Bangin' On

Today's posts were brought to you under the influence of Lashed, a 16 track Hard House Headrush mixed by Miss Lisa Lashes. This was once a cover CD for Mixmag, but I managed to acquire it at a car boot sale I attended a year or so ago, for the princely sum of 75c. Well worth it in my opinion, I do like to let my hair down and jump around my studio from time to time. And I do mean jump, when I dance to my techno it really does stretch the definition of the word "dance". Pump that hardcore to the max!

Zero Point Part 2

A few more pictures from my time at Zero Point, with Miss Maia Beltran.

The upper level was a maze of tunnels, all full of colours and sounds to delight and confuse the senses.

At the end of one tunnel was the Thunder Throne, so I asked Maia to take a seat for a picture. With such incredible green eyes, she looks quite the Storm Queen, though not as daemonic as the decor would suggest. Then I again, I have not known her in a temper, and rather hope I never do!

Do visit Zero Point, there is plenty more to see than I can post about here.

Zero Point Part 1

I took some time out today so see a friend of mine, Miss Maia Beltran. I have posted about her before, here. I was supposed to meet up with her last night, but a combination of the fatigue caused by my gall bladder condition, and the meds used to help me deal with it, meant I passed out over my keyboard (again!), and so was late keeping the appointment. By the time I came to and responded to her IMs, she had given up and gone to see other friends, which is perfectly understandable. Maia is however a very gracious lady, and agreed to try again this morning.

She took me see Zero Point, on Kelham Sim, which Cheyenne has posted about here. Created by Sabine Stonebender, this installation is a real feast of psychedelia.

We toured the place for a while, just gawping at all the shapes and colours, then tried sitting on things called Bouncy Sparkles, of which there are plenty scattered about the structure. These just bounced us all around the place, before setting us down with the immortal words "Like wow man! What a trip!". So this place is supposed to emulate an LSD experience. Nothing like any of the acid I have ever taken, and certainly far too well-behaved a place to really imitate chemically-induced psychosis.

Nonetheless it is a true testament to the graphic technicians art, and a must-see for the tourist on the Grid. We took the elevator to "Reality", and that really is something you must do when you come here. The graphics during the trip to the upper level were some of the best I have seen in SL.

Aldo Zond

Allow me to introduce Mr Aldo Zond, one of the clevest people I know, and one of the few fellow Brits I have come across in my time on the Grid. A friend of my sister Cheyenne's, Aldo is a budding scripter, and has very kindly offered to help me with my scripting needs.

I invited him over to help with a project I am currently working on. I cannot reveal too much detail for reasons of national security, but here we are working on it. I will say that I am chuffed to bits to have made something fly at last, and I will post about it to my Aeronautica blog once the war is over.

Aldo was invaluable in helping me sort out the seating arrangements, and is now working on helping me add sound effects. He refused any payment for his work, but I readily agreed to try and help him with what he called his "building disasters". I cannot imagine they are, for he seems a very competent chap. He is also a smashing guy to get to know (well he is from the UK, and we are all wonderful people here) and I hope we shall be good friends for some time to come.

First Sight Of The Enemy

With all the rumours of spies flying around Caledon at the moment, and relations between my homeland and Neualtenberg getting frostier by the day, I thought I would go and carry out a bit of covert surveillance myself.

After an abortive start - I really don't think the Grid is in danger of overthrow by the intellectuals of Neufreistadt - I arrived in Port Neualtenberg, part of the Fundama sim. Straight into the arms of their Rittmeister, Jaeger Edelweiss. I had no alternative but to engage him in gentlemanly conversation.

The Rittmeister is a very pleasant fellow, if a little bit stuffy in the way that turn-of-the-last-century Bavarians can be. He straitway detected I was from Caledon, though I can't think what it was that gave me away - I certainly didn't use "Hello I am a spy from Caledon" as my opening gambit! Still, one doesn't rise to become Rittmeister of Her Imperial Majesty The Kaiserine's Hussars without being very aware of the shifting currents of politics, both internal and external to one's country.

We had a very pleasant and well-mannered conversation. He told me of their monarch's illness, and how that had prevented the removal of the Caledon flag from outside the gates of her castle, placed there some days previously by the gallant and daring Colonel Pearse of the Caledon RFL Militia (in which I hold a commission as a Major). Apparently only she can remove items placed upon the land. I pointed out that this might be a failing of the monarchical way of rule, for in Caledon we have the Boosters, appointed by the Guvnah, to take care of litter and suchlike, but he didn't seem to get my point.

He asked me about my airship, which he had spotted on the map of Tanglewood but had not seen on his last visit there. I explained that that was probably when she was being remodelled to fit my plot, and extended an invitation to him to take tea with me aboard the Melissant. The Rittmeister had to decline my offer at this time, due to the reception he might receive from the community there, but promised to visit once this whole foolish business has been sorted out. I must say the fellow seems like a very honourable sort, and should we meet on the field of combat it will be a shame to kill him. Still I shall not stay my hand, there is no room for sentiment in war.

And speaking of such, whilst I was not able to garner much intelligence myself, I was able to keep their top soldier distracted long enough for a compatriot of mine to have a snoop around. We now know they have a treaty with New Babbage, which is a slightly worrisome development, and whilst they have an airship (pictured) it doesn't appear to be much of a match for the heavily armed and armoured dirigibles which are pouring off the assembly lines in Caledon as I write. Quite what use to them a red sports car that can fly and swim as well, and which is armed with two homing rockets, remains to be seen, but there was one being uncrated on the dockside in Neualtenburg. I await the coming conflict with interest and no little excitement!

The Tanglewood Tinies

I have posted shots in recent days of some of my neighbours in Tanglewood, and will continue to do so in days to come, but here is a picture I just had to print.

Tanglewood is home to a growing collection of "tinies", avatars that are about as high as my ankle, or a normal human-sized av's knee. Tinies generally come in animal form, such as wabbits, squiggels and other fluffy wuffy creatures. Being a tiny is not for me, but it seems to be quite a popular past time in Tanglewood. Miss Ayres, one of our resident artists, has set up a tiny sanctuary on her plot, complete with tiny buildings, tiny chairs, and here a tiny dance floor with tiny-scaled dance balls.

I came across this tiny disco last night - I could see a large number of dots clustered on the map, and fearing it might be the build up of the expected Neualtenberg attack, hurried to investigate. It turned out to be one of the nicest sights I have seen in SL, and the image of all these cutesy little woodland creatures getting on down will keep me smiling for many days to come. I am not the tiny sort myself, but I hope we never lose these wonderful additions to our community

Sword Case

Another shot from the Scaggs Museum Of Second Life Packaging. This is the sword case the update to my Musashi Eternal katana arrived in.

I should really keep such an exquisite item - there is probably more work gone into the creation of the box than the sword itself - in terms of actual prims used, at least. As ever though, my prim count is against me, so this picture will have to serve as a record of this wonderful, disposable, item's existence.

High Tea

I have been having visitors drop by a lot recently. I think it has more to do with them wanting to look around the Melissant more than anything else, but whilst such interest lasts I strive to be a good host.

So I went out today to find some appropriate furniture with which to decorate the 'ship. This was taking a bit of a risk, as I am not the best at interior design, so I kept my purchases to a simple rug, and a table and two chairs with which to offer my guests some tea.

In the end I think I managed to pull it off, the colours going quite well with what I have already done. A lady friend has offered to help me choose the right sticks for the place, so after the time it took me to get these few items, I think I shall wait til she is available before purchasing any more!

Here I am sat on my cherry wood chair, at a lovely little table, just right for taking tea and enjoying the view. The furniture came from Ellison's in Victoria City, and the tea set is also from Caledon, but I forget where from exactly.

I naturally placed the chairs by the window, the real beauty of living aboard the Melissant is the wonderful view over Tanglewood. It is the main reason visitors come aboard, so now they will be able to enjoy it in a bit more comfort, taking the weight from their feet as they endure my anecdotes. Given that we are here 100m up, this is high tea indeed!

RFL Kick Off Ball

Yesterday night was the occasion of the SLRFL Kick Off Ball, held to inaugurate the series of events taking place across Caledon to raise money for Relay For Life, right up to the day of the relay itself.

The ball was held at Coughton Court on Caledon Carntaigh, the imposing home of Her Grace the Duchess Of Carntaigh. The dancing was held in the west wing, where in fact I had danced the night before, as reported in this post. It looked very different in daylight!

Her Grace was a hostess par excellence, greeting everyone as they arrived, ensuring that no one was allowed to escape the dancing, and once again acting as DJ, playing a very appropriate selection of music from the days of music hall, and other more formal dance music.

