rock rebel - take 2

[hair] Truth - Rumor (June release) marketplace :: main store
[necklace] Real Evil - Noelle
[earrings] Mandala - Steking Ears
[bracelets] Eclipse - Tiny Round
[rings]  Meva - Bento Rings
[top] SYS - Rebel - Oversized Shirt (June Bish Box)
[pants] Razor - Lowrider Leather Pants (June Bish Box)
[shoes] Pure Poison - Rina Platforms (June Bish Box)
[body] Maitreya
[head] Catwa - Lona
[drum set] MadPea (June Group Gift)
[scene] Come Soon Poses - Rebel Set (June Bish Box)
[pose] Double Take - Pose Fair 2017 gift

Bish Box Headquarters

Earthing

Earthing is a fast-growing movement based on the discovery that connecting to the Earth's natural energy is foundational for vibrant health and since I can't really go around barefoot in real life (even in suburbia) I'll settle for letting my avi going shoeless. This however does not mean I've ended my love affair with shoes. 

Any way, Rebel Hope just released these leggings with 8 patterns (plus an additional 4 in the Rebel Pack) and they fit me like a glove.

[hair] Truth - Ambriel (June VIP group gift) join the group
[top] Rebel Hope - Kallie Crop Top
[pants] Rebel Hope - Roxy Wrap Leggings marketplace :: main store
[watch] Kibitz - Hearty Watch (March Bish Box)
[bracelets] Kibitz - Hearty Bracelets (March Bish Box)
[rings] Absolut Vendetta - Juno Bento Rings
[body] Maitreya
[head] Catwa - Lona
[tat] Bodink - Defoiled *gift*
[pose] Tutys - Fashion Lookbook no. 2

Raw shot taken @ Lick Sim Designs - Asian Fusion

rock rebel

[hair] Truth - Taja (color from the new multitone 2 hud) marketplace :: main store
[choker] Yummy - Tough Love Choker (June Bish Box)
[top] Minimal - Samsara Shirt (June Bish Box)
[shorts] Varonis - Zoey Leather Shorts (June Bish Box)
[bracelets] Kibitz - Jelly Bangles (April Bish Box)
[shoes] Razor - Harley Boots (April Bish Box)
[tat] (top) Dappa - Misfit (June Bish Box)
[tat] (bottom) Dappa - Bad Kitty (May Bish Box)
[tat] (face) IDTTY - Camelion (June Bish Box)
[body] Maitreya
[head] Catwa - Lona
[pose] Nantra - Yes, Mistress no. 1 (modified w/hand and other poses)

Bish Box HQ

Raw shot taken @ Clocked Out bar & Venue

Shine on you crazy diamond

Truth does purple right!

[hair] Truth - Rumor (new in the main store)
[dress] ChicModa - Gemma
[earrings] Zaara - Malini
[tattoo] Letis - Nirvana
[body] Maitreya
[head] Catwa - Catya
[pose] Tuty - Iconic Girl no. 11

Raw shot taken @ Cool Rush

Truth and a country road

I was so excited to find out Truth had dropped a surprise release of two new hairs last night just three days after he sent us the group gift for June and a week after giving us an updated version of the Deja. He also released Imani a couple weeks ago at Uber and a few days before that, released three new hairs and updated a fourth. Kinda makes me wonder when he has time to sleep!

[hair] Truth - Sorcha (new in the main store)
[top] Tres Blah - Resort Sweater (new @ C88)
[shorts] Tres Blah - Resort Shorts (new @ C88)
[shoes] Vinyl - Springfield Flats (new @ C88)
[body] Maitreya
[head] Catwa - Lona

I found this little dirt road at the Skull Creek sim where Ghost Bully's World is collecting donations for animal rescue. 100% of the proceeds go to no-kill animal shelters throughout the US and Canada. Aside from being for a good cause, it's also a beautiful sim so if you get the chance, do check it out.

The next event held @ Ghost Bully's

Beach Girl

[skin] Modish - Runa Face (body applier from Vega; May Powder Pack)
[eyes] Modish - Cara (April Powder Pack)
[brows] League
[lashes] Adored (April Powder Pack)
[necklaces] Modish - Gem GoldChain, Gem GoldChoker & Moon GoldChain (Lona Gacha)
[hair] Truth - Ambriele (June VIP gift)
[swimsuit] Vinyl - Dusty (@ C88)
[glasses] Izzie's - Oversided Sunglasses
[earrings] Maxi Gossamer - Isolde
[body] Maitreya
[head] Catwa - Lona
[pose] Diesel Works Daisy no. 8

Raw shot taken @ the Trace Too

A little class with my sass

 

[gown] Rebel Hope - Francesca
[hair] Truth - Taja
[arm cuffs] RYCA - Armbad NC01
[clutch] Reign - Tied Pouch (May faMESHed 5th anniversary gift)
[body] Maitreya
[head] Catwa - Lona
[pose] Diesel Works - Daisy no. 8

Raw shot taken @ the Sable Club

Destination Unknown #3

“I wandered everywhere, through cities and countries wide. And everywhere I went, the world was on my side.”
-Roman Payne


ARTaNONYMUS
This sim has both urban and rural elements. The urban side has everything a city should have - bars, nightclubs, back alleys, shops, an art gallery etc. On many of the buildings are painted murals which often depict familiar characters both real life and fictional, including one of David Bowie ala Ziggy Stardust. On the edge of town there is a refugee encampment made of shipping containers. A large sign on the bridge out of town reads: "No border no nation freedom of movement for all". Once across the bridge, you see a typical rural setting with farmhouses, cottages, water tower, farmer's market, dirt roads and plenty of vegetation. There's even a little outdoor bar/cafe on the waterfront.
Rating: A
taxi

ARTaNONYMUS

Costa Blanco
According to the description, "Costa Blanco is situated in the southernmost province of Sweden, and is connected by weather and theme with France". It's a small picturesque rural sim with farms, farmhouse and cottages, country roads and windmills. It makes full use of the waterfront with beaches and boat docks and a romantic rooftop setting.
Rating: A
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Costa Blanco

the Junkyard
The description reads: "In a barren thicket lies an old circus and fairgrounds, long abandoned and left to decay.  Here resides the Briar Seer." but that's only the landing point. Once I ventured off, I found a post apocalyptic style urban setting that is anything but barren. In one corner of the parcel is an industrial factory with a large bowl shaped structure, the middle of which transports you to an extensive labyrinth of underground tunnels. Beyond the Briar Seer is many more parcels and sims (I think I'm using the right terminology), all with post apocalyptic themes. A great, vast area with seemingly endless spots to explore.
rating: M
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the Junkyard

Lick Sim Designs - Asian Fusion
This is an "Asian Fusion" Country in the Orient. a picturesque sim with a collection of different Asian cultures. A touch of old and new merged together on one sim. Most beautiful and impressive to me was the thick forest which had in a clearing on the hill with a small pavilion and a stone Buddha sitting in the center. The entire sim has a very relaxing zenlike feel to it.
rating: M
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Lick Sim Designs - Asian Fusion

Land of Thule
This little sim is listed as a medieval roleplay community but rp is not strictly enforced. At the landing point is a small village and beyond that is a castle surrounded by a dense forest and mountains and a few smaller structures.
Rating: A
taxi

Land of Thule

Summers Wind
A lovely well built island resort town with waterfront homes for rent, boat docks, beaches, tree-lined cliffs and plenty of little spots to sit and relax. At the landing point is an entrance to a nightclub built inside a cave within one of the cliffs and a spot where you can rez rideable bicycles. There's also a teleporter which will send you to a large warehouse style skybox called Memories of the Underground and a circular tunnel with art lining the walls.
Rating: M
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Summers Wind

Hazardous
You land on a small checkered platform set high in the sky. Not much there but a tub and a dark drop off. If you climb in the tub, it teleports you to the main sim with a rural clifftop setting. There are various spots tucked around the edges to sit and relax. The cliff is C- shaped with a deep canyon in the center. On one side of the cliff is a pond and nearby is a small barn with a dried up well beside it. The well is another portal which takes you to a little underground area beneath the pond. Down there is some artwork and a place to cuddle or chill. The canyon below the cliffs is yet another area to relax and take in the scenery. There's also a little dance hall. the whole setup is subtly built with with a very restful feel to it.
Rating: M
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 Hazardous

Previous Destination posts:
#1
#2

Once again, thank you for reading, happy exploration and if possible, don't forget to drop a few lindens into the donation boxes to keep these awesome sims alive.

Rebel Hope

I love summer in Second Life because....bikinis! Rebel Hope, maker of fabulously textured mesh clothing, has been a brand for nearly 13 years and stands out to me in terms of quality and fit. She has a thing for bikinis and it shows in this uber sexy new release out now at the June round of FaMESHED.

