Carpet... Such a hassle.

So SilverJinx and I are currently working on the new arcade that we'll be putting in over the next month. I'm really excited about the ideas of tickets, games and just plain fun! I'm sort of going on the blacklight theme right now, but if that's too flashy I have some other options picked out.

So which carpet do you like best for the Arcade?

Option A

Option B

Or another carpet entirely? We're sort of going for the retro 80s look if you couldn't already tell.

Let me know in the comments below!

Character Sketches

Some rough sketches for an idea that SilverJinx told me about last night. I won't ruin the surprise... but I will tell you guys it's going to be awesome. I can't wait to get started on this new project of ours.

Dwarfins!~

I never really got into the breedables thing. I had a friend who kept Meeroos, but that's about all. Even if my landlord let me keep dozens of tiny animals romping around his sim, I doubt I could keep track of them all. Although if I did keep breedables, I'd definitely have Dwarfins!

I discovered them recently on the marketplace and out of curiosity, went to check out their sim. If you've never been to the Dwarfins sim, let me tell you - it's gorgeous! It reminds me of Ironforge, the Mines of Moria and the enchanted forest combined! 

There were so many places to go, so many things to do... I probably spent an hour on the sim (is it only one sim?) just exploring.

If you don't know, Dwarfins are little breedable creatures that build, mine, fish and even garden! While this might sound a bit redundant, Dwarfins finds a way to make it fun. For example while your mining, you might dig up some good stuff like blueprints to build other buildings or rare gems to sell for crafting points. Did I mention they have an entire crafting system set up?

If you're not into breedables, you can even roleplay on the sim as a Dwarfin. They have a bunch of mesh avatars to choose from and the entire sim is set up as a roleplay zone, complete with dragon riding! You can also hunt for gems that are hidden all over the sim to cash in for Dwarfin gifts. I even ran into Snow White and the seven Dwarfins while I was exploring.

Sigh... if only I had some land to keep them on, I would go Dwarfin-Crazy! These little guys are adorable and the creators definitely developed a unique and addicting system. I want to collect all the buildings and Dwarfin traits.

You can visit the Dwarfins at the SLurl below!

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dwarfins/129/159/23

A Day at the Arcade

A few months ago, :Dandi and I opened up an arcade in front of "The Refuge" Club and Shopping District. It was a test really to see if there was any interest in an entire arcade filled with Gacha Machines. If you don't know what Gacha Machines are in Second Life, you're missing out!

We wanted to make a place that was fun for everyone in SL from adults to children, furries to flamers! And it was a hit - We couldn't believe the response we got just in the first couple weeks of opening. I guess everyone wants a place where they can relax, bring a date and play games.

Today I decided I wanted to see what it was like for myself. Sure, I helped build the place but I never really got a chance to really look at what I built. Our Arcade has four rows of Gacha Machines, Lucky Boards, Freebies and of course... arcade games. I probably played Whack-A-Mole for a straight two hours! (That little bugger kept evading me)

I also tried out the Fortune Telling Machine that :Dandi set up a few weeks ago to find out what the future had in store for me.

"A thrilling time is in your immediate future."

I guess we'll have to wait and see what that could mean. If I have any thrilling times in my future, my blog readers will be the first ones to know! If you haven't been to the Song&SilverJinx Arcade yet, you should visit and let us know how we did. A few of the Gacha Machines are still under construction but the games are open for business!

You can visit the "Song&SilverJinx Arcade" at the SLurl below!

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/yogis/87/165/21

Kagami 2014 - Into the Spirit World

Kagami 2014 is a chilling journey through the experiences of a Japanese school girl who will risk everything to find her friend. It all starts with a rumor going around the school about how if you take two mirrors and face them towards each other at Midnight, it will reveal the face of your future husband.

You, of course, try it out for yourself only to be disappointed when nothing happens. Thinking of how stupid it was for a 15 year old to fall for a stupid gag, you fall asleep only to be awoken by your panicked mother. Your best friend, Kasumi, has gone missing... What happens next will take you on a whirlwind through the looking glass and into the spirit world.

