Jump to content

Ayashe Ninetails

Resident
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    4,825

  • Joined

  • Days Won

    3

 Content Type 

Everything posted by Ayashe Ninetails

  1. Ayashe Ninetails
    While I agree with some of this, for a lot of people, SL is just that - a way to make real income and survive. Should it be like that? Absolutely not. Honestly, given everything I've seen and the conversations I've had, I've said we should take Lindens out of the equation entirely and play with fake game money we can't buy or convert to real currencies and have to earn in-world just to kill the temptation to even begin that cycle (yes that's a terrible idea - I know - no I'm not being serious). But that was just me riffing after several depressing convos about 3D creators doing full-time work here as it's one of their few remaining options to provide for themselves (for various reasons across the board - some have challenges that make doing other work difficult, etc.) but still struggling to live. With SL's relatively low barrier to entry (meaning you don't need to jump through hoops and write resumes and pitch to companies/projects and pay for "connects" and all that garbage just to get started), I can see why people try to make it work here, when they probably really shouldn't. It's not really a unique-to-SL problem either. I've had the same discussions with other skilled creatives and contractors and freelancers pouring their hearts and souls and hours upon hours of work into projects only to be paid the saddest wages that ever did wage (if they were ever paid at all). Hell, there were times just starting out in freelancing where I was paid $7 for a fully researched article I put a good day into. That was pretty much my rock bottom turning point, though, and I managed to get out of that nonsense real quick. For many, they struggle with that part - even after years of that. This is a really good point, but you'd be surprised (or maybe you wouldn't!) at how many creatives absolutely suck at self-promo and marketing their skills. I've seen this so often. I've learned pretty much you absolutely have to reinvent yourself and conduct yourself entirely as a business with a full logo, website, brand, contracts, etc. (not just a sole freelancer/creator/contractor/etc.) otherwise, you'll never make a living wage doing anything. Customers, clients, and companies take you far more seriously once you start doing that. The problem is so many people can't do it (or so they tell themselves) due to a lack of self-confidence.
  2. Ayashe Ninetails
    I agree with this. I don't think changing the L is the answer. It's hard though, because @Persephone Emerald made a great point about inventories going poof, too, so how much do we realllllly want to spend on virtual goods? It's a tricky issue.
  3. Ayashe Ninetails
    You're conflating roleplay with someone actually doing work and earning money that gets taxed (again, assuming one is doing real DJing and moving money out of SL). I can use a better example, though - a creator or team who makes mesh heads/bodies/clothing/mods/what have you and spends weeks (months) doing intense 3D modeling and animating selling items for $1-20 USD in-world where their custom SL and out of SL commissions would cost thousands (in USD) for the same time spent - if anyone actually paid for that. Easier comparison there. I don't know about revaluing the L, but I do know I've told people to stop spending hours for pennies.
  4. Ayashe Ninetails
    Nope. There's nothing reasonable about $17 an hour anywhere (assuming we're talking USA) with rents the way they are. A DJ right smack in the middle of NYC or Philly or Vegas or Chicago or any major city trying to make it on $17 an hour is a bad time. DJ equipment is thousands of dollars. Buying all that music and paying licensing fees. Rent. Taxes. Healthcare. Food. Car or public transportation between gigs. Travel expenses if they're doing festivals. Etc. In no world would I ever sign up for $17/hr for all of that. Doing it at home/in SL doesn't really relieve the expenses too much (assuming we're talking about real DJs and not just the "lemme toss on my Spotify playlist, music artist rights be damned" variety. Maybe travel costs, but the rest is still a burden. Now, if a DJ wants to work like 4 jobs in addition to that, sure, that $17/hr in Second Life is fine, but that's not something anybody should be doing (but don't go by me - I'm a strong advocate for self-employed freelancers not getting crushed while just trying to live).
  5. Ayashe Ninetails
    $17/hr for a DJ is shockingly low and I certainly wouldn't mess with it. Where they're doing the work should have little bearing on that. I wouldn't take less money for my own freelancing just because I can do it from anywhere. I get no benefits, no paid time off, pay all taxes on every cent, and have to maintain my own equipment. That said, though, I've talked to a few SL creators about raising their prices, but they were happy with what they're currently charging. Same could be said for the for all of the writers, designers, musicians, Etsy crafters, and artists working for peanuts. Raise ya damn fees. Taxes are spensive, yo. Hey, I tried.
