ROLE Magazine October 2009 by Rohal Schnyder

October 2009

A DIFFERENCE OF OPINION

ART IMAGINE PEACE TOWER TRAVEL UNDER THE SEA FASHION EARLY AUTUMN, FOR MEN

ROLE

STAFF Publisher Rohal Schnyder Executive Publisher Leeza Catteneo Editor in Chief Ofelia Laval Advertising & Marketing Leeza Catteneo Art Director Leeza Catteneo Stylists Cayce Newell Stacie Pryor Tomoyo Breitman Fashion Spread Photographer Zoe Demar Contributors Anna Zwiers Express Zenovka Jura Shepherd Paypabak Writer Salvatore Otoro Samara Barzane Sesi Ackland Se7en Wirsing Therese Carfagno

ROLE MAGA Z I N E

Editorial Office Concetta (194/172/22) Contacts editorial@role-magazine.com advertising@role-magazine.com www.role-magazine.com All the published material has been provided by the mentioned brands. Therefore, ROLE Magazine cannot be responsible for copyright issues and assumes no responsibility for inaccurate content or changes in the products or prices displayed. Copyright by ROLE Magazine. Reproduction or use of the content in whole or in part without the written permission of the editor is strictly prohibited.

EDITOR’S NOTE Those of us on the northern hemisphere are resigned to the return of Jack Frost nipping at our heels. Pulling on the comfy, familiar knit sweaters, corduroy trousers and snuggling up with a loved one in a warm blanket is all part of the fun! Our October issue of ROLE Magazine features many articles for you to burrow under the covers and read. Staff writer Salvatore Otoro penned this month’s cover story and shares his potentially controversial views on considerations for those involved in role play. As part of ROLE Magazine’s affiliation with the new resident volunteers of the RL company Help People, Inc. and their in-world presence on the Help People Sim, Se7en Wirsing, a Help People volunteer, describes the challenges many newcomers to SL struggle with. Paypabak Writer takes us on a “journey aquatic” in her travel feature Under the Sea. Sesi Ackland delves deep into the fine balance and line between RL and SL relationships. Samara Barzane brings us an informative piece on the in-world performing arts scene with All the World’s a Stage. Jura Shepherd, our staff music contributor, brings us an exclusive sneak peek at Yoko Ono’s Peace Tower replica to be unveiled on the grid in the upcoming week. The free works of creative artist Four Yip are explored and featured by Therese Carfagno and a new feature by Anna Zwiers uncovers some of the fun designs and objects available in world for those looking for a bit of levity and creative photo opportunities. Staff stylist Express Zenkova whips together an inspired and ambitious Halloween-themed spread featuring hot male bloggers in exclusive ensembles. The hot fashion stylist duo of Tomoyo Breitman and Cayce Newell will inspire you to hit the shops with their always creative Mix & Match column and a feature on the design house !OhMai in this month’s Hot Finds fashion spread. Staff fashion stylist Stacie Pryor returns with another lush and gorgeous display of the hottest clothes for the season. Thank you to all of our loyal advertisers and readers for your continued support. As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome at editorial@role-magazine.com. Kind regards,

COVER STORY A DIFFERENCE OF OPINION

FOR MEN HALLOWEEN WITH WINTER, JAMES, RAN, DOMCH, GAHUM & VASEAN

66 8 20 28 36

ART IMAGINE PEACE TOWER JOHN AND YOKO’S DREAM COMES TO SECOND LIFE®

COVER STORY HOT FINDS MIX & MATCH FASHION SPREAD

44 54 58 62

HOT FINDS !OHMAI

SL/RL RELATIONSHIPS

ART MY FAVORITE THINGS: FOUR YIP

FOR MEN SL/RL RELATIONSHIPS FUN FINDS HELP PEOPLE

28 MIX & MATCH

FASHION SPREAD EARLY AUTUMN

58 62

FUN FINDS =KURI*GOHAN=

THE ARTS SCENE ALL THE [VIRTUAL] WORLD’S A STAGE

66 70 78 82

ART ART THE ARTS SCENE TRAVEL GUIDE

HELP PEOPLE CHALLENGES OF NEW RESIDENTS

TRAVEL GUIDE UNDER THE SEA

FINAL CREDITS

COVER STORY A DIFFERENCE OF OPINION

When you’ve role played for some time, you tend to notice some things that while miniscule, tend to have a large effect on the game play. Some of these actions could disrupt the play and cause unneeded friction among your teammates or other players. While I am not here to preach about what is right and what is wrong, I think these suggestions could make your role play more agreeable to all the other players. By Salvatore Otoro

The views and opinions I express here are my own and that of their respective owners. The subject matter being presented here are some of the things that annoy me as a player. While I have only played in metered sims, most of this should also apply to nonmetered sims as well. As always, you should use your judgment when deciding what’s best for you and your game.

What I’m trying to say here is that moderation, inventiveness, and originality are the key to using gestures. Overdoing it will only bring you problems and animosity from the other players. If you doubt what you can and cannot use, ask another player in OOC (Out of Character) chat. Most players are willing to help you learn the rules and will guide you in the right direction if you’re not sure about something.

Gestures

Role Play Limits

Gestures are highly disruptive in role play and can become annoying. Any time you are disrupting play, you run the chance of being admonished, banned, or booted from the sim. Some gestures, such as ones that are part of every Second Life avatar’s inventory, should be used sparingly if used at all. As a player, there is nothing more frustrating than having someone using those gestures instead of just role playing. Their use and abuse is not restricted to new residents alone.

Role play limits are a highly controversial part of role play and one that causes some players to ignore or refuse to include some in their play. My personal opinion on this is that role play limits serve only to disrupt and alter the play of the game. A common misconception, mostly among players with limits, is that everyone is supposed to check their profiles for those role play limits before they do anything to you or with you. This cannot be further from the truth. There is no rule in any role play sim that I have seen as of yet that forces all players to check a player’s profile for their limits. If such a rule were in place, it would interrupt the role play of everyone in the sim, whom would spend more time reading than role playing. I believe that it is the responsibility of every player to choose a sim that is in accordance to their beliefs and limits. In fact, I have been to role play sims that exclusively forbid players from having role play limits if they intended to play there. At most, a role play limit should be limited to something you do not want to role play because it is disturbing or of a traumatic nature, not a huge list of items.

This does not mean that you can’t use gestures with some measure. I know someone who plays a Neko and uses a gesture while in combat that sounds like a cougar in battle. It is not only original, but fits her character, and actually makes it more intimidating during combat. I also know some that have gestures of greetings, laughs, giggles, and roars, which are used sparingly and when appropriate. During combat, some gestures can enhance the look and fury of battle.

Michel Morane

Woman on the ground: Beauty Batriani

Winter Illios

Silly limits such as 30 minute capture time limits, role play time limits, and role play combat only limits are a waste of time. If you know about role play, you know that it might take 30 minutes or more for the capture let alone whatever else may happen including being rescued or freed. You have to remember that everything is being typed out; dialogue and actions. Imposing a limit would make it impossible to play the scene properly especially when more than just two players are involved. Role play combat limits are mute and meaningless in a metered sim. Not everyone likes or wishes to participate in acted out combat, which is why the meter is there.

sim and avoiding role play with the intent of racking up experience points (XP) on your meter to gain levels. I will say it again as I have said before in my articles and in my blog; role players take their game and their character very seriously and will become annoyed and or perturbed when an intended scene is interrupted or cut short because a player invokes limits. Role play sims are not public areas, but are all privately owned. What this means for you is that you can be banned for any reason or no reason at all. A player should scout out a role play sim before deciding on getting a meter and engaging in play. The sim should not conform to you; it should be you that finds someplace adequate for you to play. I will use the sim I use to role play in as an example. I play in City of

In some ways, you could compare role play limits to camping. Camping is defined as being in a metered 9

Lost Angels, a dark role play sim. By dark, it denotes that there is material and play that is adult in nature. There is sex, nudity, and subject matter that could be in a horror movie. It is not intended for kids or those who do not wish to partake of or witness this material.

role playing and concentrating on setting the scene. You should also note that OOC may confuse players and make a mess of the scene. Keeping it away from public view is the best way to handle it and keep from being reprimanded by a player or GM (Game Moderator). If at any time during your play, you feel that you cannot separate OOC feelings from IC feelings, the best thing to do is leave the game and return when you are able to separate them. Something worthy of noting is that making threats in IM or OOC will get you banned from playing in that sim, possibly escalating to being banned from that game system.

If you prefer role play that is less violent or of a gentler nature, then by all means, find a sim that has those qualities. Just because you don’t like the role play in a sim, does not mean that you should ruin every other player’s experience. Instead, find a sim closer to your tastes. There are currently over 200 CCS sims and countless other role play sims metered and unmetered of different genres. Search or ask around until you find someplace where you won’t need limits.

Suzanna Soyinka, creator of CCS and owner of the City of Lost Angels sim, explains it in high detail in this excerpt from a recent blog posting at www.ccs-gametech.com. “To fully define: In character: the actions and statements of a character within the game world, not always directly associative with the true thoughts and actions of the player of the character outside the game world. In character in role play can extend to multiple different forms of divergent behavior from the actual live behavior of the player of the character, in example, women that play men, men that play women, both that play strange hermaphroditic sex machines and whatever else. What these players do IN CHARACTER is not truly indicative of them as a person individually in real life, a male playing a female may actually engage in heavily sexually deviant behavior as a character and be completely heterosexual in real life, a woman playing an extremely violent evil character may be someone’s really awesome mother in real life, the character of the character is not the person that plays the character but is often completely the opposite or extremely variant and has no bearing on who they are individually in real life.

Fade to Black Speaking of role play limits, fade to black or FTB as it is commonly called, is used when you decide you don’t want to continue a scene and wish to just end the scene where it currently stands. This also means that your character’s part and possibly the entire scene will be null and void. FTB is something that should be agreed upon by all the participating players in Out of Character (OOC) chat. I have seen players call a FTB on a scene because they were uncomfortable with the subject matter of the scene or they feared for the reputation of their avatar because they also do other things in SL such as own stores or design clothes. If you use your avatar for matters that you do not want to mix up with role play, your best bet is to get an alt. FTB is available to you at any time but overuse will cause your reputation as a player to become tainted and eventually no one will want anything to do with you. Overuse may get you muted by other players or may simply cause players to ignore your character completely. Be aware that when a FTB is used, it cancels the entire scene thus wasting all the time and effort put into that scene.

