Tag: virtual world

SL Exploration: Ville de Coeur (Small French Village)

SL Exploration: Ville de Coeur (Small French Village)

by Ellie_Avora ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Today we’re taking a mini-adventure to a small European village called “Ville de Coeur” this is a primarily English-speaking sim that has French architecture and culture. If you’re looking for a place that is both nice for photography and gives you a small taste of France, then you have come to the right place. This little village can be found in the “Destinations” tab of your viewer under “International” which means this area gets a lot of traffic. This is a place I’d consider checking out as it also mainly meshes and keeps up to standards with Second Life’s graphics advancements otherwise known as going fully mesh. While exploring this little village you’ll find that the demographics of users that you’ll find here are normally 35 and older. However, now and then I’ve run into someone who is around their late 20s early 30s. If you find someone younger here, for the most part, their either exploring, looking for a place to do photography, or just have an old soul. To be fair, this sim appeals to anyone and everyone even though it attracts older and mature individuals so don’t let this frighten you away from the overall concept and amazing community this little town has to offer. There is so much to do, always someone to talk to, and from what I’ve experienced thus far no drama (I normally try to find places with little to no drama, because who wants their Second Life experience ruined by other peoples issues?).

Ville de Coeur as told by one of the users who own a gallery within walking distance from the entrance of the sim is 7 connected full sims. I’m mainly focusing on the main area as this was mostly what I explored but will be sure to explore the rest later and compile a detailed post on it. This area is very pleasing to the eye, relaxing, romantic, and overall a lighthearted atmosphere. There are always people here and from what I’ve experienced everyone is extremely friendly in the area. There isn’t one person that I’ve questioned as far as their motives, everyone just wants to talk, relax, and enjoy the scenery. There are a lot of dance balls, poses, and snuggle areas as well as a small café by the docks. There are residential areas where those who want to be on the sim can live and enjoy more of the community. I wouldn’t say this is much of a come and go destination… if you come here you come and stay and explore everything. The French theme is seen everywhere with mimes lining the streets, churches, the French flags above the market corridor and cobblestone streets. In a sense, if you’re into old architecture it reminds me of an older France then today’s rendition of the country.

Meeting new people:

As I’ve stated, this sim is filled with so many friendly people my first visit into this area a gentleman was sitting by the dock with some coffee and a bottle of wine in a small little café created area. He welcomed me in and then asked me if I wanted to join him for a little bit if I’m honest I had to leave not long after he invited me over to chat and hang out with him. I felt bad because he was so nice about it and talked to me about the community. He explained, that he owned a small gallery in the area which is where I asked if it was real life photos displayed in Second Life or more along the lines of Second Life photography and photo editing. His gallery is Second Life photography there is nothing wrong with that as I take photos of all my adventures and then of course post it onto this blog. I will be joining him on a small walking tour of some point in the small village and community.

I’ve come here at all hours of the night so I could type up a genuine and true portrayal of this sim it required me to pop in quite a few times to be able to do so. In the end, if you’re looking for a drama-free place to meet new people and make new friends this is probably the perfect place to be. There is so much to do from walking around with a walking tour either with someone or alone to hanging out on the beach and partying in the small gazebo with a bar, seating, and dancing, there is so much to do. Also, if you love randomly dancing consistently throughout a city like you would find in a Broadway show when in a small city or village than you will appreciate all the dance orb rezzers throughout the entire sim. This is a perfect place for romance as well as it’s a very enjoyable place to be with that special someone. There are a lot of couple’s activities and dancing is for more than one person as well as some of the specific walkers. What I love the most about the people here is they don’t have a hidden agenda. You might get someone saying you’re pretty or attractive, but they aren’t going to try and de-robe you in bed within the next hour of talking to someone. Everyone here has values and isn’t the type to cause drama from what I’ve experienced the 8 times I’ve visited this area. The people who are here are here to be a part of a community and have fun by surfing the waves, dancing, virtual drinking, etc. Sex is not the primary thing on most of the peoples’ minds here so it’s a nice escape from the rest of Second Life.

Scenery:

When exploring if you can’t tell this sim is made from a French theme then you might want to re-evaluate what you can and cannot see. The theme of this village Is to connect it with an older version of France. Which of course is one of the most romantic countries in the world. The area is lined by the French flag in banners throughout the main sim of this area to a small gathering area with a water fountain. Which by the way is a super nice touch with the cobblestone streets, if I’m honest the area reminded me of how Charles Dickens in his literature describes his surroundings in 1800s England. It’s very beautiful and I feel literature enthusiasts and historians will appreciate this area! There are shops everywhere but ahead of time, I’ll explain that a lot of the shops here are mainly older Second Life outfits that aren’t mesh. But to be fair I still have some outfits like those in my inventory some things just never get old even when everything moves forward. It’s nice to support small businesses though so don’t let that throw you off from looking around. There aren’t any roads throughout this sim it’s all paths and walking areas so don’t be ready to bring out your Lamborghini’s and other cars you bought on the Second Life marketplace.

Aside from the actual city feel itself there is a nicely made beach right across the way with steps leading down to it. Over by the café I mentioned when you first land inside of the small village there is a boat dock. If you love to sail this is an awesome place to do it, I rezzed my boat and explored the scenery especially the outskirts of the sim it’s surrounded by beautiful trees and mountains. A perfect place for photography! The beach is right next to the docks.

There is so much to do there are sitting areas, you can swim, surf, sail, drink, dance, you name it you can do it on the beach except be fully nude. This isn’t a nude beach if you want to be nude on a beach there are sims specifically for that sorry my beautiful nudists out there. Right next to it which I explained in the “meeting people” section of this post is the small little shack where you can drink, sit, and dance in an outside bar-like setting. Right next to it is a small swimming area it’s a pool with a beautiful gazebo where I took a photo of my avatar. It was such a pretty section I just had too! There aren’t couple swimming animations but it’s there if you want to take a dip in the pool instead of the beach.

Everything about this sim matches the theme perfectly. There’s also a residential area if you’re looking to live in this small community to find out more about this please visit the Ville de Coeur website at https://villedecoeur.online/ where you can find more information about the community, events, and residential areas.

To conclude, I enjoyed my time here in Ville de Coeur and plan to visit more in the future. The scenery is gorgeous, and you can do pretty much anything in a beautiful setting. There’s so much to do and it’s just overall a super appealing area with so many kind people in the area to chat with and enjoy your time with. With so much to do, I would come to explore the beauty of this sim and how well made it is. If you have any more questions or want to know more about the sim please visit their website at https://villedecoeur.online/ until next time…

Chao!

SL Exploration: The Butterfly Effect Club EST 2008

SL Exploration: The Butterfly Effect Club EST 2008

by Ellie_Avora ♥ 1 Comment

Let’s be honest there are so many clubs in Second Life that it’s hard to find ones that stand out from one another. However, I stumbled across this little gem while on my explorations throughout Second Life it might not seem like much at first sight but there is more than meets the eye. Between the kind and drama free people who come in and the themed atmosphere that fits the name perfectly there is so much about this club to talk about.

The Butterfly Effect Club was established in 2008 by LadyD Beauregard-Barbosa. I’ve had the pleasure to meet her and experience all the life this club fills everyone that comes in with. With so many Second Life clubs popping up and shutting down throughout the platform this one has been around since 2008. It’s popular and gets traffic! The music played here depends on the DJ at the specific time but tonight I came in during a Halloween costume contest event. The music tonight was a lot of your Halloween classics such as monster mash and many others. However, there are always events being held and contests each time the club is up and going. The club currently is decorated for Halloween seeing that it’s only eight days away and to be fair it the decoration is nice and sticks to the ghoulish theme. 

This club also has a shopping mall attached to it so if you’re looking for some new clothes you can find them here and then go dancing afterward. Most clubs have been doing this recently but keep in mind clubs who do have a small shopping section or are connected to a mall are small shop owners trying to get their products out to everyone out in the world of Second Life. Anyone can be a small business owner, but this is how beginners of creating outfits, furniture, etc. start. They start by renting out a small section in a mall or club that hosts these creators. So, if you’re feeling like supporting these small businesses feel free to drop by their shopping section right when you land before entering the club. As I explored it there were some dresses right behind the club to look at. In the club the photo to the left shows in the background the small little shopping area the club has. It’s where it says, Gaall in tiny letters sorry that it’s so small!

For those of you who are big on Angels & Demons, Bloodlines, Rage, etc. this club is on a clan land but it’s an open space for everyone. Everyone is welcome it doesn’t matter who you are, what your avatar looks like, etc. everyone is accepted in and can join into the fun and consistent conversation that can be found. The club is active, not only that but the clans here on the land are all active as well if you’re looking for a place to join and are a part of any of these in world systems. I’m also 99% sure that it’s a safe spot for Angels & Demons so you don’t have to worry about getting attacked while enjoying your time and just relaxing. Even though contests are going on and a lot of people come to the club just for the contests and then leave their keyboard you don’t find that here. It’s overall, just a different type of environment that you can’t always find on Second Life and if you’re a part of any of the systems above than most of the users in the club already have something in common with you.

I can’t stress enough that this club is 100% drama free! I’ve never seen an argument, misunderstanding, or disagreement since I’ve dropped by. To be fair, that’s hard to find nowadays because let’s be honest there is club drama everywhere you turn for the most part. It’s nice to have such high energy, calm, and enjoyable place to just be yourself. There is little to no judgment and it’s just a nice atmosphere to be a part of. I’m being very unbiased with this post as this is my experience when coming here. Normally when I visit clubs you realize why they don’t last it just doesn’t have a lighthearted and enjoyable atmosphere. Whether there is a conflict between staff or toxic people entering it’s hard. Here I haven’t experienced that and if you’re looking for something new to experience with a pleasurable clubbing experience than this is a place to look at. For example, tonight we talked about breedables for a bit I’ll be honest, I haven’t been looking at the chat a lot because I’ve been typing up this post, but everyone gets along. Also the picture on the left shows the contest board which is behind me and LadyD with the host and DJ tip jars and a vote stand. Everyone can vote once a day and these vote stands are important to clubs so if you go check it out don’t forget to click it.

Overall, something to keep in mind is sometimes these clubs who have been here for long periods are worth looking at and exploring more than the newer ones. Looks can be deceiving even though the clubs out there now use mainly mesh or are decorated in gorgeous ways the staff could be the complete opposite. This club has the best of both worlds it has mesh objects, décor, great staff, amazing users coming into just dance and relax. These are how Second Life clubs should be!

SL Purposes & Dreams

SL Purposes & Dreams

by Ellie_Avora ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Let’s put our thoughts on the table for a second, when we join Second Life, we normally have some sort of purpose in which we’re trying to obtain in the virtual world. Each purpose and goal is individualized for each user. I may use Second Life for a completely different reason than another person would use the platform. Let’s be honest, the American Dream is hard to come by nowadays but in Second Life it’s possible. We as users can live a reality that is harder to obtain in our own lives in the real world. This post I’ll be talking about my experience from the very beginning and what I’ve been trying to obtain as a user in Second Life for about 9 years. As crazy as it may seem my purpose in Second Life at the very beginning though it may seem weird was to study and be with my teacher and classmates learning about various subjects using Second Life as a key component platform for showing us what the teacher wanted to teach. With that being said let’s jump right in! 

Second Life in The School Setting & Teen Grid:

A photo taken right after I got back on after Teen Grid closed down.

Yes, I’m one of the individuals in which Second Life was used in my high school to teach us certain topics. My teachers used it as a tool in the classroom if it weren’t for them and Second Life being downloaded on the school laptops I would’ve never known or experienced what Second Life had to offer. I’m one of those young kids who started Second Life on the Teen Grid when it was still around. There was a point in time were kids 13-18 could sign up for a more kid-friendly version of Second Life where everyone was technically a minor. This was around my Freshman year of high school and having Second Life in the schools lasted until about the end of my Sophomore year. This is around the time when we got the news that the grids were merging otherwise known as Teen Grid no longer being alive and Linden Labs just making Second Life what it is known as which is Second Life. This is around the time when the sign-up age was for 17 and older, kids could no longer play Second Life but with good reason. Later on, down the line when I had my account unfrozen (that’s what they did they froze all of the teen grid accounts until they hit the proper age to come back into Second Life.) it made perfect sense with all of the sex sims and skill gaming regions. But with that, as I said above, I’ve been a member overall for 9 years.

1920’s Berlin Sim Role Playing With a Friend

Purpose of Second Life to me Until Age 19:

Second Life’s purpose for me has changed throughout the years. When I was younger my purpose for using Second Life was to not be alone to chat with people and always have someone there for me even though they were far away. I used Second Life to cope with my anxiety of being alone which is odd because I’m very independent and don’t mind being alone. However, being as outgoing as I am, I wanted that human connection almost all the time because to be fair I always felt alone in the real world. I used Second Life to meet new people and make new friends along the way who have been close friends to me for years and years some for decades. Most people go online to escape reality and honestly in a sense I’ve done the same. During this time, I was in college school was stressful, making friends was hard, depression and anxiety were hitting me like a hurricane. During this time, I didn’t have a strong head on my shoulders. I was looking for something that I couldn’t obtain in my reality true friendship and with some people, I’ve found it. To be fair, they probably know me better than most people in my reality but that tends to happen when you have internet friends. To be honest, I also used Second Life at the time to release my inner demon in a sense and try things I’d never do in the real world. I experimented with my sexuality and fetishes and what I liked and didn’t like. This led to a relationship that I wasn’t proud to be in and was somewhat abusive that led into my reality but just so everyone knows that relationship is long gone. I honestly, didn’t know what I wanted in my Second Life and during this time my main usage for Second Life was to be a fashionista, meeting and making friends, and experimenting with sexuality.

Showing off my Avatar fashionista status with this photo. I put together her outfit with a French flare in mind.

My Purpose in Second Life Now:

Everyone makes mistakes as we’re all human and it’s the normal human response in society. I’ve learned from these mistakes; I have a very strong and hard head on my shoulders and because of this my purpose of Second Life has changed from the past till now. I have a few different purposes for using the platform now and most of them are to help my creative juices flow. I’ve always been a passionate writer I’ve loved writing since I could pick up a pencil and write. I’ve been looking for content writing positions in the real world, but do you know how hard that is? I also have a passion for virtual worlds as they have been a part of my life for many years. That is when I decided to write a blog. I consistently had writer’s block, and this is because I lost my skill because I didn’t keep up with it. So, I started Charming Ellie I use my blog as a hobby I don’t want to make money off of it I use it to help get my content out into the world and to write about something I’m passionate about and care about. My blog helps me to write almost every day and keep up with new trends in the virtual world industry especially since a lot of virtual worlds are beginning to disappear with time. My purpose in Second Life is to explore, create, and help deliver content to Second Life users all around the globe on travel, advice, and just living you’re Second Life to the fullest.

The other reason I use Second Life now is to keep up with the friends I’ve made in the past who are still friends with me today. They come on occasionally, and I make sure I log on now and then just to spend time with those important people. My main purpose for being in second life now is to hone my skills in interior design and fashion. These are things that cost a lot of money in reality so I just find it best to create and do these things in a virtual world platform on Second Life where it’s a lot cheaper and there are so many ways to implement avatar and land/home creation. I use Second Life now more as a creative outlook a way to push my creativity and get the juices flowing consistently. To be fair, I still use Second Life in a way to escape reality but not as much as I’ve used to. I keep to myself, for the most part, I do everything alone if I can but now and then I’ll run into someone to chat with for a few hours or more.

My Dream:

Another Dream I didn’t mention is having a beautiful babe girl when I’m not ready for one in reality. But that’s something completely different.

One of the biggest dreams I’ve had and yes, I’m a dreamer is to work for Linden Labs. They don’t truly realize how much Second Life does indeed mean to me and the people inside of it. I’ve always wanted to make a difference quite a few times I almost opened shop in Second Life to give advice and help with different situations as I do have a life coach certification. There is a huge need for something like that but when I tried people didn’t use it. I don’t want to be famous or popular for writing blog posts or anything along those lines. But I’ve always wanted to do content writing or something and become join the Lindens and creators over at Linden Labs. I’ve always wanted to make a difference in the world and even though Linden Labs is a corporation they have done that for so many people. Maybe one day I’ll be able to but for now, it’s just hopes and dreams that will take me far in my adventures in this reality of life. We never know what the future has to offer and our dreams in life take us further than we expect them to.

With all of this being my experience, I want to hear from all my readers in the comment section. What purpose does Second Life have in your life? What do you use the platform for and why? How did you start? And how is Second Life important to you? I’d love to hear from all of you as this is something that interests me about all of the users I run into and honestly it’s how I always strike up a conversation because everyone is different and everyone comes into this virtual world for different reasons. I hope to see all of you in my next post.

Chao!

Blogging Success Have I Made it?

