The classy urban warrior goes to Dirty Lynx

Posted by Alpha Auer

OK, time to let you in on a little secret over here: After spending some considerable time (not to mention financial resources) in the pursuit virtual apparel design, I have come to the conclusion that I may have learned enough through sheer power of observation and have consequently decided to join the ranks of metaverse designers. Thus, currently I am working diligently on putting my own collection of NPIRL wearables together. I shall be revealing further info regarding this little venture in due course - however, on my own blog. (I mean there is such a thing as a limit to naked, unashamed self promotion, right?)...

And I have to tell you that I am depressed about the whole thing before I have even made my debut: There is absolutely no way that I can presume to compete with the talent that is already out there! Point in case would be Loki Dancer. Dirty Lynx is a store covering the gamut of avatar needs from clothes and attachments to skin and hair - one item better designed and textured than the next. The theme is urban warrior and neko, however the ware displayed is a far cry from the, at this point, somewhat predictable urban warrior/neko output. There is a finesse, an observation of detail, a balance of color and shape that really puts the design work at Dirty Lynx in a class apart. Subtle! That is the very word that I am groping for... Nothing is overdone, over designed. And then the textures: Beautifully detailed and crisp. (If there is one thing that I cannot abide it has got to be blurry textures! ;-)


Tomcat Urban Warrior


Freerider Urban Warrior


CyberAngel

There is a vast range of attachments available at Dirty Lynx, however I have stuck to one category: Shoulder armor! Again, even in this there is a much wider range that one can indulge in than what I am presenting here. I have limited myself to three - which is not to say that is all that I got while I was out there. Basically, when I finally managed to tear myself away from the place I was laden with all kinds of wonders - and not just shoulder armor either. Oh no sirreee... :-)))

You can teleport to Dirty Lynx directly from here.

Meeeaaann Kittiezzz.....

Posted by Alpha Auer... ;-)

Cats are predators. So, I hope that I am speaking on behalf of the whole species when I come right out and say it like I see it: Enough of all of this hello kitty stuff in the metaverse - pleeaaaasse!

We are not cute little kitties - we are big nasty meeeeaaannn old catzzzzzzzz!

And so, ladies and gentlemen, under the horrified gaze of all present company, off we go to carnivore land... teeeee heeeee....
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The Demonic Cat avatar comes in both light and dark shades. Of course, one gets the dark one!


The Latex Mew comes with nasty little fangs, a spiky tail creepy enough to put the fear of God into the Devil himself and huge huge huge stomp-over-everything-in-sight paw boots. Oh, and of course it wouldn't do to forget mentioning those utterly lovely boxing glove paws, good enough a size to do justice to any little old altercation...
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The tail as larder: Sorry folks, I ate the fish... And yup! While I was at it, I also ate Tweety. Odious little fluffball!!!... Oh yes, the mice I am saving for later. I do tend to get somewhat peckish just around bedtime...


And speaking of rodents, I simply cannot emphasize this point strongly or often enough: There is no such thing as having too many mice!
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It shows a sad state of affairs when you cannot be secure even on your own island! This tomcat came flying out of nowhere and put me into this dreadful state. Even my tail is in a cast! Reason? He seemed to be upset about the contents of this very post, said it was giving us Nekos a bad rep! One of those politically correct cats no doubt.

However... R.I.P. old boy...


... took care of his sanctimonious little derriere pronto pronto! Here's where it actually happened... And of course, I did not leave any trace evidence! Watched my share of CSI episodes as diligently as the next person, haven't I?
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Credits:
Demonic Cat and Latex Mew avatars: June Dion
Neko tails: selena Chastity, Purrrfect Kitties
Mice Boots: Cyia Kanami at Purrrrfect Kitties
Neko arm sling, casts and collar: Akasha Wachmann
Neko Crime Scene: Cinemaniac Voom
(Please click on names for teleport locations)

tis the season to be steampunk....

