pre-Other Other
Baker Bloch enjoys the view atop a beach cabana in Otherland. Blochs attempts to ride the dolphin spied in the water but can’t. 😦
What’s up with all the updated underwater sims? Here’s one from Otherland again, of all places.
OMG. *She’s* still here. I suppose I can’t keep this from Hucka D.
Oh… I decided we need a family outing. In Otherland, probably. That’s why I’m… er, Baker Bloch is there. Scouting.
More soon.
Other…
“Thanks for being here in the middle of the night again Wheeler.”
Wheeler:
I’m here. Greetings.
bb:
To the reader, primarily [first]: I think our trip to Otherland may have to be cancelled.
Wheeler:
Oh don’t do that. Are you punishing poor, little Esbum?
bb:
She’s been bad lately. Escaped our watch.
Wheeler:
She is…
Hucka D.:
Hello guys.
bb:
Hucka D., do you know Wheeler?
Hucka D.:
We are adjacent.
bb:
Interesting. I wanted to ask Wheeler about RS7, I believe. Tonight.
Hucka D.:
Wheeler cannot talk about that any more right now. He’s helped a lot already, though, hasn’t he?
bb:
Yes. (pause) So Hucka D…
Hucka D.:
Yeah?
bb:
Baker Bloch saw Hurla Dontbee last night for the first time.
Hucka D.:
That only interests me now as synchronicity.
bb:
You’re lemon stand was still there as well. I was frankly surprised… it’s been awhile.
Hucka D.:
It *is* synchronicity.
bb:
Do we still need to go there?
Hucka D.:
*Yes.*
bb:
Logging in, then.
*****
bb:
“Oh, Hucka D. I forgot to talk about Notherton I was so excited about going to Otherland.
Hucka D.:
Yes, we need to talk about that.
bb:
Is this a Mossman establishment?
Hucka D.:
Obviously. Not far from Mocksity. North of that. North Otherton. Notherton. Almost a palindrone, actually. [but not really]
bb:
What is it?
Hucka D.:
An ancient city site.
bb:
Is it connected to Otherland in SL?
Hucka D.:
Might be.
bb:
Has Grassy ever visited the place? Or Gene Fade?
Hucka D.:
Not yet, but soon.
bb:
Can you say anything more about it?
Hucka D.:
Notherton is within the contiguous Frank Park, and fairly central within. It was a northern Mossman temple center. They worshipped [delete name].
bb:
I don’t think that’s possible. Did they know of the Ubertemple?
Hucka D.:
They, of course, knew of Mocksity.
bb:
Is Mocksity the same as the Ubertemple?
Hucka D.:
Sylver Forest. You must study more.
bb:
What do the pentagon shaped group of trees mean?
Hucka D.:
A sign… that you’re on the right track. You need to take pictures. And you…
bb:
The microcosm I found. Then I lost it. Mysterious, perhaps.
Hucka D.:
Lost. From view. Microcosm. Island.
bb:
Should I talk to Grassy about it?
Hucka D.:
Mocksity should not be visited until the late spring, when the trees and plants are out again. Notherton can be visited anytime. Central.
bb:
Should I get rid of…
Hucka D.:
*No.*
bb:
Alright. Thank you.
Hucka D.:
Sleep tight.
Otherland Prelude, 1
Baker Bloch in an icy realm looking for a good fishing hole for the family outing. That’s his plan anyway.
Then just over a hill, kind of in a northeast direction, lies another iced over lake, but with too many houses surrounding it for his need, he feels.
Bake continues to the west in the quest to find the perfect fishing hole. He runs across this rather interesting house with a mixture of hobo-like and modernist textures. The wallpaper with the couple mutually kissing an octopus (left) was kind of freak’n him out, so he didn’t linger here long.
I mentioned that Otherland seems to be getting in on the underwater embellishments as well, probably mirroring what the Lindens are doing in Nautilus City and also other areas (Bay City, Nautilus continent, Moon Base). The Otherland sim of Xabbu seems to be the center of such activity, with this large, domed structure in the center of the center of the sim, in turn, seeming to be a more pointed epicenter. The work doesn’t appear finished, though.
More underwater snapshots from the Xannu sim… there’s definitely a fairly different underwater aesthetic going on here than in Nautilus City, Bay City, and other mainland locations. I want to say it’s less refined, but, as I said, the work seems to be unfinished… And certainly it’s much less extensive than the Nautilus City creations.
Interesting reflections in the water Baker Bloch comes across in further explorations of the island archipelago.
Somehow, unexpectantly, he makes his way back to the beach bungalow visited several nights before.
Otherland Prelude, 2
Otherland is certainly an interesting archipelago, topographically. While none of the inclusive islands are as large as Azure Island #1, where the Bakers now reside along with Hucka D. and Esbum Michigan, there are 3 that stick out above the rest. The largest of these I’ll call Otherland I.#1. It is spread out over about 25 total sims, although the actual area is smaller than this. It seems to be about the same size as the Nautilus City island that I’ve already written about extensively in this blog, or, in another comparison, between the sizes of the two largest Azure Islands (what I’ve been calling Azure I.#1 and Azure I.#2). Otherland I.#1 has been the focus of Baker Bloch’s quest to find the perfect fishing hole. He’s almost settled on a spot, it seems.
There are two other, larger islands that stick out from the rest in the archipelago in terms of size. Baker’s already started exploring both to some degree, in fanning his quest outward. What I’ll call Otherland #2 is the slightly larger of these two islands in question. And currently, unlike Otherland #1 and also Otherland #3, which I’ll get to in a moment, it does not have a wintery theme attached to its landscape. That’ one of the things which baffled me when I returned to Otherland a week or two ago: the places that Hucka D. roamed this past summer, such as the area containing the Bee’s Nest Mtn. lemonade stand, and Hurla Dontbee, and whose grounds were as green as an emerald at that time, are now covered in snow. And furthermore — get this — the entire archipelago seems to have shifted halfway across the SL grid as well (!).* I’ll perhaps have more to say about that certainly unexpected move in this blog soon, most likely connecting it back to Azure Islands again. As I think I’ve mentioned once or twice now (can’t remember), Otherland may be the closest relative to Azure Islands on the Linden grid currently — probably is. And I’m seeing now that I had overlooked many of its obvious virtues in former forays into the region. I’m trying to rectify that oversight this winter.
Just to wrap up the individual island discussion, Otherland I.#2, in the current southwest corner of the contiguous archipelago, is about the size of Azure Island#4. Like Azure I.#4 and also several other of the larger Azure Islands (#2 and #5, namely), a large volcano lies near its center. But its most interesting feature may be a “man-made” one: a monorail completely encircles the outer rim of the island.
Otherland I.#3 is about the size of Azure I.#5, and lies directly east of Otherland I.#1. It’s topography is similar to the larger Otherland #1 as well.
The vast majority of the other island in the archipelago, and they are numerous, are under 1 sim in surface size, with the largest of the remaining island being perhaps just a little over 1 sim in size — far as I can tell. The smaller islands are also dividable into those with a wintery theme, like Otherland I.#1 and #3, and those with a summer or tropical theme, like Otherland #2.
So below we find Baker Bloch exploring one of the many smaller islands, this one with a more tropical climate. I believe that’s a colorful cutout of Buddha on the side of the cliff in front of him. Baker plans to investigate, at least in a playful, surface manner, the religions of SL more in the future, since he is a member of one himself, albeit a “religion” that has to be coupled with both game and philosophy aspects in order to legitimately manifest as a true phenomenon. I’m talking, of course, about TILE.
Baker sits in a house on the same island, making notes on the interesting textures found within. Such a different aesthetic from the Ubertemple, he thinks, with both being quite legitimate approaches to creating a pleasing, even worshipful space. Perhaps I should remind Baker Bloch that he shouldn’t enter the houses of people without first asking for an invitation. True and thorough explorers are sometimes forgetful about that common curtousy in their thirst for knowledge and adventure.
And another, somewhat larger tropical island nearby, this one with two large parcels (out of three) still up for sale. And quite reasonable too. But Baker is too tied to Azure Islands now to move again, at least so soon. And he’s not really a beach person either, although the mountainy aspect certainly appeals to him. But… no.
*****
About a day after creating this text, found a web page on this move. Check here.. Still incredibly fascinating that you can move 150 sims so quickly.
Otherland Prelude, 3
So here’s where everything gets a little odder. Well, not quite here on this particular island yet, but nearby, and connected with pictures in this particular post.
Blochs found the builds on this tropical island quite interesting in the complexity of the layout. This reminds me, a bit, of the Cocoa Beach parcel next to Azure I.#5 described in this post, ‘cept without an actual cave in the mix this time. And any parcel containing a John Lennon Ave. just notched itself a step above the run-of-the-mill by that fact alone.
I also like the fact that they planted so many trees on the island. Hmmmm… maybe this isn’t quite a tropical island after all, given all those pines.
So here comes the really interesting stuff, perhaps. I won’t give the location out, but it’s in the corner of one of the larger islands, surrounded by lots that are up for sale. And at first glance it appeared that the island’s corner lot was available for purchase as well, since it was heavily forested like the rest, and with no ground house apparent amongst the many trees.
And here, at the very corner of the island, Baker becomes quite convinced that no one really occupies this parcel, although it doesn’t appear to be for sale. The landscaping is beautifullly done; Baker Bloch fully identifies with the invoked feng shui. Yep, this is most definitely a tropical island.
In rounding the corner of the island Baker then comes across a beautiful waterfall. In getting stuck between two of the rocks surrounding the falls, Baker 1st learns that he is unable to fly on this parcel. After some struggle he reaches the top of the perhaps 20 meter drop to find a cave behind the falls. And inside the cave this stargate, and a mysterious book lying directly in front of it. The title and author were whited out, though, leaving only the word “Secrets” on the cover.
