Semy Says… Femboy Style Guide.

Femboy Fashion?

So not really sure how to start this but here we go… Actually before I really get going I guess I ought to add some context; I’m going to talk about Second Life stuff – it’s a subject close to my heart of course – so rather than repeat things I’ve said before about that specific virtual world if you want to know a little bit more then please check out my previous blog entry on the wonderful Blacklist Bunker: https://semysays.com/2021/11/26/semy-says-the-blacklist-bunker/

For those that have spent any time in Second Life you’ll know that avatar building is way more complicated than it probably ought to be. You might be one of the many who has logged in once or twice, looked at your default avatar’s appearance, and been absolutely befuddled (I love that word) about why people around you look amazing in comparison to the lurching monster you’re trying to control.

That’s not your fault though; Second Life really is that user unfriendly sometimes. The avatar you start with during your early hours in world isn’t great, the inventory you have to improve upon that basically sucks, and if you want to improve you’ll need to start spending some cash ASAP. Even once you work out how the Second Life economy works (L$ or Linden dollars is the currency in word and on the Marketplace store https://marketplace.secondlife.com/?lang=en-US ) knowing what to buy is still a minefield given all the things you need to in order to put a quality avatar together. There’s a plethora of mesh bodies and heads, skins, various attachments, and other stuff before you even start buying clothing – none of which is utterly universal and will only work with specific mesh bodies. Anyhow I could talk about that forever here and that isn’t the point…

See the thing is Second Life avatar creation options are wildly diverse but ludicrously complicated; sometimes knowing what you want to create for yourself avatar wise isn’t enough and you might need help. Those of us who remember our early days in the virtual world know that without someone to help point you in the right direction that creating the look you want can be so confusing it often makes you want to give up – especially if what you are going for is seen as somewhat niche.

If you’ve seen me in Second Life, read my previous blog entries, or checked my flickr and twitter you’ll know I refer to myself as a femboy. I won’t get into definitions here of what that is as it can be a minefield when you start taking into account certain people’s views or what things like Wikipedia or Urban Dictionary have to say; my best advice if you don’t know is to ask some friends, use google, or if you want to know what I think then ask me in Second Life or tweet me.

Creating a femboy avatar has gone back and forth over the years between complicated to easy and then back again (mostly due to how Second Life technology and systems have changed). Since I’ve had a femboy avatar from my very first day in Second Life I consider myself well versed in building one (not that I’d ever call myself an expert) so during my time I’ve helped many new Second Life users with shopping tips, in world landmarks (links which teleport you to a store), or a handy second opinion. Not that I haven’t had moments where I’ve been utterly confused about how to update my look – I have – and I’ve often needed awesome friends’ advice on what to do next.

During 2021 I met Seven who had never had a femboy avatar – his look at the time was very different – and I helped him find almost everything he needed to create the style he wanted. There are so many components you need for a full femboy avatar such as: shape, mesh head, mesh body, flat chest mod, AO (animation override), skin (plus layers like tattoos and make-up), hair, clothing, jewellery. That’s not even an exhaustive list though and doesn’t take into account how they all need to be compatible either so helping him out was quite the project – which I really enjoyed – but considering the time and effort it took plus the fact we still needed help (from Dakota who was amazing – even helping me update my own look at the time) it made me think that others who are new to creating their look could really do with a resource they could get help from.

I wasn’t sure what that should or could be exactly; maybe I could write about it here but would folks in Second Life see that? Probably not. Loads of Second Life users post fashion/clothing shots on flickr but that’s not a place to go for advice. Even an in world group is limited to word of mouth. Then one day I was chatting to my bestie Mady (owner of Mady’s Playground Hangout) telling her about my idea which she not only loved but it turned out she had also had similar ideas and so our project was born. Femboy Style Guide!

We didn’t come up with the name straight away of course and there’s a whole story to putting the complete idea together but I’m rambling already so I’ll get to the point. What is Femboy Style Guide..?

The basic concept of FSG is if you need help/advice building a femboy (or trans girl avatar) – regardless of whether it’s all brand new to you or even if you just want a friendly second opinion – come visit us 🙂 We’re here to help; we’ll never ask for money/L$ or anything daft like that, we were all new to this once and know a friendly face is what sometimes makes a huge difference.

It’s all honestly still a work in progress but here’s what we have so far:

Our in world Second Life Location at the Mady’s Playground Beach – come and check it out:
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Burning%20Desire%20Island/28/145/28
Here we have an office/hangout, group joiner, gift giver (including custom pose stand and comprehensive style guide notecards full of info), contact info for Mady and myself (so if we’re in world you can IM us for help), mailboxes for when we’re offline, vendors for the V-tech Flat Chest Mod, pose stands for visitors to use, plus our beach area, and loads more. We even had a launch party there but I’ll get to that later…

Unlike many Second Life locations FSG is designed as a complete non-sex space. We want visitors to be able come and hang out, chat, try new clothing and avatar components, relax, and ask for advice whilst not being bothered. We’re also keenly aware that creating a femboy avatar is often co-opted by others as a kink thing (we’re not judging but that’s not what FSG is about) and/or made less about the avatar the person wants and more about what someone else desires so there’s no adult animations in any of the furniture or anything like that. We want FSG to be a quiet and welcoming spot not a place where you’ll be disturbed by horny wanderers.

