Venturing Out

I'll be the first to admit that I often revisit the same places in Second Life over and over, even though I do try to make a point of seeing something new once in a while. And I'm over-reliant on event notices from groups to which I belong. So I decided today to fearlessly strike out to see what else is happening around the grid, and the very first spot I happened to pick—Builder's Brewery—gave me a real "palms-to-face" experience, as I wondered how I could have ever not known of its existence. I've recently discovered the joys of building (thanks in large part to Sextan Shepherd and Nemo, although I'm far from having anything like Sextan's technical proficiency!), and Builder's Brewery is just the place for me: "Our goals are to help improve the visual and structural quality of SL, by encouraging intelligent builds, textures and innovations, thru education, sharing and support."

One of the cool things about Builder's Brewery are the events—lots of free classes, and I certainly plan to attend some this weekend. Here are a few that caught my eye—these are all free:
Thursday, December 9th (today):
   Scripting a fireplace, 1 pm, Auryn Beorn
   Texture Change via Menu, 3 pm, Auryn Beorn
Friday, December 10th:
   Bonsai Tree, 12:30 am, Zophya Galaxy
   Intro to Rokuro, 5:30 pm, Gramma Fiddlesticks
Saturday, December 11:
   Basic Roofs, 5:30 am, Jayden Firehawk
Sunday, December 12:
   Complex Roofs, 5:30 am, Jayden Firehawk
   Blender: Mirror Modifier, 4 pm, Eleanora Newell

I see other classes from earlier in the week that I'm sure will be repeated—Easy Spiral Stairs, Scripting for Beginners, Seamless Textures and more. So stop by and enrich your mind and skills!

Not into building? If you're the literary type, venture over to Circe's Sanctuary at Laurel Arts Isle, owned by Circe Broom-Merricks, for some live poetry on Saturday at 11. DonJuan Writer, whose first name is a reference to Carlos Castaneda's mentor Don Juan Matus, will read some of his works—he's been writing poetry for a number of years and has been a featured poet/performer throughout SL.

Of course, the biggest bunch of events this weekend—starting tomorrow and running and throughout next week—is Winterfest, a cornucopia of music, winter sports and silliness. Be sure to bring your mittens! I'm most looking forward to the Linden-Resident snowball fights on December 16th at 4 pm and December 17th at 8 am (Chamonix City's Kerry Gretzky tells me that Torley Linden promises to be at snowball fight #1), but between now and then don't miss the Hockey All-Star Game, which starts at 3 pm on Sunday, December 12th (also viewable on Treet TV if you prefer), and lots of other stuff from a Snowman Building Contest to Snow Maze Races! See the Winterfest blog post by Delby Linden for more info.

Virtual Museums Incorporated

I had been meaning for some time (this always happens...) to blog about the Frank Lloyd Wright Virtual Museum, an extraordinary museum located in Second Life, licensed by the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation to display the architect's works, supplemented with displays about his life, his philosophy, and a modest shop. As someone who works in and around the museum world in real life, I wasn't expecting much when I first set foot here a couple months ago, but I was not only surprised by the elegance and care of the installation—how beautifully done!—but also the dedication and sense of mission projected by the staff, who were clearly knowledgable, engaged and moving forward. The virtual museum had created replicas of several of Wright's best known works, including Fallingwater, which in real life is located in southwestern Pennsylvania. I've not seen the "real" Fallingwater, but I have to admit my breath was quite taken away when I saw the virtual one. "This is why people are so amazed by it!" I thought to myself as I cammed around, admiring the water and the flow of the architecture. (It made me want to get in a car and drive to see the real thing!) Also at the museum are thoughtfully executed installations on Wright's work and life.

