The Secret Life of SL Mermaids

Mermaids and merfolk thrive in Second Life (SL), which has a zero-gravity dance environment for those brave enough to put on their tail and leave their legs behind. Landwalkers is the derrogatory term for SL people who haven't yet embraced the inherent beauty and bliss of being free forever from gravity and styles constrained by mere humanoid vanity.

Second Life is a place where people express freedom in many ways. Being merfolk is a particularly fun and empowering experience. As merfolk, we swim through joy in SL, enjoying complete freedom from gravity in our dances and Animation Overrides (AO). On Land and Undersea! Yeah!

My complete transformation to mer came this week. It was the second time in SL when I felt completely jurassic. I was with club owner Liz Harley, we were both mer, but she has such a killer AO that I was completely floored... JURASSIC ME!! EEEEK! I begged her for the SL landmark (LM), which she offered generously.

What an Amazing Store! OMG! Imagine Koi Goldfish outfits... done up with Japanese Kimono belts... and totally awesome AO animations... I had to have it all!!! No more Jurassic me! Now I'm full time merfolk for sure! (We shall see! Hee Hee!)

Anyways, today I got a group IM from Marybelle Lavender on Merfolk of SL. Oh, Merfolk party now at Hercules! Hmmm okies great! I'm in the gig!

Come round to Hercules for free merman and mermaid outfits!!! I plan to make up a kit for my students will full instructions on how to go mer!

Master of ceremonies at the Hercules gig was Xia Ysabel who has a very unusual merfolk avi, with octopus tentacles. Most merfolk avis have gorgeous fish tails. Way cool to discover the next generation of merfolk looks! Wow!

Also joining us for the merfolk dance party was Ellender Donner, and Psyche Spore, who is a wonderful dance hostess. Phoenix Ishmene arrived a little after the start and stayed later too.

I've been interested in SL merfolk culture since my early appearances in The Light Dancer's shows with Cellandra Zon. The first act of our first show was done in mermaid outfits, and I shall always cherish the beauty of those scenes (use them in my profile to this day).

Lately, I see a major growth in merfolk participation and adoption in SL. Previously, you've rarely seen them. Now, it's actually quite unusual not to have a merfolk or two in any given SL audience. Especially since I'm going full time mer just now! LOL

Musicians are a major factor driving the adoption of merfolk looks and culture. In particular Louis Landon's new CD is Solo Piano for Love, Peace & Mermaids.

Well, I hope you can find a minute to stop by Sea of Hercules, pick up your free merfolk outfit and give it a whirl. Try the merfolk dance ball there... Way fun! Being merfolk is a particularly joyous celebration of life that is truly at the core of SL fun.

-- Any1 Gynoid

Article originally in CNN

A Glance at the Second Life Coast Guard

While looking around at the SL7B, I came across an exhibit near the auditorium with a Coast Guard helicopter and a few vessels. Upon closer inspection, they read Second Life Coast Guard. One of the sailors was nearby, a neko with a parrot on her shoulder, Chakku451 Rieko. I had a talk with Chakku about what the SL Coast Guard does in the Metaverse.


Bixyl Shuftan: So how big is the Coast Guard in Second Life?

Chakku451 Rieko: Well, there are several Coast Guard groups in SL, like there are several police groups. The SLCG is not an official arm of Linden Labs, nor do we act as law enforcement.

Bixyl Shuftan: Where was your particular Coast Guard group?

Chakku451 Rieko: We're quite active throughout the SL waterways. My particular station is in Kirkstone.

Bixyl Shuftan: Was there just one ship there, or a few?

Chakku451 Rieko: We have one cutter belonging to the station commander. The boat commanders get a Defender class patrol boat and an Atlantic class RiB boat for patrols. Our air wing uses Dolphin class helicopters.

Bixyl Shuftan: What kinds of missions do the ships go on?

Chakku451 Rieko: We provide courtesy patrols and escorts for sailing events and do patrols to check for prim litter and navigation hazards throughout SL.

Bixyl Shuftan: Prim litter? Is it mostly just a nusciance?

Chakku451 Rieko: I usually find boats washed up on the shore after the owner has crashed during a sim crossing. Seems like most of my boating excursions end with me standing on the seabed with an upset parrot on my shoulder.

Bixyl Shuftan: Heh, the idea of a pet bird is nice.

Chakku451 Rieko: Thank you. Sansara can be a handful at times. ... I acquired him from a pirate.

Bixyl Shuftan: Oh? How did that come about?

Chakku451 Rieko: My RL brother was an independent pirate, meaning he didn't belong to a group. He gave me Sansara when he left SL. ... Let's just say he has a sailor's vocabulary.

Sansara : Hey! I'm the bravest parrot on the Grid.

Bixyl Shuftan: (chuckles) I take it there are also some RP (roleplaying) missions?

Chakku451 Rieko: We don't RP so much as offer assistance. We do the occasional demonstration, but for the most part we try to help out any boaters having issues.

Bixyl Shuftan: Have there been any incidents that stand out from others?

Chakku451 Rieko: Well...my very first patrol was for a series of boat races called the J-Classic, named after the boat that was used. During my patrol, I was approached by a pair of nude women in a sailboat who were looking for pirates. I didn't ask them, but I got the impression they wanted to be taken prisoner

Bixyl Shuftan: Women who wanted to be taken by pirates?

Chakku451 Rieko: They were really nice about avoiding the race route. Yes, I believe that's what they were looking for.

Bixyl Shuftan: Did you do anything about them?

Chakku451 Rieko: There wasn't really anything I could do. It was a mature sim and they weren't really causing any trouble. I gave them a copy of the race route and asked them to try to avoid getting in the middle of a race, which they readily agreed to do. ... Oh, my rank is Command Master Chief.

Bixyl Shuftan: The highest enlisted rank?

Chakku451 Rieko: Yes, I'm the Executive Officer of Muirhead Station. So I'm CMC (there).

Bixyl Shuftan: How long does it usually take someone in the SL Coast Guard to rise in the ranks?

Chakku451 Rieko: It depends. I was offered an officer rating when I requested to be assigned to Muirhead Station, but expressed a preference to remain in the enlisted ranks.

Chakku gave me an LM of Muirhead, as well as a notecard with a little information, and we bid each other farewell, and went our separate ways. I later went to the station, and found it to be well detailed, both the equipment and vessels.

The SL Coast Guard also has a website at: http://www.slcoastguard.org/ Both the website and the notecards Chakuu provided stated the organization made a strong emphasis of boat safety.

Bixyl Shuftan