Hotrod

The revving of an engine, and the squeal of tyres on tarmac would always split the night...

Hotrod shone in the darkness. Not just from headlights burning in the night, bathing her in a glow as they swept roadways and buildings, but from the flames licking her curves, part of her being. She was older than she would ever look, meticulously maintained, a classic beauty, still more than capable of setting pulses racing. When she emerged into the world, she had first proven her worth to those who knew her, running the gauntlet of lawmen, carrying precious lillicit whiskey across the border. Speed and agility were her hallmarks, while some of her fellows had been caught, locked up and away, this had never been her fate. Over time, laws, and the world around her had changed, but her popularity only grew. Still lauded for her past triumphs, her beauty was now revered. Racing along highways, and in her work at the garage, people would stare, open-mouthed. Their admiration and care kept her going, in a world of boxy sameness, of safety and computerised sensors, she was real, was raw and dangerous. Forever a challenge to life and limb, in leather, chrome and flames.

 More years ago than I really care to think about (back in 2007) a very good friend of mine had made some tatts, these are they. On one occasion only, she showed them off on a blue skin. She looked like a bad ass hotrod, possibly not what she was going for, but the idea has been lodged in my mind ever since. In a revamp of her store, she is re-releasing some of her classic designs, so I had to try an recreate the look to share with you all here. While the flames look good on all skintones, for me, it will always be the dreamcar, my flaming blue hotrod.

The Nohkternal Designs tattoo comes with all layers, tattoo layer included, for L$150. You can find them here...
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/ND-Flames-Type-1/222554?id=222554&slug=ND-Flames-Type-1
or at the new mainstore in the beautiful Arkham sim here...
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Arkham/128/128/2

Tattoo : ::ND:: Flames Type 1 L$150
Skin :  .{Rue}. Skin'd/Anima Asteria: Bare (DBr/NFr/Clv) L$600

I utterly fell in love with this skin while I was searching for one that would do for these pictures. Trawling marketplace and browsing my usual favourite stores had nothing that would do, and then I found Rue. I dont know when Id wear the skin again, but I couldn't not buy it after trying the demo. L$600 seemed steep for a skin I'd use in one blog post, which many people can attest to, as I was whinging for hours about struggling to find a reasonably priced alternative, but on opening the box - I was amazed. Not one skin as I'd thought, but 19 versions, a SHAPE, and three make-up options. From expense to complete bargain in one box opening!

Hair : (r)M ~ Hair No.09(F) ~ Cashmere Red
Pants :  Goth1c0: Sticky and Sweet L$250
Here shown is the pants layer, and the MESH skirtpart - the entire very pretty outfit is the price above.
Boots : .:L&B:. "Elise" Ankleboots

The Autumn Effect

Some other highlights from this excellent Depraved Nation Hunt!

Of the best things about autumn, Christophe would have found it hard to pick just one favourite. They all interlinked, as all natural things would do. The days were shorter, so the nights, and the twilights were longer, that beautiful tone which bathed the woodlands, making long walks that little bit magical. The world was sighing after a busy and productive summer, the trees and the creatures settling down, preparing for the long winter sleep. The nip in the air meant he would wear his woolen jumper, knowing she would want it later when night fell, but for now, with the mellow light dappling the glade amid the falling leaves, she would still be dressed for the last of the warm days...

She knew as she made her choices that morning exactly what she would wear, the warm tones matched her mood, and the technicolour foliage they would walk through. The sun flooded her rooms, warming the air. It would be cooler out in the woods, but they would stick to the sunlit paths at first. As the evening drew on, he would let her borrow his jumper, she knew it, and grinned to herself with this knowledge. For now she could relax into the soft carpet of leaves, resting her head in his lap as the spiders hiding in the leaf litter emerged, spying with their many eyes their fellows, inked into her skin.

