Bellisseria Anniversary Grounds And Bubbles

 

By Gemma Cleanslate

 

I could not make the Opening of the Bellisseria 5th Anniversary Celebration but arrived during the after party, however Kalia Cherry Anatine-Hax (Kalia Anatine)sent me a link to Abnor Mole ‘s speech .

He was the honored invited speaker since he with the LPDW Moles has helped Bellisseria develop all along the way. It is a lovely speech giving credit to all who really make Bellissseria what it is.

https://community.secondlife.com/forums/topic/510481-bellisserias-5th-anniversary-celebration/#comment-2709825

I did take some time to collect flowers from the roadside and reached 50 and got a nice flower basket to wear. Grab the hud near the gifts area and go look for purple flowers that rezz click them. The hud will keep track. I am also wearing a tablet containing a special stamp for the event and many others have them, some Lindens, some Moles and the staff of the BBB so look for them at parties and hanging around afk.I am usually by the gifts area when afk.

There have been some great tours offered. I took the ferry tour and collected stamps from the special terminal at various stops. Next Sunday I plan on a helicopter tour for those special stamps.

I also made some time to get the Swaginator and was able to find all the prizes ( with a little help from friends. I just hope I really got all the great gifts made by well known creators in Second Life. Wonderful gifts!!

Do not miss that area for sure! Taking pictures is difficult at the event since the rezz time is really show due to all the avatars attending events. There are parties every day so check the calendar to see the time. All this will continue until April 30 so keep an eye on the calendar!!

https://community.secondlife.com/forums/topic/510481-bellisserias-5th-anniversary-celebration/

My friend Radioactive Rosca has been taking photos everywhere everyday and here is his album.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/radioactiverosca/albums/72177720315785423/

Also in the midst of the festivities! I told you I would remind you when Cica Ghost opened her new installation . It is called Bubbles and is lovely. The soft muted tones of pinks and blues in this underwater land hold many of her charming creatures. Remember to set your shared environment and listen to the music which seems to fit the habitat.

Her critter’s eyes follow you as you go along. I bet Mer people will love it. Some visitors wear protective bubbles for themselves. I wonder who lives in the quaint mound houses that dot the landscape. Perhaps they are Mers. Or some of the octopus looking critters who hang around during the day.

A you travel around touch everything and you will find fun seating or acrobatic gestures in some of the creatures and fish and foliage. Be sure and visit because I don’t know how long it will be around. I bet Cica is already planning her next installation .

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Mysterious%20Isle/124/128/30

Gemma Cleanslate

 

Christmas Town

by Gemma Cleanslate

Another of my favorite shopping , skating, having fun winter places is now open. Laura Liberty creates   bewitching town on ice every winter. This is the 10th anniversary ! 

Laura has changed the facades if some of the buildings and some other sites this year. There are a multitude of shopping opportunities for anything you need. And,  she looks ahead to the next year with a spectacular New Year shop. Visit the shops to see what you still need for your sim or home decor. Check out the clothing shops . There has to be something there that you will want to wear during the holiday season. Don’t miss the Gacha area.

The skating pond, as large as a lake is inviting but the castle is my favorite tour. Hop on a couples ball or on a single and just enjoy the figure skating hud through the castle. Remember the fun trip through the Halloween house with the tour of the horror movies? This marvelous tour takes you through the old , and new, movies of the season... The Christmas story, A Wonderful Life, Frozen,  and more. Try mouse look since you don't have to worry about moving along.

Tina (tanyja Resident), her able assistant, is  usually around in the sim hiding in a Santa outfit so if you want a photo with her just ask. There are sometimes hosts who will answer questions.
Do not miss the sled ride. Hang on tight and watch how you drive that sled !! 

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Townies/116/213/148

Gemma Cleanslate

SL15B: Another Whole Week To Go

By Gemma Cleanslate

Another excursion in the SL15B regions took me to some builds that are linked together in memories. My first stop was to the Virtual Ability site erected by Eme Capalini where I ran into Gentle Heron also admiring the build. There are pictures of members with their own stories and involvement in Second Life .

