Face your Fears

It was a ritual that repeated itself regularly. He locked it in a trunk, he tried to hide the key. But the whispering only got louder and louder. No matter how much he tried to ignore it, it would torment him until he finally relented and retrieved the mask. He could hear it laughing at him. The only way to make it stop was to wear it.

It is almost as if a switch as been flicked. He had been nervous, slightly awkward before - a trait that endeared him to his prey. With the mask on, he strode with confidence and purpose - like a predator. He unravelled a cloth roll on the table, showing off the glint of steel - his instruments of art - and chose a blade.

He walked towards the bludgeoned body at the foot of the bed. His prey. How her pretty eyes widened when decided to shut up her banal chattering with a hammer. Her breaths were shallow as the puddle of blood spread beneath her. No matter how beautiful they were, they all sounded the same in the end. Full of blood and gurgle and spit.

He knelt at her feet and whispered to her like a lover. "Be brave," he said. "Face your fears...." Then he grimaced as the laughing started anew. Only blood would placate the voices...

For a larger version of these photos please look at: Flickr
Thank you to the following creators who helped create this scene:

DRD Motel
- murdertools table
- deerhead
- mirror broken
- vid camera
- hanging decorlight
- body

{vespertine} spine bone candles
{vespertine}sacred heart
{vespertine}trinket box
{vespertine}empty beauty RARE
{vespertine}potions

Kalopsia - In Loving Memory - Onyx RARE

RO - Hotel Paranoia - Tone Death
RO - Hotel Paranoia - Bed of Roses
RO - Hotel Paranoia - Face Your Fears - MYSTERY RARE

[n.i] turn.and.cough.stool

[ContraptioN] Decor: Alto's Death Mask *DISPLAY*
[ContraptioN] Decor: Baritone's Mask *DISPLAY*
[ContraptioN] Decor: Tenor's Death Mask *DISPLAY*

All these items are available in TAG! Gacha - open now until October 31st.

Scene was photographed in Kalopsia - Old Wood House - available for the October round of Shiny Shabby. Opens 20th October 2015.

After the Show

We had a Gacha Show today with guest Apple Fall. While the sims filled up I snuck away and snapped a few pictures for a long overdue blog post. I had been collecting a bunch of favorite items inside the Apple Fall Mystery Rare studio from TAG! Gacha. In my mind I see myself one day living the simple life here in Second Life, holed up in that perfect sized studio on a tiny parcel somewhere. Listed below are some of the things I packed into one side for now.

Wearing

Hat - Remarkable Oblivion - Bounty Hunter Hat - Purple - The Dark Style Fair

Jeans - Legal Insanity - gangsta blue jeans - The Gangsta Fair

Shoes - Remarkable Oblivion -  Compensator Heel Purple - Kustom9

Rezzed

Cello - Nomad - Industrial High Culture Gacha - 6 Republic

Bust - Nomad - Industrial High Culture Gacha - 6 Republic

Table and Skull with Books - Banana - Gothic Gacha - Fantasy Gacha Carnival

These TAG! Gacha collections can now be found at the creators mainstores unless its a Mystery RARE. Those are now retired and can be found through trade or resale at Gachatopia.

Chair - MudHoney Victoria Chair - Spots RARE - Mainstore

Painting - Kalopsia - Astrology Painting - Mainstore

Case with Baby - [ContraptioN] The Gainsley's Morbid Collection: The Mind - Mainstore

White Cabinet - [Con.] Slice of Myth - Cabinet - RARE - Mainstore

Poison Case - {vespertine}-poison case - mystery prize RARE - Mainstore

Cabinet - Apple Fall Barber Supply Cabinet RARE - Mainstore

Lamb Jar - Apple Fall Comb Jar - Mainstore

Tarot - Bolson & [ kunst ] - Tarot cards pack 2 - Mainstore

Shabby Cupid

Not sure exactly when it happened but I have come to love Valentines Day and even Shabby Chic. I think the shabby chic thing has a lot to do with Apple Fall. This is one artist that can do no wrong when it comes to Gacha. There is something cosmopolitan about his work even tho the textures are often worn and washed over. Apples latest gacha can be found at The Chapter Four and if you are not blown away by the items, you will be by the price. The Chapter Four is usually on the higher end when it comes to the price to play but Apple is a treasure with his at 45L. 

