Farewell to Venexia and Goatswood

From Ziki Questi’s blog, I see that two photogenic role-playing sims are about to fade from the grid: Venexia and Goatswood. I never made it to Venexia, despite some good intentions, or if I did I neglected to memorialize my visit in this Journal, but I did report on my visit to Goatswood here.

A Walk Among the Ruins

I found myself wandering through the watery ruins of a crumbling town, buildings now no more than bricks and even those not complete.



Rickety walkways connect some of the structures, evidence of a recent presence.



The views are desolate, but beautiful.



Still, the only things that prosper here are the wildflowers, adding a pop of color into the gray landscape. Life, as a famous philosopher once said, will find a way.



Ruins, by Cica Ghost, runs through March.

(Via Ziki Questi.)

In Which I Visit Goatwood Village

The other day I took the train to a charming village called Goatwood. Oddly, as I disembarked from the train, I saw nary a person or even a stray cat. Not letting that bother me, I took a stroll around the village, starting at the train station...



… and through the central street.



I passed many a quaint building, including a pub and an inn.



The purpose of other buildings was more obscure.



I even encountered a gypsy caravan.



The strangest thing about this quaint village was that it was entirely deserted - not a soul in it! Perhaps some form of witchcraft spirited away everyone. If so, one can only hope that the residents are returned shortly.

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Goatwood is described as a “residential RP” sim, which I take to mean that people not only RP there but have residences as well. Visitors are welcome, but only with an “Explorer” tag, which is free at the TP point (the train station) and provides three days of access to the village. The station also has a wealth of information about the types of characters and ongoing story lines.
From the introductory notecard:

Everyone who wishes to role play in Goatswood should first explore the place.
You should try to find out as much about the Village and the people who live here as you think you need, before  settling down to serious play.
In an attempt to make this exploration more of a fun and productive experience, I have placed the note cards which explain the history and back story of the Village around the sim in the appropriate places.
In outside areas reference material can be found in Red Mushrooms.
If you see a red mushroom, pick it (left click ) and you will be given a note containing an RP intro to the  location.
Inside locations reference material can be found in small green books.
For instance: there is a book on the counter of each Inn.
Some notes will indicate where you might find more information.

The extensive notecard, elaborate backstories, and gaming HUD all point to a serious, involved style of RP.

Carnival of Doom

Via Ziki Questi’s blog, I encountered Deadpool 2.0, where an abandoned carnival nestles against an insane asylum.



The roller coaster and Ferris wheel dominate the skyline, and the entire carnival focuses on the macabre and gruesome. Ghosts haunt the buildings.



Up a hill, past the skeleton on the ground, up the stone stairs flanked by trees in the shape of grasping hands, stands an asylum, as abandoned as the carnival.



Inside, lights flicker, illuminating the haphazard body or the occasional lunatic. The gentleman below has “Kiss the cook” written in blood on his toque and continues to grasp his bloody butcher’s knife.



The medical center is no cheerier, with the blood-soaked sheet over a corpse and the message “No escape” scrawled next to the gurney.


No doubt there was much more to explore, but the wiser part of me decided this was a good time to leave, while I was still among the living.

Paris Catacombs

Courtesy of Miss Mari Moonbeam, I took a ride through the Paris catacombs. One starts by descending into the Metro:



Archaeology is continuing even now:



Turn right, toward the water, and find a small barge to begin your tour:



Narration, as well as music, accompanies you on the journey.





Sometimes the dead refuse to stay that way:



The trip enters the great Paris sewers, smell and all:



Finally making its way to the Theater, the home of the Phantom of the Opera:



A most educational journey. Should you find yourself in Paris, I heartily recommend it.

Some days are filled with nothing but rain. Occasionally that’s a metaphor, but sometimes it’s quite literal. For example, once again following Honour McMillan’s intrepid footsteps, I  visited H22O, a region with its own kind of beauty - and plenty of rain.

 Oh, sure, the arrival point isn’t wet, just overcast:



And it’s nice and dry inside the lighthouse:



 Outside, however, is a different matter. Water and rain, rain and water:



I’m reminded of the song:

Last night the dealer offered me a new hand
Laid out so simply, thought I'd understand
With a different name, different face, different town, different place
In the same little world. 

When there's nothing left to salvage
When losing it all doesn't mean a thing
I pray for the never ending rain
To wash it all away. 

I set out on foot straight down the grade
Laying crumbs and seeds to mark the paths I'd laid
I found the northern lights, western shore, eastern front, southern cross
And soon I was home. 

(chorus) 

Every day I read the paper and I pray for the flood
But the rain always stops at the first sign of mud
I want to feel it all, feel it burn, watch it twist and feel it turn
And leave nothing behind. 

(chorus) 

(Steve Wynn - "Never Ending Rain")

The statue below reminds me of one of Doctor Who’s Weeping Angels, about to claim another victim:

Winter the Way I Like It

… in Slightly Twisted. The creator describes it as "A whimsical but  serene and peaceful  landscape filled with art, animals, and fun elements.” And indeed it is.

And much better than snow that requires me to shovel it.

Wonderland Again

Speaking of Alice in Wonderland, I realized I had several photographs from an Alice-themed sim, dated from last May. The name of the sim is lost to time - in other words, I forgot to write it down - but it clearly has some Steampunk elements.

Traveling to Oblivion

Thanks to the explorations of the indefatigable Honour McMillan, and a little sisterly nudge, I visited the Steampunk area of Oblivion.



Oblivion is pleasantly sepia-toned, reminiscent of New Babbage in that regard (though perhaps, unlike Babbage, not because of the incessant use of coal). Although one starts near ground level, where signs welcome visitors, much of the city is aloft. Alas for English speakers, the signs are auf Deutsch, but one gets the general drift of things.



Transportation takes the form of teleportation via the above-pictured person-sized cages, a smart-looking design, though cozy for more than one at a time.





As one is many meters above ground level, one must be careful not to stray too far off the path. And if one sees a “road closed” sign - in English, no less - one would do well not to depend on the macadam extending much beyond that point.



The sim is rated “adult,” and indeed one of the buildings in the floating city does house some… interesting contraptions, along with a few traps for the unwary. Keep your eyes open and step lively and all should be fine.

It’s exciting to see new Steampunk areas arising. It gives hope that the 19th century is not yet over.

Looking Through the Paper Observatory

Having seen the pictures from both Honour McMillan and Inara Pey, I had to visit the Paper Observatory myself. A temporary build on one of the Linden Endowment for the Arts sims, this build by Haveit Neox will eventually replace a build on his own sim, called the Paper Tower. Neox, in a notecard on the sim, writes:

The inspiration and initial model for this project is the 4 year old Paper Tower on the sim ACC Alpha, this tower being a giant structure in the center of my sim which harbors the visitor center and galleries. 

The new Paper Observatory on the LEA21 sim hovers above an ample arena. The city leading up to this build is concentric; rooftops conforming into one large sweep of concavity, suggests a satellite dish. The human activities displayed in the streets and the main square reflect on superstitious times before science’s tenet of universal proof, before disease was known to be microbial or before the earth was discovered to be round. In the sky, the Observatory catches the sunlight. This is Second Life, and we can flap our way up to the building’s landing. Requiring flight into the Observatory is an intended motion which I equate with the turning of a page in a book. The walls are of paper since this structure, as its predecessor, is my version of a book. During the month of January, I will continue to refine the textures and the shapes. The deconstruction motif at the base of the structure reflects directly onto the Paper Tower’s story, whose exposed girder skeleton belies questions of permanence.

As the Paper Tower is dedicated to arts, the Observatory will be connected to science and therefore be a venue where one could gather information and get in touch with thought provoking theories.

The Observatory from afar

People glide through the city...

…engaged in a variety of activities

Inside the Observatory

Miss Pey notes:

As the Paper Observatory will be under development and enhancement throughout the month, this is an installation one may well want to re-visit at least a few times to more fully get its entire measure. The completed build will be installed on ACC Alpha on Thursday April 10th, 2014, the fourth anniversary of the founding of the original Paper Tower.

A fascinating place.