A little tribute

One of the benefits of being a girl is having friendships like only girls can have them I think. Men have their friends as well of course, but it’s different. Girls have a more intimate way of being friends with a way of sharing that covers about everything their mind can be busy with. From totally unimportant smalltalk and silliness to deep meaningful sharing of the mind. Of course they gossip as well when they feel like it and all affairs of the heart will be discussed extensively. Why? What makes girls do that? Are they so not able to do that with a man, even not when it is their loved one?

 

I am not any kind of expert in that, but yes I think many things girls discuss have something in it that is less easy to talk about with men. I do not believe in men’s brains and women’s brains working alike, as some will tell. Men just do not always sense so well or are not interested in all subjects girls like to talk about. And to not go too much into stereotype ways of comparing or generalising too much, yes I know that does not apply to every man or woman.

 

Fact is I have a bestie in my life, via Second Life. We met years ago via a mutual contact that happened to be my lover back then. While that romantic love connection ended after some time, the connection with my bestie only intensified over the years, never stopped growing stronger and can be considered unbreakable. We never argued and never will. We just don’t need to. Not because we agree on all or have the same taste in things, but because we feel safe enough to be able to share all without feeling fears of hurting each other.  We actually understand each other’s differences so well (and/or learn to do that better) that it opens doors to a way of sharing that feels very special. There are no limits in when, how and what we share and it always is safe. That to me is endearing, valuable and stimulating. Her name, Chimkami, (I call her Chim), will be known to several others I am sure, because she has been very active in Second Life throughout the years, running a (French) school and doing many other things. Above all she is creative with stuff and likes to make pictures as well. In case you do not know her, you do now.

Our differences

I do not mean arguments, because we have none like I said, ever, but I mean how we have different tastes and different characters and behaviours. We both have had our share of RL challenges with some dramatic and painful periods which made us survivors and fighters. Just we differ in our ways of surviving, which, alas for you as reader, stays a private matter. None of your business and also not relevant for this blog. What I will tell more about and is relevant is how we differ a lot on something else and that’s how we manage our avatar in Second Life.

 

I myself always have a main look so to speak that will not change for a couple of years until it maybe is time to renew a skin or a head and body and such. People actually can recognise me therefore on how I look. They can identify me as Yoon, by my avatar looks. Chim however is an avid shapeshifter in her looks. She plays with various ways of extra layers on the face and body all the time. No Chim without something extra! This means there never is a ‘main’ look and that she can’t be recognised in that way. She may have a few fav looks, IF she makes the effort to save them, but she is most comfortable with every day something else.

 

I find it interesting how I think it mirrors a bit our personality and character. Me having a need more for stability in looks (yup, a RL cause for that) and she needing more change (needing more expression with a change in looks). My changes in looks appear in clothes and hairs. I use zero extra’s like eyeshadow, lipsticks or whatever extra’s that change a face a lot. I only add such extra’s, but still rare, when I make a special outfit for an event or when I need it for a Machinima or picture for a blog. Let’s say it happens only for looks we would call more a role play look. For all other occasions, daily looks, I like a natural clean face on myself with little to no make-up. Second Life and Real life do not differ in that for me. Me being me needs creativity as well however, but I have other ways for that. Writing, sometimes a project, machinima and that kind of things. But it also can just exist in my mind in how I think and feel and in how I share that.

The shop

One of the things Chim likes to do is create things for avatars. She opened a shop yeaaaaaaaaaars ago and it still exists. Lately her creativity has shifted focus on making all kinds of layers for Lelutka EVO X heads. Her shop started as HAIR shop however many years ago. And Chim would not be Chim when those hairs would be common, so they all have a twist and are funny and quirky. They still can be fun to use if you like to play with looks yourself.

You can see the oldest and newest items in the shop below. It also explains the shop’s name better: CHIMHAIR. But it is way more than that. And with BOM bodies you actually can wear many clothes again we had to dismiss before Bakes on Mesh was possible. Take a look, it is a fun shop!

