Otherworldly

Cheval D’or has a gorgeous, circus-inspired harness out as a limited set for Valentine’s. I picked it up for the Pegasus and colour-coordinated it to my outfit via the HUD which offers both some preset textures and the ability to tint on top of these. The set also comes with two types of reins, static ones and a set for using with a cart.

Speaking of my outfit, that is another NextUp release from deviousMind, the GoodFortune set which has a bit of an Asian-inspired feel to it (though perhaps not so apparent with the pieces I am using). I am finding that this type of gacha-replacement works pretty well, though admittedly deviousMind has always had very fair sets where its easy to get useable items without needing every piece. For example, the SilkBlouse and Panties are in the same set and are perfectly wearable without anything else.

My hair is Wasabi’s latest release, out now at Anthem. The Pink hair is unrigged (and thus resizeable) and includes an optional hair clip. The skin is Selene in Milk from Poema’s Rahra-line which I really like on the Zora head from LeLutka.

Both of my poses are from Be My Mannequin; I have blogged these particular poses before but they suited the scene very well. The horses are using poses from Mythril.

It started with the second of the two images popping into my head when I tested the “Little Drummer Boy” pose from Be My Mannequin. I liked the idea of showing that amidst a waterfall, and fortunately I was sitting on an excellent one from Fanatik. No clothing needed meant I could break out my favourite body, Slink Physique Original, and I am wearing an older DeeTalez skin since it is so hard to find good skins for an SL UV mesh head. The hair Yelena, the latest style from Wasabi which you can get an Anthem. Yelena also includes unrigged bangs which I am not wearing for this photo.

The lonely outpost was guarded by a single warrior, but one of surpassing bravery and ferocity. When the skies turned red like blood and the seas froze, making the outpost reachable across the ice, she knew it was time to set out for war.

Sigrun the Winter Valkyrie is a new creation from deviusMind, available at the current round of Epiphany, which now means a regular release rather than a gacha (or any of its replacements).  Be a fashionable Valkyrie in fur, leather and dragon scales, including heels tall enough to use as a weapon if need be.

The build is yet another part of the Laketown set from Del-ka Aedilis, a smaller house with just an open platform at the lower level and a single room on the second floor. I liked the idea of using it as a lookout because of the focus being on the second floor and the fact that there’s a walkway that goes all around the upper area.

For the poses I used Nantra’s Brynhildr set, though I switched out the included horse for my Teeglepet Pegasus (in a wingless makeover).

I am not sure which is the cosiest and laziest day of the year for me, Christmas Day or New Year’s Day. Probably Christmas Day given all the leftovers available and the lingering food coma. Poking around in SL and taking some pretty pictures is about as intensive as things have gotten today. I wish I had a fireplace IRL to curl up in front, but I had to settle for enjoying it through my avatar. And while the Mangiafuoco Fireplace from Fantavatar & Moonstruck is pretty cool, I am not quite sure it would fit in my living room. ;)

HollyDays is a new release from deviousMind that you can pick up for L$50 per colour for Wanderlust Weekend. Very festive and with two options for the holly pasties, a covered and a peekabo version. The thigh highs from Luxuria match it nicely in colour and theme; these are available at the Arcade and also come as tights. The classic updo is the latest style from Wasabi, an unrigged alpha hair with options for bangs and streaks.

We brought the tree in today, though haven’t dressed it yet. Instead, I dressed my virtual tree today, setting up my little Christmas corner with various pieces from Libertine. I love the aesthetic of Libertine, especially the Christmas collection which really captures the feel of old-fashioned Christmas card. If I could have my Christmas looking like that IRL too, I’d love it. No modern minimalism for me. For this year, I picked up the dark and snowy foliage add-ons for some variety and also a few extra ornaments, both interactive and unscripted. The Christmas Collections have been rearranged following the ban on gachas and Alia has put up a detailed post about how they are now being sold.

I also decided to get a little holiday festive with a new dress for my Chai body and a pair of heels that make my feet hurt just from looking at them. But in Second Life they’re no problem and the red leather does look very nice. The Wasabi hair is the second of their styles from the Arcade, very sleek and elegant, and I am wearing the new gift head from LeLutka.

You still have a couple of days left until the SL Christmas Expo closes on the 14th of December. My final post from the event takes a look at the latest Teeglepet release, the majestic Andalusian horse.  And of course he gets a little video to show him off. Apologies in advance for my steering, apparently I can’t ride and talk at the same time in SL. ;)

In the video, I mention that there is a One of a Kind Andalusian up for grabs at the charity auction, and if you want to know more about that, check out this link. The auction ends tomorrow, Sunday the 12th, so don’t miss your chance to bid!

Below the video I’ve included a couple of shots of the horse on its own, to give a better look at both him and the beautiful Cantara tack set from Cheval D’or. And the full credits are at the end, of course.

