The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World III in Second Life: Temple of Artemis at Ephesus (Or, How I Tried)

The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft agley… 

Robert Burns

     

          This is the third story in my Seven Wonders of the Ancient World in Second Life (SL) series.   My last trip brought me to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.  Previously, I’d been to the Great Pyramid of Giza.  On this leg of my journey I go the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus. 

            For the late arrivals, my rationale for this series about the Wonders of the Ancient World is that I’ve been blogging about a variety of topics in Second Life (SL) lately.  Fashion, steampunk, sex, pirates, and friendship to name but a few.  (I’m nothing if not eclectic.)  However, I feel I’ve gotten away from my roots.  My original intention was to travel across the grid to see new places and meet new people.  I think I’m doing pretty well with the latter but the former maybe not so much. 

So, I’ve decided to strike out and visit more places further afield inworld.  One group of places that I’ve always wanted to visit in Real Life (RL) and have been frustrated mostly by time and to a certain extent by distance is the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.   Given that only one of them still stands and that unfortunately seems to be surrounded by a swirl of political turmoil which looks like it won’t be ending any time soon, SL seems to be a pretty good bet to go looking for them.  (Significant Other also likes the idea of me not clocking up any more frequent flyer miles in RL.) This is the second in what will be a series of seven stories. 

           The ancient world has always had a certain fascination for me.  Maybe because I grew up in a country where we seem to have more people who are over one hundred years old than we have buildings and monuments has something to do with it. 

Working from Wikipedia’s list of the Seven Wonders, I was able to locate all seven within SL.  This was a good sign and I have my marching orders.  I’m going to visit all of them for my own sake and to bring the places and stories back to my readers. 

Here’s where I run into my first spot of trouble in this journey.  Seems that while I thought I was being thorough in checking that the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World actually existed inworld before I began my walkabout, I’d gotten one wrong.  Specifically, the Temple of Artemis.  (Hey, anyone can make a mistake!)

Well, maybe I wasn’t thorough in my research as I thought it was because turns out I couldn’t find the temple anyplace.  What I’d thought was the temple turns out to be a facsimile of an ancient library.  (Which happens to be a very interesting place to visit for anyone who’s interested.) 

I use Search to try and locate the temple.  Nothing really appropriate comes up.  Although, there is the Sex Temple of Artemis listed.  Well. I was facing a deadline (Real Life (RL) has been hectic.) and this place is dedicated to Amazons (as purportedly was the original).  So, I decide to drop by. 

I arrive at night in front of medieval styled church surrounded by the requisite fog shrouded graveyard with dead trees.  Gargoyles guard the main entrance to the church.  I enter and see pews surrounding an altar like area where a semi-nude woman is hanging from the ceiling from a cross.  She attempts to speak to me in German and we all know where that’s going to go. 

By now, I’m realizing I’m nowhere near ancient Ephesus and decide to head home. 

My third journey looking at the Wonders of the Ancient World inworld has been a little disappointing (Although I may have discovered some great material for future BDSM stories!  Never miss a chance to save something.)  I didn’t find any classical buildings or anything relating to the original period.  Still, I went out and saw a couple of new places. 

Like my two previous trips, I didn’t have any interaction with anyone.  (OK, well, maybe if I spoke German I might have but then she was all tied up.)  This brings me back to an idea that’s been forming in my mind since I began this journey that maybe some places in SL are just meant to be viewed and not occupied.  I’ll explore this idea in future stories. 

My first visit had left me worried about whether or not I was wasting my time with this series of stories.  My second visit reaffirmed my original enthusiasm for the project.  This trip was not a success but I’ll go on.  I hope that the next four Ancient Wonders meet or exceed these my expectations.  (Assuming that I can find them.) 

As I wrote earlier, my travels across SL have brought me to many different places.  Admittedly, many of these journeys were random.  Now, I’m moving along on a journey with a purpose.  (Maybe I’m growing up?  Significant Other may have another opinion here.)  Searching for the famous sites from antiquity seems like a worthwhile thing to do. 

My reasons for this journey still stand.  First, how much of the ancient world can I find inworld?  Second, how well has the ancient world been reconstructed?  My travels to date have brought me in contact with many residents who are either building worlds in SL or are living their virtual lives there. 

The Great Pyramid, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, and the Temple of Artemis are just the first stops on this journey and I have four more to go. Anyone who would still like to join me for part or all of it, please reach out to me and we’ll work out the calendars.  I’d be glad for the company! 

I’ve included links to several pictures I took of the sims I visited.  But check the sites out for yourself.  Pictures, especially when I’m the photographer, are never as good as being there. 

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

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.

Photo No. 1 Library of Celus at Efesus

Photo No. 2 Library of Celus at Efesus, Interior

Photo No. 3 Sex Temple of Artemis

Photo No. 4 Sex Temple of Artemis, Interior

Photo No. 5 Sex Temple of Artemis, Cage

Photo No. 6 Sex Temple of Artemis, View from Bell Tower

Photo No. 7 Sex Temple of Artemis, Graveyard

 

Sex and the Single Avatar in Second Life I

Love is the answer, but while you are waiting for the answer, sex raises some pretty good questions.

