Victorian on a Happy Mood Bubble

Dress by Ivalde

my faerie shape

Spring fae's face is one of my favorite creations. I love her. Skin is Sidhe, by Skinthesis.

Victorian Lady with Peacock

At Eternal Promethea

Spring Fae at New Trail

I just love playing fae, and exploring SL. It's my favorite thing to do, very satisfying.

Spring Fae loves her job

Being a part of everything new and tender, she just loved being Spring Fae, and realized how silly she was to avoid her work. She sang to the baby flowers and called out to the hibernating creatures in her soothing tones.

Vixens' Paradise

I stumbled upon this delightful little secret grotto filled with gently trickling streams and pools of water. There are loungy pieces all around, and butterflies rising up from the sandy floor. Very relaxing. I was inspired to throw together this little peacock jumpsuit. IM me inworld if you want one, FREE for reading this blog! Vixens' Paradise is the name of this lovely spot. SLURL here.

Seasonal Faerie Conference

Winter Fae came off holiday to brief the tardy Spring Fae on the goings-on of the Metaverse. "You'd better get busy," explained Winter Fae. Spring Fae started thinking about how cute Winter Fae looked when she was serious. She began to daydream, and wondered when the conference would be over.

Spring Fae worried

Spring Fae worried, originally uploaded by xanna ziskey.

Here she is! Spring Fae 2009, being transported in a crystal ball by Wood Sprite, who came to fetch her when she did not show up in time for spring. Spring Fae is worried, and rightly so, that she may be punished for her tardiness.

Go, DeeDee!

DeeDee DeepDene is one of my favorite boudoir photographers on Flickr, and I was delighted to hear she'd opened her own pose shop. Her shop is very pleasant, and I love that her holorezzer vendors will temp rez some props that go with her pose that you are trying out. Very cool and a very good way to really see how the pose works. If you'd rather not see the props, just wait; they disappear and then you can see yourself in the pose, unadorned.  In this unedited photo below I am posing on the display and that's DeeDee's picture on the same display.

Immersiva, the sim

Midriff Sweater - Freesia

Feelin' free in Freesia, the newest color at XanMade sweaters, for ladies in midriff length, half-sleeve. Transferable. L$35.

Midriff Sweater - Pretty Pink

Wearing my newest midriff sweater, this color was so popular in long sleeves I decided to put out a spring version, so here it is, cropped, Pretty Pink, with half sleeves. Not out yet, because logins are closed, but it'll be out ASAP! 

Just in!! New Cropped Sweaters for Spring!!!

Here are a few of my new sweaters, just in!!
Cute midriff skimming loose fitting sweaters
perfect for a breezy spring day. Now in
Wheat (below), Dutch blue and Celebrity Celery (above). More colors coming all the time!!!

At XanMade in Hanbok

Homesick

Wood sprite kept hearing about a place called "RL" and she decided to check it out. She arrived on a bleak road with no one about. Yuk, she thought. Why do people keep coming here? Wood sprite could not get back to her dear Chakryn forest soon enough.

Oh, why not...

In Second Life: 6pi 173.84.28 - alirium gardens & fall into decay

Bub Linden spotted, EEEEK!!

I was flying through the treetops of Chakryn when I encountered this horrible-looking Linden. Yes, they do exist!!

Wood sprite at Chakryn light sculpture

The light sculputre at the edge of Chakryn forest is such fun. I filtered this shot through paint daub in PSCS4, a nice filter for fae.

Dangerous Waters

Sometimes Second Life inspire me to mimic the girlie pinup artists of yesteryear. This was shot at Dream Jumbo Island K, and has a WWII Pacific feel to the place. The windlight setting is Sailor's Delight, one of my favorites.

SL Underwater - Summer Seale

Zero postwork. I captured this underwater at Summer Seale, by the glowing steps. Wonderful fantasy build and fun shops there.

XanMade Sweater - Bay Breeze Blue L$35

Jill in SL New England modeling my latest sweater, Bay Breeze Blue. At XanMade in Hanbok.

Underwater Abstraction

I love the imagery in Second Life, particularly when captured from underwater. This one is of a fantasy build at Summer Seale sim.

my pinup: Miss February 2009

Bird Costume by Four Yip

Man, I just love this thing.

Fun in a Fro

I love this "Dawg" demo cycle but I never could get it outta the dang water. Like my lion slippers? They come with a color change hud for each part. Very grooveh. By FireEyes Fauna.

Happy Mood grotto

It doesn't get much more magical-faerie-grotto than this little hideaway at Happy Mood.

The Amazing Four Yip Bird Costume, free

Four Yip created this amazing bird outfit. It's another one of her I-can't-believe-she's-giving-this-away freebies. Look her up and TP to her funky shop on MO Island.

"I could have danced all night..."

"I could have danced all night..." here is my created-in-Second Life tribute to America's beautiful first lady, Michelle Obama, who looked absolutely radiant in a dress that looked a bit similar to this.

Let's Have Coffee!!

I just love the idea of doing slightly naughty pics in SL and captioning them, kind of like the good ole pinups of yesteryear.

XanMade Sweater

Here is my favorite sweater model, Jill (a shape made by me) checking out a new recreation area called Wolf Creek Mountain. It has beautifully appointed cabins to rent, riding trails, lots of peaceful natural scenery, and a security system that is effective against intruders yet manages to be welcome to visitors (one from Hippo). Jill is wearing my sweater in a new color "Pretty Pink." To get to my store just search me inworld, Xanna Ziskey, and TP to my store through my first pick in my profile.

