SL Disney Bound – Week Twenty Six: Mr. Walt Disney

This is the last of the Disneybound Challenges, and I'm both sad and glad to end things with Mr. Walt Disney; he is an interesting figure, very much of his time, and so my feelings about him are highly mixed. I've had fun with this challenge, though, even if I regularly escaped the bounds of reasonable clothing and well into standard Second Life glamour and impossibility. It will be a bit of a relief to finish out a challenge, though, and as it is I'm several weeks late.I bit off rather more than I could chew, even though a few challenges went by the wayside - I think from here on out I'll limit myself to only a couple of challenges, instead of the four I attempted briefly over the summer. I'm increasingly feeling a drive to become more expressive, though; to try to capture my emotions through these images and somehow find a relief from my suffering. Recent time has been very difficult offline, with pressure high, and sometimes I feel like I'm boiling inside - my center molten and no longer steady. I've been trying to escape through a variety of vehicles, but I think the hardest part is looking into the mirror and not being sure I like what I see. I don't know how to be any better, though, and so I stumble along dragging lives with me in ruins, and I weep at the world around me as it burns and freezes. There are twists and curves I can't manage, and I am left with only, "I don't know what to do." And so, the world or me failing, what can I do but get dressed up and take pictures?

My hat is an old purchase from Glam Affair which I really adore - a simple cap with bows as butterflies over a single branch; elegant, artistic, and I can tint it if I want, rendering it perfection. I tucked it over a loose updo from Luletka that was blessedly unrigged mesh, so I could narrow it from to back and fit the cap more easily on top. I love how it's half pulled back and half unraveled, as if the cares of the day have driven it out of it's morning's perfection. The jewelry which dominates this look is from Mandala, and it's glorious; I have it in white and red from the marketplace, and I'll be seeking out the other colors in world when I have some time to breathe - I adore how it shimmers, and how enormous the jewels are. Large jewels work well in contrast to the simplicity of this dress from Valentina E, special release for the Liaison Collaboration, a double slit, formal gown with a lovely silhouette and enough skin showing to be alluring without losing the elegance. My nails, stockings, and ring all come from Stellar, released as part of the Flowers in my Attic, and are part of the SLink Enhancement system, which means the stockings work perfectly with my SLink feet which are stuffed snugly into these awesome tri-colored heels from SLink proper.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: Izzie's, Irene Skin porcelain
Hair: LeLutka, Alvina
Hat: Glam Affair, Oly Hat 07
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Wings: Deviance, Sidhe Wings
Hands and Feet: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands and Feet
Nails: Stellar, In Bloom (Flowers in My Attic)
Earrings: Earthstones, Timeless Pearl Earringd
Jewelry: Mandala, Milky Way Set
Ring: Stellar, In Bloom Ring (Flowers in My Attic)
Dress: Valentina E, Anna Dress (Liaison Collaboration)
Stockings: Stellar, In Bloom Tights (Flowers in My Attic)
Shoes: SLink, Tri-color Wedges

Poses: Glitterati

Location: Skye Neist Point
Light Settings: Phototools, Dream Book Light 02
Water Settings: Nacon's Lake Water

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

SL Disney Bound – Week Twenty Five: Belle

I took Belle a little dark for this Disneybound - the penultimate one. I'm reminded of the storyline for Belle in the second season of Once Upon a Time, when you meet the "not fairytale" version of her; in the fairytale version she often comes across as sweetness and light, her purity being that which transforms the beast, but I've always thought that Belle or Beauty must have a significantly darker side; the only explanation for the tension between light and dark is that each has some of the other within them. That is one of the core conflicts of a Beauty and the Beast kind of person; spending so long seeking the dark in others, it's only when one looks inside to find ones own darkness that one can be free of the darkness of others. Getting a brief glimpse of the darkness of Belle as conceived of in Once Upon a Time, the love of danger, the attraction to the imperfect, was a real reminder of my connection with the story.

This Belle wears her black and white out on the surface in this amazing dress from Blue Blood that was part of her Whitegoth line. I adore the stripes, and the double layered skirt, and it moves beautifully. It actually comes with every conceivable layer, shirt and corset layered separately, and two skirts - this short Lolita one and a longer ballgown. My Belle-tastic brown hair is from Underscore in a loose style with large curls and a spiral of hair down the back. It comes in three different sizes, which means it fits even my big, round head. The tendrils down into the torso move really well as my head shifted direction; in particular, the front curl stretched in a natural way due to it's loose shape. Flying up from my head in butterflytastic glory is this metamorphesis from Boom; I love to find excuses to include in my looks. On my wrists and ankles is a simple, shell set from AZE which; I really enjoy how well it falls on the ankle, something which you can see more clearly in this closeup. I wish more jewelry sets came with anklets; I'm always tempted to turn bracelets into anklets, and necklaces into bracelets with jewelry. Finally, those amazing shoes are from Eclectica and are part of a new release set of hers. It has a fantastic shape and the shading is textured without being losing the softness of velvet. The heel, button, and body of the shoe are all texture changeable, as well, which makes them very adaptable.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Candace Creamer
Hair: Underscore, Maryanne
Butterflies: Boom, Metamorphsis
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Wings: Deviance, Sidhe Wings
Hands and Feet: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands and Feet
Nails: Orc Inc, Rich Darks
Dress: Blue Blood, Adele
Jewelry: AZE, Plain Puka Shell Anklets & Bracelets
Ring: Eclectica, Vintage Dress Ring
Shoes: Eclectica, Crushed Velvet

Pose: !bang

Location: Snatch City
Light Settings: Places, Annamaria (modified)
Water Settings: Nacon's Lake Water

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

SL Disney Bound – Week Twenty Four: Mushu

I went full on theatrical for Mushu, but I'm afraid I've long left behind the idea that any of these looks would be casual ones for going out into the community, unless that community was Second Life, in which case I took this look dancing last night. The eyes are a release from Tacky Star that I thought really embodied the draconic spirit; I particularly like how dark the pupils are, like pools deep into my brain. This style is available in a wide variety of colors, too, each of them delicate and crisp, and you can change the size of the iris through clicking the eye itself, as these are prim eyeballs. The lips are from an old Adore & Abhor set which I return to time and again because they're so unique, delicate, and fantastic. I love the effect of layering the smaller lip color over larger lips. It's especially fun in the "toothsmile" setting, where it ends up pulled thin and tight. My skin is a fantastic release from Fallen Gods which I've been sitting on a while, and I'm really struck by the delicate texturing on the face. I like how it gives the illusion of movement even though I'm perfectly still; it looks lace-like in it's delicacy, and the pattern continues, as you can see below, everywhere. I also really, really like the teeth - which fit into the color pallet perfectly while still adding a creepy effect when I smile. The texturing also continues over the hands and feet, but I played a bit of a conjuring trip because I wanted to make use of the SLink hands and feet, and Fallen Gods doesn't (yet?) release appliers for them. I used Orc Inc's arm and leg fades to bring in a similar enough shade of red - you can see the fade point below about mid-upper arm. I sort of wish Orc Inc had included a lower fade, and I may end up playing some more myself with forearm fades to see if I can correct for other fantasy skins; I adore using them, but more often than not they don't release the necessary appliers, and the tones are unusual enough that it can be difficult to find an applier that would work from another skin line.

My hair is a gorgeous new release from Underscore with some new texture options, like this layering of different shades of red which I thought set off my skin so beautifully. I love the lighter bits over the bangs, giving depth to the color. I topped it with roses, this headdress from Glam Affair which got rather a lot of play on the feeds back in the day. I love the simplicity of it, and how well the curved base sits on my hair; it also works well tucked up against an updo. My wings are one of the rares from Deviance's gatcha for the Fantasy Gatcha Event, not available at her main store to suck all of the lindens out of your pockets. I don't have words for how much I love these wings; the simple fact that they effectively haven't left my back since I got them should speak for itself. My outfit is another older release, this time from r2; I had considered looking for a skirt to go under the sheer top, and I may still see what I can find for the other shirt tops as I am certain they'll make their way through this blog. One problem with mesh separates is that they are much harder to layer due to the different shapes people use, and this is made doubly difficult with sheer - but the quality of this top is so high I think the effort is well worth it. You can see how delicately it meets the chest, how elegant it is while being completely alluring. Finally, my shoes - from Syl - are part of an ever-increasing stable of shoes made to complement the SLink feet. I particularly like these because of the unusual shape and the strappy style; you can see them up close in this picture, how well they are shaped and textured, and the open work of the heel. This is the lower platform - there is also a higher platform which might require you to edit your shape to stand taller. I love these sorts of artistic, unusual shoe styles, so when I saw these and thought through my rather extreme stylin for this look, these seemed simply perfect - and I think you'll agree they are.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: Fallen Gods, Onyrica Mimic Bordeaux
Hair: Underscore, Chiara S
Hat: Glam Affair, Framed Headdress
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: Tacky Star, Amber Burning
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Lipstick: Adore & Abhor, Silent Star
Wings: Deviance, Sidhe Wings
Hands and Feet: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands and Medium Feet
Nails: Orc Inc, Goth
Arm and Leg Fades: Orc Inc, Blend Red
Outfit: r2, Sheer Shirt & Skinny Pants
Shoes: Syl, Climbstra Platform Sandals

Poses: Grafica

Location: China
Light Settings: Phototools, Lo Light 02
Water Settings: Default

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

SL Disney Bound – Week Twenty Three: Carl & Ellie

I hit the wall with this last couples' challenge, and so I figured Carl tied some balloons to his pants and floated away, leaving Ellie to look for him. This is a look inspired by Ellie's more mature look, as she and Carl were dating as teenagers, so still a young Ellie but a little more grown up. I ended up taking advantage of one of the picture perfect houses at the newest MadPea build, Lennon Park, for their Lennon Park Massacre game. It's going on until the end of the month, and I hope you find my blog - with a few gentle hints - helpful.I really enjoyed exploring the sim and finding all of the interesting ins and outs - all of the places so perfectly built and accessorized that they're a dream to photograph. I tried to have a lot of fun with shadows this time, focusing on places near windows or outdoors in order to maximize the effect. I was both aided and inhibited by the number of trees - and ended up derendering a particularly huge tree to give myself a little more light. The texture re-rezzing glitch was definitely a frustration and bugaboo, though; it took three restarts and two days for this set.

My hair is a short cut from Wasabi Pills in an unusual shade of brown for me - I thought it matched Ellie's rather well - and the flyaway bangs and thin tendrils at the edges look so natural. I am not normally a short hair kind of girl, but  loved the headband on this which I tinted (via the included HUD) to match this gorgeous dress from Zaara. The texturing on this dress is amazing, a delicate pattern of flowers, stems, and a corona of gold on a long, exquisitely built maxi dress. I particularly like the detail on the shoulder, with the ends of the strings dangling. Like most maxi dresses, it moves a bit strangely when your knees bend, but that's more a flaw of Second Life rigging, and sometimes it actually works more than expected. My jewelry was a group gift from Virtual Impressions which is no longer available, but a new one is up for everyone; she is one of the most generous jewelers on the grid, and her designs are often as simple and sweet as this one, but with HUD driven texture changes. Finally, my shiny gold shoes - which you will be seeing again in other colors and outfits which show off the top, because it is awesome calf wrapping - are a new release from Felicity which are really fun and delicate in design.

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: De La Soul, Candace Creamer
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Claudette
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Mesh Eye Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyeliner: Boom, Midas Touch Liner
Wings: Deviance, Sidhe Wings
Hands: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands
Nails: Orc Inc, Rich Lights
Jewelry: Virtual Impressions, Adelle in Gold
Dress: Zaara, Ritika Maxi Dress
Shoes: Felicity, Raquel

Pose: Adorkable Poses

Location: Lennon Park Massacre - Staff Cabin
Light Settings: Abracadabra3
Water Settings: Default

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

SL Disney Bound – Week Twenty Two: Cinderella & Gus Gus

It's going to take me a while to catch up with the Disneybound Challenge, especially when I do what I did today, which was spend a whole long time on figuring out how to make a projector because I am stupid. Right now I'm working on Cinderella and Gus Gus, with poor little Gus as a worn companion instead of an alt because... I just can't do all of that and shadows. Sorry, it's just too many variables to work together smoothly. I ended up pulling out a tiny mint bird which I got from Schadenfreude ages ago, remembering that Cinderella had bird friends as well as mice friends; it snuggles up against my hair in most of the pictures, which I think is really cute and understated.My hair is the FaMESHed Wasabi Pills release with a fantastic swirl of braid that I fell in love with as soon as I saw it. I adore how it curves around the bulk of the hair, and there are great wisps of hair down the back as well, which makes it look very natural and sweet. Although the braids cross through my left ear, it works from most angles because part of the braids go in front, so it appears like my ear has been woven in. My wings are an amazing rare gatcha prize from Deviance which simply makes me gasp with awe and envy; they were released at the Fantasy Gatcha Event. I really hope she keeps it up with the wings - I love her clothing, but her wings have helped to fully lure me away from my long-time Fancy Fairy wings, which I haven't worn in a long while.