[bikini] Rebel Hope - Jasmina (@ FaMESHed)
[earrings] Rebel Hope - Loriana Feather Earrings
[rings] Absolut Vendetta - Juno Bento Rings (@ eBENTO)
[hair] Truth - Deja (VIP group gift)
[body] Maitreya
[head] Catwa - Lona
[pose] Tuty - Modeling Pose no. 15

Raw shot taken in my back yard 😊

April shopping recap

Since I enjoyed putting together my March Shopping Madness post so much and since my addiction to sl shopping seems to be increasing, I've decided to make another one. In April, my inventory swelled even more than March thanks to events and subscription boxes. There was also a huge sim-wide sale at Blueberry/Vinyl/Just Because/Tetra/Breathe, but I managed to just grab a couple fatpacks of some older items I loved. For the sake of the few who read this, I'm going to spare you and only post new releases.

The month started out with a return trip to Uber to pick up the sexy little dress from Vinyl. Each single color came with a bonus pattern in the hud. This one was calling my name.

Vinyl - Chai Slip Dress

The next day, Blueberry came out with her first long gown and the details were amazing. Single colors came with both opaque and half transparent and of course, the built in panties, which could be removed with the hud. The dress also came with a walking animation which prevents your legs from cutting thru the fabric.

Blueberry - Breeanya Dress

On the 7th I stopped by the Liaison Collaborative to grab the cute little dress and rain jacket from Vinyl.

Vinyl - Colbie Skinny Dress & Lenka RainJacket

The next day Collabor88 opened and I picked up a simple yet sexy shorts and tank set from ISON and some earrings from Zaara.

ISON- Cross Tank & Daphne Shorts
Zaara - Malini Earrings

On the 15th, the Luxe Box was released and despite my earlier decision not to, I changed my mind at the last minute and threw down the 1500L just an hour before the box came out and I'm so glad I did!

Tres Blah - Kiki Dress

ISON - Kelly Jumpsuit

Stories&Co. by Flowey - Gracie Skirt
Foxes - Spring Strappy Tank
 

Tee*fy - Jenny Dress

Lamb - Teenager Hair + hat
Blueberry - Off Shoulder Tank

Then Blueberry GACHAed me again with her set from Epiphany...

Blueberry - Coco Doll Set:
Top
Panties
Shoes

Finally, On the 20th came the Bish Box with a theme reminiscent of my youth - Grunge Queen. Although I didn't technically buy it, I'm including it in this list since several items made me squee.

Nani - Stephanie Hair + hat
ChicModa - Kat T-Shirt Dress
Kibitz - Jelly Bangles
Yummy - Teen Spirit Necklace and Choker Set
Razor - Harley Boots w/socks
IDTTY Faces - Glam Eye Shadow (copper)

Suicide Gurls - Willow Glasses & Septum piercing
Salt & Pepper - Runa Dress
Kibitz - Jelly Bangles
Yummy - Teen Spirit Necklace and Choker Set

That's it, folks. If you do the math, please be kind and don't tell me how much I spent!

Destination Unknown #2

SL is a magical  land where we release our consciousness from our material form and interact thru our bodies of light.
-Zola Zsun 

Following up on this post, here is an update of some more great sims I've discovered in my Second Life travels.

*****

The Gates of Melancholy is based on and inspired from the life and work of the famous American painter Andrew Wyeth. This sim is created to emulate and elicit the feel in the watercolor paintings done by Andrew Wyeth and evokes melancholy, nostalgia, starkness and the crispness of his work. You will find spots throughout the sim where you can find recreations of some of his paintings and you can pose, take pictures and create your own art work as you like it. 
Taxi
Andrew Wyeth

the Gates of Melancholy

*****

Explore the beauty of Corlevoli Beach. This nostalgic environment features a romantic, photogenic beach with luxury rentals, white sand beaches and more.
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flickr group

Corlevoli Beach

  

*****

Abandale is a once-flourishing, peaceful, scenic, rural town that is slowly being reclaimed back to nature. Some of the idyllic beauty remains in the homes that have been lovingly maintained and in the old oak forests, but the absence of bustling town life can be seen in the way the grass has become overgrown and buildings lay crumbling and rusting. 
taxi 

Abandale

Abandale

*****

Maison de L'amitié It is a place evocative of sea-side vacation destinations; much of the region is given over to water to form a natural bay which reflects a golden-hued sky. Sand bars to the south and west protect the bay on two sides. These form two broad, low beaches, the one to the south adjoining a sharp upthrust of land against which a little village sits. Running before this, and separating it from a sandy waterfront, is a wide road overlooking a line of rowing boats moored just off-shore, watched over by cormorants, gulls and a pelican...
...more about Maison de L'amitié from blogger Inara Pey
taxi
flickr group

I was mostly drawn to the bookstore and wound up spending a good bit of time taking pictures in there. It had a great atmosphere and I started wishing I could find a place just like it in the real world.

