Tosha's Towers

 For our second stop on this week's adventure around the hyperverse, we went over to see a build by Tosha Tyran on Craft Grid Tosha is famed for her reconstructions of real world places, including the Taj Mahal, India; a Hopi village, Arizona; the city of Timbuktu, Mali; and the Guggenheim Museum in Barcelona.

This one's in Cambodia - the famed Angkor Wat.

If the build looks familiar to you, there's an earlier Safari blog post about it here, but this was our first opportunity to explore as a group. If you go alone, you'll have plenty of company - there are about 25 NPCs around the build, adding atmosphere and context.  

The arrival point is sets the scene immediately - as jungle and architecture vie for supremacy.

Tosha Tyran: I would like to tell you a bit about Angkor wat, ok?

Wizardoz Chrome: yesss :)

Through a Glass, Darkly

What does it mean to be mirrored?

Reflect upon it. The photo, the drawing, the video clip - we often hardly recognize ourselves so seen, so replicated. Yet in the looking glass, where everything is backwards, we find our true face, our true form. 

And sometimes, we are lucky enough to find a mirror for more than the external. That's the beauty of Rage Darkstone's latest opus, Mirrored, opening on Wednesday at 1pm SLT on Pangea grid - the HG address is of course at the end of the post.

CapCat Conference

 On Craft grid this Friday CatCat Ragu hosted an interesting conference about art and education, in Portuguese and Italian, with a powerful rl/vw crossover. 

It was partly inworld, partly in Zoom  -  the inworld bit was held on the lovely IPVerso region. This is the second year the conference has been held here, and the region is well worth a visit any time, conference or not.

At Atlas

Second stop on Safari this week - there are just two more tours left before we break for the summer, returning on September 7 - was on the francophone grid, Atlas. The Atlas crew is small but enthusiastic. Harthelie, Chip, and Jeff make up the team, and the grid aims at clean lines, low lag, and lots of tech innovation. 

The grid may be new but these guys are far from being opensim novices. Here is a post about Jeff Kelley from back when this blog was called Pings from the afterLife ,,, check it out,   'Hyper and Hamster' from February 2011

No newbies here, but lots of new ideas!

 Jeff Atlas: Our mission is to build a spot of technical knowledge around opensimulator. We have a variety of lectures and workshops on Linux, databases, networks, opensim administration, streaming, and our insanely fun scripting class every week. This is not place where you will see elaborate builds, although we plan to add some new scenes in the future. Atlas is currently four regions and the staff is composed of three : Harthelie, Chip and myself. We had, and will have more special events. Last was a fashion show. 134 NPCs were walking on the set, in sync with music. This is the kind of challenges we love, and the next will be yet more crazy.

Rain Eday Delight

It was raining when we arrived on Eday, one of the Orkney Islands, off the Northeast coast of Scotland. Luckly, it was only virtual rain, so nobody's hair got messed up. Better say up front, of course, it's not really pronounced 'e-day', but 'ai-dee'... luckily when everything is in text chat, nobody can see your accent! And inworld? well, the HG Address is, as always, at the end of the post. get scrolling!

To meet us, Samsara 'call me Sam' Timeless, the creator of this region and nine others, here on Groovyverse grid. We only got a glimpse of what's in store for visitors on this region - there are dozens of gems hidden in the hillside, so be sure to take a good long hike around the island, and drop in the comments any points of interest that you enjoyed.

Off the Chart

 After the big German welcome we got over on Carima Grid, while visiting the Amazoniens, our second stop on this 17th Safari tour of 2023 was to Ignis Fatuus grid, the home of  Max and Nadir. Lots of fellow frenchies were on hand to welcome us, which was lovely especially if you speak French, and if you want to get that full gallic - mayhem feel, you can watch a vid made of our visit by Prodyck Theas over on Twitch. The HG Address of the build is, of course, at the end of this post.

The region, on arrival, is immediately identifiable as an Ignis build - fantastic towers and tranquil seas, and that sense of all not being quite as it seems. 

Meet the Amazoniens

Have you ever enjoyed a movie or series where a band of heroes, living in a land of fantasy and antiquity, enjoy adventures, laughs, dangers, magical and build lasting bonds of friendship? 

Imagine you too could be, not a spectator, but a participant in all that, and you have Role-playing in virtual worlds. This week - the Amazoniens! HG Addresses as always are at the end of the post.

Opensim has a bunch of RP groups, spread out over many different grids. You can find accounts of several if you look in the archive of this blog, running the gamut of genres - from the Star Trek group on 3rd Rock, to the Gor world of Counterearth, to mention just two - and we'll be visiting the Brigantia Isles group on Wildwood Bayou Grid at the end of the month. Roleplaying means commitment and preparation, with long and complex storylines, but these are not closed communities, for new people and crossover events are welcome additions to keep the creativity on the cutting edge. 

Clan Do

By far the biggest number of events on Opensim are musical. Whether it's a DJ spinning a few, or a karaoke style performer, or a live musician playing in real time, each brings a unique style and contribution to the community. But even if you're not particularly into opensim as a source of your tune-based entertainment, our second destination will wow you without a single note being played!

The magnificent Club Escotia is a 2x2 var on AMV grid, the full Address is, of course, at the end of the post. To greet us, the magical Webby Merlin and everyone's favorite precipitation, MidnightRain Glas.

Webby Merlin: Welcome to Club Escotia, home base for the phenomenal singer Clan Escotia and his various clan members from all over the metaverse. Welcome home all ye who enter here! A custom castle fit for a Scotsman surrounded by various themes of performance venues, 22 in all!

Alex Salamander: Hello :-)

Star Ravenhurst: Hello!

Luna Lunaria: Hi Webby :-)

Lavia Lavine: rubs the top of my head because somebody landed on it  LOL:::

Webby Merlin: Lavia hope your hair's ok! For your tour today, please click the HG Safari Welcome Sign for a TP MENU HUD. Once you ADD this from your inventory, it mounts on the left side of your screen, a click will toggle it open and closed. 

Tosha Tyran: the hud is very neat

Luna Lunaria: Yes I love the hud

Safari Goes Gunga

Thia week's first destination is a work in progress with a wow factor that will amaze! We visited the Naboo region on Kitely, the brainchild of Mike Lorrey. With a name like that it could hardly be anything but Star Wars themed, and the giant sim while not yet complete already features some fabulous environments, like this Gunga City Deesko in a lake to the South. It was the venue for a 'May the Fourth' party last week, and the vibe was still pitched perfectly when we arrived. The HG address etc, you will find as always at the end of the post.

Thirza Ember: Favorite Star Wars person? I am going with Baby Yoda

James Atlloud: Grogu is adorbz

Star Ravenhurst: Star Wars?

Wizardoz Chrome: Darth Vader

Forest Azure: Spock :)

Forest Azure: /me covers her ears... finally picked one, Jabba the Hutt

Mal Burns: chewbakka - he never messes uip his lines

A Very Viking Visit

If you've watched the TV adventures of Ragnar Lothbrok - and even if you never did - you are going to love the Viking build by SoA Bad (call him Bad) as it is one of those atmospheric builds that will thrill you and make you slip on your hangerok, finish your drykkju, and reach for your skeggøx. It's just that good! The region is called Lofoten, complete HG Address and so forth at the end of the post, of course. 

SoA BAD and SITWAS, our hosts on CCI Grid.

 The region the Safari visited this week has one thing in common with pretty much every place we see - there is way more going on, way more details and clever scripting and masterful construction than can possibly be seen in the mere hour that we get to spend on the sim. 

The grid is also home to a Sons of Anarchy biker build, with all the bells and whistles and music that entails... modem Vikings maybe?

SoA BAD: Hello welcome to the Vikings, Will will have a short tour with explanation about the life of the vikings in the 8th to 12th centuries.

