A Princely Safari

A slightly shorter trip today to visit Maze grid, run by Prince Amor. He's a big Star trek fan and we visited his Solar System region about a year ago, if you recall that flight between all the planets on a saucer, over on OSGrid. This was before the recent Asset event on OSgrid, and this time we're checking out Prince's own grid which boasts about twenty public regions plus plenty of residentials.

Fitheach Eun: Hi Prince

Tosha Tyran: Hi Prince, you look like it is best to keep a little distant... :D

Maia Antarra: hi Prince,  if I bump into anyone...I can't see you so sorry about that... ok now that is one scary avatar prince!

Prince Amor: I try to be different, different avatar a day keeps ones mind fresh

Thirza Ember: saves on soap also

The Welcome sim on Maze has a large Building Supplies store, and if you look on the map you'll see a whole sim dedicated to free complete avatars, organized into separate stores according to category, but since the Safari doesn't do well at a Mall between everyone getting lag and getting distracted, our trip was focused on Prince himself and two sims, Maze Grid Home and Medieval Desert Fortress Fantasy -  good old HG Addresses at the end of the post as usual.

Prince Amor: feel free to take what you like there and share them long as you don't charge for them that is what they are there for

The Return of Guinguette

Some days ago, a few friends gathered to celebrate the return to health of Nadir Rae, of Ignis Fatuus, and the setting was itself a welcome return to Opensim - Guinguette is back online.

If you're not French, you may not know the term. A guinguette is a sort of open air tavern. located on the outskirts of big French cities, especially Paris - the most famous is probably Maison Fournaise at Chatou, immortalized by Renoir in 1880, shown here. 

They were places where townies could escape the grime of the industrial lifestyle and get a taste of nature, to dance and drink and generally have fun in a pastoral setting. In our self-conscious tourist-centered times, modern guinguettes are often  hopelessly posh - like the one at Issy or good lord the accessible-only-by-boat Chalet des Iles in the Bois de Boulogne - places where your penniless painter couldn't hope to get in. But on Ignis Fatuus grid, the charm of the old guinguette is intact, a place to kick off your shoes and enjoy a tune or two, in the company of friends.

Colored fountains and bistro tables surround the central dance hall, just steps away from the river. Speaking of steps, the region gives the visitor the impression of having many delightful spots for a pleasant walk in turn-of-the century style...

Star's Hereafter

Star Ravenhurst waited for us on a dusty, grungy street corner by a sign that said 'Welcome to Hell'. 

No, not TP or IM hell for once, this was the 'other' place, our second destination of the day with, as it turned out, a surprising coincidence in the architecture, but more of that later, This region Heaven & Hell is on Star's own grid, TenthDimensionGrid.

Francisco Koolhoven: Well I made it to this grid :) wasn't able to go to alternate metaverse

Star Ravenhurst: Sorry to hear that Francisco

Francisco Koolhoven: it happens sometimes,  I'll try to go there later

James Atlloud: It was great Fran... Oh! Shared environment makes a difference, thanks... rats!

Star Ravenhurst: A lot has changed since you were last week Tina

Kelso Uxlay: A rats parade

Thirza Ember: hmmm definitely a dry heat here

Star Ravenhurst: Yep and dry heat is terrible for the skin!

Thirza Ember: ok we're all here

Star Ravenhurst: We can walk down the block and see if we can catch the bus... This way...

James Atlloud: a bus!!

On Satori

Our first trip this week was to Alternate Metaverse Grid, and the lovely sim Satori which at first glance would seem to be simply a well appointed beach resort, until you discover a whole other world up in the sky.  

It doesn't happen every week, for sometimes there's mad chaos in the minutes before the HG Safari tour begins, when a host goes awol or a region goes offline or someone asks a question that does not compute. But sometimes, there's a delicious calm before the storm, and this week was one of the delicious kind. Not least because our first stop was at the home of the deliciously golden Maia Antarra, DJ, builder, choreographer, Reiki practitioner, and more... 

Maia Antarra

... and the darkly suited and harder to get on camera Savage Taurus, the master scripter whose work amplifies and animates this cleverly laid out region.  Normally there's one Thirza at the Clubhouse and another goes a few minutes before the event begins to our first destination to facilitate our arrival. 

Savage Taurus: hello Thirza,  have you come for the tour? 

Maia Antarra: she's the ringleader

Savage Taurus: awesome. I think the saucer is working right

Maia Antarra: well it if has a malfunction we all get jettisoned into space that's all...  spacesuits available in the shop over yonder

Sybella

Vlad Helsing: on est en voice je ne sais pas si tu nous entend

So, you know how I'm always on at you about 'we have to do the Safari in Local Chat and not in Voice', bla bla bla, because Voice tends to exclude a lot of folks whose English is pretty good but who, in the evening on a weeknight, aren't up to following a full conversation at top speed; not to mention those of us who, for one reason or another, can't join in with anything audio during the tour, and you all secretly (or not so secretly) think that's a terrible idea...  

Max the Guide, on Sybella

That's why it's always fun to meet with the frenchies, who absolutely don't care that the majority of Safari visitors can't follow a thing being said in Voice. It's good for your souls, to see things from the other point of view, and it gives me a delicious opportunity to say I told you so. But that's not the main reason we hopped over to Ignis Fatuus Grid this week. 

Pure Lunacy at Magicland

Lunacy? No, it was a great idea. Stone and  Hope Lunasea invited the Safari over to Neverworld grid for a visit this week to Magicland. The theme of the visit to this region is theme parks, as in Disney and co - all the fun of the fair. We met outside the cinema.

Stone Lunasea: Welcome everyone to Hopestone's Magicland!

James.Atlloud: great music

Hope Lunasea: Hey there, everyone. Welcome.

Dings Digital: Hello :)

Paela Incognito

Incognito? A little less these days. Anyone who's been around Opensim for any length of time will be familiar with the name Paela Argus, and if you've ever dropped in at LBSA Plaza on your way somewhere, or looking for some help, or company, you maybe have seen the attractive lady avie hanging out there. 

Recent events on OSGrid have given Paela even more visibility, so it seemed like a good time to get to know the person behind the screen a little better. Starting with the basics of good manners. 

Thirza Ember:  I know that nowadays you go by Paela Osgrid inworld, rather than Paela Argus. Do you prefer if people refer to you as ‘he’ or ‘she’? 

Paela Argus: I honestly don’t mind. People can use either “he” or “she” when speaking about me — it doesn’t bother me at all. In the virtual world, I present myself as a woman. It’s my way of breaking the realism of real life, keeping a clear boundary between virtual life and real life. This separation is very important for me — especially for the balance of my real-world marriage. Because first and foremost, I’m a husband and a father to a big family. And I take that role seriously.

Thirza Ember: You’ve been on OSGrid for a long time, Paela, what is the secret of your longevity?