RFL Announcement: Relay Kiosks Reset To Offseason As "Wild For A Cure" Ends

 **Relay For Life 2026 is one for the books!** 

As of **July 1**, all Relay For Life kiosks have been reset, and all new donations will now benefit the **American Cancer Society's General Fund

Our  2026  Relay season was truly phenomenal, raising an incredible **L$391,443**!

You've helped create **real change** and **real hope** for everyone impacted by cancer. Every donation, every event, has made a meaningful difference.   Thank you for making this another unforgettable Relay year.  We are deeply grateful for our community!  

Fantasy Faire Ends

 

 It's been a great twenty days. But all good things come to an end. And aside from staff and those who remained in the sims after Midnight (or perhaps logged in when you were last at one of the sims soon after Midnight), the Fairelands are now closed to the general public. The 2026 Fantasy Faire is now officially over. And once the sims fade away, all that will be left are the items in our inventory, the screenshots we took, and memories. 

 

People in the Fantasy Faire group are continuing to chat, about the good times they had, the sights they saw, the items they got and found a place for, and more. And it will likely keep going for many days. I've talked to a few Relayers who have somewhat mixed feelings about the Faire, as it means smaller crowds for team events while it takes place. There's also that those with slower computers often have to wait until the evening to avoid the crowds, and lag. But practically everyone who's been at the Faire has fun with the sights, events, and/or shopping.

 

This year's Faire will be known for a few things, the "Children of Stories" roleplay in which a character died a heroic death, the Fairelands Quest with a faithful goat companion in which you try to get a sacred forest going with a single seed. Sadly though, this Faire had a shadow over it, the sudden departure of Patch Linden who many here saw as a friend and supporter. 

 

For most Relayers, it's time to move on to another few weeks for team events, then focus turns to the Relay Weekend on June 13 and 14. For other residents, there's also the Bay City parade and Second Life Birthday, followed by the Fourth of July and the remaining summer months. But for the core fans of the Fantasy Faire, while some other events are still fun, there's nothing quite like those magical two weeks in late April and early May. And they'll look back on the last one fondly while looking forward to the next one. 

 

Safe and exciting travels, Fairelanders,

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

 

*Update* The Faire raised a total of 23,914,480 Linden dollars.  

 

The Vanishing of A Continent: Gaeta 1 To Be Phased Out By End of 2026

 

 For the first time, Linden Lab will be doing away with one of the Mainland continents. 

 

On Wednesday, the Lab announced "A new chapter for Mainland."  The plan was to open 90 sims on the Zindra continent, which has not yet been finished, while the residents of Gaeta 1 are being asked to move. The reason the Lab gave was that "Adult mainland continues to operate at very high occupancy and shows consistent demand. At the same time, some General and Moderate mainland areas, including Gaeta 1, have seen lower overall use over time." And so rather than simply just raise the number of sims on Zindra, they made the decision to adjust "existing capacity to better reflect where Residents are most active today."

 

The Lab went on to say the change will start this month, April, expected to finish by "the end of 2026," and there are no plans to close other Mainland areas. They did say the change was to start "early April," but it was already the 15th when they made their announcement.

 

 Of the Second Life Mainland areas, Gaeta 1 and Zindra are distinguished by each having unfinished look. Of Gaeta 1, the southeast and east central areas were never completed. It's north of the Mainland northeast of Bellisseria, but not connected to it by sea sims, and distinguished by it's small size, 141 sims, smaller than a few private sim continents, and large amounts of abandoned land. The SL Wiki describes the land as being created in June 2008, with the north added a little later. 

 

The Yavascript pod tours gave the reason for the unfinished business as,  "Much of the land around here was being prepared for sale, as SL was expanding, in 2009, but as land supply exceeded demand, it stopped. ... In more recent years, mainland has become more popular, especially alongside roads and by water. Nonetheless, this continent was still never finished, as can clearly be seen from the shape of the map."

 

One other detail, the SL Wiki described Gaeta as the most underpopulated continent.  

 

 

The other unfinished continent, Zindra, is more famous for being the Adult-rated Mainland continent: All the sims are Adult-rated. The first of its land appeared in 2009, "and continued a few years later" according to the SL wiki. But development stopped before the southeast was finished. 

 

Besides that the buildings and the signs on the map show residents are free to explore their sexual sides, other than the unfinished corner the land is distinguished by a larger size than Gaeta, 348 sims, and for some reason being placed *far* away to the right of the other mainland sims. 

 

And it's the second most crowded of the Mainland continents, second only to Heterocera, with little abandoned land and high land prices. 

 

Two threads appeared in the forums about the topic, one in the Land forums by Linden Lab, the other in the General Discussion Forum. Naturally, there were a number of objections. 

 

"... being a many year resident of Gaeta I's lovely north coast. Nukeing Geata to create an expanded area of adult regions (which is also disconnected) doesn't make any sense to me. None of Geata I is adult at the moment and it's not clear to me that there's a shortage of adult parcels, so I'm not sure what problem this is actually solving."

