headlight, dark highway, I drive on but it feels all sideways

[21:40] Tentaculus Infestus v2.1: Emilly Orr looks tasty.

Do I?



This is Pine Hill Resort, which sounds like a charming little getaway, and instead, is a series of caves and underground passageways. Again, I had to find a Windlight setting that wasn't completely dark.



Okay, I admit it, this one got me--it's a very old jumpscare pop-up, but as there hadn't been anything similar at any point to where they popped up--just long, twisty-windy passages that looked the same--it did actually make me jolt.



This got me too, but in a far more annoying fashion. So, down side: at random intervals through this haunt, there are ground spawners to spawn enemies. Rabid dogs, mummies, ghosts, zombies, skeletons. Up side: none of them can damage you. Secondary down side: They will push you, and crowd around you, and make it very irritating to try to move.



Whaaaaat?

Seriously, this Wendigo-looking thing matches nothing else in the entire build.

Also, he led to a dead end. Why.



Great, great, lava and burnt bodies, so happy with that, why is this here...

And walking out into the lava was literally walking out onto the lava, which also was not damage-enabled.



And the lava river lead to a dead end. WHY.



And then I found the sub ocean again, and that was it, I gave up.

I guess if you like being bumped a lot by zombies, mummies, skeletons and feral dogs that deal no damage, you'd be good here? Or if you just really like walking through endless passageways that either go nowhere or loop back on themselves? If so, then this is TOTALLY your gig, and go have fun.

It wasn't mine, so...two out of five skulls for the ruins in the empty spaces, but deducting three skulls for mostly boring.

I've been climbing up the walls to escape the sinking feeling

I remember liking the haunt at LeLoo's World last year, so I decided to revisit it as the first haunt of this one. I think I was looking for something that was more atmosphere than jumpscares, because I'm still unsettled from yesterday.



This is a neat touch--you can click any of the little floating things, the wee ghost, the pumpkin, or the skull--and you'll be given a haunted shoulder companion. Neat!



Photo opportunities abound, which is exactly what I found last year for LeLoo's Hallows build. I did change the Windlight settings for brighter photographs, but if you're not interested in photos, just hanging out, or cuddles? The land Windlight works great for that.



I may not be in the best mood, but I can't deny it's pretty--fall leaves crunching underfoot, hooded figures to loom on you on the forest paths, the crack of thunder, the moaning of damned souls--it's peaceful.



There's a really lovely, and very traditional, nod to Dias de los Muertos that I found both charming and heartwarming, and nearly worth the visit all on its own.



There's a nifty little cave to meditate in...if you don't mind some floating skulls looking on.



The cemetary, of course, is traditional; filling the coffin is optional.

All in all, LeLoo's done another marvelous job gently haunting her land, and I will be back. It's so refreshing when we find people who understand it's not the clown with the chainsaw we really want, but the coming storm, the autumn chill, the touch of death on our hearts. And that can be achieved in a variety of ways, from soft to hard to disturbing--without excessive screaming.

In fact, excessive screaming and jumpscares? Generally drain our capacity to feel afraid at all, and what's the point of that?

but now it's gone, it doesn't matter what for

"Three separate ER nurses have either rolled their eyes at me or called me 'lame' for dropping a hatchet on my own head. Everyone's a critic."
~John Roderick

In the meantime, have a list of twenty-five very creepy things kids have said, and a lovely explanation for candle flame (though the title of that particular Tumblr blog is somewhat NSFW).

Have six silent films for a dark and story night, as well, and an amazing treasure trove of very early French animation. Such a phenomenal accomplishment.

But, none of those are why I'm posting this. This is...considerably less amusing. Because all things change, all things end, all things pass. It's the nature of life.



And some dreams die.

I may still attend dances at that lovely little club, and I did forget the little beach nook pillows I'd put out, so I'll have to return for those, and I will miss Jeffery's superb house red. But...dishonor is the order of the day, and sometimes, we simply must accept that other people do not hold personal honor in the same regard that we do.



The dinner party was fun, though. More formal than I expected, but fun. A friend and acolyte in the Companions' Guild was celebrating 90 days on the grid. We take moments of joy where we can, and that is one I'll cherish.

