and that's when the world seemed to stop (part two)

First off: the entry for the Typhon Monstrous Adorned Horns entry has been updated. Not a lot of changes, but in going back through it, I realized I'd left out a link for /Vae Victis\ (the mainstore}, Abnormality (their coming soon page, because the next Abnormality round is in August, two months away), and I realized I never got back to the Vineyard Terrace information cards on swamp biomes. In a very tangible sense, swamps are the natural representation of liminal space.

Continuing from yesterday...



We're starting with the second set of panels from the run, and...wait.
Did...I not have more panels to show off?? I mean, I know the last picture from yesterday was another multi-shot, but...I could have sworn I took more pictures...

A...pparently not! I just chose to show off some of the insets in the squnched-short version.

Well. These are AT THE MAINSTORE BY NOW, and--having tracked them down in the meantime--I now know they run L$450 for the set in store. (Which, I should mention again, includes both the short-tall and the REALLY tall versions, plus each geta has the choice of plain or etched panels, in the colors so chosen.

I must love the sound of deadlines swooshing by.

Next up: something unofficial I decided to do on my own--who DOES make the highest heels in SL? Tune in...uh...whenever I post again?

and that's when the world seemed to stop (part one)

Today...is the day. Or at least today will be a good start? Maybe a good start. I have no idea, I'm standing in the cam sim for this round of Cyber Fair.



This may not be the full line-up-and-comparison shoefest I had planned? I now own at least a third of the really high and/or really weird platforms on the grid, so I really want them shown off SOMEwhere. And might as well run the demos while I'm at it, because I'm certain sure I'm not going to keep ALL of them. Demo or actual platform, that is a LOT of weird fetish footwear to dump in my inventory! (Azoury and Madame Noir, I'm looking at you.)



So first off, I forgot to do a thing. I like to show whatever it is straight out of the box, untouched--so to speak. This time, I didn't, because I so rarely use the flat-footed option for Maitreya these days, there was a lot of height adjusting that seemed necessary. So, out of the box, added, considered, tinted shades to match the whole frosted oiran look, then--even though these are the shorter version--I shortened them further.



Ten colors for the hanao (the padded straps), ten colors for the dai (the angled, wooden flat piece in traditional geta), and a full twenty-two colors for the ha (the raised stilt portion). And each pairing there features a plain wooden stilt, or one that's the same tone, but has an inset with either etched art in the wood, or ink-painted motifs.



Ooh. I feel dizzy all the way up here.



Now, adjustments, color changes, and panel art!



Well...four pieces of panel art. This took me a LOT longer than I thought, so this is not all the etched or painted panels on the Daitengu geta, and I'm hoping to get to the rest tomorrow! It's now far too close to four am for my liking, so I'm off to rest the injured brain and everything it's trying to control. See you for part two!

I wanna live a vibrant life, but I wanna die a boring death

This is the..."Ham Tree"...at LORE. It's a group gift.

Mesmer's love of meat where meat should not be is spreading...

Anyway, it's been...void stars, the 30th of March. That is a long time not to post. There's been...a steady uptick in head pain. And, I think, two falls? Not sure. Maybe just one.

*Em goes to check...*

So, I did mention the concussive episode. Right. So the fourth fall...eh, let me just grab what I said, it'll be easier...

[10:39 PM] Emilly: I made a snappy little graphic earlier.


[10:40 PM] Emilly: Apparently that was too subtle for the rest of the court. Ah, well.
[10:42 PM] Emilly: Ranked from least stupid to most, I'd say this was just slightly less stupid than trying to put on a coat and falling instead. This was me trying to stand up, but being too far forward on the chair, when I reached for stable surfaces, the gas lift in the chair supports engaged, and I slipped right off.

[11:04 PM] Emilly: There was profanity. One of the girls came in and pointed out that my legs were not, precisely, oriented as legs usually were. And then began the debate, between saying hello to the EMTs again, and just going about the rest of the day. The lynchpin for this being, can Em get off the floor by herself?

