Month: April 2022

The mystical beauty of Mythspire Ridge in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Mythspire Ridge, April 2022

Every year Fantasy Faire brings something extra special to Second Life, places for which “region” is too shallow a term: that are realms of the imagination; places rich with backstory and depth. True, there are years when not all may appeal to everyone’s sensibilities or style – but equally there are years when it is hard not to become lost within these worlds, one becomes so captivated by the creativity presented within them.

2022 is no exception to the richness of variety present within the twenty regions that are this year home to the Fairelands. All have something to say and to offer; but throughout my travelling over the last few days, I must confess that it is Mythspire Ridge that has captured both my eye and my imagination the most, and of which I write here.

Mythspire Ridge, April 2022

Born of the mind of Elicio Ember – who, truth be told, were he to reveal himself to be genuinely of elven descent I would not be in the least surprised such is the beauty and serenity found within so many of his creations – Mythspire Ridge is a place of such depth and vision, it is perhaps too easy to overlook the intricacies it offers to those who pause to spend time simply exploring along its broad paved paths, up and down its crystal steps and along the less obvious trails awaiting discovery.

From the mists of legend, majestic white spires group out of craggy mossy cliffs in a mix of elven architecture and organic flow, surrounded by gentle cascades of otherworldly vegetation and serene contemplation terraces.

– Elicio Ember, Mythspire Ridge

Mythspire Ridge, April 2022

The region is home to both shopping opportunities and the Fantasy Faire LitFest. Those arriving via teleport will find themselves on the top of the high plateau of those mossy cliffs and amidst the gleaming towers of the elven architecture. The landing point takes the form of a square terrace sitting between the Hall of the Golden Stag to the north-east, a centre for LitFest events dominated by the stunning stage that gives the hall its name, and the halls of the region’s selection of stores, watched over at its south-western end by a giant carved and winged elven warrior, a staff held upright in one hand, a mighty runic sword in the other.

Such is the height of the store towers it is easy to miss much of their slender grace and beauty walking between them – so be sure to take time to cam up / out and appreciate them fully. Filaments of light follow the line of filigree set within buttresses, under the supports of high balconies and along the edge of steps;  lanterns hang from high points on each, offering a soft illumination that changes as the region’s Day Cycles progresses (again, do be sure to have your viewer set to Use Shared Environment (World → Environment).

Mythspire Ridge, April 2022

Also extending outwards from the landing point are two broad paths. One sweeps around and between the other-worldly trees that add their beauty throughout the setting,  and over the mossy ground to where crystal stairs descend under tall crystal columns to reach a storytelling (or perhaps Council) circle within an ornate terrace seated on a shoulder of the plateau. This also offers view down to the trees, greenery, waters and crystals of the lands below, giving a hint that there is a lot more to be explored – once the way down has been found!

And finding one’s way down is worthwhile: the waters are rich in luminous lilies, above which float firefly-like pinpoints of light. Lanterns mark trails that lead around the pools of water to where a hidden pavilion awaits those who love dance and the romantic at heart.

Nor is this all. Beneath the waters the magic continues in the form of a submerged garden of exotic corals and plant life.  There are two ways down to the realm’s lowlands: a pair of great crystal stairways that start from the natural tower of rock upon which the elven warrior. However, only one of these presents the route to the pavilion; the other descends to a rocky island and a further broad paved path that connects Mythspire Ridge with Fairelands Junction.

The second path leading away from the landing point terrace (and pointing south-east) also ends in steps descending to another story / Council circle sitting within their own terrace (again, be sure to cam out / up to appreciate the architecture of both of these terraces). On the far side of this terrace a path continues along a broad ledge below the plateau top to where a bridge spans the gap between Mythspire Ridge and Atheneum.

Mythspire Ridge, April 2022

So many elements combine in Mythspire Ridge to make it genuinely magical: the scale of the build, the sweeping beauty and geometry of the towers and terrace arches, the exotic plant life above and below the waves, the garden spaces, the hidden pavilion, the richness of the Day Cycle (it is genuinely worth staying within the region to experience the full 4-hour cycle) – but most of all the vision and imagination of Elicio Ember.

Whether you are a lover of fantasy or not, if you enjoy exploring Second Life, Mythspire Ridge is a place you must make time to visit between now and May 8th.

SLurl Details

2022 CCUG + TPVD meetings week #16 summary (PBR)

Posted on by Inara Pey
Seagull Rock, March 2022 – blog post

The following notes were taken from:

  • My audio recording and chat log of the Content Creation User Group (CCUG) meeting held on Thursday, April 21st 2022 at 13:00 SLT.
  • The video recording by Pantera (embedded at the end of this piece, my thanks to her as always for recording the meetings) from the Third-Party Viewer Developer (TPVD) meeting on Friday, April 22nd, 2022 at 13:00  SLT.

These meetings are chaired by Vir Linden, and their respective dates and times can be obtained from the SL Public Calendar.

This is a summary of the key topics discussed in each meeting and is not intended to be a full transcript of either. However, the video does provide a complete recording of the TPVD meeting, and timestamps to the relevant points within it are included in the notes below.

Available Viewers

[Video: 0:22-2:00 + notes from CCUG meeting]

The list below reflects the rest of the currently available official Second Life viewers:

  • Release viewer: version version 6.5.4.570575 – formerly the Lao-Lao Maintenance RC viewer, promoted Monday, April 18.
  • Release channel cohorts:
    • Performance Improvements RC viewer version 6.6.0.570163, dated April 4, issued April 14(?).
    • MFA RC viewer, update to version 6.5.4.569725, on March 24.
  • Project viewers:
    • Performance Floater project viewer, version 6.5.4.569531, March 18.
    • Mesh Optimizer project viewer, version 6.5.2.566858, dated January 5, issued after January 10.
    • Legacy Profiles viewer, version 6.4.11.550519, dated October 26, 2020.
    • Copy / Paste viewer, version 6.3.5.533365, dated December 9, 2019.

General Viewer Notes

  • The focus remains on fixing the bugs reported on the Performance Improvements RC viewer so that it can be the next viewer promoted to de facto release status. The RC version has been updated but has yet to be issued.
  • The promotion of the Lao-Lao viewer to release status means the current RC viewers are going through the merge with that codebase, and a new Maintenance RC should be appearing soon.
  • The Copy / Paste project viewer has been languishing in project viewer hell for some time whilst the focus on viewer work has been elsewhere. It is hoped that this well move forward once more Soon™.
  • [Video 6:26-7:35] Additional work is being carried out on the Legacy Profiles viewer (such as allowing the avatar UUID to be accessed via scripts by the likes of greeters that display the avatar image, etc.).

CCUG: Additional Materials Support / PBR: Hitting the RESET Button – CCUG Meeting

This formed the core of the CCUG meeting. The notes below should also be referenced with my notes from the previous CCUG meeting.

  • As previously noted LL had proposed a two-step approach towards moved to “full” Physically Based Rendering (PBR) materials support to give a high fidelity to SL rendering where PBR materials are used.
  • Significant concerns were raised about this approach at the last two meetings (e.g. a lot of creators do not use PBR-based workflows – a requirement for glTF – and so moving in this direction could create extensive issues for those creators).
  • As a result of the feedback, discussions at the Lab have been focused on an alternate approach:
    • Creation of a materials inventory type with an associated asset which could potentially have different forms (e.g. in one state it could be associated with PBR, another simply specify the legacy texture / materials parameters)
      • Where the PBR materials are specified, render using a  new “PBR render path”; if the legacy parameters are used, render via the existing render path.
    • Move directly to a PBR implementation.
    • This would initially be limited to the materials aspect of glTF and not support any geometry for objects that can also be held by a glTF file (so no uploading for uploading complete mesh objects as glTF) – which is not to stay upload support for other formats wouldn’t be added at some point in the undefined future).
  • However – the above bullet points are all still under discussion at the Lab, so no final decision on the overall approach has been made.
    • It has also been noted that whatever happens, a significant requirement will be to provide specifications on which materials types are going to be supported, and what people can expect.
    • It is hoped that at least some of the Lab’s approach can built off of existing specifications rather than reinventing the wheel, then extended into those “optional” materials should be supported.

