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Oops, I bought the wrong diner.

Oops, I bought the wrong diner. published on No Comments on Oops, I bought the wrong diner.

I was momentarily distracted by Moonshine’s Diner and its interior until Janna and I realized that it was not a diner — i.e., a narrow, converted dining car of a train — at all. Boo hiss. I’m looking for something more like this: Richabri’s Retro Diner. Costs less and comes with more. Time to return Moonshine’s and purchase Retro.

This entry was originally posted at http://modernwizard.dreamwidth.org/1629990.html. You can comment here, but I’d prefer it if you’d comment on my DW using OpenID.

Jareth loosely interprets the 1950s…

Jareth loosely interprets the 1950s… published on No Comments on Jareth loosely interprets the 1950s…

…In prep for hanging out at the Greasy Spoon Champlain Diner.  I have so much fun designing his inimitable style. Have I mentioned that he likes pink and really, really, really high shoes? I’m surprised he’s not showing any leg or midriff, but we can’t flash all of the people all of the time, I suppose. [Sigh.] :p

Continue reading Jareth loosely interprets the 1950s…

Is there a diner in my mini universe?

Is there a diner in my mini universe? published on No Comments on Is there a diner in my mini universe?

I’m having loads of fun with digital me, Jareth and Jennifer, with one exception: posing. My poses for previous generations of figures do not translate well to the Genesis figure on which the digital versions of us are based, so I spend many tedious minutes tweaking and shoving body parts instead of what I’d rather be doing: either a) dressing them up or b) making them have snarky conversations. To obviate this tweaking and shoving, I’ve been looking for poses crafted for the Genesis figure that I can apply with a mere click and then get to the fun part of having them make smart remarks.

I have a lot to consider when purchasing a pose pack. First, I want poses that will cover the mini universe’s major activities. As mentioned, these are 1) sitting around, 2) lying around, 3) conversing and 4) wearing fabulously silly clothes. Thus I need a diversity of casual and/or conversational poses. I’d also like the poses to apply easily to a variety of furniture. And I’d like the pose pack to be relatively affordable.

With these criteria in mind, I’m considering DAZ/Digiport’s Genesis Poses for Moonshine’s Diner Interior and, naturally, Moonshine’s Diner Interior to accommodate the poses. Now that I think about it, I actually have a whole dang diner, Stonemason’s Deco Diner, from my digital LHF days, that I could probably press into service without having to get Moonshine’s Diner Interior.

So anyway — that’s why there may be a diner in my mini universe.

This entry was originally posted at http://modernwizard.dreamwidth.org/1629486.html. You can comment here, but I’d prefer it if you’d comment on my DW using OpenID.

Bebe the Boreal harpy

Bebe the Boreal harpy published on No Comments on Bebe the Boreal harpy

Her name is not actually Bebe, but a musical, piping string of liquid vowels that human language can’t approximate. There is a bebebe sound somewhere in there, though, so she usually just tells humans who don’t speak the Champlain dialect of Avian to call her Bebe.

In making Bebe, I strove to create a character both realistic and stylized. She’s obviously stylized because wings that small could in no way bear her aloft. However, I wanted her physicality to be convincing, so I scaled her down to 85% of a default V4 and gave her a lean, musclebound frame. Her face is a relatively flat plane so as to reduce drag, while her large eyes give her keen predatorial vision. Her top knot functions practically as a way to keep her hair from her eyes, and it’s messy because she doesn’t worry about style when riding the gale. Her extra large hands help her grab dinner, while her drawn countenance, with bags under her eyes, suggests a hard life on the wing.

Bebe likes dancing!

Continue reading Bebe the Boreal harpy

Recommended for smart remarks!

Recommended for smart remarks! published on No Comments on Recommended for smart remarks!

Andrea writes on her Tumblr that she recommends my blog for more reasons than just my trenchant rants on the lack of 1:6 scale electric wheelchairs. One of these reasons, apparently, is such gems as my admiration for crotch jewelry Adzan’s Solar Solace for Hiro 3. I’m not sure which is more entertaining — the fact that someone recommends my blog to other people or the fact that "Invisible Suspenders" is what makes my blog recommendable. ^_^

This entry was originally posted at http://modernwizard.dreamwidth.org/1628944.html. You can comment here, but I’d prefer it if you’d comment on my DW using OpenID.

