Virtual Neko in Second Life

Adding Neko Animations to Your Avatar:

(If you don’t know what an AO / animation overrider is, scroll to the bottom of this page, where I’ve included a bunch of information and helpful tips.)

If one of the slurls is outdated (because stores move ALL the time), please email me and let me know.

Neko AO / Animation Overriders: A number of stores in Second Life have developed customized AOs for Nekos, featuring subtle cat-like movements such as a “crouch” sit, scratching, and paw licking.  Stores that sell Neko AO packages are listed below, complete with slurls for your convenience.

If you don’t want to invest in a Neko-specific AO (or maybe you already have an AO you’re comfortable with), you could instead use one of the following:

Neko Menu-Driven/HUD Gestures: Stores like NEXX offer menu-driven sounds and gestures, ranging from meows and purrs, to coughing up a hairball (see this example available online). The benefit to this option is that you often get far more gestures (25-30) than will normally fit in an AO HUD, and the price is often less expensive than an AO HUD.

Neko Gestures and Sounds: Up at the top of your SL viewer screen, if you select Edit -> Gestures, this is another way to get some Neko attitude happening, by activating and using gestures via chat command.  See the free and cheap category below to find some Neko-specific gestures.

Free or Cheap Neko AO / Animations and Gestures:

AdiCat Designs offers a free simple male and female Neko AO with on demand animations, emotes, and sounds. (While you’re here, don’t forget to pick up a free fluffy or smooth hair tail, punk leg and arm straps, and more.)

Minsha Little offers a dollarbie Neko AO that uses a Zhao HUD for easy menu control. It contains five different standing animations, three different walks, and is modifiable to add your own animations.

Sai Pennell of Imperial Elegance has a free “Casual Girl” AO that includes five standing animations, one ground sit, one object sit, and a sexy walk.  While it’s not tailored to Neko, you will at least walk more smoothly (a must for any self-respecting cat) and can simply add some gestures as listed above.

Maneki Neko Teahouse (SL’s first Neko Geisha School) has a package of free Neko gestures and sounds in a small wooden shed to the left of their entrance.

MechaKitty offers a free Neko starter kit that includes Neko sounds and gestures, as well as free ears and a tail.

ND/MD, in addition to selling some great Neko skins, has a dollarbie package of Neko gestures.  You’ll find them just as you cross the bridge into the Neko skins area, in a box on your left.

KKD / Klassy Kitty Designs offers 50 Neko gestures and sounds for just $20L (upon arrival, follow the red teleport beacon to locate the vendor on the wall of one of the small store areas).

Lhilli Neko Mall has two boxes of free Neko gestures (as well as all sorts of other free Neko stuff).

Manimation has five white boxes of freebies set out in their store.  Although none of these are Neko-specific, the boxes include model poses, a super jump, an emoter hud, fun animations, and a meditate float animation.  On the wall above these boxes are three free (empty) HUDS: Zhao I, Zhao II, and Wet Ikon.

Hybrid offers four cat gestures for $30L in the back left corner of the store.

Cat-A-Tonic has a box of 14 Neko gestures for $100L.

Stores That Sell Neko AO / Animations:

Click on the store name to get a SLURL.  Please note: this is not a list of all the great animation stores in SL… these are only those stores that sell Neko AO packages, or individual animations tailored for Nekos that can be added into an AO HUD.  If you know of a Neko animation store not on this list, please email me with the details so I can include it.  Thanks!

>(O.o)< on Mew Island (Fa Nyak)

Name: Kitty Override
Gender: Female
Description: 8 animations for walking, running standing, ground sitting, pre-jump/jumping, and flying look very cat-like (paw licking and sitting up with paws curled, for example). I’d recommend you demo these at the store.

Altered Perception (Maggiedoll Alter)

Name: (individual animations; not a Neko AO package)
Gender: N/A
View Online: N/A
Description: Although there is no Neko AO “package” here, there are a number of cute Neko animations including a bounding run, a nice kneeling crouch, and a cute grooming crouch (paw and ear cleaning) that you can add into an existing AO HUD.  There’s also a cartwheel and a flip, which you don’t see too often. The store is currently under construction, so expect there to be a little dust…

AV Puli (Pulaski Fizz)

Name: Neko Puli AO
Gender: Male or female (sold separately)
Online: View the female AO online here.  (I couldn’t find the male AO online).
Description: The male Neko AO contains 16 different animations: 5 stands, 5 walks, a fun handstand, 2 sits, and a 3-part animated jump.  The girl Neko AO offers the same animations (only a little more feminine movements), except there’s no handstand, so there’s only 15 animations.

Bitter Thorns (Juliet Ceres)

Name: Neko AO
Gender: Female
Online: Get more details and see photos on the Bitter Thorns blog.
Description: 20 animations and poses with a simple on/off button.  Demo poses at the store.

CraXimations (Cracker Hax)

Name: “Sassiest AO Ever” Female Neko AO
Gender: Female
Online: View the AO online here.
Description, in the designer’s words: We use the CXAO HUD which allows you to edit your AO via touchmenu – no notecards ever!  The package comes with 2 sets, Neko and Cute Neko for a total of 30 animations (previous version had 20) including multiple walks, multiple runs, walk on all fours (crouch walk), flying animations (hover, forward, up, down), jump, land, and more!  A review by Noisey Lane: The original AO package contained some of the craziest neko poses in SL, including a default walk that looks like you are drunk and a really great flying animation! Holding Page Down and moving forward will make you crawl on all fours. The fly down pose is also hilarious as you go face down towards the ground. As a collector of neko animations, this is a unique and welcome addition.  Note: The vendor appears to be broken in the store; there is no “pay” option.  For now, I’d recommend you demo the animations in SL, and purchase via SLexchange.com.

DeminAtions (Wan Demina)

Names (x2): Purrr; and I’d also recommend the very kawaii Anime Babe
Gender: Female
Online: View photos here: Purrr AO; Anime Babe AO
Description: Purrr comes with 5 animated stands, 2 animated groundsits, 2 animated sits and catlike animations including lick your paws, kneading paws, clean your ears, chase your tail, sleep curled up, run like a cat, and more, all using a ZHAO hud. Purrr is also kid-friendly… just load the Purrr Kidshape notecard. Anime Babe is filled with 25 cute sits, stands, twirls, jumps, flying, crouch walking, probably my favorite ever ground sit, and more… definitely worth a demo.

Ertaly (Bathory Zeiler)

Names (x3): Anime Neko AO; Sweet Neko AO; Sad Neko AO
Gender: Female
Online: View photos here:  Anime Neko AO; Sweet Neko AO; Sad Neko AO
Description: Anime Neko includes walk, stand up, sit, ground sit, run, jump, hovering, fly, fly up, fly down, fall down, crouch, crouching walk and four animated stands for a total of 17 animations.  Sad Neko includes prejump, walk, turn right, turn left, stand up, sit, ground sit, run, jump, hovering, fly, fly up, fly down, fall down, crouch and 4 animated stands for a total of 19 animations.  Sweet Neko includes 15 animations: stand up, jump, walk, sit, ground sit, run, hovering, fly, fly up, fly down, fall down and 4 animated stands.

HC (Hazel Coppens)

Name: Kitty Poses Complete Set
Gender: Female
Online: I was not able to find these online.
Description: This is a set of 40+ animations that you can buy individually or as a package. I’d recommend you come try them out for yourself to see them all. While here, you might also check out the animations in the “Anime Poses” set too…

KH / Kami Hitoe (Sala Snook)

Name: Life is Meow
Gender: Female
Description: This AO includes 33 animations sized for three different avatars in the same package (small, medium or tall) for any size Neko girl.  The animations include 10 stands, 2 walks, running, swimming, turning left or right, 4 sits, 3 ground sits, a “cat dancing” crouch, a hop, pre-jump, jump, land, stand up, fly up, hovering/floating, fly, and flying down with a fall. Thanks to Kyllie for bringing this to my attention! ^_^

Kittiemotions (Amon Eames)

Names: Kittiemotions AO
Gender: Female
Online: None that I could find, and pics are limited at the vendors; best bet is to try them out in person
Description: Kittiemotions’ AO has thirty five total animations, including 11 standing animations, 4 walks, and various others like “tail shake,” a “catgirl fly,” and a “paw lick peace sign.”  You can buy them as a package or individually.  Kittiemotions are sold at various Neko stores around the grid; the slurl above is for just one of these locations.

Manimation (Miep Mip)

Name: AO Neko
Gender: Male or female (sold separately)
Online: View the female AO online here.  View the male AO online here.
Description: Each Neko Animation package comes with 17 pose/animations, including 5 stands, a walk, a crouch walk (crawl), sit, ground sit, and all the flying/hovering/landing animations you need.  Free Stuff: The store has five white boxes of freebies, including model poses, a super jump, an emoter hud, fun animations, and a meditate float animation.

MDHU (Medhue Simoni)

Name: Feline AO, Cat AO, Panther AO, plus some Cat Bed sleeping animations
Gender: Male or female (animations are generic enough for either)
Online: The Cat AO is here; it is the same AO as the other two (only shown with a leopard skin)
Description: And now for something completely different: If you want to look more like a cat than a human, to the extent that you walk on all fours, this store’s animations are for you. There are 28 animations in each package, and for $50 extra, you can buy a package that comes complete with a cat shape and leopard-spotted skin to complete your look.

Neko’s Obsession (Jango Fell)

Name: Kitty AO
Gender: Female
Online: View the AO online here.
Description: This AO package includes animations for walk, run, jump and flying at a moderate price.  Additional animations are available individually (in case you want to add on to an existing AO) including a cute “falling play” on your back, and several “on your knees” animations such as a paw lick, a crouch walk (called ‘Kitty Stalking’), face nuzzles, and “aiming” (one arm out while crawling).  The AO package is transferable (for gift-giving!) and modifiable to add in your own animations.

NyC (Catwise Yoshikawa)

Name: Neko Female AO
Gender: Female
Online: None that I could find.
Description: This AO includes 7 animated stands, a sexy walk, a run, a fly, hover, fly up/down, falling, crouching, three object sits, three ground sits, a full (flip) jump cycle.  It’s modifiable to add your own poses (using Zhao II) and instructions come in both English and Spanish.

Oracul (Daiz Papp)

Name: Neko Female AO
Gender: Female
Online: https://www.xstreetsl.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&MerchantID=109917
Description: Although not sold as “Neko-specific,” blog reader Cherry Tungsten gives two paws up for several AO packages here, including Fluffy ($150L), Girl Star ($300L), Aurora Girl ($300L) and “R” ($300L). These AOs are affordable, come packed with moves (more than 60 in most packages) and their movements are smooth… though Cherry is right, they are definitely designed for the more “active” kitteh.  ^_^

Random Kitten (Koneko Tammas)

Names: Neko AO (female; on back wall) Furifuri AO (in center of store); plus M, M2, F, F2, Boy, Fly (contains more than just fly anims), Fly 2, Fly M, AO, AO2, AO3, AO4, AO5, and Funny.
Gender: Male or female (sold separately)
Online: No online photos or blogs showing these AOs that I could find.
Description: This store has an extensive selection of AO packages (and some of the most affordable), and you can also buy the animations individually.  Although only one of the AOs has “Neko” in the name, every vendor photo depicts Nekos (and you can demo every package in the store to see which one suits you best).

RQ / Red Queen (Magicka Moonites for Ruth Quan)

Names: SugarNspice has a very “kawaii neko” look to it. Other AO packages here include Anime, Etrange, and Nosferatu.
Gender: Female (sold separately)
Online: http://rqdesign.wordpress.com/q♥-animations/
Description: Although none of the AOs has “Neko” in the name, the blog refers to the SugarNspice AO as “kitty cute.” Animations are available as a full AO package, or you can purchase them separately to add to your existing AO hud (you can demo every package in the store to see which one suits you best).
Comments: If you don’t see vendors selling AOs upon arrival, look for the red beacon and walk towards it until you arrive at the animations area.

Sins’Animation (Sinse Winx)

Name: Neko AOs (several varieties)
Gender: Male or female (sold separately)
Online: View the male Neko AO here; view Neko AO girl here.
Description: Several different packages of both male and female Neko AOs provide anywhere from 28 to 58 “very animated” animations including stands, walks, runs, sits, ground sits, crouch, fly, jump, hovering, and landing.  These packages are modifiable so you can add more poses (if 58 isn’t already enough for you, lol).  Here’s how to find these AOs: Upon arrival at your TP landing point, turn and walk west (click on your ‘Mini Map’ button to get your directions).  Walk into that west building… all the Neko AOs are on the back wall (thank you, Kira!!).

