Sky Blue Dollies

After a very long hiatus, Dilly Dolls is back with awesome stripy shoes from the depths of her inventory. They're completely cute, with offset stripes across the nose of the shoe. I also like the curve of the heel -with the flair out at the bottom for support. There are solid colored ones at her marketplace for sale, but you can actually pick up these at Freestyle for absolutely free. Yes, you read that right - free.

The pretty jewelry on my ankles - and also around my wrists, upper arms, and neck - are a torc set from Sublime Shroud Kreations that are color change on touch. They're simple but elegant - check out the gems on the open edge.

2014 Fantasy Faire: Helping in Heavenslough

I'm having such fun purpling it up from the various donation items at the Fantasy Faire - white there are a number of stores which offer different colors as their donation items, they seem to be overwhelmingly purple. It offers some consistency as I'm trying to zoom my way around the sims snapping pictures, and makes matching colors across stores a bit of a dream. My hair is a fun design from Analog Dog which combines the flexibility of a mesh updo with the flexibility of a flexy ponytail in curls. They layers of transparency can cause some problems, but overall I really like how the hair looks, and how futuristic the extended braid is. I also added a new feature from a new store called Folly - rainbow sheen. It's essentially a faint rainbow glow on the skin as a tattoo layer, and I am completely in love. It covers a lot more than my pictures show - though sadly there aren't SLink tattoo appliers; given how variable the glow spots are, though, I doubt many people will notice. I'm planning on keeping this about a lot - it adds a subtle rainbow edge without being overwhelming and comes in a variety of levels of transparency and brightness of shading. My mask is from Star Kinder, and I really adore the delicate mesh around the eyes, and the single jewel. There are matching earrings, but I ended up pairing it with a crown and necklace from AZE, which are simply lovely. Usually they would be more appropriate on a mermaid, but even we landlubbers can enjoy the bounty of the sea. I adore the shape of the shells and the delicate pearls and curls of coral. I also added some cutely curling earrings from Plastik, which come with matching ears but which can also be worn with other ears. They have a wonderful, thick curve to them which I really enjoy.

My dress from Sublime Shroud Kreations is actually in three rigged parts - the gown section, a corset section with the jacket hanging down, and sleeves - giving you a great deal of room to make alterations. I would imagine the corset could even work over other dresses, which is really nice - one of the things I miss about the old texture-and-prim clothing is the ability to relayer, and mix and match. I adore the texturing, from the shiny leather of the bustle section, to the softer leather of the gown, to the intricate lace-like pattern which decorates the rest of the outfit in bands. The sleeves are long and fun, with a fall over the hands which fits around my SLink hands perfectly. I particularly like that the fabric appears pulled and rippled in the texturing, so that it looks more natural. Finally my shoes, which I've shown off before, is from De La Soul. Lovely cephalapod beauties clinging to my feet, this time with a mottled pattern that shows off the materials Charlie used perfectly. I made the eyes rainbowy, as I'm wont to do, and went with a simple purple on the little suction cups - the body, eyes, and cups can all be tinted separately using a HUD, and once you purchase one set of shoes, you can hunt down some add-on HUDs to diversify the available colors. The Fantasy Faire special is, of course, all sorts of purples, from mottled materials-rich shades like this, to fades like the last one I showed off. 

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: Izzie's, Irene
Hair: Analog Dog, Ever (Fantasy Faire)
Sparkles: Folly, Tintable Rainbow Sheen (Fantasy Faire)
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Earrings: Plastik, Malei Earrings (Fantasy Faire)
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Mask: Star Kinder, Curlicue Mask (Fantasy Faire)
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Wings: Deviance, Sidhe
Hands & Feet: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands & Feet
Nails: De La Soul, Cthu Nails (Fantasy Faire)
Jewelry: AZE, Golden Topaz Fluted Scallop Jewelr (Fantasy Faire)
Clothing: Sublime Shroud Kreations, Moroi Ensemble (Fantasy Faire)
Shoes: De La Soul, Cthu Shues (Fantasy Faire)

Poses: Exposeur

Location: Heavenslough
Light Settings: Sim Default
Water Settings: Sim Default

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

How to Be a Customer in Second Life

Normally, my slice of life conversations in Second Life are about what not to do - examples of boorishness, boringness, demand and despair, but this time I have something very special for you all - an example of a customer doing things right when making a request - a requested that was not fulfilled, by the way, in case you think this is a normal "Customer is happy getting what she wants" sort of thing. She also got prizes in the end, but I want to remind people to be polite and nice to others even if there aren't prizes in the end (though I'll admit to a similar prizes-are-awesome weakness). In this case, the store owner, my darling friend Charlie, has included some of his own comments which will be set out from the text of the IMs. If I have anything to add, I'll use my usual italics, but he pretty much marks things out the way I would have so good job Charlie.

((OFFLINES))
Vanria Resident: (Saved Thu Feb 06 19:04:31 2014)Hiya
Vanria Resident: (Saved Thu Feb 06 19:04:50 2014)Sorry to bother you. I bought the Digital Deamon full set
Vanria Resident: (Saved Thu Feb 06 19:05:23 2014)I know you probably get asked this alot, But where do I find the hair you have on the pic of it? Do you sell it and I am just missing it in your store?