Sintel: mediocre story, amazing dragons

Sintel: mediocre story, amazing dragons published on No Comments on Sintel: mediocre story, amazing dragons

I found a short film about a girl on a quest for a dragon.  The film itself is forgettable, except for the realistic anatomy and animation of the dragons. Like birds, they have a total of four limbs, two wings and two feet. Like birds, they also squeal, squawk and roar. They scuttle along the ground when young and fly when older, and they act like large, irritable, flying lizards. I recommend watching this if only for the utterly convincing imaginary monsters. 😀

This entry was originally posted at http://modernwizard.dreamwidth.org/1628822.html. You can comment here, but I’d prefer it if you’d comment on my DW using OpenID.

Madame Tutli Putli: magnificently Gothic stop-motion short

Madame Tutli Putli: magnificently Gothic stop-motion short published on No Comments on Madame Tutli Putli: magnificently Gothic stop-motion short

A woman, weighed down with the baggage of a lifetime, takes a macabre ride on a nighttime train.

I can’t stop staring at the beautiful textures at play in this stop-motion animation. I love how the main character’s limbs seem to be made of worn, stuffed muslin over a wire armature, but, somehow, the skin of her face is so translucent that her weariness emanates clearly. According to Wikipedia, the animators composited human eyes over the stop-motion figures, which drives the train straight into the Uncanny Valley and only adds to the eerie sense of life in death. Beautiful, disturbing, compelling. Requires multiple viewings to appreciate the melancholy sensibilities, subtle body language and quintessentially dreamlike narrative.

This entry was originally posted at http://modernwizard.dreamwidth.org/1628658.html. You can comment here, but I’d prefer it if you’d comment on my DW using OpenID.

Yippee — I got a therianthrope!

Yippee — I got a therianthrope! published on No Comments on Yippee — I got a therianthrope!

I’ve lusted after MAB/WillDupree’s harpy for years, and I finally got her at 40% off. Expect her to show up on my blog soon enough…

This entry was originally posted at http://modernwizard.dreamwidth.org/1628415.html. You can comment here, but I’d prefer it if you’d comment on my DW using OpenID.

Peter’s gumball machine

Peter’s gumball machine published on No Comments on Peter’s gumball machine

Sure, I have a wonderful little Rement gumball machine that I could use on the counter of Peter’s resale shop, Rumpy Pumpy. However, as much as I love Rement, I love even more the satisfaction of finding a Valentine’s candy dispenser for 88 cents the day after Valentine’s and quickly repurposing it into a gumball machine that I customized by my very own self.

Continue reading Peter’s gumball machine

“I’ll take Invisible Suspenders for $500.00, Alex.”

“I’ll take Invisible Suspenders for $500.00, Alex.” published on No Comments on “I’ll take Invisible Suspenders for $500.00, Alex.”

This comic is my tribute to Adzan’s Solar Solace for Hiro 3, here modeled by Jareth. I try to determine the mysterious device that prevents him from dropping trou.Continue reading “I’ll take Invisible Suspenders for $500.00, Alex.”

Le yaourt est mort. Vive le yaourt!

Le yaourt est mort. Vive le yaourt! published on No Comments on Le yaourt est mort. Vive le yaourt!

The one time in my life that I didn’t want frozen yogurt, that’s exactly what I got. The aggressively chilly fridge at work froze my yogurt. I tried thawing it in the microwave, but 30 seconds left it still semisolid, while another 30 turned it into a runny, unpalatable mess. Pas de yaourt pour moi. 

This entry was originally posted at http://modernwizard.dreamwidth.org/1626837.html. You can comment here, but I’d prefer it if you’d comment on my DW using OpenID.

Jareth as Jareth

Jareth as Jareth published on No Comments on Jareth as Jareth

I just got the idea that it would be very entertaining to dress up [digital] Jareth as Jareth the Goblin King, his inspiration. I think I can cobble the outfit from stuff I already have:

  • Shirt base from ??? — possibilities include Adzan’s Ode for Hiro 3, Adzan’s Litho Le Fae Esquire for Hiro 3, Adzan’s Still Life/Still Morning for H3
  • Shirt sleeves from Wilmap’s Blouson Top for Genesis
  • Shirt cuffs from Adzan’s Ode for Hiro 3 
  • Vest from Adzan’s Painted Osculus
  • Pants from Sickleyield’s Free Leggings for Genesis or just applying a cloth texture and Spandex morphs to legs
  • Boots from Wilmap’s Knee-High Heeled Boots for Genesis

Kinda baffled by the hair, though…I haven’t found a single style with a suitably spiky top and long straight sides, but maybe I can approximate something from SWAM/Goldtassel’s Elfdance Hair Anime [for the top] and Mark003’s freebie Punk GaGa hair [for the sides]. If all else fails, Valea’s Cherry Hair has the correct silhouette and layering — just needs more volume. I’d rather not spend money, but "But it’s Jareth!" is a sure justification to prompt me to turn out my pockets. :p

This entry was originally posted at http://modernwizard.dreamwidth.org/1626513.html. You can comment here, but I’d prefer it if you’d comment on my DW using OpenID.

Digital Jareth’s silly clothes

Digital Jareth’s silly clothes published on No Comments on Digital Jareth’s silly clothes

Here, in a perfect illustration of what I mean by Adzan’s freebie outfits having a sense of humor, Jareth wears the entire Painted Osculus set for Hiro 3. I particularly like the breast window created by the combination of neck brace thing and vest, as well as the crotch ventilation zippers. Mostly I like how this outfit recalls formal wear, but then runs off into sillier directions.

Hair is Studio Maya’s freebie Simple Hair for Michael. Pose is one of M3’s default, combined with hand poses from Schlabber and cascarda’s eXpression for V3, tweaked by me. Background by me. Standard info about Jareth model, texture, makeup, glasses, et hoc genus omne, applies.

Continue reading Digital Jareth’s silly clothes

+18 freebie digital outfits, +11 freebie digital hairstyles!

+18 freebie digital outfits, +11 freebie digital hairstyles! published on No Comments on +18 freebie digital outfits, +11 freebie digital hairstyles!

Back when I was rendering LHF digitally, I got lots of use out of Adzan’s freebie outfits for Hiro 3 and David 3, which I converted for use with multiple characters. In particular, Will [who was just a permutation of Jareth] enjoyed outfits made of Adzan elements. Speaking of Jareth, here’s an early digital version of him wearing the bottoms from Solar Solace. [Man, I’d love to find that harness again…]
Continue reading +18 freebie digital outfits, +11 freebie digital hairstyles!

Jennifer showing off the best $6.06 I’ve ever spent

Jennifer showing off the best $6.06 I’ve ever spent published on No Comments on Jennifer showing off the best $6.06 I’ve ever spent

Here’s Jennifer in progress. She’s supposed to look similar to me, but younger, rounder and blunter in the features. I took the digital me that I had made, fattened and rounded the face, plumped up the lips, widened the mouth, enlarged and rounded out the eyes and snubbed up the nose.
Continue reading Jennifer showing off the best $6.06 I’ve ever spent

Digtal Jareth goes Rococo

Digtal Jareth goes Rococo published on No Comments on Digtal Jareth goes Rococo

…And manages to look Goth while doing so. Standard info about Jareth figure sources applies. Rococo dress and hair [including pearls and feathers!] are freebies by Chris Cox, as is the Masquerade texture for the dress. Background is a freebie by bogwoppet. Pose is one of cascarda and Schlabber’s eXpressions for V3, tweaked by me.

It’s not easy being fabulous, but someone has to do it.
Continue reading Digtal Jareth goes Rococo

Welcome back, Jennifer!

Welcome back, Jennifer! published on No Comments on Welcome back, Jennifer!

