When I was last a Second Lifer I learned quickly that it's important not to get too excited about the "Events" listed in the SL search, as most will be a huge disappointment. Empty sims trying to sell or rent lots, struggling clubs, and sex bed sales made up the majority of results and sifting the "actual" things to do from the lame attempts at generating traffic was more trouble than finding one's own favorite things to do.

So the other day when some girlfriends and I were looking for something to do, I was trepidatious about trying the Search Events function, but what the heck, maybe it's better than 2007.

Turns out it's not (but, to be fair, the Lindens seem to be doing a good job of keeping the "Featured Events" in the "Destination Guide" up to date). Still, I discovered a "Bowling Event" that looked like fun, so we went.

As an event, it was a total fail because it was one of those "We're not really having an event, but we're here and we're open" type of events and predictably, the place was empty, but it was a complete win because we discovered Second Life Bowling.

The place we went to was called Bowl-a-Rama Bowling Center, here's a Slurl: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Topaz%20Square/31/95/26

The bowling action is predictably cheesey, but it's not easy to get perfect scores, so it makes for some good fun if you're the competitive type and bring some friends over. If nothing else, both of my girlfriends loved it and have been back since, so you might meet some hot avatars.

bowl - and maybe meet hot avatars too!

I was curious if this bowling script/animation/scoring that we were experiencing at Bowl-a-Rama would be found at other places, so we jumped to a couple other bowling places. I liked (and my girlfriends agreed) the Bowl-a-Rama version best.

there is no place like an SL Welcome Area - and some things never change

After bowling, I futzed about a while, then wondered what my Home Location is after all this time away. I teleported home and learned it's the Plum Welcome Area. (I'm guessing my old home landmark no longer exists on the grid?) I didn't have much time to think about it, however, as I was almost immediately attacked by Zenfreckels's Prim and a gazillion gross pictures. I had to TP away and then relog to end the assault.

So, those of you who might have wandered away from the Grid and wondered how life in the metaverse is progressing - it feels a lot like 2007 still, but at least there's good bowling now.

Hoi Herald readers! It's been some time, but with the total concurancy of SL dropping, it's time for your favorite helmeted journalist to step in and show off some of the best sims in Second Life again.

Even as griefers pummel the grid, even as Redzone revivalists plot to gain your personal information, and yes, even as sims disappear from the grid... love can bloom in the shape of some amazing builds. Second Life doesn't have to be this dinosaur platform that never made it beyond the meteoric impact of bad PR. It can still be home.

Forgotten City

A realm far from our own, where men once prospered and lived in glory, where great steam powered automatons served their every need. The people, however, have long since gone, to places unknown. But their creations still care for their long empty halls, hearths, and havens.

I was introduced to this sim by a friend looking for an unaffiliated place to roleplay. From what I've gathered, it's mostly a residential sim. Those who rent and live in the beautiful structures of Forgotten City are expected to keep to the Steampunk theme, but it's not meant to be a roleplay sim. I've heard that the sim builder, Jenne Dibou, uses the sim as an example of her skills to show to clients who hire her to build their sims. I would greatly recommend her work.

If you're looking for a place to live, or are feeling like a tourist, Forgotten City has much to give. There are loads of things to see, and experience. The creator also has a skybox shop where some of the sim's accessories (standing lamps, fountains, etc) are for sale, including a working, scripted, poker table.

The Realm of Mystara

Mystara is an amazing roleplaying sim. Or rather, pair of sims, as it just added it's second sim in time for this article. And while roleplay in Second Life (or in general) tends to have a stigma attatched to it, Mystara overcomes much of that. With a decent, and definately caring, administration team, and rules that define what can be played, you will not see anything out of place here. And while some may cry foul because furred races are generally application only (with a strict avatar realism demanded), it does keep out a lot of the problems other sims have. Mystara has a definate canon, where werewolves are not just friendly furred people you'll find at a bar drinking with everyone else - they're terrifying beasts that come out of the hills on full moons to terrorize, murder, and leave chewed corpses.

