Day: September 5, 2015

Escapades at five in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Join the celebrations at Escapades Island on September 5th-6th, 2015
Join the celebrations at Escapades Island on September 5th-6th, 2015

Loki Eliot’s Escapades Island is celebrating five years of activities in Second Life this weekend, and the gates are being thrown wide to all, with an open invitation for people hop over and join in the fun.

Things actually got under-way on Friday, September 4th – but there is still plenty of time and lots of opportunities for people to share in the festivities.

Loki describes the celebrations as, “a weekend of events celebrating 5 years of Escapades Island, as a way to thank all those who have supported the island by helping pay the expensive tier costs and playing the silly games.”

For those unfamiliar with the Digital Mischief Maker, Loki is the developer and creator of a wide range of mesh clothing, accessories, avatars, buildings and complete packaged games, including his brilliant Battle Balloons, in which players can take to the air in steampunk inspired balloons / airships and engage in air-to-air battles – see my review for more. He’s also extremely generous of his time with others (he once created and made available an entire starship battles game simply because he wanted to give his friend Billy, a Star Trek fan, “something epic”).

Escapades Island is Loki’s in-world outlet (so to speak) for his creative flair, offering a rich diversity of activities, some of them using the very latest from the Lab – such as the relatively new Experiences capabilities, while also showcasing his own creations and offering friends  and newcomers alike entertainment fun.

Escapades Island offers a host of activities, games and adventures open to anyone to enjoy
Escapades Island offers a host of activities, games and adventures open to anyone to enjoy

For the weekend, Loki has a whole range of activities planned, the schedules set out as follows (all times SLT):

Saturday, September 5th

12:00 noon
 Battle Balloon Brawl Trophy competition – round 1: players are invited to take to the air in the Battle Balloons to fight it out and be the last one flying
13:00
 Pirate Party with host Gemini Enfield – possible tavern brawls and a treasure hunt!
15:00
 Pufferfish Panic! – A race around the island
16:00
 Battle Balloon Brawl Trophy competition – round 2: players are invited to take to the air in the Battle Balloons to fight it out and be the last one flying
Experience Loki's Balloon Battles first hand
Experience Loki’s Balloon Battles first hand at the Escapades 5th anniversary celebrations

Sunday, September 6th

12:00 noon
 Goonies Beach Party
13:00
 Rocket Hoovers Race
14:00
 Epic Battle Brawl – location to be discovered!
15:00
 Beach Fire Chillout – just kick-back and relax

So, if you’re looking for something fun and different to do this weekend, why not drop in on the fun? And if you haven’t previously visited Escapades Island, this could be the perfect opportunity for you to do so.

Which just leaves me to wish a happy anniversary to Escapades – and pass warmest congratulations to Loki!

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Tranquil Dreams in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey

Tranquility Dreams; Inara Pey, September 2015, on FlickrTranquility Dreams September 2015 (Flickr)

Tranquility Dreams is a new region recently opened by Elvira Kytori, the creator of the always stunning  Timeless Memories, which I last wrote about in July. I leaned about this new addition to Elvira’s White Dunes Estate region through Kylie Jaxxon, owner of The Trace Too and a mutual friend to both Elvira and myself, who invited me over to take a look.

Offering a tropical island look and feel, Tranquility Dreams is split between a residential environment – the houses scattered across the island are available for rent – and public  beaches open to all for wandering and relaxing; the overall design having been put together with photographers in mind.

Tranquility Dreams; Inara Pey, September 2015, on FlickrTranquility Dreams September 2015 (Flickr)

The region’s appearance suggests – to me at least – a feeling of it perhaps being a remote part of the US Gulf Coast; a place facing the sea, off the beaten track, and maybe even once a small private estate, presided over by the large, colonial-looking beach house towards the middle of the region. With ivy clinging to its timber-framed walls, broad balconies and verandahs shaded from the heat of the sun, this seems to hint at money having once run through the area.

Around the house sit a number of smaller dwellings, all wood built and somewhat bleached by sun and salt air, their presence giving the impression that as the money faded, so the land was sold, and people hurried in to take advantage of the prime, ocean-facing real estate. Or perhaps those who once owned the big house built the other properties with the intent to rent them out and help offset the running costs of their little corner of the world.

Tranquility Dreams; Inara Pey, September 2015, on FlickrTranquility Dreams September 2015 (Flickr)

Whichever way you chose to let your own stories about the region form and grow, one thing is clear:  this is a tranquil place, just as the name suggests. The houses are all set far enough apart from one another to invite a feeling of cosy privacy when indoors, while all of them have a their own sea view to be enjoyed by whoever rents them. At the same time, the paths and tracks running between them and down to the beach encourage exploration and wandering.

The houses have all clearly been carefully chosen to complement one another and give a feeling of community and togetherness, with the result that each adds its own character and charm to the region. I confess to finding myself drawn to the delightfully named Dust Bunny Daisy Houseboat by Noel Melody (lxlNoel), which sits on a pair of pontoons just off the beach.

Tranquility Dreams; Inara Pey, September 2015, on FlickrTranquility Dreams September 2015 (Flickr)

With ambient sounds, broad beaches to roam with chairs and picnic spots a-plenty, and a landing point located on a small offshore sandbar connected to the island by a wooden walkway, there is an easy charm to Tranquility Dreams which SL explorers will doubtless enjoy. And if you are looking for a new place to call home, you might just find yourself seduced into staying.

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