The world in the mirror reminded me a lot of the movie by Hayao Miyazaki, Spirited Away with the style of those old mystery games like "The Longest Journey". You'll encounter everything from foxes in kimonos to faceless men. It wasn't hard to see that a lot of work went into the makings of this Second Life mini-game. The game features a custom hud, unique and creative world built from scratch and even some movie like scenes where you see the story from Kasumi's friend's point of view.

This is a haunting tale that I won't soon forget. If you're planning on seeing it for yourself, then you better do it fast - The event only lasts until the 31st of August.

You can visit "Kagami 2014" at the SLurl below!

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Hakoniwa/165/127/23

Lag Can't Stop the Arcade Adventures

Today Song and I got to be in The Gacha Show audience with the owners of the infamous Arcade as they celebrated their second birthday.

I'm a recent fan of gachas but it only took a few machines to get me hooked. The show audience was packed. I worried for a few minutes that my alien helmet from our recent Green Mire fun would be out of place until I noticed the Stormtrooper sitting next to us.

Furries, Tinies, regular avatars... gacha seems to be one love that brings us together across the sub cultures. I'm still very new to the concept but Song has been exploring gachas for awhile and has been bringing me up to speed.

Since Song convinced me to join her gacha arcade, I have been having a blast back in sl and one day I hope we'll be participating at The Arcade, the big one. Listening to the owners talk about it inspires me, but the basic concept of gachas is to have fun and share it.

I'm all about sharing the fun... just check out who the new high score is on Whack-a-Mole!

Mystery of The Green Mire Swamp

For those of you who enjoy a good mystery, The Green Mire is a place you definitely should check out.

It's the new sim housing the Madpea Mainstore but with a twist. Ten years ago on this very sim, two boys disappeared somewhere in The Green Mire swamp. No one has had contact with them since and search parties have turned up empty handed. It would seem as if the boys vanished into thin air... or did they?

If you search for The Green Mire on Second Life, the landmark will take you to the Madpea's main store. This might seem like the first place to start snooping for clues but the search for the boys actually starts in a small shack in the swamp. This was the last place the boys were seen. I won't spoil the mystery for you all but I will give you a really helpful tip... or one that would've been helpful to me at the time. Turn on/up your Second Life sound. I usually play with it muted and that caused me to run around the sim confused for a good half an hour before I figured out what I was missing.

Your prize at the end will be a Madpea Alien Helmet that actually lets you talk to ALIENS! I think it's super

cool and :Dandi, who accompanied me on this adventure, didn't ever want to take it off!



I will leave you with some screenshots I took of my journey through these treacherous swamps.

Have fun!

You can visit "The Green Mire" at the SLurl below!

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Grantville/95/83/21

Lose weight while working out in your virtual life!

Recently featured in the Destination Guide on Secondlife.com, the "Avatar Fitness Club" strives to help you lose weight in your real life by working out in your second. eXtension, the organization that started the club, claim that getting into a work out schedule with your avatar will help motivate you to do so also.

"Research indicates that exercising your avatar regularly may help you to improve your own physical fitness. Join the club and try the cycles, treadmills, yoga, climbing wall, swimming pool, aerobics, lounge with ping pong. "

While browsing the web for information to back up their theory, I did stumble across an article about how video gaming may actually help improve your weight. When you are busy playing on the game you are less likely to reach for your snacks or to feel hungry. This works for other hobbies as well such as gardening, swimming or sewing. Anything to keep your hands and mind busy and away from the twinkies!

In my opinion, it's worth a shot. Taking a few minutes out of your day to log onto the computer and visit a virtual gym sounds a lot simpler (and cheaper) than most diets on the market today. Has anyone else had any success with a workout routine in Second Life?

You can visit the "Avatar Fitness Club" at the SLurl below!

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Morrill3/211/88/24