DJ Fritter has Died

 

Some sad news for fans of KVXN Radio. It was announced yesterday that one of it's DJs, DJ Fritter had passed away. JB Raccoon, the co-owner of the station, gave details on the station's Discord channel yesterday afternoon. She was also known as DJ Applebloom and Hakura the Pup.

For those that may not know, it had been relayed to us that we recently lost DJ Fritter AKA Hakura the Pup. Details are still limited outside her having that nasty car accident last year that kept her off air here so she would be able to heal. Sadly, her health kept her from being able to return to the things she loved. I received word that the accident, while not having taken her life at the time, ultimately was the cause of her passing by taking away the very things she enjoyed most. She was not ever going to be able to walk again, which meant no more entertaining folks of all ages in that giant oven of a fursuit, or sharing her love of music like she had before.

 Her death is believed to have been last week, from injuries suffered in a car accident last year.

In August 2020, DJ Fritter was interviewed by the Newser. She had been DJing in Second Life for some years, at places such as "Hoof Beatz" and "Dragons and Roses" before coming across JB's show, then doing so under KVXN.

Addition: The car accident was on April 15, 2021. Her real-life name was Dawn Holland.

Bixyl Shuftan

JB Raccoon Needs A Hand

JB Raccoon, the co-owner of KXVN Radio, has run into some financial difficulties. The reason: some paperwork snafus that have thrown a monkey wrench into his Social Security income.

"I am STILL trying to sort everything out however after I pay my rent that leaves me with $30 to pay my other expenses including my medication refills which the reality is, I just can't make it. So here I am calling for help, hoping to raise the funds so I can cover my expenses while I fight to get this sorted."

JB has set up a Gofundme page for donations. His goal is $1000 USD. 

"Thank you in advance to all that help, my words would never be able to describe how appreciative I will be."

Addition: For some reason, Gofundme took the page down. Those who already sent cash will have it refunded. JB is also accepting help via Paypal : paypal.me/jbraccoon .

Cartoon of the Day: Hybrid Humor

Taken at the Happy Vixen. JB Raccoon calls himself a "Huskoon," half husky, half raccoon. While he was talking about anthromorphic parents, both about the same size, of his persona, one wonders how the feral equivalent would come about.

By Bixyl Shuftan

New Office For KVXN

KVXN, jointly owned by Nydia Tungsten and JB Raccoon, is getting a new office. They recently invited the Newser over to take a few pictures.

The two story structure has a lobby, and a studio area for live broadcasting.

KVXN was once a 24 music stream that while doing decently at several venues, Nydia felt it could do more. Teaming up with JB, it expended to become an Internet radio station with growing numbers of listeners in and out of Second Life.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Geerkil%20Land/196/137/1366

The "Platinum Avatar Challenge"

On Monday, Team Sunbeamers of the Relay for Life in Second Life finally reached Platinum Level fundraising, 250,000 Linden dollars or about $1000 USD. And so came what's become a tradition among the Sunbeamers and their friends: The Platinum Avatar Challenge.

For yours truly, for the third time I would be something I haven't been before. This time it was a pink avatar. *But*, I didn't say what kind it would be. So in a slight twist of the challenge two years ago, I appeared as a pink "Rita clone." I revealed the new look at 4PM At the Happy Vixen yesterday. It got a few chuckles, thought not as many the first time I pulled it off. Rita herself, whom doesn't think much of being a pink bunny didn't have much of a comment this time. My own "bubblegum crisis" will be for a week, baring those occasions when I'm obviously doing something for the Newser, such as interviews and covering the Fantasy Faire.

This time, I was joined by others in the challenge. Nydia Tungsten had offered to go purple for a week. And so yesterday the normally white vixen was sporting a shade of amethyst  But it was DJ Geerkil and his Dragon Crew teammates LS Raccoon and JB Raccoon that made the biggest change: going as Yinglet avatars. Geers had read up on the lore of the usually amusing small beings from the "Out of Placers" online comic, and found the creatures interesting. For someone used to huge avatars though, shrinking to being just a few feet high took some getting used to. On the other hand, fitting behind the DJ booth and dancing with others on the dance floor was now no trouble. The three stated they'll be staying in these appearances for three months. Definitely "above and beyond the call of duty." We'll keep them well-stocked with clams and oysters.

But the Relay goes on. The Sunbeamers are planning another "Bid Me" event this week, and there will be other chances this month to raise some funds, such as the Relaystock. With Platinum having been achieved, next the Sunbeamers are after Jade level fundraising, which is 500,000, a half million, Linden dollars. A daunting task, but we've done it before. And yes, I'll wear the "Bix Bilby" avatar again.

Go Sunbeamers! Go Relay!

Bixyl Shuftan

Cartoon of the Day

From a picture of Nydia Tungsten's office sent by JB Raccoon. There's been numerous jokes about Australia's wildlife, such as "the big effing spiders." When someone uploaded a video of one having caught a mouse, that made it even more so. While the meme "Everything in Australia is out to kill you" may not be true, the size of the spiders are enough to discourage tourists.

By Bixyl Shuftan

Cartoon of the Day

Taken at the Happy Vixen. Where Little Spirit Raccoon and JB Raccoon got these "bodyguards," who knows. But one wonders how they struck a deal.

By Bixyl Shuftan

What's New With The Dragon Crew

It was a little over a year ago that the "Dragon Crew" was interviewed by the Second Life Newser.  The team is made up by longtime Second Life DJ Geerkil Ziskey and JB Raccoon, with LS Raccoon often acting as hostess. Often called the "Epic Failure Show," DJ Geerkil and DJ JB have been entertaining crowds at a number of clubs with both their selection of tunes and occasional humorous banter. After a successful year of "epic failure," they wanted to discuss some about a few things that have changed. They now have a club of their own, and have a new member on the team.

Read the story in People.

Cartoon of the Day : More Thanksgiving Leftovers

Taken at the Happy Vixen. Remember the cartoon last year of JB Raccoon in his turkey costume? Here he is again, back for more.

By Bixyl Shuftan

Reader Submitted: Akea at the Happy Vixen

From Little Spirit. In one of his last appearances in Second Life, Akea Grommet dropped by the Happy Vixen during the "Squirrels and Raccoons" party in February this year. "Gotta go see this handsome individual," Akea spoke of JB Raccoon whom was DJing at the time, "Hiyas, Bix.  How do you like my twin?" He gave JB a new pair of sunglasses.

Second Life Based Furocity Radio Shuts Down

JB Raccoon informed the Newser yesterday that Furocity Radio, an Internet radio station based in Second Life, was shutting down. The station started out in May 2013, and briefly shut down in December 2015 due to a steep increase in copyright royalty rates. It resumed September 2016. But yesterday, September 18, it's owner DJ Cody gave the following message:

Guys, its with a heavy heart, I am announcing that I am shutting down Furocity. Unfortunately I cannot afford to keep it open, I have to take care of the debt I have rather than spending more money on this right now and with my day to day responsibilities I simply don't have the time to give it the attention it deserves. The stream has been down for the last several days and no one has noticed or even reached out. I wish you all the best of luck, I will be shutting everything down by the end of the week. Thank you all for your support over the last several years. its been a good run.

The station usually broadcasted mainstream rock JB stated he and other DJs in Second Life had gotten their start on Furocity. While the station had come back once before, he felt this time it was probably shutting down for good.

*Addition* Furocity Radio started in Second Life, but it's audience was soon an Internet-wide one. JB Raccoon told me "they were licensed through Live365 with hopes of becoming a full 'brick and mortar station.'"

Tales From Outside SL: Plagued Doctor at the Furry Con

While the following story doesn't have much to do with Second Life, it does involve a resident of our virtual world. JB Raccoon told the Newser about a friend of his, who wishes for now to be known as only "The Attendee," who went to a 'con in an unusual costume. For a couple days, all went well. Then he was stopped by one of the 'con staff who had objections to some props on the outfit that hadn't been a problem before with him and with others no one was raising issues.