No, no Michelle!

Michelle Obama is resisting sweet treats until after the inaugural ball. Must keep that lovely figure fit for the big event. This Irish coffee at ARIA home design is hard to pass up, though.

Fab freebie picked up at the Peace On Earth (POE) hunt. This from Debutante, many pieces. Cha!

Winter Fae at Wintermute

Hey! Lemme outta here! I have to get to Winterfaire!

December 21! Happy Winter Everyone!!

Winter fae is feeling very chuffed coz this is HER Day! It's officially winter! Happy winter everybody!! This is shot at Wintermute, on the ReZoNe sim.

Winter Fae at Wintermute

Winter Fae riding Toby through the magical winterland of Wintermute. This place has all the wintry wonder you could possibly want; I've only started to check it out.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/ReZoNe/211/61/36

Ski Sweater - Cafe Mocha

Cafe Mocha





My latest ski sweater for sale at Hanbok
L$35. Copiable. No mod. No transfer.

Art Merchant?

Thinking about setting up a small gallery to sell mildly erotic art. Only works created in Second Life would be shown.

I LOVE WINTER IN SL!!!

Caledon Westmoreland 93.194.24

A wonderful lonely little ice pond, perfect for winter posing alone. This is my favorite winter outfit, Vanilla Strolling Dress by Ske Qi.

Thought for the Day

Sometimes, when you're feeling your lowest, the real you is summoned.

And you understand, maybe for the first time ever, how grand you are, because you discover that vulnerable doesn't mean powerless, scared doesn't mean lacking in beauty, and uncertainty doesn't mean that you're lost.

These realizations alone will set you on a journey that will take you far beyond what you used to think of as extraordinary.

There is always a bright side.

Don't disguise your tears, don't hide your sadness, don't be afraid to find out who you really are. Because in those fleeting moments you'll summon beauty and strength.

The Universe

Paraphrased from www.tut.com

Magritte Fantasy eyes by Four Yip

Thinking about Second Life

The magic is everywhere in SL, and you don't need fancy tools to get it. I just put up this canopy bed in a snow cave at my home, and this image is caused by the wind blowing the sheer flexi panels across my face. This photo is completely unretouched. The only postwork I did was to add my credit and the black outer canvas. It's even cropped using the inworld width and height controls on the camera. To see larger go to my Flickr page.


Location: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Caledon%20Tanglewood/8/27/25 my home. Welcome.
Shape: Mine, "Dancer," to be released Spring 2009.
Hair: Phoebe Splash series in purple from Analog Dog
Eyes: Magritte fantasy eyes, fabulously free from the creatrix extraordinaire, Four Yip
Skin: free in a pack available all over the grid, I got mine at Lingerie by Hollee
Windlight: default sunset
Earrings: from Untold Quilt
Catsuit: part of a new ensemble called "Celebre" that Sachi Vixen dropped on me, more on that later.

What is it about SL? (20 hours plus only)

After spending the better part of this afternoon organizing the Second Life photos I have posted on Flickr, I had to ask myself just why I'm so addicted to finding The Next Cool Photo in SL. Just what is it about this new art form that can find me chained for hours to my computer, switching between Photoshop, Second Life and Flickr.com like some sort of person possessed.

I live with a "real" artist, someone who works with paints, brushes and canvas. He knows about SL, and used his experience as an architect to make some very commendable builds in Guksu; nonetheless, his time spent in the Metaverse is a tiny fraction of the mondo hours I while away on the grid.

It's lonely, I think, the life of the SL creator.

While my artist-husband doesn't disparage my time in SL, he is not particularly interested in my digital doings. Occasionally one of my photos grabs his eye, but I get much more feedback from those that are similarly possessed, my contacts on Flickr.

And, on the chance that the similarly possessed ever read this blog, I'd like to throw a question out there....just what is it that is so compelling about taking photos in this realm?

I have a theories as to why SL photography grabs me, but to keep this short, I'll rattle off phrases for now: new art form, creative community, creative control, the possibility of financial gain, showing people a new world, showing people how cool SL is.

How about you? If you spend 20 hours or more a week in SL, I'd like to know why you find it so compelling, especially from a photographer's standpoint.

Second Life (TM) New England in Winter

I just love Second Life in winter. This is Saltaire, in SL New England.

Go here!

This beautiful winter wonderland is the perfect place to model my new sweaters! September Mckinney has done one amazing job here. I swear, you will feel cold when you arrive! I've only just started to explore. I could not get past the landing point for all the pics I was taking. Here is the slurl, http://slurl.com/secondlife/Fyre%20Maven/149/155/39f

SL WINTER 2008

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Fyre%20Maven/149/155/39f

Sweaters for sale!!!

Sweater maven, hear me roar! Setting out my new improved sweaters. L$35 for each sweater, men and women. Lots of nice autumnal shades and more coming every day.

Another fine president from Illinois.

Election Night funnies

It's okay, Barack, imitation is a form of flattery. Really.

Obama Victory Dance

Obama cut loose with a victory dance in Second Life at the unofficial Obama headquarters.

