The Best Of SL Magazine March 2024

PHOTO: STEVIE BASEVI

MODEL: WYATT FROST

PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Reign Congrejo

CONTRIBUTORS

Arya Braveheart

Cara Paine

Coco St. George

Compe Lockwood

Jamee Sandalwood

Nemsis

Sarah E. Brenham

Stevie Basevi

Tiyialic LAYOUT

Viktor Serrao

COVER Magissa Denver

COVER MODEL

Desireme Fallen

MODEL: CAESAR LANGER

PHOTO: TIYIALIC

THE FUTURE?

IArya Braveheart

n Second Life, Physically Based Rendering (PBR) is a rendering method aimed at crafting more lifelike and immersive visuals within the virtual realm. PBR faithfully replicates how light behaves, considering factors such as surface material properties, lighting conditions, and camera settings.

Through PBR, objects within Second Life can portray more authentic reflections, refractions, and shading, resulting in a more convincing and visually captivating virtual environment. This approach is particularly beneficial for elevating the realism of materials such as metal, glass, and fabric, while also enhancing overall lighting and shadow effects.

By integrating PBR into Second Life, creators can attain greater fidelity in their designs, ultimately enhancing the immersive and engaging nature of virtual experiences for users.

So, what does all of that mean for us as Second Life Users? Well, initially, not a lot; it will also depend on what Viewer you are using. For people without PBR enabled viewers, you are going to see a lot of flat white surfaces and items as if the designers have just forgotten to add textures. This is going to make your SL experience a bit bland for a while.

However, for those with PBR enabled viewers such as the SL 7.0 Viewer or Firestorm’s AlphaX64, you are going to see quite a different picture. Those shiny things in your inventory are going to pick up environmental reflections and item colours are going to appear more saturated, with details in them becoming more visible.

Also, the PBR viewer enables the environment, including the sun and sky, to play a role in generating specular reflections. So, if an object receives blue

specular reflections from the sky, these reflections may appear tinted and potentially unusual. This phenomenon mirrors previous viewers, where the object appeared to be illuminated by a blue local light source.

A prime example of these differences is in the Cosmopolitan event build. I have taken two photos from a very similar view: one in Firestorm’s PBRenabled viewer and one in the normal Firestorm viewer. I used the local lighting in both and had the same graphics settings for both.

As you can see, the difference is huge and makes for a strange experience in a normal viewer with the water looking black and all of the walls a greyish-white. The PBR viewer gives us natural water colours and movement with reflection of the buildings in it. It also gives us colour and textures on the walls and glass. Lastly, the plants look more realistic in shade and in form.

The other photos I am showing you today are all taken in Firestorm AlphaX64 and show the difference in light, depth of the textures, and reflection.

So, what are the negatives of PBR in Second Life?

To answer this question, I reached out to some creators and asked them since they are the ones most affected by these changes. Chic Aeon is both a content creator and blogger and gave me some great information and insights into this topic. Chic told me that she would not be using PBR for the following reasons:

Chic felt that her current and past items look better under PBR anyway, so why change.

She didn’t want to buy extra software.

She felt that, at present, PBR is hard on people’s graphics and systems and said she had talked to

people with “less than stellar computers” who felt this was an issue.

Chic also pointed me in the direction of some forums discussing PBR, and one comment that jumped out at me was this one from Rowan Amore: “Each creator will build their creations with their own EEP settings. Not the ones I use or the ones you use or the ones anyone else uses.” Rowan then went on to say, “While some creators are jumping on this bandwagon and then including THEIR[sic] EEP settings so you can see how their creation is intended to look, I think they’re going to find out that down the line, people will not be buying as much when there are 374839 items in their home and each requires a different EEP to look good.”

This is a fair point, and Chic Aeon responded to this comment by saying, “And “thus” I perceive a problem and have from the beginning. Most of the creators I chat with are either waiting to see or making PBR items alongside their regular items. And some, like me, don’t plan on implementing at all. As long as your current items look good under PBR then --- as long as you are happy with your workflow --- why change?”

Big thank you to Chic for taking the time to chat with me and to give her thinking on this subject!

