cest la vie

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    Shine Bright Like Neon Lights

    Bygogo Fashion, iheartslFeed, JuicyBomb, Second Life, Uncategorized
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    Shine Bright Like Neon Lights

    A friend asked me recently, “Gogo, why do you ask so many questions about how much designers are making on Facebook?”

    Yes, I ask a lot of questions on Facebook. I’m on pretty much all of the social media sites for Second Life, but people are especially chatty on Facebook, and I’m always trying to get a temperature check on the SL economy. Are people still making money? Are they making less than they used to? Is Second Life going to survive long enough for my Lifetime Premium Plus accounts to pay off, or will SL die before I’m profitable? So many questions.

    I think about the SL economy probably more than the average resident does. Besides being an SL nerd, I’m also a bit of a finance enthusiast, and I love reading about the economy in RL and apparently analyzing the SL economy too. I think it’s smart to know when something is still worth your time and when it’s time to move on. If you’re no longer making the money you used to make here, there’s nothing wrong with finding somewhere else where your time and talent are worth more.

    Another reason I ask these questions is because despite some designers doing very well in Second Life, I often see some saying they’re on the verge of being evicted or facing some other financial emergency nearly every week. There’s always a Second Life GoFundMe, and sometimes it’s from designers I would consider fairly successful from a distance. They’re talented, they have a recognizable brand, they have customers, so why are they still living paycheck to paycheck?

    I’ve watched a lot of designers come and go over the years, for all kinds of reasons, and I actually think there’s something admirable about knowing when it’s time to leave. If you used to make good money in Second Life and you’re no longer making what you need, why cling to it until you’re completely broke? Find greener pastures. Maybe that means another virtual platform, maybe it means taking your skills and working for a company in real life, or maybe it means doing something completely different. At some point, if something is no longer working financially, you have to see the writing on the wall and bounce before you’re broke. There’s no prize for hanging on the longest.

    Jian Pets announced last week that they’re leaving Second Life, and you can read their farewell message here. I think it’s smarter to move on and explore other opportunities than to cling to something that is no longer serving you. Second Life has been around for more than 20 years, but that doesn’t mean every successful SL business needs to stay here forever.

    Speaking of being financially well, I went to the FLF Bday Bash and came home with a bunch of goodies for FREE! Gogo may be loaded in SL, but I still love freebies. I didn’t grab every single gift, but out of the ones I picked up, these are my favorite things:

    • Movement – Ladies Handbag
    • ALT3 – Afterparty FX Shine
    • Exile – Jordan Hair, Birthday Confetti Edition
    • Glam Affair – Manu Skin (Summer Special L005) – The rain on the face is awesome!
    • Half-Deer – Neon Rainbow Wall Light
    • Octubre – Cielo wall decor
    Shine Bright Like Neon Lights
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    I Thought Gachas Were Supposed to Be Exclusive

    Bygogo Fashion, iheartslFeed, JuicyBomb, Second Life, Uncategorized
    2 Comments
    Gallery

    I mostly opted out of gachas years ago, but every now and then something comes along that I really want and I’ll spend a ridiculous amount of money trying to get the rare item. I do that with the understanding that this is the only opportunity to get it. Maybe it’ll never be sold again, maybe it’ll become impossible to find, but that’s always been the appeal of gachas. You’re paying for the exclusivity as much as you’re paying for the item itself. That’s how it’s worked for as long as I can remember. Designers have traditionally kept their gacha collections exclusive instead of retexturing them and selling them at a discount a few weeks later.

    That’s why I was surprised to see PurpleMoon release a retextured version of the Claudette Dress and Monique Shoes, which debuted at The Arcade just last month, now in The Saturday Sale for L$75. My friends and I spent quite a bit collecting, trading, and chasing those pieces through the gacha. Had we known that the dress and shoes would be available for L$75 less than a month later, I don’t think any of us would’ve spent nearly as much trying to complete the collection.

    For me, it changes how I look at the brand going forward. If something new catches my eye, why buy it immediately if there’s a chance it’ll show up in a weekend sale a few weeks later? I’ve always thought of weekend sales as a place for older releases or brand new items created specifically for the sale. I’ve never expected to see a reworked version of a gacha collection that was still practically brand new. I barely had time to unpack mine before another version appeared for a fraction of what many of us had spent.

