Steampunk- you buys a ticket- ya takes ya chances

GRRR too confusing and stressful! i dont wanna live in utopia, i want a socialist steampunk society where the government decides all for me

Watching for now. I like making SteamPunk jewelry (see my flickr page), but I'm not crazy about the switching partners part. Do we switch only once or is there a deadline for after-assignment flipping? When do we know when the flipping has ended? Also, I'm not very keen on sending a creation with the chance of getting nothing in return if I end up as a deserted "wall flower." I guess that's the "buy a ticket, take a chance" part, but I'm just not sure I'm ready to be that trusting.

i've got a tear-stained pillow already

don't believe in utopia any longer

this alice knows wonderland can bite

as often as offer sweets

which therefore ipse quid pro quo and not withstanding

means sometimes the only thing you can change

is your attitude

i throw my broken-feathered hat into the ring

with panache and what joie my vivre has left

it's clicking over

my steam-powered heart

Interesting. Is there a way to actually change the partners that have been randomly assigned by swap-bot? Otherwise I don't see how you can enforce that people don't leave negative ratings for each other after they've been "dumped". Which could get ugly...

This would probably work much better in a group than as an open swap.

by not getting rated or having to rate- not having the original partners- i think this swap is set-up for a lot of flakers... :-/

There is now a SteamPunk Swap-Bot group.

People just dont know what to do without "rules" and "order".

It's a combination of a snarky narrative and being burned too many times. I may be overly sensitive, but "IF by chance you end up being one of the wall flowers of the prom, left with no partner, buck up. We don't cotton to cry babies here" and "you understand the criteria- don't come back with any bogus ratings or tear stained pillows" is a bit too mean-worded for me. I'm not crying, but I probably won't sign up either.

i second that garrent, i won't be either just because of those comments. who wants a hostess that is that snippy right off the bat? it is my understanding, and yes, i've hosted successful swaps, that it's the hostess job to make it as successful as possible, that is, do everything possible within reason to make it that way. including not being sarcastic and such. maybe i'm just not thick skinned enough for little miss rie60's way of motivating her swappers. or maybe the fact that there are only two people signed up might be a clue to herto change her tone

It's a complicated swap, but i don't think it is fair to criticise the creator for her tone and phrasing. Swap-bot encourages diversity and exploration and i think that just because you don't like the swap doesn't mean it shouldn't have been made, or made in the way it has. It's good to have a variety of swaps available even if some of them don't appeal to everyone.
Although i can't join because of location, i enjoyed reading the swap description. It was something different that pushes the boundaries, which is what creativity is really about.

I never said that the swap shouldn't be offered, I just meant that this particular one -as stated- isn't for me. I've had previous swaps with Rie60 that have been a real pleasure, this description was just too off-putting for me. I love SteamPunk and keep coming back to this swap hoping that some of the fog will clear.

As for art pushing boundaries, you are exactly right, peanutbutter, but the mechanics of the swaps shouldn't be confused with the art that is created. Swap-Bot has reasons for assigning partners that correspond to the ratings. I agree with AgentWoods and yumcheesy as to the great possibility of misuse. Just my opinion...

As in the words of a great philosopher, "Just trying to keep the conversation lively!"

Ya'll know me...Im not snippy-I 'm just trying a different way- please dont judge that I'm trying to be mean--because anyone who knows me knows I'm not-Just a different way for a brave new world...are you part of a brave new world? If not please don't join and please....don't comment-This swap is for the brave,the strange, the trustworthy and those willing to rock the bot, If it's not your swap,,,,,-pass it by..without comment or degredation-please-.If it is your swap- I'm so glad I finally met you because you were who we was looking for,,,,,lets do this thing and change the bot.

I had a swap with slewis that i thought she liked- Please understand my "tough talk" is to keep out folks who wouldn't follow the rule ans then would whine about it....bottom line girls..... love you all but if you have ONE IOTA of fear about this swap- dont join!- Case closed. The brave, the true and the trustworthy will take your place :)

wow- this sounded so cool- and I think that the wording was probably done in a tone specific to the genre. Read between the lines people- I don't even really know what Steampunk entails but the wording sounded like it was artistic. Sorry I can't join 'cuz of time restraints but have fun.

Agent wood- not formally- just through "utopian trust"--Garrent and slewis- me thinks this isn;t the swap for you, as your feelings are already hurt- but good luck and all love to you.- it is for us feisty sorts....letthis one play out and see what you think ok?

If this swap can be international I'd love to join.

It had better be, eh Rie? :) Otherwise I'm booted for not reading carefully enough and failing to meet the criteria! (grins wryly and puts down her glue gun....)

Hmmm... interesting idea. Sort of swap-bot-scary (a whole new genre:)

This should be offered in one of those crazyfun off-beat groups I keep coming across!! I will consider it...

No offense taken or meant. I hope a happy swap for everyone!

Ok ya'll I changed this swap to international as there seemed to be more interest- again Hope this didn't come off as snarky, but I had to be sure that folks understood that, as in the lottery--it might not turn out exactly like you wanted. But I believe it's one you will never forget eh?

Slewis- thats what Im TRYING to do- make it as successful as possible- the people who sign up for this know what they are getting into--Im not so much trying to motivate as DEmotivate so I don't get a lot of women who will have feelings hurt if it's not all hearts and flowers- the folks who sign up for this will be hard core and tough as nails- and know this swap won't make or break their lives- but also know they could recieve something awesome in return-have a great time in your other swaps- I know they will be wonderful!- lol and slewis- no tone changing here- This "tone" will attract exactly the people this swap is for....be they 1 or 20

To Answer garrent- WHEN you pick a partner who has picked you, you send the verification ( as outlined in the swap) and that is your Marriage- that is who you are partnered with and the deal is done- get it?

Thanks for the clarification. (Maybe that's why I'm not married) ;o) Have a happy!!

Okay, you've convinced me. I'll buy a ticket and hold on for the ride!

Yeah! Super super super!

It'll be great! Love ya' Rie! ;o)

Garrent, I would woo you, Flirt with and pursue you, Should you be my one and only, I'd pray you'd not leave me lonely, For I like your profile, truly, Hope you like mine, too!

(attaches message to miniature steamtrain, careful not to soil her black lace gloves, and sends it chugging across the floor to Garrent, with a broad grin behind her matching black lace veil...)

Methinks it be da swap for me. Hardy, older lass, who knows how to get dirty and crass? Can't wait to see who else is joined. I think I know though based upon the comment bored.

Ode to Masterbard (Wallflower No More... sniffles)

I thank you for your kind offer,

In the SteamPunk genre swap.

And in kind to return your gesture,

Hoping my verse won’t flop.

Gladly, our partnership is acceptable,

As your profile aligns with mine.

Our exchange should be profitable-

We are women: creative, bright and fine

(grins delightedly) - hah, a fellow poet! It was very much in the Korean tradition as well to exchange sijos or poetic similes. Look up Hwang Jini, one of my personal heroines, a gisaeng (similar to the Japanese geisha) and free-spirited female writer...

Linda, hardy older lass, Wilt thou join the game and dance? Make a step not coy nor crass, Don thy goggles, take a chance, In this small experiment, Where utopia is dreamt?

Let us also turn to thee, Host and punkish partner, Rie, Wilt thou woo? Bill and coo? Seek a craftmate from this tree?

i believe i shall play...

Welcome, gutsy pirate queen!

Keep your pistols burnished bright,

Whether playing nice or mean,

This swap's got a lot of bite.

Missxpistol, consider yourself pre-wooed :) I think we'd be perfect together...come on ladies! I'll take ya on for MissX! -hee

oooh, i LOVE the idea of this swap; the more i've thought about it the more i love it... i'm in!

Let the adventure begin! (starts batting eyelashes at potential strumpets)

7 in the swap and 11 watching- and the clock is ticking...do not attempt to adjust the horizontal, WE....are controlling the transmission-tick rick tick

arwww....sounds scalli good...and dirty and crass...give me more....

ok- someone asked me to break it down for them...maybe this will help if folks are still fuzzy- Basically, you are assigned a partner the normal way ..If you are happy with them and they with you, thats that.You write to me and give me both your names....if you see someone you'd rather have as a partner you try and make an alliance with them, at which point you dump your partner....and your new partner dumps theirs- those two people must now find new partners by whatever means necessary-if your initial partner dumps you first, then you find someone else willing to take a partner- once you make an alliance, you send it (both partners names) to me and then it's "law" more or less....in the end there will either be equal amounts of partners, or one left out. There will be no rating unless you stay with the partner you were initially assigned.The trick here will be stopping partners who get dumped from revenge rating their initial partners (because they could) but have been asked not to-This will be a very interesting experiment in free will and choice- except maybe of course for the last two or three unchosen people to pair up with people maybe they wouldn't have chosen--

I think we should give it one week after sign up's...say January 8th as a deadline for finding you final partner and emailing it to me- sound ok?

