ROMA Bona Dea & Mercuralia Schedule

Saturday 16th May

10 am - Bona Dea Ritual & Maypole Dance

Our festivals begin with a ritual for Bona Dea, "The Good Goddess" - Also known as Fauna, She is the daughter of Faunus, and a goddess virginity, fertility, and healing. Bona Dea's rites included only women - even paintings or drawings of men or male animals were forbidden - but in our ROMA, the menfolk are welcome to Her rites. After the rite, we will have the traditional maypole dance, as well as grape-stomping and wine!
Location: ROMA Transtiberim sim


12pm - Bona Dea Cross-Dressing Contest

Because no women were traditionally allowed to participate in Bona Dea's rites, we have found a way to sneak the men in! We will be having a cross-dressing contest for the boys of ROMA - but there's a catch! Just as in RL, you can change everything but your shape - that must remain male! There will be cash prizes for the Prettiest, Ugliest, Most Realistic, and Most Outrageous costumes - don't be shy, come join in the fun! Please see attached rules for details.
Location: ROMA Transtiberim sim


2pm - Bona Dea Carnivale

To help celebrate the return of warm weather and springtime, what's better than a carnivale? Perhaps celebrating one of ROMA's very own MVPs! We are starting a new tradition this year, honouring various ROMA Citizens for their contributions - since Bona Dea is a female festival, our MPV is Spaciva Ivanova! The carnivale will also help raise funds for the Legion & Collegia, who are in danger of losing their HQs. So come along, have some fun and make a difference while you play! (We will be electing a male MVP at Saturnalia as well!)
�ocation: ROMA Fort

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Sunday 17th May

10am - Mercuralia Ritual

Mercury isn't just the herald of the Gods - He's also the patron of merchants and commerce! So this Mercuralia, we will be honouring Him with a ritual in the Mercury Temple at the Macellum! After the ritual, there will be drinking, dancing, and games in the Tavern. Consider it the calm before a long day of contests!
Location: ROMA Subura


11am- Senate Meeting

The public is invited to the ROMA Senate meeting in the ROMA Curia.
Location: ROMA sim


12pm - Mercuralia Footrace

Mercury is known for His swift travel as well - do you think you can match His prowess? Here's your chance to try! We will be having several footraces on the Hippodrome's track in honour of Mercury the Swift. There will be prizes for the 1st place winners of each race, with a race-off of all winners for a Grand Prize. Can you be the leader of the pack? Come prove it!
Location: ROMA sim


2pm - Mercuralia Treasure Hunt

Oh no! While blessing ROMA with good fortune, Mercury has lost all His money pouches! Can you find them for Him? For each purse you find, you'll get a monetary reward - yes, that means cold, hard lindens! How big a reward will you finally reap? Come join the hunt and find out!
Location: ROMA sim


4pm - The Mercury & Fauna Grand Feast

Our Festivals culminate with the Mercury & Fauna Grand Feast - come celebrate the return of Spring with us! We will also be having a trivia contest, courtesy of Mickey James! There will be cash prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place contest winners!
Location: ROMA sim

ROMA PRO VITA Flea Market a Success!

Thanks to the hard work of the organizers and the generosity of our citizens, the ROMA PRO VITA Flea Market that was held in the ROMA Fort was a great success!

Over L$36,500 was raised, bringing in over $141.00 US to help fight cancer and fund cancer research.

The finale of the market was held on Sunday with a great live music concert in the Fort!

There will be more ROMA PRO VITA events held this spring in ROMA to benefit the Relay For Life organization, so watch the ROMA notices.

How the upcoming changes regarding "adult regions" will affect ROMA

1. First, be sure to read what Angelia wrote explaining why the changes are happening, and why LL is now attempting to censor sexual and extremely violent content on the grid. This notecard is available on the 'notices' tab of the ROMA Citizens group (soon to be found in world in the Plaza).

2. ROMA will remain 'Mature' and not go 'Adult'. This is for two reasons: A) remaining 'Mature' under the new LL system requires only a few minor changes to the overall way ROMA is run and B) we do not wish to exclude unverified accounts from ROMA, many of which are students and teachers affiliated with universities and colleges and museums who usually do not link those accounts with credit card info, etc to verify them. ROMA, however will remain a place where only players above 18 are welcome.

3. The rooms under the Lupanar will be closed. ROMA will no longer offer a place for avatars to engage in virtual sex. The 12 Tables will be changed to reflect that as a ‘mature’ zoned area, we can no longer offer such a space. (The rooms were rarely used so this is in our opinion no big loss).

4. Based on comments from Blondin Linden, male and female avatar nudity can occur in Mature regions. RL pictures of nudity can not. So the Hot Springs will continue to be clothing optional. (the LL policy regarding nudity is still being worked out, so this may change in the future).

5. Merchants selling items where sexual acts are depicted will no longer be able to list them for sale in uncensored form. Right now we will allow, for example, images of ancient erotica to be sold if the images in the vendor are censored to reflect the new LL policy. So put black bars on the advertised image, and sell the uncensored in a manner that it can not be seen until the customer rezzes it at home. Erotic, sexual themed and extremely violent objects can not be advertised in classified, profile picks, or external web pages as being sold in ROMA. We will change the merchant agreements to reflect this.

6. For Subura residents, our Subura rules already stipulate that sexual matters need to remain indoors where they are not visible to the general public. Everyone knows this already, and the Subura residents have been exemplary in adhering to this rule. This policy will remain in effect, with the added caveat that LL now forbids them from advertising public parties or events at their Subura plot if they have sexual themed objects such as erotic art, sex beds, BDSM equipment, etc in their private house. This includes skybox material that will be out of sight. It can’t be on the parcel period if you have a public event. You are still able to have such objects if they are private and kept out of the sight of passer-bys.

7. As for violence, our roleplay does not involve realistic or extreme violence, so I do not see more than some minor tweaks in this area. The Ludus fights and Legion displays are educational (and it would help make this point if the Legion, Legio, and Ludus groups used the words ‘educational’ and ‘recreation’ more in their events and notices. Let us ‘play up’ our educational components.). Legion and Ludus members should refrain from using any gadget or effect that is particularly bloody or gruesome. ROMA is not a combat-oriented roleplay land, and just enjoying a combat system in its place (already spelled out in the 12 Tables and regulated in the sims and by the groups) does not cross us over from ‘mature’ to ‘adult’.

8. Roleplay and roleplay events should also not incorporate overt sexual or violent themes. Our roleplay rules already forbid sexual slavery (of the Gor and BDSM variety) so that will continue to be in force.

Torin Golding
Owner & Prefect, ROMA Sims