Castles in Second Life II – Devilhand Castle

 

This tower, patched unevenly with black ivy, arose like a mutilated finger from among the fists of knuckled masonry and pointed blasphemously at heaven. At night the owls made of it an echoing throat; by day it stood voiceless and cast its long shadow.

Mervyn Peake, “Titus Groan”

 

 

          Welcome back to the second story in my blog series, The Castles of Second Life!

          In this series I visit the various castles located about in Second Life (SL).

          I will cover the large, the small, the magnificent, and the ruins.  (Significant Other wants to know if I could possibly write without hyperbole.  I could but then what fun would that be?)

          Castles have been a fixation of mine since childhood in Real Life (RL). 

          There’s just something about remote, forbidding, and spooky places that attracts me.  (I’ll ignore Significant Other’s comment about being drawn to kindred spirits.)

          My selection is Devilhand Castle run by my two friends, Amaterasu (“Ama”)

Silvercloud and Steve . 

          I first visited Devilhand and met Ama and Steve when I blogged about their BDSM community based in the castle a while back. 

          This time I want to focus on Devilhand Castle itself especially since my visit, Steve appears to have been on a massive rebuilding project!

          One can approach Devilhand Castle by rezzing into the Village of Mist, a fifteenth century European style village located at the castle’s base. 

          (One can also find my office here as I’m the village scribe.  But, I digress!) 

          Devilhand Castle, itself sits on a small mountaintop and looms forbiddingly over the village.  (Think of the original movie Frankenstein!)    

          The castle is big, really big and surrounded on all sides by mountains and the sea.  (So easy to add these elements inworld isn’t it?)

          One gains entrance to Devilhand by passing through the gatehouse at the edge of the village.

         

The gatehouse is three stories in height and has a battlement topside.  The curtain wall extends away from both sides of the gatehouse. 

          A portcullis can keep unwanted visitors like invaders and in-laws out if needed. 

          Once through the gatehouse, a long flight of steps up the mountainside awaits the visitor.

          At the top of the steps is the main gate into the castle proper.

          Entering here one is in the main courtyard.

          Here can be found the slave auction area (Remember this is a BDSM sim!), training areas for jousting and archery, and the castle’s pet dragon is kept here as well.  (What? This is SL, anything is possible!)

          Entrance to the castle proper can be gained from the main entry which fronts onto the courtyard and leaves one in the Great Hall.

          Inside, Devilhand Castle is enormous.

          On the ground floor can be found the library and one of two grand ballrooms.  (There may be more I just haven’t found them yet.)

          A prison is also located on the lower floor with cells and restraining devices for guests

who have run afoul of Steve and Ama.  Apparently, scrubbing the floors is available to work off time on prison sentences.

          Upper floors contain the dungeon with a diverse collection of BDSM furniture making it look more like a local gym.  The other grand ballroom is located upstairs as well.

          Other rooms are offices, guest rooms, class rooms, and who knows what else for!

          I haven’t been able to count all the rooms at Devilhand yet and I’m not sure anyone will ever be able to.  (Steve’s continual “tweeks” may not help here.)

          Devilhand Castle is a large site even by SL standards.

          I know I haven’t done justice to all that lies within its nooks and crannies.

          I strongly recommend to anyone with a love of castles like mine to drop by and visit. 

You’ll be glad you did! 

Devilhand Castle can be found here in SL. 

Just remember that Devilhand Castle is an adult rated sim with a BDSM theme so don’t go expecting Walt Disney!

Devilhand is a great, old, and scary castle meant to give everyone a fun experience! 

          I’d like to thank Steve and Ama for their efforts in building and maintaining Devilhand Castle.

          I’d also like to thank kenna, manager of Devilhand Castle, for her time and patience in showing me around the premises.  (Not to mention answering all my dumb questions!)

           More pictures from my visit can be found here!
 