Blogging Success Have I Made it?

by Ellie_Avora ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Honestly, my answer, if I were answering, would be no. However, I am still a new blog and honestly, it’s doing better than I ever expected it too. I get some views here and there and it just makes me happy to know that people are reading my content. The way beginners who are just starting a blog should look at things is blogging starts out as a hobby. Success comes to those who wait. If you’re blogging with money in mind it probably won’t be as successful as you’re expecting it to be. If you’re passionate about a topic and find something that you can ramble on about do it. Were all different and we all have different likes and dislikes. Every blog has a demographic the challenge is getting that specific demographic that your blog is aimed at to read your posts. I started blogging because I love to write I needed something to keep me busy but was fun while I’m on my job search since I’m fresh out of university. Writing has always been a passion for me and if I can get people to read my content it makes me happy just to know that my words are being written. Yes, it may only be by a select few people who are following me now. But they support me and everything that I’ve written so far, and I can’t thank them enough for it. There are blogs about virtually anything in the world my topic was chosen because it’s something I love to do virtual worlds are a huge part of my life. I’ve played them since I was a kid and continue to immerse myself in them now as an adult too.

Blogging success comes with the enjoyment of typing your content. If you don’t enjoy what your typing about or you don’t enjoy the act of blogging, you’re doing it wrong. Blogging is creativity to provide content to your reader that they will keep coming back to read more of what you have written. This also brings me to the next thing I wanted to explain content isn’t everything, but your writing style plays a huge part in the success of a blog. If people in their heads can read the excitement and passion you have for your topic they will be just as engaged in reading it as you were writing it. I’ve been blogging for years but just recently created this blog on virtual worlds and the virtual world industry with my posts widely talking about two specific virtual world platforms which are Second Life and IMVU. We all hit success at different points in our lives to be 100% honest I don’t promote my blog. I type up stuff for it add tags and whatever happens, just happens if I were to promote a little more it would probably be more successful but in all actuality, I just don’t care. I write because I have a passion for getting my words down on paper I write because my passions should be shared to those who want to read about my experiences and what virtual worlds are all about.

To be fair on Tumblr I have written some very successful blogs with a ton of views per day. To be fair though this is also more of a social media platform where I just got my random ideas out on the table. Now that I have a topic that interests me here on Wordpress it’s a whole new world staying on a topic can be hard because I tend to ramble a lot but it gives the blog purpose. The truth is I bring a wide range of people to my blog all from different demographics. I have tweens, teens, and adults who read my content. Ahead of time for you parents out there I apologize if your kids read some of the iffier content, I provide on this blog some posts have it but for good reasons, they’re apart of the virtual world community. But sometimes it’s hard to appeal to a wide range of audiences which is why whoever wants to read my content can. In a sense, I’d love to see my blog thrive more and I know with more content and with time it will. But for those who are losing faith in getting views and losing faith by providing content that you just feel isn’t working out it will. Things come to those who wait. I didn’t think anyone would read my content and I have a few supporters already who do and I’m super grateful for them don’t give up! Keep writing and keep enjoying the topic you’re writing about. If you love something, your readers will too. Seem uninterested and you’ll sink like the titanic. So, take the journey and see where you end up.

How-To Decorate a Room on IMVU

How-To Decorate a Room on IMVU

by Ellie_Avora ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

I feel like my blog has been out long enough now to go into some more advanced How-To’s. I wanted to do one specifically on room creation in IMVU since interior design is my favorite thing to do in any virtual world platform. So, as you may have guessed I drop some of my real-life money into virtual worlds to make that happen you can’t buy nice and interactive furniture without virtual currency. It’s not a super expensive hobby but it is an addiction and can get expensive if you start becoming like me and always shopping for the newest and greatest furniture you can find. Ahead of time, this is a beginner post to creating rooms in IMVU so if you’re new to IMVU this is for you. If you’re just getting into room creation in IMVU but are a user that has been around for a while this post is also for you. If you have any questions, please feel free to comment below but I did try to make this post as simplistic and as direction oriented as I possibly could. I hope this is helpful for all of you out there trying to get into room creation.

Beginning view on the IMVU client
  • From the front of your viewer press the “My Room Icon”
  • Since I don’t have the default room anymore you will get a page like the one below.
My Room View
  • At the bottom of your screen, there are different icons the ones we’re going to be looking at specifically are the chair and house icon. The chair icon is the furniture that you currently own and your house icon are the different rooms you own.
These are the icons you will see the house is the rooms you have and the chair is the furniture you own
This is what you will see when you click either button but this is what I have when I hit my furniture button. On the side you can search furniture by category by the buttons. There is a chair for seating, a table button, misc, and poses. You can also sort it all by your most recent pieces which is nice if you buy something new from the IMVU shop and are trying to find it real quickly for placing.
  • On the side are your categories for rooms and furniture which will look like the photo below.
Categories when I press the button that looks like a house for the “My Rooms.”
  • In the upper left-hand corner, you will see an icon with a hammer and a music note press the hammer.
Press the Hammer! this brings up the bottom image.
Furniture Tools you can also bring this up by pressing (Ctrl + f)
  • From there you’ll get a whole other set of icons these are going to be your room editing icons. Each one performs a different function. These functions are; explore (Ctrl + E) , move (Ctrl +M) , rotate (Ctrl + r) , scale (Ctrl + s) , copy (Ctrl + P) , reset (Ctrl + t) , lock (Ctrl + l) , delete (Ctrl + d) , undo (Ctrl + u) , redo (Ctrl + m) , and a help button. The keyboard shortcuts are as you can see in parenthesis just in case you want to learn them it makes editing and creating rooms so much easier with the keyboard shortcuts. You can also pull up the furniture tools by pressing (Ctrl + f).
Empty room to start out with I’m going for a chic city style for this example.
  • Now that we know what all the icons are, how they work, and what to do let’s make a new room. Go ahead and click a room from you’re “My rooms” list. I picked “To Trust me Danny” by the creator “Typical” since it’s my only empty room. You’ll start with an empty room like the one above.
  • Then you will click the chair icon I told you about to go to your furniture tab where all your furniture is. To add a piece into your room just click one of the furniture icons and it will show up in your room.
This is how the icons will look whether you choose a room or a furniture item.
  • Since this is just the basics were just positioning the furniture with the readily available pose balls. Depending on the room you might only get specific places to place furniture you can click the move icon or use the keyboard shortcut and move that furniture piece to where you want it within reason. You’re limited at this point until I teach you a little trick in the next post for IMVU room creation number 2.
This icon will come up with whatever you chose from the furniture tools. From here you can click and drag to move or click and rotate your mouse when on the rotate icon to rotate the piece of furniture.
  • From this point, you can use any of the functions in your room tools to make your room yours! It takes a little practice, but I was able to learn how to create rooms after I knew you could do it yourself within an hour at most. It’s a pretty simple process with the IMVU platform client.
This is my end result example of how I decorated the space.

