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 BBB Gazette Says Goodbye To Patch

 

A couple days ago on Saturday May 9, there was an article in the  "Gazette," closely associated with the Belliseria Bureau of Bureaucracy. Written by Liberty Fairelander, it was a goodbye to a longtime friend of the BBB, who made news the week before due to his sudden exit from Linden Lab, "Farewell Patch Linden."

 

 From our vantage point, Patch was never just a name on an org chart. He was a builder of worlds. Not in the abstract. Not in a distant, corporate sense — but in a deeply tangible way residents understand; coastlines we walk, homes we love, communities we belong to. Bellisseria did not simply appear one day — it was cultivated, expanded, and protected by vision, persistence, and an uncommon understanding of what residents actually needed. Patch brought all three.

He was a friend to the BBB. He had one of our first passports. We worked alongside him in big and small moments. From major celebrations where he stood with residents as one of us, to quiet conversations that helped shape experiences behind the scenes. He listened, and then he acted. Not symbolically. Practically. That matters more than people sometimes realise. 

 

... Patch showed up. Again and again. For residents. For events. For the community. Whether it was a formal appearance, a colleague’s birthday surprise or a moment of shared laughter at a gathering, he never felt distant from the world he helped steward for nearly twenty years. That’s not something you mandate in a job description. That’s character. That’s commitment.

 

... Patch’s legacy is not a single project or initiative—it is woven into the everyday experience of Second Life® itself. So, from all of us at the Bellisserian Bureau of Bureaucracy—leadership, ambassadors, and bureaucrats — we offer both our gratitude and our respect. Thank you, Patch, for the worlds you helped build, the communities you helped nurture, and the countless moments — seen and unseen — where your work made a difference. Wherever your path leads next, we have no doubt you’ll leave it better than you found it.  

 

The article in it's entirety can be read in The Gazette. 

 

 

 

Announcement: Rosehaven's 19th Anniversary and Farewell Ball

 

 Join us for a formal farewell ball to celebrate nearly two decades of community, memory, and magic.

 

Saturday November 1, 2025 at 12 Noon 

 

Attire: Formal fantasy of any era. Costumes are welcome, but please, no masks this year.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Realm%20of%20Rosehaven/117/26/1860

 

Zooby To Discontinue Support For Prim "Legacy" Babies, Pets

 

Most every longtime resident of Second Life has probably heard the expression "prim baby." These are not child avatars, but virtual babies made to look and act much like real ones. They are not new, but have been around since 2006 when Zooby (Carrie Tatsu) began offering them for anyone wanting to pay the fee. A 2013 article by the Second Life Enquirer explains them in some detail. 

 

When animesh became available, Zooby began developing new babies with this technology and began offering them around 2019. No more of the prim, or "Legacy" babies as they were being called officially were made, the focus now being on newer babies and pets, as her Spotlight interview in 2024 shows. But Zooby continued to support them, as well as the pre-mesh pets made by her. 

 

But a few days ago, there was an announcement from Zooby that the support for the older babies and pets would soon end 

 

We will be phasing out our sculpted legacy products by the end of 2025. This includes:

• Legacy Babies
• Curious Cats and Curious Canines
• Breedable Lemurs
• Trainapet Monkeys

This means you cannot rez them and they will no longer work by 2026.

We will be removing the Breedable Lemurs and Trainapet Monkeys from Market Place and the legacy sim by the end August. We will be removing all other supplies from the legacy sim and Market Place by the end of September.

All legacy sculpted products will be taken offline by January 2026.

Zooby has spent over $13,000 USD just to keep the legacy babies alive even though we stopped selling them in 2019. 

We did this for the community. We kept paying even though we earned barely enough profit to pay for the servers.

Illegal adoption agencies continued to sell the babies even though we stopped.

We believe 6 yrs of support for a product we stopped selling and over $13,000 USD was generous and it is time now to retire these.

Zooby has always done our best to support the community and we are sending out this notice now so there are no surprises next year when we take old sculpted legacy products offline.

Zooby will continue to focus, support, maintain and develop all Zooby Animesh related products. We will keep all Animesh products online until Second Life no longer exists.

