Since discovering The Free Dove, I’ve decided to showcase one look a week with items from the store. Welcome to the third installment of Free Dove Friday!
This week showcases an entire outfit by Emerald Couture for Men.
Not all Second Life avatars have to be human. A few days ago you saw The Demoness. Today I’ll be showing you a gorgeous elven maiden featuring ears from Swallow and a beautiful dress from Arwen’s Creations.
For this character I only needed to purchase the elf ears and dress. Of course not all elves need to be clothed in flowing dresses, but I wanted mine to have a style that I didn’t currently have in my inventory. If you’d like to copy the avatar completely you can find full credits at the bottom of the post. Feel free to click any image for a larger version to check out the detail.
Swallow sells not only various ears (for elves and humans) but also a variety of accessories, jewelry, and skins. Their store offers gacha machines and even a L$99 room. For accessories that make you stand out Swallow is a store you don’t want to miss.
These ears are a real treat. They come with an in depth HUD to ensure your ears are unlike any others. There are 27 preset skin tones, but if you can’t find your match there you can use the color picker or even an RGB input for the proper color match. You can also choose between 25 “shades” (ear tip colors/glow) and 31 tattoo options including two in the style of Lord of the Rings. Sizing the ears for a perfect fit is easily handled via the HUD. Depending on your skin, the ears may have a noticeable seam where your head stops and the ears stop. If you find this to be the case you can easily cover the seam with hair or accessories.
Not all Second Life avatars have to be human. In fact, non human avatars are a common sight in Second Life. Today I’ll be showing you a beautiful demoness. The best part about making many fantasy humanoids is that they can build off the human base you may already be using!
Shoutout to hhhnnnnnggggggg for inspiring this post! The redditor commented on a post about Second Life Avatar Questions and mentioned he or she had purchased a set of bento demon wings. That in addition to a short conversation about fantasy avatars gave me the little push to start showing off some non human characters.
Since most players likely have the basics they enjoy using (such as a body, feet, hands, head) I haven’t included those in this section. I used mostly products that I already had, however a few new purchases were made. If you’d like to copy the style completely you can find full credits at the bottom of the post. Feel free to click any image for a larger version to check out the detail.
EVolved creatures creates bento fantasy enhancements for avatars. At the time of this posting the current selection is small, but each item is versatile, great quality, and beautiful. They currently offer the following products:
Since discovering The Free Dove, I’ve decided to showcase one look a week with items from the store. Welcome to the second installment of Free Dove Friday!
This week showcases products by alaskametro and 1 Hundred.
Since discovering The Free Dove, I’ve decided to showcase one look a week with items from the store. Welcome to the first installment of Free Dove Friday!
This week showcases products by Duh!, Apple May Designs, and KingbalStores.
Note: While the images in this blog post are from 2017, the content has been reviewed and updated for 2020.
Since 2005 The Free Dove has been helping players make their Second Life avatars absolutely gorgeous. The store is filled with clothes, shoes, hair, accessories, and more so everyone can look stylish. The cost? Absolutely nothing. That’s right, nearly everything at The Free Dove is completely free of charge.
Located in beautiful Gallii, The Free Dove caters to new players and veterans alike. The store itself has easy to see guides on everything from basic etiquette to unpacking your purchases. While the place is extremely newbie friendly, veteran players don’t want to pass up the chance to visit. Even though there is no cost for the majority of items at the store, the products at The Free Dove are generally good quality. The owner, Palomma Casanova, handpicks all the designers to ensure everything meets her standards. The second floor hosts a few Gacha machines and low cost vendors, though the majority of the products are on the free first floor. Whether you’re just starting your inventory or you’re rounding out your collection, The Free Dove has something for you.
You WILL need to join The Free Dove’s group to get any of the items.
This series is currently in the process of being updated. While most of the information is still relevant I’m going through and updating the content as well as the images to ensure they are still accurate and current.
This is part 5 of the 5 part series Making A New You.
So you’ve gone on your shopping spree and you’re itching to go show off. You look awesome, but you’re still using Second Life’s default animations. You’ve put so much work into your avatar, don’t cheapen it by skipping an Animation Overrider (AO).
Due to their lack of fluidity, Second Life’s default animations leave something to be desired. The walk has the elegance of a penguin and the other animations aren’t any better. This is where the animation overrider comes in. It replaces the default animations so you can move like the sophisticated creature you are. Different animations give your character different personalities. You can sashay like a model or saunter like a criminal. You can be confident, sassy, curious, humble, anything! Many AOs even alter your basic standing animations. Your choice of animation overrider sets the mood for everything you do.
This series is currently in the process of being updated. While most of the information is still relevant I’m going through and updating the content as well as the images to ensure they are still accurate and current.
This is part 4 of the 5 part series Making A New You.
Avatar fashion is a huge industry in Second Life. Everywhere you go you’ll find people sporting their own style and individuality. The endless options make it easier to bring your dream avatar into reality. Make sure you still have that list handy from Part 1, you’ll need to know what’s left to acquire!
Similar to purchasing body parts and hair, demos are an important part of the Second Life avatar fashion industry. Demos are generally free or next to free versions of the product for sale. They tend to have a trait (such as incomplete textures or extra shapes floating around) that is visually displeasing to deter you from using it instead of the full priced product. While the price tag may look tempting, demos are not made for use beyond testing the product out on your avatar. Think of it as a sample taste of the final product. After all, you wouldn’t know if something fits without trying it on first, right?
Some products don’t have demos, especially low cost or free products. These products are commonly referred to as freebies, dollarbies, and gifts. As the names imply, freebies cost nothing and dollarbies cost 1L$. Gifts don’t have a set price, but tend to be inexpensive. Low cost products exist all over Second Life, however finding decent quality ones takes a bit of patience and hunting. If you’re interested in keeping things free (or close to it) I highly recommend browsing The Free Dove.
This series is currently in the process of being updated. While most of the information is still relevant I’m going through and updating the content as well as the images to ensure they are still accurate and current.
This is part 3 of the 5 part series Making A New You.
How you build your basic avatar depends on what you want the outcome to be. Selecting body parts can be a challenging yet rewarding experience! You’ll need the list you made in Part 1 so you know what type of items to buy.
Mesh is the term used to describe 3D objects in Second Life. The game does provide default Mesh avatars that you can build off of, though they are very basic. If you want higher quality you can purchase mesh parts to use instead of the default avatar. Since the defaults are already made for you I’ll assume you’re not reading this guide for those and focus on the other options.
This series is currently in the process of being updated. While most of the information is still relevant I’m going through and updating the content as well as the images to ensure they are still accurate and current.
This is part 2 of the 5 part series Making A New You.
Whether your budget is tight or you have money to spend, avatar cost is a factor in redesigning your character. If you have the concept of what you want from your avatar you know what sort of things you need to get to build it in world. If you don’t have an idea what you want make sure to check out Part 1.
When purchasing items you will need Linden Dollars (L$), the currency of Second Life. The conversion rate varies, so make sure to check the LindeX to see what you can afford. While they can be earned in game, they are more commonly purchased when large amounts are needed. Acquiring Lindens can be a massive post in itself (perhaps one I’ll make in the future!) For now you need the knowledge that for your dream avatar you likely need some Lindens.