Category: Wanderings

As the name suggests, these are my wandering around SecondLife. For more Sci-FI focused locations Click HERE.

Halloween (S)hopping – The Green Witch

It’s that time of year again when we get all spooky dressing up in black, orange and other assorted themed colours. Which obviously means a trip to the Halloween Shop n Hop in SecondLife. Something that caught my eye as I was walking around was this green skin and it reminded me of something I learned recently.

I’d always wondered why costume makers portrayed “Witches” with green skin. There never seemed any sense to it; crooked noses, warts and such are plausible developments of old age,  but green skin?  While on holiday recently I visited the Witchcraft Museum in Salem, where I learned that the reason was simple: colour film. Apparently the green skin was due to the release of the film The Wizard of Oz in 1939. MGM Studios wanted to take advantage of the new technology of colour film in movies, so they made the witches skin green.  Just because they could basically.

The outfit is a mix of gifts and purchases with a little tweaking; the arm and leg fade tattoo layers come white and are tintable. These were needed because while the skin is great, purple patches at the wrists and ankles really didn’t work for the look I wanted.

Photo Location (at Shop n Hop): http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Hollyhock/9/130/52

Outfit Credits:

SciFi Expo Opening Ceremony (Party) NOW!

So “Ceremony” is perhaps a little formal for what is essentially a party, but that’s what they put on the Calendar..

When I hit Publish, there was still 1 Hour and 50 Minutes remaining, since it is from 10am til 1pm SLT, so if you happen to read this before then, come on down!

Party Venue: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Nexus/144/101/4001

The 2022 SciFi Expo is bringing the science fiction community together to benefit Making Strides Against Breast Cancer and the American Cancer Society in Second Life. From Friday, October 14 to Sunday, October 23 come join us on a Voyage Through The Stars, featuring the biggest sci fi designers and shops, live performances, roleplaying events, and so much more, as the community comes together to support finding a cure.
Are you or a loved one battling cancer? Find out how many ways the American Cancer Society is there to help. Visit cancer.org or call (US) 800-ACS-2345.

Event Organiser Links:

Storybook

Ava in Wonderland

My dear friend Sheree Honeyflower told me about the opening of Storybook from the creators of The Lost Unicorn Gallery. She invired me along to the opening event but sadly I wasn’t able to make it to that, but today I have been able to visit and explore the place.

The arrival point is in a small courtyard straddling a river, with beautiful views. Ahead the forest of Storybook, behind the imposing structure of the Lost Unicorn Gallery.

Entering through the arch of greenery we arrive on a cobbled street with a few fun buildings scattered around the place.

I went straight ahead through another arch into the forest where the path curves around through the scenery, past cute little houses and into a truly beautiful fairytale setting.

As you explore the landscape you encounter many set peices of scenes as well as solitary characters from many well known childrens stories. Every turn of the path seemed to bring me to yet another awe inspiring sight and I lost my way in the gorgeousness of it.

Returning to the cobbled street I took another path, heading through a tunnel that brought me out into more forestscape that was just as lovely and contained a few more fairytale characters.

I took so many snapshots it was difficult to choose which to share here, but I hope they inspire you to visit and do your own exploring.

Since the location is all about fairytales, I thought an Alice in Wonderland costume would be most appropriate, but maybe that should be Ava in Wonderland here, since I expect Alice had a much longer dress!

Landing Point: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lost%20Unicorn%20Gallery/125/111/22

Outfit Credits:

If you’re interested in a more factual tale of the history of Storybook, you can read “A Storybooks Return” by Inara Pey

NatureCon 2022

NatureCon 2022 is a two-week virtual conference seeking to unite and inspire collaboration between Bellisseria and Mainland organizations under the shared goal of promoting exploration across the grid.

NatureCon Website

NatureCon opened on the 18th August and runs through to the 31st, it’s all about exploring nature in SecondLife and there’s lots of that to do here.

Lovely forests of which parts are on fire, that creates some lovely effects where it meets the water. The large wooden scaffold leads up to a cafe and you can dive from here in a number of different ways back down into a pool. Down here there’s also the entrance to some tunnels which create the setting for some lovely waterfal backdrop photos. There’s plenty of things I’ve not shown because this place is all about exploring, so come find the rest for yourself. Since it’s mostly forest I thought appearing as a Dryad tree dweller seemed appropriate.

You can also sit and paint at a number of easels scattered around the place.

Website: https://natureconsl.site/

Landing point: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Osmium/115/83/23

Outfit Credits:

Saving Throw Extra Life Event – Changing kids lives by playing games

This new SecondLife event is all about playing Tabetop games to raise money for charity. In this case it is through the organisation Extra Life.

Extra Life unites thousands of gamers around the world to play games in support of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Throughout the month of August, fundraise and play tabletop games.

The event runs from 19th to 29th August 2022 and has a busy calendar of tabletop games that run through the ten day event that you can see on their website.

Lots of tables are set out in the Gaming Grove for the event.

Around the edge of the central grove there are a number of booths designed to look like gaming dice containing goods from a number of merchants for you to peruse.

Website with more information: https://savingthrowce.wordpress.com/

Landing point: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Haven%20Woods/131/195/21

Dinosaur Hunting with Coconuts

Cica Ghost has opened another fantastically quirky build called “Dinosaurs and Coconuts”. As soon as you arrive the environment immediately makes you feel you’re somewhere surreal. Like her other builds the Shared Environment lighting is a significant part of the installation and sets the scene of somewhere dark but not menacing that needs to be explored.

When I heard the name it reminded me of a blog post featuring a dinosaur hunter that I made during Fantasy Faire last year, so I decided to expore the installation in the same outfit.

