At The SLB: Shinning Stars Hunt Prize Number Three

 

 

For those who didn't get the third and final prize of the SL23B's Shinning Stars Hunt, here it is.

 

SL23B - Star Hunt Prize Kiosk - v1.0: Congratulations, you are a super Hollywood Stars collector and have collected 100 stars, here is your tier 3 prize.

 

And the prize is, a hot dog "boopie," one named "Frank" appropriately enough.  He mumbles and snickers, and when touched (and sometimes when not) squirts mustard ketchup into the air. 

 

And so that was the prize that went to the wieners.

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

 

At The SLB: Shinning Stars Hunt Prize Number Two

 

 

Remember the SL23B Shinning Stars Hunt? For those who wonder what prize number two is, here it is.

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

The SL23B Swaginator Hunt

 

 

Besides seeing the exhibits at the Second Life Birthday, there's the Golden Ticket Giveaway, and the Shining Stars Hunt. But there's one more, an SL Birthday classic: The Swaginator Hunt. 

 

Join the fun and follow the hints to each SL23B Swaginator kiosk to collect a series of awesome SL23B themed gifts. The SL23B Swaginator kiosks are hidden throughout the Second Life Birthday Event, so grab a bottle of water and let's start hunting! 

 

To start, head to the Red Carpet Welcome in SLB Incredible and head to the Swaginator HUD giver at (151/106/21). Clicking on it, you'll get the HUD. Go to your inventory and click and "add" it to your avatar. It should appear on your viewer on the upper right. 

 

Seconds after putting it on, you should get your first clue. Clicking on Teleport, you'll end up somewhere in the vicinity of where the clue is, but you'll still need to search around for it.

 It may take some looking around for a while. But eventually, you'll find it.

 

 And the first prize is, something fun for watching a movie or sports event. So what are the next four? That's something you'll have to find out for yourself.

 

Happy Hunting,

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

 

Shining Stars Hunt

 

 Besides seeing the exhibits, and the "Golden Ticket Giveaway," there are other things to do at the Second Life Birthday sims. One is the "Shinning Stars Hunt."

 

To do the hunt, you're going to need the HUD. You get it at SLB Incredible (149/231/21) (not far from the Red Carpet Welcome). There are two givers, one for the HUD and one for the prizes. Click on the one on the left to get the HUD, and then "add" it to your avie. It should appear on your viewer on the upper left. Once it does, you're ready to start looking for the shining stars. 

 

The stars appear randomly at various stretches of pathways, both the red carpet and the sidewalk. You either click on them, or walk over them. Doing either means the star vanishes with a sparkle, and there's a brief noise of triumph as the number on your HUD goes up by one. 

After about twenty stars, you can get your first prize. Return to the two givers, and this time click on the one on the right. If you've collected enough stars, you get a small prize. There are at least two more to get as you get more stars. Word has it there's a special prize available once you've collected a hundred.

 

So what is it? Not telling you yet. Get it yourself or wait until after The Birthday is over for me to show you.  

Once again, the Shinning Star Hunt givers are at : https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SLB%20Incredible/149/231/21

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

 

The Sunbeamer Camp

 

Tomorrow is the Relay Weekend. Described as Second Life's most intense 24 hours, hundreds will be walking the Relay track and past dozens of campsites. Among them is the Sunbeamer's camp at RFL Win. Most of the work was done by Cynthia Farshore and Shockwave Yareach.

 

This year, the camp is a somewhat wooded area with a trail winding around, with a grand entrance area with an arch and sparks. In the middle is the Hope Lodge. Going around the track, you might want to keep an eye out for snakes, and other dangers. The snakes can be hunted down and shot, leaving a red stain on the ground.

 

For fun, one can play a game. There are a dozen Chinese Restaurant take-out containers. Try to find all 12.

 

Go Sunbeaers! Go Relay!

 

 RFL Win (133/188/23)

 

 

The Fairelands Quest: "The Pilgrim's Forest"

 

Among the things to do at the Fantasy Faire to do is The Fairelands Quest.  Part story, part game, one  gets prizes for completing parts as one progresses, and gets a large amount at the end. The theme is year is "The Pilgrim's Forest." 

