The Music Drops column starts with the presentation of a live singer I met recently thanks to my friend Spartan: Ruvilyn. I am introducing a new column dedicated to music for all those who are interested in spending pleasant moments of relaxation in the company of live singers. In this sense Ruvilyn, I’m sure, will appeal to fans of good music. I introduce her wonderful voice in the best way possible, by letting you listen to her 🙂
Ruvilyn – from her Soundcloud
I wanted to get to know her so that you too can get a better idea of her and her unquestionable passion for music. To this end, I present the exclusive interview she gave for the VIRTUALITY blog.
Oema: Ruvilyn, where are you from? Which are your origins? Ruvilyn: I’m currently living in western Canada. We moved here from Saudi Arabia when I was a teenager but my roots are from the Islands of the Philippines.
Oema: How old is your account, and when you started singing in SL? Ruvilyn: I was rezzed on October 12, 2013, so that makes me almost 8 years old. I started singing on open mic sessions here on SL right away. Such places like the O Lounge, Club Zydeco, and White Tigers, which never paid gigs. I started booking actual shows in early 2014 when the owners of Club Zydeco encouraged me to start singing on SL as a career after hearing me come back to their open mic nights every Thursday.
Ruvilyn in Second Life
Oema: Do you also sing in RL, or is it an SL hobby? Ruvilyn: At the moment I am not singing in RL but in the past, I was a part of the church choir, metal band, pop band, competed in competitions on tv (Canadian Idol and Popstars). Also sang fon weddings, debutante balls, and school concerts. Although right now SL singing is a hobby but I can’t help see the growth of my singing career here on SL with the people looking for their “RUVI FIX” every Monday. That’s usually the day that I perform here on SL.
Ruvilyn on Youtube
Oema: Three adjectives to describe yourself. Ruvilyn: PASSIONATE, RESILIENT, and BUBBLY.
Oema: Your life without music would be…? Ruvilyn: My life without music would be very quiet and full of stress. Music also helps alleviate the stresses that RL gives us while we are out in the world.
Oema: Let’s talk about your music style. Which is your favorite song? What kind of music do you prefer to sing? Ruvilyn: Music style-wise when I perform on SL, I usually sing party songs and very lively and happy tunes to people’s chairs dancing on their RL chairs while listening to my stream. My favorite song would have to be anything that Whitney Houston or Toni Braxton back in the 1980s and 1990s. I don’t really have a preference as I sing songs according to my moods. If I feel a little down, I would sing R&B and Jazz but if my mood is great it would probably be the latest pop songs on the radio. The ones that I can actually sing the lyrics well as you well all know, I make lyrical mistakes all the time. That’s part of the fun!
Oema: Do you remember the first time you sang in SL? Tell us about this experience. Ruvilyn: Yes, I do! I will never forget going into the O Lounge for the first time. Having someone walk me through the download of the streaming application and how to put my name on the board. I started with a USB microphone with an omnidirectional pickup which at one side picks up my voice and on the other side picks up the backing track coming from the speaker. It was very nerve-racking cause I didn’t know how I really came through on the stream. I guess they were okay with it barbecue they encouraged me to keep singing that day. Hence, until now I’m singing on the grid. That’s all thanks to the very first time that I sang and the support of the people around me.
Ruvilyn in Second LIfe
Oema: Do you prefer to sing alone or with someone else? Did you sing in a duet in SL? Ruvilyn: I do both solos on my regular show but I also do duets with artists such as Mae Loved and Ryeshure on the grid on special occasions or concerts that we hold at several venues on the grid.
Oema: What do you think about the music business in SL? What would you change or improve? Ruvilyn: In my opinion, you can find every type of musician and performer here on SL. If you are looking for a certain genre and sure you would find it. If there was anything that can be improved with the music business on SL, it is that because of the saturation of talents that have flooded the grid, I have felt that the compensation for certain performers has been affected. The competition to find venues that are willing to compensate talents properly has been reduced. I believe that the patrons need to support the SL music business by going to the venues where the artist performs and ensure that they show their gratitude to the venues and showing them some love and, of course, to the artists on the stage. My only request and plead to the people of SL that enjoy live performers is to support the venues and the singers themselves.