But the Sphinx-Templar Syndicate has closed up operations. The office stands empty, our ships have been ordered to redirect elsewhere. The great mystery of the mysterious island may have to be unsolved. More's the pity.

There are other ports of call. We will find them. This harms us not in the least...something that certain people truly should consider, but sadly, I don't think they will. Maybe they'll grow out of it, maybe not, but either way, it's nothing to do with us anymore.

We're off to find new adventures, and we'll see what happens then.

can you help me to see it? because I want to believe in the magic

This is psychotically NSFW, but also hysterically funny and, in a rare bonus to the filthy-minded STEM community, just PACKED with information on geology, science, mineralization, pest control, and water systems! Just amazing.

In the meantime, I usually don't find storylines in .gifs (or memes), but apparently, I accidentally ran across one! And I must share. So here you go:



Near as I can figure, this is the first one? Everything else is maybe not in order of release, but made sense to me. More or less.



Same as the above, but with words...



And then...the painting inserts began.



Spreading love and bones everywhere!



And now pets!



And birds!



And back to people...



And finally, YOU! Now everyone's happy. And bones. And always remember--your skull is always smiling, underneath your skin.

(Apparently, there's even more of these joyous things, all done by an artist named Kiszkiloszki, and further oddity besides. I think I'm in love.)

Thirty-nine days until Hallowe'en!

your misery and hate will kill us all

(Roleplay entry, because of where it is, but this one is also very, very real.)



It's not where she wants to be, to be sure. And also of a surety, she is very clear that today, at least, she only has one person she wants to talk to--Jeffery the bartender. Because he has that superlative house red on tap.



She wonders, too, once she's downed the first glass, and walked out with the second to a secluded spot on the beach to sit, the power of words. And accusations. And how quick trust can break. She sits, listening to the surf, breathing.

Because this wasn't the first time. And because there was warning. And we are still here again. This shouldn't have happened.

She sighs, realizing the glass is empty again. She ponders getting a third, and decides against it, walking back to her little office. Looking around the place she's started to consider a comfortable working space, counting up the cost of trust lost and bitter, contentious untruths.



The books, certainly. Those will go, packed up to return to the Gearhaven library. The worktables, definitely.



The altar in the corner can stay for now, and the map, until she's ready to take it down. But she's clearing the desk of everything until she knows more.



She walks downstairs, and out the doors, and then looks back at the small shop. Duke Hiro's banner...should she leave it up or take it down? She'll have to ask, she thinks. That should be his decision.



She ports to the Black Moth, parked just out of sight, and on the flight back to Gearhaven, she sends a wire for one of the Gray Area's crew, when they return, to stop by the office and return the crates to the flagship.

And we'll see what happens from here. I had a few more entries to do on events there, and happenings thereon, but...we're tabling that for now, I think. Until we know more. Until the distrust and the blatant violation issues are addressed.

so if I decide to waive my chance to be one of the hive

This one's...odd. I've anonymized both people and group, though I was tempted not to, because it was all tied up in what was happening in this group, but...what if this kind of thing is happening in other groups, too? So covering it on the 'for what it's worth' terrain, because while I've never run across this oddity, maybe others have?

[11:32] Mxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Hi! I'm new to the group. Are all items listed in the notecard 69L?
[11:32] mxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: WTF!!!!!!
[11:33] Pxxxxxx Cxx: holy overreaction, Batman!
[11:33] rxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: llmao
[11:33] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Really. And yeah, they should be.
[11:33] Mxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: I'm at Lepunk and the face wounds are.....never mind. It's coming as 69L now. haha

So, all's well that ends well, right? Question asked and answered, we can all move on...but while the question was being answered, I went to pull up the group profile to nab the notecard. And...couldn't.

[11:34] gxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: i cant get the notice
[11:37] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Oh...that's....interesting. I didn't see the group info icon on this chat, so went to my groups...not in the group, when I used to be....so started pulling names randomly from this chat...and none of the people in this chat so far has the group visible, at least? Now I'm intrigued.
[11:38] gxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: hmm thats weird i used to be in the group aswell did the group went pooooof?
[11:38] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): And...the group's not findable in search?
[11:38] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): HOW WAS THIS GROUP CHAT STARTED??

