Among the Steampunks: STEAM XI in Second Life

Steam seems to have killed all gratitude in the hearts of sailors. 

Jules Verne, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

  

          The Holidays are past and winter is gradually releasing its icy grasp in Real Life (RL).

          In Second Life (SL), that lull which always seems to follow the New Year’s festivities seems to be drawing to a close as more friends whom I haven’t seen for some time are gradually reappearing inworld.  (Or, as Significant Other puts it, they’re just not as good at avoiding me as they used to be.)

          As I always look for things to keep my mind off of RLs weather at this time of the year and I’m rewarded by knowing that it’s time for the annual Mieville steampunk hunt, STEAM

XI, inworld. 

          For those to whom this may be a new phenomenon in SL, STEAM XI is the eleventh (Hence the “XI” for those who failed Roman numerals in second grade arithmetic.) celebration of all that this is steampunk inworld. 

          STEAM XI is, as always, hosted by the Mayor of Mieville and impresario extraordinaire, Perryn Peterson. 

          The Hunt is a Grid wide event with dozens of merchants, all personally and carefully selected by Perryn himself, offering as gifts to intrepid hunters the very best of their wares.  Several merchants run their own mini-Hunts which adds to the fun.  Two hundred and five spots have been reserved for merchants this year so expect lots of great gifts!

          Hunters look for clues and try to find the gifts which are free.  Some hunters gather into hunt parties and go out together.

          Let’s take a closer look at STEAM XI.

          STEAM is an acronym which stands for “Steampunk Travelers’ Event, Adventure & Megahunt.”  (Rather to the point if I do say so myself!)  STEAM was once a semi-annual event but the effort behind an event of this scale as well as all the other social activities on Mieville’s calendar have necessitated going to an annual schedule.

          I began covering these events with STEAM VII not long after I’d begun blogging. 

          The theme for this year’s Hunt is Realms of the Deep and this is the idea behind all the Hunt’s gifts.  (Shades of Captain Nemo!) 

          This year’s poster has been done once again by the talented Tattoo Lane.

          The Hunt begins at Laughing Gryphon House in the Mieville Doyle Victorian

Steampunk sim .

          From here, hunters launch out across the Grid in pursuit of their treasures.

          STEAM XI runs from March 1^st to 31^st so don’t miss out! 

          The gear (pictured) marks participating merchants and also contains their hint to help

find their gift. 

          Historical Hunts, Ltd., the sponsoring Mieville organization maintains a blog with Hunt details as well as pictures of gifts.  This blog is also a great resource for future Mieville activities.  Be sure to check it out!

          STEAM XI is a wonderful and fun filled community event in SL. 

          It’s an opportunity to sample the wares of the creative merchants inworld and to meet and hang out with other residents. 

          I strongly encourage all to participate and, if possible, to purchase some of the other merchandise offered by merchants in their shops.  After all, a strong SL economy is good for everyone. 

          I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the Great Challenge of every Hunt!

          Namely to complete the Hunt in its entirety, including mini-Hunts, in record time!

          Who’s up for it?

 

 

 

 

          See you at STEAM XI!

 

          I’d like to thank Perryn for his time and assistance in helping me prepare for this story.   Perryn is one of my oldest and closest friends inworld and I’m grateful for the time he takes from his busy schedule to help me.

          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!

 

 

 

         

Getting Adopted in Second Life

You can kid the world, but not your sister.  

Charlotte Gray

 

           Many of you, especially my three loyal readers, are familiar with my wanderings and various misadventures across Second Life (SL) for the last several years.  (And are also aware of Significant Other’s astonishment that I still haven’t been booted out.) You’re probably familiar with my interest in the communities that form inworld and the relationships within them. 

          Along the way, I’ve made many friends.  Some very close and whom I consider as close or closer than some of my Real Life (RL) friends. (Contrary to Significant Other’s claims otherwise, I do have some. OK, just a few.)  Now, in this story, I’m reporting a new relationship for myself and another in SL. 

          I’ve been adopted by a SL resident as her older brother.  I now have a little sister! 

          I’m proud to announce that Bec Kellstrom and I are now inworld siblings.  (Took a

while for Significant Other to accept that Bec hadn’t just lost a bet and was being a good sport.) 

          Bec is a religious minister and member of the board of First UCC in SL, a RL church based inworld.  Before her RL caregiving duties took over, she [provided pastoral care within the congregation and specifically to the LGBT community.  Many of whom, not having RL support, have come inworld looking for assistance.  First UCC is an Open and Affirming member of the United Church of Christ (UCC) in RL.  First UCC is open to all from all faiths unconditionally.  (Hey, they let me hang around and I’m on the Inquisition’s watch list.  (Yeah, they’re still around.  It’s another story for another time.))  Bec’s interests inworld include dancing, exploring, and becoming the Queen of Freebies. 