Maison de L'amitié

Maison de L'amitié

*****

...and finally after being closed for a few weeks, the creepy well built Ironwood Hills is back up and running with a full sim. This is one of the best places I've found for exploration when it comes to creating a dark and moody atmosphere.

Ironwood Hills is a post-apocalypse sim ravaged by time and nature. As sirens wail in the distance, derelict buildings give up ghosts of their past. You'll find an abandoned amusement park under a plume of stale popcorn. The threat of dangers and other darker things lurking around every bend in the path toward the corpse-filled caves. An eerily beautiful landscape that tries hard to hide its secrets. 
taxi 
flickr group
facebook

Ironwood Hills

Ironwood Hills

 Thank you for reading and happy exploration!

March shopping Madness recap

While many of my friends have been going apeshit for basketball, I've been engaged in my own version of March Madness; a month of frenzied shopping, posing and posting about my various impulse buys. Thanks to a multitude of events, sales, subscription boxes and Blueberry's uncanny ability to read my mind, I wound up abusing my wallet even more in March than I did in November (Black Friday). 'Lucky' for the few lone individuals who follow my antics, I revel in every new purchase and take pics of pretty much everything. Here are just a few of them.

The month started out with the latest round of the Arcade and my acceptance of the fact that I'm not only a shopaholic, but have also given in to the lure of gachas. In her main store, Blueberry released probably her best pair of pants to date, which came with an overwhelming number of options including attached boots, choice of leather or denim and even a separate hud for different bootie shapes.

Blueberry - Grace pants w/boots

The next day I was standing amid a sea of avatars at Collabor88 searching for her hoodie with drool-inducing textures.

Blueberry - Loli Hoodie (@ C88)

On the 8th, MadPea Productions released their Deco(c)rate for March and since I've been on a furnishings and decor kick lately, I decided to buy it for the first time. I was not disappointed! I still haven't incorporated anything but the loveseat into my home yet but I did manage to throw some of the items together in a sandbox and snap this quick pic.

Items from the March Deco(c)rate:
•Keke - Old garden Greenhouse
•Vagabond - Mojave Pompom Rug
•Di'cor - Joseline Loveseat
•HEXtraordinary - Boho Meditation Altar
•Cheeky Pea - Free Spirit Cabinet

The 20th saw the release of MadPea Productions' March Bish Box, which had a theme I thought would blend perfectly with the Deco(c)rate: Indie Chic. as it turned out, 'indie' meant something closer to 'hippie' than I expected, but I still found several things in the box that I loved, including (shockingly) hair. 

Items from the March Bish Box
•ChicModa - Hazel Top
•Kibitz - Hearty Bracelets & Watch
•Doe - Christie Hair
•IDTTY - Real Dream Tattoo
•EF - Rhapsody Earrings

On the 24th, Blueberry gave her VIPs advanced entry into Shoetopia and I was so excited about her boots and heels, I straight up forgot to even look around at the 49 other great designers participating in the event.

Blueberry - Celia Boots (flat) (@ Shoetopia)

Blueberry - Bonita Heels (knee high) (@ Shoetopia)

The following day, Uber began and Truth released his hair for March. Again, I was so excited to get right in and get that hair that I failed to spend much time looking at any of the other designers' booths but I did pick up a cute tank top from Miss Chelsea (pictured below) and later the Chai dress from Vinyl.

Truth hair - Cheri (@ March Uber)

Finally, on the 30th, Addams released her Tank Top Dress and Sandals.

Addams // Abela Tank Top Dress w/ Belt // N*17
Addams // Selene Sandal Heels // N*17

I also threw down far too much on knicknack gachas for use in pictures, several designers' sales, some accessories from the N21 event and picked up my first Bento head and shape and a new skin to go with it. After trying several subscription boxes over the last three months, I've made up my mind (for now) that they aren't for me. Not because they suck but because I'd much rather try on the items and really want them before spending the lindens. On a side note; as luck would have it, I wound up winning next month's Bish box in a random drawing!

