Fantasy Faire: A Traveller in Tinker's Hollow

I am thrilled by the goodies of Tinker's Hollow and I have three to show you here! One of my old favorites is back for another Faire, Analog Dog (Tinkers Hollow) who does some of the best soft textures and interesting braided styles on the grid. This one is a mix of loose and braided hair, rigged to the body and moving well with each pose. I particularly like the fit around the ears, which can be fraught when your ears are as big as mine! The comes with HUDs for each set of colors - everything from light blonds to shiny and improbable colors.

Fantasy Faire: Tangleshimmer Grove Up Close

I had a lot of fun building a set from what Tanglewood has available - all of it sweet and brightly colored. I built the set out of things from two different stores, Eccentric Ephemeria (Fantasy Faire Location), which offered up brightly colored columns with yellow flowers, and Petite Plunder and Immortal Inspirations (Fantasy Faire Location), which made pretty much everything else - and astonishingly sized both for standard avatars and small ones! I pulled out my petite alt, Deoridhe, to show off some of the available poses in the set. The furniture has bunches of seats, and you can also bathe in the little bowl in the bottom of the trellis - which is an adorable addition! The entire Petite Plunder and Immortal Inspirations is modify-ok, which really came in handy when I resized and lowered one of the end tables to make a coffee table large enough to mirror the full sized furniture in miniature. The cookies are part of the end table, but since it is modify-ok, you can hide them underneath the top to clear some space or offer up some different options.

This is why I love mod-ok; I was able to augment an already impressive seating area with my own addition! Included are, as you can see, a flower bedecked bird house, a matching flower planter, an end table, a lounge, and a deck chair all in both sizes. The trellis only comes large, but as it has seating for tiny avatars, that makes a certain amount of sense! The bluebells up front are also from Petite Plunder and Immortal Inspirations, but rather than be available for purchase, it's one of the prizes for the Lost Land Hunt which is currently going on across the Fairelands. Framing the Petite Plunder and Immortal Inspirations set is the gorgeous flower planters from Eccentric Ephemeria which offer up rich colors. I only wish I had a full set,s o I could make walls of flowery rainbows all over the place! I love the textures on these in particular; the color remains powerful without losing the shadows and edges of the column and urn themselves.

Petite Deoridhe is entirely bedecked in an old outfit from Bare Rose, but full sized Deoridhe is almost completely transformed by Tangleshimmer Grove. I was really tickled by how the furniture fit the aesthetic of Tangleshimmer perfectly, but my final look was much more evil queen than shiny, happy, shimmery Deo! I finally decided I must have taken a wrong turn, only to get lost in a world of light and rainbows! Poor evil queen; she's so distressed!

The look started from the top down with these fun antlers from :{Oak & Elm}: (Fantasy Faire Location), available in a couple colors; I'm showing off the rich purple here. I love how easily they tucked into my Analog Dog (Fantasy Faire Location) hair. The updo parts are solid mesh with the braids sticking out stiffly and loose flexi curls hanging down almost to my waist. The style is such fun, and the included hairbase smooths the connection between skin and prim. Speaking of skins - I'm rocking a rich green from LURE (Fantasy Faire Location). This is one of five skintones available at the faire; each comes with three brow options, two body types, and a ton of appliers - TheMeshProject, Azz, Baby Bump, Belleza, Brazilia, Lena, Loud Mouth, Maitreya, Omega, Slink, Tango, and Wowmeh. It didn't come with an applier for my .:Soul:. ears, but I was able to tint one of the fantasy shades to match - and I think I did rather well, if I don't say so myself! The skin has some nicely subtle shading and really looks lovely - you can even check out a bit of my decolletage below!

My outfit is awesome darkness that worked together surprisingly well! My wings are a fun recolorable set from That Chick (Fantasy Faire Location). These are available for full sized and petite avatars, and can be color changeable via a truly impressive HUD. There are three textures available, twenty-five colors for the wing sections, and twenty-four orb textures - from the rather simple red shown here to a couple full on rainbows! They are also resizable, though I found the default size to be perfect. The low-hanging necklace I'm wearing is also from That Chick; no color change this time, but a fantastic heavy weight and I really love the textures. The bulk of my look is made up of this single gown from The Muses (Fantasy Faire Location) which manages to combine sexy and formal. The length, both of the skirt and the sleeves, offer up a rich heaviness - especially with the addition of the large patterns and sparkle fade. The low cut of the front is a fantastic framing device, though, and makes the That Chick necklace really stand out! I wanted to finish with an almost martial edge and the collar from [CONQUEST] (Fantasy Faire Location) is simply perfect. It's modify-ok, so I was able to size it down to fit my neck and frame my face, and I think it takes a style which could almost be too revealing and amps up the severe edge. I was playing with a lot of contrasts overall, and I think the result is unusual and striking.

Water Color

It's that time of year, when things grow cold and I wear short skirts and hang around in rivers! This is a decidedly spring-like look, from the gorgeous mesh flowers by Sweet Lies, to the crinkly dress from LeeZu. I put on a brightly hued updo from Analog Dog, who does some of my favorite ombre shades, and finished the whole look with rings from Eclectica and shoes from Hilly Haalan. It's also what I call an inventory look, meaning the majority of it were things I picked up while I was out across the grid, and then I threw the look together while sorting things out of my main inventory folders - liking different pieces so much I wanted to photograph them before I sorted.

The LeeZu dress is one I've been eyeing for a while and picked up during her recent sale; I love an unusual silhouette, and LeeZu does amazing, angled, crinkly silhouettes. I also really liked the texturing, from the band down the center to the thin, contrasting colored shapes that reminded me of medallions on Indian carpets and fabrics. It's a delicate spaghetti strap top, a wonder mesh has given us which I will always cherish, and the colors are clear but muted, a tone which would determine the rest of my look. The Sweet Lies flowers, put on soon after, were a purchase from the last iteration of the Fantasy Room - to give you a sense of what a mess my inventory is - and they are a wonderful set of simple flowers in a muted but diverse palette.

The shoes were the hardest part, but I had happened by some Hilly Haalan shoes recently and they were floating near the top. One of the wonderful things about SLink feet is that it allows for many more open sided and open toed shoes, even for people who have difficulty making feet! In this case, the open lacework of the shoes was a perfect and simple counterpoint to a much more fluffy and fussy look above, and the silver echoed the whites elsewhere without becoming too sucked in. Finally, I had the great luck of seeing these rings, Eclectica's new release for the Jewelry and Accessory Expo. They are gacha prizes, a veritable slew of rings, all of which are lovely. I went with a different color on each hand, one to echo the golds of the medallions on the fabric of my dress, and the other to catch the hues of the flowers I'm wearing and my hair. The final touch were my nails - a textured ombre from Devae that I picked up ages ago but return to over and over again. That's also the only bit of purple in my look, completing my somewhat inverted rainbow nicely and settling us firmly in the realm of spring shades and pastel hues.

It's interesting to see where I fall in step with the prevailing north Northern Hemisphere cold and snow, where I react to my local weather which is not at all and where I push back against that, clinging to the timeless and spacelessness of Second Life. The biggest strength and weakness of this world we create together is that it is the sum total of our imaginations. We bring in our own experiences, assumptions, biases, and prejudices and then build a world that replicates the ones in our own minds. I don't think there's any way we can actually know why people bring what they bring - so much of what can be made is as much a product of our subconscious expectations and values as anything consciously held. I think about that sometimes, looking back at a history of images bright and dark from the last five years - the times when I dressed in bright and cheerful clothes when I was feeling sad or upset; the times I threw on whatever and tossed it into the world; my own quiet jealousies and envies, sublimated into a sort of frenetic energy with no outlet.

Winter is a time for drawing in, self-reflection, and facing hard truths about ourselves in harsh environments. Spring is about growth and optimism, and the eternal promise that This Too Shall Pass. I feel like I'm in a swirl of energy, chasing my own tail to avoid my greatest fears about myself. There's a strong temptation to skate over the darkness, to stick to pastels and sweetness and kind words; I have no way to judge if that impulse is a kindness, or an ultimate cruelty.

Angel in the Basilica

I went to the Basilique's last production of Paradise Lost last Sunday, and while I snapped a great deal of pictures I tossed most of them as thoroughly unappealing and I'll link to their Flickr instead if you want to see much better framed and rezzed images of that rather iconic production. One aspect I found both charming and enlightening, though, and which made me wish I could pass the "angel" avatar on to my alts and frame out some other images, comparing the different shapes it can become because it is rigged to the body. I found being among many identical and yet not others completely fascinating, and was sadly unable to enjoy it as fully as I might have otherwise - perhaps I'll be able to frame out something using my main account but the shapes from my myriad alts. In any case, having been handed this iconic form, I simply couldn't resist looking for a dress which would fit her and seeing how it altered the experience from the "nude" basic. This was hampered by the inability to apply any invis layers, but the passel of demos I'd picked up from Penumbra Fashion Week were a true boon, and one of them suited beautifully.

Wicca's Wardrobe made a gorgeous full ballgown with a high collar and full body which easily covered my narrow white body. It looks like a very solid black from a distance, but up close you can catch the delicate textures layered on over the darkness - an appropriate metaphor, I felt. It's dual skirted, meaning the top skirt might be found in other looks, but it's nature materially alters when layered over the long, mermaid-style ankle length skirt. My favorite part is the combination of sleevelessness with the huge, well-rigged collar, though. The line mimics the combination of poofy and spare set by the skirt and it left easy room for me to show off double layers of my Izzie's bracelets, where a copy was resized to be armlets. This is part of why I adore editable jewelry; the entire look lost some of it's effect with long, bare arms and the touch of black and white on the bicep cut the line perfectly. These are color changing in the gem, but I stuck with white to continue the general shaded theme. The only other addition to my look is an old, but still loved, hairstyle from Analog Dog. I adore the banding of black through the curls, and gleefully made the golden-blond bob my sole touch of color in the entire ensemble. None of this would be possible without the amazing avatar created by Sion Pearl, however - I love it's true androgyny, it's bare face, and the stubborn arc of its wings which fit so beautifully either dressed or not. The specific angelic avatar was a Paradise Lost exclusive, but you can get a very similar effect at Chariot with the Polly Lo avatar which comes in a number of colors and also serves as a low-lag avatar for events. On me, avatars are invariable "her", but there are a wide variety of other possibilities out there.

2014 Fantasy Faire: Helping in Heavenslough

I'm having such fun purpling it up from the various donation items at the Fantasy Faire - white there are a number of stores which offer different colors as their donation items, they seem to be overwhelmingly purple. It offers some consistency as I'm trying to zoom my way around the sims snapping pictures, and makes matching colors across stores a bit of a dream. My hair is a fun design from Analog Dog which combines the flexibility of a mesh updo with the flexibility of a flexy ponytail in curls. They layers of transparency can cause some problems, but overall I really like how the hair looks, and how futuristic the extended braid is. I also added a new feature from a new store called Folly - rainbow sheen. It's essentially a faint rainbow glow on the skin as a tattoo layer, and I am completely in love. It covers a lot more than my pictures show - though sadly there aren't SLink tattoo appliers; given how variable the glow spots are, though, I doubt many people will notice. I'm planning on keeping this about a lot - it adds a subtle rainbow edge without being overwhelming and comes in a variety of levels of transparency and brightness of shading. My mask is from Star Kinder, and I really adore the delicate mesh around the eyes, and the single jewel. There are matching earrings, but I ended up pairing it with a crown and necklace from AZE, which are simply lovely. Usually they would be more appropriate on a mermaid, but even we landlubbers can enjoy the bounty of the sea. I adore the shape of the shells and the delicate pearls and curls of coral. I also added some cutely curling earrings from Plastik, which come with matching ears but which can also be worn with other ears. They have a wonderful, thick curve to them which I really enjoy.