Having made a digital me and a digital Jareth, I thought today that I should complete the population and make a digital Jennifer [and also a digital Allyson, but mostly a digital Jennifer]. As I paged through the Daz Web site, looking for appropriate clothes and hair, I asked myself why I wanted to drop money on digital content, a minor medium in my artistic life, when I could have an actual doll of her to go along with my Jareth doll.

There have been Jennifer dolls before — a Soom Uyoo and then an Obitsu Gretel — but this one would actually look like her. I could use my Angelsdoll massive girl body as an approximation of her fat, stocky frame and, since I’m so good at it in 1:6 scale, I could slap some 1:3 scale fats on there if I wanted. YAY FAT DOLLS!!!

Of course, the catch is the head. It would have to be another custom one, like Jareth’s was, because no BJD company offers fat headsculpts. It’s also somewhat complicated by the fact that Jennifer’s physical appearance has changed over the years to more closely resemble mine, so she needs to be close enough to me to look like me, but not so close so that she looks like a doll of me. And, of course, there’s the money…

Well, anyway, I do have a digital me that I could use as a base for a digital Jennifer, just to see if I could get a similar, but not identical, result. If I can generate an accurate digital Jennifer and find a doll company that will do a custom head from an .obj file for a reasonable fee, my Jareth doll could soon have a Jennifer doll to harass hang out with!

This entry was originally posted at http://modernwizard.dreamwidth.org/1624885.html. You can comment here, but I’d prefer it if you’d comment on my DW using OpenID.

Chittenden County Vermont Doll Club meetup: 02/09/2014

Chittenden County Vermont Doll Club meetup: 02/09/2014 published on No Comments on Chittenden County Vermont Doll Club meetup: 02/09/2014

Saturday’s Valentine’s meetup of Chittenden County Doll Club attracted a total of eight doll enthusiasts, as well as at least two hangers-on who did not come with dolls. In any event, the turnout represents the most populous meetup of CCDC ever, not only in terms of people, but in terms of dolls [somewhere north of 25]. Onto the pictures!

Continue reading Chittenden County Vermont Doll Club meetup: 02/09/2014

Learned a new word today!

Learned a new word today! published on No Comments on Learned a new word today!

Skeuomorphism is the practice of including features of old technology in new technology, but as design elements, without their old functionality. Examples include folders in the GUI of a computer to click on to access groups of files and the sound effect on my digital camera that sounds like a shutter clicking whenever I take a picture.

I think you could also extend its use metaphorically to cover terms for new technology that use old technology as a basis for comparison. One example of this type of use would be "horsepower" as a skeuomorph referring to the strength of a car’s engine. Another example would be "astronaut"/"cosmonaut" [literally "star-sailor"/ "universe-sailor" according to the Greek roots] for those who travel in outer space.

This is an extremely useful word, applicable in many instances today. I love it!

Incidentally, the word skeuomorphism has as its roots the Greek terms for "tool" ["skeuo-"] and "shape" [morph"]. Literally it means "a thing shaped like a tool" — with the implication that, although it appears to be a tool, it cannot be used exactly as its appearance suggests. Its very existence interrogates the nature of originality and reality. Whoa, dude — that’s so, like, deep!

This entry was originally posted at http://modernwizard.dreamwidth.org/1624549.html. You can comment here, but I’d prefer it if you’d comment on my DW using OpenID.

Evethecat is making humanoid dolls!

Evethecat is making humanoid dolls! published on No Comments on Evethecat is making humanoid dolls!

Check out all their neat prototypes! Here is a 1:12 scale doll, 15cm of 3D printed voluptuousness. And here are some 1:6 scale, 3D printed dolls, one of which I WANT.

Over in the therianthropic category, we have an angel [scale unknown] with articulated feathers on her wings. We also have Fantasy Girl, who has swappable therianthropic parts, including a human form, a satyr form [horns, pointy ears, clawed hands, hooves] and a mermaid form [webbed hands and articulated tail].

I’ll be watching this company. I love their designs.

