Hopes and Prayers for Japan

I doubt there are many who have missed the events in Japan - first the 9.0 Earthquake, then the Tsunami which caused even more damage, and finally the nuclear reactor.

Nothing formally organized has come together yet - numbers point to April - but some individual stores have put out donation items and more seem to appear each day. Here are the ones I've encountered, with landmarks to the stores. Update: SCD has some more information about things being organized.


(Skin) De La Soul, Charlie - Cream (Phoenix) (Eyes) Tacky Star, Pride (Ears) Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy (tarnished) (Hair) Magika, Kyoto - PCF Red (Wings) Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings - tinted green (Dress) Likka, Victoria Green (Shoes) G Field, Ribbon Slingback Shoes - dark green (Pose) Long Awkward Pose, Fantasy Faepose 7

The hair, a special red shade for Japan, is on sale at Magika. There are four total for sale, each one by the display for their style. This one above is Kyoto (mirrored), and comes in regular and mirrored style (mirrored shown above). The dress is a gorgeous purchase from Likka House, and is by her new releases.


(Skin) De La Soul, Charlie - Cream (Phoenix) (Eyes) Tacky Star, Pride (Ears) Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy (sterling) (Hair) Magika, Kyoto - PCF Red (Wings) Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings - tinted white (Necklace) Katat0nik, Love Japan Necklace (Armband) Little Pricks, Support Japan (Dress and Shoes) Walking Dead Creations, Monochrome Dress (Pose) Long Awkward Pose, M-Lazy Afternoon

This picture is brimming with items. The tattoo on the arm is from Little Pricks, which has a store on the marketplace but not in world. The necklace is from Katat0nik (available in her past notices), and is simply lovely. The hair is Kyoto, from Magika, and the dress is from a new store to me, Walking Dead Creations. The latter is in the process of remodeling, so hopefully the landmark will be near the item!!


(Skin) De La Soul, Charlie - Cream (Phoenix) (Eyes) Tacky Star, Pride (Ears) Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy (sterling) (Hair) Magika, Aina - PCF Red (Wings) Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings - tinted black (Dress and Shoes) Bare Rose, Shocola - Red (Pose) Long Awkward Pose, Dangle

This amazing outfit from Bare Rose is available in red or brown, and there is a men's outfit as well - quite as skillful and wonderful as Bare Rose always is! This is another of the Magika hairs as well, Aina.


(Skin) De La Soul, Charlie - Cream (Phoenix) (Eyes) De La Soul, Luminis - Rising Sun (Ears) Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy (sterling) (Hair) Magika, Aina - PCF Red (Wings) Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings - tinted black (Armbands) Little Pricks, Support Japan (Shirt) De La Soul, Sleeveless Turtleneck - Japan Relief Koi (Stockings) Vextra Messing, Opaque Stockings - Black (Pants) De La Soul, Cross Jeans - Red (Shoes) G Field, Ribbon Slingback Shoes - crimson (Pose) Long Awkward Pose, Shoe2-Seated Shuu

And finally, De La Soul has release an amazing assortment of items - including a cosmetic set, eyes, and a shirt. The cosmetics are with and without lip cover, and include a rather amazing looking sun motif.


(Skin) De La Soul, Charlie - Cream (Phoenix) (Eyes) De La Soul, Luminis - Rising Sun (Ears) Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy (sterling) (Hair) Magika, Aina - PCF Red (Wings) Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings - tinted black (Armbands) Little Pricks, Support Japan (Shirt) De La Soul, Sleeveless Turtleneck - Japan Relief Koi

( More pictures found here. )

Credits for all pictures:

Location: Fashion For Life - Avedon: Sponsered by Bliss Couture
Light Settings: Sim Default Windlight

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only

Fashion For Life: Arbus

The Arbus build continues the floral theme begun in Mapplethorpe, as you can see. It's a divided sim; you have to jump a secret forest in the center of the sim to go from one side to the other, something I not only did with alacrity, but I also accompanied with pictures!

I love the fact you can fly in second life. Besides nosing around what's in the sky, it lets you bypass all kinds of otherwise annoying things. Like giant walls and lengthy sim crossings. And often times you find things up above and hidden in - like the forest in the middle of Arbus.