Out of Character: Out of character is when you actually disengage the role play filters that you use when playing your character in the game environment and you’re just “being yourself” outside said game environment or even sometimes within the game environment. Things that occur in real life, or OOC that are not associated with the game itself are considered OOC events and thusly aren’t generally things that bleed into IC interactions with others. For example, you and your SL boyfriend break up, the relationship was not an IC relationship but the semi-atypical digital OOC relationship between two people that are

OOC and IC Another touchy matter is that of conversations that are OOC (Out of Character) and IC (In Character). During role play, it’s highly recommended that you keep all OOC conversations to a minimal or use IMs to do so. OOC chatter distracts the other players from 10

Watching: Krynch Picnic, Tari Renfold, Sakura23 Bleac

Sindee aka Salvatore Otoro (Red Sword) vs. Winter Illios

Factions

not actually together in real life. While these things occur as a matter of course, they are not generally bled into the game environment as IC motivations for hate against the person you split up with, at least by role players with any actual competence. The ending of any relationship digital or not can always be disappointing or traumatic, but the competent role player knows how to not let it affect their IC interactions with others, or the individual in question, or knows that if they cannot interact with that person without having their IC actions influenced by their OOC feelings, to not become involved in situations where they cannot keep the two worlds separate.”

Being in a faction is a privilege not a right. Look around in a sim and you will see that there are some players that are rogue or prefer not to be tied to a faction. Role play as a faction member is very different. There are two ways to get into a faction; you either apply or you are approached by a recruiter or other member to join them. Factions generally have a leadership structure which consists of leaders that rule as Kings, Queens, elders, etc. They in turn have officers that oversee the duties of running the faction, maintaining a line of communication between the leader and the members and new recruits.

Meterless in a Metered Sim Those who are faction leaders have the right to decide whether or not you are admitted to the family or not. Faction leaders have a responsibility to their members to keep out spies, troublemakers, and anyone they deem could pose a problem. Every faction has different policies for admitting new members. Some will admit you to their family right away while others will leave you as a prospect until they test you to see whether you will be a good fit for the faction. Another thing to keep in mind is that the faction is like a family. When you become a full member you are expected to follow the rules of the family and obey the will of the leaders or officers.

There are many role play sims in Second Life; metered sims using CCS, DCS, Spellfire, among others and sims that have no combat meters. If you decide to walk into a metered sim, be mindful of wearing a meter before you decide to interact with its citizens. There is a reason everyone wears a meter in a metered sim; it’s part of the sim rules. If you are just ‘window shopping’ and taking a look at the place before you commit to a meter, check the sim rules to see whether you are required to wear an OOC tag. In any case, every sim has different rules that you need to know before you start to play. Ignorance is not an excuse and will only get you scolded, booted, or banned.

There will of course be differences of opinions which are normal and expected but be careful when addressing officers and rulers. They do not take kindly to being ignored, talked down to, or disobeyed. As an officer for the Brood demons of Lost Angels I can tell you that acts of insubordination will cost you. You could be publicly punished or made an example of before the rest of the family. It may also bring about demotion or expulsion from the faction. Some examples of this would to be to publicly interfere or disagree with the decisions made by the officers or rulers, or to show up with friends that are not in the faction, and let them insult your family without you doing or saying anything to them. As far as the faction is concerned you owe your loyalty to them first, regardless of your position and rank and regardless what friends you have outside the faction. Acts of treason and disloyalty are equally punished as well. Keep in mind that your rank or position do not make you indispensible.

I have been witness, numerous times, to newly arrived players in Lost Angels that decide they are going to start trouble but are not wearing a meter. I recall some players starting to insult about eight of us demons standing at a corner. Demons are not nice and don’t take lightly to insults so this group of three had to be brazen or insane. The problem here was that none of them had meters so we had no way to retaliate with force. Their OOC explanation was that they were just having fun and did not need a meter to play there. This is a big misconception. If a sim requires you to wear a meter, you are not allowed to attack, insult, or even play IC with any players without one. You should understand that all those that are wearing meters can be attacked, damaged, and killed while those who are not wearing a meter would be impervious to any damage. Do yourself and others a favor and read the rules.

Another really important thing to remember is that your faction is there not only to aid you and protect you, but also to help you with role play and make sure you have fun. Keeping this in mind, make sure you are aware that IC actions have IC results and they may not be what you expected. You may have developed a certain role play and something that you think is really great and will add to your character, but you should share that OOC with your faction leadership so that they know beforehand. After all is said and done, it’s too late to explain what was going on or what ideas you developed. Again, this is part of being in a faction. By keeping the leadership informed about what you’re doing, making sure there are no secrets between you and your faction leadership, and working together you ensure better results from your role play.

While I’m not against trying a new class or race in an attempt to find something that fits your character perfectly, I don’t understand the mindset behind players that worry more about metered fights than about their role play. In fact, changing class and or race should involve some role play to effect the change in character. I find it quite comical, especially when these players achieve high levels yet are unable to create intelligent or interesting role play that would be to the benefit of their faction or others. Role play is not about hoarding XP to crush others in combat. It is about creating and assisting with a story line that will encourage others to engage you in ways beyond the battlefield. Conclusion In concluding with my reflections about the little and not so little things that cause my role play and that of others to suffer, I would like to offer one last piece of information that will help you grasp most of what I said here. The role player’s creed written by Calista of ImagineChat is essentially the equivalent of the words to live by for every role player. It is a set of rules that should be followed always if you want to be a good role player within a community.

Gaming the System This section applies to metered sims exclusively. There are some role players that are more concerned about winning metered fights than doing role play. These players camp their avatars to rack up experience points (XP) so that they can be at high levels as if they were playing a game of Warcraft. It’s something that I have noticed for quite some time. While CCS, RPCS, Spellfire, etc are great tools, they were not made to replace role play but to enhance it. Yet, the same players continually try to beat the system with the purpose of being the strongest in the sim by using this form of metagaming. Metagaming is prohibited during role play because it is the use of OOC information to influence IC actions.

I realize that what I have written here is controversial among the role play community. I’m not here to impose my view on you. Instead, I want to foment discussion and hear from you. If you have some knowledge of role play, tell me whether you agree or disagree with. I’d love to hear your comments and opinions on what I’ve written. As always, feel free to stop by my blog at http://secondliferoleplay.wordpress.com/ for more role play commentary, suggestions, tips, places to shop, places to play, and much, much more.

This goes hand in hand with some players that change race and or class for the same reasons. Why do they do this? As the combat meters are updated, changes may be made to the abilities of different races and classes where they are added, removed, or adjusted. This in turn changes the game for metered fights with certain players believing some races or classes more powerful than others. Basically, most players pick their race and class, based on their character. If a player’s character has always been a healer, they usually stay that way regardless of what enhancements are made that may give another race or class an added advantage.

Role Player’s Creed secondliferoleplay.wordpress.com CCS Webpage ccs-gametech.com 14

HOT FINDS !OHMAI

What happens when a fashionista turns into a fashion designer? Oh my! Oh my! The grid kneels down and the store is taken by storm for sure. That’s what happened when Anya Ohmai, one of the most accomplished fashion bloggers in SL, opened her store, !Ohmai. Styled and Written by Cayce Newell and Tomoyo Breitman Well known for her beautiful fashion photography and her eye for both style and breakthrough designers, Anya began her journey into content creation last summer, releasing some basic items, the ones that every inventory need, in multiple colors and in every possible layer: a taste of heaven for every Second Life fashionista. Anya’s attention to details and imagination brought a new fresh air in our daily shopping sprees, painting them with new colors and new creative forms that we’re very proud to share with you. !Ohmai Store Sweet Memory (68/138/29) Blog ohmyohmai.wordpress.com Flickr www.flickr.com/photos/ohmai

Skin: :GP: Moonbeam Frex [Dark] Beach-Osprey 1 by :GP: Hair: Natsumi - black by *DH* Dress: Spun silk gown [SILVERSIGNS] by !Ohmai Shoes: Ribbon belt pumps white by ANEXX Choker: TOSL *French Editor* choker by TOSL Nails: Painted nails - black by Armidi Pose: *Luth* Rockabilly 06 20

Skin: PaNina Midnight/medium/Frecjles by .:Twilythula:. Hair:Toppi [EXPRESSO] by !Ohmai Dress: Emmaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ruffles [COFFEECOMPANY] by !Ohmai Socks: Miel Jacke socks - flor dark - brown brumble by MIEL Shoes: Tuli pumps - brown by Shiny Things Bag: Sacoche - Dubai by Courtisane Scarf: scarf and corsage brown by BP* Headband: Miel AM tulip headband - champagne by MIEL Sunglasses: Miel Bella Peepers by MIEL Pose: *TorridWear* Basics 06

Skin:Celina *Cinna: Berry-1a by Bebae Hair: Toppi [CAVIAR] by !Ohmai Jacket: Hamilton Military [NAVIBABY] by !Ohmai Nails: nailE[Purple] by :bijou: Pants: Sparrow Rendezvous [ENVIOUSELEMENTS] - short version by !Ohmai Leggings: Basics sheer leggings [EGGPLANT] by !Ohmai Necklace: Layered flower necklace *black by Atelier AM Boots: Kristin Booties in Plum by ETD Earrings: Silent bamboo earring black by Cremshop Hair rose: rose hair flower *white* by Artilleri Pose: (ohmay_cayce_2b.jpg) [LAP] - Bolly1

