Mother Goose fanatics are gathering in Turpentine!

Okay, that sounds odd...until you know that Turpentine is the name of the sim in which the Mother Goose shop is located. Mother Goose is a Japanese shop that makes skins for young/youthful avatars: male, female and androgyne. Not all of the skins are glamorous, but many could be worn every day, and all of them have have interesting elements that grant them character. Fans are gathering to enjoy the array of lucky boards that feature several of these skins.

I won twelve skins just while composing this post! Shown here are a few of them: MolyA, MolyB, Leoni, MiChi, Jessica, Luke1, Luke2 and Rudy.

The 14 lucky boards have short turnover times, practically guaranteeing at least one win for anyone who hangs out here for a little while (and the skins are transferable if you want to share duplicate wins with a friend.) But if you get tired of waiting, most of the skins are available for about L$300 in one of the clustered Mother Goose buildings, along with shapes and some clothing items. There's also a nearby shed filled with dollarbies, just begging to be explored!

If you've got a taste for punk, you're probably already familiar with Black Maria hair. But you might not know that the designer of Black Maria, Opera Qunhua, has set nearly all the hair out for free - yes, free! Hairs that were originally L$100, L$150, L$250 or obtained only during special promotions can now be had for a simple click.

Black Maria was the first hair inworld that I felt really comfortable with. I still wear it more than any other. It wasn't free then, but it is now!

So come get your mohawks and spikes, your peaks and shags. Feed your inner punk, indy, goth or emo. The free offerings are complete fatpacks of 21 colors. There's truly something for everyone who doesn't want to look like...well, everyone!

Do you have a story to tell? In Second Life, you're going to need a pose or animation - preferably several of them - to help your avatar enact or emote in a way that helps that story get across. At Pose Fair 2010, you'll find the largest annual gathering of posemakers on the grid, and it's happening right now. The fair makes it easy and fun to browse through the temporary shops, to oogle the great images and admire the vast selection of poses available. You'll see familiar brands represented here, as well as many you have yet to become familiar with.

What will you find at the Fair? There are poses for men, for women, for teens, for toddlers and even for tinies. There are poses for angels, for ninjas, for fairies, for mermaids, for warriors or fighters. There are static poses, animated poses, dance animations and complete AOs. There are poses with props, poses with scenes, pose HUDs, pose stands, posing booths and - believe it or not - more.

With such a grand selection of poses, animations, gadgets, photography aids and so much talent in one place, you'll find it easy to spend lindens at the Fair. You can even do it for charity. Additionally, many of the merchants offer special poses that can only be gotten at the Fair, and often for a greatly reduced price or even free! The poses shown in these images are Pose Fair freebies (or dollarbies) by Del May, Sh33k, Au Soleil, Estetica, Pulling Strings, HopScotch, Kami-Hitoe, MADesigns, Slash Me, BeScene, Maimai, Poise and Xari. These are only some of the many gifts and low-priced (L$1 - L$5) items that offer extra incentive to attend the Fair.

The outfit I'm wearing in these images (which includes shape, skin, and several poses) was also free at the Fair, a gift at the Del May shop. The 'Mime' is a collaboration between Ugly Duck Skins and Del May Poses. It's a great outfit to wear when trying out poses, so one is undistracted by clothing or prim pieces, and I really like the look (although I added socks and gloves to mine because it more suited me that way). I think this'll become my new go-to low-lag outfit.

Oh, lag? Sure, expect to find some lag at the Fair. Low-ARC clothing is the best attire for a busy event of this kind. Pose Fair coordinators have made sure there are low-ARC skins freely available to all: pink for girls and blue for guys. The first time I saw a person wearing one, I thought she was part of the display; it was a surprise for me when this "display model" hopped off the pose stand and walked away to the next shop! You can grab your copy of the skins from several posters near the landing point.

Be sure to slip Pose Fair 2010 into your schedule soon because after April 16, it all goes away until next year.