Him :
Eyes:  cStar Limited - Toxic Shot Eyes
Top :  [AB] Josh Sweater Taupe MESH
Shoes : Kennedy's  Checkered Chucks


Her :
Skin :   :::shiva:::TAE-huntskin
Eyes : cStar Limited - Toxic Shot Eyes
Leggings:  [ SAKIDE ] Flirty Leather Laced Up Leggings Brown
Top : [trs] Babydoll -MESH
Tattoo : {:ThirteenTH:} 'Infested' Unisex Tattoo
Necklace : SaMe  Black-Pearl

Prop : Incendia - Autumn Effect Gift (Background not shown here)
Pose : Bounce This Poses - Autumn Love 1

With mists and mellow fruitfulness, autumn lured even the most urban of foxes out into the wilds of the woods. Their city clothes stood up to the task remarkably well, her hoodie was thick and warm, the leather of his jacket kept out the chill and the damp. Jeans, as ever, were suitable anywhere, though Sam would occasionally whimper when the drop crotch of his jeans snagged on a bramble. Anya chuckled softly each time this happened, catching his hand to pull him free. They had avoided the rangers, her smoking would not go over well at all, though she was convinced it would take days of intense flame to make any difference to the damp carpet of leaves beneath their feet. They had walked for hours, taking in the views, and searching for conkers, soon it would be time to head to the clearing, and join the others at the bonfire, but for now, this tranquil world was theirs.

Him :
Jacket/Shirt combo : BSD Aces Leather Jacket  MESH
Jeans :  LogiQue  [LQ] Mens Denim Standard - Depraved  MESH

Her:
Eyes : cStar Limited - Toxic Shot Eyes
Hoodie :  :: alterego :: fearless MESH
Tattoo :  ~.:.Hysteria.:.~ The sound of Autumn 1
Ears :  .HW. Dusk -Ears w/ Plugs & Piercings-
Jeans :  LogiQue  [LQ] LogiQue Denim - Curvy Depraved MESH
Cigarette :  [VIRTUAL/INSANITY] LUCKY STROKE Ciggie (Smoked - Autumn1)

Tabitha waited in the clearing, her table was ready, candles lit. At long last, again it was her season. Each year rolled around, trials and tribulations threatened all chances of success, of life itself. As she played her part, she had to trust the others to do theirs. Without them, she could not exist, and without her, in turn, neither would they. Deities though they were, they could not exist alone. Long ago, she had been known by another name. As the years rolled by, Demeter had come to mean less to the people for whom she provided such bounty, and with which they had honoured her. She had made little concession to the changing years, save the name she gave to people. Tabitha tripped more easily off the tongue, and the knowledge they were dining with a goddess may have made her guests feel ill at ease. That wouldn't do at all. This was the celebration, the feast of the food they would bring, the ceremony, symbolic as it now was, of the last golden night before the long darkness of winter.

Skin :   :::shiva:::TAE-huntskin
Shape :    FROSTING!! Pumpkin *Female Shape*
Tattoo :   ~.:.Hysteria.:.~ The sound of Autumn
Eyes :   cStar Limited - Toxic Shot Eyes
Facial Piercings :  .:ellabella:. Sweep (gold)
Jumper :  [ SAKIDE ] Irish Dropshoulder Pull Alpha Layer  MESH
Leggings : [ SAKIDE ] Flirty Leather Laced Up Leggings Brown
Boots :   :{MV}: Autumn Reaper Boots
Bangles :   :[P]:- Kehz Bangles


Props :  [CIRCA] - "Vintage Harvest" Banquet Table
             [CIRCA] - "Vintage Harvest" Gourd Crate
             .:SF:. "The Gloaming" Floor Candelabra (Autumn Glow)

Autumn is here!!! Remember the Autumn Effect Hunt is gridwide, and has gifts for ladies and the gents. Around 100 stores - all gifts are 0L$. The items are really something special - as Id hope these shots show, and there's so many more you can find and enjoy. Hunt is on now, and runs until 15th October.

You can find the SLurls, Hints, and Rules here ...

http://depravednation.com/the-autumn-effect

Fighters

I'm a survivor 
I'm not goin' give up
I'm not goin' stop
I'm goin' work harder

Maria spent many hours each week in the stinking sparring room in the old gym downtown. Not for her the shiny and glitzy gyms with their lycra clad members, jogging for fifteen minutes on a treadmill before stopping for carrot and mango frappe with an overpriced biscotti on the side. It was grimy, sure. You wouldn't want to lick any of the walls, but that was hardly why she was there. It was the place in the city to learn.

Far from the safest areas of town, the gym was a well kept urban secret. Old men gathered by the doors, sharing stories of past victories, grumbling about defeats, arguing the toss from morning till night. They kept the pretty boys away, letting only those there for the sport, and not the swagger, through the dented doors. Of course they had been skeptical at first, What was she doing there? Here to clean the place was she?

Ha

                   ha

                                        ha

The first uppercut to the jaw of the one laughing loudest had put an end to that. Now they saw past the superficial, the cuteness of her clothing, however crazy it may be, to the talent. She was there to work, that was obvious to them all. Even with a babyblue and bowed legoesque villain on them, her clothes suited the task. She could move in them, could sweat, could train.

*Rubs hands with glee* It's hunting season!!! With Twisted in the bag - didya spot the survivor reference? - though you still have until the end of the month to finish - it's on to the next for me. Depraved Nation is at it again with The Autumn Effect hunt. It's gridwide, gifts for ladies and the gents, with around 100 stores - all gifts are 0L$.  It began on September 15th and runs until 15th October.

You can find the SLurls, Hints, and Rules here...

http://depravednation.com/the-autumn-effect

Shown here is the female hunt prize from S u g a r . All MESH tracksuit. Its possible to wear the pieces separately, as alpha layers are included for both together, just top, or just pants. Included in the gift are sizes XXS, XS, S, M and L. The design on the back of the top is very cute, but not twee, as its not baby pink! The first and second pictures here are a nice example of how the mesh moves with the body, these weren't done with carefully arranged static poses, but snapshots mid motion using the animated gym equipment at this location. Nothing poking through, no alpha mishaps. I also really like the rolled up trouser leg, it takes this another step further from what you may expect in sweats.

Skin : : S u g a r : Punky Babe  (skintone Demerara) L$ 699 per skin now limited to 25 of each new design per skintone

Outfit :  : S u g a r :  SHoodie - Darth's Cute [Blue]  The Autumn Effect huntgift.

In Aqua

It was time for the opening. Nistra Ophelia Sami had a good feeling. And so did her little friends. They were running the salon for private music recommondations now for some years and with every year they got more customers. Many of them were musicians who had lost their creativity. Nistra somehow knew what to let them listen to inspire them. It was a rare talent and so she could have been able to demand high rates. Of course she didn't do so. Helping musicians to create what they could do best was what she had been born for. Now and then people in extra fancy clothes visited her little store and tried to make her work with them. She rarely was willing to do so. Not because she disliked the record companies those people worked for more because the effects she caused on the people they sent to her were to odd. At least in her opinion. It was like she made them burn so that they made one or two songs which were nice and after that even she wasn't able to inspire them anymore. And who had ever heard about a muse who cared to create one hit wonders?
The wonderfully creative and talented Aphrodite Outlander is back to the grid not only to move her first store Perse (which had some really great boots) to the marketplace but also to open a new store for mesh clothes : L'APH. The fleur grande dress is one of the first releases from there. It comes in all the standard sizes and is available in a wide range of coulors. For those who love shades of blue and green the blue dress is perfect. It has a pink border which allows to combine it with accessories and shoes in the same tone. The ones used for the outfit are pretty old but still great and come from Ingenue. Being made of sculpts their price is reasonable.
Booshies does not only take part in the finding fab free hunt. They also got new Lil'PetZ in their gatcha. The pet on the head is called Fentrili and in 6 different versions in the gatcha while the one on the shoulder is called Girecko and the gift in the finding fab free hunt which will run till the end of september.
The hair is made by Wasabi Pills. It is unrigged mesh hair which allows to resize it. The hair comes with a hud which allows to choose different colours for the hairslides. The cut goes as well with kawaii style as with business outfits.
The poses belong to one of the latest releases from Purple Poses.

Items:
Dress: -L'APH- Fleur Grande Dress Blue (299 L$)
Hair: /Wasabi Pills/ Noriko Mesh Hair  (1500 L$ for fatpack 250 L$ colourpack)
Skin: Adam n Eve Skins - Victoria Sunkissed (1800 L$)
Shoes: Ingenue :: Audrei :: Be Mine (100 L$)
Shoulderpet: Booshies: (B Lil'PetZ) Girecko (0 L$ Finding Fabfree gift)
Pet on the Head: Booshies: (B Lil'PetZ) Fentrili - Aqua (gatcha 100 L$ for one round)

