For September, Cica Ghost brings us Nostalgia, a sepia-tingled world offering hints of some of her past installation and work whilst offering something entirely new for people to explore and photograph.
Spread under a custom EEP environment designed by Cica, and which offers something like an inverted lunar surface of s skyscape, the setting comprises a mix of flat plains and doughy hills rising like dumplings or lumpy loaves, their faces checkerboard of little squares. Both their strange ground cover brings to mind faint echoes from past builds. Creatures and balloons – further motifs those familiar with Cica’s work will recognise – are also awaiting befriending and discovering.
Cica Ghost: Nostalgia, August 2023
Many of the former are giant insects and garden creatures. However, rather than being of a variety you might reasonably find in your own garden (other than being somewhat scaled-up), some of these are creatures with a decidedly Steampunkian edge to them; others are – although still large – more “natural in their looks – such as a the large snake and its smaller cousin, happy to watch the comings and goings, and still others are as strange as the armoured insects and come in a variety of sizes.
Ladders – also a feature of Cica’s builds – might be found here, some of them giving a purpose to the balloons as they hold them aloft so they might form horizontal companionways running between the tops of some of the hills, overring visitors the means to pass between them without the need to descend into the plains and valleys below.
Cica Ghost: Nostalgia, August 2023
Within the lowlands (and on some of the hills) expressive little houses await, their sloping roofs with curled eaves, wide open doorways with curtained windows above and to either side, the carry an expression of surprise which is intriguing. Or perhaps they are all singing with unheard voices, whilst shaded by oversized parasols.
Also rising from the tops of the hills are strange structures. Some are held aloft any pipes / legs, others looks like gigantic plant pots. All have the feeling of being placed here by giant hands – but that they are is up to our imaginations to decide. Most offer another familiar trait common to Cica’s designs: places to sit, either on your own or with a friend. Elsewhere, again in keeping with #Cica’s work are places to dance and have a little fun.
Cica Ghost: Nostalgia, August 2023
The above really only touches on the familiar-yet-unique look Nostalgia exudes, making a visit a necessity of you’re to appreciate it all. Should you do so, keep an eye out for Cica’s gift to visitors. It is guarded by one of her creatures – but it’s a friendly character, despite its looks, and will do you no harm when you approach it.
Once again a trip into Cica’s rich imagination, one which might perhaps stir memories of childhood fairy stories (or, given the potential for multiple interpretations of the expressions on the “faces” of the houses – nightmares) which the passage of time may well have dulled in terms of whatever metaphorical colour they many have had during childhood, much like the sepia tinge Cica has given Nostalgia. As ever, a fun and engaging build
Grauland, August 2023 – click any image for full size
For summer 2023, Jim Garand offers a new iteration of his Grauland region (and home to his M1 poses store, located in the sky over the region).
Partially surrounded by off-region landscape elements (ALT-zoom out a distance and then tap ESC to race your camera back to your avatar if the off-region elements don’t render – this will hopefully cause them to pop-up), this is an engaging simple region design of a tropical or sub-tropical nature that mixes a cocktail of features and locations and encourages the imagination to take a sip and take flight.
Grauland, August 2023
Sliced almost entirely in two by the presence of an east-west oriented water channel, the region presents a landscape similarly oriented along the same cardinal points across both of the resultant land masses, with the uplands to the east and lowlands to the west, where sits a saltwater mangrove swamp. To the east and within the uplands, a waterfall drops from sheer cliffs into a broad pool, the water from it flowing east to enter the wetlands to mix its waters with the sea – although how much longer this is to remain as the sole route for the out flowing water to take is open to question.
This is because all that separates the pool from the waters to the east is a low rock-and-shingle bar, its presence suggesting the cliff at this point which may have once connected the two land masses has collapsed. It forms a low barrier ripe for the tide to wash away as it seeks to reach the cove, watched over by a single thumb of rock sitting just beyond the shingle.