Reasonable question, right? I didn't have the group anymore. Why not? I hadn't left it. Why was it gone?

[11:38] Axxxxx Rxxxxxxx: im confused about what group :O
[11:38] sxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: and i am not in the group

And that's another whole question, isn't it? Why is she getting a group chat popping up from a group she doesn't even belong to?

[11:38] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): The {name of group in question}
[11:39] Axxxxx Rxxxxxxx: ah
[11:39] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Are you not in that group either?
[11:39] Axxxxx Rxxxxxxx: nope left recently
[11:39] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): I am so confused
[11:39] sxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: lmao
[11:39] sxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: ghostgroup

No lie.

[11:39] Axxxxx Rxxxxxxx: l.O
[11:39] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr) hums the Twilight Zone theme
[11:39] Axxxxx Rxxxxxxx: run ghostsss
[11:40] sxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: {group link, which I couldn't find, but go her for doing it}
[11:41] Axxxxx Rxxxxxxx: weird :O
[11:41] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Well, I was able to join that, but I was a member before...

Because it was a group that had brought me some nifty items on sale, I wanted to stay in it. But then, I never left in the first place...

[11:41] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): I'm with [Mxxxxxxx], WTF?
[11:42] Axxxxx Rxxxxxxx: {group link posted again}
[11:42] Axxxxx Rxxxxxxx: seraphim had group link l.O
[11:43] Sxxxxx Cxxxxxx: [sxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx] NoSpam please
[11:43] sxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: oops
[11:43] sxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: but it was no group here O.O
[11:43] sxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: strange
[11:44] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): I don't think it's spam, [Sxxxxx], I think it's honest confusion

What exactly was "spam" in any of the above, anyway? That's also confusing.

[11:44] sxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: I got a conference chat here itm
[11:44] Sxxxxx Cxxxxxx: To see the group on your profile, you just have to go to the group information and check the box that says "show it on my profile"
[11:44] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Right....and I didn't have it
[11:44] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): And I hadn't left it
[11:45] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): That's the question

I still think it's a valid question.

[11:45] sxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: 'i am not in the group at the moment, [Sxxxxx]
[11:45] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr) points at [Sxxx]
[11:45] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): And that's the question, too

Because if neither she nor I were in the group, how did we get pulled into the group chat?

[11:45] sxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: spooky

Very.

[11:45] Axxxxx Rxxxxxxx: O.O
[11:46] Sxxxxx Cxxxxxx: maybe you left the group, but the chat was already open :P [11:46] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): See, and no

Because, while that is something that can happen--you can leave a group, or be bounced from a group, but if the group chat's still open, it won't close unless you close it, or relog. That's a known fact. But that's not what happened here. I thought I was in the group, but for whatever reason, I was removed, and I wasn't the only one.

[11:46] sxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: ehm i am online since a few minutes
[11:46] Sxxxxx Cxxxxxx: if you need : {posted sale group UUID again}
[11:47] sxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: thankies
[11:47] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Chat opened, I didn't have the group info icon
[11:47] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): I don't have it now, btw, in this chat
[11:47] sxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: the icon is green
[11:47] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): I went to my groups to click info to get it, didn't have the group
[11:47] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): I went looking for the group in search, didn't turn up
[11:47] sxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: spooky green O.O
[11:48] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): And some in this chat are saying they're not in the group at all
[11:48] sxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: are you all real?
[11:48] Axxxxx Rxxxxxxx: O.O green omnimous
[11:48] Uxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: we is all bots
[11:48] cxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: I'm also not finding the group in my group list. I know I was once, but not now

Which means at least three of us had been in the group, and weren't afterwards, and one was never in the group at all, so...what's going on?

[11:49] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): So, y'know, if you have any answers, [Sxxxxx], be great to hear them, otherwise, we're just trying to figure things out
[11:49] Sxxxxx Cxxxxxx: maybe lag, or maybe SL issues. maybe everything is fixed with a relog
[11:49] Pxxxxxx Cxx: can we fix 2020 with a relog?
[11:49] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Don't I wish

So ultimately, no resolution, no answers, just--"Relog, it'll be better then"? That doesn't answer anything. I'm still confused as to what happened. And why.

be my savior and I'll be your downfall

Where is the line drawn between social niceties and respect? Or, more importantly, I suppose, between standing our ground and not giving offense? Some days, it is a fine, fine line indeed.



