The Shelter- A place where Second Life’s Newcomers and seasoned Members can come together to learn and have a wholesome good time.- Lanai Jarrico Reporting…

The Shelter just celebrated its 13^th Rezday on August 20^th 2017.  In 2004,  a group of friends, fireeyes fauna,  Shadow pigeon, and Wacoede unplugged had a vision to bring people together and help new members get a good start on Second Life. Today it continues to help people as well as provide a safe haven for anyone who is looking to socialize, play games and just be in good company without the worries of griefers or adult content that can be found saturating the grid. 

The Second Life Enquirer took a tour of this long standing Second Life staple of the community and was impressed by the fun activities, warm welcome and outstanding guest service.

I met Hikaru Hitachiin (valgaav);  one of the many game show hosts and  volunteer at The Shelter after he finished hosting the game show Second Fortune; a spinoff of Wheel of Fortune.

I stumbled upon this brilliant game by accident while exploring and sat in to observe contestants as they took turns picking consonants and buying vowels to solved the puzzles.

If you are game show junkie or wished you were a contestant  testing your skills, winning lindens and bragging rights amongst your peers. You have to check this out.

Do you remember when game shows were the thing before reality TV muted it into the background of pop culture? Game shows like The Price is Right, Jeopardy and The Wheel of Fortune where among the most popular shows of the 80’s.

 In Second Life, we can experience being a contestant of SL’s version of Wheel of Fortune; SECOND FORTUNE created by  Fireeyes fauna. He also created other game shows as well, like Payment Podium which is based off of “Who wants to be a Millionaire”, the 2^nd largest paying game show in Second Life.  Second Fortune, being the top paying game show offering up a prize pot of 1,000L$!

Sponsors can be part of the games how action by donating lindens or prizes. All you would need to do is contact a host.

The fun doesn’t end there!

Aside from the game show you can be a sponsor or participate in other events such as live DJ's who are at The Shelter throughout certain days all week. They vary in style and tastes. People can dance talk and relax in a safe environment, away from the adult side of SL.  They try to keep it pg rated here.

 Also, there are costume events on Saturday and Sunday, which is the big formal theme, The costume dance on Saturdays, is hosted by silverfox rainbow. Newbies under 60 days don't need to be in theme to win, but they can dress up if they wish. Pay pot is 1200L$  300L for male & female best winner, runner up is 200L a pop and newbie is 200L.

On Sunday from 4-6 pm The Shelter offer voice gatherings where they let people talk on mic for a little while. It gives them and also newbies the chance to break out of their shell.

Guest can join The Shelter group to learn about events and participate in game shows and other activities such as the forums where they allow newbies to say hello.  Members also post about things to sell in SL, and so forth.

One of the things I found very cool and took me back down memory lane is The Linden Money Tree. It is regulated by the forums. If you register, and are under 60 days, you may collect from the tree until you mature past that point. The requirement is newbies must register and confirm email before withdrawing from the tree. It is one of the only places where this tree exists.

 As I was taken on the tour Hikaru proudly let me know that the many staff and volunteers keep The Shelter safe from trolls and griefers before they cause trouble for guests. The outreach of The Shelter is to help, educate and also entertain in a safe place.

The Shelter is run strictly on donations. Right outside the dance club area, there are tiles on the ground that can be inscribed with messages for a fee, Ad boards that can be purchased as well as shop space rentals. All proceeds go to helping keep The Shelter up and running.

 The Shelter is a wonderful place. It’s like a breath of fresh air from the adult places around.

They keep rules in touch with the terms of service of Second Life. In that respect, they don't allow underage people, if they are found out. The proper procedure is handled and SL is contacted.

The Shelter has two other great places to visit, one being the open air space upstairs on the roof or the lost lakes balloon tour.   I have to say, the tour with Hikaru was very informative. I was impressed with all of the fun things to do.  I recommend putting The Shelter on your itinerary. You won’t be disappointed.

THE SHELTER- TELEPORTS

Isabel

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Isabel/37/223/81

Wingo

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Wingo/40/10/87

Additional Information:

Event Schedule:  http://slshelter.com/forums

Join the group:

secondlife:///app/group/af23c6f6-548b-8e7d-9f26-c6a27f8b1a4c/about

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SILVER LEAF COLLEGE: NOW OPEN FOR CLASSES - Luc Fray Reporting...

View from the landing point (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Strip/64/198/22)

A few weeks ago, a notice popped up in the Seeking RP group teasing a sim that would soon be coming to Second Life. Its theme was college role-play, a genre I’ve not yet tried in SL. Naturally, it piqued my interest and I couldn’t help but check out the link that came along with it.