Here's hoping my wallet fares better in April. Thanks for reading!

Destination unknown

The power of fantasy, imagination, and creativity takes us far beyond the ordinary, and gifts us with experiences, relationships, and connections we might otherwise never know.
-Zola Zsun 


Like a lot of people, one of my favorite things to do in Second Life is explore. I think part of why this is such a beloved pastime is because this virtual world is user-generated and  therefor we'll never know what all is out there unless we wander the grid and seek to discover it. I've seen everything from breathtaking lifelike landscapes to laughably outdated monstrosities of indeterminable purpose and I've only scratched the surface. So far I've managed to gather a small collection of sims which were clearly created with photography in mind and because I can't create, I share. So here's the first in what I hope to be a monthly series of destination posts aimed to inform others who like to explore and take pictures and to help the wonderful designers and builders in Second Life keep their creations alive.


From the Destinations album, one of the more eclectic sims I've found recently is Fort Stygian - the Keeper's located here.

Behold...

I am not a fashion blogger. There are enough of those already, not to mention the fact that I know nothing about fashion. In real life I tend to go for simple, understated and cheap and I hate shopping. I don't like sales people or the ridiculous amount charged for decent clothes or crowds or lines at the register or finding parking yada yada yada.

Second Life however, is a whole other story. It would be hard to keep a blog of my experiences in world without mentioning my obsession for shopping! I love it almost as much as I love exploring or dancing or taking pictures or hanging out or photobombing random strangers. I especially love new releases, so it goes without saying that I'll be posting some of them here.

Behold, my first "fashion" post:

Credits
Hair: Truth - Zoya (March VIP group gift)
Top: Blueberry - Loli (March C88)
Pants: Blueberry - Gracie
Shoes: Reign - Monetti
Body: Maitreya Lara
Head: LAQ - Maxine
Skin: W.O.W - Jayma
Accessories: .:E:A:Studio: Piercing Kessemer Belly, .:E:A:Studio: Earring Horn Lucky Charm Black

Gacha, sucker!

My first experience with gachas in world was paying a machine 25L thinking I was going to get everything in the picture (mostly household items). Instead I found in my inventory one useless little thing which could only be described as terrifying. It had beady eyes and what I assume was supposed to be fur and a tail. Already smarting from the frustration of trying to figure out how to get the little demon out of the multiple layers of packaging some clearly warped toy maker no doubt found hilarious, I deleted it. Then I told a person standing nearby what a ripoff it was and that the owner of the store had tricked me into paying good money for garbage with no discernible purpose. She explained that I'd just unwittingly participated in something called a gacha, and said how they were super fun and addictive. I couldn't understand why anyone would want to funnel money into a machine that was likely rigged to only spit out the gift with the least amount of value and likability. 

Ok, so I'm not even going to try and explain how I had forgotten those quarter prize machines that used to draw me in like little metal pied pipers for the first twelve years of my life, siphoning my meager allowance coin by coin and the sheer joy it brought when I finally completed a set. All I could think of gachas then was what a stupid waste of money they were and how they were designed to prey on those with weak impulse control. From that moment forward I avoided them. I even questioned the judgement of those who admitted to spending ungodly amounts of lindens on them, insisting that I'm all grown up now and too practical to fall for that nonsense.

Fast forward just a few months and the anticipation of the latest round of the Arcade was killing me. I already had a list of machines I was going to play and how much I was going to put into them. I had even devised my own rules for 'fool proof success'. I spent 45 minutes on the first morning, trying to do homework while listening to the whoosh-DING! of failed TP attempts via my TP Hammer. I felt a little rush of childlike glee when the sounds finally stopped, indicating that I had arrived at the event. I then joyfully clicked and clicked for a good hour, carefully scanning the room several times to make sure I didn't miss any of the machines on my list. And why this sudden turn around, you ask? Because Blueberry.

I now meekly concede that gachas are in fact super fun and addicting and that once again, Second Life has humbled me by revealing elements of my character I had previously refused to believe existed. 

Again, I blame Blueberry. Giggity.

Credits:
Blueberry - Iconic Doll Set (@ the Arcade)
Hair - Truth - Delaney
Body - Maitreya
Head - LAQ - Maxine
@ Louane's World