          In RL, Bec is an ordained minister in the UCC.  She served as a local church pastor and as a spiritual advisor to students. Presently, Bec divides her time between her family and handling all social media for First UCC.  Bec’s RL interests include dancing (If only in her living room!) and exploring the great outdoors.

          How did I end up with a little sister inworld?  (Significant Other asks why this poor woman.)

          Bec and I first met in early 2014 when I was experimenting with social media and looking for God inworld.  (Not to digress, She, God, is there.  Check my story for the details.) We became friends and worked on other stories about First UCC.  Along the way, we talked about about philosophy, theology, and books.  (What else do you talk with a minister about?)  We also discovered a mutual interest in Doctor Who, all things Whovian, and LEGO.  I admit freely to being eccentric.  Bec can speak for herself. 

          The catalyst in our relationship came in late 2014 when I suffered a major loss in RL.  (Significant Other nods in agreement here.) I was devastated and I was helped by Significant Other and others in RL.  But, the one person who reached out to me and was there for me inworld was Bec.  She counseled and guided me through a very difficult time in my life when nights were dark and the world had gone to bed. (Significant Other says, “Thanks you!”)  I’m forever grateful to Bec for the time she spent with me during this time. 

          After that, Bec and I continued to meet and chat about ideas for stories and whatever was happening in RL that astonished or annoyed us.  Whenever I met a SL resident who needed help in RL, I turned to Bec and her associates at First UCC and there was always a response. 

With Bec’s permission, I'll also share that it's not only me going to her for help.

Last year she suffered a near tragedy with one of her RL loved ones.  While she cared for many people all at once in her world, I did what I could to be supportive: sent messages to check in, chatted whenever she was available, and provided humor when sorrow overwhelmed the poor woman. Having only recently surfaced from that difficult time, Bec said she's eternally grateful to me for all I did. The level of mutual care and concern, as she and I each helped the other through hard times, cemented the feeling of being siblings!

          Of course, there were the other little things.  Like Bec’s commenting on why I only had three outfits inworld.  (Truthfully, I hadn’t noticed until she raised the point.)  There were additional comments about my inworld habits, tendency to overplan, and my other little idiosyncrasies. (Significant Other would like it to be noted that similar points have been raised in RL.)  Then one day, Bec called me “Big Bro”, I called her “L’il Sis” in reply, and the names stuck.  (Significant Other whistles A Boy Named Sue in the background.)

          In fairness, I gave as good as I got.  I teased and made the kind of Big Brother jokes that have been around since Creation.  (I got in at least one reference from Scripture!)  Of course, I received sharp elbows, an arched eyebrow, and incessantly rolling eyeballs.  When I needed a date for a friend’s wedding, Bec asked archly if I couldn’t do any better than my own sister.  (Significant Other is convinced Bec regards

me as a soul who can be redeemed.  Significant Other wishes her luck.)  Interestingly, neither of us already had our respective roles in RL.  Bec was the oldest in her family and I had only a younger brother. 

          What do we get from this sibling arrangement inworld?

          I get nagged. 

          Bec gets teased.

          I mean this happens a lot! 

          Seriously, we each have a new sibling to help us in our journeys in SL and RL.  Bec says that we care about each other and both of us have a tendency to be bossy.  We will probably never meet in RL.  But, we’re there for each other, sharing our thoughts and supporting each other.   And, isn’t this what SL should be all about? 

What occurred between Bec and me wasn’t planned.  It just happened slowly, developing overtime.  Bec has read every one of my blog posts since we met, even ones that made her shake her head.  Bec says we talked a lot and became great friends and then moved onto something closer.  Our RL Significant Others know of our mutual adoption and approve.  (Mine is happy to have someone else to share the burden of me with.)  Bec and I [now better understand the many people who discover their family] inworld! 

          I’d like to thank Bec for recognizing as her brother and as part of her family.  I owe a great deal to this wonderful woman and am realizing what I missed by not having my own little sister growing up in RL! 

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! 

Additional pictures from my visits can be found on this flickr page. 

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!          

 

An Open Casting Call in Second Life

 

Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle.

Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

 

 

          Ashley Carter, my friend in Second Life (SL), approached me recently about her latest project.   My three loyal readers may remember when I first blogged about her as a story teller and then about one of her subsequent projects.  She and I had agreed to do a third

story on her continuing saga, VOIDAR, when she was ready and true to her word, she looked me up.  What’s more, Ashley is looking for some help with this project! 

