Worlds of Pink and Gray

I always set myself higher bars for Fantasy Faire... and I always fall short! This year was no different, but as always I had fun and really adored taking pictures. Towards the end, I managed to sneak in some shots of the outfit I build before the Faire began, and one I quite enjoyed wandering around in! It's very monotone, but I had fun layering blacks and grays, and was proud I managed a degree of body coverage which is nothing short of remarkable; despite this, the look - I flatter myself - still looks quite sexy.

It's the latest release from FATEplay and FATEstep which my whole look revolves around. There are five color options but I went with the lightest one, a soft gray with brown accents primarily in the wonderfully slung ammo belt. It may not be immediately obvious, but the outfit is four pieces - the long pants which are cut to fit into boots, the ammo belt which is slung low and rigged to stay on top of the pants, the half top with its cunning buttons, and the mask, which tucks up over the lower part of the face, and tucks into the loose cowl of the top. The mask is deceptively simple; it seems to be made of two pieces: one which is a loose hood that catches over the mouth, which quite realistic wrinkles, and the second which is a very long, narrow scarf wrapped around the neck with the long ends flying out behind.

The mask is rigged to the face, neck, and chest but the long ends remain static, and offer a nice hint of movement in an otherwise static world. The top is similarly well rigged, with wrinkles around the elbow and upper arm which make the fit seem much more natural and helps conceal the awkward elbow joint which is the bane of so many creators! My favorite part is the cowl and buttons combination, with the buckling between the buttons and the curves as the cowl falls against the top. The pants also sport these wonderful wrinkles around the calf, as if the fit wasn't quite right. I'm really struck by how the wrinkles add verisimilitude, bunching appropriately against skin and making it seem as if skin and muscle lurk right below the layers of cloth. And the ammo belt is one of the first I've seen that sits well on the hips and seamlessly rides over the hips as I move - fantastic rigging, and a whole lot of fun to wear!

The boots are also from FATE, FATEstep this time, and have the enormous wealth of options available in all of his shoes. They are fit perfectly over the bottom edge of the pants with a three-band style around most of it except for the smooth back. Like the clothes, his shoes have a wonderful attention to detail. The smooth back starts at the zipper and ends under the long three bands down the side; the bottom band makes a complete circle. The bottoms of the boots are rough textured perfect for hiking and riding across abandoned wastes, or marching around the Fantasy Faire tracking dirt through thirteen sims. The final touch are the spurs - although at a distance they look like they are built into the boots, up close you can see that they are actually built as a separate piece, with bands over the top of the foot and along the base of the heel, and the thicker metal of the spur itself.

Everything is color changeable via HUD, and the HUD also includes several pre-set slots - including the gray arrangement I'm showing in these pictures. They are also highly editable - in fact all of FATE's clothing is; you can select the entire item to tint or select faces to tint subsections of the outfit. I love the sheer versatility; this can be made into anything from the simple gray I'm showing here to the brightest combination of colors you could ever wish for.

I accented the FATEplay ensemble with a few touches form a dark future, or in one case a mechanical past. The corset around my waist is from Rosal and is steampunk in design, though I thought it really worked with the overall futuristic and mechanistic effect. I have to admit I splurged on almost the entire set, even though I only showed one piece of it here; there are two types of boots, gloves, and a neck corset in the same style. The combination of metal and matte was pleasing to me, as was the pinstrip effect of the fabric texture.  I also added my new wings from C L A Vv, which are my go-to choice for rough mechanical these days. The rope-dangles work particularly well, echoing the fall of the scarf if not it's ultimate angle. On my face I pulled out the Noctis bike goggles from a past Genre; the dark color of the frame matches up with the rest of my look while the lenses offer one of the little bits of color I wore. The other bit of color is my hair, a lovely, bushy style from Underscore (a store no longer in world, but one of it's creators, Syndel Daviau, has some wonderful releases under the brands Asset and Tribal Soul Designs) which looks pleasantly windblown and wild; I liked it for how thick it was, with lose and heavy curls.