We hope you understand that it is time now to move on and look to the future and keep our brand fresh and new.

 

There was nothing in the message of any kind of compensation for the owners of legacy babies and pets. 

 

One owner of a Legacy Zooby baby, wanting to remain anonymous, came to me  She was naturally unhappy about this, "It's not quite as bad to most people as the ABC horse situation but I don't know, to some it may be worse as they are their kids. I have not spent as much as some but I did spend probably 200 USD on clothes, furniture, consumables, and the babies and pets over the years. And I do have sentimental attachment to them. They are not even offering a discount or credit towards any of the animesh, even though they are still selling products related to items will cease function by their choice shortly."

 

What do you the readers think? Do any of you have an older Zooby baby or pet? Feel free to leave comments below.

 

Image Credit: SL Enquirer  

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

 

Island of Misfits About To Close

 

It's a sad event when a community in Second Life is about to lose it's home. And for the Misfits led by FantaC Nymph Alexain (ladyfantaC Resident), this will soon be happening. It was announced in their group that the money to keep the place going is running out, and regular events were closed. While the sim is still up, it won't be for long. The Newser had a few words with FantaC about what's going on.

 

Read more in Places.  

 

Xavier Theibaud's Farewell Party

 

On Sunday August 11, there were two events at the Royal Opera Garnier.  One was the showing of "The Little Prince" at the theater. The other was a farewell party at one of Second Life's longtime residents: Xavier Theibaud. Gemma Cleanslate was there, and had a few things to write about.

 

 Read Gemma's story in Events.

 

Interview With Xavier Thiebaud

 

The Newser recently had a chance to interview Xavier Thiebaud. Xavier has been many things. In another account, he was one of Second Life's first residents in the Beta Grid. He's also been a co-founder of the popular A-List group and been involved in arts and entertainment. But he recently announced he would soon be departing this virtual world. I would meet up with him not long after, and we would talk for a while.

 

Read the interview in People.  

"Goodbye Jasmine" - DJ Jazzy's Last Performance (For Now)

 

The Happy Vixen Beach Club bade farewell to one of it's DJs last weekend: DJ Jazzy/Jasmine Dawn. The giraffe DJ had quite a sendoff, with regulars and old friends coming by to celebrate her time around and wish her well.

Read more in Events. 

Ten Years Ago: The End of "Fluffee"

 

 

It was ten years ago, January 30 2013, that a certain character popular in early 2010s Second Life media gave his farewell. Pooky Amsterdam and Draxtor Despress would release the last of their "Flufee on a Meshion" videos. 

The series, which started in September 7 2011, was a hit. But there was a not so slight problem, pointed out in both the final video, and spelled out by Draxtor in his 2021 interview. Someone else owned the rights to Flufee, and they eventually had different ideas where to take him. So Draxtor and Pooky eventually decided to end the series. 

Tempura Island Closing

 

Some sad news. After fourteen years in operation, The Tempura Island sim is closing. The announcement was given in the sim's group.

After such a long journey of 14 years traveling together in Second life, we made hard decision to close TEMPURA sim.

When opening TEMPURA we could never imagined that will last for so long time.　TEMPURA touched so many hearts and bring amazing memories to everyone　and for that we are deeply glad.

With humbleness and huge grateful we Thank you, to each of you who ever admired, loved and healed,
at TEMPURA.

Tempura is a SIM of love! We say Bye to you, but it's a Welcoming of a new beginning.

May Buddha full your hearts with love and happiness!

Dropping by, I found the area quite picturesque. While it is Japanese-owned, not everything is Japanese-themed. Tempura's largest structure is the palace in the north, which has a large dance ballroom, and a number of places and private rooms for couples. The south had a wooded area, partially green and partially autumn red and orange. In between was a circle of meditation pillows and a tai-chi practice area, both of which were being used when I dropped by at close to midnight SL time. There's plenty to explore, including a few hidden areas.

The sim does have a blog, http://japan-tempura.blogspot.com/, which has a description at the beginning of how things got started in 2008. 