Pictures of the numerous activities you will find in Virtual Ability sim tell the story of their involvement. I was happy to see my late friend Ladyslipper and a poignant reminder of her full SL life there . The notecards are in the pictures .

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SL15B%20Spellbound/107/252/23

While there I was invited to visit Friends of Virtual Ability. The landmarks were at the parcel. My tp took me to the Non Profits parcel.

“Nonprofit Commons connects communities for social good through education, networking, and collaboration. Like a crystal’s lattice structure, it is immensely strong, reflective, transparent, and a conductor of electricity and information.“

Here you see all that the Non Profits do in Second Life. If you have never been to their Commons in SL put it on your list. While at this parcel you can watch a video of their mission.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SL15B%20Incredible/80/81/23

Leaving there I visited another Friend, Whole Brain Health, Reflections on Our Evolution. “Whole Brain Health’s home is Inspiration Island. We offer holistic brain training based on 5 pillars of well-being. “ I have toured the home site and highly recommend anyone to go over to visit. While on this parcel make sure you get to see the three levels that show their history in Second Life and the work they do. There is a handy teleport to aid you .

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SL15B%20Electrify/91/200/23

I dropped down at the Etopia- eco communities parcel which is new to me and I plan to visit and discover Etopia in Second Life. The build is representative of the sustainable communities and has maps of their regions and loads of information from the “people” manning the parcel.

Pick up a free bamboo bike while you are there. Go visit this interesting build.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SL15B%20Spectacular/164/174/23

The Crystal Cathedral is the lovely build of the Community Virtual Library. This offers you information on the resources available to anyone in the virtual worlds. Relax in the building and check out the missive connections on the website links. Great place to take a break  and just sit and rummage among the books and catalogs..
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SL15B%20Stupendous/193/248/23

While you are at the Cathedral turn around and see the build of London City featuring the royal wedding(s) !

Remember the Big Hunt! As you move around look for the magnifying glass that indicates a participant and look for those little crystals.

Gemma Cleanslate

Bay City: Reminiscences

 By Gemma Cleanslate

Bay City. I cannot believe it is seven years since Bay City appeared on the map. I remember visiting the newly formed lands that were almost empty at the time. My early recollections are of an open area with tree lined paths a large pond with plants around. I recall empty marked roads waiting for traffic and well ordered canals with bridges connecting the areas. I am sure I took a ride on a boat along the canals and also a ride on a trolley car that gave me an overview of the lands. I think I passed an industrial area along the ride. It is hard to remember much more. One thing I do  delight in, I learned to bowl there in Bay City. It was great fun. I wish I could access the article I did at the time for the SL Newspaper, but it is lost in the mist of the internet somewhere. It was in my early days so everything new was a great adventure . 

 

“Bay City is a mainland community, developed by Linden Lab™ and home to the Bay City Alliance. The Bay City Alliance was founded in 2008 to promote the Bay City regions of Second Life™ and provide a venue for Bay City Residents and other interested parties to socialize and network.”  I took that quote from the profile of the Bay City Alliance Group description.

The Bay city of today is so different from back then. It is a vibrant community holding events that are lots of fun and inviting everyone to attend. The Fairgrounds in the North Channel  is the place for great vintage car expo, flea markets,  parties for the Moles of Second Life every year. Citizens are very fond of the Moles who built the regions . There is a party to chose the Miss Bay City every year and so much more. Actually you can read all about the history of the area in the second life wiki . http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Bay_City

 

I went over to look around again before their 7th anniversary next weekend and reminisce on the early days and the massive changes that have taken place. I stopped off at the community center but it was early and no one was there yet. If you visit there you can pick up their flag, a tee shirt, see some artifacts of the past and events and read abut the history on placards set up by Marianne McCann, a prominent citizen. On the wall there is an excellent map of Bay City as it is today. Click and you will get a list of the  landmarks.  I stopped over at the Harbor which is a vibrant area full of boats.There is an infohub at Moose beach where I made a visit. I took a look at the Hau Koda airport and the Cafe Deco. The Amusement Park is a fun place to visit as is the Bayou Theater. I missed the canal trolley sorry to say, but will go try to catch it when I can.  I was able to catch the other trolley for a ride along the roads . 

 

At the end of the line I found my bowling alley in Handa. This was the point of my first visit those many years ago. It was a great thrill! Ah, the olden days...  I am so looking forward to the parade along route 66 on Sunday May 17 at 12:30 PM SL time ! It will be a great time! 

 

Hope to see  you there in Bay City! http://slnewser.blogspot.com/2015/05/press-release-bay-city-celebrates-its.html

 

Gemma Cleanslate

The New Bastogne WW2 Combat Roleplay Celebrates Five Years

By Bixyl Shuftan

On March Friday the 13th, the New Bastogne World War Two Combat Roleplay officially turned five years old. The occasion was marked with a hunt with a dozen crates hidden around the area for people to fine, each containing a vehicle. Plus there was a party at the "Sporthalle" in the Caen sim. The event began at 5PM SL time.

The building itself was drapped with flags with both the German cross, and the double-lighting bolt "SS" symbol. The three German teams, Heer (army), Luftwaffe, and SS, were the majority of those attending, but there were some from the Italian and Russian groups. A German band performed "Big Band" music and other tunes for the crowd.

Most of the people there were in uniform, though some chose formal civilian wear instead. Vickster Khun, the head of the combat roleplay, was there in a red gown. The people danced, chatting about old times.

At one point, Vickster had an announcement concerning one of the Heer officers, Sunra Saenz, whom while one of the leading officers simply had the tag of "officer" up. Vickster told him in front of everyone, "I actually have an honor I wish to bestow on you on behalf of Oberbefehlshaber West at the command of Oberkommando der Wehrmacht and officially promote you to the rank of Generalmajor." Sunra was at a loss for words, "I am speachless Generalleutnant, and very honoured indeed." Others toased and saluted him. One joked, "It's a custom that new generals have to buy a round of beers."

Vickster continued, "You deserve it very much, more than any member of this command I've served with, you've kept the faith and served as a model soldier for all branches." After some more talk, she turned to the others, "let me now tell you a little story about Sunra, and its something you don't know about him unless you were there, and you weren't (laughs), how Sunra got fired from First Armee by Octavian, who was commanding, remember? It was the second D-Day battle we had." Sunra Saenz answered, "Yes when I previously served with the Heer as Hauptman." "That's right, and you were executive officer as well. One of the best officers."

"And what happened? I can tell the story, it's funny. Well, funny and not funny. Sunra wasn't having fun. It's more complicated. What happened was we had our second big D-Day battle. It was sort of an annual even then. Sunra had been training with the Luftwaffe the night before. So the invasion starts, Sunra shows up in time, the battle goes great. He was doing panzers, but he still had his Luftwaffe uniform and title on. So octavian fired him. And Sunra had basically repelled the Allied armor after they landed. He won us the battle but Octavian fired him." Sunra mused, "I was all over the place. That battle lasted around 7 hours flat out (laughter)."

"Well, it always bothered me," Vickster told him, "Then I wasn't Oberkommando.  But I kept you in the Luftwaffe and recognized your awards. I don't think octavian really thought about what he was doing. Perhaps he was a frustrated. You say yourself he was a good commander." "I always wondered why he was so hard on me, yes," Sunra admitteded. "Anyway," Vickster continued, "what impressed me was you didn't give up or really demand anything. You just carried on like a real soldier, and did everything I ever asked you to, and took good care of the people you were placed over." She then chuckled, "Okay enough embarrassing you. ... I just wanted people to understand you paid your dues, you earned that rank and then some. You might meet a lot of group owners who are generals, but how many do you know who earned their rank from enlisted to officers in three branches?" One other German combatant commented, "I knew Allied fighters who when they saw that Sunra was participating....just left...out of fear of his prowess."

Vickster commented, "This is the first time we celebrated since the 1st anniversary. It's been so crazy all these years. It is till crazy after all these years." Sunra commented, "I miss the weekly dances Angus used to put on. Maybe this should become a weekly or monthly event." Vickster added, "Yes, I miss those too. We had a lot of fun even if we were sometimes bombed (laughs). That was in Seaone's sims." Sunra thought back, "Yes yes, so it was. That was another beautiful sim. But we saved the cathedral to use in New Bastogne at least. Heh heh." Vickster agreed, "We had a lot of fun there. It was a blow when those sims closed. But I understood."

