I can't be bridled, of course

Cue my great surprise and shock. See the shock? This is my shocked face. How shocking.



From the chat that tipped me to this:

[12:07 AM] Uxxxx: and what store is this?
[12:09 AM] Kxxxxx: A store that sells strippable mod outfits. Xtra Ordinari
[12:13 AM] Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx: Mod is not verified, only claimed on market
[12:20 AM] Uxxxx: bit annoying that they don't seem to understand the difference between stylized and "child"
[12:27 AM] Bxxxxx: Yeah, and I bet they don't understand the difference between 'child avatar' and 'petite adult' either
[12:29 AM] Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx: Prolly not
[12:29 AM] Uxxxx: prol- what [Xxxxx] said
[12:29 AM] Kxxxxx: They were likely mod, at least, the outfit the model was wearing one
[02:11 AM] Yxxxxx: Idiots. Absolute imbeciles. But also If those are supposed to be examples up there, wouldn't they literally be putting the exact thing they're claiming to be cp up as pictures in their store? Conflicted though because it sounds like they make things well, just their take on this issue is complete bollocks.

That's a great point.

But also, note the text of the ban: "underage", "Lolita-like", "baby-faced", "anime", "furry" characters, then only the qualifiers for "kid" or "teenlike" figures, dressed to "stimulate and tease in a sexual way".

And as far as the picture that announces this ban? To me, only the last avatar would come anywhere close to 'underage', and then the full-body latex would tell me otherwise. I just don't get it.

you're the broken glass in the morning light

So, Bandai Games is releasing a new Soul Calibur game for the Playstation console. Which I thought was grand news, until I heard that they'd hired Yamatogawa, an artist of hentai (erotic) manga to design new armor. And, well...it shows:



That's the front. Here's the back:



And both are shown on Ivy. Want to see it in motion? It doesn't quite push over the line of NSFW, but it comes excruciatingly close at times:



because it's not just on Ivy in the game. It's also an armor drop for Amy. Who normally looks like this:



She's nearly always been seen portrayed as very young--either in a typical Japanese schoolgirl's outfit, or--as seen here--in a frothy black lace Lolita confection, with bouncy rag curls. And that's mostly how we're used to seeing her. Until this game:



which just looks...well, it's the definition of wrong in the video above, seriously.

Now, a friend tracked down Yamatogawa's original concept art for the armor:



(which you can see full-size here) which, he thinks now, is Yamatogawa's attempt to make armor that looks like the Soul Edge sword itself. He dug up this image for me:



of the Nightmare armor, with the token oversized sword, and I can see it, because at least in the concept art, it's easy to match up edges, fangs and the eye. But, and I think this is an important but, the armor behind that sword? Is full coverage.

Because it's on a man.

It's 2015, should we still have to be fighting these battles to play games? Why aren't there other options? Have they just completely given up and the next Soul Calibur game will feature finishing moves with active penetration? Why do this??

cold cold nights under chrome and glass

So, now's time for the other side of the Lolita dollplay coin--and that would be:

(from the dolly album; original photo found on the Lolita Fashion website)

Collection. Collectors are an interesting breed--while there are lesbian adherents, and I'm sure, statistically, there must be female collectors of male dolls out there, for the most part, this is a male collector/female doll demographic. The difference between dollification/objectification and collection isn't as simple as collected dolls wear frillier dresses, because that's not always the case.

But just in-world alone, there are men who own dolly strippers, there are doctors who own doll patients; there are men who own dolly "daughters", and those who marry their dolls (or who keep them as mistresses in the closet). It's a varied roleplay field.

There are some similarities.

(from the dolly album; playing dolly dress-up with Rinmaru Games' flash doll game. There's also a Sweet/Gothic dress-up game, which leads to a good six other games depending on what options you pick.)

• Playing Dress-Up

Is this something most men want to do? Depending on inclination, and I'm sure one likely factors in the desires of the doll in question to be dressed up. But dressing up the dollies--or undressing them--is a major focus of play. Think dolls that come with their own accessories, but this over this.

• Posing

Whether simply aligning limbs or tying into place; on marionette strings or simple leashed hands or feet with wisps of silk, posting must be acknowledged as a focus, too. This also is variable--is the doll mobile on their own? Do they need to be posed with strings or wires, ropes or pulleys, or will they hold poses once given? Are they naturally limp, passive, and (generally) unresponsive? Is that a detraction or a benefit?

Look more closely, you'll find this theme repeating throughout art and media. There are robotic marionettes, vintage marionettes, dolls tied by ribbons, robot girls, silicon love dolls (NSFW)...They've been seen in public service announcements, television shows, even films (some more successful than others).

The allure of the doll is persistent, and very nearly universal. In childhood, they're toys, and they're found in all cultures. As we age, some of us still want to play with dolls--or be them. We've had coin-operated companions and plaintive doll laments, electronica tributes to plastic girls and Japanese pop renditions to gynoids alike. It's a wide field, and a very wide interest, which is why it keeps popping up.

• Escorting (and no, that doesn't mean what you think it does)

This is when dollplay expands to the external world, and, as far as I know, is pretty much unique to rubberdolls and Lolita dolls, though it can be seen in other groups. Simply: taking the doll out. For this, costume is important, and while all dollplay carries some aspect of agalmatophilia, this requires the doll to be mobile. (Not all dolls are.)

This can range from simply going to a dance with other enthusiasts (RL or in a virtual space), all the way to very elegant, very formal High Teas. The point to this is to show off, essentially--how polite the doll is, how well-behaved, how well-dressed, how pampered. These gatherings are places for the owner to show off the possession--and any compliments on its behavior, of course, go to the owner, not the doll.

Obviously there's more to all of these categories, and others besides; but those are big. And I'm not saying they shouldn't be; for men and women alike, passivity can also equal innocence, which is a very big draw to a very large number of individuals.

And unfortunately, this one's getting long, so the rest I might have left to say will go into one more entry. (Oh, and one last thing: if you ever wanted the doll look at home, YouTube is probably your best bet for tutorials. Of those, this is the best one for gothic and Lolita dolls.)

(And, if you want a slightly sweeter doll-like look...well, you can watch this but trust me, she's on the unnerving side.)

take me away to a better place, far from anyone

How Toy Story 2 almost didn't happen. (AKA, thank the universe for backups!)

[11:39] Beer Battered Chicken [Ixxxxxxxx Cxxxxxxx]: [11:38] Second Life: Chicken Fettucini (Ixxxxxxxx Cxxxxxxx) is now known as Beer Battered Chicken.

I have no words.

And I'll just, uh, leave this here.

So, back on the doll thing--and I think I'm expanding things slightly. Instead of just going over goth and Lolita retailers on the grid (and if that's what you want, you can check out this entry for RL stores for Loli fashions, or this entry for in-world options), I'm trying to narrow in on dollplay as an entire concept.

So, when we're talking about gothic or Lolita fashions, and talking about dolls, we need to define our terms.

Never let me lose the marvel
of your statue-like eyes, or the accent
the solitary rose of your breath
places on my cheek at night.

I am afraid of being, on this shore,
a branchless trunk, and what I most regret
is having no flower, pulp, or clay
for the worm of my despair.

If you are my hidden treasure,
if you are my cross, my dampened pain,
if I am a dog, and you alone my master,

never let me lose what I have gained,
and adorn the branches of your river
with leaves of my estranged Autumn.

~Federico García Lorca, "Sonnet of the Sweet Complaint"

(from the dolly album; photographer Marianne Williams [halfasecond])

So what is it about dolls that fascinates us so? So far, it seems like there are two strong, divergent strands of thought: dollification (objectification) and collection (indulgent domination). The threads do interweave, and they also touch on some other areas, but those are the two main concepts involved. In this entry, we're going to concentrate on:

Dollification. From the profile of a user named "Rubbamaster" on Rubberpals:

Are you willing to surrender completely to the control of another, knowing they will keep you safe from harm?


Do you wish to be encapsulated in skin-tight latex, transformed into a rubber covered doll, fantastically re-shaped into a parody of humanity, your shape, movement and bodily functions controlled for life?


Once you see yourself in the full length mirror, totally depersonalised, a gleaming black doll with mirrored eyes, the reflection copying every movement you make, no human features visible, as you realise that the image is your true form, will you sink so far into your new persona that you will not want to return to the 'real' world?

Put simply, depersonalization.

There are many reasons why one may want to be treated as an object (in positive or negative ways); it could be a stress release for that person, or they may simply understand no other form of being dominated but complete subjugation. While this is far easier to understand in the rubber or latex communities, it also has a place (albeit with several different varieties) in the doll communities. To wit: the Broken Doll.

(from the dolly album; part of Neil Creek's "Broken Doll Celina" series. All Rights Reserved.)

On the grid it's pretty easy to be a broken plaything just for fun. But for those engaging in this for reasons of depersonalization or objectification, there are several different ways to go. By far the largest group in this category are those interested in reconstruction: for instance, building a partner from the ground up, or altering someone with the end goal of utter transformation.

While, again, this is easier to understand in stronger fetish communities, in terms of dollplay it's important to be able to ask questions, and to receive honest answers. Much of this can verge on--or stroll right into--extreme edge-play, and as such must be given weight and importance by all partners.

Some questions which might be good to ask:

• Was the doll broken before being found?
• Was the doll broken under a partner's control (past or present)?
• Is it a goal for the doll to start out broken and then "heal", however that works out in terms of joint play?
• Is it a goal for the doll to start off slightly broken, and move into a more extreme broken state?
• Is the doll capable of tears?
• Can the doll bleed, or bruise?
• Is it a breaking of the exterior shell, or interior mind, or both?

That last one's pretty much vital; the answer to that can change all the other questions.

(from the dolly album; part of Neil Creek's "Broken Doll Celina" series. All Rights Reserved.)

Some Broken Dolls are crazy; they don't get better, or they only get worse. All of them show signs of damage somewhere--everything from bits of shattered porcelain down to exposed gears in one direction, and scars, wounds, and bruises in the other. In this sense Second Life is pretty much ideal--want porcelain cracks on your skin? There are both tattoo layers and actual skins for that. Want to move like a broken doll? There's a couple makers who offer "doll" or "robot" AOs (I'd heartily recommend Creative Insanity; they do fantastic AO sets for virtually any RP setting).

Broken Dolls are abandoned toys; they can be bitter, they can be needy, they can yearn to be better than they are, they can shrink away from any contact. "Broken" is not chosen as a term lightly; most of the personalities behind the broken dolls on the grid are fairly fractured themselves. I'm not saying roleplay = therapy; but I am saying that who we choose to roleplay expresses very deep things about who we are as minds behind the screen.

There can be audible whirring of gears, or gasps of pain when tender parts are touched. They can be mute, they can talk, though what they say may not always make sense. They can be mindless, or reactive; sobbing or dazed or drugged; locked inside their broken shells, or trying to repair themselves by what they find nearby.

In fact, the "beauty" (if I can say that) of the Broken Doll is that they're so very adaptable. Steampunk setting? No problem. Futuristic? We have that covered. Puppet show? Sure. Ballerina, punk princess, Edwardian destroyed doll...it all works. (And don't take my use of pronouns to indicate there can't be male Broken Dolls; there can, absolutely, I just have more experience with their female counterparts.) Anything from bandaged patients to circus performers to doll amputations to women sewn into place--there are some very dark experiences waiting for those who want to be broken, to be sure, though there can be joys as well. It all depends on what form of play you want.

Next up: Doll collectors. And then I'll do what I can to run down stores.

full up with thirst, I drink your light and beauty for always

All right, so we've had part one, and an abortive part two, so now trying to reconstruct where I meant to go in part two, for this part.

I want to talk about gothic and Lolita dolls on SL, I think, but first, a "new" Lolita style (to me; and one I've been mistaking for another well-known style).

(from the dolly album; the Decora-Lolita look)

At one point in the early nineties, there was an offshoot of Japanese street fashion named "Decora". While there are few Decora adherents in Japan as a whole, these days, the style in both eastern and western eyes having merged with sweet Loli, or the overall kawaii look--it's actually one of the older styles, featuring cascading hair clips, ribbons, bows, flowers, chains, loops and adornments. The English word "decoration" inspired the name of the style, and that's your main clue for what to look for.

(from the dolly album; the full outfit of the Decora-Lolita.)

There are places where the lines blur and overlap between Decora fashion and Lolita as a whole. I think the image above, and this image of her full outfit, is kind of a melding of sweet Lolita and Decora. Note the prevalence of stuffed toys (whether actually toys, or repurposed as purses, necklaces, hair clips, or backpack clips), and the face jewels, in addition to other ornamentation.

(from the dolly album; massively overembellished girl. Note the custom face mask and the Daisy Duck toy.)

The key word with Decora for understanding the fashion is "overdone". It's so over the top, it's practically redefining the term on a daily basis. Don't just wear ribboned shoes; add ribbon toe-clips and beribboned socks and rhinestone garters, and make everything saccharine to the point of inducing diabetes.

Don't just wear hair clips; wear seventeen hair clips, sometimes clipped over each other, and add barrettes and dangles and hair bows and hair bands and hair jewels; in fact, dyeing the hair candy colors is something that's also frequently done.

(from the dolly album; complementary colors can be key when one i s trying to meld dots, stripes, lace, and tiny hearts into the same outfit.)

Thing is, this is not just a Lolita fashion; at its height, it was a florid celebration of bright color and accessories. Plus patterns--with stripes, dots, and other "cutesy" patterns, the fashion for wearing three armwarmers, ten bangles per arm, and four pairs of patterned socks pretty much defined Decora.

(from the dolly album; the trademark Decora concepts of layered socks, layered outfits, and extremely ornamented bangs.)

There's even a "dark" variant to Decora, seen on the left in the above picture. Yeah. THAT'S goffick, innit?

In case anyone (beyond friend Serenity), actually wants to reproduce the Decora look (on or off SL), here are a few tips.

(from the dolly album; no makeup, but big hair additions, and I'd be willing to bet they brought the cute shopping bags from home.)

