Genre: Valkyrie's Rage

Blood rains           from the cloudy web

On the broad loom             of slaughter.

The web of man               grey as armor

Is now being woven;        the Valkyries

Will cross it           with a crimson weft.

Darraðarljóð^

Valkyrie are the agents of the gods, flying over conflicts to pluck the Heroic Dead and bring them to the Halls where they will pass their days practicing and carousing in preparation for the End of the World. Foster Daughters of the One Eyed God, even as the Heroic Dead are foster sons, they serve and seek and weave in a world build by blood and wisdom. Associated with ravens and swans, Valkyrie are often depicted with winged cloaks or riding flying horses.

Genre: Midnight on the Pacific Shore

The Polynesian Theme of Genre is coming to it's end, and when it goes so will a wide variety of amazing decorations and fun outfits and accessories. I had fun putting together a small set off to one side of a friend's land before taking a few pictures. First, the set! The tall tiki torch and the squat table-sized torch are both from Anachron. They have a lovely shape, very simple shading, and a simply gorgeous flame on top. Both give a soft golden glow which brighten up their surroundings nicely. Behind this pair I put a trio of Little Llama's pineapple shaped lamps in a variety of colors. I'm showing the fruit colored, rainbow, and yellow, but there are several other options including a tintable white/ These lamps turn on and off on a touch, making them functional and decorative in one. In the background floating on the ocean is an adorable little lantern from Distorted Dreams which has a circle of flowers around it which can either be set to spin or be static. I love the combination, and having something to float on water is really perfect for a Polynesian theme.

Genre: Erté Inspired

Genre is winding down, only a day or two left before it closes, so make sure to swing by and pick up some gorgeous Belle Epoche goodies. I'm channeling Erté today, or I'm trying - he's a devilishly difficult artist to rise up to, but this gown by LouLou&Co seemed the perfect vector to try. It has gorgeous drape, in front and in back, which is a mark of Erté's style - arm drapes would have been even more awesome, but I have no idea how they could be rigged! The extremely low-cut back is a step up from Erté's suggestive standards, but I don't think he would have minded. The drape is perfect, however, skimming over the buttocks and along the side of the body to frame each curve. The texturing works well with the mesh, long lines accentuating the fabric folds while lace-like tendrils catch the fabric up at the waist and set the stage for a more demure ankle length skirt to offset the thoroughly scandalous décolletage. It's fully lined, which is important with a dress showing off this much skin, and rigged to fit standard sizes, fitmesh, Belleza, Maitreya, and SLink. The rigging is good - usual skirt breaks with crossed legs, but otherwise no clipping or over-stretching and the textures work well with movement.

Fantasy Faire: A Traveller in Serenity

Serenity offered up some amazing views, amazing heights, and some truly unique items to wear. The The Stringer Mausoleum (Serenity) offers up a truly unique hair - roses growing along the line of the skull from forehead to the nape of the neck, available in a bunch of unusual colors. If it doesn't perfectly meet your skull, it's modify-ok so that you can shift the roses to fit your head. I added on top of that a set of lovely antlers complete with jewelry from Spyralle (Serenity). The shape of these antlers is amazing, wide and sweeping with balls of light on the ends, while the forehead jewelry hands from golden chains. The design of it is rounded and interesting, with a delicate pattern placed behind the gold trim - a good example of Spyralle's excellent combination of shape and texture. This RFL design is lovely and there's also a HUD driven multipack available.

Genre: The Rainbow Zone

Any world can be created in Second Life, even a rainbow version of the Twilight Zone, and the furniture and sets available at Genre this month make creating your own land of improbable geometry both easy and fun. Personally, I started with an amazing chess-and-clocks base from Black Tulip, which is stuffed full of poses as well as personality. The combo of lines and curves make taking pictures from every angle a blast, and I adore the tip-toeing across the top edges of things in particular - it really makes it charming and fun. It comes in black and white but can be tinted to many colors and is easy to dress up if you want a less minimalist style. I'd love to see it with chess pieces in particular, or perhaps some giant clocks. The details I added were similarly surreal, though - 22769 ~ [bauwerk] has both a ladder to nowhere and a stack of chairs to nowhere in their offerings this Genre, and each have a ton of thoughtful, reflective, and silly poses.

Sunday Squee: Spyralle

One of the people who does the most with textures is Kerryth Tarantal the creator of Spyralle, a clothing and furniture store filled to the brim with fractals. If you haven't run into fractals before, they're an amazing discovery of mathematics and also a natural phenomena - and offshoot of a tendency for nature to repeat patterns in both directions, smaller and larger. The roots of human understanding go back to the 17th century in the studies of recursion until the term was finally coined in the 1970s by Benoît Mandelbrot. He described them as "beautiful, damn hard, increasingly useful" but it wasn't until computers became ubiquitous that their true utility for creation was unlocked.

