I blogged about the Harvest Faerie gown from Sparkle Skye on Fashion Labyrinth, my fashion-ish blog, but, it just screamed at me to take more pictures of it - only, it called for a more natural environment. I asked the Ch'Know group if they knew of any "autumn" type sims, and one of the suggestions was Tempura Island. So, I headed there, and it was the PERFECT setting for what I wanted (Thank you Nikki!).

It's actually been a while since I did something like this, and I was reminded about how frustrating it was. I am such a freak with getting poses the way I like, lining up the camera.... but then just as I am about to snap my picture, someone walks behind me, stop, slumps over, and goes in Away mode. *bangs head on desk*


However, I think they came out well, and I did photoshop them slightly to make the colors richer. I do kinda feel bad when I say "I photoshopped them", because what I did was just added a blur and changed the layer settings, but they are not straight out of SL.


And, I think this might be the best picture I've ever taken. I think it is absolutely perfect, with how I wanted the mood to be, the colors, and the pose. I think it's beautiful. ^^ If there was one thing I would change, is to be a little taller, so the bottom of the gown shows. But still, it holds it's own charm ^^

I explored October Country last night. Last time I visited, was last year, with my partner at the time... Bats. This year, I explored alone. If there was one thing I've realized in this time of Halloween sim exploring - visting sims alone really sucks. I like being able to point out things to other people, comment on things to someone... with just little me - I find it kinda boring, really.

But anyway, October Country! I hear this sim is a mix between residential, roleplaying, and a sim to explore. What's cool though - is that it's open all year long.


There definitely wasn't any really "scary" things here, but they play little ghost story dramas on their radio stream, so be sure to listen as you explore. I rarely have music going, but I am glad I got to listen to this stream ^^


There is even a fire where you can sit and listen to the creepy ghost stories. When I came last year, there was several people sitting around this fire, chatting away. I'm not really sure what happened though, because there was no one around the entire time I visited. Perhaps I scared them all away? :O


I think these crypt things were the best part of the sim. I think they are really well done, and extremely cute :D


This walkway was a cute touch too. I like the lights, bridge, and the trees in the background. It definitely set the October mood for me. :D


There are also interesting builds here too. Like this building with all kinds of moving gears, for example.


And this old windmill thingie. It looked kinda spooky, yet interesting.


It even has a little town! Though, this appears to be the main hub of the roleplaying. Luckily, I didn't encounter any role players. :D


Really, this place hasn't changed at all since I seen it last. It's just as I remembered, which could be both good and bad.

SLURL: October Country (218, 223 22)

I think my build is almost done! :D The inside texturing is done, the ceiling is done, and all that remains is the outside trim and texturing! \o/ Pictures!

The final layout I've decided upon. I decided to go ahead buy Botanical's maple's for the store, and took a bit of resizing to fit the way I wanted them. I've also used some sculpted ground prims, which worked exactly how I wanted them :D


I luffffff the tree areas in the store. I know, I know - its strange growing trees indoors, but I think they are cute! I had so much open space, I wanted to do something with it all. :D


This will the freebie/lucky board area. I wanted some sort of sitting area - I originally planned a couch and stuff, but once I decided on tree for the center, I just had to carry it over here. :D


The newest addition to the build. The way Kamian explained this to me, the only face I could make was something like this: :/ I was a little confused, and scared about what it would look like. But, when I woke up this morning and seen it - it looked fantastic :D I added the light thing in the middle, which I think, makes it look even better. :D


I've also been renovating my home! I came across some amazing textures on SLExchange, and I had to have them. They were just sooooo pretty, I decided to use one of them as my flooring! My house seems to be getting darker and darker lately O.o;


I also found these awesome things in the MudHoney hunt! I loved the look of them, and they matched my bedroom interior perfectly! :D

I visited the Cutting Class haunted house last night! It is apparently inspired by games like Silent Hill and such, and it shows. I've played a few of those horror/survival games before, and they always scared the CRAP out of me. (I am currently trying to play Fatal Frame 2, but after about 5 minutes of gameplay, I have to turn it off XD). I played a Silent Hill on the original Playstation, and it was okay until it got dark... then I freaked, turned it off, and never played it again. :O

But anyway, back to Cutting Class. I can't really say that this was "scary", but it was interesting. I liked exploring around, looking at the old school building. I do like just exploring old buildings that are in various stages of disarray. I am just weird like that. ^^


Surprisingly, this school build looked like a high school. I mean, it had science rooms, a library, stage, classrooms, and even bathrooms. Perhaps I should have put on a school uniform to explore this? O.O


I was slightly frustrated, because throughout the school, you had to hunt down pieces to get some kind of code. Once you get the code, you can use it to open the elevator, which will take you to the bowels of the school. :O


I think the creepiest part was actually the bathroom. It was all grungy, old, and decaying, I half expected something to come out of the mirror, or hiding behind the bathroom stalls.


I did expect more of this though. Creepy hanging things. It wasn't as gory as I thought it would be, but, still interesting ^^


Luckily, I got to follow some really smart people down the elevator. If it wasn't for them figuring the clues out, I would have never got down to the basement.... and, it was gross! Like, the stomach of a creature or something :O


Heh. Bloody walls? I wonder what happened down here. O.O


This was probably the most gross thing I seen through this school. It looked like some kind of fleshy deformed monster. Perhaps it was once a student? :O :O *runs away*


However, once you get to the last stretch of it, you get prizes for finishing! \o/ I liked the concept of this haunted house: an abandoned school, a little gore, weirdness, prizes, and a interactive system. It didn't make me scared iRL, but it was still good to explore. :D

SLURL: Cutting Class Haunted House, Pulse (81, 224, 42)

*Scratches head* I wonder what other Halloween haunted sims are out there? O.O

OMG, Merrick, you mean blogger! :P Anyway, it seems I was tagged to do some strange meme going around, so off I go.

Rules:

1. Link to the person that tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Share 6 non-important/habits/quirks about yourself.
4. Tag 6 random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
5. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.
6. Let your tagger know when your entry is up.

Let me just say, I have really horrible obsessive compulsive disorder, so I have some extremely strange things I do. XD Shall I begin? :D

1. I have a huge problem with open doors, cabinets, or drawers. It drives me absolutely nuts when I see one left open. And, because I am so weird, every night before I go to bed, I go through the house and touch every drawer, door and cabinet to make sure its closed. Otherwise, I'll never go to sleep. :/
2. Every time I eat something, I eat my favorite part last. If I eat a hamburger, I'll eat around the center, then eat the middle last - because its what I like best. :D With pizzas, I like the bottom crust... so, I'll eat the crust, then the toppings, and finally the bottom crust. My eating habits are strange, I've been told. I also like my Pepperoni pizzas with ranch dressing. :D
3. I will not leave the house without my hair up in some kind of ponytail or bun, or something. I only bring my hair down when I go to bed. Which, seems to mind-boggle most people, because I get a constant "OMG, you have the most beautiful hair!" from close family. :/
4. I wear dog tags everywhere. They hold my name, address and a phone number. I have a paranoia that I'll go somewhere, get in some weird accident and be burned beyond recognition. At least with my tags, I might be recognized and my relatives will be notified. ^^
5. I always read the last chapter of a novel before starting reading it. I hate surprises and crappy endings, so I always like to know what to expect at the end, and whether I'm going to be angry or not. O.o
6. I chew my nails. Its a really crappy habit that I've been doing my entire life, and it's really taken its toll on my nails. I attempted to grow them out once, but they are hideous, flimsy, and annoying. So, at this point - now that my nails are already ruined, I guess I could continue munching on them ^^

So, I guess thats my 6. I'll only tag two people, since everyone else seems to be tagged already:

Aisuru Rieko, Laleeta Xue, and Emerald Wynn.

Its been a while since I posted about my store build, hasn't it? Well, Its been kinda dormant for a while, while the builder had RL obligations, and I was struggling with textures. As I think I've stated before, I am really picky with textures. I know textures I like when I see them, its just... finding them thats the problem. So, I picked out a texture the other day that I really liked, and when he put them on the walls, omg. It was so perfect :D

It was exactly what I wanted, and every time I look at it - I love it even more. :D I think Kamian was happy too, so I wasn't poking him all the time and saying: "Try this.... no, how about doing this?" So, I haz a happeh. ^^ It seems now that I am pleased with the inside textures, he is aligning them up, making them seamless throughout the store... which is good, because I am unbelievably OCD about them being perfect.


I am also experimenting with decorating a bit. I have this huge, gigantic space behind this glass wall, and I don't really know what to do with it yet. So, I am trying a tree and sculpted ground for today. See how much I like it. I'm not sure I like having the couch area in the freebie section, and the tree area.... But, maybe it will grow on me. I'm also playing with the idea of moving the tree area, and replacing the couch thing with it. We'll see. :D


A little preview of the new stuff! I'll have a new fashion pose set, the moon poses as a freebie, and a picks reward gift! The picks reward will be switched out every month, and I think they will start in November. The vendor currently says "October Picks Reward Gift", but that was made like, 3 weeks ago. XD By the time it drops down, I'll have it changed to the correct month. ^^ Oh. And I'll have a new lucky board item called the Mina pose, and a group gift. :D OMG, so many freebies :O The freebie haters lately will skin me alive! O.O

Today is the hump day party, and I've been waiting for this theme... for like, forever! I am a total lingerie person, and its the biggest folder in my inventory. However, sadly - I rarely get to wear anything from it. So! I am thrilled that this week's theme is Lingerie! :D

I even took a picture of what I'll be wearing tonight... because I'm a dork like that. ^^

Now.... if only I could find something to wear for the Illusions Goblin Masque on Friday.... T_T

So, on the suggestion of Aisuru, I toured Trepid Station today! I actually attempted it last night before I went to bed, but got totally freaked out, and decided to try later. XD The scary thing about this place was the creepy, random noises.

I usually do okay with gore movies such as Saw, but, with jumpy movies like The Grudge, The Ring, and Shutter - I freak out. I hate those movies and have nightmares for months. But anyway - this haunted train station was a bit like that.


I apologize - some of these pictures are going to be really dark, and there are quite a few of them. I tried to experience the station the way it was meant to be - by region default lighting, but, of course - its not the best for picture taking.


There was several places that I actually thought was really pretty. I think this station has a very "abandoned" feel to it, which I really like. There is a certain beauty in abandoned buildings. The lobby was really pretty in this way. :D


Of course - it had the stereotypical "horror" factors, like the creepy kitchen. I half expected some skeletons to pop out of the oven or refrigerator at me xD


I liked the Diner thing. It's probably good to point out - if you want to get the full experience, you should scout out the newspapers every chance you can find and check out the headlines - it tells a little bit of the story behind the train station tragedy. ^^


The textures used in this build were pretty good too. :D I like these bookshelf things. XD


But, this build still has those jumpy, damn scary moments. You really don't know WHAT will pop at you next. It could be creepy ghosts, silhouettes, scary voices, or eerie creaking doors.


I took this picture, and I actually really liked it for some reason. I think the only thing that would have been better here is some kind of working ghost train. :D


I have no idea what the heck happened, but the next thing I knew, I fell out a window, and seen my face on a newspaper! Nuuuuu! I am still alive, I swear!


