Waking up from myself
To a life outside this hell
No more lies, no more pain
You can’t fight the war we made
The war we made
Red, ♫The War We Made♫
When I mentioned in my last post that this was the final days of Pose Fair I completely misspoke and want to correct that really quick before I get into anything. The final day for the event is the 28th so there is still plenty of time to get to the event to get those poses for your photography creations before they transfer to their creator’s stores (or get retired as so may possibly). I realized that after I’d posted it and figured I had an opportunity to correct it and here it it is! I have seen a lot of fellow event bloggers making really great posts and even bloggers that I follow on Flickr. Everyone is creating great scenes with the products from Pose Fair.
The pose set that I am using a pose from in this photo is from R.Bento called “Lui”. There are five poses in the set (including mirrors) and are packed into a convenient and easy to use HUD. It makes it a lot easier for those of us who find a location that we cannot put out pose stands at. Major props for anyone who utilizes this type of system. They do come in handy far more than some realize.
I’m also wearing a set of clothing items from the L&B Swear “Sweartech” line which includes the bomber jacket, cap, and mask. These items together remind me a little bit of the video game “Watch Dogs” and could quite possibly be a nod to the game franchise. If so, I can tell you that these products are supremely well made as you can come to expect from Lapointe & Bastchild. There are a lot of options as far as color ways and the jacket has the option for the hood on the sweatshirt to be pulled up or down or even completely removed. How’s that for customization?
But am I alone, am I alright
Am I insane, am I alive
What does it take to
Stop waging war with
All I thought I wanted
All I thought I needed
It’s the end of the summer
It’s the end of it all
Those days are gone its over now were moving on
It’s the end of the summer
But we’ll see it all again
So hold on to this moment till then
It’s the end of the summer
Theory Of A Deadman, ♫End Of The Summer♫
Later today begins a brand new round of Pose Fair. I made mention of it in two of my previous posts to not only get myself even more hyped up about it but also get anyone who checks out this blog out hyped as well. When I did the “A Day Without Poses” post it truly made me realize how fortunate we are to have creators and events like this to help make our photos more meaningful. We’d be stiff as boards and there would be no emotion or feeling that could be attached to them.
Summer is coming to a close soon so I wanted to make sure that I got at least one more beach shot if I could manage it and found the perfect clothing to make it all work. Lapointe & Bastchild has the “Jett” Tank and Board Shorts at the recently opened September round of TMD. There are a lots of combinations and it took me a while to find the right combination but I like how everything turned out.
Stay with me
I hear them call the tide
Take me in
I see the last divide
Hopelessly, I leave this all behind
And I am paralyzed
Breaking Benjamin (feat. Scooter Ward), ♫Far Away♫
Pose Fair and Skin Fair have been really fun this year and even though they kind of happened at the same time it’s been a really awesome experience. It’s allowed me to start to unlock my creative potential again. Not all of it has been as awesome as I wanted but the fact that it is starting to come back is enough for me. Being able to find ways to combine them in posts has been helpful too so that I don’t get too far behind at least. Though putting things together with the situations going on in the world has been slightly difficult but nothing too hindering.
It makes me super happy that Session Skins is a part of Skin Fair again this year and with three different skins (2 female faces for Catwa and one male for LeLUTKA). Roman is the one that I am wearing for LeLUTKA with the Guy head. I did a test with the new Skyler head but the shape that comes included just did not work for him. It’s an excellent skin with a lot of options and is available in two different tones (02 and 03). Some of the options include with brows, with beard, no brows and no brows with beard. The brow and body shaper are included but the body skins are for sale at the main store and are separate.
To fit the theme of this post I just had to use the Fire Collection eyes by Gloom. They are nicely detailed and come in 6 different iris colors and two different pupil sizes (small and medium). They can be bought in a single pack option or in a FATPACK with all 6 colors and as far as what they work for? You can get them as BOM layers, CATWA, Genus Project, LeLUTKA brand heads as well as anything using Omega. Don’t forget classic mesh eyeballs as well.
