DrFran’s Alt Goes Hunting: April 2014

The Sinister Goth Sinner’s Hunt – Vanity, Sweet Dreams are Made of This Hunt, and Rock the Basket Hunt

By DrFran Babcock

It’s a new month, and that means lots of new hunts starting up. Desirée was eager to get going on a new round of freebies and dollarbies. Along the way she stopped at two of the sims on the Destination Guide, in between scooping up some nice items that are on display here.

Hunt Etiquette

There are several rules that are best followed when hunting. The first of these is to not call out the locations of hunt objects to other people. The idea of a hunt is to find objects, as in hunting for them! It’s fine to take a friend or two with whom to hunt, and can even be a lot of fun.

The second rule is to not bother the content creators excessively. I have had times when the object found was not set for sale. In every one of these cases an IM to the content creator, and a wait of a few days was usually sufficient to rectify the broken hunt item.

Last, do spend some looking in the hunt stores if you like the prize you have gotten. DrFran has spent thousands of lindens in shops simply because of some great hunt gifts.

The Hunts

The SLurls for the items are given below, because they were readily available on the hunt websites that are listed below. The items below were selected by Desirée, and reflect her tastes. Of course, your taste in prizes may differ. This is a good thing, because there are dozens of more prizes available in all of the hunts, and all of them last until the end of the month. Enjoy yourself as you realize that you do not have to spend a ton of money to look good in Second Life™.

Picture One: Taken at Frisland. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Laluna%20Island/120/222/22/  According to the Destination Guide: A place where time stands still that was inspired by a mysterious phantom island in the North Atlantic.  Desirée found it to be a place of hidden romantic spots, and a fine place for a date, even though she was alone.

Outfit: {Peachy} Vanity Corset Outfit/Gown with Mirror and Boots! http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Rubens/219/169/22

 

Hair: La Noir Soliel Designs LOLLY Hair: Comes with color-change bow: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Born/245/52/33

 

Skin: {AIMI} Claire Natural, with ruby red lips: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Chinwah%20Island/233/24/1805

Picture Two: Taken on Isla Okiddo, an art gallery in a lush setting.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Santa%20Maria%20Island/188/60/21

Outfit: VERO MODERO Wind Frill Gold http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Vero%20Modero/119/151/28

Skin: Gold [.Riel.] Jezebelle-Moonbeam http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Nocturnum/173/144/43

Picture Three: Taken at DrFran’s house on Varney.

Vanity with poses and props: Elegant Goth Vanity http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Eldritch/118/163/46

 

Necklace: Souzo Elen Narcissus’s Looking Glass (color change) http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Jinn/164/161/2503

 

Dress: Miss Jewell Mesh Sweater from the Rock the Basket Hunt  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Maekju/235/163/702

Sweet Dreams are Made of This Hunt

Picture Four (SDAMOT)

Cats: Storax Tree Siamese Cats in Love decoration: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Blue%20Heron%20Island/241/175/20

 

Outfit: VIPs Creations Red mesh with boots and red pearls.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Fireheart/56/31/21

Picture Five

Clown Avatar: VIPs Creations, the male gift for the SDAMOT Hunt http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Fireheart/56/31/21

Cloud: NR Designs Cloud Nine for two with naughty and nice poses http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Business%20District%20Kilo/21/95/28

The Sinister Goth Sinners Hunt – Vanity

April 1 to April 30. Look for the small silver mirror

http://thesinisterfollowing.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html?zx=18c7ef38e23cb5f0

Sweet Dreams are Made of This Hunt.

April 1 to April 30. Look for the white pillow

http://inkantationhunts.blogspot.com/p/sdamot-application.html

Rock the Basket Hunt:

April 1 to April 30. Look for the sculpt basket http://madlyuntamed.weebly.com/rock-the-basket-hunt.html

Free or Low Cost for Furries: A Rant and Some Good News

By DrFran Babcock

Our esteemed boss and editor, Bixyl Shuftan is a fox. I don’t mean he’s handsome, although that’s true. I mean that he’s a fur. If you look at the roster of reporters for SL Newser (http://slnewser.blogspot.com/p/meet-crew.html ) you will find that there are many on the crew that sport furry or animal avatars. DrFran has been to known to don a Siamese cat or obsidian panther at times, and her alt Desirée is a white tiger when not a human. Thus, the aforementioned Desirée set out to explore freebies and low-cost alternatives for the furs in Second Life™. There was sound reasoning to back this: If the staff is fur then perhaps the readership was made up of some furs. With that in mind Desirée set out to find some fur freebies.

The Rant

There are many people in Second Life™ who decry the wealth of freebies that are found in many stores. Some folks who have businesses think that good quality free items hurt their profits, and keep people from shopping. I disagree totally with this stance. You may have guessed that I love hunts, and finding freebies. A grid-wide hunt can send me hopping from store to store to store searching out items. What many store owners realize is that if I find something I like in a hunt, I do go back and look at the inventory in the shops. I have spent tens of thousands of Lindens buying items from stores I would have never known about had it not been for a hunt item I found there. Hunts are good business, in spite of the hordes of people who will grab the freebies and never come back. When I find something good on a hunt my friends want to go to the shops, and they often spend a lot of money as well.

That said; let me talk about the dearth of high-quality free items for furs. I was horrified when I check the marketplace for furry items and found mostly tails and mods that looked like they were circa 2006. What’s up furry creators? Many fur avatars cost a decent amount of money, and if someone spends that, they will want to dress up that avatar in a similarly fine manner.

Why are there so few free or low-cost freebies for furs? Desirée quickly reasoned that since most anthro-furs could wear human clothes, that maybe it was not a bad idea to do a hunt that was not specifically for furs, because there were no hunts running right now that were for furs. Clearly, if there’s a smart furry outfitter out there, this is the time to get going!

Femboy Hunt 4 – 2 Lindens per prize item

Before you fall off your seat…The Femboy Hunt (http://femboyhuntsl.blogspot.com) has always been a favorite of DrFran’s, because while supposedly for male avatars that like to dress female, the hunt usually has great items that anyone can wear. As you will see, Desirée was not disappointed.

The theme of this fourth hunt was Gender-Bending Grimms, and each of the gifts was linked to a different fairytale from the Grimm Brothers. What’s really nice is how the website is organized to provide a link to information about each of the fairytales, so that if you are interested you can find out more about each story. Desirée had little difficulty finding the hunt object, a sculptie that says: femboy, but she will only show you her favorite hunt finds. As you will see, they are fine for female furs.

FBH4 – Photo One: Taken at LeFevre Mansion, a breathtaking new build: http://slurl.com/secondlife/The%20Lefevre%20Mansion/149/133/24

The outfit in this photo is based on the fairy tale Trusty John, that was unfamiliar to me, and it does come in a male and female version. Vero Modero (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Vero%20Modero/120/149/28  ) created this lushly textured outfit with cape and hat.

The hair was inspired by the story of Hansel and Gretel, and it’s a wonderful value, because it comes with three HUDS that allow you to change the hair color. It is a mesh hair, but fit Desirée perfectly. Just in case it doesn’t fit, there are unrigged versions of the hair. The hair is from LCKY (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/My%20Home/34/240/1920  ), and it was the first time visiting this store that had some wonderful anime-inspired hairs.

FBH4 – Photo Two: Taken at Arabian Nights - Shahrzad Palace http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/1001%20Arabian%20Nights/55/101/23

Desirée is sporting Nixie Silks, inspired by the story The Nixie of Mill Pond. These kinky silks with spines from .::[HTxDZ]::. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife//64/104/1302 are saved from an X rating by the Puss in Boots Hat with Hair Ayashi http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Zora/53/71/1702 , looks good on men and women.

FBH4 – Photo Three – Taken at St. Patrick's Day Town http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Elizabeth%20Town/124/157/21

Who says furs can flaunt mesh? Desirée looks stunning in this fire-engine red ensemble inspired by the fairytale Little Red Cap, another obscure story. The outfits is from Rainbow Rock Candy (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Antovic/105/145/1921 ), and it looks just great in contrast to the green holiday that is approaching.