(Skin) MiaSnow, Rainbow Tan 3 (Eyes) Tacky Star, Pride (Ears) Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy (tarnished) (Hair) Magika, Dharma - Golden Blonde (Wings) Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings - tinted brown (Dress) Salt, Black and Tan Cocktail Dress (Shoes) Baby Monkey, Simone - Nude (Pose) p4p, this is NOT comfortable

There's also a huge pavilion, with it's roof decorations mimicked on top of the buildings all around. The only hitch was - lots of phantom! I ended up floating above things, frantically angling my camera to try to make it look reasonable, cursing my lack of build perms.

The clothing is gorgeous, though. Fairy-like and floaty, or elegant, the style seemed to be that of the faerie type, whether she be elegant, flirty, or unused to human norms of wearing clothing. The theme fit with the fields of flowers around the stores, and the graceful artwork on the walls of each store - look for the variety there, because there's lots to find!


(Skin) MiaSnow, Rainbow Tan 3 (Eyes) Tacky Star, Pride (Ears) Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy (tarnished) (Hair) Magika, Dharma - Golden Blonde (Wings) Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings - tinted brown (Hair Flower) Mystic Sky, Purple Hibiscus (Dress) Ivalde, Demi Skyblue Chic Limited (Shoes) Baby Monkey, Simone - Nude (Pose) HelaMiyo, Gown 2

Though, if there's one thing that trying on things from Arbus has show me, it's that I lean heavily toward things that show off my tits. Not other parts of my body - maybe a little leg, very little belly (except for that red outfit I couldn't resist - see below), but tits - oh yeah, there they are.

This is made all the more funny by how often people mistake me for a child avatar due to my height. It's difficult to tell from most of my pictures, I'm sure, but I come up to the chest of the average other avatar - male or female - and the waist of tall avatars.

Yes, this has led to the making of some rather obvious jokes.


(Skin) MiaSnow, Rainbow Tan 3 (Eyes) Tacky Star, Pride (Ears) Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy (tarnished) (Hair) Magika, Dharma - Golden Blonde (Wings) Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings - tinted black (Dress) Angelwing, Julietta Dress - Cornflower Blue (Shoes) G Field, Bow Strap Shoes "Kate" - black (Pose) Striking Poses, Camera Candy 4

Height, and the role of child-like avatars in Second Life are fraught matters - oddly, even more fraught than offline. Offline children are expected, and there are means to at least attempt to keep them out of adult areas. A lot of those attempts to shield children from things like sex seem odd to me, though. I absorbed them much like any US citizen might, but once I started studying history, and other cultures, it became obvious that this elevation of childhood to a time of peace and innocence is really quite modern (think Victorian), and requires a certain amount of ignorance to our own lives to accomplish.

My childhood was not a time of pure peace and innocence. I was a wild, emotional creature and the memory of my childhood is more painted in impressionistic emotions than anything more concrete and set in pastels. Even now, my life and mind are brilliant flashes of color held apart by thick walls, like stained glass writ large and in three dimensions.


(Skin) MiaSnow, Rainbow Tan 3 (Eyes) Tacky Star, Pride (Ears) Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy (tarnished) (Hair) Magika, Dharma - Golden Blonde
(Hairpiece) Evie's Closet, Secret Garden Wreath (Fan) Solange, Coquette Feathered Fan - Black (Jewelry) Eclectica, Spring Pearls (Dress) Evie's Closet, Amarie's Bower (Shoes) Baby Monkey, Simone - Nude (Pose) Pffiou!, For the Stars

Adults, I think, like to fantasize about the positive, wonderful aspects of their childhood, forgetting the first betrayal, the first death, the first passionate love. This protection of children is thus less about those children (as shown by how disastrous some of the choices can be - insulating children from choice and knowledge simply makes adults who know nothing and cannot chose) and more about adults trying to make and preserve something pure and idealistic within themselves.

It is this I see a lot of child avatars embracing - a time of strong emotions and simple beliefs, when there were those who protected you. Some adults never had that as a child, and so are experiencing it for the first time. Others have lives of darkness, and so childhood may be a valuable escape - especially an idealized childhood of purity and innocence.

Second Life is a place where what appears to be and what is are rarely the same. Take the picture below, for example - I couldn't actually stand on the roof - it was phantom - but doesn't it look like I am? In this way humans become children, fairies, wolves, and more attractive humans.


(Skin) MiaSnow, Rainbow Tan 3 (Eyes) Tacky Star, Pride (Ears) Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy (tarnished) (Hair) Magika, Dharma - Golden Blonde (Wings) Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings - tinted black (Necklace) Ear Candy, Surfer Necklace with Wave (Dress) Solange, Coquette Gown - Green (Shoes) Baby Monkey, Simone - Nude (Pose) doll., Selene 03

One of the things that I think is often forgotten on the internet, is that when people create whatever they want most - the variety will be immense. Some people desire playing at romance, others desire eroticism, others connecting with others. There are those who seek knowledge, who seek insight, who seek peace, who seek purity. Sometimes these work at cross purposes - those who sexually solicit children, for example, or those whose eroticism is expressed as children seeking sex (one of the few things which is against the rules on second life).

I am, perhaps, too much of a therapist and a post-modernist to set standards. In the absence of people being hurt, I'm more curious about why we express ourselves the way we do, what do we get out of repeating patterns in multiple places, and what can we learn in places where the reality setting is different than in our analog existence. Last night, feeling blue and sick and cranky, I built myself a giant ball pit on a sandbox. I broke physics. I brought in friends and stuck them inside of giant balls, before flinging them wildly around this morning. I awake to the headache of a sandbox enthusiast - a pile of balls returned to my lost and found when the six hour limit clicked over in the sandbox I played in.

Far more enjoyable than a hangover.


(Skin) MiaSnow, Rainbow Tan 3 (Eyes) Tacky Star, Pride (Ears) Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy (tarnished) (Hair) Magika, Dharma - Golden Blonde (Wings) Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings - tinted red (Diadem) Fantasia, Dhalia Diadem (Dress) Earth & Sky, Moonlight Red (Shoes) Baby Monkey, Simone - Nude (Pose) Adore and Abhor, Ides de Mars

( More pictures here. )

Across all Pictures Credits:

Location: Fashion For Life - Arbus: Sponsered by Evie's Closet
Light Settings: Alchemy Immortalis, Fog Lifting

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry

Fashion For Life: Mapplethorpe

Fashion for Life began yesterday.

I remember Relay for Life because it was one of my first large-scale Second Life events that I was aware of, years ago when I joined.

I went for the freebies. Many of the stores had freebies as well as donation items, and I was not a wealthy person at the time. I remember it was way up in the sky, and very little rezzed, and I found the store design sometimes frustrating. Everything seemed jumbled together, and it was all very, very gray.


(Skin) MiaSnow, Rainbow Tan 3; (Eyes) Tacky Star, Pride; (Ears) Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy (tarnished); (Hair) Magika, Dharma - Golden Blonde; (Wings) Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings - tinted black; (Dress) Fumiwo, Special Gift for Fashion Fair; (Shoes) G Field, Bow Strap Shoes "Kate" - Black; (Pose) Del May, Mime/Cat burglar

Years later, on a much faster computer, I find Fashion For Life (which replaced Relay for Life in Second Life - now everyone is on the same team) much more pleasant. Spread across nine sims, there's actually a path you can follow from one area to the next so you walk by each store - something which I must admit I quite love, even though I circumvented it to focus on each sim at a time.

Everything is still gray, but this time it's a design choice - and the stores stand out like brilliant jewels against it - many taking advantage of the greyscale to use single themes of color that set them apart and make their store seem to glow. Even if they didn't do so, the vendor pictures really stand out. The gray is easy on the eyes, too - blending together a wide variety of stores in harmony.


(Skin) MiaSnow, Rainbow Tan 3; (Eyes) Tacky Star, Pride; (Ears) Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy (tarnished); (Hair) Magika, Dharma - Golden Blonde; (Wings) Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings - tinted black; (Dress) Cipher, Punk Lolita Mini-Dress ++Lilim++ - Red; (Shoes) G Field, Bow Strap Shoes "Kate" - Black; (Pose) Elisa, Burlesque6

I began in Mapplethorpe, designed by Eshi Otawara, because it's the sponsored sim of two very dear friends of mine, Azriel Demain and Tomoyuki Batra (yes, I know Tomo has his own lovely store, Little Boy Blue, but I think of them as a pair! And I ran into them together *hand flail* PAIR!). Otawara did all of our graphic cards a huge favor and used only a few textures, so the sim loads incredibly quickly when you arrive and the lack of lag is hugely appreciated. Even with sixteen other people on sim, I was able to easily move around and take pictures.

One of the fun qualities of taking pictures with people around, though, is the inevitable "people standing in the background of my picture - OMG MOVE!" I resisted IMing people, but it took some self-control. In fact, I started writing the blog as I photographed to give me something to do while waiting for the inevitable picture-invader to move!


(Skin) MiaSnow, Rainbow Tan 3; (Eyes) Tacky Star, Pride; (Ears) Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy (tarnished); (Hair) Magika, Dharma - Golden Blonde; (Wings) Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings - tinted white; (Dress) The Black Canary, Eternal Grace; (Shoes) Nonko, Medical Bondage (without ankle wraps); (Pose) Long Awkward Pose, Emo - Lies, All Lies

I had fun going between posing inside of stores, sometimes on the little displays they had in place to set the ambiance, and poses outside taking advantage of Otawara's spare yet elegant build. I only noticed on the second time through the birds of light going up over the gatcha machines, for example, so it's really worth a few looks at the build as well as for picking through the glorious outfits on sale.

Another random thing which happened was that right as I was about to take a picture near the edge of Mapplethorpe - the sim next door vanished! This is an interesting aspect of things being multi-sim and yet concurrent and cohesive; the world seems to transform when next door changes. I couldn't resist taking a "before and after" set of pictures to show how much the flow from one sim to another matters in how this particular build is done.


(Skin) MiaSnow, Rainbow Tan 3; (Eyes) Tacky Star, Pride; (Ears) Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy (tarnished); (Hair) Magika, Dharma - Golden Blonde; (Wings) Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings - tinted white; (Dress) Bare Rose, Amphitrite RFL - Pale Blue; (Shoes) G Field, Bow Strap Shoes "Kate" - White; (Pose) Everglow, Gift Pose 2

Mapplethorpe is very Japanese themed, with a lot of Gothic Lolita or Visual Kei inspired clothing. I'm not sure if that was a planned aspect, but it made it easy to bounce around to all of the stores I was familiar with and pick and chose.

Cipher is one of my new addictions - they do their corsets in a slightly complex way, putting them on two prims and in the most recent Punk Lolita outfit using alpha textures as well, but the end result moves incredibly well with different poses, making it seem a lot more realistic. I ended up shrinking my belly for the corset, but I didn't have to do anything else besides increasing the size of the prims (which I often have to anyway, being a plump faerie).

Otawara's style works well with the overall theme, being vary nature focused with a Lotus floating in the center among the gatcha machines. The grasses are lovely, and you can actually walk among them without falling down. The addition of just a touch of water makes everything seem organic despite the spareness of the buildings themselves, which are rather square and open fronted.


(Skin) MiaSnow, Rainbow Tan 3; (Eyes) Tacky Star, Pride; (Ears) Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy (tarnished); (Hair) Magika, Dharma - Golden Blonde; (Wings) Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings - tinted black; (Dress) Falln Angel Creations, Avarita Gown - Flame Exclusive for Fasion For Life; (Shoes) G Field, Bow Strap Shoes "Kate" - Black; (Pose) Ks2cool, Pose82-90

There seemed to be fewer freebies this year, but it's entirely possible that's more about me than them. When my focus was on freebie, not purchase, there was a tendency to look simply for that - entirely focused on the goal. Now, with a focus on freebie, purchase, and photography, my attention is divided enough that any single thing doesn't strongly stand out.

That's the interesting thing about focus - it's always changing with who you are, how you feel, and what your goals are. In many ways, your focus makes the world around you more than anything else.


(Skin) MiaSnow, Rainbow Tan 3; (Eyes) Tacky Star, Pride; (Ears) Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy (tarnished); (Hair) Magika, Dharma - Golden Blonde; (Wings) Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings - tinted black; (Dress) Likka House, Papagena - pink; (Stockings) Vextra Fashion, Sheer Stockings - Dark Pink; (Shoes) G Field, Bow Strap Shoes "Kate" - Black; (Pose) Luth, Runway V2 13
( A lot more pictures here. )

Overall Credits:

Location: Fashion For Life - Mapplethorpe: Sponsored by Falln Angel Creations
Light Settings: Alchemy Immortalis, Fog Lifting

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only

Color Challenge: Week Nineteen - Umber

Two neutrals in as many weeks! I thought I was going to DIE!

I ended up just trying on different outfits in my "brown" folder until one seemed... umberish. I ended up back on G Field - gods do I love that store. G Field and Blue Blood are the only stores where I routinely buy the fatpacks for the clothes I like.

The skin is a gorgeous lucky board find from Styles by Kira - tanner than I usually wear, but the makeup is so cute! I decided to go brown to match the darker skin and the brown dress, and ended up pulling out my Lucia hair, a gift from Calico from the winter holidays. I love the lights in the mouth - so cute!


Pose: pda, Imagination

The location in question, Numbskulla, is less a place and more of a game! Based on the general idea of the Myst games of finding objects and opening doors to solve puzzles, it tells the story of a group of islanders tasked to protect two sacred trees which grew around each other.

You get your information from incomplete journals and notes left around the sim, and have to find keys and different objects in order to get to different places. So far all I'm clear on is I'm looking for shards of pottery from different places. At the moment I'm struggling to find the damn quarry! I have the key, but no clue where the quarry is!


Pose: pda, I'm Waiting for the Man

If any of you happen to come by.... help?

( More pictures can be found here. )

Credits:

Skin: De La Soul, Charlie - Cream - Sakura
Eyes: Tacky Star, Pride
Ears: Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy (tarnished)
Hair: Calico Ingmann Creations, Lucia (Gift Hair) Bronzed, with mouthpiece
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings - tinted brown
Dress: G Field, Classic Dress "Clea" - brown
Shoes: G Field, Short Lace-Up Boots - brown

Location: Numbskulla
Light Settings: [TOR] Midday - Pleasantrie
Water Settings: [TOR] Eyeballin'

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only

Lured Back by Minty Goodness

This makes post 70, which means I remained at 69 less than a day.

Typical.

It's all for a good cause, though - Double Rainbow All The Way!


Pose: HelaMiyo, Happiness Is

Twomoons Island is having a Mint Themed special sale spread out all over their sim. There are a few freebies here and there, and some awesome mint-themed clothing and furniture. I also picked up all of the poses used in this photoshoot there (except for the one in situ one).

I was actually in Twomoons Island recently on the Electric Lime photoshoot, which means my Windlight was set to maximize a certain color scheme. Without that lens, the colors built into Twomoons Island really stand out, and they captivated me. I also stumbled across some little, hidden spots where tiny nooks exist to enjoy.



This also serves as a reminder to me to always, always return to places and see them with different light on. Windlight gives us wonderful options for altering the world around us, and the best way to make use of it is in a multiplicity!

( Rest of the pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: De La Soul, Charlie - Cream - Sakura
Eyes: Tacky Star, Pride
Ears: Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy (silver)
Hair: Magika Hair, Buns - Golden Blond
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings - tinted red
Dress: Rotten Defiance, Apple Steam Dress - Red
Shoes: G Field, Lady Rose Heels - Red

Location: Twomoons Island
Light Settings: [TOR] NIGHT - Brighter
Water Settings: [TOR] Trandshan

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only

Nipponophile

I've been a huge fan of Japanese history and culture for years. I have no deep understanding of all of it, and there is a way in which the refinement makes me feel rather like an elephant trying to dance on tulips; in many ways it is the attraction of the opposite, the careful, the regimented and regulated.

One of the places where the importance of cultural norms and refinement might be most seen is in the seeking of pleasure. There are complicated rituals around creating the space for pleasure and release - particularly historically speaking. One of those is the high level of ritual around the Oiran and Tayuu, Courtesans of Edo era Japan.

( For more information on Oiran, please go here for the post which sparked my going to this sim. )


Pose: Alchemy Immortalis, French Boudoir 1910 Stand 7

It is one of the curiosities of the internet in general, this tendency to build what we seek in it's purest form, without the complications and difficulties of reality. Those complications sneak in, though, through our interactions with others within which we replay the patterns of our lives.


Pose: Alchemy Immortalis, French Boudoir 1910 Stand 2

Iwasaki Mineko is a former Geisha who first provided some history for the novel Memoir of a Geisha before writing her own book on her history, Geisha, a Life as an attempt to clarify inaccuracies and counteract the sensationalism she deplored in Memoirs. One of the things which struck me most about her history was the depth of appreciation of others demonstrated through the daily visits and giving of gifts within the community supporting the Geisha.

The negative side of this - the degree of influence and control on others and how that is used to damage and erase individuals - is in many ways as compelling as the positive web of love and support. There are many days I feel isolated, cut off from others through my own nature and the predilections which I sometimes allow too free rein. My attempts to counter are incomplete, fitting within a jumble of days which often feels far too full.


Pose: Alchemy Immortalis, WRC Stand - Daphne

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: De La Soul, Charlie - Cream - Sakura
Eyes: Tacky Star, Pride
Ears: Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy (copper)
Hair: Magika Hair, Buns - Golden Blond
Hair Roses: G Field, Rose Hairpin - red; Magika, Hair Rose - Red
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings - tinted gold
Dress: Falln Angel Creations, Harumi Gown - White

Location: Shinmachi District
Light Settings: [TOR] NIGHT - Brighter
Water Settings: [TOR] Trandshan

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only

Color Challenge: Week Eighteen - Ecru

Ecru, like the other neutrals, was a real challenge.

One of my unofficial rules for myself was not to buy anything specifically for the color challenge, but rather explore the depths of my inventory for an item of clothing to match the challenge. Ecru almost broke that rule - I literally had none in my inventory, and ended up falling back on Nude and Cream to fill in for Ecru. One of my favorite, slightly scandalous outfits from Bliss Couture fit the bill nicely, though it took a while for me to find it, even with my inventory organized by color!


I also struggled with staging the shoot. I'm not a huge fan of neutrals, truth be told, so I ended up trolling the Destination Guide and some of my favorite location blogs for likely places to shoot. While doing so I ran across the Bloom project by Sabrinaa Nightfire, who recently passed away. At the entrance is a memorial where people have left lovely notes to her.

The rest of the sim is made up of brightly colored, gently moving flowers. I particularly fell in love with a set of blue flowers (seen below) that let me perch in their midst. The colors are very vibrant and alive, a fitting tribute to someone who sounds like a wonderful woman. My thoughts are with those who loved her during this difficult time.



( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: De La Soul, Charlie - Cream - Sakura
Eyes: Tacky Star, Pride
Ears: Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy (copper)
Hair: Magika Hair, Cake - Blond Wheat
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings - tinted ecru
Necklace 1: Violet Voltaire, Hot Cocoa Necklace
Necklace 2: Ruro Pino, Snow Slow Glass
Dress: Bliss Couture, Morella Lace Dress - Nude
Bracelets: League, Wanderer Bracelet - Discs
Stockings: G Field, Ruddle Socks - Cream
Boots: G Field, Short Boots - Sand

Poses:
1) Long Awkward Pose, Tingle
2) Long Awkward Pose, Fantasy-Faepose9

Location: Bloom, by Sabrinaa Nightfire
Light Settings: [TOR] SCIFI - Port Skies
Water Settings: [TOR] Liz Taylor

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only

Adventuring with Pets

I had a great deal of fun yesterday, exploring around Tol Narwa Vire (one of my favorite places for photographs on the grid) on my horse, Azriella. Simply because I wanted to, I brought my bunny, little Keaniez, along with me.

They're both named for the people who gave them to me as housewarming gifts (I love you guys!). Unfortunately, I couldn't bring lovely Saderion with me, as I had only one butt. I'll have to take him out riding sometime later. Azriella is the grey horse, who just became old enough for me to ride her, and Saderion is the giant black, who came to me full grown.


One of my favorite spots on Tol is the giant fish tank. I didn't feel like drowning my two friends (faeries can breathe under water) so we didn't go it, but I did bring them both to see it, and pointed out the mermaid. You can actually get inside of the tank, but it takes some doing. There's also a little hidden room inside that I found during the last hunt (Azriel, of Falln Angel Creations, who built Tol Narwa Vire also does hunts several times a year. When they show up on Tol, well... lets just say you need ot check every nook and cranny. If you can't find the piranha and the dragon, you probably missed a hunt prize!)


