SL Disney Bound – Week Fourteen: Vanellope Von Schweetz

I'm breaking one of my own rules, but it's for a good cause, so I hope you'll forgive me. First of all, the outfit for Vanellope Von Schweetz was really a struggle - not only was I not familiar with the source material, but the style was so clear and so not what I wear; I am not a casual dressed in Second Life. Granted, I'm not all ball gowns all the time, but my style definitely skews Gothic Lolita with frills and bits, so the hoodie in particular just caused me no end of trouble - but more on that in a bit. The rule break has to do with these amazing shoes. I seriously tend to try to sit on things until they're released so people can hopefully find them. This isn't the case for some limited edition things that I wear in the course of making an outfit, but if something is going to be for sale, I try to not photograph it until it is for sale.

And then I saw these shoes.

The whole outfit was done, with a different set of shoes even, when I got these from Violent Seduction. They will - I promise - be for sale soon. I love them. I love them like a loving thing who loves. I particularly love that the heel is recolorable in various kinds of stripes and solids, so you can match them to an outfit, and the star is also recolorable to a variety of metals. I am a huge fan of customizability, but more than that I adore the shape of them, the curve down to the star, and the fact I'm literally walking on stars. They are unrigged mesh, and I ended up making them just a little bigger and they fit perfectly.

So I'm sorry. They should be on sale soon. Please don't hate me!  

(I just checked, they're on sale. That whole rant was useless. Why do I not check things first? I'm leaving it because I think it's funny; enjoy.)

The rest of my outfit is a study in compromises and inventory hunting. The hair was another late addition, from D!va and for sale at Collobor88, and I found it when I was trying to find a hoodie that I swore got made but I couldn't find except for some concept pictures, which took up the better part of an evening; I tell you, I bled for this look and it's nothing like her. I was sold when I saw the adorable red bow, though, and into my inventory (and onto my head) it went. I literally don't know where the candy came from - it's from Evie's Closet, but I have no memory of getting it even though I adore it and am now craving old fashioned lollipops. The hoodie was actually a prize from Forsaken for one of the Twisted Hunts, and there is nothing like it for sale in the store, and I think that is a crime - it is awesome, and I love the pattern, and why was it not modify-ok so I could tint it? Picture me pouting - this is a pouting faerie right here.What's moving me is an amazing new set of poses from Studio Sidhe for Genre, for the Art Deco theme, which I really adore. I'm all elegant and side-eyeing, sauntering all over Second Life's second birthday event.

The sole nod to Vanellope's teal hoodie is this shirt, stolen from a gorgeous dress from G Field which you have absolutely no hint of in the current outfit. She looks like a young to teenage girl, though, so it was very important to me - in addition to needing the teal - that I portrayed her fully dressed, even with otherwise somewhat scandalous accessories. Scandalous would be the miniskirt from Sn@tch, which is so outside of my comfort zone that I'm roughly in Poughkeepsie now, but the ruffly was perfect for the look and half a day in I was getting kind of desperate, and it's a really cute skirt, there's just much less of it than I'm used to. The stockings are another piece from a bigger set, from katat0nik, and were one of the few dual-legged stocking styles I could find; she actually has another dual legged style which is stripes on one side and hearts on the other, and I was desperately hoping for it in teal (when I saw it in pink on flickr) but no luck. See? Pouting faerie. I am not kidding when I say I went back at least a year through flickr looking for all kinds of things and finding none of it for sale - this was a nightmare.

Also very funny in hindsight.

Other funny things in this picture set? My wandering eyes because I couldn't use my facial animation HUD. I have not forgotten how annoying all that is, oh no I haven't.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Candace Creamer
Hair: D!va, "Lili" (Collobor88)
Candy: Magic Candy Stash
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyelashes: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Jewelry: Silver Wheel, Candy Slices
Hands: SLink, Enhanced Mesh Hands
Nails: Nine Inch Nails, Colorful
Hoodie: Forsaken, Delirium Smoked Hoodie (Twisted Hunt Gift)
Shirt: G Field, Classic Dress "Clea"
Skirt: Sn@tch, Ruffled Mini Skirt
Stockings: katat0nik, Lunar Dragon
Shoes: Violent Seduction, Tacky

Poses: Studio Sidhe

Location: SL10B: Turtle Stage
Light Settings: TOR, MIDDAY Coral Reef
Water Settings: Glassy

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Meme Monday: Weird Questions

Strawberry gives us another easy meme, with a bunch of fun (and invasive, and funly invasive) questions to answer. I have to admit, I like these memes a lot because I can post whatever pictures I have handy, and answer the questions, and flail wildly, and get lots of people looking at, well, this post at least. I am simultaneously amused and disturbed by how with this blog, more than any other I've done, I desire feedback and acclaim, to hear people say I make good things, and to get comments. Who would think such a little thing would become so crucially important to me.