FBH4 – Photo Four - Taken at The Velvet Vixen Burlesque http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/TROPICANA/41/85/23

This prize, from Gomun Horangi (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Antovic/122/175/1921 ), based on the well-known tale of Sleeping Beauty. This was Desirée’s favorite prize, and came from a store that was unknown prior to the hunt. DrFran brought many friends to get the prize, and all of them looked around, and may spend some Lindens eventually. This ethereal and sexy outfit comes with many layer options, and is complete with the shoes, and topless variations.

In summary, fur creators need to get on the freebie bandwagon and start to offer some quality goods to their audience. If I am not aware of opportunities, please tell me I am wrong. If you want more fur articles, please let the fox, Bixyl Shuftan know. 

Until next time, this is DrFran aka Desirée saying: “Hunt well!”

DrFran Babcock.

Steelhead Shops Participate in Steam IX Hunt

By Grey Lupindo

Steampunk fans have been eagerly awaiting the Steam IX Hunt because it is the only Victorian steampunk-themed hunt that covers the entire SL grid.   The Hunt began March 1 and will run through the end of the month.   There are over 125 shops participating this year, including three that are located in Steelhead:  SparkWorks,  Luminous Designs, and St Helens Dry Goods.   

         SL resident Perryn Peterson organizes the Steam hunts.   He does a great job of keeping everyone informed about updates and issues while the hunt is in progress, too.   Peterson is also the Mayor of Mieville, where the Hunt begin.  The information center is at Mieville Doyle Victorian Steampu, Mieville Doyle (79, 72, 26).    Although I started there, I soon went off to Steelhead to check out the shops there.

          SparkWords is located at 135 Harbor View Way in Steelhead and can be found at SparkWorks, Steelhead (149, 224, 25).    It is Shop #58 in the Hunt, and located on the corner end of a Victorian brick building.  The space is long, narrow, and at least 2 stories high.  It sells a number of Steampunk gadgets and weapons.  

         Most of the shops in the Hunt will post a hint to help you find the steampunk gear that holds the prize and the landmark to the next shop.    The hint at SparkWorks read, “Don't get lost in all this space."    This was a tricky hint since it could mean a number of things.   The shop occupies a large area (space), but it also includes an item or two that are space related.    I began looking high and low for the elusive gear. 

           While I was hunting, resident RoseRed Ruby entered the shop.   I could tell she was also searching.   After a few minutes of hunting she zipped away, apparently having found the gear.   It took me a few more minutes of hard searching, but I finally found  it, too.   I can’t say any more about it, or the clever prize inside, because it might give away its location.   

           Next I went to Luminous Designs, which is at Steelhead St Helens (214, 33, 37).   I had a little trouble finding it by using the Hunt landmarks.  I teleported in but then had to walk a short distance to find the store.   However, the walk was very pleasant.   The cobblestone sidewalks are lined with pines and beautifully landscaped.    The store is very tall and easy to find. 

           By the time I reached Luminous Designs I was ready for a quick rest.   The decor, as well as the items in this shop, are very upscale.  LD sells Steampunk, pirate, kimonos, and other glamorous clothing for both men and women.   Near the stairs I spotted an ad for SL Newser hanging on the wall, another sure sign of a quality establishment. 

         The Luminous Designs store is very large, but it has an efficient teleporter.   I zipped up to the Steampunk section and began to hunt.    I found this gear very quickly, which left me some time to shop.   I took the steps up to the top floor, where there was a sale sign, and ultimately ended up looking all around the store.  

          The third shop on Steelhead is the dry goods shop found at Settlement 601 - St Helens Dry Goods Frontier Supplies, Steelhead St Helens (68, 156, 38).    St. Helens Dry Goods is Shop #117 in the Hunt.  They offer a very good cup of expresso to visitors, which I enjoyed while I looked around.  

             They have all the items you might expect in a dry goods store, including a little furniture, some lamps, a variety of hats, and even gentlemen’s walking sticks.    Plan to spend a few minutes looking around this quaint shop.  

           The other shops are located all over SL.   I visited Tamiron Forge, which is shop #11, located at Tamiron Forge, Island Dream (154, 38, 21).  The prize there is a Heavy Heart Neck Chain, which I am wearing in some of the pictures.   I found the gear in Shop #8, Lindy Modern & Retro Shoes, located at Mieville Twain (209, 168, 22).  I was rewarded with a beautiful pair of Lindy Alexia Special Red Boots.    I love boots!

           A few gears have eluded me, but I plan to find them before the Hunt is over.    One of these places, The Steam Rose, has secret rooms and lots of hidden treasures to see.   Find it at The Steam Rose, Chillium (175, 81, 1596).  It is one of the most imaginative places in SL and well worth a visit even if you don’t participate in the Hunt.  But I have a feeling that the prize here will be worth the effort.   I couldn’t find the gear during my first trip, but I had a great time looking for it.   Two other shops are nearby, Steaming Ahead and Gothics Musing, both located on Chillium and connected to The Steam Rose by paths, bridges, and teleporters.

           More information about the Hunt, including pictures of some of the prizes, can be found at http://historicalhunts.blogspot.com.    Happy Hunting!

Grey Lupindo

DrFran’s Alt Finds the Best of the Hunts

By DrFran Babcock

The information in this article reflects the highly opinionated views of Desirée as she surveyed the current crop of February hunts. Granted, February hunts will be filled with Valentine’s Day goodies, but even amongst all the red and pink hearts there are some other great finds. In fact, the finds were so wonderful that Desirée was able to convince DrFran to grap some prizes.

So, join us as we romp through the grid, collecting freebies or dollarbies with abandon. There is even one group lucky board item worth mentioning.

Picture 1: 

Follow Your Heart Hunt #16 Latex Station – It’s really hard to make latex shine correctly on clothing without using mesh, but the creator at Latex Station has mastered this technique. Desirée looks positively diabolical as she poses on the perfect sim to match her catsuit: Hell. Her little friend looks on quite approvingly.

Latex Station: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Latex%20Station/208/128/24 Taken at The Devil's Lair, on the sim of Hell. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Hell/154/45/79

Visit Hell (156, 44, 79)

Picture 2: 

1.     Follow Your Heart Hunt#19: Pink halter dress: BlackRose Halter Dress in Pink. This is a materials enabled dress that really sparkles nicely. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Mortgage%20East/20/28/22
2.     Follow Your Heart Hunt #14 Loordes of London Boho Shrug. This shop is most often known for it’s great shoes and boots, but they seem to be branching out, and it’s a good decision they have made. Ihttp://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Blue%20Heron%20Island/185/131/3505
3.     Follow Your Heart Hunt #9, 10, and 11: Uni-qu3 in Rainbow's Custom Jewelry and Mini-mall. There are three prizes here, and if you find them all, you will walk or fly or TP away with a nice set of pants, top and pocketbook. All three are in mesh, as are most things nowadays. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Horizon/172/169/21
4.     Follow Your Heart Hunt #15:Toxic Love Outfit VIPS Creations http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife//55/6/21

Picture 3

Left: Tainted Love Hunt #46 - MiChiCGaNs ShAcK Cuddle Heart-Shaped Bed. This bed has single and couple poses in it, and is just an all-around nice texturing job. One single pose will have you on your stomach at a laptop with Second Life™ on the screen. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Hawk%20Land/131/169/21

Right: Tainted Love #37*paper moon* Obsessive Love Altar. What an adorable build this is. You can slip your own photos onto the three frame surfaces, and DrFran was compelled to equip the alter with her favorite bat. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Port%20Seraphine/77/144/26

Picture 4

Last, but not least, DrFran headed over to the lovely Edloe Island, Edloe (146, 106, 28) home of everyone’s favorite, Crap Mariner, to pose in one hunt prize and one Lucky Board Group Gift.

Left: Jack or Jill Hunt #18: Sassy! - White Lies Dress. The shine and shape of this dress make it a keeper. The wrinkles in the front of the mesh dress are very well done. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Sassy/80/120/33

Right: **milky-way* Spring Sweater and Pleated mini, Lucky Board Group Member Gift. The group is free to join, and there are other Lucky Boards in the adorable shop.  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Little%20Cat%20WestBlue/17/113/24

So, here are a few goodies for you, but you must hurry. The Tainted Love Hunt and Jack and Jill Hunt end February 28^th, and The Follow Your Heart Hunt ends on the 22^nd.

I also heard a rumor that DrFran is going to get furry and go look for freebies and finds, but that may be just a rumor.