 

"I am one of two landscapers, developers, and managers for Bimini Falls, a growing community sim that currently spans over 14 regions on Gaeta. Bimini Falls has been a long-term project that has taken over a year and a half of continuous landscaping, design, and development to reach its current state. The owner has invested significantly throughout this time, purchasing additional land multiple times as the community expanded and evolved. It is also important to recognize that the foundation of this work began long before my sister (the other landscaper) and I joined the project a year and a half ago. In total, this represents years of creative development, planning, and ongoing refinement. The financial investment from the owner—covering land purchases, upkeep, development costs, and our compensation—has been substantial. What makes this situation especially difficult is that Bimini Falls is not something that could simply be rebuilt elsewhere. Starting from scratch in a new location would require another one to two years of intensive work just to reach its current level of development, and even then, it would never truly be the same. The unique character, flow, and history built into the current regions cannot be replicated. In addition, there would be a significant loss of income from renters during the entire rebuilding process, further compounding the financial impact on the community and its owner. This situation is incredibly heartbreaking and deeply upsetting for everyone involved, as so much time, effort, and passion has been poured into bringing Bimini Falls to life." 

 

"As a former Gaeta I tenant who still has affection and nostalgic memories of Gaeta I, I think its utterly shameful and a backwards move by LL that will have Residents in Gaeta I and the other Mainland continents worried and fearing for the future. Why not just keep Gaeta I as it is and where it is now? Why are LL being so heartless? Is it just a case of in order to complete Zindra, another entire continent must be sacrificed for it? Unacceptable. Just no." 

 

"So wrecking a G or M rated community in Gaeta1 (which had been there 17 years) is totally fine with you, if it benefits an Adult rated community in Zindra?"

 

"Despite what is said in the reading, it feels like a small scale tester for a larger scale version later. The writing appears to be on the wall for mainland change and not the good kind." 

 

Some were open to the idea, "Optimally it'd be better if LL could finish both continents, but idk if the demand is there for more M regions with so much abandoned land on M continents, meanwhile Zindra's basically full. So... yeah. IMO this is a no-brainer, as long as existing landowners in Gaeta 1 have some way of recovering their investment." '

 

"This action will not be taken because they have nothing else to do during their working days.
The Lab has to get rid of parts of the grid that are running at a loss month after month and try to keep SL appealing for the vast majority of users I recon." 

 

"Zindra is so fugly it baffles me what would drive a non-land hogger person to the point of insanity where they'd voluntarily buy and stay and use land there." 

 

Prokofy Neva would comment, "Watch Gaeta land prices go up so you can get a free transfer to Zindra which will go for a fortune if landscaped." 

 

 Derrick Linden would answer the concerns, "Given the sizable amount of unowned mainland, increasing our overall mainland footprint isn't really something that's in the cards right now. After careful review, this felt like our best opportunity to shift some of our existing mainland resources for the long-term health of the mainland overall."

 

The Lab anticipated there would be lots of questions, and scheduled a Town Meeting for Monday April 20 at 11 AM at Town Hall Island1 (241/15/29). 

 

Stay tuned foe more information on this developing, and major, story.

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

 

VWPBE Conference Ends (Officially)

 

 After three days of discussions, the Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education conference, the VWBPE officially ended on Saturday evening. The closing ceremony was at 5PM and an evening dance from 6 to 8 PM. But there were a few events on the program afterwards, including March 27 and 31. There's also one on April Fools Day. 

 

While the Newser could not be at all of the Discussions, it was at some, such as "Catching Up With The Lindens." We'll report more when time permits.

 

For those who want to visit the grounds, including some activity areas, https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Grasslands%20Gateway/128/123/23 .

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

 

Commentary: ABC Downfall Leaves Many Unhappy Customers, May Cloud Future of Breedables

 

 Breedables have been a fun and interesting part of Second Life's history. The pets bring activity to someone's otherwise static parcel. People can come up with interesting coat patterns when breeding them. And then there's the events with some such as auctions and with horses racing. 

But trouble seems to follow them. With the first breedable to make it big, the Sion chicken, if they ever got returned to your inventory, they could up and die. Ozimals would sue Amereto, claiming the horse breedables company copied some of their code. People with any breedable could occasionally be harassed by neighbors who claimed the scripts caused lag. 

And there was the chance that the company could up and close. Most notably was when Ozimals did in 2017. And there was also Biobreeds in 2022. But when both companies closed, there were efforts to preserve the virtual critters they made and sold over the years. 

 

But in the latest controversy, at Awesome Breed Creations, the horse owners have been left high and dry with broken critters. 

Why?

Malkavyn Eldritch and Ozzie Drucker and their teammates could have just walked away. But they didn't. They had a love of what they created, which they shared with their customers, and made an effort to make sure their creations would live on. As of the writing of this article, there has been no such effort from ABC's owner Stephanie Merrienboer, or so much as a word. And from what I've heard, this person hasn't either paid or spoken to her team as well. 

This leads to a couple bad possibilities, either something happened to the owner so she's unable to do anything, or she "took the money and ran."