... fa lala lala la la

Posted by Alpha Auer... ;-)

Although a sizable proportion of virtual worlds Residents (including myself) do not celebrate Christmas in the religious sense of the word, this time of year has nevertheless come to be associated with festivity, merriment and the exchange of presents in a big chunk of the globe. Point in case: In my beloved Istanbul supermarkets and shopping malls are brimming over with "New Year" trees and decorations even as we speak. And what's more we seem to have managed to adapt the tradition to suit our own secular/muslim culture: The biggest seller in tree ornaments for the past few years has been a truly gaudy plastic adaptation of the tip of a minaret that you stick on top of your tree in place of where the angel would normally be put in a Christian household...

So, I have been wracking my brains in the pursuit of suitable seasonal gifts that we can inflict upon our loved ones in the metaverse and this establishment seems to me to fit the bill to perfection: Primtronics, a co-venture by CJoke Oh and Skalli McMillan is a delight of a store specialized in avatar attachments, with a steampunk neko twist but added extras!

OK, let us face it: Is it just me or is everybody beginning to notice the proliferation of truly well designed, meticulously detailed and textured steampunk and neko objects throughout the metaverse? Now, on the one hand this is of course wonderful news. We are obviously entering an era of high sophistication in virtual object design. However, on the flip side, a lot of what I am seeing out there begins to be repetitive in concept. Or I am simply beginning to become an extremely spoilt little neko person who turns up her snooty little whiskers at most of what she stumbles upon? In short, nowadays I am definitely looking for something more - and that something more for me usually ends up being something funny. And these two people are indeed funny! So, let me show you exactly what I mean:


For that incorrigible introvert who inevitably prefers a party of one, why not get them the fully animated Shoulder DJ? Comes with its own charmingly pulsating disco lights border and glow spotlight...


For that special man who likes to cook, the leg holster mixer? Very handy around the virtual kitchen, I am sure...


His 'n Hers Crazy Antigravitation-Experiment V1.1 Backpacks... Perfection itself for that personalized little touch!


And here is another one and oh my goodness! It even has its own little wind turbine: The industrial landscape backpack "MinniKraftwerk" will (hopefully) manage to put a smile on the faces of all of those moaners that you have to get gifts for, the ones who claim to be carrying all the weight of the world upon their shoulders?


A very naughty follow me pet is the Kuhschraubaer (German for cow-bear-heli). Although I did have the little devil firmly leashed it took me forever to get her to fly to heel. Not to put too fine a point on it - she just simply would not oblige! So, this gift would most definitely not be for those authoritarian, "do-as-I-tell you" souls amongst your acquaintance...


Quite a different proposition from the naughty flying cow is the Pilot-Teddy, a lovely great little cuddly guy - obviously the perfect gift for that romantic dreamer...


For that eccentric individual, the mountaineering neko, a rope tail comes complete with its own handy knife...


And finally, for that naughty naughty boy, ear and shoulder laser guns! Zapppppp!!!
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And now onto a wee bit of complication: While I have done all that is in my power to furnish you with tips as to how best to annoy your loved ones with your gifts, the items at Primtronics are copy but no transfer. However, the good news is that they do have gift certificates available at their shop, to where you can teleport directly from here. So, all that remains for you to do, is to present the objects of your bounty with a gift certificate and precise instructions as to what it is that you expect them to get once they land at Primtronics. And then - well, just hope for the best I suppose... I mean, once you let them loose in there with all that cash there is really no saying as to what they will actually be walking out with from that oh so wonderfully imaginative location.

Paw Boots...

Posted by Alpha Auer... ;-)

Only the other day I was talking about the lamentable absence of paw boots in Real Life, right? In the meantime I have been informed that apparently some enterprising Real Life designer out there seems to have made something along these lines but in my humble view it wouldn't really add up to much beyond being a sad substitute to the "real" thing...

So, here they are - all of my lovely little beauties...


My Ninja Cat boots are somewhat on the cruel side but, I give you my most solemn assurance that I try not to use those nasty little sticks too excessively and then only on the most objectionable avatars!


Admittedly the Grunge Camp Paw kickers are ever so slightly butch but nonetheless a great favorite whenever I need to climb the Black Mountain at Syncretia to check on all those leaky water pipes...


These Hobo Paw boots have a slight flaw around the ankles so I conceal them with some very lovely, not to mention thoroughly elegant, barbed wire neko leg warmers! They really do think of every little eventuality these neko designers don't they? I imagine the barbed wire would come in very handy at keeping those bothersome rodents trying to climb up ones calves at bay! No?


Yeti paw boots! We pose for these together with my furry sister: Two silly school girls in black and white outfits. Mine is a sailor's costume and she is a striped bunny! Teeeee heeeee....


For the more demanding neko, these jewel studded boots come in a range of fur options for toes, all in the same box. A must have for all of those dressier occasions!


Sakuradawn Lei's name is a byword for high quality paw boots in the metaverse, most of them leaving paw prints as you walk! Unfortunately the loveliest ones are designed for feral furries and thus one needs to have the appropriate leg shape to really be able to wear them - which we, vain, silly, fashion victim women obviously do not have. However, necessity is indeed the mother of all invention, so my furry sister was certainly not going to be put off by a minor little hindrance such as a leg shape! She merely replaced the upper part of the Myth boots with another boot part - and Bob's your uncle! My Trailmix ones are actually designed for human legs so all I had to do was walk around leaving some wonderful feline paw prints. Never one to be outdone, Furry Incognita follows suit with her own - and oh what an utterly lovely mess we have made!

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Credits:
Ninja Cat Boots: Emily Lelouch
Grunge Camp Paw Kickers: Thomus Keen
Barbed wire leg warmers: Minde Mills
Hobo Paw Boots: Blume Boucher
LouRoo Yeti Paw Boots: LouRoo Rau
Jewel Neko Boots: 7ommy Gunes
Trailmix and Myth boots: Sakuradawn Lei
(Please click on the names to obtain teleport locations!)

Les oreils très NPIRL...

Posted by Alpha Auer ;-)

Today, dear aficionado of all things great and small that are NPIRL, we shall be considering ears that could not possibly happen in Real Life. And who better than me, a full fledged, card carrying neko, to lead you down this intricate lane of Second Life® body parts?
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aoimizuno Meili's output is certainly no stranger to this blog. Not only were her NPIRL eyes featured in a post dedicated to eyes alone, but we have also looked at a small selection of her truly magnificent avatar attachments here. So, here are some wonderful lightbulb neko ears (above) and the octopus ears (below). Both can be seen in-world at her shop LPP, to where you can teleport directly from here.
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Again, a big favorite of mine, on whom I have posted only recently, Thomus Keen has such a magnificent pair of mechanical steampunk neko ears that I truly could not resist in adding them in here as well: These have the most naturalistic cat ear twitch that you can possibly imagine and furthermore come with a texture menu which lets you choose between various industrial textures - the badlands texture shown here being my favorite. These beauties can be admired at Keen's wonder shop Steam Powered Nuts, to where you can teleport directly from here.
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Jamie Clementine's Hybrid Elite ears are not neko ears in the absolute truest sense of the word, being much too large and too rounded to be true cat ears - thus, a true hybrid indeed. Umm? Rabbit, donkey and just a sprinkling of feline maybe? Wonderful! And you can get them by teleporting directly from here.
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Sinthoras Braveheart is a delightful person who basically got fed up with paying exorbitant prices for all of his neko needs (I know just how he feels) and proceeded to create his own. These great puffy neko ears with earrings come in many different colors. And as for the price? Well, you will just have to find out by clicking right here.
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And finally, let it never be said that, while we are on the subject of ears, the NPIRL blog is going to refrain from making mention of the inherent attribute of the Second Life appearance palette which will let you create your own completely impossible in Real Life ears with just a few dab handed flips of its sliders. Here I have just conjured my very own Dr. Spock elf ears which I have suplemented with a freebie elven ear attachment by Terry Toland, available from here.
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On ironforged velvety ocelot paws: Here comes Vry Offcourse...

Posted by Alpha Auer

Basically I bought so many skins from Vry Offcourse that in the end the poor thing had no choice but to befriend me. So, now I am very proud to be able to say that I count Vry, whom I consider to be one of the most inspired of NPIRL designers in Second Life® amongst my personal friends.

Like myself, Vry is a graphic designer who says that her real life profession deeply affects how she proceeds in her virtual design work: "large & long projects have trained my mind to think systematically when managing a project". Like every good designer Vry "start(s) each project with research, and then play(s) around with assets, look(s) at styles". But, subsequently, in a manner somewhat uncharacteristic to hard core Real Life design practices, she proceeds to "just have fun, never really knowing what I will end up with."

