Showing posts with label Schadenfreude. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Schadenfreude. Show all posts

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Genre: Sacred

Image Description: Shot of the back of someone in a suit with an ankle length skirt and heavy boots standing on a bridge.

I've never been accused of being particularly androgynous; if anything, I tend sharply toward the femme end of the spectrum, being a fan of skirts, frills, ribbons, and shiny jewels. That's part of what makes Genre so fun, though - offering up opportunities to go against the grain stylishly. One thing I particularly liked about what I've seen so far is that contrary to the tendency for "androgynous" to be most often translated to menswear for women, Genre offers up several types of womenswear for men, and some truly lovely clothing that meets in the middle - like this long skirted suit by A:S:S. It's available with and without boobs, and somehow manages to meld together feminine and masculine in both pieces - the narrow simplicity of the suit top complements slighter builds while the length of the skirt is reminiscent of robes worn as much by men as women, especially historically. I'm not normally a suit wearer, but this one tickles my fancy much more than I would have otherwise expected. I echoed the narrow tie in the earrings from claMberry, which feature silver findings (gold is also available) and long, thin ties. They're quite fun as an accessory, especially with an androgynous theme.

Image Description: Torso shot of a boyish woman in a suit with pale skin and hair on half her head.

I wanted relative simplicity for the rest of my look, and so focused immediately on this neutral, extremely pale skin from Even Tide. It's delicately shaded, and would work as well on a man's shape as a woman's; the body shading is delicate and lets the mesh shape do much of the work. It also comes with a selection of tattoo layers for different effects and shadows, but I wore it plain and it is lovely without a single addition. It doesn't come with appliers for any of the body add-ons, but I was able to match the skintone using SLink's basic utility. Even with the more feminine touch of my Mock lipstick, the effect is much more boyish than my usual. I wanted a similarly boyish hairstyle, and so went with The Stringer Mausoleum's wilted mohawk in a startling shade of white called, happily, "Unicorn." I love the jagged edges of it, and how it drapes beautifully over the temple. There are a bunch of other colors, but I found a certain glee in going white on white under the darkness of my severe suit. Speaking of severe, by far my clompiest accessory is these amazing boots from C L A Vv, in shiny patent leather. I adore the weight of them, and the angled shine. My poses are all suited for men or women, and are from Mien. They're fairly straightforward overall, with arms set wide enough to not cut into the body whether boob bedecked or otherwise!

Image Description: Close-up of a pair of boots under a long skirt walking towards a bonsai tree.

And finally, Schadenfreude not only released a treat bucket, but she released four - one of them as a special gift for members of the Silent Sparrow group and at the tail end of a lot of up and down stairs, because that store is a three dimensional labyrinth. If you aren't one of the lucky members, you can get a free brown and orange one at Schadenfreude's store as well, and if you're a member of that august group there's also a group-only bucket hidden somewhere around the elephant, but I love my red and blue carnival bucket so dearly! I also have it on good authority that katat0nik has a similarly individualized and fun bucket in melon shades for her group members, which means one can match trick or treat buckets with almost any look.

Image Description: Boyish woman in a suit with a long skirt walking down a path from a gazebo.


Friday, December 20, 2013

Twisted Color Challenge: Week 49: Relaxed Greenlands

Temporarily Regal

In the spirit of Relaxed Greenlands, I decided to go red and green this time. The actual colors were a sagey kind of green and a lovely gray, but when I put on this hair from Underscore and it happened to be red, I adored the effect so much I simply couldn't resist. Underscore is good for big, relaxed hair - the kind of hair that looks good on music albums and fashion plates. I'm really loving this color, too; rich and red with enough pale highlights to not be totally unrealistic. It's rigged, and the shape is loose enough that it looks good with many a head tilt. I tucked on one of my many gatcha prizes from Schadenfreude, this amazing crown. I am lacking only one of the rares (Majesty Crown, oh how you taunt me) but even the commons are lovely and striking; this one is a common, though I ended up buying it at a yard sale, as the gatcha machine was obsessed with giving me hearts and diamonds. My eyeshadow is from Nuuna, who always does a wide variety of colors, and I like the fierce edge this style gives my eyes, especially when combined with bright red lips from Essences. The lower lip is a little thinner than my skin, but I actually rather like the effect - it looks like I'm a refined vixen, instead of a lipstick slatherer. These wonderful poses are at least partially the result of my finally joining the !bang VIP group, just in time for two on-sale sets of poses. I particularly like how casual and natural !bang poses are - much less "on the runway," and much more out in the world.

Glaring Lights

The jewelry is a combo of two stores - Earthstones for the earrings and necklace; I hadn't planned on buying this style, but it was so perfect with the color scheme that I indulged, and I'm so glad I did. The bracelets were free, part of a hunt, and are from DV8 - a store which went on hiatus a while ago but which has re-emerged onto the grid with some new offerings. I'm really looking forward to seeing what they do with the changes to the grid while they were gone - mesh rigging has become much more refined, mesh bodyparts are rampant, and can you imagine DV8 velvet with materials? The dress is an older release from Lassitude & Ennui, an it really fit the challenge better than I could have dreamed. It's one of the rare dual-layer dresses - a sheer layer only slightly above an opaque one, with an invisilayer which will smooth away any pesky hip bits that might otherwise peek through. I particularly like the satin shine of the ribbons along the bottom, and the variances of green over the entire gown - the darker and lighter sage of the bodice are rich without being overpowering, and the paler skirt is simply lovely and fades naturally into the hues of my shoes. These shoes are one of the latest releases from Eclectica - an her shoes have simply become divine. Unique, lovely, and always with tons of color options, I'm really excited to see what she'll come up with next.