((ONLINE))
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/30592 It would seem like the store is sadly, no longer around anymore.
Vanria Resident: ahhh now
Vanria Resident: no
Vanria Resident: the hair was so cool
Vanria Resident: well if the store is gone, is the creator still around?
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): I know! The store was awesome too!
Vanria Resident: awsome? Awww why did ya have to tell me that
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): I'm not sure. Their profile is pretty much cleaned out, they have a partner, and only one pick, but it's not in english
Vanria Resident: joy
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): I wish I could help more.
Vanria Resident: it is ok
Vanria Resident: thank you though
Vanria Resident: I am fixing to go back to your store to buy the skin packs
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): Sorry it took so long to get back to you
Vanria Resident: no it is ok
Vanria Resident: RL should aslways come first

((This is why she gets the best Customer Support EVER! plus free stuff. She understands that shop owners have REAL LIVES!))

Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): You have no idea how much I'm grateful you said that! LOL
Vanria Resident: well it is true
Vanria Resident: I can not get mad at you just cause things come up
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): Not everyone believes that
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): What color skin were you planning on getting? or was it the full set?
Vanria Resident: might get the full set
Vanria Resident: I am using my nightelf skin now
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): so the darkest ?
Vanria Resident: well my night elf is pink
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): oh!
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): I'm not sure I made a pink skin.. *frowns*
Vanria Resident: lol it is ok
Vanria Resident: it is the only skin I have that does not have glowing tats on it
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): Female, right?
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): (seriously, half the time I am wrong)
Vanria Resident: yes although male Nightelves can be a darker pink
Second Life: Inventory item offered
Vanria Resident: I am at your store now if you want to see it
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): Now, it's not a deamon kit... but its the pink skin I made for the Fantasy Faire this year.
Vanria Resident: oh thank you very much
received your inventory offer.
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): erm, last year
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): yeah, it's lighter than that, but you might like the markings on it. *shrugs*
Vanria Resident: let me switch to what I normally wear
Vanria Resident: well minus the tail
Vanria Resident: Nightelf from World of Warcraft
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): very nice. I don't play it, but.. LOL
Vanria Resident: I do not play at all
Vanria Resident: but loved the look
Vanria Resident: ok so where are your skins here?
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): the deamons skins come with and without the scales
Vanria Resident: is there a buy all pack?
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): I also have more skins in another building. I should really reorganize so they are at least somewhat together. lol
Vanria Resident: or a TP map
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): the big vendors are the buy all packs for the  individual colors
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): the smaller ones are just the parts, or just the skins
Vanria Resident: huh?
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): I tried to make it so that if someone just wanted the skins, or the attachments, they could get them separately
Vanria Resident: ok
Vanria Resident: so where is the button to buy all the skins
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): you have to buy them by color. No fatpack of all the colors as one.
Vanria Resident: awww
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): the smaller vendors in the center, Flesh Only is just the skins
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): are you planning on buying all the colors?
Vanria Resident: think I will stick just withthe skins
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): wait!!
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): LOL
Vanria Resident: ok?
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): Are you in the DLS VIP group?
Vanria Resident: no
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): ok hang on a second.
Vanria Resident: I found your digital deamon on the marketplace
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): make sure you have room for a group. I'm going to remove the cost to join, cause you're planning on buying a lot. Wearing the tag in my store will give you a 10% discount on everything.
Vanria Resident: yeah
Vanria Resident: how much does it cost to join?
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): 150 usually, but I removed that for you.
Vanria Resident: stick it back on
Vanria Resident: I do not mind supporting
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): You sure?
Vanria Resident: yep
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): Okay! LOL It's back on

 This is where I think she deserves a note of commendation - it seems like a little thing, but the sense that creators deserve the prices they are asking for different things is a major thing for me. Now, I'm not a huge fan of group fees, mostly because one tends to get locked into a group which might go from very generous to entirely inert without warning, but Vanria's dedication to giving that little extra is commendable and sweet.

Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): Some vendors will give two pay buttons. If you have the tag on, the lower  price is the one you should choose.
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): is it awkward that I am still standing here? LOL It feels awkward, like I'm hovering at your shoulder whispering "Buy allll the thinnnnggssss"
Vanria Resident: I am working on it
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): I'm really not saying that though! LOL
Vanria Resident: riiighhhht
Vanria Resident: your thinking it
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): Well... yeah but I'm not SAYING it!
Vanria Resident: ok I got them
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): awesome!
Vanria Resident: now I have to find cool funky hair
Vanria Resident: youmight want to put in your market place ad that the hair no longer exsist
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): Yeah, I should do that.
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): If you're looking for cyber ish style hair, the only place I can think of is Ash Soyinka's Blue Galaxy... or uhmm... the place that has this hair
Vanria Resident: hmm ok
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): I knew I kept this funky ass demo for a reason lol
Second Life: Inventory item offered
 received your inventory offer.
Vanria Resident: thanks
Vanria Resident: will go unpack the skins and play with them before I go there
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): uhm... I don't have a LM to blue galaxy i think
Vanria Resident: thank you very much
Vanria Resident: eh that is what the search button is for
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): Ash (ash.soyinka)
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): that is the creator of it. She doesn't have much in the way of hair, but maybe something you'd like nonetheless
Vanria Resident: Blue Galaxy shows up
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): awesome
Vanria Resident: I will check her out
Vanria Resident: thank you again
Vanria Resident: above and beyond
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): Not a problem! :D
Vanria Resident: BAMF
Charlie (lerochelle.destiny): Have a nice day! and weekend too!
Vanria Resident: you to

An there goes the sweet customer in her natural habitat. Fight on, Night Elf; fight on.