Of the scriptor Sentire Bravin, there was one notable detail. In his farewell message, he mentioned "I am actively working toward establishing my own company to continue delivering the quality and reliability you have come to expect from me and my team within the breedable horse community." But breaking the products on your way out the door of the place you used to work at isn't exactly the best way to endear yourself to one's most likely future customers. 

If nothing gets done at all, this will likely have repercussions down the road. Before, the previous two closings gave the impression that if the worst happened, your pets might not be able to breed any more but they'd still be functional. The shutting down of ABC is giving the impression of "let the buyer beware." People inclined to get breedables would get fewer, that is if they were inclined at all. I have heard of people passing up breedable pets to get lasting ones at companies such as Teegle. While they don't reproduce, they don't get hungry or get sick, or glitch out if something happens to the company. These businesses will likely benefit from the ABC mess. 

What is known is there are many, perhaps many hundreds of ABC horse owners, frustrated, saddened, and likely some heartbroken as all the time and effort they've invested and in the end ending up with broken pets with no prospect for a fix.

Bixyl Shuftan.

Second Life Book Club to End.

 

 

After some years, the Second Life Book Club, hosted by Draxtor Despres, will be coming to a close. Last night, Draxtor announced the news.  The final show will be November 9 at 3PM SL time.

 

 Alright folks, most everybody should know by now but the SL Book Club is closing its doors. I HOPE LL will not take down the 4 islands, fingers crossed. One last hang is the GRAND FINALE on 11/09 = https://youtube.com/live/adWq3kTmtbA = keep an eye on the blog as well https://draxtor.substack.com/ + the group will be changed to DRAX DOCUMENTARY NEWS soonish

 

In group chat, Draxtor would go on say the reason for no longer hosting the show was economic. He simply couldn't go on doing so for free, not just upkeep for the sims, but time and money helping the authors prepare for the show, including thousands of Lindens for custom avatars, now that he was no longer being supported by Linden Lab. 

 

But this wasn't the end of Draxtor's endevors. He would go back to doing documentaries about Second Life.

The Fantasy Faire Sims Fade Away

 

 

 While the Fantasy Faire officiallly ended on Sunday May 7, the sims remained open one more day, Monday May 8. Another day to shop. One more day to finish the Fairelands Quest and the smaller quests. And one more day to explore the sims. In the Sambeaubee sim however, there was a semi-official event, "The Final Ravedown." 

 No events today, just peaceful coexistence in harmony and happiness and hanging out in the Fairelands, perhaps a bit of yoga and some tea and- HOW DID THAT GET HERE, HIDE IT BEFORE SOMEONE SEES!

 

 

 DJ Nancy (Madonna Milena) was among those playing music at the Ravedown, which had over 120 packing the sim when I dropped by. Supposedly it lasted for a total of ten hours before the crowd finally dispersed.

The Ravedown wasn't the only interesting thing that day. Charlee Amethyst and I would run across our share of interesting people and sights.

Sadly, this year there would be only one day after the official ending to enjoy the sims. Some time after Midnight SL time, the sims closed to the public, becoming inaccessible to most.

The Fairelands are now closed and preparing for their return to the Mists. Thank you all for being a part of the 15th Age of the Faire! We laughed, cried, and loved. We shopped, adventured, and partied. We restored the heart of Nova Nadiya and rejoiced as the Children of Stories defeated the Witch and broke the Shadow Curse. We also raised our 15 year Faire total in support of the global programs of the American Cancer Society to over 750,000usd! Congratulations to you all!

And so, the Fantasy Faire of 2023 is truly over, having raised 29,884,100 Linden dollars  or $119,536 USD. But there are the numerous pictures taken, such as those in the Faire's Flicker page (https://www.flickr.com/groups/fantasyfairesl/pool/). But there are also the happy memories of people. 

But for the Relay fundraising season, this isn't the end. The three-day Relaystock music Festival starts tomorrow. There are other events this month. And of course there is the Relay Weekend next month.

Go Relay!

Bixyl Shuftan

The SL19B Sims Close to The Public

After being open for almost a month, the sims of the Second Life Birthday are now closed to regular visitors (baring a last minute glitch). While the last night the area is open usually is the scene of some impromptu music and dance parties, this time that wasn't the case. There were plenty of people checking out the "Shop and Hop" sims, but no DJs playing music that I could see.

For today and tomorrow is the "Takedown" or teardown when the exhibitors take down their builds. And then on Wednesday, only the Lindens and Moles will be able to access the sims as they close down, at least until next spring for the SL20B. 

Bixyl Shuftan
 

"All Good Things ..." Fairelands Sims Close This Evening

 

It's been lots of fun. But sadly the party has to come to a close. And sometime tonight after being online since Thursday April 21, the Fairelands sims of the Fantasy Faire will close down and soon fade away into the virtual mists from whence they came. Residents have until then to do things such as finish the Fairelands Quest, or explore around. For the Quest, there is an "Express HUD" available to finish it early, but it will cost 5000L.

Zander Greene wrote an interesting commentary of the close, "The Fairelands have to fade, because until they do, we can never process what this time has meant, what was precious about it. That’s where the magic that the Faire is made of comes from. We know that from the opening day, the days are numbered. And in that brief, astonishing time, we revel in their life. And in their passing, we touch upon a grief that is – counter-intuitively – uplifting."

But the passing of the Fantasy Faire isn't the end of the Relay. This Friday the 13th for instance is the Relaystock, and the teams get together for a little peace, love, and rock n' roll until Sunday the 15th. There's the Sunbeamer Air Show later this month on Saturday May 21.  And of course there's the Relay Weekend, Saturday June 11 to Sunday June 12.

For more pictures of the Faire, Click Here. 

Go Relay!

Bixyl Shuftan
 

RFL Home And Garden Events End

 *

The events at the Relay For Life's Home and Garden Expo ended at 8PM Sunday night, March 20, with a fireworks show over the main stage in Hope 1. For over three weeks, the stage had seen many performers on stage, with other sims hosting auctions, discussions, contests, and of course shopping. 

Earlier at 4PM was the last of the Lantern Ceremonies, in honor of those lost in the battle with cancer. 

In the ceremonies, numerous paper lanterns floated to the sky (picture from Cynthia Farshore). 

Store (and media) owners were told, "We officially close at 11.59pm tonight. However the regions often remain for a couple days after official closing.  So if you want to leave things in place until the regions evaporate feel free to do so, but remember to take any no copy items from your display ASAP please."

And for those taking part, there was this little gift.

We are honored to have been involved with so many kind and generous people. Expo has, as always, been a wonderful experience and the beginning of many new friendships.  

Through all the hard work, dedication and generosity, you have all made this event so very special,  meaningful and a true example of what can be achieved through Second Life.

So from us all once again, thank you for all your efforts.

While the sims should be up for a couple more days for further shopping, the RFL Home & Garden Expo is over. But the Relay season goes on. The various Relay teams are having their events. And a month from now, the Fantasy Faire begins on Thursday April 21.

Go Relay!

Bixyl Shuftan
 

Arcadia Asylum Library in Sunweaver Estates Closing

 

Some sad news for the fans of the Arcadia Asylum Library in HV Community, just down the road from the Newser office. The building will soon be closing. Possibly as soon as today.

Earlier Prof. Grey (BrianL61 Landar) had announced the upcoming end of the place.

Dear Friends,

    It saddens me to announce that the Sunweaver branch of the Arcadia Asylum Library and freebie center will be closing on Februrary 1st 2021.

Due to Real Life demands the $1000.00 U.S. Dollars I spend each year in world must now be diverted to home repair and maintenance.

Eventually, someone approached Prof. Grey about the upcoming close, Cynthia Farshore. Yesterday, Wednesday January 27, I met up with them at the Arcadia building and they told me about the plans they had made. Prof Gray told me, "I'm shutting down this location and have turned over control of Anilis to another curator. In real life, my father in law (85) is starting chemo and the money i would spend in Second Life is needed in real life. ... He's a tough old goat, he'll make it through this."

As for what happens to the freebie store, Cynthia informed, "I am about to rebuild the old Puddle Jumper (mall) back on the (Farshore) airfield. So one section will be the Library. The new build will have a center lobby and wings opposite each over. One side is the freebie the other various sellers. So there will be a gap but in the end the freebies will still be around." She had plans for the items other than just the Sunweaver lands, "Also I'll have to check but hopefully I can also add the freebies to the Emporium in Caledon.

Prof. Grey added, "With a selection of 9487 free items she can rotate the goodies when ever she wants and keep it fresh, so to speak. Hazelee Haller is the new owner of Anilis Library she is expanding her current land holding and will be relocating Anilis to that sim. I will be taking this location down starting tomorrow (Thursday January 28) most likely."

Eventually, Prof. Gray had to check up on his father-in-law, and had to go. And so that may have been the last time I set foot in the Sunweaver Arcadia building, of which some of Gray's builds across the road have made the Newser a few times. While the Arcadia Asylum Library may be going away, the freebies will remain as part of another store.

Bixyl Shuftan

Urban Furry Club to Close

 Sad news for fans of the Urban Furry club. The Newser was recently informed the city-themed venue will close at the end of the month. The final event will be on Saturday January 30.

It's a sad duty when it comes to having to announce the closing of a great club. Sadly, Urban Furry will be closing after Jan 30. DJane Maliit will be the closing DJ that night. Please, come out, show support and help Whiskey turn the lights out one final time in a great SL furry club that will surely be missed by all. I hope to see you all there.

DJ Maliit would say of this last event, "We want to shut this place down with the sim crashing there are so many people saying good bye."