No date has been given for the sim's closing.

To drop by, head to http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/tempura%20island/128/39/33 .

Bixyl Shuftan
 

SL Video: "Angelic Farewell"

 

(Click here if the video does not play)

From Nydia Tungsten on December 5, "We have lost two Angels this year, it is with heavy hearts we bid them farewell. They were loved by many and will be missed by all. Farewell Jessica and Alleara. We should not mourn their loss, but celebrate what they shared with us."
 

April Linden Leaves the Lab

 
Fans of April Linden, the self-described "Gridbun" of Linden Lab, are getting some sad news. On Friday November 5, she announced she was leaving.

Hello Residents!

Today is my last day at Linden Lab. I am gonna let this account go dormant after today. Watching y'all use the things we build in ways we didn't expect (or even know was possible!) has been an amazing joy the last eight years, and I am going to miss it. (heart)

My personal Twitter account is @bunnyhalberd , but I'm not a very exciting person to follow. I live in a small town in rural Washington and mostly just post about the silly things I build in my workshop because I figured they needed to exist.

Thank you for making the last eight years be a wonderful experience! I am very muchly going to miss being on the inside of this wonderful and crazy world that we all build together. (heart)

April's announcement got dozens of replies, including some from noted residents. Prokofy Neva, "Dear April, you left the virtual world a better place than you found it with your devoted work on the cloud migration and all that followed. Good luck on your future projects!" Daniel Voyager, "Thanks for all of your hard work to make Second Life a better place and keeping everyone updated when the grid had downtimes. Good luck for the future." Inara Pey, "Nooooo!! Say it's not true! We need Lindeny Gridbun! Seriously, am saddened to hear you are leaving LL, but wishing you all the very best for the future. Shall add your other account to my Following list!" Will Burns, "You will be missed... teh cute shall go on!" Luca, "April noo! =c will miss April, but best of luck with whatever April's going to do next x3" Caitlin Tobias, "Dear April, I wish you all the best and hope you’ll have fun on your new adventures!" Pantera Polnocy, "Thank you for being the awesome gridbun for all this time. ~"

April Linden joined the Lab in 2013, and became instantly known by her purple Luskwood bunny avatar. She would appear at numerous Bay City events, and others such as the Happy Vixen's Luskwood Tribute Party and just walking down the road at Second Life Birthday events. She eventually rose to the position of operations manager, and would take it upon herself to apologize to the residents when something went very wrong. With the move to "the Cloud," she would occasionally update the residents on the Lab's progress, and about a year ago announced all data from the sims had been transfered over.

In July 2019, April was interviewed along with Oz Linden. April revealed she had originally a regular resident who signed up in 2006, whom still came on using the accound and had a couple regions. She considered Second Life important as she came from a family where certain issues "were not to be discussed," and one could listen and talk about them here. Of maintaining the Grid, she called it a complex job with one "generation" of Lindens building on top of one another year after year, and sometimes the only way to fix things was to take the Grid offline, which she disliked, partially because it kept happening to her so much in her days as a regular resident.

On a more personal note, April Linden was spoken of fondly by some friends and neighbors of mine. She will be missed. 

Image credit: Inara Pey

Bixyl Shuftan
 

Survivors of Suicide Closes, Impact Mental Health Opens

This weekend, the most well-known of mental health support groups, the Survivors of Suicide, had it's last meeting. Soon after, the sim was closed, and the group was closed to new messages. But while this group was closing, another was opening. Impact Mental Health was another mental health support group that was created in response to the closing of SoS, and had taken on many of it's members. Their grand opening event was also this weekend.

Read the story in People.
  

Survivors of Suicide Owner Announces Closing of Group

 *

After thirteen years, Second Life's largest depression-support group will soon be closing.

On Saturday October 16 at 2PM, SoS leader Sebastien Bouevier met with others in the group. There, he would first announce that he had reluctantly made the decision to close the group. He would also post the news in the group's blog (https://www.survivorsofsuicidesl.org/post/sos-is-closing), and on Facebook.