          Ashley’s newest project is a developing storyline and focuses on an audience viewing a talent show competition.  She needs thirty-six male and female avatars inworld dressed casually for a group shot.  (Significant Other points out that I should emphasize the “dressed” aspect to my nudist friends.)  The date for the shoot is being finalized and anyone who is interested should contact Ashley either inworld, her name is jkm93, or on flickr, where she can be found under VOIDAR//Ashley Carter.  Participation will be on a first come, first served basis.

          Don’t miss this chance to be part of one of the most talented story tellers in SL productions! 

          For those of you who are not as diligent as my three loyal readers (My undying

gratitude to all of you and I don’t believe for a minute that it’s embarrassment that keeps your identities secret.  Significant Other just likes to tease me.) here’s a bit about Ashley and VOIDAR. 

          VOIDAR stands for “Voyage of Immense Danger and Reward.”  (That was easy wasn’t it?)

As described on its website, “VOIDAR is an ongoing sci-fi / adventure series constructed from Linden Lab’s online virtual world: Second Life. The high octane story is told through a mixture of pictures and animated videos; and it follows a group of misfit voyagers, who do what they can to prevent a war on a universal scale from breaking out!” 

Ashley takes a different approach to inworld machinima than what others do.  She won't be filming directly in world, but taking shots and editing/animating them with Adobe software. 

Ashley is a talented and creative member of the SL community.  She draws on her Real Life (RL) skills and experiences to create some incredible images.  Ashley is one of SL’s most popular and well known story tellers.  Don’t miss this opportunity to meet her and

to work with her.  Her portfolio can be found on flickr.  Ashley is also running a pile up photo competition now and the details can be located here. 

I’d like to thank Ashley for once again taking time from her busy production schedule to meet with me and to share details of her latest project. 

All pictures in this story are used with the permission of Ashley Carter. 

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! 

Additional pictures from my visits can be found on this flickr page. 

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!

 

Getting a Massage in Second Life

 

The body never lies. 

Martha Graham

 

 

          Someone asked me in Second Life (SL) the other day where they could get a massage inworld.  I actually had some recommendations!  I guess all my time spent wandering around on the Grid is beginning to pay off.  (Significant Other says something sounding like “Finally!) 

          During my travels, I’ve come across two small, decent massage facilities. (I’m trying to avoid calling them massage parlors with their negative American connotations.  Significant Other’s eyes roll.)  

          Naked Bondage, part of the Naked franchise inworld, has a massage facility located in an ancient Roman bath.  Entering the building, a large bathing pool dominates the center.  At one end are lounge chairs and at the other is the massage area.  There is one

table suitable for use by couples.  Besides basic massage, erotic massage is available as well. 

          The facility is small but conducive to an intimate session for a couple.  There are no masseurs/masseuses available so bringing a partner is recommended.  During my visits, there have never been other visitors and so is very quiet.  The massage area can be located here.    

          Another massage facility is located at Madame Jenny’s Tea and Shibari House.  I recently blogged about this facility in my introduction to shibari or Japanese bondage.  Located on the third floor of this building is a small area for massage with a traditional,

Japanese hot tub (with shibari capabilities) for guests use.  Standing nearby is massage table with rubbing oils on a separate stand.  The room looks like it came from a Japanese onsen.  In addition to basic and erotic massages, Thai massage can also take place here. 

          As with the last site, no assistance is available and a partner is recommended.  The site is evocative of the Far East and offers a private setting for a couple.  The site can be found here. 

          For my final recommendation, I went looking for a massage facility that actually has masseurs/masseuses on site for clients.  I found one called Happy Hands Massage Parlor.  (Significant Other snickers.)  As its name implies, Happy Hands is dedicated to providing massage services to its guests.

          The parlor is a low, single story building with facilities on the roof.  Entering the main doorway, a visitor is in a lobby with the profile pictures of available staff.  Except that the two times I visited for this story, no one was online.

          Off the corridor leading away from the lobby is a large party room and four smaller rooms used for private massage centers.  The massage tables contained therein offer basic

and erotic massages.  Free towels are available.  On the roof, accessible by an outside staircase, is large sauna, a very big marble hot tub, and a fire pit.

          There is a fee for using the facility and payments to the staff are negotiated separately.  Of the three sites, I visited for this story, Happy Hands offers the most services and has staff.  I do recommend checking to see when they’re available.  And, as I said previously, there is a charge payable in Lindens.  Happy Hands Massage Parlor is located here.    

          These three sites offer the basics for massage services inworld.  As in Real Life (RL), these are what people make of them.  With a partner, they can be fun and enjoyable plus with whatever other services may be offered like bathing pools or shibari! 

          Give it a try, you just might like it! 

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! 

Additional pictures from my visits can be found on this flickr page. 

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!