Sneak Preview Boots: Wugges, by Rowan Carroll

Xanna Ziskey models Wugges in leopard print. At She's So Unusual Shoes coming Thursday. Topped off by one of my Xanmade sweaters, this is the cropped version in Cafe au Lait (at Xanmade in Hanbok, TP through Xanna Ziskey's picks-"Sweaters.")

Ooooooooo These leopard Wugges (Like Uggs, but with a wedge, you see) are only available in sneak preview but you will not have to wait long, and it's a good thing in SL we deal with unlimited supply because I think Rowan Carroll has really hit the jackpot with these beauties.

Longtime owner and creator behind She's So Unusual Shoes, Rowan is often hanging out in the Fashion Emergency chat. FE is a Second Life group inworld that solves all your shopping problems, and so much more. She laughingly once referred to her store as the Payless Shoes of SL, and if you are saving your lindens you owe that place a visit.

But she's into a higher level with these boots. What's not to love. Especially, cough, since they look so amazingly perfect wtih MY sweaters, cough, cough, cough.

But enough about me. These cute lepoard boots fit perfectly right out of the gate. The texturing on the leopard bits, in the fleece trim and even on the soles, is flawless.There are two parts to the boot, so you adjust the calf portion up or down depending on your leg. She has cleverly designed the joining edges with a lot of play. For anyone who has missed the dance because she could not properly edit her boot tops, this is a welcome relief. These puppies are pretty much a snap to wear. Start at foot size zero, slap on the foot base, then the shoes, then the tops. Maybe slide the tops up and down a bit, and voila, it's party time.

For those of you accustomed to prices of L$1000 and up for quality Shmooze, um I mean shoes (wink), you better sit down: these boots cost L$195 a pair.

Each pair is transfer, so you can start dropping giftie hints to your significant other NOW. They are available in 14 colors/patterns Tiger, Zebra, Giraffe, Cow, Leopard, Brick, Navy, Moose, Sand, Shell, Olive, Grape, Rose, Granite.

Available for sale Thursday evening when she send out her notice to Fashion Consolidated. FashCon is an inworld SL group for announcements of new fashion creations and fashion news, an essential group for designers and serious fashion shoppers.


Disclosure: Rowan dropped these on me free, as well as a pair of rose ones that I have yet to write about.

Autumn Dreams Ball invitation, 2008

Oh those Caledonians, they really know how to throw a party. I received this wonderfully executed invitation. So impressive, I've left it on my lawn for all to see. Hello Autumn!

Windlight play

A Windlight setting I've developed. I call it "All Cylinders."

I'm Here For the Magic

I've re-landscaped. Now I have a charming fae seat. I've made a little clearing. In the center is this "Magic Stump" created by Cargo Kidd, that I bought at a store on some Japanese sim, the store is "Sweets Party."

You sit on the stump, and these adorable animals, the little squirrel with the acorn, and the bluebirds, magically appear. Sooooooo charming. TP to the Magic Stump through my pics

"Bodice - White and Red" is from Lingerie by Hollee. This charming ensemble truly has to be seen up close to catch all the lovely details. Typical tight panty legs, Hollee Dion takes great care to deliver a panty with as little smear on the inner thigh as possible. Little ribbons drawn on to the back of the thigh tops. Eyelet lace trim around edges, but my very favorite detail is that the white background also has white flowers embroidered into it. Just lovely. Perfect for my Swiss Miss!

Sometimes certain items of clothing inspires me to go places. This "Bodice, White and Red" set comes with strapless bodice, embroidered thigh tops and lace-trimmed triangle string panties. The white is actually embroidered white on white, a very subtle detail, and the red embroidery and lace along with it reminds me of elements of traditional Swiss dress. I thought it would be fun to pose in a Swiss setting, and this chalet in the alps was just perfect.

Lingerie by Hollee

Now with SLURLs all over the place, blog-reading can be dangerous to your linden count. I was innocently following some blog trail about SL ezine consolidation when, BAM there I was in the middle of a lingerie review. SLURL to a new lingerie store, well new to me, called Lingerie by Hollee. O.o.

Buying lingerie that I don't need is one of my favorite indulgences. It's vvvvv purdy. Grrreat panty that has very little inner thigh smear, even in spread leg poses. Nice embroider-over-sheer effect. I really did have to restrain myself.

Feeling glamorous and girlie in this gorgeous confection of a dress by Ava Lu. Playing with Windlight settings in the sky and water.

Windlight, getting better

Has anybody else noticed that the new default version of Windlight is MUCH nicer?

So, maybe Windlight is not so bad. The worst thing is probably the way it distracts me from going about my business. I'll be in the middle of building when I'll see something that would look just beautiful in the, say, Barcelona setting, so I stop, pose snap...sigh...it's like living inside Photoshop.

Here I've started to play with the water settings, as well. I thought the horribly named "Plague" setting looked good in the background with this the skirt of this very beautiful dress by Ava Lu, available at Paper Couture in the Tableau sim.

Nautical Peep.

I love this chick avatar, created by SALA Loon. I bought it from her store in Tiny Kingdom. "Peep" is on a nautical bent of late, and enjoys posing with this boater hat.

Demon of Buddhist Hell.

Buddhist Hell

Buddhist Hell???? Who says Second Life isn't educational. This sim is chock full of bone-crushing demons, panic, rivers of fire...you get the idea. What really makes it are the little damned souls with crudely drawn faces and pubic hair running all over the place hysterically screaming. So much going on, so many details, and not a texture shimmer in sight. One of the most imaginative, well-built sims on the grid. I first heard of this on Torley Linden's blog. I was intrigued by his experience at a Buddhist Hell Theme Park in Thailand as a child. I guess the whole thing is a bit like the Western horror and haunted house stuff we get around Halloween. But Buddhism/hell? Who knew???? Defintely worth a visit.

