Queen Annalea

As the head parson placed the crown upon her head in front of all the citizens in the arena, she felt its weight.. not just on her head but down her spine, running through her body, deep in her soul. As the chains were settled into place, the crenellated horns adjusted, the warrock tails thrown over her shoulders, she knew her lazy afternoon lessons, her idle needlework, her gossip and girlish pastimes—all were gone and over. That was another life and it was far behind her.

She gazed out into the faces of the thousands of people. Her mother, Queen Dendra, gazed up at her from the foot of the stage; her younger brother, Rance, watched her keenly. She thought about the death of her father, King Timmott, in the hands of the enemy.

The head parson announced, “All hail, Queen Annalea.”

The people cheered. “All hail, Queen Annalea. Long live the Queen!”

Our queen comes courtesy of June Dion, whose considerable line of inexpensive and amazingly rendered garments is an incredible addition to SL content. This ensemble, part of a set with several colors, includes sculpty belts, ties, and a beautifully textured skirt. Echoed through the garment are Asian motifs all jumbled up in a complicated but beautiful look fit for a young warrior queen.

My hair/headpiece comes courtesy of Tekelili Tantalus, whose unique vision provides amazing fantasy wear that includes incredible versatility with a built-in color-changing script that operates most elements separately. Look closely at his textures—they gleam and shine with depth of light and dark. Tek is at the Hair Fair this year, and he will be, without exception, the most amazing and fantastic artist there. Indulge in one of his pieces—they go beyond hair to art.

Her blue eyes locked with Rance’s eyes as the arena filled with the fierce chanting. Unspoken but agreed between them at that moment was that vengeance was inevitable and it would be theirs.

Hair: Ashtoreth – Black by Tekelili Tantalus for Tekeli-li!, available at Hair Fair 2011 *

Hair Base: AD hair base – black by Queue Marlowe for Analog Dog

Skin: :GP: Petal [Dark] Pout-Melancholy Baby 2 by Gala Phoenix for Curio *

Eyes: FASHISM ‘Sunrise’ Eyes – Blue (ML) by Ikon Innovia for FASHISM *

Outfit: :: B@R ::: CODE Qipao Blue by June Dion for Bare Rose

Boots: [NeurolaB Inc.] Activa Ankle Boots Black by Ono Zinner for [NeurolaB Inc.] *

Neptune’s Daughter

coming up for air
rising to a very new
somewhere
coming up for air
on the last breath around

~ “Coming Up for Air” by Patty Larkin

Another trip to the Mer Market sim at Fantasy Faire 2010, another opportunity to look beautiful. This time I find beauty with one of Goldenstar Sands’ RFL pieces. Offered as a Kimono set for a mermaid as seen above, a strapless (or topless) mermaid as shown below or as a human kimono, this lovely ensemble can take you from sea to shore in a snap. So you can choose modesty with the gorgeous kimono or a more revealing mermaid outfit.

Again, I show Tuli Asturias’ beautiful Sayuri skin, which I have been wearing non stop because I am so entranced by its beauty. It is really the first skin for East Asian women that I have seen that is gorgeous and fits well.

I show also hair and jewelry from two other Fantasy Faire participants. This updo from MissAllDaySunday Lemon is a gorgeous elegant addition to her fantasy line of hair styles. See a whole selection of beautiful pieces on the Avatopia sim. Jewelry is from Tekelili Tantalus, an incredible builder who is featuring creations on the Mer Market sim as well. I was able to change the colors of the shells, seaweed, and even the pearls on these earrings to colors I wanted. And there are MANY colors available in for these—buy one set of jewelry and get never-ending variations available.

Last but not least, let me mention another creator who is selling at Fantasy Faire in the Mer Market sim. I discovered Bibi Questi at last year’s Faire when I was building my underwater area. She (incredibly generously) sells boxes of entire underwater landscapes that benefit RFL. Based on her own trips to the Thailand coral reefs, Bibi started making her own underwater items. “I had had an amazing dive at East of Eden, a one hour long drift dive passing hard coral reefs, coral pillars, fish schools and the giant muray [sic] John with the sun shine falling through clear blue water,” she wrote to me.

Each box she sells for RFL contains.. get this… over 100 color-matched items for transforming your sand with plant-covered coral reefs, swimming fish, fusilades of fish, individual coral reefs, sun rays, and floating jellyfish. All you need is one box and it will transform your entire underwater with much to spare.

This is my own underwater area at my sim, to which I added a few more of her items. The box is CHOCK full. I can’t tell you what a deal it is and how imaginatively she has made her pieces. The fish are so colorful, the reefs so true to life and the jellyfish so remarkable, you can quickly and easily create an underwater scape with an overall color scheme that works. (Much better than buying individual pieces and then having a big hodge podge).

