Dangerous Routes

Area posts still to come, (although I really should have done one for the last round of Kurenai, but since it is the last day today I figured that might be mean to anyone not reading this one the very first day I post it), but one more freebie post for the masses first!

...Probably because I really like action shots and just don't get enough chances from my brain to do them. So on this rare occasion, I'm going to do a FULL fashion blog, including face and bodies, which I never do because... I always use the same one.

Mattie (left):
Hair .::. {Limerence} Afina hair [currently half off at 145L]
Shirt .::. *COCO*_KidDoll_Gift_Tee_PastelStripe [Free gift]
Pants .::. *COCO*_KidDoll_DenimShorts_LightBlue [200L]
Shoes .::. Vicarious Youth - Runners - Grey [Free gift]
Head / Body .::. *COCO*_KidDoll_ [FREE]
Pose .::. #Foxy - Yoga Pose 8 [Past event gift, can't find?]

Me (middle):

Hair .::. [^.^Ayashi^.^] Jeni hair-Anime set [past event gift]

Glasses .::. BALACLAVA!! Olivia Readers (Jade/Silver) [Free on wall]

Earrings .::. PP - Cloud Kawaii Earrings [past group gift]

Bow .::. =Zenith=lolita Bows [Free gift]
Schoolbag .::. =Zenith=leather school bag [Free gift]
Uniform .::. AMITOMO / rainy day's morning / 1 / S [69L Gacha]
Shoes .::. fri. - Celia Sneaks (9lives) [Past Arcade gift]
Sword .::. CURELESS[+] Rose Duelist Sword [Past Crystal Heart gift]
Head .::. SOMEMORE / SaeBom Mesh Head [Discontinued gacha]
Body .::. Maitreya Mesh Body - Lara [2750L]
Pose .::. Posiden Bo Staff 5 [Kurenai game gift]

Zerou (right):
Hair .::. *Dura-Boys&Girls*32(Black) [250L]
Shirt .::. {-A-} Long Sleeved Tee - Taco Bout Emojis [Past hunt, unavailable]
Pants .::. MeshMerized - Cargos [10L]
Backpack .::. [TTT] - Shark Backpack [Past hunt, unavailable] 
Shoes .::. {V*Y} Runs With Scissors - Runners [Past hunt, free gift]
Watch .::. [SKM] Colorful Brutality Watch Clock [Free gift]
Glasses .::. AMERIE M -  Boston frame glass [past gift, unavailable]
Head .::. [M3V] - Venus [500L]
Body .::. Kemono - Body [900L]
Pose .::. Posiden Bo Staff 2M [Kurenai game gift]

Gacha-licious~

M.BIRDIE's Magical Mood gacha, plus some free goodies from the Crystal Heart faire!

 Because I don't feel like making separate posts for all these images, I'm just going to group them together in one post and say that I've been a bit busy the past few days! I don't think it'll be too complicated, anyway, since most of these outfits are in sets-- as in, they're all gacha outfits, and they're mostly from the same gachas in each pic (with a few additions, such as the shoes and socks of the pic above being from another gacha... from the same vendor, LOL).

*{( konpeitou )}* Lunatic*Dream gacha

So my end of August has been really busy with attempting new styles of photography in Second Life! Soon enough things will be busy once again as they were earlier this summer, and I'm going to really have to sit down and come up with not just fun photos, but entire storylines.

Who's ready for NaNoWrimo this year? Certainly not me, not yet, and that's alright because there's a few months yet to prepare for it. No point in worrying about it before Halloween, but at the same time, I tend to like enjoying Halloween by using the entire month of October to celebrate, which means plotting needs to be done before then, or else I wouldn't really have time to do it! Here's hoping that in the coming months before it starts, I can convince some people to venture through this with me.

*{( konpeitou )}* usatan gacha

Anyway, this is mostly a post hoping everyone's had a great summer so far, and maybe to introduce a few gachas and also test out several methods of taking Second Life pictures and lighting-- from indoor to outdoors, light to dark. I've been looking into roleplay areas, but so far haven't found anything that appealed especially to me just yet, although maybe I'll do a few posts to introduce a few of the games that you can find on Second Life.

That is, when I can find the outfits and read through the rules for visitors on those sims. Yes, it gets a bit complicated, but that just means it's a good roleplay! I might choose something for science fiction, something for fantasy, and something for simple urban decay or city life. The former ones don't seem to appreciate younger looking avatars on the sim, so we'll see!

Undercover

Okay so I might still really need to clear up my inventory, because I have nearly 30k now (what's that, you ask? So little!), but that means I can't find a thing anymore until I go through everything and see what I can throw out and what should stay in my wardrobe.

30k is a lot when you're going through things one by one!

Which is why I probably reeeally shouldn't have dropped by Redeux, but I couldn't help it, really! This is such a great event, and I can even prove it-- everything in this picture with the exception of body and face? They're gifts from Redeux this round!