Critical in re-creating natural figures in digital worlds, fractals also can be colored and reproduced - and its this from that most people outside of mathematics, like myself, are familiar with. This is also the form that Tarantal makes use of in her creations, from coloring her chunky furniture and buildings to her boho-style clothing, and even on a wide variety of jewelry, masks, and fantastical accessories. The colors she uses are bright and clear, and she places the different swirling features beautifully on clothes and jewels alike. She seems to work mostly from the Mandelbrot and Julia sets with their amazing coils and curves rendered in stunning shades. I think I like the jewelry the best, the boundless glory of fractals somehow captured in rectangles and bands of brilliance. In all the many facets, though, Spyralle will continue to bring fractals to the grid, a truly unique style that everyone can enjoy.

Gifts

I can't remember when I began buying and wearing Blue Blood clothing, but it was well before the advent of mesh, and probably even before the advent of the invisilayers which can make mesh flawless. Her work always straddles the line of cute and creepy, never quite slipping over to horrifying but often hinting darkly of the corpses in the closets you will never open, and this dress - a slip with a ragged hem splashed with something dark and red - is no exception. It's also a group gift; Ghanima has always been generous, and this dual set of dresses is an example of that - both are texture change via a HUD (it beeps very high pitched when you change colors, so you know you did!). It has a complicated pattern even before you take the blood into account - side panels and a belt which break them into "light" and "dark" (Blue Blood has a long history of White Gothic Lolita which is charming) and a bib in the contrasting shade - white on the dark patterns, and dark on the light patterns - over the long color panel which has five different options, including one which flirts with rainbow. The group costs 50$L to join, a slight cost for a total of twelve bloody dresses!

I've been looking for an outfit to add Spyralle's Genre offering this month, and couldn't resist when I saw it against my purples. This look is a combination of a large, face covering web (the lighter purple pattern with the wisps at the edges) and the forehead jewel. A HUD recolors the latter to match each of the offered colors, and also lets you change the texture of the metal base and frame for the jewel separately. I am always impressed anew by Kerryth's use of fractals in her creations, and her way of bending them around the human body, and this is a dramatic example of how fractals can be literally woven into my avatar's face. The effect is striking, and works well with further enhancements - in this case a contrasting lipstick and black eyeliner. I look forward to seeing how else Spyralle decides to play with fractals and tattoo layers; this was definitely a success, and is available at Genre until the 12th.

Genre: Dark Summoner

Genre's theme is the Dark Arts this round, and the inspiration covers a lot of ground - from traditional practices of Tarot and Demonology to popular fiction. It also gave me a chance to get in touch with shadow!Deo, who lurks in the places least seen and comes out... well, best to leave those considerations unspoken. My face is made up of a combination of things; layered underneath is the base tattoo from Spyralle, meant to go with a variety of forehead decorations - foreheads were popular this month! It's a webwork design you'll see more of in future posts, but I liked the effect of the lacy edges under my mask, an incredible creation from Eclectica. It's formed and textured like leather, ridged and edged very realistically with simple, smooth curling horns coming from the temples. I love the texturing on this in particular, from the gleam of the eyes to how each section captures the light. It looks sharp and wild, yet still retains it's mask-like quality, which I really appreciate. My jewelry is also from Eclectica, but isn't a release at Genre, and after this round of Genre is over, the mask will join the rest of Eclectica's creations at her store.

My dress is from Wimey, and manages to somehow be both adorable and menacing - a Wimey special, in my experience. I am a sucker for outfits with snakes on them, and this one does not disappoint - with a python lovingly hugging waist and breast both. The snake part is textured with a dappled metallic effect, like beaten metal, while the corset top and skirt both have the heavy, thick quality of leather. I particularly like the embossed pattern on the bodice and how the bottom v of the bodice is more heavily creased, as if the wearer has sat a lot in it. The effect is a wearable garment, even though it's all leather. I added on some flash nails from Vengeful Threads, a field of red trees on a black background - certainly appropriate for the overall look and very slick. My shoes, in contrast, look like they were decoupaged from old Tarot cards - a fun and misty effect from Sense-able Fashions. The shoe shape itself is simple, a perfect base for the overlaying of brightly colored cards to really be shown at their best.

The final touch to my demonic fashion is a curse from BluPrintz - swirling flames which can be connected by a series of particles to form stars of different numbers of points - from three to twelve. The options for colors are immense - there is a way to change both colors of the flames as well as the color of the links; I went with a dull, bloody red for the star, and left the points as bright orange and red flames. In addition to flames swirling behind, there is a second set included which swirls around the body perpendicular to it - rather like the magical effects of anime, or what happened last week when I summoned that... oh, well... nevermind. It's not important.It's definitely critical to make it to Genre before ...whatever happened last week catches up with us, though - remember, salt and circles, and try to make sure what you summon isn't on the same side of the barrier as you are.

Genre: Surprise Party

I'm squeezing in one last Genre post - this time doing my best to show off some of the decorative items which are available through the end of today. My outfit - this confection of balloons somehow attached to my body, is from DeviousMind and is a great deal of fun! It comes with a ton of appliers for different bodies - L.inc, Belleza Venus, and Lolas Tango - some textured pieces to cover the critical pieces, and different versions of the bustle as well as particle ribbons for the hand which kick in when one moves. It's enormous fun for a burlesque outfit or similar style event, which is what inspired me to pull out the Bliensen + MaiTai party cake, which is set up for a dancer hopping out of it and performing for the crowd! It comes with two hiding locations, plus several "pop out of the cake" events (singing, clapping), and several more dances. It also delivers accessories for each appropriate step, like a microphone for singing to the crowd, and even a cake top hat! I'm definitely keeping this in my inventory for someone's surprise party, or even as a club crowd pleaser.

Once I got started, I couldn't help but fill in the rest of the room. First I pulled out banners and star lights from Spyralle, all of them brightly decorated with Spyralle's signature bright patterns. They are editable, with the banners flexi on large boxes which means they can be resized to fit different areas of the house and made either fullbright or not. I absolutely adore the colors and brightness they bring to the party! In one corner I set up a table with party accessories in red and green from Bauwerk. This is one of my first times interacting with their creations, and they really are lovely. The accessories can all be mixed and matched as you wish, and I love the random combination of the cups and letters spelling out "Happy Birthday."

This set could also work well for Christmas, being the proper hues, and it's all copy-ok, meaning you can fill a wall with chairs to park the pizza on, like I did. The pizza is from Lost Junction, and is nicely textured. It includes full pies and single pieces on plates, which I was able to set down here and there as if this were a snapshot in the middle of a party. They also put out a gift of pizza slice nails for everyone who nibbles when nervous! And finally, tucked off to one side I placed a sideboard from Frogstar, all set up for sending invitations and wrapping gifts. This would be a charming addition to any living room, indicating one is the type of householder who is always at the ready - I particularly liked the touch of blackboard squares to write the contents of drawers on, and may end up stealing that idea for offline drawers.

Upstairs, I set up the perfect little nest for a little girl. Hanging overhead is a lovely runner of cloth from Paper Moon, available with and without tassels and including simple wooden beams for hanging from ceilings. Under it I placed this gorgeous trundle bed from Noctis, it's blankets and pillows texture-change between four colors which can be mixed and matched. It's also available with the trundle pulled out or pushed in, and there's a lovely set of accessories to be fitted on top and into the built-in shelving. This is perfect for a guest room, or even the bed in a loft. Finally, tucked between the bed and the window I put a lovely children's tea set from Distorted Dreams, the tablecloth a lovely mix of blues. The tea set can come either attached or not, and there is an additional tea cup for drinking as one feeds ones teddy bears the best imaginary tea! There's less than twenty-four hours left before the Genre Celebration ends, but I hope you have a chance to swing by and pick up what catches your eyes - be it the perfect party outfit, or some fun furniture for entertaining.

Genre: Sweet Tooth

I'm back with more petite flash from Genre, and this time I'm showing off the sim Genre is set in as well - which had a drop off point on top of a glorious table of treats. It's large for a full sized avatar, and enormous for a petite, which makes fun at every size. One of the fun things about recent Genre events has been how the sim has transformed to match the theme - often in a very photogenic manner. I love the giant treats, the enormous pig in a teacup, and all of the cupcakes I've seen at so many different events recently. Even if you don't have a petite avatar, I'd encourage you to check out this table straight from Alice's stories. If you do have a petite, you can build several completely looks from the offerings on the ground around the table.

I'm wearing this adorable hair from Bliensen + MaiTai which makes a hat out of a bottle cap and some matches. One thing I have loved about petites is how virtual "found objects" can get reworked into clothing for the much smaller size, to fit in with a Borrowers aesthetic, and it's wonderful to see that echoed here. The hair itself comes in a number of different shades all with the hat incorporated, and you also get the hat on it's own so you can wander off on your own. I paired it with an adorable caffeine molecule necklace from Squishy Fluff, a new-to-me store (Pins and Needles is Skyler Glasswing's other store; I couldn't find any marketplace or in world presence for Squishy Fluff). I love molecules, being the daughter of a physical chemist, and caffeine is a really fun one. The necklace is color changing via a HUD, which makes it versatile and fun.

