Mayor of DC: This is Krissmuss

‘Tis the season, I suppose, and I’ve spread myself out over the ‘net again like a stray glob of cranberry sauce hitting the kitchen floor. As a Twisted Krissmuss Elf, I’ve tossed up posts on Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and a general Krissmuss introduction with tips on how to improve your SL shopping experience. I have a ‘Cyber Monday’ post in the works for over there, too. (Sadly, the site is down at the precise moment I’m working. Never send gnomes to do an elf’s job.) My first TK present was also dropped on me, so expect to see that up in the near future.

Look of the River Angel

At last, the sun peeked through the thick gray clouds to shine upon the ice and snow- the long, cold winter was over. As the rays of light danced upon the old blanket of white, drops of crystal began to slip away from the mountain’s covered cap. The drops steadily collected together and gaining momentum- the tiny ‘plops’ grew into ’splishes’, and the ’splishes’ grew into ’splashes’; soon, a constant, shimmering ’shhhh’ whispered about the land. The drops had transformed into a stream.

The stream continued to grow as it ran down the mountain slope, grasping onto other trickles of water in its path. Down, down, down, bigger, and bigger, and bigger- the stream became a river. With a larger body, she traded her giddy twists and turns about the rocks to a more graceful, focused flow. The pebbles of her bed caused her surface to sparkle with color, while fish played with the sun and moon she held amongst her mane. But as she danced across the land, she knew her solo was coming to an end. At some point, she would kiss the great blue ocean- as every year, she was his summer bride.

Look of the PunkGoth/GothPunk

It’s been a while since I just showed some outfit concoctions- amongst the reviewing, social bemoaning, and a storm of updates, simple ensemble entries got left by the wayside. As matters have died down and I’m trying to prune my 99,000+ inventory, I pulled on these outfits that I had in folders for a while. Both have elements of punk and goth in them – hence the PunkGoth/GothPunk title. With the first set, I actually managed to find a skin that matched the character on the tee and built from there with rich reds and blacks. The second one began with the tutu and a need to do something with all that skin while keeping things fitted. Personally, I think this set-up with the fishnets makes my legs look a mile long.

Medio Ignis

Greetings and hello to all! I’m Vyrain and this is going to be the first of many store/product reviews to come. Terry is still very much here and she’ll still be sharing her pretty pictures. <3 I’ll be giving you the blunt opinion and truths of products I’ve purchased from various places all over SL. Some are inexpensive, and some may require a small fortune. Either way, I’m sure you’ll find my posts informative and enlightening. Enjoy!

Today’s Store in the Spotlight is none other than NeKoNoMaD’s Shop. I found out about this store through a fellow model actually. She was wearing a rather kick ass neko tail that was so unique, it put a whole new perspective on neko tails. I’m not kidding when I say that either. Neko has been done to death in SL, but that tail put new life into the whole thing.

So I took my happy latex-clad self over to this store, and was immediately struck by two things. The first of which is the size of the store. It was rather small, and oddly built. Creations only filled up about 25% of one wall. I took my camera and zoomed down the ramp to the lower level and was greeted by the sight of the shop owner and his partner. It became evident that no other creations were to be found.

I said that two things struck me when I arrived. The second thing was the owner and his partner spamming gestures (aka gesturebating) constantly. Not only was it loud and annoying, it was all just random yelling and shouting, some in another language! In fact, it was so bad, I had to mute them both just to continue my shopping!

I did end up buying a tail from there for 50L. (The tail my co-worker had was 65L but I didn’t buy it this time around). I returned home and unpacked the lovely tail. Now, like all shoppers (el oh el) I read the notecard that came with it. It says that if you click on the tail you can lock and unlock it (basically give or deny people permission to touch your tail). I clicked on the tail several times, even relogged, and no menu ever popped up. The tail also does not twitch or flick about. I guess for 50L, though, that’s not horrible.

The tail itself is very unique and features a fur texture I’ve never seen before at all in SL. As for the base design, it features a red skull and LOTS of sharpies (aka sharp objects, in this case, blades). The name of this tail is the Queue Neko Spiky and it is copy/no mod/no transfer. In short, if you’re looking for a unique take on neko parts and are short on Lindens, this is a good place to go.

All in all, here is my grading of the shop, on a scale of 1-5:
Products/Creations (in general): 3
Atmosphere: 1
Products/Creations (Originality): 5
Would suggest to others: 3

Life Out on the Street: To Write Love on Her Arms

This set-up might be familiar for some people- I did a photo like this back around spring this year. There are some major notable differences, though: there’s daylight and the avatar is not a fantasy creation. As part of “To Write Love on Her Arms” Day, I’m sharing a story I’ve avoided publicly presenting for fear of criticism and write-offs.

This is my real life story of depression, self-harm, addiction, and – yes – suicide.

Read it in the Magazine: Fall Rebel

The days are getting colder
And there’s a chill about the air,
But while others are singing carols
There’s still lots of fall to share!

I love the snowy season, don’t get me wrong- I’m a winter baby in SL and RL. But this bum-rush into Christmas when Thanksgiving is barely two weeks away is far from the original intent of the holiday. In my own, personal stand against this expressiveness, I’ve embraced the colors and themes of the time to create a unique set of autumn attire.

V for Voice-

- Whatever that voice may be.

While we have different methods that may be perceived as opposing, I have to give a big ‘Thank You’ to Achariya for her current collection of posts. I believe for many of us, she is a security blanket made human; when she asked me to give my thoughts, it provided a productive outlet for my thoughts rather than just vomiting my upset here.

There are some things we just cannot do. For Ach, she cannot stop blogging- she’s openly stated she uses it to stay sane. Some creators are very dependent on their revenue and cannot go without sales for an extended period of time. Some users are unable to stick with simple actions to make their point and must go to greater lengths.

All of this acceptable. I am of the belief that, as each person has a different face, each person has a different way that is right for them, and the right, just ways will ultimately arrive at the same goal.

What is not acceptable is the negative framing. The protesters are not ‘boycotters of creators’, the creators staying open and the buyers are not ’selfish’ or ‘greedy’, and no one is ’stupid’. No one should be vilified, as the hurt it causes ultimately detracts from everyone, no matter what their path.

I have expressed my hurt in comments on two blogs; they were written with passion, and I strived to not use curses or be attacking in any way. However, they could be perceived as aggressive, and for that, I apologize. When I become involved in movements or events, I can be very sensitive to negatives and fall into defensive positions.

CN – Remember, Remember…

Remember, Remember
The 5th of November…

A few people close to me may remember I offered free fantasy avatar kits in-world. They were confined to XstreetSL for some time, but I have finally rebranded and set-up my shop – .! Chaotic Neutral !. is now open to the public. The classics and a few new products as well, including two free skins to help spread a message: content theft is not acceptable.

Life Out on the Street: Pagan Terminology 101

I was digging about my blog drafts to see what I could work on, and lo’ and behold, I found this little number, perfect for this ‘heathen’ holiday time. Amongst all the sugar and frills, a little education might add a nice kick to your Halloween or Samhain-

Since this is one of those prickly pears you’re supposedly not supposed to eat in public, I’ll say this up front:

a) In terms of overall research, I’m an amateur in the field,
b) I studied and explored these subjects for 2-3 years,
c) I actively converse with people of different experience levels and backgrounds during this time,
d) I have some heritage on my maternal side regarding this, and
e) It’s been a few years since I looked at these matters in depth, so I’m rusty.

Bearing this all in mind, I’d say I have a decent grasp of what I’m talking about. Which, I guess would be helpful to spit-out: the realm of Paganism and related topics. However, I am not going to share some amazing spell on how to get your missing inventory back or will completely eliminate bots of the grid. I am, though, going to show you how to spell and use words correctly so you can look a little less silly when you poke someone’s eye out with a wand.

Mayor of DC: Autumn Additions

This season has been aptly named for me this year, what with falling aparts, falling outs, falling into places, and stuff just plain falling (such as the light cover in the womens’ restroom- on my head, no less). Mid-term has passed, and while I still have some matters fighting for my attention, I do have some treats to share: