[#513] Dark Necessities

Do you want this love of mine?
Darkness helps us all to shine
Do you want it? Do you want it now?

Do you want it all the time?
But darkness helps us all to shine
Do you want it? Do you want it now?

Red Hot Chilli Peppers, ♫Dark Necessities♫

Normally when I set up scenes I find a really good sim to photograph myself in or a backdrop (possibly even try to attempt to decorate something myself if I’m inspired enough) but this time I decided to go very bare bones and with some choice lighting I decided to give shadows and the dark a try to convey the visual that I’m looking to portray.

The Men Jail opens its cell doors up tomorrow for the new round and while I was looking through all the fun assortment of items I came across something I normally do not see at events or even most of the stores that I frequent. RL Fashion released a mesh razor that fits in your mouth so it looks like you are holding it between your lips and teeth. I feel that it reminds me a little bit of one of the scenes in The Dark Knight where The Joker is telling Rachel Dawes a version of the story about how he got his scars and goes on to say that he stuck a razor in his mouth which is what caused them.

With that in mind I kind of created my own scene in my head with someone that isn’t all right in the brain space with a razor in his mouth but let me preface this and say that cutting is not a healthy choice but some feel that it is necessary to deal with some of the things that life throws their way. I wish for no one to harm themselves and if there is a way to seek guidance and help for situations like this, please talk to someone.

The razor prop while it is unique I feel has one small fatal flaw, it is rigged and cannot be resized or adjusted which might be a problem for some users. It seemed to work well with my Vista Animations “Gerard” head with the right facial animation but I cannot vouch for anyone other mesh head products.

This blog post is likely one of the most simple ones I’ve done in probably any of the ones I have done (and I’ve likely said that before but this truly is trying to be creative in the most minimalist way possible. Having a great background behind you is a lot of fun but doing things you may not have tried before or have been too afraid to (such as not keeping the background free to help set the mood of the photo).

For my outfit I am using an item that had once been featured at The Men Jail but was before I was chosen as an official blogger. The owner of the Joker’s Asylum store is someone I talk to from time to time and I feel like we are friends considering our passion for certain fictional characters which is a great friendship building tool.

The “Straight Jacket Outfit” is something I consider just as unique as the mouth razor and something you might not generally see in a lot of places. It’s not your traditional straight jacket or asylum patient’s attire. It really has a style to it which coincides with some of the things I like (I’m not always straight formal wear or urban wear; I like to mix it up.) I knew the right time for this would come in handy much like a lot of the things I purchase at events and don’t blog right away, they have their time and place…this would be it.

Joker’s Asylum Straight Jacket Outfit features:

100% mesh construction
Consists of three parts (Jacket, Vest and Pants)
Pants have two types (regular leg and bootcut)
Fitted sizes for Belleza (Jake) and Signature (Geralt and Gianni)

Since I said I would be keeping this brief I feel that wrapping things up for this post will be a good idea. There’s plenty of things that I’d like to get into especially some of my TMD items as well as the great new Cold-Ash boots from the event as well. There are also new styles from Modulus for me to work with as well as some other fun stuff.

Also I in future posts I may be using items from the Men’s Only Hunt that started up on the 1st of the month. It’s always fun going hunting for some really cool prizes and from some of the ads I have seen for things that are part of the hunt…I need to get a jump on that before I find myself out of time to grab them. I should be back to my norm and out on location for my next work or using a backdrop but it was nice trying to do something different and maybe it will give me more inspiration to do it again in the future or it will be a lesson not be as adventurous…we shall see.

So until our paths cross again, onto the next conversation…

HEAD: Vista Animations – Gerard ✦ NEW
BODY: Signature – Gianni v4.6 ✦ Previously Blogged

OUTFIT: Joker’s Asylum – Straight Jacket Outfit (Brown)

RAZOR: RL Fashion – The Mens Razor In The Mouth ✦ NEW @ The Men Jail (08/08 – 08/28)

POSE: WRONG & The Owl – Static Male Pose #7

[#481] So Kiss Me

Kiss me out of the bearded barley
Nightly, beside the green, green grass
Swing, swing, swing the spinning step
You wear those shoes and I will wear that dress.

Sixpence None The Richer, ♫Kiss Me♫

Once again I am going outside of my norm by dusting off the lady version of myself and I’m sure there’s a joke in there about me getting in touch with my feminine side but we can save all that for later. I’m starting to branch out a little bit and maybe slightly abandoning the “strictly male” blog label in exchange for allowing myself to have the ability to create things and not limit myself.

Maybe I’m more of just a fashion/lifestyle/art blogger.

You might think that I’d get annoyed when friends, family or fellow bloggers send me items they’ve played from a Gacha machine that they don’t want but honestly it gives me a chance to see what I can do from another perspective. When I received the Serenity Style “Choiboy Cloud Backdrop” I knew that there wasn’t anything that I’d likely be able to figure out to do with it for myself. That’s when I put on the old thinking cap and started brainstorming and remembered there was a really great swing pose and prop from Ardent Poses at the Pose Fair right now and my plan was taking off.