Landing Point: https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Reflections/132/134/29

Outfit Credits:

Relay Weekend

This weekend has been the finale weekend of the Relay For Life “Relay Season”, raising money for the American Cancer Society through events in Second Life.

The events schedule technically started in February but I didn’t get involved until Fantasy Faire in April. Since then I’ve paid a visit to the SciFi Con event an after-con-party, followed by the opening (and closing) ceremonies of this weekends events.

The main focus this weekend was the 24 hour relay around a track in SL. Sounds simple, right? When the track is the virtual equivalent of 9.2 Kilometres or 5.2 Miles, it’s definitely not so simple. There were relay teams (138) doing this as well as individuals, who could choose to record their laps completed. This year there were 1185 avatars doing so.

Together they completed 5413 laps of the track. That all adds up to a whopping total of 49882.153Km or 30995 Miles covered! (I was going to say walked/ran, but this is Second Life there were all kinds of weird and wonderful non-human avatars relaying too, which involved flying or other forms of locomotion.)

It’s not like any other relay race you might come across in the real world though. Certainly you get rest stops along the way, but on the RFL Relay track there are themed locations or “campsites”, all the way around the track. This is just a small glimpse of some of the fantastic locations that have been built.

The regions are going to be there until Thursday 23rd June, so you have plenty of time to go explore for yourself.

Try starting HERE it’s a part of the track in front of where the ceremonies were held.

References:

Wind River by Camilla Runo

Another great build from Camilla Runo, creator of Vargsagen, Skullingtown and Ars Vivendia.

This time around we’re in the Wild West at a place called Wind River and it looks great.

Travel back in time to the era of gunslingers and saloon girls, of massive migration and settlement. The Old West comes to life at Wind River, a photogenic backwater town at the end of the 19th century.

You arrive in a high-walled canyon that leads you through to the main street of the town.

As you walk through town you can see there are all the usual establishments you would expect to find in a frontier town, Sheriffs office, Saloon, Undertakers, General store among others. Also on the edge of town there is of course a Church with obligatory graveyard.

A lovely setting to come explore, maybe play at Cowgirl or Cowboy if you fancy but do read the notecard you receive when you arrive regarding private areas above ground level.

Arrival point: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Esprit/180/228/25

Also my friend Isabelle Cheren posted a video about Wind River just hours before I finished this post and you can watch it HERE.

Outfit Credits:

  • Complete outfit (although I skipped the shades obviously): Liki Country Style in Black from V8 Underground
  • Hair: Montana-Reds by Truth

Featured on the SecondLife Community Blog on 2nd June 2022.

Centauria Roleplay Intro

Last night I attended an introduction to Roleplay at Ancient Order of Centaurs (AoC). I’ve written about this place before, most recently covering a couple of their Fantasy Faire events.

This intro was about the type of RP they do there, both formal and informal, along with an introduction to their roleplay HUD based on the Unity system.

They have lots of different races at AoC, but mostly all are variant of “taur” which is usually a mix of human upper body and animal lower body.

We had a chat to begin with about who had what kind of roleplay exerience as well as about the different races and houses that you can be a part of at Centauria. Next we were taken to collect AoC Roleplay HUDs, based on the Unity Maxim system.

Left: Main Unity HUD. Right: AoC Setup HUD

If you can just about read the text above my avatars head, I chose for now to be Merchant Class, but we shall see if a story develops along that line or not, but it’s easily changed.

The system allows the use of items and currency that we can exchange and use in Roleplay, this is currenty what I have after yesterdays induction:

Inventory: 
centaurian chiron: 1
centaurian drachma: 5
centaurian obol: 10
End Inventory.

Centauria Arrival point : http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Centauria/127/130/30

Outfit Credits:

  • Centaur body: Jinx CenLightaur – Jinx Mainstore
  • Centaur body skin: *CINNAMON* Jinx Centaur – White Pearl – Store
  • Human skin:~JJ~ Lumid Skin BLACK Pattern – Jeanettes Joint
  • Upper body tattoo:GERMINAL – O’NEILL TATTOO white – GERMINAL
  • Hair: Raven Bell – Celeste Hair(Bangless) –Raven Bell Store
  • Top: ::GB:: Cross obi top Black – GABRIEL
  • Centaur Cape: *CINNAMON* Jinx Centaur – Medieval Cape 1.1 S- Store
  • Cape texture: Valkyie Designed Celtic Shield- 3rd Party at Jinx
  • Centaur Tattoos & Hooves: Valkyie Designed Celtic Shield – 3rd Party at Jinx

 Featured on SecondLife Community Blog on 20th May 2022

Ars Vivendia

Vivendia is the latest build by Camilla Runo who built two incarnations of Varsargen and also Skullingtown for Halloween last year. Ars Vivendia has a slightly more serious air to it, more like a peice of clasical art than the other locations Camilla has created. As I explored it felt like I was walking around inside an old painting. It’s setting is of an old Italian town near the sea with fantastic views inside and out.

The landing point is the yard of a small house outside the main town, beautifully rustic.

On the way up towards the town you can see to one side a small island seperated by a narrow stretch of water.

Entering through the open gates is where you really feel like you’re stepping back in time. Inside the town is made up of narrow streets with bightly lit shops, cafes and hotels in an evening setting, so the place feels kind of maical.

Through to the other side of the town there are some other buildings stood apart from the rest.

At the top of the hill is an old church with beautiful stained glass windows and lovely sunset views.

Several of the buildings can be explored inside as well as admired from outside, so come explore for yourself.

Arrival point: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Nausicaa/93/189/34

Outfit Credits: