Hello from Fantasy, the latest Linden Homes theme. This theme is lit, LOL. Everything glows here, and it’s easy to see why it can be too intense for most people. If you want something “not suburban” then this theme is for you.
I didn’t plan on getting a Fantasy home, but I will probably keep one for a while and see how it goes. The interior of the homes is quite nice, with big windows and spacious rooms. If you want to live together with your friends, it’s easy to do so here, cos entire regions will release together. NOW IS THE TIME TO GET A FANTASY HOME.
Sparkle took a photo of us and it’s so dreamy! She said that she likes Fantasy, so Linden Lab named a sim after her. Visit Sparkle Enchanted Skyes in Second Life!
I’ve been busy working on so many things for friends this month that I haven’t been blogging that much. I launched two brand new websites for friends: the Pemberley Estates website and Sparkle Skye, Sparkle’s new website. If you would like a website, get in touch with me. I will build you one in my spare time (weekends, mostly) since I work full time.
I’m honestly kind of impressed that Second Life is actually making a move on the Old Linden Homes. There’s even an eviction date now: May 19. When I wrote about this two weeks ago, I figured it was still a ways off, but apparently it’s happening. Naturally, some residents will be upset by this “sudden” news, even though the signs have been there since Bellisseria launched. These homes have been marked for closure for a while now.
That said, I think this is a smart move for Linden Homes overall. We need people to shift over to Bellisseria and take the available homes. I totally understand that losing your place is upsetting. Some people really don’t like change. I’ve even caught myself wondering how I’ll feel one day, maybe decades from now, when Second Life decides to shut down Bellisseria. Honestly, I’m already sensitive to changes and updates in the Linden Home regions. Sometimes I’m excited, especially when there are new models to play with. Other times, I dread it and worry it might be the thing that makes me leave.
If you’re reading this and you’re still living in one of the Old Linden Homes, don’t panic. This is an upgrade. You’re getting twice the land impact and a more active neighborhood. Bellisseria isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. It’s likely to be around for at least another ten years, so you’re not being pushed out overnight.
Also, I can’t remember if I blogged about the Aperture Viewer yet, but I tried it last month and was genuinely impressed. You can take raw photos in Second Life that look like they’ve already been edited in Photoshop. I’ll probably stick with this viewer for a while because I love shiny new things. The sliders are super fun to experiment with, and it’s helping me look at my photos in a new way. I’m even playing with colors I usually avoid, like black and white.
Like many other SL residents, I have an SL home that I like to decorate and spend a lot of time looking for items to make it homey and comfortable.
Despite what everybody thinks, my home is not all pink! I share the island with Davo so I try to use neutral colors but it's still very very girlie. I'm not into ultra modern decor (it's too cold), so the pieces I like are a mix of old-world and shabby chic, each room is different from the next. I buy complete sets of furniture, as well as single items and even make use of really good freebies.
One of these days when I've cleaned up the rest of my island, I'll show you more!
Thumper’s dad was wrong. I know we all learned “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothin’ at all,” whether from Bambi and Thumper or our parents. Gogo asked whether we agreed with that statement the other day. I absolutely disagree.
There are situations where casting about for something nice to say is ludicrous. Yeah, that Ted Bundy may have been a serial killer but he sure had nice hair. Tell me something nice about slavery. If people followed that guide, the world would be in a terrible state. We need the people who say something about terrible things. They are the ones who change the world.
However, I do think the saying is applicable a lot of the time, but I also think most people misunderstand it. Most of the time when people say “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all” they really mean, “If you have even one negative thing to say, shut the hell up.” To that, I can only respond with…
First, let’s review a few terms because some folks need a new dictionary. I went to the OED.
Criticism: The art of estimating the qualities and character of literary or artistic work; the function or work of a critic.
Critique: An essay or article in criticism of a literary (or more rarely, an artistic) work; a review.
Dirt: Scurrilous information or gossip; scandal.
Opinion: What one thinks of a person or thing; an estimate of character, quality, or value.
Review: A critical appraisal of a product, service, etc., intended for the guidance of consumers.
What Gogo offers at JuicyBomb and what makes her a successful blogger is that she offers criticism. She has asked herself who she wants for her audience, the designers or the consumers and has chosen the consumers. There is no unearned praise in hopes of getting more promotional items from designers. Designers are not her audience.
However Gogo is Thumper after all. I have yet to read a blog post from Gogo where she does not have something nice to say. Even the posts that resulted in shit storms of hurricane force included several positive comments about the items being critiqued. It’s just that some people think that only positive opinions are allowed, but they are wrong.
I like the way Gogo critiques items in her blog. She does not say “this is crap.” I think we should all know by now that if something was crap, she would not blog it. Have you ever seen her shoot herself looking terrible? It’s not going to happen.
Gogo does not dish dirt. She does not make allegations about people sleeping with each other for one reason or another. She does not allege copyright theft or make insinuations about people’s integrity. She does not offer scurrilous information or gossip or traffic in rumors.
Gogo offers criticism – in the artistic sense. She assesses the good and bad qualities of an item and reports them as accurately as she can. When something is objectively wrong, such as the fabric not lining up at the seams or the inside being alpha so that people see gaping holes from different angles, she reports that. If something is subjectively wrong, she points out that this is based on her personal taste which may not be the same as yours. If she does not like mature skins or big eyes or bold prints, she admits out that her critique is based on personal opinion and that mileage may vary.
Of course, criticism stings. Even if it is something minor and even if it is wrapped in layers of praise. It is human nature to ignore the 93% good and focus on the 7% bad. That’s why we lock our doors and hire policemen. We are hardwired to focus on the negative. However, I think that means we miss a lot of opportunities. Especially if we are designers and creators.
Criticism when it is well done, when it is specific and detailed, is the most useful tool a designer can have to improve and grow. It is a gift, if only people would stop complaining long enough to unwrap it. The most successful creators in Second Life are not stagnant, they improve constantly. They send out works in progress for advice. They listen to criticism and separate the objective from the subjective and use it to make their products better.
As a Linden Homes addict enthusiast, I always love when a new theme is released! I love exploring new regions and checking out the different home styles. Last year, I was lucky enough to win a charity auction, allowing me to name a Linden Home region and pick the location of my home – an incredible bonus! I’m deeply grateful to Izzy Linden for assisting me with this, and I’d definitely participate in another Linden Homes auction in the future.
I remembered to do Bubblegum Weekends this week! I’m wearing the “Hot Pink” hair color from Truth’s latest hairstyles. I’m not normally a choppy bangs type of girl, but I absolutely love this Marielle 2 hairstyle. These bangs are perfect, and they don’t interfere with my lashes (very important).
After years of seeing all the cool Pile-Up pictures on Flickr and being too shy to submit my own, I finally did it! The result was awesome, thank you so much to everyone who did one.
This is the Pile-Up picture that I submitted, since it’s my first time I wasn’t sure if I should do it on a White background or Green screen. Some people said they preferred White, others preferred Green, but apparently with my Blonde hair color, Green screen might have been a better choice? Maybe next time!
It’s not too late to Pile me up, if you still want to — click this link download the original file size.
Here are links to three of the Pile-Up Groups on Flickr that I joined:
If you want to submit your own, read the rules for each group and get started. It’s FUN!!
Credits: Images used for the magazine covers are pile-ups that other people have done with my picture. I used a website called MagMyPic to create the covers.