As for me, I will wait and see what happens. As I went about SL looking at items, the biggest issue I had was working out if they were PBR or not, and in the end, the only way I could work it out was by swapping over to a non-PBR viewer. To me, it wasn’t the revolutionary change we had when we changed to mesh materials or to mesh bodies and heads. Sure, you get some nice reflections, but is that worth all the hassle?

In the meantime, I will use the PBR viewer because I like how everything looks through it as I wander about, but I won’t be using it much for blogging or photo taking purposes because I love my EEP settings and the control that I have over light and the way I want things to look in my photos

NOTE: None of the following photos have been edited in any way. This is so you can see the actual version of the photos I took. The only things I used were the environmental lighting in the viewer.

PHOTOS: ARYA BRAVEHEART

SCENE BY SERE VENE (SEREVENAEN) ON RUMPUS ROOM

TIME TRAVEL, ALGORITHMS, & THE HUMAN FACTOR

Coco St. George

The professor put the document aside, on the table, and flashed a snarky smile to his student, making a pause to light his pipe. She hated those pauses. She had experienced those dramatic pauses through two semesters in college and one more in graduate school and had learned how to read them. A pause to light his pipe usually meant that he didn’t know exactly what to say. But that smile was new. What would he have to say?

“Look, Miss Hayes, there are several things I’d like to discuss. First of all, I suppose you guess why I asked you to meet me here,” he started, pointing to the plaque next to the library door.

“H.G. Wells Memorial Library,” she read out loud. “Very à propos to talk about time travel.” She smiled, knowing that the professor loved to throw foreign phrases into any conversation.

“Exactly… time travel. Are you sure you want your dissertation to be about such a controversial topic?”

“I’m all about controversies, you know? Remember the Milton incident?”

The professor made a gesture of uneasiness and shifted in his chair, leaning forward.

“We better leave that can of worms unopened… let me cut to the chase: what you are proposing is correct, in general terms, but fails to take into account a vital factor.”

“And what would that vital factor be?”, she retorted.

“Space!”, he replied, emphasizing his word with an ample movement of his arm. “The Earth travels 2,573,228 km a day, right?”

PHOTOS: COCO ST. GEORGE

She hated converting measurements from metric to imperial and he knew it. So he smiled watching her struggling with the mental calculation.

“Yes, 1,598,829 miles… what makes that a vital factor?”, she asked back

“It’s as simple as this: if you travel back in time 24 hours, you’ll land 2,573,228 km away from where the Earth is now: you’d be literally in the middle of nowhere, in outer space, gasping for air before you explode like a frog in a microwave because of the pressure differential.”

She winced at the yucky image. Her professor’s words made sense in a way but… what about her own personal experiences? She was reluctant to share that part of the story with him. Not that it was a shameful secret; it was simply that she wasn’t sure how well he would take her words and, especially, her actions. And her grade was a stake. She took a big breath as she used to do before making a big decision. And decided to spill the beans.

“You have all your theory neatly packed and tied with a nice bow, but my experience begs to differ. What I wrote in my dissertation is based on what I have experienced by myself, along with other members of my team”, she made a pause, waiting for his reaction. He was listening to her attentive but motionless; his impassive face didn’t give away the surprise she was expecting to arise in him.

Unshaken, she went on to explain the model they had applied —which of course involved an algorithm, some quadratic equations (which I am in no position to describe, let alone explain), and a quote from “Back to the Future”.

“Are you saying that you managed to solve the timespace conundrum?”, intervened the professor whose bafflement gave Miss Hayes an ample smile on her face.

“Definitely,” she replied, standing up and walking towards the door. “Are you ready for a test drive?”

The place was kind of underwhelming for the professor. An abandoned warehouse very much on the dilapidated side that looked more like a set for a sci-fi movie from the fifties than the stateof-the-art laboratory he was expecting to see. But he said nothing. After all, didn’t her student tell him that she had solved the very dilemma that had baffled scientists for centuries? He waited to hear what she had to say. But she said nothing. Instead, she headed to a machine where she pulled some levers, and pushed some buttons. The contraption made some noises, its lights blinked in different colors and started whirring. Then Miss Hayes turned around and asked the professor, “How would you like to take a stroll in Tudor England?”