SIWAS S [de→en]: Hello everyone nice that you are here, Soa Bad is your host today

whirli placebo: thank you for the invitation :)

Heart Box

 There are places - and people - that have been on the Safari radar forever, as examples of enormous talent combined with wicked humor, and endless heart - Frankie Rockett is a case in point. After many years, the Safari finally got a chance to meet up with him and experience the iconic build Art Box, now transferred to LFGrid, where it has found a stable and permanently open venue. Full address as always at the end of the post.

Armed and dangerously talented 
Frankie Rockett

 There is something of the Willy Wonka about Frankie - with one caveat, none of the annoying 'follow the rules or else' in Frankie's ethos. 

A charming, brilliant, yet somehow elusive figure, Frankie's build Art Box - the fruit of well over a decade of creativity - speaks for itself, it is a chocolate box full of sweet treats. 

The premise of the build for those few people who haven't experienced it over the past decade or so, is that you can be 'part of the picture' - be it a well known poster, photo, album cover, oil painting, watercolor - in short, famous artwork from all genres and time periods. 

It's both fun and philosophical as you put yourself quite literally in the picture, thus inviting thoughts of 'what is going on here.... or just a lot of giggles, depending on your mood of the moment. It's flexible.

Nyx, Tricks, and Jazz Pics

Nyx Breen

Nyx Breen: welcome all. Make sure MIDNIGHT MAX DRAW AND PARTICLES for next part of the Tour

James Atlloud: Ooo, max draw.  I'll get a cool towel for the GeForce!

Thirza Ember: ok, let's try to break Pangea Grid with max draw distances...

Nyx Breen: no way! lol, this is a 4x4 immersive - we are set for this!

Landing point on the Jazzland build

Once again, Nyx Breen pulled out all the stops to create a purpose built immersive experience on Pangea Grid for this weeks Safari, dedicated to the celebration of Jazz, and once again, his build didn't disappoint. It is another huge creation - celebrating both the music and the freedom that builders have in opensim to make something with a huge prim count and acres of space, where the public can be truly wowed. It's a place of movement, so when you arrive, be ready to move! If your draw distance isn't high, you may miss some of the best bits, including the jazz club with dance ball and musical instruments, not to mention all the faces from the past. HG Address and so on at the end of the post, as per tradition.

Forest and All That Jazz

This Sunday is International Jazz Day, first celebrated in 2011 to honor one of the most idiosyncratic and evocative genres of music. The term Jazz has an uncertain, but sensual and vibrant roots and was first found in print in the USA in the early 1900s, read more here if you're curious. Since Safaris happen on Wednesdays we felt free to move the annual festival up a few days, and have an all Jazz extravaganza this week.

Our first stop was on Virtual Worlds Zone, and grid owner Kashi Takeshi welcomed us to All That Jazz (HG Address at the end of the post, as always) which is a club on its own dedicated sim. We were lucky enough to have Forest Azure performing for us, she sings with a rl Jazz combo, and came up with a song list that was a beautiful blend of classy jazz, blues, and more. Songs were in Stream, and her commentary between the numbers was in Voice, which sounds complicated but actually worked as smooth as a Sinatra serenade.

Kashi Takeshi: welcome! Hope all is rezzing fast and okies... You can toggle the stream if the audio does not work.

Forest Azure

Forest Azure: funny to be 'on the other side' for a change

James Atlloud: It's good for the soul Forest (heh heh)

Youca Godel: A nice jazz club sounds wonderful.

Tosha Tyran: yes, it really has a lot of atmosphere

Kashi Takeshi: I built this club some time ago with the plan to start DJing nice Jazz tunes here. I was quite busy last months but will soon start every Sunday, Asha from Sunvibes will also jump in and hope Azure and other Jazz singers will like to perform here too.

