Category: Hot Tips (Page 3 of 4)

Holiday Magic

November 23, 2016 / aemeth / 0 Comments

Happy Holidays! We’re now headed into the slew of special days to finish up the year. I wish you an awesome journey through this season, no matter what you’re doing or celebrating.

For some of us, we’re going to find ourselves in a stressful situation somehow. Maybe you’re interacting with family you don’t want to deal with. Maybe you have no family to interact with or you are sorely missing someone. I’ll list a few pointers and articles to help you out if you’re that someone.

Remember you are fully able to excuse yourself or turn down invitations to deal with family who is toxic. Don’t put yourself through that, and don’t let that person guilt you into dealing with them if you don’t want to. Lie if you need to stay away from them. It’s not a sin to put your mental health first.
If someone veers into politics over dinner and you know it’s going to get ugly, assert that you don’t want to talk about it because you just want to enjoy holiday vibes. Tell that person they can call or email you another day if they really want to get your opinion on current happenings.
Too many people? Step outside for a moment, breathe some fresh air, or take a short walk. Reassure concerned family that you’re just wanting to enjoy the weather as a part of the day.
Know your alcohol limit! A party can be great but if alcohol tends to get the family into unhappy debates, sit it out or dip early. Practice the art of having “just enough” where you don’t veer into stomachaches or become disagreeable.
If you’re alone for the holiday and feeling the blues, treat yourself if you can. Do not blame yourself for being alone. It happens to everyone! If you feel super down and want to cheer yourself up, find something to donate and visit a soup kitchen on Thanksgiving. Also, avoid listening to sad songs and don’t drink too much if you know it’ll encourage depression. Put on your favorite movie or find one on Youtube to make you laugh. Or just laugh at the misery of everyone else who is stuck in the cold right now. That’s not you!
Actually no matter who you are, you should treat yourself during holidays anyway. You deserve it.
Create your own holiday celebrations with friends in the grid if you need to. Family’s one thing, but friends? The ones who mean a lot to you? That time spent with them can do you a world of emotional good, even if you’re sitting around a pixel table.

Got any more tips? Leave them in the comments!

What I’m Wearing:
Logo Alex Head
Chemistry – Mila Hair
RC Cluster – Fantasy Floater AO
RC Cluster – Spell Book of the Good
Neve – Pull Over Sweater (Neutral)
Neve – Artist Frayed Jeans
ROC – Martens Boot

Yabusaka Mesh Head Studio

September 2, 2016 / aemeth / 0 Comments

Can you tell what kind of mesh head I’m wearing? It’s kind of borderline, isn’t it? If you see me walking around a sim, you might think I’m just very good at shape-making at first glance. But if you see my profile…ah! I’m wearing a mesh head after all. No flat Second Life face, no weird nose, a fully developed mouth instead of two weird-looking bumps.

I’m an artist with not a lot of time or patience to dedicate to 3D programs like Makehuman or Blender. So when Gogo recommended Yabusaka Loon’s mesh head program to me, I hopped on the chance to try it out. Continue reading

The 2016 Guide To Skin-Painting Basics

August 15, 2016 / aemeth / 4 Comments

I got a letter in the SL mail from someone asking for skin/makeup/tat-making tips. This post is a response to them, as well as anyone else looking for a boost.

There are many tutorials on the web on how to paint makeup or skin for avatars, however, most, if not all, of them seem waaaay outdated. I would like to create makeup, skin, and/or tattoos for both the default avatar and the mesh ones (like lelutka mesh head or maitreya body)….

I was wondering if you had any tips or suggested tutorials on how to go about creating such things. I don’t quite know where to start….

AnacondaS Wave Dancer

April 20, 2016 / aemeth / 1 Comment

The Wave Dancer. Get that free demo, yo.

When Second Life gets a bit stressful, it’s time to put down the obligations and do something fun. My suggestion? Get out on the water. Grab a free boat, visit the Blake Sea, and start sailing. Whether you do so with a motorboat like the Magellan, or a sailboat like the Fernseed Keelboat, you’re sure to calm down after listening to the sounds of the pixel ocean for a while. (Don’t forget to grab this free swim HUD too.)