It’s been quite a while since I’ve worn any tattoos and for a while I was wearing them quite a bit. The phase for me just slowly faded away but I am glad to be wearing the Endless Pain Tattoos “Ash” full sleeve. It comes in only one opacity which I would say is a combination of worn/faded. Ways to wear this are of course BOM layers and also have HUDs for Belleza, CATWA, Maitreya, Omega compatible mesh, Signature and SLink Physique bodies.
For the Pose Fair side of things I am featuring a store that I’ve seen around but they are essentially new to me. This is the very reason I love this event because it gets me acquainted with some of the pose creators and their stores that I might not have known before. Kuddlemuddle has several pose packs up for sale but I took interest in the “Fifties Series: Gentleman Style” pose pack which has 5 different poses that work well with any kind of wardrobe you could put together. I think that this would definitely go great with wearing a suit (which gives me ideas for another time). There are several versions in the pack with different priorities so you can play around with that if you so desire.
When the broken fall alive
Let the light take me too
When the waters turn to fire
Heaven, please let me through
Far away, far away
Sorrow has left me here
Far away, far away
Let the light take me in
I’m so sick of me, wake up and hate to breathe
And I pride myself in that, so dramatic, I’ll admit
I’m so typical, my life ain’t difficult
But I’m so caught up in it, just a lowlife, I’ll admit
I’m self-critical, a try-hard original
Oh, I pride myself on that, such a loser, I’ll admit
Yungblud (feat. Dan Reynolds), ♫Original Me♫
I‘ve been having a lot of fun playing around with different looks and things (both male and female) for the Skin Fair. I think that this event really brings out some of my happier blogging moments so I cannot say enough that it means a lot to me to be a part of the team. I’m not going to go into a long drawn out dialog about what’s going on in the world (because that is all you see anywhere). I will just say that since just about everywhere now has been advised to keep social distance that hopefully I’ll find a little extra time to belt out a few more posts because I have a lot of looks that I’m hoping to share.
We’ve been encouraged to have two different items as a part of our looks and I’ve gone one better and have used three. This is probably one of the only time during the course of the event that I’ll be doing this unless there may be another shape that suits the look I’m going for. Most of the time though I just throw things together and if they work I’ll snap the photo and if it doesn’t then I’ll mess around until I do find something that is to my liking (and I try not to use the same combinations that I might see in someone else’s work if it can be helped.
Vendetta Skins has three different offerings at Skin Fair and in this post I am showcasing the David skin for LeLutka, best used on the “Guy” head (which is what I personally think it looks best on). The skin comes in 4 different tones (1-4 of which I have on Tone 02) with brow and browless face types. It comes in both Bakes on Mesh tattoo layers as well as an applier HUD. The body skins are sold separately if you don’t already have other faces by Vendetta.
Lush has a face tattoo for sale that I happened to find intriguing. This is not something I would do in real life but I know more and more it’s become a trend (especially in the rap genre of music). It reminds me of Lil Peep’s face tattoos in a way and it could be what inspired this tattoo into existence. I can also tell you that this tattoo is unisex and comes packaged with BOM layers and applier HUDs for both CATWA and Omega Enabled mesh heads. Honestly it helped to complete my skater look more than I could have anticipated.
Shapes are one of the hardest things to really review (personally speaking). I do, however, like how that “Jedden” shape by The Natives works with the Vendetta skin and the LeLutka head. One other bonus is that the store went above and beyond by making a distinct frame for not only the Belleza (Jake) body but also both (Geralt and Gianni) by Signature. As much as I wish that other shape stores would do that to differentiate from the types these bodies have but it is something that gets a little extra thumbs up from me.
Skateboarding is not something I ever managed to take up in the real world as a younger man (I was a walking accident waiting to happen). At least through virtual photography I can pretend any time I wish that I am zipping through the streets or on the sidewalks of whatever sim I am on with the help of the “Pro Skater Pack 1” by Space Cadet. I have found that while the store tends to create for female avatars there is enough wiggle room that poses can be used by the guys as well. This set includes 5 different poses each with an attachable mesh skateboard (one for every pose).
