Nothing really matters but...

Pose : FOXCITY. Breezy-2

Before I go to sleep, I like to Youtube. I have a pretty select number of channels that I actually enjoy, from your generic make-up artists to more newsy type things, and sometimes even a good ol' conspiracy.

I was watching Philip DeFranco last night, he's a news type dude, but will give you the facts then if necessary he'll give you his opinion. I like this a lot. He seems fair, he doesn't appear to have an agenda, and I've been finding out some really cool shit about the world that I'd never have known before, because the mainstream news just makes me want to punch kittens through boredom.

Last night he mentioned how Instagram was going to start making likes on their posts less visible in order to raise the quality of content people were posting, and my dead little heart SOARED. THIS. This whole principle is exactly why I am planning a break, to distance myself from the "Likes = quality content" crap surrounding blogging and photography. I want to bring content to readers/viewers of my blog that adds something to their lives, whether that surrounds RL mental health issues and my perspectives, or something in SL that bugs me. I want to be slightly more informational, maybe more pictures indicating the quality of the product i'm blogging, maybe a feature on a sim, maybe more close ups and definitely more informational vlogs, which will hopefully increase in quality the more I practice!

My opinions will be broadcast even more. So if you don't like this part of my blogging, you can totally skip over it (probably like you already do, right?) and if you do, well you're gonna be in for a treat! 

The other advantage of me stepping away from the Likes debacle, will hopefully mean that I don't value the opinions of strangers on my work, and this external validation that I feel necessary will deplete. I know I'm decent at what I do, and if that makes me a big headed, entitled cowbag, I'll take that title. I know I 'deserve' things that other people are getting, but I also know that as much as I deserve what other people are getting, so do many many bloggers and photographers that are far better than I am, so why not just take that whole 'competition' aspect I feel from blogging away, and turn it back into what it should be, what it has been in the past, and what I love... a place I can show my style, give information and overall have some bloody fun.

Just today by taking away the "Omg I gotta" aspect from my photo, I feel like I encapsulated a side of the Pickle avatar that had been long forgotten, and it came easily. 

xoxo

All of the things : 

Body, Hands & Feet : Maitreya Mesh Body - Lara

Head : GENUS Project (Original)

Skin : . MILA . Neave Skin [Honey] GENUS 

Eyes : Veechi - Foxy Eyes @ UBER

Eyeliner :  Veechi  - Basic Glossy Liner

Hair : -FABIA-<Vitalina> @ The Gacha Garden 

Necklace : MINIMAL - Camera Necklace *Gold*

Shirt : evani. Polly ribbed dress @ Collabor88

Own it.

Pose : FOXCITY. Fairytale Pose 2

Bunnies (Overides the pose slightly on >>this side) : [La Baguette] White Bunnies 

Background things : Fundati's Great Grass (square) Chamomile

Boudoir Egg Piles

Today has been slightly insane. Not only has it legitimately taken 2 days for me to set up a bunch of eggs behind my avatar, but it's also been one of those real life 'family' moments I'd really rather forget.

I've never understood the point in silencing someone when they have something to say, unless it's derogatory to another party. I don't understand how senior citizens can believe it's okay, either. 

Still, chocolate egg, anyone?

xoxo

All of the things : 

Body, Hands & Feet : Maitreya Mesh Body - Lara

Head : CATWA Kittia

Skin : . MILA . Christina Skin [Ivory] CATWA 

Eyes : [JOE SL] GIGI MESH EYES 

Hair : .Entwined. Jennifer 

Outfit : -Narcisse- Some Bunny 2 Love Gacha @ The Epiphany

Work it out.

Pose : {PINGPONG} MIMI Bento poses #4 (I don't think this store exists anymore, sorry.)

Background : FOXCITY. Photo Booth - RGB Drive @ Backdrop City

I feel super cute in this whole outfit, go buy it all, immediately, and feel cute with me!

(or don't, but at least tell me I'm adorable.)

xoxo

All of the things : 

Body, Hands & Feet : Maitreya Mesh Body - Lara

Head : CATWA Kittia

Skin : . MILA . Christina Skin [Ivory] CATWA 

Eyes : {S0NG} :: Bubble Eyes 

Eyeliner : Veechi - Scarlett Liner [Catwa]

Ears : L'Etre - Pure mesh ears PIXIE

Hairbase : Tableau Vivant \\ Catwa hairbase 11 - A

Hair : -FABIA- Mesh Hair   < Madeline> @ Tres Chic

Choker : #SHOOK - Identity Choker {SAVAGE}

Shirt : BUENO-NeoTop @ Kustom9

Pants : SPIRIT - Nancy pants @ Kustom9

Shoes : Native - Guetta Sneakers  @ Access

Ok, so this vid is a little weird and I think in an attempt to be edgy they might have cut corners.. but I actually kinda like the song, and the vid was just kinda.. unironically ironic and almost cool. *blinks*.

Less important.

Pose : FOXCITY. Stairs (Sitting)-4m

Background & Props : FOXCITY. Photo Booth - A Fool's Paradise

{what next} Wall Hanging Plant #1

{what next} Oasis Bloom - Prickly Pear Cactus Planter

{what next} Oasis Bloom - Tall Cactus Planter   

dust bunny . quirky planters . llama

{what next} Oasis Bloom - Succulent Planter

dust bunny . quirky planters . cactus

dust bunny . quirky planters . snail 

dust bunny . quirky planters . hedgehog   

I had a conversation with someone recently that made me think again about who I want to be and where I want to go, and although I feel like without a doubt there have been some positive changes, I do feel like I need to address something that has niggled me for the longest time.

Life isn't fair.

I get that certain people are capable of "playing the game", and therefore they'll be the ones who seemingly succeed, which kinda makes their lives enviable to some... but I can't ever be that person again, if I ever was. The only way I have ever been able to achieve anything is to work my ass off, and as my friend mentioned to me in our conversation, I've worn many hats, especially within SL and whenever I felt like I was heading in a direction that didn't suit me, I think I may have intentionally shot myself in the butt to prevent it from happening. Still, in terms of blogging and photography, no matter how hard I try, how much I think I have improved, my not playing the game hurts me in terms of exposure.

Now, this may seem like I'm sitting here whining that I'm incredibly unpopular, but I'm not. I'm just using this platform as an example of what is changing for me, and how I'm viewing things... and in terms of blogging and many, many other things in my life that I'm not 'there' yet with, I fucking LOVE doing it. Because I love doing this, I will continue to do this. I will not circle jerk and I will stay the eff away from drama surrounding any activity I enjoy. I'm more than happy to work at my own pace now and although that jealousy monster might occasionally rear it's ugly head, it's power is fading daily, and I feel as though each "Congratulations" I pass on to someone else is more genuine than the last.

If others decide to play games, I'll no doubt see it, but it's not my life... it's theirs, and they have every right to live the way they see fit. 

If you love what I do, that's a bonus... but I want to hold my head high and walk with integrity.

So, yeah, life isn't fair, but it does give us a chance to show our worth and I'm finally figuring out what mine is. I'm priceless. And so are you.

xoxo

All of the things : 

Body, Hands & Feet : Maitreya Mesh Body - Lara

Head : GENUS Project (Original)

Skin : . MILA . Neave Skin [Honey] GENUS 

Eyes : -SU!- Medora Eyes /Glitch Wasted (Gacha)

Eyeliner : Veechi - Basic Glossy Liner

Ears : L'Etre - Crystal mesh ears 

Hair :  -Fabia- Mesh Hair   < Andy> @ Rewind (opens 20th March)

Tattoo : DAPPA - Rachel Tattoo. @ Equal10

Shirt : #SHOOK - Thotiana Top @ Level Event

Shorts : BUENO-Spring Shorts @ Kustom9

Sneakers : Native - Another 1 Sneakers 

Throw down.

Pose : Poseidon Poses Tauriel 2 @ Enchantment (opens 9th Feb)

Bow : .~DN~. Golden Huntress Bow (This is actually really good fun and I had a whale of a time throwing a friend across my sim for lols.) @ The Secret Affair

So, I kinda created this scene in a super huge, overdone way. What you can't see is the swamp in the background, and the fact that Pickle is actually on a ledge, and the horses are way below on a ravine. I guess I need to work a little more on getting my background into the whole scene I'm creating, but there's worse things to realize!

Let's talk about Enchantment, yeah?

It's only bloody Lord of the Rings themed! I'll be honest, I had actively avoided watching this series of movies or reading the books. I think back in the day the 'cool kids' were into the Hobbit, and then of course the Lord of the Rings, and so it's just been something I avoided out of habit, and not disinterest - kinda like Star Wars (don't kill me, I'm aware I'm blaspheming all over.)

Still, when I found out that this round was going to be LOTR themed, I HAD to watch, and I freakin' loved it. All of it. Every single bit. I mean, I can't tell you the name of the characters because that stuff goes in one ear and out the other, but I'd definitely watch it all again, and would even consider reading the books (gasp!). 

With that said, can you guess who I'm channeling, albeit in female form (with slightly longer ears)?

It's of course Legolas the Elf who likes his bow and arrow (and yes, I had to google his name)!

Now, I dunno how close I actually am to pulling it off, but that was my take on the whole thing, and I had HOURS of fun with this (literally, hours. My poor homestead is in tatters because I got excited and over decorated like a boss), but let's get to the credits, k?

xoxo

All of the things : 

Body, Hands & Feet : Maitreya Mesh Body - Lara

Head & Eyeliner : GENUS Project (babyface)

Skin : . MILA . Neave Skin 

Eyebrows : [okkbye] Eutropic Eyebrows 

Eyes : LOTUS. Unhappy Eyes @ The Gacha Garden

Ears : ^^Swallow^^ Ears Elf HD 

Hair & Headpiece : NO.MATCH_NO_REFUGE @ Enchantment (opens 9th Feb)

Outfit : [Lomomo] ArcherVie_ @ Enchantment (opens 9th Feb)

Boots : [BREATHE]-Mayuki Heels @ FaMESHed

Get to you.

Pose : Imitation - Kitty 2 B

Background/Props :  .:Tm:.Creation Store [The Ancient] Nature Scene @ The Secret Affair

Studio Skye Enchanted Woods v2 

The Secret Affair has opened it's doors to celebrate the festival of Lupercalia. I didn't originally know what this was, so thanks to google (again, and honestly as much as I love books I don't miss giant encyclopedias) I found out that it's basically a celebration similar to that of Valentines day, but much, much gorier. I don't really wanna go into details about what I found out, but if you're interested you should research it and relish the gory all for yourself! 

xoxo

All of the things : 

Body Hands & Feet: -Belleza- Freya

Head & Eyeliner : GENUS Project (babyface)

Skin : . MILA . Neave Skin 

Eyes : LOTUS. Unhappy Eyes @ The Gacha Garden

Hair ; Blues. Minky - Night (Gacha)

Headpiece : *LODE* Head Accessory - Bagatiba Crown [yellow] (Gacha)

Fur wrap : ::Static:: Body Boa @ The Secret Affair

Precious disguise.

Face made using the Lelutka Axis hud!

Once again today, I'm feeling a little weird, so take a look at the pretties on offer from Dappa, Lotus and Muggleborn!

All of the things : 

Body Hands & Feet: -Belleza- Freya

Head & Eyeliner : GENUS Project (babyface)

Skin : . MILA . Neave Skin 

Eyes : LOTUS. Unhappy Eyes @ The Gacha Garden

Face Tattoo : DAPPA - Brute Marks. @ Unik Event (Opens Feb 7th)

Ears : :Lg: - :Mesh Ears: - 

Earrings : Peaches.- Lunar Hang Tag Earring 

Hair : tram H0414 hair

Horns : Lovely Disarray - Sketched Hellion Horns

Choker : +MB+ Teeny Choker 

Body Tattoo : DAPPA - Daddy's Scars

Change my mind.

Pose : FOXCITY. Soulfood-3

Location : My homestead

There's a lil bit of information stashed inside this post today, as somehow, I managed to pick up a beautiful new skin sponsor in Revoul. 

I've often admired their skins, as they are pretty darn diverse and cater to many skin shades, and their darker skins have always held a level of realism I have adored. 

Today i'm showing you the Winnie skin, which is available at the mainstore. There's face options and tones shown below. The skin itself I believe is probably based on the model Winnie Harlow, who stormed into the business because of her acceptance of her skin and the condition of Vitiligo. 

I truly believe we can find beauty in almost everything, if we just look hard enough, and once you start seeing the beauty it becomes more apparent everywhere.

xoxo

Here's an example of the Revoul Winnie skin face options.

Yeeees, the second face from the left is the wrong tone, totes my fault... I'd done so many pictures that I just didn't want to redo the whole thing, but you can still see the difference in the vitiligo patterns across the face.

There are eight options available for this skin, and each comes with a special matching body tone included. All the tones come with the four face options shown above. Along with the skin having a Genus applier, there's also an Omega option, I didn't get the chance to try the skin on any other brand, and I fully suggest trying a demo before purchase as sometimes the shading can be slightly off.

All of the things : 

Body : Maitreya Mesh Body - Lara

Head : GENUS Project (babyface)

Skin : Lefort by Revoul.Winnie Genus+Omega Applier RE40

Eyelashes : . MILA . Messy Eyelashes (Catwa/Genus/LeLutka) @ Vanity

Eyes : LOTUS. Beauty Eyes @ Equal 10

Hair : Exile:: Nika

Earrings : #187# Nope Earrings 

Outfit : .miss chelsea. Adel Set @ Equal 10

The things you've said.

Pose : [La Baguette] Imok 5 mirr

I green screened this in a bit of a basic manner, but yay for different things!

I know! two posts in one day? What's going on!
Please don't get used to this. I'm just well rested and currently in advance of my projects, which is awesomeeee and another sign that I'm heading in the right direction!

Today I want to give an absolutely massive shout out to Narcisse. There's no doubt that there has been a massive leap forwards in quality in a fairly short span of time; I find the designs to be inspired yet original, and the textures always blow me away due to the use of materials (Materials are what makes the fabric look kinda shiny, and the shine will move with your camera angle, depending on your windlight. On the dress above, you can also see that certain points of the fabric look raised, and that too is down to the materials.).
Narcisse is in my opinion a brand to watch and I'm super excited to be able to showcase her fabulous products along her journey.
xoxo

All of the things :

Body : Maitreya Mesh Body - Lara

Head & Eyeliner : GENUS Project (babyface)

Skin : . MILA . Neave Skin [Honey] GENUS @ Vanity Event

Eyes :   LOTUS. Motion Eyes

Lipstick : -SU!- Matte Lip Essentials @ Access

Hairbase : Just Magnetized - Essential Hairbase - set 05 for OMEGA

Hair : DOUX - Zoe hairstyle 

Necklace : (Yummy) Secondhand Necklace 

Coat : NOCHE. Paris Off Shoulder Fur 

Dress : -Narcisse- Lily Slip Dress (Previously at Kinky)

Rings : (Yummy) Disco Nights - Diamond

Nails : Ascendant - Million Bento Nails 

Oh my.

Pose : FOXCITY. Milk Bath VOL2-4m

Decor : {moss&mink} All that Glitters - Christmas Tree (classic) RARE

{moss&mink} All that Glitters - Gift Pile (classic)

JIAN Kitten Scratching Post

Culprit FuzzyWuzzy Snow Leopard

+Half-Deer+ Dog Clutter Bowls

[Bad Unicorn] Messy Mondays Rug 

This picture was inspired 100% by the absolutely adorable Culprit FuzzyWuzzy!!

Culprit currently has a storewide sale going on, so for a while you can grab this gorgeously fuzzy, cuddly kitty for 50L.. along with some equally as amazing items. The sale is in order to provide the Culprit creators with a brand new roof for their house, and in light of the recent forays into go-fund-me's and other awkward fundraisers, in my opinion this is beneficial for everyone. Low-cost, quality SL items which will equate to real life help. Shop your little hearts out, grab some unique Holiday gifts and have a blast in the process. Lovely jubbly!

xoxo

All of the things : 

Body Hands & Feet: -Belleza- Freya

Head & Eyeliner : GENUS Project (babyface)

Skin : . MILA . Neave Skin [Honey] GENUS @ Vanity Event

Eyes :   LOTUS. Sparkle Eyes (mesh)  @ Vanity Event

Lipstick : The Face ~ Genus - Original ~ Lipsticks palette

Hairbase : Just Magnetized - Essential Hairbase - set 05 for OMEGA

Hair : #Foxy - Her.

Hairband : #Foxy - Lace Cat Ears 'Snowball'

Collar : Amala - The Kitten Choker - Milk - Gold

Tattoo : DAPPA - Wild Tattoo. @ Access

Lingerie : *Mon Cheri* Rie Lingerie @ Seduction

Boots : darkendStare. monster boots

Cat : JIAN :: A Very Kitten Christmas - White Kitten (Gacha)

Piece by piece.

Pose : Foxcity Flowers-1 (Tweaked with Animare, Facial expression thanks to the Axix hud from Lelutka)

Decor/Props : {moss&mink} Whispers - Naughty (Gacha) (Mug in hand)

Kenvie - Raindeer - Black Red Horns

Peaches - A Raven's Feast Hot Chocolate Bar @ FaMESHed (Note - this is part of a Collaboration between Moss&Mink & Peaches, and I've currently only included the Peaches collection. Keep your eyes peeled for the Moss&Mink part in the future!)

Includes : A Raven's Feast  - Chalk Board

A Raven's Feast  - Chocolate Chips

A Raven's Feast  - Cinnamon Sugar

A Raven's Feast  - Cup Stand

A Raven's Feast  - Side Table (Includes variations with draped blankets)

A Raven's Feast  - Straws

A Raven's Feast  - Syrups

A Raven's Feast  - Whipped Cream

A Raven's Feast - Hot Chocolate Dispenser (Includes colour variations)

A Raven's Feast - Marshmellows

I'm a pretty proud person, and sometimes in the past, my pride has definitely gotten in the way of me making progress both in SL & RL.

Today I questioned myself, and whether my pride was a reason I haven't excelled as far as I would have liked in terms of blogging and/or Photography.

My main reason for beginning this journey was to prove to someone else I could do it MY way. I feel like I've done that, but honestly, it's unlikely that they even notice, let alone care, that I am still blogging three years later.

However, along the way I discovered a passion for photography (still in progress!), and when I finally felt like I could maybe write occasionally in my blog, I discovered it to be a fabulous form of therapy and far better to help me find myself than the professionals I've seen (shh, I'm broken!).

There are a few things I get frustrated at when I speak about "SL Bloggers", and those are assumptions made. I've seen a lot of it, and in certain circles these assumptions are most definitely prevalent, read on for my feelings on the nonsense!

a. Bloggers only want free shit.

* In my world, I love free shit. However, I don't want free shit I feel I am undeserving of, or free shit that I don't absolutely adore. It took me three months of (almost) daily blogging to even consider reaching out to creators for sponsorship, because I wanted to be taken seriously and even now, I only apply to stores that I genuinely love. I have been asked to blog for a couple of stores and events too, and that's always ALWAYS incredibly flattering. I'm lucky enough to feel like I'm at a point where I can decide whether that particular store or event has the quality I want to showcase in my 'work'.

b. Bloggers only make friends with creators they want free shit from.

* I have never made friends with someone purely to become a someone in their life to forward my blog, myself, or for any reason other than friendship. Three years into my blog, and I feel like I'm only genuine friends with maybe three creators. I have respect and admiration for the others, and while I won't throw away a future friendship with anyone, I will never approach someone for personal gain. It IS something I witness often though, but it works both ways, and when you're in any type of community it makes sense that you would hang out more with people that are inside that community with you, and that's cool... but I think sometimes it gets forgotten that there are people outside of these groups that still have a pull or an audience just as important as the 'clique'.

c. All bloggers are snobs.

* Let's be honest, I have my moments! I will however be polite and respectful so long as I feel that is being reciprocated. I am only human and I have no doubt I have a reputation of being a bit stand-offish, but that's not a reflection of anyone else but far more because like almost everyone who has been in SL for an extended period of time, I have been bitten more times than I can count. I am far more introverted than I have ever been, and getting me to open up or to be comfortable in anyone's company is a challenge, especially when I feed off energies and again, people have perceptions of who you should be based on what they have heard.

There's probably many more assumptions I haven't addressed, but this was getting a bit long!

Anyway.

Back to my original point of being prideful... I don't think I am -currently- being proud, if constructive criticism was ever offered, I would most definitely be up for a discussion and I much prefer that to mindlessly blowing smoke up my ass!

I would rather progress frustratingly slow, than throw myself at people to be a fake version of myself simply for a broader audience and "better" content. The current sponsors I have are fantastic - and trust me, there's been a couple of nightmares, but mostly I feel like I have been extremely lucky!

I hope that I have found my moral compass in regards to the way I want to behave, be seen, and the presence I want to have in other people's lives.

xoxo

All of the things : 

Body Hands & Feet: -Belleza- Freya

Head & Eyeliner : GENUS Project (babyface)

Skin : . MILA . Neave Skin [Honey] GENUS @ Vanity Event

Eyes :   LOTUS. Sparkle Eyes (mesh)  @ Vanity Event

Hairbase : Just Magnetized - Essential Hairbase - set 05 for OMEGA

Hair : #Foxy - Ari. 

Choker : Messy. Saint Choker Monster

Tattoo : DAPPA - Babygirl Tattoo. @ Equal10

Outfit : .miss chelsea. Oria @ Equal10

Shoes : #EMPIRE - Aquamarine (previously at N21)

Kiss me.

Pose & Mistletoe : *!R.O!* Kiss BENTO Pose

Decor : {moss&mink} All that Glitters - Christmas Tree (pastel) RARE (gacha)

 .miss chelsea.  Joli Sheer Curtain (Gacha) @ The Epiphany

dust bunny . my plaid chair

Kinda sleepy today. Had an appointment at stupid O'clock in the morning so ofc, my anxiety being the beautiful monster it is, decided that there'd be no sleep the night before. When I did finally lie down, the next door neighbours decided it'd be a lovely time to start hammering and sawing directly outside my house, so yanno, thanks for that! I reckon I've had maybe 2 hrs sleep so I might be slightly bonkers!

I spent a long time on this photo, and I've been attempting to take a little longer with the original pictures rather than the editing. I'll never be a super photography expert, but I do enjoy having a bit of a faff with the photoshop things! If you haven't already noticed, I've added a new page to the blog, being resource tutorials that I've found helpful. Mostly it's photography, there's also a few speed edit channels and a channel dedicated to caring for your blog. I'm no genius when it comes to blog layout - I like something simple that I can understand without too much clutter - but starting my blog I used this channel to help with header set up etc.

Anywho, you came for credits, and here they are... because right after that I'm gonna go and attempt to sleep again so I can regain an ounce of normalcy!

xoxo

All of the things : 

Body Hands & Feet: -Belleza- Freya

Head & Eyeliner : GENUS Project (babyface)

Skin : . MILA . Neave Skin [Honey] GENUS @ Vanity Event

Eyes :   LOTUS. Sparkle Eyes (mesh)  @ Vanity Event

Hairbase : Just Magnetized - Essential Hairbase - set 05 for OMEGA

Hair : Entwined Paige 

Tattoo : DAPPA - Babygirl Tattoo. @ Equal10

Outfit : .miss chelsea. Joli Candy Pasties & .miss chelsea. Joli Candy Thong @ The Epiphany