Key of C

If you're not familiar with the concept of Cornflakes Week, a totally Opensim event started in 2015 and unconnected with any national, religious, or otherwise real-world-based festival, and not limited to any one grid, or particular style of celebrating, then you can read about its Corny origins here and  here, and about the man who inspired the whole thing here and  here. 

Waiting at the Clubhouse before Go Time

Our first destination for our festivities was a new build, purpose made, by Nyx Breen, over on Pangea grid, HG Address as ever, at the end of the post. 

Nyx called the build 'Key of C' which works on enough levels that you can spend the next half hour enjoying the poetics of the name. A vivacious paradox of complex simplicity, the size and detail and laglessness of Nyx's work is always a treat, and met the 'standard' - if there is one - of a Corny venue. None better. 

Whirli Placebo agreed to sing for us which was so good on so many levels. If you don't know his music, or know it and want a wider window on his originals and covers, check out his Youtube Channel  and look for him at music venues in SL and Opensim and more.  You can even download yesterday's show here, if you like! Catch him in SL every Wednesday at 10 am SLT at Cafe Musique Whirli's mercurial masculinity always takes the long view of life with subtle sensitivity and chronicles its fragility and foolishness through a blend of his original songs and originally rendered covers. It was a perfect fit for this build

Safari meets The Man

 LadyK Braveheart: I purposefully left Cali in RL, why would I want to go back? LOL...

Angelic Kisses: lol

Doctor Dave: Because we are FUN.

Dr Dave

Grid Nomad: Hi everyone, nice to meet you!

Nara Nook: cool cars

Grid Nomad, pic by R. Kisses

Angelic Kisses: ツ  hello Nomad

Thirza Ember: ok we are just missing Aphra and Roff I think

LadyK Braveheart: -*- HeLLo-*-

James Atlloud: Hello

Beth Ghostraven: Aphra might be feeding her cat,  it was sitting in front of her screen, lol

Grid Nomad: cats are kinda demanding that way lol

Angelic Kisses: and Roff was snapping pics

Youca Godel: Welcome everyone.  This is a recreation of Wet Willie's a bar in the bay area Delta

Doctor Dave: Welcome everyone to our short but chaotic tour of Burning Man.

Grid Nomad: Can I take some pics of ya'll? We are so excited you have come to visit!

Thirza Ember: we would be offended if you didn't

James Atlloud: Sure!  We luv photoz!

Doctor Dave: Burning Man is an Art Festival focused on community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance.   It's held the week before labor day but for the organizers and volunteers in months of effort setting up and tearing down.  The event has been located since 1991 at Black Rock City.   We will visit that later.

At Atlantis

A trip to Bridgemere  has been much overdue for the Safari, and because of differences in timezones (shakes fist at round planet!) it wasn't possible for us to meet all the crew. But Hairy Thor very kindly deputized as guide and factotum, and we thank him for that. The HG Address for this trip is - as always - at the end of the post.

James Atlloud: huh, I thought I was running late - lol

Thirza Ember: No, perfect timing, whenever you guys are ready, Hairy awaits us at destination 1 - please use the Local environment setting, go ahead and jump to Atlantis on Bridgemere first

Beth Ghostraven: see you there!

Somehow my foolish upgrade to the latest FS for opensim meant my Environments don't work right. Every time I land on the Atlantis sim on Bridgemere, I see a sky with Saturn in it. The sky, Hairy assured us several times, has Jupiter in it. 

For people without a borked Firestorm viewer, you no doubt see the correct sky immediately. If you don't, then open Quick Preferences on your toolbar, and hit the little X next to 'Personal Lighting'.  Since that wasn't an option for me, and remembering that Azi Az also uses this particular EEP, I hopped over to Dew Drop Islands on Shipyards Grid, loaded the sky there, and then just kept it active (by not touching environment settings) when I jumped over to Bridgemere.

IMA Parcel Board v09dev: Welcome back. Please enjoy your stay at Atlantis.

Beth Ghostraven: Hairy, will you be using text or voice for the tour?

Hairy Thor: Thirza suggested text for today

Beth Ghostraven: ok thanks, I appreciate it

Forest Azure: /me is, as always, confused by the 2 thirza's

Thirza Ember: lol, my cunning plan

Star Ravenhurst: So many of us!

