Two Clubs, All Adult, Best Looking Avis in SL - Seersha Heart

Looking for Mr./Ms. Right?  Interested in Mr./Ms. Right Now?  Want to make friends, chat, or be naughty.  Two of the most popular clubs to visit are Teqi’s Lounge and [the chamber].  Both are more than sex clubs. Each has it’s own way of facilitating an upscale experience to meet like minded individuals.  Neither club is all about sex. Whereas [the chamber] is discreet, Teqi’s Lounge makes no secret that there is plenty of naughty fun to be had within her walls.

There is no finer place that Second Life’s upscale stop, Teqi’s Lounge.  Teqi’s lounge is hands down the most beautiful adult club in SL. Romantic lighting, soft colors, nice furniture and chat areas there is nothing missing for first class comfort.  Teqi’s is a place that attracted the best looking avis with well-fitting and stylish mesh as far as the eye can see. There is a cost to join Teqi’s that is approximately $4US or 1000L.  Teqi has special days for non-members to visit and check out the club. Is it worth the Lindens? Absolutely, if you have the budget it is money well spent. The clubs that have membership fees tend to keep out the Newbies or the people who are not serious about socializing politely.  Translation: griefers stay away. This allows for the member to experience a great night of socializing while keeping the distractions some clubs face at bay. Last October, I had the opportunity to speak to Teqi about her club.

Seersha Heart: When did you open Teqi’s?  Did you have help?

Teqi: I started to build Teqis in 2008 and I continuously built it until 2012.  At that time, it looked totally different. There were funny items built into the club such as an elevator with dancing animation, funny music played, silly dances built in bar counter, peeking animation in restroom or foursome champagne dance with bubbles etc...

I didn’t look for visitors at that time, it was more just for my friends and for my fun. So usually there was just few friends with me daily.  I didn’t have clear image of what kind of style & design I wanted for the Lounge. I realized running a club is more complex I thought. SL society is a very complicated thing, more complicated than most of the people think.

I took my time to research many kinds of people’s behaviors in SL.  Such as, what things affects their behavior as well as how it effects their behavior.  And questions like what generates traffic or what kills it. Also, I had to learn English language for be able to express myself (still learning it).  I had to learn moderating too, including things like when I need to interrupt a conversation in the club, when I need to cut it, or stop it, when it’s the time to remove a person from the club, when and with what condition let them come back. What makes an avatar look too young, how to recognize the visual trick they might use for present too young age character and remove them from the club as fast as I can.

Of course, I had to learn how to deal with griefers, which is the best way to deal with them and which is making it worse. I needed a security system and had to learn what kind of security system would serve the best the Lounge needs.  Then there are all the technical issues such as how to deal with lag...Well, I spent 4 years on these things to learn and understand. Then in 2012 I was ready to rebuild/redesign the Lounge with the knowledge I learned.

I had friends who supported me by coming daily to have some fun, they always inspired me to install new things in the club, they had so much fun trying the new things I made for the lounge.  I had fun watching them use the new items I put in the lounge. Other friends supported my work financially and without these friends I couldn’t have built Teqi's. The composition of the Teqi's project was always my work only.

Seersha Heart:Are there any plans to expand Teqi’s or have additional locations?  [since it is SO popular]

Teqi: A place must be expanded if its popular?   No, I don’t think so, bumping into each other is a good start for chatting.  Should we make additional locations for a place? If somebody understands SL then would say no. Most of the people in SL alone and they are looking for company. In this case it is the place owner’s job to bring people together, not to make them be separated from each other at different locations.

Seersha Heart: Do you work with others on any possible changes/revisions to the club or is it all you?

Teqi: I’m quite alone with this project, I haven’t found anyone who could see SL and it’s potential through my eyes as I see it. I mean I never met anyone who could use the technical possibilities or interior design or / and interior composition for stimulate or influence or drive visitor’s behavior on the wished way.  Changes and revisions based on my decisions.

Seersha Heart: Do you know of any couples who met at Teqi and then partnered?

Teqi: Yes I know many, for example Rawage creator, but me too.  I found my partner at Teqis. I built Teqis for people be able to find partner easier by using special techniques that affects people behavior and helps expressing sensuality and helps dating, generates romantic moments that people never forget and beside boosts the future traffic strongly.

Seersha Heart: Thank you for the information Teqi.  You have a fantastic club.

Part of SL for many years, [the chamber] is a sex club that keeps secrets.  [the chamber] is located on a picturesque SIM owned by the elusive Max Butoh.  This SIM also contains a lovely formal club and an art gallery. The | dathúil | gallery of art features artists monthly.  The gallery itself is an eccectic warehouse design. It seems that each item on this SIM is carefully detailed for maximum visual pleasure.  The dance club is named ~ The Sable Club ~ and features a 1920s theme.

Elegant and subtle, you can expect to find a wide range of people at [the chamber] on any given day.  The members have one thing in common, impeccable attire and a sense of style. The group description is “A secret sex society themed-hangout in a vintage hotel room. Meet like-minded individuals for erotic chat, sexual encounters, roleplay or to just hang out.”  I learned of the club myself years ago when interviewing a featured artist at the | dathúil | gallery.  She insisted I would enjoy the club and she was correct.  [the chamber] is and remains a fantastic place to just hang out and on occasion have an erotic chat.  

