Hi everyone and Happy New Year!

In the spirit of new beginnings, today I did a small renovation at Encantada.
Things were getting crowded in the spring/summer area and well, I've started work on some "Fantasy" items. I didn't have a good spot for them so I've made a new area for "Enchanted" items.
I've moved just a few things over there already and will have a new release in the next couple of days.
I'll be keeping Halloween in the fall area and Easter in the spring area for now.

Hope you have a great start to 2022 :)

'Stella Polaris' opened in 2020 in Kroatan, but as you can see, she is now beautifying Offworld.
The bubbles above the rocks contain images and landmarks to other beautiful regions in Offworld.
* * *
'Stella Polaris' wurde 2020 in Kroatan eröffnet, aber wie ihr sehen könnt, verschönert sie jetzt Offworld.
Die Seifenblasen über den Felsen enthalten Bilder und Landmarken zu anderen schönen Regionen in Offworld.

When I was building my home sims, I discovered I needed rocks and well, I couldn't find what I wanted. Hence, I made rocks and a sky island, I also made some for the beach with flat tops for sunbathing. You never know where you will want to sunbathe.

Well, I made the male goldfinch and afterwards I felt like I really should have done the female as well. So, I did. My apologies to anyone that took the box yesterday, I added the females to the same box. I just felt like he looked lonely.

Well, I released a novelty item today. Every once in a while (well, maybe more often than that) I get obsessed with something goofy. I always thought stick men were cute, don't know why, I just do. So, I made animesh and avatar stick people. There are regular ruth size and also tiny versions. I put them on the second floor of the shop building right in front of the elevator. They are dancing in the landing zone purely for my entertainment :).

The Art Factory is about art and artists. At The Art Factory, we display art; we appreciate art; we learn about art; and, we promote art. We have over a dozen galleries dedicated to in-world artists, where they show their innovative creations. As such, we are continuing our feature - Meet the Artist. This week, we interviewed Antonia Ling, owner of Antonia Ling Gallery, Inspired By Gallery, Metropolis Poster Shop, and a 2001 themed gallery.

Antonia, tell us about yourself and your art.
“It's not easy to talk about myself. What have I to say about my person? Not much... really. I like photography and I like to photograph. I love to photograph old churches when I'm in Denmark. Or ships in the harbor... often details. Not the big ones, I prefer little old boats of the local fishermen. I like to photograph old cars and colorful flowers. I love art from the 1920s to today, I love a lot of the german BAUHAUS and their Master like Kandinsky, Alberts or Lazlo Moholy-Nagy.”

What are you doing currently?
“I try to photograph a bit. At the moment I deal with cyanotype. It fascinates me...”

What is your inspiration for art in world?
“I do what I do because I like to do it. When one in a million likes it... I'm happy.”

Thank you so much for your interview, Ms. Ling. We love your ongoing contributions to The Factory.

It's really not that hard to be ranked #4 on OpenSim when you plant 8 avatars in your region and just keep them there. I really think that is being very deceitful and skewing the OpenSim numbers to raise yourself in the rank. Regions that have been found to have avatars that are just put there 24/7 should have the region deleted and it should not be allowed. Not only is this grid owner stealing people's regions but now they are lying about who is actually occupying their region to raise themselves in the ranks. Awful!

Come for the freebies. Stay for the sites! Take your time exploring this beautiful sim, filled with picturesque views, large forests, rivers, lakes, waterfalls, and beaches. Don't forget to visit Santa along the way.

JAPANESE MAPLE TREES PACK with animated leaves ** FREE and FULL PERM ** Available at BOX 02 at FOREST AREA (ground). Many options of trees sizes and seasonal textures (spring, summer, 8 kinds of autumn and 2 for winter). Also included leaf particles rezer for this time of year. Enjoy :)

SIX KINDS of sculpted wild grasses and weeds for ur place! ALL FREE and FULLPERM at GARDEN AREA BOX 01 with seasonal textures (and this time I put the standart size and also the reduced 128x128 pixels one that helps reduce graphic lag when many are rezed).

I had the pleasure of attending one of Gertie's sets. What I loved the most about her was her upbeat and exuberant personality. I wanted to create something to remember her by. This charm bracelet has a music note with her name. Free-Full Perms
hop://continuum.Outworldz.net:8002/Monentes%20Jewelry/114/...

