Colour Challenge 40 - Amaranth

^V^ Amaranth ^V^

By some strange quirk of fate, I have chosen a vampire for both pinky-reds to come up in the challenge so far - although this shade is much pinker than Cadmium Red. The only reason I vamped out this time was because I had just stumbled upon a fantastic vampire skin by Chaos, Panic, Disorder. I didn't know the store - I just thought I'd try a couple of hunt stops and liked the sound of the store name on the list. When I got there, I saw these skins, which come with a shape (I used my own) and prim ears, for a very low price. I am a huge Buffy fan and this skin is very reminiscent of the vampires on Buffy and Angel, with that scary predator vibe that most vampires just don't pull off (everyone is too used to the sight of fangs). The store is really worth checking out for their other items, some winter ice skins and lots of gorgeous gothic jewellery at fantastic prices.

I don't have too much pink stuff in my hoard - I have said this before - so the dress was a welcome discovery. I have no idea where it came from, as the creator doesn't list a store on her profile any more. The lace at the hem was pink, but not quite the right shade, so I admit I tinted that a little, and I actually prefer the dress with this warmer shade to how it was originally. I had to reuse the shoes I wore for Persian Rose, because the dress cried out for this style of pumps and - again - pink issues... Accessorising for the cute pink!goth!vampire was a cinch, with a mod hat whose feathers I could tint, and finally I got to wear my new mesh hair from elikatira - they were having a 70% sale and I bought two styles and a fat pack of boots, because I couldn't decide on the colour, which made me feel both guilty (14 pairs of boots!!) and accomplished (for the price of 1, or 2 at the cheapest comparison). I tried tinting the hair entirely pink but it looked far too much like a bubblegum Barbie, so then I tried tinting the mesh faces with the very happy result pictured.

Finally I wandered around looking for a suitable photo location as always... There is a whole region called Vampire on the mainland, between the regions Good and Evil. You can imagine the sorts of builds residents in this area have made. In fact it was amusing, because vampires, lycans, humans and hobbits were all sandwiched in together and I can imagine some pretty intense turf wars going on, though everything seemed very orderly and serene. I loved this set of ruins in somebody's back garden, not quite a graveyard but it has the same sort of feel a vampire would find homely, and the poppies were a wonderful bonus, almost the same shade as the challenge colour! It's impossible to see anything properly at night, let alone take decent photographs, so my vampire had to venture out into the light of day - but she kept to the shadows and used her magic Skelebrella to keep the sun off. And besides, sunlight is a lot less damaging to vampires than rumour has it... ask Dean Winchester if you don't believe me! (You really can. He's my RP alt ;)

^V^ Credits ^V^

Location: House of Belvedere in Good (private parcel owned by PennyWise Bracula, visitors seemingly welcome as there was a tip-jar)

Windlight: Magic Hour

Striking Poses Lisa Kudrow (dollarbie) pose

Chaos, Panic, Disorder ~ Lady Nosferatu skin & ears (Sepulchral)
MIASNOW eyes ~ Raptor pink
elikatira hair ~ Thrive ~ white 05 (tinted)
Schadenfreude ~ Fangs tattoo

MS ~ 'Lily Doll' dress by Shelly Toonie (no store on profile)
Burning Chrome ~ Mr Skully topper
Schadenfreude ~ Vitalle necklace & earrings (HUD colour change)
Haunted ZuZu (MaterialSquirrel) ~ Black Butterfly Dress Gloves (discontinued line)
B@R ~ Spider Dress Gloves
Awesome Designs ~ Salmon Manicure
Blossom ~ Passion Pink Mono-Chained pumps
Weather or Not ~ Bejewelled Skelebrella from Taxidermia event @ FLUX

Yes, I am wearing three pairs of gloves. I loved how the butterflies on the Haunted Zuzu dress gloves look like bats. I'm afraid that Material Squirrel has decided to concentrate on wings though and I got her entire dress line on sale a few months ago, which was awesome!