Spell Cats (Snoe Halostar)

Name: Neko AO
Gender: Female
Online: None that I could find.
Description: This AO is comprised of “100% unique poses,” all of which are animated, including stands, ground sits, sit, fly, hover, lands, crouch, walk, run, crawl and more… looks like around 17 total?

Symptomatic (Gwyneth Reinard)

Name: Neko AO v.2
Gender: Female
Online: View the AO online here.
Description: (in the designer’s own words) “This is the second release version of our Neko AO HUD. It includes eighteen animations / poses + a free sexy walk for a total of NINETEEN animations. If you purchased all of these separately it would cost you over L$500!  You get three stands, a wall lean, crouch, object sit, four legged run, crawl, five ground sits, hover animation, flying animation, falling animation, flying up animation, and a landing animation. All programmed into a ZHAO HUD for easy use. Why so cheap? ($290L online; $325L in the store) Is it made horribly? Am I going to be poking half way through the ground? No!” The store is currently under construction so expect a little dust.

TOTK / Tale of Two Kitties (Kittie Underhall)

Names: Neko Kitty; Neko Kitty 2
Gender: Female
Online: View Neko Kitty here; view Neko Kitty 2 here.
Description: (in the designer’s words):  These two AOs each provide a practical “everyday” package of animations with just the right amount of Neko twist. Both are HUD driven, both come with 18 poses: 5 animating standing poses (meaning you wont just stand perfectly still like most standing poses), a ground sit pose, a sitting pose, crouching pose, flying forward/up/down poses, and hovering pose, as well as pre-jump, jumping, falling, landing, and of course a sexy walk and run pose.

Zip (Denjobi Odell)

Name: Neko Animation Override
Gender: Male or female (sold separately)
Online: View the male Neko AO here; view the female Neko AO here.
Description: Both male and female Neko AO packages contain 20 animations in a scripted HUD.

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·  ·  ·  More Information and Helpful Tips About AOs / Animation Overriders  ·  ·  ·

What is an AO? An AO is a series of animations that operate in the background, allowing your avatar to move smoothly.  Using an AO is the difference between walking like a newborn kitten on stiff legs, and moving like a suave, sophisticated SL Neko.

How Does an AO Work? It’s a small invisible object that you wear.  This object contains scripts that “override” your basic movements for walking, sitting, standing, etc. with animations that look far more natural than the ones you were “born” with on Help Island.  When you wear your AO, a HUD (Heads-Up Display) appears on your Second Life view screen to provide you with on/off buttons, and sometimes additional menu options to adjust settings.

How Do I Get an AO? AOs are typically sold as a package (i.e., a collection of animations that look natural together, easy to wear and go).  Many of these packaged AOs are modifiable so you can add new individual animations you purchase, and delete those you don’t like.

If however you are more of a do-it-yourself kinda kitty, you can get a free Zhao HUD and customize your own AO by inserting separately purchased animations (this Zhao location also provides “how to” instructions on the wall in both English and French).  Manimations also offers free (empty) HUDS in their store: Zhao I, Zhao II, and Wet Ikon.

For even more detailed information about AOs, click here.

Customizing an AO:

To customize a free AO HUD or modify the AO package you bought, it goes something like this:  You locate the AO object in your inventory, drag it to the ground (in an area where you are allowed to rez objects AND run scripts), right-click the object to edit, select the Contents tab, drag/drop new animations inside, and then type new instructions into the AO’s notecard (also found in the Contents tab).

Sometimes it’s tricky to type the instructions correctly into the notecard — text requirements vary, and one typo can result in your AO not functioning properly.  Thankfully most designers provide helpful “how to” instructions.

There is a new HUD module called CXAO, which supposedly does not require any notecard.  I have yet to demo this, so if you’ve used one, please drop me a comment or an email and let me know what you think.

Important AO Safety Tip:

If you want to sit on an object in Second Life that contains a poseball (like a chair, a bed, or a dance ball), it’s a good idea to turn your AO off first.  Although some poseballs are scripted to override your overrider, many are not… and whether you see it or not, everyone else will see you in some sort of awkward “sitting in the air” pose above the poseball.

How do you turn off your AO?  Most AOs feature a simple HUD attachment… when worn, you’ll see a little button menu on your view screen to turn it on or off (and adjust the settings).  If you’ve got one of the older AOs that requires you type something like “/ao off” in your chat line to activate/deactivate it, it’s time for an upgrade!

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