stealthic

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    New Shop & Hop Build

    Bygogo Events, Fashion, iheartslFeed, JuicyBomb, Second Life, Uncategorized
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    2026 Halloween Shop & Hop

    It’s that time again! What time is it, you ask? Shop & Hop, Trick or Treat on Bellisseria, and a whole lot of spooky goodies popping up all over Second Life! As a Second Life resident, I feel like I have to wear wings every now and then, so I decided to bring out my favorite Mini Wings from 2AM and pair them with the new Celestine Dress from Dhoma, available at FaMESHed. I love the rich emerald green satin, the corset-inspired bodice with lace-up details, and those gorgeous puff sleeves with delicate lace accents. The short, flouncy skirt gives it a romantic fairy-tale look, but it’s also a little cheeky in the back! Paired with my wings, it’s giving me major Tinker Bell vibes, only a little more grown-up.

    I’m also really impressed with the updated Shop & Hop build this year! The new layout feels more like a shopping mall, and the outdoor spaces are especially cute with all of the autumn landscaping and twinkling lights. I’ve always had a soft spot for Shop & Hop because it’s one of those events that welcomes such a wide range of Second Life creators, from established favorites to smaller brands you might not have discovered otherwise. And of course, the gifts are always a big part of the fun! If you don’t feel like hunting through every store to find them all, you can grab FabFree’s Halloween Shop & Hop shopping guide and plan your shopping trip!

    2026 Halloween Shop & Hop
    2026 Halloween Shop & Hop
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    The Premium Price Increase Has Me Reconsidering My Accounts

    Bygogo Fashion, iheartslFeed, JuicyBomb, Second Life, Uncategorized
    3 Comments
    Cherishville

    I’m disappointed by Second Life’s latest Premium membership price increase.

    What makes this change difficult for me to accept is that the core benefits haven’t really changed. The stipend is the same. The land allowance is the same. While there are some additional perks and gifts being added, they’re not benefits that I personally value enough to justify paying more each year.

    Whenever a company raises prices, I take a look at my spending and decide what’s still worth keeping. That’s exactly what I’m doing now. Over the years, I’ve accumulated several Premium accounts, mostly to hold extra Linden Homes. After thinking about it, I’ve decided I don’t really need all of them. I’ll be keeping the two accounts that I previously upgraded to Lifetime Premium Plus, but the extra accounts are becoming much harder to justify.

    The same goes for land. I’ve acquired quite a bit of mainland recently, and this price increase has me reevaluating how much I actually need versus how much I’ve simply gotten used to having.

    One thing about me is that I’m usually willing to spend money on Second Life. I enjoy supporting the platform, and I’ve never been afraid to invest in the things I love. But I also believe it’s important to periodically review our subscriptions and spending habits, especially when prices go up.

    If you’re maintaining multiple Premium accounts, now might be a good time to ask yourself whether you’re getting enough value from each one. Do you really need that extra Linden Home? Do you use all of the benefits you’re paying for? Maybe the answer is yes. For me, the answer was no.

    At the end of the day, every resident has to decide what makes sense for their own budget. My decision is to scale back a little. Not because I’m leaving Second Life or because I suddenly dislike the platform, but because I don’t think every account I currently pay for is worth the new price.

    Sometimes the most effective feedback we can give isn’t posting on the forums or arguing on social media. It’s simply reevaluating our subscriptions and spending accordingly.

    Just a girl flipping burgers
    Flipping burgers at Cherishville
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  • Bến Tôm Rơi at Fantasy Faire

    Bygogo Uncategorized
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    Bến Tôm Rơi

    I went to Fantasy Faire!

    Shoutout to Sonya Marmurek because her blog post actually convinced me to visit a region called Bến Tôm Rơi, which translates to Shrimp Bay. It’s built by Victor E. Eton and Walton Wainwright. As I said in my last post, I usually stick to auctions for big charity events, but this year I wanted to actually explore, and this region is stunning. The colors are beautiful, and even with all the shops, there are still plenty of great spots for photos.

    I also rediscovered a shop that is new to me, Grasshopper Street. Before seeing Sonya’s post, I remembered picking up a historical hat from them at another event. I love period clothing in Second Life, and their whole store is such a delight. I saw so many gowns I will probably go back for later, but this time I chose something that fits the region. The Áo Dài is a traditional Vietnamese gown and the national dress. You can also get the matching coiled headscarf, Khăn Vành Dây, from Grasshopper Street. I love when I can put together a full outfit and shoot it on location. It just feels right.