  6. Ayashe Ninetails
    Ooo thank you! I'll give her store a peek.
  7. Ayashe Ninetails
    Ehhhhh... Here's kind of what I had in mind for the lich (robes/armor with skelly accents, cuz of course!). Oh god, here comes the AI art (don't get me started on THAT peeve) but whatever: And I've got zero ideas for styling my Nemesis, which adds a whole other layer of nightmare fuel to the fire. 😂 I have an entire crab body to go with that, but, she's difficult enough to style without a sitting on a bunch of legs.
  8. Ayashe Ninetails
    Old avatars, probably not. Newer mods can be BOM enabled, though. Mermaid tails are, for example, for scale designs/patterns. I'm mostly just peeving about the monsters I wear (I don't wear giants or complete dragon avatars) being difficult to dress for style reasons, since I'm certainly not yeeting my lich or nemesis into clubwear or cutesy casual or even fantasy wear.
  9. Ayashe Ninetails
    Here''s their Flickr if you want to see what they've got so far - I actually haven't tried FlatX on yet at all. I'm just waiting to see what that market does before deciding anything. Curious how FlatX handles male skins now, but I'll wait before I start playing with all that again.
  10. Ayashe Ninetails
    BOM works fine, but I always pair it with mesh if I'm going to use it. I mostly just use it for lace or something. For some avies, it's a necessity, though. I can't pull off the skeletal torso without it since the entire midsection needs hiding. That means normal mesh dresses are out, but I can wear mixed mesh dresses with BOM bodices.
  11. Ayashe Ninetails
    How dignified! *peeks into your train* Okay actual peeve time: I have such a hard time shopping for clothes for my monster avatars, I swear. Like, what can they actually WEAR? I've got some fun ponchos and dresses and gowns and suits work well. Not stuffing those bones into crop tops and booty shorts, tho. Nobody wants to see all that. 😂 I need tattered clothing - now there's an untapped market.
  12. Ayashe Ninetails
    I shall message you the details!
  13. Ayashe Ninetails
    Yeah but... Us, too. 👀 Peeve: Is that why our shadows are so cramped these days?!
  14. Ayashe Ninetails
    I can't say I know any aliens or demons, though I am in a general fantasy community on Discord where we've got a few. I never see any horror/fantasy avies in-world outside of stores and events, though. I think most of us are in hiding and spend all of our time doing photography. 😂 Where the hell are you guys, even? I haven't seen a vampire in-world in a bazillion years. I've seen more skellies like me than you bitey folk.
  15. Ayashe Ninetails
    Awww, I get this. I don't roleplay or even have a set community since I shapeshift so much, but if I'm not human or some type of animal, I usually land somewhere in the monster realm, and I couldn't even begin to tell you where the other undead, lurkers, demons, or Lovecraftian monstrosities even gather (if at all). I usually just see them in stores and at shopping events, like Fantasy Faire. Edit: Maybe reach out to some on Flickr. I know I've seen Na'vi photos on there in various fantasy groups.
  16. Ayashe Ninetails
    He just sits there and looks pretty for photos.
  17. Ayashe Ninetails
    It's always been a very small market. You're talking about people who are either trying to fit Maitreya into menswear made for male bodies, wear unisex fashion (same item comes in male and female body sizes with chest support for those of us in the middle - AsteroidBox does this often), are non-binary, are trans, wear drag fashion and want access to Maitreya's large wardrobe, etc. We're a tiny group compared to the "girls out/skirts up" fashion market. There are a handful of stores who serve this market, but that list recently shrunk after Maitreya and V-Tech parted ways. Stores who followed V-Tech currently seem to make for Legacy and Reborn's V-Tech chest and maybe Kupra Kups (an even smaller segment wear that one). No more Maitreya at all. Some happy news - I did see that Mug appears to be working with LaraX Flat now, but they did not re-adopt our V-Tech for obvious reasons. I dunno how to feel about that as I much prefer V-Tech over Lara Flat (skins just work more reliably - Lara Flat had nip placement issues for a bit with male skins), but that's something, at least. Mug's a super important creator in the market given how many options their clothing offers.
  18. Ayashe Ninetails
    That's very pretty and moves well! Flexi is difficult to do convincingly, and yeah, the older styles were often better. I have one style I kept (that I call my Whitney Houston) since it does actually still look decent and it's short enough to not cause issues. The thick volume and way the waves/curls bounce looks so good, too. Most other styles, though... the clipping and odd dragging with the floor length stuff just irks me. I see clipping in other games, too, so I know it's not something you can entirely get rid of without a lot of work, but meeeeh. I favor a lot of short/buzzed/shaved styles and updos these days. Braids and dreads are good, too. I mostly avoid anything long unless it's for a photo or my Alain head (he's the long-haired one of the pack), but I've also started giving him more messy updos and top buns and things because man, long hair not moving at ALL is also a peeve. 😂