Grauland, August 2023
However, the major point of interest for this setting lies with the ruins scattered across the landscape. Comprising hewn but unfaced blocks of stone, these take a variety of forms of mixed potential use. For example, one might be taken to be the remnants of some form of small fortification, with the footings of three round towers linked by curtain walls form a triangular courtyard; another overlooks the wetlands as the water channel passes below.
Across the water – spanned by a stone bridge – is a more extensive collection of ruins. In part, these suggest they may once have been a part of a western religious centre; the layout of the main structure resembling as it does that of a Norman-era church. However, the stonework seems to by far older than might be associated with such as structure. Perhaps the neighbouring ruins predate the church, and their stones were used in its construction. Let your imagination offer up stories of its own.
Grauland, August 2023
A stone stairway climbs the hill behind the ruins to where what’s left of a tower sits alongside of an open pool forming the head of the waterfall. From here it is possible to look back to the southern highlands and the strange arrangement of stones crowning the hill there. Quite what these are is also open to the imagination. Are they all that are left of the raised floor once belonging to a temple or palace, or something else?
More mysteries can be found down in the waters of the wetlands. Here among the mangroves and pines are two statues on raised plinths, offering hints of both Roman and Greek mythology. Also to be found over the waters here is a hanger belonging to the Grauland Flying Service – a place connected to the land via a wooden boardwalk. Its presence suggests this might be a remote destination for charter flights by those wishing to explore / study the ruins.
Grauland, August 2023
One the same side of the setting as the hanger is a cabin. Makeshift in nature it nevertheless offers a cosy retreat – but to whom is again open to the imagination – although whoever it is would appear to be a keen musician.
As with all of Jim’s builds, this iteration of Grauland offers multiple opportunities for photography, while the places to sit also scattered across it give plenty of choice for those wishing to sit and pass the time. And don’t worry about the jaguar (possibly acting as a stand-in for a panther?); he’s more interested in keeping to the shade (or having his picture taken!) than in hunting anyone!
It’s been a fair while since I last visited Sinful Retreat – nigh-on two years, in fact; and a lot has changed in that time. As such, a re-visit was well and truly overdue, as a flick through the Destination Guide reminded me.
For the longest time, Sinful Retreat was the home of the Janus galleries, a place defined by art both indoors and out, set within a landscape intended to both support and emphasise the art on display, and to present a unique environment that encouraged exploration and discovery. This latter point remains true with the current iteration of the region, as does the unique landscaping, with half of the region raised as a man-made plateau sitting atop and extending outwards from a huge mesa.
Sinful Retreat, August 2023 – Milly Sharple
However, where the former plateau sat as home to the main Janus galleries and an art street, this one is home to the Janus Manor, and expansive 3-storey building utilising DRD’s Scarlett Hotel. Whilst suggestive of a private home, the Manor is in fact a gallery, and home to an exhibition of art collected over the years by region holders Chuck Clip and his SL partner (and physical world wife) Jewell (FallenAurora Jewell), a collection covering both 2D and 3D pieces.
The collection is richly diverse, demonstrating but Chuck and Jewell’s support of artistic expression in Second Life and the richness and diversity of said art. Within the building, pieces can be found along the hallways, within the alcoves and individual rooms, with each area or room representing a particular artist. Thus, in exploring the Manor one will find art by Layachi Ihnen, JudiLynn India, Xia Chieng, Kayly Iali, Asperix Asp, LashVV, Perpetua1010, paula31atnight, Traci Ultsch, Sheba Blitz, Milly Sharple, and many more. They cover both original paintings and digital pieces produced in the physical world and imported into SL, and pieces produced directly within the platform.
Sinful Retreat, August 2023 – LashVW
Also to be found within the Manor house are 3D pieces which combine with those outside to celebrate artists such as Bryn Oh, London Junkers, CioTToLiNa Xue, nessuno Myoo, Meilo Minotaur and Livio Korobase, with some of the pieces offering a natural flow between the main house and the neighbouring ballroom, where further 2D and 3D art is to be found. In all, I understand around some 70 artists from across SL are represented, making this one of the most diverse and engaging public collections on display in-world, which it turn makes Janus Manor well worth a visit by anyone with any degree of interest in art in Second Life.