This entry was originally posted at http://modernwizard.dreamwidth.org/1623856.html. You can comment here, but I’d prefer it if you’d comment on my DW using OpenID.

From kitschy jaundiced crap to 1:6 scale cemetery centerpiece

From kitschy jaundiced crap to 1:6 scale cemetery centerpiece published on No Comments on From kitschy jaundiced crap to 1:6 scale cemetery centerpiece

Last year I acquired a small replica of William Wetmore Story’s Angel of Grief that he originally carved for his wife’s tomb. Made by Design Toscano, your friendly neighborhood purveyors of all things mediocre, tawdry and expensive, she looked like this initially:

Continue reading From kitschy jaundiced crap to 1:6 scale cemetery centerpiece

Look who I found in the Daz store!

Look who I found in the Daz store! published on No Comments on Look who I found in the Daz store!

"Underground King for M4." Bulge-related morphs included, much to my amusement. Hair not included, much to my disappointment.

This entry was originally posted at http://modernwizard.dreamwidth.org/1623152.html. You can comment here, but I’d prefer it if you’d comment on my DW using OpenID.

50 Shades of Rape Culture: “You do the math”

50 Shades of Rape Culture: “You do the math” published on No Comments on 50 Shades of Rape Culture: “You do the math”

Hey kids! I know that you eagerly awaited my scathing rant on chapters 2 through 5 that I promised, but too bad. I will dispense with an analysis of all the problems in chapter 5 to zero in on a particularly repugnant snippet therein.

To set the stage, immediately before chapter 5, Ana and acquaintances go out drinking to celebrate the successful end of finals. Ana becomes sloshed and drunk-dials Christian. Her so-called friend Jose sexually assaults her, only to be fended off by Christian, who has tracked Ana’s cell phone and come to pick her up. Jose leaves as Ana, no doubt mirroring the reader’s disgust, pukes everywhere. She and Christian dance for a little bit until she passes out.

Chapter 5 begins with Ana in an unfamiliar bed. She quickly realizes that Christian has taken her to his house and removed her pants. Inevitably, Ana wonders if he raped her. Christian assures her that he likes his women "sentient and receptive" [p. 66], so he did not assault her while she was unconscious. Ana appears disappointed by Christian’s assertion. In a paragraph discussing her confusion about his apparent lack of hots for her, Ana muses [p. 69]:

"He said he likes his woman sentient. He’s probably not celibate then. But he’s not made a pass at me… I don’t understand. … Am I repellent to him? You’ve slept in his bed all night, and he’s not touched you all night. You do the math. My subconscious has reared her ugly, snide head. I ignore her."

As we have already observed, the math is pretty easy to follow. Here’s the equation:

Christian + unconscious Ana rape

Ana, however, seems to wish that Christian had touched her when she was unconscious. In her perspective, his sexual assault of her in her unconscious, unable-to-consent state would prove his desire for her. Because she apparently subscribes to the trope of romance novels that men can’t control their libidos, she conflates rape and desire. It’s a testament to how deeply she has been indoctrinated with a misogynist rape culture that she regrets not having been fucked over in her sleep.

This instance represents possibly the only moment in the series that Christian exhibits a modicum of basic human decency, and yet he gets no credit. I’m not expecting the the story to glorify his not raping an unconscious woman. However, it would be nice if the main character, with whom we are supposed to sympathize, didn’t fault him for it.

I think this excerpt represents E.L. James’ troubling inability, on a global level, to assign the appropriate ethical weight to…well…just about anything. She treats Jose’s sexual assault of Ana like an awkward date, after which Ana feels guilty that she doesn’t call him. She treats Christian’s tracking of Ana through her cell phone as charming protectiveness on his part. She treats bdsm as a dramatic secret nurtured by broken psyches and peeing on a consenting partner as something akin to pedophilia. Whether she’s dismissing significant problems of surveillance, control and consent or using her sense of revulsion as a moral proxy, she gets it wrong again and again.

This entry was originally posted at http://modernwizard.dreamwidth.org/1622656.html. You can comment here, but I’d prefer it if you’d comment on my DW using OpenID.

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