Slalom

Slalom looks a pretty simple pony discipline, right? Well, it is, in principle : cross the start line, weave between the poles to the other end, loop around and weave your way back.

Manage to do it under 30 seconds? Not bad. Touch any poles? Want to do better?

Thought so. First thing to tell you is not to run, but walk. Running is considered cheating, plus the extra speed makes your weaving more erratic.

Some find it easier to keep closer to the poles using mouse-look. If this works, great. It doesn't work for me, and several ponies I know.

So here is a little trick I was taught which got my slalom times down from around 30 seconds to just a hair under 15.5 with just a little more practice.

Left click and hold the mouse button down on the name tag hovering above your head. Keeping it held, slide the mouse left or right. Notice how your avatar turns too?

Position your avatar just before the start board, either slightly left or right of center. Now, walking forwards, slide your mouse smoothly left and right to weave between the poles.

On your return to the start/finish, keep your avatar walking straight from clearing the last post to the finish line.

A straight line walk is slightly shorter than a diagonal and will have hundredths of a second from your time.

Still not a good enough time? Swap your best high prim tack for clothing layer harness and a low prim bridle. Low prim hooves, hair and tail too.

Turn off or remove any other unnecessary prims, including HUDS. Turn off streaming audio and video and those lovely clip clopping hoof sounds.

Hard to believe but that alone could shave quite a bit from your overall time. Reducing the quality of your graphics in the preferences by selecting a lower resolution helps too.

Most importantly, keep close to the poles on weaving between them, making the overall distance you need to cover significantly shorter. And practice.

Within about 30 minutes of slalom using this advice, i got my time down from 30 seconds to 17, and if lag is not too bad, even below 16 seconds.

I also recommend a slalom practice lasting no more than 10 minutes without a break.

You might get frustrated really quickly if things do not go as well as you would like. I did. And this made my mouse movements less controlled, leading to mistakes.

Hope you find this helpful, and good luck!

VvB Stiletto Heels - Five Platform Sandals

Deirdre:
This is Viktoria's latest design, a lovely platform sandal simply called Five.

Don't worry, you won't miss it, it's the only sandal in the store ;)

The platform has a great shine, and the sandal sports VvB's excellent spike heel.

Viktoria's main store was the very first to host one of our inventions - by this I mean, I had a crazy idea, and lelo did all the work - called simply, the Blog Board.

My thought was this : there is little connection between SL and the Web.

So how do store visitors read the bloggers' reviews? An URL-giver is good, but limited if there's more than one review.

Enter the Blog Board. It works like a vendor, click the little pics to see the big pic, click the big pic to get the link to the blog.

We've placed it in a few stores, the reviews are good.. so, in phase two, we'll place it in as many stores as we can, and give it away to any blogger who wants it, for them to put their own reviews in the designers' stores.

Feedback really appreciated. Go see it in action at Vik's store ;)

lelo:
Some very high heeled, what would you expect from Viktoria, sandals.

These are the best looking non-prim toe sandals i've ever seen in SL, so no problems when wearing stockings with these.

They offer the usual VvB interface, so you can control the sound and the color of your sandals.

There are 16 colors to choose from, we stuck to the usual black. *smiles*

Some great basic sandals, well basic for the extreme heel wearers, which shouldn't miss in any girls wardrobe.

Name : VvB Stiletto Heels
Owner : Viktoria Brandenburg
The SLURL :
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Dark%20Eternity/90/217/42

	Deirdre	lelo
Quality	8	8
Price	8	7
Service	9	8
Store	8	7

Hugos Design - Dena

Deirdre:
I told you we'd have nice new Hugo releases to show you, and we begin tonight with Dena, a clean little number you can wear as-is or as a start for a more intricate outfit.

The colors are a fun change from standard black and red normally seen in the fetish world.

If someone says "bubble gum", well, I'll have a hard time disagreeing ;)

The closed top covers much.. again, a nice change.

The bottom rear covers next to nothing, though.. not for G rated sims.

By the way, the deadline for the Cover Model contest pics is this Friday .. see last week's post for details.

lelo:
An 18 piece outfit from Hugo's and as usual quite a few options in it.

First of all you get all the options in all the layers so you can mix and match with jackets, corsets or underwear.

The top comes in an open, shown in the vendor picture, and a closed version as worn by me.

You also get the option of long and short sleeves.

Finally you'll find matching long gloves and stockings in the cute little bag the clothes come in.

All in all a great little foundation for loads of exciting outfits.

Name : Hugo's Design
Owner : Erik Hugo
The SLURL :
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Sheer/202/130/23

	Deirdre	lelo
Quality	8	8
Price	8	7
Service	9	8
Store	8	7

Spider Productions - Vicious Rider Black

Deirdre:
This is one of these cool cases where following an item leads to a huge store of goodies.

I'm wearing the Vicious Rider Black leather jacket here.

