Wonders of Washago

Our first stop this week was on Pangea grid, predominantly but not totally German language, we were there to see a build by Lilly Topas, who has been resident on a number of grids before finding her home among friends. Due to a last minute situation, the tour was led by grid owner Marlon Wayne,  together with the gorgeous Tutz Zabelin, a talented builder herself.

Tutz Zabelin and Marlon Wayne. Nice gloves.

Sven Ingersoll: hello avatars... ah...now everyone is materialising

Marlon Wayne -> en: Good evening everyone, I would like to welcome you all to Washago. The owner Lilly Topas is unfortunately in bed with a fever. In order not to cancel the event I will show you something from Washago today. Lilly says that she will be happy to answer questions at the medieval festival in November that I can't answer today,  I'll send you the date again tomorrow. I have known Lilly since 2009

Thirza Ember: wow Marlon, a long time!

Marlon Wayne -> en: In 2009, washago was still an Indian sim. Hence the sim name. Washago means clear water in Native American. In 2010, Lilly discovered her love of the Middle Ages, she redesigned her sim... unfortunately 1 hour is not enough to discover everything but you are always welcome, so let's Start!

Thirza Ember: yay we are ready to go!

Marlon Wayne -> en: we now enter the castle of washago

Tosha Tyran: hail to the king

Forest Azure: /me curtsies

Gorgeous Norge

 Built by Jimmy Olsen,  Norge is a residential region where lots of his friends have houses, some even farms. Our driver was Xenon Darrow (you may remember our last outing with her at the wheel, on Iceland). Tessa aka Contessa Lacombe provided all the info and was a charming, elegant guide.

Our perfect guide, Tessa Lacombe. 

The pictures may seem a little grey and gloomy, but that's the desired effect here. Jimmy, although located in RL in Brazil, is a huge fan of Norway, and he tries to mirror the RL Norwegian weather and time of day on this region... more about that later! In this picture you see Tessa, easily distinguished with her elfin features and to her left, Forest Azure, dressed in a warm sweater. It's always hard to dress 'right' for a Safari, unless the two destinations have the same theme, which they rarely do. In this case, the first hour was medieval and the second contemporary/Viking Norway, so between us all, we were perfectly appropriate for the whole thing.

Arriving was a tiny bit rocky so, quick note - if you've been having trouble teleporting to Wolf Territories Grid, as a few of us did during this Safari tour, please don't dismay. Many of us have been getting 'Unable to verify' type messages when hypergrid jumping here - it is just a passing glitch. No offense meant.

OSFest 2025

 This year's OSFest will be held from October 12 - 27, a shorter and a different format than past editions. It is late in the year, seasonably close to Halloween which we all know is a very busy time in Opensim, with endless parties, hunts, and Freebie freakouts, and the new OSFest format is set up with this in mind - the integration of your events in a HG-wide general 'Fest' atmosphere. 

Poster by Banker Ibor

Yes, the OSfest grid still exists, with the key sims still online including Zen, Events, Welcome and HG Welcome etc, and some gigs will be held here during Osfest 2025, but anyone wishing to attract an audience back to their own home grid can do so with ease, and without feeling 'guilty' about working on a 'competing grid' as sometimes happens.

Kinky Kruise

Representing all the ladies of Kinky Haven grid, Wynter Blackthorn and Freya Blackthorn were on the waterfront to greet the HG Safari group as they arrived for the second hour of this week's tour, an epic cruise. The magnificent Dalaran Icebreaker with its iconic beaked figurehead stood waiting for us - it had seating for 40 so there was plenty of room for our dozen or so visitors who arrived slowly, since a lot of us relogged after stop two, hoping to leave behind us the accumulated lag we had built up on OSGrid. This ship cruises the grid all day every day, if you show up at the right time you'll see it magnificently going by - but for us, Wynter held the ship up until we could all arrive. 

Nara Nook: are we supposed to get on the boat?

See, right there. People who know proper naval terms know to call a ship a boat. Points for Nara.

Wynter Blackthorn: Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome aboard the Dalaran Icebreaker. I am your host, Wynter Blackthorn, and this is an exclusive and custom built tour spanning 20+ regions of Kinky Haven and showcasing many others. Please remain seated while the ship is in motion. I'll encourage you to look to either side during the tour to highlight some of the unique sights, please find your seats and, the ship will depart shortly, we hope you enjoy the ride. And now without further ado, lets be on our way.

Wynter Blackthorn: we recommend a longer draw distance while on the open waters, but a reduced one in some of the heavier resident made regions. if we're lucky we might see the roaming sea monsters that randomly swim in our oceans, but they are kind of shy.

