Like the Tainted Love Hunt has just done.
The topic sure attracts my interest. I've grown bored of the sugar-coated Valentines pseudo-love. It's not that I'm unable to love, it's just that I always thought that love has nothing to do with evaluating the truth of a feeling depending on which day of the year you choose to celebrate it (and I rather prefer to celebrate it every day, in the small details.)
Of course, go ahead and do celebrate Valentines if you so wish. It's just not my cup of tea. I've even been unable to put my brain to creating any kind of supply related to it. I guess it's over what I'm able to do.
There's where this hunt has, so to speak, saved me. The topic is about obsessive love, painful love... This tickles a lot more my imagination, for it allows me to think of stories that aren't about "I love you", "I love you more", "no, I love you more!", which gives me more room for developing some kind of darkness.
The last year I joined, since June, 18 hunts as a merchant (20, counting the two that started the beginning of this year), and honestly, that was something crazy to do. For some, I created some sets I feel proud of, but for others, I joined being uninspired, just feeling "I had to". The obvious consequence was that even the day before hints were due, I continued to be uninspired, and the last I wanted was to give away something of bad quality.
I decided this year that I would be more careful in choosing. That I should understand a hunt not as a marketing tool, but as a "literary workshop", as in high school. Of course, I want that people like the things I do and come back! (who doesn't?) But if I'm not able to create something kind-of-unique and remarkable, then I shouldn't join. So I didn't apply until I had a clear idea of what I would do.
Most likely, those that get my gift will not even open it. That's ok, that's how hunts are, how SL is. That doesn't take away the fact that this time, I've been able of writing a very short tale, illustrate it, create the textures, and then create the animations, objects, textures and scripts that you would need to re-create parts of such story. (A few items I had already created them, but that doesn't diminish the whole of the gift.)
I'm almost done preparing and packing:
You will get a HUD with the story, the table, the chair, the crying book and the box... What's in that box...?
The content is the core of the story in the HUD.
If I had been given the talent of composing music, I would have added some, too. Since I don't have such talent, I'll just link some songs I've found that fit with the story (all of them, from the "Silent Hill" video game series)
Still, there's an audible surprise. The hunt begins February 1st. Enjoy!