If you do want to find naughty places to explore we’ve got you covered though as our beach connects to our amazing neighbours (The Blacklist Bunker) beach which you can reach just by walking along the pier and through the gate. FSG is part of a set of sibling sims (The Blacklist Bunker, Mady’s Playground, and Sheboys) so I’ll include map teleport links below if you wish to explore any of those:

The Blacklist Bunker:
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Burning%20Desire%20Island/53/89/1524

Sheboys:
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Burning%20Desire%20Island/160/84/4002

Mady’s Playground:
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Burning%20Desire%20Island/31/196/2753

Speaking of our sibling sims it was with their help and support that we were able to have a launch party (on our beach) in November 2021. FSG wouldn’t exist without their support; Mady and I were blown away by how the Blacklist Bunker owners got behind us. It was also really amazing to have over 50 wonderful Second Life folks come to celebrate with us at the launch plus seeing them check out all the hard work Mady has put into building our location. I honestly can’t put into words how awesome she has been. Not just in using her land for FSG to have a home or in making it such a lovely space but most importantly for putting up with my predilection to randomly suggest more and more ideas. When I call Mady my bestie I really mean it; beyond words.

Other awesome FSG Stuff:

We’ve got an in world Second Life group of course which you can search for or join when visiting the sim; with Christmas out of the way and the New Year begun my plan is to send a shopping notecard out to members every month with fashion finds, fair info, and new shopping locations.

We also have a Flickr group where we’re asking members to post pictures of their new and favourite outfits and looks (come and join us using the link below):
https://www.flickr.com/groups/14811328@N23/pool/
We’d love to get that much more active if possible as the Second Life fashion flickr blogger scene can always do with more femboy contributions. I’ll include some of those below so you can see what our members have been coming up with:

Moira’s Outfit:
Samantha Blazer by the Secret Store
Fiona Belted Skirt by the Secret Store
Gena Heels by KC Couture
Attik Pearl Necklace by Karin Lupindo (MP)
White Stockings by Elya (MP)

FSG Lace Lingerie White:
Moon Elixir x MUSE – Madame Noir – Lara – Shoes
Moon Elixir x MUSE – All Dolled Up – Lara – Stockings
Moon Elixir x MUSE – Tease – Lara – Bulge Panties
Moon Elixir x MUSE – All Dolled Up – Lara – Garter Belt
Moon Elixir x MUSE – Cursed Heart – Lara Flat – Bolero
Sensations Anus (Maitreya Lara – Regular) v4.07
-SU!- Livana Bento Rings (MAITREYA)
~~ Ysoral ~~.:Luxe Piercing Betty :.(Maitreya Flat)
^^Swallow^^ Earrings E05 for lel Evo X ELF Ears FEMALE
Foxy – Aiko. (M)
/ HEAD / lel EvoX CEYLON 3.0
Maitreya Mesh Body – Lara Add-on Flat Chest V1.0

FSG Morning After:
HARO Hoof Shoes
[CX] Wild Hazard Leg Harness – Gold (A) and (B)
[not wearing but it is part of the outfit [V-Tech]Basic Thong (Bulge UP)]
HARO Chilly Cardigan
HARO Chilly Gloves
DOUX – Minji Hairstyle

Venus Lingerie (in White) by Mug.
On Fire Boots (Silver) by Astralia.
Jenny Rings & Earrings by Rawr!
Glitter Nails (Coffin) by E.Marie.
Destiny Hair by Truth.
Prue Headband by Magika.
Cat-5 drone By Solares.

Semy Says… So what’s next for FSG?

Well most importantly we’re working out how to get the name out there within Second Life (we have an ad-board at Femboys currently) so we can help more people out if they need it. So if anyone has any ideas on how to make Femboy Style Guide more well known please contact either Mady or me as we’d love to hear from you.

We’re also in early stages of planning a Second Life Femboy themed Fashion Show (date and location to be confirmed) and have been talking to some of our amazing friends about how and when to put that together. If you have a femboy avatar and are interested in modelling for us; please join our flickr group (plus the in world group) and drop us a message. We’d also love to know if any Second Life clothing designers want to support our project or fashion show too so if that’s you please get in touch.

Finally I should add a huge shout out to Alex from V-tech/Valentine who has installed the V-tech chest mod vendors at our location don’t forget to check out their store here where there are oodles of amazing clothing options:

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Fedora/175/33/24

Hugs

Semy xoxox

Tweets by SMeridoc

https://www.flickr.com/photos/117250345@N07/51708279987/in/dateposted/