My dress from Sublime Shroud Kreations is actually in three rigged parts - the gown section, a corset section with the jacket hanging down, and sleeves - giving you a great deal of room to make alterations. I would imagine the corset could even work over other dresses, which is really nice - one of the things I miss about the old texture-and-prim clothing is the ability to relayer, and mix and match. I adore the texturing, from the shiny leather of the bustle section, to the softer leather of the gown, to the intricate lace-like pattern which decorates the rest of the outfit in bands. The sleeves are long and fun, with a fall over the hands which fits around my SLink hands perfectly. I particularly like that the fabric appears pulled and rippled in the texturing, so that it looks more natural. Finally my shoes, which I've shown off before, is from De La Soul. Lovely cephalapod beauties clinging to my feet, this time with a mottled pattern that shows off the materials Charlie used perfectly. I made the eyes rainbowy, as I'm wont to do, and went with a simple purple on the little suction cups - the body, eyes, and cups can all be tinted separately using a HUD, and once you purchase one set of shoes, you can hunt down some add-on HUDs to diversify the available colors. The Fantasy Faire special is, of course, all sorts of purples, from mottled materials-rich shades like this, to fades like the last one I showed off. 

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: Izzie's, Irene
Hair: Analog Dog, Ever (Fantasy Faire)
Sparkles: Folly, Tintable Rainbow Sheen (Fantasy Faire)
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Earrings: Plastik, Malei Earrings (Fantasy Faire)
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Mask: Star Kinder, Curlicue Mask (Fantasy Faire)
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Wings: Deviance, Sidhe
Hands & Feet: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands & Feet
Nails: De La Soul, Cthu Nails (Fantasy Faire)
Jewelry: AZE, Golden Topaz Fluted Scallop Jewelr (Fantasy Faire)
Clothing: Sublime Shroud Kreations, Moroi Ensemble (Fantasy Faire)
Shoes: De La Soul, Cthu Shues (Fantasy Faire)

Poses: Exposeur

Location: Heavenslough
Light Settings: Sim Default
Water Settings: Sim Default

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

A Girl and a Shadow and a Singularity

Immersiva has been remade, and the qualities of it make it uniquely a blessing (and curse) for photographers. Set in extreme darkness, the Singularity of Kumiko is a sometimes terrifying, sometimes deeply moving story which plays out gradually through letters between her and her father, Iktomi. The light to use is incredibly dark, with projectors (both worn by you and placed around the sim) supplying the only light. Now and then, your head projector will flicker out of commission, leaving yourself in the dark and more vulnerable to the wild Toy Monster which over-protectively try to destroy anything in the wrong places. It's sort of like a sim immune system on crack - if you run when you see the red, you might be safe.

The combination of dark and projectors sets up a nearly perfect chiaroscuro effect everywhere you go, with confusing woodlands and wandering paths which make the entire sim seem much larger than it is. This is part of what makes it so perfect for photographers - each time you find a "scene" of the story it seems like a small spot within a vast darkness, and in the darkest places your headlamp is the only thing illuminating anything, leaving even yourself in shadow. I have a great love for Rembrandt, who elevated chiaroscuro to its most sublime state, and again and again I was reminded of the power of shadows to leave in only what is most important. The fact that one is wearing one's own light source just redoubles the effect - as you can see below. Within Second Life, we mostly interact in the third person, watching ourselves do things on the screen. The darkness and our participation in pushing it back thins this disconnect between ourselves and our avatars, making us even more one.

Back in the day when people used long words and degrees to analyze Second Life, there was a lot of disagreement between people in favor of Immersion and people in favor of Augmentation, where people disagreed about how people should use a virtual environment like Second Life and to what extent our "real" identities offline should influence our identities online. Tateru Nino pointed out that really immersion was about giving ones full attention to the virtual world, a demand few other services make these days, and that the critique of immersion might be better aimed at an escapism where one uses a virtual world to escape the "real" one. Ciaran Leval further brings in the issue of disclosure to the party - whether one shares one's offline identity online via either using the same name or dislosing one's offline identity.

In reality, these conflicts and questions of identity are much broader than Second Life, and in the five years since they raged wildly through the intelligencia of Second Life they have become of general concern on Facebook, Google+, Twitter, and other social networks with differing barriers of entry. Facebook and Google+ both bank on bringing "real" identities to the table, meaning the identities one has on a drivers license (most easily, so long as your identity conforms to European/US norms) or via a concerted expression of identity on other services (more difficultly, unless your identity apes European/US norms). This focus on realness has offered a unique vector of attack on others - when people disagree on Facebook they can report and identity as not real, even if it is, and Facebook may remove the account, even if it is the person's legal identity. This encourages people who value the service for personal connection to conform and keep their head down, even as the growing effect of words and pictures connected with one's legal identity on things like ones job become increasingly harsh.