Cube Maps / Reflection Model

  • A concern was raised that current cube mapping used by SL is limited, and would need to be updated to a higher resolution for PBR support to be effective.
    • LL are aware of the limitations of the current cube map and would be “looking to address that” – although indicated this may not be done for the initial release of any related work.
    • This led to concerns that any release of PBR materials support without any corresponding update to SL’s cube mapping will result in creators attempting to implement their own workarounds to perceived limitations, resulting in content at odds with any cube mapping updates the Lab does make.
    • This latter point wasn’t seen as a problem, as LL’s view is that any updates to SL’s cube map will only be relevant to content created after the update, and it was further suggested that any “initial” updates to support PBR (and sans cube maps updates, environment maps, etc., might not even be user-facing, but purely for internal use / testing.
  • A similar concern was raised over the current reflection model + environment maps – that if not considered / managed as a part of the PBR project, it will lead to very poor results or limit the use of PDR materials.
    • Again, LL’s view is that reflection map / probes / environment maps re something that will be tackled “later”; some creators are of the opinion that it needs to be tackled as a core element of the work.
    • LL suggested that they might offer support of static environment maps initially, and then move towards the ability to cast reflection probes to allow reflections to be dynamically generated. However, all of this is still being discussed internally at the Lab.
  • It was also pointed out that lighting / reflections in PBR are calculated on physical properties (e.g. lumen equivalency) – which currently isn’t possible in SL without significant update to the rendering system. This was again seen as something that could be handled “later”.
  • Concerns were also voiced over the idea of things being set aside for “later” on the basis that LL has a long track record of breaking projects down into “iterative phases” – only to deliver the first one or two, and then push further work off into the future for assorted reasons (Examples:. the original materials project, Animesh, Experience Keys, EEP, the in-world aspect of ARCTan (allowing for the fact ARCTan as a whole seems to have become stuck)), with the results they become “someday / never”.

General Questions

  • Will the addition of broader materials support with PBR lead to alterations to the land impact formula?
    • Potentially for content using PBR, but this has yet to be fully determined. The feeling among creators is that a re-balancing of the LI formula would be required.
    • However, LI calculations themselves are in need of overhaul to more accurately reflect the cost of rendering objects (something the Lab has planned to do as “phase 2” of adjusting rendering calculations as a whole under project ARCTan, so while not intrinsic to PBR, LI / rendering costs might be reviewed as an adjunct to this work.
  • Will this lead to an increase in region land capacities? No.
  • Will it apply to all new content, post implementation? Yes, with the exception of system avatars and content requiring the the Bake Service.
  • Will this approach allow scripted update / changes to materials on faces? That is something that will likely have to be “tackled latter”.
  • Will this mean further updates to the uploader? most likely, yes.

TPVD: Off-line Friendship / Group Offers + Simulator Capabilities

[Video: 3:22-6:14]

  • Monty Linden has been working to fix issues of off-line friendship and Group invitation offers failing.
  • This has required a complete overhaul of the related capabilities for handling such offers, with the focus being primarily on getting them working again. Although “at some future time” the functionality might be revisited to do “something bolder and more interesting with it.”
  • This work is going to QA, and will be moving to Aditi (DRTSIM-537) for further testing.
  • At the same time, Monty has also be updating the Simulator Capabilities wiki page
    • The focus had been on making sure the list of capabilities in up-to-date.
    • Work will now be going forward to update / provide the underpinning documentation for all the capabilities. This will be done on an as time permits basis.

TPV In Brief

  • [Video 7:38-26:00] Extensive discussion on updating / refactoring the viewer code, updating the viewer build process, LL’s thinking on moving to more recent graphics APIs (e.g. Vulkan) and the problems involved,
    • Some of this has been covered previously in these summaries (e.g. options for future graphics APIs, the number of users running systems unable to run Vulcan, etc).
    • Much of the discussion is well into the long grass of viewer code, etc., and thus you are referred to the video.
  • [Video: 26:25-37:10] Accessibility options (close captions for when Voice is being used; text to speech, etc).
    • Accessibility is something that is looked at during general UI design work, but there is no project looking at specific questions of accessibility. However, it is recognised that perhaps a more formalised approach to handling accessibility should be adopted.
    • The issue of allowing Voice to be set so that all speakers can be heard equally irrespective of distance from the listener (as once supported by several TPVS, see: BUG-23172) is apparently difficult to implement in the current Vivox implementation and so has been subject to discussions between LL and Vivox.
    • The question was asked if TPVs felt effort should be pushed into a significant Vivox update.
      • A suggested response was given that any attempt to update to Vivox 5 would require a “wholesale change” to the Voice service, LL might be better looking at alternative offerings that offer better means of support.
      • Based on feedback from the meeting, Mojo suggested the keenness for LL to focus on  large Voice related project isn’t there.
  • [Video: 37:43-43:05] Pathfinding:
    • It was suggested that Pathfinding could be improved if the options in the viewer were all moved to a single tab on the Build / Edit floater. LL agreed this would be beneficial and requested a Jira on the idea.
    • LL more broadly noted that Pathfinding could benefit from a re-visit / update, although there are no current plans for any work. Some ideas for potential work have been submitted via BUG-229442. This in turn leads to a broader discussion on some of the additional issues with Pathfinding (lack of cohesive documentation, complexity of use, lack of automatic region rebakes, etc.).
  • [Video: 43:05-46:49] The above flows into a discussion on custom pivot points, some that was being worked on by LL but has been on the shelf of late, and the complexities involved.
  • [Video: 48:15-60:00] A general discussion on land impact calculations and making them more reflective of the cost of rendering (particularly textures, etc.).
    • This touches upon the ARCTan project, which was originally initiated to overall the formulas used to calculate both avatar complexity and the complexity of in-world objects – the latter of which may have led to adjustment in LI calculations, although ARCTan went on to initially focus on avatar complexity prior to being suspended altogether.
    • Folded into this is further discussion of alternate methods of calculating LI (e.g. through object geometry – although this doesn’t necessarily account for draw calls, which tend to be a big hit for the viewer), and ideas for encouraging best practices / finding a balance between control and offering the ability to create and upload.
  • There is further informal discussion after the meeting has ended. Please refer to the video if interested.

