Esmiel Posthorn – Profiles, Emoting and Death by Cobra - Seersha Heart

            There are many colorful characters in SL.  All you need to do to find one is keep your head up, perv some profiles and listen to local when you can follow the conversations.  I was researching Emoting for “Trouble Communicating n SL – Instant Messages [IMs] – A Complicated Process” when I discovered Esmiel Posthorn’s dormant blog.  I love his style of writing as well as how he puts together a story.  As I read more of his blog I knew I had to share some of his thoughts with more people.  In this article you will learn all about him, from his favorite murder weapon and first SL exploits with Xcite! to his thoughts on profiles.  I hope you enjoy our conversation, I think Esmiel is a kick!! 

Seersha Heart:Welcome Esmiel thank you so much for joining me today.  I have a lot of questions for you.  Tell me how did you

first come to be an SL resident?

EsmielPosthorn:  Hi Seersha, thanks for asking me along!  My RL boyfriend (now husband yay!) set up an account for some reason or other way back in maybe October or early November 2006. I had a look over his shoulder a few times and figured it seemed kinda fun, so I set up my own account. We hung out together for a while, but he stopped playing quickly - I don't think he found as many cool places or interesting friends here as I did. Since then I've fallen deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole..

Seersha Heart:Your writing has a real comedic frankness; can you share any stories of what you may have done as a newbie that make you cringe now?

EsmielPosthorn:  Oh dude. Awful clicky sex with Xcite parts - remember those? Can't believe I used to be a fan of those parts! Apart from that, just everything - how I looked, how I acted. Not knowing how to click properly so sitting on danceballs and that kinda thing.

Forgetting to attach my butt for a threesome so the guys had nothing to put their (BLEEP) in. Good times.

Falling in love too easily with random people. Happened a few times, it's easy to get carried away when you're presented with a perfect, masked representation of someone.

Being perfect myself didn't help much either when it came to people falling for me..

Seersha Heart: [/me picks myself off the floor where I laughed until I cried listening to Esmiel’s last answer] I may laugh myself to death before we finish Esmiel!  Do you think you will ever post to your blog again?

EsmielPosthorn: I've been reading back over it since you contacted me and it's been making me very nostalgic; I had some great times writing for that blog, but I think if I ever wrote again, it would be for a new one. There are so many blogs out there now, I wouldn't attempt to create one until I'd found a niche nobody else was writing about.

It would be good to shed the awkwardness of the past and do something fresh and interesting. But what to write about?

Who cares about personal stories and interests these days when everyone just wants fashion tips and pics of boobs?

Seersha Heart: [/me hides latest printouts of fashion tips and pics of boobs; clears throat] Profiles are fascinating and so personal.  Do you think perving profiles is an art form?  Share some of your observations about profiles in SL.

EsmielPosthorn:  Perving profiles may not be an art form, but I think writing them sure is. I've always made sure mine was up to date and relevant as much as possible. It's your way of saying to people "this is a taste of who I am.. do you want to know more?".. and if their answer is no, then your profile hasn't worked. Or maybe it has, if you don't like having people around..

I have noticed those that say something like "NO DRAMA PLZ" are often full of things that create drama, amusingly.
Something that always irked me was how people misconstrue Picks as pics.. it isn't just for your favourite photographs! Use them to tell us about cool places and people!

Seersha Heart:  I wonder, where do you think your creative flair for writing originates?  Have you studied writing, is it practice?  What makes your writing so damn compelling?

EsmielPosthorn:  I’ve always enjoyed writing, both at a creative level and more formal. I got high marks for essays and reports written in my high school history and English classes, and later when I studied physics at university, I learned to examine things critically and become more succinct and direct with everything I wrote.

My creative writing comes from a need to flesh out and describe the worlds I imagine in my head. Roleplay in SL is a great way to expand your writing talent, especially if you can find someone who shares your ideas and is happy to write long, detailed posts with you.

