GoSpeed Racer On Her Published Novels

By Bixyl Shuftan

Many longtime residents know GoSpeed Racer (GoSpeed Rasere) as a DJ for many of Bay City's events and the owner of the KONA Internat radio station, as well as for being "Cleverly Named" after a character in cartoons. But she's also a published writer. She has written three novels inspired by Second Life, under her real life name R. Jacques. The third was just recently published on Amazon. I recently went to interview her about them.

We met up at her place near KONA Stream Studios. "Welcome," she greeted, "It's three levels, an underground, the surface, and my private studio up in the sky." I noticed a statue on the grounds which looked like the one on her cover in the third book, and made a note to bring it up later. We walked inside and sat down.

"So to begin with," I asked, "what gave you the idea for the stories?" "Several things," GoSpeed answered, "I've always been a science fiction fan. In Second Life I've been exposed to so many other people's imagination. Especially potent was their roleplay experiences. Many roleplay groups have forums packed full of storylines generated in SL." When I asked which ones were her favorites, she responded, "Oh, I never participated. I don't have the time or motivation to get so deeply involved. Bedsides, being 'GoSpeed' is enough for me to begin with (smile). Like many of us, my SL avatar is a character of our own making which only partially represents our true selves."

I then asked when did she start writing her first book. As it turned out, she had earlier projects before her published works, "I did start a short story back in 2009, but I never finished. Fast-forward to 2015 and my favorite podcaster/author did a two-part podcast about writing novels. It was then I decided to take the plunge and begin writing. I wrote a 20,000 word short space opera novel. It's pretty rough, I must admit. But I plan to revise and release it one day.

Her attention turned to her first published novel, Raser's War, "My first released novel I began in 2016. It was an origin story of sorts about GoSpeed and how she and her fellow NPCs in a futuristic virtual world gained their independence, but in the process, lose their innocence. Some 500 years in the future, mankind is at peace. That also implies life can be a bit boring of course, so many people seek entertainment and fulfillment in virtual space. GoSpeed is a virtaul resident of one world, Simvie Loko. Her kind, the NPCs, serve human users. As you may know, Utopias are never perfect. And humans plan a rebellion against authority, a world-ruling artificial intelligence named Gaiana. Gaiana hates dissent, so he sends forces into Simvie Loko to root out the rebels. The rebels fight back, and GoSpeed is recruited to fight with the rebels."

On the cover of her second book, We Built This City, Bay City is prominently featured on the cover. "It is a continuation of GoSpeed's journey," she called it, "The new world she lives in has less meaning. Her life on the island is not what she wants, so she goes to Bay City to find a new life. The story is much darker as GoSpeed loses her way and gets involved in activities she'd never dream of doing in her past life: PTSD, Loss of a relationship, losing her place in society.

"We Built This City is the most Second Life relatable of the three stories. I included (with their permission) many residents of Bay City, (such as) Marianne McCann, Uccello Poultry, Pygar Bu, Thomas Hooker." I asked what the residents thought of their cameos. Racer answered, "Oh, they loved them! Oh, there is one caveat I used when writing about SL avatars. The basic premise behind 21st Century avatars in a 25th century simulation was that they were modeled after social media found in Internet archives. You may recall news stories about how it is possible to recreat personalities based on social media postings? Say you have hundreds or thousands of pictures, blog posts, etc... You could come up with a personality. Using that as a premise, the characters I wrote tended to deviate to a degree compared to how they act now." Some had comparable roles, such as Marianne's counterpart being the city's mayor and that of blogger Uccello being a TV journalist.

This time, the main antagonist is a criminal organization. "There is a neighboring city that was sourced from a late 1940s noire themed game (like L.A. Noire) run by the mafia," GoSpeed explained, "Angel City, a pseudo Los Angeles, actually." There's also more than just the mafia separating the two communities, "As you can imagine, there would be a clash of cultures and values between a mid 20th century people and a mid 21st century group." Among the characters are a couple whom had been cryogenicaly frozen in the 21st Century whose minds are uploaded into the virtual world to inhabit avatars.

Recently published this month was her third book, The Bounding Main. "The third novel wraps up a few storylines and opens up the world of Simvie Loko to new lands," GoSpeed explained, "The first novel was about a loss of innocence. The second was the fall from grace. The thrid ias about forgiveness and starting anew. To get into the meat of the story, a new civilization is detected in a region of Simvie Loko that was off-limits. GoSpeed joins a joint expedition between Angel City and the ordinary citizens. They venture south to contact these new countries, and of course, things wind up being more complicated than they imagined."

I brought to her attention the statue on the cover, which was like the one in her yard. "Yes, a Roman centurion," she told me, then smiled, "which is relevant to the storyline. There are 'Romans' in the story." But these weren't exactly what we usually think of, "NPCs (aka Citizens) are from the 25th century. 49ers, residents of Angel City, are 20th century relics. The new countries they discover are from different parts of history, and alternate history to be precise. Remember the Star Trek episode with the planet that had 20th century Romans? Kinda like that."

I then asked if she was planning another book in the series. "This particualr series is finished," GoSpeed answered, "but there are other contemporary stories in Simvie Loko I can write about. I plan to write an anthology of short stories about various characters and locales in the world, like, the founding of Bay City, the first days of Angel City's arrival and the chaos that followed. You can only put so much in a novel. I want to give a few characters their due. It's also a form of world building too."

"After my anthology I plan to write about some of the characters leaving the virtual world and inhabiting android bodies. Two of them, Abba and Ravishal were sent to Mars to finish the job Abba started decades before. Her origin is alluded to in the first novel." So some of the virtual characters do end up in the real world, "Space is very harsh to human bodies. So, why not send androids with human personalities? ... To quote Elton John, Mars is cold as hell. Plus the radiation is pretty harsh too."

GoSpeed hoped that her novels would inspire others in Second Life to start writing, "There is a VAST amount of creativity here and so many stories that can be told. If I can self publish, then anyone so inclined can." She mentioned Book Island, saying aspiring writers could head there and share excerpts, "You can read them aloud or have the hostess, Selina Greene read them in voice chat. I shared scenes here and there as I wrote them. It is nice and informative to hear your writing read."

GoSpeed's novels can be purchased through Amazon on her page there (link) and Smashwords (link). On Saturday March 30, there will be a discussion about The Bounding Main at Book Island at Noon SL time.

Bixyl Shuftan

Kitacelia and Raising Horses

By Deaflegacy

I got a chance to interview Kitacelia (Kἶէმƈεlἶმ Lմἶղƈօɾἶმlօէε Kεlνმɾl) for her role in the horse business in Second Life.  Over time, I have gotten some horses from her.  So I felt if there's someone who knows about them in Second Life and can tell others, it's her.

My first question to Kitacelia was how long has she been breeding horses. She answered,  “ABC horses I have bred for about a year and half now.  I bred another type of horse as well but they are less realistic and cost extra to make pets after they are done breeding.”

I was curious about what was her favorite part about having ABC horses, so asked.  “The fact that they are realistic looking horses in size, the different breeds, etc.” Kitacelia answered.

I then asked Kitacalia how much longer she is going to continue in the horses business.  “Hmm well as long as I am able to, and as long as I enjoy it, I suppose,” she replied.

