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

Fish and Cats... almost.

Here, as promised, the final two skins from the new   S u g a r  line. I hope you love em.

Siren's Lust

For centuries the landwalkers had wondered, had dreamed, and invented stories about all they did not understand. These dreams were the work of the Sirens. They pulled on threads of memory, imagination and desire. From deep below the waves they would sing, the soft strains of music flowing with the tides, breaking into trance like tones as the breakers hit the shore. Calling the landwalkers to their watery graves was their task and their joy. The lustful heat they could inspire in rapidly beating hearts, the yearning gaze of desire in eyes reflecting their beauty, and the deadly rhythm of the waves. Few caught in their aqueous embrace would live to walk the land again. Dazzled by shining scales on the faces of new paramours, the Sirens would take their warmth along with their kisses. Some may not have minded, a new life could await them after all, deep beneath the rolling waves.

Shown here is the Siren's Lust skin by   S u g a r  in skintone Cane. This skintone is pale, with a warmer pink in the cheeks that works well with the striking turquoise and green of the eyeshadow, face scales, and lips. There's a punky feel to the colours used for the skin, without it being overly strong, so it could be worn as a badass rebel of a young Mer, or softened to a more gentle look just by your choice of hair and outfit.

Cats Eye

It had been loud as a screaming jet engine, and hot as hades in the underground club that night. The tiny stage had been little more than a podium on which they had been the focus, the target for the yells, energy, and hands of the writhing mob. Sweat condensing on the walls, running in rivulets down grimy brickwork, smeared here and there where a body fell against it, no longer able to keep up with the driving pogo filling the dark cramped space. Clothes were torn, toes crushed, asses grabbed. And no one cared. It was all about the music, their music, and being there. Bedraggled and battered, scratched by the reaching hands of the crowd as they jumped and rocked to the beat, they had never felt more alive. Final chords thrummed, screaming and shouts chased them along the tangle of backstage corridors out into the chill of the alley. Falling onto the crates, voices hoarse, they were the essence of their music, the sound of the night.. and the camera caught it all.

Here shown is the Cats Eye skin by  S u g a r  in the skintone  Powdered. Wow... seriously, I JUST got all the sugar references. I'd just been thinking they were all 'sweet' names linked to the colour tones. There you go, my occasional slow idiocy exposed. Anyway - back to the skins. I think this may be my favourite of the new selection of skins. The leopard spots across the eyes are not in a solid or straight band, it's the curves that make it look so good, more natural even. The lips are nude, but with gloss that makes them stand out as effectively done natural makeup. This skintone, which is paler than anything I would generally go for, is really beautiful. If I go pale, I'll be going powdered. Love this.

As with the other skins, these are limited release, 50 of each tone in each style. You can find them here...

http://slurl.com/secondlife/The%20Slums/211/72/28

Three spoonfuls of S u g a r

I promised the rest of the skins from the new range by  S u g a r. Here's some of said skins, each design shown is also in a different skintone, so you can see what you have to pick from if you get to the limited stocks soon! I warn you, this may be a bit of an epic, though after three I thought it was enough for today...

Tango Masque

 

The masked ball was always the event of the social calendar, a chance to outdo longstanding rivals and friends. The aristocrats with their costumes pieced together by designers paid astronomical sums to step away from couture collections. Upstarts from the nouveau riche flashed their gaudy baubles, never quite meshing with the inherited, if decaying glamour of those born and raised in the lifestyle. Isabella of course, fit neatly into neither of these categories. They saw her as the hired help, their insecurities laid on her, their own inadequacies exposed as she moved through the crowds. She had taught many of them the steps, and tonight, all eyes would be on her as the tango began. Sultry strains of music beginning, raising in tempo to a passionate beat she matched with each step. Her dark eyes behind the mask of her makeup caught the jealousy in each gaze, the longing each movement produced in her audience. Spinning into her stance, her back to the throng, looking back at them over her shoulder, her ruby lips parted in a wry smile. The elite filling the hall were wrapped up in the spell of the music, as with a stamp of her heel, the dance began.

