Silk Road VI - big next slice

I'm trying to get this finished off in reasonable time, and, although there have been some drop-outs, there is still a lot to get through.  So, this is an extra-chunky instalment.  Be warned.

Starting off with this nice set of jade necklace and earrings from number 41, Designs by Sebastian.  There's a more manly version for the gents, too.

Number 42, An Lema, gives us this Silken Pleasures two-seater couch, and a Bamboo in Dragon Pot, which has been carefully positioned here so that you can't see what Silken Pleasures Tali and I are getting up to, there.

Necklace and ring from 43, !Never Ever!.  Again, there's a more butch version in the pack for the gents.

Hera Golden Staff (available both held in hand and slung on your back) from 44, Jinxed Toys and Magic.  There is an alternative version for petite-sized avies.  There is also a Golden Eagle Staff for gents (big and small), belonging to Zeus, only Jinxed has chosen to spell the King of the Gods as "Zues" for reasons of their own.  I would be worried about thunderbolts if I were them.

Straightforward, well-build, Pantheon from 45, Dragon Magic Wares.  We are doing very well for temples on this hunt.  It's in theme, you see.

This Asian Table from 46, Fairey Angel Creations, is maybe less in the Ancient Rome theme.  Whatever, it's still pretty nice.

Same comment applies, really, for this Hamsah Cinnabar Chest from number 47, The Vintage Touch.

This here is a Cake Fox Furniture Pillow Pile Tapestry.  It's from number 48, Cake Fox.  It has multiple sits and a HUD you can wear to set the colour of the carpet, but the really important thing is that it is not a CakeFoxFurniturePillowPileTapestry.  Yes, folks, Cake Fox's spacebar is all better now!  Yay! - Stop being facetious, Glorf.  This is a nice piece of Cake Fox Furniture, by anyone's standards.

Here's a Byzantine Private Chapel from number 49, Les Arts de Saint-Bruno.  Very authentic, comes with high-definition textures of mosaics, and even a crossing-yourself animation.  Unusual, detailed, and well-researched.

Laurel wreath (with a colour changing HUD) from number 50, bacidalucia.  Would work better if I'd worn a different hair, I think.

Egyptian Servant outfit from 51, Thistle Moon Designs.  Male version and "Toddledeedoo" version on the packs beside me.  Comes with a couple of different options and is generally well made.

Roman Garden Chair from number 52, Zoe's Garden.  We're doing pretty well for chairs, too.  Of course, there's only so many ways you can make a bisellium, and this is a fine example of the breed.

Another chair - a Golden Throne, in fact - from 53, Park Place Home Décor.  And a quality object upon which to park my skinny behind, to be sure.

 Here I am, sitting inside the Mesh Roman Garden Temple Seat from number 54, Aster's Builts.

Leaf plate from number 55, Keshiki Garden Center.  I panicked a bit over this one, because I rezzed it, and didn't see anything happen at first... and it's no-copy... but when I cammed in close, I could see a little bit of that stalk handle sticking out of the ground, and the rest of it (for some reason best known to SL) was underground.  Very odd.  There are actually three of these, in different sizes - this is the Large one, and after nearly losing that, I didn't risk the Medium and Small ones.

Number 56, Adelle Arts, gives us... more togas.  I think that template has been used for another one, earlier on the list.  Never mind, it's a good template to use.

I've rezzed this on the ground, but it's actually meant to be worn, as a shield, specifically the Shield Of The Last Centurion, from number 57, Eclectic Stars.  It's a good decorative or costuming piece.  I hope the Last Centurion is going to manage OK without it, though.

Boring old picture of a texture pack from number 58,  Virtual Textures.

"Treasure of Silk Road - Blue Nebula" necklace from number 59, Willow.

Resizeable rug from number 60, Arkenstone Fantasy Furniture.  I have a sneaking feeling I could carpet a good section of Burroughs with Resizeable Rugs from Arkenstone - they are regularly in Hunts, and have found a reliable formula to work with.  Rugs are good, anyway.  I approve of rugs.

Number 61 is one of the drop-outs, so we move on to number 62 - and then take a break.  So, finally, the Silk Roads Traveler outfit from Destiny's Designs - female version worn, male on the pack shot.  Very elegant, and a range of mesh dresses (fitmesh and "standard" sizes) to choose from.

 

Number 63 is missing, too, and that is the USC Texture Tomb, run by the normally completely reliable Eagle Wilder, so I just hope he is OK!  However, his absence means... that the next thing on my agenda is the epic maxi-mini-hunt from number 64, Mountain Rose.  This is always a lot of stuff, so I shall have to gird up my loins and tackle it forthwith.  If not fifthwith.

Silk Road VI unpacking 3

I won't do the "Stenhousemuir 2 Queen of the South 4" joke this time.  I am getting painfully aware of how often I repeat my alleged witticisms.  Think up some new material, Glorf!