The Newser first heard about the venue owned by Whiskey (Thorrin Resident) in Summer 2018. It made news that year for it's "Furry Prom" event, taking part in the FCA Halloween Club Crawl, and it's winter area. But the club would close it's doors in March 2019. About a year and a half later, it would reopen in July 2020. It would make some news in the winter for it's Christmas globe and taking part in the FCA New Year's Eve Club Crawl.

 http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Empire%20State%20Island/75/59/3544

Bixyl Shuftan

Palmwood City to Close

 

In May 2019, the Newser wrote about Palmwood City, "a thriving furry Second Life community themed around a 'retrowave' city aesthetic." Sadly, we were just informed Palmwood will soon be closing down. Jimmy Talon stated the following:

I know this may not be the most shocking thing to hear given how quiet things have been for a while now but still having to put it in writing officially does give it some weight.

To put it plainly I do not want to run this project any more. It requires a lot of time, effort, energy, and patience that I have not possessed for a few years now. Not only that but the fluctuating costs of adding expansions, updating buildings, and maintaining a strong presence in Second Life can sometimes be too much for a guy who doesn't have alot of spare money to begin with. Palmwood has always sustained on a break even business model which can only stay good for so long before things just add up and people lose interest.

I’m glad I’ve been able to make friends and meet cool people through this project over the years but I’ve been less and less active in Second Life as the years have gone by due to work, school, and also just simply not relying on it for a bulk of my social life as I did when I was younger.
Much of this is coming from personal reasons. It's not a project that excites me anymore and I’ve sadly just lost all passion and aspiration for it. But even then the technical issues have also begun to show their ugly head as years have gone by. Things I could have done better, things I just didn’t think were important at the time but definitely were, etc. Palmwood was always kind of a pretty sim first and everything else an afterthought. That only gets you so far.

I’m sure it would be possible to find help and get things running in a positive direction again before turning in my keys. Sadly that won’t happen overnight and would require me to stay invested in the project for an indefinite amount of time longer before turning it over to a person or group who may or may not stick with it and that just seems like it would be more borrowed time from my perspective.

So on January 16th, 2021, we will no longer accept money for the remaining rentals in Palmwood and let the sim be re-claimed by the covenant its hosted by.

I’m sorry to everyone this comes as sad news to. All good things come to an end sometime.

Jimmy did say he was "working on a smaller, more manageable and less involved project in the spirit of Palmwood" with the help of some fans, "Thank you for almost 5 long years of fun. It’s been a ride."

Hat Tip: Cyfir (Cyfiremmerich Resident)

Linden Endowment of the Arts Set to Close August 31

In what can only be described as a stunning development for artists and supporters of the arts in Second Life, the Linden Endowment for the Arts is set to close down on the last day of August.

The Committee of the Linden Endowment for the Arts regrets to inform residents of Second Life that the LEA regions will be closing at the end of August 2019.

In November 2018, the Committee decided that the best way forward was for the members to step down, and allow Linden Lab to revamp or re-organise the program, with new members if they wished. At that time, the bi-annual Land Grant (the AIR regions) were shuttered. A small number of the Committee stayed on to administer the Core regions until the remaining grant commitments ran their course.  Those grants are now coming to an end, and therefore the LEA will be closed at the end of August 2019

The Linden Endowment for the Arts (LEA) was established to help create a center of arts activity in Second Life. It was founded in 2010 and launched its first events in 2011. For the last eight years, it has been a collaborative venture between Linden Lab and the arts community. Guided initially by a board of renowned Second Life artists and more latterly also bringing in people with a strong interest in promoting the Arts in Second Life, the LEA has been committed to providing access to engaging experiences in the arts for the Second Life community. Over the last eight years, through its exhibitions, programs, and events, the LEA has fostered awareness of artists’ contributions to our virtual world and encouraged others to get involved and be inspired.

It has long been divided into two parts; The Core Regions and the Artists in Resident Regions.

The LEA Land Grant (the AIR Regions) was a program to distribute 20 regions (LEA10 - LEA29) generously donated by Linden Lab. These regions were used to promote art and artistic endeavors in Second Life. Full regions of virtual land were made available to in-world artists through an application process. The AiR Land Grant was a 6 month grant.

The LEA Land Grant was shuttered by Linden Lab in January 2019 at the request of the LEA Committee, pending decisions on the future of the LEA.

The Core regions  (LEA1- LEA9)  hosted a variety of artistic events and installations for a three month period. The Core regions included a Welcome Area, a four region theatre, a sandbox for artists, and partial and full regions that could be used for the three month period, with a great emphasis on community art events.

This program will be closing at the end of August when all the regions will be shuttered by Linden Lab at the request of the Committee.

The Committee wishes to express its gratitude and deep respect for the artists of Second Life, whose work they have been privileged to support over the last eight years. We hope that in time Linden Lab will be able to create a new program that will continue their support of the arts in Second Life.

Any questions concerning the Linden Endowment for the Arts should be addressed to PatriciaAnne Daviau or JMB Balogh.

The  Linden Endowment for the Arts Committee:
PatriciaAnne Daviau, JMB Balogh, LaPiscean Liberty, Jayjay Zifanwe
Advisors:  The Dove Rhode and Corcosman Voom


Until recently, there were many more LEA sims. But in November 2018, it was announced 19 of the 29 then were closing down as part of "restructuring" of the LEA.