In a Sudden Frost

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: Izzie's, Irene
Hair: Underscore, Bad Medicine
Crown: Schadenfreude, Storybrook Royalty (Gatcha Arcade)
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyeshadow: Nuuna, Ara Green
Lipstick: Essences, Lipstick Red 02
Wings: Deviance, Sidhe
Hands and Feet: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands and Feet
Nails: Bliensen + MaiTai, Strawberry
Jewelry: Earthstones, Genie Set
Bracelets: DV8, Palais Bracelet (Hunt Prize)
Dress: Lassitude & Ennui, Patience Dress
Shoes: Eclectica, Catherine Gothic

Pose: !bang

Location: Flanagan Falls

Light Settings: TOR, MIDDAY An Incongruent Truth
Water Settings: Glassy

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

SL Disney Bound – Week Twenty Two: Cinderella & Gus Gus

Emergence

It's going to take me a while to catch up with the Disneybound Challenge, especially when I do what I did today, which was spend a whole long time on figuring out how to make a projector because I am stupid. Right now I'm working on Cinderella and Gus Gus, with poor little Gus as a worn companion instead of an alt because... I just can't do all of that and shadows. Sorry, it's just too many variables to work together smoothly. I ended up pulling out a tiny mint bird which I got from Schadenfreude ages ago, remembering that Cinderella had bird friends as well as mice friends; it snuggles up against my hair in most of the pictures, which I think is really cute and understated.My hair is the FaMESHed Wasabi Pills release with a fantastic swirl of braid that I fell in love with as soon as I saw it. I adore how it curves around the bulk of the hair, and there are great wisps of hair down the back as well, which makes it look very natural and sweet. Although the braids cross through my left ear, it works from most angles because part of the braids go in front, so it appears like my ear has been woven in. My wings are an amazing rare gatcha prize from Deviance which simply makes me gasp with awe and envy; they were released at the Fantasy Gatcha Event. I really hope she keeps it up with the wings - I love her clothing, but her wings have helped to fully lure me away from my long-time Fancy Fairy wings, which I haven't worn in a long while.

Shadowplay

My jewelry, gorgoeus releases from Lassitude & Ennui, I've actually worn before, but it remains so sweet and nature-driven that I felt it fit for Cinderella, who makes friends with wildlife like a good princess should. It has sweet and simple earrings and a delicately rendered chain. My one wish would be for darker colors on the jewelry (or an easier way to tint them). Much as I love the pastels, I'd like to modify them without taking them apart. My dress is an amazing one from Fateplay, and I may end up photographing each color before I'm done because his clothing is so flawless. In this case, I'm showing off the shirt-version where the sleeves remain hanging no matter what one does, which can lead to interesting effects in poses, but which also adds some verisimilitude when the arms are by the side. I simply don't have words for how glad I am that he's making women's clothing now. My finger and toenails owe their coloring to Orc Inc, which is one of my favorite nail stores; one bonus with Orc Inc's nail lines is that you get a certain color style in a tone of colors with a single purchase, which is a lot of bang for one's buck. Finally, these amazing shoes are from Sax Shepard Designs. I love the realistic detailing - you can see the stitches, even - and the delicately rounded heel which is very different from other shoes I've worn. They have a casual, classy style which can be dressed up or down depending; in this case I think they match well with the rough elegance of my Fateplay medieval gown.

Shoes and Scrolls

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Candace Creamer
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Sarah
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Mesh Eye Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyeshadow: MiaSnow, Dark 2 blue
Lipstick: Mock, Fruitilicious Gloss - Grenadine Lolli
Wings: Deviance, Sidhe Wings
Hands: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands
Nails: Orc Inc, Rich Lights
Jewelry: Lassitude & Ennui, Dewdrop
Gus Gus: Schadenfreude, Mint Sparrow
Dress: Fateplay, Wende
Feet: SLink, Mesh Feet
Shoes: Sax Shepard Designs, Casual Mules

Poses: Exposeur


Location: Isle of Amras - Infirmary
Light Settings: TOR, EUPHORIA Monochrome
Projector Texture: Mine
Water Settings: Glassy

