The Thin Man, a Leviathan and mythical creatures

Posted on by Inara Pey
Seanchai Library

It’s time to highlight another week of storytelling in Voice by the staff and volunteers at the Seanchai Library. As always, all times SLT, and events are held at the Library’s home in Nowhereville, unless otherwise indicated. Note that the schedule below may be subject to change during the week, please refer to the Seanchai Library website for the latest information through the week.

Sunday, August 15th, 13:00: Tea-Time At the Movies: The The Man

Published in 1933 / 1934, The Thin Man was the last of Dashiell Hammett’s five major novels – although it did not mark the end of his career as a writer, as he continued to write short stories and screenplays well after the novel’s publication.

The story follows Nick and Nora Charles, he is a former private detective, she a  wealthy socialite. Thanks to Nora’s wealth, the couple tend to enjoy a life of leisure, booze and flirting. Until, that is, they are asked to look into the mysterious disappearance of the Thin Man himself – one Clyde Wynant, a former client Nick helped in the past, and who vanished on a business trip ahead of his daughter’s wedding.

The story, rich in banter, humour and twists and turns was an immediate hit, quickly becoming the basis for a 1934 film starring William Powell and  Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora, and which kept pretty close to the novel with just a few changes (in the film Nick is a former police detective, for example).

It, too, was an immediate hit – so much so, that Hammett was commissioned to write five further stories (the second of which was co-written by Anita Loos) to used as the basis for a series of  sequel films produced between 1936 and 1947, all of which saw Powell and Loy reprise their roles (incidentally, the series retained the use of “The Thin Man” – originally a reference to Clyde Wynant, as noted, because many in the film’s audience believed it to be a reference to the character of Nick Charles).

What is particularly notable about The Thin Man and its sequels, is the relationship – the flirtatious repartee and banner – that marked their relationship, and which was sharply transferred to the silver screen in the first film, becoming a hallmark of the sequels and, later the television series (1957-59) in which Peter Lawford and Phyllis Kirk took over the lead roles. In this, The Thin Man is regarded as the archetype for the popular husband / wife detective series of screen and television that followed it.

So be sure to join the Seanchai Tea-Time team as they present the last in this mini-series.

Monday, August 16th 19:00: Goliath

The third and final instalment in  Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan series, Goliath takes us once more to the alternative past history of Earth at the time of the First World War, and a world divided between the Darwinists- those who have evolved genetics to make animals more useful to humans – and the Clankers, who have built their society on machinery technology.

Once again we join Alek and Deryn in their adventures, this time with both of them aboard the living airship Leviathan. Unexpectedly, the ship is diverted mid-flight over Russia with orders to pick up a single large create being transported overland by a fighting bear. Once aboard the whale-ship the crew set about constructing the machine as the ship continues on its way.

Passing over Siberia, the Leviathan comes across an area of great mystery: a devastated region where the trees have been flattened to form a great series of rings, the corpse of another whale-ship lying near its centre, the beleaguered survivors needing rescue even as they are protected from out-of-control and starving fighting bears by another strange machine.

Bringing them aboard the Leviathan, the crew discover the survivors have been protected by the work of one Nikola Tesla, a scientist and inventor who may have the weapon that can bring an end to the Great War.

As the adventure continues, Deryn, still disguising herself as a boy in order to be a part of Leviathan’s crew, struggles with her feelings for Alek and whether she should reveal the truth about herself to him…

Tuesday, August 17th

12:00 NOON: RUSSELL EPONYM, LIVE IN THE GLEN

Music, poetry, and stories.

19:00: Dragonfly

Willow Moonfire reads a short story from Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea sagas.

Wednesday, August 18th, 19:00 Creatures of Light and Darkness

Two gods, two houses, one quest and the eternal war between life and death. To save his kingdom, Anubis, Lord of the Dead, sends forth his servant on a mission of vengeance. At the same time, from The House of Life, Osiris sends forth his son, Horus, on the same mission to destroy utterly & forever The Prince Who Was a Thousand.

But neither of these superhuman warriors is prepared for the strange & harrowing world of mortal life. The Thing That Cries in the Night may well destroy not only their worlds, but all humankind.

With Corwyn Allen.

Thursday, August 19th, 19:00 Selections from The Book of Dragons

With Finn Zeddmorre.

