Friday, July 31, 2015

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: War

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STORYLINE:  "Carmine Zuigiber turned and stared at the bodies surrounding her as if she hadn't the faintest idea of how they came to be there. She licked a spatter of blood -- someone else's -- from the back of her hand with a scarlet, cat-like tongue. Then she smiled. And she walked out of the bar, her heels clicking on the tiles like the tapping of distant hammers. War goes where the action is. Or more accurately, the action finds her. She's fine with that.. She gets bored after a few hundred years or so, so it pays to keep things interesting." - Good Omen on Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse - WAR

*sings*
War! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing! Say it again.... Oh yes, I couldn't let the month slip by without serving up this saucy angel of the Apocalypse. She's one of the many brilliant characters in the comedic novel, Good Omens by the Neil Gaiman, and the late Terry Pratchett. If you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend it. It's a great summer read. And it's also the theme of this month's A Tattered Page. Better hurry like it's the end of the world, today is the last day. Hop over here for a nice shopping guide. Shown above are the War Shoes by Pale Empress. These heels are awesome with chains, skull, and bullets. The exclusive red is at an awesome price at 95L! The leggings by Foxes are also a great deal only available today in Fifty Linden Friday. From this summer's past round of ROMP is the Commander's Jacket and cap by AP.PAREL. Sadly right now it doesn't appear to be in the mainstore location, hopefully it will in the near future. It has an great latex effect in materials. This jacket is made for the guys, but War had no problem wearing it. From Tableau Vivant is the Hortensia hair on sale at the new Gladiator round of Secret Affair. The sexy expression for War is thanks for the cool Julia mesh-head gacha by Genesis Labs over at Kustom9. It comes with the mesh head, hud for eyebrow color change, eyes, ears, teeth, applier for slink hands and feet (but not the slink body), Maitreya body, shape, and default skin. The makeup can also be won on the gacha. The bullet garter is actually a repurposed Gunslinger Armband by Sax Shephard Designs. The FATEplay Willow's bullet belt is on two places, across the hips and chest. To get the bullet sash, I rezzed it as a prop. A year ago, Schism Industries closed it's store and offered all it's anime-inspired prim based weapons for free. As far as I know, it's no longer available inworld. The Raven Motorcycle one of the excellent creations by Sau motorcycles. It has all the features of the Sau motorcycles, an original mesh design, and the frame and body can texture change.

On her, WAR:
Shoes: Pale Empress War Shoes, red color exclusive [mesh] (A Tattered Page)(95L)
Hair: Tableau Vivant Hortensia hair [mesh](Secret Affair)(250L)
Jacket, hat: AP.PAREL Commander's Jacket and cap Carnal  [mesh](no longer available)
Pants: Foxes Leggings - Maitreya - Leathers [mesh] (Fifty Linden Friday)(50L)
Garter: Sax Shepherd Designs Gunslinger Bullet Band Armband Black [mesh](399L)
Head: Genesis Labs Genesis_Head_Julia_2.0_Sexy [mesh](Kustom9)(99L)
Makeup:  Genesis Labs Genesis_Head_Julia makeup vamp [mesh](Kustom9)(99L)
Belt: FATEplay Willow Belt - Dark [mesh](400L)
Hand feet nail applier: Senzafine Moonglow Full Color - Vintage Reds (125L)
Hands: Slink Avatar Enhancement Hands - Casual [mesh](450L)
Feet: Slink Female Feet (AvEnhance) - High [mesh](675L)
Weapon: Schism Industries SHENLONG Light Machine Gun v1.02.63 (no longer available)
Motorcycle: [sau] Raven [mesh](1980L)

Saturday, July 25, 2015

The Sunset Run of Fenni the Frail

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STORYLINE: Fennimore was tired of being picked on. He knew how to defend against the Dark Arts, he just wasn't fast enough to deflect. His girlfriend from Hufflepuff suggested he try out for the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. "It will do you good, Fenni. Help improve your reflexes." Grudgingly "Frail" Fenni accepted the Quidditch team's challenge: Deliver a scroll before the sun sets. Of course it's never that easy, the members of the team would do everything possible to distract, throw him, lead him astray, or trap him, whatever it took to stop his Sunset Run. "On our mark..." Fennimore put on his goggles. "...Set"  He tightened his grip on the broom. "... GO!"

