Objectified

So... I got on another blogger list, this time with Studio Sidhe, and after my rather confused statement that I mostly blog static poses on other peoples' land, she added me to both the pose and prop list because apparently she likes me (or wanted to see what I do - she is a tricksy Faery). The first offering out of the gate? This amazing mannequin set, with a stand to rez and sit on, three poses, and a tattoo layer to make me all silvery. As you can see, I passed on the silvery, though it is awesome. I also modified the rezzable pose stand to be a wearable accessory, made it short enough to fit my height, and proceeded to head across the grid as a moving, wriggling, flying mannequin - effectively objectifying myself in only the most giggle-worthy manner. I have no legs.I am all agiggle. The effect when I'm moving is surprisingly workable; although I am clearly moving, and not hopping, by linking the stand to my pelvis it remains in the proper place most of the time and doesn't overly cut through my clothing. It was hard to find poses to work, though; the hips had to be reasonably level in order for the effect to be realistic and look like I was on display.

My immediate idea had been to set myself up in an outfit and then go to the store where the outfit was from to snap some pictures, as if I was an actual mannequin for the store. To that end, I found this amazing mesh mini from Apple May Designs, paired it with a gorgeous scarf from the same place, and headed over to her very fun store for a few snaps - dodging shoppers as I went.I really had fun finding spots where a mannequin might be put in the store, though I'll admit I fudged now and then and called it done. For my hair - or should I say wig? - I used a simple and sweet style from Wasabi Pills, and I kept my cosmetics very simple. I am solely showing the basic neutral appearance of De La Soul's still not released Candace skin, and I love the lips very much. My only sadness is the brow is brown instead of blond, but many natural blonds have a darker brow, so I guess I'm one of them - or my brows are painted on. I am, after all, a mannequin. This whole setup reminds me of a Twilight Zone episode I saw once called "After Hours," where a young woman discovers a mysterious floor in a store where the only thing for sale is a Golden Thumble; a mysterious floor which later appears to be devoid of life, only full of mannequins. It gives me chills even now, remembering.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Candace - Creamer
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Fay (promotional item)
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Hands: SLink, Enhanced Mesh Hands
Nails: Nine Inch Nails, Deco
Scarf: Apple May Designs, Watercolor Scarf (promotional item)
Dress: Apple May Designs, Sabrina Mesh Dress (promotional item)
Stand: Studio Sidhe, Mannequin Pose Stand

Poses: Studio Sidhe

Location: Apple May Designs
Light Settings: Anan Adored Light Explosion
Water Settings: Glassy

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Genre: Family

The Genre event this month is family, which really doesn't speak to me in Second Life. I tend to not roleplay being in families, and I only once even considered making my character pregnant, and the sim ended up closing before any decisions were made. I love helping my friends, though, so when a call went out from the lovely Faery of Studio Sidhe, I hopped right over and brought one of my oldest friends - who had been seeing the new apartment I set up for myself in my latest roleplaying sim - with me. I actually ended up being int he picture twice; in the pink dress I'm Deoridhe Starr, who is quite old, and the tiny orange fairy in the top corner is me as Deoridhe Quandry. Sometimes, having many mes really comes in handy. Evne if you're not of the family sort, you might still find things you like at Genre this month; I know I did.

 

( More pictures here. )

2012 Color Challenge: Week 21 - Lemon Chiffon

Much as I love the clothes I pulled together for Lemon Chiffon week, I really think the poses - several from Studio Sidhe - take center stage in the full effect of the pictures. I wanted something sweet, a little flirty, and naturalistic, and Studio Sidhe is one of the stores to go to for those. I don't spend enough time talking up the poses, even though they are so deeply integral to pictures turning out; I'm going to try to do better in future posts. I was aiming for childlike (but not childish), and I think that Studio Sidhe really did well in giving me that sweet, innocent air. It would be nothing without my adorable dress from Hal Hina, though, which I bought especially for this look. I didn't have any yellow chiffon in my inventory, but I did have some chiffon and after a few stops at other stores, I found this semi-recent release from Hal Hina which fit the bill perfectly, and added in the hints of black which I think offset the pale yellow so well, as well as making it a bit more unusual. It also set the style at Sweet Lolita, which is a style I adore but don't do often - due to my addiction to cleavage! Cleavage and Lolita never go together. My hair from Honey Hair set the color in stone, though sadly the store seems to no longer be around. 