Mystara's roleplayers are a varried lot, with dozens of pre-accepted races, and an application system for those who want to deviate, the sim is quite successful at creating a world of it's own, despite not relying on pre-existing medieval roleplay worlds. There are racial factions, such as the Elves, the Humans, the Greenskins, and even the Merfolk, who all vie for power in political arenas, or directly by attacking the others' lands. The roleplay transcends simple 'good versus bad' or 'this side hates that side'.

Anyone can come and visist Mystara. You're free to wander the sim without roleplaying as long as you wear an observer tag and don't interrupt roleplay. The sim is, as you can see, very beautiful, as are many of the avatars within it. Mystara has an expectation of quality very few sims uphold today. Good on you, Realm of Mystara, good on you.

Nar Shaddaa, Red Sector

In the cold depths of space, a single moon can draw only a gasp of both fear and excitement: Nar Shaddaa. Moon over the Hutt homeworld, it's a planet sized den of sin, vice, corruption, and death. Nar Shaddaa is to the Star Wars galaxy what Las Vegas is to America, but a hundred times such. The Hutts treat it like their own pocketbook, while the poor get poorer, and the rich get richer.

The Red Sector is a Star Wars roleplay sim, a newer one that hasn't fully taken off yet from what I've seen. It's a great build, with a lot of room for new groups to step in and take part in it's ongoing story.

As always, if you're looking to join Star Wars Roleplay, your first step should be to check out http://www.SWRP.net, or search in places for SWRP.

It's been a pleasure writing for the Herald again, thank you for reading.

I teleported into the sim and was greeted by the now familiar note card of information and vendor market. Though this time with two distinctions, I was standing in front of a shuttle and the note card included a quick overview of the overall thrust of the role-playing story on Planet Thyferra. In a nutshell, Bacta; Thyferra has it thus the Sith have claimed the planet as their own Bacta ranch. The information was concise and well organized enough to make me overlook the spelling errors that the writer in me normally cannot overcome.

I chose to start my exploration in Thyferra Valley, which lacked the beauty of glowing Pandora, but was refreshingly free of lag. In my wandering through the valley I found only one other person. I would have attempted to make conversation but this person was unconscious and had a menacing red bot standing over them. I also found a cute little android who shot at me. I'm sure it would have hurt if I wasn't just a visitor, but I couldn't help but be impressed and think the little guy was kinda cute. After a quick run around the mostly empty valley I wandered back to the ship to travel to a hopefully more populated area.

I then traveled to Xucphra City where I did see eight people lined up in uniform, but their lack of conversation and silence in my arrival gave me the impression that these characters were not currently being attended. I wandered forward toward an impressive doorway lined with red glowing light and was shot at. At first I found this as adorable as the the valley, but then a force weapon shoved me over the edge of the walkway into an unplanned skydive. After falling many feet downward and landing on the roof of an impenetrable structure, I decided to take a break and come back later when there might be more people and less inanimate objects pushing for my demise. 

When I returned recharged by several days of not being thrown off platforms, I decided to start my visit with the PDS temple. I straightened my shoulders and exited the transport shuttle, hoping to be treated with more dignity this visit. My majestic cloak billowed behind me as I stepped onto a Gothic bridge approaching a doorway lined with glowing red vertical stripes.

An uneasy sense of dread filled me as I neared the doorway, though a glance in either direction assured me I didn't have far to fall should the force be against me. As I entered the building safely and my radar was flooded by numerous avatars entering the sim, causing my hopes for the days visit to soar. The lava pit in the middle of the room combined with the red and black banners on the wall left me with no doubt that this temple was of Sith design. I explored every room of this empty temple, thoroughly fascinated by the fact that each teleport consumed my avatar in flame and smoke.  

I quickly teleported through several other options looking for the numerous other people on my radar

I found two caged prisoners, who again had no profiles and were not responsive to my presence. I returned to Xucphra City and carefully avoided the door of force-y death, instead opted to explore the less intimidating parts of the city. I found an empty restaurant and then a cargo bay door. I clicked on the cargo bay door and found myself stuck in a vast open white space unable to stand an unable to teleport to another location within the sim. I took a deep angry breath and teleported home. 

Undaunted I returned to Planet Thyferra and scowled angrily at the traps. I warily clicked on a door labeled “med” and found myself in a lovely but empty medical bay. At this point I raised my fist to the sky and screamed “Richards” I felt better and decided to go through the list of twenty six avatars in the sim, in search of someone to interview. I discovered the creator Silver Bonetto was online. He gracefully agreed to sate my curiosity and help me make sense of this richly detailed but curiously empty sim

Mel:
What inspired you to build Planet Thyferra?
Silver
:
Planet Thyferra is the Bacta Producing Planet of  Starwars Galaxy.  We wanted to make it a Pawn for control of the Bacta in SWRP.

Mel:
Who is this “we”?
Silver:
We is a complicated answer, I own a Sith Clan named Obsidian Dominion which is about 2.5 years old but this group and myself are part of a grander scale RP based on an Empire RP which I play the part of DLOTS. Many other Sith clan groups, such as “COR” Cult of Ragnos, are allies with the Empire. The Empire obviously wants control of key elements of the galaxy.

Mel: Ah, so do you alone decide the iterations that the sim takes or are the decisions made by the empire?
Silver
:
What happens in Thyferra is under the control of Evalla Taurog and myself. What happens in the Empire is more democratic control. Well, an OOC democracy otherwise it's an oxymoron.

Mel:
So Planet Thyferra is a part of a string of sims in SWRP?
Silver
:
Yes and no, unfortunately SWRP in SL isn't 100% unified, Its getting better thanks to people like Chrome Heron which have devised systems that all the planets share and are common interest to everyone. His System is called RPI. It allows you to mine for ore and build weapons and sabers from the ore you collect. Each planet has their specific ores.

Mel:
Ah that's edifying! So how long has Planet Thyferra been in existence and who is the "we" you referenced?
Silver
:
The sim has been around for almost three years, always owned by me,  has gone through many names. Its current RP name  obviously is Planet Thyferra, and we are about to make its new grand opening.

Mel:
What prompted you to select the FCRS combat system for this sim?
Silver
:
We have been long time supporters of FCRS and its a great Combat system but due to its creator having to be out of SL for extended amounts of time the system is starting to lack support. So as of yesterday we made the sim RCS default and FCRS backup.

Mel:
What advice do you have for new people interested in role-playing on Planet Thyferra?
Silver
:
Depends what kind of new we are referring to,  If they are new to SL they should ask anyone in the sim for help. If they are seasoned role-players then they can come in and assume a relevant role to SWRP and enjoy the different things to do.

Mel:
How would they go about establishing a relevant role to SWRP?
Silver
:
Well, if they are completely new, The first thing to do is align yourself with an order be it Sith, Jedi, Bounty Hunters, Mando etc.  The Order will help them get clothes correctly and teach them how to defend themselves. And RP etiquette.

Mel:
I've wandered this vast sim and I noticed three things I wondered if I could get your comments on them
Silver:
Sure.

Mel:
Number the first – inanimate objects sometimes shoot me, one time off the edge of your bridge. Is there a way to ingrate myself to these wielders of lasers?
Silver
:
Yes and no, you must remember this place isn't 100% friendly like a Jedi sim. I do this because I want people to have fun most things that shoot at you can be shot back to and destroyed.  Also, if you are an Obsidian Dominion Clan Member then you are not shot.

Mel:
Check. Number the second – I haven't actually come across anyone else in my wanderings. Where do people congregate or are there events where I could find more people?
Silver
:
Since the sim hasn't had its grand opening, its mostly OOC. Once it opens it will be strictly IC and you will see more people.  Plus since we are Sith we tend to just be in the Sith strong hold , you wouldn't catch a Sith picking flowers in the valley really. That being said, we have an event on the weekends called the "GST" Which is a 3 year running Tournament of Saber dueling which Evalla Taurog runs on Sundays at 1pm SLT. The event alternates between the FCRS and RCS systems and there is a 1000 Linden prize to the winner.

Mel:
Nifty! When is the grand opening planned for?
Silver
:
Within the next few weeks, if nothing gets complicated.