Read the story in Extra.

Happy Birthday Geerkil

On Wednesday August 1, JB Raccoon and his daughter LS Raccoon held a party for their friend and partner in music Geerkil Ziskey. For the noted dragon DJ, it was his birthday in real life. Although no theme was given other than birthday, the party soon took on a scaley look with smaller dragons and other reptilian avatars about. Besides the rock tunes, there were a few Happy Birthday songs.

Happy birthday, DJ Geerkil

Crowbar Blues

While most everyone in Second Life loves music, we're not always in the mood for the latest pop tunes. Sometimes we're feeling the blues. One such place you can here this music is the Crowbar Blues club in Business District Kilo. The place is run by Danno (Affa Crazyboi), a blues DJ in real life, and welcomes blues fans of all types of avatars.

Read the story in SL Clubbin'.

"Alien Invasion" on the Zeta Valley Club

Remember the Zeta Valley Beach Warf Club that the Newser wrote about last week? It seems the "open to all" invitation for one party got an unwelcome reception when aliens descended onto the place. "Bit busy fighting an alien horde," the Dragon Crew's friend Clockwork Jackal answered when asked to join the party on the dance floor, hunkered down behind a crate, "Help me. ... got grenades, tentacles, machine-gun fire." DJ JB Raccoon's response was simply "Oh my goodness. ... alien invasion ... xenomorphs with their eggs, tentacle creatures, you name it, we have it here!"

Initially a couple "Xenomorphs," which were bad enough, the invasion was soon joined by a mass of tentacles, and some glowing green machine, either a teleporter or some other alien device that would do heaven-knows-what to any Earther nearby. The aliens took over the top of the bowling alley, and threatened to march onto the whole club, and maybe the sim. Something had to be done to save Zeta Valley.

Finally, Clorkwork brought out a weapon of last resort: a small thermonuclear device. The response on the Dragon Crew's Discord channel chat was a prediction of doom, "Never give a canine nuclear weapons." I had been at the sim, but scurried away out of range while the others presumably took cover. Tech would later send me a picture of the explosion, which was much smaller than a conventional nuclear bomb, but still big, and with the tell-tale mushroom cloud. Someone in Discord remarked, "Y'all recreating Hiroshima over there? ... It's beautiful, enough to bring a tear to FDR's eye." He then sent a request for songs from the record "Blast Radius," though retracted as realizing some were very much "not safe for work."

Following the clearing of the smoke cloud, the aliens were gone, and no one else was hurt. By morning, radiation levels were back to normal, all damage had been repaired. Everything was back to normal, at least as normal as one can expect with a club run by a dragon.

The Beach Warf Club is at Zeta Valley (131/58/24).

Image Credit: Clockwork Jackal, Tech Adams

Bixyl Shuftan

Zeta Valley Beach Wharf Club

Geerkil Ziskey has DJed in a number of places, such as at the Happy Vixen and Club Zero Gravity. But lately, he's been wanting to put some new life into where he started out performing music: Zeta Valley. Recently, he and the rest of the Dragon Crew have rebuilt a club in the area, renaming it the Zeta Valley Beach Wharf Club, hoping to attract numbers of people to the sim.

Read more in SL Clubbin'.

DJ Geerkil And The "Dragon Crew"

There are plenty of DJs in Second Life. But how many are in teams, which include a dragon, or have some comedic banter between tunes? At the Happy Vixen and Club Zero Gravity in the Sunweaver community, you'll find DJ Geerkil and the "Dragon Crew. Geerkil Zisky and JB Raccoon spin out great music and a funny banter between songs, with their friend LS Raccoon acting as host (their Tuesday set's host is Kitacella), they perform events at these two clubs. With their schedule changing recently, the Newser recently had a few words with this unique DJ team.

Read the story in People.

Cartoon of the Day: Thanksgiving Leftovers

Picture submitted by JB Raccoon. His outfit for the impromptu Thanksgiving party at the Happy Vixen sparked a few jokes about "stick a fork in it" and deep-fryers.

Caption by Bixyl Shuftan