Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Where Mermaids Dance

Today I hung out at the Pillars of Hercules region with a friend of mine - we got to explore it a bit but there are so many things to see we didn't get to see it all - maybe I'll show more of it later.

However, while we were there, we stumbled upon a club under the water and I was completely blown away by the look and feel of this location. This is my semi-photospot post, because the entire sim really is lovely and well made, but this was the part so far that I enjoyed the most.


Its completely underwater, the linden water, so everything has this blue hue and your draw distance is limited accordingly. That said though, you can still use your windlight settings to play around with the look you want, and I did!


The backdrop used on the outside circle gives the illusion that the wall actually is a scene that goes on indefinitely, it caught my eye and held it - I found myself pressing my nose to it seeing if I could peek farther into the scene.


Aside from the backdrop, the lighting caught my eye next - there are spotlights and swirling lights and little wisps... the entire effect being simply magical, as it should be for a hangout of mythical creatures.


There are poseballs for cuddling and dancing like you'd see in any club, but these are "Mer-people" oriented. Mer couples dances, Mer cuddles in pillow filled shells and Mer floating dances.


The pink mermaid outfit I'm wearing is a free gift from the club and comes with a mer-AO - its basic, but works well for the most part and there's a whole outfit for men as well! From the signs in the club there is a Mer Dance every Monday evening - I may just come back to check it out if I'm not already working!

The rest of what I'm wearing:
Hair: madison 2 - Milk (with shoulder attachment) - from Point B (Analog Dog) - Holiday Gift Pack
Skin: Curio/Gala - Party Girl in Petal tone (Potion makeup - dark brows and freckles)
Shape: My own

Photos edited in Photoscape - minimal editing was done to preserve windlight features.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

SGB Fiesta Gifties!


Oh Hai! Its been a long time, I know - but I'm still hangin' around and I'm getting back into the swing of things!

Someone who never left the swing of things is Sounds Gravis Beach! They're celebrating their 4th Anniversary and are having an awesome "Fiesta" in honor of the milestone. What does that mean for you? FREE STUFF!! Some great designers that have some shops in SGB are showcasing on the pier and some have some great gifts available for the celebration!


Pose: E.ink -  ("Random Crap" pose from "Free Poses \o/" box)
Shoes: DUH! Mary Janes Sea Green @ SGB (0L)
Skin: Mother Goose's SooMi SGB (1L)
Dress: :pesca: yosoiki onepiece green @ SGB (0L)
Necklace: "R.A. Cyrsla" SGB rose necklace red @SGB (0L)
Shape: HS: Mew 2 (From 10-50L "Mew 2" skin pack in secret sale @ Heartsick)
Hair: Point B Holiday Gift "Quest" in Oak (0L)
Eyes: Sterling Artistry: Dreamer in Fantasy (Not Free)

There is so  much stuff to see there - its a beautiful location with great music! The shops wrap all the way around the pier and there are sale/celebration carts on three of the four sides. Don't just look at the carts though, because inside a lot of the stores are gifts and great deals as well! Unfortunately I couldn't show all of the awesomeness, so go check it out for yourself!

Tee: GATO - Grass Tee Gift @ SGB
Bag: [ROLY POLY] BAG for Josephine - Teal Green flats - I didn't show the shoes, but they're adorable :D (Shoes and bag are all 0L)
Glasses: Kumaki Glass Style - Optino3  @ SGB (0L - inside store)
Hair: Kiedis - Chad : Brown (SGB) (50L)
Boots: DUH! Ladybug Rain boots @ SGB (40L)
Jeans: AQUA jeans from FabFree Station (0L)
Pose: E.ink "Fwee1" From "Six free poses" box on marketplace

The Anniversary Fiesta at SGB goes until February 20th so you still have a bit of time to partake of the great gifts, hurry on over and snag yours!


Saturday, February 4, 2012

Photospot: Blossom Garden

   
Photospot on SL Unearthed is a semi-regular feature that highlights a Second Life spot that is a cool place at which to take portrait photos inworld. Not an entire sim, not even a complete parcel, but just a single specific location - a spot - with portrait opportunity.

Some of the more interesting portrait spots I've found are tucked within or around the decor of inworld stores which offer more than simply their products. Such is the case with today's spot which is a delightful blossom garden in the lawn just outside the ARice shop of the Hello World group. You land on the entry porch. To one side is the shop; to the other the Linden sea. And between them: Trees! Flowers! Vines! Blossoms fall like snow, and puffs of many kinds float on the air. Leaves of greens and ivory are everywhere. Butterflies flit while sunbeams pour downward.
     
Photospot: BlossomGarden
     
Additional notable features include a large birdcage, a slatted bridge, and an artsy apple chair with several poses (suited for men as well as women). There's also a large, paned window of the ARice shop (quite picturesque in itself) that can be shot through to the garden.
     
apple chair & other features
     
This garden has a lot of transparency and alphas, particles and glow. (Ladies, be aware your skirts or hair might visually disappear at some angles.) There is sparkling water in the grasses.
     
windlight variety
     
I probably don't need to point out how beautifully Windlight colors will affect this area, but well, I guess I just did. I enjoyed a mesmerizing time just clicking through presets to see the grand effects. Altering time of day and sun direction provides many additional appearances. It's hard to stop shooting, so be sure to bring plenty of film with you! *wink*
     
expressing joy
     
When the photoshoot is done, you might want to head inside the ARice shop and drop a few lindens to help keep this place going. (Men, there's a cool masculine scarf in the gachapon toward the back!) The blossom garden is a beautiful area to which you could find yourself returning many times.
     
the cage
     


Flickr members: you're invited to join the SL Unearthed Photospot group and add your pictures taken at Photospot locations to the group pool.
   
Take note that very little in SL stays the same for very long. After even a short while, Photospot locations may be gone or changed in a significant way that renders their SLurls ineffective as originally intended, so be sure to grab these opportunities as they come!