Category: second life blogs

Witchy Wednesdays: Kitty Goes Gothic At Corvus

Witchy Wednesdays: Kitty Goes Gothic At Corvus

by Lisa Millar ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

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You may find it hard to believe, but I actually adore The Sisters Of Mercy, and growing up Siouxsie Sioux was a heroine of mine. I adored the Goth sub-culture; anything black and dramatic was seriously appealing to me. I never dressed especially gothically though, nor did I dye my hair black (until I was in my thirties, and immediately regretted it!) but I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for Bauhaus and Dead Can Dance.

In Second Life there are many stores where you can find Goth couture, and one of the best is Corvus.

Corvus sells excellent dresses, skirts, tops, jackets and all sorts of Gothic/Emo/Heavy Rock wear, each item lovingly adorned with massive dollops of awkwardness and dread.  Each item is lovingly created by  Lori Stanton before being placed out for sale at either her in-world store or via her Marketplace listing.

There are some great designs on show; dramatic imagery and statements adorn tees and frocks with equal disdain. The palette in store is predominately black, grey, red and occasionally white, but you’ll be hard pressed to find many other colours. There’s not a pastel in sight, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing in my book..

Prices are pretty darn exceptional too, especially for mesh.  I don’t usually purchase many items featuring prints, preferring to wear plain, but some of these are too good to resist.  I was quickly drawn to the ‘Anger’ dress, pictured below,  which was an absolute bargain at L$50.

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The off-the-shoulder styling of the black mini-dress at L$80, seen below, makes it a great wardrobe staple.  It’s  a real statement piece, despite the bargain price tag, and proves that it’s easy to make a really classic, elegant look on a budget.

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There are some great freebies in store too. Seeing as it’s my lucky number I couldn’t resist the ‘13’ Dress which cost absolutely bugger all, yet looks brilliant in the graveyard shot at the top of this post. On the marketplace, I also found this freebie Witchy Tank, perfect for ‘Witchy Wednesday’.

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There are a variety of slogan tattoos available in-store, as well as more novel items such as bullet holes and neck scars. I really rate the make-ups too, including some interesting  variations of my favourite cat eyeliner , as well as some heavy facial shading and inscriptions.  There are skins available as well.  I didn’t demo these but they look pretty impressive; think pale and interesting, with dramatic, penciled brows and swoops of eyeliner making them the ultimate in Goth Chic.

This is the kind of store that Angelina Jolie would have felt very at home in circa her Oscar win, but you don’t have to be 100% Gothic to wear these designs. There are many items amongst the asymmetric and roll-neck dresses, crop sweaters and tees that work just as well on non-scene avatars. It’s definitely one of those stores that you have to experience for yourself.

But be warned, it’s certainly not a shop for the faint of heart. This store is totally Zodiac Mindwarp-ed onto a different level to the regular stores you’ll usually find featured on Kittywitchin’, but it’s really worth a visit.

Great mesh pieces, great prices and great Gothic design..what more could you ask for? (Well, seeing as you’re asking, some white foundation, a Brocade jacket and some bat-earrings wouldn’t go amiss…)

Must Watch – ‘The Drax Files:World Makers’

Must Watch – ‘The Drax Files:World Makers’

by Lisa Millar ♥ 3 Comments

One of the things that *really* annoys me when I tell people about Second Life is how quickly they dismiss it as being nothing more than a fancy chat program, or as a perverts hang-out. Thanks to some really bad media coverage in the past it would seem that most people don’t know that the truth about Second Life is very different, and what a wonderful virtual environment it really is.

Fortunately, the celebrated Machinima visionary, Draxtor Despres, is going some way to correcting this unfavourable reputation with his new documentary series,  ‘The Drax Files: World Makers’, which features individual avatars and the stories behind them.

The first video in this series is about Kriss Lehmann, the creative genius behind Botanical. If you’re not familiar with the name, Botanical is one of the best places in-world for landscaping, plants and virtual topiary. It’s a wonderful place to explore and Kriss’s creations are truly evocative and perfect for creating your very own natural retreat.

This video gives us a peek at the man behind the avatar and his creative process. It’s also really refreshing to discover how he found love in Second Life, which subsequently  blossomed into real life. I adore stories like this, and I didn’t realise Kriss was partnered with the wonderful Shai Delacrox, an avatar whose fashion brand has long been respected and admired.

 

This video is so sharply edited and produced that it leaves you longing for more, and fortunately there’s a brilliant second instalment,featuring Jo Yardley and her astonishing recreation of  1920’s Berlin.

This is a place that I never knew existed, and it looks sensational. It’s clear that this location has been created with love and care and the utmost respect for the period. It looks totally authentic, even to this untrained eye, and the fact that it is home to a thriving community is testament to the beauty and spirit of the place. Draxtor’s video presents Jo’s story perfectly and shows how she applies her fascination for this decade to the modern world of Second Life.

