OK, I have the deep blue blues. Long story. You don't need to know.

Second Life is damned HARD in so many ways (well you do know that, right?).

So I need to kick-start or go. And if I go, I won't flounce, promise.

However, in a rather pathetic attempt to kick-start, if anybody has the strength / urge / energy to go look at my stuff (decor, from gazebos to lighthouse and from couches to sunflowers and parasols and fountains and fireplaces), feel free to go look.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Napoleons%20Empire/91/209/27

I will refund 50% to 75% of ANYTHING (promise, cross my heart) if you mention - by IM (I get them on mail) or notecard - that you came via the blog. Including the lighthouse, the gazebo or even a stone jar with lavender or some pretty pottery. Really. 50% on anything, 75% if you spend more than 250L.

Building, anyone?

OK, so I should be doing a million things, but I've been thinking (oh dear - that will probably get people's fingers on the scroll button, eh?

I love making stuff. I tend to give more away than I sell: I don't have the drive to make my SL 'business' work as such simply because my RL one keeps me pretty busy (and pays the mortgage). In that I'm lucky and I know it. I have huge respect for people who try to make SL bring in RL money, mind you.

(OK look at the pictures.... some stuff I've made).

Over the past few months I've been doing chunks of sims or making houses (or decorating them) for friends, for nothing if necessary. Give me an idea to go with and you get a happy Ari. I mean, I have the stuff, meaning prims, textures, lights, ideas, so I'm not going to charge silly prices. Or probably anything if I can advertise a bit.

So why this ramble?

Well, I want to do more chunks of sims or rooms or houses or clubs. I do know I need to take more photos of places I've done (including going back to the brothel where I did the Roman baths, for which I need to choose a moment when they're, um, not occupied).

But if anybody's brave enough, yell. I'm not a 'big name'. I'm not the best, but I love detail and I love creating an overall 'look'. I can send SLURLs to places (not the brothel, sorry), or take you there and point at the creative use of lighting, prims, textures.

Oh, and a last thing: join my subscribo this week and I'll offer you 50% off anything you buy for the next week (or so).

Just throw me a notecard with your name and what you've bought (the reward for reading this far). Or you can have a wall fountain for free. In fact as well. Heh.

Take a seat?

Long time no blog, I know.
Yep, been making stuff.
Yep, been forgetting to take photos or do that thing called 'marketing'. Nothing new there then. So help me, I'd rather mess around with prims than work on the self-promotion stuff. This does not help my Linden balance, however.


Worse, I forget to take photos. Including of bigger builds like Roman baths in a brothel, a couple of houses, an Arabian-themed mall, and lately a Mediterranean seaside plaza. So: good resolutions ahead. Even SLURLS when I get in world (is there no end to such positive thinking?)

On the 'stuff for the store' front, however, this is a seating corner to plonk on a deck or in your living room or at your club or wherever you would personally plonk it. All the various bits change colour as the two pictures show. Probably a gazillion combinations and really really nice textures if I say it myself. It seats up to five, with each cushion equipped with 3-4 poses (thus looking less silly than you and four friends playing 'Simon Says' - remember that? No? OK, let's move on then). And there's a nice couples pose too.

Perms: transfer (copiable on request for a few more Lindens)
Price: 199 (psychologically waaaay better than 200, right?)
Offer: quote my blog in a notecard and you can have it for 150 OR I will give you a matching leather ottoman. Or both, if I'm feeling chirpy.
Where? At my store (logically enough) here.

Playing with fire

Well yes, literally playing with fire.

So instead of a rant, behold. It's been one of those (all-too-rare) moments in SL when things came together. Take the revelation of sculpted fire prims, an insanely talented scripter (thanks, Geek), and lots and lots of fiddling with textures, and I finally made fireplaces with lovely flames. And crackling. And you can turn them off. And they're pretty.


Two models so far - a modern-ish one wid da logs, and a Victorian-ish one wid da fire irons (the things that the logs rest on). More to follow. Not expensive. Copiable. Modifiable.

Hell, I'm pleased with them. I'd even give 'em away if I didn't have to pay That Thing Called Tier because I'm so pleased with them (and, of course, so modest).

Oh, and the tools. Pretty fire tools.

Thus: picture spam

You're all going to rush to buy one, right?

(A girl can dream)

But if you wish to join the stampede, go here, and pick up a superb Iranian rug for 1L while you're at it.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Napoleons%20Empire/91/209/27

LL's latest fun move

Well, guess I won't be making any sales on XStreet for a while, huh? Buyer confidence will not, I expect, be booming.

And note to self: withdraw that whopping 600L positive balance from Onrez sometime.

But go look at the gazebo, huh? Inworld also, half price for January, all the fittings, lights, cushions, prettiness and utterly amazing retractable curtain (/end weak attempt at sales patter). Just click on the link to the left. And oh, buy up the store at the same time, pretty please.

Thank you.

Now returning to grumble and mutter about LL. Half of the fun of SL, no?

Reference guide

Easy reference guide for extricating oneself from those awkward SL relationships:

- I am so busy in RL I can't log on enough for it to be worthwhile
- I am so busy with my SL business I don't have time for other stuff
- I decided I'm gay after all
- I decided I'm straight after all
- I decided I'm asexual
- I don't like you
- I like you too much
- My SL husband / wife / partner might catch us
- My RL husband / wife / partner did catch us
... and the easiest of all:
- I can't tell you why, so live with it

One girl's dream

OK, it's Monday. And I was fully intending to post some stuff intended to promote my latest creations. But then something more important came up.

Yesterday, a friend sent me an IM that send a cold shiver down my spine. Let me start from the beginning.

I met Shakti last year. She was a very young, very bright Indian girl whose dream was to recreate the Avignon Festival (a huge, huge international theatre event) on SL. One of the organisers of the festival met her in India, and was impressed enough to provide support for her out of his pocket, including paying for an Open Space sim (owned by a good friend of mine).

Shakti's dream was also to help her people in the slums of Dharavi, Mumbai. She worked in a Mumbai hotel, meaning she had access to SL. For her, SL was a window on the world, and she treasured her contacts with people there, with the western world (which she saw as a paradise).

A few of us tried to help out with her SL/RL dream.

Sadly, it didn't go well. Shakti was the sweetest person but she didn't really know SL's workings that well, and she didn't communicate what she wanted in time. The idea was to link the SL location to the month-long festival, to re-create the theatre and parts of the town of Avignon, but it was all started too late. It needed the input of scripters, PR people, and media experts to tie it into Avignon and bring it to life.

Those involved (we were builders) all drifted away in the end as things just weren't moving. In the end, I think it was a flop.

Shakti was, however, in touch a few weeks back to say that the 2009 version was going to be way better...and that this time, it would be planned far enough ahead.

And then silence.

Shakti was shot and killed in Mumbai recently. News filtered through to the Festival organisers and then to a friend of mine who owned the sim and helped with the building. She has been burned, as tradition calls for, in Dharavi.

The Festival people have said they will continue work on her dream. I have no idea what sort of financing they will get for it, or whether they will be in a position to pay builders or scripters or anyone else.

I admit freely that I was more interested in my SL 'business' to really care about this 'volunteer' work at the time. However, if the project takes off for July 2009, I'll be there. Paid or not.

I'll also be nagging and pestering in any forum I can to find other people to help.

So if you, or anyone you know, is willing to give input on the project, please let me know.

Rest in peace, Shakti.