Shown here is the Tango Masque skin from  S u g a r  in skintone Barbados. The dark sweep of black across the eyes makes this a great option for a masked ball, without the need to an additional mask - thus also avoiding any conflicts between lashes you may wear with a mask. The lip is a beautiful rich red, with strong highlights giving the glossy effect.

Punky Babe

She was always in the library... This was not to say that she was always working, far from it. On those rare times when she had been caught during one of her pranks, dropping cherry bombs into toilet cisterns, or wrapping the Principal's car in cellophane, she would be sent there to sit though a detention. More often than not, she was in there simply because it was quiet, a good place to think, to dream, and to read. There were no limits to what you could learn she knew, other than if you happened to run out of books, even then, you could always charm the librarian into ordering more from another college. This, of course, was one of the best scams going. Slip a note, an order, a phone number into a book on the shelf of those requested by another college, and you tapped into a healthy trade route, well established and never yet discovered by those in charge, however much the texts may smell of illicit substances on their return. Young and innocent looking as she was, she had learned the ways of the world, and how you could often find fun in the most unexpected places.

Shown here is the Punky Babe skin from  S u g a r  in skintone Demerara. This is a youthful skin, with a smattering of freckles over the cheeks and nose. Pale pink lips and silvery eyeshadow maintain this sweetness, but an edge is still delivered by the arching brow. This skin would make me imagine there would be scrapes on the knees from some escapade or other, it makes a beautiful tomboy!

Midnight Lotus

Madame Lotus was a well kept secret in the chateaux and palaces during the reign of Le Roi Soleil. The Sun King... the thought itself made her smile. Light calling on darkness to tell it's future. Not that there was only light to be found in the state rooms of the courtesans and courtiers. Plots there were thicker than the miasma over the Seine. She would uncover them, or shroud them deeper in darkness, depending on the coin she was offered, and what she received. This was not the first royal house she had graced, or damned. She picked, and chose her favourites, from the people, and the fashions of the time, and others she had lived through. Cloaked and hidden, she was rarely seen unless she desired it, and when she did, her hypnotic visage ensnared the most cynical of hearts.

Finally, for today anyway, here is shown the Midnight Lotus skin from  S u g a r  in skintone Honey. The makeup on this skin is powerful, with the rich deep wine coloured lip, again with a glossy finish. The boldness of the look continues with the sweep of purple across the eyes, and the gold highlights of liner add an opulence. This is surrounded by delicate, art nouveau linework, which softens the overall effect, ensuring the bold, almost warpaint stripes of colour are still very feminine.

These skins are available at   S u g a r   mainstore for L$ 899 each, including the different cleavages, and extras. There are only 50 of each skintone available. The rest of the range will appear on the blog soon!

http://slurl.com/secondlife/The%20Slums/211/72/28

Candy Coated Dream

It had been a long time coming, this new world. A lot of work had been put into it, making it as realistic as a dream could be. It was a dream after all, the imagination of a mind too large on a world to small for its desires. Each grain of sand had been selected, cleaned, sanitized and shipped. The water, purified and filtered, irradiated and shipped up in tankers larger than those still slugging across the tainted seas below. The air itself a concoction of stripped and polished atoms, recombined in its new concentration, the additional oxygen making the eyes shine in the faces of each occupant in this haven.

It wouldn't work of course. She knew this, just as all the scientists did, had they had the opportunity, or bravery to look into their hearts and speak out. No life could exist, or thrive in such conditions. This bubble of a world they had created would die off, it was too perfect, no dirt, no disease, no unengineered life, nothing for anything to feed from that was natural, it could not last. The plans to ship the wealthy off the planet they had ruined would come to nothing. "Fair enough" many who knew had said. "Let them die up there". This she couldn't allow. Taking that which was good from the world, only to have it die along with the autocrats was not a fate that should come to pass. It had to be stopped.

