Looking Ahead to 2017 in Second Life

The timeless in you is aware of life's timelessness. And knows that yesterday is but today's memory and tomorrow is today's dream. 

 Kahlil Gibran

Happy New Year!

Yes, we all made it into 2017 and the future lies ahead of us!

(Significant Other thinks I’m being a little overly melodramatic here.)

Still, 2016 is behind us, and hopefully, this New Year will make up for some of the

goings on from last year!   (I’m referring more to Real Life (RL) here!)

As always, I have plans for the New Year in Second Life (SL) and I’ll share them with you now.

My approach to my wanderings inworld is going to be similar to what I’ve done in the past only the subjects will change.

First, I’ll be looking for new places to visit in SL. 

I’m looking for the different and the unusual.  I’ll try to go deeper in trying to understand what’s going on.

Next, I’ll be trying to make new friends inworld.

Here, I want to move outside of my usual circles of friends.  (And, not because, as Significant Other is implying, I’ve been banned.)  I’m looking for folks who are doing different things than what I normally blog about.  I also want to meet residents who are willing to share their stories. 

Finally, I’ll be looking to have new experiences inworld.  (Significant Other’s eyes roll here.)

I want to do things that I haven’t done before and as always, I’m willing to push the edges of the envelope.  Edgy is perfectly acceptable too.  (No pun intended!)

I extend an open invitation to all to either send me your ideas or to join me as I make this journey in 2017 across SL.  Or, feel free to watch me out of idle curiosity or prurient interest! 

I’ll continue my ongoing series, about Sex and the Single Avatar, Castles, and

Dungeons inworld.  The Mieville community is near and dear to my heart and I’ll be reporting on their always busy social calendar.

I’ll also try to report back on places I’ve visited in past years and are no longer with us.  I’ll try to meet the owners and other members of these sims to see what they’re up to.

On a more serious note, I’ll be blogging on some of the more serious issues inworld as they arise. 

There will be a surprise this year!

(Like how I used this teaser to get you to come back to my blog?)

The details are still be worked out but I should be able to report back shortly.

This project will have me writing SL based fiction on another blog.

Watch this space for further details! 

There will be RL influences that will need watching in SL. 

Sansar should be available this year and I’m not as sanguine as many others inworld are about its impact on SL.

SL changes constantly.  Well known big builds are going away but communities are still popping up, and if not thriving, are hanging in there. 

So, I look forward to 2017 in SL!

SL has never disappointed me with its ability to challenge and to entertain me.

I’ve met many good people inworld, some have quietly faded away and I wish them well, and I hope to meet many more!

SL reminds of that old saying, “There are no strangers here, only friends who have not met yet!”

See you in the New Year! 

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 VIII – Casterly Rock

 

Why is it that when one man builds a wall, the next man immediately needs to know what's on the other side? 

Tyrion Lannister, A Game of Thrones

 

          Once again, in my wanderings across the Grid in Second Life (SL), I’ve come across another castle which I’ll include in my series about the castles of SL. 

          This particular castle is located in Casterly Rock which is a role playing sim inworld based on A Game of Thrones.  I blogged about the Casterly Rock community in an earlier

story. 

          My reasons for selecting this structure were several.  The castle is an impressive build which dominates the local landscape and is faithful to the castle described by Georeg R. R. Martin in his books.  It is well furnished and is integral to the role play of the community.  Overall, from my perspective, an ideal candidate for a story!  (Significant Other thinks I’m just biased because it reminds me of Dungeons & Dragons.)

          In the universe of A Game of Thrones, belongs to House Lannister.  The largest and most well defended of all castles in the land.  Purportedly, it has never been conquered. 

          Within the roleplay of Casterly Rock in SL, the castle still belongs to House Lannister but is set in a period about three hundred years before that of the books.  The castle is an important part of court life inworld.

          I first learned of the castle during my visit to prepare for my first story.  It was hard to miss.  The castle is imposing in size and one can’t escape its presence as one wanders around the sim. 

          The castle sits high on a promontory overlooking the Sunset Sea.  Gray walled with red tiles rooves on its keeps and turrets.  It is big.  Its perch is a rock jutting out of the sea and is connected to the mainland by a narrow causeway.  Once across the causeway, one is faced with a steep climb to a drawbridge crossing a deep chasm. 