First, don't just throw things together. Contrary to their busy appearance, the adherents of Decora actually put an insane amount of thought into these things. Think layers, think multiples. (In the above photo, the girl on the left is wearing tights under pajama pants, which are under ruffled pink bloomers, which are under a pair of PJ shorts printed with clouds, which are themselves under a bright yellow split skirt.) For example: short miniskirts (with or without flounces) can be paired then with leggings, which can then be paired with OTK socks, knee socks, and anklets. For tops, think simple tees or blouses, then layer on vests, jackets, or capelets (depending on desired look). And keep in mind seasonal changes--it's really easy to layer in the winter, but for summer, think silk camisoles under cotton tank tops under mesh tanks or mesh tees.

Keep in mind the general look you want to achieve, too. Shades of pink, say, or stripes (in various colors), or food patterns, or "cutesy" animal prints. You can mix and match, but it's good to choose a theme and stick with it.

(from the dolly album; layered Decora-chan hit the street. The girl with the bright cherry hair made her own wings.)

For hair, blonde hair, or dyed pink, pastel blue, or pale orange hair are common colors. (In fact, because of the desire to match, many Decora adherents wear wigs far more than their counterparts for other fashion trends.) Big sausage-curl pigtails, festooned with ribbons, are commonly worn, or pigtails in general with big bows or baubles tied to them. Simple chop cuts (long or short) that are then accessorized within an inch of their lives with hair clips in bright candy colors, hair bows, headbands, cat or teddy ears, or even ribbons tied into strands of hair and then braided, bowed, or pigtailed themselves. Think girlish--if you've seen it on a little girl, chances are you can use it as a Decora-chan.

To this end Decora-chan tend to wear faces as bare as possible--while makeup itself isn't forbidden (and is frequently seen on Decora/Lolita crosses), for the most part innocence and childlike appearance are key. Think bright eyeshadow that pops, or glittery lipgloss, body glitter, face jewels, or even tiny stickers. The only strong consistency is mascara, and even then it's either plain black, or candy colors.

(from the dolly album; ruffles and dots and bows and sweet lace wristlets mixed with jogging suits? Sure, why not?)

And do not stint on the accessories. Necklaces, bracelets, bangles, silk wraps with chunky beads, big rings, earrings resembling cute food or toys, LED flashing clip lights, stuffed toys, gloves, mittens, armwarmers, sunglasses with jewels or stickers on them...and Decora adherents tended to be among the most creative in their displays, because most of what they wanted to wear wasn't sold, so many of them ended up making it themselves.

(from the dolly album; note the tiara that's surrounded by other hair embellishments, the shoes with ribbons, and the heavy amount of bracelets on each arm.)

And that's really all you need to know. Coming soon: more on dollplay.

memories that flutter like bats out of hell

And part two of the doll entry, because the first one was getting on the long side.

This one's going to be a little bit fetish, a little bit Loli, because Damned Good Designs threw up a new doll case on the Marketplace. It's L$750, and the description reads:

Precious dolls deserve a perfect display case, so treat yours (or yourself) to this one by Damned Good Design!


This case has elegant goth styling. It can be color changed on touch to any one of 8 different colors (see photo for available colors). It comes with 21 poses built in, including 5 custom doll poses(and future custom pose packs will also be available).


The Precious Doll Case is also modifiable and expandable, so you can add or remove poses and menus whenever you want! Position adjustment is menu powered, and you can save your custom configurations.


The case is 18 prims, and can be transferred for easy gift giving. Stay tuned for Steam, Fetish, Classic and Space!

It's one of the largest cases I've yet seen, and seems more designed for display and tiny stage action, over simple storage. Which can also be part of the point--performance, for one Dollmaker, or for a small crowd. This case? Might well be ideal.

It also got me thinking.

...but apparently, not hard enough, because this entry has been stagnating back in the buffer for over a year, now. I'd originally saved this for publishing on March 4th, 2011. And if I thought I'd lost the thread on the first one, I have no idea now on what I meant to write about!

And likely even less inclination.

Moving from Kickstarter mentions to RocketHub, I want to go over some of their scientific projects currently. There's a project involving Safe Water International that's going to be funded completely, but there's still 21 days to go if you want to get involved. Taking the concept of the 'straw filter' one step further, they've developed a system involving sand, ceramics, plastic tubes and trace colloidal silver that will filter and clean larger amounts of water for consumption and cleaning purposes. They've got the design and they've got the backing of SWI, so they're good to go when the funding comes in.

Meanwhile, there's a coral reef study going on in Kiribati right now--the interesting thing about that research is that the scientist in question is already there. He's only barely funded for full scientific research but he's going on his own. So basically, giving to that project will support the work he's already doing, on the ground. (You can watch his blog directly for updates on what he's doing--this is his fifth trip to the area, and watching growth and stress of coral formations is something he's already "funded" to do. What he's asking for is funds to research how the local population has changed their habits in-country, to reflect what's happening on the shore--and in the sea.

And there's a project going on to identify previously unknown moth species on the remote island of Kaho'olawe (part of the island chain of Hawai'i). Remote islands are nearly always two things--first, a treasure trove of unknown species, but second, difficult (if not occasionally impossible) to get to--which is why they're treasure troves of unknown species. This project is nearly 75% funded, with 21 days to go, and it looks likely that the scientific team will be able to gather the research they want when that project funds.

Finally, an odd one to round things out--may I present the Royal Equestrian One Bit coin. If you're like me, and don't watch My Little Pony cartoons, this means very very little. But if you're like apparently everyone else who loooooves the show...well, the Royal Equestrian Mint wants your money. Literally. They want to make upscale fandom numismatic tie-ins and make money while doing so.

They're 75% funded as we speak.

In Japan, the lingerie branch of Triumph designs a "concept bra" to represent current trends and concepts. These are, as this article points out, never designed to be sold as bras, but are simply one-off "stunts" to draw attention to the company.

The sad thing about this one is I think it could be a fun concept. Granted, laundering it would be tricky, but I like the idea of the cooling gel insert--especially if (unlike the concept version) they could be removed for easy washing. Prior to this development the only underwear designed specifically for cooling purposes have been post-surgical support designs--which are a) expensive, b) very plain and c) usually long-line variants, not simple cups and straps.

I'll spend some time thinking on the doll issues, see if I can come to some kind of internal resolution, and I'll get back to you. It goes onto the steadily increasing pile of other ideas, slowly moldering into absent recollection.

you are the silence in between what I thought and what I said

I don't link a lot of Gutters sheets, but this one begged to be given wider viewing. Mainly because I'm absolutely mystified why the signature character of their own company would be renamed, simply because "a lot of people already thought that was his name, anyway".

Baptiste Debombourg is slowly converting old engravings into staple art. And by that, I mean art, on the walls, formed out of hundreds of thousands of metal staples. That's phenomenal, and somewhat baffling.

Scenes from a hunt (mostly Twisted and the bunny hunt at RokumeikaN+).

(from the scavenging album)

There is something eerily beautiful about this room. It manages to be both ethereal and lovely, suffused with a soft teal glow. I won't say where, I will say who--Dare Munro of Dare Designs put this one together.

