Cue the Birds

It’s a lovely day to let down your hair and set free Zibska’s Cabal birds. The multi-multi-multi-colour-change birds come in four separate clutches, so if you fear birds, like one of my best friends, you can see if you’re comfortable with just a nuclear family of avian fiends. If you’ve followed my blog for ten years you’ll know that I like tone-on-tone outfits and set-ups. I was thrilled to find a way to sneak in this unsummery leather dress from Pixicat.

I have loved and blogged Zib Scaggs’ bird headpieces for a long time. Here’s my goth-intellectual Portia in another Pixicat outfit, wearing Zibska’s Korbinian from 2019. Zib does other bird-themed pieces. She has bird masks and plenty of feathers ringing heads and necks or leaving clues to pillow-fight perpetrators.

I shot Zib’s The Gathering in 2014 with a Tee*fy gown. See how these fledglings spiral, too young to find the right flight path. Speaking of, Zibska has a new nest. The Gathering and Xiang, below, are no longer available but Korbinian and Cabal are.

Finally, here’s Zibska’s Xiang from 2014. What can I say about mixing Doctor Who’s creepy Silence count with one of Luas’ warrior bikini ensembles? Fantasy of all kinds was fashionable. (Btw, the breasts are the old mesh add-on Lolas. These generous nipples were the default. They are one of my clear-eyed objects of nostalgia.)

Credits for Look One

Zibska, Cabal (available on Marketplace and in store)

-Pixicat- Issey Dress – LeatherBrown (Maitreya)

Stealthic – Always hair

[Glam Affair] Flo Layer [Lelutka EvoX] Fair B with Flo makeups

Glam Affair – EVOX Smoky Makeup 01 D

#cloud9 Hurt Liner TOP LINER (EVOX BOM)

.e l e i. – Dul (Eyebrows) – Eyebrows Shaper

Gloom. – Vendetta Collection eyes

[Glam Affair] – Jezebel Shape ( Lelutka Ceylon ) my edit (comes with Jezebel skin)

Swallow- handmade Earrings Gold (oh so old!)

/ HEAD / lel EvoX CEYLON 3.1 

Maitreya Mesh Body – Lara V5.3

personal pride

I am not a fan of the asexual pride flag. The colors black, gray, purple (more like a magenta) and white are a downer. (They are of course symbolic.) So this year I decided to make the flag into a beautiful person.

Lovers of couture headgear will recognize the mask as the work of Zib Scaggs for Zibska. The claws are by Ukiyo, a current favourite store that participates in one of the weekend sales. Just show up on a Saturday.

Credits to creators

mask: Zibska, Orynko Deux 

outfit: Fake Society x Cloe [in Black for Maitreya]

UKIYO : Maeve claws [maitreya] 

{Rosier} / Cheeks Heart Dimples

skin: Moth & Moon x Velour – LeLuEvoX – DARK ELF – Yvaine – DB (uses Velour Ipanema body, which I don’t like, frankly, because of the blinding highlights)

bonbon – hairbase 001 – 06. (coal/R) and bun (group gift)

/ HEAD / lel EvoX CEYLON 3.1

Maitreya Mesh Body – Lara V5.3

Pose 1: Secret Poses, Good Vibes

Pose 2: not available

Ah, youth

I always thought Zibska’s creations were for mature women who wear Glam Affair skins and luxurious, sometimes very big, hair. I thought that because I shot that! So I had to fuck with the trend by hanging the Oxana horns on a young avatar. It doesn’t work and yet I love it. It’s cheering. Because this version of my av is only about 25 years old, she had to have a tattoo to follow the social norm, but the black tattoo clashed with the pink-and-green tones of the horns. I decided to banish the black and go all out with colour. (I did have to make it odd with some rectangular white-diamond earrings—fit for one of those older women I used to shoot.) The heart-shaped picture window is part of an old rare Amitomo gacha. I didn’t find it in store but you can shoot on this set if you go to the Kawaii Night Scenes section at Backdrop City. The Oxana horns are a Hair Fair item that is now in store.

The Bobby hairbases, which also debuted at Hair Fair, are in store at Mina. They are well made, with no visible seam just above the forehead.