21 Model/Stylist: Cayce Newell

Hair: - cocoa Hair:>TRUTH< >TRUTH<Ingrid Morgan - Smokey Skin: [ROCKBERRY] Aoki D Skin: *MY UGLYDOROTHYnatural -magaret29 (unreleased) Top: TOSL *Puff* Blouse v2.2 Printemps Undershirt: ::SUGARCUBE - Ruffled Silk Stripe Shirt Corset: Hasi`s corset belt black Shirt: oyakin*antique-tunic*shirts(brown) Inner Modd.G Summer Halter (Black) Dress:Shirt: !Ohmai : NinaLorrelle Sweater CLEARCHAMPAGNE Skirt: Peasant* Skirt Breeze v1.1 Rio[DARKDEPTHS] del Oro Skirt:TOSL (Part*Urban of ) !Ohmai : Summer Bag: TOSL *Equus II* Red Tartan Socks: !Ohmai: Basics Sheer Leggings [LIME] Earrings: TOSL *Dove & Dew Drop* Earring v1.2colors L Sunrise Shoes: HOC Apparel - Hocs Lowtops - Classic Bangle: TOSL *Adamas Wood* Pose: *Torridwear* - Fresh 02 Bangle v2.1 Brazilian Nights Shoes: TOSL *Puff* Platform Shoes v1.1 B&W Poppy Pose: coventure*for PrimSkirt stand 6

Hair: *barberyumyum*18/black Hair: Maitreya Bo - Kala Jeera Skin: *MY UGLYDOROTHY -magaret22 (unreleased) 2 Skin: :GP: Sundust [Light] April-Rainbow Shirt:Tank: !Ohmai : Lippin Denim Tunic CREME WASH (Gat!Ohmai : Basics Loose Racerback [MAROON] cha Festival Exclusive) Pants: TOSL *Sergeant Pepper* Pants v2.2 Aubergine 2Tone Skirt:Skirt: (Part TOSL of ) !Ohmai : Miss Thumbelina GILDEDGOLD *Urban Peasant* Skirt v1.2 Starry Eyed Hair Accessory: AtomicBambi Hair Corsage - Dubai Bangle 1: TOSL *Fruitylicious* Charm Bangle v1.1 Tangy (Saffron) Bangle 2: TOSL *Lickin’ Good* Bracelet v1.2 Rainbow Creamsicle Necklace: LaGyoBest CIRCUS_Siamese twins necklace black Necklace: TOSL *Girl’s Friend* Necklace v1.1 Gin & Tonic Bag: ::: B@R ::: Clutch Belt: Bag Yellow [Pink] The Bandage Sash Belt Shoes: ~Sakka’s Studio~Strap sabov1.2 sandals[ purple ] Bag: TOSL *Funky Hobo* Marley’s Medley Pose: Pretzel*PosesThe ANEXX_FringePumps_Copper Devil Wears Armidi 1 Shoes: Pose: Pretzel*Poses – Not So Wild Girls Night Out 4

Hair: [PF] Raine-<Honey>-Dolly Tears Red-(dkbrow) Hair: fri.day - Tabs Moody Brown Skin: >TRUTH< Valena - ivory Skin: (vive9) Maya [light] Sweety Dress: TOSL *Punk Princess* Dress v1.3Cardigan Sugarplum Jacket: !Ohmai : Basics Pocket [GRASS] Necklace: TOSLShirt: *French Editor* Necklace v1.3 !Ohmai: HighRise Tank [PITCH] Bangle: TOSL *French Editor* Bracelet v1.1 dress Inner Shirt: (Part of )::SUGARCUBE - GIA Exclusive Bag: TOSL *Giftbox* Sepia Red[black] Skirt: This is av4.1a FawnRound - Vintage Skirt Shoes: !Ohmai: TOSL *Sweater Wellies* v1.7 Pewter Leggings: Basics Sheer Leggings [WOOD] + R. Longo 9 long (Creamshop)Pose: camoDare leggings green Necklace: (fd) Tiny Cross Necklaces Brooch: Gumi’s Bad Box/Brooch - Black Roses Boots: Maitreya SoHo Boots ‘Black Suede’

23 Model/Stylist: Tomoyo Breitman

MIX & MATCH

CAYCE NEWELL 28

TOMOYO BREITMAN 29

Hair: MIEL FRI HAIR - brown 5 Skin: *MY UGLYDOROTHY -Lillbe(G)06 (Normal) Scarf: [fairy tail]Silk lACE SCARF(cream) Bag: beetlebones**”i skinned an ostrich” in Chocolate raisins Belt: fri. - Wide Waist.Belt (Brown) Socks: +mocha+ - Loose Socks - Plain Dirty [Green] Shoes: (Milk Motion) my worn ankle boots

LOOK 2 D + B

LOO

B + C

Hair: PR!TTY : Runway Model Hair :Brunette: Skin: (vive9) Maya [light] Sweety Vest: fri. - Halter Vest (Black) Leggings: *pop feel*Color tights argyle brown Handbag: =Feather= mini bag - bear Hair Accessory: MIEL AM TULIP headband – CHAMPAGNE Shoes: N-core Gift XtremeHeel Ankle Pose: Ks2cool

*BOOM* Seaman Pants pitch

C /artilleri/ Johanna highwaist shorts *black*

*Reale* Roll neck sweater (beige) 30

D [plastik] Boudoir Dress- Daizy

Hair: fri.day - Neva - Moody Brown Skin: *MY UGLYDOROTHY -magaret25 (unreleased) Top: Modd.G Lucy Halter {Grey} Gloves: (Part of ) *Beauty Avatar Couture* Cleo Dress Gift Shoes: 50 flats-Plum Wool Flaps Pose: Ks2cool Pose 31-40

LOO

E + 4 D

5 B

Hair: *FUEL* Mimi/chocolate brown Skin: *MY UGLYDOROTHY -Lillbe(A)01 (Normal) Skirt & Brooch: (Part of ) beetlebones** nicola dress in vanilla beans Belt: AOHARU_BT_TwinSkinnyBelt_White Lashes: [LeLutka]-Photoshoot II Lashes + [ glow ] eyelashes - eyeliner 04 Shoes: Maitreya Gold - Shanti Dark-Ecru Pose: [flowey] how far can you send emotions

Hair: * 0 Style * Page *(Chestnut) Skin: *MY UGLYDOROTHY -magaret4 (unreleased) Jacket: “NINIKO” full sculp vest Gloves: (Part of ) Emery - Outfit Florencia Necklace: [[SHADE THRONE]] BEADS BEADS BEADS NECKLACE (gold) Shoes: Periquita TooToo Shoe Dots Green Brown Pose: [flowey] immensely

Model/Stylist: Tomoyo Breitman

E fri. day Military Jacket (Dark Denim)

F Mimikri Luz Shrug mud

LOOK 2 B + C + E

LOO

K1 B + C + F

Skin: Acorn Frex [Dark] Beach-Osprey 1 by :GP: Hair: Aphro by Another Level Earrings: Chandelier & leaves earrings in silver by !BF! Shoes: Leather gladiator heels by ANEXX Bag: I skinned an ostrich in whitelight by Beetlebones Belts: Twin skinny belt in white and black by Aoharu Pose: [LA] Beyonce * walk

Skin: Acorn Frex [Dark] Beach-Osprey 1 by :GP: Hair: Dorothy’s Morning in Tree by Toast Bard Hat: tea hat by Wild O! Belt: high waister belt in patent black by M * A * ii * K * I Straw: BP:sprig /IWAKI by BP* Socks: sockt mit suspenders in dark grey by Pig Bag: mini bag A by Kurotsubaki Boots: Ankle boots by J’s Pose: *Luth* Fashion S3 09

*BOOM* Seaman Pants pitch

C /artilleri/ Johanna highwaist shorts *black*

*Reale* Roll neck sweater (beige) 32

D [plastik] Boudoir Dress- Daizy

Skin: PaNina Mountain/Medium/Freckles by Twilythula Hair: Hunting - chiffon curl in black by Argrace Suspenders: BombBon/tolorock set/suspender by BomBon Bag: Leather shoulder bag by Plod Shoes: Vintage short boots by Jâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pose: *TorridWear* - Basics 03

LOO

4 A + B + D

LOO

A + B

LO D

Skin: PaNina City/Medium/Freckles by Twilythula Hair: Dylan in charcoal by Maitreya Bag: bag/tete black by [gisele] Ring: margot ring /pkw by [gisele] Belt: Dauphine by Pixeldolls Necklace: Choco beads by Fashionably Dead Shoes: Funny Girl flats in pink by Periquita Pose: [LAP] - DW-Give Me Seductive

Skin: Petal Frex [Dark] Lovely-Firehouse 2 by :GP: Hair: EMMY (Btype) in black by Junwave Belt: Twin skinny belt in white by Aoharu Headband: MIEL AM TULIP headband in champagne by MIEL Shoes: Bijou gladiator heels in copper by ANEXX Pose: Pretzel*Poses- The Devil Wears Armidi 7

Model/Stylist: Cayce Newell

E fri. day Military Jacket (Dark Denim)

F Mimikri Luz Shrug mud

FASHION SPREAD EARLY AUTUMN Styling by Stacie Pryor

Clear Canning Skin: *Redgrave* Pale Skin 10 - Megan Eyes: Poetic Color Eyes - Bright - Gold Beach Lashes: *Redgrave* Individualist Hair: >TRUTH< Heidi - treacle Cardigan: *BOOM* Wrong Size Cardi tan Blouse: [LeeZu!] Valerie Blouse GREEN Pants: Doppelganger Inc. - Amsterdam Shorts brown Shoes: *Kookie* Powder Puff - Sun Gold Poses: *V* POSES - Hunt7

Hallie Galli Skin: League - Deeptan - Misty - Classic Eyes: Pididdle - Motion Sickness Eyes - Easy Hair: .:[ Tiny Bird ]:. Love Song/Longer Version - Licorice Top: Modd.G Zoey Runched Offshoulder {Pink} Skirt: Emery - Skirt Highwaisted R.f. #Carrot Tights: !Doux Petit Dahl - Crochet Tights - Lemon Boots: - Tesla - Kensington Tall Boots *violet* Necklace: (luc) Mala Beads Necklace, Red Bloodstone Bag: [ICoN]LC clutch (Yellow) Poses: *Luth* Fashion S4 12