  19. Ayashe Ninetails
    Peeve: Favorite male clothing designer joined Happy Weekend just when I swore off spending money on shopping for a while. 😒 Also, cute ducks for FLF. Ducks. Creators know how to get me, man. Why did I let myself look at the sales, whyyy? *sulks off to go buy ducks and a suit*
  20. Ayashe Ninetails
    Lol, as terrible as it sounds, I have no idea what I own in real life. The entire floor of my closet is a shoe graveyard because I have very obnoxious issue where I'll buy shoes and they do not feel good whatsoever to wear. Old flats for work, heels, boots, sneakers, wedges, sandals all just yeeted into the closet in the "screw that" pile because they would either kill my feets after a day or I probably fell in them ROFL. Live shot of me in every new pair of shoes: I did once manage to fish out a pair of Steve Maddens (who I mistook for John Madden and legit asked someone why a legendary football coach was making stylish sandals for women all of a sudden, lmao) and forced myself to break them in because they were too damn cute to be lost in the void and they somehow turned out to be my most comfy pair of block-heeled sandals, but no such other success stories exist, lol. As for SL, I have a mix. Tons of stiletto heels at any rate, because that's the only place I can wear those and not fall on mah face (though I have been very tempted to make an entire falling down AO for the realism).
  21. Ayashe Ninetails
    That hairstyle is super cute! No.Match is very hit or miss for me, though. I adore their punk/shaved styles and I'm thinking about picking yet another one of those up this weekend, but whenever I try to get something to match my own real texture, it's...not quite great. That's not their fault, though. It's really difficult to do. I've been wanting to buy more Camo hair, as they really nail some of the braided/dread/loc styles I want to rock and the textures are so goooood, but then I'm back to "I want my head partially shaved tho!" Camo is EvoX only now I think, and I've gone back to my HDPro (it's not easy finding EvoX head tattoos), so that means scouting hairbases. It's rather difficult matching a non-Camo hairbase to a Camo hairstyle. Oh gawd...why is hair so harrrrd? PEEEEEEVE!
  22. Ayashe Ninetails
    Ehhh, I dunno if there's really an appetite for a fully modernized SL. Current users seem lukewarm on that and new users are a hard sell. I could be wrong, but I'm in a lot of different life simulation (single and multiplayer) and MMO communities and SL is only ever used to compare something to (ack, that looks like SL) or ripped to shreds (oh that place where the weirdos hang out?). Occasionally, I see a few current residents chatting about it, but overall reception is not great, due to its reputation from years ago or whatever bad experiences people are still telling people about 10 years after they tried it and quit for whatever reason. If someone else made something like it - maybe. It'd wind up in development as long as Star Citizen, though. 😂 Peeve: I don't need a new SL. All I really want is Haunted Chocolatier, but that, too, is a long way out.
  23. Ayashe Ninetails
    I don't consider SL to be a metaverse at all, no. Too few users (no mass adoption), not all that immersive, you don't access it the way I'd imagine you would, no deep AR or VR, etc. I log into SL the same way I log into Guild Wars 2. I'm not saying it's a game, but... 👀
  24. Ayashe Ninetails
    Star Citizen? That game is never coming out, lol. Been in development longer than I've been alive I'm just saying. *gigglesnorts* The hair looks fantastic, though, HOWEVER, before he starts patting himself on the back about their "difficult" diverse hairstyles, mayyyybe he might want to tell the team to go back and study them a bit more. 👀 The braids and dreads look to be using the very same hair type the rest of their hairstyles do, and as someone who has worn braids/extensions I'll tell ya - that's not how that works. 😂 They're playing around in the 1s. They can get back to me when they can properly render the 3s and 4s.
  25. Ayashe Ninetails
    Modeling realistic curly hair is an entire THING and flexi just can't come close either. That reminds me - did you ever see the mini documentary about how Disney came up with special hair software to create Tangled and how they adapted those techniques to create hair in Encanto (which is the first movie they did that represents every hair texture)? It's super interesting! But yeah, peeve, we are never getting anything even remotely close. I have wanted hair that moves naturally in games foreeever, but seeing what it takes for them to do it in movies, um...yeah...maybe in 10 more years! 😂
×
×
  • Create New...