Among the cherry blossoms, even an apocalypse looks beautiful.

Post Apocalyptic Style

I know my biggest worry when I think about the apocalypse is what I'm going to wear. It's just impossible to face the inevitable end of all humankind without being stylish and styling - though that doesn't mean such paltry matters as whether my shoes and handbag match! I settled on Tableau as the perfect place to face the end, and it proved to be a gorgeous and wonderful  My base is this amazing dress from FATEplay, which I totally didn't make our of some sort of extra uniform from creepy end-of-days militia, or anything silly like that! In all seriousness, I love how the dress looks retrofitted from other clothing; the ragged edges like arms were cut off, the wrinkled t-shirt middle, and an arm for a tube top. It is actually three separate pieces - the tube top, bodice, and skirt all in different parts which fit together beautifully. It comes in a wide variety of colors for mixing and matching, but I went for a straightforward orange and white, like a creamsickle, in the clean version (each comes with a dirty version, too; very rustic, but I'm a cleanly apocafashionista). Released at the same time is the origin of this dress - an all-over jumper suitable for men and women both. I know what I'm wearing next time I need to fix something mechanical!

I accessorized with a mace purse from Adore & Abhor which serves double duty as clutch and weapon. I figure that in the ends of days a girl can be both self-protective, and fashionable, and this does well at both - love the golden spikes. My hair is a new release from Wasabi Pills, a fantastic herringbone braid over one shoulder. This is a rarer braid, as the pieces laying over each other are much smaller and thinner than in a standard hairstyle, and I love how it lays across one shoulder. The hair tendrils are actually mesh pieces instead of a semi-transparent texture over longer pieces, which is really amazing and adds a great deal of verisimilitude to a casual style. Trying to keep the styling to more found items than mall fair, I added a necklaces from Bleinsen + MaiTai with a scientific bent. I just have this image of a futuristic woman slicing apart an extra table of elements to augment her newest look. And finally, most adorably, are these fishbone shoes from Lassitude & Ennui, which I have struggled to place in a cohesive look since I saw them. I totally adore the simpleness of the sandal which lets the literal herring-bones stand out under gold paint.

Cutie Moon Faire: For Love of Magical Girls

I have a deep and abiding love of Magical Girls.

Magical Girls are a genre of Japanese fantasy, for people who don't know, and their stories center around girls - ages about nine to fifteen - who are given special abilities and use them to transform and, usually, to battle for justice. The simplest stories have two dimensional forces of evil which want to remove something from the world - love, or mercy, or energy. There is often a lot of maniacal laughter, long speeches about how horrible light or kindness are, transformation sequences which save budgets, and a mysterious love interest who can be either pursuer or rescuer. On the more complicated end, the stories interrogate ideas of power and freedom in the lives of some of girls who are simultaneously powerful and powerless. They explore issues of identity, romance, and individuation during the complicated promise of a Magical Girl becoming an adult woman, who has different stories. The closes US analog is Jem, where Jerika has to face issues of honesty, integrity, and identity as she tries to co-exist with her more famous form, Jem, but Jerika is an adult woman as seen by a pre-teen (most of the plot holes vanish if you're twelve) instead of a peer who has been inexplicably given both the power and the responsibility of an adult. Sailor Moon is the Magical Girl associated with the Cutie Moon event, and she is a fine example of the genre; a girl with many faults, who doesn't seem at all special, but who under it all is a Princess who will end up saving the world.