A couple few notes on my look, which I adore. The dress is a new release from Sublime Shroud Kreations, and is his first foray into mesh. He's not at rigging his own clothes quite yet, but don't worry - I'm tapping a foot impatiently at him <3 This was his playing with transparency, and he made a rainbow overdress which simply took my breath away, and the simple sheath dress underneath can be worn independently. My awesome hat is from Coco and was one of her entire huge room of free stuff. I've already outfitted a bunch of my alts - I recommend you grab all your friends and check it out because her offerings are awesome. Finally, the shoes are from Deviance, the awesome creator of my ever-present wings, and despite the marked lack of rainbow (*ahem*) they are awesome. All of the base colors are commons, which is fantastic as I love them all, and her rares are a couple of Alice in Wonderland themed slippers, and two glass slippers which appear to be the runaway hit of the Fantasy Gatcha Carnival. I have two Alice Shoes - you have two glass slippers - you want to trade with me. You are getting sleepy... sleepy... you want to give me your glass slippers... sleepy... and anything rainbow you own... sleepy... *snore*

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: Izzie's, Irene
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Cookie
Crown: Kouse's Sanctum, Breeze Circlet
Hat: Coco, Flower Petal Hat
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyeshadow: De La Soul, Simple Rainbow
Eyelashes: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Lipstick: Mock, Everwinter Lip Jelle
Wings: Deviance, Sidhe
Hands and Feet: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands and Feet
Jewelry: Earthstones, Tumbled Stone
Nails: Nine Inch Nails, Butterfly
Dress: Sublime Shroud Kreations, Sweet Pastille
Shoes: Deviance, Miladys Slipper (Gatcha Prize)

Poses: Ilaya

Location: Mimikri
Light Settings: TOR, MIDDAY Cheery Cyan
Water Settings: Mirror Water

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Murder Doll

One thing I miss when I end up doing a lot of challenges is the fun of simply opening my inventory, putting together a look spontaneously from what has floated to the top of my inventory, and then going out and snapping some pictures. I'm utterly ignoring my challenges and getting my Harlequin on, finally combining this hair I was sent from Underscore and this outfit I got ages ago from Sublime Shroud Kreations. Funny story about the latter - I linked him to another picture I took with this (for Single Frame Stories) and he complemented me on it, then exclaimed, "Ooo...Pretty!! OH OH..my Harlequin!!!" I laughed at him for not recognizing his own outfit! The Underscore hair includes the hair framing my face and a Harlequin style hat; I ended up using a hairbase from Wasabi Pills instead of modifying my head shape to fit the rigged hair better, but I think it works nonetheless. I love the little bells along the edges of the hat and I think otherwise it really looks amazing. The second I saw the style I new I had to pair it with the outfit from Sublime Shroud Kreations, but it took me a while to get the space in my schedule to pull it together and get out for pictures. I really often get overwhelmed by the sheer bulk of things coming available in Second Life, the sheer amount of things I've agreed to do, and I'm painfully aware that the Fantasy Faire is coming up and I am about to be very, very busy! It's opening on April 21, but I have about six days to fill up on pictures and posts before then, so I'm hoping to not overwhelm myself too much!

One interesting thing about this look is how central my SLink mesh hands and feet become, since they fit nearly perfectly to the outfit itself, and add so much by polishing the ends of my limbs. I've been considering picking up the trifecta and getting some prim boobs, but I haven't spent the time looking into it yet, and I'm not quite sure what I think about it; it seems odd after shrinking down my boobs to fit 90% of the mesh on the grid. The whole issue of prim boobs is pretty interesting to me: on the one hand I've been a reader of Livin' La Vida Segunda for ages, an avatar who goes around with quite oversized prim boobs and sometimes writes about her motivations and what she gets from an extreme expression of her physiology; on the other hand, I've read for ages responses to female avatars with prim boobs implying they can't be women, or that it necessarily has to indicate something untoward sexually, so seeing fashionistas jump onto the prim boob bandwagon has been surreal. I actually feel much more comfortable with prim hands and feet, both because they were often bare to begin with when I was showing them off, so there isn't an issue of matching clothing, and also because it seems like parts of the Second Life mesh which are so inherently inferior. I don't feel the way about my built in boobs, though; I do miss them being larger, but I've grown used to that over time and am not particularly interested in jumping between shapes for every outfit.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Ears: Illusions, Seelie
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Mask: Illusions, Harlequin Mask Civette
Eyeshadow: Eternal Darkness, Harlequin Tears
Lipstick: Adore & Abhor, Silent Star
Hair: Underscore, Harlequin (promotional item)
Hairbase: Wasabi Pills, Flaming Cherry
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Hands: SLink, Mesh Hands
Outfit: Sublime Shroud Kreations, Harlequin Red (promotional item)
Feet: SLink, Mesh Feet

Poses: Long Awkward Pose

Location: MOSP
Light Settings: EUPHORIA sunset 2
Water Settings: Mirror Glass

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Twisted Color Challenge: Week 6 - Poetic Spa

I am a completely different shades of Poetic Spa, but I think I rather like it! Aydryan, from Sublime Shroud Kreations, has been my go-to store for finding twisted color combinations, and I've been shocked at how many I've found. This is no different, though I'm afraid the nature of my pictures means I'm showcasing a few of the flaws of flexible prim clothing, but I think the pictures look awesome anyway. I paired it with an awesome new release from Lelutka which cut into my ears a little, but some judicious ear-moving took care of that, and a gorgeous new release from Glow in the shape of this chocolate heart jewelry.