For the rest of my look I went very pink. First of all, these completely adorable wings from Distorted Dreams with the flowers spaced in the center, and a ribbon-like underlayer. I love the Flowers in particular - they have a lovely shape and fade. The shape of the wings is also sweet, with shiny and glittering arcs of light curved onto them. And finally, there is my dress. Sent with several skirts, this is a Spyralle classic. The fractal pattern of the dress has rough edges outlined in black, with a flirty cutout on the hip and irregular ends on the pants. This is one of those outfits which couldn't exist outside of Second Life; it needs the stability of artificiality to not end up ribbons on the floor. I love the irregularity and layering, and how ragged the skirt edge is. It's reminiscent of fish fins or ragged leaves, though the color is paler and softer than either tend towards. The skirts are flexible prims, which is rarer these days, but the effect is charming and flowy. I'm showing the knee length skirt, but there is an ankle length and you can also wear it alone as a pants outfit.

Unexpected Transmission

Futurewave finished in February, before I got this look together and photographed, but it was an amazing first, sci-fi focused event with the distinction of being completely non-fandom, which I thought was rather a nice touch and brought a lot more interesting things to the table. This amazing, spiky hair from Underscore which wasn't part of the event, but it seemed absolutely perfect when I got it. Underscore sells hair types with a HUD to change the colors, and this is one of the gray/silver versions of this hair - an unusual color for me, but perfectly fitting my poor, lost TechAngel. The silver array around my neck is from Spyralle, and unfortunately it is not (yet?) available at her store. It's a really, really unique design, and I particularly like how it frames around my head with the movements of lights up to the tips. I'd love to see it in more colors; Spyralle is known for her bright, amazing textures, and I could see those really being an asset with a variety of Fashion Arrays. The eyebanding is from Pin Me Down and is a really amazing effect that reminds me of the checkerboard effect from A Game of You by Neil Gaiman; it's available at the mainstore in an entire panoply of colors. My lipstick is from Beautiful Freak, and is an astonishingly liquid and shiny design that I really love. I picked it up in the more unusual colors, and got a chance to pull out this incandescent teal for my TechAngel, to reflect my tainted wings. This is also available in the mainstore, kind of tucked back from the front door.

My wings are from Death Row Designs, and they are astonishing. They don't physically move with a script; instead they are a selection of wings which appear and disappear when one flaps, with a final "up" position when they're off. My one complaint is that there is no way to freeze at the different levels, so I had to time my snaps very carefully to get the wing effects I wanted - for example, the top shot was a matter of second counting so that I could capture the down-and-back effect. I have no idea how difficult it would be to program that in, but I would love to be able to "freeze" the wings in each of the forms I doubt anyone but a photographer would want it, though, so maybe it's a lot of effort for not much payoff. The wings are available at the Death Row Designs store not only in the blue-and-teal I picked up at Futurewave, but in light, dark, and the special pack, which has wings like the one I'm wearing here. Finally, my dress - this amazing, amazing gown - is from MetaTheodora and is also available at the mainstore. I have such mixed feelings about this dress. I love the idea - the silhouette is so unique, and I adore the effect of the wires standing out from the body. I love how the sleeves and collar loop out at the ends, and the shape and form of the corset is amazing and unusual, especially how it looks machined and robotic - it struck me the moment I saw it even though I tend toward more organic designs in general. On the other hand, the shape and rigging of the skirt seemed really problematic to me. First of all, since I'm short, the folds bend oddly in response to that and look crumpled; this is a somewhat cool effect, since it looks like I'm wearing my stolen big sister's dress, but I don't think it's intentional. Second of all, the skirt is extremely flat. I've angled these pictures to minimize the effect, but the fall of skirt below is almost exactly vertical with minimal horizontal movement, and while it's not an issue from a front or back view, from the side it looks extremely odd. I'd love to see it a bit floofier and rounder in general to reflect the round of the corset-level, maybe even with some of the outflow of the arms. None of this changes how much I adore this dress, however; the ideas behind it are so fun and I am really drawn to unique and unusual designs. The texturing of it - which I didn't get into before - is also quite good. I love the metallic quality of the texturing, and the color choices - especially of the more flamboyant gowns, though the subtle effects are amazing on this monotone one - like this fawn-dapple on my butt, making me look like my dress is made out of melted aluminum that pockmarked during the drying stage.

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: Izzie's, Irene
Hair: Underscore, Lyon
Array: Spyralle, Sensory Array Mode 24P2
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyeshadow: Mock, Pantone Fall eShadow
Eyebanding: Pin Me Down, One 1
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Lipstick: Beautiful Freak, Liquid Metal Lipstck
Wings: Death Row Designs, Devine Wings
Hands: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands
Nails: By Snow, Carbon Manicure
Dress: MetaTheodora, Star of Venus

Pose: aDORKable

Location: Siden V3 Survival horror - Elven/Pirate RPG
Light Settings: TOR, DUSK Fairytale Glow
Water Settings: Mirror Water

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Twisted Color Challenge: Week 44: Autumn Grasshopper

Autumn Grasshopper makes me think of a new show I just found called Omaki-san and her Seven Companions, a story about the Wolf, the Hunter, and Red Riding Hood which just happens to also have the slothful Grasshopper and the industrious ant (along with a number of other fableline creatures). It is supposed to be a story about how sloth is bad, and industry is good, but re-imagined with Okami-san, it can also mean that what appears to be sloth is sometimes cleverness, and what appears to be industry is... well, it's still getting a lot of things done, but this time with a sarcastic comment as well. I love revisions of old, simple stories that mess with and remake their messages, and Okami-san and her Seven Companions does this over and over again in a thoroughly entertaining manner, all at the whim of the Jinn.

