I have been wearing these gorgeous Nardcotix Absinthe Stilettos all week long without giving them proper credits!! Here’s a close-up picture so you can see the glittery texture & gorgeous bow on the heel. These stilettos comes in 13 magnificent colors, but I am only showing the Lilac and Blue here.
Visit Nardcotix for these and more.. they’ve been releasing tons of new shoes!
I’m pairing the Absinthe stilettos with a cute pantsuit from Leezu. The Tamara pantsuit also has a collection of Tamara Ribbons (sold separately) in various colors so you can jazz up your outfit to add a punch of color.
In honor of Fantasy Faire, I typed in “wand” into my inventory and found this fabulous Unicorn Magic Wand from Insomnia Angel. I have no memory of ever getting this, so that means one of my friends probably gifted it to me because it was a gacha item.
And what does one wear with a wand? A crown, obviously. I pulled out Fairie Queen by Sparkle Skye, which has always been a favorite of mine. I should wear crowns like this all the time, because why not. I’m also wearing the Caroline Gown from Just Because, one of my recent favorite gown makers. The pricing is fair, it’s sold by body type, and this gown has a shiny PBR finish that really works here. You could style it futuristic or regal, the choice is yours. Back in the day, girls used to run all over the grid in full flexi ball gowns like it was casual attire. Shopping, dancing, standing around somewhere. We need to bring that back.
Now let’s talk about Fantasy Faire. I go every year, usually for Jail & Bail with Patch Linden or the Silent and Live Auction during the last few days of the event where I like to bid on Linden-sponsored items. Because of that, Fantasy Faire to me has always felt like a Linden-endorsed event.
That is why all this AI drama looks so bad. Last year, I watched a resident get bullied by Fantasy Faire designers and maybe others too for using AI to enhance photos. I’m not even sure they were an official blogger. They may have just been a regular resident who got piled on so badly they removed a lot of photos from Flickr. Fantasy Faire organizers said nothing discouraging the bullying. That was a bad look, especially for a charity event benefiting the American Cancer Society.
Previously, Fantasy Faire allowed AI use for designers in certain ways, while banning bloggers from using it. Designers could reportedly use it for marketing or decorations as long as it was not being sold. This year they changed the rules again and moved toward banning AI entirely, even for things not for sale.
Then came the DRD situation. According to DRD, they were privately given the green light by organizer Elizabeth Tinsley to use AI posters around their region build. Then later another staff member came through putting up red boxes to mark items for review or removal before opening. Things escalated, and DRD says they felt publicly shamed and harassed.
If that is true, then the problem is not AI. The problem is how this was handled. You cannot privately approve something, then publicly crack down on it later and expect no reaction. Any designer would be upset.
In my opinion, the aggressive anti-AI stance has no place in a charity event, and the selective enforcement looks even worse. AI is a tool. Whether people personally like it or hate it, using it is not against Linden Lab’s Terms of Service. Treating residents like they did something terrible over it is unnecessary.
Fantasy Faire should be about creativity, fundraising, shopping, and fun. Instead it keeps becoming drama over technology. They should release a public statement, explain what happened, and maybe apologize where needed. They also need one clear rule for everybody. Not one rule privately, another publicly, and something else depending on who you are.
They picked the wrong battle, and now it shows.
DRD Statement from their Discord server
We had something special planned for Fantasy Faire this year: our return after 10 years, with a brand-new region and a follow-up story to San Mora.
What should have been an exciting return took a very different turn in the final days. What started as a discussion around AI use escalated **far beyond that**. We were transparent from the beginning and had shown what we were doing early on, with approval to move forward, but 2 days before opening the situation shifted, and how it was handled crossed a line for us.
It escalated into repeated public shaming using hundreds of red glowing prim markers pointing out anything and everything, it reached a point of bullying.
Eventually the entire build was covered in nearly a thousand Fantasy Faire posters. **There’s nothing left of what we created.**
We literally filled the region with Orwell quotes about censorship and authoritarian control and now we’re being silenced and erased in real time. The irony is not lost on us.
