Return to The Deathlands

 
By Bixyl Shuftan

It's been a while since we at the Newser first wrote about The Deathlands, and some time since we last did an update. Described as "an isolated post-apocalyptic island community where a handful of hardy survivors desperately cling to what passes for life after the nuclear winter," life certainly seems grim when you first drop in, with what looks like a ghost town in the desert full of wrecked buildings.

Dropping by while I was still in my Platinum Avatar Challenge as a tiny dinkie, I didn't look very threatening compared to the rats I saw crawling about. Maybe because I still smelled like a fox, they avoided me.

There was an opportunity to make a few Lindens, presumably for newcomers. There were little trees in spots in the sim that when touched gave a little cash.

Going  a little further, I found out one reason the rats were nervous.

I soon found a shooting area. There were a couple HUDs needed to play, and a free weapon provided.

Modern weapons sure are light these days.

To play the game, you need to be part of the Deathlands group. After that, just wear the Huds, have a weapon, and walk in and start shooting mutant spiders, zombified soldiers, scarabs, and other enemies. 

The larger spiders can shoot venom at you. That or otherwise being touched by a baddie results in lost hit points. Presumably bullets by other players will hurt you too, but when I was there we were careful not to hit one another. Other Deathlanders might not be so steady with their arm.

I didn't do too badly, getting a score of 82. I think it was mostly spiders.

I soon ran into Rebel Wolf, also known as The Baron, the man who runs the Deathlands. 

After I had a good look at the shooting area, there was something he wanted to show me.

He wanted to show me the bunker. 

"Can never have too many blast doors."

Inside was plenty of old equipment. "Sats and 'puters still work," Rebel commented, "We just have no idea what they are telling us"

"THIS was the problem...a 56K modem dial up."

There were some stocks of food here.

And of course there was the coffee, "Coffee was made by 'ays. It's Deathlands strong wolf blend. Gotta have coffee in Second Life."

There was a generator room to power the place, "It's a diesel genny. Well ok its nuclear, works better."

There was also an armory and a repair bench. There were plenty of rifles and submachine guns, enough for a platoon. 

"I'm wearing the SAC SR 16, a very nice weapon."

One room had "Wolfs humble bed, with moonshine, aged two weeks." Rebel commented after paying tier, he often felt like curling up in a ball.

There were also a couple maps on a table. Rebel commented "Yes we are planning to take over other sim."

"Got nukes? we do."

"Of course we have time for fun too." Rebel then grabbed a fire extinguisher, and fired it at me, chuckling, "Bix is on fire!"

Next was the decontamination shower, "I'll stay clothed so folks don't get blind. Also is good for the fleas."

Leaving the bunker, Rebel showed me a lookout tower.

Rebel told me he had a working tactical missile, "Its only 80-some years old what can possibly go wrong?" But opening the silo, something went wrong.

We checked out a concrete building next to a reactor tower, "Old reactor control room. Some stuff still working. Some guy named Homer Simpson worked here."

But the water running through didn't look so good. Rebel had different ideas, "Hey green water is NICE!"

Rebel showed me a garden area on top of a building, "Some food is grown on rooftops," explaining much of the area's soil was still recovering from radiation and other poisoning.

"I have a green thumb. Oh wait, that's rad poisoning."

But not all of the waters were too toxic. Rebel showed me a fishing area, "Yes we eat the fish. Help yourself."

There was some greenery nearby to prove the point, but one plant looked weird, "This plant watches ya. Awww, it likes you."

There was more greenery nearby, encouraged by moisture, "fresh water from mountain, broken pipe." He did caution me, "Don't pick any leaves off my marajuana  plant." I then asked with a grin, "For medicinal purposes?" Rebel grinned back, "Of course."

Medical care in the Deathlands can be a problem. The only one with a Medical Degree is (NPC) Doc Mengele. "Probably should not use him unless yer really sick," Rebel cautioned, "He's a little insane." Rebel went on to say there was a strong rumor he was the great-grandson of a certain German whom made his way to South America in the later 1940s, though of visitors, "not too many pick up on that."

We walked through the streets for a while, and at one point Rebel invited me to sit down, on a chair with a lot of wires, "Trust the wolf." I hesitated, so he sat down himself. The results were lots of electric sparks. When it was over, he called it getting his "Daily buzz." My response was I'll stick with coffee.

The last part of the area Rebel showed me was a place were there were several children, "We even have kids here. ... They a little crazy though." He commented this was the part of his sim that's gotten the complaints, "I have actually been yelled at for this." But he did say there was a certain reason why the NPCs were there, that one of the more troubling aspects of a post-apocalyptic world would be what happens to the kids, "How would kids be treated, loved, ignored, cast aside?"

It was about this time Rebel told me he had to take care of some real-life matters, inviting me to stick around at the shooting area or wherever else I wanted to explore.

On a final note, my avatar challenge in the dinkie fox soon ended after my tour. Rebel might say the background radiation or something else in the area cured whatever ailed me.

Post-apocalyptic themes aren't for everyone. But there is a message. What if our lives of material comfort, in which the only thing driving us nuts are things like a certain cartoon getting canceled and not being able to score with the ladies, were all of a sudden taken away and the matter of simple and basic survival became a day to day concern? Perhaps some of us whom think we're prepared wouldn't be, and some of those who think they'd be dead meat would end up not just surviving but starting up the path to rebuilding.

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Paradise%20Kingdom/88/35/22

Bixyl Shuftan

The Deathlands

By Bixyl Shuftan

Recently, a friend and I dropped by a rather desolate place in Second Life: The Deathlands. The place describes itself as "an isolated post-apocalyptic island community where a handful of hardy survivors desperately cling to what passes for life after the nuclear winter." Upon entering, a crow greeted us, "Greetings ... welcome to Deathlands! It is many years since the Nukes cleansed the Earth. Among the frail and diseased survivors there are few rules, so feel free to wander Deathlands and sample its many pleasures and perils." Almost as if on cue, the radio stream played the tune "Darkest Dream." Later songs included, "Love is Dead," and "Poison Remains."

The place is owned by Rebel Wolf (HermitBlue), considered the "mutant warlord" here, and Luddita Wolf (luddita) his consort. Seeing us, "We are the survivors," they showed us around. "You are under the care of Baron Wolf," he told us, "It's safe in Deathlands. Well, sorta safe. Probably should not drink the water." Showing us some NPC figures, one was a rather bloody doctor with a paitent who didn't look too good. "Hes the only medical we have," Rebel told us, "so he gets away with a lot."

There were a few places mentioned in the notecard that I'd gotten on entry, such as the Dead Tree where a number of corpses hung, "The Motel From Hell" in which the beds were bloody mattresses and the "bathroom" was a bucket with flies buzzing over it, the hull of an old Russian submarine that had somehow washed ashore and repurposed, and others. There was one not mentioned that Rebel wanted to show us: The Bunker.From the outside, the place was concrete and steel. Inside, there were bunks, machinery, and what looked like some kind of control center with access to satelites, "Some of us survived the nuclear winter in here!" For some reason, there were warheads of small missiles in there.

But not everything here was a grim survival story. There are two social spots. One is "The Music Festival Grounds." Rebel spoke of it, "The survivors built a dancefloor." The dancefloor itself was made of of sections of wood planking piled together with a rustic-looking stage in the back. The place was surrounded on three sides by chair-link fencing, presumably to keep the more drunken partiers from stumbling into the lagoon. But not everything about it looked safe as there was a yellowish-green looking cloud of mist in the middle. When I asked Rebel, he responded, "Oh, I think it's radioactive gas (cough)." As we were talking, a few more people came by, including one with a guitar. Before long, he was playing some music, and an impromtu party started.

After a while, the party moved to what passed for a high class club around here, "The Loser's Club." Advertised as a "notorious dive bar where survivors barter their favours in return for liquor and cigarettes," the peace was kept by a burly-looking NPC acting as a bouncer standing watch just outside the front door. "Dont mind Ivan outside," Rebel told us, "he just looks mean!" Another NPC, a waitress, handed out drinks on request. Those not dancing could sit on an old couch or one of the barstools. One seemed a little woozy from the gas earlier, "I may pass out soon."

There were other places in the distance that I never set foot on, such as a stretch of highway that came to a dead end over the water, a waterfall, and numerous other buildings in various states of repair and disrepair.

The Deadlands is in http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Blue%20Eyes/118/159/22

Addition: on August 18, the Deathlands was moved to a new sim, at http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Paradise%20Kingdom/88/35/22

Bixyl Shuftan

Tableau

By Becky "Sha" Shamen

 Among the LMs that Bixyl sent me recently, there is one for a sim called Tableau. I stopped here long enough to set our own LM and then headed to Creation's for Parkinson's, to write about it first. My first impression of Tableau was that although it was in ways ugly to me, it was also, somehow, very interesting and might even be a fun adventure.

Before we begin our adventure, our readers must understand the language being spoken. Mediators know that disputes often arise between two parties that both want essentially the same thing, because of not knowing the other party's definition of the principles in question. If we tell readers that Tableau is a fun adventure, they are probably going to disagree. To get on the same page, let's sit in on the first lecture given at Clown College.

The Professor wears a silly looking cap, called a mortarboard, and a bulbous red nose and is explaining why people laugh.   Laughter is a release of tension. If you are struggling to figure out something, when you finally get it, you say "Aha". Other jokes are funny, because the teller uses a different meaning (double entendre), which is known about but not expected in the story. Another useful way to make us laugh is called "Slapstick." When we see a one ton weight, thrown off a cliff and heading down towards our position on the ground, we laugh with the relief of seeing it flatten the coyote, instead of us. OK, we can now go to Tableau and have a better idea of why we think this is a fun adventure.

Arriving on the sim, we are in a desolate town, in the middle of a desert. We wonder if there are any people that live here, if so, why. A sim surround adds to the impression that we are in the middle of freakin' nowhere. If I was a child, growing up in this place and was asked, what would I like to be, when I grow up, the answer would be, "I'd like to BE.......any place but here."

 It seems that, to save a dwindling economy, the town created a tourist attraction, called "Dinosaur Park". The three dinosaurs are impressive in size, but lacking in realistic detail. Perhaps they were made from sheet metal, salvaged from the many vehicles found dead in the desert. The town budget couldn't afford a sign painter, but some old weathered boards and a black crayon let us know which way to go.

Down the road, we spot an earlier attempt to draw tourists. It is called Fun Time Park, but something evil has destroyed this place. At the mouth entry to the park, outside authorities have blocked entry, with signs saying Closed, Condemned, Quarantined and Infectious Virus Area. 

Sha is here for a story, not the rides, so, pulling out her Press Pass, walks boldly through the gate to the middle of the park. There is a black hole and signs of toxic waste. A Newser Press Pass will also shield you from harmful radiation. Sha marches straight into the black pit and drops into a glow in the dark, day-glo chamber.

Naturally, Sha loved the pretty lights, but wouldn't stay long, not having her Geiger counter or a sonic screwdriver in her pockets. One can't help but begin to think that this poor town is ripe for a take over by some crazy gang of hippies, ha, ha, he, he, ho, ho. Is there a secret gang, calling itself "SLUG," that is responsible for the tagging on the local walls?

Passing by a news stand, the headlines show that the residents are very concerned about the identity of SLUG and a dead lady, found inside one of the dinosaurs. Perhaps they should be more concerned with finding a way to remove the two giant, rusted atom bombs from their town, but maybe they are saving them to make some new dinosaurs.

So now, as we wrap up this tour, we count the hands of the readers that got their eyes poked, hair pulled out and pianos dropped on their heads. None? I guess you all had a fun adventure. We send it off to print and close the light for a rest. Hmmm, are bunnies supposed to glow in the dark?

 "Sha"

Tellus

By TheonlyJohnny Resident

The Tellus Sector, is a single sim, with many parts to it. Like all roleplay sims, there are IC (in character) areas, and an OOC (out of character) area. Also like other RP sims, it has a back story, that must be followed, otherwise the back story is useless. However, few RP sims are as in depth, as The Tellus.

The sim itself is a wonder, to behold. One might wonder how it's possible to stick a city, right in the middle of a wasteland, without all the greenery dieing. Well, they did it at The Tellus. They built a domed city, in the middle of a wasteland, filled it with trees, grass, buildings, and even water, and it has blossomed.

The secret to this amazing achievement is the fact that the dome filters out most wind, and heat. Without it, the city wouldn't even have lasted a few weeks.

If you wish to read more about the city, you can check out their wiki,
http://tellussector.wikia.com/wiki/The_Tellus_Sector_Wiki .

The amazement doesn't stop there. The people of this RP sim are not only helpful, they are awesome roleplayers, who love to RP. No matter what, if something is wrong with your character, weapon, vehicle, or whatever, they not only will let you know, they will give you advice as well. They don't just care about if they're having fun rping with you, they care about if you're having fun.

If you're not having fun, don't fret, they are all extremely helpful, in their own ways. Whether they tell you your weapon won't work there, or that your building isn't right, or that your outfit shouldn't be a certain way, whatever it is, they will let you know. However, most people would question how that helps if they just say something is bad. Well, don't start questioning just yet. It's the way the let you know that helps you.

They will not tell you, "You're gun isn't allowed here." They will actually say, "You're gun isn't allowed here, since you can't find parts for a sniper rifle (using sniper rifle as an example), or other guns that use bullets that large, or are that large, in the wastelands."

They will let you know what's wrong, and why it's wrong, which really helps you figure out the best things to use.

Not only are the people nice, but so is the sim itself. So much time, and work was spent on building just the main area, which may not look like much to some people, but if you explore it, you will see how much work really was put into making this RP sim.

All in all, I think that Tellus is one of the best RP sims in all of Second Life. If you're ever looking for something to do, go ahead and check it out.

Theonlyjohnny