Burning a Dark Fyre…
Raven Sets the standard for formal GothWear [reprint from 2007]
I love my job, I love my boss, blah blah blah. Oh wait, I really do, come to think of it. What kind of life is it where you can meet some of the most talented designers in Second Life, get handed leads by the dozen and explore cool and beautiful places, and spend virtual money on virtually wonderful clothes all at the same time? A GREAT one, that’s what kind.
This is the first of a two part series on GothWear designers who’ve done a marvelous job of designing goth/punkish clothing. Loyal readers already know my predilection for this genre, and my willingness to reward good designs with easy access to my PayPal account. For the first installment we visit RFyre, creator and vendor of beautiful gothic formal wear.
Just to remind you of my criteria for great commercial sims, there are three targets that I hope for a commercial vendor to hit. Great designs, in an unusual setting, at a great price. RFyre hits on all three, though if you want the newest top of the line styles coming off of Raven Pennyweather’s computer you’d better be ready to pay her a fair price for her work.
And it will be worth it. I cringed upon receiving this assignment, knowing my own lack of willpower in her shop. Like most all great designers I’ve met she was very gracious in answering my questions during an obviously busy time, and then gave me the name of her store manager Harper Beresford to follow up with details.
The sim is lovely. Isle RFyre begins with a compact but extremely well laid out island. Three simple but spectacular features welcome anyone willing to venture outside the shop. A wonderful Spartan statue by Starax Statosky, a lovely seaside resting place, and a residence decorated by Raven and some of her friends. I hope I’m not causing her a problem by mentioning the house, but I presume the lack of ‘no trespassing’ signs and security orbs speaks of her willingness to share.
The shop itself is large, dominating the craggy hilltop within an ominous looking fortress. Raven manages to prevent that ‘cavernous warehouse’ feel by breaking up the space masterfully, with the bottom floor dedicated to her designs, a basement with mix and match and outdated pieces along with some other vendors, and the upper floors studded with galleries for other vendors in theme. I was extremely pleased to find some Zoe Llewellyn pieces in the basement. You may recall my review of Temenos and Zoe’s fine work in an earlier post.
Always on the lookout for a good bargain I was also delighted to find a collection of $50L hairs in the underwater basement. Although the color choices for RFyre hair were pretty basic, it was easy for me to find a few in black that suited me well. One of the few advantages that those of us of Asian origin have in Second Life is a pretty good guarantee that you’ll find your hair color in any vendor in the grid. Swimming while shopping was fun; it gave me a chance to use some animations in my AO that rarely get exercised.
It’s Raven’s full costume formal designs that sparkle in the fyrelight best however. You’re greeted with some of the nicest, most detailed medieval/Victorian/goth formal wear for men and women that you’re going to find anywhere in Second Life. To date I’ve purchased five complete outfits from RFyre, and despite the inevitable piece or two in the collection that just doesn’t fit my style or body shape, the majority of the outfit always hits the mark and gets worn repeatedly.
On this trip Raven showed me a newer outfit called Fete which had recently hit the shelves. The red shade set was sinfully juicy, and I could practically feel the smooth velvet and satin swishing against my thighs, nearly sending me in a headlong rush to my closet to brush real life formal gowns against my cheek.
In short, the textures are rich and detailed, the prims fit well even though I’m not standard SLBarbie shaped, and the overall feel was elegant and delicious. This observation was backed up by the full-caps WOW that I got from my loved one when the outfit was viewed on me. The only critique that I would offer is unfair, since so many of my outfits are used for more than one kind of dancing. I find it useful for the, ahem, *underthings* to be sheer and/or skimpy cut, for those times when that special person will see me wearing them. The panties and undershirt could have been a bit naughtier. But as I say, not a fair critique, since the aim of RFyre is formal wear in a gothic theme.
Raven Pennysweather has done a wonderful job and is to be congratulated. She is assured of my future purchases if the trend in sim and clothing design continues, and I’d suggest that you stop on by for a peek of your own sometime.
Next we review a nice companion designer to your RFyre wardrobe, LaPointe/Bast Cat Designs.
SLURL to RFyre
Raven's Blog
Flits with an Expert in Flitting
First joker who asks "so where was the hummingbird's beak?" gets poked...
A week or so ago a self-titled "resident housebum" of my neighbor's told me about what a kick it was to ride the hummingbird on her porch. I was bored, I remembered the bird, and the rest is history.
You can get your own hummingbird at the Animania Shop in Skynx. Hop on the overworked little buzzer and get some chuckles. It worked for me...
SLURL to Animania...
SLEttiquette: IM Hygiene
[This article is a reprint from earlier posts for various Second Life blogs. It is currently part of The Stepz Book. More information about The Stepz Book can be found via the sidebar at far right. The article has been altered in each of its publishings to fit the particular blog, as it has been to fit Traci's Dream in this instance...]
When you write as much as I do and try to be funny, you often get chided for lack of respect for targets of your writing. I’ve decided to post an SLEttiquette Tip here, and do it in as loving a manner as possible, to hopefully be a force for positive change in Second Life.
What makes this post relevant? Lately since I've started advertising my services as a stage performer I've begun to attract the inevitable crowd of stalkers. The original point of this post was to get girls to band together and cause our less genteel admirers to try just a little harder to make our lives better. (Feel free to post the text of the tip below on your profile, just like I have).
When you send your opening Instant Message, don’t expect that you will get the receiver’s Instant Attention. They may be doing any of a million important things, or they may be away from the keyboard. Here is an example of a “bad” opening message, or one that can lead to a bad feeling (and in my case a quick trip to the ‘mute’ button):
Jerk McGee (9:01): Hey Traci
Followed by….
Jerk McGee (9:03): So not talking to me anymore?
And then of course…
Jerk McGee (9:07): well I hope you got what you needed from me. You suck. Goodbye.
Now Mr. Jerk McGee, you probably didn’t realize that I was laying on the couch from 9:01 to 9:07 with horrible cramps (sorry for the TMI loyal readers). When I returned to the keyboard at 9:09 to see you reveal your true nature I muted you forever.
So, my friend Jerk, there would have been a better way to message me. This is actually taken from a real opening IM from a man who knows how to treat a dancer:
Lonny Lubitsch (6:23): Hey Traci, long time no see.
Lonny Lubitsch (6:26): Hope all is well, I miss you. Where are you dancing now? I’d like to come by and see you. Let me know when you think you might be free, I’d like to sit and chat for a bit, maybe get a dance or two. :)
Lonny knows that sometimes I’m busy, that he may not be the center of the universe at all times I’m logged on and that he’s going to get a return call from me the moment I can sit up straight again.
So here’s the full text of your SLEttiquette Tip of the Month:
"When you send your opening Instant Message, don’t expect that you will get the receiver’s Instant Attention. The receiver may be busy, and hope that you will leave a message. This should not be considered to be a personal snub..."
How to Manage Dancers
Not...
In one of my recent flits to explore Second Life clubs I came across this gem. Forgive me for being critical, but it's bad enough when your dancers are going AFK on the stage. When the so-called Dance Manager goes there also, your club's got problems.
I'd have hopped up to relieve her while she did her nails (or whatever), but the club has wisely prevented anyone but their own from climbing the poles. Too bad. They could have had a PAK (present at keyboard) Traci for a few minutes...
A Warning to Trespassers
Gasp...
I ran across this while cleaning out snapshots in a futile attempt to reduce my inventory. I considered messaging the DJ to find out how one "bands" someone in Second Life, but reconsidered after mental images began popping up on my internal screen.
Fit Your Slacker Kit
My lack of skateboarding ability never stopped me...
...from wanting to look good in slacker clothes, or hang around in slacker places. Imagine my delight to find Renegade Warehouse, an extremely well themed little clothes shopping district in the Ganesha Sim.
Atmosphere is everything at Renegade Warehouse. From the holes in the asphalt and squalid sewer ditches downstairs, to the very vending machines, the owner Kaejo DaSilva has put together an entirely pleasant SL shopping experience. I’ve run across very loyal shoppers every time I’ve visited Kaejo’s place.
As someone who could live practically anywhere but chooses to stay in Los Angeles, I must admit to being drawn to the seedier side of life occasionally. A stroll past the very well executed wall tagging, squeaking rats and burning fire barrels at Renegade Mall fulfills the best of both worlds for me. It’s a lot like an adrenaline driven slide through parts of LA. This shopping mall will be a refuge from the glitz and glamour for this little slacker girl for some time to come.
During my first weeks in SL I practically lived in a couple of shirts purchased here. I found the prices to be very reasonable even by Second Life standards. The men’s clothes are as well done as the women’s. Nothing like a tattooed man in the right tank to get a girl’s blood circulating in the right direction….
In short, if you’re looking for sexy and casual clothes for men and women in a fun setting, you can’t go wrong at Renegade Warehouse.
SLURL to Renegade at Ganesha
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