The website was blank.

Thinking that it must be experiencing some bug or what, I contacted the person who posted the notice up, Aria Kenden, and she was kind enough to answer my questions regarding her role-play sim, Silver Leaf College. I ended up applying as one of the professors before the conversation ended.

Luc Fray: Ok, so how did you come up with the name Silver Leaf College, Ms. Kenden?

Aria Kenden: Well, My friend Devin and I pictured what type of atmosphere we wanted for the school, and we wanted a name to reflect that. We imagined a comfortable woodland feel and Silver Leaf College stuck.

Luc Fray: Devin is one of the co-creators of SLC, correct? Who else are the brains and hands behind the creation of the sim, and how hard was it putting the dream into action?

Aria Kenden: Yes, he is! Devin has been the biggest asset to SLC really. And his daughter, Lily, has helped with the landscaping. I wouldn’t say it was hard, but I will say a lot of time and money has been invested into the school already to make it what it is.

Devin Kazagumi at the Dorm’s pool area.

Luc Fray: Seems a lot of heart was poured into it. What made you guys decide to create this sim? Or rather, what gave you guys the inspiration?

Aria Kenden: We have a passion for teen role-play, in particular, the school setting. Most schools come and go or the ones that stay offer the same experiences. We wanted to create a safe but fun space for teens that is a bit out of the ordinary.

Luc Fray: Yeah, I saw on the website that Silver Leaf is a PG sim. Does that mean you guys won’t be tackling themes such as booze, drugs, sex, frat hazing, etc. as is usually prevalent in RL universities and colleges? *laughs*

Aria Kenden: Hmmm, not necessarily that they won’t be addressed, but rather we don’t encourage it. In the end, we know rules will be broken, and, from an OOC standpoint, as long as sexual RP is not performed, we are pretty lenient.

One of the classrooms.

Luc Fray: Understood. I imagine that would be a problem since the students would be in the 16 to 18 age bracket….

So you guys are already open for enrollment and classes will start on the 19th. Is there a cut-off date for enrollment like in RL? And if so, when is that?

Aria Kenden: We’ve thought about it but decided to not have a cut-off date. As we grow, we want to welcome more students and don’t want to set a restriction. So even after classes begin, we will still accept students.

Luc Fray: What are some of the classes you guys offer?

Aria Kenden: We aren’t revealing the full list yet until classes begin, but, so far, we have the potential to start with sixteen. They include Art, Creative Writing, Drama, Health and Wellness, Norse Mythology: The Gods of the Vikings, Law, Media Ethics, Japanese, and South Park & Contemporary Issues.

Luc Fray: Wow, that’s a lot! Do you guys let the students choose the classes or do you enroll them all in them?

Aria Kenden: There are no sign-ups for classes, so there is no limit of attendants. Students can come and go as they please.

Gym.

Luc Fray: Ah, so you guys are focusing the RP on story than actual classroom interaction and education. I may have gotten a little bit confused on that….

Does Silver Leaf have a main central plot to which individual characters’ stories would gravitate around?

Aria Kenden: No, not really. The only plot we have set in place is we are based on UK schools. Meaning, it’s called sixth form or college, for ages 16 to 18.

Luc Fray: At the core of it all, what basically is Silver Leaf College?

Aria Kenden: I’d have to say, it’s a place for teens to come together for RP and to make new friends. Yeah, there are classes and learning, but the interaction between all participants, students and teachers, is what makes it special.

Luc Fray: On a scale of 1 to 10, how excited are you for this?

Aria Kenden: Ha! Oh my God, it’s off the charts! Every day, since beginning plans, I've been telling Devin how excited I am about it. So I’d say, at least a 12!

Luc Fray: *laughs* Aside from being Admin, you are playing a student here too, right? Tell us a little about your character.

Aria Kenden: Yes, I am playing a student. My character is of legal UK drinking age... eighteen. She typically grabs the seats in the back of the classroom, unless she is crushing on the teacher. She sticks to the same people she is familiar with, but she is all-around nice. Other than my character, I'd have to say the principal and counselor are the ones to watch out for. They are anything but typical, and I'll leave it at that.

Luc Fray: She sounds lovely. I look forward to interacting with you in campus then. *laughs* Would you like to invite our readers to Silver Leaf College?

Aria Kenden: Me too! And yes! To any reader who wants more information or wants to apply, the first step is visiting our website at: http://silverleafcollegesl.wixsite.com/silverleaf

Luc Fray: Thank you for that, Ms. Kenden, and here’s hoping SLC will be a huge success!

Silver Leaf College.

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