The Black Friday

There are few choices for those presented with a possible future. They either embrace it, and step willingly into what it could bring, or they fight against it. Autogenic Alchemy has decided to at least try and change. As such we will likely be giving up our Penzance store, hoping to find another in Caledon. Products will still be released there until we leave, but I do recommend updating your bookmarks to the Black Sands store as soon as you can.

The future however, will still be there tomorrow, it is always forward marching like that. So instead let us turn our eyes to the darkened pages of one Howard Phillips, whose diary I have so recently been lucky enough to study.

~ * ~

Have you heard of Black Friday? The twisted celebration of chaos that drives us all mad...Have you heard the tales, the stories, the truth, the fiction? I can guess you have not, for I do not sense the fear that it so properly deserves. The Noche Obscura, the dark day when sanity is lost, and the veil parts.

I sought not to learn the truth of the Black Friday. I had never truly been the curious sort. I know now that it was never a choice I had to make. Life thrust the reality of itself upon me. And once one has seen it, there is no escaping the memory. It remains vivid and fresh, to the point where I wonder if the life I live now is but a dream I am having as I experience insanity.

I had been walking home that day, counting the cracks on the sidewalk. I did not particularly need to, I had counted them more times then I care to recount now. It was simply something to do, and one never knows when a new crack could form. And as such I walked on, pulling my jacket closer that cold Autumn Friday, cursing the ever closer Winter. I walked until I fell sideways, into a crack I had missed upon the sidewalk.

There was the rustle of fabric across my ears, and I was rather sure the sidewalk had collapsed beneath me. I was so sure in fact I found myself surprised when I realized I was not moving. The revelation of which promptly caused me to trip and see beyond the edge I found myself on.

Deep beneath me, lay a city, or what had once been. Stone ruins that formed an intricate pattern I dare not describe. And at the center was life, a creature I had never before seen. It pulsated in time with the beat of the world, for I noticed now that the horizon was not still. It too moved, breathed one could say, dancing across the ground merrily. It was a twisted vision, that was only smothered by the creature's visual attraction.

I do not mean to say it was attractive, but only that it was a draw. My eyes were torn towards it as I saw it give birth. Eggs lifted from deeper in the creature's form and slid out, rolling across the pulsating flesh to where they lay in a ring around it. I watched in horrid fascination, feeling a curiosity that was surely not my own. This ritual continued and I watched with rapt attention, until I saw the creature's eye. It had fallen upon me, it had seen me. And I could feel myself falling into it, as the Iris continued to fall inwards towards the black pupil.

I scrambled backwards away from the eye, pulling myself up though I had not remembered falling so deep. Reality no longer made sense and dark rock gave way to the ground and sidewalk I had so recently been walking. I laid there breathing, feeling my heart beating against my chest. It was my first brush with what laid beyond the veil, and even as I drew in breath after fevered breath, I knew it would not be my last. For my heart no longer beat as it did, it beat in time with the rhythm of that world I had seen, that fateful Black Friday.

~ Howard Phillips

~ * ~

And as our own Black Friday draws to an end, Autogenic has managed to find these delightful eggs and raised them to an age where they can be properly be taken care of by the public. I do wish you the best this Black Friday, and do keep care for any cracks in the veil.

The Fables Arrive for RFL

Dear Friends, it has been far too long since this journal has been updated with new content for your eyes to peruse. Let me be the first to rectify this with the announcement of the renaming of Kartiny above Autogenic Alchemy, and the two new gowns and shape released forthwith.



Fable Vio

Fable Vio, the original, is detailed in crushed purple velvet, with four simple corsets offered on jacket, shirt and undershirt layers, along with skirt and two styles of glitch pants to help with the two separate flexi skirts. This outfit comes with gloves, seamed tinted stockings and two separate styles of blouse, one with lace collar, and one without.

It is designed solely to benefit the RFL, and the suggested minimum donation is L$200.



Fable Bloo

Fable Bloo, another color that will only be offered for 2009's RFL, is detailed in crushed velvet as well, in a shade I am fairly reliably informed is "bloo". There are two, not four simple corsets offered on jacket, shirt and undershirt layers, along with skirt and two styles of glitch pants to help with the two separate flexi skirts. This outfit also comes with gloves, seamed tinted stockings and two separate styles of blouse, one with lace collar, and one without.

It is designed solely to benefit the RFL, and the suggested minimum donation is L$200.

