New World Notes

These Historical Second Life Headdresses from Illusions Are Fit for a Virtual Queen

Janine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

Whether you enjoy decking your avatar out in historical fashion or you just like keeping a stock of fantasy-chic items on hand, Siyu Suen's latest release at Illusions should be of great interest to you. Siyu's just come out with two mesh headdresses (French Hoods, to be precise) which until now have been surprisingly hard to find in Second Life. They're a staple of Tudor-inspired costuming, but I bet even a particularly inventive Gothic Lolita fashionista could make these pieces work, especially with all the different scripted color and styling options available.

Siyu has had a very high output lately as she's been working on a series of commissions, including these hoods, most of which are also being released at her shop. Her Plurk feed has been full of tantalizing sneak peeks of the gorgeous work that's still to come, so anyone with an eye for the unusual should be paying close attention to Illusions in the weeks to come. You can pick up the french hoods (and much more) there right now [SLURL] [SL Marketplace]. 

State of the Av: The Virtual Future's So Bright, I Need to Wear Cybershades

Janine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

This month an item I'd been waiting ages to get finally came out. Even better, something I didn't even know I needed came out alongside it... Lucky me, the pair happen to coordinate perfectly together. I've mixed them in with some oldies-but-goodies for my SL avatar's current look, so here's the full breakdown:

Ink Innovation: Nian Design's Affordable Solution to One of SL's Oldest Avatar Issues

Iris Ophelia's ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

For nearly a decade, SL tattoo makers have had to respond to one irritating and ignorant request day after day, week after week. "Can you make a single-arm tattoo?"

No, they couldn't. They really couldn't. The limitations of the avatar itself stood in their way. But mesh has opened a lot of doors and solved a lot of problems for SL creators, including this one.

Looking Forward to This Month's Collabor88? Here's Why You Should Be!

Iris Ophelia's ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

The 8th might be my favorite date, because that's when Collabor88 throws open its doors for a new round of cleverly themed shopping every month. Collabor88 May will be open to the public this Wednesday, but many creators are already teasing what they'll have on offer for this round's Rain or Shine theme. Keep reading to see what's in store!

Why Do I Blog? SL Blogging Community Meme Asks The Big Questions

Iris Ophelia's ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

There's a new meme working its way around the blogging community right now that has writers answering the big questions about why they do what they do. Strawberry Singh brought it to the SL community last week after spotting it on a RL blog, and since then there has been an explosion of responses. Several so far stand out, including Anya Ohmai (easily one of my top 3 favorite SL bloggers), and Opal Lei (writer and photographer behind adorable snapshot blog "Where's Dim Sum?").

It's tempting to make this a post listing my favorite responses to this meme, but that would ignore the question altogether...

Build Up Your Real Vocabulary to Match Your Virtual Wardrobe With This Awesome New Fashionista Blog

Iris Ophelia's ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

If you've ever wanted to know the difference between a pleat and a pintuck, there's a new project by a group of experienced SL fashion bloggers that might be worth your time. The A to Z of Fashion Writing, a blog spearheaded by Cajsa Lilliehook among others, aims to inform fellow fashionistas and bloggers alike with illustrated lessons on crucial fashion vocabulary. Why is a solid fashion vocab so vital even when all the items in question are virtual? Well...

State of the Av: Kit Yourself Out in Spring Fashions from Collabor88 and Kawaii Fair

Iris Ophelia's ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

It occurred to me that it's been a rather long time since Iris Ophelia has made a real appearance on NWN. Obviously I'm here and writing regularly, but the focus of that writing has broadened a lot, and doesn't include big beautiful shots of my SL avatar as often as it used to. But of course Iris is still around off-stage, and still dressed impeccably.

So to make sure the fashionistas in the audience are still getting their fix, today I'm presenting the state of my avatar. Hint: Her state is pretty damn kawaii, even more than usual. Keep reading for full details!

Fantasy Faire Opens This Weekend, But Draxtor Despres has Gorgeous Previews for You NOW!

Iris Ophelia's ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

Fantasy Faire is one of the most successful annual Relay For Life events in Second Life, and it opens for business tomorrow. Every year this event is packed with everything from gorgeous medieval gowns to monstrous avatar accessories, making it a must-see for anyone with tastes beyond virtual jeans and t-shirts. If you're eager for an early look at the sims and the scenery behind the event, machinimagician (am I allowed to call him that?) Draxtor Despres has a couple videos well worth watching...

SL-Based Interactive Sci-Fi Webcomic Splintered Rock Needs Your Support

 
Iris Ophelia's ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

A couple months ago I wrote about Splintered Rock, an interactive webcomic influenced by Dune and shot in Second Life using a cluster of truly magnificent and gritty sci-fi sims. What makes it so innovative is that the story develops based on several different kinds of interaction that readers can have with creator Darren Green, including polls and the use of tokens to bolster the stats (and therefore survival chances) of their favorite characters.

It's a neat concept and it's pretty well executed, but it's not all smooth sailing either. Projects like this don't create themselves, and Chapter 1 proved to be a pretty time-consuming endeavour. That's why Splintered Rock needs your help...

Project Materials Beta Viewer Brings The Spectacular World of Specularity (and More) to Second Life

Iris Ophelia's ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

The long-awaited Project Materials Viewer for Second Life has finally arrived, and many builders and designers have been clambering to take it for a spin. This viewer adds a new range of options for those creating with mesh including support for specular maps. But what exactly does that mean for you and me? Mostly it means that a lot more realistic-looking (and just plain pretty) mesh items will be coming to your inventory very soon.

Designer Damien Fate (the man behind Fatewear, Loco Pocos, and one of the team members of coldLogic) has been one of those tinkering with the new viewer, and he's made a video that definitely illuminates the difference: