Scenes From the Fantasy Faire

The Fantasy Faire got off to a good start in it's first few days. Besides the many great sims to explore, some of the people took the time to wear some interesting avatars. Among them, the Colossus avatars that have been available since 2012, but I've seldom seen them except during Fantasy Fair events. There are two in this picture. The smaller one, the lady in the white dress, was several times my height. But the male was well over a hundred feet high, maybe two hundred. I was a small speck near his shoe.

There were also some "Jail and Bail" events. The one getting attention was when Jessica Lyon, the head of Team Firestorm, was detained by the Farelands "Pawlice." Jessica was given a number of charges from deliberately slowing down debugging of the Firestorm viewer to taking Oldesoul's parking spot to squirrel porn. This was despite counter-accusations from someone in the audience that the Linden viewer team had bribed the Pawlice with waffles. Residents were invited to put money in two kiosks, one to bail her out, the other to keep her in longer. After over a couple hours, the bail side won 75,000 to 58404."Thank you Jessica  for helping all of  us Battling Cancer!"

And yours truly gave the Fairelands Quest a try. In the quest, you answer a dragonfae's plea for help to search for the Queen's father. As you progress, you get small prizes. The game is HUD-based, and with the lag there were times I had to replay a video in my browser, or detatch and reattatch the HUD. Despite the bugs resulting from the lag, I found it to be a fun game. Already, there has been at least one whom claimed to have finished.

Stay tuned for more,

Bixyl Shuftan

Announcement: Second Annual RFL Cake Building Contest

DATES: Sunday May 20th, 9am - 6pm

Goal for Event: 50,000L

Entries: Drop off Cake between 8 am and 11 am on  May 17th

Voting will be May 19th all day and May 20th 9am- 3pm, 2018

20 Entries Maximum will be allowed:
Registration form must be return by May 1st, 2018

Dance Party Sunday: 9am-6pm
Winners announced during Sunday's Dance Party.

All cakes must be removed from sim by 6:30 pm on Sunday May 20th, 2018

Public can come to vote anytime during the contest.

The contest is this:

Each team or individual will design a cake that represents the concept of RELAY, a theme central to Relay for Life. There is a prim limit of 25 prims per cake.  Each team or individual can only enter one cake into the contest.
A table number will be assign to each team/individual once registration form is receive.

Cakes must be original work, no store bought. It is up to the team/individual that enters the contest what rights will be on the cakes.  Please remember if you keep it full perm people can copy the item.  We suggest that you make the cake so no one can copy it while on display.

Judging:  Judging will be done by the voting public. They will choose who they think best represents the concept of RELAY. Voting boxes will be at each table. 

Teams/individuals will be allowed to include a texture for their cakes with the title of their cake and their team name etc.  This will be next to each table. 

Prizes:
1st: 2000 lindens
2nd: 1000 lindens
3rd: 500 lindens


Sponsored by Game of Thrones Cooperative

** This Event Is On A Sim Rated: A (Adult) the sim rating will be change for this event for Moderate for the day of the dance.
No nudity, no children on an adult sim event (this is not only ACS rules but Linden rules), no sexual activity. **

Cartoon of the Day

Taken at the Happy Vixen. Stormtroopers have gotten a reputation for bad shots as the heroes they pursue have a way of escaping. The leading theory is some of the clones from the Clone Wars have deteriorated with age. On the other hand, the "redshirts" on Federation ships have a way of dying a lot in space. Just how are they able to keep finding men to fill the ranks has been less easily explained.

By Bixyl Shuftan

Announcement: This Week at the Senchai Libraries

THIS WEEK at Seanchai Libraries,
WE RELAY, BECAUSE WE CAN ..
... and because there is not one of us whose lives have not been touched in one way or another by Cancer.  We are at Fantasy Faire LitFest this week, benefiting Relay for Life and the American Cancer Society's special Hope Hostel Project with Kenyatta National Hospital. 




