IT’S A SHOWDOWN AT HULA GULCH!
(Part I)

 by Rose_Blossom

The Wild, Wild West Days Event, coming to There, in October (exact dates to be announced soon!), is being publicized as “the supreme event ever to come to There in the history of There!”  Our world will see a host of events, a multitude of merchandise, and an enormous exhibition presented by the designers that is so exhilarating, it will leave your tongues wagging so far down to the ground that spit polishing your boots will be a breeze!  

The clothing designs already started making the auction rounds after a successful series of fashion shows last weekend.  More original clothing creations are promised at fashion shows scheduled for Saturday, October 8 at 9:00 and 11:00 p.m. est

I was also honored to have the opportunity to meet with some of There’s very talented designers, who are working so hard to make the Wild Wild West Days Event a success.   

Today, I will let you in on a conversation with Phedre and Mr. Vercetti.

Rose:  Thank you for taking time to answer my questions.  I know a lot of our
readers are fans of yours and are looking forward to your upcoming theme
designs!  Could you give us a little background, first about your history in There?

Phedre:  Heh heh, that is a long story. I was involved with There way back in 1998, I was a part of the closed beta, designing clothes was only offered in Public beta, so pretty much as soon as the Public beta started in January 2003, I started making items.

Mr_Vercetti:  Well, I came here in July 2003 after waiting several months to get accepted. Upon my first visit I became completely fascinated by the world.

Rose:  Since coming in world, did always want to be a designer?

Phedre:  Yes, even in the closed beta I could see that people really wanted things that make them a little different from everyone else.

Mr_Vercetti:  I didn't always want to be a designer but it just came up as I was looking through auctions at stuff. The Builder aspect actually came out of necessity for a game show I was producing for T_Squared productions.

Rose:  What was your first item that you designed in-world that was approved?

Phedre:  Bad Kitty tee shirt - still one of my most popular items today :)
Mr_Vercetti:  The first painter object I had approved was a leather jacket and my first builder item was the game show desk.

Rose:  Is there any one particular item that you released, and then thought, "WHAT was I thinking???"

Phedre:  The roborabbit... I was never really happy with it.
Mr_Vercetti:  Nope, I never try to think that of any of my creations.

Rose:  Are there any of your designs that you particularly favor?
Mr_Vercetti:  My personal favorites are the Fortune teller machine, esp. since TheChaz was kind enough to animate it for me, and the bellhop uniform because it's an inside joke with a real world friend of mine. 

Rose:  Are there any designers that particularly inspired you in-world?

Phedre:  Relapse - his attention to detail is awesome. He is a true 3d artist. Goro - uniquely well crafted with a real eye for overall form and design.  dv8godd - great men’s wear designer, very slick.  Meret - wows with his items especially for a beginner.

Mr_Vercetti:  A lot of them inspire me in different ways. Like Dreamweaver's more fantasy images, and then builder styles like Jinx, Droopy, Grimm, Marisa. Basically everyone that I see lends a bit of inspiration to me.

Rose:  Can you describe your design process?  What happens when an idea "sparks"?

Phedre:  What?!? And give ALL my secrets away? 'wink

Mr_Vercetti:  Usually if I get an idea and I am not at my computer or at home I will rough sketch it out on anything I have handy then I try to figure out how to make it work and stay within There's budget. Then I also usually paint the textures as I go along so I can see it build up as I am working on it.

Rose:  What items do you have coming out for Wild, Wild West Days?

Phedre:  Cowboy Hats and Native American braids, possibly some game table covers.

Mr_Vercetti:  I am building the entire gold mine layout for the Wild West event. Some of the items include a mine shaft, gold pans, mine carts, and a mine entrance.

Please check out all of Phedre’s creations on her website (Bad Kitty Designs), and you can also see the items designed by Mr_Vercetti on his auctions . 

And be sure to come back to The Voice of There for a series of interviews with, xThor, JoeyG, Joshua_Tree, SAVORY, and Georgieanna, and more stories about the Wild, Wild West Days.  It’s some Rootin’ Tootin’ Fun!