On Thursday, June 23rd, Prim Perfect presented Creating a Community: Steampunk Environments on the SL8B main stage. This panel discussion was well represented and provoked quite a lot of interesting conversation! I’m sharing the chatlog for those who may not have been able to attend.
First, there will be an introduction of our panel. Then, an hour’s worth of creative, crazy, witty chatter, and at the end I’ve added a few links to help you get started on your own exploration of the Steamlands.
(Photo Credits: Martini Discovolante and Wordsmith Jarvinen by themselves, Tensai Hilra by Bookworm Heinrichs, Totallunar Eclipse by PJ Trenton and Mosseveno Tenk by Steadman Kondor)
Ceejay Writer: Brace yourselves to be introduced to our charming and beautiful audience!
Tensai Hilra braces
Ceejay Writer: Mosseveno Tenk spends his nights winding all the clocks in New Babbage. It’s a formidable task, and one that has earned him the respected title of “Clockwinder Tenk” in that Steampunk City/State. Clockwinder Tenk is unique in the fact that the citizens of New Babbage voted him into ownership of the ten sims of New Babbage when the former Mayor moved on. This says a lot about community right there. In his spare time, Tenk enjoys sleeping on various hearths, drinking in the many New Babbage taverns, and being kidnapped. He’s always rescued and returned, though, because, as the town motto goes, “What Could Possibly Go Wrong?”
Mosseveno Tenk waves
Ceejay Writer: On Tenks left… Wordsmith Jarvinen! Wordsmith is Dean of Education for Caledon Oxbridge University where he also teaches Introduction to Mesh as well as helping with orientation of new residents. A scripter and builder, Wordsmith is co-designer of the sims of the Duchy of Caledon Westmoreland and the adjacent Free State of Numantia, part of the Realm of the Roses–a grand alliance of lands allied with Caledon and Winterfell and sharing their Victorian Steampunk culture. Numantia differs from Caledon as a whole in modeling a Mediterranean rather than a UK climate, hospitable to vineyards, orange and olive groves, and an occasional palm tree. Wordsmith has also created inworld “books” on folk and faery stories for the Caledon library system.
Wordsmith Jarvinen: *nods/smiles*
Ceejay Writer: On my right, the charming Martini Discovolante! Martini is a long-time resident of Caledon, and Dean of Commons at Caledon Oxbridge University. in addition to her own shops in Kittiwickshire, she has built several municipal projects for Caledon, including Founders homes for several sims, the Hall of Caledon and School Store in Oxbridge, designed the sim of Caledon Rocabrannagh, and the mysterious disappearing Village of Brigadoon. Her favorite color is Tartan, and she loves long walks high above the beach with her Air Kraken.
Martini Discovolante: howdyhowdyhowdy!
Ceejay Writer: She’s obviously a true romantic. 🙂
Ceejay Writer: On her right….. Totallunar Eclipse! Along with Tensai Hilra, his partner in both worlds, Lunar leads Steelhead City, a Pacific Northwest Victorian community nestled at the base of Mt. St. Helens… pre-explosion. He self-describes himself as “Elf, priest, friend, brother, husband and MAD BUILDER.”
Martini Discovolante: why stop at two arms?
TotalLunar Eclipse bows his head
Ceejay Writer: And on his right… his more dynamite.. er dynamic half!
Ceejay Writer: Tensai Hilra, along with her partner in both worlds, Totallunar Eclipse, has created Steelhead City, a Pacific Northwest Victorian community nestled at the base of Mt. St. Helens… pre-explosion. The couple is well known for their astounding building skills (give them a pile of prims and ten minutes, and you’ll see magic) and their ability to nurture a close knit, thriving community.
Tensai Hilra looks up and snuffs out the tnt
Tensai Hilra waves
Nami (naminelee): Aunt Tensai is rather “bomb”tastic.
Ceejay Writer: And that is our illustrious panel today! Now, this is a casual session, so please, all feel free to chatter and introduce this ‘modern’ world to what we’re all about. And I will occasionally click the slide show to show off scenes from the Steamlands.
(the chat transcript follows…)
Wordsmith Jarvinen: A lot does fall into community .. and themes that promote that. As well as creative “madness”
TotalLunar Eclipse: We are all mad after all.
Tensai Hilra: oooh madness I do well
Ceejay Writer: There is a fair share of madness. Very creative madness.
TotalLunar Eclipse: *smiles*
Wordsmith Jarvinen: The slide up now is from the Oxbridge build… an expression of our “magic” of enabling.
Linus Lacombe: I’m just daft.
Ceejay Writer: (Linus is a Steelheader, of course he is)
Mosseveno Tenk: Yes. We are enablers.
Wordsmith Jarvinen: With three muses or aspects or powers lending their energy … dreaming, sharing, and creating.