Seersha Heart:  Esmiel the blogger is a bit of a provocateur.  Tell us, is Esmiel Posthorn evil, a tease or none of the above?

EsmielPosthorn:  I'd like to think he's not evil, but he does sometimes have a slight mean streak. Definitely a tease; I can't count the number of times I have done something just to get a response from someone. I'm good at learning what people like and how to push their buttons, and I do it whether I intend for it to go anywhere or not.

Seersha Heart: You wrote your saucy piece about emoting in August 2007.  Do you recall something that happened in your life that sparked your creativity and desire to share your emoting?

EsmielPosthorn:  I can’t remember much from back then - my heady student days. My creativity and need to express myself always fluctuates, day to day, year to year; I'm in a bit of a rut at the moment but I know I'll climb out of it when something inspires me. I cannot recall anything specific about that time, however I must have either received some questions about RP & emotes, or met someone who was truly awful at it, that I felt the need to educate everyone..

Seersha Heart: Looks like you have a tried a bit of everything in SL…social, building, exploring…. what is your thing these days in SL?  The DJing?

EsmielPosthorn: I DJ once a week, which is a nice anchor for my SL. The club (Starfall) has been my regular place for 9+ years and it really is my second home. At the moment I am heavily into landscaping. I have a quarter homestead that I love filling up with plants and decor. I've recently been on a tour of the Scottish Highlands IRL (I live in Edinburgh) and it's inspired me to remodel my parcel into something resembling a loch you'd find nestled in the glens somewhere.

I have a small family here now, some friends I became very attached to and adopted as children/siblings. It's amazing sharing this great space with people you know & trust.

Seersha Heart: I’ve asked you a lot of questions so far today.  Now I am going to ask you some questions I hope will be a lot of fun to answer.  First one, I am writing a book all about you, your biography, what do I title this book?

EsmielPosthorn:  I think it should be called .. "How to achieve Happiness in 12 Easy Years"

Seersha Heart: Priceless!  You are given the task to explain SL to a 5-year-old child.  What do you say?

EsmielPosthorn:   It's a big online world of people to meet and stuff to do! You can chat to other people from all over the globe and make friends with them; you can play games and even make your own; you can build castles and mountains and make your own little paradise.

But it is NOT FOR KIDS!!

Seersha Heart: FantasticEsmiel….let’s talk to the dark side of Esmiel….What would you choose as the perfect murder weapon?  Why?

EsmielPosthorn:  Perfect as in .. most fun, or easiest to get away with? For the former, surely something like a tank. Just have a laugh, maybe take the whole street out while you're at it.

As for the latter.. probably venom or something. Just steal a cobra from your local pet store and chuck it in their bed. You'll be in Mexico sipping tequilas before they've even found a snake missing.

Seersha Heart: Leave it to you to parse your murder weapon selections.  <<laughs>>  I’m going to ask around about you now.  I ask your pet to describe you.  What does he tell me about you?

EsmielPosthorn: He would say “He's pretty lazy and we don't go walkies as often as I'd like. He hates when I bark loudly, but he loves when I go for cuddles or some lap time. He is always happy to see me and always sneaks me extra treats.”

Seersha Heart: [/me laughs] If you could introduce any celebrity to SL, bring them in as a newb who would you pick?  Why?  What would you teach them about sl?

EsmielPosthorn:  I'd love to see what someone like Adam Savage from Mythbusters would do with the scripting and building possibilities here. That'd be great fun to see.

Seersha Heart:Reflecting to the murder weapon question, let’s assume you are scheduled to be executed.  What is your last meal?

EsmielPosthor:  I'll have a sushi platter, with lots of avocado and tempura shrimp rolls. Next it'll be a wagyu beef burger with a poached egg, onion rings and cheddar cheese, sweet potato fries on the side.

Dessert is a pile of donuts - fresh whipped cream, jelly, fresh fruit, glaze, sprinkles, the lot - with sauces for dipping and drizzling.

Seersha Heart: [marvels that Esmiel didn’t even pause to think about answering about his last meal]; I was thinking, what if you were the top boss at a large company.  What one item do you ban?  What one item do you make compulsory?

EsmielPosthorn:  I'm going to ban printers, because they suck and never work. We're going to have properly paperless offices and everyone will have little tablets and iPad things instead, it'll be great.

As for compulsory - how about mandatory cocktail party Friday afternoons?

Seersha Heart: I have had such fun talking to you today Esmiel!  Let’s wrap up Hollywood style.  Can you describe yourself using movie titles?

EsmielPosthorn:           ………………..Interstellar…..Die Hard…..Catch Me If You Can….

Catch Esmiel Fridays at Starfall

DJ Fridays 2 pm slt

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Phoebus/172/190/26

Esmiel’s thoughts on Emoting in 2007:

http://esmieblog.blogspot.com/2007/10/how-to-emote.html

-Seersha Heart [saoirseheart resident]

Photos by Karmaghna Ulrik& Esmiel Posthorn

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Ballrooms : Where the Romance Lives - Seersha Heart

“In one kiss, you’ll know all I haven’t said”; Pablo Neruda.  In Second Life, a date at a ballroom is a romantic adventure. It all the romance in one stop; the kisses and the dances of a well-earned night out.  I spend time in ballrooms during the year. This past year has been the most dramatic changes in my SL history. SL has lost two of the top ballrooms in the past year.  One of those was the lovely Rose Theatre Ballroom. In its day, if you asked anyone for the best ballroom “Rose Theatre” was either the first or the second one mentioned.  Angel Manor was a cultural hub of art and performance that is missed. Bogart’s is another loss to the grid. To me, losing Bogarts hurt badly. You could always could on Bogarts.  The walk through the shops to the marquee. At Bogarts you could have the formal stylish surroundings of a traditional ballroom, with an atmosphere that welcomed the single as well as the couples.  

SL has retained a couple of “tried and true” ballrooms.  Each providing different opportunities to the visitor. I recommend visiting these ballrooms at different times.  Each one that I am writing about has a wealth of fun to discover provided by the thoughtful and the clever owners.  And as is always true of SL, things change…..a….lot. One of those tried and true is the Avilion ballroom.  Formal dress required, clothing provided, this continues to be a place of magic and of romance.  I find that when I truly want the most romantic possible evening, of all the places on the grid, you will find me at Avilion.  Sometimes I visit alone, walking through, watching other dancers or dance alone. This is a peaceful place with rich colors and lighting that dances around you.  It is a delight to hear romantic music playing, as I ascend the main staircase to the ballroom. There are a couple of nice couples poses along the way. Inside walk to the railing and the ballroom opens in front of you in all directions.  I recommend sunset or midnight lighting. Let your eyes swept the view for a moment, it is in a word spectacular. The older stationary dance pose balls have been replaced with easy to use dance balls and dance hearts. The real magic in this location is that even though you are immersed grand beautiful ballroom, when you look to your date you will realize that he/she is the true beauty in this room.  Simply magical. After the dancing, when you take your date home, if you are not rewarded with the delicious naughty parts, after an evening at Avilion, it will NEVER happen.  This ballroom is the litmus test for a relationship.

Frank’s Place Jazz Club provides different settings for a formal night out.  With Bogarts gone, there remains the Jazz Club and the Elite Jazz Club.  Beyond the sexy sounding jazz, Frank’s hosts DJs and cover band concerts.  I always think of SL Resident and living large personality Johnathan Hiess when I visit Frank’s.  Jonathan is the grid’s cutting edge to music; at Frank’s he DJs, he produces cover band concerts and generates quite a following.  If you are luck to see him in his military dress, that is just a bonus. Frank’s is a place you may meet Mr. Right Now if not Mr. Right.  It is enjoyable to be in a vast room of avis donning their best clothing. Pan your camera around, use your free What is She Wearing HUD and see who is designing these outfits.  See someone who interests you? Go ahead and IM them, that is what people DO at Frank’s so meet, chat and dance.  

