Crystal Tears

Kiba Tachikawa is up with another line of original items! These are face gem decorations that are often seen in visual and oshare kei to decorate the eye area. They are available in 6 variations and 8 colors. Shown below are the drain and verge gems. (Click here for TP!)

All gems are sculpties and so have the actual cut gems are supposed to have instead of being plain circles with gem textures.

New Shop

Kodama no Ki welcomes Link Appletor! Click here for TP!

Link makes anime-inspired t-shirts and tattoos :) Shown here is part of his line of t-shirts.

Furisode

CHATNOIR Catnap has released a long-sleeved (furisode) woman's kimono.

It uses elements of "Dōshoku Saie" and "Taikei Shiyū-zu" from her favorite painter :o)

Click here for TP!

Repolished steel

Beware Hax has updated his forehead protector (hachigane). There are some scripting fixes, a new white fabric texture (tintable), the steel part has a new logo available (Yugakure), its cloud logo has been redone and, if you are not really a Naruto fan, you can now set it with no logo. Beware says that those of you who bought the item previously will soon receive an update.

Mandarin Duck Kimono, Male Version

CHATNOIR Catnap has released a male version of her kimono featuring Jakuchū Itō's "Secchū En'ō-zu" painting (a mandarin duck in the snow).

You can get it here.

Surgical Masks

Out of the usual protection for H1N1 or to keep your cold for you, the surgical mask in Japan has been part of the bōsōzoku gangster fashion for a while and as a result the visual kei fashion picked it up as well, in a wide range of styles. Kiba Tachikawa presents us that range - 12 masks in total. Shown below is the Massacre one.

Reafflicted

Angelic Yumako has reopened her store in Kodama no Ki, with lots of new products!
You will find there apparel and weapons inspired from different Japanese video games like Phantasy Star, Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy XI. Drop by to check it out!

Napalm Strike

Kidnaplism Freschi's third weapon is here! It is inspired from Nero's sword in Devil May Cry, but it has more details and sound effects than it. As usual, Kidnaplism has prepared a Youtube video to show you the weapon in action.

Die for It

In the spirit of doing the entire Dir en Grey band as Kiba Tachikawa has promised many people, here is Kyo, its singer. This is his outfit in the Ain't Afraid to Die video. Like the previous Diru outfit, it is for Hentai Katayama. Kiba says: He expressed how this song literally saved his life and his story touched me so much I wanted to make something fom it.

If you are unfamiliar with Dir en Grey's work, you can watch the promotional video.

Break A Ship, Break An Areana, Break People

When Koenees Karas sent me pictures of his new releases, I pointed out that there are not many products in real life whose selling point is that they are breakable. (Well at least one thing I bought in RL was not labelled like that, and it broke after 13 months, is to say one month after the warranty is over...)

So yes, they are well scripted, and realistic. As usual, with bleeding visual effects. One more step towards a better reproduction of the Dragon Ball atmosphere in Second Life! Give them a try!

Old but Good

You've worn your favorite kimono every spring for so many years that its sleeves have started to tatter. You know it makes you look somehow like a rōnin but you just can't stop wearing it. CHATNOIR Catnap has released two such kimonos. TP here to get them!

Beautiful And Delicious

When you think about spring in Japan, it's also time to go to the mountain and pick up mountain vegetables (sansai). Bamboo shoots is one of these. The bamboo, beautiful and delicious. Abamama Hax has prepared a pack for you to enjoy seeing both of them in your garden. You can find it in her store.

Sakura

Spring is here and the flowering of cherry blossoms has already begun in southern Japan! For the occasion, Toya Watanabe has released sakura trees at her store in Kodama no Ki. They come in four sizes (mostly sold separately), and you can choose between having a tree with falling a petals effect that you can turn on or off with a click, or one that turns the effect on and animates you when you sit on it. I could have a look at them and I can tell you that the big tree that animates you is really sweet to see! Oh, by the way. If you want to see what the medium-sized tree looks like, walk a few steps north of Toya's shop. It'll be blooming there until the end of April!

Folding screens

CHATNOIR Catnap has two new mod/copy folding screens for sale in her shop. The paintings are those that were previously featured on two kimonos, except now you can contemplate them better :o)

Macabre

Macabre. A quality of certain artistic or literary works, characterized by a grim or ghastly atmosphere. In these works, there is an emphasis on the details and symbols of death.

Macabre was an album and era of Japanese visual kei band Dir en Grey. There were many different outfits worn and many variatios of them but Kiba Tachikawa chose to make Die's most famous leather body suit. He says that the reason for this choice was for Hentai Katayama, the co-owner of Kanzen ni Jrock. His first experience with visual kei was Die in this very outfit.

If you are unfamiliar with Dir en Grey or that particular outfit, here are Kiba's references :

image one | image two | image three

Monsters Garage

If you ever meet Kennt Kidd, he'll probably have the appearance of one of his seven products that make up a nice line of Ultraman avatars. Ultraman, the number one Japanese super-hero.

But Kennt has also thought about those of you who get to like the villains better. You can now cosplay as one of these funky retro monsters that rampage, with laser beams, unrealistic scale models of Japanese cities. And yes, most of these products have special effects included :o)

The shop is right here.

The Maid's Feathers

Fuyuko Nishi has released a cosplay reproduction of Iroha, originally from Samurai Shodown VI (Samurai Spirits: Tale of the World's Greatest Swordsman), and appearing in a couple of later games too.

Frozen Halberd

Kidnaplism Freschi has released his second weapon, the Frozen Halberd. To start with the looks, a part of it is a sculpted blade, the other feels like your RPG hero's staff (ex: Tsubasa from .hack//Sign).

Just like the Kazekiri, it is 100% functional. It has the same features, but of course, the attacks, sounds, animations, combos, etc, are all new. It's really worth getting it! Kidnaplism has prepared a Youtube video as a teaser :o)

TP here to get it!

Ukiyo-e House

cark Milos has released a small Japanese-looking house featuring the ukiyo-e paintings of Hokusai (1760 - 1849). It's right here.

Hakama

Selos Dae has put up a nice hakama for sale at her spot in Kodama no Ki.
What is so special about them is that they have a kind of low-rise fall, which is very handy if you want to have a modern Japanese look. Available here!

A Mandarin Duck in The Snow

CHATNOIR Catnap has released his second kimono that features paintings from Jakuchū Itō (first one is here). The painting is "A mandarin duck in the snow".

Even with its flashy look, this kimono gets to feel like the Japanese Edo period. The chic colours and the Nishijin silk obi combine very well. The black line produces a modern effect.
The obi and its ornament are sculpted prims.

TP to CHATNOIR's store to get it!

Shop Moving

Hi! Just a quick notice. Dwain Aeon has moved his shop around in the mall. New location is here. Usually I don't tell about that, but it seems like he is going to put on more products, so watch out :o)

Mai Shiranui

Fuyuko Nishi says that she is happy to show you the new full avatar she's made. For the video games fans of you who still remember the old and so popular KOF or all the girls who want cosplay as one of the sexiest anime game girls, here is Mai Shiranui from Fatal Fury and King of Fighters. Avatar includes all you see in the picture: outfit, shape, skin, eyes, hair and attachments. Available here.

Altered soul in the heavens

Here comes a nice follow up for December 22's post. Kiba Tachikawa has made Mana's outfit!

Also, since last week, there is a non expensive Kon (from Bleach) plushie in the store. Drop there to get yours!

I asked Kiba if he could take a snapshot of the two products together so that I can sort of explain the title I gave to this post, but somehow I have mixed feelings about the outcome... But anyways... Each sold separately, lol.

Peonies

taiko McCaw of Naminoke has put out four new kimonos for sale. They are flower-themed; a good choice if you want to put some freshness in the middle of your winter :o) Click here for TP!

A good rest

Is your avatar sleepy?

Time to experience a night from the Heian period! Abamama Hax has made three kimono pyjamas, and and an emperor's residence with a veranda for viewing the moon, complete with a passage in between the two. The emperor's residence is also sold as a stand alone product. Click here for TP!

GAOOO!!!

Happy New Year! At Kodama no Ki we hope we can bring you more awesome contents to spice up your Second Life in 2010!

As some of you might know this is the year of the Tiger. For the occasion, CHATNOIR Catnap has released such a kimono. Click here for TP!

A scar in the wind

Kidnaplism Freschi has released a quite unique katana-in-each-hand weapon, the "Kazekiri". (Click here for TP!) Its behaviour, down to camera movement, replicates several video games such as Street Fighter.

Out of the features described in the image above, I would like to point that it features air combos as well as small dashes (four directions), and that it is DCS / CCS / WARPS / XRPS compatible. Here are a few snapshots of the looks of the katanas, unsheathed.

　　　　　　　　

Want to see more? Kidnaplism has prepared a Youtube video to show you the Kazekiri in action.

Yes, definately, just one scar in the wind and you'll adopt it.

Le Ciel

Kiba Tachikawa of ::Bushido:: did it again. Here is another outfit from the japanese musical sphere! (Click here for TP!)

It is worn by Gackt in Malice Mizer's "Le Ciel" video.

Names

Unlike the November 23rd public post on this blog, the Kodama no Ki merchants group message about Cryoban contained a list of known copybotters to watch for. Four days later, someone not belonging to the group sent me an IM saying he's received the notecard I made. He said he has been aware of X and Y's copybotting habbits for a while, but that nobody believes him, because they are SIM owners. He also gave me a few more names to add on the list.

Well. I guess that if the notecard is spreading around, it means it's useful. So here is the reworked list of people (and their supporters) banned from Kodama no Ki for having copybotted products, without having done a public apology or effectively proved that the affirmation is wrong. The list was made up from credible reports and my general knowledge. (I have been around since 2007.) This is prior to Cryoban, by the way - the Cryoban script detected only one resident so far, and since I can't make any clear proof he has copybotted, I am keeping his name out of the list for now.

• Acidic Burns (banned & dead), aka Acid Popstar (banned), aka Chester Popstar (banned), aka Thiago Mimiteh (banned) : sculpted prims from Unknownsoldier Maximus, and more. Darknight Low is also known to have worked with Acidic Burns, but I couldn't find anyone else's creations yet in his line of products.
  
