While trying to figure out what I'm going to include in the abridged catalog I'm going to put up - and I AM working on it - my brain decided it wanted
to do roses. The Jason has done any number of types of roses over the years; they were some of the first biomods he ever created. But four of them are very
special indeed, and I wanted to share what had popped into my head...and to get people's opinions/reactions on them. Bob - do any of the GC folk like
roses? If so, they might especially like these - the Wiccans in particular.
_____________________________________________________________
With the use of ritual magic in the creation of each, the Elemental Heart Roses are the most complex flowers that the Jason has created to date (with the
possible exception of the Space Dandelion). They are certainly the ones that he has put the most effort into. Each one was made to represent an element, not
only to create something beautiful and unique, but also to be used in future rituals. To date, the Jason has created roses to represent each of the four
classical elements and is working on one final rose, to represent the element of Spirit. The Heart of the Soul is
giving him the most trouble...not surprising, after considering what he's already done for the other four.
Life's Flame Rose (Fire), aka Heart of the Flame - The petals of
this rose are transparent, and colored in shades of red and orange and yellow, appearing to be richly-colored stained glass. The rose is also bioluminescent;
within the petals, light flickers back and forth constantly. The effect can be seen during the day, but the true power of the effect is at night, where the
light shining through the colored petals actually makes the rose appear as though it were made out of flame. Each rose generates the faint sound of crackling
and popping (an enlarged chamber in the stem, just below the calyx, serves as a sound generator), and threaded through the scent of rose are the smells of
cinnamon and woodsmoke. The flowers are also thermogenic; while in bloom, the petals hit 105 degrees Fahrenheit, making them nicely warm to the touch to
non-biomodded humans and most others. The petals ARE edible, though if enough are eaten by a normal human, they will
trigger a biomod. If candied, they taste of rose and cinnamon.
Thor's Laughter Rose (Air), aka Storm Rose, aka Heart of the Storm
- Another stained glass rose, this one has petals that are colored in various rich shades of blue. It too is bioluminescent, but unlike the Fire rose which is
pretty much constantly emitting light, the Storm rose flashes at random, and in brighter bursts - sometimes all over the rose, then at other times in streaks
and bolts within the petals. It has a spicy rose scent, overlaid with mint and a sharp tang. It actually emits negative ions and the occasional molecule of
ozone; not enough to be a problem in an enclosed system, but two or three potted roses in a regular-sized room will give the same feeling to the air that it
has after a thunderstorm has passed. This is possible because the roses are weak bioelectric generators; they can generate just enough charge to give a light
electric shock, the same as you might get after scuffing your feet on the carpet in the winter and then touching something metal. If something metal is brought
VERY close to a petal, you might even see a faint spark jump the gap. The sound generator is present on this rose as well, and produces faint cracks and
rumbles, such as you might hear from a distant thunderstorm. If tasted, most organic lifeforms will get the same reaction as if they stuck a weak battery on
their tongue - it gives the same tingle/bite. While not exactly an interesting or pleasant taste for most, some biomodded humans and sentient robots might find
them so.
Sea Fire Rose (Water), aka Heart of the Sea - Appearing made of deep
aquamarine stained glass with hints of pale sea green and turquoise, the tips of this rose's petals fade to a frosted, translucent white. This rose
doesn't exhibit any bioluminscence during the day at all, and shows a slow, rhythmic pulsing of light at night - glowing faintly deep within the petals
then growing brighter over the space of a minute or two, then fading back to the background level. This is accompanied by the sound of crashing waves, white
noise produced by this rose's sound chamber, and the pulsing is in time to the waves. If grown in a system that exhibits traits of weather, the
pulses/sounds become stronger and more intense during windy weather, as if the waves were being storm-driven. The flower has a rose fragrance, but it's
strongly overlaid by that of the sea; imagine a rose growing among the dunes on a beach, and that's just about the scent produced. The petals actually
secrete tiny drops of water, just enough to give a wet sheen and feel to the petals, and tasting the petals reveals a faintly salty flavor.
Guinness Crystal Rose (Earth), aka Heart of the Land - While the other
three Elemental roses are transparent stained glass, the Earth rose is a deep, translucent emerald green (exactly the shade of the Guinness Emerald crystal). It lacks the others' flashier light
displays, just showing a steady, low-level glow by day and night. To the touch, there's only the normal softness of flower petals. But what it lacks in
sight and touch, it more than makes up for in the other three senses. It smells of roses...but also of deep forest, with rich earth and fallen leaves. Traces
of honeysuckle, apple, pear and other fruits can be detected in the scent as well, shifting - first one comes to the fore, then another. Candied petals of this
rose are a real treat, because the flavors are as varied as the smells. There's always the faint taste of rose, but some petals taste more of maple syrup,
others of honey, or apple or even faintly of wine or anise. If any of the roses will tempt a person to eat enough of the petals to cause a biomod, it will be
this one. The flavors differ even between the petals on a single rose, so it's always a surprise. This rose also has the largest, most elaborate sound
chamber of the four, and the sounds and their duration vary at random. Listening closely, you might hear the gentle sound of a babbling brook, or the wind
rustling through the leaves of a wood, or the soft drone of a bee in flight. Although very faint, this rose can even generate more elaborate sounds, like the
drumming of a woodpecker or birdsongs. Standing next to one of these rosebushes and closing one's eyes, it's quite easy to imagine that you're
walking through the woods in summer.
to do roses. The Jason has done any number of types of roses over the years; they were some of the first biomods he ever created. But four of them are very
special indeed, and I wanted to share what had popped into my head...and to get people's opinions/reactions on them. Bob - do any of the GC folk like
roses? If so, they might especially like these - the Wiccans in particular.