    This isn’t about telling a designer how to run their business. They can sell their products however they like. I’m simply saying that decisions like this affect customer trust. People remember when they paid full price, especially when that full price came from a gacha system designed around chance. If customers start believing they can get the same item a month later for almost nothing, many of them will simply wait. I also wonder if this is happening because so many creators participate in weekend sales that they eventually run out of older products to discount and start dipping into very recent releases instead.

    Gallery

    Today’s outfit is a mix of PurpleMoon’s Claudette accessories from last month’s Arcade gacha with the retextured Claudette Dress from The Saturday Sale. Ironically, I actually prefer this printed version over the original solid dress. For anyone who missed the gacha, it’s an incredible deal. I just think there should be a little more consideration for the people who paid the premium the first time around. Gachas aren’t normal purchases. They’re intentionally designed to encourage people to spend far more than an item is worth in pursuit of the piece they really want, and more often than not, that’s the rare one. When that same design comes back almost immediately at a deep discount, it’s hard not to feel like you wasted a lot of money trying to get it in the first place.

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    Breakfast

    Bygogo Fashion, iheartslFeed, JuicyBomb, Second Life, Uncategorized
    4 Comments
    Breakfast
    View the Raw SL snapshot on my Flickr: https://flic.kr/p/2rY9Z9b

    I’m just a Second Life resident. I’ve been blogging and playing this game, virtual world, whatever you’d like to call it, for decades. I grew up on this platform. I’ve taken thousands of snapshots over the years, raw, unedited, unfiltered. But I’m also the kind of person who leans into new tools, so of course I’m excited about using AI to enhance my photos.

    Even when some designers push back loudly with “don’t feed my creations into AI or I’ll ban you from my store,” I can’t help but roll my eyes a little. They can’t ban the entire world. They can’t control what tools residents use in their own creative process. You can ignore the noise and keep using whatever tools you like. What feels insane to me is the hypocrisy. Big brands in Second Life, the ones making a living here, get a huge pass when it comes to AI editing in their ads. They’re showing AI hair, AI clothing, AI bodies, AI environments, all polished up to entice us to buy. That’s fine.

    But when a resident retouches a photo with AI, the same residents who are actually spending money and keeping this world going, suddenly we’re untalented pariahs destroying creativity or causing water shortages or whatever the dramatic take is this week. The double standard is wild.

    If you like this photo, yes, I edited it with ChatGPT Plus. I pay $20 a month for it. I also pay for Adobe Creative Cloud, Krea, and a bunch of other tools because I genuinely enjoy pressing buttons and seeing what happens. It’s still my photo. It’s still my avatar. I just gave it a glow up.

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    Merry Christmas Baby

    Bygogo Fashion, iheartslFeed, JuicyBomb, Second Life, Uncategorized
    4 Comments
    Merry Christmas Baby

    Save yourself, don’t go to The Arcade. I normally skip rounds and avoid gacha events, but I saw something I wanted this week. Even though I told my friend I’d play maybe two or three times for these Rift Eyes from Avi Glam, I ended up playing 69 times at L$75 per pull. It’s five times more than I’d normally pay for an Avi Glam eyes fatpack, and honestly, I don’t even think I would’ve paid for a fatpack if it had been sold normally.

    The thing with gacha is that it can be very addictive, especially if you want to win a rare and you don’t have a set budget, so you don’t have to stop. You can just keep playing until you win. I gave up on winning the Rare 2 pack on the first day after about forty or fifty pulls and decided to buy it second hand on Marketplace. Then the next day, when I didn’t see anything listed, I played some more. I haven’t played a machine with this much intensity in a long time, so it even surprised me how quickly I lost track of my spending or how fast I was hitting the buy button.

    In hindsight, I should’ve stuck to my rule of playing only two or three times per machine, but I ended up going all in on two machines and playing way too many times to collect all the pieces.

    Even though I find gacha frustrating, I get the dopamine rush it gives. If you win something you really want right away, it feels amazing. If you find yourself on the losing end, try to remember that you can always buy it later on Marketplace for a fraction of the cost of playing.

    Eventually, I did see a few sets listed on Marketplace, but by then, I’d already spent nearly L$6,000 on one machine. Oops.