Before Baker Bloch is able to read the contents of the book, the owner suddenly appears behind him. And although he may not have been quite aware of it — could be wrong here — the book’s owner would also hold the key to Baker Bloch’s Otherland quest: he would show him, by actually launching Baker Bloch *off the SL grid* via a powerful rocket, where the “true” Otherland lies. Baker is still unclear as to actually where the rocket took him, but he knows how to get there again. And he knows… well, let’s just save more of that improbable tale for later.
Beyond The Beyond
“Hucka D., I wonder if we could speak to Wheeler tonight, perhaps?”
Hucka D.:
You bet.
Wheeler:
You found it. Congratulations.
bb:
Your island/planet.
Wheeler:
I am the alien. A new beehive is in order.
bb:
I will begin hallucinating soon. Wheeler visions.
Wheeler:
You must follow the white rabbit to the end of the world. Then jump.
bb:
Peter rabbit.
Wheeler:
Yes. Jump. Monster. Minster. Minister. Jump. Jumbo. Maria. Neptune. So on. So on.
bb:
We’re going to start by simply putting the pipes and The Arab in the sky, Wheeler. Perhaps.
Wheeler:
That’s fine.
bb:
And keep a record, of course, of our explorations.
Wheeler:
My island/planet should remain hidden for now. (pause) I am next to Hidalgo.
bb:
I *can’t* wait. Thank you so much Wheeler.
Wheeler:
I am here to help. You need to talk to Hucka D. now.
Hucka D.:
Yes, good job Baker B. You can thank [delete name]. He is like you, right?
bb:
Except for the hunting part.
Hucka D.:
But you want to fish in Otherland. On your family outing.
bb:
I blasted off and landed on Wheeler Island/Planet. How high were we?
Hucka D.:
It’s 666 meters in the sky. Almost inside the sun.
bb:
Let’s call it 667 and it’s a deal.
Hucka D.:
Done and done, sir!
bb:
Thank you both. See you soon.
Wheeler:
I have some things to say before you leave baker b. I want you to do something for me. First you must jump but there’s more. I want you to go back to Hobo Island.
bb:
Ok, t’wll do.
Otherland, 1
I’m really beginning to like this place.
* More scenes from Otherland*
This is the *other* Otherland. 😉
The monorail mentioned before.
“The Castle” (this place is huge!)
The “city” of Otherland I.#1.
Another possibility for Baker’s desired fishing hole.
Otherland, 2
Baker Bloch is sliding deeper and deeper into the idea of buying land here. He sits on a boardwalk enjoying one of the many waterfalls the islands have to offer. But this one may be special, especially if he follows through on the main plan he’s turning over in his mind presently. I can hear the gears turning even now.
Yet another frozen pond, this time near the center of Otherland I. #3, as I’m calling it in this blog. Obviously not a suitable place for a fishing getaway. Baker Bloch has no interest in buying and learning to work an ice cutter. Too much trouble, plus I’m sure it’d be a bitch to tote all around the forests and mountains and shut. But it’s a beautiful lake anyway, with a considerable amount of protected forest on the mountain range to the east.
Here’s Baker Bloch walking that eastern range just mentioned to demonstrate the considerably forested aspect.
And then he finds this beautiful little peninsular area further north on Otherland I.#3, complete with obviously hungry, begger-type swans that seemed to follow him everywhere. Must be use to being fed by the locales, he reasons.
Very interesting winter wonderland. Enough so that Baker Bloch considered it picture-worthy anyways. Baker Bloch wonders how much a teepee like that would put him back. But here he’s thinking more prim count that Linden dollars here, mind you… as I read recently, prims are the *real* currency of SL, and I suppose it’s true.
Back on the west coast boardwalk of Otherland I. #1, Baker buys a $1 demo fishing pole complete with 5 free casts. After using two as practice on the boardwalk, and catching an actual fish with the second cast — something called a blue juv emporer — Baker is encouraged to head over to that potentially perfect fishing spot he’s had his eye one to test it out for real. He then is very disappointed to find that the rod indicates no fish are in the bay. Smart fishing pole! Well, that’s when it really started, because baker realized that the only way he and his extended family (Edna Blinker, Baker Blinker, Hucka D., Esbum Michigan) could fish here is if he himself bought the land and stocked the water in whatever way demanded by his chosen fishing pole. And that’s what he’s on the verge of doing.
Another shot of his fishing spot through the trees from just beyond the edge of the property he’s thinking of buying.
‘Nother Decision?
“Hucka D. or Wheeler, it seems like every month or so, maybe all the time, crucial decisions come up for the Bakers. This is one of ’em.”
Hucka D.:
Not really. You can’t leave the Ubertemple now. You either commit to both Otherland and Azure Islands or you just commit to Azure Islands. Why don’t you rent an office for the propogation of TILE in SL? Just for the fun of it.
bb:
There’s only one place in Otherland I could do this.
Hucka D.:
Well, I suggest you do it. Leave the other Otherland to me. I’ll know what to set up.
bb:
What?
Hucka D.:
I can’t tell. Maybe a freebie tent is involved, maybe not.
bb:
Why do things *change* in SL so rapidly??
Hucka D.:
You change with it. That’s why it is important to stick with SL now. You modify each other. And your art is not suffering. You’ve created the Hidalgo series, you’ve created Carrcass-1, and soon you’ll create the Wheeler-Jasper collages. All while heavily involved in SL. I’ve — I mean Wheeler has provided you with your own island/planet just outside the SL grid now. You must be close to that now. So can you move the Ubertemple?
bb:
Sure I could. But I don’t think I want to, as you said.
Hucka D.:
What are your options, then? (pause) What more are you looking for from SL?
bb:
Not a whole lot. I just want to live in Otherland now.
Hucka D.:
Well… live there.
bb:
What’s with the Hilo-like peak on Wheeler’s planet/island?
Hucka. D.:
That is a central secret. Look up Stephen while I’m thinking of it… oh, I forgot to mention that map synchronicity research has been amplified because of SL as well. Ozmo and shut.
*****
bb:
Nothing really conclusive there, Hucka D. What else can we talk about tonight?”
Hucka D.:
Wheeler is here.
Wheeler:
Hello tonight baker b.
bb:
Hi Wheeler. Nice to speak with you again.
Wheeler:
Did Blochs find his fishing hole?
bb:
Yes, I believe he did Wheeler.
Wheeler:
I thought he had. You must build there.
bb:
Not enough money Mr. Wheeler.
Wheeler:
Cut out a latte every week. (pause) You must use Arcadia Asylum material again. Based on circle. View of castle… really cool. You can go there all the time. Then the protected land to the north. Then the small and charming city to the east. *Then*, my realm. You found it. Congratulations.
bb:
I must move there, mustn’t I?
Wheeler:
What is in store for you is in the store.
bb:
I guess it goes back to what Hucka D. asked. What do I want in SL?
Wheeler:
Hucka D.’s Hurla Dontbee will be very nearby as well. The lemon stand. Bee’s Nest Mtn. Do you know…
bb:
That isn’t where he’s really from, is it?
Wheeler:
You should ask him.
bb:
I don’t think he wants to talk about Hurla Dontbee any more.
Wheeler:
How much more incentive do you need?
bb:
I’ve *really* got to give up something this time, then, Wheeler.
Wheeler:
Latte. One a week.
bb:
This escalation must end.
Wheeler:
You get so much enjoyment out of this, bb. You need to continue. It increases your psychic energy. You must build a second temple. Do you know what that temple will be?
bb:
The Ubertemple represents the summary of SL experience for me now.
Wheeler:
Arcadia.
bb:
I’ll give it a week. To mull over.
Wheeler:
Good idea. You have the money from the mainlands sell. Use it.
bb:
I’m going to send Baker Bloch over to your planet/island again.
Wheeler:
Hucka D. is the one with the plan. Walk in from there. You’ll like it!
bb:
Thank you both.
Otherland, 3
On the Wheeler Island/Planet again. What is the meaning of that peak? This place?
More interesting underwater topography occurs just a sim down and left. But I forget… he wasnt’ really in SL in that first pic, and probably not here either. Must remember that fact. No, this is probably somewhere else, still. Other.
Yes, now Baker Bloch has emerged back onto the SL grid when surfacing out of the magically cloaking water, with another impressive view of the only commercial district in the archipelago. In scounting out the place more thoroughly later on, Blochs finds that most of the buildings are not yet for lease. Lease is also expensive in the places that are presently available. Any store here would be most likely out of his price range. His goal, probably, does not really include SL commerical aspects anyway.
Only a short hike through wonderful backcountry to his chosen pool. Beautiful, but no fish, as he understands now, thanks to his smart fishing rod.
Baker Bloch heads south and views, through the trees, Hurla Dontbee and her motley crew of fellow jiggling critters. But he doesn’t want to get too close this time and disturb her needlessly. He’s just taking in all the sights tonight, which would include…
… a hike up nearby Bee’s Nest Mountain, as Hucka D. dubbed it last summer. He extends his draw distance out to 256 meters but still can’t see…
… this huge castle to the north, a little out of his realistic visual range at about 500 meters distant. It’s, however, considerably closer to the fishing hole and attached potential property he would own, so it could become a very important blog element in the future. Time will tell shortly, most likely.
Now I Did It…
Baker Bloch serves himself a mug of fresh coffee located on a picnic table just outside the new land — yes, I *did* buy it (story in a moment). Strange thing, one of a number: next time I visit this space to get some more of the delicious, hot coffee, the table is gone, along with those horseshoe impressions you see to the right. I’ve, however, been assured that the horse path is still there by the owner of the land in the meantime.
Baker Bloch, full of caffeine now and mind totally alert, presses, once more, on the “Buy Land” option while right clicking the parcel. Always a sweet and satisfying moment. This one set me back 36 dollars, but I already had that amount in Linden dollars in my account already, from all the money I made when liquidating my mainland parcels in Rubi and Tyta. In addition, the tier is $24 a month, same as for the larger of the two pieces of land I still own in Nieth on Azure Islands. Not for long though, perhaps.
Ready for this? So I went to bed shortly after this, satisfied that I’d bought a piece of winter wonderland in SL. So pretty! But low and behold, I woke up the next morning, logged on — was still at land — and, *overnight*, the grass had grown and the snow had melted. How could this be? Perhaps strangely, but perhaps not so strangely, I wasn’t really that sorry to see the snow go. I have enough of that in real life right now. So, yeah, this is better. Must have been just a holiday thing, this snow cover. Something to look forward to now if they reinstate the same next year! What a nifty place this is.
Some more shots of Baker Bloch walking around the suddenly green property, taking in the sights from this new perspective.
Bakers’ Shack
Tried a good number of houses before settling merely upon this really, really simple, *4 prim* fishing shack.I modified the interior so that you could see out better, especially through the front where the beautiful bay is. This is the house that fit best with the environment. Now I’ll also have more prims to work on the skybox — and I have more plans for that now (…in a moment).
Not sure why all these things are in the shack, but I just wanted them there. Could be that I script the items so they’ll give you notecards. Still haven’t decided if I want to “stock’ the bay with fish. Probably not, but not entirely sure of that.
View from further away. Ain’t it purdy!
Another view of the shack from Baker’s former fishing spot. Kind of a pseudo-beach thing going on at this spot still (that would also change — more “weirdness”).
Then Baker Binker logs on and goes over to the shack to see for herself. In exploring the region to the south, she also discovers this swing, and can’t resist.
You can’t quite see the shack directly from the swing, but you can if you walk a couple steps south on this hilltop.
And this would be the view from that particular vantage point.
Loose Thoughts, Chatting…
Before I bring in whoever wants to be brought in tonight, thought I’d talk for a minute about Gene Fade, perhaps the last Mossman living in our dimension. I believe I’ve found out more about Mr. Fade, including where he was born and where he spent part of his mature life, at least the early years. He was born on or around Jupiter Rock in Frank Park, a small jut containing a large red patch of mineral on its side, like Jupiter has its Big Red Spot. Fade, in my discussions with him today, says the rock was named after the planet because of this. He also states that he owned a successful business in Notherton, not too far away (to the se). He first said it was a hattery, then quickly corrected himself, saying it was more of a cappery, since they sold what we might consider a variation of a baseball cap. I asked him if Mossmen played baseball and he said they played a version of it, but home runs are much more common, like every other plate appearance by a batter. He also said they played with 9 bases instead of 4. The more he thought about it the more he realized it was not much like our baseball at all. But he said that’s the closest comparison he can think of. Fade continues to say that he gave up his successful business to become an artist at midlife. He also began to explore and wander, especially the interior of Frank Park and RIVER. He also informed me during our conversation that Frank Park came before Herman Park, and that the latter was formed out of the former. He said he bet I didn’t know that, and I admitted to him that I didn’t. We’ll go into ramifications of all this soon.
I suppose we should move into the whole new land/new shack/new skybox thing. Well, not much to be said yet, except it’s a *perfect* place for a fishing shack. Great view, nice land. Now I have to make a decision whether to keep it long run, or give it up in favor of the AI property. I don’t think a shift of the Ubertemple in its present form would be possible. My thinking is that I’ll eventually have to sell the property, if I want to keep the Ubertemple in SL. But I’ve certainly been wrong before in my guessing. Again and again and again. It should be fun, whatever happens. Blog fodder, you know.
“Let’s bring in Hucka D. now. Hucka?”
Hucka D.:
What nice land baker b. I envy you. But of course, I’ll live there too, ha ha.
bb:
Very close to Hurla Dontbee. Are you sure you’re comfortable about that?
Hucka D. (clearing throat):
Hey, don’t worry about that.
bb:
I want to ask about Bee’s Nest Mountain more, but perhaps not tonight. Let’s talk about this Wheeler Island/Planet instead, one of the reasons I bought the land. Unless you have something else you want to chat about…
Hucka D.:
All’s I can say is: keep going there. Measurements are important.
bb:
I’m not really tempted to put something way up in the air now, Hucka D.
Hucka D.:
And that’s important in itself. Good enough reason to buy the land there, setting aside money issues.
bb:
What about [delete name], the alien hunter?
Hucka D.:
He has accomplished his mission. To get you to that planet/island. And, a bit, to bring you to Otherland.
bb:
I think I’m going to start at the se corner of Otherland and begin exploring the islands one by one, in a logical fashion. Avoiding that nudie beach I know will pop up shortly after starting the…
Hucka D.:
We must talk of Wheeler more now.
bb:
Should we bring him in again?
Hucka D.:
Errrrr, yeah, why not.
Wheeler:
Hi again baker b. Nice night tonight, isn’t it?
bb:
Sure. Hi to you too. Thanks for showing up. (pause) Do you have any information about, well, this Otherland, Azure Islands, Mainlands triangle I’ve formed now?
Wheeler:
Mainland is gone. See ya. Azure Island: Hello!. But then… Otherland. Paradise potentially. Better than Azure Islands. But Ubertemple on AI. What to do? You take the easy way out, he he, and have land on both places. You have your cake and eat it too presently. But you must choose eventually. Which way to go away from the mainlands? There’s always been that dichotomy in your stays on Azure Islands. You just didn’t realize it until now, or it remained [largely] latent. You have to be on the largest island of each, the one closest to a continent. Small islands do not necessarily appeal to you, even those of several sims. It has to be big and diverse enough to hold your interest. So the spots you pick in each estate landship are similar. Now you must weigh. Now I have my druthers on this, but I don’t have to live there, work there. Not really, anyway.
bb:
Are you an avatar in SL, Wheeler?
Wheeler:
No. Not yet.
bb:
Will you be?
Wheeler:
That depends on you, really.
bb:
Can you talk about RS7 tonight, if I just use the acronym?
Wheeler:
Um… a little. (pause) This is what Hucka D. is worried about.
bb:
Hold on…
*****
bb:
Yeah, it’s probably too early for that.
Wheeler:
And dangerous! (pause) Hey baker, enjoy your house!
Hucka D. (quickly coming in):
Fascinating person, isn’t he? So much help already for us.
bb:
I suppose that’s it for tonight.
Hucka D.:
Suppose. We’ll see.
bb:
Thank you.
Long Draw Shots
The below shot is not my own. It was found through querying the Snapzilla site for pictures related to “Otherland”, and dates from March 2007. The title of the snapshot is “Otherland From Mt. Pithlit”, taken by one Ghoti Nyak. Now to begin to give the reader a better perspective, the so-called Mt. Pithlit here, obviously named after the sim it is located in, is the same as what Hucka D. has been calling “Bee’s Nest Mtn.” in this blog on a number of ocassions, first visited in this post way back in May 2008. I now know, in addition, that this mountain lies within a 4096 parcel (same size as my Otherland fishing shack now occupies) protected by the Otherland group.
While standing on Bee’s Nest Mtn./Mt. Pithlit himself, Baker Bloch attempts to take a similar shot. He is very curious to see what’s changed in the environment, and what, if anything, has remained the same.
A good start is Bee’s Nest Mtn. itself, the rock topped mountain lying near the center of each. This mountain and the protecting 4096 parcel have changed very little. It’s unclear from the 2007 photo if there’s a hole in the top of the mountain at that time, like there is today and which gave Hucka D. reason to dub it the “Bee’s Nest”. But the rock formations at the top appear quite similar, so it stands to reason that the hole was probably there as well when the earlier snapshot was taken.
Accustomed to such rapid change in SL, I was surprised, however, to see that a number of buildings and structures have remained the same over an almost 2 year period. And, in addition, although the treehouse just above Bee’s Nest in the 2007 photo is not present in the new one, my guess is that this is the same treehouse pictured in this earlier blog post, and where Baker Bloch found more of those seemingly-always-meaningful-when-spotted lemon trees. In fact, in checking another, more aerial view snapshot of mine in that post, I’m sure now its the same treehouse. Shame that had to go.
Another thing to especially note about the two snapshots is the drastic difference in appearance for the Stephen sim between the two. In the present snapshot, the entire square of the sim is almost complete covered in an unbroken forest, save for the waterways. Thus the boundaries of the square sim are also rather easy to make out; the draw distance, set at 512 meters, conveniently takes in the landscape all the way to the northern border of the sim before abruptly cutting it off. Contrast this with the 2007 photo above, though. Most if not all the parcels of the Stephen sim at that time appear to be occupied (!).
Here’s another Baker Bloch snapshot taken from near the northern border of the Stephen sim, giving one a better view into the forested region. Only the Bakers’ lonely shack to indicate any sign of civilization within now.
Another Bloch snapshot, taken while standing on a mtn. similar in size and composition to Bee’s Nest Mtn, looming directly about the Bakers’ shack. No hole in this mountain, though.
Another snapshot from the same location back to Bee’s Nest Mtn. in the distance.
Then yet another from the same spot looking the other direction, and toward the massive expanse of Castle Verloren, yet to be covered in any detail in this blog. It’s quite nearby, though.
Then I thought I’d slip in a snapshot by Hucka D. this time showing the new version of The Temple of TILE, hovering directly above the shack at a lofty 600 meters. Another monstrosity in the sky, albeit not quite as large as the last one in Neith.
So… what happened in Stephen? My guess is that it has something to do with re-terraforming the sim, as gleaned by several other snapshots by this Ghoti Nyak. Perhaps the terraforming took place in correspondence with the March 2007 snapshots, since I was soon to learn that one of Mr Nyak’s specialities is terraforming. But I do remember from my visits last spring/summer — as partially testified by the red construction gates seen on the border of the sim in this snapshot and also this one — that the whole sim of Stephen was deemed “under construction” then. Now why it hasn’t been repopulated yet in all that time is another mystery. A subject I’ll return to soon, I’m sure.
