Scenes From Easter

 

The weekend from Friday April 15 to Sunday April 17 was a busy one in Second Life. The Bellissarians were celebrating their anniversary at their Fairgrounds. But that wasn't all. It was also Easter Weekend, so there were a number of Easter Events. While yours truly has been extra busy in real life, I was able to get a few pictures.

See the pictures in Events.
 

Furry Fashion at Fantasy Faire

 

The Fantasy Faire is a great place to shop, especially with some of the proceeds going to a good cause. And among the stores taking part is Furry Fasion, one of the secondary sponsors of the Newser. Owner Amethyst Crystal had this to say:

We're a part of Fantasy Faire with 3 of us FF Creators joining in this time! Find our shop on the Living Echoes region to see our exclusive products plus a giftbox stuffed with a few things - and don't forget to support RFL too <3 As someone who just recently lost a family member to cancer this round is particularly meaningful to me!  Living Echoes (121,187,95).

The landmark in the notice takes one not to the store, but to the middlt of the sim for a great scenic view. The Furry Fashion store would be located just behind Living Echoes (39,196,94). On sale are dresses, avatar mods, wings, amd more.

Bixyl Shuftan
 

Veterans' Isle Raises 150K Lindens For Charity

 

Last Sunday, April 24, Veterans Isle held it's monthly fundraiser concert, with several live musicians and one DJ playing. As the performers sang on stage, the crowd donated Linden dollars to two house-shaped kiosks on either side of the stage. The event was organized in part by Frets Nirvana.

Up next is Russell Eponym at 11 AM!!  Here we go folks ….April’s Homes For Our Troops benefit is today …kicking off our efforts for this spring for HFOT.  Waya Snowpaw is getting us going right now … up next is Russell Eponym at 11 AM! Then we have a fantastic lineup for the rest of the day.  Come on out and help us hit our target of 150k linden today for this great cause.  Look at what is happening in the world and remember what our great heroes sacrifice for all of us.  Here is your limo. Veterans Isle (171,66,3501).  To learn more about Homes for our Troops visit  www.hfotusa.org

Here is today’s lineup

Waya Snowpaw DJ 10 AM
Russell Eponym 11 AM
Elvera “English Rose” 12 PM
Marqs Desade 1 PM
Chapman Zane 2 PM

At the end of the five hour concert, a total of 150,000 Linden dollars had been raised. 

To learn more about Homes for Our Troops visit https://www.hfotusa.org

Bixyl Shuftan
 

SL Video: "Ladies Love Country Boys"

 

(Click here if the video does not play)

From Nydia Tungsten on April 23, "Okay here is your meat market in "Ladies Love Country Boys"... we certainly do! Wrangler butts drive me NUTS! I may revisit this song as I got quite a few ideas while shooting this that I wasn't set up for, but next time I will be! 

"And as always we do this for fun so please leave a comment to help us make sure you have fun too."
 

Sakura Linden Home Sims Appear On Map

 

For those anxiously waiting for the new Sakura Linden Homes, good news. A number of sims that judging by the names are almost certainly the places for these upcoming houses appeared on the map earlier this week just north of the stilt houses area on Bellisseria. 

The total number of these sims is about 68, and they have Japanese names to match the Linden Home theme. It's notable that there's what appears to be a snow-covered mountain in the middle of the area. The sim of Shobu, south of the mountain, has a large building that may be the community center. The Moles have been busy.

Stay tuned for further details

Hat tip: Daniel Voyager

Bixyl Shuftan
 

EOTB: "Second Life Endowment For The Arts : Launch 4 Grant Applications Now Open – Closing May 1, 2022"

 

For those wanting to apply for a land grant at the Second Life Endowment For The Arts (SLEA), now's your chance. Applications are now open, but you can only turn one in no later than Sunday May 1.

"Second Life Endowment for The Arts is pleased to announce the opening of our Launch 4 Grant Applications. This opportunity is in partnership with Linden Lab to foster the Arts in Second Life and is open to all skill levels of artists to learn, share and exhibit art that has been created by the artists using the tools of Second Life."

Read more in the SLEA blog.
 

This Saturday at The Science Circle

 *
Saturday, April 30

    ~*~
    
    At 10 AM PST   

    What's Happening in The World of Synthetic Biology
    Dr. Stephen Gasior (Xootfly)
    https://www.sciencecircle.org/event/synthetic-biology/

    ~*~
    
    At 9 PM PST
    
    Art
    Discussion led by Jes Stannard
    https://www.sciencecircle.org/event/art/
      
    ~*~
    
    NOTE: Non-members required to register once
    IM Jes Cobalt or Nymf Hathaway

╚══════════════════════════════ The Science Circle (72,129,30) ═╝
 

The Fairelands Quest Is Open

 

After a couple days of delays due to one of the team falling ill, this year's Fairelands Quest, "The Dreaming Cat," is on and open for people to play out. The announcement came just after 9PM SL time.