Credits

Zibska, Oxana Horn Full Vs. (Got this at Hair Fair and it’s now in the main store)

MINA – Bobby-03 – LeL Evox BOM-hairbase (red) (Got this at Hair Fair and it’s now in the main store)

Pushin’ Daisies – Suzy ruffled Tube Top – Maitreya – Purple

Glamazon, Square Earrings

[Dreamlight]  Septum Diamond Ring (1 L on Marketplace)

Maitreya Mesh Body – Lara V5.3

:Dernier: “Hyomin” Skin Lelutka Evo X (Dune) N/E [with Velour Venus body] 

:Dernier: “Hyomin” Shape (Lelutka Evo X)

/ HEAD / lel EvoX CEYLON 3.1

Fontaine Cosmetics, Darkwish Eye Blush and Eyeliner [7] x LelEvoX

Jack Spoon. Gia Moles 001(evo X)

poses: PiXit, Pinup 2 pack

riot in the dungeon

I love the Hedone lingerie by RIOT. Most lingerie in SL pairs a balcony for your bare breasts with a scanty panty that reveals a lot of the butt as well as that part of the pudendum that has to be waxed regularly. The Hedone lingerie not only covers up these erogenous zones, it also makes it possible for anyone who wants to minimize their chest tissue to do so, allowing for some good old-fashioned genderfuckery. That’s not to say that this lingerie doesn’t play with any erogenous zones. If you look carefully at the centre of the large flower you’ll notice that it frames the nipple in a subtly tantalizing way.

I imagined this figure as a switch. In this shot, the bottom side of Portia wonders how she’s going to stand in these heels from Lybra. Being virtual is your best bet for balance, as well as a digitally depilated pudendum.

Portia is showing off exactly the kind of rings I’ve been looking for. Friday’s set offers leather accessories for your neighbourhood tough. Killer pink-and-blue nails by Le Forme and gothy butterfly makeup from !4AEM round out the look. 

Credits

RIOT / Hedone Lingerie 

Boots: LYBRA . TANIA (maitreya)

tram, I0706 hair HUD B

[Dope+Mercy]Clip Earrings [in the shape of clothes pegs!] 

Pixicat, Elena corset

Zibska, Cynthia ~ Crop (n/a)

friday – Luna Leather Ring Set (Maitreya)

Le Forme, Bento Nails M03 DK Glitter Maitreya

!4AEM, Butterfly eyeliner

/ HEAD / lel EvoX BRIANNON 3.1

[Glam Affair] Flo Layer [Lelutka EvoX] Fair A

Maitreya Mesh Body – Lara V5.3

K!ODIO,  [Toinha] – Shape LeLUTKA Ceylon Evolx 3.1 / [edited]

polar<3bunny. moon eyes. LeL / Omega / Mesh / BoM. PACK III

STUN poses, Tai

PiXit Pinup – P2 – Pose Pack

Gear feels good

I admit to being dismayed when I saw that the theme for Second Life’s 19th birthday was steampunk. I don’t doubt that there are many steampunkers on the grid and elsewhere, but I never did enjoy wearing brown skirt-suits and big goggles. (A black harness and a gag are more my style.) I decided to bypass the birthday celebration sims and go searching for gifts at the Shop & Hop. I was thrilled to snag the glamorous knee-length Elena dress, which Salt & Pepper is offering in a free fatpack. I figured if I was going to mistress my misgivings and do steampunk my av would need something metal to stick on her face. I purchased Portia’s elegant colour-change Vega blindfold and collar at a discount from Zibska. The set also features dangly earrings. The big surprise for me as a stylist and a photographer was how much I loved the ultra-steampunky Gear Halo gift from VALKIRIA. Anything that runs a change on holy or wicked auras is good with me. Plus, reminders of industrialization are unjustly rare in fashion blogs. And yes, the gear turns just like your stomach at themed events. (I am all for Relay For life but I am all against purple.) If you do want to pay for steampunk style check out the Zenith booth, where several outfits are discounted, including a fatpack of an ensemble that features a button shirt and a cloth tutu. There is also a gift with a pretty ruched black short skirt and a lackluster denim camisole. Here you’ll find the TP list for all the vendors.

I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned that I am not a fan of most multi-ring sets. I dislike thin, pretty rings, especially when they are adorned with gems. That’s why I love Kartel Original’s Eunbi rings, which wrap mass-produced metal goods around your digits and then send you home to microwave dinner. Closing out my metal fest are Promagic’s Swarna earrings, which look crafted rather than milled. We can pretend, can’t we, that SLers still use their hands to shape gold?