Sadly, all this has come to naught, as the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, which had previously granted a license to the SL museum, has now, because of stupidity, short-sightedness or greed (or maybe a combination of all three) sent a cease and desist letter, revoking all rights to Wright's work. So the virtual museum will close at 6 pm SLT on December 5th, a great loss to scholars and students of architecture and anyone who loves Wright's work. (I'm fortunate to know a couple members of the Wright family, and although I haven't talked with them about this I can't imagine they would want to see this remarkable virtual museum close its doors.) Remarkably, my friend Ethan Westland, the chairman of the virtual museum, says with optimism, "There are always possibilities...We will rebuild the campus as something new...The outpouring from the virtual world has energized us all." More power to you, Ethan. And shame on you, Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation!

The Man — Oldest Object in Second Life

Yeah, it's sexist as hell that the statue The Man (sometimes called The Statue of Man) is the oldest object in Second Life. Nonetheless, you can see all ten prims of it in old Natoma, and it's remarkably simple if exceptionally ancient, built on Friday, June 19th, 2002 by oldjohn Linden. From its position on what's called Philip's Hill, overlooking the Ivory Tower of Primitives, you can't help but feel some reverence for it (or, in our case, simply sit on it *grins*) and think back to how impressive it must have looked. "Let's push it over," quipped my partner Barbie. ;-)

a Petrovsky flux

One rule of thumb in Second Life: whenever blotto Epsilon (pictured below) and Cutea Benelli are up to something, it's worth investigating! This time it's a Petrovsky flux, a remarkable build hosted by the Spencer Museum of Art at the University of Kansas (and I've given up trying to think up quips about "We're not in Kansas anymore!"—but kudos to the Spencer and other college and university art spaces that offer artists the opportunity to develop new works in virtual environments). As with blotto's and Cutea's previous creation, Bogon flux, a Petrovsky flux remarkably and continually builds itself and self-destructs, changing its form each time as it extends into the sky, although certain elements are permanent enough that you can safely stand on them. Jean Tinguely would have been delighted.

Do explore. Near where you arrive be sure to click on the welcome sign to grab your "petrovsky noggin protector" and flying sheep (explore in style!). Some of the standpipes are actually teleport hubs that whisk you around the sim, and you'll find things like a little café in the sky, platforms connected by stairways or rickety ladders and, on the ground, a traversable tightrope. If you click quickly enough, you can hop a ride on one of the big flying sheep. As I'm writing this, the sound stream in the region is playing Gene Krupa's Wings On My Shoes, adding an additional touch of humor to the already delightfully silly (but oh so serious) build that a Petrovsky flux is.

Two excellent pieces of machinima are worth mentioning: one simply credited to SpencerArtKU, and the other by Toxic Menges. Enjoy.

Nemo Destruction

One last machinima on Nemo—this one is the end, the destruction. Captured throughout the day on October 29th, while the sim was closed except to four of us, this is more of a documentary than an art-piece. To see this in higher resolution, head over to my Vimeo page.

Second Life: Nemo Fin/End from Ziki Questi on Vimeo.

Nemo Machinima

Hi everyone. Over the past week I've made some machinima about Nemo and would like to share the links on Vimeo with you. I've never really made any serious machinima before, so I'm sure I'll improve over time. Enjoy. (And there's one more on Nemo on the way.) To see these in higher resolution, head over to my Vimeo page.

Second Life: Nemo I, the underground city from Ziki Questi on Vimeo.

Second Life: Nemo II, Northelia from Ziki Questi on Vimeo.

Second Life: Nemo III, Alnitak, the flying city from Ziki Questi on Vimeo.

Good-Bye, Nemo!

