(Author’s note: since I didn’t have access to some 50 Residents in the proper skin and costumes, I’m asking you to suspend disbelief on my photos, and supplement things with your own imagination. Either road, here’s a short Christmas story from the 48th Century, and my character Ariel Sherman. HG)
Ariel glanced around her at the four dozen-plus gold and silver people surrounding her. As usual, The Land of Fantasy had put on a phenomenal production of its current revue show, and everyone looked satisfied with things, no matter the changes in the script for the evening. Of course, for cyborg memories, “changes in the script” were rather small beer. It was the human pride in their craft that shone here, pride in performing in a once-a-year show to the satisfaction of both themselves and a demanding audience.
There was still a final act to go before they rang down the curtain for the next four weeks, for the show’s annual break. This would not be the usual finale, though, with its famous nudity; not on this night. For this was Day 357 on the Limlight Standard Calendar. There were children in the audience tonight, and the entire performance was much more family-oriented. Especially for tonight’s finale, the one element of this special show which had not changed from year to year. To Ariel’s demanding eye, everyone looked happy, prepared, and confident. She nodded happily back to them, said, “Alright, people; let’s do it,” and got back words and signs of agreement. “Go, Dalton,” she whispered to her organic stage manager, who grinned back, tapped at his tablet, and gave the needed orders. Recorded music began playing; the “small” curtain in front of Ariel opened thirty seconds later, and Lady Ariel Sherman entered at stage center, sweeping through the curtains in a massive ball gown of white satin.
She dropped into a stage-depth curtsey as the audience cheered and applauded and the rest of the cast and company entered behind her. Each of the feature acts took their own bows, then arranged themselves behind their star artiste. The audience quieted at last, and Ariel said into the amplification field, “Thank you all so much for coming tonight to The Land of Fantasy! It’s always our joy and pleasure to perform for you, but doubly so on special nights, such as this.”
I guess the “ruins” we’re standing in aren’t really all that old. But the sunlight is just raining down around us, and it makes a lovely place to look pretty in, and Diana joined me for this shoot. That makes the place even prettier.
This is what the new house looks like from the land side. I had to temporarily derezz some of the trees in front to show it.
The weird thing about houses is that they almost always look like nothing is happening inside of them, even though they contain most of our lives. I wondered if that was sort of the point of architecture.
Unlike Harper, who was exploring the spiritual side of Christmas, or Jem, who decided to freeze herself outside, Morgan and me went for a nice, warm room in Babbage.
All of the blog women have shot photos for Christmas card — which will be coming up on the 25th, by the way — and we’re also adding our dresses as fashion photos.
O holy night The stars are brightly shining, It is the night of our dear Saviour’s birth. Long lay the world in sin and error pining. Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth. A thrill of hope The weary world rejoices For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees Oh hear the angel voices O night divine O night when Christ was born O night divine O night, o night divine
=====
The details:
Head: LAQ Noelle 3.06 Bento
Body and feet: Maitreya Lara 4.1
Eyes: IKON Hope (Sapphire)
Hair: C H A R M E Roxy (available at current round of Swank)
Gown: Sascha’s Designs Snow Princess (available at current round of Swank)
Shoes: Italiano Linda
Accessories: Zuri Rayna Ariel Elite suite (necklace, earrings and bracelet); Zuri Rayna cross pendant necklace; Sascha’s Designs short gloves (white) (available at current round of Swank); Paper Couture diamonds and pearl ring (vintage); Agata Mode Carla fur stole (vintage)
I can’t cover up my feelings In the name of love Or play it safe For a while that was easy And if living for myself Is what I’m guilty of Go on and sentence me I’ll still be free
When I first saw this pantsuit on a recent visit to Sascha’s Designs, the first thing that popped into my head was “Carole Bayer Sager!” And why Sager, you ask? Because I remember a book of photographs by Kenny Rogers from some 20 years ago, with a photo of Carole and her second husband, Burt Bacharach, both dressed in white. Carole said in the book that white was her signature color (though I’ve seen her in photos wearing other colors since), and this has simply stuck with me over time.
It had been a long day, a day in a string of days filled with lots of nothing. Business lately was flatter than a Martian flat cat; and brother, that’s flat. Even the weather was depressed; it had been spitting rain all day, the kind of rain that ate holes in ceramacrete here on Chania 3, nice and acid. Anyway, I was sitting in my office, fighting the latest battle in the age-old war between income and expenses. As usual, the expenses were winning; I hadn’t seen a clipped credit in weeks. I was already a month behind on the rent; the landlord was beginning to give me the fish eye and tap on the commlink on his belt every time he saw me, which was turning into every morning as I walked in the lobby. I knew what that meant; he kept the name of his favorite bouncer on speed dial there, some critter big and blue and with six arms. When that guy bounced you, you stayed bounced.
I was getting ready to give it up for the day, when there was a knock on the door. A knock on the door meant one of two things: the landlord’s bouncer, or a paying client. Right at the moment, I couldn’t be fussy. If it was the bouncer, he’d just rip the door off if I didn’t open it, and the landlord was in the right, anyway. If it was a client, I might just make enough out of this to stave off Blue Boy’s advent. I keyed the door….
…and knew that this case was probably gonna be worth big credits, and that I was in a whole lot of trouble from the get-go.
When I do storyboarding for my short fiction, as I’m doing a lot of lately for the story based on “Like a Thief In the Night,” I like to get as detailed a set as possible, so that I’ll have the place my characters inhabit as clear in my mind as I can. When we first meet Melanda, Duconna Ceal of Eldav, we’ll see her in the office of a doctor specializing in biosculpt and cosmetic enhancement technology. Not surprisingly, though, there aren’t many places even in Second Life that boast a biosculptor’s office and exam rooms. So I was forced to build one for myself and my partners.
Second Life® with Harper, Conan, Jem, Diana and Morgan
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