Poses: PURPLE POSES ALICE

The pictures have been taken at Takeuti

Twisted ladies

Its that time again... the self proclaimed hardest hunt in SL has returned, spreading another layer of insanity on those who attempt it, this time with a dark blue glaze of crazy.  DV8 have stepped back from SL, it's truly odd to start Twisted anywhere other than their headquarters, but those who have taken over the reins have done an outstanding job. 194 stops (with very few drop outs). No hints other than those you ask for in group chat. Decoys galore (well, 10 visible anyway... beware derendering or wireframe - you may be blinded by the unlimited decoys hidden in walls, floors, objects...) That's all before the the nightmarish endgame, complete with mindbending riddles. So put your tin foil hat on, and get involved!  Here's a selection of my favourite finds.

Irena could only sit and wait in her cage until the hour ticked to midnight. Some called it the witching hour, and at some times of the year, indeed it was. But not now. Not this month. When the lock clicked open, she would be free to cause mayhem. Running through the forest she would aim for those whose twisted minds called her, dancing through their stores and businesses, hiding their wares. Upturning potplants, sticking furniture to ceilings and rehanging artwork upside down. Where she could, the pulled at the threads of the stores themselves, daubing them in her colours, covering every surface with her design. She focused on the lock, twirling her hair around and around, tightening the twists as the clock ticked, the door sprang open. Jumping out into the night, her skirts billowing around her, it was time to cause some trouble...

Skin :   KaiAna & ThatChick   ~tc~ Darkness Faun Female Skin
Hair :   *Battle Angel*   Shadows Black Heaven
Tattoo :   :LP:   Death Ride
Eyes :  -[UTC]-   Corrupted Eyes - Ver. 2
Earrings :  [VIRTUAL/INSANITY] SHADOWS Earrings
Outfit :  :KR: Heatwave Gowns (Endgame prize!)
Shoes :  :{MV}: Survivor Series Darkness (For sale in Mob vend for Twisted - grouping together with other hunters got the price down to L$50 when I was there)
Cage :   Goth1c0: Unleash my soul

Mirabella had had a long night. Following shoppers and hunters around for hours, clip clopping her hooves on tile and carpet to add to their confusion as they searched for the little boxes. Light reflected from the shiny latex of her dress, dappling walls with shifting shadows and highlights. While her eyes were hooded with  varying shades of darkness, her mischievous eyes glowed bright with the blue of the boxes these people hunted so assiduously. Their grumblings about the difficulty of their hunt, the twisted genius of each hiding place, the curses and oathes were music to her ears. It was a long and winding path they had to wander, and she was tired. There would be time enough the next night to annoy and befuddle others. Settling back on the large skeletal hands that made up her comfiest sofa she yawned, and relaxed into the moonlight.

Skin :  Style by Kira - Dark Serenity Skin 01A opt.2
Eyes :  -[UTC]- Corrupted Eyes - Ver. 2
Earrings :  [VIRTUAL/INSANITY] SHADOWS Earrings
Tattoo (Upper body) :   :LP:   Death Ride
Outfit :  ~Sassy!~ Mandarin Vinyl (Skirtpart is mesh)
Hooves :  KaiAna & ThatChick  ~tc~ Darkness Faun Female Leg 
Bench :  Dark 7 Skeletal Hands Bench

Eight was who she was. She was the spirit who condensed in the air with the birth of each new contingent of boxes. She had her counterparts, there was a male who tread the same insane steps as her, and they had been joined by a third, the tiny feet of the petite spirit running along streams of consciousness. Born of the darkness they played with beams of light, shining hope into dark corners, only to twist and shift it away as anyone approached, cackling insanely all the while. Like Venus from her shell she emerged each night, tentacles protecting her while she slept, the blue box recharging her energies. Rising and stepping quietly out, her hands came together, the swirling tendrils of glowing insanity forming between her fingers, stretching out to light her way, leading her on toward those minds still whole, at least, for now...