It was a Sunday, and I'd heard that the priest on the island, who'd left for some reason I don't recall, had returned to host his usual Sunday service. Now, to be fair, the church is on the smallish side, clapboard, it really could be any Christian denomination. And while heathen, I'm in one multifaith group and occasionally go to their services, because they are geared for gatherers of many faiths, not just one.

And...I just didn't think it through.



It turned out to be a very small church inside, too. Lovely, simple, but small. I suppose on an island of only a triple handful of souls, so far, there's not really a need for a larger church, but I was still surprised, I suppose.

I was also surprised at the priest. Catholic? Anglican? I thought Anglican, but I wasn't sure.



Slowly the church filled, the father smiling, saying he was happy to see so many new faces. The vampire who's not a vampire walked in holding a Bible, which was...confusing....but the shared mythpool we all swim in is very diverse at this point, and very deep, and has a lot of underground, confusingly tangled passages. We all do what we can.



The new tattoo artist came in, which I smiled to see, and then her also confusingly heighted daughter...I think I stopped smiling at that point. Mainly because she claims to be three, but she's easily four feet tall, or more, and...I've never met a single three-year-old who's that tall. So it threw me.

A few more filtered in, and then the service started, and...Listen. I have attended Christian church services before. I've attended Catholic services before. I have accepted the Eucharist in good faith, blessed myself with holy water as I left, and had no issue.

But it's all in how it's presented. If it's just an invitation to come up, or the Eucharist (or in this case, piece of bread) passed to me? I can accept. Willingly. But if it's made very very plain that to accept this small offering, this sip of wine, is to directly intercess with Jesus, to directly ask him to accept your devotion, as you accept his sacrifice...Well. That's different.

And in those cases...I cannot, in good conscience, accept.

The priest moved through the group, offering bread, offering wine, and I knew I was going to be the stand-out, but I also knew I could not simply accept. So, when he got to me, he held out the cup, and the bread, saying "Body of Jesus, broken for you; blood of Jesus, shed for you."

I looked at him, smiled, and shook my head. "Thank you, though."



He stood there for a full minute, looking dumbfounded. I did, I do sympathize, but isn't the point of Catholic, or even Anglican, which I still suspect this was closer kin to being, Communion supposed to be that you are directly consuming the body and blood of Christ to sustain you spiritually, and reinforce your bond with Him? That--at least with the Catholics--your act of faith will transform these representations into the actual flesh and blood?

Which has always been vaguely creepy to me, but that's another matter. As it stands, I don't have a direct relationship bond with Christ, so...only polite to politely refuse.

He handled it well, though. He raised his hand, saying "The Lord bless you and keep you," and I smiled up at him, because blessings I will always take. There, it is the thought that counts, and I never mind.

He finished, and returned to the pulpit, ensuring that all of his flock--but one--had finished communion, and then he thanked us for coming.

"We thank the Lord for the blessings he has given us with our new visitors, bless you all," he said, as we began to file out. I paused at the door long enough to turn and to thank him for his time and devotion--only fair, and then...



...I went back to Lecora.

I likely won't attend another Sunday service. But I do wish everyone who does feel pulled strongly towards one all the best.

would you change who you are if you could?

{Why yes, roleplay entry. But first, two things: the upcoming Dune movie is going to be goooood. Also, have some typewriter poetry.)

Now then. Where were we?

24 August, 1928



The basket next to her is loosely packed with layers of spirit-soaked gauze and various wild-harvested items: a variety of deadly mushrooms, some brilliantly yellow shelf fungus, one particularly spritely slime mold, a green stick of yew, seven oak leaves, a handful of wild white strawberries. She creeps up behind the last of her acquisitions: an animated Amethyst Destroyer, engaged in sniping with a nearby patch of low-hanging mistletoe. She catches it unawares--not undisturbed, it was already disturbed--and slices it free from the base. She quickly turns and packs it into the basket, wrapping a separate square of gauze around the seeping stem. She leaves the forest carefully, but quickly, and returns to the Black Moth, dialing in the coordinates three 'verses over, and one to the left, and Gearhaven. Home.

This is her third trip into the hinterlands, but she thinks she has everything now.

30 August, 1946



She has spent the time since her return, a week and eighteen years forward, in the Red Queen's castle, chopping, dicing, scraping, peeling, soaking various amounts of various botanicals in spirits of vodka, gin, Strega, and absinthe. She's made a simple variant of Kyphi incense while she sat in circle, mortar and pestle in hand, grinding the wet ingredients into paste, pulverizing the dried ingredients into dust. She's kept a worn and tattered journal next to her, most of the pages loose, many of the pages older than the Black Moth, sketching when she needs to wait on a particular distillation or fermentation to properly develop, cutting out articles that contained helpful information, noting pages in the copies of Dr. Moreau's journals, acquired haphazardly over several decades.



Finally, she thinks she's done. She packs everything into small jars, vials, stoppered bottles sealed with wax, oiled parchment envelopes tied with striped twine. She drags the medium-size cauldron into the airship, heavily coated in an iron-defeating resin, and timeslips to the island. It's a short trip down to street level, where she lugs the heavy cauldron up the narrow stairs above Lecora, to the Sphinx-Templar Syndicate's satellite office. It takes a bit to set the cauldron up proper, and even longer to add in the neutral solution to start everything, and then, slowly, ingredient by ingredient, hour by hour, adding in everything she's collected and processed. No incense now, but there's always wisps of sage and cloves and cinnamon, cardamom and old bones, rum and wax, drifting up from the shop downstairs. She chants a simple spell to heat the cauldron, because starting a fire on the wooden floor of the building would definitely cause the rental association to seize their deposit.



And then the first moment of fear as everything began to heat, the liquid starting to swirl in glowing, occasionally pearlescent streaks: several small, whipping purple tentacles emerging from the mix, shocking her to her core: because no sealife had gone into the mix! She rapidly scanned her notes, checking amounts, times, preparation notes, but--nothing.

She looked dubiously at the cauldron, but knew she potentially had only one shot at this, because some of her ingredients were only available in certain times, every century--and for some others, every other century. She had to let it cook for the prescribed seven days. She had no other choice.

6 September, 1946



At last it was done. Ready to be decanted. Apparently no one on the island had noticed the purple vapors drifting from the upper floor of the building, something she was supremely grateful for. But before she poured out the mix into the waiting carboy, she ran to the desk, sweeping the books off in a rush and laying out the last two pages, the more esoteric and direct mix. If she'd done everything correctly...if she'd made all the proper adjustments for her fey genetics and the Duke's feline descent through the Moreau line...Well, then this would be the easier path to children.

She hoped.

Because he'd asked, and because she loved him, and because...maybe it was just time.



She carefully filled the carboy, vanishing the cauldron, and summoned the Black Moth to return her to Gearhaven and her workshop for the final concentration, ending up with a scant few vials for all her work. She shook her head and fell into bed exhausted that night, though, knowing she had done all she could.

8 September, 1946



She checked the notes she'd left on the desk again, comparing them to notes in the tattered journal. She set the vial down, the swirling liquid within casting iridescent flashes on the stained walls. And then she got the call that her Duke had adopted a ward, and she fled back to the Black Moth to return to Gearhaven posthaste to ask what, exactly, that would entail.



Leaving the notes, and the vial, out on the table, unguarded...

you don't even wanna be here do you?

I cannot BELIEVE the gall of this idiot...It's been proven, MULTIPLE times, that he is clearly in the wrong, clearly engaged in copyright infringement, AND moreover, the Lindens have ALL relevant documents, and made the right choice to ban his account. It's over, you idiot. LET IT GO.

Have I mentioned Choly Knight, ever? She used to be primarily a maker of very cute clothing items on Etsy, and has since moved into primarily making plushie toys and patterns for same. But she apparently still remembers her roots, because this week's Free Pattern Friday is for a Pikachu hoodie hack! (And linked from there, an Eevee Evolution shrug, a more general dragon/unicorn hooded cowl, and a ninja-style scoodie. And yes, all of these patterns she's offering free to the public!