The delightful Wizarding Faire has returned to the Mischief Managed RP sim and it's bigger then ever. There are products and gachas to tickle your magical whimsies. Shown above is the new FATEplay Quidditch team outfit for Ravenclaw. You can even get it in blue and silver, or by-the-book blue and yellow. The outfit includes cape, pants, shinpads, sweater, and a flyable broom. It comes in male, female, and child sizes. BUT that's not all! For the first time I have seen in SL is animating clothing! The cape will begin to flap when you fly. (Check out the gif animation of it below.) To the outfit I added the FATEplay dueling gloves. They come with a hud to change the texture, and open or close the hands. Also from FATEplay is the Evans Ravenclaw scarf. It comes in male, female, and multiple draped positions. A fun gacha item from the faire is the Strike-It Scroll Case bag.  From the Men Only Monthly is a brand new cool hair from Ayashi, Ryo. It comes in Hiro head with expressions from Genesis Labs. It's FREE! It comes with two skin tones, elf ears, 3 eyes, and multiple facial expressions. Just head over to the Genesis Labs mainstore and pick it up. Have fun shopping and exploring the beautiful Mischief Managed sim, the Wizarding Faire ends soon! ....Oh, and one more thing, Apple Fall has a FREE Mandrake gift in their booth.

On Him, Fennimore:
Hair: Ayashi Ryo hair - whites [mesh](Men Only Monthly)(250L)
Broom: FATEplay Swiftwind - Original [mesh](Wizarding Faire)(100L)
Cape, Pants, Shinpads, Sweater, broom: FATEplay Wright - Eagle [mesh](Wizarding Faire)(400L)
Bag: STRIKE IT- 7 Scroll Case Bag, gacha [mesh](Wizarding Faire)(75L)
Scarf: FATEplay Scarf - Evans - Male Eagle [mesh](250L)
Gloves: FATEplay Duelling Gloves - Scripted [mesh](350L)
Piercings: Haus of Darcy Dark Winged Facial Piercing - Silver Lining [mesh](Tengoku no Rakuen)(75L)
Ears: Mandala Unisex Simple Ears [mesh] (297L)
Googles: COCO Homme_Steve'sGoggles_Black [mesh]
Head, skin: Genesis Labs Genesis_Head_Hiro_1_2 [mesh](free)

Location:
Mischief Managed RP

Monday, July 20, 2015

Birth of a Reaper, 3

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STORYLINE: No one knew exactly how Dr Oliver Conray escaped. It was no surprise they only half-heartedly searched for him, since they were glad his ominous presence was gone. The janitor on the nightshift however claimed to have seen the whole thing, but since she was elderly no one listened to her. She said a ghost lady in fancy clothes came to see the doctor. She could barely hear their conversation, picking up only bits and pieces. The lady was had been a former patient. She apologized for not telling him she was terminally ill. It was the real reason she rejected his marriage proposal. Without another word, she released the doctor from his bonds. Waiting for them outside was a ghostly carriage pulled by a team of spectral horses. A dark hooded driver helped her inside. For a moment the doctor stood there as if he was uncertain what to do, then he climbed in the carriage behind her. He hasn't been seen since.

So many awesome things going on this July, even two events to escape the sun's rays. lol. Genre's Underworld theme, and a Tattered Page's - Good Omens. I loved this book! It's so awesome. I highly recommend you pick it up. Shown above is the dress for prophetess Agnes by Senzafine. It's richly textured in browns and blacks and was perfect for my lady in the Reaper series. From the Underworld theme of this month's Genre, is the awesome Vampire Queen Statue by Entity. Don't walk, run go pick this up! I love it! Adding a spooky charm is the Spirit Flames by Papermoon. They come in several color, 1 li, and hover up and down. Another fun item I picked up is the Eclipse Noir long coat by Vengeful Threads. The hair I am wearing by Tableau Vivant is available at Hair Fair. TV is debuting new hair textures at the Fair, and I love the shine on them. It's so hard to find white hair that doesn't look flat, and the new TV textures definitely do whites well. The hat by Harm's Way can texture change on the hat band, feather, and card. The gacha goodies I used in image are the Luxurious Fur Coat by Curio Obscura, The Tinkerer's Glasses secret prize from Contraption's first music box gacha, the fur stole by Junbug, and the Victorian Gothic rose hat and Crystal cross jewelry set by Devious Minds. If you love DM's jewelry as much as I do, don't miss the badass necklace on sale there at Genre too, it drapes over the back. For both the Ghost Lady and the Doctor, I am using Ikon eyes, and the Fallen Gods Pure Ivory skins from Wayward Carnival. ...It might surprise you guys to know I am playing both characters in this picture. They both really show my aesthetic nicely. I love how this turned out. The Hades and Persephone myth (and it's many forms), is my kind of story.

