WTTQ UNDERCOVER REPORT: “Astrid’s Cousins at SL22B.Who Knew?”

 Filed live from a glitter-drenched hoverpod in orbit around the Second Life Birthday exhibit (Sector F: Unregistered Visitors & Glitter-Bloodlines)

“I thought I was just here for the cake and freebies.
Then someone whispered, ‘Aren’t you Astrid’s cousin?’
And suddenly I was surrounded.”

THE SL22B INCIDENT:

SL22B was supposed to be the usual chaotic birthday bash:
Lag, sparkles, weird freebies, overly sincere art builds, and alien sightings that everyone pretends to ignore.

A family Reunion???

But then, they showed up.
Astrid’s cousins.
Not just one. A cluster. A cluster of cousins.
No one had ever seen them before.
No one had ever seen them all together.

Cousin Frayda: Identifies as “Multispectral” and speaks in 7-note scales. Possibly part hummingbird. Definitely flammable.

Jex: Glitch-hopper, certified gacha hoarder, once married to a vending machine (briefly annulled).

Cousin 0110: A non-verbal lightform who only communicates through bursts of static near teleport hubs.

Cousin Marveena: Thinks she’s human. Everyone else knows she isn’t. Last seen arguing with a terraformer bot about the meaning of the word “cousin.”

Gloop: Possibly not a cousin. Possibly a sentient dessert.

Astrid, when confronted, simply sipped her espresso and said:
“Bloodlines are messy. And sometimes cosmic.”

It may have been DJ Glarv mixing the tunes.

THEIR BOOTH AT SL22B:
Officially titled:
“UNOFFICIAL INTERGALACTIC KINSHIP ZONE”

Features include:
A bounce house made of missed calls
An interactive family tree that updates depending on your emotional state
Free tacos (possibly dimensional)
A mirror that shows who you’d be if you’d been raised by Astrid’s great-uncle Glarv.

“They welcomed me like I’d been missing. Maybe I was.” Raine Solara
“One of them licked my aura.” Dandy
“They kept calling me ‘Cousin Tubby’ even though I’m not. I might be now.” Tubby

You never really know who you’re related to in Second Life.
Not by blood. Not by logic.
But by vibe.
Astrid’s cousins didn’t come to perform. They came to reclaim space, remind her who she is,
and possibly recruit new relatives.
So if you danced with a glittering stranger at SL22B and they whispered, “See you at the next family rift,”

You’re in.
Like it or not.
You’ve got cousins now.
And they never forget.