1. Which was the last sim you visited? (Other than your home) Dark Midday Designs. I was following various Flickr-hints to try to find stockings with different things on each leg. Speaking of - creators, stockings with different things on each leg? Please?


2. Does your avatar look like the real you? Yes and no. She looks like I might look thinner, though the fingers and toes are too long. The rest of her proportions I based off of me, including my eyes which are these weird things where the bottom is almost flat and the top is a half moon. My eyebrows are harder to put in place, same with my nose (the shape is right, but I have a dimple on it), and my dimples - all of them require the cooperation of skin or tattoo, and I haven't been able to replicate it.


3. Do you wear underwear/panties underneath your clothing when out and about on the grid? Yes, when otherwise I would show. When I have an invisalayer covering, I don't.


4. If you won a million linden dollars, what would be the first thing you buy inworld? Land. I'd love to have a sim to play with, to decorate and make into something beautiful.


5. Have you ever bought something in SL and then realized afterwards that you had already owned it from before? Absolutely. katat0nik freebies and cheapies were a particular bane. Now I tend to search my inventory when I buy anything other that new releases.


6. Have you ever done anything in Second Life that would be considered illegal in real life? Nope, I don't think so, unless you count roleplay - I have a violent, demonic alt.


7. If you could go out on a date with any other avatar, who would it be? A date-date, or just to get to know them? I'm not so sure about who, though... I don't really think about strangers that way outside of joking references of celebrities I think seem interesting or neat. I have a few people who I envy for their circle of friends, because they seem really fun and supportive, but that doesn't seem like the same thing.


8. Who, in your opinion, was the greatest avatar to ever slive? Man... you don't ask easy questions.For me personally, it's Rowan Scarborough, who brought me to Second Life, but I think in terms of Second Life that AM Radio had some of the biggest splash in terms of what we could do with mood and art in Second Life, and Bryn Oh is bringing some of the most complex and interesting builds in Second Life right now. We almost won't have fashion blogging as we know it without Salome Strangelove, either, which given what I do is influenced by her - however distantly - is significant. One of the things about Second Life, though, is that it is so broad and far-reaching that it's difficult for a single figure to stand out or make much of a splash. Someone else will look at this list and not recognize a single name, while others will be shocked I leave out people who are closer to me in relevance.


9. What is the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever done inworld? I got a baby unicorn... for free. Those who know what I'm talking about, know why it's embarrassing. Though I should say, I made an alt do it - the aforementioned demonic one. 


10. If your avatar had a mind of its own, what do you think it would say to you? So.... where's that fairytale castle in Underhill I deserve?

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: De La Soul, Candace Creamer
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Giselle
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyeshadow 1: Mock, Pink (iced)
Eyeshadow 2: cheLLe, Mix and Match blue
Eyelashes: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Jewelry: Eclectica, Gathered Hearts Jewellery
Hands: SLink, Enhanced Mesh Hands
Nails: Orc Inc, Glitterslash
Top: Evie's Closet, Melusine
Corset: Deviance, Eros Jungle Corset (group gift)
Skirt: Mon Tissu, Oxford Pencil Skirt
Stockings: KCs No. 2 Black Lace
Boots: Lassitude & Ennui, Flutter Boots

Poses: Glitterati

Location: The Last Stop
Light Settings: Raymond's Sunrise
Water Settings: Glassy

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Twisted Color Challenge: Week 24 - Gleefully Fresh

She walks in beauty, like the night

Of cloudless climes and starry skies,

And all that's best of dark and bright

Meets in her aspect and her eyes;

Thus mellow'd to that tender light

Which Heaven to gaudy day denies.

