The Wings of Night

Some say Death is patient, that Death waits. This is in fact completely untrue. Death does not need to wait, Death is always Now.

Death does not need to rush or hurry, it is never late or early. It is there when it is time, and its time is always the same: that heartbeat when there finally is none.

There are no bargains nor games — not even chess — there’s no mercy nor sympathy, but no cruelty or sadism either. Death is a professional, one of the very first ones, definitely the last one.

You might sense its presence in that very simple thought that may either soothe you or scare you: the realization that you have all the time in the world. Until you don’t. 

Death avatars by Fallen Gods Inc. (both male and female available, both include the outfit and scythe) are available in the A Tattered Page’s Library, a part of this current round focusing on Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.

Avatar: Skin & Outfit: Fallen Gods Inc. – Death Feminine Stale* | Hands & Feet: Slink | Eyes: Pin Me Down – Vibrant Eyes Blue*

Poses: {Imeka~} Katie-Pose 1 | N/A | aDORKable Poses – Sunny 2

The Call of Winter

She was once a daughter of summer, a child of growth and warmth. Beautiful like a sunny day she caught the eye of Winter, who seduced her to step into the silence, into the realm of ice and snow.

There were attempts to save her, of course, but not before she had tasted the berries, red as the blood in her veins. Not before she had bound herself to the realm of her captor.

Did she know what she was doing when she took a bite? Did she know she’d be forever trapped to travel between the seasons? Did the cold light of winter tempt her to stay willingly? She will never tell.

Never tell how it was a relief to drop her garments and duties, the busy sounds of life, the diverse excitement of all things growing and needing her attention. Never tell how the strength of the blinding light called to her with its single-minded focus.

Called to her until she happily lost sight of everything else and stepped forward to meet it, to embrace it, to be caught in its arms. Seduced.

With the outfit name like Persephone I simply had to do a more season-focused twist on her story. Less about Hades and more about Persephone as the explanation for seasons existing, and even more about her own choices within the situation.

Gothmas by Gaslight is held on two adjacent sims: Cursed and Sium. The skin by Jalwa, the outfit by Pale Empress and the tattoo by Fallen Gods Inc. are all available in the event, the straight booth slurls are in the credits.

Scene: Studio Skye – Enchanted Tree Tunnel v2

Body: Skin: Jalwa – Sameena Gothmas Black Brow* | Makeup: Jalwa – Sameena Gothmas Eyes Ice & Gothmas Lips Scarlet* | Eyes: IKON – Utopia Eyes Dark Red | Lashes: Redgrave – 39 – Luscious | Hands & Feet: Slink | Hair: Olive – The Anna Hair & The Izzy II Hair | Tattoo: Fallen Gods Inc. – Brier Complete full coloured (main look)*

Outfit: Pale Empress – Persephone Gown, Gloves, Crown*

Poses: aDORKable Poses – 17 of 25 2012 | PoseMonster – Behind 3 | an lar [poses] Being Miss Red One (m) | Kirin – Burlesque Poses Cane Pose 2

Just Be

They’re always there, fluttering. Thoughts, hopes, fears. What-ifs of past, paths of the future. Choices, estimations, considerations, re-considerations. Neverending. Tempting, condemning, promising, despairing.

They can feel like a burden, a swarm around you, never giving you a moment’s peace, drawing you in different directions, pulling your steps from one side to another, turn from your path forward back and around to the past again, caught in a cycle.

Sometimes you can’t leave them behind, sometimes they will simply turn you around again. Sometimes the fears are so mixed with hopes that you cannot tell them apart, all the paths are blocked with both.

Sometimes there’s no path, sometimes all you can do is be. Face them, dance with them and simply be, see where they will fall in the end.

World Goth Fair is still going on (last day June 1st) to cater more darkness to the grid. The corset, skirt and hat are combined from two different outfits by Aliza Karu’s AD Creations Dollhouse available in Port Seraphine. You can find the boots by Sax Shepherd Designs from the same sim. The necklace by lassitude & ennui and the liner by Beautiful Freak can be found in Sium. The petals by Uncertain Smile are a part of separate cage-based pose set, I just used them with other poses for this. The slink applier gloves and nails are from Severina set by Pale Empress and the slink applier gloves are meant to be worn with long system gloves layers and then mesh sleeves on top of them, I just liked them like this. You can find Pale Empress and Uncertain Smile also in Sium.

Scene: Cursed | Petals: Uncertain Smile – La Fete Triste1 Petals*

Body: Skin: Essences – Clover 01 Pale Dust Brunette | Eyes: Poetic Colors – Classic Frozen Silver Bright | Lashes: Redgrave – 39 – Luscious | Hair: Analog Dog – Schnapp Natural Black | Blush: Zibska – YesNo Two | Bunny Ears & Tail: +Half-Deer+ Velven Bunny Ears (Darkheart) & Bunny Tail | Liner: Beautiful Freak – Demonia Black*

Outfit: Top: LoveLace – Petit Four Licorice | Corset: [AD Creations Dollhouse] Sophie Corset* | Skirt, Pants & Hat: [AD Creations Dollhouse] – Goth1c | Shoes: Sax Shepherd Designs – Lolita Boots Calavera* | Gloves & Nails: Pale Empress – Severina* | Necklace: lassitude & ennui – Ravenskull necklace black* | Ribbon: *BOOM* – Precious Bow Choker pitch 

Poses: Poise – GA_2 | aDORKable Poses – 13 of 25 2012 | !bang – mini series optimistic 3

At the Core

Landing at the data core was a remarkable experience. It’s surprising how intact it still is despite all the stubborn attempts of the surrounding world trying to cover it up, grow around it, suffocate it, hide it away… who knows how the global plantmind works.

I managed to connect rather easily to it, just had to make sure not to use any tech newer than from Before Growth. It still had perfectly operational tracking parameters in its routines.

It even had galactic sniffers in it still. Oh yes it did. Intergalactic location coordinators sure made the work of law enforcement easy once upon a time. Just like they now eased my task. Thank you, Ancients!

Now the only problem is to decide which one of the targets to go after first…

Almost all of the look is available in Futurewave that still keeps zooming on at light speed. The headhunter here consists of an outfit by Graves, boots, wings and cut cables in the back by Death Row Designs (DRD), skin by Pink Fuel, eyes from ~*By Snow*~ and earpieces and neural net by Chaos, Panic, and Disorder. The typing overwriter discs by Stuck Products are a fun freebie and the masks by Blue Falcon Industries can be won in a gacha, all of this in Futurewave. The hair and hairbase by Adoness are available in The Thrift Shop.

Scene: Garden of Dreams – Space Cave* 

Body: Skin: Pink Fuel – Sora Alabaster Purple* | Eyes: ~*By Snow*~ Citadel Eyes* | Lashes: Redgrave – 39 – Luscious | Hair: Adoness – Philippis Pitch Black / Amethyst & Hairbase Shaved Glass Black* 

Outfit: Body Suit: Graves – G462 Velocity Purple* | Boots: Death Row Designs – Post Apoc Nerd Stompers Coal* | Ear Pieces: Chaos, Panic, and Disorder! – Rigellia Starfield Earpieces* | Wings: Death Row Designs – Devine Wings Fluo Veins Glow* | Neural Net: Chaos, Panic, and Disorder! – Neural Net* | Back Cables: Death Row Designs – Cables with electricity* | Typing Discs: A World Made of Light – Typing Hex* | Held Masks: Blue Falcon Industries – SkullMask White & Cyberpunk*

Poses:  Exposeur – Back to Black 1 | Kirin – Nina Pose 4 (with typing overrider animation)| aDORKable Poses – Sunny 2m

The Tower

Sometimes it’s all about security, of strong walls and gates, of narrow staircases leading higher, easily defensible positions.

Sometimes it’s about the vantage point, of being able to see further than others, to have the whole picture in one glance, to enjoy the vision.

Sometimes it is a test, of having the perseverance to climb all the way to the top, to reach the treasure. We all know instinctively that only the most cherished things are kept there, protected by the whole of the tower.

The one thing we often forget is that sometimes the towers are not places to escape from or to break into. Sometimes they are the foundation of our strength, enhancing our ability to see far and true, keep unwanted matters away from us. Princesses might be locked in towers, but queens stroll as they please up and down because they know better. 

The gown set by Senzafine (the dress and the overcoat are two separate pieces) and the jewelry by .:ellabella:. are available in the current round of We Love Role-play. The crown by Remarkable Oblivion can be won in the Fantasy Gacha Carnival.

Location: Annon

Body: Skin: Jalwa – Zahida Coven Salt* | Eyes: IKON – Spectral Eyes Leonine | Lashes: Redgrave – 39 – Luscious | Hair: Exile – Dream of Paradise | Hands: Slink – Elegant 

Outfit: Gown & Overcoat: Senzafine – Solveig Gown Set: Overcoat Onyx, Gown Silver* | Jewelry: .:ellabella:. – Nahimana’s Winter Necklace & Earrings* | Crown: Remarkable Oblivion – Sylver Crown

Poses: {Imeka~} Reika-Pose 2 | aDORKable Poses – Sunny 3m | {Imeka~} Katie-Pose 1

The Tinderling Song

You might not notice them at first, walking in the woods. An oddly shaped old birch, some grass, perhaps a fallen tree. Not worth notice, not until it moves, stands up and stares you right in the face.

Did you wander too far, step too close to the fae waystones, breach their territory? Is it a guardian, a protector, …surely not a predator?

A moment of frozen panic later you realize the tinderling does not care that you are in the woods, no more than it objects to wintry creatures slumbering underneath the tree roots. 

Instead it invites you to the waystone: not to protect it, but to share its strength with the traveler, to join in the tinderling song of crackling frost and whispers in the wind.

Tinderlings are a new avatar release by Cerridwen’s Cauldron. They come in three different environmental looks, this particular one is boreal, the one that lives in arctic and boreal forests. They come with a handy HUD for better customizing your tinderling and are also available in tiny size for all the saplings out there.

Scene: Forest: Studio Skye – Enchanted Woods v2 | Fae Stone: Cerridwen’s Cauldron – Fae Waystone Broken* | Underbrush: Cerridwen’s Cauldron – Winter Underbrush Flat Irreg/Grass* 

Tinderling: Cerridwen’s Cauldron – Boreal Tinderling Avatar*

Poses: aDORKable Poses – Smart 5m | (*chanimations – alchemy_look | aDORKable Poses – 12 of 25 2012 

Gothilocks

But only two bears. Surely this was some sort of bizarro-day in story land, things definitely out of place and overlapping. Holidays mixing with fairytales, critters running from one story to another, no one sticking to the original plans anymore, absolute chaos! (And hijinks and shenanigans.)

There was no porridge nor beds, but a holiday feast and comfy pillows, even a small gingerbread house for noms. Gothilocks wasn’t quite certain why there was a snowshoe rabbit riding a small yak indoors, but surely there’d be an explanation for everything eventually.

The cocoa train kept puffing along steadily while the little arctic fox tried in vain to awaken the doggie that had unfortunately zoomed right through the Sleeping Beauty’s story before landing here. It was all so very peaceful and cosy that it was tempting to close one’s eyes, for just a moment.

But wait, maybe it wasn’t just the doggie… where did all this food come from if not a castle’s kitchen? Definitely not from this cottage, there’s not even a kitchen here! This amount of sleepiness all around cannot possibly be just from relaxed atmosphere… there’s trouble afoot!

Most of the look is from Gothmas by Gaslight. The outfit by Violent Seduction, the furniture by [noctis] and the nails by Pin Me Down are located in Cursed. The skin by Jalwa and shoes and jewelry by Eclectica can be found in Sium. The cocoa train by Lark and the sleepy doggie with pillows and the yak by +Half-Deer+ are from the current round of The Garden. The arctic animals are from a gacha in Beetlebones. The eyes by Adoness are a part of F R O S T and the gingerbread house by Poche is from the Christmas Mini Mall at Naminoke.

Scene: House: Trompe Loeil – Frostbite Cottage White | Rugs: ~Libertine~ Green Brocade Rugs | Train: Lark – Cocoa Express Large Track & Train | Center Pillow & Doggie: +Half-Deer+ Sleepy Italian Greyhound Black & Pillow | Yak: +Half-Deer+ Winter Yak Black (gacha) | Gingerbread House: Poche – Christmas Hexenhaus | Furniture & Tree: [noctis] – Von Scarlet Chairs and Dining Table, Baron Von Scarlet’s Secretary Desk, Gothmas Tree* | Critters: Beetlebones – Arctic Friends – Polar Bear Pals (Snow & Soot), Snowshoe Hare Pal (Snow), Fox (Soot), Snow Owl (snow) RARE

Body: Skin: Jalwa – Zahida Coven Salt Cleavage* | Hair: Wasabi Pills – Kylee Mesh Hair Licorice | Eyes: Adoness – Salina Eyes Starfish* | Lashes: Redgrave – 39 – Luscious | Hands & Feet: Slink | Nails: Pin Me Down – Gothmas Nails*

Outfit: Dress, Collar & Bow: Violent Seduction – Criminal Monochrome* | Necklace, Rings, Shoes: Eclectica – Catherine Ringsets in black, pendant in pale gold, Gothic shoes in dark* | Stockings: ~Cannibelle~ Bow Suspender Tights

Poses: aDORKable Poses – Sunny 2 | Part of the +Half-Deer+ pillow. | aDORKable Poses – Sunny 3m

Gothmas by Gaslight

Soon. In fact: tomorrow. There are two sims covered in snow, hosting a plethora of dark houses and glowing lights in the midst of the permanent night. Gothmas helpers are sneaking about as well as one can in boots that could kill, booths are getting filled with gifts worthy of Gothmas spirit and the gaslight lamp posts are lit to welcome visitors.

Gothmas celebrates the wonderfully monochromatic nature of blacks and whites, of pervasive darkness lit with lights like stars, the natural palette of all things goth.

Let us not forget the red so strongly associated with this time of year: it belongs to Gothmas as well, simply translated slightly differently. Perhaps translated in an older fashion of warm blood on the snow in the lasting dark, the hope of bringing back the sun. It makes as much sense as a jolly man in a red suit, after all.

If you are tired of the forcefully obligatory cheerfulness and all the bright expectations of the season, come walk our paths in the dark, come enjoy the darker twist to the holidays. Come enjoy Gothmas.

Gothmas by Gaslight opens at noon SLT, December 15th. 

The Huld outfit by Zibska and Winter Queen makeup by Beautiful Freak will be available at Gothmas by Gaslight, SLURLs added tomorrow when the event opens. The collier and bracers by .Enfant Terrible. are available in the current round of We Love Role-play. The Sol hair and Prince Edward nails by Adoness are still on discount in the Main Event (last day December 14th). The eyes by IKON can be purchased in the current round of FaMESHed. I would also like to take a moment to point at the skin and squee at the fact that +Nuuna+ has Slink appliers now!

Scene: Gothmas by Gaslight (SLURL to be added on 15th)

Body: Skin: +Nuuna+ Kati Skin Goth | Hair: Adoness – Sol Scarlet* | Eyes: IKON – Spectral Eyes Black | Lashes: Redgrave – 39 – Luscious | Makeup: Beautiful Freak – Winter Queen Dark Wine SE* | Hands: Slink – Elegant1 | Nails: Adoness – Slink Fingernails Prince Edward*

Outfit: Dress, Collar & Tights: Zibska – Huld Sangue* | Boots: lassitude & ennui – Flutter Boots Cardinal* | Collier & Bracers: .Enfant Terrible. – Chloes Silver* 

Poses: c( Two Cats ) – Miqo’te 1 | aDORKable Poses – 11 of 25 2012 | Exposeur – Back to Black 2

The Dragon Nest

The rumor was true: the elder frost dragon had managed to lay her last eggs before luring the hunters to a merry chase that drew them far away from the nest, a chase that ended with her life.

The nest was a haphazard arrangement, the surroundings not even properly frosted over yet: she had been in a hurry. Some of the growth nearby was still green, the ground only iced over, no sign of a freezing blizzard or intricate icicle formations.

The eggs glowed of stubborn, magical life, fragile as any beginning. Easy prey for a dragon hunter. Fortunately they will never share mother’s fate, not if I have anything to say about it.

“Come, little siblings. I will take you to desolate hunting grounds, far away from the humans until you learn the disguise and can pass off as them. Then we will return to completely different hunting grounds, my little brothers and sisters. Completely different ones.”

The pauldrons and armguards by [The Forge], the mask by ~Chimeric Fashions~, the dragonlings by ~Alchemy~, the horns by .{Rue}. and the waystone bench that worked as a nest by Cerridwen’s Cauldron are all available for discount in the new round of We Love Roleplay. The eyes by IKON are their latest group gift and the skin by .Birdy. can be won at The Arcade. The bamboos by Cerridwen’s Cauldron and the hair by Adoness are new releases.

Scene: Bamboos: Cerridwen’s Cauldron – Bamboo Set v2* | Nest: Cerridwen’s Cauldron – Bonus: Fae Waystone Bench* | Eggs & Dragonlings: ~Alchemy~ Baby Dragon Accessorie Air

Body: Skin: .Birdy. – Blair Skin Porcelaine Goth Black | Hair: Adoness – Luna Pitch Black* | Eyes: IKON – Spectral Eyes Leonine | Lashes: Redgrave – 39 – Luscious | Horns: .{Rue}. – Horns/Krampus Wrought Iron*

Outfit: Chainmail Layers: The Muses – Rainha Black* | Pauldrons & Arm Guards: [The Forge] – Eldar Armour Regal* | Boots: [The Forge] – Daerwen Boots Worn Black* | Leg Guards: [The Forge] – Cadeyrn Upper Leg Armour Black/Br* | Harness & Belts: [The Forge] – Stomach Harness, Chest Harness, Belt Harness* | Collar: [The Forge] – Posture Collar* | Weapons: [EZ] Weaponry – Bacurd Mace & Shield* | Mask: ~Chimeric Fashions~ Dragon Motif Mask (Burgundy&Silver)*

Poses: Exposeur – Call the Shots 4 | aDORKable Poses – Smart 4 | Exposeur – Call the Shots 1

Sign of Water

The world outside the safe embrace of water seems strange to the one accustomed to its strength. Air seems too thin to be supportive, the ground is too hard, fire a brightly tempting risk.

Things are clearer in the water, where every stream can be fully felt and understood, where eyesight is unnecessary because what you sense defines your reality.

It is natural to flow with the currents and turn to head upstream only if the call is strong enough. Only if the call is so impossible to resist that any journey, any challenge is worth the struggle in the end.

The Zodiac face tattoos that have several different components — the signs, the elements and the filigrees so you can compose your own version to reflect your signs — are by Fallen Gods Inc. and are currently available in a gacha at the 30L Gacha Fling Fair. The Edera jewelry by Zibska is available in The Fantasy Collective.

Body: Skin: League – Sia Fair Bloom | Eyes: Poetic Colors – Classic Frozen Silver Bright | Lashes: Redgrave – 39 – Luscious | Liner: Pin Me Down – Liner 1 | Hair: Exile – Dream of Paradise | Tattoos: Fallen Gods Inc. – Zodiac Pisces Left, Water Top, Silver Filigree Complete*

Outfit: Jewelry: Zibska – Edera* | Scales: Evie’s Closet – Modesty Scales

Poses: N/A | aDORKable Poses – Sunny 5