          On the other side of the draw bridge is a heavy wooden door studded with nails.  Entering the castle through this doorway, one passes through a series of rooms before

entering the Queen’s throne room.  The center piece of which is the throne which has a smaller seat alongside for the Queen’s daughter.  Here the Queen holds court weekly.  Coats of arms of noble families adorn the walls. 

          Crossing the throne room, one enters another room which contains the main spiral staircase leading to the upper and lower levels.  Climbing the stairs to the second floor, one’s attention is taken by the magnificent sea views from a balcony.  Located on this floor are a royal bedroom and a library.  The library contains a secret but more on this later! 

          Continuing to ascend the stairs from the second floor, one arrives on the roof where there are two small turrets each containing a bedroom.  One is afforded excellent views of

the kingdom in all directions here.

          Returning back down the stairs, one ultimately descends to the castle’s bottom level which is a large open room.  Heavy columns support the ceiling.  This room is used for social functions.  Unlike many other castles where one finds the dungeon here.  Apparently, the Lannisters see no need for one.  (Significant Other worries about my continued interest in dungeons.) 

          Now, the library’s secret!  By touching the mantelpiece over the fireplace, a hidden door is revealed.  Entering through this doorway, one is transported deep below the castle to a goldmine where the wealth of the kingdom originates.  A locked vault contains the refined gold ore.  Every good castle has to have at least one secret! 

          The overall quality of the Casterly Rock castle is very good.  Attention has been paid to its details such as windows, doorways, columns and textures to cover surfaces.  The lower levels of the castle have stone floors while the uppers ones are made of large wooden timbers.  A small detail over looked in many castles.  The layout of the castle is rational and

is not a maze.  Rooms contain furnishings and the walls are not unadorned.  There is a lived in and well cared for look about the place.  The castle is key to the role playing of the community and does not sit empty and unused like a mausoleum in a cemetery.  Working within the limitations of prims and RL dollars to pay for space, the builder has skillfully and cleverly recreated the atmosphere and look of the original. 

          I strongly recommend to either fans of A Game of Thrones or those who enjoy castles visiting this castle.  They won’t regret their decision! (Please wear appropriate dress and remember that residents are engaged in role play.)

          Casterly Rock is always looking for enthusiastic fans of A Game of Thrones to join to keep expanding their community so I recommend checking them out!  (I did after my first story, joined, and became the royal scribe!) 

          Casterly Rock and its castle can be found here. 

          Additional pictures from my visit can be seen on this flickr page.   

          I’d like to thank Her Grace Morgane Lannister for stepping away from Her royal duties and giving me a tour of the castle after I showed up on her doorstep unannounced one afternoon!    

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 VII – Kumamoto Castle

 When you look at Japanese traditional architecture, you have to look at Japanese culture and its relationship with nature. You can actually live in a harmonious, close contact with nature - this very unique to Japan.

Tadao Ando

 

          I return to the highways and byways of Second Life (SL) with this story as I go looking for more castles to explore.

          A new friend inworld, Lelani Carver, suggested I visit Japanese castles for a change so I did and I found one!    

          (She also suggested I visit the Great Wall of China inworld as well.  Look for that story in the future.)

          To date my visits have been to castles drawn from European history or the imaginations of their creators.

          It’s time for some diversity!

          Kumamoto Castle is what I found and here’s my story of my visit there. 

          The castle is located in a contemporary Japanese town occupying its own sim.

          The town is located here and the castle can be rezzed to directly here. 

          Take my advice and rezz into the town’s main landing zone and walk over. 

          You’ll get a feel for modern Japan in Real Life (RL) and appreciate the contrast with the much older castle when you arrive. 

          (Significant Other nods approvingly.  I’m accused of not getting about enough in RL!  For the record, I’m not some overweight slacker hunched over my keyboard surrounded by empty potato chip bags and pizza boxes!) 

          Kumamoto Castle sits on a small island bordered on two sides by the sea.  The other two sides are separated from the mainland by a canal.  Access to the castle is by footbridges over the canal on these sides. 

          (What’s with castles being built on islands in the sea most of the time in SL?)

          The dark colored keep and other buildings loom over the surrounding town and contrast its lighter color scheme.

          Following Japanese castle building tradition (chikujo-jutsu), the foundation is of stone and the buildings themselves are made of wood while the rooves appear to be made from slate. 