Im thinking perhaps most of the advertising for---If you got dumped or dumped your partner but dont know who you want to swap with partners will be here-Classified ads for available strumpets :)

carefully selects a sharpened plume and a sheet of ivory parchment

Mademoiselle Garrent!

Alas, cruel Fate may tear us from each other's arms! Fain would I remain exchanging billet-doux and steampunked delectables with thee, yet the Robot of Random Doom hovers like a spectre of misfortune, ready to reassign in reckless mayhem, wounding hearts and ruining ratings...

brushes a tear carefully from her lashes and ensures that it falls artistically upon the parchment, smudging a conjunction in poetic irony

And lo, e'en now I must set down my quill, for who is that at the door? A card? For me? Why, with flowers too? However did she...er, that is, who knew my favorites were lilac blossom? My, how extravagant....

flutters lashes, then snaps her goggles down over her emerald eyes and rises to post her sealed missive....

my dear masterbard: it seems to me that perhaps the rules for this steampunk utopian marriage were made to be broken my proposition for your consideration is this: what if we were to have two partners each instead of only one? you & she & i, if you're down for that sort of thing.

& i wonder how each of you would feel knowing that somewhere, someone has the other half of the art thing i'd made for you? seems my muse strikes in the form of yr words & photos, hmm....

anyway, it doesn't matter what you'd swap in return - i'm confident it'd be radiant. if you want to see some things i've made before, maybe ease your mind a bit about being flaked, you can see my profile & ratings.

i don't have flowery words to woo you, i'm just a painter with my gritty textures, my old bits of ephemera, the relentless colors flooding my mind.

want to share in these with me?

(bites her nails & fidgets nervously...)

lol- A new year and a new kind of swap--I want to say that if I offended anyone with my wording, it was not my intent. I just wanted to shake things up a little~ I think if everyone who is signed up takes it slow and easy, this may be a new exciting experience!Ok so, here is the criteria one more time:

1. You will be assigned a partner as normal.
2. I have already seen signs of swappers pairing up so when you get your partner, if you already have someone else in mind, see if you can make a match, let your official partner know- If you get a partner you like and want them to send back to you, only they will have to break up a partnership- does that make sense? (I think I will be dumped first, so I'm not going to take it personally and I hope everyone will join me in that attitude-lol) and then send me the agreement.

3. I will post comments here as to who has paired up, so we can continue to find our partners. I'm all for equality in marriage so if you want to take more than one spouse, feel free! In answer to Garrents question- once you've made a deal, you may only ADD a partner, not flip again.

4. When you are paired up, decide your criteria for the swap- As long as it is sent by the due date, we're all good!

5. You will only rate your partner if it is your official swap partner- otherwise, you can always thank your partner in their profile comment section.I know if you signed up for this swap you understand this ok? :)

6. This is a swap of trust, and free will between an awesome group of brave strumpets! Lets all make an effort to make each individual swap special so we can do this again!

Thanks for putting up with my craziness ladies- you rock

Yeah! Theres an equal number of swappers, so everyone COULD end up with a partner, especially if people are willing to take on more than one partner- I have an idea for my project and if it works I could have a couple partners--- lets woo, ladies....the clock is ticking :)

Rie60 and missxpistol are partners!

exits stage left to go steampunk shop

Now I'm officially confused...

Masterbard, are we no longer partnering? Pthalostars got me in the draw and I got Tooliesteaparty, I thought we were supposed to ignore who the system assigned and pick our own, which we did. Did I not understand it correctly?

Yes, ignore the system and go after who you want- when you reach an agreement to swap, one with the other, then send me your agreement so I can keep track of who's left and who is with who-

I only assigned partners because it won't let you go further with the swap if you don't do that step

I rhink you and masterbard want to swap- I just want you to get a pm from her as an "official" Don't know how it will help but it makes me feel better to have something in writing

Garrent and Masterbard are partners!

So left to pair up are

tooliesteaparty

Linda50

bobilani

pthalostars

garrent & masterbard & i are all sending to each other.

i am also sending to bobilani & she to me.

the system says I am sending to Rie, receiving from Garrent...I am happy with it all...I just love all the profiles and energy here....ya-who. I don't know all these ladies too much...I think bobilani from way back....memba me?