Anyway.  Next bunch of new material from the Hunt.

Let's start with a boring picture of a box - texture pack from number 31, Black Magnolia Imports.

Ah, now, these were fun.  Two "I wish I was a Roman statue" pose stands from 32, Lunar Seasonal Designs - one masculine pose, one feminine.  You "sit" on the pedestal thing and assume a rigid pose.  I got into the spirit of the thing and assumed a "Marble Statue" avatar I happened to have (from Adelle Arts, if you were wondering).  That, plus the "Helen" plain white toga from earlier unpacking, allowed me to appear appropriately... statuesque.

Still statue-ified and holding the Lost Scrolls of Herculaneum from number 33, Folklorica.  Thank goodness they weren't the Scrolls of Elephantis.  (Classicist in-joke.  Never mind.)

Roman bathing pool from 34, Timeless Décor.  Room for four bathers in a variety of poses controlled by those pot plants in the corners.  Nice.

A Dressel Amphora - a typically well-made and authentic-looking decorative mesh object from number 35, Pierre Ceriano.

"Europa Spring" book table from number 36, Gator's Gallery.  Contains a voucher for getting "Europa Spring", Daisy the Gator's new ebook, cheap.  Which is nice.  Tali opined, in the light of previous experience, that the small table is the wrong shape, though.

ObDisclaimer about Nyree Rain of Rainy Fey Creations (number 37) being on my personal f-list.  But, come on, who isn't?  Anyway, this Lion Fountain is a nice, economical, decorative piece.

Elegant Chair (with a variety of sit poses) from number 38, Steaming Ahead.  Elegant, and also robust, since it can cope with a marble Glorf sitting on it.

Silk Road Table from 39, MacMurfin's Read and Eatables, with neat auto-attaching objects for eating and drinking.  No reading.  Well, you can't have everything, and at least this one has an octagonal table, i.e., the right shape.  I am still marmoreal in this shot.  This is not important, it's just an excuse for me to say "marmoreal", I get so few opportunities to use that word in conversation.  The table is nice, mind.

Finally, I de-Medusa'ed myself to put on this mesh toga from Miss Darcy, stop 40.  The "Lavinia" toga; the male equivalent is "Lucius", and there he is on the box behind me.  It's nice - not my colour, but that really is quibbling unnecessarily, this is a good item.

 

That's it for tonight.  "More than half way", you might say, but there is an immense mini-hunt coming up before we reach the finish line.  Never mind.  More anon.

Silk Road VI unpacking: second chunk

Slightly shorter, as events in RL have taken precedence (I have been shoved inside a giant metal tube to discover what's wrong with me.  I imagine a conversation with my doctor, shortly, beginning with "Well, this may take some time...."  But never mind that.)

We start with number 21, Urid Dal's Hat Shop.  As usual from this particular shop, this is not a hat.  It's a Flabellum with Ostrich Feathers and Scarab, otherwise known as a whacking great fan. It's a fun fan.  I am a fan of the fan.

Number 22, Hudson's Clothing, give us a Roman Coin Heavy Necklace (shown) and Roman Cross Heavy Necklace (not shown).  Because my neck is too slim for two Heavy Necklaces, probably.

Number 23, Enchanted, and the Helen dress (worn) with a Paris outfit for men (shown on the side of the bag.)  First of several mesh togas in this lot.  Comes with multiply-strappy sandals and custom mesh feet (that don't fit properly on my excessively long legs.)  Someone with a more standard shape would be just fine with these, I think.

24 was missing.  25 is Sparrow by Design, and provides some nice decorative mesh plaques (which would look better if I'd put some walls up for them to hang on, methinks) and this Silk Road Sofa, which seats two, in a variety of decorous poses (no indecorous ones, darn it.)

Off with the togas again.  This is Antonia (Antonius is on the box) from Tayren's Fantasy Fashions - more traditional (system layer and flexi) stuff, but none the worse for that.

I really mean on with the togas, don't I?  They are not coming off, this is still Not That Sort Of Blog.  This is another mesh one, from number 27, DSO.  It's called Vesta.  The gents get Vulcan, you can see him on the pack shot, looking butch.

Fun things from number 28, Celtic Creations.  The merchant's stall thing to the right is pretty ordinary, but the vineyard and grape-treading vat (complete with animation and wine-stained feet stockings) is a joy.  Tali was amused, even though I'd just shoved a vine through her head.

Chinese Daybed from 29, Casa de Bebe.  Decorous animations again.  Still, it's a nice thing.

Finally, for this section, the Sol Invictus necklace from number 30, Chaos Panic & Disorder.  There's a separate variant for the gentlemen, but I didn't check in what way it differs.

 

That's all for now.  Further instalments will follow with the usual hideous inevitability.

... and a quick update

While my paws were in the very act of pounding the keyboard for that last, number 17 officially dropped out of the Hunt, and a new number 17, Panda Panda, dropped in, and here is their gift, a Brunswick label century old phonograph.