Sven Ingersoll: lol

Wynter Blackthorn: Each bench has seats for 3 and the slave cages on the mast and at the bow of the ship are also sittable

 eva.Nowicka: nice ship

Thirza Ember: I actually managed to sit! I'm usually a terrible sitter.

Sven Ingersoll: turning on transparency makes things easier

Wynter Blackthorn: we've never had this many people on this ship before

Nara Nook: it's running really well

Thirza Ember: Am I right in saying this is probably one of the longest cruises in opensim? how many regions does it cross?

Vicky's Eros

 Eroticism has always been a big part of virtual worlds; maybe it's the excellent weather and unlimited beaches, or the chance to have a killer body and even better lingerie, or the option to connect with.. well, all sorts. From the comfort of your own Viewer.

Victoria Logan, from Argentina, is a long time resident of OSGrid,
 known for her art and her work in cultivating the artistic community of Opensim

Art is also erotic, or should that be inherently erotic... on Arts-&-Friends2  Victoria Logan, known in Opensim for her beautiful lagoon galleries, has another collective of artists who have dedicated their talent to this theme - the previous two themes you may remember were 'Women' and 'We are OSGrid' and both were stunning and are still visitable in the Arts-&-Friends archipelago. 

Curating art can be hard work. Finding artists, choosing a unifying and broadly appealing theme, encouraging people to participate and supporting and promoting their work, and presenting it in a pleasing environment requires hours of dedication. The participants this time include Azi Az, Youca Golden, Gabriel Solstician, Tina Bey, Malcolyis Fadian, Morning Glory, Caro Fayray, Victoria Logan, Bonnie and Victorious Oppenwall, Deanna Janus and Elmo Figaro, and Lando Maremagnum. Tina, Caro and Vic joined us for the tour. There wasn't time to visit the whole place, so we have every excuse to return!

9-11

 Each year on the eleventh of September, a ceremony is held on Littlefield grid to remember the terrorist attacks on 9/11/2001 when planes were used to smash into the twin towers in New York, and the Pentagon. Another flight, United Airlines Flight 93, crashed into a field in Pennsylvania, rather than the intended target in Washington DC, thanks to the heroic efforts of the passengers. 

This year's 9-11 memorial event on LFgrid.

The story of that day, or better, the thousands of stories, personal testimonies and remembrances of the many and varied people who were caught up on the events, fill millions of pages both printed and on websites and blogs. Many of the stories are harrowing, some are inspiring, a lot are heartbreaking. Those events were so shocking that people who had only the most tenuous links to the buildings - maybe they visited one of the locations a day or two before, or knew someone who had once worked there - still feel a dramatic bond to the places and events of that autumn day.

Almost a quarter of a century later, and the recollections of bravery and loss are still tangible when you visit the RL site of the 9-11 Memorial in the real life city of New York, but if that is impossible for you, the the virtual venue on Littlefield is an unforgettable alternative. The photos in this post are all of the region 9-11 Memorial, on LFgrid.

SoA and the Cat's Paw

SoA BAD: Hello, Hello, and welcome to the CCI Grid and today to the Lofoten Islands and please be quiet for a moment. 

Our second stop of the day, and a very optimistic SoA prepared to give us an uninterrupted explanation of a very beautiful, large, accurate, and enjoyable region on his grid, CCI  which he shares with Siwas. She's Norwegian, he's German, and their home grid is a delightful mix of the two cultures and sensibilities, with a lot of fantasy and humor thrown in.

SoA BAD: First, a quick note. Set your lighting to regional lighting to create an atmosphere that corresponds to a sunset at this time of year. You can take a look around the horse farm while I provide some information about Lofoten for those who are really interested. After that, we will walk across the island together.

A Red Safari

 Our first stop on this week's trip was to Red Square, in Moscow, on the russian language grid Spacegrid -  our first ever trip there, and since opensim is all about bumpy rides to exotic places, surprises were in store. The HG Address is of course, at the end of the post.

Safari Gets Desolate

Tosha Tyran: I just woke up, am still somewhat uncoordinated

Cherry Manga: coffee?

Tosha Tyran: I got myself a beer - more appropriate I thought, haha

Thirza Ember: can I have a red bull instead of coffee?

Cherry Manga: omg, lol! you both are savages!

Yes,  we are savages, which is a good thing because the second destination of this week's HG Safari tour - the Fall season premiere for 2025 - was on a sim that savages thrive on. Well, to be fair, anyone who loves post apocalyptic landscapes, zombies, aliens, elephants, or witty posters, or an adventure playground, or lovely grungy freebies including some great PBR materials would like this new sim Desolate Expanse by Cherry Manga ... yeah I guess that is pretty much everyone. Just about two months old, it's a concept sim constructed with the help of visits by Cherry to some of the best loved Freebie purveyors in Opensim. And while it's desolate, it's definitely not despairing. You'll need to be wide awake to tour this sim without missing all the lovely details, and gifties too.