Thanks so much for your patience, everyone! Quest HUDs are currently at landing points of regions from Junction through the western tier of the Fairelands to Sunken Honey. I'm continuing to move clockwise to complete the circle. We're grateful for your kindness during the delay - now go have fun ♥

To take part in this interactive story, head over to one of the Fairelands sims where the Quest HUDs are available, the ones in Fairelands Junction located at (124/102/69). There are two HUDs available for purchase. The basic package with just the HUD costs 250 Lindens. For the Deluxe, which has both the HUD and a Fantasy-themed outfit: Elven robes fit for someone in royal circles. 

After attaching the HUD and the piece representing your helper (which will be invisible at first), the first part of a quest is usually to find the Bard Queen. This year, it's to find your companion: a raccoon named Cheeky. To do so, head to the border of The Clouded Mountains. It won't be long before you come across the raccoon, and she will automatically appear on your shoulder (provided you added her marker that came with the HUD). You then go to Fairelands Junction to find the Bard Queen, and find out there are other intelligent critters across the Fairelands and you're to try and find them all. One out of three will need your assistance, and you get a reward for finding them.

The date of release of Part Two, originally scheduled to be sometime today or tonight, is unknown. The Quest will go on to the Faire's closing, at May 8.

The Fantasy Faire is a fundraiser event for the Relay for Life in Second Life.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Fairelands%20Junction/124/102/69

Bixyl Shuftan

SL Video: "Second Life's Lab Gab - Boston Blaisdale"

 

From Friday April 22, the recording of the Lab Gab at 9AM with Strawberry Linden interviewing Boston Blaisdale, "a popular YouTuber that has been creating informative Second Life Tutorials and fun shopping and fashion related videos for over a year." 

Strawberry admitted to being something of a fangirl "I love your work." Boston described himself as first joining Second Life 13 years ago after seeing an article on Reuters about it, taking a group of other real-life friends into doing so as well, relaxing at clubs inworld after dealing with exams. After a couple years, phased out SL until about 2020 when he returned after a breakup. Despite a rude welcome back by a couple trolls, he persisted, updating his avatar, spending "an obscene amount of time" in stores. He would ask others where they got their avatars and accessories, and discovered different creators. He would start blogging and posting on Flickr, and eventually started getting a following on the latter. After a few weeks, he decided to start to create videos to share some of the things he learned. 

At the end of the interview, following a few questions on what he did to relax, Strawberry invited him for a dance, which made for some interesting moves, "If I tried this in real life, I would dislocate my shoulder."

 

"Scheduled Agent Appearance Service Maintenance" Today

 

If you have trouble seeing other avatars rezz the right way, or they appear slowly, it may not be you. In the Grid Status Report, the Lab stated they will be performing maintenance today on "Agent Appearance Service."

We will be performing Scheduled Maintenance on our Agent Appearance Service on Thursday, April 28th, starting at 9:00 AM PDT. While this maintenance is in progress, avatars may fail to rez correctly and there could be other issues relating to avatar appearance. Please monitor this blog for updates.

How long it will take was not estimated.
 

Elon Musk Makes A Deal To Buy Twitter

On Monday April 25, Twitter announced it had reached a deal with billionaire Elon Musk for him to purchase the company for 44 billion dollars. This was the culmination of a series of events that began on April 4 when it was revealed he had bought 9.2 percent of it's stock, making him the largest shareholder. There was speculation that he would join the executive board. But instead he stated he had no intention. Instead on April 14, he announced he was offering to buy all of Twitter's stock. The immediate reaction of the board was to adopt a "poison pill" strategy, or limit anyone from owning more than 15% of the company. But apparently negotiations went on behind the scenes, and the board agreed to Musk's offer.

In a statement announcing the deal, Musk would say, "Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated. I also want to make Twitter better than ever by enhancing the product with new features, making the algorithms open source to increase trust, defeating the spam bots, and authenticating all humans. Twitter has tremendous potential – I look forward to working with the company and the community of users to unlock it."

With 83 million followers, Musk is already one of Twitter's most high profile users. He's also made some controversial statements. Reaction to news of the purchase had a political divide. Conservatives tended to view the buyout with optimism and cheers, many feeling Twitter has been biased against them and restricts free speech. Liberals tended to feel worry and concern, wondering if his efforts to encourage free speech might mean fewer filters against hateful rhetoric and what environmentalists consider mistruths about the climate debate.

Sources: BBC News, CNN, PR Newswire

Bixyl Shuftan
 

Scenes From The Fairelands

 

So why would an appetizing stack of waffles with butter and syrup need a sign that says, "These are not eating waffles. Really. Eeew, eeew, yuky. Don't touch them." Well, anyone familiar with Raglan Shire's tinies know the wee folk there go bonkers over waffles. So why would the stack be there? Well, maybe as a trap for the Fairlands "pawlice"to nab people for the Faire's "Jail and Bail" events.