After a while, you might get tired of free boats and want something a bit nicer. If you have the Lindens to spend, take a look at the AnacondaS Wave Dancer.

It’s amazing how spacious the Wave Dancer is inside. You won’t need to adjust your camera unless you prefer driving in mouselook or third-person. It also comes with a full working kitchen, bathroom/shower, cabin/bed, and dining area. There’s a media player just behind the driver’s seat for if you want to play videos while you’re out boating. The dashboard holds a fuel gage, working GPS system, and radar. Even the microwave works, which I found to be charming.

You can seat 14 people on it–great for parties or running a tour around the Blake Sea or other body of SL water. The boat turns a little too fast for my tastes in the water, but that’s because it’s meant for driving primarily in mouselook. If you’re using an Oculus with this boat, however, you’re in for a pretty great time.

The drawbacks of it are small but ultimately decided why I didn’t buy it yet. For everything the Wave Dancer has, the one thing it doesn’t is a multi-sit system. For 2900L, this is something I’m hoping the builder will fix.

You see, when you’re out boating, you need to be able to move around your boat without standing up. If your boat doesn’t have a system where you can click and choose various poses on the craft, you’re going to inevitably have to stand up–which might cause your boat to be returned while you’re in the middle of the sea. Multi-seating systems solve this problem while letting you “live” on your boat. Some boats like the A-T Portal Tug even have a roaming system that lets you walk around the boat without ever getting out of your seat.

I’ve sent a request to the Wave Dancer’s builder to see if they’re interested in implementing a multi-seating system. If they do it, I’m snatching up this boat as soon as I can.

I still highly recommend you trying out the Wave Dancer, though. The demo will let you drive the boat for up to two hours. It only counts the minutes the boat is actually in the water! It’s great for letting boaters decide if they’d like to purchase it or not.

If you know of a boat I should check out, contact me in-grid (Aemeth Lysette). For more destinations, check out the SL Sailing directory. See you on the water!

Pay Lower Second Life Tier and Get Faster Cash Out!

April 14, 2016 / gogo / 0 Comments

Let’s talk about some exciting new Second Life changes. Skip this if you don’t cash out or don’t own a full region. Read this if you want to save money!

I’m a patient person when it comes to Second Life credit processing times. I convert the lindens to USD via the LindeX exchange to pay my tier. On the rare occasion that I do cash out, the money usually arrives at my PayPal account within 5 days. Linden Lab just implemented new fees, along with the promise of faster credit processing time. I tested it this week, and the cash out time is 1 day. That’s sort of amazing! The new 1.5% of the transaction value fee isn’t really that much, since I’ve read that a lot of residents are happier with faster processing time.

Do you want to pay lower full region tier? Of course you do! Linden Lab just offered the option for current sim owners to “Buy Down” their region to receive grandfather pricing. Grandfathered tier for a full region is $195US/month. Everyone else who does not receive special discounts (education, large estates) pay $295/month. If you want to save money and plan on keeping your region from now until the end of the year, this is a deal.

The pricing for this offer is as follows:

Full Island:
- One-time buy-down fee: $600
- Grandfathered maintenance fee: $195/month (regularly $295/month)
Homestead:
- One-time buy-down fee: $180
- Grandfathered maintenance fee: $95/month (regularly $125/month)

Some people are grumbling about the one-time buy-down fee, but do the math! Let’s say your tier is due some time in April (after today’s date). You pay the $600 buy down fee, and instantly receive a $100/month discount going forward. From April – December, you will save $100 every month, so that’s 9 month x $100US = $900US tier discount. Take $900 – $600 = $300US savings this year. Next year, and every year after that, you will save $1200USD in tier per year. I predict that in 6 months time, land owners will feel the pressure to lower their price to stay competitive. The Buy Down offer expires October 16th, 2016, but the sooner you pay the fee, the more money that you will save this year. If you pay the fee in October, you will actually not save any money this year — $600 buy down fee – $300 tier saving ($100 month x 3 months for October, November, December) = $300 spent. So do it now for the greatest savings!!!!!!! I love math. I love saving money!

Life2 versus G&S

February 18, 2016 / aemeth / 2 Comments

G&S shots of weaving and farming.

I love farming and fishing. When I was a kid, my father took me fishing all the time. My stepmother kept our backyard filled with plants, and taught me the importance of keeping a garden. I love both of these so much, I’m more likely now to play video games that feature these two activities.

Imagine my joy when I discovered both the Life2 and G&S systems in Second Life. Although clearly meant for different time periods, both systems feature cooking, gardening, and eating to keep your energy up. Life2 is more for the modern period, geared towards city sims with families. G&S is created with Gorean and medieval sims in mind, expanded to include mining, crafting, carpentry, fishing, and raising animals.

For the player who wants to invest and bring more entertainment to their SL experience, the task of figuring out which system is best for them can be daunting. Which one should you pick? Thankfully, I’ve shelled out the cash on both of these so you don’t have to–read on to check out my comparison of both.

Linden Endowment For The Arts

October 1, 2015 / aemeth / 1 Comment

It’s October the 1st, and that means Havenhollow is open! This year, the event is being sponsored by the Linden Endowment for the Arts, a program that allows residents to apply for land grants and put on exhibits for other users to enjoy. If you want to apply for a sim, visit this website to learn more.

So far, some friends and I have run around Havenhollow and explored most of the places… but there’s a problem. We can’t find the ending! We’ve searched all over for hints and clues, but after looking through the haunted areas and trick-or-treated at all of the houses, we’re a bit stumped.

Have you visited Havenhollow yet? Do you know where the “ending” area is? Perhaps there isn’t one this year? Or maybe it’s a timed event and will be set up later? Leave a comment about what you think!

Speaking of the LEA arts program, if you want a smaller space to exhibit your work, there’s currently land available at the Art Farm Co-op sim in their Pop-up Gallery section. Read the rules here before you set up, so your stuff won’t get returned! All galleries are cleared after two weeks, but it allows for artists to show off their work and possibly be motivated to create more. Currently there are lots of spots available, so go grab one!

There’s also a cafe/city section (photo above) where users can make machinima, put on plays, and take photos to their hearts content. You can rez props in the cafe or the city itself to create as you need to. The cafe is also a great place to meet other artists and collaborate.

I’m very happy to see Havenhollow making use of the LEA program, and I hope they continue to earn land grants from them in the future. There’s a lot of joy and care in their work and to me, that’s what we need more of in the grid.

Do you create art in Second Life? Have you applied for/earned a LEA sim before? Do you know of other haunted places we should check out? Leave a comment! Thanks!

SLink Physique Male

September 4, 2015 / aemeth / 0 Comments

It’s BoyCake, back with another review! Hello, lay-deez. ;D

Are you ready for the new male mesh body from SLink? Well, it’s here! As some of you may know, I’ve been searching high and low for a good mesh body for my boy av, and now it looks like I finally have it. Or have I?

Before I start off, I want to give a shoutout to both my close friends who tried this on with me, as well as the Convergence City roleplay group for discussing this with me in their out-of-character chat area. Their thoughts definitely influenced what I’m writing now! I always like to get other people’s opinions and have discussions about things before I give a final verdict.

What did I compare this to in considering the SLink Male Physique for purchase? Mainly, the TMP male body and the Aesthetic by Niramyth. For reference, I snagged the TMP body to try on after my awful experience with the Jomo male body, which turned out to be a suspected rip. I have two male friends who own the Aesthetic, one who came with me to SLink’s store to examine the demo.

Now, one to the review!

Essentials

The SLink Physique Male comes with a mesh body (no hands or feet) for 1250L. If you don’t have feet and hands already, take about 2400L to the store with you so you can pick up everything at once. The mesh body will include underwear, one pair of jeans, and one tank top. If you don’t like the basic skins you start off with for your mesh body, there are neck blenders provided to help with skin-matching.