Keep in mind, the only editing I did on these is cropping; otherwise, they are exactly what I saw on the screen in Second Life. It is significantly disorienting, but you can walk sideways and upside down (much in the same style as Bryn Oh's newest release on Immersiva) around some sort of ball of a world. What really threw me was not having a good sense of where "up" was. Since Second Life's camera starts flipping if you angle perfectly up or down, I kept having my camera freak out on me while I was taking pictures because I thought I was aiming to the side, but I was actually aiming perfectly up or down. Very challenging, but also a whole lot of fun!

Things got really topsy turvy for a while, as you can see, and when I finally stood up from the scripted ball which made the whole thing possible, I took a nozedive for the world far below. It really reminded me strongly of The Little Prince, who traveled between many different planets, most of them small enough that he could easily walk around them. It's a dreamy, slightly disturbing story which I met again through an entirely different culture's eyes in the Boogiepop comics. One of the notes on translations included both the English translation of a second book by Antoine De Saint-Exuprey, and a translation from the Japanese, with the translator noting that the meanings of the prose seemed to transform slightly between languages, and the two step hop was significantly different from the one step hop.

To my eyes, you are filled with gentle nobility. I see a king with the power to grant water, or a friend... Or even an enemy, coming to me through you. Yet at times I know that I no longer have any enemies. (from the Japanese)

And I, in my turn, shall recognize you in the faces of all mankind. You came toward me in an aureole of charity and magnanimity bearing the gift of water. All my friends and all my enemies marched toward me in your person. It did not seem to me that you were rescuing me: rather did it seem that you were forgiving me. And I felt I had no enemy left in all the world. (from the French)

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: De la Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Eyelashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyeshadow: Mock, Triumphant Eyeshadow
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Lipstick 1: Mock, May Lipcolor Twine
Lipstick 2: Mock, Lucir LipColor Venom
Hair: LeLutka, Lillian
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Hands: SLink, Mesh Hands
Jewelry: Glow, Hatti Vatti
Dress: Sublime Shroud Kreations, Lady Marcella Red
Shoes: Falln Angel Creations, Akito Shoes Yellow

Poses: HelaMiyo

Location: PotPourri Markets
Light Settings: CB's Rouge 5
Water Settings: Glassy

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

2013 Twisted Color Challenge: Week 2 - Pinky and the Brain

I'm doing two pinks in a row, which is unusual for me. Usually I like to space out the colors, do something if haven't done recently, but the demands of challenges are neverending, and the second week of the Twisted Color Challenge is Pinky and the Brain - all pink and gray and creepy. I love the old cartoons, and that one always made me giggle; serious enough to be thought provoking, silly enough to be fun. I tried for a similar vibe with this cute dress from Sublime Shroud Kreations, a pink and gray confection of fluff and ruffles in a cotton candy medieval style. I especially love the ruffles around the neck; I'd love to see a similar style done in mesh. I added in one of the special hairstyles from Alice Project - blonde with rainbow highlights. I love her streak hairstyles, especially the rainbow ones. I added on this sweet jewelry set from Eclectica, gold with pink enamel that I always try to sneak into outfits just because it's so sweet and simple. Rounding out the look is an eyeshadow and lipstick combination from Mock which I really like - I took off my eyelashes for it! I adore the zebra texturing up into the eyebrows in particular.

I had planned another place for a photoshoot, but I settled on Lost World after hearing it's about to be removed from the grid - only about ten days left to enjoy it before it closes at the end of the month. Some of the texturing is a bit odd - it might be the effect of shiny, I'm not sure - but it's a lovely, outdoor spot with little hidden areas and gorgeous vistas, so seek it out while it's around to be sought. A lot of sims are going this way - fading out into the ether for whatever reason, usually a lack of cash. I know a number of bloggers consider this fading a deathknell of sorts, a statement on how Second Lie is doing. I'm never sure, and if there's one thing I've learned as I grow older, it's to be careful of my predictions. So often they are wrong; remaining closer to what I'm experiencing instead of what I think will happen is simply more comfortable for me. One thing I do like, though, is the heads up to check new places out. I wish there was a more reliable way of passing the word before there a countdown to closing; I suck at deadlines.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De la Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Eyeshadow: Mock, Aos Sl Zebra Masque
Eyelashes: SLink, Mesh Eyelashes
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Lipstick: Mock, May Lipcolor - iCandee
Hair: Alice Project, Tessa Blonde/Rainbow
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Hands: SLink, Mesh Hands
Dress: Sublime Shroud Kreations, Lady Drianna (promotional item)
Jewelry: Eclectica, Herbals Rose Set
Shoes: G Field, Bow Strap Shoes "Kate"

Poses: Glitterati

Location: Lost World
Light Settings: Phototools, rara Fall Home Light

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Harlequin Unleashed

I've been going through my inventory, trying to sort out what I want to keep from what I don't, and trying to clear out some dross and detritus. Unfortunately, being who I am, I keep stumbling across things I wanted to photograph, or meant to, and never got around too - which is how we come to today's Harlequin, courtesy of Sublime Shroud Kreations. This is the rainbow colored one, which isn't entirely rainbow but is an amazing brilliant combination of orange and purple which simply explodes off of the screen, standing out no matter what windlight settings are used. I decided to have some fun sneaking around Rennister Castle, a new release from my friend Charlie at De La Soul. The idea of an impish harlequin sneaking around behind the Queen and her Captain's back amused me beyond telling.

Harlequin is one of the characters from Comedia dell'Arte, an Italian style of play beginning in the 16th century which established some of the traditions we still practice today - like female actors and improvisation, as well as prop-based styles of acting. Harlequin is a trickster, a comic servant who was known for his agility and gluttony. Later, he begins to be a more romantic character, but even in the early days he was sometimes paired with Columbina, one of the more intelligent of the archetypes in Comedia dell'Arte. He dances in motley, and here I'm in a style of brightly shaded motley, dancing like any Harlequin in the absence of my Masters.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De la Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Eyelashes: SLink, Eyelashes
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Lipstick: Adore & Abhor, Silent Star - Baroque Orange
Hair: Exile, Beyond the Waves
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Hands: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands
Dress (includes mask): Sublime Shroud Kreations, Harlequin - Rainbow (promotional item)
Feet: SLink, Rigged Mesh Feet

Poses: Glitterati

Location: Isle of Amras, Rennister Castle
Light Settings: Places Astryls Wild
Water Settings: Mirror Water

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

ICHP: Fall into Spring

This gorgeous dress is one of the recent releases from Sublime Shroud Kreations, a store run by a dear friend of mine (which means freebies~!). I adore this dress, though, from the layered front which cascades into three layers, to the delicately detailed bodice with lacing up the back, to the adorable bows on the hips holding on the front tucks and the back mini-bustle. It's cut low and square in front, as befits a French Confection, and all of the prim parts are fully modifyable. This came in handy when I needed to make the skirt shorter - yes, ladies and gentlemen, you know how much I love this dress because I resized the skirt manually to be shorter and thus fit me better. As you can see, it was time well invested though. The only flaw I saw, and this is a teeny one, is some slight imperfections under the arms along the seams, but my understanding is that the area is a very difficult one for shading.

The jewelry is an adorable wire and gem set from Eclectica, which comes with a medium hanging necklace, earrings, a bracelet, and a ring. I love the delicate patterning of the wire around the stone on this one (best visible on the bottom picture) mimicking the petals of a rose. It's the kind of necklace I'd actually love to find offline, but that I think would be prohibitively expensive! At least in Second Life I can afford it.

The hair is another new release, from Secrets Hair, and it's another of their amazing combinations of rigged mesh and flexible prim. it's long and full, with the movement that flexi gives it too look natural while still hugging the torso so that you don't end up with hair clipping into your body. One interesting effect with this hair is that under certain lights the rigged part behaves very differently from the flexi - I considered trying for some shots to show it off, and I may revisit that with an outfit that suits it. It's a very neat effect.

Finally, these gorgeous shoes are a recent release from Felicity; if you want to try them out, the hot pink version of them are hidden as part of the Finding FabFree Hunt.You're actually looking for a five, so it's not that difficult in most places (though some of the stops are evil!). Felicity's skin-tinting hud is one of my favorites; you edit it and use the built-in texture changer to tint it, then set the color on the skin. She has a similar toenail tinting system, which means the effects can match virtually anything - in this case I pulled dark green form the dress to tint my toes. It also comes with a built in AO and the clickity-clack sounds of the heels if that's to your taste! I fly in Second Life a lot, so I tend to turn that off.

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: De La Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De la Soul, RooMee Rainbow
Ears: Illusion, Seelie Ears
Eyelashes 1: *X*plosion, PrimLashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyeshadow: Virtual Insanity, Spring - Margarita
Blush: Honey Kitty, cheeks01
Lipstick: Acid & Mala, Nude Lips - Pale 20
Hair: Secret Hair, Cornelia (promotional item)
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Jewelry: Eclectica, Nouveau Rose - blush
Dress: Sublime Shroud Kreations, The Parisian - Spring (promotional item)
Shoes: Felicity, Irina Stilettos (promotional item)

Poses: Glitterati

Location: Bonne Chance
Light Settings: CalWL
Water Settings: TOR, Coral reef

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

2012 Color Challenge: Week 22 - Cobalt

I love the color Cobalt! The funny thing is that it turned out to be three different colors in my inventory - which is testament to the variation on how colors are perceived. Is Cobalt the rich dark blue, or the bright blueish green? I think the former is more accurate than the latter, but I love all the colors so I can hardly complain! The names for colors are an interesting thing; many companies will trademark colors, not the color itself but the unique name for it. As things have become more and more divorced from nature, so have our colors become more and more separated from their sources. Cobalt is actually an element, one used for centuries to make blue pigments for various purposes. The element itself is a silvery gray color, but oxidized for use as a dye or smelt it becomes a rich blue color - closer to the blue of my gown and eyes than my hair! I'd be inclined to place the "second" cobalt as closer to Azure, which is a separate color in some languages but not in English. It refers to a certain shade of sky seen in Southern Europe, once again pointing us back to color's historical rooting in nature.