Friday, August 20th, 14:30: Terry Pratchett’s Unseen Academicals

Football in Ankh-Morpork is not as we might know it. Rather than being comprised of rules and played within a recognisable ground, it is far more akin to the somewhat violent mob football of medieval Europe.

Not that this is a concern for the elderly, mostly indolent and (some might be tempted to think) somewhat inept old wizards making up the faculty staff at the city’s school of wizardry, the Unseen University. Until, that is, their very handsome annual endowment becomes subject to their playing the game themselves.

Thus, Archchancellor Mustrum Ridcully sets out a two-pronged strategy: to ensure the city’s version of football is restructured with proper (and favourable?) rules, and to put team preparations at the university in the hands of the talented candle dribbler, Mr. Nutt and his assistant, Trevor Likely, the son of the city’s most famous (if deceased – did I mention the game can be violent?) player, who are in turn supported by Glenda Sugarbean, who runs the university’s night kitchen and her assistant Juliet Stollop.

Except Mr. Nutt soon discovers he has problems of his own to deal with, and Trevor has promised his Mum he’ll never get involved in the game.  Meanwhile, Glenda has the daily responsibility of baking the Discworld’s best pies, and Juliet is about to find herself whisked towards the heights of fame as a fashion model, thus potentially leaving the team a little short on practical advice…

Join Caledonia Skytower as she presents the 37th novel in the Discworld series, and possibly one of its greatest satirical undertakings encompassing football, academia, traditions, the fashion industry, politics, love, fandom, and which mixes in more serious themes of identity, crab mentality and self-worth.

Mareea’s Summer Vibes in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey

Mareea’s Summer Vibes at Eulennest Art Gallery
Summer Vibes is the title of an exhibition of art by Mareea Farrasco that is open through until the start of October 2021 at the Eulennest Gallery, and which I dropped into over the weekend.

Mareea is both the owner / curator of IMAGO Land and the IMAGO Land Gallery, and she is also an accomplished art in Second Life, producing both landscape images and avatar studies with a deft hand and eye for detail. As the name might suggest, Summer Vibes is a selection of Mareea’s art focused on summer scenes.

Mareea’s Summer Vibes at Eulennest Art Gallery

Created in Second Life, the 14 images presented at Eulennest present summertime scenes, many with a coastal theme, and all of which have a strong focus on nature and flowers. Most of the pieces are finished as watercolours, their tone light and airy, reflective of the scenes they present, with some also finished in colour choices that give them a captivating, dream-like quality  – take Lavender Sky and Oblivion… as examples of the latter.

One of the things I love about Mareea’s is the manner in which she brings the sky to life. Whilst summer days can have clear blue skies, and remain bright under white rivers of clouds, so too can the summer sky carry with it the omens of weather to come. These are aspects that Mareea perfectly captures  – again, take On the Beach, Enjoying the Moment and Beach Grass; each offers a summer scene, time on the beach, the opportunity to relax on a wooden pier – but the sky of each has a brooding presence, the hint or promise that as the day draws to a close, so might the weather be on the change.

Mareea’s Summer Vibes at Eulennest Art Gallery

It is this breath of life, of familiarity in her scenes that makes Mareea’s art instantly attractive, and this is added to by the décor Mareea has added to the gallery space, the flowers inviting us further into summertime as this blend with her images to present a sense of presence as you explore the art.

An engaging and delightful exhibition, well worth visiting.

Mareea’s Summer Vibes at Eulennest Art Gallery

SLURL DETAILS

Sometimes, it’s better to wait

Posted on by Inara Pey
Yet more house play

The other day I wibbled on about the home island and fiddling with my Fallingwater build. Well, as it turns out, that write-up aged about as well as a political tweet…

The problem with me – well one of the problems with me – is that at times I have a half decent idea, and the half that would make it an actual good idea hides in the back of my mind while I try to ignore it because, well, sometimes things take a while to percolate inside my nogging. I’d say it’s an age thing, but…

Back where it should be, over the the water, and with one of the terraces back, with a slight mod

Anyway, that’s been the case with the “Fallingwater” build. In pulling it out of inventory, I decided (stupidly) that I didn’t want to make a huge number of changes to the island – despite the fact the grounds already included a stream fed by a waterfall. So I moved the house to the waterfront, made my changes and then wrote about things.

And then the thoughts of house, waterfall; waterfall, house, started circling between my ears. So, to cut a long story short, I’ve ended up flattening and rebuilding the home island, placing the house so that it could once again stand with waters dropping from an upland pool to flow, as they should, under the front terraces  before dropping away and out into the surrounding waters of Second Norway.

The TLG Chapel Ruins – a little night-time retreat, statue via ArtemisGreece and the plants via Alex Bader’s Zen Garden Kit

I’m not going to bang on about all the changes, suffice it to say that I think that this time, I think I’ve got the balance right; the house looks a lot better – I’ve even found a reason to put one back of the terraces I hacked out. The changes meant shunting the Chapel Ruins from their hilltop setting to the waterfront, but a little bit of terrain pounding means it can sit on a little headland next to the new moorings. But rather than prattle on, I’ll leave some photographic self-indulgence here.

But, any echoes of muttering you hear when looking at these pictures is probably the sound of me calling myself names for not having re-ordered things from the get-go, saving me more fiddling and an excess of blogging. Because sometimes, it’s really better to wait 🙂 .

The waterfalls may not be as high as those at the actual Fallingwater, but they work
And one more, just because 🙂

A closer look at the Linden Fantasy Homes and their sub-continent

Posted on by Inara Pey
Linden Homes Fantasy Theme

The Sub-continent of the new Fantasy theme of Premium Membership Linden Homes started coming on-stream on Thursday, August 12th, with an initial three regions being release, those with more being made available from the 13th onwards.

These new Homes have generated a lot of interest since there initial unveiling at the SL18B event in June, 2021. As indicated during Patch Linden’s Meet the Lindens session, these homes not only have their own styling, they are set within regions that have very different landscaping to the rest of Bellisseria, together with a custom ambient environment across all of the regions, which includes seasonal variations to go with the passage of the year.

All of this being the case, the decision was made to keep the Fantasy homes to their own sub-continent, separate from, but still a part of (in terms of naming and location) Bellisseria. As such, the new regions ley south of the Bellisseria extension that initially housed the Log Home theme, and eastwards of the Victoria Homes extension that allowed Bellisseria (with the aid of additional houseboat regions) to connect to Jeogeot. This position gives a fair amount of room for southward expansion, should it be required.

The new sub-continent, nestled south and east of Bellisseria “proper”, and east of Jeogeot

The theme encompasses four primary styles of home which, as I’ve previously described, are:

  • Amberbrooke: a large, open-plan central room with stairs to the upper level and front and rear access, flanked by two additional rooms. Upstairs are three rooms, with the central room featuring a balcony overlooking the rear of the property.
  • Mistbrooke: a large, single-level house with central entrance hall flanked by two rooms on either side, the two rearmost of which each provide access to a small terrace / patio sitting between the wings of the house.
  • Rosebrooke: central entrance hall, flanked by a large room to the right with access to the rear of the property, and a smaller room to the left. Stairs from the hall provide access to a landing with a room to either side, each with skylights.
  • Stonebrooke: a turreted entranceway provides access to a large main room with access to the rear of the property and further access to an inner hall / room that in turn leads to three further rooms.
The new Linden Homes Fantasy Theme – Amberbrooke

At the time I wrote about these style, I speculated whether these might also be offered in open plan variants as well, as happened with the Chalet Homes – and this was confirmed by Patch. Whilst the initial release will be of the the styles noted above, their equivalent open-plan variants will, I believe be:

  • Angelspell: a variant of the Amberbrooke, which combines the large central room with one of the two flanking rooms to provide a large ground-floor space with a second room to one side. Upstairs, a wall has been removed to provide a large landing / open room  with balcony access, whilst retaining the rooms on either side of it.
  • Moonspell: a version of the Mistbrooke, with a single large L-shaped room, and a single separate room in one of the rear wings.
  • Ragespell: a variant of the Rosebrooke, presenting a large open-plan ground floor room with stairs and access to the rear aspect, a single ground-floor side room, and upstairs a single large room accessed directly from the stairs, and a smaller side room.
  • Steepell: a version of the Stornebrooke, again with a single large room off of the turreted entrance, and a smaller front room.
Linden Homes Fantasy Theme: the interior of the Moonspell, the open-plan variant of the Mistbrooke

In my original piece on this theme, I critiqued it for being a little too “English Cotswolds meets Lord of the Rings”. in form, and felt that – accepting the unique ambient environment (that tends to make itself felt more at night) – this theme was more tinkering at the edge of fantasy ideas rather than embracing them. In response to that comment, a couple of people noted that as they are, these homes occupy a comfortable middle-ground. Their general styling and environment means they are likely to appeal to Fantasy lovers whilst being reserved enough so that those seeking somewhere that is comfortably “different” and which does not belabour the “fantasy” element might also find appealing – and that’s a fair point to make.

When previewing the theme, Patch Linden indicated that some means needed to be found to allow passage between the rest of Bellisseria and the Fantasy sub-continent without actually physically adjoining the regions. At the time he suggested that some form of mystical teleport portals or similar might be used to waft people from one to the other. Placed within the community areas of the various Bellisseria themes, something like this would actually work. Currently, however, the selected method of reaching the new continent without using a direct teleport is on or over the water – a channel has been set-up linking Rigamarole to the new sub-continent. From here, one can either fly, or use the rezzing point if they wish to use a suitable vehicle to make the trip.

Linden Homes Fantasy ThemeBut route is not all plain sailing / flying: head away from the Log Theme coast and the shy darkens, particle clouds pepper the air, lightning arcs and rolling waves churn (well, as effectively as they can in SL!) whilst flotsam and jetsam float on the water and sharks await the unwary. It is all very The Fantastic Journey-ish, but it also works, as beyond the storm, you emerge into glowing skies and “calm waters”, with the fantasy realm sitting before you (although the bay in which you arrive could perhaps do with some TLC). I didn’t note any similar passages on the west side of the sub-continent, but I’m assuming they may come in time, together with a community centre for the new theme, which a certain Garden Mole whispered to me would also be coming…

It will be interesting to see what kind of take-up there is for these homes. At the time of writing, pockets of 15-20 avatars were popping up on various regions within the sub-continent. I suspect those who enjoy home-hopping and like to try out the new styles as they arrive will be keen to try things out. I’m also curious as to how many who have thus far resisted a move from the current Linden Home might be swayed by this environment – or indeed, how many might be persuaded to take a newer-style of Linden Home in general, now another Theme has arrived. Certainly, I understand that things have now reached a point where there are now sufficient Linden Homes to ensure that supply of most styles can in general keep pace with the demand.

The Linden Home Fantasy Theme

Anyway. The Fantasy Theme is here, and the layout of the regions strongly suggests more are to come (and the sub-continent will hopefully get a coastline over time). So if you’re interested, go take a look. Or even if you’re not, you can still look at the Map and play, “spot the franchise / series / mythology” with the region names 😀 .

Links and SLurls

The vulnerability of a Tough Man in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Nitroglobus Roof Gallery: Tough Man – August 2021

The terms tough guy and tough man are generally defined as a person who is  strong or resilient; a durable, often pugnacious and of undoubted resolution and resilience, able to deal with hard or difficult situations or a hard life. Both tend to bring to mind the hard-boned loner – cowboy, warrior,  etc., perhaps battling the odds.  Someone of a disposition to be reckoned with.

All of this is true enough, as far as it goes. But the “tough” part of these terms isn’t just about being a hard man, a fighter, or similar, or in having to show any particular prowess off. The genuine “tough man” is a person of confidence, understanding, and strength of conviction and ethics such that he is willing to do the right thing; he is a person that doesn’t see the need to hide behind façades of toughness or be afraid to should emotions or vulnerability. 

It is these latter points that make Hilaire Beaumont’s new exhibition Tough Man, which opened on August 11th at Nitroglobus Roof Gallery, curated by Dido Haas, an outstanding selection of single-frame stories.

Nitroglobus Roof Gallery: Tough Man

Hilaire is well-know for his avatar studies, although he does not tend to exhibit that often in-world – something that makes Tough Man even more appealing. He also does not regard himself as an artist – a point I would dispute, because his works contain all the richness to be found in any true work of art, not just from a technical perspective: framing, lighting, colour, etc., but because of the sheer depth of story each and every image carries with it, together with the richness of life, vitality and emotion each conveys.

This is doubtless in part because of his background in role-play in Second Life. Creating and inhabiting a character is very much an artform it itself; bringing that character to life such that they can be believed and interacted with requires a strength of imagination and willingness to emote and remain in character.  Coming from that background gives Hilaire, I would suggest, a deeper connection with his characters, and this is evidenced in the twelve images presented in this selection.

