THE BEST OF SL MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2021 by The Best Of SL Magazine

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PHOTO: RAIN SAXONDALE

MODEL: CAESAR LANGER

PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Reign Congrejo

FASHION EDITOR Shantal Gravois

CONTRIBUTORS Arya Braveheart Coco St. George GinPhx Jamee Sandalwood Rain Saxondale Reign Congrejo Shantal Gravois Tiyialic

COVER Magissa Denver

COVER MODEL Miss Virtual World 2021 Amethyst Starostin

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BOSL Magazine November 2021 Edition

PHOTO: GINPHX

MODEL: LUCEMIA

CONTENT

95 33 ARION VELLA

IN THE COTTAGE

DEATH AS PART OF LIFE

BOSL FASHION TREND

BOSL ARTS

BOSL AFTER DARK

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ARION VELLA

ARION VELLA Reign Congrejo

rion “A Story of one Avatar’s exploration around Second Life”

Arion Vella came to Second Life by way of

the movie 300: the movie’s publicity department set up a small sim which took you to Sparta. How amazing to find a movie on the big screen making its way into what is known as Second Life! Arion found this very interesting and decided to join and seek the adventures that would soon lead her to find treasures within this virtual world. Arion became an information guide on the Sparta sim, giving other avatars information and guiding them around the adventurous sim. Because she loved this interaction so much, she set out to explore even more of what Second Life had to offer. She came upon places such as Apollo’s Garden and various shopping sites, determined to just window shop and not put her real-life money into a game (which that’s all she thought it was)— that was short lived. Arion started buying clothing and fixing up her avatar, loving skins, hair, jewelry, and other accessories, realizing the sky was the limit and she could be and do just about anything in this virtual world. Arion discovered a love of modeling in Second life; Budweiser wanted a lingerie show and would name winners in Second Life and Real Life. How amazing to learn how to walk a runway, pose and to see people cheering you on. would not leave the modeling world forever; however, she befriended a French man, and they together began a series of Second Life adventures. They roleplayed Vampire hunters, Assassins in a gritty Blade Runner style sim, Angels who flew over beautiful garden sim,

and then found the Isle of Gor. The Gor communities are modeled on the John Norman books where males are supreme warriors and females are slaves known as Kajira. This roleplay was fun but came to an end, because who can serve men in pretty silks with no other interaction; it became boring. Not long after their Gor adventure, Arion’s partner decided it was time for him to exit Second life, leaving Arion to find what suited her Second Life alone. Arion found herself again in the modeling world within Second Life. She started taking classes at modeling academies, which lead her to walking runway and dressing up her avatar as a Top Model. During this time, Arion found herself homebound, so Second Life gave her an escape to let her imagination run free and took her to places she could only dream about in real life, making many friends around the world. With all her adventures, Arion realized that there are real people with real feelings behind the avatars. Her favorite quote explains, “My avatar in second life reflects my inner self, the person I aspire to be. While my avatar is pixels, it contains my thoughts, emotions and desires on a different spiritual plane.” Second Life should be about having fun, but it should let us remember to be kind to one another; after all, what’s a real life without Second Life?

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ARION VELLA

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ARION VELLA

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ARION VELLA

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ARION VELLA

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ARION VELLA

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ARION VELLA

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IN THE C OT TAGE Arya Braveheart