I have seen [the chamber] evolve through the years keeping faithfully to the vintage hotel theme while adding items that enhance the experience.  When I first joined [the chamber] most socializing was done inside in the lounge. Now the favorite spot is the deck in the rear of the building. There are private suites you may access from the main building for those times you want to spend some one on one [or perhaps more] private time.  There is an incredible spa on the top floor with a large beautiful pool and massage tables. There are other areas I will not mention here as I feel they are even more private for the members. My personal favor is directly off the deck. It is a vintage barber shop complete with some very interesting animations in the barber’s chair.

These clubs remain at the top of the popular higher end adult venues.  Many people, such as myself, are members of both clubs as they are different.  Each provides a quality adult experience with it’s own “flavor”. Teqi’s is closely managed, overtly sexual, with every toy imaginable right there for anyone to try and to see.  The décor and colors at Teqi’s are both soft and sexy. There is no doubt that those hanging out at Teqi’s are interested in the adult fun, voyeurism and hanging out. Periodically, Teqi’s has an open day where non-members may visit to check out the club.  [the chamber], however, is discreet in the adult fun. Where Teqi’s is a large open club with nooks, [the chamber] is vintage hotel with rooms and floors. The colors at [the chamber] are muted yet lush. The private areas of [the chamber] are varied in location and theme.  There are many things you will discover at [the chamber] if you look around at the club. The SIM is also a delightful experience to roam around. I recommend both clubs to those interested in the high end adult clubs.

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Cobra World : An Invitation to A Motorcycle Club - Seersha Heart

           

Cobra World is a premier motorcycle club in world.  I had the opportunity to speak to one of their Road Captains, Zach, about what a club is like and what makes Cobra World so special.  For anyone who rides a motorcycle in world and for those who want to ride a motorcycle in world, Cobra’s is the place to start your quest.  One of the wonderful things offered by Cobra is a beginner’s bike for only 1L and lessons on how to ride.  Although they sponsor special days for interested prospective members, if you want to be part of Cobra show up at their SIM any time and speak to whomever is on the SIM [link at end of article].  Cobra World is a very welcoming place to all.

            I have zero experience in motorcycling in world, no that isn’t exactly true.  I have ridden a motorcycle into the water and given up.  Yesterday I found a renewed interest in riding after I tried a little with Road Captain Zach.  First I had to learn a few new vocabulary words to understand what he was speaking to me about.  When you are taking your first look at their motorcycle club [mc] and are just hanging around the SIM, not attending any rides or any events, you are called a “hang around”.  When you decide you are interested in being a prospective member you become a “prospect”.   Prospects join in the rides and in all events if you are online at the time.  Prospects also go to church.  Another new term, “church” is a meeting.  So a prospect does all the things they would be doing as a member for a while.  The goal is to get to know the members of Cobra while they get to know you at the same time.

Membership to Cobra comes when the members vote you in and you become a patched member.   

As a Road Captain, part of what Zach does is books their rides and runs certain events.  One of those events is the ‘Learn to Ride Event’ I mentioned earlier where they promote helping people learn how to ride and to handle a motorcycle and give them a view of this awesome mc.  Their rides take them on the roads of SL as well as to other SIMs where there are tracks.  At their SIM they have three tracks that wind around the SIM gradually going into the sky.  I had the opportunity to ride on the back of Zach’s bike up all three tracks.  There is a place to stop mid-way along where there are shops and areas for kicking back.  I figure this is where the experienced bikers wait for we beginners to catch up.

The mc has relationships with other mcs in world.  The various mcs will allow another mc to ride on their SIM.  This happens fairly frequently providing quite a diversity of tracks to explore.I learned another important fact about the club, if someone rides along behind you they do not have to be a club member. 

This lead me to an interesting dialog with Zach as I thought well….

Seersha Heart:  do you ever use your bike to flirt with women?

ZACH:             well maybe a few times lol

Seersha Heart:  bet it is a chick magnet *laughs*

ZACH:             yes chicks love bikes, most of the time I get along without having to bring the bike out

            Zach invited me to the Cobra World SIM to take a look around.  I landed near their community board near a well-marked Rez Zone.  Off to one side was the $1L bike for beginners and those who didn’t have a motorcycle to ride.  Some of the Cobra members are builders and build bikes.  Zach is learning to build bikes and sounds quite excited about it.  It was time to see Zach’s favorite bike a White Stallion by Silvercloud bikes complete with painted white stallion on the gas tank.  When he told me he was going to “whip it out” I became cautious as in world that could mean a lot of different things.  However, he produced his bike and was demonstrating the animations that came along with it.  His bike can take a rider so the animations worked for a two animation as well as a single animation.  He told me it is no harder to drive with two than it is with a single rider.  I did manage to make him laugh with this question…

Seersha Heart:  does size matter in a bike’s performance?