Stacie Pryor Skin: [KA] SKINS GS -Charlize 2- Pale /Brown Brows/ Make Up 05 Eyes: Eponym: Kaleidoscope Eyes - Blue Steel Lashes: *Redgrave* Rendezvous Hair: fri. - Deena - Dramatic Red Jacket: *COCO*_TailoredJacket_Denim-DarkBlue Dress: /artilleri/ Wilma dress *green* Boots: Adam n Eve Boots - Tia Ochre Necklace: Zaara : Balini Necklace *multi-amber* Poses: [LAP] - Fae Dolly

Alan Tamatzui Skin: -Belleza- Jonas tan 0-E (hair) Hair: -Uw.St Jin-Hair tyoe-B brown Eyes: Expressive eyes green 6 by Nany Merlin Shirt: :sey nel-shirt [Purple] Undershirt: [W&B] Mark Long Sleeve Henley WEST COAST Jeans: *Valiant* Silver Fish Black/Blue denim jeans Shoes: *ordinary* -Loridae- tan Poses: [LAP] - M-Hiding Something

Magen Jigsaw Skin: *REDGRAVE* Leticia Tan Eyes: Poetic Color Eyes - Jungle Lashes - Deviant Kitty Hair: >TRUTH< Marie - cocoa Jacket: [MG fashion] Louis Jacket (mustard) Blouse: [SC] Surf Couture - Driftwood Tank - Plumb Pants: fri. - Trousers (Brown) Boots: Jâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ankle Boots Square (brown) Bag: Dollita/ Martini handbag beige Poses: JUICY - Allure2

Nexeus Fatale Skin: -Belleza- Miguel Tan 6 Eyes: (Miriel) Standard Eyes - Quiet Green Jacket and Hoodie: Young Urban - Brown Jacket w/Green Hoodie Jeans: *League* Ripped78s Mens-Dark Warm Blue Shoes: SOREAL City Steps Sneakers Nut (SSN013) Poses: [LAP] - M-Back Step

FOR MEN HALLOWEEN By Express Zenovka

Winter Jefferson Cthulu Skin: Nomine Sylvan skin Oro Green in China White Hair: Mane of Glory in Malachite by The Stringer Mausoleum Eyes: !!!MZ Feline Green eyes by Monique Zimmerman Body: Parts from the Headless Hydra outfit by Grim Bros - slightly modded Tentacles: Sinful Needs Demonic Tentacle Mass and Demonic Tongue Poses: [LAP] - M-Blogger3-Mirror On any other day, Winterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a vampire (not of the sparkly variety), so he feels the bar is raised for him when Halloween comes around. How can someone beat an elder god straight out of Lovecraftian lore? For once, though, his pale skin came in handy since the Elder Dark Gods live under the sea in Râ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Lyeh. 44

Ran Garrigus Masked Pirate King Skin: Dave Gears (Origin Shaven Freckles) by the Abyss Hair: Slide (RD III) by MADesigns Hat: Worthy Pearl Tricorn Hat by The Black Canary Mask: Goblin Mask by Illusions Coat and Gloves: Marquis by Bare Rose Pants: Pretense (Black/Silver) by RFyre Belt: Pirate Belt by Illusions Sword: Rapier by Infamous Designs Boots: Cavalier Boots (Straight Cuff ) by Illusions Poses: [LAP] The Nicolas and [LAP] - M-Blogger2 Ran’s costume is inspired by characters from some of his favorite 80s movies. Most noticeable, probably, is Kevin Kline’s Pirate King from the “The Pirates of Penzance.” While enhancing the romance and swagger of a Pirate King, his mask also serves as a nod to Labyrinth and The Princess Bride.

James Schwarz The Admiral Skin: Ironic Birds - Oscar - Light Chincurtain Hair: MADesigns Hair - Akami - RSIII Shades: Shade Throne - Diabolita Shades Jacket & Pants: Barerose - Masquerade Gloves: Paper Couture - Part of Leather Scales Outfit Boots: Exile - Kboots - Black Poses: [LAP] - M-Hulk and MaitreyaMModel03a Inspired by everything from anime space admirals, historical figures, and Michael Jackson, Jamesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Admiral is a bright and bold costume. Always looking sharp and always in charge, the Admiral is a timeless classic.

Domch Raymaker Japanese Zombie Rocker Skin: The Body Politik Male Zombie Avatar Hair: Discord - Prim Hair [A-Syu-Ra] Silver Shades: Lelutka - Azu’s Shades Earring : Fine - Justice Pierce Earring Jacket: Sey - Rijk2 (Jacket) Ring: Fine - Cross Shield Ring Guitar: Discord - On-Sui [Back] DIS Red (Electric Guitar) Pants: Sey - Carving Leather Pants (Red) Boots: Jim’s Goth Shop - Vertabrae Boots Red Mens Poses: IZUMIYA POSE M20 and [LAP] - M-Crouch8 Domch wanted to incorporate something Asian into Halloween. He would have been a jiang shi, also known as a Chinese vampire, despite being more like a zombie. However, he felt they’d be too obviously Asian and that they’ve been done before. Instead, he kept the zombie concept and melded it together with two of his favorite Japanese tropes: Kinji Fukasaku’s ‘Battle Royale’ and the Japanese rock-pop duo Chage and Aska, ending up with a fitting tribute to both Japan and the zombie horror genre.

Gahum Riptide Blue Demon Skin: ABYSSxy +Fallen Gods Inc.+ SKIN + NEUTRAL shaved Hair: Uncleweb Studio AI-Hair type-B size-L black Iron halo: Celebrity Shapes Match “Radiohead Antannae” Horns: *~*ILLUSIONS*~* Snicker Horns: Copy Eyes: *DEN-DOU* Vampire Eyes /Blind (part of the *DEN-DOU* Vampire skin -PB Set-) Tattoo: TikiTattoo - Tikehau Wings: *~*ILLUSIONS*~* Angel Wings Black Folded Cuffs: Tango New York: Rocker Wrist Cuff Legs: Titania’s Court “Male Faun Obsidian” Poses: MaitreyaMModel09a Gahum’s inspiration comes from the classic representation of demons as satyrs with bat wings. But while the classical demon is often quite ugly, Gahum scoured his collection of fantasy costumes to cobble together an attractive demon. His favorite part of the costume is the “iron halo,” which definitely makes this costume extremely distinctive.

Vasean Talamasca Demon Lord Full Avatar: [LH] - Demon Lord Poses: *Luth* Captain Hammer 13 Fashion circles tend to frown on wearing something “prepackaged” because one can express individuality via a personal combination or mashup of clothes. Sometimes, though, the prepackaged solution is so good that modifying or mixing it detracts from the final product. This is definitely case with Vasean’s Demon Lord. When asked why he chose the look, his answer was simple (and perhaps obvious): it’s badass.

SL/RL RELATIONSHIPS

As a real life long distance couple, my now RL husband and Second Life® partner, Winston and I were always looking for a way to stay connected. We spent our time away from each other emailing, in an IM or talking on the phone. The internet helped us immensely but we were still missing the little every day things, sharing a sunset, a walk or sitting on our front porch. Fortunately for us, in early 2007 technology was in our favor once again when Winston stumbled upon an article about Second Life’s real estate guru Anshe Chung. By Sesi Ackland

Having known a few gamers of the more violent MMOs, Winston had often wondered if there was an online “game” where the object was not blowing things or people up. The birth of his avatar and instant love of the idea of this virtual world lead him to introduce me to this “game”. That evening during our nightly phone call he asked, “Have you heard of this thing Second Life?” My first thought was he was talking about something spiritual, a second life. Perhaps a new age take on reincarnation, something that happens after your first life.

land because it was the first name in the drop down list. That weekend, I learned the basics but it wasn’t until Winston had gone home that Second Life would become our hang out. With 300 miles between us, we bought land, built a house, decorated and landscaped. We went exploring, dancing, shopping (and I repeat) shopping. At that time our social circle was nil, I believe I friended one person who introduced me to the virtual fashion world and gave me my first makeover. Although SL was the perfect solution to our long distance relationship, my existence there had nothing to do with my original intrigue.

Winston’s explanation was very simple, “an online platform where you can build and create things.” I didn’t understand the concept of Second Life at all and honestly wasn’t interested. The following night, during Winston’s weekend visits, he wanted to show me SL live. Explaining SL in a conversation isn’t as effective as a 3d tour. After downloading SL, he signed on and walked about. We visited a few desolate places which weren’t helping my interest or understanding but the last place he teleported to was a busy sandbox. That is where I saw other avatars, I was instantly intrigued with the chatting and interactions between the people on my monitor. The building or creating isn’t my cup of tea but the idea of having a real person behind each and every avatar really appealed to me.

Eventually, I moved to be with Winston in real life. Once we were under one roof, I didn’t think there was much reason to be in SL. Why bother sitting next to the pixelated Winston when he was within RL reach every day? Winston, still loving to build and stimulate the model car making part of his brain, accessed Second Life from work on slow days. Eventually tired of tinkering, he began exploring the idea of playing live in Second Life. He sought out the SL music scene and was meeting great people. His excitement for SL had returned and it renewed my interest. It became clear that we could have our real life home and I could spend time with him creating in SL. I logged back in, dusted off the avatar and very quickly Winston and I had a busy schedule of live

I registered and, like Winston, took the last name Ack54

music in-world. It was fascinating, lots of fun and very satisfying. For us, the music community was an integral part of meeting people. Expanding our Second Life horizons, friendships were quickly formed. While getting to know all these wonderful people, I became increasingly curious about other peoples stories of what brought them to Second Life.

“I stumbled on it and I was bored. I thought...why not” “I was on a forum of Big Brother fanatics and one of us joined SL, within time many of us joined.” “My friend owned an island that was largely populated by mommy bloggers, we all came to SL together after she bought the Sim.”

After a conversation with a friend about this same subject and her same curiosity, I figured if we wanted to know maybe others did too. The idea came to me to research it and find a place to share what I found. I joined the social media masses and asked hundreds of avatars, “Why did you join SL? Why do you stay?” and the responses were plentiful.

I hadn’t even realized there was a difference between how and why until my answers were pouring in. If someone has asked me why I joined Second Life, I would have answered it the same way. “Winston heard of it in an article. He thought it was cool so he told me about it and I joined.”