 

Adelina’s Eden Gallery in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Eden Gallery, April 2022

I was recently indirectly pointed towards Eden Gallery by photographer Pacific Fanshaw, who features the location in her Profile Picks. Operated and curated by Adelina (AdelinaLawrence), Eden Gallery sits within the Garden of Eden, a region given over to flights of the imagination, offering a mixture of fantastical public spaces and private residences.

In this, the gallery literally stands over the cavern of Enchanted Eden, a music / dance venue, and takes the form of a grand windmill-fronted cottage built within the boughs of a great tree. The tree is reached from the lowlands of the region via stairs and steps running up to and around the cavern or by means of winding path; steps and path both ascending to the plateau over the cavern, and visitors must ascend the tree by way vertical ladders and a wooden walkway that eventually lead to the gallery’s front door (used here as a landing point SLurl).

Eden Gallery, April 2022: Scylla Rhiadra

The treetop cottage offers three floors of space, although at the time of my visit, only the mid and upper levels of the house were in use. The front door accesses the middle floor, and an exhibition of art by Scylla Rhiadra, known for her explorations aspects of life and the human condition (such as with Virtual Toxic, which I reviewed here and Intimacy, which I review here).

So far as I could see, this exhibition has no title, but it very much continues in the vein of exploring aspects of life. Each piece, as artificially composed and posed as it might be, captures a single moment in life that is marvellously expressive and exquisitely rich in narrative, making the fact it has been constructed fade entirely into irrelevance, leaving us caught in the richness – and in places, the mystery – of the images as we encounter them. Just take Connect, the first image encountered in entering the house, for example: the message of love and intimacy is so powerfully conveyed through expression, skilled use of line-of-sight from one character to the other, lens flare, reflection, and the balance of light shadow.

Eden Gallery, April 2022: Scylla Rhiadra

Then within In Transit in the next-door room, there is an unmistakable sense of personal happiness in an exchange with someone – or something (Scylla might be responding to reading a departure or directions board) – is richly palpable. Meanwhile Little Universes tells a layered story containing just a hint of sci-fi mystery (catch the telescope and the white light spilling through the (slowly opening?) door) wrapped in what might otherwise be a more every day event – noticing the lens cap has been left off the telescope.

Each and every image is thusly evocative, but I found myself repeatedly drawn to Transition (above right) for is narrative mystery: is the man seen in the mirror actually there, or is he the personification of a memory on the part of the woman? Is the shadow on the wall behind her a clue that he is there, standing behind her – or is the shadow actually hers and merely fooling us?

Eden Gallery, April 2022: Adelina

Take the gentle curve of the staircase to the upper floor of the house, and you’ll find a display of art by Adelina, some of which in the main room at the top of the stairs might be considered by some as not suitable for work (NSFW).

These are more personal in nature, nude and semi-erotic images someone might take with their lover and intended for personal viewing rather than display. This gives them a depth of perspective that casts those viewing them into the role of voyeur whilst simultaneously presenting encouraging a sense of privilege in sharing in these personal, guarded moments.

