Month: July 2020

UPDATED! Second Life Steals, Deals, and Freebies: Pick up 72 Free Clothing Fatpacks at the Scandalize Outlet Store Until August 15th!

Please note that I am taking the rest of the summer off as a self-imposed vacation from the blog so I can focus on my other work, except for sponsored blogposts, and the occasional exception such as this post. See you in September!

UPDATE Aug. 14th, 2020: I have received word that these fatpacks of clothing are only going to be available for free until August 15th, 2020, so hurry down today!

Scandalize has always been one of the most generous stores on the Second Life grid in terms of free group gifts, with a group gift wall in-store just heaving with free clothing and footwear. It costs L$100 to join the Scandalize store group, but you get so much in return it really is a no-brainer (or watch and wait for times when they have a free group join, too; they usually do it two or three times per year).

Well, Scandalize recently set up an outlet store on their sim, and to kick it off with a bang, you can join a new, free group called Scandals SL Frees & News and scoop up no less than seventy-two full fatpacks of older Scandalize outfits, all for FREE! This is such an outstanding deal that I decided to break my self-imposed vacation from the blog to tell you about it.

Here’s the SLURL to the Scandalize Outlet store; when you arrive you will be prompted to join the new, free Scandals SL Free & News group (or you can just click on the panel as shown below. Once you have joined the group, just click on the Scandals tag in the corner of each clothing panel to pick up a complete fatpack (i.e. all colours and patterns, including ombre tones in some cases) of that particular outfit!

Most of the clothing comes in sizes to fit Maitreya Lara, Slink Physique and Hourglass, and Belleza Venus, Isis and Freya mesh bodies. Because many of these outfits show a fair bit of bare skin, they might not work well with other kinds of mesh bodes (such as the freebie or paid-for Altamura mesh bodies, particularly around the pelvic area).

However, there are now several free and inexpensive mesh bodies that are Maitreya Lara compatible. One of them is the Atenea mesh body from LucyBody, which is a free Lucky Board prize (more information is available here). Maitreya Lara clothing and Slink footwear fit this body very well, and for only L$197 you can pick up a Bakes on Mesh applier HUD to allow you to wear any Bakes on Mesh skin with it.

I have also written about a few other mesh bodies that claim to be Maitreya Lara compatible, in my constantly-updated list of free and inexpensive heads and bodies for female avatars. Check it out! You don’t need to spend a fortune to be able to wear Maitreya Lara-compatible clothing and have it look good!

Another option for a Maitreya Lara-compatible mesh body is the new Anya full-body (i.e. head and body) mesh avatar by Kalhene, which has recently opened up a small store opposite the N-Core Design footwear store (here’s the SLURL).

For only L$1,695 you get a beautiful, completely-adjustable Bento mesh head and body, with a detailed HUD, complete with a starter wardrobe of clothing and shoes, plus a set of lovely, realistic-looking Bakes on Mesh skins in a variety of skin tones! The Anya package even includes hair, plus an AO for the face, hands, and eyes! All you need to do is add your own animation override (for the body) and you’re all set.

Compare everything that you get in the Kalhene package with paying L$2,750 for the Maitreya Lara body, alone, after which you will also have to shell out for a pricey Bento head (Catwa heads are L$5,000 each), plus pay for skin appliers, etc. etc. You can easily see what a deal the Kalhene mesh body package is (even if you decide to just use the body, pairing it with a different Bakes on Mesh-compatible mesh head).

The Kalhene Anya mesh body

(Note that Kalhene is also selling Alexa, a flat-chested/transgender mesh avatar, which is compatible with Maitreya Lara with the V-tech flat chest add-on, for the same price, L$1,695.)

