Midnight Madness: You See Right Through Me

Midnight after the first Friday of the month, and the noon after that, is when Midnight Madness takes place. An event which allows 1500 people to click a mania of sorts; unlike a traditional mania, where the prize is delivered after a gap in time, this one is delivered immediately. Most of the stores involved restart their sim right before to discourage campers, and there are strict ARC and scrip rules in order to minimize the inevitable lag as hundreds of avatars divebomb the sims in search of high quality, free items.

Which is what inspired this look. Letting midnight gifts from [LCKY] and [ SAKIDE ] meet a noon gift from #EMPIRE (by far the hardest to get!) in order to create awesomeness. In most cases the noon and midnight prizes are different colors in sets, but [LCKY] and a few other stores offered up  different styles or items. The quality is undeniable; the timing is a nightmare! It's worth it to check up on the Midnight Madness, though, and build your plan for next month.

2014 Fantasy Faire: Turned to Stone

The Fantasy Faire itself is over, but tendrils of good will and good wishes continue on into the future - not only swinging around to next year, but also in the form of the second half of the Fantasy Faire Hunt (First Half Guide Here) in the Palace of Tears. It also continues in many of the Faire Stores, where Fantasy Faire Donation boards are transplanted when the Fairelands close. My skin was a release for the Faire from Fallen Gods - an amazing stone skin texture which came with an outfit and eyes (not shown). I was so very glad that it included SLink appliers for the skin - the effect is as flawless and wonderful as I had ever hoped, as you can see from my perfect stony fingers above. I don't see a sign of this particular skin at his store, even in an extended Faire Donation Option, but if you like this skin just check out the myriad of wonders he has available to all - and if you meet any noobs, let them know about his Newborn boxes; for the first seven days, you can get a free skin. I layered over the stone rainbow sparkles from Folly, and they look quite lovely and give me a bit of a glow of health - setting me apart from those scary angels who might eat your time. Check out her store for a run on Fantasy Faire Donations - we're still counting up to a final total.

My hair is another faire donation, this time from Wasabi Pills, one of my perennial favorites. It's a lovely, curving style which I thought set off my stone skin beautifully, and had a lovely braid detail that I simply fell for. I also really liked the forehead line and center part - it really makes me look the part of a stone statue, doesn't it? It's now available at her main store for purchase. My gown is from Sakide, and I picked it up my first day in the faire and then took forever to figure out a look for it - this will be a continuing problem, as my Fantasy Faire Folder is quite brimming with gorgeous things. Sakide has all the RFL vendors out, so you can find a wide variety of options at her main store, including this one. I love the design - from the short skirt, to the sweeping train, to the face that the belt and skirt are color changing between several options - I chose gray here, but there is black, pink, purple, gray and white all available to you. To this final look I added a couple of items from the depths of my inventory. First, a gorgeous set of jewelry from Elemental Earth Designs with a large, chunky quality which I thought looked like something a statue might wear if she got to choose. Secondly, I added these fun shoes from Eclectica which are some of my favorites. I adore the teardrop shapes on the framing of the shoe in particular.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: Fallen Gods, Lacrimosa (Fantasy Faire)
Sparkles: Folly, Rainbow Sheen
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Darienne (Fantasy Faire)
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Earrings: Illusions, Mystic Chains
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Wings: Deviance, Seelie
Hands & Feet: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands & feet
Nails: A:S:S, Royal Purple
Jewelry: Elemental Earth Designs, Kiowa Set
Clothing: Sakide, Maestitia Dress (Fantasy Faire)
Shoes: Eclectica, Crush Velvet Pumps

Pose: Exposeur

Location: Sanctum
Light Settings: Sim Default
Water Settings: Sim Default

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Monday Meme: New-to-me Meme

Very luckily, for Berry's New-to-Me Meme, I had this set of pictures waiting in the wings that contained not just one, but three new-to-me stores and a style that is far outside of my normal mode (but which I have blogged before). I am normally a fantasy faerie, even when wearing modern dress, but now and then I become a cyberpunk faerie when I'm particularly inspired. With how information travels in Second Life, one of the best ways of finding new stores and new styles is through the large events that go on - though a few of them are paralyzed in size and available stores - and so I found it with the Futurewave event, which introduced me to far more new-to-me stores than just demonstrated in these images. I'm also, unusually for me, also almost wearing pants - though these thigh to ankle stockings allow just the barest flash of flesh in the back where leggings-meets-miniskirt.

These amazing excuses for me to wear miniskirts more often, and the mask, are both from one of the new-to-me stores called AFtershok, which also gave me one of those very pleasant experiences of good customer service. The set I had bought at Futurewave came sans HUD, and I sent a notecard over to ask about it, since I was particularly interested in the purple trim and it was stuck on green at the time. As is the way with Second Life, the first sending of the norecard didn't go through, but shortly after the second AFtershok sent me the nicest response and my missing HUD. I love finding new stores, and having a friendly and responsive creator is just the icing on that particular cake. The mask I'm wearing is also from AFtershok, and is as well rigged as the as the leggings and fits extremely well. It came with an invisilayer for the outh and nose, but I ended up finding it unnecessary. Both the wearing of the mask, and the almost-pants, are departures from my usual style but a lot of fun in any case; also, both are available at AFtershok's main store.

The second new store I found at Futurewave is called Static, and it brought me my amazing rainbow-pixel halo, and a set of technological rainbow color changing wings. Both have an amazing glow which stands out in the dark without seeming out of place. Both are animated in their own ways - the wings as they shift from shade to shade and the halo as it bleeds pixels of light into the air. The halo in particular is very reminiscent of my avatar on Gaia Online, who always wears a rainbow halo, and was something I had wanted for a long while. The wings are a more unusual bat-style, which I've warn before but rarely. The halo and the wings are available at Static's store, on the level below the skins. The final new-to-me store is ISD, which gave me these astonishing arm warmers which go so well with my dress. They actually came with a matching dress as well - a cowl-neck design which didn't go as well with my AFtershok mask - but what I loved particularly about them was that they could go very well with other styles of clothing, and the unusual band-and-garter style which I appreciate so much on legs. They blend in so seamlessly with the rest of my look that it's both astonishing and fun. Unfortunately, neither the dress nor the armwarmers seem to be at ISD's main store yet, but hopefully it's just a matter of time.

I would have been a great deal more naked in this look without a few stores I've blogged before, though, and since the new ones are getting a bit or word, I'd like to spend a few moments on them as well. My hair is from A.E.Meth and is a thick, single-form in the style of robotic helmet-hair, which I thought was rather fun. The dress is from Sakide, which is a store I've known and blogged for ages - a real contrast to the new stores. She regularly has awesome clothes available, often several colors for one low price, which appeals to me as a spectrumphile. And finally my shoes, my amazing rainbow sneakers, my sneaks of such delight they make me squee, are a recent release from Adore & Abhor and I simply adore (and do not at all abhor) them. Like Sakide, Adore & Abhor takes up a significant chunk of my inventory space, though they may be new to other people reading this right now. I love the idea of spreading the word about fun and interesting stores, so I'm really hoping other people who participate in the New-to-Me Meme will introduce me to some wonderful new stores.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: Izzie's, Irene
Hair: A.E.Meth, Gynoid 9
Halo: Static, Pixel Halo
Mask: AFtershok, Asunder Mask
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyeshadow: Beautiful Freak, Thorny
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Wings: Static, Rainbow Cyberwings
Shoulder: Bryn Oh, Shoulder Beetle
Hands: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands
Nails: By Snow, Carbon Manicure
Dress: Sakide, Virtuality Dress
Arm Warmers: ISD, DarkNet Warmers
Leg Warmers: AFtershok, Titan 1
Shoes: Adore & Abhor, Platform Sneaks

Poses: Magnifique

Location: Seraph City
Light Settings: TOR, DUSK Fairytale Glow
Water Settings: Mirror Water

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Fantasy Faire: Lotus Valley Dream

Lotus Valley Dream is a complete and total gorgeous sim, where from the tiniest details to the largest structures is perfectly poised and balanced. It's Chinese themed, with delicate cranes walking around, and an enormous dragon swirling around a perfect lotus flower brimming with light. There are these lovely little gardens and contemplative spots here and there, as well as a major and impressive build in the middle. What I found most impressive is that it is just as lovely in detail and lit, as backlit and in silhouette - the default windlight of dark, purple, and gold really served as a gorgeous backdrop for the landscapes. Once more, I'm dressed in Fantasy Faire Donation items almost from head to toe, all of them really fun. My hair is from my old favorite Wasabi Pills, a great ear-curving style with a drippy from and back, available in both boobtastic rigged mesh, and mesh for our less endowed sisters. My skin is a gorgeous snakie release from Fallen Gods, the texturing fading from light to dark depending on where on the body, and available with several different face tints, including yellow and red.

My dress is another limited edition from Falln Angel Creations, a swirling and sparkly quasi-silks design with fun loops over the hips and a fantastic collar. I found this one very easy to fit, just a little resizing to fit from and back and I could swish my way out into the world. I added some gorgeous jewelry from Lemon Tea, a set of blown crystal bottles that almost vanished against a lighter skin but which show up gorgeously against this darker blue of my Fallen Gods skin. I added some nails from Musa, a celtic design with jewels on them, with recolorable nails in about ten colors; I rarely wear nails, but these were really fun and very easy to fit - they use a HUD based resize which means they're very inventory-friendly. Finally, I added these fantastic boots from Sakide, which have a Chinese Dragon motif near the top which I completely fell in love with. They're velvet platforms, which is really fun and different from all of my other thigh high boots.