There is a reason why "doxxing" or releasing documents connecting and online and offline identity, is such a big deal in certain places on the internet. While it remains rare and is being challenged in the courts, people have lost their jobs over unrelated things on the internet which were connected with their legal identities. While the larger issue of justice may be affected by court rulings, that doesn't change the profoundly negative effect that losing ones job and having to mount a legal defense can have. Equally concerning, the growth of bullying using virtual social networks in addition to physical social networks has led to several deaths, and may be bringing in whole new issues about how we interact with each other. Somewhat ironically, there are ways in which an online, virtual interaction is "more real" than an offline, physical interaction simply because so many of the details of it - time, place, words and images included - are recorded for later review. I don't believe that online bullying is some sort of new thing, where without the online there would be no bullying; instead I believe the online, virtual nature of the interactions record existing cruelty people have toward each other, and make it easier to track and prosecute; this doesn't change the profound negative effect this can have on someone, though, especially considering how personal virtual social networks are. They are literally within our homes, as personal and private as one can get, while simultaneously being broadcast to the world (or at least the NSA).

Like Bryn Oh's chiaroscuro, which highlights memories and experiences while respecting the darkness of ignorance within which we all swim, issues of identity highlight the joins and challenges in determining who we are and expressing what we want to in a world where the opinions of others are as important (if not more) than our own. People have opinions about others who have unusual names online, and that is part of a presentation - as is how those names are minimized and rendered less important through virtual social networks like Google+, which allows one to have non-standard US "nicknames" but doesn't allow one to post and express oneself using them. People have opinions about what others should and should not be doing, and the amount of information we tend to share online opens us up to more scrutiny and critique, but usually only when we rise to the attention of people inclined to do that sort of judging. Immersion in a world where people can modify their presentation so radically highlights peoples' concerns about identity: that they will be duped in some way, that people are lying to them, that people are not what they seem. The truth is, however, that we are not what we seem in whatever venue we are seen; out of shame, reticence, and realistic appreciation of the difficulties with being fully honest, we conceal ourselves as carefully face to face as we do avatar to avatar.

A couple quick notes about my awesome outfit in these pictures - the top and pants are from Fateplay and come as a set. Sadly, the undershirt and vest are not separate meshes, but they are well rigged and I really like the underlying shape Fateplay uses for it's meshes - on the medium a bit of belly, a nice but not enormous butt, and reasonable cleavage. I also like that it's well fitted and practical; it looks like the sort of outfit one would wear for tramping around in the woods getting into trouble. While I love impractical gowns more than the next person, it's nice to have something in my arsenal for times when I need to be a bit more rugged and prepared, like when searching through a dark woods of the mind for the dreams left behind by a girl I grow to love. For practicality's reasons, I paired the outfit with a set of platform sneakers from Adore & Abhor. These are available in every color dreamed of by man, and a few just from your nightmares, so check them out. My hair was more of a happy accident than planned brilliance, though; I had just bought this surreal, spiraling hairstyle from Analog Dog when I realized my lantern from Bryn Oh's display fit into the ring perfectly, and I was hooked; I love it when form and function come together.

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: Izzie's, Irene
Hair: Analog Dog, Gliese
Lantern: Bryn Oh, Headlamp
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyeshadow: De La Soul, Simple Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Lipstick: Mock, Everwinter Lip Jelle
Wings: Deviance, Sidhe
Hands: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands
Jewelry: Losthaven, Sheridan Necklace (Fantasy Gatcha Festival)
Nails: Nine Inch Nails, Butterfly
Outfit: Fateplay, Denai
Shoes: Adore & Abhor, Platform Sneaks

Pose: Grafica

Location: The Singularity of Kumiko
Light Settings: Phototools, No Light
Water Settings: Mirror Water

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Twisted Color Challenge: Week 32: Evening Preserves

This adorable dress from Pink Outfitters was sold at the food faire (since ended), and I fell in love with it on sight. The pattern is cute and highlights one of my favorite fruits, the shape of the neck and shoulders is good, and I love the ruffle - which is short enough to be flirty, but not short enough to show too much off. It;s not often I get to encompass a Twisted Color pairing in one outfit, but I think this one captures Evening Preserves even if it's not the usual kind of fruit and there's a lot of gold along for the ride with the orange). I paired it with these thigh-high sock boots from Souzou Eien, though I don't think the color is quiiiite right, edging from a tealish green more toward a perfect green. I love the sockish-effect of the boots, though, and am strongly reminded of some of my favorite accessories from G Field, which were socks to put on over shoes released before mesh was even a dream. My hair is probably th emost perfect bit of Evening Preserves, though - this is a single hair from Analog Dog, but she released a set of colors with fades and this teal-to-orange was simply perfection. I love how it's an imaginative updo, with big and bold curves that really take full advantage of doing hair color fades.

My wings are an amazing new release from Illusions - right now the rainbow version are out for the Taste the Rainbow Hunt, but soon the whole set, with on-touch color changing capabilities, will be up for sale - and you all should buy them like tons of times. I love the curves and curls, and the texture just makes me incredibly happy, like little scales each catching the light at different angles. It's also modifiable, and the veins and membrane can be tinted separately so that you can match anything. Finally, my jewelry is a totally tintable set from Virtual Impressions with pearls and curving gems. I love how many options there are with Virtual Impressions, since it means it can be remade to work with so many different outfits.

One of the funny things about Second Life photography is that like offline photography there is the moments one is caught up in taking the shots, where each shot is it's own world, and then there's the wakeup the next morning when one looks at them all together uploaded, and things which didn't stand out suddenly are totally obvious. In this case, the dimness of these pictures wasn't obvious to me until I was looking at them today post-upload, and I realized one was brightly lit by the on-sim lighting and the rest were decidedly dim and somber. While I don't consider this high art, I do think it is by nature artistic and that often what our mood is reflects itself in what we create simply because it's what seems the most natural at the time. One effect of the lack of post-processing that I do is that I can't post-hoc correct for things I notice later. One bonus is that my level of photographic skill is always reflected back to me in the shadows of my avatar's eyes.

