Fantasy Faire: Crimson Fields

 Crimson Fields is based around aspects of the Dark Tower series, which I've never read but I've looked up on Wikipedia. It's a dark sim, with the only color (outside of the stores) being fields of crimson roses and a small pile of glinting yellow candles. I felt the simplicity of the sim really set off the rich color of my skin, a new release for Fantasy Faire by De La Soul. I've actually been taunted by this skin for a while before the Faire, and I had a devil of a time picking out which of the colors I'd blog (I'm seriously considering picking up a second shade for some vague plans with shoes, but we'll see how the rest of the week goes), but this red was so rich and vibrant that in the end I couldn't resist. The skin itself has a tattoo of gleaming tentacles over it, available in both light and dark shades, and the tentacles are also available as a tattoo to put over other skin and, if you wish, tint.I'm showing off the dark option, with rich red tentacles and a striking gold heart on the chest. I really like how feral and wild the skin looks, and it goes a treat with the included eyes (one of four), and for the elfin among us there are three varieties of De La Soul ears included, pre-textured to match. There are also Lola and Lush appliers, which I haven't used, and SLink appliers, which I have, and a gorgeous set of tentaclely SLink nails for the hands and feet. Really, it's so packed with goodness I'm blown away. Only a dark hair would stand up against all the red, so I pulled out this gorgeous braide and curled hair from Wasabi Pills, also a new release for Fantasy Faire. The second I saw this hair I fell in love with it, so this will not be the last time you see it. I love how it cascades across the chest so naturally, like it's just tumbled down after a run.

These amazing new boots, for men and women, are also a new release for Fantasy Faire, from Lassitude & Ennui. I'm used to squeeing over their tasteful and elegant ladies wear, but these astonishing, embroidered boots really took me by surprise. I was particularly struck by how the embroidery on them really looked like embroidery, not like it was painted on. I'm not quite sure how they pulled it off, but I am completely astonished and amazed by how natural they look, as if they could walk out of Second Life and onto my feet. The jewelry set I'm wearing is from a new-to-me store called Sax Sheperd Designs, which was sent my way earlier in the week. It's a crown, belt, earrings, and nipple cover set (the last not shown) in a shade of red that so perfectly matched the rest of my look that I simply couldn't resist. If you look closely at the top picture, you can see how cleanly the crown fits into the braid in my hair, almost as if I know I'm going to be busy, so this has to stay tight. The earrings are lovely little hoops, but what really blew me away was the belt - made of chain, cloth, and gems, it really stands out and seemed like the perfect topper to finish off my lingerie. I had to resize it a little - it's modify ok - to fit my belly in, but once I did it was smooth sailing. This is definitely a store to keep an eye on. Finally, the only thing I'm wearing not associated with the Fantasy Faire, besides my wings, is this amazing recent release from Sn@tch. It was the drippy marks on the stockings which inspired me in particular to pick up this set, since it would also let me show off more of the amazing De La Soul skin while maintaining at least a semblance of dignity. Finally, my hands from SLink I really feel like I need to single out - because the skin is now so seamless from body to hands that they fade into the background yet keep my hands from looking like mittens or bits of ham. I can't say enough good things about her newest additions to the SLink mesh hands; I've become an overnight nail addict!

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Candace - Ceredil (promotional item)
Eyes: De La Soul, Realism Eyes - FlamingCircuits (promotional item)
Ears: De La Soul, MESHear - Animale Long (promotional item)
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Selene Mesh (promotional item)
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Lingerie: Sn@tch, Desire Latex Lingerie
Jewelry: Sax Sheperd Designs, Frills - Temptress Swag (promotional item)
Hands: SLink, Mesh Hands
Shoes: Lassitude & Ennui, Edenion boots (promotional item)

Poses: Glitterati

Location: Crimson Fields
Light Settings: Phototools - Dead End
Water Settings: Mirror Glass

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Fantasy Faire: Dwarfins

Edit: The Dwarfins Website  is the best place to get accurate information on the product.

While I have some history with breedable creatures, I had little experience with Dwarfins (Main Store Link) outside of running across a group of them on one of my hunts and snapping a picture. I was struck at the time by how detailed they were (only ten land impact each) and also how they could interact with different things in their environment, like a chair they could sit on. As part of the fantasy faire, I got one of their special starting packs of male and female enchantor Dwarfins, and I really think their look is fantastic; all purple and blue with a special staff on their back. There is also a special release of a magical book they can interact with, a stone outcropping they worship, and mushrooms for them to eat. Sometimes when they're walking around, they also pull some mushrooms out of heir pocket to peer at - I'm not sure whether I should trust them near my food or not.