Saffia Widdershins invited me to talk to her for a few minutes. She stated Linden Lab had nothing to do with the LEA closing down. If anything, they wanted it to keep going. But the LEA Committee "were pretty much burned out." After inviting a number of people to join the Committee, and being refused, they had decided to step down so a fresh start could take place.

Saffia told me this wasn't necessarily the end of the LEA. It could still be saved in some form, "But the initiative needs to come from the arts community. They need to pull together and create a workable proposal (or several proposals) for the Lab."

Inara Pey had a number of things to say on her blog, "As was pointed out to me after I wrote the article on the 2018 restructuring announcement, running any organisation like the LEA is going to be a thankless task; there is no remuneration for time given, there is always going to be hostility over actions taken and the grants awarded, and so on; it really can be a thankless task. ...

"However, there can be no doubting then when all is said and done, the LEA did a tremendous amount of good for the artists who participated in its programmes, offering many the means to express themselves and reach audiences in a manner that might never otherwise been able to achieve.

"While the LEA many have had its warts and at times had to face undue criticism, it has through its nine years of existence been a force for good for those arts who have been able to make use of its facilities and it has certainly helped enriched art within Second Life and allow many to appreciate work and installations they might otherwise never get to see. So, it’s not unfair to say its passing will be missed."

So will the LEA be saved, or will this chapter of the history of the arts in Second Life come to a close? Stay tuned for more details.

Bixyl Shuftan

St. John Estate to Close, Owner Gabrielle Riel to "Semi-Retire" From Second Life

On December 28, the residents living in the St. John Estate got an announcement from the owner, Gabrielle Riel. She had made the decision to close the sims and "semi-retire" from Second Life due to pressures in real life demanding her attention.

"I am closing the whole estate because my real life demands my full focus now. I am not going to have time to manage any sims, even a few," she stated in her blog, "for the foreseeable future I will just log in to Second Life to play my gigs, which are Songs from The Nightingale on the first Sunday of the month, The Temple on the first Thursday of the month and The Rosehaven Ball on the second Saturday of the month. I will also play gigs for hire according to my availability.

"I don’t see myself logging in for any other reasons than that for now. Second Life stopped being social for me over 10 years ago and I don't really have the desire to just log in and be social. Plus, 2017 killed the joy I had in certain types of social interactions in SL. I dealt with too much ugly, too much crazy, too much toxic, too much loss, too much abandonment, too much disappointment and too much grief.

"The reality is that I have barely been in Second Life since July and I have come to accept the fact that that is just the way things are now due to my real life. ...Change is hard, but just as The Universe hit me over the head in 2013 to tell me it was time to create St John, it hit me over the head, then dropped a ton of bricks on me in 2017 to tell me it was time to let St John go. It’s time for me to let a lot of things go. It’s time for me to walk a new path. "

The sims will be closing one at a time, from January 5 to January 30

Friday January 5 - Bayou St John
Sunday, January 14 - St John Woods
Tuesday, January 16 - Lake St John
Tuesday, January 23 - St John Parish
Tuesday, January 23 - St John Maurepas
Tuesday, January 23 - St John (Uptown)
Tuesday, January 30 - St John Islands

Some of the sims will be available for sale, but Gabrielle stated, "however keep in mind that I am clearing the sims. I won’t sell any of the sims with the builds or landscaping. The buyers will also need to move and rename the sims."

Gabrielle's Radio Riel will remain up and running. Although the community newsletter the St. John Intelligencer (http://stjohnintelligencer.tumblr.com/) will remain up, it will no longer be updated.

Hat Tip: Inara Pey

Source: Songs From the Nightingale

Bixyl Shuftan

"Fade It To Black," Insilico Announces It's Sims Will Soon Close

For the second time this year, the Insilico cyberpunk region and roleplay community is facing the end. But this time, there may be no reprieve.

Insilico is not new, but has been around for over eight years. Last year, Second Life Newser did a review of the roleplay and area. But in March of this year, it's controversial owner Skills Hak was banned by Second Life by Linden Lab, and the sims offlined. Thanks to negotiations behind the scenes, the sims were transferred to administrator Abeus Madruga and had a new lease on virtual life.

Unfortunately, the damage was done, and the area which had been able to cover it's costs before began bleeding red ink, Abeus stating in the announcement, "a combination of losses that have slowly eroded away: Malls are drying up, Skills’ MP sales disappearing, fewer long term residential rentals, etc." While people in the roleplay were able to cover the deficits out of their pockets for a while, this month it was finally too great.

So, we had to make a decision. Either make a drastic reduction to just two sims (a full region and a homestead), or close InSilico as a whole while we are still in a position to do so on our own terms. After a lot of discussion and soul searching with the current staff and some players (and a lot of antacids), we’ve opted for the latter…to go out whole. 

This is a very hard choice for us, and not one that we’ve come to lightly. Even though it might be possible to survive as just two sims, the technical aspects of that were daunting. ... we just weren’t entirely confident ourselves that we could make it work in such a short amount of time. We also didn’t want to have to keep turning to the community for donations to keep us afloat during that process…but certainly the one thing we didn’t want was to go through all of this, and then find ourselves back in this same position 2, 3, 4 months down the line. We don't want to wither away, slowly or not.