The Bard Queen has good news. Possibly great news. A cache of soul-seeds has been found.

The ancient seeds could be the key to creating a powerful force against the Unweaver. But who can know if they’ve held their magic after so many years? That can only be discovered if Fairelanders – as many as possible – are willing to take on a pilgrimage to bless the seed, prepare it for planting, and solve the riddle of the ritual that will awaken a hallowed forest.

And so the Bard Queen asks, “Will you take a seed and try?”

To play the quest you need the HUD. You get it at one of the various HUD vendors across the Fairelands sims. The ones at Fairelands Junction is at (148/161/19). If the sim is busy, try one of the others such as Moonfleet Bay (133/154/76). The vendor with the Basic Hud needs 250 Linden dollars. If you want the Deluxe HUD, which also has an outfit you can do the quest in, that takes 350 Lindens. 

 

 Once you have the HUD giver, you find it in your inventory, click on it and select "add." It, in the form of the Faire symbol, will appear in your hand. Click on it, and a folder will appear with the contents in your inventory.

 

 

The Deluxe HUD package  has Fantasy-themed outfits for men and women, and human/furry and tinies,

 

After "click and add" on the HUD and "Hero," your companion in this quest, you visit the Bard Queen in Fairelands Junction to start it.  If you have trouble finding her, head to 209 108 95

 

 You then head to Willowton Cuthbert to see the first shrine. Once you do, you get a message from Hero, asking for you to meet up with her. 

 

You then head to Kalliaaya to meet up with Hero.

 

 You then visit the shrines across the Fairelands. After that comes the next step. 

 

Have fun questing,

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

 

Announcement: “The Missing Torso Mystery Game”

 

If you love art, writing, and mysteries, participate in Kondor Art Center’s “The Missing Torso” game. It focuses on Zia Branner's missing masterpiece. It vanished when the crew closed the center for the night. Security cameras were turned off because no one knows who took it. If you’re ready to investigate, these are the steps you can take to solve the mystery.

Start your investigation at the Main Gallery. Look for 14 hidden fragments such as colors, shadows, or seams of gold scattered across the gardens, galleries, and the Kondor Café.

Click each fragment to receive clues leading to the next location.

Find the missing Torso hidden in one of the landmark installations. They offer a hint: Look up! The architecture is part of the mystery.

Provide evidence. Take a photo of the Torso exactly where you found it.

Write Your Theory. Compose a story (150–900 words) explaining the disappearance. Use a pseudonym to keep the mystery alive!

Submit your investigation. Drop your story and photo at the Kondor Café submission box before Sunday, March 29. That’s when the game ends.

The Rewards:  8,000L Prize Pool and Certificates & Distinctions. Winners will be announced at the Grand Gala on Thursday, April 9.

“THE MISSING TORSO”  — Mystery Game Contest Rules

1. Description of the Contest

“The Missing Torso” is a cultural mystery game set in the Kondor Art Center, combining art, storytelling, and investigation. Participants must explore the Kondor Art Center's exhibition venues, find fragments and clues, identify the missing artwork, and submit their own written theory on the disappearance.

2. Objective

The objective of the contest is to collect all fragments of the missing torso artwork and, based on the clues discovered, to produce a compelling narrative theory explaining how and why the disappearance occurred.

3. Participation

Participation is open to all visitors of the Kondor Art Center. There is no entry fee. Participants may join the game at any time between the contest's opening and closing dates.

4. Contest Duration

The mystery game and contest will run from:

Opening: January 29, 2026

Closing: March 29, 2026

All final submissions must be received before 23:59 SLT on March 29, 2026.

5. How to Play

Participants must:

    1.    Visit the Kondor Art Center and its venues.

    2.    Find the hidden fragments and clues distributed across the different locations.

    3.    Assemble the information gathered in order to find the missing artwork.

Clues are partial fragments of the missing artwork with an important written message inside, that lead to the next place, where the next hint is hidden. To get it, just click on the fragment found.

    4.    After finding the missing artwork hidden in one of the important places of the Kondor Art Center, take a photo of it in its location.