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Monday, August 19, 2013

Twisted Color Challenge: Week 33: Wine Cellar

Peacock

I went more to the red than the purple of Wine Cellar, but it's a gorgeous combination and I really embraced the Twenties in Europe and the US - the shapeless sheaths that were early reflections of women's desires to be equals to men, along with the widespread embrace of smoking as a symbol of empowerment. Short hair served the same purpose, as well as being easier to take care of; World War One had given women a taste of the public life, and they wanted more. In retrospect, there is a headlessness to the time between the two World Wars; although we know no one could have known what was coming, the combat which would shatter an empire and set the ground for another to take root seems to be reflected in the metal and glass, in the delicate roughness that exemplifies Art Deco and the Twenties. I have always loved Art Deco and the detached, stylish, ironic air which surrounded it. It seems like a desperate, beautiful time, when everyone knew things were profoundly disordered, no one knew what to do, so we might as well drink. The class war was still reasonably well hidden, colonialism loomed largely, and people would non-ironically name a largely European War a worldwide affair. I found an exquisitely rendered Twenties haven in Mad City, the sim built for MadPea's latest two hunts. This set is centered mostly around the Hotel, which is gorgeous, but there is also several other areas as well as an enormous park and a multitude of cars. I really encourage you to go check this sim out before it vanishes in the maw of MadPea's next game.

Baggage

My hat is a very old release from Eclectica that I gleefully ripped the hair out of and resized to fit new hair. I love the style of it, and the slightly uneven brim, and her gorgeous textures. I tucked into it this bob from Alice Project and tinted it blond with rainbow streaks using her amazing HUD system. I love how versatile that makes her hairs - I can really shift them to fit a lot of different looks. My cosmetics are from Mock - I layered two shades for a dull, brownish red to match the reds of the rest of my look, and it worked beautifully. One wonderful thing about Mock's lips is that most of them are at least a little translucent, which makes customization a matter of layers. My pearls are these lovely knotted ones from Deco, the colors delicate and the arrangement just a lot of fun. It looks like I've been out dancing all night and not noticed what happened below my chin. I'm semi-saturated on jewelry these days, but something unique and quirky like this always seems to steal the Linden out of my pockets. My wings are free - f r e e - and do not look it; they are the Apsara wings from Illusions in rainbow, and part of the Taste the Rainbow Hunt. I simply adore them, and the curls and colors fit the Art Deco aesthetic beautifully. My dress is an astonishing release from Volstead which is a lot more scandalous than it looks - the mesh dress is actually semi-translucent, and it's only the texturing layers on my skin which make it look like clothing one could wear in public. It also moves beautifully, and wasn't quite as square as some of the other dresses I've seen. My cigarette, and my poses, are all from Flowey; I have Whiskey Monday to blame for turning me on to her, and I've never regretted it; one wonderful thing about her poses is how natural they often seem - not posed or false but rather how one stands when no one is looking. Finally, I've shown off these shoes before but they deserve a second look - released by Schadenfreude, the heels have a gorgeous Art Deco style heel and are tintable in five different places, which means they can be adapted to an awful lot of looks.

Friendly Smile

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Candace Creamer
Hair: Alice Project, Mary
Hat: Eclectica, Cloche Hat
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Mesh Eye Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Lipstick 1: Mock, Sahne Bitter Chocolate
Lipstick 2: Mock, Lucir LipColor Vin Rouge
Jewelry: Deco, Marilyn Pearls
Wings: Illusions, Apsara Wings (Taste the Rainbow Hunt)
Hands: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands
Nails: Nine Inch Nails, Deco
Cigarette: Flowey, Heirloom Cigarette Holder
Dress: Volstead, Scandal Dress
Shoes: Schadenfreude, Casinelle Shoes

Pose: Flowey


Location: Mad City - The Silent Peacock Hotel

Light Settings: TOR, MIDDAY Herr Gracken
Water Settings: NB, Sparkling Depths

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Monday, August 12, 2013

SL Disney Bound – Week Twenty One: Rapunzel

Up on the Edge

I have been wanting to show off this dress from Jane for ages, and Rapunzel made the perfect excuse for a textured, purpley-pink robe that allows for swinging around, climbing, and general tomfoolery. I love the layered effect, and all of the different designs Jane did with it - this lighter fade over a darker pattern is in three tones, while three different tones have a more elemental aesthetic. You can see how well and smoothly it moves, and I love the broad shoulder straps and squared bodice as well. The length is short enough to be flirty, but long enough to cover everything critical, and the mesh is line inside up quite a ways, though if one uses alpha layers to prevent clipping there is a certain height where it stops working well. I chose the shoes to match with the lower, crosshatched layer of dark purple and light pink; they're a very new release from Schadenfreude, and if you get the fatpack you can tint all different parts of it different shades. I chose pink for the toe and heel, and the darker purple for the sides, and I really think that they are glorious together.

Float and Dance

The Schadenfreude shoes are available at the Collabor88 Birthday Event, as is the hair from Wasabi Pills. It's a gorgeous short, curling style with the most adorable headband, perfect for layering with some of the jewelry available at that same event. What I love about her hairs is that almost always the curls are far enough back to easily clear my ears (my eternal favorites, from Illusions), which means I can take pictures from every angle, instead of having to be careful. I tugged out a caged bird necklace and a shiny little crown from Krystal as the icing on this particular look;I have no idea when or where I got these, but aren't they adorable? I love the pink and blue together, and the gleam of each tiny prim as I wear them. Finally, the wings from Deviance are one of the commons from the Fantasy Gatcha Event, and I really adore them. One thing I discovered between now and then is that when you fly, these wings flap in response. Isn't that delightful? I love learning new things, even if I probably should have learned them from reading a notecard...