DrFran Babcock

DrFran’s Alt Goes Hunting – The Kubes Hunt

By DrFran Babcock

To be honest, Desirée hunts just a bit too much. In fact, she hogs DrFran’s internet resources on such a regular basis that it prevents the Dear Doctor from getting in her regular quota of serious feature articles in SL Newser. So, if you miss The Oldbie Project, blame Desirée.

There are always many hunts taking place in Second Life™, and some of the shops are in almost every single one of them. Desirée was very excited to find the Kubes Hunt, because the names of the stores participating were not the usual assortment. This is a one Linden hunt, with 35 stops (some were not actually available), so it will cost you about 35L to complete, but that’s really a small price to play, because many of the gifts are worth more than that on their own. The theme of the hunt is anything cubic, which means that there were many seating options, as you will see.

For this hunt Desirée will provide all the information you need to either do the whole hunt path, or to fetch those items that interest you. Come along and see the prizes that are in store in The Kubes Hunt.

Picture One – Taken on Linden Endowment for the Arts 14 (LEA14) The Art of Birding (This scene is from a very famous old horror movie. Can you name it? IM DrFran Babcock with your answers:

Kube #1: OPAL Jewelry – Plum Necklace (and ring) – Materials Ready http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Spring%20Island/185/22/21

Kube #2 - MIRUS - KISS Red Mesh Dress http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Bubblegum/106/136/23

Picture Two: Taken on LEA29 – Are there strangers among us? This is a fun sim to explore but, be careful the aliens don’t get you.

Kube #5 U-Refined{U..R.} Case Closed Dress (Desirée says: really nice ) http://slurl.com/secondlife/AZZURRA/95/131/1282

Kube #15 JOOPS Colourful Cube RIngs http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Athenea/243/136/22

Picture Three: Taken on LEA17 with statue by DrFran’s old friend Corcosman Voom http://slurl.com/secondlife/LEA17/190/122/21

 Kube #6 Senso Kubes hunt Top and Skirt - this outfit has no panties, so you need some, but the flippy skirt is just darling.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Tropical%20Beach%20Land/161/224/22

Picture Four: Taken at Desirée’s secret platform:

Kube #16 Virtual Textures Soft Squares - 12 fabric textures that are used as the background in a few of the pictures here. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Sunspot/106/114/71

 

Kube #7 Bacidalucia cubik lace body suit – this not PG outfit is very well done, but does require pasties to be worn in public.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Sleepy%20Forest/160/99/25

 

Kube #3 Kaerri Planter Seat http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Maven%20Homes/227/9/497

 

Kube #9 Frogstar Birdhouse (color-change) http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Guidance/102/146/1704

 

#29 Phoebe - Dices Belly Piercing (close-up in inset) http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Little%20Rascals/128/38/22

Picture Five:

Kube #16 Virtual Textures background(again)

Kube #20 irrie’s Dollhouse {DH} Vintage Origami Cushion Galland Homes Floating Cube Table http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Galland%20Homes/127/33/23

 

Kube #30 A&A Animated Love Wall Art http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dark%20Eternal%20Rose/128/123/27 Kube #27 Potpourri Design Ceiling Light http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Indus/26/88/939

 

Kube #11 cae.b Retro Cube Dress http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Cologne%20Bay/179/217/28

 

Kube #22 orage designs cubes earrings http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Orage%20Creations/145/130/25

 

Kube #21 Marymac Choker http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Mayfield/128/64/32

Picture Six:

Kubes #35 BOHEMIAN GYPSY Kubes Hangout with 7 animations http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/V%20Gen/230/185/25

Kubes  #38 Jess's Dream Dreaming of Cubes Dress and feather Boa http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife//55/62/651

Picture Seven: taken on LEA19 the Interim Project http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA19/99/152/44

#13 LNLGothic Outfit http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Borgatti/234/60/3440

Picture Eight:

Kube #34 Akeana’s Architecture Cozy Comfort Cube, with many poses for the bed

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Hellswind%20Evolution/159/242/22

Kube #28 Jess’ Dream – Dreaming of Kubes Gown and boa

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Malchior/55/62/651

Picture Nine: There were many seating options in this hunt. This is a few of them:

Kube #31 ODDZ N ENDZ - Kubed Mesh Shelf & Ottoman (left and center objects) http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/GoldenBusiness%20Area2/41/98/1301 

Kube #33 (In)Discretions - Kubz Crate Shelves with Geek and Nerd words in them http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Country%20Meadows/165/222/22

 

Kube #24 {Sickly SWEET} Square Pouffes - Aqua http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Owendale/192/212/27

Picture Ten: For this last photo Desirée gathered up a few of her friends to demonstrate her favorite find in the hunt.