Hyacinth Cortes mutters is Miss Tensai wearing pink bubblegum on her head?
Nami (naminelee): Enablers?
Ceejay Writer: It is quite the hairdo!
Nami (naminelee): I like that….
Martini Discovolante: tea, launanum and occasional lightning
TotalLunar Eclipse: And when mood strikes, a volcano goes off.
Tensai Hilra: hehe, well I’ll upgrade to mesh hair soon enough ?`:??)????
Wordsmith Jarvinen: and lagnum (aka cake)
Mosseveno Tenk grins evilly
Ceejay Writer: for those who haven’t visited yet… Steelhead features a pristine, vintage Mt. St. Helens.
Mosseveno Tenk: coffee, pie, and whatever we can distill. and chowder. lots of wiggyfish chowder.
Wordsmith Jarvinen: The themes we have lend themselve to creative architecture, ball gowns, dances, and …. adventures.
Tensai Hilra: Yes! my favorite mountian too!
Linus Lacombe: Sometimes it is less pristine than others
TotalLunar Eclipse: SL is a beautiful platform for the imagination.
Tensai Hilra: happens that St helens blew up on my RL birthday, and now does so every year in Steelhead
Ceejay Writer smiles and agrees. Only here can you rebuild your favorite mountain for your own pleasure.
Wordsmith Jarvinen: Tensai also hit on a common theme with … dynamite.
TotalLunar Eclipse: *smiles*
Wordsmith Jarvinen: Mad scientists and explosions….
Tensai Hilra: hehe, dynamite, c4, potato potato….
Nami (naminelee): smiles sheepishly.
Ceejay Writer: the victorian era was rife with danger… we’ve reimagined it even more treacherous!
Martini Discovolante: you can’t swing a cat-girl without hitting a Mad Scientist
Wordsmith Jarvinen: Air kraken that pursue you……
Ceejay Writer: but it’s not all dynamite and danger, is it? There’s beauty, even in sooty old New Babbage.
Linus Lacombe: And shapeshifting professors seeking golden prims!
Penny Patton: Not to mention the air pirates.
Wordsmith Jarvinen: Taverns like, “The Blue Mermaid” that exist on the “wrong side of the tracks”.
Martini Discovolante waves to Mr Linus!
Wordsmith Jarvinen: And are an excuse for music and dance.
Mosseveno Tenk chuckles
Wordsmith Jarvinen: And a bit of risque behavior….
TotalLunar Eclipse: For those that know myself and my wife are traveling in RL, I found it interesting some of the preconcieved notions others had of SL.
Mosseveno Tenk: Babbage has 15 bars, we think. We’re still not sure.
Ceejay Writer: the grand balls outdo anything ever imagined. A real chance for everyone to show off their imaginations.
Linus Lacombe waves back
Ceejay Writer: (When you reach bar #14, it all goes a blur?)
Mosseveno Tenk nods to Lunar
Tensai Hilra: oh the entire steamlands are rife with beauty… the life some people breethe into the builds is amazing
Ceejay Writer: I agree – I’ve never seen anything like what the Steamlands creates. It’s inspiring. I even learned how to slap two prims together, once I arrived.
Martini Discovolante: we have so much talent residing in our little part of the world
Wordsmith Jarvinen: And large swaths of sims without ban lines or security orbs … ripe for sailing across in an airship or water ship, sim crossings permitting.
Nami (naminelee): raises her hand.
Mosseveno Tenk: We do have to sacrifice some creative freedom for what we do, but the immersive aspect of it is well worth it.
Ceejay Writer smiles. “You! With the hand!”
Nami (naminelee): What makes this place so worth it for you? You all seem to have had a lot of time invested, so why is that? *smiles*
Ceejay Writer: Good question. Panel? Thoughts?
Martini Discovolante: I like the ability to make the things i have always loved.
Tensai Hilra: Well the overall theme of this discussion isnt the builds.. its just what we stay here for… the communities we build
TotalLunar Eclipse: indeed
Wordsmith Jarvinen: The comraderie…
Martini Discovolante: and to live in a place where others appreciate the same things, and the same values.
Wordsmith Jarvinen: The sense of creating something oddly satisfying together.
Tensai Hilra: a community is more than just a collection of rented lots… it’s people who look out for eachother… care if someones safe
Ceejay Writer: you build an airship, and your neighbor ‘gets’ it.
Nami (naminelee): So having beautiful homes is no where near as important as having beautiful relationships with those you meet then?
Mosseveno Tenk: hard to say. babbage always resonated with me, even the first night i landed there. when i heard it was at risk of being lost, something snapped in me. tried real hard to resist it, but failed that roll.
Wordsmith Jarvinen: Some of the homes can be quite humble…
Tensai Hilra: it’s important to feel as if your hard work is appreciated. among friends, and in a like minded community, that is possible
Mosseveno Tenk nods
Ceejay Writer nods and smiles.
Nami (naminelee): Ever felt unappreciated before?
Wordsmith Jarvinen: The other aspect is in the chat groups…. the interactions, the puns, the sense of support.
Tensai Hilra: Yes, but thats how life, and in turn, second life, is
Mosseveno Tenk: i like the notion of the city as protagonist.
Nami (naminelee): nods understanding then shuts up.
Martini Discovolante: and small things like whole words in entire sentances are soo comforting
TotalLunar Eclipse: We as leaders of our community create and maintain and support the platform for our community.
Ceejay Writer: Behind us are scenes from the steamlands… for the most part these are NOT prefab buildings. They are made by the residents with great care.
Wordsmith Jarvinen: And in Oxbridge, try and bring new people into the world in a civil and supportive style.
TotalLunar Eclipse: Indeed, every city I have seen in the Steamlands is that done as a ‘labor of love’ Neighbors become friends, or mortal enemies depending on the scenario. But I have lived in many locations throughout the grid and the relationships and bonds within the Steamlands are very strong. I would not wish to live anywhere else.
Ceejay Writer: that’s a statement often heard.
Mosseveno Tenk: i rarely leave.
Ceejay Writer: Its true! I feel I did something astounding getting Tenk over here.
Wordsmith Jarvinen: And the relations carry into a source of support in RL … with things like the wildfires in Australia or tornadoes in the U.S. south.
Tensai Hilra: very strong… we have met several Steamlanders in the past few weeks, in Real Life, and so far, every one has been wonderful to be around and likely, lifelong friends
Mosseveno Tenk grabs the arms of the chair suddenly and coughs
Mosseveno Tenk: in fact…
Mosseveno Tenk: pardon me… so much oxygen here….
Ceejay Writer: Sorry, sorry. *blows a handful of soot at Tenk*
Nami (naminelee): looks at the man as if he has a sprocket loose.
Tensai Hilra wonders if he’d enjoy some st helens ash
Mosseveno Tenk breathes shallowly and carefully
TotalLunar Eclipse: *smiles*
Nami (naminelee): doesn’t get it and slumps.
Ceejay Writer: You’ll be fine, Clockwinder. We’ll get you home to those industrial, sooty skies soon.
Mosseveno Tenk nods
Ceejay Writer: You see, New Babbage is town of industry.
Linus Lacombe: The air is quite sooty where he lives, Nami. He is not used to all this fresh air.
Martini Discovolante hands Tenk a gas mask full of…gas.
Wordsmith Jarvinen: *chuckles*
Mosseveno Tenk: It’s very bright here. I’d forgotten how blue the sky could be.
Nami (naminelee) whispers: Oh…his poor lungs….
Martini Discovolante: set to Midnight, dear Tenk, you’ll feel right as acid rain in no time
Penny Patton wonders if New Babbage has added any custom windlight settings now that estate level windlight is in public testing?
Ceejay Writer: But it will all be well. After all, New Babbage does have a motto. Who can tell me what that is?
Mosseveno Tenk: Never trust air you cannot see, Namine.
Wordsmith Jarvinen: The other aspect is how scatter geographically we may all be, but together in a community here. Often people who are a shade off of “normal”, on the creative “long tail”.
Mosseveno Tenk: Not yet. Many people keep a variation of ‘foggy’ or ‘blizzard’ at the ready
Nami (naminelee): Oh…dear….
Mosseveno Tenk: Gelato is quite striking too.
Penny Patton used to own an island in the Vernian Sea.
Nami (naminelee): glares at her uncle and aunt if they think of dumping anything dirty on her little home.
Ceejay Writer: It does add to the ambiance to change your settings to pick up on the mood of the various regions.
Mosseveno Tenk: We are very proud of our urban photography. In fact, we have a youTube channel with over 60 videos that have been filmed in New Babbage. That is impressive.
Ceejay Writer encourages folks to seek them out.
Linus Lacombe: I find that Bristol is a good setting for exploring the Steamlands
Martini Discovolante: they are indeed remarkable
Ashiri Sands: ooh, Kraken
Tensai Hilra: One aspect of the steamlands people tend to overlook is the attention to detail… weither it be sooty brickwork, or a shred of paper blowing in the wind, we like to add ambience that draws people into our world
Mosseveno Tenk nods
Nami (naminelee): So are all the “steamlands” all industrial or bust? Or are there other aspects in different locations?
TotalLunar Eclipse: As a builder one can always build perfect buildings but to build things that are broken is another study.
Mosseveno Tenk: No, not at all
Mosseveno Tenk: there are many interpretations of steampunk
TotalLunar Eclipse: It depends on what city you visit Nami
Nami (naminelee): smiles.
