[#643] Groove Is In The Heart

DJ Soul was on a roll
I’ve been told he can’t be sold
He’s not vicious or malicious
Just de-lovely and delicious

Deee-Lite, ♫Groove Is In The Heart♫

From time to time I do blog posts that are intended to be goofy for the purpose of trying to balance out some of the emotion. I have no real reason why I don’t do it more often but I should but it seems like some of the songs I hear that drive feelings tend to win out over the more amusing stuff. I’ve got two pose sets and a decor item to share in what I’m considering to be a fairly simple and bare bones entry.

Taking pictures where I’m the focus is mainly what this blog is about but of course from time to time I have Brenna join me or my brother Lucky will sit in for a photo (thought it’s been a while dude!). This time I decided to do something super different and have my sister, Xandria and her guy Taka get in front of the lens. It was really nice of them to take the time to pose for me even if Xandria photobombed me with an animesh clown (don’t think I wasn’t going to out you!). But all the jokes aside it was a fun time and the results of the session were satisfactory.

Image Essentials has two new pose sets available at Vintage Fair, “Boogie Nights” and “Get Down” (see a theme there?) Trying to find attire that would have accurately fit these poses would have been difficult as the event itself didn’t have much in the way of hippie chic or 70’s wear. There are clubs that have theme nights which most people don’t dress to match it so that’s the idea I went with for this.

Each of these pose sets have five poses (each one with a mirrored version) depicting various groovy dance moves. Cycling through these gave me a chuckle because I can just imagine the actual dances in my head from different movies with some kind of funky backing track. As far as vintage goes, these poses hit the mark.

The sign you can see in the scene is Silence’s “Retro Arrow Sign”. I am using the “Dance” version in Red/Yellow (it also comes in Blue/Orange and Pink/Blue) as well as other sayings in these colors such as “Drink”, “Eat”, “Games” and “Live Music”. For anyone that has a club and wants a little vintage feel then this sign would add a little extra something to the decor.

Life I love you, all is groovy.
Paul Simon

POSE: Image Essentials (Store / MP) – Boogie Down @ Vintage Fair ✦ NEW
POSE: Image Essentials (Store / MP) – Boogie Down @ Vintage Fair ✦ NEW

SIGN: Silence – Retro Arrow Sign (Dance – Red/Yellow) @ Vintage Fair ✦ NEW
BACKDROP: Salacity – Seamless Photo Backdrop Retro Yearbook

– Taka’s Style –

HAIR: Vango. – Owen
HEAD: LeLutka – Andrea
BODY: Signature – Gianni

JACKET: Gabriel – Spring Jacket Set
PANTS: Gabriel – Cotton Pants
BOOTS: Deadwool – Ulrich Boots

– Xandria’s Style –

HAIR: DOUX – Lisa @ ACCESS Event ✦ NEW
HEAD: CATWA – Catya
BODY: Maitreya – Lara v4.1

DRESS: Tres Blah – Aviva Dress
HEELS: REIGN – Emily Heels

[#603] Talk Tonight

“I wanna talk tonight
Until the mornin’ light
‘Bout how you saved my life
You and me see how we are
You and me see how we are”

Oasis, ♫Talk Tonight♫

When it comes to creativity and putting together scenes that turn into photos and then lastly become what you see and read here, I tend to be very protective of what I do. One of the processes I have is that I keep a notebook with songs that I want to use as the soundtrack to an eventual post. When I finish a blog with one of the song choices I’ve written down I highlight it (I have a lot of different colored highlighters). I’ve filled complete pages over the years and there are some that have not yet been called upon and highlighted. Many of the ones that I have not used are songs I am protective of and want to make sure that when I create a visual portrait of it that it is the best treatment I can give it.

“Talk Tonight” is a song that is very close to my heart as it originated as a B-Side (music industry term for when a song doesn’t get chosen to make the final cut for an album) on the single for “Wonderwall”. Over the years I’ve collected many of the singles for these unreleased songs and the moment I heard this one it resonated with me on a deep level; it’s taken me almost 5 years to finally decide to use it for a blog.

The vision I had for doing a scene was from the beginning always going to be somewhere with playground equipment as it signifies one of the verses in the song about wanting to go to a place where the opposite of the writer’s view played as a child. I didn’t think it would be easy to find such a place but something told me to check the Missing Melody sim and I walked around for maybe a minute or so before I found a bunch of playground equipment. I cannot say for sure that the idea of going here was planted by some unknown force but regardless of that, it is where magic happened for me when taking this photo.

For the style of outfit on this particular outing, I thought that something very basic such as a sweatshirt and track pants would be great for chilling out at a playground. I had the Gabriel “Line Pants” for a while and knew they would go well with the latest release by Native Urban, the “Wallbri Sweatshirt”. My love of hooded sweatshirts is widely known so it made me extra happy that Native Urban provided me with a new one to play with.

I honestly can’t stress enough how valuable the All Colors pack is. To have a multitude of colors at my disposal added to the fact that there are nine different areas that are able to be given whatever color I want. With clothing sometimes having the ability to color coordinate with other articles of clothing I’m wearing is a big help and also makes it a “go to” sweatshirt.

Native Urban – Wallbri Sweatshirt

Original mesh
Single color sweatshirts available
All Colors pack also available (best value)
17 colors with 9 color changeable faces
Fitted for the Signature Gianni body only
Exclusive to Uber until 03/22/19

Club Taketomi has three new releases for men from the Burley side of the multi-branded outfit. The best part of this latest news is that if you are a member of the club, you can get “Heria” for absolutely nothing! No kidding a full fatpack of hair is yours just for being a member and if you are not a member you can still purchase the hair for a cheaper rate then most hair brands FATPACKs go for.