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: De La Soul, Candace Creamer
Hair: Analog Dog, Tunnel Cake
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Mesh Eye Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyeshadow: Mock, Cleo's Sooty Olivine
Lipstick: Pididdle, LipCreme Peaches
Jewelry: Virtual Impressions, Dionne
Wings: Illusions, Apsara Wings
Hands: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands
Nails: Flair, Set 98
Dress: Pink Outfitters, Foodie Tahnk Dress
Stockings: deviousMind, Sweet Rose Valentine (Taste the Rainbow Hunt)
Shoes: Souzou Eien, Leg Warmer Heels

Poses: !bang

Location: Sea Salts
Light Settings: Phototools - Quiddich
Water Settings: NB, Sparkling Depths

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

SL DisneyBound – Week Six: Merida

I am very behind on my challenges, so now it's time to catch up - a week or two behind but it should go pretty quickly. The Fantasy Faire often derails my other events; the dress of blogging at least four stores (all I managed this year) and all of the sims (with this post I've taken pictures in them all), my cup usually runneth over. This Disneybound Challenge is Merida, from the movie Brave, a spunky redhead with a bow. Luckily, during the Sagittarius Zodiac event I had picked up the Hopscotch pose sets for The Huntress, so I was all prepared with bow and pose to take over the woods. This is an amazing set of poses, very naturalistic and dynamic, with the bow - and when necessary arrow - included. The Fairelands Junction is a wooded, flowery sim with teleports to all of the other sims hidden in woods, where the silent auction was.There's a lovely lake lined with candles set in stone, fields of wildflowers of every shade and hue, and untamed forests with a bare track running through them made by the feet of a thousand visitors.

Merida's look seemed to be created of two features in equal parts - bright red hair, and a bright green gown. The goal is to not reproduce, but to make a more modern look or re-interpretation, and I remembered this fantastic gown from r2 Fashion I picked up ages ago and kept meaning to photograph. The color was vibrant and unmistakable, and was perfectly matched in these slightly velvety boots, also from r2 Fashion. I wanted the effect of bracers from a more modern point of view, though, and luckily for me Rosal had just released gloves to match her Unmei set, which I had fallen in love with months ago. It has the gorgeous feature of long strips of brocade, which I tinted dark red to match the inside of my dress and the bottoms of my boots, coloring the rest the same vibrant green as the rest of my look - with a few black and white embellishments as appropriate. Finally, for the signature red curly hair, there was no store better than Analog Dog, who does - in my opinion - the best curly hair on Second Life. I cycled through a few different shades before settling on this one, a little darker than the images of Merida that I saw, but in the same vein as the reds on my clothing. It's a very simple look, but I think more than meets the challenge.

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: De La Soul, Candace (promotional item)
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow (promotional item)
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Hair: Analog Dog, ffwd paprika
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Dress: r2 fashion, metallic dress
Gloves: Rosal, Unmei Gloves
Boots: r2 fashion, kneehigh boots

Pose and Accessories: Hopscotch

Location: Fairelands Junction
Light Settings: Sim Default
Water Settings: Sim Default

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Fantasy Faire: Lumenaria

Lumenaria is a gorgeous sim in the style of an old English town, complete with windy roads and fountains, rich grasses and beautiful flowers on either side. The colors are muted and gold, and the standard windlight really maintains the tone throughout. I almost accidentally ended up in this gorgeous dress from Sparkle Skye Designs, a new-to-me store. Originally, the flower additions were full bright, but since these adorable accessories are modifyable, I was able to dull them down to match the rest of my look.I really love their shape - clean and precise in their loveliness. I paired this rather traditional, handkerchief hem dress with a really innovative ponytail from Analog Dog - complete with bouffant top and architectural support for the tail part. You can see how the Sparkle Skye Designs daisies perfectly fit along the hairline - isn't that amazing? The eyeshadow is another one of the releases from Musa, shades of gold and green which I thought perfectly offset the almost continuous gold of my appearance. I paired it with a lovely gloss from Mock which faded almost into my skin - which was the effect I wanted.

The jewelry is a completely amazing new release from Eclectica, released in a variety of colors but shown here in ivory. There's a delicate three part chain holding the necklace up - in some of the more distant pictures it becomes a little blotchy but up close you can see how gorgeously it's put together. It comes with two rings as well as the earrings, all with the same solar design on them. My hands and feet are both courtesy of SLink, and are both her new Enhanced Design, which means I can color the nails and make them longer, and all kinds of fun things. My nails are the long ones, though not pointed, and I tinted them using one of my increasing number of Nail HUDs from A:S:S, the Spring set, which is a series of pastels with a delicate lighter pattern and lighter nail tips. I splurged on a ton from there and a few other amazing stores, and I'll make sure to share my favorites as time goes on. They really finish the SLink hands even more than I thought possible, though, adding just that extra bit of polish to them. Truly, I'm a classy faerie on the town this Fantasy Faire.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Candace (promotional item)
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow Mesh Eyes (promotional item)
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyeshadow: Musa, Tarja 3 (Fantasy Faire Donation Item)
Lipstick: Mock, Glasside Lip Coralista
Hair: Analog Dog, ism - creamsicle (Fantasy Faire Donation Item)
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Hands: SLink, Mesh Hands
Nails: A:S:S, Spring
Dress: Sparkle Skye Designs, Iris Fairy Mesh Dress - Golden (Fantasy Faire Donation Item)
Jewelry: Eclectica, Solaria (Fantasy Faire Donation Item)
Feet: SLink, Mesh Feet

Poses: Glitterati

Location: Lumenaria
Light Settings: Sim Default
Water Settings: Sim Default

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

2012 Color Challenge: Week 48 - Tangelo

I'm late for Tangelo, very late, but in my defense it has been a Hel of a week! It seems like once a year there's always a week where I feel a dollar late and a dime short in any possible, and that was this week. I squeaked in under some doors, but this one I ended up crashing through and ending up on a heap of tangerine on the floor, cursing the lack of tangelo in my inventory. I only found it in my hair from Analog Dog - and I'll be honest, I had no idea it was there. I searched, as always, for a word (this time the tang beginning, as I assumed I would have no tangelo) and found mostly hairs, and mostly tangerine. I had some tangerine shoes, but there was not a tangerine dress or outfit in my entire inventory! It blew me away, I had no idea I had such gaps in what I've grown of thinking of as a pit of everything on the grid.