OI#1, Neighborhood Hike 1
Interesting contrast of winter and summer near the south shore of Otherland Island #1. So, should Baker be craving that hot coffee or not?
Well, he forgot that it has been derezzed in the meantime anyway. It’s almost as if Blochs has the power to dematerialize certain things within a day or two just by touching them! Here he is in the park that *use* to have the fresh, steaming hot coffee in a pot on a picnic table, noticing a fallen tree. Interesting to find out if the owner of the park purposely made this tree appear fallen, or if it is just an accidental effect.
Nice landscaping within the park for sure, which occupies an entire sim immediately to the north of Stephen. You can be sure that Blochs will be visiting often.
The sim/park is centered by this large pond, or perhaps one should call it a small lake. Whatever, here’s Baker standing on the dock at the pond or lake, looking out over the clear, blue water.
Baker resting at a bench on the east side of the body of water. In the next post, he’ll be exploring that small mountain range he’s staring directly at here, also mainly within the boundaries of the park.
OI#1, Neighborhood Hike 2
Another nice hike through the park to the north, and more. The west side of the Hain sim, as are many sims in the Otherland region, is parallel to a mountain range, in this case one rising from the northwest corner of Stephen and continuing to the northern edge of Otherland Island #1 in Hinteregg, about 500 meters straight north. Nearer its southern end lies a type of plateau area on the east side. This is where Baker Bloch is standing in the snapshot below, looking east.
Several times in this blog, I’ve mentioned the lone commercial district within the contiguous Otherland archipelago, in Antibes. The backs of the highest elevation stores in this district butt right up against the top of this ridge, such as the pretty pink shaded one below.
View toward the pond/lake visited in the last chronicled hike in this blog, in the center of the Hain sim.
Baker Bloch was rather surprised to see a blue flower growing all alone by itself in the rocky ground at this height. Description just said “Blue Flower”, created by famed SL designer Luna Bliss.
Passing the commerical district, Baker Bloch soon decided to drop down on the ridge to the west to avoid several house built on the top. In circling back around the ridge at the edge in order to begin the return home, Blochs was surprised to see this dep gorge effectively splitting the high ridge in two in Hinteregg, certainly an interesting topographic anomaly of some kind. A bridge spanned the two parts of the ridge just ahead. Baker had to go investigate…
Hmmmm… another of those “Otherland Under Construction” planks. But… okay something weird has just happened to Baker Blinker upon inspecting this site closer. Let’s then return to that at a later time (!)
Another interesting grassy knoll on the island Baker Bloch finds after crossing the high bridge leading from Eschach. This would then be on the large island exclusive to and also completely dominating the landscape of Hinteregg.
Loose Thoughts, Then Chatting?
So… the Ubertemple is still on Azure Islands and always will be attached to those islands. But essentially I’ve rebuilt this same Ubertemple in Otherland, and decided to revert its name back to the Temple of TILE, or perhaps the New Temple of TILE. Or I could just call the former Temple of TILE the*old* Temple of TILE. Yeah, I think I’ll do that. But I’ll get to a new series of posts explaining the changes between the Azure I. Ubertemple and the “New” Temple of TILE very soon. Not tonight probably, though.
This is what has happened: I’m selling all the Azure Islands property and pulling out there. Already! And, as I said, I’ve bought the 1 4096 parcel in Otherland and have erected or reconstructed the Ubertemple on this parcel. With its base at 600 meters, it’s even higher up in the sky than the Ubertemple (500 meters for the latter). The newest version of the temple is also not as massive as the former version, being about 2/3rds its size. But it is based on the same 2 modules, or what I’ve called B_Hivia and ToT (original 30x30x30 meter cube). And the arrangement of these modules is similar, if not exactly the same. One could say its a more reasonable version of the Ubertemple, since the new version is packed full of art and the old one had to remain about 1/3rd empty. I still have the Sky Forest, with the same trees, same rocks, same plant rezzers, same table/chair arrangements… looks quite similar, except the shape is a little different.
The land I bought in Otherland is 4096 meters, which is a little larger than the largest of the two Azure Islands properties. But the real advantage comes in the regular, square shape (64 meters on each side), which helped me to refine the idea of the Ubertemple, or — better — to see a very legitimate alternate version which is 2/3rds its size, because I think the Ubertemple, really, is just as legit, if not exactly practical for the prims allowed on the Azure Island property. In order for it to *really* work, I’d have had to keep the property above it, if I wanted to fill it out more. For the new version of the temple, this is not so much a problem. Even with erected the temple on the parcel, cramming it full of art, creating the Sky Forest, leaving almost all the thick vegetation on the ground intact, and sliding in a tiny shack with some additional stuff within — I still have about 145 prims to continue to work with. Actually, make that about 113, because Otherland owners recommend that you keep around 32 prims open to allow air and water travel through your land, a reasonable request I suppose.
So, in summary, I’m *very* happy with the way the parcel turned out, and the temple. It’s hard to image it working better, given what I had. And I see that it was best to first build the *Uber*temple on Azure Islands, given that land is considerably cheaper there. Without buying the two parcels together, I may not have found out that the Ubertemple and certainly smaller or edited versions thereof (like the new temple could be said to form) can be built on 4096 property or even a little smaller. But I’m certainly also glad that I could return to Azure Islands, where my first properties were, if only for a little bit. Now I have that out of my system — and I haven’t ruled out a return in the future, maybe to the same piece of land that I’m in the process of selling (perhaps coupled, again, with the parcel immediately to the north) — I’m moving on. It was still a tough decision, but it got considerably easier once I knew that I could move/revise the Ubertemple.
I have some more decisions now:
*Do I buy the parcel to the west of me, also a 4096, to protect the view from my shack and give me more prims to work with, probably in the form of another skybox? This is certainly a future option, although right now I’m not sure it’s the best idea. The new temple is the summary of what I’ve been building in SL, and Otherland seems to represent the endpoint of a search for a “true” home in SL. The new temple combines the idea of the gallery and the temple that I’ve been refining since the early days of my Gliese existence, since Edna’s photography has been integrated, essentially, into the core of the temple’s meaning through the Herman Park pictures (throw in a couple of my own as well). And for me it gives me a place to display my art 10×10 opus that I’ve been working on for a number of years, and in a logically enough fashion. In the new version, as I’ll explain soon, the first half is found in the East Wing of the new temple/gallery, and the second half in the West Wing. This makes sense to do because the opus itself is symmetrical in a large way between these two “evenly divided” halves.
In terms of exploring, I’ll probably be hiking a *lot* around Otherland, continuing my intial efforts. Fascinating landscape! Much more interesting, I still say with a sad note, than the Azure Islands landscape that I still respect for other reasons. But I made out a list of pros and cons of each: Azure Islands and Otherland. And Otherland really won hands down. So I shifted. Hopefully I might have found my true home in SL, at least for a while or perhaps until SL goes away for good, which doesn’t seem to be happening anytime soon. I am an Otherlander now.
I still want to explore/continue the Nautilus Cy. underwater landscape, and may start — or finish — that quite soon. Atoll mtn. range — still want to do that. There’s much more to chronicle within SL, even through the search for home and the search for a “perfect” gallery/temple may be over in ways. And there’s always the Arcadia Asylum material I could work with; had to dispense with all that in making a “pure” version of the gallery/temple, and one without unnecessary lag.
“Let’s see who wants to chat tonight, if anyone. Hucka?”
Hucka D.:
Present. Hello baker b.
bb:
Hello yourself Hucka D.
Hucka D.:
I am back home. With…
bb:
Hurla Dontbee?
Hucka D.:
Um… yeah.
bb:
Are you still Charles Nelson Blinkerton?
Hucka D.:
Wheeler wishes to speak now for a bit.
Wheeler:
Baker B., you are at a door. (pause)
bb:
Ok. Thanks. Can you give me some more details?
Wheeler:
The door is the Wheeler Island/Planet. My Island/Planet.
bb:
To complete the 10×10?
Wheeler:
You must immerse yourself in the history of Otherland. Geography. Topography. Castle. Beehive. Hurla. City. Park. And your own sim as well, before it is…
bb:
Ruined? Denaturalized?
Wheeler:
From your shack you can see the world. The World.
bb:
I’m going to walk to your island/planet tonight again.
Wheeler:
Every night. Well, every other night. Or at least once a week. You must go.
Hucka D. (quickly moving in):
Thank you baker b.
bb:
Thank you.
Temple of Neith — there are *2* of ’em (!)
“Hucka D., we need to talk if you don’t mind.”
Hucka D.:
We sure do.
bb:
I’ll just ask it directly. Do I need to keep the Ubertemple of TILE at the Neith sim?
Hucka D.:
Bluntly: no.
bb:
Alright, I’ll accept that for now. I don’t have anything to put into it anyway. The only thing I’m thinking is blog pictures. Should I turn over the caretaking to another individual?
Hucka D.:
Er, no.
bb:
Hucka D., you *made* this thing. It’s different — larger — than the Otherland temple. It’s a bit unique, then. Built for the property, as we — you — did with B_Hivia on Gliese 1 and then the original or old Temple of TILE on Gliese 2. (pause). Hucka D., you still there?
Hucka D.:
No. (laughs)
bb:
I think I have to keep that property.
Hucka D.:
Ok. But: no. I built it as you said. I can say that safely. Go to Otherland. Other. New mythology. Azure Islands is not supported now. Not really. Otherland: owners are proactive. They’ll protect the builds there. But, yeah, you’ve found the center of your fascination with Azure Islands. But you know this means *I* am Neith as well, since he/she took the form of a bee to build his/her temple. What’s in the temple, then?
bb:
Atlantean stuff.* Knowledge. Akashic records.