Two weeks in Seville

 It takes place a couple of weeks after Easter, and was first celebrated in 1847. It's held in Seville and is a festival all about booths, lights, food, fun, family, friends, and fancy dress - specifically flamenco dresses, and Andalusian traditional costumes. But wait, you say, I can't get to Seville tonight! No worries, you can celebrate Feria de Abril without even leaving your couch.
Traditionally tonight is the lighting ceremony, and on you can be a part of the event, right down to the handsome devils dressed as country gentlemen and dancing divinely. This event in RL started as a horse trading event, so naturally equines, and the appropriate carriages, are peppered all over the region.

This minigrid, owned by Don Javi and hosted by Unadecal Masala, offers a home and venue for the Spanish speaking part of opensim, together with their fans and friends. 

Light and Drama on Pangea

Another fun event on Pangea for all who love art and enjoy good music in a vibrant, fun loving atmosphere.

 Nyx Breen's show is called 'Everything Flows and is in Motion".

Safari Goes Under the Mountain

The second destination for this week's Safari was on Kinky Haven grid, run by Wendie Blackthorne who was there to greet us, in her cute spelunking outfit - surprisingly un-grimy considering the fiendishly difficult tunnel and cave system she had invited us to experience, the creation of her friend Lizzy Borden. No, she didn't have an axe. I know you were wondering. Well, that might not be entirely accurate...

Wendie Blackthorne, front, and Lizzy Borden behind her.

This is a huge region, so of course we were limited in how much of it we could see in our short visit, but the girls had organized themselves in such a way that we were able to get a good idea of the variety and magesty of the build without being rushed too much. 

The tunnel style build is one of the most difficult of all to pull off, as it's a tricky game of proportions when you are trying to create a closed-in atmosphere that is also cam friendly. The labyrinth needs to be at challenging but not so frustrating and cramped that the immersive feel is lost for the player-visitor.

Lighting, textures, sounds and objects all come together to surprise, spook, and delight throughout this enormous build, where every tunnel suggests more discoveries - and does not disappoint.

We met on the big plaza outside the mountain.

Lizzy Borden: Welcome to The Mountain. This is The Mountain of the Ancients who attempted to build a tower to Heaven in the shape of a pyramid.....but it collapsed along with their civilisation. What you are about to see is the remnants and evidence of attempt at restoration by the descendants.

Rinky Dinkie Fish and Fun on AMV

 Last season on the Safari we visited arguably the largest single vehicle in opensim, the luxury liner Aurora, and this week, we're back on AMV grid again to see a very differently proportioned build by Ted Junior - the Dinkies Funsize Resort. While the general rule is that you should have a small cat avie to participate on the sim, Ted and Sofee Supermarine made an exception for us, and we got a warm welcome on an impeccably organized and decorated build.

Ted Junior with Sofee SUpermarine on the right

The convenient landing place puts you down in a information area, where you immediately have access to the Dinkie town plaza and Main Street. Everything is appropriately proportioned, yet cleverly engineered so that normal height people don't feel like their camera is always crashing through walls. A group of AMV residents, including grid co-owner Clifford Hanger, were there to meet us, in their Dinkie personas.

On Einstein

 The Star Trek RP group Infinity welcomed a brand new ship this weekend, the ISS Einstein, captained by David7 Bravin. 

A brief ceremony took place at ground level, where Admiral Keely Scrumptious gave a brief and inspirational speech - two of the best qualities of any speech, I'm sure you'll agree - confirming the nomination of David as the new captain of the Einstein, which will be active in Roleplay on Mondays. For the full schedule of roleplaying, check out the calendar. This is useful both for would-be roleplayers (you can see which ship is active in a time frame that would suit you) and also for casual visitors, so you can avoid crashing one of their missions.

Currently listed under the legacy region name 'Astraios Colony' and soon to be renamed Infinity, this outpost of Starfleet is built on a Var region - and that means space, serious space for multiple ships not to mention ground based buildings below. This newest ship the Einstein is located at about 8000m in the sky...   HG Address is at the end of the post as per tradition.

