Going away with Captain Nemo in Second Life

Update: Fancy’s Deep has been relocated to Blake Cove and the SLurls in this article have been updated to reflect this. The submarine tour mentioned also no longer appears to be operating, but the relocation of the town means it is now alongside the regions devoted to the merfolk community.

Back in 2015 I wrote about the merfolk of Fanci’s Deep, who were holding a week of underwater activities to encourage folk to explore their undersea community, centred around the four regions of Fanci’s Deep. These form a part of the Blake Deeps, covering roughly 13 regions to the east of Blake Sea and south of  Blake’s Passage as it cuts its way westward from Blake Sea to Second Norway.

Recently, Caitlyn and I have been spending time within the Deeps, and so I felt a further blog post was overdue on their secrets.

With 13 regions to visit, it can be a little hard to know where to start. However, there are several places which can serve as a base for wider explorations, and I’ve listed them at the end of this article (as well as mentioning them in the text). For me, one of the best locations to start your explorations is the historic Freeport Township of Flotsam, Blake Cove.

Designed by Aley, Flotsam is a wonderful mix of humour and homage, focused on pirates, but with a literary aspect. Built entirely on  wooden platforms over the water, the town boasts a bank, shipyards, shops, quayside moorings and even the golden arches of a McSushi’s!

A clue to the literary homage can be found berthed at one of the quays: Captain Nemo’s submarine Nautilus, from Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea and as visualised Walt Disney 1954 film; feel free to board her and look around. There is also a reference to Journey to the Centre of the Earth: a “mole” tunnelling machine, also to be found on the south side of town. If you take your seat inside, you’ll be taken on just that journey – although finding your way through it does take a little time and effort; not all the routes are at first obvious.

There’s a further reference to Nemo, as well (as there is elsewhere within the Deeps): look for the tunnel leading down to the Captain’s undersea observatory, which sits directly under the town on the sea bed.

Given all this, the town really is worth a gentle wander – there is so much to see, both in the design of the buildings and within them. When walking the quays on the south side of the town, keep an eye out from the Kraken – itself a literary reference. Look out for the fire pits as well, as they offer a teleport system around points of interest around the region as a whole.

Flotsam is also the home to a submarine tour, although sadly not aboard the Nautilus. This is perhaps the best way to gain a feel for all that is available within the Deeps. At 30+ minutes in length, it’s a long tour, but your guide – Annie – makes it more than worthwhile, providing as she does a wealth of information on the history and myths of the regions. And she’s not against offering an opinion or two (“Don’t even get me started with his ideas about “Sea Chickens”, she grumbles whilst discussing Nemo’s undersea farming project, which apparently involves genetically modified cows and attempting to “grow tuna in their cans”).

Another starting point for explorations is the Fanci’s Deep welcome area. Here you can obtain assorted freebies to help you feel at home – such as mertails or a diving helmet and even a mini-sub. Advice is provided on the best viewer settings by which to enjoy your underwater experiences and where to go and what to visit. Alongside of this is the Safe Waters Foundation, which offers further information, complete mer outfits and transformation kits, and information on mer communities across Second Life.

The welcome centre provides walking / swimming access to the four Fanci’s Deep regions, were both public spaces and private merhomes can be found. Do please respect the privacy of the latter, but feel free to enjoy the former, most of which offer underwater dances every different to those found in a land club!

Elsewhere, you can try your hand at undersea chariot racing, visit sea farms, even have a day out at the (undersea) beach, complete with pier top funfair and an aquatic circus nearby!

When visiting the various locations within Blake Deeps, keep an eye out for the maps similar to the one shown at the top of this article – they offer map-based teleports to many of the locations to be found throughout the regions. However you travel around the Deeps – teleport, swimming, tour sub, your own sub or simply by following your nose and swimming / walking, these are an enchanting set of regions to visit.

Given their nature and the aforementioned Nemo references, it seems appropriate I finish this piece with a song from Sarah Brightman.

SLurls

All locations rated Moderate.

• Freeport Township of Flotsam (Blake Diego)
• Fanci’s Deep welcome area SLurl (Union Passage)
• Safe Waters Foundation SLurl (Union Passage)
• Seaview Park (Fanci Deep NE)
• The Hippodrome (Blake Cove)