Hucka D.:
You need to go back to Nautilus City, aka Nautilus Island. [whatever]
bb:
There are several islands involved: Azure I.#1 but also #2. Otherland I.#1, Burning Life Island, as a matter of fact, and then, obviously, NC/NI. All are in the same ballpark as far as size goes, with AI#1 the largest and AI#2 probably the smallest.
Hucka D.:
Have fun!
bb:
Thx!
* The Temple of Neith-Atlantis connection is summarized in FAQ under the question, “Where was the city of Sais?”
Chatting Once Again…
“Hucka D., something very important before I forget: I think I might have found the planet that Grassy and the whole Mmmmmm civilization is from. The equivalent to our Pluto. The real end of the Appalachian Trail, now forgotten. Grassy; Mt. Oglethorpe. I’ve found Grassy Noll. I know this because, well, Gypsy Curse, er, Purse is right next to him, it, there. This is Pluto. This is the Moon. Moon of SL. This is where Grassy is from.
Hucka D.:
That is correct. That’s where the rocket sent you. From Otherland I.#2.
bb:
This is the 9th, the one that the Council of 8 became instead of kicking it out. The 9th. Pluto. Planet and not dwarf disk. Reattached to the end [of the solar system]. I found it. I’m reattaching it; that’s my prerogative, um…
Hucka D.:
You are forgetting…
bb:
I’ve found Grassy Noll, as obviously indicated by Gypsy Purse in the immediate vicinity. This has something to do with Hurla Dontbee doesn’t it Hucka Doobie? We must talk about that now.
Hucka D.:
Not quite yet. But: yes.
bb:
And Neptune was there at the boardwalk just as I was leaving the shore of Otherland I.#1 tonight. Seeing me off, as it were. The 8th, Neptune. Before the 9th, or preceding the 9th.
Hucka D.:
You’re getting good at this!*
bb:
So I’ve found the 9th now. Baker’s Planet/Island that Baker Blinker was looking for before I showed up on the scene.
*****
bb:
Hucka D., I’m wondering if the 9th can also be Ozmo as well as Grassy? Both are green drunks or perhaps alcoholics, after all.
Hucka D.:
Grassy is my counterpart. Ancient mortal enemies but now friends. Sort of. The bloodshed ended in The Wilderness [of TILE Creek].
bb:
Is…? never mind.
Hucka D.:
But: yes.
bb:
So many answers already found in Otherland. Obvious that we had to move here.
Hucka D.:
Obvious. (pause) But you still want to talk about the Temple of Neith stuff.
bb:
Yes. A theory, then: the Egyptian Temple of Neith was much like my temple in Neith [sim], in that it was a little too large and a little too empty. The *Uber* had to be erased, simultaneously with the decrease in overall volume by 1/3rd [i.e., the new Otherland version of the temple is 2/3rds the size of the Neith/Azure Islands version]. But… what about the Atlantis information gathered from hieroglyphs at the Egyptian version? What would be the equivalent to that in the SL Neith “double”?
Hucka D.:
Neith is TILE. She has a veil. What’s underneath? Rubie. Rubie and Silver. Rubi; Sylver. All that still applies. The temple is being marked at each spot along its travel, like the Red Violin. Each location has a story. It has merely begun a new chapter… in Otherland. The real story of this blog, of your [baker b.’s] travels in SL, is not the Bakers but the temple and attached gallery.
bb:
What of the Arab? In maps, that’s intimately, exclusively even, attached to Grassy and Gypsy. The Arab is a ship in Sink, Sank, Sunk, Missouri. Grassy’s territory.
Hucka D.:
I don’t wish to talk about that tonight.
bb:
Should we end?
Hucka D.:
I wish to see the purse. Take me there.
bb:
Ok.
*****
bb:
Almost forgot Hucka D. Found out tonight that The Arabia was a side wheeler. Wheeler. (pause) Hucka?
* Hucka D. later indicated to me that Neptune will always be there to see me off at this point.
Hiking, OI1 North, 1. I
This windmill in the southeast corner of Verloren is just a stone’s throw from my property in Stephen. It makes a good landmark for most of my home based explorations heading north and west.
This time we’re heading north after reacing the windmill, to skirt the moat in the Verloren sim that encircles Castle Verloren. The moat is almost as big around as the sim itself, which tells you that the edge furtherest from the castle is never very far from the Verloren sim border.
Back of the great castle itself viewed from just beyond the moat to the west. We’ll tackle it in a separate series of posts another time. I promise.
The cottage of the caretaker of the castle stands in the northwest corner of Verloren, almost directly north of the windmill in the southwest corner of same.
The moat then drains into a creek flowing northward, starting with this pretty little waterfall, once more protected by the Otherland Building group, a 256 square meter parcel this time. I should also mention, because I don’t think I have yet in this blog, that the entire sim of Verloren, and thus the inclusive castle and grounds, represents protected land as well. The waterfall pictured below lies on the border of Verloren and the sim to the North, called Schwangau, which probably takes its name from a Bavarian tourist village near the German-Swiss border. The next several photographs of this post show additional scenes from this sim…
…including this one, depicting a considerably smaller, privately owned castle near the border of Horn. Baker was interested in the fact that the castle was built directly into the granite of the ridge separating Schwangau and Horn.
Following the ridge past the small castle, Blochs comes upon another of the many lakes on the island, with this one being a little larger than the one I’ll be reviewing in the next Otherland Island #1 related hiking post, in Irene. Although slightly larger, this lake doesn’t contain as many interesting islands and bays as the Irene lake. In fact, it has no islands atall as far as Blinks (checking behind Baker Bloch once more) can tell. Perhaps the most interesting surface fact about this lake is that it represents a chain along the longest waterway of the entire island, starting with the circular moat of Verloren surround Castle Verloren and grounds, then continuing over the waterfall pictured just above and then flowing into this lake.
Hiking OI1 North, 3 *And* 1st Wide Shots of “The Moon”
Awww, some poor wittle kitty lost its toy. Wonder how it got way out here in the middle of the strait separating Ehrwang and Waltenhofer?
Those are some strange looking dogs. Wait… description says they’re lambs not dogs. So I suppose not so weird looking, then. 🙂
Someone forgot to take their Xmas decorations down! Oh well, I’m one to speak.
So moving from Otherland to Other Land, namely The Moon/Pluto, we have some *final* snapshots from that location below. That’s right, just like the Pictor Forest on Azure Islands (a much greater tragedy to me, mind you), this island-planet has disappeared overnight, along with the purse, the knoll, the trees, everything on it. Also the mysterious Hilo-like peak underneath the water just to its west. But, I just remembered, Baker Bloch has kind of the equivalent to a potential black box, because he hid a visitor’s counter within the purse several days ago, which was returned to his Lost and Found folder when the island/planet was deleted as a whole. He goes to his land and manifests the counter, but no new names appear on the list. Whoever deleted the landmass, they did it by “remote control”. But the bottom line is: it’s gone. Whatever mysteries remained to be unraveled there have, Atlantis-like (once again), passed underneath the waves.
So what did we figure out from our time spent there? I believe it all centers around the purse now, the gypsy purse, and the relationship between it and the grassy knoll sitting close behind it to the south. The other items probably do not really matter that much, or, better, just act as supporting objects to these two. At least that’s what I’ll say to make me feel better at this point!
In reviewing the snapshots below to generate blog text here about them, I think the second is the most important. I’ll just skip the first, then, or let it stand as is. Make what you want of it in respect to the second (the top of the purse can just be seen behind and between the 3 perfume bottles).
In this seemingly more significant second snapshot we have 2 of the four poseballs on the island/planet directly superimposed on the 2 trees in the distance. Again, save for some grass, the 2 trees are the only “living” — *were* the only living objects on the landmass. When the poseballs, 1 male and 1 female, are superimposed on the trunks in this way, we effect a close conjunction, then, of knoll and purse more in the foreground. These poseballs are also positioned, according to the camera viewpoint, so that they appear to sit on top of the knoll as best as possible. Notice there are four poseballs altogether, making a rough east-to-west line with each other. But the right two are what concern us more here, because the right blue poseball I believe represents the grassy knoll it sits directly on top of. The left tree in the background, the one whose trunk the right blue ball is collaged onto, seems to grow directly from the center of the knoll from this angle, and, likewise, the right tree, with the complementary pink ball, stands directly above the gypsy purse from this angle. To me, this reinforces, pretty effectively actually, the male-female relationship between the purse and knoll, just like Gypsy Purse and Grassy Noll form a type of male-female partnership in the Toy Avatar world.
I don’t think this particular snapshot means as much as the second one either. It merely shows Baker Bloch, in a concavity on the island near the knoll, appearing to be inside the purse (much like I earlier actually hid the visitor’s counter inside this same purse). But, again, I’ll include it just because there won’t certainly won’t be any more pictures coming from that location. 😦
Forest *GONE*!
First another shot from newly discovered Pluto/Moon of SL, showing a wave mysteriously “crashing” quite a ways inland away from the actual water. We think it has something to do with the interaction of the two trees here… pretty sure of it. BUT… well, first things first…
Beamed over to the Neith temple, which I was still emptying out at the time, and to my utter amazement the forest in the neighboring sim of Pictor had been essentially removed!! I couldn’t believe my eyes. This the same forest that I tried to extend on the ground through my properties. Erased… just like that. I did find out, from the horse’s mouth, what has supposedly happened. AI management claims that they couldn’t support the prims on the Pictor sim because of the new openspace or void sim rules, which feature a huge jump in both upfront and monthly fees. If you’ve been involved in SL very much in the last several months I’m sure you’ve heard about this, because it’s caused a sort of mini-revolution. Me?: I try to keep out of the political and economic matters of SL, just because I feel rather stupid talking about such issues. I’d rather chat about art, creativity, and exploration. But on the other hand, this has now directly impacted my ability to create and explore. 😦
These are sad pictures to me. I thought this land and forest would be perpetually protected, or at least until Azure Islands and/or Second Life went away.
So there’s no going back to the Neith properties, at least until this situation is rectified. And, really, Azure Islands as a whole. This is a BLOW. Unconciously, though, I must have seen it coming, because I was quite happy to move there and then, on just a whim, I decided to pull up stakes and head to Otherland. But… how will Otherland be affected as well?
Chat…
“Hucka D.?”
Hucka D.:
Yeah?
bb:
I may have some questions about The Moon? Pluto; Moon?
Hucka D.:
Right.
bb:
Gypsy purse… that’s obvious. And Grassy Noll or Knoll… that’s the knoll next to the purse I assume.
Hucka D.:
That would be correct.
bb:
Could it also be the other side of the planet/island?
Hucka D.:
Might be. The Trees.
bb:
Right. Thanks for the prompt. So the trees represent male and female energies. Like a battery?
Hucka D.:
There is excitement between. Energy. Generated. Crash and thunder.
bb:
Looking at this picture again, I’m assuming the trees must be Grassy (Noll) and Gypsy (Purse) respectively.
Hucka D.:
Energy.
bb:
Hucka D.:
You’re on a path.
bb:
Thank you. I think it’s obvious that the concavity [Baker Bloch stands in] is overlappable with the purse as well. Concave hole and convex knoll, then.
Hucka D.:
Purse is a curse.
bb:
I thought that Baker Blinker was cured of her own curse [if that’s what you’re talking about].
Hucka D.:
Green. Red. RS7. Blue. Videotape. Red Verses Blue. Rooster. Teeth and Springs. Man/Woman. B. Hayes and not Booger Haze. Winesap. Beaver City. Ask the Quadrobeavs.
bb:
Yes, thank you. I was just reading their fascinating philosophy today in Paradox II: The Chancelling. Let me review that again please.
[pauses to read]
*****
This one quote, “It [the eclipse of the sun by the moon] represents the eating of the masculine day and year by the lunar month.” Pretty deep stuff there, Hucka D. Or is it?
Hucka D.:
Paradox. II.
bb:
This has directly to do with TILE. Time into TILE.
Hucka D.:
You must lift the veil. But you can’t.
bb:
Ok I’m reading further. So the sun swallowed by the moon was obviously seen as coitus. The voiding of the “1” by the “O”, or, in the terms of the island/planet, the knoll by the hole. Whole… hole.
Hucka D.:
You must start a new mythology.
bb:
The “1”, or, I suppose, the missing “1” in the “0” or void… this would be TILE. The Tile Creek.
Hucka D.:
7 reverts to 6. 6 converts to 7.
bb:
The father is Jethro. As it states in Paradox II, the mother would logically be seen, perhaps, as Jethrine, but it is instead Fredian. Two Queens in one, to match the singular King [of Jethro]. The outward “1”, which is the phallus, causes immediate limitations for the King, although he remains the center because of it. The inward “0” cannot be the center but is relatively unencumbered in contrast. This is like the solar system [limited by centrality; Sun] and Universe [black void outside the solar system; relatively unlimited but without center]. This is like 3-d over 2-d, but a 3-d that does not exist without first being 2-d.
Hucka D.:
1161 is next.
bb:
This is a 12 hour period, or 1/2 of a whole day. 1/2 of a whole day can be either dark or light, equalized at the equinoxes of Spring and Fall. Green and Red. Um…
Hucka D.:
Blue is Winter Mother. Yellow is Father Summer. Night; day. Darkness; Sunlight. Azure Blue. All these together are TILE.
bb:
I’m curious why the Quadrobeavs see the Universe as starting with the number 11, or what they called 011. 011-061 is The Moon and 111-161 is the Sun. They are joined directly together. I can’t remember what the significance of that is, though.
Hucka D.:
The “0” is the Void and the “1” is the Center in the middle of the Void. They are or should be lovers.
bb:
O and 1 are the base of all numbers, then. Even and odd.
Hucka D.:
Correct. It’s a head trip.
bb:
In ’67 Barrett shewn like The Sun. But by ’68 all was darkness and The Dark Side of The Moon. That’s part of the meaning — I think it’s, once again, obvious.
Hucka D.:
Summer of Love.
bb:
Dean then, in Paradox II, asks “Which came first?” [the head or the trip]
Hucka D.:
A central paradox. Black and white. Summer and Winter. Blue and Yellow. Paradox.
bb:
This is where one really becomes 2. 2 almost equally powerful forces vying for time within a single [synchronicity].
Hucka D.:
They gathered together their own energies, these white and black powers. And they repeatedly voided themselves into each other throughout the work. Ten times, in fact. 10.
bb:
Why does the clock get stuck between 15 and 16, though? When Monster Dean shows up at the Muslim coffee shop?
Hucka D.:
This is baker, yourself, and then [delete name]. Which came first?
bb:
I came to a fairly important decision tonight Hucka D. I’ve decided that ESBUM must be treated as a whole instead of split in two.
Hucka D.:
Well there you go. There’s your healing of the split. Black and white as one.
bb:
Yeah. Yeah, I suppose so.
(to be continued?)
*****
bb:
Hucka D. I also forgot to add that this means ESB is not my own but [delete name’s]. And UM tags along with it, then, since they are joined forever now. ESBUM.
Hucka D.:
You must tell Esbum. You must contact Esbum.
*****
bb:
But then Carrcass-1 is not my own either, it follows. All are beyond SID’s 1st Oz, now way in the rear view mirror.
Hucka D.:
But still at the top, you see. In West Virginia. Mountain back into Mole Hill. And that is important. You must limit yourself to this Solar System.
Goodbye?
Baker Bloch:
Thank you for showing up at our urging Esbum. Ms. Esbum.
Esbum:
Ummmm… brrrrrb.
Baker Bloch:
Esbum, we know you can talk. We’ve checked the chat history and you were certainly chatting up a storm at the Hobo Infohub, weren’t you? So you think you were talking to Oz, eh?
Esbum:
Uh…bbbbb…mmmm.
Baker Blinker:
We need to talk to you about [delete name], Esbum.
Esbum:
Errr….gggggg… um…. urrrrrgh. urrrrrrrrrrgh.
Baker Bloch:
How do we put this. We cannot… Blinks? How do I put this?
Baker Blinker:
Assimiliated?
Baker Bloch:
Esbum, You were split in two but now you are whole. Hole. As such, you obviously move into a more evolved realm. We cannot take responsibility for you now. That’s basically what we’re trying to say.
Esbum:
Errrr…. goooo…. awayyyyy?
Baker Blinker:
No, you do not have to leave (she looks at Baker Bloch with doubt, though).
Esbum:
Maiiiiinnnnlllllaaaaaaaaandsssssss. Erggggghhhhhh….uhhhhh.
Baker Bloch:
That’s all right. Get it out of your system Esbum. It’s ok.
Baker Blinker:
Esbum, we cannot really be associated… um…
Baker Bloch (jumping in):
You… must be our eyes in other places.
Esbum:
Fiiiirrree.
Baker Bloch:
You must evolve. Not beyond us or away from us, but for us. You *are* evolved.
(Esbum runs and jumps off of the 600 meter Sky Forest platform at the new gallery/temple. The impact with the ground below does not kill her, once more. But she is away from the Bakers. Those lying mouth Bakers. She will live in the fire from now on, then.)
Baker Bloch:
I hope she will be ok.
Baker Blinker:
We will help her all we can.
Gallery at the Temple of TILE: What’s New, 1
Ok, here we go *again*.:)
Let’s start with some exterior shots of the new and updated Gallery at the Temple of TILE. Yes, I decided to get rid of the “Uber” prefix, and just call the whole thing “Gallery at the Temple of TILE” again for now, even though it is much larger than the old gallery/temple of this same name. “Uber” sounded a little too, well, over the top. Plus the new gallery/temple symbiosis is a little smaller than the Ubertemple and a little different shape as well, although it is composed of the same two “modules”, or B_Hivia and (old) Temple of TILE.
Let’s start with the similarities between the new gallery/temple and the now derezzed Ubertemple on Azure Islands. We’ve mentioned the two similar modules. In both cases, there are two right angle based wings surrounding a central, square based section. The wings are composed, in each case, of several, stacked B_Hivias, and the center of stacked Temple of TILEs, the 30x30x30 meter cube that was the old Temple of TILE, that is. However, in the new, Otherland version of the gallery/temple, there are only 2 stacked modules per each of the 3 sections in question (wing-center-wing), as opposed to 3 in each for the Ubertemple. This means that the entire structure is then 2/3rds the size of the one in Neith (Azure Islands).
In the first snapshot below, however, you effectively only see the 2 wings of the structure, with the central part hidden in the back corner. As you can tell, the whole front side of the gallery is now partially open, in the manner of B_Hivia. In essence, we’re staring at the fronts of 4 stiched together B_Hivias.
This snapshot more from the back of the structure gives a better idea how the modules are arranged. You can now clearly see the two, stacked Temple of TILEs, with the matching red diagonal patterns. The whole structure makes a right triangle, and in basically the same proportions as the composing B_Hivia modules — only 2 times larger in every direction.
View from the back and below now.
More angles…
Gallery at the Temple of TILE: What’s New, 2
Gallery at the Temple of TILE: What’s New, 2
So here’s the “front door” of the gallery, where you would teleport in if you were using the gallery kiosk as the entry point. It looks similar to the entrance of the Ubertemple, as seen in this earlier snapshot from the first Ubertemple description post. But there’s a couple of important differences already to be found. First, I’ve replaced the Max Ernst art on the ground level in the center here (where Baker Bloch would go if he kept walking straight forward in the below snapshot) with Edna’s Blinkerton-style photographs formerly found further up in the Ubertemple. I decided, early on in the makeover process, that I wanted to have all original art and photography in the new version of the gallery/temple.
