Tag: Altamura

Second Life Steals, Deals, and Freebies: The Limited Akeruka Bakes on Mesh Bento Mesh Head

Akeruka posted the following message to their group, called [AK] Heads News & Support:

Hi ladies, since we all are in this incredible hard time because of coronavirus, we thought about giving to you all ladies a bit of happiness doing this amazing GROUP GIFT; [it] is a LIMITED head, this head will NEVER be sold after it.

We don’t know until how much time it will be as gift, we will just wait [for] the things to get better in our life.

Guys, I know you want a gift as well but we are still working on [a] beta male Advanced head. Soon more news for you guys!!!

If you are not already a member of the [AK] Heads News & Support group, it will cost you L$150 to join it. Then visit the Akeruka store (here’s the SLURL) and click on either the big poster up top, or the three smaller ones underneath it. Pay the vendor L$1, and you will receive the Akeruka Limited head package.

As you can imagine, the store is quite busy, and it might take you a little while to be able to teleport in. In a second message to the group, the owner of Akeruka added:

Ladies, the gift will stay DAYS so [you] don’t need to rush, and do not click multiple times on vendor, it will not make difference, [the] vendor is processing all deliveries, so [you] need to be patient!!

So, if you can’t get into the packed sim, use a tool like the handy free Teleport Hammer, or be patient and wait a few days. But please, don’t wait forever!

Also, and this is a very important point: Limited is the name of the head, but this does NOT mean this is a head with limited features. This head is Bento and fully-adjustable. The package comes with many extras and nice additions.

Instead, Limited only refers to the fact that this is a limited-time offer, and after it is over, this head will no longer be available for purchase, unlike the past group gifts of Akeruka Bento heads, which would then be placed for sale at the regular price. Once this head is gone, it’s gone.

One more very important thing about the Limited head is that it is 100% Bales on Mesh. There are no skin appliers for this head, unlike previous group gifts; there’s just a folder of system skins in eight skin tones (in versions with and without eyebrows), and a folder of tintable eyebrow, blush, and hair base tattoos.

The Akeruka skin tones have quite a range. Here is the darkest skin tone of the eight (the eyes are mesh, they are included in the package and their colour can be changed on the HUD):

And here is the lightest, which would work well for goth girls and vampires! The alien version of the eyes is also included as an option in the Limited head HUD. Included in the Limited head package is a separate teeth HUD, which gives you the options of monster or vampire teeth—a nice touch, and something to keep in mind if you do vampire roleplay in Second Life.

I must confess that I spent a quarter of an hour tearing my hear out, trying to pull a look together using this new Limited head! No matter what I did, the Limited head remained a stubborn red colour. I was obviously doing something wrong, but what?

You see, I had paired it with the Altamura Juliet mesh body I had picked up as a group gift on Valentine’s Day in 2019, adding the Altamura Omega system kit (available for L$99 at this exact SLURL) to it, so that I could apply matching body skin. (The Limited head package contains a separate box to unpack, which contains body skin appliers in all eight Akeruka skin tones for Maitreya, Belleza, Slink, and Omega-compatible mesh bodies, so you should be all set to go without having to purchase anything else, something I have always liked about the Akeruka group gifts. Other stores sometimes offer a free head, but then you have to shell out for matching body skin.)

What I did wrong was, without thinking, I automatically added the default body-and-head alpha from the Altamura Juliet package like I usually do in setting up a new head and body from scratch, completely forgetting that you need to remove all alphas for Bakes on Mesh to work! Once I took off the Altamura body-and-head alpha, and put on a body-only alpha which was part of a freebie version of the eBody Curvy mesh body which I had in my inventory, I was then able to see the skin properly on the Limited head. It just took me a while to figure out.

So, let’s take a look at our finished avatar!

This avatar is wearing:

  • Mesh Head: Limited head (L$1 group gift from Akeruka; it costs L$150 to join their group)
  • Mesh Body: Juliet by Altamura (a limited-time group gift from Valentine’s Day 2019; at the time I joined the Altamura group it was only L$50, but it now costs L$100 to join their group; this Juliet body is now for sale at the full price)
  • Head and Body Skin: Akeruka skin tone 4 (part of the Limited head package; I bought an Omega System kit for Altamura for L$99 and used the matching Omega body skin applier that was also part of the Limited head package)
  • Hair: Iris by D!va (free group gift located on the other side of the wall behind the front counter; the group is free to join)
  • Dress: Kattie by Arcane Spellcaster (purchased using a free group gift card last year; at that time the group was free to join)
  • Shoes: Sonnet pumps by Hilly Haalan (free group gift; group is free to join)
  • Animation Override: Chubby Girl AO by [ImpEle] (unfortunately, this free product is no longer on the SL Marketplace). This is a nice, simple, calm, free AO with no crazy movements. The Limited head includes a complete facial animation HUD in the package. The Altamura Juliet mesh body comes with natural Bento hand animations built in.