Zach:               no with bikes no

Seersha Heart:  *laughs* good to know

            I spoke to Zach about their mc on a wide range of questions.  I learned that the demographic of the club is about even men to women.  To become a Road Captain, he had to finish a lot of rides and express interest in the position.  I asked him what advantages someone would have to being a member of Cobra World instead of riding alone.  He said that at Cobra they are all family.  He also emphasized that when they ride together it’s like you are riding with your family and you have a great feeling of pride.

After seeing the clubhouse and the SIM up close as well as having such a knowledgeable guide, I decided to give driving a try.  I must say Zach has enormous patience.  He offered his own bike for me to try driving.  It wasn’t until I was actually driving that I thought I should have told him I didn’t know there were gears to shift.  He may have suspected my lack of experience when I asked him “how did I get into reverse”.  Well, irl the bike would have suffered, in world I was actually able to drive a motorcycle better than I ever had before.  I did not run into the water, and I listened to Zach’s advice.

            If you are thinking of trying to ride a motorcycle or a seasoned rider, Cobra World is definitely a place to visit.  The SIM is well lain out, they have a clubhouse and a close relationship with members.  Stop in and give it a try, you won’t regret dropping in on them.  They are super friendly and always open for new people to come along and join up.  This writer is not giving up on riding yet, I plan to be a “hang around” for a while and see what happens.

Contacts:

SURL:http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Zandvoort/16/162/1208

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/CobrasMCWorldSL/

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“Surfers’ Bay - You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn how to surf….- Seersha Heart

Persia Bravin: “I wanted it to feel like logging into a vacation “

It is Wednesday lunch time when I decide to go in world for a bit of personal rest& relaxation.  As I load up my viewer, I am humming Rupert Holmes’ song Escape.  A very beachy tune with a lot of action happening in the dunes of the cape.  This song always makes me think of the beach.  When I come in world tonight, I want to go to the beach to escape the stresses of rl and have a bit of fun.  I recently joined the Surfer’s Bay VIP Group in world.  In my first couple of weeks as a member I had learned that surfing is not only the actual act of riding a wave on a board but also a life style.  Persia Bravin and her partner Duncan Blackburn have opened a spectacular new surfing SIM.

Kick off your shoes and wander down the beach with me here at Surfers’ Bay.  The sounds of the ocean are soothing, the waves are ready and waiting.  I recommend a nice walk around the island.  The main social area has plenty of places to sit and relax.  You can sit on the beach on a towel, a chair or float in the water on nice large floats.  What is Persia Bravin trying to create here?  I joined her at the club for lunch one day last week to see what she had to reveal to us.  She told me that RL is hard enough, this is a place to escape those stresses.  “So, log in, escape and enjoy fellow SLers” Persia says with a wry smile.

Taking a stroll around the island the aspect I most enjoy is the ambient sounds.  The sounds of surf and gulls will take your mind to the ocean as you stroll.  Our first stop is a handy rez station.  We can rez a surf board or a jet ski.  The jet ski is HUD operated and easy to use.  I have taken a jet ski around the entire island, it is possible, and it is fun.  A little bit further down the beach you will see Orchid Island off to our left.  A particularly romantic scene, this island rests in constantly swirling sea water, white caps crashing along a worn stair case.  At the top of the stairs is a view of the ocean and a private place to spend some time along or with that special someone.

I asked Persia about the name “Orchid Island”, where did she come up with that name?  She told me that initially she didn’t quite know what to do with the island claiming it “came out of nowhere”.

Persia Bravin: I wanted somewhere small and peaceful.  I love orchids rl and a friend of mine who makes really good sl plants just came out with some. He sent the orchids to me, so it made sense.  It also runs with the Bali theme

Surfer’s Bay is chock full of spots such as this one.  There are all kinds of romantic stops with any animation you might wish to enjoy.  There is deck in a lagoon of the most beautiful turquoise water you have ever seen.  On this deck is a large round chair.  I take a seat in the chair and find out, like most of the island, I have many options. 

Along with all the couples poses you could ever need, you will find the playful poses too.  In one lagoon there is a platform with several poses for the single traveler including treading water and jumping off the platform into the water.  The island has been designed with a weaving of rock and of sand throughout.  Stone staircases, decking and platforms appear exactly where needed.  The furniture is strategically placed throughout with both the single and the couple in mind.  At many areas of the SIM I feel as if I entered a nice quiet private place.  As if it is designed with me in mind.

There is a double diving board jutting out into the ocean.  I have seen people hanging out on the diving boards chatting up a storm.  The boards are dramatic and tower well above the ocean.  The diving is outstanding.  Nearby there is a spot where elegant comfortable cream-colored sofas sit on a floating dock waiting to be used.  I see a man standing there on the dock looking out to sea.  The people you encounter are friendly.  He sends me an IM telling me I “improve the view”.  I smile and thank him as I continue this stroll.  Almost directly opposite of the main social beach area I find a picturesque swimming pool. 
The pool provides a swim HUD, it works well there and at other points on the SIM.  It is hard to imagine that this Island is only three months old.  The group already has 5000 members and I expect to see a lot more.  I traveled to ten other surf SIMs to research what one might expect to see at a surfing SIM.  While there are a few nice ones, no surf SIM captures as many amenities as Surfer’s Bay.  Surfer’s is a place you will want to visit every day.  If you want to own your own surf board, there is an unobtrusive shopping area a short walk from the beach with surfboards on sale for men and women made by regular a surfer on the sim - Guyot Habana. 

Persia is a charming and a laid back surfer.  I asked her a few more questions for the prospective members of Surfers’ Bay VIP Group.  Here is the conversation:

Seersha Heart: Are you a member of the SL Surfers Association?

Persia Bravin: I have been a member of the SLSA since 2008 – it’s one of the organisations that I have never left or discarded to make room for other groups.  The SLSA is a stalwart of the SL surfing community; they provide competitions and support for surfers and surf owners and do a lot of work to promote surfing as a sport across SL.

Seersha Heart: Do you or will you host “Pro” surf events?

Persia Bravin: Surfer’s Bay VIP is about the fun and non-competitive aspects of SL surfing. It’s a sim for true ‘soul surfers’ or those people that simply enjoy the sensation of paddling out and taking on the huge Maoli waves and we love welcoming newcomers to SL surfing too. There is a hardcore group of surfers that you will see hitting the waves here on most days and they always give their time to coach others. We are considering becoming a destination for future, larger surfing events though – watch this space!

Seersha Heart: How do you track how members feel about the SIM?

Persia Bravin: The Surfer’s Bay VIP group chat is always buzzing with thoughts and suggestions from our thousands of members and we do listen carefully to all feedback. We don’t have a formal suggestion process currently – although that might be something we could implement in the future – but all ideas from our members are welcomed and usually implemented immediately!

Seersha Heart: Any good stories to share about couples who may have met at Surfers’?

Persia Bravin: When we created the sim, we definitely wanted to impart a sense of romance, but not in the traditional way, but rather through lush planting, naturalistic scenery and plenty of areas where you can be alone with loved ones. Romance does bloom at the sim and I am pretty sure many couples have met there! I also love to see all the different friendships develop: Surfer’s Bay VIP truly is a meeting place for people across the world. Who knows…maybe we will host a wedding one day of a couple that fell in love here.

Coming soon to Surfers’ Bay are well known SL performers Jack Slade on August 4th and Max Kleen on August 18th.  Join the crowd at Surfers’ Bay and enjoy some music while you look out on some beautiful waves.

SURL: secondlife://HIDDEN%20VALLEY/138/177/22
Surfer’s Bay VIP Group
https://www.flickr.com/groups/surfersbayvip/

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Trying out an SL Pregnancy : One Woman’s Story” - “Seersha Heart

Seersha Heart: I’ve been a resident of SL for a few years now.  I have never investigated SL pregnancy or had any close friends who experienced one.  I know I have a couple friends with kids, yet I could not tell you if they started at pregnancy or began with children.  Pregnancy is big business in SL, there are a multitude of resources available.  It can be relatively inexpensive or costly.  Much like an SL wedding, you decide your investment.  This story is one woman’s experience from conception to birth using the Mama Allpa birth system. 
The mother to be is has never tried an SL pregnancy.  For this story I recruited Durn for many reasons.  She is a honeypot of a gal with a salacious appetite for carnal pleasures.  I gifted her with a Mama Allpa female system and marked off the calendar.  I made notes of conversations with Ms. Durn.  Her opinions are all her own.  Here is her story;

Durn: I can be a bit of a party girl.  I make no apologies for making the most of my social life here in SL.  I knew that Seersha was working on something with SL pregnancies.  Most of what she works on is pretty interesting.  I saw a chance to participate so I volunteered.  It's not as if I will get stretch marks right?
I began this story by putting on the Mama Allpa and wearing it as I experienced a ‘normal’ week.  I didn’t read up about it, just added the HUD and took off.  I decided to begin by visiting the Mama Allpa main store.  Wow what a hookup place!!  My IMs lit up before I rezzed all the way.  There are men there wanting all kinds of things.  And wearing black, showing off one's chest is a rather frequent occurrence.

Some are not my thing.  There was a man there who asked me if I ever thought of becoming a horse.  Apparently, he wanted to mate me in horse form.  He was quite polite about it when I told him that no I didn’t want to be a horse.  Another interesting character was a man RPing a priest.  I admit to spending a little time with him to see what his ‘rp’ was about.  I will tell you more about the priest later.  There was a man there who wanted me to let his friend get me pregnant while he watched.  I’ll call him Military man.  He wanted me to insult him and to demean him as his friend was impregnating me.  I would like to say Horse, Priest and Military were the most unusual men I met there yet that would be a lie.
I met a couple nice and sweet men too.  One man, Ken, IMed me that he wanted to find a “one man” woman and settled down with her.  He confessed that he did not seem to be meeting family-oriented women at the clubs he visited, and a friend suggested he try this location.  I hope Ken found someone nice to settle down with in SL.
For me, no judgement here, the most unusual was a half man half demon that is hung like a horse.  He doesn’t bother getting dressed.  Watson, yes, I thought it was a strange name for a man/demon too, made his avi.  Impressive and large, his sole purpose in SL was to spend his time recruiting slaves and other women who wanted to be “breeders”.  He offered to make me a “treasured” pet but I passed on the offer.  There are several men who visit this location who desire to make as many women pregnant as possible.  I never found out why.

