Splash Aquatics Walk-Through Aquarium!

Splash Aquatics is something of a huge store on the Gooruembalchi mainland sim. Creator and owner, Kaikou Splash, sells all types of aquatic  mammals, tropical fish and fresh water fish as well as a range of scuba diving gear, landscaping tools and some incredible vehicles! The place is 100% worth checking out and his animals are the most beautiful and realistic available in Second Life™. In addition, the prices are very reasonable.

However, the element I want to concentrate on is the walk-through aquarium, which is just amazing! It’s incredibly well done and showcases the very finest in aquatic animals in game. Completely submerged, you can walk right through a very peaceful feeling tunnel and admire the work of the creator close up.

Take a look for yourself!

I recommend taking a visit to Splash! You can find it by clicking here!

Rivet Town – Incredible Victorian Roleplay Sims

It’s been quite some time since I ‘wowed’ out loud in my travels in game and longer still since I have then followed this with unsolicited teleports to people on my friend list telling them they just HAVE TO see this. But that is what happened when I stumbled upon the Rivet Town sims.

Rivet Town is made up of 2 sims, Rivet Town East and Rivet Town North East. The estate owner is Grace Loudon, who it is definitely worth mentioning seems to have built almost everything on the sims as well! Essentially these are Victorian and Steampunk themed roleplaying sims. As such there are rules, but nothing unreasonable. It isn’t, for example, compulsory to roleplay. Visitor tags are available at the entrance. It is worth actually reading through the note card at the landing point too! If you’re going to enjoy the sims at least learn the story behind the roleplay going on there and ensure you understand the conduct expected so as not to offend regular sim users. Anyway, enough of my preaching!

The landing point is a beautifully quaint and incredibly authentic looking Victorian railway station complete with Flying Scotsman steam train replica. Touches such as the baggage trolley on the platform and the sound effects used make for a really very bizarre feeling of having been teleported into a period drama! I was half expecting Hugh Grant and Colin Firth to enter speaking the Queen’s English and playing some very pompous important people! But then I remembered they’re probably far too busy for pixel period dramas which is something of a shame! But anyway, suffice to say I was massively impressed.

From here you are invited to teleport to the town, the landing point of which is the foot of a really beautiful bridge, which actually runs from one sim to the other.

The bridge seems to act as very much a focal point of the sim, though this is definitely not the only thing going for the sim! There’s residential type court areas, a town court, police station, factory, housing, church, graveyard and numerous authentic looking boutique style shops as well as a factory and docks. And that is only the surface. There are renters on this sim and Grace Loudon does have a rather large store (in a Steampunk styled factory type building) on it too. But the focus is not commercial and you never find yourself feeling as though you are having advertising rammed fown your throat. The focus is genuinely on the authenticity and accuracy of the architecture. Both the exteriors and interiors of all the builds have been put together with painstaking detail (as far as sewage spewing into the water at the end of a street) and look evidently very well researched. The narrow alleys against the backdrop of an industrial revolution capure the era perfectly. I absolutely cannot fault the building work and Grace is certainly a very talented Second Life architect.

There is little my rambling can do to give you an idea of just how great this place is, so I will let the pictures do the talking!

I do apologise for picture overload…I couldn’t help it and actually these are just a handful of the ones I took!

Go along and check these sims out. They really are awesome and are something that should definitely not be missed! You can find Rivet Town by clicking here.

Go, go,go!

Verdigris – Vintage Sim!

It’s been a while since I blogged, I know. That is largely due to the fact that I haven’t really had time to just go out and explore as I like to. But I did get chance earlier on and came across this sim, Verdigris. This is a region owned by Oriolus Oliva and split into a couple of parcels. The theme is very much vintage and the sim acts as something of a showcase for the building skills of Oriolus. In addition you can buy a lot “antique” style items and buildings too. In true ‘old curiousity’ store style, there are all sorts of items available to purchase at really good prices!

What I want to really emphasise though is the unique style of building here and how awesomely (is what even a word) well put together this is. Steampunk is not uncommon in Second Life™, that much is true. But to see it done to quite this quality is. Windmills, ‘ranch style’ housing, a lighthouse and clocktower are just some of the builds on offer with exquisite detail and a real good quality.

Ok, so today is a lazy blogging day. I will show you a couple of pictures and provide a SLurl and send you on your way? Sound good? Cool!

