Shadows

No, what it sounds like is a certain admin about to go off the deep end. (I swear, it's the third time he's misidentified someone in a thread in the past day or so) Speaking of which, I, ImperialScouts, fully endorse this post.

I like them, I just don't use them much. I've been building up a supply for a while, both in tan and brown, and am starting to experiment with using them in unusual places. I've used tan ones as building decoration before, usually in a stack on either side of a window casement or some such, sometimes in proximity to those lion head decorations. So they even have a place in modular building. Honestly, I wish they were horizontal, I know I'd use more of them. As they are, it limits them to specific uses that don't come up much for me, but when you need a vertical log, they're the only way to go. Matter of fact, here is an example of someone else's work that I've always been particularly fond of. I considered making something similar, replacing those 1x1 round bricks and studs under the bar with tan logs. Try to visualize how well that will work. So, bottom line: when you need them, they're great to have. Wish there was a horizontal equivalent.

Aluvar has made a quick detour back, not wanting to miss out on the action and all. Lord Kenneth has gone from confused to ready to retire, I think. Now, we are definitely heading north. Anyone in our path in need of a good confusing, please speak up now! You might notice that I am dropping in little hints of things to come. Now Alyss has a very special sword and, hmmm, could it be ... a mysterious destiny, unknown to her? There's more and more to her, every time I look. Yes, well stop looking so much, it's creepy. Sorry.

L-14 Black Knights territory North of our previous location by a few hundred yards Go back. What? GO BACK, NOW! Yes sir! Grandoth turns the carriage around in a wide arc and begins heading back toward Lord Kenneth and his men. Look at it! It's horrible, like a big pool of black from which no light can escape! That's a fairly good description, I must say. Aluvar begins banging on the roof of the carriage. Alyssta! Prepare for battle, bring Falsmite and my purple wand! WHAT? I'll take care of that thing myself, we can't put her in danger! You can't. We can. You'll stay with the carriage and try to keep Lord Kenneth's men from doing anything stupid, they can't fight it either. Yes sir... The carriage stops directly behind Lord Kenneth who turns to see Aluvar and Alyssta approaching, weapons in hand, a steely determination across their faces. Realising that help has indeed arrived, he quickly backs away from the beast, which now seems much more interested in the recent arrivals. You should not have come back, old man. Don't bother, your taunts and mind tricks have no effect on me. You're just another hellspawn, the likes of which I've dealt with a hundred times before. The creature glances over at Alyss. And what of the little girl? Do you bring a girl to a battle? Is that all you've got to confront me? Oh, I'll show you what I've got, and you don't want any part of it! He laughs a bit, then notices Falsmite glimmering in her hand. Well, it would seem you have a bit more wisdom than I expected. I haven't seen a sword like that in a long time, a long time, and wielded by a woman? Could she be who I think she is? No matter. Your day will come. All of you will be dead and I will feast upon your souls. There is no sense in wasting my efforts here. The beast conjurs up a fireball which it flings, not at Aluvar and Alyss, but directly toward Lord Kenneth. Realising that he can either save Lord Kenneth, or kill the beast, Aluvar casts a quick protection spell over the Lord and watches as Alyss charges, in vain, for the beast has already begun his teleportation spell and disappears before she can reach him. Who does he think I am? Uh. I have no idea. You know how those demons are, they just ramble to try to unnerve you. Didn't mean anything, I'm sure. Hmmm... The fireball bounces harmlessly off Aluvar's spell, doing no harm, aside from a bit of emotional shock to the poor Lord, who now looks like he's just about through with this whole situation. Y-y-y-you saved me from that, that unholy creature, whatever it is. It's a black wraith demon. They basically suck the life out of anyone they come in contact with. As a matter of fact, we should tend to the wounds your men have suffered, or they'll all be dead, or worse, by nightfall. Oh, yes, immediately. Men! Gather together, we must deal with your wounds immediately, and bring the boy we found, he needs caring for as well. The soldiers begin gathering together, some in particularly bad shape, but none fatally wounded. They are, however, unable to find the boy. It seems he's gone, sir. He can't be gone, he was too weak to walk. Yes, I know. His brother appears to have disappeared as well. Oh, that isn't good. You must find him. We'll send out a search party as soon as you've tended to their wounds. Yes, let's get started. After a half hour, Aluvar and Alyss have finished patching up the soldiers and Aluvar casts a quick cleansing spell to rid the area of lingering evil. That should help, but it won't last long. Find that boy. If you don't, you may be facing another monster tomorrow. We must be going, and we won't be coming back this time, we're already behind schedule, and there are much bigger matters ahead. Thank you again, sir. I doubted you a little earlier, I confess. You seemed, well, hard to understand. I see now the wisdom behind your words and deeds and wish you well for your journey. Thank you Lord Kenneth, good luck to you too. You're going to need it. We're all going to need it. Aluvar and Alyss reboard the carriage and continue north, not looking back.

