We’re now into day eight of Fantasy Faire 2026, and I’m running out of outfits. This is yet another excuse, as though I needed one, to start my faire shopping early. I picked up the ochre version of Belle Epoque/Petricor Stoneveil gown. (See their faire shop here.) One down. Now I only need to shop for ten more outfits!
The Fairelands Quest has now been going for a couple days. If the group chat is any indication, quite a number of folks have take up the challenge. (From what I can gather scanning the chat, finding Hero is a really big hurdle!)
The faire donation total is currently at L$6,769,421. Over L$25M to go to match last year’s total. We’ve got some work to do!
The moment you land at, or walk into, Melloona, you know something is different. The several meter high slices of watermelon are definitely clues. (They contain the shops.) My first thought is that I had entered another world where scale is different; where we’re the tiny bugs in a Brobdingnagian universe. But, while there are huge leafy vines with giant melons, yards long caterpillars, and feet long seeds sprouting on the ground, some items I encountered were normal sized. There were even some normal sized melons. There’s something else going on here.
Hints gathered during the LitFest Tour of Melloona suggest that some substance or force is causing hypertrophy of the local flora and fauna. It’s causing huge, lush growth all around. Or, almost all around. There are occasional darker, infertile, maybe sterile areas on the ground. One wonders, are they spreading?
Before going on, this is a shopping region. As I noted above, the shops are all contained in the giant watermelon slices arranged around the region. All, except the flagship shop for the sponsor, that’s in a carved out melon in the center. (Do walk out the back way to see a, um, different face of Melloona.) You can buy many of the build assets at Dandelion Daydreams Factory along with buildings and landscaping items that would fit a fantasy themed build.
As for the rest of the shops, this is where tinies and dinkies should come to shop! Nearly all the rest of the shops cater to their needs.
There are some indications that whatever is causing the greatly enhanced growth of the melons, as well as the worms, birds, caterpillars, and I’m afraid to say, spiders, is not unambiguously a good thing. If you stroll out the back entrance of the Dandelion Daydreams Factory shop, you will find yourself in a kind of nexus of darker manifestations of whatever is causing the changes.
A shed holds a stock of almost normal sized watermelons, but they’re more the colour of a ripe pumpkin. The don’t look quite right.
The ground here is almost completely barren, and also looks dicoloured in some unnatural way.
If all this wasn’t disturbing enough, a two or three meter tall spider, or is it a daddy long legs?, peers down from its position to the side of the shed.
The feeling is that while something is being supplied to Melloona that encourages intense, lush growth and giantism, too much of anything may not be good.
Aha! Raise your eyes a bit while you’re behind the Dandelion Daydreams Factory shop and you’ll see what might be the source of the growth… and the decay. And I must say, it does not look obviously benign.
Looming over the barren glade from above and behind some tall foliage is what I’m told is the Anoollem. I think it is from this sinister presence that the apparent good, but also obvious evil flows. I also think it’s a good time to head back out front of the shop again!
Amon Galadrann is a fortress like complex that sits on a natural citadel of steep rock cliffs. Except for some more conventional houses (containing some shops) down at the waterside, everything is up high, protected by sheer stone walls… and maybe dragons.
Yesterday, the LitFest Tour of Amon Galadrann explored the build from the landing point down to the caverns. Usually, one learns lots about the lore of a build from these tours. But, there’s a unique situation with Amon Galadrann. Either nobody knows its lore, or the small number who do aren’t tell’n. We are left to create our own lore.
So, that’s the visitor’s assignment as they follow the shopping path through this region. Ask yourself questions about what the things you see really are? Who put them here and for what reason? What are the people who built and live here like? And how do they tolerate so many stairs?
The first big mystery, assuming you arrived at the landing point instead of hiking the long way up the stairs, is the massive figure resting on the arch over the bridge that spans the chasm between the pinnacle of rock the landing area rests on and the main citadel.
An elven lady leans on the arch and one hand with her eyes closed. Her other hand is outstretched along the side of the path. Why did the builders put her there? She doesn’t have the posture, or indeed the expression, of a warning guardian, or a welcoming ambassador. She seems, perhaps to be pleading with some one or something? What for?
One can only conjecture and continue on into the citadel.
As you wind your way down the pathways and stairs, you’ll find shops set well back within the thick stone walls. I didn’t notice any particular theme to the shops here; a pretty eclectic bunch. If I saw more of one thing than another, it was items to decorate a faery landscape.
Along the way, there are a few more oddities. Above the buttresses at the sides of the heavy walls are sculpted dragons above great lanterns. Now these appear to be protective figures. Protection from whom? In fact, the whole fortress style of the edifice makes one wonder who the builders were defending against.
Once you make it to ground level, and explore the shops in the little houses there, you can wind your way back toward the cliffs. (You’ll pass a stair in the side of the rock pinnacle on which the landing area sits. If you’re so inclined, you can huff and puff your way all the way back up there via this winding stair.) You’ll see a curious bridge across a shallow body of water. On the other side is a great cavern.
Look closely at the large, Giants’ Causeway like columns of rock that form the floor of the cavern. The patterns in the stone are very strange. Sometimes they seem to be illuminated. Also, there’s a faintly blue glowing, very large crystal at the back of the cavern. What causes the geological anomalies? No one can say.
I’m afraid that’s all the knowledge about this region I have to impart. And even at that, it’s mostly conjecture. Should you find, or guess, something more, please do tell!
It’s day seven of Fantasy Faire 2026 and the big news is… The Quest is Open!!. The group notice went up this morning sometime before I logged in and the group IMs are now filled with people trying to find key items on the quest. Sounds like they’re having fun!
In other news, the fair RFL vendors currently report that L$5,793,849 have been donated so far, that’s somewhere around $23,000 USD. I expect that figure to keep rising rapidly, probably more rapidly as the faire reaches toward its conclusion. Last year, Fantasy Faire 2025 raised nearly $130,000 USD. Over the event’s lifetime, it has raised over a million dollars for Relay for Life. So, virtual worlds can most definitely have an impact on the real one.
Finally, my mid-morning Fairelands census totals 195 AVs. That will probably go up as we get later in the day and more people realize The Quest is open.
On to the next Fantasy Faire region I’ve been exploring.
I’ve noted in previous years that there is always at least one region that draws heavily on the darkness for its inspiration. Well, this is not that region! It is so the opposite. Stoneveil Crossing is all about light and healing.
Statues of angels watch over the area. A few are armed with swords, but not one is raised. Roses grow up the side of the light stone Classical/Gothic buildings and rose petals fall gently and steadily in a couple locations. A cold, blurry sun none the less shines brightly over the whole place, filling it with light and soft shadows.
Looking at the name ‘Stoneveil Crossing’ after touring the region, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the terms ‘veil’ and ‘crossing’ are found in it. This seems to be a place where the two sides of the great metaphorical veil come close, particularly down at the memorial, but we’ll get to that later.
The architecture of the large stone buildings could be imposing, but is not. The light coloured stone and the gentle harmony of the lighting, hues and values of the windows, climbing roses, plantings and water courses running through the area create a relaxing, calming feeling.
There are several enormous, monumental statues placed around the region. Two stand out from the shore on long stone jetties. They stand atop tall columns of the same light hued stone most of the rest of the build is made from. Each is an angelic figure facing not toward the sea/outside, but looking in toward the city. Each has an arm upraised with an empty, open hand. Their gaze is upward into the far distance.
What do they signify? They’re not conventional guardians. Those would be armed and facing outward. Indeed, they’re not guardians at all. To me, the appear to be offering a perpetual benediction over the whole of Stoneveil Crossing.
Another great statue is found looking over the memorial. (More on that in a moment.) This figure is armed, with a long sword. However, it is not raised but held at rest, pointing down. A rose vine climbs up her right side. This figure appears to be standing with eyes closed, praying or meditating.
The Memorial
Turn around from this huge figure and you see that she stands before a memorial. A semicircle of angels are collapsed in grief over pedestals, each bearing the name of somebody who has been lost. The surround a circular area partly covered in a blooming rose vine and over which a gentle shower of rose petals falls.
In the center is a curious mirror. Stand before it and it will not show you your reflection. Instead, you will see the surroundings and background in a distorted vision. If you look closely, you will see ghostly figures that you do not see outside the mirror. Are these the spirits of those who have passed on?
This is a place where the stories of the dead can be told, where they can live on. I like to think they are watched over by the angels surrounding the memorial space. If I’m feeling strong enough, before the Faire winds down, I may come back here and write a story, then commit it to the memorial.
The Shops
Oh yes, I got so wrapped up in the meaning of the place, of its look and feel, that I forgot that it’s a shopping region. Once again, to see what shops are found here, check the shop list on the Fantasy Faire 2026 web site.
Belle Epoque, one of the sponsors has definitely caught my interest before and today they did so again. I picked up a gown from a 100% donation vendor along with the event special. (Just the one style, not the fatpack. I’ve got to pace myself!)
Six days into the faire and I’m writing up my first shopping region. (And yes, I have already bought something even though I always plan to put off purchases until I’ve browsed everything.)
In the past I have meticulously listed all the shops in each region as I explore them. However, that’s both tedious and redundant. There’s a perfectly serviceable list of shops on the Fantasy Faire 2026 web site.
There’s one feature of this region that, literally, overshadows all others: The Great Mother Tree. This enormous tree stands, according to my quick check, 342m (over 1,100′) from ground level to the tip of the highest leaf. Other full sized trees growing down below look like ferns in comparison. The mother tree supports, shades, and protects everything in Ülim’Hyl. Within it, the elves who live here have constructed an entire city.
The Light
This city is all about light. It surrounds you everywhere. Crystal lamps provide light when the sun is busy elsewhere. Shafts of light penetrate all the way down to the forest floor beneath the great tree.
Follow the ascending stairs, bridges, and occasional spirals up to the shops along the brightly paved road. You will be doing a lot of stair work in this region!
One of the region’s sponsors is Teegle, so it’s no surprise that many of the shops here are dedicated to products that work with Teegle’s horses, wolves, etc. One of my many deficiencies, however, is that I have yet to get into Teegle’s world of rideable animals at all. I breezed past most of the shops here. But, if you do happen to be a Teegle user, this is the region for you!
The Dark
As mentioned above, Ülim’Hyl is all about light, but for all of that, there have been periods of darkness in its past. Signs remain if you look for them. Outbreaks of “blight”, which appears to be fungal in nature, are frequently found. Drifts of spores can sometimes been seen in corners, even in the shops. There seems quite a lot of it in the dimness at ground level.
What is the origin of the blight? I have not been able to find any information about it. It appears to be just accepted as part of the cycle of life in Ülim’Hyl.
Shops and Views
As you climb, or descend, the tree, you’ll come across areas off to the side of the path with places to sit and admire the view. They’re worth spending a moment or two at. They are not there just because the architecture included a space. They’ve been carefully chosen to provide the best views over this and adjacent regions.
Oh, by the way, the tree itself is climbable after a fashion. You can jump out on limbs and walk along them. There’s at least one place where a stair takes you along a limb where you can then walk quite a ways out from the main trunk.
The shops in this region are all super easy to find. It’s all but impossible to get lost on the path through Ülim’Hyl. At the top, are the two sponsor shops. En Pointe has a 100% to RFL product that is a UlimBlight Cap (mushroom) hat. Have to have one of those!
Ülim’Hyl is a beautiful region. Let’s face it, elves know how to do a wonderful fantasy build!
It’s now day six of Fantasy Faire 2026, and I’m way behind on my explorations. (I really must speak to some band’s promotors who schedule concerts halfway across the state in the middle of Fantasy Faire. That ended up costing me a couple of days, but it was a great show! Never the less, what were they thinking!)
So far, the faire has gathered L$4,696,685 in the cause of Relay for Life. That’s closing in on $19,000 US, and there’s still plenty of faire to go!
Kallissya hosts the Fairelands Quest: The Pilgrim’s Forest, by Aisling Sinclair. We won’t know much about the quest until it’s opened. (As of this writing, April 28th, is is not. I expect it to open any time now.) What can be said is that it’s about awakening in a forest and making many long journeys.
The Red Herring Inn
The landing point, and sort of focal point for the region, is The Red Herring Inn. Revived from earlier builds, the Red Herring is run by a surly pelican who acts as the bartender. There’s a seating area inside and, reportedly, warm stale beer can be had from the bar. There’s additional seating outside around a cooking pit and yet more out back in a pergola by the water. I’ve seen at least one large party being hosted at this venue.
Out front, there are a few more places to sit and relax along with a number of small animals, mostly rabbits. One of these, presently asleep in the cart by the door (and red flamingo) tells us that The Quest has not started yet. Presumably this bunny will awaken and change its message on the day.
Look inside the Inn at the mantlepiece to see a special sculpture placed there by the region sponsors. It’s a very touching little work.
