Fired up pandora and it started playing Oingo Boingo. And I realized that I can basically sum up Magnagora in terms of Oingo Boingo songs.
Put together a lot of Dead Man's Party, smash it with some Weird Science. Add in Little Girls, and throw it all together with some War Again.
...what
Everiine said: The reason population is low isn't because there are too many orgs. It's because so many facets of the game are outright broken and protected by those who benefit from it being that way. An overabundance of gimmicks (including game-breaking ones), artifacts that destroy any concept of balance, blatant pay-to-win features, and an obsession with convenience that makes few things actually worthwhile all contribute to the game's sad decline.
I think in my half asleep mode I was struggling to remember if Aky was a good guy or a bad guy and I still don't know why the heart wasn't going in! Aky it is great seeing you about again!
@Innon & @Eadei for being a powerful driving force and a constant challenge. Keep coming at us you have shown what participation and a good outlook on combat can do for your alliance and there is definite improvement in motivation there guys!
I would like to thank Gaudiguch (and some Glomdoring folk too) for being extremely helpful! The kindness and patience of the Lusternia community is as big as people say it is!
While coming up with a design I could be satisfied with was difficult at first, I really did enjoy this year's Beauty Seal theme and the scope in styles for all the placing pieces.
Ember Delight is brilliant! I fell asleep on the sofa at 8pm and missed the Gala but I'm glad it's still open for a bit so I can poke around and eat the leftover cake.
The Gala was very enjoyable, and well put-together! Thank you admins for spending the time and effort on its immersion and the events that were involved. Everyone's costumes were fabulous as well (thanks to @Gurashi for the log in my absence)!
Raves also again for the Charites and mortal reviewers for bringing my designs through so quickly so that the costume was possible.
As a sidenote, since someone made a comment about Rancoura not having a beak for her shadow hawk costume... full outfit details below.
Desc:
A svelte demidivine of dark grace she is a feathered trill nightwreathed demigoddess. Guised in a shadowy beauty embodying the reigning darkness, each supple movement is ethereal in its fluidity; her partial mortality is evident in the carnal form she inhabits, yet there is an adumbral, otherworldly aura ensconcing her that fluctuates with a subtle, but tangible divine power, saturated with the essence of revelling shadow. Her skin has been dusted with crushed onyx and silvery faeleaf in tracings of feathers, marked also by a barely perceptible, silver seven-pointed star imbued below the hollow of her throat visible between the feathers of her gown. A curvaceous form retains the otherwise slender profile of the trill, though she stands half again taller than her mortal kin and with a perfected poise, her countenance beautiful in its feminine refinement as she surveys all with cool regard. The lower half of her aesthetically stoic visage has been stained with dark feathered patterns as well, including the onyx hues of her lips, the upper half hidden behind the long, black-feathered mask; behind its golden eyes, her own are hidden, but a wintry shadowfire can be discerned flickering entrancingly behind the gold. The inky blackness of her immense, ephemerally-spun wings cascades down her back in a fall of otherworldly feathers, flowing silkily about her form like an insubstantial, adumbral cloak shifting in the slightest breath of air; melding with her wings' shadow-mist, atrous plumage flows from the crest of her head as coalesced shadow, strung with shards of black crystal. She carries herself elegantly, each graceful movement accompanied by the rustling of her gown's long, adumbral plumage, which delicately brushes the ground in her wake.
She is wearing:
an aura of shadow surrounding her eyes
a thin, delicate silver belt of the night resting upon her slender hips
a translucent mark of the Silent One clasped to her silver belt
a golden-eyed, shadow-feathered half-mask
shoulder-length, taloned gloves of feathered ebony lace
a sensual, shadowsilk gown of silver-edged feathers
an onyx feather pendant resting between her breasts
a silver torc.