Nitroglobus Roof Gallery: Tough Man

In this 12 images (the exhibition poster is actually by David Silence, albeit based on an image by Hiliare), all of them new for this exhibition, gets inside his characters in a manner that sets his work above others; whereas an avatar study is generally posed  and framed to convey an emotion such that the image is essentially a moment out of time, the avatar a puppet in the telling of the story, Hiliare’s work genuinely conveys the story of the character within each of these images. Thus, rather than being a moment out of time, these are very much moments in time, capturing a specific point in the life of the character.

And while they well be framed in “tough man” situations, they go further than the typical archetype; each one offers a depth of emotion that is the true hallmark of the tough man – that willingness to stand firm for what is right, to show vulnerability, to stand against odds for something worth believing in; to be someone who finds not loneliness in being alone, but the comfort of his own company.

Nitroglobus Roof Gallery: Tough Man

As pieces of art or as stories or missives on the nature of the tough man, these are pieces that have a lot to say, and as an exhibition, Tough Man should not be missed.

SLURL DETAILS

Walking the path to Buchhaim in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
The Path to Buchhaim, August 2021 – click any image for full size

Back in May 2020, Num Bing-Howlett (Num Bing) and her partner Clifton Howlett) invited me to visit The Empire of Dreaming Books, an environment to honour the Zamonia series of books by German comic creator and author, Walter Moers (see: An empire of books in Second Life). The setting quickly – and rightly – became very popular among Second Life travellers, who now once again have the opportunity to travel to Zamonia, as Num and Clifton present The Path to Buchhaim.

The couple were kind enough to extend a personal invitation for me to visit this latest installation of their vision of Moer’s mystical land over the weekend, which I was delighted to accept – although offering a write-up has taken a while for me to get to. 

The Path to Buchhaim, August 2021

With Empire of Dreaming Books, Num and Clifton set a scene fairly focused on the city of Buchhaim, with its myriad bookshops, printers, and publishers. Now, in The Path to Buchhaim, the focus switches the focus a little away from the city to expand on the landscape of the Dull Plateau that was to be found in part the previous design, and which here offers some of the many trails that cross the plateau to converge of Buchhaim whilst also offer some of the steppe-like feel of the Dull landscape (a name that while taken from the Zamonia books, is a contradiction in terms here, given the richness to be found as one wanders the undulating landscape, whether keeping to the trails or walking through the long grass and seas of flowers).

The Path to Buchhaim, August 2021

A portion of the city is still to be found tucked into a corner of the region. It offers what appears to the end-knot of the winding alley of Schwarzmanngaße, and shop number 333, the home of Phistomefel Smeik and his bookimistic laboratory. Here – should you decide to accept it – an Experience awaits with the opportunity to be teleported to three further destinations.

I had hoped one of these destinations might be the the catacombs, as presented in the previous Zamonia build. However, two of the listed options will carry visitors to Hidden Bottle, another region design by Num and Clifton, and which I wrote about in May 2021, while the third goes to The Digital Apperture, a skybound gallery Clifton and Num present. At the time of my visit, the latter featured an  exhibition by the couple entitled A Day at Elvion (a destination also on my list for a return visit, as I understand it has expanded to  Full region).  

The Path to Buchhaim, August 2021

Whilst not a part of the theme of The Path to Buchhaim, both of these destinations are very much worth dropping into, with Hidden Bottle offering a further bewitching visit for those who have not previously seen it, with the portals there obviously offering a gateway to reach this setting, those coming through them – and returning from the gallery – being delivered to the cobbles in front of the good professor’s shop. 

Of course, I may have missed an entrance to the catacombs if they are still present – in which case, silly me – but even without them, this is still a setting where the central character is that of the book. Across the region books offer places to sit or stand as walls or stepping stones or rise rise in piles – they even form a kind of landslide as they fall away down a slope and into the waters of the island’s coast. 

The Path to Buchhaim, August 2021

Also to be found throughout the setting are numerous places to sit, both for individuals and for couples or groups of friends. Most of these are outdoors, although a couple of the bookshops in the little corner of Buchhaim offer quiet retreats as well. And needless to say, the entire setting is beautifully photogenic, the region’s environment settings making for an ideal backdrop for images.

All of which makes for a richly engaging visit, and rather than prattle on here, I’m going to urge those of you who have not done so already, to jump across an immerse yourself in this introduction to Zamonia and explore the Paths to Buchhaim.

The Path to Buchhaim, August 2021

SLurl Details