It’s a shorter style with hair resting just about the eyebrows and a slight part that with the included multi-styler HUD you can switch to either the left or the right so that whatever your best side is you can take a great photo. I went through a lot of different color styles when I was deciding what tone I wanted which ended up being an ombre tone of blonde and brown with black as well.

It’s worth noting that the other two male styles are just as good and for group members are a steal too so taking a trip to the Taketomi West sim and checking out the club along with the other well known stores located on it as well. It’s a nice place to take a stroll and maybe find something you weren’t looking for (which is a feeling I love having when going to new shopping events or places).

Burley – Heria

Original mesh
Club Taketomi release (Need to be member of the group)
FATPACK (all colors included)
Free for the first two weeks of availablity
Available now at Taketomi West shopping center

Normally I wouldn’t admit to a blunder but originally this blog was to feature items from The Men Jail event but I had taken several snaps without the items I wanted involved so I ended up deciding that the picture was great as it was and will be adding those items to a different photo and blog post. Even the best of us sometimes have moments of CRS (can’t remember shit).

Maybe it is for the best that I had my momentary lapse because I’m really happy with how this photo turned out and that it fit the criteria I set when it was time to use this song. I feel like I did it justice and I’m proud of it and that’s what matters in the long run right? It also made this post a little shorter so I can get back to brainstorming the next outfit and accessories for my next adventure (they usually are adventures in some form or another).

On that note I am going to hand this blog over to the credits just like the movies but at least you don’t have to sit there and wait for an extended scene and can see them in all their glory. My wishes for your next shopping trip to be productive and full of great new items that will be excellent additions to your closet. It’s been a blast so until the next time…later on!

I landed, stranded
Hardly even knew your name

LOCATION: Missing Melody

POSE: Animosity – Joey

HAIR: Burley – Heria @ Club Taketomi ✦ NEW
HEAD: LeLutka – Guy ✦ NEW
SKIN: Stray Dog – Mario (Tone 2) ✦ NEW

SWEATSHIRT: Native Urban (Store / MP) – Wallbri Sweatshirt @ Uber ✦ NEW
PANTS: Gabriel – Line Pants
SHOES: Native Urban (Store / MP) – Sobek Sneakers

[#602] Signs

“Listen to me
I’m not saying it’s impossible
Maybe I just need a little sympathy
Though I’m guessing it would help
If I opened my heart to somebody”

Captives, ♫Signs♫

The third month of the year is already here and somehow I felt as though I blinked and the first two months just happened to slip away from me. It’s been a few days since my last post but I’ve been kind of dealing with some issues outside of the virtual world and a few inside of it as well. It’s nothing major in the larger scope of things but enough to where it’s thrown me off kilter just slightly.

Sadly it was a parting of ways with one of the brands I’ve been blogging for the longest since I started my journey and in some ways trying to get passed it was a harder hurdle than I imagined but after a lot of reflection, I truly feel like I was blessed to be a part of it and moving on is healthy and a part of the life cycle. I’ll be the first to admit though that change is not something I enjoy but dwelling on things isn’t a great idea either so I am looking at it as opening up a new opportunity with another brand who will utilize what I have to offer.

Right now my main focus is on being a part of an event that I’ve enjoyed as a consumer and am now getting the chance to be a part of as a blogger. Skin Fair will be open in just over 3 days (at the time this gets posted it will be at least 3). While the majority of the event is geared towards females, I can tell you that I will make sure that the male equivalent of the event is featured and spotlight shown on the excellent skins, shapes, and add-ons (such as tattoos).

This is my first post for the event so pardon me a bit if I’m a bit nervous doing this. Once I get in a post or so the nerves will wear off and it’ll be just like all the other stores that I promote as well as events (to which at the moment there is only one monthly one).

Usually my look when it comes to shapes is normally something that’s been custom made for me or I tweak some that I’ve purchased. Skin Fair is a medium where I have the ability to test out shapes and show them in action (so to speak) as they were intended without any tweaking. Take for instance the shape I am wearing by West End named “Bradley”. It’s for the new LeLutka “Guy” bento head and I think it looks very charming with lean and chiseled body features that along with the “Mario” skin by Stray Dog really sizzle.

The second of my two Skin Fair featured releases is the “Bubo” tattoo from INKer. There are a lot of intricate things detailed throughout this skin such as the mandala type shapes as well as Native American influences. The back piece has a pretty awesome looking skeleton which really calls attention to it. Users of the Signature mesh bodies will be happy to have this ink in their aresenal but for those of you with other mesh bodies it will sadly not work for you as it is exclusive to Gianni and Geralt.

West End – Bradley Shape

For use with LeLutka Guy bento mesh head
Can be modified to suit individual needs
Coming to Skin Fair 03/08/19

INKer – Bubo Tattoo

Signature Body Applier Only
Dark, Medium or Light Opacity
Coming to Skin Fair 03/08/19

I‘ve recently become a new blogger for the lock&tuft hairstore and this is my second official blog for the store. It’s truly an honor to be able to blog these hairs and also have had some input into recent ideas and names of them such as the “Stay Down” side swept hair that I am wearing for this look. There are a lot of fun color choices for you hair fanatics. The full packs are a great value and worth every single dollar spent on it (of course I mean lindens for those who might have wondered).

To put it the best way I can, I feel the look I’ve put together has a combination of edge along with sensitivity which meets up with the song of choice for this entry. Captives is a fairly recent band that I’ve discovered who only have two single songs out one of them being “Signs” which speaks to me loud and clear as I have felt quite a bit of what the lyrics are talking about.

Some days I feel the weight of anxiety as if it were a ton weighed upon my chest and a lot of times I don’t feel like I should burden anyone with it which is not a great idea but that’s one of the reasons that I have this blog. I can take pictures and write about things if I want to so that I don’t have to drag anyone else down with me on the days that I’m not my best.

Getting back to lock&tuft, it is a brand I’ve followed for some time and believe it will continue to grow and prosper and I look forward to seeing this first hand. This hair is badass and you can find it at Men Only Monthly which is only about halfway through their current February/March round.

lock&tuft – Stay Down

Original Mesh
5 color packs available
FATPACK option also available
Exclusively at Men Only Monthly until 03/15/19

Now that I’ve just about finished my first entry for Skin Fair I feel a little bit more relieved which I was hoping to feel by the time I got to the end. From some of the items I’ve looked through I can definitely say that I’m going to really enjoy sharing them with everyone and if any of my posts help even one person to take a trip to Skin Fair then I’ll have succeeded in my mission.

On that note it is time for me to hand the baton over to the style credits and let them do their job. You know where I got the items now you can go grab them yourselves (except in the case of Skin Fair as it doesn’t open until the 08th). Get your shopping on and I’ll see you all back here soon for more cool swag and news.

“We’re all waiting for an answer
But we don’t see the signs
I’m hiding in the background while
They all live their lives”

POSE: Animosity – Joey

BACKDROP: Isuka – In My Head Backdrop

HAIR: lock&tuft (Store / MP) – Stay Down @ M.O.M. ✦ NEW
HEAD: LeLutka – Guy ✦ NEW
SKIN: Stray Dog – Mario (Tone 2) ✦ NEW
SHAPE: West End – Bradley (LeLutka Guy Shape) @ Skin Fair ✦ NEW
TATTOO: Inker – Bubo Tattoo @ Skin Fair ✦ NEW

PANTS: Gabriel – Cotton Pants (Black)

[#579] Snowblind

Let the winter sunshine on
Let me feel the frost of dawn
Build my dreams on flakes of snow
Soon I’ll feel the chilling glow

Black Sabbath, ♫Snowblind♫

I‘m back to my usual kind of blog after experimenting a little over the last few posts; was my venturing past my boundaries successful? The jury isn’t in yet but I think if I sprinkle a little bit of this and that in my work and not do so much of the same old same that it could be beneficial to me and my creativity. Pose Fair has really been helping me out with that as well giving me the ability to do all different kinds of photos (singles and couples, and before the round is over maybe even friend or group ones).

HCXII has been on my list of pose stores to blog for a while now and I wasn’t able to swing anything from the October ’18 round of Pose Fair but I made darn sure that I wasn’t losing that opportunity this time. They’ve released a series called Hellgrind and there is a set for males, females, and a male friends set all with guitar props. The set I am using is the Hellgrind “Haedulus” which includes 2 different versions of the guitar that when poses the users avatar when worn. There are 6 different poses to choose from so that rocking out in a photo never seemed sweeter.

This pose combine with the arctic type background gave me the opportunity to crank up some Black Sabbath and use “Snowblind” as this blog posts theme. I also wanted to make it look like one of those old school 80’s or 90’s videos where the lead guitarist is in some remote location just grinding away on his axe like it wasn’t out of place. That’s my bit of nostalgia for the time being and it was pretty fun getting this together in little to no time flat.

HCXII – Hellgrind Haedulus Prop and Pose Set

Mesh guitar prop (two variations)
Wear guitar to activate pose
6 poses in the set
Exclusively @ Pose Fair until 01/26/19

One of the cool things being a blogger for different brands is that I get introduced to new events that one of the stores I blog for is participating in; the most recent of which is Salon 52. This is an event strictly for hair stores and while most of what I have seen so far has been geared towards women I feel that in time the amount of male items involved will increase (hopefully that is). Modulus is one of the stores involved in this event and gladly for me is that most of their production is being the stylist to the fellas on the grid, myself included.

The hair that they have at Salon 52 is something I thought definitely works for the rockstar vision I had for my look; the “Tony Hair” which is a medium length flowing hair does the job. It helps me give the appearance that I’m shredding away in a snow laced middle of the arctic where it is fairly windy; my hair blowing around. This is a prime example of what I was writing about as it pertains to Modulus hair, it’s not just a flat boring hairs and gives the appearance of moving (such as the wind blown look).

Modulus – Tony Hair

100% “Nex-Gen” Alpha Mesh
5 color packs + integrated color picker HUDs
40 color FATPACK also available
Left and right mirrored versions
Exclusively @ Salon 52 until 02/04/19

Besides the pose and hair, the only other item that I haven’t previously blogged is the jacket I have on from a store named Kio. I was going through the items list from The Saturday Sale and it interested me enough to take a closer look. The store itself is pretty new as there were only a few items there but I figure it will expand more as new things are made; after testing and making sure it fit I quickly snapped it up.

I returned to the platform where I place down backdrops and get dressed for blogs more often then not and this may be considered a lazy tactic but I like how the Gabriel pants and boots from the motorcycle blog I did with Brenna looked so I put those on and called it good. I wanted to my friend Lucky’s place (which is in the arctic) and began working.

This post came together rather quickly which was nice because I have been tired the last couple days from RL stuff. Anytime I can take a photograph and get it ready and write so that it is ready to post the next morning is a blessing and helps to keep the workflow steady like a stream (much like the near frozen lakes behind me in the photo).