Mixed with these are images that touch upon the realm of fantasy story-telling, fashion and contemplating reflection.  All are marvellously composed, focused, framed and processed to present a collection that is beautifully and richly emotive throughout.

Eden Gallery, April 2022: Adelina

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Serene’s Black Bayou returns to Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Black Bayou Lake, April 2022 – click any image for full size

I’ve long established that I really appreciate the work of Serene Footman as he brings us places from around the globe we’d otherwise likely never get to visit outside of photos and television images. With his own eye for interpretation, Serene brings these places to life within Second Life to allow us to appreciate them directly. In all the years I’ve had the pleasure of following Serene’s work and writing about his region builds, I’ve never failed to be impressed with his skill and execution in bringing these places to life.

However, there has tended to be one of his builds that has always held a special place in my recollections of his work. In October 2018, Serene brought us his vision of Black Bayou Lake, Ouachita Parish, Louisiana. So you can imagine my delight when Shawn Shakespeare nudged me about Serene having re-opened Black Bayou on April 22nd, 2022. What’s more, and as with the original design, this is once again collaboration with Jade Koltai, with whom he worked on a fair number of regions designs.

Black Bayou Lake, April 2022

Established in 1997, Black Bayou Lake is a US national Reserve covering 2,000 acres of lake and a further 2,000+ acres of shoreline and watershed. The primary am of the park is to provide a place for people to connect with the natural world, and it forms one of four refuges managed in the North Louisiana Refuges Complex.

The lake and its surroundings is a haven for wildlife and waterfowl, and its most ionic landmark for the park is a wooden walkway that extends out over the waters of the lakes and its wetlands. This was a central feature with the original 2018 build and makes a return with this new iteration, complete with its angled raised section intended for the passage of small boats. Also to be found are some of the dry lowlands with their long grass and sprawling trees and much of the wildlife that can be found throughout the actual Black Bayou and also brought Serene’s original build.

Black Bayou Lake, April 2022

However, this iteration of the region design adds some new aspects, as Serene notes in his own bog post on the 2022 iteration of his region.

We’ve added a railway bridge – the Cross Bayou Railroad Bridge, aka the Kansas City Southern Railroad Bridge – which we believe adds to the coherence of the region, making it easier to walk around.
In reality this bridge is located around 100 miles from Black Bayou Lake. It straddles the Twelve Mile Bayou (spelled ‘Twelvemile Bayou’ by locals), which is part of the Cross Bayou, a tributary of the Red River of the South. The bridge was built in 1926 and abandoned during the 1980s. 

– Serene Footman, Return to Bayou

To accommodate the bridge, a river has been added to the region, seemingly carrying water down to the bridge on the west side of the region, from the wetlands to the east.

Black Bayou Lake, April 2022

Elsewhere, other little touches in keeping with legends of the bayou have been included – such as the rickety cabin that appears to be home to voodoo / black magic rituals.

Rich in scenery and wildlife and caught under s setting Sun (I’ve used my own EEP settings here), this iteration of Black Bayou Lake retains the spirit and sense of the original for those who remember it, whilst offering enough that is new to engage and entreat those who do to explore onwards and discover what is new. For those who never got to visit the original, the return of Black Bayou Lake presents the opportunity to enjoy a build celebrating one of the southern United States great areas of natural beauty. As such, I’ll say no more here other than – go visit and see for yourself!

Black Bayou Lake, April 2022

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Fantasy Faire 2022: your (almost) complete guide

Posted on by Inara Pey
Fantasy Faire 2022: Sunken Honey by Lilia Artis and Haveit Neox

If you are just after links and Surls, click here to jump to them!

The largest fantasy-related event to take place in Second Life, Fantasy Faire 2022, opened its gates to Fairelanders at 12:00 SLT on Thursday, April 21st, 2022 and will remain open through until Sunday May 8th, 2022 inclusive, once again raising money for Relay for Life and the American Cancer Society’s (ACS) efforts to bring about a World Without Cancer.

For the past five years, the Faire has dedicated those fundraising efforts to the ACS’s global service and support programmes, including the recently launched project BEACON (Building Expertise, Advocacy, and Capacity for Oncology Navigation) – of which. more at the end of this article. In this, the ability of the Faire to support the work of ACS globally cannot be over-estimated; in 2021, for example, Fantasy Faire ranked 19th out of 5,000 RFL teams around the world for fund-raising, and since its inception, the event has raised L$133,250,000 – more than half a million US dollars! And this year will further add to that total.