Mel:
This article will be published before then, is there anything my readers can look for to know that the grand opening has occurred if they chose to visit?
Silver
:
I will make a poster or banner for the sim entry

Mel:
  Number the last – when I finally got frustrated looking for people in the sim, I ran a check of the profiles of every avatar in the sim looking for a human to speak with. I noticed that twenty one of the  twenty six people in the sim didn't have profiles at the time I read through them, are you using placeholders in the sim?
Silver
:
Yes, These accounts are part of a larger project which I have taken to a local college.  The college students are in and out of them but are left in the sim because of an interactive system that  Chrome Heron will be installing to make the avatars respond to a quest that the sim visitor can choose to play. So these accounts serve various roles.

Mel:
Ah that makes a lot more sense. I was sitting here thinking "Is this guy playing in a sim of one?" How can my readers tell the difference between these quest NPCs and other role-players, other than the lack of profiles?
Silver
:
That's the magic of it, these avatars sometimes will be autonomous and other times be in other sims acting out their normal roles. So the actual idea is for not to be able to distinguish the difference.  It brings up the level of realism that you aren't just dealing with an NPC.

Mel:
That sounds intriguing, when do you expect to see this process implemented?

Silver
:
Well, Chrome is extremely busy with the RPI system right now so it would be unfair of me to try and get this out of him right now. So I estimate within the next month or two.

After the interview Silver was kind enough to take me on a tour of the planet, including the area behind the doorway that had previously eluded me. He continued to answer questions and was a gracious host. Unfortunately, I'm afraid if this article grows any longer, Pixeleen will shake her editing fist at me.

Until next time, this is Mel signing out.

by Meleth Oakleaf

Like many places in the world SL has caught Avatar fervor. While it was my original intention was to review a single Pandoran role-play environment, a combination of lag and frustration led me to explore the two most highly traffic-ed Pandoran roleplay sims, Pandora – Navi' Planet Avatar and  Pandora Magic.

Both of the sims I visited started with a representation of the human settlement, in the case of Pandora this was the ship orbiting above the Pandoran jungle, in Pandoran Magic the human camp . Both of these sims were bilingual; Pandora being predominantly English and French and Pandoran Magic being predominantly German and English. Both sims use the DCS combat system. Both sims include fully stocked vendor areas with everything a budding Na'Vi or evil Human could want. Though it seems to me that these items are comparatively more expensive than items used in other roleplay sims. Finally both did an amazing job of capturing the beauty of the movie that inspired them.

I also noticed similarities among the avatars inhabiting these sims. The Na'vi seemed to outnumber the humans by a factor of ten to one. I saw a great many exact copies of Jake Sully and Neytiri running around, though to be fair this may be because the majority of Na'Vi that I saw were in concentrated in the starting area. I also noted that the number one common role-play interest, other than Avatar, I saw on the profiles of those around me was Star Wars.

To the casual observer there seemed to be very little distinction to these two worlds, though I'm sure differences become more apparent as you explore each sim in further detail. I did note that Pandora seems to hold a firmer grasp on exact replicas of what you see in the movie while, Pandoran Magic seemed to have concentrated on capturing the spirit of the world. In both cases the breathtaking beauty was severely negativity impacted by the large amounts of lag. I found both sims to be laggy almost to the point of unusable, even being logged off while attempting to navigate around the home tree in one. After three failed attempts to log back into one of the sims, I eventually gave up and returned home rather than deal with the frustration any further.

Despite the lag and beauty I was able to capture the attention of the lovely, blue Tirea Adjani in Pandora Magic and ask her a few questions. I caught up with Tirea twice. Once when she was first beginning to explore Pandoran sims and once after she'd had a chance to get her feet wet, In the interest of brevity I have not included the first interview, but a few questions refer to solutions she has found to problems she encountered in her first few visits.

Mel: So Tirea what drew you to try a Pandoran sim?
Tirea: The fantasy element  was undeniable… having seen the movie I think like most people I loved it while also hating it for being an impossible reality. But in SL I can come close to sort of living that dream.
Mel: You mentioned earlier that you've tried one other avatar inspired sim, what is it about this sim that you find more enjoyable?
Tirea: The issue I had with the first one was that it… had pathways actually. I don't want stone paths guiding me to locations, it ruins the wild sort of… unknown jungle-ish thing
Mel: I can't help but notice the lag that accompanies this unknown jungle. Have you picked up any hints for being about to move without resembling a yo-yo?
Tirea: The market areas are all lagtastical. I've have learned to my cache before going to one and give the jungle adequate time to load,. Lag is inevitable, but it does improve if you let things load at their own pace instead of wandering through barely rezzed area of jungle. I also tend to travel via Ikraan since it's quick and allows me to travel above the super detailed jungle area below.
Mel: Ah I can see how that would help. So what tell me about combat in the Pandora Magic?
Tirea: The combat is dependent largely upon there being people playing humans. And there are far less of those, then there are people playing Na'Vi. Otherwise it's just like and other DCS sim, fast-paced, mildly confusing and laggy. I myself, avoid the human encampment since I know I'm a crappy DCS fighter.
Mel: Earlier you mention that you were having trouble finding people who spoke English in your Pandora Magic, have you picked up any pointers?
Tirea: A translator helps. There's also a free Na'vi speaker/translator, so encouraging people to speak in Na'Vi means we're all seeing the same slightly broken translations into our native language when enter it into the translator thingy. So for example if someone is speaking in Dutch, the translator will take Dutch and turn it into Na'Vi and spit out both versions. So rather than translating Dutch I translate the Na'Vi since then I don't have to have a billion translators open to compensate for all the diff. languages people are speaking.

Mel: So other than this translator, what would you recommend for a new person to grab to try out Pandoran roleplaying?

Tirea: As in technical equipment or in general for playing a Na'Vi character?
Mel: Both.
Tirea: Well, definitely pick up a Na'Vi translator and a combat system. The latter at least so that you can feel all kewl with a weapon you can swing around, hehe.  For your character. You, at the bare minimum,  need a Na'vi skin an some basic clothing. Most of the Sims don't allow obvious nudity. A tail is also a good idea  just to complete the general Na'Vi anatomy.
Mel: How many Lindins did it cost you to get started?
Tirea: I personally spent about 6.5k on stuff, but I made some mistake purchases that cost me. I also indulged a bit, purchasing an ikran and a hometree sleeper as well as two weapons and 1.5k AO. Though, the nice thing about playing in Pandora is once you do get setup, you won't need to be spending tons and tons of money to feel like you fit in with the other people. Frequent outfit changes and things aren't really noticed or necessary.
Mel: Well thank you for your time Tirea, I know the untamed jungle calls you so I won't keep you here any longer.

I really enjoyed both my stays in Pandora, the breathtaking beauty of the world left me in awe. That being said the lag is too much for this pixie to bear. From what I saw. the sims both seemed light on roleplaying and heavy on players wandering through the gorgeous landscape. Though the be fair, in this environment that can be considered a form of role-play. In my honest opinion, the Pandoran sims in their current state are beautiful to look at, but I would give them a bit more time before I considered roleplaying with any regularity in one. Time for the builders to find the right balance of beauty vs lag. Time for more designers to enter the avatar personalization market and drive prices lower. Finally, time  for the movie hype to die down a bit, leaving more dedicated role-players and fewer gawking reporters.

In a personal note, I couldn't help but giggle when the first thing I saw when I teleported into Pandora – Navi' Planet Avatar, was one Navi leading another collared Navi around via a leash. Though it isn't in any way a part of the structure of the sim, I found the irony and the image to be absurd. I'm sorry Scylla I tried.

"Art Deco Utopian Gardens embody what the word utopian stands for."

Thoseare the words Alexia Speizer uses to describe her own slice of the SLpie. Looking around, you can certainly see why she'd say that. Being inthe Gardens, I instantly felt at ease, a little more relaxed. From thetrees to the flowers, the waterfalls to the art sculptures (manyprovided by different artists). The entire place is geared towardscouples with many events to come in the future. The inspiration for theGardens stem from Alexia's belief in taoism, though the sim welcomespeople of all and any belief.

Therelationship between yin and yang is often described in terms ofsunlight playing over a mountain and in the valley. Yin (literally the'shady place' or 'north slope') is the dark area occluded by themountain's bulk, while yang (literally the 'sunny place' or 'southslope') is the brightly lit portion. As the sun moves across the sky,yin and yang gradually trade places with each other, revealing what wasobscured and obscuring what was revealed. Yin is usually characterizedas slow, soft, insubstantial, diffuse, cold, wet, and tranquil. It isgenerally associated with the feminine, birth and generation, and withthe night. Yang, by contrast, is characterized as hard, fast, solid,dry, focused, hot, and aggressive. It is associated with masculinityand daytime. Yin and yang are complementary opposites within a greaterwhole. Everything has both yin and yang aspects, which constantlyinteract, never existing in absolute stasis.