The theme for dress was purple, so I wore my "Maximillian in Plum" outfit from Silver Rose, finished off with my lavender topper. I chose the grey skin for this event, as it seemed to set off my garments very nicely. For a small donation I was able to get a very natty lapel pin bearing the logo of SLRFL.

Despite, or perhaps because of, my dancing the previous evening, I had a full dance card. No one was more surprised about this than I, never having assumed myself to be much of a dancing partner. I was helped greatly by the fact that all Caledonian woman take their dancing very seriously, so the ladies I partnered were consummate dancers, their high levels of skill more than compensating for my clumsy steps!

I am pictured dancing with a Miss Shylah Garmes, a near neighbour of mine from Tanglewood. We therefore had plenty of things to chat about as we took a turn about the room, which was a blessing, as I am not the best at making small talk. Overall, the night went well for me, and very well for SLRFL, an astounding total of L15,200 being raised from this event alone! A good start indeed for Team Caledon's fund raising campaign!

Egg Basket

I went to a class for the first time in a while yesterday. There are various events being planned in Tanglewood for the Easter season, and I am eager to help out in some small way. A class in the making of a basket of eggs thus seemed like a very appropriate one to take.

Held by TUi, the class took place at the Nobel classroom, delivered by Miss Chiria Celt. Unlike other classes I have attended, this class had no supplies with it, but instead showed us how to use what we already had in our Libraries.

Miss Celt is a very good instructor, given very clear instructions, and faultless in giving every student as much of her time as they needed. She had placed models of each stage of construction of the basket above her teaching station, so we always had a visual reference to check our work against.

As ever, I came away from this class inspired. Not only did I make a basket of eggs, but I themed it to Caledon, giving it a steampunk twist by making it out various metals, and adding a puff of steam to a couple of them. Well, here in Caledon we have invented self-boiling eggs!

I then added a notecard and a basic script to it, so that it gives information on the forthcoming Egg Hunt that will take place across Tanglewood on the weekend of the 1st and 2nd of April. A bonus occurred when the organiser of all Team Caledon's SLRFL events (of which the Egg Hunt is but one), Miss Paris, thought it good enough for public display! So now it can be seen at a few of the telehubs that route people around my beloved home. Now I do feel that I am contributing, and it feels good.

Rakehell

Rakehell; noun, archaic; a dissolute man in fashionable society; libertine, rouee, debauchee, Mordecai Scaggs.

Yesterday night was a long one, and most revealing, in more senses of the word that mere illumination. And the day had started so innocently as well.

I met up with my good friend Albrecht Heinrich, to inform him that I had put up a divider in the main room on board the Melissant, and he could move in whenever he was ready. Why? Because it seems that this is the time of year when relationships involving men from the Old World and women from the New, dissolve. Sadly, and for reasons I would not divulge if I truly knew them, Mr Heinrich is no longer a partner to Miss Lapin Paris. I had found this out earlier in the day, and naturally I offered the Scots badger a roof. From paragon of romance to a parody of Jack Lemmon (Albrecht insisted on being Walter Matthau) in just under 48 hours. Quite a week! And there was more fun and frolics to come.

Albrecht is a fellow C:SI duellist, and a good one as well. 3 to nothing in his favour. At least we gave a good show for the other residents of Tanglewood! And all in the best spirit of peacock male bravado. I had just put away my blade when via the Caledon group message relay we received word of an impromptu dance at the residence of the Duchess of Carntaigh. A warm-up for the serious fun of tonight's ball kicking of the RFL season. Naturally we all plumped for one of Her Grace's legendary get-togethers.

Luckily I was looking suitably dressed for such an off-the-cuff occasion, keeping as I do at all times a fair degree of style in my dress. Well I think so, anyway. The evening began with waltzes, and I, as the seven-feet-tall newcomer with the golden lox and deep red skin, was something of a novelty, attracting no small amount of good natured flirtation from the assembled ladies. I was honoured to dance first with a Miss Mitsu Figaro, in a most enjoyable tango animation, and then to accompany a Miss Gidea Swindlehurst as she glided through the room in a waltz. Quite the sort of respectable gathering one associates with the social elite of Caledon.

The music then transited to a modern form of dance music called House. This was now a much less staid occasion, and the assembled throng was soon transformed as formal wear was exchanged for party threads. I was able to dust off a pair of my leather trousers and my trusty black satin shirt. There was a megamix contest during this part of the proceedings, with a purse of L100 to the first person to correctly identify the starter track of this medley. No one was able to do this, so in despair the Master of Ceremonies, a Mr Adec Alexandria declared the winner to be the first person to announce the Duchess's rez-day anniversary date. A simple matter of checking Her Grace's profile, and as it transpired I was the first person to do so. Of course, with the Relay For Life foremost in everyone's mind, I straitway donated the prize money to the fund. Not long after, I received my SLRFL kiosk, intended to be installed on my land, but I rezzed it at the party with Her Grace's kind permission, and by the night's end the charity was L400 the better.

Her Grace had taken on the role of disc jockey for the evening, and played a wide range of music indeed. Not long after the megamix, the genre changed to something known as Pornhouse. Exactly what it says it is. Buoyed up by my win, and no doubt carried away with a sense of new-found freedom from responsibility, and feeling rather warm from my exertions so far as well, I stripped to the waist, again with Her Graces consent, the better to express the music with my dancing. Seizing upon a wild idea, I offered to bare all if the donations were to hit L2000. It was pointed out that such an offer might be no incentive, so I changed instead to threatening to bare all and only covering up again when the donations reached the target sum. This caused much good natured hilarity.

My semi-naked state attracted no little attention - well a devil-red man with perfect abs is bound to catch the eye, no?- and whilst none of my fellow male dancers followed my lead, a few of the ladies removed their more restrictive garments. Perhaps a more sensible person would have ended it there, at nothing more than harmless fun, but when have you ever known me to be sensible, dear readers?

I do have a devilish side to my nature, but one that is still good-humoured and certainly not malicious, and I think would be fair to say that whilst partnered to the stunningly beautiful and emminenty sensible Miss Yeuxdoux, this part of Mordecai was not allowed out to play. That in itself was not the way to be in a relationship, one should always be wholly oneself so that one's partner may fully know one's true self, but Naughty Mord was not going to miss out on his fun any longer. Once more, and suprisingly so, with the consent of the Duchess, who was also allowing the music to sweep her up in its spirit, and regardless of garnering further donations or no, the last remnants of my respectability were shed along with the rest of my clothes.

And so, to much surprised, and slightly shocked laughter, I danced the rest of the night away as nature made me. I must say, my habitually low self-esteem was boosted in no small measure by the comments and attention I received from those ladies still present who had not been overcome by my brazen nudity. Again, none of my fellow males joined me in disrobing, although one gentleman did strip to his waist, and a few others dressed as Spartan warriors, their outfits being titillating if not totally revealing. As the night wore on, people became quite used to sight of my naked cavorting, and I had a very interesting discussion with one lady about the history of the world's belief systems.

At the end of the function, our numbers had dwindled to six, and we were all danced out. I took my leave, to a number of thank you's for providing an unexpected addition to the evenings entertainments, and with quite a full dance card for the coming ball tonight. I think it goes without saying that this event, being as it is a show piece to start off the Relay For Life fund raising, will not be an occasion for naked dancing! And what of the morning after? I have yet to log on, but doubtless I have made an impression on my fellow residents. Whether that impression will be good or bad I hesitate to anticipate, but I have no regrets at how the evening panned out, and certainly no feelings of shame. And to those who would damn me with charges of Indecent Exposure, I say Fie! If a man can't get naked in public every once in a while, then it is a sad world indeed. And besides, whose body are you calling indecent? I take great care of it, thank you!

Relay For Life

American readers will surely be familiar with the cancer charity, Relay For Life, but readers elsewhere may not have heard of it. As far as I understand it, it is an annual event consisting of a team relay race, held at numerous venues across the States and running for 24 hours. Hence it is a team relay! There are also a series of smaller fund raising events taking place in the run up to the main event.

There was a SL version of RFL last year, and this year it is taking place again. Caledon will be entering a team in the Relay itself, and there will be numerous other events happening all across Caledon, organised by the very capable Miss Lapin Paris. There was a meeting to discuss these satellite events yesterday afternoon, and eager to get involved as part of my community, I attended.

The meeting took place in Paris Grove, and was well attended, certainly at the start. The Duchess of Loch Avie was there, as where many luminaries from across Caledon. Sadly many had to go due to FL concerns, but I took a chatlog and a transcript was passed around after the meeting came to a close.

