Category: virtual worlds

Another SL Meme: Pet Peeves

Another SL Meme: Pet Peeves

by Lisa Millar ♥ 2 Comments

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Darn you Strawberry Singh and your epic Second Life memes! I jest of course, but Berry’s latest meme asks a very valid point, what really winds you up about the virtual world we call home?

I have to be honest, this wasn’t an easy meme to respond to.

I was worried I’d put a few noses out of joint, so I have tried to be gentle. I’ve also not included all of my peeves, as some need to be kept closer to home. But it certainly got me thinking, so thanks again Berry! (I wonder what she’ll come up with next?!)

  1. RUDENESS.  Yes I get Second Life is a virtual environment, but that doesn’t mean that you leave your manners at the loading screen. If you’re ill-mannered in real life I’ll think you’re an asshole. If you’re ill-mannered in Second Life I’ll think you’re a special kind of asshole. It takes a certain kind of individual to sit behind their keyboard and type something mean or just plain-rude to someone in a virtual environment.
  2. ANTLERS. I’ve had just about enough of seeing antlers everywhere in Second Life.  Don’t get me wrong, I have seen some absolutely amazing clothing featuring deer motifs, and I’ve also seen some equally amazing jewellery featuring it too. I’ve also seen some fabulous antler chairs, antler light fittings, in fact antler home furnishings galore! I mean, what’s next, an antler toilet brush? It’s like a never-ending weekend at Ted Nugent’s house!  If you’re role-playing, I get the need for antlers. If not, just please cease and desist before you drive me into full-on Fenton mode.  Before you know it we’ll all be going moustache mad, how ludicrous would that be?  Oh, wait, that’s already happened..
  3. GROUP NOTICES:if you send them, PLEASE for the love of all-that-is-holy, SPELL CHECK them and if English isn’t your best language then please get someone who speaks it to proof-read for you before you send out. I do actually pay attention to group notices, and they often  tempt me to go and investigate offers and items. But if you issue them exclaiming things like; ‘Plz check this now!’ without a LM, or something like ‘Hurry! This price won’t last forever’ I will just delete. Pro-tip: Notices should stand out, because they need to attract customers. They require a punchy yet informative title to draw your customer in to opening them and reading them. Therefore be original, be witty, be playful but most of all be bothered to actually tell me what you’re sending the notice out about!  Sell me the product that you’re advertising and include a picture or I just won’t bother to read any further.  So many people out there must make wonderful creations that I never get to see because their notices are written so shabbily, so just don’t. If you’ve taken care over your creation, take care over your advertising too!
  4. SOCIALISM. Well, actually no, that’s not the pet peeve, but THIS is:

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There are so many furniture builds featuring this particular set of books that you would think we’re all political nerds in Second Life. Obviously the majority of us aren’t,  but I bet we all have these books on our shelves! I bet if you search your inventory you’ll find furniture featuring them. It’s not just the lesser known creators that have used these either, some of the uber-established furniture making names have featured them on multiple occasions and it just drives me to utter distraction. I’ve seen carefully constructed furniture utterly ruined by adding these bloody books.  If you’ve taken the time and care to develop and build a fantastic, original item then why ruin it by including something that can be seen a myriad of other places on the grid?! The mind boggles. Please stop!

5. BAD DESIGN: OK, this is quite a broad-ranging response, so let me try and clarify it a little bit.  I’m talking about ugly, cheap textures deployed upon builds. Build shapes that look dated and six years past their prime. Skins with no depth or shading upon them, and the worst thing, clothing, especially gowns and skirts, made with those cone-shaped prims that  legs tend to stick out of in a manner worse than Angelina Jolie at an awards ceremony. Please don’t misunderstand;  I don’t want to come over holier than thou on this and I realise that taste is a very personal thing, but I find it hard to believe that with so much design inspiration to be found on the grid people still create what is, quite frankly utter garbage. What boggles the mind even more is that occasionally they expect to sell it….WTF?!

Peeved Kitty wears: 

Kitty likes to eep!

Kitty likes to eep!

by Lisa Millar ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

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“Eep, “ is a word that I use a lot.

An expression of surprise, excitement or just plain for the heck of it, eep fits the bill for most occasions when a “Yikes” “Jings” or “Weee!” just won’t do.

It is a most excellent word.

It is also the name of a hair brand that has caught my eye over the past few months, producing great hairstyles with wonderful hair textures at excellent prices, and my latest acquisition from them is by far my most favourite.

It’s a classic Mary Quant bob. I LOVE bobs. They’re so totally versatile, and I will never be sick of wearing them in-world. Each time a hair-maker releases a new bob on the grid I’m there, feeding my rampant bob habit. The last time it was Magika and the superb ‘Plenty’, but this time it’s eep and the (somewhat disappointing title by comparison) ‘eep hair 009’

It’s a beautiful bob.

It’s static, but that’s fine. The sharpness of the cut doesn’t require movement, and the shaping of the hair frames the face perfectly.

And that’s pretty much it.

There’s no overt fuss and frippery with eep, and I like that. There’s no pretension with the brand to speak of and that’s a strength too.  It doesn’t even have a  store as such.  

In fact, even though the hair is pretty simple, it will make you, well, “Eep” with excitement.

And that’s no bad thing in my book.

“EEP!” said Kitty. A lot.

Kitty wears eep  hair 009 in fire 3 from the ‘Reds’ pack.( Pack contains six colours for L$250, other colour packs are available and just as awesome) 

 

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.