One other aspect of Sweet Lolita culture is very minimal, natural cosmetics, so I just used a pale lipstick from Mock and only my thinner eyelashes from Flugeln Brise. The jewelry from Alienbear is a bit of a deviation, being modern, but I was trying to balance out the black from the dress style. I thought the simple style suited the look, though - even if it doesn't have the ribbons and lace a pure Lolita prefers. I moved the earrings out to perch on the tips of my ears; I'm really falling in love with being able to show off earrings this way - it ends up looking so amazing! I finished off my look with bracelets from Dark Mouse which were part of their Spring Fling release - it comes with a necklace and earrings as well, but they didn't work quite so well with my dress. Capping off the look, and my feet, are these Rose Booties from G Field, which are a longstanding purchase of mine. The color is actually beige, but I tinted it slightly yellow to match the lemon chiffon and I think it turned out really well.

Amerie's Main Store sim is a good reminder that beauty can be anywhere we want to make it. Set out like an old fashioned town, and blending into other sims with different styles in a smooth manner, it is a work of art. Exploring the LEA sims recently, I've been putting a lot of thought into what art means and how one can know it. Historical art often was centered around being beautiful and transcendent; decoration to be admired by all and to give homage to the gods. Modern art, however, became much more about causing strong reactions and exploring interior realities and struggles; which some of that is apparent in art of the Christian martyrs, for example, the rendering of it was still to be pleasing to the eye; as dramatic as Rembrandt's Lucretia might be in the moments before her suicide, it is also sincerely beautiful. Some modern art walks the same line, but often the ideas overtake and overshadow attractiveness - and often not being attractive is part of the point of art. I find myself torn; while I do enjoy the cognitive stratospheres, I am primarily interested in the pretty and the beautiful when it comes to art.

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: De La Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose (promotional item)
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow MESH (promotional item)
Ears: Illusion, Seelie Ears
Eyelashes: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Lipstick: Mock, Bella Vetro Gloss - Flirt
Hair: Honey Hair, Bowtie Bella - Lemon Chiffon
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Jewelry: Alienbear, Bubble Dream (Chic Gift)
Bracelets: Dark Mouse, Spring Fling
Dress: Hal Hina, Chiffon One Piece - yellow
Shoes: G Field, Rose Bootie "Diva"

Poses: Studio Sidhe

Location: Amerie Main Store
Light Settings: Places Las Legunas
Water Settings: Murky

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Tuesday's Child is Full of Grace

One of the biggest difficulties with taking pictures "in the wild" so to speak, is the sheer number of builds that far outstripe the size of an avatar. Finding angles where both I and the surroundings can be seen is no easy feat - and one very promising place was left in my rearview mirror because I simply couldn't easily insinuate myself into any pictures of any of the things - they were all too far apart! Add in the difficulties of standing half a meter above sculpties, and it's enough to make a photographer pull her hair out! One of the joys of taking pictures in the wild is the unpredictability - and I suppose this is just of a piece with it all; when you step outside of your own space, you can no longer control everything but things can also become so much more rich - at that edge where you and I meet.