ovember is here; just like that, we come to the end of the autumn season. It seems like just last month I was getting out the autumn trees, leaf piles, and fall decor. Now, I am enjoying the last few days of the season before the snow arrives and the evergreens replace the reds, greens, and yellows. So, in honour of that, I have created this little autumn oasis amid the trees. It is a lovely wee cottage from Scarlet Creative that I grabbed in the Saturday Sale at a bargain price. Perfect! It is just the right size for a wee hideaway that is cozy and has a distinct shabby-chic vibe. Usually I start decorating the inside, but this time I started on the outside and worked my way in. I rezzed the benches and couldn’t decide which one to go with, so I went with both! Why not? They are both gorgeous. The one on the left is from CHEZ MOI, and the one on the right is from Nutmeg. Why have just one place to sit, when you could have two? Stepping inside, you are greeted with an openplan cottage that I have sectioned into four areas: bedroom, lounge, reading corner, and dining. I love that the bed area is slightly raised; this makes it a fun space to decorate and easily separates it from the rest of the cottage. The bed is from {Your Dreams} and was an easy choice for the look I wanted. I didn’t want to clutter this area too much, but I had fun finding decor that worked. The lounge area is my kind of place. It has comfy seating, a roaring fire, loads of knick knacks, and donuts! The couch is from Nutmeg and is the central piece of this area. I added in the fire from 22769 to create light and warmth to the space. Every good cottage needs a fire. I N T H E C O T TAG E

The reading area has the chaise, which is also from Nutmeg. I put it right in the window so whoever sits there can enjoy the sunlight and the view. Great place to curl up with a blanket and a great book. Let there be coffee! The last space is the dining area. Again, I kept this area free from clutter as it is a small area, and I wanted the table and chairs to be the focus. The only other piece of furniture I added was the bench, as it provides somewhere to take off your boots or to sit with a glass of wine before dinner. No idea where the food is being prepared, but this is SL, so it is magic. Enjoy the last month of autumn, SL friends. Go and visit sims that show off the beauty of the season. Grab those amazing fall items. Remember you can always use them again next year.

PHOTOS: ARYA BRAVEHEART

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CREDITS:

INSIDE

22769 - White Metal Stool, Candle Books, Bowl with Balls

.peaches. - Coira’s Lovely Daisy Clutter - Bowl of Peaches, Sophia Fall Donuts - Donut Basket

Almita - Hanging tote bag (kitty)

Pitaya - Branch Lamp - long SILVER

Apple Fall - West Village Charleston Curtains Cream, Recipe Books

ReKa. - Magazines Stack

Ariskea - [Spiced]Autumn leaves [Orange], [Calmly] Camomille basket [Decor][Orange] CHEZ MOI - Villa Ottoman (Single), Succulent Bowl crate - Harvest Entryway Branch Bag Decor Junction - Hall Table and accessories Elm. - Carissa Kitchen Decor: Raspberry Cake, Pastries, Thea Vase [ Generation X ] - Kymani Floor Baskets GOOSE - Sticks lamp Granola. - Nivea Bath Towels LISP - Portland Fire Accessories Louchara - Boho Beaded Throw Pillow, Boho Rug, French Farmhouse Room Divider, Crate and Candles, Rolled Up Rugs, Decorative Vase, Lantern Table [Merak] - Body Towels Decor, Bath bombs, Fall Blankets MINIMAL - Autumn Home Set - Books and Plants, Autumn Home Set - Jug, -Mint- Tea Cup Nutmeg. - Porcelain Collections, Coffee Tray, Cotton Couch, Shabby Pastels Table, Lamp, Grapes, Old Papers, Pillow Stack, Cupboard Filled, Chaise w/Throw, Floor Lamp, Oriental Carpet, Summer Balcony Carpet, Dining Set, Decor Tray, Summer Balcony Tulips

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Serenity Style - Louisa Nature Books, Lilly Harvest Bench, Lilly Harvest Stool {what next} - Picture Gallery Frames (Classic), Harvest Wheat Vase, {vespertine} oak branch arrangements./multicolor {Your Dreams} - Rose bedroom - Bed Iron White

OUTSIDE

Apple Fall - Gardening Books w/ Mister ::BB:: - Manga Garden Trees CHEZ MOI - Elora Bench GOOSE - Path Hayabusa Design - Acer Sengo, Tree for Flower Geometric, Peach Tree Nutmeg. - Pumpkin Harvest / 2, Blanket Pile / 1, Garden Bench w/Blanket Pile, Autumn Garden Bicycle, Leather Bag Bone .peaches. - Sweater Weather Swank & Co. - Autumn Lanterns tarte. - falling leaves