On Him, Dr. Oliver Conray:
Hair: Tableau Vivant Ten hair male [mesh](Hair Fair - Blond)(250L)
Under coat: Vengeful Threads - Mens - Eclipse Noir [mesh] (Genre)(99L)
Coat: Curio Obscura Luxurious Fur Coat Black, gacha [mesh] (100L)
Glasses: ContraptioN The Tinkerer's Glasses, gacha [mesh](no longer available)
Hat: Harm's Way Top Hat texture change [mesh] (99L)
Eyes: IKON Deadshine Eyes - Quicksilver [mesh](150L)
Nail Polish: By Snow Fashionable Black applier for Slink hands (1L)
Hands: Slink Male Hands [mesh] (450L)
Skin, Slink, TMP Appliers: Fallen Gods Pure [xy] + Ivory (Wayward Carnival)(660L)
Head: TheMeshProject (BETA) Head(m) - Anime (Deluxe) [mesh](5000L)
Pose: Del May DM - Belonging (150L)

On Her, The Ghost Lady:
Dress: Senzafine Agnes Dress - Surprise Brown [mesh](A Tattered Page)(250L)
Necklace, earrings: deviousMind VictorianGothic Crystal Cross Necklace, gacha [mesh](75L)
Hat: deviousMind VictorianGothic RoseHat, gacha [mesh](75L)
Hair: Exile Full Of Grace, naturals [mesh](280L)
Stole: Junbug Fur Stole - Silver, gacha [mesh](30L)
Lip: WoW Skins Arisa LipGloss (99L)
Lashes: FTL Eyelashes - C01 Natural (280L)
Eyes: IKON Charm Eyes - Brown [mesh](150L)
Gloves: Adam n Eve Lace glove applier slink (150L)
Hands: Slink Avatar Enhancement Hands - Casual [mesh](450L)
Hairbase: Amacci Hairbase Tattoo 2 (free)
Skin, Slink: Fallen Gods Pure [xx] + Ivory (Wayward Carnival)(660L)

Setting:
Ghost Lights: Papermoon Spirit Flames,1li [mesh](Genre)(65L)
Statue: Entity Vampire Queen Statue, 6li [mesh](Genre)(100L)

Location: 
Genre - Underworld

Friday, July 17, 2015

Birth of a Reaper, 2

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STORYLINE: It all began with a confession. The young Dr. Oliver Conray confessed to his priest he wished for someone to die. "My child, it is sin to wish ill on another, especially from a healer of the sick, however it is human to have such thoughts in a moment of weakness. If you ask for God's forgiveness it shall be forgiven." "No," Oliver continued, "you don't understand. She did die." The good doctor was driven mad by this tragic incident. He developed an obsession with death. He frightened his friends and family with claims he could kill with a mere thought. He gave up his practice and stayed away from all people for fear he might kill again. They found him at home one day in a pool of blood. He had cut off his own legs. He claimed it was offering to Death to undo his crime. He was soon committed to Blessed Virgin's Home for the Mentally Insane.

Have you been to ROMP yet? Today is the last day to scoop up the many tantalizing goodies at sale prices. There is a lot of nice things for the guys. Above is the Salt and Pepper corset with shirt for guys. You can get it without the corset, and it had a hud to change the shirt color, corset color, metal, and piping. It comes in male and female. Also from ROMP, is the Cuffed Ring by CLAVv, and Chains set by Swagga. The pose, shackles, and ceiling hook are by Rack Poses. The hook has seven cool poses in it. To trigger the particle chains that connect to the hook, first wear the shackles and then hop on the hook to pose. The jail cell by N4RS is also on sale at ROMP. It's 9 LI, texture changes on the walls, comes with props, and comes with single and adult poses for MM and MF. ... From the Wayward Carnival is this beautiful Pure skin by Fallen Gods. It comes with appliers for Slink, TheMeshProject, Omega, Soul Uniear, and Lotus. The legs by Contraption you can get at The Mens Department. One of my favorite hairs is Urei by Argrace. I can't get enough of hairs with nice movement in them. The nails are By Snow. By Snow has moved to a new location but you can get the new link below in my style card. And thanks to Akira for the help on the hook pose!