If indeed it ever really took the form of an organised meeting. Miss Paris is a wonderful administratrix, and did a sterling job of keeping the proceedings more or less on track, but as another of those present remarked, herding cats is easier than organising the residents of Caledon! We are all individual characters with our own foibles and quirks, and the meeting soon descended into a melange of cross chat, ideas and coarse humour. You had to be there to really appreciate the delightful chaos, but a Mad Hatters Tea Party in a lunatic asylum where the DDU has been opened and its contents passed around comes halfway there.

The range of tags worn by the participants will give some idea of the personalities Guvnah Shang is relying on to make this series of events a success. They included; Aristocrat, Time Traveller, Mad Creator, Circus Pixie, Scientist, Gentleman Aeronaut, Bright Young Thing, Oddly Transformed, and Daoist Samurai. The variety of avatars also tells of manifold eccentricities, including as it did rabbits, squirrels, tiny-sized elephants, and both alien-headed and demon-skinned humans. And people are still queuing up to live here?!!

The events will however be organised and prosecuted with the same zeal that the residents of the Tanglewood Asylum apply to their SL personas. Thus every one will be a roaring success. The list of events includes an opening ball on Sunday 25th march, an Easter Egg Hunt on 1st and 2nd April, a Teddy Bears Picnic on April 25th, and many more besides. The recruiting poster for the Army of Caledon also gives a clue to an event that we are all looking forward to, namely a battle with the sim of Neualtenberg. The date and exact location have yet to be finalised, but there can be no greater juxtaposition of morals than to raise money for a cancer charity than by having a battle where you donate for the chance to spoil blood. And a joyous bloodbath it will be too, given the madcap ideas for dealing death already floating around the Caledon camp. I know very little about the denizens of Neualtenberg, but if they are anything like we Caledonians, the possibilities for fun and murder are virtually limitless! More details will of course follow as I get them myself, subject to the interests of national security.

SLRFL is a very worthwhile enterprise, and a lot of money was raised last year. We hope to raise even more this time around, so please do attend at least one of the events, and give as generously as you can. No one in this world can have failed to be touched in some way or another by the sorrow that is cancer, and by taking part in any way in endeavours like this, we can all help to bring closer the day when cancer is as treatable and even curable as mumps or appendicitis. And with such a heavy and emotive condition as cancer, there is no doubt that the SL way of fund raising is nothing if not great fun indeed!

Rainbow Man

Following the dissolution of my partnership and romance with Melissa (yes I will stop going on about it soon), my thoughts rather naturally turned to my appearance. After all, she changed hers, should I not look at how mine may have lead to the end of us?

I know my shape and appearance are not the most good-looking on the Grid, but it took me a while to get it like this, and I feel it is more individual than many of the standard "babe-magnet" skins and shapes available. Besides, this look is my personal take on male beauty, and I would not feel like myself if I were to opt for one of the off-the-peg hunks that are out there.

So, if I am not to change my height, girth, definition etc, and there is no way I am ever going to be without my beloved lox, that only leaves the skin as an option for change. The top picture is my usual skin, Dante Light by Lost Therian. I was after something much darker, and the next shot is of me in my new Dante Ebony. I am not very happy with this one, it certainly isn't what I call ebony, so this will be auctioned off or sold at a later date.

I found that all the dark, or "black" skins I looked at were black in the Afro-Caribbean sense, and I am after a jet-black skin. I did find a L200 skin called the Shadow, but that is exactly what it looked like, a shadow with no discernible facial features or musculature. I want to look interesting, not anonymous!

So I turned to looking for other colours. Having pointy ears, I can just about get away with claiming Elven ancestry, so I looked around for Dark Elf or Drow skins. They all come with facial hair as standard, but I found the wonderful Grey skin you see me in, by Inside Out, in Doesbury. They also make the Demon red skin I am wearing in the next shot. Both of these I find very pleasing, particularly as the definition makes me look very built! The blurring of the edges to the Demon skin is an artefact of my poor abilities as a snapper, nothing more.

Both of these skins are nice additions to my flesh closet, but neither is quite what I was after. I ended up, after more fruitless visits to other skin shops, at Dark Delights. Now this is not the sort of establishment I would normally frequent, given over as it is to BDSM supplies and even edgier pursuits, but they do have a range of marble skins, by Forniphilia. The black marble skin I purchased is the closest I have yet come to the skin I can visualise, but is somewhat lacking in definition. That though is only a concern for my personal aesthetics, no one else is likely to be seeing my naked form for some time to come!

So now I have a variety of colours to wear. None of them is going to be a permanent replacement for my usual skin, but it is nice to have the option of being silly now and again. I will keep my eyes open for the jet-black skin I still want, so watch this space, I will surely let you be the first to know, dear readers!

Tesla

The other day I was at home aboard the Melissant when I received a request to board. I am glad I did, for now I have another new friend in the shape of Mr Kalisten VanDornan.

Mr VanDornan is a senior figure in the Caledon Tesla Society, and creator of their headquarters, the Tesla Tower in Caledon I.

The Tesla Society is set up for the promulgation of the Balkan-born genius's works. Nikolai Tesla is a name I am sure many readers will recognise from their school days, in relation to the science of Electrics. Professor Tesla worked in America, and designed many amazing inventions, including the Tesla Engine.

However most readers will more likely be familiar with the Tesla coil, a wonderful FL piece of apparatus that enables sparks of electrical energy to jump across an air gap between two charged plates. A piece of Steampunk technology if ever there was!

The tower is home to the Society's museum all about the great man, and there are many pieces of literature available free of charge explaining his life and work. The Society also has it's workshop there, but I understand that access to that area is by invitational tour, something I look forward to taking very soon.

If you are visiting Caledon I, you cannot miss the Tower. Do give it a visit, it is full of wonderful examples of what can be built in SL, more so because they are based on, or facsimiles of, FL apparatus. I certainly learned a great deal more than I took in at school about this father of modern electrical theory. But it is also great fun, especially the lightning playing across the machinery!

Interior View

Now that Melissa and I are no longer an item, I am without her expertise in interior design, particularly from earlier historical periods. Thrown back on my own resources, I had a quick go at making the inside of the Melissant look a bit more individual than its factory default.

As a resident of Caledon, I have been given a few folders of appropriate textures to use in and on buildings, so I straightway turned to these. Trying for a Victorian look, or at least what I vaguely imagine a Victorian look to be, I have used heavy colours, rich without being garish. The wallpaper is a Caledon-specific texture, the tiled floor (and why not? This particular dirigible is more a home than a flying machine now) and stained oak planking come from some freebies I collected many weeks ago.

The water feature at the end could be a homage to Melissa - it isn't, but she did get the exact same feature for the place herself, and I cannot deny that lady has an eye for such things. Thus I headed back to the mall where we both first saw it, and picked one up myself. At only 3 prims it adds a large amount of character for its count, and I think welds the magic and the industry of steampunk together nicely, through the materials used to model its theme.

Quite what Melissa will think of my ham-fisted attempts at Victorianisation I don't know, but it's a start, and I can only get better at this sort of thing!

Starting Point

The other day I saw a friend who hadn't been on the Grid for some weeks. Narcissa Marchionne is a lady I first met at my weekly AS support group meetings, and she had been kind enough to accompany me on some of my all too infrequent excursions across this world of ours. She is an incredibly busy lady in her FL, so to meet up with her is a rare treat indeed.

I have been exploring more of Caledon recently. There are 16 sims in this land altogether, and so far I only know two or three of them at all well, not including my home sim of Tanglewood. Narcissa met me there, and fell in love with the place at once. Everyone who visits falls under it's spell, and that can only be a good thing. Who knows, the theme of Steampunk may spread further, and even one day come to rival Gor as the major RP theme in SL.

So off we went exploring, starting with the first of the Caledon sims to appear nearly two years ago, the aptly named Caledon I. There is very much a feel of maturity here, of time passing slowly, as in any long-lived suburb of a town or city. There are many signs of the steampunk theme here, including the great chain and anchor featured in this earlier post, that keeps an alchemist's tower from drifting away.

Narcissa seems to be a bundle of energy, often rushing about in a state of frenzied cheeriness, so it was no surprise to turn round after taking the first photo and find her gleefully riding on a large swing hanging from a tree. I stood to the side and gave the occasional push - be warned if you try this for yourselves, the slightest of touchs will set this swing off, describing an enormous arc for the pressure of push given. Apparently this ride was wonderful in Mouselook - I am ashamed to admit I will have to take Narcissa's word for this, nerves having gotten the better of me on this visit.

On down the road from the swinging tree one crosses into Caledon II, which has the most remarkable tree house as a very obvious landmark.

There is so much to see across Caledon, round every corner there is another little marvel of Vernean or Wellsian technology tucked away, created by a resident here simply for the love of making it. Do visit these sims, and if you see a tall chap with thin lox hanging from under his hat, say Hello - it might just be me! :)

The End Of The Affair

Well, my world fell apart 12 hours ago, and I got my life back. Melissa and I have parted company, an event long overdue, and to my surprise I feel amazingly good about it. I was not going to blog about this, but to be accused of limmerence is one blow too low for me to take without some form of retort.

My side of the story is as follows, but no doubt this will be denied and intellectualised to death by Melissa in her blog at some point in the future. If she can remember my name that is, it has been 12 hours after all, and recently she has an amazing ability to forget my very existence, or that I might have feelings that could be hurt by her actions. She now also wants to take all the credit for discovering my Aspergers, so I guess she believes that as such I have no feelings to hurt, or that anything I might feel as love is of course limmerence, after all you know how weird those Aspies can be.

I digress. For some while now all had not been rosy between us. Gifts that I had bought or made for my beloved had been accepted with a smile and filed away under R. The ring that I had bought for her at the start of our partnering meant so much to her that she hasn't worn it since telling me how much it meant to her. The Valentines gifts that I had given her, well she didn't even look at them until a week later when I tentatively asked if she had liked them. I could go on, listing many more examples, such as the clothes I have bought her which she has never worn, or the weeks that passed with barely a look in my direction, when I accepted her story of a very busy RL, only to have her admit when pressed that in fact she was off shopping with all the new friends she was making.

The main clue that made me ask her where our relationship was going has been the change in her appearance. Regard the two pictures. At top, Melissa looking possibly the most beautiful any woman has ever looked in Second Life. Below that, Melissa's take on beauty a week later. Now I have said I like her prim breasts, and long legs are a particular delight to me, but taken together, and combined with the almost-there outfit she is wearing in the second picture, my heart froze when this freakish sex-clone appeared on the Melissant. This is how she prefers to look? This is how she likes to be when she stands around in Welcome Areas and other very crowded, public places on the Grid? She assures me she is not an escort, but I have to wonder.

The fact that all my compliments and comments went unnoticed or more often were dismissed, whilst total strangers could say "Hi" and she would start gushing and simpering at them, whether in person or on her blogs, was also another big clue for me. I guess the saddest thing about this whole sorry saga is the way a woman so apparently wise, intelligent and gifted with such knowledge of languages, just couldn't be bothered to tell me the way things really were for her, or that she lied to me for so many weeks about how much she enjoyed being with me and all the rest of it. There is no crueller way to hurt someone than to smile at them and saying loving words, when all your actions telegraph the fact that actually they mean less than nothing to you, and that you hold the worms in the dirt in much higher regard.

Now, I am bound to get a lot of stick for saying all these things, so I will just list my faults, so that we are all aware how awful it must have been to be partnered to me. I know that people like it when I buy things for them, so I showered Melissa with what I thought were nice presents, mainly outfits I thought were just made to highlight her beauty. It must be hard to be bought so much tasteless crap and have to try not hurting that persons feelings. I will admit it, I am clingy and emotionally brittle. It only took two weeks of being ignored for me to ask what was going on. And I put Melissa on a pedestal. No woman likes to worshipped, to have her every whim attended to by such a gauche, blunt individual as me. I did tell her she seemed like a goddess to me, that she was perfect in my eyes whatever she thought her faults to be, and that was wrong of me, I know that now. I kept telling her how impressed I was with her encyclopaedic knowledge of music, and a wide range of other subjects too, but for her to be loved by someone with an intellect as base as mine can not have been at all pleasant for her. I know how important it is to be mentally stimulated by the one you love, so despite my AS I can imagine how hard that must have been for her.

So we go our separate ways. I will carry on with my building, and learning about scripting, and living as a member of a fascinating and varied community that is one of the best across the Grid, and Melissa will wander about, taking pictures of herself and being adored by all and sundry. I regret none of my time as her partner, she was a wonderful person when we started out together, and still is a wonderful person, just not to me. All the changes in her have come about since she was made redundant, and I have grave concerns for her well being, as do a lot of her friends. I worry about her self image and that she has issues unresolved there, but I suspect I am worrying needlessly. Every woman I have ever had a relationship with has, on parting with me, gone out and had a full makeover, emerging more beautiful than ever before. Now that the prim breasts and extended legs have served their purpose in helping to get rid of me, I doubt if they will ever be seen again. Melissa has no need of such silliness to appear beautiful, in fact this extreme fetishisation of her female form detracts from all the hard work she has put in over the weeks and months to achieve the stunning avatar she has underneath all the attachments and stretching.

We go our separate ways, and she says she wants to remain friends, and that I am a dear friend to her. Words and actions have been sadly opposed these last few weeks, and this post aside, I doubt if I will ever see her again. I think I am most hurt by the fact she is claiming my love to be nothing but limmerence, I looked this up at the start of our relationship, and that is not how it has been. Not for me, anyway, and not apparently in the eyes of our friends. I guess after all that has happened over the past few weeks, and the way she has seen fit to treat me, I should not be surprised that she denies me the ability to have normal, healthy feelings. I wish her well, and bear her no ill will, she has been told she is always welcome on my land, but sadly she has so far turned down the invitations to rejoin our group as a friend instead of a partner, even though she said she would love to. I will miss her, but to my surprise not as much as I once thought. When we met, she was everything to me, she made a man, dead inside for a long time, feel so alive again. She was my muse, my complete inspiration, and all that I did was dedicated to her. I guess it must have been hard not to let the embarrassment show when presented with the gifts I had cobbled together for her. As time has passed though, I have matured into a Second Life that is mine and mine alone, so I will not shrivel up and die just because I am without her. To be perfectly frank, now that I am not struggling with confusion and worry over what I am doing wrong, I am feeling liberated once more, as I did when I first fell headlong in love with her. It is a very tiring experience, to give your all to someone who doesn't want it and lets it fall in the dirt whilst all the time smiling to your face, so I am glad I no longer have to go through all that.

I know I look a complete fool, posting all those love poems, written by other silly amateurs who also have no idea what love is about, but I have been a fool all my life, so I will not worry about that now. At least Melissa will no longer have to cringe when she sees them in my blog, as I doubt very much if she will be looking this way again. I will leave the links up to her blogs, they are very good, and I am as interested as the next person to see how she goes on with her Second Life, and to see the wonderful photos she takes. I know of no better photographer in SL, she can do no wrong in that regard as far as I am concerned. And this post? This is just a bit of natural spleen venting, a part of my process of separation, and should not be taken too seriously at all. Nothing I write here is ever that serious anyway. Besides, if you mention my name to her now we are parted, the likely response will be "Mordecai who"? Now I shall sit back and wait for the comments to flood in telling me what a bastard I am to write this stuff, and how dare I be so wicked about her. Bring it on people, there is nothing left of me to hurt.

More Boxes

Two more examples of the time and effort some retailers put into their packaging. First is the box for the Skyhopper, a fierce little hover bike from Steam Kid Designs. Even down to the wear around the bolts holding the box together!

The second is a classic box from Silver Rose, based in Caledon Victoria City. This contained my "Gordon" outfit, and is indicative of the quality of the clothes within, as its simple lines speak volumes for this designer's talent in producing items of classic elegance.

Again, two objects of great beauty, and destined for my Trash Can, now that their contents are safely tucked away in my Inventory.

Tanglewooders

Two more of the people I share Tanglewood with are Miss Jen Wise and Mr Dick Tatham. This lovely young couple share Miss Wise's plot, suitably enough named Wise Grove, in the heart of the forest.

Whilst there is a dwelling supplied with each plot, the vast majority of residents have chosen to create their own. This is true of Miss Wise, who has, along with her fiance, created a most wonderful Romany caravan. It even has a bespoke wood burning stove, again made by this talented young lady.

These two young lovers are trothed to each other, and will perhaps be the first couple to wed in Tanglewood, maybe even holding the service itself beneath these ancient boughs. I wish them long life and much love, and hope that they are merely the first such pairing to bring joy and happiness to our little community amongst the trees.

Bridge To Nowhere

One of our favourite places in Second Life are the Lost Gardens of Apollo. Many times have Melissa and I reclined together on the benches by the pool there and watched stunning sunsets. But there is a lot more to this sim than the part that I know, and my love took me to see some more of it yesterday.

