SL DisneyBound – Week Three: Gaston

No one hops like Gaston

Spins on tops like Gaston

In the garden there no one eats crops like Gaston

I'm especially good at munching carrots!

(Omnomnomnom!)

Ten points for Gaston!

My Gaston is a bit of a bunny, actually, inspired in part by this adorable dress from Ambrosia which was one of the RMK Gothic Bunny hunt prizes (collar, cuffs, and ears included). This year I actually remembered to get all of my prizes, which is amazing! I have some duplicates, so I'm thinking of hooking my alts up. My big concession to Gaston is my black Wasabi Pills hair, where some of the orangy-yellow from his outfit is found (I also tinted the collar and cuffs, which began white). The little ring I'm wearing is also a hunt prize, but this time one at the Noodles store, along with several other store hunts. Gaston's brown boots are a modification of G Field's fur cuff boots - I figured I hunted the fur myself, so it's cool to wear.

I have loads I want to say - rants about the mistreatment of women on the internet, explanations about different mental health issues, analysis of various social and psychological topics, but every time I open the box to type in, my brain is entirely emptied. Some of it might be the weird amount of cleanliness of my apartment; some of it might be how I've been trying to catch up on hundreds of things, and part of it... I don't even know. My brain is filled with cottage cheese. It feels like Second Life is filled to the brim with things to do, and I'm just entirely overwhelmed! For tonight, I have tasty food, I have a blog post finished on time, and I'm going to spam everything in the known universe with more LEA base posts so that maybe I can finally get caught up on that ongoing project! Cica's back, by the way - this time in what happened after the black-and-white cartoon world was hit by water.

( 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
Cosmetics: Mock, Lucir - Espresso
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Ginger (Promotional Item)
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Dress: Ambrosia, Bunny Girl (Alice in RMK Hunt)
Hands: SLink, Mesh Hands
Ring: Noodles, Bunny Ring Gold (Easter Hunt)
Heels: G Field, Fur Cuff Boots "Sasha"

Pose: D. Luxx

Location: * R u s t  * by Cica Ghost
Light Settings: Phototools - Lo Light 04
Water Settings: Mirror Glass

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Sakura Cupcakes

I'm so late on this! Thirty lashes with a wet noodle! Cupcakes is having a special event where each store is offering something on a discount, and these really fun antlers festooned with sakura flowers are the offering from Violent Seduction. Make sure to swing by Cupcakes and check out the other stores before the prizes evaporate at the end of March (I know! I'm so late!); I saw the cutest pile of presents and some really nice lipsticks, too. The dress I'm wearing is another recent release, this time from G Field; special versions of this were Relay for Life donations, but the full fatpack has to be seen to be believed, and believe me I picked up the whole lot. It's a rigged mesh dress, weighted very naturally like a heavy satin, and the texturing reminds me of G Field's early rose dresses. To highlight the dark of my antlers and the top of the dress, I'm wearing new dark shoes from Felicity in black. These feature a similar triangle design to many of her other styles, this time augmented by those silver studs that are so in style now. At this point I can tint her shoes in my sleep, so tinting and fitting were very quick; there is an additional HUD to tint the toenails any color of the spectrum.

I ended up going to Cupcakes to take my pictures after I saw how gorgeous the store setup was. With each store on its own island in the sky, there was both some uniformity and an opportunity for each store to have a slightly different feel. Violent Seduction had a gorgeous pipefox in front of it, and several flights of butterflies, and the store layout was very open despite being in a stand of dark trees. In contrast, Tuli is a modern brick facade, and nearby Sanu has the cutest button of a house, flanked by bunnies. Each store has it's own style and charm, but the island design keeps them connected and makes directions easy to understand. I also really loved the aurora borealis moving overhead, colors always shifting and changing even during the day! Between that and the clouds, I was in heaven.

( 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
Cosmetics: Mock, Basically Experimental Cherry (Group Gift)
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Dean (Promotional Item)
Antlers: Violent Seduction, Sakura Horns (Promotional Item) 80$L until March 31st
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Jewelry: Ommik, Bokeh Set
Dress: G Field, Puff Sleeve Dress "Taylor"
Heels: Felicity, Monique Stilettos (Promotional Item)

Poses: !bang

Location: Cupcakes
Light Settings: Places Greed2

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Twisted Color Challenge: Week 12 - Hemingway in the Sienna

I think I'm going to be a week late for a while. Hemingway in the Sienna is another orange challenge, and I'm late once more! Go me! This has been a very busy end of the month for me, and I think one can tell in the sudden drop off in posts! Working my butt off at the Fashion Faire didn't help either! In the near future is the Fantasy Faire, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll be an official blogger there again. This Twisted Color Challenge was surprisingly fun despite the surplus of orange, though; the combination of orange and creme is a very soothing one, though I'm not sure I quite hit the shade of orange head on. I adore this dress from katat0nik, though, so how could I resist showing it off? I particularly like the lacing down the back and how it blends into the skirt - which is a flexible prim skirt, not a mesh one. One thing I do miss in mesh is the sense of movement that you can sometimes achieve with flexible prims, and you can see that in the tilt of the skirt above. I paired the dress - which comes with the adorable nurses hat shown with it - with a curly-ended pony tail hairstyle from Alice Project. The color of the hair is a new one, though I'm not sure I quite managed to capture it in these images. Part of her new Sparkle Princess release, this new HUD of colors adds sparkles into the lives of all who love Alice Project. I chose sparkles at the tips of my hair, but it's hard to capture in images even if it's very pretty in avatar.

I have a couple of other very special releases to show off, and the first are these simply breathtaking new boots from Rue. Now, those who know Rue, know her mostly for her eyes and her horns - and for both of them she does these amazing color combinations and fades which really blow me away. She has decided to tackle shoes next, and I have to admit I'm amazed at the result. These boots are color-changable by a HUD which allows for changing the main part of the boot, and the alternate color heel and toe. She started with the normal pack, but for Ostara she released and incredible variety which simply gave me the vapors - seriously, I felt a little faint when I first began to try on the different HUDs. There is also an extra special release just for her group, because she really loves us, but what I'm showing above is one of the ones for public release. She also told me, though I haven't tried it yet, that you can mix and match between different HUDs. I love customizability, seriously! The other recent release that I'm just in raptures about is the headwings - earwings? - from Remarkable Oblivion. These were sold at L'Accessories, but I live in hope they will show up in his store afterwards because they rule! I ended up buying another set on an alt, since I'm setting her up to look awesomely weird.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Ears: Illusions, Seelie
Headwings: Remarkable Oblivion, Elysium White
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyeshadow: Mock, Makeup Gold
Lipstick: Mock, Bella Vetro Gloss - toast
Hair: Alice Project, Persephone
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Dress: katat0nik, Happy Nurse - orange
Jewelry: Mariposa, Simplicity
Heels: Rue, Soles/Sass

Poses: Glitterati

Location: Gayhaven Parish
Light Settings: Places Abracadabra
Water Settings: Mirror Glass

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

SL DisneyBound: Week Two - Ariel “Kiss the Girl”

I am being late girl for all of my challenges, but I hope this one is well worth the wait! Disney's Ariel has a few different outfits, but the one for the "Kiss the Girl" scene is a gorgeous remake of Aurora's gown from Sleeping Beauty, only in shades of blue and black. I ended up edging more on white on the top, but I really love the final look even though I took some liberties with the shades! This is a hugely combined outfit, so I'm going to start from the top and move my way down.

First, the bow is a special large bow from NYC, I think from one of the accessory events. I wanted something really huge and over the top, and I think this bow really fits the bill; it is over the ponytail instead of behind my head, but I think it works anyway. The hair, in a sharp and amazing shade of red, is a fun updo from Wasabi Pills festooned with braids. This was one of my bigger departures from Ariel's look, since hers is long and has a ploom over the brow, but I really loved the style. I matched my hair with eyebrows from De La Soul, which added a touch of realism.

The collar is actually from an outfit otherwise not represented - a gorgeous outfit from Cipher that I really adore, and that gave me the perfect collar for this outfit. The shirt itself is from Rabbit Kiss, part of a gothic look, and I ended up altering it both in adding a smaller and less ornate collar, and changing out the corset for a different style one. The sleeves of the shirt are very puffy and rigged, so they curved beautifully and gave the full puffyness of the Ariel gown. The corset is an old purchase of mine from Aura, and I really adore it. It's curvy and sweet, and has the most adorable bow. It comes in a lot of colors, but I made sure to pick up the simple black, and that's what I'm wearing here. Finally, the skirt was the initial inspiration of the entire outfit, a gorgeous gown skirt from Blue Blood that I purchased ages ago and haven't been able to showcase before now. I really adore the foaming lower edge of the skirt which I thought was really reminiscent of Ariel's origin as a mermaid, and her future in the original fairytale as sea foam.

( 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
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Anais Mesh Hair
Bow: NYU, Bold Ribbon - baby blue
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Collar: Cipher, Punk Lolita
Shirt: Rabbit Kiss, Eternal Gothic
Corset: Aura, Grimm - Black
Skirt: Blue Blood, Oceanic Sonata
Heels: G Field, Bow Strap Shoes "Kate"

Poses: Adorkable

Location: Selidor
Light Settings: Places Abracadabra
Water Settings: Mirror Glass

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Twisted Color Challenge: Week 11 - Crucible’s Pom

I am very, very, very late for Crucible's Pom. In my defense, I did blog the entire Fashion Faire inside of a very busy week, but still I might have been able to combine if I'd had a brain to do so. I'm catching up, though! And I began by checking out a few of the recent events and piecing together something orange and gray. It was almost inevitable I'd end up revisiting Halloween, this time pulling out an awesome dress from Pinkmares (sadly closed) that I'd been meaning to blog for a while. Sometimes I feel like my inventory is a vast well of things simply waiting for me to blog them too late! I love the little gray skulls along the edges of the skirt, and the grinning yellow Jack o'lantern head makes me giggle every time I look at it. Keep your fingers crossed - Pinkmares may re-emerge on the marketplace in the future, and you too might be able to get something gothy, cute, and funny all in one. The other base items I chose was this awesome new hairstyle from Discord Designs. Cornrows are always entertaining on my very whitebread avatar, but these are simply divine. The braid-to-head-tattoo is seamlessly perfect, and I love the fall of braids down my back. I used to see this hairstyle sometimes on other women, and I simply loved it; it's even more fun to see it on me (without the eight or nine hours of braiding! Bonus!). Also as a bonus, it fit perfectly behind my ears, which is always a challenge with me and hair. I capped off the bottom end of my outfit with these gorgeous heels from Dilly Dolls which were released as part of Adore & Abhor Birthday, which has such a fun collection of gifts!

With the basics of my orange and gray look established, it was time to seek out some accessories, and L'Accessories seemed to be the perfect place to go. I find this event very challenging, because on the one hand I really love a lot of the stuff, but on the other hand I can easily drop $1kL on a given store, and that's a lot of Linden going out the door very quickly. After the Fashion Faire, where I went through $5kL easily and very likely more, I'm feeling the need to reign in my spending - something this event does not make easy! I started with this enormous hat from Lode, which is a major departure from my usual style, but I loved it so much. It's an oversized, soft felt hat with a huge poofy flower, and comes in a variety of colors - each of them with a color changing flower! I really like how it covers only one half of my head, which makes it easier to pair up with different hairstyles.The other purchase was practically a sinecure from when I first saw it - this gorgeous pearl collar from Lassitude & Ennui. I love the delicate patterning of the pearls over the lace, and I ended up buying the whole display out (see what I said about me and Linden? It's a curse!). The final touch was the cosmetics; I wanted to echo the coloring in my outfit without becoming too cartoonish, and so I turned to Virtual Insanity again, this time pairing two eyeshadows to get the orange and yellow effect I wanted. One nice thing about her eyeshadows is that the silhouettes of color vary widely from style to style, meaning that layering them really has a significant effect. The lips are a very old release from Rue which I simply love; they're one of the only lipsticks I have which contour to my unusually wide and narrow (for Second Life) lips, and I always seem to turn to them when I need a very dark, precise lip. It's too bad she doesn't have a whole line available now, since I'd buy the Hel out of them (*clears throat, tapping foot meaningfully ;)*).

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyeshadow 1: Virtual Insanity, SPRING Tangerine
Eyeshadow 2: Virtual Insanity, La Ligne - Yellow
Lipstick: Rue, Gothier Than Thou
Hair: Discord Designs, FBR01 - Dirty Blond (Promotional item)
Hat: Lode, Magnoli (L'Accessories Event)
Collar: Lassitude & Ennui, Viola Lace (L'Accessories Event)
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Dress: Pinkmares, Pumpkin Potion (Closed)
Heels: Dilly Dolls, Saula B-Lace Heels (Adore & Abhor Birthday)

Poses: Alchemy Immortalis

Location: Neva
Light Settings: EUPHORIA Fin de Siecle
Water Settings: Mirror Glass

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Disneybound: Week 1 - Peter Pan

I'm neglecting my other challenges to join another one! Because... it seems cool! And I'm goofy! The Disneybound Challenge is a challenge to make character inspired outfits out of normalish clothing! Ironically, since most fashion bloggers are female, the first challenge was a boy - Peter Pan. I will admit to considering for a long moment going for Wendy instead of Peter, or maybe even Tinkerbell - though I actually own a look based on her - but in the end I decided to play it straight, and try to replicate his look while making it sufficiently girly. I started with this dress from Peqe, which I modified heavily from an empire waisted gown to a hip skirt, but I thought the flower theme nicely echoed the more modern Peter's frequent depiction of wearing vines without making myself half-naked (again). Normally, Peter's tunic is lighter than his tights, but in this case the dress was so dark I reversed the tendency with G Field's button socks. His shoes are usually tan and pointy toed, something I tried to echo with these boots, also from G Field, while echoing the feather in his cap instead at my ankles. I had the hardest time with the hat, neither knowing where to start or what to look for, but I had a Santa Hat from an old Ratsetsukoku hunt, and it was nearly the perfect shape and with the cutest holly berries instead of a feather, so I went for it! The color isn't quite perfect, but it is approximately all right. I think I may end up looking into acquiring more hats in the future, though!

