Love Your Virtual Pets!!

My Siamese kitten Max is a right little character, my friend Drax bought him for me for my birthday and Max, in many ways, is just like a real cat. Pets are one of SL’s amazing things, fellow writer Ed has a cat as well that he carries around, and it purrs loudly! My kitten is programmed for a few different things, he roams about and suddenly lays down and goes to sleep and snores. After a brief nap he gets up and stretches and continues to run around. Probably the cutest thing is the fact that I can walk around the sim and he will follow me along the road. He has his own food bowl, plus a packet of cat food, a little bath that I can wash him in, and a ball to play with. I can carry him across sim borders, although he is a bit big to carry, but then again, I can adjust his size if I want to. I remember logging off and leaving him in my SL Chelsea apartment only to find that when I had logged back on he had gone down into the street to watch the builders who were creating a park area. They were amused at how he would wander about and then just fall asleep at the roadside.

I took a look around a couple of pet stores yesterday to see what they had, and the range is vast, you can even buy your very own crocodile. I started at the Lolo Pets Store and there was this huge croc roaming about on the decking, pretty harmless I thought, till he opened his mouth to show me a massive set of sharp teeth! I must have been lucky he wasn’t hungry, so I went off before he changed his mind! Lolo’s store does a nice selection of animals and aquarium fish too, she even has some nasty looking spiders for sale, I thought I would leave them on the shelf as Hibiscus wouldn’t appreciate any creepy crawlies running around in our new shop.

I teleported over to Zoobyland, a well laid out sim, with many exotic animals as well as domestic pets for sale. The features on these animals is very well done, you can get that lovely dopey looking Labrador, which comes in black, cream and brown or you can buy yourself a magnificent looking lion or black puma. Once you look around, you start to want them all, you can buy baby wild cats that you can cuddle and even monkeys to sit on your shoulder. These animals are very pricey, nearing the 1000 Linden mark or more, but they are cleverly scripted and have a virtual life of their own.

When I had been over to see Celine, the little green witch’s home the other day, she had a blue and gold Macaw flying around, I watched as it landed near us for a minute or two, then it took off again, flying in various patterns all round the sim. The Macaw wasn’t just repeating the same route over and over, he seemed to go off for different periods of time before returning, very impressive!

My little Max comes from a place called A.I.F. and they do corgi dogs as well as kittens. You can even buy a little house for your cat or dog to live in and clothes for it to wear. As time goes on the people who make these cats and dogs update the scripting and you can go back for a free update too, so it’s worth paying that bit more for a really smart pet.

Be careful though, next time you see a cat or dog walking about in the street, it may not be a virtual pet, but a real person who is wearing an avatar animal skin, so don’t go over and pat him on the head in case he does bite you…….

Janey Bracken

Our Virtual Trilogy Shop

‘OurVirtual Trilogy’ team have opened our very own shop, it’s a nice little place where you can join us for a chat if you like, or you can just come in and sit for a while to rest your feet or arms from walking or flying. We don’t bite, honest! (well, unless it’s near dinner time anyway!) so be sure to make yourself at home!!!

It’s still a Trilogy as there are three of us at the moment, me, Hibs and Ed, but I heard from our lovely Pixi and she is planning to come back soon, so it will be Our Virtual Trilogy plus one!!

Janey Bracken

My Rez Day, the Underground Club and Some Thoughts on Community

Last Saturday was my rez day, I turned 2! Hard to believe. And what a great day it was, too. I was able to celebrate with so many of my friends and appreciate how wonderful SL can be.

Normally I would post this kind of entry on my own personal blog but since the demise of Virtually London (lite) I know that some of its readers have migrated over here and I want to thank them for all they did to make my rez day special. One of the great thrills of the day for me was going to the Underground Club and seeing my name, face and rezday wishes on posters in the club. Words cannot come close to expressing how touched I was, thank you everyone.

And this leads on to something I had been planning to write for Virtually London (lite). Quite a few weeks ago I began asking people in the Underground Club why they liked coming there. Then other things began happening in the London sims, the opening of Soho, the opening of the Jazz Club, Fashion Week, to name a few, and that article was put on the back burner, never to come off. However, I want to acknowledge the people who did respond to my request and publish some of their thoughts here.

“I found the UGC about a year ago, shortly after I joined SL. They welcomed me right away and soon I felt like one of the family. The DJs are fantastic and and the hostesses are warm and friendly. At the UGC you can just relax, leave the drama at the door and be yourself. Theres no better place to enjoy great tunes and even better company. “ Anon

“I love the UGC, it always has a fun and friendly atmosphere. I know that no matter what kind of day I've had the combination of good music and friendly faces will always have me smiling within minutes. The place has a genuine warmth and is a great places to meet friends new and old.” - Amourette

“My partner and I come to UGC quite often. It is a nice place. There are nice people. The hosts and DJs do a good job. People are here to listen to the music and have a nice conversation. No one really trying to become the center of attention. So..nice place..nice people..good music. “ –Lily

“The main reasons i like the ugc in knightsbridge is:-
the two people that run it seany and brie have been great friends of mine for a long time.
I used to work here as a host but rl gets in the way now so i come to see all the fantastic people that get into the ugc.
this is also the first club i ever came to in sl, and i still feel it is one of the best for a great laugh and banter with people.
i have also met some of my closest friends here in the ugc it is a great place to meet people and get to know the.
i have always liked this place and its a great way to meet people from all walks of life.
just everything about the place makes you feel welcome and your can always have a laugh.” Al1

“First, i am happy for have founded this amazing club in SL.
I like here because the people are great, always, que host are fantastic and the dj's are the best.
I would like to know London in RL some day, hope will be better that SL.
Thanks all for be always nice.” – Anon

To sum up the comments, people feel comfortable in coming to the UGC, they meet avatars from all over the world and can talk and laugh in a warm and welcoming atmosphere. It all sounds so simple, and yet how many places are like this? A real strong sense of community has developed in the London sims and it is something to be cherished and nurtured. Thank you to all who helped me celebrate my rez day, I hope we will continue to get together for many more happy times.

Hibiscus Hastings

Re-Creating Haute Couture Designer Clothes For SL

Half way through the Virtual London Fashion Week (VLFW) I had been given the news that a couple of real life designers would be bringing their creations to the virtual catwalk, these were Maria Grachvogel and Twenty8Twelve, a brand owned by Sienna and Savannah Miller, although it is rumoured that the Millers have now pulled out, but I cannot verify this. However, their clothes were recreated for the VLFW and did appear in a couple of the shows. This article is a tribute to the SL designers who put so much work into copying the real life designers garments ready for the shows.

I was fascinated to know what it was like to be asked to take part in this project and I asked Nils Tomorrow, Estelle Parnall and Lixena Lamourfou to tell me all about their involvement. All three are top SL designers and very talented, and it was just as well, as they had to re-create the outfits in-world based on flat images from the designer’s websites. The fourth SL designer declined to comment.

I asked Nils, who owns Nils Island Store, what she thought when she heard that real life designers had planned to show their creations in the VLFW, she told me “I thought, they probably think that it would be another way of advertising for their collections. Being a real life designer myself, different ways and challenges to create and to keep up with the new trends always attracts me. They must find SL an interesting and a new way to communicate with their customers or reach new ones.” And how were you asked to take part? I asked Nils “Debs Regent im’ed me, that’s how I learned” she said.

I wanted to know what Nils first thoughts were, she said “I wondered if sl body templates would be sufficient to match the design outlines they created.” I asked if this was a little bit different to creating her own designs, Nils told me “I looked at each designers work and picked up creations which aren’t too far technically from the way I do my work in here.” How did you get the photos to copy the styles, did you have any direct contact with the actual designers? I asked. Nils said “I checked their website from the links Debs gave me and saw the outfits in there.”

I asked Nils which dress she made first, she told me “I started with Maria Grachvogel's designs, I first chose a printed outfit as I love to use prints in my designs.” I wanted to know if there were any tricky or difficult parts to re-create, Nils said “Longer skirts were tricky for me as I don’t like it when the prim moves you see the pants underneath. Also giving different poses during the catwalk distorts the way prim stays as a skirt hem etc.”

As Nils is an experienced designer I asked her how she would go about creating an outfit, she said “I always start to make the top part, I use sl body templates and draw cut paint and edit textures on them.”

How did Nils feel when the big night came and her copy of the designer clothes were worn by the models for the show. She said “I always get excited showing my designs, doesn’t matter sl or rl.”

Which was your favourite outfit that you had recreated? I asked her. “I loved the blue dress from twenty8twelve collection , I like glittered material they used.” she said. I wanted to know if this had inspired her with her own collections, she told me “I might start making more trouser outfits I guess.”

Asking Nils if she had anything she would like to add, she told me “I think this was a huge step to connect rl and sl fashion world which might create more opportunities to all the designers here in sl and rl in future. I was glad to take a part in this project.”

Estelle Parnall, who has a very successful SL brand called ‘Lost Dreams’ told me that she had seen a notice sent out by the SL London community, looking for interested designers to take part in making the real designers clothes, so she responded. And her thoughts on real life designers showing their creations in SL? “I was very excited that finally this medium was getting the practical application it deserves.” she said. I wanted to know what she thought about the task, she said “The time factor.. we only had less than 2 days. And I knew I wanted to do a good job....”

I asked Estelle if the job was a little bit worrying and how different this had been to creating her own clothes, she said “Well yes. Part of the appeal in SL is the creative process...so I suppose in this instance I was calling on my technical skills more than my creative skills...I wanted the outfit to be representative of the rl piece, but also an interpretation within the limitations (and opportunities) of this medium.”

Similar to Nils, Estelle had to copy the style of the clothes from the real life designer’s website, she told me “I only had access to their website which made it difficult. One dress, I had to even design the back of it, as I had (only the) front image.”

I asked Estelle what it was like on the night, as she was also modelling her own items, she said “I was very happy with that outfit. I was concentrating on handling the lag...and I was also in about 3 Im's (a multi tasker from way back).” And her favourite outfit? “For this show? Maria Grachvogel 22” she said. (Black top with long tiered slender skirt).

Did she find the show inspirational I asked, Estelle said “Possibly.. I tend to make what I like.. not follow fashion. But SL is different to RL.. the market is different..so while I’m open to trends.. I have to keep my customer base happy.” How does Estelle go about her own designing skills in SL, she told me “Well its a long process. I would do the torso first...I select a base colour and apply overlays until I have the right texture. I hand draw on all the shadows and wrinkles and then cut out the design. I burn the edges and embellish it more so it gives a 3d effect. I apply any trims or notions.... fiddle with it.. swear at it.. yell at it.... drink a glass of wine...yell some more. Then I upload it to SL... and generally bring it back a few times to photoshop to improve it.

Then I Make the skirt texture in photoshop...again always hand drawn. I never photosource as it streches on the avatar and looks really terrible. I like to design organically...

then I take the skirt texture and begin the dreaded process of making a prim skirt if needed (it really is horrible,...what can I say?)

Then after all that is done.. you have to model it.. make the sale sign...box it.. put it in your shop...blog it...spam my group and the other fashion groups in sl that I like.

Then I go to bed :)”

I asked Estelle if she had any other thoughts about making the designer’s clothes in SL, she said “I suppose my interest in participating in this project would be to possibly manage a rl label in sl in the future, though I have also entertained ideas of producing a small web based rl label and promote it in sl. Anything is possible and any experience is good experience.”

The third SL designer who was kind enough to speak to me is Lixena Lamourfou, who’s SL label is ‘Lixena Marcus’. Lixena is also the Editor of her own magazine, ‘Queen Magazine’. Lixena told me “Being a SL resident since 2006, I understood it was rare to be connected to the real world in these types of matters. So it was very exciting to hear that real life designers had wanted to have their designs recreated in virtual. I hoped that the designer was a substantial one and not trendy and low-budget.”

One of the organisers of Virtual London Fashion Week had contacted Lixena about the show, Lixena told me “If my memory serves me right I got a personal invitation from, Shaza Denver. She spoke to me in IMs about it and also sent me a notecard with more details.” She continued “Firstly, I thought...wow, what an opportunity to do something else in support of Virtual Fashion Week. Then later, I became excited as I considered it to be as if I was employed by a fashion house and Valentino himself had assigned me the task.”

I asked her what she thought of the clothes she was to make, she told me “I was quite pleased to see that Maria Grachvogel's collection was very similar to the way I dress in RL. Her lines and color palette were what I like to use in my designs. I appreciated the pencil skirts and high-waisted trousers.”

Lixena told me, that because of time restraints, she had made one garment, and I asked her how she went about it, she said “I wanted the dress to be most desirable to a lady wearing it in SL. So I chose to make prim parts for the collar and flowering. So the prim work was the trickiest. The most difficult were putting so many separate prim pieces on. 14 prims in total.”

And how do you go about creating your own designs? I asked, she told me “First, I think of a fabric or a color I would like to use. Whether it will be a dress, skirt of pants. Usually I am inspired by something I have seen, so the look is based on that idea. Such as I made a turtleneck sweater by accidentally dropping a hair texture in the window. And I went on with that look, incorporating a sculpty bottom. Mostly I have an idea then I either sketch it roughly or build it as I go along.”

Finally I asked Lixena how she felt when she saw her creation on the catwalk, she told me “It was a very proud night for me, because I had done my best and I thought that I had recreated the look very well. I was pleased to see that maybe the model felt as good as I felt seeing it, wearing it.”

I can only marvel at the work that these three SL designers had put in to make the clothes in time for the VLWF show, I know for a fact that they had stayed up late, put a hold on things in real life that they should have been doing, and worked their socks off to help the organisers bring this real life/SL show to the virtual world for the first time. I hope the real designers and organisers realise all the hard work and enthusiasm involved by these wonderful and amazing in-world designers.




Janey Bracken

Happy Rezday Hibiscus!!!

'Our Virtual Trilogy' would like to wish our very own and much loved fellow writer Hibiscus Hastings a very happy rezday!!!

A Night Out with Mr. Stoneyheart

Mr. Stoneyheart ran a big business empire. Because of the difficult economic times, he had been forced to make hard decisions lately, cutting back in some areas, even having to sell off certain branches of his operations. In particular, real estate was badly hit, prices had fallen and there were fewer customers interested in either buying or renting. The one bright spot as far properties were concerned was those such as Empire Gardens, which catered to the less fortunate. On the other hand his pawn shops were doing fairly well. Mr. Stoneyheart believed in diversifying.

After a particularly difficult day Mr. Stoneyheart decided he deserved a night out on the town. He began at his favourite club, Bogart’s, where he sat and planned out the rest of his evening. He was looking for companionship, someone to take his mind off his worries.

Once dinner was finished Mr. Stoneyheart took to the dance floor, but after a while he became rather bored and left. He continued on, going from place to place, listening to the music, dancing, socializing, but he was restless, never finding quite what he wanted. While wandering from sim to sim he spotted a poster with the words “Red Hot Martini” emblazoned across the top. Perched on the rim of a large martini glass was a beautiful blonde avatar, gazing out provocatively at the viewer. Next to her was a flaming match, but its heat could not match the intensity of her gaze. Mr. Stoneyheart was transfixed. None of the women he met that night could drive that image from his mind.

Around 3 am Mr. Stoneyheart decided to call it a night and return home. While walking the lonely streets of a darkened sim he passed a diner, empty except for a solitary figure sitting at the counter and looking utterly desolate. Mr. Stoneyheart could not believe his eyes. It was the young woman from the poster! What could she be doing there, all by herself, in such stark surroundings? This was not the kind of place for such a gorgeous woman; she should have been out in a fancy club, surrounded by admirers, laughing, dancing, the center of attention.

Mr. Stoneyheart decided to go in. He entered the restaurant and began walking towards where the girl was seated. Hearing his footsteps she looked up and he could see that she had been crying. Not wishing to frighten her off he stopped and spoke quietly to her.
“Hello, looks kind of lonely here, do you mind if I join you?”
“No, that’s ok, I’ll be leaving in a moment anyway” she answered.
“No one here serving?” Mr. Stoneyheart asked.
“They left a long time ago, I just wanted to come and sit down and be by myself” the girl replied wearily.

“It’s rather chilly, why don’t I get us some coffee” Mr. Stoneyheart offered.
The woman shrugged and looked down at her hands. She appeared utterly exhausted.
Mr. Stoneyheart poured a couple of mugs of coffee and brought them over to where she was seated. He sat down next to her and put a mug in front of her. She silently reached out and took hold of it, cupping her hands around it.

“My name is Mercy. What’s yours?”
“Gloria Glamorous”
“Nice to meet you Gloria”
She didn’t respond, just took a sip of coffee.
“I hope you don’t think I’m intruding, but you look upset. Is there anything I can do to help?”
She shook her head and the tears began to fall. Mr. Stoneyheart gave her his handkerchief but didn’t say anything. Eventually she stopped crying and began to tell him her story.

“I discovered my boyfriend was cheating on me. I began to suspect something was going on because when we would IM he was often slow to respond and sometimes seemed distracted, as if he was having a conversation with someone else. Then he began to mention sims we had never been to together, as if he was familiar with them. I logged on one day when he wasn’t expecting me and I caught him with another avatar! He swore up and down that there was nothing going on, they just happened to be talking with each other when I appeared but he didn’t know her. Then one night we were at a party and who should be there but that woman. He said it was just a coincidence but later on I caught them off in a corner, slow dancing. We had a big argument and I left. I dropped him from my friends’ list and my access list and haven’t seen him since.” She started to cry again.
Mr. Stoneyheart remained silent for a little while, until Gloria calmed down a bit. Then he said “What a terrible story. I don’t know how anyone could do something like that to you.”
“It was just awful.”
“Yes, it must have been.”

And they continued their conversation, Mr. Stoneyheart gently talking to Gloria about this and that, until she began to come out of her shell a bit and tell him about her life. Gloria was a very successful model who hoped one day to become a designer and open her own shop. She had dreams of eventually opening a whole chain of shops across the grid. Mr. Stoneyheart told her a bit about his businesses, but mostly kept the conversation about her. He could be quite charming and persuasive and after a little while Gloria relaxed and grew comfortable with him. For his part, Mr. Stoneyheart was entranced by this beautiful creature and couldn’t take his eyes off her. They remained in the diner for quite a while until they suddenly realized the time.

Gloria looked up at him and smiled shyly. She got to her feet and said “Thank you, Mercy. I feel so much better now.”

He said “Good, good. I’m so pleased to see you smiling.” Mr. Stoneyheart continued “Why don’t we go back to my home for a bit and have a good night drink.” At first Gloria demurred but then thought “Why not, he has been so nice to me, not like some of those others” and they found themselves back at Mr. Stoneyheart’s mansion, sitting cosily in the study, having a nightcap.

They talked quietly for a while longer, getting to know each other. Gloria began to walk around the room, commenting on the books and artworks that Mr. Stoneyheart had scattered about. She stopped at the window and looked out at the rising sun. When Gloria turned around to say something she found herself looking up at Mr. Stoneyheart. He held her close and began to kiss her.

Gloria murmured “Oh, Mercy .....”
Hibiscus Hastings

My thanks to Boye Jervil for his picture of Mr. Stoneyheart at Bogart's.
All other photographs taken at Art Box

From Clubbing at the UGC to VLFW Best In Show

What a wonderfully diverse place Virtual London is, you can be at a posh catwalk show, or you can be in a trolley race in Mayfair. I had a lovely time at the Underground Club in Knightsbridge tonight with Hibiscus and Ed and all of our friends, and these events were all on the same night!! I thought I might not go in for the trolley race in case I ate all the food in the trolley if I won, and the VLFW Best In Show catwalk event was obviously too posh for the likes of me, so I decided a nice night down the club would fit the bill. Seany did a great job dj’ing and Ruby was his excellent host, Virtual London still rocks!!! (shame I didn't get any pics of the trolley race!!)

Janey Bracken