There are also little hidden places with wildlife lurking, watchful. I think my all time favorite is the Crab Out of Place, but the moving panthers and the deer seen above are lovely little spots of delight. He's really stepped up the texturing and flowers, too, and is in the process of building a whole new area in a tree house. From what he's said, reworking things to use new and better sculpties have changed a lot of what he's going since it saves prims, which he can then put to new and better areas for us to explore.


Yes, I rode poor Azriella up the stairs into a tree house. In the distance, you can see the Castle on Sanctuary, next door.

I didn't go to many of the hidden places - being a bit too tall - but I highly recommend searching around, falling into holes, and following dark paths to find the hidden wonder in Tol narwa Vire.



( More Pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: Doux Petit, Sad Rainbow
Eyes: Tacky Star, Pride
Ears: Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy (tarnished)
Hair: Magika Hair, Paisley - Blond
Wings: Azarelle Wings - tinted white
Necklace: Adora & Abhor, RaveCandy Necklace
Dress: Katat0nik, Clover Dress - Black
Gloves: Sn@tch, Long GLoves - Black
Stockings: Latte, Color Tights - Stripes - Black
Heels: G Field, Flower Pumps "Eve" - white
Horse: Amaretto, Azariella
Bunny: Ozimals, Keaniez

Pose: Horsie Pose!

Location: Tol Narwa Vire
Light Settings: [Euphoria] bergamot & rosemary
Water Settings: [TOR] Subtleties

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only

Slither Resurfaces in an Unexpected Place

I'm sure most people have the Slither Jewelry Set in their inventory (if you don't, let me know and I'll drop it on you; I adore it - Random Calliope released it full perms a long time ago, so that everyone could enjoy it).

I was startled this morning when I received a notice of a new jewelry for sale from Kiera Seda of Sacred Roses which appeared to use the Slither jewelry but without attribution to Calliope. Hoping there was some error, I contacted her privately about my confusion and she stated that since it was released with full perms, she could use it in any manner she wished without attribution.

When I expressed dismay at what I saw as a lack of integrity - she is, after all, passing off someone else's work as her own - she questioned my integrity and stated I probably "insulted" people all of the time (for pointing out that what she admitted to doing had little integrity, which I maintain it does not).

I had been hoping she would have the gratitude for Calliope's legacy to mention him in her advertisements, and that a private word would bring that about, but that is apparently not the case. As such, I feel it really necessary to speak out about this through the only medium I have at hand - my blog.

I am unsure if Seda is using other full perm items without attribution, but for her "Eve's Temptation" necklace she certainly is, knowingly so, as admitted to me.

Original Slither:



Seda's Re-use of Slither without Attribution:

Black and White

I don't remember how I first ran into The World End's Garden, but it was love at first flutter.

Layers of plants, a few objects placed gracefully within them, light and water and a small amount of land. I was amazed at how so little was used to make so much. There was something at once both spare and lush; both vibrant and hidden.


The new build (sadly, it appears the build I photographed for my Sepia photoshoot is now gone) is an amazing contrast in black and white, with colors used sparingly enough that they stand out without being obvious.

They don't jar, but rather seduce you into the image, into the emotional melancholy of noir et blanc.


The peacock leaves of barbee are here, too - their slight color captivating around the tree section on one side of the area. Waves continually flow over the entire floor, low enough that you can't touch them yet perpetually visible, making this a place you really have to enter to enjoy.

Static photographs simply don't do it justice.


It's worth your while to turn on the music, too. ColeMarie Soleil and tasuku Ghost collaborated in a gorgeous, haunting accompaniment for the view. For a long while after I finished with my photography, I remained in world to listen and enjoy the gentle movement of the water under me.

It was just what I needed tonight - a peaceful, beautiful place with lovely, haunting music.


( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: Curio, Petal April - Rainbow 1
Eyes: Tacky Star, Pride
Ears: Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy (tarnished)
Hair: Magika Hair, Paisley - Blond
Wings: Deviance, Rainbow Wings with Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings - shrunk and tinted white layered over
Necklace: Adora & Abhor, RaveCandy Necklace
Bracelets: ReTox, Rainbow BoneHead bracelets
Fairy Dust: MN, Rainbow Fairy Dust (hands and feet)
Dress, Hat, and Stockings: The Delectable Doll, White Rainbow
Heels: A Vlodovic, SAH Rainbow

Poses: ImpEle

Location: World's End Garden - Noir et blanc
Light Settings: FSOriginal

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only