The Village
If, from The Red Herring Inn, you turn back toward Fairelands Junction, you’ll be heading toward the village of Kallissya. Take your time crossing the three ascending bridges to admire the beautiful stream that runs along to your left. There’s also a unique windmill off up the hill which looks as if it grew there.
The region is realized from the quest story which “describes a wild and ancient land with steep hills, and deep valleys, with streams, and broad meadows.” It also describes a tiny village shaded by trees. The builder decided on thatched huts to give the place a really ancient feel. (Watch your step. There are quite a few sheep wandering the village.)
The village will have a role to play in the quest. Clues will have to be provided there and so on. So, some of its design is driven by the needs of the quest and some by happenstance and/or the designer’s vision. “The way I put things together isn’t really to ‘tell a story’ it’s more to hint at visitors that there might be a story going on if they want to hunt for it.”
The Stone and Wood Henge
From the village, you can wander a different path back in the direction of the middle of the region and find a curious place of power, a dual circle of stones and wooden posts overgrown with thorns and brambles. You’ll have to push past the overgrowth to get inside.
It looks partly new. The wooden posts are clean and show no signs of weathering or decomposition. Their carvings look fresh and clean. But the site also appears long disused. The stones are ancient and worn and, as noted, the site is becoming overgrown. Even more curiously, stones set into the ground within the ring are free from overgrowth. Perhaps the quest story will make clear what’s happening here.
Lots of Paths and Places to Find
Apart from these key locations, and there actually is a key in another location, there are many many other spots to visit in this region. There are, for example, some interesting wolves, a few “not-right” sheep, a frog pond, an unusual bright patch in the forest, a grove of otherworldly plants, a drum circle, and a cave with luminous fungus. I’m sure I haven’t stumbled on nearly everything there is to be found either.
There are so many quiet corners where you can stop and wonder. I’m lounging at one of them now as I write all this. This is such a lovely region, I may have to see if I can clear some time to actually perform the Fairelands Quest this year. We’ll see, I already have the Lost Pages region quest and a bit of writing to do in Stoneveil Crossing on my list.
For now, it’s time to go take some pictures in Ülim’Hyl.
It’s day three of Fantasy Faire 2026 and I’m sitting at a poetry reading as I catch up on some notes. So far, L$2,326,311 have been raised for Relay for Life in the first two days of the faire.
There are many events scheduled for today. For a full-ish list see this post on the faire’s web site.
Lost Pages
Last night, the first of the LitFest Tours explored the Lost Pages region. Lost Pages is the home of the ListFest (and FilmFest, TheatreFest, and PoetryFest…) activities for this year. We had a group of a little over thirty avatars touring the region last night with Saffia Widdershins leading the group and providing lots of information about the region.
Aelva Fairelander is the builder of Lost Pages. When you visit and have a look around, I’m sure you’ll agree she did a fantastic job.
As might be expected, books feature prominently in the build for LitFest’s home. Giant books tower over the visitor like tower blocks in a city. The streets are paved with book spines. Life-sized figures from Shakespeare’s plays cut from book pages can be seen all around the region. Even the sky has text scrolling across the clouds.
Books are filled with stories that build worlds in our imaginations. Lost Pages is one such world that we can all share.
LitFest Tours
We began where all of the LitFest tours will begin, in the pavilion off to the side of the Great Library. (Turn right as you step out of the library, take the stairs down and follow the sign to the LitFest Tours pavilion.)
The LitFest Tours run throughout Fantasy Faire. They began last night and the last one will be on May 9th. Each tour covers one of the regions of The Fairelands. They are lead by one of the faire ministers or, occasionally, by one or more of the builders of the region begin toured. They usually run about an hour. Some are as long as two.
Tours remaining include:
Kallissya – Sat 25th – 1:00 PM – 1 hour
UlimHyl Mon – 27th April – 11:00 AM – 1 hour
Stoneveil Crossing Mon 27th April 5:00 PM 2 hour
Amon Galadrann Tues 28th April 1:00 PM 1 hour
Melloona Wed 29th April 1:00 PM 2 hours
Canny Valley Thurs 30th April 1:00 PM 1 hour
Vervaine Moors Thurs 30th April 5:00 PM 1 hour
Lost Pages Fr1 1st May 1:00 AM 1 hour
Untamed Ink Sat 2nd 5:00 PM 1 hour
Moonfleet Bay Sun 3rd May 1:00 PM i hour
Ebonfall Aetherium Sun 3rd May 5:00 PM 2 hours
Heian Mon May 4th 5:00 PM 1 hour
Willowton Cuthbert Tues 5th May 1:00 PM 2 hours
Achroma Wed 6th May 9:00 AM 1 hour
Aventurine Promenade Wed 6th May 1:00 PM 1 hour
Golden Hour Wed 6th May 5:00 PM I hour
Fairelands Junction Thurs 7th May 5:00 PM 1 hour
Requiem Fri 8th May 1:00 PM 2 hours
Bến Tôm Rơi Sat 9th May 1:00 PM 2 hours
These events can be very popular. There were over thirty avatars at the first this season and I’ve seen over fifty a couple last year. Dress for low lag and arrive early!
The Great Library
The centerpiece of the Lost Pages build is The Great Library. A circular tower, it rises above the landing area. Inside the library, addition to a lot of books, is the venue where some presentations and interviews will be conducted. Two tables toward the front are of interest. The one on the right has a selection of books. If you click on them, you’ll receive a link where you can buy them.
The table to the left contains information about the region quest (see below).
There is also an upper gallery with a cafe/bar, tables, and chairs where you can rest for a while.
The Lost Pages Region Quest
The name of the region refers to an item now missing from The Great Library.
Amongst its many treasures, the Library contained a copy of one of the most famous and priceless books in the world – not for a rich binding of gold and jewels – indeed, it is rather a battered leather bound volume. No, this book was famed for the treasures within. For this is the Third Folio of Shakespeare’s Plays and Poems, the version which is credited with being the first definitive edition of Shakespeare’s works.
The story goes that vandals removed pages from the volume. The Lost Pages Quest is to find and identify them. They can now be found around the region as scenes from Shakespeare’s places. Find them, identify the play and what’s happening in the scene. Once you’ve found them all, submit your answers in one of the kiosks scattered about for that purpose. (You can see an example to the right of the table.)
Poetry Pavilion
Leaving The Great Library and turning left, you can head down another set of stairs and then make your way straight across the street to the Poetry Pavilion. There are poetry happenings scheduled here throughout the faire. See this schedule for them along with other events in the region.
Cafe Cinema
Head back out along the road of book spines and head past the library and, eventually, you will come upon the Cinema Cafe. As you walk, peek above the wall of books to your left, toward the center of the region. You’ll see an old up there, Hugh the book troll. As always, he’s lost in a good book.
At the Cinema cafe, you can take a seat, have some popcorn and enjoy some reels of FilmFests past. Just click twice on the large display screen behind the tables.
The FilmFest schedule is on the same page as for poetry events.
Theatre
Finally, there is the theatre for TheatreFest events. (Yep, see the same schedule.)
Throughout the faire, there will be acting workshops, auditions & casting, readthroughs, and a presentation of an original pay, “Seahorse Valley”.
Some Quiet Spots
In between these specific venues and off to the sides, also tucked in out of the way corners, are a number of quiet spots where you can sit and relax. Maybe you’d like to write some poetry, or perhaps add some lines to your journal.
Having explored two regions so far, this is my fave! (OK, not a huge sample size yet.) Even so, I’m pretty sure I’ll be back here a lot even as I explore the rest of the faire. First, there are the LitFest Tours to attend along with some of the other events. Second, it is a calm place where I can pause and put these posts together.
My fave season of flagship Second Life events has begun. Fantasy Faire 2026 kicked off at noon SLT today. It will run until May 10th. Fantasy Faire consists of twenty regions, each one designed and built by some of the most creative designers in Second Life. Exploring Fantasy Faire is always a pleasure and I have a couple weeks steady work ahead of me.
Sci-fi Con
Just as Fantasy Faire is winding down, Sci-fi Con 18 should be starting up on May 9th, running until June 9th. There’s very little information available for Sci-fi Con as yet. At the moment, I believe they are still renting out booths.
SLB
Finally, June 18th to July 19th is reserved for Second Life’s 23rd birthday celebration, SL23B. The actual birthday is June 23rd. The theme this year is The Golden Age of Hollywood. Time to dig out my oversized sunglasses and academy award ceremony gowns. (I’m ready for my closeup Mr. DeMille!)
Fantasy Faire 2026
To get started exploring Fantasy Faire 2026, you’ll want to start at Fairelands Junction. Most of the Junction, including the landing area, is underwater this year. So take a deep breath before you teleport!
As usual, the landing area at Fairlands Junction is surrounded by information kiosks and portals to other regions in The Fairelands. Look for panels around the landing area for information on Roleplay Adventures, Pilgrim’s Forest (the Fairlands Quest for this year), Masked Ball, Film Festival. There are also the usual teleport HUD giver and group joiner. They’re near the center of the landing area.
There are a host of other events on offer as well. All the standards from years past are back this time. Region hunts, LitFest, Silent Auction, Live Auction, dancing and live DJs at The Fairechylde, they’re all here again. Browse the events tab in the Fantasy Faire 2026 web site for details and even more events.
Surrounding the deep underwater landing area are tall coral columns. In the base of each one is a portal to one of the other regions in The Fairelands. You can just touch a portal or use the teleport HUD to navigate to the next area you wish to explore. (You can also walk. Each way out of the landing area will lead to an ascending walkway that will take you to an adjacent region… eventually. You might also, depending on which way you turn, be rewarded with a look at this year’s ten worldlings, small essays in world building you can view as you walk the path.
As usual, most of the regions are shopping regions. Each shop has at least two, and some have many more, items whose purchase will directly go to Relay for Life.
LitFest Tours
Readers of my previous obsessive blog posts about earlier Fantasy Faires will know that my favourite activities are the LitFest Tours. Each region in The Fairelands is designed around with its own theme, mythos and backstory. Knowing them really enhances the experience of exploring the region. The LitFest tours are group walks through each region with a guide presenting the story behind the build. I almost always wait to write up a post about each region until after I’ve had a chance to go through the LitFest tour.
Here’s this year’s schedule. (You can also find it at the website.)
The Lost Pages – Fri 24th April – 5:00 PM – 1 hour
Kallissya – Sat 25th – 1:00 PM – 1 hour
UlimHyl Mon – 27th April – 11:00 AM – 1 hour
Stoneveil Crossing Mon 27th April 5:00 PM 2 hour
Amon Galadrann Tues 28th April 1:00 PM 1 hour
Melloona Wed 29th April 1:00 PM 2 hours
Canny Valley Thurs 30th April 1:00 PM 1 hour
Vervaine Moors Thurs 30th April 5:00 PM 1 hour
Lost Pages Fr1 1st May 1:00 AM 1 hour
Untamed Ink Sat 2nd 5:00 PM 1 hour
Moonfleet Bay Sun 3rd May 1:00 PM i hour
Ebonfall Aetherium Sun 3rd May 5:00 PM 2 hours
Heian Mon May 4th 5:00 PM 1 hour
Willowton Cuthbert Tues 5th May 1:00 PM 2 hours
Achroma Wed 6th May 9:00 AM 1 hour
Aventurine Promenade Wed 6th May 1:00 PM 1 hour
Golden Hour Wed 6th May 5:00 PM I hour
Fairelands Junction Thurs 7th May 5:00 PM 1 hour
Requiem Fri 8th May 1:00 PM 2 hours
Bến Tôm Rơi Sat 9th May 1:00 PM 2 hours
These tours can be very popular. I usually try to get there early.
I believe the tours will be starting not far from the entrance to The Great Library in Lost Pages.
Time To Get Exploring!
That’s all the pre-work I have time for tonight! I’m off to start looking around some more.
This is looking like a very busy Fantasy Faire. I counted some 550 residents exploring The Fairlands a couple hours ago.
Here’s yet another of many answers to the question “what do you do in Second Life?”. Among many other thigns, we gather to listen to live musicians.
On any given evening, pretty much independent of when evening may be where you are, there will be a number of venues hosting live musicians. They’re a mix of singer-songwriters, cover players, guitarists, pianists, or singers to recorded backing tracks. They’re all live and performing for audiences in Second Life.
One of the reasons I haven’t posted for a while is that I’ve been spending lots of time attending inworld concerts. (That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it!)
The first night of my dedicated research, I caught Anderson Parkes singing and playing at Acoustic Buzz. He has quite a nice voice, an extensive track list and takes requests. I had quite an enjoyable hour dancing along as he sang. (Hour long sets are pretty much the norm in Second Life.)
AMforte Performing at Free Spirit Farms
The next night, I landed at Free Spirit Farms to catch my all time fave Second Life musician, Amforte. Settling in for her set, I listened to a mix of mostly original songs and some covers on piano and guitar. I try to catch her whenever one of her sets and some free time in world line up for me.