( I was somehow missing my eyelids, which is a very frustrating thing. Big, ugly, bug-eyed Deoridhe. I've reinstalled the latest firestorm - twice - managing to pick up a make-everything-pink glitch, and my eyes are still missing both lids. Have this picture of my butt; the only way there's going to be any grace tonight is if I finally just snap this picture and call it a night - so here I am in my "changing room". Enjoy!  )

Credits:


Skin: De la Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De la Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Ears: Illusions, Mystic Ears
Eyelashes 1: Sauce, Sidewinder Lashes
Eyelashes : *X*plosion, PrimLashes
Eyeshadow: Elymode, Green & Sky
Eyeliner: Boom, Midas Touch
Lipstick: Mock, Micare Lipglimmer - Hypoxia
Hair: Truth, Kalia - driftwood (with flower)
Jewelry: Eclectica, Nouveau Rose - moss
Lingerie: Dilly Dolls, Renna's Weeklys (promotional item)
Ring 1: Earthstones, Eternal Blossom Ring
Ring 2: Alchemy Immortalis, Nestling Finger Talisman
Stockings: G Field, Button Socks - green
Boots: Dilly Dolls, Bastian Boots

Pose: Studio Sidhe, Artsy 2

Location: Spring Azure
Light Settings: AnaLutetia - AvatarOpt - whiter

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only 

Jewelry Faire: Steps Leaving Flowers

I love the effect of "blowing out" the lighting to make things seem luminescent. It makes colors just jump out at you (I think the technical term is "pop") and that really works well with the glory that is Evie's Closet's Ariel flower bikini in rainbow. I have rather a thing for rainbows, as many people know, and this bikini was worth the extensive time I spent fitting it to my curves. It comes with two sizes, and I started with the smaller and moved the flowers out to cover (mostly), but there are also modesty covers included. The soleless sandals from Studio Sidhe actually seem to gleam in the light; I'm really enjoying the different bead variations; this one is brighter colored, though the others are antique and faded in hue - which is really lovely.

The necklace from Fairy Tail is a promotional at the Faire, which is lovely. It also comes in pink. I ended up pairing everything with lovely hair from BC322 with a matching butterfly on it. I had completely forgotten I got this hair until I was looking for something pixie-ish, and this seemed to fit the bill perfectly. So did these custom wings from Falln Angels with color changing roses. I had a lot of fun watching the colors changing, and trying to catch those moments when their hearts and outer petals were different.

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: De la Soul, Kei - Cream
Eyes: De La Soul, Roomee Eyes - Rainbow
Eyeliner: Adam n Eve, Hepsut
Lashes: Flugeln Brise, Eyelash 5
Blush: H+K, cheeks 3
Ears: Illusions, Mystic Ear
Hair: BC322, Hana-Otome - D Golden
Wings: Falln Angel Creations, Rose Vine Wings Deo
Necklace: Fairy Tail, Jewelry Fair Gift (Jewelry Faire)
Bikini: Evie's Closet, Ariel - Rainbow
Bracelet: SC, Ceramic Bead (Jewelry Faire)
Ring 1: Alchemy Immortalis, Nestling Finger
Ring 2: Earthstones, Eternal Blossom Ring - Bouquet
Foot Jewelry: Studio Sidhe, Soleless Sandals - Antique China (Jewelry Faire - promotional item)
Feet: SLink, Jolie Flat Bare
Poses: Glitterati

Location: Jewelry Faire - Earth
Light Settings: Alchemy Immortalis, Fog Lifting (made brighter)

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only

Jewelry Fair: Bathing in Fire

It was halfway through my photographs that Studio Sidhe's creator IMed me with the small correction about her Soleless Sandals - I had gotten a no-modify version, but all the ones sold are modify ok, which is a real boon! I ended up fitting these to my ankle, and you can see how superior the quality of them are! These are still available at the Jewelry Faire, and they are well worth the look! I think my foot shots are improving, too! Aren't those SLink nails simply divine? I thought red suited the lava!

I ended up buying the Magpie (landmark at the Faire) bracelets to finish my outfit - the rest was in my inventory "new" folder (my new folder is enormous, gargantuan, it's sort of becoming recursive at this point I fear - one misplaced shoe and I might start my own black hole!). I had fun combining the top from G Field (in two different colors) with the skirt from Has Been (which has charmingly retro clothing). I thought the hair from Magika matched an unusually retro feel from me - being enormous earphones like you just don't see anymore!