People keep trying to reassure me and calm me down, but I'm still chagrined that the incredible steampunk city Nemo, created by the amazing Sextan Shepherd, will close its doors on October 29th, in just a couple days. I've been busy shooting some machinima of this fabulous place—truly one of the gems of virtual worlds—and will post that on Vimeo, but it's not much compensation. Sextan assures me that he's planning to build something even more remarkable, so I'll try to be an optimist! (Could I include any more superlatives?) In the meantime, RUN to Nemo and enjoy it before it's gone! http://slurl.com/secondlife/FRANCE3D%20Futuna/89/148/21

UWA Forest & Metallic Sea, Strangers Also Dance

Kudos to the University of Western Australia for using one of its three regions for visiting artists—in this case installations by Soror Nishi, quadrapop Lane and Glyph Graves. Soror's work, entitled Forest, is quintessential Soror—as I said somewhere or other I always think of Dr. Suess on acid. (I mean that in the nicest possible way, no offense intended to the Geisel family.) Soror's work, shown above, is a substantial sprawl of her curious vegetation, while quadrapop's contribution, Metallic Sea, is much smaller but wonderfully elegant—metallic grass that sways in the wind (shown below, although you'll have to see it in person to really enjoy the slow and subtle movement).

Glyph's contribution, entitled Strangers Also Dance, provides some instructions here, and you have to follow them to really see the artwork. (Otherwise you're going to think ho-hum, nothing here.) Head over to the structure in the water, and sit ... and then be transported up to the main body of work. All I can say about my attempts to capture any of it in photos: epic fail. It's a world in constant motion. So go see it for yourself. :)

Dirty Cute? No — Filthy Cute!

Alert blog readers will recall a post from the past, Dirty Cute, about Fade Lei's spectacular build in the Hachiman region, one of my very favorite spots in Second Life. I stopped by recently to see it, and—*sob!* it's gone! I knew that despite the early party scene at Dirty Cute (and some wild parties there were) it had become more of a shopping destination for Fade's great skins (the brand is Ugly Duck), but somehow I wasn't prepared for the loss. As I ventured forth with trepidation, however, I saw that Fade had not exactly deleted Dirty Cute—Dirty Cute is now Filthy Cute, a completely new build that partly embraces the old but now branches out in a new direction. The dirty white and gray concrete of the old build has been replaced with a much darker palette, and it's more clearly defined as a cool place to shop rather than a club that was converted into a store. A blast of grime and neon! :)

Even if you're not planning to shop for any of Fade's cool skins or other items (creative and distinctive designs—join the Ugly Duck group and get a ton of free stuff!), you can spend a long time here exploring layers, levels, corridors and—true to the earlier iteration—hidden panels and entrances. Fade tells me that she's not really completely done building—she has plans to add more of a maze-like experience in the tunnels and to open up some of the boarded-off areas. If you really want to explore, set aside some time, or plan for multiple visits, as it's truly easy to get lost (and "camming's cheating" says Fade, in case you're thinking of doing that to find your way out!). Looking for some secret places? Try clicking on what appear to be solid walls as you go ... you might find something.

Update on 18 October 2011: If you want to see the build as opposed to the store, where you'll land, wind your way through Fade's shop and look for a hidden door in the wall. :)

Sneak Peek: Steampunk Jewelry from Sextan Shepherd

When I told Sextan Shepherd I was going to blog about his flying machines he casually remarked, "Did I tell you I was working on a steampunk jewelry collection?" Since then he's been sending me photos, and I can assure you the pieces look stunning, complete with moving parts and real clocks. For now you'll have to be enticed by the glass case above, but he says he'll be ready to roll on September 17th! Stay tuned.

Sextan Shepherd's Flying Machines

If I were really thinking ahead about my blog posts, I would have worn some cool steampunk stuff for this photo shoot. Oh well. Let that not detract from the real topic at hand, the ingenuity of Sextan Shepherd, one of Second Life's most amazing designers, and the creator of Nemo, Northelia and Alnitak, fantastic steampunk cities in the region FRANCE3D Futuna. Now when you visit Sextan's cities you can take something home with you, because among Sextan's marvels are a series of personal flying machines, all very modestly priced and available at his shop in Alnitak (you'll find it—keep looking!). Sextan was kind enough to give me the «M. Meriman» Mechanical Flying Boat shown above (as always, click to zoom in), which features spinning spirals overhead and a huge outlay of creaking, rotating gears to keep it afloat. If passengers are your thing, you're going to want something that holds more than one person, so pick up the «DA-VINCI» Aerodyne, shown below, which is smaller but can hold up to two friends, one on either side of the pilot. In addition to the spinning top that propels the craft, gears inside the case constantly move. Earlier today I had the pleasure of flying the «DA-VINCI» Aerodyne around Abbey Island, doing my best to control the craft while chatting—not easy!

