Ludo Merit and the Prism Walk

The best way to interview people at a grid-wide Second Life event is simply to do a shout out. I'd taken pictures of SL8's birthday party on my real-life vacation. I wanted only those interested in networking with me to come forward so I said in the group chat, "Who wants to be interviewed?" One of the first people to reply was Ludo Merit.

The concept for Merit’s Prism Hero Walk was created in the late 1980s. She first considered her idea a game.

"But as I developed it in Second Life, I began to see that my 'market' is not gamers, but helpers and those who needed help," Merit expressed. "I played with the idea for years, and then I heard about SL and came here specifically to develop it."

She read Sam Keen's "The Passionate Life' and Max Luscher's "The Luscher Color Test" at the same time and put the two together. Shortly after she read about Joseph Campbell's hero journey and went to the Mythic conferences in Georgia, she merged the colors of the hero journey with Sam Keen's life stages.

"Because we are all heroes, and each of these steps is a step in the life of a hero according to Campbell, it's called a hero's journey rather than an individual's. The journey was created from myths and legends from all over the world.

After teleporting to the Prism Hero Walk sim, read the directions inside the building on the floor. Begin by standing on the brown square. Click on the picture on the wall to get information, which appears in local chat. There are 11 more and the colors represent the following:

Brown tells of your parents’ unconditional love and need to protect you. It helps you to understand why you leave the safety of your home to explore.

Yellow declares a child's need to explore. You make friends and discover they have different approaches to play and lifestyle.

Gray symbolizes the beginning of rebellion and finding one's own path.

Purple is the age of self discovery. Drifting, dreaming and setting goals.

Red has you coming forward to take your place in society. You have to prove you’re worthy of a quest.

Chartreuse places you into your quest and down the path of obstacles.

Black signals loss and the desire to get it back.

Aqua is returning from the journey, tired, scarred and having personal growth.

Green names you as an experienced member of society. You are now known for your wisdom.

Orange has you recognizing the fact that change is necessary.

Violet symbolizes the jester/fool who is not afraid to express him or herself.

Blue leads you to the realization that your quest has ended and now you can focus on yourself.

"People who read and answer the questions for themselves, I hope, see that their lives are very much like the Campbell hero life," said Merit. "Most of all, know that you are a hero, that we all are heroes and every kind of hero is needed.

To get to the Prism Heroes Walk, head to Prism Lila (60, 59, 22)


Netera Landar

Last Call for Fun at the 2010 RFL Track

Just before the sims for the 2009 Relay for Life Walk were taken down, the teams held a “teardown party.” I never found out if it was planned, or came about spontaneously, but it was quite a sight, with everyone whooping it up, builders, team captains and officers, and bystanders such as a certain reporter.

I expected something similar this year. But it didn’t quite happen like last year. After the Walk was over, many of the officers in the Passionate Redheads group either dropped out of sight or were on little. As it turned out, the Redheads had to deal with a number of problems this year, many of the people getting sick, having to help family, or otherwise had to deal with real-life problems. Combined with the “Great Recession” as the current economy is sometimes labeled as having, the Redheads endured what one called “a perfect storm” of trouble that could easily stall a fundraiser in its tracks. And still, the team managed to raise thousands in US dollars.

Maybe the other big teams were having similar trouble. I didn’t hear of one big last party, though did notice a number of small gatherings on the map on Tuesday July 20th, the last day before the builds were to be torn down. Deciding to drop in on one, I found a gathering of people at a beach scene, with plastic pails and kiddie shovels, sand mounds one could bury themselves in to their necks, with a huge sand castle in the middle. It turned out that the DJ here was also broadcasting into the radio stream over the RFL track area. Redhead builder Shockwave Yarearch also dropped by, joining in the dancing for a while.

As the party went on, the DJ gave an announcement. One of the track sim managers had raised the water level by ten meters, flooding the place. A little later, he described people going over to party over there, and more and more of the people at the beach party headed over. I was among them, teleporting over to the sim, and indeed it was all wet, trees with water up to their leaves and buildings with water halfway up the walls. Unlike a real-life flood, no damage done here, though.

Someone began passing around ducky inner tubes. They really couldn’t keep you afloat without a swimmer AO, but fortunately I remembered I had one. More began appearing, a few others probably using some kind of AO to help them float. Others deployed umbrellas and floated around like Mary Poppins. Then a boat showed up, captained by someone looking like a pirate, and someone else in a tiny duck avatar on board. It was certainly weather for ducks at one point when rain began coming down. Rain is pretty rare in Second Life, and for some it was the first they had seen it.

People were having a great time, laughing and joking, and then came the fish puns, “Oh my cod!” “I did it for the halibut.” “I’m calling the carps.” People even talked about doing a water sim next Relay, selling mermaid/merman avatars and swimmer AOs for charity.

More recently, I did hear of a party the Redheads will be having to celebrate their success at the Relay, on Saturday August 14th at 10 AM. Enough time for those most involved to take a well-deserved rest.

But it’s that spur of the moment party at the flooded sim that to me represents the final bash of the 2010 Relay for Life track.

Bixyl Shuftan

More Scenes From The RFL Walk

Some more scenes from the Relay for Life Walk on July 17 & 18th.

The Passionate Redheads, at least those visible through the lag, going past the Roma camp. In ancient times, surgery to remove tumors was sometimes done, though without the benefit of painkillers.

A lady from Roma, dressed to kill, making her walk.

A dwarf and a human from a Fantasy RFL group.

One of the few feral avatars on the track, this little critter hopes to "ferret" some donations.

Sim down due to lag. Too many Redheads on the track?

One of the karjia (servants) from the "Goreans for Life."

Meeting with the lioness Kamiliah Hauptman, Vicerine of Caledon, at the Caledonian camp.

A child avie makes her way down the track.

Another feral running down the track, flag in hand, or rather jaw.

With the lag, sometimes it seemed like you were the only one on the track.

One advantage of the Relay on Second Life, the only TP you had to worry was there stood for "teleport."
A lady dressing up for the "Caring & Curing" hour on Sunday morning. "Helllllooooooooo nurse!"
A cancer survivor at the Redhead base, Sunday morning.

This picture was contributed by one of the Redheads, showing the display of fireworks at the close of the Relay for Life Walk.

Bixyl Shuftan

RFL: Scenes from The Walk

There were far more pictures taken of the Relay for Life Walk than could be fitted in the article on July 20. So here are a few.


A picture contributed by one of the Redheads, showing us cheering the walkers on.


Skylark had the only 'taur avatar that I noticed. Despite the lag, the back legs seemed to move okay.



A picture from Daaneth, showing him and Sabine on the Walk.


A screenshot of the map by Sabine, showing hundreds of avatars on the track.


A friend from the old newspaper, Glitter Xeltentat.

Bixyl Shuftan