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Alkahest presents… Rich velvet, cool marble and deep wood furnishings. Luxurious and decadent for a Victorian parlour, vintage salon, reading room or absinthe den. Vampires and gothic children of the night may also find this an alluring addition to their domiciles.

The original Absinthe series was created for an Absinthe installation I was involved in. I thought it appropriate to add two other schemes: Serpis (red absinthe) and Bleue (blanche or blue absinthe).

Visit the main shoppe of Alkahest to view these and more.

OR, view some sets from XStreet.

Sets are discounted by 25% over purchasing each item individually.

• Low prim
• Low lag scripts
• Menu driven
• Quality animations
• Feature rich

Set images below…

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Visit the Alkahest’s Main Sky Shoppe

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Alkahest presents… Tentacles!

Visit the waterfront of Alkahest to view these and more.

Part of the Whimsical Candy Series for home & garden… and now sea…

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• 11 colour schemes
• 3 types of tentacles — each with a unique set of 6-7 animations

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And if tentacles aren’t your thing — how about a nice whimsical candy tree stump?

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Visit the land of candy experiments

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Alkahest presents… Experiments in Candy! Yes, Dr. Anatine has lost his collective mind and blames other medicinal experiments for this lapse.

New items will be created through Spring and possibly Summer 2010, so visit the inworld Shoppe and receive updates via the subscribe-o-matic.

These shiny whimsical creations may be perfect for those who love all things cute and edible. Fae and fairies may find some items to enhance their homes and gardens. Those who wish something a little more fantasy oriented, may find this confectionary whimsy appealing.

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This series of items are quite low prim, which should appeal to those with limited prims to spare.

Some items belong to the darker variant of the Whimsical Candy line of creations. These are perhaps perfect for you vampires with a sweet fang or Goth types who enjoy darker aesthetics.

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If you find these colours far too dark, I would suggest the more colourful side of the Whimsical Candy line, which is perhaps perfect for the colour-blind and lover of all things bright & cheery.

Visit the land of candy experiments

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Xstreet Listing for Whimsical Candy: Foliage Lamp Black Cherry — within the listing you will find links to other items on Xstreet in the Whimsical Candy product line (although everything currently available can be found at Alkahest in world).

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• Gazebos
• Trees
• Shrubs
• Lamps
• And much more coming…

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Special thank you to Lady Pipsqueak Fiddlesticks, my lovely partner, for beautifully vanquishing a griefer prior to my photoshoot on her photo-appropriate sim, Cake, which neighbours my sim of Alkahest.

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Where have I been?

First, I will lay the blame of this post entirely on my current course of medication. This, along with other events, will partially explain my absence from my blog and life in general. As I am not one to whinge about personal matters, suffice it to say that my health has been in less than stellar condition of late and we shall simply leave it at that.

Moving right along, I am grateful for my friends and one lady in particular (/me casts a sidelong glance at Lady Pipsqueak Fiddlesticks). A more recent friend, Kulta Hannu, has declared me an enabler with my suggestions of shops for clothing and landscaping — everyone should know that I am only too happy to help others spend their Linden Dollars on fine fashions and foliage. But I will now point my paw at Kulta-chan and cry out: “Enabler!”, for there is nothing more terrifying than two women conspiring against a poor old fox.

Attend… a travesty of epic proportions…

Once upon a time, as the snows melted and gave way to Spring, a lovely Lady suggested to her gothicly-inclined gentleman fox, “I believe it’s time to transform the Physic Garden and Apothecary into a place of dead things, as though abandoned, or that we went mad… very mad.” She continued teasing her gentlefox with delightful dark images of decadence and artful decay.

This gentlefox perked at the idea, very much liking dead and dark things (of the non-tacky variety, that is), and so set about to transform their lands.

A few days ago during a visit from the resident neko and recently made Grounds Manager of Syzygy, Kulta-chan asked with growing concern, “And just how far will the dead spread?”

The gentlefox wished to quip that the dead would spread far and wide across all the lands, but he bit tongue with his lengthy fangs, and merely smiled, pointing to the immediate vicinity.

Believing the neko satisfied with the answer, the gentlefox continued with his work, unaware of the machinations brewing in the cat’s head… nor his Lady’s.