Today I did the hardest thing I have ever had to do in Second Life. Survivors of Suicide has been a part of my life for a full decade. It has been my pride and joy, and a real privilege to have been at the helm of this organization for the past seven years. It makes saying goodbye so hard, and I am so sad to announce that after 13 years in Second Life, Survivors of Suicide is closing.

Sebastien was interviewed in 2017 and 2019 by the Newser. He had first joined the group as someone in need of it's services. Eventually, he would end up taking over the group when it's founder could no longer lead it. Although the group started out for those whom attempted suicide, or whose friends and family had, it eventually expanded to help others suffered from depression (and friends of).

Chatting (with an alt) with some people in the group, a few mentioned on new depression support group: Impact Mental Health. It is led by Kitten Stratten-Jaks (Kitten Meridoc).

The last meeting of Survivors of Suicide is scheduled for Saturday October 23rd at 3PM.

Bixyl Shuftan
 

Jessicabelle Dayafter Has Died

 

The Sunweaver/Angels community has lost a longtime member. It was announced last night that Jessicabelle Dayafter had passed away.

Some sad news. We received word that our loveable skunkette, Jessicabelle Dayafter, has passed away. The news came from an SL resident whom told us she knew her in RL. Jessica did post on Discord about a month ago she had come down with Covid.

Jessicabelle had been active in Second Life since 2007, and has been with a number of communities and groups. This includes the Sunweavers, Nydia's Angels, and the New Bastogne WW2 RP. She was noted for her anthro skunk avatar, and liked posing for pictures in outfits, such as seasonal ones for Christmas and Halloween, and appeared in many of Nydia Tungsten's calendars. She would also appear in a number of Nydia Tungsten's music videos. She also had skill as a builder, and would design and build some combat capable WW2-era aircraft for Second Life.

(click here if the video does not play)

Of her real-life family, it is known she had a sibling who died years ago, and her mother passed on a number of months ago.
 

Shark's Bay Underwater Sim Closing This Friday

 

A well-done underwater sim will soon be closing. In the Safe Waters Foundation group, it was announced Shark's Bay would soon be shutting down. The sim belongs to Saer Genossee.

 The sim and the group for Sharks Bay will be closing on Friday, August 27th.

We know this happens a lot in SL but are so greatly saddened and send our condolences to Saer Genossee - she is an incredible builder and a huge contributor to SWF group and lands. Please go now if you want to see her work!

Dropping by the landmark provided at Sunshine Island (20/30/37), I appeared on a small island. There was a group joiner, and a free gift of a light ans a snorkel.  On the other side of the sim was a floating patio with a couple of lounge chairs made from shark jaws. But the real treat is underwater. There was an underwater gazebo, underwater kelp forests, an underwater lava flow of a small island building itself up and about to form, and numerous critters swimming about from whales, sea snakes, turtles, and of course sharks. 

The background music is relaxing, gentle tunes. If you're observant, you can hear whale calls as well. Be careful about approaching some of the fish. While panning around, a sea snake swam over and nipped me, and I had to leave the sim to get medical treatment. Later on, I would hear the "killers" had their instinct to bite turned off.

Once again, baring the owner getting enough money to keep it going longer, the sim will be closing down Friday August 27.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Sunshine%20Island/20/30/37

Bixyl Shuftan
 

Second Life Birthday Sims Closed

 

Since Thursday June 17, the sims of the Second Life 18th Birthday were open to the public. That is, until sometime in the morning of Friday July 9. Checking a little after Noon, I found the sims to be closed, and later on checking the map, they were shown to be offline. 

Checking around the day before, many of the exhibits had been cleared out.  