For Gleefully Fresh, I ended up being inspired by a recent release from Violent Seduction - these awesome sailor tops with matching bloomers - and some of the prizes from the Arcade Event. It's a much more skin-showing than my usual, and I ended up making some modifications to my shape to match it - largely in the hips department, as my base shape is an hourglass and not a pear - but I think it looks really fun and almost sassy. It moves well; the bow is rigged to the torso, so when you have a bending pose, it bends with you, which can look really cool... or really strange. Hee hee. It is finished along most of the edges, along the inside of the collar and the inside of the shorts, which makes taking pictures in it a snap. I echoed the yellow of Gleefully Fresh also in my shoes, tintable wedges from katat0nik which meant I could match both colors perfectly. The shoes, heel and bands, and bow are all tintable separately through a very ingenious HUD which also offers texture changes. I'm also wearing a locket from katat0nik's Arcade gatcha machine; I ended up getting every single common (abotu half of them at yard sales) and htis is a particularly cute teal one which brought in the second color in Gleefully Fresh rather nicely. 

One shade the more, one ray the less,

Had half impair'd the nameless grace

Which waves in every raven tress

Or softly lightens o'er her face,

Where thoughts serenely sweet express

How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.

My other main source of teal (besides my gorgeous wings from Fancy Fairy which I rarely take off) are items from two separate Gatchas at the Arcade Event, but both releases from Half-Deer. The Unicorn Ears and Horn (modifiable so you can match them to your own head) are much more popular than these really cute tails (which come separately and as a matched set - I thought the set was cute), so they're easier to find at the various yard sales across the grid, but I ended up really liking the tails a lot, and may end up outfitting an alt with them full time. I have a lot of alts, and they all have themes, and one of them is a unicorn - though at the moment she's a full blown, very old fashioned furry unicorn. Giving her a more human alternative could be really fun. Once I was decked out as a shy girl unicorn, I ended up finding this rather ghastly and Gothic sim with all kinds of bodies... and I was instantly inspired by the thought of a poor unicorn finding herself in a castle after a viscous massacre, trying desperately to find survivors and finding nothing. I am a sad, sad unicorn.

And on that cheek and o'er that brow 

So soft, so calm, yet eloquent, 

The smiles that win, the tints that glow, 

But tell of days in goodness spent,— 

A mind at peace with all below, 

A heart whose love is innocent.

                                        ~Lord Byron

 

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Candace Creamer
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Haley
Unicorn Bits: Half-Deer, Sweet Dreams Unicorn (Arcade Event)
Flowers: Sugar, Sunny Blossom Sprout
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyeshadow 1: Mock, Gold (iced)
Eyeshadow 2: cheLLe, Mix and Match blue
Eyelashes: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Jewelry: katat0nik, Pocket Watch (Arcade Event)
Hands: SLink, Enhanced Mesh Hands
Nails: Adore & Abhor, Fluttershy (promotional)
Top: Violent Seduction, Yellow Sailor Top
Belly Ring: Earthstones, Chakra
Bottoms: Violent Seduction, Unripe Bloomers
Tail: Half-Deer, Blossom Tail (Arcade Event)
Shoes: katat0nik, Aya Wedge

Poses: Glitterati

Location: SiniStyle Design - Main Store
Light Settings: TOR, SUNSET Blue Inspiration (moded)
Water Settings: Glassy

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Monday Meme: SL Movie Poster Challenge

I was honestly stymied for a poster to imitate for Strawberry's Meme this Monday, casting around through some of my favorite movies, all of which seemed ludicrously difficult and not quite worth it, being both something I couldn't photograph in Second Life and nothing terribly iconic or amazing. And then I thought of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, which had both an iconic poster and could be mimicked pretty quickly. My initial thought was to make several pieces, but what I ended up making was a single backdrop and then posing in front of it - clearly not the poses Russell and Monroe were in, nor the same clothing, but I did go for a similar style - burlesque - and similar kinds of cheesecake poses to show off both sides of one of my favorite Solange outfits. The second shared thing I'm wearing are these awesome stilettos from G Field which I was reminded of in a discussion of whether there was a simple stiletto in Second Life. I had remember this, and was all set to send a notecard to G Field's creator asking if it could be made sans rose, when I realized the rose is optional - on Deoridhe it's showing, and Zoe has the streamlined roseless shoe. Clearly, the one walking home with the diamonds and the man is Deoridhe, because Gentlemen Prefer Fae.