It all started with a small disappointment for many of us.

Forest in the Fall

Star Ravenhurst: Why am I sunk in the floor?

Thirza Ember: titanic shoes?

Forest Azure: do you see the dancefloor? I don't :)

George Equus: Instant rez for me, glad to  say

Francisco Koolhoven: I see it

Star Ravenhurst: It's fixed, I see everything fine

Yes, Safari is back for our 2025 Fall season and of course, when a bunch of people suddenly arrive on a new sim all together it can take a little minute before all the elements are visible to everyone... not to mention the occasional missing texture here and there, but that's all part of the fun of going as a group. The HG Address is of course at the end of the post.

Our first stop this week, and our second stop too, were both on OSGrid. In fact, this very first destination on sim Forest of Azure, with our hostess Forest Azure, was supposed to be part of last season's lineup. Only, as you may remember, OSGrid was offline for a little while there, back in the Spring. Nice to have it back up and running, perhaps better than ever. We certainly were all glad to be there.

Forest Azure

Forest Azure: welcome ye all!

Cherry Manga: ty Forest

George Equus: Thank you

Forest Azure: Hello all ye safari people! So glad to see you again and welcome you here!  And so great the safari season started again! We are here in the first place for my Maze gallery, but you have time to explore other parts of my region as well, or to dance here if you like, or maybe even both! Let me first show you the tp boards.. here is one and they all look like this.

September = Safari

The Fall season of HG Safari trips begin on Wednesday September 3 with ten weeks of trips, each one lasting two hours. The event starts at the Clubhouse on HG Safari grid at 12 noon SLT, which is 9pm in most of Europe, and you can find the events advertised on the OSW Events page, and in the Discord and Facebook groups for HG Safari. Inworld, there's a large HG Safari group in OSGrid where the event is announced about an hour before go time. We go to two different destinations each time, usually on two different grids, hence the emphasis on HG! 

The group meets just a few minutes before go time (12 noon SLT) at our Clubhouse. Yes, it's OK to come early there, then you can read the information about the trip and exchange some gossip with other Safari regulars. The Clubhouse is nothing more than a simple meeting place or waiting room, where you can click on the big prim to get the Notecard and LM pack for the week. Our permanent guest is the Drama Llama who absorbs all nonsense and turns it into alpaca beans.

If you've ever wondered why our events aren't announced weeks in advance, or why the event starts at the clubhouse and not directly at Destination one, here's the answer. 

Finders Keepers

 If there's one thing everyone can agree upon about Opensim, it's the ephemeral, here today gone tomorrow nature of the beast. Assets, regions, addresses, inventory - even whole grids can suddenly not be there any more. At the same time, new people and places, new builds and ideas are always springing up. Whether you're a full-on builder, a grid owner, or just an average avatar trying to look good, you have probably been out there, looking for assets to dress your sim, your art idea, or your body. 

Famous freebie sims are of course the first port of call, but depending on what it is you need, and how much time and expertise you have to go searching, you can't always find exactly what you're looking for. Or can you?
Two years ago, Nico Kailani started a group in Opensimworld that helps out with that. Here's a direct link to the What Are You Looking For group. Yes, it's true, OSW is often blasted for the drama, bullying, and over-sharing by a handful of troubled souls, but remember, all that nonsense is really only on the Home Page - the site has other useful and underused features, and 'Groups' is one of them. 

Nico Kailani: Before the “Looking For” group, the only place people could ask for help finding stuff was in the OWS front page chat Box. Requests for help were too often drowned out by toxic chat from trolls and people with personal vendettas. Even at its best, what you say in the Box quickly disappears because you can see only the last dozen or so messages.

'Groups' on OSW can be tricky to find, but you can see them all by clicking here and of course, you can find the Groups you have joined by going to your own Profile, and scrolling down to the bottom right side of the page. 

Hundreds of groups have been started over the years, but very few have more than a handful of members, or are actively used. Nico gives a practical example of why her group has thrived.

Nico Kailani:  The question, “Does anyone know of any open-mic clubs in opensim?”, was asked in the Box some days ago, and there was no reply. I posted the same request in the “Looking For” group and within two hours there was an answer. What we are doing right is, quite simply, helping people. The message board format worked as I had hoped. Our group of dedicated and very knowledgeable volunteers are the reason for our ongoing success. My main job is to encourage them with posts like this. You can still see the very first posts made two years ago on the “Looking For” message board, as well as all of the replies and comments. They are threaded, so real conversations in the group are possible. The conversations are respectful, helpful, and there is sincere gratitude expressed for the help offered. It’s an example of the best of OS.

