Blog Challenges

The Soul’s Illusions

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The soul has illusions as the bird has wings: it is supported by them.
Victor Hugo

I mentioned yesterday another spot I loved when I visited Ctrl+Shift+H, and that is Indigo Aviary. I stumbled across the bridge from the Old World part of the sim to be greeted by this proud gatekeeper. It only took a moment for him to assess me as no threat and allow me entry to the garden.

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Everywhere I turned in this beautiful courtyard were more flying creatures, mainly birds, but butterflies and dragonflies, as well. I was enchanted.

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Inside the aviary there were, of course, more flying friends, plus a lovely fountain and a cozy seating area where you can rest your weary feet and just enjoy the joyful sounds of birdsong.

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As time neared when I had to go to work, I ventured out back to share the view of the full moon sparkling on the water. I made a wish on the first star I saw; I wonder if my new friend did, too?

There’s No Place Like Ctrl+Shift+H

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If you aren’t a resident of Second Life, you’re probably scratching your head thinking, “Huh?” For those who do inhabit SL, you know it’s a reference to the keyboard shortcut for “Home”. It’s also the name of the sim I visited yesterday, and it is truly lovely.

Originally, I went to Empyreal Dreams with the intent to photograph some of the artwork there. It is an interesting concept, as described on the Destination Guide:

Empyreal Dreams is a collaborative project between two creators based in England and The United States. It aims to visualize famous poems and literature using Second Life as a canvas. A teleportation machine greets the visitor with destinations available to: The Raven, Emily Brontë’s The Bluebell, The Ancient Mariner and Les Misérables.

However, once I arrived, I could only find the teleporter to “Les Misérables”, and while it was an amazing display, I wasn’t the only one who thought so. It was rather crowded, and while I don’t mind sharing my space with others, I didn’t want to have to derender their avatars to keep them from appearing in my photos 😉 Instead, I simply wandered outside…

Empyreal Dreams is housed on the Ctrl+Shift+H sim. The main theme of the sim has an old-world feel, and I was captivated by the gentle music and the lovely build. You can rent space in some of the cottages, if you would like to set up shop there. There was quite a bit of activity on the sim with the explorers of Empyreal Dreams spilling out to ramble about, as I did. I found a spot rather removed from the main area, though, and while I had the occasional friendly passerby speak to me, I was able to grab a few shots. I have to wonder what they thought of this woman flipping through pose after pose, imagining her to be some sort of puppet on a string. Ah, the joys of location photography! Perhaps that’s why they steered clear of the area where I was shooting 😉

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I wandered off after a while and found another beautiful, but different, place on this sim and happily snapped away. But I’ll leave that until another post. For now, just enjoy the beauty of Ctrl+Shift+H.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Curves – The Nature Of A Woman

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In life, as in art, the beautiful moves in curves.
Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton

When I look at photos of stick-thin women, I have to wonder, what is the appeal? What is more boring than a straight line? The gentle curve of the hips, the breasts, the shoulder and upper arm, soft and gently sloping, defines the feminine form. That women – and especially young girls – are conditioned to eschew this natural phenomenon causes more harm than can ever be expressed in a simple blog.

The Weekly Photo Challenge prompt this week is Curves. This photo not only shows a modern version of a curvaceous woman, but the framed print harkens back to a time when this shape was considered ideal.

There are other examples of curves in this picture, but the nature of a woman cannot be overshadowed.

Please click on the link above to see other examples of “Curves.”