SL Video: Cetatea Poenari in Second Life

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From Erik Mondrian on October 11, "By request, a music video of Cetatea Poenari, the Second Life home of the Drakul family. Built by Vlad Drakul-Dragonash and Nazaire Dragonash and named after a ruined Romanian castle that was once occupied by the real-life Vlad III Dracula (also known as Vlad the Impaler), Cetatea Poenari defies description and seems to stretch far beyond the limits imposed by its virtual borders. From the Valley of Horses and Arefu Prison to The Slaughtered Lamb pub and Snagov Monastery—and with the magnificent castle itself keeping watch over all from above—this is a region with many different paths and hidden places for the curious traveler to find. Thanks again to Vlad, Nazaire, Rain, and the entire Drakul family for asking me to film here!"

Tinies Protest at Governor Linden's Mansion

So what do the tinies of Raglan Shire worry about? Usually they'll tell you it's about where their next waffles are coming from. But lately, there's been a "Hover bug" in the mesh tinies that's been driving them to distraction. So they decided to get Linden Lab's attention with a protest at Governor Linden's Mansion in Clementina. And they did so in a way of seriousness and humor only they could pull off.

Read the story in Events.

Halloweentown and Creation's Halloween Festival

Gemma Cleanslate's search for Halloween happenings took her to two places. One was Halloweentown in the Badest sim. The place had Halloween decor one could grab, as well as rides in the woods and a haunted mansion. The other was Creations Park, which is having it's Season's Festival. There, one can find a pumpkin hunt, a haunted castle, and more.

Read Gemma's story in Events. .

Trump-eting Our Success

Our recent article on JP Laszo's Trump manor has been attracting attention, both for the Second Life Newser, and it seems for Second Life in general. Hamlet Au brought up the article in New World Notes. Then it was referenced by Kotaku, an online gaming magazine describing itself as "about games and things serious gamers care about." Done by the same writer who wrote about a neighbor of the Newser office founding a group in Steam protesting censorship in games, This inspired another writer for the magazine, whom described himself as giving up Second Life in the past, to log back into the virtual world just to check out the manor.

So it seems the manor has not only attracted attention to itself, but also for the virtual world. It's certainly attracted attention to the Newser, of which this particular article has gotten many times the readership of an average article on a second Life location.

Love him or hate him, or reluctantly tolerating him, this media personality turned Presidential candidate has gotten no shortage of attention, which has certainly been a ratings boost to those offering stories about him. The divisive nature of politics has been a turnoff to some, particularly in the days since the end of the Cold War and the rise of politicians from the "Baby Boom" generation as those of opposing points of view have been seen less often as having just a misinformed opinion and more often being seen as insane, dumb, evil, or some combination of the three. But it takes money to keep media going, and those willing to pay advertising revenue are attracted to ratings. So you may be seeing more Trump soon.

Hopefully in the end, after the newcomers get their fill of Trump, they'll stick around to see what else there is to see and do in the virtual world.

Bixyl Shuftan

The Trump Manor

Late last month, Second Life Newser found out about a location in Second Life, made with the theme of one of the leading candidates for the US Presidential election this fall: Donald Trump. Named the Trump Manor, the location is owned by JP Laszlo, a member of a Second Life group of supporters for the candidate. JP explained a little about herself, her support for her candidate, how the location came to be, and some plans for the future.

Read more in Places.

More Places for US Presdential Candidates in Second Life

In September, the Newser reported on two places in Second Life build to support US Presidential Candidate Donald Trump. Recently, a few more have been built.

I heard about a "Trump Manor" in the Lionheart Ahadi sim, and heading over, found a large house with a wall around it with a number of Trump campaign signs on it. There were also a couple cars inside, one for estate management, the other which had the image of the candidate on it. Clicking on the gate, it opened, but after I stepped inside, I got a warning from the security system that I had 30 seconds to leave or be given the boot.

I managed to get in touch with the manor's owner, JP Laszio, a member of the "Trump Organization," and one of the people behind the Facebook page, "Donald Trump Thinks Your Waifu Is S***." She stated that the orb had been set up due to griefers and less than reasonable political activists, and if I wanted in to get in touch with her so my name could be added to the list of those allowed in.

More on the discussion with JP will be up later. To get to the manor, head to Lionheart Ahadi (71/38/29). Just contact her if you want inside.

With three areas for "The Donald," what was there for his opposition? The answer was in the Caspoli sim, where I found the "Bernie Sanders SL Headquarters." It was a patio lined with a number of pro-Sanders signs, some praising him, some mocking his opposition. The largest sign was a statement as to how he would pay for his proposals (a series of new taxes and eliminating certain tax breaks). The building is owned by Mac.Wind (Macaria Wind) head of "Vote Bernie Sanders 2016."

Upon entering, I was handed a notecard:

Open to all to enjoy - Group members wearing their group tag are welcome to set home and leave full perm Bernie gifts for the group. Please keep drama and negativity to a minimum and stick to the facts. Ask yourself: What would Bernie do/say?

We all run in to folks who either don't know Bernie or are skeptical about him. These Links to Bernie info including sample articles and facebook pages should be helpful in getting one started on their Bernie Journey. 

Have a Berniful day!

The headquarters is in Caspoli (127/33/34)

Searching to see if there was a place for candidate Hillary Clinton, I found one in the Pandorus sim. Porting there, it was a dark, small, rusty place with barbed wire fence and a walking skeleton. The clearest statement of the owner's intentions was on the map. This wasn't a place for a candidate, but against one.

More on the Trump Manor, and presumably the Sanders HQ later.

Hat tip: Hamlet Au

Bixyl Shuftan

Dark Dharma's Haunted Manor

Becky "Sha" Shamen recently decided to explore a place other than the usual Christmas-themed ones for December. Instead she dropped by the Dark Dharma's Haunted Manor. So why explore a location in December which looks more like "The Nightmare Before Christmas?" Becky had answers to this and more.

Read Becky's article in Places.

Renaissance Island

Grey Lupindo is back from her latest exploration on the Grid. She had recently paid a visit to a historical sim, Renaissance Island. There, one can see things as they were in 1500s England, with the buildings and clothes. The place also has a number of fun events that locals and visitors alike can take part in.

Read Grey's article in Places.