On Him, Dr. Oliver Conray:
Skin, Slink, TMP Appliers: Fallen Gods Pure [xy] + Ivory (Wayward Carnival)(660L)
Shirt, corset: Salt and Peppar S&P Corset ben with Shirt [mesh](ROMP)(399L)
Ring: C L A Vv. Cuffed Ring Black (Steel)  [mesh](ROMP)(150L)
Chains, collar: SWaGGa Chains Set [mesh](ROMP)(299L)
Legs: Contraption Classic Leg Prosthesis *gunmetal* Fitted [mesh](The Men's Department)(150L)
Hair: Argrace Urei - White [mesh] (250L)
Nail Polish: By Snow Fashionable Black applier for Slink hands (1L)
Hands: Slink Male Hands [mesh] (450L)
Pants: Lapointe & Bastchild S'Wear "Biker "mens leather pants (199L)
Head: TheMeshProject (BETA) Head(m) - Anime (Deluxe) [mesh](5000L)

Setting:
Pose, hook, chains: RACK Poses RACK Poses - Captive Hook [mesh](ROMP)(150L)
Jail cell, props: N4RS prison cell [mesh](ROMP)(2199L)

Saturday, July 11, 2015

Birth of a Reaper, 1

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STORYLINE: A wandering woman in fancy garb stopped dead in her tracks. She had no care that she was in the middle of a busy cobblestone street. She had just seen a frightful sight. There, before the Undertaker's shop was a scary looking man in bonds. "You," she glided towards him. "It's a faint memory, but yes. Yes. I do remember your face. You were dear to me. Why do you look so horrifying? What happened to you? Why are you in chains?" His dazed eyes looked towards her. They flickered like candlelight through the Mutoscope. "I am cursed," he moaned pitifully. "I have committed a terrible sin." As if to demonstrate, he lifted his straightjacketed arms and rattled his chains. She was taken aback. "Well surely, it can't be that bad." She made a gallant effort to sound cheerful and dusted the cobwebs off his shoulder. "Tell me what happened."

ROMP Fair Summer is in full swing, and among the interesting items you can pick up is the new Contraption straightjacket. It comes in male and female, lighter and gunmetal color, fitted mesh version with arms unbound, and one with arms wrapped up. It's wonderful and I am so excited to see Contraption making clothing now. The Leg Prosthesis also by Contraption are on sale at The Men's Department. They are fitted mesh so you can scale the foot to any size you like, and adjust the thickness at the upper thigh. Also at ROMP is the fun Chains Set by Swagga. It comes with boxers, and fits for the default avatar and The Mesh Project body. In the background is an awesome new release by Death Row, - The Funeral Hearse. It comes in new and old styles. There is a hud to change the textures on seating and the curtains. It's 15 land impact, and loaded with poses for singles, and couples, plus an adult version. The top hat and monocle are from the Death Row outfits gacha from last month's Arcade. The Flourish hair is by Magika, and works great on the guys and under hats. The Flesh Eater teeth are from [ni.Ju]. They come in clean and bloody, open and smile. ... I was really inspired by all these awesome new goodies. Part two of the Birth of a Reaper will show some more goodies from ROMP. You can read more details about ROMP Fair Summer here: https://rompfair.wordpress.com/

On Him, The Reaper:
Chains, collar: SWaGGa Chains Set [mesh](ROMP)(299L)
Straitjacket: Contraption Gainsley Straitjacket Unbound *gunmetal* Fitted [mesh](ROMP)(250L)
Legs: Contraption Classic Leg Prosthesis *gunmetal* Fitted [mesh](The Men's Department)(150L)
Hair: Magika Flourish [mesh](250L)
Eyemakeup: Lovely Disarray Haunted Souls : Eye Shadow (140L)
Pants: Lapointe & Bastchild S'Wear "Biker "mens leather pants (199L)
Teeth: [ni.Ju] Flesh Eater Teeth [mesh](50L)
Tatoo: [ni.Ju] Hime-yu blush (no longer available)
Eyes: Clemmm Ghost eyes (130L)
Hat: Death Row gothic male Hat, gacha [mesh](no longer available)
Monocle: Death Row gothic male monocle, gacha [mesh](no longer available)
Skin: Tableau Vivant Ryan - Sent to destroy 4 (Boystown)(no longer available)
Pose: Le Poppycock Ain't 2 proud (35L)
Prop: Death Row funeral hearse - old, 15 LI [mesh](pg 550L, adult 899L)

Location:
Port Babbage - Noctis undertaker

 

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Headhunters of Danger Island

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STORYLINE: Every year vacationers flock to the South Pacific to relax among the swaying palm trees and crashing waves on white sand beaches. But not every island relishes tourists. Islands like "Danger" got their name by honest means. The natives of Danger Island would rather stick a head on a pole than a little parasol in a Pineapple Daiquiri. Some places just aren't worth loosing your head over. 