Should I have just nodded and gone to the ER? Maybe. But at what point do I just accept that fragility is my state of being? That, I don't know.

[11:07 PM] Emilly: It was...a struggle. There is a fear of falling developing, and I'm not even sure it's worth heading off, because it's in the places where I think I can just move through it, do things I used to do, overreach to get something that seemed necessary at the time...So, it's going to be a great deal of second-guessing myself, which will be annoying. But, maybe necessary too.

And hoo boy, am I being careful now. Of course, the screaming back and left leg pain--must've been the left leg that took the brunt of the latest fall--is helping me considerably to be careful.

I'm just...I'm getting so tired of falling. I have seemingly gone from my current age to 197, and that's hard to deal with.

Anyway. Want to get this done...er...

Damn it. All set to go through Emmation City's haunted house, and...now I have to log off. Gah!

Okay, fine, one image, and then we'll be in the full review. So part one, I guess.



...or not, because I can't remember which sim I took this in, and--beyond being from Madame Noir--what's the name of these insane clompy plats. Even better, now I can only find two images of the original (brief) run of eight! ARGH!!



But here's the second shot for this post, I think...the third? That I took this night. Can't find the other two. That is deeply bugging me, but onward we stagger. So part one coming...I hope soon.

maybe tomorrow I'll find the answers I'm looking for

This is a fascinating dive into evolving chatbot ethics, or as Kevin Roose put it, large language model AIs. "There is something going on here that I don't think Microsoft intended to build into a search engine," he notes. "Something is not right."

It may not be precisely wrong, either, at least in the sense of world-ending Terminator apocolypses, but--it definitely bears watching.

And hi, hello, it's me again, who should have blogged this a week ago..It was a hard week. I missed a lot of things. I'm trying to catch up.

[Pre-publishing note from the Editrix: add on another five days to that figure...]

I'm walking into blogging this one while watching the latest Babymetal video, Metal Kingdom, so...that's the backdrop to this, I guess.



Let me introduce the "Pandora" Blood-Letting Dagger from /Vae Victis\. And for once I'm starting with the dual HUDS--one for tinting the various sections (and fourteen different shades for each section!), and the animation HUD, which I'm quite fond of.



So first, out of the box, and in an outfit I found on sale, oddly enough, from Le'La (sans the crown)--this is the dagger, untinted.



This can be resized, as with nearly all /Vae Victis\ products, but I'm showing it at the same size at which it unpacks.



Some great details, as expected, seen closer in the first image--and a great visual sense of weighting, if that makes sense.



And then I fell down. Why? Got me. I clicked the ground in the garden. That was all I did. Apparently that's bad.



It may or may not need adjusting on the hold pose--I found that in most of my AO poses, it was fine, but a couple threw the blade so it partially phased through my thumb (seen here).



And this is my favorite pose from the pose HUD--a dagger flip. Great for photos, great for being passively threatening at events, probably still great for a DIY AFK moment for when one must step away from the keys for any reason.

You can find this lovely lethal thing at Abnormality until the 28th! It'll set you back L$450, and I gotta tell you--for the flip animation alone that's a steal.

lost in your current like a priceless wine

This is another case of losing the photos until recently, but I was invited to the odori by the High Priestess of the Companions' Guild a few weeks back. The more formal events always throw me a little--kimono is traditional, yes, but not geisha trappings, because I'm not one. The closest I feel I can come is oiran, traditionally equally well trained, but in different ways, and with a vastly different goal. And even there, I feel as if my makeup must be alluding to, not directly indicative of.

I don't know if other people fret over these things. I do.



We were led to a small room with a low table and zaisu chairs, and were asked to please sit, offered tea or sake as we chose, and spoke a few moments with the perfomer as the servers brought in the first course.

[13:26] Toshiha とし葉 (toshiha.magic): "While you enjoy your appetizer, please allow me to perform."
[13:26] Toshiha Magic: : おおきにぃ　(Thank you)

Our geisha performer, Ms. Magic, I am leaving named, because she does formal geisha and kabuki performances professionally in SL. She's very good.