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    Good This Year

    Bygogo Fashion, iheartslFeed, JuicyBomb, Uncategorized
    0 Comments
    Good This Year

    Every year, right before Thanksgiving, Black Friday deals start rolling in, both in real life and in Second Life. I always think to myself that maybe I should’ve bought less throughout the year, because by the time the sales arrive, I already have everything I wanted.

    This year, I made a deliberate choice to buy slowly and only buy things I’ll actually wear right away. If you’ve been in SL as long as I have, you’ve probably bought everything twice or maybe five times already. I found the sweetest holiday accessories just by searching my own inventory. Most of what I’m wearing today isn’t new. Some pieces I bought years ago and never wore or blogged.

    Good This Year

    With how the economy is going in real life, even if you’re personally unaffected, it feels smart to scale back a little and get more joy out of what you already have or pick up items you truly want when they’re on sale, not just because they’re on sale.

    The thing with Black Friday in Second Life is that it’s not that exciting anymore. Everything’s already on sale all year. Brands also exclude newer releases from the sale, sometimes the last three months of items, so there’s not much of a deal for anyone who shops often like I do.

    I’m trying to have the longest Christmas ever in Second Life, so as far as I’m concerned, it starts now. The holiday season’s here, and I’m fully ready for twinkling lights and vacation.

    Good This Year
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    Bright

    Bygogo Events, Fashion, iheartslFeed, JuicyBomb, Second Life, Uncategorized
    0 Comments
    Bright

    It’s day 15 of Blackout August and I finally left my platform. I went to the FLF Bday Bash for the free gifts and it was actually really fun to click through everything and feel that familiar rush of new items piling into my inventory. There are hundreds of gifts here, so if you enjoy opening boxes and trying things on, this event will keep you busy. After spending nothing, I teleported home and put together my outfit.

    Even though I’m doing this no buy challenge, I have to admit FLF Bday Bash is a great event. Everything, even some fatpacks, is just L$50. If something still catches my eye in September, I will grab it then. For now, the freebies are more than enough.

    I found some really cute clothing at the event, but I ended up wearing the Maret dress from Pixicat, which was free at June’s Shop & Hop. Honestly, I still have so many Shop & Hop items waiting to be sorted and blogged.

    This photo was taken at Mirai Melody. I have visited before, but now it has a futuristic twist! I love all of the colors and chaos behind me.

    What I have learned on day 15 of not spending is that changing my outfit in Second Life is just as fun with freebies as it is with paid items. The feeling is pretty much the same for me.

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    Mood

    Bygogo Fashion, Hair, iheartslFeed, JuicyBomb, Second Life, Uncategorized
    0 Comments
    Mood

    Collaborations — everyone’s doing them. And honestly, it makes sense. In Second Life, brand collabs are a smart way to cross-promote and combine strengths to create something really solid.

    I’ve always thought Maximillion Grant of LOGO fame was an incredible animator. Long before LeLutka mesh heads came onto the scene, there was LOGO, and I still think the Chloe head was one of the cutest to ever hit the grid. It had such expressive animations, and for that reason alone, it’s always had a special place in my heart.

    So when I saw the Truth x LOGO collab, I was genuinely excited. It’s something different. Animesh hair isn’t something you see every day in SL, and it’s refreshing to see some innovation happening. Of course it makes sense for Truth to be part of that. It’s an OG brand teaming up with another OG. Both have been around for years and really know what they’re doing.

    I feel like such a ‘70s doll in this Mood hair paired with the Striped Jumpsuit from Shifuku. I’ve always had a soft spot for updos, especially when they come with a few wispy bangs to soften the look. If you’re looking for something comfortable but cute to lounge in this holiday weekend, you can grab the jumpsuit at Anthology.

    Mood
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    Amara Beauty

    Bygogo Fashion, iheartslFeed, JuicyBomb, Second Life, Uncategorized
    0 Comments
    Amara Beauty

    Now that nearly everyone is creating 2k BoM skins, I’ve noticed a significant improvement in quality. I immediately fell in love with the Yenna skin from Amara Beauty that I recently tried on. I was a huge fan of this brand until they began introducing shaded noses and freckles that I found impossible to remove. However, this Yenna skin is smooth and incredibly beautiful. I would actually wear it without any tattoo fixes; the brows are a tad bushy, but since I prefer neater brows, I chose to wear the no-brows version and added my own adjustments.