Peter is usually depicted armed, though with a short dagger not with a sword, and so I hunted through my inventory for a dagger and found this wonderful one from Silk & Satyr (which appears to no longer be in world), which came with one of their outfits. Have I mentioned lately how much I love the search function in my inventory? Sometimes it is a lifesaver. Finally, despite having wings myself, I wanted a tinkerbell and I remembered these adorable fairies from NaMiya's Fancy Goods Shop, and I lured her out with sugar plums and the promise of some flying time. With all of this pulled together, though - I felt like something was missing. One of the terms in clothing is the Peter Pan collar, and as you can see, my dress is sleeveless. A little thought and I remembered tippets - the tie on extras of winter wear which mimic the shape of the Peter Pan collar. A search later, and I pulled out G Field's mesh rigged tippet, which came with her gorgeous coat, and used the texture changing HUD to make it look like I'd killed my own neckwear! THAT is how you Peter Pan!

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Claire
Hat: Ratsetsukoku, Holiday Santa Hat
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Tippet: G Field, Fur Tippet
Dress: Peqe, Poppy/Earth
Fairy: NiMiya's Fancy Goods Shop, Fairy Yuna
Dagger: Silk & Satyr, Dagger of Justice
Tights: G Field, Button Socks
Boots: G Field, Open Boots "Vilda"

Poses: Long Awkward Pose

Location: The Forum
Light Settings: TOR, MIDDAY My Noon
Water Settings: Mirror Glass

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Monday Meme: Procrastination

Strawberry Singh has another meme for us - a procrastination meme, and since I did the last one, and this one seems fun, I'm hopping on board once more. Ironically,t his less procrastinated me and more gave me text for a set of pictures I was planning to take anyway - so thanks for facilitating me getting things done, procrastination meme!

1. What is the rez date for your current SL Avatar that you use most often?
Deoridhe Quandry on 7/31/2008

2. Where was the first place you made friends as a newb and got to know people in Second Life?
In the Treasure Hunters group chat. It was a hunt project before hunts became a big, grid-wide event. The group was very active and playful, but the one friend I retained from there has since left Second Life.

3. Where do you spend most of your SL time now? 
Hard to say because I move around a lot, but my "home" is a place a couple of close friends let me live on; I have my own island in the sky.

4. Who is your closest friend in Second Life?
Keaniez is the one who comes alone and who I speak to almost every day, but Charlie and Aydryan are a close second and I speak to them almost as often.

5. What is the most favorite thing in your inventory?
Very easy - My Fancy Fairy Azarelle wings, which were one of the first things I bought in Second Life. I've never found anything remotely close to replace them; I would like a mesh version of them, so they had some depth instead of being flat prims, but I'll need to build my skills a lot before I can make them.

6. The last thing you purchased in Second Life? 
Cae, Sakura Ensemble at the new Liason Collaboration Event.

7. What color clothing does your avatar wear most often? 
Very difficult to say, since I literally organize my clothing by color because I tend to purchase all of them. Probably blue or red, though.

8. Do you prefer to walk, run or fly? 
I usually walk, but my walking animation is of me flying.

9. What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done in SL?
Gotten my very own pet unicorn from Stoneworks, though I did it on an alt not on Deoridhe.

10. Who would you like to play YOU, in the movie of your SLife? Angelina Jolie. She'd make my slife much cooler looking.

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: De La Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Lipstick: Mons, lipgloss Idol - ombre blue
Hair: Alice Project, Momo
Hairstick: Aitui, Sakura Hair Stick (Liaison Collective)
Hairbow: Glam Affair, Diana Ribbon - white (Liaison Collective) 
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Jewelry: Cae, Sakura Ensemble (Liaison Collective)
 Dress: Valentina E Couture, Cherry Dress - Spring (Liaison Collective)
 Purse: Boom, Haiku Clutch - mint (Liaison Collective)
 Feet: SLink, Mesh Feet

Poses: Glitterati

Location: RFL Main Stage
Light Settings: Places Astryls Wild
Water Settings: Mirror Glass

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

RFL: Lighthouse of Alexandria

The Lighthouse of Alexandria (Teleport Point) is sponsored by [sYs] Designs.

Built around 250 B.C.E. on the island of Alexandria, for the purpose of guiding ships into port, the Lighthouse of Alexandria stood between 400 and 450 meters high and was built by Ptolemy I shortly after Alexander the Great (who founded Alexandria) died. It was made of light colored stone in three parts; the base was large and square, with an octagonal section on top, and finally a round section which lead to the light source. During the day, a large mirror reflected the sunlight; at night a fire was kindled there. Interestingly, the builders used liquid lead as mortar in order to help the stones resist the awesome forces of the sea. It remained intact until 796 C.E., when the top section was damaged and left unrepaired, however there are reports it was still used as a lighthouse. Earthquakes finished the damage; the initial one in 956 left it still functioning, but the twin ones in 1303 and 1323 turned it into a ruin which could no longer be entered. In 1480 the last remnants of it vanished below a fort built atop the lighthouse platform by Pharoh Qaitbay using stones from it's wreck. It wasn't until 1994 that stones which had fallen into the East Bay of Alexandria were discovered by French archaeologists and raised for display so that the public could see them.

The Lighthouse at Alexandria was by far the most complicated to navigate to find the stores, as they weren't in any clear order but were rather laid out like stands of cattails in a marsh. Displays were hung from trees, facing a variety of directions, which added to the confusion. It was completely lovely, though, so I had a difficult time complaining, even though I'm not sure I found all of the stores! Like the Pyramid and the Temple to Artemis, the Lighthouse creator Bryn Oh, whose work I adore, took the ancient structure as a jumping off point rather than something to even attempt to reproduce or represent. I have mixed feelings about this; although I love Bryn's work, and the lightbulb orrey is simply wonderful to watch, the difficulty in navigating and finding the RFL items seems to at least somewhat undermine the purpose of the Fashion Faire and I really wondered what it would be like to move around a more faithful representation of the Lighthouse at Alexandria. I really enjoyed the sense of stepping back in time which came with a few of the other sims; here I was very aware I was walking within Bryn's idiosyncratic world. There is probably a lot here about the relationship between personal style and historical inspirations, but I'm mostly left with space for questions than any answers worth writing about.