    Bến Tôm Rơi

    Southeast Asia is so underrepresented in Second Life, so it was a nice surprise to find not one, but two stores featuring Vietnamese inspired clothing at Fantasy Faire. Another one is CocoCat. It’s not featured in this post, but they have a really good freebie at the event. Unfortunately it isn’t made for the Maitreya LaraX body, but if you alpha your whole body, you might be able to make the Legacy version work.

    If you have time to explore, Bến Tôm Rơi is definitely worth a visit.

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    This Town Hall Could Have Been an Email

    Bygogo Fashion, iheartslFeed, JuicyBomb, Second Life, Uncategorized
    2 Comments
    This Town Hall Could Have Been an Email

    I was so excited to go to the Gaeta 1 / Zindra Town Hall, and I ended up leaving that meeting feeling disappointed.

    First of all, I didn’t want to say this, but I will. The Town Hall could have been planned so much better. Dear Lindens, please make a question submission form, collect questions throughout the week, then choose the most informative ones to answer live. Letting everyone ask questions in local chat was complete chaos, and a lot of people couldn’t stay on topic. I was also surprised it was entirely handled through chat. You know that meme that says, this could have been an email? Yeah. That.

    This meeting could have been genuinely informative if they had come in with a clear list of answers, explained exactly what residents need to know, then saved the last 15 minutes for open Q&A. Why that didn’t happen is anybody’s guess. Sometimes these meetings feel like Linden employees struggle with creating an agenda and sticking to it.

    I was also disappointed to learn that residents who bought in on April 15 or after the expansion blog post went live seem to be treated like second class citizens. The relocation process should not prioritize only the biggest landowners or the people who have held land there the longest.

    If I were managing this move, I would contact every current landowner, I think they said there were around 349, and ask two simple questions:

    Do you want to move to New Zindra?

    Can you move now?

    If the answer is yes to both, put those residents at the top of the migration list and start moving them immediately. The people with more complex requests, unusual parcel needs, or plans to relocate elsewhere can be handled afterward.

    Residents who are ready now should be first in line. Tier doesn’t stop while people sit in limbo, and it would be nice if Linden Lab remembered that.

    I hope this whole thing wraps up within weeks. If the new continent is ready to go, I’m ready to move too.

    And now onto what I’m wearing, because even when it isn’t a fashion post, it somehow becomes one.

    Another round of Anthology just opened, and this shimmery dress is the Artemis Dress by Madame Noir. This dress is an example of when PBR is done so well it creates reflections and highlights correctly. With this outfit, I needed to find a place to serve as the backdrop for my photo. I opened the Destinations menu in-world looking for a music venue, and somehow ended up outside an 80s movie theater. I love The Breakfast Club, so naturally I had to take the picture in front of the poster.

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    I Should Have Everything… And Yet

    Bygogo Fashion, iheartslFeed, JuicyBomb, Second Life, Uncategorized
    4 Comments
    I Should Have Everything… And Yet

    I’ve officially given up on cleaning my inventory. Easter hunts completely wrecked it, and I’m done wasting time trying to fix it. I’m sitting at 106k today, which… I wish was lower, but at this point I don’t even know what to delete anymore.

    I did a little shopping this weekend and it made me realize how much I appreciate brands that release a proper pair of pants. I love ISON for that. Most of their stuff actually covers everything and still feels really classy. I can’t even remember which event I picked up these Maisie Corduroy Trousers from, but they’re really good.

    Normally I’m very basic. I just wear whatever the newest release is that everyone else is wearing that weekend. But this time I decided to dig deeper into my inventory and put something together that probably nobody else is wearing right now. I remembered this amazing fur coat from Dami, an old gacha from forever ago. The whole outfit ended up being a mix of old and new, plus a few freebies thrown in.

    I think I like Gogo as a blonde, but it’s getting harder when some hair brands just don’t do good blonde textures anymore. I don’t know what happened to Stealthic, but the blondes just aren’t hitting like they used to. It didn’t work for this look at all, so I switched to a light brown instead. This hair was supposed to be part of Fifty Linden Friday, but I still ended up paying like L$199 because I needed the full pack just to change the style. Not really a sale if you can’t even use the features, right?

    Overall I’m feeling a little burnt out with my inventory, and honestly with where clothing is at in Second Life right now. It feels like we’ve hit a bit of a standstill. I should already have everything I want and need at this point. And yet… I still keep buying things. I guess I’m doing my part to keep the economy going.