This picture set also feels very off-balanced, off season, of in every way, We're out of harvest season now, a long way from holidays of pumpkins, but the brightness of Rabbit Kiss' orange seemed to fit the over-the-top orange that was characterized by tangelo. I ended up muting it quite a bit in the background, though, so I'm not sure the over-the-topness really carries across; there's a failure there, I feel. I lighted this one a bit unusually, though, using two colors. On one side of me, the facelight tint is a rich red color. On the other side, it is yellow. If you look closely at the highlights and shadows on my face, in particular, you can see the combined effect - but it's relatively subtle. One of the reasons I love using in world lighting instead of adding lighting after the fact is because you can play with color with it; I need to remember to do bisected colors more often!

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: De la Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Eyelashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyeshadow 1: Elymode, Solstice Moon
Eyeshadow 2: Virtual Insanity, Spring - Tangerine
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Lipstick: Mock, Lucir Lipcolor Tangerine
Hair: Analog God, ffwd - tangelo
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Hands: SLink, Mesh Hands
Dress: Rabbit Kiss, 2012 Halloween Lolita
Shoes: Eclectica, Garden Party - tangerine

Poses: !bang

Location: *Tatty Soup*
Light Settings: Places, Beach Cay
Water Settings: Mirror Water

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

2012 Color Challenge: Week 26 - Rust

Rust was totally cake for me to set up - it's one of the standard colors at DV8 and I had picked up a ton of clothes at their store closing, so it was just a matter of picking the style and accessories. I ended up pairing in an old favorite from G Field that I also picked up on sale, though that was a long while ago. I'm glad to get a chance to show them off. The hair from Analog Dog is new, and my only complaint is that only two of them have the tintable weave sections. I haven't experimented yet with tinting the weave manually on other colors, but look forward to it. I love the effect of hair woven in, though, and i hope this isn't the only time that style comes into play. I took my pictures at one of the stages for Second Life's Ninth Birthday, and I really enjoyed it - like the Fantasy Faire, I wish these builds could last longer! They're so amazing. I have some more pictures to take and I'll do another post about them, but the chances to enjoy them are going down the tubes - so hurry~!

Volunteering as a Greeter got me thinking again about friending in Second Life, and how I determine who I want to be able to contact in the future, who I tolerate being able to contact me, and who I refuse. I had four friend requests over the greeter period, and I accepted two of them. All of them were new players - if not in time since creation than in experience.

One was completely new, 0 days; he actually didn't reply to any of my Greeter words - we got to talking when I asked him to put on pants (he had no bits, but was naked, and it was a G rated sim). I gave him my Newbie Kit and he explored it, asking me questions on and off. He was from IMVU, so I had to explain we could still talk in IMs as he went off exploring links and hopefully finding more clothing. After talking on and off for well over an hour, he offered friendship and I accepted. I don't expect to hear much from him; he had initiative - and that's largely why I accepted the friend request. In six months, if I haven't heard from him, I'll delete and not hear from him again.

A second was quite new and spent a good chunk of her time bouncing around the HUB where I was a Greeter - hoping in and out of chat range. We chatted in open chat, and I'll admit to being friendly, but the conversation was the sort you'd have in line at a store; it passes the time, it's enjoyable, but it isn't at all sustaining. When she offered friendship, I explained that I didn't friend people without getting to know them.

The third I ended up speaking too for quite some time, and I'm not sure she was actually new. Again, there was a sense of curiosity, an interest in how things worked, and shared knowledge. It was a brief conversation, but when she offered friendship I accepted. She seemed interesting, and I thought there might be more to her than I'd gotten to know in the single conversation.

The final one was today, and the only interaction which occurred when I wasn't working. While I was doing this photoshoot, I was approached by someone over a year old, but fairly obviously new given his look and clothing. I passed him a Newbie Kit, and he started asking questions - where am I from, what's my name, so on. Given his answers, he was obviously looking for extra-SL information (which I only give to close friends). I answered in SL only, since that's how I roll, and directed him to Search for his fairly standard interests. The combination of a lack of initiative and the offline questions right off the back guaranteed that when he asked to friend me I refused.

Friending is a personal thing, but it's interesting to see how much value I place on my own judgement of another person based on very brief conversations.

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: De La Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose (promotional item)
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow MESH (promotional item)
Ears: Illusion, Seelie Ears
Eyelashes 1: *X*plosion, PrimLashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Lipstick: Mock, Bella Vetro Gloss - Cabaret
Hair: Analog Dog, Check mate weave
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings
Jewelry: G Field, Rusty Rose
Bustier: Mimikiri, Lolita Blush
Gloves and Stockings: DV8, NekoChan - Rust
Dress and shoes: DV8, Night Sprite - Rust

Poses: Glitterati

Location: SL9B: DJ Egypt Sim
Light Settings: TOR, EUPHORIA Plum Sunset
Water Settings: Pond

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

I Can Haz Promoshunz: In the Pink

I got lost in another person's world, a world of high contrast and novelty - one place white-lined and stark, the other almost offensively cute. I came to meet them with my best Mock cosmetics - a bright lip color I've worn many times before, and a new brownish group gift. My hair is a braided glory from Analog Dog which I simply couldn't resist; it combines sharp-ended locks of hair with sweetly curving braids. It's not mesh, but it is a double-prim, here one set of prims is on the shoulders and the other is on the head; I can't wait for Analog Dog to tackle mesh - they're already as good as already.

