Genre: Books in the Running Brooks

Sweet are the uses of adversity,
Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous,
Wears yet a precious jewel in his head;
And this our life, exempt from public haunt,
Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,
Sermons in stones, and good in everything.
I would not change it.

William Shakespeare, As You Like It, Act II, Scene 1

Genre's Burlesque extravaganza is continuing halfway through the next month, but that's no reason to not head over right now! I made a second gilded look out of the incredible variation being sold, everything you can dream of to make an audience swoon. The glamour begins at the top, with this fantastic leaf-style headdress from +XAnSA+, complete with a color changing HUD which lets you customize every shade on it in three sections - the trim and center, the flats of the leaves and ovals on the center, and the gem accents. There are ten options for each area in the fatpack, the gems subtly different to offer some interest even if you go for the same shade across the board. You can also resize it via the same HUD, which lowers the script count when you finally wear this bad boy out on the town. For a lower cost you can pick up headdresses with pairings of two colors, but I think the full version gives you a lot more bang for your buck in terms of reusability.

Sunday Squee: Diamond Quest

The Sunday Squee is about things that make me happy and excited. From books to movies to television shows to podcasts, I'll highlight less commonly known things as a way to share what I love. If you want to join in the Sunday Squee, please link back to me, magnifying both of our joy.

One of the longer standing match-three games on my phone is Diamond Quest (iOS), a match-three with a collecting twist - as you collect keys in the game, you unlock boxes to "rescue" different animal companions from the evil Lucien who is capturing them for unknown nefarious purposes! I love the capturing them all quality of it, and how each has different abilities (they start to duplicate at higher levels, but it's not too bad) that you can use to beat the levels. Mixing and matching the abilities with the circumstances is a real challenge and makes it a lot more fun. As you match different colors of gem, you feed your puzzle companions who help you once they're fully charged. Leveling up the puzzle companions using more keys makes them go a little faster and unlocks special puzzle companions to help you out.

Unmet Needs

 "Every criticism is the tragic result of an unmet need." - John Rogers

John Rogers was talking about criticism of television shows, but this statement came alive inside of me especially in the context of the current political landscape.

"Every criticism is the tragic result of an unmet need."

From my perspective, the enthusiasm coalescing around Donald Trump, a man whose disregard and incompetence with his existing power frightens me greatly, is the result of feeling as if one is becoming increasingly marginalized when one grew up being told one should be centered. The story of the United States is one in which powerful and noble people came from across the sea, conquered the largely abandoned land, and then nobly opened it's arms for a long series of people seeking to improve their lives while the powerful and noble people retained benevolent control over it all. I was sold this story as a child and it was shocking to me as I learned the very different stories other people who had their own stories of the USA.

Sunday Squee: Marshawn Lynch Interviews

The Sunday Squee is about things that make me happy and excited. From books to movies to television shows to podcasts, I'll highlight less commonly known things as a way to share what I love. If you want to join in the Sunday Squee, please link back to me, magnifying both of our joy.

I don;t remember when I first was introduced to the phenomenon which is Marshawn Lynch. He retired in 2015 (announcing tweet) with his characteristic brevity, and while he was in public play he was known for his punishingly aggressive style on the field, and his incomprehension and annoyance at the expectation that tons of people will be able to ask him the same question over and over again while he answered them. His contract with his employers demanded he be there, though, so after he was fined he would show up and answer questions in his own idiosyncratic manner.

With the same words over and over again.

Hunt: Womanstuff: 51 - 75

The Womanstuff Hunt is on this August, covering 150 Stops. The Womanstuff Website has a list which includes some hints for people who might be struggling to find the tiny red t-shirt with "Womanstuff" printed across the chest. It is sometimes very, very tiny but I found the hints helpful for pointing me in the right direction!

