Love Nikki (my current gaming addiction)

I’m kind of a one game at a time person – I play something, focus obsessively on it, then eventually move on. I often return to games, so my current lack of activity in Tamriel will not necessarily last (so I’m not losing my “I’m a serious gamer” cred, right?), but for now I’ve given it up for a delightful little diversion called Love Nikki Dress UP Queen (and yes, the capital UP is part of the title stylisation). I actually discovered this game because of a thread on CGL and fell head over heels for it.

This post isn’t exactly a review of Love Nikki, it’s more of a spreading the good news. It’s a very cute and very fun game, with a lot more intricacies of gameplay than you’d expect of a dress-up game. I’m utterly hooked and have also hooked three of my girlfriends on it as well…so it’s not just me who thinks it’s great. One this I love is that the clothes available range across so many styles – not just regular fashion but more niche styles such a mori girl and, of course, lolita.

I even made a few lolita outfits to show you how cute this game is! My collection is still limited (apparently I’m at 15% so I’ve got a long way to go) but I thought I cam up with some cute coordinates regardless, without resorting to using full pre-made suits (as outfit sets are called in game).

First of all I put together a cute little red-and-white sweet lolita look. It’s almost a cheat, styling wise, as the main pieces are a mesh of two different red-and-white lolita suits but I still did something different with the warm and fluffy accessories. I’m also getting Minako Aiko idol vibes because of the hair, and I like it a lot because of that!

Then I totally did cheat and use a full suit…I just wanted to show this one off! How perfect is it as a lolita outfit? I did change out the hair and face though, so I get to claim a tiny amount of creativity here. But this suit shows just how good this game is in treating alternative fashions like lolita – if this was real you could totally wear this coordinate out and it would be perfect.

For a third try (because all the best things are done in threes) I put together an opulent classic lolita coordinate, which I feel actually fits the current OTT classic trend quite well. I would so wear this if I owned it for a photoshoot or fancy event. I’ve also discovered that you can buy a cosplay of the suit that the bonnet with veil comes from and I’ll admit, that is now on my “to cosplay” list for when I slim down enough to fit back into a Chinese size L ^__^

And, as a last thing, I wanted to try my hand at an ouji look! Not my best work, but still cute!

So that’s a few of the way you can dress up if you play Love Nikki! I am really loving this game and thoroughly recommend it, for lolitas and non-lolitas alike.

Do you play any games that are somewhat lolita in nature?

The Minecraft Sandbox.

In my teenage years I was never much of a gamer - I just loved Age of Mythology and was addicted to FarmVille. No, I was a late bloomer and I'm still pretty limited in the games that I play. I tend to get obsessive over a very few games, and one of them is Minecraft.

I never really played with Lego as a child, but to me Minecraft is kind of like the adult version of playing with Lego. You can make stuff. You can make anything you want with what you have. It's getting those things that's difficult You will trek from biome to biome searching for the right type of wood, mine into lava and zombie filled caverns to get diamonds, and traverse the jungles to find enough mossy cobblestones in temples to build a castle on a cliff.

 One of James and my earliest Minecraft homes. 

I'm not even quite sure what this post is. It's not a review, because it's pretty much impossible to review a game that has deliberately simplistic graphics and no real story line. It's a fun or as boring as you make it. New features are being added regularly - in the time I've played things like trading with villagers, temples and chests in minecarts in mine shafts have been introduced. And though every new feature of note has it's fans and it's haters [and a healthy dose of people who don't care too much either way] the game is undeniably continually developing. So this is not a review.

Looking down at a desert village during a night of exploring.

Nor is it a player guide, though it's a game that doesn't come with instructions. You spawn in a blocky world - maybe it's snowing, maybe you're among towering trees, maybe a desert surrounds you - and there is no map and no objectives. The Minecraft Wiki is a friend and ally here, so I don't need to mention that really, the first thing you should do it punch a tree then punch whatever animal is closest.

Another village, full of ripe crops. Crops make me happy.

No, I think in the end this is just me adding my voice to hundreds of others saying that Minecraft is awesome. It's not everyone's cup of tea, and I've wanted to rage quit many times when a creeper blows up my stuff [again]. I've taken month long breaks before returning to the Minecraft fold. But my rage subsides and I do return, because it makes my nerdy heart happy to destroy and create in this eight-bit world.

Review #3: Bodyline [also stuff about cats and sewing]

This morning started wonderfully. I woke up, snuggled the man for ages, made our morning cup of tea and we started a LOL game. And then, when James had just conveniently recalled, came a knock on the door and the postal lady delivered my Bodyline order! But I am a good little nerd and we finished the game before I pounced onto the package!

I ordered three items as this is essentially my Bodyline test order. I wanted to see how decent their items were and if I'd even fit them as I'm only a couple of centimeters off the top end of their measurements for 2L.

L137, 2L, sax

L417, 2L, brw

Shoes259, 270, ewh

And lo and behold, three items arrived! The clothes were in what I've read are the standard bags, and the shoes were wrapped in tissues paper with supports on the inside - not the most sturdy packaging, but again I've read that that is the norm and they were undamaged so I'm okay with that.

The Skirt:

I fell head over heels in love with this print when I first saw it. It's kind of tacky, but so bright and cheerful and fun! There were no flaws in the print or construction that I could see.  The fabric feels nice enough, and I actually really like the lace at the hem - it's nicer than what a lot of Bodyline reviews lead me to believe. The waist is half elasticised and there is a sturdy zipper on the left. It came with detachable waist ties and a detachable bow in pink, and it's quite a full skirt. However the elastic is rather stiff and the skirt digs into my waist a bit, even though with an 84cm waist I'm well within the 72-98cm range it theoretically fits. It's definitely still wearable though, and I know it sounds silly, but this skirt makes me happy.

The Dress:

This is hands down my new favourite dress. When we were looking on the site deciding which dress to order the choice came down to this dress or another one and I was leaning towards the other but James was leaning towards this one, and given that he knows me and my style really well I went with this and I am so glad that I listened to him! 

It is an absolutely perfect fit, and really looks good on me, if I can say so myself. There are bustle ribbons so the skirt can be ruffled or not at the front and back - personally I prefer not to but it's nice to have the option. The main fabric is actually rather thick and heavy, and the chiffon-y underskirt is really soft and nice to the touch. There's pretty rose lace on the bodice and grosgrain bows on the bodice and skirt. There is shirring with corset lacing at the back and a concealed zip on the left. It's very sturdily made, and looks and feel great! 

One other thing I love about this dress is that as well as being lovely for classic lolita, I can also wear it as a casual summer dress and could probably even formal it up for something like a nice dinner or night out. I have a very big and very soft spot in my heart for versatile clothing.

The Shoes:

Well....every single online shoe size conversion sheet I've seen lied. Size 9 theoretically equals Size 270 but not in practice! So these shoes, cute and seemingly awesome as they are, are going to go to a new home with a friend of mine at a swap meet she's hosting in early November. 

The Pros:

• Quick postage - just under two weeks from placing the order to receiving it.
• Well made and sturdy clothing. I think the garment construction and material quality actually beats things you'd pick up from lower-end department stores like Target for the same price.
• Great fabrics. Bodyline uses some materials that make me cringe, but I think the Alice print is cute and fun and the brown floral is nice and classic.

The Neutrals:

• Sizes aren't quite as generous as the website indicates - the skirt is tight and the dress fits like a glove and I don't know if it would quite stretch to the 102cm bust it supposedly can.

In other news, our household has a new cat, who's name is Syra or something like that. Panda hasn't quite made up his mind about her yet...

My man has been being absolutely wonderful over the last couple of days and is in the process of completely re-configuring our back room [which is his workspace and our storage space] to be able to be my sewing room as well! It's going to be fantastic to not have to clear the dining room table whenever I want to sew, which means I'll be sewing more. And with new dresses to make patterns from I think I'll be making lots of pretties very soon, and maybe some tutorials to go with them.

And finally, to give cyclic structure to this day of goodness, I'm off the play another game of LOL.