I loved the fire build, especially the contrast between cooling magma tops and the hotter, brighter colored magma at the edges of magma pools. It really looks like a place where dragons would be playing, making balls out of molten lava to toss to one another. And here I am, in the thick of it!

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: De la Soul, Kei - Cream
Eyes: De La Soul, Roomee Eyes - Rainbow
Eyeliner: Adam n Eve, Hepsut
Lashes: Flugeln Brise, Eyelash 5
Blush: H+K, cheeks 3
Ears: Illusions, Mystic Ear
Hair: Magika, Dejaine - blonde honey
Wings: TERHO, Eld
a Wings - red
Top: G Field, Halter Top - black and white
Skirt: Has Been, Zilla Skirt - red
Bracelets: Magpie, Cassana Bracelets
Ring 1: Alchemy Immortalis, Nestling Finger
Ring 2: Earthstones, Eternal Blossom Ring - Bouquet
Foot Jewelry: Studio Sidhe, Soleless Sandals - Antique Bohemian (Jewelry Faire - promotional item)
Feet: SLink, Jolie Flat Bare

Poses: Glitterati
Location: Jewelry Faire - Air
Light Settings: TOR, SUNRISE - Canyon Dreams Red

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only

Jewelry Faire: Walking on Air

I love these soleless sandals from Studio Sidhe (Slurl to the Faire Location), which are available at the Jewelry Faire in Air. The little gems are very, very cute, and they were pretty easy to fit to my smecksy SLink feet. They are resizable by a menu and not modifiable individuality (something which will preclude making a closer fit to my ankles), but I ended up not having to rezise them for all - I have pretty standard size zero feet. I initially got a no-modify version, but the Studio Sidhe soleless sandals are full mod, which is a glorious thing and makes me shiver with glee! I love the hint at a braid from the bands around the necklace and down the top of the feet - it makes it seem like something pulled together over the weekend to accentuate the arch of the foot; the addition of knots around the beads is a realistic touch that I really appreciate.

The sim itself is gorgeous, well over cloud layer and with transparent bits here and there to add to the feel of air without overly adding to the lag. I really liked that the ground was transparent - it took me a while to notice, but once I did, I was completely charmed! There were some delightful statues I posed on and near, and I think their design was significantly improved by using the same or similar textures - a design point that the Fashion Faire used to good effect a month ago. It make picture taking really fun, too, since my bikini and gems really stood out against the golds of the sim itself.

From a more distant angle, the soleless sandals really, really stand out I think - much like a good nailpolish. I think they really add a playful edge to my katat0nik bikini (free right now at a group-only Lucky Board at her store). I added a necklace from Je Suis (Slurl to Faire Location) which I picked up while I was at the Faire, which was well worth the price since the gems, pearls, and metal are all color change! It's a lovely design, and the curve of the chain around the neck - while making it a slight challenge to fit - adds verisimilitude to a lovely curved design.

I was a little disappointed while going around the Faire to not find as many donation items as I expected. One of my usual practices is to spend money primarily on things which donate to the cause the Faire is advertising, and there were a lot of stores where I couldn't find a donation purchase at all (I didn't count, bit it felt like about half of them) - so I just kept moving. While I can understand faires being about advertising and getting your name out there (and I took some landmarks and freebies for later follow-up), I'm really sad to see people who don't seem to have a donation item at all, even if it wasn't your special, high price or new item.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De la Soul, Kei - Cream
Eyes: De La Soul, Roomee Eyes - Rainbow
Eyeliner: Adam n Eve, Hepsut
Lashes: Flugeln Brise, Eyelash 5
Blush: H+K, cheeks 3
Ears: Illusions, Mystic Ear
Hair: D!va, "Mana" - cats eye
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Necklace: Je Suis, Leah Necklace (Jewelry Faire)
Bikini: katat0nik, Piknik Bikini - light green
Ring 1: Alchemy Immortalis, Nestling Finger
Ring 2: Earthstones, Eternal Blossom Ring - Bouquet
Foot Jewelry: Studio Sidhe, Soleless Sandles - Antique Fae (Jewelry Faire - promotional item)
Feet: SLink, Jolie Flat Bare