    5.     After finding it, write a narrative theory about its disappearance, and include the photo taken in the location you found it. This is the most important part of the game

6. Final Submission Requirements

Final submissions must:

    •    be written in English

    •    be signed by the participant with a pseudonym

    •    be between 150 and 900 words

    •    present a theory explaining the disappearance of the torso

    •    be original and written specifically for this contest

    •    include a notecard with the participant’s SL avatar name

The tone and style are free: poetic, noir, humorous, academic, detective, surreal, philosophical, documentary, etc.

7. Jury and Evaluation Criteria

The jury will evaluate submissions based on the following criteria:

    1.    Narrative quality (clarity, coherence, imagination)

    2.    Engagement with the clues

    3.    Elegance of language and tone

    4.    Cultural sensitivity and sophistication

    5.    Originality of theory

    6.    Overall enjoyment

Bonus appreciation may be given to theories that:

    •    link multiple venues

    •    reflect Kondor’s cultural atmosphere

    •    show literary ambition

    •    demonstrate a personal style

8. Plagiarism & AI Clause

We love creativity — not copy/paste.

AI tools may be used as assistants (e.g., brainstorming, editing, translation), but the theory itself must be written by you.

If your submission reads like ChatGPT dictation or an encyclopedia entry, we will politely close the case and disqualify it.

9. Prizes

Total prize pool: 8,000 $L

Additional gift cards may be awarded.

Prizes will be distributed as follows:

    •    1st Place: Main Prize + certificate

    •    2nd Place: Runner-up Prize + certificate

    •    3rd Place: Honorable Mention + certificate

There will be prize money awards for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes   

Additional distinctions may be awarded at the jury’s discretion.

10. Jury Decisions

The jury's decisions are final. The jury may declare a tie, award shared prizes, or withhold prizes if submissions do not meet the minimum criteria.

11. Rights and Attribution

Participants retain the rights to their written texts. By submitting, participants grant Kondor Art Center permission to:

    •    display the texts in-world

    •    publish them for exhibition purposes

    •    include them in salons, catalogues, or machinima

    •    archive them in Kondor’s cultural collection

Attribution will always be respected.

12. Disqualification

Texts may be disqualified if they:

    •    are plagiarized

    •    contain hateful or discriminatory content

    •    include personal attacks

    •    violate general community norms

Erotica is allowed if tasteful and culturally meaningful.

13. Results and Closing Ceremony

The winners will be announced and prizes delivered during a special gala on April 9, 2026.

14. Questions

Questions and clarifications may be addressed in-world or via notecard to Hermes Kondor.

Sponsors include: BBX Design - Yachts & Buildings, Cats Claw Designs, Dench Designs, Kunglers Jewelry, NanoGunk - Cigar Yachts, and Sunwheel Studio. 

 

Teddy’s Haven

 

Nydia Tungsten is back with another game review. In her article for today, she looks over "Teddy's Haven." In this game you run a shop in a Medieval Fantasy village. So instead of being an adventurer, you're selling goods to them, as well as others who come by the shop. You can explore some, and collect things to sell, as well as meeting people and creatures. As you make money, you can expand. So what did Nydia think?

 

Read Nydia's review in Other Grids, Games, and MMOs. 

 

Tiny Empires Down?

 

Things have been a little frustrating for the fans of Tiny Empires in the Sunweavers, the community in which the Newser has it's office. For those who don't know, "Tiny Empires" is a HUD=based game in which players slowly gain land, gold, and rank over time. Although the game has been around for many years, it still has a following. 

 

Unfortunately, something is wrong with the game. Sunweaver leader Rita Mariner informed the Newser the HUDs haven't been working for a few days.Taking a look myself, they were stuck in "connecting," with no information about acres or gold or liege sworn to.

 

This sounds similar to another failure in 2012, which was eventually resolved. 

 

As of the writing of this article, Tiny Empire creator, and Emperor, Ultralite Soliel, has not been online for several days and is unavailable for comment.  

 

The Tiny Empires game, and Tiny Empires 3000, are available at: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Kitster/147/41/54

 

*Addition* On Monday afternoon, the servers finally came online and the game was on.  

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

 

Luna's Empire Fallout Equestria Ghost Hunt

 

Once again, the Luna's Empire Event sim is hosting a Halloween Ghost Hunt event. But this time, it has a new twist. This year, it has a "Fallout" theme, taking place decades after a civilization-ending event, and this time you take down monsters. 

 

Near the entrance, you pick up some gear, the weapon and a couple HUDs. It is recommended you take off unnecessary HUDs and scripts to lighten your load to make play easier for you, and others. 

 

 The lower right HUD keeps track of how much you've been slimed, which happens when monsters touch you, which clogs your screen and reduces the amount of candy you get from busted creatures. It also keeps track of how much candy you have, and what fighter class you are. The HUD on the upper left shows your location on the map, as well as locations of some monsters. 

 

 Some monsters can be taken on single-hamded. Others are stronger, and require a team effort. But they drop more candy when beaten. There's also a boss monster in a special area that's only accessible every so often. 

 

You can exchange the candy for prizes near the entrance. While some are pony-themed and not much good for human or furry or tiny avatars, others are useable by most everyone..

 

The game costs nothing, so if you're a pony of Fallout fan, or like busting monsters in general, come on over and zap away.

 

 http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lunas%20Empire%20Event/240/26/12

 

Bixyl Shuftan

 

All Hallows at Moochie

 

It's finally October, and more Halloween-themed places are showing up in Second Life. Gemma Cleanslate took a look at an old favorite: All Hallows at the Moochie sim. There she found a Halloween trail to follow, filled with spooky sights. But that wasn't all. There are scary vendors to pick up something, a trick or treat game, a theater, and more. 

 

Read Gemma's article in Design.

 

Cartoon of The Day: "You'll Shoot Your Eye Out"

 

 Taken at the Warblood City Autumn Carnival. This game made me think of a reoccurring line in the movie, "A Christmas Story."

 

By Bixyl Shuftan

 

Game Review: Homescapes

 

Today's game review involves one that can be played on both the PC and smartphone: Homescapes. The player helps Austin the butler as he works to repair his parents' family home room by room, bit by bit. So how does it go?

 

Read the review in Other Grids, MMOs, and Games. 

 

*Updated with a link on where to get the game* 

 

First Million Linden Winner in "March Mobile Millions"

 

 

 (click here if the video does not play)

 

From Linden Lab on Thursday March 20, their broadcast of Week 2 of "March Mobile Millions" took place. And while all contestants walked away happy, one truly had something to cheer about. 

The show started off well right away with the first contestant getting a hundred thousand Linden dollars, or $400 USD. Soon after came a Dan Grey (his account name was unmentioned. Like the others, he spun the wheel, and at about 4:30 in the video, it came to rest on the One Million mark.

 

 Dan was the first March Mobile Millions contestant to score one million Linden dollars, or $4,000 USD. He was so thrilled, he launched a waffles gesture. 

At the end, the announcer would say a Linden had told him all prizes aside from the big one would be doubled.

 

Stay tuned for week three.

 

Bixyl Shuftan

Game Review: Dreamlight Valley

 

Have you ever wanted to interact with your favorite childhood story characters, and maybe some characters from stories after your childhood? There's a game in which you can: Dreamlight Valley.  In this adventure, you interact with a number of Disney and Pixar characters, sometimes multiple ones, to carry out quests and other objectives,

 

Read the review in Other Grids, MMOs, and Games.  

The Winter Swaginator Hunt

 

 

Among the activities by Linden Lab has available for the residents this Christmas season is the Winter Swaginator Hunt.

 

 The Winter Swaginator Hunt has started!!! Get your hud here and find the 5 prizes. Make sure you read the clues the hud gives you to find them. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Muehlenbach/130/119/35

 

To do the hunt, head to the starting point as the announcement says in Muehlenbach (130/119/35). You click on the sign nearby between the two statues, and you get the HUD in your inventory. Attach it, then you read the clue to find the next sign, where it will be nearby with the first prize.
 

 

Once you find the sign, click it to get your prize, and your HUD will update for the clue to where the next prize is, and the option to tp nearby where you should be able to quickly find it. 

As the announcement says, there are a total of five prizes, and the hunt will go on all month.

 

Bixyl Shuftan

Palworld Update Includes Minor Change to Gameplay In Response to Pokemon Lawsuit

 

In September, Nintendo, the owner of the Pokemon franchise, sued Pocketpair, the makers of the Palworld, claming the much smaller company's game violated multiple patents. Because of some similarities, the game had sometimes been called "Pokemon with guns." Among them was how players summoned their monsters. Players could do so by aiming and throwing "Pal Spheres" to where they desired for them to appear. But after an update in the game a few days ago, this can no longer be done. Instead, summoned creatures will appear right next to the player.

It is unknown if this is the only change in response to the lawsuit, or if there will be others. Nintendo's lawsuit is still going on.

Sources: Polygon, Gamesradar

Bixyl Shuftan

A Look At "Luna's Nightmare Night" Pony Ghostbusting Game

 

Before closing out the Halloween season, the Newser took a look at one of the more interactive Halloween events.  This was "Luna's Nightmare Night," a game in the Luna's Empire Events sim. In this game, the Ghostbuster's connection is obvious with the proton guns. You can pick them up, along with the HUD and map, at several vendors around the sim, one near the entrance at  (50/36/14).

 

I had a few words with EmpresLuna Starchild, the game's owner.  She told me she had wondered if turnout would be smaller than last year, but it's gotten bigger with over 1,100 different players, with over 65 *million* candies, the tokens awarded in the game, given out.

To get the candies, one goes around with the gun to hunt down ghosts. You weaken them by zapping them with the gun, and when their resistance reaches zero, a trap appears under them and the ghost is caught. And you get a few candies as a prize. But if a ghost touches you, you get slimed and won't get as much candy. As you get slimed more, your vision will look greener and gunkier until it reaches 100%, after which you'll need to wash in a fountain or get the help of a cleaner (more on that later). Some ghosts are tougher than others and will need multiple players to take on. 

You can exchange the candies for prizes. This year, there's a lot more variety in the gifts available. And they're not just for ponies. One can get a copy of Ecto-1 for 50,000 candies.

The green slime boss from last year is still around. But there's another boss monster. A pony farmer NPC will ask for some help in trying to take care of some haunted pumpkins. And then Luna shows up to pull something truly dastardly. And it's up to you, and the other 'busters, to save the day. And you get hundreds of candies (if you're not too slimed) for doing it.

When I was there, a number of ponies were doing a video. EmpresLuna told me the title was "Bustin' Luna," and should be up soon.

This is the last day scheduled for the Ghostbusting game. So if you haven't, get in on this Halloween fun.

Bixyl Shuftan

SL Video: "How Bad Can Luna Possibly Be?"

 

 

 (click here if the video does not play)

 From EmpressLuna Starchild on October 2023, a music video on the Ghostbuster/Pony game, "Parody - Written by: EmpressLuna Starchild Coordinated by: Skoops Hax (Skoops Barrymore), Relothy Resident Producer, Editor and shot by: Lyre (wormarmageddon) Singer: Goddess Bambi (GlazedGaming) Backup singers: Toil N. Trouble Doodle (BlazedThylacine) & Relothy Resident Environment designer: Shadow Star (Icswcshadow) Main Cast (The 3 ponys): -Zidders Roofurry (zidaya.zenovka) -Lacey Bows (nessabrandy) -Skoops Hax (skoops.barrymore) All that taken part in the creation of this video: Skoops Hax (skoops.barrymore) , Lacey Bows (nessabrandy) , Zidders Roofurry (zidaya.zenovka) , Doctor Larry Battle (timelord67) , Misty (misuteri24) , Emperor Atlas Starchild (atlas.heartsong) , Empress Nightmare Moon (empressluna.starchild) , Coco Cotton Honeydew (hirocrossed) , Ironhyde , Pumpkin Mode (cutey.mode) , Lupe (lupushash) , Hazelnut.delight , Jay Ayashi , Daytona Tenderheart (daytona.blep) , (bam.salamander) , Relothy, ღ Opal ღ (poorolddragon), Tulip (Dawn Pienaar), Nova (Flammie Dagger)"

Game Review: The Fiery Scion

 

Contributing writer Nydia Tungsten is back with another game review. In her latest article, she describes one game/visual novel, "The Firey Sicon." While the game clearly has an Adult rating, she felt it had a good plot. So what can a reader/player expect?

 

Read Nydia's review in Other Grids, MMOs, and Games.