Next up was another fine musician, Grace Loudon. She performs with piano and voice. Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay for her whole set. Before poofing I heard a bit of Heart, Christina Aguilera.
Dancing while trying not to look like I’m posing for a selfie at Free Spirit Farms
Finding Live Music
How do you find out where to go in Second Life to listen to live music? The easiest way is to use the Destination Guide. There’s a section specifically for live music venues. Bring that page up and have a look at the avatar count in the listing. If there are more than a couple of people there, odds are there’s somebody playing live.
There’s also inworld search. A quick general, moderate search of places and destination guide for “live music” returned almost 1,500 results.
Anderson Parkes playing a set at the Frogg’s Hop Inn
The next venue I looked in at, another night, was The Frogg’s Hop Inn. I was there to catch ΔMFOЯTÉ again (of course) but stayed on for Anderson Parkes set as well. That’s two full hours of music performed live for me and the rest of the crowd in the venue.
(It’s not always easy to come up with two hours to devote to dancing and listening to music. A secret tip: in Second Life, nobody can tell if you’re doing the household accounting on the side while your showing off your moves in world.)
The crowd gathers for ΔMFOЯTÉ’s set at The Frogg’s Hop Inn
Joining In
For those who’ve never done anything like this in Second Life, how do you join in? It’s not at all hard.
Once you land at the venue, you’ll want to be sure that you’re getting the audio from the performer. If your viewer is not starting audio streams automatically (and you’ll know that if you hear nothing but silence when you land), then all you need to do is activate the audio manually. Click on the little musical notes icon in the top-right of the viewer (Firestorm), or the little play icon arrow (standard viewer). In the mobile viewer, it will be a setting in the parcel information panel.
Note that every performer has their own stream and that the venue usually has their own so that there’s something playing when there’s not a musician on stage. The parcel’s stream setting will change every time the musician playing on stage changes. You may need to stop and start your viewer’s audio to catch up with the change. Most times it’s automatic, but if everybody else hears them, but you don’t, try toggling the setting.
Want to dance along? Nearly every venue has a dance ball somewhere near the stage. Click it and it will animate you with a dance and possibly give you a menu of options. I have a huge collection of my own dance animations. I usually pull one that matches the style and tempo of the music.
You’ve never done this before and you’re totally confused? No problem. Most of the time there will be a venue host or hostess on hand and often a representative of the artist who can help you if you message them. If neither of those options are available, you can always IM another attendee. We’re nearly all friendly and happy to help somebody get into the SL music scene.
(I would not message the artist. They’ve a lot to juggle with music equipment and technology just to get the sound from them to us. They’re very busy.)
Zak Claxton singing and playing guitar on The Enchanted Stage at Templemore City
Tipping
I’ve never seen a cover charge at a Second Life music venue. That’s not to say they don’t exist, I just haven’t seen one… in almost eighteen years.
The musicians and venues largely get by on tips. Tipping is optional, of course, but if you find you enjoy live music in Second Life, and want it to continue to be available, tossing a few L$ into the virtual guitar case is the least you can do.
There are usually at least three people/groups working for tips at one of these events. There’s the artist, naturally. There’s the venue itself, and there’s often a host. Look around for objects labeled “Tip Jar” or something similar. There will usually be one for each.
How much to tip? Up to you really. Often when you pay the tip jar, some suggested amounts will pop up. I usually cough up at least a few hundred L$. That’s only a little over a buck US in RL. I could probably do better 😉.
Listening to Zak Claxton at The Enchanted Stage
Another night, another venue and another performer: Zak Claxton was playing a set at The Enchanted Stage at Templemore City. (See Templemore City in the destination guide.) Zak has a good sound and a somewhat different track list from other cover signers. I found him a refreshing change. (As I did the stage itself. A magical environment!)
Another bit about joining in, if you find somebody you really like, have a look at their tip board on or near the stage. There will very often be a group joiner on the board as well. If you join the group, you’ll hear about upcoming concerts and not have to just search for them.
A band with several players performs at Streaming Falls
The next stop for my intensive research was Streaming Falls, where not just a single musician, but a whole band was playing. Frogg Marlow w/ Edward Lowell, Wizard Sideshow, Twostep Spiritweaver all performing on the same stage. This is something of a rarity. In fact, I don’t think I’d seen it before. As to why, we’ll have to go down a…
Rabbit Hole: How Does All This Work?
