Austin's Angels

By Netera Landar

It’s Saturday morning and Austin is exhausted, but eager to start promoting a tribute dedicated to Neil Diamond. We sat down in the Angels’ home, on Austin’s sim, to focus on this week’s special show on Thursday, July 27th at Ann’s Place of Grace at 7PM slt. (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Faulconbridge/183/179/696).

Austin, like many of us, grew up listening to Neil Diamond’s music.

“In the beginning of 2015, I started experimenting with some of his work. It was because I heard his music and it’s in my range that I thought I’d just go ahead and give it a shot,” said Austin. “Sometimes, you try singing like an artist and even if they are in your range it doesn’t sound great. You have to capture that persona. I feel comfortable doing his songs. It’s a place, when I’m doing Neil, that I have to settle myself into. You have to get your voice into character.”

Asked what is it about Diamond that draws him in, Austin replied, “He writes from his heart. A lot of his songs are life experiences of his. I’m amazed by his songwriting.”

Austin said that Neil wrote the whole musical script of Jonathon Livingston Seagull and that he’s been asked to write for a lot of different people. He feels Neil is definitely multi-talented.

What sparked the idea for a tribute?

The owner of Ann’s Place of Grace, Ann Seetan, teleported Austin to a Neil Diamond Tribute on Second Life. That event gave him the idea to host his own tribute.

“I really appreciated that, but what really amazed me was that the place was packed. I know that there’s a number of Neil Diamond lovers out there and I think they would be pleased to hear a live show,” Austin said.

In preparation for Austin’s tribute, he began counting the number of Neil Diamond songs he had. He didn’t know if it was possible to dedicate an entire set with Neil songs, but he started adding more of his music to his set. He currently has twenty-eight.

“This is going to be unlike any of my regular shows. There’s special posters and invitations being made up. I’ve gone around putting posters on event billboards,” Austin explained. “Also, the stage is going to be much more complex. We’re not going to be using a regular stage,” he said, and this part Sandy, Talia and I love, “I actually have a Neil Diamond outfit that Mythio Underwood made me. He’s made a glittery shirt with a scarf. I’m going to be wearing that.”

Stay tuned because there will be other Neil Diamond tributes slated.

Did someone say lucky boards? Between group gifts and lucky boards, group gifts will win every time. If you’re up for a challenge of patience you can win a few dresses, shoes and more if you hang out in front of the lucky boards. You might meet a few new friends, too. Below are a few lucky boards to check out when you have the time.

Number one:  SAFIRA

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Safira%20Mainstore/210/103/30

Number two:  SNOWPAWS

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Distant%20Lights/221/52/24

Number three:  SNOWPAWS

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Distant%20Lights/221/52/24

Number four: SWEET THINGS

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/De%20la%20Lune/108/209/29

When we’re not dancing for Austin Moores, there’s a good chance we’re shopping in Second Life. Sandy and Talia are great virtual shoppers so we frequently follow the most popular fashion blogs, especially Fifty5 Thursday’s, teleport hub.com and FabFree. FabFree is my favorite SL blog.

The first, third and fourth pictures are some of the wonderful gowns Sandy and Talia have chosen for us. The second, a sweet blue bird print short kimono was my find. There are times when I love searching for fashions I could never wear in real life. So every chance I get, I’ll purchase something colorful in Second Life.

Photo taken at: Firefly Cafe @ Serenity Gardens

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Skye%20Cove/158/31/21

Above: Legendaire Sia Gown (Hud 2 has the black texture with white stitched details. Includes 6 texture options and five sizes: Slink, Belleza, Maitreya, mesh bodies and classic avatars. It includes a gold necklace, but I’m using Cynful’s Fluff Necklace which was a Shop & Hop 2018 gift. 

Landmark for Legendary: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Sylvan%20Lake/90/115/31.

Photo taken at: Tempura

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/tempura%20island/82/132/23

At Prism you’ll find the Misaki Blue Birds Kimonos by Jezzixa for Maitreya with matching leggings. You need to use an Omega applier for the pants. There’s also a creme-colored cat Kimono which I find adorable. The black and white cat print has a green sash and gray leggings. Hair by MINA. Maria is a MINA VIP exclusive group gift. As a member you get a 10% discount when you wear the MINA VIP tag while buying products at the main store. Past MINA group gifts are on the back wall and there’s a gacha wall.

Landmark for MINA: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/MINA%20Hair/191/149/29

Landmark for Prism: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Bal%20Harbour/21/84/23

It is no secret that I don’t like appliers, but this Merivale Designs Amethyst Kiss gown is so worth the effort. It’s simply beautiful. It’s also available in Sky, Rose, and Xmas Kiss for 55L. It’s 50L to join the group. Be sure to check out the group wall not to far from the Kiss gown. Worn with Truth Joy hair styled in front and I added a Lazuri Enchanted Diamond Necklace and earrings for that special touch. The photo was taken at Enchantment Presents – Snow White in Nov. 2018.

Landmark for Merivale Designs: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife//208/41/89

France seems the perfect setting for this ED (Ellnique Designs) Amber Cotton Floss Gown. We’ve worn it a number of times for shows because we love how it moves. Hair is Elise by Limerence and I’m wearing Lazuri Enchanted Diamond Necklace and earrings.

Photo taken at: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Aquitaine%20Coeur%20Nord/40/84/25

Landmark for ED: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Wakulla%20Waters/206/172/30

Austin’s performance schedule and song list can be found at: https://www.austinmooreslive.com

By Netera Landar

Emmalena Damour Designs features a mix of casual and formal gowns. Emma has been part of DigiWorldZ for over two years. You can find her on Ocean Waves and Ocean Waves Mall II (Serene Vineyard Island (68, 131, 39).

We met Emma when Jen Smith, a Great Canadian grid resident and venue owner, introduced us her friend, Kamira Sirnah.  Kam booked Austin to perform on her sim –Enchanted Realm — and created a lovely guest platform where we can prepare for Austin’s performances. She also builds stages for the Angels.

When Austin was booked to perform at the grand opening of Emmalena’s Ocean Waves Mall II, Emma gifted the Angels with one of her gowns. Forty-eight people attended the event, which is pretty good for an open sim grid. So Austin wanted to thank her with an interview on the Angels’ blog. The day after Austin’s gig, I was invited to sit down with Emma and learn about her virtual business.

In 2012, Emma began designing her line of clothing in Second Life. She’s currently learning how to use Blender and has numerous clothing styles in mind, but for now she’s working with mesh creators.

“I have fifteen mesh creators that I buy from in Second Life and I have an export license from them to be able to use it on other grids,” she explained while we sat in one of her rental buildings. “That’s important to me. I’m always looking for other full perm creators of mesh to allow me to use things.”

Emma designs all the textures for her clothes. The clothing with flexi skirts, she designs herself. Anything 3-D mesh is usually another designers, but she has their permission.

Initially, Emma hadn’t planned to come to DigiWorldZ. Emma was happy in Second Life. That’s where her friends were. She was organizing hunts and she was managing a subscription box.

“But someone kept asking me to bring my brand over. I was fed up with something one day,” said Emma. “So, I came over and looked at their mall. It was a virtual mecca, a grid within a grid.  I immediately started contacting some of the mesh creators that I bought  from so I wouldn’t have to make a bunch of new things. I could just go ahead and bring the mesh over and then texture it with what I had already made.”

A month later, Emma’s store was established. The building was provided by the woman who invited her to the grid. The feedback was extremely positive and the sales were coming along at a good pace on the gloebits region. She was then interested in knowing  how well she could do on a DigiWorldZ region.

“A friend of mine from SL came over during DigiWorldZ second birthday party and she won two 6 x 6 regions for a year. That’s a lot of land, so I built her a mall and included my store. I helped her build a road system and all kinds of things. So, I had a store and an art gallery on her region. Well, she decided she was going back to SL and she told me I can manage the sim for her. She said she wasn’t going to renew when her year was over.”

That meant Emma had to begin searching for her own sim. In time, she purchased land, rezzed her store and a mall there. That gives her a little sense of security as she doesn’t have to worry about a mall closing and items being sent back to her or deleted.

Emma said she’s fair when it comes to prim allowance for store renters: 200 gloebits a week for 700 prims is a pretty good deal in her book. She’s proud of the fact that her earnings have provided her with a supplemental income.

“Everything here is my own version of something I’ve been inspired by. When you come into my clothing store, you’l find formal, casual and business wear, in both male and female styles. You’ll also find sporting goods and swim wear. I don’t sell jewelry. I have friends that make it and I’ll let them do that. We’ll collaborate on things,” she said.

The most popular casual dress Emma sells is called the Morgan. On the right, you can see that it includes a bra and panties and is in a variety of sizes. Its cute with almost a vintage feel to it. The three tier mesh gown (the last featured photo) has two mesh skirts that present a more tailored fit or a fuller style. Emma carries a line of shoes and boots. I thought it a sweet gesture for her to sell boots with the LGBT flag colors. She also has shoes that fit Ruth.

I asked Emma about her prices. She said she may be a little higher, that’s because she follows the mesh creators’ TOS. She will follow what they have established no matter what grid her stores are on.

“I’m really so grateful that they allow me to use their mesh. I do pay for it. When I buy something, I buy it on a contract. Their TOS tells me what I have to sell it for. Tells me a minimum price and if used in a HUD, that I have to add so much for each texture. It sets the price. Sometimes I add a little more because of my original texturing,” she said.

Though, she feels her prices are comparable in all of the open sim grids and Second Life. In the near future, she hopes to post some of her clothing line on Kitely Market.  She also has a store on Keng City. She said it use to be a grid within a grid on DigiWorldZ. That was until they decided to establish their own servers and hosting. She also has a store on Utopia Skye Grid and a new one on The Encore Escape grid. Check them out!!

** By Talia Sunsong**

We take the Austin tour bus around the OpenSim metaverse. Outside of Second Life are hundreds of grids in OpenSim. OpenSim is also a free, open source software that anyone can use to create a virtual world. A grid may be owned by a business, nonprofit, or individual.

Open grids allow teleports to and from another grid. OpenSim land is usually low cost, leading to a huge variety of grids and regions, including artistic, educational, for roleplay, or for shopping.

Ruth, a free mesh body and head, has been created and given away on many OpenSim grids outside of Second Life, to encourage new residents. It comes with a free HUD with a selection of skins, and an alpha HUD for making skin under clothing invisible. Designers have been making clothing and skins for the Ruth avatar. There is also a free Roth avatar available for men.

Emmalena Damour of the Digiworldz grid is a great designer who made our gowns for a performance. The gowns are compatible with the Ruth mesh body.

To travel the grids outside of Second Life, have an open sim compatible viewer such as Firestorm, and create an avatar for free at a grid, such as the nonprofit OSgrid or at Kitely.

Open Sim World is a handy website that lists grids and regions.

Ruth free mesh body and head at : https://github.com/ingen-lab/Ruth or get it inworld at Ruth Plaza, Luv Plaza (paste this into your viewer’s map) grid.hgluv.com:8302:Luv Plaza

GitHub

ingen-lab/Ruth

Project Ruth – an Open Source Mesh Avatar by Shin Ingen – ingen-lab/Ruth

AUSTINMOORESLIVE.COM

Austin’s performance schedule is at: https://www.austinmooreslive.com/

A free male mesh avatar called “Roth” is given away in OpenSim.