Out of the Gate

 Star Ravenhurst: Art and storytelling

are the best bits of OpenSim. 

Currently under construction on Star Ravenhurst's grid 10thDimension is 'Raven Gate', an 8x8 Var where the landscape tells a story that you will be able to explore via the 'Quest' format, meeting brand new characters who will help you discover clues and thus unfold the narrative, ultimately discovering the key to the mystery. 

The current arrival point on Raven Gate

The project is out of the gate, but miles of road lie ahead before they reach the finish line, and open the quest to the public. There's still plenty to place, choose, refine. design, and animate, so some of the things you'll see in these photos will change radically, not only in their development but also the preferred Environment lighting. Also, if you're a builder or scripter and are looking to be part of a group project, this may be somewhere for you to shine, contact Star to learn more. 'Raven Gate' promises dark secrets, magic, tragedy... but in the end redemption and triumph. The idea for this project came to her last year in the fall, and it's a long term job. Why so?

Star Ravenhurst on the quest Var region Raven Gate, a work in progress

Star Ravenhurst: Because it’s complex, creative, and collaborative. I contacted people I believed would work well together—those with talent, knowledge, and the kind of imagination and enthusiasm needed to bring a new world to life. Just as important, they share a strong sense of commitment.

Poppy's Arrival - Coming Soon!

For a very long time, Poppy Fields has been in SL (and still is sometimes, she has a club there) but she has always explored various worlds. Then, she says... one day she found herself here in Opensim... 

Poppy Fields: ... and I kind of hung my hat here. I am creative both here and in SL. But somehow my creative side is encouraged more here.

Poppy Fields

We met on Poppy's sim Mistburry on Osgrid, where preparations for the latest project are well under way. Called 'Arrival'. Coming in August, it's a multimedia experience that will be performed inside the theater, called simply 'The Box'. 

Poppy Fields: A special shout out to my partner Rachael Cooper for being so patient with me working on this  ...so many evenings standing here watching me work ! This upcoming show is a story told in pictures combined with stage sets, music and lights. It's not quite a club and not quite a gallery. We're telling the classic story of finding love, losing it, and re-united. exploring the relationship between humans and machines

Thirza Ember: and 'arrival' - what does that refer to?

Poppy Fields: the arrival of artificial sentience - I mean an AI that is more advanced that it is at present,. AI with empathy.

Ipsofacto, in Fact

In Opensim, the name Ipsofacto is always closely associated with Prodyck Theas. For many years, Prodyck's been an explorer, experimenter, and videographer, best known for his Twitch channel where he has filmed and archived events, particularly in the Francophone community - weddings, inaugurations, even Safari trips! As a sim, Ipsofacto like so many places in the hyperverse has undergone lots of adventures - going offline, and finding a new home, and a new iteration, all the time expressing the solidarity of the francophone community. 

Prodyck in a surreal moonlight on his sim Ipsofacto, when it was on Osgrid.

The meaning of names is always so important... 'Iposofacto' comes from the Latin for 'by the fact itself' in other words, something that needs no explanation, is obvious. But there's more at play here; the Latin word we translate as 'fact' also means a deed - something done, a creation or action. And what is Opensim all about if not actions, creations, and deeds?

If you ever get a chance to talk to Prodyck, ask him about the French-speakers of the early days of Opensim - he has many memories of those early times, when assets were scarce, but on the other hand, experimenters and explorers were everywhere. This is a good moment to mention Francogrid, a lost treasure of Opensim, which, after a long decline, went offline  in 2022 due to a tech failure at the place where the grid was hosted. If you're curious about FG, or about opensim history in general, why not take a look at this post where 8 years ago (my how time flies!)  the Safari gang met up with a bunch of Francogridiens.

Remembering Mal Burns

Mal Burns died a few days ago, and if that comes as a bit of a shock, you're not alone. 

The news of his passing has with much dismay and sadness rippled across Opensim, where he had his home, and in Second Life, where he got his start in virtual worlds in February 2007. A vital piece of our virtual network is now missing. 

From his earliest days in virtual worlds,
Mal always loved to see a beautifully landscaped sim.

News aggregator, videographer, talk show host, critic, builder, intrepid traveler, and all round communicator, in Mal's eyes virtual worlds were an opportunity to discover one another, to be better, more creative, and to stay in touch with the people who matter to us, despite the challenges of our far flung real lives. 