On that note I am going to close this up and leave the credits behind. Plenty more to do but for now I am going to set this to post in the morning so I can get a fresh start and share it with the social medias while most of the world is still conscious. Keep the conversations going and I shall catch everyone again real soon!

Warmest regards,

– B

POSE: HCXII – Hellgrind Haedulus @ Pose Fair ✦ NEW

HAIR: Modulus (Store / MP) – Tony Hair @ Salon 52 ✦ NEW
BEARD: Birth – Full Beard

JACKET: Kio – Deviant Jacket ✦ Saturday Sale
PANTS: Gabriel – Zip Leather Pants ✦ Gacha
BOOTS: Gabriel – Leather Belt Boots ✦ Gacha

[#572] Gimme A HELL…Gimme A YEAH!

Can you feel that?
You better hold on
This one’s about to get bumpy

Rev Theory, ♫Hell Yeah♫

The weekend is here and I’ve got something more from the Pose Fair to share (which is going to be a central theme this month) and one of my long time fave pose makers. Most people on the grid are familiar with WetCat Poses and if not they should become versed in one of the brands that has been around for just about half the time I’ve been active on the grid if not more.

WetCat is a brand that when visiting their store you can find single poses for both male and female, couples poses as well as things with props such as the pose I am featuring in this post. In my personal opinion I am a fan of any pose store that can do just about everything and do it well; it is what grabs my attention and allows me to get my creative mind to kick into overdrive.

The Pose that Brenna and I are using is called “Youngblood” which being a music fan I am pretty sure that it is a reference to a song by the band “Five Seconds Of Summer”. I have never actually heard it and it could prompt me to go and give it a listen but I already had a good idea for the soundtrack before I even started taking photos.

With that said, I’ve been wanting to do a photo with a motorcycle involved for some time now and of course especially one with my wife because she is often a source of motivation and inspiration. Rev Theory’s “Hell Yeah” is an adrenaline filled jam that to me focuses on the way a woman happens to fuel the person whose perspective the words are coming from and that definitely is close to home if not right at the doorstep.

WetCat Poses – Young Blood Pose & Prop:

Mesh motorcycle prop included
Couple posesball poses
Versions for curvier models also included
Exclusively @ Pose Fair now until 01/31/19

It was a lot of fun for me to put together a biker look because I don’t usually do photos with me wearing leather jackets as much as I would like and I even found a great pair of leather pants that I just had sitting in my closet from a Gabriel gacha from last year or somewhere around there. The outfit was super easy and I’ll get into that a little more in a few but what I thought may be trouble was finding hair that looked the part of what I was going with.

Fortunately enough Modulus has a style called “Leo” that is at N21 until today so it is quite possible that this may not get published until later but I will still leave a taxi to get there but if it isn’t then it will hit the main store by no later than Sunday I would say. Modulus is really good about getting their hairs from events into the store so that people who may have missed them (and I’m a person who tends to miss events more than I want to admit as both a blogger and a shop-a-holic).

“Leo’s” style is moderately short but with some slight hanging locks to the side (which side it is on is up to the individual user). It was a great choice to go with for a biker appearance because it’s an in between type style and what I mean by that is that it isn’t completely buzzed but it isn’t super long (though some bikers do have long hair). It’s a fantastic hair that I recommend for the fellas out there and even gals could pull it off because it does remind me of the style I have seen on actress Ruby Rose.

Modulus – Leo Hair:

Original “Nex-Gen” Alpha Mesh
5 Color Packs with Integrated Tinting in HUDs
40 Color FatPack also available
Left or right mirrored versions included
Exclusively @ N21 until 01/12/19

A month or so back at TMD there was a leather jacket by Tori Toricelli called “The High Line Jacket” and I had meant to get it because I knew there would be use for it but I forgot to get it while it was at the event. When the idea of this photo started to play in my mind the memory of not getting that jacket came to the forefront which prompted me to find their store (I had never been there before) and get the jacket to complete my look. I already had the boots, I had the pants and and I had the hair and facial look nailed down which made this the last piece I needed.

There are a lot of features in the FATPACK that I couldn’t ignore so I made the hard choice to get it with the idea in mind that this photo is not the only time I’ll be using this jacket; it has many uses and I can wear different colors of it in combination with shirts and graphic styles to not make it the exact same jacket. The graphics feature is rather neat because it can be turned on and off as well as a choice of having light or dark versions depending on what color shirt is chosen.

“The High Line Jacket” is available in singles versions (with white or black shirts but without graphics) and come fitted for Aesthetic “Enzo”, Belleza (Jake), Signature (Gianni) and SLink Physique male mesh bodies.

I‘ve chosen not to bulleted list for the Tori Toricelli jacket because I’m not necessarily featuring it as a new item as well as it is not a brand that I am a part of the blogger team. Not that it makes it less important to me as it is a very big part of my look for this blog it just saves on time as well as reading because I feel like I have started to go well over what I’ve allotted myself for this post.

On that note it is time to provide the credits for what I am wearing as well as what Brenna’s look consists of so that if there’s anything that catches the eyes of the female readers of this blog then they’ll know where to pick up those items as well. Expect more from me this week as this is the first of two photo sessions I had last night so I anticipate probably posting at least five or six days out of seven depending on my schedule.

More photo sessions await me so I’m going to say goodbye for now and will be back soon with another conversation!

– B

Location: Motorheadz Cafe

POSE: Wetcat Poses – Youngblood @ Pose Fair ✦ NEW

:: What I’m Wearing ::

HAIR: Modulus (Store / MP) – Leo Hair @ n21 ✦ NEW
HAIRBASE: Labyrinth – Buzzcut
HEAD: CATWA – Stanley v3.2
BEARD: Nivaro – Rugged

JACKET: Tori Toricelli – The High Line Jacket
PANTS: Gabriel – Zip Leather Pants ✦ Gacha
BOOTS: Gabriel – Leather Belt Boots ✦ Gacha

:: What She’s Wearing ::

HAIR: DOUX – Gabryela
HEAD: LeLutka – Aida
FACE: Glam Affair – Nimoe
BODY: Maitreya – Lara v4.2

SHIRT: The Secret Store – Karina Cropped Sweater @ Collabor88 ✦ NEW
PANTS: The Secret Store – Meya Leather Pants @ Collabor88 ✦ NEW
BOOTS: REIGN – Becky Studded Boots

[#547] Personal Responsibility

Ready to make
Ready to make, read’
Ready to make sense of anyone, anything
Anyone, anything

Archive, ♫Bullets♫

While I am currently behind on the current season of The Walking Dead I kind of wanted do a post apocalyptic type photo. I scoured the different resources I had for sims and came across one I had yet to visit and after wandering around for a few moments I knew what I was going to do. This came a bit easier then I intended because I’ve been standing around trying to piece things together.

I decided to try out one of the new windlights by Battlescars which are free for just visiting the 6° Republic event and with a little tweaking and fine tuning I was able to get the right atmosphere I was looking for. I’m a big fan of Jay’s work and have used his other windlights over time and look even more forward to the stars release that will be coming out soon. The gift ones are well worth even just stopping at the event as there isn’t any pressure to buy anything though I found an item or two during my visit.

TMD has been a particularly good round this month and I’m glad to see that Hermony and TonkTastic have collaborated on some new graphic tees which I have the collection from last year that are awesome. This set is equally as great which makes it tough to choose one to feature (as there are 48 different designs in all) but I found one that best fit the setting.

When these two work together only good can come of it and being that I love graphic shirts like this in the real world, it makes me glad that I can have something just as cool in the virtual one that maybe has never been thought of before by any other clothing maker. Mad props to Hermanni and Tonk for creating such a wide variety for the consumer.

Hermony & TonkTastic Jersey Tee features:

Original Mesh
48 designs to choose from (for sale individual sale)
4 packs of 12 also for sale
Demo available
Exclusively @ The Men’s Department until Nov. 30th

The rest of my look consists of things I’ve filled in with items I’ve already blogged or that have been sitting waiting for me to use at the right time. Having a blog post where everything is new can be nice but it just winds up being a lot to cover and that means more writing (and I don’t mind it but I don’t want to suffocate a first time reader or one that is returning).

At the beginning of the blog I mentioned “The Walking Dead” and after I took the photo I couldn’t help but notice that my virtual self looks a bit like Rick Grimes. Others may or may not see it but it seems like later on in the series where he’s been out there in the world of the non living and has grown a beard and his hair had gotten longer. It wasn’t something that I did on purpose but I find it humorous that I noticed it well after I finished and it’s not a proper tribute but it works just the same.

Another post is now finished so I can begin getting ready for what’s next and this month there is just about as much to do as there was last month without all the craziness of it. Deadlines are still deadlines and I intend to crush them as I usually do, so all that is left is provide the credits and I’ll be back again with another conversation.

LOCATION: The Yards

HAIR: tram – H0726
HEAD: CATWA – Daniel v3.2 ✦ Previously Blogged
FACE: Session Skins – Ian Tone 02 ✦ Previously Blogged
BEARD: Magnificent – Daniel Faded Stache and Beard ✦ Previously Blogged
BODY: Signature – Gianni v4.6 ✦ Previously Blogged

SHIRT: TonkTastic / Hermony – Jersey @ TMD ✦ NEW
JEANS: :K:: – Slim Fit Jeans (Medium) ✦ Previously Blogged

GUN: Gabriel – Machine Gun ✦ ~~No Longer Available~~

POSE: WRONG – BENTO Static Male Poses 36

[#529] We Get Up Again

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger
And you won’t fear death any longer

People will hate you, shake you, break you
Standing firm will make you
Unstoppable
Unstoppable

For The Fallen Dreams, ♫Unstoppable♫

One of the best things as a blogger is when an event like Pose Fair comes along and great products are in front of you and give you inspiration to photograph scenes. With the “Male Pose 8” pose set by FockStore I imagined myself in a scenario where I was in a firefight like you might see in a movie like John Wick or it’s sequel John Wick: Chapter 2. Wearing black is something that suits me I think and this gave me an opportunity to visit a previous location, Alien Asylum (where Travis Olbers and I did our co-op photo!)

With five poses to choose from (and I’ve used two from this set) you can tell a pretty good story with it. As I said above I was without styling myself exactly as John Wick, I feel that I would tell a story from the characters point of view that someone very close was taken from him and he makes it his mission to exact revenge on the perpetrators but along the way deals with the pain and anxiety that the toll of his mission is taking on him.

FockStore Male Pose 8 features:

5 bento enabled poses (bento viewer required for intended use)
3 mesh handguns that match 3 of the poses
Exclusively @ Pose Fair until October 31st (Halloween!)

The Gabriel “Black Panther” set from the September round of The Arcade was something I enjoyed collecting (as I do a fair amount of their gacha items) but I didn’t really have an set idea for what I wanted to do with it but when the FockStore poses came into my virtual life I thought it would be perfect. I also managed to use just about each product (mostly in black except the gloves) and even wore the RARE Rollup Coat in my main photo, and took it off for my secondary shot.

