It's Already Over

By the time I had pictures to blog this, the store was already closed. There is an impermanence in Second Life which is unique; a large building or store can be there one day, and nothing but abandoned land the next. Beautiful places go from loveliness to nothing in the blink of an eye. One of those is a favorite place of mine, The World's End Garden, which is vanishing partway through this month, on the eighteenth. There are tons of places immortalized in my flickr account - not that my flickr is necessarily any more permanent. As a for-profit account, what I've created is tied inexorably to their whims - just where I take my pictures exists at the mutual whims of Second Life and the many creators who make everything I wear. The only thing that is my own design is my shape, and even that exists in response to the base mesh of Second Life.

It's easy to forget how intertwined all of our lives are. It's easy to ignore when one is on a computer, or working a job, how the electronics, and roads, and buildings we interact with all exist because of actions of people we will never know. It's easy to get caught up in our own stuff, to think that we are the architects of our own lives, but our lives live in relationship with and upon the foundations and layers laid by other people we will never know. And we, in turn, form layers and support for each other. Ironically, people can vanish without being noticed beyond their very near environment, but their absence can cause ripples beyond their immediate circle - much like the vanishing of another gorgeous sim contributes to the gradual shrinking of Second Life, even if one can't name each of the sims who have gone before.

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: Izzie's, Irene Skin porcelain
Hair: Red Mint, Hair No.14'13
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyeshadow: Adam n Eve, Sparkle
Lipstick: Pink Fuel, Metallic Lipsticks
Wings: Deviance, Sidhe Wings
Hands and Feet: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands and Feet
Nails: Orc Inc, Rich Darks
Jacket: Lassitude & Ennui, Gothic Doll
Dress: Silent Sparrow, Sweety (Lucky Chair Prize)
Shoes: Eclectica, Black Leather

Pose: Adorkable Poses

Location: Isle of Amras
Light Settings: Midday 3
Water Settings:

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Twisted Color Challenge: Week 39: French Quarter

French Quarter is an amazing combination of colors, a soft dull brown and a gleaming gold, and I was instantly inspired to something a touch more... sensual than is my usual style. This gorgeous, flirty bit of lingerie from Baiastice seemed perfect for a burlesque review when dressed up with stockings and spike heels, and the color was simply perfect when I saw it at My Attic. It's corset-centered with soft, fluttery cloth over the top of my butt. I really love the shape and style of it, especially when I could dress it up with a flash pair of heels, like these beribboned ones from SLink. The steel heel is a particularly nice touch - perfect for keeping off customers who get a little handsy. These were the first SLink heels I picked up, and what really sold me were the thin ribbons wrapped around the foot - I simply adored how it looked, and now that is can add these stockings from Adam n Eve over top, they're simply sublime.

I added these amazing wings from Illusions and tinted them to match - the gold is one of the vein textures included, but you can edit the membrane separately to tint it to any color you want - which is such a boon to rainbow fairies like myself.Topping my head, and rounding out the brown a little bit, is this new hair from Wasabi Pills - this really cute, casual style worked surprisingly well with the higher glam style of this burlesque outfit. I really like how loose and easy the braid is - it looks natural and fun. I added some bright red lips - a combination of Heartsick and Mock - to make sure the whole look didn't get too casual. I love Mock for the glossy and rich color it adds to solid colors below. Finally, my amazing jewelry from Eclectica rounds out the gold end of the French Quarter - this is one of her older releases, but I really love the chunky style of it, and the double chain. It also comes with a bracelet (worn) and a belt (not shown), which really add to the set as a whole. Finally, a look is only as good as the poses which show it off, and I was able to pull out some of the more fun dance poses from Grafica to show off, thanks to the abbreviated bottom on my outfit, and I really had a ball. I need to invest in some more micro-minis so I can show off the rest.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: Izzie's, Irene Skin porcelain
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Akiko
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Lipstick 1: Heartsick, Morticia
Lipstick 2: Mock, Mizu Venetian
Wings: Illusions, Apsara
Hands and Feet: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands and Feet
Nails: Nine Inch Nails, Deco
Jewelry: Eclectica, Deco Knot
Outfit: Baiastice, Lingerie Corset (My Attic)
Stockings: Adam n Eve, Brown Seam Stockings
Shoes: SLink, Lulu

Poses: Grafica

Location: The Looking Glass
Light Settings: Abracadabra 2

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Monday Meme: Autumn Challenge

This time Strawberry gives us an autumn meme, just as the leaves are beginning to turn in so many places. I had picked up an autumn pose set from Kirin - a new to me pose store - which really came in handy. Each of the poses came with wearable decorations as well as separately, and for one picture I paired together the pose from one look with the leaves from another for great effect. In of themselves, the poses are well made and fun, without any distortion to my shape that I could see, which is always a plus. I hope the images get you into the spirit of fall as I answer a few of Strawberry's nosy questions!

1. Is autumn your favorite season? Why or why not? – It's not my favorite seasons; it was always the season of raking, which was never a favorite chore. I did like the temperatures, but I always preferred the colors and rain of spring to the chill and descent of fall.


2. Do you call it Autumn or Fall? – I usually call it fall; autumn is a more formal term, or when I'm trying to be poetic.


3. What kind of weather does your area get during this season? – It alternates between warm and very chill, with the occasional icy rainstorm.


4. Which color do you always associate with autumn? – Orange


5. Which Autumn themed sim is your favorite at the moment? – I ended up going to Harrowdale to take these pictures, and I think it's simply lovely. This is a definite departure in style, but I think I really like it.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: Izzie's, Irene Skin porcelain
Hair: Calico Ingmann Creations, Freya
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Color: Izzie's, Dry Lips & Redness Tattoo
Wings: Deviance, Sidhe
Hands and Feet: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands and Feet
Nails: Nine Inch Nails, Deco
Sweater: Snatch, Crochet Sweater
Top: Valentina E Couture, Fallen Top Burnt
Corset: Sakide, Elear Corset
Pants: Poised, Dreams Pants
Shoes: G Field, Fur Cuff Boots "Sasha"

Poses: Kirin Poses

Location: Harrowdale
Light Settings: Annan Adored Light Explosion II
Water Settings: Nacon's Lake Water

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Silhouettes

Silhouettes are rather easy to accomplish with Windlight in Second Life, but in terms of showing off clothing or locations it simply doesn't work. I have a deep and abiding love for the effect, so I've decided to begin to collect pictures in various places where the silhouette is particularly attractive.

There is something to the simplicity of the silhouette; how it brushes away all of the details, leaving stark layers behind. The world sometimes seems distressingly nuanced, and lately I've come face to face with my own profound, upsetting helplessness - how inadequate love is in the face of an uncontrollable world. I feel a darkness, a tiredness in me tonight; my mind is in silhouette tonight - all sharp edges and shadows and grief.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Pose: !bang, F*S pack A1
Light Settings: Phototools, B/W Light 13

SL Disney Bound – Week Twenty Six: Mr. Walt Disney

This is the last of the Disneybound Challenges, and I'm both sad and glad to end things with Mr. Walt Disney; he is an interesting figure, very much of his time, and so my feelings about him are highly mixed. I've had fun with this challenge, though, even if I regularly escaped the bounds of reasonable clothing and well into standard Second Life glamour and impossibility. It will be a bit of a relief to finish out a challenge, though, and as it is I'm several weeks late.I bit off rather more than I could chew, even though a few challenges went by the wayside - I think from here on out I'll limit myself to only a couple of challenges, instead of the four I attempted briefly over the summer. I'm increasingly feeling a drive to become more expressive, though; to try to capture my emotions through these images and somehow find a relief from my suffering. Recent time has been very difficult offline, with pressure high, and sometimes I feel like I'm boiling inside - my center molten and no longer steady. I've been trying to escape through a variety of vehicles, but I think the hardest part is looking into the mirror and not being sure I like what I see. I don't know how to be any better, though, and so I stumble along dragging lives with me in ruins, and I weep at the world around me as it burns and freezes. There are twists and curves I can't manage, and I am left with only, "I don't know what to do." And so, the world or me failing, what can I do but get dressed up and take pictures?

My hat is an old purchase from Glam Affair which I really adore - a simple cap with bows as butterflies over a single branch; elegant, artistic, and I can tint it if I want, rendering it perfection. I tucked it over a loose updo from Luletka that was blessedly unrigged mesh, so I could narrow it from to back and fit the cap more easily on top. I love how it's half pulled back and half unraveled, as if the cares of the day have driven it out of it's morning's perfection. The jewelry which dominates this look is from Mandala, and it's glorious; I have it in white and red from the marketplace, and I'll be seeking out the other colors in world when I have some time to breathe - I adore how it shimmers, and how enormous the jewels are. Large jewels work well in contrast to the simplicity of this dress from Valentina E, special release for the Liaison Collaboration, a double slit, formal gown with a lovely silhouette and enough skin showing to be alluring without losing the elegance. My nails, stockings, and ring all come from Stellar, released as part of the Flowers in my Attic, and are part of the SLink Enhancement system, which means the stockings work perfectly with my SLink feet which are stuffed snugly into these awesome tri-colored heels from SLink proper.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: Izzie's, Irene Skin porcelain
Hair: LeLutka, Alvina
Hat: Glam Affair, Oly Hat 07
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Wings: Deviance, Sidhe Wings
Hands and Feet: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands and Feet
Nails: Stellar, In Bloom (Flowers in My Attic)
Earrings: Earthstones, Timeless Pearl Earringd
Jewelry: Mandala, Milky Way Set
Ring: Stellar, In Bloom Ring (Flowers in My Attic)
Dress: Valentina E, Anna Dress (Liaison Collaboration)
Stockings: Stellar, In Bloom Tights (Flowers in My Attic)
Shoes: SLink, Tri-color Wedges

Poses: Glitterati

Location: Skye Neist Point
Light Settings: Phototools, Dream Book Light 02
Water Settings: Nacon's Lake Water

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Twisted Color Challenge: Week 38: Hawthorne’s Dusk

Hawthorne's Dusk is a lovely combination of a soft, warm red and a bright, clear gray. I went rather heavier on the red than the gray, using the latter as accessory and not the main attraction. They mix in my gorgeous wings from Deviance, silver for the veins and rich red for the membrane. These are rares from her Gatcha, but I really hope that she continues to make wings because the styling and texturing on these are completely exquisite, and I would love for ones as intricate as the rares to be easily available to everyone. Silver and red mix as well in my fern-like jewelry from Eclectica, complete with delicate rings and a lovely tiara. The metal and stone are tintable in a ton of different colors, which makes it easy to match to lots of outfits - a feature of all of Eclectica's creations, which makes her one of my favorites. Thirdly, I was able to pair silver and red in gorgeous nails from Orc Inc, in the glory of her glitteryness - I adore her glittery nails, and especially the sheer opulence of the number of choices she gives in her large sets.

As for the two solo colors of this outfit - the dress is a gorgeous release from Impish which I picked up at an event along the way - they are now available at her store, I checked - with a funky, loose Nineteen Twenties vibe with fun Art Deco patterning on it. I especially like the handkerchief hem - something difficult to accomplish with rigging in Second Life, though this one moves well with different poses. Finally, my amazing SLink adjacent shoes are from Sax Shepherd Designs, and I've worn them for a few different looks recently, but I think this is the best picture I've gotten of them so far. They're a deceptively simple, slip on shoes with a bunch of options in recoloring the heel, base, and the cross straps. I love them for deceptively casual looks, like I was just lounging around in my vintage-wear when struck with the mad desire for some flowers.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: Izzie's, Irene Skin porcelain
Hair: D!va, Tina
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Lipstick: Mock, Lucir LipColor Venom x3
Wings: Deviance, Sidhe Wings
Hands and Feet: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands and Feet
Nails: Orc Inc, Glitter Split
Jewelry: Eclectica, Harikoa I
Dress: Impish, Vintage Vamp Dress
Shoes: Sax Shepherd Designs, Flirt Cross Strap Mules

Poses: Don't Freak Out

Location: Miracle Love
Light Settings: Places, Greed
Water Settings: Nacon's Lake Water