Credits

Zibska, Vega set (colour change; discounted at SL19B Shop & Hop)

Salt & Pepper, Elena (Lara) (gift dress fatpack at SL19B Shop & Hop)

*VALKIRIA* Gear Halo – Cooper Old (gift at SL19B landing area)

PROMAGIC, Swarna Earrings

Kartel Originals – Eunbi Bento Rings – Maitreya 

/ HEAD / lel EvoX CEYLON 3.1

Ladybird, Jackie Lipgloss

LeLUTKA.EvoX.Hairbase.036 (f)

[Glam Affair] Flo Layer [Lelutka EvoX] Fair

Maitreya Mesh Body – Lara V5.3

K!odio, [Xiao] – Shape LeLUTKA Ceylon Evolx 3.1 / LEGACY (my edit)

poses: Stun, Bibi pack

backdrop: Minimal, Retro Backdrop 3 (not steampunk but the best I could do by way of a controlled environment)

We’re all mad here

Content warning: suicidal ideation. I just got out of the psych ward. Whenever a therapist asked me in the past if I was suicidal I would say no, so as to avoid being hospitalized against my will. Sometimes I had to admit I was suicidal. That meant I had to say no to the question “Do you have a plan?” Again, to prevent being sent to the loony bin. About six weeks ago I admitted I had a plan. But my therapist took this as a sign of increased depression as opposed to a sign I was going to harm myself. In the past I had resisted the plan I’d devised by imagining that the driver would be traumatized when I threw myself in front of their train. Then one day I didn’t care about the driver. The impulse to commit suicide is more like a compulsion, so when I found myself feeling especially compelled to kill myself I checked myself into the hospital. My psychiatrist had told me that my therapist felt she couldn’t give me the level of support I needed. (COVID being the main reason. Therapists are wrung out dealing with clients dealing with the end of the world as we knew it.) With my therapist tapped out I knew I had to get myself somewhere “safe.” I thought that if I checked myself in I could leave whenever I wanted. Wrong. The five days I thought I needed turned into ten as the doctor tinkered with meds and everyone else observed whether I kept up my hygiene and played nice with other mentally ill people, many of whom scared me. I was still suicidal on my first full day in there. They had given me a notebook and small pencil so I could journal my way to health. I was sure I could do something to my jugular with that pencil.

Ironically, the last straw was my reaction to the first day of a post-hospitalization program that my shrink recommended. Let’s call it Haven. Five days a week for six hours each day for three to four weeks. Can you spell overkill? How about unbearable? On the first day of the Haven program, I could not see the other patients in Zoom but knew they were much younger than me. And I could not handle the exercise we were doing. The question was “What is comfortable for you and what requires courage?” The obvious answer to me was “Everything for me requires courage and I don’t want to talk about it.” I was pulled out of that meeting to meet the Haven psychiatrist I would be working with and then pulled out again to meet the therapist. It was sometime during that meeting that I said I needed to go to the hospital and they called 911 and stayed online with me till a trio of rescuers appeared. Long ago I promised myself that I would never take an ambulance to emergency again because I had once paid $500 for one. This time it cost me $450. I found the neatly folded receipt for payment in my bag when I was given my belongings at discharge. I had packed so carefully when the rescuers came: this was out of some kind of conscientious instinct to be prepared. I had no idea that the hospital would take away everything, including my computer and phone. I managed to send some samizdat texts before they took my phone. My friends, along with visits to cafes, had been keeping me sane. I only made five phone calls when I was in the psych ward. Two were for business, two were to my therapist. Only one was for friendship’s sake. I was very much alone, except when I went to the low-stakes goals and art therapy sessions. (I drummed, people, I drummed.) And to the giant meals and regular snacks of soothing carbohydrates. There was not enough coffee so I had to get bold enough to ask for leftovers. That became my comfort zone. I was careful enough to make sure that I didn’t hog it because the person I most liked was also a coffee fiend. He could carry on a conversation with himself and one with me at the same time. On different topics.

Now that I’ve been hospitalized I am excitingly more qualified for the post-hospitalization program. I’m considering the face-to-face version of Haven. When I say considering I really mean considering. You see after the disastrous first day at Haven I decided I needed to do some shopping around, so I called Haven to cancel a second intake interview. They told me they were going to charge me a $125 cancellation fee because I didn’t give them 24-hours notice. It was 11 am. 24 hours would have been 9:30. It was my first day back from the hospital. My radically shrunken world did not contain 24-hour notices and cancellation fees. I was so angry. I told them I was done with them and may have shouted “fuck off” into the phone. Now I have to go crawling back because another program I was looking at wants a twelve-week commitment, as opposed to three, and another runs a mind-boggling seven days a week as opposed to five. What am I going to get out of one of these programs? A vacation from me for my therapist. And coping skills. I would like the meds to spare me the daily despair and thoughts of suicide and efforts to cope. But meds have never really worked for me. Looks like my only option is learn how to Venn diagram “comfort,” “courage,” and “fuck me sideways with a chainsaw you fucking fuck.” Unless there’s art therapy—as a post-hospitalized person I have mad skills on the frame drum.

Credits

[The Forge] Drina Bodice, Black. Maitreya. comes with [The Forge] Drina Harness, Black. Maitreya. They can be worn separately.

Zibska, Ballard Ruff (colour change; comes with cuffs)

Rowne.Dovile Leather Gloves – Onyx.Lara

THIS IS WRONG Winter tattoo BLUE FRESH – BoM

(epia) – Spank Paddle (n/a)

LeLUTKA.Head.Lilly.2.5 (static ears)

The lashes are by Jack Spoon and I forget where I got them as a gift. Perhaps they’re in the main store by now.

Core&Gore :: Osho eyeshadows [pink] Evo

Jack Spoon . summer BEAUTY MARKS2

TuTy’s Adorable – Hair base Black (older than Methuselah’s tortoise)

[Glam Affair] Anika Layer [Lelutka] 003 E

Maitreya Mesh Body – Lara V5.3

Mewsery, Float poses

Stun, Diana poses

Shot at Nor Matter shop

Cheapskate

I have a confession to make. I spend my weekend mornings happily shopping the sales, picking up enough cheap stuffs to compile and style a look. I’m talking about Fifty Linden Friday, which yielded the delectable CURELESS tattoos worn here, The Saturday Sale, Happy Weekend. Sometimes I’ll spy something from Wanderlust Weekend, which is aimed at role players. My fave is So Kawaii Sunday, which is like a vein of cute and sexy gold. In this photo Portia is sporting 8 steals. Thanks to these sales I’ve been able to experiment with skins from Pyscho Pills, which Portia is wearing with green hair, and Heaux, which Portia is wearing with a fetching fascinator. Because the skin is 75 L at most, paying for the body to match the tone feels like a sweet deal. These newer skin lines are doing wonderful work for LeLutka Evo.

I loved slipping on Wen, a fascinator with choker (not shown) and delicate orbits. The earrings from Hate Me and Eat Me are so cool that I used them again for my green-haired girl. The fatpack is only 150 L at Lybra. I learned to do a thing where I can make Portia’s eyes glossy! These are a gift from La Malvada Mujer. Faina Cortes makes excellently odd eyes.

It’s hard to believe that we’re back to layers. I saved all of mine. They aren’t high-def, but I was pleased with my pale-green tinted Noh brows, an oldie from [CX]. Portia’s hair by Doe is the fabulous Kraken pack.

Credits (I have very little control over WordPress’s new editor so the spacing is borked)

Look Gold and Green and Miffed

R2 A/D/E sou bottom[Gold]Maitreya (at Collabor88)
R2 A/D/E sou top[Gold]Maitreya (at Collabor88)
Psycho Pills x A.Doutzen – Usagi Skin Eyelid 2 W/B (icecream)

Psycho Pills – Usagi Shape edited
{S0NG} :: Ada Eyes – Lime Green (Omega applier)
[CX] Noh Eyebrows (Tintable)
+FATHER+ Flutter Shadow – Greenblue – BOM
CURELESS[+] Moonlight Revenge / Pelvis
CURELESS[+] Moonlight Revenge / ChestPsycho Pills x A.Doutzen –
Doe: Lynn – Kraken
HMAEM . LUNA EARRING at Lybra
RAWR! Cuban Bracelet
Secrets, Sweet Butterfly Piercing
Mug – Aysha Sandal
LeLUTKA.Head.Erin.1.0(static ears)
Maitreya Mesh Body – Lara V5.1
pose: Stun, Tai (with gun)
pose: Stun, Diana (medium shot)

Look Fascinating

Zibska, Wen Headpiece
Zibska, Eveline Lips 18
La Malvada Mujer, Alpha Eyes (past gift, now 45 L)
[Heaux] Kate Skin – Light Brows – Shell
Psycho Pills – Usagi Shape edited
-Pixicat- Rebel Jacket – Mint (Maitreya)
HMAEM . LUNA EARRING at Lyrba
LeLUTKA.Head.Erin.1.0(static ears)
LeLUTKA.Hairbase.002.brown.02
Maitreya Mesh Body – Lara V5.1
pose: Fox City, Portrait pose

Halloween dreamed

WordPress won’t let me use the old editor so I have no idea how to share all the
beautifully scary ideas I have floating around in my head.