Besides raising horses, Kitacelia spends some time as a club hostess. She works at Club Zero Gravity, the Happy Vixen, and other places, getting the word out about events and greeting people as they enter the club.

Before we ended the interview, I told Kitacelia that she is an inspiration because she raises horses and helps others to get the them. I also told her that I would definitely recommend her business to the others.  I also said that I would also include the landmarks where the others can buy her horses from.

Here are the places where you can get Kitacelia's horses:

Dark Moon Rising ABC pony pen Kitacelia
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Helmsgarde/129/33/21

Dark Moon Rising ABC Stockyard
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Helmsgarde/87/34/21

MG NEW BEGINNINGS MARES
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/DYNASTY%20BEACHES/131/225/21

MG NEW BEGINNINGS
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/DYNASTY%20BEACHES/114/210/21

Hope you have fun raising horses too.

Deaflegacy

Ari at Creations Park

By Deaflegacy

Ari (Arisia Vita) is a piano player in Second Life. I recently went to one of his events. The party was held at Creations Park (168, 168, 1) as it usually happens every Tuesday from 12 pm to 1 pm SLT.  There are mermaids at the ball, dancing as Ari plays the piano, often with help from Carleonie.  Unfortunately, during the event, real life kept interrupting my listening (and covering for the Newser).  I am sure that I would be going back to the event again next week.  But I did catch up to Ari and Carleonie to ask them questions about the event that I missed.

I asked Ari how the concert was.  “Ok,” he replied, “It was very nice.”  I then asked if there was many people at the concert. “Yes, and each one special, for different reasons,” he answered.  I noticed at the concert, even with real life interrupting often, that Ari had Carleonie helping him.  “She helps me by just being close to me,” he told me.  I then asked him if is going to continue performing at the concert for as long as he can.  “Yes, I would like to,” Ari told me.  I thanked him, and moved on to his music event partner, Carleonie.

I asked Carleonie how the concert was.  “Oh it has been very nice," she told me with a smile, "Everyone loved the music, as always. (smile) Ari had prepared a very nice playlist.  I like it, too.”  I told her that I noticed that she was helping Ari.  I wanted to know how she likes helping him out.  She smiled, “I love it.  And I feel honored, that he asks me to do so. And since I have helped him two or three times, now it has become already some kind of tradition.”  I was curious to see if Carleonie would continue to help Ari out every Tuesday from 12 pm to 1pm. She answered, “When I am able to log on I surely will do so with pleasure.”  I thanked her.

They do make lovely piano music every Tuesday afternoon, from 12 pm to 1 pm.  They would go to Creations Park to play their music.  There are mermaids at the concert, always with a contest.  If anyone is interested in listening to piano music as well as hanging out with the mermaids, I would encourage them to go to Creations Park.

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Creations%20Park/168/168/1

Deaflegacy

What's New With The Dragon Crew

By Bixyl Shuftan

Second Life has no shortage of DJs. But few are teams whose personality interactions are great entertainment for their listeners. And even fewer have the appearance of a dragon. The combination makes the Dragon Crew a unique musical team in Second Life entertainment. Made up of DJ Geekil, whom has been DJing in SL for years in his dragon avatar, his partner JB Raccoon, whom while not being in the virtual world nearly as long had quickly emerged as a talented music player, and LS Raccoon, whom sometimes acts as the hostess for the two men, the "Epic Failure Show" or "Dragon and Raccoon Show" as they've often called themselves has entertained many crowds. Interviewed by the Newser in December 2017, recently they requested to meet up to talk a little about a few things that have changed since then.

Among the recent changes is that due to real life, JB can't quite take part as often as he used to. "I do not participate on Tuesdays or Wednesdays because of my health," he told me. Geerkyl scoffed at the explanation, "That's the excuse he's using." So the Dragon Crew has taken on a new co-DJ for Geerkil, "I have a replacement staff member for Tuesdays and Wednesdays." The new member of the crew is Applebloom (JeanetteDJennet Resident), whom is almost always in a pony avatar. "So when I say hay is for horses," the dragon mused, "Applebloom will agree."

So how did the little pony end up part of the Dragon Crew? Meeting up with the two at the Happy Vixen beach club, the dragon answered, "I sat on her, and she liked it," Geerkil chuckled, "NOT!" Applebloom responded with a "Hrumph!" I asked about a rumor I heard that if he did that again, she'd use "pony magic" to give him the most girly cutie mark she could think of on his behind. Geerkil answered, "She did offer a mark I would never ewver forget, every time I sat down again." "Dern right," the pony grinned, "I may be small but my kick is mighty." "Plus the fact she wears steel shoes," the dragon remarked, "which is a little bit troublesome."

Applebloom then told, "Well to be truthful about it, I first saw ol' Geer here a little before we had that Halloween event (at the Happy Vixen) and I looked at him and JB Raccoon wondering just what the hell they were playing, especially at the Halloween event. Well, not too long after that I had a talk and introduced myself to Geerkil and told him I'd love to do what he does and maybe be on his show one day but that my mic was broken. And he told me when I got my mic fixed. Well a few days ago I finally got a new one and got in touch (with) JB here at The Vixen, and he told me to hide and we'd 'surprise the sausage.'"

"So I hid down on the second level and when (Geerkil) came, we shocked him because he couldn't figure out who the 'guest' was until he saw me. Both he and JB liked my style and easygoing nature and how well I worked with them during that show that both he and JB had the idea of asking me to take JB's spot on Tuesday and Wednesday because JB had to ease back on his workload. So here I am,.now a full fledged member of The Dragon Crew." The little pony smiled.

The conversation went to Discord chat, JB making a recording which would get sent to me. "You can be like the rest of the news media and report fake news, saying we play great music instead of the truth," Geerkil chuckled. When I responded by asking him what were their greatest epic failures were, he answered "Too many to mention." He joked that the recording being made of the conversation would glitch and become "white noise."

Geerkil occasionally gets teased by his colleagues and friends who occasionally call him "sausage." The joke goes back months ago when at a show, the subject of cooking sausages for a meal came up, and he ended up saying "I love sucking sausages." It wasn't until after he spoke it that he realized it could be taken as innuendo, and those who heard gleefully chuckled. The joke has stuck around since, "You never sausage a dragon."

Geerkil sometimes pokes a little fun at Applebloom's screen name, JeanetteDJennet Resident. "This is the name that ne-ver ends," the dragon teasingly sung, "It goes on and on my friends." When I asked her where the name came from, she answered it was from, "a MUCK that me and my late hubby were on. I was a little donkey named Jeanette, so when we came here instead of having it jeanettethejennet I shortened it by two letters to jeanettedjennet. I was a Wizz on that MUCK in fact, we both were. His name was Skunx, a skunk that could shapeshift." The detail she most remembers about their time on the MUCK was their home area Oah Hill Ranch, "It was HUGE with like close to 30 seperate rooms. If you've ever been on a MUCK then you know you have to descibe it, put all the door and exits on and descibe THOSE. Very involved. ...took me several months to build it." Being a MUCK, places had to have a lot of detail, "especially if you wanted to link it up with the rest of the MUCK."

When Geerkil and Applebloom co-DJ together, their routine is called "The Dragon and Pony Show." Geers commented that the order was because D is before P in the alphabet. They're played at a number of clubs in the past year, the dragon commenting, "we left a few ... one because they had some internal issues, then they wanted us back, but when we asked for our (positions) back, we never got them. ... that was the one with stickers, I like stickers." JB ang Geerkil mentioned a few more, one they left because, "we weren't funny enough," another because the manager "was a (dirty word) (dirty word)," and another, Dancing With Angels, closed because the owner had health issues, "That was sad." They are still performing at the Funhouse, at the Heart of Gold club, Club Cutlass "from time to time," the Happy Vixen Beach Club, Zeta Valley, and the Gathering Oak. Geerkil also performs at Lost Farm Crystal Cavern, though JB won't set foot in there. There's also "Club EFS." "There's probably one or two more that we've forgotten ..."

Club EFS is the Dragon Crew's own and new club, located at at Nox Arcana high above the PlayaCar sim at (52/128/2251). While EFS is short for "Epic Failure Show," only the initials are used as there are others who perform there, "but we wanted to keep the reference to us." As of the writing of this article, there are two other DJs who perform there, DJ Squeaks (Brandi Streusel), Benji, who Geerkil grumbles "thinks the raccoon is more important than the dragon," and "The Floof." "Awesome!" Geerkil cheered in response at the third, "We have 'The Orange Floof.' ... Got a really cute avatar, I really like it." JB called it an orange husky avatar.

The steel and brick club is dragon-themed with lots of wings, dragon statues, a couple smaller dragons flying overhead, and the dance floor being a hellish-looking set of iron bars over flames. Geerkil joked, "it has a nice little grill over top of a lava bath so we can pre-cook our guests so that later on in the show we can eat them." He would later comment, "Hey, I'm a dragon. Everything else looks like food to me." The grill does have a purplish mist over it, so perhaps it's magic that keeps the flames from burning the feet on the dance floor.

Of LS (Little Spirit) Raccoon, Geerkil remarked, "We put her in her own special office, where she can be on the phone." JBstated she was recently given a desk as a gift by a friend. ... valued at $200." Geerkyl grumbled, "No one sends me no ****ing desks." JB mused, "At least now I know where those teeth marks came from." Geerkil would later call LS an enthusiastic hostess, even when there was hardly anyone else in the club they were at, "she continues to do her performance." "She treats it as if we have a club full of guests," JB added. But they sometimes had other hostesses, such as Kitacella at the Happy Vixen, "Kit's good."

As before, some of Geerkil's humor is a bit low, "I admit my sense of humor is quite warped." Seeing LS's anthro dragon avatar, Geerkil remarked "Boobies." He would then say he used the word because of all the terms for that part of a woman's anatomy, that's the one he gets in the least trouble for using. Of their performance at the Gathering Oak, Geerkil called it, "The home of the Fabulous F*rting Fairy Furry Forest Flatulent-Filled Forest where they f*rt fragrant flatulent ..." He would later say, "I find f*rts hilariously funny." He did say though he has been blamed for a few windbreaking noises that he never made.

One occasional personality is DJ Tech. "Tech gets on occasionally, so he's a special guest." JB commented, "Tech primarily does get a brief appearance on the show with us." Geerkil then remarked "usually to tell me to shut the f**k up or something." JB chuckled, "Or (call you a) dumb a**ed dragon." The dragon muttered, "That's another famous phrase." Little Spirit giggled, "That's why we call him D.A.D." Someone joked, "That gives 'Who's your daddy?' a whole new meaning." That resulted in chuckles from everyone but Geerkil.

Sometimes Geerkil wears a hard hat. When asked to explain how it started, he explained that on occasion someone's been dropping anvils on him, "I decided to take some precautions." JB joked the weather has sometimes been "partially cloudy with a chance of anvils." When asked if there have been sightings of a coyote chasing a roadrunner, JB answered, "Well, the anvils do say 'ACME' on them, so it's possible (chuckle)." I then asked if Geerkil was wearing a hard hat, was someone else going to wear a sailor suit, a third a police uniform, and a fourth a biker. Geerkil blurted, "Oh no no! We are NOT going 'Village People!'" "Oh God no!" JB exclaimed, "No waaaay!"

Of the antics at the show, Geerkil rmarked, "I am not the instigator, but I do tend to promote that at times. ... (chuckle) I have a loyal crew." JB mentioned one incident at the Gathering Oak in which someone made something happen to Erik, who then looked right at Geerkil. The dragon chuckled, "I have this guilty look about me. I'm just doing my job, and darned if every time Erik ****ed, he'd watch me like a hawk. ... I'm laughing my (butt) off. It was so funny, and I'm the only innocent one in the whole group. All I did was make the suggestion, and it makes things happen (laughter)." They also mentioned a few jokes they played when people nearby go Away From Keyboard. "You do not want to be idle around us for very long," Geerkl commented.

The Dragon Crew now has a Facebook page at ( https://www.facebook.com/DragonandRaccoonEFS/ ). They also have a Patreon page. "There's not much on there for perks right now," JB explained, "We don't have the money right now to offer anything significant." "I think or first perk is going to be a coffee mug with the Dragon and Raccoon logo on it," Geerkil spoke. "Once we have a new logo design," JB added.

Geerkil refers to their collection of older and more obscure music as Warehouse 13, "Lost and forgotten tunes."

JB Raccoon pointed out his avatar, which he calls a "huskcoon," has changed a little since the interview a year ago, "he even has a pair of glasses to match the ones I'm going to wear in real life. JB had previously used an Aventity blue husky. He would go on to say as time has gone on, he's become a bit more social. While he had no problems interacting with people on-air, he preferred to keep his avatar a bit distance from others. "Someone would move to the DJ booth, I'd move away. ... I'd move somewhere else just to get away from them. I don't do that anymore. I haven't done it in several months." He gives some credit for this to Akea Gromet, "I think he was the first ... to get behind the DJ booth, and me not move." JB would take a picture of him, which remains at the Happy Vixen as Akea passed away several months later.

During the interview, one friend of theirs on and off of Second Life, known here as Lord Equis, made a few comments over the voice chat. He also appeared at the club to say hello.

Of their ideas for the future, one they're considering is recording their off-the-air conversations. "A lot of the funniest stuff we do is off the air," Geerkil explained,

After a bit more than an hour, the Dragon Crew and I went our separate ways. Geerkil and Applebloom's "Dragon and Pony Show" can be encountered at the Happy Vixen at Purrfection Estates (236, 219, 24) on Tuesdays at 4PM SL time. The "Dragon and Raccoon Show" is on Thursdays at 6PM SL time. And as mentioned before, there's their Club EFS at PlayaCar (52/128/2251) .

Bixyl Shuftan

Marianne McCann and Mole Day

By Deaflegacy

On Saturday February 2, Bay City held it's annual Mole Day event. It was organized by Marianne McCann. She and I met at the site of the Mole Day party. We were talking about the celebration and how it got started.“Well, it's always an honor to put on Mole Day," replied Marianne, "Bay City was one of the very first projects of the Linden Department of Public Works, so we have a special kinship to the Moles. Mole day was started by me and BlueGin Yifu, as a way of honoring their good works. all the stuff the Moles make and do to help keep Second Life fun and all.”

I asked Marianne where she gets the idea for the Mole Day. “Well, it was last January about eight years ago," said Marianne, "and BlueGin and I were thinking about Groundhog Day, which was upcoming. We thought 'heck with groundhogs, we got moles!' This led to us thinking, about all the work the Moles did in Bay City and elsewhere, and that we should honor them for it. That first year, all we did was issue a proclamation in their honor, By the next year, we decided to hold a public concert in their honor.”

I wanted to know how the Lindens and the Moles feel about the Mole Day. “They've always seemed to appreciate it," replied Marianne, "They don't get a great deal of praise, after all. I mean, Lindens are usually vilified - rightly or wrongly - but moles tend to be, well, under the radar.” I was curious to see who shows up the most often. “Garden is here most times, Ancient, Abnor, and others often show too.” said Marianne. “The weather may be causing issues this year.”

I was wondering if the event had changed in any way. “Yes, a bit," replied Marianne, "Like I said, it was at first not even an event itself, but the thing I've noticed is how it's gone from simply a Bay City event to more of a grid-wise thing. People from elsewhere on the grid come here to partake.”

My last question was which one of Lindens or Moles have been the most fun. “Oh gosh, that's a hard hard question. There's been so many! I don't think I could even pick one.” said Marianne.

I stayed at the party for as long as I could, but with so many people coming to the party, due to the lag, I have to leave. But I sure hope that the others had lots of fun at the Mole Day party.

Deaflegacy

How Second Life Makes Life Better For A Disabled Person

By Deaflegacy

Hello, everyone!  My name is DeafLegacy.  As per my name, I am deaf.  I have been deaf since birth.  I have managed to do just fine when my Mom learned sign language.  I was a lucky woman to have my Mom, who knew sign language.  Unfortunately, I lost her in 2013.  I miss her very much.

I came to Second Life three years and five months ago.  Someone mentioned Second Life, and that caught my attention.  At first, I was a shy person, using a female human avatar.  I wasn't sure how to get more Lindens.  As days went by, I started to know more about this virtual world.  For one, I know now how to get more Linden dollars, from winning contests, to Second Life jobs, or buying them with real money.  I do that once a month to make sure that my lots are paid for.

I find this amazing that when I first started using Second Life, I moved into an apartment on Cape Heron.  I have had two apartments but not at the same time.  I would remember my old living spaces with fondness.  When I was living in an apartment, I would be looking at houses on the parcels, and wanted to live on a parcel.  One day, I got parcels.  I can't say how many parcels I got because for some reasons, it's not right.  So I would just say that one day, I got some parcels, and ever since then, I have been making sure that I pay the rent.

Why am I telling you this?  Well, I can give you a few reasons.  I can tell you that I was lucky in finding Virtual Ability, which is a group for people with disabilities.  They have been there for me ever since I have been a member.  I can also tell you about writing for the SL Newser.  I was so happy when Bixyl Shuftan hired me.  I can definitely tell you that my desire to write never stops growing, even though I have a disability. I mean, when it comes to writing, who cares about the writer's disabilities?  We care about what the writer is writing about.

Second Life had helped me out a great deal since the day I signed up.  I have no regret in joining Second Life, and I hope to continue on as a member of Second Life.  In a way, thanks to Second Life, I'm now a writer, and I got lucky to have a partner, Six String (roleplayismylife).  I love Six String very much.

Thank you, Second Life, in giving me many chances.  I will never forget that.

Deaflegacy

Wisdomseeker and Whole Brain Health

By Bixyl Shuftan

When it comes to keeping one's mind healthy, the people to go to are Whole Brain Health at Inspiration Island. I recently interviewed the head of the group,  Wisdomseeker (Lissena Resident). We met in a skybox with a few pannels and chairs over the sim. "We hold our staff meetings here," Wisdomseeker explained.

"World Brain Health really began in 2013.," she told me, "I came into Second Life fascinated by the imaginative aspect of it, but not really sure what I would do here. Then I met Gentle heron of Virtual Ability Island. She encouraged me to do a presentation on brain health for her spring 2013 conference. I did that, and also set up what is called a brain Health Fair in real-life. In real-life, it takes place in a gym and allows seniors to try out many of the activities that promote brain health. I brought it into Second Life. That is my background and training, holistic evidence-based approach to brain health and well being. So everything here comes from that beginning."

I asked about the sim's name, Inspiration Island. Wisdomseeker pointed out, "The name comes from our logo." She pointed it out in the nearby wall: Inspire, Interact, Innovate - Change. "These are the things we focus on--educating through fun and thought provoking activities." I asked about the activities. She answered, "The idea is that people can learn what they can do to have greater well being, and we give them ways to actually try out those things. We work from five pillars of well being, activities that encourage self care--good diet, sleep, exercise and stress reduction, encourage social interaction that iis positive, encourage cognitive challenge, encourage creative self expression of all kinds, and help people develop a sense of purpose. Those five based on the research. So if you look around, you can find parcels that focus on them."

"We have for example a Multiple Intelligences Experience parcel to explore your greatest kinds of abilities--have you seen it?" I answered that I had noticed it from a distance. Wisdomseeker continued, "We hold our jazz concerts Wednesdays on the music stage there. Music is one kind of intelligence. My husband is a musician (smile). We have a number of music programs. (The) 50s sock hop for instance hosted by Curei on her Floating Gallery here. The map on the welcome board--which is all over the sim--is a good way to see what we offer. A great 'Relationships in SL and Beyond' program led by Pet Karu, who is a professional counselor. We have about 30 people who create programs and activities here, island members. Darth Vondran teaches chess here as a brain game. ... We take a group photo every year. It keeps getting bigger."

"I am on the board of Nonprofit Commons here in SL, and this region is part of Rockcliffe University Estate. I have a staff that is made up of gems. Thuja Hynes is Associate Director here. Francisco Koolhoven is Media Director. His is a scripter, made the Welcome Board behind us. And Katsii Tennen is our Music Organizaer. So the four of us work closely and others participate through their programs, like Osangar and her amazing brain! I never in a million years thought I would be doing this, it just sort of grew (smile)."

Wisdomseeker went on, "We are the virtual arm of a real-life nonprofit called 'Ageless Mind Project.' ... You see, I strongly believe that virtual lives enrich our other lives. AMP has the goal of educating the public about lifestyle choices that improve brain health and well being. In real life my husband and I give workshops, often using music as brain food as the theme. Music can contribute a lot to well being, a lot of research on this. One thing we are doing now is setting up a series of challenges/quests on the sim, a structured way for people to explore. So many tell us we have so much here, they don't know where to start. We will give people badges for completing challenges. Our staff is working on that now."

Wisdomseeker mentioned one could find their calendar of events at https://virtualinspirationisland.org/calwbh/ . She went on to say they try to have events every day, "we keep adding new ones--we also try to collaborate with other groups. For instance we are hosting a tea ceremony presented by another group, a special event next week. ... One thing, everyone who comes here and likes it, tells me. We are a friendly bunch.  People feel safe here. They like the feel of the place."

I asked her, "One question coming to mind, would someone in their 40s approach brain health a little differently than someone in their 20s? What if the person was in their 60s?" Wisdomseeker answered, "One way to look at it is this:  everything you do from the time you are born to protect your brain is important - at any age what we teach here is valuable - no matter how early or late you start - having this knowledge and practicing it is the key. The underlying concepts are universal. I say this as someone who turned 80 this year. I got into this because we took care of close family members who developed dementia. Once I realized there are things people can do to have a better chance - look at the football players, for instance, I wanted people to know about it. Now if they would just requie helmets on scooters."

Another question of mine to Wisdomseeker was, "Would you say on the whole, brain health is being taken more seriously?" She answered, "Very much so now. I keep up with the research so I can see how much more there is. Especially now that we know more about the brain itself, about neuroplasticity and neurogenesis, how what you do can change your brain for the better, grow new neurons, improve memory, lots of good stuff. It's worth learning about and developing good habits around it. Second Life is important in one great way. I believe it has the power to reduce loneliness. Loneliness is connected to depression and is generally bad for brain and well being. That's why having positive relationships here is so important too, something we focus on."

I asked if they were planning anything this year that stands out. Wisdomseeker answered, "Our major focus is on giving visitors a clearer pathway to well being through our sim - so when they come here they will know more easily where to explore, according to their needs and interests. Many of our members also are planning new activities here. We are very open to having new people join us both as visitors and members, and to suggest additions and improvements."

Wisdomseeker and I parted ways. But I would return later to look around the island. And there was a lot to see, both on the ground and higher up. There are a number of places one can go to read information. But there are also games areas, such as the 3D Maze at (224/51/22) and those at Games Park at (203/55/701). One can get a list of locations here.

https://virtualinspirationisland.org/

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Inspiration%20Island/151/234/39



Addition: Whole Brain Health made this video in 2016 of the activities on Inspiration Island.

Bixyl Shuftan

Sebastien Bouevier and Survivors of Suicide

By Deaflegacy

"Survivors of Suicide" is the largest group in Second Life for people dealing with depression or people who know someone who is. It is headed by Sebastien Bouevier. Recently, he and I met at their new location that was opened a week ago.  I asked him if we could stop by the beach.  We did. The beach area was well done, resembling one in real life. “That's what I was trying to achieve,” said Sebastien, “I wanted somewhere tranquil and serene for people to come and relax.”

We went to a lookout and sat down. I asked Sebastien if his group was particularly important this time of year.  “Yes," he replied, "the holidays is typically the busiest time of year for us at SOS, as a lot of people don't have much in terms of family and friends in real-life, as well as it being a stressful time of year for literally everyone.”

According to Sebastien, he didn't join SOS until just over six years ago. It had already been running for almost four years by then.  Krissy Sinclair, the original founder, started it after being a member of a similar group in real life, and realizing that there was a need for it here on Second Life.

I asked Sebastien how many members are there in the SOS. He said, “As of today we have close to 900 members.” said Sebastien, “Yes, we got over 100 new members during the Christmas Fair.” Their Christmas Fair was a month-long event to celebrate their tenth anniversary as well as gain awareness and raise money for the group.

My next question was, “Would you agree that SOS is attracting more and more members in the time of need because they are there to help people in need?”  Sebastien's response was, “Yes, I do agree with that. Survivors of Suicide is here for everyone and we are open 24/7. We have a team of mentors who are able to talk with people one on one, and when there aren't any mentors available, our group chat is active and very friendly. It is a sort of community of people all helping and supporting each other.”

The next question is if the SOS would continue on much longer. “Oh yes," said Sebastien, "we are the longest running group of this kind in Second Life. We have seen many other groups come and go, but none have stood the test of time. Judging by the immense support from the SL community at large during our event, we will continue to stay open, and continue to grow.”

I asked if anyone can come in the chat at any time to seek help. “Yes," replied Sebastien, "anyone is welcome to join the group chat at any time to ask for help. A group invite will be sent to everyone who lands at the SOS parcel.”

My next question for Sebastien was when the best time to ask for help would be. “Hmmm, it really depends," said Sebastien, "we have members and mentors from the US west coast, and even Hawaii, to Australia and New Zealand.”  “Lets put it this way, I've never been online and not have had at least a dozen of members online at the same time.”

The next question was, “Is there such a thing as exchanging emails with other members or/and mentors so they can continue to receive the help they need when they are not on Second Life?”  Sebastien's response was, “No, but that segues nicely into something I wanted to share with you and your readers," said Sebastien, "We have started embracing social media. We are now on FaceBook, Flickr, and we have our own Discord server. Are you familiar with Discord? ...  It is called Survivors of Suicide. We have a discord button in the entrance hall of the main SOS building long with a button for our website, FaceBook page, and Flickr.”

“I'm excited that we are now able to reach out to our members even when they aren't in Second Life,” Sebastien said, “It was really nice to see all the people that came to visit us during the event, we have over 3000 people come through, and I spoke with over one hundred of them, and everyone had stories of either themselves or people they knew who has gone through very difficult times.  We are going strong into the future, with a new club house, more meetings and activities than before, and that we are here to stay.”

As the interview came to a close, Sebastien said, “My main goal for 2019 is to grow the membership of SOS, I realized just how many people who needs us, or could benefit from us, but don't know we exist. So that is the main objective, and any publicity we can get is fantastic!”

The interview came to a close and I have a good feeling about the future of Survivors of Suicide.  As Sebastien said, they are here to stay. As a member of SOS, I look forward to many days with the group.  SOS is an excellent group, and they are helping people out in need.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Legenda/47/56/24

Deaflegacy

Interview With Bixyl Shuftan

by Deaflegacy

Bixyl Shuftan and I got together on December 17, which was his RezDay. I gave him congrats on turning twelve. “Thank you," he replied, "it's certainly been a long, sometimes strange, usually wonderful journey.”

I asked Bixyl what his greatest accomplishment in twelve years on Second Life is. “Good question," he replied, "I would say in keeping the Newser team going. Next to that, I would say getting it started. After Dana decided to fold the Second Life Newspaper, four of us decided to start a new one, with me as the head as I was one with the most experience.”

I wanted to know if at the beginning it was his dream to be a writer on Second Life. “Well, twelve years ago, I didn't really have any goals, other than to explore around, see what this place was like," Bixyl said, "After I saw the Relay for Life weekend, I started coming here more often. But it wasn't until I saw the call for Reader Submissions in James and Dana's Second Life Newspaper that I thought about writing about this virtual world.”

I asked Bixyl more about his accomplishments on Second Life, including working on Relay for Life as well as helping out with the Happy Vixen Club. “I've done my best," he replied, "For the Relay, once I became a member of the Sunweaver community, that meant being involved as a participant in the Relay, not just a reporter covering it. So I've helped them out by covering their events, as well as volunteering for a few fundraisers. The Happy Vixen, it's owned by Nydia Tungsten. who is my best friend here. When she asked me to help her manage it , I told her I could help out. At the time, it had only had two or three events a week. It being a beach club, the idea was it would be a bit more laid back. As DJs kept wanting to play there, we took on more events. It does keep me a bit busy, but most everyone's happy.”

I asked Bixyl what his advice would be to people wanting to be writers. “In short, go for it," he replied, "If nothing else, you could always put your writings on a personal website or blog. But you can always find an audience if you know where to look, or go. In the case of Second Life journalism, there are newsletters such as the Newser, that are open to new talent coming in. Fiction writers, you can always go to writers workshops to compare stories to those of other writers, get a little feedback.”

I asked if there are openings on SL Newser right now. “Yes," said Bixyl, "We're still open to new talent, provided they've been in Second Life for thirty days or longer, and can write an article once a week or more.” He would later tell me this applied only to reporters on the Newser team as they're paid for their work. Readers can submit articles of their own to be published any time.

I asked Bixyl if he is going to continue with Second Life. “Yes," he replied, "The Newser's still going strong. Second Life, for it's ups and downs over the years, will be around for some time to come. So we'll be continuing to write about it for some time to come. And of course, this is a team, so my thanks to Gemma Cleanslate, Grey Lupindo, and Shelie Sands who helped encourage me to get this project going. And those who joined the team along the way, such as DrFran, Grease Coakes, and of course you.”

My next question is if he felt he accomplished much while being on Second Life. “I hope so," said Bixyl, "What I do know is that many have sent us their thanks over the years for our coverage, such as from the Sunweavers and the Relay. We've also gotten compliments for our style of journalism.”

I thanked Bixyl for being a mentor and inspiration to me in my writing about Second Life. You're very welcome," he said, "Perhaps soon you'll be an inspiration to a new writer on the team.” He would say that he hoped the Newser had and will inspire others to start writing.

Bixyl did have one bit of advice, “I guess my last bit of advice is while there's a time to postpone plans and dreams as realities change or don't go to plan .... 'hang on to your dreams. Some become tomorrow's realities.' "

I thanked Bixyl for his time. I have a good feeling that he will continue to write about Second Life and lead the Newser, for years to come.

Deaflegacy

Interview with Nydia Tungsten

By Deaflegacy

I recently met with  Nydia Tungsten. She had recently celebrated her tenth rezzday in Second Life. Over the past ten years, she has made a number of friends, and been many things from DJ to club owner, to sim manager, music video maker, real-life writer, and more. She is the owner of "The Happy Vixen" beach club, co-owns the "Club Zero Gravity" space station club, and has owned others as well.

After congratulating her being in Second Life for a full ten years. My first question to Nydia was what she feels is her best accomplishment in all this time. “Having as many friends as I do, they keep me strong and here,” replied Nydia, “I could not have done it with out them.”


I then asked Nydia how she found out about Second Life.  “I was out riding with my brother as he drove (his) truck, we were at (the) company lot and someone told me about it, gave me the loader for it, and I forgot about it for about, four years, no, six years," replied Nydia, "When I got off the truck and started settling down in Reno again, it was about six to ten months after that I found the zip file he gave me. So I opened it and tried it, I was in a whole new world of discovery. Hoo boy, it was one of discovery!  I was popping all over the grid. I was more interested in the Furry community because I had discovered comics and art work that absolutely fascinated me.  It really opened my eyes as well, I made a few self-discoveries that first week as well.”

Nydia and I talked about the first of her clubs written about, Angels Beach.  “Angels Beach, I had just started my family group 'Nydia's Angels', ”answered Nydia, “and my first Angel was a very good artist and as we were building it. I though of her and the rest of my new family, and named it for them. You will notice a LOT of the things I do and have angels in it, I do it for them my family.” She then added, "Oh something I should add, 'Angels Beach' was not my first club, 'Infinite Desires' was my first attempt at a club.” I asked Nydia where the idea for “The Happy Vixen,” her longest running club, came around.  “Well," she answered, "truth be told I saw the name in one of my comics, 'The Happy Vixen Tavern.' And I loved it."

My next question would be how Nydia first came across the Sunweavers.  Nydia replied, “My very first friend in Second Life,"Treminari Huet, was a member and she brought me over and introduced to Rita, Lomgren, Ranchan, Audri, Thomas and many more dear friends that have since become one of my Angels as well.”

I know that Nydia had been making music videos for awhile.  I asked Nydia where the idea for making music videos come from. “Well, I was thinking of making videos for the clubs and I started watching some SL videos," spoke Nydia, "and saw some REALLY well done ones and decided to give it a shot. And I shared it with my angels and put them in them as well, and the strangest thing happened.... we had a BLAST! (laughter)”

Nydia published a novel that she had written recently, "Switched Destinies." I asked Nydia how many people have been reading it.  “Last count, 23," she replied, "I will never get rich from them, but I enjoy writing their stories and sharing them and it feels great to have others enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing them." I asked her if there is a sequel planned.  “Yes," she answered, "it should be released soon, as soon as my daughter  finishes a little art work in it.  They may be six to ten by the time I am done.”

I asked Nydia what her future plans are.  She replied, “I own a Second Life Radio station. It will be going to real-life status in February. I also have become active with a group helping to promote clubs and to have them help each other as well and I tuck everything I do under the WVE flag (WVE means White Vixen Enterprises).  Oh, we also do yearly calendars.”

With the end of the interview approaching, I asked her if there was there anything she wanted to add.  “I would really like to thank all my friends for their support in my life," Nydia spoke, "They are my family here, and they keep me going.”

I thanked Nydia for the interview and asked her if I could take a picture. She answered sure and I took some pictures.  This was a really good interview.  I do know that Nydia runs an awesome club, which is The Happy Vixen.  If anyone is looking for some good times, I would definitely recommend The Happy Vixen.

Deaflegacy

A Favourite Irish Musician Returns to Perform at Music Island

by Klaus Bereznyak

Two years since his last recital inworld, the composer, performer and raconteur, Dainial, returned to Second Life to give a live performance on Sunday December 9 at Music Island. A little slice of Ireland was created for this intimate opportunity to hear Dainial's music and stories once again. The audience were invited to join him around the fire in a traditional Irish croft house, with a roaring fire in the hearth and the sound of birdsong in the trees outside the window.

The room full of avatars, lounging in armchairs and perched on kitchen stools, was evidence enough that Dainial's return was much anticipated and his music well loved. We were treated to a program of original works entitled "an Sean Phobal " (The Old Parish), drawing inspiration from remembered faces and voices from the past. Dainial 's music is strongly influenced by Irish traditional music and song with a twist of jazz and classical expression. He uses synthesizer and piano to score layers of sound as a canvas for his lyrical saxophone melodies. While juggling all these elements during the live performance, Dainial kept up a patter in his soft voice, bringing each piece alive with his own memories.

The audience could follow along with a specially prepared souvenir program with text and photographs. It opened with "Equinox", a song written for "Mikey" , one of "old people" who Dainial recalls gathering each in an old shop that sold clocks, radios, bikes and bric-a-brac, to exchange songs and poems. The program continued with compositions in which the music was layered over poems, stories and songs passed down through the generations, from various sources such as an interview with Dainial's grandmother and an old cylinder from a German POW camp in 1914. We were also treated to interpretations over the words of poems written by Irish poets and read by people known and dear to the composer. His piece "Summer has Gone" in memory of Sean O Cinnéide was especially poignant. Dainial explains: "Sean recites a 9th Century Poem for Christmas: It is called 'l have news for you' and was written in the margin of the Book of Kells by a scribe monk. Really though, this is a song about my grief still at his sudden death last February. He was a true friend and colleague. With a remarkable voice."

Dainial learned music in the traditional, aural way, by playing and by listening and, although he can read music, he doesn't sight read, and prefers to learn by ear. While he scores his music, he says "it doesn't feel intuitive to me. I suppose this is not surprising for an Irish musician in a way, because I share this way of learning tunes, by ear, with generations of traditional Irish musicians, but also my own family who are alluded to by my grandmother in my tune 'the music is in all of us'."

We came back in to land by way of "The incantation of Amergin", featuring the voice of  Padraigin Ni hUallachåin singing an ancient Irish poem. The magical, transportive experience was over all too soon, leaving the audience hungry for more. Dainial thanked Kate Miranda of Music Island for hosting the concert. We hope it will not be as long as two years before we have the chance to hear him again.

You can hear a little taste of Dainial's music on his SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/ceolsampla
Music Island has an ongoing program of wonderful live music performances:

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VIRTLANTIS%20Community/197/66/23


Klaus Bereznyak

Mermaid Celene About The Radegast Viewer

By Deaflegacy

Mermaid Celene (celenehighwater) and I met for an interview about Radegast. My first question for Mermaid was, “Which viewer do you use for Second Life?” She responded, “I use Radegast. It is a text-based viewer that allows the blind to use Second Life.”

My next question for Mermaid was if the program is helping her out. “Without Radegast, I could not use Second Life. It is the only viewer that is text-based for the PC,” she replied, “I have been using it for seven years and I would say that it has given me a nice Second Life experience. I fish, volunteer, participate in gatherings, shop, etc.”

I wanted to know about the wonderful things about Radegast. Mermaid told me, “Radegast is a light-weight client, meaning it doesn't take a lot of processor power to run. It works seemlessly with the user's screen reader. So it makes getting around in-world easier because you aren't having to learn to use anything other than the viewer itself. It reads the objects sighted people usually see with their eyes. As long as they are labeled with labels that tell us what they are, we are able to get a great picture of what is around us. That allows us to interact with objects and people. We dance, we swim, and we can shop for items in-world.”

I wanted to know if Mermaid would recommend Radegast to people, especially people with vision problem. “Oh absolutely! We have a growing community of blind and visually impaired users in Second Life and an active community of sighted SL users committed to helping them live their best Second Life. This includes accessibility awareness, projects, assistance and anything else they need. Virtualability.org is a great resource for the disabled real world community looking to enter Second Life.” replied Mermaid, “Second Life is so much more than a "game." It is a virtual community of educators, social events, non-proffits too. The opportunities are endless, even for the blind and visually impaired user.”

As the interview came to an end, I thanked Mermaid for the interview. I'm glad that there is a program out there that is designed to help people with vision problem when it comes to Second Life.

Deaflegacy

CDS Election Campaigning: 恭子 Kyoko (Samara Barzane)

By Bixyl Shuftan

Different communities have different ways of how things are run. For the Confederation of Democratic Simulators, the community has elections twice a year in which local citizens (those who own land in the community) chose who will be in the Representative Assembly and who will be their leader: the Chancellor. This election, two people are running for Chancellor. They are Drewski Northman, and 恭子 Kyoko (Samara Barzane). The part of Kyoko's display name written in Japanese kanji also spells "Kyoko."

Sunday November 11 saw two events in which both candidates had a chance to explain themselves to the voters. Drewski had his at 11 AM. Kyoko's was the second one, taking place at 2:30 PM SL time.

I'd like to invite  you to join me for an informal discussion of my platform (attached) and listen to what YOU want to see (and help make happen) in C.D.S. Ask away, but I want to hear from you too!

Kyoko has also put her case for being elected, as well as her goals, on notecard. Her campaign could be summed up as "Respect, Responsibility, and Resourcefulness."

I am running for the honor of serving you as the Chancellor of C.D..S. for the 30th Term.

I have been a citizen of the C.D.S. since 2015 and am currently serving as PIO Head and as a member of the Land Use Commission. Last March’s successful Celebrating SL Women 2018 was planned by Brooke Brandenburg and myself. I have owned and managed The Art Cafe in Locus Amoenus since 2015 and was recently made an Estate Manager

An SL member since 2007, I have worked at a number of SL jobs, which included customer relations as well as store and sim management, marketing, public relations and events. Employers have included store Elikapeka Tiramisu of ETD (now [e]), Roslin Petion of Fleur and designer Mills Michinaga. I owned and managed Park Galleries from 2008 to 2011 and continue to exhibit my own artwork in C.D.S. and elsewhere.

I also owned and operated a translation agency, and served as sim manager for a shopping sim taking care of rentals, marketing, public relations and events. Active in Relay for Life of Second Life since 2008, I was sponsorship chair in 2011.

In that role I raised $11,000 US for Relay for Life of Second Life. These experiences have included the development of program and marketing strategies suited to Second Life. Throughout these work experiences I have interacted with diverse SL individuals and groups.

What I stand for:

RESPECT
As Chancellor I pledge to respect each citizen, as well as the history and structures of C.D.S

RESPONSIBILITY
I pledge to take responsibility for my assigned duties in a timely manner and for any mistakes that I make.

RESOURCEFULNESS
Finally, I pledge to be resourceful in problem-solving, in the judicious use of C.D.S. assets and in seeking out citizen skills to support the C.D.S. vision.

SPECIFICALLY
- Work with key members of the executive and citizenry to develop and execute a marketing strategy for Land Sales and Citizen Retention
- Encourage the Land Use Commission to continue its creative vigilance with regard to our simulators.
- Continue a program of varied events that appeal to our citizens, as well as promoting C.D.S. to others. I will also encourage citizen participation in creating new events.
- Meet with citizens for both social and discussion purposes on a regular as well as ad hoc basis.


The event was held at the CDS Amphitheatre in Colonia Nova. Earlier in the day, Kyoko had held a Maiko dance event, "Odori No Aki,: there. Now, the place was the site of a political event. Rosie Gray, whom was Chancellor earlier this year, told her, "Thanks for organizing the Maiko dance event, I thought it was really interesting, and something totally different for here." "You are welcome," Kyoko told her, "They are good people."

More people arrived, and they sat on a circle of chairs on stage, "Rosie, if we need more chairs can you move us around?"Kyoko waited a few extra minutes for more to arrive, then "OK, why don't we get started? First thank you for coming and welcome. I have a few remarks prepared, (what candidate doesn't *laughter*) But I thought I would start with a couple of stories.

"My poster slogan is Respectful, Responsible, Resourceful. You, of course, will be the just of whether I treat others with respect. It is my intent. But there are other things to respect here at CDS, our vision of democracy in a virtual world, the integrity and functioning of our political structures, as well as our traditions that pull us together.


"Okay, responsibility.  A story. I was recently made an Estate Manager. One of my first acts was to turn this amphitheatre into a water parcel." That statement got a few chuckles from some of the others around, "ha-ha." Kyoko continued, "I was so embarrassed, flattened all the land to the water (laughter). I contacted Rosie and Sudane Erato and confessed, pleading for help, and offered to resign. Their response? They said, 'don't worry. We've done worse.' That told me a lot about the quality of the people caring for our sims. And I will always take responsibility when I goof." Rosie remarked, "None of us is perfect." Kyoko responded, "Rosie while true, that was a lovely goof I made (laughter)."

It was about this moment Han Held (Hannah Marie Tempestwolf), the current Chancellor, arrived. She remarked, "they said they've done worse and I TP in, 'Speak of the devil and you see her horns.' ... I can vouch that you've got the skills, temperment and education and background to do very, very well."

Kyoko continued, "OK, resourcefulness. We don't always have a lot of money lying around for events. As a result two of our Oktoberfest events, The Pub Crawl and Friedsee by horseback were citizen-generated, a load of fun and, free. There are so many ways to to make that happen again and again. And that's one way we can be resourceful. For those of you who attends this afternoon's event, Odori No Aki, remember the last folktale about the frogs. The moral  there was that it is people who make a community thrive. And we have the people, I know."

"I had more prepared," Kyoko spoke, "But I'm happy for questions, suggestions ideas. The floor is yours." Keila Forager had the first question, about getting buyers for vacant land, "Thank you.  What are your plans to reduce the 'yellow' on the map?" After a few comments about a new keyboard, Kyoko answered, "Not my favorite color. One of the main tasks of the incoming chancellor will be to turn those to green or later snow. My three prongs if you will are Marketing and citizen retention. It takes a community to build a community. While it's the chancellor's task, it is also the task for all of us. What do we value about CDS? What might need to change?" She glanced at her papers for a moment, "Let me look at my notes a sec. ...The three prongs are marketing, outreach, and events. They are all connected. In marketing we need to refresh and refocus our advertising. I have some ideas, but the more the merrier. As for outreach, as I mentioned we should encourage citizen generated events.

"Outreach, develop ways to cooperate with other communities on items of mutual interest. Whether it's events of project we both support, that's a gain for both communities in life and vitality. Cooperating with other communities should not involve poaching, but a reputation as a good community to work with helps drive interest and hopefully more green and less yellow. I've already talked about events as a community project under resourcefulness. Marketing involves selling us, obviously. But outreach and events help sell us also. As the frogs (in the play) said, a community is it's people. We all need to step up. If I am not elected I will not disappear. I will keep working for the well-being of (the) CDS.

While she spoke, others had questions. Keila wondered about if the CDS was in the Linden Destinations Guide, and Rosie told her they were, showing them the link to the Neufreistadt sim. But Lyubov remarked, "I've never found us in the Guide." Then in response to cooperating with other communities she asked, "Do you have come communities in mind, that may share interests?  Steampunk? Victorian roleplay? ... What would be a measurable goal, or achievement, after your six month term?" Keila asked, "I think retention should be an issue also.  Once you get new citizens, how you plan to keep them.   Aside from Rosie here, I've just recently met everyone else and have been a citizen since June this time.   I've been part of CDS off and on since 2007."

Kyoko went on, "Yes, I'm a retired university professor, and student retention is a big worry. A place to start is why we each are here, what makes us stay, what makes us come back? For me it is a community that works together." "And what makes us leave?" Keila threw in. Kyoko responded, "Oh yes that one too Keila. Why do people leave? We need to understand that. ... As for metrics, I'm a philosopher, not a statistician (wink). I would hope that we make a lot of progress on banishing the yellow, that we work together as a community. I will aim for as much non-yellow as possible. If the RA were to want to see a measuring metric that is fine. But often when we seek a number we miss options to  reach the same goal by a different route."

Kyoko them commented, "Can you tell I've been on too many assessment committees? Did I miss a question?" Lyubov commented, "I'm speaking only for myself, not for the RA (smile), but thank you." Kyoko continued, "Of course my job as chancellor is to keep a sharp eye on fiances and other matters. I will do that  to the best of my abilities. But we need the citizens to work together to help us grow, not just in numbers and (money), but in community. I'm not naive. I've been in many communities both real and virtual. The important thing is not to get bogged down in the past, but to look forward. We have amazing sims and that's one of our biggest selling points. I will be as available and consistent as is humanly possible. But I will be working with you to find the energy we need to be even better than we are."

Keila remarked, "Nor could I find a list of places to visit while here, do we still have that too?" Kyoko answered, "The Land Use Commission is working on that right now, and I am hoping we'll have a working list by the next term. Rosie and I will also accept suggestions for places to list." Kyoko apologized for any typos made, "I just get excited about the projects."

Kyoko then brought up, "Do you want to know why I decided to run?" There were answers of "Yes." The candidate then began to explain, " I've been in CDS since mid-2015 as a gallery owner and resident, with absolutely no intention of running for office. I mean absolutely no intention. Rosie knows how absolute (wink). So what changed my mind? A sense of duty and a higher calling?" Lyubov grinned, "You were drafted." Kyoko answered, "Not that simple really, although my arm is still untwisting." Lyubov kept grinning, "Rosie, keep it twisted tight! don't let her go!" The former Chancellor chuckled, "Haha, no I didn't twist her arm at all." Kyoko responded, "You darn near broke it off." There were more snickers from the others.

The candidate continued, "Over time I came to appreciate the democratic ideal that drives C.D.S., and began to notice the citizens who were working for the well-being of our community. Art Cafe was part of my hoping to provide a resource for C.D.S., its citizens and our visitors. As Public Information Officer for the 29th term I attended most of the Resident Assembly meetings and was overwhelmed by the quality of our elected representatives and the care they were taking with the welfare of C.D.S. Additional experience on the Land Use Commission has only reinforced that realization. Our representatives really care. My 'vision' for C.D.S. comes from these experiences; that we need to find ways to keep the C.D.S. project fresh and vital, and that we ought to explore future options together. The fact is, the bulk of the Chancellor's job is paperwork and details, all important, in keeping the engine humming, but not glamorous. I mean no one in their right mind would run for Chancellor (laughter). The opportunity for the chancellor to effect much change in 6 months is smaller than you may think. But the avenues that ARE open are ones we can travel together and get some things done. "

"OK here we circle back to where we started. The areas we can affect most easily are marketing, outreach and events. All three are inter-connected. Of course I have some ideas and dreams for C.D.S., but my biggest hope is that we will work TOGETHER to develop these new approaches. Working together we can be more than the sum of our parts. Our major resources are the belief that democracy is possible here and the outstanding beauty of our sims. The Land Use Commission works hard to keep our sims fresh and functional. I've had a wonderful time wandering the sims lately, finding many amazing locations to enjoy, AND list for your enjoyment (wink). If elected Chancellor I promise to be accessible and responsive to your concerns and ideas, especially for marketing, outreach and events, because those are the most accessible means we have to grow as a community."

The meetup would go a little longer. But eventually it was time for it to end. So people went their separate ways.

The polls open on Saturday November 10 at Noon SL time, and will close a week later, on November 17. The election results will be announced on November 24.

Bixyl Shuftan