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

SL Disney Bound – Week Twenty Five: Belle

I took Belle a little dark for this Disneybound - the penultimate one. I'm reminded of the storyline for Belle in the second season of Once Upon a Time, when you meet the "not fairytale" version of her; in the fairytale version she often comes across as sweetness and light, her purity being that which transforms the beast, but I've always thought that Belle or Beauty must have a significantly darker side; the only explanation for the tension between light and dark is that each has some of the other within them. That is one of the core conflicts of a Beauty and the Beast kind of person; spending so long seeking the dark in others, it's only when one looks inside to find ones own darkness that one can be free of the darkness of others. Getting a brief glimpse of the darkness of Belle as conceived of in Once Upon a Time, the love of danger, the attraction to the imperfect, was a real reminder of my connection with the story.

This Belle wears her black and white out on the surface in this amazing dress from Blue Blood that was part of her Whitegoth line. I adore the stripes, and the double layered skirt, and it moves beautifully. It actually comes with every conceivable layer, shirt and corset layered separately, and two skirts - this short Lolita one and a longer ballgown. My Belle-tastic brown hair is from Underscore in a loose style with large curls and a spiral of hair down the back. It comes in three different sizes, which means it fits even my big, round head. The tendrils down into the torso move really well as my head shifted direction; in particular, the front curl stretched in a natural way due to it's loose shape. Flying up from my head in butterflytastic glory is this metamorphesis from Boom; I love to find excuses to include in my looks. On my wrists and ankles is a simple, shell set from AZE which; I really enjoy how well it falls on the ankle, something which you can see more clearly in this closeup. I wish more jewelry sets came with anklets; I'm always tempted to turn bracelets into anklets, and necklaces into bracelets with jewelry. Finally, those amazing shoes are from Eclectica and are part of a new release set of hers. It has a fantastic shape and the shading is textured without being losing the softness of velvet. The heel, button, and body of the shoe are all texture changeable, as well, which makes them very adaptable.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Candace Creamer
Hair: Underscore, Maryanne
Butterflies: Boom, Metamorphsis
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Wings: Deviance, Sidhe Wings
Hands and Feet: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands and Feet
Nails: Orc Inc, Rich Darks
Dress: Blue Blood, Adele
Jewelry: AZE, Plain Puka Shell Anklets & Bracelets
Ring: Eclectica, Vintage Dress Ring
Shoes: Eclectica, Crushed Velvet

Pose: !bang

Location: Snatch City
Light Settings: Places, Annamaria (modified)
Water Settings: Nacon's Lake Water

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Monday Meme: It’s My Birthday!

For her birthday, Strawberry gave us all a gift - the gift of a new birthday meme (two, actually - one is a short set of questions, and the other is the fun of decorating her).

1. When is your birthday? – February 29th, which makes me a Pisces.


2. Pick one person who shares your birthday and share what you know about them. – Sir James Wilson (1812–1880) was born and died on February 29. He was born in Scotland and ended up being Premier of Tasmania under the British Empire. 


3. List one notable event that took place on your birthday. – Since it's so rare, not much occurs on my birthday. On the list of events, the one which stood out for me was the fact that Hattie McDaniel became the first African American to win an Academy Award for her role as Mammy in Gone with the Wind. May many Academy Awards follow for people who aren't white; dear gods we whites hog honors and awards.


4. Tell us about a holiday that falls on your birthday. – My birthday is Leap Day, which means it only exists every four years. It's a way of resetting the calender to account for the fact that the amount of time it takes us to go around the sun isn't quite 365 days. On most century years, except 2000, it's skipped because it's not quite an extra day every year. I have actually gotten into an argument with someone about whether my birthday was March 1st the other three years - so I'm here to officially say that it literally doesn't exist.

Ruminations on Shape and Identity

I went to a "fashion competition" a couple of times. Some of it was pure curiosity; I got the note about it when I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with myself. I've been to one fashion show before, and was struck by the uniform yet unrealistic avatars, and part of me wanted to see if the trend continued. Also, there's a part of me, probably deeply socialized, that feels in part I am not "good" or "worthy" if I'm not "attractive", and that the only way to be deemed attractive is to have strangers speak up on it.

That's a long way of saying that I briefly considered one of the free modeling courses they have in place.

My worry, and the more I watch "official" models and their agencies the more I'm convinced this is accurate, is that I would have to radically alter my shape in a way I found deeply unattractive in order for these strangers to find me attractive. I would have to lengthen my legs significantly, lower my muscle and body fat,

To spell it out - I'm not model material as I am.

Shape is a very personal thing in Second Life - even moreso than offline, since we have so much power over what we look like. Sub genres like the tall, thin supermodels, the widehipped uglycute girls, the enormous torsoed men, and all of the groups focused on oversized bodyparts of all sorts congregate around certain styles and polarize opinions of the people who don't fit into those groups. I find critiques of how people present themselves both fascinating and frustrating; fascinating because it says so much about both sides of the discussion, and frustrating because so much of the discussion boiled down to questioning the morals and personalities of people based solely on their appearance.

I'd love a more nuanced discussion of what people find attractive, why they think that, and what sorts of messages are they trying to express to the world. How we present ourselves and how we are received is a critical part of human interaction, and having a place where we have such minute control over how we present ourselves offers up such possibility for really examining the relationships between interior experience and our presentation of who we are.

My hair is a fantastic release from Red Mint, a store I met a long time ago but which I rediscovered through the hair faire. The wild styles work fantastically rigged while keeping the loose, free style. I styled it with a jewelry set from Sax Shepherd Designs with large gems in an ornate style; it's color change on touch, either two or three separate gems, which offers up a lot of possibilities. It comes with a head dress, two versions of the necklace, earrings, and two types of bracelets - and I'm using them all. My dress is an astonishing hunt prize from Soul, a store I found through one of the smaller hunts I took part in recently; I really adore it, as rainbow striped clothing is a rare thing and this texture is amazing. My purse is the cutest ever bag from Adore & Abhor. It comes in regular, chocolate coated, and strawberry coated - I'm showing chocolate coated here. The band is a bunch of different fortunes and is changeable on touch, which is really fun and some of them are really profound. Right now I have it saying: "Courage is not the absence of fear. It is doing what you must in spite of it." Finally, my amazing shoes - based around the SLink enhanced feet - are a new release from Lassitude & Ennui which are really unique and make excellent use of the seamless aspects of the feet. I love the delicate lacy detail, and the way it frames my toes and ankles.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Candace Creamer
Hair: red (Mint), No.13'13
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyeshadow: Adam n Eve, Sparkle Make up
Lipstick: Pink Fuel, Metallic Lipsticks
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Wings: Deviance, Sidhe Wings
Jewelry: Sax Shepherd Designs, Frills ~ Ione
Hands and Feet: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands and Feet
Nails: Orc Inc, Rich Lights
Dress: Soul, Mesh Dress Rainbow
Purse: Adore & Abhor, Fortune Cookie Bag
Shoes: Lassitude & Ennui, Alisha

Pose: Adorkable Poses

Location: Serenity Gardens
Light Settings: Places, Bentham
Water Settings: Nacon's Lake Water

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Twisted Color Challenge: Week 37: Orchid House

Orchid House is a lovely combination of a paler, greyer purple with a bright, strong blue - and I think I batted this one out of the park this week, in terms of clothing. In terms of the rest... I'm feeling vaguely cranky. We'll see what the people think on flickr.

It's been a while since I wore a bunch of bright colors together - I rather missed the effect.

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: De La Soul, Candace Creamer
Hair: Curio Obscura, Braids Unfurled
Head Pet: Schadenfreude, Chibi Cat Scraps (Arcade Sept)
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyeshadow: Glow, Crazy eye shadow
Lipstick : A.E.Meth, Matte Lip Tints
Lipstick 2: Mock, Hypothermia Lip Jelle
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Wings: Illusions, Apsara Wings
Hands and Feet: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands and Feet
Nails: Orc Inc, Rich Lights
Dress: Soul, Nanny Mini
Arm Pet: Silent Sparrow, Pwnie Happy (Arcade Sept)
Stockings: Apple n Eve, Sachi Birthday Stockings
Shoes: Sax Shepherd Designs, Flirt Cross Strap Mules

Poses: Exposeur

Location: Oubliette
Light Settings: Phototools - B/W Lights 05
Water Settings: TOR, Ice-like

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only