One day, not long after I added the HUD, I noticed that I was pregnant.  Just like that, I clicked on the HUD and my status was pregnant.  The only candidates for baby daddy are men wearing the corresponding Mama Allpa male HUD.  The baby daddy?  This is where my story gets funnier.  There were three possible candidates, Priest, Military and an up and comer I will call Deadbeat.    I wasn’t quite sure which it was, you may be impregnated without having sex.  All you need to do is be close to the person and exchange HUD info.  Since I wanted to get pregnant fast I pretty much took any opportunity.  Sometimes proximately, sometimes the old fashioned fun way.  I did not keep track of who and when.  I thought the HUD will tell me who the daddy was.  I was wrong.  To determine baby daddy, the daddy must be within 10 meters of me while I am tested.
The first 10-meter test was for Military man.   I had my fingers crossed for him.  A bit kinky but very nice guy.  He was not “the guy”, the daddy.  I was sure it would be the Priest or the Deadbeat.  It just so happened that I spent time with them both on the day I believed to be the day of conception.  Deadbeat daddy showed up for the test.  As you probably figured out already, Deadbeat turned out to be my baby daddy.  The baby was a boy!  The Priest was disappointed.  An ironic turn of events, the Priest asked me if I would get an abortion, so he could make me pregnant.  At this point I was pretty done with hanging with the studs at main store.
Now that I was pregnant there were things to consider.  To me, the most important was my shape.  My landlady made a nursery for me in my skybox, so I was free to spend my time figuring out these details.  I decided to design my own shape using the measurements on existing shapes.  I also decided to update my shape at each four-week mark.  I learned I was pregnant at 10 weeks so that is where I began.
Now, after the fact, I started reading a bit about SL pregnancy.  I visited a couple clinics.  I wondered what the baby daddy did in this relationship.  Turns out my baby daddy didn’t even IM me once after.  Being industrious, I made #1 Deadbeat Dad signs with his picture and passed them to all my friends.  I had other men step forward offering to RP the daddy role.  I decided to just see what happened.  I sent the baby daddy a present.  A kiosk from marketplace of a book titled “Having a Baby in SL Guidebook”.  I found the best source of information to be mid-wives and doctors at the clinics.  Everyone I spoke to was super friendly.

Clock started, and life goes on in SL.  When I hit my 30th week, I was feeling a bit curious.  Happy with my shape design, I decided to visit the main store location again.  Who was standing there where I met him?  You guessed it; Baby daddy.  He didn’t even notice me there which worked well for me as I didn’t want to continue a relationship with him.  I planned to stay a few minutes.  I wanted to see how people would react to pregnant me.  I was chatted up quite a bit.  Mostly the same kinds of men as before.  Some getting their kink on and some wanting a relationship.
At this point, since I really wasn’t into family life in SL, I started getting bored.  My clothes didn’t fit well, and I was running out of ways to shock and to surprise people.  That had been my main source of fun during the “weeks” of pregnancy.  By shock, I mean showing up at an ex boyfriend’s DJ gig.  He got a kick out of it.  By surprise, I mean just being in SL and pregnant.  People act differently around you.  It was interesting to see how people behaved.  The strangest reaction was when I donned a formal gown with my big round belly and showed up at a popular club.  Suffice to say I have never seen any pregnant women there and I won’t say the club name.

Birth time rolled around quickly after that slow part in the middle.  I wanted a birth partner and Seersha said she would be it.  I picked out a clinic, a birth method and all the extras.  In the end I decided I did not want to simulate birth.  I’m a simple gal.  In the end I just changed my shape back to “normal”.  The baby is nestled in inventory.

Seersha Heart: Thank you for all your energy, Durn.  I feel like you aren’t telling the full story of the people you met at main store.  Care to elaborate?

Durn: Hmmm…I won’t tell details of the people who were nice folks just wanting to experience an SL pregnancy.  I met several of those.  I will say I was surprised at how many men stake out the main store location.

Seersha Heart: Would you do it again?  Get pregnant?

Durn: Anything is possible.  I am not planning it now, but I am like SL.  Things change a lot.

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Agriculture RP with G&S: How One System Bloomed - Seersha Heart Reporting...

Role play is very popular in SL, from escapades in outer space to western sims and anything the mind may imagine in between those examples.  One of the most popular RP groups are those modeled after the planet of Gor.  Gor was conceived within the science fiction novels of John Norman.  SL resident’s participant in Gorean culture either as BTB [by the book] or GE [Gorean evolved].  For more information on Gor, I have provided links below.