It wasn't just the navigation which caused me problems; I also had some difficulty finding clothing that suited me on this sim as well, though there were many more demos in evidence than in other places. I finally settled on this gorgeous set of blue and pink silks (also available with pink silks and blue roses) from Likka House. While I'm more attached to her Lolita or historical fashions, her silks are really lovely and the chain over the hip is simply sublime. They are prim, which meant I could resize the arm bands to fit my larger-than-average arms, and the silk lengths move when one moves. I kept the jewelry from my last look, from Designs by Sebastian because the translucent colors and chandelier style fit so well. All of the rest of the action is around my eyes, where three items from three different stores work some absoluter magic. The bottom glow of color is from our old friends Pin Me Down, the RFL Nacre release which has gotten me so far through these seven faire looks. Layered over that is a gorgeous eye tattoo and faint eyeshadow from White Widow, who specializes in artistic paint around the eyes. Finally, I layered on top these amazing branch eyelashes from Boudoir. I had to alter them pretty radically to fit my eyes, as my eyes curve downward on the outsides, but that was easy to do since they are on a single curving prim away from the eye. I really love the effect, at once natural and bizarre.

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: De La Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Boudoir, Fairy eyeliner (RFL Donation)
Eyeshadow: Pin Me Down, Nacre 8 (RFL Donation)
Eye Decor: White Widow, Evasion (RFL Donation)
Lipstick: Mock, Bella Vetro Gloss
Hair: Alice Project, Momo II
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Jewelry: Designs by Sebastian, Babylon Set (RFL Donation)
Silks: Likka House, Rosephilia Silk - Daybreak (RFL Donation)
Feet: SLink, Mesh Feet

Poses: Glitterati

Location: Lighthouse of Alexandria
Light Settings: Places Midian
Water Settings: Mirror Glass

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

RFL: Pyramid at Giza

The Pyramid of Giza (Teleport Point) is sponsored by Chop Zuey Couture and Jewelry.

As the oldest and largest pyramid, the Great Pyramid at Giza, also known as the Pyramid of Khufu or Cheops, is also the oldest of the Wonders of the Ancient world, created in ten to twenty years around 2500 B.C.E. At almost 150 meters, it was also the tallest man-made structure until the Lincoln Cathedral in England was finished in 1311 C.E. While now we can see the mottled limestone which makes up the bulk of the pyramid, but when it was initially built it was covered with smooth casing stones - some of which can still be seen around the base. There are three chambers inside of the pyramid, a Queen chamber, a King chamber, and an unfinished chamber cut into the bedrock. The pyramid was designed so that the ratio of the perimeter to the height of the pyramid - 1760/280 cubits - equates to 2π to an accuracy of better than 0.05%. There are arguments about whether this was deliberate or chance, though, as anthropologists are unsure the Egyptians had the concept of π at the time of this pyramid's construction. Likewise, arguments about how the pyramid was built rage on to today, though the latest evidence at the worker's camps indicate the builders were likely not slaves. There are many mysteries still contained beneath the surface of the pyramid, and astonishingly robotics have become central to further explorations of various passages off of the King and Queen's chambers.

The Relay for Life Pyramid echoes the ancient one in shape, but not in look or style, instead jumping enthusiastically into the modern era with a rainbow pyramid made of hexagons, containing a wide variety of moving shapes which - if your video feed is on - reflects whatever videos are playing at a given time. This is actually a staple of the artist's work; Thoth Jantzen was one of the first people I met in Second Life, and my early days were spent playing in his Egyptian-inspired areas. While I was at the Pyramid, the video was a streaming loop of transforming colors, but in the past I've seen a wide variety of videos from YouTube bent, twisted, and moving on elaborately arranged surfaces. The stores are in an easy to navigate square, though occasionally one of the graphical interfaces will block your view; just keep walking forward and you'll get where you want to go. One interesting trick of the design is that often I found myself unsure if I was moving because I could perceive no change in the landmarks in the room, so don't be fooled!

The no demo trend restarted in this sim, which ended up being a real shame because there were three dresses I was interested in, but for 800$L a pop I wanted to try a demo first! Luckily, when I finally saw a dress I completely fell in love with, this ballgown from Snowpaws, it not only had a demo but it fit me like a glove. I love the sleeves on this, with the curve smoothly across the front and the back, and the length is simply perfect. The hint of gold at the hem echoes the gold elsewhere in the dress, and while the length of the dress is rigged mesh, the ruffles around the hips are flexi, which allows for some movement and interest. I love it when designers combine the best of two different styles of clothing, and this dress really highlights that.I felt the dress really set a tone of sleek and fashionable, so I paired it with some contrasting colored jewelry from Designs by Sebastian. The curves of the jewelry set are really lovely, and it fit me well with only a little adjustment. I also really liked the subtle purples and pinks mixed in with the rich teal base tone. The final touch was a beautiful cosmetics set by Madrid Solo which seemed as if it was made to go with this dress, the rich purple and clean gold leaf around the eyes absolutely stunning. It would probably stand out even more on a darker toned skin. I think I ended up with a truly elegant look which stood in fine contrast to the eclectic effects of the Pyramids at Giza on Second Life.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Eyelashes: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Cosmetics: Madrid Solo, Siobhan (RFL Donation)
Hair: Alice Project, Lana Bangless
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Jewelry: Designs by Sebastian, Babylon Set (RFL Donation)
Dress: Snowpaws, Royale Gown (RFL Donation)
Shoes: G Field, Ribbon Slingback

Poses: Glitterati

Location: RFL: Pyramid of Giza
Light Settings: Places Midian
Water Settings: Phototools Ship Light

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

RFL: Colossus at Rhodes

Colossus at Rhodes (Teleport Point) is sponsored by EMO-tions.

The Titans are told of in the Greek Myths, and predated - even fomented - the beings we know as the Greek Gods. They were believed to be enormous, much larger than any human could ever be, and as such the Colossus at Rhodes representing Helios, aptly represented them on the earth. It was erected around the end of the 200s B.C.E. to celebrate successfully defending against Cyprus. It stood over thirty meters high (98.4 ft), about the size of a ten floor high building. While now we regularly have skyscrapers in the hundreds of meters in height, for the ancient world the Colossus was an impressive - even terrifying - sight. Much of the metal for it was taken from the abandoned weapons of the enemies who had left with their siege unrealized, which is a vivid example of turning swords into plowshares! It was destroyed in an earthquake in the 200s C.E.m having survived a little over four centuries.