    I Should Have Everything… And Yet
    I Should Have Everything… And Yet
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  • Sweet

    Bygogo Uncategorized
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    Sweet

    The only thing on my calendar this weekend is the Spoonful of Sugar Festival. This event raises money for MSF/Doctors Without Borders, and I always admire the designers who donate their time to causes in Second Life, especially the smaller or lesser-known charities. Every year I look forward to SOS because some of my favorite creators are part of it.

    This year it feels like a lot of people might be skipping the festival. The Seraphim mention didn’t include a gallery, and even SOS’s own website doesn’t have one. That made shopping a little tricky, but I went straight to the brands I love such as Izzie’s and Alaskametro and found some great things. There’s even a gacha area if that’s your thing.

    Pro tip: Keep an eye out for a bowl of sugar if you want to grab some L$20 bargains from participating brands.

    Sweet
    Izzie’s – Age Yourself (BoM Layers) – Left: Bare skin | Right: With face wrinkles added

    One of the highlights for me was Izzie’s new Age Yourself set. Wrinkles and aging looks seem to be getting more popular in Second Life, and honestly, she’s scary good at transforming skins. The set comes in 50%, 70%, and 100% opacity layers so you can blend the wrinkles with your current skin.

    Sweet
    Alaskametro – Soft Brows – Left: Light brows | Right: Tinted brows

    I also picked up the new Soft Brows from Alaskametro. I never use the brows that come with a skin, so I’m always hunting for new ones. These are the perfect thickness, and they looked great when I tried them on. The only thing I wish is that they came with a HUD so I could play around with the opacity. I like layering BoM brows under LeLutka HD brows. On the left you can see the light colored brows, and on the right the tinted ones. You lose a bit of detail when tinting, but it’s fabulous that the option is included so you can get the exact shade you want.

    Check out the SOS Festival, show your favorite brands some love, and support a good cause while you shop.

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    Party

    Bygogo Events, Fashion, JuicyBomb, Second Life, Uncategorized
    1 Comment
    Party

    I left my platform and went to Alicia’s birthday party. In case you didn’t know, all the OG bloggers know each other. We go way back, decades really. If you cross one of us, you cross all of us… just kidding! It’s not like that, but we do keep in touch.

    For a long time, most of my Second Life friends were either bloggers or creators, but I’ve since expanded my circle to include people I’ve met around Bellisseria.

    I’m always open to meeting new people and making new friends. I accept random friend requests. If someone’s bold enough to send one, I figure I should say yes. I sometimes send random friend requests too, to people I’ve known forever on social media, though we often never end up talking or seeing each other in Second Life. I’ve always been notoriously bad at showing up in Second Life. Crowds and teleports used to make me anxious, but I’m slowly getting better at it.

    Since I’m not shopping this month, I have lots of free time and I’m finally ready to accept teleports.

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    2k BoM Textures

    Bygogo Fashion, iheartslFeed, JuicyBomb, Second Life, Uncategorized
    4 Comments
    2k BoM Textures

    2k Bakes on Mesh (BoM) textures are now live in Second Life (read official blog post). But what does this mean? We have been able to upload and use 2048×2048 textures for more than six months now, and I have even seen some skin brands advertise their skins as having 2k textures. However, it seems we couldn’t truly appreciate it until today, according to Second Life’s blog post.

    I need to compare the same skin in 1024 versus 2048, so I messaged Aida from Glam Affair. She kindly provided me with a 2048 version of the skin I often wear, Liv. I snapped these comparison photos in the latest official Second Life viewer, so you can see the difference without graphic settings from third party viewers affecting the resolution. At first, it might seem as though there are more pores, but I believe it is not solely about the pores. The highlights, lips, and overall skin texture now look as good as HD (lipstick) layers.

    https://www.flickr.com/photos/gogolita/54311752299/in/photostream/

    What is 2K BOM?

    If you missed the beta launch announcement, here’s the scoop: 2K BOM allows compatible textures to bake at up to 2048×2048 resolution, bringing sharper details, crisper clothing, and a whole new level of avatar customization. But don’t worry—this won’t send your GPU into a meltdown! BOM will always bake at the highest resolution available among your layers, meaning:

    🔹 If all your layers are 512×512, your bake will stay at 512×512.
    🔹 If you mix 512×512 and 1024×1024 layers, the bake will be 1024×1024.
    🔹 If at least one layer is 2048×2048, your bake will be 2K!