Credits: 

Deoridhe Quandry:
Skin: De La Soul, Candace Creamer
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Cookie
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyeliner: Idiosyncrasy, Eyeliner 1
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Lipstick 1: Adore & Abhor, Lips Blood
Lipstick 2: Mock, Mizu Venetian Red
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Jewelry: G Field, Rusty Rose
Dress: Solange, Carnal Special Edition
Shoes: G Field, Flower Pumps

Pose: Glitterati, 015

Zoe Kutenai:
Skin: Frick, Nemesis - Ash
Hair: Magika, Rewind
Horns: Europa, Lokyli horns - red
Eyes: Fire Eye
Piercings: Little Blue Boy, Hitsugi piercings
Tail: Lemon Tea, Drakodaimonen Tail
Dress: Solange, Carnal Red
Shoes: G Field, Flower Pumps

Pose: Adorkable Poses, Ice 1

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Female Protagonists

For the last several years, I've been reading and watching almost exclusively female protagonists. It's harder than it sounds - in all forms of media there are fewer female protagonists and their stories are more limited. In the exceptions to my female-centric tendencies, there is almost always at least one female character I really like - Black Widow in Avengers for example - or I'm filling them in mentally - like I did when watching the Odd Couple movie. I've ended up re-watching a lot of movies and shows out of desperation for something high quality but still where women took up a significant presence, and one of those movies I've watched repeatedly is the Avengers; the next part will have descriptions of the first few scenes in the film, but nothing about later events.

Ironically, though the Avengers have three fairly important female characters (Black Widow / Natasha Romanov, Virginia "Pepper" Potts, and Maria Hill), none of them actually speak to each other. Sometimes I wonder how the movie would have been different if Romanov had gone to get Iron Man / Tony Stark instead of Agent Phil Collins, and had that long interaction with Potts instead of the banter between she and Collins. Don't get me wrong - the scene between Romanov and Bruce Banner / Hulk is an amazing piece of character building and sets up for later events between Romanov and Banner, but I have a deep hunger for a Super Hero movie that actually passes the Bechtel Test in a significant way. Hel, at this point I think I'd settle for two female Super Heros in proximity to each other - where is the Wasp (more than Ant Man's auxiliary, please), Scarlet Witch, Ms. Marvel, Mockingbird, in later versions even Storm showed up. By the 1970s there were two or three female characters added for each set, allowing for some natural interaction and team building between women; why in 2013 is a six person team being fronted with a single woman? Three are too much to ask, I know, but couldn't they have managed two? She-Hulk, instead of Hulk? It just seems incredible to me.

That being said, I adore Romanov's roles and scenes in the Avengers, as can clearly be seen by how often I've rewatched the film (much as I love Stark, I need more). In particular, I love Romanov's introductory scene, which is the second introduction of an eventual Avengers Team member, and how it sets her up in juxtaposition to S.H.E.I.L.D., Hawkeye - who she is closest too, and two other proto-Avengers (Stark and Banner) with incredible parsimony of words and action. To set the scene, Collins has been ordered to bring people in, and he starts with Romanov, who is in a classic film noir sort of peril, tied up to a chair with several bruisers around her and a gloating businessman antagonist. This is both setting up and subverting Romanov's trope of being the femme fatal - during the conversation (in Russian) a date is mentioned, and she's wearing a slinky black dress and is quite attractive. However, the dress is not skin tight, it is loose enough for the fight scene which will ensue, and this is a torture scene, not a seduction scene - both things which subvert the femme fatal - and how she moves through and ends this scene further subverts it, as her weapons are not sex and love but rather violence; this is no bosom heaving woman with a gun, nor is she rescued. This also sets up that Romanov's technique is to put herself in positions where she seems to be at a complete disadvantage, totally helpless and injured, in order to gain important information - she doesn't sex information out of people, she psychologically manipulates them through their hubris and sense of superiority over her. I love this subversion of the femme fatal because is takes stereotypical female weakness and makes it into a strength.

If they had wanted to rescue her - it would have been easy; Collins got her on the phone by threatening to kill everyone in the building, and clearly the businessman antagonist was craven enough to give in once, the likelihood of obeying a second time is high. However, Collins simply told Romanov she needed to come in, gave the carrot to accomplish his task (Clint Barton / Haweye's being compromised - a fantastic bit of character building, both in showing that Romanov is not a blindly obeying agent, and how important Barton is to her, which also becomes important for later events), and then she said that she needed to put Collins on hold. The next few minutes is the only extraneous battle in the entire movie; the businessman antagonist is not part of the larger plot in any way, shape or form. It is critical, however, to establish Romanov as a significant force and full member of the Avengers in her own right and to establish her self-determination; Collins is shown partway through bopping his head gently to the sounds of a fight on the other end of the phone, completely unconcerned, and she takes on what seem like uneven odds with a grace and skill which is simply jaw dropping. Seriously, if you haven't seen this scene, go take a look; I'll wait. "The Big Guy" referenced at the end of that clip is, of course, Banner - and the next scene highlights both Romanov's ability to persuade with facts, her willingness to set up different scenarios (for example, at one point she casually strolls over to one of the places she's hidden a gun), and offers a place for a call back later in the film when she points out she didn't "bat her eyelashes" to get Banner to accompany her - a lampshading of the femme fatal subversion she inhabits.