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And so it came to pass this fine evening that the gentlefox’s Lady exclaimed in that come hither voice, “I have something GREAT to show you.”

As a result of Linden Lag, several minutes passed before the true horror of what befell the gentlefox’s dark work dawned upon his furry pale face.

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Flamingos. The Dark One could not have been amused, but it is difficult to say as his relationship is deepest with the Lady of this land, and he would likely do anything for her (even remain still in Winter as she outfitted him with a scarf).

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The Physic Garden and Apothecary had been quite successfully… flamingoed… by Lady Fiddlesticks… enabled by the neko, Kulta Hannu. The Lady was greatly amused, giggling happily like a victorious school girl prankster (which, incidentally, is one of the many reasons the gentlefox likes her so… although the flamingos may be going too far).

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Even Arnold, the gentlefox’s prized albino peacock, was cozying up to one of these frightful pink creatures! As if regular feedings of marshmallows were not enough, his head was actually turned by the bright invaders.

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Betrayer! Defiant, mocking peacock. “I know a nearby campire at the beach that will enjoy your marshmallows henceforth!” the gentlefox vowed.

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Alas, this gentlefox can only resign himself to his fate. And the flamingos.

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Please visit Syzygy Selene: Physic Garden & Apothecary — with flamingos to bear witness to this travesty.

Other Details:

Flamingos, cunningly fashioned: Yo, flamingo! nr1 *pink* by Antonia Marat of Artilleri (in the off-chance that my humour is lost on some readers, I do seriously believe that these flamingos are actually quite awesome and if anyone is every in need of flamingos, Artilleri is likely THE purveyor of flamingo love).
Ensemble: Viktor by Darwin Mizser of AVid
Monocle: GC-Monokel (Dark-Knight clock) by Grazioso Alekseev of Crie Style

Fox avatar

• Avatar – Male White Fox by Mephitis Jezebel of Aventity
• Hair – The Dauphin (Powdered) by Siyu Suen of Illusions

A wearable shopping tour HUD offering 10 locales to acquire “must haves” befitting a Gentleman of the Grid.

From clothing to accessories to gadgets and more — specifically for the well-mannered gentleman.

XStreet Listing

In World Acquisition

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We had a most enjoyable photo session and chatted about a variety of subjects including what being a fur means to me as well as my experiences. Ryan even includes relevant snippets of our conversation at the end of my article.

Thank you, Ryan, for this opportunity and for a fun photo session.

Enjoy the read.

[Reel Expression's Sultry 03 - click image for larger view]

While I am not the most creative or formidable photographer (although I have learned some things over time, and need to learn much more), I do enjoy blogging about ensembles and whatever happens to move me at any given time. For this blog, however, I like to use my Photosphere and the poses I’ve set up within. And while I slowly add more backdrops over time, finding more poses that offer the variety I’d like is growing increasingly difficult. However, among my 300 plus poses, are those I return to time and time again. But of course I want more…

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This is where I keep my photosphere; high above the grounds of Syzygy Pyxis (one sim of a four-sim Island, which I call home). As Syzygy is a bit of a themed region where space is space, I appropriately ensconced my photosphere inside this planetoid.

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This is the interior of my photo planetoid. As you can see it is very roomy and houses two photospheres (one for singles and one for couples), as well as two book displays with poses, which are tremendous fun to take photos within (thank you, Lady PF, for the use of these).

The photo planetoid is open to everyone. Please visit any time and enjoy the space. Of course, let me know if you encounter any issues.

[Izumiya's SS Pose Male 01 - click image for larger view]

This is a very recent acquisition and so far I’m really enjoying Izumiya’s poses. Offering male and female poses. As an aside, I noticed in my search for poses the other night that there are more male poses in SL than previously; so naturally I’m pleased about this. However, the difficulty is in finding male poses that I can use without looking like I have a 2×4 rammed up my backside or John Wayne getting ready for a showdown. Mr. Stetson I am not.

[Izumiya's SS Pose Male 19 - click image for larger view]

Another Izumiya, and playful too. Talk to the hand! I really need to find more playful poses! I’ll search when I have time and present my findings in a follow-up blog entry.