Virtual Obama awaits.

"Gee," thought virtual Barack, "maybe the campaign doesn't know I'm here. I've sent them an email. Well, perhaps if I start doing silly things, they'll notice. " VO began to rifle through Xanna Ziskey's inventory. "Hey! Can I borrow this clown nose and tutu?"

I love my new hat. Elegant Hats, at the Ivalde sim.

The Wheat Field, as most SL fotogs call it, is still one of my favorite places for shooting. I seem to be in old home week, visiting some of my fave sims in new clothes and shapes.
Edwardian tea dress: Ivalde
Hat: Elegant Hats at the Ivalde sim
Shape: my Miss June

SLang Life magazine investor pulls out

I just received this email from the folks at SLang Life magazine. It was a wonderful endeavour, and as a subscriber I will keep all four magazines. I'm sorry to see them go, and I hope somebody else takes up the idea of a physical reality monthly magazine dedicated to Second Life. It was very relaxing to get information re SL on paper, rather than the omnipresent computer screen.

This is the email I received this morning:

We're very sad to announce that our investor resigned from financing the magazine. In these circumstances we are forced to suspend magazine activity until we find a new investor.

We would like to warmly thank all of you for being with us for the last 6 months, both as our readers and the community visiting our island. Working for you was a great pleasure and an amazing adventure.

We would like to bid good-bye with you properly. That's why we invite you for the last concert on SLang Life island - 10 July 2008 at 10 AM (SLT).

Thank you once again,
SL'ang Life team

logo.gif

Virtual Obama

Virtual Obama stared at the picture of his real life counterpart. "Hey! Over here Barack! Come on into Second Life! I'm ready for ya!! Just email xannaziskey@gmail.com.

Introducing Miss Mediterranean

Miss Mediterranean is very pleased to finally be let out of the box. You'll find this newest shape at my boutique in Hanbok, just TP through my picks. She is modifiable and copiable. I also give you a locked backup in case you mess up the one you change. AND I am now including skirt shapes, so you can wear a dress without that huge posterior area.

I'm pleased to see SL shapes beginning to move away from Barbie mania, and I'm pleased to be part of the wave toward more Eastern shapes. I'm finding this whole shapemaker life to be absolutely fascinating. One may ask, why buy a shape? Well, just look around. My shapes take a long time to evolve. There are 75 sliders each with 100 points in the shape-making software. There are billions of people in the world, all looking different. I live with each shape in many different situations before I put it out for sale. I take photos from every angle, try different poses, lighting, backgrounds, hairs and so on. It's the only way to see if I am creating a shape with staying power.

Celebrity shapes are even harder, because the finished result is already out there, and you have to match it. Barack Obama took me months to develop. He has a very, very unique shape, and it took me forever to find the proper skin.

I can only imagine, as I struggle with some of the software limitations, what future shape-making tools will be like. Ahh, to be able to muscle the calf without bulging the thigh, and so on.

Happy shape-shifting everyone.

Real Life Engagement!!

A break from Second Life, sort of, to announce my engagement, in physical reality, to the love of my life, Brett Laumeister. He asked me to marry him two nights ago, on my 49th birthday, and I said yes!!! Happy days!

Life without Des.

How will we cope? What shall we do?

Caledon: South End sim opens

JJ Drinkwater pays his respects to the lovely and talented Hypatia Callisto.

Caledon: South End sim opening.

From left: Virginia Tombola, Xanna Ziskey, lovely lady in purple...help with id please!

South End, Caledon, sim opening

From left: JJ Drinkwater, Guvnah Desmond Shang, Hypatia Callisto, Xanna Ziskey, Virginia Tombola....and unidentified pumpkin.

Caledon South End opens!!

How exciting to be among the first to see Caledon's newest sim, South End. Still a work in progress, South End joins the ranks of Victoria City and Penzance as a classic town sim with little extras. Beautiful texturing by our own Hypatia Callisto, who braved the opening whilst in recovery from an auto mishap.

Sunburst 223.93.23

What a pretty residential community this is. Oddly, there was a pose ball situated atop the water wheel, enabling you to walk on top of the wheel and turn it. I tried it out, kinda fun.

What I Think of Windlight

Miss June in direct sun and with the sun behind her. The default windlight sunset setting makes the building and the avatar a garish orange. But when the sun is behind the avi, you get nice skin tones and natural grasses and buildings.

Windlight first came to my attention a few months ago when I began to see breathtaking sky and water shots out of Second Life on Flickr. I did not try it out until it came with the mandatory new version, figuring I'd let the rest of the eager beavers be the guinea pigs. By the time I downloaded the latest version of SL I'd heard all the accolades and whines in group chat about the pros and cons of Windlight, and I was curious to see for myself. My first impression was not unlike that of Sun Marseille, who quickly sought the moral support of the Fashion Emergency chat group when she first viewed Windlight. Her reaction and the group's response express a lot of what I want to say about Windlight, and I've reprinted excerpts, with permission:
4] Sun Marseille: hi all.. ok I just downloaded the latest version of sl... and I look like crap. My skin is horribly shaded and yes i use 2 facelights and im all orange.... help!
[23:35] Sidonie Larkham: turn off atmospheric shaders ...
[23:35] Sai Pennell: go to muse and get her (Caliah Lyon's) notecard on the windlight settings. :D ... or do what sidonie said XD...
[23:37] Solaris Okumura: You can download Caliah's preset here - http://secondsoigne.wordpress.com/2008/04/10/optimising-windlight-for-avatars-20/... [23:38] Sidonie Larkham: the first look at yourself in windlight is scaaaary lol
[23:39] Sun Marseille: ya i was tangerine ...
[23:39] Solaris Okumura: I hope they fix it eventually....the sky and water look nice, avatars looks like ass....the tradeoff with Caliah's setting is the environment doesn't look as nice, but the avatar looks good
[23:39] Solaris Okumura: Even turning them off doesn't keep you from being orange [23:40] Sidonie Larkham: if you turn off basic shaders too it does ...
[23:40] Solaris Okumura: I love a lot of things about windlight, but avatars looks horrible ... [23:41] Sidonie Larkham: well and lets be realistic, very few places in the real world look like post cards, i fail to see why sl shoul dhave *everywhere* looking like a post card, that's hardly *realistic* ...
[23:42] Sidonie Larkham: yeah, i'm not saying it wouldn't be nice to have something closer to windlight than the way it was
[23:43] Sidonie Larkham: but, they've gone way too far imo... **************************************************************************** In summary, my bottom line? Yeah, you can do a lot of pretty things with it, but the current implementation is awkward and time-consuming to set up. I don't know anyone that likes the current default setting. It's great that I can tweak my own atmosphere to my heart's content, but I have not found a way to save my custom, preferred sky setting to default. Therefore, every time I log into SL it takes me eight clicks to get to that setting.

Also, the window configuration is way too cumbersome. It's annoying that advanced sky, advanced water, draw distance, and day editor require four separate windows to view at once. It stands to reason that anyone tweaking one interface will probably want to tweak the others simultaneously.

Another problem is that the sliders have no digital option, and a small increment can make a big difference in the atmosphere, so one has to sweat over the mouse, jerking the slider back and forth until you hope it lands in the desired place. A workaround is simply to activate the day cycle and stop it when it gets right, but that is still not as precise as entering digits.

Now, I'm as intrigued as the next person by all the fun sky presets and the like, and have spent already way too much time playing with them. I am not entirely negative about Windlight. It's sort of like having Photoshop in the air and water, but I think the user friendliness must be addressed, and since SL already puts off many with its long learning curve, I wonder if this added layer of controls will in fact act as another barrier to the Metaverse.

Another intrinsic problem is that now builders and clothing designers have no idea what each individual avatar is seeing. So, which setting to design for? It seems that sim owners should be able to dictate how people are seeing their builds. Perhaps these are things that the community at large will figure out in the long run. I would not object to landing in a place and being forced to see it as the builder intended.

As it stands now, I feel that the freeform use of Windlight is something akin to colorizing a movie. People are seeing things that the creators never intended them to see. I'm very curious to hear others opinions and workarounds, and I'm still looking for a group in world that is dedicated to exploring and living with Windlight.

Miss June, closeup.

My Miss June shape will be available at Hanbok very, very soon, I'm just putting together the final box for her. I wanted to create a petite, classicly pretty shape that would fit in well with Victorian or earlier period settings, but that could also walk down the beach feeling confident.. Here she wears Starlet earrings in platinum and silver by Indyra.

At Versailles. 119.16.40

"Oh, take my portrait if you must, but make it quick will you, the champagne is getting warm." Miss June, my next shape for sale, takes a spin around Versaille in period dress.

Frolic in a raindrop, by Four Yip

Wheee these raindrops by Four Yips are available free in the NPIRL (Not Possible In Real Life) Garden of Earthly Delights, a Four Sim extravaganza of remarkable builds. I put mine over my property and my best SL bud the extraordinarily beautiful and talented Suzzanna Shackle joined me for a raindrop dance. If you want to play in mine, just go to the southwest corner of Caledon Tanglewood and look above the trees. All gentle souls welcome.

Rezzable Explore 191.113.817

These entire four sims are devoted to NPIRL (Not Possible In Real Life) builds.

Miss Mediterranean

At Mykonos, wearing Armidi Bombshell hair in pomegranate.

Miss Mediterranean lounging seaside.

This elegant multi-piece swimsuit, skirt, sarong set is called Nadia, by Nikki Ree.

Miss Med models in Mykonos

Pretty ballsy to put the physical reality picture next to your virtual version. I have never actually been to Mykonos, but from the pics he appears to have replicated this place very well. (XanMade Miss Mediterranean shape to be released soon.)

Mykonos

Miss Mediterranean gazes across this must-see recreation of Mykonos. She feels very much at home here. This is the best use of mixed real photos and virtual textures in SL I have seen. Still under construction. Yes, even though it's incomplete, I declare it a Great Build.

Mykonos, Second Life

Miss Mediterranean gazes at her beloved sea from Mykonos
(Sweet Mermaids sim)

Kokopelli Stage Oz Party, Steelhead

The costumes at this party were very imaginative and faithful at the same time. Here, classic tin man and Neko Glenda the Good Witch, or Hotspur O'Toole and Lumina Elvehjem, as they are usually known. Thanks, Krystine Quinn for the IDs! From the Friday night Oz party, 9 May 2008.