Vickster concluded, "I'm really proud to have lasted this long when so many people said they would see us fail. Guys like Sunra who put up with a lot of crap and still kept at it, it really made the difference."

Vickster had to take care of something, and she bade everyone farewell and left the party, leaving Sunra and the others to continue on the celebration.

For those interested in the New Bastogne Combat RP, contact Vickter Khun, or the other team leaders. Besides the three German teams, Luftwaffe, Army, and Waffen SS, there is an Italian team, and several Allied teams, including Soviet. The Luftwaffe also has been having weekly scraps with an Allied air group.

Bixyl Shuftan

Places Seen at SL9B Press Day

During Press Day, I had a chance to take a short guided tour of some of the exhibits of the Second Life Ninth Birthday area. So I joined up with a group that included Saffia Widdershins of Prim Perfect/Designing Worlds, and Ginette Pinazzo, noted for organizing the Zindra Expo, whom publishes the Zindra news blog.

"Hi Bixyl," Ginette greeted me, "Welcome to the Lotus Lounge." Saffia offered me a press pack, and I took note of my surroundings. We were inside a huge flower blossom, in the northwest part of the birthday area, in the "9" that was in both the DreamSeeker SL9B Iwa, and Dziewiec sims (check the map Here). The Lounge itself would host some live music events the following day.

From there we traveled to DreamSeeker SL9B Devet  where the west half of the Welcome hub was, the east on the Nove sim. There, I found a HUD that could teleport me to each sim at the SL9B region, often at specific parts of a sim (north, south, east, west). Thinkerer Melville wrote of the HUB structure (the black cylinder), "The Hub offers you landmarks to remote destinations affiliated with SL9B.   Stand on the inner part and see the entire set. Each destination shows as a sign above a black walkway (but only if you are close to the central hub.  Look for a landmark button on the walkway."

 Next was the Lake Stage in Frolic, which Saffia told me, "this stage is completely mesh." Unfortunately as the picture to the left shows, my Singularity viewer wasn't able to process the graphics. The picture above is courtesy of Daniel Voyager. Frolic is one of two water sims at the SL9B area. Ginette told, "and of course, being stage, plenty of events here." "The schedule is now appearing on the blog," Saffia added, "Thanks to Crap (Mariner)."

Next was the Egyptian Stage at Shindig, the other sim in the Egyptian area being Kittycats SL9B Partytime to the south. Ginette told, "now this is a great area, and it also will be an area where the Treasure Hunt events will start from. Of course, there is a stage and events here." David Abbot commented, "I've spent a lot of the last week here - it's amazing. ... The hunt is set up to run over a week - with one clue being released per day. They'll be posted on the blog and a notecard version will be available at the Happy Hunting stand. It's set up as a diary, written by a 1920s explorer who... well, he gets a little confused by the sound system for starters..."

Lastly, the group headed to Jamboree, which Ginette called, "just one of countless areas in SL9B that is filled with very well done exhibits." We appeared next to the Virtual Ability exhibit.

 A little further away in Jamboree was the Second Life Kids plot, which was made up of an avatar-sized jungle gym.

And the exhibit from the Phoenix Viewer team. The main feature was of course an animated phoenix which moved it's head around and flapped it's wings a bit. There was seating there, which gave the impression of discussions to be held there later.

Ginette's final words before we parted were full of praise, "This is a potential turning point, in my mind anyway, for Secoond Life, if the residents do it right. And I really feel they will."

Callie Cline of KittyCats commented, "it's been exciting!!! To see the community charge full ahead and pull this off, with no drama that I've seen, really great support, enthusiasm, and a 'can do' attitude has been so great to witness. I'm floored by the amazing pool of resources, talent, patience that the community has."

For more information, check the SL9B blog: http://sl9b.wordpress.com/.  For more pictures, check the Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/groups/sl9b/pool/.