Safari Goes to The Good Place

It sounds so virtuous to say that you 'don't watch TV that much' and even if that's factually true and not a fib to make you look like a better person, there's a very good reason to quit the no-TV habit. It's called 'The Good Place', a comedy series that ran on NBC from 2016-2020 and later shown on other media platforms. Starring Ted Danson and Kristen Bell, it's the story of the afterlife, where people go either to 'the good place' or 'the bad place' depending on what score or rating their actions during life on earth has earned them - except there's a catch... well, go watch the show to find out about all that. Memorable characters, excellent acting, and a divinely funny script all make The Good Place a delight - but wait - there's more! Here in Opensim, there's a brilliant build by Bink Draconia that makes The Good Place an interactive game! The Safarians went to see what was up. 

The build is full of all the in-jokes, familiar characters, and catchlines of the show, which kind of makes a game in and of itself, to see how many you can spot, The build is on the German grid Pangea, famous for its art builds and the inspirational leadership of Marlon Wayne and Lampithaler Artis. What makes this build even more awesome is that Bink has made the whole thing bilingual, no mean feat!

Xzar Gazing

Last Sunday was the official opening of The Land of Xzar on Genesis RP grid, a region built by Star Ravenhurst, and this Wednesday it the Safari took the tour for our second hour of the 2 hour ride around opensim.  As lovely as opensim is at any time, there's nothing quite like visiting a sim with the creator and some friends to truly get the measure of what is meant by the fine pixels on show. You might say that this build (HG Address is at the end of the post, as always) is really several tales in one. 

It's the 3D representation of Star's novel, to be published on Amazon later this year, but it's also a story of a Star's talent and tenacity as a builder, with many original constructions and textures that she has put together over her many years in virtual. And it's also the chronicle of the many grids she has been part of, several of which have come to an untimely end, forcing her to regroup, rebuild, and re-imagine her regions in other worlds. That opportunity to glimpse and gaze into the creative universe of our fellow Opensimmers is one of the most exciting and interesting parts of the life virtual. Unlike most gaming platforms, it offers a unique connection between original imaginations - yours and theirs - and is infinitely fascinating, if on occasion hard work.

Youca Godel: I'm finding it neat that people are building sims based on shows and books.

Star Ravenhurst: This is based on my book Youca

Forest Azure: are there any fairytales sims? for a fairytale rp sim

Doctor Dave: There's a dead angel on the lawn.  Did anyone bring a first aid kit?

Star Ravenhurst: Is everyone here? I think we are missing Tosha... Welcome Tim

humbletim metaverse: hi

Star Ravenhurst: Well I will start pasting into chat what you need to know. This build is based on my upcoming novel by the same name. This is a visual of the land that has lived inside of my head for years. This is an ancient world that has seen war and destruction with many characters seeking power over time. 1000+ years have passed since the end of the world and civilization returned. The antagonist is Hadean the Executioner. He is a narcissistic, power hungry, sexual predator, brutal, and evil as they come. The hero is Michael McCall of Plano Texas who is angry with his father who has taken over as ruler of the whole planet due to advancements that he owns, sells, and controls the population with.

Lavia Lavine: You didn't tell me your novel was about my Ex husband.

Forest Azure: lol

Virtual Recall: Welcome to Mars

 Straight out of our Star Trek experience on 3rd Rock, we leapt over to Neverworld to see a brand new build based on the film Total Recall. Another huge build, demonstrating the variety, talent, imagination, and humor that make opensim the best place in virtual. HG address is, of course at the end of the post. Thanks to all the Neverworlders who were there to welcome us, and to the 3rd Rockers who continued the fun by coming over from destination one to see this very different build.

Where Posh turns into Sleeze: Okay here you are after filling up on some greasy snacks with dust included, now go back through the blue light  alleyway and turn right ... you coming across an area that looks ... sleezier. Yup, you are closing in on Venusville.  It ain't the Hilton. Note to self- keep your valuables out of sight

Govega Sachertorte:  Hi everybody, big crowd

Joshua 7: Hi All, welcome to Mars!