In stories, large groups usually function smoothly, with regularly timed conflict so that everyone can learn a lesson and grow a bit older. Outside of fiction, this is a much messier prospect - allies and enemies are much less clearly defined, and people can want to help each other and do it so ineptly that they end up no longer friends. While sometimes there is actual malice involved, a lot of times it really is a matter of people becoming so caught up in their own way of seeing the world that they miss where the other people are in it. I've seen times when people are saying the exact same things using different words and seemingly fighting over it; it's both amazing and enlightening to the many difficulties in connecting between people. Communication is a lot more of a fraught thing than people think, with flaws both in expression and reception.

I'm decked out in several of my old favorites today - katat0nik with Wasabi Pills for hair, jewelry from Lassitude & Ennui, a gorgeous mask from Spyralle, and feet by SLink. It feels like I've been doing a lot of things outside of my comfort zone lately, so it feels really nice to return to a bunch of stores that I've worn and loved for years. The dress, from katat0nik like I said, is actually the texture-changing fatpack. katat0nik has been experimenting with HUDs and not only does my inventory thank her, but also it offers up a bonus in the form of two areas to texture change, so I could mix and match orange and yellow between the gown and the apron section. You have to buy a fatpack for this kind of service (ouch, my aching pocketbook), but man is it ever fun and worth it - and I'm not just saying that because she leaves cute messages on most of my pictures (ilukat).  This cute, short hair is an example of why Wasabi Pills is, in many ways, "my" hair store. When I'm not sure what to wear or what I feel like, I go traipsing through and usually end up in something from them; the mesh fly-away detailing is part of why - look at those thin strands of hair which a year ago would have been a texture, but now is fully realize locks of hair. Simply splendid. It also interferes with my wings less than the textured hair strands do - mesh textures often make each other disappear when alpha is involved. The bird I tucked in among the locks is from Birdy, a new-to-me store; isn't it completely adorable? It comes in a set of three with blue and pink shoulder birds, but I love the effect of a bird on the head (worth two in the bush).

The really fun mask is one of a long line of gatcha prizes (damn you Kerryth) that I obsessively collected with the exception of one. In the continuing dramahumor of me and gatchas, I got multiples of both Rares but not one of the Commons - it's rigged, I tell you. Rigged. 8D Anyway, the mask is from Spyralle using a form she put out ages ago for some awesome emotional masks, but the textures on these are simply divine. I chose a delicate Mandelbrot of yellow over pink for this look, but there's a reason I gatchaed until I had as many as I could - each one is a tiny work of art for your face. The jewelry from Lassitude & Ennui is an old release for Harry Potter, and marks me inaccurately as part of Gryffindor (I'm actually a Ravenclaw girl, but the blues clashed). I thought it was a super cute idea when I saw it, though - little symbols to wear to show your affiliation; nothing flashing or extravagant, but simple and clear. Finally, hands and feet both are by SLink, and so are these thri-colored shoes which keep mysteriously ending up on my feet for Twisted Color Challenges. Honestly, it's so hard to resist the urge to cover the color spectrum of the challenge on ones feet, and I am quite lazy, all things considered. Also, these are simply stunning shoes which I can return to time and again for both casual and dressing looks.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: Izzie's, Irene
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Cora
Bird: Birdy, Lil Tweet
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyeshadow: Mock, A touch of Magic (Group Gift)
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyelashes: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Mask: Spyralle, Samhain Mask 7
Lipstick: Mock, Machine Envy Lip Jelle
Wings: Illusions, Apsara Wings
Hands and Feet: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands and Feet
Nails: Virtual Insanity, All Hallows Eve 1
Necklace: Lassitude & Ennui, Heraldic necklace
Dress: katat0nik, Choco Dress
Bloomers: Sn@tch, Bloomers
Shoes: SLink, Tri-Colour Wedges

Pose: Don't Freak Out

Location: Collins Land
Light Settings: TOR, MIDDAY - My Noon
Water Settings: Nam's Beach Scene