There are so many ways these critical two scenes could go wrong, could undermine her as an Avenger due to her gender, could set up a situation where she is not taken seriously as a member of the team, but at every turn in the Avengers she is treated both by the script and by the other characters as a respected and capable person. One interesting and critical time later in the film is when Steve Rogers / Captain America is unsure of something and looks to Romanov for direction; when she gives it, he accepts it without question, a delicate reinforcement of his level of respect for her despite his embodying 1940s values which traditionally sideline and ignore female contributions. The intricate narrative of this film (can you tell I love it, yet?) sets each individual Avenger up to be important in his or her own right, and that's a balm to my abraded feminist nerves. A final important point - never in the film is it implied that the relationship between Romanov and Barton is or could be a romantic one, which would have undercut and cheapened their relationship since woman are traditionally expected to defer to their romantic partners. Nor is Romanov ever set up as even a romantic interest for any of the other members, which could lead to the marginalization of Wasp which occurs due to her relationship with Ant Man in other incarnations of the Avengers storyline. They are all consistently comrades with mutual respect and understanding between them, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, and that is a beautiful thing to behold.

Now, just give me a Romanov / Barton buddy film, and I will be a happy fangirl.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Candace Creamer
Hair: Secrets Hair, Rohan (promotional)
Headphones: Adore & Abhor, Heaphones - Froggie
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyeshadow: White Widow, Signed
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Lipstick: Adore & Abhor, Silent Star
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Hands: SLink, Enhanced Mesh Hands
Nails: Adore & Abhor, Fluttershy (promotional)
Watches: katat0nik, Nada Watches
Necklace: katat0nik, Bunny Jelly Bean (group gift)
Dress: katat0nik, Imaginative (Numberology Event)
Socks: Silentsparrow, Tentacle Socks
Shoes: Fashonably Dead, Jellies (All for 100 Linden)

Poses: Adorkable Poses

Location: New Brighton Pier
Light Settings: Annan Adored Realistic
Water Settings: Glassy

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

SL Disney Bound – Week Thirteen: Mad Hatter

One pill makes you larger
And one pill makes you small
And the ones that mother gives you
Don't do anything at all
Go ask Alice when she’s ten feet tall

And if you go chasing rabbits
And you know you're going to fall
Tell them a hookah smoking caterpillar has given you the call
Call Alice when she was just small

I've never been much enamored of the Mad Hatter, but this look has pretty much changed my mind. Alternatively sly and wild, mischievous and twisted, the Mad Hatter embodies both danger and whimsey. Like my version of Snow White, the Mad Hatter I ended up creating for Disneybound this week is pulled together from a lot of different outfits to make a final effect that is completely overwhelming and awesome. From the tip top of my tophat from Falln Angel Creations, to the toe tip of my espadrilles from Duh!, I am a wild romp through sizes and tea and distortion. My hair is a very fun, yet relatively old style from Wasabi Pills which is simply perfect for the uneven quality of the Mad Hatter. Even working around the dangling hair bits in the front wasn't too much of a problem, a reminder of older days before the majority of long hair was rigged mesh.

When the men on the chess board
Get up and tell you where to go
And you just had some kind of mushroom
And your mind is moving slow
Go ask Alice I think she'll know

When logic and proportion
Have fallen sloppy dead
And the white knight is talking backwards
And the Red Queen's "Off with her head!"
Remember what the dormouse said

I didn't have a teal bow to mimic the one for Disney's Mad Hatter; instead I copied it using two sets of jewelry - the recent butterfly set from Earthstones, and an older ring set from Eolande. The butterfly set is actually color changing; it has about six stone types which can be applied to the butterflies, and perhaps even ten colors for the bead, and I really adore it. All of the rest of my look is pieced together from three different outfits from Silentsparrow, in shades of gold and green. I played around with a lot of different options, mixing and matching, until I hit this final combination, bringing together the gold shrug as a top layer, the mottle corset over a lace undershirt, and finally the longer moon and stars Lolita style skirt. The final effect is not at all Lolita, but is one I really, really like. Now... are you coming for tea, or not?