The hair is from the source of my hair addiction, Wasabi Pills, dyed to match my G Field shoes; it's rigged mesh, which means no adjustments, but you can still tint it and while I found it snuck through my ears a little, I love the curves of braid too much to let that dissuade me. The cosmetics are a mix of a very old Rue lipcolor, which may not be available anymore, and one of Mock's Faerie Punque set (I bought the fatpack); they look made for each other - and in particular I like Punque and the set of lipsticks I got from Rue for the richness of their huge; a lot of cosmetics try to match reality, but these safely fly above it - which I where I prefer to live. I added on a cameo-style jewelry set from Eclectica (check out the delicacy of the connections - I love how unique it is!), and built it all around this amazing gown from Sublime Shroud Kreations, which shares it's store space with De La Soul (who supplies my eyes and skin).

( 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 1: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyelashes 2: *X*plosion, PrimLashes
Eyeshadow:  Mock, Faerie Punque in Cobalt
Lipstick: Rue, Painted: Lip Service - Nightshade
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Anais Hair - tinted to match shoes (promotional item)
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Jewelry: Eclectica, Rococco - Cobalt
Dress: Sublime Shroud Kreations, Lady Xith - Cobalt
Stockings: Unknown, Cobalt Carter Stockings
Shoes: G Field, Ribbon Slingbac Shoes - CobaltFlower Pumps "Eve"

Poses: Glitterati

Location: Cloudchasers 'Tomasik'
Light Settings: Riverrock Night
Water Settings: Glassy

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Saturated Critique

I recently got a resizing script that modifies prims so hair (and other things) can be shrunk down even smaller than usual, which means my awesome Miriel Artist hair can now be petite sized! Miriel closed years ago, but I've never regretted picking up a bunch of her jewelry and hair before she vanished forever. It really stands the test of time in being a chunky, stylish updo with it's own style and flair. I put it on top of the Draco Inferno petite from Fallen Gods, and proceeded to have a lot of fun with high contrast colors - scarlet and purple go so well together, don't they? I love the scaling on the skin, and the delicate shading in the face. The scales continue all the way down to my hands as well. I'm wearing an awesome new release from Sublime Shroud Kreations (located in the De la Soul Store), his first petite and full sized dual release - yes, I have successfully perverted a skin maker and a furniture maker into making me petite outfits; what can I say? It's a gift. It's also a fun, frothy, frilly gown in an elegant medieval style. I sized down the collar quite a bit to fit my hair, but otherwise everything fit beautifully out of the box.

I was reading through interesting discussions on metafilter today about managing being critical versus being kind - something which resonated with two posts from Juicybomb regarding skin reviews and how critical a reviewer should be versus how aggressive fans should be in objecting to critique (Post 1, Post 2,). I've had my own experiences with a creator objecting to a post I made and claiming I was a bad journalist for not reviewing every instance of the mild critique I gave to her outfit. The friend of the creator in the Juicybomb example was more than reasonable, responding to the critique in the spirit in which it was meant, but the creator in my example became hugely defensive and rather insulting because I mentioned a well known Second Life glitch.

The balance between critique and kindness is a complicated one, and in many ways being a creative person means also being able to take and incorporate critique without taking it personally. However, the easiest way to improve is through consistent and clear critique; I had the experience of being under a glass (literally, since there was a one-way mirror and I would be observed more closely as well) in my profession of choice, and I found the minute feedback and critique on my strengths and weaknesses to be hugely useful. A large portion of my job is engaging in continuous self-critique as well; not a negation of myself as an individual and a clinician, but rather clear eyes on what I do well and not so well on my job so that I can do better in the future. Being able to accept critique is a skill that I personally think should be encouraged in all of the creative fields, whether it is therapy or art.

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Body: Fallen Gods, Petites Draco Inferno (promotional item)
Eyes: De La Soul, Luminus Rainbow Eyes (promotional item)
Hair: Miriel, Artist Hair
Outfit: Sublime Shroud Kreations, Petite Lady Beatrice (promotional item)
Boots: KaiAna, Vinyl Boots

Poses: Glitterati

Location: LEA 11 - More Sea of Aley
Light Settings: Ana Lutetia Avatar Opt
Water Settings: Meridian Verde

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

2012 Color Challenge: Week 9 - Dandelion

I had a lot of fun with dandelion - I even had a dandelion outfit outright - but I ended up dragging out another gorgeous set of silks from Sublime Shroud Kreations which matched the color chip better (my dandelion outfit was a much darker yellow, with more orange in it). I'm back in my usual De La Soul skin and eyes, too; my last picture set I was - for the first time in a long while - not wearing anything from De La Soul! Astonishing, isn't it? What always makes silks is, I think, the feet - and I'm wearing SLink's medium feet and they really set the whole thing off (I tried a rather unorthodox picture, which I think is kind of fun - if a little risque!). Picture taking itself was a bear, though; lag, lots of people, and another odd conversation which makes me wonder if I'm not just fundamentally out of step with the wider world.