You know, that has bugged me the whole time. Same shield, different colours. I just thought of them as northern and southern equivalents. I really need a good faction breakdown I think. I'll fix it immediately.

I've put you on the trail of the monster, dumped another kid on you, stuck in a sneaky commercial for the Caption contest, and shown that Aluvar can handle himself in a combat situation. It was quite a good little chapter. I hope your poor troops recover from our encounter. They looked a bit shaken by the whole thing.

L-14 Black Knights territory Uh... Aluvar... Grandoth stops the carriage about 300 yards short of a group of Black Knight soldiers. Aluvar peers out the carriage window, then climbs up top. Oh, maybe they know about the village back there. So we approach? Of course lad, we've nothing to fear. If you say so. The carriage begins moving again, slowly making it's way toward the soldiers, who looks less than thrilled by the whole situation. As they get closer, one of the soldiers begins shouting for them to stop. What do we do? Wipe them out. All of them. WHAT? It's a joke, if you could live long enough, you'd eventually get it. Um, sure. Grandoth stops the carriage, much to the relief of the somewhat panicked looking soldiers. An armoured knight approaches. I am Lord Kenneth of the Black Knights, and you will surrender immediately. Surrender? Now now, don't worry lad, I'll take care of this. Aluvar jumps down from the carriage and begins to approach Lord Kenneth. Troops immediately surround him, pointing swords and spears menacingly in his direction. I'd really prefer you stopped that. They didn't. Fine, but don't say that I didn't warn you. With wild motions and arcane chanting, Aluvar casts a small but effective spell of dispersal. The troops surrounding him are sent flying anywhere from 8 to 19 feet, depending a lot on their weight. SORCERY! HE'S SOME KIND OF EVIL WIZARD! ATTACK! No one moved. Aluvar grinned from ear to ear. You know, it would save you a lot of trouble if you just read this letter. Glancing around at his troops disapprovingly, Lord Kenneth steps forward to take the letter and begins reading it. Uh. Hmm. I see. Well then, now that we've cleared that up, would you like an escort for the remainder of your trip? I think we can handle it ourselves, don't you? Quite. Plus, you have the matter of that lad in the bushes over there. Lad? Bushes? Where? Aluvar points at a small bush. One of the soldiers approaches it and is tackled by a small boy. He's my brother! You won't hurt him or I'll kill you all! Any idea who he's talking about? Oh, yes, we found an injured boy. Clawed, like an animal had attacked him. It weren't no animal, it was the monster! Monster? Monster? Monster! Might explain the village we just left. Dead empty, not a soul to be found. We've received similar reports locally! NO! I MEAN... MONSTER!!! BEHIND YOU! The group turns to see a very large troll, accompanied by a dwarf. That's odd. Odd? It's downright bizarre. What's he doing with that thing? The bugle or the bicycle? I don't know, which one is the red one? That's the bicycle. I think they're arguing about something. Probably which one gets to ride first, though I don't think either one will do particularly well at it. Ride what? The bicycle. I see. No, I don't see, I'm lying. It's perfectly understandable, those won't be invented for a few hundred years. Oh, of course, that explains it. The dwarf and troll wander off towards the south, completely unaware of the confusion they've caused. So, lad, is that the kind of monster that attacked your brother? Which one? You have more than one brother? I meant which monster. Were there several? No. You sure he isn't your son? I don't think I even have a son, why do you ask? No reason... Grandoth jumps down from the carriage. Look, we need to get moving, nightfall approaches and we need to make it to a village soon, the horses are tired, I'm tired, this story isn't going anywhere... Story? Don't ask. Another relative? It wasn't that funny the first time. Sorry. Well, he's right, we really need to continue our trip. I suggest you get the lad to describe the monster, and maybe try to chart out where the attacks have occured. Perhaps you can determine what direction it's travelling in. That's a good idea! Then on that note, I will bid you, good day. Aluvar and Grandoth board the carriage and head off toward the north. Lord Kenneth is left standing in the middle of the road, wondering just what all of that was about. Glancing over at one of his soldiers, he comments on how odd the whole experience was. Well, I suppose we'd better get to tracking this monster before any more villages are wiped out. Yes sir! Just then, Lord Kenneth spies a very large, very dark creature moving in the shadow of some trees. It's in those trees! Attack! The soldiers charge toward the trees, where they discover ...