The only thing I felt wouldn’t work in the scene were the actual panthers that are a part of the set and come in different poses. Maybe it might have added a little bit more of a dynamic but I didn’t feel it was necessary to have it be a part of what I was doing.

My secondary shot also includes a close up of my eyes which are from Go&See and are from The Dark Style Fair which is one of those events that appeal to part of me. The “Luxe” eyes look very cool which is one of several reasons why I made sure that you could see them as eyes are harder to see in any kind of photo other than an extreme closeup.

You can take my word for how cool these eyes are but seriously you should go take a walk on the dark side and check out the “Luxe” eyes and many of the other cool things you can take home from The Dark Style Fair.

Go&See Luxe Eyes features:

Appliers for CATWA and Genus Project (sold separately)
Mesh eyes also available
10 different iris tones to choose from
Exclusively @ The Dark Style Fair until October 31st!

Now that we are in October which is my favorite month overall (even though the chillier weather) I’m working to get my mindset to where I can do more Halloween type scenes and I am sure many of the events that are coming up (and some that have already started such as Salem) will have items that will aid me in my mission.

With that said I am going to wrap this post up and will be back again soon with more from the grid. Until our paths cross again, onto the next conversation…

Photo taken @ Alien Asylum

HAIR: Vango – Aaron ✦ Previously Blogged
HEAD: CATWA – Victor v3.2 ✦ Previously Blogged
EYES: Go&See (Store / MP) – Luxe Eyes @ The Dark Style Fair ✦ NEW
EYEBROWS: Patane – Manly Eyebrows ✦ Previously Blogged
FACE: Not Found – James T1 ✦ Previously Blogged
BEARD: Purfect – Beard 022 ✦ Previously Blogged
BODY: Signature – Gianni v4.6 ✦ Previously Blogged

COAT: Gabriel – Rollup Coat / Black RARE
GLOVES: Gabriel – Ring Glove / Wine
VEST: Gabriel – Sleeveless Zipup / Black
PANTS: Gabriel – Short Length Pants / Black
BOOTS: Gabriel – Belt Boots / Black

POSE: FockStore – Pose Male 8 @ Pose Fair ✦ NEW

[#518] Remedy

Alright, okay
Do you hear what I got to say?
Do you hear what I got to say?
I’m searching for a remedy

30 Seconds To Mars, ♫Remedy♫

Locations are one of the most important things for me when I want to go out and take a photo instead of using a backdrop or the rare green screen (since I’m not proficient at it yet and I have a love/hate relationship with the idea). Last blog I ventured out to my friend Yosh Shi’s Posh Nightclub and the set up of the place definitely will encourage me to photograph there again sometime in the future.

Sometimes when I’m randomly scrolling through Flickr I’ll see a photograph with an interesting location and I’ll venture more into finding out where the location is and if I’m lucky the artist will link it or post it on an actual blog they’ve made. When it’s not then if I want to find it bad enough I reach out and ask what the location is. A few days ago I was lucky enough to come across a place called “Tralala’s Diner” which is what I would consider a desolate or post apocalyptic landscape. I wasn’t looking to find the exact spot that I saw in the Flickr photo because that just feels like I’d be trying to copy an idea so I walked around a bit and with a fair idea of what I wanted to do I found a spot that worked perfectly.

The song I chose for the soundtrack of this blog is a fairly new one by 30 Seconds To Mars and off of their most recent album “America”. What’s different about this song is that the vocalist is not Jared Leto who many associate with the band as it’s frontman and also famous actor. Instead it is his younger brother, Shannon, who I feel has a pretty good voice as well and was a bit of a surprise when I heard it.

The song itself I feel has a meaning of someone being down on their luck and very lost in the world and that made it a good choice to take my photos at this location. I am giving the perspective of someone who just can’t seem to get their life together and seems to not want to accept the help of others and just tries to forget that they are in such a desperate place.

My overall look suggests this is at the near beginning of the struggle with fresher clothes and not quite to the point of squalor.

I‘m going to start with my feet as the shoes I’m wearing are another new favorite of mine from Native Urban. For the past few months they have released footwear at the Uber event and I’m definitely a fan of that because of the amount of customization that exists in their fatpacks. The “Woodboat” shoes are patterned after a famous brand of sneakers that I am a fan of in the real world as well. Virtually I can admit that I would probably be a sneaker head because of the amount of different shoes that I have in my style arsenal.

If Fatpacks are a bit too pricey there are 12 single style colors to choose from at the event but truthfully if I were eyeing more than one I would probably opt to get the whole package to save a few extra dollars.

Native Urban Woodboat Sneakers features:

100% Original Mesh
12 different single color style options
21 different colors in FATPACK
12 different faces customizable via HUD
Fits Belleza (Jake), Signature (Gianni) and SLink Physique mesh bodies
Female body sizes also included (Belleza, Maitreya and SLink)
Exclusively @ Uber until September 22nd!

For this look I was able to incorporate both old and new Gabriel items to help complete my wardrobe. I’ll start first with the new because two of the items are for sale right now at the Man Cave event. The “Line Hoodie” is an open sweatshirt with a pulled up hood that allows space for you to wear your favorite hair without fear of it poking through (though depending on your head shape size you may have to adjust your hair). I felt compelled to buy the fatpack for this item because there were four different colors included and the price for all of them I thought was a fantastic bargain and fits the casual “I don’t feel like getting overly dressed” category.

To go along with it, Gabriel also released the “Line” pants which would be best described as sport pants (or even jogging pants if you’d rather) and come in the same four colors as the hoodie. I couldn’t pass up the idea of wearing the whole outfit even though a lot of times I don’t always pair things that are sold separately but are considered part of a set. I liked the idea of how it looked and also it was cool that I chose two different colors for the hoodie and pants.