Bixyl Shuftan
 

Events This Week at the Sunweaver and Montecito Bay Clubs, The Fallout Shelter, and Furry Fashion Lounge

 

Here's what's going on at the Sunweaver and Montecito Bay clubs, The Fallout Shelter, and the Furry Fashion Lounge.

Club Cutlass: Best in "S", Halloween in April, Crazy Colors

Happy Vixen: Road Warriors, Class and *ss, Feathers and Fur , Nude, Madkatt Mashup, Couples Dance, Leather and Chaps, Around the World

Club Zero Gravity: TBA

Bouncing Bunny Beach Club: Domesticated vs Wild

Xanadu: DJ Christine, DJ Jesse

Montecito Bay:  CAYA, After Dark

Furry Fashion Lounge:  Felines VS Canines VS Vulpines, Animation, Dinosaurs, Metal, Late Night, Domestic Animals

Deathlands Fallout Shelter:  DJ Wolfy, DJ Nafrini

Read the schedules in SL Clubbin'.
 

Fairelands Quest Delayed A Day

 
One of the features of the Fantasy Faire is the Farelands Quest. This year, the first part of the quest was scheduled to be ready to play on Monday April 25. But one of the designers behind the interactive story had fallen ill. So it was announced that the Quest would be delayed a day.

So sorry to have to tell you that we've had to push release of the Fairelands Quest back a day due to illness on the team. It's not serious but has been enough to slow us down -- we hope you understand, and we're continuing to work. I'll make an announcement here when I start setting out the vendors, so check notices in this group for the latest. ♥

The Faire's fans took the news in stride, though some figured there was always "that guy" who wouldn't take no for an answer. So a certain little limmerick urging patience was being passed around.

You keep asking about this thing called a quest
which really is fine, except the scripters are stressed.
So please be patient
or they'll be complacent
in putting a sword in your chest!

Stay tuned for more information.

Bixyl Shuftan
 

Scenes From The Fairelands

 

There's nothing quite like a scene of a boy and his dog. But what if the boy's a furry catboy, and the dog is big enough to ride like a pony? That came to mind when I saw someone resting next to his huge canine while going through the Fairelands. As the canine had a saddle, it looked like he had stopped to rest while going on a ride, and the dog still being a dog wanted to rest with him. 

Another rider had another choice location to rest on, on top of his dragon's head. Hope that draggy's a tame one.
 
Bixyl Shuftan
 

Gemma Cleanslate On Medical Leave

 

After writing for the Second Life Newser steadily since it's start almost twelve years ago, circumstances in the real life of Gemma Cleanslate are requiring she take a leave of absence. She is having to do so for medical reasons. We at the Newser wish her well, and look forward to her recovery, and return.

Gemma Cleanslate began her career in virtual journalism in early 2008 under JamesT Juno's and Dana Vanmoer's Second Life Newspaper. In June 2010, she would be one of the founding staff of the Second Life Newser. 
 

Weekend in Brief

 

Much happened over the weekend. There were various Relay events, notably some at the Fantasy Faire such as the storybook roleplay at the Hunros Mine (above). There was the monthly fundraiser concert at Veterans Isle. There was a preview of an exhibit of Covid and vaccinations at the Peale Museum. There was a memorial service for Teal Freenote whom had recently passed away.

More on these events later.
 

Looking Back: The Closing of The SS Galaxy

 
It was seven years ago tomorrow, Sunday April 26, 2015, that a bombshell was dropped: the SS Galaxy would be closing down. It was a shock to both fans of ships & boats and explorers alike. The announcement was made in the ship's group by it's managing director DBDigital Epsilon. The Galaxy wasn't just any ship, but a *massive* structure that was three sims long with two water sims in front and back. So it was probably the largest structure ever created in Second Life, and certainly the largest known. It was also one of the first places the Newser wrote about.

There was much to do aboard this huge vessel. One could rent a room there for a while. And once there, one could stop by the ballroom for music and dance. And as Gemma once wrote, "You will find a myriad of places to visit between shows in the Zodiac. Play a little miniature golf, skeet shoot, fishing, or play a little basketball. There is a gallery with a featured artist, many shops to visit, and much more to discover for your extended visit." It was a place one could have a virtual vacation on, or just drop by time to time for individual attractions. A video made by Nika Dreamscape would show much of the ship and it's activities.

