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    Genus Update

    Bygogo Fashion, iheartslFeed, JuicyBomb, Second Life, Uncategorized, What I think
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    Genus Update

    Two years ago, I blogged about the Genus 2.0 update and then never wore the head again. It was easily forgettable, especially since the brands I actually wear don’t make skins for Genus, whether that’s regular BoM or 2k or 4k. I’ve always found Genus confusing because if you’re wearing regular BoM, you can’t mix makeup from that with a 4k skin. It creates unnecessary compatibility barriers that can get complicated and expensive very quickly.

    When Genus sent me the 3.0 update, I decided to give it another look. They promised PBR support, a 2k skin, improved anatomy and expressions, and more. I really think Genus should have included a 4k skin with this update. Almost all of the makeup in my inventory is made for Genus 4k, so I couldn’t even properly wear the head here with the included 2k skin. I’m also not sure I care about PBR on a mesh head yet, at least not until my body, Maitreya, also releases an update. Right now it just means a glowing head with a flat looking body.

    Genus Update

    Two years later, the skin brands I wear still aren’t making Genus skins. Their focus is clearly on LeLutka EvoX, and there’s no real effort to diversify. So while I do appreciate a free update from Genus, and I always like when brands continue to support their products, I don’t see myself wearing this head again any time soon.

    If you want a different look and you already own a Genus head, it’s definitely worth trying. One thing I’ve always loved about Genus is how beautiful the side profile is. But when it comes to features and overall ease, I moved on to LeLutka EvoX years ago, and I have no interest in complicating my life by switching back to Genus.

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    Akeruka Christmas Gifts

    Bygogo Brands, Fashion, iheartslFeed, JuicyBomb, Second Life, Uncategorized
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    Akeruka

    ’Tis the season of giving. Akeruka is giving two mesh heads to group members, except the group costs L$150 to join. I wasn’t a member, so I paid the fee just to get the Wendy head “for free.” I wanted to try it mostly because I forgot I already tried and blogged an Akeruka head two months ago.

    All the things I found difficult then are still difficult now. I still can’t close my eyes without my eyeballs poking through my head. I also haven’t found anyone who makes HD applier eyes for this head, so I’m wearing BoM eyes. To do that, you have to buy the AK BoM Eyes Relay on Marketplace for L$1. Yes, it’s only a Linden, but why wasn’t this included with the head? Since this head isn’t as popular as LeLutka, you’re also going to have a harder time finding eyes made specifically for it.

    Even though Wendy works with EvoX skins, my usual Glam Affair skin was not a good fit. I decided to start fresh and try something new, and it just so happens that Traditional Face recently gave out a new group gift skin called Eva. Of course, I wasn’t in that group either, so I paid L$99 to join.

    This definitely does not look like Gogo. When I made the shape, I started to see an older brunette woman instead, and I had to lean into the thick brows, which I don’t love, ever. I made it work here, but I couldn’t wear the browless version because the BoM brows I always use sit too high on this head. The HD brows included with Akeruka are even thicker, which is such a shame because there are no thinner options. I. hate. thick. brows.

    If you’re already a member of these groups, you can get a whole new look for the cost of nothing. If you’re not, it’s still relatively cheap for a complete makeover, assuming you don’t mind paying a few group fees.

    Have you noticed how some brands are no longer updating their Flickr or seem to be moving away from it entirely in favor of other platforms? I honestly can’t be bothered to chase brands from site to site, so if one drops off my radar, so be it. I only even saw this Akeruka gift because of a post elsewhere, and I already lost the link to it. It’s a shame they’ve seemingly stopped updating their Flickr.

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    Who Really Benefits from Premium Plus Without Stipends? Creators.

    Bygogo Fashion, iheartslFeed, JuicyBomb, Second Life, Uncategorized
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    Who Really Benefits from Premium Plus Without Stipends? Creators.
    Photo taken at the Linden Casino!

    Second Life is rolling out a new cheaper Premium Plus plan this October, but it doesn’t include the weekly Linden stipend. On paper, it works out to about the same cost as the old plan with the stipend, but the benefit really depends on who you are in-world.

    If you’re a resident who shops, rents land, or just enjoys having a little spending money, the stipend is basically free Lindens in your pocket. It’s what makes Premium feel cheaper, because those few hundred Lindens a week can either go straight into your shopping budget or help offset the cost of Premium. Without that stipend, the discount doesn’t really give you more value. You just lose the free money.

    Where the new plan makes sense is for creators and anyone earning Lindens in-world. If you already have a steady flow of income, you probably don’t care about a stipend trickling in every week. In fact, this option benefits you more because it means fewer Lindens are being pumped into the economy. Less supply keeps Lindens stronger, and that helps creators when they cash out their earnings.

    There’s also a smaller win here for people who love playing Game of Homes (GoH) and having multiple homes. Premium Plus gives you access to the 2048 Linden Homes, and this new no-stipend version brings the cost down by about $100 a year. So if you’re mainly in it for the house and don’t care about stipends, this plan lets you hold onto a home for a little less.