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Candace Creamer
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Kiki
Hat: Falln Angel Creations, Mano De La Muerte Tophat
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Jewelry 1: Eolande, Stone Halo Necklace
Jewelry 2: Earthstones, Butterfly Set
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Hands: SLink, Enhanced Mesh Hands
Nails: Nine Inch Nails, Colorful
Shrug: Silentsparrow, Golden Sky
Undershirt and Garters: Silentsparrow, Vertnoir
Dress: Silentsparrow, Gutter Glitter
Socks: G Field, Button Socks
Shoes: Duh!, Women's Espadrilles

Poses: !bang

Location: Almost Wonderland
Light Settings: Incongruent Truths - modified
Water Settings: Glassy

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Different Shapes, Different Colors, Different Perspectives

Swiped with gratitude from Vaki on Plurk, I'm keeping this here both for future reference and to share with a wider audience.

1. It's really nice that you, personally, are not offended by [racism] [cultural misappropriation] [privilege] [offensive humor]. Thanks for letting us know!

2. You're right, nobody gets to tell you that you have to be offended by [racism] [cultural misappropriation] [privilege] [offensive humor]. Follow your bliss, but read down.

3. I'm not offended either, but nobody asked me my opinion. Because my opinion doesn't matter. Let's see why it doesn't!

4. My lack of offense means absolutely nothing to someone who actually is offended by [racism] [cultural misappropriation] [privilege] [offensive humor]. Their offense hurts them.

5. The fact that they are offended does not have to change my course of action (or yours). What I am doing may have enough social or personal value that I don't mind offending some.

6. Some people are thin-skinned. I factor this in when deciding whether to allow other people's offense to change my course of action. The number of people who are merely thin-skinned is low.

7. Most people are not thin-skinned. Most people have legitimate reasons for taking offense to [racism] [cultural misappropriation] [privilege] [offensive humor]. If I choose to ignore them, I should be able to enumerate my reasons: my reasons should not be grounded in ignorance. For example, there is a difference between Lenny Bruce's use of "nigger" and Michael Richards' use of "nigger."

8. When I am no longer ignorant of offense, if I choose to ignore legitimate offense to [racism] [cultural misappropriation] [privilege] [offensive humor] without reason, I am probably an asshole.

9. The fact that I, personally, may not be offended by [racism] [cultural misappropriation] [privilege] [offensive humor] is irrelevant to whether or not I am an asshole.

10. The only thing worse than being an asshole by ignoring legitimate offense without reason is turning around and attacking those who are offended for bothering you with their offense.

I made a few changes to Deoridhe's basic shape for this set of pictures, a wider nose and slightly wider lips that weren't quite as broad across the face. I didn't want to change my appearance too much, but it seemed wrong to not alter it at least slightly; between this and my last set of pictures I've been exploring minor alterations to my face - usually the sacrosanct part of my shape - in order to match a mood and a look inspired by a skin. We usually associated darker skin with a broader nose and larger lips, so that we register skin as darker even when it isn't if those features are in place [source]. Even within a cultural group, skin tone often correlates with status and the ability to get better jobs and even paler spouses [source]. The majority of this operates below the level of our consciousness; in fact, the Project Implicit  at Harvard has been studying bias and prejudice with the assumption that the majority of people they were studying would consider themselves unbiased.

One of the big advantages to the internet is that we can learn about others more easily than ever, but part of the learning has to be to value the opinions of others on their lives more than our options of their lives - to assume they are the expert, and we the beginner. This can be difficult - I know I have a marked tendency to be the expert on everything - but I've found being able to set myself aside and just experience another person's life through their eyes is an amazing thing, and a real gift.