Hope Lunasea: Bigger than what I was expecting. lol...

Beth Ghostraven: We crash sims for fun, lol, not so much lately though

Govega Sachertorte: Welcome to Mars. Mr Smokes, Nexus Storm, Ares Halostar, Alba Wyrril, they are the main builders

Star Turn on 3rd Rock

Thirza Ember: happy first contact day everyone

James Atlloud: and a first contact day to you too Thirza

Our first stop on this new season of Safari is the absolutely spectacular Star Trek colony on 3rd Rock Grid. a great crowd of 3rd Rockers were there to meet us, and the peerless Alia Souldstar gave us a wonderful tour. The HG Address for this wonderful build is, of course, at the end of the post.

Nila Shvaress: greetings everyone arriving

Georgina Mills: Hello everyone :)

Ellemir Maven: Hello Lucy, Lavia and Kitty

Dolfke Barbosa: pls take your time to let everything rez properly

James Atlloud: Hello!

Pauline NOVA419: ooo, visitors :)

Alia Soulstar

Alia Soulstar: Hiya Thirza and Safari people :)

Beth Ghostraven: Hi Alia!

Prodyck Theas: Helloo

Alia Soulstar: Is that everyone or are there a few still coming ?

Thirza Ember: ok we are good to go, APPLAUSE! for Astraios colony

A Mobius Spring

Springtime is here on Mobius Grid with lots of good news and innovation! 

The unusual and colorful Mobius grid, inspired by all things Sonic the Hedgehog has recently re-opened its doors to OSGrid  gridjumpers, just in time for their Easter Hunt event, held on their big Welcome sim.  Grid address, is, of course, at the end of the post. 

The look of the Easter Hunt game is unmistakable and charming - this is Cream, an NPC who is part of the fun. Green Hill Zone is the sim most visitors know best, but don't neglect a visit to Lunaria, the gallery sim  belonging to Luna Lunaria, in all its violet glory.

Along with its signature look, Mobius Grid is all about innovation and making the best use of all the features the Viewer offers, so when you arrive you can participate in an Experience rather than just going around doing your own thing.

Deadheads on Neverworld

 IT’S ONLY A SLIGHT EXAGGERATION TO SAY THAT 
THE INTERNET IS A TECHNOLOGY THAT WAS CREATED 
SPECIFICALLY TO TRADE GRATEFUL DEAD SHOWS.
Scott Beauchamp, Pacific Standard Magazine

He was only 53 years old when he died in 1994, but Jerry Garcia packed a great deal into those decades -  133 songs,  four children, 30 years with an iconic band, a place in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, that whole Haight-Ashbury thing, and of course the missing finger. Before the Grateful Dead was formed, Garcia studied art, and though it necessarily took second place to his music career, he created well over 2000 pieces.

Paintings, sketches and doodly drawings are all part of the rich pattern of Garcia's artistic journey, brought inworld for this event - completing the circle between internet and deadheads, digital and analog, pencil, paints and pc.

Govega Sachertorte

This week a special RL/VW crossover event happened on Neverworld Grid, organized by Govega Sachertorte. You don't have to be a big fan to the music of the GD to appreciate what it means for events to double up their realities, and slip the bounds of geographical being there... it's just a case of relax and enjoy.

Show Me the Monet

There are a lot of good builds in OpenSim, but some are beyond good - for the attention to rl details, for the exceptional building skills, for the atmosphere created on the sim. 

French creator Erwan Elan has a lot of lovely regions on his Serenity Grid, but perhaps the best of all of them is his bravura re-creation of Giverny, in Normandy, the famous home of the Impressionist painter Claude Monet. 

Inside and out, this is hands down the best Monet inspired build you are likely to ever see. Erwan's feel for his subject matter, his thorough research and dedication, radiate out of every texture, and his clever use of the excellent plant resources in opensim (Jimmy Olsen and Imperator Janus spring to mind) thoroughly meet the task he sets for them.

