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5,823 Posts
Yep.
I've gone off the deep end.
It was bound to happen eventually.
So...long time folks here know my setup thus far has been a very tribal/voodoun/headhunter deal that draws from several african, polynesian, and south american influences.
A number of things have led to me wanting to change it up. Boredome, tedium, and a general feel of needing a little break from the last 6 years of working on this.
The idea was for this to be our last year, and shift to the new design NEXT.
Now, I had this great plan this year of building on my lab side-project, and fleshing out the plans. Thus giving me a break (can't get much further removed from tribal than mad scientist, eh?), and prepare for a clean slate next year.
Well, the lab is currently in limbo. It was for my Mother-in-law, who was a teacher for a less-than-privaledged school. They do a Halloween fund-raiser event to pay for field trips each year. Well, she's quite possibly changing jobs, and I've been frankly struggling with getting motivated on the lab with it in limbo.
Now, the inspiration for 2010's theme, REALLY boils down to the end of last year, when Shadow showed up.
It's raining, Halloween night. Some of my stuff is just not going to make it. So, we're shoving it all in the shed. This black cat shows up, and starts chasing all the chords I'm dragging behind me. I shoo him out of the shed at the end of the night, and don't think much of it at the time.
By Christmas, I'ld seen Shadow plenty, but I noticed he had lost tons of weight. One morning, out in the snow, I'm leaving for work, and he's there right under my car. Won't budge. Just sitting there. So...having 2 cats inside, I grabbed some food and bribed him out....
And, you guessed it...guess who was there the next day...and the next...
He wasn't sleeping at our place, so I thought, so one morning after his breakfast, I followed his footsteps in the fresh snow to discover he had been sleeping inside a massive barrel I had found along a road, and was intending to make into a cauldron. But, it had begun to fill up with snow drift, and he was huddling in a little clear spot under it.
It was at this point, I knew Shadow had no home, and did a thurough inspection of him. Declawed, neutered, and tail run over. Half starved, sleeping in a cauldron, and tailing me EVERYWHERE outside, whether it be shoveling in a blizzard, or putting up Christmas Lights, the cat was always my little Shadow.
We took him in to be checked for a radio chip. Nope.
So, I went home that day, shovelled him off a spot on the back patio, and made an impromptu shelter out of that barrel/cauldron, a big ole box to protect it from drifts, and a box IN the barrel with blankets and whatnot, since we just can't keep 3 cats indoors.
He perched atop it in approval....and I deny anyone to see him and not think of witches...
![]()
Now, one thing with me, though, I can't just say "we're doing witches."
The who's and the why's and the wherefor's have to be answered, and I started really STUDYING witches.
And, I fell upon the Spider Woman.
A legend throughout South America and the Native American nations. Spider Woman really spoke to me. And, the plans have been building.
Key elements of the Spider Woman are:
Bones of the victims.
Used as decoration in her walls, and as pavement in her lair. I also see some non-traditional spider victims being suited for this as well.
Doorway of Webs:
The door to Spider Woman's lair is made of webs so thick no man can walk through. When the correct words are spoken, the door enlarges itself to allow passage. When not...it insnares the perpetrator for his fitting reward.
Gateway to the underworld.
To many of the south american religions, some version of a spider woman type being (many different names) was the goddess that guarded the underworld. Knowing something about most of those religions, this was most likely a cave and/or sinkhole.
Servants:
Spider Woman makes her company with spiders (naturally), Owls, Jaguars, and more human servants. These human servants are known by their shields, which are constructed of spider webs.
Things I'm adjusting for our use:
Bones of the victims:
I'm frankly incapable of constructing a cave large enough to my satisfaction to serve as her lair. As such, I'm borrowing from a close european cousin in yaga Baba, and utilizing the bone fence, and lighted skulls.
Temple:
I still wanted something to feel like you were really enterring this other realm. And, I've recently come up with the temple to the Spider Woman. A long hallway, basically, with a small 'L' corner at the far end, just so they can't see the exit.
The entrance will have 2 undecided adornments on either side of the doorway.
The interior is going to be lit by 2 firebowls centered in the hallway to allow walking on either side, one at either end. Directly over these firebowls, for safety and utility, the cieling will broken, and have gaping holes, through which vines are falling down into the temple. This should cast their shadows on the walls and make those dance.
Ideally, these firebowls will be atop Jaguar styled statues. But, we'll have to see if I can pull that off.
Between the 2 firebowls will be a Tzompantli. I already have all the tools to whip up a Mayan style one, anyway. And, likely, some of my Crystal Skulls, lit by color changing LED's.
On one wall, we will make replicas of the actual Spider Woman Murals. (I'm thinking I can project images and copy easy enough)
On the other wall, I am thinking about People of the Clouds (Chachapoyan) styled mummies. The way they're bundled is not hard to imagin them wrapped up in webs...
The far wall is open for debate at the moment. Carvings, a calendar disk...quite possibly a sacrificial altar.
Turning the corner, will be the spider web doorway.
WHERE I AM STUCK.
HOW in the heck am I going to manage this temple???
Right now the idea is foam walls and cieling, coated with one of the foam coating products. But, where does one really GET that much foam? How much do I need? How much does it need to be reinforced? And who knows what other questions are going to happen...
The Mummies. I'ld LIKE them in little cubby holes in the wall... Whole host of problems with how to do that.
The Crystal Skulls: More a wiring problem, as HOW do I get power to this thing in the middle of the temple without creating tripping hazards.
BIGGIE:
What does this SOUND like? Soundtrack/effects...I'm at a loss.
BIGGIE:
What does Spider Woman LOOK like???
....
I'm feeling like I'm missing something as well....
yeah...I'm off the deep end...
(this is likely going to be a project for several years, so...hope you don't get sick of hearing about it)
I've gone off the deep end.