The sleeves can be worn rolled up as I have it here, or down. Optional shoulder tab spikes are also included.

There are quite a few versions of this jacket at the store : several colors, and each in plain, or strapped (again, as shown here).

The jeans were included - they were really short, but a moment in edit appearance took care of that. Excellent texture, you'll note if you look closely.

The whole thing is mod + copy, so don't hesitate to experiment.. but make a copy first!

The jacket collar flips up with a cool animation, for you Arthur Fonzarelli fans... aaaayyy ;)

lelo:
Well you might have noticed Mistress has a thing for leather clothing and especially leather jackets.

She just loves to ride bikes and wear the right clothes for that, if you are really nice we might show you a few pictures of that in the future. *smiles*

It's a pity we don't have much time for that, but wearing the jacket at least gives Her a bit of that feeling i guess.

This was one of those see it, want it, get it.. Spider helped us showing us what's new in his shop.

He's been designing since 2005, and the variety of items in the store is impressive.

His shop is very nice and caters to most groups in SL including furries, though you must like black, even his red outfits are very dark red.. well almost black. *winks*

Name : Spider Productions
Owner : Spider Carnot
The SLURL :
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Arachnid%20Island/123/123/369

	Deirdre	lelo
Quality	8	8
Price	8	7
Service	9	7
Store	8	7

Kayliwulf Kingdom - Saucy Jack And Saucy Jill

Deirdre:
Feeling Victorian? We've got Saucy Jack and Saucy Jill tonight, the new releases from Kayliwulf.

The color is fun, a mix of maroon and black, with gold buttons for highlights.

The gentlemen's outfit is well made, the cape and vest are definitely a touch of class.

The ladies' outfit is a little shorter of skirt than strict realism would require, but we won't quibble, the garters make up for it ;)

We called our friend Seph Ishelwood to model Jack for us, and once again, I recommend him wholeheartedly.

Now all we need is a 19th century themed party, and we're all set.

lelo:
Here is something new for us, his and her outfits.

Jill is a 19 piece outfit and offers quite a few fun items like the hat and the new laced ankle boots.

You'll also find lacetex stockings and arm gloves, which work perfectly with the rest of the ensemble and when you are feeling extra sexy you can strip and reveal the lacetex bra and string.

The Goth top has great looking ruffles at the arms and neck, i just love details like that.

Seph is showing the Jack ensemble which really goes well with the Jill i'm wearing, showing up at a party dressed like this should get people talking.

Jack has 13 pieces including a fun top hat and some funky glasses.

I'm glad that KK offers some good male or better fetish boy clothing, can't let us girls have all the good clothing in SL, we'll take 99%.. *winks*


Name : Kayliwulf Kingdom
Owner : Lazarus Luan & Daphne Goodnight
The SLURL :
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Kayliwulf%20West/115/97/39

	Deirdre	lelo
Quality	8	8
Price	8	8
Service	9	8
Store	8	7

Pony Places: Sala and Forum

Forum: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Forum/128/129/23

From their "About" entry :

"Forum is a Non-Commercial BDSM Lifestyle Community and Home, member run with a: library, talks, parties, friends, dungeons, playrooms, tour, roleplay, furry, pony stable, puppy, TS TG TV D/s, Goth, Gor, walks, skyIslands, cuddle, ceremonies"

Upon arriving at the main Forum landing site, you will see a teleporter nearby. It's a neat chair style.

Destinations are ForumHub, Sky Hub, Library, Tree House, Stables, Hippodrome, FreeBi Island, and Palm Beach.

Take the chair to the stables, this will take you to an above ground stable area, complete with steeplechase, dressage area and pony walker.

There is also quite an extensive block of stalls for the ponies.

Numerous paths lead out of the stable block, taking you to yet more dressage and steeple areas, barrel racing and slalom areas and passing a wonderful Gothic building with numerous dance balls dotted around.

At the entrance to this building are pony troughs and leashing posts so you can park your pony and cart and have a little dance with a friend or loved one.

A little further on is an oval arena for cart races with room for many spectators reminiscent of a roman gladiatorial arena.

Opposite the entrance of which is a lovely lunge training (whip training) circle.

Walking along the perimeter of the arena, there are plenty of rest points to give your pony a drink.

And if you have a firm seat in your cart, a chance to sit on something different for a while.

For the more adventurous, and more energetic, there are ramp ways down from the pony fields.

Thankfully with a few places to stop and get your breath back, including at about the halfway point, a castle.

This is a 500m climb from ground to the stable area, so the rest stops are certainly going to be a welcome break in the climb.

And the climb, or ride down, is definitely worth it.

Some breathtaking scenery, secret cuddle or dance spots and benches or pony troughs show how well thought out the whole of Forum's Sala sim is designed with the pony experience in mind.

Hugo's Design - Amina Body and Fashion Show

Deirdre:
Well Erik of Hugo's Design is keeping busy lately, with a new release, and a bunch of events coming up.