This is what SL is about: sharing our worlds with each other. Bibi has generously and beautifully brought her very amazing experience to share with all of us. Many of the pieces you see here are available in the Midnight Reef Package (blue, pink and seagreen). You can also get the Sunset Coral Reef package (warm orange, red, brown and olive green) or the Vulcano Reef Package (black, gray, blue and white). Get all three to benefit RFL and switch things out as your mood changes.

On the last breath around:

Hair: /Wasabi Pills/ Antigone Hair – Jet black by MissAllSunday Lemon for Wasabi Pills found on the Avatopia sim

Skin: []::Tuli::[] Sayuri tone 1 :: 03a by Tuli Asturias for Tuli *

Outfits: Festival Fan Mer Yukata (B/P) – Both (Combo) by Goldenstar Sands for Safe Waters found on the Mer Market sim *

Festival Fan Fish (B/P) – Just Mermaid by Goldenstar Sands for Safe Waters found on the Mer Market sim *

Earrings: Nereid – Earring by Tekelili Tantalus for Tekeli-li! found on the Mer Market sim

Seascape: Bibi’s midnight reef package v6 by Bibi Questi for Bibi’s Coral Reef Shop found on the Mer Market sim*

Warrior Woman

I like to feel my power in SL. I am not talking about social power or financial power or physical power—I am talking about my feminine power. It goes beyond sexuality to something deeper—the power of knowledge, acceptance and peace.

Teklili Tantalus has a good vision of power and complexity as represented by his otherworldly work. If you take a good look, you will see each prim is positioned perfectly, each texture considered carefully. The fit of the pieces on my avatar was damn near perfect (once I sized it up a tinch), which means Tek is building on the avatar rather than on a mannequin—no small task doing that. His work is a testiment to expertise and skill.

What is also terrific is that the pieces come scripted with metal-changing and gem-changing features. A whole palette of colors and color intensities can be chosen and typed in on command to change your piece from silver to black to purple to orange and mix them up.

Tricky Boucher’s Alyson skin, while seeming somewhat girlish on first view because of its freckles and very fresh skin and lips, still lends power to this look with the darkly shaded eyes and powerfully drawn body.

I also show Jesseaitui Petion’s tattoos here. He has been a leader in tattoo-making in SL for quite a while and with reason. He understands that not everyone wants a full body tat nor do they want a black and white photo. Sometimes it’s about replicating what will be meaningful and look good on a body. I wear three tats layered here—a celtic moon on the back shoulder blade (I *love* shoulder blade tats), a little Taurus symbol on my belly and tribal-style tats on my arms. You won’t often see me in tats but if you do, they will likely be his.

Finally this incredibly wonderful short hair from Komari Mai made as a set for the Crazy Arse Hair Hunt that is still going on. It comes with two other hairs that are more “crazy” than this one. This hair is short, fierce and excellently textured. Were it available in other colors I would gladly buy the fat pack. I am guessing it looks great on men too. Go FIND this hair before the hunt ends.

Girl power:

Hair: *BC322 Crazy Hair Hunt Seiren by Komari Mai for *BC322 Skull&Bones* Hair

Skin: -Belleza- Alyson PALE 8 by Tricky Boucher for Belleza *

Bra: Pohjola – Bikini Top (spine attach) by Tekelili Tantalus for Tekeli-li!

Bottom: Pohjola – Bikini Bottom by Tekelili Tantalus for Tekeli-li!

Jewelry: “Melange” by Tekeli-li – Full Set by Tekelili Tantalus for Tekeli-li!

Tattoos: AITUI TATTOO – Celtic Moon I (back), AITUI TATTOO – Zodiac – ASF Taurus II (belly), and AITUI TATTOO – Fire Fish Sleeves ::airbrushed:: /fresh/ III (arms) by Jesseaitui Petion for Aitui

Boots: BAX Prestige Boots Silver by Bax Coen for Bax Boots *

The Mind of an Artist

One has to wonder what lingers in the mind of an artist. We see snippets of it, reassembled, rearranged, reimagined in the works of artists who make sims and clothing and other things we enjoy in SL.

One such artist with a seemingly fantastic imagination and esthetic is Tekelili Tantalus. Creator of the Barony at Hollow Earth, which was loosely based on the books of H.P. Lovecraft, Tekelili has a deep artistic vision centered around strangely dark symbols and creatures, like the cthulhu.

So it’s no surprise that Tekelili’s women’s outfits show elements of a fantastic sea: starfish and tentacles, shells and fins. His vision is not quite like anyone else’s I have ever quite seen: his woman is a heroine and warrior from another world we have never envisioned but somehow understand.

His system pieces, texture work and prim work are particularly amazing. Nothing is delicate with Tekelili—his pieces are chunky and strong—even the fins seem pretty sturdy. But as you get closer, you see layers of intricacy and forethought, carefully rendered motifs studded with stars and swirls and suckers and scales, as shown in this bracelet. His textures are clean and clear, each prim is exactly where it should be. It’s technically great work as well as artistically—that makes all the difference.

