Tracing the Threads of History and Fantasy

Join Me?

June 01, 2025

A sumptuous bed of solid wood, with a solid canopy and opulent velvet drapes. Classic style, comfort and privacy is what the Heritage Canopy Bed by DICTATORSHOP offers, naturally with all the features you have come to expect from the brand. In terms of customisation, you have the choice of 10 wood textures and 16 fabric options. This release features a new and improved animation engine, which also includes some exclusive custom animations. The bed is available in Adult PG (134 animations), Adult Vanilla (313 animations) and Adult Kink (435 animations). It supports 1 or 2 avatars, with two menus of solo animations and the rest being dedicated to various couple animations I used mainly the solo menues for the photos, though the one featuring the chains is part of the Adult Kink selection of animations.

The romantic-yet-sexy outfit, sort of a lingerie with integrated jewellery pieces, is from the Muses. Philomena is available in two different fabrics (this is the velvet) and includes a HUD for colour changes of fabric and gems. The boots are also from the Muses and in the same romantic, ornate style.  My hair is from Magika, I picked it up at her 40% off sale, and I am wearing an eyeshadow from alaskametro’s Hair Fair gift. And yes, there will be more from Hair Fair in the next few days.

Pink Boudoir

May 16, 2025

The beautiful Swan Lake series from DICTATORSHOP is getting a bathroom addition, starting with among other things a lovely sink and a tall mirror. The sink comes in PG (63 animations) and Adult Vanilla (116 animations) and offers five wood colours and two gilding options.  The opulence of this series makes it the perfect way to create a luxurious personal space and the addition of PBR-capable mirrors gives an extra dimension to your rooms and your photos. I will note that, as it says in the information regarding the mirrors, these reflections have sacrificed some detail over clarity of textures. I think I would personally have preferred it the other way around, so I suggest demoing to see what you prefer yourself. And if you do not want to use PBR at all, legacy versions are also included.

Such opulent surroundings called for something extravagant to wear and I found it in this set from Petrichor and Ersch, featuring a lace bodice, puffy lace sleeves and stockings, all of it with gold ornaments to match the decor. And with the many texture and color options available, it was easy to find a lovely shade of dusty pink that worked very well with the whole setup. The icing on the cake is the short, flirty hairstyle from Wasabi, an unrigged style that offers two versions of the bangs plus mirrored versions.

On Libraries

April 12, 2025

Libraries are very much on my mind right now, as I just finished The Book That Held Her Heart by Mark Lawrence, in which a vast, world-spanning library place a central role.

Nothing so grand here, but a small academic library featuring a key component: a very comfortable reading chair, here from DICTATORSHOP’s Heritage series. Now, it isn’t exacly reading poses that it is full of, since this is the Adult Kink version, but it does have some very cosy single animations that have you curling up in the comfort of the worn old leather. Of course, it also comes with a vast array of texture options, in case pristine leather or elegant fabrics are more to your taste.

The scrolls that I am carrying are a little teaser for the Fantasy Faire 2025, one of many, many new releases that will be waiting for you there form Petrichor. These scrolls come in either open or closed versions and there are several different holdable combinations for each. I am showing two here, a stack of scrolls under one arm and a single scroll held up in the other hand. I have also used the hud to customise the textures.

Finally we have the curious lamp that provides illumination in the form of two beams from its eyes. The CatLamp is a new release from Rustica (yes, it has been a while since the last one!) and its terribly cute. The lamp comes in a wall-mounted version, a tabletop version and a holdable version, and don’t miss out on clicking its nose.

White Wedding

March 28, 2025

Grasshopper Street has a beautiful set of bridal veils and a tiara, plus a lovely mirror as a gift, at the current round of the Engine Room. The layered veil can be worn in different ways as it is available both as a whole linkset and as individual veils and the HUD allows for a choice of patterns for each layer as well as tinting options.

I didn’t have a dress that I felt suited the style of the veils, so I decided on a bride in lingerie (a beautiful set by alaskametro) for a very lacy and ethereal look that I felt would contrast in a really interesting way with the surroundings provided by the almost-empty Nautilus building by Fanatik, with just a few decor elements from DICTATORSHOP’s Heritage series. It also raises the question of what has happened here, especially when I added the puddles and water leaks on the floor, which is a new PBR set from Fanatik.  Unfortunately, there seems to be a bug in Firestorm so that the lovely reflections I can see inworld are not preserved in the saved image. But trust me, it looks fantastic.

The beautiful upholstered and tufted sofa from DICTATORSHOP has a very traditional look without becoming too heavy or oldfashioned. It offers 7 different metal options, 23 leathers and 9 fabrics, for easy matching with your existing furnishings. Its available as PG or Adult Vanilla, with over 400 animations.