I’ve spent a few weeks reading and organizing my replies. Even though I had so many I tried to put cursor to document and I was stumped. I couldn’t adapt the information to what I had hoped for the article. Something was wrong, I wanted so much more. When I asked myself what I really wanted to know, I knew I had asked the wrong question. People weren’t telling me why, they were telling me how they joined Second Life.

The majority of people who replied had first heard of SL on the internet, in a magazine, through other forms of media or were referred by a friend. Every time someone in our lives mentions their most recent discoveries we don’t always seek out more information for ourselves. Something about SL brought to our attention that it must appeal to a certain need, want or desire of our own.

“I joined with a friend who was telling me about a story she saw on SL so we decided to join.”

While trying to gain footing in my first attempt at writing this piece, I remembered what it was that appealed to me when introduced to SL. I knew the social 55

media platforms I was using lacked enough characters (140) for people to answer the questions adequately.

and its roles are just as unique and flexible. We have the ability to have many roles is our virtual society and can change day to day or even hour to hour. The possibilities are endless.

Shortly thereafter, in the September issue of Role Magazine’s cover story, Editor Ofelia Laval shares what it was about Second Life that grabbed her attention.

The reality of our first lives is we have limited choices and very little control in this very fast paced, disconcerting world. It is not surprising so many are attracted to the idea of entering a platform where each person can create another life for themselves and have control over every aspect of this second life. It’s the very reason Burger King® had such success with their age old slogan, “Have it your way®” the idea appeals to a very basic but brilliant concept. Linden Lab ran with the slogan and captured a fantasy of hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. Those that Second Life hasn’t appealed to yet are those that probably haven’t heard of it. Or so it would seem. Who wouldn’t want to be part of a world where they can have it their way?

“... listening to NPR... when a piece on Second Life caught my attention. Second Life was described as a world designed by the inhabitants for the inhabitants – artists, musicians, techies, real world companies, animators. That alone was enough to make me curious but the description of how one could create an avatar to look like anything you could imagine and then interact and talk with others from all over the world is what sold me.” Aha. I should have asked, “What is it about SL that first appealed to you?” Ofelia nicely summed up what I felt most SL users would say and feel. I summarized a notecard and dropped it on a few people in-world. Those few I approached the second time all answered in their own words but, when broken down, they gave the same answer: -

so-ci-e-ty –noun 1. a body of individuals living as members of a community; community. Albeit, a society within a very different, flexible and magical world but a society nonetheless. The stories of several inhabitants of our virtual world all shared very basic wants, needs and desires. We want the ability to choose what society to live within and hopefully thrive in. We have the need to choose what role we will play within this society and we have all craved the desire for a place where such freedom exists. Second Life had the ability to meet these needs. The NPR piece that first attracted Ofelia to SL described it as “a world designed by the inhabitants for the inhabitants”. Not only is it their physical world the inhabitants can design but it is their societal world and roles as well. Like the pixel world itself, the society 56

FUN FINDS =KURI*GOHAN=

Sometimes it’s easy to forget that we’re supposed to be in Second Life for fun. If you find yourself in a bit of a rut, logging in and standing in one spot for hours, this feature is for you! Get out there, shake yourself off and try out these fun and clever designs from naho’s Funny Shop =kuri*gohan=. By Anna Zwiers

=kuri*gohan= Kaneohe (139/198/23)

Funny 1 - naguri_usagi(ver 1.0)

Funny 2 - face-curtain

Skin- Laqroki ~ Tasha Eyes- :::Sn@tch Soulful Eyes Hair- BP*spring short bob2 Jewelry - ::MEZZO::FLOWERS&LADYBIRD Shirt- * [DIAPOP] * !top pink! Cardigan- .::Mother Goose’s::. pink cadi Shorts- Ibizarre Jeans Bermuda Dark Blue Shoes - {SMS} Ballerina Shoes

Skin- MIASNOW Skin - LOLLI 5 clown Eyes- KirakiraEyes Hair- Exile Love Song Outfit- *mia* BROKEN HEART BAZAAR Shoes - R2 “Nani” Poses - ELISA - Poses For Friends

Funny 3 - hand-bell-package Hair - ETD Kit Skin - [ROCKBERRY] Uma D light Dk Brows - [Rockberry] Eyes - (Miriel) Standard Eyes - Sepia - Miriel - closed Earrings - Ear Candy ~ Diamond and Black Pearl Drop Earrings Necklace - Canimal - picture pendant Shoes - [Tou Fromc*] gacha1(1)_appleshoes Shirt - Frop! Cute As A Bug Tee Pants - magi take boyfriend denim jeans

Funny 4 - dou-nabe Skin- Nomine Plague Skin female - infected Eyes - Cyanide Eyes - Dark Brown Hair - =TEKUTKEU= anne Outfit - *KitchPower Woman Malizz Yiyuan creation

HELP PEOPLE CHALLENGES OF NEW RESIDENTS

“Welcome Se7en Wirsing to Second Life! You are currently in the Avatar Island Orientation Complex,” appeared on the screen. A couple of avatars stood nearby, chatting about freebie places. A male avatar called out, “does anyone know how to change the sex of your avatar?” Another said, “what do I do next?” So was my inauspicious start in Second Life®. By Se7en Wirsing New residents arrive at Help People Island (HPI) daily with questions such as these, from the simple-“where can I get new clothes?”-to the more complex-“how do I get a job?” Often it is their first day and they have many questions. As they explore SL, begin to learn the basics and discover what they enjoy, they face challenges, each within the context of his/her own desires and experiences. When I asked new residents and HPI Helpers to talk about challenges, the typical answers were like these, having to do with changing appearance, buying or renting a home, and getting a job.

how to change appearance and leave Help Island Public (teleport away) as well as finding a job and making money.

On the positive side, comments like this were heartening: “I am newbie. I am having a lot of fun here. I want to learn everything…” from rediqueti Overland (rezzed about 40 days ago) and from Breanna Floresby (rezzed 4/20/09), “I was really excited to find SL.”

The language barriers are widely acknowledged, even within Linden Lab. Philip Rosedale, Founder of Second Life (a.k.a. Philip Linden) discussed the challenge of languages in the closing ceremony at the Second Life 6th Birthday Celebration on June 29th. “I actually think we are at a point where we really do need to just build this short text translation in automatically as a default feature of the experience that you have when you’re in a virtual world. I think that the fact that we can technologically achieve that nowadays... it’s just amazingly cool. We’re going to really start using virtual worlds to talk to people around the world that we would never have talked to otherwise. ...think how cool it will be when we are able close to seamlessly communicate with people who don’t speak in our primary or only languages.” (transcribed from video at http://archive.treet.tv/node/3190)

Many new residents mentioned language issues or have asked for translators. Since I offer translators so often, I made a notecard with only the landmarks of translators and shared it with others, including HPI Helpers. The translators are adequate for basic conversations, but some are not sophisticated enough for complex conversation.

Although his rez date was 6/18/09, Xtasty Deezul hadn’t spent much time in SL, but said, “I’ve been on SL for about 3 hours now and already met new people, which is actually very nice.” Cricket Crabe, a Helper at HPI, echoes these sentiments, “The new residents I have met all seem to be glad they have joined Second Life. I would also say that their initial hours of adapting to Second Life range from being perplexed about what to do next to sheer exhilaration.” SL Mentor Galaad Uramen (rezzed 9/9/06) finds new residents challenged with wanting “to know everything in 1 hour.” In contrast, he notes for himself, “it has been 3 years 9 [months] I am here and I am still learning.” He generally may be found on Help Island Public, where he fields questions on the basics like

Computer issues, specifically, compatibility is a difficulty not easily overcome. Breanna Floresby experienced this and upgraded her computer to meet the requirements. Unfortunately, compatibility issues are 62

out the realm of HPI’s capabilities to help. “I am sort of learning about computers too,” she admitted. Sometimes, it seems the lack of understanding may be due to lack of basic knowledge of computer operation. This may be overcome with patience.

without bad attitudes to ask questions,” explained compsocr2 Sharktooth, an HPI Apprentice. “Learning the basics was not all that apparent [but I] got to HPI and all went well from there.” He has found an innovative way to introduce his nonprofit group to virtual meetings in SL. He arranges for an SL Mentor to meet with the members as they arrive for personal instruction.

HPI’s volunteer staff members, having experienced the same challenges of a new world, are sensitive to the needs of new residents. Laurelle Franizzi expressed, “My only interest was to help, at HPI and outside of it. My reward was to see how happy those people were after I introduced them to something new, the “thank you’s” were enough along with how they would come back after gaining more experience to say ‘hello’ and tell how they were doing.” Kathryn Vayander, an HPI Plaza Supervisor, expressed similar views, “As I became more knowledgeable myself, I wanted to pass on the good that had been done for me. I am a teacher in real life, so helping people is in my blood. I wanted to share my knowledge of SL and help others.”

Residents who had returned after being away from SL were positive about the improvements they had found. When emerson Applewhyte (rezzed 8/6/09) was asked what he was hoping for, he said, “to see if SL had progressed from 2 years ago. I think it’s moved on a lot.” The future looks bright in SL for new and experienced residents alike as improvements continue to be made. And, as for HPI, how could you go wrong with an objective like “Changing the World with an Attitude....Help People®”?

Sometimes, a bad experience was what spurred them to volunteer. “My first problem was finding people

Help People® Island Help People Island (36/34/2) 63

ART IMAGINE ALL THE PEOPLE LIVING LIFE IN PEA

JOHN AND YOKO’S DREAM COMES TO SECOND LIFE® PIERCING THE SKY ABOVE SECOND LIFE’S MOST NORTHERLY SIM, STANDS A TOWER OF LIG CEPT IN THE MIND OF A YOUNG, WILD-EYED ARTIST OVER FORTY YEARS AGO. THE TOWER BE OFFICIALLY OPEN ON OCTOBER 9, 2009 AND WILL STAND AS A SYMBOL FOR UNIVERSAL YOKO ONO, THE ARTIST WHO CONCEIVED THE IDEA FOR THE REAL WORLD AND WHO COM By Jura Shepherd

ACE

GHT THAT BEGAN LIFE AS AN ARTISTIC CONR, NAMED THE IMAGINE PEACE TOWER, WILL L PEACE. IT IS PART OF A LIFE-LONG DREAM OF MMISSIONED ITS CREATION IN SL.