Foxxies ballroom and Jazz club is a treat.  Beyond the elegant ballroom you will find a hot air balloon ride and a horse drawn carriage.  Explore and be rewarded at this gem. Foxxies has been on the grid for well over nine years. The traffic is lower here than Frank’s so if you want to have some snuggle up, one-on-one time with that special person try the atmosphere at Foxxies.  They also have DJs, music, romantic gardens, waterfalls and several romantic cuddle spots.

How would you like to enjoy some 40s swing dancing?  Teleport to the Creationspark SIM.  This is the SIM created to facilitate knowledge and support for Parkinson’s disease.  None of those limitations of the physical realm in the CP Swing Dance Hall.  A bit more casual that most ballrooms, this one sits in a SIM chock full of things to do beyond dancing.  Start at the main center and you can visit an art gallery and many interesting boutiques for shopping. In the beach and yacht areas you will find romantic hot tubs, sailboats, row boats, windsurfers and more water activities.  There are swimming animations, tubes and a waterslide. Bring your free Dutchie’s wearable towel to dry off.  Explore the vast expanse of the underwater paradise.  Truly vivid colors and interesting sea life to be found throughout.  I love the underwater paradise! Finish your visit at the Celestial Realm visiting the Spiritual Circles in the sky.

There are some other great places for an elegant night out on the grid.  Phat Cats Jazz Club Ballroom has a very romantic feeling and host live music.  Regency ballroom is one of those that provides clothing for those who don’t have a formal outfit.  A nice up and comer ballroom, I hope they get more traffic to enjoy what the offer to the visitor.  Many of the ballrooms on the Second Life search are not at their locations any more. Before that special date, make sure the ballroom exists before going out.  Save yourself the last minute fumble of finding a replacement location.

Take a moment and sift through your messy inventory.  Do you have a couple nice formal outfits? It is worth the time to make a couple.  It is a great treat to go out in SL to a nice romantic ballroom where in the arms of that special someone you may lose yourself, if only for a while, life can be magic, let it.

Links;

Heart of Avilion, Medieval Fantasy Roleplay

Frank’s Place Jazz Club

Foxxies ballroom

CP Swing Dance Hall

Phat Cats Jazz Club

Regency ballroom

Ballroom pictures and more:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/140164441@N08/

Seersha Heart [saoirseheart resident]

Photos by Karmaghna Ulrik

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LEA 9 Gaia’s Quest – Visit the heart of a Dragon - Seersha Heart

Second life is known for showcasing spectacular collaborative SIMs.  No place is this more apparent that the area set aside for such builds at the LEA SIMs.  LEA, or Lindon Endowment for the Arts, has expanded since the original conception for this group.  Now at the fifteen-year mark of SL, LEA has a landing area is set up so you may go through the latest builds easily.  Dragon Shichiroji is the driving force, the cohesion behind the new LEA9 build titled “Gaia’s Quest”.

Dragon is an unassuming and generous man whom I consider a dear friend.  In real life and SL, Mental health and wellbeing are paramount to Dragon.  His real life experiences have given him the perfect basis to be the architect of LEA 9.  When I asked him what brought him to SL he said “Actually it was following a sojourn into south India in a time I was not working and trying to find myself, I came across the concept of a community free of money and material concerns focused on developing aspiration for growth and unity and creating a sense of belonging. I came to SL with this concept in mind and wanting to bring it to manifestation so that I could also learn skills that would better my professional real life.”  I also asked him if he could invite any celebrity to SL who would he choose? He said Teal Swan the noted spiritual teacher and intuitive.  His inworld residence, Mystic Farms, is a tribute to the care and the humanity he brings to our virtual world.  Mystic Academy is the largest spiritual community in Second Life.  At Mystic you can find a variety of practices such as meditation, New Age and Tantra [many more].  Mystic Farms also allows those in need of a home base, to set their home to this location. Mystic Academy is always happy for volunteers, just IM Dragon.