Woody Allen

 

           There!  Once again I’ve shamelessly caught your attention with the word “sex”.  (See my earlier story about “Sex in Second Life (SL)” to see how I did it the first time.)  Since I first started writing about nudity in SL then moving along to BDSM and bouncing into sex resorts, I’m learning that there’s a lot of sex inworld.  (If you’re wondering how this all happened check out my story about how I write.)  I mean I think there may be even more sex in SL than in Real Life (RL)!    

          When I first started blogging about SL I thought that sex in SL would be an occasional aside, nothing too big.  Boy, did I ever get that wrong.  (Significant Other claims not to be surprised.)  So, being the investigative journalist that I am (apologies to 60 Minutes) I’ve decided to write about it more regularly in a series entitled Sex and the Single Avatar in Second Life. 

          Don’t worry, as my friend, Glorf Bulmer, would say, this won’t become that kind of blog.  (Anyone desiring that kind of titillation should check out Literotica instead.)  I’ll try to blog monthly about what’s going in the world of sex in SL.  I’ll do my best to be informative and, as always humorous.  As Bette Davis once said, “Sex is God’s joke on human beings.”  But, for anything else, like I just wrote, check out Literotica. 

          For now, I just want to go over how much sex is in SL. There are a lot of places dedicated to it, all sorts of practices, and, of course, people merrily engaged in sex. 

          What kinds of places?  Well, there are clubs like Exxotic Pleasures and Cleo Beach.  Dancing and music with rooms off somewhere where people can go and do what people do when they’re all alone in a room with furniture programmed for a variety of sexual experiences.  (Not to mention the freely available pose balls.)  Large numbers of BDSM dungeons do business across the grid.  Then there are resorts such as Turtle Coast and The Island of Bare Naked Angels.  Many of these require nudity and come fully equipped for whatever sexual experiences or preferences are desired.  Then there is the recently opened SL adult continent, Zindra. 

Finally, no discussion of places associated with sex in SL would be complete without talking about the stores.  Shopping for sex in SL has a couple of additional twists not found in RL.  For example, one can go and replace one’s sexual organs complete with a HUD for whatever options one may need.  And, of course what avatar would be complete without birth control, Viagra, or pregnancy test kit?  Who knew? 

Clothing, furniture, BDSM equipment, restraints are but a few of the other accessories available for purchase inworld for those with the necessary Lindens.  (Although, many of these items are freely available in SL as well.) 

          Sexual practices?  Everything from the missionary position to whatever one can imagine or script is possible.  It’s wonderful what can happen when the laws of physics can be ignored.  Then there’s BDSM.  In fact, I think BDSM may be the largest lifestyle community in SL based on my informal, unscientific survey.  For those who are either too tired for intercourse or merely curious, there are sims for those who are feeling a bit voyeuristic.  And, of course, I can’t talk about sex in SL without at least mentioning the practice of collaring. 

As for the people?  They come in all shapes and sizes with all types of practices, straight, gay, BDSM, swingers, and group enthusiasts to name just a few.  For some, sex is a totally uninhibited experience inworld.  I ought to know.  I walked by some of them while they were going at it.  Others are more private.  Engaging in whatever they engage in behind closed doors.  Some are shy about meeting new partners.  Others work as escorts.  Interestingly, when I visited a recently opened sex sim, I noticed many avatars roaming about who were just one or two days old. Makes me think that some aren’t as daring as me when it comes to walking about inworld. Many people are join into groups around whatever their particular interest may be. 

Sex in SL also goes beyond the grid.  Both Barnes & Noble and Amazon sell many fiction and non-fiction ebooks about sex in SL.  (Although, admittedly, most of them seem to be by the same author, Misty Crimsonlay.) Some are about the social aspects of sex in SL, others are memoirs, and some are simply erotica that is SL themed. 

          So what’s this all about?  Besides the sex?  Finding out more about the people and communities that make up SL.  SL is about more than just builds and role playing.  Just as sex is part of everyday life in RL, whether people admit it or not, sex is part of everyday day in SL as well.  I just think people may use the anonymity of SL to experience things they might not otherwise in RL.  Hey guys, do you really think that there are real women behind all those good looking female avatars in SL? Or, that RL women aren’t checking out what it’s like to ill-mannered and rude for a change? 

          In future stories in this series, I’ll write about these different aspects of human sexuality in SL.  And, yes, I do mean human because as many continually remind inworld there’s a real person with real feelings behind that avatar we’re interacting with. 

          I welcome anyone who would like to share their experiences or opinions of SL sexuality with me.  I’d like to include these in my future stories in this series.  I look forward to hearing from you! 

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

Below are a few pictures of the places I visited for this story.  And, no, there is neither nudity nor activity of a sexual nature contained therein.  If you want to see that then you’ll have to go there yourself! 

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.

Photo No. 1 Turtle Coast

Photo No. 2 The Island of Bare Naked Angels

Photo No. 3 Exxotic Pleasures

Photo No. 4 Cleo Beach

Photo No. 5 Zindra