 

Jo also makes a really interesting comment during her commentary. She explains that  “I have more social interaction with people than you do the entire evening updating your Facebook profile..” and this is a very valid point.  Behind every avatar is a human being, so when you’re in a club surrounded by thirty or more of them you are interacting with thirty complete strangers, can there be anything more social than that?

I honestly cannot wait for the next instalment in this series.

It’s a fascinating glimpse into Second Life and the people who use it, and it also strikes me as great publicity for the product.  It’s the kind of advertising that Linden Lab should produce, but they seem so out of touch these days.  At least we have residents in-world like Draxtor who are clearly so passionate about Second Life that they care enough to make these documentaries.

In future episodes I’d really love to see Draxtor feature esteemed avatars  like  Antonia Marat, who is the creative force behind Artilleri, where you can purchase stunning 1950’s and early 1960’s style clothing and homewares.   I’d also like to see Strawberry Singh featured. Strawberry blogs the virtual world and creates the most fantastic photographs, so it would be great to see her in real life, and listen to her voice as she explains how she creates her wonderful Second Life  images.

But of course I’m sure Draxtor has a list as long as his arm of all the people he wants to feature! Whoever he chooses, it would seem that their stories are in great hands.

Thank you Drextor for making this video series.  It truly captures the spirit of Second Life and illustrates the many reasons why I am so happy to be a part of it.

Weekend At Kitty’s

Weekend At Kitty’s

by Lisa Millar ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Image..is going to be a relaxed affair. Slobbing about and eating nonsense while the weather plays silly beggars outside. At least the sun always shines in Second Life eh? 

There are still LOADS of events to enjoy in world. The Arcade is still going strong, as is the Skin Fair, and you’ll find it a lot easier to get into both at the moment now that the initial hysteria has blown over. Both events are still busy though, and this pleases me. So much hard work goes into arranging and organising events such as these that it’s satisfying to know the contributors will be heartily rewarded with lots of lovely Lindens.

So, speaking of Lindens, I spied something nice and sassy to splash mine on earlier this week. It’s all Sable’s fault. She turned up at mine wearing a splendid shirt and sweater combo that it was all I could do not to kick her and her missus out of the house while I rushed off to grab myself one.

Quality meshwear is reassuringly expensive, and this ‘Cropped Double’ from Auxiliary is just that.  But that’s because it’s entirely original, created using Photoshop CS5, Zbrush and Maya by the brand owners Ivy Graves and Tyr Rozenblum. No templates are used here. It’s all hard work, and the quality shines through, with the textures perfectly applied and the shaping  made just right. Even though it’s a simple shirt and sweater combo it would be so easy to make a hash of it. Sloppy design and crude detailing are the undoing of many a mesh item, but no such worry here, it’s utterly spot on in the execution.

The plaid texture choice is perfect, the buttons and stitches are clearly visible and the shape of the jumper with its chunky cuffs compliments the attached shirt perfectly.  Something else that impressed me about it, daft as it sounds, was the sharpness of the collar. It’s well defined and sits beautifully on the body, and here’s another thing, the back of the Cropped Double is just as impressive as the front.  Where the textures meet at the back the item is finished well, and it sits in a pointed hem just above the centre of the buttocks. It wears very well indeed.

In fact, it’s not hard to picture wearing this in real life, and I also discovered  when wearing it I could wear a size smaller mesh than I usually sport, which was interesting to me…quality counts!

Probably the best thing for me about this piece though is that it looks like it took time to make, and that’s always what I want to see when I wear something in Second Life. When I splash the Linden-cash I want to be able to love what I’m wearing and know that I got good value for money.  I also want to make an impression for the right reasons, and Auxiliary is the kind of label that ensures that will always happen. Cropped Double is available in a number of designs  at L$300 a pop, and I think I’ll be making a return visit to stock up…

But that’s no hardship, the store is a joy to wander around, filled with enticing items that are clearly lit and well laid out.  I wasn’t the only avatar paying a visit to the store either, which is always encouraging.  It’s impossible NOT to make a shopping list during your visit either; I’ve got my eyes on the Owl ‘Slouchy Tank’ for example, as well as the very ‘Alluring Mini’ skirt range. I’ve also fallen totes in love with the brilliant ‘Bunneh Hoodies’, perfect for Easter of course!

A final note, just because this is a virtual world it doesn’t mean that  customer service should ever slip.  When I purchased my Cropped Double, Second Life was having a fit, so I didn’t receive my item. I’m pleased to say that when I dropped a notecard on  Tyr Rozenblum  with my transaction history it was remedied in a flash, no quibbles at all. That’s something that I always find reassuring and makes me want to return to buy more!

So however you choose to spend your weekend, I hope it’s a corker. Mine as you can see will be spent raiding the fridge for wine and cooking up a nice juicy steak..although I should really be wearing an apron to avoid splashing my nice new top! Ah well…toodles!

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Kitty wears:

Witchy Wednesdays: Ostara Edition

Witchy Wednesdays: Ostara Edition

by Lisa Millar ♥ 2 Comments

I realise that I haven’t  produced a ‘Witchy Wednesday’ post in a VERY long time, so here’s a quick post. Today is Ostara after all, a time for new beginnings and fresh starts, so I felt spurred on to write for you all; but what to write about?

In need of inspiration, I took a trip over to Witchfest island Mall.  In real life I used to be a member of the Children Of Artemis, so it’s always pleased me no end that they have representation in world. But truth be told, the mall is looking somewhat depleted these days. The always wonderful Artemis Tavern is still going strong, and servicing the community with pride, but I can’t help but feel that it’s time for an image change.  I stayed and had a good nosy around, but I didn’t see many sculpted items for sale, let alone any mesh.   In fact compared to other areas of Second Life it looks very dated indeed. This saddens me, and it pains me to say that, because I have a lot of admiration for the people that put in their time and effort to run the community there, but  I really do think that the area desperately needs freshening up and a re-model is past due. That aside the area is still VERY popular with Witches, Wiccans and Pagans in Second Life, and rightly so, so please don’t think I’m dissing it entirely, I just think an image change would bring even more people to the shops and into the wonderful community that resides there.

After my quick wander round I felt a tad-deflated, so I had a nosey at in-world search and an ad for Raven Keep piqued my interest.  I’ve never heard of it before, so I TP’ed over to take a look, and it’s rather interesting!

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There are a great array of items here for any Second Life Witch to enjoy.  You’ll discover lots of home ware at great prices, with many unique, pleasing touches.   It’s clear that the owner, Karra Babii, has a great imagination which is just what you want to see when it comes to all things Witchy! You’ll see cauldrons in various sizes as well as weather-vanes, wiccan signs and textures and ritual equipment.  There’s a black Altar that would certainly look the part at the centre of a ritual; with the black and shiny marble giving it a really masculine feel. Something for the male Witch in your life perhaps?Image

You’ll also spy some  really nice prim spell books, goblets mugs and drinking vessels, and my favourite part of the store was the herbal collection and apothecary.   This is great fun; a startling array of jars and potions all with labels detailing the concoctions inside; Earthworms, Petrified Butterflies or Dragon Flesh anyone?  Stick a few of these in your kitchen and see who notices!The Wiccan Attic Wash Table’s are very pretty and modern, with a sort of shabby chic, and would look good as a mini-altar in the home. There’s space to fit a Crystal ball or statue, wand and candle on the top, and at L$99 they’re not going to break the bank.

A quick sprint to Sable Rose so I can quickly  mention of an old favourite of mine, the Ostara jewellery set.

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I’ve always liked Rosie’s designs, and I’ve always loved the male and female versions of this particular set and worn them both with pride (I’ve kinda always liked the male version better..shh!) but it’s the perfect item to wear to an Ostara ritual, or to gift to a friend on the Spring Equinox, so do go and check it out.

ImageI’ve just learned  that my favourite altars of all time, from Peculiar Designs, have been upgraded to make them even more awesome!   Alas, they’re a little too prim heavy for my everyday use, but I’m hopeful that in the near future perhaps esteemed creator Poppy Teskat will come up with something to alleviate the prim count a smidgen, because to be perfectly honest I’ve yet to find altars that are this good. I’ve seen some that come very close, but there’s just something about the way her items are constructed that makes them worth the L$450 price tag. That may seem steep, but consider these an investment as you will never need another altar in-world again. In my pictures above I’m displaying the older versions which are still stylish after a few years, but  I notice that Poppy now has new versions for sale that feature different rezzable props for each Sabbat. If you‘re planning your ritual for this weekend let me tell you that the Ostara version of this altar features a moon-gazing hare!  How delightful is that?! (Picture below taken from Poppy’s marketplace listing)

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The Altars themselves are available in some really lovely wood textures now too. as well as featuring previous details such as their changeable textiles and metals .I know I said they’re prim heavy BUT if you have the spare prims to accommodate these altars then I seriously wouldn’t think twice before  splashing out.  I notice from Poppy’s profile that she’s got quite the year ahead of her but I really hope she finds the time to come into Second Life and add even more to her range of amazing Wiccan items..wouldn’t some sculptie prims or even mesh be just wonderful?

Last but not least, I zoomed over to Gaia Rising,which is probably my favourite Pagan sim in Second Life, to see if they were having an Ostara ritual there. I’ve featured their lovely rituals on these pages before, but sadly when I got there I couldn’t see anyone around.  Instead I lit a candle and threw a wish into their wishing cauldron  before taking a slow, enjoyable walk around.  (I had some fun taking a few pictures of the area using the ‘depth’ feature in the camera options, and then added some light via Picmonkey, the result is below)

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Whatever you’re doing for Ostara, may it be a very blessed time for you indeed.

I hope I can find some lovely Witchy items to feature again here in the near future, especially quality  sculpties or mesh items, so if you know of any be sure to drop me an IM in-world and let me know!