Poses: Glitterati

Location: Jewelry Faire - Air
Light Settings: Places Abracadabra 2 (made darker)

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only

Satin Swamp

The V Tattoo Store cracked tattoo and eyes were a lovely prize from Peasters Castle Hunt (yes I'm still opening them up!). I've also gotten some lovely gifts from creators - namely hair from Wasabi Pills (she totally spoils me!), a dress from SL Couture which is a gorgeous, satiny mini-dress, and some fantastic poses from Studio Sidhe.


One of the odd side effects of my moving form a life where I had more straight television to a nearly perfect online existence, is my increasing intolerance for advertising. I'm not just talking about the obvious commercials - though my intolerance for those is catastrophically high - but also the people who try to "sell me" something even if the context isn't overtly advertising.

I'm a great lover of Korean Dramas, and one of my pleasures is to watch episodes on a free streaming website. They have ads every fifteen minutes or so (one of the real weaknesses of modern advertising is not recognizing this as a new phenomena and making limited time 'drama' series of ads so it's not the same ad fifteen times in a row) and one in particular has convinced me to never buy Nutragrain bars again. I actually like them; I used to buy them, but watching the blatantly insulting insinuations that people who eat potato chips have worse moods and poorer marriages than people who don't just pisses me off. This isn't a boycott as such, but honestly every time I think of the bars now I'm just vaguely annoyed and irritated, and I don't need that in my kitchen.



Another example is on a streaming radio station I listen to, kpfk. Multiple times in the year their fund raisers go, and the 'cure cancer with diet' and 'processed food isn't good for you, now eat my powder made from 100 world fruits and veggies' nonsense dominates the station for a while. I tune out for a couple of weeks, catching the shows I know will be on, because the emotional manipulation just pisses me off - yes, genius, sugar does feed cancer cells. Of course, sugar feeds all the other cells in your body, too! And shockingly, when you eat non-sugary things... your body breaks it down into - you guessed it! - SUGAR. You could stop eating, which would kill the cancer with one slightly inconvenient side-effect that I leave as an exercise for the reader.


Of course, this makes the first paragraph of this post hugely ironic, or is that hypocritical? I, before bitching about advertising... advertise. On the one hand, I've been deeply grateful to creators for giving me things (and making things, since I purchase most of what I wear in these posts) and I want to share them with others in case they'd like them, too.

On the other hand, until earlier this week I thought of the advertising I did as more of a side effect to a greater purpose of exploration and photography (if you can't tell from my history, I'm prone to juxtaposing avatar and sim while trying to create something artistic without being too snooty) but the reality that some of the free handouts are dependent on producing something was really brought home to me. I'm currently on the fence about what I'm going to do about it - whether I'll remain on the gravy train because the things I get are awesome and I'm introduced to stores I wouldn't normally wear, or whether I'll drop out and go back to buying most of what I wear. Well, buying and/or shilling lucky boards and midnight manias.

Part of me thinks I'm taking this whole thing a bit too seriously, though.

( More pictures here. )

Credits:
 
Skin: De La Soul, Kei Cream
Eyes: V Tattoo Store, Black Eyes
Eyelashes: Flugeln Brise, Eyelash 05
Tattoo: V Tattoo Store, Cracked
Ears: Illusion, Mystic Ear
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Yumi Hair - Grass
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings
Necklace: La Petite Morte, Ribbon Choker - white
Dress: SLC, Party Dress - white
Bracelet: Kyccie, Hopeful Flower - Diamond
Shoes: G Field, Ribbon Slingback Shoes - white

Poses: Studio Sidhe

Location: Ebony Coast
Light Settings: Kunming
Water Settings: Default

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only

Color Challenge: Week Eight - Green

This week's color is GREEN, a Spring-like color that warmed me up even while I was re-awoken to old pains.

Funny thing about thawing - it's a mixed bag, not exclusively pleasant or painful.