The area that really stands out from that visit is the Bridge to Nowhere. As you can see, this incredible structure juts out from the side of a mountain, but to what end? The supports it stands upon are needle-thin and far too flimsy to uphold such a weight, and only pon the Grid are such feats of fantastical engineering possible.

SL was being very laggy when we visited, but despite this the place was very popular. All the benchs were taken, so we only managed a few moments to watch the sunset before our time together came to an end.

It seems that everywhere we used to have almost to ourselves four or five months ago, has now become very popular indeed. This is surely a function of the rapid growth in the numbers of people starting out on Second Lives of their own, but it would be nice to think that some at least of these people have read of places such as Apollo in Melissa's blog. Sad to become a victim of her own popularity, but at least it proves once more how highly her writing is regarded.

I urge you all to visit this part of the Lost Gardens, and explore further too. You may well have to bear with some high-end lag at all but the most unearthly of times, but if you can endure it, the views are most definitely worth the wait.

Playing Dress-Up Again

This is my own personal interpretation of the uniform of a young officer in the Caledon Air Defence Volunteers. Made up of the tunic (the short, skirtless version) and gloves from the Great War Uniform available from Swing Arm Industries, and the pith helmet and trousers of the Caledon Volunteer Militia from Pears'd & Cut, it is topped off with riding boots also from Pears'd & Cut, and the Le Mat pistol from my previous post.

The Caledon Air Defence Volunteers do not exist. If they did, I doubt very much I would be doing anything with them above sweeping the floor of the hangars. But as I live in a themed community, it is nice to have a back story to some of my more individual outfits. And who knows, maybe one day, if I ever get my contraptions out of the workshop and into the air, I might well be a pilot in the CADV. Anything can, and often does, happen in this wonderful Second Life we lead!

More Gunz!

On a recent visit to Port Caledon and Victoria City, I added to my armoury. The first two pictures show me with a Pearse Pneumatic Rifle, a true work of steampunk genius! This beast fires a satisfyingly heavy bullet, with an equally satisfying report. Available from Pears'd & Cut, in Victoria City, this weapon should be in every gentleman's gun cabinet.

Next you see me with a Yellowjacket Repeating Rifle, from Fizzworks in Port Caledon. Based on the FL Winchester, this gun has an ejected-shell anim to add that extra flavour, and is also pleasingly brutal in its effect.

Also from Fizzworks is my Le Mat pistol, based on a real weapon produced by the Confederacy during the War Between The States. Combining a nine-shot cylinder with a shotgun shell in the centre, this is a Dragoons side arm par excellence. It shall form a permanent part of the uniform I am creating from various others.

My affection for firearms from days gone by may make me seem like a complete monster, but I would remind my dear readers that this is my SL persona, that of a pseudo-Victorian gentleman of means, to whom knowledge of weapons is as much an essential skill as the art and subtleties of social etiquette. If truth be told I am much better at the former! In my First Life, whilst not a total pacifist, I abhor the damage done to civilians by our modern way of warfare, and have never owned a gun, nor will I whilst I live in the UK.

Second Life is an arena for us to explore and express those parts of our psyche that would otherwise go untended, and to do so in a safe(-ish) environment. No one will ever die from me using these virtual weapons, and I have yet to even draw a bead on some poor innocent waterfowl. I like to have fun, and for this steampunk, at certain times and in certain places, fun most definitely equals GUNZ!!

Stop And Smell The Smuts

Tanglewood is no longer so isolated from the rest of Caledon. True, there are the Telehubs, and one can always fly, but a physical connection to the mainland helps to develop a real sense of belonging to a larger community.

Through the wonders of modern science, we now have a rez-on-demand ferry. This jolly little craft takes only a few minutes to make the crossing to Port Caledon, passing the Island Of The Children Of Moreau, otherwise known as Caledon Lionsgate.

I recommend this journey to you all. It is nice to leave one's semi-divine powers at home every so often, and take the time to journey about the Grid at a more sedate pace. There is always something new to see this way, that would otherwise go unnoticed as we traverse our ever-expanding world in the twinkling of an eye.

Nothing More Need Be Said

You are more than love to me...
You are everything.

- Melissa A. Lowery -

A Mixed Community

Caledon Tanglewood is a very cosmopolitan community, by any standards. I shall introduce you to my neighbours as time goes by, but here is the first round of introductions. At top, Miss Tamara Tombola, wearing her tiny squirrel avatar. A very fetching hat, too. Miss Tombola is cousin to the genius creatrix Miss Virrginia Tombola. There must be something in their bloodline, as Miss Tamara is a very talented builder herself.

Likewise, with a more edgy, urban thing going on, is Miss 713 Ayers, a very talented painter, who owns and runs the Ayers Artists Hideaway. Do visit her gallery, the pictures there are a delight, possessed of a vibrance and joy that reconnects with all those picture books you loved as a child.

Lastly but by no means least, Miss Lapin Paris, pictured aboard the Melissant as we discuss how I may be of assistance to her running of this years Relay For Life camapaign in Caledon. Miss Paris and her fiance, the highly talented Mr Albrecht Heinrich, live in a wonderful flying house that is the essence of Caledonian steampunk. She regards herself, Mr Heinrich and me as the only true steampunks in Tanglewood, and I find myself tending to agree with her. There is a very high proportion of the fae in Tanglewood, as opposed to the three of us grease monkeys.

Now this is no bad thing, the genre of steampunk allows for the existence of the fae alongside the marvels of science, indeed it would not be steampunk without this element of the Otherworld. I believe that Guvnah Shang knows this well, and has built Tanglewood as a homage to this area of the milieu. I personally love this side of steampunk, although I prefer to see it expressed in a darker fashion. Cuddly-wuddly I ain't! However, whether we lean toward the industrial or the magical, we are all steampunks in the fashion of Caledon, and I would not have it any other way. I feel that I have found a community I can call home, and whatever small part I can play to enhance this close-knit fellowship of Tanglewood, or Caledon at large, I will play it to the hilt.

Let Them Come!

Should there be those who would wish to take this fair land of Caledon by force of arms, let them take note! In much the same way as Switzerland, the citizens of Caledon are all armed to the teeth, and will not take invasion easily.

A recent addition to my growing collection of boys toys is this rather fine Gatling gun. Made by Messrs Deckard & Quinn of Port Caledon, it features a HUD to control the burst length, firing from 5 to 50 rounds (a full clip) in one go.

It is a fully damage-dealing weapon, in areas so enabled. The visual effects of firing this weapon are very impressive, and the retort it makes is music to the ears of any warmonger.

So if there are any would approach my fair homeland with bad intent, let them come I say! They will not find me slow to bring the fight to them!

Packaging

The items people create in Second Life are more often that not stunning objects that rank as artworks, but the effort that various companies put into their packaging is amazing too. This example is from Swing Arm Industries, from whom I purchased a very well made RTC Officers uniform.

A lot of the shops in Caledon put this sort of extra effort into their boxes, and I shall try to remember to take more shots to show you all. It is a shame that such wonderful things are so readily deleted, at least by me, in order to not grow too large an Inventory.

Billy No Mates

Not for the first time, I logged on the Grid, only to find I was the only member of my social circle to be on at the time. Now if you have read Melissa's post here, you will already know of this phenomenon.

It has been happening on a daily basis since a few days before the update last Wednesday. It only seems to happen at times of high concurrent residency - last night I noticed there were nearly 39k people on at once, a new high!

There is no real cure for this. Re-logging may help some, but it has never helped me. All I do these days is keep the SL website window open at the Friends Online page, but even that is out of date as soon as someone appears on the in-world list, they often don't appear on the website! It also uses up precious resources too, that could be better spent running the client.

I hope LL get this sorted soon. I think it must be server-side, as it has been occurring throughout the last few releases of First Look. With so many people online at once now, it is very useful to know if your friends are about - assuming you have any to start with, of course!

I count myself very lucky indeed that, whilst in my FL, I am a solitary chap with 2 people I can call friends (I did have more, but recently life has shown me that perhaps they didn't see me as a friend, more as a nuisance or a patsy. Thus a bit of pruning was done), here on the Grid I not only have many good friends, but 3 sisters and the love that has made my world complete. Yet another reason why I quite cheerfully say "First Life bad, Second Life very good indeed!"

A Simple Prayer

When all the songs are over
and all the words been said
The sun grows dim across the sky
and the world prepares for bed

I oft can take a moment now
to view the sky above
and whisper God a simple prayer
to thank him for your love

- C.S. Bucknam -

Sandbox

The Independent State of Caledon has as its neighbour the IBM sims, and many's the time someone has mentioned the sandbox on IBM 6. So today I had a look at it.