This was no longer about being anti-AI or pro-AI. Everyone is entitled to their own stance on that, and we respect differing opinions. What this became about was how poorly the situation was handled.
Things have really changed in 10 years.** It no longer felt like a Faire for charity… it became a protest against AI.**
__We weren’t even allowed to set up RFL vendors to sell our build__ , meaning we were not allowed to raise money for RFL.(?)
It no longer felt like something we wanted to be part of.
We donated the sim to FF to do with it what they wish and to remove the name Reservoir Zero, because that is NOT Reservoir Zero.
**We made the decision to step away completely**. We’re not going to compromise our work or vision just to fit in.
**So here’s what we’re doing instead:**
We’re moving the full, uncensored version of Reservoir Zero to our own sim.
This summer, it will become the **full apocalyptic experience** we originally planned… a proper continuation of the story.
For now, we’ve already started setting things up there together with a few amazing merchants, and we’ll be hosting our own Relay For Life charity event and party very soon.
We’re sorry for the sudden change and any disappointment. **This wasn’t how we wanted our return after all these years to go.**
But we’re looking forward to showing you the version of Reservoir Zero that actually reflects what we built.
Thank you to everyone who reached out and had our back, it meant a lot.
Let’s talk about some exciting new Second Life changes. Skip this if you don’t cash out or don’t own a full region. Read this if you want to save money!
I’m a patient person when it comes to Second Life credit processing times. I convert the lindens to USD via the LindeX exchange to pay my tier. On the rare occasion that I do cash out, the money usually arrives at my PayPal account within 5 days. Linden Lab just implemented new fees, along with the promise of faster credit processing time. I tested it this week, and the cash out time is 1 day. That’s sort of amazing! The new 1.5% of the transaction value fee isn’t really that much, since I’ve read that a lot of residents are happier with faster processing time.
Do you want to pay lower full region tier? Of course you do! Linden Lab just offered the option for current sim owners to “Buy Down” their region to receive grandfather pricing. Grandfathered tier for a full region is $195US/month. Everyone else who does not receive special discounts (education, large estates) pay $295/month. If you want to save money and plan on keeping your region from now until the end of the year, this is a deal.
Some people are grumbling about the one-time buy-down fee, but do the math! Let’s say your tier is due some time in April (after today’s date). You pay the $600 buy down fee, and instantly receive a $100/month discount going forward. From April – December, you will save $100 every month, so that’s 9 month x $100US = $900US tier discount. Take $900 – $600 = $300US savings this year. Next year, and every year after that, you will save $1200USD in tier per year. I predict that in 6 months time, land owners will feel the pressure to lower their price to stay competitive. The Buy Down offer expires October 16th, 2016, but the sooner you pay the fee, the more money that you will save this year. If you pay the fee in October, you will actually not save any money this year — $600 buy down fee – $300 tier saving ($100 month x 3 months for October, November, December) = $300 spent. So do it now for the greatest savings!!!!!!! I love math. I love saving money!
Now that I have assigned caregivers for my baby, it’s time to lounge in this gorgeous new release from The Secret Store. I’m wearing the Fawn Bodysuit & Cleo Lacey Vest, both available at Collabor88. I found the perfect wavy hair to go with this chill boho look, it’s the Avalon style from Exile.
What I’m Wearing:
Exile – Avalon hair
Pink Fuel – Kiera
The Secret Store – Cleo Lacey Vest, Fawn Bodysuit @ Collabor88
I thought the graphics were excellent when I tried Second Life in a browser two weeks ago; however, I did not think it was better than the graphics on my own computer. So, I logged into Second Life today using a viewer, then logged into my alt on the browser to compare. I took these screenshots by arranging the SL Viewer on the left and SL browser on the right.
I found it interesting that the SL browser’s default graphics settings were set to High instead of Ultra. I changed it to Ultra and made all of the graphic preferences the same as those on my PC, even using the same EEP setting. I noticed that the browser version appears much brighter and even a little washed out.