This makes me feel super like an undercover secret agent sent to retrieve an important stolen artifact, sent with a group to a club to distract the thieves and then sneak away with the prize!

--

I'm wearing:
Hair .::. *C* Margot - Sea Colors
Feelers .::. PH - Siofra Feelers (Lilac)
Wings .::. PH - Siofra Wings, bento (Lilac)
Dress .::. [Sexy Princess] Halter neck gown White
Ring .::. Jinx : Crystal Ball
Orb .::. {Empress} orb~ silver .::Cubic Cherry Kre-ations::.
Necklace .::. Oceanica~ Eclipse Shell Necklace, female
Backdrop .::. *CS* Pin Up Glass - Scene
Pose .::. {NanTra} XOXO 2M

All free gifts at Redeux this round!

Finally, a fashion post!

It's been a very long time, but hey, I'm finally putting out a fashion post again! This time to celebrate the Okinawa Summer Festival, and there might even be two fashion posts from this event, surprise, surprise! Mostly because I went with my Godfather and and it just so happens that my adoption anniversary is coming up and I got to pick what I wanted from the Festival-- which were, really, only two things, but they were also two rare gachas so wow is that incredible?

So I'm taking this picture with the help of my sister Bree, who has been working really hard on her issue of the newspaper this week and deserves a week full of naps and snacks, but instead I just managed to convince her to hit up an indoor pool with me so we could enjoy the last bit of summer without my worried too much about burning (oh my god, I've gotten so dark this summer...), and spend some time together!


--

I'm wearing:

Hair .::. [^.^Ayashi^.^] Jeni hair-Anime set [past event gift]

Headband .::. Magika [Headband] [past Group Gift]

Glasses .::. BALACLAVA!! Olivia Readers (Jade/Silver) [Free on wall]

Earrings .::. PP - Cloud Kawaii Earrings [past group gift]

Choker .::. pr!tty - Double Choker - {Floral} [past hunt gift]

Wings .::. [M.O.R] Magical Gem : BACK WINGS [past Crystal Heart gift]

Outfit .::. `M.BIRDIE / BonoBona look. Look set Maitreya RARE [Okinawa Festival gacha 75L]

Bag .::. [ bubble ] Polka Dot Bow Bag [Group gift 150L to join]

Rings .::. :Moon Amore: Angelic Souls / Ring&Chain, "mignon." -bunny gem ring.

Leg .::. {Akorat} LegPouch-SimpleSILVER L [20L gacha]

Pose .::. -Extra- G.J.W.H.F. (3) [WOH 0L]

Summer Adventures

Wow, I've been gone for more than half a year on this blog! It's been a while since I focused on a single place or outfit, but I just wanted to get it on the record that I haven't dropped from Second Life or anything-- I've been quite busy this summer in-game, and having a blast still! Eleven and a half years on this platform, and there's still a tonne of stuff to see and do that I've never so much as touched before~ There's no possible way for me to actually do everything I want to do in time!

First off would probably be the Indiana Jones-style summer vacation adventure that I took with my family out into the jungle-- from climbing volcanoes and dodging pre-historic creatures while we tried to collect their eggs and not have them eat us for it... to solving puzzles in Egyptian tomes and avoiding traps, it was a tonne of fun every time I could get just the slightest bit of time to come back online. 

I've had people ask me before, "But what do you even do on Second Life?" And the answer is... anything and everything you want! Don't limit yourself? Sure, it's a chat platform, and that's honestly primarily what I use it as, but it's also a way to go on an adventure with friends and family that might live far away from you. 

It's a way of building together and exploring together and having fun together, without having to leave the comfort of your home. I know for me, this summer has been an atrocity when it comes to temperature-- it's been way too hot to exist outside of an air conditioned room (even if that's what I had to do for the most part), but I've had plenty of laughs just chatting with people I love over SL and other platforms as well.

There's something about summer that brings out a lot of activities in the game, I think, despite my own claims that it's the most active during Halloween and Christmas season. From festivals to pool parties, movie nights and dances under the stars to vacations to escape the heat, there's always something going on (at all times, really!) on SL.

I know in just the past month, I've scoured through the Crystal Heart faire and the mermaid event... lots of different faires had their birthday celebrations, which means a lot of free gifts that I honestly barely even had the time to go through at all! I didn't pick up a lot of stuff this year, but I'm still very happy with the things I did manage to get. I suppose that's the one thing in Second Life that will stay the same (or at least, I hope so)-- all the presents at various events! It's always nice to get some souvenirs from all the places I go to... ones I'll keep, anyway, since I still really need to clean out my inventory!

If there's anything I've been somewhat disappointed with on Second Life this summer, it's the sheer number of events and happenings that haven't come back. There's too many summer festivals and games that have been replaced by shopping events, and it makes me just the slightest bit agitated because I was eagerly awaiting the summer festivals and games. Kagami, for one (and I've blogged about it before years ago) is a horror game that in the past had been free for anyone who steps onto the sim for the duration of August... but it's completely gone this year. Also gone is the gacha place I tend to frequent for second-hand items, since it tended to be both cute and cheap.