I would like to send an extra or two, I will keep tabs on the messages and see who I can connect with...does anyone else have big boobs, big mouth, big ass? ...hey, that's a wench thing, and a start, perhaps....Happy New Year everyone!

Of course I remember you! And I definitely have the boobs, ass and mouth you are describing! LOL! Let me know if you'd like to form an alliance ;)

I am sending to/receiving from pthalostars and I have contacted Linda50 (she is currently my receiving from partner assigned by the bot) to see what her plans are.

I am interested in sending more than one, so I am open to partnering up with Linda50 and tooliesteaparty! As pthalostars put it...the more the merrier! :)

Kudos to steamy utopias! Yes, confirming here: Garrent, the Bard, and Pthalo are in a menage a trois. But we're not ruling out random unfaithfulness (blinks her jade eyes sweetly around at the forum of corseted wenches, checking to see who brought their rayguns) and peculiar acts of fortunate kindnesses, either.

Woo us, do! Linda, bellalinda, the bot thinks you and I should share our cogworked hearts. What sayest thou?

Woot! - Crystal and I said we'd like to make more than one thing so you can also join with us- nice work ladies...Looks like as soon as we hear from Linda we're set!

I watched city of embers and stardust last night to get myself in the mood :)

Ah, Stardust - wonderful book, and for one, equally wonderful movie.

If you're looking for inspiration, try also 'Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow' or 'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' - both panned by reviewers but excellent steamosphere....

I shall have to look up 'City of Embers'!

sorry, that should be 'for once' in the comment above!*

Please excuse my extremely unusual typo: in the middle of typing my office chair literally collapsed under me. Hit my head, broke a leg (the chair, the chair, not me), and am feeling generally shaky. Perhaps that will excuse the error, no?

No, I'm sorry Judy- we don't allow typos...you'll have to leave

points at door

:)

Oh dear me! What have I done? Ladies I must be true. I have entirely no recollection of the comment above post by yours truly. I dearly love thee all and the question as put tears my heart to shreads. Being an older lass both bold and crass (did I really say that) I would accept those proposals and wooings sent with a true heart and lust for steampunkiness in their hearts.

Therefore, I must announce that Bobilani, Masterbard and TootlesTeaParty shall recieve an object crafted by muah which I doth intend shall cause their toes to curl in a most delicious way.

Godspeed my good friends!

Word to your Mother- Peace!

I so hope you are going to post pics and tale tales! I must see and read.

Hee hee hee (chortles madly and steeples her gloved fingers) oh yes, there are pictures! But I shan't spoil the anticipation just yet. Who shall receive the Antediluvian Tel.... er, um, that is, I wonder just how I'm going to sort out my various wondrous creations amongst my equally wondrous aetheric acquaintances....

How do we indicate 'sent'? I went ahead and clicked 'sent' anyhow, so people know masterbard has gotten her stuff out, but it doesn't reflect, er, 'reality'. Guess we shall all have to be trusting anarchists.

Cielto Linda, your parcel is on its way, and Garrent darling, your box is also in the mail. Pthalo, my star, your giant package of general goodness is still being worked on, but you know what we agreed... (flutters lashes madly)

Clcik sent when you've sent out everything you're going to send out, just so we can archive it- this is all on trust

Judith- Dang girl! you are on the ball!

Rie-ri, m'dear, it is a steam-powered, judicized, ballroom-size ball... that helps....

(grins recklessly and flicks a speck of aetherdust off her raygun handle)

And I must say, I'm having a ball - steampowered or not! This was such a fun swap to do, albeit more than slightly confusing. I have no idea how I am supposed to rate Missxpistol, but possibly when all the stuff is in we can swap comments and give our 'partners' the fives and hearts we all will have earned?

Received from Garrent! She rocketh - I wore my goodie all day - ripped from the package and straight to my neck. (and if I hadn't been quick on the ball, it would've been the property of my Kitkat, who always gets to watch me open my parcels and invariably picks something out for herself...) As it was, she was satisfied with the little package of paper scraps, which will go straight to her stash as a consolation prize!

ooops, sent days ago, just got on here to push the sent button...my "punk people" are gone to their new homes.....my life sucks right now...such a busy b@st*ard...hate it, but it's life...so, I forgot to take photos, was too into getting them in the mail...I'll walk the plank...

....lowers head, walks toward plank.. .. .. ...... ...

No need! We can all take pics of what we receive and post here!

Hey, can someone tell me if they received from Missxpistol, so I can 'rate' her and get the swap off my to-do list?

:)