The Pose Fair and Skin Fair events will be both ending by the end of next week so this is a kind reminder that you have time still to get all of the items that I’ve already posted about and all of the ones that I’ll be featuring in upcoming posts this week. Do yourself a favor and if you have the time to come by and look around and pick up something from either or both, you’ll be more than glad you did.
And I ask myself, when my time will come
Will I run away, will I run away?
POSE: Space Cadet – Pro Skater 1 @ Pose Fair ✦ NEW
HAIR: Yuth – Jason (Blk) HEAD: LeLUTKA – Guy v3.4 FACE: Vendetta – David (Tone 02) @ Skin Fair ✦ NEW TATTOO: Lush – Nightbreed @ Skin Fair ✦ NEW BODY: Signature – Geralt v1.5 SHAPE: The Natives – Jedden @ Skin Fair ✦ NEW
So much like a man I just had to say,
“Son, I’m proud of you. Can you sit for a while?”
He shook his head, and he said with a smile,
“What I’d really like, dad, is to borrow the car keys.
See you later. Can I have them please?”
Cats In The Cradle, ♫Ugly Kid Joe♫
My journey through the Pose Fair has been a fun one so far and we’re almost a full week in with all of the wonderful things you can get at the event. For this post I’ve selected two of the packs from a relatively new (to me) store named Beras. I’ve seen their poses in different weekend sales and things and really liked the looks of them so when the opportunity presented itself to blog them I did. Keep in mind that these poses have breathing animations so they are not 100% static poses. At this time I don’t have the capability to show the breathing part to you but these are not only good for picture taking but you can put them in a standing AO and give off the appearance of being a living, breathing human.
Both the Trevor and Bob Breathing Pose Packs contain 4 poses each (Trevor has an alternate pose in his pack). I really like these poses and sometimes breathing ones are a challenge to capture well but I think in this instance it worked out great.
For one of the looks I am wearing items from Skin Fair but I’m going to go into a more detailed blog for that later on today. There’s a lot of photo taking and writing going on which is definitely keeping me very busy. If some of my entries are a little short it works out for me writing less and for you the reader to read less haha!
The absent are never without fault, nor the present without excuse.
Benjamin Franklin
POSE: Beras – Trevor Breathing AO Pose Pack @ Pose Fair ✦ NEW POSE: Beras – Bob Breathing AO Pose Pack @ Pose Fair ✦ NEW
To let it get me involved in that he said/she said crowd
I know that ain’t nobody perfect, I give props to those who deserve it
And believe me y’all, he’s worth it
So here’s to the future cuz we got through the past
I finally found somebody that can make me laugh
Whatta Man, ♫Salt n Pepa♫
Brace yourselves because this entry is packed with a lot of information that I think is worthy of being read. I’ll try to keep everything short and sweet so that I don’t bore anyone but if the need to jump down to the credits is where you’re heading friendly reader then I’m glad you came to visit anyway. The Pose Fair is now underway and I’ve been enjoying trying to pick and choose the sets I want to work with (it’s not as easy as it seems). At the end of this week, the Skin Fair begins which will keep me pretty busy but these are the challenges I have fun with. As long as I feel in my mind I can do it then the sky is the limit for me.
To be able to show off the upcoming skin release by Birth (which I’ll get to here in momentarily) I thought that it would be best to go with a pose set that depicts working out. SVP’s “Strong” pose pack is just right with 6 different poses that very from push-ups to sit-ups and everything in between. Needless to say, it makes my pixels look super toned and sharp.
Birth will be releasing their “Evan” skin this coming Friday when the Skin Fair opens. It will have both CATWA head appliers as well as Bakes On Mesh versions as well in 9 different tones. Of course, as I have done with previous years of Skin Fair I am including a skin tone key to show you all of the tones available for this (body appliers are sold separately of course). Included for the BOM crowd are several tintable beards, eyebrows, and hairbases (Black, Blonde, Brown, Red and White/Tintable) on tattoo layers.
