The Fairelands Quest Is Up

 

 Good news for Fantasy Faire fans, anyone who likes an interactive story, likes games with big prizes, and especially all three. The Fairelands Quest is finally up and running. This year, the name of the Quest is "The Dreamcaster's Cauldron."

The Bard Queen is perplexed.

All across the Fairelands, there’s been a rash of bad dreams. Not just bad — really bad. Teeth-gritting, terrifying, haunt-you-all-day-long nightmares.

Sleepers are waking in a panic. In some, annoyance turns to fury. Assertiveness turns to aggression. Sadness turns to deep despair. Throughout the lands, violence and misery are spreading in ever-widening circles.

What could possibly be happening?

To get the Quest HUD, it's located in Fairelands Junction and most other central areas of the other Fairelands sims (at FJ, it's at 44,139,87 ). You will see a pair of kiosks labeled "The Dreamcasters Cauldron." For just the HUD, quest companion, and lantern, pay 250L in the smaller kiosk. The larger has those and a number of outfits, one for male and female for normal sized avatars, plus a few for dinkies.

 

To play, you'll need to attatch both the hud and your companion Pax. The outfit is optional. So is the lantern, though it will help you see in dark places. The first step is to find the Bard Queen, who explains the situation. Then you have to find the dreamers, presumably followed by your companion Paz. After that, well, we'll see.

More on the Quest, and the Fairelands, later.

 

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Fairelands%20Junction/44/139/87

 

Bixyl Shuftan

 

*Addition* I thought the first thing after talking to the Bard Queen was meeting with your companion. But that wasn't the case this time. 

 

Man of the Year Runner-Up: Draxtor Despress

Much like the Newser's Persons of the Year, the Second Life Birthday Group Volunteers, the runner-up is known for his accomplishments in previous years as well as this one. Draxtor Despress (Bernhard Drax in real life) Originally known for his "Flufee" videos made with Pooky Amsterdam, in 2013 he started a new series of informative videos about Second Life, "The Drax Files." This was followed in 2013 with "The Drax Files Radio Hour." Last year, he did some Sansar preview videos to help promote Linden Lab's next generation world.



This year, Draxtor produced a documentary film, "Our Digital Selves: My Avatar Is Me." The movie, "tells the story of 13 global citizens and their avatars as they transcend their various disabilities through artistic expression and making a home for themselves in the VR Metaverse." The video has been viewed almost 50,000 times, and no doubt has changed some minds on what Second Life, and other virtual worlds, are all about.

So for his work past and present, Draxtor Despress make's the Newser's Runner-Up for Man of the Year of 2018.

Other noteable people included Luskwood for still being a noted community after fifteen years, the former residents of the closed InWorldz Grid, the Relay for Life volunteers, and of course the Lindens for keeping Second Life up and running for fifteen years.

Bixyl Shuftan
Editor, SL Newser

Relay Weekend Sims Going Up

 With the Second Life Birthday coming to a close, the attention of residents on the lookout for goings-on across the Grid falls on the next big yearly event: the Relay Weekend. The sims are on the ground, and the track has been laid out, the one over the American Cancer Society sim made as a bridge.

Thirty sims make up this year's track. This is a little more than last year's track. Besides the yearly names such as Hope, Healing, Inspire, and others, there are also the names of continents added, such as Antarctica and Australia south of the ACS sim. And there are a few off-track sims set up for events, such as boating.

The Relay Weekend is on Saturday July 14 to Sunday July 15. Stay tuned for more updates and sneak peaks as the clock ticks to the big event.

Bixyl Shuftan

Still Alive: Mont Saint-Michel Remains Six Months After Closing Announcement

With Insilico recently having had a brush with closure, yours truly thought about another location that was put on the "Sim Deathwatch" list last year: Mont Saint-Michel. In late September 2015, the owner, Moeka Kohime, announced that the replica of the historic structure in northwestern France would be closing at the end of September. But the end of the month came and went, but the island remained. It was still up in late December.

Checking back over the weekend, over six months since the announcement of the sim's closing, Mont Saint Michel is still up for all to see.

So why has the sim remained up? Perhaps the Lindens haven't gotten around to tearing it down yet. More likely, they simply don't want to. The location has been listed as an example of what can be built in Second Life. It continues to get visitors, more than a hundred whom are listed on it's Flickr page. So they have reasons to keep the place going besides avoiding the bad press that followed the closing of the SS Galaxy last year. So why hasn't Linden Lab bought the location like it had the ocean liner? Perhaps as everyone is happy with the way things are now, the Lab is inclined to keep it that way.

So the sim and it's picturesque structure remains up, at least for now. Many residents' experiences with Linden Lab have cautioned them against taking anything in Second Life for granted. With their tales in mind, perhaps it's best to drop by the place sooner rather than later, just in case the day comes the sim is no longer accessible, and then fades away from the map.

Mont Saint Michel (104/29/21).

Bixyl Shuftan

Announcement: Stand UP's "Best DJ on the Grid" Competition: Week 2

This weekend marks the second round of the "Best DJ on the Grid" competition. The organizers stated their first was a great success.

WOW! What an AMAZING Weekend!! The first set of scores are in and the kiosks have been totaled! The first week of the Stand UP! Best DJ on the Grid Competition has brought in just over L$120,000!!!! 

This Saturday, March 19, the music takes place from 11AM to 3PM, a little over 3500 meters above the Saint Kitts Isle sim. The schedule is as follows:

11AM Topo Nightfire

12 Noon LilMissPerfectionist

1PM Logan Reigns

2PM Pandemora

The event also takes place on Sunday March 20 from 11AM to 3PM 

Saint Kitts Isle (98, 70, 3501)

More details can be found on http://www.astandforhope.org/ .

Second Life Birthday Sims Up

A couple days ago, the Newser had gotten a "strange photo," from a source wishing to remain anonymous, about something possibly concerning an upcoming event. Yesterday, a reader contacted the paper (also asking to remain anonymous), asking me to look up "SL13B" on the map. And after I did, it would seem the mystery of the source of the photo was solved.

The sims for the Second Life Thirteenth Birthday, seventeen in number, are up. But forget about getting any sneak peeks. They're closed to all but a presumed few.

Details are still forthcoming on the theme of the upcoming anniversary in June, one of the biggest yearly events in Second Life. It's unclear on the extend of Linden Lab's involvement as they dropped all support of the event several years ago but over the last few have expressed increased interest in taking at least a small part in the celebrations. All we can say is it'll be an exciting and fun time.

Press Release: Stand UP! The Best DJ on the Grid Competition

The Best DJ on the Grid Competition is a Relay for Life of Second Life event that reflects A Stand for Hope’s desire to reach out to the music industry for the best of the best.

Are you the best DJ on the Grid? Do you know someone who is?  Let us know! 

Who benefits?  We ALL do. We get to hear great music and we financially support the American Cancer Society’s programs through the Relay for Life of Second Life.

The numbers:  4 weekends, 8 DJs, 3 judges and innumerable kiosks. 

Save These Dates! March 12-13, 19-20, 26-27, April 2–3, 2016
(on each day the competition runs from 11am to 3pm SLT) All dates will be streamed to the Grid and beyond courtesy of Claw Radio.


Stand UP! is sponsored by: Xtreme Designs, Allure and Allure 360

Only one DJ will be named the winner. The DJs scores will be a combination of 5 judged criteria and successful fundraising for the Relay for Life of Second Life. The winner will receive a prize package containing $L25,000, gift cards, a custom DJ intro, a custom jacket and more!

You can find the DJ application here: http://www.astandforhope.org/#!blank/wm97p  
A Stand For Hope has partnered with: PENUMBRA, Claw Radio, SL Live Radio, Miss SL Magazine, Shiny Shaby, and Model SL Magazine

Contact: Ariel Goldrozen in world or at astandforhope@gmail.com