Orwar

People stalking people is a problem, regardless of who it is. I've had exes who have done some pretty darned creepy things to myself, my family and my co-workers. I had a friend who permanently withdrew from all social media, because his ex kept showing up at parties and even meetings he attended, even though no one had invited her. I've had exes in SL who have stalked me, and ones I never even got together with to begin with. That you might be unaware of these things happening, which wouldn't surprise me as -men are expected to be tough and just take whatever cr@p people throw at them, and not whine about it-, doesn't mean that it doesn't happen, or that it isn't uncommon. Anyway - let's not derail this thread too much. @Conall DeCuir don't mind them; your photos are very well made and interesting. That people try to project emotion onto anything that pops up in black and white is just pretentious and sad.

My interpretation isn't quite so .. Dark. It's a common narrative in both movies and other stories, that a guy dreams of a girl but can't muster the courage to tell her how he feels. And sure, that may be perceived as shallow and stereotypical, but it also does point out a problem that many men have - just as women who complain that photo-shopped models in adverts are always looking so perfect, the social expectation of how men should look and act is no less daunting. Confidence, manners, but also independence and not being too stringent with adherence to rules, having a deep, masculine voice, being muscular and-- having veiny arms, apparently. It's a shame that something that used to be quite innocent and sweet, adoring, is now so quickly judged to be creepy. Some guys are that, certainly, but can anyone, man or woman, admit to not have snuck a peek of someone who they found physically attractive, even going out of their way to cross paths with them - without having any intention at all of doing something disgusting or evil to them? I think it's entirely innocent, and natural human behavior.

Meanwhile, Neph is lounging in the lounge. Behaving, for once!

Conducting model interviews. Set up a temporary office in the back room!

Sowwie. ❤️ Better?

Yeah, this summer when I was crashing in my mother's basement to keep the cats and plants alive whilst they were away, I had a little monster visit too. At first I just heard something (despite listening to very loud music, wearing headphones), and when I glanced to my side I just saw something just swishing across the floor. I thought it must have been a mouse the cats dragged in (they frequently do, and are too lazy to finish them off - I had one mouse live with me for 3 days, getting quite tame before the cat caught it again and murdered it, poor thing). Some hour later, the -thing- came running out from under my desk, straight at me. We don't tend to have very large spiders here, I'm used to like, something you'd fit between your thumb and index finger in a relaxed hand - this bugger was the size of my hand. I jolted back in surprise, and the thing went in behind my computer. I quickly fetched a fly swatter and started trying to pry it out from behind the computer. It did not like that. After a while I just took a step back and sighed, trying to think of how to get it out without risking tipping my computer over. As I stood there it just came out, and I winced on the spot in surprise, and it just froze as it realized it was out in the open - and I whacked it so hard I bent the fly swatter. I then just wrote my mother to let her know that I was helping myself to her gin. She laughed and said that I must have been dreaming - so I sent her a photo of the creature. Just a few weeks later I found an article that mentioned that due to favorable weather conditions, several of these spiders had traveled into northern Sweden throughout the summer, and that as the weather was getting colder, they now sought their way indoors. And with that, the statement that "There are no spiders in Sweden that can bite through your skin" became moot. ... Which it already was, since whilst working on the garden gate at my old workplace, I found three small Black Widows hiding in the hole where I'd taken the locking mechanism out of the fence post the day before ... My boss then laughed at me, too, until I went and took a picture of them to show her.

This is why I tend to focus on one thing at a time. If I start off by picking out my outfit, I'll have the Maitreya HUD open to put the right foot shape and alphas in place, then I'll minimize it (I do tend to wear it even when I don't use it, as the ankle lock stops working if I detach it). Then I'll open the outfits' HUDs to pick the colours I want (or just add them when I add the item itself). Then I pick out my hair, and when I've chosen the style (these days it's 99% Stealthic, and just a question of which one I want) I'll pick colours, and see whether I want to change the style any through the HUD. It does seem like I'll end up with a larger monitor after Christmas, but I've already got the ductus down a way that works for me. Besides, some HUDs can be resized, by simply editing them - not all (although I can't think of any real reason to make the HUD itself no-mod; scripts, sure, actually absolutely, you might not want people taking your UUIDs from the scripts and leaking free colour options to others, but you can put no-mod scripts in a modifiable HUD!).

We should do one again sometime, if just for fun!

Hm, this is a little bit embarrassing, I believe I've miscalculated the SLT. 15:00-20:00 CET (which is SLT+9), so the actual time is 06.00-11.00 SLT! ... I blame the aforementioned calendar-blindness, or something.

Not even these? But they're so cute! The mother isn't looking half-bad either. 😁

Ah, I see how this works. The earth is flat. Prove me wrong. Goes off to make some tea.