Come see some of the Grid’s most Iconic Designers, Models and Art Makers.
Frolic Mills Callie Cline Ponchituti Boucher memole Giha Salvo Waydelich….and many other Icon’s of Fashion. Come see how we do it.
Our show celebrates the people that created the fashion, the art, and models that display it. Come see what they chose to wear representing their phenomenal achievements of Second Life’s Fashion and Art scene.
Agency Creators, Miss and Mr. Virtual Worlds, Miss and Mr. SL and so many more of those that influenced fashion and art in Second Life.
Icon’s of Fashion Show
We’re gathering the most iconic men and women that have been involved and love the fashions that they either created or worn or showcased.
Currently walking in group: Frolic Mills Callie Cline Ponchituti Boucher memole Giha Misoindite Romano Red Jess Jamee Thompson Risa Bright Chelsea Malibu Thera Taurog – (Lady Thera) HoneyBear (Honey Crisp) Sally Yachvili Nino Heartsdale (HJ) Ludmilla Umarov Laura18 Streeter Lalisa ‘Lisa’ Manoban 리사 (Olyvia Zenovka) Ona (Ona Waffle) Lιαм Rєєѕ Ɲєтιzєη (Liam Netizen) N I C H O (Nicholai Shepherd) Salvo Waydelich
It’s about the clothed not the clothes. Which means it’s about the models themselves and the fashion they love.
Our concept is to showcase the individual style of each asked to walk. We want YOUR style, your favorite outfits, the ones that say you are the Icon.
I’d like to have 3 walks. One formal, one casual and one Dealers Choice. That’s our only structure. You chose what you want to show.
Our venue will reflect an elegant Asian style calm, pleasing, and fit for and Icon.
The DressMarker was created with the simple goal of putting love back into African print clothing. We want to provide you with a shopping experience that you are passionate about, feel good about, and provide you with African print dresses.
The DressMarker: We want to provide you with a shopping experience that you are passionate about, feel good about, and provide you with African print dresses
Our greatest inspiration is our African legacy and our love of self-expression through clothing. This inspiration comes in the form of contemporary, lively, and eye-catching African print dresses that can be worn casually, for a night out, or for formal events.
We felt a lack in the market for amazingly well-made, affordable, and readily available African print dresses. In this project, we take our opportunity to do something different, combining African textiles and Western-style, combining the two worlds we live in. We understand that women buy more for their personality than anything else. That’s why we spend our time creating clothes that fit you, flatter your body shape and help you feel confident when you wear them! Whether you are looking for an African print dress, dashiki shirt, or African print maxi skirt, we hope we have something for you. We sell for most bodies like Maitreya, Slink, Legacy, Kupra etc … and men like signature beauty slink, etc.… We also sell non-animated avatars to decorate your sim and bring it to life.
Today we are talking about how to import a developer kit into Blender. I’ve received many questions about this topic, so I thought I’d create a video dedicated to it. So let’s start our import of the Maitreya developer kit.
How to create clothes for Second Life: My Youtube Video
“All the Songs We Never Sang is an elegy to loss. It was originally created in honor of a close friend who had passed, but in this last year we have lost so many: it is for all of us.
To EXPERIENCE: The first 2 rows have empty chairs with sit animations that provide a specific view. Tap an arrow key or escape key to see this point of view. There are details in the piece which will reward the patient and the curious.”
Second Life Fashion bloggers share images related to the items he receives for free from creators. A fashion blogger is not an advertiser: the main relationship he/she should take care of is between him/her and his/her readers, and not between him/her and the creators.
In this article, we talk about the result of the survey I proposed some time ago, which you can read by clicking on the link below.
Let’s look at the result of the survey, before we do some thinking together.