When I asked Vry what the impetus behind Starfuker, her stunning skin shop in Harajukobox had been she told me that she started to design skins because she could not find the types of skins that she wanted. Although she admits that she initially turned her output into a business with the objective of making an income she adds that "after reality set in, it just became an artistic outlet for me", the inspiration for which comes from many diverse sources but "as far as SL goes...there is nobody more inspiring then my friend ColeMarie Soleil".


The Zebra Skin

Some of Vry Offcourse's skins are inspired by nature and yet others have their foundations in metal. While skins such as the Ocelot skin, the Zebra skin and the bewilderingly complex Reptile skin are examples of the former, the recently added Hybrid skin and my long time favorite the Ironforge skin fall into the latter category. And then, of course, are the oddballs, as would be the case with the Fragile skin:




Fragile: An almost translucent layer of cracked porcelain glaze...




The Ocelot Skin (steampunk attachments: Lucia Cyr)


The Reptile Skin. (dress: Andie Ramona, hair: Hern Worsley)

The Ocelot skin, along with the Reptile skin, for me, are amongst the most uncanny skins that Vry Offcourse has designed. Unlike most zoologically based skins that are out there, Vry has not superimposed a mere feline/reptilian pattern onto a humanoid base layer but has actually blurred out the area surrounding the "human" eyes in such a way that they blend in with the animal pattern, whilst leaving the lips more or less intact, thus creating a bizarre hybrid, half human half feline/reptilian experience both for the user as well as the beholder.


The Iron Forge Skin. (hair: Elke Banting)


The Hybrid Skin. (apparel: four Yip, Phantom Kabuki)

Indeed the whole Hybrid experience seems to be very much on Vry Offcourse's mind: Her latest creation features yet another such experiment - this one between the mechanoid and the humanoid, following up on one of her earlier designs, the Iron Forge skin, which is almost entirely mechanoid, save for the bizarre pink lips that refuse to blend with the metallic remainder, thus creating a very startling design dichotomy.

You can teleport to STARFUKER, Vry Offcourse's shop directly from here. You can see many more photographs of her skins, which I used as one of the main elements of a somewhat bizarre research experiment of my own called the Uncanny Valley here.

Wizard of neko refinement: eko Merlin

Posted by Alpha Auer

Quite surprisingly, given the immense quality of his design output, eko Merlin is from a non-visual background. An electronic music producer in Real Life, eko describes his venture into Second Life object design as follows:

"When i started to play with prims, someone asked me to build a belt. I had a wonderful time working on this and since I enjoyed the process so much I proceeded to make several others , trying to push the details a bit more each time and aiming for better and better texturing. So, Second Life® is my first experience in object design and I love it.

"My first inspiration in Second Life was urban/neko/punk, but I didn't even know enough to call what I did by these labels. I was just stunned by the level of detail that I saw on some of the neko items, especially the things made with tiny prims. So, I suppose my first inspiration was not a style but the detailed building practice concealed within the style itself.

I have not yet designed too many items, since it takes me a very long time to complete a project, with the amount of detailing that I like to put into my work. However, I can see that my output can already be divided into two broad categories: Possible and Not Possible in Real Life. I am really not someone who can stick to one style only. It is just like music. I need change and diversity."

And indeed, along with all of his highly NPIRL objects, eko is also the designer of my much beloved Builder's Belt, a highly possible in Real Life item and as such really not at all suitable content for this blog. But besides this cherished item I do seem to have bought most of what eko has on display in his shop.


This headset has a lid, which when popped open reveals the brain inside. All components are color changeable and furthermore the object has a menu driven play list of tunes.


The Mechanics Belt: And what is so NPIRL about this you might ask? Well... What do all of these gauges measure exactly? My virtual blood pressure? hhh...


The crazy steampunk watch would need a machinima, which alas, I have not yet ever attempted in Second Life: The arms of this watch move completely randomly - backwards and forwards, unsynchronized and at great speed...


The first generation of the neko-backpack TV held a static image. I still loved it...