As always, I’m grateful to all inworld for their kindness and time in stopping to talk with a stranger who was passing through their lives

My Twitter handle is @webspelunker.  Please feel free to follow me and I’d be happy to follow you.

I can be found on Google+ as webspelunker Ghostraven.

My flickr Photostream is located here.

On Skype I’m webspelunker Ghostraven.

I welcome feedback from readers, please either comment on my blog or e-mail me at webspelunker@gmail.com . 

          If you would like to read about my other adventures in Second Life please click here.

          Open roads and kind fires!

Do We Satisfy Our Needs in Second Life?

What a man can be, he must be.

Abraham Maslow

  

          Have you ever thought about what brings us into Second Life (SL)?

          I’ve blogged about a few different topics over the years, the social life, the sense of community, the sex, and, more recently, religion.  (Significant Other sighs and says only I could put together a list like this.)

          But, what really brings us inworld?

          Perhaps, what brings us into SL is a satisfaction of our needs.  (Significant Other can’t wait to hear this one I’m told.)

          I thought I’d use Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to help me out here. 

          And, yes, I know there has been a ton of research and work done since Abraham Maslow first published his work to challenge if not outright debunk him.

          That’s alright.

          For an amateur sociologist such as myself (Significant Other cringes at that one.) it provides a handy schema to test my assertion that we all have needs which are satisfied inworld.

          My first assumption is that in SL, as in Real Life (RL), we have our needs satisfied.  Otherwise, why would we be there?

          Maslow’s Hierarch of Needs has five levels often represented as a pyramid.  (Did you know that he represented his work as a pyramid?  This was something that came later.  Who knew?)

          Maslow called the lower four needs, physiological, safety, love and belonging, and esteem, the “deficiency needs” which, if not met, would preclude the fifth level, self-actualization.

          (Please note that I’m not a psychologist or social worker by training.  I never even took Psych 101 at university.  So, don’t be too surprised if you disagree with me!)

          Let’s take a quick run through these levels.

          Our physiological needs are met by the SL environment at its most basic and free

level which gives us everything to exist and interact inworld. 

 As an alternative to RL, many SL residents let themselves go with fashion or building which they can’t do in RL.

          At the second level, safety, we determine who we interact with, where we do it, and how. 

We can be as safe as we want to be inworld.  Probably, more so than in RL.

Moving up to the third level, love and belonging, I believe we have the most crucial set of needs because many come inworld for the relationships and intimacy that doesn’t exist for them in RL for whatever reasons. 

At the fourth level, esteem, we find the second most important set of needs for SL residents. 

Here we are appreciated, valued, or respected by our community inworld. 

Again, this in unattainable for many in RL, SL gives us that chance in a virtual environment.

Finally, we arrive at the pinnacle, self-actualization, which I find that many pursue

inworld.

Although, many others settle in and get comfortable on either love and belonging or esteem and stop right there.

While this analysis of mine is quick and dirty, based on anecdotal evidence as opposed to empirical, I believe that many of us are inworld to satisfy some if not all of these needs in an environment where, rightly or wrongly, we feel that we are in control. 

If we didn’t why would we be here?

What about you?

Does SL satisfy any of your needs? 

I’d love to hear from you!  (Significant Other is curious to know if others have similar flights of imagination.)

As always, I’m grateful to all inworld for their kindness and time in stopping to talk with a stranger who was passing through their lives

My Twitter handle is @webspelunker.  Please feel free to follow me and I’d be happy to follow you.

I can be found on Google+ as webspelunker Ghostraven.

My flickr Photostream is located here.

On Skype I’m webspelunker Ghostraven.

I welcome feedback from readers, please either comment on my blog or e-mail me at webspelunker@gmail.com . 

          If you would like to read about my other adventures in Second Life please click here.

          Open roads and kind fires!

Whom Are Our Friends in Second Life?

If a man does not make new acquaintances as he advances through life, he will soon find himself alone. A man should keep his friendships in constant repair.

Samuel Johnson

 

          My recent fourth anniversary of blogging about Second Life (SL) got me thinking about all the folks I’ve met inworld and especially those whom I’m fortunate enough to call friends.  (I’ll ignore Significant Other’s wondering aloud if they’d admit publically to being friends with me.)

          The communities that I visit in SL are all comprised of individuals. 

          Each with their own unique personality and characteristics.

          But, one common theme across all of these folks is that they all have friends themselves.

          Which led me to today’s question, “Whom are our friends in SL?”

          Some may ask if we even have friends in SL or, if we do, are they even real?

          I’ve written about friendship in SL before.    

          Today, though, I want to look more closely at what makes up our friends inworld.

          Obviously, I believe that we can have SL friends and these friendships can be as real as those in Real Life (RL).  (In order to be balanced, contrary to Significant Other’s observation, I do have RL friends too.  Although, I must admit, many of them just don’t get SL.  Their loss!)

          So, I’ll start by using myself as an example.

          No, don’t worry, I’m not about to bore you with a long list of the names of my SL friends or their numbers (Again, to keep the record straight, I disagree with Significant Other that I have more SL friends than RL ones.) or their numbers and how long we’ve been friends.

         

Instead, I want to talk about the types of people who are my friends and why we are friends.  (I’ll take Significant Other’s advice and not identify my SL friends here to avoid causing them any embarrassment and risk losing them as friends.)

          My SL friends are people whom I’ve met along the way as I’ve explored and blogged about my inworld experiences. 

          My SL friends are people whom I share common interests or experiences.  (And, yes, people who laugh at my bad jokes.)

          My SL friends are people whom I’ll look for when I rezz inworld or who look for me when I do.

          Come to think of it, isn’t this a lot like what determines whom our friends are in RL?

          What are the characteristics of our SL friends?

          Are they like us?  (Significant Other shudders at this one.)

          Do they help us not only in our SL lives but our RL ones as well?  (I’m presently reading a great book in RL recommended by a good SL friend.  Another SL friend helped me find someone to interview for a story whom I’d been looking for.  Help can be very small things!)

          Are our SL friends supportive?  (Like all those who helped me when I had a recent personal loss.) 

          Do we share confidences (at least SL ones!) with our SL friends?

          Do we do things with our SL friends that we would never dare to do in RL and laugh about them later?

          Do we miss our SL friends and feel a sense of loss when they disappear inworld and we never see them again? 

          I could keep going but I think you get the idea.

          Do you have friends in SL?

          Why do you have them?

          Was it planned or did it just happen?  (I was the latter, I thought I’d be the lonely explorer inworld only to turn around and to find out that I had all these friends!)

          Do you need your SL friends?

          Where do you think your SL friendships will lead?

          Will they be ongoing inworld?

          Will they cross over into RL?  (I’ve met many who have and some who have even gotten married!)

          Or, will they become something else entirely?

          These are just a few thoughts about our friends in SL.

         

Probably, the best advice I can leave for everyone is that, as in RL, we should never take our friends for granted and always hold them close!

As always, I’m grateful to all inworld for their kindness and time in stopping to talk with a stranger who was passing through their lives

My Twitter handle is @webspelunker.  Please feel free to follow me and I’d be happy to follow you.

I can be found on Google+ as webspelunker Ghostraven.

My flickr Photostream is located here.

On Skype I’m webspelunker Ghostraven.

I welcome feedback from readers, please either comment on my blog or e-mail me at webspelunker@gmail.com . 

          If you would like to read about my other adventures in Second Life please click here.

          Open roads and kind fires!

                                             

Four Years in Second Life

 

Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also tear you apart.

Haruki Murakami

 

          The pages have turned on the calendar and it’s been one year since I wrote my story about three years of blogging about Second Life (SL)! 

          As is my annual tradition I’ll blog about my last year inworld.  (And, not as Significant Other suggests because I can’t think of anything else to blog about!) 