_____________________________________________________________
With the use of ritual magic in the creation of each, the Elemental Heart Roses are the most complex flowers that the Jason has created to date (with the
possible exception of the Space Dandelion). They are certainly the ones that he has put the most effort into. Each one was made to represent an element, not
only to create something beautiful and unique, but also to be used in future rituals. To date, the Jason has created roses to represent each of the four
classical elements and is working on one final rose, to represent the element of Spirit. The Heart of the Soul is
giving him the most trouble...not surprising, after considering what he's already done for the other four.
Life's Flame Rose (Fire), aka Heart of the Flame - The petals of
this rose are transparent, and colored in shades of red and orange and yellow, appearing to be richly-colored stained glass. The rose is also bioluminescent;
within the petals, light flickers back and forth constantly. The effect can be seen during the day, but the true power of the effect is at night, where the
light shining through the colored petals actually makes the rose appear as though it were made out of flame. Each rose generates the faint sound of crackling
and popping (an enlarged chamber in the stem, just below the calyx, serves as a sound generator), and threaded through the scent of rose are the smells of
cinnamon and woodsmoke. The flowers are also thermogenic; while in bloom, the petals hit 105 degrees Fahrenheit, making them nicely warm to the touch to
non-biomodded humans and most others. The petals ARE edible, though if enough are eaten by a normal human, they will
trigger a biomod. If candied, they taste of rose and cinnamon.
Thor's Laughter Rose (Air), aka Storm Rose, aka Heart of the Storm
- Another stained glass rose, this one has petals that are colored in various rich shades of blue. It too is bioluminescent, but unlike the Fire rose which is
pretty much constantly emitting light, the Storm rose flashes at random, and in brighter bursts - sometimes all over the rose, then at other times in streaks
and bolts within the petals. It has a spicy rose scent, overlaid with mint and a sharp tang. It actually emits negative ions and the occasional molecule of
ozone; not enough to be a problem in an enclosed system, but two or three potted roses in a regular-sized room will give the same feeling to the air that it
has after a thunderstorm has passed. This is possible because the roses are weak bioelectric generators; they can generate just enough charge to give a light
electric shock, the same as you might get after scuffing your feet on the carpet in the winter and then touching something metal. If something metal is brought
VERY close to a petal, you might even see a faint spark jump the gap. The sound generator is present on this rose as well, and produces faint cracks and
rumbles, such as you might hear from a distant thunderstorm. If tasted, most organic lifeforms will get the same reaction as if they stuck a weak battery on
their tongue - it gives the same tingle/bite. While not exactly an interesting or pleasant taste for most, some biomodded humans and sentient robots might find
them so.
Sea Fire Rose (Water), aka Heart of the Sea - Appearing made of deep
aquamarine stained glass with hints of pale sea green and turquoise, the tips of this rose's petals fade to a frosted, translucent white. This rose
doesn't exhibit any bioluminscence during the day at all, and shows a slow, rhythmic pulsing of light at night - glowing faintly deep within the petals
then growing brighter over the space of a minute or two, then fading back to the background level. This is accompanied by the sound of crashing waves, white
noise produced by this rose's sound chamber, and the pulsing is in time to the waves. If grown in a system that exhibits traits of weather, the
pulses/sounds become stronger and more intense during windy weather, as if the waves were being storm-driven. The flower has a rose fragrance, but it's
strongly overlaid by that of the sea; imagine a rose growing among the dunes on a beach, and that's just about the scent produced. The petals actually
secrete tiny drops of water, just enough to give a wet sheen and feel to the petals, and tasting the petals reveals a faintly salty flavor.
Guinness Crystal Rose (Earth), aka Heart of the Land - While the other
three Elemental roses are transparent stained glass, the Earth rose is a deep, translucent emerald green (exactly the shade of the Guinness Emerald crystal). It lacks the others' flashier light
displays, just showing a steady, low-level glow by day and night. To the touch, there's only the normal softness of flower petals. But what it lacks in
sight and touch, it more than makes up for in the other three senses. It smells of roses...but also of deep forest, with rich earth and fallen leaves. Traces
of honeysuckle, apple, pear and other fruits can be detected in the scent as well, shifting - first one comes to the fore, then another. Candied petals of this
rose are a real treat, because the flavors are as varied as the smells. There's always the faint taste of rose, but some petals taste more of maple syrup,
others of honey, or apple or even faintly of wine or anise. If any of the roses will tempt a person to eat enough of the petals to cause a biomod, it will be
this one. The flavors differ even between the petals on a single rose, so it's always a surprise. This rose also has the largest, most elaborate sound
chamber of the four, and the sounds and their duration vary at random. Listening closely, you might hear the gentle sound of a babbling brook, or the wind
rustling through the leaves of a wood, or the soft drone of a bee in flight. Although very faint, this rose can even generate more elaborate sounds, like the
drumming of a woodpecker or birdsongs. Standing next to one of these rosebushes and closing one's eyes, it's quite easy to imagine that you're
walking through the woods in summer.