To prepare for my foray into LEA9, I reread an excellent book of mine titled “Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth”.  I recommend this book as the perfect complement to the build. Most of this book was written in Ireland a place where “tribal warfare has never been far from the scene”.  With LEA9 Gaia, Dragon and his group have worked hard and achieved an experience that maximizes the senses in SL. For the full experience, follow the hunt which is like an “Immersive Indiana Jones” to experience and to interact with most of the build.  There are several tribe cultures beautifully carved into this Gaia. I was awestruck moving through the SIM, the colors, the detail is hypnotic. As you comb through the experience, allow yourself the time to move at your own pace and plan to retrace a few steps.  There are places that take more than one pass to fully appreciate the message and the design.

One of the missions of LEA9 is to share the diversity of ancient culture, wisdom and history.  Wade Davis, a contributor to thestar.com, says that there must be a “wake-up call to the value of ancient wisdom”.  In his discussion he mentions many of the sources traditionally used for that which we call “ancient wisdom”. He relates a thought many of us feel.  We are experiencing “a waterfall of destruction unprecedented in the history of our species. In our lifetime half of the voices of humanity are being silenced”.  Powerful thoughts and images of the cultural adaptations we have experienced fill my head. LEA9 pulls together that which has been neglected, lost, or thrown away.  This build shines a light on these wisdoms in each tribal space. As I spent time at LEA9, I found that if I remained still, listening and watching my environment more was revealed to me.  This is true for all of us. Walk down a path at LEA9 once, and you see a great deal of information. Walk down that path again, more slowly, and like a flower opening the flow of what is going on around you opens more for you.  Come back another day, you find you did not waste your time with multiple trips. Instead each time you walk the path, you experience more and you learn more. The biggest lesson I learned by walking around LEA9 was to reawaken my own respect for ancient wisdom.  Not only wisdom from long ago, but that wisdom that swirls around us every day.

LEA9 is not limited to the optimism of Voltaire’s Dr. Pangloss well known for his idea “best of all possible worlds”.  There is a Downtown Dystopia area, amazing for the detail of the creation, sobering for the possibilities and fate of Gaia.  “It might seem to be a surrender, but I suspect that the rewards, in the form of an increased sense of well-being and fulfillment, in knowing ourselves to be a dynamic part of a far greater entity, would be worth the loss of tribal freedom.”

For me, attending one of the presentations was a profound way to “see” objectives of LEA9.  I attended a colorful presentation underwater. Synced dancing mermaids and mermen decorated the stage while messages were displayed behind them.  Messages of consideration and of thoughtfulness to enable participants to use mindful observation to ‘take notice’. The sensory information poured on the audience.    We could ‘connect’, ‘give’ and ‘learn’ while the show was taking place. The performers brought it all together by inviting all to participate in dance thus allowing us to “keep active”.  The last part of this was the part that affected me most deeply. The colors and the particles were every changing, vivid almost alive. The messages continued to cycle on the stage. The sounds, those sounds were hypnotic to me.  I was mesmerized by watching everyone moving gracefully like mermaids. The music entered my ears as I watched, I was completely in the moment presented to me.

Rare is the experience in any life that may touch someone so deeply.  Here at LEA9, touching its visitors deeply is exactly what Dragon and crew have planned for them.

LEA 9 Gaia’s Quest links:

Gaia’s Quest Website: https://mysticacademy2.wixsite.com/lea9gaiaquest

SLurl:https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA9/208/164/28

Links to sources & related articles:

Whole Brain Health http://www.slenquirer.com/2016/12/getting-older-better-whole-brain-health.html

Mystic Farms http://www.slenquirer.com/2017/12/mystic-academy-twin-flames-seersha.html

Gaia : A New Look at Life on Earth [pp. 110-120]

https://www.amazon.com/Gaia-Earth-Oxford-Landmark-Science/dp/0192862189/ref=sr_1_1/132-3631363-9720707?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1530561442&sr=1-1&keywords=9780192862181

Editorial : A Wake Up Call to the Value of Ancient Wisdom

https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/2009/10/25/a_wakeup_call_to_the_value_of_ancient_wisdom.html

Pre-order Teal Swan’s book “The Anatomy of Loneliness”

https://tealswan.com/

Seersha Heart [saoirseheart resident]

Photos by Karmaghna Ulrik

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GTFO Get The Freight Out - “Seersha Heart Reporting...