Beatriz shape by Ygrey Auer

Ygrey is one of my fellow Colour Challenge posters, and she makes shapes. The other day she gave me one of her new shapes and asked me to try it with a different skin! So I decided I would try the shape out with my usual kind of style (she knows my blog after all, she couldn't be expecting a normal human in jeans *g*)

Beatriz is quite a tall, slender shape, almost mannish (like a model) but with enough curves at breast and hip and a very feminine face with large lips. I chose the skin first because this was quite a difficult exercise. Obviously I choose skins which suit my own features, and they are quite different from Beatriz, especially the lips which are much thinner. Eventually I found this pretty Pixeldolls skin whose lips stretch nicely to fit (found in my inventory, I mean; I bought the tone pack a while ago at a sale). I decided to set her off with an elegant party gown to complement the shape and my new mesh hair in colours to complement the skin makeup, and added my favourite flower tattoo. Because I'd already toyed with this gown in a different outfit, I added the horns and ears for that distinctive 'Fledge' look. A friend said 'you look like some kind of demon-fairy cross' which is pretty accurate - only dragon, not demon! Then I decided that the colour scheme was perfectly suited to my own castle. I have to say I do like this shape, in this style of dress (she'd be too thin for me in a shorter skirt or pants) but since I always wear my own shape, I won't be switching.

Closeup - me on left, Beatriz on right

CREDITS

Pose: Striking Poses Jessica Alba 3 (Play me Softly)

Beatriz shape by Ygrey Auer
elikatira hair 'Listen' - red 05 (mesh)
{Rue} Horn'd/Scholar: Nymph (tinted)
Pixeldolls skin Ichigo .c. Bronze (Light Tones)
White Widow Face Tattoo 'Travel' Pearl/Brown w/o eyeshadow
Schadenfreude Widowed Fey Ears (w/o spiders) - HUD colour driven
FTL Eyelashes C01 Natural (HUD driven fit & pattern)
the eyes refused to divulge the creator... they were my first set of eyes in SL :)

On my shape, I wore my usual Alady Island free lashes which are painstakingly fitted to my face, and the addition of some Dead Apples contour blush (brown mid) which I purchased after I'd taken the Beatriz shots, because Rudh posted about a set of Horror Haute eyes they had for sale and I had to go and rifle the entire store... I got the eyes and I think 4 sets of makeup!

PurpleMoon Lourdes gown in nude
Shenlei Flasheart 1890 Flexi Floozie Feather (black)
GaNKeD Black Sherbet Bracelets & Earrings

I don't know where the FTL eyelashes came from, they just turned up at the top of my inventory objects folder... I even checked my transactions to be sure I hadn't bought them by accident. They didn't even show up as a free transfer. Ghost eyelashes!

As always, if you can't find a store inworld, let me know and I'll help you find it, if I can. All of these stores are current except for Shenlei Flasheart who seems to have moved onto new enterprises since she made the period clothes I bought years ago. And I'm not at all sure Pixeldolls still makes skins.

Colour Challenge 39 - Hunter Green

This was one of those weeks where everything seemed to come together for an awesome post. I seem to have a lot of luck with the greens, which is funny because it's much more a RL than SL colour for me. 

To begin with, I've been waiting for this shade for some time, as I really wanted to use this beautiful 'Lady of Deer' outfit by Bare@Rose - then to find it is called Hunter Green just made me think of the Wild Hunt or Herne the Hunter from European pagan mythology, so I put on faun legs to make it a deer-faun. I have managed to include items from several favourite stores in this outfit, plus made great use of a hairstyle which I really love but have always slightly regretted buying in brown (which I never wear).

Looking for a photo location, I first tried Bentham Forest - which sadly doesn't seem to have the adventure quest any more, but although still beautiful, it was too dark and large-scale to make a good background. Camming around, I saw a much brighter sim next door and found Enchanted ~ Unicorn Sanctuary & Magical Forest. This is an utterly beautiful sim, rich and varied yet tranquil at the same time. It is also home to 

the most adorable pose-prop unicorn from Studio Sidhe, which is the highlight of this post. Having found him, I had to include him in my photo story and then had to go out and get myself one, even though he's a little more expensive than my weekly stipend. But he is well worth the cost because not only does he look fabulous, he is only 36 prims and actually moves into different positions for the five 'seating' poses with your avatar. Also he is copy so you don't need to worry about losing him in a simquake. My sister Rudh and our bestie Immacolata (who shares her land) both have unicorns, but I've never found one that was quite right to buy for myself - until now. The poses are really well designed for varied interaction, including one where both you and the unicorn kneel down for a hug, but that one didn't work so well with my staff (I stabbed the poor creature through the head!)

Obviously there has to be a little bit of story to go with these poses, but I have rambled enough so I will put the story under the photos. Onto the post!

