Otherworldly

I did this last year as well (though I don’t recall if I blogged it or just posted to Flickr), but this time around I decided to compare three of my personal shapes. They’re all built along a similar base as there are certain elements I like in a shape, but they’re each a slightly different type. I tend to think of them as Curvy, Average and Athletic. I’ve tried very hard to make them quite realistic in their proportions, though they are definitely more towards the idealized than average end of the head-to-height ratio at roughly 8 heads tall. That’s a concession to what I feel works best within SL. They are also taller than they “should” be since I built them to specific height when the old, incorrect height detector was the only one available. As a result, they are 18-20 centimetres (7-8 inches) taller than I intended them to be. But getting that short in SL is not easy, plus I have enough issues fitting clothing and furniture as it is.

Yesterday, I found myself wanting to get a photo or two in for the Hair Fair contest before the deadline at midnight. But, all the ideas I came up on the theme of “Freedom” with lacked the right hair or the right clothes or the right poses. Until, when flipping through poses, I came across LAP’s “Getting Down” set. Ah-ha. Dancing, losing oneself in the music, that is definitely an expression of freedom. I bought a hair I had been eyeing—Mango from DeLa, a new-to-me store with some really nice mesh hair and a nice range of reds—and I knew I had the perfect outfit in elymode’s 54 separates.

But, where to shoot? It proved very hard to find a good-looking disco or nightclub that wasn’t packed with people, but then I recalled a recent release from chanimations called NeonLights. It turned out to be perfect.

Freyja’s already covered some of the items available for women at the Fairy Tales event, but there are a few—not many, but a few—things suitable for men. One of them caught my eye, from a designer I’ve not visited before: Vita’s Boudir.

It isn’t often that you get such a treat, but the skin I am wearing today is a new version of an old favourite; Zarya from Skin Within. It is available at Flawless Summer Lovin’ Sale for just L$50!

I am also wearing a drop-dead gorgeous new jewellery set from Earthstones and the mesh sari from {bilo} that came out some weeks ago.

The Fairy Tales event opened yesterday. It runs until July 8th, but with such a theme I just had to try and get in there as soon as possible. The haul from my first visit ended up being a hair from Exile and a mesh corset from Aura. I had my eye on another mesh piece as well, but since there wasn’t a demo I had to pass it by.

I am also wearing a pair of brand-new mesh sandals (with mesh feet) from lassitude & ennui and I am using the Godswood skybox from Trompe Loeil.

I’ve been aware of the pose store Del May for a a good while but for some reason I had not given it a closer look before this weekend. What a shame, is all I can say after Ran and I spent a few hours browsing through all the amazing poses and the amazing photos showcasing them. If you are looking for unique, expressive poses—singles, couples and groups—you absolutely have to give Del May a look. We found that the couple poses fit us unusually well even with our avatars not quite being the SL standard in size.

To see what we got up to with the poses we picked up, click through. It is all quite NSFW.

The final limited edition fantasy gown from Nomine is out and Ameno is an opulent piece, perfect to finish this series with. It needed just the right setting to shoot in so I headed over to the roleplay sim Venexia.

From Slink comes these gorgeous ballet slippers in mesh, made to work perfectly with her lovely mesh feet. I thought they went quite well with this two-part dress from Sn@tch which has a clothing layer top and a mesh skirt that was quite forgiving of different shapes. I am also wearing the latest skin from Adam n Eve, Esha.

This week could use some improvement, to say the least. We’ve had major server issues to contend with at Westeros.org since before the weekend and on top of that I am feeling incredibly let-down by the Game of Thrones finale. So, it could have been better!

Fortunately, SL has been behaving and I’ve actually got quite a few things I am eager to photo. I started today with the newest dresses from One Bad Pixel. These maxi dresses, available in two different patterns and tons of colours for each style, are just the thing for a summer evening.

Need a place to hang out and sigh wistfully once the second season of Game of Thrones ends on Sunday? Then this gorgeous new skybox from Trompe Loeil for FaMESHed might be something for you. Inspired by the godswood at Winterfell, it features a beautiful weirwood (alas, no carved face on the trunk) overlooking a dark pond.

My outfit isn’t exactly A Song of Ice and Fire-inspired; it is the dark version of Nomine’s Ariel limited edition wedding gowns. I loved the drama of it together with the moody skybox, however. That said, there’s a final shot in this post that references a scene from A Dance with Dragons—can you pin-point which one?

As an aside, both Ran and I would love to see some more A Song of Ice and Fire-inspired things in SL, especially clothing that looks right for the books!

A new round of FaMESHed opens tomorrow and sexy new mesh brand One Bad Pixel is taking part with this sexy Ring Bikini. Brand new is also this mesh hair from LeLutka and I am still wearing my mesh FATEeyes. The little necklace that fits so well into my cleavage is a recent release from Dark Mouse.

The Skin Addiction Showcase has opened and there’s a sampling of skins from many of the designers across SL. While I was wandering through it, one skin caught my eye, something I’d never seen before: Andreas, from Aeros. The name might possibly ring a bell… especially if you tend to the Adult grid. Known for their expertly scripted, sculpted, and textured prim genitals, designer Pi Rain has now moved into male skins. Andreas is actually the latest in quite a few skins in the line, but after consideration I think it may be the best yet.

From Insolence comes a fresh, spring-inspired lingerie set called Mary, offered in light colours such as the cream seen here. Cotton with a touch of lace makes for a sweet, romantic look that pairs well with the newest mesh hair from Wasabi Pills.

What else to call a post that combines some fabulous new mesh adornments inspired by A Song of Ice and Fire from Tekeli-li—both jewellery and a hairstyle, at that—and another limited edition wedding gown from Nomine? The gown, btw, is due to be retired in a few days, so make sure to check it out soon!

The recent merger of EVIAN, Signature, and DNA has lead to a sudden wealth of beautiful male skins in SL—the brand new Ricardo, which I’ve reviewed, has barely gone a week before a new skin was released: Alejandro.