New World Notes

Cassie's Clips: Previewing Genus, a New Mesh Head Now in Beta But Already Among the Best in Second Life

NWN style video correspondent Cassie Middles previews Genus, a new mesh head now in beta from Anna Ivanova, available in her in-world store (direct teleport here). Cassie says it's among the very best heads available in Second Life:

"While I still prefer Lelutka Forever," as she puts it, "I do think Genus is onto something with the different pupil sizes, the pores and shines on the skin, and how closely shaped it is to the skeleton versus the other heads. I prefer Lelutka for how clean their HUD looks, how their animations and posers work, and how popular it is -- which makes finding skins and makeups much easier. 

 

In a four-part series of videos (see the part 2 below, the rest on her channel), Cassie goes into detail on Genus, trying out the HUD first, making the shape, then giving some final thoughts and expectations. She also tries out the Lelutka Axis HUD to see if it's compatible with Genus:

What Should Cassie Wear? Watch & Chat Live Starting at 9:00am SLT Today

UPDATE, 11:55pm: The stream is over but you can watch all the fun above. And after the break, see the avatar look that Cassie's viewers decided for her. The results, as they say, may surprise you.

Today starting at 9:00am SLT on her YouTube channel, NWN video correspondent Cassie Middles is trying a fun experiment in livestreaming and virtual fashion -- decided what her avatar should wear in real time, and she'll make quick costume changes before a livestream audience:

It can be as serious or as goofy as you guys want, as well as the set up! Please no change in mesh bodies or heads, as those are some serious coinage for me to spend. I'm okay with shopping for things I might not already own though!

Go here to chat with her live on YouTube, and be sure to subscribe when you're there.   

Virtual Breasts With Veins & Stretch Marks Now on Sale, Capitalizing on Second Life Fashion Trend for Realistic Imperfection

Breast Veins & Stretch Marks are a new accessory for Second Life avatars, created by Izzie Button, whose Cellulite & Stretch Marks for female avatars have become an unexpected hit.

"After the release of the cellulite/stretch marks," Izzie tells me, "the response was huge and many people requested stretch marks on breasts, arms, stomach as well, so I made them. " She had planned on creating them before the cellulite/stretch marks went on sale. "I was just waiting to see how the response would be before I release more of something that nobody wants," she says, laughing. "I'm glad people enjoy them."

Today, in fact, you can get them for just 50 Lindens (roughly 25 US cents) for Fifty Linden Friday in Izzie's in-world store. (Teleport here). You can see the before and after the break (NSFW, obvi), illustrating how Izzie's enhancement turns an avatar's breasts into something that much more resembles the breasts of an actual woman: 

Cassie's Clips: Exploring the SL Shopping Extravaganza of Equal 10

This week exclusive to New World Notes, beloved SL YouTuber Cassie Middles visits Equal 10, the shopping extravaganza event happening now, a showcase featuring dozens of well-known Second Life style brands, including clothing, hair styles, skins, and make-up for male and female avatars, plus lifestyle accessories for both. (Direct teleport here.)

"It's a great shopping event for both genders, making sure not to exclude anyone and make it female dominated, while still featuring amazing designers," Cassie tells me. "They're also a monthly event and update their website every month with designer ads, so you can easily teleport to the ones on your shopping list at the landing point instead of struggling through any lag (though I had none)." 

 

One tip Cassie has for future Eleven event participants:

Women & RL Height Displays Have Been Driving Down the Size of Formerly Gargantuan Avatars (Comment of the Week)

Good alternate perspective from "Irihapeti", responding to my observation that Second Life avatar height seems to have been driven up  by fragile RL male egos:

SL avatars, both male and female, today are on average shorter than they were in the early years. The downward shift began when Linden Lab added inches and centimeters to the height slider. [See above]

Prior to this the slider height was only measured on the scale: 0...100. So most guys not surprisingly set it to 100. Unsurprising as there was no useful indication as to what 100 meant. In-world there was a feedback loop. Avatars are set to 100 > furniture is set for 100. More avatars > more furniture > most avatars > most furniture

It was women in the main, who broke this feedback loop. When they saw that the slider now said 7 feet plus they started to reduce. Their men began to follow them down. People went even lower when third party viewers changed the height slider to measure from sole to top of head. The Linden Lab viewer still measures from sole to eye level.

When I played in the early years I was 185cm[i.e. about 6 feet] by prim measure in bare feet. I was squiddy as, compared to pretty much everyone else adult human avatar then. I am still 185cm. Yet now when at shopping events I am slightly above average in height for a female avatar.

This sounds right, certainly for the fashionista crowd. I think it's likely that both our perspectives are generally true --depending on the SL subculture: That is, average heights have been coming down in social circles where women predominate, while avatar heights remain largely gargantuan where male competition predominates -- think virtual nightclubs, roleplay areas, combat zones. 

