Otherworldly

There is something oh so romantic and adventurous about an old-fashioned sailing ship (especially if it comes with a dashing pirate captain included, but I digress…) and I have always wanted a nice ship in Second Life. Not so much for sailing (though Ran used to like to do a bit of that), but it can make for a lovely place to admire a virtual sunset from. No surprise, then, that I have following Maxwell Graf’s work on his mesh ship with interest. It has, as I also mention in the video (yes, there’s one of those), been quite a long process, but now Neptune’s Revenge is finally complete and out at Rustica and on the marketplace. And she’s a beauty, as I hope I have managed to show in both the photos and the video.

The first Treasure Chest is here and I’ve got a long unboxing video for you. I did plenty of talking in the video, so I won’t make this post too lengthy, other than to say that I am following it up with credits for what Ran and I are wearing initially as well as with photo of my initial outfit. I am not giving separate credits for all of the Treasure Chest items since I go through those in detail in the video. Plus, you can also check out the Treasure Chest website and see all the designers and their items there.

I have to say, the Marylebone Flat from Barnesworth Anubis has inspired me to play around quite a bit with different furnishings. It is a really interesting space which works very nicely for a lot of pieces I’ve wanted to cover for a while. So, in addition to some sexy upcoming lingerie from Alaskametro, a cool necklace from the Plastik and new hair from Wasabi Pills, this post also features furniture from Rustica and Noble Creations.

Luxuria has a naughty little number coming out tomorrow for 50 Linden Friday that you’re getting a preview of from me today. I’ve been in a shape-making mood since the release of Slink Physique Hourglass, and this outfit turned out to be just right for showing off a curvier shape made for the regular Slink Physique body. I am hoping to have it and a couple of other shapes (including some for the Hourglass body) up at my Marketplace store later today.

It is drawing near to that time of the year when Second Life is invaded by pumpkins, ghosts and assorted frightful things. The TAG! Gacha would appear to be fully embracing Halloween for its upcoming edition, which opens October 17th, and the same can (unsurprisingly) be said for the Wayward Halloween gacha.

A girl can’t have too many thrones, can she? Especially not thrones with adult poses, but you’ll have to wait until another time to see those. That’s not to say this post is entirely decorous; oh no, Junbug‘s gown makes certain of that.

From The Mesh Project at The Shops comes the long-awaited beta of the male mesh avatar that they have been working on for quite awhile, according to all indications, and the fact that The Shops! have been jam-packed since the release a few days ago suggests that they’ve come not a moment too soon. The Mesh Project’s male avatar is, I think, the first really serious attempt at a male avatar aimed at the widest possible market, including support for third-party appliers, complicated alpha setup, and more. Alongside the release of the body was the release of their male mesh head in five different variations, another much sought-after accessory, and no less than seven brand new male skins. For this review, however, I’m using a somewhat older skin, Prince from The Skin Shop (part of the The Shops! collective, who are known to have included the prolific designers behind some of SL’s most well-regarded brands over the years: Naughty, ARMIDI,and Abyss.)

Time for another of those portraits inspired by The World of Ice and Fire. Both Ran and I are big fans of Dorne and we were absolutely thrilled that GRRM wrote so much about the region for the book. In particular, the story of how Nymeria led her people to Dorne and joined forces with Mors Martell made us squeal with excitement when we first read that part of the manuscript. So, of course I had to do an interpretation of Nymeria. There are a couple of great pieces of art in the book showing her as well, though in this case I didn’t really look at any of those.

I’ve been a very absent blogger these last two weeks, apologies! It has been quite a hectic month and somewhere along the line, my photo ideas seem to have been misplaced. But for the last week or so, I’ve been toying with a themed series of shots and after a few false starts (trying to find appropriate prefabs proved to be a bust) I think I know how to do them. The basic idea? Portraits of various characters that appear in The World of Ice and Fire, the book that Ran and I released together with George R.R. Martin exactly a month ago.

So, this is the first such portrait, showing Rhaenyra Targaryen, one of the two siblings who fought over the Iron Throne in the Dance of the Dragons. This portrait is showing her towards the end of her life, not long before she will be devoured by her half-brother’s dragon, Sunfyre. She wears a rich, but more modest gown and several pregnancies has left her plumper than in her youth.

The May round of We Love Role-Play includes several gorgeous corsets from brands such as the Library, lassitude & ennui and aisling. I went with the corset from the latter for this post as I wanted a darker look to go with the accessories from Pale Empress for the World Goth Fair.

Historically-themed clothing always catches my interest, but not all of it takes my fancy…. but at the Seraphim Social event, which had a “Pride and Prejudice” theme, I came across this terrific ensemble from Heathcliff, Junbug Mantel’s line of male mesh clothing. From head to toe, the outfit is very sharp indeed, capturing early 18th century style very well indeed.

Aisling is a brand I have come to notice quite recently and the Fantasy Gatcha Carnival has ensured I won’t be forgetting about it anytime soon. Trying to complete the Gaia and Faranth set has been a source of some frustration for me the last week and I am still without the ultra rare crowns. However, I really wanted to showcase these gorgeous jewellery sets, so today I am wearing Gaia, minus the crown. I am also wearing the Tiernan belt, which is one of Aisling’s releases fro We Love Role-Play and I think it goes very well with the Gaia set.

At the moment I feel as if the pose selection is the hardest part of any photography session. In part this is due to my inventory being in serious need of some organising, which means I reach for the same poses over and over again. However, I am also finding myself a touch disenchanted with static poses and quite a bit more inclined to be inspired by animations. As a result, Ran and I have found ourselves investing in quite a few pieces of furniture; the combination of a nice piece of mesh furniture with a set of—quite often—themed animations has proven rather irresistible.

Our latest acquisition is a collaboration between Maxwell Graf of Rustica and Froukje Hoorenbek of Dutchie. We already had several lovely pieces from Rustica, but this is our first Dutchie item. We have been very tempted by several previous releases—Dutchie always seems to do fabulous themed pieces that really tell a story—but not quite felt that we could justify the price for “just” photography. However, La Signora Della Pazienza—the Lady of Patience—proved to be something we just had to get. This stunningly crafted mesh cage—which Maxwell Graf created based on a drawing in a Renaissance manuscript—comes with an intriguing set of animations, perfect for a particularly dark sort of fantasy.

Needless to say, the images within aren’t precisely SFW.

Hair Fair is still going strong with about a week to do, but it is not the only fair in town right now. There is also the Food Fair, featuring decorative food items as well as other items with a food connection.

Generally, you don’t want hair in your food, or food in your hair, but for this post we’re mixing things up. From Hair Fair, we’re showing hairs by Wasabi Pills (female) and Amacci (male). From Food Fair, we’re showing a gorgeous corset by Perception and a lovely, materials-ready necklace by Weather! or not?

We Love Role-Play’s new round is now open and today I wanted to show both a dress and some furnishings; as always, the event includes much more than just avatar accessories. The dress is my second one from Senzafine, a store that continues to impress me with their mesh clothing. The furnishings are from Rustica; Maxwell Graf has released a set of candle-holders that makes full use of the new materials options and they look amazing in the official viewer.