Category: Sci-fi

Insilico – Buddha Bowl & Beyond

The arrival point looked a little confusing at first, just loads of hovering stuff everywhere. After accidentally clicking on one and ending up I don’t know where, I came back and took a proper look. It’s a rather cool map and with the place covering 4 Regions I think it’ll come in handy!

I clicked on the closest map point labelled “07 Buddah Bowl” and sure enough that’s where I arrived and found it’s a rather cool looking bar.

Buddah Bowl

This area is rather huge and empty feeling, so was good to have some compay on this exploration.

On this particular visit I’m accompanied by my dear friend Joyouous Destiny.

Not knowing where to go next, it seemed sensible to take the only direction sign in sight, which got us nowhere. However  I think this because it lead to a rental. There’s a number of these doors dotted about the place and some of them clearly residences.

We saw a couple of shops as we walked, but they weren’t interactive, just scenery.

Then we came to somewhere that did sound much more iteresting, a place called “Cyber Doc”.

In here was all kinds of intersting but rather creepy equipment.

Coming out the “Doctors” there’s a few intruiging places I will have to come back to explore, since Joy was tempted by a lift.

This brought us up onto an extensive network of suspended gangways to explore, that reminded me very much of those found in the Cyberpunk varieties of Drune.

From up here you can see a lot of the city and other spots to visit, as well as some unusual artwork.

Below one of the walkways is a small oasis of greenery among all the steel and glass. I just had to go down and explore.

At the bottom of another set of stairs I found a bar, with a very cool looking animated android serving the drinks.

This is just one small peek at Insilico, there’s lots more city to explore down below, I’ll have to go back and do that soon. Definitely a place any sci-fi fan should take a trip to visit.

Landing point: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/INSILICO/33/182/522

Website: https://www.insilico.online/

Credits:

Drune – Diesel City

Another Drune installation is here and what a difference it is! A mix of Steampunk but with some newer tech thrown in. Just looking at the vehicles parked on the streets it’s quite a range from the Batmobile to worn out hovercars. It feels like your walking through multiple genres and time periods at once, but it really works.

The landing point is very appropriately located in an airship, I had an explore of the docking area building before takig the elevator down to the ground level.

Arrival in Airship bar

Like other Drune builds there are lots of lights everywhere, but not this time the neon of the cyberpunk styles of the past incarnations. There’s lots of shiny metal everywhere that reflects the light and making the place feel brighter, but then darker in the shadowy areas. Lots of the buildings are accessible and not just facades, as we’ve come to expect form a Drune build, attention to detail.

When you step out the tunnel from the elevator, you come to the first of many vehicles lining the streets. I did my usual routine of making a circuit of the streets to get my bearings and found some surprises.

By the time I reached the garae I was only about a quarter of the way around the block. I see some steps and explore and it’s here that I find there appears to be two levels of roads, since I found myself back on tarmac at the top.

Then I started seeing how many doors would actually open, as expected of Drune build, plenty.

Radio station – City Radio

Cinema

Private investigator – Deckard & Associates

Pub – The Garrison

Club – Old Calabar

Hotel – Cortez

One thing I did notice was absence of an aerial walkway area that have been included in the last two cyberpunk builds. Maybe simply because it wouldn’t have been appropriate in 1940’s era, but then neither would hovercars. Overall another fantastic build that anyone should visit and explore, whatever genre you’re into.

One last note a quiet little waterfront spot I found for those that enjoy misty sunsets, if you can find your way there (when using Region Shared Environment).

Landing Point: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Blissful%20Summer/204/123/2835

Credits:

Usually I like to wear something in-theme when exploring places, I really wasn’t sure what would class as DieselPunk. So it’s even more of a mix and match than normal this time!

Patiently Blue

I wore a rather unusual (for me) outfit to the SL Book Club a little while ago. Since a few people seemed to like it,I thought I’d re-shoot it to show the look off better.

Outfit Credits:

Location: Cocoon  Environment setting: Psycho Strobe!

 

Mischief in The Lab

Ava creeps around the lab looking for anything potentiality valuable she might be able to steal and sell at whatever place they all end up at after the evacuation. She finds an assortment of vials that look interesting and stuffs it into her bag. She had worn white in the absence of a lab coat so at first-glance she might be overlooked and the sheerness of it might distract those that gave a Second-look, that would give her at least a moment to escape.

Why she had bothered she wasn’t sure, everyone else will be in too much of a panic to care about a pilfering Scav.

She tries to be careful as she goes round, not to knock over any of the test tubes and vials on the work benches, since there had been protective masks hung outside which she’d donned out of self-preservation sense.

On the way out a terminal that has been left unlocked catches her eye. She looks around for a flash drive in one of the desks and finding one she sits and waits as a large directory labelled “Classified Projects” downloads.

Credits:

Cyber Fair 2021 items:

  • Metallic Legs & Arms:[StudioNova] METAL Implants
  • Skirt & Jacket: [StudioNova] Nova Hottie Set – 8
  • Mask:[UD] GasX Mask – Unisex 1
  • Shoes:GUTCHI – SuperBoots MK94 “White”

Other items:

Location: The Varuna Project(Location Closed 12th March 2021)

Last Descent at Varuna Project.

I joined a group of Roleplayers taking part in a “Mineshaft rescue” organised roleplay at the Varuna Project on 6th of March.

I went along just to watch, OOC (Out of Character) to see what they were getting up to, since it was the first I’d been able to attend. I wish now I had joined in IC, since little did I know, it would have been my last opportunity to RP there.

This morning Friday 12th March,(technically Thursday night in SL), it was announced in the Varuna Project Discord server that the build would be closing and was going to be dismantled over the coming weekend.

As I mentioned in previous posts I’d rank this place up alongside Hangars Liquides and the Drune Cyberpunk builds in terms of quality and attention to detail. So it is such a shame to see it closing,but good things don’t last forever sadly.

If you have the time, I’d suggest dropping by to have a look at this masterpiece before it’s gone.

Landing point:Location Closed 12th March 2021

Varuna Project Flickr

My previous posts featuring Varuna Project :

 

Cyber Fair 2021 Event

Last year I went to the Cyberpunk shopping event for the first time and bought a few nice things, that I’m still wearing and some featured in a recent post.

Cyber Fair 2021 is opening tomorrow (4th March) and I’m really looking forward to it!

I thought I’d do a post featuring as many of the items from last year as possible, before I go on another shopping spree!

Cyber Fair Location: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/ACCESS%202/124/123/1504

Outfit Credits:

  • Breatplate: Novianna Tops by :[Petrichor]: (Cyberpunk 2020)
  • Wrist cuffs: Cainva Modulators by :[Petrichor]: (Cyberpunk 2020)
  • Eye augment: Astara – Cyber Eye Augment by ASTRA (Cyberpunk 2020)
  • Collar: ANTINATURAL[+] Specter Collar / SILVER (Cyberpunk 2020)

The rest:

Photo Location: Cocoon http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife//32/161/3013

Time for a swim

Having been caught and negotiating her release on her last attempt to investigate the restricted areas of the research facility, Ava decides to try a different approach.

If she can’t get through the indoor tunnels, why not try the outside? Sure it was dark and cold outside, but there were certainly no guards out there, so long as you didn’t count the sharks.

So Ava suits up in her scavenger gear, a bodysuit that will keep her warm and dry during her little expedition, along with a helmet that had seen better days. Hopefully her trip will pay off and she can trade for a newer one.

She crouches on the outside of the hatch for a moment making sure it was secure and to check her bearings before heading down into the depths.

Review post of the location: The Varuna Project

Outfit credits:

Related Posts:

Morning Caffeine

Ava slowly turns on the pole as her dancing shift comes to an end she flips her legs up and looks down to count the tips scattered on the podium below. Her eyes sparkle behind her visor as she sees several high value notes lying there. She scoops those up quickly and tucks them away before the greedy owner sees, it’s been a good night indeed! Flipping back down she collects the rest of the money.

With a wave to the other staff she wanders out the club as she is, not bothering with a coat since the artificial atmosphere keeps the whole place comfortably warm. She just taps a button on her top making it no longer transparent, not wanting to give the public a free show. She walks across the plexiglass floor to the cafe opposite and orders her usual drink, needing some caffeine before she showers and changes for her day job.