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: Falln Gods, Draco Moonlight/Mithril  (Fantasy Faire Donation Item, promotional item)
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow Mesh Eyes (promotional item)
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Erika (Fantasy Faire Donation Item, promotional item)
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Nails: Musa, Celtic Nails (Fantasy Faire Donation Item, promotional item)
Dress: Falln Angel Creations, Satiya Dress (Fantasy Faire Donation Item, promotional item)
Jewelry: Lemon Tea, Elixir Jewelry (Fantasy Faire Donation Item)
Boots: Sakide, Appeal Velvet Boots (Fantasy Faire Donation Item)

Poses: Glitterati

Location: Lotus Valley Dream
Light Settings: Sim Default
Water Settings: Sim Default

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Fantasy Faire: Jungle Bungle

Jungle Bungle is another amazing sim in the Fantasy Faire, but it took me three days to take these pictures - so I'm not sure how much more I'll be able to bring about! I love the extravagantly gorgeous colors, though, and the incredible tree in the middle (which I still want to get pictures of, complete with person dangling from it) living in a chocolate lake. The flowers and sparkles around the stores, the roads made of candy all around the sim, it seems like the kind of place I'd like to settle in for a while so I can grow sweetly fat at my leisure.

A hint for those looking for specific stores at the Faire, the 2012 Fantasy Faire Website is hugely useful and has pages with maps and store locations for each of the sims. It's been invaluable to me in terms of being able to find things and find my way around.

The flowers come from a wide variety of sources, from puff-topped Seuss inspired trees, to variations on natural flowers in amazing colors, to slightly creepy wide-mawed plants rooted near an enormous, feathered creature. The variety itself struck me as appealing; everywhere you look it's something different. It does make it very difficult to take pictures, though! Each way you turn, something new and amazing to record.

I'm wearing my awesome outfit from Sakide - the black one - and the amazing red Twi'lek avatar from Style by Kira again for this, and I added a necklace from Balderdash which is also from the Fantasy Faire. I love it's metallic curve and the sparks of color which seemed to reflect the visual cacophony of Jungle Bungle while still looking sweet. I finished the whole look off with amazing mesh boots from SLink, which I think look sexy without being over the top. I particularly like the arch of the heel; it's very high, but it still looks like I might possibly be able to totter around in them offline, too.

I think my favorite thing, though, I saw near the end - and you can get a hint of it in the picture below. Over every pair of stores, there is a pair of dryad people holding lilies. They fade between a couple of colors, paired beautifully, and I was really struck by them. It makes me wish I had a sim of unlimited prims, so I could have little houses roofed by lillies held up by these amazing dryads! That would seem like magic to me, flowers as roofs really appeals to the fae in me.

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: Style By Kira, Lulu Skin (promotional item, Fantasy Faire Donation)
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow MESH (promotional item)
Eyelashes: *X*plosion, Prim Lashes
Jewelry: Balderdash, Whiskey Dracongscale (Fantasy Faire Donation)
Dress: Sakide, Runes Fairy Dress (Fantasy Faire Donation)
Boots: SLink, Tall Leather Thigh Boots

Poses: Adorkable Poses

Location: Jungle Bungle - sponsored by Epic Toy Factory
Light Settings: Places alirium
Water Settings: Glassy

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Fantasy Faire: Style by Kira

The Fantasy Faire offerings from Style by Kira are amazing, a detailed and gorgeous skin with delicate facial markings that comes with the Twi'lek style tentacles and cap. You can see the faces in more detail down below - there are marks all around the eyes, then a fantastic subtle touch on the lower lip which just rounds the whole look out. I took off my fancier eyelashes so you can see the delicate shading around the eyes, and the spots angling down the cheek - I kind of wish I could get it in a separate makeup to apply with other cosmetics in different layers; it would be interesting to see how it looked. I don't normally dress up as an alien, but I really love the rich colors - and these are only the two donation colors! There is a whole slew of other colors for people who don't want to go red or white - there is orange, blue, green, everything under the sun, and all equally gorgeous! I've accessorized my awesome Sakide duds (also available at the faire), so just wait a little while and you'll see a lot more shots of this amazing, striking skin style.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: Style By Kira, Lulu Skin (promotional item, Fantasy Faire Donation)
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow MESH (promotional item)
Eyelashes: *X*plosion, Prim Lashes
Dress: Sakide, Runes Fairy Dress (Fantasy Faire Donation)

Poses: Adorkable Poses

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only