~ Guardians of the Forest ~

One day, a travelling druidess came to a beautiful forest. She knew it must be enchanted, and home to many fey and wonderful creatures. She decided to stay here and make her services available to the local denizens, for she was a powerful shaman.

As she explored, the druidess encountered many unicorns, for this place served as a sanctuary for them. Finally she met the stallion of the herd, a great and noble beast who considered himself the resident Guardian of the Forest. The unicorn sought to test the newcomer, challenging her to prove herself worthy to dwell here and use her magic in his realm.

Their battle was long and tiring, more like a ritual dance than a fight, for neither truly wished to harm the other, only to prove their ability and strength of spirit. Great magic was unleashed in the glade where they met, converging to form a shimmering rainbow over the nearby waterfall.

The appearance of the rainbow showed beyond a doubt that rather than being rivals, the two complemented each another perfectly. Allied together, they would be a force for good almost unmatched in the land. They called a truce to their battle and embraced, swearing to work together to guard the enchanted forest and all who lived there. They were fast friends forever after.

Forest Guardians #1

Forest Guardians #2

 ~ Credits ~

Location: ~Enchanted~ Unicorn Sanctuary and Magical Forest

Studio Sidhe ~ the Unicorn (5-pose seating prop/decoration/companion)

Bare@Rose ~ 'Lady of Deer' robes, antlers and necklace (other colours incl. in pack)

Grendel's Children ~ 'Saturos Shaman' HUD-driven posable avatar ears & scripted staff (particle effects with avatar animations & casting sound) - this staff is awesome fun to use!

House of Ruin (now {Rue}) skin ~ 'Cabal: Raven & The Sun' (palomino) - hunt gift

TRUTH hair ~ 'Sasha' in cocoa (sculpty)

InSight eyes ~ 'Visions' Nova (Big) - (FURJapan charity event purchase)

Rotten Defiance ~ 'White Raven Faun' hooves - (hunt gift, modded; I simply happen to like these better than the ones that came with the Saturos Shaman)

L&E ~ my customary solar & lunar arm rings (no longer for sale, to my knowledge)

HANDverk ~ Serpent Ring (white; tinted) - (a gift from Rudh, from The Arcade gatcha event).

Colour Challenge 38 - Papaya Whip

First off I do have to apologise, particularly to the lovely ladies who comment frequently on my blog - I have not been keeping up with returning the favour. I will sidle along and make some belated comments, I promise! The thing is, my little one has just started school - he was in Nursery for 3 hours every day, now he's in Reception for 6 - and I have started doing paid work from home because of having more time. Between that, staying late after school to deal with termagant child (he isn't settling in too well...) and having the neighbour's daughter over a lot to play, I really don't have more time than I used to. And I'm also trying to resurrect my creative writing hobby. The colour challenge is still interesting but I have to admit it's not capturing my attention nearly as much lately. Once you've done a couple of colours in each main group, it gets harder to distinguish the similar tones and more annoying than a challenge to find things you haven't used already. I take my hat off to Rudh, who has been doing this since the start of year 1 with no omissions! I am determined not to miss any myself, but sometimes, as now, I'm taking a lot longer to put a post together, snapping fewer pictures and generally making much less of a story. So with that said, here is my Week 38:

~O~ Elven Queen ~O~

Gazing out to sea

Guardian of the Tree of Light

Pretty makeup

Really pretty ears!

I'm pleased to have re-discovered this elegant gown, which has languished in my inventory for years, and the L&E slippers complement it perfectly, being also the best kind of footwear for an elf - somehow I don't see an Elven Queen in heels! The best thing about L&E shoes is how well they are made - these are sculpts but don't require any kind of invisiprims or alpha mask to hide the foot, they slip on as-is. The hair with matched crown and necklace comes from the library - there is really some great stuff in there - and I just had to show off my beautiful jewelled ears. They are a collaboration by Schadenfreude and Balderdash and are copy/mod - they started out with silver decoration but I tinted the curlicues to gold because it suits me better, however I left the coloured jewels as they are. I love how the light made shadows on my ear from the jewel prims - this was a lucky accident which happened while I was modding the ears, so I took a shot. As usual I tried to find a fitting location and wandered all over the Isle of Wyrms (home of Daryth Kennedy dragon avatars) before finding this beautiful and colour-appropriate tree. It reminds me of the White Tree of the Elves in Tolkien.