I came across one exhibitor, Pixels Sideways, in the middle of her takedown. She would post in group chat, "All tidied up.  Thank you Moles for all your creative work and help.  Ya did good! :-)  Thank you to the exhibitors and performers for your creative visions and music.   TY to the Shop n Hop merchants for all the fab swag,  And TY Linden Lab for keeping the lights on and the plumbing intact.  Raises a glass - to Ebbe.  TY for guiding us here.  We'll keep the engines running & the creative juices flowing and continue to create merry mayhem throughout Second Life.   Ciao everyone.  Stay safe out there. Hope to see you around the playground. xoxo"

And so, another Second Life Birthday is now history. For some, there is Burn2 Conception and Burning Man to look forward to. But for others, already people are looking forward to SL19B. Among them, Marianne McCann, "As one might say among Burning Man folks, 'Next Year Was Better!' You will always look fondly on SL18B... but next year, just *imagine* what may come! All the things you learned at 18B, and another year of exploration." 
 
Bixyl Shuftan
 

"All Things End" - Goodbye From The Fantasy Faire

It is time to let the Fairelands return to the Mysts. We send them off with love and with the knowledge they will return to us next April.

Each year they come, welcoming us home. For a brief window they are with us and we are rejuvenated. Our love makes them manifest and their magic prepares us to return to a world without them. The Fairelands may have their secret place, but they always live in our hearts, through our memories and the friendships we have made.

We are sad, as we always are, to see them go, yet even in that sadness there is the seed of hope, knowing that next April they will return to us once more.

For those of you that may be experiencing this passing for the first time, you may wonder when the feelings of sadness for what has passed will turn to feelings of anticipation for what is to come. The answer is different for everyone, but for myself knowing that even though the Fairelands themselves have faded, the Fairelands community remains is a great comfort. Sadness that is shared cannot last so long. The Fairelands are not only a place, they are a family, and we choose now whether we stay together or not.

Together, we raised an astonishing amount of money. Almost 24 Million Lindens, or over $95,000 US Dollars for Relay For Life. To me that is still unfathomable really. I find myself looking for some quantifiable answer as to how we did that. I realize that the answer is a single word. Fairelanders.

Together, we watched dance performances and we danced ourselves. We saw and heard wonderful stories, and we found ourselves playing parts in wonderful stories. We learned about heroic quests, and we answered the call to be heroes in an epic Quest. The Faire is what we see and do, and it is about what we find the chance to ourselves become.

The Faire is what you discover, and the Faire is what you bring to it. Both of these are essential to making it the magical experience that it is each year. Both are part of the magic that brings it back.

All things end; however, life is cyclical and even as things go, so they come back again. For now we say good bye to the Fairelands, but Junction will call them back again next April. they will be different, but they will still be home. Until then, keep the light of the Fairelands alive in your heart.

From the Fantasy Faire blog, by Elizabeth Tinsley
 

Fantasy Faire Ends Tonight

After twenty fun-filled days, the Fantasy Faire is coming to a close. Starting on April 22, the Faire offered 21 sims with well-crafted scenery to explore and see, and numerous events.  But nothing lasts forever, and like so many of the flowers on the sims, the Faire blooms for a short time, then fades away. After Midnight tonight, the sims will close to all but the volunteer staff, and soon after will once again fade back into the virtual nether from whence they came.

So if you haven't before, come by and explore the sims. While the event might not be as publicized as much as the Second Life Birthday and Relay weekend, the beauty and design of the areas make it a should-see event. And there are fun interactive events, such as the Fairelands Quest, and a couple sims have some quests of their own.

Yours truly has been exploring them, which means a little less time to write. For now. Later I should have something more about the Faire.

For Relayers, there are many other events later this season, such as the Relaystock this weekend, and the Relay weekend next month. But the Fantasy Faire has gotten many fans over the years. So with the closing of the sims, there will be a few tears that it couldn't be longer, thanking of the designers for what they made this year, and looking forward to what the next Faire will bring in April next year.

Feel free to see the pictures others have taken on the Fantasy Faire Flickr page (or add a few of your own): https://www.flickr.com/groups/fantasyfairesl/pool/

Bixyl Shuftan
   

Reader Submitted: Farewell Party For Oz

 

 From Panterapolnocy. On Feb 23, a party was held at Simon Linden Land in Denby in honor of Oz Linden, whom retires from the Lab tomorrow. His last public appearance will be at the Lab Gab that day.

"Thank you for everything good you've done for the platform of Second Life and the residents that use it - making their lives fun and more interesting. "