It’s been a further two-ish years since I’ve had the pleasure of visiting an iteration of Ashemi, a place constantly reborn out of the imaginations of Ime and Jay Poplin (Jayshamime) (and oft with the support of Shaman Nitely, who invited me to one of the first iterations of the region nigh-on seven years ago!). Throughout its many different version, the setting has tended to present or at least heavily lean into Sino-Japanese and Asian influences, and while these can be see scattered throughout this latest return, it’s probably not unfair to say that the setting also draws as much on western influences as those from the east, bringing both together in a manner which is engaging to the eye and camera.
Perhaps the best way to describe Ashemi Rising, as this setting is called for this iteration, is that of a repurposed oil or natural gas platform sitting out in blue waters somewhere. Repurposed, because gone are the derricks and drilling and recovery equipment, etc., from the broad working decks and levels of the platforms, and in their place has – for whatever reason – grown an entire community, with places of business, what appears to be private homes (I would note that they are not actually private – the entire setting is open to exploration – they are just dressed to look like folk live within them), entertainment spaces and gardens.
That said, some of the original elements of the formal use of the platforms have remained: stairways still zigzag their way up the outer edges of the various levels as they once did to allow workers to move easily between them without have to climb over / around / under / past machinery of a size and with (in some cases) a motion which might cause the unwary passer-by to have a squishy (if potentially brief) encounter with heavy plant should equipment and individual end up inadvertently find themselves occupying the same space at the same time. There’s also a helipad, and even some of the internal work spaces and offices within the various levels remain, if also repurposed.
This is actually a dual platform set-up. Presumably at one time one the platforms acted as the working platform with actual derrick and drilling equipment and the other either as an ancillary platform; possibly a pump station for transferring oil or gas from storage to tankers to take it to land (something suggested by the large pipes passing along the underside of the walkway connecting the two), or perhaps as an accommodation platform for off-shift crew, allowing them to eat, relax and sleep at least with some buffer of space between them and the noisy, wet / mucky working rig.
It is this connecting walkway between the two platforms which forms the landing point for the setting. It’s not hard to imagine this once having been much narrower, perhaps only as wide as the pipes running under it, but which has been widened (and fenced) to meet the rigs’ new function and provide a broader, safer, crossing between them both, complete with separate foot and vehicular throughways. Admittedly, it does appear to have become something of a dumping ground, whilst the recent arrival what appears to be a bolide which has partially buried itself in the asphalt covering part of the walkway may well have given rise to some jitters among those using the crossway, even if it does speak to the robustness of the build, having buried itself in the structure rather than blasting clean through or exploding on it and causing who knows what amount of additional damage.
The platforms towering over either end of this walkway have been individually named Ashemi and Ashemi Rising. Of the two, the former – and slightly less complex – platform offers up the suggestion that it might have once been largely devoted to crew accommodation or storage. I say this because it is has something of a cleaner look to it; not that it is in any way pristine, but more a case of it doesn’t have the appearance of having had quantities of drilling fluid (“mud”) sloshed across its decks or ever having been home to any form of opening through its levels for the Kelly lines / drill bits to run through (while the pipe work under the lowest deck suggests again, it may have been for gas / oil storage, if not for accommodation and recreational areas.
Now the main deck of this platform serves as a public space, dominated t one end by a huge aquarium, the mezzanines above it offering more open spaces from which to observe whatever is going on below as they rise up to garden spaces, together with the old helipad. True, drums marked as containing hazardous material are to be found, and some of the NPC personnel are in hazmat suits, but with the lighting, the dancers (also NPCs), seating, etc., all watched over by the local equivalent of a Borg queen, it’s hard to see this as a “dangerous” location.
At the other end of the walkway, Ashemi Rising carries far more of a “working” look too it, its flanks duelled and greyed with wear. The main decks or levels look like they might once have surround a central work well, complete with what might have been an opening for drilling pipes and the Kelly lines. This also has something of an organic feel to it that the Ashemi platform lacks, despite the fact it is home to gardens and greenery.
By that I mean a lot of the structures on Ashemi Rising have a look of spontaneity about them; that they’ve popped up simply out of whim or the the need to offer more space to folk moving in (notably in the construction of a couple of apartment-like blocks) or simply the desire to shorten the walk between two points through the use of a hastily thrown-together bridge of rope and wood. It is also here that the more out-of-the-way habitat spaces – cabins, really – might be found, clinging to the tall legs of the platform. They sit high above the water to avoid unexpected bath times should the weather whip up the waves, yet far enough below the main decks to discourage people from dropping in without invitation. The hover bikes and craft parked on them give a clue as to how the “owners” might get to / from them – but for the visitor wishing to pop down to own, the trusty sit TP works just as well.
With its greater number of levels, nooks, walkways and buildings (some with interiors and general spaces (keep an eye out of Ime’s little gallery!), Ashemi Rising is liable to require the most in the way of exploration. It is also the place where the most nods to various sci-fi, fantasy and Anime genres might also be found. These run from the fairly obvious / semi-corporate, through the likes of William Gibson (in written and screen form) to more little-known shows (Total Recall 2070, anyone?) among the western influences. Even Starbucks gets an indirect mention!
From The Hive, the club occupying the main deck adjacent to the connecting walkway between the two platforms, it is possible to make one’s way upwards by ramp, steps and catwalks to the upper levels, each with its own richness of content to attract the eye. However, and as is the case with Ashemi, down shouldn’t be ignored as an option; the lowermost level of both platforms each presents a large cargo elevator that is also suitable for human use. Whether part of the original build or not, I’ve no idea – let your imagination decide for you – but both provide access to floating docks at water level which are most clearly not a part of the original rig designs.
These form makeshift wharves and moorings for a range of small vessels, including sampans and old motor cruisers, as well as offering a small market space – presumably where visiting trawler / fishing boat owners can trade their freshly caught fish for other supplies. In addition, some of the locals have also decided to set-up home here and away from the nose and confines of the rigs overhead. Although I’m not sure the partially-devoured and slowly rotting whale carcass floating a short distance from the wharves offers the most delightful of scents if the wind happens from that direction!
With androids and robots as well as the NPCs, together with hover bikes and flying cars (and boats, in at least one instance – and I do not mean the type given to having wings and the like!), Ashemi Rising presents an interesting cyberpunkesque / potentially dystopian world with plenty of questions hanging around it: are the rigs inhabited as a result of a Waterworld type of need? Why else have folk opted to live here? A commune escaping the drudgery of land-based life? Thus, it offers much for the imagination to create a plethora of possible back-stories. It is also, needless to say, highly photogenic!
SLurl Details
- Ashemi (Queen Dreem, rated Moderate)
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 