I was never a huge Sailor Moon fan, though I've seen enough of the anime to have a working knowledge of it. My gateway Magical Girl was Kaitou Saint Tail, a largely mundane Magical Girl who steals in order to bring about justice. I was shortly thereafter introduced to Wedding Peach, which is an extremely fluffy Sailor Moon analog complete with these amazing speeches on the part of the main character about the weather and how the villain she is about to fight has offended the universe. It's complete fluff, but so enjoyable. After that I did a quick run through a lot of manga, including Card Captor Sakura, which is aimed at younger girls, until I hit the twisted and adult end of the genre with a hard slap into one of my favorites, Princess Tutu. The one which really gave me insight into the recursive nature of the genre, and the profound aspects of character growth possible, was Puella Magi Madoka Magica, which offers up a main girl like no other, and a Möbius strip of story which is so delightful I finished it and wanted to watch it all over again. I love Magical Girl stories and the powerful girls whose stories are told in so many wonderful ways.

The Cutie Moon Faire offers a lot of different things inspired by Sailor Moon, and I had a ball putting together a look with a few pieces, including one lovely gift. The hair is a really fun release at the Faire from from Wasabi Pills with adorable upswept pigtails and a bang line that I really enjoyed. Usually her bangs are heavier, but this has the little peep hole I could show off a forehead jewel from Souzou Eien in, and it also works beautifully with diadem style crowns. I paired it with cosmetics from Adore & Abhor with stars across the cheeks and a soft, bright red lip to match the red accents to my look. The look itself is an amazing recolor of Fateplay's Sailor Fuku release at the Faire, and I am as in love with it now as I was the last time I wore it - perhaps even more with the pink, yellow, and red color styling. It comes with the wand I'm wearing, and that wand comes with the most amazing HUD which lets me spin around and blow hearts at everybody! I love it so~! I'm also wearing the included boots, which I think would look a touch better if my legs were longer, but which I quite like nonetheless; they have a simple, streamlined style which look like they poofed out of ribbons. The stockings above them come from Kyoto Couture and include the cute bows at the sides of the thighs; if I could get this ribbon style in a SLink adapted form, I would be one happy Faerie. The final touch which sealed the deal is this adorable purse - a gift from someone who made it into the Faire before I did - from Atomic. When I finally got into the faire I was able to try my hand at landing a few others, and ended up with five of the six - which isn't bad at all. I like the stuffed head dangling from the front, and I love how the shoulder band was made, as it let me adjust the purse for different shots so that it always looked natural. Very well done indeed!

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: Izzie's, Irene
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Chibi (Cutie Moon)
Jewel: Souzou Eien, Precious Bindi
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Blush: Adore & Abhor, Princess Star Blush
Lipstick: Adore & Abhor, Fluff Lips
Wings: Deviance, Sidhe
Hands: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands
Nails: Pin Me Down, Neon
Outfit: FATEplay, Rena (Cutie Moon)
Purse: Atomic, Scout Bag (Gacha - Cutie Moon)
Stockings: Kyoto Couture, Socks No.2

Poses: !bang

Location: Skyrah: ReiKai
Light Settings: TOR, FOGGY Pink Chapterhouse
Water Settings: Mirror Water

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

On the Edge of Purple

It's always difficult to know how far to push light and shadow in windlight; too much light and the skin becomes washed out - which can be artistic but also too sketchy; too much shadow, and the images don't catch peoples attention or stand out at all. In this case, I started with a very misty windlight, modified it from being colored throughout to pale and smokey, and then I darkened the sky and made it electric to catch the same tints as my lips. Offline, I rarely go for neutrals; I like electric and bold colors. On Second Life I find that barrier, like so many, bending and warping even while I fit those bright colors I like into the frame in what I hope are unusual ways. In this case, outside of the electric purple sky, the only color in my look is lipstick from Adore & Abhor; it's a rich, vibrant color that really stands out against all of the peach, gold and black. The windlight I modified also included a rich, dark shadow to echo the black of my gown for Coquet, which was released at FaMESHed this round. It's an interesting kind of setup - you buy a wrap dress of one of three colors, with the cutout a plain white, and then you can add on texture changes for the white section - in this case, I went with the peach set because I thought it was an amazing high-contrast look. I was tempted by the rest - and I may go back and pick them up later - but I'm trying to watch my pocketbook. Part of me also wished there were more options, though three different patterns per set is a lovely thing. The inside of the dress is textured fairly high as well, though sharp angles upward will catch sight of nothing where something should be - I ended up adding in Fateplay's thigh shadow from his Sailor Fuku set for some verisimilitude, and I think I may well just keep a copy of it handy in my Normal Kit folder. It was one of those touches I didn't realize I wanted until I had it, and now I can't easily go without it.