The Colossus in Second Life managed to combine all the impressiveness of the original statue, with a single path of stores curving up around the body of Helios. It is a little difficult to navigate at times, since we can't see our feet, but the design is so novel and yet so easy that I was totally charmed. You can actually walk over the shoulders of Colossus and down one of his arms to perch on the tip of his finger, and having discovered I could do this I could not resist. I saw other people jumping off, or flying around, his enormous form as I took photographs, and you might see a few of them - small as flies around his massive form. I had been dubious when I began, but I ended up really loving the Colossus, even if it was a major pain to photograph with my outfit! A number of the storefronts here were empty, though, which was a shame; EMO-tions was spread across three storefronts, and I also saw a second incarnation of Tres Beau here - apparently an outlet from the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

I also had great luck with the stores, managing to set myself up with hair, jewelry, a dress, and shoes all within the Colossus - which is a first for this project! Beginning at the top, my hair is a gorgeous design from EMO-tions, which combines a colored hair tattoo with a prim updo complete with decorative coins. I had to edit it slightly to fit it around my ears, but I really loved the effect and it moves beautifully.It is flexy layers of semi-transparent hair, which means there might be alpha occlusion errors, depending on your angle. EMO-tions is having a sale for the duration of the Faire as well, all hair tones for only 99$L while fatpacks are slightly more expensive at 500$L. The jewelry is a wonderful find from Pure Poison, and is one of the first things I've seen for sale which really conforms to the theme of the ancient world, being rather thick and geometrically styled cuffs, collar, and earrings. I really fell in love with these when I put them on; they are simple, iconic, and well made - definite keepers. The Silk Dreams dress is a gorgeous sheath with embroidery on it which I really adore, and which I believe is exclusive to the Faire. I'm wearing the largest size, as it didn't otherwise fit my bust, but unlike a lot of large dresses it still nips in at the waist. Finally, my first purchase was these gorgeous peep-toe shoes from AHN-JI with a pretty flower design on it in shades of pink and green. I was surprised to find when I put them on that they included ankles as well as peep-toes, and as you can see I had some difficulty matching the skin. The HUD has a variety of ways to tint, which made it easier than it might have been, but I'm afraid my patience wasn't what it should have been.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 04-A
Eyeshadow: Pin Me Down, Nacre 6 (RFL Donation)
Lipstick: Mock, Bella Vetro Gloss - Cabaret
Hair: EMO-tions, Semiramis (RFL Donation)
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Jewelry: Pure Poison, Gold Greek Accessories (RFL Donation)
Dress: Silk Dreams, Milano Mesh Dress (RFL Donation)
Bird: silentsparrow, Chymri Plush Bird (50 Linden Fridays)
Shoes: AHN-JI, "Shaori" Spring II (RFL Donation)

Poses: Glitterati

Location: RFL: Colossus of Rhodes
Light Settings: Places Duskwood
Water Settings: Phototools Ship Light

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

RFL: Artemis at Ephesus

The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus (Teleport Point) is sponsored by Leri Miles Designs.

Artemis, called Diana by the Romans, was the Greek Goddess of the Hunt, known for her purity, virginity, and care for women in childbirth, though the Artemis worshiped at Ephesus has older origins than the twin of Apollo and was portrayed as a many-breasted goddess, and her connection with the goddess the Greeks called Artemis is a slender thread. The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus is an ancient site, it's first building dating back to the bronze age and claimed as a holy site for the Amazons, legendary women who lived in a martial, matriarchal society who were historical enemies of the Greeks whose writings about them survive. The original temple was destroyed by a flood in the seventh century B.C.E. and rebuilt around 500 B.C.E. in about ten years. It fell to fire next - specifically arson, a destruction which lasted for about the same span of time. The final rebuilding began in the 300s B.C.E., and was larger and grander than any of it's previous forms with sculptures from many of the contemporary artists of the time. Antipater of Sidon, who compiled the seven ancient wonders of the world, said of its third incarnation:

"I have set eyes on the wall of lofty Babylon on which is a road for chariots, and the statue of Zeus by the Alpheus, and the hanging gardens, and the colossus of the Sun, and the huge labour of the high pyramids, and the vast tomb of Mausolus; but when I saw the house of Artemis that mounted to the clouds, those other marvels lost their brilliancy, and I said, "Lo, apart from Olympus, the Sun never looked on aught so grand".

It survived some six hundred years before the Goths brought it to the end in a raid. The Hagia Sophia, in fact, gained some of it's columns from the Temple of Artemis after it's destruction. Now, only a single column made up of scraps from the temple remains on its original site, but reproductions have been made around the world.

This was by far the easiest sim for me to navigate to date, as all of the stores are organized on three of four sides of the square around the reproduction of the Temple. I'm clearly a picky, persnickety person, as now that I got what I wanted - an easy to navigate sim - I was caught up with complaints about it's simplicity! Unable to be pleased, that is clearly me. The Temple itself is lovely. While I wish some of the effect of the carvings at the base of the columns could have been represented, the leaf pattern used was lovely; and while I would have loved to see the iconic figure of the Goddess of Ephesus represented in Second Life, there were some original and pre-fabricated sculptures in place within the temple.

The outfit I'm wearing is a novelly put together top, belt, and skirt from AlaFolie available in a wide variety of colors. The color I'm wearing is the one for sale for a donation to RFL, though the ad on the board shows two very different colors from this one. The neat thing about it is how it's piecemeal - with the dress coming in three parts, you can mix and match with other items easily. Just a heads up, it's transfer ok/no copy, so don't be surprised when you open it! The jewelry is from Virtual Impressions, a new-to-me store with some really amazing options. I'm wearing a completely texture-change set; there are a bunch of colors to pick from, and you can tint the large gem separately from the surrounding ones. It's also transfer-ok/no copy, just as a heads up. It is also fullbright out of the box, but you have modifying rights, so that can easily be fixed. Finally, I'm wearing a tanner skin with a gorgeous cosmetic set from Belleza in shades of teal. I had originally picked the teal to match the color of the dress I thought I'd gotten from AlaFolie, but I think it works just as well with the mustard shade! A nice bit of contrast to make my look more interesting.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: Belleza, Amy Med FFL 0 (RFL Donation)
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 04-A
Eyeliner: Squeek!, Eyeliner Yellow
Hair: Truth, BabyDoll
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Jewelry: Virtual Impressions, Honour Jewelry (RFL Donation)
Dress: AlaFolie, Veronique (RFL Donation)
Shoes: NYU, Collared Bow Heels

Poses: !bang

Location: RFL: Artemis at Ephesus
Light Settings: Places Duskwood

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

RFL: Gardens of Babylon

Gardens of Babylon (Teleport Point) is sponsored by Tres Beau.