[Long Awkward Pose's Awmahgah - click image for larger view]

I need to investigate this creator more. I did venture to Long Awkward Pose’s shop on the weekend but was lagged out by an event going on so could not investigate much beyond the door (gorgeous shop though). This is one that came through to me via the Designer Showcase Network. I enjoy it immensely it for its sheer expressiveness and playfulness.  Alternatively, I look a bit like I’ve just had one hell of a day in my apothecary lab.

[Essential Soul's Poseur - click image for larger view]

This is another recent acquisition, from Essential Soul. They had a nice selection of male poses and while most were not quite what I was looking for, I did buy this one series and very much enjoy the poses within.

[Reel Expression's Material Girls 01 - click image for larger view]

Most of the time I fall back to Reel Expressions poses, male and female. They truly are expressive and range from mild to wild, serious to playful. Her recent gun poses are pushing me towards the acquisition of a pair of BlackOps Alucard Pistols or H&K USPs. While worth every linden, I tend to slide my money in the direction of apparel first, and after nearly three years on The Grid, remain without the BlackOps beauties (but that may change soon).

[Reel Expression's Melancholy 11 - click image for larger view]

The Melancholy series is nicely expressive as well. A little sombre, but very useful by myself.

[Reel Expressions' Men's Fashion S2 05 - click image for larger view]

I believe there are now three specifically men’s fashion pose sets now. For myself, definitely worth having.

[Reel Expressions' Men's Sultry 10 - click image for larger view]

A little more playful by my standards, and therefore definitely an asset. As I said, using Reel Expression’s female poses is not something I shy away from as they really can serve all genders.

I have some upgrades planned for my Photosphere; adding more backdrops (all my added backdrops are under the Custom category menu, for those who visit), and a new posing stand that will provide organized sets of poses rather than having to forward through 300 plus before you find just the right one! Thank you, Hya, for that tip last night.

As I’ve only presented here a small sampling of the poses I use, find below a list of pose creators that I currently use and if you blog or model, may find useful for yourself. Moreover, if you have a favourite that is not listed here, please tell me about it as I’m always on the lookout for more!

Credits:

Photosphere by Saeya Nyanda of Kyoot.

Single pose posing stand — to be replaced!

Couples pose posing stand by Puck Ida.

Book displays by sato Yifu of Kurotsubaki.

Boudoir Rouge poses by CodeBastard Redgrave.

Essential Soul Studio poses by Steven Dean.

Reel Expressions poses by Luth Brodie.

Izumiya poses by Izumi Homewood.

Long Awkward Pose poses by Dove Swanson.

Lazy Places poses by Sakuradawn Lei.

Digital Dragon Designs poses by Ninja Petion.

Other Details:

Suit: Severin by hyasynth Tiramisu of Silent Sparrow

Gloves: Aconite Gloves by hyasynth Tiramisu of Silent Sparrow

Monocle: SLC by Kirin Xeno of Serious Giggle

Dagger & Syringe: ~SA~ Another Poison – blue by Insania Aeon (very sadly retired)

Photos taken in My Photosphere

Fox avatar

• Avatar – Male White Fox by Mephitis Jezebel of Aventity
• Hair – The Dauphin (Powdered) by Siyu Suen of Illusions

Sunday evening, however, I found myself weary minded from working all weekend and ventured into SL for a spot of relaxation. I was immediately invited to an impromptu shoppe soiree by the lovely hyasynth Tiramisu of Silent Sparrow. Of course I learned that I missed a Silent Sparrow new release (more commentary from myself on this later this week, I hope), and there was some discussion regarding upgrading my fox avatar.

In all my travels I have never seen anyone else with the same fox avatar base as the one I’ve had for well over a year. But I have, for some time, felt that an update would be in order — something that takes advantage of newer SL technologies. Hya had previously nudged me in the direction of an Aventity fox, and I concurred it would be a sound purchase (the tail is floofier, and we know it’s all about the tail) I look at fox avatars periodically, and these are definitely some of the best I’ve seen.