The jewelry I'm wearing is from Amorous, but I modified it to add an anklet. One of my sadnesses about Second Life jewelry is how rarely it includes things like bracelets and anklets; both are fantastic for adding a spot of color or darkness to long limbs; the nice thing is, this set was modifiable, so I was able to copy the bracelets and turn one into a secondary use with only a little tweaking of it's size and location. This is why I love stores which leave their accessories modify-ok; while it is a deviation from what I purchased, it really adds value to the overall look. My hair is a new, windswept style from Wasabi Pills that was released at the Golden Thread Event - a clothing release by Miamai for a new line which seems to be combining natural forms and shapes in innovative ways - I was particularly struck by a flower afro which may soon be joining my inventory. Second Life offers fashion something completely unique to virtual worlds - the opportunity to bend the laws of physics and reality to create entirely new clothing and avatars. Much of Second Life is about imitation; shoes are often styled off of existing shoes - and when spike covered heels became big across the fashion blogs I was unsurprised to see it showing up in Target. Most of this outfit is realistic; my only consistent unrealities are my wings and my eyes - the wings should be obvious, but the eyes are rainbow. My shoes, however, the Hera heels from SLink, are an example of something which looks realistic but which could never actually be worn offline without additional transparent bits to hold everything in place. The curve of the shoe and how it never really meets itself; the bare nub of an impossibly high heel; even the smoothness of the curve over the top of the foot all would fail if they were attempted offline. The overall effect is a subtle one, though, and one where I doubt most people would think they're looking at anything unrealistic. I hope SLink - and other creators - continue to push the boundaries of what can be worn in Second Life; it makes dressing so much more interesting than offline.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: Izzie's, Irene
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Mia (The Golden Thread)
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyeshadow: Mock, Pantone Fall eShadow
Lipstick: Adore & Abhor, Fluff Lips
Wings: Deviance, Sidhe
Hands and Feet: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands and Feet
Collar: Ginza, Milk Crown Necklace (Advent)
Jewelry Set: Amorous, Antiquarian (anklet made from bracelet)
Dress: Coquet, Twist (FaMESHed)
Dress Shadow: Fateplay, Rena
Shoes: SLink, Hera Wrap Heel

Pose: Grafica

Location: Binemist
Light Settings: TOR, FOGGY The Pink Tower (highly modified)
Water Settings: TOR, Eyeballin'

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Mahou Shoujo

Honestly, when it was first talked about in Second Life, it never occurred to me that I would be able to see Materials. It wasn't until this year that I was able to render shadows in Second Life and not have my browser die, and I still don't run things on ultra, mostly because I'm sure my laptop would catch on fire. It wasn't until I was setting up lighting on one of Fatewear's older releases - which I finally picked up because a) SALE!!! 8D 8D and b) I really wanted at least one mesh fuku in my inventory - that I even realized I could see materials and the subtle but profound effects they have on adding verisimilitude to a look. The back of the ribbon, tinted blue because I got the white fuku so I could tint things with wild abandon, catches the light in a manner entirely different than the duller texture of the shirt and skirt, and yet it's subtle enough that it isn't hopping out of the picture screaming, "Look at me!" This is the sort of texturing which could have been aped by a clever texturer, but which would never respond to light quite correctly. One other thing Fatewear did, besides excellent materials texturing, was also to include a shadow tattoo for the upper thighs under the fuku - one I plan on swiping for other similarly short skirts. Combined with the black interior lining, the shadow does an excellent job of combining no panty shot with non-obvious invisiline; it looks so natural that even when I was reflecting up under my skirt in another picture it simply looked as if the shadows were too dark for one to see anything. Simply flawless.