Nor does it end there, as the region comprises multiple locations offer to visitors to explore. The first, and perhaps most obvious in terms of the setting’s main landing point, of these is likely to be the Memorial Garden. Sitting at the top of another rocky plateau – this one rising out of waters in the north-east of the region, the Gardens present a place where those who have lost someone known to them either in-world or in the physical world can have a candle lit in remembrance, and perhaps even a memorial raised to them. Beautifully landscaped, the gardens also offer abroad stairway down to a broad, deep ledge under them – a pace for meditation, tai chi or even gentle conversation among friends.
Sinful Retreat, August 2023 – Fly Kugin
Sitting at the western end of the platform on which Janus Manor is located is an open-air elevator. It offers the way down to where both the Secret Garden and Studio Chuck can be found. The former is a formal garden sitting behind railing-topped walls, and through which a footpath winds its way, leading visitor past flowers and over water.
In addition, the garden is home to a further collection of 3D art featuring pieces by ArtemisGreece (another of my favourite artists in SL) and Phenix Rexen. Studio Chuck, meanwhile, sits as a home to Chuck Clip’s own art, both 2D and 3D. Beautifully expressive, often wrapped in meaning and metaphor, Chuck’s work is always a pleasure to view, and the Studio is a perfect / minimalist environment in which to appreciate it.
Sinful Retreat, August 2023
A raised walkway passes over the water at base of the Manor’s plateau from the gardens to reach the land under the platform. Sitting within the shadows here is another little retreat, set within the shadows of the platform overhead and home to a little secret (albeit pointed to by a little gathering of signs), and which may be worth a little exploration – although some additional lighting might be required. For those who prefer, the Secret Garden also connects to a woodland area, beyond which a little horse riding can be found, as can a number of private rental units looking out of the sea – so do be careful and avoid trespass beyond the hedgerows marking them.
For those who prefer an easier means of exploration, the setting does include a teleport system in the form of a directory of destinations. This provides direct access not only to the major locations around the setting, but also those within Janus Manor itself.
Sinful Retreat, August 2023 – Wan Laryukov
A genuinely engaging visit for art lovers and explorers alike.
Goatswood, August 2023, click any image for full size
I recently received a personal note from Hera (zee 9) Informing me that she has once more brought back her famous Goatswood build to Second Life and inviting me to drop in. It’s a place I first visited roughly a decade ago, and to which I most recently returned during its last iteration in-world in April 2022. It’s a place which Hera has always updated in some manner with each appearance, whilst also retaining the core of this very English rural township with strong vibes of medieval origins in its looks.
The latest iteration of Goatswood, which opened earlier in August (and which Hera informs me will remain available for about a month), continues this tradition in offering the familiar setting with some new elements. It share the region in which it is located with a new build, Houndstead Abbey, which very much carries on – in a manner of speaking – from where Whitby Abbey left off, having previously shared the region with Goatswood back in April 2022 (see: Revisiting Hera’s Whitby in Second Life), as well as enjoying a number of iterations at Hera’s hands.
Goatswood, August 2023
Throughout all of its iterations, Goatswood has offered one of the most naturally immersive environments for casual role-play available in Second Life, bringing together a rich mix of fantasy, Victorian-era elements (notably the railway station and stream train), the aforementioned medieval look and feel and a strong infusion of magic (be it dark or light).
Some of this history is celebrated within the short stories scattered throughout the setting (and thus encouraging carful exploration in order that they might be found and read) and which may help those interesting in doing so to enter the region’s photographic competition, which runs through until September 2nd, 2023 with a total prize pool of L$12,000 – of which L$8,000 will go to the first prize winner. Details of the competition can be obtained from the region’s landing point.
Goatswood, August 2023
Retaining the sense of a Cotswolds origin, this version of Goatswood brings with it the familiar windmill, the Roebuck Coach House and the church, together with hints of daily life from work at the smithy through to an abandoned attempt at cricket on a green which has perhaps seen better days (and which is set before The Shunters Social Club, which some of us from the UK might seen as a little nod to both railway social clubs and a certain television series of a few decades ago).
One building I don’t recall from previous iterations is the circular keep sitting to the north-west of the town. This appears to have once been outside of the main walls of the town, reached via the road beyond via the road beyond the stream following along that side of Goatswood and using a solidly-built stone bridge to span the stream’s steep banks to reach the curtain walls of the tower’s courtyard. However, given more peaceful times now prevail, some of these curtain walls appear to have been dismantled, allowing the tower to more directly join with the town, little more than a low wooden gate sitting between the well-tended gardens which now occupy a good part of the tower’s courtyard and the street leading back to the Roebuck.
Goatswood, August 2023
The tower is one of several furnishing buildings within the setting, and it offers a curiously attractive blending of fantasy with classical romanticism (such as the painting within the boudoir-come-bedroom on the middle floor, with its suggestions of Guinevere and Lancelot – or perhaps Tristan and Isolde, as both fit), medieval practicalities (the tapestries draped on the walls) and genteel English afternoons of the landed (afternoon tea and a spot of painting). All with just a flavouring of the magical essence that permeates Goatswood.
There is much that I could write about this corner of mythological / imagined England, notwithstanding my previous writings on Goatswood in these pages. However, it remains a place that should be best seen and experienced than written about – so I will leave you to catch the train from the landing point (touch the Goatswood sign over the platform, rather than – as with past iterations – touching the open door of the carriage). Instead, I’ll turn my attention to Houndstead Abbey, the second part of the setting, and reached via the sign on the other side of the landing point’s railway platform to that for Goatswood.
Houndstead Abbey, August 2023
As noted above, Houndstead is something of a spiritual successor to Hera’s previous Whitby build, inasmuch as it shares the region with Goatswood and has, as its focal point, the ruins of a large abbey. However, this model – once again an original by Hera, as is the case with the majority of her buildings and structures – is modelled after Abaty Tyndyrn (Tintern Abbey), situated on the Welsh bank of the river Wye as it forms the border between Monmouthshire and Gloucestershire.
Whilst the Dissolution of the Monasteries brought about Tintern’s fall into ruin, the abbey was, and remains of historic importance, being the first Cistercian abbey founded in Wales (1131) and only the second such abbey to be founded in Britain, founded just three years earlier in Waverley, Worcestershire. As they stand today, the ruins at Tintern represent the much larger, Gothic abbey structures which were constructed over the original buildings, starting in around 1269 and which almost completely replaced them, although hints still remain in the ruins available to visitors today.
Houndstead Abbey, August 2023
Houndstead shares much of a history similar to that of Tintern. Like the latter, it sits within a river valley – in this case the mythical Wyvern – and thrived up until Henry VIII stomped on things. Thereafter, and as Hera notes:
It was fair game for anyone who needed stone for building, and eventually it was reduced to just a shell of its former glory. In the early 1800’s a well-known artist of the period installed a statue of the Elven Queen at its centre. And soon after, a local theatre group performed Shakespeare’s A Mid Summer Nights Dream amongst the ruins [and] the ruin began to acquire a reputation as a place of strange happenings and fae magic.
– Hera’s notes accompanying the Houndstead Abbey build
Houndstead Abbey, August 2023
This reputation as a place of mystery and magic was probably due in part to the standing stones standing guard around a low mound not entirely out-of-place among the surrounding hills. However, whilst its form match match the gently rounded slopes of the hills, likely caused by the passage of ice in ages past, the mound is anything but a natural feature. As Hera again notes, it was found to be the burial mound of Saxon chieftain – thought to have perhaps been the original founder of the settlement of GatWode not far distant, and which in time became Goatswood.
Exactly where the town lies in relation to the Abbey ruins is hard to say. The presence of the stream suggests it is not too far from Goatswood, and the path running north from one of the bridges over the stream might well offer a route between the two – even if it does peter out after following the stream for a short distance. However, the sense of separation from the town gives the abbey a further edge of mystery – one greatly enhanced by the onset of night, when the light of candles (maintained by whom?) and lanterns illuminate the otherwise darkened abbey, and flames of naked torches guard the path to the burial chamber.