On the Edge of Rest

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Candace Creamer
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Claudette
Crown: Krystal, Miss Imperial - Mini Tiara
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Mesh Eye Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyeshadow: De La Soul, Charlie Makeup - Ink
Wings: Deviance, Sidhe  Wings (Fantasy Gatcha Faire)
Hands: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands
Nails: A. E. Meth, Tie-Dye Nails
Jewelry: Krystal, Bird Cage Necklace
Dress: Jane, Carolina Dress
Shoes: Schadenfreude, Casinelle

Poses: Long Awkward Pose


Location: Isle of Amras: Castle

Light Settings: Mod of TOR Foggy Windlight
Water Settings: Glassy

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Friday, May 17, 2013

Sunshine Girl

Ponds

It's almost summer, so it's time to break out the bright colors and find a pretty sim for some pictures. I started at Whiskey Monday's new landscape show at the Kelly Yap Art Gallery, which is lovely even if it does make me ache with envy - her landscapes are amazing and I want to take pictures with them. After yearning there, I followed the thread to her art gallery at Edloe, under the Listening Room, and the under is important, because after I spent a while spending time in her props pretending I was awesome, I found my way out and across a bridge to Catgirl's Harbour, which was absolutely gorgeous. I found bridges, cute little ponds, lovely living electronics, and a small nest of meeroos, all in a small section of sim with a beautiful coastline and in view of Edloe. I was already dressed to the nines, so an impromptu photoshoot was simply called for. I'm mostly wearing things I picked up at Collobor88, though I have mixed feelings about attending after learning that bloggers and users associated with the Liaison Collaboration were banned from the sim (some info here). It's always hard to know how to react when people do things you're not sure you agree too - but since at least one of the banned women specifically said she still blogs the event, and because so much of the details are unknown, I ended up deciding to swing by and see many of my favorite creators at work.

I'm So Hawt I'm Kewl

D!va has been my favorite store for loose, flyaway hair for a long while, and I love the flirty updo released, the back held up by color-changing hairclips. This is a prim hairstyle, which meant I was able to move a couple of bits of hair which cut through my ears - just admire that fit. The wisps and flares are just really fun, like I put up my hair in a rush and ran out the door to worship the sun. I added on these amazing sunglasses from Contraption which are just so fun, and which inspired me to use teal heels from Felicity to match the blue in these awesome glasses - like sunlight captured in ice. My lips are layered Mock lip gloss for a soft, bright, summery orange - best glosses on the grid, I swear. My jewelry is a color changing set from Maxi Gossamer, which is so becoming my jewelry of choice - give me options, people! The kind of cool thing about it is that while the names for each color type is a single color (in this case yellow), it's actually a spectrum of colors around yellow so that it looks like a funky, pulled together set instead of strings and strings of all the same beads. Really, it's a ton of fun - make rainbow next, please! My dress is from Schadenfreude, and I am SO GLAD she is making mesh. It's an adorable, strapless gown, like so many adorable strapless gowns, but the hem is simply divine - look at that lace - and the pattern is fantastic. Also, she has earned my eternal love by actually having the dress filled in across the bottom so that it looks like layers and layers of crinolines are holding the dress out. Amazing, simply amazing! My poses, by the way, are from Adorkable Poses and they are simply dreamy. Sadly, Adorkable is closing her store; luckily, she's putting things on sale so go, go, go! Finally, to return to my other touch of teal, these amazing heels from Felicity are part of her latest release and are really fun; the color was simply perfect for my look - like an icy drink on a hot summer day.

Meeeeeroos

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Candace (promotional item)
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow (promotional item)
Sunglasses: Contraption, Meltdown - shine (Collabor88)
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Lipstick 1: Mock, Glasside Lip Sorbo
Lipstick 2: Mock, Glasside Lip Trinidad
Hair: D!va, Sayaka3 (Collabor88)
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Dress: Schadenfreude, Into the Woods (Collabor88)
Jewelry: Maxi Gossamer, Summertime Easy Living (Collabor88)
Hands: SLink, Enhanced Mesh Hands
Nails: Izzie's, Metallic Nails
Shoes: Felicity, Nadine Shoes (promotional item)

Poses: Adorkable Poses

Location: Catgirl's Harbour
Light Settings: Annan Adored Light Explosion II
Water Settings: Glassy

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Friday, March 8, 2013

Arcade Exhaustion

So, I finally made it to the Arcade....

Arcade Exhaustion

I got so much stuff I literally don't know what to do with myself. This is a fraction of my haul, and doesn't include any of the extras that I passed out to my exhausted and sometimes frightened friends list! I absolutely had to start with the Wild Rumpus Romper from Auxiliary, which I managed to trick into giving me every part of the Red Fox rare set! I have the tail, but its stuck under me. The wand in my hand came along with something, though.... I think the tail? I also landed two other rare heads, though I'm not sure what bodies go with the sheep and the panda! So confused. I need a written guide, or something. Since my red fox head lacked a paper crown, I made up for it with one of the millions of gorgeous ones from Boom. I don't have enough words for how much I love these crowns - I ended up picking up almost all the colors I was missing (except for the rares, of course) at the wide variety of yardsales out and about the grid.