He was so astounded he couldn’t reply, so she took his hand, pulled one final lever, and… whoosh! He had instinctively closed his eyes and, when he reopened them, he couldn’t believe them. They were

effectively in London, under the reign of Elizabeth I.

“Just remember the first rule of time travel: don’t interact with the locals,” she warned. “So we better avoid contact with anybody; we don’t know how it would affect the future, something we could do here, in the past.”

Yes, a foul odor pervaded the air, the gutters being filled with waters of dubious origin and uncertain colors. That was something his strict sense of hygiene and cleanliness could not tolerate.

“Let’s get out of here, Miss Hayes,” he begged. “God only knows what kind of infection we could catch if we stay longer.”

The professor looked around with inquisitive eyes, trying to absorb everything around him. After a few moments, though, he looked disappointed.

“Is not as fancy as I would think from the movies. And that smell!” he said with revulsion.

So, they went back through the portal they had opened to the safety of the time-travel lab.

“Maybe we should try something closer to our experience to avoid this kind of cultural shock,” she proposed. “What about the Victorian era? But first, let me wear something more time-appropriate to better blend in with the locals.”

The scene they saw this time made them realize how much mankind had advanced. The foul odors had almost disappeared and there were even gaslights in some streets, which allowed them to contemplate their surroundings in vivid detail. Suddenly, the professor stopped and pointed to a sign on a wall.

“Wait! Is this… is this Whitechapel?”, he asked with a broken voice.

“Yes, that’s what the sign says,” she replied.

“Isn’t this the hunting grounds of Jack the Ripper?”

“Well, yes, but he murdered prostitutes only. I’d say we’re pretty much safe, professor.”

“It’s better to err on the side of prudence,” he retorted. “Please, let’s go back, Miss Hayes. I’m not feeling really safe.”

She agreed to go back only reluctantly. The professor’s attitude was starting to annoy her. That wasn’t the exciting adventure in the past she had expected.

Back in the laboratory, Miss Hayes tried to give the professor a piece of her mind without hurting his feelings in the process.

“I don’t think this is working as it should,” she started. “Maybe we should put aside the safety considerations. After all, this is science! Some sacrifices must be made.”

“You don’t understand, I’m just trying to protect you,” he replied.

“And I can’t thank you enough for that, but… Okay, why don’t you choose our next destination? Would you be more comfortable?”

New York in the forties! The professor wanted to see his parents’ first apartment and thought the familiarity of the place would relieve his anxiety. A family trip wasn’t exactly what she had in mind, but she had no option but to agree.

Again, buttons pushed, levers pulled, and the magic happened. They were walking through the streets, talking about the historical implications of what they were doing, when suddenly they came across some mean-looking men, apparently loitering outside a nightclub.

“I don’t like the looks of that lot,” she said. “We better go back, lest they want to do something to us.”

“They must be someone’s henchmen, waiting for their boss to come out of the club,” he tried to allay her concerns. “We’ll be fine.”

But one of the men was looking at them with a rather unfriendly face so they decided to skedaddle back to where they came from. If interacting with the locals was out of the question, being interacted upon by them could corrupt the fabric itself of the time-space continuum with unforeseeable consequences.

“I guess time travel is not only about algorithms and equations,” the professor observed. “You forgot to consider the human factor.”

“I need to revisit my dissertation,” she said pensively. Suddenly her face brightened up as she proposed, “What about an ice cream in the fifties? My treat!”

PREHISTORICA

Compe Lockwood

Welcome to Jurassic Park. Oh wait, wrong park. This is Second Life’s Prehistorica, which goes beyond the previously mentioned blockbuster movie. Unlike a motion picture, one does not watch Prehistorica, one is part of it.

With meandering dinosaurs of variable personalities, tropical jungles pre-dating mankind, and adventures involving both, the site is owned by Wąŋđεŗş (Wanders Nowhere).

prehistoric jungle of a lost world. Wander the lush forest canopy or explore dark caves and pristine waterfalls. Encounter dinosaurs - or become one yourself!” Upon landing, visitors agree with his claim, “Prehistorica is the ‘Jurassic’ time travel adventure you will never forget.”

And with that, we enter a land that time forgot on the backs of utahraptors. They look threatening but are quite friendly, like riding a horse, except if given an opportunity, they might eat a horse.

