Publisher’s Note
Scorpinosis Nightfire, Publisher
Well 2017 is only three months in and it feels like four years already. We have, like it or not, gone places and seen things in our nation that push the boundaries of our established safe guards, norms and institutions. We are truly seeing what the deconstruction of the administrative state could look like in all its destructive glory.
Now having said all that, I can’t think of a better time to be alive than right now. For everything we can find to complain about, there are plenty of things to be grateful for. Just think how easy it is to find someone somewhere that by comparison makes your life look amazing.
This seems like a great place to wish everyone very fun March Madness and Happy Easter.
Scorpinosis Nightfire, Publisher
by Filipa Thespian
Photo
Editor’s Note
Filipa Thespian, Nu Vibez Editor-In-Chief Owner & Founder of Roleplay Guide Magazine
Wow, it’s March. Can you believe it? The year is rolling by so fast and on such an amazing up-swing!
Thank you for being a loyal reader of Nu Vibez. All of us here work hard to bring to you a publication that informs, entertains and enlightens our readers. We’re always looking for input from you about what’s going on in the world (virtual or otherwise) that we might not already know about and that our readers would benefit from reading. Please visit our website at http://www.NuVibez.com and follow the link to “Contact Us” and fill out the appropriate form for the sort of news you want to read about!
As always, thank you to our amazing Flickr Group fans who post their amazing artwork as part of the Pip’s Flickr Pic’s segment. Much of what you find in the pages of Nu Vibez is from them, so please follow the links provided to give them a hearty kudos on their hard work and amazing talent.
This issue is a little bit late and for that we apologize, but it’s for a really exciting reason. For the last several months, I have been do -
ing a major project for one of SL’s key roleplay communities, “Romanum.” Basically, I built Rome in two months lol. We’re going to do a special issue for April 1st all about Romanum with some amazing photography of the new build and stories on residents, the families, the RP, the builds, the history and more. Please don’t miss that one!
In this issue though, we’re excited to share with you a preview of the new Roman role-play sim, POMPEII; we bring you an exclusive interview of Elle Nightfire, owner of Club Elle and talk about their amazing 6-year anniversary and the up-coming party that everyone’s invited to; Sydney’s diary is back again; we talk about the history of shopping inside Second Life; touch upon the identity theft epidemic here in SL and so much more. It’s a really busy issue so strap on your... seat-belts and get ready for a wild ride in this issue of ... Nu Vibez & Roleplay Guide Magazine.
Happy Easter!
Filipa Thespian, Editor-In-Chief
CREDITS
PUBLISHER
Scorpinosis Nightfire
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Filipa Thespian
MANAGING EDITOR
Showtoons1239 Zaks
SALES & MARKETING
Filipa Thespian
Scorpinosis Nightfire
If you have a comment, compliment or complaint about anything you read here in Nu Vibez, please make a post on this issue’s page on our website. We will endeavor to get it published and answer your questions in our next issue!
JOURNALISTS
Ahn Avion
Cindy Bolero
Erinna Rosebud
Filipa Thespian
Peyton J. Deluca
Scorpinosis Nightfire
Sita Writer
Sydney Bonde-Garnet
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Alex Avion
Anouk Lefavre
Dema Fairport
Filipa Thespian
Miele Tarantal-Shinn
Sydney Bonde-Garnet
THIS ISSUE’S PIP’S FLICKR PIC’S PHOTOGRAPHERS
Aloyssia Hema
Anais Maelle
Any Moonwall
Chipi Danger
FanFan Mills
Karine (COVER PHOTO)
Lou ShAdoW
Marcus Stipes
May Coba
OzZworld Resident
Susanne Drechsler
Sydney Levee
Travis Olbers
Val Connor
^^ Swallow ^^
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The goal of this publication is to provide a unique insight into the world of entertainment, role play and lifestyles be it in virtual communities or real world neighborhoods.
Covering the issues important to people whether they are avatars or human beings, NuVibez circulates to a large population of readers online and in virtual worlds.
NuVibez and Roleplay Guide are published for those whose interests are varied but focused on being entertained and educated on current events, new entertainment venues and artists, gaming and role play, health and psychology, and finding ways to improve their online experiences.
Letters to the editor: address changes and other correspondence to: NuVibezM@gmail.com.
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Nu Vibez Magazine is a copyright protected publication owned and operated by Avatar PR. Roleplay Guide Magazine is a copyright protected publication owned and operated by iMoogi Enterprises, LLC. All rights reserved.
Opinions of the columnists are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the owner or staff, nor does NuVibez Magazine or Roleplay Guide assume liability for claims of journalists, photographers or advertisers.
Somewhere in this issue is “ The Phrase that Pays”
HOW TO WIN: 1. Be in the Nu Vibez Reader’s Group 2. Have Nu Vibez in your Profile Pics 3. Read Nu Vibez to find The Phrase that Pays 4. Be found by The CCN Prize Patrol at a participating venue with all 3!!!
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/58537
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?
(Would you like to sleep with me tonight?)
By Ahn Avion, Photos by Alex Avion
Set the lights low to midnight. Step into the past of opulence and seduction. Breathe in the sensual. Become mesmerised. Welcome to EllE CluB.
and family,” Elle says with an obvious sense of pride. Even in a text format, that sultry French smile comes through.
EllE CluB, owned by EllE Nightfire (ellektra.edelmann), turns 6 years old in March! In a world full of ever changing venues, it’s a rare treat to find a club still around after a year, let alone six!
Elle’s best friend and partner, Miyah Littlething, isn’t around as much as she used to be, but still comes around and is responsible for the building of the club, past, present, and future. The club used to change styles about once a year but since the most recent change last March, Elle is looking to keeping it up the burlesque cabaret style.
“My best friend and I decided 6 years ago to make a club. We wanted to have our place for our friends
Being from Paris, France, it is no wonder Elle has drawn inspiration from the city of love and romance
and clubs like Le Moulin Rouge. The girls that work in the club, about 100 of them, are from all over the world, adding even more vibrancy to the already rich atmosphere.