Like it frequently does, it began with a complement of my avatar, but it took an odd turn toward the person contacting me saying people usually don't like him. I tend to take people at their word when they say things like that, and I said as much; his reason sort of blew me away, though - he thought people didn't like him because he was a feminized male (using the term sissy boy), essentially a transvestite.When I suggested that if he was sensitive to rejection he hang out with... other feminized males, and linked him to a group where the focus was around such, he went completely silent on me. I don't suppose I expected a parade, but I wouldn't have minded a thank you, or even some indication for why he was contacting me (his profile specified he thought "sissy boys" made the best kind of friends for women, which rather dismayed me; I tend to like my friends for being friends, not for filling some sort of slot as if they were interchangable). Reflecting on it, I am beginning to wonder if he wanted a negative reaction, and thus his plan of soliciting contacts from women who he assumed would dislike him, or if he was trying to tweak some sort of pity switch that simply doesn't work on me. So often, people seem to have expectations they are unwilling to share when they interact with me - it feels like there is this entire weight of expectations and I seem to always not fit them. It's odd... very odd.

On another social forum, I got a private message today which was essentially a "contact me or I'll unfriend you" sort of thing. I've had that happen a few times - on SL it was once framed as a "prove to me how awesome you are" thing - and my response has always been the same; I automatically unfriend them. Maybe I am just out of step with others!

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: De La Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Ears: Illusions, Mystic Ears
Eyelashes 1: Flugeln Brise, 05-A Planty
Eyelashes 2: *X*plosion, PrimLashes - tinted white
Glasses: Air, Cresta
Hair: Red Queen, No.11 - Scandinavia Blond
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings
Necklace: .la petite morte, Ribbon Choker - yellow
Bracelets: Digital Eyes, Plastic Bracelet - Yellow
Ring 1: Alchemy Immortalis, "Tiwi" Nestling Finger Talisman
Ring 2: Earthstones, Eternal Blossom Ring
Silks: Sublime Shroud Kreations, Tattered Silks - Citrine (promotional item)
Feet: SLink, Jolie Pied - Medium

Pose: HelaMiyo

Location: spirit - by claudia222 Jewell
Light Settings: Places Abracadabra2
Water Settings: Glassy

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only

2012 Color Challenge: Week 4 - Iron

Iron week led to me wearing very little called iron, but rather shades of gray which remind me of iron. Here's another set of silks from Sublime Shroud Kreations, which shares a store with De La Soul (the maker of my skin and eyes), and I think it's my favorite of the ones Aydryan has made - I love the shine on the jewels and the light feathering on the side, as well as the three tiered skirt with dual colors. This is the Black Royal color, with a dusky blue highlighting. There's some gorgeous texturing on the bottom - and texturing is where Sublime Shroud Kreations really shines. The silks also come with a collar, but I substituted two other necklaces I'll highlight below. This also comes with a male top, which you can see at the store, and the whole silks set (all of Sublime Shroud Kreations's silks) is unisex. I paired in a set of Amaris' laced cuffs, which match the iron gray of the silks perfectly. For future silks, it might be fun to see more arm accessories - in dancing, the arms are often an attention getter, and I can imagine the shine of jewels on them really having a powerful effect.

One addition to this outfit which - if I did my work right - should seem seamless are the feet. These are the third version of SLink's Jolie feet, an in addition to being easy to fit and shade to match, they add true verisimilitude to my avatar, and finish out the silks seamlessly. They're shaded gorgeously; I particularly like the touch that the bottoms are shaded with the rim around the bottom of the feet being darker and slightly red - which makes it look like where you keep most of your weight; gorgeous detailed touch. With an additional HUD you get complete control over the colors of the toenails, but in my case I found a dark gray and stuck with it.

The hair is a mesh from Alice Project that I got as a group gift; her group gifts give you one of each shade of blond, red, brown, and black - this is the blond, a grayer shade than I usually chose (I'm a golden blonde girl), but perfect for this look. I paired  it with dark ends, which make it look like my hair has been dipped in iron. The necklace on top is from Violet Voltaire, and the only thing labelled "iron" in my entire outfit. The second necklace is an old favorite from Little Boy Blue, a gorgeous mottled stone of iron gray and black, with a dark curve around the neck which echoes the other curves in my silks. I finished the look with a pale blue glitter from Croire on the lip - picking up the color in the jewels - and a hairflower from Wildo. The former is part of a gatcha prize, though you can buy the fatpack; the latter was inexpensive due to Wildo's closing sale - and I highly recommend you swing by if you like flowers in your hair.

I ended up at Tableau for the picture taking - focusing on the gray and dusty aspects rather than the more bright and colorful aspects of the town. The entire sim is surrounded by a mountainous wall which forms the perfect backdrop for pictures; slightly blue, the way landscapes in the distance tint blue, but tone in line with the rest of the sim so it's difficult to tell where sim ends and edge begins. A lot of times, single islands edge themselves with ocean, but in the case of Tableau this would make no sense - part of the point is that it's remote and inaccessible. And radioactive.