TOTAL COST FOR THIS AVATAR: L$300 (L$151 for the Akeruka head, L$50 for the Altamura group fee at the time I joined it, and L$99 for the Altamura Omega system kit)

UPDATED! Second Life Steals, Deals, and Freebies: A Free Bakes-on-Mesh Compatible, Bento Mesh Head for Female Avatars from the Genus Project

I just learned today from the Free*Style blog that the Genus Project, a major Bento head retailer in Second Life, is giving away a free version of their Strong Face model of female avatar head, which is Bento (fully adjustable) and supports Bakes on Mesh:

The Free*Style blogger, Helena Stringer, reports:

You can try to fight the horde that are grabbing Skin Fair Heads, or you can join the in-world group, which is free to join, and grab the head out of the notices: secondlife:///app/group/b153906f-38dd-0dd6-d327-345bef9f446e/about

They have also reduced their heads by 40% until an undisclosed time. 

Thanks, Helena! I would also very strongly advise you avoid the doubtlessly jam-packed sim where the Genus Project store is located. It will be an exercise in frustration.

Instead, join the GenusProject group for free (just copy and paste the above link into local chat in your SL client, and it will generate a group join link), and pick up the free Strong Face head from the group notices. The title of the notice you are looking for is: Support from the Genus Project team, and the head will be an attachment to that notice that you can click and download into your inventory. Group notices expire after two weeks, though, so please don’t wait too long!

The package includes:

  • the Genus Strong Face head itself and a head alpha;
  • a modifiable default shape (which should be your starting point);
  • Genus “jaws” (I assume that this is the teeth for inside the head);
  • a Genus neck fix;
  • Genus eyes and an eye alpha;
  • a Universal Setting HUD in two sizes (big and small);
  • a Basic Animation HUD in two sizes (big and small), and a variety of animations;
  • a Genus skin applier in three skin tones: Honey, Toffee, and Brownie, and four eyebrow colours: Blonde, Ginger, Brown, and Black (a nice bonus!);
  • an Information notecard explaining how to wear the head;
  • a Frequently-Asked Questions notecard.

As you can see, the included skin applier gives a beautiful result (I am also wearing the included Genus mesh eyes, and I have not changed any of the sliders from the included default shape):

The included Genus skin applier HUD (showing Honey skin, Brown eyebrows)

There are tons of options in the Universal HUD! These are just two of the three tabs:

And the animation HUD has plenty of eomtional moods and facial expressions! Here’s I selected the sleepy/yawning mood:

And this is the angry/annoyed expression:

In short, this is one of the nicest, most fully-featured freebie Bento mesh heads I have ever encountered in my many years of freebie shopping. So go and get this for your female avatar! You won’t regret it. Here’s my final look (I paired this head with the Atenea mesh body by LUCYBODY, which I wrote about here):

P.S. I will add this news to my ever-expanding, ever-popular blogpost on free and inexpensive mesh heads and bodies for female Second Life avatars.

P.P.S. SL vlogger Naria Panthar has just released a half-hour YouTube video demonstration of the various features of the Strong Face head and its HUDs:

UPDATE April 4th, 2020: I forgot to mention that this free Strong Face head is also Omega compatible! You will have to purchase and install an Omega System kit for it, though. You can purchase the Omega System kit for Genus Project heads for only L$99 from the Omega Solutions in-world store.

So I paired the Genus Strong Face head with the Altamura Juliet body (which I picked up at Valentine’s Day 2019 as a free group gift), and applied the free Elvira Omega skin applier in snow (which was an Advent calendar gift from 7 Deadly Skins last Christmas). I was quite pleased with the results! This is the makeup-free face, since fairies don’t wear makeup 😉

Absolutely stunning!

This avatar is wearing:

  • Mesh Head: Strong Face by Genus Project (free group gift; group is free to join)
  • Mesh Body: Juliet by Altamura (former free group gift; the Altamura group costs L$100 to join)
  • Omega Skin Applier: Elvira in snow by 7 Deadly S[k]ins (a free group gift from last Christmas; I joined the group when it had a free group join period)
  • Mesh Eyes: Genus mesh eyes (comes in the package with the Strong Face head)
  • Hair: Aria by D!va Hair (a free group gift; the group is free to join)
  • Jewelry: Daphne choker and earrings by from Beloved Jewelry (free; a hunt gift from a couple of years ago)
  • Gown: Luminessence gown in white by Oi Bae! (free group gift; group is free to join; I’m not sure if this store is still on the grid or not, but they are on the SL Marketplace)
  • Shoes (not shown): white flats by Garbaggio (part of a free sample pack of Slink-compatible shoes from Garbaggio, available on the SL Marketplace; Altamura mesh bodies have Slink-compatible feet)
  • Iridescent Wings: these were a freebie I picked up many years ago and I forget where I got them
  • Magic Wand: like the wings, I forget exactly where I picked up this freebie.
  • Animation Override: Chubby Girl AO by [ImpEle] (free from the SL Marketplace). This is a nice, simple, calm, free AO with no crazy movements. I added a free, separate Bento hand animator from the Altamura Juliet package.