          Also, I’d like to point out as Becca Kellstrom, my friend and sometime adult supervision in SL, (Much to Significant Other’s relief.) noted that I’ve actually been inworld for five years and been blogging for four.

          Unlike some writers whose muse inspires and guides them to works of sheer genius, not to mention profitability, I have to do it the old fashion way.

          In other words, I have to go out looking for my stories and then figure out how to write them. 

          Let’s start the recap!

          First, this was a tough year for me because of a close personal loss in Real Life (RL).   

          I got past it with considerable help from Significant Other and RL family and friends. 

          I took stock of where I was inworld and came back. 

          My SL friends were wonderfully supportive which reinforced my earlier belief that there are truly real and caring people behind all those pixels.  (Unlike some these days, I do believe in the overwhelming good nature of humankind.)         

          SL experienced its share of losses too in the past year.

          I had to stop my Seven Wonders of the Ancient World in SL series when many of the sims I’d either blogged about or planned to shut down. 

          Many beautiful sims were lost to us here.

          Phaze Demesnes closed and well and may be part of a trend to migrate from SL to other virtual worlds in the Metaverse.

         

Phaze Demesnes was a wonderfully, surreal place inworld and I fear we may never see its like again. 

          Utopia Naked Isle Resort closed as well and a marvelous group of people stopped meeting together on Tuesday evenings for some great parties.

          But, there were many positives this past year as well!

          I stumbled onto First UCC, the RL congregation inworld, and met some wonderful people and learned about their ministry and mission.  (And, to my and Significant Other’s surprise they didn’t ban me.  They are truly a welcoming community!)

          I met a geisha community inworld and explored the small Japanese town they resided

in. 

          In my continuing exploration of the BDSM community, I came across Devilhand and became their scribe-in-residence.

          Then there were all my new friends!

          Bec and Jerome Newstart from First UCC; kenna, Ama, and Steve from Devilhand; and Caroline Resident.

          Please forgive me if I didn’t mention you as there were so many of you!

          Of course, I can’t forget to mention some of my old friends in SL!

          Like Perry Peterson, the Mayor of Mieville, who brought us Valentine’s Day in Vegas, t

he Hobbits, and the freezing of the River Thames to name but a few of his events! 

          May O. Mingzi is still at Beau Belle Village throwing great parties on a regular basis. 

          And, I would be remiss not to mention Tera Trenchcoat, my loyal and long suffering Research Assistant (RA) who supports me in my offbeat adventures.  (Significant Other is convinced Tera sticks around just to see what trouble I get into next.) 

          There are of course many more of you and I wish time and space permitted listing all of you!

          But, I always enjoy your company and remember fondly our journeys together inworld!

As always, I have unfinished business inworld.

          There’s the boat trip to explore Mieville.  I have a crew, a boat, and all I need is a way to get everyone together at the same time. Details!  We’ll figure it out! 

          I’m still planning to interview my inspiration for exploring SL in the first place, Bunky Snowbear.

          Best of all, thanks to May O. Mingzi, I may have finally identified someone in RL who’s accessed SL from Antarctica!

          More to come on this one!

          What have I learned after blogging about SL for four years?

          SL is still a wonderful place with wonderful people who care about one another.

          There has been a great deal of change inworld since I started blogging and more seems to be just over the horizon.

          Finally, I plan to keep on exploring and blogging as long as there’s a SL!

          Thanks to all for following and reading!  

As always, I’m grateful to all inworld for their kindness and time in stopping to talk with a stranger who was passing through their lives

My Twitter handle is @webspelunker.  Please feel free to follow me and I’d be happy to follow you.

I can be found on Google+ as webspelunker Ghostraven.

My flickr Photostream is located here.

On Skype I’m webspelunker Ghostraven.

I welcome feedback from readers, please either comment on my blog or e-mail me at webspelunker@gmail.com . 

