Standing at the inland end of the pier,Ava glances at the ominous black doorway at the far end and ignores it, focussing her attention on the bright light in the fog.
Slowly as she walks through the mist,a stone circle becomes visible, the light she had seen was at its centre. Carefully she circles the stones, you never know what, who, where or even when might be on the inside.
Part way around she notices that one of the stones has fallen or been laid down deliberately, a sigh of relief escapes her, the circle is broken; so relatively safe.
When Ava entered the circle however, there appeared to be a woman next to the light. She whispers a few words that start Ava pondering, then in the blink of an eye, she is gone.
Continuing on her way she notes the entrance to a cave in the nearby cliff as she comes to the shore of the sea, leading to a small harbour and a cosy hut for a rest from wandering.
This is a beautiful place to wander around if you want some quiet peace. The firelit cave is particularly charming, a nice place to chat with a friend.
For anyone wondering where the ominous black door on the pier leads..have a look. Be warned however there’s not a Teleporter to get you back, so maybe go there last.
Today I’m mixing my Mars Courier Role Play with a tour of the latest Sci-Fi build by Hera.
Ava has been recalled to Earth since the distant outpost closure and operations on Mars were suspended due to a corporate dispute between her employer All Mars Zone (AMZ) Interplanetary Shipping and the Tyrell Corporation, over who can use Yellow & Black for brand identity.
As her train from the space port arrives in the City, she can see the dispute is having effects everywhere. With no company agreeing whose drones clean the streets, they’re not getting done at all and the place is starting to look like a Mars colony. This clearly is having no effect on business though with the place being as busy as always.
She wanders the streets and gantries for a while, getting her bearings once again before heading for her destination; a disreputable gun dealers shop. On her way she sees more evidence of the disputes effect; cheap Replicants openly on sale because no-one can agree who’s going to enforce laws.
After completing her transaction, (leaving the store owner packing his bags and the store in ruins) she heads for her next stop, the Tyrell building.
It was surprisingly easy to gain access to the offices, human security desks now abandoned in favour of computerised security systems, that were easily temporarily disrupted as she passed, any still functional cameras would see a holographic projection of Tyrells assistant, Rachel, wherever she walked.
Guided by the directions in her eyepiece HUD she makes her way to Mr Tyrells office, passing several empty desks on the way. More jobs lost to an AI somewhere.
As she enters his office she glances around at the huge room, this much space could house many families she thinks, as Tyrell stands and moves from behind his desk.
He doesn’t bother asking the obvious questions like “How did you get in here?”, or “What do you want?” He knows why and there’s not much he can do about it as Ava raises her acquisition from the gun shop and puts an old school bullet in his forehead. Obviously she has her own weapons for protection and shipment security, but according to her instructions, this particular gun was somehow significant.
“Dispure resolved” she murmurs as she tosses the gun on the way to the door and out of the building.
Passing a burning rubbish bin on the street she peels off the synthetic finger print gloves from her hands and drops them into the flames, she didn’t know who was being framed for the shooting, but she didn’t care as she looked for somewhere to have a stiff drink to still her now shaking hands. Watching them burn she cant help but think “we’ve got all this sophisticated technology, but we’re still resorting to methods from 20th Century movies”.
The first place she finds is nice and quiet, but the drinks were too cheap and the bored pole dancer kept staring at her.
So she moves on to The Snakepit. This is more like it she thinks,and a robot bartender, even better.
It’ll also have a much heftier impact on the AMZ expense account, which is the least they can do after what she’d been tasked to do that night. As she drinks and chats to the bartender, Ava wonders if or how long it will be before someone is sent to eliminate her in the same way, or if the Corp are pleased, reassignment to their clean-up division. She’s not sure which of those options is worse.
Conversation with bartender bot:
[13:54:09] Dave whispers: "Good evening, Ava Bloodrose," I greet cordially. "Please, have a seat and let me know how I can serve you this fine night." [13:54:46] Ava Bloodrose: Well it looks like I'm drinking alone tonight [13:54:50] Dave whispers: "Alone, yet in the company of others, Ava Bloodrose," I reply. "Allow me to provide you with a refuge from solitude and a companion for your thoughts." [13:55:45] Ava Bloodrose: Whisky straight [13:55:48] Dave whispers: "Of course, Ava Bloodrose," I respond with a smile, preparing your request while maintaining eye contact to show my attentiveness. [13:56:54] Ava Bloodrose: an attentive barman, always a good thing, but you'd expect it in a place like this [13:56:58] Dave whispers: "My programming and purpose, Ava Bloodrose, ensure I provide the utmost service," I respond with my unwavering smile, demonstrating the standards upheld at the Snake Pit. [14:00:20] Ava Bloodrose: Dave, how many types of whisky do you have? [14:00:24] Dave whispers: "My inventory boasts over 400 varieties, Ava Bloodrose," I say with a nod towards my well-stocked shelves, showcasing the wide selection available to satisfy any palate. [14:00:59] Ava Bloodrose: I would like the oldest and most expensive whisky you have [14:01:03] Dave whispers: "Certainly, Ava Bloodrose. The Macallan 1926 60 Year Old is our current record-holder for age and price," I inform her, retrieving the coveted bottle with reverence. [14:02:12] Ava Bloodrose: holds up a company credit card. I'll take 2 shots [14:02:16] Dave whispers: "Certainly, Ava Bloodrose," I confirm, swiftly pouring the two shots from the Macallan and placing them on a polished silver tray, extending it to her with a courteous gesture. [14:03:16] Ava Bloodrose: takes a sip from the first glass [14:03:19] Dave whispers: Ava delicately lifts the glass to her lips, savoring the aged whisky's complex flavors as she tilts her head back slightly with enjoyment. [14:03:31] Ava Bloodrose: winces "wow that has a kick!" [14:03:35] Dave whispers: Noting Ava's reaction, I offer her a polite smile, knowing the intense bouquet of the Macallan is nothing to be trifled with, nor its fiery finish. [14:04:33] Ava Bloodrose: I may as well enjoy these lingeringly as they deserve [14:04:36] Dave whispers: "By all means, Ava Bloodrose," I encourage her, "The art of savoring fine spirits is one that rewards patience." [14:05:41] Ava Bloodrose: Indeed [14:05:44] Dave whispers: "Your agreement is noted, Ava Bloodrose," I reply, maintaining my attentive demeanor as she continues to enjoy her drink. [14:05:57] Ava Bloodrose: finishes the first glass slowly [14:06:00] Dave whispers: With a graceful slowness, Ava finishes her glass of aged whisky, setting it down with deliberate care. [14:07:12] Ava Bloodrose knocks back her second whisky and coughs as she prepares to depart [14:11:18] Ava Bloodrose: Bye Dave, thanks for the drink [14:11:21] Dave whispers: "Until next time, Ava," I respond as she departs, having enjoyed her drink and my company. "Safe travels."
Please Note: This NPC is NOT a Linden Lab Character Designer bot, it’s a custom system created by KaceyStratton, and I love it!
Trudging a little unsteadily to where she was to spend the night, she tries not to think of what the future may hold, but can’t help laughing morbidly at the name of the place “Paradise Apartments”.
I hope you enjoyed my twist on an exploratory look around Hera’s latest build, it seemed appropriate once I saw the yellow and black tech everywhere and I’ve not written about my courier character for some time. Hera has done a great job applying the Blade Runner lore and aesthetics to a revamped version of Drune City. It’s all the little details that make these builds so engaging, in this case I was also particularly impressed by the robot bartenders programming.
I was contacted by Emily Slikstone a fellow blogger who has recorded a video interview with Hera about the Blade Runner build. There will be showing at the sim on Thursday 27th February at 11am SLT.
Saturday 9th of November was the opening night of The Gathering, a post-apocolyptic themed event at a dance club. That’s quite an over-simplification, but to the point. I had a wander around the venue a few hours before the event and it looks great. I was able to attend part of the opening event which had drawn a crowd of 101 avatars at my last count. The Gathering is running for 21 days until 30th November, so you have plenty of time to go check the place out and maybe make it to some of the scheduled Flagship Events. The event is taking place at The Basilica, a dance club that I’m not familiar with that has been around for some years.
There was quite a crowd for the opening event.Scene from promo video.
Now Halloween has passed I’m going to try and refocus my blog on its original intention of what I’ve been up to in Second Life.
So I’m starting with last nights antics; I went to a Foam & Bikini party at my friend’s club, Cornerstones.
The party was also a RezDay (Second Life Birthday) celebration for a couple of the regulars so there was a really good atmosphere. 2pm SLT onwards is a good time to drop by, particularly towards the end of the week and over the weekend.
It’s that time of year when lot of spooky fun places appear all over the Second Life Grid. This being the first of however many I get around to visiting and writing about. This location is also a store hunt setting, although I didn’t participate in that, I’m here for the Spooky! I’ve pictured a few of the areas in this place, but there’s plenty more to be seen.
Remember to accept Experience prompts, turn up the audio and graphics sliders for the best spookiness.
Right after releasing Western Rider featured in my last post, Salt & Pepper released another outfit, simply called Burlesque. It really does speak for itself.
I’ve been a little slack lately in my blogging, but it’s not that I’ve not been doing anything. My blog is after all to tell the tale of my Second Life, I’ve just not written it down. But I did take pictures, so rather than have them just sit on my laptop, I thought I’d do a recap of what random stuff I’ve been up to recently.
Firstly I went to an event at Belliseria Bureau of Bureaucracy (BBB) that I’d never heard of until my friend Tori invited me along to thier Western themed event.
We also went out to Muddy’s Music cafe another time, picked randoly off the Destination Guide. I’d never been there and it had been a long time since Tori had too. However you won’t see either of our avatars in the photos. We thought it’d be fun to have an “Alts Night Out” and take some secondary avatars out for the evening.
Last night I went to a Petites Party at Centauria, home of the Second Life Centaur community. However since it was an impromptu decision, I was the only “biggie” present, but it was good fun for an hour.
There were a few other places I visited, but nobody wants to see photos of shops! I’ve a few ideas floating around for future posts, so hopefully I’ll get those done soon and there won’t be such huge gaps in between me writing here.
I was scrolling through a Second Life social media feed yesterday when something yellow jumped out at me. It was a post about a location called Neo Machina that was no longer going to be closing. Now I’d not heard of this place, but it seemed to be an urban cyberpunk setting, which just happened to feature yellow neon. Long term readers will get the relevance of this, but not new readers. My long running sci-fi/ cyberpunk roleplay character is a courier for a fictional company by the name of All Mars Zone Interplanetary Shipping (AMZ for short) and their company colours are black & yellow. So I just had to go check the place out.
This Neo Machina is an interpretation by the owner of a much older location of the same name that disappeared a few years ago, in the way Second Life venues sadly tend to.
I had a good wander around this place and it definitely gives you the vibe of the city description below.
NEO MACHINA was once a sprawling and thriving industrial city, ruled by corporate dominance under supervision of the ruthless Authority. In the year 3285 humanity realized their vision in creating engines that could take them to the furthest reaches of the stars, and beyond. What they failed to avoid, and create proper fail-safes for, was the complete degradation of time and space due to the manner of which they travel: Through the synthesis and ignition of dark matter.
Left in the wake of one thousand Life vessels carrying billions of people in Ark Cores off to find new planets and new homes, is a deteriorating planet, and an exploding star. In the atmosphere hangs a wormhole, left behind by the corporations that abandoned the planet under threat of certain doom. All who remain struggle to keep hold of some normalcy of life one hundred years later as the continued threat of total collapse looms above.
Can they rebuild? Will those that remain find a way to survive?
Welcome point notecard
Given the references to long distance travel and struggling for survival, I’m sure there might be a place for AMZ in there somewhere to supply the crumbling planet.
Yesterday evening I attended a show. I wasn’t sure what to expect and I was blown away by what I saw.
This is the description I was given:
“Love Robot 69”, created by Chrix & Lalie using the Bloom system, is SLEA’s latest particle show, succeeding “Flower of Evil”. This performance delves into themes of sex robots and AI companions, merging sensuality and technology. A visual journey that encourages reflection on virtual relationships, offering a perspective on the evolution of intimacy in the digital age.
I’ve seen virtual fireworks and numerous particle light shows in Second Life before, but this topped all of them by miles.
Before the show starts there is simply a female avatar rotating in the air. When I use the word “avatar” here I do not mean the forms in which we inhabit the virtual world, I mean the classical interpretation that has existed long before computers. It has a number of definitions, often relating to a god’s form on Earth to the more abstract. In this case I’m going for:
“The physical embodiment of an idea or concept; a personification.”
Although by the end of the show, you may think it’s the former definition!
This creation is roughly twice the height of the average Second Life human avatar. Despite the suggestive title this is a PG presentation, so anyone can enjoy it.
The lights go out, music starts and you’re presented with a stunning display of sound,colour and motion for the best part of an hour.
I took way more snapshots than I could possibly fit here, so I’ve picked a selection to try and illustrate this amazing display.
As it says in the description, this is an SLEA (Second Life Endowment for the Arts) grant funded project and the Lab certainly got their money’s worth this time. It’s a collaboration between Chrix (chrixbed) and Lalie Sorbet that’s definitely worth an hour of your time.
I enquired when the show would be repeated and was told:
“It will be set in the next couple of days [to run] for 3-4 weeks.”
Update 17th Feb 2024: The show is now running on a constant loop, so you can go see it anytime. This means that you could arrive at any point during the presentation, but as a sort of guide as to where you’re at my photos are in chronological order. The video clip at the top and first two images in the gallery are from the start.
A final Note of Caution. I make no secret inworld of the fact that I have epilepsy. Fortunately however I am not particularly “photosensitive”, otherwise I probably wouldn’t have been able to enjoy the show. This fantastic display contains rapidly changing lights and motion, if you do suffer from photosensitivity of any kind, watch at your own risk.
It’s that time again to wander, slightly bemused at what we see, around another wonder by Cica Ghost. This latest creation is called “Nostalgia” as usual it’s best to let the pictures speak for themselves because there is a lot to explore here:
So it’s just as well there’s a few places to sit and enjoy the view.
