The Survivors of Suicide Christmas Fair 2019

Survivors of Suicide Christmas Fair

Running now through until January 1sts 2019 is the 2019 Survivors of Suicide Christmas Fair, an event that serves as a both fund-raiser for the group, and to mark its anniversary.

Founded in December 2008, Survivors of Suicide (SOS) is the longest running support group of its kind in Second Life. A a peer to peer support group, it is dedicated to helping those who have been impacted by depression, thoughts of suicide, or who have attempted suicide or have lost someone to suicide. The group offers support and a safe platform for Second Life residents through weekly activities at their in-world headquarters, one to one support, mentorship, and via group chat.

The 2019 Christmas Fair features:

  • 40+ merchants and designers, each offering at least one item with 100% of sales proceeds going to Survivors of Suicide.
  • A photo contest with prizes by The Bearded Guy and Paper Sparrow.
  • Raffles.
  • Live entertainment and DJs.
  • Donation kiosks.
Survivors of Suicide 2019 Christmas Fair – the meeting place (l), two of the photo contest boards and the entertainment stage and dance area

The schedule of entertainment for the event can be found at the Survivors of Suicide Information Kiosk in the event’s shopping area, and also via the group’s event calendar. The information kiosk also provides details on the photo contest, as do the photo contest boards located around the entertainment area.

As Christmas can be an especially stressful period for many, the Christmas Fair includes an Information Gazebo, located between the shopping and entertainments areas of the event. This provides self-help guides to those who many want to take advantage of them. For those who may want more direct help, Survivors of Suicide mentors will be available at the Fair, and there is a special meeting area with chairs and an open-air fire for those who would like to meet and talk, while the Survivors of Suicide headquarters will be open throughout the holiday.

SLurl Details

Second Life 2019 Shop and Hop

Shop and Hop 2019

The end-of-year Shop and Hop event, organised by Linden Lab, opened it doors on Friday, December 13th, 2019 at 09:00 SLT.

This year  sees 120 content creators participating in the event, offering a minimum 20% discount on items and a free, non-group gift on offer to all shoppers (look for the Shop and Hop gift box). In addition, some merchants are offering additional gifts and freebies of their own.

Unsurprisingly, avatar fashion, accessories and wearables (hair, skins, make-up, hats, etc), dominate the event, while scattered throughout are indoor and outdoor furnishings, buildings and skyboxes,

For 2019, stores are spread across six regions – one up from 2019, comprising: Aurelian, Gilded, Gleaming, Golden, Halycon, and Tinseled. All of the shopping regions are bordered north and south by “overspill” regions. Should the region you’re attempting to reach be full, you may be redirected to one of the two landing areas for that region, where you’ll be greeted by the message:

Sorry, but you are in an overflow region. Feel free to cam around and window shop while you wait for a space to be available.

Shop and Hop will remain open through until Monday, January 6th, 2020, so shoppers will hopefully have time to explore, by their gifts (or treat themselves!).

Shop and Hop SLurls

All of the regions are rated General.

A Carnival of the Arts 2019 in Second Life

The Dirty Grid

The Dirty Grind Independent Artist community is celebrating its sixth anniversary over the weekend of Friday, December 6th through Sunday, December 8th, 2019 with a Carnival of the Arts. The weekend will be marked by live music sets throughout the three days, and an installation by artist Bryn Oh.

At The Dirty Grind, artists and patrons are family and when one visits, one is a welcomed guest in their home. Everything from the décor, landscape and building design is intentionally planned to enhance visitors’ experience. While visiting when live shows are not going, be sure to listen to the commercial-free independent radio station, Radio Grind, featuring the musicians of The Dirty Grind family. Spend some time strolling through The Hollow and enjoy the whimsically eclectic mix of Adirondack and Steampunk design and style.

The Dirty Grind Independent Artist Community has been awarded Best Unique Venue and Top 10 Live Music Venues by Showtime Magazine.

– From The Dirty Grind website

The music event kicks-off from 14:00 SLT on Friday, December 6th, and at the time from writing, the schedule looked as follows:

Time Friday 6th Saturday 7th Sunday 8th
13:00 Wald Schridde
14:00 Naga Flow Rosedrop Rust Zorch Boomhauer
15:00 CelticMaiden Warrior Shannon Oherlihy Ren Enberg
16:00 Lexus Melodie Suzen JueL The Matthew Show
17:00 Grace McDunnough David Csiszer Effinjay
18:00 Jed Luckless Dimivan Ludwig Twostep Spiritweaver
19:00 Jamba Losangeles Senjata Witt The Vinnie Show
20:00 Gypsy Dhrua

However, given that events can always undergo last-minute changes, be sure to check the Dirty Grind website for updates or changes to the schedule.

Bryn Oh: Eliose’s Dream

For the event, Bryn Oh is presenting Eloise’s Dream, featuring a scene from her 2018 installation Jane and Eloise, a story of two sisters who go fishing on Lake Superior.

Sadly, theirs is not a happy tale, as they are caught by the changing weather, their boat capsizing and Jane drowning. Afterwards, Eloise is left tortured by guilt that she survived and nightmares. You can read more about that installation in Bryn Oh: Jane and Eloise in Second Life. The inclusion of the piece is somewhat fitting, given that Jane and Eloise made its début a year ago, on Saturday, December 8th, 2019.

So, do make a point of hopping along to the Dirty Grind over the weekend to appreciate the region, the installation, the music and to wish the folks there a happy anniversary.

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Call for Second Life’s 2019 holiday shopping event

The Christmas 2018 Shop and Hop event

For the last two years, Linden Lab has run a winter shopping event over the end-of-year holiday period that has been variously called Shop and Drop or Shop ‘Til You Drop. On November 8th, the call was put out to merchants and creators to join this year’s event.

Running from Friday, December 13th, 2019 through to Monday, January 6th, 2020, the shopping will take place across the Lab’s special shopping regions. Past events of this natures have been held through Christmas holidays, as noted, and around other special events, such as the Second Life birthday celebrations, and have proven a popular means for merchants to bring new customers to their brands and stores.

Merchants interested in participating in the event are asked to to offer a discount on some of their items (think Cyber Monday deals!) and provide a small gift to holiday shoppers..

Those interested in joining the event should fill out the official application form.

2019 Creepy Crawl in Second Life

Dreadville – one of the destinations in the 2019 Creepy Crawl

Following their recent call for venues, Linden Lab announced the route for this year’s Halloween Creepy Crawl on Thursday, October 31st, via a blog post by Xiola Linden.

The Creepy Crawl is a tradition whereby Lindens and Residents get dressed up in their best Halloween costumes and roam from spooky spot to spooky spot for music, dancing, and celebrating.

As Xiola has blogged, the event will take place between 10:00 and 14:00 SLT on Tuesday, October 31st, and will be moving through a number of selected venues:

So, if you fancy meeting some of those responsible for bringing us Second Life and having a little fun, conversation and maybe dancing along the way, keep this list of destinations handy on the 31st October, and drop in to any of the venues along the route!

Frankenstein returns to Second Life

In 2018, Fantasy Faire Radio partnered with Seanchai Library to broadcast a live radio adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus in celebration of the 200th anniversary of the novel’s original publication.

Now, as we approach Halloween 2019, the adaptation is being re-broadcast as a two-part event over the weekend of Saturday, October 19th and Sunday, October 20th.

Frankenstein is infused with elements of the Gothic novel and the Romantic Movement – and it has been argued it could be considered the first true science fiction novel. This is because a central character determines to follow “modern experiments in the laboratory” to achieve fantastic results, rather than simply achieving those fantastical results through fantastical means. Since its publication. the story has had a considerable influence in literature and popular culture and spawned a complete genre of horror stories, films and plays, as well as itself being turned into the last two, as well as being the focus of television and radio adaptations, musicals and even a ballet production.

The Fantasy Faire Radio broadcast features the voices of Da5id Abbot, Corwyn Allen, Zander Greene, Elrik Merlin, and Caledonia Skytower, with Shandon Loring as Victor Frankenstein’s creation in an adaptation of the original novel by Skytower and Abbot. Those wishing to do so can tune into the broadcasts on Saturday and Sunday as follows (times are SLT):

  • Saturday, October 19th beginning at 14:00.
  • Sunday, October 20th beginning at 11:00.

They can be heard via the web at:  fantasy.radioriel.org, or http://streams.radioriel.org:8070/stream.

However, for those who would like to hear either or both of the broadcasts in-world and in the company of others, two special listening parties will by taking place:

  • CocoaJava Cafe in Babbage Canals, New Babbage, hosted by Ceejay Writer during both the Saturday and Sunday broadcasts. The CocoaJava Cafe is a casual Steampunk/Victorian literary venue. Authors and bookworms are often found lounging on floor pillows by the fireplace or sipping a drink at the café tables. Mind the shop cat though, he’s odd.
  • Seanchai Library’s Ceiliuradh Glen at Holly Kai Park, hosted by Caledonia Skytower  for the Saturday Broadcast, with special Halloween music and dancing playing for an hour after the broadcast concludes (and possibly in the half hour before). Seanchai Library has been promoting stories and literature through live voice presentations since 2008. “The Glen” is one of six venues the Library has established at its home on Holly Kai Park, and pays tribute to Seanchai’s beginnings in the old West of Ireland Charity Estate.

Frankenstein on Fantasy Faire Radio is sponsored by The Ravenheart Museum of Art, Culture, and Curious Things, featuring one of the largest public collections of Alia’s Baroque’s Libertine Eggs by Alia Baroque, and hosting the exhibition A Conspiracy of Ravens (read here for more about both exhibitions).

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