    It’s also worth pointing out that with the real-life economy struggling, Second Life is clearly planning ahead. They’re looking for ways to improve their own virtual economy while keeping Linden dollar stable. A stronger, steadier Linden dollar benefits creators the most, especially those who rely on cashing out.

    But I also wish Second Life would consider the residents who aren’t earning any Lindens at all. For a lot of people, the weekly stipend is more valuable than free uploads or other perks. I have Premium Plus and almost never upload anything. This is where the new plan could backfire. Without a stipend, people may become more budget conscious. They may start to notice just how expensive it is to buy Lindens with real money, once you factor in the fees and the not so great exchange rate. Reminding people that in-game currency equals real money is not the kind of wake-up call Second Life should want to encourage.

    If Second Life wants to cater to all residents, they would allow us to customize our Premium plan. Imagine being able to pick from a list, no uploads, no stipend, no extra groups, etc., and adjust your subscription price based on what you actually use. That kind of flexibility would make Premium feel more tailored and valuable to everyone, not just creators.

    At the end of the day, this plan isn’t really for shoppers or casual users. It’s for creators who earn their Lindens, or for GoH fans who just want the cheapest way to hold a house for less money. Everyone else will find the stipend plan still gives the better deal.

    Still, having options is always a good thing. Soon, residents will be able to choose what works best for them, whether that’s weekly pocket money or a lower upfront cost with no stipends attached.

    Read more on these blogs:

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    Gacha Is Back, But It Never Really Left

    Bygogo Fashion, iheartslFeed, JuicyBomb, Second Life, Uncategorized
    2 Comments
    Blue

    I’d say gacha is back, but let’s be real, it never left. I’ve been in Second Life long enough that the thrill of gachas wore off ages ago, well before they were officially banned. Blind buying duplicates got old fast. At some point, I stopped chasing full sets and rares. I just didn’t care anymore.

    I have a lot of friends who are still deep in the gacha game. I’ve been there too, dropping L$3,000 to L$5,000 on a single machine just to complete a set. It happens.

    So yeah, I’m a little surprised to see gacha returning in its original form. Miepon had its flaws, sure, but at least you could see what was coming next. Even if it wasn’t the item you wanted, the transparency was better than the old-school roulette wheel. Gacha is a form of shopping torture. You might get what you want, but chances are, you won’t. Designers love it though. In their own words, it made them a lot more money. And that’s what this is really about: profit. Your money going into their pockets.

    I’ve always compared gachas to MLMs. Once you buy in, you’re stuck reselling the stuff you don’t want, unless you’re okay taking a loss. That means wasting time listing duplicates at yardsales or on Marketplace. Or, if you’re feeling generous, giving them away to friends like a broke fairy godmother.

    Sure, people are excited gacha’s back, but ask yourself why these events are popping up again so fast. One is launching in two weeks. It’s all about the cash flow. Designers cash in, events need regions (which means more money going to Linden Lab), and shoppers? We’re just the endless source of funding.

    I’ll still pull the occasional gacha if it’s really good. But most of the time, I’m fine with whatever I get. I don’t chase anymore. I already have too much. And yet, like the little addict I am, I keep getting more, until my inventory overwhelms me and I start deleting things in bulk. Sometimes I wonder if my entire presence in Second Life is just one long donation to the system.

    Because in the end, this game, for me at least, is a shopping game.

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    Avatar Welcome Pack

    Bygogo Fashion, iheartslFeed, JuicyBomb, Second Life, Uncategorized
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    Avatar Welcome Pack
    Avatar Welcome Pack – Female

    I read about a new Avatar Welcome Pack and got really excited. What’s this? New avatars? Is Second Life finally offering us something visually appealing? Anything would be better than Senra. Curious to know what’s included, I began digging around and stumbled upon the Virtual Bloke blog (Second Life New Avatar Welcome Packs – It’s time to check your inventory library, folks!). Unfortunately, the Avatar Welcome Pack was quickly removed from the Library; Second Life stated, “These items are in the final stages of QA, but we’re not quite ready to unveil all the details just yet.”

    UPDATE: The Avatar Welcome Pack is back in the Library now.

    I wanted to know what’s in the welcome pack, even though I don’t really need it. So, my friend Sasy suggested that I check the beta grid since the updates there tend to lag behind the main grid. Boom! I found it on the beta grid.

    Avatar Welcome Pack
    Avatar Welcome Pack – Male

    First impressions? It’s okay. It’s definitely better than Senra, but it feels limited. This pack includes a very lite body and a very lite mesh head; however, they are wearable right out of the box. There are also some hair and clothing items included from various brands. I’m currently wearing everything as provided, without any customization. When this goes live on the main grid, I think residents will enjoy the opportunity to mix and match these heads and bodies with more items they already own to create something cuter.

    I can’t wait to see how this impacts the new user experience in Second Life. It’s quite intriguing that Second Life is focusing exclusively on human avatars as part of this new user experience. Even though I am a human avatar all the time, I truly appreciated the grid’s diversity, which included animal avatars and various non-human avatars, among others.

    UPDATE! The set back eyes are because I didn’t reset skeleton. I just figured that the avatar came like that, lol! So imagine these avatars without the set back eyes. 🙂

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    Korea City

    Bygogo Fashion, iheartslFeed, JuicyBomb, Second Life, Uncategorized
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    Korea City

    Hello from Korea City! If you’ve ever wanted to be in Seoul and step into your own picturesque K-drama scenery, check out this destination.

    Anthology has just opened for another round! I love this Cheeky Umbrella from Kresendo. The HUD features many colors and patterns to change the umbrella top, handle, and details. You may feel a little blush at some of the default text on the umbrella; it’s filled with sexual innuendos related to rain. There is also the option to turn off the text, but I left it on and tinted the color to a nice shade that I call Second Life blue, which also happens to be my favorite color.

    Krescendo Cheeky Umbrella HUD

    I don’t typically mix and match outfits, but today’s ensemble was a happy accident. I am wearing the Emm Jacket from Red Girl, it’s so well made and comes in a few basic colors. I paired it with the skirt from the Christmas Clothes Set by Art&Ko. To complete the outfit, I am wearing the Jacinta boots from CULT. This whole outfit is super cute for the city look, I’m saving it as a new default Gogo.

    Korea City

    This new Pillow hairstyle from Truth is so casual and cute, with a great hairline. I’ve started wearing dark roots with some of my blonde hairstyles, and I think it adds a lot of depth to the hair. As I was photographing today’s look, I realized that Second Life is so beautiful; we’ve come a long way. You don’t need to enhance it with AI at all. My photos authentically represent Second Life with minimal edits. Most of the time, I just adjust the color and crop the photo; I don’t have the patience to spend a lot of time post-processing.

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    Black and White

    Bygogo Fashion, Hair, iheartslFeed, JuicyBomb, Second Life, Uncategorized
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    Black and White

    Friends tease me all the time for being known as loyal to Truth’s popular Swedish blonde hair color (before the texture update). If you were to ask me now what my favorite Truth hair color is, I would say it consists of the top few rows in the blonde pack. I don’t actually know the color name anymore, as they no longer have specific names. We’ve lost a lot of information since the colors were moved into HUDs.

    This new Truth x Kiwi collaboration release features a cute bandana, which I am not wearing here. The sleek hair made it perfect for headbands, and I find myself in the mood for earmuffs. I began this blog post wearing a pastel bandana look, but then I decided to experiment with a color combination that I don’t typically wear, which is black and white.

    Black and White

    The Kiwi Co’s newest release, Ceres, is a megapack of casual outfits. If I were to say that these outfits look exactly as you would expect from their last brand, Blueberry, would you agree with me? There are numerous options here to mix and match with these items or other pieces you already own from both brands.

    Pixit has a sassy pose pack available at the current round of Anthology. Be sure to get it now before the new round starts!

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    Unseen

    Bygogo Fashion, iheartslFeed, JuicyBomb, Second Life, Uncategorized
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    Unseen

    Capturing a photo “in the dark” can indeed be a challenge. You aim for that perfect dim ambiance while still ensuring the products are visible. I absolutely adore this blindfold I purchased from Tentacio. This brand is known for creating unique products, often adorned with floral accents.

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    Classic

    Bygogo Brands, Fashion, iheartslFeed, JuicyBomb, Second Life, Uncategorized
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    https://www.flickr.com/photos/gogolita/54020236583/in/dateposted/

    Do avatars have a nighttime routine? I’d like to think that Gogo does. Inspired by the elegant ladies of bygone eras, I decided to ‘dress up’ for bed. Picture-perfect hair, flawless makeup, and a touch of moisturizer to keep everything fresh. For my outfit, I’ve chosen the exquisite Dainty top and skirt set from Blume at Anthology.

    With so many events and so little time, I had a blast at the TSS Party and scored an abundance of gifts. However, the real challenge came afterward—I spent two days meticulously opening each gift and sorting through them, deciding what to keep and what to discard. My inventory is getting out of hand, aiming to keep it under 70k.

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    Last Days of Summer

    Bygogo Fashion, iheartslFeed, JuicyBomb, Second Life, Uncategorized
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    Last Days of Summer
    GOYO – Rian 3 look up (pose) @ Anthology

    Summer is almost over! It’s the perfect time to take a final dip in the pool and soak up some sunshine. I recently discovered some cute items at Anthology, and I’m especially in love with the adorable Bloom Swimsuit from Red Blossom. The HUD from this brand is incredible, providing so many color options that you can really customize it to your liking.

    Last Days of Summer
    Ives – Bibi Skin @ Anthology

    Occasionally, I step out of my comfort zone and try on a new skin. This time, I chose the Bibi skin from Ives, which includes tintable brows—a feature I absolutely adore. The face has a sweet look, which I enhanced with some tattoo layers from Izzie’s. Overall, the skin texture and complexion are exceptional. One unique aspect of Ives skin is the nose shading options for both the left and right side. While I’m not a huge fan of baked-on nose shading, having the option is great, especially if you want the shading to complement your lighting.

    If you’re interested in checking out my outfit and accessories, head over to Anthology!

    Last Days of Summer
    GOYO – Rian 5 (pose) @ Anthology
    Last Days of Summer
    Olivia Golden – Staying Inside 5 (pose) @ Anthology
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