~O~ CREDITS ~O~

Location: Lethe sim at the Isle of Wyrms


Female Fantasy Avatar hair (Ash) & necklace from library
Truth Hairbase Ivory
*C:K* Azil Peach Skin - Light Sparkle

KOSH Sweet Lips - brass
White Widow Face Tattoo - Travel Pearl/Brown

Lapointe Natural green eyes
Schadenfreude & Balderdash Fey Ears, Etherial
Stars! NatureHuntMapleFall Leaves set earrings (gold)
Suki Syakumi Elegant Cream Chanel Gown
L&E 'Estampie' medieval slippers, brown velvet

Colour Challenge 37 - Royal Blue

Another angel this week, I am starting to build quite a repertoire of angelic avatars! It was one of those outfits I sort of threw together with no clear idea in mind except that I started with the skin and then when I found the B@R outfit, knew I was going cyberpunk. A friend recently cleared her inventory of a lot of B@R stuff, which all found its way to me, so thank you Kage! ^.^ I have been wandering around inworld wearing this avatar and growing to like it very much. The wings are lovely, they are flat prim but they are flexi and they seem to flow very nicely with movement, not too much but enough to notice and look realistic. 

I think this must be a modern-day warrior angel. There are roleplay sims for this kind of thing but it's not for me - I prefer RP with a select group of friends I can trust. I flew around New Babbage looking for suitable steampunk-esque locations and liked the look of this tornado beside a handy viewing tower. Not sure if I created the tornado, or came through it as a kind of planar portal, or it's an aspect of what I've come here to fight! Possibly all three - scifi plots can be complex that way.

^V^ Winged Nemesis ^V^

^V^ Credits ^V^

Location: New Babbage (Babbage Canals)

Skin & eyes by friends, with added {Birdy} makeup - color me & facepaint blues
Schadenfreude ~ August Half and Half ~ Big Blue Sky hair with PM Tattoo Hairbase in black
Pardoes ~free~ Metalix wings
Pulcino prim nails 'Mizu-Hanabi' in grey


B@R Rubber Rose pants & shirt in blue
Finesmith girl in Tux collar ~ silver leather
Yukirei claw of dragon2 necklace & dragon leather bracelet
Tekeli-li 'Graeae' earring
HDS Dragon Lady Boots (with Avatar Alpha Mask by Imnotgoing Sideways)
'Eternal Struggle' sword by Amulius Lioncourt

Colour Challenge 36 - Hot Cinnamon

Orange again! My favourite colour (and I love cinnamon too, mmm). I put items together from three of my favourite stores to make this week's outfit. I knew I would have just the right shade among my PurpleMoon dresses and then I wanted to use my new Illusions wings, but as I was setting up the shot I hit on the notion of holding a giant eyeball - you know, the way you do! - and that reminded me that I have an avatar with orange wings absolutely covered in eyes. Which are much more kickass than the single pair. So sorry Illusions, not this week. 

I found the location quite by chance, looking for temples, and I liked both the colour scheme and the alien fieriness of it. I think it looks like the home world, or elemental plane, for my avatar. Fire equates to revelation (because of the light) and justice (because of the flames) and so with the addition of the eyes I think she is some kind of angelic Sentinel, watching out for and punishing transgressors - or trespassers! Maybe she is the Guardian of the Gateways into the Elemental Plane of Fire, the burning portals shown in the first image. If you want to travel through this realm you must know how to placate the Sentinel! (Cinnamon buns work nicely ;)

<O> Sentinel Spirit <O>

Sentinel of Fire

Eternal Vigilance

Don't get this close without payment!

<O> Credits <O>

Location: Delestra by MayLou Designs - has some kind of adventure quest I didn't do (yet)

Striking Poses 'Angel of Peace' commemorative pose (with own animated eyeball)

PurpleMoon 'Ra' Gown in Orange, inc. necklace (exclusive but other colours available in store)
Bare@Rose 'Cherubim' Avatar wings and halo
{Rue} Gemstone Eyes ~ Quartz Orange/Jewel
{Rue} Cabal Skin 'Raven & the Sun' (earth tone) - exclusive
Calico Creations hair 'Amber Fire' (my favourite hair, I -love- the colours)
Bewildebeest Hypatia Triune in gold (bracelet, earrings) - store closed