Unexpected Transmission

Futurewave finished in February, before I got this look together and photographed, but it was an amazing first, sci-fi focused event with the distinction of being completely non-fandom, which I thought was rather a nice touch and brought a lot more interesting things to the table. This amazing, spiky hair from Underscore which wasn't part of the event, but it seemed absolutely perfect when I got it. Underscore sells hair types with a HUD to change the colors, and this is one of the gray/silver versions of this hair - an unusual color for me, but perfectly fitting my poor, lost TechAngel. The silver array around my neck is from Spyralle, and unfortunately it is not (yet?) available at her store. It's a really, really unique design, and I particularly like how it frames around my head with the movements of lights up to the tips. I'd love to see it in more colors; Spyralle is known for her bright, amazing textures, and I could see those really being an asset with a variety of Fashion Arrays. The eyebanding is from Pin Me Down and is a really amazing effect that reminds me of the checkerboard effect from A Game of You by Neil Gaiman; it's available at the mainstore in an entire panoply of colors. My lipstick is from Beautiful Freak, and is an astonishingly liquid and shiny design that I really love. I picked it up in the more unusual colors, and got a chance to pull out this incandescent teal for my TechAngel, to reflect my tainted wings. This is also available in the mainstore, kind of tucked back from the front door.

My wings are from Death Row Designs, and they are astonishing. They don't physically move with a script; instead they are a selection of wings which appear and disappear when one flaps, with a final "up" position when they're off. My one complaint is that there is no way to freeze at the different levels, so I had to time my snaps very carefully to get the wing effects I wanted - for example, the top shot was a matter of second counting so that I could capture the down-and-back effect. I have no idea how difficult it would be to program that in, but I would love to be able to "freeze" the wings in each of the forms I doubt anyone but a photographer would want it, though, so maybe it's a lot of effort for not much payoff. The wings are available at the Death Row Designs store not only in the blue-and-teal I picked up at Futurewave, but in light, dark, and the special pack, which has wings like the one I'm wearing here. Finally, my dress - this amazing, amazing gown - is from MetaTheodora and is also available at the mainstore. I have such mixed feelings about this dress. I love the idea - the silhouette is so unique, and I adore the effect of the wires standing out from the body. I love how the sleeves and collar loop out at the ends, and the shape and form of the corset is amazing and unusual, especially how it looks machined and robotic - it struck me the moment I saw it even though I tend toward more organic designs in general. On the other hand, the shape and rigging of the skirt seemed really problematic to me. First of all, since I'm short, the folds bend oddly in response to that and look crumpled; this is a somewhat cool effect, since it looks like I'm wearing my stolen big sister's dress, but I don't think it's intentional. Second of all, the skirt is extremely flat. I've angled these pictures to minimize the effect, but the fall of skirt below is almost exactly vertical with minimal horizontal movement, and while it's not an issue from a front or back view, from the side it looks extremely odd. I'd love to see it a bit floofier and rounder in general to reflect the round of the corset-level, maybe even with some of the outflow of the arms. None of this changes how much I adore this dress, however; the ideas behind it are so fun and I am really drawn to unique and unusual designs. The texturing of it - which I didn't get into before - is also quite good. I love the metallic quality of the texturing, and the color choices - especially of the more flamboyant gowns, though the subtle effects are amazing on this monotone one - like this fawn-dapple on my butt, making me look like my dress is made out of melted aluminum that pockmarked during the drying stage.

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: Izzie's, Irene
Hair: Underscore, Lyon
Array: Spyralle, Sensory Array Mode 24P2
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyeshadow: Mock, Pantone Fall eShadow
Eyebanding: Pin Me Down, One 1
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Lipstick: Beautiful Freak, Liquid Metal Lipstck
Wings: Death Row Designs, Devine Wings
Hands: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands
Nails: By Snow, Carbon Manicure
Dress: MetaTheodora, Star of Venus

Pose: aDORKable

Location: Siden V3 Survival horror - Elven/Pirate RPG
Light Settings: TOR, DUSK Fairytale Glow
Water Settings: Mirror Water

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Fantasy Faire: Flower Fairies Dancing in the Mists

The additional days that Fantasy Faire has been left open means I'm getting a chance to revisit different sims wearing more lovely things I picked up while at the faire, and Lumenaria was high on my returning list - this time to focus on the central display area, around the fountain. I've also begun playing with the windlights; overall, the default windlights have all been gorgeous, but it's always fun to add my own twist - like the rich misty oranges added to Lumenaria. I love how the candy-colored sim is softened by the mistiness, anything in the distance faded out warmly and sweetly. The brightly colored flowers are easily reflected in my homemade crown of lollypop flowers from Sax Sheperd Designs. I linked them together myself, placing them somewhat haphazardly upon my brow, and the effect is amazing - like I'm becoming a rather outre garden. I tucked them well into another lovely Wasabi Pills hair (not a Fantasy Faire release), this one in orchid to match my purplish flowery look. I usually wear gold, but now and then I like to break out the more obscure colors she releases, all of them wonderful.