“Hanging By A Moment” is a gacha that contains 10 poses (8 commons and 2 RARES) and features a flowered porch swing (or it could just be a swing placed just about anywhere as you can see from my photo. Normally you would think blogging the RARE would have been my aim but I’m sure it’s probably been done ad nauseum by other bloggers so I took the road less traveled and went with one that I thought looked cute (yes I said the word cute).

Coming up with an outfit was something I though could be difficult but the fact remains and it has pretty much always been that females have the corner of the market of everything in-world so really all that was needed was to take a look through events and their shopping guides and I’d find what I wanted…which was to be very simple and down to earth, sweet if you will.

I find it amusing that it takes me longer to put things together for Brena (yes I decided it would be easier if I stopped constantly referring to her as female me or fembot and also it’s a play on my name so it works and is also a good song by A Perfect Circle). I worked with a few different hairs but was not catching the right vibe and then I went to The Epiphany because I had my sights set on the RARE “Macaron” Hair from Navy+Copper. It only took a few plays to win it thankfully but it was worth it for having color choices to choose from as it was the Fat Pack.

It was also the right length that I wanted without getting in the way of anything or digging into her like the previous hairs I tried had.

3/4 of the outfit was complete and all I needed was a dress that would go with the idea of the swing which had flowers entwined into it, which reminded me of the latest creation from Apple May Designs currently at Collabor88 called “Country Girl”. One thing that makes things easier when I’m styling Brena is that just about every designer on the planet creates clothes for Maitreya so I will likely never have to worry about finding something to wear for her as opposed for myself not everyone makes clothing for the Belleza male body all the time.

As I said the contrasts between these two worlds is there and many people realize it but at the same time many do not or prefer to be blissfully oblivious to it.

Now that I’ve done two solo blog posts with just Brena in them, I feel more confident that I can do that from time to time when ideas and items that appeal to me that I’d like to feature her for is possible; it also gives me a chance to do poses that I might not have done in the past that involves a more couples feel. That way there won’t be any missed opportunities or chances to visually post ideas that have circled my brain.

That is all I have for this blog post, remember that you have until the 30th to get to Pose Fair to check out Ardent Poses and until the 6th of May to get to Collabor88 to check out all the things they have to offer.

Until our paths cross again, on to the next conversation…

HAIR: Navy+Copper – Macaron Fat Pack RARE ✦ NEW @ The Epiphany
HEAD: LeLutka – Chloe 3.0 ✦ Previously Blogged
FACE: Lara Hurley – Cindy (Milky) ✦ Previously Blogged
BODY: Maitreya – Lara V4.1 ✦ Previously Blogged

DRESS: Apple May Designs – Country Girl (Hawaii) ✦ NEW @ C88
BRACELET: Izzie’s – Assorted Beads Bracelet (Female)

BACKDROP: Serenity Style – ChoiBoy Cloudy Backdrop

POSE: Ardent Poses – Hanging By A Moment #4 ✦ NEW @ Pose Fair

[#479] Hey Time You’re No Friend Of Mine

Will you be there
To catch when I stumble when I fall
When I fall

Its so very clear
You left me when I had no one at all
No one at all

Creed, ♫Time♫

The last week or so has proven to be one giant test for me personally and while I don’t feel compelled to go into details I will say that having an outlet such as blogging has been something of a godsend because it’s helped me from falling over the edge into places that I don’t really want to go. Frankly, if I did I might not ever return from them.

One thing that I have learned is that we don’t know what’s around the corner; there are no absolutes. People come into our lives and for whatever reason sometimes they don’t stay there and there may not be a clear cut view of why or how…it just happens.

It has brought me to the thought that while time is infinite regardless of where we are within it and how long we have, it is our enemy. We can carry our weapons silently ready to fight it when it comes and each battle leaves you scarred on the inside until finally time rallies and strikes that one final blow….that’s the cycle and that’s what we have to contend with every day and most days we don’t allow our conscience to dwell or think about it.

The idea for this post has been in the making for months and I’ve had it in my head for longer than I can recall but all the pieces were not quite there yet until I came across a unique pose from SamPoses at Pose Fair. “The Fallen Angel” is exactly as it says it is with a kneeling battered wings with missing feathers and a bit of blood.

It was the last piece I needed to finally filter this idea from out of my head.

At the beginning I had purchased the Distorted Dreams “Lost Time” skybox and wanted so badly to do something with it but I just couldn’t come up with anything and so I kept it in my inventory in plain sight that I could use it the moment I had something to go with it. I love the apocalyptic broken clock tower vibe that it gives off; it also plays into what I’ve said just a few paragraphs ago as well.

Go& See released a set of eyes around Halloween last year that I’ve been itching to use as well because of the skybox, one of the eyes in the pack is a clock and thought it was a great addition to the whole atmosphere of what I had in my head visually. All of the eyes that are from Go&See are for CATWA branded eyes and will only work with them, which if you do not have a pair with a head or standalone you are missing out.

My good friend (and sister from another Mister) Lee Valentine of the LV Designs brand released a new skin at The Darkness event (if you recall in the previous post, “Shin” is also from the same brand so I am piggybacking yeah!) It is called “Angel” and comes in two tones both of which are compatible with Stray Dog tones 01 and 02 and there are two different HUDs for each tone. Not only is there a regular version of the face (with and without brows) but also a “Fallen” version with goth type lipstick and guyliner.

As much as I wanted to use the “Fallen” version in this blog entry it just did not work with the theme overall but I really think it was a great idea and concept so I’m going to give extra points to Lee for using some out of the box thinking for this release to make it even more cool and befitting of The Darkness event. The event runs until the 28th of April so you still have time to check this skin out and all the other cool items at the event.

Now that I’ve managed to finally get this idea out of my head it feels good to see it digitally in front of me and while a lot of times my thoughts are way more vivid than some of my skills can convey, this turned out nice enough that I am satisfied and can move on to one of the next visuals that I’ve had running around in my head recently or whatever may spring up spur of the moment when I see something outstanding that I want to feature right away. With that all said I am going to wrap this one up and leave you to browse the credits while there is one more day of weekend to freely get your shopping on.

Until our paths cross again, onto the next conversation…

HAIR: Exile – Stranded – Naturals
HEAD: CATWA – Daniel ✦ Previously Blogged
EYES: Go&See – Halloween
FACE: LV Designs – Angel Tone 01 ✦ NEW @ The Darkness
BODY: Belleza – Jake ✦ Previously Blogged

PANTS: VERSOV – CHINOV LIMITED BLOODY

SKYBOX: Distorted Dreams – Lost Time Skybox

POSE: SamPoses – Fallen Angel ✦ NEW @ Pose Fair

[#478] Mister Lover Lover

Give me your digits, jot down your address
I’ll bet you confess
When you put me to the test

Shaggy, ♫Boombastic♫

With spring not quite yet being spring, I thought I would brighten up these pages with a little sunshine type inspiration and I know that I’ve achieved that with the help of the newest creation from Bakaboo. The “Summer Coat” and “Signature Pants” that have just recently hit the racks at On9 are just the thing that will kick those weather related feelings out the door.

Ocean Blackthorne has a command of unique design and color combinations which is what I admire most about his creations. I know that when I put them on I feel a bit more energetic and pumped up. The suit jacket and pants are sold separately and come in three colorways (Ocean, Sunrise which I am wearing, and Sunset) and are standard sizes XS-XL which with the right alpha cuts will work with any body (unless you are built like a tank).

Choosing which set I was to wear was simpler than I could have ever imagined as I know that most people would pick either Ocean or Sunset (blue and red based respectively) but I really had my eyes set on Sunrise (which is a golden yellow base) because it just brightened the whole idea of what I was going for a look and doing my best to be ethnically diverse (and hopefully I didn’t fail at it).

The Pose Fair is still going strong and as an official blogger one of the things I like is that they want us to focus not just on the brands that are sponsoring the event but also the pose stores that you may or may not have heard of and draw attention to them as well which it is my pleasure that as a first for me I am using a pose from the “Classic Male” set by Mouni Poses. There are 6 poses in the set that would definitely make for good photography whether it be a part of a scene or if you are just shooting a profile picture, you can’t go wrong either way.

With the way I am posing you can definitely see that this guy is a true love machine (I couldn’t think of anything better and I thought that might get a laugh out of those who know me so what the heck right?)

On social media I’ve been hyping up wanting to go to the NEO Japan event which is in it’s final week of its very first round; I hope that it is doing well enough that we see another one. I have yet to go there but I will be doing so over the next few days to get my retail on but before I do that I wanted to make sure that I was able to show one of the latest Modulus hairs off.

“Alik” is a hair that feels as though it’s got a bit of product in it to get it to stand up just right and has just a bit of fly-away tufts at the temple area. The style of hair gave me the idea for doing an Asian style look that I feel like I have seen on perhaps a pop star or a celebrity of some sort and that was the mindset that I was working with as I started to build an idea.

For those not familiar with the Modulus brand (and I hope you would be by now because they are a part of many big events and continue to be added to more), there are 25 colors of hair within 5 different color HUDS, and you can get them all together which saves you some dollars if you can’t quite pick a color. On top of that each color HUD has integrated tinting as well to give you even more choices.

Lately when it comes to my face and skin I haven’t really changed it much (a departure from how I did things in the past as I would buy skins like they were going out of style). I found myself and a skin that I felt I was more like what I felt represented me (aside from blogging brand partner skins which is never an issue because I enjoy them and challenging myself to make great visuals with them). For this blog entry as I previously said I decided to go with an Asian flair and to aid me with that is the creator of my nearly every day face, LV Designs.

“Shin” is a face I would consider to be somewhere in the middle of the road, not overly masculine but not overly effeminate either and goes along with Stray Dog’s 01 body tone (for those of you who like to do that matching thing y’know). It is for CATWA heads (Daniel in particular even though I would have expected it to work better on Dino but I didn’t like how it looked) and has a brow and no brows option for those of you who may have a favorite type of eyebrow that you do not want to give up.

