Spring update

 Hi there everybody, 

 I'm sorry to say that while each year I endeavor to crawl out from my hidey hole and suspend my hiatus to celebrate Fantasy Faire with all of you, I will not be participating this year.  As much as I would love to, some big real life changes have just occurred that preclude my having the time or energy to invest in it.  For one, my husband and I just moved into a new home last month, which was the culmination of months of work getting our former house packed and ready for sale.  For the other, we just had our first baby, born on April 2nd.  As you can imagine, it's enough of a task to try to get some sleep and take a shower, let alone unpack boxes and settle in, that making a beautiful thing to share with you for the faire was just not going to happen.  

Of course, I'm very happy for these changes in my life, so obviously I do not want you to worry about me.  Even if my first life is taking priority, I don't want you to think I've forgotten you.  I would still like to make something this year, even if it won't be happening this spring, and so I will aim for making something awesome and spooky for you all for Halloween.  In the meantime I will be attempting to steal naps and time to eat where I can.

Much love and happiness,

-Siyu

Illusions @ Fantasy Faire 2021

It's certainly been a year, hasn't it?  I hope you and your loved ones have been staying safe, hiding inside, basking in the dim glow of LED screens staying entertained in quarantine.  Once again I have come out of my own hole in the ground in order to release something for Fantasy Faire: the one event in Second Life I simply can't bear to miss. 

Are you guys sick of masks yet?

Well, I guess I could always make "I Survived a Pandemic" T-shirts, but I get the feeling you guys might like a mask better.

 

The Vaporbecco is my interpretation of the popular steampunk vision of the Plague Doctor mask.  "Vaporbecco" literally means "steam beak" in (bad) Italian.  I wanted to model the brass goggles, the machined metal beak tip, and of course everyone's favorite steampunk motif: rivets.  In case you missed my old post about the Plague Doctor, the distinctive beak shaped mask was developed in the time of the black death.  They had the general  idea that being around sick people was a bad idea, but they believed that the reason was because of "bad air" or "malaise".  To protect themselves, doctors would clothe themselves in oiled robes and a mask stuffed with sweet smelling herbs.  Rather than having the herbs right up against their faces, they created the beak shape for a pocket, and thus we have the eerie bird-like silhouette of the Dottore Pestere.  For what was known about sickness at the time, it was a rather reasonably engineered piece of personal protective equipment.

Steampunk culture seems to have embraced the plague doctor, who might be seen seen as a tragic hero of a bygone era.  A plague doctor muddled through a harrowing time, using their best understanding of the science of disease, while protecting themselves as best they knew how.  You know, kinda like how we're doing right now.  

 

 

 

For RFL I've put out two unique colors not included with the original mask, for roughly half the price.  They still allow you to change the rivets and metal details, but not the mask itself. 

These will be available for sale on the Fantasy Faire sim of Tempest Bay, where you can find my store from April 22nd to May 9th.  It's sort of pirate themed so I've also put out a couple of my old pirate hats and the Niobium Alato mask from 2018.  I would love to have done more this year but truly real life is just kicking my butt.  This year has been so crazy in a lot of ways, and has certainly kept me busy.  As always I appreciate your patience, and I hope you enjoy this spooky and iconic mask in honor of the... (hopefully) unique experience that was 2020.  

Illusions @ Fantasy Faire 2020

 Oh hey there. 

With all that's going on in the world at the moment, I'm relieved and happy that Fantasy Faire is happening again this year.  With so many of us having to stay home and avoid gatherings, Second Life can provide a way for people to come together and socialize safely. It's also a celebration of the fantasy genre in Second Life as well as contributing to Relay for Life, so of course I crawled out of my hole once again to make a few pretty things.

It's been longer than I'd like to think about since I last released a Bauta, a classic Venetian mask that's long been a staple of Venetian Carnivale.  I'm long due for a new rendition. 

The Bauta has a unique shape that, when worn, actually changes and deepens the sound of your voice.  So if you're out and about and up to some discrete debauchery, not only does the mask disguise your face, but your voice as well.  Plus, you can drink wine while wearing it, which is a part of all good debauchery sessions.

 

But of course I can't do anything so plain without elevating it with my favorite thing: curls and swirls.  The Bauta Barocco might seem a bit familiar, because the Mezza Barocco is kind of its sibling. I've been wanting to use the library of pieces I made for that mask for a while, so this project was a way to do that.  I still intend to elevate a few more basic mask shapes with these details in the future, so you can expect more members of the family.... eventually.

Of course, for Fantasy Faire, one needs to have an item that donates the proceeds to Relay For Life, The Bauta Diamonte is a classic pattern often found on Bautas, evoking Arlecchino (or more often known as Harlequin).  I've also put out the Shikoba necklace from last year out for just 25L.

These items can be found at my Fantasy Faire stall on the gorgeous Zodiac sim.  It's such a treat to once again be on Alia Baroque's build, as he always does a gorgeous job and I find our respective styles complement each other beautifully.  I recommend exploring the entire sim, there are many details and picturesque views to enjoy.