Watch: How to Manage Your SL Inventory The Cassie Middles Way

Now that she's back to SL YouTubing especially here on New World Notes, Cassie Middles (please subscribe here!) is reorganizing her massive inventory -- a massive task. Fortunately, she has a system you can follow. Here's a tutorial cheat sheet from Cassie:

The best way I feel, to organize your inventory:

Make categories and sub-categories. I.E Clothing > Tops > Tank Tops, Sweaters, Jackets, T-shirts, etc

Open a second inventory window by hitting the small suitcase icon in the bottom right of your inventory window, opening a secondary one. This will allow you to have your organized folders open, so you can drag folders you want to put away, into those, without having to scroll up and down.

There's also in-world utilities you can use:

Second Life Style Has Been Influenced by Kim Kardashian Long Before She Started Using Second Life in Her Social Media (Comment of the Week)

At the risk of over-exposing Kim Kardashian's Second Life-based social media campaign (then again, isn't over-exposure the whole point?) reader Blaise Glendevon makes a really good observation in response to SLers complaining about it:

I don't understand why so many of you are surprised or put out. The KKW aesthetic has been at the forefront of [SL] fashion and blogging personas for as long as I can remember. A lot of the top 'urban' brands in the events take great inspiration from what the Kardashian-Jenner sisters wear on social media.

That the patrons of this look have taken notice of SL isn't a surprise. That it took so long might.

This strikes me as exactly right. Looking at back at the SL fashion that was popular in the early years (as here and also here), you see quite a difference -- it leaned more toward goth/steampunk, on the one hand, and high-end and uptown, on the other. But Keeping Up with the Kardashians came out in 2007, and in the succeeding years, SL fashion styles have largely followed suit. So that nowadays, my Second Life social feed is swamped by glitzy, urban, highly sexualized avatar images similar to those that the Kardashians have made popular and mainstream since then. Or to put it another way: It's Kim Kardashian's virtual world, we're just logging into it.

Pics via Liz Milan West's Instagram.

Profile of Kim Kardashian's Second Life Social Media Campaign Creator

She's @lizmilanwest on Instagram, lizzylo1212.xue in Second Life and on the SL Marketplace -- and IRL, Johnathan Ramirez, a twenty-something makeup artist based in New York City -- and urban fashion magazine Ozon Magazine has the first interview with him. Interestingly, the profile suggests Ramirez first created a Kardashian-themed brand in Second Life before being approached the actual Kardashian team:

LMW (Liz milan west) cosmetic store was created on SL because I was extremely inspired by Kim Kardashian West’s beauty line along with other people who inspired me in the makeup industry... 

The ideas for the [campaign] images were to “create a world using the Kimoji fragrance in different settings and reflect Kim’s lifestyle”... I loved working on this campaign with Kim and her team. A game that I played normally opened my eyes to so many possibilities….. 

Read it all here. Ramirez also replies to complaints that his avatars depict an unrealistic image ("It’s a 3D inspired animation of Kim Kardashian West. Some of the depictions are exaggerated for fantasy!") and hints that more is to come. As for Kim Kardashian herself, she's still integrating her real life avatar with her SL one -- see above, on the Instagram account for her fragrance line.

Cajsa's Choices: Seven Stylish Second Life Male Fashion Photographers

Cajsa Lilliehook covers the best in virtual world screenshot art and digital painting

One of the most common complaints from men in Second Life is the lack of clothing and events that cater to them. Some defend the lack of options as the natural result of men’s disinterest in fashion, but that reflects a reality more than twenty years in the past and not the current reality where the growth in menswear outstrips the growth in womenswear. Men in SL are interested in fashion, and thankfully, there’s a cohort of talent male fashion bloggers to guide their way.

Ian Dark blogs at El Eterno Resplandor. His pictures are casual, slice-of-life photos–a man enjoying himself about town and SL. I like his attention to the background. His style is very casual and relaxed, but he gives his pictures life with well thought-out settings and vignettes with him surfing, playing basketball, and just having a good time.

Roy Mildor blogs at his eponymous blog. All his blogs are titled with inspirational quotes such as “Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent……!”  His photos are varied, from portraits such as this one to gorgeous black and white photo that opens this article. He is experimental, trying out different styles, black and white, color, and experiments with light, action shots, portraits. His photostream is fun and filled with variety.

Many more metaverse males below!

SL Fashion Bloggers Rarely Criticize Badly Optimized Products Because They Usually Get These Products for Free (Comment of the Week)

Good point from reader Myndy Heartsdale on why SL fashion/accessory bloggers rarely criticize products they blog for poor optimization and other technical flaws. Part of it is because they're mainly using these products for solo fashion shoots, but there's also a subtle incentive at play. As Myndy puts it:

One little thing that's not mentioned: many bloggers get the product for free, then they speak positive things of it; so far I have not seen a blogger criticize a product because of their possible issues.

"That is absolutely true," concurs SL blogger Chic Aeon:

"But bloggers DO HAVE A CHOICE in what they blog... It is OUR credibility on the line too. So when readers figure out that we blog everything from "deeigner VGY" even when there are obvious mesh issues, you can't move in it at ALL etc. -- then our fans have our number and likely won't be reading much of our musing in the future."

Chic's own blog has a good recent example of praising a new product (above) while also gently pointing out some issues: