The “Wingless” Free Avatars

When I first came to Second Life, alongside the newbie human avatars as choices for one’s first look was one nonhuman, the old ringtail avatar Luskwood donated to Linden Labs. I did find a few free furred avatars in my newcomer period, but aside from the purple kitty avie, nothing seemed an improvement until I had the cash to buy a better avatar.

Later, I heard the newbie ringtail had been done away with as an option. So where could a newcomer go to get a furred av, particularly one with a quality look?

It was about that time I found out an answer: the Wingless Avatar package, a collection of quality avatars once sold, now free for the asking.

The Wingless Avatar package is a gift to the residents of SL from the avatar designer Wingless Emoto. He once sold his avatars through a retailer, but a dispute occurred and the business partnership dissolved. Unfortunately for Wingless, the contract signed stated he could not sell the avatars in the deals with him through anyone else. So Wingless decided to make them freely available, people able to grab a package at locations, or transferable from person to person. Some carry them not to wear, but to pass to newcomers to SL or those around for a while curious about furry avatars or wanting a different look. Some locations have individual Wingless avatars up for sale for 10L. But this is against the wishes of Wingless Emoto.

And the package has an impressive variety of avatars. There are many colors, red, white, blue, pink, rainbow, etc., of both wolf and fox-type avatars, both being popular furred av varieties in SL. There are also a few hyena and horse avs in the package. Rezzing the box on a sandbox and unpacking it, one gets a folder filled with each avatar, boxed. One has to rezz and unpack each avatar.

Each of the avatars come in both male and female skins. Modifiable, the avies offer a choice of either plantigrade (walk on the heel like a normal human foot) or digitgrade (walk on the ball on the foot) lower legs. The latter looks more exotic, though sometimes one can see the shadow of the invisiprims, and long pants worn end up looking cut off with a ring of fabric around the ankles. There is an option for small or large hands/paws. For the wolf avs, A Customization HUD gives you the option of showing canine teeth or not, and choosing the color of eyes, paws, claws, and the inside of ears. Another HUD, “Control,” allows for options for twitching ears, wagging tails, blinking eyes, and blushing.

It should be noted one doesn’t *have* to wear the whole avatar. I have seen some kitsune-style nekos who told me their ears and tails came from Wingless avatar parts. As there are several styles of hair that come with the av, this means a few free hairpieces. A good place to look if you need one in a hurry upon getting a av with no hair.

The Wingless Avatar Package can be found in a number of locations, from freebie shops to avatar stores, though in any place in SL with some furs among the residents, it shouldn’t take long to find someone who has it and get a copy.

A truly great package of free avatars.

{edit} A package of Wingless avatars can be found near the front door of Dana Vanmoer's store in Caprona (93, 92, 31). {/edit}



Bixyl Shuftan

"We Don't Allow YOUR Kind Here!"

You're looking around, having just found a place to explore or maybe somewhere to shop when all of a sudden you're rudely told to leave. Not because of how you're acting, your clothes, nor is this a roleplaying sim, they just don't like your shape.

More in PEOPLE.

Furries and Second Life

Hello and welcome to my first column for the SL Newspaper.
I'm Penny and I'll be writing how-to's and observation pieces.
I've had over a year on Second Life to observe how people interact online, (and have frequently been the brunt of it), so Dana thought a good first article would be a look at how Furries are treated on SL.
Now, being a Neko myself, and having once written for another SL Media outlet that shall remain nameless because of it's nature as a troll breeding ground, I've seen first-hand how a lot of people treat the Furry crowd.
As a neko I'm often mistaken for a furry, and I know how unfathomably nasty some haters can be.
But why?
What is it about Furries in specific that engenders so much hate online?
Why does what is at worst a strange but harmless sexual fetish and at best just a quirky unique form of self-expression merit hatespeech and trolling on par with the grief openly gay people get online?
Now first of all let's be clear, I'm talking purely online issues here, not real life. In real life the worst I've heard happening to Furries is loser teenagers mocking them and egging them at their conventions, nothing like the frequent bashings and murders GLBT folks endure.
But online the hate is equal, and rampant, and so vitriolic it borders on obsession.
So why are Furries hated?
Continue reading HERE ...............

Time to speak out for one Furry

Dear Second Life,
What did you think when you started this game? Did you think it was gonna be better? Did you think the world wasn't as easy to deal with on the outside as it should be in here?
Did you think that Second Life was all about sitting back and enjoying yourselves and waving any sort of concern for common decency or culture or sense of dignity out of your lives.
You can complain about the sex, the lewdness of it, too many people running around trying to make themselves the ideal image of what everybody else in the world thinks is perfect.
Then you have a group, a group of people who has their focus on what they wish, what they really wish they could be, because most times it makes you feel like you are little bit closer to normal.
You have all the traits of the cat or dog laying right next to you now, but you add some and make it just a little closer to humanity. It's not a hard concept really, we're like hippies with fur and not as dirty...most times.
Our concern isn't so much our hair or shoes, it's just the general idea that humans could be better if they took some tips from our animal counterparts.
I was going to write about the issue of the pageant, my anger, insecurity, outrage, but that isn't me, I am a happy kitty and I don't need to publicly bash anyone to make a statement.
That's what words are for, you know the ones you use to actually say something?
It isn't so much an issue of not liking to be told what to do, I could be stubborn and bullheaded until the end and you still probably wouldn't listen.
It's the issue that some of you are still treating your fellow man, wolf, cat, bunny, like the things you don't like to see in the world outside your computer.
I really couldn't care less about how much sex you have or the eighteen times you've been partnered. And I am not saying that your 'I don't give a ****' attitude isn't understandable, but if millions of people can march for a cause in a country and it's totally degrading to holler out certain words in public, why is it ok in a world that you think is supposed to be an escape?
I have heard people say furries are sissies, they don't fight back, I have also heard furries are aggressive (shame on you for that). 'Furries' is a word, you like it? It's just a word, but if you start to pick out traits, flaws, pieces of people and tell them to hide those away to fit your image of what the world is supposed to be like, then you start taking away equal rights. That is the issue here.
You can call me whatever you feel like, but I am NOT crawling under the table and letting you tell me that just because I won't remove my attachments I can't be like you.
I know I will still be furry inside and that is all well and good, but maybe I want to be furry outside too. I was furry when I wasn't in this game, I went to conventions, I have done things that make me seem weird to you. I am fine with being weird, being comfortable with myself it is half the reason I am who I am and it's about **** time you become a bit more comfortable with who we are as well.
Speak out people, this is a whole new world, huge, new possibilities, things you haven't even had the time to center your minds around.
Grab it, make a difference be someone. Peace and equality should be available to everyone, no matter what side of the grid you're on.
Cheetah X

Griefing at Woodbury

'The particle spam you see is from objects owned by Furnation owner Corsi Mousehold
she has been attacking these sims for the past three days
crashing them
lagging them up with particle spam
Harry Linden, head of the g-team has been ignoring abuse reports filed against her'
So our informant told us as we TP'd in to the loudest noise you ever wish to hear honestly I had to remove my headset!
We asked about to try to find out what was happening :
[14:39] zomg Babii: its a mario moshpit, a old PN particle spammer [14:40] JamesT Juno: who - why - what
[14:40] zomg Babii: corsi mousehold, i spoke with her 2 days ago and he threatened the sim
then i found this stash of modules
[14:40] JamesT Juno: and what was going on
[14:41] zomg Babii: it seems that a troll attacked the ark a few days ago, this appears to be a retaliation, pointed in the wrong direction, yes you can quote me
[14:42] zomg Babii: a number of furnation members and furries have also been caught griefing the woodbury sims
[14:42] JamesT Juno: okay - anything you want to add to this ?
[14:43] zomg Babii: the animosity between our two groups is unwanted by woodbury univeristy, as said by our leader
[14:43] zomg Babii: but it seems the furries wish to start fights
[14:44] JamesT Juno: thankyou
_______________________________
[14:34] **** (anonymous): Harry Linden of the g-team wants a grid war and the furries miss the attention
[14:44] JamesT Juno: proof ?
[14:44] ****: Harry Linden and Plexus linden falsely accused me of copybotting a megaprim owned by michael linden
[14:44] ****: michael has never used a megaprim in his life, is opposed to them, harry has been banning the accounts of reformed former griefers trying to harass them into rejoining the PN
Harry needs to impress the new CEO of LL showing his dept needs resources with griefing dying out, his job is less necessary he may have to do real work for a change
______________________________
[14:46] Madelena Rossini: Basically the first I heard of all this was when I got back from dinner in San Francisco on Saturday to be told that the sims had been attacked and that the folks from Furnation were responsible.
Never being one to jump to conclusions I contacted the leader of Furnation, Corsi Mousehold to try and peacefully resolve it.
What I got in response was a torrent of abuse and a promise that our sims would be taken down permanently. He also made death threats against others. I have just come online now to this, so am not fully in the loop.
Madelena Rossini: He also told me to kill myself
__________________________________
Not long after this Corsi Mousehold showed up and and deleted the spamming objects (a huge relief to my ears)
Unfortunately she refused to answer any questions directed towards her and seemed surprised the objects had her name on them as owner :
Corsi Mousehold: I'll be damned. It is listing me as the owner.
[2008/06/16 15:11] Corsi Mousehold: Scout ... Madelena ... I will speak with you alone. Everyone else in this area is now muted.
_______________________________

UPDATE
I just recieved this in my IM:
[15:35] Corsi Mousehold: I Did not build thoise. I did not rez them.
[15:35] Corsi Mousehold: I have been shit on all weekend from Woodbury.
[15:35] Corsi Mousehold: My stress level is through the roof and my blood pressure is likely to put me in the F****** HOSPITAL at this point.
[15:36] Corsi Mousehold: Woodbury is known .. WELLL known to harbor the B-tards ... Where the Patriotic Nigras got their founding in Second Life.
[15:37] Corsi Mousehold: All a Patriotic Nigra is, is a B-Tard that wants to take shit personally.
[15:38] Corsi Mousehold: Did you get all that?[15:38] Corsi Mousehold:
[15:35] Corsi Mousehold: I Did not build thoise. I did not rez them.
[15:35] Corsi Mousehold: I have been shit on all weekend from Woodbury.
[15:35] Corsi Mousehold: My stress level is through the roof and my blood pressure is likely to put me in the FUCKING HOSPITAL at this point.
[15:36] Corsi Mousehold: Woodbury is known .. WELLL known to harbor the B-tards ... Where the Patriotic Nigras got their founding in Second Life.
[15:37] Corsi Mousehold: All a Patriotic Nigra is, is a B-Tard that wants to take shit personally.
[15:38] Corsi Mousehold: Repost just in case.

Finding a Furred Avatar (Do You Love the Skin You’re In Part 2)

Some friends and I were recently talking about articles in the SLN, and I mentioned Dashwood Dayafter’s article, “Do You Love the Skin You’re In,” of which the topic had also recently been discussed on Second Life TV. Discussing it, it was suggested I do an article about finding a “furry” avatar.............

Read more in the DESIGN section

by Bixyl Shuftan