As itstands, Art Deco Utopian Gardens is still in its early stages, withmodifications being made every day, but already I can begin to seeeverything taking shape. There are picnic areas, a bistro area, a partyarea, and you can even slide down a waterslide… you know, if you feellike it! In the main office you'll find artwork by Alexia herself,which is all for sale, as well as a shopping area. Not only that, butthere's also apartments for rent, which all come fully furnished, withbeautiful views.

Think that's it?

Not quite. There's alsosomething pretty nifty called a Paradise Blanket. This is essentiallyyour key to paradise. Sit on the blanket and whisk your special someoneup to the sky, where you will find places that include honeymoonsuites, wedding chapel, skating, playground, dungeon, springtime scene,New York apartment living, and more… all rezzed with the click of abutton after you sit on the blanket. So after you've wined and dinedyour date, you can literally take them to the heavens for a nightthey'll never forget.

LikeI said before, Utopian Gardens is aimed at couples, whether you've beentogether for a long time, or just starting out… it really is a greatplace to visit with someone you truly care about. But more than that,it's just a relaxing place to visit (and to live), and I woulddefinitely recommend it to anyone, even if you feel like just a walkthrough the gardens.

by Lavinia Carver

Dean’s Vegas Club – what a Cher celebration it was! First of all, there was a pretty good turnout, but of course, I came fairly late in the day. There may have been a bigger crowd earlier – you might expect that from a Cher crowd. What I do know is this was the hottest party on SL I’ve been to in a long time. After all the drama and woes of the SL land problem, this was really a nice break – and I’m not really keeping track of the land situation. I don’t even own land! Too much financial liability; I would be so behind on payments! .

The Cher celebration at Dean’s was one of the few times I have seen people on SL in a while. To tell you the truth, it seems that a boycott of SL seems to be in effect, or at least on the sims I go to.

There was a Cher impersonator, of course, but the interesting part is that it was the club owner. They also had very impressive backup dancers, all perfectly synchronized. Not a single glitch or lag problem. Now I don’t know about you, but I’m a sucker for Cher. Sure she’s 60 or something years old, but she’s still kicking’, and that’s impressive in itself, let alone the music’s good.

Anyway, the club had a great selection of everything from her classics to her modern day stuff, and it even had me up and dancing at one point! The club was exceptionally decorated, and I got a sneak peek (it’s not that hard!) into the VIP lounge, and every part is so perfectly decorated. It could legitimately be a Vegas club! Except for the ribbon roof.

All in all, this place gets 4 out of 5 stars for the club. I found almost nothing wrong with it. It’s a perfect place to have a romantic dinner and dance, or if you just want to go and meet some really nice people. I can only imagine how good it is during its “Rat Pack of SL” performances! So head on down, and see what all the buzz is about! All I can say is DEAN’S IN VEGAS BABY!!!

Oh, did I mention they have a full casino too? Don’t forget to check that out, if you’ve got the spare cash of course! http://slurl.com/secondlife/Rolypoly/39/149/52

Gotham

Just randomly browsing round the metaverse can actually prove useful. I found that out a little while ago, when I stumbled upon Gotham. I had first seen Gotham when it was mid-construction, so it didn’t look too good. It also took forever to build, so I personally thought it would take FOREVER to open.

I am not in any way fascinated by the whole superhero or super-villain thing. I’ve never read a single comic, DC or otherwise. Really the whole appeal was that this was as close to a modern day, realistic RP that I could get without having the mafia, magic, etc. involved.

Arkham Asylum, where many a villain has resided at some point of time

For those of you who have never heard of Gotham, (who hasn’t? Even I knew Batman!) it is the city of residence for one of the world’s most famed superheroes: Batman. Of course, the sim is not restricted to Batman only, it involves the whole DC universe and anything else you can make up! (if it doesn’t suck)

The Iceberg lounge, Gotham’s largest lounge and club

If you’re interested in rping, just search Gothamand it should pop up. Now, DON’T FORGET TO READ THE RULES. The owners and managers of the sim expect you to read them, and give almost no leeway on violations of those rules. If you’re just looking to go and pretend to be Batman for a while, forget it, two people already ARE Batman.

