my heart feels dead inside, cold and hard and petrified

While I'm still failing at blogging the geta (I know, I KNOW I know), new fun thing dropped:



Behold, the "Oberon" Unseelie King Crown of Thorns from /Vae Victis\. It's currently at We RP which opened on May 4th. It should be available at the mainstore after WLRP closes.

I figured--save for the wings--I was fairly Unseelie in aspect...I'd try it out. I'm in Fantasy Faire anyway for the hunt. This is it straight out of the box, a metallic copper, and definitely intended for the masc-presenting set. But that's okay, I can fix that.



I meant to resize it there, but got involved in the FF hunt...It was a bit before I did the work it needed. (And, as always, /Vae Victis\ items are moddable so we can play with size, glow, transparency, position...it's a wide, wide world.)

This is it slightly angled, tossed a bit of glow into the mix for that unearthly feeling, and innit pretty?



And this is it flipped front to back, slightly buried in the hair, keeping the glow, and tinted appropriately purkle [[Warning from the Editrix, evil Book of Face link for Raglan Shire, there]]...Oh, hang on, I think I need to start with a fresh copy, 'cos this one needs to go with the outfit!



While we're waiting, since the ferret's looking something up for me, this is the HUD for the crown. Seventeen different options (I show off a few below), and on this one, there's no specific 'color' and 'metal' sections. Depending on a wide variety of factors, this could read as moonsilver to aged bone to steel pulled from the heart of a dead star, and more besides.



Now. Where were we? I had to jaunt off and do a thing, and in the interim found a face chain I hadn't worn in a while and changed the wings. So, figured why not match the crown to them?

And then the BeSpoke concert series started, which is a GREAT way to spend a Sunday--how can you beat good live musicians and at the end, a raffle for free heads?



.......Annnnnnnnnd then Em spent too much time in her own head and wanted to do something incredibly precious and twee and two days have gone by so now Em has given up because THIS IS GOING OUT TODAY DAMN IT...and there you are--a not-at-all-quick collage from the shots taken at BeSpoke, just to show you more of the colors.

Check it out if you like the look--as said, it will run you L$362 at the event, and it's currently at We RP until the end of the event (that's the actual direct-to-booth, or at the least, direct-to-event SLUrl).

if I'm past reversing, minds will keep rehearsing

All right, take two, this time actually from Frostweald: the 'Dionysus' petal Chalice from Arkivet.



Straight out of the box, it's already gothically pretty--jet black with purple flower petals.



There are fourteen different liquid options. This is the second to last one from row two.



There's a dark blue option on the Liquid section of the HUD, so I went with that--made the Chalice silver, the upper and mid petals blue, and the lower petals silver.



Of course there's an option for pinks--which I did on every option but the middle petals, and I tinted those purple.



This, I was thinking, would be a perfect mead tone, but...it looks more like mulled cider, or tawny port. Still, it goes well with the gold and orange tinting options.

Keep in mind this is just a held object--if you want a drinking animation, it's moddable so you can add one. That will change the hand position, though, so keep that in mind.


Of course there's a red option. For your necessary blood draughts.



And of course, winter white.

I forgot to snap a pic of the HUD for this one, and for the last entry--sorry, trying to rush these out, I fergit things.

There are five areas for tinting--twelve individual shades, and a dark metal/light metal option below each one, and as I mentioned, fourteen different liquids available. You'll find Arkivet on the Nysaris sim at Fantasy Faire, and the Chalice is going for L$250 on a 100% donation vendor for SLRFL.

raveling softly while you speak in time

Whoa. Okay, Arkivet, this is gonna take a little work...and relocating.

And...then I got pulled to Dahlia house, for the Monday noon unboxing. I was planning to go to Frostweald, at Fantasy Faire, but...this will work too.



So, welcome to Dahlia house, that's Justine behind me. This is with them resized significantly, and moved a tad forward, and using the silver and blue options from the tinting HUD.



There's a couple different ways to make this match the winter holiday of your choice--the one I went with was green horns, which turns into a lovely dark sage tone on them, red highlights, and red drapes. The wombat behind me is Justine's.



You can also remove both the highlights on the markings, and the cloth draping the antlers. This is the purple, and it's also a lovely hue over the horns.

I think the lemon-yellow wombat is Dowayne Ekaterina's...



The colors don't really go with the outfit, but I think they look pretty nifty together.



I wasn't going to show off the black, because it really is midnight-in-the-middle-of-the-ocean levels of dark? But I think I can show it with the markings active, which for fun, I've made pink.



And this one is showing the white option, which makes it look very close kin to aged bone, and I set the options for gold on the rest.

There are ten options for the antlers, for the markings, and for the drapes, and as I mentioned, you can take off the highlights for the markings, and the drapes, at will.

You can find these at Abnormality, when it opens on May 7th. I'll try and update the price for them then!

[17:40] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): But, for now, this is exit stage left, carrying a bird for some reason. At least it's not pursued by a bear.

See you at Abnormality!

right in your space, I just walk through your door, but I'm still so far away

The oddity of SL:

[23:40] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Yeah, I have no idea how I combined Em's original measurements, and spacing on the RL face, and got Emilia Clarke.

Nevertheless, still in winter, dreaming of spring, so let's talk the redo of the Pillar of Inun from /Vae Victis\.



Out comes the pouty elven glitch, because this set used to lack EvoX support, and now it has. So this is "Automa" in Gold, for mesh bodies with EvoX heads. Now, application is seamless and precisely in place--before, with the earlier set I had, I had to juggle layers until I hit the right combination that would texture Maitreya body, system head. I will grant, this IS easier.



This is "Dium" in Abyssal--it's the same pattern, but this time the gorget is textured in magma tones of burnt rock and laval flow.



This is "Huld" in Purple, and so far, I know this is going to be one of my favorites from this set. Stark metal blacks and charcoals, with details picked out in ultraviolet tones.


This is "Invi" in Delirium, with a close-up of the side patterning, and how far the gorget rises to the lower cheeks.



This one, "Le'er" in Crystal, really goes with the background I chose for these pictures, which, as it happens, is somewhere in the Fairelands Junction. Serves me right for thinking the Junction had a solid port-in point.



And finally, the "Vitii" in Blood.

There are--in the fatpack--thirteen different shades for the EvoX update, and two "bonus" shades additionally, which are not rigged for EvoX (as shown above, the "Bris" in Delirium which amused me greatly. The other bonus shade is "Tene".)

As it's an update of an existing product, it's at the mainstore, and you can make it your very own for L$450!

my empty halls to echo, with grand self-mythology

I love that obsidian scalpels for surgery are still a thing.

And I've bought my candle this year at Fantasy Faire.



As I promised last year, this one was going to be for Alastair. It's the uppermost candle in that picture. It says:

Alastair Whybrow, irascible, loyal, and dear friend. You believed in me when I didn't believe in myself. You are missed.

Because...he is. Those important to us always are.

So. It's time, I think, to finally talk about Drear Fen.



So, years back I gave up my Linden home, because I heard there was an alternate program: find a 1024 parcel of mainland, and it's yours tier-free. I happily gave up my Linden home--which I never used anyway--and set to looking through the auction house.

And...years...go..by.

Finally, a dear friend says, well, I have some extra parcels in Cardew, you want one? Um...YES?!?



Inside, it's on the sparse side for furnishings, but--this is partially by design. Yes, I do have a limited number of prims, but I also wanted it to have something of an abandoned look.



There are little details here and there. I'm fond of them, but they'll change as the year progresses. I haven't decided yet if this is the permanent, year-round house, and then I'll put up a fancier house in October with more prims, or I'll take this build back and put down a creepier one in Cardew, but whatever it is I do, this IS going to be a year-round haunt.



Upstairs is where the dolls are. I realized how many I have, and this is not even a third of them. But they've been huddled in my inventory for far too long. It's the decent thing to do to let them out to play...



...and if you know where to look...you can find the stairs to the attic.

Nothing in this house, visually, will jump out at you. Some of the sound effects seem a bit loud, so I'll be working on adjusting them. But if that's going to unnerve people in bad ways, just turn your sounds off. At the least that will prevent the creepiest aural effect from going off--the refrain from the Banana Phone song, coming in from someone else's parcel in the distance...

But all are welcome. Someone may be in residence, or not. Enjoy.

and I'm more than willing to offer myself, who knows where that might lead

Just this little bit:

[07:33] Ithildin Telperion (mondi.beaumont): I promise - no, I swear ! - now I'm done with my "Fantasy Faire 2021" photos - at least for this year - Fantasy Faire 2021 is over, and all involved look back on the past 3 weeks with one laughing and one crying eye .

So much fun, work, diligence, stress, laughing, crying, remembering, fundraising, supporting, broadening horizons - and much more. All this is and was only possible because everyone pulled and is pulling together.

The Fantasy Faire is actually an old-fashioned, outdated ideal concept - because what counts here is togetherness and responsibility towards others, and not, as is so often the case nowadays, just putting oneself in the right light. So Fairelanders are perhaps a little naïve, a little old-fashioned - but that's exactly what makes us so strong. Taking the extra step when the other person is already limping... reaching out when someone can't reach anymore, listening carefully when others become quiet, giving a smile even when we might feel like crying.

[07:33] Ithildin Telperion (mondi.beaumont): Many thanks to each and every one of you for everything you have done and achieved. From the organizers, the sponsors and idea providers, to the designers, world builders, the tirelessly working team on all different levels, the chroniclers, the photographers, the idea providers, the hidden surprise chickens - to every single visitor.
From the organizers, the sponsors and idea providers, to the designers, world builders, the tirelessly working team on all different levels, the chroniclers, the photographers, the idea providers, the hidden surprise chickens - to every single visitor.

Thank you for your donations, your criticism, your loving words, your compliments, your time, your energy - your help, your feedback and your straightforwardness.

Stay healthy and take good care of yourselves! All my love from the bottom of my heart, *Mondi* https://www.flickr.com/photos/28469653@N05/

Here, here.

And...this:

[11:48] Fantasy Faire 2021 ~ Memorial Candle: The inscription reads: Miss you so much, Sumie.

I do. But the candle's in Steamopolis, now. That helps.

Next year, I'm buying one for Alastair.

In radically different (and likely NSFW) news--a beloved story of the invention of vibrators may be wrong. Totally not kidding--apparently Rachel Maines thought she was onto something, or at least thought she could get a book out of it, but her "research" into the origins of Victorian electrical stimulation devices utterly fails to hold up.

Maines says now that her book was intended merely to present a "hypothesis", and was never intended to be taken seriously, but--if one reads the book? She never once presents it as a working theory, she presents it as fact. Hmm.

On the other hand, now we do know there was a link between Victorian electrical stimulation devices and human sexuality--the catch is, the devices were marketed to men.

(That article also mentions another "myth", only one I'd never heard of--that Cleopatra "invented" the vibrator by filling a gourd with bees. Now, on the surface, this sounds patently ridiculous, but we live in an era where Gwyneth Paltrow suggested a beauty treatment that involves massive amounts of bee stings, and at least one woman has died from this recommendation, so...really, who knows?)

eyes wide, no time for sleep, my mind's a flood tide

Something from the last night of Fantasy Faire...

[22:12] Pookie Wolfsong (helixer): For years I have come to the faire danced on the Fairechylde. Visited each world sim and met wonderful people. To the Pawlice I have a special place in my heart for them. My fellow Waffle loving beings.
The Fairelands mean so much to me. Not just for the party, shopping or hunts. The cause is what called to me. Being to my first faire I found something more a place of caring. A place to renew ones soul. For the message that you are not alone means so much to those who battle cancer. As well as those who care for and support the fighters. For the last thirty plus years I have caregivien those who battle. I shared the fairelands to any who wanted to see the magical lands you created. The effect is amazing the renew of hope in people's eyes is a magic that can not be described..
Thank you Fairelands. You do so much more than you know. This last year has been hard for all of us. We have come together. My dear fairelanders thank you for not losing the dream

Yes.

Also:

[10:12] Mel (meliai.atheria): Okay, so if you want to pick up some free photos my little gallery is here. Refugio (106,137,69) All tips to me after recouping some of the upload costs will go right to ACS and there's a kiosk in the store to if you want to donate directly. All photos of the Faire are free for the next month until they rotate out for another featured sim

That is incredibly sweet of her, and she got some really nice photos of the various Fantasy Faire sims. Go see.

And I'd toss in this blog entry just to tie things up on the Faire commentary. Lovely description of the reason for the candles.

And, sort of but not really pursuant to that...wrote something for the first time since 2020 started, so...maybe it's appropriate, the last night of Faire.



grey ash and incense

her skin tastes of soft grey ash and
temple incense. before, in the times before
the now, her now that is rich in
love, and care, and joy, she might have
written her story with
a backdrop of death
would have tilted it towards
crematoriums and funerals. she
would have envisioned
mourners and grieving widows, kneeling
at her feet, in supplication
and terror, but
these days are softer still



these days unwrap the barbed wire
around her heart
layer by layer, remake her
into someone with still the same amount
of broken places, but
far more of the broken edges
smoothed down



and now, while her skin still tastes
of pale ash and incense, she thinks
it's the fertile renewing ash of
forest fires, and the incense found
in rituals devoted to happier things
and...she thinks she's better for it
~jml, 5/10/2021



(Poem original. Skin is Hel, from Alia Baroque's Jail 'n Bail event at Fantasy Faire this year. The hair comes from Raven Bell, "Sakura"; I picked it up at the Neo-Japan event, but it's likely in the main store by now. The eyes are from the "Witness" set in silver from Axix. The dress is "Aura" from Psycho Barbie. The riding whale is from HPMD--yes, I finally splurged, and the riding whale is mine. And the sims seen are Candlewood for the first two images, and Krakenstorm for the last two--though be aware, if you go, there is a very trigger-happy steamship in the storm overhead, and it shoots to kill.

(I'm...happy. These days. And for those that know me, they know that's not something I say lightly. And it's still new, and tentative, and I'm not used to it, and I'm still waiting for the pianos to fall from the clear sky, but...for now. For here. I'm...actually happy.)

how many shrimps do you have to eat before you make your skin turn pink?

I have found the Panic Flamingo at Fantasy Faire. I must own this. Alas, for me and many others, for Alia Baroque has not yet decided if he is willing to part with it.



We can but beg and hope for an indulgent moment. But seriously...this is so much cooler than the prototypical plastic bird on stilts.

a world of fragile things

Remember, at this time of year...think before you pink. While I do hold with many of the statements in that article, I also realize that without advertising, big events, and splashy, attention-grabbing colors, many of us won't tune in. Most of us are dealing with crippling emotional overload, whether or not we realize it. Billboards, commercials, phone spam, text spam, targeted computer ads--it's all trying to get in, trying to push us to buy, consume, spend, invite others to do the same.



The Susan G. Komen Foundation has improved over the last few years; it used to be far less than half of donations went back to administration and fundraising efforts. Now, donations going directly to research institutions, hospitals, and patient needs are clocking in at a little over 80%.

Relay for Life, on the other hand, is an event run by the American Cancer Society, and their scores are...lower. As of the last figures published on Charity Navigator, their donations to research, hospitals and cancer patients aren't even 60%. The larger half of their funds raised go towards fundraising efforts and advertising, with 6% going to salaries and administrative concerns. That's not ideal.

Which brings us to SLRFL, the conglomeration of events that lasts for roughly half the yeare to raise funds for Relay for Life. And the Relay for Life event, at the corporate level, is a woefully inefficient charity sub-group. Some quotes:

"Relay for Life spends an egregious amount of funds promoting its own brand."

That was written in 2012.

"If you take a look at ACS, you soon understand that they are simply being intellectually dishonest on several fronts."

That was from 2013. And finally, this damning statement from a 2016 article:

"Relay for Life money does not go towards helping cancer patients."

Ultimately, both Relay for Life and the American Cancer Society, the organization responsible for Relay, have a great deal of scandal associated with them. This cannot be denied. And, while in recent years there have been pushes towards more global efforts, there were far too many years where the focus was solely on US cancer fundraising/services, even though Relay runs had sprouted up in several other countries.

So, knowing all this, why have I donated to SLRFL for the last few years, have I made charity items to sell at Fantasy Faire each year for the past three years? That part, at least, is simple: community. I don't run--in SL or RL--so I've never actually Relayed, but I've supported friends who ran. And more than that, I hear very personal stories of people reaching out to other people through this event. This goes beyond the malfeasance of the original charity, because this is now the human face of loss and hope: people struggling to survive connecting with other people struggling. And together, while their struggles are still occasionally mortal things, they are supported. Connected. Befriended. Helped, in that sense that sometimes big-money charities forget. Because at this level, the level of Relay, it's no longer about how much money was raised, beyond the organizers. For the people in the teams, it's about word getting out. It's about support from other people. It's about how everyone on that Relay ground understands why they're there, why they're involved, and why they're Relaying.

There are better cancer charities out there. There are much better charities devoted to childrens' cancers, absolutely. But there is nothing quite like Relay, and that's why it, at least, is important.

she comes home in the morning, with bloody feet

In the midst of RL AAAAAAAAH and Fantasy Fair AAAAAAAAH but had to drop this before I ran off:

[13:21] hxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Omg so you know the moment you read something and your head just wants to hits the desk?
[13:22] Txxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: All the time
[13:22] Sxxxxx Sxxxxx: pretty much every time I look at the news....
[13:22] Lxxxx Axxxxxx: have you read a law book of some kind?
[13:22] Dxxxxx Ixxxxxx: Yus
[13:23] hxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: So there is a picture of two coffee mugs side by side that say His and Hers. Well His is a full complete mug and hers is indented so the mugs go together but it means she has less coffee.

Oh, that's just wrong.

[13:23] hxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: And someone is like thats pretty much how gender inequality works.

Yeah, pretty much.

[13:23] Dxxxxx Ixxxxxx:
[13:23] hxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: And the next comment is... but don't gays have a power bottom thing?
[13:23] hxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: wth does that have to do with two mugs
[13:24] Sxxxxx Sxxxxx: yea, seriously
[13:24] hxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: And not having equal amounts of coffee.
[13:24] Dxxxxx Ixxxxxx growls

Yeah, that's the thing that's captured my attention. Less coffee? NEVER!

[13:24] hxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: So my new line of today for everything is now going to be... don't gays have a power bottom thing. Since apparently it can be used anywhere
[13:24] Sxxx Bxxxxxx: does her's have two boobs?
[13:24] hxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Nope [Sxxx]
[13:25] Lxxxx Axxxxxx: I drink tea ..

Well, there's your problem.

I mean, uh...

[13:25] hxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: You all have been warned
[13:25] hxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: lol
[13:26] hxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Later on you will be talking about disney or maybe cheetos and I will just toss that line in there
[13:27] Lxxxx Axxxxxx: Beauty and the beast!
[13:28] Mxxxxxx Jxxxx: thanks for the warning
[13:45] Emilly Orr: Awesome.
[13:45] Emilly Orr: Also, I would so be stealing "His" cup. And then drinking the Hers. And then snarling for more. :)
[13:45] Hxxx Rxxxxx: Who's getting cupped? I just got here.
[13:46] Pxxxx Dxxx: mmm fire cupping is awesome
[13:46] Emilly Orr: HAH

Okay, off for more mayhem. And ow. And texturing. And AAAAAAAAAAH, Fantasy Faire is way too now! I need to WORRRRRRRRRK!

we've been calling, black paw who's soaring

[Zone] Sartos@fumanu: I LOVE GIRLS I CANT UNDERSTAND WHY SOME CHOOSE TO BE GAY
[Zone] Lexia@gyp5y: That's nice.