See, pretty impressive huh? Now actually these pictures do it limited justice… much better to go check it out for yourself and really see the detail in these impressive builds. You’ll get there just by clicking here.

Joshua Nightshade’s Abstract Avatars

Josuha Nightshade handed me a landmark to his store following my appealing for quirky lower traffic places in game to review. The store is on its own dedicated homestead sim and sells robotic avatars and accessories.

The prices are very reasonable with a good number of freebies and then the paid items starting at just L$50! What compelled me to stay long enough to find this out though was the layout and design of the store, much of which seems to be the handiwork of Lordfly Digeridoo.

Sector 7

The inside of the store uses glow well! I normally am a little, well… very much against glow as most people drastically overuse it (often because their graphics cards don’t permit them to see just how glowy things really are)! But here is is used well and to great effect. The whole store has a futuristic feel to it.

Abstract Avatars

My only complaint on the layout is that was easy to get lost if you flew a little too far. The map at the store front was great but would have been improved with teleporters on it. One awesome touch is the projector style used in the building for many of the posters and for the map too.

Abstract Avatars

Now for the merchandise itself. I am actually not a big avatar fan, in so much as I tend to stick with my one human avatar, overly perfect skin, well preened hair and eyes the girls seem to just love. But I did try out one or two of the free avatars Joshua has out available in store and it is easy to see the quality. Although far more simple than his premium avatars, these freebies really do show off the neatness of Joshua’s work and how well the avatar works too. Flawlessly! The design stands out and again remains true to the theme he wishes to follow. The animation he has used allows the avatars to be very, very small and compact.

The store is laid out clearly insofar as you can see everything when you enter an area straight away. There is a gifting option for those who wish to send the items as gifts as well. This is a great idea!!

The place is somewhere worth visiting whether you are an avatar fan or not, simply for its loyalty to its futuristic theme. Futuristic is done badly in a lot of places in game and it is refreshing to see it done to perfection here! Go visit!

You will Abstract Avatars here.

The Second Louvre Museum

As far as I was aware, Kharis Forti’s Second Louvre museum was fairly well known about and frequented. However, on my latest visit today I noticed traffic was limited and decided to ask a few people on my buddies list whether they had been. None of them had heard of it!

That in itself is a complete travesty. This place is utterly amazing! The build is impeccable and certainly one of the finest in Second Life™ and the content is of a superbly high standard as well. The structure was created by Kharis Forti (who is also the curator) with painstaking detail and the end result is flawless.

The Second Louvre

The entrance hall is dominated by a Starax Statosky 2006 sculpture called Achilles, which is intricately detailed and a marvel to admire. What a shame Starax is no longer in game! The rest of the floor is a number of varying sculptures from some of the more ‘traditional art’ styles to some modern and abstract types too. It would be a shame for me to go into detail here as it is something that really would be better appreciated by visiting. Suffice to say that the work in display is created by a number of different people and none of it is anything less than high standard. It seems Kharis Forti is certainly maintaining a good level of work here to ensure the museum maintains its more ‘exclusive’ feel.

The remaining floors contain paintings and photographic arts again contributed by a number of artists and again of great standard! Needless to say, not everything will be to everyone’s tastes here, given that the styles are so varied. However, ever if something might not be a style you would usually appreciate, what you cannot fail to appreciate is the amazing level of workmanship and creativity in both the contents and build.

Whether you enjoy RL museums or not, the Second Louvre is a must see in Second Life. The build bears something of a resemblance to its Parisien namesake and whether you go as someone who appreciates art or not, you will be sure to love the standard of the build.

You will find the Second Louvre here. Go visit! It really is amongst the best places in Second Life.

Moon Elon at the Elon University

Moon Elon is, well, a moon 500m abovethe Elon University Science and Maths sandbox. In effect, it’s a load of mageprims designed to look like the moon. But in actual fact that offers it no justice whatsoever.

Moon Elon

The texturing of the prims here really does create a very moon-like atmosphere. And the lunar module prim work is astounding! Built by Lora Chadbourne, there attention to detail is incredible and the texturing just as convincing.

Moon Elon

However, as well as just being a convincing moon build and detailed contents, this does have a level of educational value as well. We have all heard the conspiracy theories behind the moon landing being a hoax… ‘the flag was moving but there’s no wind,’ etc etc. Well the information boards up there go through all these hoax theories and bust them all completely. I can’t say I am particularly enthusiastic about space and space travel especially, but I did find this fascinating. Certainly worth a visit, if nothing else, to enlighten yourself in regard to one of the most significan events in modern history!

You will find it here.

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Demoiselle’s rating is 7/10.
She would love to have seen more builds and info.
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El Haiga Classic Car Museum

Museums are not uncommon in Second Life™. Cars are not incommon in Second Life. But I have never come across a classic car museum in game until my exploring today led me here.

Classic Car Museum

Owned by lobisones Congrejo, the museum lies on a parcel on the sim ‘Classic Car Museum’ and charts in some exquisite prim detail the life of the classic car models from 1900 onwards. The cars are impeccably well built and the designs wonderfully authentic. They are built by a variety of different builders. What is also impressive is the fact that there is a notecard you can click to take with information about each car. So this is a great location for both those who just appreciate fine prim work and those who have a genuine interest in cars (or motorcycles since they have those too). there’s a great selection of racing cars (Formula 1 etc) as well as the classics!

The Classic Car Museum

The Classic Car Museum

The Classic Car Museum

I didn’t come across any of the models for sale within the museum, though looking at some of the creators of the vehicles, I am sure many of them sell them themselves. What there is in terms of items to purchase are classic car posters etc with prices starting at a very reasonable L$15.

Demoiselle was more interested in the ‘famous’ cars than the old classics. By famous cars I mean the vehicles from Ghost Busters, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Herbie all recreated here in prims!

The Classic Car Museum

Kudos to lobisones Congrejo for both the concept here and for keeping the actual museum itself relatively uncommercial and incredibly informative. Whether for motoring history education or admiration of some incredible building and texturing by the car creators, this should definitely find a place on your ‘places to go in Second Life’ list!

You will find the Class Car Museum here.

All photography comes courtesty of the wonderful Demoiselle Denimore.

Screwball Cartoon Avatars Sim

I confess…I have a soft spot for the Smurfs. Those loveable retro blue midgets bring back some rather happy tv memories. And the massive Smurfy presence on the Screwball Cartoon Avatars sim played a large part in my spending hours on this sim!

This is an entire region of a cartoon theme. The island belongs to Jenee Marten, whose landing point takes you to the front of her avatar store (which is also very cartoony in build). She sells some really cool avatars in there. There’s Looney Tunes, South Park, Smurfs and other well known ones and then loads  of original stuff including some really hilarious adult avatars. She has regular ones, tinies and miniatures. I have a couple of the miniatures from here and I personally haven’t seen better done toon avatars in game or avatars smaller than this in game either. They really are that awesome! There’s a lot of freebies available in the store too, cartoon type slippers etc.

Screwball Cartoon Avatars

What I love about this place is the fact that its focus is fun and not just commercial activity. Yes, the store is on there and the store is awesome. But this is a full sim with some really cool cartoon features. There’s a really great Smurf Village (which is perfect size if you’re wearing the Smurf miniature avs), there’s a giant Smurf statue on a hill (I’m going on about Smurf’s a bit too much here aren’t I?). There’s a cartoon style haunted house and little cartoon cottage, as well as a little Peanuts themed area and Winnie the Pooh themed area as well, a little Marvin the Martian  and planety more stuff too!!

South Park Elementary Replica

The Smurf Village

But it isn’t all just things to look at. There’s stuff to do too! There’s Bumper Boats that you can tour the whole island on and cartoon trivia on one of the decks over the river. For fishing fanatics, probably the best feature will be the 7Seas Fishing Deck. There’s a LOT of custom catches available here. While I was fishing there I caught some really funny original fish (yes they’re cartoony) and others around me caught some pretty cool animated shoulder buddies. There’s a list of all custom catches available to take too, which tells you there’s a SMurf shoulder buddy in there (here I go again with Smurfs), a Devil, Santa amongst others. And, surprise, surprise, they’re all cartoonish!

One thing not to miss is ‘Little Willy’s Porn Emporium’ which is a dirty little cartoon themed porn shop! You read it right! In there you can buy the ‘adult’ cartoon avatars Jenee Marten makes but the concept is original and funny.

Little Willy's!

All in all this is definitely a must see place. It’s completely different and very original. I haven’t seen a better cartoon sim in Second Life™. For anyone looking for fun stuff to do in Second Life, this is the way to go! You can find the Screwball Cartoon Avatars region here.

The Serenite Cutting Garden

The Serenite Cutting garden is a 2384sqm parcel on the sim, Serenite, owned by Keith Extraordinaire. This parcel is set aside for plants… free ones!

The note card you can take from the sign here tells us that Keith Extraordinaire has gathered as many free to copy plants from around Second Life™ as he could find and laid them all out for people to take copies of (or cuttings from hehe). He also invites people to send along any others they have that aren’t already out there to be shared. Some of them are created by him too actually. There’s everything here from poinsettia’s to cactii and the quality is awesome and certainly as good as a number of the plants available to purchase in game. Every single plant and tree is completely free. There are sculpted pots available to purchase for L$25 and gas heaters for the same price. This should be everyone’s first stop when looking for plants, trees or accessories for landscaping in Second Life

It’s such an incredibly simple yet effective idea. Kudos to Keith Extraordinaire for putting this together.

Serenite Cutting Garden

Serenite Cutting Garden

You will find the Serenite Cutting Garden here. While you’re there, I very much recommend you check out the rest of the sim too, as it’s very well done and a great place for exploring. The KX range of prefabs are awesome quality too!

Enjoy!

Aldarian Isle – Medieval Roleplay Community

I know that I have blogged before on roleplay sims and in particular the medieval themed ones. However, once again I have stumbled across one that offers that something different. Aldarian Isle is a complete medieval themed sim, but the emphasis here is on a northern European medieval village and as such the focus of it’s authenticity is on the builds, making it so much more than just a pretty location.

Aldarian Isle

At the landing point you are offered a note card, which is a full guide to the sim, as well as a visitor tag that it is requested visitors wear. They’re happy for people to walk around in ‘normal’ clothing, though ask that furries, toon characters etc change to a less ‘non-medieval’ for. Free clothing is provided at the landing point should you wish to get into theme. The sound effects at the landing point are not overbearing and actually go a long way to creating the bustling middle age village feel. Sound effects actually change in numerous locations across the sim, in line with the atmosphere and feel of that particular area.

I won’t go through the note card in detail here as you should go and check it out for yourself. Suffice to say that there is a good list there of places within the sim to visit, including a bakery and a couple of 7Seas fishing locations. Fortunately, I have a good graphics card and a system that can handle a lot, as does Demoiselle. Otherwise it might have proven a little too much for the computers as there is a lot going on here. My only complaint actually is that, as a lot of roleplay sims do, they have turned off fly here. Yes ok, so viewing admin options will enable you to fly, but the point is it is preferred that you don’t. The reason is that they want people to appreciate and take their time with the sim. In my opinion, I can do that flying and I really don’t like being told I can’t fly somewhere. But that really is my only complaint!

As for the sim itself, it seems that there is already a good community established and growing here. There is a tavern in which each time I visited people were dancing.

The sim has a good number of builds including a tavern, water mill, stables etc. There are beautifully authentic little market stalls too. Josef Roffo, the owner of the group that owns this sim (Aldarian Realm) actually created some of the builds around and about as well.

The Village Centre

Coastline

Water Mill

Although, as I have mentioned, the focus here is not just on pretty scenery but on making a real authentic medieval village atmosphere, they do the pretty scenery too! Behind the tavern you will find a forest and a beautiful one at that, that eventually paves the way to a rocky and rough coastline featuring ships, an Alchemist’s Tower building and Stonehenge.

At the risk of this sounding a little cliched, I really could not possibly begin to count the number of things I have missed in this review. And actually, I feel it would be a shame to point out everything because it would leave you without any surprises. If you visit one place today, make it this one. You absolutely will not be disappointed. Whether you roleplay or not, whether you like the medieval style or not, you should definitely teleport here. The reason I say this is because anyone with an appreciation of sim design, architecture, authenticity or simply a wonderful community feel to a place will love this. It allows for so much exploration here.

I can go as far as to say that this is absolutely one of the best places to go in Second Life™. Find it here.

– Broom Andel

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Demoiselle Denimore’s rating is a whopping 10/10.
Her only complaint is that she hated the red dragon
statue but the buck deer and the rest of the sim
was ‘perfect’ and thus makes up for it!
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