THE BEST OF SL MAGAZINE APRIL 2022 EDITION by The Best Of SL Magazine

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PHOTO: JAMEE SANDALWOOD

MODEL: MORGAN INCOGNITO

PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Reign Congrejo

FASHION EDITOR Shantal Gravois

CONTRIBUTORS Arya Braveheart Coco St. George GinPhx Jamee Sandalwood Shantal Gravois Tiyialic

COVER Magissa Denver

COVER MODELS Wicca Merlin

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BOSL Magazine April 2022 Edition

PHOTO: TIYIALIC

MODEL: MZZSAPPHIRE

CONTENT

75 53 WAR AND SOLIDARITY IN UKRAINE

MESSY GARDEN

BOSL ARTS

BOSL FASHION TREND

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WAR AND SOLIDARITY IN UKRAI COCO ST. GEORGE

he day was only dawning on February 24th, 2022, when the Russian army crossed the border into Ukraine. Their mission, according to Moscow, was to support the Russianspeaking population in the Donbas region, in the East of the country. There, pro-Russian separatists claimed in 2014 two independent countries— the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Lugansk People’s Republic —following the annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol by Russia. This situation was inherited by Volodymyr Zelensky, elected president in early 2019. Only a few months earlier, he was the star of a Ukrainian sitcom called “Servant of the People”— although before becoming a comedian, he had obtained a law degree. The first salvos, though, had been fired years ago in a veritable disinformation war. Russia accused the Ukrainian regime not only of oppressing but even massacring its Russian-speaking population. The government in Kyiv denied the allegations and accused Moscow of trying to modify the international boundaries by recognizing the selfproclaimed republics in the Donbas, which no other country in the international community recognizes. The war in Ukraine has already had a heavy impact on the global oil supply, and the price of fuel has skyrocketed in many countries. But the real tragedy is this: the Ukrainian people are under attack and suffering indescribable hardships; they are being forced to leave their homes and earthly possessions and to look for refuge in other countries. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, by mid-March, more than three million Ukrainian citizens had fled the country, most of them (1.85 million) having crossed

the border into Poland. It’s very hard to know what’s going on. Is Russia rightfully defending its nationals living in another country? Is it trying to expand itself at the expense of a neighbor considered weaker, waging that the international community won’t actively intervene to avoid the breakout of a devastating all-out war? In our condition, as observers of the global phenomena, all we can know is that the Ukrainian people were attacked. And, as the Nobel peace laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu said, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” Thus, it has been encouraging to watch people taking to the streets all over the globe to demonstrate against the war, showing their solidarity with the Ukrainian people. Especially in Europe, where major cities have seen huge demonstrations for peace. Of course, that enormous wave of solidarity has also reached Second Life, where both the leadership and the common residents have shown their support for the Ukrainian people. Linden Lab issued a statement declaring themselves “heartbroken and horrified by the situation in Ukraine and the humanitarian crisis it has perpetuated” and announcing several donations in support of Red Cross Ukraine, as well as other NGOs devoted to independent journalism and free speech. They also announced a moratorium on premium membership and land maintenance fees for Ukrainian-based SL members. On the side of the common residents, we should mention the “I Stand with the Ukrainian People” initiative, launched by Tasha Kostolany at the Tradewinds Yacht Club, which she founded back in 2007. This project has a simple principle: show your solidarity with the Ukrainian people by taking a

WA R A N D S O L I D A R I T Y I N U K R A I N E

INE picture of yourself and posting it on the grounds of the yacht club.

can be nothing more than a means of forgetting the human disaster for a while.”

Why would someone devote time and money to an art installation of this nature? “Because I have such empathy for the people of Ukraine, for a peaceful country; a democratic country that didn’t ask for this and is just being bullied and now killed,” explains Tasha, surrounded by the numerous photos that show how many people are standing with Ukraine. The club is a blue-yellow sea of pictures depicting the diversity of the SL residents. Tasha explains it better: “The motivation for this art installation is to show uniformity of the signs, but each image is unique, and it is each person’s voice expressed visually. I wanted it to give a powerful emotional feeling as viewers move among all the signs; the feeling of love and solidarity is good for all of our hearts and gives us the strength to give when we can in real life.” How many people have shown up to express their solidarity? “I don’t know. My goal was to get a very specific number of signs… and that number is ’Oh-my-God-that-is-a-lot-of-signs’. I think we reached that number.” Tasha also created a video based on her installation, where she used Charlie Chaplin’s final speech in the movie “The Great Dictator.” It’s amazing how accurate those words, uttered over 80 years ago, sound to us in the 21st century. It’s a very moving experience you won’t want to miss. If the readers are wondering how an art installation can help in times of a crisis like the one in Ukraine, it would be useful to remember Nobel laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer’s words about art: “At its best, art PHOTOS: COCO ST. GEORGE