[13:26] Bxxxxxx Gxxx turns to watch the geiko
[13:26] Bxxx 1xxxx knocks at the door
[13:27] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr) smiles, picking up the chopsticks.
[13:27] Toshiha とし葉 (toshiha.magic) carefully walks to the stage and takes her place, preparing a dance fan.

She took the stage, and I still don't know if the recording we heard then was her, or was someone else? "Momiji no Hashi" means "bridge of autumn leaves", which was the song playing, so...

[13:28] Momiji no Hashi Singer: Near the bridge of maple leaves 紅葉の橋のたもとから

[13:28] Txxx Tx 统体 after pouring, passes Jx Dxxxo and Nxx Jxx their fresh tea with a bow of head

[13:28] Momiji no Hashi Singer: I rest a sleeve on the railing. 袖を垣根の言いずてに
[13:28] Momiji no Hashi Singer: For a moment, my ears hear a magpie ちょっと耳をばかささぎの
[13:29] Fxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Hello, [Axxxx]!
[13:29] Bxxx 1xxx bows respectfully "Greetings."
[13:29] Momiji no Hashi Singer: Upon the frost a sudden clarity of light, 霜もいつしか白々と

[13:29] Dr. Dxxx Vxx Axxxx enjoys Toshiha's graceful movements.

[13:29] Momiji no Hashi Singer: It accumulates deeply, piling up 積もるほどなお深くなる
[13:30] Momiji no Hashi Singer: My dancing hands surround the snow 雪をめぐらす舞の手や
[13:30] Momiji no Hashi Singer: Yoi yoi yoi yoi yoi yasa. ヨイヨイ、ヨイヨイ、ヨイヤサー

She drew the eye, her slim figure moving through patterns made traditional hundreds of years ago, and, if you count that this was loosely part of Firefly RP, thousands of years back, with her delicately spinning fans.

[13:31] Bxxxxxx Gxxx: Hello [Axxxx]!
[13:31] Vxxxxx Lxxxx leans against the pillar, listening to the familiar song
[13:31] Bxxx 1xxx: How is every one?
[13:31] Zxxx Axxxxxxxx Sxxxxxxxxx knock at the door
[13:31] Fxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Hello, [Zxxx]!
[13:31] Bxxxxxx Gxxx applauds!
[13:31] Dr. Dxxx Vxx Axxxx nods politely to Alice. "No complaints. Yourself?"
[13:31] Bxxxxxx Gxxx: Thank you!
[13:31] Zxxx Axxxxxxxx Sxxxxxxxxx: may i come in?
[13:31] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr) claps politely
[13:31] Fxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx claps for Toshiha.
[13:31] Fxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: That was lovely!

She dipped, she turned, she hid her face coyly one moment, and spun the fans out to reveal it the next.

[13:31] Dr. Dxxx Vxx Axxxx: Of course, feel free to join us, [Zxxx].
[13:32] Mxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx claps enthusiastically as she motions to [Zxxx] with a nod
[13:32] Zxxx Axxxxxxxx Sxxxxxxxxx smiles and remove his gettas at the entry taking a seat
[13:32] Toshiha とし葉 (toshiha.magic): "Oideyasu, [Nxx Jxx] niisan!"
[13:32] Toshiha とし葉 (toshiha.magic) bows politely.
[13:32] Bxxx 1xxx: up right and breathing which is a good thing in our day and age

Especially this year.

[13:32] Vxxxxx Lxxxx clears the table of the old incense plate and takes it into the kitchen for a good clean
[13:32] Toshiha とし葉 (toshiha.magic): "Ookini! I hope you were all able to enjoy the feel of the season in that song."
[13:33] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Beautfully performed, and yes, very autumnal.
[13:33] Fxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: That was beautiful
[13:33] Fxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: i was actually hearing it from behind the door, it was very lovely Toshiha.
[13:33] Toshiha とし葉 (toshiha.magic): "Hei, today is the last day I could perform it for the year, so, I am pleased to dance it one more time." She smiles to [Nxx Jxx], too.