          If you would like to read about my other adventures in Second Life please click here.

          Open roads and kind fires!

         

Castles in Second Life I – Unicorn Castle

 Even castles made of sand, fall into the sea, eventually.

Jimi Hendrix

 

          Castles!

          Ever since I was a child (Yes, contrary to popular belief, I was one once.) I’ve had a fascination with castles!

          Something about those big, foreboding walls appealed to me.

          I read about them while growing up, (And, yes, contrary to rumors put about by Significant Other, I have grown up.  I just haven’t yet decided what to do with myself now that I’ve arrived.) dreamt about them, and visited them when I finally had the chance in Europe.  (Significant Other was a real trouper about that!)

          For me, castles have always been a source of mystery, suspense, and adventure.  Not to mention ghost stories.  And I love Camelot!

          So, I’ve decided to start another series for my blog which will be about castles in SL!

          (Living in America in Real Life (RL) makes it kind of hard to visit them regularly and Significant Other does have limits!)

          (Hey, it’s my blog!  If you don’t like it check out one of the others!)

          Why now you may ask?

          What sent me off on this track?

          Funny you should ask!

          Last week, I blogged about the Merry Month of May now underway in Mieville in Second Life (SL). 

          While there I came across Unicorn Castle which is owned by Perryn Peterson and is

located in the highlands above the main festivities.  It’s a short walk from the arrival area.

          (This is another reason why I think Perryn is such a cool guy!  He actually owns his own castle!)

          Unicorn Castle will be my first entry in my Castles in Second Life series.

          Perryn brought Unicorn out only for the Merry Month of May so it’ll only be around until May 19^th.

          Unicorn was designed by Yllanys Resident who was apparently one of the leading, if not the leading, castle architect inworld.  Unfortunately, like many talented SL residents she has closed her atelier and departed for parts unknown and is no longer inworld.  Although, I’m told by Perryn that her works are still available in SL. 

          Walking up to Unicorn one’s attention is drawn to its white stone face which contrast to the natural colors of the surrounding scenery.

          It’s a falrly modest sized castle reminiscent of the Loire Valley chateaux. 

          Strolling through the main gate which has a functioning portcullis, (I should know, I

tried it out!) a visitor arrives in a small courtyard which leads to the main entrance with unicorns on both sides guarding entrance to the castle proper.

          Across from the main entrance is a small private garden for the occupants.

          The castle is three stories tall with each floor composed of a large open area suitable for balls (What else?) An open shaft goes through the core of the structure giving an open, airy effect.

          Small rooms are off the main areas allowing for privacy.  (Where else would the mystery transpire?)

         

Balconies open out to give breathtaking views of the surrounding countryside.

          A spiral staircase plus minor stairs facilitate access to the upper floors. 

          Unfortunately, there is no dungeon.  (Significant Other’s eyes roll.)

          Overall, Unicorn Castle is a wonderful example of the builder’s craft in SL.

          Given how it isn’t furnished, one can a true appreciation of its architectural beauty and finishings without any distractions.

          I strongly recommend that you drop over and visit because the Merry Month of May runs from April 25^th to May 19^th and the landing zone can be found here. 

          Please be sure and leave a donation at one of the collection boxes if you can afford to do so as putting on these displays ultimately does cost RL money!

          Additional photos of Unicorn Castle can be found at this Flickr page. 

As always, I’m grateful to all inworld for their kindness and time in stopping to talk with a stranger who was passing through their lives

My Twitter handle is @webspelunker.  Please feel free to follow me and I’d be happy to follow you.

I can be found on Google+ as webspelunker Ghostraven.

My flickr Photostream is located here.

On Skype I’m webspelunker Ghostraven.

I welcome feedback from readers, please either comment on my blog or e-mail me at webspelunker@gmail.com . 

          If you would like to read about my other adventures in Second Life please click here.

          Open roads and kind fires!