Technical/Observations

The Physique Male includes a penis. Yes, really! There’s even a foreskin option and pubic hair. The penis doesn’t seem to be able to get erect; I believe it’s there for completion purposes, sort of like most vaginas on skins and mesh bodies are. At first I was weirded out by an SL peen that doesn’t do anything, but after a while, I got used to it.
Your body will seem a little lean when you try it on, but it can bulk up nicely if you edit your shape. Will it get as muscular as the Aesthetic? I’ll talk about that in a moment.
For script maniacs like me, you’ll be happy to know that with the male body, hands, my AO, and the alpha/clothing hud attached, I was only running 32 scripts. That’s awesome. Everyone in SL should always try to wear low-script items so they end up under a total count of 50 for their avatar. It not only improves your SL experience, but helps to decrease sim lag.

Room For Improvement?

This picture has been brightened because my windlight was super dark when I took the pic. I’m dumb. SRY

I, for one, am not crazy about the clothing/alpha HUD design. I know it’s a lot to include to the clothing hud, and Siddean must have realized this because she created two size versions of the HUD (small and large) for those who have trouble seeing everything. But it took me a moment of wtf’ing to understand just what button did what. Afterwards, I figured things out. I just wish the UI were a bit more friendly.

I don’t know about you, but I like my men with some thigh. When I increased BoyCake’s thighs, I noticed some poses caused the underwear to clip (see pic above). I tried to find the correct button to HIDE his thighs in that area, but that took another ten minutes and then I gave up. My point–if you create underwear or clothing for the mesh body, I would include an auto-hide script for it. Kemono has that and so does Maitreya.

Is This The One?

Is Physique Male for you? That’s what you want to know, right? It’s been a long search for that one mesh body you can finally wear, won’t clip your damn clothing, won’t do this or that or make you unhappy or sorry you ever bought it. When I asked my friends about the Physique versus the Aesthetic, we both admitted we liked Aesthetic’s muscly body more, but only on certain avatars. Not everyone looks good with that much bulk, and not everyone looks good with TMP’s skinnier mesh body either.

Physique Male is that sort of happy medium between TMP and Aesthetic. You don’t spend too much for what you get, and you end up getting a lot. For me, that means it’s a body I’m sticking with! For good, hopefully.

You can teleport here to check out SLink Physique Male for yourself.

Notice: if you create products geared towards men and want me to review it, please send an NC/pack/etc to Aemeth Resident. I can’t make a promise that I’ll review everything, but I understand the struggle of finding men’s products out there so it’s worth helping out!

Normcore

March 4, 2014 / aemeth / 16 Comments

I was too cool. I knew it.

I had on mesh clothing with the exception of some texture jeans from Mon Tissu, for layering purposes with my Fashionably Dead sweater. My Clawtooth hair hung just right around my shoulders, curling in at my neck, fresh from the C88 sim and looking good. But it wasn’t enough for me–it was all too new, too with it. And according to K-Hole and Tumblr, who had declared the new fashion movement of #normcore (Tumblr by accident, admittedly), I was too modern and needed to go back a few years to make myself more in-the-moment. I needed the blandness of instinctual color pairing, knowing what shades went together, the right structure of negative space versus content in a picture that would represent the meaningless of life.

See, according to the fashion magazines and experimental blogs online, what’s actually cool is virtual reality. The two foremost mediums of that virtual reality gracing blogs and fashion mags right now is earlier versions of The Sims, and 2007-era pics of Second Life. Some people are unaware right now that their pictures are being yanked from Flickr and shared across blogs everywhere, not exactly parodied but halfway that, plus glorified for their alter-persona living their pop-culture-pixel dream against a computerized landscape. IMVU comes in third, with their retro-now-ness being the ‘it’ thing, but still coming in last for lameness and popularity.

