Deck the FF Halls: Christmas Avs and Secret Santas

[livius drusus]

It is customary, on some other forums, to decorate one's avatar for the festivities. I have never done so on account of I am quite satisfied with my avatar as is, but since ceptimus first asked about it (http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?p=24741#post24741), several people have donned the proverbial tinsel: bey (http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/member.php?u=148), Skeptoid (http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/member.php?u=155), Ex-zombie (http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/member.php?u=133) and ceptimus (http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/member.php?u=135), that I specifically recall, and I think they're adorable.

Now, I'm Photoshop inept, so there's no way I can make my av as adorable as cep or Skep made theirs, and I like mine too much to go for the full seasonal change a la bey and Ex-zombie. That leaves me with one option: start this thread and see if any of the graphic gurus are inspired to hook me out just out of the goodness of their hearts.

And speaking of heartly goodness, I had an idea a few days ago which LadyShea whipped into shape in her inimitably practical fashion: FF Secret Santas. The way it would work is:
people who want to do it PM myself or vm their real names and addresses
we match them up with an eye both on mixing things up and keeping shipping costs reasonable
we PM everybody the name and addy of their SS
you send a white elephant gift (something you already have in the house) that you think she'll like based on something she's posted
we have a SS party thread wherein everyone opens their presents and oos and ahs.

What do y'all think? It presents some inconveniences, naturally, and I wouldn't be surprised if people are reticent to cough up their info for something like this. Also, white elephant makes it cheaper (that way we're assured that shipping is on the only cost), but it also has great craptacular potential. I just don't want it to be a big money one person gets socks another person gets a stereo kind of thing.

Questions? Comments? More begging for Photoshop help from the masters? Step right up.

:sleigh:

[Petra]

I think it sounds like a great idea, liv. :yup:


I'll try to find some festive avatars to get into the mood. Or maybe I'll just decorate the one I have. :)

[Dingfod]

What do you think?

[livius drusus]

I love it! :bgirl:

[Skep]

Here ya go, liv. Merry Christmas! Whadda ya think?


http://img86.exs.cx/img86/8296/34-xmasliv.gif

[Ex-zombie]

Here ya go, liv. Merry Christmas! Whadda ya think?


http://img86.exs.cx/img86/8296/34-xmasliv.gif

Very nice! :cool:

[livius drusus]

OMG that's sooooooo cute! I miss my giant eclipsing moon, though. Any chance we could get the wee Santa to sled away in front of it? Pretty, pretty please? :kssmyass:

[Skep]

OMG that's sooooooo cute! I miss my giant eclipsing moon, though. Any chance we could get the wee Santa to sled away in front of it? Pretty, pretty please? :kssmyass:
I would like to have done just that liv but, alas, such a project is beyond my humble abilities so I had to compromise. :(

[wei yau]

Even with the spirit of the season, I can't bring myself to use an avatar featuring Optimus Prime (Autobot scum!).

However, perhaps Goliath would like this one?

[LadyShea]

I don't know how to photoshop. Scotty, can you put some reindeer antlers or a Santa hat on my gorgeous Coyote?

[ceptimus]

I never could make out what was standing on the top of that building...

[Shake]

Oh my freakin' ... :tooslow:

:doh: Jeez, it took me until seeing this thread to realize that ceptimus is one clever bastard having the avatar being a mirror image of the username. I suppose I'd have noticed if I'd looked at the profile, but I was always looking at it thinking, "How the hell did he do that?!?"

Boy, don't I feel like an idiot? :doh:


OK, carry on now.

[livius drusus]

I never could make out what was standing on the top of that building...

/me laughs out loud

Why are cartoon reindeer so damn cute? Especially when they're perched on the Colosseum. It's lovely, cep, thank you.

I've been playing around for ridiculous amounts of (putative work) time on Skeptoid's rather brilliant concept of my avatar, and I think I've finally got something. I've been afraid to check its dimensions, however, cause I suspect it's massive. Mebbe we'll have to widen the ol' avatar parameters just for the season. Christmas spirit, and all that. :shifty:

Here's my masterpiece:

Edit: Hey, whaddayaknow! It's downright tiny. I love gif files. :bliss:

[Beth]

I dunno how but I think mistletoe above my lovers would be a nice touch. I'll see how many weeks it'll take me to figure paintshop out.;)

edit: Opps, I looked at my av, I think there is no room! I'll just pretend.:P

[livius drusus]

I think a mistletoe border all around would be beautiful, Beth, even though it would encroach on the lovers a little.

[Ex-zombie]

I never could make out what was standing on the top of that building...

* livius drusus laughs out loud

Why are cartoon reindeer so damn cute? Especially when they're perched on the Colosseum. It's lovely, cep, thank you.

I've been playing around for ridiculous amounts of (putative work) time on Skeptoid's rather brilliant concept of my avatar, and I think I've finally got something. I've been afraid to check its dimensions, however, cause I suspect it's massive. Mebbe we'll have to widen the ol' avatar parameters just for the season. Christmas spirit, and all that. :shifty:

Here's my masterpiece:

Edit: Hey, whaddayaknow! It's downright tiny. I love gif files. :bliss:


That's brilliant Liv. Why exactly were you asking for help? :chin:

[Skep]

Very nice, liv. What software did you use to accomplish that?

[livius drusus]

That's brilliant Liv. Why exactly were you asking for help? :chin:

Thank ye kindly. I'm rather absurdly proud of it myself. :pleased: I asked for help because my previous experiments in image creation/manipulation have been less than successful. This is the first time it's come out in the vague neighborhood of what I had planned.

Very nice, liv. What software did you use to accomplish that?

The Great God Jasc hooked me up here: Animation Shop Pro and Paint Shop Pro. I exported the frames from ASP to PSP, erasered out the clouds, shrank Santa-n-friends, and then shipped them back to ASP to combine with my avatar.

If was tedious as hell, but not difficult in terms of tool use.

[ceptimus]

Excellent work liv.


:haha:
Now, I'm Photoshop inept

[Petra]

Hey! Look at y'all. Verry purdy!

:bgirl:



[off topic]Beth, I'm really pleased to see you. :) I got up in the middle of the night - couldn't sleep too well - and found myself wondering what had happened to you. I almost started a thread to ask if anyone had heard from you or socratoad at all! Speaking of socratoad.... [/off topic]

[Beth]

Hey! Look at y'all. Verry purdy!

:bgirl:



[off topic]Beth, I'm really pleased to see you. :) I got up in the middle of the night - couldn't sleep too well - and found myself wondering what had happened to you. I almost started a thread to ask if anyone had heard from you or socratoad at all! Speaking of socratoad.... [/off topic]Thank you. I started posting on II last week and in HH about the same time, although I did post in the political forum in II right after the elections, I was so upset. (I still feel wronged that I have no way to know for sure because of our e-system that the votes were not rigged, but have reconciled America wants a whacked leader in office.)

Anyway, thank you for thinking of me. :)

[Beth]

I think a mistletoe border all around would be beautiful, Beth, even though it would encroach on the lovers a little.
Good idea! If I have time this weekend, I'll see if I can figure out how to do it.

[wildernesse]

Well, after several attempts, I think I've settled on a Christmas avatar. I think it's cute and welcoming. One of these days, we'll break out our Christmas decorations around here at home. Whee!

Also, if you like getting mail, you can send me your address and I'll send you a card. I love getting snail mail--except for credit card offers.

[livius drusus]

It's definitely cute and welcoming. :yup:

My parents have the great decorations. I love doing the house up when I'm with the folks at the old homestead. In fact, that's the only time I do them.

[Petra]

It's definitely cute and welcoming. :yup:

Isn't, though! A delightful door... and it suits you so well. :)



Beth, you're most welcome. You're such a sweetheart, and I can fret a little when I don't see certain people calling in from time to time. I hope life is treating you well, honey bee. :yup:



Liv, we go homestead style at Christmas, too. My scanner's working again (it was a stoopid key thing) and so I'll try to post some pics of Christmas's past. They are drool worthy. Barbequed scampi, oysters, champagne cocktails... Oh, my toes are curling just thinking about it all! :gnoshing: :D

[Skep]

Very nice, liv. What software did you use to accomplish that?

The Great God Jasc hooked me up here: Animation Shop Pro and Paint Shop Pro. I exported the frames from ASP to PSP, erasered out the clouds, shrank Santa-n-friends, and then shipped them back to ASP to combine with my avatar.

If was tedious as hell, but not difficult in terms of tool use.
I had to use a combination of GIFWorks! Free Online GIF eTools (to reduce the size of the sleigh animation), IrfanView (to extract the frames from the animation as .bmp files and convert your avatar from .jpg to .bmp) MS Paint (to paint the sky blue and add the first frame of the sleigh animation to it), back to IrfanView (to save as .gif because MS Paint always fucks up the colors when I save .gifs), and finally MS GIF Animator (to assemble the final product). You wanna talk about tedious! I'm tired just typing all that shit. :) I need to use free stuff and the GIMP crashes my machine so I'm stuck with inferior software. :( Nevertheless, it only took me about 20 minutes and I was happy with the compromise result.

[Lauri D]

I'll play on the Secret Santa thing. Lord knows I have enough white elephant gifts laying around this place to do it for years. Anyway, hey vm you have my info, so count me in.

As far as special avatars go... I dunno, I could add a santa hat to the turtle but that just wouldn't seem right. Gotta think on that.