The new version will playback a slideshow of your choice.

eko is very much my kind of content creator: Unselfconscious, subtle and very very refined. One for whom the journey of creativity itself is what is paramount - over and above whatever the results of it may turn out to be. His creations do not scream out their self-importance in a bellowing voice but wait to be discovered, in all of their splendid detail, in a quiet corner of the metaverse - a wonderful neko shopping island named Blitzed.


Blitzed Island. whether it is truly NPIRL, I am not sure - however, truly lovely it most certainly is.

All in all, a truly delightful person is eko Merlin:

"Second Life is the most wonderful thing I know... The creativity is amazing - the scripting, in combination with objects, the fact that people can think, build and insert scripts, and thus get their creations to work, to do things... I find the whole thing so crazy... I see such clever creations (especially HUD's I love them), like a software in the software.

I think with all the things we are hearing now, several grids are in the process of being created and then in time will surely be integrated... We are just at the beginning of the story. We are the pioneers, our kids will see things unimaginable and I will be proud in 20 years time to say "I was there when it all started, I was in Second Life..."

You can teleport to eko Merlin's shop at Blitzed directly from here. You can also see larger, close-up images of his objects here.

Les yeux très NPIRL....

I have to own up to this with considerable shame, but it took me an awfully long time to discover the charms of Second Life® eyes. In my newbie days I put on a plain dark brown pair and gave the matter no further thought whatsoever until way beyond my first rezday anniversary. They were simply too small of a visual component to make much of a difference to the overall Gestalt of the avatar; you could not even really see them unless you fully zoomed into a face... And who zooms into people's faces like that to begin with, would have been my justifications, I suppose.

I am not sure at what point it began to dawn on me that I was seriously missing out on something here. I think it must have been when I saw my first pair of neko cat's eyes. Quite a few neko designers have these, I want to show my very favorite ones in the image below. What differentiates them from human eyes is the shape of the pupil, which, cat-like, is elongated.



Shaoshan Llanfair's Star Eyes (top and second row) come in many colors. In addition to the sine qua non elongated pupil the sclera is dark, setting off a delicate starburst surronding the pupil and the iris. BastChild Lotus' Evocative Neko Eyes (bottom) are set against an almost black sclera and come in many hues, my preferred one being the orange since it comes very close to the cat's eye gaze. Second row from the bottom is my favorite: These eyes created by Philo Sion react to Second Life light. Sadly, your personal time of day settings will not affect them, however if you use the default Second Life day cycle you will see that these eyes expand as the environment dims, becoming fully dilated at night and then contract when daylight returns, precisely the way feline eyes do as well. This is achieved through tiny prims which become attached to your eyeballs and are somewhat tricky to adjust - but well worth the final effort I find.
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Another collection by Philo Scion is the one of the haunting Mythic Eyes (top), huge irises which make for a vulnerable avatar face if ever I saw one. A wonderful huge iris eye called Merged has also been created by AlterEgoTrip Svenska (bottom).
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eko Merlin is a man on whom I shall be writing quite a bit more before too long. For now, I would like to just whet your appetitie by showing you two of his highly NPIRL eyes: Bio-X above and Black Magician below.
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Aoimizuno Meili's intricate avatar objects were featured on this blog only a few days ago and now I want to add her Doll's Eyes to the material that I talked about then. These are indeed so lovely that Bett has already blogged them here previously. Two of these eyes remind me of a world atlas globe, superimposed with a radar scanner (maybe?) while the third one is more of a huge iris eye, textured with a lovely blue blur.
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And of course a mini post of NPIRL eyes in Second Life would certainly not be complete without showing four Yip's eye collection, two of which are inspired by Magritte's paintings and the third a gorgeous floral fantasy.
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You can find Shaoshan Llanfair's Star Eyes at Night Sky (teleport directly from here and BastChild Lotus' Evocative Neko Eyes can be seen at Lapointe and BastChild (teleport directly from here. Philo Sion's Light Responsive Neko Eyes as well as her Mythic Eyes can be found at her store Hybird (teleport directly from here. I have not been able to locate an in-world vendor for AlterEgoTrip Svenska, however her eyes can be obtained on her page at shop.onrez. eko Merlin's store Blitzed can be reached by teleporting directly from here. four Yip's eyes can be obtained from her little store reachable directly from here.