Everything here, from towering tyrannosaurus rex to tree moss, is created by him. “I’m a one man band.” He smiles as we prepare to visit one of the best prehistoric depictions in Second Life. He adds that Prehistorica’s beginning dates back to 2009, “but it has no ending.”

“This is an ongoing process,” Wanders continues. “I will never stop working on it.” He notes in Prehistorica’s SL description, “Plunge into the

One first discovers this land, described by Wanders as “where Dinosaurs rule the land and Dragons soar the heavens,” at an entry port with a museumlike vibe. Several choices of discovery await, including The Avatar Store, Experiences, and Events and Hangouts.

Our exploration began with ‘Experiences.’ Walk in and turn left to “Dawn Kingdoms Time Experience.” Step into the past. When a time vortex tells you, “Initiating Time Portal Manifestation,” you know it is time to rock and roll. And we do.

Two words best describe the vista one encounters when exiting the pixeled time machine— “Oh wow.” Thirty seconds earlier, I was sipping coffee in 2024. That is no more.

PHOTOS: CARA PAINE

We are on the other side, about one million years in the past. Dinosaurs are everywhere. Yeah, it’s that cool.

“Welcome to the Dawn Kingdoms,” Wanders says, reminiscent of being welcomed to Jurassic Park. Within minutes, curious triceratops, diplodocus, and Iguanodons give us the eye and continue foraging for food. They casually acknowledge human visitors while grazing. The giant creatures appear to be plant eaters. I hope so.

dangerous animals in the environment (though fighting other dinosaurs is limited to consenting.)” Another game to be found is Azhar Dracys Hour of the Dragon. Wanders notes, “Players rescue dragon eggs from invading elementals. Dragons, dinosaurs, and humans can play for free. There are prizes for defeating the Golem boss.”

See the site for instructions before your battles begin. While roaming forests of past millennia, visitors often encounter creators with affection. Like what you see? Visit the Avatar Store. Chances are your dino of desire is on sale.

Deeper in the jungles of the Mesozoic World are raptors and T-Rex. Their roars reverberate in the distance. The detail of replicated reptiles of renown is incredible. This is what animesh is all about.

“I try to create an authentic experience of being an animal,” says Wanders. “Everything is as currentscience as I can make it.” Research goes into every creation to duplicate the creature’s walk, personality, and demeanor. “I’ve been a paleontology nut since I was two,” the site builder explains. “So this is really a matter of keeping on top of the current science, which is ever-changing when it comes to prehistoric animals.”

Another area of Experiences is ‘Primal Life,’ an advanced dinosaur survival simulator. “I created a survival sim where your dinosaur levels up over time as it finds food, shelter, and rest. It hunts

Kiosks line the store’s walls. One can purchase “standing animals,” nice for placing around your site. Other creatures include animesh, rideable, and more. Or for the total immersion experience, purchase a dinosaur avatar and become one with Bento Mesh Avatars. Perfect while enjoying Animesh Decor, Games, pets, and more.

“We currently have 45-plus dinosaur types available, plus dragons and some fantasy avatars,” Wanders adds. “Fantasy creatures include our Halloween dinosaurs.”

There are also ancient marine reptiles, pterosaurs, and titanoboa. Not familiar with those names? Hang around here, and you will be.

And now for the question you have all waited for— will anything here eat me? The answer is ‘No. Not yet.’

“Nothing attacks you on sight at this point,” assures Wanders. “I want visitors to feel comfortable exploring. Currently, our dinosaurs mostly chill out.”

But, he adds, aggressive animals may be coming soon, in future games under development. In the meantime, role play is allowed as some dinosaurs encountered are avatars controlled by humans. Welcome to the club.

Prehistorica is largely for exploration, photography, and hanging out, but games add challenge, contests, and battles to the Mesozoic mix. More information is available at the site.

Wanders notes in Prehistorica’s description, “Someone once told me that if you’ve got a world in your head, you have a responsibility to give it life. I’m building little pieces of that world here every day.”

In less than a decade, Wanders created life from millions of years past. But the past is our present. Are you ready to enjoy a world from long ago, here today in Second Life?