Apparently, the fall dance is the Gion Odori; there's a spring version as well, the Miyako Odori, performed every year.

[14:39] Toshiha とし葉 (toshiha.magic): ((This song, will be played like the first one, on "Sounds", ookini!))
[14:39] Txxx Tx 统体 after grasping a cloth to pick up the urn of bathing water, staggers, pausing ever few steps, panting, in hauling it's weighty volume

[14:40] Kimi ni Ougi Singer: The heart of the fan for you, a promise; 君に扇のナ 要の契り

This one was harder to figure out. Google Translate happily tells me it means either "Mysterious fan" or "Your fan mystery"; neither I think are accurate.

[14:40] Fxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx starts nibbling away happily at her cake.

[14:40] Kimi ni Ougi Singer: The snow's white background on the edge of the fan 雪の白地は扇の縁
[14:41] Beeflin Grut smiles radiantly at the poise of the dance
[14:41] Kimi ni Ougi Singer: The flower decorated fan in Hanjo's bedroom. 班女が閨の花扇
[14:41] Kimi ni Ougi Singer: That leopard lily hairpiece in your sleeve その桧扇のかざしの袖に
[14:41] Kimi ni Ougi Singer: Lightly, lightly ひらり ひらり
[14:42] Kimi ni Ougi Singer: The rich color of trees 木々の錦や
[14:42] Kimi ni Ougi Singer: are drawn in a picture with sakura-covered mountains 絵に画く山の桜花
[14:42] Kimi ni Ougi Singer: They fall, scattering, a soothing pleasure forever and ever 散らぬ嬉しさいつまでも
[14:43] Kimi ni Ougi Singer: A swirling of fans 扇車のくるり
[14:43] Kimi ni Ougi Singer: The ritual dance of ceremonial fans inviting prosperity 品よくまわれ末広かけて

[14:43] Fxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx watches Toshiha's graceful movements while pacing herself with her cake so it doesn't disappear too quickly.

[14:43] Kimi ni Ougi Singer: With open tines, for eight-thousand years. ひらく八千代の手なれ草

At which point, she bowed deeply, the performance complete. We were all stunned for a few moments, then...

[14:44] Bxxxxxx Gxxx has temporarily completely forgotten his cake
[14:44] Bxxxxxx Gxxx applauds!
[14:44] Vxxxxx Lxxxx shouts: beautiful tones up to the bathroom!!
[14:44] Fxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx applauds!!
[14:44] Fxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: wow!
[14:44] Kxxxxx Rxxxxxxx 金葉 applauds

Of course, SL being SL, couldn't have a dinner party break up without some technical glitch, but still, all in all, it was a brilliant performance, and I was honored and touched to be invited.

a total eclipse in the teeth of the risk

So, we've been dealing with this person off and on in one of my groups:

[10:45] yxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Are Japanese travelers dressed tightly in your country? I am a Japanese housewife who loves traveling.
[10:46] Axxxxxx Bxxxxx: Hi [Yxxx]
[10:46] Kxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: u can dress loosely too
[10:46] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): I think what she means is, her clothes are constricting, someone should probably help her out of them :p

I mean, am I wrong? That is a fun way to put it, and since her grasp of English doesn't seem that complete, I could see it happening. And let's be frank--this is a group for a sim that lets members come and play with each other? So sensual flirtation is hardly out of bounds.

But then...

[10:47] lxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: haaahhahhhah
[10:47] yxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: I like clothes that show off my body line.
[10:47] Kxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: body line?

Curves. I think. Is what she means.

[10:47] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Oh, you just meant tight clothes, then. Never mind.
[10:47] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): I thought you were being clever.
[10:47] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Carry on.

Kind of depressing, really. Such opportunity there. Squandered.

Her usual interaction with the group is far more direct. On the 31st of October, for instance:

[11:48] yxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: hi my name is [yxxx]. im japanese housewife. i like travel. japanese travellar is hot?

