returning to Rivula

They say you can't go home again. Well, sometimes, that's because home has become an amusement park.



Things are...very bright, here.



Possibly the Environment I had going didn't exactly help with that.



It was very odd walking around, thinking...over here was the Enigma, over there was my treehouse...head-tilty, and not always in good ways.



They have a lot of rides you have to climb.



And then I decided to go. And...that was that.

Also, please come buy a cat. If you want one. It's that or start deleting them.

and the more I straighten out, the less it wants to try

Kittens...I know, you all feel better when you're sick if you stay together, but...



...this is ridiculous. There's FIVE of you on that dock. And I'm fairly sure two of those AREN'T sick! Can you please stop fusing with each other??

the Devil wears a suit, he lives in our town (part CXXX)

(Roleplay entry. Continued from part CXXIX.)

"Prometheus to Grown Up Conversation. Inbound air pirates, a chicken-shaped assault ship and three dreadnaught."

Grown Up Conversation: "Acknowledged. Can you slow them down long enough for me to get the kittens on board?"

"With pleasure..."

In its dark, clockwork-driven consciousness, Prometheus felt the clicking of the Gatling gun safety locks. The fighters' radios reporting the gunfire, the buzzing of aircraft engines as they opened fire on the decks of the pirate airships. Intellectually, they understood the targeting of the dirigible gas chambers. Holes ripping in the canvas lining of the airships. The pirates would not move fast enough to endanger the kittens. Prometheus speculated on slow leaks and the loss of altitude. The human pirates, seeing the price of kidnapping the next generation of Gearhaven royals floating away from them. Prometheus would not allow it. They would make sure the attempt failed. Loyalty and fidelity were older values, from a different era. To some they were by design, and they were predictable...like clockwork.

The Prometheus 1 had retracted the runway, to move at full speed toward the nursery. The small pirate balloon brushed against the side of the climbing steamlands ship. In later memories (Prometheus reconstructed), it can see the two southern pirates climbing the ropes. A young woman--from her movements an artificial girl--and an older man (or woman, it was difficult to tell.) It remembered the bundles of dynamite being tied to the engine casing. As the props spun at rapid speed, they climbed to rescue innocent kittens from the dark future predetermined by the high council of the vile pirates. The blast of the second and third engines would not have caused pain in the real sense. There was a sense of loss, of a lack of fullness suddenly. Glass shattering, brass and iron twisting.

Prometheus 1 was aware it was falling, quickly, toward the earth. At the same time, it was aware of the screams of a few foolish raiders that had met the Grown up Conversation. The wireless reported the sound of greeting that was abrupt and deadly. Heat seeking Torpedoes, taking out airframes instantaneously. No survivors. Prometheus assumed The kittens slept. Except for Athena; she would likely watch it all with detached amusement.

Prometheus 1 was burning as it spiraled the 120-meter fall to the ground. It would be some time before the ship's mind--a clockwork AI, with gears and springs--would be aware again. The last memory it would recall as it spiraled was one of fear--not for itself, for what will be was preordained--no, the fear was for the Duchy. Would it escape the blight and the delusion that It had hoped to control? It seemed cruel to Prometheus that humans and the neko and the Fae thought they had some influence over an outcome. An outcome which was pre-ordained, programmed, biological, magical, digital--all the same. Programs and patterns.

Prometheus 1 wished its limits were not so entrenched. It would warn them, or calculate all the variables to guide them. They could not change the outcome, so would creating awareness of the inevitability be kind or cruel? The ethical dilemma of a clockwork deterministic AI kept the mind occupied--until the ship crashed into the Dark Sea and disappeared.

(Continued in part CXXXI.)

can't call it a problem if I never let a play drop

Information from Shakeno Tomsen:

Stop. Using. PNG. or. 32-bit TGA. For. Opaque. Textures.