Perhaps it’s just a sign of the times, the state of things in general, or our age and reputation that have brought us to this point. Maybe we should have dropped a couple regions from the start…Either, any, or…it doesn’t really matter now. We have chosen to come to a close with InSilico as it is now, intact and committed to our memories in the same way. It’s a sacrifice, but not one of compromise.

As I said in my previous (albeit premature) Goodbye/Love letter to InSilico during the lockout…We’ve had some good times, even some great times. 9 years’ worth of stories that will continue to transcend the sims on which they were told…I couldn’t ask for anything more than that as a legacy.

We still have the sims until the end of their respective tiers. Central and South will be dropped on the 28^th/1st, but East and South East will remain until November 17^th …after which they too will go their separate ways. The Ning will hang on for a while longer after that, but for how long I cannot say as we don’t have access to the creator account. In the meantime, continue RPing and taking in the sites. Enjoy it while you can. Take pictures, tell war stories, have a party. ICly the city isn’t going anywhere, even if the sims are. We aren’t blowing it up or tanking it…we’re just going to fade to black so it can continue to exist in your imaginations and stories.

There were a number of comments following the post, among them, "it was always nice knowing Insilco kept on. It’s been real, but even the best parties end…or get broken up by the police…or burn down when Mike accidentally sets the curtains on fire." "I dare say it was never perfect, and it had its bitter moments; but my time here won't ever be forgotten. I have memories here that I am truly truly fond of and are the prime reason cyberpunk has blossomed to become my favourite genre. For my first and most cherished experience with role-play and story-telling, for helping me discover cyberpunk, and for the friendship when perhaps I needed it the most, ..."  "The city will always represent something beautiful, like a distant memory that is not easy to part with. I've met a lot of amazing people here, as Cora stated as before me, and we built a very nice community that kept going for a while. It was my first SL RP and it helped me see a great many things. My experience here is unforgettable, unique in a way, every angle I was involved with was truly an inspiration, it helped me go deeper into my own development and I know it helped others to do the same. I'll miss it, for that memory it is, for that one time years ago that made me smile... And even to this day, continues to do so. ... Thank you for the memories."

And so, another noted region and the home of a equally noted roleplay, is facing the end.

Hat Tip: Hamlet Au 

Bixyl Shuftan

The Relay Wrap-Up

It was the end of another successful season for the Relay for Life. 2016 "Once Upon a Cure" had seen many events and millions of Linden dollars raised to help the American Cancer Society. Now it was time to bring the season to an official close with awarding some individuals and teams for their efforts, announcing the theme for next season, and give overall congratulations for a job well done. For one certain reporter, there was a surprise at this year's Wrap-Up.

Read the story in Events.

Second Life's Mont Saint Michel to Close

Another noted sim in Second Life will soon be closing. Moeka Kohime, the builder and owner of Mont Saint Michel, which Becky Shamen listed as one of the top ten places to visit on the Grid, announced on her Flickr page that the location would be going away for "economic" reasons.

Going about the place, it was very well detailed. Much like the real-life Mont Saint Michael, which has served as an abbey, fortress, and prison, it has been a popular attraction with residents frequently dropping by. Many have left some of their screenshots on the location's  Flickr page where various residents have posted over a hundred pictures of the location.

The island also has an old blog with a few pictures, but has not been updated in years. 

To get to the place before it closes, head to Mont Saint Michel (104/29/21).

Hat tip: Hamlet Au

More on Steelhead's Closing

Of the situation at Steelhead, Lunar made the announcement through his alt Steelhead, as his main account, Totallunar Eclipse, is locked out of Second Life due to a dispute with Linden Lab. He gave the words at the Town Hall meeting on Tuesday Sept 1, "There has been a great deal of talk about my absence and I wanted to go over that with you. Earlier this year my mother had a brain anueyrism. Well that surgery went extremely well and the doctor was suprised and pleased at her results. Then about a month ago she had a stroke, and that didn't go so well. She's not going to bounce back from that. Also its no secret my wife left me nearly a year ago. But the past three weeks have been.... interesting to say the least. A few life changing decisions have been put before me. Big ones having to do with my future, my school, and my career. People who know me know that I love my job managing a tax office. I am giving that up. I am maintaining my job as an analyst, that was a really hard choice, REALLY HARD choice."


"Another choice before me was... Steelhead. I have maintained Steelhead for the past eight to nine years. The past year I have financially maintained her, telling you how much a month would just be counteractive. But let's just say its a lot."

"... I have given this decision a great deal of thought. That's why I have been scarce. I am not happy to announce that I am closing Steelhead. I am drowning in a lot of RL stuff. Yes, all of it. It's been a financial burden of over 400/month. I have thought of downsizing but I have been... well been a bit told that if I do that people would leave, people will be upset over it. (And) I can't sell it if my avatar is locked ... Like I said, I spend a lot of my own money to keep it maintained. My car is dead and I am looking to purchase a house. It's not an easy choice. Sincerely this is not. But I can't maintain it, my health, my family's health, my finances, and for myself."