 THIS WEEK AT FANTASY FAIRE in SL (unless otherwise marked)
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Halls%20of%20Story/126/200/93

All stories told in open voice. All times SL/PT

**SUNDAY, April 22nd:

   ~ at 1:30pm: TEA TIME WITH TOLKIEN: Corwyn, VT, and Caledonia with THE KING OF THE GOLDEN HALL from "The Two Towers, by J.R.R. Tolkien

   ~ at 6pm: MAGICLAND STORYTIME: Mrs. Piggle Wiggle begins with Caledonia at the The Golden Horseshoe in Magicland
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Bracket/181/57/30
  
**MONDAY, April 23rd at 7pm: THE CRUCIBLE OF TIME continues with Gyro Muggins

**TUESDAY,  April 24th at 7pm:  National Lampoon's DOON concludes with Corwyn Allen

** WEDNESDAY, April 25th at 7pm:  A SELECTED VIEW of George R.R. Martin with Aoife Lorefield

** THURSDAY, April 19th at 7pm : MONSTERS & MYTHS: "Fafnir" with Shandon Loring (also presented in

Kitelyhop://grid.kitely.com:8002/Seanchai/144/129/29)


Join us this week in #secondlife, and on our properties in #kitely, live in voice.

Check out the stories and the storytellers at www.seanchailibrary.com

Reader Submitted: "The Three Amigos" in Tera?

From Malya Violetsong (DaughterOfArboria Resident). She talked me into playing the MMO Terra a bit, so I decided on the name "Gaskyl" for my character while she had one, Kacina. Going along, we came across one with a name very similar to my Second Life name, "Bix?! You has a twin?! 'Bixano'?!" She would send me this picture

Los Dos Amigos y Una Amiga?!

Gaskyl (Bixyl) the Ferret, Bixano the Puss in Boots, and Kacina the sideways horse rider?!

The guy was Away From Keyboard, so no telling where the name came from. Maybe he was a reader of the Newser who was giving Tera a try as well.

Announcement: Today At Fantasy Faire Litfest

6-7am - POET'S PLUNDER with Klannex Northmead

10:-10:30am - Litfest: Inksters Poetry Prompt with Klannex Northmead
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Halls%20of%20Story/131/99/81

11am-13:20pm - Selections from THE NIGHT CIRCUS, a dramatic reading by Zander Greene and Caledonia Skytower

2-4pm - The Faire Lands Players, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING at The Story Well
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Story%20Well/141/33/64

5-6pm - LitFest Tour: The Bazaar Dungeon

6:30-8pm - Tales and Outright Lies - Storytelling from a Bohemian New Babbage Coffee House

All events, unless otherwise indicated, are at the Halls fo Story main hall
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Halls%20of%20Story/126/200/93

SL Video: "Owl City - Silhouette"

(Click here if the video fails to play)

From Zera Sparr on Mar 2017, "CZproduction Presents Owl City - Silhouette ~~~ Sorry for the delay on videos everyone, I'm Currently now working hard on 2 other video projects!~ Enjoy"

The Eternal Desires Club

Some clubs are difficult to distinguish from others, appear and disappear after only a few months. And some stand out and stand the test of time. Among the later is Eternal Desires. After ten years, the club has lasted through changing times, drama, even the deaths of some important staff. It's also succeeded in achieving what many clubs strive for but never quite get: a clearly diverse following of different types of avatars. The Newser recently interviewed it's owner, Blackened Merlin, and she had much to say about the club, and those who helped make it what it is.

Read the story in SL Clubbin'.

Fantasy Faire 2018 Begins

If there's an event in the Relay for Life in Second Life that's as loved as the Relay Weekend, it's  the Fantasy Faire. For ten days in fifteen sims, there's plenty to see, do, and experience. There will be clothes and avatars and more to buy with the money going to fund cancer research. There are events such as the "Jail and Bail", the Literary Festival, G.R.R. Martin Day, the Xanadu Roller Party, and others. There is the Fairelands Quest. And of course the well-done scenery to explore around in.

Dropping in with my alt on day one of the Faire yesterday, it was a bit glitchy at times, with my avatar occasionally turning invisible, crashing when trying to teleport, etc. "Welcome to the Relay Weekend," one guy put it, comparing it to the big event in which the sims are overwhelmed by the sheer number of avatars. But I did find some goodies, notably a freebie "The Minkie" Bento avatar that could be worn on the spot upon getting it when clicking on the vendor. There was also a "Cheer the Dragonfae" avatar for 199 Linens. And who is Cheer? He's your guide in the Fairelands Quest this year.