Dorena Forever !

 Our two destinations this week took us to places of great historical significance in the history of opensim, now reaching well into its second decade. Grids and projects, residents and regions have all come and gone over these many years, and the virtual is often dismissed as temporary - a fad, a transient pastime. But our stops on this Safari prove that the situation is to a large extent otherwise. Through the vicissitudes of  code and server reliability, in the face of drama and data loss, some regions and their residents have endured and flourished.

This week we celebrated with Dorena her birthday which is just a week or so separated from the 'birthday' of the Germán grid that bears her name. Anachron Young invited us to a party on a spot full of meaning for the grid -the original sim where the whole adventure began!.

Dorena1 Verne: nice to see you:-)

Loru Destiny: Hello welcome Safarians :-)

James Atlloud: 32 avatars!  wow

Crazy Like A Foxx

Foxx Bode: hi all. Welcome at Red Dragon estate, This region is old and a tad "primmy" so give it some time to load, and zoom around :)

Red Dragon - Foxx's home on OSGrid

Star Ravenhurst: This build is AMAZING!! I just cammed out!

Rural Ruritania Rules!

'You're a good fellow. Oh, you're English, but you're a good fellow.'

Anthony Hope, The Prisoner of Zenda

Xi Shi's rural Ruritania build was our second stop on Safari this week, it's located on Littlefield Grid and although rich with scripted gems all over, was really easy to rez on. Our point of arrival was the glorious green cricket pitch, where Xi and some of her closest friends were there to meet us. Address, as always, at the end of the post.

Dozens of movies, and numerous talking figures to help you guess just which screen gem is being hinted at in the form of tableaux and vignettes spread around this lovely sim. Add an impressive train line, some delicately beautiful mesh architecture, and you have a region fit for royalty. In the usual spirit of our Safari trips, this is not an exhaustive tour of every single feature, but a glimpse - after all, the point is that we all visit these delightful venues again, and often. That's our goal.

For simplicity's sake, the included NPC dialogue throughout this article is shown in italics.

postman: pedals off sharpish before the bus comes

Road-roller driver: Eh watch out for crazy drivers 'ere! I just had a fellow tear away from me and nearly 'it the bus after 'e stopped and asked where a bloke could 'ave some fun in this place. I just pointed 'im to the 'arbour and off he went like shite from a shovel !! Loony bugger

Xi Shi: I think I might have to translate some of that for a few

Alan Scot: *-* YeSS! *-*  whats a shovel ? ( kidding)

Tina Bey: hola a todos

Xi Shi: oh my, all at once... ok who's batting first?

Mal Burns: nicely mowed lawn!

chasty Slavicz: Hi Star and Jupiter. Ard, Mal, Frank, welcome

TeriMar Galuptra: Should we be wearing heels on the cricket pitch? It's worse than football boots...

Frank Gresham: cricket time

Ernest Moncrieff: We are the village green preservation society

Forest Azure: i have no idea how cricket goes

Cosi Dumont: nor have i ... i only know its very british ... haha

Jupiter Rowland: Landing on a cricket ground like a Chesterfield sofa...

Alan Scot: that model airplane never crashes

Xi Shi: I'm hoping that wont change either!

Zadijah Ahmed: it is time!!!!!

Big Fun in Little Wales

The Belgian treat Speculoos is a sweet cookie, the name being derived from the Latin for 'mirror' referring to the way each cookie mirrors the shape and pattern of the wooden biscuit molds used to make them. In virtual worlds, Speculoos is a grid with Belgian roots and a long history, and it's home to Susannah Avonside, and a lovely build reflecting her native Wales. 

Apologies for the photos, turns out upgrading Firestorm was a bad idea - no big shock there.Susannah Avonside: Welcome! this is the second iteration of my build here, if you'd like an impression of what the previous build was like you can find an interview Thirza did with me some 11 years ago now on her blog. Those of you with avatars taller than 2m might find it difficult to enter the buildings, so it's a case of shrink, or do a lot of camming

Ange Menges: You are building all that alone Susannah ?

Susannah Avonside: yes, I do all my own building, this is just one of my projects, I have several on the go at the moment in OSGrid

Lavia Lavine: That's awesome Susannah, Well done