(from the scavenging album)

In the meantime, RokumeikaN, a Japanese brand of delicately detailed EGL and EGA wear (yes, they have outfits for men who desire lace and elegance, too) acquired a sim, and both to launch their grand opening, and to embrace the season, they're having a sim-wide hunt to celebrate.

Thing is, the entire sim is just breathtaking and beautiful. Modeled after moderately-sized cities in the UK, or in Europe, in the late 1800s, it has that sort of English-faerytale feel, with a hint of the Victorian and delightful touches of whimsy.

(from the scavenging album)

However, the sim-wide hunt? Involves bunnies. But not just any bunnies--scripted, moving bunnies. This is how their hunt works:

1. Find your bunny. (There's generally six to twelve on the sim at any given time, sometimes more, but they do move around.)
2. Follow your bunny. (Also harder than it sounds, because they move around, and occasionally forget they're on the sim and bamf!, they're in outer space.)
3. Wait until your bunny flips out a ticket. There are two kinds, red (specific tickets for merchants on the sim) and gold (can be used to purchase one gift from ANY merchant you want). But, to get them you have to:
   • right-click the ticket;
   • buy the ticket;
   • and take the ticket (once it's yours)...all before someone else does.

Simplicity itself. *coughs*

(from the scavenging album)

But, we all know about scripted objects and lag...and these bunnies are no exception. Sometimes they do some very odd things, which can be vastly amusing. Considering most of this "hunt" involves standing around and being the very soul and essence of patience (while the bunnies play will-I-or-won't-I-drop-anything, seemingly their favorite game), anything that's amusing helps.

(from the scavenging album)

In the center of the forested area is a little pond, with a whitewashed wooden platform decked in lace and flowers. This is apparently "Club Charlotte", where you can sit, and have a cup of tea, and listen to music.

Of course, being a raised platform (over the water) bunnies can get under it, flip in midair when they hit either rainbow bridge to the little club platform, and generally engage in bizarre activity next to the pond. As witness, the bunny balancing act seen here.

(from the scavenging album)

And man, these bunnies have attitude. That is one snooty little bunny face, I'm telling you. And spastic. Snooty and spastic, it's a bad combination.

(from the scavenging album)

There are several wonderful settings, though, throughout the sim--for wandering, for picture-taking, for simply spending time in. Picturesque and lovely and very relaxing.

(from the scavenging album)

And they have a house of cards! How cool is that? With a playable grand piano--suitably in elegant white--sitting atop the entire structure. That's some serious card balance.

Completely inadvertently, I discovered a place with reasonably accurate period uniforms! The prices do run to the high side--between L$450 and L$500, on average--but the detail work seems very impressive. I noticed an actual Hussar uniform, several Spanish and French Navy uniforms, a light infantry uniform, and at least one English Royal Dragoon (L$600).

You can find them on the third floor of Magic Worlds; if your viewer shows beacons, follow that.

(from the scavenging album)

Finally, this was just a pretty found on my way--the same place that had the period uniformes? Also features a glass violin. Just go to Magic Worlds.

ancient in one long, incidental month

The fans of Red Dwarf just won't let the series go...which is okay with Craig Charles, who's announced that the show's coming back, with--as near as I can figure--the original cast.

Me, I'm deeply tickled by this, because many of the actors involved have gone on to minor celebrity notes in other things, but...I'm also a fan of Red Dwarf. And these are people who keep meeting up every few years anyway, in various and sundry, professionally or personally, because they have fun together. There are worse concepts for a comeback than that the show was fun and the actors are friends.

Meanwhile, Rodvik Linden, the new CEO of Linden Labs, announced what he's been doing on his first official post on the Second Life blog. I am extremely chary of this, but...I am feeling a small, guttering flame of hope about this.

It sounds so dramatic, but Linden Labs hired a CEO whose first few weeks were spent outside Linden land. He walked the grid. He looked at the seasons. He built a house, a raft, he scripted a mailbox. Simple projects, sure, but this means he's trying to learn.

In all seriousness, this, more than anything else, is what Linden Labs and Second Life has desperately needed. We need less management from the ivory tower and more people who understand, even if in small, personal ways, what the grid is like for those of us who reside within it.

At least, if he makes unpopular decisions, I have this tentative feeling that he will be doing it knowing what Second Life is. Isn't that...a good thing?

04:38 PM] Vasha Martinek: A friend phoned me today. He's a technician for some very specific types of factory equipment, so his job often involves traveling, sometimes to some surprisingly small towns. He is one such town today, which is so small that they only have open court once every two weeks, and they hear every case that doesn't involve minors on that day. (Minors are a different day.) The judge, who also owns the local bait shop, doesn't sort his docket - so if you get brought in for speeding (like my friend), you may find your case heard between the guy who brought the booze into the dry county, [and] the guy being charged with statutory rape (who, apparently, can get out of the charge by marrying the girl, according to her father's lawyer).
[04:38 PM] Melangel Thespian: O.O
[04:38 PM] Vasha Martinek: But that's not the best part.
[04:39 PM] Akasha26 Resident: umm.....ok then
[04:39 PM] Nataiu Wildcat: lol
[04:39 PM] Nataiu Wildcat: Oh my.. I want to live there lol
[04:39 PM] Maxie Claveau: geez
[04:39 PM] Inferno Blackadder: nice
[04:39 PM] Honni Clip: Was the name of the town Mayberry???
[04:39 PM] Trinity Allegiere: ...wow. o_O
[04:39 PM] Feanor Ishelwood: wow
[04:40 PM] Pandora Edwyn: i think i do live there
[04:40 PM] Elyri Winterwolf: this sounds a little like some of the counties adjacent to mine =/
[04:40 PM] Vasha Martinek: The BEST part... is that while he was waiting for his case to be heard... one of the local farmers went up under the charge of animal abuse — because apparently he's been buggering his sheep. And with a straight face, his lawyer said he was willing to enter a plea of guilty IF they would amend the record to show that it was only his female sheep he had interacted with as such, because he wanted it known that he was not a homosexual.
[04:41 PM] Elyri Winterwolf: LOL
[04:41 PM] Inferno Blackadder: LMFAO
[04:41 PM] Akasha26 Resident: lmao
[04:41 PM] Trinity Allegiere: .................she's still a sheep.

This is how the DV8 store group opened today, when I logged in after the crash. As one member put it, So it's okay if the town knows about the bestiality, as long as they don't think you're gay. Yeah, because really, a man has his reputation to protect.

*snickers*

[04:44 PM] Vasha Martinek: I have been laughing about this on and off for about 3 hours
[04:44 PM] Feanor Ishelwood: where was this? Wyoming?
[04:45 PM] Synoa Fallen: rofl
[04:45 PM] Vasha Martinek: No, Kansas
[04:45 PM] Trinity Allegiere: Ooookay then.xD

So, there you go, your daily dose of reality surreality

And for your daily dost of Second Life stupidity...caught this while I was searching through options for a potential tenant.