A resident of a Turia [Spanish Gorean SIM], Sombra.Magic developed an intricate role playing agricultural society.  Originally it was designed for his SIM and other practicing Gorean SIMS.  Today G&S products may be seen throughout SL used by many different individuals as well as RP groups.  All aspects of the G&S products are modeled after the lives in the John Norman novels.  The clever G&S designs have objects that both interact with each other and interact with the player.  This RP system has evolved to a wide array of activities for the user.  

One example of the circular nature of one of the processes would begin with crops.  I began with a Grain field.  This field needs water to survive and thrive.  I obtained my buckets of water from a water well.  I placed water on the field and would replace it if it disappeared [was used].  After 5 days, the field would display that it was ready to be harvested.  By clicking on the field, I would receive 1 bag of grain for that field.  Next, I purchased a Verr [goat] for my farm.  The Verr needs both water from the well and grain from the field.  The Verr may be bred with other Verr for increasing livestock.  The Verr only ‘live’ for 40 days so I must manage my livestock carefully.  The lives and the breeding of animals is thoughtfully designed using Gregor Johann Mendel’s Principles of Inheritance.  The Verr provide many products; Milk, meat, wool and skin.  Each of these products may be used with other products to make items such as thread, rugs, tapestries or to cook several recipes.

That Verr example is one of hundreds of scenarios one can set up using the G&S RP items.  This RP system has definitely ‘bloomed’ in SL and continues to grow within and outside of the Gor communities.  Exciting news

After working with several of the G&S items, I submitted some questions to Sombra and G&S right hand Erica to learn more about the system and the future.

SEERSHA:    When [what year] did G&S begin within the Spanish Gorean SIM it was designed for?

SOMBRA:    G&S started in 2008 in the Spanish sim of Turia.

SEERSHA:    When did G&S begin selling products beyond that SIM?

SOMBRA:    It was that same year, a few months after starting. The English sim of Turia, convinced me to sell the products in all SL.

SEERSHA:    For our readers, the main G&S page [below] also has a “G&S trading list”.  This provides G&S product providers.  I am very curious, who are the developers?

SOMBRA: Guardian Baron is the main developer of the Mesh. And I of the scripts, Erica participates in different phases of development and customer service.

SEERSHA:   I have met Erica through my use of the G&S products.  She provides excellent and quick answers to a lot of questions.  I have spoked to a few different developers of RP environments in SL.  One thing I love to learn is what the developers notice in player behavior that emerges as the product is put into service.  Have you noticed any emergent behavior that you did not anticipate once you began selling G&S products to everyone in SL?

SOMBRA: Above all I notice it in fishing. At first, we thought that there would not be many people fishing, but it exceeded all our calculations, we even had to put an extra server to support it.

SEERSHA:  I noticed the fishing as well.  I haven’t tried it yet but I am sure too at one point.  Are there any plans to make different types of HUDs for the RP?

SOMBRA:there will be updates for the Hud, but not different types.

SEERSHA:    Is there any plan to add some of the other 102 insects and animals found on GOR such as larls or sleens?

SOMBRA:  For animals, yes, sleens, kailas, larls, tarns, but I had never thought about insects, it could be interesting.

“Suddenly a great shadow covered the ledge. My tarn had returned. I looked up and, to my horror, saw that it was not my tarn. It was another tarn, a wild tarn. He lit on the ledge, snapping his beak. This time I had none of the careful conditioning of the tarn keepers working in my favor.”
Tarnsman of Gor     Book 1     Page 143

SEERSHA:   *smiles* From my research I learned that generally Tharlarions are for those who have not yet mastered Tarns.  Any plans to develop Tarns?  The G&S crowd loves to race those Tharlarions!

SOMBRA: Of course, I always have tarns in mind. :)

“There are different varieties of domestic tarns, some bred for war, some for racing, and some for draft purposes, the haulage of tarn baskets, which may contain cargo or passengers, or, in the case of slaves, slave cargo. A tarnster commonly controls the tarn with reins from the basket, unless there is a line of tarns, tied together, which commonly follows a lead tarn, with its own tarnster and basket.”
Rebels of Gor     Book 33     Page 90

SEERSHA:   I am using the G&S system.  I know of other individuals using G&S.  What are some of the other RP communities that you know are using G&S?

SOMBRA: I've seen some very varied, almost all set in medieval RP, and I've seen some very curious, Star Wars, and another set in the Europe of 1800

SEERSHA:    Star Wars?  *laughs* may the force be with them, right?  I read from on your G&S Trading page that there have been hackers to your system.  Have you experienced support from LL to curb this practice?  Have you taken this abuse outside of SL to pursue violators in a rl court?

SOMBRA: LL Helped a little, especially in the illegal copies put on sale in the market,but, I’m from the old school,and these battles also fascinate me, and sincerely, I have not received attacks so strong or that could not be rejected with a little ingenuity to use the laws outside of SL.

SEERSHA:   That is good to know that LL has lended some support.  I have provided links to the main G&S page below.  What other items would you like the readers of this article to know about G&S and the roleplay system?

SOMBRA:  I think this is all, we have no facebook or twitter.