I had never seen BCC's cosmetics before, but I got a bunch of really cute colors. I'm not quite sure they suit my face, but I have some alts to pass them off to where it would be perfect! The fan in my hands is from another new-to-me store, Shakeup; I ended up with a half dozen of these, and they're really cute. They have an animation included, but you can over-ride it, which is why I'm all slumped and exhausted! Finally, the cute animals laying all over me are from D Lab, which is known for it's adorable little toys. As an added bonus - when you click them, they begin to move! It is totally adorable in person. Totally. I tucked these slippers from Conspiracy Theory on my toes to round out the romper, and I really think their fluffy cuteness is awesome and fits my general comfortable outlook.

It was hard to decide what I wanted to be surrounded by, but I started with a small army of cupcakes from Half-Deer marching across my unconscious body. Half-Deer also released antlers (why did I not get the pink rare? Why? WHY????) but I'm not wearing any in this picture. I also set out a couple of the adorable jars from Pixel Mode, which are dedicated to various self-care things. I will admit I actually bought extra of these after I got the rainbow one because I wanted to have them on hand for when my friends had a hard day. The Schadenfreude octopus Tea Set was another set where I cried for rares - the tray and an adorable risen tray of cakes both eluded my grasp, and I simply couldn't keep sending money down her adorable, wonderful, gullet. I landed the bear from Sway I wanted right out of the gate, though! Second play, rainbow bear! The Gatchas LOVE me! The Contraption Gatcha was more elusive, though; I landed one of the rares, but frankly the standard music boxes are so awesome I don't mind at all. That gatcha also has some special thing - I saw it for sale for 2.5K at a yard sale, though I have no idea what it is!

A number of the gatcha prizes also seemed to be harkening back to where I first met gatcha, which was on Japanese language sims. Standby's Bento Boxes were among my favorites of this round of the Arcade; I love how they are whimsical and delicious looking. I taunted a friend when I landed the sake one, but I have to admit I adore every one I got! (Unfortunately, I couldn't find a landmark for Standby's store in either the uploading account, or the account it directed me to, or search, so sorry!) Loft's fantastic dolls in kimonos simply charmed me, and I walked away with a bunch of them, but unlike some of the "collect the whole set" ones, it was relatively easy to not pick up a million extras. The Tres Blah tea set was really adorable, and while I think I'm missing half the pieces, it's so pretty I just love it. I did manage to land a tray of macarons, though, which makes me happy since I can make them offline! I was more unsure about Trompe Loeil's lamps, but the price was so right and I walked away with a couple of awesome ones. I don't have much land, but it will be difficult to resist keeping these in my inventory! I landed this adorable and brilliantly colored poof from Apple Fall, which really made me smile when I rezzed it. I love the bright patterns! Set on top of it is a bit of soft ice cream made by Tee*fy for me, and I think I'll end this extended monologue to reward myself for a hard day's work!

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)

Pose: Long Awkward Pose, Broken Puppet 6

Gatcha Prizes: Half-Deer (cupcakes), Pixel Mode (jars of goodness), Schadenfreude (Octopus Tea Set), Sway (Bear), Contraption (Music Box), Standby (Animal Bento Boxes), Loft (Japanese Dolls), Tres Blah (Flower Tea Set), Trompe Loeil (lamp), Apple Fall (Poof), Tee*fy (Ice cream)

Light Settings: Annan Adored Optima

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Monday, December 10, 2012

Ginko

Golden Ginko

I watch a lot of anime, and have for many years now. I'm not quite a Nipponphile, but I have a great deal of appreciation for Japanese aesthetics and style; the characteristics of simplicity, purity, and nature are those sorts of universal things that can lead to beauty. Ginko leaves always make me think of Mushishi, one of my favorite anime/manga series, and a flower I made once out of ginko leaves in the fall.

Matsushima, the name of this dress/shirt from R2 Fashion (available at Collabor88), is a region in Japan that was very hard hit from the March 11 Earthquake and Tsunami, Matsushima is a collection of rocky islands covered with pines that were identified as a natural and national treasure in Japan. The Matsuo Bashō Haiku about it is particularly funny to me, since it is such an elegant way of indicating speechlessness with a twinkle hidden inside.

Matsushima ah!
A-ah, Matsushima, ah!
Matsushima, ah!

Each of the Matsushima dresses is styled off of a different flower, which to my untutored eye greatly resemble kimono fabric textures. This one is kiku-zakura, a type of pinkish-white chrysanthemum, rendered in a variety of shades of pink and gold. I love how starkly they stand out against the solid black of the background, making for an extremely dramatic look. I left a very red lip, a combination of L. Fauna and Mock, to match the drama, but kept under the dress simple, pulling out an old pair of pants from The Black Canary, which has been closed for a long while now.

Wading

The other two main pieces of this look are also from Collabor88, which is actually how I came to the combination; shallow reasoning, but fun! The hair is a combination hair from D!va, with the updo part unrigged and the ponytail rigged mesh, combining the best of both worlds - it can be modified to fit a variety of heads, but the pony tail will remain hanging over the shoulder as one moves. It's not immediately obvious in these poses, but if you look closely you'll see how my head is moving while the ponytail remains tethered while still appearing natural. Finally, these amazing boots are from Schadenfreude; I ended up being unable to buy the fatpack at Collabor88, but the creator very kindly allowed me to purchase them directly from her. At the fatpack level, different sections can be recolored to mix and match in amazing ways - leading to these two-tone spats and bright gold buttons. I especially love the texturing and shape around the knees and ankles, where the fabric bunches a bit very naturally; it's that extra bit of verisimilitude which is the mark of a superior creation. The final touch came at the last minute, when a friend and I briefly crossed paths and he passed me a bunch of wands from Curio Obscura, available at the Arcade Gatcha Event. I haven't gotten there yet, but now that I see these awesome wands I'm hoping there's space for me soon!

Hospitality

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: De la Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Eyelashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Lipstick: L. Fauna, Red 1
Lipgloss: Mock, Mizu Venetian Red
Hair: D!va, Asami (December Collabor88)
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Hands: SLink, Mesh Hands
Wand: Curio Obscura, Scepter of Hearts (December Arcade Gatcha Prize)
Shirt: r2, A/D/E Dress "Matsushima" (December Collabor88)
Pants: The Black Canary, He Lurks in Darkness
Boots: Schadenfreude, Winter's Bite Leith Boots (December Collabor88)

Poses: Adorkable Poses (Advent Gift)

Location: Japan Project Garden
Light Settings: Abracadabra2
Water Settings: SNAKE!!

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Thursday, December 6, 2012

2012 Color Challenge: Week 49 - Cotton Candy

Snow Candy

I love cotton candy - the food, not the color.The candy in my hand, I think a Gatcha prize from Saturnine Dreams, and my awesome Skinthesis wings were both rather closer to the theme than I had originally planned, but I ended up really liking them and I couldn't resist being literal! I actually started with this Gothica dress, which I've had in my inventory for a very long time and haven't had a chance to use before now. It was a perfect color for cotton candy, light and sweet but bright and playful. The flower theme was harder to carry over, though - the necklace is included but no bracelets or hair ornaments - so I ended up supplementing the pink daisies with lilies. The one in my hair is from G Field and is a staple of my inventory. The shoes were the most difficult of all, though; I ended up returning to an old staple from Deviant Designs, these adorable sandals with the lily detailing on the side. They are pre-mesh, but still incredibly well made. Finally, I ended up using a cute pig tail hairstyle from Wasabi Pills, but instead of using her jellyfish color (which was way too bright) I took one of her light white shades and tinted it to match the darkest part of the daisies. I also swapped out my usual relaxed SLink hand for the "bag" hand which looks like it's holding something, so that the stem of my cotton candy didn't fall on the ground while I was gallivanting around. I had impulsively bought the fatpack of her hands, but I'm really glad I have the versatility of them all, even if I usually just use casual! I paired a couple of eyeshadows - one a simple blush on the lid from Mock (adding a matching lip) and the other more theatrical and vivid, a heart from Schadenfreude to round out my look, and I think I look rather snazzy!

On a Bridge

The biggest challenge of the whole shoot, really, was the location and the lighting. I didn't want to overpower the outfit with a really dark location, but I did want to echo the pink of the outfit in the sky and hopefully on the land a little. I used a variety of lights, this time focusing them on one side of the body using grays and pinks. The gray was to take off some of the edge of the pinks - make it a little less obvious that the light was tinted, and to even out the light across the face and try to minimize the awkward and unattractive mesh shadows around the nose and lips. To get a shadow along the nose without catching the slightly off triangles at the sides of the nostrils is a challenge in Second Life due to the flawed mesh o its base avatars; that being said, I will take the customization of the basic mesh avatar over any mesh avatar any time of the day. I really wish Second Life would expand the options for mesh, maybe allowing a way of combining their adjustment system with fresh, better mesh bases. I'm beginning to think we may get there sometime - Second Life is slowly seeming to become more responsive, and so I maintain hope for a meeting point between individualization and style.

Furred Friends

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: De la Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Eyelashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyeshadow 1: Mock, Carnivale Cotton Candy
Eyeshadow 2: Schadenfreude, Cotton Candy
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Lipstick: Mock, Glasside Lip - Carissima
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Megumi
Hairflower: G Field, Hibiscus Hair Clip
Wings: Skinthesis, Cotton Candy Wings
Hands: SLink, Mesh Hands
Food: Saturnine Dreams, Home Spun Cotton Candy
Dress: Gothica, Clove Pink
Shoes: Deviant Designs, Beach Baby

Poses: aDORKable Poses

Location: Izzie's Mainstore
Light Settings: TOR, FOGGY Catastrophe
Water Settings: Mirror Water

