To Wear the Garlic or Not to Wear the Garlic...

I wonder what it would be like to just wear the garlic and disappear for a while.  Trouble is, would anyone care?  A couple of my friends have done that.  They are still in the clan, still lieged, just wearing the garlic. Understandable.  I guess you can get to that point where you are just done.  Done with Bloodlines but not unlieging.  But they still have respect for those that do still play. Respect to those that have taught them, cared for them, bonded with them. Or for their minions that still want to be in a certain clan or Bloodlines.

Things can become complicated or overwhelming or just too much frankly.  You can become exhausted with all the responsibilities and stress.  I wonder what that would be like to just step back for a while. What would the ramifications be? Would people perceive you as weak? Would they understand? Loyalties mean so much in the Bloodlines game.  Very tricky situation to be in.  I hope I never get to that point.

Blood Bond Rings

I posted this on the Divine Blood blog but wanted to show it here as well.  The audio did not work on this, but I had loaded All Over You- Live to accompany it.  It's one of my favorite songs I share with Rikk.

OOTD 10-6-11

OOTD 10-6-11, a photo by freyasmoon on Flickr.

Dark Sacrifice- Ho Wear (free!)
Aphotic Boots- Ho Wear (free!)

Photo Taken @ Pumpkin Town

Loyalty

If there is anything constant about Second Life it's change. The game is constantly evolving and improving minute by minute.  There is always something new to see or try.  New players join every minute as well.  Some join the Bloodlines game, some not. This constant influx of new players requires vast amounts of time to teach them not only Bloodlines, but Second Life as well.

The trouble with Second Life is people get bored. We make our own amusement sometimes. It is a very social game. We make friendships. We joke, we laugh, we tease. Some players make romantic connections. Then come the breakups, the drama.  Others just can't seem to get along. Huge fights occur.  Friendships you felt would never end- do.

As I approach my second rez day on Second Life and my second anniversary as a Bloodlines player, I think of myself as a veteran now.  I've taught hundreds of classes (yes I have. I did the math). I've done more than 100 turnings. Spent endless hours helping, consoling, encouraging, and being a stable presence in this roller coaster of a game.

Throughout this time I have had many, many minions and helped friends' minions as well.  When there is drama- go to Freya. Need a hand? Freya. People leaving and you want to stay? Go to Freya.  I find myself in this position once again.  People leaving, wanting me to leave. Thanks for your help Freya, but we're gonna bail because someone else pissed us off.  Time and again, the stories are endless.You're great, love you forever. Bye.

At what point do I stop caring and throw my hands in the air? Well, I don't. I keep on helping, I keep on trying.  And I will sit here and continue to do so until they kick me off. I refuse to allow the drama to get to me. I refuse to allow someone else to drive me from my home. And though it hurts to have friends leave me once again, friends I thought would never leave me, here I am. You know where to find me if you need me.

Crown Princess Freya

Tremendous honor. I'll blog all about my experience later but first....

What I Wore!

Agnes Queen Lucia Gown I wanted the accessories too but they are no longer available. Grrr!
Truth Hair- Tanya in blood (not available on MP)
Eve Temptation Shoes - Red
Blood Thorn Drop  Necklace
"             "        "       Earrings
"             "         "      Circlet
Red08 Manicure (not available on MP)
Meggan Eyes  (they come with this skin) by Nany Merlin
Carwa 3D No Alpha Lashes #8 Pack(thanks Lola!)
Glamorize - True Cherry Lipstick
and not shown my fantastic sceptre gifted to me by Kumanikins :)

"Don't talk yourself into not being you."

 It is no secret now that our beloved Queen Amethyst is stepping down.  The expansion of her family requires all her time and energy. It saddens me but I understand her choice. Change is inevitable after all.

With this change a shift in titles is needed.  Crown Princess Daisy will take her place as queen managing the clan.  I have been asked to take her place as Crown Princess.  Ever since I was asked I have been beating myself up over it.  Telling myself I am not good enough, I am not ready, I will fail. Wanting Candi or Audrey to come back and do it since they are so much better than I.

Which brings me to my point. Today as I was doing homework for a college course I am taking, the professor shared some links which brought me to this Bill Cosby video.  It is his keynote speech for the Carnegie Mellon class of 2007.  It is just what I needed to hear. Funny how things come to you in the oddest ways. Either way, I got the message. Here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY-WFfajWq8

"Don't talk yourself into not being you." 
Cosby's main story began about five minutes in and is one anyone can relate to. All of us have talked ourselves into thinking we don't belong or battle with self-confidence, etc. His point — which his true story brought out — is that we must not talk ourselves out of being who we really are. Cosby touched on the idea that being nervous ("but I was nervous") or other such excuses that we often use get in the way of us bringing our true self to the job (or school, etc.). People do not care about your excuses, they care only about seeing your authentic self. As Cosby said "people came to see you" not some version of what you think they want or need. "I don't care what you do," said Cosby, "when you are good, then you bring you out." "It's not for you to stand around and measure yourself according to diplomas and degrees. You are you — and you are not to put yourself beneath anybody!"


I am not Daisy or Amethyst or Audrey or Candi. I am Freya. I bring my own strengths and weaknesses to the title just as they have to theirs. I'm not perfect but  I am fair and have the clan's best interest at heart. A virtual title doesn't make me who I am- I do. I have a great support system with my husband and my friends. Cannot wait to see what this next chapter in SL brings!  

Corset Lust Hunt

The other night none of my friends were online so I checked here for a fun hunt to do.  As always, I wrote down only the ones I liked and searched those out. I loved the Corset Lust Hunt items! Here are the ones I got:

 

 From Curvalicious

From Ripped- Tramp Corset

From Black Cat Bones- Buckled & Bagged

From JN Designs- Sexy Poison

From D' Funk

I had also picked this up recently from the DBCD Hunt

Blacklace- Kitten

Moving and Adjusting

After attending the high royals meeting and discussing our options concerning the clan sim, we opted to sell Divine Blood Island and move to a smaller sim. The monthly tiers (80k) were outrageous! The areas were fantastic but no one ever used them. Rick and I had just recently rented a skybox and set up our place when we got the news. (You might remember this post concerning how I bought this house.) I absolutely love this house. I removed most of the furniture and put in our own. I replaced the artwork and I put a bar in place of the kitchen. I hope to use it again someday. In the meanwhile, I took photos to remember it.

Tea Party 7-17-11_001

Tea Party 7-17-11_001, a photo by freyasmoon on Flickr.

There was a tea party event on tne night of my birthday. It was held on the castle roof and was just not my thing. Since I was dressed up anywayI decided to find a French Provencial sim appropriate for this kind of attire. I took teh picture and left. On a positive note, I had a fantastic birthday and felt oh so loved. I hope you get that kind of attention on your birthday too!

Rave Event 7-11-11

Rave 7-11-11_002, a photo by freyasmoon on Flickr.

Underworld Designs Baggies (free off MM board long ago)
Robbish Sneakers (free from shoe and accessory hunt)
R.B. Dark Future bandaid pasties (free from hunt)
[DSC] Raver Fire Hair (free off MM board)

Socially Inept, Ignorant Attention Whores and Rainbows and Butterflies

Recently at a royals meeting when real issues and progress was being made, one of our less than intelligent members felt the need yet again to draw attention to himself. He tends to do this quite often making something out of nothing. You could feel the tension and anger in the room directed at him. My husband commented and that shut him up. I finally had to mute the guy. I am sure there are these types of people in every clan, in every organization, in every group setting.

I pride myself on being nice, helpful, and a positive person.  Yet time and again there are four individuals that test my last nerve. Unfortunately they are all royals in the clan.  I find myself becoming irritable or closing chat altogether. I know in life we have to deal with socially inept people, or ignorance, or plain assholes. I try to avoid them at all costs to spare hurt feelings. At what point do you say I don't give a fuck anymore these people drive me nuts?! The thing is, they drive everyone nuts, not just me.  Would you say something or just let it be?

