Is it a Fledge or is it a Rudh?

It suddenly occurs to me this would have been a great April Fool post - oh well, was a bit shattered until now to be doing anything. I have been recovering since hosting a birthday party for my 5 year old before Easter, and made the unwise decision to spring clean in honour of the event (and other mums visiting my humble home!) I reminded myself exactly WHY I don't do a lot of the heavier housework, as my fibromyalgia reared its head in ugly revenge; still, we have a lovely shiny house now and hopefully if I am careful I can stay a bit more on top of things from now on.

Back at the beginning of March I visited the SL Fashion Week market after seeing something I liked on Rudh's blog (see, designers? This blogging business really does work!) In fact the item I wanted was no longer at Fashion Week (I hunted it down later in-store) but there weren't too many stalls so I browsed around and found a few things I liked - which is why I really shouldn't be allowed out into commercial areas! - and teamed them with some items I got at the Unhinged Charity Event a few months ago (I meant to blog at the time but..). 

Rudh, in complete contrast to me, is a huge gatcha fan and frequents the Arcade, an event I avoid like the plague. She often sends me her duplicates when they are Fledgesome, and recently she sent me a hairstyle which I quite liked, but just didn't go with any of my usual skins. So I tried it with a human skin and - gasp! - not only was I looking scarily human (something that almost never happens and then only for blogging purposes) but also, I think, scarily like Rudh! So I decided to make a Rudh-a-like post for her birthday in honour of my blogger celebrity little SLister! But she was packing frantically for her trip to Disneyland and when she got back she went into hospital, so the post was a bit delayed, but finally here it is.

Guess who, sissypoo!

 *Muah!* Thank you for your continued vigilance for Fledge shinies, and happy birthday and happy recovery! <3

I am always amazed by the difference skin and hair can make to your shape. Rudh's shape is store bought and no-mod, whereas I made mine myself from scratch, so there is no reason we should look remotely similar; but somehow, at least to me, this look really says 'Rudh'. If she were standing next to me, of course, you would see a huge height difference as I am a short-arse by SL standards, and I don't have her curves.

Posing with some giant mushies

Close-up for jewellery & boots
(left tinted glove layer on from a previous skin, whoops!)

Trying to be artistic

Shot taken underwater for the blurred effect of the Japanese maples overhead. I had to work on my knees; if you think they look bad now, you should have seen them in the raw shot! I swear they never look this bad in-world, what is it about SL photography and joints? I really must get to grips with Gimp because Fireworks is great for basic editing but doesn't have too many special effect tools and I'm sure I could do a better (and easier) job on the knees with a more advanced program. I also keep meaning to run a comparison between the in-world camera and Print-Screen. I have suspicions.

Item Credits (note: all prim items are mesh, because I think it's awesome, and anybody who still can't see mesh is either badly in need of a computer upgrade or being foolishly obstinate; the former have my fullest sympathy.)

Location: A friend's parcel. I went to show her my new look (it's always fun scaring my friends when I turn human!) and she had these beautiful Japanese maples which matched my dress, so that was that. 

Lighting: Nam's Optimal Skin & Prim (very good for faces. Not so much for knees.)

TRUTH hair "video games" - lightbrown with orchids (gatcha find, from Rudh)

Remarkable Oblivion "PinnAcle" headband in onyx (from SL Fashion Week)

Skin II Skin - Sakura Specials - "Emily" in peach (by Amelie Carlucci, but I can't find a current store)

Lapointe natural green eyes (free coloured set)

Izzie's glitter nails (from Zombie Popcorn hunt)

LIV-Glam Spring 2013 "Fabia" fur-trimmed outfit (from SL Fashion Week)

Lasaki "Crazy Love" cameo necklace (gatcha find, from Rudh) - her store is closed but she still sells items at Sn@tch City and the SL marketplace.

.Olive. & [Okkbye] "Refreshed" Bear Trap bracelets Two Tones (gunmetal with copper, gold and silver) - this is the item I wanted from SL Fashion Week but was no longer on sale there. Thanks to Rudh I found a new store with lots of delightful, quirky jewellery and made several purchases!

SAKIDE Cranium Rings in silver and black (from Unhinged event)

Lassitude & Ennui "Sugarskull" boots in black (from Unhinged event) 

L&E is the oldest of my favourite stores. Their designs have been peerless since the early days of SL, before we had all these newfangled flexis and sculpts and mesh (yes, I am that old! ;) and you will see my treasured L&E armbands in most of my pictures - not this, because I was being Rudh not Fledge. The Unhinged was a gatcha event, but for an extremely worthy cause, which is why I paid a visit. I really, really loathe gatchas and usually avoid them on principle. When I really badly want something, as with these boots, I ask the designer if I might pay full retail price and get the item I want instead of gambling for it. I have rarely been turned down, and although some might consider it cheating, I consider that gatchas are only fair if you truly don't care what random prize pops out and are content to walk away with one. (I will refrain from continuing; the subject will inevitably become a rant.)

Fashion doesn't work that way unless you wear the entire rainbow, which I don't. As this was a charity event, Jackal Ennui very graciously trusted me to pay the collection box the full retail price, so I don't consider that anybody missed out; and although they are not the rare design, I think these boots are the best of the bunch, because they are the only set with multicoloured embroidery. Kinu Mayako of Sakide also very graciously let me bypass the gatcha system, as did a couple of other designers at the event. I think everybody came out a winner, because they made a happy customer and the event got more money; if they'd refused I just wouldn't have bought anything, as it was I think I spent around a grand. I did take a shot at a couple of gatchas, where I wasn't so concerned with the result; but "prize every time!" only works when you actually like all the prizes. Some of the Unhinged items were limited edition but not all, so I don't know if either the boots or rings are still available but you could always ask the designers.