To top things off I also found myself strolling through the Shoetopia event which had a lesser male presence then I would have liked (note to creators…dudes by shoes too, especially this one) but I did find at least one silver lining…

Deadwool released a new pair of dress shoes for the event and I could not resist even though I tried with all my might not to leave there with the FATPACK but the little voice inside of me won out in the end and honestly I’m glad I did because there are so many different options and ways to color your shoes that you can wear any kind of suit and match these up with them and the best part is you don’t have to worry about socks because they are built in and can be turned on and off.

The Deadwool oxfords are fitted for Belleza, Signature (Geralt, Gianni) and SLink, there is also a fit for Maitreya for the gals out there; and an unrigged version for those who have bodies that I have not listed (but definitely try the demo out before you fork over any moolah).

We’ve reached that part of the blog where I lead you to the credits so that you can get your shop on and enjoy the rest of your day or evening whichever the case may be. I still have plenty of things I want to share so it will likely be back to the lab (which is either my platform or my kitchen depending on how things go haha). While you are at it, go check out Seraphim and see what events are going and make a day of shopping with friends or family and it’s Friday so there’s always FLF!!!

Until our paths cross again, onto the next conversation…

Photo taken @ New Babbage

HAIR: Modulus – Alik Hair – Blonds ✦ NEW @ Neo Japan
HEAD: CATWA – Daniel ✦ Previously Blogged
FACE: LV Designs – Shin Tone 01 ✦ NEW
BODY: Belleza – Jake ✦ Previously Blogged

SUIT JACKET: BakaBoo – Baka Summer Coat S2 – Sunrise ✦ NEW @ On9
PANTS: BakaBoo – Baka Signature Pants S2 – Sunrise ✦ NEW @ On9

POSE: Mouni Poses – Classic Male ✦ NEW @ Pose Fair

[#477] Root Of All Evil

You point your finger and play the victim
So take your best shot
Release the pressure

CFO$ (feat. Incendiary, ♫Root Of All Evil♫

For those who know me pretty well could tell you that I’m a fan of professional wrestling, I have been for a very long time. There’s always one time of year that excites me more than any other and that’s when it’s time for WrestleMania. I’ve seen every single one of them (the first few I was a bit young but when I was old and had access to them, I watched them and have watched most of them multiple times). I could probably go on forever about it but that would probably bore the non fan to death and that’s not really what I’m here for.

However, with that said, this particular blog post is an homage to one of my current favorites that is a part of World Wrestling Entertainment’s third brand, NXT. I patterned my look and the scene after a man named Aleister Black. I’ve always been a fan of the characters that seem to have a bit more edge to them and embrace their inner darkness and he does it to near perfection (as nothing is perfect). With every video or interview I have seen, I’ve become more and more of a fan and I believe people should check things out for themselves and base their own opinions so if you are a fan of sports entertainment (I still prefer the word wrestling) and you are not familiar with this man…google or youtube are definitely the perfect source for more.

For the second blog entry in a row I kept things simple and focused on one shot from the scene and made sure that it came out the best that it could and what you see above is the choice that was the winner. I definitely shoot more than one angle but I always go with the best angle that just gives me that feeling that it is the right choice.

The backdrop in the scene is from Anxiety (who doesn’t love their backdrops?) I thought that this definitely fit the darker tone that I was looking for and just in case anyone has any questions in their head, I’m not devil worshipping or anything like that. I’m merely meditating in a quiet and ominous cavern to tame my restless mind and focus my energies.

My outfit is purely L&B both the suit jacket and the slacks are a part of what is now being sold as a set. When the suit jacket came out a month or so ago at FaMESHed, I already had the slacks from a previous purchase so I was able to just pick up the jacket on its own but for those of you who do not own either of them, it’s a deal as a package and I’d recommend it. Quite a few color options in the included HUDs (the one that is for the jacket gives you the option to chance not only the color of the jacket but also the shirt and tie).

Last but not least is the pose which is from my friends at Image Essentials. The “Stretch” is a set of five yoga inspired poses and when I saw the meditation pose I knew that was the final and very awesome cherry on top of this scene sundae. As far as setting the mood goes, this definitely hit the top of the scale and came out how I had seen it in my head.

There are plenty more new things for me to blog this week which is now about half over so I’m going to get back to that and wrap this entry up and get you to the good part (the credits). For those of you who might be new to the blog and want to follow or get a hold of me, the social media contacts are to the right in the side panel. I always enjoy hearing from people if they have a song they’d like me to use as a soundtrack to a post I’d be more than happy to look into it.

Until our paths cross again, onto the next conversation…

HAIR: –FABIA– <Tomas> Natural Tones
HEAD: CATWA – Skell ✦ Previously Blogged
EYEBROWS: [theSkinnery] Hallford Brows Style 1 ✦ Previously Blogged
FACE: LV Designs – Brennan Tone 2 ✦ Previously Blogged
BEARD: Nivaro – Rugged ✦ Previously Blogged
BEARD: WOLVES /// BEARD V1 /// ✦ No Longer Available
BODY: Belleza – Jake ✦ Previously Blogged

SUIT JACKET: L&B – Edge Business Suit Jacket
PANTS: L&B Swear – Slacks ✦ Previously Blogged

BACKDROP: Anxiety – Catacomb

POSE: Image Essentials – Stretch

[#476] Underclass Hero

Well because we’re doing fine, and we don’t need to be told
That we’re doing fine, ’cause we won’t give you control.
And we don’t need anything from you,
‘Cause we’ll be just fine, and we won’t be bought and sold, just like you.

Underclass Hero, ♫Sum-41♫

This blog entry is going to be one of those quick on the fly type of things since I had some inspiration and decided to shoot a pic just for fun (which ended up turning into me choosing to make it a blog post). From time to time I’ll likely be posting quickies like this if there’s just a few items visible in the shot so that way you can do a quick read and get to shopping (which is really one of those things that this page is all about).

When it comes to skateboarding and adrenaline mixed with music, a lot of times I think about the band Sum-41. In their years of activity a lot of the earlier stuff was definitely something that I feel most people might have listened to while skating much as many surfers listened to Weezer, it was just that kind of scene. And my main focus for this photo was the latest release from {COLD-ASH} at the freshly restocked TMD event that opened their doors up for April just a few days ago.

This release is called the “Valkyrie Sneakers” and pretty much the entire world knows how much I love shoes especially in-world. The shoes come fitted for Belleza, Signature (Gianni), SLink, TMP and Unrigged (with or without a sock version). At the TMD event, {COLD-ASH} is offering as a gift the socks that are compatible with these shoes and I am also wearing those and can tell you for a FACT that they are worth it. I would actually wear these socks just hanging around without shoes (during times when I’m not blogging and lounging around).

The Valkyrie Sneakers felt a lot like skater shoes in a sense so I decided to setup a photo where I was skateboarding and tried out several different skateboard pose sets that I already owned in my inventory but the feeling was just not quite there so I took to the Marketplace where I found a familiar pose maker, AM Poses and they had for sale single skateboard poses for sale; one of which caught my eye and that is what is aiding my movement. The skateboard itself comes with the pose and also a single static in case you might want to use your own skateboard if you have something you prefer more.

As I wrap this up, I really enjoyed doing something that was not so intense or heavy and just focused on a product and had fun; mixed in with the other little things I’ve been doing to freshen things up not only for me creatively but for those who know my work and are fans (or those who lurk from the shadows). We shall see what is in store next time around that I can enjoy and have fun with.

Until our paths cross again, onto the next conversation…

SHOES: {COLD-ASH} VALKYRIE SNEAKERS FATPACK ✦ NEW @ TMD

POSE: AM Poses – Skate #3

[#475] She’s Got The Looks That Kill

Now she’s a cool, cool black
Moves like a cat
If you don’t get her game
You might not make it back

Motley Crue, ♫Looks That Kill♫

Don’t adjust your screens! What you are seeing is something that would be considered by me as taking a risk for the simple reason is that These Conversations Kill is a male fashion blog and while that is true, I’ve given some thought to some things and this is what I’ve come up with.

There are so many times in the past that I’ve taken the safe path because I thought that was what worked for me but now that I am starting to look at a bigger picture with the help of being included into this years Pose Fair (and the predominantly female presence of products) that I can step out of my comfort zone and give a spotlight to something different.

Fueled by the inspiration from LV Designs and their cost alternative bento mesh head, I dusted off the Brembot (a play on my name and fembot, which is a reference to Austin Powers) so that I could see what kind of creativity I could perform when I wasn’t the premier focus. Yes, I am still a part of the scene but in a very minute (and not functioning way).

You might be wondering a little bit more about the LV Designs bento head. Her name is Chloe and she’s a lower cost alternative to people who may not have the ability to own other brands. The head is bare bones with basics of a few lipstick choices but it is omega applier compliant so you can choose to wear the provided skin or try out something different by demoing skins that are omega compatible. The body skin is sold separately and is made by Colvati and matches Tone 3 if you choose to go the path that designer, Lee Quirina intended.

Chloe was not the only thing that inspired me to ultimately step out of my comfort zone. Talks with several friends and also contemporaries have more than once said that going outside the box (which I have before but not to this scale) is not a bad thing. I think I’m finally realizing a much bigger picture as well and I it’s caused me to do a double take (literally and a good segue).

Double Take poses released two different exclusive pose sets for the April round of Pose Fair 2018, the one that Brembot is using is the “Universal” set; it has 5 different static bento poses that are of the highest quality. The reason I chose this set is that one of the poses best fit the idea I was going for in this scene which I would liken to that of a female assassin making her way through a mission.

I may still be working on perfecting my close-up shots, I feel like I did a little bit better with this go round. New things are always a work in progress and as I continue to try new things they may not be 100% great but that is what putting the work in to make them the best you think they can be.

Brembot’s outfit consists of items from the Gabriel “Armed Style” gacha which I believe first made it’s appearance at Shiny Shabby a few months ago but is now playable at the main store. I had come up with several other ideas for this outfit (along with the male one) but plans can change and I came up with a better visual to use it individually. Definitely a creative and great set for those of you gals who are interested in being a soldier (possibly in an RP setting) and want clothing that is not only made well but has great texturing.

Paparazzi is one of my top few brands when it comes to scene building and backdrops. I really loved the way that their “The Underpass” backdrop helped set the scene and the story of what I was trying to create. There were probably a few different ways I could have gone about it but in the long run this definitely worked out well.

Once again it is time to lead you to the credits (although there is not much in the way of them but that is okay). I truly enjoyed putting on a different hat of sorts and look forward to what I can accomplish in the future. I’ll be back again soon with more from Pose Fair, and possibly even FaMESHed and the freshly stocked April round of The Men’s Department.

Until our paths cross again, onto the next conversation…

HAIR: *Drot* – Miley (Browns)
HEAD: LV Designs – Chloe (Bento)
BODY SKIN: Colivati – Maitreya Applier – Tone 3
BODY: Maitreya – Lara v 3.5

COAT: Gabriel – One Shoulder Trench Coat (F) Bordeaux [RARE]
BRA: Gabriel – Military Set Bra / Black
SHORTS: Gabriel – Military Set Pants / Bordeaux
HARNESS: Gabriel – Body Belt (F) Black
BOOTS: Gabriel – Platform Boots

BACKDROP: Paparazzi – BACKDROP – The Underpass – Plain

POSE: Double Take – Universal ✦ NEW @ Pose Fair

[#465] Won’t You Come?

Black Hole Sun
Won’t you come
And Wash Away The Rain?

♫Black Hole Sun♫ – Soundgarden

When it comes to brainstorming for ideas and you connect them to songs to use as the basis for what you want to visually portray onto the screen (in the case of digital art), sometimes you hesitate at some songs because of the deep meaning of them to you. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever try to use a song by Soundgarden for the basis of a blog after Chris Cornell left the world but some of the songs he contributed to are just too good to ignore.

The 90’s were some of the best years as far as music for me, I discovered so much and really kind of understood artists like Alice In Chains, Nirvana, Pearl Jam and of course Soundgarden. Grunge wasn’t the only music that influenced my creativity back then but it was certainly a catalyst that sticks with me even today when it comes to some of my virtual fashion choices.

Creating the visual for this post, I wanted to do something that I don’t usually do with my work. I wanted to try shooting at different angles and really just going back to basics a little and not cram so many products to feature. Which is why I chose two of them for this and I’ll explain more about them after the photo.

Another thing I decided to do was focus on just one photo and try my best to make sure that it really stood out and looked the best I could possibly make it; while I could have did a concept similar to the music video they did for the song but to try and capture that essence in a photo would have taken a lot of photos to get it down. Though I think with what I did do I am completely satisfied with the turnout and is not completely like things I’ve done in the past.

This blog entry includes more coverage of Skin Fair 2018 and features three of my brand partners (Cold-Ash, Modulus and Go&See). To give readers a closer look at the facial features of “Garrett” the 2nd of three skin releases by Modulus for the fair is something I wanted to focus on. This release is for the LeLutka “Andrea” head which it’s been some time since I last wore but I still enjoy wearing it as much as any of the other mesh heads I have in my rotation. While I might be wrong, I feel like this skin has a very distinct greek feel to it’s appearance or at least a country that is farther east of the US. Garrett comes in Caramel, Chestnut, Fair, Latte, Rose (which I am currently wearing) and Sand. You also get a body and eyebrow shape to guide you to look how Modulus intended but there is also nothing wrong with styling things in your own way (we all have our own set of personal rules for how we want our virtual selves to be).

My eyes that I’m wearing are from Go&See and while they are not an exclusive to the event, they are being sold there for you guys to give a look at. I completely recommend the “Hole” eyes and for me they fit perfectly with my idea for my current look and setting. There are 4 different variants of eyes to choose from and two out of the four are darker in tone. Fantasy photographers or Role-Players will really dig these eyes and will want to use them when they see them up close.

I’m also wearing the BURLESON bracelet from {Cold-Ash} which is a very cool and unique accessory that’s up for sale at The Men’s Department right now. The bracelet is a nice leather band with an infinity symbol accent in metal. You can change both the metal and the leather band with the included style HUD. I think this bracelet is great for any fella that likes to accessorize but isn’t a necklace, ring, or watch type. It will fit any avatar and you can easily edit it to fit your avatar which is what puts this product on the must have list as well. It certainly would be cool to see people around various places I may go wearing this.

Now that I’ve relayed my thoughts and passed the most pertinent information along I’m going to wrap this up and start planning what comes next which I want to say will be “who knows what”. More Skin Fair coverage to come as we get towards the half way point of the event and mix in some great brands along with over newness out on the grid. As always it’s been my pleasure so…

Onto the next conversation…

Photos taken & Mother Road / Mirage Hotel 66

HAIR: Wasabi – Dylan Hair – Blacks Pack
HEAD: LeLutka – ANDREA ✦ Previously Blogged
EYES: Go&See – Hole ✦ @ Skin Fair 2018 ✦ Not Exclusive
FACE: Modulus – Garrett (Rose) ✦ NEW @ Skin Fair 2018
BODY: [SIGNATURE] Gianni v4.5 ✦ Previously Blogged

TANKTOP: Vale Koer – Essential Tank Top ✦ Previously Blogged
BRACELET: {COLD-ASH} – BURLESON Bracelet ✦ NEW @ TMD

BLACK HOLE: Imagination Labs – Black Hole 2.0

[#464] Sharp Dressed Man

Top coat, top hat,
I don’t worry ’cause my wallet’s fat.
Black shades, white gloves,
Lookin’ sharp and lookin’ for love.

♫Sharp Dressed Man♫ – ZZ Top

This blog entry would be more appropriately titled “Sharp Dressed Men” considering I happen to be collaborating with a long time friend of mine who I’m finally getting the chance to work with. It is my first time collaborating with Lucky Spiritor in this medium but after some time away he’s back and ready to do some great visual work and I truly believe that (or I wouldn’t be saying it).

I feel very fortunate to be working with him and I know that this won’t be the last time we’ll be putting our heads together to work on photos; and you can check out his version at his website, LuckySpiritor.com.

Very recently I was invited to be a member of the Bakaboo clothing brand by the owner/creator himself, Ocean Blackthorne. I’ve had interactions with him through social media and have found him to be a really cool person and one I enjoy talking to so I was very honored to be asked to join the brand. I am joining Lucky as we are both a part of the team and the latest release “Baka Couture Tuxedo 2” which you can find right now at the Swank event is what inspired us to do this for our first collaboration together.

To say a little bit more about the Bakaboo brand itself if I were asked about it, I would say that it is a unique brand with lots of different patterns and very colorful attire. That is what drew me to them in previous blog posts that I have done because I like things that are not your usual suit or basic shirts and jean outfits (even though I love those too). As an ambassador for this brand I will make sure I do my very best to represent it the best that I can.

Lucky and I played off of one another as the suit comes in 3 different styles: Aaron (which is white with back embellishments), Markski (which is black with white embellishments) and Ocean (which is a blue base with color embellishments). It comes in separate pieces that include shoes with socks, pants, and jacket/shirt as well as bow tie accessory. The suit fits standard sizing fits (XS-XL) but works well with both the Belleza (what I’m wearing) and SLink (what Lucky is wearing).

Skin Fair has been pretty good to me this year as two of my brand partners are participating with creations and I found myself trying out and eventually buying the newest male CATWA head, Skell. I feel like it has a very European feel to it with some very nice features that made my primary skin by LV Designs look just as good as the Daniel head does; I’ll certainly be playing around with it more (and growing my eyebrows back!)

Men Only Monthly is the event that you can pick up the “Dandy” pose by WRONG & The Owl. When we started to plan for this shoot I knew this was definitely the right fit for the idea we were going to eventually go with and I’ve really been enjoying the work that these two brands do together as well as individually. It’s great that there is parity between pose creators because you can find just about anything for what you come up with in your head.

For this entry I decided to just stick with one shot just to test some things and try to do something a little different (much like I did with my face and hair). It’s not very often that I go browless for a look but I thought that with a unique outfit I should change it up some. That is also why I decided to go back to one of my more interesting hairstyles as well, which happens to be the “Jason” hair by the Yuth brand. I have the blacks pack so I decided to go with a grayer/white hair that is not my usual style either.

After conferring with a few different people I think that I could try some different things because I tend to fall into habits and it’s not something I want to be associate with or fall into being a “one trick pony” as it could be referred to as. I hope that this page shows some different looks and focus more on just a few products then trying to throw a million things together at once just because it’s easier to do.

We’ll see how it all goes but I am very appreciate of the support that I’ve been receiving lately (it means a great deal to me). Alas it is time to wrap this one up so I can get back to the planning stages for what might come next as I do have some ideas and things I want to try out. My credits are going to be listed below but if you’re interested in anything that Lucky might be utilizing, check out his site at LuckySpiritor.com for all his details/credits.

Onto the next conversation…

HAIR: Yuth – Jason (BLK)
HEAD: CATWA – Skell ✦ NEW @ Skin Fair 2018
FACE: LV Designs – Brennan Tone 2 ✦ Previously Blogged
BODY: Belleza – Jake ✦ Previously Blogged

COMPLETE SUIT: Bakaboo – Baka Couture Tuxedo 2 (Aaron) ✦ NEW @ Swank

DESK SET: (epia) – Executive’s Desk Set

POSE: WRONG & The Owl. Dandy ✦ NEW @ Men Only Monthly

[#456] Baby, I’m Perfect For You

But if you like causing trouble up in hotel rooms
And if you like having secret little rendezvous
If you like to do the things you know that we shouldn’t do
Then baby, I’m perfect

♫Perfect♫ – One Direction

Valentine’s Day has come and gone (as of this writing it’s been a week) but unfortunately I was not able to spend it with the one I love for circumstances which were not able to be controlled. So despite it being late, I wanted to do a photo shoot with her that not only I could use for this blog but to also collect for our memory scrapbook (a work in progress).