My dress is an awesome release from SLC Couture - a low backed confection of a gown, complete with ruffles around the hips and fluttering skirts. I ended up shrinking it a great deal and re-aligning the skirt; the skirt is actually two pieces, one tied to each leg, which means that without being mesh it still manages to follow my curves and move with me. Since everything is modify ok, its easy to move things around and make them fit my smaller, rounder stature. I especially love the low back, but I'm rather sad it didn't have more shadows drawn into the back; I love the style, but it can be hard to see on a lighter skin like mine. I'm tempted to try a different shade of gown on a darker ski to see how it would work out. The skirt also can have some alpha occlusion issues, depending on the angle and background, but the multiple layers seem to mitigate that more than increase it. The hairpiece is included with the dress, by the way; I love the froth of lace over the face which really sends this look over the top.

My shoes are a fun set I've shown before from Felicity, complete with brightly spiked flowers and delicate lacing around the ankle. Felicity has an editable means of setting the skin, which makes matching pretty easy (as you can see I did an imperfect job above - that's my fault, not her system!). The toenails are recolorable through a similar system, which means you can make them fit any look you'd like! The heel is very high and stylish - all white and black and pink all over. They're the sort of heels I could never pull off offline, and so doubly enjoy online.

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: De La Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose (promotional item)
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow MESH (promotional item)
Ears: Illusion, Seelie Ears
Eyelashes 1: *X*plosion, Prim Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyeshadow: Mock, Morrocan Indifference Eyeshadow (group gift)
Lipstick: Mock, Bella Vetro Gloss - Lepore Red
Hair: Analog Dog, Enchant
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Outfit: SLC Couture, Grand Madame Rose
Heels: Felicity, Gianna Stilettos - Pink

Poses: Glitterati

Location: Fae Varriale
Light Settings: Places Sand

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Teal Unusual

This morning, driving between one place and another, I heard a review of a new television show; the main character, female, was described as having a "secret weapon" that was "spunk." It was one of those feminist moments, when something hits my 'this is wrong' spot; granted, the show in question is called 'girls', so I know a lot of people would argue that the characters and series are asking for condescension since they're styling themselves as pre-pubescent when being in their twenties. "Spunk" is an odd complecondescend that works on several levels; on the surface, it rarefies women as non-assertive and passive - there is no male equivalent of the descriptor because men are assumed to speak up for themselves and stand up for themselves, but for women that is often the exception. It is meant as a complement, though, so any women such described is at a disadvantage when objecting to it - it indicates you are bright and self-possessed and can stand up for yourself; women, never pleased by anything, amirite? There is a secondary, underlying implication of the word which only hit me as I was dwelling on it in between clients. "Spunk" is slang for male ejaculate. This brings in a sexual component which I find deeply disturbing, as well as reinforcing that women are not naturally like this; it takes male ejaculate to make a woman assertive and self-possessed; she must really have "balls", right?

The jewelry is an awesome set from Elemental which will be available for 60$L over this weekend. I love the quality of stone; I'm not sure quite how she managed the semi-translucent effect, since I didn't see any evidence of glow in play, but it's really impressive. My only complaint is that it only came with a necklace and earrings; the flower, in particular, would be amazing as bracelets and I'd love to see some kind of hair ornament, maybe with the blue stones dangling? The dress is an amazing mesh release from SLC Couture which has a fantastic shape to it. Unlike a lot of large sizes, this nips in at the waist, which fits my shape well while also allowing my breasts to be almost as big as they should be! The inside of the dress is invisible; I don't know the ins and outs of mesh-making at all so this may be out of line, but having the insides of skirts in particular being invisible can make it very difficult for angled photography. However, for all I know, filling in may be equally a pain in the butt! I'd love to see something like a layered slip, though, or some sort of crinolines; I think the effect could be really neat. My, I'm full of opinions tonight!

The hair is an awesome recent release from Analog Dog. That style hasn't moved over to mesh yet, but it uses a cunning dual-attachment setup that I am completely not showing here. This hair comes with a shoulder attachment so that you can have longer hair if you want; I didn't add it due to the mesh top, but it's in much the same style as the upper head attachment, with the same flyaway style. I added in a bracelet from Earthstones, which I really, really like; it's a combination of mottled shapes over a curved metal that matched the tone of the amazing set from Elemental. I'm wearing some of my favorite old shoes from G Field which have stood me well and matched the unique coloration of the SLC Couture dress. The lipstick is from Mock and is an amazing subtle texture; I otherwise went nude in my De La Soul skin, which is the first time in a while. It's a lovely soft texture and delicate shading, which really feels like "me" in Second Life.

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: De La Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow MESH
Eyelashes 1: *X*plosion, PrimLashes
Eyelases 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Ears: Illusions, Mystic Ears
Hair: Analog Dog, Sapphire - Blonde
Lipstick: Mock, Opal Lipcolor Matrix
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Jewelry: Elemental, Audrey - Blue Tah Pearl (promotional item)
Bracelet: EarthStones, Twisted & Stoned Labradorite & Moonstone
Dress: SLC, Tina swirl blue MESH (promotional item)
Shoes: G Field, Ribbon Slingback Shoes - cobalt blue

Poses: Striking Poses

Location: BUG'ArT
Light Settings: TOR, EUPHORIA rotten melon
Water Settings: Glassy

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only

Orange Poppies

This photoshoot was a long time in coming - effectively a week! - but I think I've finally figured out the problems and mostly solved them, thanks to Phoenix's excellent troubleshooting guide. Three small changes to my system, and my lag is less than half and I can easily move between windows again. Go go documentation! I underestimated the wonderful stress relief picture taking is for me, though; this week has been a torment of not being able to create pretty pictures, and I'm entirely thrilled to be back to my old self. The dress I'm wearing was part of a total impulse look together as I was sorting my inventory - which is immense I'll note. I finished Falln Angel Creations' Ostara hunt recently and had been sorting through it, and this was one of the prizes - can you believe it was only a single linden? I think for the next hunt I'll try to do some pictures earlier on; far too few people were hunting this Spring, and I can only guess people haven't heard it's going on. In any case, I have this dress in pink, but I love it in orange as well, and when I found the fantastic orange poppies in Crommhold I knew I needed to take a picture with me and them, as if I'd just burst forth from one of them to full size.

The hair is a fantastic new release from Analog Dog, which is becoming one of my standard hair stores. I love the uniqueness of the style in particular, the combination of braid and curls to make a truly unique hairstyle. I paired up eyeshadow from Mock and lipstick from L Fauna for the facial look; Mock had this great release of incredibly bright eyeshadows that really capture the spirit of the whole look, and I love L Fauna's lips for their bright shades and delicate curve. My little dolly is a gatcha prize from katat0nik, a milk doll! She just recently released necklaces, too, which means I'll be back to obsessively putting money in a little machine and hearing GLaDOS dispensing my product. If you're on my friendslist and you're on when I'm indulging, you may end up with a few of my extras - earlier this week I was passing off balloons and milk dolls to a half dozen people. Finally, no fairy is complete without her cute bare feet, and SLink does my favorite feet of all; I could even tint the toenails orange to match my dress!

I reconnected with some old friends recently, and I'm really thrilled that I'm fondly remembered and had a warm welcome. I also have apologies to make to two other friends, but I'm struggling with the words. I think it's hard to make amends even when you're really aware of how profoundly you screwed up; there's always the fear that it's simply not enough! I'm determined, though. I've been thinking of this for months, and I need to act before April ends. I have a lot of things to do before April ends, in fact; things which will hopefully shift my balance a bit away from online and toward offline. My review at work has left me feeling energized and positive, and I'm determined to use that energy for the very best purposes to move myself toward the futures I want to have within my grasp.

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: De La Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee - rainbow (mesh, promotional item)
Eyelashes 1: *X*plosion, PrimLashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A Planty
Eyeshadow: Mock, Faerie Punque in Lime
Ears: Illusions, Mystic Ears
Lipstick: L.Fauna, Orange
Glasses: Air, Cresta
Hair: Analog Dog, Evoke - blonde
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Dress: Falln Angel Creations, Sanaka Dress - orange
Doll: katat0nik, Strawberry Milk - orange
Feet: SLink, Jolie Pied V3 Medium

Pose: Long Awkward Pose

Location: Crommhold
Light Settings: TOR, MIDDAY - Vintage Village
Water Settings: Glassy

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only

Color Challenge: Week Fifty-one - Cream

Cream was actually easy for me - I have loads of it in my inventory - but the hard part was figuring out what to pair it with and how to accessorize. I ended up with blue highlights; my favorite bits have to be the necklace and bracelet, which I impulse-bought from Axiom in a different color and now am rapidly accumulating all the available colors. If only there were more colors! I adore the curve around the neck - it fits better than almost every necklace I've worn; it's definitely Little Boy Blue level of quality. The rings are two I've been wearing for a while - from Alchemy Immortalis and Earthstones. One is a Nesting ring; it's scripted to hold images in it of people you love. I'd had plans for the pictures in there, but as of now it's empty, waiting for a special someone. In a way, it's a promise to myself. The other is a tri-rose ring that was the first time I spent money on jewelry; I loved the colors, the symbolism of three roses, the purity of three.

The hair is from one of my newest, favorite hair stores - the .b sidebrand of Analog Dog - and is one of the dual hair designs that hit the grid a few months back. The shoulder pieces are separate from the hair, which allows them to remain in place even when the head moves. This is a glory for picture taking; often long hair really limits the poses in play and with dual-piece hair it widens the opportunities a lot. The flower bits are from a new-to-me store called BP; they're free gifts in the foyer of the store - look for little stacks of boxes. The dress is from Hal Hina and I own it in every color. It's a gorgeous little floof of a dress, all froth and flowers, and really seemed to fit the rest of the theme.

I love the ephemeral quality of the roses now at World's End - how they seem to mingle and intermix with each other. It's easy to get lost within them, to sink in, and amazingly they only somewhat seem to interfere with my wings - in a way which makes it seem like I'm always rising up out of the bushes - born out of them like a flower that then floats on the waves toward the horizon.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De La Soul, Roomee - Rainbow
Eyelashes: Flugeln Brise, Eyelash 5A
Eyeliner: cheLLe, Cleo Called Black
Eyeshadow: Elymode, Coal & Blue 2
Lipstick: L.Fauna, Neutral 3
Ears: Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy
Hair: .b, Tangled - Cornsilk
Flower Effects: BP, Inner Tree & New Spring 3
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Dress: Hal Hina, Flower Mini Dress - Cream
Gloves, MRS, Cream Mesh Gloves
Jewelry: Axiom, Transmigration of Souls
Ring 1: Alchemy Immortalis, Nestling Finger
Ring 2: Earthstones, Eternal Blossom Ring - Bouquet
Stockings: Vetra Messing, Sheer Stockings
Shoes: G Field, Flower Pumps "Eve" - cream

Pose: Glitterati

Location: World's End
Light Settings: TOR, SCIFI Cranche

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only