Krystine Quinn

Krystine Quinn has the most adorable Dorothy outfit. She said the Toto dog in the basket actually barks! At the Friday night Oz party, Steelhead 220.65.27

Searra Weatherwax casts a spell on you...

Steelhead hosted a rockin' Oz party Friday night. Here is Searra Weatherwax looking positively wicked bwahahahaha

Enjoying the view.

Love my new cabin, created by Sarah Nerd. Still not sure about Windlight. More on that later.

Great Build

This Roman build on Guksu is really coming along.

Sea Nymph

There is a gorgeous coral bed near the ship at Purgatorio, so I morphed into a sea nymph and cavorted. SHAPE: my Miss May shape (sold at XanMade in Hanbok, tp from my profile). HAIR: Phoebe in Sky from Analog Dog. SKIN: Skinny-dipped Alabaster from Gala.

Purgatorio 131.32.43

I finally visited this highly recommended build, Purgatorio. I'm usually put off by places that require you to read the rules and put on a costume while visiting. I just ignored all that and wandered around in my angel outfit. It's a roleplay capture sim, but nobody bothered a sweet lil angel. Still much to explore here.

Miss May

Isn't she lovely? My newest shape, Miss May, is a normal-proportioned avatar. Healthy size, busty, full lips and shapely legs. Looks outstanding in lingerie. I give you one modifiable shape and one backup locked shape. I also throw in a free skin (not shown) and a style card so you can see exactly how I get this look. Now for sale at XanMade in Hanbok.

I shot this on location at Wim Wendt's roman build on Guksu. Great place for fashion photography, because there are a few elegant backgrounds all in the same place: the roman build, the Blueberry gallery and Mise van de Rohe's Barcelona Pavilion. Here are more pics of Miss May on my flickr site.

Machinima to sell skins!!

The Abyss is a cool place to go, whether you are shopping or shooting. I wandered into the skin store and found machinima pieces embedded in the vendors! I was wondering when merchants would get around to using machinima to promote their goods. Looking at the top photo here, the little image left of the word "Sol" is actually a moving image. The model walks and twirls and shows off the skin.

Idea? Cool. Result? Hmmm. Actually, I got more info looking at the vendor's photos of the skin than I did from the machinima piece. While I think it's an interesting idea, it might work better to promote other things. A machinima piece of a beautiful ball gown flowing on the dance floor, for example, might show a potential customer something about the dress that can't be captured in a still shot.

Pick Promotions

Here is another attempt by a vendor to get avis to post their location in profile picks. This policy reads: BabyDoll Babes in the store are randomly looking at avatar profile picks to see if BabyDoll' is listed. If it is, you instantly win 15L! Come back often, and bring your friends! The daily pot is set to 300L.

Now, 15L seems pretty paltry to sacrifice a pick. Not to mention that you may do so for nothing, since the awards are random and simply based on whether or not your visit coincides with one of their employees. I don't want to slam BabyDoll's, because their clothes are adorable and they have an awesome freebie lingerie set, but I don't think I'll keep them in my picks just on the off chance that I'll get 15 lindens.

Advertising Techniques

I've seen this a couple of times now, and it's worth noting. This is the kind of thing that makes the difference between an SL savvy merchant and a merchant who is simply applying physical reality advertising rules to Second Life.

This sign was at Nirvana, a fabulous place for quality and fantasy gardening needs. If you keep their store in your picks they pay you 50 lindens. Brilliant idea, win/win for everyone, especially newbies who don't have their picks filled up anyway.

(this update added after Silver's comment)
I'm no software expert, but I saw a JVA system for L$1500 on SL Exchange that takes care of the details. I don't have the system, but from the ad copy I deduce that the AV must have the pick for a month to get paid. Now, Linden Labs has had the capability for some time
but as far as I know the info on how many avis are listing a location as a pick is priviledged, or too complex for me to determine.

I went ahead and tried this, though, and lo and behold if I didn't get 50 lindens the next day when I went back to click the sign, per the instructions. And I'd only had it in there for a day, not the stipulated month. I'll keep it in there, and see what happens. I would have Nirvana in my picks anyway, so I lose nothing.

SL'ang Life - SL's First Physical Reality Magazine

Those of us heavily involved in Second Life are accustomed to the mainstream media ballyhooing the latest "First" event or product that involves our beloved virtual world. Usually, it amounts to a lot of public relations hyperbole representing relatively little.

But the SL'ang Life physical reality ("pr") magazine managed to precede my awareness of its existence. Indeed, if there was a media buzz at all I sure missed it. I stumbled upon SL'ang Life's private island sim a few weeks ago. There I found a link to their online site, where I signed up for their free magazine.

I had almost forgotten about SL'ang Life when two copies arrived by mail last week. I received the first and second issue at the same time, and have spent the last few days poring over both of them. For simplicity I will use SL names when referring to the magazine's contributors.

This considerable undertaking, launched by Zigi Bury and his small, mostly Polish, hard-working staff, is quite a feat in itself. While info in cyberspace about SL abounds, articles in good ole paper and ink newspapers and magazines are harder to come by. I have not read any full length books on SL, because given the lag time between writing and publishing a book, I imagine that most SL books are obsolete to all but an SL newbie by the time they hit the shelves.