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MESSY GARDEN Arya Braveheart

am not about tidy, well-manicured gardens. I prefer to let nature be allowed to go where it wants. I love the chaos of flowers, trees, and home all merging into one. This April, I am showing off the beauty of a spring garden in all of its messy glory.

know you might not see them all, but they are there anyway, hidden in the grass and flowers. It makes it real and fun. Happy April to you all. In the craziness of this world, stop and rez the flowers!

For this scene, I started with the house. While not the feature of the garden, this cute little build serves the purpose of being a get-away for the owners who would much prefer to be in the garden whenever they can. The house is the Portland Small Home from Scarlet Creative and was the perfect choice for this space. From there, I placed the little areas: the seated area by the pond, the bunny hutch and bench, the recliner, the deck, and the central spring bench. These were set up before adding anything else. I moved them around a lot before deciding on their final resting spots. I wanted to find the right balance. I was so glad I have been picking up outdoor items for a while. This made it so easy to choose the garden and to create it. I had been imagining it for a while. I also knew I wanted a lot of bunnies! Last in any outdoor scene is the grass and trees. If you lay them too early, they will just get in the way. In fact, I needed to move a few things to make them work in the photos, and I had to move all of the flowers so I could do that. I think my favourite part of creating any scene is adding the details. I love finding little things that add flavour; like the old lawnmower, the bunny ornaments, and the bike in the flowers. I

MESSY GARDEN

PHOTO: ARYA BRAVEHEART

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C re d it s :

DECOR ST YLE CARD

Scarlet Creative - Portland Small Home Noir, Tulum Footstool, Tulum Patio Chair - Black, Tulum Planter Monty, Wonderland Hanging Light Baubles

.peaches. - Bunny Hunnies - Buns with Basket

22769 - Tulip Pot, Ceramic Bunny, Lawn Mower

WHEELBARROW

Apple Fall - Gardening Books w/ Mister

Sparrows Nest - Spring bench

CHAI - Kintsugi Plant Holder Concrete

Swank & Co. - Spring Animated Bunny Scene

CHEZ MOI - Jordan Patio Set

Sway’s - [Flint] Stepping Stones

[CIRCA] - “Bunny Breeze” Wildflower Heart Patch

The Home Store - Crates & Garden Tools Decor

DaD DESIGN - “Daisy in oval metal pot white”

The Looking Glass - Harmony Garden Water

c/m [DDD] - Spring Poppies - Long dust bunny . woodland dreams . hedgehog planter EED’s - Vintage Garden Sink, Spring Log Planter, Tree in the Flowerpatch (Fundati) - Rockwall Long -Moss, Summer Oak Tree [Harshlands] - Windmill Tree - Regular Idona’s Home Decor - Animated Owl Image Essentials - Full Perm Mesh Cat Little Branch - Japanese Maple Shrub, Pomegranate Tree, Cherry Tree.V3 LouChara - Astrid Patio Full Set Magnetic - Old Pipe Faucet Planters [Merak] - Bunny Books Decor My View - Bycycle [noctis] - garden crates #1 nettles and violets MOoH! - Bunny planter

MESSY GARDEN

(white) Serenity

Style

The

Gardener

Corner

Garden, Harmony Garden Daisies, Spring Fling Flower Patch Trompe Loeil - Emmeline Lounger Garden {what next} - Toadstool Garden Decor

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BOSLArts GISELLE SEEKER

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BOSL ARTS

ARTIST: GISELLE SEEKER

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BOSL ARTS

ARTIST: GISELLE SEEKER

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ARTIST: GISELLE SEEKER

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ARTIST: GISELLE SEEKER

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ARTIST: GISELLE SEEKER

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T H I S E X H I B I T I S PA R T O F

“I A RT T H E R E F OR E I A M” HAPPENING NOW

THROUGH APRIL 17TH, 2022

E LV E N FA L L S A R T C O L L E C T I V E

Giselle Seeker is an abstract & surrealism artist, creating originally conceived drawings, paintings and sculptures. She loves color and light, as well as playful layers of fun. Her early art in virtual worlds was digital. In RL, she continues to draw and paint using artist grade mediums, including acrylics, permanent pens, watercolors, various other wet and dry mediums, and digital painting programs.

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B O S L FA S H I O N T R E N D REMEMBER WHEN

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