Remarkable Oblivion has made lovers and haters of Valentines day very happy this year with a set of wings. One thing you can always count on in SL is a set of horns or wings and when Sebastian gets to working on these SL classics, he just blows it out of the water. Haters will love the black set, so very emo and lovers can get hot and bothered over the deep red. You can find these in their mainstore. Other notable artists here are Seven Emporium. Dear Agustkov has fed our Jesus jones again at Collabor88 with a big ol Jesus sign to add to your collection but I am even more fond of the little working help button he made. The scripted one will call whatever avatar number you enter soooo...make your own mischief there. Just another Seven Emporium gadget you didnt know you needed. Finally a nod to Halogen for these amazing curtains. Hanging roses and lights over sheer panels? Divine! You can pick those up at Collabor88 as well. 

Gacha Items

Roses - 8. Apple Fall Roses Jug - The Chapter Four

Chair - 6. Apple Fall Shauna's Chair - The Chapter Four

Piano - 2. Apple Fall Dolly Piano The Chapter Four

Non Gacha Items

Wings - Remarkable Oblivion - Eternity Wings - Aphrodisiac - Mainstore

Curtains - +Half-Deer+ Fairy Curtain - Collabor88

Guitar - Seven Emporium - Unstrung Classical Guitar - Collabor88

Suitcases - Apple Fall - Monogram Suitcases - Collabor88

Radiator - Junk - Old Radiator - Collabor88

Hair - Lamb - Illuminate - Collabor88

New Year Chic

Fashion in Second Life looks promising for 2015. Uber opened on New Years eve with amazing collections from creators like Tres Blah, Ison and Ryvolter. Accessories and hair from Yummy and Truth can be found there as well. You will have to head over to Fameshed however, to pick up the latest release from Remarkable Oblivion. RO's new GearJammer Heels have all the clomp and chunk you want from a platform heel with the fine details we have come to expect from this brand. I love the logo hanging on the right shoe. After all, what is the point if no one knows who you are wearing?

Hair: Magika - Written - Mainstore

Coat - Ryvolter - Zira Shoulder Goat Fur Coat - Uber

Necklace - Yummy - Pearl & Diamond Necklace - Uber

Top - Tres Blah -  Sophie Blouse - Uber

Skirt - Tres Blah - Sequined Pencil Skirt  - Uber

Shoes - Remarkable Oblivion - GearJammer Heels - Fameshed

Location - Gachatopia

Another December

Its December again and Second Life gacha has never been better. The Men's Department is hosting a special gacha edition this round along with non gacha items like this messenger bag from Remarkable Oblivion. This version is cayote tan but there are two others to choose from. You can also grab this down vest while you are there by Mikunch. It fits great and has a HUD to change the button down shirt texture underneath. Head over to the Arcade and have a look at Spellbound's new release. Shown here is the Dreamy Bear rare using the blondes HUD. The hat itself has color options and there are plenty of commons without the hat so you can wear this hair year round. Half Deer blesses our inventories again this December with a new winter version of Kerfluffles. These sheep are really fun to collect and have a place almost anywhere in or outside your home. 

 Gacha

Hair - Spellbound - Dreamy Bear RARE - Arcade

Sheep - +Half-Deer - Kerfluffle Sheep III Little Lights (Cream) - Arcade

Boots - FLite. A-Solo Snow Boots White - Arcade

Non Gacha

Jacket - Mikunch down vest pearl white - Mens Department

Messanger Bag - Remarkable Oblivion Messenger Bag Cayote Tan - Mens Department

Socks - Maitreya Dahlia Socks - Mainstore

Franken Franny

We are all just bits of this and that held together by our humanity. We are all of us monsters. 

~Morbid Deceit~

Franken Franny is Wearing

 Hair - [Runaway] Shelley Hair - Halloween Fair

Skin - The Skinnery  Quiana - Bare face(mermaid) - Mainstore

Make Up - Bella Elephante Stitched *With Lipstick* -  Cosmetic Fair Halloween Edition

Make Up - Adored haunt eyeshadow black - Cosmetic Fair Halloween Edition

Eye Black - Nuuna's Creepy black eyes - Cosmetic Fair Halloween Edition

Eye White - KALINA. Misty Eyes ghost white - Cosmetic Fair Halloween Edition

Tattoo - La Malvada Mujer The Family  tattoo / fresh - Cosmetic Fair Halloween Edition

Scar - REPULSE Lobotomy Stitches Face Tattoo - Marketplace

Eye Apparatus - [ContraptioN] Wide-Sight Eye *default* - Uber

Teeth - [ContraptioN] Death's Smile mask *???*  - Uber

Cheek Apparatus - DRD - makin dimples needle - TAG! Gacha

Axe - Remarkable Oblivion Zombie Axe Bloody - Mainstore

Dress - The Secret Store Betty Swing Dress White Polka - Mainstore

TAG! You're it!