I have to admit, the more I watched them the more I felt a weird ethical dilemma. Keep in mind, I know these are scripted things, I know they have neither sentience nor sapience, but I'm somehow deeply troubled by raising and breeding bipedal creatures that sit on chairs and read books. Even through Meeroos and other breedables had sentience, somehow the bipedal seems different to me. I did end up greatly enjoying watching them move, and interact with the different things which came along with them, it was just weird watching what I think of as "people" as puppets. I suppose it's more similar to the Sims game, where you make people, but it somehow feels different - don't ask me to explain. I do really like them, though - from the big glow when they are "born" to watching them wander around and do things.

There are also two object releases for the Dwarfins, one which is part of an ongoing storyline involving the Dwarfins and the god they worship, and one book of magic they can read and cast spells at. The stone offers four approaches; at each one they can sit and contemplate the stone, or set down their wand and engage in worship. It's a really neat effect to watch them sort of wander around, pausing every now and then at their phallic god. The magical book has Norse Runes in it, and someone can pause and look at the book, as if reading, or actually cast spells which causes a particle effect. The one distracting aspect of the objects is that each of them have large red arrows pointing toward the access points of the object; I'm sure there's a way to turn it off, but I have to admit after the initial confusion I kind of liked it. Strange me, I know.

One other thing available for Dwarfins, which is completely awesome, are actual rigged mesh avatars so that one can become one of the Dwarfins.I haven't yet gotten into it and wandered around - I've been really caught up in a lot of different things - but I'm looking forward to doing so. You can't breed as an avatar, of course, but you can fool people into thinking you aren't actually there when you are - so awesome. Both these special RFL Enchantor Dwarfins are available, and the special single-release Dwarfins below are also available as an avatar - the Auctioned Dwarfins are unique starter Dwarfins which makes them very special and awesome for all who embrace this truly unique breedable.

Head on over to the Dwarfin store on Luminaria to check out everything available at the Fantasy Faire.

Fantasy Faire: Titan's Hollow

Titan's Hollow is an absolutely amazing sim, and everyone should go and marvel.It's set up as a verdant valley with jewel-like buildings floating in the air above the water, with these stark, dark-leaved trees here and there, and I absolutely fell in love with it the second I landed - even if it wasn't the underwater environment I was originally seeking.It was an easy modification, though; I took off the fins I was trying to fit and put on this absolutely gorgeous gown from Falln Angel Creations, which is a Fantasy Faire exclusive release. I adore the sculpted roses swarming both over the bodice and at the hip, and the heavy fabric around the waist in an offset color. This is only one of many releases - I'll show off the remainder sometime soon, I promise. The skin I'm wearing is an astonishing new release from Plastik that came crammed with eyes, skin variations, and cosmetic additions. I ended up using the slightly reptilian face, but I also really liked the teardrop marks on the cheeks and I wish I could have combined them. Some of the eyes are in complementary colors, others in matching, and I ended up focusing on the latter for my look. A wide variety of colors are available from Plastik this Fantasy Faire - pretty much anything you can imagine - and I really recommend you swing by and take a look.

Pretty much the rest of my accessories, except for the ears and eyelashes, come from Bliensen + MaiTai, which I've already focused on once, but now I'm showing in the wild. You can see more the effect of the flexi-tendrils in my hair in these pictures, I think, and also how they change under different lights. I found as I wore the hair I got more and more used to it, almost not noticing that I have half an ocean in my locks. I ended up picking the shade of my Plastik skin to match my hair, and the forehead eye to also match my hair, and the dress... just because I really liked it. It's the sort of thing which happens when one has a folder full of things and starts mixing and matching and then gets distracted by a completely incredibly, gorgeous sim like Titan's Hollow. Seriously, go and check it out yourself - it is completely mind blowing.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: Plastik, Arkasia - bras Kin (promotional item)
Eyes: Plastik, Bloodless - Gold (promotional item)
Ears: Illusions, Seelie
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Hair: Bliensen + MaiTai, Undine (promotional item)
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Dress: Falln Angel Creations, Calena Gown (FF Exclusive; promotional item)
Jewelry: Bliensen + MaiTai, Mine (promotional item)
Hands: SLink, Mesh Hands
Shoes: Bliensen + MaiTai, Pixie (promotional item)

Poses: Glitterati

Location: Titans Hollow
Light Settings: Phototools - Horizon Building Light
Water Settings: Mirror Glass

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Fantasy Faire: Grim Bros

COW DRESS!!!!

