Autumnal Splendor

I was strolling through this incredibly dense forest earlier today, lush with fall colors. We're getting our first touch of autumn weather where I live in real life, and it felt just perfect to wander through this place too, with the occasional deer, and a hidden wine cellar nestled among the trees. Overhead on a hillside, a rustic home, surrounded by a bunch of mesh figures and animals, provides a zipline that leads down to the forest. And the entire scene wraps around a lake, the colors reflected in the water.

And what is this place? Where's the landmark, you ask? Well, I was all set to write about it, and happened to connect with the creator and landowner (who is delightful), and she said that although the land is open to the public she would rather not divulge its location. It's her private home. Still, since I was all set to go, and since it's lovely (click on the images to zoom in), we thought I should share it anyway, in the hopes that it might inspire you to create such as place too. :) (If you're really dying to know where it is, send me an IM inworld.)

Memorial Garden for Squinternet Larnia

Earlier today, Cajsa Lilliehook invited me over to see the memorial garden for Squinternet Larnia, located below the main Donna Flora store. I never knew Squinternet, although I often visited Donna Flora and have enjoyed her creations for many years. The memorial space was designed by Saiyge Lotus of Balderdash, and is perfectly beautiful: a poignant, quiet area for contemplation and remembrance. At the north end of the garden, take a copy of the memorial tree, and also venture up past the space with the candles—there's a path that leads you around the south edge. You'll want to have object detail turned up here, or a few things might not rez correctly. It's not quite clear how long the gardens will remain, but Cajsa tells me that the hope is they will be here at least through the end of September.

Winter at Studio Skye

I rarely write about works in progress, but it can be interesting to watch something evolve. Already, Alex Bader's winterly world in development above Skye Elgol is enticing, with its snow dusted birches and other winter trees clustered about a virgin ground. A fence, partially obscured by snow drifts, runs along an edge, and further afield a diminutive waterfall pours into an icy pond. It was so hot where I am in real life today that this was the perfect antidote.

Hidden Geometries

Currently on display at the Tanalois Group - torno Kohime Foundation is a new exhibition of images by Melusina Parkin entitled Hidden Geometries: Details from Virtual Photos. Each image is a detail so removed from its original context that are often unable to identify its origin, although we do have a sense that we're seeing pieces of structures. What now remains aren't the structures that served as the raw material but rather stark geometries of color, light and shadow, and the result is strikingly beautiful. In this exhibition the photographer provides the most comprehensive statement of her aesthetic that I have seen, and even sets aside an area of the gallery to show examples of similar real life artwork by Picabia, Albers, Rothko, Richter and others, pointing to her influences. The entire exhibition is presented in a very appropriate space of the artist's design. Images are available for L$400 each.

The Bayou

When you're in the bayou in real life, and you travel a little ways, everything looks just the same as it did where you started. And that's a bit how The Bayou is, almost the same in every direction—sort of timeless, and stunningly beautiful. The sim is home to Aileen's Shabby Chic & Country Store, located high overhead, and proprietor Aileen Zessinthal tells me that the bayou, still in development, was the brainchild of her and BuTToNs (a.k.a. Pecandeluxe), with terrain, fauna and sounds created by Serenah Raynier.

It's a dreamy place, with tranquil waters slowly gliding past the few patches of dry land, and beams of sun shining through the thick canopy. Here and there, fog lazily rolls along the ground, and it's raining in a few spots. Even though this is bayou country, there are some high waterfalls in the region, and not to bad effect, with a few poseballs at the foot of the falls. Looks around, too, for the hidden cave area. The region's windlight settings work beautifully—try Bristol for sky and [NB] Hidden Depths for water if your browser isn't configured to accept settings automatically. If you look around, you'll spot a wishing well that accepts contributions to help support The Bayou. (Click on images to zoom in. I'll also be posting a few on my flickr stream.)

Toru

The island of Toru might at first glance bear a strong resemblance to the sim Hazardous: its tall island is split into two by a deep chasm that cuts down to the sea, the land looks far over the water below, and owner/designer Wayne (a.k.a. WayneNZ Resident) has made frequent use of materials from the shop we're closed (and he credits Hazardous as a point of inspiration). The land has a violent history, traumatized "by a major earthquake and underwater volcanic eruption hundreds of years ago, a cataclysmic event so devastating it split the land apart and left it barren for hundreds of years." Since that time, as one can read at the landing point, life has slowly returned. On the uppermost level of the island, a windmill spins lazily against the sky, the land is dotted with old wooden buildings, and a sturdy footbridge connects the two elevated plains.

There's also a little shop on the top of the sim—Kiwi Made features a few mesh tank tops for men—and a modest bar is situated next door. Far below all this, where the land drops down to meet the sea, rests a photographer's studio, a delightful space worthy of having its own photos taken. Glowing over the western edge of the sim, and reaching down to this studio, are the Northern Lights, and so Toru is best viewed with a windlight setting that allows these lights to shimmer. (The darker ones in this post are Annan Adored Darkness, a setting I often find myself using.) If you enjoy the region, please consider leaving a contribution.