One of the best things is when we’re able to do these it takes really no effort at all and the creativity just seems to flow like a gentle stream. I have had the idea for this particular scene in my head (along with the chosen soundtrack) for a long time but not every piece of the puzzle was readily available until recently. I found two great backdrop/skyboxes and two different sets of poses that really set up a photo shoot that turned out great.

Sometimes songs tend to be catchy regardless of if they are in your favorite genres and this was definitely the case for the soundtrack to this blog post. One of the things that caught my attention was the part about hotel rooms. I thought it would be really interesting to have us running through a hallway of a hotel to get to a room where more than likely all sorts of no good would take place.

My vision became more of a reality when Paparrazi released their “Hotel Hallway” backdrop and I already had the Ana Poses “Let’s Just Escape” pose ready for whenever I could find the right hotel setting. I based my look also upon what a celebrity might look who is courting a young lady but also trying to get away from the limelight. Makes sense doesn’t it?

The hairstyle that I am wearing is a Valentine’s gift at the Shop Your Heart Out event put on by Linden Labs. This hair is a medium to long length and you get the entire FATPACK just for browsing around the event. There are 10 different color HUD packs in the product and I went with the Mix 2 HUD. The Shop Your Heart Out event is currently running until the 26th of February so there is still time to grab this up and a lot of the other great gifts from various stores.

FaMESHed was the destination where I picked up this really cool outfit from [Gild]. It is one whole outfit so you don’t have to worry about putting on separate clothes and comes in 3 other colors (Black, Blue, and Yellow). I like how they paired the suit jacket, shirt and tie with the jeans that has the pocket chain with it (which instantly caught my eye). The outfit is fitmesh and should fit just about all the current male mesh bodies with the right alpha cuts selected. There are more an more products from the [Gild] brand that have been getting my attention so I think I’ll have to continue keeping my out out for their releases.

For the second part of the blog which I would call the after (the hallway was the before of the story) what you see is the inside of the Hotel room which is from the “Room 214 Skybox+Backdrop” from Sayo. It’s really a well put together build and at some point I would like to shoot more parts of it but since I did not really need it for the image I had in my head I get to do it another time. Both the Paparazzi backdrop and this Skybox worked as a whole in a tremendous way; and if you haven’t been to Uber yet now is the time so you can take an up close look at this build for yourself before it closes on the 23rd of February.

Image Essentials created several different poses called “Sweet Nothings” with each one being released at a different destination. This is the third pose in the series which was given a main store release. I had a hard time deciding between pose 2 and pose 3 but I thought that three had the best angle coverage for what I wanted to do and would work best for me. It’s bento enabled so for those of you with bento bodies you’ll be able to benefit but for those of you without one (and at this time there are very few who do not) it will not work for you.

I wanted to give a little bit better look at the pocket chain on the pants of the [Gild] outfit with a close-up shot and also an up close look at the other side of the “Adam” hair by Exile. Honorable mention goes to {kokoia} for their “Gangsta” shoes which I’ve previously blogged in earlier blog posts or I would have given them an even better look as well. All of the things I pooled together made for a the process of posting this really effortless and a lot of fun.

Now I think it’s time to wrap this up for this one because I’ve got more projects to work on and perhaps some mischief to get into with the better half. See you around for the next one.

Onto the next conversation…

HAIR: Exile – Adam ✦ NEW @ Shop Your Heart Out✦ 𝔙𝔞𝔩𝔢𝔫𝔱𝔦𝔫𝔢𝔰 𝔊𝔦𝔣𝔱
HEAD: CATWA – Daniel ✦ 𝔓𝔯𝔢𝔳𝔦𝔬𝔲𝔰𝔩𝔶 𝔅𝔩𝔬𝔤𝔤𝔢𝔡
FACE: ::LV: Designs – Brennan Tone 2 ✦ 𝔓𝔯𝔢𝔳𝔦𝔬𝔲𝔰𝔩𝔶 𝔅𝔩𝔬𝔤𝔤𝔢𝔡
BEARD: -Nivaro- Rugged ✦ 𝔓𝔯𝔢𝔳𝔦𝔬𝔲𝔰𝔩𝔶 𝔅𝔩𝔬𝔤𝔤𝔢𝔡
BODY: Belleza – Jake ✦ 𝔓𝔯𝔢𝔳𝔦𝔬𝔲𝔰𝔩𝔶 𝔅𝔩𝔬𝔤𝔤𝔢𝔡

OUTFIT: [Gild] Double-Breast JK-Pants Set – Red ✦ NEW @ FaMESHed
SHOES: {kokoia} – Gangsta ✦ 𝔓𝔯𝔢𝔳𝔦𝔬𝔲𝔰𝔩𝔶 𝔅𝔩𝔬𝔤𝔤𝔢𝔡

BACKDROP: Paparazzi – Hotel Hallway – BLUEGREY
SKYBOX: SAYO – Room 214 Skybox + Backdrop ✦ NEW @ Uber