Cow! Dress!

In its full form, the cow dress from Grim Bros (Main Store Link) is an impressive thing, with large cow legs sticking out to either side. You will cut a wide swath through any Second Life gathering (mostly because people will hide from someone wearing two cows!). Even deconstructed, though, the cow dress is an impressive thing. The one thing I wish is there was a separate top so I could wear it with the  calf-length skinny skirt, but I ended up loving it with the short dress over the top (as shown above) and just the short dress alone is a sort of fun, semi-frilly thing to enjoy. I paired it with these amazing flapping-butterfly shoes which are pretty much rainbow, which means I will love them forever and ever and ever. I actually have a bunch of her butterfly shoes, and I love how they flap at different rates, always giving you something interesting to look at. 

Massive as the cow dress is, though, it is not the only offering from Grim Bros for the Fantasy Faire. Three frothy confections of various shades, complete with hats, are waiting for you. There is also an entirely over the top hat, complete with a carnival on top and little flapping birds! I'm not normally a top hat kind of girl, but these are seriously fun. I'm also sharing a close up of the rainbow butterfly shoes, and these others entirely overwhelming poison shoes complete with complicated whirls and curlicues; I'm really tempted to try to find some over-the-top green outfit to go with these, so you may well see them again sometime in the future. Grim Bros always offers something awesome, over-the-top, and unique, so make sure to check them out at the Ravenshard sim at the Fantasy Faire!

Credits:

Skin & Eyes: De La Soul
Hair: Underscore

Fantasy Faire: Bliensen + MaiTai

Bliensen + MaiTai (Main Store Link) has an amazing amount of releases for the Fantasy Faire, open Saturday, and I'm really amazed by the gorgeous quality. The "Mine" jewelry set, which comes in eight stone-types with matching earrings and necklaces, is simply channeling the Renaissance Faires of my youth in a completely delightful way. I actually am pretty sure I have an actual, real world version of this necklace. The dragon and findings of the jewelry is in a gentle shade of copper which I really enjoy; it's often hard to find this particular shade since jewelry in Second Life is so overwhelmingly dominated by gold and silver. The top four colors are available as an RFL Donation item for the necklaces, with additional vendors for the other colors and the earrings. You're also getting a hint of the hairstyle Bliensen + MaiTai is offering, which is an amazing undine updo festooned by all kinds of undersea gems. I love the pieces of coral, and the shells, and the multicolored starfish clinging to my locks. The main part of the hair is static, but there is a fleximble attachment which is not shown at its best in these static, studio pictures - wait for the on-sim images that are coming. There are even small pearls glinting and gleaming, somehow wedged into my hair so that they won't fall free.

In addition, Bliensen + MaiTai is offering this amazing necklace which also comes with a rezzable version. It's a great little vial, reminiscent of Djinn bottles and the middle east, with a fantastically rough and angled leather necklace; I particularly like the awkward curve of this, as it reminds me of necklaces I've owned and worn offline. Finally are the incredible eye-themed earrings and forehead decoration - the latter scripted so that you can change the metal texture around it and available in all of the colors shown for the earrings. For a donation to RFL, the blue and teal eyes - available in four metal colors - can be purchased. I found the earrings unexpectedly charming; my initial response was a literal and physical jump of shock as I put them on, but the more I wore them the more I appreciated having five, rather than two, ways of looking at the world. The effect is both creepy and striking.

Come to Titan's Hollow to find both the Bliensen + MaiTai offerings and so much more.

Credits:

Skin & Eyes: De La Soul
Eyelashes: Flugeln Brise and SLink

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. )

Monday Meme: What's in a Name?

’Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself though, not a Montague.
What’s Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O! be some other name:
What’s in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call’d,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name;
And for that name, which is no part of thee,
Take all myself.

A lot of people forget that this speech comes in the context of Juliet not wanting the parentally-subsidized marriage at fourteen with Paris and seeing Romeo through a crowd as her escape from the prison being built around her. Both Romeo and Juliet are emotional, sensitive, impulsive creatures - Romeo literally begins the play lamenting his last lost love hours before falling for Juliet - and so in a way the idea that names are insignificant, that a rose would smell as sweet if it were called skunkweed, is basically flawed. The entire rest of the play gives lie to Juliet's words above, as the names Capulet and Montague destroy both of them as well as a significant chunk of collateral damage. Names, Shakespeare says, are important even when we wish they weren't.