Why? Most people don't see it but SL has an automatically enabled option to convert ALL these textures into alpha masks, and it SHOULD be disabled. It makes content creation a hassle because you can't choose what should be alpha blending and what should be alpha mask if it is on, requiring you to use workaround features for it...
...BUT: Disabling this feature will probably cause a lot of objects go into an alpha sorting trainwreck in your client. That is because said textures were uploaded with an unnecessary 32-bit/transparency layer that SHOULDN'T BE THERE, and now it doesn't attempt to fix it automatically, showing what the textures truly are like.

To solve this, please upload your opaque textures as 24-bit TGA and disable the option "Render alpha masks when 'Advanced Lighting Model' is enabled/not enabled". Not only they will be correct in a visual manner, they will also require less data to download and process.

Thank you sincerely.

Now I need to figure out which textures I've uploaded that I want to go through the hassle of this...

And this from a random profile that I found relevant:

Safewords are valid in SL because it is psychological and emotional space we are trying to achieve and a relationship we are trying to preserve. And because of RLV. Surrender is surrender and it is vulnerable.

Green: Go Sir! Goooooo! I love this!

Yellow: Slow down Sir...let's figure this out I'll hint gently. And maybe you have the right idea in the first place, but let's negotiate softly.

Red: Instant stop. I guarantee I will leave BDSM forever if I violate a redlight, a RED. Safewords can save lives. No longer Sir....I'm coming to the rescue.

Tapping out/Snapping: During gagging, or combinations. It means the gag comes off.

Use your safewords, they can even protect a friendship. Safewords between trusted friends can prevent misunderstandings.

BDSM is to develop trust, intimacy, and provide an avenue of utter surrender, as well as foster greater self control.

He's not wrong.

Next, why I got rid of STATIC's Nightmariner's Lantern (at least for now):



Because it REFUSES to stop launching itself into midair and spinning like a mad dervish!



It makes no sense to me.



Seriously, every time I rez one out, it goes COMPLETELY mental.

And now, some random cat pics to round this out.



What is the fascination with staring at walls? Can someone answer that for me?



Because I don't get it.

say it for me, say it to me, and I'll leave this life behind me (part XCVIII)

(Roleplay entry. Continued from part XCVII.)

For her part, Emilly arrived on Tannhäuser, running at speed for the cloning lab. She quickly found Justine's tissue samples, racing back to her skiff, programming it to fly back to ground level, and stopped. She chewed a fingernail. Justine needed the samples, yes, but--she needed to check on the children.

She docked with the nursery building, having to phase through the wall because there was no external access by design. She rounded the corner and screamed.



"CLEO!" she yelled, falling to her knees. The pale kitten turned towards her voice, wet pink smudges on her cheeks below where her eyes should be. Emilly wrapped her arms around herself and keened in distress. Then the kitten blinked, her eyelids growing to do so, and when she opened her eyes--she was fine again.



"Hello, Mama!" she said brightly. "I was trying to change shapes--"

Emilly gathered her up close, holding her, still half in shock. "Shh, shh, dearest, we'll work on that. But you can't scare Mama like that, all right? I was worried you were--" She swallowed, breaking off.

"Worried I was--what?"

She shuddered. Irradiated, she thought. Damaged. Dead... She shook herself, forcing herself to put her daughter back down, rising again. "It doesn't matter," she said, idly, starting to search the nursery for the others.



She found Enoch first, resting on the floor next to his bed. Typical. But where was Athena?



She found Athena in the other room, stariing fixedly at the wall. At least she was okay. They were all okay. Good.

She raced back to her skiff, and flew to ground level.

(Continued in part XCIX.)

will we be in our minds when the dawn breaks? (part XCIV)

(Roleplay entry. Continued from part XCVII.)

She met the woman as specified, midnight on a far distant isle. As she drew closer, she saw her: tall, thin as a blade, wrapped in a gossamer cloak of some lacy dark fabric. The heavy velvet dress she wore could clearly be seen through the mesh, but the veil over her face obscured all but her mouth. She was pale, though her hands were dark.



Emilly was not; she was wearing her priest's robes of red, her feet shod only in thin slippers against the spray-slick cobblestones, nothing else protecting her from the night.



She cast her eyes at the small twin cases at her side, stepping closer. She heard the soft rush of the waves onto the beach behind them, the echo of tidal waters lapping at the pier supports beneath them, and from somewhere more distant, the sound of a ship's bell. She had brought her own cases, of a sort--two carved crystal cylinders, sealed with arcane symbols, clutched to her chest.



"You have--" She swallowed, lowering her voice. "You have the guardians?" Murmured on the night air, barely disturbing the soft light wind from the shore.

The woman barely glances to her side. One single nod. Then her gaze lifts, hidden in the hood, but she feels it nonetheless, burning into the precious cargo she holds.



"You've brought them, I see," the woman said. It was almost a purr, soothing and threatening at the same time. She watched her dark lips quirk up in a brief smile. She swallowed, and nodded once, then took one step closer.

"You cannot, cannot reveal their origin to anyone," she murmured. "They must be treated as having no descendency." She looked down, her eyes haunted, at the tiny boy and tiny girl kitten in stasis....both discovered in the nursery. She looked back up, expression intent.

"No one must ever know--"

"Hush," the woman said, and she blinked rapidly, falling silent. What--had she done to--

She watched the woman reach out her hands, and she gave her the crystal canisters, her own arms trembling. The woman nodded once, and indicated with an inclining motion the two cases at her feet. She took one measured step back.



"Remember," the woman murmured. "They must be raised as normal cats, to let their powers grow unfettered. When it is time for the ritual, you will know. And you will gain two guardians for your heirs."

She swallowed and nodded, bending forward to pick up the cases. When she rose, she was the only one on the dock, and she hurried back to her ship, worried over how she would explain this to the Duke...or if she would explain it at all.

After all, they weren't the only kittens she had in stasis....whose only parents could be Cleo, Athena, or Enoch...



She hurried home, biting her lower lip, and carefully opened the small case in the Red Queen's tower. First out was a pale striped male, the name sinking between her eyes with a faint, thrumming chime: Śiva. All right. Shiva it would be.



The second in the case was a female, pale as moonlight, pale as bones. Her name entered her head the same way, but with the faintest scent of jasmine: Pārvatī. "Parvati," she whispered, setting the small kitten down.

And now, she would wait, and carefully raise her new charges. Her babies would need them...

(Continued in part XCIX.)

I love you, baby, can I have some more?

And this is exactly why people get irked with EA. And Bethesda. And so many other big game companies...

More on this year's shamrock offerings from the KittyCats store!



Quinn and Saoirse together, Quinn being the smaller of the two, even as kittens.



I missed this opportunity with the children, because of that 21-day neglect window--so new-born kittens have a number of days they can be shoulder pets! I was unaware!



He's so cute.



And finally Meabh! The LepreCat!



And Meabh in the foreground with Saoirse in the background.



And finally, all three of them together!

My only problem with having them? It's TWICE as much food to buy! Ack!

But here's the reason I had to decant them all, in addition to just losing my mind entirely in February--all THREE have Swanky tails! Which, okay, aren't the rarest tail, but they're also not common! I had to know if that trait would breed true. (And so far...it has!)

darling, look into my eyes, and tell me what's inside (part LXXXIII)

(Roleplay-ish. Continued from part LXXXII.)



Some days, she admits, she just sits in the nursery, watching her children sleep. It's not that they're that vastly entertaining, but...it comforts her, to watch them.



Of course, sometimes they're awake, and ask odd questions she does her best to answer. All children do.



She has neglected one aspect of their education, assuming they were too young, and that lessons to discover the nature, and any limitations, of their shapeshifting abilities should come first. But considering Athena's hijinks, she should perhaps begin the basics of dimensional travel, and see whether they take after their father, or herself.



The bigger question is, how. How does she begin to train them on the intricacies without opening yet another portal on the sim? This is a quandary.



Though the seahorse in little Enoch's paws is so darned cute.



She sighs, and goes to pry Cleopatra out of the floor. Yes, it's more than time she teaches them these things.

(Continued in part LXXXIV.)

you've got to accentuate the positive

I want to say ISC chat's improved. I want to...I'm not entirely sure I can...but what's worse, I think Soup Jonson would have gotten along with Chairperson Effingham, more's the pity.