In a world where most people's pronouncements on social media are all about themselves, Mal kept the focus on others, on the places and projects that he found fascinating. He probably would be a bit embarrassed to think that people were reading and talking about him, rather than some cool new sim or innovative development in virtual worlds.

Mal will no doubt be memorialized in Second Life and of course RL. As you know, this blog is about Opensim, so the focus of this article is to share comments by a few Opensim friends of Mal, their words represent hundreds of voices from all over the hyperverse. 

Let's start with James Atlloud and Tosha Tyran, Mal's current co-hosts on his talk show Inworld Review. It's worth pointing out that the original 'Inworld Review' - an offshoot of other talk shows Mal produced and presented - first aired on January 13, 2013 in SL, with Tara Yates and Petlove Petshop.  The show was revived in Opensim in 2016 with Maria Korolov as co-host beside Mal and James, at Mal's studio on the Great Canadian Grid.

James and Mal on Inworld Review, 2025

James Atlloud: My relationship with Mal was a unique and amazing journey.  In YouTube production there were times I became so irritated with him! I’m also sure he had those moments with me, and even so we made it all work - just like so many of us do in virtual worlds.  I will miss him more than I can say and I know I’m in a huge community of people who will never forget his influence on our lives.

Osgrid turns 18

Well, it's official. At the end of this month OSgrid will turn 18, old enough to get a tattoo, go skydiving, and vote. And of course, the grid is celebrating with the traditional show-and-tell festivities on the OSGB regions. 

Spaces are still available, although many are already spoken for, so don't wait too long - get building! At time of posting, there will be at least three exhibition sims, each with a dozen or more original installations, rides, gifts, and exhibitions celebrating the diverse and ingenious group of people who make up the OSGrid population.

 To get a parcel, contact one of the grid Admin. Who are the Osgrid Admin?  Dan Banner, Paela Osgrid, Sarah Klein, Foxx Bode, Wizard Atazoth, AlbertR Landar, and Aussie Envee. Aussie organizes the Event Plaza music shows which of course will be a big part of the festivities. And speaking of music...

Event Space

Theater in Opensim is a lot of hard work, but well worth it, both for the performers and for the audience. The challenges are many - getting together a troupe who are able and willing to commit time and talent to the group project, figuring out how to convert a text into something workable in the virtual environment, where considerations about lag and scripts and assets can at times be super frustrating, plus the effort of getting an audience to come and see the performance - that's essential of course! We all know that the fragmented nature of opensim, and, let's confess it, the grid-tribalism we still suffer from just a bit, can make it hard for special events to get the audience they deserve.  Tristan Dehais and his opensim theatrical company "Les Théâtreux" are planning a long term project to put on "The Little Prince". 

By 'long term', we're talking about months of prep, with the idea of having the play ready next Spring. So you may ask, why blog about this now, so far in advance of the opening night? Well, that's s that you - yes you, you talented devil! - can maybe get involved; there are lots of ways that can be done, in terms of being an actor, helping out with props, scripts, loads of things on and off-stage. 

Tristan speaking during the French session of the Hypergrid International Expo, 2025

Tristan Dehaie gave an interesting talk about his experiences in virtual theater with "Les Théâtreux" at this year's HIE event and I asked him to go into more detail about his Opensim experience. He's French, so I wondered which grids had been to most impactful on his non SL virtual life. 

Tristan's Opensim theater, Event Space, is located on SV3D grid

Tristan Dehaie:  France-RP and SV3D. But it's more the people involved than the “grids” themselves, or their owners. In fact, I believe that anyone who sets up a grid (necessarily and consequently) wants activities to develop there.

Thirza Ember: That's for sure ! Can you tell us more about your activities in SL and opensim, and how the two compare? Does it keep you very busy?

Shelly Island

Imagine a place that's a little bit Neverland, a little bit Castaway, a little bit Survivor, Lost, and Treasure Island, and above all a LBGTQIA and straight friendly. Located  on Dark Wolf's grid, Adult Life, It's Shelly Island.

The landing point gives you a little glimpse at the amount of backstory that went into the planning of the sim. Remember to join the group when you arrive, without it, you can't go any further into the build. It's a place for romance and for parties, which are Saturdays at 8pm German time, 11am SLT. Here's Chrissy, Dark Wolf's wife, with me at the entrance. Guess who's not been to the tanning salon in a while...

Chrissy Coage:  Clothes are very optional at this sim...

Dark Wolf:  Shelly Island is somewhere in the Bermuda Triangle. Several ships and planes have crashed here, and the survivors have escaped to a deserted island. Shelly Island was founded.