I would also be crazy not to mention that Signature is holding a giveaway at Skin Fair. Crazy right? 100 body packs will be given out at the event (50 Alice and 50 Geralt) to lucky winners who touch the Signature Kiosk on one of the Skin Fair sims. It is only one entry per avatar so pick wisely because if you win you are only going to get just one of the bodies. If you’ve always wanted to try out one of these but haven’t quite gotten there yet? Now it will be your chance to earn one free. I’ve been using Geralt for almost a week now and just like any mesh body, it has its pros and cons but I have managed to take some great pictures with it. I think I will keep going with it for the duration of the Fair and probably for a good while after just because I’ve used Gianni so much it deserves some rest.
There is just so much excitement throughout March that it is going to be hard not to contain myself. Keep an eye out on the site as plenty more fun and exciting things are in store.
It is part of a good man to do great and noble deeds, though he risk everything.
Plutarch
How could I forget about you
Never doubt me, I’ll never doubt you
I don’t go out without you
I don’t wanna leave the house without you
I don’t do shit without you
And you know I ain’t shit without you
Lonely sunsets, lonely sunrise
Wishin’ I was lookin’ in your eyes
PRINCESS, ♫Lil Peep♫
Pose Fair is coming! Pose Fair is coming! If you say that like you imagined Paul Revere riding through to warn that the Red Coats were on there the way it is exactly the way I heard it in my head. Many things come and go within the virtual landscape of Second Life. Some last for months and some may last a year or two. This event is going on its 10th year of existence and has brought consumers and bloggers (like myself) a lot of joy over the years. I have been around as long as the event has but my memory has me trying to think if I browsed through the very first event. I know that over time I have shopped many of them and have just been blogging for what is now going on 2 years. I have had nothing but love for this event and the people behind it as they work very hard so that photographers and bloggers can make their ideas in their heads come to life virtually.
I could heap a lot more praise about this event but I don’t want to overdo it. The main thing that you need to know right this minute as that the event itself begins on March 7th and runs through the end of the month. Keep checking this site for coverage on the event and I hope that the things seen her will inspire others to go take a look at the great creators that fill up the stalls because they also put a lot of effort into making things that they think we will all like.
I’m starting with a set that is very close to me personally called “Rhythm” by WetCat Poses. It has an included headphone prop which I love because for those who may be reading/looking at this blog for the first time should know that I am a huge music buff and so far every single post I have made between this blog and the original incarnation (The Saints Of Fashionation) have all had song titles or lyrics from songs in them. The best part is that I never fear that I’m going to run out of songs to use because I have a wealth of different genres I enjoy to work with.
This set contains 7 poses (with included mirrors) and the aforementioned headphones prop. There is also a HUD to change the color of the headphones with 16 different options to help find that right mood for picture creation.
Whenever a store puts out some form of skate shoes, you can find me in line (even though virtually there is no such thing) to get them. Lapointe and Bastchild have once again brought a huge smile to my face with the release of the “Old School Sneakers”. They work perfectly with the Havoc line of jeans (regular and leather) and boast a wide variety of color styles. Most of the styles come with both a black or white design on the side of the shoe. While there are singles versions available you get the most value from the Fullpack. The HUD includes 41 different styles (including regular colorways, 4 special colors as well as camouflage colors). The built-in socks have 21 options and you can also change the shoelaces (22) and last but not least soles (4). The old school sneakers are compatible with Belleza (Jake 2.0), Signature (Geralt and Gianni) and SLink Physique mesh bodies. If you cannot find them in the store just yet they will be there soon as they just finished being a part of the February round of The Men’s Department.
Sunsets are my escape into the reality I want to continuously live.
