Valentine Town

by Gemma Cleanslate

Time is moving so fast! Valentine Day is only nine days away and Mardi Gras is coming on February 25! Now we have to get ready for both.  A great place to visit for all your Valentine needs is Laura Liberty’s Valentine Town. Every year she outdoes the previous year with new additions. I love to see the facades of the buildings in all her creations.

When you land, the first possibility is to hop the Tunnel of Love car that will give you a ride through the tunnel’s sparkling displays and along the river to the town center. Bring your honey if you like to enjoy or take the ride alone. It is great fun either way. Laura is known for her amazing tunnels that fit the holiday .

The town center has several ways for you to celebrate this love holiday.There is a dance ball and music for you to enjoy while there. If you have admired someone from afar and never had the nerve to say it now is your chance. Anonymously you can send a pretty note to that person that will make them wonder and perhaps look around to find the sender. It is done through the magic of her machine, or you an take a chance and sign your name. Take a look, and, it is free! If you are lucky naughty Tina is there in her role of Cupid with a bad habit. She loves cigars and smokes incessantly.

Suppose you don’t have a significant other and are looking. Laura has a new addition, a Singles board! Just click the board, put a picture, and hope someone wants to meet the person behind the picture and will send you a note. Fun way to meet new friends! Across the way there are theaters demonstrating how to make your own cinema with your own captions. There is a sample to let you see what you will get, your own theater showing your own story. Take a look at the cute video there.

Stop into the shops and get all your needs for Valentine day. When you are finished with your visit here you have another place to visit on the region. Back at the town center there is a tp to Laura’s Mardi Gras Town.

I love to visit this representation of a New Orleans street scene with its cheerfully colored buildings and music of the city playing. Grab a free hula hoop, beads, and crown. Here you can gather up all the decor and outfits you need to celebrate Mardi Gras day. I love the masks in the shop, a huge selection! Take a picture of yourself and your honey and put it on the bulletin board by sending it to the naughty Tina Cupid, Tina  (Tanyja Resident). Use the free face animation hud offered at the board to enhance your photo. There is another board nearby with some fun puzzles to attempt before you leave. You might need to go back again for more tries (laughter). I do. Thanks again to Laura Liberty for making this grand experience . I am looking forward to the next one already!!

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Townies/128/166/7

Gemma Cleanslate

Valentine Town and Isle of View

By Gemma Cleanslate and Deaflegacy

Valentine day is approaching quickly. Sweethearts are looking for gifts and places to visit before or on that day to be ready. I  took a look to see places where one could find everything you want . My first visit was to Valentine Town that is the creation of Laura Liberty of Townies.

Laura stays on top of the holidays that people love to celebrate. To not miss all her offerings join the Townies group.

What a sweet and lovely venue Valentine Town is. The cute shops are so filled with anything and everything you could wish for. The clothing goes from cute and funny to gorgeous gowns in the Valentine mode but can be worn anywhere at any time.

Across the way the other shops have all kinds of decor and even dinner tables for the special romantic dinner. Candy boxes , cakes and other treats. Bouquets and cards..and banners to carpets. How about  a hot air balloon to take a long ride over the grid. It is all there and so much more! Go see.  As in the Christmas village there is the Make your own card offering with directions

For enjoyment and entertainment there is a delightful dance floor with dance balls.  For the crowning glory there is a Tunnel of Love. Settle into the boat with your honey and glide through the tunnels and around the region on the canal.  I ran into greenbeangirl and tina (tanyja Resident) co managers of the sim for Laura hanging out at the entrance to the Tunnel . There is a cute heart dartboard backpack  gift for the members of Townies. Plan an early visit to pick up your decor and clothing to be ready for the special day.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Townies/130/153/7

One place you will love to visit and spend time roaming and taking pictures is the Isle of View. Bixyl told you about the history.  I took a trip over to check that it is ready and landed at the Love Pavilion. That is ready. Gifts are available for delivery just follow the directions . There are little Hugging booths for photos.

I spied a dunking booth. It looks like perhaps there will be a dunking going on .. perhaps with some Lindens sitting above the water,, We shall see. I tried to take a walk around the lovely grounds but not sure the whole island is open yet.because I landed at home!

There is a long canal that I think will have a swan boat if I remember correctly. Well one can get to the pavilion right now at least .. Sent that gift! 

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Isle%20of%20View%202/79/76/107

Gemma Cleanslate

*  *  *  *  *

When I arrived at the landing point, http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Townies/153/84/7, I found out that I arrived at a heart shaped landing point.  It is beautiful.  My next step is to go to the town, which is what I did.