    I filmed a short video clip to demonstrate how the skin looks without tattoos and gradually transforms as I apply some of Izzie’s skin fixes on top. My favorites for this skin include the Blush/Contour Remover, Eye Fix, and an additional Chin Highlight.

    For this look, I’m wearing the Ethereal Essence Body Skin (Slim), which blended quite well with the Velour head skin tone. I am still hopeful for a less shiny update for this body skin, or at least having the body shine on a separate tattoo layer because we don’t always want to be that shiny.

    Amara Beauty
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    Second Life is giving away L$1 Million Lindens Dollars!

    Bygogo Fashion, iheartslFeed, JuicyBomb, Second Life, Uncategorized
    0 Comments
    Dreaming of Spring

    Second Life really wants the mobile app to succeed. They are now enticing premium residents to log into the app, complete random tasks daily, and each day, only one winner is selected to win a VIP Ticket. If you read the entire blog post, which is somewhat confusing, you deserve some type of prize. With this ticket, you gain the opportunity to attend a live taping of the Spin & Win Event, where you stand a chance to win L$1 million Linden dollars. Statistically, not everyone who spins will win a prize, or perhaps in some magical virtual universe, everyone does win a million Lindens, resulting in 31 new Linden millionaires!

    The odds are decent if you are fortunate enough to receive a VIP Ticket. To win L$1,000,000 Linden dollars, the chance is 2%, while the odds of winning L$10,000 are about 31%. Your chances decrease as the winning amount increases.

    4. PRIZES & PRIZE DISTRIBUTION
    Each selected winner will receive a March MegaWheel Ticket, granting access to a secret inworld location where they will participate in a Spin & Win Event. The MegaWheel has 48 wedges with the following prize distribution:

    • L$10,000 (15 slots) – approx. $40 USD
    • L$20,000 (12 slots) – approx. $80 USD
    • L$50,000 (10 slots) – approx. $200 USD
    • L$100,000 (5 slots) – approx. $400 USD
    • L$200,000 (3 slots) – approx. $800 USD
    • L$300,000 (2 slots) – approx. $1,200 USD
    • L$1,000,000 (1 slot) – approx. $4,000 USD

    Today, I decided to incorporate green into my outfit in honor of March and money 💵💵💵💵!

    Dreaming of Spring
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    Happy New Year

    Bygogo Fashion, iheartslFeed, JuicyBomb, Second Life, Uncategorized, What I think
    1 Comment
    Happy New Year

    Aren’t these Gigi Balloons from Legna the best? I love that these numbers come with two really nice poses for each hand. Even though the balloons state they are no modify, it actually allowed me to modify one, and I tinted it a light shade of blue. You can also rez these numbers for any occasion.

    This is meant to be an early Happy New Year post, but I also wanted to share my reflections on last year. Overall, I feel I had a good year in Second Life! I upgraded from Lifetime Premium to Lifetime Premium Plus, which cost a significant amount, and at first, I was genuinely excited. However, as the year progressed, I began to worry about the longevity of Second Life.

    I was enthusiastic about the mobile app when I tried it early this year as part of the alpha program; however, I now think it’s completely hopeless. This Open Letter to Linden Lab clearly outlines why I don’t believe we will ever see a usable mobile app.

    I had a lot of fun in the Aurelias region with my friend Sparkle. Still, I ultimately decided to pull the plug when I recognized that the economy and the state of Second Life might be uncertain in 2025. It was actually an easy decision; when faced with uncertainty, it is prudent to eliminate an unnecessary expense. As much as I enjoy having a whole region, I also appreciate the freedom that comes with not having to maintain one. I told Sparkle not to let me bring the region back next year, even if I have new ideas and want another one. 2025 is not the year for significant land projects.

    What am I looking forward to in Second Life in 2025? I am looking forward to Philip Linden changing his outfit. Additionally, I am eager for the next Linden Home theme, although Linden Lab has gone silent on that topic! Will it ever come? Who knows. It has been so long since the next theme was chosen via a poll that I almost forgot we were promised Alpine and Tiki as the next two themes. I am also looking forward to cleaning my inventory; right now it stands at 77k, but I know I can reduce it to 50k if I put in some effort.

    What are you looking forward to next year? Let me know in the comments!

    Happy New Year
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