In any event, after upgrading the base avatar, I thought perhaps I would upgrade my hair as well. For fox I am partial to 18th century wigs, as they aid in solidifying my desired gentlefoxly image. I thought I had found the perfect wig! Sanders Beaumont of FDL’s Duke Wig 2.0. It’s truly a marvel and is available in a short and long ponytail version (honestly, I thought I was in hair heaven). However, the creator informed me the wig was no mod (after being surprised that a fur would wear a wig — why not? Do people think all furs run around with no more fashion sense than Rambo?), but it was resizable with a script.

I’m really beginning to despise these resizing scripts. They’re an excellent idea, to be certain, but I beg creators to also make the components modify. I am a part time fur. My head is not human size, and typical resizing is not going to work well. Mr. Beaumont informed me that his wigs were no mod to protect his sculpt maps. This is a stance that absolutely amazes me. First of all, if I were a thief, I would not introduce myself to the creator. Secondly, I’d simply buy the wig, and use one of the several systems available that will strip all textures, sculpt maps, and even prims, from the design. And do I look like a content thieving bastard? Read my profile! Good lord.

I ran into the same issue with some boots that I wished to buy a few months ago. Resize yes, no mod. Such creators will not see my Lindens in future, sadly. Creators applying no mod to certain pivotal pieces (especially hair) are doing nothing but adversely affecting their sales, as anyone with nefarious intentions will be able to pirate the wares regardless of permissions. The regular shopper, a creator’s bread and butter, suffers. But I can make a choice, as much as it pains me to not spread my money around — and that is simply to not shoppe at such establishments. While I spend money madly in SL, and I am only one, perhaps in time others will see that these items are not worth purchasing and then never using — better to not purchase in the first place.

I’m a little ranty this morning, aren’t I? Well… I’ve been in SL long enough to know what I want and observe the bizarre tactics of its denizens.

As for my new fox… I am using The Dauphin (White) by Siyu Suen of Illusions (the same as my blond wig for my previous fox), although modified to bring the curls outward to frame my furry face. Pictures forthcoming.

And lastly, to clothing and accessory creators out there: please make the following modify even if you have a resizer script (both would be excellent) — trousers (their length may require adjusting, especially if one is a fur), shoes/boots, hats, hair/wigs, prim attachments, spectacles, and walking sticks/canes. Thank you.

I do realize that some creators are likely attempting to project a contrast between clothing pieces by accenting a coat in silver and a vest in brass, but I do not feel such endeavours enhance the image of the entire ensemble. Such contrasts, if desired, are best fashioned by clever fabric texturing and styling. I’ve also contemplated that designers are using specific textures for the sake of simply using them without regard to metal clash over the entire outfit.

[Unzipped's Crimson Night Victorian Male -- click for larger image]

Unfortunately (for me), I’ve been seeing this metal combining in several outfits recently released. After my purchase of Unzipped’s Crimson Night Victorian Male, while a reasonably well put together ensemble, I was disappointed with the overall look due to the brass and silver accoutrement combination. Certainly, aspects can be worn with other outfits, and I even found tipping the metal scales with the inclusion of pocket watches or canes composed of one or the other metal diminished the distraction, but in the end I was still dissatisfied.

What prompted this blog post was AVID’s latest release, Black Heart. I’ve been a fan of AVID’s creations since nearly day one of their operation. The last couple of outfits (not since Verne, and Verne is a fabulous ensemble) have not thrilled me. When I initially laid eyes on Black Heart, of course the coat and cloak set me immediately into the realm of “must have, must TP now and buy”, but then I continued looking at the promo picture, attempting to figure out what caused me to pause. The reason was the contrasting metallic buttons — brass and silver. Had the ensemble been less expensive, I would have purchased it for the coat and cloak alone, but L$890 is a little steep for that.

[AVID's Black Heart -- click for larger image]

And so, I simply pressed Ctrl+H on my keyboard and returned home, without a new ensemble. It is my hope that AVID’s next men’s release will have me excited once more and that designers will be a little more mindful regarding clashing accoutrement metals.

Then again, it could simply just be me and I’m missing the next fashion trend. And if that is the case, I may have limited the quantity of new clothing acquisition in my future! The horror!