Deadpool

Officially opening tomorrow, Saturday, September 7, at 6 am slt is the great carnival sim Deadpool, created by Megan Prumier and Kunt Battitude (a.k.a. Xjetx Chrome), who tells me the opening will last 24 hours, although I'm not certain what sorts of events might be planned. The sim has been open and accessible for at least a couple weeks, and photographers and bloggers have already been exploring and posting—and for good reason. "The bygone disco days are being reborn, or rather, rising from the dead!" write the creators. "Zombies roam the overgrown and wistful spaces of the forgotten amusement park's edges, while in the center the old roller-disco flashes with lights."

Towering over the entire park is a Ferris wheel, now precariously worn, with invasive weeds growing on its structure—but its multicolored lights still dimly flash. It fares better than the roller coaster to the northeast, which has now largely fallen to pieces. (Take a walk along the tracks.) Zombies roam here and there—I wasn't paying attention for a moment in the Labyrinth (a not very difficult maze), and one suddenly accosted me and really gave me a fright, making me laugh. The park is peppered with small arcade games—ZomBoom, for example, at which you can shoot zombie heads—and rides, a few of which surprisingly operate. Don't miss the ruined building to the southeast. And everywhere you go, try interacting with and sitting on things, as there are clever things here and there, and be sure to have your localized sounds turned up. Do consider leaving a contribution if you enjoy Deadpool—a few of the zombies would be happy to accept your spare change.

The Town of Calico

The Town of Calico, Mississippi, has seen better days. Founded in the 1950s as a fishing community, it became a township in the 1960s. But a decade later marine life began to die off, investigators arrived, and things just went downhill from there. Sim owner Dax (a.k.a idakotapawz), who along with his partner, Psyclon, is building the sim, says, "We originally designed this place for roleplaying, photography and machinima, but it has since evolved into what's going to become a fully-interactive survival/horror game." Although the sim is under construction, it's a lengthy process, so they've opened the build and welcome visitors. Keep an eye on their tumblr for updates.

"Our goal is to create such a detailed locale that the player feels immersed to the level of realism," says Dax. "We're currently building models in Blender that will eventually replace everything you see with mesh. Vehicles, buildings, street decor, right down to the very trash that you see littering the ground will all be made by our staff...When you walk into one of the homes, everything will appear as if the inhabitants left suddenly. Scattered clothing, toothbrushes, aftershave, electric shavers, everything will be modeled."

I should warn you that if you're using a viewer that switches to the region windlight, you might need to make one adjustment: it's nearly pitch black when you arrive. Dax remarks, "It's the default setting for this region. When we actually implement the gaming HUD that we're programming, the game itself will focus around using a flashlight." And the flashlights (which are intentionally very dim) are already for sale (check the general store near the landing point), adding a completely different layer to the experience.

The Fade

If I chanced upon a place like The Fade in real life, I'd probably hurry out as quickly as possible, and wouldn't use the word "beauty" to describe it, but curiously in a virtual environment such scenes evoke, for me at least, a sort of wistful nostalgia. Sim designer Monday (a.k.a. Storm Septimus) remarked to me, "I think it's because you can set the sky to light it all so it shows a hidden beauty, sort of the faded glory side...That's what I try and aim for, a big crappy mess on the outside, but it still has its former beauty shining through."

In this respect she succeeds admirably, as the most popular interior space, Reira Fang's club re:noize, "a distorted eargasm for noize-minded souls," invites us with its high-tech look and bright, warm colors. But elsewhere all is chaos: a city with cars, trucks and trains derailed, bridges collapsing, buildings in ruins, a condemned hotel, smoldering fires and hazardous weather. (I was swept clear across the sim by a tornado while taking a photo.) You'll also discover a bar, The Last Stop. Now, Monday and friends are at work building a sister sim to the north, already linked by land and roads to The Fade, visible not but not yet accessible. "We spend more time just stood looking at it than doing it," she quipped, but one can see plenty of structures anchored into place. If you enjoy the sim, please consider leaving a contribution. (Click on any image to zoom in.)

Calas Galadhon Reopens

Tymus Tenk and Truck Meredith have reopened Calas Galadhon, their magnificently picturesque group of eleven sims that had been closed for renovations during the month of August. They had announced that four sims would permanently close during the hiatus, but the losses were fewer: the sims Sea of Nurnen (which included a lovely underwater area) and Bay of Balafas (parts of which have been transplanted to Grey Havens) were the only to leave, as Tymus and Truck have had to address some real life costs. (The expense to maintain eleven sims as a public park, as one might imagine, is extraordinary—please contribute if you can.)

And autumn has arrived: seen here in the top photo is Dimrill Dale, in middle photo Grey Havens, and at the bottom Misty Mountains. I'll begin to blog about the regions I haven't previously covered, but in the meantime here are direct teleport links to all of the sims—each has a distinct ambiance:
Armenelos http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/ARMENELOS/145/84/22
Belegaer http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/BELEGAER/71/126/22
Calas Galadhon http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Calas%20Galadhon/130/65/33
Dimrill Dale http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dimrill%20Dale/113/121/21
Eryn Vorn http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Eryn%20Vorn/95/72/39
Glanduin http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Glanduin/77/120/28
Grey Havens http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Grey%20Havens/84/113/21
Gulf of Lune http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Gulf%20of%20Lune/106/118/25
Mirromere http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Mirromere/91/113/32
Misty Mountains http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/MISTY%20MOUNTAINS/118/127/42
South Farthing http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/South%20Farthing/211/189/27