So why did the ship close? An investigation revealed that the ship had recently been sabotaged in a severe griefing attack. "We have had griefers before but not on this scale," one of the crew told me, saying what happened was the culmination of a number of attacks in recent days, tearing holes into the ship and mangling much of the deck and walls. So DBDigital spent "hours" on the phone with Linden Lab, only to be told he would be allowed one rollback for his sims, and then no more. Not one a day. Not one a week. One rollback once, and then no more, *ever.* And there was nothing they could really do to stop the vandals from striking again. Feeling he could no longer safely offer the cruise ship experience he had been giving, it was then DBDigital made the decision to close the ship. After eight years of operation, the great cruise ship would be having it's last call. For the remaining days the ship was open, longtime fans, and new admirers alike dropped by to enjoy it while they could, such as some impromptu fishing parties. Then on May 3, the ship was closed.

So why did the Lab tell the Galaxy they would only allow one single rollback and then no more? There was no shortage of people saying the Lab just didn't care about it's residents. It was also suggested that this was the result of a "hands off" policy with minimal involvement. And there was the viewpoint it was customer service cut back to the point it was seldom available. But it was more than just the Lab. After all, the incident had happened because of vandalism by griefers. "Griefing is a big problem, not just in SL, but the uprise of 'active sociopathy for entertainment' on the Internet is becoming a larger issue. Especially in the last few years as it has gained its own sort of culture, justifications, and communities dedicated to it." "... that was years of people's work, and God knows how many thousands of dollars. And some people felt entitled to go and trash that."

But it eventually dawned on the Lab they really goofed up. Just two days after my commentary on the ship's closing, a group of Moles and Lindens created a preservation group. And five days after that, DBDigital announced the Galaxy would be reopening soon, but under the ownership of the Lab. That was the good news. The bad news, "Sadly being under Linden Lab’s flag also means that none of the previous management or crew will be aboard in any sort of capacity.  I have also been told there will be no rentals or events.  This means she will not quite be the Galaxy you know and love." A few months later in September, the ship reopened. The ship itself was preserved. But there would be no cabins available to rent for a time. There would be no schedule of parties in the ballroom. In a sense, it was a museum ship.

The closing of the SS Galaxy was one of several noted blunders and questionable moves by Linden Lab in 2015. But the Lab seemed to learn it's lesson. I never did hear of another place that shut down because the Lab told them no more rollbacks. As it turned out, there would be an occasional event at the Galaxy's ballroom, notably for the Relay. But for those who were fans of the ship in it's heyday, these would be just short reminders of what once was.

Bixyl Shuftan
 

Announcement: This Week at the Seanchai Libraries

 *

THIS WEEK: A new series continues, Gyro is going strong, and Finn will share more Sci-Fi Adventures – all presented live. Join us for fun and adventure, this week.

Check out the stories and the storytellers! 

All events at Nowhereville (203/43/26) , unless otherwise noted.

Stories told in open voice unless otherwise noted. All times SL/PT

--------->> COMING THIS WEEK

**MONDAY, April 25th at 7pm: Kody Boye's WHEN THEY SAW continues with Gyro Muggins.
    
**TUESDAY, April 26th:
   ~ at NOON: RUSSELL EPONYM, Live in The Glen http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Nowhereville/194/131/21

   ~ at 7pm: Juneau Black's SHADY HOLLOW Begins with Faerie Maven Pralou
                   
**THURSDAY, April 28th, at 7pm: SCI-FI THURSDAY with Finn Zeddmore

****
 

Cartoon of The Day: "Hot Kitty"

 

Taken at Hunros Mine. This dinkie kitty was in a hot dog costume, so I guess that makes her a "hot kitty."

By Bixyl Shuftan

 

Announcement: Sneak Peek at Communities for Immunity at The Peale Museum

 
Sunday, April 24, 11am SLT
The Peale Museum in Second Life
 
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Peale%20Museum/128/110/22

The Communities for Immunity project at The Peale Museum in Baltimore, MD, is a collaboration of museums, libraries and tribal organizations throughout the US to provide community members information as they make evidence-based decisions about COVID-19 and vaccinations.

In Second Life, for a sneak peek at the exhibit at The Peale, you can attend this session in Second Life. This preview will include:
• a short presentation about vaccine hesitancy by Gentle Heron
• time to explore a COVID vaccination story maze
• exploration of information about vaccines and vaccination on Healthinfo Island
 

SL Video: "Skunk Song"

 

(Click here if the video does not play)

By Nydia Tungsten on April 16, "We did this little stinker just for fun Thank you to my angels Kai, Mato, and Tess for jumping in with me, I normally put in something about the Video, but I think I will use someone else's words here."

 [01:46:42] Ranchan (Ranchan Weidman): shouldn't that say, "Bring your Rank-S game [01:46:53] Nydia Tungsten: ??? [01:46:55] Ranchan (Ranchan Weidman): cause it's going to get Ranky [01:47:23] Ranchan (Ranchan Weidman): and you nose it.
 

Teal Freenote Has Died

 

On Saturday April 9, it was announced that Teal Freenote, one of Raglan Shire's personalities, had passed away. Her partner, Wolf Hartnell, would post on Facebook, "So sorry to tell you. Teal has gone. It was quick in the end and I was holding her hand and talking to her."