Kube  #17 Prestique -Granite Kubes with 6 sits. The textures on this multi-sit object are very well done, and the poses are fun, and fully adjustable. http://slurl.com/secondlife/Gleannbogh/213/218/25/?title=Pestique

Everyone in the picture is wearing prize number 19 from the hunt:

Kube #19 meshTheory Black Mesh Tee with Cube graphic http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SunDream/128/128/2

Desirée gives this hunt her highest rating, because most of the objects are found easily, the prizes are worth the one linden, and the majority of the shops were unknown to her, and she will go back and spend tons of DrFran’s hard-earned money in them. Until the next hunt or freebie event, ciao.

 SLurls and Hints for the Kubes Hunt:

http://kubiktags.wordpress.com/participating-stores/

DrFran Babcock

Be a Noob, Just Don’t Look Like One – The Hipster Fair

By DrFran Babcock

Thank you all for your kind response to the first Be a Noob, Just Don’t Look Like One feature in SL Newser. Thanks to your response Desirée is motivated to find you more great ways to look super for less Lindens.

The Hipster Fair

That said, let’s waste no time talking about The Hipster Fair, located on the sim of Wonderful Cove (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Wonderful%20Cove/172/202/25 ) is a celebration of creativity for residents and creators alike. In much the same way as the Hair Fair, there are gifts in almost every one of the over 100 shops. The gifts are either free or one Linden, and run the gamut from jewelry to clothing to shoes. If you can tolerate the lag, you can get some really worthy additions to your inventory.

The one drawback at these events is the lag. Most of the attendees are the bloggers and the fashionistas in Second Life™, therefore some planning is required. If you are determined to conquer the fair early on—it opened on January 22^nd—you need to do a few simple things.

First, the best time to visit is during the hours that are too late for the west coast of the USA, and too early for Europe, or about 2 AM SL. Unfortunately, you will still have competition from folks in Asia, but it’s the time when the least amount of residents are on.

Second, you are advised to decrease your own level of lag by wearing few scripts, few clothes, and few HUDs.  As noted above, the fashionistas are in heavy attendance at these events, and most of them would rather die than go without their intricate outfits and multiple attachments. Desirée is not as concerned, and usually goes to high-attendance events dressed simply. Some events (e.g. The Seasons Story) go as far as banning residents whose rendering costs (how much lag they cause) are too high. That is not the case at The Hipster Fair.

So, what goodies lie in store? All of the gifts below can be found in the small shops in The Hipster Fair, at the SLurl given above. Here is a small sampling. All of the items below are from The Hipster Fair and are one Linden or Free.

 As always, Desirée tries to pose in places that may be of interest, or are featured in the Second Life™ Destination Guide when she can (http://secondlife.com/destinations ):

Picture 1: Taken at Jasmine’s Hollow, a wonderfully romantic build with all kinds of nooks and crannies to explore (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Fender/39/133/25/ )

BOOTS: noName Viola boots

DRESS: Sassy! Vintage Dress

NECKLACE: ArisAria – AA8 Pebbles Necklace, Earringscomes with a HUD to change to gold or silver, and change the color of the gem as well

EARRINGS: “DEW” – Hipster

STOCKINGS: Suicide Girls – Lily Socks Purple

BACKPACK: FreshFace – Sweet Candy Backpack

LIPSTICK: Mystic Canvas. This is a fat pack of over twenty lipsticks, most of which are very, very bright. This watermelon coloring is dedicated to Torley Linden.