A magazine, though, that is updated every month or so, now that makes sense to me. For those us with hand numbness due to excessive computer time, being able to delve into SL happenings away from the keyboard is a welcome relief in itself. And heck, it's free and delivered right to your door.

The Look of SL'ang Life

Very slick, appealing, familiar magazine layout that reminds me of Time or Newsweek. Sensible categories like Economy and Entertainment define the table of contents. The articles in SL'ang Life incorporate ads, category banners and jump quote boxes that give a very professional first impression. Art Director Robert Dresler (no SL name) knows the way a magazine should look.

My two magazines arrived in different envelopes. The premiere issue's cover story is "Homo Avatarus,"accompanied by a typical SL/pr portrait, and that issue arrived in a clear plastic wrapper. The second issue was in the sort of discreet envelope that is usually reserved for girlie mags, presumably because its cover screamed "sex," with a leggy avatar clad in thigh high dom boots and little else. I do appreciate the modest envelope. I share a mail table with a neighbor or two and heaven knows what sort of "second life" of mine they would have suspected had they seen that cover!

Inside SL'ang Life

As I settle in to look at the magazine more closely, I find that though it could use a bit more editorial polish and control, SL'ang Life is brimming with an enthusiasm that is very appealing, especially in light of all the "SL is Dead" mood I've read about lately.

The magazine is published in Poland and a bit more work is needed on English grammar and spelling. I would like to see some sort editorial decision on how they are going to identify people. It's awkward to list both names, i.e. "Mary in RL, MaryMae in SL" at every mention of someone. I would also like to see consistency in how they refer to physical reality. First life? Real life? PR? Same goes for inworld. In World? On the grid? Choose one and stick with it. I believe these sorts of decisions are theirs to make. Being first means you get to set the standard, if you dare.

The errors would so easily be caught if the articles passed under another set of eyes before going to print. For example, this punctuation is from an article on the Seven Wonders of the World in the second issue:"...which enable & sustain community." Perhaps "&" replaced "and" because they were at the end of the page and ran out of space, but this is a novice fix to getting the print to fit the page and it results in less than a professional impression.

Other minor errors include misspellings that spellcheck won't find, like "bases" instead of "basis." Some of the English translations are tortured beyond the point of comprehension, but I hesitate to give the magazine black marks. These kinds of mistakes are forgivable for the first issue or so from a staff whose first language is not English. This is easily fixed. We'll see.

SL'ang Life does a good job of offering an array of articles that target various levels of SL expertise. In addition to eye-candy fashion spreads and basics on SL manners are in-depth tutorials and site reviews.

I found Ayumi Cassini's detailed texturing articles under the Developer Manual heading are of enormous help and chock full of info for the mid-range builder, like me, who is ready to crank it up a notch. Ayumi Cassini is the mastermind behind Magic Nook, a delightful store packed with her eclectic creations. I was pleased to discover she is a talented instructor and writer as well content creator. Her articles are detailed, easy to read and blessedly free of spelling and grammatical errors.

I'd say they need to check facts a bit more. I was pleased to see Caledon's Victoria City listed on one of their top five lists, but the small accompanying blurb was wrong on a few counts. Caledon is now comprised of at least 30 sims, not 12, and to sum up this impressive collection of navigable sea sims, railroad systems, airships, forests, libraries and communities as a place that is "mainly shops selling gowns and other items of clothing" is really missing the point of this orginal 19th century roleplay community. Having said that, perhaps Caledon needs to be more cognizant of what the main entry point to their independent nation state has to offer at first landing.

All in all, I'd say SL'ang Life is one piece of mail that you'll be happy to get. The sign-up for the free magazine is short and painless, and remember, kids, it's absolutely free.

Happy paper page turning!

Dreaming of spring.

How to Find Cool Places in Second Life

This art gallery (Ginsburg 194.224.36) is fun to visit and has several huge spacey balls that are fun to play and pose, or just relax, in. Erotic art is the specialty here and I saw a tasteful mix of SL and RL nudes.

How I find cool stuff in SL

1) See somebody cool. Look at their profile, go to their picks.
2) See something cool. Right click and choose edit. In the first tab of the edit window you can see who the creator is. Click the blue profile button next to the creator's name. In their profile, check out and teleport to their picks.
3) Explore the SL photographers on FLickr. If you see cool places, go find them yourself.
4) Join groups that have the same interests as you (search>groups>yourinterest. IM the group when you are in world and seeking something specific, or just to see where like-minded people are going.

*singing* "The hills are alive....."

Agatha found this lovely meadow at The Falls.

Going over the mental checklist.

I'll be away from the blog and the Mighty Metaverse for a week or so visiting my family. Keep exploring!

What a nice rug.

Something about this design caught Barack Obama's eye as he wandered through Second Life after his Iowa win.

Overjoyed to be Caledonian. Dancing at Home.

In Second Life I wandered homeless at first. There were always plenty of quiet corners, plenty of empty houses to enjoy. But, soon the land bug bit me; the urge to buy sumptuous home furnishings and plants just became too much to resist. I wanted to landscape without getting dirty. I wanted control over my environment, even if it was only 512 square of environment. I wanted to have to learn about media controls and ban windows and access permissions. Besides, I wanted a private place to change my clothes. Tired of strange guys approaching me in mid outfit change. Around this time I stumbled upon Caledon.