One thing which struck me, thinking about the dystopic future of Tableau, was how familiar and frightening some of the images seemed - focused on Nuclear War, which was the bugaboo of my childhood, and yet, despite North Korea, seems so distant now. The fears of my adulthood are closer to fears of police states and being watched and tracked; of being trapped into one identity - fears which reflect the world I see growing around me, but which are far less easy to capture in images. I am Deoridhe in a deep, profound, and long-lasting way; this identity has served me well for fifteen years, and I see a world in which increasingly people will want to claim that because I used Deoridhe instead of a name on a formal document somewhere, that I deserve less credit or right to exist on the internet. My reasons for having a separate online identity are complex, but though some have faded over time the majority of them are still in place. This blog being on Google property underlies my inherent vulnerability as an individual - Google is gradually pulling the rug out from under pseudonymous people like myself, and it's only a matter of time before I have to find a new place to lay my head.

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: De La Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Eyeshadow: Damned, Rainbow 1
Eyelashes 1: *X*plosion, Prim Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Lipgloss: Croire, Glittery Gloss - blueberry (gatcha prize)
Hair: Alice Project, Amiya (group gift)
Hairflowers: Wildo, Juliet - black (closing sale)
Ears: Illusions, Mystic Ears
Necklace 1: Violet Voltaire, Eternity Necklace - Iron / Onyx
Necklace 2: Little Boy Blue, Kota Necklace
Silks: Sublime Shroud Kreations, Zorra Silks - Black Royal (promotional item)
Bracelets: Amaris, Laced Cuffs - Grey
Ring 1: Alchemy Immortalis, Nestling Talisman
Ring 2: Earthstones, Eternal Blossom Ring - Bouquet
Feet: SLink, Jolie Pied Barefoot (promotional item)

Poses: Adorkable Poses

Location: Tableau
Light Settings: TOR, EUPHORIA Natural High

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only

Momentary Kajira

I'm not a big Gor fan; to be honest, though I am fond of a few people into Gor, I find the world itself deeply disturbing. I am a huge fan of silks, though, and my friend at Sublime Shroud Creations has been bitten by the silk making bug - my inventory is reaping the rewards. This is his first set, and they constitute one of the only times I've ever flown about the grid with my boobs hanging out; not something I'll necessarily make a practice of, but the silks themselves are gorgeous - just be careful where you wear them! They come with male and female chest pieces in addition to the rest, making them fully unisex. They are sized for male avatars, though, so be aware you might need to resize a few things if you're a woman! I mostly moved things around and found they fit very well, but I am on the plump side. The silks are full of flowing movement, though - I became really fond of the calf-flutters which moved as I flew about finding new places to take pictures. The cape of silks down the back also moves gorgeously, both in dace and travel. This is the first of a bunch of new releases from SSK, though, and as a breakout silks set completely blew me away.

I ended up pairing the silks with a new skin design from De La Soul. Intent on gradually skinning the entire alphabet (that sounded a little wrong...) Chelle is following up her Aestali set with a new, more defined Beatrice skin and it's matching Beaux design for males Much more defined than Aestali, I've found Beatrix in Barley to be sublime for photoshoots because of the crisp shadows on the face. I'm wearing the Dragon 2012 skin, which has been released as a hunt gift, but the cosmetics on the face as part of the skin are obscured by a combination of eyes from Elymode and lips from Mock to a fantastic effect. I'd actually been set up to take pictures in my Aestali rig, which is my usual skin, when Chelle passed me this Hunt skin, and when I saw how it made the lips seem even richer, and the wonderful effect of the purple around the eyes, I knew I had to keep the cosmetics even though it partly hides the fantastic scale texturing around the eyes and the delicate eyeliner that are part of the skin.

The jewelry is also from De La Soul, a collar and set of bangles - the latter of which are wonderful for hiding ankle and wrist seams if you take advantage of existing mesh and prim hand and feet attachments. I did pull out my SLink feet again, though it took a while to match the new skintone (Barley is slightly darker and much greyer than my usual peachy-rose Aestali skin) the feet still add significantly to bare footed me wandering around the grid. I'm still eyeing and considering her mesh version, which have the advantage of moving and flexing with poses, but for now my flat-footed prim feet will have to do! The final surprise of the look is my sudden brunette phase, inspired by a hunt prize hair from Favole - who I more know for their delightful shoes and wings and collars. It's a swept updo, and I really enjoyed the spray of flowers in the back.

I ended up taking pictures in an Adult Gor sim called Ironhall, to be respectful of the fact that whenever I moved my nipples were flashed to everyone, and unlike the last Gor sim I took pictures in, this time I didn't get an IM telling me faeries don't belong in Gor. I think the "observer" tag helped with that, but the place I had been didn't have an observer tag! It's an absolutely gorgeous sim, so I encourage you to take a look even if Gor is not your cup of tea, as it isn't mine. You might want to wear more clothing, though!

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

 Skin: De La Soul, Beatrice - Barley 2012 Dragon (Promotional item)
Eyeshadow: Elymode, A Little Drama
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Eyelashes: *X*plosion, Prim Lashes
Hair: Favole, Nuit
Ears: Illusions, Mystic Ears
Lipstick: Mock, Micare Lipglimmer - Flirtatious Kobi
Jewelry: De La Soul, Glaive Set - Copper
Silks: Sublime Shroud Kreations, Xithanen Sunset Silks
Ring 1: Alchemy Immortalis, Nestling Talisman
Ring 2: Earthstones, Eternal Blossom Ring - Bouquet
Feet: Slink, Jolie Pied - Flat bare

Poses: Olive Juice

Location: Ironhall
Light Settings: Places District8
Water Settings: Glassy

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only