1 - 50 | 26 - 50 | 51 - 75 | 76 - 100 | 101 - 125 | 126 - 150

Genre: Burlesque - Over-Run

The new Genre is Burlesque, and all the sexiest outfits and accessories have come out to play. My enormous fans and the poses which make such good use of them are from {NANTRA}, and they're redolent of the 1930s when it became a popular addition to erotic dance. The dance poses hint at the peek-a-boo nature of this burlesque classic, the large fans concealing and revealing in turn. {NANTRA}'s fans themselves are color change via touch and have white, black, and pink options, so they're easy to pair with just about any outfit... or lack thereof. I went with an outfit, selecting this purple and black number from Anachron. The corset with it's tuxedo tail is rigged mesh and comes with standard sizes as well as fitted to Bellezza, Maitreya, and Slink. I love the haltar top with it's bow behind the neck, detailed enough to stand on it's own while simple enough to work with accessories. The panties can be either a texture layer or applied using all of those plus the Omega system. There are five colors for sale, from soft shades for a classy joint to the brightest scarlet. It moves very well; I went the Slink route and no matter how I was animated, there wasn't any clipping and the panty layer was smooth and believable. The fascinator comes with it, a mesh hat with a veil that is editable and adaptable; fitting it was a breeze and I could make minor adjustments to the veil so it didn't clip my hair.

UBUMExORIGAMI - Room by Room

August is the month of ghosts in Japan, and Ubume has returned with another if it's Hunt Stories to chill you to your bones! This is the guide organized by room, so if you're stuck somewhere this may unstick you. I've also written a general introduction and the story hunt organized by deaths and endings, so head there if that's what you're looking for. Just as a warning - everything beyond here is potentially a spoiler! Quotes from the story are in italics and I've done some minor grammatical editing. Images come from the locations and videos.

The strange sound of chimes woke me up. I looked around, but I couldn't find anyone. I wonder how long I've been sleeping in here. Outside the window, there's a flaming sunset. I've got to hurry back home.

Sn@tch - Third Period

Sn@tch's fishing prize has changed to Third Period, a mix of weaters, pants, and skirts which can be mixed and matched and paired with long socks and sneakers. Fishing aren't the only freebies at Sn@tch, though; behind Sainhmihiu you can see the lucky boards, which are open to anyone hanging out there. I've gotten some awesome goodies form these lucky boards; it's especially cool that they include all the color variations shown in the standard sizes - perfect for a new player who is building up their clothing options.

7Seas Fishing is extremely newbie friendly - the basic fishing rod costs 100$L and you can catch everything at Sn@tch with it. The fish themselves are wearable - Sainmhiniu always wears a few of my favorites - and spin in circles around the wearer. If you pay extra for bait you can level up and pick up Rare, Ultra-rare, and Super-ultra-rare fish as well. Setting Sainmhiniu out to fish is always one of my pleasures, and I love seeing the sheer variety that Sn@tch provides.

UBUMExORIGAMI - Endings and Deaths

August is the month of ghosts in Japan, and Ubume has returned with another if it's Hunt Stories to chill you to your bones! This is the guide organized by deaths and endings, so if you're missing one you can go right to it. I've also added in story beats for the endings, each of which give you a different fraction of the story. I've also written a general introduction and the story hunt organized by location, so head there if that's what you're looking for. Just as a warning - everything beyond here is potentially a spoiler!

Enchantment: The Good Witch of the West

Most people forget that in the original Oz book there were two good witches - the unnamed Good Witch of the North, who initially met Dorothy at the sight of her landing, and gave her a protective kiss on her forehead. She was small, plump, and elderly with a warm spirit that was in contrast to the lean elegance of Glinda, the Good Witch of the South. She was further eclipsed in the movie, along with silver slippers, when Glinda took her place and introduced a plot hole which didn't exist in the original text. I love to revisit the original books in all their flawed glory, the dreams of a man written to please the fancies of young girls and further expanded to feed their appetite for wonder. Oz is one of the few historical series which are brimming with women, drowning even the sexism endemic to Baum's authorship in the glory of individuality and variety. It was with much glee that I realized this month's theme for Enchantment was the Wizard of Oz - and it has proved to be a wonderful reflection of the creativity and joy of it's source.