From Blogger Pictures

(Insert from the Editrix: I should have known better than to upload such 'questionable' images to the easily horrified Photobucket. I'll endeavor to track down the original and upload it somewhere less...decent...in a few hours.)

Skyler Baguier was in the penile av; Lyric Lerintzo was on the pink pony. Cyndyrella Jennings was in the hotpants, and Conrad Pedalo was in the white t-shirt, looking on. Gad, I hope they're just hanging out on empty parcel and aren't Solace residents.

From Blogger Pictures

Then they ported in two more people, and everyone died. I left; first, because they were insanely annoying with the gesturespamming, and their gesturespamming could be heard sim-wide. (I know, because I was in the far corner.) Second, because mass deathing from being in proximity to a shiny pink pony is just never my idea of a good time.



This outfit looks so familiar...it's currently on sale for L$10 upstairs at Crayon, and I know a lot of us tend to do the tattered circus/bloody Loli look off and on. But I could swear I've seen something like this before.

I'll see if I can hunt it down.

I don't know what to tell you, there's just this thing about you

Main lesson learned? There.com followed the "rules" and it killed them...IMVU did the opposite and it's flying above the carcasses of other dying worlds.

It's silly to think this continues to need to be reiterated: but we'll make it simple: Be original.

Just that. Be original. Don't do what everyone else is doing, and you'll get and keep users. Be original. People who don't want a cookie-cutter experience will stay with you.

Simple truth in two words. But companies rise and fall based on them.

In music news, OKgo has left EMI. Why do I mention this here? Well, apart from being a dilettante music blogger, I've also been doing my best to follow the changing face of music distribution, in terms of copyright issues, copyright violation claims, and independent musicians striking out on their own.

OKgo's departure from the corporate structure is notable for one big reason: they aren't a small independent band. Yes, they typify what's become known as 'geek rock', but they're geek rockers that went to the arena. And they're leaving because what Capitol/EMI is willing to do for them isn't enough anymore. They're leaving because of issues of music accessibility.

Remember, OKgo's biggest contribution to their own success was something they came up with--their label produced a video that was okay, all things considered, but not stellar; not satisfied with EMI's production, OKgo took it upon themselves to film and put out this one.

Twenty-two million hits later (many of those, to be fair, repeat watchings), here we are. And it is a big, big thing they're doing. There will be a ripple effect from this one.

In passing, I should also note, to Edward Pearse--for Kirsten Dunst dancing in a candy-Loli outfit in Japan, and for something in the personal life exploding with stunning, and unfortunately injuring, force...I'm not mad at you any more. There are bigger issues than whether you snipe more than you need to when you're angry.

But I was, until today. Just so you know.(Added peace offering from my side: stills from the Tokyo shoot. Just click forward from there, there's a whole set.)

As someone commented on this video, words cannot describe how disturbing this thing is. I will take prim babies that scream to be changed in open chat over this thing. Gah.

And the headline that caught my eye said Facebook wants to be your One True Login. With gems like this lurking within:

According to Mercury News, about 70% of AOL users also use Facebook and the move is a sign of where AOL is heading, but we wonder if it isn't more a sign of where Facebook is heading and has been all along.

My brain stopped dead at the percentage, there. There are still AOL users? Really?

[0:56] Fawkes Allen: Well, yes and no.
[0:56] Fawkes Allen: AIM and AOL Webmail
[0:56] Fawkes Allen: No longer really 'AOL'
[0:56] Emilly Orr: I didn't think so
[0:57] Fawkes Allen: But even then, still a few stragglers.
[0:57] Emilly Orr: This is what I get for being so anti-social networking.

No lie. But they go on:

If you think back to 2002, the big news was Friendster. For many of us, it was the first time we'd joined a social network and we went wild adding friends. Then, in 2003, Myspace came along and we slowly started adding these same friends on Myspace until one day the virtual cobwebs became too much and we left Friendster altogether. And then came Facebook and we did it again.

Not all of us, and this is part of where I begin to stand out from the rest of the herd animals on the net. I will follow herd behavior, I do, I am a geek, I have a geek life. I am fine and happy with this.

But Facebook? It took me three hours to become completely, blindly, homicidally enraged with Facebook. I stayed on there six days to get that stupid piece of armor for Runes. I killed the account the moment--and I do mean that, the moment I had confirmed receipt of the code.

I've never known what it is, exactly. I'm extremely format-specific. I'm okay with Gchat; I tolerate IRC; I loathe MSN, Yahoo and AIM with a fiery vengeance that burns with the heat of white stars. MySpace? I still have an account because at one time, you had to have one to see the band pages. I never use it. Never. Couldn't remember the login to save my life.

But I begin to see the glimmer of light on why Mark Kingdon is pushing so hard for Facebook integration.

Let's face it - if we can avoid it, we'd rather not do this again and that's precisely what Facebook wants. Facebook has already become the dominant platform for social networking, but as it expands its business in other directions, we will begin to see it pull users away from other businesses too. This partnership is not only about preventing that, but further solidifying Facebook's place as our one, true login.

And Second Life wants to be that One True Login for virtual worlds.

If Kingdon swings enough of the code behind the push for real names--a requirement for Facebook, because they're EVIL--and Facebook accessibility, then in his mind, he gets:

* all of Second Life's user population
* all of Facebook's user population

And if he integrates Twitter, MySpace, and anything else that comes along--along with Avatars United, already tucked snugly under the belt--then he gets thousands of other potential users, because of Facebook's pulling power.

That's a LOT of eyes on SL.

All of that, though--that entire article, and all the comments, priceless as they are--came from the top link in this blog, which is taking on the concept of RWW Facebook (RWW standing for ReadWriteWeb, something I can only conceive of as "Internet for Dummies", frankly.)

But apparently Internet for Dummies worked, because many, many Facebook users really thought RWW was Facebook, under a scary new redesign. (The obvious analogy of SL's viewer 2.0 screaming occurs, but hey, the Labs designed that on on their own. It was an in-company redesign, start to finish.)

Where all this starts to get relevant to SL again:

If you are an interface designer, a brand manager or a security expert, your reaction to this incident should be one of deep humility. Your interface, your brand and your security scheme is much more fragile than you'd ever dared to fear. All of your work has come to naught.

Pretty much. There are users who adore 2.0. There are others who are waiting for the most obvious bugs to be hammered out before giving it a try. There are the people in my camp, waiting until 2.0 moments of functionality (like alpha mesh blocking, and tattoo layers) can be incorporated into 1.0 substructures, so we can have the features we want while never having to use the bastard stepchild of IE they've come up with.

If you are an interface designer, understand that the current state of URLs and bookmarking is so confusing and obscure to many people that they'd rather just type in the name of the thing they want into a search engine and go.

This is true even for Second Life. At times, I have so much in my inventory, I just delete every landmark I have, practically, and then I'm left with memory and SL Search. Which, when it works, is fine, but when it doesn't, cripples in a major way game functionality.

*coughs* Second Life Search, not my memory. MOVING on...

