Shoutout to Sonya Marmurek because her blog post actually convinced me to visit a region called Bến Tôm Rơi, which translates to Shrimp Bay. It’s built by Victor E. Eton and Walton Wainwright. As I said in my last post, I usually stick to auctions for big charity events, but this year I wanted to actually explore, and this region is stunning. The colors are beautiful, and even with all the shops, there are still plenty of great spots for photos.
I also rediscovered a shop that is new to me, Grasshopper Street. Before seeing Sonya’s post, I remembered picking up a historical hat from them at another event. I love period clothing in Second Life, and their whole store is such a delight. I saw so many gowns I will probably go back for later, but this time I chose something that fits the region. The Áo Dài is a traditional Vietnamese gown and the national dress. You can also get the matching coiled headscarf, Khăn Vành Dây, from Grasshopper Street. I love when I can put together a full outfit and shoot it on location. It just feels right.
Southeast Asia is so underrepresented in Second Life, so it was a nice surprise to find not one, but two stores featuring Vietnamese inspired clothing at Fantasy Faire. Another one is CocoCat. It’s not featured in this post, but they have a really good freebie at the event. Unfortunately it isn’t made for the Maitreya LaraX body, but if you alpha your whole body, you might be able to make the Legacy version work.
If you have time to explore, Bến Tôm Rơi is definitely worth a visit.
In honor of Fantasy Faire, I typed in “wand” into my inventory and found this fabulous Unicorn Magic Wand from Insomnia Angel. I have no memory of ever getting this, so that means one of my friends probably gifted it to me because it was a gacha item.
And what does one wear with a wand? A crown, obviously. I pulled out Fairie Queen by Sparkle Skye, which has always been a favorite of mine. I should wear crowns like this all the time, because why not. I’m also wearing the Caroline Gown from Just Because, one of my recent favorite gown makers. The pricing is fair, it’s sold by body type, and this gown has a shiny PBR finish that really works here. You could style it futuristic or regal, the choice is yours. Back in the day, girls used to run all over the grid in full flexi ball gowns like it was casual attire. Shopping, dancing, standing around somewhere. We need to bring that back.
Now let’s talk about Fantasy Faire. I go every year, usually for Jail & Bail with Patch Linden or the Silent and Live Auction during the last few days of the event where I like to bid on Linden-sponsored items. Because of that, Fantasy Faire to me has always felt like a Linden-endorsed event.
That is why all this AI drama looks so bad. Last year, I watched a resident get bullied by Fantasy Faire designers and maybe others too for using AI to enhance photos. I’m not even sure they were an official blogger. They may have just been a regular resident who got piled on so badly they removed a lot of photos from Flickr. Fantasy Faire organizers said nothing discouraging the bullying. That was a bad look, especially for a charity event benefiting the American Cancer Society.
Previously, Fantasy Faire allowed AI use for designers in certain ways, while banning bloggers from using it. Designers could reportedly use it for marketing or decorations as long as it was not being sold. This year they changed the rules again and moved toward banning AI entirely, even for things not for sale.
Then came the DRD situation. According to DRD, they were privately given the green light by organizer Elizabeth Tinsley to use AI posters around their region build. Then later another staff member came through putting up red boxes to mark items for review or removal before opening. Things escalated, and DRD says they felt publicly shamed and harassed.
If that is true, then the problem is not AI. The problem is how this was handled. You cannot privately approve something, then publicly crack down on it later and expect no reaction. Any designer would be upset.
In my opinion, the aggressive anti-AI stance has no place in a charity event, and the selective enforcement looks even worse. AI is a tool. Whether people personally like it or hate it, using it is not against Linden Lab’s Terms of Service. Treating residents like they did something terrible over it is unnecessary.
Fantasy Faire should be about creativity, fundraising, shopping, and fun. Instead it keeps becoming drama over technology. They should release a public statement, explain what happened, and maybe apologize where needed. They also need one clear rule for everybody. Not one rule privately, another publicly, and something else depending on who you are.
They picked the wrong battle, and now it shows.
DRD Statement from their Discord server
We had something special planned for Fantasy Faire this year: our return after 10 years, with a brand-new region and a follow-up story to San Mora.
What should have been an exciting return took a very different turn in the final days. What started as a discussion around AI use escalated **far beyond that**. We were transparent from the beginning and had shown what we were doing early on, with approval to move forward, but 2 days before opening the situation shifted, and how it was handled crossed a line for us.
It escalated into repeated public shaming using hundreds of red glowing prim markers pointing out anything and everything, it reached a point of bullying.
Eventually the entire build was covered in nearly a thousand Fantasy Faire posters. **There’s nothing left of what we created.**
We literally filled the region with Orwell quotes about censorship and authoritarian control and now we’re being silenced and erased in real time. The irony is not lost on us.
This was no longer about being anti-AI or pro-AI. Everyone is entitled to their own stance on that, and we respect differing opinions. What this became about was how poorly the situation was handled.
Things have really changed in 10 years.** It no longer felt like a Faire for charity… it became a protest against AI.**
__We weren’t even allowed to set up RFL vendors to sell our build__ , meaning we were not allowed to raise money for RFL.(?)
It no longer felt like something we wanted to be part of.
We donated the sim to FF to do with it what they wish and to remove the name Reservoir Zero, because that is NOT Reservoir Zero.
**We made the decision to step away completely**. We’re not going to compromise our work or vision just to fit in.
**So here’s what we’re doing instead:**
We’re moving the full, uncensored version of Reservoir Zero to our own sim.
This summer, it will become the **full apocalyptic experience** we originally planned… a proper continuation of the story.
For now, we’ve already started setting things up there together with a few amazing merchants, and we’ll be hosting our own Relay For Life charity event and party very soon.
We’re sorry for the sudden change and any disappointment. **This wasn’t how we wanted our return after all these years to go.**
But we’re looking forward to showing you the version of Reservoir Zero that actually reflects what we built.
Thank you to everyone who reached out and had our back, it meant a lot.
/Update/ I’m updating this post to say that Patch Linden did not extend the fair for another two weeks. It was an inside joke that apparently I misunderstood. A lot of the attendants at the event were thanking him in local chat and acted excited, so I thought it was part of the planned event/offerings. This reminds me of all the awkward times when Linden Lab would make inside jokes during official events that only a few people got, and it’s super awkward for everyone not privy to the joke. Anyway, the fair ended! *note* This info is according to the Fantasy Faire organizer on SM.
Did you hear? Fantasy Faire has been extended for another two weeks – courtesy of Patch Linden! Patch announced this at the Jail & Bail event, so you have more time to explore and shop the regions for a good cause. I had a great time attending my first Jail & Bail and seeing all of the goodies up for grabs.