Everything is fully moddable and copyable, no transfer, but you can transfer the box it comes in (at least, that's the hope, permissions being so tricky these days).

Anticipate future arrivals of Fable, but in vastly different shades.

Secondly, Hodge-Podge Shapes retains its name, and offers the second-ever shape release, and the first for nonhuman avatars:



Tabby

The Tabbycat shape. Tabby is designed to be worn with neko skins, and she is designed primarily with the domesticated housecat firmly in mind: she is a plump purring bundle that shifts only so far as the sunbeam moves, and would prefer the mice are brought to her, please.

She is as rounded as the avatar mesh allows; her head and hands, to be comparable with her dimensions, are slightly larger than normal; this may need to be taken into account with wigs and prim nails. Her feet are not sized to scale; they retain their slider 0 positions, to better accommodate most SL shoemakers' designs.

She comes in two versions (with human ears, and with all the ear sliders minimized), and does not come with neko ears or tail, or neko skin. This is the shape only, retailing for L$125.

Go to Lady Disdain (in the same place that Kartiny occupied, naturally), above Autogenic Alchemy, to see them in person. Over the next month the upstairs will be redesigned and most if not all of the vendors remodeled. (It's in progress now.)

We thank you for your support. Have an excellent day.

New This Week: Hodge-Podge Shapes

I admit, I'm excited about this one! I've been tempted to make shapes for a while, and I definitely think there's a place for the non-Barbie-doll shapes on the grid.



Millicent is the first in the line. She is very tall, very thin, rather coltish, with wide, surprised-looking eyes and a slight turn to the nose. She comes moddable, so purchasers can make the changes they desire, and fully copyable, with no transferability. (Contact me if you wish a no-copy/trans version; I'll be happy to oblige.)

She retails for L$250; I'm seriously contemplating tossing in the eyes used in the shot, just for completion's sake.

In fact...*nips off to do that*



...Now, where were we? OH! Right--come down to Autogenic and walk up the ramp--Millicent's the first in the line. But there will be more...

Yes. We Know. It Is Now March.

We are frightfully behind in new developments.

Stress in two worlds, combined with sale of two of our Penzance parcels, and finding new home and lab space, occupied much of January and February.

Now we near March, and we are hoping to begin testing of prototypes soon, in various areas.

Do bear with us. We are also under slight reconstruction, mostly upstairs, which has involved the loss and need for reset of at least one server; we'll have that up and running as soon as we can.

Oh, so very much to do! We'll keep you updated.

Autogenic Alchemy's Grand Opening!

Come celebrate Autogenic Alchemy's Grand Opening! Starting at midnight Friday (January 11th) and continuing until midnight Saturday (January 12th), we are celebrating being in Penzance! Victorian Era Steampunk and Gaslamp fantasy items, Full prim Avatars, Avatar Accessories, Furniture, Clothes and more. Come on down for music, dancing, and even a contest! Watch for Clockwork mice!

(Dancing/somewhat live music will be primarily between nine and eleven pm SLT; we know we're crossing events with the Snowflake Ball at Loch Avie. More information on the contest as we get it; this post will be updated then.)

(This is being held at Kaleidecopia, our house parcel, please withhold landmarks--we can show you where the store is, it's just across the street! And no, we may not *be* there the full 24 hours, but we'll be in and out.)

News From the Front Lines

No, alas, no new product announcements, we've been busy re-engineering CiCi--in, I think, a much better direction!--but start thinking about one thing, if you would:

We're having a grand opening!

Sometime the evening of January 12th, I do believe, we haven't decided when yet--we are "officially" open for business!

We're currently working through such details as DJ, do we wish dances, and when it's going to be--but we'll let you know!

In the meantime we are busy busy busy behind the scenes, to get the place ready. Hope to see you there!

Catnip Clockwork Arrives at Autogenic!

It was supposed to be something to keep her occupied.

Fawkes Allen sighed, shaking his head, looking at the distinct nibble marks on his latest creation. He was a Scientist, a Primventor, there was much he could do on his own, but as everyone should know, Mad Science needs the Audience, the Assistant.

And so far, he was stuck with Emi, who was capable enough, when she didn't flutter off to shop for hair, or took up his lab space, cackling over creating clockwork fruit, or secreted herself off in the attic, growing her own eyes--

He sighed again. He knew exactly where his gas chromatograph had gone. And now this.

He went upstairs, through her oddly staggered system of teleporters, and found more prototype mice in their home.



"Emi," he started, sighing, and then stopped, blinking down. His assistant was curled up on the wooden floor nearly around one of the clockwork mice, giggling rather maniacally. She was tossing one of the prototypes into the air, batting at it, and letting it fall to the ground. She was...more than slightly on the emerald side.

"Why..." he started, and then stopped. It was always tricky asking shapeshifters why they looked the way they looked. Finally he decided just to ask.

"Why are you--green?"

She shrugged a little, eyes bright. "Too much copper, I think."

"Too much--what?" He dropped to kneel beside her, and only then noticed the one she was mostly obscuring with her knee. This one had more than nibble marks on the metal. This one was...missing...gears.

"Emi! You didn't!"



"They smelled like catnip! And they wouldn't stop racing around!"

He looked at the other early prototypes of the clockwork mouse, shaking his head once more. They weren't racing now. In fact, the wheels spun on all of them, but they didn't so much move across the floor anymore.

"What did you do?" he asked patiently.

"I caught them," she said, giggling. She tossed the one into the air again. "They're ever so much fun to play with...they squeak like real mice!"



Catnip Clockwork the Mouse!

~--*--~

Catnip Clockwork is a fully working clockwork mouse. With moving parts and gears. Sadly, he's not the smartest mouse, and though the wheels are turning, he isn't really getting anywhere. Do not despair however! Equipped with a pouch of Catnip inside, when wound up he becomes a wonderful plaything for cats and catpeople alike! Don't miss out on owning your very own Catnip Clockwork the Mouse! He's cute, he's cuddly, he may eat all your cheese.

Thanks,
Fawkes Allen

~--*--~

Contact Fawkes Allen, Premiere Primventor with questions or suggestions.

Come see him.



Catnip retails for L$200 and is a fully working clockwork rodent, capable of being wound up and wound down. Comes with his own supply of catnip and a small variety of squeaking noses. He is made of--

Fawkes Allen stops transcribing when Emi races across the storefront. What on earth is it now, he thinks, and takes off after here.

"You get away from my GRAPEFRUIT!" she yells.



"Emi..."

"He's going to eat it! I know! GET AWAY from that bowl!"

He strokes her hair, shaking his head again. Did other Mad Scientists have these problems?

"You need to make him some clockwork cheese..." Emi mutters.

"No," he says. Then he grins.

"Have another?" He steps back as she squeals and pounces on top of the table, the distinctive neko ears and tail restoring as she captures the clockwork mid-shift.

He coughs slightly into the transcription device.

We'll keep some safe from her. They are out now at Autogenic.

Bedlam Eyes: The First Line Wreaking Havoc in Penzance

*She cackles at the top of the lab, up the creaky staircase, to her little attic with Mr. Sprocket's mantle clock and her first ever hand-built table and the small, odd pile of equipment on the floor, with the painter's bedaubed cover-cloth thrown over it to push it out of the way.

*She removes the canvas with a flourish, and there, filched a single beaker at a time, a single pipe, little bits, here and there, nothing that would be missed...a microscope in battered brass; a looped series of glass tubing stained bright pink; a single recombinant DNA gas chromotographic assembly (slightly dented).

*She puts them together now, bringing the ingredients hidden in her skirt out into view: simple saline solution, a small sienna section of his hair to make up for using her cells for his Hyde Retrovirus...six lemons and a paring knife.

*She scores the lemons into quarters, squeezing them into a large pressed glass tube, adorned with raised grapes, and then carefully sprinkles in the hair, followed by scoring her thumb. She winces at the instant acid burn, thinking as her blood drops into the mix, she probably should have done that in reverse.

*She pulls a battered notebook from under the table, flipping it open to an early section, sucking on her thumb absently.

*"Ah. Here," she says. "Copperhead eyes."

Bedlam Eyes are making their presence known, upstairs at Kartiny!



Hand-grown with love, guaranteed to last a lifetime, several varieties to choose from.



Some are more deranged than others...



Many available in double packs for one price.

Most sold for 50 Linden apiece (or in twos), one (the Cheetah feral eyes) sold for 100 Linden in a four-pack.

Come see them.

Welcome To Autogenica.

Ignore the construction mess; we're still puttering about setting the place up.

Here and in Penzance...