Ahh, but that's how life goes, isn't it? Second Life, as well, is a fairly quick moving place when you look in the right direction. Sure, I have items from years and years ago that I use quite often, but for the most part, it's been quite the progression as well! (Double the prim space this year!) Prims to flexi to sculpti to mesh-- it's been a long ten years. But a fun one.

And so, here's to another summer spent in-game~ hope everyone else's summer vacation was as quirky and adventurous as mine, perfect for bringing home plenty of photos and memories!

2017's Nightmare

Waiting for you in the dark.

So let's talk about how every year, Second Life's Nightmare takes me a bit out of my comfort zone. This event certainly plays with nightmares... and your deepest fears. I know last year I literally stood up from my computer and made my roommate navigate through a room because there was just this one area that triggered by trypophobia badly. Let's talk about how the Nightmare this year isn't for the faint of heart.

Halloween is a fantastic time on Second Life-- I daresay it's the best time to experience this platform in general, due to all the enthusiasm all the creators have for the holiday, and the cheer all the residents gain from experiencing the numerous areas, hunts, games, and so forth that are given to them. It's certainly the time of year with the most to do-- you could say Christmas has the most to collect, but Halloween has the most interactive stories for you to play. All of those stories, of course, are centered along either the theme of horror or a fairy-tale fantasy element to make it magical and fun.

The Nightmare takes the horror theme and runs with it. They're not here to tell you some whimsical story, they're not here for happy bubbly cartoon witches hunched over cauldrons wishing children happy holidays; they're here to scare the pants off you. Or if that fails, make you remember them. This is an area of blood and gore and no punches pulled. In fact, the starting area is nearly pitch black with giant broken doll heads who have eyes that follow you.

Get for setting up the mood, right?

So there's so trigger warnings in this post, because you should know what you're getting into before you go. I don't try to guess the phobias they're going for, but it tends to be... rather specific in nature if you relate. Darkness, monsters, spiders, dolls... whatever it is, if you want to experience the Nightmare, you better girdle your loins first!

The point of this place is mostly a hunt, though, and you're here to find a few keys and teeth this time. Keys to get you from place to place (sometimes you won't be able to progress without them, so always be on the lookout!), and 25 teeth will complete the HUD for you to unlock access to the shopping area... which has a gift from every vendor.

Every. One.

It's a lot, trust me! But keep in mind that the gifts can be in the theme of the Nightmare, so if you're disgusted by what you saw, you might not want to keep some of the gifts (like.... eyeballs... dripping out of mouths...), but otherwise there's some great stuff there that shouldn't be missed! I always recommend the Nightmare because it feels like the quintessential of what Halloween can be on Second Life-- and by that, I just mean pure Halloween spirit. No stories, no distractions, just atmosphere and a hunt that forces you to look in every corner you didn't want to look at.

So are you ready?

Do you dare?

Matsuri!

And now for something completely different!

For the month of October this year, Calliope is hosting the Matsuri, which is a beautifully done shopping event plus stamp rally hunt that's a little different than usual. How does it work, you might ask? Because it's a hunt that's.. not quite a hunt. 

Well, for one thing, in order to get any of the hunt / stamp rally items they've giving away, you've got to buy something from the event first. And not just any item-- event exclusive items from any stall will give you a no copy stamp HUD that will take you to the stores of the creators were you look for a giant red sign (seriously, it's bigger than me, they'e not trying to hide it, folks) and click on it for a stamp. 15 stamps from 15 different stores, and you come back to the Matsuri to rezz your stamp card on a weight that will tell you if you have enough stamps or not. Once you get enough stamps, you get to choose from one of the prizes they're giving away. Then your card disappears. 

So the more you buy from the event, the more prizes you can get! But you do have to go and collect stamps each time. 

Luckily enough, I was given a few birthday presents from the event that were exclusive to the Matsuri (Yesss, my birthday is coming up! But, like... next month. So this is pre-emptive!)  But less about the hunt and more about what I usually blog about, right? How beautiful and photogenic is this place, and will I be missing out on a Second Life experience if I don't make the time to come here? Is this place, a shopping district, really worth checking out if I'm not here to buy anything?

WELL. Even if you're not here for the shopping event and stamp rally, you'd definitely be missing out if you don't check this place out. It's beautifully done, with two parts to the sim-- the shopping district, and the area to collect your stamp prizes, which also happens to have numerous buildings all decorated by the creators who are selling their works here. 

Each building is impeccable and gorgeous, filled with little details that makes me really want to own everything made here. This place is adorable and beautiful at the same time, and it's really no wonder with the host of creators in this event.

To be honest, though, I came for the food!