If you are a security expert who thinks that dozens of unique non-memorizable A-Za-z-0-9-#$ ascii passwords is a pathway to any kind of meaningful security, it's time to turn in your badge. Literally hundreds of people put their Facebook login details into the RWW comment system because there was a little "F" in a blue box next to the username and password fields. There was no elaborate phishing scheme here, just a misunderstood Google search result.

And that's daunting as hell, that is. RWW wasn't trying to be evil. They'd worked out what they wanted to do, and then...things exploded. This passage is especially meaningful:

If you want a second lesson in humility, spend some time with someone who you know to be reasonably intelligent who is not a heavy PC user. Turn off your smug sense of superiority and watch them use a computer without saying a word. If you're a user who spent their youth like I did messing around with the things, you'll watch helplessly as they fail to use any number of shortcuts, best practices, and useful techniques to speed up their workflow. Their knowledge is fragile as hell. Through painful trial and error, they've figured out how to get the computer to do more or less what they want and once they know a technique that's good enough, that's often where it stops.

I will be honest here. I consider myself a mid-range geek. I like gadgets, and I know my way around Linux and Apple, but my brain was programmed on PCs. So for me, frustrating as they are, it's PC or I don't use it for long.

Paired with that, is when IE revealed itself to be the giant security flaw packaged in memory hogskin, I switched to Firefox and it became THE browser. To the point that when I downloaded Chrome and Opera for the first time, I was frustrated because the buttons weren't in expected places.

It's taken me three months, until today, to figure out how Chrome makes a bookmark. I am not kidding.

So I bumble along in SL. I couldn't use some third-party browsers because they moved things around too much. The Nicholaz viewer (which to this day I miss fervently), kept everything in the same place. Body memory becomes important in games, doing things by rote because that's how you've done them before and that's how your body knows to do them now.

Then...2.0. I was honest about my initial user experience--I usually keep all sound in the game at 50%. I am prone to headaches which occasionally become migraines; anything louder and that's it, I could be off laying down in a dark room. So not being able to find the media controls to turn off the media--which starts out ON AT FULL--and the music--which starts out ON AT FULL--and the YouTube-vid-on-a-prim that Fawkes threw up--ALSO ON AT FRIGGIN' FULL--and I seriously wanted to bash things. Like my computer. And other people. And everyone at Linden Labs.

After that? I was just looking for things to kill. I couldn't find anything; I hated trying to build, the very screen design made it impossible; getting an accurate inventory count was futile; and the chat system seemed designed to make me crazy.

But I'm thinking now. I hate chat programs. I am not a Facebook user. I am messing with a lot of body memory to try to figure the new viewer out. And, as has been pointed out by many people, it is not for me.

A lot of new users are finding it easier to use. Why? It's not because they're stupid. Though mostly, I'd say they still don't build, and that is a large part of it. Over that, though, it gives them an interface that's somewhat similar to programs they already use, whether that's Firefox or Chrome. (Or whatever else.) Concepts that do the same thing when they're on Google, in Yahoo, in Facebook. (Mostly.)

It's not a viewer designed to use SL easier, at all; it's a viewer that is designed to be usable by people used to other things, first. The Facebook throngs. Social media darlings, to follow along the dotted lines and sign up for the home, and the square estate-managed parcel, and the sanitized mainland spaces.

Because it kinda looks like what they recognize. Everything's square. Menus pop out or drop down. Movement controls are all in one, and the easiest thing in the world to do is chat, because chat rises up in its own little square.

Most of the computer's and the browser's interface is invisible to most people. It's just so much noise that they don't understand, so they ignore. When they get confused, they flail, desperately casting around for something familiar. Those of us with a high degree of knowledge are like rangers, able to see the path of our prey easily in the disturbed twigs and mud. Most people are simply lost in the woods.

New users get 2.0. They may not understand everything from go, but they get the concept. It makes sense to them. They never had the years of figuring out which side of the window we want our main HUDs on, where we want chat, the hardcore body programming for using the game day in and day out. These are social players. They'll get on, shop, talk to people, leave.

These are generally not the type of folks who will stick around, learning how to spin six nanoprims in separate directions around a fantasy skirt, for instance. It doesn't concern them.

Maybe that SL isn't for them, either.

But I like to think it's bigger than "us" versus "them", than even "we" versus "they", if it comes down to it. Maybe it is all about the culture, and the new users will join the rest of us, or not. Addiction to Second Life? I don't know, there are things I can do in SL that I doubt FarmVille could ever give me. But then, I'm not a Facebook user, either.

I'm just hoping it's not the start of the great rift on the grid--between those who want to create new things, new visions, new concepts, and new content, and those who come to the grid equipped with viewer 2.0 and the house they can't modify, and never even think the other dreams are possible.

From Miss Kamenev comes Lost Things, a perfectly charming stop-motion film. Loss, ephemera, whimsy and return--those are good themes, right now.

And on that, I am off to sleep. G'night, internet.

I run off, where the drifts get deeper

I found another article on the ongoing issue of potential Avatar infringement. It's still too soon to tell whether Poul Anderson's estate will file suit. Or if they've even heard the rumors.

The iVictrola, ladies and gentlemen. Translated--badly--from the German, it says: "Matt Richmonds created perfect with iVictrola a combination of modern and historical technology. iPod the Touch and/or the iPhone is put on the wood foot and the favourite music is turned on. The sound is led into the acoustic horn and vertärkt by a small hole accordingly there. Which worked with Grammophonen already well, stop goes also still with modern technology.

It retails for around $400 US, so it's far from cheap. Still, it's very well done, and could be used as is, or, with a little tinkering, easily hide the iPod at the base.

Dr. Mason delicately pointed out to me there was an error in yesterday's entry; he says as far as he's aware (from his own explorations in Neath), there is no moon to shine. In fact, moonpearls are so highly prized in Neath because they show the phase of the moon beyond Fallen London.

Otherwise, we would forget.

There are those who say the sphere holding the world, and the dark waters of the Unterzee, is the skull of a fallen giant in which we live. There are others who deny this, saying the sphere is made of stone.

There are others still who wonder why it couldn't be both. They point to the recurring dreams, the nightmarish visions of fire and shadows that plague us all. Perhaps they're right...at least where the visions are concerned.

I am still on the hunt for a good pair of en pointe ballet shoes, with or without animation, but these...these are different.



Anima Temptation in Pirandello Bay--a rather quiet, but elegant, fetish community on Adult land--sells these.



Miss Adira Aeon makes these extravagantly high-heeled ballet shoes. In three days of wearing them, I haven't noticed one single sculpt glitch (though Fawkes tells me they're not sculpted, he can see the joins of the prims; all I know is, I can't) or invisibility prim glitch; though the invisiprims used do show up against alpha backgrounds. Apparently, each shoe contains one script that cycles invisibility prims in and out, so they defeat most transparent prims awkwardness most of the time.

Considering the level of detail, it's not surprising that each shoe weighs in at sixty-eight prims apiece. Before my faithful readers reel back in horror, let me remind everyone that my plain Lassitude & Ennui 'Elizabeth' grey plaid boots are thirty-five prims each--and come in two pieces. My DV8 Marchioness boots? One hundred and eighty-eight prims--and also come in two pieces.