Cakeb Kit would add, "She was an artist, an event host, handled live music, and in InWorldz did beautiful and amazing things both for Raglan Shire there as well as her own sims."

Teal was a noted personality at Raglan Shire. She was one of the people whom helped to organize their annual Art Walk event, her picture sometimes appearing on the posters. In 2019, she and her partner Wolf Hartnell were the subject of one of Draxtor Despres' "Love in Second Life" video shorts.

.

Teal's Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/tealfreenote/

"Rest in Peace Tiny Tiger."

*Addition* - There will be a memorial service for Teal at Remembrance Park in Raglan, on Sunday, April 24 at 11AM.
 

My First Time Volunteering At VWEC Eduverse

 

Marcel Mosswood recently joined up with the VWEC (Virtual World Education Consortium). It has a location inworld known as the VWEC Eduverse, the place being to help both educators and those wishing to learn, especially those new to Second Life and unsure about how to get around. She recently took a tour of the location. So what did she think?
 
Read Marcel's story in Places.
 

Cleverly Named

 

At the Bellissarian Third Anniversary Celebration at the Bellisseria Fairgrounds, there were these two avatars there: Rezzdarnnnit and Sue D. Nim (SueDNim Resident). Each most likely added a few grins to the festivities.
 

Fantasy Faire Opens

 

After weeks, months for some, the Fantasy Faire has opened. The twenty two sims opened up just after Noon SL time today.

 The Fairelands have returned from the Mists; twenty fantasy worlds forming a circle of lands, a chain of people across the many realms. Welcome home, Fairelanders!

Fairelands Junction is the main entrance to the sim, though people can enter at any sim. There, I found plenty of people, some taking a while to fully rezz. 

At the Junction, there were a number of heralds there to assist those new to the Faire, identifiable by their lanterns.

The sims offer much picturesque scenery to explore. 

Sometimes the other people exploring with you can be scenery in themselves. 

Besides enjoying the scenery, and shopping at the stores and stalls, there are the roleplays, and there's the parties. One can often find avatars of all kinds whooping it up at the FaireChylde. Later in the Faire, there's the Fairelands Quest, of which playing it will get you some prizes.

The Faire runs to Sunday May 8. So don't miss out on this great event.

The Fantasy Faire is a Relay for Life fundraiser, one of the major events in the Relay season.

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Fairelands%20Junction/131/135/68

Bixyl Shuftan
 

Rita Mariner Back Online

 

For about three weeks, the Sunweaver community has had it's leader, Rita Mariner, in the hospital. Finally yesterday, Wednesday April 20, she came back online. At Club Cutlass that night, there was a banner welcoming her return.

As luck would have it, Rita would have to leave toe party a bit early, so I wasn't able to take a picture of her as a "roller derby rabbit." She still has some healing to do. But in the meantime the party, "Best in Q and R," went on, a little happier now that the bunny chieftess was back.

Bixyl Shuftan
 

Call for Candidates for the 37th Term of CDS Government

 

It's election time in the Confederation of Democratic Simulators. Unlike most places in Second Life, the CDS chooses it's leadership. And twice a year, they have an election for their Representative Assembly and their Chancellor. 

The schedule for this spring's election go as follows:

April 8 - Census of citizens for eligibility to run for office

April 15 - Citizen qualification deadline for right to vote

April 18 - Call for Candidates for Chancellor and for RA

May 1 - Deadline for Declaration of Candidacy

May 4 - Dean posts list of candidates

May 7 - Campaigning starts

May 14 - Polls open

May 21 - Polls close

May 22 - 31, incoming RA take their affirmations of office and members meet to elect their officers

June 1 - The RA and Chancellor of the 37th Government of the CDS take office.

It was on April 17, a day early, that the Call for Candidates went out.

Today (April 17) is the first day to declare your candidacy for the offices of Representative Assembly (RA) and Chancellor. These are very important offices for our CDS Community. When we elect these representatives we are electing friends and neighbors to work on our behalf to set the direction of our community, enact our laws and regulations, and manage all the tasks that keep the CDS a wonderful place to live. Now is your time to participate and declare candidacy.

So far, one person, Almut Brunswick, has declared his intention to run. More will certainly follow in the next ten days. 

In contrast to many real-life elections, the CDS elections have remained largely drama-free for some years.  

Stay tuned for more information.
 

Announcement: HFOT April 2022 Benefit Concert This Sunday

 

Frets Nirvana and US Military Veterans Group announce 2022’s April benefit for Homes For Our Troops in Second Life for April 24, 2022!  

Frets Nirvana, longtime supporter and contact for Homes For Our Troops in Second Life in conjunction with the US Military Veterans Group, announces the 2022 April benefit for the Veterans Support Organization Home For Our Troops at Veteran’s Isle .