TOTAL COST FOR THIS ENTIRE AVATAR: Only L$298! (L$100 to join the Altamura group, L$99 for the Genus Omega system kit, and L$99 for the Altamura Omega system kit.)

I’m all set for my next fantasy roleplay experience in Second Life!

Happy freebie shopping!

Second Life Steals, Deals, and Freebies: A Free Bento Mesh Head for Male Avatars from Altamura in the Menstuff Hunt

I wanted to alert all you Second Life freebie fashionistas who read this blog that there is a free, fully-adjustable, Bakes-on-Mesh and Omega compatible, Bento male mesh head available as a hunt prize in the Menstuff hunt, which runs from Feb. 1st-28th, 2020. The head is called Akakor, and the free prize is hidden away somewhere in the Altamura store (you do not need to join any group to claim this gift). However, I do have some caveats about this freebie, as you will see.

Here is what the head looks like, wearing the included default shape without any adjustments to the sliders:

Note that there is a tattoo on both sides of the neck on the default skin that comes with the Akakor head, which is fully adjustable. (I’ll be getting back to those tattoos in a moment.)

Remember that all the freebie Altamura bodies do not allow you remove the head to replace it with this new free head. However, if you were lucky enough to pick up the fully-functional Romeo group gift from Altamura last Valentine’s Day, then you will be able to remove the head on that particular male mesh body, and use the Akakor head with it.

For more information on free or inexpensive mesh bodies for male avatars, please click here (the freebie/dollarbie Bakes on Mesh avatars from **SD** and Heavy Industries at the end of that rather long blogpost might be absolutely perfect to pair with this head).

There is a Bakes on Mesh Omega applier included, as well as a HUD with some default facial animations, but there is no included HUD to add or remove the hair base, eyebrows, tattoos, or any other features on this head.

Even more perplexing, I encountered a couple of problems. First, one of my alts was unable to obtain the hunt prize, giving me the error message that I didn’t have enough money in my account (the head is priced at L$0). It wouldn’t work until I transferred L$20 to that particular avatar’s account, even though the head was free, and I was not charged for it at all! Something weird is going on.

Second, what the exceedingly poor documentation included with this gift head fails to tell you is that you must purchase and apply the Altamura Omega system kit (available for L$99 at this exact SLURL), in order to apply either Omega skins or Bakes on Mesh skins to this free head.

However, you should know that applying an Omega skin does not automatically clear the tattoo on both sides of the neck. You will need to remove the default tattoos on this head using one of the free Omega makeup-removal HUDs available on the SL Marketplace (such as this free NEFA Clear All Layers Omega HUD).

Why Altamura didn’t think to include all this information in in the package is beyond me. It’s extremely irritating.

In short, after spending a very frustrating couple of hours tearing my hair out trying to get this head to work with various Bakes on Mesh and Omega skin appliers, I must warn you that there is a steep learning curve with this head. I’m really not sure it’s worth the hassle, especially for newbies that this freebie might especially appeal to.

Here is what the Delphinus Bakes on Mesh skin applier (included in the package) looks like on the Akakor head, after removing the neck tattoos using the NEFA HUD I mentioned above, and paired with the **SD** Raphael Bakes on Mesh body available here on the SL Marketplace for L$1:

So, if you still want to try it out for yourself, here is what you are looking for in the Altamura store (with a warning that the hunt item is rather small and tucked away in a corner):

The hunt hint given for Altamura is: “Confetti in this period is welcome”. Here is a link to all the hunt hints on the Menstuff website.

Good luck in your hunting! The Menstuff hunt runs until the end of February, so you have plenty of time to do some head-hunting! 😉

Second Life Steals, Deals, and Freebies: Just One of the Guys

I don’t blog about Second Life freebies for men as often as I do for the women, but there are a couple of nice freebies I wanted to mention today.

Amazing Creations has monthly free group gifts for both men and women (the store group is free to join), and this month’s men’s gift is this casual outfit, which includes the boots (here’s the exact SLURL to find the gift panel in the Amazing Creations store):

The best part of this outfit is that it is all in one piece: the shirt, jeans, and boots are all one werable mesh object. Just alpha out your body and your feet and you’re all set!

Another freebie is available without a group join at the Peak Lounge event taking place in Second Life this weekend. There are three free group gifts, and one of them is a set of beer props (see red arrow):

The set comes with a wearable sixpack of beer for one hand and a beer bottle for the other, both with Bento hand poses:

There’s also a rezzable sixpack for decoration purposes. Out guy is all set for his next party!

I’m not sure how long the Peak Lounge freebies will be available, so if you’re interested, head down there this weekend! Here’s the SLURL.

This avatar is also wearing:

  • Mesh Body and Head: Romeo by Altamura (a free group gift from last Valentine’s Day; no longer available for free)
  • Hair: Anderson by Alli&Ali Designs (which I picked up for free at an in-world conference last year)
  • Animation Override: Daily sLIFE Free Bento Male AO (free gift from Tuty)

TOTAL COST OF THIS ENTIRE AVATAR LOOK: FREE!