My jewelry, gorgoeus releases from Lassitude & Ennui, I've actually worn before, but it remains so sweet and nature-driven that I felt it fit for Cinderella, who makes friends with wildlife like a good princess should. It has sweet and simple earrings and a delicately rendered chain. My one wish would be for darker colors on the jewelry (or an easier way to tint them). Much as I love the pastels, I'd like to modify them without taking them apart. My dress is an amazing one from Fateplay, and I may end up photographing each color before I'm done because his clothing is so flawless. In this case, I'm showing off the shirt-version where the sleeves remain hanging no matter what one does, which can lead to interesting effects in poses, but which also adds some verisimilitude when the arms are by the side. I simply don't have words for how glad I am that he's making women's clothing now. My finger and toenails owe their coloring to Orc Inc, which is one of my favorite nail stores; one bonus with Orc Inc's nail lines is that you get a certain color style in a tone of colors with a single purchase, which is a lot of bang for one's buck. Finally, these amazing shoes are from Sax Shepard Designs. I love the realistic detailing - you can see the stitches, even - and the delicately rounded heel which is very different from other shoes I've worn. They have a casual, classy style which can be dressed up or down depending; in this case I think they match well with the rough elegance of my Fateplay medieval gown.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Candace Creamer
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Sarah
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Mesh Eye Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyeshadow: MiaSnow, Dark 2 blue
Lipstick: Mock, Fruitilicious Gloss - Grenadine Lolli
Wings: Deviance, Sidhe Wings
Hands: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands
Nails: Orc Inc, Rich Lights
Jewelry: Lassitude & Ennui, Dewdrop
Gus Gus: Schadenfreude, Mint Sparrow
Dress: Fateplay, Wende
Feet: SLink, Mesh Feet
Shoes: Sax Shepard Designs, Casual Mules

Poses: Exposeur

Location: Isle of Amras - Infirmary
Light Settings: TOR, EUPHORIA Monochrome
Projector Texture: Mine
Water Settings: Glassy

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

SL Disney Bound – Week Twenty One: Rapunzel

I have been wanting to show off this dress from Jane for ages, and Rapunzel made the perfect excuse for a textured, purpley-pink robe that allows for swinging around, climbing, and general tomfoolery. I love the layered effect, and all of the different designs Jane did with it - this lighter fade over a darker pattern is in three tones, while three different tones have a more elemental aesthetic. You can see how well and smoothly it moves, and I love the broad shoulder straps and squared bodice as well. The length is short enough to be flirty, but long enough to cover everything critical, and the mesh is line inside up quite a ways, though if one uses alpha layers to prevent clipping there is a certain height where it stops working well. I chose the shoes to match with the lower, crosshatched layer of dark purple and light pink; they're a very new release from Schadenfreude, and if you get the fatpack you can tint all different parts of it different shades. I chose pink for the toe and heel, and the darker purple for the sides, and I really think that they are glorious together.

The Schadenfreude shoes are available at the Collabor88 Birthday Event, as is the hair from Wasabi Pills. It's a gorgeous short, curling style with the most adorable headband, perfect for layering with some of the jewelry available at that same event. What I love about her hairs is that almost always the curls are far enough back to easily clear my ears (my eternal favorites, from Illusions), which means I can take pictures from every angle, instead of having to be careful. I tugged out a caged bird necklace and a shiny little crown from Krystal as the icing on this particular look;I have no idea when or where I got these, but aren't they adorable? I love the pink and blue together, and the gleam of each tiny prim as I wear them. Finally, the wings from Deviance are one of the commons from the Fantasy Gatcha Event, and I really adore them. One thing I discovered between now and then is that when you fly, these wings flap in response. Isn't that delightful? I love learning new things, even if I probably should have learned them from reading a notecard...

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Candace Creamer
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Claudette
Crown: Krystal, Miss Imperial - Mini Tiara
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Mesh Eye Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyeshadow: De La Soul, Charlie Makeup - Ink
Wings: Deviance, Sidhe  Wings (Fantasy Gatcha Faire)
Hands: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands
Nails: A. E. Meth, Tie-Dye Nails
Jewelry: Krystal, Bird Cage Necklace
Dress: Jane, Carolina Dress
Shoes: Schadenfreude, Casinelle

Poses: Long Awkward Pose

Location: Isle of Amras: Castle
Light Settings: Mod of TOR Foggy Windlight
Water Settings: Glassy

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

SL Disney Bound – Week Twenty: Daisy Duck

I never had many thoughts on Daisy Duck, though of course I've known her since I was a child. I was always more attracted to Bugs Bunny who, despite his cross-dressing ways, could never be female. That sort of license, that breaking of boundaries and barriers, is still largely a male thing, which is perhaps why female comics (the Bugs Bunnies of adulthood) are so threatening to so may people. Most of these earlier characters are like the early female superheros - not existing in their own right, but rather as the gender-swapped version of an already conceived of or existing male character, and lately I've been really struck by the extent to which I feel locked out of what attracts me the most, simply due to my gender. It's difficult even to think of or dream of a world where that isn't the case; so many of my favorite figures seem to have gender woven into them; I would love a female reincarnation of the Doctor, but that most likely will never happen. I would love a master investigator and a powerful mage who changed the course of society to be female, but outside of a few side universes that never seems to happen - it never hits the main stream. Even very powerful women must somehow also be beautiful and elegant; they can never be old and grizzled in their power.

This is a slight modification of the look I used for the Blog the Beat challenge, and I kept most of the major aspects simply because I wanted to show them off to you all. The dress, complete with matching hairbow, is a rigged mesh dress from Violent Seduction which was released for the Genre Lolita event. The edging around the bodice is a little odd - it looks double layered, like there is a satin layer underneath, but at most angles that can't be seen, and even when it is visible it doesn't stand out as an error so much as double layering of the dress somehow, for modesty. I really love the bow - textured perfectly to look like satin - and the gorgeous flowers along the bottom edge of the dress. I also really like the neckline, and I look forward to pairing it with a variety of tops to see how well it works as a simple sweet Lolita, whereas here I'm wearing it more as a summer dress. My hair is also from the Genre Lolita even, this time from Curio Obscura and worn in white; it includes a variety of colors, and while the texturing is shiny for my normal wear, I love it for fancy, over the top looks where I would reasonably have been expected to apply hair spray. Genre had a lot of clothing, jewelry, and hair this time - and it's still open though I'm not sure for how long - so check it out.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Candace Creamer
Hair: Curio Obscura, Long Gothic Spirals Pigtails (Genre Event)
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Mesh Eye Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyeshadow: Elymode, Blossom - violet
Lipstick: Fruitilicious Gloss - Rose Gumdrop (Hunt)
Wings: Deviance, Sidhe Wings (Fantasy Gatcha Faire)
Jewelry: Earthstones, Butterfly
Hands: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands
Nails: Adore & Abhor, Shimmer Fades
Dress: Violent Seduction, Roseraie Purple (Genre Event)
Shoes: katat0nik, Aya Wedge

Poses: Glitterati

Location: Sea of Fables
Light Settings: Phototools, Absinthe Light
Water Settings: TOR, Liz Taylor

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

SL Disney Bound – Week Eighteen: Alice

I'm totally out of order now, but this is a confusing couple of weeks so I'm sweeping back to pick up Alice as part of the Disneybound challenge. I went very teal with her clothing, which I think is true to the Disney version of her if not true of a lot of other versions.It's also an unusual set because usually I do two profile shots, two landscapes, and two squares, but this time one of the images lent itself so well to a wider landscape shot that I simply couldn't resist at all (you'll see it at the bottom; I love it so much). I actually don't use any eyelid prosthetics to achieve that kind of look because when my avatar is blinking I like it to reflect the eyeshadow she's wearing instead of tinted by me, so what I do instead is take advantage of a glitch effect with the Anypose System, whereby if you click through the different eye settings quickly enough, eventually you'll make your avatar close her (or his) eyes, at which point they remain that way until you clear the direction of the eyes. I've also made special versions of my usual eyelashes - one from Flugeln Brise and the other from SLink - both for "smile" settings, which means slightly narrower, and for "eye closed" settings, which means pretty much touching. The nice thing about the lashes is that they conceal that the blink is imperfect; that is that the eyes are just slightly open, at least on my avatar with her freakishly huge eyes, so if you go lashless it looks very creepy. At the other end, these awesome shoefeet are a recent release from Felicity which I really like - the curve of beads around the ankle is fantastic, as is the ruching across the top of the toes; busy without being overwhelming. The feet re included, tintable through an included HUD that can be edited using Second Life's basic color editing system, which makes it pretty easy.

I'm taking these pictures on the sims slated to close that are part of Calas Galadhon, a gorgeous sweeping line of sims which remind me strongly of a series of sims I ran across when I was but a noobly avatar and I didn't save landmarks. I'll be trying to hit a few of the others, but the entire set is closing in August and might not be open without a fee for a group, in which case I'll have some decisions to make. Like a lot of active people in Second Life, I am eternally battling the top limit of my groups; I actually gave up being an official blogger due to (in part) the need for it to take up two group slots instead of one, and I'm deeply grateful to the slate of creators who have their blogger groups set up through non-group based distribution systems. Calas Galadhon is gorgeous, though, and a fantastic place both to just hand out and enjoy, and to take pictures. Part of why they are considering closing to non-group members, though, is due to the bad behavior of avatars in Second Life - I encourage everyone who visits anywhere to be polite, enjoy, try to not impinge on the enjoyment of others, and treat our hosts with the respect and honor they deserve for creating such beauty and then sharing it with the world. Definitely seek out these gorgeous sims while they're open - there are only a few days until August when they close to be reworked. I particularly encourage you to look under the waves - unlike a lot of landscaping sims, the gorgeous effects remain in place below the waves as well - complete with wildlife.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Candace Creamer
Hair: Ohmai, Kun & Rose Posies (Hair Faire)
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Mesh Eye Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyeshadow: Elymode, Summer Mix ocean w/liner
Lipstick: Essences, Lipstics Natural 1
Wings: Deviance, Titania Mesh Fairy Wings
Hands: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands
Nails: Nine Inch Nails, Butterfly
Jewelry: Donna Flora, Amalia
Necklace: Pink Fuel, Bottle Charm Necklace
Dress: Sweeter Than Candy, Nora Mesh Dress
Shoes: Felicity, Paige Stilettos - Teal

Poses: Glitterati

Location: Sea of Nurnen
Light Settings: Fairy blue (Paulina)
Water Settings: TOR, Subtleties

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

SL Disney Bound – Week Nineteen: Aurora

Aurora is actually more often in the blue gown she's given, but it's the pink one which has taken over in the promotional materials - an interesting sort of commentary on women and princesses and changes over time right now. Princesses are huge right now in so many ways, and sometimes I think the femininity that girls and women are confronted with are less anything which allows for a clear reflection, and more a series of cracked funhouse mirrors. I approached Aurora as a Lolita - one of the interesting reflections of European culture through the assumptions and eyes of the Japanese, and then transmitted all over via fashion and style. Lolita is a highly feminine style, but contrary to the hypersexualization often assumed by people familiar with Nabokov's novel, Lolita is about being demure, reserved, and princess-like.

It is about returning to the old tropes of women as acted-upon prize but this time actively, creating the looks, packaging it to be shared, coming face to face with expectations and trying to come to terms with them. While some people experience being very sexual and aggressive as a source of power, other people find power in being reserved and cautious. At the end of the day, there really isn't a "right" answer, I don't think. Any choice a woman makes about herself, her actions, her appearance is open for discussion and debate by anyone going past, and no one will think anything of it; women as something to be vivisected and discussed is normal, even if it is a woman herself doing the vivisection on herself. The Personal is Political; everything we do as individuals is part of a greater web of expectations and interactions and has consequences we can't always see.

From top to bottom I embraced all that was bubblegum pink. I picked up this crown from Remarkable Oblivion ages ago, and I've tried to incorporate it into any number of looks without success, but finally on Aurora it really worked - and without me tinting it to Hel and gone. My only wish could have been for more colors - I am a rampant color lover, and so whenever there is anything I love in style as much as I love this, I want it in every possible color imaginable, including the odd ones like seafoam green. I totally cheated with the hair, though; LeLutka created a bunch of inspired by a company that shall remain nameless, and this one happens to be called Aurora. Handy, hmmm? I love the smooth, liquid movement of it, and how it curves and moves with every pose - even ones where one would expect to not move well. It is rigged, and there was some clipping into my dress, but it managed to look like tendrils and not Second Life being awful again.

My cosmetics are a mix of the old, from Mock, and the new, from a new-to-me store called Pink Acid that released these lipsticks at the Food Faire. The shading around the seam of the lips is very dark, but the shape of it is really fantastic and I adore the colors. The dress is a Genre release, with the theme being Lolita, from Adore & Abhor. It's the shame shape as one of their older releases, but now in a wide and gorgeous variety of sweet colors. It's also one of the few modest Lolita dresses I've seen lately - on Second Life, Lolita often has an air of sexuality about it, a sort of doll-like eroticism that is a divergence from it's roots in Japan. While I like the pairing of sweet and sensual, often I really like pure gentle kindness as well, the settled and secure power of a girl. Finally, on my feet is an old release from Lassitude & Ennui which I really adore. The bands over the cuffs are tintable to a number of different colors, which make them very versatile.

I took my pictures on Eryn Vorn, which is one of the sis of Calas Galadhon Park which will be disappearing come August. Swing by and enjoy it while you have the chance - it's truly gorgeous.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Candace Creamer
Hair: LeLutka, Aurora Hair
Crown: Remarkable Oblivion, Once Upon a Crown
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Mesh Eye Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyeshadow: Mock, Glitter Pop Eshadow in Neon Pink
Lipstick: Pink Acid, Popsicle Lip Gloss
Wings: Deviance, Titania Mesh Fairy Wings
Hands: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands
Nails: Orc Inc, Fruit Fatpack
Dress: Adore & Abhor, Valentine Lolita
Stockings: Vextra Messing, Opaque Stockings
Shoes: Lassitude & Ennui, Doll ankle boots

Poses: Poise

Location: Eryn Vorn

Light Settings: Creepy Pyri
Water Settings: Phototools - Ship Light

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

SL Disney Bound – Week Seventeen: Dumbo

I'm having a grumpy day, so it's been difficult to figure out what to type about Dumbo - which is a super cute movie but dated in some really kind of sad ways... but I love Dumbo, and his poor caged mom, and even the racist caricature birds. I have a lot of thoughts, and a lot of feelings, and none of them are really conducive to a bunch of chitter chatter in general; I've spent a lot of my day playing phone games and watching television shows and leaving my Second Life viewer on without saying much and pestering my cat for cuddles, and I'm hoping sometime in the next few hours after a shower and some sleep I might wake up less angry, less upset, less sad about the world in general and how little I can effect it. I hate hearing about people hurting and sad. I hate seeing people being selfish and cruel. I hate all of the suffering I can do nothing about, and there are days like it's a thorn in my paw that I have no hope of pulling out.

Sometimes I want to be small again, innocent again, young again, in a world before I understood all of the horrible things I know now. In the first grade I couldn't understand why the only black children in our class sat at a table instead of desks and never interacted with us, but now I know there was some fucked up racist shit going down; all I knew then was that their eyes were sad. And now I live in a world where even the best intentions can backfire, where racism and sexism and all the other bigotries wrap around each other like a Gordian knot - but the traditional answer to the riddle won't work. Instead we have to pick it apart piece by piece, like a million miles of hair snarled into a ball, and it's attached to all of us - though some of us have tenderer scalps than the rest. Today I wish I had some unsnarling spray, and treats to give to everyone with tears in their eyes, but it's a dream - I'm not the master untangler; I'm just someone else crying when our tangled lives hurt us.

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: De La Soul, Candace Creamer
Hair: Magika, Bliss
Headflowers: Charme, Rouge Rose -
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Mesh Eye Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyeshadow: Virtual Insanity, Post Grey
Lipstick: Skinthesis, Liquid Heat Mercury
Wings: Deviance, Titania Mesh Fairy Wings
Jewelry: Milk Motion, My pearl & feather necklace
Hands: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands
Nails: Nine Inch Nails, Yin Yang
Elephant: Schadenfreude, Stuffed Elephant
Dress: The Sea Hole, Nouveau Silk Dress

Pose: Glitterati

Location: India - Pakeeza
Light Settings: Phototools, Dead End
Water Settings: Glassy

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

SL Disney Bound – Week Sixteen: Drizella & Anastasia

It's another couples set, and these are always a challenge for me - it tends to be one of my alts, and this time, for Drizella and Anastasia, I ended up going really over the top. This is definitely not casual wear, but it might work for a fancy dinner... maybe? I think both of the Evil Stepsisters would have crowed over the hair and the clothing, so I admit I'm enjoying it quite a bit. The hardest part was finding inexpensive skin and cosmetics for my poor alt, Placebo, who ended up trying on a few different ones before I settled on a recent free release from Curious Kitties. It's a really cute style inspired by watermelon - I love the little dots on the cheek like watermelon seeds. Quandry is wearing my usual skin from De La Soul, but I dressed it up with a bright eyeshadow from Virtual Insanity, and a gorgeous lip from Adore & Abhor. Both of them are wearing hair from Curio Obscura, part of one of her amazing releases for Arcade. I really love the different styles, though I struggled a little with hairlines on Placebo. I loved the masses of curls, though, and it fit the character so well, so how could I resist?

The Jewelry deserves a special note - they're releases from Donna Flora, who we recently learned through Casja Lilliehook has been getting more ill with her Cancer, and she hasn't been able to make things in Second Life, which means her income is down, which is making things harder for her. The Love Donna Flora event is a chance to enjoy her gorgeous jewelry and rally around to support her as she battles cancer some more. I have always loved her jewelry, it's so unique, but I tended to wait for special outfits to go and look for something to suit; when I was putting together these over-the-top looks I decided to swing by and see if anything fit, and found what I wanted almost immediately. She also makes lovely clothing, some of it with matching jewelry for people who struggle to put together looks. There will be an event later this month, but for now an easy way to help out is to go and indulge in some of her unique, beautiful jewelry. The dresses - different color versions of the same style - are also something special, as I picked them up in the closing sale for Bliss Couture. There are a lot of unique, extravagant dresses for sale for not much linden, perfect to match up with one of Donna Flora's exemplary sets of jewelry. I had such fun with this - even the slow bits with dual logging and using shadows - I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Deoridhe Quandry:

Skin: De La Soul, Candace Creamer
Hair: Curio Obscura, Stackable Hair - Rococco Rolls
Eyes: De La Soul, Mesh Eye Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyeshadow: Virtual Insanity, Fairy Neon
Lipstick: Adore & Abhor, Lips Fire Red
Wings: Deviance, Titania Mesh Fairy Wings
Jewelry: Donna Flora, Harlow
Dress: Bliss Couture, Gravios

Poses: !bang

Deoridhe Placebo:

Skin: Curious Kitties, Azil Peach Skin - Chilled Watermelon
Hair: Curio Obscura, Stackable Hair - Spirals Galore
Eyes: De La Soul, Mesh Eye Rainbow
Eyelashes: Flugeln Brise, 09 Cup of Heart
Wings: Deviance, Titania Mesh Fairy Wings
Jewelry: Donna Flora, Ester
Dress: Bliss Couture, Gravios

Poses : Glitterati

Location: <a href="http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Selidor/234/135/21">Selidor</a>
Light Settings: Sim Default
Water Settings: Sim Default

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

SL Disney Bound – Week Fifteen: Boo

For the Disneybound challenge this week, Boo from Monsters Inc, I ended up dressing it up quite a bit so I don't look very much like a young child frightened of the monsters under her bed, but it is nighttime when they'd be most likely to show up. I'm beginning to experiment more with shadows, and I am really, really loving the effect. This time I ended up taking pictures at my home so that I could play around with windows and moonlight, and ended up being very glad I could rez something to stand on - it's hard to place oneself into a narrow band of light. The effect is incredible, though - lights glean, shadows bend naturally over cloth and skin, the images almost seem to glow from within. I'm completely blown away with how transformed the images I can take in Second Life are by this - how much more natural they seem all with a single change we usually don't even think about.

To mimic Boo's hairstyle, I pulled up this amazing old hairstyle from Wasabi Pills with pug tails and enormous bows. It's an old favorite and really demonstrates the quality of her work over time. In place of a loose, oversized pink shirt, I pulled on this dress I got at Second Life's Tenth Birthday, a gorgeous ruched, beribboned confection from Ala Folie with an amazing red ribbon pattern over the fabric. I was astonished at how it lit up under the moonlight, as well - looking almost like it was made of satin. In place of the tights Boo wears, I tinted a pair of pants from Poised to tuck under my dress and into my cute little socks from G Field, like her socks. My one wish is I had sock tinters for my SLink feet so that I could have a nicer shape for them - the default Second Life foot is so ugly in so many ways. The final touch - not part of Boo's look but an addition for the far more evening-dress meets stay at home chic were these pearls from Eclectica - a really gorgeous and simple set that ties the whole look together.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Candace Creamer
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Trish
Eyes: De La Soul, Mesh Eye Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Jewelry: Eclectica, Pearm Mixables
Hands: SLink, Enhanced Mesh Hands
Nails: Adore & Abhor, Princess Nails
Dress: Ala Folie, Brigitte rose (free at SL10B)
Pants: Poised, Dreams Pants (tinted)
Socks: G Field, Layerable Ruffle Socks

Pose: Adorkable Poses

Location: My Home
Light Settings: TOR, NIGHT That Spells Moon 4
Water Settings: TOR, Eyeballin'

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

SL Disney Bound – Week Fourteen: Vanellope Von Schweetz

I'm breaking one of my own rules, but it's for a good cause, so I hope you'll forgive me. First of all, the outfit for Vanellope Von Schweetz was really a struggle - not only was I not familiar with the source material, but the style was so clear and so not what I wear; I am not a casual dressed in Second Life. Granted, I'm not all ball gowns all the time, but my style definitely skews Gothic Lolita with frills and bits, so the hoodie in particular just caused me no end of trouble - but more on that in a bit. The rule break has to do with these amazing shoes. I seriously tend to try to sit on things until they're released so people can hopefully find them. This isn't the case for some limited edition things that I wear in the course of making an outfit, but if something is going to be for sale, I try to not photograph it until it is for sale.

And then I saw these shoes.

The whole outfit was done, with a different set of shoes even, when I got these from Violent Seduction. They will - I promise - be for sale soon. I love them. I love them like a loving thing who loves. I particularly love that the heel is recolorable in various kinds of stripes and solids, so you can match them to an outfit, and the star is also recolorable to a variety of metals. I am a huge fan of customizability, but more than that I adore the shape of them, the curve down to the star, and the fact I'm literally walking on stars. They are unrigged mesh, and I ended up making them just a little bigger and they fit perfectly.

So I'm sorry. They should be on sale soon. Please don't hate me!  

(I just checked, they're on sale. That whole rant was useless. Why do I not check things first? I'm leaving it because I think it's funny; enjoy.)

The rest of my outfit is a study in compromises and inventory hunting. The hair was another late addition, from D!va and for sale at Collobor88, and I found it when I was trying to find a hoodie that I swore got made but I couldn't find except for some concept pictures, which took up the better part of an evening; I tell you, I bled for this look and it's nothing like her. I was sold when I saw the adorable red bow, though, and into my inventory (and onto my head) it went. I literally don't know where the candy came from - it's from Evie's Closet, but I have no memory of getting it even though I adore it and am now craving old fashioned lollipops. The hoodie was actually a prize from Forsaken for one of the Twisted Hunts, and there is nothing like it for sale in the store, and I think that is a crime - it is awesome, and I love the pattern, and why was it not modify-ok so I could tint it? Picture me pouting - this is a pouting faerie right here.What's moving me is an amazing new set of poses from Studio Sidhe for Genre, for the Art Deco theme, which I really adore. I'm all elegant and side-eyeing, sauntering all over Second Life's second birthday event.