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D E AT H A S PA RT O F L I F E Coco St. George

here is an old story in Mexican lore about a man who goes to the cemetery to visit the grave of his parents and bring them flowers. At a nearby grave, he spots a man placing dishes with food and glasses with drinks on his family’s plot. The first man remembers it’s November 2nd, the Day of the Dead, when tradition calls people to bring food and beverages to their dear departed. With a snarky smile, he asks the other man: “When will your family members come back to eat and drink all that food?” “The moment your parents come back to smell those flowers,” was the quick response. Día de los Muertos, or The Day of the Dead in Mexico is a tradition that goes back to the Aztec times. Originally, three days were devoted to their deceased ones (“those who had picked up their shadows,” as they said); one day in mid-July, to celebrate the muertos chiquitos, the little departed, or children who had died. Then there was another in early August, for the adults, and finally, a third in October, when all dead people were invited to partake in the bounty of the Autumn harvest. After the Aztec empire fell to the Spanish Conquistadores, the Catholic Church began its evangelization work, and to that end, priests and friars tried to eradicate the natives’ religion and customs. Thus, the October celebration was conflated with the Catholic holiday of All Souls’ Day on November 2nd, and the All Saints’ Day (or All Hallows, name from which the word Halloween originates, as in “All Hallows’ Eve”), on November 1st, was devoted to the muertos chiquitos. The new holiday kept the practice of offering of food and drinks to the departed. These offerings are artistically displayed on what is called an Altar D E AT H A S PA RT O F L I F E

for the Dead, decorated with candles, marigold flowers, food, drinks, sugar skulls, and the stuff the deceased liked in life, such as cigarettes, cards, guitars, and so on. Also, the tradition calls for a visit to the grave, heavily decorated with flowers and candles, to spend the night eating and drinking, sometimes singing too, while remembering stories about their late family members and sharing mostly funny anecdotes. This is, of course, a family affair that gives the younger generations the chance to learn about their elders, providing them with a strong feeling of roots and belonging. One thing before going any further: despite the common theme of death and their proximity in the calendar, the Day of the Dead is nothing like Halloween. Halloween is a holiday when we want to be spooked, afraid, and having goosebumps; a day (or night, to be precise) to deal with ghouls, monsters, witches, and many other evil creatures. The Day of the Day, on the other hand, celebrates the life of the deceased— it’s a joyful occasion. That’s why the skulls and skeletons we see around those days are smiling or even laughing, dancing, drinking, having a great time in their afterlife. The Day of the Dead is celebrated not only in Mexico, but also in certain countries of Latin America and communities within the United States. In 2003, the festivity was declared part of UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage. But maybe it was Pixar’s animated blockbuster Coco (2017) that helped make this ancient holiday wider known and appreciated throughout the world. That this is a living tradition was shown after the James Bond’s movie Spectre (2015) was filmed in Mexico City, featuring a before-then nonexistent Day of the Dead parade. The city authorities believed that a parade would be a nice tourist PHOTOS : COCO ST. GEORGE

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attraction, and thus in 2016, the first official Day of the Dead parade was celebrated in Mexico City, with hundreds of thousands of people gathered to watch. This new tradition gained traction and has been going every year, except for 2020 when it was suspended because of the pandemic. It was only a matter of time until such an energetic holiday arrived in Second Life. If you don’t have the coin (or the vaccination certificate) to travel abroad, you still can enjoy and celebrate this event from the comfort of your home. Come visit El Pueblo (The Village) to have a taste of what “México lindo y querido” (pretty and beloved Mexico) means. Sit on a bench in the park and enjoy the calm and tranquility, watch the decorations, and appreciate every detail; you may want to come more than just one time to appreciate them all. Another place you could visit is Plaza Luna, to see what a Dead Offering is. Hosted by the Instituto Español, the place is a true-to-life reproduction of a typical Mexican village, complete with a kiosk in the central square. Both exhibits will be on until November 6th, so you won’t want to dilly-dally. Take the teleporters and go commemorate your loved ones who, as they use to say in Mexico, “are not gone, [they] just took an earlier leave, and someday we all will be together again.”