Big game hunting in the sky

Posted by Bettina Tizzy

Now and then, the letters I receive are far wittier and informative than anything I might manage to pen on the topic at hand. Such was the case with the irresistibly charming missive I received late last week from resident Marion Questi. It reads...


Dear Miss Tizzy:

Martini Discovolante and I have created something that might amuse you; it certainly qualifies as Not Possible In Real Life.

What we have created is essentially an artificial life form: the air kraken of steampunk mythology.


"Air kraken are very territorial," explains Mr. Questi. "The females patrol the cloud layer and will attack any avatar who ventures too near."

The air kraken takes the form of a giant squid that lives in the clouds. It patrols the cloud layer (~200 meters), gliding gracefully about the sim. If an avatar comes too near, the kraken will attack it. In a damage enabled sim, such an attack can kill an avatar. What makes the air kraken a challenge is that they can also be killed if struck by physical bullets. So what we have is big game hunting in the clouds.




It's clear that Mr. Questi relishes "the dangerous, but exciting, business of hunting air kraken with a pistol."

Miss Discovolante, a sculpty master, created the kraken. I am the scripter who animated it. It looks very realistic with it's wriggling tentacles and deadly beak. (Together we are known as the Questi & Discovolante Mechanical Consortium.)


"...But hot lead ignites one of the hydrogen pouches that give her lift and she explodes in a coruscating cascade of kraken blood and ink," details Mr. Questi.

You can see them and interact with them in Lovelace Liberty (teleport directly from here). There are usually a couple in the sky. CoyoteAngel Dimsum has generously permitted the use of her sim for air kraken hunts.

Good hunting!

Marion Questi

I dropped in to have a look myself this morning, and was promptly attacked and killed by an air kraken that simply leaped on me. It was great fun! I plan to head back there fully armed as soon as my schedule permits. Meanwhile, Mr. Questi, take care you don't get hurt!

Photography courtesy of Mr. Marion Questi.

Where SeaDrykes go to dance and dream - and a dream source, too

I'm not sure why, but every time I have a chat with Kazuhiro Aridian, we end up talking about dreams.

While Kazuhiro is known throughout the grid for creating flawless and over-the-top creature avatars, I'm happy to report that Kaz is now exploring the realm of sculpture.


Click to see large

Beginning with the delicate and leafy aquatic Seadrkye I shared with you one month ago, Kaz has merged the exquisitely sculpted and textured avatars with art, to much success. You can see this sculpture for a very limited time by teleporting directly from here, but best go soon!


"The Seadrykes dance around a glowing orb of light, mirroring each other as the strange glow emits bubbles around them"

It was this discovery that prompted yet another conversation that took us into now familiar territory.

Can we hope to see more of your creatures incorporated into large-scale sculptures? And do you daydream about these creatures?

Kazuhiro Aridian: Heck yes, to both! Sadly, they're not part of my nightly dreamings, but they certainly make up much of my daydreaming. Also, I'm going to be making full colour watercolour and ink illustrations for each creature and selling prints alongside the creatures, when I get them done : D



Kazuhiro Aridian: I have a separate dreamscape... it is an exaggeration of reality, and where I lived as a kid. My road becomes a placid river... Two small hills at the dead end of my road become large sand dunes, and beyond the dunes is a large river, which is a creek in Real Life, and beneath it lays the skeleton of a small airplane.

You are serious? This is your night dreamscape?

Kazuhiro Aridian: It sort of propells my daydreams, but I don't get to see these creatures within my childhood dreamscape, though there is a dinosaur reserve if you follow the river far enough...

This discussion got me to thinking about the sources of our dreams, and how much they inspire content creation. A little Googling later, I discovered this unusual and fascinating website: The World Dream Bank. Get thee dreaming, creators!

You can own this sculpture or any of Kazuhiro's primordial beasts by stopping by here.