Now that we’ve discussed Maitreya Lara-compatible mesh bodies, let’s take a look at some of the clothes I picked up for free at the Scandalize outlet store! Here is the Axcid dress, which comes in two separate parts, the dress and the sleeves, in a complete fatpack of colours:

The Clae outfit consists of a cropped leather jacket with a belted miniskirt, which comes in a variety of colours and patterns (the jacket comes in a wide range of colours, including black):

The stunning Scarlett full-length ballgown comes in a complete fatpack of solid and ombre tones:

Finally, we have the sexy Kya romper, where the top, belt, and shorts can be configured via HUD to a wide variety of different colours and camouflage patterns!

I have heard that these 72 Scandalize clothing fatpacks are only going to be made available for a two-week period, so don’t delay! Hurry down and snap up these fabulous freebies before they’re gone!! Happy freebie shopping!

I Pay a Visit to Geek Weekly at the Localhost Connection Café in Sinespace

Please note that I am taking the rest of the summer off as a self-imposed vacation from the blog so I can focus on my other work, except for sponsored blogposts (like this one), and the occasional exception. See you in September!

Today I did something that I hadn’t done before: I dropped in to the weekly meeting held at the Localhost Connection Café and Hangout, called Geek Weekly (which I blogged about previously here). One of the hosts, Carsten, describes Geek Weekly as follows:

Geek Weekly is your Monday morning social event, to get to know good people talking about extremely geeky things! It’s a little free-form but every week will be a little geek culture and science and technology news, live Sinespace show and tells, some fun trivia, talk of good books you’ve read or want to read, and socializing. You don’t have to bring anything but yourself. Nor do you have to know Unity or how to roll a D20. Come have fun.

So I decided to take Carsten up on his invitation and pay a visit. Carsten Stark and his partner ArtemisBane, who co-designed this wonderful meeting space, have expanded the futuristic urban area around the café. In previous visits, it had always been at night, but I was pleased to see that the world also had a daytime mode.

The pavement is slick with recent rain. Somebody opened up a nearby fire hydrant, and there is a spray of water shooting out over the street.

We gathered inside the Localhost Connection. I asked how many people usually came out to these weekly meetups, and Carsten told me he gets about a dozen people.

Carsten is host, and we start off with introductions, following by a wide-ranging discussion prompted by various interesting news items Carsten finds. This week we talked about:

Afterwards, we had was a round of trivia, followed by an opportunity for show and tell about any real-life or Sinespace projects each of us was working on. I found it to be a comfortable, convivial setting, with good company, and I expect to return in subsequent weeks, as my schedule allows.

Geek Weekly is every Monday (9:00-10:00 a.m. PST; Noon-1:00 p.m. EST; 5:00-6:00 p.m. BST) in the Localhost Connection Café and Hangout.

I posted a number of pictures of the Localhost Connection when I first blogged about the café back in May. There’s also the Explore page on the Sinespace website, with a few more snapshots of the interior. Artemis and Carsten have put a lot of hard work into creating and decorating this space, and it is well worth a visit!

If you’re new to Sinespace but want to attend this event, you’ll need to download and install the Sinespace client on your computer (there are Windows, Macintosh, and Linux clients). Here are some step-by-step instructions on how to get started in Sinespace. If you already have the Sinespace client installed, just click on the Explore button and do a keyword search for “localhost”. Everybody is welcome!

This blogpost is sponsored by Sinespace, and was written in my role as an embedded reporter for this virtual world (more details here). 

Taking a Summer Stroll in the Independent State of Caledon: Exploring One of Second Life’s Oldest Victorian Steampunk Communities

Please note that I am taking the rest of the summer off as a self-imposed vacation from the blog so I can focus on my other work, except for sponsored blogposts, and the occasional exception such as this post. See you in September!

I make no secret of the fact that one of the ways I cope with the isolation and social distancing imposed by the coronavirus pandemic, while working from home for my university library system, is to wander and explore the many different communities in Second Life (my preferred means of escape from the dumpster-fire year of 2020).

