tell the sun not to shine, not to get up this time

Anyone familiar with at least the social aspects of Caledon (and much of the rest of the steamlands, frankly) will understand the term "chat-fu". Given that not everyone is, how'ver, the definition is simple--not so much divining one's fate from the first line of chat heard, but sort of as a barometer for the day in general.

Well, this next bit a) is from City of Heroes, and b) isn't a barometer of anything; this is a mini-record of NPC groups I flew past on my way to someone's mission:

[NPC] Attendant: My dear, you're too early for the matinee and too late for the midnight showing. Oh, let me see what I can do.
[NPC] Blood Widow: Shh. I was in the middle of a transmission.
[NPC] Attendant: How lovely! Let's practice some moves for later this evening, shall we?
[NPC] Seneschal: Oh, darling, you don't need a flyer. You ARE the show.
[NPC] Chi Master: Our time is at hand. I sense it.
[NPC] Marcone Underboss: You sure you want to be pushing me that hard?
[NPC] Chi Master: You are not honorable in your dealings!
[NPC] Marcone Gunner: No deal, punk.
[NPC] Juicer Chief: 'Freakshow' is okay. I wanted it to be 'Horrorshow' but what ya goin' to do?
[NPC] Ancestor Spirit: Tonight, we begin the plan.
[NPC] Chi Master: Quiet. I hear something. You!

Hey, I never said it was going to make a lot of sense. But it amused me, thinking of the full mile of interconnected conversations as just a random group of NPCs, chattering all at once.

Anyway...out hunting this afternoon, I found something called the "Black Dahlia" dress at Indigo Oddities. This thing is unreal.

(from the haunts album)

Now, there have been many films, and many retellings of the tale of Elizabeth Short. She was an aspiring actress; she was a bookkeeper who never acted in her life. She was a "loose woman"; she was engaged to be married. I tend to believe the tale that goes of her great desire to be famous.

Well, she got what she wanted in spades...but not for the reason she'd liked to have had.

(from the haunts album)

This is what we do know: she was missing for the week leading up to her death, and she was found, bisected, in a vacant lot west of downtown Los Angeles on January 15th, 1947.

Tragically, she was found by a young mother and her three-year-old daughter, so the impact of her death was both immediate and haunting.

(from the haunts album)

Howeverso, that's the history. In this realm, we're dealing with the myth. Whatever happened to Short, whatever ordeal she went through, whatever chance encounters with dark forces she may have drawn--this is what we remember: she was cut in half, she was a starlet, and she had that Glasgow smile.

(from the haunts album)

Hence, this outfit. And it's stunning. I had to make a few changes, admittedly--the plywood linking sphere that the designer used to make the skirt was visible through the gore/bisection layer, and the inner skirts needed to be slightly adjusted down because they protruded, just a bit. But once you do those two things, you're done. This is pretty much as unpacked. It's eminently wearable out of the box.

(from the haunts album)

Now--touching briefly on the historical again--in everything I've read on Short, while there were cuts to her face (including the slit smile), there was no significant damage to her eyes. Still, it's not the worst touch to include--smeared mascara, runnels of black (or bloody) tears, and then the wounding. It's definitely a good, if ghoulish, makeup layer.

(from the haunts album)

Ultimately, what you really want to know about this is it's well done, the skirt is a lovely swirl skirt, perfect for dancing, and if you'd rather leave the bones and blood at home, you don't have to wear the spine, the wounds, or the bisection gore. Leave all that off, and it still works beautifully as a vintage dotted dress. It's available in six colors (white, red, pink, teal, purple and blue; I'm showing off the red version here), and comes with the dress, the "Glasgow smile" face tattoo, the spine/gore attachment, alpha layers, and a matching hair flower. All fior L$100.

I know. Definitely amazing; it's worth your time to check it out.

(Dot-seam stockings are from Voluptia, red rose eyes are from Miu Miu, skin under Dahlia's slit smile is Heartsick's Enchant/Illusion in Very Berry, and hair is "Marie", from one of the D!va group gift packs.)

(Oh, and the shoes are the Bloody Lushies from PinkMare's House...or, if you're TressAnn Decosta, ƤįƝķӍąŖęŞ ҢǫŲşĘ...but I've never understood why she does that. Either way, that SLUrl will get you there.)