Outfit:
a golden-eyed, shadow-feathered half-mask
Elegantly fashioned, this mask has been carefully sculpted from stiffened black silk before being covered with a gorgeous display of ebon feathers and down. The plumage does not seem wholly substantial, something slightly ethereal to it as though partly composed of shadow rather than purely organic material. The edge of each feather has been dusted with silver, the plumes fanning out across the top of the mask and sweeping outwards from the eyes. The mask itself covers only the top half of the visage and is secured with a fine ribbon, a sharp hawk's beak sweeping down the middle and curving in towards the wearer's mouth. In the midst of the shadowy countenance glitter golden-hued gemstone eyes, translucent enough to allow the wearer to see reasonably well through them; despite their warm hues, the eyes convey a piercing cold, a striking centre to the fashionable if slightly intimidating piece.
shoulder-length, taloned gloves of feathered ebony lace
Designed to sheathe the wearer's arms like a second skin, these gloves have been sewn from the finest spider silk lace and dyed a lightless ebony. Swathing the arms nearly as far as the shoulders, the luxurious, delicate embroidery is patterned with feathers, each long plume outlined in faint silver so that the wearer's arms appear to be covered in adumbral plumage. Perhaps the most unusual aspect of the gloves, each digit has been fitted with a glittering onyx-wrought talon, sharpened to nefarious tips strongly reminiscent of their purpose when found in natural predators.
a sensual, shadowsilk gown of silver-edged feathers
Regally elegant and dark, this high-collared, sleeveless gown sweeps around the wearer in a luxurious display of shadowed, avian beauty. Fitting the form closely, an open-back, stygian down-covered bustier shapes the torso and enhances the curves of the bosom, a respectable amount of cleavage visible between the sweeping crest of silver-edged feathers fanning outwards over the chest in accentuation of the breasts. Two inch-wide straps of silk span from the outer edges of the bustier to tie around the neck in a halter-like fashion, securing a high-rising collar of cresting, silver-dusted ebon feathers that rests lightly around the neck, curving around the head in a proud display and spanning out across the shoulders into feathered pauldrons. The back of the bustier dips down in a sharp 'v' to allow free movement of wings, and from the hips flow layers of stiffened ebony silk, smooth and sleek and cut into feather-like patterns. Each feathery cut is edged in silver, the mimicked plumage flowing down to the wearer's ankles in a gorgeous, rustling display. Just above the derriere, a separate layer of material has been gathered just below the small of the back and then left to flow freely in an elegant train, again cut into feathery patterns reminiscent of an avian's tail while maintaining the same elegance as the rest of the gown. The plumage, both real and simulated, does not seem wholly substantial, something slightly ethereal to it as though partly composed of shadow rather than purely organic material, an effect which is enhanced by the sensuous flow of the gown's layers.
Tonight amidst the mountaintops And endless starless night Singing how the wind was lost Before an earthly flight
I'm not 100% sure if the judges actually saw the full details of each garment. I'm pretty sure I've had issues with mobs not noticing things like that in the past, so maybe when admin are mob possessing they can't LOOK AT <thing> on <person>. With that in mind, I think a lot of the judge calls make more sense, and there was definitely a weight on clothing poses too imo (which I lacked, but should have thought more about).
I'm not 100% sure if the judges actually saw the full details of each garment. I'm pretty sure I've had issues with mobs not noticing things like that in the past, so maybe when admin are mob possessing they can't LOOK AT <thing> on <person>. With that in mind, I think a lot of the judge calls make more sense, and there was definitely a weight on clothing poses too imo (which I lacked, but should have thought more about).
I regret not having mentioned more details in the emotes I did, so I suppose it's fair to have just judged on those (mine were kind of rushed because I was supposed to have left for a RL engagement about... half an hour before the contest started), but I just wanted to point out that there was definitely a beak involved!
Tonight amidst the mountaintops And endless starless night Singing how the wind was lost Before an earthly flight
I'm not 100% sure if the judges actually saw the full details of each garment. I'm pretty sure I've had issues with mobs not noticing things like that in the past, so maybe when admin are mob possessing they can't LOOK AT <thing> on <person>. With that in mind, I think a lot of the judge calls make more sense, and there was definitely a weight on clothing poses too imo (which I lacked, but should have thought more about).