Other Details:

Photo taken in My Photosphere

[Falln's Roesor Suit and Shiny Things Socks - click for larger image]

I had the joy of conversing with hyasynth Tiramisu of Silent Sparrow last night. We discussed socks and my dilemma concerning the aforementioned accessory. She relayed to me why she does not include socks in every set of suits. She said that she “feel(s) like (she is) cheating if she put(s) in the same socks”. While this is commendable, as the socks she does include are excellent, I explained to her that I would be content with the same basic sock style if a specific style was not deemed useful for the ensemble. I do believe she thinks me mad. She feels it is unethical to offer the same socks, but I beg to differ. Mind, others may have a different point of view on the sock conundrum.

[Shiny Thing's Knit knee socks - dark]

Hya did inform me that Shiny Things had knee socks (for women) that would be suitable for men. So I ventured out and found their knit socks to be quite to taste.

They are copy/modify, so can be shortened. I’m uncertain how one’s partner might find their gentleman in knee length socks (mind, some fashions do require it, I will concede) if trouser removal occurred. Copy as you like to any other necessary folders of suits. Being modifiable, they can be tinted to taste.

[Shiny Thing's Knit knee socks - dark]

To be fair, I did also perform a seach in world for “socks” (Search> Classifieds> Socks). I don’t recommend the journey that it will take you on for I have now seen far more in SL than I perhaps ever wanted. However, I will say that there are a few creators who produce just socks, but none worth noting for gentleman. This is not to say they do not exist, but quite simply they are beyond my radar.

In conclusion… I might have garnered some sympathy from Hya regarding the gentleman’s plight of socks in Second Life.

Other Details:

Photos taken in My Photosphere

Human avatar

• Hair – Elliot (LightBlond) by Six Kennedy of GuRL 6
• Skin – Scorpio Revelation (3A Smooth) by The Abyss
• Eyes – Blue Opal by Miriel Enfield of Miriel

[RFyre's Soleil]

Comments:

“For me, socks are like sex – tonnes of it about and I never seem to get any.”
– Prince George, Blackadder the Third

As Prince George was so often denied his socks (courtesy of Blackadder’s entrepreneurial spirit), so are we in SL denied our socks. Although I hardly think Blackadder is involved… but one never knows as he does get around.

Socks — one of the simpler pieces of system clothing on the avatar. Why then are socks not often included in suits? This is a question that has plagued me for some time.

I own 191 complete ensembles (as of writing this), and only 24 were accompanied by socks. These are not encouraging results.

[AVID's Midnight]

Would it not be a simple matter for a creator to apply an appropriate texture to a new set of system socks and include these with the ensemble? In fact, once created, finely textured socks in the most commonly used colours could simply be popped into every suit’s directory with new releases. I am not expecting socks to match the brocade or silk of a vest or jabot in the ensemble (although that would please me considerably and does on those rare occasions I discover such attention to detail). But what is wrong with including even a nice pair of black dress socks with an ensemble (or whatever colour is appropriate)?

And why do I care, you might ask (apart from the obvious fact that my ankles show with most of my footwear choices)?

[Bare Rose's Formal Hakama]

In a rush whilst changing clothes I sometimes forget my socks and venture out of my door, into the world, with bare feet in my shoes (quite noticeable against pale skin, and blinding when I am my vulpine self). It’s about as mortifying as SL’s old “hair attached to the backside” complication immediately following a TP. Being sockless while elegantly attired does not project the image one wishes when arriving at an event (unless it is a beach party).

[RFyre's Soleil]

I tend to first wear an entire directory comprising of the ensemble in question (I tweak from there, but usually I begin with the entire suit). Then, if need be, I must remember to perform my search for “socks”, and almost always choose Eladrienne Laval’s basic black socks from her ELaval Thom Waistcoat Ensemble suit (they are untextured, but appear at the top of my list when I search for socks). While I am not lazy, I am time efficient, and it would please me to no ends if I did not need to perform this task each time I change and require socks other than what I wore to match my previous ensemble. Mind, I could simply add a copy of said socks into each new ensemble I buy, but yet again, why must I? Or, I could cease my whingeing and add socks to each shoe’s directory, of which there are far fewer than suits (and a savings on inventory items, which is quickly exceeding 30,000 again). On the other hand, I choose my footwear last and god forbid I inadvertently replace an ensemble’s matching pair of socks with a pair of simple black dress socks! Far better for me to resort to searching for “socks” in my inventory and choosing appropriately. And wouldn’t it be nice to have a choice of socks to choose from!