The sole nod to Vanellope's teal hoodie is this shirt, stolen from a gorgeous dress from G Field which you have absolutely no hint of in the current outfit. She looks like a young to teenage girl, though, so it was very important to me - in addition to needing the teal - that I portrayed her fully dressed, even with otherwise somewhat scandalous accessories. Scandalous would be the miniskirt from Sn@tch, which is so outside of my comfort zone that I'm roughly in Poughkeepsie now, but the ruffly was perfect for the look and half a day in I was getting kind of desperate, and it's a really cute skirt, there's just much less of it than I'm used to. The stockings are another piece from a bigger set, from katat0nik, and were one of the few dual-legged stocking styles I could find; she actually has another dual legged style which is stripes on one side and hearts on the other, and I was desperately hoping for it in teal (when I saw it in pink on flickr) but no luck. See? Pouting faerie. I am not kidding when I say I went back at least a year through flickr looking for all kinds of things and finding none of it for sale - this was a nightmare.

Also very funny in hindsight.

Other funny things in this picture set? My wandering eyes because I couldn't use my facial animation HUD. I have not forgotten how annoying all that is, oh no I haven't.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Candace Creamer
Hair: D!va, "Lili" (Collobor88)
Candy: Magic Candy Stash
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyelashes: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Jewelry: Silver Wheel, Candy Slices
Hands: SLink, Enhanced Mesh Hands
Nails: Nine Inch Nails, Colorful
Hoodie: Forsaken, Delirium Smoked Hoodie (Twisted Hunt Gift)
Shirt: G Field, Classic Dress "Clea"
Skirt: Sn@tch, Ruffled Mini Skirt
Stockings: katat0nik, Lunar Dragon
Shoes: Violent Seduction, Tacky

Poses: Studio Sidhe

Location: SL10B: Turtle Stage
Light Settings: TOR, MIDDAY Coral Reef
Water Settings: Glassy

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

SL Disney Bound – Week Thirteen: Mad Hatter

One pill makes you larger
And one pill makes you small
And the ones that mother gives you
Don't do anything at all
Go ask Alice when she’s ten feet tall

And if you go chasing rabbits
And you know you're going to fall
Tell them a hookah smoking caterpillar has given you the call
Call Alice when she was just small

I've never been much enamored of the Mad Hatter, but this look has pretty much changed my mind. Alternatively sly and wild, mischievous and twisted, the Mad Hatter embodies both danger and whimsey. Like my version of Snow White, the Mad Hatter I ended up creating for Disneybound this week is pulled together from a lot of different outfits to make a final effect that is completely overwhelming and awesome. From the tip top of my tophat from Falln Angel Creations, to the toe tip of my espadrilles from Duh!, I am a wild romp through sizes and tea and distortion. My hair is a very fun, yet relatively old style from Wasabi Pills which is simply perfect for the uneven quality of the Mad Hatter. Even working around the dangling hair bits in the front wasn't too much of a problem, a reminder of older days before the majority of long hair was rigged mesh.

When the men on the chess board
Get up and tell you where to go
And you just had some kind of mushroom
And your mind is moving slow
Go ask Alice I think she'll know

When logic and proportion
Have fallen sloppy dead
And the white knight is talking backwards
And the Red Queen's "Off with her head!"
Remember what the dormouse said

I didn't have a teal bow to mimic the one for Disney's Mad Hatter; instead I copied it using two sets of jewelry - the recent butterfly set from Earthstones, and an older ring set from Eolande. The butterfly set is actually color changing; it has about six stone types which can be applied to the butterflies, and perhaps even ten colors for the bead, and I really adore it. All of the rest of my look is pieced together from three different outfits from Silentsparrow, in shades of gold and green. I played around with a lot of different options, mixing and matching, until I hit this final combination, bringing together the gold shrug as a top layer, the mottle corset over a lace undershirt, and finally the longer moon and stars Lolita style skirt. The final effect is not at all Lolita, but is one I really, really like. Now... are you coming for tea, or not?

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Candace Creamer
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Kiki
Hat: Falln Angel Creations, Mano De La Muerte Tophat
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Jewelry 1: Eolande, Stone Halo Necklace
Jewelry 2: Earthstones, Butterfly Set
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Hands: SLink, Enhanced Mesh Hands
Nails: Nine Inch Nails, Colorful
Shrug: Silentsparrow, Golden Sky
Undershirt and Garters: Silentsparrow, Vertnoir
Dress: Silentsparrow, Gutter Glitter
Socks: G Field, Button Socks
Shoes: Duh!, Women's Espadrilles

Poses: !bang

Location: Almost Wonderland
Light Settings: Incongruent Truths - modified
Water Settings: Glassy

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

SL Disney Bound – Week Twelve: Mr. Smee

I always loved Peter Pan, though I tended to focus more on the books than the movie from Disney. Mr. Smee we was jolly and kind and thought to be feared when he wasn't, and in a lot of ways he's more Captain Hook's valet than anything else - something which would make sense for the archaic stylings of pirates of fiction, with their aping of the mores of English nobility. The valet, like the lady's maid, was a body-servant, your most intimate inferior, simultaneous close and eternally divided by class. Jeeves and Wooster is one series of stories about the relationship between a gentleman and his valet where the gap in understanding - where the valets are often far more knowledgeable of the Master than vice versa - is made very clear. This is something which I, raised in my invisible class system where we confuse affluence and skin tone for class, don't fully understand, though I do understand having privileges which blind one to the experiences of other people who are different and who have more demands placed on them. Mr. Smee, with his actual kindness and yet his desire to be seen as fierce, embodies this inherent conflict between reality and the dreams we try to bring about in our lives, as well as showing that there are none so blind as those who cannot see.