Location:Location Closed 12th March 2021

Review post of location: Varuna Project: Entertainment District

Outfit Credits:

Related Posts:

Caught!

As Ava cracks the last digit of the security code on the door of the facility, she hears footsteps and a voice behind her. “Stop! Raise your hands and turn around!” says the secuity guard. Ava complies slowly with a startled look on her face, convinced that the guards shouldn’t have been passing here for another few minutes.

Outfit Credits

Location: Location Closed 12th March 2021

Review post of the location: The Varuna Project

Related Posts:

Sindaria Part 2 – New Runner City

I found Sindaria via a Scoop.it article that led me through to a Blog post about the Cyberpunk area of Sindaria. At the time of writing my previous post on Sindaria, I hadn’t fully read the said blog post, for which I owe the author an apology for seeming rather dismissive of it,when that wasn’t my intention. Anyway onto my visit to this city. Obviously this time I took the other teleport doorway, the one lit with neon.

The teleporter to New Runner City

This brings me to a large circular platform surrounded by skyscrapers with giant ad boards on them (not actual advertising for inworld stores or services, RP related). The one that stood out the most was one for a place called “Galaxy Glub”, so clearly a place I’d have to look at. Nearby is a shuttle landing platform that I headed for.

The shuttle landing platform

Before I left however I thought I’d mention the eco-dome type structure containing a few trees. A nod to the other theme on the region, like the police car in the Elven Woodland area below. At the shuttle platform I hit the big green call button and a shuttle could be heard approaching and landed next to me and I boarded.

The shuttle system is fairly impressive with quite a number of locations it will take you. I picked a location at random and the shuttle tok off and flew me down to a lower level, rather smoothly.

At the bottom I found myself a short distance from the Galaxy Club so I went to investigate. As Secondlife clubs go this was fairly mediocre, but given the region is meant for RP not parties, this is understandable, much more effort has been spent elsewhere.

Back outside I found a teleport station, again with a reasonable number of destinations. This is good, because as I explored I kept finding more to see, similar to Hangars Liquides, but on a smaller scale. I ended up at what appeard to be the rear of the club, near the entrance to another unidentified building. No signage and a locked door. What was beyond this place however I found more interesting.

Rain. Yes I know sounds weird, but when most people try to add weather to a place in SL, it looks dreadful. Not that it’s something you deliberately look for, but it stood out to me because it was so atmospherically accurate and appropriate to the setting.

Rain, that actualy felt like rain.

To my left I saw what appeared to be pink crosses so went to investigate, I guess even cyberpunks need religion, but this seemed more of the Vegas variety.

I headed out in the opposite direction to see how far the rain went and where the road led. The rain didn’t extend far, but the road does, lots of winding bends, leading downhill. The further down you go, the scruffier it gets, more proligic garffiti and the like abound.

I didn’t explore much more of the region beyond this, it would take quite some time with the city being so large. Lots of RP locations everywhere and multiple transport methods to find and get to them. If you like your Cyberpunk RP this is a place to definitely check out. Usually I keep my writing about SL, because making comparisons to PC games is usually like comparing chalk and cheese. However while I was writing this peice I saw a video that mentions the much hyped Cyberpunk 2077 game. I haven’t played the game on any platform so I watched it with inerest to hear a critical analysis. It was mentioned a few times that the linear nature of the game didn’t allow for much aesthetic character customisation or Roleplay in what was meant to be an Roleplaying Game. But to me that’s like trying to hammer a nail with the handle of a screwdriver, it’ll work, but isn’t the right tool. You want to aesthetically customise you character to your hearts desire with few constraints and have freeform RP? Sign up to SecondLife and spend the game price on Lindens (at time of writing that’s about $L 16,400) to customize your avie to your hearts desire. Then visit the cyberpunk location of your choice and RP away. Obviously if you want to go round shooting folk and NPC’s as part of a structured plot, it’s not for you, but if your focus is the “RP” in RPG give it a go. Landing Point: https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Sindaria/58/91/1089 Website: https://www.worldanvil.com/w/sindaria-scarlet-fey The Cyberpunk 2077 video mentioned: Youtube

Outfit:

This post was featured on the SecondLife Community Blog on 20th January 2021.