Frets Nirvana states:  “HFOT is a privately funded 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization building specially adapted, mortgage-free homes nationwide for the most severely injured Veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. Most of these Veterans are multiple amputees, paraplegic, quadriplegic or suffered severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).  Since its inception in 2004, nearly 90 cents of every dollar spent by Homes for Our Troop has gone to directly support Veterans. DURING THAT TIME HFOT HAS BUILT 330 SPECIALLY ADAPTED HOMES NATIONWIDE FOR EXTREMELY INJURED VETERANS.”

In 2021 the community in Second Life sent  over $21,000 to Homes For Our Troops, thanks to many kind hearts and great Second Life performers. That was a 40% increase over 2020’s donations of over $15,000.

15 Veterans and their families received the keys to their forever homes in 2021 and the donations received in Second Life were part of that effort. Currently HFOT has 73 projects underway for extremely wounded veterans.  

Home for Our Troops benefit concerts feature premier Second Life talent monthly at Veteran’s Isle. The April 24 concert for 2022 is scheduled from 10AM to 3PM PST.  Featured artists will be DJ Waya Snowpaw, Russell Eponym, Elvera “English Rose”, Marqs Desade and Chapman Zane.

Sponsored by Frets Nirvana and the U.S. Military Veteran’s Group of Second Life.  To learn more about Homes for Our Troops visit https://www.hfotusa.org
 

Reader Submitted: "Vlad and Volo"

 

From Rebel Wolf, the Baron of the Deathlands, "President Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrive at Deathlands Bunker to have peace talks with Wolf and Ays. We offered them milk and cookies. Vlad has his nuclear briefcase, Volo had a AK. This might take awhile. ( they are actual avatars who dropped in )."

What brought Russia's dictator and Ukraine's unexpected hero leader to meet up with the Deathland's furry leaders, and without trying to kill one another, has yet to be revealed. Perhaps Wolf had an offer they couldn't refuse.
 

News And Commentary: Questions Raised About Horizon Following Zuckerburg's Comments, Announcement of Creator Fees

 

It's no secret that many Second Life users roll their eyes at Linden Lab a lot. But can anyone else do a better job at developing a virtual world. The biggest company gicing it a try is Facebook/Meta, with it's Horizons. This virtual world has already been ridiculed for having avatars with nothing below the waist. But certain comments by the company founder plus how much of a cut it plans to take from content creators is making it look worse.

Read more in Other Grinds, MMOs, and Games.

RFL Announcement: Mermaid Funday For RFL April 24th

 
Come enjoy a 12 hour Event at SWF Event area.
We will be raising Lindend's for RFL
Hosted by SLCS  & Seawaters Mermaids
Live singers  from 9am -9pmSLT
Ask for a notecard who is performing, look for your Favorites!

* *

April 24th

9-10 Nivor
10-11 Marqs DeSade
11-12 Star Twinlighton
12-1 Augusto Napoli
1-2 Harm
2-3 Larree Quixote
3-4 Krisie Snowdrop
4-5 Laidback Celt
5-6 Hojo Warf
6-7 Ronnie
7-8 Holly Giles
8-9 Midnight McCarty

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Union%20Passage/225/219/2
 

Events This Week at the Sunweaver and Montecito Bay Clubs, The Fallout Shelter, and Furry Fashion Lounge

 

Here's what's going on at the Sunweaver and Montecito Bay clubs, The Fallout Shelter, and the Furry Fashion Lounge.

Club Cutlass: Best in "Q" & "R", Being Green, Shorts and Tees

Happy Vixen: Fairy Tales, TBA, Black and Gold, Nude, Madkatt Mashup, TBA, TBA, Animal Kingdom

Club Zero Gravity: TBA

Bouncing Bunny Beach Club: Wizards and Lizards

Xanadu: DJ Christine, DJ Jesse

Montecito Bay:  CAYA, After Dark

Furry Fashion Lounge:  Barely There, Fantasy, Synthwave VS Rave, Horror, Late Night, Scales Vs Fur

Deathlands Fallout Shelter:  DJ Wolfy, DJ Nafrini

Read the schedules in SL Clubbin'.
 

"Premium Plus" to be Available in May

 
There's been a little discussion, and a few questions, about "Premium Plus" since Linden Lab first mentioned it as an upcoming option some time ago. But they've spoken next to nothing about just what it will offer. Finally in the April 6 Web User Group Meeting (filmed by  Pantera Północy), Reed Linden gave some answers. Premium Plus should be available sometime in May (mentioned just after 2:25 in the video). Most likely, it will be closer to the end of the month than the start of May. When first available, those with Premium accounts on annual subscriptions with at least six months left before the next yearly payment will have the option to upgrade to it.