This worries me.

I kind of lost my mind a little when the LepreCats and the LuCkY sWiTcHeR cats hit the KittyCats store, and...bought one male/female sWiTcHeR set, and one female LepreCat.



This is Saoirse, who came out a Biggie cat, and even as a wee kitten was not so wee.



She's adorable, though.



The patterning kills me. Basically, the LuCkY sWiTcHeRs are patterned with 'costumes' (though they can't be removed) of every previous Feast of Padraig cat they've released to date? So they can get REALLY random.



And this is Quinn, the sWiTcHeR boy. Normal sized for a kitten, which is very small.



Saoirse pawing at my feet when Meabh was in the process of decanting. Attention-seeking already.



And little Saoirse demanding cuddles.

There'll be at least one more of these, with pics of Meabh, when I can find them!

now that you feel alive, now that you realize that you're not like your mother

So, this made my afternoon surreal.

[16:48] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): I have a weird question!
[16:49] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): The first time my kittens got sick, I bought Get Well supplements for them. Recently, one of mine got sick, and I didn't have the Lindens, so I just waited it out, hoping that tip actually worked?
[16:49] Yxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: i have weird ansers!
[16:49] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr):



Well...he's fine now...but...now one of his legs is a different fur color??
[16:49] Yxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: if a cat has access to food, it will get well after 7 days w/o the vitamins

Which is definitely useful, for anyone that has KittyCats cats.

[16:50] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Right, but...what about the back leg?
[16:50] Bxxxxxx Bxxxx: put him into 2d mode and back out. His leg color should fix
[16:50] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): I will try that!

Yep, that's kitten-shaped nightmare fuel.

[16:51] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Well, that's terrifying beyond all reason.

Whyyyyyy. But I popped Enoch back out again, after snapping a third pic (seen below).

[16:51] Bxxxxxx Bxxxx: It is your region, having lag issues lol
[16:51] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): I'll restart the sim. :)
[16:53] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): And...nope. Leg still different color, but I'll check after the restart.
[16:53] xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: you can try either putting him in low prim and back to 3D mode, or sending him to the cattery and back for those kinda things too. SL is weird
[16:53] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Apparently! :)
[16:54] xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: that second pic really was terrifying hahahaha
[16:55] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): I know!
[16:56] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): I have no words.
[16:57] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): I have put KittyCats into 2D mode before, and they were not like that!
[16:57] xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: i haven't seen them like that before either that's super weird lol

It really is.



And why no ears?! WHY?!?

[16:58] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Sim restarts...sim comes back...leg still white.
[16:58] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Okay! May file a ticket, then. :)
[16:59] Oriana ღOreoღ Wild (djwildone): I had a kitty one time that appeared to be a different color that doesn't exist... I think it was [Fxxxx] came over and I even sent a pic of what I was seeing... when she came over she seen a completely different thing then I did... maybe get a second person to see it .. might be you need a cache cleaning or something
[16:59] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): I can check that too!

Because the other explanation? Enoch's trying to shift his shape, and...he's bad at it. :D

boy, your face has been falling, girl, your heart has been calling (part XLIII)

(Roleplay entry. Continued from part XLII.)

"No, this isn't the right version," Athena murmured.

"What was that, sweetness?"



Reality slid...sideways, her vision blurring unpleasantly.



Well, the ruins were still there, but...the sky was the color of a bruise, and the glow was...almost viscous against her skin. What in all the hells...

"Still not right," came Athena's small voice. Oh, no--



This version of...wherever...featured a high, almost metallic buzzing sound, getting closer. At the same time she realized she was repeating "No no no no" over and over, she heard Athena saying the same thing. And she saw...things...beyond the viridescent glow...getting closer. At least they were in agreement.



And this version of the terrain tasted like sugar and iron shavings, and that was not better, and the things were getting closer still--



"There, Mama! There!"

She leapt for the (much smaller) glowing rift, and--she sincerely hoped--for home.

(Continued in part XLIV.)