1. What’s your SL name? Deoridhe Quandry (pronounced dthey-or-ee) 


2. What made you choose this name?
 
Deoridhe has been my name since around 1996, when it replaced the name I had "married" my then boyfriend on, Aesdana, which was my name for maybe six months. By then I was Asatru, and closest to Odin, but I was also drawn to the Irish language because it was part of my heritage, so I used an Irish/English dictionary to look up words I wanted to associate myself with. 'Deoiridhe' is on of the words in Irish for an outsider; I was looking for a word for wanderer but hadn't yet internalized what being a wanderer would mean in the Irish society of the time. I almost chose a word which was a grave insult in Irish, but luckily I reverse-checked all of my words and didn't want to be a traitor. Deoiridhe was the only word without the traitor implication. I dropped the second /i/ because in Unix your name needed to be only eight characters; now and then I consider picking up the /i/ again, since nine is a potent number for AsatruaR.

My original full name was: Deoridhe Faelis-Tiene and she was, is, and remains my Mary Sue with an overly complicated backstory. The different last names have come to represent different aspects of her, so Faelis-Tiene would be the oldest and original. Deoridhe Grimsdottir is who I identify with the most closely - the last name indication my relationship with Odin in his aspect as Grimnir, the masked one. A lot of people who know me as Quandry were shocked when I showed up as Grimsdottir because they didn't understand why I had a "new name," not knowing that me-as-Deoridhe predates the creation of Second Life. I selected the last name Quandry out of the ones there the week I signed up the second time because my friend liked it better than the other name I was tempted by, Constantine; the first time I signed onto Second Life I selected Starr because I like stars. I think Quandry fits me, as I'm rather strange and mercurial.




3. What’s your SL nickname, or what do most people call you? (if applicable) Most people call me Deo, pronounced either day-oh or dee-oh. I've had a few people call me Deor, and for a while I mispelled my name Deoridle and people called me day-oh-riddle, but Deo works.


4. What’s your SL display name? Why do you choose to have one? (if applicable) I don’t have one. I've considered switching to Deoridhe Grimsdottir, but it seems a little silly now.


5. Do you like your SL name? Love it.


6. If you could change your SL name, what would it be? I would like more Deoridhe's with different last names. I have six, but I would have liked a lot more. They're my little army of mes.


7. What’s the craziest/funniest SL name you’ve ever seen? I'm inordinately fond of all of the Wrigglesworth last names, with Pandora as my favorite. 


8. What’s the coolest (your favorite) SL name you’ve ever seen? Imnotgoing Sideways makes me giggle. I like any of the names which are puns, though; when I created my alphabet alts, I managed a few puns, like Under Highwater and Titillation Coy.

A few notes on my outfit, which is an amazing kimono from Falln Angel Creations that I found in his Spring Ostara hunt and attempted to style in a pale imitation of the seasonally driven kimono of the Geisha. I'm wearing an amazing skin from Flower & Willow, which specializes in looks for the Flower and Willow world where the Geisha shone at night. My gorgeous hair is from kisetsu, and I believe is for festivals but I may have mismatched a more formal Geisha style rather than something appropriate for my somewhat inept Maiko. The Maiko, who are learning to be Geisha, tend to be much more colorful and fluttery with elaborate items in their hair, while the mature Geisha is quieter and yet at the same time so much more skilled. I was aiming for a Maiko almost at the end of her training, squeezing the last bit of elaborate costuming out of the world before entering the more somber style of a full Geisha. I had planned to take pictures at somewhere I saw on my list of locations blogs but I lost the post; instead I ended up at Maruyama Hanamachi - Old Japan, and I consider myself the richer for finding this amazing sim.

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: Flower & Willow, Jnr Maiko Skin - Hairline
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Ears: Illusions, Seelie
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Lipstick: Adore & Abhor, Silent Star - Baroque
Hair: kisetsu, Oshidori Hair
Kanzashi: Falln Angel Creations, April Kanzashi
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Kimono: Falln Angel Creations, Spring Green (Ostara Hunt Prize)
Hands: SLink, Mesh Hands
Nails: Adore & Abhor, Rhine & Rose

Poses: Glitterati

Location: Maruyama Hanamachi - Old Japan
Light Settings: Phototools - Dream Book  modified
Water Settings: Mirror Glass