CHIMHAIR: OLDEST

CHIMHAIR: NEWEST

Chim made these 3 pictures:

Lelutka EVO X

Lelutka EVO X is a special kind of technique that allows HD quality layers. It can be funny when you accidentally apply a not compatible layer like a regular hairbase on such a head. You suddenly look like a monkey wearing a beard. EVO X heads changed how and where layers are applied, and you cannot use BOM layers on them, but when you like HD quality it is a type of head you will appreciate. I used to not like the earlier series of Lelutka heads so much myself because sooooooo very much showing duck lips (ewwww), as if the seemingly obligated plastic surgery treatments of our modern times have gone wrong, but the more recent heads I can appreciate better, because more variation and less duck lips. I even wear one at the moment myself.

 

And yes, since I use Lelutka AVALON, my friendship with Chim has gone to a whole new level. I have been promoted to being her personal test bunny. All her works in progress end up on my face to test for bugs and how it looks. Me of all people . . erm avatars . . . . the bare face addict  . . .  testing layers that change me dramatically. That’s not only test bunny, that’s also test funny.  And despite not using them myself, I can tell of course they are all well made and really super creative. Different than the regular ones in many cases, and   . . . . .   for a very reasonable price. Cheap even I would say. For Chim it matters more to have fun with her work and see people liking to use them and create their own looks, than making money. She also adds freebies regularly. That’s the true creative spirit to me. Having fun with being creative as core of it all. Many of her packages contain tintable layers to make it possible to create your own look. Various opacities also often in the packages, depending what kind of layers it contains.

 

And hey, you can also just mix and match not only what is in ONE package, but also use several packages for that if you like. It for sure guarantees to look different than anyone else, which can be quite a challenge in Second Life with many of us using the same heads and skins. So yes I am happy to promote my best friend’s shop here today. And to show off my test bunny skills of course as well. So far it did not make me become a shapeshifter like Chim, but  the pictures and video’s in this blog give an impression of how her clothes, hair and  LEL EVO X layers are fun to play with. One video I showed earlier already on YouTube only, but I will add that one here as well now. It is a special Kabuki set. You can read more on that in the YouTube description.

Additional links:

SECOND LIFE PROFILE:
CHIMKAMI

SHOP:
CHIMHAIR

FLICKR STREAM CHIMKAMI  (click the arrows to see more pictures):

And a blog is not complete without  music ; )

The Rembrandts – I’ll be there for you ( My choice)

So no one told you life was gonna be this way
Your job’s a joke, you’re broke
Your love life’s DOA
It’s like you’re always stuck in second gear
When it hasn’t been your day, your week, your month
Or even your year, but

I’ll be there for you
(When the rain starts to pour)
I’ll be there for you
(Like I’ve been there before)
I’ll be there for you
(‘Cause you’re there for me too)

You’re still in bed at ten
And work began at eight
You’ve burned your breakfast
So far, things are going great
Your mother warned you there’d be days like these
But she didn’t tell you when the world has brought
You down to your knees that

I’ll be there for you
(When the rain starts to pour)
I’ll be there for you
(Like I’ve been there before)
I’ll be there for you
(‘Cause you’re there for me too)

No one could ever know me
No one could ever see me
Seems you’re the only one who knows
What it’s like to be me
Someone to face the day with
Make it through all the rest with
Someone I’ll always laugh with
Even at my worst, I’m best with you, yeah

It’s like you’re always stuck in second gear
When it hasn’t been your day, your week, your month
Or even your year

I’ll be there for you
(When the rain starts to pour)
I’ll be there for you
(Like I’ve been there before)
I’ll be there for you
(‘Cause you’re there for me too)

I’ll be there for you
I’ll be there for you
I’ll be there for you
(‘Cause you’re there for me too)

Safia Nolin -Je serai ta meilleure amie – feat. Pomme  (Chim’s choice)

We know each other for
Some time
Even though we wouldn’t talk
That often
It’s true , you read me
Like an open book
I feel you’re so fragile
Defenseless heart
I want us to tell each other
Our least secrets
Because I will remain your best friend

{ Chorus }
I will be there , always for you
Wherever , when you want to
I will be , always the same
A bit bohemian
Ready to do follies
I will be , even if life
Separates us
The one who will give you hope again
We won’t let anything to chance
Because you know I will remain
Your best friend

And if we sometimes argue
Because of a boy or a detail
We will give
Everything for you , everything for me
I really feel
That we’re alike
We feel good together
I want us to talk
About everything & nothing
Because I will remain
Your best friend
{ Chorus }
My best friend ..
{ Chorus }
My best friend ..