GTFO!  I was sitting across the room from my new friend Cosmo Kawabata and he was chuckling at my question.  We both live off route 12 on the continent of Nautilus.  I had been driving down route 12 one day and noticed his business CPK Cartage and Storage.  Many of the boxes in his warehouse bore the stamp “GTFO”.  I had asked him about this acronym.  That is when he began laughing and encouraged me to “look it up”.  If you are even remotely savvy with urban slang you already know why he was laughing.  If you don’t, look up GTFO then return to this article.  His company is a participant in the Second Life RP game developed by Rez Gray, a self-described “scripter and database guy”.  Only last month he revised his profile to notify all that he was only coming in world for basic server and fix-it issues.  He redirects interested residents to the new owners of GTFO.  One problem, he doesn’t name who these owners happen to be in world.  Given the well-designed website and the attention to detail Rez Gray has put into the system, I have no doubt that with the new owners GTFO will move along strongly.

                GTFO in this context means “Get the Freight Out”.  Simply put it is a game for those who are interested in exploring Second Life by using transportation [moving stuff from one place to another] I decided to GTFO myself and see how this game works for me.  To start up, all I needed was the GTFO starter kit from Marketplace and a supported vehicle.  You may purchase a free kit or pay for the premium kit at $699L.  The supported vehicle may be a plane, boat, train, truck, spaceship, car or other vehicle on the list.  The variety vehicle possibilities are staggering; for example, if you wish to fly, you may choose from a small plane, sea plane, jet plane, tiny plane, prop plane and even more varieties.  If you want to travel by sea, you have an equally diverse list of choices from a small boat to a barge.  A freaking barge folks that can transport 24 heavy crates. 

The amount of cargo as well as the kind of cargo may be what you use to determine your mode of transport.  Of course, for those more criminally minded you will need to purchase a specific plane for those midnight air drops.  Yes, you may become a smuggler with a good Bush Plane.  The game provides for everything from the simple take item from point A to point B.  You may choose the other extreme engage in strategic and complicated deliveries by planning and setting goals.  You begin with G$1000 of money with either kit and the balance never falls below G$100. 

I reviewed every vehicle on the supported vehicle listing.  I made the mistake of believing I could pick out a vehicle, jump in and drive.  All the vehicles [even the simplest] require practice to operate.  I purchased a small plane, 33 Debonair by DSA Aircraft, thinking I could fly it.  The detail of the HUD transformed the bottom on my viewer into an airplane dashboard.  A beauty of a plane and very affordable to get your foot in the door of flying.  There are methods of transporting freight that are free such as the Shields Class sailboat V2 and the Hovercraft 1.0 . The vehicle with the lowest amount of prim at 7 is the Sea Boss – Xtreme Jet Ski, the vehicle with the highest prim count is the Prometheus 2.0 with 3000 prim.  The Prometheus is a work of art as well as a space ship garnering 5.5 to 6 stars on every review.  The highest priced vehicle is a stunning beauty large sailboat Falcon Frigate at $7500L.  The more time I spent researching these modes of transport, the more impressed I was with the quality and the craftmanship that is put into most of these items.  With each item I could see the pride and the imagination of the builder come alive in a complex expression, displayed in their work.  You may begin with a free vehicle or any one of many variations.  I have already planned my next purchase as the Hermes Truck Pack.  Owen Lusch has bundled a Flatbed, Box Truck, Liquid tanker and Tipper Truck into one package.  I would really love to drive a big rig in SL on one of the small mainland routes.  Maybe by accident drive across a parcel or three.