Bixyl Shuftan

The Titanic in Second Life

This week marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic. For Second Life residents, there is a sim-length replica they can visit. One can head there for an appreciation for the history, take someone out on a date, or both.

Teleporting into the sim, one arrives at the dock. It's a few steps to the entry ramp to the ship, the start having an overhead sign "RMS Titanic, White Star Line." Besides walking up at one's own pace, there's a couple's walk animation that a pair can use to go about the ship.

Heading to the right once you get up to the ship, one can go to the bow and with a friend re-create the "I'm King of the World" Scene. Or one can go about exploring the ship, whether on the outside, inside and both. There is much attention to detail, notably in places like the stairways with crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Going about, some of the cabins seen also had fine details. The sim's website stated here, "you can be a passenger and experience the romance and luxury of a bygone era." That the ship succeeds in doing. There is also a Titanic Museum, "A Second Night to Remember," on the port side of the top deck.

Second Life being what it is, there have been some compromises made. To help with expenses, a shopping area has been set up where one can get a selection of dresses and jewelry, and some tuxedos. The very bottom of the ship is the engine room. But only on rare occasions can one see the engine up and running. Most of the time it's packed up to cut down on lag. There is also a pool, and a wedding area. At the bow of the ship is the ballroom, where live musicians perform for dace parties. One can dance in the ballroom, or on the deck outside.

The ship is owned by Mara Menges, who bought the ship from it's builder, with Guus Menges as co-owner. The dress code is formal, with the crew reserving the right to bump off the ship those who won't answer requests to change. Animal avatars (also known as ferals to some) are also banned. This does not mean nonhuman characters are always disallowed as neko and furry avatars dressed in formal wear are welcome.

The Second Life Titanic was built by Reborn Wingtips, or Morphius Barbose as he was known at the time of it's construction. A sign on the bridge stated the ship is 254 meters long, slightly shorter than the real-life Titanic's length of 269 meters, and 60 meters high. It consists of roughly 4,500 prims, not counting the furniture.

Reborn stated on the sign, "Titanic has been a build of passion. I studied it in school years ago. Claude Kirshner made land available free of charge for me to build it here in Second Life. Obviously I couldn't create the ship to detail as prims don't allow it. Plus Second Life has tier fees, etc."

"It has taken six months (for the ship) to reach its current condition. This is the fourth or fifth build. I needed to take a few steps back to make one step forward a few times. Later on as the Titanic was nearing completion, the build was discovered by Kallisto Estates, who have generously jumped at the opportunity to provide a sim to sheer Titanic with the world."

" … I think I was in college when we did a big study on the Titanic in Social Studies, covering every aspect, even some things that weren't commonly known. There was a rumor that there was actually a cursed mummy onboard. Even now if I try to imagine being on the ship that night, I get a chill, the humble men, the fear, the desperation. What was God's involvement that night? That's my biggest question."

The website states more than half a million residents have visited the ship since it's opening in 2009, with over 700 visitors a day. This week marks the 100 year anniversary of the sinking of the real Titanic. Over 2100 visitors came to the ship on April 12th, which was also the day of the "Last 1st Class Dinner on the Titanic" event for European visitors. On Friday the 13th, there will be another such event for American hours at 5:30PM (reservations required). Saturday the 14th has the Steerage Party, from Noon to 2:30PM SL time, 2:30 PM being when the ship hit the iceberg (reservations required).

On Sunday at 1PM is the memorial service. This event takes place outside the ship at the Titanic memorial on the sim's land. This event is open to all. In an article on the Metaverse Tribune, Mara is described as setting up the memorial after meeting the great-grandson of Captain James Smith, "she discovered that many of those who were lingering at the memorial were relatives of witnesses or survivors."

There is also a souvenir shop where one can get a memento of their visit to the ship. Considering the history of the ship and how its memory is kept alive by numerous books and movies, such as the one by James Cameron a few years ago, this is one build that is unlikely to be forgotten, and a place one may end up returning to again and again.

The entry point to the Titanic sim is at Titanic (128, 191, 134). For more information, one can go to the Second Life Titanic's website at http://www.titanicsecondlife.nl/.