If you find the SL browser too bright, go to the graphics settings and lower the Brightness (exposure) from 1.0 to 0.7, or adjust the brightness on your EEP settings. Some residents have reported experiencing headaches when using the browser, and I can see why. I noticed some flickering and refreshing on the screen. I think streaming SL may not be the best way to use it for extended periods; however, in a pinch, the browser version works. Even though the SL browser isn’t perfect, it’s still a thousand times better than the mobile app.
If you have a computer that typically runs Second Life on low settings, do you see an improvement with the browser version? Can you share a side-by-side comparison? I would be curious to know if anyone feels that this has enhanced their SL experience.
I loooove skins in Second Life. I get a new skin and make it perfect with tattoos. Rinse and repeat. This is how I enjoy playing Second Life. Recently, I tried on the new Coraline skin from Glam Affair, and to my surprise, it’s nearly perfect. Did I still add a bunch of tattoo fixes? Absolutely.
A blog reader asked me to share some skin details that I recommend, so I’ll do my best to explain my process here. I wear different tattoos for different skins, but generally, I either enhance or de-emphasize certain features. Most of my face tattoos are from Izzie’s, as I own nearly everything from the brand. This allows me to fix anything on a skin to make it suit my preferences. As for body tattoos, it depends on the body I’m wearing. Sometimes I don’t change anything; other times, I add details or remove shading, among other adjustments. You can absolutely mix and match skin details from different brands, as long as you can tint the colors to match.
What skin tattoos do I always wear?
FACE
Brows – Find any brow tattoo that you like and wear it if the default brows on the skin do not suit your preference. I typically wear white brows and tint it a very light blonde or brown. Then, I enable the HD brows on the LeLutka head and reduce the opacity.
Nostril Lighteninger/Highlight – I always lighten my nostrils.
Lip concealer – Sometimes the skin doesn’t need it, but most of the time, I feel that it does. I wear a combination of Izzie’s and Cazimi’s Lip Concealer (it’s free) if I want to lighten the area all around.
Blush/Contour Remover – I wear this 90% of the time, though not today. When I do wear it, I apply a layer of blush on top.
Face Highlights – I sometimes add to or remove highlights, depending on the skin. Izzie’s offers a great Highlight Corrector if you want to reduce shine. Recently, I’ve noticed many skins appearing somewhat flat, so I tend to enhance them. I enjoy adding a touch of highlight to the corners of the eyes, the philtrum, the nose, the forehead, and other areas.
Nose Shading Fix – If one side of your nose is heavily shaded, you need this to balance it out. I wear this 90% of the time, but lately, I’ve noticed that skin designers have begun to do this less frequently.
Nostril Changer – I use this 90% of the time because many skins have heavily shaded nostrils, which I find unappealing.
Ear Fix – Sometimes ears are ugly. Izzie’s has a great ear fix that sits on top of your skin’s ears.
Pale lipstick tattoo – I think it makes the HD lipstick look better.
Closed Eyes – You need this if you like taking closed eyes photos.
BODY
Neckfix – For a seamless transition between the head skin and body skin. Your body skin will have this layer available, usually for free. If not, you can get a neckfix layer from any brand and tint it to match.
Add Creases for hands and feet if you want more details.
Butt Crease Changer/Concealer
Inner Thigh Shadow Fix
Today I’m wearing the new Drift hairstyle from Truth. I love a realistic built-in hairline! This looks great in PBR, there’s no opacity issue, and it’s very natural.
MALT has just released these adorable Tarten Jupe skirts, which goes perfectly with the MALT Wynter Knit turtleneck sweaters. I chose a Christmasy color combination, but you can also wear the same colors if you like matching colors.
The Vintage Jupe Skirt is a floral print and comes in a variety of colors. All the MALT items can be easily mix-and-matched so you can wear different combinations.
Visit MALT! Don’t forget to join the subscribo group to receive a FREE Christmas outfit!