We told you about his last fashion show barely in time, but we'll give you plenty of advance warning tonight : the show's on November 28th at half past noon, SL time.

This one is called "Fashion Assassin", and should be pretty neat. I'll pencil it in my busy agenda and try to let you know what I loved.

Astute (or regular - but our regulars are all astute, of course!) readers know that if I don't mention something, it's because I don't love it.

The Hugo Cover Model hunt is still going on, as well. If you want to enter photos, your deadline for this round is November 20th.

Until we get the new outfits (and they do look wild!) we'll finish our batch from the last release - this is Amina, in a shorter, bare-buns version.

lelo:
We just had to continue the sexy theme this week so here is another sexy one, the Amina body in pink.

It's a simpler and i think sexier version of the Amina suit and the pink adds to that.

Still 22 parts in the outfit, mostly each layer in pink and black.

As before the texturing on the body is amazing and i just love the line on the back of the stockings.

So get a new sexy outfit and enter the contest....

Name : Hugo's Design
Owner : Erik Hugo
The SLURL :
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Sheer/202/130/23

	Deirdre	lelo
Quality	8	8
Price	8	8
Service	9	8
Store	9	9

Graves - Mantis

Deirdre:
A new and fun heroine-looking outfit (or villainess, of course...) from Graves, this is Mantis.

The goggles have a really cool insect eye effect.. is that cyberpunk?

You get 16 parts in this outfit. The body can be worn with (as shown here) or without the smoky latex catsuit.

The sides of the body show a hint of nipple.. first outfit I see that does it from the sides, actually.

Complement with your favorite boots, and you're ready to save (or take over) the world!

lelo:
Still doing this weeks theme: sex outfits... *winks*

We did one of our rare shopping trips, most outfits we find on other people, and saw this new outfit at Jackies shop.

As usual the texturing is great, and with the addition of a few prims you get something really special.

Pay special attention to the collar with the zipper and the big ring, i just love details like that.

Have a look at the other new items at Graves, i'm sure you'll love just as much as we do.

Name : Graves
Owner : Jackie Graves
The SLURL :
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Oxymoron/54/113/31

	Deirdre	lelo
Quality	9	9
Price	8	8
Service	8	8
Store	8	8

Latex Station - Victoriana

Deirdre:
We haven't run Latex Station in a while, and they have a really good variety.

The store isn't the most intuitive layout in the second world, but we found Victoriana and it caught my eye.. grew on me.. then we got it ;)

Shopping is dangerous, I tell ya ;)

The white trim brings out this outfit, and the garters are really well made; this is how latex stretches in RL.

The reflections on the gloves are excellent.. these may become my favorites.

Good outfit, excellent price. Go, you can thank us later ;)

lelo:
Another sexy outfit, this time from our friends at Latex Station, is this the beginning of a themed week?

The 5 part outfit has the usual good looking Latex Station shine and details.

Especially the garter tabs look great as does the zipper.

Chill made good use of the layers by putting the thong in the underwear layer giving you a rather naughty option. *winks*

I loved this one so much i bought Mistress a matching black one (her favorite color in case you hadn't noticed *smiles*), private use only... sorry no pictures of that one.

Ohh.. and it makes a great Christmas present at that price and with the transfer permission, so get an matching pair like we did.

Name : Latex Station
Owner : Chill3 Mills
The SLURL :
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Meincassel/128/128/637

	Deirdre	lelo
Quality	8	8
Price	8	8
Service	8	8
Store	8	8

Kayliwulf Kingdom - In The Limelight

Deirdre:
Introducing Kayliwulf's latest naughty outfit, " In The Limelight ". And if you wear that on any stage, you're less shy than I am.

The garters are a fun touch, and the outfit includes the now-famous Kayliwulf prim sandals.

Lazarus worked hard on the menu, and it shows. The feet come with latex ankle socks that will match Kayliwulf's colors.

Wear the sandals with latex stockings or a catsuit, they will now look like they're part of the outfit.

There is the barest of difference in color, unavoidable between colors on prims and colors on clothing layers, I believe.

Still a very good matching job, and the ankle straps hide many sins ;)

lelo:
Well this one is definitely for the bedroom or for the showgirls among us. *smiles*

Next to a pair of Kayliwulf's wonderful strap sandals, you'll get a very skimpy outfit.

The sandals come with the latest HUD which offers you the options to color your toenails in every KK color.

The showgirl outfit barely hides anything, though surprisingly for once hides the nipples. *winks*

The lace garters look very good and are a fun addition.

So better run and get this one and surprise that special somebody in your life.

Name : Kayliwulf Kingdom
Owner : Lazarus Luan & Daphne Goodnight
The SLURL :
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Kayliwulf%20West/115/97/39

	Deirdre	lelo
Quality	8	8
Price	8	8
Service	9	8
Store	8	7