, a look at just a few dragon makers of SL.

Xymbers Slade