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

2012 Fantasy Faire: Devil's Locket

Devils Locket is a multi-layered sim, with a wonderful curve of above ground stores and then a hidden wonderment below covered in crystals and with hidden, furtive aquatic creatures - and in two cases enormous, shiny aquatic creatures. I wore my gorgeous Spyralle outfit to match, and I'm still hanging out in one of the De La Soul skins released for the Fantasy Faire; she has an item in the silent auction, too, which looks well worth the linden. I played a bit too much with windlight, which made it difficult to shop but lovely to view, because I thought a world made in hues of blue and pink would match both well, and bring out the shininess of my Alice Project shoes. I added a necklace set from Eclectica which I adore (it always reminds me of chandeliers, so I thought it suited the bright formality of my gown), and finished it all of with gorgeous hair from Wasabi Pills with a cute ponytail and some fun dangling wisps in front of my face.

One thing which has struck me doing this rush of pictures and posts is how curious it is to have a list of things worn that were all promotional items, and many of them promotional items from a single event. In most of my pictures so far, only a handful of things were paid for by me and all of those predated this event by quite some kind. I'm building up a significant backlog, too - one which won't get much play during these events - and friendly relationships with a number of different stores. I mentioned to one of these store owners, partly jokingly, that I am a leech on the creativity of others. I do believe I'm adding something extra, but the quality of remixing is one which is becoming increasingly curious to me, especially as the interactions between me and creators become more thinned - where I give feedback, and then see that feedback acted on. Recently, I ran across the idea that much on the internet (and by extension human creation in general) is remixing; we all build on each other - sometimes explicitly and sometimes implicitly. This becomes fuzzier around copyright law, and Second Life has seen some really negative responses to people being inspired by each other or by similar sources. I like the idea that I'm part of a complex web of creation, though; that I am one of the visible faces of that creation - combining sim creation, clothing, and skins to make something unique and beautiful.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Beatrice Ikon - Pearl (promotional item, Fantasy Faire Donation)
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow MESH (promotional item)
Eyelashes 1: Flugeln Brise, 05-A Planty
Eyelashes 2: *X*plosion, Prim Lashes
Mask: Spyralle, Rhapsody Mask (promotional item, Fantasy Faire Donation)
Lipstick: Croire, Glittery Gloss - Barbie
Ears: Illusions, Mystic Ear
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Annette Mesh Hair (promotional item)
Jewelry: Eclectica, "Opulence" - gold (promotional item)
Wings: Spyralle, Rhapsody Fractal Wings (promotional item, Fantasy Faire Donation)
Dress: Spyralle, Rhapsody in Purple Gown (promotional item, Fantasy Faire Donation)
Shoes: Alice Project, Faelin Pumps - Vibrant Iridescence

Poses: Pffiou!

Location: Devil's Locket - Sponsored by Rustica
Light Settings: TOR, The Pink Tower
Water Settings: Glassy

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

2012 Fantasy Faire: Spyralle

On my wander around the Fantay Faire, I ran across the wonderful creator of Spyralle - who has a passion for fractals that I really appreciate. She has outdone herself (I'm using that phrase a lot, but it's true!) for the Fantasy Faire with a lovely shop, a number of furniture additions you can see below, and this amazingly gorgeous dress I'm wearing above. The mask is either just a tattoo layer, or has an additional curve around the outside which makes is fan out like a lovely fish! I love the flutteryness of the skirtop, too - the little tufts and frills which make it truly unique. The bodice is a combination of darker and lighter colors; if you have paler skin it will look very revealing without showing any skin! I also love the thin lines of turquoise which really set off the other colors; combined together this is a dress which will stop people at twenty paces and make them pay attention (it did, in fact - I had someone pause and ask where I got the dress while I was changing into it). Set on Shifting Sands, the store is easy to find and lovely to enjoy.

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Beatrice Ikon - Pearl (promotional item, Fantasy Faire Donation)
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow MESH (promotional item)
Eyelashes 1: Flugeln Brise, 05-A Planty
Eyelashes 2: *X*plosion, Prim Lashes
Mask: Spyralle, Rhapsody Mask (promotional item, Fantasy Faire Donation)
Lipstick: Croire, Glittery Gloss - Barbie
Ears: Illusions, Mystic Ear
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Annette Mesh Hair (promotional item)
Wings: Spyralle, Rhapsody Fractal Wings (promotional item, Fantasy Faire Donation)
Dress: Spyralle, Rhapsody in Purple Gown (promotional item, Fantasy Faire Donation)

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Color Challenge: Week Fifty-two - Orange

I got all dolled up in Halloween finery, much of it the result of gifts or hunts - but all of it available! The dress is the largest note - from Spyralle; it was a lovely gift as a thank you, but when I put it on, I new immediately it's what I wanted to wear for the final color of the Color Challenge - Orange. Made up of a combination of warm cinnamony-browns and rich pumpkin oranges, the fractal design that is Spyralle's signature forms a very flattering pattern on the torso. I barely had to fit the prim pieces at all - moved the skirt up a little, but anyone taller than my little fae self won't have to lift a finger. I paired it up with my newest favorite shoes from G Field in shiny orange that is perfect for this time of year.