I didn’t think it would work taking photos in a grungy setting with a bare chested open hoodie so I dug into my closet and found the tank tops that came with the “Spring Bomber” fatpack. It fit perfectly which I thought might not necessarily work since it wasn’t designed for this set but it did and helped complete my look.

Gabriel Line Hoodie and Line Pants features:

100% original mesh
4 colors to choose from (Black, Blue, Gray and Khaki)
Sold separately or in two different FATPACKS
Fits Belleza (Jake) and Signature (Gianni) mesh bodies
Exclusively @ Man Cave until Sep. 09th!

This blog was kept simple because I’ve learned that if I pack too many things into it that it tends to become difficult to write and also because I don’t want to bore the heck out of anyone who reads it. If I manage to keep just the main things that are newest and also most important to me then the blogs won’t be so long winded.

Last blog I wrote that I had some exciting news but with how things happened it is being pushed back to the next post but I’m really stoked about it and to share it with my readers and followers who may not pay close attention to my social media outlets. Stay tuned for more and until our paths may once again cross, onto the next conversation…

Photo taken @ Tralala’s Diner

HAIR: Letituier – Diogo Hair – FATPACK
HEAD: CATWA – Victor
FACE: Not Found – James (Tone 2)
BEARD: Birth – Full Beard
BODY: Signature – Gianni v4.6 ✦ Previously Blogged

HOODIE: Gabriel – Line Hoodie Jacket / FATPACK ✦ NEW @ Man Cave (08/15 – 09/09)
TANKTOP: Gabriel – Tank White (Part of Spring Bomber FATPACK)
PANTS: Gabriel – Line Pants / FATPACK ✦ NEW @ Man Cave (08/15 – 09/09)
SHOES: Native Urban (Store / MP) – Woodboat Sneakers FATPACK ✦ NEW @ Uber (08/25 – 09/22)

POSE: WRONG – Sit Static Male Poses – 22

[#512] Bullet With A Name On It

I’m working harder than a hundred black mules down in Mexico.
No water, no clouds, no cover,
from the hotter than Hell no dinner bell,
empty oven again from another bad opinion.

Nonpoint, ♫Bullet With A Name♫

Fierce Friday…well maybe not for everyone but it sure is for me.

I was blessed to be able to work with a photographer that I’ve been wanting to do a collaboration with for the longest time, and finally I got to meet up with Travis Olbers and put my spin on the scene that you see above. He’s already posted his version of it which you can find on his FLICKR page and I really think his turned out great and it inspired me to try and do just as good of a job; I think in the long run that my version came out strong and quite like I saw in my head.

My theme for this post was quite easy considering both of us were both carrying some hardware with us preparing for the cleansing of the location called Alien Asylum (which I had never visited before until now). I feel like a good backstory behind the scene is that the two of us are hired mercs and were paid to clean out a location with our “expertise” and the photos that both Travis and I took capture the two of us leaving after causing a whole lot of chaos….which I am particularly good at in certain circumstances.

When I got the call from Travis I hadn’t had any plan for my next photo so this became an impromptu session but I was able to turn it into a blog post instead of just posting it on Flickr having done it just for fun (which it was fun but it gave me extra incentive). I had recently made a second trip to the Mesh Body Addicts Fair because I really wanted the beard that I have on. It also gave me a reason to break out items from the Gabriel gacha at The Epiphany event that I felt were great for the type of scene that was being suggested to me.

Getting back to the beard, I really like that Vista came out swinging after the release of the “Gerard” head by also releasing this beard that fits just right on the face and is similar to other beards you can find for heads made by CATWA but only fit certain ones only. “Jacob” is just for the “Gerard” head and will not fit any others and it adjusts with your face sliders as well for a fit second to none.

Vista Animations Jacob Beard (Bento) features:

Bento mesh mustache and beard
HUD allows you to hide either the mustache or beard
5 different hair colors to choose from
Tintable option within HUD to give you more than initial color choices
Exclusive to the Mesh Body Addicts Fair until August 21st

When Gabriel releases a gacha set I generally have a lot of interest in it and there are so many that I’m saving for the right moment but after getting really lucky with the machine at the latest round of The Epiphany I thought it would be good to use it for this photo. I am wearing shoes from the set but with the angle I chose they didn’t make it into the actual photo but I will also add a pic of the key so that if you see items from the set that you want you can grab them and now would be a good time to do so as the event’s been open a while and will not be so crowded you would feel like you’re wading in quicksand.

The outfit feels very mercenary like which is the vibe I wanted to give off and I think that I pulled it off well enough that it won’t get lost in translation. Of course I played to win all of the black items in the set and managed to do so in a very limited number of pulls of the machine which rarely ever happens for me. I’ve seen quite a few photos with people wearing some of these items (including the rare coat) but I chose not to with feeling that mechanically if I’m dealing out punishment it would hinder the process.

Gabriel Strap Tank / Black & Strap Line Pants / Black features:

100% rigged mesh
Part of Gacha set
Both items are common pulls
Machine costs $75L to play
Fitted sizes for both Belleza (Jake) and Signature (Gianni) mesh bodies
Only @ The Epiphany gacha event through August 12th!

With the weekend approach I hope that I can get at least another planned photo session done because there are several ideas that I have stirring around in my head but it really all boils down to time and having enough of it free to accomplish something.