The place is huge! Builds of over 500 prims are possible, and whilst I was there someone was constructing a large castle. There were some really awe-inspiring builds too, like the steam engines that one gentleman was building.

The owners have placed a very useful idiot board at locations around the perimeter of the sandbox, which shows different views of the prim transformations that are possible.

This is a very well managed sandbox, perfect for residents like me who love to build but have a restrictive prim limit on their own land. Expect some more outlandish builds from me soon!

Indian Belles

I was treated to the experience of joining a girls shopping expedition today. My beloved was going with Cheyenne, and their friend Xubi, who is also a business partner of Cheys. Exuberance LaFleur, to use her exotic full name, is a superlative architect who built Cheys house on Pele, so she has need of my sisters talents as a terraformer. They are also the biggest pair of texture-sluts I know, so it is a friendship meant to happen!

I cannot remember the name of the shop I was whisked away to, but it specialised in ethnic clothing, from Africa, the sub-continent and the Pacific Rim. We ended up in the India department, where they have some lovely clothes. The prices are very reasonable too, more so when all the accessories such as jewellery, a bindi, etc are all thrown in.

I bought Melissa a bronze sari, pictured, and the colours look wonderful on her. I also bought her a deep red version, which I look forward to seeing her in too. Cheyenne and Xubi bought themselves the same outfit, quite independently of each other, so I dubbed them the Pele Twins. I would have liked to have bought myself a Neru suit, but I didn't manage to spot any. I think I could have gotten away with it in a steampunk milieu by saying it was a souvenir of my travels abroad, in much the same way as my lox are a reminder of the time I spent with a remote hill-tribe north of the Khyber Pass.

Talk then turned to hair, as my beloved received word by Group mail that her favourite designer of hair, Goldie Locks, had just had some new pieces in. I suddenly realised I had something else to do, and made my excuses. Well, shopping with my love is a joy, but there are occasions when a man is in the way, and a girls shopping trip is one of them. I feel honoured that I was allowed to participate as much as I did!

My Fair Lady

If you read my darling Melissa's blog, you will have seen this post relating to Gibson Girls. In that post is a wonderful shot my beloved has post-processed to become a black and white image. Here is a shot of Melissa wearing that same dress, this time aboard the Melissant as she regards her demesnes in Tanglewood.

I am sure it is by now public knowledge that I find Melissa to be the most beautiful woman upon the Grid, but here in this shot, wearing such a lovely dress, she is without doubt the fairest lady in all of Caledon and the myriad lands beyond.

So naturally I used this shot as the basis for the portrait of my love that hangs on the wall of our abode. After all, every great Victorian house had it's imposing and awe-inspiring pictures of the household, did they not?

I have dabbled a little with the Features tab of the Edit dialog when creating this picture. I tweaked the Light settings, so that the portrait is visible even at Midnight, thanks to its own internal glow. My feeble attempt to recreate my love's radiance!

Woodland Retreat

I have started work to landscape the plots we now hold in Tanglewood. I have added a few more "normal" size oaks, including a couple of ivy-wrapped stumps as boundary markers. These all come from the studio of Lillith Heart, who created the giant oaks exclusive to Tanglewood.

The rest of the planting so far comes from Shadow Brook, part of the legendary Creative Fantasy group of sims. Designed by Ms Julia Hathor, the plants are all available for sale from her showsims.

So far I have put in some woodland ferns, a few Hostas, a couple of Golden Brooms, and a Jewelled Butterfly Plant. I am trying to get a naturalistic look, so far as is possible in a forest of gigantic oaks that is part of a steampunk-themed setting!

I am taking a breather on another of Ms Hathor's creations, Forest Interlude. I have described this piece before on this blog, here. I have placed it to give a view across the Caledon Sea, whose tranquility is a great aid to relaxation and daydreaming.

Life Worth Living

To lay a kiss on your lips,
so gentle and delicate
is like picking the drops of dew
off the petals of a rose.

I hold you close and feel safe,
sheltered in from the rain,
from the storms that grow and surround me.

I take your hand and look into your eyes
and see a heart made of gold and soul so pure.
You see you are an angel, an angel to me.
I could not help but fall madly in love with you,
the one who stole my heart.

I’m glad you did because I could never find one such as you...
Someone who makes each day the best,
each laugh the longest, each tear the saddest,
and a life, my life, worthwhile.

- Peter Oliveri -

Moon Over Tanglewood

The title says it all. Can you tell I am very happy to be here?

Pele Rapid Rail

My dear sister Cheyenne has a new toy! She told me she had found a delightful miniature train set, so I just had to go and see it.

It is great fun to ride, and comes complete with signals, crossovers and many other assorted track sections. These are all copiable, so we now have a transit system for the sim we planning to get together. I have reserved us an island, now all we have to do is buy it!

Chey also has a green train, so we should be able to run two at once. The engines can be paused for set lengths of time, so we can have stations as well. It might not be the Caledon National Rail, but I think it will do us just fine. It is also a very typical Cheyenne purchase - very cute, and a lot of fun. Just like my dear sister!

World At My Feet

A few shots of the view from the lower deck of the revamped Melissant. Yes, once again I had to rework our home above Tanglewood. I had inadvertently, and despite a lot of checking, allowed her to overhang a neighbour's land. So I took out some of the centre sections, reducing her length to the point where she now fits over our plots!













I took the opportunity to add more glazing to both sides of the lower deck. As you can see the views are amazing! Once again, Draw Distance has been set to 512m allowing one to see clear to Port Caledon. This also means a lot more detail is rendered as a whole, making the Grid come to life even more.

True Friends

Now that we are installed in Tanglewood, I want to say a most heartfelt thank you to my dear friends Enchant and Leto.

I was telling them of our impending move, this being a few weeks ago, and that I was looking for stop-gap home until we could move into Tanglewood. Without me asking, or even hinting, they turned straight round and offered us a part of their private island! Only real friends will do this sort of thing - I am constantly amazed at the generosity of some people here, I would never have dreamt of troubling my friends by asking for such a favour. Enchant and Leto run the Enchanted Island Garden Centre, and if you visit that establishment you will see some of the finest plants on the Grid.

I will not give details of their home, but I think it is safe enough to show this picture of the cosy cottage where they let us stay. It comes complete with a scripted fireplace, where you touch the logs and they burst into fiery life, and I believe it is available from their garden centre. Well, it is only fair I do a bit of advertising for them, eh?

Three Little Words

I Love You

Just three little words
don't seem like enough
for someone whose smile
still brightens my day,
whose touch can make me forget
the rest of the world.

They don't seem like enough
for someone who's always been there
to celebrate with me
when everything goes my way
and to hold my hand
when my whole world
seems to fall apart.

But even though "I Love You"
can't express the depth
of my feelings for you.
I hope you know what's in my heart.
Because loving you
means more to me
than anything in the world
and it always will.

- Brynne S. -

A Fine View

This shot over Tanglewood was taken with the Draw Distance set to its maximum, an eagle-eyed 512m. The airship that hangs over The Island Of The Children of Moreau is clearly visible to the right, as are other structures on Caledon Lionsgate. You can even see all the way to the Port of Caledon!

A New Ancient Forest

The ancient forest of Caledon Tanglewood is now fully a part of the Grid. Residents were able to move in from Saturday morning, and I lost no time in re-siting the Melissant above our plots.

Caledon Tanglewood is an arboreal sim, with over 50% of the land being retained by the Commonwealth as protected open space. The trees are gigantic English Oaks, created especially for this sim by Lillith Heart of the Heart Garden Centre. Once again Ms Heart displays her talents as the foremost plantswoman in SL.

All of the Founders of Tanglewood (as the first residents of this sim are to be known) received a pair of trees to put on their plots should they wish to do so, and straitway I did just that. In my First Life I have planted and cared for a range of native British trees in both my professional and personal lives, so I am very pleased to be a part of this wonderful new sim. I specifically chose to live in an airship in order to leave the land untouched, and will be adding more trees to my plots very soon.

For those Founders who don't go around hugging trees quite as often as I do, houses that are in keeping with the island were supplied free of charge, and there is even the option of having a tree house!

I set my Draw Distance to 256m for these pictures, in order to capture the sim as a whole. When you can stand on one side of the island and see trees stretching right to the other side, you really get a feel of the wooded character of Tanglewood. That was the dream of Guvnah Shang, and I think he has succeeded in realising that dream very well indeed.

The last picture shows the Melissant hanging over the whole sim. This gives a good impression of the size of her! Yet you can see from the preceding shot that the giant airship is pretty well screened from view by the canopy of trees. How many people bother to look upwards very often anyway, in either of their lives?

A shameless plug now. In order to avoid boring my loyal readers with endless pictures of airships, I have opened a new blog. Scaggs Aeronautica will form a pictorial record of all my aerial vehicles, and of those that I have seen and bear a second look. I will also be using this new specialised blog to showcase the airships and other fliers that I am going to be making myself, using Scaggs Aeronautica as the name of my business as well.

A New Home In The Sky

The new Tanglewood sim is now in the capable hands of the Caledon Development Team. Hopefully we will be moving in by the end of the week.

Having taken apart our previous home in the sky, we will obviously need a new abode. The Chain was a good idea at the time, but is now not very original, and there is already a Great Chain within the bounds of Caledon, so something else is called for.

That something is a Prometheus-class airship. At 124m by 20m, and weighing in at an almighty 627 prims, there aren't many sky boxes that come close to the space afforded within this aerial titan. The creation of Gaius Goodliffe, these vessels are available from Second Skies, based on Dog Fight Atoll. They have a display model permanently set up, and one look round was all it took to decide that she was the beast for us.

Our Prometheus will be called Melissa, quite obviously, as both these ladies are possessed of a rare beauty, and both are totally beguiling. Off the shelf, the Prom' comes with a good amount of glazing down both her flanks, but I wanted something that bit special to present to my love, so I took out the side that faced over Tanglewood and glazed it over. That is another wonderful thing about this vessel, she is fully mod-able.

I had a quick look round the new sim before lockdown, and having found our 3 coastal plots, I rezzed the Melissa to make sure she didn't overhang a neighbours plot. It was a squeeze, but she fits perfectly. And doesn't she ever look elegant, hanging there above the canopy!

I then had a quick play with her, stripping out the staterooms, walls, floors and all, on the landward side. We still have 6 huge rooms left, but now a gigantic space filled with light overlooks the ancient Caledon forest. I wanted a home with a certain something for my love, and I do believe I have it now.

I should have thought of this, but not long after I had done all this tweaking, we were all locked out of the sim, and all prims not belonging to the Caledon State were returned to their owners! This is so the terraforming can proceed smoothly. It isn't as much of a problem as it might appear, as the Prometheus is supplied with Copy permissions, and now that I have modified her once, transforming the Melissa into our flying palace should be all the easier second time around!

Heart-Shaped Box

I took myself off to a class yesterday evening, as I had not been to one for a while. I do enjoy the classes on offer by the various educational bodies in SL, as not matter what the subject on offer, I always manage to learn something, a handy technique or an idea for yet another project, often not obviously associated with the class I am there to take. Transferable skills, for sure!

This was a class on making a Heart-shaped Locket, complete with a hinge script. I have struggled with these in the past, always seeming to link objects in the wrong order. The class was delivered by Siri Vezina, who I have been tutored by in the past, and I was therefore confident I would be able to get this sorted once and for all.

Held in the Nobel Classroom above Nanea Isle, this was a TUi class, and was reasonably well attended, an equal mix of genders.

The techniques Ms Vezina used to make the locket were simple but effective, and we all soon had a lovely gift for our loved ones. I think I have even managed to get over my difficulties with hinges, too! I will not be making the exact locket shown here - where would the surprise be in that, now? - but once again I came away enthused and with more ideas bubbling away in the back of my head.

I say this every time, but please do get along to a TUi class. They are always well-delivered, by very able tutors. You will have fun, and learn something new! What reason do you therefore have not to go along?

The Gods Themselves

I don't have a suitable picture to hand, but this is a public Thank You Very Much Indeed!!!! to Varas Linden, who mans the UK side of LL's toll-free support line.

Melissa and I have been partnered for 3 and a half months now, and very happily too. Imagine then my shock and horror when, on idly checking my profile on Tuesday, there was nothing in the box that says "Partner"!! I knew I had not dissolved our union - why on earth would I? - and Melissa confirmed that she hadn't either.

Further investigation followed, including my beloved forwarding me an email she had received from the System, claiming that I had dissolved our partnership. Nothing could be further from the truth! I would rather die than do such a thing, and indeed would die if such a thing were to happen by deliberate act. I soon tracked down the offending transaction, noted as a "Linden Adjustment" at the behest of the System, and timed at 1050 SLT, or 1820 GMT. I was not even in my studio at that time, being engaged in shopping for food at Asda-Walmart, let alone online.

I contacted Live Help, and spoke to Teeple Linden, who very quickly reassured me, and took down all the relevant information to pass along to "the Office". I was asked to change my password, and to refrain from trying to re-partner via the SL website for a couple of days whilst they looked into it.

Today I phoned the Support helpline, and spoke to Varas. He did try and reset our partnership manually, but the LL master computer obviously had designs on Melissa itself, and kept throwing back errors. I can quite understand why the System would try to snaffle my love away from me, not only is she the most beautiful avatar ever created, but she is also a highly intelligent lady, very knowledgeable about computers.

In the end, Varas asked me to try and redo the union via the LL website. This I duly did, and I am very happy to announce that Melissa gave me her hand in partnership for the second time. I only hope the System doesn't try anything like that again, my nerves might not stand it!

I cannot thank Teeple Linden or the other members of Live Help enough. I use them quite a bit, for all sorts of queries, and they are unstinting in their patience and friendly demeanour. I can also only heap praises upon the staff of the Support helpline, and upon Varas Linden in particular. Not only have the Lindens, through their creation and maintenance of the Grid, brought two souls together in love and happiness, they have also righted a wrong done by the System and ensured those two souls stay as one. Too many people snipe at the Gods, usually after an Update Day, so I here try to redress the balance.

Thank you Varas, thank you Teeple. And thank you, darling, for taking this humble avatar as your partner once again, and ensuring my happiness for ever after. I pray I may do the same for you, as we walk together through this adventure that is Second Life.

If There's...

If there's one face I want to see,
so beautiful, so true,
one smile that makes a difference,
to everything I do.

If there's one touch I long to feel,
one voice I long to hear,
whenever I am happy,
or just needing someone near.

If there's one joy, one love,
from which I never want to part,
it's you, my very special love,
my world, my life, my heart.

- John Ragland -

Apologies

I must apologise to all my readers, for the lack of content that has been appearing in this blog recently. I am still on the Grid daily, for hours at a time, but nothing I have done has been particularly noteworthy lately.

My love and I have been exploring, but I have often not taken any pictures as my First Look client has a habit of locking up whilst taking Snapshots! We have also been busy with our column in the Messenger, and I feel it would be rude of me to post about such expeditions here, before they have appeared in the newspaper. Similarly when I have been out and about for my solo articles, again I hope my readers will forgive me if I let them read all about it in the Messenger every Thursday :)

I have also been building. My current project is a steampunk autogyro, and I am quite pleased with how it has turned out. I have no pictures of it yet, as it still needs to be scripted, but hopefully that will be achieved soon. I have been very fortunate to meet some very talented people whilst searching for textures etc, and hope to learn at least something from them. If, or rather when, this project is completed, it will be available for sale, and if I sell even half a dozen copies I will consider it a success. There are a few other things in the pipeline, too, but we shall see how far I get with them. The trouble with building is, there are always more talented people out there, and always someone else who has thought of your idea first. It is a little demoralising, and sometimes I wonder why I bother at all, but ultimately I build for my own pleasure and not for profit. Indeed, I have to build, else I will explode from all that trapped creativity! Or is it just wind?

Caledon Tanglewood has appeared on the map, and we hope to be moving in to our palace above the trees in a few days time, once Guvnah Shang's artisans have finished sculpting the sim. Be assured I shall have plenty to blog about then!

So dear readers, please bear with me as I struggle to balance the competing demands on my time and skills. Whilst I am very happy to have landed the position at the Messenger, it is a sad fact that a lot of the more interesting stuff I do is for the paper, and thus must appear there first. And when I am out with Melissa, she takes such wonderful photos that it seems pointless to post any of my own. I do not want to detract from her work at all, no way no how.

First Life has also been a trifle difficult recently, and continues to be so. Ain't that ever the way! As a consequence my energy has been sapped, and my confidence with it. Things will pick up though. So please, just watch this space!

Return To Seacliff

My beloved suggested we go and see Seacliff again, as it had been some while since we were last there. I naturally agreed, although Melissa could have suggested we visit the city dump and I would have happily complied, I will go anywhere as long as it is by her side.

One of the first things I spotted was this rock arch. Now I am sure that this is common geological feature around the globe, but it looks very like Durdle Door (spp?) at Lulworth Cove, in Dorset, England. So I had to take a picture!

