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The 2013 Oiling Festival

Mr. Underby stepped out of the elevator and saw exactly what he expected to see… the mayor, fast asleep in his hammock, with a few empty bottles of milk strewn on the floor beneath.

“Mr. Tenk.” He said.

There was no response.

“Mr. Tenk.” He said louder, and gave the line supporting the head of the hammock a sharp shake.

There was no response.

Underby went to the workbench. There sat an ornately carved wooden kitchen clock which had recently arrived from America. He opened the gilt glass door and, with long bony fingers, stopped the pendulum. Mr. Underby heard the clatter of boots hitting the floor as Mr. Tenk rolled out of his hammock.

“What do you think you are doing to that clock?!?”

“Mr. Tenk, it is time to open the Oiling Festival.”

“Oiling Festival?”

“Yes, Mr. Tenk. Only you can blow the whistle that ceases all work at the factories.”

“Ah! Of course! Oiling Festival!” Tenk ran a hand through his unruly hair and straightened his waistcoat. “When is the ceremony?”

“Yesterday.”

Underby smirked triumphantly as Tenk scrambled for his coat and got into the elevator. He went to the basement of city hall and opened the valves that would allow a head of steam to build up into the great whistle. Then he went back up to the main floor, took the elevator back to his office, and watched the gage under where the lanyard that would open the flapper to the whistle was belayed. When the pressure was correct, he fished around in his pockets for corks to put in his ears then let the whistle blow.

“CEASE WORK! CLEAN UP THE CITY!”

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71 Comments

  1. Mr Tenk Mr Tenk March 9, 2013

    HONKING BIG MACHINE
    sponsor: Mosseveno Tenk
    land impact 100
    prizes: L$ 3000/2000/1000

    There’s a certain sense of awe one gets when watching a monumental engine go through its paces – whether it’s the massive pistons of an ocean liner’s engine room or the elegant, massive power of a beam engine pumping water. So build one – it does’t matter what it does, but it should move, be noisy, and be huge. An HBM will fit on a 25×25 meter platform, have a land impact of no more than 100.  Entry limited to platforms available. One entry per person. Build only on city provided platform, rez prim on platform to claim.

     

    Group 1 – Builder’s Square in Academy of Industry (4 platforms)

    Group 2 – Port Babbage Waterfront (5 platforms)

    • Mr Tenk Mr Tenk April 2, 2013

      This is the closest finish I have seen for HBM. The top 3 were 1 point apart.

      1st – Nymlet, for the Kraken Oil processor

      2nd – Kimika Ying

      3rd – MacKnight Culdesac, for the playable carillion. Amazing scripting.

      Honorable Mention – Dee Wells

      Mayor’s Choice for humor – Buckminster Solo

  2. Mr Tenk Mr Tenk March 9, 2013

    ZAMBONI (OR OTHER ICE VEHICLE)
    sponsor: Silent Henry
    land impact 30
    prizes 2000/1500/1000

    Those go-devils are fun, but they really mess up the ice for skating, and the poor public works department heard no end of complaints from the New Babbage Lady’s Ice Skating Guild. Build Henry a zamboni to drive around the canals next winter. Must be drivable.

    location: Port Babbage arena, upper deck.

    • Mr Tenk Mr Tenk April 1, 2013

      1st – Nathaniel Lorefield’s ice behemoth. I especially like the fact that someone has to sit in a very precarious position to steer it.

       

      2nd – Verdon Jervil’s sporty ice groomer with roller and under chassis buffing brushes, and signature Armadan steering wheel.

       

      No third entry, so the prize money was split between Nathaniel and Verdon.This was a very very tight decision.

    • Kimika Ying Kimika Ying April 6, 2013

      Robin Sprocket made a zamboni, its too bad she didn’t enter it. 

      It looks unstoppable.

      (south sea pirates tend not to see much ice)

  3. Mr Tenk Mr Tenk March 9, 2013

    ELEVATOR HOUSE
    sponsor: Mosseveno Tenk
    land impact 20
    prizes: L$ 3000/2000/1000
    NO SCULPTS

    The old Bell Tower that housed the Vernian Sea Elevator did not survive the journey to its new location in Port Babbage. The rickety structure that was quickly built to replace it has also collapsed, so its high time someone built something more permanent. Winning entry will earn a permanent place of honor in Port Babbage

    location: Port Babbage floating docks. Build only on city placed platforms.

     

    • Mr Tenk Mr Tenk April 1, 2013

      1st – Zaros Xue, a design similar in shape to the original belltower at the Vernian Sea marina, but only 15 prims.

      2nd – Martien Pontecorvo. I did like the glimpse of machinery behind the screen.

      3rd – Dee Wells

       

      Zaros, please move a copy of the house over the existing elevator shaft, I will derez the build model when I do my tear down.

      • Mr Tenk Mr Tenk April 1, 2013

        Zaros has also earned herself an invitation to coffee with the mayor to discuss the possibility of her being this year’s RFL build captain.

  4. Mr Tenk Mr Tenk March 10, 2013

    STAMPS
    land impact: 1
    prizes: L$ 2000/1500/1000

    Stamps. Postage, tariff, rubber, passport, visa…. interpret it as you will. This is a 2D category so if you choose a rubber stamp, enter an image of the impression.

    location: North wall inside Tomaha Hall, on Pilgrims Hill.

     

    • Mr Tenk Mr Tenk April 1, 2013

      1st – Kimika Ying for the Obolensky Observatory stamp

      2nd – Elina Koskinen for the Holmes & Watson

      3rd – Arconus Arkright for the Certified Steamy rubber stamp imprint

      Honorable Mention – Edward Pearse for the Trolley stamp

       

      and might i say they were ALL exceptional

  5. Mr Tenk Mr Tenk March 10, 2013

    FLAG – RAVILA
    sponsor: Br. Eli Rudyard
    land impact: 1
    prizes: 2000/1500/1000

    We have heard a lot about Ravila over the last year. What does that flag look like? Ravila is a place to the south and west, it is considerably warmer than New Babbage. Venexia would be a good place on the grid to go to get a feel for it.

    location: Tomohna Hall, south wall.

     

    • Mr Tenk Mr Tenk April 1, 2013

      Historically, this sort of category will end in a 3 way tie, and this year is no exception. So. The final three are numbers

      #1      #3       #20

      which are far ahead of the rest of the pack. So, drop me an IM in world saying which one you like the best, and i will call it at the end of the day. Osric and Underby may not vote, everyone else can. Anyone with an established character that hails from Ravila will have a double weighted vote.

    • Mr Tenk Mr Tenk April 2, 2013

      1st – #20, the black and white diagonal with the gold symbol on top, by Osric Worbridge. After much discussion, there was a leaning towards this as the kingdom flag as symbolic of the nature of Ravila with its power struggle between the daylife and the night life, and the warring quarters of the city which somehow stays together.

       

      2nd – The profile of the raven carrying the cluster of grapes, on the quartered black and reds, by Mr. Underby. You may have seen this on a wine bottle, becuase it is in fact the family arms of the Vargo vineyard, which is famous for a fortified wine known as Rumsbuttle.

       

      3rd – the spread raven on the red field, by Osric Worbridge. This is the ancient family symbol of the Bludeau Quarter, which originaly had a raven on a white field to reflect the Kingdom colors. It was changed to red during the historical incident that the clan Elder related to the Melniks during their adventure in Ravila.

       

      Honorable Mention – The chalice with castellated border, by Jed Dagger. This is the symbol used in the area of the city controlled by the Church. Note the similarity to the Church of the Builder banner from last year.

  6. Mr Tenk Mr Tenk March 10, 2013

    PORTRAIT: EPIC PROLETARIANS
    sponsor: Piermont Landing
    land impact: 6
    prizes: L$1000/700/500

    You can interpret any way you want. Mount your portrait in a fancy frame (that’s why I threw in a few more prims) and put it on one of the easels on the deck at Piermont Landing.

    location: Piermont Landing Dance Deck

     

    • Mr Tenk Mr Tenk April 3, 2013

      There was a surprise prize on this one – additional prize money donated by Skusting Dagger, and 2 month of art display time at the Fonzerelli Docks for the winner!

      1st – Tepic Harlequin – Defending the Barricades. For his efforts, Young Tepic has also earned himself a writing assignment: an article on the Moreau Riots for the wiki. I am also requesting a copy of thise one for the City Hall galleries.

      2nd- Jimmy Branagh – Rousing the People, also an entry of historic interest during Underby’s curfew.