But let’s turn Baker Bloch right here and enter the West Wing of the new gallery/temple, which will be very similar to the old West Wing of the Ubertemple in the main. That is, until we get to the roof, since the Ubertemple’s West Wing kept going another 6 floors beyond the top of the new version. But the art is the same up to that point: first some pre-10×10 collages and art by baker b. on the bottom floor, then, starting with the second, the 1st collage series of the 10×10 is found: the Greenup series. This continues, then, as we ascend the West Wing, through the next series of this overall work, or, in order,the Rose Hill, Yale, and Newton series.
So the *art* will be the same, albeit a little rearranged and shuffled in places, as described already in tour of the Ubertemple’s West Wing, starting with this post. What I want to emphasize in this new tour is mainly some added decor, such as this giant wall fan inserted at the end of an alcove on the second floor. Many of the new decorations have been taken directly those formerly adorning the Gliese B_Hivia, including this fan.
This pond was present in the Ubertemple, but a “bottom” to the pool has now been added to not make it seem that the water is just “floating” in mid air, as it were. The eucalyptus tree was there in the Ubertemple as well, as it was in the Gliese B_Hivia.
On floor 4, we have the addition of seating, a mirror, and what’s called “Jopsy’s Sparkle Ball v2” spinning within the branches of the Eucalpytus tree poking up from the floor below this one. These are all more features borrowed from the Gliese B_Hivia.
And just as in the Ubertemple’s West Wing, we have our first opening from this new West Wing into the central area at the beginning of the Rose Hill series on floor 6, coming after the 20 collages of the Greenup series. I try to put openings from the wings into this central area as near to the end of collage series as I can.
Baker Bloch moves inside the central area at this point for a minute to look up at the spinning Tyle Cube, which, like all identical versions of this cube coming before it, lies at the exact center of the encompassing temple and gallery. But in this case, it is considerably closer to Baker Bloch than in the same position he would have been on floor 6 of the Ubertemple, since the new temple is not as high. See here for a comparison.
I’ve also added another Azure Islands map into the new gallery/temple, to complement the first found on the ground level. The red ball indicating the position of the Ubertemple is still in place, as it still is on the ground level map. But the description is different now. I’ll leave that for the reader to discover, though!*
Gallery at the Temple of TILE: What’s New, 3
* 1/21/08 update: a larger map of Azure Island #1 is now found in this position in the temple, moved up from the ground floor. Instead, on the ground level we now have a likewise framed map of Otherland Island #1, where the temple/gallery is now located.
Gallery at the Temple of TILE, What’s New, 3
This metal guard rail at the end of the Rose Hill series is also new, although the opening between the West Wing and central region at this point was present in the Ubertemple as well.
More decorative additions are found after the start of the Yale series on floor 9 (spider web and litter).
Floor 10 brings us another, second pool in this wing, basically identical to the first 4 floors below, except here we have the presence of a small fish and some cattails, and also a chair/table combo where one can sit and enjoy the view if one wishes.
Another opening into the central area of the gallery/temple is found at the end of the Yale series, also on floor 10. This is actually quite similar looking to a center-west connection formerly found in the Ubertemple, but on floor 16 in that case, and at the end of the Oblong collage series and not the Yale series. A comparison picture can be found here. The “Fountain Area” (renamed “Charleston Fountain” as a teleporter location in the new gallery/temple), and also the Pocahontas Attic that we”ll visit right after this are both described in some detail in the encompassing Ubertemple related post. So for this post, I’ll mainly attempt to stick to some differences between the spaces.
First off, the area to the left of the collanaded area in the new gallery/temple, as you’re walking down it toward the teleporter, is not a windowed wall, as it was in the Ubertemple, but an opening directly into the East Wing, although the fence running along the bottom of the columns does not allow easy access into this wing until the Fountain Area proper is reached.
Also because this area borders the East Wing and not an outer wall, as with the Ubertemple, I was able to open up the fountain space a bit, and include some palm trees here that certainly give it more of a Charleston look and feel than the lone dogwood did in the previous version. It’s a more successful and fulfilled space now, with even an added Charleston photo included in the East Wing facing the Victorian house.
Back in the West Wing and ascending toward the top, Blochs finds this new window showing the relationship of one of the Victorian houses to the Pocahontas Attic.
At the end of the Newton series, Baker Bloch pops out of the West Wing and onto the roof of the gallery/temple. In front of him is a box with hovering text instructing him to select the “East Wing Entrance” location from the teleporter behind it to continue the journey through the art 10×10, starting with the Oblong series and continuing, then, through the Hidalgo series, the last completed series of the 10×10 so far. In the Ubertemple *all* series of the 10×10 were housed in that larger West Wing — there was no teleporting needed from one side of the gallery to the other side to complete the process. But the split nature of the redistributed 10×10 also has its advantages, as I’ll explain in a minute.
Gallery at the Temple of TILE, What’s New, 4
Gallery at the Temple of TILE, What’s New, 4
So Baker Bloch has selected “East Wing Entrance” from the teleportation options, which beams him back down to the ground level here. He’s at the start of the Oblong series, which will continue up another 3 floors.
Some wall ivy was added at otherwise emptier spaces within the East Wing, just to add a little flavor.
Toward the end of the Oblong series, visitors may encounter what seems to be a hole in the floor, blocking further progress. But it’s just caused by the overlap of the surface of two transparent textures, as you have in other parts of the gallery/temple as well. I’ve attempted to eliminate these kinds of phantom openings as much as possible, but more work obviously needs to be done.
On floor 5 more wall ivy is found, along with another animated Jopsy “ball”. This one is called “Jopsy’s Orbit”, another decorative carryover from the Gliese B_Hivia.
On floor 7, Baker Bloch reaches the end of the Hidalgo series that follows the Oblong series. He is at the same position in the series as he would have been upon reaching the top of the West Wing of the larger Ubertemple. Here’s another comparison shot, fyi. Actually, let me just give you the link to the overarching post containing this snapshot, because it describes the same picture landscape we just went through in the last two posts of this update tour.
For right now, upon continued our journey up and through the East Wing, you have Edna’s parkway pictures
located on floors 8 and 9, which were also found at about the same location in the old East Wing of the Ubertemple, actually. However, these may have to be moved elsewhere when the last series of the art 10×10 is complete, hopefully sometime this winter/spring. Once it is complete, I’ll upload the resulting bitmap picture textures to create the final 20 viritual collages of the 10×10, which I plan to call the Wheeler-Jasper series.
Gallery at the Temple of TILE, What’s New, 5
Gallery at the Temple of TILE, What’s New, 5
Past floor 9, on up to floor 13 (roof), the East Wing remains empty or devoid of pictures/art. Again it could be just a simple matter of moving the parkway pictures up to these empty floors to make room for the Wheeler-Jasper series — we’ll see. I should also mention that, even though I didn’t provide a snapshot of it in that last post, there is also an opening into the central area on floor 9, just past the parkway pictures. This would be into the Charleston Fountain area already discussed in this post of the new update series.
Descending the spiral ramp in the central region from the roof, Baker Bloch quickly leaps off to his left to revist the Pocahontas Attic, also a teleporter selection. He decides to take a snapshot of this new window into the West Wing that you now have in this attic. I’ve already described this attic space at the beginning of this Ubertemple tour post.
Through floor teleporters in the Pocahontas Attic (as opposed to the Star Trek-like teleporter also in that location), Baker makes his way down to the lower floors of the south Victorian House within central area of the gallery/temple. The porch of the second floor of this particular house (of the two identical, glued-together Victorian houses within this central region) gives a nice view down to the Charleston Fountain area already visited in this update tour.
Still on the same porch, Blochs can’t help but look down toward the spinning Tyle Cube through this provided window.
Moving inside from the porch, the second floor only contains two photographs presently, both of signs in downtown Charleston, South Carolina.
Using the built in floor teleporters again that came with the houses, Blochs beams down to the first floor of the south Victorian house directly below, finding more Charleston related snapshots by Edna Million.
On this floor, Baker Bloch can now just walk out the front door and directly into the Charleston Fountain area, complete with more Charleston area photographs. Before doing so, he turns to his right to take this snapshot of the front of the north Victorian house, and the spiral ramp that cuts directly into its own second level porch.
Gallery at the Temple of TILE, What’s New, 6
Gallery at the Temple of TILE, What’s New, 6
Baker walks through the Charleston Fountain area, through the collonaded entrance and into the West Wing again, but then quickly turns a corner back into an opening provided into the north Victorian house, as I’m calling it here. In the Ubertemple, as I recall, this particular house remained empty. In the new gallery/temple, I’ve filled it with Land of Oz related photographs by Edna Million, most of which were formerly located in the East Wing of the Ubertemple.
Second floor of the north Victorian house. Directly in front of Baker Bloch in the below snapshot is an opening to the porch added to the back of this particular house. Again, this porch use to abut one of the outer walls of the gallery/temple. Now it is instead against the East Wing and not the outer wall, which prompted Hucka D. to simply open up the walls to allow a view into this East Wing.
But first Baker goes back inside and moves to the front porch on the second level to take this snapshot of the spiral ramp, looking down. From this porch you also have access, once again, to the ramp (blocked by this porch coming up, as discussed a bit at the beginning of this Ubertemple related post)
And now back to the back porch, where Baker can round a corner now for this view down into the Charleston Fountain area, once again. If he/she’s careful, one can even jump down through the opening in the fence otherwise surrounding the porch to access the Fountain region. But if you jump the wrong way, you could land in the water and on even lower floors instead. 😮
Baker successfully navigates his way through the porch opening and lands in the fountain area. He decides to go down through the provided opening this bridge spans to access the next lowest floor, now containing the photos most directly related to TILE Creek, and reviewed a bit here. In the preceeding Ubertemple tour post to this, I also describe how this opening creates the only practical entry point into this lower level, a situation repeated at this floor’s double in the stacked cube 6 levels below, as I’ll get to again in just a moment.