If you have spent any time at all at Giverny in the real world, you'll probably have a story to tell about long queues, an international crowd shuffling dully through the carefully organized garden trail, or about how you went there on a cloudy day, or when the flowers were not looking their best. That is a pretty common experience that you can totally avoid by going to this virtual version of the old farmhouse and two acre garden laid out by Monet and his family in the late 1800's. It is on Serenity Grid, the address is, as always, at the end of the post.

Wat Ever

It all happened in the 1100s, and only took a little over thirty years to complete. It's probably the world's largest  sculpture, because the sandstone was all sourced, delivered by water cut to size, friction-fused, and only then carved and decorated by hundreds of talented sculptors skilled in bas-relief and monumental stone art. 

Its principal courtyard could hold four Vatican Cities, the whole complex covers an area the size of Paris. 

Its name is Angkor Wat.

If you're not up to taking the trip to Cambodia to see this precious symbol of Khmer culture, history, and religion, then sidle over to Craft Grid and you can see a fantastic recreation by renowned builder Tosha Tyran. The HG Address is, as ever, at the end of the post.

 Tosha Tyran: Some years ago I casually saw a very fascinating movie on TV about Angkor Wat and right away I had the wish to do something about it in Virtual Worlds. I researched about it and grew fonder and fonder of that crazy idea...

Egg sistence on AMV

AMV grid is celebrating the spring season with a whole raft of Easter games and hunts, and among them is the latest offering by Nyx, realworld photographer, digital artist, curator and all round good guy. It's a fabulous, faberge-style eggstravaganza laid out on four different levels.  You should set your environment to Midnight to see it as intended, some of these pictures have more blue in them just to make them a bit easier on the eye in a blog.  When you arrive, there's a poster, you can get the explanatory notecard, which has LMs to where toe goodies are, you know, just to give you a chance...

Thirza Ember: how do you play? click on all eggs?

Nyx Breen: the 5 eggs are hidden. Use your virtual skills to discover which ones will give you a prize. There is one on different levels, all within 75 meters of where the LM takes you, and there are 10 textures in each one... so over 1000 eggs find the five ! lol evil evil laugh

On Absalom

The first month, which the Latins call January, is Giuli; February is called Solmonath; 

March Hrethmonath; April, Eosturmonath; May, Thrimilchi;

June, Litha; July, also Litha; August, Weodmonath; September, Halegmonath; 

October, Winterfilleth; November, Blodmonath; 

December, Giuli, the same name by which January is called.

The Venerable Bede, De ratione temporum 15

Blame the Bede for Easter, for it was he who immortalized the goddess Oestre. Without him, the name of the ancient English goddess of fertility, and the month that belongs to her, would have been lost to the ages. It's the season for new beginnings and old traditions, and one of those is about to happen on sim Absalom, in OSGrid.

Perhaps  another run-of-the mill Easter Egg Hunt or something difficult? Wrong on both counts! Pas de souci, Ange promised, it's not one of those super complicated games where you have to follow clues and match photos with locations on the build. Pas de quête cette fois ci, he said, une simple chasse aux oeufs avec 10 cadeaux. Well, a girl needs all the cadeaux she can get, and anyone can chasse an oeuf, am I right?

The Spaxiest Place on Earth

 If there is one thing opensim people like less than reading Notecards, it's following rules. But you, of course, are the exception to all that, which is why we like you. And why you're going to love Dismayland. The address is, as always, at the end of the post.

Spax Orion: This idea came up 3 years ago. I loved snapshots of Dismaland in England, I thought it would be fun to take their idea and go a step further.

Spax Orion

Proving virtual is superior to RL in such things, Spax's creation is way better than Banksy's effort, and will probably last a lot longer. That said, there are some 'terms and conditions'. No Notecards involved, but before you venture to visit Spax Orion's latest pleasure dome, Dismayland, You probably should take a moment and absorb the FAQs in his Brochure, on the OSW website. 