Elle Nightfire, Founder of Elle Club
During my visit, there were two lovely ladies dancing on a couple of nearby tables. One table upheld a crystal bottle of Cognac and the other had an old-time machine gun and a riding crop. Both tables, all tables, offer a pair of stilettos as tip jars. The imagination runs wild looking about the club to see how the various accoutrements tie together, sometimes literally.
“Well here you have lapdances, escorting text, voice and webcam. I don’t have a menu list with prices because each girl can make her own rate on escorting,” Elle explains. “Only girls verified can offer webcam to customers. I verify girls on webcam. I take it very seriously. I don’t want scammers here. I want to protect my customers and people here,” she adds.
“It [The Redlight District] was a freelance place on Second Life. It’s actually closed now, but the owner of The Redlight District decided to leave SL and close it. He gave me his webcam group. I’m the owner of Redlight District webcam girls actually. I have 38 webcam girls on my staff group.” Talk about full service!
“EllE CluB is an established club with good client base, gorgeous and cozy atmosphere. We know how to make unforgettable parties here,” says Elle and having seen the place and meeting her and the couple of girls that shared time during my visit, I can certainly believe it!
At EllE CluB you can find:
• Topless from L$500
• Naked from L$1000
• Lapdance from L$1000
• Slow dance from L$300
• fees need to be paid in tipjars only
• Text-Voice/Webcam Dolls
• Sex and Dirty Shows
• Parties with Deejays
The EllE CluB’s 6th birthday celebration will take place March 17 - 19.
The party will begin at 11 a.m. SLT on Friday, March 17 and end sometime whenever on Monday. Remember to tip well, and enjoy all that The EllE CluB has to offer for a most memorable SL experience!
Pompeii. An ancient Roman town-city near modern Naples, Italy. In 79 A.D., the eruption of Mount Vesuvius was catastrophic enough to obliterate several Roman settlements including, but not limited to, Pompeii. It is said that the eruption released a hundred thousand times the thermal energy of the Hiroshima bombing. While about 1,500 people have been found in Pompeii, the exact number of casualties will never be known.
For the few that could stay awake during those mandatory world history classes, this is what is most remembered when the ancient city is mentioned. What many forget, however, is that Pompeii was a thriving town-city long before then complete with a port, gymnasium, amphitheater, and a complex water system.
It is this lifestyle, the time before the eruption, that the role play sim, Pompeii, strives to re-enact. The timeline for the sim starts in 80 B.C. after Pompeii was conquered and became a Roman colony.
“Long ago i went on a trip to Italy and one of the visits was Pompeii. I fell in love with the city and even more infatuated with its walls of secrets. I found myself buying books and movies, documentaries. I mean anything that said Pompeii, I needed to have it,” confessed sim co-owner, Licinia Valeria Corvinus (octaviaminor).
Quintus Valerius Corvinus (lucius.templar), Licinia’s role play and Second Life partner added, “From an RPer point of view, Pompeii is a great setting because there is so much reference material to draw from.”
If you’re more of a hands-on type role player, Pompeii works well for that too. The first landing point is the out-of-character (OOC) area set up in its own little skydome of a place. You can pick up the Pompeii Visitor Info folder that contains the rules, an application for citizenship, and an OOC tag until your application can be approved. It is required of all citizens and non-citizens alike to be in proper time period garb. If you don’t have anything readily available, the sim provides free garments and sandals for any role you wish to represent.
In 80 B.C., the time period of the sim, Pompeii was a coastal settlement so it makes sense that we landed on a boat at the docks after leaving the OOC area. Perhaps your character is coming to visit family and friends or maybe to start a new life in a bustling city, hoping to strike it rich among all those wealthy aristocrats.
Stepping off the boat and onto the docks, however, makes one grateful that Second Life cannot emanate smells. As with any coastal city, past and present, the part of the city nearest the docks isn’t typically known for the most welcoming of sights. Or smells. We walked through dilapidated housing accommodations not fit for the dirtiest of rats, yet, for the plebians, this is the way of their lives. There was even a point where we found a pool of stagnant water with a floating dead animal carcass teeming with flies in it. The debate amongst the citizenry is whether it is a sheep or a goat. I say it’s a sheep. My partner says it’s a goat. The debate continues.
We also visited the Ludus. “The Ludus. School of gladiators. Where slaves enter as simple men, and die as gods,” Licinia commented. For the entertainment of the cheering crowds, Pompeii does offer non-metered gladiator tournaments which levels the playing field, literally and figuratively, for those that may not have the fasted computer to compete with lag monsters.
“We are fortunate enough with some amazing gladiators who can put on an amazing show,” she was quick to add, with pride.
The more we ventured into the city, the cleaner and classier it became. The market square houses the tavern, inn, herbalist, bread maker, seamstress, medicus, and the slavers’ stall. Of course, no Roman settlement would be complete without the Lupanar, also known as the brothel. There is also a pottery barn, and laundry
shop where your character can sell urine to have clothes laundered because, according to Licinia’s (accurate) research, “Most of the clothes if not all are washed in pee. Only filthy people wash their clothes in water.” Don’t know about you, but I suddenly care a lot less about being ‘clean’. At least that’s what I thought until I saw the public bath house. Spend most of your time there and you won’t have to worry about laundered clothes - it’s a win/win!
We headed next up to the hill of the wealthy or, as Quintus called it, “Via Snobbius.” The hill includes villas that can be rented to those characters with a background befitting the higher social status, and a temple dedicated to the various gods and goddesses.
The Pompeii RP sim has a wide range of available character roles that can be played. With approximately 300 players in the sim, there is no shortage of interaction possibilities regardless of the role one decides to portray.