    And for those wondering—no, 2K BOM does not apply to your eyes. They’ll remain safely capped at 512×512 to keep things running smoothly.

    What Does This Mean for You?

    This upgrade means sharper, more detailed avatar textures—whether you’re rocking an intricate tattoo, finely embroidered fabric, or a hyper-detailed skin. Creators and fashionistas, rejoice! Your designs will now have even more depth and clarity.

    (from official blog post)

    As I understand it, if you are wearing at least one layer that is 2048×2048, then the rest of your tattoo layers will bake at 2k for that stack. For instance, your head, upper body, lower body, ears, and so on are each considered a stack. As long as one of the layers you are wearing in that stack is 2048, then they will all render at 2k.

    Regarding head skins, I think that from today onwards, brands will begin releasing 2k textures to take advantage of more detailed textures. Since many skins are no mod, it is challenging to inspect the texture to verify the size. I submitted a feature request to display texture size in the Item Properties window because I want to know if a texture is 2k. I confirmed that my body skin is already 2k, as it is modifiable. I don’t think skin brands will update past skins, but they should certainly do this for bestsellers or the latest releases. Body skins should definitely provide free updates if they are not already 2k.

    Are you excited about 2k textures? Let me know in the comments!

    2k BoM Textures
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    Broken Doll

    Bygogo Fashion, iheartslFeed, JuicyBomb, Second Life, Uncategorized
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    Broken Doll

    I’ve been playing Once Human quite a bit with my friends lately, and it’s really opened my eyes to what makes Second Life so special. While there are definitely aspects of Once Human that Second Life could learn from, like implementing log-in and engagement rewards, here are some key things I genuinely appreciate about Second Life:

    • Unlimited Inventory Storage, accessible everywhere.
    • No Random Deaths, nothing can kill you.
    • Weather-Proof, you can’t die from extreme heat or cold.
    • Free Teleportation, getting around the grid is a breeze with free teleportation.
    • Unlimited Appearance Changes, I can switch up my look anytime I feel like it.
    • No Grinding Required, I can enjoy the game my way without endless grinding.

    As a first-timer in the post-apocalyptic MMO world, I was shocked to discover that changing my appearance comes at a cost—tokens! The grind is real, but playing with the right friends makes it wildly addictive.

    Right now, I’m taking a breather to try on some adorable items from the new round of Anthology. It’s still Spooktober, and I’m totally obsessed with the Broken Doll Joints overlay set from Badwill. I snapped two photos—one with the cracks and one without—and layered them in Photoshop. Afterward, I erased parts of the cracks that I didn’t want to keep. It would be amazing if there were options to mix and match the cracks across my body! I’ve never seen a broken porcelain doll tattoo before, so I was thrilled to rock this look.

    Today, I’m wearing the Paige dress from Seeker, which comes with a HUD featuring fall prints and solid colors. I can even customize the dress, straps, pockets, and metal buttons! And I’m always on the lookout for the perfect pair of loafers, and the Mood Loafers from Cheezu is so well made and it looks like it’s in PBR. They come with a HUD for changing the color of the shoes, soles, and socks—so stylish!

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    Chilly Out

    Bygogo Fashion, iheartslFeed, JuicyBomb, Second Life, Uncategorized
    0 Comments
    Chilly

    The new Ariella skin from Glam Affair has me absolutely thrilled! This beauty was featured in the Saturday Sale for just L$75 for the fatpack, and it might still be available at their main store. One of the things I truly appreciate about Glam Affair is their commitment to keeping their blog updated with the latest product releases. While their Flickr is a great resource, it doesn’t always showcase all the new offerings, so having a blog I can rely on is fantastic. Many brands have shifted away from blogs and are constantly hopping between social media platforms, but I value consistency. My main SL shopping catalog has always revolved around Flickr, but it’s nice to have that backup.

    Lately, I’ve been obsessed with Glam Affair’s recent skin releases. The shading is much softer now, and the skins have a beautifully smooth finish that I can’t get enough of.

    Chilly

    On another note, I’ve been wearing the Nysia Aviator Jacket from ISON, which is also part of this weekend’s sales events. Unfortunately, I can’t recall exactly which sale it’s in, as it’s not yet up on their Flickr at the moment I’m writing this. What I love about this jacket is its versatility; you can customize the colors of the jacket, shearling, and sweater. Plus, if you’re feeling a different vibe, you can turn the sweater off and layer it with another shirt underneath. I’m all about roomy jackets that offer mixing and matching possibilities with other pieces in my wardrobe. Happy shopping!

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