So, this one's going to be quick, sadly. I had a larger entry planned--and may even get to it!--but Ms. Nyree Rain notified me today that I had mucked up on the permissions for my items. Eep! So I spent several hours (between RL concerns) repackaging, setting permisisions, setting the default perms for my viewer, and checking everything at each stage to make sure they were going to hold.

Next up: tracking down everyone who's bought a set of horns already, and sending them a pair with the right perms! Ack!



You can see my (limited) selection of wares (mostly horns) here. Tangleshimmer drops you off at a central point, just follow the beacons; or, if you don't have beacons, turn right and go over the little bridge to the big trees at the end of the wooded path. Cheers!

wake, baby, wake but leave that blanket around you

This always unnerves me:

[08:26 PM] vxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: hi
[08:26 PM] vxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: can you help me joining group here
[08:27 PM] vxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: please
[08:27 PM] bxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: you're already a member of the group, hun.

Because you can't post to this group if you're not already in it. You can't post to any group in Second Life unless you're registered as a member, in fact. That's how groups work.

[08:27 PM] vxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: can you help me joining this group
[08:27 PM] Fxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: What group are you trying to join
[08:28 PM] Fxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: You are a member already, otherwise you couldn't post here

Exactly. What are we teaching new residents these days? Are we teaching them anything, other than "here's Second Life, have fun!" *throws into deepest part of the lake*

[08:28 PM] Ｃａｌｌｉｅ [CallieMajestic Resident]: o.O
[08:28 PM] vxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: oops
[08:28 PM] vxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: sorry :P
[08:28 PM] Mxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: :)

By the way--not that it matters, I suppose--Ms. V (the original poster) is sixteen days old; Ms. F, one of the residents trying to offer help, was decanted back in January.

But that's not what I want to talk about. We're at Fantasy Faire! Through the gracious offer of De Baza Designs, we have booth space in Tangleshimmer Grove.

You can see the two RFL-specific horns on the official site, and see you at the Faire!

and I dream of the sky, broken clouds drifting by

[16:25 PM] dxxxxx Axxxx: Our total has now reached L$ 8,993,190, which means that Fantasy Faire 2013 has just become the single largest fundraising event in the history of Second Life.

Just amazing.

In other news, crazy people are crazy. That's what makes them crazy. AKA, poor Casper.

Moving to technology--of a sort--have some steampunk case mods! And watch that space--the writer wants to update that with new ones when he finds them.

Moving to charity, have you heard of Blessings in a Backpack? I think this is such an amazing idea. They ask schools to consider if they can fundraise enough money to "purchase" one backpack per student in need--$80 is enough to feed one child with non-perishable, easy-to-prepare foods for one year--and then they're enrolled in the program. Each child then receives a backpack (new, or gently used) which can be used for school supplies afterwards, which is packed to bursting with peanut butter, tuna, crackers, meal bars, mini cereal boxes, juice boxes...whatever will keep and can be prepared safely without heat or refrigeration, just in case.

They definitely need more eyes on their cause.

The blogger list (no, I'm not on it, next year I promise I'll try sooner!) and the merchant list (two whole sims this year!) have been finalized for the upcoming World Goth Fair, which will be sometime near May 22nd (the official World Goth Day). There's a stellar line-up of vendors, and Axi Kurmin is working her virtual rear off getting everything organized. More when I have it, but in the meantime, wander the site--it's been updated with all the new names.

The exhibitors for this year's Home & Garden Expo have been announced, too. The Home & Garden Expo is generally a lower-key affair, but if you want to know the state of the current virtual art--at least where interior decoration and landscaping are concerned--that's where you want to be.

I'm still trying to figure this next one out. Matthew Inman bought Wardenclyffe. Yeah, that Matthew Inman. Yeah, that Wardenclyffe.

Well, at least we know he really likes Tesla, so...yay?

Full-color 3D printers, anyone? They're on their way.

As much as I am a staunch proponent of gaining a foothold on Mars, Robert Inventor makes some truly excellent points against it.

Why do we blush? AsapSCIENCE tries to break it down for us.

And Pteron the art sim is no more. So far, no one knows why. It's very sad.

And have some sushi cats. You're welcome.