Free Expression

 Summer time, and the livin' is easy... if by living you mean taking a wander around Opensim and seeing some beautiful and meaningful art, and being able to snag a lot of gorgeous original freebies. The talent and the generosity of this artist are so well known in Opensim, and you probably guessed who's being featured just by looking at the photos. 

Cube, Cherry Freebies, Pangea  Grid

In her fifteen years in Opensim, on Francogrid and here and there on a dozen other grids, not to mention her years in SL before and during her Opensim sojourn, Cherry Manga has never failed to delight us and amaze with her spirit and her vision of both the Opensim community, and of her own RL battles. So many can relate to her artwork expressing the frustration of illness and the toll it takes on mind and body. Despite that, her art is capable of wild flights of fantasy,  of beauty and tenderness,  of dreams and nightmares, into the past and into a techno future.

All at See

Redwood Bay is a relatively new region on Neverworld grid, and it's home to The Rocking the Seas cruise, which was launched on 4 May this year. The event was a big success, so another is planned for some time during the July 4 weekend, so keep an eye on the Neverworld grid events to check times and dates. There's so much to see!

Put together by Gundahar Bravin, the cruise build has a contemporary East-West coast feel to it, and the ship sits alongside the Opensim Coast Guard boat, an essential piece of kit if you think about the vastness of the virtual sea! Neverworld owner Govega Sachertorte was very happy with the May event.

Govega Sachertorte: Gundahar did a magnificent guided tour, with DJs. We had 25 people on the initial tour and were thinking in the future to have you guys come visit us for a hg safari tour ... its really amazing,  the whole cruise is scripted on a 4x4 region, gift shop, undersea submarine tours, and views of the bridge.

Gundahar Bravin: I decided to build a cruise ship because, well, the idea came from wanting to provide new and dynamic event venues for our Residents and visitors. Not just a club, but a truly memorable experience! I first thought of a cruise ship, because I wanted a moving platform, with entertainment, drinks and many beautiful sights to see while enjoying dancing and interacting with others. I owe many thanks to our Assistant Event Manager Amanda Greenthumb, she deserves a great deal of credit for much of the modification work and countless hours helping me put all of this together.

Small Screen

Erwan is a pretty uncommon name native to Brittany, that anciently romantic and windswept peninsula in Northern France, full of legends and stone monuments like the Carnac Stones that are fabulous cousins of Stonehenge. Breton is a Celtic language, like Cornish or Welsh, and the name Erwan corresponds to 'Yves' in French, the closest we come to it in English is the girl's name Yvonne. 

An etymologist's delight, the progression from Erwan to Yves to 'if' - modern French name for the yew tree, that most mysterious evergreen with its bright winter berries and deadly needles, something mysterious and after-lifey going on there. Golly, so Chateau d'If is Yew Tree Castle! Who knew? Well, Frenchies everywhere did, obviously. I'd always thought of it in terms of the English 'if'... "if ever I escape from here, I'll get my revenge", that kind of thing. Anyway, enough Montecristoing... 

The talented Erwan, now in the ava-iteration Roman Fox, has set up a successor of sorts to Serenity Grid, and it has a definite flavor of the rugged Breton land and seascape. Some of you may remember a couple of glorious regions on Serenity that I blogged about a while back, the Monet house and garden, and Mont Saint Michel both unbeatable for the instinctive realism of familiarity and just good old building chops. It was a small miracle of a grid, and it was very sad to learn that it had gone offline. When I learnt about this new grid, also quite minute, I had to come see.

Dangazi Win-Win

Our very last stop this season was on a small but riotously lovely grid called Shipyards, the HG Address is as always at the end of the post. You may remember our epic tour of another sim here, the Dew Drop Islands. Today instead, it was the turn of The Dangazi Forest, we were on a walking tour in countryside with an interesting origin story. Owned by Danger Lytton and Azi Az, who were both on hand to welcome us at the small island in the stream.

Danger Lytton: Hello and Welcome.  Please be sure to set your ENVIRONMENT to shared and set MEDIA to automatic.  Take a copy of the umbrella by mousing over it and clicking. We are in a rain forest so you will want it.  And finally touch the TP board to the sea shell beach and wait for all of us there. You can go beachcombing there and find the 20 or so beautiful sea shells while you wait for the others to arrive.

Azi waiting for us on the seashore

Tina Bey: jeje veo a todos desnudos lol

Tosha Tyran: yes, Tina, me too ah, I was too much time in the sun my ass is all burned

Azi Az: here you can hunt for shells. If you enjoy beach combing there are nice shells to collect on this beach :)))

Nara Nook: I got a seashell

Yes We Candoranien

Willkommen in Candoranien: whispers:   You are greeted!

 It has been determined that I will meet you right here.

 Thus i would like to correspond to my destiny and tell you: Welcome!

  Welcome to the fantastic world of middle ages roleplaying.

Arrival point on Candoranien

This Safari finale began on a stunning playground for anyone who loves adventure, gallantry, and enjoys their chivalry with just a little taste of vampirism and piratical good humor thrown in. It's a 'yes we can' kind of place. That's CandorsRPWorld - and specifically the big region called Candoranien, the HG Address is of course at the end of the post. There's loads to see on this grid, you may remember this post about it from last year. When Scarlett Von Candors said she would be willing to host us, we jumped at the chance to go!

A bit like last week when lots of Frenchies from all over opensim were there to welcome us to Vulcano Stirpe region on Bloodmoon grid, there were lots of residents and friends of Candanien on hand to help Scarlett welcome the Safari group; - Butschi, Marlis, Rufus, Cosa, Briana, Calvin, Isabelle, Doris, Thalion, Theodor, Muna, Trawell, Udo,Willi, Calvin, Karsten, and Loru, although I may have missed a few names. How great it is to have such support and intergrid friendships. That's the spirit. 

Belze Cherub: Hallo-Hello-Salut-Γειά σου-Ciao-Привет-¡Hola-Merhaba-

Theodor Schildhauer[de→en]: Be enjoyed valued ​​guests

Star Ravenhurst: Hello Everyone!

Karsten Runningbear[de→en]: Greetings to you, Sir Theodor. Hello everyone and cheers :)

Whirli Placebo: waving

Cosa Wiefel: Greetings travelers

Scarlett vonCandors[de→en]: First of all, welcome to our medieval role -playing play in Candoranien. We are going to make a little excursion today about our Sim, we normal citizens, nobility, knights, beggars to Vikings, vampires, magicians and a lot more.

Romance and the 'Rose

Weddings - they're so romantic! At the beginning of this month Chrissy Coage of Moonrose Grid and Dark Wolf of Adult Life grid got married inworld. 

Weddings aren't uncommon in virtual worlds, and they come in all shapes and sizes, from those who renew their vows every year, to those who barely get through the honeymoon before the whole whirlwind is over.  There was, however, something about this wedding that made it clear that this was not just an excuse for a good party,

Dark Wolf and Chrissy Coage

In this case the good party was on Moonrose Grid, Chrissy's home. In fact it was thanks to this grid that they met! It is a relationship based on a close friendship, a creative partnership, and some serious talent.

Chrissy Coage: I was looking for a manager for Moonrose grid. We were introduced in Teamspeak because Dark was a software guy, it was a good match for the task I needed. We are together every day We talk a lot about opensim, we do everything together and have been doing so for 3 years now.

Dark Wolf: I've been running my grid for about eight years. I like to "animate" dead objects. Showing other users what's possible with scripts is also a great thing.

Chrissy Coage: We are only a couple in Opensim but we also know each other in RL where we are very good friends. why we got married I think we are so close with each other. That we express it that way.To show that you belong, to show the bond to the outside world - that's what a wedding in a virtual world is all about. I think we were 25 people at the wedding, the wedding itself was not open to the public, with planning and building it took us 1 month and healthy nerves.

Chrissy and father of the bride, Silver Mare (Photo by Icelady Pearl)

Dark Wolf: For my part, I really like Chrissy. I love her direct, tough, but not pushy manner. Over time, we've gotten to know and appreciate each other better. As many of you know, I'm a gay man, so we want to show others that love and affection don't always have to involve sex and eroticism.

Moonrose Arrival

You get the feeling that love is in the air the moment you alight on the Moonrose Welcome area, it's full of blue sky and fluffy clouds, cherry blossom and cute umbrellas, and of course lots of moon and lots of roses, naturally. 

Romance and beauty are strong symbols, but there's an undercurrent of tenuousness - all that stormy weather kept just on the edges of this world; perhaps a reminder that changeableness is a constant in the virtual as in real life, so we need to hold close the things and above all the people we love and value, and never take them for granted. 

Wyld Ride

 Fitheach Eun and Tessa Lacombe were on Wyldwood Bayou Grid to welcome us for the second stop of our Safari this week. Wyldwood is well known for its Rockin' the Blues events, its roleplay groups, and its lovely New Orleans build, a popular stop off during carnival season in particular. Today though we were heading for another sim entirely, Wyld Thangs, a region of rides and relaxation.

Fitheach Eun

Neo Cortex: Safari incoming! Take cover!

Contessa Lacombe: runs into the barn... Hey Star! Hi Mal! Hey Forest! Hi Alex!