Rachel Roy
And when the music plays
And when the words are
Touched with sorrow
When the music plays
I hear the sound
I had to follow
Once upon a time
Your Wildest Dreams, ♫The Moody Blues♫
Quite a bit of time has past since my last entry (at least close to a month by my count). The holidays came and went and as many I know tend to say I “survived” them but one of the things that I thought I would end up getting back to after the new year was creating more posts. I think though the best way to go about it is to post when I feel like I have something valuable to take a photo of. Though sometimes it will be just to make sure that I am able to keep up with deadlines (not the end of the world for me personally as I am usually good about it even at last minute). What I’m also finding out is that pushing myself to reach a certain amount of posts in such a time frame really throws me in a space in my head that tends to trail off where I don’t have the desire to take photos.
2020 is going to be a year full of taking photos that are not just posting for deadlines though. They are going to be taken when I want to take them and that gives me the best chance to really enjoy doing it. Also I have to tell myself too that it is okay for me to have other interests and things that I like to do that aren’t necessarily in-world. Happiness is all that you make it, right?
On the topic of Bakes On Mesh (BOM), I will have to say that I’m still getting used to it. Most of the stores I favor haven’t explored it much yet other than Session Skins. The appliers that have been released have only been for female avatars but since I am able to blog both genders (still surprised at how much I’ve grown to like the challenge), I am putting it to as good of use as I can.
Sage is the skin that I’m currently wearing in Tone 00b. One of the things I also like with the new releases from Session is that they offer two different body types to their body skins. Adding the full figured option is something that’s been desired by ladies for a long time and allows for curvier shapes to look great too. Mole options are also provided by way of tattoo layers and that helps for everyone to think less about how to get their favorite makeups on without sacrificing something because they apply to the same layers (it’s a thing of the past now).
Lapointe & Bastchild’s most recent women’s in-store release is the Bianca Sweater. This bare shoulder look comes with lots of options via an affordable Fatpack and like all of those released by the store, they have extra options you cannot get by purchasing single colors; it’s an incentive that is practical. There are 36 regular colors along with 8 special winter themed colors. This would definitely be one of my picks for essential cold weather apparel.
The sweater is compatible with Belleza (Freya and Isis), Maitreya (Lara) and SLink Hourglass mesh bodies (all version have built in alpha hiding).
Honorable mention for this post includes the Papparazi “Opinion” backdrop as well as Truth’s “Eternity” Hair Fatpack that is currently available to VIP group members. I am not entirely sure for how long it will be there for but I would certainly check it out for any member of the group. That’s what members paid to be a part of so why not take advantage? Every color you could think of and two different styles with mirrored versions is great and would love to see other stores do something similar (especially male ones so us guys have more options as well).
I certainly hope everyone had an excellent finish to 2019 and I’ll certainly be back again soon to share more of the things I love from my favorite stores. Be well until then!
Yes: I am a dreamer. For a dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world.
Oscar Wilde
The nights draw in
There’s a silky moon up in the sky
Children are fantasizing
Grown-ups are standin’ by
What a super feeling
A Winter’s Tale, ♫Queen♫
With this latest round of Pose Fair being winter themed I’ve been getting use out of many of the sims that change from season to season or those new sims that just happen to pop up for a short time for the holidays. Take the Silent Night Resort sim which is a winter wonderland that is a cozy place to take your person on a little quaint date. From the cozy little forts to the coffee/cocoa shack it’s fun to just walk around and see what kind of photographical fun can be had.
Taking advantage of the beverage shack, I felt like it was a good spot to use the Motive8 “S~20” pose set which has five different poses and includes a snowflake cup that is held in the right hand for each one. For the scene it was the perfect marriage of setting and pose so for me when that happens it makes getting things together a snap (there’s a pun there I’m sure).
TMD’s round for December has plenty for the male consumer with a variety of clothing, skins and accessories such as rings, poses and skyboxes and after taking a look through it there’s plenty that caught my eye. Though one of my favorite things to hit the booths is the “Havoc” Sweater by Lapointe & Bastchilld’s Swear imprint. Inspiring warm feelings on a cold day and as such a cold weather sim and picture.
The sweater is also named after the insanely popular jeans and most recently leather pants (which of course coordinates well together). For a more formal look I matched it up with the Swear Slacks which are part of the Edge Suit to make it a classier affair but I’ll be looking forward to wearing with the other two Havoc products. Best thing about this is that the HUD for the FATPACK contains 45 different styles of sweater and breaks down as follows: 18 Cable Knits, 19 Variegated Wool and 8 themed designs (such as the one I’m wearing!)