Houndstead Abbey, August 2023
As always with Hera’s builds, both Goatswood and Houndstead Abbey offer a lot to see and appreciate – and the photo competition may well make a visit quite rewarding!
Catherine Nikolaidis: The Body I Was Born With, Artsville Gallery 2, August 2023
It is two exhibitions for the price on one with this article – in part because both exhibitions have been open a while, and one at least is liable to be closing in the next few weeks; and in part because they both offer opportunities to appreciate the sheer artistry of Catherine Nikolaidis.
Catherine is a Second Life photographer whose work I’ve touched upon a few times in these pages, as she has participated in a number of ensemble exhibitions I’ve attended, but it is not often I’ve seen her work individually exhibited – some again, these two exhibitions are a dual treat for me.
Those familiar with Catherine’s Flickr photostream will know she has a penchant for black-and-white photography – something bound to attract me – and a focus on avatar studies, often using her own avatar, and this certainly the case with both of these exhibitions. More than this, however, is Catherine’s use of tone, pose, contrast, and overall composition. These come together with her innate sense of detail to create pieces which have a depth of life which genuinely suggests her avatar inhabits the physical world as much as she does the virtual, crossing easily and naturally between the two.
Catherine Nikolaidis: The Body I Was Born With, Artsville Gallery 2, August 2023
This is particularly true within The Body I Was Born With, which has been open at Artville’s Gallery 2 since at least the start of July 2023. Within it, Catherine presents 10 self studies which are both deeply personal in content and presentation but which all carry that sense of having actually been taken at a studio in the physical world. This is achieved first and foremost through an expressive and skilled use of chiaroscuro, the play of framed lights and darkened background, together with the play of shadow, used across the entire composition of each piece.
Then there is the choice of pose and position of camera; rather than presenting her avatar in full, Catherine offers glimpses, giving the pieces an more intimate presentation – yes, with nudity, but not the kind intended to titillate; rather it further enhances the sense of intimate revelation, presenting each piece as a part of a story.
Catherine Nikolaidis: The Body I Was Born With, Artsville Gallery 2, August 2023
There is much that could be said about this exhibition in terms of identity and identification – certainly the title of the exhibit prods the thought processes it that direction. However, I’ll refrain from jumping down that rabbit hole here; the vignettes contained within these ten pieces are more than sufficient to engage the eye artistically and the imagination narratively. What I will say is that this sense of personal expression and potential for narrative also winds through August Noir, which opened within the main gallery complex at the Kondor Art Centre in late July (and so is likely to be coming to an end sooner rather than later).
Here, again, Catherine uses black and white to present s series of images which offer both an invitation to enter into stories of summer and vacational escape. Again, they these are all pieces that are highly personal and where light and dark – more subtle than outright chiaroscuro – are a vital part of the composition and appeal of each piece.
Catherine Nikolaidis: Autumn Noir, Kondor Art Centre, August 2023
This is particularly noticeable in that out of the ten images within Autumn Noir where the subject’s face might be seen, in only one is it actually revealed; for the rest, shadow and angle play a role in obscuring her features. Thus we are somewhat cast into the role of voyeur in witnessing these pieces, far more so than with The Body I Was Born With; possibly because of the naturalness of the actions being performed: sitting, walking, swimming, enjoying the sun…
Within both of these exhibitions there is a musical fluidity; with The Body I Was Born With this might be defined as a sonata, whilst Autumn Noir might be seen as a rhapsody, further enhancing their appeal.
Catherine Nikolaidis: Autumn Noir, Kondor Art Centre, August 2023
All told, these are two highly engaging exhibitions featuring the work of one of SL’s most engaging avatar photographers and which really do deserve to be seen before their respective time in-world expires.
Ashemi Rising, August 2023 – click any image for full size
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.
Ashemi Rising, August 2023
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.
Ashemi Rising, August 2023
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.
Ashemi Rising, August 2023
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.
Ashemi Rising, August 2023
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!
Ashemi Rising, August 2023
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!
Ashemi Rising, August 2023
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!
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 