Every land parcel in Second Life has an audio stream associated with it that may be set by the parcel’s owner. That’s the stream your viewer is connecting to when you arrive at the venue and activate your player.
On the other end, the musician will have their microphone(s) and instruments plugged into a converter and fed into a computer. There they will have software such as Mixxx, VirtualDJ, or Traktor running which will translate their audio into a stream and send it up to the server of a streaming provider. There will be a public stream URL associated with that and that is the stream that is set in the parcel.
(If you want to get into the business, there are several stream providers in Second Life digiStream, LuschAudio, and Audio Solutions to name just a few. And there’s no need to use a Second Life based provider. Any streaming service that can produce ShoutCast streams will do. You just need a public URL for the stream you can feed to the parcel audio.)
While it’s not super simple, it’s not rocket science either for the solo singer/musician. There’s no easy way to synchronize and combine different streams however. The group playing at Streaming Falls mentioned a daisy chained stream. I can only imagine that they have a string of musicians one of whose feed is picked up by the next who adds their own audio. The next one in the line picks up that stream and adds their own, and so on. I’m not sure how many times you can do this before the sound of the earlier stages in the chain start to break down, but with the four on stage that night, things worked reasonably well.
That’s a very quick look at a tiny sliver of the wide live music scene in Second Life. If you are interested and want a good place to check out a wide variety of music, SL23B is coming up in June. For the first week of the event, there are usually live DJs and musicians going 24 hours a day on three or more stages. It’s a great place to find some artists you’d like to hear more from.
I’m putting this post together while listening to AMFORTE, and earlier Zak Claxton, play live at the Enchanted Stage at Templemore City. I’m not frivolously wasting time! I’m gathering material for a later post. Honest. Either way, they both played incredible sets.
In case you missed it, spring gifts for Premium and Premium Plus accounts were announced in a recent blog post. Premium members may pick them up here, Premium Plus members, here.
This gift drop is packed with all kinds of things you can add to your garden for a great spring update. Having just recently thawed out my ground level garden – the snow only melted away a week or two ago at Altawood – the timing is perfect.
Inside the Premium Plus pack there is:
Bee Hotel (or hive) Free standing and hanging models.
Bird House Likewise, free standing or hanging.
A Butterfly Box
Three kinds of Finch Rezzers Bull, Gold, and House
Garden Basket Wearable and decor
Garden Bench For two sitters
Potted Herbs
Seed Packet Display
Sir Croakwell A smartass bullfrog garden sculpture
and a Watering Can Wearable and decor
The birdhouses, and bee hotels (one of which can be seen in the background below and to the right of the bird house) each rez random bird and bee sprites around themselves and generate appropriate sound effects. Both add a little motion and soundscape to your garden’s spring.
The finch rezzers are very nice. Each can be set to rez a number of birds in a given radius. I’ve set one in a tree to produce three goldfinches within a 7m radius. This adds yet more movement and sound to my awakening garden.
I was a little alarmed when I rezzed the butterfly box. Looking at the box after it appeared, I was worried that I would open it to find a collection of butterflies pinned to cardstock with labels. Not the case. Opening the butterfly box unleashes magic that rezzes a constant supply of butterflies. I didn’t really have a spot for a box like this in my garden, so it went back into my inventory. I may have a use for it elsewhere.
For the rest of the pack: the bench is a bench. I rezzed a copy by the stream. The potted herbs and seed display rack are just what they say they are. I didn’t have a spot for either, but others might. The basket and watering can could help out with classic cottagecore decor.
Finally, there’s Sir Croakwell, a monocle sporting bullfrog sculpture in copper who starts dispensing “wisdom” as soon as he’s rezzed. (He does note that you can opt out of his remarks.) For now I’ve left him near the high grass and bee hotel. I’m not sure if he’s a fit for the landscape yet or not. Sometimes you have to live with these things for a while before you can be sure.
So, that’s a quick look at what’s in the Premium Plus spring gift collection. I’m not sure what’s included in the Premium package. If I find out soon, I’ll add a quick update post.
If you have a Premium or Premium Plus account, do drop by one of the gift kiosks and collect your loot. I’m sure you’re inventory can take the relatively minor hit 😉
Thinking Outside the Plywood Box 