The Havoc Sweater is compatible with Belleza (Jake), Signature (Geralt + Gianni) and SLink (Physique) mesh bodies.
Winter forms our character and brings out our best.
Tom Allen
Here’s to the ones that we got
Cheers to the wish you were here but you’re not
‘Cause the drinks bring back all the memories
Of everything we’ve been through
Toast to the ones here today
Toast to the ones that we lost on the way
‘Cause the drinks bring back all the memories
And the memories bring back
Memories bring back you
Memories, ♫Maroon 5♫
The strength it’s taken me to do this post was something I was unsure of ever happening. Those who know me have undoubtedly been aware of my absence from blogging and or social media and there’s been a very valid reason. In September, my reality suffered a tremendous loss and while I don’t want to go into details as it’s not something I’m comfortable with but I wanted to make sure that when the time was right for me that I’d find a way to work it out through virtual artistry.
I’ve prided myself on the ability to be creative but lately it just hasn’t been there and it’s taken me away from the virtual side of things. My passion for it has been lacking and I don’t want to put anything less than 100% when I’m able to do it, otherwise it shows and if I can tell then I’m pretty darn sure that others can see it too.
While I’ve been away and dealing with the situation, some really excellent clothing has come out that I’ve wanted to promote and show because of how much I love it. Lapointe & Bastchild has been around for a long time and when it comes to their loyalty to their customers (as well as their bloggers) they rank among the top of any brand. They take the time to listen to the people that purchase and wear their clothing and even take the time to refresh some of the items by adjusting some of bugs for how it fits with a certain body or add a new body to the list of those that are asked to be added (within reason because creation of these things take a lot of time and effort to a degree that a lot of us fail to realize). The denim version of the “Ranger Shirt” was given an upgrade with some tweaks to some of the mesh bodies that have also made updates and with that the patterns have been given a refresh too. Long sleeve shirt on top of short ones are one of my favorite types of clothing so to see this update was a welcome one for me.
I might have missed it’s initial release at TMD in September but believe me when I say that the “Havoc Jeans” are everything. With three different types: Reg, Rolled and Tapered (which come in handy with different boot styles) and the ability to wear a pocket chain (also a feature that would make others beside myself shout “take my money!”) these jeans are a huge contender for the Heavyweight Champion in the male jeans market. For those who may have recently picked up the leather pants version of “Havoc” (which I will be showcasing hopefully soonish) that are currently at the November round of TMD, the key fob from it also works with the jeans and vice-versa with the chain. Lots of great features that are interchangeable between both releases. Please keep in mind that to get the chain and key fob are only available with the FATPACK version of both “Havoc” styles. If you have purchased a single color of either product, I believe that you can contact the store manager or the creators to upgrade to FATPACKs so you can get the bonus add-ons. It’s well worth it from my vantage point as someone who loves these kind of jeans/pants.
Compatibility for the “Ranger Shirt” and “Havoc Jeans” include: Belleza Jake, Signature (Geralt & Gianni) and SLink Physique (with an alpha for the SLink Redux version).
One thing I want to say that I feel is important is I know that we spend a lot of time focusing on things that may seem super important to us and tend to look past those that should be important. Look closer to those details because there will be a time that you’ll wish you’d paid more attention to them and will grow to regret it. Everyone’s situation is different and that is understandable but I think that we’ve all got people that mean a great deal to us and we should show them that because then neither you or they will ever have to question the importance they play.
I’m trying my best to not make this a downer post as that is not my intention, however, there have been many people I know virtually that have recently gone through something similar in their lives so this is not so much entirely for me as it is for them as well because we all are finding our ways to cope. The days, months and years to come will forever be changed but with all the love and support from those around us, it may never every bit of the hurt inside away but it will at least help us heal to some degree.
To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die.
Thomas Campbell
These Conversations Kill 