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Sunday, September 23, 2012

2012 Color Challenge: Week 39 - Hunter Green

Angled Stance

The Gatcha Event at Arcade is all over the feeds and blogs, so I'm sure you've seen things from it, but I was completely blown away by the landscaping around the event. Set on a pier, with beautifully sculpted gatcha machines for all of the prizes, the texturing is completely gorgeous. A lot of it is mesh, but I found despite the crowds which were always there I had surprisingly little lag. Once I headed outside of the main building (visible on the left side), I was barely lagging at all. One positive effect of the mesh is these gorgeous fences with all of the detailing and sculpting on them which is incredibly crisp and clean. I know mesh has had a rocky start in Second Life, but I have to admit I appreciate it more and more as increasingly skills individuals begin to raise the bar even higher. Really, what can be accomplished in Second Life now is simply unbelievable - the equal of any other game on the market even on lower level computers like mine is. I was reminded of a recent post from The Digital Pasture, about how Second Life defaults are unattractive. She theorizes that a major part of this is that Linden Labs doesn't employ designers and artists, nor does it take advantage of the very talented artists in Second Life (with a few exceptions, like the new picture ads). I wonder sometimes if it might be different if more of the builders in Second Life were part of the community, but it's difficult to say that would make a difference given how involved lindens once were and how even then people perceived them as being distant.

Within Reach

Recently, I seem to have been channeling the color challenges; this week I dressed up in Hunter Green without quite realizing I had until after the pictures were taken. It was harder to work the windlight this time because the sky was textured, so setting up something which looked good but still lit the environment sufficiently was a real challenge; I ended up not doing anything too flashy. The dress from Wishbox and the watch from katat0nik were the twin inspirations, and then I ended up with the green wrap from Schadenfreude and it seemed completely perfect. The dress is a longtime favorite, and I took advantage of Wishbox's recent sale to pick up all of the rest of the colors; the colors on it are so rich, and I adore the shiny texturing on the bodice, and the ribbon around the neck. katat0nik's watches are part of the the gatcha event, though this one was a gift from a dear friend to lure me there. I have further plans for these - part of a conversation she and I had - but you'll have to wait to see what it is! As for Schadenfreude, their style doesn't always fit me - difficult to say why, but it's true - but I really love this fox stole with the button eyes; it's rigged mesh, so it stays with your torso as you move.

The mouse ears are actually tinted to be a darker green, but they are also a prize from the gatcha event but from Auxiliary, and I'm still tempted to thrown more linden their way looking for those rainbow rares! That's the problem with gatcha events; they suck me dry and tempt me to keep going until I have everything!  The hair is a new release from Secrets Hair, and I really love it. It didn't fit right out of the box, but Secrets Hair is wisely mixing rigged mesh with prims and so I was able to shift a bit of bangs to cover my bits of skull. The bit of lipstick to give just a hint of color is a gorgeous offering from Mock; I went with simple cosmetics to highlight the Lolita styling of my dress; Lolitas tend to have very simple or innocent looking appearances. I'm not sure I ever manage innocent, but I think simple exists here! The boots are an amazing offering from Kcreations; like every time I've worn some of her boots I've been pleased, and the fact they are color changing and tintable means that they are infinitely matchable, even for difficult to find colors.

Pier

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: De La Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De la Soul, RooMee Rainbow
Ears: Illusion, Seelie Ears
Eyelashes: *X*plosion, PrimLashes
Lipstick: Mock, Lucir Lipcolor - Vin Rouge
Hair: Secrets Hair, Cristina - Caramel (promotional item)
Mouse Ears: Auxiliary, Gatcha Mouse Ears (Bow) Black
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Watch: katat0nik, Nada Watch - Candy Green (Arcade Gatcha Event)
Dress: Wishbox, Charm - jade (Arcade Gatcha Event)
Stole: Schadenfreude, Green Foxy Stole (Arcade Gatcha Event)
Pet: D Lab, Skunk Arm Black (Arcade Gatcha Event)
Boots: Kcreations, Feline Boots - Leather

Poses: Glitterati

Location: Arcade Gatcha Event
Light Settings: TOR, NIGHT Brighter
Water Settings: Glassy

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Friday, July 8, 2011

Color Challenge: Week Thirty-six - Celadon

Celadon Week totally threw me. It's a color I've never heard of, and I know a lot of colors! I ended up matching by eye instead of name, and ended up with a limited edition Schadenfreude corset, from their rainy day event, and paired it up with the Deviance fairy outfit that I've had in my inventory for a long time, now. I think I matched the swatch pretty closely, even if none of the names match!

Stand Back!

I have to give a quick shout-out to Honor's Post Menopausal Blog, where I get a lot of my locations these days. She directed me to DDLE2 (yes, it's an odd name for a sim!) where I explored around finding different places to take pictures. I got foiled partway through by some vividly green ground which totally threw off the composition of my pictures, and a general problem with areas being too uniform - which makes for not terribly interesting backgrounds - but I think the end results were worth flying all over the sim! Other blogs which cover new locations in Second Life are invaluable for my picture taking. I can't stress enough how difficult it is to find new and interesting places, even though Second Life is full of them! I'll also sometimes hit the Destination Guide, but by and large I go by finds from other bloggers.

Pausing for a Breath

Now to get into me!

The hair is new from the Hair Faire, a Calico Ingmann Creations new style. I've been buying her hair for a long time (I recently found all the odd colors in her Seelie hairstyle in my new folder - been there a while!) and she just seems to get better. Better accessories, better textures, even better ways of working themselves - now her sets come color changing using huds, so you only have one "blond" hair in your inventory but you can change not only the shades of blond, but also add streaks to it! I was totally blown away. The accessories are also changeable through a hud, which is amazing; I did a fun combo here using the greener tones but there's a wide variety to match them with tons of outfits!

The corset is, as I said above, from Schadenfreude. I'm not sure this hue is still available, but I know there are other Schadenfreude corsets you can buy. I was surprised at how easily this fit with my poses, though, especially given how often corsets and poses mix badly. Even with the bending poses this worked well, though I was aided by the skirt covering up the bottom edge of the corset - which smooths over some flaws in the avatar mesh. I ended up doing some editing to the corset itself to fit my shorter, wider shape, but since the main part of the corset was a single prim this was really, really easy.

Don't Make Me Walk the Plank!

The outfit is from Deviance and I adore it! I have this in every possible color, which was a huge money sink but I've been able to use it in so many combined outfits, and in of itself it's charming. I even have a bunch of color combination ones, so I've really gotten my money's worth with it. It almost seems like it's meant to be worn with a corset; the texturing of the torso was corset-like, but I think the narrowness of the waist Schadenfreude gave me really highlights the level of skill in the flower detailing of the skirt and bodice. The primwork combines wonderfully with the texturing, making this look almost real. I particularly like the semi-transparent prims over the bodice, which really add a magical quality.

This kind of challenge really makes the color challenge worth it - I don't think I ever would have combined these items without the push of trying to match an unusual color. I've been thinking about what other kind of challenge might be fun; briefly I took part in a pose-object challenge, but it was simply too difficult to find things without buying, and being able to not buy new things every week is central to my ability to keep up with this challenge. Perhaps an accessory contest might be fun, though; I have immense accessory depths, so it might be fun to plum into them and see what I can find.

Curve

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Skin: De La Soul, Charlie - Sparkle
Ears: Illusion, Mystic Ear
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Hair: Calico Ingmann Creations, Isis 2 (w/flowers)
Dress: Deviance, Supar Plum Fairy - mint
Corset: Schadenfreude, Mint Julep Corset
Shoes: G Field, Flower Pumps "Eve" - cream

Poses: Glitterati

Location: DDLE2
Light Settings: TOR, Midday - Herr Gracken
Water Settings: Valdez

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only

Monday, February 28, 2011

Color Challenge: Week Seventeen - Electric Lime

Lime week was an absolute blast, and set me catapulting back to a dress I loved the moment I put it on. The Green Caged Dress by Schadenfreude was one of the prizes at Magic of Oz, during one of their earliest hunts.

I adore the hunts at Magic of Oz. Even in the beginning they were unique - hunting for objects for each store all over, with them appearing and disappearing like magic. Now it's easily my favorite place to hunt - not only is it a great deal of fun bouncing about with a basket steadily filling with pretty prizes, but it also allows for fun exploration without the lag which was the bane of the first couple of hunts. Indeed, the only frustrating thing is occasionally having to hunt for the stores!

Palms


The location I ended up at was one that's been in my books for a while - Twomoons Island. It seems to be the new place where MiaSnow is now - though to be honest I didn't look much at the stores. I was more focused on the lovely taunt that was the locked off areas - I ended up posing in front of a couple of them, just because they were so incredibly lovely.

I resisted the urge to cam inside, or press myself up against the red lines and whine like an excluded kitty cat, but it was clear the loveliness of the available build extends beyond into private. I can certainly understand why people want to keep places private, but I must admit an entirely childish desire to explore in those places which no amount of rationality can quite quench.

Forbidden Forest


The land is gorgeous, a swooping and curving landscape with heights and waters both. There are some charming buildings I found near the end, and the views in all directions are amazing. There are even some elusive little islands around the edges, sticking out into the water off the edge of the sim and making it seem more like part of an archipelago, than a single square place. There are also some lovely glowing flowers, which stood out well against the green of the ground without killing the eye with glow.

I lit it all rather green, but wandering around after the final photograph was taken I found it responds well to a variety of coloration and seems to respond particularly well to a bright blue sky. The blue of the sky and water set off the teals and greens of the land in a manner which is simply a delight to the eyes.

( Other pictures can be seen here. )

Credits:

Skin: Nomine, Sylvan Latte - pride 1
Eyes: Tacky Star, Pride
Ears: Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy (tarnished)
Hair: Calico Ingmann Creations, Seelie - Light Lime
Wings: Schadenfreude, Lucent Batwing - Green
Necklace: Magpie, Lime Cubelet Necklace
Dress: Schadenfreude, Green Caged Gown
Bracelets: Begendings, Bracelets - Lime
Shoes: Katat0nik, Ghostfire Boots - Lime

Poses:
1) Endless Dreams, Kawaii Pose 4
2) Olive Juice, ILY

Location: Twomoons Island
Light Settings: [TOR] SCIFI - Green whirl
Water Settings: [TOR] Chivandria clair

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only