I regret not having mentioned more details in the emotes I did, so I suppose it's fair to have just judged on those (mine were kind of rushed because I was supposed to have left for a RL engagement about... half an hour before the contest started), but I just wanted to point out that there was definitely a beak involved!
Yeah, in retrospect I probably should have done more of that too.
In fairness, it probably would have been too much to expect the judges to scrutinize every single piece of each ensemble while we were catwalking (and having to pay attention to that too). If they did, it probably would have taken waaaaaay longer.
I'm not 100% sure if the judges actually saw the full details of each garment. I'm pretty sure I've had issues with mobs not noticing things like that in the past, so maybe when admin are mob possessing they can't LOOK AT <thing> on <person>. With that in mind, I think a lot of the judge calls make more sense, and there was definitely a weight on clothing poses too imo (which I lacked, but should have thought more about).
We can shed a little light on this, dahling!
The judges did, in fact, look at every single thing you were wearing. Every time someone entered the contest, their base descriptions & list of items were captured and placed in a document for all of the judges to read. Whilst preparing their judging the three judges then looked individually at the relevant items.
Where this caused a few problems was that some people were not actually wearing their precise costume at the time of entry - the aim was to allow the judges to prepare as far in advance as possible. So if you spotted a bit of confusion here and there, it might be because the judges were looking at out of date material. Something for Us to fix in the future, should the world end again and require another grand party.
PS: @Rancoura, we have it on good authority that information about your prize will reach you soon, just as soon as those involved have finished their very necessary post-Gala recovery.
@Charites Thank You for clearing that up! I loved the contest, and I loved designing for it. Thank You and thank all the other admins/behind-the-scenes individuals for all the work involved, the Gala truly was spectacular.
Tonight amidst the mountaintops And endless starless night Singing how the wind was lost Before an earthly flight
Comments
theatre due to the snowy weather.
hungering malice.
Put together a lot of Dead Man's Party, smash it with some Weird Science. Add in Little Girls, and throw it all together with some War Again.
For me the fun part was when Aky jumped into the colossus and I turned to @Enadonella to tell her that I didn't think I remembered how to fight those.
Well done everyone! @Lavinya @Ayisdra @Vatul don't be afraid to strut your stuff too.
Much
Tonight amidst the mountaintops
And endless starless night
Singing how the wind was lost
Before an earthly flight
Tonight amidst the mountaintops
And endless starless night
Singing how the wind was lost
Before an earthly flight
Tonight amidst the mountaintops
And endless starless night
Singing how the wind was lost
Before an earthly flight
In fairness, it probably would have been too much to expect the judges to scrutinize every single piece of each ensemble while we were catwalking (and having to pay attention to that too). If they did, it probably would have taken waaaaaay longer.
Edit: Nevermind, going to make a thread for this since I'd love to see everyone's in detail.
Edit #2: Ascension Gala 2019 Costumes thread
Tonight amidst the mountaintops
And endless starless night
Singing how the wind was lost
Before an earthly flight
The judges did, in fact, look at every single thing you were wearing. Every time someone entered the contest, their base descriptions & list of items were captured and placed in a document for all of the judges to read. Whilst preparing their judging the three judges then looked individually at the relevant items.
Where this caused a few problems was that some people were not actually wearing their precise costume at the time of entry - the aim was to allow the judges to prepare as far in advance as possible. So if you spotted a bit of confusion here and there, it might be because the judges were looking at out of date material. Something for Us to fix in the future, should the world end again and require another grand party.
PS: @Rancoura, we have it on good authority that information about your prize will reach you soon, just as soon as those involved have finished their very necessary post-Gala recovery.
Tonight amidst the mountaintops
And endless starless night
Singing how the wind was lost
Before an earthly flight
I wasn't planning to participate - put my name in in the last minute. And I'm glad I did - it was a fun event! Fabio was awesome!
Yendor 1,051,109,4 -1,566,526 -881,000 431,000 1,049,092,911