          The central keep (tenshukaku) dominates the site. 

          It is approached via a grass covered ramp rising from the central courtyard or bailey

located at the rear of the castle.

          Lower outer buildings in the same style as the keep partially surround the courtyard. 

 

          A small, red and white shrine is at the side of the castle in the front. 

 

          Unfortunately, the builder has not built an interior to Kumamoto Castle expect for the top floor of the keep which affords awesome views of the surrounding town. 

          (I know!  How could a view not be awesome inworld?) 

          The castle offers amazing potential to recreate the samurai age inworld and I hope it happens someday!

          (Yes, yes, I know all about prim restrictions but I can dream can’t I?)

          Overall, Kumamoto Castle and its surrounding town is well worth a visit! 

          Maybe if we leave enough donations in its tip jars then the owner can complete his

masterpiece!

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

          I’d like to thank Lelani for suggesting that I visit a Japanese castle and I look forward to visiting and blogging about her other ones as well!   

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 VI – DaVinci Gardens Castle

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

Leonardo da Vinci   

 

          I’m continuing on my ramble across Second Life (SL) as I continue my series about the Great Castles of SL.    

          This time, I return to a sim that I’ve blogged about several times before, DaVinci

Gardens in Kalepa! 

          My destination is the castle there which dominates the area.

          DaVinci Gardens itself is a collection of fantasy worlds which offers to visitors from Real Life (RL) opportunities to suspend disbelief and to jump into all that a virtual world can be.  

          The sim is beautifully laid out with lush gardens, elaborate builds, the fantastic flying machines of Master Leonardo da Vinci himself, and not to mention the flying dragons available for rides! 

          Oh, I forgot to mention the volcano and space ship!

          (Significant Other wants to know why I can only find places like this inworld and never in RL when we go on vacation.)

          In my previous visits to DaVinci, I’d seen the large castle looming over the sim and flown by but never went in. 

          That’s about to change!

          I rezz into the landing zone at DaVinci. 

          In the distance, the castle stands prominently against the horizon.

          The castle sits on promontory surrounded on all sides by water.  It’s only approachable by water or from the air. 

          (What’s with this with castles inworld?  Doesn’t anyone simply build their castle on flatlands surrounded by a classic moat filled with alligators?  OK. Maybe the alligators aren’t classic but you get the idea!)

          The castle building is large, easily the largest single structure in DaVinci. 

          Tall towers and turrets surround the main keep.    

          There are two primary levels each with its own courtyard.  The upper one even has its own fire breathing dragon all saddled up and ready to go for anyone needing a lift.  While in the lower one, a lion’s head fountain spurts water. 

          The castle is built from weathered gray stone with red tiles for its rooves. 

          Approaching the castle, the main entrance surmounted by a large, colorful clock can

be seen. Stone carvings reminiscent of Gothic cathedrals from the Middle Ages border the door frame.  (How do I know?  I saw enough when I was in Europe!)

          Entering through the main entrance, beautiful stained glass windows welcome me. 

          Climbing the stairwells in the towers brings me to upper floors where I come across a

variety of rooms ranging from what appears to be an unfurnished throne room to many small but nicely finished rooms.

          I come across a library with a secret passage which leads to a treasure room guarded by a sleeping dragon.  (What’s with all the dragons?)

          Attention is given to detail.

          In some of the outer turrets, old brick shows through crumbling masonry. 

          A hallway’s walls are covered with the coats-of-arms of the nobles who once walked them.

         

Panoramic views of both sea and land can be seen from the battlements. 

          All around me is the sense of abandonment.

          There are neither furnishings nor artwork save for the stained glass windows and coats-of-arms.

          Sorry, one more item, a picture of the castle in both summer and winter hangs on a wall and can be purchased by anyone wanting it.

          Though empty, the castle is well maintained but I guess this is one advantage of virtual worlds! 

          The castle in DaVinci Gardens is well worth a visit and wandering its empty corridors is fun.

          A visitor can’t help but wonder what was the purpose of all this.

          Who was here and what was their story? 

          Unfortunately, there is no dungeon.

          Or, if there is, I couldn’t find it.

          BTW, I’m planning a new blog series which will be a dungeon crawl through the dungeons of SL.

          I’ll be visiting the deepest, darkest, baddest ones that I can find!