As with previous years, 2022 will see a wide range of activities and events taking place at the Faire through until Sunday, May 1st including the LitFest, DJ and live performances, auctions, role-play opportunities, and more. After this, the regions will remain open for people to visit and enjoy sans on-going activities, allowing them to shop at their leisure and explore the regions in relative peace – although some activities such as the Fairelands Quest will also continue through the final week as well.

The notes below are intended to get Fairelandaders old and new up-to-speed with a one-page look at the event as it opens.

Fantasy Faire 2022: Mythspire Ridge by  Elicio Ember. Home of the LitFest

If You Are New to the Faire and Other Notes

If you are new to Fantasy Faire, the 20 regions it encompasses can be overwhelming – just take your time with your visits, and spread them over the full time the Fairelands are open. Shopping and sightseeing can be much easier once all the initial rush is over!

  • For newcomers, a good place to start is Fairelands Junction. From here you can reach all of the regions via the teleport portals, so it makes a good hub for exploring. You can also grab a Fantasy Faire teleport HUD from here (or at the region landing points).
  • If you use SLurls, then the ones in this page are to the official landing point for each region, so you’ll always have information available to you on arrival!
  • For the best visual experience:
    • Make sure you have Advanced Light Model (ALM) enabled in your viewer (Preferences → Graphics) – this shouldn’t hit performance too heavily on most reasonable systems (you do not have to enable Shadows).
    • Make sure your viewer is set to Use Shared Environment (World → Environment) as the regions all have their own environment settings, and several have dedicated day / night cycles.
  • Regions can be busy! So if you teleport into one, be sure to move a little way from the landing point as soon as you can to avoid becoming part of an avatar tower!

Shopping

Fantasy Faire is very much about shopping. Merchants from across SL can be found in the shopping regions, all of whom offer some of their items through official RFL of SL vendors, so that proceeds of sales go to RFL / ACS.

  • The best way to find out about participating merchants and shopping is via the Fantasy Faire Shopping Catalogue.
  • The Fantasy Faire website also offers updates and news on merchants and region sponsors, so be sure to keep an eye on that!
Fantasy Faire 2022: Tenpyo by Takuya Jinn

Events and Activities Highlights

Parties and Performances

The deck of the Fairechylde will once again be hosting DJ and live performance parties throughout the full span of the Faire as it lays docked at Effervescent Clefs. There will also be live performance, dance events at Sunken Honey (where fantasy themed art can also be appreciated), and more to keep Fairelanders entertained. Much of the entertainment information and schedules can be found via these links:

The Fairelands Masked Ball

Fancy a more formal soiree where tuxedoes and gowns are encouraged and an air of mystery is added with eyes behind masks? Then head for the Fantasy Faire Masked Ball, with two dates to suit time zones:

  • Sunday, April 24th – Noon through 14:00 SLT.
  • Saturday, April 30th – 18:00 through 20:00 SLT.

Check the Fantasy Faire website for URLs.

Fantasy Faire 2022: Effervescent Clefs by Allie Munro and the 2022 Fairechylde

LitFest 2022

The LitFest will this year be based at Mythspire Ridge, and will again offer a range of activities including tours of the Faireland regions and opportunities to write about them, poetry readings, open microphone readings, a celebration of the Arthurian Tradition with the LitFest theme day (Wednesday, May 4th), and more.

Details of LitFest activities can be found via these links:

  • The full LitFest Calendar – provides a run-down of activities.
  • Region tours schedule – region tours are held on most days of the Faire at 13:00 and / or 17:00 SLT, offering the chance to explore the Fairelands and seeking the stories they have to tell as well as their special secret places and details.
  • The Fantasy Faire Film Festival and Film Competition – running from April 22nd through May 1st, featuring machinima, talks with noted videographers and the chance to enter the Fantasy Faire film competition.

Role-Play and Table-Top Gaming

The Children of Stories will once again be offering a rolling role-play event during the Faire. This year the focus is on the Union of the Sniffer Moles. Based within The Hunros Mine, as they play out and explore a special storyline tied to the Fairelands.