I ended up settling on Octoberville as my picture-taking haven, celebrating the final day of October and seeking out all of the pumpkins before their carved up and made into soup! I'm not as fond of the buildings as I am of the pumpkin fields and trees; the former seems a bit off in the stonework and wood textures somehow, but taken at a distance and not as the main focus it works out. The little schoolhouse is charming, though, and I adore the pumpkin fields to get lost in, and the rolling curves of the landscape. There's some kind of hunt or mystery going on there, but I didn't manage to find out many details. I've been running around frantically trying to finish hunts before the deadline!

The skin is one of my hunt prizes, from Falln Angel Creations and the weekend Halloween hunt that has only a day to go. Azriel certainly doesn't make it easy on us, but each prize is an actual whole outfit, skin, or piece of furniture - so believe me, it's worth the work and the single Linden each brain costs! I put the skin on my accident - double clicking or something - and ended up really liking the effect; I'm normally not terribly cattish, but I might make a halfway decent calico, I think. Tinting my ears to match was a little bit of a challenge - maybe next time I should invest in some cat ears!

The jewelry is also a hunt prize, from Earthstones, though they were each fifty linden instead of free or one linden. There are some free prizes in the hunt, and the highest price is fifty - which most of them are. Like the Falln Hunt, it's a challenging hunt. I recommend wireframe and derender as two of your nearest and dearest friends. Like Falln's prizes, though, all of the Earthstones ones are well worth it; however, each prize is a mystery until you open them. I can tell you the color themes are purple, green, and orange - with orange predominating.

I'm feeling the chill of winter starting in now, and the desire to curl up and hide as the weather turns cooler, sipping my cocoa and dreaming time away. One of the nicest side effects of cooler weather is how my kitty likes to snuggle up against me when he naps, keeping my sides and lap warm. He likes my cocoa, too, but I don't let him have much; he does get some tasty tunafish when I make up my tunafish salad, and he has a real interest in ham which leads him to crawl all over me every time I make some noodles with ham (and I end up giving him large pieces - I'm such a bad mom). Halloween passes tonight; in Irish and Celtic tradition, it's the night when the veil between this world and that one is thinnest - when ghosts ride, and when the Wild Hunt begins to gather for it's winter scourge of the countryside.

I'm fonder of apple cider, pumpkin pie, and peppermint cocoa, though.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: Falln Angel Creations, Feline Calico Feminine (1$L Hunt Prize)
Eyes: De La Soul, Roomee - Rainbow
Eyelashes: Flugeln Brise, Eyelash 5A
Ears: Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Pompon Hair - Rye (Review Copy)
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Jewelry: Earthstones, Ti'ana Set (150$L in Hunt)
Dress: Spyralle, Candy Corn Fractal Frock (gift)
Ring 1: Alchemy Immortalis, Nestling Finger
Ring 2: Earthstones, Eternal Blossom Ring - Bouquet
Stockings: Blacklace, Red Riding Hood Stockings
Shoes: G Field, Strap Shoes "Alex" Patent Leather - orange (gift)

Poses: Glitterati,

Location: Octoberville
Light Settings: TOR, SCIFI Cragelica

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only

Pumpkins in the House of Grey Shadows

Fall colors are so pretty and subdued; highlighted by a bit of pastel glow, and it just seems to invite curling up by a window with a warm cup of cocoa to enjoy the season. This dress from Evie's Closet - one of my favorite of her fairy-style dresses - is the perfect thing to wear when flitting around the carnival or playing nine pins with the stones. I ended up picking up a new hairstyle from Shag, too - it has the cutest little hairsticks in it; I'm really in love. It's full mod, so I was able to move bits of hair from out of my big fairy ears - always a plus! I accented my look with a set of bracelets from Spyralle which I really love - based off of fractals, the colors simply seem to glow - and they're on sale for the weekend, at least - for once I managed to post about a deal before it ended! I hope! It's in a lot of different colors, so go! Go! Jump on it!

I'm beginning to feel like a grown-up fashion blogger - one of the posts coming up will get into detail on that - but I still want to remember why I started doing this to begin with; to celebrate the beauty of Second Life, the beauty I can make through a combination of the creations of others - wafted high on the wings and winds of talented people.