Hopefully, this helped you get started on your room creation as I noted from before this is for beginners and this is just the main basics, I’ll post more advanced How-To’s once you get this down. There are many tricks and things you can do from this point, but this was just to give you an idea on how everything worked and how to get started especially if your new and only learned how to do avatar creation or have only been in the chatroom’s or the chat now area of IMVU. Some people don’t even know that you can create unique rooms from an empty room and furniture you can buy through IMVU’s shop. Which to give you an idea looks like the photo to your right you know just in case you’re like me and enjoy shopping and wasting your money on virtual items as I do. It’s almost like in-app purchases if you’re more of a mobile user. To be fair buying things virtually is cheaper than reality and gives you the same instant gratification, however, sometimes it can get out of hand. I’ll be creating a post soon on virtual world currency and my experiences relating around that so stay tuned. Any questions about this post please feel free to type them below in the comments and I’ll respond within 48 hours of you posting the comment.

Exploring a Vast Virtual Environment

Exploring a Vast Virtual Environment

by Ellie_Avora ♥ 0 Leave a Comment
Photo Credit: Pepa Cometa

What can I say? Virtual worlds give us an experience that we might not be able to experience. It helps us to fulfill ideas of travel it will never replace going to the actual location; however, it helps you to see what a culture could look like or what a place could be. Virtual worlds give the user a platform to explore and interact with their surroundings via their avatars. I know with open simulation virtual worlds (open sims) the user can walk freely in their surroundings and interact with most of the objects in the environment. For example, I’m the type of individual who always felt like I was born in the wrong era. It couldn’t be any truer as sometimes I feel lost in the world, I’m in now there is a sim in Second Life that I just adore. It’s called 1920’s Berlin. This area I came across through the destinations guide a few years ago when I wanted to join a historical roleplaying sim. The environment is specified by the detail what it looked like in Berlin during the 20s it’s spot on! I looked at photos on Google to be honest because I wanted to see how historically correct the environment was. This is an amazing example of exploration in a virtual world you’re able to live in a world that uniquely is yours. Whether you want to live in the 20s or Luxembourg in the 30s-40s or you just want to go out and enjoy the nightlife. It’s all possible, throughout my explorations throughout virtual worlds during the years I’ve come across galleries with users artwork, photography outside of the virtual world and inside, with the technological era growing tons and tons of blogs and YouTube videos that you can access straight from the virtual world platform, there is so much it’s somewhat hard to even explain it all.

I’ve been an IMVU player since Beta testing

Virtual worlds not only give us a place to grow, learn, and explore, but they give us the confidence to live our best life even if it’s just through a computer screen. I’m by no means promoting that you shouldn’t go out and experience the world outside your front door but for those who can’t this is an awesome alternative. There is so much to do, honestly, I could spend hours just exploring, taking in world photographs, and living life. Virtual worlds are more about the experience and the exploration than it is anything else, however, it is important to note that everyone joins a virtual world for different reasons. I didn’t know what my purpose was after schooling when it came to Second Life, but I shortly found it afterward. My high school when I first started using Second Life as a platform for teaching, creativity, and communication with classmates and teachers while providing us with hands-on experiences that were created in the world. In 9th grade we would go on “field trips” to a virtual MOMA museum since obviously going to New York is kind of pricey. My school at the time used Second Life as an educational platform at some point it died out, but it was the only game kept on the school laptops that I could continue to play and explore at my own leisure. You know something to waste the time! That’s when I learned my soul purpose and what I wanted to use virtual worlds for I wanted to use them for exploration and interior design. Through the years I also picked up the title’s shopaholic, virtual world guru, and fashionista but that’s also just me living my best virtual life. I do consider shopping to be a source of explorations because you jump around to different places there are some places, I’ve never even known about that I’ve visited and just walked around their decorated sims without buying anything. One of my favorite shops in the world till this date is called +Half Deer+ the sim is so beautifully created, and it reminds me of a kawaii London feel with old telephone booths, pastel desks, brightly colored sidewalks, and gorgeously pink and light green colored trees. It almost looked like a fantasy-themed park and it is still one of my favorite sims to just hang out in even if I don’t buy anything. Exploration is so important in a virtual world platform even if it isn’t part of your purpose when joining a virtual world, it is an important aspect of one and you’ll most likely be finding yourself exploring different areas at some point during your virtual world experience. I know I’ve been discussing more from a Second Life and Open Sim standpoint these are just my favorite types of virtual worlds because there’s so much freedom with movement and a user’s creativity. However, I also wanted to discuss exploration from an IMVU standpoint!