This is also a Studio Sidhe week. I'm gearing up to join another contest and probably fail, but who knows! I'll be looking at which pictures get the most attention and then either go with one, or refine it further. The sim I ended up on, Emerald Green, is a glorious spot for photography and romance. There are cute little dance areas everywhere, and you get to go up high in the sky or deep under the water (there's a whole underwater area, but it wasn't terribly green so I resurfaced!). I love the waterfalls, and the cute little houses, and there was an adorable mushroomy area but I floated above it, so pictures near it didn't work out. Woe.

Finally, I tracked down RAINBOWS. Now, anyone who has known me for, like, five minutes knows that rainbows are my favorite color. It's goofy and silly, but it's also true. Something about the colors, harmonious but each required to be itself utterly, brings me a great deal of peace. It's like fugues (which is the same thing presented in a variety of ways) or fractals (which is itself, repeated to infinity micro and macro).

So of course I had to take pictures with rainbows. Starting rainbows, against rainbows, around rainbows. I mean... come on.

I don't think they're my best pictures... but..... RAINBOWS!!!

( Full Set of pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: Nomine, Sylvan Latte - pride 1
Eyes: Tacky Star, Pride
Ears: Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy
Hair: La Boheme, Deae Matres
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Recolerable (tinted green)
Dress: Studio Sidhe, Green Leaf Cocktail Gown
Necklace: Illusions, Rose Necklace - Black
Gloves: Bubble, Laced Corset - Green
Stockings: Kuri Style, One Piece 64 Dot
Shoes: G Field, Ribbon Slingback Shoes - Dark Green

Poses:
Top - Studio Sidhe, Ballerina 5
Bottom - Studio Sidhe, One more thing

Location: Emerald Green
Light Settings: [TOR] SCIFI - Gelatto - made slightly more green

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only

Props Challenge: Paintbrush Week

One of the things I love about a huge inventory, and a tendency to do hunts and squirrel things away, is moments like this week when I type in the word "paint" and this lovely prop from Studio Sidhe emerges from the labyrinthine depths of my Second Life Closet. A giant flower with mushroom attendances, upon which a fairy might repose to paint a ladybug, this prop was absolutely perfect for both me and this week's challenge.

The dress I'm wearing was in my "To Photograph" folder - where I keep the outfits I particularly like as a reminder to do photoshoots with them. I found it when I was looking for an in character outfit for my darling Zoe to wear, were she ever called on to be, well... official in one of her in character rolls. The requirements were for a bare neck, shoulders, arms, and showing lots of cleavage. I think this outfit meets those standards quite well without, dare I say it, descending into the realm of the sluttish.

The ladybug part made me seriously giggle because the book I just started tonight, Blameless features homicidal robotic lady bugs. It's also a charmingly British book in a series about what it might have been to have vampires and werewolves in Jane Austen's England - and does Austen and the time period in general much honor by managing to combine a slightly snobby pretension, satire, and action adventure with one of the most amazing protagonists it's ever been my pleasure to enjoy the company of. I picked up the first book, Souless on a whim, looking for a book to transport me out of my doldrums without being horrifically sexist or racist, and it manages that plus making me smile like a loon and lose track of time.

This fairy, though, lives in a different world of the suburbs, where she's trying to prepare the insects for inspection on the sly, while children play nearby. Look down now and then when you walk, and you might catch sight of her!

( The rest of the pictures are here. )

Credits: 

Skin: Miasnow, Rainbow Tan 3
Eyes: Tacky Star, Pride
Hair: !lamb, Wild Nothing - Honeycomb
Dress: Nomine, Rose Red Dress - Red with Dark Red Roses
Stockings: Sn@tch, Ribbed Knit Tights - Black
Shoes, G Field, Ribbon Slingback Shoes - crimson
Ladybug Pose Prop: Studio Sidhe, Ladybug Painting (paintbrush and paint included)

Location: Falln Sanctuary
Light Settings: [TOR] BIG SUN - Slips through walls 6

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only