I visited a few Halloween sims with Bats, my first partner, last year - but, I don't think any of them can compare to this one. This was extraordinarily cool, and one of the few I'd suggest checking out ^^

SLURL: Trepid Station, Virtue (55, 27, 21)

After posting my big emo post yesterday, I came to some realizations. For now, I have decided to live one day at a time, and not think too much of the future. I have literally TONS of things that need to be done, and I think I should focus on them, rather than wasting time being down. I want to thank my commenters and the people who even contacted me in-world for helping me realize, and helping me come to my conclusion (And I also owe a bit to my mini Sex and the City marathon last night). :D I don't show it as often as I like, but I do love each of my friends, and readers. *Runs around and huggles everyone*

So, yesterday, I decided to decorate around Byakuya (the name I've given my land) a little bit for Halloween. I've been collecting each freebie pumpkin, spiderweb and decoration I can get my fingers on, and have been trying to find out which ones I like best. I settled on Dernier Cri's adorable pumpkins, and bought some cheapo fog to set up in my pond.

I'm not the type to go ALL out with wagons, hay bales, pumpkins ALL over, with a giant scene all over my roof, but I do like to do a little bit, to keep me in the spirit of Halloween. SL Halloweens are great though, because you never have to worry about carving pumpkins, picking seeds out from the pumpkin goo to cook them, or the carvings caving in the day after. Nope, just pick a pumpkin from a line and set it out - no worrying at all. I also don't have to deal with the dog barking her face off every time the doorbell rings, which in turn gives me a headache by the end of the night. ^^ So, Halloween in SL is great. :D

Anyway - I really like the fog in my pond. I think it's kinda creepy, yet very cool looking. I am pleased with it. ^^


And, I think these are the best pumpkins I've found this year. Totally free and moddable, which makes them even better. I also put some of these pumpkins as decorations in my store too. :D

So, my builder is back and complaining about the build texture he made. XD And of course, I headed off to find a different texture that would work for him. I hunted, hunted, and hunted more until I came across some really pretty stripes. I actually really liked how the stripes looked, and honestly thought that they looked better than the gradient he made. I am so terrible with textures though... I made this one tileable, and a color I liked, so I hope it works well with the floors! I swear, I am so mean to this builder, like, every week, I tell him: "I don't think I like this texture anymore...." But, he still seems to swear that I'm not mean at all. XD

Tomorrow, I'll be dressing up and hitting some of SL's best haunted houses this year. I think I could use a good scare :D

Ever since departnering, I've felt depressed, and haven't wanted to do anything at all. I haven't wanted to blog, go exploring, or leave the house. I've been kinda blah feeling. And on top of that, my sales have been going down the drain, and I have no idea how I am going to pay for tier next week. So, I've been laying off shopping for a bit, which really sucks. I am not sure what to do anymore. It's a really crappy feeling, and there really isn't much I can do about it. And, now I'm sick.

Anyway. While I was mulling about how crappy SL is lately, I came across a house and it made me go: :O

Its so freaking huge. In my crap feeling state, I thought: What kind of person would enjoy such a huge house? and What do they do to be able to spend so much on it? This house was 9 bedrooms, almost $19,000L, and required at least 25,000sq. meters of land.

At that moment, I felt like I was slammed against a brick wall. What am I in SL to do anymore? I can never get inspired to make new poses, to the point that its like pulling teeth now, I am constantly alone, and the only thing I ever find myself doing is fishing in my pond, because I can never find anything else to do.

I log into SL dreading it. The most logical solution to most people would be: Just log off for a few days and deal with RL. With RL, I'd face the same problems. I always hoped I'd have a different life in SL, but when I finally really thought about it - my two lives are exactly the same.

I wish I was able to live the life of a famous fashion blogger. Being invited to the best parties, being talked to by designers, and being known.

I wish I was someone with many friends. You know, the type that go shopping with a group of people, dress up in weird outfits and go explore together.... just generally surrounded by people all the time.

How long have I pretended to be something I'm not? More importantly - who am I? In RL, I am a 23 year old who rarely leaves the house, is obsessed with Starbucks Iced Black Teas with 10 pumps of classic sweetener, addicted to nasal spray, owns 2 tee shirts, and 3 pairs of pants, and never leaves her most comfortable black sweatpants with Adidas sandals. I don't answer the house phone at all, and the only people programmed in my cell phone are my cousin and brother.

In SL, I have a wardrobe I've always wished I owned in RL, play the role of wannabe fashion blogger, have oceanfront property, and run a failing store.

Its really funny how one thing such as a simple house can give you a wake up call, and let you see who you are, what you've become, and where your (either) life is headed. Its heartbreaking, depressing, but I am not entirely sure what to do about it.

I really don't mean to be all emo lately. This post will most likely self-destruct by tomorrow morning.

So, its almost been a month at my new home on Envision, and I love it just as much as I did when I first bought the land. I spent quite a bit of time making it look great, and a greater amount of lindens landscaping it. OMG, why are trees and stuff so expensive?! :O

I purchased this land for Kagic and I, where we can have a bigger piece of land for cheaper, can customize it ourselves, to better suit us, and don't have to TP a manager to eject an intruder in the middle of a conversation. I got a house, set everything up - and was so excited to show it to him when he logged in. But, almost one month later - I am still waiting for him to log back in.

One close friend knew about it, I kinda kept it to myself for a while, that he's been missing from SL. A few people told me they were wondering why I wasn't talking about him anymore. So, on Saturday - one month from his last log in date - I de-partnered him. It was difficult, and depressing, but - just how long am I supposed to wait? I wasn't sure about that answer, so I waited a month. I am assuming he has left SL either because he is bored with it, or something had come up.

I also found it difficult to just find someone to talk to during this time. I always fear IM'ing someone, because I know they have more important things to do besides listen to me rant and complain about things. So, I've always kept my thoughts and feelings to myself. But, when I did talk about Kagic and I, I felt relieved, to have some thoughts lifted off my chest. It really made me feel better to just vent and rant it all out. Would it be weird to script a sculpted noob to talk back, so I can rant and vent to it at any time I want? :O

So anyway... Its just me on my Envision land. Sometimes it feels a bit too big for little me, but I still enjoy it. It's serene, quiet, beautiful, and brings a little bit of enjoyment for me. :D Anyway, on to the completed pictures of my house!

Here is the house itself - I still love the dramatic lighting along the trees. Its so pretty :D


The front of the house is probably my most favorite. My completed pond is my most favorite place to be, because its so beautiful and peaceful.


Seriously, I can take pictures of the pond area for hours. There is also a fishing spot in it. :D I also recently upgraded the server to the most recent version last night - the server thing was acting up with a "Please wait a few moments before fishing" hovertext. Seems to work fine now :D


Speaking of fishing - I did want some kind of fish in the pond, and after visiting several places, I wasn't happy with the fish there. So, I managed to buy a transparent aquarium thing from 7Seas Fishing, and displayed some of my caught koi here. It's perfect, and exactly what I wanted. :D


The entrance of my home. I tried quite a few things here - fountains, and various sculptures, but, nothing looks better than a silver plate with a quote. I think it was actually meant for a wall.... but who needs to know? XD


My living room. I was going to take a picture of Kagic and I and put it in the frame above the fireplace, but well... it was never done. So, I put my second favorite photo of me in it. Not sure if it is weird that I frame photos of myself in my own house? O.o;

The neighbor's house next door, used to GLOW. Like omg. it looked sooooooo bad. But, luckily, they seem to have taken the glow off their house shortly after I moved in. ^^


There is usually one room that I can never decide what to do with - this was it for this room. I call it my inspiration room, with a piano, books, words, and stuff. ^^


The hallway was one of the best parts of the house to me - its so beautifully constructed. :D


Meh bedroom. :D Its so pretty, and is always one of my favorite rooms in each of my homes. It was obvious, as soon as I sat this house down, THIS would be the bedroom. Carpeted, with the best views of the house. ^^


The rear of the house. I am looking for some really good non-temp rez waves that look semi-decent. Anyone have any ideas? xD


My last picture of my house. I absolutely love that it is located on the west side of the island, so I can have beautiful sunsets. :D