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: De La Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De La Soul, Roomee - Rainbow
Eyelashes: Flugeln Brise, Eyelash 5A
Eyeliner: cheLLe, Cleo Called Black
Eyeshadow: Elymode, Autumn Leaf Mix
Lipstick: L.Fauna, Neutral 2
Ears: Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy
Hair: Shag, Thai Me Up
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Dress, Stockings, Shoes: Evie's Closet, Eden - Fall Edition 2
Ring 1: Alchemy Immortalis, Nestling Finger
Ring 2: Earthstones, Eternal Blossom Ring - Bouquet

Pose: Glitterati, Pin up 2

Location: Pyri Funfair
Light Settings: Abracadabra2

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only

Project Fur

Project Fur is one of the many Japanese relief efforts being set out in Second Life, one taking up the majority of a sim and built to go on for quite some time. My one complaint is how hard it is to find things, which is why I've included links to where each of the displays were below. Everything with links was gotten at Project Fur, everything without is something I had already.

I recommend a walk through - either vaguely, if you like retracing your steps, or systematically. The outside edges are largely empty, but it seems like more stores are being added all the time. In the center is quite a nice garden, as well, and some Japan-Relief only animals.


We'll start with some close-ups.

The necklace around my neck is for this event only, and is an adorable little cat within a heart. It was made by Little Boy Blue, and comes with the heart in white and the cat in black - the version I got - or with the heart in black and the cat in white. It's Tomoyuki's usual amazing work, pristine in design and completely charming. I love how it looks like the sort of thing someone might wear just about, to memorialize or honor a beloved cat.

The jacket is from Malt,and comes with a belt (not shown) and some capri pants (shown below). I adore the ruffling detail on this, and the curve of the fabric. It is gorgeously detailed, with an amazingly delicate clasp across the front - I love the dangling beads detail; somehow they just bring the whole thing alive!


The cat that is standing in as my hat comes from Falln Angel Creations and also comes in black and white varieties. He has the cutest fish in a bag in his mouth - and I adore his huge eyes, peering off watchfully from his perch on my head. I have no idea what I want to name him yet, but I know he needs a name.

The hair is from Magika, and is also just for this event - a coontail version of Sophie. It comes in blond, red, brown, and black; I initially picked up the red version, intending something closer to my last Japan relief outfit which ended up coordinating with red in a lovely way, but after putting together this outfit from Project Fur, I realized I needed a paler shade, and so picked up one of the blonds as well.I love the stripes along the side of the face - not a normal look for me, but very striking.



The dress is from 1-800Bettie, and is a gorgeous confection of cream and black. You can't see the bodice well, but trust me it's charming. I love the swoop of the skirt and the curve around the waist. The gauzy lace along the edges is simply gorgeous, edging under the bodice and above with a beautiful simplicity. There's an included system skirt, but honestly I'd be inclined to go with the prim skirt and bounce about all over the place.

The shoes are from Baby Monkey, and they are Ultimate Savannah shoes in white - not cream - but they fit the rest of the outfit very well. They were a last minute purchase, when I was putting the final touches on my entire outfit and I was still missing shoes. The toes are actually prim toes, easy to recolor and including a listing of some of the tones of more common skins. Perhaps in the future this will become a common occurrence - skins coming with the tones for matching toes and fingers.

The capris underneath are the ones I mentioned earlier, from Malt, though they're called lace tights and not capris. Honestly, they're toned dark enough for pants, though, and to wear alone with the jacket and belt.


The wings are Spyralle, and were the hardest to match in the whole outfit, but I simply couldn't resist them. I ended up setting the windlight so the sky matched them, in absence of anything else which could be matching to the poor things! I love the angular nature of the wings, how they seem both artistic and somehow abstracted. Not quite of this world.

That's in sharp contrast with this sim, AM Radio's The Far Away, which is a very naturalistic field scene from the midwest. I have actually seen plains like this in the Dakotas - long seas of grass and grain which seemed to go on forever and a horizon which could be hundreds of miles away. Driving across Kansas once, I had a sudden image of the stories I read as a child - Laura Ingles Wilder describing how she and her family would travel for days in the same bowl under the same sky, everything seeming to be the same for weeks at a time. I was in a car, though, so Kansas only took a day and a half.

We only have six months to enjoy AM Radio's beautiful work!

( All of the pictures can be seen here. )

Credits:

Eyes: Tacky Soul, Pride
Skin: Adam n Eve, Astrelle Fae (light brows)
Ears: Illusions, Mystic Ears Fairy
Hair: Magika, Sophie - Coontail Edition
Wings: Spyralle, Fractal Wings
Kitty: Falln Angel Creations, Japan Cat - black
Necklace: Little Boy Blue, Kuroneko Necklace
Jacket: Malt, Frilled Vest
Dress: 1-800Bettie, Shimmer Swirls Dress - Cream
Leggings: Malt, Capri Lace Tights - Noir
Shoes: Baby Monkey, Ultimate Savannah - white

Poses: Tutti Frutti

Project FUR Japan - main area
Location: The Far Away
Light Settings: [TOR] MIDDAY - Coral Reef

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only