The «TESLA» Aerodyne is probably the smallest of all the vehicles, and therefore probably the most maneuverable. Like the Meriman, it's a personal craft, and its, um—I don't even know what to call them!—those electric things on top are constantly changing with dramatic electrical effects. (Oh, "electro cynetic movement" Sextan tells me at this very moment as I write.) Here it is:

But my favorite of all—the one that really made me smile with delight!—is the «Bestmomo Lagan» Flying Machine. At least it's called that on the box, but in my inventory it's named, probably more appropriately, the Pteronosphere. As it soars through the air, its wings open and close just like those of a pterosaur—"really wild!" says my partner Barbie Pomilio. It's a 31 prim, single person flyer shown below. There are a few more of these amazing ships available in Sextan's store, and they look every bit as good as these. (Plus, there are tons of other ultra-cool items for sale.) To try the ships out before buying them, be sure to visit the Steampunk Air Museum in Alnitak—and say hi to Sextan if you see him!

Bryn Oh: no love

Once in a while Linden Lab does exactly the right thing. Like for example when, a few months ago, artist Bryn Oh approached the Lab with a request for spaces for a project connected to the World Expo Shanghai 2010, the Lab responded by providing five sims. Bryn, along with Glyph Graves and Marcus Inkpen, created some fabulous works at those locations that I hope stay with us for at least a while longer. Arriving at the first of these sims—Island one by Bryn Oh called "no love"—you will encounter instructions for adjusting your windlight settings. I'd recommend that you turn your draw distance way up—far enough that you can see clearly across the entire sim. Like most of Bryn's work, the region is filled with metallic and sometimes spidery-like insects and humans.

As you set out on your journey, a smile will certainly cross your face as you discover that a walkway opens before you—it's absolutely delightful. Go slowly, and if you fall into the water try starting over ... eventually you come to the place shown just above, where the walkway seems to end (not first without some absurd silliness as objects appear, collapse, and you fall through a floor!). Be sure there to walk into the rectangular prims lying on the ground. Bryn made this island especially for machinima, and it's truly time-based art that has to be experienced in time—still photos simply don't convey what is most exciting about the place. And here and there you will find objects that link to web pages that broaden your experience.

If you take a dip in the water, which you'll have to do at some point to get to some locations, you'll find things hidden here and there. Around 82, 82 there are some stairs that will form from the ocean bottom, leading you up...I'll let you discover where! The figures above are near the base of the tall tower, which you should enter at the base, below the water. I found that climbing the tower was frustrating, as I often fell and had to resume from below (flying is prohibited in the sim, as are point to point teleports). But if you're able to get to the top, you're rewarded! ("Lots of people give me hell for that build," Bryn told me. "It's good to do with a friend, so if you fall they can tp you back up.") On one of the figures shown below, at the very top of the tower, zoom in and click (oh, didn't I say to zoom around and click on lots of things? yes, please do) to be teleported up to another area.

And quite a different place it is, too—a blinding white space high above (I'm not going anywhere with the obvious implication!) with widely separated objects. Everything up here, as below, is part of a story or narrative, ever-present in Bryn Oh's work. By now, exploring the region, you've seen poems, clues and other hints as to its meaning, and make sure when you arrive at the Stand-by Girl (below) you click on her face and listen carefully to what she has to say.

As the region was built for machinima, you might want see a couple of examples by Pia Klaar and Volker Meitz in addition to that from Bryn herself. Not surprisingly, there are many photos from this build sprinkled around the web. More on the other four regions in upcoming blog posts!

Philip, Go Shopping!

