Something new for Elar

Hey my fellow Elarians.

First, I would like to thank everyone for coming out for the BDSM discussion we had. I love both the support for the sim and the chance to share opinions with everyone. Just a heads up the next two weeks already have topics. Next Wednesday will be on "Formalities of BDSM, the who, what and why" and the following week were going to delve into the complexity and dynamics of relationships and all the different kinds that can be associated with a lifestyle. I'm calling it "Oh my! This is a relationship." I know it's cheeky but I thought it was cute. That one will be facilitated by the wonderful Sammy, She has already done one for us and did and amazing job.

OK, on to the next thing I would like to discuss with everyone. Roleplay. I know for some that is a naughty word that conjures of walls of text that most people don't even bother to read or being locked into a sim that you have to visit every night, or worse a sim that is empty that you can't find anyone to roleplay with. I don't want that in Elar, so, I have been considering what we could do for roleplay here. We have a few buildings that were built to facilitate roleplay in the sim, well, in fact the whole sim is really set up to be great for roleplay, but since were not a roleplay sim, it has never been used that way. So what can be done about it...

Well... after some thought, I figured maybe have a night of the week designated especially for roleplay. Nothing scripted, just basically inviting roleplayers to come to together one night a week and act like Elar is their home. I know I have roleplayers in the group, so let me know what you think in the comments below. For those that don't know, we have an apothecary, constable, clockworks, and print shop in the city. After tonight we should have a mayors office as well, or as some were calling me in jest last night...Gov'nr. Yeah I liked the sound of it too. I invite suggestions on how we can tie the community together in roleplay as well.

I will say that even though the sim is steampunk in design, I want the roleplay to also incorporate the idea of BDSM as well, so this will be a good chance to ramp up the more ceremonial side of BDSM as it reflects in the city. Remember the history of Elar speaks of a group of people that left civilization proper to practice BDSM in the open and I emphasize the word open :)

I do think this could be fun and another great reason to come over and visit Elar. Next post I will discuss....ok not sure yet, you will have to tune in for more of my wonderful ramblings....

I hope everyone is enjoying the changes to Elar

So this is not going to be a very long post. I just wanted to update everyone on the changes to Elar.

First, I decided to move the pony track to the sky to allow for more smoother races. I wanted to keep the overall feel of steampunk so used that aesthetic when designing the new track. I really hope everyone enjoys the new look. We took some time last night to do minor stress test of it and it worked pretty well. I feel confident on running races on Saturday. Thanks again for everyone that came out to help.

I will ask that anyone that goes to remove their huds and try to wear outfits that are not full of scripts. I have spent a bunch of time this week working on reducing sim lag and scripts overall. I have spent a week researching what causes lag in a sim. The major culprit is overloaded scripts. Their is a term on the statistic menu, which you can access by clicking cntrl>shift>1 at the same time, called "spare time" this is what is available to the sim after everything else is prioritized on the sim. When avatars show up on a sim with a ton of scripts it goes against the "script time." The more time used the less time is available for other things to happen on the sim. So, basically if your using all the sim resources to have a nice hair you can change, or a hud for your vagina or penis, there is not much left for races and such. So, again please take that stuff off when you get to the sim. Be considerate of those around you.

Second, I updated the area where the track was and built an airship dock. They really don't do anything besides look big and cool over in that corner of the sim. As, I have said, I want the sim to have a really nice immersive feel. The one thing to be on the look out over in that area is a mirror that will let you teleport to the track. You can use the one on the ship up at the track to teleport back down. So that is all the major changes to the sim. I have added little things here and there, but it's best to let people wander around to find those.

Last night was a ton of fun. I want to take a moment to again thank our wonderful lady facilitator last night, Sammy. She did a great job with the discussion. I have handled those quite a bit and it can get difficult when you have a bunch of people that want to share their feelings. I want to add that I am open to anyone else that might wish to take a topic for a run at our discussions. I will take next week, but please let me if anyone else has a topic to suggest or would like to facilitate a discussion.

Well, that is all for now my fellow Elarians. I will try to get out a weekly blog post. Oh, I almost forgot we have live singers coming up on the 10th of April, so keep your eyes out for notices.

Shayn

First Photo contest for Elar

Hey everyone, as you can see Elar has a nice Emporium, it's next to the new roof top gardens. Take a tour around the sim to check out all the new stuff we have added.

Well, after much deliberation, we have decided to make the Emporium into a photo gallery to showcase the outstanding photo talents of our wonderful Elarians. To celebrate the opening of the gallery, we are hosting a photo contest. The rules and info are listed below....

Isle of Elar photo contest....

**Contest Rules & FAQ**

1. Who is eligible to enter?

Anyone. The contest is open to anyone who would like to join. Only requirement is that you follow our rules and be a member of Dominant Elegance. Entering is free.

2. What is the contest time period?

The contest will commence on the March 15th, 2020 and run until April 15th, 2020

3. How will winners be notified?

Winners will be announced via notice in the Dominant Elegance group and contacted individually upon close of the contest. The winning pictures will be displayed in the Emporium upon completion of the contest. Additionally, we will be making a selection of noteworthy works to also be displayed in the Emporium. All artists with work displayed will be notified prior to the grand opening of the Gallery.

4. What are the prizes?

First Place: A gift certificate for a LumiPro

Second Place: 3,000 L$

Third Place: 1,500 L$

5. How will we determine the winners?

The winners will be chosen by an anonymous panel of five judges.

6. Where do the pictures need to be taken?

All pictures need to be taken on the Isle of Elar, including the inside of buildings to qualify for the contest. Submitted pictures that fail to comply fully with this will be disqualified. This is a great opportunity to explore the many unique places for photography throughout the city. All photos may contain nudity, but if clothed, the pictures must follow the rules of attire for the sim. This is a steampunk sim. Your photos should reflect that or our culture of BDSM. If you can do both, it will go a long way in originality for your photos.

7. May I rez things for the photos?

Yes, as always, visitors to the Isle of Elar may rez objects, but please remember to pick any items you rez.

8. May I use post editing for the photos?

Yes, you may use any software at your disposal as well as inworld lighting. Do not think that if you are not able to post edit the photos that you will automatically loose. We are looking at content as major criteria for the photos. We are choosing a total of 20 pictures to be displayed in the gallery.

9. How do I submit pictures?

All pictures will be submitted to the "Isle of Elar Photo Contest" Flickr group. We are allowing only four entries per contestant. Please add your Second Life name to the description section of the photo

Flickr group URL: https://www.flickr.com/groups/14729358@N22/pool/

10. Help! I Don't have a Flickr account! What do I do?

Don't have a Flickr account? That's ok! It's free and easy to use. Follow the steps below to create a Flickr account. Please remember to join the Isle of Elar Photo contest Flickr group.

Registering for Flickr:

1. NAVIGATE to the Flickr home page: https://www.flickr.com/

2. CLICK ON the 'Sign Up' button in the upper right hand corner.

3. FILL OUT the registration information and follow verification steps.

11. I have a question not covered here.

Feel free to contact Shayn Mackenzie for any additional assistance you may need.

Thanks for hanging out with us and enjoy the contest. Next post will go a bit into our weekly discussions...

Shayn