"I had wanted to downsize and rename it, but it was met with... hesitation. The end of September she will be either gone off the grid or will be in queue to do so. I will refund what I can to those who have put in several weeks of rent. I hope that when I am in a more stable place that I will return and start over. Steelhead will have a big place in my heart. You understand the special place it has for me. Thank you, truly. For making this the best nine years of my life."

"I will contact everyone who has land individually and we will go over some things. I have not contacted any other sim owners, but I will contact Selena and Tenk if you wish to stay in the 'theme.' But we'll blow all the sh*t up before the end, ne?"

"I am not disbanding the group. I think that'll be something I couldn't rightfully do. ... if we can find another place to hold the school then I wouldn't mind staying an instructor. ... This weekend I'll contact everyone, so whoever has land will be hearing from me. This is really hard for me, like I said I spent a very long time going over every possibility of how I could salvage this."

The responses to Lunar/Steelhead were of sadness and words of support, "Steelhead will always have a big place in our hearts, even if it's no longer here." "Steelhead will never truly be gone, if there's no physical presence it will still live on in our hearts. We are Steelhead." "We're as much family as we are community, and I'm certain I'm not the only one here who supports whatever decision you make and your need to take care of your own RL troubles." "We all only wish the best for you. Lunar-Cat." "You have to do what is best for you. Even something as sad as this." "We can all still stay in touch that way and still have a more floating community through it."

Fuzzball Ortega himself commented, "I've been here longer than anyone, save for Lumi. I don't think it's worth Lunar's typist to go through all the trouble to keep it maintained. Steelhead will live on, and we'll always be Steelhead. That's one thing folks can't take from us. Just won't be on a sim."

The talk went on as to how they could continue certain events, such as the school classes. "The school should be easy to do as a floating sort of thing. Field trips already take us outside." "Caledon has no school at the moment. It should be easy to find a place there to hold sessions." " Perhaps talk to Tenk about a school house? I mean, the urchins will likely burn it, but.." "They've blown up schools in Babbage before." "The Babbage urchins burned down the last schoolhouse anyone dared to hold there."

Willow expressed a wish to salvage the Nevermoor sim if at all possible, "I don't think I can find a place to locate the Green Fairy." Someone offered, "We'll find some way to help you find a place, Willow."

Lunar/Steelhead went on, "I have nothing more I can say beyond that. I love this community, it's more family to me than my own in RL. And I truly mean that. This has been the best eight years of my life. I have learned ALOT and grown a great deal as an individual. And you've all been fantastic, truly.  I will return. Well, I won't really go anywhere, but I will rebuild. When i am in a better place. I will have my Daybreak, that's the name I wanted to rename Steelhead to. And I will stay a teacher, just tell me where we can huddle together for it."

"But, this decision wasn't made easy you guys are my family. And I thank you for the last nine years. This isn't goodbye. Thank you all. And this won't be the last time I say this but... meeting adjourned."

* * * * *

Besides the community group staying together, Fuzzball Ortega stated the Steelhead Salmons will remain intact as a Relay for Life team. He also announced he had gotten a quarter sim in the d'Aillez Estates, in Template Craze Amore. As for Steelhead's sims, people have come forward with offers to run one or more until Lunar was back on his feet. But because Linden Lab has locked his main account, there isn't a way for Lunar to transfer the sims. So unless the Lab can be persuaded to unlock the accounts, it seems the Steelhead sims are headed for a day of reckoning.

Residents have been going around the sims, taking pictures to preserve the memories, as well as friends and Steampunk fans from outside the area. What ultimately happens to the community remains to be seen. Will those living in the Steelhead Estates find a new home they can call their own, or end up dispersed? Time will tell.

Bixyl Shuftan

Breaking News: Steelhead Estates to Close

The following letter went out to the residents of Steelhead today in the community group.

* * * * *

To Steelhead,

These past few weeks I've been contemplating many live choices that have presented itself to me in RL. Career change, school, poor health, finances, even relationships. Everything just threw itself together until it came to the point where I couldn't juggle one life let alone two.

A decision regarding many things have been set forth. In regards to Steelhead I give you the unhappy news that I am closing her... for good. I had given possibility to downsizing, to rename and retheme and to sell but the only thing I can do is to let her go. I have financially taken over the cost of two sims for the past year, with a dead car and an option to purchase a house of my own I cannot rightfully maintain that.

The sims will be in queue to be offlined by the end of the month. Anyone who has time on meters beyond that I will be getting in touch with you individually over the course of the next few days.

After this I will leave second life for awhile. With a mother who is in very poor health, a demanding job, going to school full time it is best for me. This decision is not lightly made, it took a long time to come up with it. Steelhead is my second home in SL, and my first love. When I am in a better place I will return and we will rebuild. I don't go quietly into the night, and this isn't goodbye... it is 'see you soon.'

Thank you for the past nine years.
- TotalLunar Eclipse

Oh and... we'll be blowing stuff up. :) It's only fitting.