As you can see, the result favors ethical fashion blogging, that is, a way of proposing images that gives a true-to-life idea of the product the fashion blogger hopes to promote.
But why does this doubt arise: if a fashion blogger alters reality with his/her images?
Well, if you browse Flickr and, in particular, the groups dedicated to fashion bloggers, you immediately realize that several fashion bloggers alter images using Photoshop or other graphics programs to better present the products they have received for free. In some cases, this way of proceeding leads readers to take big cheats. What do you think is the consequence if a fashion blog reader buys a product that he discovers has been altered by the fashion blogger? That’s right, an immediate unfollow.
It may sound strange, but I still vividly remember (even though it happened 5 years ago) the first time (and only time) that I got ripped off because of a nicely altered image in Photoshop. It was a shape: I bought it because the blogger image was spectacular, gave a sense of professionalism, and inspired confidence. I bought it without trying the demo. The image of the blogger was the same as that found on the vendor. Needless to say, the shape was horrible, had nothing to do with photography, and I got furious. Today, this store that sells shapes has changed its strategy and does not offer vendors with altered images but only raw shots. The negative comments and ratings accumulated over the years explain the reason for this choice: misleading advertising made with the use of images that do not reflect the real nature of the product.
The question you may be asking yourself is, is it possible to create images that have a certain visual and emotional impact without altering the items you want to promote?
The answer is yes. So let’s see what aspects any ethical fashion blogger might be interested in taking into consideration.
Setting the scene
Scene preparation is an essential aspect: if you prepare a scene carefully inworld, you won’t have to worry about correcting flaws in post-production. Let’s say the time you lose at this stage is the time you make up for later. The scene does not have to be a complex structure, made of backdrops and many objects. In the following photograph, my scene is just a beach in a location where I couldn’t fence. However, I had to pay attention to the movement of the waves that often generated an unrealistic scene. I shot until I captured the right moment.
In this other photograph, the scene is a couch and a simple black background. I had to pay attention to the pillows going into the arm, the bracelet not being positioned realistically, the avatar’s position on the couch, and other small details.
Light Settings
Take great care of this aspect. Choose the windlight that you think is best for you by spending time browsing through the different presets and customizing them to suit your needs.
Shadows
Shadows are a fundamental part of photography. If like me, you’re using Black Dragon, they might be a sore point since, using the default settings, you might see them jagged. I suggest you use the shadow panel by clicking on F1. It opens a panel on your right, scroll down until you find the shadows, and customize those values as best you can. There is no best preset; it all depends on the shot you are taking at that moment. I recommend you learn more by selling this video by Cassie Middles.
Framing
The originality of a shot can make a big difference. Again, I recommend spending time on it that will be made up for later. In Black Dragon, the camera rotation is wider than in Firestorm and traditional viewers, so you can count on more choices. Of course, everything can be done in post-production, but if I can get a good result inword, why not? For more insight, I recommend this video to talk about the camera in Firestorm and Black Dragon.
https://youtu.be/DMS-qSRYRm4
Small changes are allowed
If you want to embellish the photo in post-production without altering the dress, shoes, jewelry, or whatever you’re promoting, you can do that. You should always ask yourself before making an edit: does this post-production work alter the object’s true nature? Could it mislead the reader? If the answer is yes, it’s better not to edit anything.
Conclusion
Fashion blogging and photography, in general, is exciting work, but it requires dedication. And if you think that by adhering to the rules of ethical blogging you might not be successful, I suggest you take a look at Ashley’s blog and you’ll change the idea!
Please note that I Love Events(TM) is not associated with Linden Research, Inc. or any of its affiliated companies or products, including Second Life (collectively known as "Linden Lab"). The opinions and views expressed on this site belong to the content creators and do not represent the views or opinions of Linden Lab or its employees, directors, officers, agents, or representatives. The usage of the SLBN logo by I Love Events(TM) does not indicate endorsement or representation by Linden Lab.