      3rd – Arconus Arkright – Workers of Babbage

       

       

  7. Mr Tenk Mr Tenk March 10, 2013

    IMPORTS/EXPORTS
    sponsor: Mosseveno Tenk
    land impact: 5.
    prizes: L$ 2000/15000/1000
    NO SCULPTS.

    What does the city of industry export? What do we import from the other Steamlands? Whatever it is, it should be stacked in crates and pallets along the waterfront and on the freight platforms. Make a crate or other object of export. Limit 5 prims per object. Limit 5 entries per person. Entries will be full perm and may be added to City inventory, and placed in the Engineer’s freebie object giver at the close of the festival. Note: scuplted objects from previous years are scheduled for permanent removal.

    location: Port Babbage Arena, east side breezeway.

    • Mr Tenk Mr Tenk April 1, 2013

      1st- Momoe Mollari for the crated cogs

      2nd – Rusty Bones for the pallet of pallets

      3rd – Dr. Watson for the crates of health giving Wigolene Wiggyfish Extract (now in new nonpoisonous formula)

      • Dee Wells Dee Wells April 2, 2013

        Yay Momoe! All were great; I hope they all get used :)

  8. Mr Tenk Mr Tenk March 10, 2013

    TOWERS
    sponsor: Garnet Psaltery
    land impact: 100
    prizes: L$3000/2000/1000

    What is it that makes a man build a tower? 100 land impact, any building technique allowed. Stay reasonably in theme or I will return it. Limited to 10 entries.

    location: The Fells.

    • Kimika Ying Kimika Ying March 16, 2013

      Admiring the view from our new country tower home.

      (still under construction – mind the carpenters)

      And I have no plans to live upstairs and let my hair grow extremely long. Jed can simply use the front door.

       

    • Garnet Psaltery Garnet Psaltery April 3, 2013

      I have great pleasure in announcing the winners of this category.

       

      1)  Beryl Strifeclaw

      2) Momoe Mollari

      3) Kimika Ying

       

      Mr. Tenk will be sending out ribbons, and prize money will be on its way by the fastest courier available.

      • Beryl Strifeclaw Beryl Strifeclaw April 3, 2013

        Thanks everyone, and congratulations everyone who placed!

  9. Mr Tenk Mr Tenk March 10, 2013

    BOUYS
    land impact: 10
    prizes: 1000/750/500
    NO SCULPTS.

    Why don’t we have more bouys?

    location: Port Babbage floating docks.

    • Mr Tenk Mr Tenk April 2, 2013

      1st – MacKnight Culdesac was the clear favorite with the bells and realistic bobbing motion that did not kill the sim script time.

      2nd – Beryl Strifeclaw. Who can resist a mine?

      3rd – Momoe Molari.

      Honorable Mention – Dee Wells

      Mayor’s Choice for humor – Tepic Harlequin for the Ravilan Gibbet Bouy

       

      [img_assist|nid=7162|title=|desc=|link=popup|align=left|width=649|height=328]

      • Beryl Strifeclaw Beryl Strifeclaw April 3, 2013

        After some encouragment, I finally entered into the marketplace and set the sea-mine up for sale.  I really do think that everyone who entered a buoy should consider doing it too.

  10. Mr Tenk Mr Tenk March 11, 2013

    ENGINEERED PLANTS
    sponsor: Zaros Xue
    land impact: 15 per plant
    Prizes L$2000/1500/1000

    Non-organic plants: Could be clockwork, pure metal, abstract styles etc etc.
    The plants themselves can be anything so long as they are artificial as opposed to organic. Top three which are voted for by the community will be placed on display in our shrunken garden when it’s completed alongside several other inventive attractions.

    location: place entries on the roof of Cabbit Corner in Port Babbage (formerly ‘Cuffs)

    • Zaros Xue Zaros Xue April 1, 2013

      1st – Beryl Strifeclaw for the Cybernetic Krakoni Plant. Kraken tentacles being powered by an engine? This is the type of mad science Babbage is known for!

      2nd – Nymlet’s Powerflower AND Kimika Ying’s Ornamental Mouth Plant! Yeah, BOTH of you got second, then I was asked to break the tie. Which isn’t any fun so I’m not going to, you’ll both be paid the full ammount for 2nd, enjoy!

      3rd – June Forsythe for her Mechanical Plant Lamp. It’s also technically a device that would make a suitable murder weapon, multi-purpose plants, perfect!