When Philip Linden recently announced a contest for his makeover, two thoughts jumped to my mind. The first was: Philip, you're missing a great chance to explore Second Life's amazing assortment of hair, skin, clothes, and everything else! (Although probably Philip has an alt or two he can use for that.) The second was: Ziki, you're as wedded to your old skin as Philip is to his! It's true that I do change my appearance once in a while, but when I do it's to switch to a totally crazy or fantastic avatar, like something from alpha.tribe or a wild thing from Grim Bros. I always switch back to "me" after a while. And it's not that I haven't tried on demos now and then. So lest I end up just like Philip, I set out with more determination than usual and came up with the above ... at least an alternative I'm happy with. (Though, knowing me, I'll be sliding back into my old skin quite often!) The skin and shape are Shy'm from Allure by Naela Carter; the hair is Faith from Exile (blue velvet); and the eyes are 2010 bright blue eyes from EDDESIGN. (Plus a tux from Babele Fashion!)

And it was fun (always is, actually). So PL, get out there and enjoy yourself! :D

Juanita Deharo

When I visited the region Svidler to pick up a few of Soror Nishi's about-to-disappear trees, I decided to fly down to see what was there, because the land belonged to Juanita Deharo, whom I had seen a few days earlier and whose blog I've followed for a while. I arrived at her art gallery and was absolutely delighted by two installations. The newer one, When the light that's lost within us reaches the sky, is a water world surrounded by mountains, filled with dark figures, platforms, cages and giant mushroom caps imbued with a subtle palette of organic textures in grays, browns, and greens. Certainly this haunting work will touch people in many different ways—some of Juanita's thoughts on it here.

Take the teleport up to Man the Hunter, an earlier and smaller (though certainly no less beautiful) creation. Juanita characterizes the work as "a large environmental installation that operates on various levels. It comments on man's destructive nature, the glorification of killing, our need to capture and control, and the relationship we have with natural and living things." Take time also to go through the gallery, where many of Juanita's artworks are for sale. She also designs entire sims and sells waterfalls, caves, rivers, garden screens and lots more, so be sure to visit her profile for links to all her work!

Last Call for Soror?

Things have been disappearing lately, from Greenies to Soror Nishi's Beach, to, um, Lindens themselves. But I'm an optimist at heart, so when Soror Nishi decided a couple weeks ago to close her unreal and incredible beach, one of the jewels of Second Life, I ran over and started buying up as much of her stuff as I could afford, determined to preserve some of it. Now there are a couple of quick little sale locations that have popped up, so if you're a fan of Soror's work you'll want to visit—they seemed destined to disappear soon! Above I'm at Juanita Deharo's land in Tkachiev, where Soror has set out a variety of trees and plants (cam around—there are two levels), and there's a slightly larger display at Prism Lila courtesy of Oona Ra (again, several stories tall—take time to fly up).

As for my growing collection of Soror Nishi creations, I really don't know where to put all of it! I've dumped a lot of trees (dumped being the operative word, as I've made no attempt to landscape—there they are in the photo below) on a sky platform at Babele Fashion Island, but I'm not sure where their permanent home will be. If you're in the mood, stop by and gawk. :)

P.S. If you dig this shirt shouting out SL's new unofficial brand—Fast, Easy, Fun!—you can grab one for free at Boom. Thanks to Gogo for blogging that. (And I'm not even going to try to look so sexy!)

Thanks, Ex-Lindens!

It was a sad farewell party yesterday at Dublin 2 for those Lindens who lost their jobs last week. Touted as the "Ex-Linden Independence Day Party" and kindly hosted by Ham Rambler, it drew a throng of well-wishers. I wasn't there at the very outset and so I may have missed a few appearances, but was glad to see Aimee, Babbage, Byron, Lotte, Molly, Teagan and Teeple Linden pay a visit, along with Whump who came as Whump Stickfigure. A couple of older ex-Lindens also stopped by—Neuro Guillaume and Hamlet Au. (I'm sure there were some of whom I wasn't aware!) Bittersweet for many, I'm sure, and cathartic for me. (I found myself in tears at the end, silly as that may sound!) Thanks, all of you, for helping to build Second Life, and best wishes for your future endeavors. There are some more photos on my Flickr stream.