The tower will replicate, as closely as possible, it’s real world counterpart which opened on October 9th, 2007 on Viðey Island in Kollafjörður Bay near Reykjavík, Iceland. The terrestrial version is made of 15 spotlights in all. 9 shine straight up from inside the well and 6 are in the ‘corridors’ around the base and are reflected up by 6 mirrors. This forms a column of light that is tall enough to not only reach cloud cover, but has been seen to penetrate well beyond it. According to the University of Iceland, the light is so powerful that, if within the column itself, the light would still be visible with the naked eye from space and could be easily detected with instruments from much further away from our planet. The base of the tower is an elegant but austere cylindrical structure made of white stone that is meant to symbolically represent a well, specifically a wishing well. Circling the well are engravings of the phrase “Imagine Peace” written in 24 different world languages.

Ono’s Imagine Peace website with the hopes of simply having them published to the site but they actually created a great deal of interest. Ono would eventually see the pictures and it was agreed that if there was to be an IMAGINE PEACE TOWER in SL, it would need to be an accurate relative to its real world counterpart, and that Herzog-Brenham would be the ones to build it. Ono is known for forward thinking and was open to the idea of her concept crossing into virtual worlds. Bernard tells us, “It was not a hard sell and when I eventually met Yoko, she seemed genuinely excited and very open to the idea.” Herzog-Brenham was introduced to Tetsuo Hamada and his son TetsuRo, who were responsible for the building of the real world tower and were supplied with blueprints, detailed documentation, and photos to work from. Herzog’s real life son and SL business partner, Dannyboy Brenham, has created scripting to handle the tower’s lighting sequence, which will happen at SL sunsets 6 times a day, as well as a special HUD to be used on the island and the handling of wishes sent in-world. The HUD operates the free Onochord and preloads textures to improve the experience of the tower lighting up. Herzog says “I believe it’s as realistic as it can be”.

The IMAGINE PEACE TOWER’s wishing well concept is one that is a continuation of Yoko Ono’s interactive art. In 1981, after the passing of her husband John Lennon, Ono began to collect wishes based on a traditional idea from her childhood. “As a child in Japan, I used to go to a temple and write out a wish on a piece of thin paper and tie it around the branch of a tree. Trees in temple courtyards were always filled with people’s wish knots, which looked like white flowers blossoming from afar. All my works are a form of wishing” says Ono and indeed she has collected over 700,000 wishes since she started the project. In a 1996 interview, Yoko Ono explained: “I’ll tell you what’s going to happen: every piece of paper has a wish on it, I don’t read it, and all of them will be put in one big tower of a sculpture, like a totem. It will be a very powerful sculpture… a tower which contains wishes of the people of the world of our time. All in one tower!” What may have seemed like an abstract concept at the time is exactly what she did. The wishes Ono had collected over decades are buried under, and made a spiritual part of the IMAGINE PEACE TOWER.

At the time of the writing of this article, construction was still underway and moving at a frantic pace to meet the October 9th opening date which also happens to be John Lennon’s birthday. The IMAGINE PEACE TOWER sim is restricted access until then but there’s no doubt there is a great deal of excitement surrounding it. Bernard Herzog tells us, “It’s a fantastic honor to be working on something that is so close to Yoko’s heart, albeit in a virtual world. I hope it captures a small part of the experience of visiting the real tower for many people who may not be able to travel to Iceland.” In many ways, it’s an honor to have the tower in our little world at all but it does seem fitting considering the global reach of Second Life.

Beginning October 9th: IMAGINE PEACE TOWER in SL IMAGINE PEACE TOWER (128/128/2)

The story of how the IMAGINE PEACE TOWER has come to be in Second Life begins with SL developer Bernard Herzog, the elder of the father-son duo Herzog-Brenham. Inspired by the real world project, Herzog built a tower of light on the New Brighton sim that he owns. He took pictures and sent them to Yoko

More information about the real world tower www.imaginepeace.com For information on SL Developers Herzog-Brenham: www.herzogbrenham.com 68

ART MY FAVORITE THINGS

Four Yip is not only among the most creative people in Second LifeÂŽ â&#x20AC;&#x201C; she also gives away her stuff for free! A snow bear or a baby tiger to wear on your head. A device and a costume that puts you straight into a Chaplin movie. A daring peepcock costume. A complete freak boy avatar playing a drum with a fish in his mouth. A wallflower cat. Q: What do all these things have in common? A: The brilliant Second Life artist Four Yip. By Therese Carfagno

The assignment from my editor: “Would you have any interest in writing a piece on some of your favorite free works from Four Yip?” Would I? Yes! Because she’s something you, my dear reader, don’t want to miss. Whatever your taste, she has something you’ll find funny or beautiful, or both. And here’s my personal best list, beginning with …

friend of mine, Pip Polanski, wearing what I couldn’t distinguish from either tight clothing or a skin. She was covered in flowers and wore a pair of shoes to match, as well as whiskers and a tail. Asked what she was wearing, she answered: “Wallflower Cat by Four Yip.” That was the beginning of a love affair. Pip gave me the landmark for Yip’s shop, and I entered a world of wonders.

Item no 1: The Wallflower Cat The Wallflower Cat is a skin that looks like flowered wallpaper. Apart from the whiskers, tail and shoes, it comes with a matching room in which you can pose

I still remember the first time I got to know Yip’s work. It was at the fab club Flashmans, where I noticed a

Item no 3: The Peepcock

and hide. But The Wallflower Cat skin also works well clothes, preferably light ones without any strong patterns of their own.

I used to dance at a burlesque club named The New Champagne Rooms, so I was always looking for nice costumes to wear. They should be sexy and sassy, but also classy, elegant and nice, not your average strip joint outfit looking cheap. Yip’s Peepcock outfit met all these demands.

Item no 2: The CharlieCinema Here’s how it works: First, you put on the costume made by Yip, consisting of a bowler hat, a shirt with or without suspenders, high waist trousers, a walking stick and a small moustache. Then, you rez the CharlieCinema, a clever device run by pedal power in which a painting of a landscape rolls by to simulate movement. Jump on a pose ball, and off you go on a funny walking animation. It’s strongly advised to zoom in so you get to see only yourself and the painted board, giving the illusion maximum effect. The only thing this device lacks is a bit of quick music to go along. Fun for the whole family.

“Peepcock” – the name sums it up. It’s both beautiful and daring. You can choose how daring you want it to be, depending on whether you choose to use a g-string or ordinary panties, pasties or a bra. The most majestic part is, naturally, the magnificent tail, fanning out as it does on a real peacock. It also has a feathered tiara, a feathered bra and feathers for the crotch. An ideal outfit to remove piece by piece while dancing to 40’s jazz.

Items no 4 & 5: The Magritte Thingies

A second is the Fantasy Eyes, which nods both to the Therapist and The Son of Man. This time, it’s your whole body apart from your shoulders and head that disappears, and your head is hidden behind an apple.

René Magritte (1898–1967) was a Belgian surrealist artist. He’s most famous for his pictures of pipes and outfits without bodies in them. Yip must have a thing for him, as she’s made a few pieces inspired by his works.

Item no 6: The Waldemar Twin Now it’s getting scary! Here you get to be a small boy that most probably could use some serious help, poor thing. The Waldemar Twin is a full avatar including shape and skin. I think Yip created him for a freak show. He looks like someone that could be running down a cobblestone street in a rainy town in Europe sometime between the two world wars. He’s got knee lengths brown trousers, a stripy, greenish shirt with a matching hat, a cute drum and drumsticks (with animations), brown socks, no shoes, and a fresh fish between his teeth.

One such piece is the Therapist, based on Magritte’s painting of the same name (Therapeute). You sit on square cut stones. Floating above them is a birdcage partly covered in a dark red cloth with a bowler hat on top. As you sit down on the stones, your torso and your head, which should have been inside the cage and the hat, disappears completely, creating an…, um…., surreal effect. You might want to bring your own Chaplin stick, though, as the Magritte stick might be out of reach for your hand. Otherwise, it’s a perfect trophee d’art.

Item no 8 & 9: The Snow Bear & The Baby Snow Tiger

Something about him, most probably the drum, makes me think of Oskar Matzerath, the little boy in German author Günther Grass’ novel The Tin Drum. In the book, he’s born in Danzig (now Gdansk in Poland) in 1924, and narrates the story during his stay in a mental hospital during the years 1952–1954.

These two are cousins – and what cuddly cousins they are. The snow bear comes with a white skin, huge and hairy paw boots, a “pussybearbag” with chain, a bearhat chain and the bearhat itself: A majestic and towering snow bear with lots of soft fur. You’ll want to bring it with you to bed when you go to sleep.

Like I said, he could probably use some help. But what a great piece of work he is! Waldemar comes with a nice Yip painting of his room and twin, but it’s even more fun if you’re two persons using the avatars together. Guaranteed to raise some eyebrows if you enter a dance club filled with chicks and studs, or a strip joint.

I don’t know if snow tigers exist outside of Yip’s imagination (probably not, but that’s why we have imaginations, right?), but it’s so cute and beautiful. Although it consists of a larger number of attachments than the snow bear, the baby snow tiger is a simpler outfit consisting of paws for your hands, a long boa and a tail. Both outfits come with shapes but you can choose whether or not you want to use them.

Item no 7: The Bird Woman Here’s a stylish outfit that – no wonder – makes you want to fly. It has beautiful plumage inspired by Indian head pieces, as well as feathers on top of the gloves, down from your ears, on the shirt and around the waist like a skirt. It even has feathers on the fantastic shoes. The tights have a feather pattern while the shirt has laces like a corset.

Something I found out by chance, while changing from the snow bear to the baby snow tiger, was that the two animals can be worn at the same time. Then it looks as if the baby tiger is hiding underneath the bear. Now how cute is that?

