Otherworldly

I managed to find a little time between preparing various dishes for Christmas to make a new vlog for Otherworldly, focusing on Vista’s new bento head and a few other items, such as recent releases from lassitude & ennui and paper moon. As usual, I have the credits at the end of the post. And yes, the Astrology contest I mention in the video is still going on, so check it out.

I am not a coffee drinker (which is pretty unusual in Sweden!) and while I do like tea, my favourite hot drink indulgence is without a doubt hot chocolate. Best drunk in winter, of course, especially outdoors at a Christmas market where you often get it flavoured with cinnamon. Delicious! So, for my second Redeux post for this round, I setup the hot cocoa stand from Roawenwood as a backdrop.

I spent the day doing some Christmas shopping (mostly various edible things, yum) and after surviving the crowds that had descended on Gothenburg today I decided that I wanted to setup a very tranquil-feeling scene for today’s photos. What better spot than our little northern corner of ice and snow? It was also perfect for showing off two new releases for Redeux, which is running from December 14th to December 21st, offering a great mix of designers showcasing both new exclusive items and discounted items.

But that is not all the newness that I have for you today. I am wearing the brand new Emily head from Vista, which may be my favourite so far of their heads, and I also need to tell you about a promotion from Astrology that gives you the chance to win the entire store.

Working hats into my usual looks is often a bit of a struggle, so when the lovely Willow hair from Wasabi was released I did not have an immediate idea for what to wear it with. But then the Plastik released their new set for Collabor88 and that is how this go-go girl with a Western twist came about. Both poses are from one of Serendipity’s 30L Saturday offerings.

Just the other day I had reason to discuss the use of green as a colour to indicate the presence of magic, so it seemed fitting that I would make use of it here as I am showing off the latest fantastical gacha from the Plastik: Spidela. I have mentioned before what I think about spiders—and about having them all over my avatar!—but this is a pretty darn nifty set. It is very sword & sorcery, Spidela could have stepped right out of a Conan comic, and I think it went very well with this Necromancy pose & prop set from chanimations, an old favourite of mine. I also made use of the Petra Chamber add-on for Fanatik’s cave system as the backdrop for a suitably ancient and epic feel.

Today is George R.R. Martin’s 70th birthday (happy birthday, George!), so it seems only right to be blogging Senzafine’s Elswyth gown which comes in 12 colour combinations inspired by Westerosi Houses. To show a bit of the variety available, I tried something I haven’t done in a while, namely to setup my avatar in three different looks and photo each separately. I had to be a little more careful than usual with lighting so that it work fine to splice the images together, so it is a bit flatter than I would like. But I think I need to play around with this more; it beats having to buy mesh body parts, skins, hair and clothing for multiple alts!

After debating it for a while, I recently picked up the Axis HUD from LeLutka. With this HUD you can make your own expressions for your bento mesh heads and no, it doesn’t just work on LeLutka. In this video, I demonstrate the HUD on three different heads: LeLutka Cate, Vista Zoe and Lightstar Maya. Full credits for what I am wearing can be found at the end of this post and I have also included two photos to show the outfit from On a Lark and the jewelry from the Plastik better.

I have been just a touch distracted this last week, since Elio and I got a chance to try a demo of Reigns: Game of Thrones which has proven completely addictive. As a result, I have barely had any time left for Second Life. But, as I did have some new releases to share with you, I’ve stopped my attempts at ruling the Seven Kingdoms successfully to bring you a look at some fresh new things from Senzafine, Wasabi and alaskametro.

After a bit of a hiatus from vlogging, I finally had time to a video featuring two awesome recent releases: The Pompeii Bathhouse from Tia and the Gerard bento head from Vista. Fair warning, I was a bit out of practice and perhaps a bit too talkative, so the video may feature more rambling than usual. Not that don’t ramble in general, but you get the idea. You may skip ahead to the essentials. ;)

I do need to make some small corrections to what I said in the video regarding the Gerard head. It is currently on sale in the Vista mainstore for L$2000. It is the add-on facial hair that is available at the Mesh Body Addicts Fair. There is also a brand-new bundle (released today) of the head plus a full bento AO for L$3500.

Sometimes, it is a struggle to come up with a good idea that results in a pleasing image at the same time as it shows off the item(s) being blogged in a good way. Other times, the idea leaps into your head almost fully formed. That was the case when I opened the latest blogger pack from the Dreaming Thicket, the Ladies’ Crowns Gacha from the Fantasy Gacha Carnival. The idea that came to me was of a woman on a throne, wearing one crown but choosing from a selection of others, including some more “powerful” ones.

I had meant to write this blog before leaving for Spain, but I ended up only having time to post the images on Flickr. As such, this is just for archival completion and (partial) credits.

Tropical Bodysuit by Luxuria (at TLC), hair by Magika and build by Zinnias (at Swank).

As warm as it continues to be here, a nice big pool would be fabulous. A beach would be even better. But that has to wait a few weeks so in the meantime I try to cool off in front of the computer as best as I can. Maybe I should hang out in my winter landscape instead? Not while wearing this outfit from Voluptas Virtualis, though, it is definitely made for somewhere warm and sunny.

The last Deco(c)rate shipped out a few days ago. I did not buy it this month, but I have subscribed a few times and will be sad to see it go, though it does seem like subscription boxes have a limited lifespan. I do have one item from the last crate to show you, however, namely the Vina Dining Set from the Plastik. While the theme for the crate was La Dolce Vita, I found that this rustic set of tables, benches and side table looked quite nice next to one of my medieval village houses from Fanatik. So, I opted for setting up a very rustic “garden party”, using some food props from Aisling.

I had promised a proper write-up for these photos, but we were at a big dog show all weekend and I am still worn out. Add to that a heatwave that makes being at the computer uncomfortable and I will just have to settle for the credits.

A week of Fantasy Faire blogging did a number on my creativity, because after we’d been off to the year’s first boxer show, I found myself unable to think of a photo for several days. In the end, I decided it was time to play around with our setup of Libertine furniture and props again. That turned out to be just the right framing for the latest release from Voluptas Virtualis, a zippered little number that doesn’t cover too much.