It’s very hard to match Tekelili’s vision and mix-it-up. (In fact, he provides you with a shape and sells hair at his store.) I chose this very ethereal skin from Lorac Farella and a fantasy hair from Amesha Jewell (complete with tubing) to compliment the ensemble.

Wearable fantasy art:

Hair: : BC : Mezzanine (Blonde) by Amesha Jewell for Burning Chrome

Skin: Pulse Skin-Valeries T: Victoriana/Twist BLK by Lorac Farella for Pulse Skins *

Ensemble:  Calypso by Tekeli-li – Aqua/Tealgreen by Tekelili Tantalus for Tekeli-li *

Life in Another World

There is a whole universe of people in SL: the role players, the ones who choose to draw a distinct line between their real life selves and their online selves. Refugees of WoW or Eve Online end up in our multi-faceted, flexible and very fashion-conscious universe. They bring with them their fantastic aesthetic and attention to detail. And RPers are served the goods in SL—they always get the good stuff!

Take for example, Teklili Tantalus’ work. I first got turned on to Tek when I saw some of his jewelry in an Elven sim. Then I saw his great hair pieces at Hair Fair last year. Fast forward to this year, and through a fortuitous connection, we are friends!

Tek sent over one of his latest pieces—Alecto. Based on Tek’s extraordinary imagination and artistry, his line of fantasy wear is growing. His textures are luscious, his building skills exact, his user-friendly approach ideal. For example, in this set, you are treated to multiple pieces that have been adjusted for the right attachment points. You receive 4 staffs—for left and right hands, animated and not.

The prims fit like a glove. Tek explained that he had the AV mesh imported into blender and worked on the sculpts directly on it. He provides a shape but if your shape is not to the extreme, these will fit you as well. (They fit my shape perfectly.)

Check out the details in this ensemble—the buckles, the curvy metal pieces, the gems. The bra fits perfectly, the armor needed no adjustment. The building is flawless. (If you visit Tek’s store, make sure you check out the rest of the build. There is an incredible cavernous world outside the store.)

You get a variety of armor under which you find the spectacular system pieces (notice how I am getting more naked as this blog goes on…?) I was blown away by the system pieces. Not a seam. Only the best ripples. All hand drawn artistry. Amazing!

I am wearing one of Pulse’s new fantasy skins. Lorac worked on these as a request from a customer and ended up with a brilliant set of skins—not just drow but several other colors (including a delicious Martian green). I topped this with hair from another brilliant creator, Helyanwe Vindaloo. Her extensive collection at Deviant Kitties is for the adventurous fashionista. With her incredible textures and creative and sexy hair, Helyanwe sets the bar high. This style is funky and elegant all at once.

Bringing the sexy back to RP:

Hair: Misty – Silver by Helyanwe Vindaloo for Deviant Kitties

Skin: Pulse Skin-Rebirth/The Drow 2-The Dream by Lorac Farella for Pulse Skins

Eyes: Pulse Eyes/Poe by Lorac Farella for Pulse Skins

Outfit (including staff and boots): Alecto by Tekeli-li – Red by Tekelili Tantalus for Tekeli-li!

Sea of Love

We have lingered in the chambers of the sea
By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown
Till human voices wake us, and we drown.
~ from “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot

A very nice person came up to me at SLCC and initiated an introduction—Opal Lei. I was startled—I am so often out of it, especially when I am just finishing a presentation or trying to figure out what to do next (there was a lot of that going on at SLCC for me). My brain was not functioning. We had a nice talk but didn’t really connect until she contacted me in world.

Opal IM’d me today about something else. After I spoke to Opal and had a great conversation with her, I ran over to her store. I was amazed. Opal has some incredible and fun stuff in her Mer Betta line.

This beautiful mermaid outfit comes with flowy tail fins and chest fins (which are not shown here). Opal includes system pieces that fade into the skin, making the wearer truly look like a mermaid. I used EmeraldEver Cline’s very inexpensive (150L) mermaid AO, purchased on xstreetsl.com.

I completed the look with pieces from my friend Teklili Tentalus’ collection. Nereid has a clever script that allows you to change the colors of each of the different elements of the jewelry—shells can be one color while pearls another. Each piece of jewelry is exquisitely made, in Tek’s typical fashion. You will see more in my blog from him—I am blown away by his work.

Shot on location in Night Swimming.

“I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each..”

Hair: Exile Love Song auburn by Kavar Cleanslate for Exile

Skin: Pulse Skin-Valeries T: Sienna/Citrus by Lorac Farella for Pulse Skins

Mermaid: Mer Betta Halimede Red Halfmoon v3c (v) by Opal Lei for Mer Betta

Jewelry: “Nereid” by Tekelili Tantalus for Tekeli-li!

AO: Em’s Preloaded AO Hud of Mer Animations by EmeraldEver Cline for Em’s Mermaid Shop By The Sea