Caledon is unlike anything else in SL. Now numbering over 30 sims, Caledon is a Victorian role-playing society. Polite behaviour is encouraged, and there are people from all over the world represented. We have teas, balls, lectures. We have dressmakers and horses stables. We have Steampunk and airships. We have pubs and libraries and churches. We have huts and stately mansions. We dance, we gossip, we build, we create, we shop, but mostly, mostly gentle reader, we flirt. Like mad. Arguably the home of the most double entendres in SL.

So, back in early 2007 I joined the Caledon chat group and waited with terrible anxiety for land to open up. You can't just march into Caledon and buy a plot. It's a bit of a process. Finally, my sim was ready, and in one hectic afternoon of mad messaging I swooped into Governor Desmond Shang's (fondly known to all as Guvnah) mansion and claimed my plot in Tanglewood Forest, then the newest Caledonian sim. March 10, 2007 Ziskey Grove was born.

The plaque you see on the tree is a founder's plaque, given to the first inhabitants of a new Caledonian sim. They are not modifiable, copiable or transferrable, and are quite prized. I've been known to stand drooling with envy on porches that display as many as four founders plaques.

Today Guvnah informed us that spring comes very early to Caledon this year, January 15th, so I am enjoying the winter scenery while I can. I twirl at home a lot, and here I am again. This particular twirl was inspired by the announcement that the train from Kittiwickshire to Tanglewood is now running both ways! Hooray! It stops right in front of my plot, which is usually a rather lonely corner, so I'm quite excited.

HAPPY 2008 EVERYBODY!!!

Xanna Ziskey wishes all of her gentle readers, in whichever of her of her realities, an extremely splendiferous 2008, indeed. A toast (Veuve Cliquot or sasparilla, take your pick) to the good times ahead!

Winter Fae with Frog

Well, I guess if nobody's looking...oh, ok, I'll kiss ya.

The Rose Pose

At the bow of the Titanic.

Winter Faerie at Full Moon

A morning moment of winter peace.

Winter Faerie resting at Dar's Grove 202.21.70 in Tanglewood Forest, Caledon

Introducing my newest avatar, Winter Fae

I finally put together my Winter Fairy outfit. I finished it off with a free skin from L'Oreal. I picked up at Greenies, one of the Rezzable (TM) builds. Fly to the purse on top of the big chair. The free skins are in the cosmetics in the purse. I will probably critique the skins in detail at some point, but for freebies they are pretty decent.

Agatha riding in the snow

Agatha took Toby out for a lovely winter ride. Here we are at my neighbor's ice pond in Kittiwickshire.

Agatha by the fire at home.

My Home Now

This is my home for the time being, I change it with the seasons. Open to all gentle souls, come warm up by my fire and watch my slide show, or give a twirl around my ice pond. I'm hardly ever there, I hate to see it go lonely! SW corner of Tanglewood, Caledon of course.

Agatha

Agatha is one of my Victorian avatars. She is a bit whimsical. Here she is executing a fine skating move at the Lovely Ice Pond in Caledon Kittiwickshire. The ice skates she wears are free at the pond.

Spellbound Woods

Winter Wanderings

This skin is Julie-Pale, from Adam and Eve

The Spellbound Woods sim has wonderful winter things for your home, but if you are one of the happy homeless it's still fun, as it is set up as a scene rather than a store. Great place to show off your cute new winter clothes. Some expert building here, sculpties too. Very tasteful. Lovely complete cottages for sale.

So snowbunnies, know that you can pick up some nice cuddly sweaters at my store, XanMade in Hanbok, L$19 in several lovely colors. xxXanna

Howling Lessons

"Okay Xanna, your stance is good, but you need to throw your head back and open your mouth, like this." Xanna is having a ball exploring this year's winter sims. Here at Spellbound Woods I found some arctic wolves, who were kind enough to give me some howling lessons.

Stratos Penguin Families

Oh these lil guys are so darn cute I just want to take them home!!!

Chilling with Friends

Another amazing build from the Rezzables. This is an arctic sim, apparently meant for driving, but I couldn't get past these adorable guys.

Betty and Star

Xanna Ziskey as Betty Grable atop the Retrology Welcome sign.

Slice of Betty

Vamping under the Retrology welcome sign.

Atop the Retrology Welcome Sign

The sim is great and the sign itself is fantastic, perfectly weathered and textured, peeling paint and all. Do go over and take a look at the sign up close as you wander through the excellent shops here.

Miss November in The Morning

Miss November can be a bit grouchy before coffee.

Steaming it up at Killing Moon Cafe

Things got steamy when Miss November visited the Killing Moon Cafe, part of the new Retrology sim. Great textures in these cafe chairs, check it out.

Miss November at Retrology

Miss November wants YOU to check out the Retrology sim. THE place for pinups and their fans.

Miss November Orange Sky

Miss November yellow sky

Miss November awaits.

Miss November at the water's edge.

Miss November with yellow ferns.

It's so nice to be wearing lingerie out of doors.

Miss November loves yellow leaves.

Miss November loves yellow leaves.

Miss November dancing after a land purchase.

Miss November 2007

Relaxing at Tol Eressea

Xanna relaxing at Tol Eressea, a peaceful Lord of The Rings themed sim, full of lovely quiet corners and magical details.

Azulia with Greenie

Azulia habla espanol! Here she is with Greenie listening to David Bowie.

Everybody Chill Out!!

Azulia tries to stave off a violent incident. Azulia and the spider are avatars, the rest of the scene is static.