And the more aimless your Flickr picture is, the better. Is your alpha missing on a shoe from an old photo of you sporting a sculpty heel? That is so #normcore. Are you sporting a polo from a freebie sim? That’s #normcore. Got a texture pirate shirt you snagged from a marketplace store? That’s so #normcore it’s possibly #seinfeldcore. And the fact you’re dressing so retro as what people imagine Second Life avatars *should* be dressing like, is so meta and lame that it makes you cool.

I’m telling you–indie is dead. Accidental lameness is what’s the now.

So how do you get the #normcore look? What can you do to seem cool?

Here are some tips to get that virtual-meta-core fashion without tipping the scales into trying-too-hard territory:

1. Shop at freebie stores and buy texture clothing from your favorite shops. The older, the better. Seams are IN. Sport it without shame. You are the user who doesn’t live too much with their avatar, who flirts shamelessly with errors and a margin for the human element. Bonus if you find Chip Midnight’s clothing. Actually even his most recent stuff from Futurewave is still pretty #normcore, due to its self-awareness. Even his new mesh avatar is #normcore because it’s cyberpunk, and since we’re playing an online game, cyberpunk = webpunk. Actually, okay. All cyberpunk clothing is in. Ask Sian Pearl. She was actually in Novembre magazine recently (YOU NEED TO BUY THAT ISSUE BECAUSE IT IS SO NORMCORE IT IS TOO COOL FOR YOU AND SHE IS THE COOLEST AVATAR IN SECOND LIFE CURRENTLY. NO THIS IS NOT A JOKE. THIS REALLY HAPPENED.).

2. Ruth your hair. Yes, that’s right. Ruth it. Ruth it all day long. If you aren’t brave enough, just use old sculpt hair. Buy old hair from B@re Rose in a funky color, or old Nylon outfitters creations. Boom! #normcore at your front door. You are so cool without realizing it.

3. Don’t flaunt it. Don’t go overboard. It’s okay to sport SOME mesh stuff, just don’t go completely there or else it’s like you’re doing too much. You want a little retro for your look or else hel-lo, 2now4us.

4. Don’t wear an AO. AO’s are for people into their avatars. Are you into your avatar if you’re #normcore? No. You are not.

Now you’ve been transformed, go into Edit mode and stay that way forever. Your arms held out like Moses parting the sea, you’ve opened a path into the future, a personal virtual sidewalk that paves the way into your #nowness forever. You are the dream of the forever online young adult searching for meaning in their life. Engage. Move foreward. Never look back, or you’ll turn into salt.

#foreveronline,
Cake.

What I’m Wearing
Random Freebie Store – Black PVC Jacket
Pink Fuel Skin
Hair by CM – Hanging Front Curls
Mon Tissu – Denim – 1929 Cigarette (Gray)

Snow Queen

February 5, 2014 / aemeth / 2 Comments

“Really, Cake? You had to do a snow photoshoot?” Yes! And hasn’t it been kind of disgusting outside? Unless you’re in one of the lucky areas of the world where you aren’t dealing with white stuff piled outside your door, you know exactly why this winter needs to hurry up and leave–quickly.

So if you’re someone dealing with a lot of snow outside, what have you been doing to keep warm? I’ve got something similar to this heating up my studio. It’s little more than a glorified blow dryer, but it keeps the room pretty toasty!

Today I’m wearing Nylon Outfitters’ Sequin Mermaid gown, with MiaMai’s Sian headdress and Serenata shoulder-pieces. All three of these items feature hand-drawn texturing–especially the headdress! I recommend you buy that right away. It’s a gorgeous piece of art that deserves to be ogled over and over.

Do you have any favorite headdresses in SL? Are you currently dealing with piles and piles of snow and polar vortex insanity? Any tips for staying warm? Let me know in the comments!

What I’m Wearing:

Pink Fuel Skin
Dress: Nylon Outfitters – Sequin Mermaid Dress (White)
Headdress: MIAMAI – Sian Headdress
Shoulders: MIAMAI – Serenata (shoulderpads only)