In other news...

[12:04] Qxxx Rxxxxxxx: !halloween
[12:05] Sxx Wxxxxxxxx: BRING IT! :D my body and soul are ready
[12:06] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Oh, yeah, Halloween during a pandemic is going to be EXTRA special :p
[12:06] Sxx Wxxxxxxxx: everyone dress up as a plague doctor, it'll be fine
[12:06] Dxxxxxxxxxxxxx Exxxx: sigh
[12:06] Conner Adam Cashe (conneradam): I don't think it will everyone should be in masks anyway
[12:06] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr) laughs

To be fair. But isn't that just another reason to track down really nifty masks?

Like, for instance...this Viking one, or this tentacled one, or how about this Hex the Patriarchy mask, or the Tech Witch one, or how about advising the world to KEEP YOUR HEARTS DARK AND TRUE AND YOUR TEETH SHARP AND MANY? Or the classic No touchies? Or my personal favorite (I own this one, actually), ADAPT OR DIE.

There's so many good ones, seriously.

Why not go traditonal with a pumpkin smile? Or a Baby Yoda mask? Or go the other way with a Darth Vader mask? Or Jason? Or a blinged-out skull? Or go VERY subtle with your horror movie love, with the repeat carpet design from The Shining?

I could go on, there's that many, but hey. Wide world. Mask up. Be safe.

but I don't wanna fight, I don't wanna cry

Seriously, does my face just look that punchable, or what?

My face for reference:



And now to why I'm asking that:

[10:51] Axxxxxxxxxxx Sxxxxxxxxxx: hello Emily nice to meet you.... though we didn't meet really… you've got an intriguing profile so i hope we will chat some time... smiles
[10:55] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): All right, understand from go that you're coming in against a bias--granted, no men to this point, but you would not BELIEVE the amount of nylon-clad women who apparently want to beat me up, and I have noooooo interest.

I mentioned this because fighting is mentioned in his name, and on his profile.

[10:55] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): That out of the way, hi.
[10:57] Axxxxxxxxxxx Sxxxxxxxxxx: sorry my english (it's not my first language)... do you mean that you don't want to talk to me? or what? :-)
[10:57] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): No, no, just if you're interested in beating me up too? Move along.

That's clear, right? I'm not interested in being punched in the face. I'm not interested in being punched in the face in RL, either, so it goes in all worlds.

[11:01] Axxxxxxxxxxx Sxxxxxxxxxx: well... i'm a [fighter] as it says in my name so i could challenge you to a wrestling match... but wrestling it's about mind and flexibility, not strength or size... and i'm a mature aged guy, not flexible at all, so you would have your winning chances for sure...smiles

So, what, wrestling is supposed to be better than straight fighting? What??

[11:02] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): See...that's the kind of answer that tells me you're just interested in one thing. :)
[11:04] Axxxxxxxxxxx Sxxxxxxxxxx: not at all... i love to roleplay... and i'm NOT asking for sex, if taht's what you mean

I guess...thank you? For not wanting to punch me in the face while having sex with me??

[11:04] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr) smiles.
[11:05] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Well, then, let's start from--how did you run across my name?
[11:06] Axxxxxxxxxxx Sxxxxxxxxxx: we are both in the [group we're both in] group... but if i'm bothering you, just say it and i'll stop this chat :-)

It's not bothering me yet, I'm still just confused.

[11:09: Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): No, not if we're talking about other things.
[11:09] Axxxxxxxxxxx Sxxxxxxxxxx: lol.... well... let's see if i can explain myself better.... let's see... we could wrestle realistically here in SL, describing our movements in a realistic and detailed way as if we were in front eachother in rl... by text-only, without pose ball and without hud... in judo/submission-wrestling style, that is one wins when the other says “i give up” or “i submit”.... no blows, no punches, no kicks, no hairpulling , no bites...only pure holds, slow paced actions... would that be ok with you or are you already running away from me, Milady? smiles challengingly

Are. You. Kidding. You unbelievable. Idiot.