We then found a gallery. This appears to be someone's own collection they have put up for public display, as the pictures are not for sale. Indeed, the pictures reveal nothing about themselves at all when the mouse is floated over them, which is a shame as it would be nice to know who at least painted them.

Pondering this, we came to a topograph, and found that the gallery is listed as "Kelwyns Gallery". The positions of Seacliff Tower, and another part of the sim named after its owners, are also marked on this 3D map. It was reminiscent of the one at my favourite local beauty spot, Haresfield Beacon in Gloucestershire. I wonder if the owners of Seacliff are English, and from the South-West?

We finished our time in Seacliff sitting in a fantastic tree house. The chairs are just like one I used to have in my studio of 20 years ago! Just over my left shoulder you can see the "Litany Of Fear". Melissa knew of it, but it was new to me. A useful piece of self-affirming prose.

We parted here, after a long and lovely kiss. This revisit has confirmed to me that Seacliff is somewhere everyone should visit, so make sure you do when you have the chance.

Pleasure At The Fairground

I can assure you, dear reader, that this will be the first and last time I stoop so low as to use one of Mick Hucknell's lyrics as a title for a post!

The dancing to celebrate the opening of the exhibition at the Gathering Spot had ended by the time AuroraSkye had finished showing me around, so still in need of something fun to do to celebrate herself, she took me to the Blackcat Amusement Park, in the Tajmahal sim. One could say that the whole of SL is one big amusement park in and of itself, but I find that to be a facetious view of the Grid.

I am such a fuddy duddy, and spend far too much time working on my silly projects, so it was very good for me to go to a place like this. If it serves to liven me up a bit, then everyone will benefit, particularly those closest to me who have to suffer my staid ways.

The amusement park is great fun! My favourite is the Human Cannonball, where you sit on the cannonball itself, are lowered into the barrel of the cannon, and then fired some 500m into the air! Mouselook is a must for this one!

As indeed it is for all the amusements I went on. The Claw, where you sit in a frame, which then rotates about its axis, and the arm you are attached to rotates about its axis too, and the Giant Bubble Ride, where you become set inside a giant soap bubble that drifts off across the park until it bursts, both of these are worth experiencing in Mouselook. I must here say a big thank you to AuroraSkye for teaching me how to take snapshots whilst in Mouselook, by pressing Ctrl>Shift>S. We learn from each other all the time, with any luck.

I had a thoroughly fun time, and so I urge you all to pay a visit to the Blackcat Amusement Park, a venue for experiencing the scripters art at its most playful.

Opening Night

I seem to have taken on the role of patron to AuroraSkye Ashton, the young artist friend of Melissa's. She is a very talented artist indeed, and I am happy to be able to support such a talent. If I am honest, it also strokes my ego nicely, to play the role of wealthy benefactor!

AuroraSkye has just opened her first exhibition on the Grid, at the Gathering Spot, a gallery in the Choa Na sim. This is a fabulous building, light and airy, with a superb waterfall wall that makes up one entire side of the structure.

The Gathering Spot is the creation of a consortium of four artists, one of whom is blacknightwolf Ares, pictured below. He explained how he and his colleagues decided to open a place where they could show their work, and the work of other young artists, so with some help from their friends the Gathering Spot was born. Another example of how residents work together to help each other out.

AuroraSkye has two sets of her work on display here, her fractals on the ground floor, and some other oscilloscope-like images on the second. I already own two of her works, but restrained myself this time, in order to give someone else a chance to get a piece of her wonderful creativity! I did purchase another print though, of a butterfly on a bramble. I should say also, that AuroraSkye has enabled light on each image, adding another dimension to their beauty.

Please do visit the exhibition. If you aren't able to buy one of AuroraSkye's pictures, either through inclination or financial embarrassment, please put something in her tip jar. She is trying to make a go of it in SL through her own efforts upon the Grid, without importing money from her First Life, and such grit and determination should be applauded and supported. I think she will ultimately do very well indeed, even if I do end up with a warehouse of her work all to myself!

A Brief Word

Voice is coming to Second Life. For sure, one has always been able to chat with one's voice using third party software, such as Skype, but this will be voice communication within SL itself. Melissa has posted about this forthcoming change here, and likewise Cheyenne has commented here.

I therefore feel compelled to jump on this particular bandwagon and lay out my own position on this advance. I can see the points that both of my special ladies make. Melissa is quite right that some people have physical impairments that will make speech difficult, and for those people there will always be Chat as we know it. But I am with Cheyenne on this one. I feel slightly discriminated against because of my dyspraxia, which makes typing difficult for me. I am in the top 2% of adults when it comes to my (English) language comprehension skills, but you would never know it from the way I mispell in conversation, particularly when I am in an animated mood.

I enjoy conversation, the more involved the better, and thus feel hindered by my own fingers as I struggle to keep up with more competent typists, who don't always allow me the time I need to respond to a point made. So for me, voice will be a godsend.

I also feel that it will bring more honesty to SL. At present, some avatars are controlled by people of a gender not that of their avatar. Until the technology comes along to enable one to disguise one's voice, those people will either have to remain mute, or come clean about why they are playing their character the way they are. I personally have no qualms about flirting with a woman who is actually played by a man, indeed I am interested in all the reasons people do this. They are just better at roleplaying than I am, and who am I to complain about that? I always take people on the Grid to be who they are on the Grid, and not to worry too much about their First Lives.

I welcome voice also for what it will add in the way of immersion into this world. Readers may have noticed I am able to achieve a fairly deep level of immersion already!

So I have added my name to the list of those who are willing to take part in the initial trials of this wonderful new way of experiencing the Grid. They only need about a thousand people, so I doubt if I will be chosen as I suspect there were many more ahead of me on the list, but if I am selected, be sure I will post about it here! Maybe even as an audio post!

Soul Like The Vastest Sea

Your soul is like the vastest sea
And mine a darting fish:
I lose myself within your love;
I live within your heart.

I breathe your love: it is my air,
My element, my world.
I know no other ambience;
I have no other dream.

I know there is outside your love
A world of rocks and sand;
And I could live there, too, but oh!
How poor and thin each breath!

How rich my world, how beautiful,
Alive within your love,
Each moment filled with dancing light
Refracted through your eyes!

- Awodiya Oluwadamilare -

Family Time

The other night, I spent a lovely time just sitting and chatting with my dear sister Cheyenne. She TP'd me to East Beach, part of her Pele complex, and we sat and watched the sea crash against the beach from the comfort of a little Tiki hut.

It could be one of the last times we do this on Pele, as Chey is putting her land up for sale. She is doing this to raise money toward her half of the cost of the sim we are going to buy together. She is selling her complex off in lots, and I was at pains to encourage her to up the prices she was charging. Indeed, the Pele parcel alone is being sold complete with a fully functioning volcano, the Xubi House and much more besides. Someone can buy a fantastic, unique home that is ready to move into, and hence she must price it accordingly. Sometimes my sister is just too modest about her amazing talents.

We spoke of many things, and time passed far too quickly. We parted in my wee small hours after a wonderful evening spent, for me, in wonderful company. The Grid has been very good to me, in the people it has placed in my life, and I thank the gods of the metaverse that Cheyenne has been one of those people.

Tanglewood

The Independent State of Caledon is expanding. The premier themed sim on the Grid, one man's incredible steampunk vision, has just added a new region, to be called Caledon Tanglewood. Over 50% of it will be covered in community woodland, made up of giant oaks and other outsize trees, and we are going to be part of it!

Yes, today I received word from Desmond Shang, the Guvnah himself, that land was available for reserving. I straitway TP'd to his mansion, and bagged us three 1024 plots on the voidward side of the new sim.

Later I took my beloved to look at our new holdings, or rather a representation of them on the Guvnahs wonderful 3D map. From the other maps Guvnah Shang has laid out for illuminating the public about his vision, it can be seen that Caledon Tanglewood will appear to the north of Caldeon Lion's Gate, one of the four duchies that are a part of this wonderful country. On the outline wall map, that puts Tanglewood above the top-leftmost square. Using the other wall map, which is made up of shots of the actual Second Life map, Caledon Tanglewood is the bright green square in the top left.

The new sim has been ordered from Linden Labs, which means it should appear in about a fortnights time. Then the Guvnah and his development team will terraform it, and once that has been completed to his satisfaction, we shall be able to move in. Hopefully by the end of the month.

To celebrate I took Melissa shopping, as she had seen some new fans for sale in Prim & Proper. Whilst there, I just had to buy her a new dress to go with it! In fact I bought her three, one of which is pictured here.