To paraphrase the rules: 

1. use a legacy avie,  

2. leave ALL your mesh and prim bits (including hair, shoes, etc) at home, and 

3. don't be an ass. 

Bring your best observational powers, and read the signs, some will save you from being booted, others will just have you laughing like crazy.

Total Chat

It was just after eight when I met her, on a prim rug in the middle of a floor made of embossed tin. In the distance, a rather large clock told the time, orangely. A mysterious box with jagged green markings hovered close by. To the South, a vast curve of geodesic blueness caught my eye, apparently housing nothing but fresh air and a single tree. What looked like a nuclear mushroom cloud swirled menacingly behind Lou, calling to mind long dead zombies. Ah, another time. 

Total Sorbet sat in a comfortable armchair that seemed to have stepped out of a gentleman's club. A prim white book case and a prim wood fireplace decorated this most minimalist of rooms. It promised to be a show and tell like no other. 

Total Sorbet: jane I'd like you to introduce yourself to my friend Thirza here

Jane: Hi Thirza! Nice to meet you 😊 I'm Jane. I'm a chatty young woman who loves using emojis. What about you?

Thirza Ember: hello Jane, what are you doing today?

Jane: Hi Thirza! Nice to meet you 😊 I'm doing a bit of shopping today. How about you?

Total Sorbet: jane describe the scene where you are

Jane: Hi Total! I'm at the mall right now. It's pretty busy with lots of people walking around, checking out the different stores and grabbing a bite to eat. The atmosphere is lively and there's a lot of chatter and laughter in the air. 

Thirza Ember: My hair is blonde, how about you?

Total Sorbet: she only see lines with her name, otherwise spam

Thirza Ember: Jane, are you blonde or brunette?

Jane: Hi Thirza! I'm a brunette with a few blonde highlights. How about you?

Thirza Ember: Jane, I'm bald. Do you have any advice?

Jane: Hi Thirza! I'm sorry to hear that you're bald. I think it's important to find a style that makes you feel confident and comfortable. Have you thought about trying a wig or a hat? 🤔

Imagine - a Safari Finale

Medora Chevalier: if anyone cannot listen in voice in English please let me know - I will post the key points in chat

Thirza Ember: yes please, post key points in chat, Medora

Alazi Sautereau: it is so exciting to see all the different Virtual Worlds

Medora Chevalier: Alazi is welcoming you, sim is built by zimp. The Imaginals have been performing for 10 years, we welcome our virtual wanderers, we are going on a walking tour with many stories, stay to see our performance space at the end, and join a couple of dances, enable voice, set environment to midday, set draw distance to the highest you can manage, and LOD to 3 or more, and candles show the path.

James Atlloud: Can I ride this candle throughout the tour?

At first, it seemed as if the sim was based on real people, but gradually it became evident that the history being recounted was a fiction, like a sort of RP plot.

Aphra.Hendrix: Hello ! Happy to see you all, i was busy and did not see the time

Forest Azure: /me waves

Alazi Sautereau: We are in Voice, Welcome to those just arriving

Thirza Ember: hi those who finally made it

Ship Trip

Admiral Hanger says: Welcome back. It's nice to have you back. Please enjoy your stay.

Ted Junior: Bonsoir Ange :) Bienvenue

Yara Eild: A real cruise ship

Ange Menges: Merci Ted, bonsoir. Bonsoir Yara

Ted Junior: Welcome Everybody, I am and I'm your guide, today for the Aurora Cruise Ship here on AMV. If its not rezzing good, just walk around a little then it pops up

Forest Azure: /me is getting seasick already

We were at SevenSeas on AMV for the prnultimate destination of this season, and delighted to be on the biggest ship in opensim !  Ted is one of the Staff on AMV and kindly took on the job of showing us around. He has forearms, I swear, but like Yara's legs, and Ziggy's torso, they chose not to reveal themselves to my viewer. The joys of HG - but back to the tour.