Skin :  The Little Bat  !TLB - Ms. Slender Skin
Hair :  Impish - Darkness Hair - Ashes
Eyes :  Death row Designs QueenofDarkness Hood Eyes 
Necklace :  House of Rain   As Darkness Falls - sapphire/aged silver (Mesh)
Hat : !TLB - Fedora
Corset : 1 Hundred. Obey Corset. (Mesh)
Skirt :  American Bazaar  [AB] Mini skirt black
Stockings :  !TLB - Stockings
Shoes : [ bubble ] Black Sneakers
Light beam : -[UTC]- Twisted Magic Prop - Female
Pose : [ P ] Twisted Darkness - Female Pose
Clam bed : Dolome Designs Twisted Hunt - Darkness Clamshell Bed

[dragonriding]

The new Mens Dept might, or not be even better when you've been riding the dragon, but even without being high there's still some stunning stuff to be found. One of them is most certainly 22769's contribution, the mesh Dandy Jackets, that come in 4 different patterns: dragon (shown in the picture), brocade, flames and peacock. You can wear them as is or combine them with one of the 6 'shirtlets' that are also included in the pack to achieve the look seen in the image above. Just note that the shirts cannot be worn alone, and as usual, make sure to grab a demo to check if one of the provided 5 sizes fits you.



Hair: Maitreya - Lotte
Skin: ~Tableau Vivant~ - Ryan

Jacket: 22769 ~ Dandy Jacket Dragon [at The Mens Dept]
Pants: [CHEERNO FEMME] - Hayde Pants
Boots: Lassitude & Ennui - Severian Boots

Crop: Violator - DoNotScream Riding Crop
Hat: DECO - Group Gift Fedora [old group gift]

Dragonbreed

Their whispers wandered through the cave. Slight questions and answers were exchanged then finally not only their hands touched but also the wyrms they carried on their heads. Informations flew from one to an other. And they were one again.

Being apart was always a pain for them and so were the moments when they met again. Akalaia the female one had not managed to stand the pain and fallen onto the soft wet ground so that her companion had to help her up again. He felt weak himself but tried to force himself not to feel the pain because he knew that she would feel it too which would make everything way worse.

It was surprising enough that they still were alive. Ages ago when their kin and the wyrms had managed to nearly kill each other they decided to have ambassadors who would be both wyrm and Nyroyama. So each year the most sensitive children were choosen and forced to unite their mind with a wyrm. Most of them did not survive, the shock of feeling an other mind in their mind was too much for them, others who survived the first shock were not able to stand the pain the foreign thoughts created in them. The feeling of bathing in fire and swimming in lava was nothing they were able to deal with. But some of them managed to realize that the wyrms were forced as they were and managed to find a way to communicate with them. Not that they were able to teach anybody. Every connection was unique. Those were the ones who became ambassadors between the Nyroyama and the Wyrms. Sometimes like in their case they connected somehow to one of those who went through the time of the first massive pain with them. Not that they ever were alone together. The wyrms never left them.
Xoph does not only create the best tentacles in second life. They also normaly take part in the twisted hunt. This time their huntgift is an awesome mix of a dragon and horns. It looks like a bonedragon would be sitting on the head between two impressive horns. The item is resizeable and the set contains a set for normal avatars and one for petites.
At Xoph you actually do not have to search for the twisted cube. You need to solve a ride which includes finding totems which give you some answers. At the end you need to find somebody whom you tell those answers and who gives you the huntgift in exchange. It is fun and there are some cool items to play with in the store. And who wouldn't like falling through a tunnel of lava or to find a path through disappearing stepstones?
RokumeikaN also takes part in this hunt. Their gift is a complete outfit called Knight of Darkness. It suits men as well as women. All primparts have a resizescript, the textures are very well made.
An other great hunt started today. Finding Fab free celebrates 5 years of the FabFree Blog and many stores take part in this. For example A:S:S who made a dragonskin tattoo layer and dragon eyes (made of mesh) as hunt gifts.

The couple pose used in the  picture comes from exposeur and the single poses are both available at purple poses.

Items:
Horns: XOPH Twisted Gift Fall 2012 Darkness (0 L$)
Eyes: A:S:S - Naga - mesh eyes and makeup for Finding Fabfree hunt (0 L$)
Outfit:+RMK*knight of darkness *+ (0 L$)

Hair on him:  /Wasabi Pills/ Orion MALE Mesh Hair - (1500 L$ for fatpack 250 L$ colourpack)
Hair on her: Magika Length (250 L$)

Couple Pose: {.:exposeur:.} One and Only
Single Poses:  Purple Poses

Pictures taken in Booshtopia