[livius drusus]

That's great, Lauri. Thank you. :) How about draping some tinsel around his neck?

[Petra]

Will this pass?

[livius drusus]

Wow. That is drop dead gorgeous, luna. :appl:

[Petra]

Wow. That is drop dead gorgeous, luna. :appl:

Thanks!

It's all very baby Jesus in the cradle under mistletoe, I thought. :D

'Cepting all the green instead of rocks and desert. :innocent:

[HelenM]

I'm rather busy IRL the next few weeks...I have a number of musical commitments; for example, I'm off to rehearse for the church Christmas musical (http://www.calvarymemorial.com/xmas2004.asp) in an hour or so. (I know; some of you would probably hate it; but it's very well-received by many around here and so it's become an annual tradition at my church to put on a different one each year)

If I have the opportunity to take a festive photo for my avatar I may at least do that. I probably won't participate in a gift exchange but I think it's a fun idea.

Helen

[RevDahlia]

Hi. I just wanted to show off my Burning Santa.

I'd love to join the gift exchange, except for that I just moved and threw away all my white elephants. :(

[livius drusus]

What a sad waste, Rev. Oh well, Burning Santa makes it all better. :santahat:

[WinAce]

Eh. I'm still a Paintshop n00b, so just a santa hat it is.

[Corona688]

Nice avatars, guys. :) What the hell, I'm in.

[pescifish]

Heh! That's great, Corona688!

[livius drusus]

The santa hat on psychobunny is awesome, WinAce. Corona, your ornament fits both the av and the season perfectly. :1thumbup:

[Petra]

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Ev'rywhere you go;
Take a look in the five and ten glistening once again
With candy canes and silver lanes aglow.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Toys in ev'ry store
But the prettiest sight to see is the photoshop that will be
On your own avatar.


Y'all are looking very festive! :cool:

[Dingfod]

Wreck the malls with gobs of money.
Fa-la-la-la la, la, la, la, lah.
Ring up the sales like there's no tomorrow.
Fa-la-la-la la, la, la, la, lah.

[Ymir's blood]

Bah, humbug :grinch:

[livius drusus]

So use a grinch avatar, meanie. Where you been anyway?

[Ymir's blood]

So use a grinch avatar, meanie.I've already switched to a Nightmare Before Christmas avatar. Where you been anyway?antisocial, mostly. I've also been working on building a modular dungeon setup for my miniature collection to inhabit and explore.

[livius drusus]

I've already switched to a Nightmare Before Christmas avatar.

I hate to be competitive during this season of peace and goodwill to men and all, but Ex-zombie's got you beat there.

antisocial, mostly. I've also been working on building a modular dungeon setup for my miniature collection to inhabit and explore.

That's sounds cool as hell. My antisocial periods are nowhere near so productive.

[RevDahlia]

older than sin, and his beard could grow no whiter. He wanted to die.

The dwarfish natives of the Arctic caverns did not speak his language, but conversed in their own, twittering tongue, conducted incomprehensible rituals, when they were not actively working in the factories.

Once every year they forced him, sobbing and protesting, into Endless Night. During the year he would stand near every child in the world, leave one of the dwarves' invisible gifts by its bedside. The children slept, frozen into time.

He envied Prometheus and Loki, Sisyphus and Judas. His punishment was harsher.

Ho.
Ho.
Ho.

--Neil Gaiman

[freemonkey]

Count me in on the Secret Santa thing. I've got all kinds of crap around here!

[beyelzu]

anybody want a sword.


I can only half ass participate in the secret santa thing, but if someone wanted a sword for saturnalia I might be able to swing it.

[Ymir's blood]

I've already switched to a Nightmare Before Christmas avatar.

I hate to be competitive during this season of peace and goodwill to men and all, but Ex-zombie's got you beat there.Ah, but his is all Christmas-ey whereas mine comes from a part of the movie unsullied by such frippery.

antisocial, mostly. I've also been working on building a modular dungeon setup for my miniature collection to inhabit and explore.

That's sounds cool as hell. My antisocial periods are nowhere near so productive.

On the offhand chance you are interested in seeing it, here is a link. (http://web.infoave.net/~pitshade/dungeon.htm)

[beyelzu]

I've already switched to a Nightmare Before Christmas avatar.

I hate to be competitive during this season of peace and goodwill to men and all, but Ex-zombie's got you beat there.Ah, but his is all Christmas-ey whereas mine comes from a part of the movie unsullied by such frippery.

antisocial, mostly. I've also been working on building a modular dungeon setup for my miniature collection to inhabit and explore.

That's sounds cool as hell. My antisocial periods are nowhere near so productive.

On the offhand chance you are interested in seeing it, here is a link. (http://web.infoave.net/~pitshade/dungeon.htm)


damn, that must have taken forever. way cool.

[livius drusus]

That's absolutely gorgeous, Ymir's blood. Mmm... Woodburning pen... :homdrool:

[wei yau]

Wishing all of you a Very Frozen Christmas!

Also, what's the consensus on Secret Santa? I'm in, lord knows I have a ton of useless crap lying around the house.

[wade-w]

I wish I could participate. Unfortunately, I have nothing here that I can spare.

[Clutch Munny]

I wish I could participate. Unfortunately, I have nothing here that I can spare.

Aww, you're just not looking hard enough. Pressed flowers? Paperclip sculpture? Unmated green sock? (Autographed?) Think of all the objets (jamais) trouves that must be lying behind the couch cushions... It's the opening of the gift that's the rush, after all.

[wade-w]

For there to be anything hiding behind cushions on the couch would require that I have a couch.

[Clutch Munny]

Loose checkers piece from under the futon?

Lint from the bottom of the sleeping bag?

No paperclips?

No lone sock?

Lock of hair?

Okay, you win!

:grinch: :wink:

[Ymir's blood]

Lock of hair?
Would a clump of wet soapy hair from around the shower drain count? :chin:

[Beth]

Well after many failed attempts at paint shop and doing layers and all that gobbledy gook, I decided to just use our Santa topper as the av. It has been the Christmas topper for the past six or seven years and the kids get upset if we forget him. He stays in my china cabinet during the year and he is very much respected by the entire household.

[viscousmemories]

Much thanks to livius for sprucing my avatar up for Christmas. :yup:

[livius drusus]

I think it's fir, actually. :giggle:

[viscousmemories]

:D

Much thanks to livius for furring up my avatar for Christmas.

[Shake]

OK, I went and got into the holiday spirit.

What? It's got the traditional red and green in it.

[livius drusus]

Um... Erm... So... Like... What is it?

[wei yau]

Um... Erm... So... Like... What is it?

I don't even know why I know this....Super Bad (http://www.homestarrunner.com/vcr_sb.html)

[livius drusus]

Sometimes I worry about you, Mr. Freeze. :worry: But thanks for the explanatory link.

[wei yau]

Sometimes I worry about you, Mr. Freeze. :worry: But thanks for the explanatory link.

Me?

Hey, it's Shake's avatar. Worry about him.

BTW: I'm not really grooving on the Mr. Freeze avatar. I mean, he's my all-time favorite character from B:TAS. But, the avatar just doesn't seem to be doing it for me. You?

[livius drusus]

I like the colors a lot, particularly the way the hat matches his glowing eyes, but generally speaking, I'm with you: it doesn't totally work for me. Too cold, I guess.

[Beth]

Oh, Shake has one of the characters in my favorite online cartoon! Way to go, StrongShake!

[HelenM]

I did get around to updating my avatar after all :)

It's from Christmas Day 2003, my children in front of the Christmas tree. Esther is holding Kit, her doll, and they are wearing matching outfits.

Helen

[Shake]

Um... Erm... So... Like... What is it?

I don't even know why I know this....Super Bad (http://www.homestarrunner.com/vcr_sb.html)
That would be StrongBad!
Oh, Shake has one of the characters in my favorite online cartoon! Way to go, StrongShake!
Oh! Why, thank you, Miss Beth! Very kind of you. Are you up to date on his adventures? The virus one was particularly amusing, IMHO.

eta: Woohoo! Post #69 in the thread! :woohoo:

[Adora]

You know you all fucking love my avatar. Don't ask me who the baby is. Like the pancake bunny, I have no idea. It was just some random picture I had sitting on my hard drive for years.

[viscousmemories]

You know you all fucking love my avatar. Don't ask me who the baby is. Like the pancake bunny, I have no idea. It was just some random picture I had sitting on my hard drive for years.
You're right, I do fucking love it.

[livius drusus]

Yes. Yes we do.

[Adora]

I like to imagine it's Baby Jesus.

[livius drusus]

With blue eyes? What are you Zeffirelli?

[WinAce]

/me goes shopping for some more sexay X-Mas avatars, and finds just the thing for One for Sorrow.

Feel free to try it on, hon. (Yeah, so I'll just take it off later...) :D

[WinAce]

Had to get an exchange because it was the wrong size. 6 pixels too big. Serves me right for not checking before. :P

But at least I didn't get a 400 square pixel avatar, and wind up in the doghouse... even if I would get to try on some of those fashionable leashes.

[One for Sorrow]

I love my new avatar! :beloved: Thank you!










As for those fashionable leashes... I'm sure we can think of some other excuse for you to try one of those on. :P

[freemonkey]

Oooooohhh! Pretty! I saw the first one and thought "it needs blinking lights".