[11:10] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr) sighs.
[11:10] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): No, I'd likely just stab you and leave.
[11:10] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): What part of "I do not want to wrestle" is unclear, here?
[11:11] Axxxxxxxxxxx Sxxxxxxxxxx: nevermind... thank you anyway and farewell
[11:11] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): All right, then!

And that was that.

And that was weird.

And seriously, why does everyone want to beat me up?!?

you caught me smiling, why'd you wait so long? (part two)

Picking up from part one, the next five tones!



This is the rich, cobalt blue linen, shown again with the light rope adornments.



This is the sage linen, and at least in this pose, it doesn't clip obviously when sitting. Shown with the black rope armlets and collar.



If anyone ever wanted a true, Tyrian purple linen camisk, Mara is definitely your girl. Shown with the black rope options.



I know some are going to roll their eyes, but this is honestly a taupe linen...but sure, if we want to, we can name it tan. It's just got a touch too much grey to be a true tan. Shown with the brown rope option.



And finally, the standard worn brown linen, staple of every shivering servant girl, with the light rope adornments.

I have no idea what these are going to be priced at, or which are only fatpack-specific: I'm showing off all the tones I received just to be on the safe side. Three tones of rope: the light rope, the brown, and the black (and again, I'll verify whether or not the rope belt is supposed to also change), and....it's now occurred to me I'm an idiot, and I'll explain, but ten different linen colors for the camisk.

Okay, the idiot part! I completely bypassed the inset HUD-within-a-HUD for the camisk colors! So YES the rope belt can be changed; but it changes with the little circle HUD inside the ring of colors! The collar and armlets, on the other hand, have a separate HUD to change them, so the rope belt can be one tone, the rope armlets can be another (or, if one wanted to take a bit of time, one could make the rope collar black, say, then remove it, put on the armlets and make them the light tone, then change the belt to brown.

Silly. I should have picked that up. Miss sachi is smarter than I am.

Mara is sized for Maitreya Lara, Maitreya Lara Petite, Legacy, Legacy Perky and Legacy Petite, and Slink, Slink Hourglass and Slink Hourglass Petite.

NOTE: The leg wraps aren't from this outfit; they're from a Belle Epoque outfit, "Intense Power" (in the tone Coffee).

Pictures taken in Hel's Landing, a Bloodlines-friendly, Adult land rife with demons, angels, vampires, Lycans and Vikings, so keep that in mind.

you caught me smiling, why'd you wait so long? (part one)

I love this woman. She is part of my tribe. It sounds exactly like something I'd come up with. (There is some NSFW language there, though, be aware.)

And did you know Moulin Rouge's elephant was not just a Hollywood invention? I knew, but I did not know about the back garden.

Anyway. For once, I had the time to cover something early, and I'm not about to pass this up.



We're starting with the outfit as it came out of the box, no edits: the Mara camisk in black linen, with light-toned rope belt, armlets and collar. Observers will likely catch the gold chain of the underwear I'm wearing; I don't intend to take them off, but they're not included in the outfit.



It also comes in white linen (again shown with the light-toned rope adornments).



I'm not sure how period dark pink linen is? I'd think it's a hard tone to achieve medievally, but if it's seen in Gor, probably, because Gor's always had that weird pure-primitive/high-tech mix. Shown in the brown rope tone.



Depending on the lighting, this tone is either a shaded maroon linen, or almost a russet, but I'm just going to call it wine and go from there. Everything I'm wearing, by the way, has not been adjusted for the shots, so as you'll notice on my right arm, there will be poses the rope armlets, at least, will clip a bit. Standard hazard with any animation set.



It wasn't until the red linen that I realized the rope color HUD only changes the collar and the armlets, not the belt. I'm not sure if this is intentional, I'll ask and update.

And on to part two! I will update this when the event opens!

NOTE: The leg wraps aren't from this outfit; they're from a Belle Epoque outfit, "Intense Power" (in the tone Coffee).

[SECOND NOTE, this time from the Editrix: There is a HUD that changes the collar and armlets. I'll explain that in entry two.]

Pictures taken in Hel's Landing, a Bloodlines-friendly, Adult land rife with demons, angels, vampires, Lycans and Vikings, so keep that in mind.