[E Laval's Thom Waistcoat Ensemble]

But this does not solve the problem for those who do not possess a monochrome wardrobe such as myself. When black or white will not do (or one has a closet sock fetish), one is left with the task of procuring appropriate socks or making one’s own socks. A search on XStreet provides a list of ensembles that DO contain socks, but if one is simply searching for socks, none are to be found. By the way, out of 1193 formal ensembles, only 168 include socks (that is a low 14%), and less than 9% of gothic ensembles include socks. For formal wear, that is appalling!

It would appear that ladies have a considerable selection of hose they may choose from (2175 entries for lady’s stockings on XStreet!), but men are, once again, out in the cold… shivering… sockless in SL. It is a travesty that requires rectifying. That, or men must become transvestites.

[sf Designs' Lord Lace]

I decided to ask a few creators why they did not routinely include socks in their fashion sets.

Azriel Demain of FallnAngel Creations replied immediately and most kindly. He had the following to say:

“Most women’s outfits come with socks or stockings because they are there to complement the outfit, and to accentuate and show off a woman’s legs. Whereas most men’s outfits, their legs are covered by pants. Then the guy puts on boots or shoes that cover the rest of his ankle and foot so there really is no point for socks aside to say “my socks are purple today!” Then taking off your shoes to prove your point. Some shoe designers for males do include socks with their shoes.”

[Silent Sparrow's Nemu]

I thank Azriel for his insights and do agree for the most part… except that my ankles show more often than not without socks.

Allow me to transition this discussion of socks from tongue and check complaint and curiosity to general commentary. Within my wardrobe I have a few coloured, non-textured socks that were added for convenience, and I do appreciate this. However, my collection is devoid of textured non-thematic socks. I do have one — sf designs from Lord Lace, where even the toes are appropriately textured. And thematically, creators such as AVID, Bare Rose, RFyre, and Silent Sparrow all include socks as appropriate to match the ensemble (my thanks to these creators). I appreciate such attention to detail very much. However, I really would like to own a few pairs of elegant socks when ankles are visible between trousers and shoes.

To that end, I decided to see how difficult it was to make socks. After applying my test pattern texture to a pair of system socks I could see that it was entirely possible to create some nice looking socks if one had the ability to create custom textures (which I realize many do not, and I will never purport to be capable of). Having less than zero ability for making clothing, I realize that I am not the one to fill this niche. I did, however, create two pairs of socks for testing and amusement purposes. One is a Tintable knit pattern and the other black velvet. These are now freely available in my apothecary to any sock deprived gentleman who might have use of these.

[Black velvet socks for amusement]

[Tintable knit for the desperate]

And finally, as a sometimes furry avatar, I must address the topic of furs and socks. Some furs make use of all their furry attachments, while others do not. For myself, I very seldom make use of my vulpine legs and feet. System socks are used among most furry avatars to colour the legs as appropriate, thusly negating the need and use of socks as socks. Moreover, if a fur is making use of their avatar’s legs and feet, footwear is also not required. Trousers can sometimes also be a problem with avatar leg attachments, but thankfully most trousers are modify and can be shortened to taste. But this is heading towards a topic for another time. Our concern here is that of socks, and the distinct lack thereof in SL.

[AVID's Midnight -- click for larger image]

And finally, what does sex have to do with socks, apart from the Prince Regent largely lacking in both? Well, everyone loves a sharp dressed man, do they not?

Other Details:

Photos taken in My Photosphere

Human avatar

• Hair – Elliot (LightBlond) by Six Kennedy of GuRL 6
• Skin – Scorpio Revelation (3A Smooth) by The Abyss
• Eyes – Blue Opal by Miriel Enfield of Miriel

Fox avatar

• Avatar – Arctic Fox by Cheetah Kitty
• Hair – The Dauphin (Blonde) by Siyu Suen of Illusions