So what will Premium Plus offer? Reed couldn't tell us everything, partially because some details were still being worked on. But he did say the Plus option would offer higher stipends, "more than double what a premium stipend is," larger land grands, larger sign-up bonuses, reduced fees "on certain things," more group slots, "it's more of everything. It's more good things. ... "I will say you're close to getting double the stuff ... in many cases, you're getting more than double."

So how much more will Premium Plus cost than the $99 US dollars a year fee for Premium? Reed couldn't say yet other than "It'll be more."

With only about a month left, give or take, the Lab may or may not have more information before Premium Plus is finally released. So stay tuned for more details.

Hat tip: Inara Pey, Dreamer Pixelmaid

Bixyl Shuftan
 

Club Zero Gravity's Redesign, and Other Sunweaver Area Club News

 

Club Zero Gravity, the space club in the Sunweaver Estates, recently got a redesign, it's sixth in the club's history. Some things remain the same, but others from the inside and outside look quite different. Also, a club in the area closed down. But since it made no effort to contact the community, we never wrote about it, until now.
 
Read more in SL Clubbin'.
 

Ten Years Ago: Linden Lab Steps Away From Birthday Events

 

It was ten years ago today, April 18 2012, that Linden Lab dropped a bombshell on the residents. There was a short announcement from the Lab, "This year we will focus the spotlight on community events." While not spelled out, it was clear that the Linden Lab would not be doing a Second Life Birthday event that year, no SL9B.

Some residents didn't care less, "If Linden Lab doesn't care enough about Second Life to celebrate it's birthday, why should I?" But there were many people who were sad and upset. What would Second Life be with out an anniversary celebration? It wasn't long before certain people were communicating and organizing. And before long, there was a team of volunteers whom were going to do a resident-run Second Life Birthday celebration, on land provided by sponsors. Word was spread in part through some amusing "Prim Reaper" videos.

So why did Linden Lab stop doing the SLB events? The move was done under Rod Linden, a time when the Lab was putting some distance between the residents and itself, such as canceling the "Kiss a Linden" event, the Linden snowball fight, and the Second Life convention. So canceling the Birthday may have been part of the distancing. But that may not have been all. It had been suggested that Linden Lab may have wanted to get away from the drama that some of the more recent celebrations had seen.

"The Birthday" went more or less smoothly, opening on time with numerous exhibits and a few stages, notably the Cake Stage by Mikati Slade. The Newser would have it's own exhibit, an office building with a hat on it. It would go on for a couple weeks, and went off with a bang, with the Lab doing nothing more but letting it happen.

For a few years, this was how the SLB events went. Then the Lab started organizing a paraell music event, "Music Fest." There would also be "Meet the Lindens" events. The Lab was slowly becoming more and more involved. 2018 would see the last of the resident-run Birthday events, the SL15B. In February 2019, Linden Lab announced it would be in charge of organizing the anniversary events. On the whole, the residents were pleased to see Linden Lab once again running The Birthday. But, many did miss the Cake and Stage Left stages that marked the resident-run Birthday events. 
 
Bixyl Shuftan
 

RFL Announcement: Sunbeamer "Bid Me" Totals

 
The first round of "Bid Me" fundraisers by Team Sunbeamers has concluded. And here are the results.

Rita Mariner: Bid Me Tiny

Stay Bunny: 600L
Turn Tiny:   2500L

Liska da'Lantros (LiskaDaLantros Resident): Bid Me Deer

Stay Foxy:   550L
Turn Deer: 4000L

Liska turns doe for one week

Bixyl Shuftan: Bid Me Tiny

Stay Foxy: 100L
Turn Tiny: 1800L

Valkyrie Ice (Valkyrie McGill): Bid Me Jackal

Stay demoness: 0L
Turn Jackal: 4000L

Val goes jackal for one week

Total Raised: 13,550 L

Another Bid Me should be in the works soon. Stay tuned for details.

Go Sunbeamers! Go Relay!
 

Announcement: This Week at the Seanchai Libraries

 

Join us for fun and adventure, this week.

Check out the stories and the storytellers! 

All events at Nowhereville (203/43/26) , unless otherwise noted.

Stories told in open voice unless otherwise noted. All times SL/PT

--------->> COMING THIS WEEK

**MONDAY, April 18th at 7pm: Kody Boye's WHEN THEY SAW continues with Gyro Muggins.
    
**TUESDAY, April 19th:
   ~ at NOON: RUSSELL EPONYM, Live in The Glen http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Nowhereville/194/131/21

   ~ at 7pm: Juneau Black's SHADY HOLLOW Begins with Faerie Maven Pralou
                   
**THURSDAY, April 21st, at 7pm: SCI-FI THURSDAY with Finn Zeddmore

****
 

Cartoon of the Day: Happy Easter

 Taken at the Bouncing Bunny Beach Club

By Bixyl Shuftan

 

More on Sansar's Transition to Metaverse Investments

 
When we last reported on Sansar a few months ago, it was a virtual world in trouble. It was described as on "life support," and was involved in a million-dollar lawsuit. Little wonder that when the world went offline one day in December, people were quick to assume the plug was pulled on it, though it was up and going the next day. 