I began my makeover into Ms. Smee with this dress from Dilly Dolls; it seemed perfect to me, from the Peter Pan collar to the stripes, even if they were vertical instead of horizontal. I love the little cap sleeves on the top, and the frills of the skirt; it's so cute and flirty. The shoes, likewise, were a simple fall into my inventory - a new release from Felicity, they have a fun strappiness and some gems along the edge like every good pirate should have. The tinting on the foot has changed from her previous releases; I found if I made my skintone brighter - closer to pure - and lighter at the same time, and it was fairly easy to match up. I tossed a cute pigtail style on from Truth in white to match Smee's beard, and tinted the bands red to match Smee's hat, and then added a cap on top of it from a store I hadn't heard of before called Yj-vita. I love the bright red of it, the delicate white patterns and the tiny pageboy brim. The final touches of red come from Mock, in the form of double layers of her lipstick, and nails, a saturated color from Izzie's. I'm a very girly Smee, but I think I qualify for First Mate.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Candace - Creamer
Hair: Truth, Bunny
Hat: Yj-vita, Casquette Cap
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyeliner: Belleza, Neon Eyeliner
Lipstick 1: Mock, Pimento Lip Kelle
Lipstick 2: Mock, Mizu Venetian Red
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Hands: SLink, Enhanced Mesh Hands
Nails: Izzie's, SLink Metallic Nails
Dress: Dilly Dolls, Kasset White & Dark (promotional)
Shoes: Felicity, Olivia Stilettos (promotional)

Poses: Adorkable Poses

Location: Fair Winds
Light Settings: Places Astryls Wild
Water Settings: Glassy

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

SL Disney Bound – Week Eleven: Zazu

In order to bring Zazu to life for Disneybound this time, I ended up seeking out the wild savannah of Noweeta, complete with wild animals to take tourist-style pictures with.The quintessential ugly American, posing by wildlife that would rather my absence than my presence - though I suppose the fact it is all virtual helps a bit, doesn't it? I ended up with a sunny, summery look this time, in marked contrast to my rather gloomy looks of the last few days. My hat is a very new release from Eclectica, complete with four color options for the hat and color changing flowers and gems - and hair. The hat can also be worn without the hair, but it is an adorable bob hairstyle I quite liked. I cut holes in the hat so my ears could fit, and they very kindly kept it on my head throughout all of the windy time on the savannah. I doubled up on my cosmetics to mimic the markings on Zazu's face, combining Virtual Insanity on the eyes and Mock on the lips to good effect. The Tucan jewelry was a recent release from LaGyo and when I saw it at the The Dressing Room - Fusion I simply couldn't resist adding it to my birdlike look.

My amazing dress was an old purchase from one of the Collobor88s, a rigged mesh dress from Cynful. I really love the combination of the belt and the dress, and how they fit together. It fits a bit oddly around the bosom - I was either too big or two small - but that's barely noticeable, especially since I doubled up, layering the medium over the small to get a slightly thicker edge along my skin. Using a HUD, you can actually tint the belt black of white, or make it vanish altogether. I added in the recent group gift from Adore & Abhor, these monarch nails which don't match in style so much, but match perfectly in color. I really love the wing effect, and hope more colors are in the offing soon (hint hint ;) ). Finally, these amazing boots which make my legs look so much like Zazu's that I bounced in my seat laughing are a very old purchase from Aleida and have been mouldering in my inventory for who knows how long, but I am so very glad I opened them for this look. I think they add the perfect wrinkled and beakish effect to my feet, really adding a lot (though they do make me glad I don't actually have to wear them - look at those heels). The fit was near perfect - I just had to move them upward and over slightly for a perfect fit. I couldn't find an Aleida store but the creator of these boots, coincidentally named Aleida, does have a store called Elysium to explore.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Candace - Creamer
Hair: Eclectica, 'Flora' Sunhat (promotional item)
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyeshadow 1: Virtual Insanity, Post - BLUE
Eyeshadow 2: Virtual Insanity, SPRING - Sodalite
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Lipstick 1: Mock, Glasside Lip - Trinidad
Lipstick 2: Mock, Lucir Lipcolor Dandy Lion
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Jewelry: LaGyo, Tucano Set
Hands: SLink, Enhanced Mesh Hands
Nails:  Adore & Abhor, Monarch Nails (Group Gift)
Dress: Cynful, First Date - SteelBlue
Stockings: Vextra Messing, Opaque Stockings
Boots: Aleida, Anais boots - orange

Poses: Glitterati

Location: Noweeta
Light Settings: Incongruent Truths
Water Settings: Glassy

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

SL DisneyBound – Week Ten: Flotsam & Jetsam

This is another couples Disneybound Challenge - of two villainous side kicks Flotsam and Jetsam instead of someone closer to the center stage. They are actually two moray eels, drawn to be green instead of the more usual brown of actual moray eels. I'm incredibly fond of the actual animal, having met one I really liked, but I was never as fond of the characters from The Little Mermaid - they seemed mostly to be around to snicker and be not from the fairytale; since I'm part Dane and greatly attached to Hans Christian Andersen, the Disney version of A Little Mermaid is probably one of the ones which annoys me most (Pocahontas beats her out because RACISM). I had a lot of fun setting myself up in all green, and I ended up deciding at the last minute to set up one of my alts - Deoridhe Resident - as a petite in all green, which brought up a few issues. Posing with two individuals is hard enough, but with a person and a petite it would be nearly impossible, so I decided to do a two-part photoshoot, taking pictures of Deoridhe Quandry in the wild and adding in Deoridhe Resident from her safe photography bubble above my platform.

I tried to match lighting and color as much as I could, but it was surprisingly complicated. Not only did I need to get the lighting right, I also needed to tint the background so I could fit her into the frame without too much of a halo around her. I'm thinking next time I might make her glow a little bit - fairy like - in order to cover for some of these deficits. I think I needed to light her up with some sources in addition to the windlight, though; the main issue seems to be how less pink petite Deoridhe is compared to big Deoridhe. I totally had a ball with my foray into photoshop and selecting, though, and I hope you like my specialized version of Flotsam and Jetsam, who are here.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Quandry:

Skin: De La Soul, Candace (promotional item)
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow (promotional item)
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyeshadow: Mock, Dk Green (smoked)
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Lipstick 1: Rue, Lip Service ~ Gother Than Thou
Lipstick 2: Mock, Vitrail Lip Glass - Black Licorice
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Alicia (promotional item)
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Dress: Blue Blood, Isabella
Jewelry: Lassitude & Ennui, Macabre (promotional item)
Hands: SLink, Enhanced Mesh Hands
Nails: Nine Inch Nails, frenchies flower
Stockings: G Field, Button Socks
Shoes: G Field, Ribbon Slingback Shoes

Resident:

Body: The Sugar Garden, Petite BJD: Nariko "BabyDoll Blue"
Hair: Exile, Eva
Dress: Bare Rose, Maidress C2

Poses: Glitterati

Location: Beltane
Light Settings: Phototools - Breakwave Building Light
Water Settings: Nacon's Lake Water

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only