Otherworldly

Today is generally the year’s laziest (or possibly second laziest after January 1st) day for me. There’s nothing more that has to get finished in time for Christmas (we celebrate on the 24th in Sweden) and there’s lots of yummy leftovers. So its all about curling up with a book and puttering about with things like wintry photos in Second Life.

There’s a veritable cornucopia of events going on right now and I have already been treating myself to quite a few early Christmas presents. For example,Junbug’s new release for Genre’s Victorian round, Lady Mistletoe. I really like metallic detailing on this gown, it makes it very festive, though I do have to point out that the red can come out quite different with materials enabled (as in these photos) compared to when not; it all comes down to the light settings used. My favourite part of this ensemble, however, may be that it actually consists of a corset with an add-on skirt, which is a nice way of adding some flexibility into how you can wear your mesh.

It is We Love Role-Play time again. This time, my fantasy is more adult than elven, as the Versailles shoes from lassitude & ennui and the Portia jewellery from Sax Shepherd Designs inspired a lush boudoir look.

I have not blogged in quite a while for various RL reasons, none of them too fun unfortunately. However, I have had a bit of energy returning at least and doing something creative seemed like a good idea. So, I dug out a few things from the current (but soon to be over) round of We Love Role-Play; the Sultana dress from Apsara, the bracers from GSpot’s Dyonysos Bride and the earrings from Bliensen+MaiTai.

Long mesh hair is finally getting a bit more curl and bounce and Calico Ingmann of Calico is one designer who is exploring these possibilities. I’ve paired her latest style, Penny, with the Bard top from the Muses for We Love Role-Play.

The new round of We Love Role-Play has opened and as usual there’s a wide and varied selection. I decided to get some more photo-mileage out of my newly purchased Enchanted Woods from Studio Skye, especially as the Nephilaine gown from Senzafine definitely called for a wintery setting. I am also wearing the Clara hair from Calico and Nahimana’s Autumn Necklace and Earrings from ellabella.

I can’t resist doing another post about Genre’s September round, this one featuring the lovely Susanna dress from the Muses. Old times indeed, and it goes perfectly with the Akiko hair from Wasabi Pills. I am also wearing the updated mesh hands from Slink; if you already own the hands, make sure to get the update delivered using the terminals in the store, and if you don’t own the hands…well, get that problem taken care of right away. You need them, trust me. There are also male hands out now, so take your partner (or male alt) along as well.

This is one of those days when I am feeling rather jealous of my avatar because she has three new gowns from the Muses to play with and she can dress up like a medieval lady whenever she wants. I suppose I could technically do so in RL too, but gowns aren’t the most practical garments for everyday life. So, Second Life to the rescue.

I am also wearing some new hair styles from Alice Project, Calico and Amacci; changing hair style and hair colour with a couple of click is another of those enviable traits of Second Life.

Get ready for another round of We Love Role-Play, starting tomorrow. Among the pieces on offer for this round is this elegant mesh gown by the Library. The Asia gown really shows how you can combine mesh with clever texturing to create a style that is more complex than the base mesh. It has a vaguely Grecian or Roman feel and would suit well for roleplay in a setting with a warm climate.

With it I am wearing the newest hair from Wasabi Pills, Tanya, and a set of gorgeous bangles from Maxi Gossamer, both out for this month’s FaMESHed. The San Remo bangles utilize materials so should be seen in the latest official viewer for the best effect.

Siyu Suen of Illusions may be best known for her masks, but she also creates a wide variety of other accessories, from jewellery to elf ears. Most recently, she has released a few designs that started out as commissions, including two different French hoods. Properly, these should be used to fasten a veil or a coif, but I think they look lovely (if not historically accurate) on their own as well. This, the Katarina French Hood, is the more elaborate of the two styles (the Anna French Hood lacks the stones and the outer pearl trim), but both styles are of course scripted for texture changing, allowing for a range of customisation.

We’re actually in the middle of a sim remodelling right now—we’ve got the crazy idea of trying to make some mini-areas inspired by different regions of Westeros—so shooting outdoor photos is a bit tricky. However, I just had to find some way of shooting the latest mesh creation from Maxwell Graf of Rustica: the mangrove tree bridge. Fortunately, we did have a corner of the sim where some creative angling of the camera hid any signs of the ongoing work.

The mangrove tree bridge is currently available at the Garden. It is 12 meters long, 73 prims and mod and copy. That means you could make it larger, though the land impact would go up. The modelling and the texturing is, as with everything Maxwell puts out, quite superb. For a beachy or tropical sim, this would seem like a must-have piece of landscaping.

Alia Baroque of Fallen Gods and Libertine has released an update for the latter brand’s flagship product, the Marquis furniture set. I was thrilled to receive a review copy since I have very much enjoyed the original release of the Marquis set and the new release promised to be even better.

And it does not disappoint. As you will see by the following seven photos—maybe Ran and I got a little carried away, but that’s still only a fraction of the options—the full set gives you a lot to play with as each of the pieces of furniture include a wide array of poses (many new ones have been added compared to the initial release of the set), many which also give out props. Furthermore, each piece is now texture change, offering a total of 10 lush textures. The full set also offers both mature and adult versions of most of the pieces, save for the lounger which only has “safe” poses.

We went for the adult versions, so there’s some not very safe for work images behind the cut.

A new round of FaMESHed is starting tomorrow and if you like corsets you just have to try on Perception’s new Sweetheart Overbust corset. Brand new is also the gorgeous necklace from Mandala and my hair is a recent release from Analog Dog’s Point B line.

Do you roleplay in Second Life? Or do you perhaps—like me—just like dressing up for it? If so, We Love Role-Play is the event for you. Opening tomorrow, May 4th, it is a new monthly event that features clothing, accessories, props and anything else that might be useful for roleplaying in Second Life. There is a recurring roster of creators plus special guests for each cycle.

I am starting off with a look at a lovely mesh outfit from the Library.

The Fantasy Faire is just a few days away now (it opens on the 20th), so the time has come for my first look at a new release that will be available at the faire: the Vandariel armour from the Plastik. This is classic sword & sorcery, though I decided to capture my scantily clad warrior in a more contemplative mood by using the Regal Arch pose prop from Coco Creations.