A statement:

This is a world for avatars. If you put your avatar face in the profile, instead of the standard default picture, you get much more reactions and attention for your posts here in the forum. A standard profile picture does not specifically encourage you to open an account and take a closer look. If a profile is not maintained, the contributions and grid are usually the same. It takes effort, patience and perseverance to get people on his grid. Action = reaction. This is never quick! ;-)

Governor Heron

***

Eine Feststellung:

Das hier ist eine Welt für Avatare. Wenn Du Dein Avatar Gesicht ins Profil gibst, an Stelle des Standardes Vorgabe Bildes, bekommst Du wesentlich mehr Reaktionen und Aufmerksamkeit für Deine Posts hier im Forum. Ein Standard Profil Bild animiert nicht speziell einen Account zu öffnen und näher anzusehen. Wenn ein Profil nicht gepflegt wird, sind meistens auch die Beiträge und Grid so. Um Leute auf sein Grid zu bringen, braucht es Anstrengung, Geduld und Ausdauer. Aktion = Reaktion. Das geht nie auf die schnelle! ;-)

Governor Heron

screenshot of Firestorm running on steam deck/Bazzite CloudDeck

We aim to provide the easiest way to run Firestorm viewer on Linux.

beta testing
https://github.com/holoneon/org.holoneon.FirestormOpenSim

Get your grid listed in the login drop-down here:
https://github.com/holoneon/opensim-grid-directory

I just realized that I had a mistake on the original post so I fixed it and if you didn't see it I'm not telling you what the typo was. :D Anyway I want to take this time to wish everyone in Opensim a very peaceful, relaxing, fun and safe 4th of July as we celebrate our nation's 250th birthday. May our nation know 250 more years of peace, prosperity, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Blessings and much love, Lavia. (And yes that's the real me in the picture)

Meet the Nexari, Ancient travelers. Silent explorers. Keepers of the stars.

The Nexari have arrived at Gallumbits! This all-new alien species is now available as a complete male and female avatar set, featuring sleek biomechanical designs, luminous cosmic colors, and an unmistakable extraterrestrial presence.

Whether you're exploring distant worlds, building a sci-fi roleplay, or creating your own interstellar adventures, the Nexari are ready to journey beyond the stars.

Available now at Gallumbits — where imagination has no limits.
three.hills.grid.outworldz.net:8002:Eccentrica Gallumbits

🎧 Tribute to Maldrul Smith
(Written in your voice, with your heart)

Today, I lost one of the dearest friends I’ve ever had in OpenSim — Maldrul Smith. My heart is breaking in ways I can barely put into words. Mal wasn’t just a friend… he was one of those rare souls who made life feel lighter just by being present. Kind, compassionate, gentle, and always a true gentleman — that was Mal.

He had a sweetness about him that never felt forced. A warmth that wrapped around you the moment he spoke. And oh, his wit — always sharp, always playful, always ready to make me laugh when I needed it most. Mal was fun, interesting, thoughtful, and full of life. He was one of the few people I could talk to openly and honestly, without fear, without hesitation. He understood me. He listened. He cared.

And when he DJ’d…
He brought magic into the room.
His sets weren’t just music — they were moments.
He knew how to lift spirits, how to create atmosphere, how to make people feel connected.
He played from the heart, and you could feel it every time.

Mal, I’ll miss you so much.
I’ll miss your voice, your humor, your kindness, your presence.
I’ll miss the way you made the world feel a little softer.
You were one of the few and far‑between people who truly mattered to me.
One of the dearest friends I’ve ever had in OpenSim.

Thank you for being exactly who you were — a sweet man, a compassionate soul, a gentleman, a friend.
Rest in peace, my sweet friend.
You will never be forgotten.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

💛 Prayer for Maldrul Smith
Father God,
Another dear friend has left this world, and my heart is breaking. Maldrul Smith was such a close and precious friend to me — kind, compassionate, gentle, and full of warmth. He was the kind of man whose presence made life feel lighter. A sweet soul, a true gentleman, and one of the most genuine people I’ve ever known.

Lord, I thank You for the gift of his friendship.
For his wit, his humor, his kindness, and the way he made every conversation feel meaningful.
He was one of the few people I could talk to openly, honestly, and without fear.
He was rare — one of the dearest friends I had in OpenSim, and losing him leaves a space that hurts deeply.

Father, hold him close now.
Let his spirit rest in Your peace.
Let him feel the love of those who cherished him.
Let him be surrounded by Your light, Your comfort, and Your eternal rest.

Mal… I’ll miss you so much.
Rest in peace, my sweet friend.
You will always be remembered with love.

Amen.