In addition:

  • Meet’n’Greet with the NeoVictoria Project. These are out-of-character events where players from the NeoVictoria community and learn about role-play in Second Life.
  • Role-play classes for those new to role-play in Second Life.
  • Table-top games also make a further return to the Fairelands.
Fantasy Faire 2002: The Chrysalis Gardens by Marcus Inkpen

Fantasy Faire Quest: The Dreaming Cat

This year’s chapter of the Fantasy Faire adventure quest series is The Dreaming Cat. Once again the Bard Queen will call upon adventurers bold of heart to purchaser a Quest HUD (also proceeds to RFL / ACS) and follow the clues in a quest of two parts. The first opens on Monday, April 25th, and will take adventurers across the Faireland regions in search of answers. In part 2, opening on Thursday, April 28th, adventurers will be able to enter the Quest region and resolve the mystery – and receive their bounty from the Bard Queen!

You don’t have to join the Quest right from the start; prizes are for everyone who completes the adventure, and the Quest will be open right through until May 8th.

And There’s More

Don’t forget, all the staples of Fantasy Faire will again be available, including the live auction, the silent auction and, jail and bail – see the Fantasy Faire website for details on these.

So, why not dress for the occasion (or buy a Quest Deluxe HUD and dress in the outfit supplied with it!) and head on over to the Fairelands to discover what adventures and parties await?!

Fantasy Faire 2022: Irridescent Keys by Allie Munro

About Project Beacon

A partnership with nine health institutions and organisations in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America, BEACON builds on the success of similar ACS programmes in the US and elsewhere. The project answers the call from healthcare professionals and cancer patients in those areas for life-saving information that can dramatically increase survival rates.

Fantasy Faire is one of the cornerstones of our vital work. It’s an inspiring example of a global community working together to address a global challenge.

– Kristie McComb, ACS Managing Director of Global Capacity Development and Patient Support

Links and Region SLurls

Website Links Region SLurls

Fantasy Faire Social Media

 

Celebrations of Life at Monocle Man in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Monocle Man Gallery: Prins – Celebrations of Life

Open through until May 1st at Monocle Man’s Café Gallery (and beyond!) is a selection of art by Danish photographer-artist Prins (Skylog) entitled Celebrations of Life.

I say “and beyond”, because as well as presenting Prins’s work within the two levels of the gallery building, the exhibition offers a number of larger format pieces to be appreciated through the rest of the Monocle Man parcel, allowing visitors to explore what is and engaging setting that might otherwise pass unnoticed when focused on the main gallery spaces.

Monocle Man Gallery: Prins – Celebrations of Life

This outdoor display commences in the courtyard before the gallery building and continues down the steps under the Welcome sign to where a slightly industrial-looking waterfront area sits with solid buildings facing a high wall across a further cobbled square in which sits an outdoor seating area and a vendor selling drinks and ice creams. One of the buildings is home to Lynx Luga’s gallery space – Lynx runs Monocle Man along with Kit Boyd – whilst through the the arch of a red-bricked gatehouse on the far side of the square, a final piece by Prins points the way to a cosy garden, home to a little summer house.

Celebrations of Life is a vibrant, bright selection of pieces primarily focused on landscapes and buildings. They are pictures in which colour is used to bring a sense of vitality to the fore, drawing the observer into each, with the use of angle and focus emphasising points of contact  – delicate red flowers caught in a sea of sun-dried grass here, a stone figure apparently directly addressing the observer there; the graffiti painted across the hulk of a rusting car that makes it as much a part of the landscape as the blooms bursting forth before it or the over-saturation of light that speaks to bright summer days – or colder winter evenings -, and more.

Monocle Man Gallery: Prins – Celebrations of Life

Some of the pieces offer a departure from the rest. Business as Usual, for example, offers a poke at so-called Victorian values; Universal Whales touches on the surreal as a garden-laden whale swims through a pink sky dominated by a full Jupiter.

And then there is the dark beauty of Candles In A Deep Blue World, an utterly captivating piece seen at the top of this article. It stands in sharp contrast to the rest of Prins’s work shown here not just because it presents a – literally – much dark use of colour and tone, but because of the entire combination of colour, composition, angle and narrative make it an utterly magisterial piece in the manner it demands attention. For me, as much as I enjoyed the rest of Prins’s art, stands as the piece that made me particularly want to see more of his work and add his gallery space to my list of places to visit.

Monocle Man Gallery: Prins – Celebrations of Life

As noted, Celebrations of Life will remain in place through until Sunday May 1st, and offers visitors a rich selection of art and an opportunity to explore Monocle Man. Those wishing to extend their visit might also try the teleport station to reach places such as the sky galleries over head, and the exhibitions they may be hosting.

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