Greenies, but not for long

For a long time I had considered blogging about Greenies Home Rezzable, but then I'd think, "That's just so obvious. Surely everyone has seen Greenies already." Then came this past week, with the horrible and staggering layoffs at Linden Lab (see here, an article by Tateru Nino at Massively for the best take on that I've seen), and on top of that came the chilling news that Greenies was going to close. As Rezzable, the creators of Greenies, had already closed all their other SL sims, this wasn't entirely a surprise, but it's terribly disappointing—Greenies is a crown jewel of virtual worlds, and has been such a fixture in Second Life it seems a shame to see it go—it's really very upsetting. June 23rd looks like the death knell for Greenies in SL. But today, at least, people were still celebrating ... above I'm next to my pal Naxos Loon, dancing the time away with a prim on his simian head.

What, you may ask, is so cool about Greenies? You'll soon discover when you arrive, at first in a tunnel (above)—where are you?—that the Greenies are tiny little creatures that have been spacewrecked, but fortunately all survived and have ended up ... here. Turn your draw distance way up (at least 300 meters) and head down the tunnel, but even here begin clicking on things ... you might well discover some surprises! As you exit the tunnel, and find yourself in a small house ... well, hmmm, I shouldn't divulge too much, because as you exit the house you're likely to experience quite a shock.

But read on if you must. The shock is, as you'll discover, that you're in a house that's the size of a sim ... it is a sim actually! ... and that you're now about the size of a mouse—perhaps a bit larger than the Greenies, who seem alternately curious (releasing the bird from her cage or plucking the guitar string), mischievous (look under the sink (photo below) and in the drawers around the room) or unfortunate (ummm, the bottom of the iron, anyone?). The whole place can't help but bring a glowing smile to your face, and it's conceptually brilliant, just amazing. Down on the floor you will find what is surely the iconic symbol of this sim: the black cat suspiciously eyeing a Greenie.

Find the bottle rocket? The safe? Keep looking. There are often car races around the floor (watch out!) and some general craziness going on. (If there were a good candidate for the Linden Endowment for the Arts this would be it, but I'm not sure Rezzable, which has built its own virtual world, Heritage Key, would be too keen on the idea.)

Greenies is the kind of place where you can spend tons of time, and it includes many hidden away spots such as the one below ... can you find that one? If you head into the store, you'll find a ton of Greenies items for sale—mostly small things like little avatars and such, but also bigger works like the entire cat sculpture and the dollhouse, both of which have a proud place in my inventory. (It's important to patronize the arts, you know!) My outfit in these photos is a complete avatar from alpha.tribe called Monsieur Rousseau's Panther, with added hair from Helena Stringer's The Stringer Mausoleum (Thunderdome).

Nemo II Sneak Peek!

The incredibly industrious Sextan Shepherd, master of steampunk textures and creator of Nemo, has been quietly at work on a new project: Nemo II! It opens tomorrow, Saturday, June 5th, but Sextan was kind enough to give me a sneak peek of this great new place. It's on the same sim as Nemo, and exists largely above ground. Pictured above is a centerpiece of Nemo II, a massive new creation, the Nautilus—Captain Nemo's submarine!

Access to Nemo II is actually through the tunnels of Nemo—you can see above that Sextan and I have entered Nemo II in a mine, the Orichalcum mine. Orichalcum, an especially rare substance that—according to Plato—powered Atlantis, also supplies the energy for the entire Nemo installation. Trams lead you out of the mine and around Nemo II, and one of the destinations is the planetarium, crowned with a massive telescope (below). I can't give a landmark from Nemo II (no way to get there right now!), and I'm not going to post more photos yet, but when it opens you can find it by visiting Nemo. Enjoy! (P.S. Sextan said to me, "Then I will start to build Nemo III!")

Minute Papillon

Anyone who thinks magic can't be created with the 3,750 prims available on a homestead sim needs to head over to Minute Papillon, right now! This enchanted spot, the name of which might be translated as "little butterfly," is owned by Jade Koltai. Turn your draw distance up when you arrive, as the sim might remind you at first of the vistas created by AM Radio—a far off horizon of purple mountains and skies encircles Minute Papillon, and you won't catch the effect with your distance on the low side. The landscape here, mesmerizing fields of dried wheat, is beautiful and quiet, the chirping of crickets punctuated by the occasional hoots of an owl. The bronze, copper and russet hues of sprawling wheat fields give way to the darker earthiness of the ground in spots, out of which leafless trees rise. But that's not all that's here—there are signs of habitation, a few buildings and small structures dotting the sim, including something that might pass as a saloon, although its permanent inhabitants comprise a giraffe, a giant rabbit and an elephant. (Try climbing on them and clicking on everything else, too.) Far off in one corner of the sim is an apparently deserted chapel and graveyard.

Listen carefully and you'll hear other sounds ... off in the distance ... like a carnival ... and if you search you'll find the source. Incongruously located in the sim is something of a cave containing nothing less than a miniature amusement park, featuring very colorful little toy cars rides and flying vehicles (try them!). (I must admit that I had to clear out of there after a while because of the incessant amusement park music haha!) Every corner of Minute Papillon is lovely, and every spot the best of photo opportunities.

My outfit in these photos includes the New Yippie Orange top by Baiastice, Brown Suede Pants from Ce Cubic, Han Hana beads from (luc) fashion jewelry, and Real Toe Studded Wedge Sandals from J's (sadly not visible in the photos, but a nice match!).

Deadly Danielle

A couple days ago there was a post on New World Notes called How Do You Want Second Life Fashion Blogs to Improve? With such complaints as "little explanation why the highlighted fashion is high quality or original," I thought maybe I should dip my toe in the waters, as I usually post about places, there being so many good fashion blogs out there already. Cutea Benelli of Grim Bros. released this gorgeous skin-shape combination, Deadly Danielle, which is one of the most lovingly made creations I've seen. Blemishes, scars, burns, bruises and scrapes are treated with the utmost care. Although you can't see Deadly Danielle's ears in this photo (I'm wearing colorful curlers by June Trenkins), skin tones are a perfect match, and the skin shows virtually no seams. With Emerald's enhanced breast physics turned on, Danielle's shape makes quite a statement as she saunters along, especially if she's running or engaged in any kind of strenuous activity.

What I'm wearing:
Grim Bros.: Deadly Danielle shape and skin
Grim Bros.: desertsand grampas tank shirt
Grim Bros.: jeans green and blood
June Trenkins: Curlers / Lockenwickler :D multicolored
Wednesday Grimm: Cigarette (not shown in either photo, but she looks great with it)

(And yes, I'm just poking fun at all of us...but Deadly Danielle gets lots of heads turning and is loads of laughs!) ;)

The Abyss

The Abyss is a hauntingly beautiful sim: desolate, remote and atmospheric. It's in part a commercial establishment, the creative outlet for Khai Sinister's lovely skins, hair, clothing and accessories. But beyond the shop areas and the walkways lies an amazing city, and it's completely untouchable, at once representing something we can see but can never really experience. You can view it from the walkways and the windows, camming and zooming, but you can't walk or fly there: it's elusive and forbidden. (I found myself thinking of Invisible Cities by the brilliant Italian novelist Italo Calvino.) But I so want to visit it! ... to walk among those wild buildings, breathe the air out there ... so somehow for me it evokes a feeling of yearning, and I really can't think of a similar place in Second Life, literally a place I can see but cannot touch. (And what fun you can have with Windlight here!) Thanks, Khai, and thanks to Jamie Holmer at INDI Designs for listing this on her Beautiful Places in Second Life list.