My cosmetics are one of the special Fantasy Faire releases from Pin Me Down; I'm wearing the whole look, but it's available in pieces, too - just the eyes, or just the lips. I always love hearts on lips. My gown, complete with matching accessories on the arms and brow, is from a fantastic store called The Library, released in the Relay for Life colors of white and purple. It's a cute empire waisted, rigged mesh sheath with metallic accents; diamonds rendered in silver with small balls on the top and bottom mark the neck and waist, as well as the arms and brow, making it a complete look in one. It fit me well, and was opaque for most of the dress except for the hem, which is sheer for the bottom foot and a half, or so, allowing whatever lovely shoes one is wearing to shine without losing the elegance of a floor length gown. Speaking of shoes, I'm wearing some fantastic add-ons to SLink's mesh feet that I picked up thanks to the sale going on at SLink until May 5th. They work with her rigged mesh feet, the flat ones; to wear the heels you have to pick up the rigged medium feet, and believe me I'm seriously considering it. Some of her shoes are absolutely fantastic, and you have the added bonus now of a perfect match for your feet as well, and customizable nails.

( 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
Cosmetics: Pin Me Down, Myst 1 (Fantasy Faire Donation Item)
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Nikki (promotional item)
Flowers: Sax Sheperd Designs, Lolly Flowers (Fantasy Faire Donation Item)
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Dress: The Library, Circe Dress (Fantasy Faire Donation Item)
Hands: SLink, Mesh Hands
Nails: A:S:S, Luster Ombre
Shoes: SLink, Ilena Sandals

Poses: Glitterati

Location: Lumenaria
Light Settings: Nacon's Dawn
Water Settings: Glassy

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

RFL: Lighthouse of Alexandria

The Lighthouse of Alexandria (Teleport Point) is sponsored by [sYs] Designs.

Built around 250 B.C.E. on the island of Alexandria, for the purpose of guiding ships into port, the Lighthouse of Alexandria stood between 400 and 450 meters high and was built by Ptolemy I shortly after Alexander the Great (who founded Alexandria) died. It was made of light colored stone in three parts; the base was large and square, with an octagonal section on top, and finally a round section which lead to the light source. During the day, a large mirror reflected the sunlight; at night a fire was kindled there. Interestingly, the builders used liquid lead as mortar in order to help the stones resist the awesome forces of the sea. It remained intact until 796 C.E., when the top section was damaged and left unrepaired, however there are reports it was still used as a lighthouse. Earthquakes finished the damage; the initial one in 956 left it still functioning, but the twin ones in 1303 and 1323 turned it into a ruin which could no longer be entered. In 1480 the last remnants of it vanished below a fort built atop the lighthouse platform by Pharoh Qaitbay using stones from it's wreck. It wasn't until 1994 that stones which had fallen into the East Bay of Alexandria were discovered by French archaeologists and raised for display so that the public could see them.

The Lighthouse at Alexandria was by far the most complicated to navigate to find the stores, as they weren't in any clear order but were rather laid out like stands of cattails in a marsh. Displays were hung from trees, facing a variety of directions, which added to the confusion. It was completely lovely, though, so I had a difficult time complaining, even though I'm not sure I found all of the stores! Like the Pyramid and the Temple to Artemis, the Lighthouse creator Bryn Oh, whose work I adore, took the ancient structure as a jumping off point rather than something to even attempt to reproduce or represent. I have mixed feelings about this; although I love Bryn's work, and the lightbulb orrey is simply wonderful to watch, the difficulty in navigating and finding the RFL items seems to at least somewhat undermine the purpose of the Fashion Faire and I really wondered what it would be like to move around a more faithful representation of the Lighthouse at Alexandria. I really enjoyed the sense of stepping back in time which came with a few of the other sims; here I was very aware I was walking within Bryn's idiosyncratic world. There is probably a lot here about the relationship between personal style and historical inspirations, but I'm mostly left with space for questions than any answers worth writing about.