Hm .. ... Yes. How exactly did you feel that my assessment of what you wrote was inaccurate?

What's wrong with the current forum hangout?

Neph is still dancing in the next room, whilst I'm busy working ... And pondering whether I at all care for this shirt. But if I wasn't working on a shoot, since obviously this is a regular snapshot framing me mid-AO, what was I doing? Well, I'm glad you asked, since it may well be of interest to some: ... Totally didn't just take a quick snap to advertise my business or anything. *cough*

Shouldn't need any tools for that. Unless you pull any sliders to the extreme, clothes should be fine - if not, it's probably more to do with the quality of the clothes' rigging. It may be worth trying out a few different sets of outfits with a shape though, before putting it on the market.

I'm looking for one or two models for future use in advertisement (within Second Life). Doing what? I'm currently in the process of building an inventory of static photography poses, for which ad shots will be required. For the sake of diversity, I'd like at least some of these shoots to be done with different avatars than my own ones. This won't be a full-time job as such, but rather a position to be employed when needed. Since the poses are primarily intended for use by female avatars, I'd like the models to be female (if I need male models down the line, a separate search will be started!). The models should, at least for the duration of the shoots at least, adhere to a Gothic style as this is important to the 'theme'. As some sets may be of a mature or even adult nature, partial nudity may occasionally be required (but we're not shooting pornography). Requirements: I will teach some modelling basics as required, so that's no concern. The only real requirements are: Must be able to communicate in English (or Swedish). Writing and reading (i.e. text chat) will be the primary medium, but being able to speak and/or listen to voice chat is a bonus. Must be compatible with a Central European schedule: where you are doesn't matter, but expect work to be scheduled somewhere between 06:00-11:00 SLT (15:00-20:00 CET) on weekdays. Must have a positive, or at least tolerant attitude, when working with a rather morbid photographer. Work should be fun, and I have a dark sense of humour. If you are easily offended, this might not be for you, I'm afraid. Must have, or be willing to invest in, a selection of appropriate clothing, accessories, make-up, hair, etc. If I require anything specific to be used in a shot, I will cover the costs - but I can not deck you out with a full wardrobe for every shoot. Must have Discord, as I'm a calendar-blind person; scheduling, planning, sharing images and so forth is just much easier in Discord. If you don't have it and/or don't know what it is, it's a free platform for text and voice communication - feel free to ask if you need assistance getting started. Rewards: For the time being, being that the business is yet to get off the ground, I can only offer a modest compensation for your time, but unless otherwise specified, expect a shoot to net you the following: L$500 A free set of the poses that you'll be modeling for. Free use of the photos taken, whether for in-world decoration or for your blog - as long as the signature is unhampered with, and credits are shared where applicable (i.e. if you put it on a blog: " Photographer: Orwar. Pose: [Furlgrimr] XYZ #2 ") Bonuses: In addition to your 'salary', you'll also: Occasionally get an outfit, accessory, hair or such which I pick out for you for the shoot. Be in an opportune position to persuade me to do a scenic shoot, or a custom pose, for your private use. How to apply? Simply write me a notecard in-world, respond to this thread, or send me a PM here through the forums if you are interested, and we'll schedule for an interview. With the holidays coming up, the application period will be open until midnight of December 31st (CET), after that I will make the selections, and expect us to be operational a week or two into the new year. Sample of what kind of advert you may be expected to model for (although, this was a burlesque/pinup-inspired set, mind - dress code won't always call for quite so much skin!): If there are any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.

It's OK. ... No? Aw. Incapable Teletubbies skiing over kangaroos. SPACE

Ooh ... This one I was unfamiliar with. But it makes sense; naught and aught.

I mean. The Roman Empire lasted close to a millennium, depending on at what point one thinks it should be called an 'empire'. The Byzantine Empire lasted for eleven centuries, the Holy Roman Empire lasted for close to a millennium. Apart from various states trying to break free from the Soviets, and a few uprisings here and there, the only inter-European conflicts past the second world war, has been what - the Icelandic-British's three 'Cod Wars'? Russian aggression in Crimea and Georgia (which both arguably aren't technically 'in Europe'). Meanwhile, you're suggesting that a nation that has existed for 243 years, and has been in a state of war for 222 years, would have anything to teach us about not fighting each other?

Yeah, wouldn't it just be terrible if the politicians actually did what the people voted they should do? 🤔 Swexit next, please!

Went out for a minute to check out a store having a sale - and this is what I come home to. Can't leave Neph unsupervised for a moment; I think the neighbors already called the police about the music.

No, not because of that. ... Because of this. It's stuck!

Because I'm still in recovery after yesterday's Beth and Amina trying to get me to kiss Seicher. 😁

What now of our budding bromance?!