Absolutely not, and I'll tell you why. Steampunk is, by it's very nature, random. Unexpected. Improvised machinery of nearly forgotten era. It's a great theme for MOC builders because it gives each one the chance to do something that is completely a reflection of them. Each steampunk creation should be one of a kind, something a guy built in his garage over the course of 37 weekends. With an official set, suddenly, everyone has the same thing. No more one of a kind, no more mad inventor with a plan and a pile of junk, just another mass produced vehicle. Time Cruisers is the perfect example of why it wouldn't work. They tried to force randomness in those sets, and they were pretty much a disaster. So, bottom line for me. Steampunk good. Official theme bad.

Ok, here we go again. I dunno... I can't quite pinpoint it, but she just doesn't feel right. Now I'll admit, I hate that head. I can't really explain it as anything other than "oh me, oh my, I'm staring at headlights." Still, that isn't it. Ah, first issue. Flesh. I never figured out why you switched over, and now I'm even more confused. I don't foresee a Castle line ever appearing in flesh, so why make her that way? She'll never be compatible with anything official. I realise it's an easy fix, but having yellow in the neckline will change how the rest of the outfit looks, so it's hard to judge here. Second issue will always be the cleavage. Dark shaded at the top and bottom again... Clearly, she must be lying on a bed with light casting a shadow in both directions somehow, because otherwise, it just isn't natural. Lighter at the top working your way to darker underneath is the key, or at least a solid colour for the top 2/3rds and then darker to make the inward curve underneath. I've actually been working on that Zelda a bit, and while it's horrid so far (so much crazy detail in there), I might post a WIP thread for it. It's spawning all kinds of weird ideas in my head, leading to alternatives that aren't even close to finished, but need direction. I have some simple cleavage in there. I'm also doing a new concept called "Pirate Princesses" that will feature famous female pirates and should eventually lend some cleavage inspiration (why are all famous female pirates described as stunningly beautiful?). So far, I've only done one, and I used stock parts for her (still looks good, mostly because it is the absolute perfect head) and then made a custom flag based on a design I found online. Is it accurate? Hell if I know, but it looks good. What does that have to do with this? Nothing. I can think of a few potential experiments to try, but not really explain them. The level of decoration now is good, but in losing some of it, something else was lost, I just can't get it into words. He's the only one that occasionally does it to me too...