It is mesh, it is one LI, it plays a sprightly melody when clicked upon, it is in all respects an excellent thing.

(I have messed up my numbering, by the way.  Hermione's Heavenly Sweet Boutique was number 16, with the teddy bear, and has been in place since the get-go, no problems there.  It's number 17 which is now a new number 17.  Sorry about that.  I am old and tired and I get confused easily you know.)

Silk Road VI: Unpacking begins

Because if there's one thing guaranteed to get me to blow the dust off this thing, it's a Hunt.

Silk Road VI covers seventy-odd shops, some of them very odd, and its theme is Ancient Rome.  How Roman will it get?  Well, it made me Rome all the way through it (oh, come on, you knew that was coming, didn't you?) and now I have reached Unpacking Isle and begun the unpacking.

(You will note that 1) I am temporarily back to human form for this thing, and 2) for several of these entries, I should have made myself a larger Unpacking Isle.)

We start off, of course, by picking up the invaluable Hunt bracelet at the Imperial Palace in Mieville.

Next up, Play Dead, and this Bonds of Eros collar.  A quick check shows that it has a script, but it's only a resizer and not anything (ahem) naughty.

Stop 3 is Goddess Fantasies, and they provide this rather neat little temple, with some accessories (the blue lamps and the mystic pyramid that emits whirly things) available separately.  A close-up view, if I'd done one, would show some neat work done with specular maps.

Here's a Roman Chair from number 4, Lantian Flox.  We shall be seeing a number of chairs, of varying designs.  They don't all include dignified poses like this one.

Library sites Bibliotheque de Coeur and Illuminations have merged, and are both at stop 5, and provide two little talking scrolls.  Lady Ban recites a poem on the left scroll, and Xue Tao recites from the right.  And jolly nice too.

This is a sample of the stuff from number 6, Salome Designs: a set of phantom mesh components for a Roman-style aqueduct.  This is nice.  This is very nice, and if I ever had the need for some Romanesque sim decorations, this would be just the stuff.  It wouldn't be a lot of trouble to stick in enough invisible real prims to make this convincingly solid, too.

Number 7, Rozamyndi's, provides a male outfit and a female one.  This is the female one.  Oh, you guessed.  Unfortunately, the box for the male one doesn't show what's in it, and I don't really have the physique to demonstrate it.  Never mind.

Here's another Roman chair, with different sets of animations, from number 8, COVETED.

And here's another temple.  We're already doing well for temples.  This rather impressive one, which doesn't quite fit on Unpacking Isle, comes from stop 9, Orchid Petals Design.

This texture pack from number 10, LilArt Creations, fits on the island just fine.  Texture pack.  Useful, but not much to look at, move on.

 Another texture pack from number 11, McMinnar's Oddments.  This one at least has a bright and informative box.

Here's me lounging on Oriental Lounging Cushions from number 12, Hearth & Home.  Several lounging poses are included, most of them too risqué in that skirt.

Number 13 is not ready yet, so I console myself by going over to number 14, Pixel Perfect Productions, and picking up a parasol.  There are also flip-flops, for males and male Slink feet, which are not depicted, owing to the unsuitability of my feet.  (A further development relating to my feet may or may not be addressed some time.  It's not relevant to this, though.)

Number 15 is Arcadia Asylum... you pick up a number of things on the way, and then the actual prize is that brazier thing you see in the foreground, and the flying squid you can see following me (as usual, I'm in favour of anything with tentacles.  I'm a sucker for tentacles, ho ho ho), and the main thing, that perfectly spiffy Neptune's Roman Chariot vehicle drawn by hippocampi.

Number 16 has also not made it yet.  Number 17, Hermione's Heavenly Boutique, donates a themed teddy bear, which I think they've done for the last three Hunts I've been on.  This is a Roman Centurion Bear with a sweet little cuddly pilum for hurling at his enemies and adorably impaling them.

Number 18 is Jan's Bazaar, and (as is oft her wont) Janeel Kharg has put together a mini-hunt with a whole heap of decorative items as prizes.  You can see some of them here, mostly stood on or around this pool-and-changing-room piece.  Note the chairs.  Plenty of chairs so far. 

And where there are chairs, there are temples.  And more incidental decoration.  Jan has, in fact, given us pretty much everything but the kitchen sink.

For that, you have to go to number 19, [noctis].  (OK, it's actually a Marissa's Bathroom Sink, but I have moved it, conceptually, to the kitchen for the sake of a cheap laugh.)

Number 20, SANNA Science and Art, provide animated textures, as is oft their wont.  Water ripples and animated carp, sufficient to build (for example) this sample fishpond.  Well, I have no criticism of this.  You know me, I'm not one to carp.

 

At that point, I shall stop.  And not before time, some would say.  More will follow, with hideous inevitability.