Snow is still on my mind and while it likely will disappear in a few days, it is still snowing outside my window tonight. So, I made it snow in SL as well, using the Shimmering Snow from Dysfunctionality as the final touch on this scene. It started with the “It Pours” pose from Be my Mannequin, part of a set of dynamic poses for The Grid event. I placed it in front of the dramatic Ice Portal from RatzCatz, another item from the SL Christmas Expo and left myself staring up at the thick snowfall. The very cute and Christmassy outfit is Dancer from deviousMind, available in the new NextUp “gacha” format.

Have you visited the SL Christmas Expo yet? Apart from the shopping and the events, the sims themselves are all decorated for the holidays, making for some beautiful photo locations and lovely places to visit. I found a quiet spot to take some pictures of a wintry look featuring a lovely gown from Charisma’s Designs, a pair of crystal earrings from Crystal Witch and a prettily made up skin by Ab.Fab.

The 11th edition of the SL Christmas Expo has opened its doors today and you don’t want to miss out on visiting this event between the 3rd and the 14th of December. There’s a total of 15 regions filled with merchants, breedables and entertainment such as auctions, music and other special events, offering visitors many ways to help raise money for the American Cancer Society with a special focus on helping children with cancer. You can find the list of participating merchants, a schedule of events and much more at the official website. For my part, I will do my best to entice to you to visit by giving you some looks at a few of the things you can buy at the Expo!

This year I decided to combat the urge to shop for real things I don’t need during Black Friday by instead buying lots and lots of virtual things. I did get a few things IRL as well, but only planned purchases I had had my eye on for a while. The same was not strictly true for my Second Life shopping spree. ;) Some of it will be seen in this post, but there’s plenty left for later too. I’ve also got a brand new release to talk about, the first new hair from Wasabi for a while and it comes with some big changes for the brand.

With a touch of magic from Enchantment’s Nutcracker round a winter saga of a beautiful princess and a dashing prince comes to life. The fairytale gown in luscious holiday-red is Louise from R3D Studio, with lovely rose ornaments anda lace drape over the arms and down the back. The hairstyle is from F&M Oblivion, an ornate updo called Star Empress. The prince wears the elegant Marquis outfit from Last Ride and his pose is one of the offerings from Be My Mannequin for the event.

One evening, a young lord walked through the gates, leading instead of riding a fine horse, with ribbons tied in its mane and tail. He went up to one of the elegant townhouses and knocked on the door. After a while, a servant opened the door and the lordling gave him a letter. Then, he retired to the nearby fountain to let his horse have a drink while he waited for a response.

The Horse Show is back! From September 18th to October 2nd you can visit this fabulous event and shop for tack, coats, stable decor, stables, riding clothes and, of course, Teeglepet horses. In fact, this year there are two brand new breeds at the event, the Tennessee Walking Horse and the American Saddlebred. These are both so-called gaited breeds, meaning that they have different and additional gaits compared to the walk, trot, canter and gallop you’re used to seeing. The new animations are fabulous! Of course, this required a video. In it, I also take a look at new releases from gSpot, Majestic Designs, Star Sugar, Multifarious, Tutto e Vanita and Cheval D’or. You also get to see the two Limited Edition versions of the new breeds. These are available ONLY during the duration of the Horse Show and sold in no copy only and they are gorgeous.

And speaking of limited editions, there are some even more rare things on offer at the One of a Kind auction where you can bid on tack, coats and even a OOAK horse. These are produced in a single copy each, meaning the auction winners will have something no one else owns. The auction ends on the 26th, so get your bids in!

Below the video you’ll find some photos as well as full credits for everything shown in the video.

The Fawn outfit from On a Lark is a special offer for 25 Linden Tuesday; individual colours are 25L and the HUD-controlled fatpack only 125L. It includes six different fits, among them Slink Hourglass so that is what I opted for this time. To show it off I decided to make use of a backdrop from Faida for La vie en pose as well as poses by Creative Stylez, also for La vie en pose.  The backdrop includes several different textures both for the stone and for the drapery, the poses come with mirrored versions and a lipstick prop for each version.

Welcome to the Roman Bath from the Civitas Series by Del-ka Aedilis. Classic and elegant, it a perfect addition to a roleplay sim needing a public bath house. The two tritons bearing braziers at the front are not part of the build but a separate release from Fantavatar & Moonstruck, but I thought they fit really well in thematically and they also show how you can add more of a fantasy touch to the setup. The Tritons include left and right versions and here I have sized them down considerably; at their original size they would make great centrepieces for a temple or similar setup.

The basket with bath supplies is also from Del-ka Aedilis and can either be worn or rezzed out as a decor item. Here, the bath slave (dressed in clothing from On a Lark) is holding it to welcome visitors to the bath. I also want to mention the skin because this is a brand new release from alaskametro for the Spoonful of Sugar Festival, benefiting Doctors Without Borders. Estrella is a 100% donation item and is available in five tones for LeLutka Evo X.