Chatroom with random people photo taken by: Lizzicess (aka you’re wonderful blog host)

IMVU is all about exploration while chatting their avatar creation and room creation system is what makes them so popular as a “chatroom” based virtual world platform. Their goal wasn’t to provide freedom of movement but to connect users from across the world pretty much forcing them to be social with others. It’s a social platform hence the reason why their exploration is through the creation of rooms like “chatrooms” instead of vast areas of land that you explore. Even though it’s more limited as to what you can do and explore there is a sense of exploration still attached to the world of IMVU. Through personal experience, there are a lot of clubs, kawaii and Japanese type rooms for my otaku’s and anime fans out there, parks, restaurants, and scenery. IMVU uses a posing system where you sit on a “pose” and it will animate your avatar in the specific area. Poses are what IMVU revolves around. Exploration is seen more for photography purposes for virtual world enthusiasts and photographers for IMVU otherwise it’s an immersive chatroom. There is nothing wrong with that I play IMVU very often especially if I’m feeling super social and creative because the interface is so simplistic. The way of doing things such as creating environments and rooms are simplistic as well. I could place furniture, poses, etc. and finish a gorgeously made room within an hour at most. It probably takes users less than that. The only reason it takes me that long is because I’m picky about how I create things in virtual worlds both avatar and room/land wise.

When you join a virtual world, you join to explore whether it be finding who you are as a person, actual places, or even exploring friendships and relationships this is a place where your imagination comes to play. Virtual worlds give us as the user an opportunity to do things we probably wouldn’t or see things we might not see in a safe environment from the comfort of our own homes whether we’re on the couch, a comfy computer chair, or in our beds ready to go to sleep for the night and just need something to waste some time. There is so much to see and explore! If you want a game where you can explore than a virtual world might just be the right choice for you.

SL Look Book: Boho Beach

SL Look Book: Boho Beach

by Ellie_Avora ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Today I’m bringing you a fresh look based off of Cali girls in the 90s. I wanted to go with a boho chic look this time around as it gives a very teen/beach vibe. I wanted to add a sort of ethnic vibe to her hence the hair I decided to pair with the outfit. For my first Second Life Look Book outfit I wanted to create something simple that you could wear. I also wanted to put items, clothing, skin, and hair you could find easily to re-create the look if you wish. Also for those who don’t know all of my Look Book photo’s are only slightly edited. This is on purpose this is because I want others to know how their avatar will look in world without any perfections added onto it. This way you know what you’re getting into if you copy this look.

Some of these I put the demo version for it’s because for example, for the hair there are different hair colors. Or for the make-up you definitely want to try the demo first to see if you like before purchasing for 150l.

IMVU Look Book: Red Head Alternative

IMVU Look Book: Red Head Alternative

by Ellie_Avora ♥ 0 Leave a Comment
  1. [Hime] Cham Still Avi | Creator: NekoHime
  2. [Hime] Shadow Disabler | Creator: NekoHime
  3. Light on Face (Facelight) | Creator: M0nys
  4. *D* MegaGirly 50 Pose Pack | Creator: Dreamy
  5. Daddy’s Girl (Poses) | Creator: Ya
  6. Strip Dance | Creator: Dance
  7. Head Scaler 110% | Creator: Scaler
  8. Shoulder Scaler 90% | Creator: Scaler
  9. |D9T 5 in 1 Club Dance 15 | Creator: D9T
  10. Head Wuul 2 | Creator: IH20I
  11. -J- Aoibhe Carrot (Hair) | Creator: Java
  12. ☽ Black EyeBrow. | Creator: Naiu
  13. Roy | Soft Green & Blue (Eyes) | Creator: Roy
  14. . Eyeliner | Creator: Zephyr
  15. Mm. Sunkiss – Skin | Creator: MissMaya
  16. ⚓Silv Dimples Piercing | Creator: Dexy
  17. [Anry] Gisele Cig | Creator: Anry
  18. $ Hanna French Nails | Creator: Essme
  19. X Top Basic Peace | Creator: M0nys
  20. KIKI | CrossLeggingV.3 | Creator: FreakyKiki
  21. What Boots | Creator: Whims

Introduction to This Blogs IMVU Look Book & First Look Book Post: Kawaii Elf

Introduction to This Blogs IMVU Look Book & First Look Book Post: Kawaii Elf

by Ellie_Avora ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Hello readers and welcome to a new installment to the blog regarding IMVU avatars called the IMVU Look Book. Basically to add some stuff in about IMVU I’m doing an avatar creation Look Book for all of the avatars I create. I hope while doing so all of you will get ideas in creating you’re own and who knows maybe you will find something on one of my avatars you may like. Under each IMVU avatar photo will be a list what it’s wearing and a link as to where you can purchase the item. Ahead of time I’ll add this as a disclaimer if an account says “disabled” or “deleted” next to it you won’t be able to buy the item itself. However, a lot of other creators have created renditions of the items I list below each avatar. I added them for those who may have gotten the items before the accounts of the creators became inactive. You can find similar items with a little bit of searching. Another thing you can do is if you’re crafty underneath the links because I have placed links to the skins and other items created by deleted or inactive accounts… You can go to the derived product and create off of the ORIGINAL product. There are ways around getting the exact link I have pictured. With that I’m going to jump into the first avatar Look Book for IMVU and that is a Kawaii Elf avatar I hope you enjoy it.