With so much going on in the sim, I asked about the turnaround time for new applications. “Depends on whether an admin is on at the time. Most of the time it’s instant unless there’s issues. and if no one is online I would say they would get an IM within 24 hours,” said Quintus. “Let me add that most applications come via the website so most of the time it takes less than 12 hours,” Licinia added.
Licinia’s final thoughts. “Well I would like the readers to come see Pompeii for what it really is - an ancient sim built from an adoration to its original place. I encourage any to read our website and see how the RP here varies from love and friendships, to murder and dark world. We are a friendly group of enthusiastic historical RPers who love to pursue a good story. We welcome everyone who wants to tell a good story to our RP playground and hope they will enjoy the stay.”
The website not only includes information about the sim and how to apply for citizenship, but also includes an event calendar, forums, RP transcripts, rental prices, and a listing of admins. “Even though I part own this baby with Barca (Barca Lysios) I can’t stress enough how much I rely on my admins. I truly believe they are the ones that make it happen really,” Licinia beamed.
The interactive website can be found here: http://www.pompeii80bc.com/
SLURL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Downtown%20Jupiter/121/107/1005
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Romanum/169/147/22
COVER PHOTO:
For this article, I was looking for something that conveyed a loss of identity, the pain of being a victim or the heartbreak of loss to accent this story about identity theft here in Second Life.
When I found Karine’s photo entitled “Right here ... slowly,” well, it spoke to me in very powerful ways. This photo tells the story I was looking for, and the blackand-white adds a sense of loss and drama.
This photo has amazing flow carrying the viewer through it as if reading a story. It has movement, it has emotion and it is most definately telling a story! FABULOUS JOB KARINE! Thank you for participating in Pip’s Flickr Pic’s!
~Filipa
Photo “Right here ... slowly” by Karine
ESSENCE LOST THE REAL COST OF SL IDENTITY THEFT
Story by Sita Writer
There’s another side to theft in SecondLife (SL), one that can affect anyone in SL, not just content creators, and one that is so personal, it’s as if your very essence is taken from you, which actually, it very well may be. This form of theft seems to garner littoe to no press at all, especially within Second Life -- identity theft.
Probably one of the most personal of crimes in any plane of existence, identity theft is the destruction of your credibility and your reputation. It can be the ruin of your friendships, the loss of your financial well-being and the implosion of your self-confidence leaving you feeling like a hollowed-out shell ... a victim.
IDENTITY THEFT
Identity theft is one of the most personal of all crimes both in-world and in real life. Emperor Galtier of the Ancient Roman community, Romanum, has lived to tell the tale.
“I own a large Roman role-play sim that targets primarily gay and bisexual men. One day I was told that someone created an SL profile with a slightly different account name
from me, but this person displayed my name and my profile photo on their profile. It was reported to me that this person was going around to all my friends with a sad luck story asking for Lindens.”
This virtual identity theft is unnerving and frustrating at the same time. “I am not sure why I was targeted, but I do have a very large friends list. As soon as I found out what was happening, I notified Linden Labs immediately by using the Help/Report Abuse menu item. I also banned this person from my sims and from all my groups.”
Happily, within a few days Linden Labs deleted this account. “I learned how to report a crime in SL from this experience, something I never thought I would have to do. I also learned to make sure I really get to know my friends so that I can immediately recognize an imposter.”
“Back in October or November, our DJ, Roxy, at our iMoogi Radio nightclub contacted me about some bad situation that had apparently happened to me and my need for cash to help out with it,” Scorpinosis Nightfire, publisher of Nu Vibez Magazine shared. “I was a bit stunned, very confused and must have sounded a little odd in my response. I had no idea what she was talking about. At the time, I didn’t know identity theft was taking place at all in Second life,” he continued.
“Turns out, someone made my name in a slightly different way, joined several of our groups and started contacting people in those groups as me, telling a sob story and asking for Lindens to help out.” When asked how he felt, Mr. Nightfire shared, “it’s extremely concerning as my reputation is
very important to me. Second life isn’t a place to play for me. This is my business. I was very upset and right away went on the hunt of how to make it stop immediately.”
Many call the above avatar hacking, but it is actually identity theft, pure and simple. If your avatar was actually hacked, the criminal would have obtained your password, and stolen your avatar account from you in its entirety.
In this example, though, the criminal takes your avatar name, usually choosing those perceived as popular, who would have many on their friends list. Then, create a new and similar avatar name. For example, if your name is “Avatar Joe” they might make an avatar named “AvatarJoe”. The missing space between the names is easily overlooked or missed. They screen capture your profile photo and even go as far as to completely copy your profile information right down to the last Pic.
“There are other forms of identity theft in SL actually,” Nu Vibez Editor-In-Chief Filipa Thespian chimes in. “Years ago, when I was running the Ancient Roman Role-play sim known as Gods of Valor (GoV), a very spiteful and hateful woman in the Roman RP genre saw us as her rivals and wanted to end our community. One of the many ways she chose to attack us was by joining one of the most widely used role-play groups in SL on an alt. Once there, she pretend to be a GoV resident and sent out a group notice. In this notice, she advertised that my sim, Gods of Valor, was look-
Photo, “Redemption” by Marcus Stipes
ing for people to play child avatars in sex situations. She even stated in the notice that we’d pay these children for it,” Filipa continued. “This woman was in no way affiliated with us and we were in no way committing this heinous crime! Many of us from GoV filed abuse reports on that avatar, as did officials from the group in which she posted,” Filipa added, her ire from the memory slipping to the surface.
“Almost everyone in role-play circles knew exactly whothis person was, but as there was no proof it was her, the group managers could only ban the offending alt. I do not ultimately know what Linden Labs did beyond banning the alt, but to the best
of my knowledge, it didn’t happen again. I felt violated, and while I was well known to be a mother in RL, one who is vehemently against anything criminal or unkind related to children or child avatars, I felt this situation had tinged my reputation. I was embarrassed to say the least,” she concludes.
What to Do About it
The next time anyone asks you for money, take a very close look at their name and profile. I would go so far as to find that friend on your own friend’s list and initiate a chat directly. This way,
you’ll know for sure it’s the right person. Let your friend know what is going on so they can also report this crime to Linden Labs.
If anyone tries to represent your community, sim, brand or group in a way other than how you deem acceptable, report it! Then go on a publicity campaign to fix your image and defame that of the criminal. It is so important that none of us let this sort of thing go on free of any form of accountability! If there’s no accountability, and no dire consequences from such behavior, then it will never end!
If we don’t report these things, Linden Labs can’t do anything about it.
To report any form of abuse, including a crime like this, go to the “Help” menu, then “Report Abuse” and fill out the form as instructed.
Photo, “Blow Me Away” by Marcus Stipes
Mystic Haven is a fantasy roleplay realm based loosely in a medieval time frame. All species and genders are welcome to come and build their own storyline. An adult sim with much to offer using the Unity RP system which is also compatible with Spellfire items. The RP offers a small town, forest, caves and dungeon for players enjoyment. A fantastic tavern is stocked with food and drinks, come join the fun!
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Sanctum/100/33/3494
Welcome back to another installment of: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly! If you’ll recall, last issue we discussed the first six nasty role-play habits on my list: reading name tags and profiles, ignoring newbies or ugly avatars, thwap shwing pew pew, deciding for others, admin abuse, and everyone’s favorite, “this isn’t World of Warcraft!”
THE GOOD THE BAD & THE UGLY [PART 2]
We can all fix our bad RP Habits!
Story by Filipa Thespian
The Wordless Response
I don’t know if you’ve seen it, but I certainly have. I call this, “The Wordless Response.” You’ve taken your time to put together an artfully crafted emote coupled with something stated like a question or an observation. You really thought it through so as to create roleplay for yourself and those around you only for your fabulous addition to the collective story to be cut short at the knees with the dreaded ellipse monster (…). You know … those awful three little dots that signify one of any number of things such as “say what?” or “keep going” or “to be continued” or … well … who the heck knows?!?
The person who just tossed the three-spotted spear of silence at you has just effectively shut down all your hard work and any possible retaliation in role-play. They’ve ended all possibilities for you and all those around you (and them).
As promised, here’s a few more for your RP University education:
Well friends, this is just ignorant, rude and lazy! Never do this to anyone and if someone does it to you or to someone in your
Pip’s Flickr Pic Submission, “Scream Your Anger (#35)” by Val Connor
presence, ignore them as if they never spoke at all because, well, they haven’t actually spoken at all.
It’s in your best interests to just Ignore them! Keep your own hard work in play even if you have to put into OOC brackets for others, something like, ((please ignore the ignorant ellipse of this other player and whoever wants to pick that up for RP, I’d love to RP with you)).
So often, people just stand around wanting to be seen because they love their own avatar so much, or they have gotten lost in IM’s and are unable to
keep up (or undesirous). If that has transpired for you, you have to go AFK or your IM’s have run amok, leave the RP environment! Go to the OOC areas and throw up an AFK or BRB tag!
I’m So Bored…
There’s nothing quite so aggravating to an attentive, quality role-player than the lazy and/ or bored one. So many come to the RP environment with an attitude of “I’m bored, entertain me,” willing to put in the minimum effort to spur you into rare RP form, for their own entertainment, not a mutually shared experience. This my friends, is selfish, and not productive!
If you’ve been engaged by someone like this in RP, you’re best to move on right away. You’re not likely to change them and more likely to be put to a lot of work for no real return to you other than drama and aggravation.
Let’s just pretend that didn’t happen
“Hey you can’t kill me, I refuse to accept it, we’re doing that over again!” Hmm, perhaps that said it all for me. But to be more specific, once it happens in role-play, even if you don’t like the outcome, well, it happened! Just like in RL!
Pips Flickr Pics Submission “I’m An Assasin” by: Marcus Stipes
Get over it and move on! Figure out where to go from here, get creative, use your brain for something other than what you melt with interesting substances.
Not giving choices
You MUST give your opponents in RP, ways to get out of a path you are laying out before them if that is not where they want their character’s story to go.
What I mean by that is, for example, Roleplay Death. It is really bad form to just “kill” a player’s character off without leaving them any way at all in the RP to think their way out of it. It’s also a RP killer for everyone who is involved in RP with that player. Usually it’s better to come up with another crisis and to let the player work their way out of a death.
NOW, there are those instances where you and another player have organized a plan to kill off a character (or two). That is an entirely different story! But seriously, don’t murder someone’s hard work without discussing it OOC’ly with them first. Without that agreement, you need to RP in a way that lets the other player figure their way out of the death looming at the end of the path you’re writing!
It’s very important to leave your opponents with dignity and self-respect. It makes you a better role-player and one that is sought out by others as a desirable person with whom to role-play. Way too often, role-play ends up boxed in a corner with at least one person having no way out of a terrible situation, leaving them feeling wronged personally and thus, creating a cesspool from which drama can breed.
RPing OOC’ly
One of the biggest destroyers of quality role-play, are the players that insist on throwing their OOC conversations in and among the live RP happening around them. It’s so hard to keep the thread of a story when you see gestures fly by, or a ton of bracketed OOC comments weaving in and out of your powerful and artfully crafted drama scene.
THINK people, take it to the communities group chat, to private IM’s or any other group conversation that allows it. But keep it out of local and if you’re not paying attention to local, leave the RP area.
OH! ALSO! Don’t forget to turn off ALL gestures (save those for your weapons) before entering ANY role-play zone. If they’ don’t already ban them in the TOS, they will soon and the gestures will kill RP and have others trying to get away from you!
The Vulcan Mind Meld
Can you read mind’s in RL? Can most people? It’s not even scientifically proven that anyone really can (or cannot) in RL … so the point is, don’t do it in SL RP either. An example of this would be, “Filipa thinks to herself, wow it would really suck if this guy didn’t respond to me in this way,” or, “Filipa knows you will do what she has said she wants you to do in her RP”. You just can’t guide someone like that!