Some snapshots from inside the floor just below, giving, once again, the nice views down into the larger floor just beneath it, such as the TILE Mountain tryptych already discussed in this earlier post.
And then looking down into the central shaft toward the Tyle Cube, now quite close.
Gallery at the Temple of TILE, What’s New, 7
Gallery at the Temple of TILE, What’s New, 7
I just wanted to point out through the below snapshot that on the same floor as the TILE Mountain triptych, there’s an opening where one can walk into the West Wing from this location. You have to be careful, however, or you’ll miss it. Just use the bottom of the ramp to round the corner from either side.
The triptych once more. Just for the record Baker Bloch would be on floor 7 of the overall structure in the first 5 snapshots of this post, all taken from the central (square) part of this floor.
The bottom of this floor is level even with the central Tyle Cube, as shown in the below snapshot. This is the best floor in the whole structure to meditate on the ultimate meanings of TILE and Tyle, perhaps, keeping in mind that TILE Creek flows directly from TILE Mountain through the hollow pictured in the right hand panel of the triptych.
Baker takes a closer look at the last two panels of the triptych. I quite like the particle butterflies that I decided to install on this floor… one gets the impression, when looking at the tryptich from this angle, that they are in the pictures themselves, augmented by the grass green floor that kind of acts as a continuation of the pictured grass in the large TILE Mountain meadow here.
Baker increases his maximum particle count from his usual 256 to 1024 to see how even more butterflies would look flying around in front of the triptych, but decides this is perhaps a couple too many. Starting to get in the way of the view, he theorizes.
I thought I’d also show the reader the location of the second “hidden” floor in the temple, which is, structurally and functionally, basically identical to the first containing the TILE Creek photographs already reviewed. Each entrance to these two hidden floors is spanned by one of these identical, one prim concrete bridges, such as Baker Bloch is staring directly at in the below snapshot.
I’ve already talked about this second hidden floor at some length here — the layout is basically identical to the one that use to be in the Ubertemple of Neith. The difference is that the TILE Creek pictures are found at the higher of the two hidden levels instead of the lower one.
Instead, the lower of these floors now contains more Charleston related photographs by Edna Million, specifically highlighting those taken in the vast necropolis of linked cemeteries lying northeast of the city’s historic district.
So ends the update tour!
BACK TO: Gallery at the Temple of TILE, What’s New, 1
Hiking OI1 SE & NE
These 2 particular hikes take Baker Bloch to the southwest and northwest parts of Otherland Island #1. The first tracked southwest, but in a more westerly direction at the beginning. Baker started at Bakers’ Shack again on his property, and skirted the Verloren sim with the Castle Verloren to the south instead of the west, as he had done in his last recorded hike here. The idea was to visit the lake at the center of Irene, the sim directly west of Stephen (and south of Verloren) and then just improvise a route back from there. So here’s the central Irene pond, which is perhaps about a 1/6th of a sim in size. An interesting feature of this pond or lake, is the number of small islands that lie more toward the northern shore. Baker Blinker, in checking behind Baker Bloch this time, counts a total of 3. There are also a number of picturesque bays and inlets in the lake. It’s really quite pretty, as Baker Blinker is noticing upon studying it further now — and fairly complex for such a small body of water.
This gazebo sits in the northwest corner of the lake. Cute kitty!
The below waterfall is on protected land, a small, 240 square meter plot owned by the Otherland Building group. It appears to be the source of the water draining into the lake, or the first visible indication of this stream source. Yes, in checking behind Blochs, Blinks sees that the stream actually seems to start at the top of the waterfall, making it a kind of spring, I suppose. Very nice.
As I learned when staring at the SL Otherland grid map upon composing the text for this post, this lake, and, more pointedly, this waterfall, also seem to be the source of the stream that runs through my home sim of Stephen and into a bay of the SL ocean in Duclie. This elevates the importance of the lake and its already interesting features in my eyes.
Blochs keeps heading west past the Irene lake and waterfall to this ridge in Zell, where he is able to look down at some of the Irene landscape to the west of the lake. The waterfall directly below him here is not a “natural” one, unlike the Irene waterfall protected by the Otherland estate.
Following this high, stony ridge south, Baker soon comes across what is actually a part of the sea surrounding the various large and small islands of the contiguous Otherland archipelago. He has reached a southern edge of Otherland Island #1, and is staring at a small island off it’s coast, then. Strangely, Baker Blinker has just realized that since Baker Bloch’s visit a couple of days ago, almost all the objects on the island had been deleted, including the house, the majority of the trees, and that nice little sailboat pictured here as well. The small pond in front of the house remains, though.
On the much larger island to the west and also south, Baker finds this nice little campsite complete with perpetual fire, and decides to rest for a spell before heading back home.
The snapshot below was taken during a different hike on a different day, this time taking him to the northeast corner of Otherland I. #1. This nice little greenhouse was found in the Ehrwang sim also containing the island’s corner…
…which Baker Bloch now stands at here. Currently almost the entire northern half of the Ehrwang sim is up for sale. Beautiful scenery here, as I’m finding is present throughout the entire island, with no sim an exception (!)
Following the northern coastline west, Blochs soon runs across the cottage first visited in this post, lying at the mouth of what he now knows is perhaps the longest stream of OI1, which starts in Verloren and ends here in the northwest corner of Ehrwang.
Chatting…
“Come in Hucka D.”
Hucka D.:
Here.
bb:
Should we talk to Wheeler tonight?
Hucka D.:
Wheeler is indisposed. I think.
bb:
What’s next on the drawing board?
Hucka D.:
Wheeler.
bb:
The collages?
Hucka D.:
The island/planet is gone now. But you got the basic message. You were sent to this island/planet by a rocket launched *directly* south. Or below. You know the direct resonance with The Moon. You know it is also Pluto. Was Pluto. You know this has something to do with the erasure of Mt. Oglethorpe, also known as *Grassy,* as the original end of the Appalachian Trail. The end has been erased again… Pluto is not a true planet but a dwarf planet. Effectively erased from the system. 9 does *not* become 1 instead of 8 in that case. This has to do with [delete name] obviously, who has now claimed Esbum. S-Bum. ESBUM. Like you yell TILE all the time, as Wheeler put it. Neptune always on the shore [seeing you off] obviously reinforces this, and also the connection to the Neptune statues doing something of the same chore at Nautilus City/Island. Abomination. Hilo Peak. All that is still in play. You must…
bb:
Go back to the mainlands sometime?
Hucka D.:
Unfortunately: yes.
bb:
But not move there.
Hucka D.:
Er, no.
bb:
Explore, you mean.
Hucka D.:
Yes.
bb:
Hucka D., can you explain to me more about The Ancients?
Hucka D.:
Solomon Sea is a center.
bb:
Hucka D., I’m doubting there’s much more story to get from the mainlands.
Hucka D.:
Unfortunately, you are wrong there. But rl will intrude first. Wheeler. Collages. Go back to England. Lake District. You must be absorbed in that for a while. Then RS7 is also coming up sometime. Probably by the summer. Another of [delete name’s].
bb:
I think Wheeler took the now deleted Ubertemple into his Mythos dimension and set it in the center of his equivalent to Esbum’s Pond there, to unite the two halves. He has magnetized the island. Red on one end; blue on the other. And set it in the middle of the lake or pond there, with the Ubertemple still in Neith, you see. Temple of Neith, created by a bee, or a bee-man at least. And the temple protects the knowledge of Atlantis.
Hucka D.:
You cannot *guess* what is going to happen. (smiles)
bb:
I know that Wheeler is the first ruler of the Confederation that is not a real ruler. Olive and Tin figure heavily into this. Skillet as well.
Hucka D.:
You are Ozmo. Baker Bloch and Baker Blinker. Britonia. Skillet is a squirrel: Spring Squirrel, also known as Swamp Squirrel. But you have to go into the collages to figure out further. Then RS7.
bb:
Thank you.
New Plants, Map
When island hopping last night, Baker Bloch came across a one prim tree creation he so liked that he decided to search the creator’s profile, one Jubjub Forder, to see if there was a place where he could buy some like this. Turns out there was, called GARDEN WORLD. Amazingly he found a considerable number of 1 prim plants and trees, will full permissions except transfer, for *20* lindens apiece. That’s two big advantages for these plants: low price *and* low prim count, as low as you can get. And it’s not a bad looking product at all, either. So Blochs sort of went crazy buying stuff right and left, then teleporting over to the gallery Sky Forest to see how much of the new stuff would fit in there.
This two prim palm tree (cost: 25 lindens), the only non-1 prim plant Baker Bloch bought at GARDEN WORLD last night, seemed to slot in nicely into a couple of spots within the Sky Forest, but ultimately Blochs decided to put it in one of those formerly empty front spaces of the temple. Above it, in another formerly empty balcony area (name?) is a, hmmm, “Giant Sequoia”? Seems to be a naming mistake for the product’s description.
A “Mediterranean Fan Palm” and “Common Hawthorne” seemed to fit in here…
…some bamboo and a quite shaggy but still pretty “Weeping Willow” here…
…and a “Montpelier Maple” here.
Just wanted to give a promotion for this guy. Apparently you *can* be a non-Linden and make pretty nice looking trees and plants using only a single prim. The Lindens shouldn’t be the only ones dolling out such useful products like this.
Another recent addition to the temple is this framed map of Otherland Island #1 that Baker Bloch’s been so enamored of lately. Since it is also his home, I can’t help but think the relationship is all for the good. Baker’s already given a lot but the island always gives back in spades. So beautiful and interesting.
After adding the new plants to the Sky Forest and gallery/temple, Blochs heads back down to the fishing shack, but he knows he can’t touch the plants here… yet. It just doesn’t seem the right thing to do.
Don’t you agree?
Sunklands 