The outfit comes in two versions that have a few differences. The other version, (called Golden) does not have a headpiece, but has the same feathers which attach to your back. Additionally, it has a smart waist rope and wings which attach to your arms and a feather headband. Which one you prefer is up to you.

You can mix and match an impressive outfit by combining the tiger hand paws with the bear feet paws. You can even choose a scripted version of the bear feet that gives you footprints as you walk.

Item no 10: The Three Bird chairs

Item no 12: Trying a Dress

A true Yip classic. Get elevated, borrow some wings and look down at the rest of the world from these impossibly tall chairs. Every good home and club is not complete without these. And do notice the three eggs that lie on the ground beneath them.

We end this list with a beautiful dress but you’re not likely to notice just how beautiful until you find you’re able to stop dancing in it. So there you have my favorite freebies by Four Yip. Some people might hate me, and rightly so, for not including other items, like her flying blanket, monkey face poof, or any of the things she made for Hotel Dare, but this is my list. You’re welcome to make your own!

Item no 11: The Lune-acy This one seems to contain a whole story. It’s a build consisting of a wooden floor, a blue draped wall held up by dry branches, a table with a chair on top, a sad and cuddly animal of some kind sitting on the chair’s legs, two black birds are carrying a white ribbon together while flying, there is also a rose in a vase and a small pumpkin on the table that is overgrown with flowers. Above it all a full moon circles while a black moon stays still. In an open drawer we see a doll’s head. Attached to a table leg is a burning candle. Underneath the table lies an apple and a pose ball you can use after having put on the outfit.

Four Yip In-World Store MO Island (187/215/28) Flickr www.flickr.com/photos/26414255@N06

It’s as spooky as the room. Red horns, with or without candles; red hair, with or without flowers and bats; rats around your neck. In the notecard that comes with the piece, Yip writes: “When the moon is full, her dreams become nightmares. She can be found luneing around. Strange songs she sings and hides under the table in a state of sleepwalking.”

THE ARTS SCENE ALL THE [VIRTUAL] WORLD’S A STAGE

“And all the [avatars] merely players,” to continue our paraphrase of William Shakespeare’s famous quotation. In a virtual world such as Second Life ® the question of what theater is in SL has no easy answer. By Samara Barzane

As Phorkyad Acropolis, co-owner and operator of the SL performance venue, Muse of Fire and director of several productions, said at his recent SLCC 2009 presentation in San Francisco, “When we play at creating [in SL], we create theater.” Thus, Phorkyad’s question “Should we bring traditional theater into SL when, in fact, we are all playing roles here already?” is well worth some thought.

Muse of Fire is owned and operated by Phorkyad and Meghamora Woodward with performances dating to 2008. Both the works I saw performed at Muse of Fire were performed in-world and at the SLCC, which multiplied the technical problems beyond those normal for SL. For example the accompanying music for Orphan Train Poems was not able to be played, and, in both cases, the pressures of conference presentation meant that certain in-world elements, such as gestures, fell by the wayside.

Performance obviously exists in SL, although I find the live music events where performers keep strumming on their virtual guitars, while chatting with the audience, a bit disconcerting. I think this is partly because we expect a performance to change in front of us and to change something in us.

My initial question for each director addressed these issues: How can your art be re-imagined in Virtual Space? Phorkyard began with a few basics including that it is another venue through which you can reach new and different audiences, and that performers can be from anywhere, as can the audience.

I began my exploration by attending performances by both Muse of Fire and Ballet Pixelle [formerly Second Life Ballet] and then talked with Inarra Sarinen, the director of Ballet Pixelle, and Phorkyad to hear their views of theater and dance in SL.

He cited the Muse of Fire production of Euripides’ The Bacchae as a play that was perfect for SL. [See footnotes for a youtube link] First, it was a classic play 78

without royalties. Second, it didn’t have many technical demands so it could be staged in a stately, formal way that didn’t require lots of movement or special effects. On the other hand in virtual space special effects, such as the palace catching fire or Dionysus appearing above the orchestra and hovering, were easy to do and casting could be done across gender lines for artistic or practical reasons. In the case of the one actor play, Aliens, performed originally “in the flesh,” the virtual ending had to be changed to make it clearer. Instead of an empty space where the alien had been, a light beam was added to highlight its absence.

to the urge to go “Googling.” But, perhaps, the most specifically SL counter-immersive element is our ability to move our “camera” around at will. Phorkyad is well aware of this SL quirk and is working a new piece that will take advantage of our tendency to wander virtually while standing still. The “immersiveness” problem is also related to how easy it is to break out of a traditional stage space in SL. Unlike RL, where the physical structure of a theater limits your options, in SL your performance space is what your imagination and the available prim count permits. Orphan Train Poems, [See footnotes for a youtube link], for example, took place next to a train track which stretched into the seeming distance at both sides of the stage, while Aliens took place in a cabin in a forest with the front wall removed.

One issue that interests me in particular was what Phorkyad calls the question of “immersiveness.” In a traditional theater the audience sits in a quiet, darkened space, the curtain or lights go up, our attention is drawn to the lighted space and we become engaged by what is before us. In SL there are many distractions, from audience “chatter,” to incoming IMs,

Ballet Pixelle’s Living Goddess took place in a fairly traditional stage space with a front curtain that rose 79

at the beginning and an inclined auditorium seating area. The performance began with a master of ceremonies giving us the equivalent of the “turn off your cell phones and pagers” warning, although in SL those instructions included setting your “environment” to sunset, turning off avatar names, as well as taking off “bling,” and face lights.

one by one in interaction with the other dancers on the stage. Many of these animations were made by Inarra herself. The sense of company exists too as you learn how a fellow dancer will respond to lag or a stuck gesture. But the fact is that dancers in virtual space cannot move as quickly or in the kind of unison that is obtainable in non-virtual performances. So the most effective works are going to be ones that rely on relationships within tableaus and simple movement shifts that won’t be as vulnerable to the “lag monster” and will “read” easily for the audience.

Theater seemed an easier transfer to SL once the voice capacity was available, as theatrical “stage business” is usually less movement intensive than the choreography of a ballet. The Ballet Pixelle production, Living Goddess, is performed in an essentially proscenium space, yet the ballet takes good advantage of what SL can make possible and works to minimize what are the weak links of performing movement in SL. In her discussion with me Inarra emphasized repeatedly that the dancers were not using an automated animation. Instead they were triggering their gestures

Living Goddess took advantage of the unique possibilities of SL through the use of transformation as a means of expressing how the Living Goddess is an on-going chain that passes from young girl to young girl, and of floating and hovering as an expression of divinity and power. Transformations, such as back to a young woman

after her stint as Living Goddess is over, are easily done in SL. As Inarra said, “When I turned a young woman into an old lady during a series of “forever” turns, I was hooked.” Then dancer and builder, Amelie Dibou asked “[Have you] ever try to have a lake bring up a blooming lotus and then close over to soil in RL?” The dancers also talked about how performing in SL brought about the same kind of “nerves” a performer may feel before and during a RL performance.

The activity of Muse of Fire feels somewhat less focused, but then that would not be surprising for a venue that hosts different kinds of performance. Their next production will be a model of the Theatre of Cruelty of Antonin Artaud, which will incorporate Phorkyad’s interest in immersiveness and the actor/ audience connection. Both Ballet Pixelle and Muse of Fire are excellent SL options for a thoughtful and entertaining “night out” in Second Life.excellent SL options for a thoughtful and entertaining “night out” in Second Life.

Living Goddess is the seventh ballet performed by Ballet Pixelle, which started its existence as Second Life Ballet three years ago. That longevity prompts the question of how such performances get funded in Second Life. Yes, the money question that always arises when discussing supporting the arts. On the whole it’s much less expensive than in real life, but still, you need a place to rehearse and perform, the time and skills to prepare the work and build the performance space. . Ballet Pixelle has been blessed with the support of IBM, who has given them theater space on their sims. Otherwise costs associated with performances and rehearsal space are paid for by the directors, and, occasionally other donors. Neither performing group charges admission. The exception has been the appearance of a foundation within SL that funded Muse of Fire’s production of The Bacchae, among its other projects. The grant came from the FFRC (Foundation for Rich Content) that allowed Phorkyad to pay builders to build the Greek Theatre on donated land. The rest of the grant was used for props and costumes. Even so, he went over-budget, and used his own funds, but, in the end, with tips, broke even and even paid the actors. The varied funding sources as well as frequent budget woes are similar to those in the RL performance world. Ballet Pixelle and Muse of Fire are only two of the many SL performing groups. Ballet Pixelle seems more firmly entrenched given its relationship with IBM, the pre-performance and post-performance activities and their SL equivalent of a glossy picture program that you receive when you enter. These last elements are provided by the company. This is not surprising as they have had three years to discover what can be done best in SL. They are finishing up the last of Living Goddess performances in September and will then turn to their next production.

Muse of Fire Runtrop (98/149/501) Muse of Fire blog: musofyr.blogspot.com Ballet Pixelle IBM 10 (15/180/25) Ballet Pixelle website www.balletpixelle.org FFRC (Foundation for Rich Content): Sami (229/148/33) Euripides’ THE BACCHAE www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jk2Anr6AWlk Orphan Train Poems www.youtube.com/watch?v=8s5i2EOYrk0

TRAVEL GUIDE UNDER THE SEA

I can’t resist it: something fishy is going on in SL and you’re going to love it! OK, no more water puns, promise! With a very reasonable investment, you too can explore the inky waters of Second Life and find a different world of role playing as well as beautiful places to play. Once I was tipped off on what was going on under the waves, it wasn’t hard to learn about this fascinating aspect of SL’s worlds within worlds. The Safe Waters Foundation and The Weekly Tempest are invaluable resources for getting started, for finding fun places, and are binding together a wonderful community of merfolk! By Paypabak Writer

The Life Aquatic (http://azaiya.wordpress.com): Azaiya Aeon presents articles about great places to visit;

The Safe Waters Foundation is your best starting place for earning your fins. Go there and get the starters toolkit; you get notecards and basic mer gear like an animation override (AO) that turns your regular movements into aquatic movements and a bubble breather that is very cool. You also get notecards on all aspects of the mer community! And how! There’s even an essay by one Corkie Houston, proprietor of Merseum (sic) on sex among merfolk and a 24-page inworld book along the same lines. The SWF Group Charter reads: “Supporting the development of harmony and safety for merfolk of Second Life, Bringing together designers, retailers, sims , merrow, mermen, mermaids, siren and lovers of same. “ The group holds weekly meetings on Saturdays at 10am SLT at the CoacoBeach location (see SLurl at end of article). They also have a merperson of the month program (MoM) to support exemplary behavior in the community. And there’s the Tempest, which carries an amazing amount of material about the many sims, stores, and merpeople living the Wet Life!