On a positive note, rainbows and butterflies and happy things. haha! Hope your day is blessed. xoxo

Masquerade Ball

The clan had a gorgeous masquerade ball recently and opened the sim up to non members as well.  It was a huge success. So much so in fact we crashed the sim! Opening the sim up to non members makes Rick a little nervous as the Archknight. A difficult task in case there are griefers knowing who is welcome and who is not. I told him I didn't want to be a wallflower at this event and could he please dance with me instead of standing to the side looking menacing.  Thankfully there were no troublemakers and we had a fantastic time!

This is what I wore:
You'll Be My After Dinner Dress from Boudoir
Cerridwin's Cauldron Gift make-up 1 (mask)
Eve Temptation shoes in Dark Red
Tasha2 skin option 10
Red08 Manicure
Ember Diamond Hip Piercings
"Eyes of Darkness" gothic earrings

ootd 7-1-11

ootd 7-1-11, a photo by freyasmoon on Flickr.

Gypsy Dress L$1 from #146 Virtual Whimsy (Midsummer Night's Dream Hunt)
Mashooka Brown Jewels Free from Mashooka
sim hunt
Jazmyn Brown Boots Free from Shoe and Accessory Hunt February 2010
Buff Nails
Tasha2 Skin
Breath2 Hair from Emo-tions

What to do with noob new clan members?

This is me in my earliest days on SL. Don't judge me damnit. Not much has changed. haha!
Newbies. Noobs. Makes most people cringe. We have all been there. We all started out in Second Life as a noob. Pathetic Ruth avatar and walking like a robot.  It's a daunting task finding shops that have the items we need, finding lindens to purchase the items and learning to edit them! What the heck is a sandbox and why do I need to go there? Add to the list of often overwhelming things is the Bloodlines game if you choose to join. 

Which begs the question- as a liege if you bring in a noob member what all are you expected to teach them at the very least? How long should it take to teach them these things? Now in my clan, Divine Blood, we have a new members packet, we have freebie stores at our mall, a weekly new member orientation and welcoming party, and we offer all kinds of Bloodlines classes. We also hold meet and greet events so the new members have the opportunity to meet as many of the family as possible and add friends. So we offer as much support as possible to our newest members. But it is the liege's responsibility to teach and mentor their minions. These things are merely supporting the liege's role and reinforcing it.

Hunting for new members is a basic skill we all have to learn in Bloodlines. It is no fun being a king of one. And creating alts or buying souls is a huge waste of lindens. So, we hunt for new members. For the month of July, we have a hunting competition going on in our clan with a 30 day old minimum requirement to receive credit. We are hoping this avoids the problem of rampant noobs being left behind for others to babysit.

That being said, as a liege are you expected to purchase skin/shape/clothes for your new minion? Are you expected to give them a place to stay? What is the bare minimum expected of you so other clan members don't have to take care of your noobs? In my opinion, they should be able to open a box, know to eat an apple and how to eat an apple if they are bit, and how to use the various chats. Take the time to help your people at least an hour after you have taken them into your line. And for fucks sake don't turn them immediately. Allow them at least a week to learn the game.  What is your take on what is the minimum a liege should do for a new minion?

Outfit of the Day 6-21-11

21 June 2011, a photo by freyasmoon on Flickr.

MPD Speed Demon- Teal
Brandeis Blue 07 Nails
Valerie Hair from Truth in blood
Taken at the Greased Lightning Event

70's Flashback

70's Flashback, a photo by freyasmoon on Flickr.

Krista gifted me some awesome Truth hair after I complimented hers. Keith commented it looked 70's so I played with that look a bit and came up with this.

Clique This

In the past the high royals or just royals in general have been accused of being cliqueish. Accused of not including others, not associating with the new members.  This may or may not be true.  I guess it all depends on the person.  I, myself, try to attend each and every event if I am online.  If I see a green dot- I add the person to my friends list.  I try to attend the classes being taught because generally it is new members attending those.  I talk in clan chat until people are sick of me. That being said- I love my friends.  They get me through some of the difficult situations I have to deal with. They are the ones that take me to corrupt places so we can laugh til we cry.  I hold them close to my heart and I don't take their loyalty lightly.  Kumani, Laini, and Lola- my Hoars!!! Lara, Ame, and Daisy- my friends.  Thank you for making my SL fun!

Mother's Day Biker Babe

ootd 5-9-11_001, a photo by freyasmoon on Flickr.

This is one of the three outfits Kumani bought for me for Mother's Day. Laini also bought me an outfit. Otis offered me dirt in his shoe with a flower. Guess which one is going to be clawed?

Happy Easter!

Aww, wouldn't this be so much cuter in a field of flowers with bunnies and eggs? Oh well, I was pressed for time. I'm wearing my prize from Icki Ink.  I got it from The Kinky Easter Egg Hunt. Yay!

Never Satisfied

I liked my new skin but it didn't feel like "me", so I went on the hunt again.  I think I found one I am finally happy with.  I love LAQ skins, and with the help of Kumani I chose Tasha2.  Here I am with my outfit of the day 4-15-11 feeling gypsy.

Rag Dollz Gypsy Rhythm (free), Zaara:Suvarna Kundan Jewelry set, LAQ Tasha2 #9 skin, Meggan eyes, TRUTH Mena hair in blood.

Old Freya vs. New Freya?

Out with the old...

I'm not just talking skins here. My new title is requiring things of me that I'm not used to.  However, don't take my kindness for a weakness. I'm up to the task. I'm still kind, empathetic, helpful, fair, and a huge flirt.  When I have to put on my big girl panties I do. I deal with the crap and drama associated with Bloodlines, lieges, other clans, and romances gone bad. I've watched and learned from those above me for a long time now. I also have damn good friends that continue to inspire, motivate, and encourage me.

In with the new!  

3-16-11

I fell in love with this dirty butterfly dress the first time I saw it.  Ethereal and dramatic it could be worn by a dark elf or as couture.  For some reason it reminded me of old movie star glamour so I wore a bob hairstyle from the Divine new members box.  This skin is called Goth Kiria by F'd up which I won on an MM board. I wore this to the Bite Fest event later that night with my regular skin and hair.

Pwincess

Well I hate this to be all about me but it is a blog about my experiences so.. here goes.  Crown Princess Daisy asked for my help at the recent promotion ceremonies on March 17.  Now that is a special day for our family RL since we celebrate St. Patrick's Day. The ceremony was held during our dinner time and I made sure to plan everything in time so I could be there for Daisy.  I stood on the stage taking photos for the clan blog and congratulating all the new and upcoming members taking notes of who got what. As it wound down toward the end of the ceremony I began taking RL snapshots of my family and the festivities going on here at home. And then Daisy spoke.  She spoke of me. It was all a blur as the shock set in. I was overwhelmed with her words of kindness about me. How I wish I had the state of mind to copy and save it all! In a nutshell, I was promoted to Princess.  I didn't expect it, I didn't ask for it. I didn't think there was room for one more in that group to be honest.  I guess they see something in me I don't see in myself.

Now I don't know everything there is to know. I'll be the first to admit I am still learning about SL.  I do love to teach and mentor though. Those are my strengths.  King Darrell asked that I take over the Dukes & Duchess group.  So I am now overseeing the four of them.  Making sure the mentor classes are taught, royal exams are given, creating and editing the google document.   My role also includes hears appeals on grievances and act as liaisons with other clans,  hears promotion recommendations and facilitates grievances, oversees all other royals activities,  participate in clan events as available.  Assists the Crown Princess with all issues as they come up. I've been very busy trying to accomplish these things with a sense of fairness and watching my words carefully.  Audrey was always there to help me, guide me, and teach me.  I miss her so.  I try to think what Daisy and Audrey would do in certain situations and that helps tremendously.   I don't want D, Ame and Daisy to regret their decision and hope that I make them proud.

3-6-11

3-6-11_006 a photo by freyasmoon on Flickr.

New Aysel silks that I love!!

ootd 2-18-11_002

ootd 2-18-11_002 a photo by freyasmoon on Flickr.

2-18-11
Phoenix Moon- Ho Wear
Aphotic Raven boots- Ho Wear
Starry Eyed Skin LC Skin
Fable Black Hair- Emotions

2-19-11

2-19-11 a photo by freyasmoon on Flickr.

For Daisy's Wedding
Pirouette Gown (gift from Liv)
Azul Eyes (gift from Marcio)
TRUTH Bonnie Hair in blood
Jewelry-

Pandora Event

I didn't have a Na'vi avatar to wear (sorry Valedric!) so I wore this odd tribal costume from Bare Rose instead.  Video card died last week and jacked up my pc so I was lagging hard but so happy to be back even for an hour or two. :-)

Some more slutty clothes I wore another day...

Moon Goddess by Ho Wear 25L special

Some slutty clothes I wore one day...

Mawage

The Impressive Clergyman: Mawage. Mawage is wot bwings us togeder tooday. Mawage, that bwessed awangment, that dweam wifin a dweam...

And wuv, tru wuv, will fowow you foweva...

 So tweasure your wuv.

From The Princess Bride

Daisy performed the ceremony and decorated the platform.  Otis gave me away and did a great job as the DJ.  Our wedding attendants/bridesmaids were: Liv, Cari, Lara, Audrey, Krista, and Kumani.  I can't thank them enough for all they do and how much they enhance our lives.

A Wedding... Finally

Well today I'm getting married on SL.  Renewing vows really.  Rikk and I are celebrating our RL anniversary and figured we would get married on SL too. So many people have touched our lives in SL and we wanted to have a big party.  I wanted a medieval theme since he is the Archknight.  Roleplay it up!! He was going to ask me to marry him but he wanted it to be a perfect proposal. Take me on top of the Knights Quarters, get on the proposal poseball and express his undying love for me.  He had 4 pages of notecards filled and it was never enough. I told him I didn't need a proposal- I know his heart. So let's just do this. And we are. :-)  

Lunch

If Rikk and I had a baby on SL it would look something like this according to Our BabyMaker:

Then we would host a big BBQ and eat it up like Daisy did with all her prim babies.

*This is a joke. We don't really eat babies on SL.*

Outfit of the Day 12-31-10

Taken at the Divine Blood New Years Eve party.

FAllnSiren Dress Black- FallnAngel
Moody's Ginger Shoes
Obscurita Mask- free from Illusions
Super hunk accessory- Rikk

Outfit of the Day 12-29-10

I joined the game Assassin's Grid with some of my SL friends today.  As a proper introduction to the game Slaveternal killed me as soon as I put on the HUD. You get to choose your death animation so here is one of the "Gruesome" ones.

Outfit- Muse from Ho Wear (free Christmas gift)
Silken Moon skin- MM board free
Miranda hair
Aphotic boots

Outfit of the Day 12-25-10

My wonderful friend Kumani gave me this dress as a Christmas gift.  This was taken late Christmas night at a store window display.

Ghost of Christmas Present- The White Armory
Sarana hair

Outfit of the Day 12-24-10

I wore this outfit twice-once on the 22nd while out shopping, and again on the 24th for a quick shot with some clan members for the clan blog.  I jumped on the carousel after our group shot for this quick solo shot.

Xmas in Paris- 25L special from Ho Wear
Xmas in Paris shoes- 25L special from Ho Wear
Satan Santa hat- free from one of the Christmas hunts

Outfit of the Day 12-14-10

Taken at the Dark Ages Event.

El Corazon- free group gift The White Armory

Outfit of the Day 12-13-10

This was taken at the Christmas Sweets Event.

Gretel Red - Ho Wear 25L

Best in Leather (December 2010)

I don't remember exactly when this event was but this is what I wore.

Surprise! It's from Ho Wear! Leather Chaps 25L special discontinued item.  My usual belly piercing as well.