This is also known as thought projection and it’s annoying at best, illegal in RP at worst. There
Pips Flickr Pics Submission “For my friend Diamond” by: Anais Maelle
is one tricky little caveat though to this which can get confusing. Role-playing animals. I do NOT recommend anyone to RP a non-speaking character of any kind unless they are HIGHLY skilled with a lot of experience in role-play under their belts. It’s tricky and can go so wrong, so fast!
There are those who don’t like when you state in your emotes things like “/me feels the light droplets of water sprinkle upon her delicate cheeks. She looks up at the growing clouds and then for shelter from the on-coming storm.” But personally, I think that sets a scene that others can play off of. You just need to be mindful of other such statements someone else has made and go with what the first weather reporter has stated the sky is doing before adding it into your own emotes!
My way is better!
Everyone has their own style of role-play and no style is right or wrong! It’s important to work with the other person’s style, let it influence you or you try to influence them. A responsive, thoughtful player is a valuable player. If someone has a hard time with English but you see they are trying really hard to emote well, just roll with it! If you can’t understand what they said, try asking for clarification in IM’s. It is perfectly OK to IM your partner to interact OOC’ly while RPing!
It is true, longer very well written emotes can be very exciting and can help people to figure out what to emote next more easily, but we don’t always get that sort of RP in response to our own and it’s important to take what we get and work with it best we can. You can always find a way to extricate yourself from RP if it just isn’t working for you, or you can help them through IM’s and find yourself a new grateful friend who begins to RP in a way that is way more pleasing for you too.
Forcing an Outcome
When you emote in a way that leaves no one a place to go, and you even end it for them, you are God Modding and forcing an outcome and this is a terrible RP crime! For example, “/me parries to the left, swinging my sword down too fast for Jane to block, slicing open her belly leaving her guts to spill out upon the ground in a steaming heap of human refuse before her. Her eyes round in shock as she watches the fatal blow empty her. Unable to speak, she falls to the ground dead at my feet.”
Well now plucky adventurer, how do you think Jane will feel about that? You just emoted for yourself AND for her, killing off her character in the process. If it were my sim in which this had happened, you’d get a real talking to for sure! If this was a repeat offense, you could get a 3-day ban or even permabanned depending on how many offenses you have under your belt. God Modding and Meta Gaming are just not acceptable in any way, shape or form. NEVER DO IT!
Longer emotes can be very powerful and fun to interact with! But we must be respectful of others and listen! We must allow for retorts, responses, parries and even for ourselves to be struck with a weapon from time to time!
If ever something is unclear, hop in an IM and start a conversation. The only stupid question is the one not asked!
Taking RP seriously into RL
You’ll find this A LOT in Gor or any environment with a D/s or BDSM scenario. But it
really doesn’t matter what the subject matter is, you simply cannot take RP so seriously that you let it get you RL furious. It’s not good for you, for the other players, for the community or for the administrators. It’s just bile that needs to be expelled and more often or not, it’s the furious player that gets expelled. RP is just a story, a live, interractive play! Go with the flow friends. Communicate in a friendly manner OOC’ly in IM’s or group chats and make friends. That’s what its about -- fun with friends and words!
Happy Role-play!
JIRA: BUG REPELLENT FOR SL
Story by PeytonJayne Deluca Photo by Miele Tarantal-Shinn
With a world immersed in technology, it doesn’t take gamers long to discover that technology is not perfect. Games have issues, glitches and, well, bugs that can sometimes slip through the cracks during any development be it new or the addition of new features. A huge part of fixing these problems is based on the users and their experiences.
In Second Life, Linden Labs has brought back the bug-tracking system they used with such great success in years gone past, known as Jira. It was the first thing Ebbe Altberg (Ebbe Linden) did when he took on the mantle of CEO nearly two years ago, but when we look through the tracking reports, it seems the word still has not spread far and wide. Either that, or their aren’t a lot of bugs!
Many may remember when we lost the reporting system and how the line of communication was severed between residents and Linden Labs, but now it is back and ready for all those little bugs to be reported and fixed. But, what has changed? With JIRA 5.2 some of the features include a search bar to help narrow down search criteria, as well as a filter to help keep track of your open issues.
For those that have never reported a bug on Second Life, here is a simple guide on using Jira.
First thing to always do is make sure the problem isn’t something that can be cleared up with any of the following SL quick fixes. Be advised, this is a quick list, not all of these fix all the same issues, but
you will likely be asked or suggested to do any combination of these before the techs in Jira can help you. You might as well get them out of the way so you can say, “been there, done that, got the t-shirt”:
1. Clear graphics cache
2. Change the group tag you are wearing to that of another group
3. Go to a different Sim
4. Clear inventory cache (requires relog)
5. Relog Second Life
6. Reboot your computer
Second, be sure before you report a bug on Jira, that you check out Second Life Grid Status Reports [http://status.secondlifegrid.net/], just in case it’s already a known issue.
When you are sure that it’s not already a reported bug, head over to [jira.secondlife. com] and log in with your Second Life information. Once logged in, click the [+Create Issue] button, found in the top right corner of your screen. Choose the [BUG Project] and fill out the bug problem in detail, stating what you are seeing, what you were doing that initiated the problem and what is the result of the bug (i.e. what does the bug do to you) If this glitch is happening on a specific Sim or parcel; or if it happens anywhere you go in SL, include that in the notes. If possible, provide screen captures (pictures) as these can be very helpful to developers in understanding and repair-
ing the issue. A great capture tool is Gyazo [www.gyazo.com].
Once the Bug report has been sent in be sure to check your email regularly, or just log into Jira to check up on the issue. Sometimes the Linden Lab team might have follow up questions or need clarification on the bug, to better fix the problem.
Keep in mind, Jira is set up to handle “Bugs” in the system that can be reproduced by many people, not griefing or things that other residents have done to you either by attack or faulty product they’ve sold to you.
“THE PHRASE THAT PAYS: iMoogi & Nu Vibez are all the craze!” Additionally, Jira is not an
account tech or billing support tool. It is specifically an issue tracker. Their are other tools for the latter. Jira is not the place for personal issues such as harassment or billing issues so make sure you are in the right place before sending off a potential bug.
Overall, the return of Jira bridges the gap between Linden Labs and Second Life residents once again, not only allowing communication to help overcome the war on bugs but to help abolish the disconnect of creator versus users, opening up the opportunity for users to once more work together with game creators to make Second Life the best it can be.
SL NEWS: Place of Pages
Story by PeytonJayne Deluca
For the residents in Second Life that are tired of having to go to outside sources, such as third party websites or Facebook in order to promote regions and parcels, Linden Labs has a feature in the works that could make things much more promising in bringing beautiful Second Life places to everyone’s finger tips. The feature that is brightening the destinations of Second Life with the possibility of unifying parcel promotion needs is called Place of Pages. Place of Pages is currently in a beta phase so nothing is set in stone and all the wrinkles are still being tested and ironed out, but the potential for some interesting features are in the works.
The base logistics for a feature like Place of Pages, is the creation of web pages for the parcels and regions of Second Life, hosted by Linden Labs. Think of Place of Pages as a travel guide brochure for Second Life with photos, details, and of course a flashy tag to hook you in to read more. If things go as planned, Place of Pages will have space for a Photo or two and a spot for a detailed description of the region or parcel, as well as a customized tag line to catch the eye and draw residents in. If a photo is not enough, a video could be added along with the indepth description of the highlights of the parcels you are wanting to show off.
Having a “Show in Search” parcel would automatically set a resident up for a Place of Page, giving other residents the ability to search and find parcels or regions to meet their needs, be it for entertainment or perhaps places to take photographs. Added features could also lead to paving the way for Second Life residents to show off any land that is for sale or rent, making it easier for residents to spot the details like ratings and size of parcels all in one spot. One of the proposed features is an events calendar which may resonate with many residents. Place of Pages has the poitential to become the all-in-one go-to tool for promotion, advertising and information.
Suggestions and ideas are still pouring in from all the beta testing on how to make Place of Pages fit the needs and wants of Second Life residents, so we are left to look to the future, wait, and see what Linden Labs will roll-out in the final product. So, whether you are curled up on your personal snowy parcel, drinking your pixel coffee or laying in the Windlight of a rising sun on some unknown tropical region waiting for new comers to discover your beautiful sims to explore and enjoy. Take a moment and allow yourself to think about what you hope to see in the future with Place Pages?”
Dear Diary:
March 9:
Dear Diary,
Work has gotten crazy busy! So much traveling coming up that I may need to purchase some new luggage. I am off to the Windy City and while this time of year is a little chilly for my taste, I cannot complain because I will be there for all the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.
There is so much to do from the pub-crawls, watching the parade, and attending the Chicago River dying ceremony when it is changed to brilliant shades of emerald green in honor of the day.
The city’s skyscrapers are even illuminated green! I have my outfit all picked out showcasing my Irish heritage, of course my hair will be down and full showcasing it’s red color in all its glory, TRUTH will be styling it that day in the Sally style.
The Travel Diary of Sydney Bonde-Garnet
Photos by Sydney Bonde-Garnet
My outfit of a simple black ViVi turtleneck, Drift Dash pencil skirt in green of course paired with some cute Mosquito’s Way “Josephine” heels, topping it off, something to may all the girls “green” with envy, my TOPAZIA “Katerina” coat in a luscious shade of emerald.
Not to forget adding a little luck of the Irish I will make sure my Chop Zuey “Lucky Charms” brooch and earrings are packed as well. Even if I do not find the gold at the end of the rainbow, I know I will feel like a million bucks celebrating St. Paddy’s day in style.
March 18:
Dear Diary,
Spring officially begins on March 20 but for most of us we don’t really feel like its Spring until we see those daffodils and feel the warm rays of the sun on our faces. I for one am planning my welcome to Spring a little latter into April when I head to sunny California for Coachella!
OK, I know she’s pregnant with twins now but barring any health concerns Queen Bee will be there and even she does not make it the lineup is still cheer worthy dozens of great artists.
I will totally look like one of the “it” girls in my chosen outfit! An adorable cropped tank from Foxes called Jasmine, Vinyl’s “Troy” skirt, and REIGN “Catalina” sandals, plus accessories! My carry-on will be
The whole experience is such an amazing time so much delicious food, worldclass art and THE MUSIC! There are 100’s of food vendors from street food to tasty items for the gourmand in you, walking away hungry is not an option.
The art work commissioned for Coachella is large scale and interactive, each one begging to be checked out and appreciated and yes I know diary, the MUSIC! The 2017 lineup has everything, including BEYONCÉ!
filled with accessories from Earthstones like their “Morgan” leather bracelet and “Anara” long pendant necklace, my Zaara “Goa Party” sunglasses, Yummy’s gold stud earrings and my Zenith leather fringe backpack to carry all my go to items like sunscreen, water bottle, etc. I will definitely have to get my hair styled in an casual updo for the day, it will be back to TRUTH for their “Cery” updo and maybe throw in a hair accessory from the TRUTH “Tierney” style. I think I may even get mistaken for a celebrity with my pulled together laid back Coachella look.
Dear Diary,
I am not traveling this week! This means I will be getting to celebrate Walk to Work Day, it is held the first Friday of April in the US and was declared in 2004 by U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy G. Thompson.
The day encourages Americans to walk to work for at least 30 minutes to promote good health. Sustained walking for a minimum time of thirty to sixty minutes a day, five days a week, reduce health risks and have various overall health benefits. We all know this and yet we still hop on the subway or grab that Uber rather than walk.
I think this is going to be my new goal, daily walking to not only increase my health but to also get to know my neighborhood better!
A daily walk through the park or walk to the office is just what the doctor ordered I think or would if I asked him! I know diary how can a fashion forward girl WALK to work and not kill herself in heels.
New York City women have known for years to wear your walking shoes and put those heels in their bag for once they reach the office. I think I will invest in some of that cute fold up flats I see all over the internet and try to make this a habit. I also planned a great outfit with flat shoes that don’t have to be changed,
ok they are boots but still cool outfit and cool comfy shoes, a winning combination!
Some outfits with the proper planning are just perfect for flat shoes or boots. I can hardly wait to wear my new outfit to mark the beginning of my new commitment to walking to work. I love that my work allows me to have a lot of freedom with my outfits, it is a perk to working in a creative field, even so I try to pair edgy with classic to stay professional looking. I adore an eclectic look so I paired my Sofija dark crop tee with my Gizza “Colette” pencil skirt, added patterned stockings, lovely “Alexa” Pearl jewelry by Maxi Gossamer and a cool ring called “Haraheri” by Mandala all topped off with a “Lennox” over the shoulder jacket by Emery.
The boots, I love my boots, tough studded boots by JD, oh and I can’t forget my Gizza “Soho” bag to carry all my stuff in! I will let Wasabi Pills do my hair style called “Happy” isn’t that just perfect? Seriously, Diary, this is a win/win outfit for me. I may even have to take two laps through the park just to show off a bit.
Dear Diary,
Can you believe it? It’s feels like I was writing about New Year’s and Valentine’s Day just a short time ago, and now, here I am thinking about Easter! Work is going to land me in San Francisco for the Easter weekend. I am so looking forward to a lovely brunch with some of my favorite west coast friends. We have made plans to enjoy brunch at one of the ten best restaurants for Easter brunch in the country.
Their San Francisco pick is The Palace Hotel’s Garden Court Restaurant. According to their website “The Palace Hotel, San Francisco’s oldest hotel, is indeed palatial. It’s home to the Garden Court which, with its enormous atrium with 50-foot vaulted ceilings, neoclassical marble columns, and giant crystal chandeliers, is in turn home to the hotel’s famous Sunday brunch.
Like every other Sunday seating, Easter Brunch is an extravagant affair. Its diverse menu is multiple pages long and features everything from classic breakfast favorites to dim sum and sushi. To top it all off, there’s a “salad garden,” a carrot bar, a risotto station, and even a dedicated kid’s corner. “
Doesn’t that sound perfect? They may have to roll me out of there. I may even have to try TWO desserts! The hotel itself is a historic landmark.
Originally established in 1875, rebuilt in 1909, the Palace Hotel was San Francisco’s first premier luxury hotel and the largest in the world at the time.
Green Goddess Dressing was created at the hotel in 1923 to honor the lead actor in William Archer’s hit play “The Green Goddess” the It continues to be featured in top culinary publications. So many interesting tidbits about this beautiful hotel!
This event calls for looking every bit the lady and being a traditionalist in some things I will of course be donning an Easter hat for the occasion.
I found a lovely floral coatdress called “Albany” from JUMO, my proper “Womens’ Royal Hat” is by Meli Imako paired beautifully with the coatdress. I think sometimes it best to keep things simple, I will just add some stylish Ingenue “Oksana” heels, but take things up a notch with my jewelry, I need to compliment the floral pattern in my dress and the way to do that is add my Lazuri “Paris” earrings and necklace set.
I think the Queen of England would be proud of this delightful Easter ensemble. I could even wear it to tea if she was so incline to invite me. Oh Diary, maybe London should be my next adventure?
I hear it often, “I can’t believe how much Second Life (SL) is shrinking!” Well in some ways, it is, in others, I don’t agree exactly.
There are a lot of “newbies” joining every day, whether they stick around though, I think is up to the lands available to them to visit along with the activities and ability to learn how to create here in world. It’s helping them to find their “second life” purpose within Second Life.
I do agree though, that lands are shrinking, especially role-play sims and available role-players to participate in those that remain. One of the key factors to which I attribute this decline, is SL’s Marketplace.
It used to be cumbersome to purchase things on a website in SL. Originally, it was a third party called “XStreet” who created the marketplace. Later after XStreet found some success, Linden Labs purchased it, turning it into the MP we frequent today. In-so-doing though, they eliminated the need for in-world shopping, creating a completely free-standing solution.
Back then, XStreet had an in-world component to shopping, not fully eliminating the need of the virtual shopping spree and while many of us used XStreet, the vast majority of products were still not available on it. Let’s face it, SL was still so new to us and we were rather enamored with the thought of shopping in a 3D virtual space.
So, we shopped at in-world stores predominantly. Because we did, vendors knew they needed land in-world for a store and because we did, role-play sims could fill marketplace landing zones in their sims with paying renters that covered the costs of the sims.
Today, role-play sims are lucky to get vendors moving in at 20% or 25% commission on sales, but there are only a very rare few that can command even L$150/week for 50 prims in a market stall.
It is so much harder now, to cover the cost of a sim for these people and SL residents, on average, are certainly not going to pay for their own opportunity to have some fun as they might in World of Warcraft, though a monthly membership due would seriously increase the ability of resident’s to provide some amazing RP experiences. Food for thought.
So, how do we as Second Life residents, make our SL be all it can be for us? For one, we can begin to shop in-world again, instead of on Marketplace. Perhaps use marketplace as a seek and find but go in-world to buy.
BETTER PRICING: Did you know that a lot of stores in world, even though MP “doesn’t allow it,” charge less in their inworld stores than they do on MP? MP takes a 15% share of every sale, so it’s easy for a store to pass that on, instead, to their customer at their in-world store which gives a creator a better opportunity to build a relationship with their customers.
Usually all it takes to save some cash is to be wearing a store’s in-world customer group while shopping at their inworld store. One can usually save anywhere from 10% to 30% when a creator is offering this shopping bonus.
SHOPPPING WITH FRIENDS: Another lost fun activity in SL is shopping in a mall or a store with friends. It’s a lot of fun when you’re with the right people!
SUPPORT YOUR RP COMMUNITY: For role-players, if you love your places of role-play, you really need to be sure to shop first, at that sim’s market to support it.
Without the funds role-play sims collect from their market’s, they just can’t stick around long-term and your favorite funspot will be gone before your story can truly begin to unfold.
NOT ALL PRODUCTS ARE ON MP: Here’s another not so well known fun fact - did you know that not all vendors put their products on marketplace at all? Additionally, a lot of vendors who put up products on MP, don’t put up everything they have to offer. You need to go to their store to find the “really interesting” stuff or the sales.
GACHAS: Those really cute gachas are another reason to get your shopping game on in-world. While those who collect more than one of something do resell on MP, the original fun of the gacha, and often the only place to find the really neat items they offer, are in-world.
LUCKY CHAIRS & MIDNIGHT MADNESS
GAMES: When you don’t go to a vendor’s in-world location, you miss out on so many things including the freebies and giveaways like Midnight Madness & Lucky Chairs. You’d be amazed at the quality goodies vendors supply through these tools, only available at their stores!
In the end, Marketplace is a solitary pursuit while shopping in-world can be a group activity. In my humble opinion, MP should be used as a “search engine” to find the right store for what you want, then, if they have an in-world location, go there to make the actual purchase. You’ll help your favorite content creators out tremendously, saving them the 10%-15% commissions LL takes while justifying the cost for the land they lease to have their store. More than that though -- you’ll create a reason for more sims to come back to life or to stay where they are which means, more fun for you!
Pip’s Flickr Pic’s Photo Entry “NP-644” by Chipi Danger
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/19207
Nu Vibez and Roleplay Guide are looking for writers, photographers, ad sales agents and support staff to help us to continue to bring the news and insights you want to read, to you each and every month. If this sounds like you, drop a note at nuvibezm@gmail.com. Tell us your skills, what you want to do and what inspires you! We look forward to hearing from you!
PIP’S FLICKR PICS, MARCH 2017
Article by Filipa Thespian
If you haven’t already discovered it, here’s your official invitation - Nu Vibez and Roleplay Guide Magazines have reader sharing groups on Flickr.com!
These groups have been in operation for some time, especially in the case of Roleplay Guide with nearly 5,000 member photos to peruse.
Each month, we will be searching the photos uploaded to either the Nu Vibez Magazine Group or the Roleplay Guide Magazine Group and share here in Pip’s Flickr Picks OR we may use them in an article to help tell the story. If we can do that, you get extra points!
So dear readers, get yourselves a posting! Any photo posted after the last issue’s cover is up for consideration for the current issue, but please do not duplicate photos from past issues or between groups. It’s just a waste of your own time and that of the flickr group viewers.
A few tips for getting my attention - make sure your photo tells a story. Do not make it an ad with logos etc. Watch your quality and image depth. Don’t put up a photo that’s a splice of two or includes the same avatar in same outfit repeated over and over in different poses.
We have some amazing photographers posting some positively stunning work in the groups and they have even more magnificent works on their own Flickr pages. We invite everyone to go take a peek!
NU VIBEZ MAGAZINE FLICKR GROUP: https://www.flickr.com/groups/nuvibezmag/
ROLEPLAY GUIDE FLICKR GROUP: https://www.flickr.com/groups/roleplayguide/
Photo by Filipa Thespian
Romanum Stables by Filipa Thespian
Direct URL to Flickr:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/30799993@ N02/32062203563/in/pool-nuvibezmag/
Photo by
Photo Title
by
ALOYSSIA HEMA
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Direct URL to Flickr: Pic-L-Art’s https://www.flickr.com/photos/134397194@N05/32409396383/in/pool-nuvibezmag/
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MAY COBA
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https://www.flickr.com/photos/may_coba/32644425786/in/pool-roleplayguide/
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SYDNEY LEVEE
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Direct URL to Flickr: Sans le dire
https://www.flickr.com/photos/137784895@N07/32512963636/in/pool-nuvibezmag/
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ANAIS MAELLE
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Photo Title Direct URL to Flickr: I Went Too Far
https://www.flickr.com/photos/135347465@N05/32120042255/in/pool-nuvibezmag/
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Photo Title Direct URL to Flickr: #328
https://www.flickr.com/photos/30799993@N02/32366866572/in/pool-nuvibezmag/
Direct URL to Flickr:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/70651101@ N05/32224882891/in/pool-roleplayguide/
Photo by
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ANAIS MAELLE
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Photo Title Direct URL to Flickr: Love It Or Leave It
https://www.flickr.com/photos/135347465@N05/31769410314/in/pool-nuvibezmag/
Direct URL to Flickr: sweet couple having sensual times
https://www.flickr.com/photos/123441573@ N07/32858564331/in/pool-roleplayguide/
Photo by
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ANAIS MAELLE
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Photo Title Direct URL to Flickr:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/135347465@N05/33029619666/in/pool-nuvibezmag/
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Photo Title Direct URL to Flickr:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/124666442@N03/32107840486/in/pool-nuvibezmag/
Direct URL to Flickr:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/133991041@ N07/32575374422/in/pool-nuvibezmag/
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SUSANNE DRECHSLER
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Photo Title Direct URL to Flickr: VERTIGO https://www.flickr.com/photos/58463429@N07/32322025914/in /pool-nuvibezphotographers/
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MARCUS STIPES
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Photo Title Direct URL to Flickr: Gasolina https://www.flickr.com/photos/65188680@N03/32577892486/in/pool-nuvibezmag/
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Photo Title Direct URL to Flickr:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/124666442@N03/31743982820/in/pool-nuvibezmag/
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Photo Title Direct URL to Flickr: Another night
https://www.flickr.com/photos/87226192@N08/32456907762/in/pool-roleplayguide/
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