G&S is the only group to make a full range of Gorean roleplay agricultural and animal roleplay items.  There are other Gor items produced by residents of SL you will find on Market Place.  Many thinks of the Gor SIMs only for the human interaction from the novels.  As with most things in SL, dig a little deeper and there is much more to be found.  In the case of the Gorean RP, this is much more complex than one might imagine.  And on these SIMs and in this roleplay, there are many creative members who are dedicated to making the experience close to the novels.

Main Information Webpage: http://gstrading.info/

SRUL:  secondlife://GYS/146/142/2033

MP store: https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/27655/

On their webpage there are instructions to submit questions via NC to Kristal Clarity.

Seersha Heart [saoirseheart resident]

saoirseheart@gmail.com

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Angels & Demons Arriving in SL : Interview with Bloodlines Mars Bracken- Seersha Heart Reporting…

In November 2016, I wrote about Bloodlines and sat down for a chat with Mars Bracken.  Now as Bloodlines is celebrating their ten-year anniversary I wanted to see what has happened with Bloodlines in the past two years.  Never disappointing, the Bloodlines group is readying a new release.  From my view point, this will be a very big deal in SL.  Will it surpass prior characters?  When I last spoke to Mars, Bloodlines had a fairly new school created with many classes.  Here I am talking to Mars on what is going on with Bloodlines now….

SEERSHA: Welcome back Mars, thank you for taking some time to talk to me today.  I have a few questions, I want to jump directly to the new release of Angels and Demons first….will you tell me a little bit about each new character and how they fit into the scope of Bloodlines?  When is the release date?  Will the HUDs be on marketplace on the release date?  Where is the best place to buy the new HUD on release date?

MARS:   The new races are designed to work in a fairly familiar way with the system, but obviously provide new roleplay opportunities. We've heard from several people saying they had no interest in Bloodlines until they heard they could play a really benevolent character like an Angel, so apparently that has some appeal.
The release date for these two new races is May 4th, which is also our 10 Year Anniversary event:
https://blog.slbloodlines.com/2018/04/17/bloodlines-10th-anniversary-angels-demons-release-party/

The new HUDs will not immediately be on MP, they will be in our main stores. But soon after we should have them up on the Marketplace and in the affiliate vendors.

SEERSHA:   Will any of the existing characters merge with an Angel or a Demon character [similar to the merge of Vampire and Lycan]?  Where may interested residents get more information on these today?

MARS:  Players will be able to merge or hybridize any two races (other than human), so Angel Lycans and Demon Vampires etc. will definitely be a thing. The Fury HUD will get an update not long after the initial release, and that HUD will be able to be used for any 2-race combination, so there won't be a need for another HUD in each case. At the moment our blog is the most reliable source of information, but not much will be out officially until release day.

SEERSHA:   Was the release date of Angels and Demons delayed?

MARS:  The first time we officially announced a release date was when we talked about May 4th and our anniversary on the blog. Fingers crossed we will meet the deadline!

SEERSHA:   I am not a Bloodlines player as of the writing of this article.  I visit the SIM periodically with friends.  When I saw the Angels and Demons sign I immediately thought that Angels will be full of women and the Demons full of men.  Does your group have any predictions that you may share? [I have since revised that prediction after one woman telling me woman can be bad a$$ demons too!]

MARS:  We hadn't really predicted or imagined any gender split on the races. When we do the vendor art, we of course have to choose what character will be feature most prominently, but we try to just create a balance in the representation. We definitely know a lot of male and female avatars who have expressed interest in both Angels and Demons, so we'll just have to see how it goes!

SEERSHA: That is such exciting news!  You have spoken to me about emergent behaviors that your team notices while monitoring the players.  Did the concept for Angels and Demons come from an emergent behavior or another source? Is this the new thing you referenced to me back 2016?  Do you think there will be a significant number of 1st time players to join the game?  What does your group consider a significant number?

MARS:  Angel and Demons have been requested as races for years now. I think right after we released Lycans, people asked for Zombies for a few years, and then it shifted over to Angels and Demons. Now it seems most of our requests are coming in as Dragons, so that might be next!

We're not sure how many first time players will join because of the Angels and Demons, but it sounds like there will definitely be some. And we consider any additions significant!

SEERSHA:   Oh Dragons…interesting.  Fire breathing would do awful things to my hair.  *laughs*  Now if someone has never played Bloodlines wants to become an Angel or a Demon; will they have a level playing field for exisiting BL players?  That is can a brand-new Demon shoot to the top of achievements without old BL ties?

MARS:  Yes, we are definitely creating brand new ranking pages for Angels and Demons, which should allow people a new arena to compete and achieve in.

SEERSHA: Do you have people in world using a beta HUD of either class right now?  Will there be a lot of help for users of these new HUDs?  Where?

MARS: We do have a beta HUD that just started today, and will run for a little less than a week. We kept the test group small, it's under 2 dozen. We may expand that but we're hopeful we can work out the bugs within that group.

SEERSHA:   I was able to meet and speak to a couple of players who are your Demon Beta’s inworld this past weekend.  I have included pictures of them in this article.  Is there anything else you would like our readers to know about the new release besides the date May 4, 2018?  A link for information?

