Category: Relay For Life

Fantasy Faire 2019: previewing the LitFest

Posted on by Inara Pey
via Fantasy Faire

Note: as this is a preview piece, SLurls will be added once Fantasy Faire has opened its doors on April 18th, 2019.

On Thursday, April 18th, Fantasy Faire will open for 2019, and will remain open through until  Sunday, May 5th, 2019 inclusive. Throughout this entire period, the Faire and the Fairelands will be host to the fifth annual Fantasy Faire Literary Festival (LitFest).

Lying deep within the Fairelands is Trollhaugen, the home of the LitFest. A magical realm and very special location for the Festival, it is a place where the magic of the spoken word will weave tales of wonder, relate stories of great adventure and daring; where talks by authors, discussions, creative writing sessions and performances will all take place. In addition, literary hawks and writers will be encouraged to join daily LitFest tours of the Fairelands and afterwards compose pieces related to their travels.

The full LitFest schedule is now available, but here are some preview highlights to whet appetites!

Guest Of Honour and Authors

Elizabeth Bear by Kyle Cassidy

The special guest for this year’s festival is the Hugo, Sturgeon, Locus, and Campbell Award winning author of dozens of novels; over a hundred short stories; and a number of essays, Elizabeth Bear. She will be appearing at the LitFest as follows:

  • 14:00 SLT on Tuesday, April 23rd: in an interview and discussion about her work as a novelist, writer and futurist, doubtless touching on her upcoming new novel, The Red-Stained Wings (The Lotus Kingdoms Book 2), which will be released on May 28th, 2019.
  • 14:00 SLT on Friday, April 26th: reading an extract for her work.

The Litfest will also feature two published authors who are also Second Life residents:

Milk Wood Writer’s Dash and NaPoWriMo Fantasy Writing Prompts

Want to hone your writing skills? Join in with one of the following:

  • Milk Wood Writer’s Dash (Friday April 19th through Sunday, May 5th, 06:00-06:30 and 18:00-18:30): spend 15 minutes writing poetry or prose based on a writer’s prompt. When time is up, everyone exchanges their writings with one another.
  • NaPoWriMo Fantasy Writing Prompts (Friday, April 19th, and Monday April 22nd through Friday April 26th, 08:00-09:00 SLT): April is National Poetry Writing Month, and participating poets are asked to write a poem a day for the month of April – so why not do so in-world with like-minded poets?

Ursula K. Le Guin Day

Ursula Le Guin by Eileen Gunn

On Wednesday, April 24th, Litfest marks the life and works of the late author, Ursula K. Le Guin, regarded as one of America’s foremost writers of speculative fiction, including science fiction works set in her Hainish Universe, and the Earthsea fantasy series. In a career spanning 60 years, she produced more than twenty novels, over a hundred short stories and many volumes of poetry, literary criticism, translations, and children’s books.

The day will be marked by a series of special events, including:

  • 09:00-10:00 SLT: Exploring Le Guin: A Brief Tour and Discussion: a “tour” of Le Guin’s lands, via favourite passages from her books – suggestions invited. Moderated by Aoife Lorefield.
  • 10:00-11:00 SLT: Aoife Lorefield Shares Readings from Ursula K. Le Guin.
  • 15:00-17:00 SLT: A Wizard in Earthsea Party: The LitFest Ball.
  • 19:00-21:00 SLT: Seanchai Library present Celebrating Ursula K.Le Guin.

In addition, and ahead of Ursuala Le Guin day, on Monday, April 22nd between 19:00-20:00 SLT, Seanchai Library’s Gyro Muggins will be reading selected excerpts from Le Guin’s Left Hand of Darkness, in which a human envoy arrives on the planet known as Gethen aka “Winter”; and from The Lathe of Heaven, where a battle of wits ensues between a psychiatrist and a patient with psychic dream powers.

Arrivals and Departures

On Thursday, April 25th from 14:00 SLT at the FaireChylde performance area, there will be a special performance of Arrivals and Departures, the story film by CEH Productions. Based on a short story written by Caledonia Skytower and recorded for Fantasy Faire Radio as part of Fantasy Faire 2018, the film was shot at a reproduction of Fantasy Faire 2018’s Erstwhile Station.

Arrivals and Departures: Him and Her (via Judith Cullen)

You can read more about the film at Arrivals and Departures in Second Life.

LitFest Tours

The popular Fantasy Faire LitFest Tours will once again be taking place, leaving daily from the LitFest home base of Trollhaugen to explore the Fairelands and seeking the stories they have to tell as well as their special secret places and details. Each tour will be guided and accompanied by music, as some of the Faire’s best loved DJs offer selections of music, especially chosen for each of the regions visited.

The Tours for 2019 will be as follows (all commence at 17:00 SLT unless otherwise indicated):

Thursday, April 18th
 Region 1 – Fairholm
Friday, April 19th
 Region 2 – Light of Va’loth
Saturday, April 20th
 Region 3 – Nightshade Blossoms
Sunday, April 21st
 Region 4 – Sanguinely Garden
Monday, April 22nd
 Region 5 – Bayounimba
Tuesday, April 23rd
 Region 6 – The Shrine Tree
Wednesday, April 24th
 Region 7 – Department of Discarded Curiosities
Thursday, April 25th
 Region 8 – Twilight Spring
Friday, April 26th
 Region 9 – Tensors’ Flying Market
Saturday, April 27th
 Region 10 – Midas
Monday, April 29th
 Region 11 – Fairelands Junction
Tuesday, April 30th
 Region 12 – Urafiki
Wednesday, May 1st
 Region 13 – Genesia
Thursday, May 2nd
 Region 14 – Trollhaugen
Friday, May 3rd
 Region 15 – The Celestial Plain
Saturday, May 4th
 Region 16 – Thornfast

Keep up with all the news and information on the LitFest and Fantasy Faire through the Fantasy Faire website.

Fantasy Faire 2019: nominations for king, queen and chancellor

Posted on by Inara Pey
via Fantasy Faire

One of the fun elements introduced to Fantasy Faire in 2015 was the opportunity to nominate and then vote for the King and Queen of the Fairelands and their (strictly non-human) Chancellor. Nominations came from across all realms of fantasy, with the top five for the positions of king and queen (human or human-looking nominations only) and chancellor, went forward for a public vote-off during the course of the Faire.

The event has since become a staple of the Faire, and it is once again back for 2019, with nominations now open. It’s important to note that this has nothing to do with avatars or people per se, but is a fun election purely for characters from works of fantasy, with the “winners” announced at the end of the Faire.

Nominees can be from written fantasy, graphical novels, cartoons, films, television or radio series, and from genres such as fairy tales, high fantasy, magical stories, urban fantasy, vampire sagas or steampunk, etc. The only major requirements are that nominations for king and queen must be human (or human-type) characters, whilst nominations for chancellor are restricted to non-human (or non-human type) characters, and that the winners from the previous year are no eligible for re-election.

How It Works

  • Nominations are made between now and the end of Saturday, April 20th, 2019 (23:59 SLT), using the form below.
  • The top five nominees for each role – king, queen and chancellor – will be selected for a final vote-off.
  • During the Faire, people will have the opportunity to vote for their favourites.
    • There is a fee payable for voting, but all money raised will go to Relay for Life.
  • The winners will be announced at the Fantasy Faire Live Auction on Sunday, April 28th, 2019.

Past Winners

  • 2018: king: Gandalf; queen: Galadriel; chancellor: Totoro (these three are not eligible for nomination again in 2019).
  • 2017: king: Severus Snape, queen: Leia Organa;  chancellor: Rhiow the Wizard Cat.
  • 2016: king: The Goblin King; queen: October Daye; chancellor: The Last Unicorn.
  • 2015: king: Havelock Vetinari; queen: Granny Weatherwax; chancellor: Greebo the Cat.

Additional Links

2019 Home and Garden Expo in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
via slhomeandgardenexpo.com

The 11th Home and Garden Expo (HGE) in support of Relay for Life of Second Life and the American Cancer Society, is currently open, and will remain so until Sunday, April 7th, 2019. Taking place across ten regions (Hope 1 through 10) and the new Linden Homes preview region, the event offers some of the finest in home, garden, and furnishing designs available across the grid.

With over 100 exhibitors taking part, the event offers something for anyone who is looking for a new home, ideas for furnishing and décor, wishing to improve their building (or other) skills, or who just wishes to keep abreast of the latest building / home trends in Second Life.

The Home and Garden Expo Theatre

As always, the Expo there will be a range of events and activities, including entertainment and dancing, classes, a dedicated gacha region, talks and discussions, artists, and more. There is also:

  • The Silent Auction – featuring some stunning prizes – visit the auction boards in-world.
  • The Expo Hunt: follow the hints, visit all the main expo regions (in any order you choose), and pay L£10 for each prize (all proceeds to RFL of SL).
  • Visit the Home Decorating Competition and watch as the finalist decorate their assigned homes (March 20th – March 28th) and then vote on which you like the best (March 29th – 5th April), with the winners announced on April 6th.
  • Participate in the Lantern Ceremony at the main theatre. This ceremony goes back to 2012, when Alchemy Immortalis created the Blue Willow lanterns especially for the Home and Garden Expo. It became the custom to release them each day at 4pm, and people would gather to watch and reflect as the lanterns rose slowly into the air.

Don’t forget as well, that you can see a preview of the first designs for the new Linden Homes that will be made available to premium members in the near future.  You can also read more able these homes in my New Linden Homes Preview.

The first designs for the new Linden Homes for Premium members can be previewed at the Home and Garden Expo

About the Expo

The Home and Garden Expo raises money for Relay For Life of Second Life (RFL of SL). Relay For Life is the American Cancer Society’s signature fund-raising event, and RFL of SL is one of its virtual counterparts. 100% of registration fees, sponsorship fees and donation items are paid to Relay For Life of Second Life. 50% of the proceeds from the gachas will be paid to RFL and 100% of the L$10 hunt items.

Fantasy Faire 2019: a region teaser and a call to bloggers

Posted on by Inara Pey
via Fantasy Faire

Fantasy Faire, the largest fantasy-related event to take place in Second Life, opens its portals on Thursday, April 18th and runs through until Sunday, May 5th, 2019 inclusive. It will bring together everyone with a love of fantasy  – enthusiasts, creators, performers and designers  – for eleven days of commerce, special events, live music concerts and more, all to help raise funds for Relay for Life of Second Life.

All of the sixteen regions and their designers have yet to be announced in full, but nine have been outlined as a teaser:

  • Bayounimba  by Sweetgwendoline Bailey and Mondi Beaumont: a place that has gone from art and light within a forest to a place of darkness and swamp, where half-remembered echoes might still be found.
  • Department Discarded Curiosities by Mayah Parx: a place of whimsical clutter, collected and tossed aside, where colour and curiosity reside.
  • The Light of Valoth by Kilik Lekvoda: a once glorious city once protected by Nature, but now reclaimed by her.
  • Midas by Alia Baroque: where rivers meet, the jewel of the ancient world is born. Follow the trail of incense through baths and gardens to meet the one that will touch your heart of gold.
  • Nightshade Blossoms by Rowan Thursday and Kylie Todriya: a window on a land forgotten by time lit by lanterns and starlight.
  • Sanguinely Garden by Eldowyn Inshan and Katz Republic: humanity destroys its own environment. and the animals and plants are building a new home. The garden with its inhabitants shows them a new way.
  • The Shrine Tree by Marcus Inkpen and Sharni Azalee: a place of Dark Mystical Fantasy where sunset colours the world and the occult, mystical, Gothic and spiritual might be found.
  • Tensors’ Flying Market by Lrriven: a place of endless antiquities and curiosities,  one of the Dreaming’s most wondrous of destinations.
  • Twilight Spring by Searlait Nitschke:  a place of worship for Dark Elves and Drow, where dance, music, and celebration might be found.
Fantasy Faire 2018: Erstwhile

Call to Bloggers

On Monday, March 18th, 2019, applications to be a 2018 Fantasy Faire blogger opened, with the announcement reading in part:

Faire blogging should stem from the same source the Fairelands do: inspiration and imagination. There are no obligatory assignments. Instead there are challenges. We do not want to force anyone to do anything, we want to inspire, dare, encourage: challenge.

We are looking for bloggers that genuinely love the Faire and cherish the fleeting time the Fairelands visit our realm. Since the application is mostly about getting into the early access, we are focusing on bloggers who take pictures in the sims, or of the sims. Studio-work is not dependent on if the sims are laggy or not, after all. We are also searching for bloggers with strong ties to RFL, who are passionate about the Relay and willing to write about it. I am also always, always looking for and favouring good writers and storytellers.

If you would like to chronicle the Faire, make sure you complete the blogger application form (also produced below) BUT! – don’t hurry there right away; as with past Fantasy Faires, there are a few little extra things to consider!

Bloggers are additionally invited to participate in one or more challenges. These are not obligatory, and anyone  – official blogger or otherwise – is free to participate in them. They are:

  • Faire Folk – create a Fairelands character based on one of the Faireland region themes, and bring that character to life through photography and / or writing
  • My New Shiny – merchant-focused blogging from a personal perspective.
  • I Remember – write about your favourite Fairelands of the past.
  • Faire Life – get involved in a Faire event – roleplay, literary workshop, attending a dance or other performance – and write about it.
  • Why I Relay – share a personal reason why you Relay.

Those applying can also apply to write for the official Fantasy Faire website. This has no influence on the actual blogger selection for the Faire, and should be filled only if you are truly interested.

So, if you are interested, make sure you check-out all the information for bloggers and that you complete the application form, either below or on the official Fantasy Faire website.

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Additional Links

Fantasy Faire 2019: theme and dates announced; merchant applications open

Posted on by Inara Pey
via Fantasy Faire

Update: The Merchant Application Form is now available – click here if you’re interested.

Fantasy Faire, the largest fantasy-related event to take place in Second Life, has announced both the theme for the 2019 event and its dates.

Once again raising money for the global work of the American Cancer Society as a part of the Relay for Life of Second Life 2019 season, Fantasy faire will this year have the theme of Builders of Hope. 

2019 marks the eleventh year for Fantasy Faire, which has traditionally been slated to run eleven days each year, but this year it will be a little different, as the press release announcing the event notes:

Fantasy Faire has always officially lasted eleven days, and in recent years we’ve been fortunate to have a few extra days added. This year we’re making it official: our formal programming will still conclude with our One Team dance party marathon on Monday, April 29th, but now we invite you to join us for an additional week of shopping, questing, and exploring as the Fairelands will be open through Sunday, May 5th. That’s a total of eighteen days of the Faire – and you never know when something unexpected might happen in that final week!

So in total, Fantasy Faire will run from Thursday, April 18th through until Sunday, May 5th, 2019, inclusive.

Fantasy Faire 2018: Aetherea (Alia Baroque)

As with previous years, Fantasy Faire 2019 will comprise 10 shopping regions hosting 200 of Second Life’s top Fantasy Creators, offering the most comprehensive opportunity for fantasy shopping. In addition, there will be a further six regions focusing on entertainment, the Fairelands Quest, art, the Fantasy Faire Literary Festival, and the Worldling Collection.

All of the regions will be designed and themed by some of Second Life’s top designers, making the event a must-see even if fantasy isn’t a major part of your life. And throughout it all, there will be opportunities to show your support for ACS and the global work of cancer treatment, care and prevention via direct donation or by purchasing some of the many items participating merchants will be selling, with all or part of the proceeds going to RFL of SL and the American Cancer Society.

As always, I’ll be doing my best to provide updates and relay news on Fantasy Faire through the pages of this blog – but to keep right up-to-date on things, be sure to visit the Fantasy Faire website, and follow the event via the social media links below.

Additional Links

RFL 2019: team registrations and Information Day

Posted on by Inara Pey
via RFL of SL

The 2019 Relay for Life Second Life fund-raising season is approaching, and with it comes some changes, some of which have been previously noted in these pages.

Chief among the changes are the move of a couple of key dates:

  • The kick-off weekend for the core 16 weeks of activities will launch at 10:00 SLT on Saturday, February 16th, 2019.
  • The Relay Weekend will take place on Saturday June 8th and Sunday June 9th, roughly a month earlier than has tended to previously be the case.  This will once again feature a number of key activities, including:
    • The Opening Ceremony.
    • Survivor / Caregiver walk.
    • Luminaria Ceremony.
    • Closing Ceremony.

Team registrations for the season opened on Sunday, January 20th, at part of the ACS National Recruitment Challenge, which runs January 20th through February 3rd, 2019.

As noted on the Second life Relay Information website, people can also participate in a number of other ways, including:

  • Attending RFL of SL events.
  • Merchants, creators and club owners can:
    • Place RFL kiosks and / or vendors in their shops / clubs.
    • Display RFL information in their businesses.
    • Donate ad board space.
    • Gift cards and / creations can be donated either to teams or for Relay auctions and raffles.
  • Live Singers and DJs can donate their services at Relay For Life events.
  • Group owners can  notices about Relay For Life events.
  • People can sponsor RDL of SL events – contact Ariel Stormcrow or Dianna Wycliffe for more information.
  • Land holders can donate their land for an RFL of SL event.

American Cancer Society Information Day

Information Day

Want to learn more about the American Cancer Society, Relay for Life and / or RFL of SL? Then why not drop in to one of the Information Day sessions being held on Sunday, January 27th, 2019.

The day will see four meet and greet sessions take place:

  • 06:00-08:00 SLT
  • 10:00-12:00 SLT
  • 14:00-16:00 SLT
  • 18:00-20:00 SLT

Each of these sessions will include the opportunity to hear about Relay for Life, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, Survivor Support Groups, Caregiver Support Groups, connecting Second Life to Real Life American Cancer Society.

The Information Day will take place on the American Cancer Society island, As well as these sessions, there will also be entertainment from:

  • Austin Moores 12:00 noon SLT.
  • Max Kleene 13:00 SLT.
  • Relay Rap 16:00 SLT.
  • Keeba and the Tiny Maniacs 17:00.

For a full schedule of the event, please contact Nuala Maracas or Trader1 Whiplash in-world.