Sirenslair (http://sites.google.com/site/sirenslair/) will contain some NSFW content because some mer are naked. It includes shop updates and events with pictures. Ludmilla Rogozarski maintains the SLunderwater blog (http://slunderwater.blogspot.com) Like many RP sims, there’s Ning site for merfolk (http://slmerfolk.ning.com/) which is like Facebook ; a great way for everyone to keep in touch. All of this is strong evidence of a long-term, maturing community of SL people dedicated to a lifestyle quite unique and very well-defined in Second Life. The SWF appears to be very well-developed and even has positions open for head librarian and assistant librarians. Presently , Fleur Cooperstone of the SWF is compiling a listing of role playing sims that include merfolk among the factions involved with their world stories. (If you know of any others, contact her via IM.)

Safe Waters Foundation officer, Kalaya Odell keeps an updated list and rating of hot merfolk spots in Second Life. You can read her most current listings at kalayaodell.wordpress.com. Other blogs about MerLife in SL include:

These include Realm of Terabithia, Avilion, Land 82

Beyond the Wind, and Island of Rhodes (Island of Rhoads). The SWF also lists the following 16 groups as being of interest to anyone wishing to learn about merfolk in SL: Aglarond Aluaerae Antiquity Ladies Guild of Mer-folk Mermaids of Elounda Merge Citizens of Aquaria Independent Mermaids Lost City of Angel’s Popolo del Mare di Horan Mermaids of Elounda

Safe Waters Foundation http://slurl.com/secondlife/Corinaldo/135/35/8

Mermaids and Mermen Family

As mentioned, the SWF serves as the Merfolk Association for SL, a small underwater building with click and save resources for the Toolkit and various notecards. When I visited, they were running a Black Pearl Hunt for mer-related gifts in various sims. I also was treated to some wonderful synchronized dancing, which is a wonderful specialty of merpeople. To see the colorful tails and fins gliding in the water is perhaps the strongest lure to living under the sea. (Somewhat confusingly, a Safe Waters foundation store also exists with great offerings for merfolk. I will have it on a list of other stores not mentioned in this article on the ROLE blog after we publish the magazine.)

Mers of New Merlantis Safe Waters Foundation Second Life Mermaids and Mermen Secrets of Atlantis The Merseum & Oceanic Gardens OK … so there you have the fundamentals to explore the merfolk community on your own. I went through a whirlwind tour of several sims and took the usual pictures. I have to admit that the pictures lose some of the dimensionality due to the limited color palette, although some of the fish and plants are very colorful. The motions of your mer-AO and the bubbles coming from your mouth, add so much to the experience that pictures don’t do it justice. It’s also a limitation of the viewer, perhaps, that water just isn’t done as well as it could be in SL. Nonetheless, here are some of my impressions:

Pacific Sunrise on Corallina Isle 69 http://slurl.com/secondlife/Corallina%20Isle/69/133/4 This underwater store was my first stop after SWF and I managed to win a sienna-colored Mystique Mermaid outfit. A great selection of mermaid accessories can be found here along with pose balls. The presence of a dance floor indicates to me that they hold social 83

Mermaid Temple

events as well. Great store, lucky chair, dance machine to try out your mermaid moves! At another visit to the store I won an Ursala avatar, the squid-like female villain from The Little Mermaid movie.

Big store starts above water, and then goes to a level filled with water, then underwater and away from walls, where there are separate structures for sale, as well as flora, statues, sculptures, and coral.

Atargatis at Four Another great store for sculptures and fins, I also found a nice long cave filled with fish and plants, shipwrecks and plenty of places to explore besides merely shop.

Serene Spirit (4 Whales Underwater Dome) The underwater dome and large spiral staircase are exceptional features of this market and dance club sim. This is fairly new place and has many merpeople excited about developments.

Bonny Cove ... Here Be Pirates and Mermaids

Armada Breakaway

Free tails and other merstuff can be found here. Two sims join together, the other being the Harbor of Rogues, where you will find a pirate cove with frigates and town above the water, and the Old Sea Wreck home for mermaids below. Plenty of shipwrecks were on display for purchase or for role play, with all sorts of sea fauna and flora as well.

This was my favorite sim, very different above and below the water than the other sims I encountered. Sort Waterworldish, with steampunk sensibility definitely above water, including a beautifully designed junk. Underwater the ocean floor is evocative, mostly barren save for sunken zeppelins and debris from above, plus huge rusting chains that hold the surface structures from floating away. The imagination can run wild with this one! And my pix just donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do it justice because of the subtleties of underwater colors.

Fairhaven CulturalCenter and Market Underwater shops and dance floor, this sim seems to have places to go where you can find dance balls and places to sit and cuddle so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great for socializing as well as for romantic assignations. A ride-able seahorse allows you to tour the area underwater.

All pictures by Papabak Writer

Just as I was attempting to gather a SLurl for it, I learned that Liquid Imagination has closed. While I

don’t recall the underwater portion of the island being all that memorable, the water ride was one of the better roller coasters I’ve ridden in SL, so I was sad to see it gone.

Support group meeting Cocoa Beach (115/155/24) Atargatis at Four Four (19/95/14)

Other sims of Note: Bonny Cove ... Here Be Pirates and Mermaids Bonny Cove (144/71/11)

Antiquity Gardens (part of a large cluster of Antiquity [fill-in-the-name] sims)

Fairhaven CulturalCenter and Market Farhaven (57/233/10)

Merseum & Oceanic Gardens at Morgandy Mermaid Temple Mermaid temple (125/177/1)

I need to thank Lyssa Varun, GraceSWF Wigglesworth, and Fleur Cooperstone for taking the time to share their LMs and experiences with me while researching this article. I met a number of merpeople in my explorations and they all said “Tala” (hi) and were very cordial in treating with this phony-baloney mermaid wearing her ROLE Magazine tag in self-defense! For me, this visit under the sea was revelatory of just where role play can merge into a second lifestyle where again the “story” is just plain, everyday life but with a twist of seaweed.

Serene Spirit (4 Whales Underwater Dome) Serene Spirit (198/227/1) Armada Breakaway Armada Breakaway (119/135/1) Antiquity Gardens Antiquity Gardens (11/216/25) Merseum & Oceanic Gardens at Morgandy Morgandy (85/52/3) Kalaya Odell kalayaodell.wordpress.com The Life Aquatic www.azaiya.wordpress.com Sirenslair sites.google.com/site/sirenslair Ning site for merfolk slmerfolk.ning.com

FINAL CREDITS PEOPLE & LOCATIONS PEOPLE AND PLACES ARE LISTED IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE.

ROLE PLAYER’S CREED secondliferoleplay.wordpress.com

BALLET PIXELLE WEBSITE www.balletpixelle.org

CCS WEBPAGE ccs-gametech.com

FFRC Sami (229/148/33)

!OHMAI STORE Sweet Memory (68/138/29)

EURIPIDES’ THE BACCHAE www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jk2Anr6AWlk

ohmyohmai.wordpress.com

ORPHAN TRAIN POEMS www.youtube.com/watch?v=8s5i2EOYrk0

www.flickr.com/photos/ohmai =KURI*GOHAN= Kaneohe (139/198/23) HELP PEOPLE® ISLAND Help People Island (36/34/2) IMAGINE PEACE TOWER IN SL IMAGINE PEACE TOWER (128/128/2)

SUPPORT GROUP MEETING Cocoa Beach (115/155/24) ATARGATIS AT FOUR Four (19/95/14) BONNY COVE Bonny Cove (144/71/11)

www.imaginepeace.com

FAIRHAVEN CULTURALCENTER Farhaven (57/233/10)

SL DEVELOPER HERZOG BRENHAM www.herzogbrenham.com

MERMAID TEMPLE Mermaid temple (125/177/1)

FOUR YIP IN-WORLD STORE MO Island (187/215/28)

SERENE SPIRIT Serene Spirit (198/227/1)

www.flickr.com/photos/26414255@N06

ARMADA BREAKAWAY Armada Breakaway (119/135/1)

MUSE OF FIRE Runtrop (98/149/501) Muse of Fire blog musofyr.blogspot.com BALLET PIXELLE IBM 10 (15/180/25)

ANTIQUITY GARDENS Antiquity Gardens (11/216/25) MERSEUM & OCEANIC GARDENS AT MORGANDY Morgandy (85/52/3)

ADVERTISERS KALAYA ODELL kalayaodell.wordpress.com

:: 2XTREME :: Pride Isles (163/227/22)

THE LIFE AQUATIC www.azaiya.wordpress.com

ANSE CHUNG www.anshex.com www.anshechung.com www.otherland-group.com

SIRENSLAIR sites.google.com/site/sirenslair NING SITE FOR MERFOLK slmerfolk.ning.com

VIOLATOR Dune Cove (172/205/22) RUMBLER BOA www.rumblerboa.com SEMOTION SEmotion (51/56/33) REACH ISLES www.reachisles.com ENKYTHINGS Orbiuna (172/135/25) BAIASTICE BAIASTICE (153/126/25) ALPHAMALE / BLACKLACE Alphamale (128/121/41) HAIR SOLUTIONS Elite Island (141/133/22) FUSION SIMS Fusion Crossing (128/128/22) ROLE OPTIC Concetta (122/92/301)

AUTUMN IS A SECOND SPRING WHEN EVERY LEAF IS A FLOWER. - CAMUS

ROLE MAGA Z I N E