A couple of days ago, I had just picked up the latest group gift from Antaya, a lovely black lace Victorian umbrella (the group join fee is L$50), and so I decided to put it to immediate good use by going out for an invigorating stroll through Caledon! It’s truly the perfect accessory to protect the complexion of this aristocratic maiden, lest she acquire a tan which establishes her a member of the—gasp!—working classes. 😉

My Victorian avatar, Fidelity Constantine, at the Caledon Oxbridge University

Founded in 2006, the Independent State of Caledon is one of Second Life’s oldest and longest-running Victorian/neoVictorian/steampunk communities. According to the SL Fandom wiki:

Caledon is a small, windswept forested country at a temperate latitude. Wild creatures, country estate life, sights and sounds that were common well over 100 years ago are the hallmark of the land.

Technology is approximately that of the 19th Century, though some astonishing breakthroughs have provided for incredible wonders. Ground vehicles, airships, and even a device known as a ‘telehub’ are made possible through the power of exotic material properties and the wonders of Steam Technology.

If you are new to Caledon, a highly recommended place to start is the Caledon Oxbridge University (website; SLURL), which has a board listing all the things to see and do in this steampunk community:

I find it enjoyable and relaxing to stroll the many sims which make up the Independent State of Caledon. People’s homes range from tiny rustic shacks to large ornate mansions, and include fantastical tree houses, steampunk airships, and just about anything and everything in between! I always admire the creativity of the owners in designing and decorating their abodes.

Many of these homes proudly display the circular plaques which mark each year of their participation in the Caledon community, up to fourteen years in some cases!

Every so often, I will come across a Caledon resident and stop and have a chat:

Victorian dress is encouraged in Caledon, but if you have no suitable clothing in your wardrobe, simply load up the Abigail or Jasper starter steampunk avatars from SL’s own starter avatar collection:

You can also choose from a wide array of free clothing (all non-mesh, system layer and flexiprim clothing) available at Caledon Oxbridge University, available at this exact SLURL. Mix and match outfits, and you’ll blend in with the locals in no time!

Miss Fidelity Constantine is wearing:

Mesh Head and Body: Juliet by Altamura (a Valentine’s Day group gift in 2019)

Gown: Day Flower by Junbug (an ultrarare gacha item)

Parasol: Victorian lace umbrella (free group gift from Antaya; the group costs L$50 to join)

Hair: the Pulled Back Bun hair is already in your Second Life inventory! Just open your inventory, and scroll down to the very bottom of your inventory window to find the Library folder. It’s in Library / Accessories / Hair Design Options / Pulled Back Bun folder. It’s free, completely adjustable, tintable, and uncomplicated, and it fits well under hats and hoods, too!

Animation Override: the Ballroom gown AO from the Caledon Oxbridge University, which I picked up when it available was free for avatars aged under 30 days (the black lace parasol comes with its own high-priority hold animation)

I Will Be Extending My Vacation from the RyanSchultz.com Blog Until the End of August

Photo by Mohamed Ajufaan on Unsplash

Two things have happened since I first announced that I was taking a vacation from this blog in mid-June:

  • I have discovered that I am bone tired, which is not too surprising, since I have kept up such a blistering pace, writing nearly 2,000 blogposts since I started this blog three years ago. I need a longer than expected break to recharge.
  • I have several heavier-than-usual demands being placed upon me by my full-time librarian job with the University of Manitoba Libraries, which necessitates me working overtime (evenings and weekends) to meet deadlines.

Between these two developments, I have decided to extend my self-imposed vacation from the RyanSchultz.com blog by another month, until the end of August, 2020. I will be back September 1st, 2020.

What that means is, I will only be posting sponsored blogposts for Sinespace and my other clients, plus the occasional exception (particularly if it is a breaking news story). If you are a company interesting in discussing sponsored blogposts for your product or platform, please contact me. My standard rate for sponsored blogposts is US$50 per post. You may also wish to consider purchasing advertising space on my blog, starting as low as US$10 per month for a one-year plan.

Enjoy your summer!

Photo by Simon Migaj on Unsplash