Surrealia Anatine, the gifted creator behind ANA_Mations, has been my friend a very long time, probably the oldest friend I have in SL. We’ve had our ups and downs, but we’re always there for each other in good times and in bad.

With that slightly cliched but very true statement out of the way, I can say that ANA_Mations, while not totally of my taste, has raised the bar for quality, at least in my humble opinion. I’m not saying that just because she’s my friend, but because I believe that she set the standard in the way animations are uploaded, saved and sold in SL. Smooth transitioning between poses/animations was not common-place before she opened her store, and even for a time afterwards, but it’s common now, and considered sloppy and amateurish to have your pose jerk in between.

Most of Surrealia’s work is in AO’s, with gentle breathing motions and subtle, realistic movements. I don’t think I can adequately describe just how well-made they are without you trying a demo out yourself.

Surr’s latest release is the couples HUD, a menu-driven alternative to having her simultaneous release of fourteen couples animated poses, which, it has to be said, is vastly superior and less messy than the poseball option. The nice thing is that she is not charging any extra for the HUD version, which some creators and designers insist is worth more, even if you don’t really like or want that option.

For my photography pal up here and I, they required some adjustments to fit us properly, but the instructions included with the HUD are fairly clear, if a bit complicated when compared to the poseballs by themselves.

The Kyoot AO has always been one of my favourites, and when you look at the stands included, is there any wonder why? The poses shown in this picture are of the same stand, but with a transition built in. As you can see, they are fairly similar, but it’s a natural change that doesn’t look weird, and doesn’t have you standing there rudely yawning and stretching in people’s faces all day.

I must say, I look damn kyoot! in this AO, and I bet you would too. It immediately made me want to put on something crazy and fun, something I probably wouldn’t normally wear without umm…massive amounts of hallucinogens (I don’t wear stockings and heels with shorts, like, ever, it just doesn’t happen.)

The Fairy AO is, in a word, spectacular. I’m not sure I could even do it justice in this post, but I’ll do my best. There are ten “stands” even though none of them are stands as such; fairies don’t stand, after all, they hover and flit around. This AO embodies the feeling of a fairy’s life quite well, and is one of the most complete AO’s in ANA_Mations, with turns, crouches, flying, etc. You would be well-rewarded to pop down and try them out for yourself. Playing around in Straylight will never be the same after that.

I love being a fairy. I went through quite the fairy phase on my flickr, washing out pics and just generally adoring the way I looked in Windlight. I’d prance around in the sky where I lived, but I never had an AO to do it properly. Now, I can fly around and actually *be* a fairy, which is the coolest thing ever. Too bad I’m in a film noir phase right now, but the fairy will no doubt live again.

The Photographer’s Boudoir Chaise was released quite a while ago, and caused quite a fuss at the time, since it was the first such item of its kind, ending up all over the feed. It’s menu-driven and has 38 poses in it, everything from lying seductively on your back, to crouching on your hands & knees, mayhaps ready to be spanked? Dirty! And utterly sexy. And now that I don’t crash from every blue box or menu popping up on my screen, a lot more fun to play with too. It’s also colour-changeable for both the cushions and the chaise itself, so you can fit your mood and not the other way around.

Surr recently acquired herself a Sim, named it Jabberwocky, and finally got to live out her dream of a fantasy Alice in Wonderland-type place all her own. Surr’s always been very into Alice in Wonderland, but not the sanitized-for-your-protection Disneyland version. You can watch some of her movies based on Alice on her youtube page if you like. She has her mainstore in the Queen of the large chessboard. Several smaller stores are dotted around in various pawns and such, but I think the coolest part of the Sim design is everything you can find underground. It’s amazingly creative and well-done and worth a visit for anyone. Make sure to turn your draw distance all the way up though, because you’ll want to see it all the way up in the sky to view it all properly.

Credits under the cut.

First & Second Pics:

Skin - Makeup 5A Diva Fair tone by MMSkins (no longer available) \ Hair - Annie May II in Nocturne by Celestial Studios \ Top - Little Miss Welfare tee by Canimal \ Shorts - Denim Shorts in Grunge by Tres Blah \ Socks - Lulu Tube socks in Mixed Blues by Celestial Studios \ Shoes - Low-Tops by Akeyo.

Kyoot Pic:

Skin - Lumine Sweet by Curio \ Hair - Annie May III in Nocturne by Celestial Studios \ Nose Ring - Aitui 1 captive bead eyebrow ring (refitted to chin to wear as nose ring) \ Top - Manzano in Lime by Decoy \ Shorts - Short Jean Shorts by Cupcakes (M&R Cupcakes) \ Stockings - Solid Thigh Highs in Blue by Shiny Things (freebie) \ Shoes - Belles in Acid by Shiny Things.

Fairy Pic:

Skin - Lumine Sweet by Curio \ Hair - Sea Nymph in Pearl by ETD (Limited edition - no longer available) \ Costume - Faerydae in Peach by Nicky Ree.

Boudoir Pic:

Skin - Lumine Sweet by Curio \ Hair - Abigail in Amber by Armidi (alliteration is your best friend :P) \ Nose Ring - Aitui 1 captive bead eyebrow ring \ Bra & Underwear - Intimizzio Auflori Chambre in Dove by Armidi.