The rest of my look coalesced around my new favorite fuku; I wanted a simple, youthful style for the hair even though I hope I don't look like a high schooler anymore. Wasabi Pills delivered with a special release for FaMESHed, complete with a perfectly tinted pink bow. I carried the pink through on my lips, once more combining Adore & Abhor with Mock for the perfect glossy finish; I wanted something on the dark side of bubblegum - what happens to a bright pink when it ferments down into reality. My nails are an adorable release from Alice Project, who finally got into the nail business; I love the dual heart with the subtly different shades of this one. On my shoulder, I brought my talking companion, the tiny a watermelon-eating bat who scolds me when I oversleep or am late for work. It was from Pink Fuel, but I don't remember the context of getting it - perhaps an old-school gatcha? It's completely adorable, though. Finally, on the tips of my toes are one of the new colors that SLink released for her ultra-high heels. She did some surveys to pick additional colors, and then those of us who had bought fatpacks got extras - and I bounced all over when I got mine. While the included Fatewear boots were quite nice, I really like the added effect of a completely different style of boot, and my color scheme actually started from here, even as the outfit began with the fuku.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: Izzie's, Irene
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Sally
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyeshadow: Mock, Liz Shadow in Smoked
Lipstick 1: Adore & Abhor, Shreveport Lips
Lipstick 2: Mock, Bella Vetro Gloss
Wings: Illusions, Apsara
Pet: Pink Fuel, Watermelon Bat
Hands and Feet: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands and Feet
Nails: Alice Project, Two-Tone Hearts
Outfit: Fateplay, Rena
Shoes: SLink, Demi Boots

Pose: Don't Freak Out

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

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

Fate and the Library

I've been rather drowning in challenges lately, which is a lot of fun but can also be very challenging, and so I decided to take a small break and pull out a few mixed things to show off to you all - giving myself a night off, as it were. The storyline at Isle of Amras, where I roleplay, has gotten very dark recently, and right in the middle of doom, gloom, and destruction the sim owner gave us a new and very awesome library, which I broke into, explored from entrance to hidden room in the attic, and now am sharing with you all. Charlie is excellent at fitting a new place into an old footprint, so the rest of the upper keep remained the same, but the library is now much more intricate, beautiful, and full of things. The gorgeous dress I'm wearing is a release form a new branch of Fate called Fateplay, aimed at the roleplaying contingent on Second Life and stretching Fate's style to include women, and I really adore what he's made so far.The combination of shape and texture really make sublime, subtle clothing, and it was a dream how easy it was to fit. It also moves very well, especially in the skirt, which can sometimes get a little dodgy depending on rigging. Each angle and pose was smooth and clean, with the folds occurring realistically an attractively even when the skirt is stretched a bit.

My poses are all from Flowey, an animation store I was introduced to by Whiskey Monday, and I love how naturalistic they are. I was aiming for a very realistic, naturally lit look, and I think the poses really enable that aesthetic to be centered. I'm really feeling the fact I don't do any post-processing on my images, though, especially for the lines around the nose above - more than once I have wished the Second Life mesh were superior to what it is. There is only so much lighting alone can do. My hair is a very recent release from Wasabi Pills and is an echo of an older style (that one with beads) but now with rigged mesh, which means that it moves beautifully with each pose, the curves of braid perfectly placed. I really love the strands of loose hair off to the side, too, which give it that little edge of verisimilitude. My jewelry and my shoes are from the same place - Lassitude & Ennui - and to be a little vain, I am very happy with the effect of the light and shadow on her gorgeous necklace - the way the links of chain were highlighted is simply wonderful, and really show off how well-made her jewelry is. The boots are a fun, flat style, and I chose a vivid crimson to echo back to the story of the Red Shoes. It has a bloody end, but then those are fairly common... aren't they?