As I wrap this up and leave you with the credits, I would like to thank Travis Olbers for inviting me to join him to work on a joint photo. It was a lot of fun and I certainly would enjoy doing it again in the future (and hopefully it doesn’t take us forever to set something up again right? Haha). Have a great weekend everyone and until our paths cross again, onto the next conversation…

Photo taken @ Alien Asylum

HAIR: Vango – Aaron (All) ✦ Previously Blogged
HEAD: Vista Animations – Gerard ✦ NEW
BEARD: Vista Animations – Jacob Beard ✦ NEW @ Mesh Body Addicts Fair (08/01 – 08/21)
BODY: Signature – Gianni v4.6 ✦ Previously Blogged

TANKTOP: Gabriel – Strap Tank / Black ✦ Gacha ✦ NEW @ The Epiphany (07/14 – 08/12)
PANTS: Gabriel – Strap Line Pants / Black ✦ Gacha ✦ NEW @ The Epiphany (07/14 – 08/12)

[#505] Alone In A Room

A couple years back and forth with myself in a cage
Banging my head against the wall, tryna put words on a page
All I needed was the last thing I wanted
To be alone in a room, alone in a room

Asking Alexandria, ♫Alone In A Room♫

Sometimes as a blogger when I see something that inspires me and gives me a push to try and put my own spin on it whatever way that I can, it can be the motivation that puts you on track. I chose to do that with this current post to honor an idea by my friend, Lucky Spiritor. He has chosen to do what many do and moved on from blogging and the virtual world and it was nice being able to work with him during his re-emergence and it is one thing he definitely has pushed me to find ways to break my own creative limits.

We have a similar taste in music most times and when he chose to do a song by Asking Alexandria, who I also listen to quite a bit and have used their work as inspiration, I thought maybe down the road I would try my hand at that particular song as a soundtrack for a post. While I honestly don’t think mine holds much of a candle to his which you can take a look at HERE, I know that I gave it my hardest.

A lot of times I know that I kind of go into myself and lock myself away from others because I feel that only I can make a situation that is taxing on me better which is not always the best way to go. That is why I resonate with the part of the song about being locked up in a cage and that’s the visual that I chose to work from and have pulled quite a bit of things together to make it work.

The easiest part for me is usually my look and outfit and a lot of that doesn’t change from one post to another save for small details such as hair or facial hair. There are just so many styles out there that it tends to be difficult for me to stick to just one (as well as when one of the brands you blog for specializes in that category).

Modulus is participating once again at the equal10 event and their offering for the month of July is a straight side-swept hair called “Jared”. I thought that this worked great for the edgier look that I was going for with the “Spring Bomber” from Gabriel. I’m of course once again wearing one of the black tones from the Monochromes pack which also fits the overall aesthetic of my appearance. I could have probably even worn guyliner with this look but I felt like that would be a bit too much and would take away more than it was adding. This hair was easy to adjust to my super big dome which is one of the things I like about hairs from Modulus as I don’t spend extra setup time trying to fuss with it (as I don’t have to).

Modulus Jared Hair features:

Unisex (as recently noted by Modulus)
Resizable through script directly inside hair
40 colors overall (8 per HUD and 5 HUDs total)
FATPACK option available
HUD also contains color picker for added cutomization
Available @ equal10 until August 5th!

Lately I’ve found myself not really trying out new skins or getting demo’s for them because I’m very happy with the face I’ve been wearing lately but I was intrigued by the [Vendetta] “Nathan” skin from The Men Jail. It also challenged me to switch from my Daniel head to Victor which is what the skin suggested for best use (and after comparing between the two I have to agree). One of the other surprising things is that the skin only comes in “tan” tones which is normally not my particular blend of tea but it is a nice skin so I was very happy to blog it and put it out there for the world to see in conjunction with the Purfect “Beard and Mustache 005”.

[Vendetta] Nathan Skin features:

3 skin tones available (04, 05, 06)
CATWA, LeLutka and Omega appliers (all sold separately)
Body skins also sold seperately
Brow or Browless version in applier

Earlier I mentioned cages and of course that became a huge centerpiece of my scene which one was easy to find as a part of the goodies from The Men Jail. *BENT* has for sale a very sizeable prison cell that I feel from getting acquainted with it is patterned after something used in the Suicide Squad movie at the beginning and towards the end of the film. It’s construction is nice but the only thing (and it’s not a complaint at all) is that I feel it could have been made to be resized. I wouldn’t call it a deal-breaker or dissuade anyone from getting this because it’s very cool and really helped me with my scene.

BENT #cage Prop features:

100% Mesh construction
5 different bento animations
Available @ The Men Jail until July 28th

As I begin to wrap this up I will give a few final thoughts about the overall production of this blog post. I really feel even though it has a bit of a darker tone to it there is also a sense of hope that comes with it because each and every one of us may have that feeling of being in a cage at sometime in our lifetimes but unless you are truly in a cell because of something horrific that’s been done, escape is possible and you don’t always have to rely on yourself. There are people you may have in your life that would give anything they could for you, and there’s even the potential for someone you’ve never met to help raise you from that feeling of being locked up.

Freedom is possible and that is something I’ll leave you with until our paths cross again.

Onto the next conversation…

HAIR: Modulus (Store / MP) – Jared Hair ✦ NEW @ equal10 (07/10 – 08/05)
HEAD: CATWA – Victor ✦ Previously Blogged
FACE: Vendetta – Nathan (Tone 04) ✦ NEW @ The Men Jail (07/08 – 07/28)
BEARD: Purfect – Beard & Mustache 005 ✦ NEW @ The Men Jail (07/08 – 07/28)
BODY: Signature – Gianni v4.6 ✦ Previously Blogged