I went down to the bridge, and saw a gorgeous town nearly right away.  It is colorful, and full of different houses.  I took a look around, and was impressed by what's in the houses.  What's in the houses would be a store in houses that are linked together.  You would go in one house and go to the other house through an entrance in the wall in the house.

But that's not all.  That's not what I'm really here for.  I went across the bridge again, and down to the heart shaped landing point.  I saw another building, and boats coming out it.  This must be the love boat that I'd like to try, I thought.  So I went to the building.  I got in the boat, and the trip got started.

Wow!  I'm not going to spill any detail because I don't want to give it away.  I'd like you to give it a try, by yourself or with someone, because the trip is amazing!  Every minute I spent in the boat, I did not regret it.  At one point, it took my breath away.  Wow!

For any one of you who would like to visit Valentine's Town, I would encourage you to go visit that amazing place.  The houses are gorgeous, the trip on the love boat is amazing, and so much more.  Why not give it a try?

Deaflegacy

Titanic – The Night To Remember

By Deaflegacy

I have been wanting to write an article about the Titanic for a long time now. When editor Bixyl Shuftan gave me a chance to write about the majestic ship, I jumped at the chance. I visited the location of the ship rebuilt in Second Life, as well as a museum exhibit that recently opened. Each time was a remarkable visit.

* * * * *

“Teleporting into the sim, one arrives at the dock. It's a few steps to the entry ramp to the ship, the start having an overhead sign "RMS Titanic, White Star Line." Besides walking up at one's own pace, there's a couple's walk animation that a pair can use to go about the ship.

Heading to the right once you get up to the ship, one can go to the bow and with a friend re-create the "I'm King of the World" Scene. Or one can go about exploring the ship, whether on the outside, inside and both. There is much attention to detail, notably in places like the stairways with crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Going about, some of the cabins seen also had fine details. The sim's website stated here, "you can be a passenger and experience the romance and luxury of a bygone era." That the ship succeeds in doing. There is also a Titanic Museum, "A Second Night to Remember," on the port side of the top deck.

Second Life being what it is, there have been some compromises made. To help with expenses, a shopping area has been set up where one can get a selection of dresses and jewelry, and some tuxedos. The very bottom of the ship is the engine room. But only on rare occasions can one see the engine up and running. Most of the time it's packed up to cut down on lag. There is also a pool, and a wedding area. At the bow of the ship is the ballroom, where live musicians perform for dace parties. One can dance in the ballroom, or on the deck outside.

The ship is owned by Mara Menges, who bought the ship from it's builder, with Guus Menges as co-owner. The dress code is formal, with the crew reserving the right to bump off the ship those who won't answer requests to change. Animal avatars (also known as ferals to some) are also banned. This does not mean nonhuman characters are always disallowed as neko and furry avatars dressed in formal wear are welcome.

The Second Life Titanic was built by Reborn Wingtips, or Morphius Barbose as he was known at the time of it's construction. A sign on the bridge stated the ship is 254 meters long, slightly shorter than the real-life Titanic's length of 269 meters, and 60 meters high. It consists of roughly 4,500 prims, not counting the furniture.

Reborn stated on the sign, "Titanic has been a build of passion. I studied it in school years ago. Claude Kirshner made land available free of charge for me to build it here in Second Life. Obviously I couldn't create the ship to detail as prims don't allow it. Plus Second Life has tier fees, etc."

"It has taken six months (for the ship) to reach its current condition. This is the fourth or fifth build. I needed to take a few steps back to make one step forward a few times. Later on as the Titanic was nearing completion, the build was discovered by Kallisto Estates, who have generously jumped at the opportunity to provide a sim to sheer Titanic with the world."

" … I think I was in college when we did a big study on the Titanic in Social Studies, covering every aspect, even some things that weren't commonly known. There was a rumor that there was actually a cursed mummy onboard. Even now if I try to imagine being on the ship that night, I get a chill, the humble men, the fear, the desperation. What was God's involvement that night? That's my biggest question."

At the time the article was written, "this particular week marks the 100 year anniversary of the sinking of the real Titanic. Over 2100 visitors came to the ship on April 12th, which was also the day of the "Last 1st Class Dinner on the Titanic" event for European visitors. On Friday the 13th, there will be another such event for American hours at 5:30PM (reservations required). Saturday the 14th has the Steerage Party, from Noon to 2:30PM SL time, 2:30 PM being when the ship hit the iceberg (reservations required)."

Bixyl Shuftan went on to explain that on Sunday at 1PM April 15 would be the memorial service. This event was planned to take place outside the ship at the Titanic memorial on the sim's land, and was is open to all with no dress or avatar code on this occasion. In an article on the Metaverse Tribune, Mara was described as creating the memorial after having met the great-grandson of Captain James Smith, "she discovered that many of those who were lingering at the memorial were relatives of witnesses or survivors."

“There is also a souvenir shop where one can get a memento of their visit to the ship. Considering the history of the ship and how its memory is kept alive by numerous books and movies, such as the one by James Cameron a few years ago, this is one build that is unlikely to be forgotten, and a place one may end up returning to again and again."

The entry point to the Titanic sim is at Titanic (128, 191, 134). For more information, one can check the Second Life Titanic's website at http://www.titanicsecondlife.nl/.

* * * * *

Since the 2012 article was written, there have been a few changes. The shopping area at the docks is larger than it was then, more clothes and a few cars. But it remains a location where parties can be found in the back of the ship at scheduled times in the day. 

While I was not able to find anyone to talk to, searching around I did find out about an art museum exhibit in "The Vordun" art gallery called "A Night to Remember." Those entering are handed a HUD that has the name of one of the passengers. Mine was second class passenger Mrs. Irene Corbett. The exhibit described the construction of the ship and the excitement among the public whom saw the ship as an engineering marvel. It would show the contrast of the conditions of those of those traveling first class and those third, "The Edwardian culture was one of great class separation, and nowhere was it more apparent than the Titanic." And it would describe the danger of ice at the time, show pictures of the wreckage discovered in 1985.

At the end, the exhibit would reveal the fate of the passengers and crew. There, I would find that the name on my HUD, Mrs. Corbett, was among those whom had not survived, among those who met their end in the icy sea, deceased at age 30.

The exhibit is at Fancy Decor sim (78/98/32). This is a new exhibit, and it should be around until October. Emery Milneaux is the curator of the building, in real life a freelance artist specializing in graphic design.

Bixyl did very well in writing about the Titanic in his 2012 article. I do not wish to draw attention away from the ship. It is the last thing I'd do. What I want to do is remember. Titanic and that fateful night when it sank, taking over 1,000 passengers with it. All because there were not enough lifeboats. It was a terrible night back then, and still is today, regardless of how much has happened in the past century. To this day, the ship has proven to be unforgettable. We will always remember the ship.

Titanic (128/191/34)

Reference: “The Titanic in Second Life” (April 2012)

Deaflegacy

Friendly Bear Romantic Forest

By Bixyl Shuftan

Recently a friend showed me a place she and her boyfriend sometimes went to, and thought others might want to experience it as well. The place was the GB Island North sim, the public section of it known as "Friendly Bear Romantic Forest."

Dropping in, I was surrounded by a detailed forest, with lots of flowers and trees. The place was not one continuous island, but broken up a bit with rivers crossing and smaller islands next to the main one with bridges allowing one to cross without the need to swim or fly. Surrounding the island is a panorama of mountains and trees.

There were a number of features around, such as a pier with a rowboat nearby, a campfire with sitting logs around it and a picnic blanket nearby, both of which offered cuddle spots for couples. A small waterfall flowed into a rocky creek. There was a small farm with horses, goats, cows, and sheep wandering about, young animals included. Nearby were a couple bears, one getting a closer look at a beehive. Romance wasn't the only activity available, there was an "En Guarde" game for those wanting to spar.

On arrival, I got a notecard about the location:

Hallo stranger! Thank you very much for your visit. This place was created with no commercial intentions. Please feel free to hang out, explore, relax, dance, love, be part of our music events and have fun!







Help us to celebrate peace and nature with these rulez:
 - no guns
- no drama
- no kids avatars
- respect privacy of other visitors

On this Island you´ll find:
- cozy corners for romance and cuddling
- romantic castle
- decoration following seasons and special days (winter, autumn, spring, xmass, halloween....)
- ...more coming soon

You are allowed also to rezz and use your own horses or bikes or blankets and pose balls..., but
do not forget to clean your stuff. Autoreturn is sending objects back in 15 minutes. To travel on this island you can use couple walkers or boats that are ready for you all over this place.
Big balloon and more coming soon.

Enjoy your stay. If you have a question, suggestion or request or a problem, do not hesitate and send a message to : Andie Rau, Friendly Bear Team

The "castle" was actually a dwelling built on the ruins of a castle, or rather what was left of the corner of one. It was named "The Bear's Hole Corner" at (225, 75, 32), near the eastern edge of the sim. On the stone floor was a fox and a deer, in addition to logs, barrels, a sword rack, and a couple stone crosses. Climbing up the stairs, the inside led to a fireplace and dinner table in addition to a throne and bookshelf. A door led to a zipline, which would take someone to near the barn and fencing game.

The top floor was clearly for couples. Visitors there will find a four-poster bed with a canopy, a bathtub with pillows and blankets next to it, alongside oils and soaps, and a bear rug on the floor. All have poses for singles and couples, the latter being much more numerous and some clearly meant for private moments.

Not all of the sim is open to the public. The northern third is barred to just anyone coming in, including members of the sim group. It holds a few private cabins. The founder of the place is GummyMedvidek Resident, or "Friendly Bear" as his display name is now. 

Unfortunately, the location's days are numbered. Scattered around the island were signs with the following message:

Sad News. Unfortunetly Friendly Bear Forest ends on April 20th 2015. Thank you all so much for visiting and your support. We are preparing a video for good memories. So you have any romantic picture that you made on the island? SHare it! Send it to Andie Rau inworld, or outside SL to my email: andie.rau@gmail.com.

The message ended with a hopeful note, asking people to subscribe in case the location ever came back.

There was a GB Island South, visible on the map, but with nothing connecting the two sims. Heading over, it was just a dance floor on an empty sim. There was a sign saying the sim was in the process of moving. Someone there greeted me, and didn't seem to be aware of goings on with their northern neighbor, sad to hear they were also going away.

Once again, the Friendly Bear Forest is at http://slurl.com/secondlife/GB Island North/ , and barring a reprieve will be gone April 20th.

Bixyl Shuftan

France Portnawak

By Fritter Enzyme

Delicious with pastel colors, and dreamy with semi -transparent furniture, the France Portnawak sim is the cream de la cream of romantic places.  Captured in a daylight setting, it is a painting to walk through.  Cats, rabbits, goats, donkeys and birds are about the many places with animated settings for snuggling and romance.  Picnic spots, horse rides, boat rides all available to meet your fancy. 

Bring your Second Life camera, for in this unique world of soft play with colors and light, you should surely find your artistic muse.   Ethereal ambient music streams in this little piece of French countryside.  Hang out in the maison, or home and paint, wash up at an animated sink or lounge and snuggle in a soft bed.  The transparency extends to the rocks in the water and trunks of the trees.  Cotton candy clouds roll through the azure skies ever changing the scene. 

 You might want to use a translator, English is not the main language.  But beauty is universal and you will enjoy finding the ‘sweet spots’ here.  There are many boats and inner tubes to spend time on enjoying the reflective water fronts and the fishies there in.  The bamboo grove have a nice dock feature where you can rest in some of the many types of law furniture they have out, or the blankets.  Change your windlight's settings and enjoy the many candles surrounding the sitting areas.  It is truly a meditative place to come to and a real treat for Valentine’s Day lovers. 

Teleport up to the gift shop.  It has many well-made clothes in French style and has equal amounts of clothes for men as for women, something I find very rare in Second Life.  Grab some free outfits and get in fashion for your explorations.  Yes, I did say free.  One side is gifts the other is a shop with great items you will not see elsewhere. 

Take a trip to the lighthouse island and absorb the scenery from there.  But sure to find the fine arts museum!  It is a very nice setting to see some great works.  Agence de Voyages has a link there, it is a Second Life travel agency,  All text is in French, unfortunately for me and my limited language, but it shows many interesting French places to go see when you are done with France Parnawak. 

Bring some virtual wine and some brie to snack on for your fireside fun.  Pounce on it now, you never know how long sims will last in our world. 

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dreamworld%20Volcano/178/194/21

Fritter Enzyme

The Queen of Hearts' Farewell

By Bixyl Shuftan

It's always a little sad when a club closes down. Each represents an idea and a dream, to provide others with a place to have a little fun. Many last less than a year, sometimes just weeks. One, however, lasted for about sevreal years. For eight years, the Romance-themed sim of Mystery entertained visitors in Second Life, with the Queen of Hearts riverboat club as the main area of events for most of this time. It's owner Tygeria Mirabeau and it's manager Amythe Moonlight kept it going year after year through many happy times. But in late June, Tygeria announced to her staff that problems in real life were making her unable to keep up the sim. Friday June 27 would have the last events. So it was with heavy hearts that the staff prepared for one last day of music and dance.

10AM SL time was the start of the "Memory Lane" event, a "come as you are" party, with Amy herself DJing the music. And people came in, not just the regulars, but people whom hadn't been over for a while, including former staff whom had moved on. "Black, I missed you." But they still took things with a little humor, "Aim better next time." Moria the hostess called out, "TP your friends, your man, your girl, your eye candy, and anyone in between."

Amy told everyone, "We are having some dedications to the club and the family we have here tonight ... how I feel about what we build and have built - it's the journey where you meet all the people and help them on the way- that's what makes it special. ... The Queen has been a home to many of us for a long time and some of us for a short time but it's the YOU the people that make it special. ... TONIGHT IS FOR THE PEOPLE!!!!"

The normally 250 Linden prizes for best male and female were raised to 500L each. There was also a jar of candied gummi frogs for anyone to take one. Once in a while, fireworks were placed on the ground, to lauch and explode near the ceiling.

At 12 Noon came the second and final show, and Amy turned over the music to DJ Mac and hostess Aislinp for the "Best in Red" event. There were all kinds of outfits in theme for it. Mac wasn't showing any red at first, so someone joked that it was his underwear that was red. The playful banter continued, between two ladies, "pour some sugar on me." "If you pour sugar on your underwear dear it will not be nice at all, though it will be sweet." "Sugar on underwear....yikes."

Eventually, Mac closed things off with the Club's adopted tune, the last song for an official event here.


Miiiiidnight,
and I'm a-waitin' on the twelve o' five, 
hoping it'll take me,
just a little farther down the line.

And moonliiiiight,
you're just a heartache in disguise,
won't you keep my heart from breaking,
if it's only for a very short time.

Playin' with the Queen of Hearts,
knowin' it ain't really smart,
the joker ain't the only foo-ol,
who'll do anything for you.


"Thank you Mac for a wonderful send off!" Amy told the DJ, then she turned to the crowd, to both the staff and the regulars, "Keep your eyes peeled for notices and IMs. Just give me a couple of days to sort things! We have the staff meeting on Sunday and maybe there will be news then. On Monday we will go to my sim Condunrum as a temporary home."

"Thank you everyone. Look after yourselves and I'll let you all know soon what's happening."

And so ended the last event at the Queen of Hearts riverboat club. As of the day I was writing this, the club was still around, just with no one aboard. It has seen much over the past several years from live music events by a number of singers to costume balls, and of course the scene of romance as couples came for parties both while dating and committed. Then there was the "masked lover" whom for months pursued the object of his affection while still keeping his identity hidden.

The Mystery sim remains up, for now, and there is much to see across the place from the "Alice in Wonderland" exhibit, to the train ride, to the little village tucked away in the valley. But eventually it will fade away into the virtual nether, leaving nothing behind but memories.

For now Amy's sim of Condunrum will take over as the new home for the Queen of Hearts staff and fan group, the Cape Hope club at Conundrum (213, 10, 22),  But for the fans, there's only one true "Queen of Hearts," and she will be missed.

Bixyl Shuftan

The Titanic in Second Life

This week marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic. For Second Life residents, there is a sim-length replica they can visit. One can head there for an appreciation for the history, take someone out on a date, or both.

Teleporting into the sim, one arrives at the dock. It's a few steps to the entry ramp to the ship, the start having an overhead sign "RMS Titanic, White Star Line." Besides walking up at one's own pace, there's a couple's walk animation that a pair can use to go about the ship.

Heading to the right once you get up to the ship, one can go to the bow and with a friend re-create the "I'm King of the World" Scene. Or one can go about exploring the ship, whether on the outside, inside and both. There is much attention to detail, notably in places like the stairways with crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Going about, some of the cabins seen also had fine details. The sim's website stated here, "you can be a passenger and experience the romance and luxury of a bygone era." That the ship succeeds in doing. There is also a Titanic Museum, "A Second Night to Remember," on the port side of the top deck.

Second Life being what it is, there have been some compromises made. To help with expenses, a shopping area has been set up where one can get a selection of dresses and jewelry, and some tuxedos. The very bottom of the ship is the engine room. But only on rare occasions can one see the engine up and running. Most of the time it's packed up to cut down on lag. There is also a pool, and a wedding area. At the bow of the ship is the ballroom, where live musicians perform for dace parties. One can dance in the ballroom, or on the deck outside.

The ship is owned by Mara Menges, who bought the ship from it's builder, with Guus Menges as co-owner. The dress code is formal, with the crew reserving the right to bump off the ship those who won't answer requests to change. Animal avatars (also known as ferals to some) are also banned. This does not mean nonhuman characters are always disallowed as neko and furry avatars dressed in formal wear are welcome.

The Second Life Titanic was built by Reborn Wingtips, or Morphius Barbose as he was known at the time of it's construction. A sign on the bridge stated the ship is 254 meters long, slightly shorter than the real-life Titanic's length of 269 meters, and 60 meters high. It consists of roughly 4,500 prims, not counting the furniture.

Reborn stated on the sign, "Titanic has been a build of passion. I studied it in school years ago. Claude Kirshner made land available free of charge for me to build it here in Second Life. Obviously I couldn't create the ship to detail as prims don't allow it. Plus Second Life has tier fees, etc."

"It has taken six months (for the ship) to reach its current condition. This is the fourth or fifth build. I needed to take a few steps back to make one step forward a few times. Later on as the Titanic was nearing completion, the build was discovered by Kallisto Estates, who have generously jumped at the opportunity to provide a sim to sheer Titanic with the world."

" … I think I was in college when we did a big study on the Titanic in Social Studies, covering every aspect, even some things that weren't commonly known. There was a rumor that there was actually a cursed mummy onboard. Even now if I try to imagine being on the ship that night, I get a chill, the humble men, the fear, the desperation. What was God's involvement that night? That's my biggest question."

The website states more than half a million residents have visited the ship since it's opening in 2009, with over 700 visitors a day. This week marks the 100 year anniversary of the sinking of the real Titanic. Over 2100 visitors came to the ship on April 12th, which was also the day of the "Last 1st Class Dinner on the Titanic" event for European visitors. On Friday the 13th, there will be another such event for American hours at 5:30PM (reservations required). Saturday the 14th has the Steerage Party, from Noon to 2:30PM SL time, 2:30 PM being when the ship hit the iceberg (reservations required).

On Sunday at 1PM is the memorial service. This event takes place outside the ship at the Titanic memorial on the sim's land. This event is open to all. In an article on the Metaverse Tribune, Mara is described as setting up the memorial after meeting the great-grandson of Captain James Smith, "she discovered that many of those who were lingering at the memorial were relatives of witnesses or survivors."

There is also a souvenir shop where one can get a memento of their visit to the ship. Considering the history of the ship and how its memory is kept alive by numerous books and movies, such as the one by James Cameron a few years ago, this is one build that is unlikely to be forgotten, and a place one may end up returning to again and again.

The entry point to the Titanic sim is at Titanic (128, 191, 134). For more information, one can go to the Second Life Titanic's website at http://www.titanicsecondlife.nl/.

Bixyl Shuftan

Rendezvous – The World of Mermaids

If you’re looking for a romantic setting, far from the crowds, explore the undersea mermaid domain of Rendezvous. Benoit Lednev established five French gay sims and two Wild West, before he incorporated some of his own interests into Rendezvous with help from his friends.

“This is the mermaid domain and above is the world of sirens. I wanted to do a marine park,” said Lednev, as I and musician Lars Mistwalker received a personal tour of this colorful corner of Second Life. “I was in the Navy and I love animals. This park is the one sim most like me.”

Those interested in morphing into merfolk need only click on the outfits provided free of charge. The park consists of a welcome area with a Roman tavern, the Ulysses Neptune statue and a mosaic theme that depicts a scene of Ulysses, where the hero is chained to resist the songs of the sirens. The classic Neptune comes from Pompeii art. The sounds of whales communicating and the motion of the waves surround you.

“Next you can ride the octopus or seahorses. There’s also a cave with romantic places to cuddle, areas where you can dance and homes for lovers,” said Lednev through his translator. “My greatest challenge was locating different types of fish to the area.” There’s also a Roman arena where the spectators are fish. He considered adding Roman animations of fighting but knew it would take away from the romantic qualities of the sim. He would love for both straight and gay couples to explore the depths of his and his friends’ creation.

The tour of the sim ends at the statue of a mermaid. Above Lars and I get a preview of a town inspired by Halloween. We are teleported to Salem Village and immediately get goose bumps on the arms of our real life avis. The eerie atmosphere is expertly captured as one enters a haunted house. Hollywood directors would love this virtual representation that you’d never want to live in. First of all, you’re greeted by a zombie that thinks you’re dinner. Inside there’s a talking Ouija board, a séance table, an empty rocking cradle and ghosts singing patty cake. When the girls ask why don’t you play with me, you’re ready to run out the door.

Rendezvous, (40, 188, 1)

Netera Landar