POSE: ATELIER – Female Model

HAIR: (not from the Hipster Fair, but featured in the last article from the Lucky Board at D!VA (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/CalanDiva/148/157/24/)

Picture 2: Taken at Floating Islands – Raft , an Eupalinos Ugajin Linden Endowment for the Arts build. This is an intricate and fun build to explore. (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA20/26/18/48/)

BODYSUIT: 1Hundred Breathless Bodysuit in Blue

SHORTS: “=AnDreChi+” Shorts

MUFFLER:J&A Hipster Scarf in Mesh, with male and female versions

STOCKINGS: Again, Suicide Girls – Lily Socks, but in black this time

Picture 3: 

This is a bunch of items, all of which are from Shanti Bohemian. The quality is only medium, but I like the Ganeesha statue. Everything you see: Ganeesha, Om symbol, carpet and mesh dress are in the gift.

Picture 4:

What would Second Life™ be without the presence of the Grumpy Cat? If you say “nothing,” then you will adore this cute top emblazoned with the curmudgeon of feline fame. You can get it in The Hipster Fair shop from SSW – a store whose full name can’t be printed here.

So, that’s the Hipster Fair freebie and dollarbie selection. The sim also has gacha machines and you can buy plenty of items from the stores. This event does not get Desirée’s highest recommendation, but it’s definitely worth it to come take a look. Also, the two sims mentioned  are most certainly meant for exploration.

DrFran Babcock

New Feature – Be a Noob, Just Don’t Look Like One

By DrFran Babcock

Welcome to this new feature, that will contain short blasts about freebies, group gifts, one Linden items, and lucky board prizes. Desirée is really excited to show you hints and tips so you can look like an oldbie even if you have only been on the grid a few months. Also, you don’t really have to be a noob to take advantage of some of these good buys.

There are a few simple things you can do to change your look from flat to fabulous. If you find a good skin alone, that will go a long way to improving your look.

Skin

Nothing identifies a noob more than a poor skin. The skins that come in the Linden Lab library, while better than they have ever been, are still a far cry from acceptable. You can join the Al Vulo group for free, and be treated to a monthly gift skin. The skin for January is just about the best I have ever seen, rivaling skins that cost 1000L or more. The Al Vulo kinder red brow fairy is a delightfully innocent skin, with a dazzling sprinkling of freckles. Visit Al Vulo here: (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/ReMix%20Yo%20LIfe/128/128/2  ) and join the group. Touch the sign right at the landing point.

Eyes

The second thing that identifies a noob is eyes. There are a lot of ways to get nice eyes for free, but this time I will tell you about the wonderful HUD and free mesh eyes from KMADD (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Kmadd%20Enterprise/72/107/5 ). You can change the eyes to about 35 different colors, and Desirée looks just perfect in the pale green version.

Hair

The third noob tip-off is how one’s hair looks. D!va  (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/CalanDiva/148/157/25  ) always has free hair in their shop, and it’s always a keeper. The hair on the lucky board now is Kalli (Type B) in the delightful Ruby shade that is a trademark D!va color, delicately combining pink and red hair.

Makeup

OK, DrFran is not a big fan of makeup, but her girlfriends all agree that it really can change the look of an avatar. The lipstick on Desirée is a good example, It’s just subtle enough to change the lips without taking over the look of the face.  These Candy Lips are the Watermelon and Peach version. A whole bunch of soft colors is a group gift from CCM Cotton Candy Monster: (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife//104/229/22 ). You have to join the group to get the gift, but it is a free join.

Clothes

There are more free clothes on the grid than anything else, but there is a lot of junk through which to sort. Desirée hopes to help you with this, understanding that everyone has their own taste, so mileage may vary.

A good place to start to look for free clothes is the FabFree Headquarters located at The Wash: (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Wash/81/145/25 ). The items displayed in the photo are just a small sampling of what is available:

Pants: Connors Knit Pants Winter Marine

Top: [AB] Mesh Denise Top Je t’aime

Necklace: Bliensen + MaiTai November Necklace

Shoes: Bliensen + MaiTai Slow Waltz Shoes

Conclusion

This freebie/newbie column could become very regular, because Desirée knows that folks are always looking for good things that don’t cost too much. Please show her some comment love, and the column will become a regular feature of the greatest SL journal on the grid. Peace out.

DrFran Babcock