You can view large sizes of all the eye photos on my Flickr feed here.

Nekos and furries are the VIPs at the always new Syncretia - There's a spa and a burial chamber, too

"Love the skin you're in," goes the saying. I've worn many skins and avatars in my Second Life®, including dozens and dozens of human variations (both female and male), Yoa Ogee and Tooter Claxton's art object avatars, assorted fairies, witches, all sorts of wild and prehistoric animals and fishes - many of them from Grendel's Children - and the odd skeleton-doing-odd-things by the inimitable Madcow Cosmos. I've even given neko and furry avatars a shot, but of the lot, these last two are the ones I am the least comfortable in.

It was, therefore, with much admiration but also dismay, that I recently discovered one of Alpha Auer's newest additions to her elegant but always playful Syncretia: a glorious Spa for furries and nekos...


I'm such an impostor!

To gain access to the Spa, review the northern end of the convenient map that Alpha has made available at the sim entry point (teleport directly from here), and then look for this pool area. Hop in!



In a welcoming notecard she writes:

"Welcome to ears, tail and furrr... the penultimate experience in neko and furry health, beauty and fitness..."

I am obviously late to virtual worlds. Would someone please clue me in as to why many people don't capitalize their first name, or many other names, for that matter?

Alpha's notecard continues: "While these facilities have been designed primarily with nekos and furries in mind, avatars of all species, persuasions and proclivities are more than welcome... (Obviously, but thought I'd make it clear anyway... hhh)"

When you see Alpha write "hhh" she means it as the sound that you make when you giggle. But I digress. At least we non-furry/nekos are not officially excluded! I suppose we simply aren't on the VIP list... sigh.

I should point out that Alpha doesn't hesitate to integrate and mod the work of others and weave it - sometimes literally - with her own throughout her Syncretia sim. She also writes some of the best notecards on the grid to accompany her creations.

Alpha's notecard: "We provide an extensive gym (we are still working on the personal trainer, but hey - Rome was not built in a day either you know!)..."


Few gym's could out-do this club's offerings in the way of equipment

Notecard: "...a luxurious pool/Jacuzzi as well as ear, tail and paw polishers designed for huge, tall, medium, short and tiny avatars. Copies of the ever popular Syncretia Rejuvenation Sphere (SRS) have been situated here as well, directly below the ceiling, for your convenience..."


She's also added a magnificent tree by Seph DaSilva and then interlaced its branches with "tree crawlers" by Max Hatfield

Notecard: "Beyond these, a laboratory has been set up on the premises themselves to produce the finest in facial care products. Please remember to take with you your complimentary bottle of "Fade-a-Wart" serum, placed at the outside corner of the laboratory table..."


There are dozens of items that would suit even the most demanding alchemist, including vials and beakers by Storm Thunders and Macklin Deckard

Notecard: "This gym is powered by the healing waters of the Citrinitas/Cappadocia alchemical power plant, which purifies water gathered from the natural springs of the Syncretia Black Mountains."



Notecard: Please do not hesitate to take advantage of our Jacuzzi pool by thinking that the water therein is in any way unsanitary due to its somewhat unseemly resemblance to pee. The yellow color is due entirely to the gold derived from the alchemical process that the water has undergone above ground and in no way contains avatar refuse."



The notecard continues: The fish inside the pool should also not irk you in that they will cure your skin of all blemishes by eating them up. And this last bit is the only piece of truth divulged here, btw. They really do have these kinds of fish in a lake in Eastern Turkey. (And before you ask; yes, I did use to be in advertising! --- hhhhhhhhhhhhh)

Did I mention that Alpha (aka Elif Ayiter) lives in Istanbul? It's no secret that I think the world of her, her creations and especially of the way she thinks. Since Monday of this week, it has been my distinct pleasure to add her to the masthead of this blog, as my co-blogger.

I just have to share one more new area at Syncretia with you, a burial chamber just beyond the Spa that is worthy of the tomb of Tutankhamun. She wrote about it on her blog, and I cannot possibly encourage you enough to go there and read what she had to say.



Alpha modified dead whale bones and scarabs by Grendel's Children's Ryan Snook and then assembled them with her signature veiled, alpha style in this incredible chamber.