Tess Falworth

Decided to try using a new .Atomic. skin on an non-Bento Catwa head.. the Candy. I loved this head but when I switched over to Bento I didn't use it much. But, this is lovely... that tat btw is a free gift at the Imaginarium if you are a member of the Gimme Gacha group. The eyes are from Lotus and the hair is the new Group Gift from Truth, called Fiji. Cool thing I discovered, the Candy head was updated and the eyes are omega!

"I took off for a weekend last month Just to try and recall the whole year. All of the faces and all of the places, wonderin' where they all disappeared. I didn't ponder the question too long; I was hungry and went out for a bite. Ran into a chum with a bottle of rum, and we wound up drinkin' all night. It's those changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes nothing remains quite the same. With all of our running and all of our cunning, If we couldn't laugh, we would all go insane."

Left: Pre-mesh right: Post mesh (and this is even a Non-Bento head from Catwa, which I love still even though I own two others that are Bento from Catwa as well) Why go mesh? Because you will simply look BETTER. See the odd angles on the head on the left, the sharp pointy angles as the features curve? Gone on the right. Honestly, mesh just makes everything prettier and more realistic. Did I get compliments for my avi pre-mesh? Sure! all the time, so? I still get compliments on my avi now, post mesh. Do I look the same? No, not really, but why would I want to really when my avi looks like that in a mesh head? I know that so many people will want to look "the same" because they "identify" with their avi and they spent time and money getting it to look just right.. but the one real thing that will always happen in the universe is change. The same for SL.. as technology advances they will advance and how awesome is that? I mean, the opportunity to improve ourselves is always a good thing! Even if its just our avatar With my bento heads, I look pretty darn close to my old look, mostly intuitively because I have a certain aesthetic that I am drawn to. Best bet is to look around, check out blogs, flickr, for examples of bento heads, and even youtube has videos that SL residents have made on heads, etc and demo, demo demo..Everyone above gave some awesome advice. Good luck !

Left: Pre-Mesh head and pretty much my fave look for me as far as skin/shape of face was concerned. I changed hairs, eyecolor etc and makeup so I won't count that. Right: Post-Mesh head, as Tess is today...or at least for the next 12 hours or so until I decide to change up Using the Catwa Catya mesh head. Pretty damn close and pretty AF, imho. I take ALOT of photos, and when mesh came out, I think I died and went to heaven because suddenly, there was ME, but BETTER. Edges smoothed out, depth, no awkward angles, rough edges, blurry makeup, etc. It was like me Version2.0. Now, I am probably unique in that I change my appearance quite a bit, and use various mesh heads actually (in my icon I am using the Alice head from Catwa and it is non Bento, and I love it) The thing I did and I don't think I really thought about it, just intuitively, is that I ended up finding heads that hold the same OVERALL face structure and profiles that I like, and then I found a skin that worked with them. There are a few things that Tess always has: 1. gorgeous eyes (no matter what color) 2. fuller sensual pouty lips 3. diastema (that little gap between her two front teeth 4. specific proportions between the eyes, nose, lips that tend to stay as close to the same as possible, regardless of skin, hair, etc. So, one way of keeping your look as close to the same as possible is to describe your face..is it chiseled jaw and aquiline nose? then look for that in a head. Is it a more youthful build to the face, with wider eyes, perhaps a more sensuous mouth? then look for those features in the mesh head and skin combo, etc. The skin you use will make a big difference in the overall look of the face, so sometimes just finding a head that is "close enough" will work. I might add that I, for one, didn't expressly WANT to keep my avatar looking the exact same. I welcomed the upgrade and the change. In the end though, we are drawn to certain "looks" and features that we find pleasing, so we instinctively go for that when creating our "looks", like I did below, a few years apart

why is this different than making a copy of your shape, then editing the new one to the head you are going to wear? I think often things seem more complex than they really are.. whatever shape you started with will NOT be the same once you put on a Bento/Mesh head and mesh body. The bodies and heads have pre-defined settings. If you want to go from a Lelutka head to using a Catwa head, just copy your shape, put on the copy, then put on the new head, then edit only the head to fit the look you want. Easy peasy. I do this like.. on the daily.

playing with heads... I really like the non-Bento heads from Catwa..love the more defined features.

"Zephyr in the sky, at night I wonder Do my tears of morning sink beneath the sun She's got herself a universe gone quickly For the call of thunder threatens everyone And I feel like I just got home And I feel And I feel like I just got home And I feel Faster than the speeding light she's flying Trying to remember where it all began She's got herself a little piece of heaven Waiting for the time when earth shall be as one" Ray of Light, Madonna

"Como puede ser verdad Last night I dreamt of San Pedro Just like I'd never gone, I knew the song A young girl with eyes like the desert It all seems like yesterday, not far away Tropical the island breeze All of nature wild and free This is where I long to be La isla bonita And when the samba played The sun would set so high Ring through my ears and sting my eyes Your Spanish lullaby" La Isla Bonita, Madonna

fire it up.... just a little bit of relaxation

"Well how do you do, young Willy McBride? Do you mind if I sit here down by your graveside And rest for a while 'neath the warm summer sun I've been walking all day, and I'm nearly done I see by your gravestone you were only nineteen When you joined the great fallen in nineteen-sixteen I hope you died well And I hope you died clean Oh young Willy McBride, was is it slow and obscene? (Chorus) Did they beat the drums slowly? Did they play the fife lowly? Did they sound the death march as they lowered you down? Did the band play the Last Post in chorus? Did the pipes play the Flowers of the Forest?"

just a little wee pixie

strategically placed

People rely on SL to cope with many different issues, and PTSD is certainly one of them. That being said, SL is not an easy place to be, even with no PTSD. "Friends" in SL is a term that doesn't necessarily mean the same thing. Some people just like to chat casually, but have no interest in anything outside SL, some like to talk about RL, and some want to explore all sorts of fantasies with others, from the mundane to the not-so vanilla. I find its best to have friends in RL that you can really count on, then if you meet someone in SL that can be a friend, great, but if not, then you aren't relying on it to fulfill your friendship needs. Maybe best to join groups for PTSD survivors, etc that might have people who are going to similar things you are, and there you can have a safer space to meet people that might understand you better. Good luck!

"Shine with all the untold Hold the light given unto you Find the love to unfold In this broken world we choose" V. Teng, Shine

"Why was I one of the chosen ones Until the fight I could not see The magic and the strength of my power It was beyond my wildest dreams Dark wings they are descending See shadows gathering around One by one they are falling Every time they try to strike us down" lyrics have always inspired my art.... Within Temptation, Dark Wings xo

these eyes....love! from Cureless, for Fifty Linden Friday... and yes, they are indeed 50L for a set which includes mesh eyes with a HUD which also applies to Catwa, Lelutka and I think Omega? Sorry, I am not inworld to check that last one..

Maybe I've done enough And I finally see myself Through the eyes of no one else It's so exhausting on this silver screen Where I play the role of anyone but me And I finally see myself Unabridged and overwhelmed A mess of a story I'm ashamed to tell But I'm slowly learning how to break this spell And I finally see myself Now I only want what's real To let my heart feel what it feels Gold, silver, or bronze hold no value here Where work and rest are equally revered I only want what's real I set aside the highlight reel And leave my greatest failures on display with an asterisk Worthy of love anyway

hithchiking.. the thing momma told you never to do "Life's like a road that you travel on When there's one day here and the next day gone Sometimes you bend and sometimes you stand Sometimes you turn your back to the wind There's a world outside every darkened door Where blues won't haunt you anymore Where brave are free and lovers soar Come ride with me to the distant shore"

apparently not anyone remember these little hamsters? Yea..I even have a tutu for mine

Yes I feel that reaching out to people to just say hi in a silly, funny, or uplifting way may actually make someone's day. So, despite being busy when I do manage to log in, I will look to see who is online and send an IM to just inquire after them..recalling a past detail, asking about their current situation, etc. As with most of us, I have some people on my list who are acquaintances, who do not know me well or just know me as Tess, and nothing in RL. I also have some friends in SL who know my real name, who know me, my family, etc. I do have days when I need to speak to someone regarding something.. i.e. help with editing, asking about texturing, etc etc. But, those convos also often turn to more as we chat, once the issue at hand has been resolved. As in RL, everything depends on where we met, the nature of the meeting, and whether or not they also engage me.

So, this cute hair is from Diva!.. its a group gift I had forgotten I was in the group even, until I saw this! I am not sure if I am the only one who still likes to wear non-Bento heads? I dunno, but I do find that their features are a lot more defined, at least for the Catwa non-bento heads.. I saw someone ask if they should get a non-Bento or Bento head and pretty much everyone bashed non-bento heads.. I was like.. whoa! I was the only one who gave kudos to non bento animated heads. Oh well.. I own plenty of Bento heads, but this Alice head from Catwa just always seems to fit Tess so well.

heh.. I did message you tho!

Finally finished up this shape... find info for it here: http://bubblegumpop2013.blogspot.com/2018/05/lovelysweetscarlett-shape.html