          (For all the teachers, librarians, and mothers who are my friends inworld, yes, I know “baddest” isn’t a real world, I just liked the sound of it!)           

          I strongly recommend a visit to the castle in DaVinci Gardens and take a look at the rest of the sim while you’re there! 

          You’ll be glad you did!

          Additional 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!

 

Castles in Second Life V – Blackmoor Castle

Any work is always improvable, you cannot really finish the work, you can only abandon it out of tiredness or incompetence.

Amit Kalantri

 

          As part of my continuing series about the great castles in Second Life (SL), past and present, I’m moving along to the next stop in my journey. 

          The subject of this story came from a reader, Jumpman Lane, who tweeted the recommendation to me.  (I’m pleased at how many residents use Twitter and how many new friends I’ve made through it.  Significant Other says something about whatever happened to meeting people in Real Life (RL).)

          Blackmoor Castle is the site of my latest foray into the castles inworld! 

          Blackmoor has an interesting story.

          Juro Kothari, one of SL’s master architects, designed and built it.

          Jumpman had indicated that the castle was unfinished so I was intrigued and went for a visit. 

          A little more about Juro though before we proceed.

          He is a long standing resident with a superb reputation as a builder. 

          Another example of his work is the Dawson Residence in SL.

          Unfortunately, according to Juro’s profile, he hasn’t been inworld much as of late.

          So, we’re not going to see much new work from him anytime soon, I suspect. 

          Further, Juro wrote he’s almost out of prims for Blackmoor which probably means it won’t be finished.  (Significant Other gives an all knowing look.)

          So, I rezz into Blackmoor Castle.

          Whereupon I find myself stuck in a crawlspace beneath the castle with no way out!  (I guess this was one of the things Juro didn’t finish.) 

          Word of advice, don’t go to Blackmoor with the LM given by search.

          Instead, use this one which I created through trial and error.  It’ll you drop right in front of the castle. 

          Blackmoor sits on a butte slightly elevated over the immediate area and is surrounded on three sides by water.  (I wouldn't want to have to lay siege to this place!)

          The main keep is surrounded by a high wall.

          The keep is multi-storied with turrets on every level. 

          Towers loom over the whole structure.

          Yes, Blackmoor Castle definitely meets the requirements of a classic castle.  (Significant Other nods in agreement.)

          A causeway leads to the main gate surmounted by the castle’s crest.

          The only occupant and the only living soul I meet in my visit is a little mouse with his

own home by the gate. 

          Entering I find myself in the main hall with the grand staircase to my right and a large fireplace to my left with a blazing fire.

          In front of the fireplace is the only piece of furniture that I’ll see in this building, a recliner, except for some partially filled, or is it emptied, bookcases.

          I wander through the empty rooms on the ground floor before ascending the stair case to the next level which is just as bare.

          The attention to detail given to the castle is remarkable.

          The stone textures on the walls and floors, the carpeting, the lattice windows, and the

stained glass rose window all add to the feel of a true castle.

          Walking out onto the promenades on the upper floor, I can take in the surrounding scenery.

          Some is suitable for a castle like Blackmoor while some reminds me of an American shopping mall in decline.  (We have a lot of them these days!)

          Yet, as I walk through the empty hallways and stare into barren rooms, I can’t help but think what could have been here.

          A thriving community and a castle worthy of Cinderalla’s reign perhaps.

          The upper stories can only be reached by flying up and landing.  They are as empty as the lower ones.

          The towers have no staircases and stare mutely over this deserted scene.

          I do find an empty elevator shaft with a call button which is only a decoration now a

dding a touch of drab color to an otherwise gray wall. 

          My visit is short.

          Blackmoor Castle is empty and home to no one save a mouse.

          However, walking through it, I can’t help but feel the presence of those who were once here and built. 

          But, then aren’t all old, abandoned castles expected to have ghosts?

          Maybe I’m channeling their dreams and hopes for the place.

          I do recommend visiting Blackmoor, it’s an exceptional example of what can be done with a castle inworld!

          Just remember to use my LM!    

          I’d like to thank Jumpman for referring me to Blackmoor!

          I’d also like to thank Juro, wherever you are, for building and allowing to continue the wonderful structure that is Blackmoor Castle!

          More pictures from my visit can be found here on flickr. 

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!