The “Crazy Tinies” - Loco Poco Avatars

The subject for this week's avatar article is a new brand of tiny av: Loco Pocos. Created by Damien Fate, these tinies were first available earlier this summer. Considering the uber-cutness of the avatar and the variety of facial expressions and emotes, the Loco Poco can only be called first-class, possibly *the* best tiny avatar in Second Life.

Tiny avatars I’ve seen are designed for a cute-factor in mind. Loco Pocos excel at it. The avatars are also designed to be easily customizable, the avatar able to change it’s coat and eye color, as well as able to wear wings and other attachments.

But what sets them apart from others is the ease of use of their animations, coming right with the avatar. The HUD unit allows the player to express a number of facial expressions and full body emotes. The facial features are not static, but change to reflect emotions. Plus they often make sound when emoting. With a press of the button, the avatar can look angry and “grrr,” to laying on the floor and snoring, to crying a shower of tears, to throwing a kiss with a “mwaah,” to a hearty belly laugh, and more.

The name Loco Poco translates to “crazy tiny” in Spanish, appropriately enough. The instructions are also in several languages. It’s also noteworthy that Torley Linden was among the beta testers of these tinies. The store is just in front of the main porting entrance. Avatars are sold in the center, accessories on the edge to the right of the door when entering. Their avatars cost 350L each, most of the accessories 100L. They also advertise an Avatar Rendering Cost (how much computer power it takes to make your avie appear) of 640.

After some thought, I decided to try out the Loco Poco fox. Showing it around to my freinds, they were amused by the versatile tiny, going “Awww” at the sight of it’s emotes. One told me he was thinking of getting one.

Besides Loco Pocos Island, you can also get the avatars at SLExchange.

Loco Poco also has an adventure-filled island, made with these avatars in mind. One that can provide hours of fun. Look for a detailed article of the island in the near future.


A charming little avatar.

Bixyl Shuftan

Styling your Second Life with Firehorse

This week I have to apologise for the lateness of this article - due to circumstance totally beyond my control I was computerless for a couple of days. But from now on Styling your Second Life with Firehorse will be published on a Sunday - all things being equal.
This weeks challange was to make a tiny avatar for 500L$ a task far easier than any undertaken so far - and probably the most sucessful. First of all my deepest thanks to Bixyl, who was this weeks willing guinea pig.
I started off by visiting Wynx's (check Wynx Whplashs profile for the location of her main shop - she moves a lot). The avs created by Wynx are superb, the vendor pictures do not do them justice, and as well as the cuter, more typical tiny avs there is a fantastic rhino - an avatar with such power and presence that it really does punch well above it's weight. These avs are a testiment to the skill and craft of the maker, the detail is way above what you would usually see in any sort of avatar in SL - if there were complete human avs for sale this good, I would be out of business.
After much deliberation Bixyl opted for a squirrel av - which is so cute that only it's detailing save it from being nausiating.
The av comes with two gestures (waves I believe) but no AO - but after spending sometime wearing the av Bixyl assures me that it doesn't actually need a tiny AO - more testiment to the workmanship. L£350 well spent on the av.

Bixyl is a very respectable sort of fox and never goes around in just his fur, so clothing was the next quest. We didn't have far to go as there was a CatPaws vendor in the same space - these are delightful, quirky designs, well made with wonderful detailing, this was tough - so many choices. For humour value (and because Bixyl is practical as well as stylish) we chose the electicians outfit with toolbox and toolbelt.This was L$150 and worth every penny. if you don't believe just look at the pictures. Catpaws has a lot of outlets so just check Cat Masala's profile for details.To sum up for a mere 500 linden you can have a wonderful tiny av, complete in every way - and all of the highest quality if you go tiny. The over all opinion was highly flattering as Bixyl took me at my word and wore the av around and about for a while.

With many thanks to Bixyl Shuftan, who made this weeks challenge so much fun.

Styling your Secondlife with Firehorse

This weeks Styling your Second Life is late (again, I hear you cry), but not because I am a dreadful slacker but because actually free tiny items are relatively rare – I have tried to make it a rule in these articles to write about freebies that are usually available at the locations I give you – no point in writing about a wonderful freebie that may well have been taken down by the time you read about it.
It isn’t true that being tiny is expensive, in fact the opposite is true – with a little care and membership of one or two good groups I am assured that you can have a full tiny avatar, with AO (pretty much a must have I discovered), toys and a wardrobe for a couple of hundred linden – but if you want a taste of the lifestyle, or a tiny av for a one off event you might want to do it on the cheap.
Join a tiny group if you have room, if you really, really don’t have the room, make friends with someone who is experienced in the world of tiny – many of the tiny shops and designers do have limited time special offers and freebies.
In the mean time here are three places you MUST visit if you want the tiny experience. Huggys Coffee House and Hug*Mart. Lots of free tiny stuff - toys for the tiny curious - even poses/animations. The Blackmoon tiny clothes (female) are from here. They also run a very friendly group which I am assured is well worth joining if you are just getting started in the world of tiny.
􀀁MOMO’S Pet 1 There are about a dozen free tiny avs here - all showing as being for sale at $L250 but which are free - see the cute fox I got (yes I know – it really doesn’t suit me – but hey it was fun and gave a lot of my friends a good laugh) - also a selection of cats, wolves and assorted others - although I have to say the monkey av isn't exactly tiny.
The Raglan Shire Wharf and Coastal has many delightful things to see and do as well as free tiny clothes, furniture and posters . Take a wander round and look at this lovely area - perfectly scaled for tinies. Again I have had this area has a group and I am assured that it is a group well worth joining.
Next week I am going furry for free – if any reader can point me in the direction of hidden gems I should publicise (or give me any help at all really) please get in touch.