 

Having pooled all their money, and fabricating an account to show they had what they did not, now the planet had this one shot. Scrubbed and cleaned, tested and scanned, she passed their tests. Now in the bubble, this pastiche of paradise, it was time to unleash life, to save it. This candy coated dream was about to show its real strengths were under the surface. Stepping into the stream of warm water, her makeup, so cunningly prepared and applied began to smear. carried across the ground in the water, and up into the air in the steam was the pollen, the dormant bacteria, the minute seeds, having shown only as flecks of glitter on her face were now germinating, reaching out across the refined atmosphere. She was the fuse. It would be the candy coating that would ruin this dream for those who dreamed it, and made it a reality for all those it had excluded and damned.

Ooh you had better be quick for these beauties!  S u g a r  has released a new range of skins, and as ever, they are beautiful, come with a tonne of add-ons cleavage, blush, dimples, teeth and so on! They are available on limited release only 50 that's right FIFTY of each tone available. There are six new skins, each with five skintone options. More pictures will be coming soon. The skin shown here is Fuze - CandyCoated.

It is available at the new  S u g a r   mainstore for L$ 899 

http://slurl.com/secondlife/The%20Slums/211/72/28

Leaving the matrix

It had been a long way out of the matrix. But not long enough to cool her anger. Hidden behind her mask she pressed her eyes together when the pure light hit her eyes. Oh she was ready and the dance would follow her beat.
Clockwork Orange is one of those books and films which somehow always stayed in my mind.
The black boots from GOS somehow reminded me on it. So I decided to try to put an outfit together which would also remind others on it. GOS is currently having a sale in their location at the Truth District which hopefully will help them to cover the costs they have because their cat got badly injured and they want it to be fine again.
The sale contains more or less only items for females.
When pondering about a fitting weapon I remembered the Baseball bat Messer Co released some time ago. Besides of being useful in any CCS or Lindendamage fight it looks great. The bat comes in two different versions and has a resizescript as well as the possiblity to choose between different amounts of blood and dirt on the bat. It can either be worn in the hand or carried on the belt which also belongs to the set.
To find a fitting bowler I had the help of Paco Pooley, one of the owners of 22769 who told me that I might find one at the vintage fair. He did not remember which store made it but luckily  Ravi Shelter had blogged it and was able and willing to help.
He also recommended me the pose used in the second picture, it is a gift from H<>W Pose. 
The pose on the first picture is contained in a prop which reminds on matrix. It is an other item in the sale to help with the vet costs and comes from Bent.
The Anais Hair from Wasabi Pills suits the look although it is long hair. But it goes great under hats as well as without them.
I m not sure if the guys in the film wear masks but the gin tattoo mask from #7 seems to fit to the outfit.
As shirt any white shirt works. This one belongs to a set from Phoenix Rising. It isn't possible to make the sleeves smaller but in this case that is bearable.
The white pants are available at the 100 L$ sale which still seems to be going on.

Items:
Hair: /Wasabi Pills/ Anais 2 Mesh Hair (1500 L$ for fatpack 250 L$ colourpack)
 Baseball bat and belt: [M e s s e r Co.] BALL-BUSTER (1150 L$)
Hat: Bubble Electric: stylish bowler hat  [black] (~ 150 L$ had been sold at the Vintage Fair)
Mask: [ #7 ] gin tattoo mask  (49 L$)
Shirt: -Phoenix Rising- Stolen (Red) (25 L$)
Pants: {Gisaci} Brindisi Slacks - White (100L$ sold at theWarehouse)
Boots: [Gos] MESH Triumph Boots in Worn (currently 398 L$ in the sale at Truth District to help the vet costs to get their cat healthy again)

1. Pose: BENT. Cyber Matrix (100 L$ GOS Cat Fundraiser at Truth District)
2. Pose: H<>W Pose - Samurai Single Poses (0 $L Menstuff Hunt gift)

The pictures have been taken at a private sim. Send NightTurist an im if you are interested in visiting it.