See you there :)

Illusions @ Fantasy Faire 2019

If there's one thing that can bring me back to SL each year, it's Fantasy Faire.  Since I'm still lurking on the outskirts of productivity, I've got another lovely thing this year to thank you guys for your patience.

I knew I didn't want to miss the biggest fantasy event of the year, so when I was wondering what to make I thought about things I'd like to wear, both in real life and on SL.  I actually made a pretty cool feather shoulder piece in real life for a costume, and it turned out pretty well, but on Second Life things can be... well, so much more.

So I made the feather mantle I wish I could make in real life!  Hey, maybe some day I will, but in the meantime, Siyu will be rocking it and you can too.  It comes in fits appropriate for either or a masculine or feminine avatar, but it's unrigged and modifiable because these days there are so many specialized shapes I wanted to play it safe.  It's scripted to texture change with three ribbon colors and twelve colors of my new feathers.  I'm really enjoying the new textures and shapes and I'm looking forward to finding more projects for them.

Speaking of, when one of my friends saw the new feathers, he made a great suggestion for a simple pendant. 

 

Shikoba is my RFL gift this year, which means "feather" in Choktaw.  The feathers are scripted to change texture so you can have the full range of colors that are available on the mantle in the pendant.  Along with the pendant, due to a friendly reminder from a customer recently, I've decided to put out a couple of old RFL masks as well for 50L each (the Sparrow and Chickadee masks).

These are all available at my booth on Midas, the gorgeous Mediterranean inspired sim by Alia Baroque.  It's a privilege to be on one of his sims again, he always does such a beautiful job!

The Fantasy Faire runs from April 18th to May 5th, and if you love fantasy items and themes in Second Life, or you're just an aficionado of cool sims and creative builds, don't miss it!

Illusions @ Fantasy Faire 2018

Crazy how a year flies by yet again, huh? 

I haven't forgotten Second Life, but I definitely have been neglecting it.  I never officially quit or thought of myself as retired, though I guess that's effectively what happened.  However, I haven't given up on it or myself as a creator.  I'm wary of saying I'm going to be more active but it's something I'd like to do.

If anything could pull me back in world though, it's Fantasy Faire.  How am I supposed to miss the biggest fantasy event in Second Life? 

Despite my real life keeping me pretty busy (and so many video games I would rather be playing...) I made a lovely new thing for you guys.  One item a year, that's better than no items right?

When I showed my friends this necklace, multiple people said it kind of reminded them of a fairy, and someone said it especially reminded them of Navi from Zelda.  In honor of Navi, I've named this necklace "Fealuin", which is Quenya for "blue fairy".  Of course it's texture change, and on my fancy new vendor you can see all of the colors available right there.  This necklace also includes a slightly simpler version without the hanging chains on the sides because I know you guys love options.

I was at least true to my word (a year ago, lol) that I was going to swap vendor systems.  I've been working with the MG vendor system to convert a few items over.  Loyalty points will now be automatic and not require any use of a card, and demo items can be gotten directly from the vendor itself.  I can also offer automated redelivery now as well as a gifting, so I will be swapping over to selling items that are copy only.  The only issue is that I need to box up all of my items which has always been a bit annoying to me, but I'm trying to make it convenient for you guys by making the box an unpacking HUD that just needs to be worn once and gives you a folder automatically.

The new vending system does mean that your old loyalty points will no longer be valid.  Unfortunately there's no way that I can import your card information, the old system just didn't allow for that.  I stopped selling angel cards a year ago in anticipation of this but I know a lot of you guys are old school and probably still have your cards.  I don't have too much faith in my getting everything swapped over that quickly, so I just recommend using your balance in the next couple of months on something you might like. 


Anyway, another part of Fantasy Faire are items for RFL to raise money for the American Cancer Society.  This year, I felt rather colorful and so I've made Niobium versions of a couple old favorites.

These items are all available at my Fantasy Faire stall on Pools of Ethuil.  Come take a look!

Lantern Gelf Ears

So, I mentioned that my friend Selos had been helping me get back into making things. She's been wanting to do a project together for almost as long as I've known her, which at this point is something like 8 years! I usually had my own projects I wanted to work on so things just got put off, I guess.  This time, since I was having so much trouble finding inspiration she plopped me down in front of some concept art and pointed to it and said "make this".

She put out her "gelf ears" not long ago and wanted some jewelry for them, and since I did jewelry for my own elf ears she knew I'd be up for the task.  The concept art that she showed me was of an elegant elf with little lanterns dangling from her ears.  Since Selos simply can't NOT have glowies on something in her store, I could see where she found the appeal.  I made the lanterns and then finished off with a few of my piercings from my Lunarian earring set.

The vendors are hers but they're set to split profits, so you can find them in either my or her stall at Fantasy Faire.

Speaking of which, I needed an RFL item, as part of the terms of signing up for Fantasy Faire are to offer up two items for charity.  I chose an old hunt gift that I had made and then never sold that still looked pretty good in my opinion.  I know it's not new but it's at least something that wasn't really available.  It looks good in purple!  There's also one available in black.

Again, these items are available at my store at Fantasy Faire on The Rose sim for its duration.  It's a beautiful place, you should absolutely visit just to see if not to shop!