She always sends some iteration of this statement, and I have no idea anymore if she's just roleplaying, or serious about wanting to travel to India and "be hot".

[11:52] jxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Don't travel till there is a vaccine, [Yxxx]
[11:52] sxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: LOL
[11:54] Sxxxxxxxxxxx Qxxxxx: lol [Jxxxx] :)
[11:56] Jxxxx Fxxxxxxx: lol
[11:58] yxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: hi
[12:15] yxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: im hot in india travel?
[12:16] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): You keep making these questions.

She does. It's always presented as, "I'm hot in Japan?" or "I'm hot in India?" or "I'm hot traveler?" Like...it's never just a statement. It's always a question. And they're weird questions.

[12:16] yxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: im hot in india travel?

Case in point.

[12:17] sxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Kxxxx: blocked :(
[12:17] Jxxxx Fxxxxxxx: poor [yxxx]
[12:18] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Blocked? Has she done something worthy of blocking?
[12:19] yxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: ?
[12:20] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): I don't know either, [Yxxx]! I thought you were just asking if there was interest.
[12:22] yxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: mmm

But that was all she said, then, so who knows?

Later, on November 3rd:

[15:44] yxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: hi my name is [yxxx]. im japanese housewife. i like travel. japanese travellar is hot?

Who knows? Could be? It's a mystery for the ages.

[15:44] Yxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: smiles
[15:45] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Maybe? I'm sure someone will be able to answer that question in time.
[15:46] Hxxx Sxxxxxx: Japanese Travelers can be hot...
[15:46] mxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: hello [yxxx]
[15:46] mxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: nice to meet u
[15:46] yxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: hello
[15:47] Hxxx Sxxxxxx: depends on the selfie...
[15:47] yxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: me?

Well, anyone really, but yes, Ms. Y, you were the one being discussed, so...

[15:52] yxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: im hot in travel?
[16:02] yxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: i like india
[16:03] sxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: [yxxx] then why dont you come and stay in India since you like India and are hot in travel too
[16:04] Nxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: lool
[16:05] yxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: i like alone travel
[16:07] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Well, I'm confused. You like to travel alone, so you're not asking for company?
[16:10] yxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: my real travel photo
[16:11] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Run that past me again?

Because who knows what she meant? Her profile has her RL photo? She sent her RL photo to someone? Who knows?

Then, on the 4th of November:

[09:05] yxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: hi my name is [yxxx]. im japanese housewife. i like travel. japanese travellar is hot? me?
[09:05] dxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: hello Namste [yxxx]
[09:05] pxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: namasty ji

"Namaste". Traditionally.

[09:05] yxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: hello
[09:06] Rxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: hi everyone
[09:06] Rxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: where you all
[09:06] Rxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: can any one tp me
[09:06] dxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: hey [yxxx] ask [yxx] he is good guy help you about your fantasy travel to india
[09:06] yxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: yes
[09:06] Rxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: tp me

And again, conversation trailed off. So I really have zero idea what she's actually after.

because with that look I know so well I fall completely under your spell

The sim was called The Apartments. The blurb was just as strange:

"Hallways, endless rain and cats
lots and lots of cats."

Right. Let's go see.



Well, I see the cats. I also see the rain.



And apparently occasional catfights.



What the hell is that outside??



The cats don't like it either.



There's a lot of Blade Runner feel to this sim. Blade Runner, Fifth Element, techno-noir designs, some actual brand names used, some mock brand names. It definitely presents a defined look. Not just cyberpunk, but that specific, the-air-is-water, we-never-see-true-sunlight setting.



All in all, if anyone needs a vaguely futuristic urban setting for photographs or roleplay, this may be ideal? It's a mildly interesting wander, if nothing else, with the rain pouring steadily outside, the occasional meows heard, and the mazelike narrow warren of interconnecting hallways of a multiple-unit, multiple-floor, multiple-block apartment building.

Go see if you're curious. Bring catnip.