Men's Second Style

Bigger is not necessarily better. I know, I know—size matters, and all that. People do say that. But as always, it’s not what you’ve got: it’s what you do with it that matters. Read the rest of this entry »

It was a hard life, living in the Wastelands. No one denied that. In fact, it was one of the hardest lives one could be born to. It was even harder living on the edge of the Great Fissure. No one quite believed that, unless they themselves had been born to it. Or exiled there. Read the rest of this entry »

He hated the term. He hated it, but no matter what he did, no matter who he tried to be, he could not escape it. He had been trapped by it from the very beginning, from his very incept date, for the phrase had been prominently featured in his homeostatic promotional material—in shining, swirling letters, in multiple languages, and repeated in subliminal whispers that could barely be heard, yet made their way deep into the mind and all but guaranteed a purchase, if not actual satisfaction. In fact, if he had come with an interactive instruction manual—which he had not—the phrase would no doubt have been emblazoned across every virtual page.

Basic pleasure model.
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[BEGIN TRANSCRIPT]

Hey, is that thing on? Okay, I see the light blinking. Fresh batteries, right? Make sure you get it all down now, because don’t think you’re calling me back for a second round because your batteries died. Oh, and I want a copy—not that I don’t trust you, but still. Just for reference. Don’t send it to me, send it to my agent. She takes fifteen percent, she might as well do something once in a while. Read the rest of this entry »

When the Gunmage arrived at Fort Stygian, he was struck by the sheer desolation of the place. He supposed that should have been surprising—after all, what did one expect of a place its residents had decided to call Stygian? And apparently with no irony whatsoever. His trek across the desert had been long and arduous, so imagine his dismay when he discovered that the fortified town had been built not encircling a spring or oasis but on the edge of a live volcanic crater, heaving with molten rock almost to the surface. It was truly a sight to behold, if one could manage to do more than squint in the sulfurous smoke and shimmering heat. He had heard that the magma well was reputedly a fantastic power source, although the means of extraction or conversation was apparently (and understandably) a profound secret. Hopefully this meant that he would have no trouble obtaining charge for his plasma-bulb weapons. Read the rest of this entry »

I was more than a little amused when I read a recent comment from Rhys, something along the lines of “going more steampunk.” It was funny because I was already putting together a steampunk feature in my head, having realized that it had been a while since I had been to Babbage. Unfortunately, finishing it up took longer than I had anticipated—but here we are at last! Read the rest of this entry »

If I’ve observed previously that creating white or even light-colored clothing in SL is a thankless task—and I’m sure I have—it’s only because it’s so eternally true. Even so, there are fearless designers who from time to time take that plunge, which I consider to be an especially bold one. Shiryu Musashi’s recent foray into the wide white wastes, his “Holidays in Cortina” formal suit, is a beautiful and tremendously successful accomplishment in oh-so-sophisticated ivory. It’s perfect for your own travel excursion to northern Italy’s Cortina d’Ampezzo, or perhaps SL’s virtual equivalent. Read the rest of this entry »

Every once in a while, I find it impossible to resist the temptation to indulge in a shopping spree of wild abandon. It’s been a while since the last time, and I thought maybe I had somehow been cured. But it happened again just recently, and for this latest fall from grace I really must blame Mr. Oh, if not for the indulgence itself then at least for the temptation. You see, it was he who told me about Scars, suggesting that I should drop by and at least take a look, as he suspected that I would like what I saw. And so I found myself, having walked into Sin Knoller’s beautifully situated little main shop, almost entirely unable to walk back out (or teleport, for that matter) without pretty much buying the place out. Mr. Oh, j’accuse! Read the rest of this entry »

Have I said before that I could dress every day entirely in clothing by risey Arai and be happy? I’m pretty sure I have. At the risk of sounding like a total fanboi, I can only say (or, more likely, say again) that risey’s designs look and feel more like real, whole garments than almost anything else I’ve tried on. I don’t mean they look 100% photo-realistic; in my opinion, absolute photographic realism is a design approach that just doesn’t quite work in SL. Of course things may change in time—things have certainly changed over the last four or five years—but right now a certain level of stylization seems to make for more natural integration with the SL environment as a whole. It certainly suits my own particular tastes. It will be interesting to see what new technology brings to our virtual world. Read the rest of this entry »

“Clothes make the man.” So said American writer and humorist Samuel Langhorne Clemens, a.k.a. Mark Twain. Given what I do here, you’d think I’d be inclined to be in complete agreement. But I’ve got news for you—it takes a lot more than clothes to make a man. Skin, shape, hair, eyes, accessories and (yes) clothing all work together to make your avatar what you want it to be. This is far more than just a simple “look”—it’s a personality, an identity, the face you show to others. Read the rest of this entry »