ASSISTANT EDITOR’S NOTE
FANTASY ,MAGIC AND MYTHS
theme for this issue is fairy tales. It’s not about fairy stories actually but deals with ways in which fantasy, magic, myth and wonder have been expressed in our virtual world of Second Life® and the role play opportunities opened up by such realms. The theme also extends into using role play and fairy tale themes as mediums for female empowerment. Our Special Theme Editor, Lovely Miwako7399 Menna has this to say about the theme, “Fairy tales at times seem to place the woman in a position of victim, rarely one of empowerment. In this issue, we are breaking the stereotype and empowering female roles by eliminating the damsel in distress factor.” We have four articles that explore aspects of this theme. What advantages does being a woman confer when engaged in fairy tale/fantasy/medieval role play realms? Sherri Shepherd interviews four wonderful women who tell us of the benefits and pitfalls. Sammie Audion combines a tour through three fairy tale sims with some interview of participants exploring why they like these environments and if their role play relates to their personal perceptions of themselves. Talking about being your role play character, you can have a fairy-sized avatar that will scamper around and add real charm to any role play setting. Sita Writer talks with several avatars who are tinies. Little one foot high bundles of whimsy. The term fetish usually has sexual overtones of a darker aspect but Lovely Miwako7399 Menna examines clothing and fashion as it relates to fetishes and we get to explore a fascinating new
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dimension in fashion that can have mythical dimensions. Our main fashion spread provides a slightly darker more complex viewpoint on some familiar fairy tales. We see new perspectives on such stories as The Little Mermaid, Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast and Little Red Riding Hood. Our Staff Spotlight is focused on AnnaG Pfeffer, who is a model at Maniera Model Management. Our columns provide some glimpses into the fairy tale history and the options for fairy castles in the present. Leah Portland, in Fashion Passion, sketches out the origins of fairy stories and the costume style most common to their depiction. In ManiStyle, Brit Collins takes us castle shopping with a look thru the classifieds for fantasy buildings to populate one’s fairy realm. Aphrodite Brianna describes another virtual world, separate from Second Life, called Kitely. She shows us another place to indulge in fantasy and delight. I have always felt myself to be an elf. I can’t really say why but elves resonate with me. Maybe it’s the pointy ears. There is a quote I found in some musty corner of forgotten lore that goes something like this: “I am very old and have been here a long, long time but in many ways I am very young.” Reading that always gives me chills. Why? I guess it’s may just be some mysterious connection with magic. [
JULY/AUGUST 2013