I feel I reached a good balance with an initial Linden outlay of $249L.  I began with the $0L starter kit, Amariah Francis’ 1966 Bronco with advanced suspension and GFS fuel system .  This Bronco has some pretty sweet options and to be honest I was impressed by the customizing I would be able to perform on the vehicle.  I also picked up the GFS fuel system for $0L and GFS Fuel Cans for $0L.  [GFS = Global Fuel System].  My initial investment totaling only $249L to give this game a try. 

I enjoy building a great deal.  I took a couple hours and set up a GTFO office with maps and information on my land.  Next to the building I set up my GFS fuel pump and parked the Bronco at the pumps.  The decision to use or not to use the fuel aspect is up to the player.  I decided I wanted the risk involved with running out of fuel, so I filled my cans.  Pulling out the instructions from the GTFO starter kit, I set up my Bronco to be a recognized GTFO vehicle.  This is a very simple process.  You make a prim and name it as specified in the instructions.  My prim is GTFO- Bronco.  I put this prim in the Bronco, then also added the API script provided directly to the Bronco too.  For me, customizing my Bronco was a priority.  I did not wish to be seen cruising around in an “off the rack” looking vehicle.  All supported vehicles are MOD since you must add items to tie it to the GTFO system.  On my Bronco, I may change just about every feature on this vehicle to my current whim.  I would soon learn that having a hot pink Bronco with cool bumper stickers was not as helpful as removing the driver side door.  It took me quite a lot of time to upload the perfect bumper stickers.  My bronco also allows other drivers to use it if unlocked.  I rezzed a small fleet of them at a LL premium sandbox.  Vehicles are to newbie SL residents as sugar is for flies.  It was a lot of fun to watch people come over to the Broncos, then hop in and drive them.  Most without saying a single word to me.  [laughs]

I was finally ready to try to retrieve cargo then make a delivery.  I read the notecard, the website and my vehicle was gassed up and ready to go.  I put on the GTFO HUD, fixed my hair in the mirror and clicked on the HUD.  It listed nearby locations and I picked one to visit.  I backed out onto route 12 and began driving towards Cosmo’s CPK Cartage and Storage warehouse.  The Bronco handles well on the road and I arrive at CPK in about twenty minutes.  I didn’t know how to shift the ATV to drive faster at the time.  I have since learned to set it to “automatic” and drive.  Arriving at CPK, I pull the Bronco into the cargo bay.  I clicked on the HUD and it lists any cargo this location may have for me.  I am in luck and choose to accept the cargo.  If you do not deliver cargo, you will lose $G, if you deliver you are paid $G.  You also receive experience for each delivery.  I am instructed by my bossy HUD to stay in place while the cargo is loaded onto the Bronco.  I watch the countdown clock from the HUD and find myself getting nervous.  What if I don’t make it in time to the delivery location?  I realize I am not at all familiar with driving the roads, I usually fly.

                Bronco loaded, I tap the HUD and scan the map.  I make my first mistake.  I have no idea how to get my land driving Bronco to a different continent for delivery.  Do I need a ship too?  The lore of the game is that cargo is damaged if you TP.  I check the status of my friends in world and notice Cosmo is not online.  I tap the dashboard nervously and do the smart thing and panic.  The FAQs save my mission.  GTFO will not send your vehicle to a location you cannot make it to using the identified vehicle.  For my Bronco, this means I misread the map and my delivery is on the same continent I am currently sitting on in my Bronco.  I am enlightened as I realize there will be some strategy involved for me to make the delivery.

I back out of the cargo bay and drive down the road in the generally correct direction.  The clock is ticking in my head like Poe’s Tell-tale heart and the Bronco seems to move more and more slowly.  As I have not read about the automatic transmission at this point, I am traveling in first gear.  I decide to do what every gamer does at one point or another [yet frequently denies] and I cheat.  I TP to the delivery location.  Without my Bronco it doesn’t help me out because the cargo is IN the Bronco.  I TP back and pick up my Bronco.  I thought “can’t I even cheat well?”.  I TP to the delivery location.  No rez area!  I walk to the nearby road and find a rez station.  I pull my Bronco out of inventory and drive to the delivery destination.  My HUD notifies me that I made it and to stay in place while the cargo is off loaded.