( 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: Mock, Corner of Olive and Vine Foiled
Wings: Deviance, Titania Mesh Fairy Wings
Hands: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands
Nails: Nine Inch Nails, Deco
Jewelry: Lassitude & Ennui, Dewdrop Jewelry
Dress: Fateplay, Wende
Shoes: Lassitude & Ennui, Edonion boots

Pose: Flowey

Location: Isle of Amras - The Library
Light Settings: Phototools, Horizon Building Light
Water Settings: Pond

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Fantasy Faire: Magnificat

I have such good news! Such good news I can barely contain myself!! The Fantasy Faire has been extended - again - this time into Tuesday! Isn't that amazing? It's always such a rush to try to get around everything, see everything, photograph everything, wring every little drop of beauty out of the faire and leave it panting and exhausted, and now we have another day. With this extra time, you absolutely have to come by Magnificat, the glorious, dreamy, watery stone city over a canal with ever-present ships going out to an eternal sunset.This was a year of many favorite sims, and Magnificat is near the top - reminding me so strongly of my attraction to Venice that I find myself dreaming without even meaning to.Another note - there is a story contest for what happens in the different sims after the stores go home and their usual inhabitants return, to be printed in the August Prim Perfect Magazine (details here). I have already written one story, and I have a few more thoughts that may find themselves shared in other venues since they're shorter than the thousand word minimum, but I really encourage everyone to take part and keep the fair lands alive.

I went for something a little more muted and sweet for this look, augmented by a few splashes of brilliant azure. The first bit of sky comes in the form of these daisies, one or the head and a second for the mouth, from the Panda Express. The flowers and butterflies are color changable through a variety of styles, from clean white to this rather vibrant shade of blue. Covering the growth spot of my headflower is a lovely hair from Secrets with gentle waves and a soft shade; this isn't a Fantasy Faire release like the rest, but it's still fantastic rigged mesh. On my shoulder is a chameleon dragon from the Dragonspire sim, one of the prizes from the Fantasy Faire Hunt by MadPea; most of the prizes are world items, but this one actually hatches out of a HUD egg you wear for an hour - so fun. The creator also owns Star Fire Point, and I feel quite inspired to go there hunting for more eggs, or other amazing attachments. I'm wearing Eclectica's newest release again, this time the turquoise instead of the ivory - isn't that color sublime? My dress is from Fatewear, which I understand usually does mens clothing, and I am so glad he branched out to give we ladies some love, because htis dress is gorgeous and well rigged. The bits of ruffle and two-tone design is simply fantastic; my only wish could be for brighter colors - the ones available at the Fantasy Faire are all muted shades that are very different from my usual style. Yes, Mr. Creatorman - dance to my whims! Make me everything I could ever dre--*falls over dead, an arrow through her throat* Finally, the boots decorating my beautiful corpse are from Lassitude & Ennui, and are as fantastic in gray and gold as they were in black and silver. Now, I have to go find a priest to resurrect me... so see you later!

( 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: Secrets, Lippy (promotional item)
Flowers: Panda Express, Mouth Daisy and Head Sprout
Dragon: Dragonspire, SPECIAL Chameleon (Fantasy Faire Hunt Prize)
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Dress: Fatewear, Rochon - Emerald (Fantasy Faire Donation Item, promotional)
Necklace: Eclectica, Solaria - Turquoise (promotional item)
Hands: SLink, Mesh Hands
Nails: A:S:S, Luster Ombre
Boots: Lassitude & Ennui, Edenion boots (Fantasy Faire Donation Item, promotional)

Poses: Glitterati

Location: Magnificat
Light Settings: Sim Default
Water Settings: Sim Default

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only