       

      So, everyone’s a winner! Which means if any of you want your plants on display in the shrunken garden we’re throwing together just send them over to me and I’ll find a nice spot for them. Permissions just need to be copy unless you’re okay with me re-sizing them, in which case throw in mod too! No need for trans.

  11. Loki Eliot Loki Eliot March 12, 2013

    Whens the deadline for doing this stuffs?

    • Mr Tenk Mr Tenk March 12, 2013

      March 23 is last day to build, right up to the ball. walk around and judging will be Sunday, march 24.

    • Mr Tenk Mr Tenk March 21, 2013

      Got enough begging and pleading from folks to extend for a week, so we’ll go until noon on March 31st, with the exception of the portrait, which will still have to be placed in time for the Ball this Saturday.

       

      • Mr Tenk Mr Tenk March 24, 2013

        Breezy wants to extend the portrait deadline also, so lift those hammers to the sky and be epic!

  12. Mr Tenk Mr Tenk March 12, 2013

    TELEGRAPH POLES
    land impact: 10 per pole. 2 per wire set. (Subject to adjustment, do what you can)
    prizes: L$2000/1500/1000

     Oh, the messengers are going to hate this one. Make a set of telegraph poles so we can get messeges delivered faster than they can.

     location: former Curious Seamstress site in Port Babbage 

     

    • Mr Tenk Mr Tenk April 1, 2013

      I was concerned turnout would be low for this one becuase of difficulty and the need to mesh, happily I was wrong.

      1st – Loki Eliot, by a wide margin

      2 – Dr. Watson, the glass insulators were nicely detailed.

      3 – Tepic Harlequin. Because this one has the lowest impact fo the group, I may be considring it for installation along the rails to the north.

      Honorable Mention goes to Momoe Mollari. Her entry suffered from bad LOD, it might have placed higher otherwise.

      I do encourage all the entrants to make these available on marketplace!

       

  13. Mr Tenk Mr Tenk March 21, 2013

    PORT-A-LOOS

    sponsor: Bookworm Heinrichs.

    land impact: 10

    Prizes: TBA

    Poor Bookworm, her obnoxious neighbor Emerson Lighthouse is going to contract builders to overhaul the airworks and he’s asked Bookworm if she does not mind letting them use the facilities. Entries may be functional or hyperdimensional.Come to think of it… shouldn’t there be a Babbage specific version of those blue portaloos we keep finding all over town?

    location: Mureaux Park in Port Babbage (winter skating rink place)

    • Bookworm Hienrichs Bookworm Hienrichs March 21, 2013

      Prizes: 1000/750/500 (If we get that many entries *grin*)

      • Bookworm Hienrichs Bookworm Hienrichs March 21, 2013

        Thanks to an anonymous donor, the prizes have been doubled!  Now 2000/1250/1000!

        • Bookworm Hienrichs Bookworm Hienrichs April 2, 2013

          Results:

          1st place: Nymlet, with her rather explosive entries.  (Those workmen had better be careful, that’s all I’m sayin’…)

          2nd place: Kimika Ying’s aerial loo (I suppose as their building
          project rises, we can make sure they don’t have to come down for their
          breaks.)

          3rd place: Tepic Harlequin.  His European-style entry would have done better if he’d taken the distaff sex into account.

          Congratulations to our winners, and thank you to everyone who
          participated–and there was much more than I anticipated! *chuckle*

          • Nymlet Nymlet April 2, 2013

            Yey!
            i hope thats the last time ever i have to build turds…
            (or a turdcannon….) 

             

            • Dee Wells Dee Wells April 2, 2013

              I can’t be the only one relieved that Nymlet won’t be building any turd cannons…

              ((Congrats Nym! Great stuff :D))

          • Tepic Harlequin Tepic Harlequin April 2, 2013

            The dista…what.. yer mean…. then now..? Trust girls ter be difficult… well.. there’s a tree over there.. an yer got them long skirts so’s no one can see anyhows…..geezzzz….. (hehehehe)

      • Kimika Ying Kimika Ying March 23, 2013

        Not to worry, I have portable loo ideas. And I see I’m not the only one.

      • Kimika Ying Kimika Ying April 16, 2013

        Who’s loo?

        I’d like to list all the participants and I don’t remember who made these two.