Prehistorica ~ The Dawn Kingdoms: Dinosaur & Dragon Avatars, Fort Nowhere (128, 249, 1103)

28LA & MS. GATZ

Sarah Brenham

Spread kindness. This is a phrase that we have been hearing a lot lately. While I think that it is extremely important to be doing so, don’t you ever wonder what happens to the random people who were showed a little extra TLC? While I have had similar thoughts from time to time, I stop to remind myself that the individuals who I have helped are doing well and are aiding others; as I believe good breeds good. Today, I want to share with you all a story about someone who received some kindness herself, and who used it to propel down the path of becoming one of Second Life’s most beloved designers. Read on to find out more about this fabulous woman and what the power of kindness can do to a person’s life.

Daisatella Locke Gatz (beesheree) “moved” to SL on August 6th, 2011. When asked how she found Second Life, the answer may surprise some of you! One day, an aunt of one of her ex-boyfriends came to visit them. During her stay with them, she mentioned a game that she had been loving lately; that game just so happened to be SL, and as they say, the rest is history.

Before we proceed on Ms. Gatz’s Second Life, I want to circle back to something really quick. It probably came as a shock to some of you that someone from an older generation would use Second Life. But what if I told you that a few years ago, a news station in Real Life highlighted a woman who was in her nineties, had Parkinson’s, and was a “resident” of SL? She said during the segment that Second Life allowed her to do things that she no longer could in Real Life. This case is a prime example of the power of what a virtual environment like SL can do for people. Thank you for letting me go on a brief tangent. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Upon setting foot in Second Life, Ms. Gatz had an incredible stroke of good luck.

PHOTOS: JAMEE SANDALWOOD

You see, when individuals first land in SL, they are taken to the Welcome Hub; a place where those who are new in Second Life can learn all about it. After she arrived at the Welcome Hub, Ms Gatz was immediately befriended by and taken under the wing of an amazing stranger. It is my belief that although Ms. Gatz could have had a similar beginning in Second Life, it really would not have been the way her success story was supposed to go.

After she found her footing in SL, Ms. Gatz started

Ms. Gatz gets ideas for her clothing are Instagram and Pinterest.

While Ms. Gatz loves making apparel, she is looking to expand her line of her merchandise. What new products can you expect to see soon being for sale at 28LA, you wonder? Why, food! Drinks and food have been extremely popular as of late. I am guessing it is because of the role-play system MyStory. If you have not heard of MyStory, it is a HUD that allows you to eat, drink, bathe, cook, and

Not knowing anything about designing, she called upon a famous friend to show her the ropes. This well-known person just so happened to be Bomshie! For those who don’t know, Bomshie is a fabulous designer who specializes in fun prints. After a lot of hard work and learning, Ms. Gatz was finally ready to open her store, and she called it 28LA. What kind of apparel does 28LA sell you ask? Ms. Gatz is heavily inspired by the designs that the RL shop Forever 21 offers. If you have never seen any of the Forever 21’s products, I would describe them as trendy with a youthful twist. The other places that

some kindness of your own.If you are unable to do a grand gesture for an individual, even a small act of kindness can change a person’s life.

“Be the reason someone smiles. Be the reason someone feels loved and believes in the goodness in people.”

-Roy T. Bennett

28LA SURL Landmark 28LA Marketplace

BOSL Arts

ArtThe True Emotion

ARTIST: BRION RAVENS

ARTIST: DANTE HELIOS

ARTIST: ELAN

ARTIST: JAMEE SANDALWOOD

ARTIST: JENNIFER STEELE

ARTIST: KYLIE QUINN

ARTIST: LIZZY SWORDTHAIN

THROUGH MARCH 16 TH

@ BOSLARTS Main Gallery

BOSL INNOVATION PAVILLION

Twelve of Second Life’s top Artists and Photographers share their views on love and romance, and the not so romantic side of love.

BOSL FASHION TREND MARCH MADNESS

PHOTO: STEVIE BASEVI

PHOTO: TIYIALIC

PHOTO: NEMESIS BOSL FASHION TREND

MODEL: DESIREME FALLEN

BOSL FASHION TREND

PHOTO: JAMEE SANDALWOOD

MODEL: JAMEE SANDALWOOD

PHOTO: TIYIALIC

PHOTO: NEMESIS

MODEL: LOLITA PARAGORN

PHOTO: NEMESIS

BOSL FASHION TREND

PHOTO: STEVIE BASEVI

CREDITS

BOSL FASHION STYLE CARD

AME MORNINGSTAR

Crop | Lepidoptera - Luka

Jacket | Vanilla Bae - Kirsten

Shorts | Mossu - Dani

Shoes | Flite - x97s - Red Cements

Basketball | Chris Two Designs - White/Copper/Red

Belly Piercing | Fire Within - Lobo Basketball

Chest Dermal | PUNCH - Diamond Heart

CAESAR LANGER

Hoodie | E.K - Zamir Half Worn Hoodie

Top | Fake Society - Draven Tank

Pants | E.K - Kobe Shorts

Leg Warmers | E.K - Kobe Lek Wraps

Shoes | Gutchi - BSKT Sneakers M1

Glove | Gild - Koa

Bag | Memoire - Var Spiked Ball Bag

DESIREME FALLEN

Jacket | Tetra - Tokyo Puffer

Shirt | LOTE - MISSOURI CROP TOP Black

Pant | Jeune by Rowne. - Enza High Rise Skinny

Sunglasses | Nanika - Felice Sunglasses

Belt | Blupr/nt - VVS

Necklace | .Shi - Nhura Group Gift

Boots | [ADD] - Eri

JAMEE SANDALWOOD

Makeup | Identity Body - Sun Flower Makeup Hud

Nails | Eventyra - Sunfire Huds

Basketball | Schoen - Basketball Animated - Bento Spin

Sneakers | LECASTLE - Addison Sneakers

Top | Ukiyo - Ema Hoodie

Sweats | Truth - Kingston Joggers Ultimate Pack

Hair and Beanie | Stealthic - Heist Blonde HUD Upgrade

Pet | EF - Spirit Animals Winter - Beaver

JONELLE DEVONSHIRE

Top | Pseudo - Forest Top Tank Lara Red

Top | Pseudo - Vonny Turtleneck Lara White

Jacket | YALLA - Robonce Jacket RED

Skirt | YALLA - Robonce Skirt RED

Socks | Izzie's - Tube Socks white red stripe

Sneaker| [Enchante'] - Odalis Sneakers White

Necklace | Cae :: - Initial Necklace

Pom Poms | DEAD DOLL - Chrissy Pompom

Earrings | [POM] - Dakota Earrings

Megaphone | MADDICT - Megaphone

LOLITA PARAGORN

Top | DEAD DOLL - BeachVolley

Jacket | ::C'est la vie !:: Rosie

Trousers | :SPIRIT - Ell

Scarf | (fd) Paris Vacation (Fashionably Dead)

Hair | WINGS-ES1201

Jewels | (Yummy) Initial Pendant

Sunglasses | [Z O O M] Sissy Be

Bag | MOUVEMENT - I'm a player bag

PINKY ALLURE

FoamFingerMesh | plaggy

Overalls | (SG) Florida Blue

Platforms | (SG) Florida Blue

Hand Chain | (Yummy) | Harmony

Ring Collection | (Yummy) | Harmony

Necklace | (Yummy) | Harmony

Earrings | Romazin | <Diana>, L & R, orange

Nails & Rings | Pure Poison | Love Me Nails

Arm Piercing | Cynful Mina Piercings | Arms

Hair | [monso] | Babi (type B) two-tone

Hat | [BUC] "Basketball" | Fifty-3 Snapback

WYATT FROST

Sweatshirt and Necklace | Dope + Mercy- SCAMPER

Shorts | HYPED-HxPED Shorts

Sneakers | Caligua-V02 Sneakers

Cap | DUFAUX-bandana cap

Sleeve | E.-shooter sleeve

COVER MODEL

Desireme Fallen

Jacket | Tetra - Tokyo Puffer

Shirt | LOTE - MISSOURI CROP TOP Black

Pant | Jeune by Rowne. - Enza High Rise Skinny

Sunglasses | Nanika - Felice Sunglasses

Belt | Blupr/nt - VVS

Necklace | .Shi - Nhura Group Gift

Boots | [ADD] - Erin