                My face reddens as I realize this isn’t the goal of the game.  The goal is to drive around and deliver stuff.  I pull out the Notecard and scan the instructions again.  I convert my hood to a media panel and load the GTFO website.  This modification to the Bronco looks bizarre.  The HUD pays me for the delivery in both $G and experience points.  I make a promise to never ever cheat again.  I click the HUD and learn there is some manure to be taken too, wait for it, Cosmo’s CPK!  If I leave it here will the ‘manure hit the fan?’ I wonder.  Since I didn’t follow the rules to arrive at the manure pick-up location, I am uncertain how to negotiate the roads and the ban lines to return.  Should I cheat again?  Technically wouldn’t this be part of the same cheat?  I am a pro at rationalizing when it serves my purposes.  I have a priority item, MANURE!!  How can I pass up taking four cargo boxes of cow poo to a friend’s warehouse?  Earning $G and experience points for delivering such a gift?  Before I accent the cargo, the bovine poo, I study the map this time.  I drive all the way to CPK in first gear on roads and through land parcels.  I learn that my Bronco is not always steady and I need practice.  I watch myself drive several meters upside down, then on the side of my vehicle.  I make it to CPK on time and receive honest payment and XP.

                After the cargo is unloaded at CPK I promise to never, ever cheat again.  I sit down on a worn-out couch in the cargo bay area by an old German Shepard dog who looks, well, dog tired.  I am gifted with a brilliant idea!  Maybe all I need is another supported vehicle.  One that I can handle better.  My marketplace addiction kicks into high gear and I review the vehicle options again.  This time I choose a slightly more expensive [$400L] Mainlander Jeep that can only carry one cargo box to the Bronco’s four.  It is a peppy bright light green color.  Down side is I can’t change the license plate or the options easily.  I pout and then take both vehicles to one of the LL premium sandboxes.  The Jeep is much steadier to drive and has ten gears.  Currently I only understand how to use first gear.  I have moved up to automatic with the Bronco, and I am not easily deterred by upside down driving.

                On the GTFO Q&A page one of the questions is the cost of the game.  To get to levels after 5, you need the premium kit.  I read a couple SL residents [whiners] on the cost of $699L.  Please readers, that is less than $3.00 US dollars!  Should we really begrudge a scripter such a paltry amount?  I found the game to be quite brilliantly crafted for the player.  How each player chooses to experience the game is entirely their choice.  There are no required ongoing costs unless the player chooses to invest.  It is a lot of fun to drive down the roads in Second Life.  You will see some amazing builds and surprises along the road.  I also promise you will see a good handful of things that will make you smack your forehead and say out loud “only in SL”.

                I recommend this RP for a few reasons.  The cost is low without ongoing participation expenses.  It is an opportunity to travel SL in a way most residents never choose the opportunity to do.  Using different vehicles is a skill and each one is different.  For those who love to learn new skills in world, this is a perfect game.  For me, I will keep GTFO as one of my RPs.  It doesn’t require a specific amount of participation so keeping it is another advantage.

                This began with a drive down my road on the mainland.  Cosmo’s detailed build caught my eye and I pulled on the thread.  I encourage you to follow the things that catch your eye in SL.  One thing will always lead to another as GTFO has already taken me places and given me more ideas for stories.  Think you can drive a car in SL?  Try this game and see if you feel the same way.  There is a lot going on when you GTFO, I think most will enjoy the drive.+

-Seersha Heart [saoirseheart resident]

Photos by Karmaghna Ulrik

Links:

GTFO website 

https://tradeandtreasure.com/

Cartage & Storage: http://maps.secondlife://GAVELLO/74/192/79

Seersha’s GTFO http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Potter/100/70/27

                       

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