        • Dee Wells Dee Wells April 16, 2013

          On the left was Arconus Arkright’s I believe, and I’m pretty sure the blue box was Jimmy’s

  14. Mr Tenk Mr Tenk March 21, 2013

    DRAWBRIDGE
    land impact: 30
    prizes: L$2000/1500/1000
    NO SCULPTS

    We need a drawbridge on Telford Canal to connect Lower Riemann Street to The Gut. Build in place along Telford Canal, taking care to keep your prims linked off the properties on the north side.

    Raised bridges will have a minium of 4m clearance.

     

    location: Telford Canal, near Radio Riel Tower.

    • Mr Tenk Mr Tenk April 1, 2013

      1st – Nathaniel Lorefield for his completely over engineered retractable bridge.

      2nd – Dee Wells.

      3rd – Lady Sumuki. This bridge was technically disqualified for being over the prim limit, but since there wre only 3 entries, i’m going to let it go and give it 3rd rather than the 2nd place it was voted for.

      Lady Sumuki’s double lift bridge is the most suitable one for the location, so it will be permanently installed (that means you have to finish deprimming it now…)

       

      Nathaniel’s is…. very saveable.. if I can find a place for it. There has been some canal wall movement in Wheatstone that has made a couple of the old bridges awkward, hmmm… I’ll be in touch.

  15. Mr Tenk Mr Tenk March 28, 2013

    BORROWER DOORS
    sponsor: Pocket String
    land impact: 3
    prizes: 1000/750/500

    Borrowers are a timid non-magical race that is theorized to be the reason you can never find a proper coffeespoon when you really one, among other things. As an exercise in miniature mesh building, make a door for them to get back inside the walls where they belong. Models can be passed to those who own meshers for final upload. Door does not have to be functional. Petite avatars are less than .4m tall.

    location: East wall of Port Babbage Arena.

    • Mr Tenk Mr Tenk March 28, 2013

      bumping the land impact on this one up to 3, folks saying it was too hard to keep it less than 1 and be interesting.

    • Mr Tenk Mr Tenk April 1, 2013

      1 – Beryl Strifeclaw,  for the dilating opening door

      2- Satu Moreau, repurposed clock case. we’ll talk later about that…

      3 – Zaros Xue, for the elfin x-man  hideout entrance

      HM – Ollie Cork, for the elegant carved wood door framed by a borrowed horseshoe.

      Tenk might have done ok if he had got around to painting his door and throwing it through the mesherizer.

       

      [img_assist|nid=7160|title=|desc=|link=popup|align=left|width=640|height=427]

      • Tepic Harlequin Tepic Harlequin April 1, 2013

        WTG all the enterants, great fun, especially stepping through Beryl’s!

  16. Mr Tenk Mr Tenk April 1, 2013

    Its a slow process for me to sort this out and get the ribbons out, can’t do it all in one session. Stay tuned!

     

  17. June Forsythe June Forsythe April 1, 2013

    I try to make all my builds suitable murder weapons in addition to their main functions – just in case….

  18. Loki Eliot Loki Eliot April 1, 2013

    i do find the Oiling festival to  be a most wonderful idea and im glad i got to enter one contest. The doors where a lovley treat.

    • Mr Tenk Mr Tenk April 1, 2013

      i regret i won’t be able to document any of it this year in machinima, but i’m not in a hurry to tear anything down, if someone did have time…. its a shame to leave these as only memories.

      • Kimika Ying Kimika Ying April 1, 2013

        I was out and about making pictures and video yesterday. I will see what I can come up with, but it won’t be the same without the Tenk version. 

        (“Warning: amateur with moving picture recording machine, at large in Babbage.”)

        • Mr Tenk Mr Tenk April 2, 2013

          shunks, my first video was an oiling festival video. i had absolutely no idea what i was doing either, just the name of the app that Loki said he used to do it. i was just about to start derezzing when i thought it would be a good time to give it a try.

  19. Maku Ibn-Selat Maku Ibn-Selat April 2, 2013

    Mr Pontecorvo has been doing things to photography. His first set of imagery from the Oiling Festival, complete with all immoral and pornographic themes, may be found upon the New Babbage Flickr Pool.

  20. Kimika Ying Kimika Ying April 14, 2013

    I’m working on a video of the Oiling Festival. This is a quick tour of the Port.

     

     

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