We seem to have reached a bit of a lull in the action here, no posts or entries since the 16th. Still, we're doing very well. I'm quite pleased with the results so far, but there's plenty of time left! You know, we're getting very close to announcing the actual LEGO Pirate prizes you are competing for, and I'm just going to say this once... they're very impressive. VERY impressive. VERY IMPRESSIVE. So I said it three times, there's three prizes, and you know what? They're VERY IMPRESSIVE! Seriously, I wouldn't kid you here. So... for those of you have entered, be sure to tweak your work until it's everything you hope for, and the rest of you should get building while you still have a crack at those, dare I say it, VERY IMPRESSIVE prizes! That was subtle, wasn't it? Get building! There are Pirates out there who need secret hideouts and Imperials who need things to guard, and treasure to be found and hidden again, ships to be plundered, ports to be raided, Islanders who just want to be loved. Erm. That might be a different contest entirely. But it isn't! It's this one too! We need your view of A Pirate's Life! so get with it! Thanks!

I had not! How did I miss that? It's great! OMG, now I see why! I've been avoiding the entry thread so I wouldn't say nice things about specific entries, but I remember you saying you'd done it in Fabuland. I have to stop commenting now, it would be unfair for me to influence the judging. Eep... look at that cute monkey in the hat! *runs*

I remember back to your Vogon contest entry. I still think it should have gotten more votes than my bathroom. So yeah, someone out here remembers, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. I like it. It stays true to the source, but updates it for today's building standards. I'd like to see more updates of old sets in this style. It's great to see a builder credit others! They do seem to be the masters right now, no doubt about it. A Fabuland Renaissance seems to be happening here, and I for one am thrilled to see it.

Hmmm... we shall have to see, tomorrow.

Oh ho, it would seem that the King of Fabuland has been inspired by the up and coming MOC Prince, Sir Nadroj! Nice job stepping it up, and definitely a contender. I've never seen that much grey in any Fabuland creation that wasn't actually built into a mountain (nice job again, Sir Nadroj), and yet it looks like it really belongs. It's great to see so much more tweaked out of a line that LEGO abandoned before it's time. Now I'm left to imagine a huge Fabuland Deluxe (that's what I calling this new level of Fabuland) layout, complete with train, harbour, amusement park, everything imaginable. Perhaps Modular Fabuland Downtown. The possibilities are as endless as the wonderful imaginations of the Fabuland Builder's Guild. Am I the only one that thinks that smooth fox is about to put the moves on the innocent looking goat? Keep up the great work! WAIT! I'm always supposed to find one complaint in these. *looks* *looks some more* *camera fades*

Amazing, absolutely amazing! If I didn't already have an appreciation for both Fabuland and your building abilities, I'd have tons of both now, which I already did, and still do, but now ... WOW. For some reason, it reminds me just a little of Disney's Splash Mountain, where the buildings are sometimes partially build in mountains or tree, yet blend and mold perfectly together like they've always belonged there. This looks like it belongs, like it's a natural extension of the surroundings. It seems like it would be easy to get lost in that scale, with the extra space, but instead, you just pack it full of more detail. Superb! So. aside from the lack of bulldog, walrus, and pesky talkshow host who sadly isn't a Fabuland figure, it's perfect! Looking forward to the next installment, where you'll remedy at least one of those missing parts, the wrong one, but one anyway.

Love it! Straight out of The Commies Framed Roger Rabbit! It really is a seamless merger of Fabuland and Indy, which I never would have expected! I especially appreciate the jaunty way the driver wears his hat, and apparent happiness he has in his work. I just wish someone would bring my dream to reality. Fabuland Pirates! I've been scouring the available Fabuland sources for parts/figures, but so far, haven't found what I'm looking for. I just know that Pirates have to be a natural progression to this mania.

L-15 Northern border of Wolfpack territory. Southern border of Dragon Masters territory. Aside from that brief encounter a few days ago, this has been a remarkably easy trip. It has, lad, but believe me, there will be plenty of action in our futures. I think we should stop in that village ahead. The horses could use a rest, and so could I. That'll be fine, it should give me a chance to see if anyone knows of the coming storm. Sky looks clear to me... I was speaking figuratively. Oh. The carriage continues on into the small village and stops next to a deserted looking pub. Well, this looks like an exciting place. All the better, we don't need anyone interfering with our progress. A little peace and quite never hurt anyone. Isn't it a little odd that we didn't pass anyone along the way? Well, they're probably out in the fields while it's still daylight. Aluvar and Grandoth climb down from their seats and Alyssta, wearing her cloak, steps out of the carriage. I'm famished, let's get something to eat! Plenty of time for that... after you take care of the horses. Oh, right. Grandoth tends to the horses as Aluvar and Alyss enter the small, dark pub which is aptly identified as "The Cave" by a weathered sign. Stepping inside the half timbered structure, they're met with the smell of stew and ale, but the place is otherwise empty. How odd. I'd expect to see someone around. Call out for the owner, perhaps he's in back. Yes, right. Oh, barkeep! Nothing. Not a sound but the crackling fire and creaking floorboards as they walk around the room. Something is wrong here. Very wrong. The front door slams open quickly, a lone figure silouetted by the bright sunlight streaming in. Alyss reaches for her sword, then realises that she didn't bring it. Her hand settles on the handle of a concealed dagger. This whole village is empty! GRANDOTH! Don't ever do that again, it's enough to give an old man a heart attack! I knew it was him all the time. Uh huh, sure you did. You can let go of your dagger now. Hmmm. As they are discussing the situation, the birds fly in through the open door. This whole area is dead. No one for miles! Not even any animals! NOTHING! That settles it then, something is definitely wrong here. Bluervo, I'm going to send you back to Sir Kwiras with a message. Make it quick and try to catch up with us, we'll be continuing on north from here. Aw, that's a long trip. I debated sending you all the way to Crown castle. Sir Kwiras it is! Aluvar scribbles a note, rolls it up tightly and places it in a small metal vial on a chain, which he hangs around Bluervo's neck. Get going, this is very important! I'll be back when I can. Bluervo flies out the door and out of sight. What do we do now? Well, that stew seems fine, but I'll run a few tests to be sure. If it is, we eat, then check out the rest of the village, restock our supplies, and continue on. We don't have time to deal with whatever this is now, and I don't think that staying overnight would be such a good idea. Agreed. I'll look for some supplies in the back while you check the stew. I'll get us some ale. Alyss tosses her cloak aside, since there seems to be no one to conceal her identity from. Have you done something to your hair? I thought that if I changed it, I might be able to travel without this infernal cloak. We're far enough outside of Crown lands, I doubt anyone would recognise me now. Why? Oh, I just thought it was... different. Yes. I... I wonder if there is a cold stream near this village. I believe I spotted one off in the distance as we were approaching, why? Just thought someone could use a little cooling down. I... uh... oh... I see what you mean, dear. Aluvar and Alyss laugh a bit as Grandoth turns blood red. Regaining his composure, Grandoth heads into the storeroom looking for supplies as Alyss brings a few mugs of ale to a table. Aluvar decides that the stew is fine and serves them each a hearty portion. They are unaware of the eyes watching them through the side window of the pub. They eat quickly, load up some extra supplies, and quickly leave town, only stopping to check a few more small buildings as they go. All are unoccupied, just like the pub. It's strange. Nothing is disturbed. Fires are burning, food is cooking, tools look like they are just waiting for their owners to pick them up and resume their lives, but no one is here. Invasion? Surprise attack? Without a chair or table overturned, a door smashed, anything? I doubt it. There has to be some explanation, maybe it's the skellies trying to be sneaky. Unless it was something even more sinister. That's exactly what I'm thinking, my dear, exactly what I'm thinking... They continue their journey northward. The horses, while displeased by the amount of time they've had to work without a rest, still seem relieved to be leaving the village. The whole party is somewhat relieved, actually. Even their newest passenger.

Been there, done that ... Just pick your guests carefully, or you could end up like that poor knight. :skull: Still, beats the old woman next to him. BOOOO! HAHAHAHAHA Is it bad that I'm continuing jokes from an old interview, in interview colours? Yes. Yes it is bad. Help.

Wow... you take a week off and someone moves in on your gig. Having been involved in dozens of interviews myself, I feel like I'm in a unique position to comment. Now, it should be noted that I'm just the producer, director, editor, and host, not the actual interviewer, and I'm sure he'll come along shortly, but until then, I'll give my humble opinion. Since when has any of you been humble? Shut up, Staudie. As I was saying... it's cute, though at one point it became unclear which one was interviewing the other. Sort of like that time I interviewed myself. Here's my suggestion. First, it's interview. Spelling it right adds credability. Second, don't call it an interview, call it "A Glimpse Into the Life of" or "Celebrity Profile" or maybe "A Moment With" instead. That way, you can keep it short and light, without all those complicated questions that Staudie usually forgets to ask. I don't forget to ask, they just don't answer me. Is that my fault? Moving on ... Hey, you're not answering me either. Exactly. As for bubbles... if you draw a filled circle in white, or if your paint can handle a black circle filled in white, it's closer to a traditional bubble. I remember that during the EB Pirates Comic Episode I discussion, there was talk of a free comic maker that did nice bubbles. I don't know if that's what he uses now, I just edit the text in Paintshop Pro. Oh, and Indy's dad cracked me up, just like in the movie. Nice job!

Yes! That's exactly what we meant! He still looks regal, but not out of place in the woods. Now... picture if you will, instead of being a prince, you make 4 of these with different heads and hair to serve as the escorts/bodyguards for the Princess. SCORE! Of course, I'd give them shields and have them pair off, two left and two right, with opposing shield arms, but that's all obvious. Whatever you do with him, he looks good. Detailed, yet simple. Clean, but not boring. Mind you, I'd kill for an official dark green cape and hood instead of the quiver. Why doesn't TLG think of these things??? (I know, it's supposed to be singing, but he's always looked like he's yelling in anguish to me)

I would suggest good lighting. Here is a tutorial that explains one of the better techniques, three point lighting. Done right, a simple white background will all but disappear, giving you the clean look you want. As for a paint program, there are definitely some free ones out there that can do the job, assuming you need to actually do any editing after the aforementioned tutorial. All you really need to do is take the highest resolution pictures possible making sure to get the closest view of the item you can, open your paint program, zoom in, draw around the item, replace the background and then resize down to something reasonable. Ok, it could be slightly more complicated than that, but a lot of programs should be capable. If you don't have any luck finding one, and I remember to look in here, I'll try to find something to recommend tonight.

I laughed a bit too hard at this one. Nice.

Nice job! I like the socket as pot, it's creative and the only way to do it in brown like that, plus it really gives the flames a way to shoot out from under it, as they should. The Islander learned the cruel fate that awaited those who PM Mister Phes too often. Local Cuisine On!

It increases the odds of them appearing on the frontpage of Brickshelf or of someone chancing upon one as they look through your gallery, thus helping get people here to see the contest. The person you lure here, might just vote for you, too.

Beautiful! If any single part screams steampunk ship to me, it's the TIE cockpit, and there it is, right where I'd want it. Hmmm... I need to learn what it's called, but the railing/hull top between the fore and aft sections, the area in the dead center where it curves down... LOVE IT. My eye is drawn straight there by it's perfect shape. I can definitely see the Santa Maria influence in her hull, and the rigging setup looks fine to me. With steampunk, I never expect fancy ships rigging since it isn't being relied upon for full propulsion. Oh, and I think the netting trick works well too. It's just seriously amazing, I can find no actual fault with it, but I'm required by the laws of commentary on Hinckley creations to come up with one. So, what's up with that tan railing. Not sure why it just nags at me to be a different colour, but it does. Now I just have to figure out how to convince Mister Phes that this constitutes a Pirate creation so we can frontpage it when the associated issue of The Whacker and the Walrus comes out, for some nice cross promotion.