MARS: Our blog is always the best source for news, and the latest post is this one:
https://blog.slbloodlines.com/2018/04/17/bloodlines-10th-anniversary-angels-demons-release-party/

SEERSHA:   You seemed quite proud last time we spoke about the school on the Bloodlines SIM.  Will you tell me who may attend the classes and a summary of what is offered?

MARS: BLU [BLU = Bloodlines University] classes cover the HUDs, Potions, Tools, Metrics, Achievements, Liege Etiquette, and Turning, as well as Q&A sessions.

SEERSHA:   I have heard some discussing the financial aspects of the game.  Can members benefit financially from the game?

MARS: Currently people can benefit by opening a Blood or Soul Bank, or by selling or trading Rare Textures on the Marketplace. We are happy to be in a long tradition of games like Warcraft, Neverwinter, Guild Wars, and EverQuest which enable players to collect (and soon craft!) resources for trade or sale to other players.

SEERSHA:   I am a *huge* WOW fan and player.  I notice that some stores and some SIMS ban Bloodlines participants specifically yet not other RP groups.  What are your thoughts on members being banned from locations in SL?

MARS: We don't blame people for wanting to keep a strict type of roleplay or environment for their virtual experience or home, and excluding all else. Early on we realized we can't control who permits the system where, so we just focus on making the game better and better, and trust that most people will come to realize that having vampires and werewolves and angels and demons running around on their land can actually be a wonderful thing!

SEERSHA:  I wanted to ask you a few questions about products I found on Marketplace.  I found the Gorgon headpiece quite interesting and definitely see one in my future.  These are the products I would like to know more about; the “elf” , the Dark Disciple, the Grave Ghoul and the Tesla Coil.  What can you tell me about these products?

MARS:  All of these items you mentioned are from our original stores, which existed pre-Bloodlines. The Elf and the Dark Disciple were originally marketed to Harry Potter fans at their big RP sim at the time, in a shop we had called Elixir. The Grave Ghoul and Gorgon were in a store called Blood, and our sci-fi fantasy store Acid Rain. After Bloodlines came out, we consolidated all those non-Bloodlines items into one store, Crypt, and kept adding to the collection slowly over the years. Recently however we've actually taken the Crypt stores down in-world, until we can do proper updates on all those products. We love the Gorgon and the Brethren and the Elf and all the rest, but they all are definitely in need of modernization to fit in with the progressing virtual reality in SL.

SEERSHA:   Is there anything else you want the readers to know about Bloodlines?

MARS:  Just that we're always open to suggestions! We have several more big updates coming this year, including our massive RPG Expansion, but we welcome all ideas and have suggestion boxes on our sims for that purpose.

SEERSHA:   I am an avid reader of all kinds of supernatural lore, with Vampires and Lycans a particular favorite.  How is it that a player may be a hybrid of a vampire [undead] and a lycan [living]?  In most lore Vampires and Werewolves are enemies.  What is your involvement with the lore of each character?

MARS:  There are a fair few games and shows where you can be a hybrid of a vampire and a werewolf; the Underworld movie series comes immediately to mind. We try not to write too much mythology at all, so that people are free to roleplay whatever style they wish. And of course if they wish to ignore the existence of hybrids, that's ok too.

SEERSHA:   Bloodlines also has a battle or WAR HUD.  Is this a different identity or is it any current BL character participating in combat?

MARS:  War is tangential to Bloodlines, exists on the same site, and there are a fair few players doing both. We are currently making decisions about how / if War will be connected at all with our upcoming combat / crafting additions in the Bloodlines RPG Expansion.

SEERSHA:   Where are your stores located?  I am publishing the picture you gave me along with this questions.

MARS:  Our stores are located on our collection of 5 full Bloodlines islands. We just recently renamed and moved the sims, so that now the 4 race sims are spokes on the central "Mortal Crossroads", which is where the human store is located. The Angel and Demon stores (and RP areas) are being built at the moment, and there's going to be construction ongoing for a while, leading up to our RPG Expansion.

SEERSHA:   Thank you for answering all of my questions.  I look forward to the release of Angels and Demons.  I will follow up with you after the release.  I am curious to see what emergences about six months after the release.

MARS:  Thanks for the opportunity to speak, we really appreciate it.

Population of Bloodlines as of 5/2/2018: Vampires 34,889; Lycans 6,483; Hybrids 18,563 and Humans aka Blood Dolls 137,858

URL:  https://www.slbloodlines.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/slbloodlines/
Twitter: @slbloodlines
MP store: https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/12144

To learn more about each character click on the name for link to the BL page.  To locate stores, click on SRUL.

Mortals [Humans]
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Bloodlines%20Midland/127/128/241
Lycans
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Bloodlines%20West/236/128/241
Vampires
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Bloodlines%20East/94/99/238

Hybrids
After May 4, 2018

Angels [will be angels.slbloodlines.com]
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Bloodlines%20North/128/20/241
Demons [will be demons.slbloodlines.com]
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Bloodlines%20South/130/233/241

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