With the virtual world in this kind of trouble, Sansar needed help, and soon. A few days ago, it arrived. On the Sansar Discord channel on Tuesday  April 12, there was an announcement. Sansar would be getting a new owner: Metaverse Investments. Speaking for the company, Chance Richie promised to get the virtual world back on track and be "focusing on the future and making Sansar the most Creator-friendly Metaverse on the planet." He also promised to resume community meetings.

Hello Sansarians! My name is Chance Richie, and I will be working with Wookey to transition the Sansar platform to Metaverse Investments Ltd. Wookey Technologies has been diligently looking for the right candidate to take over the responsibility of progressing Sansar to the next level, and Metaverse Investments Ltd is looking forward to the challenge.

I am working with the Wookey Team to get Sansar back on track.  In my opinion, the Wookey Team has done a lot of good work on the platform and has had to work through many challenges inherited from the Linden Labs acquisition.  I believe the Wookey Team has been fully committed to the platform and expanding it to a broader audience by focusing on the true immersive VR Metaverse experience.  I understand that there has been some history with the former direction and team, however what is most important is focusing on the future and making Sansar the most Creator-friendly Metaverse on the planet.  My strategic vision is focused on providing the Creator community the tools they need to build the most engaging worlds, quests, and experiences in the Metaverse.  I strongly believe that if we fulfill that vision, visitors and residents will come in droves.

We understand Sansar has problems that need to take care of as soon as possible and it has been a challenge to address these issues with a limited team.  My first priority is bringing in the engineering talent necessary to get things fixed and stabilize the platform. So do not despair, help is coming soon!

In the meantime, I want you to know how amazing I think the Sansar platform is, and that I see great potential. That potential will only be realized if we are successful engaging the Sansar Community, so to that end I’d like to restart the meetings Ebbe Altberg used to do in Sansar.  More to come on that!

Rest assured, we did our homework and know Sansar has a great community that is welcoming to new users. The Sansar Discord has also been a great way to pass knowledge on to new people and I have gotten more familiar with the platform as a result of following the channel. No question seems to be too difficult or tiring for you. Sansar is clearly "for the people, by the people", and we want to amplify that culture.

And last but not least, I’d like to thank the Sansar ambassadors and helpers who have stuck with Sansar through thick and thin, including all you die-hards who kept events going. You never stopped believing and I am here to reward that belief in Sansar by providing you the tools you’ve all been looking for.

I am transparent almost to a fault so feel free to reach out and ask me anything.  Even though Sansar is about 8 years old from its initial conception, it is still a startup, and I am going to try and instill the “nothing is impossible” startup mentality.  Admittedly, I am far from Phillip Rosedale or Ebbe Altberg, but I have built and sold software companies and guarantee you I will put my heart and soul into making Sansar a success.  I am looking forward to meeting you on Discord and in the first "Community Meeting".

I am the Sansarian known as “Oriym” and if you see someone in the Nexus with a black cowboy hat on it is probably me.  Please stop me and say hi if you see me wandering around!
 
Hopefully the new owners will be able to not just keep Sansar running, but growing.

For those who don't know, Sansar was created by Linden Lab, officially going online on July 2017, as a next-generation virtual world. But it's numbers remained small, so Linden Lab would eventually sell it to Wookey Technologies in 2020. 

Image credit: DrFran Babcock

Bixyl Shuftan
 

Update on Rita Mariner

 

Since we last wrote on Rita Mariner, the leader of the Sunweaver community and captain of the Relay for Life's Sunbeamer team, more information has come in. I managed to get in touch with her at the hospital. She told me the problem came about when at home, she had fallen and was unable to get up "due to muscle weakness and extreme pain," so she was stuck for five hours before help arrived. While she had her cell phone, it wouldn't connect with her wi-fi. So she ended up in the hospita. Her complaint: while the food was good, it wasn't enough, her describing it as more fitting for someone about 90 lbs. Someone had sent her flowers on behalf of the Sunweavers, which she was grateful for. Coming down with an infection, she spent about a couple weeks in intensive care before being moved to rehab.

Rita's laptop had been sent out to repairs, and is expected to have them finished soon and the machine returned to her, after which she should be able to resume getting online, and in Second Life. In the meantime, the activities of the Sunweavers, and the Relay Sunbeamer team, continue. Among the later, the four "Bid Me" events going on at Cutlass, the first three being joined by Valkrie Ice's "Bid Me Jackalgirl," which end tonight. For last-minute bids, head to Club Cutlass at Sunweaver Bay (114/117/757).

Bixyl Shuftan