It wasn't just the navigation which caused me problems; I also had some difficulty finding clothing that suited me on this sim as well, though there were many more demos in evidence than in other places. I finally settled on this gorgeous set of blue and pink silks (also available with pink silks and blue roses) from Likka House. While I'm more attached to her Lolita or historical fashions, her silks are really lovely and the chain over the hip is simply sublime. They are prim, which meant I could resize the arm bands to fit my larger-than-average arms, and the silk lengths move when one moves. I kept the jewelry from my last look, from Designs by Sebastian because the translucent colors and chandelier style fit so well. All of the rest of the action is around my eyes, where three items from three different stores work some absoluter magic. The bottom glow of color is from our old friends Pin Me Down, the RFL Nacre release which has gotten me so far through these seven faire looks. Layered over that is a gorgeous eye tattoo and faint eyeshadow from White Widow, who specializes in artistic paint around the eyes. Finally, I layered on top these amazing branch eyelashes from Boudoir. I had to alter them pretty radically to fit my eyes, as my eyes curve downward on the outsides, but that was easy to do since they are on a single curving prim away from the eye. I really love the effect, at once natural and bizarre.

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: De La Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Boudoir, Fairy eyeliner (RFL Donation)
Eyeshadow: Pin Me Down, Nacre 8 (RFL Donation)
Eye Decor: White Widow, Evasion (RFL Donation)
Lipstick: Mock, Bella Vetro Gloss
Hair: Alice Project, Momo II
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Jewelry: Designs by Sebastian, Babylon Set (RFL Donation)
Silks: Likka House, Rosephilia Silk - Daybreak (RFL Donation)
Feet: SLink, Mesh Feet

Poses: Glitterati

Location: Lighthouse of Alexandria
Light Settings: Places Midian
Water Settings: Mirror Glass

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

RFL: Zeus at Olympia

Zeus at Olympia (Teleport Point) is sponsored by Sonatta Morales *8* Vintage Couture.

This statue is forty-two feet tall (14 meters) tall and was carved around 430 B.C.E. by the Greek sculptor Phidias. It was created with gold and ivory panels over a wooden frame, showing Zeus sitting on a cedarwood throne. Contemporaries who saw it in person said it was as if the god existed on earth, and some claimed seeing it would cause one to forget all worries and concerns in the world. When asked what inspired him, Phidias quoted from the Iliad:

He spoke, the son of Cronos, and nodded his head with the dark brows,

and the immortally anointed hair of the great god

swept from his divine head, and all Olympos was shaken.

Unfortunately, the sculpture was destroyed around the fifth century C.E., so all we know about it is from contemporary descriptions and representations on coins. How it was destroyed is unclear, though there are multiple stories about its destruction, and the destruction of the temple it was housed in at the same time.

I'm really hoping this isn't a trend, because I found Zeus at Olympia extremely difficult to navigate. The stores are laid out as a grid, the first row along the path you enter into from Halicarnassus. The second two rows face each other behind the first one, though there are no roads per se, and flank a beautiful pool and what seemed to be an ancient dock with traditional boats facing the event pavilion in the middle. I ended up going up and down the rows once I figured out what was going on, but I really don't have a recommendation for the easiest way to cover everything without getting lost. Each store is lovely, though - designed with open wickerwork sides and flowers hanging down from above, they really are redolent of warm summers in Greece. The small arcade at the base of the hill is lovely, complete with a little market and places to recline and rest during the heat of the day. The staircase up to the temple of Zeus is toward the back of that initial arcade, and the temple - and sculpture - themselves are absolutely gorgeous, surrounded by amazingly textured walls and a beautifully tiled floor.

It was also difficult to find things which suited me in it! The trend of no demos continued, and a lot of the clothing was more modern than I prefer. I finally took a risk on a mesh outfit with no demo, and lucked out; one of the sizes fit me! Yay! I really like the sleeves of this dress by Drama Queens in particular, echoing the deep v front of the dress. The purple was the donation purchase, with a wide variety of other colors available underneath. I love the ruffly edges and how casual and flirty it is. The hair from Dura was also found on this sim, and I really liked the short, sassy style with the tinted ends in front. There are several RFL-only donation releases at Dura, so make sure to check them out. I'm reprising the cosmetics from Pin Me Down, this time in purple, and I really like the rich colors. You can see the full effect much better with this more windswept style from Dura.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De la Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 04-A
Eyeshadow: Pin Me Down, Nacre 3 (RFL Donation)
Lipstick: Mock, Bella Vetro Gloss - Apple Blossom
Hair: Dura, Fashion for Life Hair 3 (RFL Donation)
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Jewelry: Maxi Gossamer, Wild Honey Purple (Arcade Prize)
Dress: Drama Queens, Bousey Dress Purple (RFL Donation)
Shoes: katat0nik, Souler Peep Toe Heels

Poses: !bang

Location: RFL: Zeus at Olympia
Light Settings: Phototools, Jessica Light 03
Water Settings: Phototools Ship Light

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only