After many months of keeping this project a big secret, it was a big relief to be able to reveal TAG! Gacha to everyone at the start of this month. And before we knew it - the event is nearly upon us and the Gacha Keys are coming in at a steady rate.

Click on the poster to visit www.taggacha.com

Gachatopians spoke... and we listened. All our beloved events had a major flaw in common - and that was having a server capacity that was way below the demand of the consumers. (i.e: the dreaded message: TP cannot be completed because region is full) This is of course not the fault of the organisers but the limitation of the platform that is Second Life. In addition, lag for these crowded events was usually brutal. Again... related to the huge performance demands on a server that was heaving with avatars and lots of goodies to be bought.

For TAG! Gacha we tried to circumvent this problem by spreading the server load and what better way to do this than to bring customers back to the main stores of creators. From Booger's giant nose to Olive's giant um... Olive... From surreal landscapes to fantastical ones... From humble little rabbit holes to spectacular architectural achievements... when you are hopping from store to store and discovering new ones, you'll be wondering why you never visited earlier.

Halloween is our favourite time of year and from what we can see, TAG! Gacha creators seem to think so too! The quality of products on offer is simply outstanding. We have new up and coming brands amongst established and beloved names. 

Playing TAG! Gacha is easy. Visit HOW TO PLAY for more information.

Keep an eye on our TAG! Gacha Flickr feed where you can look at pictures specific to TAG! Gacha. If you have gacha photos to submit, please do so in our Gachatopia flickr group. 

TAG! Gacha tip: If the region you are trying to get into is full, you can skip it on the HUD and visit it again later.

We hope you will enjoy the event and good luck with the machines! Happy and safe trading everyone :)

Regards,

The Templars

The Darkside

September is one of my favorite Arcade rounds because we always get a little taste of October here and there. Never quite enough if you ask me but this round has some real winners. The reigning kings of the darkside for the Arcade are Remarkable Oblivion and Contraption. RO is just getting started with this set called Melancholy. They have promised an expansion of sorts to be showing up in October. The Arcade pieces, hat, skirt, bracers and collar are masterful in form and texture. You can grab them up in all three colors during the month of September.

Also, tucked away among the cuteness and kids stuff, you can dig up these dark treasures. Half Deer's second machine, the next edition of Kerfuffles. Only these are what you would find grazing on the dead lawn of the Addams Family. Contraption with another set of dreary music boxes for everyone to collect. ISON steps up to the altar with a set of finely made household items. They usually retire their machines so don't let that one pass you by. Theosophy has a clever set of fortune telling machines with a Rare that gives very funny predictions. Good luck trying to get that however, the machine is very stingy with Zoltar.

Happy Birthday Collabor88

It seems like only a few rounds ago we were all dressing up for the last C88 birthday round with all of the great vintage clothing. This round is going to be Greek inspired with all sorts of variations on the theme and also some classic must haves like the letter set from Seven Emporium. Now look close at these because they are not like ones previously released. The wall version of this set is an utter necessity if you own any kind of sim or business. This simple lettering will go a long way as it is resizable and has a color change option.

Take to the sky with Flowey, she has released the Throne of Smite an attachable chair that allows you to hover around above the crowd and looking down in judgement. Also released is this Bolt of Smite which will fire real thunderbolts in case anyone challenges your right to the throne.

Get your Medium Slink feet ready Remarkable Oblivion has tried their hand at the cobble and produced these super chunk wedges in three natural shades. If you love a big shoe these will delight you to no end. This is also their maiden run in Collabor88 and I hope not their last.

Also in this picture a killer release from Spellbound. Does this creator EVER fail at hair?...nope. Jezebel is a brand new in store release and is full of body and style. The vest is from Fantasy Gacha Carnival and made by Pixicat.The hip bag is Remarkable Oblivion for Mens Dept. What a fantastic month of shopping!