March 2015 – Page 2 – Ciaran Laval

March 27, 2015

Well You Can Tell By The Way I Use My Walk I’m From Second Life, With Time To Talk

Feel the city breaking and everybody shaking,
And we’re staying alive, staying alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha, staying alive, staying alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha, staying alive.

Good Magazine have an article that is rather cheery : Second Life is Staying Alive. The article, penned by Mark Hay, takes a rather sensible, for the most part, look at a little known fact about Second Life, it’s staying alive! Hurrah!

The article deserves credit for the good use of Second Life images for a start. The headline photo features Draxtor Despres, Jo Yardley and the one and only Superflufee (AKA Flufee McFluff)!

The article touches upon a point that is oft missed by people when they wonder why platforms stay alive long past what one would consider their sell by date, the power of communities. The article by Mark Hay does not miss this point :

In truth, Second Life remains quite alive, clocking a million active users per month as of 2013 and up to 13,000 new users ever day. The site may actually have a larger, more stable population as of today than it did at its 2006-to-2008 peak of popularity and respectability. Yet we don’t hear about this continued vibrancy in Second Life, mainly because it’s no longer thought of as a space for general populations to enhance their lives. Instead it has generated a second life of its own as a uniquely attractive hub for globally dispersed subcultures to join together. These groups can create whole worlds that unite them, transcending role-playing and turning their ideologies into a comprehensive society.

Those communities are of course, not to everyone’s taste in Second Life and they are an odd mix, as the article points out :

This allowed the early, rapid development of groups and sub-groups ranging from activists and educators to more alternative and niche identities. As of the end of 2014, some of the most active subcultures on Second Life appear to be: cyberpunks, elves, furries, goreans, steampunks, Star Wars enthusiasts, satanists, wiccans, and various fetish groups.

However the common denominator is that they are all groups of people who find fellow like minded people from all over the world to build their virtual 3D space, hopes, ambitions and dreams with and that’s a very powerful tool.

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March 26, 2015March 26, 2015

A Visit To Taure Ru – A Second Life Roleplaying Sim

Like many roleplaying sims in Second Life, Taure Ru has rules. The best way of avoiding rules for the casual visitor is of course to pay attention to the rules that inform you to pick up a visitor tag and wear it! However even then you should be mindful of your surroundings and try to dress in character at least.

Taure Ru is a mysterious kingdom, its origins are said to be dark, but no one seems to want to talk about them. However there is plenty of information around to give you an idea of the kind of roleplay that goes on in this mysterious land.

This is classic fantasy adventure territory with guilds, factions and characters who will be mages, warriors, assassins, musicians and dancers. The latter two are probably an example of where Second Life roleplay differs from more mainstream video game versions because dancers and musicians in Second Life are quite important when it comes to entertainment.

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March 25, 2015

Flasmobbed By The Second Life Illuminati At Meauxle Bureaux As The Lindens Meet The Residents

It was a normal Wednesday, I was sat in a building in Meauxle Bureaux going through my to do list, plan for Fantasy Faire, take photos,plot virtual world domination, you know, nothing out of the ordinary, when my peace was rudely shattered by a dancing flashmob led by none other than Xiola Linden!

There’s only one thing a self respecting Dwarfin King can do when faced by a mob like this, run for your life!

I hid in a top secret location (The top of the stairs) and watched as the hordes arrived. Shaman Linden in particular appeared to be up to no good.

However my suspicisons that this was a really secretive meeting were really raised when the leader of the Linden Department Of Public Works, Michael Linden, AKA The Mole King, arrived.

However I quickly realised this wasn’t just a meeting of Lindens, the presence of the likes of Inara Pey raised my suspicions that this was a meeting of the Second Life illuminati!

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March 24, 2015

Fantasy Faire 2015 – Applications For DJ’s, Storytellers And Poets Now Open

Fantasy Faire 2015

Fantasy Faire 2015 is about more than gorgeous buildings and magical items, it’s also about entertainment, music, storytelling, poetry and bringing magic to the virtual world of Second Life, as well of course as being an excellent participant in the Relay For Life fundraising effort in Second Life.

Last year Fantasy Faire raised 5,955,893 Linden Dollars ($ 23,824) for Relay For Life and part of the reason that so much money is raised is thanks to those who entertain us, which is why they are now looking for DJ’s, Storytellers and poets to help with this year’s event.

Please note that despite my enthusiasm, I am not part of the organisational team, so please don’t send your applications to me! Follow the links guys and girls, follow the links.

In terms of DJ’s, The Fantasy Faire team are Searching For Song Spinners :

Fantasy Faire Radio is now accepting applications for DJs who would like to be part of the on-air team for 2015.

If you follow the link to Searching For Song Spinners you will find more details and the application form. However if you prefer other art forms, do not worry, there’s space for you at Fantasy Faire 2015 too.

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March 24, 2015

Fantasy Faire 2015 – Blogger Applications Now Open

Fantasy Faire 2015

If you want to blog about all the fun of Fantasy Faire 2015 then you can happily do so without being an official blogger. There is no requirement to be an official blogger, nobody will tell you off for blogging about Fantasy Faire, unless you’re an Elf or a Halfling, never trust Elves of Halflings. Ok even Elves and Halflings are welcome to blog about Fantasy Faire 2015!

However if you do want to be an official blogger, then applications are now open.

Blogging Fantasy Faire can be a lot of fun, you get to meet interesting and magical people. Sometimes there’s mead involved, sometimes this can upset your blogging, you have to tread carefully.

Fantasy Faire encourages bloggers to take challenges, but does not force you to. That being said there are three optional challenges for bloggers :

Faire Folk – Create a character from the Fairelands. Pick one of the Faire sims as their home, make a look mostly from Faire items, make the character come alive. Take at least one picture of that character in the chosen home sim and blog away! The more roleplay-style bloggers are invited to write about the character as well, but even those to whom pictures speak more than words can let those pictures speak loud and clear! Sim exploration stories encouraged!

My New Shiny – Find a shop in the Fairelands you have never heard of before and blog something of theirs that you love. This is all about finding and showcasing the hidden talents, the newcomers, the surprises you can find when you explore the Fairelands thoroughly instead of just going through your already familiar favourites. If you know every single shop in the Faire, pick one that you think should be in the spotlight more.

Why I Relay – This challenge is for those who do have a personal reason to support Relay for Life events and who would like to share it. Obviously if you don’t have any personal tie to the charity or if you’d like to keep your reasons private, there is no need to do this. But those who would like to speak out for the charity, for RFL and for their reasons, they are invited to do so.

Please note that you are free to blog about these challenges even if you are not an official blogger, so don’t feel you have to apply to cover these themes.

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