Are possibly one of the only wonders of the ancient world which was purely legendary, but they capture the imagination of all of us in a wave of beauty in the wilderness. Supposedly created around 600 B.C.E by Nebuchadnezzar II for his homesick wife, Amytis of Media, they were said to be destroyed in earthquakes during the Second Century C.E. Stories of them were told by notable Greek and Roman authors centuries later, but no contemporary records or archaeological ruins have ever been found. They were said to be created to replicate mountainous terrain, and festooned with plans and running water. This virtual Hanging Gardens are like a volcanic mountain; you enter up a truly impressive stair, then look down and over layers of terracing with fountains and plants everywhere. The trend of difficult to navigate continues, but the the view is simply stunning. Arranged around the central plaza, the stores curve this way and that and with a little attention you can follow around the ring 360 Degrees. Look for the staircases up, too - gorgeous gardens top the dome over the stores, and there's even a small gathering area complete with pillows to rest at. It's truly enchanting.

Thankfully, the demo dearth has not continued, and there were demos right by the RFL Vendors selling mesh dresses every time I went to look - and I went to look a lot on this sim. It really hit my sweet spot of shiny dresses and gorgeous accessories, and I ended up spending a lot more money than I expected to! It took some work to figure out what I wanted to wear, especially since several favorite stores were represented in the gardens, and I decided to go with an entirely new-to-me store (though don't worry, other things will be showing up later!). deviousMind is a very original store with retro-styled outfits. I purchased both the extremely scandalous Leda - named for one of Zeus' lovers, I would assume - and this much more decorous but still styling Miss Betty. Both outfits are available in other colors, but they have RFL exclusive colors, and those were the ones I splurged on. The dress also comes with a lovely gathering of flowers for my hair; I ended up moving them to match my hair, but they are completely gorgeous. The jewelry is from the sponsor store, Tres Beau, and are a gorgeous and over-sized set of jet that were over the top enough to match my brilliant gown. She also has several gowns set out, one of which matches this jewelry set perfectly as well. Finally, I added something I simply couldn't resist. The newest shoe release from G Field (and with matching dresses made with her rose pattern from the past) has two exclusive colors being released at RFL, and below I'm showing off coral. The shoes come with a HUD which lets you change the color of the edging and the heel, allowing for subtle color matching of complicated outfits. I ended up buying both the exclusives and the fatpacks, though; G Field is rapidly becoming one of my auto-buy stores, which is not happy for my pocketbook but very happy for my look.

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: De la Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 04-A
Eyeshadow: Pin Me Down, Nacre 4 (RFL Donation)
Lipstick: Adore & Abhor, 13 Lips Orange
Hair: Exile, Loveshack - Hollywood
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Jewelry: Tres Beau, "Miss Ramona" Jewelry (RFL Donation)
Dress: deviousMind, Miss Betty (RFL Donation & Exclusive)
Shoes: G Field, Wedge Pups Adele - Coral (RFL Donation & Exclusive)

Poses: Glitterati

Location: RFL: Gardens of Babylon
Light Settings: Places Astryl's Wild
Water Settings: Phototools Ship Light

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Monday Meme: My Seven SL Facts Meme

So, I'm hitching my wagon to the train started by Strawberry Singh, listing a few facts about myself in Second Life which might be unknown or surprising.

1. Deoridhe Quandry is my second account. The first time I joined Second Life, in 2006, I lasted for less than a day. I did manage to try to make long hair, though, and my own dress using one of the water textures. I couldn't figure out how to do anything, and was too shy to approach anyone, and so I quit. When I joined again in 2008, I was shown around by a friend and lasted a little longer. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I stuck around in 2006.

2. I spent my first year or two as a resident at Lico Lico. Due to the bug where the first place you teleported became your home, I literally had my home set there when a friend sent me a limo to join her. It had several camping chairs and I spent hours sitting on them to get some gorgeous Lico Lico clothing, and I used to unpack my boxes on the roof of one of the floors. That started a secondlifelong habit of freebie hunting, though now I put more money into Second Life.

3. My addiction to freebies did, in fact, extend to making an alt for every letter of the alphabet. I slipped in under the wire for last names with all of them, managing to use one of the special websites which allowed last names after last names were ended. That website has since closed, which makes me sad but not surprised. One of my alts got yelled at by a stranger due to using this work around. I also have six Deoridhe's, including my first one - Starr. Each of them have a different standard skin tone and hair tone but the same shape. Deoridhe Starr is a lighter version of Deoridhe Quandry and is human, where Deoridhe Quandry is a faerie. I've been considering making one of the Deoridhe's a petite for a while, but it may end up being one of my letter alts - all of which also have a theme and a look.

4. I am really insecure about whether people like me or not. I often act like I'm not, but really I wonder if anyone would notice if I vanished. I have a couple of people who continuously reassure me by there mere presence, and I deeply appreciate their love. I'd love to have a larger readership with people who commented on my blog, and sometimes contemplate doing silly things to accomplish that end, but I'm too scattered to organize things and somewhat convinced people would be more likely to hate me than want to be around me if I start shilling for attention. 

5. I love drama. I joined plurk primarily to try to figure out the drama behind SL Secrets, but have been mostly stymied. I find how people interact with each other, what we become upset about, and how different issues are resolved in a community endlessly fascinating. I also find how different people are really charming. I think most people are like me, but too embarrassed to admit it; my 'How NOT to...' series is my most popular next to hunt pictures, though it doesn't bring me any sustained traffic.

6. I've only been banned from one place, and it was a mistake. I ghosted there after my browser crashed, and was subsequently banned. I live in fear of being banned from places, though, and I will often not be completely honest in my blog due to that fear. I have gotten at least one person banned from two places due to mistreating me, and remain smugly amused by that. This probably makes me a not exactly nice person.

7. I'm a total secret fangirl of a lot of people. There are several people on my blogroll where I squee every time they talk to me, which is not often. I'm also a creator fangirl to the extreme, though I hide it well! I sometimes daydream about doing things to get their attention, but I know way too well how creepy that can come off. I had fangirls and boys in Falln Angel Creation's chat, including one really creepy one, and I still have a bit of a reputation among older members of the chat (though it's really quiet now). Back in the day, I would engage in elaborate roleplays with other people who played with me, including being transformed into a chipmunk and having over fifteen children with Azriel, the store owner (who had become a personal friend by then). Now and then I'll try to start some playing, but no one in the chat ever seems to engage for long, which is a total shame since I really enjoyed that.  sometimes think about trying similar things in other chats, but they seem a lot less playful and a lot more conversational, so I never do.

Bonus three, because I forgot it was seven partway thought!

8. I make all of my own shapes, including for my innumerable alts. I aim for different effects with them, and am planning one of the "uglycute" unicorn riders for one because I want to see if I can do it. I am very attached to my shape and freaked out when I tried the mesh head. I love SLink's hands, but I wish she would make other hand types so that I could match my avatar's hands to mine. My avatar is the same height as I am offline, but she has cooler clothes.

9. I still get embarrassed about nudity in Second Life, despite it not being "real." An ongoing joke with one of my friends is him doing panty checks on me; one time he caught me without panties and sent me a picture and I almost died! For a very long time I changed inside a one-way changing planet so that I could see if anyone was approaching and get dressed before they got near me. Now I change so high up in the air that no one can easily see me, which is its own reassurance. I wish nudity wasn't so common in Second Life, as well, because I think it really removes the punch of wearing something teasing or sexy when the baseline is barely-a-skirt and a bra.

10. I'm very judgmental about shapes in Second Life. I find the spider-leg, t-rex arms avatars common in fashionable circles deeply disturbing. I find some instances of the frowny-faced, squinty-eyed, unicorn riders almost charming in their ugliness, but most examples of it just look like the person's taste is questionable. Size eleven, barrel chested, pin-headed males make me giggle, especially since they often seem to think that I should find them irresistible despite the fact I favor slim, gothic or alternative men.

( More personal favorites here. )

RFL: Zeus at Olympia

Zeus at Olympia (Teleport Point) is sponsored by Sonatta Morales *8* Vintage Couture.

This statue is forty-two feet tall (14 meters) tall and was carved around 430 B.C.E. by the Greek sculptor Phidias. It was created with gold and ivory panels over a wooden frame, showing Zeus sitting on a cedarwood throne. Contemporaries who saw it in person said it was as if the god existed on earth, and some claimed seeing it would cause one to forget all worries and concerns in the world. When asked what inspired him, Phidias quoted from the Iliad:

He spoke, the son of Cronos, and nodded his head with the dark brows,

and the immortally anointed hair of the great god

swept from his divine head, and all Olympos was shaken.

Unfortunately, the sculpture was destroyed around the fifth century C.E., so all we know about it is from contemporary descriptions and representations on coins. How it was destroyed is unclear, though there are multiple stories about its destruction, and the destruction of the temple it was housed in at the same time.

I'm really hoping this isn't a trend, because I found Zeus at Olympia extremely difficult to navigate. The stores are laid out as a grid, the first row along the path you enter into from Halicarnassus. The second two rows face each other behind the first one, though there are no roads per se, and flank a beautiful pool and what seemed to be an ancient dock with traditional boats facing the event pavilion in the middle. I ended up going up and down the rows once I figured out what was going on, but I really don't have a recommendation for the easiest way to cover everything without getting lost. Each store is lovely, though - designed with open wickerwork sides and flowers hanging down from above, they really are redolent of warm summers in Greece. The small arcade at the base of the hill is lovely, complete with a little market and places to recline and rest during the heat of the day. The staircase up to the temple of Zeus is toward the back of that initial arcade, and the temple - and sculpture - themselves are absolutely gorgeous, surrounded by amazingly textured walls and a beautifully tiled floor.

It was also difficult to find things which suited me in it! The trend of no demos continued, and a lot of the clothing was more modern than I prefer. I finally took a risk on a mesh outfit with no demo, and lucked out; one of the sizes fit me! Yay! I really like the sleeves of this dress by Drama Queens in particular, echoing the deep v front of the dress. The purple was the donation purchase, with a wide variety of other colors available underneath. I love the ruffly edges and how casual and flirty it is. The hair from Dura was also found on this sim, and I really liked the short, sassy style with the tinted ends in front. There are several RFL-only donation releases at Dura, so make sure to check them out. I'm reprising the cosmetics from Pin Me Down, this time in purple, and I really like the rich colors. You can see the full effect much better with this more windswept style from Dura.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De la Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 04-A
Eyeshadow: Pin Me Down, Nacre 3 (RFL Donation)
Lipstick: Mock, Bella Vetro Gloss - Apple Blossom
Hair: Dura, Fashion for Life Hair 3 (RFL Donation)
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Jewelry: Maxi Gossamer, Wild Honey Purple (Arcade Prize)
Dress: Drama Queens, Bousey Dress Purple (RFL Donation)
Shoes: katat0nik, Souler Peep Toe Heels

Poses: !bang

Location: RFL: Zeus at Olympia
Light Settings: Phototools, Jessica Light 03
Water Settings: Phototools Ship Light

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Relay For Life: Mausoleum at Halicarnassus

The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus (Teleport Point) is sponsored by Lazuri. 

Built by Queen Artemisia to honor her husband/brother Mausolus and as a resting place for both of their ashes, built by many of the great sculptures of the time including Leochares, Bryaxis, Scopas and Timotheus. It counts as one of the Seven Wonders of the World, and has been replicated in multiple places around the world. All Mausoleums are actually named after Mausolus, because his was so grand it entirely changed how people in the Western world viewed funeral monuments. The Mausoleum is in Halicarnassus because that was Mausolus and Artemisia' capital, created during their lifetime to be both a defensive and remarkable center of government for the territory they inherited from their father and expanded greatly under their rule. Artemisia lived only two years after the death of her husband/brother, but the creators of the Mausoleum continued their work even then, considering it a fitting tribute to their skill and to the reign of Mausolus and Artemisia. It was rendered ruins sometime between 1200 and 1400 by an earthquake, though the exact dates are unknown.

It was a challenge to find my way around the sim representation of Halicarnassus; though the avenues were broad, the multitude of paths through the sim made it difficult to know if I had missed a corner of stores or not, and once I ended up very confusedly retracing my steps! It's build is gorgeous, though, as you can see - very old and elegant with small clusters of flowers here and there to brighten up the stone. The Mausoleum itself is in the center, large pools flanking the bridge into the beautifully appointed building. Statues festoon the ends of the avenues and the sides of entrances, lending a formal majesty to it all. Within the large, second floor room of the Mausoleum the walls are carved with beautiful abstract frescoes which I couldn't resist trying to capture.You can really feel the majesty of Halicarnassus and the Mausoleum to Artemisia and Mausolus, and I'm so glad I got a chance to explore it.

The offerings in the sim include a lot of lingerie, some separate pieces, and a lot of casual clothing. I had a difficult time finding things I wanted to wear there, but someone with a more modern casual style might have an easier time of it. The other major problem I ran into was a lack of demos for mesh offerings, which meant I was often reluctant to purchase something, since I'm so far off the standard shapes, especially with some of the purchase prices topping 1700$L! Weirdly, even with other outfits of the same mesh shape in the store, demos were sometimes still missing. In the end I was able to find a few things which suited me, though, including this gorgeous dress from World's End Garden. I still primarily associate World's End Garden with her enchanting sim, not her clothing, but both this and the two other outfits she has out are a delight. This is a simple sheath, but the fabric is bunched and ruched in an entirely natural way, curving over the belly and falling in uneven waves to the ground. I was really charmed by the pattern, as well, large red flowers on a backdrop scattered with pink blossoms and highlighted with gold.The jewelry is also an RFL donation item, from Lazuri Avenue who is sponsoring this sim. It is an amazing color changing set, where different sides of the jewels can be tinted different colors. I was really struck by how versatile that makes them, though I rather wish there were a few more options - like red, for example. Even so, I'm really in love with it's casual, stylish lengths. Finally, I added a nice eyeshadow Donation item from Pick Me Up, brilliantly colored shadows in every color of the rainbow, their colors curving over the temples.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De la Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 04-A
Eyeshadow: Pin Me Down, Nacre 1 (RFL Donation)
Lipstick: Mock, Bella Vetro Gloss - Apple Blossom
Hair: Curio Obscura, Stackable Hair Elegant (Gatcha Prize)
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Jewelry: Lazuri Avenue, Spring Necklace Set (RFL Donation)
Dress: World's End Garden, Precious (RFL Donation)

Poses: Glitterati

Location: RFL: Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
Light Settings: Phototools, July Light 02
Water Settings: Phototools Ship Light

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

How NOT to pick up a chick in Second Life

It's been so long since one of these, I hardly knew what to do! I was wandering around The Wash picking up cheap yet lovely things (see my outfit for some examples, and some more lovely Arcade prizes), when a stranger contacted me. Less than a day old, I have no idea how he found his way to The Wash - maybe those portals in the new starting area? He must have seen me, or something, because he IMed me instead of talking in local chat, but he wasn't near me when I looked for him.

[WhereYouAre?]: hi
Deoridhe Quandry: Hello.
[WhereYouAre?]: where you are
Deoridhe Quandry: Excuse me?
[WhereYouAre?]: oh,sorry,i'm Chinese
Deoridhe Quandry: All right. I don't understand what you asked, though.
[WhereYouAre?]: i just want to make friends
Deoridhe Quandry: Ok.
Deoridhe Quandry: What are you interested in?
[WhereYouAre?]: rap song and listen music
Deoridhe Quandry: You might want to look for a rap club in Second Life, then.
[WhereYouAre?]: what about you?
Deoridhe Quandry: I'm not as fond of rap music, though I like a few select rappers.
[WhereYouAre?]: where are you come from?

Well, that attempt at an actual conversation died fast...

Deoridhe Quandry: Right now I'm at the wash.
Second Life: [WhereYouAre?] has offered to teleport you to their location.
Deoridhe Quandry: No thank you. I'm shopping.
[WhereYouAre?]: i feel dizzy when i walking in the second life
Deoridhe Quandry: It takes a little getting used to.
[WhereYouAre?]: are you American?
Deoridhe Quandry: Is that important?
[WhereYouAre?]: no no no
Deoridhe Quandry: All right, then.
[WhereYouAre?]: but i'm curious
Deoridhe Quandry: All right. I don't share offline information with strangers. You'll have to remain curious.
[WhereYouAre?]: hah,if i can make friends with you
Deoridhe Quandry: I don't understand.
[WhereYouAre?]: i no longer a stranger if i make friend with you
Deoridhe Quandry: That's a very big if, and even acquaintances don't get offline information. If you're willing to wait a couple years to feed your curiosity, though, feel free.
[WhereYouAre?]: i feel sorry
Deoridhe Quandry: Excuse me?
[WhereYouAre?]: yes
Deoridhe Quandry: I don't understand.

And he logged off.

What baffles me about this interaction was how he felt the need to deny something was important despite it clearly being the most important thing to him. I'm not sure what information it would give him if he knew my nationality; I'm not sure why he told me his! Is it simply that so many people don't know how to maintain a conversation and make actual friends? Was there something else he was aiming at? I have no idea, and I doubt I will ever find out. Instead, he vanished offline - likely to never log in again since he didn't get whatever it was he wanted.

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: De la Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 04-A
Eyeshadow: Mock, Party all night Some kinda Mer (group gift)
Embellishment: Mock, Winter Pink Masque (group gift)
Lipstick: Mock, Opal Lipcolor Dusty Gray
Hair: Curio Obscura, Stackable Hair (Gatcha Prize)
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Jewelry: N@N@, Soko Set (The Wash Event)
Lingerie: Dar Innis, Simple Elegance
Shirt: Somnia, Knit Mess Rainbow (The Wash Event)
Shorts: G Field, Frill Shorts - ash
Fan: Shakeup, Arcade Fan Chic (Gatcha Prize)
Shoes: katat0nik, Candy Rainbow

Poses: Glitterati

Location: Ode
Light Settings: Phototools, Dream Book 4
Water Settings: Phototools Ship Light

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Queen of the Animals

This outfit makes me feel so warm and safe. Even though I went to travel where the wild things are, since I'm the Queen of them all, all is right in the world. I like being a little Queen - not a big one. I don't aspire to offline royalty, or even political office. My job is adapting to the mind, needs, wants, and spirits of other people and trying to help them realize their goals, which is incompatible with being a Queen there. Outside of my job, I'm noticed by few and passed over by many, one cog among many, one flower in a garden of blooms. I don't really aspire to be a Queen there, either; I would like more money, but I'd prefer it without any fame; I can't imagine the life of a famous person who could never again be un-famous. "You can be infamous," Dave Chappelle famously said, "but you can never become un-famous." That is a profound loss of control on a scale I can't even imagine, though all of us loose that control on a smaller scale all the time - especially in the age of the internet. As Deoridhe I am, as of right now, unique, and that's it's own kind of fame. The other day someone who had friended me on Facebook found me in Second Life, IMing me with, "You play Sims, too!" I could only answer yes, yes I do. I do a lot of things.

It's an odd thing to blog that one doesn't want attention, though, especially since I watch my tiny crowd of viewers come and go, always spiking around the newbie resources and any hunt posts I do. I've been changing how I tag things, looking for a way to isolate out the different threads of what I'm interested in. Someone who likes my opinions, for example, won't necessarily be so interested in a fashion post. I had originally thought to try to subdivide my interests, but the other blog is just languishing and so I'm thinking of moving things over here, plunk some pretty pictures on it, and somehow meld together me-the-fashionista with me-the-quasi-artist with me-the-philosopher. At the end of the day, I am complex and I contain multitudes.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De la Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 04-A
Lipstick: BCC, Rarara Lip Tattoo (Gatcha Prize)
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Kiki Hair
Crown: Boom, Nature's Crown (Gatcha Prize)
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Pyjamas: Aux, Wild Rumpus Romper - Red Fox (Gatcha Prize)
Clinging Animals: D Lab, Fox & Lop Ear & Rabbit (Gatcha Prize)
Fan: Shakeup, Arcade Fan Hydrangea (Gatcha Prize)
Slippers: Conspiracy Theory, Teddy Slipper (Gatcha Prize)

Poses: Glitterati

Location: Zoo World
Light Settings: Phototools, Dream Book 02
Water Settings: Phototools Ship Light

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only