It was bound to happen eventually.
So...long time folks here know my setup thus far has been a very tribal/voodoun/headhunter deal that draws from several african, polynesian, and south american influences.
A number of things have led to me wanting to change it up. Boredome, tedium, and a general feel of needing a little break from the last 6 years of working on this.
The idea was for this to be our last year, and shift to the new design NEXT.
Now, I had this great plan this year of building on my lab side-project, and fleshing out the plans. Thus giving me a break (can't get much further removed from tribal than mad scientist, eh?), and prepare for a clean slate next year.
Well, the lab is currently in limbo. It was for my Mother-in-law, who was a teacher for a less-than-privaledged school. They do a Halloween fund-raiser event to pay for field trips each year. Well, she's quite possibly changing jobs, and I've been frankly struggling with getting motivated on the lab with it in limbo.
Now, the inspiration for 2010's theme, REALLY boils down to the end of last year, when Shadow showed up.
It's raining, Halloween night. Some of my stuff is just not going to make it. So, we're shoving it all in the shed. This black cat shows up, and starts chasing all the chords I'm dragging behind me. I shoo him out of the shed at the end of the night, and don't think much of it at the time.
By Christmas, I'ld seen Shadow plenty, but I noticed he had lost tons of weight. One morning, out in the snow, I'm leaving for work, and he's there right under my car. Won't budge. Just sitting there. So...having 2 cats inside, I grabbed some food and bribed him out....
And, you guessed it...guess who was there the next day...and the next...
He wasn't sleeping at our place, so I thought, so one morning after his breakfast, I followed his footsteps in the fresh snow to discover he had been sleeping inside a massive barrel I had found along a road, and was intending to make into a cauldron. But, it had begun to fill up with snow drift, and he was huddling in a little clear spot under it.
It was at this point, I knew Shadow had no home, and did a thurough inspection of him. Declawed, neutered, and tail run over. Half starved, sleeping in a cauldron, and tailing me EVERYWHERE outside, whether it be shoveling in a blizzard, or putting up Christmas Lights, the cat was always my little Shadow.
We took him in to be checked for a radio chip. Nope.
So, I went home that day, shovelled him off a spot on the back patio, and made an impromptu shelter out of that barrel/cauldron, a big ole box to protect it from drifts, and a box IN the barrel with blankets and whatnot, since we just can't keep 3 cats indoors.
He perched atop it in approval....and I deny anyone to see him and not think of witches...
Now, one thing with me, though, I can't just say "we're doing witches."
The who's and the why's and the wherefor's have to be answered, and I started really STUDYING witches.
And, I fell upon the Spider Woman.
A legend throughout South America and the Native American nations. Spider Woman really spoke to me. And, the plans have been building.
Key elements of the Spider Woman are:
Bones of the victims.
Used as decoration in her walls, and as pavement in her lair. I also see some non-traditional spider victims being suited for this as well.
Doorway of Webs:
The door to Spider Woman's lair is made of webs so thick no man can walk through. When the correct words are spoken, the door enlarges itself to allow passage. When not...it insnares the perpetrator for his fitting reward.
Gateway to the underworld.
To many of the south american religions, some version of a spider woman type being (many different names) was the goddess that guarded the underworld. Knowing something about most of those religions, this was most likely a cave and/or sinkhole.
Servants:
Spider Woman makes her company with spiders (naturally), Owls, Jaguars, and more human servants. These human servants are known by their shields, which are constructed of spider webs.
Things I'm adjusting for our use:
Bones of the victims:
I'm frankly incapable of constructing a cave large enough to my satisfaction to serve as her lair. As such, I'm borrowing from a close european cousin in yaga Baba, and utilizing the bone fence, and lighted skulls.
Temple:
I still wanted something to feel like you were really enterring this other realm. And, I've recently come up with the temple to the Spider Woman. A long hallway, basically, with a small 'L' corner at the far end, just so they can't see the exit.
The entrance will have 2 undecided adornments on either side of the doorway.
The interior is going to be lit by 2 firebowls centered in the hallway to allow walking on either side, one at either end. Directly over these firebowls, for safety and utility, the cieling will broken, and have gaping holes, through which vines are falling down into the temple. This should cast their shadows on the walls and make those dance.
Ideally, these firebowls will be atop Jaguar styled statues. But, we'll have to see if I can pull that off.
Between the 2 firebowls will be a Tzompantli. I already have all the tools to whip up a Mayan style one, anyway. And, likely, some of my Crystal Skulls, lit by color changing LED's.
On one wall, we will make replicas of the actual Spider Woman Murals. (I'm thinking I can project images and copy easy enough)
On the other wall, I am thinking about People of the Clouds (Chachapoyan) styled mummies. The way they're bundled is not hard to imagin them wrapped up in webs...
The far wall is open for debate at the moment. Carvings, a calendar disk...quite possibly a sacrificial altar.
Turning the corner, will be the spider web doorway.
WHERE I AM STUCK.
HOW in the heck am I going to manage this temple???
Right now the idea is foam walls and cieling, coated with one of the foam coating products. But, where does one really GET that much foam? How much do I need? How much does it need to be reinforced? And who knows what other questions are going to happen...
The Mummies. I'ld LIKE them in little cubby holes in the wall... Whole host of problems with how to do that.
The Crystal Skulls: More a wiring problem, as HOW do I get power to this thing in the middle of the temple without creating tripping hazards.
BIGGIE:
What does this SOUND like? Soundtrack/effects...I'm at a loss.
BIGGIE:
What does Spider Woman LOOK like???
....
I'm feeling like I'm missing something as well....
yeah...I'm off the deep end...
(this is likely going to be a project for several years, so...hope you don't get sick of hearing about it)