I gave up on posting this a few days before Halloween because WordPress
wouldn’t let me edit or publish what I was able to toss together.

I’m trying out Safari now in the hope that it will work.

If this works you will be able to read me say “I hope you had a lovely Halloween.
Don’t hate me for having no control over line spacing.”

Credits Pics 1 and 2

CURELESS[+] Moirai Sisters / M / Atropos Torso / RARE

CURELESS[+] Moirai Sisters / M / Moirai Collar / RARE

CURELESS[+] Moirai Sisters / Fata Tattoo PINK / RARE

Zibska Rus Makeup 01 (gift at Shop and Hop)

CURELESS[+] Red Dragon Marking / L+R+Forehead

Mad’ – Infected FaceTattoo [light] [Full]

[CX] Noh Eyeliner Style 1 light black (old tattoo layer)

[Glam Affair] Anika Layer [Lelutka] 003 E

[TWC]- Blossom body tattoo (past rare gacha)

#*.bunnyboo.* spooked nails red LEGACY

#187# Nose Piercing Spikes

::Axix:: Arisu Gatcha Gloves [Red] // MAITREYA (gacha)

::Axix:: Arisu Gatcha Okobos [Red] // MAITREYA (gacha)

Clawtooth: Dark Queen (Small/Med Bust) – Dark Ombre

LeLUTKA.Head.Erin.1.0(static ears)

Maitreya Mesh Body – Lara V5.1

Pic 1 pose: Mewsery, Senpai Bento Pose Pack

Pic 2 kiwi / Spooky Balloon Pumpkin

Credits Pics 3 and 4

LERONSO// Group gift/ Halloween Gift 2020 – LELUTKA (with shape)

THIS IS WRONG Baroque eyebrows BLACK

La Malvada Mujer – Dominique / red (group gift)

Mad’ – Infected FaceTattoo [light] [Full] (group gift)

Velour, Ingrid HD Lips Goth Vs. 2

CURELESS[+] Moirai Sisters / M / Clotho Dress / BLACK (past gacha)

#*.Bunnyboo.* Spooked Nails Red.

Caboodle – Nun’s Habit (group gift)

Kibitz – Razor earrings

Peekaboo – Neon Cross

#187# Nose Piercing Spikes

phedora ~ Jezebel Boots ~ Maitreya

LeLUTKA.Head.Erin.1.0(static ears)

Maitreya Mesh Body – Lara V5.1

Pic 3 kiwi / Spooky Balloons

Pic 4 pose: Stun, Anim Pack Collection Bento Nurse 38

On the prowl

You can add a photo of yourself to the Missing panel on Iso Darling’s milk carton. Portia drinks 1% at home, skim in her coffee when she’s in town, 2% when she travels. Portia pretends she doesn’t know how to say “skim” in Italian and accepts the 2% graciously. Of course right now nobody can travel. And everyone feels flummoxed trying to drink milk while masked.
You may have one more day to scoop up R2 A/D/E’s Kamari outfit at Collabor88. (This was a pricey one. 388L to get the whole outfit.) Sadly, La Malvada Mujer’s tattoo is no longer available. Perhaps you bought it in a spree at Enchantment and haven’t worn it yet.

Credits
r2 K/E/N, kamari[Black]Maitreya (at Collabor88 for one more day)
La Malvada Mujer, Dream On Tattoo (was at Enchantment)
tram, I0528 hair HUD C
NATIVE URBAN – 2020 Safety Mask Black (group gift)
Eudora 3D, Eos Bracelets (gift at Fameshed)
[RHUDE] Easy Earring lt Gold
LeLUTKA.Head.Erin.1.0(static ears) EVO Line
[Glam Affair] Adele Layer [Lelutka] 004 A with the shape
Zibska, Sisel Eyemakeup 03
.Birdy. Red (Scar) Porcelaine (n/a)
.lovelysweet. cheekie accents black hearts (gift)
Izzie’s – Blush / Contour Remover 02 (65%)
Maitreya Mesh Body – Lara V5.1
Iso Darling – Spooky Milk Carton (Stay at Home Club gift)
STUN – Pose Pack Collection Bento ‘Juliana’ #128,
shot at Little World