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

SL DisneyBound – Week Five: Dory

I actually had a lot of fun with Dory, though the style is much more modern-casual than I usually wear. The color contrast was really strong - a vibrantly bright yellow and a rich, bright blue - and while the blue is relatively common in Second Life, the particular shade of eye-blinding yellow that Dory sports is much rarer, and I actually dialed it back to more of a gold because I ended up not being able to make it work well.This is a very different style than my usual, modern and casual with a bit of a club edge, and I've completely fallen in love with it. I especially like the effect of the bare back in between the corset laces - I think it is edgy without slipping out of what I find attractive. This overbust corset from Dilly Dolls is an old purchase but one that I pull out even today when I'm looking for a good corset with a lot of coverage. I thought the relative brightness of the blue on the corset actually went well with the slightly duller blood of her new boots release; too much bright color can appear cartoonish instead of couture, and this look is one of the ones which walks that line. I really adore the boots, though - in the line of the cloth-over-boot effect with an angled opening on the outside and large buttons which really set it apart from other, similarly styled boots. There's all kinds of texturing available, and like usual Dilly Dolls clothes come in sets of colors that are HUD driven, which means lots of bang for your buck. My hair is a very old release from Wasabi Pills, I think; my Wasabi Pills folder is alphabetical, so I always end up getting confused about when things come in and, eyes crossed, just sort of wear whatever I like most for a given look.

The other store I'm wearing a lot of is De La Soul - both these jeans which were a much older release but still stand the test of time - and a preview of a new skin that I nagged Charlie into giving me so that I could wear the latest SLink hands with the modifiable nails. Despite an overload of pestering and begging, Charlie won't be releasing hand HUDs for Aestali, my old favorite, but he will be releasing them (and boob appliers, and all kinds of things). Except for the brows, Candace is a softer face than Aestali was (I'd love to hear what you think of the brows; I can pass on feedback to Charlie as he finishes Candace up) with some of the quirks of the Aestali face smoothed, but still recognizably De La Soul. He passed over the hand tinters (which will also tint her feet) after only a little pouting and now I can show off my amazing nails from Adam n Eve, complete with little flowers. I love how long they are; I could never keep nails this long offline, so it's a dream to have them both online and smoothly connecting with my hand. One nice thing about the SLink hands is you can make the nails go away, so if you have modifiable nails you can edit them to match perfectly; isn't it amazing? Finally, I found this amazing necklace and earrings set from a new-to-me store called Lazuri; I really love the texturing and shape, and it's a fantastic chunky large set which can be dressed up or down depending on your mood.

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: De La Soul, Candace - Creamer (promotional item)
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Ears: Illusions, Seelie
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Amelie (promotional item)
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Jewelry: Lazuri, Classic Glamour Midnight
Corset: Dilly Dolls, Dola Corset
Jeans: De La Soul, Cross Jeans - Sunny
Hands: SLink, Mesh Hands
Nails: Adam n Eve, Rhine & Rose
Shoes: Dilly Dolls, Dina Plaid Boots (promotional item)

Pose: !bang

Location: Armenelos
Light Settings: Places Kunming
Water Settings: Mirror Glass

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Twisted Color Challenge: Week 16 - Peony’s Secret

This Twisted Color Challenge - Peony's Secret - was really fun, and a really bright color contrast. I like the challenges where the colors initially look like they could never get along, only to find that they really look fabulous together once I have a look organized. I love the cherry of these fabulous Felicity shoes. I love all the different chains, ties, and bangles which make it really unique. It felt like one spot of bright red was too strong, so I ended up also picking up this fantastic cashmere scarf from Boom; I think I had initially gotten it at a special event, but when I went to Boom's store it turns out there is, like, ten or twenty million of them.

My bright blue came from this gorgeous new release from Deco; I love the ribbing around the waist and the bottom edge of the dress, as well as the enormous buttons down the back. The hair, with it's red and warm flowers, is another new release, this time from Diva; luckily it's editable, and I was able to move things out of my ears. Yay for editable things. I went completely off book with the final two accessories, though; a dark teal for cuffs and my new favorite toy, a rainbow dragon, both from Silent Sparrow.

( 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
Eyeshadow: Virtual Insanity,
Lipstick: Mock, Lucir LipColor Sunset
Hair: Diva, "Flora" Type A (Collabor88)
Head Dragons: Silent Sparrow, Luck Dragon - Magic
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Scarf: Boom, Tinsley Cashmere
Dress: Deco, Soda Pop Dress (Collabor88)
Hands: SLink, Mesh Hands
Bracelets: Silent Sparrow, Fenris Leather Cuffs
Shoes: Felicity, Jessica Stilettos (promotional item)

Poses: Grafica

Location: Astriane
Light Settings: In Situ
Water Settings: Mirror Glass

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