Wayne Manor, residence of Bruce Wayne, billionaire

I was unable to get an interview with any of the managers or owners due to a communication issue that cannot be fixed at the moment, but I can give new players a couple hints. First of all, this sim uses DCS2, so I suggest you find $75L and buy a DCS HUD and the free fist fighter at least. You can’t just go in and pretend to be a superhero or villain, you need to contact one of the managers to start talking about an audition. I have no idea how it works, because I’m happy with my civilian role. You’ll have to start as a civilian, but don’t let that discourage you. You can still go rob the bank or help stop a robbery in progress, just don’t do it until you join the group and have made yourself known to the city rp-wise. I actually would suggest starting as a freelance reporter at the Gotham Gazette or an officer at the Gotham City Police Department. You can just go to those and apply, but there is no audition for those, just fill out the form and follow the directions. That way you can learn the ropes of Gotham and really get in the swing before you shoot for the big stuff.

Overall, Gotham is a great sim, and the people on it are great too. Every one of them will be willing to help you out if you’re in a fix, or at least all of the ones I’ve come across. Lavinia, over and out.

By Urizenus Sklar, at the post-tiny life form desk

Yesterday Second Life witnessed the birth of a new race of virtual critters – Purrsnicketys. Their basic design is due to Phoenixxx Dragonash, who in RL is Ashley Speranzella-Evans, a free-lance fantasy artist.

They are built and scripted by Eren Padar. Below the fold are some screenshots and the purrsnickety propaganda.

From the purrsnickety note card…

WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF PURRSNICKETYS!
(To give a Purrsnickety as a gift, please read at the bottom of this notecard)

In a world that has forgotten magic and rushes time, they live above the clouds. Dragon-kitties once chosen to be Guardians of the Earth and magic, they failed to protect it from man. They have become jaded and skeptical, and definitely have attitude. But they have not given up! They have returned to the earth to try one last time to bring back what has lost. Are they the scourge of the skies… or destined to become heroes? Purrsnicketys… adorably wicked.

Purrsnicketys are some of the most complex, heavily-scripted (but very low-lag), fun, tiny avatars ever!

INCLUDED:
* Purrsnickety Avatar (copy/nomod/notrans… copyable so you can pull a new one out of the box in case of inventory loss!)
(To give a Purrsnickety as a gift, please read at the bottom of this notecard)
* A special Purrsnickety toy (an extra item specific to your Purrsnickety)
* Scripted wings open when flying
* Swishing tail
* 72-function HUD, including…
* 68 custom sounds (no freebie sounds here!)
* 14 all-original animations (even the “tiny” animations themselves are new and tweeked), including:
* Scripted tongue for cleaning
* Cat-like “run”
* Fun “jump”
* Improved “sit” and “groundsit”
* Dance synchronizer (dance in time with your Purrsnickety friends!)
* Cute. Real cute. (never underestimate the power of cute. Fells strong dragons and ogres and melts the hearts of warriors).

======================
PURRSNICKETY CHARACTER INFORMATION:

PURRSNICKITY STORIES:
Baby Ree: Calico, curious, and pudgy. Don’t be fooled by the cuteness of this little baby she will sneeze fire on you if you aren’t careful. Likes buttercups and fireflies and her stuffed toy “Remmy”.

Bitters: Black, skinny and Melancholy. Always seems to have a rain cloud over his head. Loves,well he dosent’t love anything.. except for a rainy day and only because it spoils everyone else’s fun, maybe mud puddles. Older brother of Chitters.

Chitters: Pink, happy and talks a lot, though only the other purrsnicketys can tell what she is saying. Loves lollypops and unicorns and baking pies for the gang. Kid sister of Bitters and has a crush on Jeepers (but don’t tell him).

Creepers: Large, green and agitated. Loves dark damp places and mushrooms. Oldest and Leader of the Purrsnicketys, big brother to Jeepers. Arch nemesis: Mr. Wiggles the very elusive and clever mouse dragon whom Creepers can never catch.

Critters: Brown, sweet and earthy. He loves all kinds of creatures and can often be seen playing with the mice in the castle (in a friendly way) Likes walking in the clouds and strawberries.

Flitters: Yellow, scattered and artistic. He creates beautiful rainbows in the sky and paintings for the castle. Constantly looses everything because he is so focused on his art. He can be seen covered in paint muttering to himself in his room. Likes new paint brushes and dragon flies.

by Jimbo Quality

After my last article, I sensed that there was something missing from my campaign to become President of Second Life. I sensed that the people had expectations of me that I wasn’t meeting. My team hit the streets and conducted extensive research to find out what my fellow residents want in their leader. [Don't be fooled, this just means Jimbo finally read some comments - the Editrix].

a candidate prepares for extreme presidential makeover

What I learned is that my people don’t think I’m good looking enough to be President. It was a tough thing to hear, but I am nothing if not eager to please, so I set out to fix this. I decided to part with some hard earned lindens and go skin shopping.

I knew I would need help, so I asked our fashion writer, Tenshi Vielle, to help me. She was thrilled.

Tenshi is a very busy avatar. For what seemed like a month, maybe two, I stood by her desk waiting for her to return. Finally, I IM’d her and amazingly, she had just logged on for the first time in weeks! It was like fate had brought us together.

I immediately went to my favorite shopping place, Odds&Ends in Wagaland, because they have good freebies. I sent Tenshi a TP and then I saw it; "Hair for There."

hair for there

This is a place that sells pubic hair, you know, "hair" for "there." Don’t worry if you don’t get it right away, it took a while for me to get it too. You’ll see it’s very funny because they sell "hair" for "there." Don’t worry if you don’t get it, it took me a while, you see…[We deleted several pages of variations of Jimbo explaining the name of this place. The Herald staff thinks this may be the first "clever" name he's understood and he seemed very excited about it - the Editrix].

Tenshi reacts

I finally understood what it was I had been lacking as a presidential candidate- Second Life needs an avie with a little chili releno on his huevos if you know what I mean. [Uh, no, but that's ok- the Editrix]. I immediately stripped and looked to see if they had demo pubes. For some reason Tenshi, who’d just rezzed, ran away screaming. [If you see her and she's still running, please tell me because then I win the office pool - the Editrix]

still running?

I looked at the selection of pubes and threw up a little in my mouth when I saw the ones in the bottom right. I mean, I find these broadly offensive. Can we get a Linden to do something about this?

a LOT of hair for there

I browsed. I saw that each box was L$50 and tried not to think about how many hours in a camping chair that was. Then I realized that it’s pubic hair for girls and started wandering away when it hit me that the monster bush would make for some rocking chest hair and I blew my L$50 like it was nothing. Talk about impulse purchases! I didn’t even realize the hair is just painted underwear until after I’d bought it.

I immediately pulled my wild pubic bushwoman underpants up as far as they would go, right up under my armpits, and for the rest of the day I sported the best chest hair anyone has seen this side of 1977.

president bush riding high

I never knew fashion shopping could be this much fun, so I kept going. I found a thing that makes me laugh and cry and smile and stuff. It was just sitting there in the bottom of a box of freebies! When I smile I look just like motivational speaker Tony Robbins, so I gave up trying to find a new skin. Tony Robbins is so smart they gave him his own infomercial. If I’m in that class I could be President easy.

I quit on skins, but I did find a place that sells a slick looking layer of oil. I figured I was on a spending spree anyhow so I popped the L$10 they were asking for it and walked around all oily looking a while. Even my pubic chest hair looked oily. I kept trying to get people to touch me so they could see I wasn’t really oily, just wearing a clever suit, but for some reason they wouldn’t. Their loss.

Eventually I went back to the Herald and they made me take off my pubes and oil and put my clothes back on. As Editrix Pixeleen kept saying "It takes the lotion off the skin or it gets the hose again!"

Hey, why don’t you come down to the Herald office and buy some of my presidential t-shirts and signs. I think they cost L$1. I need to make some Linden space buck e-monies to go shopping again.