The Arena is back! For those new to The Arena, it's A Male Only Fantasy Event produced by the same folks behind the wonderful Fantasy Gacha. There are lots of cool new original fantasy creations just for the guys, don't miss it!  Shown above is the Headhunter kit by Swagga. It comes with a cool claw necklace and shrunken skulls back staff. The kilt is also by Swagga, The Outworlder Wrap. It comes in sizes for the default avatar and The Mesh Project. It was not problem getting it to fit the Niramyth Aesthetic mesh body. The Bone chair throne is by  Pucca Firecaster. The Awkward hair by Magika is a style that can totally work on a guy. The eye makeup is by Lovely Disarray.

On Him, the Headhunter:
Necklace, Staff: SWaGGa The Head Hunter - Necklace, Spine [mesh](The Arena)(249L)
Kilt: SWaGGa OutWorlder Wrap [mesh](249L)
Hair: Magika Awkward [mesh](250L)
Eye makeup: Lovely Disarray Haunted Souls : Eye Shadow & Left Tear (140L)
Lip: WoW Skins Arisa LipGloss (99L)
Oil: NMJ Group NMJ BodyOil Male Tattoo Ver1 (150L)
Eye: IKON Sovereign Eyes Field [mesh] (150L)
Skin face: Tableau Vivant Alyx Skin - Tone 07 - no brows (990L)
Body: Niramyth AESTHETIC - Foot, Hand, Lower Body, Upper Body, Skin [mesh](2799L)
Prop: Pucca Firecaster Bone Throne - bloody [mesh](350L)
Pose: yzk mens pose2-7 (10L)
Poses: oOo Studio Circus Contortionist poses

Location: The Bay



Oh, by the way, Notice anything new? *flexes muscles*

I got a new toy, the Niramyth Aesthetic Mesh body. It's available as a trial until the full release some time in the future. It's fitted mesh, comes with a matching head, 2 skin tones (for mesh and default avatar), a skin tint hud with alphas for the body, a mocap AO, eyes, several hand pose options, body and face hair options, and clothing layer jeans and tank tops with a bonus developer kit for tattoo and clothing. It will take Omega appliers for clothing but not skin since Niramyth has a different UV map then the default avatar. You can detach the upper or lower parts to fit regular clothing, and there are mesh clothing items coming out that are shaped to fit it's body. There is no demo since it's still under development. Updates will be send to all who buy the trial.  ... Another interesting thing I found is tattoos can be full bright and glow. Nails can be tinted darker. The skin has materials to enhance the veins and texture. It's a beautifully created mesh body with attention to detail and realism. I do have one complaint however, the skin. It's amazingly detailed but has a flaw of excessive contrast, imho. (by that I mean the shadow areas are too dark and it creates a "dirty" look especially sides of the torso and on the lower legs which are much darker then the upper body). I found adding a tint to the body helps tone down the brightness of the highlights. That means best looking skintones start at medium and go darker. Fantasy colors really look great. But sadly, there are no possibilities for vampire or an undead look, its just too dark for that. However, the good news is there will be skin add-ons you can buy in the future, and even new mesh heads. (I hope there will be 3rd party skin appliers too.) To get my Tableau Vivant skin to match the Niramyth body I used a lot of fancy tricks like: tinting the mesh body darker, adding to the face tattoo shadow, a tattoo skin tint, eye makup, and then highlights for the face and lips. ... Also, You can wear the The Mesh Project Head with the Niramyth body, however I found it far more difficult to match the skins between the head and body.

While chatting on plurk, pose maker Olaenka wondered how the different male bodies would pose. So I did a pose test. Shown above are straight no-frills screen caps of my character in: the Default male, The Mesh Project male, and the Niramyth male. The Circus Contortionist poses for the pose test are provided by oOo Studio.

UPDATE: I emailed the designer of Niramyth Aesthetic Mesh body with some questions. Here are his replies:

1) Will there be 3rd party skin appliers? 

    We are trying to finished up the system of the first version body (Enzo and Smith) then we will provide the "complete" devkit for HD-skin (HD-skin is what we call our skin template) for skin designers and modders to work on skin appliers for our bodies. We are going to make normal size body with less muscularity look and they all will share the same skin template as the current version body.

2) Or will there be a pale option for vampire/undead/japanese style? (and how long is the wait?)

    That could be possible. If the body is finished then the extra skins will not take long. I think I can make that in a week or couple weeks (after the devkit is finished) but it will not be only me to be able to make it.

3) Will new mesh heads include expressions? (Men desperately need an expressive male mesh head.)

    That could be possible as well but it will need little more time to develop it and it will not be a free update because it is a completely new story than the mesh body.

For more information about other body shapes in development, mesh heads, and other add-ons, go to: http://www.niramyth.com/#!version-updates/c9mn