  1. [Hime] Cham Still Avi | Creator: NekoHime
  2. [Hime] Shadow Disabler | Creator: NekoHime
  3. 愛| Animated Elf Ears | Creator: Costuma (disabled)
  4. ► striped .rosey (shorts) | Creator: Costuma (disabled)
  5. ► k pop .skin | Creator: Costuma (disabled)
  6. Dior Sunglasses | Creator: XTiZy (deleted)
  7. *D* MegaGirly 50 Pose Pack | Creator: Dreamy
  8. |D9T 5 in 1 Club Dance 15 | Creator: D9T
  9. Shoulder Scaler 90%| Creator: Scaler
  10. Head Scaler 110% | Creator: Scaler
  11. Strip Dance | Creator: Dance
  12. Daddy’s Girl (Poses) | Creator: Ya (deleted)
  13. Korean Eyebrows | Creator: Ako
  14. Lolita Peach (Eyes) | Creator: Roy
  15. N. Perfect Hands/Beach | Creator: Nygiaz
  16. Head Wuul 1 | Creator: IH20I
  17. Natural Freckles | Creator: Yoo
  18. Light on Face (Facelight) | Creator: M0nys
  19. [Anry] Cass Frost (Hair) | Creator: Anry
  20. [Anry] Tinah Vest | Creator: Anry
  21. Spring 2018 (Heels) | Creator: Whims

Sailing 101 in Second Life

Sailing 101 in Second Life

by Ellie_Avora ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

For those who haven’t read it, yet I wrote a post on my experience finding out about sailing in Second Life and how I’ve been getting into it as of recently. This is a 101 beginners post on how to start and what to do and some places that might help as far as rezzing your boat out on the open water and some sailors lingo. This also works for open sim virtual worlds like Trinity and a few others. As usual, I’m going to add a disclaimer, this post is for beginners or those just starting with sailing some of this is information I’ve learned through other people, blogs, and my own experience. Please leave constructive criticism only if the comments are open if not go ahead and like the post, if this has helped you or you found it to be informative and something you’d get into. With all of that mumble jumbo being said let’s get our sea legs ready and jump right in!

Getting a Boat:

The first thing you’re going to have to do is find a boat to get started. Please don’t make the same mistake I’ve made and just go out all willy nilly and buy yourself a boat. The best Second Life boats for boating if you’re serious about it and the well-made ones are extremely expensive they cost anywhere between 2,500 Lindens onward. Save yourself the money until you know this is something you want to do and something that would be a good investment for you. Sailing is a great way to spice up your virtual world life but only if you’re serious about doing it more than once your entire time online. There are free boats that you can obtain to start with. This gives you a taster as to what sailing is like in Second Life and if you’ll enjoy it sometimes, we just buy on impulse. I know I do. I found a place in Second Life where you can get a free boat to try out sailing you can also rez your boat here so it’s a great place to start if you’re interested. 

Blake Sea – Half Hitch Rez Center and Harbor

This is a link to the Blake Sea – Half Hitch Rez center and Harbor where you can Rez you’re ship or acquire a free one to try out sailing. To grab one of the free ships once you land in the area there is a box which will be shown to the right of this post you will click it and it will Rez out for you and you can use it for free. A great option if you’re not sure if you would enjoy boating or not. 

Now let’s say you are serious about boating in Second Life and you want to buy yourself a nice boat to use on the waters. These are serious investments in Second Life as they cost a lot of virtual currency. Either you will have to save for it or put real money into the virtual world for that currency. Make sure this is something you want to do. If you do, please continue reading…

I looked around for hours for nicely made boats that will give you a very realistic boating experience in world. I also did some research on other WordPress blogs and talked to some sailors myself to find out what some of the best ship and boat makers are and with that, I’ve compiled a list of creators that you might want to look into for your first one. I specifically wound up getting a motorized sailboat as it fits my style it can be used for both cruisings on the waters with the sails or used with the engine so it’s a hybrid and works out to my advantage. I’ll probably never race my boat but that’s popular to do in Second Life is racing. Mine to give you all an idea is a boat from The Mesh Shop which in my opinion makes some of the best boats that I’ve looked at before buying mine. Also, keep in mind my specific boat was 3,000 Lindens which is about 12-13$ USD so be wary of that.

Keep in mind every boat is different there are different types of boats there are motor yachts, sailing boats, and manuals that you can choose from to use. Some ships run off of the actual wind in Second Life and yes there is wind in Second Life, who would have thought?  Some sailboats sail only with the Second Life wind system others you can pick your wind direction and speed. For the most part, when you buy a boat you will often get a manual this will show you how to operate your boat I’d highly suggest doing one out of two things. I’d read the manual and then operate the boat or if your hands-on operate the boat while you read the manual. But I can’t stress this enough if your boat comes with a manual and you’re new to sailing READ THE MANUAL. 

Boat Creators to Check-Out:

Bandit (Analyse Dean) Marketplace link: https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/120514

BBX Design/ Yachts & Buildings (Aymec Millet) Marketplace link: https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/63972

Inworld store: https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Sunny%20Bay/162/129/26

Trudeau (Jacqueline Trudeau) Marketplace link: https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/1275

Inworld store: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Trudeau%20Classic%20Yachts/194/64/23/

Dogma9 has one ship called the Moon shadow that’s 7,000 Lindens but super nice if you want to check that out Marketplace Link: https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Moon-Shadow-White/14405046

The Mesh Shop (Kain Xenobuilder) Marketplace Link: https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/94614

Inworld store: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dutch%20Harbor/142/142/25

This is where I got my ship from mine is called (TMS) Café Del Mar it’s quite the beauty I put a picture to the right for reference it is a sailboat like I’ve described above in obtaining a boat. It’s a great option and more cost-effective than some of the boats you’ll find on Second Life. However, the normal starting point is 3,000 Lindens sometimes there are more that are cheaper, but they won’t be the best quality and what you will need if you’re serious about sailing.

Berdav (Anu Daviau) Marketplace Link: https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/32972

They don’t sell boats anymore, but they have little paddle boats that you can buy you can search the creator they might have more elsewhere but with the research, I couldn’t find her store anymore. She made some nice motorized yachts at the time though they were smaller but worth every penny.

Ocean Industries (Markus Hirszberg) Marketplace link: https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/89115

A small assortment of motorized boats there is a luxury edition of the skyline which looks like it could be a suitable product for boating. After doing some research on it if you’re interested. It’s a low end priced boat costing 2,990 Lindens I’ll go ahead and post the link here if you want to take a look at it. https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Skyline-Luxury-Edition/6730452

E- Tech (Envy Melody) Marketplace Link: https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/35536

Not the best boats but they’re a little more affordable and somewhat nice for the price you pay well to start with to see if it’s something you’re going to keep up with. Boats are anywhere from 599 Lindens to 2,800 Lindens on the Second Life marketplace.