Some places to start:

Accessibility Fail
Alas, A Blog
Angry Black Bitch
Colorlines
Freethought Blogs
Geek Feminism
Global Voices
Questioning Transphobia
Womanist Musing

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: Fallen Gods, Akna Skin (We love RP Event, promotional)
Hair: Discord Designs, Ohna
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Jewelry: Virtual Impressions, Abigail
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Hands: SLink, Enhanced Mesh Hands
Gloves: Adam n Eve, Opera Gloves
Glove Tops: Eclectica, "Swoon"
Dress: Purple Moon, Aquarelle Gown (Group Gift)
Shoes: G Field, Bow Strap Shoes "Kate"

Poses: Glitterati

Location: Mysterious Wave
Light Settings: Sim Default
Water Settings: Sim Default

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Picturesque Locations in Second Life

Several times recently, people have asked in a variety of venues how to find locations in Second Life for pictures. Much like finding art venues, or roleplaying communities, or any of a hundred things, the neglect of Search in Second Life means that the quality, useful items are often buried under a pile of the Same Old Thing All Over Again. I have a few different ways of weeding the wheat from the chaff, and I thought I'd shade for people who might struggle with it. I welcome additional suggestions in the comments, though; this certainly is not the be all and end all of finding locations in Second Life.

First of all, a fantastic resource is blogs. I actually have found most of my blogs through following the blogrolls of other blogs, which gives the advantages of being curated by a human being while the disadvantage of being limited in scope. I actually have a section of my blogroll specifically given to locations and events (primarily art) in Second Life where I list blogs I think highlight those things well. I think having a person who was dedicated to discovering and curating locations in Second Life for both long time members and newcomers would be a wonderful thing, but since most bloggers do so in their spare time, it's not reasonable to expect any of us to manage it.

This is an area where I think Second Life could really step up by having a person dedicated to discovering and highlighting in world events and locations - for established users it would give a quick and dirty way to explore new things, and for newcomers it would give a fantastic place to start. For people who don't know about Second Life, or mostly know the seedy and disreputable parts, this could be an easy way to get better press; can you imagine Linden Labs highlighting the huge success of the Fantasy Faire at raising donations for Breast Cancer? Or sharing with a broader audience how Second Life is being used as a part of Art Displays around the world? Newcomers interested in specific things could more easily find active communities if there was someone on Linden Labs' payroll who made sure everything was up to date and of high quality.

When either my blogs aren't giving me what I want, or I feel more like exploring, my second stop is the Destination Guide, which is a semi-curated list limited by the fact the sim owner has to have applied and been accepted, but that it is not kept up to date very well (I have it on good authority it takes a while to be taken off the Destination Guide). The Destination Guide has a rough and dirty set of criteria to help narrow down your search, but there's no real quality control, the pictures are often inaccurate (either underplaying or overplaying the sims attractiveness), and it can be rather difficult to navigate. I have sometimes found fantastic places by checking out the Destination Guide, but I've also been sent to some money pits.

Another option is to use an open search and see what comes up. This is hampered by a complete lack of quality control, but has the advantage of drawing from almost every sim in Second Life. One of the disadvantages is that Search does not make it clear when a sim is restricted, leading to some rather embarrassing events in my life when I tried to get to places I clearly didn't belong. The big advantage, though, is one can often end up exploring virgin territory, relatively speaking, and find things that are absolutely amazing and not on every blog on the Feeds.The location used in these pictures was found this way - I searched for "white" and the creator who built the latest incarnation of Reasonable Desires included in her description of it that the sim was white, and a match made in heaven was born.

Speaking of every blog on the feeds, another option is to check out fashion blogs or general topic blogs that often take pictures in different sims. This is hampered by the fact that most blogs don't include landmarks to where they took their pictures unless they're highlighting that sim in particular. I try very hard to always include links to where I took my pictures so that other people can follow in my footsteps, even though I'm not really a location review blog, and I'd love it if more bloggers / Second Life photographers followed in my example.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Candace - Creamer
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Momo Hair (promotional)
Crown: Wishbox, Rose Crown
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyeshadow: White Widow, Asia
Lipstick: Mock, Lucir Lipcolor - Frostbite (x2)
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Hands: SLink, Enhanced Mesh Hands
Bracelets: LacieCakes, Gabriella
Nails: Adore & Abhor, Sheer
Dress: Adore & Abhor, Valentine Lolita (promotional)
Stockings: G Field, Basic Color Tights
Shoes: G Field, Square-toe Shoes "Sophie"

Poses: Glitterati

Location: Reasonable Desires Island
Light Settings: Alchemy Immortalis - Foggy Morning
Water Settings: Glassy

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

SL Disney Bound – Week Twelve: Mr. Smee

I always loved Peter Pan, though I tended to focus more on the books than the movie from Disney. Mr. Smee we was jolly and kind and thought to be feared when he wasn't, and in a lot of ways he's more Captain Hook's valet than anything else - something which would make sense for the archaic stylings of pirates of fiction, with their aping of the mores of English nobility. The valet, like the lady's maid, was a body-servant, your most intimate inferior, simultaneous close and eternally divided by class. Jeeves and Wooster is one series of stories about the relationship between a gentleman and his valet where the gap in understanding - where the valets are often far more knowledgeable of the Master than vice versa - is made very clear. This is something which I, raised in my invisible class system where we confuse affluence and skin tone for class, don't fully understand, though I do understand having privileges which blind one to the experiences of other people who are different and who have more demands placed on them. Mr. Smee, with his actual kindness and yet his desire to be seen as fierce, embodies this inherent conflict between reality and the dreams we try to bring about in our lives, as well as showing that there are none so blind as those who cannot see.

I began my makeover into Ms. Smee with this dress from Dilly Dolls; it seemed perfect to me, from the Peter Pan collar to the stripes, even if they were vertical instead of horizontal. I love the little cap sleeves on the top, and the frills of the skirt; it's so cute and flirty. The shoes, likewise, were a simple fall into my inventory - a new release from Felicity, they have a fun strappiness and some gems along the edge like every good pirate should have. The tinting on the foot has changed from her previous releases; I found if I made my skintone brighter - closer to pure - and lighter at the same time, and it was fairly easy to match up. I tossed a cute pigtail style on from Truth in white to match Smee's beard, and tinted the bands red to match Smee's hat, and then added a cap on top of it from a store I hadn't heard of before called Yj-vita. I love the bright red of it, the delicate white patterns and the tiny pageboy brim. The final touches of red come from Mock, in the form of double layers of her lipstick, and nails, a saturated color from Izzie's. I'm a very girly Smee, but I think I qualify for First Mate.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Candace - Creamer
Hair: Truth, Bunny
Hat: Yj-vita, Casquette Cap
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyeliner: Belleza, Neon Eyeliner
Lipstick 1: Mock, Pimento Lip Kelle
Lipstick 2: Mock, Mizu Venetian Red
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Hands: SLink, Enhanced Mesh Hands
Nails: Izzie's, SLink Metallic Nails
Dress: Dilly Dolls, Kasset White & Dark (promotional)
Shoes: Felicity, Olivia Stilettos (promotional)

Poses: Adorkable Poses

Location: Fair Winds
Light Settings: Places Astryls Wild
Water Settings: Glassy

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Meme Monday: Acrostic Poems

Strawberry brings us a new meme, and it's a really verbally creative one - Acrostic Poems are where you take a world, like your name or the name of a thing or place, and begin each line with that word. You can go for a more formal [letter] is for [word] format, or a much more casual use of the letter in the course of a poem, but all of them give you a quick and dirty way to describe something which harkens back to that inexorably. She encouraged us to do our names, maybe the words for Second Life or some other phase to describe our life on the grid. I was actually thinking about the words we use - how clunky Second Life is as a phrase, and how I tend to default to "the grid" when referring to it among people who know what I mean - wouldn't "The Grid" be a great name for a virtual world? So simple, yet so evocative.

D is for Dreamy; she lives in her head.
E is for Educated 'cause she reads in bed.
O is for Original: there's only one.
R is for Resourceful, though it's not fun.
I is for Idealistic! Lets save the world!
D is for Daft for her brains are swirled.
H is for Humorous - the bullshit is pure.
E is for Enlightened and she's so demure.

Seeing people here and there
Emboldened on the land and air.
Can you understand the glee
Of creating everything you see?
Never seeming to reach the end -
Drive to create as we pretend. 

Live once or twice, it's all the same.
It could be living or a game.
Friends and foes we find all here.
Even as we pay for tier.

I once thought myself poetical, but I'm afraid the muscles are all rusty. I hope you enjoyed my few efforts, though - and if you feel moved, I'd much enjoy seeing your efforts in the comments or on your own blogs!

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Candace - Creamer
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Nikki (promotional)
Crown: Remarkable Oblivion, Once Upon a Crown
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyeshadow 1: Mock, Liz Shadow in Magenta
Eyeshadow 2: Mock, Liz Shadow in Seeing Red
Lipstick: Mock, Bella Vetro Gloss
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Hands: SLink, Enhanced Mesh Hands
Nails: Adore & Abhor, Bat Nails (promotional)
Dress: Blue Blood, Adele Pink
Boots: Lassitude & Ennui, Flutter Boots

Poses: Elephante

Location: Home Expo 4
Light Settings: EUPHORIA sleep warm
Water Settings: Glassy

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only