Illusions @ Fantasy Faire 2017

It's been almost exactly a year since my last post... that's a bit sobering. However, I'm alive, and well, and my life has finally been configuring itself in to something that looks like it could maintain me being more (aka, at all) active on SL again.

My long time friend Selos Dae has both nudged me gently and shoved me stubbornly in the direction of getting back into making things, and she convinced me to sign up for Fantasy Faire this year. It's an adjustment, coming back and seeing all of these new conventions and revelations and things that have changed while I've been gone (bento? mesh heads?!) but within the overwhelming unfamiliarity there have been some moments of amazing warmth. As I poke my head meekly back into the world, everyone I've spoken to has been more than welcoming and kind. Honestly, I'm surprised you guys remember me at all, yet I've had people enthusiastically greet me and tell me they're happy to see me. When I express guilt and sadness that I haven't been able to make anything in such a long time, they've said that if I even have one new thing they're happy for me.

That makes me especially relieved, because that's literally all I have. One new thing. Well, that and a new vendor design.

The Mezza Barocco is a mask I've been working on for a while now. I told myself to get back into things slow and work on something that I love: curls and swirls. I adore the baroque carved plaster style of certain traditional Venetian masks and I just went wild with this one. Lots of iterations of different pieces and shapes and refinement have ended up with me having quite a library of little baroque pieces I look forward to peppering into other creations.

The new vendor design is inspired by the minimalist look I'm noticing with a lot of my contemporaries.  I actually really like it, I love doing detail work and having so much of the space of the image focused on just my creations feels decadent.  I also wanted to simplify things and just go ahead and show color options right there on the vendor image.  I think this will work great on the marketplace and on wherever I end up in world.

I want to re-work my in world vendors to use a new system (one that does automatic loyalty points and re-delivery) but one thing at a time.  For now, I made a thing.  I think it's a pretty thing.  It's at Fantasy Faire, if you care to join me there ♥

I hate to say it but this is going to be the first year in a long time that I can't participate in Fantasy Faire.

This month I've been away from my sexy desktop computer with all of my programs, visiting my grandmother who's not doing so well.  My mother sent me down to visit with her because it looks like she'll be needing live-in assistance, and in the meantime I'm it.  I might even be moving down here depending on how things go, as we're looking for a more long term solution.  Unfortunately, there was no secret stash of unfinished projects that I could polish up and get ready in time for the faire before I left.

I haven't given up on Second Life, or forgotten about you guys.  I could make excuses and say that moving out of my apartment, moving into a new place, relationship changes and travel have been getting in the way, (and they have), but I know that's not the only thing that's been keeping me away.  I need to find the joy in building things again.  I've been messing around with crochet and knitting, cooking and music, but I know that those are just outlets for a stream of creativity that's gotten dammed up from stress, bad memories and internal pressure.  I need to clear away that blockage so I can make beautiful things for you guys, and for myself, because there's still no medium that can compare with the freedom that 3D modeling has given me.  Second Life is a fantastic place to express myself, where I can share my creativity and get your support in return.

I miss being a content creator.  I want to come back.  I'm working on it.

I'm amazed that you're reading this to be honest, but since you are, thanks.  Thanks for not giving up on me <3

"Roberts" Leather Tricorn

I was looking through some of my project folders recently and realized that I had very nearly finished another hat for Fantasy Faire, but had never gotten around to releasing it! So in this long sea of inactivity, here's a little island of distraction for you to enjoy.

The "Roberts" leather tricorn is a hat for the most dreaded of pirates.  Or those that simply want a durable and utilitarian hat that's stylish and rugged.  It comes in a variety of tones, from raw leather to dark tanned and of course the usual black and white, and it also works with the Octopoda pin.

You can find it out now at my (not so temporary at this point) store on The Twilight


And on the marketplace:
"Roberts" Tricorn: 250L

Pirate's Regalia

When I look at my store I realize there are themes that I always revisit. I love masks, I love hats, I love jewelry and I love piratey things. Most of these things have seen some love from me in mesh, but as you well know, one of these things has seen a glaring omission. It was about time for another round of awesome pirate hats.

"Chauncey" is a highly customizable felt tricorner hat with elegant ruffled trim and cording.  Both the ruffles and the cording can be set to invisible, so you can have just the plain felt hat, or a felt hat with cording and no ruffles or whatever configuration you like.  There are twelve felt hat colors, as well as eleven satin ruffle colors that match the felt and four trim colors (gold, silver, black, and white).

However, I think it needs a bit more flair...

Octopoda is the perfect pirate's accessory.  It's the result of many hours of delicate detail work which was honestly really fun.  I loved modeling the curling tentacles, the delicate baroque frame, all of the designing and modeling went really smoothly for it and it's been a very long time since something was this fun to work on.  I think you can see it in just how detailed it is, if you scale it up to some ridiculous size only then do you see all of the work I put into it.  Even small, though, it makes a perfect pendant for a pirate.  It also comes with a brooch option, which by default fits to your tricorn, but you can put on your chest if you'd rather have it there.  It comes in my usual selection of six different metal textures (bronze, gold, copper, and sterling, antiqued, and tarnished silver).

Out now at the Fantasy Faire