• Madisonn Guisse (banned & dead) : sculpted prims from Haruko Fukai ("skirts roupa ninja foda"). The said clothing was worn by Cipo Cale (banned & dead).
• Gwolf Carducci (banned) : textures from Hiroro Mayo.
• Kazuno Yokosuka (banned) : prims from Giorno Brando's big torii.
• mizaki Kytori (banned) : products from Laqroni and Armidi. A resident saw him wandering KNK, inviting customers to his shop.
• Naruto Umia (banned) : copied my friend's clothing and skin under his eyes.
• Phoenix Thor (banned) : boots from Mai Runo, mask(s) from lantern Oyen.
• Sephiroth Lusch (banned) : a whole SIM, lantern Oyen's products, and a tree from Botanical.
• Smithys Dover (banned) : "zack shoulder" from Murgatroyd Zauberflote, worn by a guy named karazhi Arun.
• Tidus Gynoid (banned), aka Tidus Gravois (banned) : skin from togashigenzi Mopp.
  
• Yoruichi Kamachi (banned) : is hosting Phoenix Thor and said she doesn't care about copybot.

I am showing this list out to the public as a proof that I am not banning people out of personal grudge, but rather to encourage honest creators to keep the good work!

P.S.: For your information, the rest of the banlist containts mostly cheaters and their bots.

P.S.II: Be aware that the Lindens seem to be automatically shutting down accounts that use the cloning function from the third party client "testclient", even if it was done on a friend, as a test, with no abuse reports. It happened to someone related to Kodama no Ki. My advice is, if you want to make sure you are not doing a mistake out of curiosity, you should stick with the default client, at least until the Lindens come up with a list of trusted clients and links to download them. Why? Because you can't know everything your third party client is doing. I'm sure one day there will be an issue with one sending passwords somewhere...

Black white rabbit

Kiba Tachikawa is bringing one more visual Kei outfit to Second Life. Click here for TP!

This is worn by D's vocalist Asagi in the band's music video for Yami no Kuni no Alice (Alice in Darkness). The whole video has a gothic Alice in Wonderland theme and Asagi is supposed to be the "white rabbit", black version.

Westernization

D15 Koba has put an interesting set of kimonos in Kodama no Ki. (Click here for TP!)
As the following poster says : "If you clap your head, you can hear the sound of Westernization."

These kimonos reflect the changes Japan went from Meiji restoration to Taishō romantism (roughly from 1868 to 1911). If you look at your underwear, you see buttons. If you clap your head, you notice there is hair, rather than the bare skin part of your chonmage (topknot). But it's not western style completely yet.

There are three kimonos in the set, and you can buy them together or separately. One kimono is plain light brown, one is navy blue and checked, and the other one is black with polka dots. The sleeves, collar and obi (belt) are resizable through a touch menu. By the way, D15 says he's stoppd using the long-click thing feature because too many people didn't figure it out ;)

New kimonos for now

CHATNOIR Catnap has released new kimonos! (Click here for TP!)

Cryoban and copybot

Today I put "Cryoban" in the mall. Cryoban is a script that will detect and ban users of the Cryolife viewer (Cryo viewer), an obsolete viewer that is no longer useful for any purpose other than content theft (copybotting). If you are using it, please change: you won't be able to get in!

The copybot issue is not an easy one. To show you the textures, objects and sounds, your computer has to download them, so if it's not from the viewer, these can be grabbed at lower levels, down to your hardware. And even if the hardware prevents that, hardware can be modified by skilled people (think about your modified PSX).

You hate copybotters? You understand that copybotting frustrates creators out of Second Life? There are things you can do!

• If you are an owner, don't allow copybotters to sell stuff on your land, and ban them.
• If you are a creator, don't sell stuff on land admin' by copybotters or where they are allowed to sell.
• If you are none of the above, don't buy or hang around on land admin' by copybotters or where they are allowed to sell. Leave right away. Don't give them traffic or money.

So, how to find out someone is a copybotter? Look at the store, the vendors, inspect their contents. Inspect objects, inspect what people wear. Look at the creators profile. There are some clues:

• High quality products in a crappy store.
• High quality products in a crappy vendor. Specially beware of floating text (= creator can't make textures).
  
• Creator's profile is empty.
• Creator belongs to groups like freebies or zyngo.
• Creator belongs to no merchant groups.
• Creator has no link to his store in his picks.
• Creator has no store and is selling his products on the go.
  
• Creator was born quite recently.
  
• Creator didn't care about providing even little information in English in his profile.
• Product is full perm. Full perm products are most likely to become free, and no guenine creator wants that from the start.

I hope it helps! (^ ^)

Hot pink

Kiba Tachikawa is out with a new outfit! TP here to get it!

It is worn by singer Maya in LMC's song Punky Heart.

Kiba says: "I thought it would be fun to pull away for moment from the dark and gothic visual kei and try something bright and vibrant from oshare kei. And what better then hot pink?"

Paper crane

SALA Loon has released a 1-prim origami paper crane, just in time for Japan's Culture Day (November 3rd).