Bixyl Shuftan

Luskwood Turns Eight

From Friday October 14th, to Sunday October 16th, Luskwood, one of the oldest communities in Second Life, celebrated it’s eighth anniversary. At the Lusk Tree and nearby Perry Amphitheater, the residents celebrated with music events, and a couple gifts.

At eight years old, Luskwood is the oldest "Furry" community in Second Life, and among the oldest across Second Life reguardless of genere. Besides being the location of a social area that always seem to have at least a few people over even in odd hours, it's also the location of the first company of avatar makers, Luskwood Creatures. Because of it's longevity and strictly enforced rules against lewd behavior, Luskwood is often the first place in Second Life science fiction and fantasy fans head to after being told about it by friends. Due to it's close proximity to a newcomer entry area, it's also the unintentional first social area of many others as well. Although a few newcomers are a bit intimidated by the residents' non human appearances, all are welcomed except griefers.

Luskwood's celebrations began with what was likely their most noted event, an hour of the musical duo Jaycatt Nico and Frogg Marlowe, better known as “Jaycatt and Frogg” or just “F & J, “ playing on the stage near the big tree at 7PM SL time. From the stage, they played several songs, Jaycatt on the piano and Frogg on the guitar. From the seats, both their mostly human-looking regular crowd and the furred Luskwood locals cheered them on. Afterwards, they talked a little with the audience, Jaycatt jumping down from the stage. Founder Michi Lumin had a little something for him: a “LW8B” (Luskwood 8th Birthday) baseball hat and T-shirt.


Jaycatt Nico: Okies, love the hat. (smile)

Michi Lumin: We'll likely have stuff on and off all weekend, most of it tomorrow, but thanks as usual F & J. for. doing this for so long. (smile)

Jaycatt Nico: It's been a pleasure.

Reignick Deakins: Glad to hear you every time.

Ranlei Random (ranlei.jewell): F&J are part of what makes Luskwood family.

Maurice (maurice.mistwallow): Frogg and Jaycatt should make a sing along blog.

Jaycatt Nico: We love playing here, it's kind of an honor for me. Hehe. ... I normally don't look good in a hat, but this one does better than expected.

Ranlei Random (ranlei.jewell): It's a cool cat hat, so it looks cool on a cat.

Michi Lumin: We kinda made it at the last minute, (grin) people wanted something to wear, heh.


Following Jaycatt and Frogg, Burr Lehane DJed for a time at the Big Tree. On Saturday, live singer Keeba Tammas performed at the auditorium at Noon SL time followed by guitarist Shannon Oherlihy at 1PM. at 3PM, it was constant DJ music by local residents, such as Luskwood member Chippingham Millions. There would be one more music event on Sunday.

In the past, anniversary events at Luskwood would sometimes remain crowded to very late at night. Although late, the Friday and Saturday celebrations did not quite go as late as some. This was anticipated by founder Michi, “This year's birthday probably wont be as eye-exploding as the other years just because, well ... when we hit 10 years, *that'll* be a big one. (grin)”

Luskwood got some praise at the event, a Ranlei Jewell sayin, “I love Luskwood and everything about it. I rarely feel welcome in any one spot for long. So Luskwood’s a haven.” Michi responded, “We do appreciate it guys. We know Second Life is big and, people come through, come and go and stuff, I just hope we have helped some around the grid. And we'll keep doing this as long as we can. ... I think Second Life is growing again a bit; maybe not in population but I think the communities that are here are becoming more solid and meaningful. ... It goes in circles, communities are organisms, they consist of people, people come and go, it takes time for new people find their place in community, so it ‘breathes.’ ... Body count isn't everything though. And, time and place for different things. Sometimes folks are in the mood for head pounding action, sometimes not.” DJ Burr joked, “Sometimes they’re just in the mood for ... (pause) nevermind. (grin)” Ranlei added, “Fads come and fads go. Clubs grow and fade. But communities thrive.”

With the anniversary celebrations over, things at the Big Tree return more or less to normal, as a social area that can be a little quiet, but one is sure to find at least a small group even at odd hours.

“Even if you've got another place that's your home now, you’re always welcome to come back.” - Michi

Bixyl Shuftan