There are more creators than this, but this is just to get you started on you’re boating search for what you may want as well as different price ranges. I tried to get places that were all different prices so you could see what you would get in each price range and what is obtainable.

Where to Rez your boats:

When it comes to rezzing your boats there are places where you can and it is doable. Normally you can Rez them in specific corners of the Blake Sea sims that are meshed together or you can do it at a harbor, marina, or Rez area that you find along your travels. An example would be the link I posted above for the Half Hitch Rez center which I’ll also post the link here for you guys as well. It’s a very small spot where you can Rez your ship but you can Rez it and be on your way. Plus to be fair it’s a non-populated area so, for the most part, you will be alone and not have to deal with someone else trying to Rez their ships as well. 

Blake Sea – Half Hitch Rez Center and Harbor

Another place that I could suggest which I found from a WordPress blog called Sailing in Second Life which if you’re interested in more about sailing and learning how to live life on the sea you should check it out. The writer stated that a good area for him to Rez their vessel is in the Starboards Yacht Club in Hollywood.

Starboards Yacht Club in Hollywood

I haven’t checked out this area yet but “Sailing in Second Life” is not the only blog that had mentioned it when it came to finding where to Rez your boat to sail. On my journey, I’ve come across a few places to Rez ships which I will go ahead and list below I tried to limit it down to my top 10 places where it’s been not to laggy and easy experience.

Places to Rez Your Boats and Vessels:

New Port Yacht Club (Bay City):

http://slurl.com/secondlife/New%20Port/20/100/24/

Oyster Bay (you can Rez boats and can sail out to sea. You. Can also go down the Linden River from here and enter other sea’s as well from this Rez point.):

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Oyster/95/175/85/

Bering (Rez area):

https://secondlife.com/destination/bering

This is a perfect place it is a safe Rez spot where you can test out your new boat, it’s quiet with very little people and an awesome place to get started. Highly recommend.

Blake Sea – Spyglass:

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Blake%20Sea%20-%20Spyglass/144/199/22

DP Public Dock:

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Trelliana/60/133/28

Mermaid Inn at Pier side Yacht Club:

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Salliohsis/53/193/22

This is an area that I have visited recently after the suggestion on a WordPress blog I saw that talked about where you could Rez to sail and this came up. It’s both a Yacht club with spaces to rent a hotel to rent out rooms as well as a public rez zone for those who just need to get their ships up and going. I’d suggest this option mainly because you will meet a lot of people there who have experience with sailing in Second Life who can give you tips and pointers and help you on your journey if you need. A lot of the people I’ve personally met here are very nice, drama free, and are willing to help if you’re confused with something about your ship such as wind direction, etc.

Tuliptree (rez zone):

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Tuliptree/184/204/21

Barnbarossa Ferry terminal (Linden Labs Infohub) here you can even grab a free boat that you can Rez out if your short on cash to buy one. This is a great place to get started and a nice Rez zone sometimes it can get busy though so be careful with this area. The few times I’ve visited there are more than 10 people. Unless you don’t mind people it’s a large vast area to Rez and get started. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Barbarossa/184/48/23

Satori Bay (3 region location various things to do and places to rez)

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Barbarossa/184/48/23

This is a good option for a beginner because it has a little bit of everything to start you off. It’s three regions and it’s a mixture of a marina, place to chat, walk, and shop like anywhere else in Second Life, place to rez, a place to rent boats if you don’t want to go out and buy your own yet, stores for rent, there is just so much to do so if you don’t rez here at least check it out! It won’t be a waste of time I went here for the first time yesterday and it’s a new favorite place for me to chill with my little sailboat.

Second Life Sailing Center and History Museum

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Barbarossa/184/48/23

This is a wonderful place for beginners as it is a Yacht club, history museum for sailing where you can learn a lot of new things on you’re sailing adventures. It also has UPDATED listings and information for Yacht clubs, sailing blogs, and the history of sailing in Second Life. A place to go as a beginner it has helped me out so much everyone thinks I’m a seasoned boater and I’m a noob at boating in Second Life. So this is a huge suggestion from me.

What Seas Are There to Sail in?

Good question there is a variety of different places where you can go sailing, however, the most popular places are going to be as followed:

  • Sea of Fables
  • Blake Sea
  • Ahab’s Hunt
  • Gulf of Lauren
  • Greta
  • Puerto Arianti

These are the major seas and gulfs where you can sail your boat if you look any of these up you can start sailing pretty much once you get to those regions of water. I will post links later on when I can find all of them for you guys. But for right now you can just search these places inside Second Life and teleport to these major bodies of water. Hopefully for now though this helps you! One thing I wanted to add is in the Blake Sea there are places to Rez your ships there as well.

These are just a few things to get beginners started when it comes to sailing in Second Life and even in other open sim virtual worlds. Hopefully, this helps you on you’re journey and some of these links will help you get to where you want to be with your sailing experience. Some users are so into the boating community that they dock and just live on their boat. Or they explore the open seas and just relax in the middle of the Blake Sea on their boat. This is an actual living alternative which I’ll explain in another post later on. Second Life is an amazing place to try sailing and the sailing on Second Life is a great alternative to an actual boating simulator and there is so much more to do and experience. If you have any more questions please feel free to ask me or read some other blogs based around the Second Life sailing community. Don’t forget there are so many places to learn how to be a part of the sailing community on Second Life there are so many Yacht clubs and marinas and a ton of Second Life sailing blogs to look into. Use your resources you will be happy that you did.

Bon Voyage!