For those with less powerful computers, you may need to wait until late in the evening or early in the morning to enjoy the Faire better. But for Second Life enthusiasts, especially Relayers, this is an event you won't want to miss.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Fairelands%20Junction/89/134/128

Bixyl Shuftan

Sneak Peak: The Sunweaver SL15B Exhibit

The Sunweaver community will be taking part in the Second Life Birthday celebration. With Shockwave Yareach and Cynthia Farshore focusing on a build for the Relay for Life, the construction for the SLB exhibit was left to Becky "Sha" Shamen. A couple days ago, she showed us how much of the structure she had made.

The full size of the structure, as well as what it will be, the Newser isn't saying quite yet. But we can give a little clue about it with this picture. Stay tuned for more sneak peeks, and clues.

Bixyl Shuftan

Announcement: "Mod Monday at the Avagora"

This month's Mod Monday at Montecito Bay will be on the 23rd, at 7pm, in the redesigned Avagora Mall! Featuring Caboodle/Bullseye, Visual Magick, Twilight Imaginarum and newcomer Steedful Things! Hope to see you there! LMs will be given when it's time to party.

Announcement: This Week At The Science Circle: “Updating Darwinian Evolution Part I"

“Updating Darwinian Evolution Part I: Insights from Genes and Genomes”
By Dr. Stephen L. Gasior
Sunday, April 22 at 8AM - 9AM PDT     

Darwin’s Theory of Evolution was a landmark event in science, providing an explanation for the origin of the diverse lifeforms on the Earth. Notably, it was largely a construct of deduction from observations. In the over 150 years of the existence of this theory, scientists have provided the nuts and bolts of how evolution works. Notable discoveries include DNA and how it encodes genes, how genes lead to characteristics, the ability to compare genomes, and experimentally measure population dynamics. What Darwin Never Knew (PBS 2009) covers some of the molecular examples of how evolution works. This presentation will summarize the key examples from the documentary. You are welcome to watch the documentary in advance and ask specific questions; however, the talk is designed for those unfamiliar with the documentary topics.

The first talk will be based on “What Darwin Never Knew”.
Watching before hand will be good but not necessary.

For more information: Click Here.  

The Science Circle (61/127/32) 

RFL Team Sunbeamers Hits Platinum

When the Relay season started, the Sunbeamer team went of to a great beginning. Thanks to funds that had been collected all winter, the team started at Gold level fundraising rank. The money has continued to come in, and Wednesday night hit the 250,000 Linden mark, or $1000 USD. This puts the team in Platinum rank, with Jade as it's next goal.

SUNBEAMERS Are now Officially Platinum!

beamers:  we are now officially Platinum Level, so we can strap on our big person pants and shoot for Jade Level Now and have some fun along the way.


The Sumbeamers have never before reached Jade rank, but this very well may be the year the team achieves it.

Bixyl Shuftan

The Flying Pickle Club

There's a new club in Montecito Bay called "The Flying Pickle." This new venue has nothing to do with "Pickle Rick," or the 1993 movie "The Pickle." But rather, it was created to help celebrate the birthday of one of the staff, and has remained up after the celebration ended.


From it's exterior to the interior and of course it's name, there's nothing serious about the Flying Pickle. It's a fun, silly place that's become part of the Montecito Bay collection of clubs.

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Montecito%20Bay/20/49/3802

Bixyl Shuftan

Announcement: Discussion at Virtual Ability This Saturday

Saturday April 21
Sojourner Auditorium, Virtual Ability island
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Virtual%20Ability/54/170/23

6am SLT Divya Padmanabhan "Dancing Crazy? Unpacking the category of possession-form dissociative identity disorder"

7am SLT TBA

8:15am SLT Mohammed Al-Mosaiwi "People with depression use language differently"

9:30am SLT Philip Yanos "How do people diagnosed with mental illness become written off? How can they overcome it?"

10:45am SLT Meg Peters "Challenging the Conception that Social Media Causes Bad Mental Health"

Noon SLT performance by DRUM

1:15pm SLT Alita Nandi "Ethnic and racial harassment and mental health: Identifying sources of resilience"

2:30pm SLT Joe DeLuca "Forensic Psychiatric Experiences, Stigma, and Self-Concept"

3:45pm SLT Isabelle Martin "Visions of Infinity: Singularity, Proliferation, and Transcendence in Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Rooms"

5pm SLT Carolyn Weisz "Stigmatized Identities, Psychological Distress, and Physical Health among Individuals Experiencing Homelessness"

SL and Sansar Video: "Our Digital Selves Official Teaser #4 (Drax Files Special coming 2018)"

(Click here if the video fails to play)

From Draxtor Despress on April 17, "Guided by principal investigators Tom Boellstorff and Donna ZImmerman Davis, the Ethnographia group is examining how avatar embodiment and place-making in virtual worlds like Second Life influences people with visible and invisible disabilities. More about this 3-year National Science Foundation funded study, conducted by University of California, Irvine and University of Oregon can be found at http://www.ourdigitalselves.com/ If you like to join this community in SL please meet up at Ethnographia Island here: https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Ethnographia/18/29/22

Scenes From The Kultivate Spring Art Show

A week ago, the Kultivate Spring Art Show was taking place. For the third year in a row, the event sponsored by Kultivate Magazine showcased numerous works of art from a number of artists. Gemma Cleanslate was there, and took a number of pictures.

See the pictures in Design.

Cartoon of the Day

Taken at Eternal Desires. What really caused this guy to faint, I forget. But I could think of one possibility.

By Bixyl Shuftan

Reader Submitted: My Banning From Faery Crossing, And Beyond

When people think of someone being banned from a sim, they usually think of a troublemaker. But what if the person had made numerous attempts to reconcile differences? In a reader submission sent to the Newser, MajikVixen (Bluevioletvixen Lorefield) describes her situation with the Faerie Crossing community, of which despite her efforts to smooth out differences she ended up banned from the area. Here, MajikVixen presents her side of the story. But the most important thing, she feels, is that there can be a life after banning for a resident of Second Life.

Read MajikVixen's story in Extra.

Fantasy Faire Opens Tomorrow

The Fantasy Faire, one of the big yearly events of the Relay for Life in Second Life is almost here. The event is noted for a number of things, notably the fantastic and picturesque builds across it's sims, which number fifteen this year. There are a number of items up for sale of which the proceeds go to charity. And if that's not enough, there are a number of events taking place there, such as the "Jail and Bail' fundraisers, roleplays, readings, and more. And of course there's the Fairelands Quest which if you complete you get a special prize. The event goes on for ten days to April 29.

For more information, check the website at https://fantasyfairesl.wordpress.com/ .

Events This Week at the Sunweaver, Montecito Bay, and Furry Fashion Clubs

It's a week full of events at the Sunweaver and Montecito Bay clubs and the Furry Fashion Lounge

Club Cutlass: Best in 'D,' Sci-Fi Night, Spring Break

Club Zero Gravity: Rodents, Cartoons

Happy Vixen: Undies/Underwear, Computer/Digital. Foxes, Red and Black, Blue, Fantasy, Wolves, Anime, Asian, CAYA

Momtecito Bay: Memes, DJ's Favorites, Old School, Rock and Roll Night, Synthwave Night, After Dark at the Magnum Opus, Out of the Fridge

Furry Fashion Lounge: Fandoms, Pajamas, Nature vs Tech, Human Invasion, Horror, Turning Japanese, Food, Magic

Read the schedules in SL Clubbin'.

Updated 12:20PM

Second Life Newser Reaches 700 Likes on Facebook

Second Life and Facebook are sometimes at odds. such as when the latter insists those who use both can't use their avatar names (though if they include some real-life information, the moderators may let a pseudonym slide). But it's so widespread and otherwise convenient, a lot of SL residents use it. They post pictures, vent about drama, and of course see what the SL Newser has to say about goings-on in the Grid. A few days ago, we received our 700th like on our Facebook page.

So keep on reading, and if you haven't given us a like before, go ahead and do so.