Good primwork costs, it always has. It can be alleviated by sculpts, if the sculpts are good, and there's some great sculptwork out there. But for comparison, considering shoes and boots, these are actually mid-range on the prim count.



Do you dare to walk in the highest heels? screams the ads in bold type. And I won't kid you, she is not cheap. And she has no demos. But, she is more than willing to coordinate times to meet, where she can show you what the boots look like on, and help you adjust them properly, if they still aren't fitting right. (For some of her boots, where they're attached in three places along the leg? It's a blessing she believes in good customer service.)



The dress is from Fricka Morgath at her store Frick!, and I'm so amazed with it. It's only L$50, right now, for one thing. This is the vendor picture in her store:



One picks up some detail, of course, but nowhere near the level I actually got, was what I expected when I put my fifty Lindens down. For one thing, this is the corset section:



I made sure I had some center-point bending going on. I have had details stretch or crumple where the midsection is concerned, and this particular pattern just flows amazingly well.



The vendor also doesn't show you the adorable simple bow detail on the skirt. Over to the left you can see the Blood Lolly dress in red and black--also L$50 during this launch--and the Lemon Lolly, in very bright melted-sunshine yellow, currently only L$15.

Don't get me wrong--Miss Morgath has done wonders with her business since she launched it, almost entirely composed of Eloh Eliot skins retextured, and usually, only slightly.

But she's grown into her skills, and these five dresses prove it: they are simple, cheerful, lovely additions to any Lolita's armoire.

On the second floor, you'll find her small, but I sincerely hope, growing, clothing line, and on the third for for a limited time, you can pick up a copy of the Winter Scene Skybox for L$75. It's also quite lovely, and while the sittable bubbles may not be included, a small set of rugs with couples' poses are, and the tree, the grass and the particle snow emitter.



On a personal note, I picked out the outfit yesterday, just tossed on a pink panther skin I had in inventory, and the lavender-tipped pink bob from Calla I keep in my neko folder. I like coordinating skin, hair and eyes, and since I wanted to cover the shoes, I thought a pink outfit would go well with them.

I ended up going by Frick and dropping a mention there, and after this, I'll send this out as another fluff fashion entry--even if they're very nice fashions.

Not until I'd logged out of SL did it occur to me: I'm all in pink. And it's not because I'm feeling defensive, feeling wary and watchful, because I'm frightened, angry, or paranoid. I'm just...wearing pink.

That's all.

Because I want to.

There are those reading along who may not catch the significance of this, and I'm not elucidating further. I just note it in passing.

I think...it's a good thing.

this brave new world gone bad again

The Lindens are at it again. This one disturbs me greatly, precisely because of the four points they felt they had to share:

3. Content that's removed as a result of the IP complaint will be replaced with generic placeholder items as follows:

1. Textures, bodyparts, and clothing will be replaced with monochrome items that are the average color of the items they replace.
2. Animations will be replaced with a special rotating animation by Blue Linden
3. Sounds will be replaced with a new sound recording from Torley Linden
4. Objects will be replaced with a plywood ball that displays an IP notice when you click on it.
5. More information on, and examples of, these replacements are provided in the FAQs located here.

I'm somewhat amused by the "rotating animation" concept, but what really scares me is the "new sound recording from Torley Linden". So, every time someone lifts a sound that infringes copyright, once it's found it's going to say "Friendly Greetings!", or something similar, in that maniacal chirpy voice?

Right, I'm never listening to sounds again if that's true.

Spent some time at The Black Canary shop in Necrosis Noctis, Mr. Denimore's EGL shrine on the grid. He has a very limited line for dashing men and enthralling women who are drawn to monochromatic laces and bows. He also has a three-gingerbread-man hunt for the season, containing two outfits, and a pair of peppermint-stripe eyes. Lovely, and well worth your time (and the L$30 it will cost, total, for two seasonal outfits and the eyes. Unbelievable deal).

Conversing with him on new movements in the EGL world put me in mind of the 'what is Lolita' entry from 2008. I thought it might be a good idea to update that now with an overview of the current basics. Believe me, there are endless variations at this point on Lolita fashions and fads; and even more sub-genres arising nigh daily as the original fashion spreads to the West.

But this is going to be just the basics...with a quirky few up-and-coming variants.

It's taken many of us in the West far too long to figure this out, but "Elegant Gothic Lolita" has very little to do with "gothic"; what the Japanese mean when they say "gothic" is "historical".

And it's a very specific history, neo-Victorian, neo-Edwardian in general application, but with touches of dark fantasy here and there, echoes of high French court dress, and all of it updated to modern times. Even the word "Lolita" they picked not because of Nabokav's vision, but because of the understanding that it referenced youth.

Oh, for a really good Japanese/English translator and a time machine...it might not have become Lolita fashion at all.

On the other hand, this is Japan--it might very well have, because in terms of marketing, sometimes what a word sounds like is more important than what it actually means.

Gothic Lolita (Gosurori)



Gothic Lolita, or Gosurori fashion, depends on a monochromatic color palette. In the East this means black or charcoal grey, with touches of white; in the West and on the grid, this has been expanded to all white with touches of black or grey, or simply all white. What makes an all-white Gothic Loli outfit different than a sweet Loli outfit? The sweet Loli outfit won't have the skulls, or bat-winged black hearts, or shadowed crosses imprinted on the skirt.

If there is color in Gothic Lolita outfits, it generally will be one color, on the monochrome base, be it black or white. More than one, and the stark statement of elegance, refined nobility, and delicacy will not be retained.

When we understand that Gothic Lolita styles revolve around an appreciation for more refined times, while at the same time preserving the joy of 'dressing up' in fancy outfits, we understand Gothic Lolita better.



Notable mainstays of gothic Lolita fashion:

* Headgear. This could include headbands to keep long, straight hair back; head bows that tie to the side of the head for side curls to fall; ribbons and lace strips to tie into hair; in the West, fascinators; or small 'child-size' hats, beribboned and bowed.

* Crisp ironed blouse of white or black, pintucked, ruffled or yoked, with cap or puff sleeves, and perhaps a neck bow;

* Monochromatic full skirt, either mid-thigh length (in the West) or mid-calf length;

* Petticoat or crinoline that will fill out the skirt to the proper bell shape;

* Bloomers, preferably with lace trim, in black or white;

* Knee-high socks in black, white, or subdued patterns of white on black/black on white. Over-the-knee socks are better, or solid, non-sheer tights (try to avoid thigh-high stockings for pure Lolita styles);

* Classic Mary Jane shoes in black patent, black velvet, or matte white leather.

Remember, the look is not sexual in the least; think of dressing up antique dolls: the perfect pearl-buttoned shoes, the perfect bell skirts, the perfect look: from bonnet to lace gloves, bell skirt to Mary Janes, parasol and matching handbag if you're feeling the need for a change of costume, a refresh on your makeup, additional accessories...the look is not precisely child, but not adult either; it really is vintage doll.

A few years back, it was quite popular to add the "Alice in Wonderland" style white apron atop Lolita attire; this has since fallen out of fashion in Japan, and while the entire Alice in Wonderland style holds strong here, it seems to be fading as far as Western pure Loli followers go.

True adherents to the style will move in specified ways, as well--small, precise hand motions, demure head nods, small steps--these adherents are also sometimes called "lifestyle Lolitas".

I hear there are tea parties.

Candy Fruit used to offer more Lolita outfits; now they offer more maid outfits, which is technically costume work (though most of them can be worn by Lolita fanciers). Millefleurs still offers gothic Lolita outfits, as does Nocturnal Nostalgia (with an occasional PVC twist). Milk Pearl mixes gothic with sweet, to occasionally jarring effect. Moi-même-Moitié is still a gothic Lolita house.

Batty Chan's article on adapting Gothic Lolita patterns is good to peruse; it also includes bloomer patterns from an 1814 sourcebook.

Black Lolita (Kurorori)



Kurorori is just that--unrelieved black Lolita fashion. Generally it's reflective of a specific thing, there aren't that many variants in it. To wit:

* Unrelieved black outfit
* Black lace pettiskirt
* Black socks or tights
* Black shoes

If there are any additional patterns involved, they will nearly always be grey, silver, or brown, and range from clocks to architectural details, drawn either in simple, stark lines, or ornate rococo swirls. While there is crossover between kurorori and gosurori, they are distinct and different styles.

White Lolita (Shirorori)



Shirorori, on the other hand, is the complete photo-negative of Kurorori--to wit:

* Unrelieved white outfit
* White lace petticoat
* White socks or tights
* White shoes

And that's the basic separations in the main category: gothic Lolita as a base term refers to monochromatic color expression, nearly always. From there, things can--and do!--branch out wildly, but you can't go wrong in a black-and-white variant, most of the time.

Most pure style adherents will also accompany their looks with a matching handbag, a parasol, and elaborate headgear or bonnets. Makeup will be simple, if it is seen at all, and go towards that look of the perfectly preserved doll: slight pinking of the cheek, matte or gloss lips, simple eye work.

The White Peacock offers gothic Lolita styles, as well as shirorori and kurorori styles. Miho Matsuda offers nearly exclusively kurorori fashions.

Classic Lolita (curashikku roriita)

Classic Lolita is a so-called "mature" Lolita style; in that it is worn by more reserved adherents, not that it's never seen on the young and fashionable. It resists obvious classification primarily because of how it's structured: without the elaborate bows and laces of gothic Lolita, but dealing in darker color tones than sweet Lolita.

It's also harder to peg for most people, because this:



is classic Lolita, but then so is this:



and this:



See what I mean?

In general, the breakdown is this way: it's still gothic Lolita, but it's a little more reserved, more "grown up"--think adult vintage dolls (in the sense of not-children, not pornographic): deeper colors (or color at all), small repeating patterns (usually florals or muted plaids), much less lace, frills and ribbon, and sometimes, more of an A-line skirt effect, over the gothic Lolita's traditional bell.

Innocent World is a classic Lolita house, as is Mary Magdalene, Stocking Shock and Victorian Maiden. Fan plus Friend has branched out into Pirate Lolita and some gothic styles, but is mostly a classic Lolita house. Metamorphose temps de filles mixes classic and sweet Lolita fashions; In the Starlight mixes gothic with classic Lolita, as does Halo Noir.

Sweet Lolita (Amarori)



If gothic Lolita is an over-the-top reinterpretation of childrens' vintage fashion, then amarori is over-the-top for that. You've never seen so much lace and whimsical detail as when you're looking at a sweet Loli frock.



Amarori depends on "cute" to work; not only that, but it depends on lots of froth: from the nearly horizontally-fluffed petticoats on occasion, to the elaborate headgear, the festooning of ribbons and lace and buttons and pins on everything, and all of it cloyingly, saccharine sweet. Tones are generally pastel: with white, pink and blue seen most often, though any color will work if it's mixed with enough white to powder out.



Stuffed animals? Check. Plush cupcakes worn as hats? Check. Patterns using fruit (generally strawberries, cherries or apples)? Check.

Angelic Pretty is a sweet Lolita house in Japan; so is Baby, the Stars Shine Bright and Candy Violet. Sweet Rococo, based out of Los Angeles, is a mixed sweet/classic Lolita house.

Elegant Gothic Aristocrat



Elegant Gothic Aristocrat used to be the term used to describe the male version of Lolita; while it's still used in that sense, it's been expanded in recent years to cover the most formal, the most precise, of the gothic Lolita movement. Here you find skirts to the floor, suits, elegant vintage details drawn from rococo, Edwardian, and Victorian inspiration sources.

Moi-même-Moitié pioneered the style, and it still remains the chief elegant gothic aristocrat/elegant gothic Lolita house.

Pirate Lolita



Pirate Loli, since last year, has gained in popularity immensely. Oddly, there still aren't a lot of stores carrying it, so it remains more a make-it-yourself fashion. Still, the frock coats, swag chains of pearls, brocades and silks, are quite popular, and show up now and again in fashion.

Fan plus Friend remains a good resource for pirate Lolita, as well as Milky Ange (who also carries classic and shirorori styles).

Punk Lolita (Pankurori)



Pankurori is generally the trickiest of all forms of Lolita to capture, because it operates by more specific rules. It's not easy; you can't shred your fishnets and wear it with a bell skirt and schoolgirl blouse and be punk. Which is hard to understand, because "punk" in the West doesn't generally conform to known rules.

The traditional Lolita bell skirt may be a bit shorter for pankurori devotees, but it's still not a miniskirt. Fishnets and mesh tights are appropriate, as are chains, studs, and metallic details. Layering is also big in this style, with skirts worn over skirts under belts over fishnets under knee socks.



There's some crossover between pankurori and pirate Lolita, in terms of pattern--lots of chains, pearls, and plaid are seen on both, but one side swashbuckles with grace, and the other favors really, really big stompy boots and black platform Mary Janes. Think...punk in the 1980s, in England, then toss in frilly party dresses and lace. That's pankurori.

Putomayo is the only store that springs to mind offering pure punk Lolita styles. Gloomth offers a little bit of everything, from punk to sweet.

Are we done? Hells, no. There's himerori (princess fashion), sailor Lolita (sailor blouses, nautical stripes), country Lolita (same as sweet, near as I can tell, save for an emphasis on gingham and straw baskets/straw hats), wan-Loli (or wa-loli, for Japanese-influenced Lolita: think kimonos and petticoats), qi-Loli (same as wan-, only with Chinese styles), and gurorori (injured Lolitas--think broken dolls, bleeding dolls, and yes, it's its own subculture)...and endless variations underneath. But these are the main and major styles.

There's a really great article on Lolita fashions in general, written a year ago; it covers a lot of the basics, and some of the subgenres, and encapsulates perfectly what gothic Lolita, as a style, actually is. And if you're ever in Japan, this article shows you where to shop. And the La Carmina blog covers a wide variation of Lolita fashion, Japanese style, food, furniture and trends. Finally, this is a massive list of practically every shop carrying anything to do with Lolita fashion.

Next up: who in world does these fashions for purchase.