Thirza Ember: lots of body bits!

Star Ravenhurst: We have a crowd.

Malburns Craftster: Fear and Loadings in the metaverse - has a certain ring to it

Fitheach Eun: Welcome to Wyldwood Bayou’s Wyld Thangs Ride Park. Kith Whitehawk, Contessa Lacombe, Harmony Beningborough and I (Fitheach Eun) built this region as a play-ground for the Wyldwood Bayou Grid. It has always been open to Hypergridders looking for fun. We have an awesome and scary motocross, a skate park with an obstacle course, a beach area, an outdoor cinema and some really beautiful scenery along with 2 music venues where we occasionally offer events.

Star Ravenhurst and Contessa Lacombe consider their options

Fitheach Eun: It’s a great region to tour on horseback, 4-wheeler, or motorcycle. You can bring your own vehicles and rez them in the designated areas. We will take you on a brief tour and then you can choose where you want to play. We also have freebie shops at the Water Park, Skate Park and Vehicle Barn. There is even a Food Court next to the Skate Park. The sign in front of the barn has folders of information on how to fix a number of common Opensim issues. We spent a lot of time re-searching and testing to create those for our music club audiences. Please grab any that interest you.

Safari Visits Vulcano

Our first stop this week was on Bloodmoon grid, run by Vlad and Vanessa Van Helsing, previously owners of Virtual Dreams grid, and before that, the beautiful Les Carpathes grid, among other iterations. Largely a francophone grid, today on Bloodmoon we met up with the Spanish-speaking  Arponera Vulcano  together with her beautiful and creative family - Jaina and Desiree Vulcano. 

Lots of people showed up in solidarity with the Vulcanos, so there were already about 12 people at the arrival point before the Safari group headed over there at exactly 12 noon SLT - yeah, we try to be good guests and not show up early when the hostess is still putting on her lipstick and setting out the canapes!

Jaina, Arponera, and Desiree Vulcano [l to r] wait on the castle steps for their guests

A big group inevitably leads to some arrival lag but we did pretty well this time. A lot of that is thanks to the fact that Safari goers try not to wear super complex avies (in other words, less than 300k complexity) and they also mostly try to keep their MySuitcase as empty as possible, just to give the grid a chance to absorb our arrival. Keeping draw distance down to something around half the maximum possible setting is also a good move. Why? Your Viewer, when you arrive in a new place, communicates with the new sim (and 'child' or adjacent sims) and grabs info on every object, script, texture etc within draw distance. Exhausting! But we did really well and soon Arpo was able to begin her introduction.  

From Paper to Pixel

You're invited!
There's a great Fashion show/party happening tomorrow Saturday 17 May, at 1pm SLT, on Kitely, and specifically the sim Gino's Butterfly, owned by Karima Hoisan -  check the end of the post for the HG Address. 

Animated by Kimm Starr of Virtual Vignette, and inspired by real world art, this original and captivating event will include a dance party with the lovely Rosa Alekseev - lots of fun for all!

Karima Hoisan outside Ottobre

Chances are, you'll remember our HG Safari trip to Gino's Butterfly about a year ago, to see the art installation where Karima - with lots of scripting assistance from her partner Dale Innis - celebrates a fashion designer and family friend, Gino. 

War veteran, artist, and designer, Gino spent the final years of his long and creative life living near Karima, in Costa Rica. On Saturday, that creativity is further celebrated with a Fashion Show called "A Designer's Legacy: From Paper to Pixels" with animesh made by Kimm Starr.

Karima Hoisan: It was the name where he worked with another designer who started him off, James Ottobre, and they became creative partners. Although all these fashions shown here are Ginos. They worked together for years then sold the store and came down to drop out in Costa Rica.

It was another sim by Karima, AI Dreams in Art, a showcase of  Dale Innes' Ai pictures, that was the creative catalyst. MidJourney pictures were new to Kimm, and she was blown away by the setup there. That led to an early collaboration, of animesh Goth girl and guy, still to be found on that sim, and from there....

Kimm Starr:   That's how it started, then Karima gave me a tour of Gino's Butterfly where I first saw Gino's drawings.  I was so inspired to do something with them.  They were absolute eye candy! I was really inspired by the late 1950's & 60's vibe.  I created vintage looking animesh models and then recreated 14 of his original designs

Karima Hoisan: She fell in love with the sketches parading all over the sim..

Thirza Ember: was it a challenge to work with a real design? rather than just making up your own art...

Kimm Starr: yes , considering I'm not a fashion designer but I really wanted to do the designs justice. They were designers in the late 50's early 60s in Beverly Hills.