Mosseveno Tenk: becuase new babbage is a city, i have to enforce theme a bit more tightly than other estates to keep it believable.
Tensai Hilra: it can vary wildly, Clean and perfect, to broken and dirty
Mosseveno Tenk: i’m sure i’ve made a few enemies.
Wordsmith Jarvinen: Numantia is a more rural addition to Caledon adjacency…
Mosseveno Tenk nods
Martini Discovolante: Caledon sims each have a theme story to them.
Mosseveno Tenk: Caledon has the luxury of open space between builds, that allows for more variation in theme.
Ceejay Writer: Caledon is… how many sims now?
TotalLunar Eclipse: Each Steelhead township is a different aspect of the pacific northwest.
Wordsmith Jarvinen: We believe in things like castles with deep roots into the underlying rock…. places for caves…
Nami (naminelee): That’s good to know it is not so “bolted” down on what it has to be…
Mosseveno Tenk: when you are building in city blocks, you have more to consider.. texture saturation, scale… expecially scale
Martini Discovolante: the double prim model is indeed helpful in maintaining atmosphere.
Tensai Hilra: Steelhead as well. Nevermoor is a dark gothic take on steampunk, and in contrast, st helens a lush post industrial forest
Maxwell Graf: *applauds castle efforts*
Nami (naminelee): Creative freedom within reason. Tastey!
Penny Patton: Scale is often entirely overlooked in SL.
Mosseveno Tenk: I don’t make apologies for it. i tell people before they move in that i cannot offer the creative freedom that is available elsewhere. i can’t.
Mosseveno Tenk: ah, here’s the sooty skies!
Tensai Hilra: hehe, sometimes I wonder if we could make a whole city in a sim if it were to Tiny Scales
Ceejay Writer: Yes, that’s Babbage behind us!
Mosseveno Tenk: hee
Nami (naminelee): nods.
Mosseveno Tenk: you should have seem my old city models. they got very primmy
Penny Patton: A city done to “tinies” scale would be huge.
Martini Discovolante: prims is prims
Penny Patton: As odd as that sounds.
Mosseveno Tenk: the best tinytown i ever saw was in Victoriana
Stonehedg Magic: Would be AWESOME
Tensai Hilra: hehe to the tinies ego’s perhaps 😉
Mosseveno Tenk: There is the city wall. babbage creates its own history as it goes.
Martini Discovolante: Duck did a wonderful job..you did not realize it was Tiny untill you went there tall!
Tensai Hilra: and a waffle stand on every corner! (you had to be there)
Mosseveno Tenk: the wall represents a building style in the earlier imperial era
Wordsmith Jarvinen: mmmm waffles….
Maxwell Graf: Do you all foresee mesh as having a large impact on your respective places? Vast reconstruction, etc.?
TotalLunar Eclipse: Yes we do.
Mosseveno Tenk: Jeanne Dibou built that, in place.
Mosseveno Tenk: yes.
Tensai Hilra: Very much so.
Ceejay Writer: (Tinies LOVE waffles. Heh.)
Mosseveno Tenk: we can never have enough prims. we have high hopes for mesh.
Wordsmith Jarvinen: Evolution in construction.
Tensai Hilra: we are actually waiting on some expansion plans
Penny Patton worries about mesh. They’re adding some maddening prim cost calculations to it. Makes it less efficient, primcost wise, to use mesh over prims. 
Tensai Hilra: Mesh Will change Second Life. there is no other way to say it
Wordsmith Jarvinen: Mesh requires some thought to optimize and minimize prim equivalence cost.
Mosseveno Tenk: we do help each other build. as you progress, you develope specialties.
Maxwell Graf: I worry also. the costs are ramping up fast.
Mosseveno Tenk: some become known for sculpts, others for textures, etc,
Penny Patton just heard that making a mesh larger, as in scaling it up in size, will increase its prim cost. That makes no sense whatsoever.
Tensai Hilra: I understand the concerns about mesh VS prim… though, many do not realize the strain it actually puts on the servers to send mesh to a viewer
Wordsmith Jarvinen: The other aspect, however, will be the increase in normal upper size to 64 m.
Mosseveno Tenk: there will have to be a new sort of accounting.
Mosseveno Tenk: ah, no more factoring to find the right size mega to slice!
Martini Discovolante: i0 am waiting for 64m
Ceejay Writer: That might involve….. math.
Linus Lacombe can hardly wait for the bigger scalable prims!
Tensai Hilra: I challenge everyone to spin up a copy of Unreal, or just about any other modern game and look at the low resolution the builders use to make their meshes… it is a good and humbling lesson for people to learn
Wordsmith Jarvinen: And being able to fit larger builds more exactly.
Penny Patton agrees.
Tensai Hilra: by building more precice, we can have more fantastic builds with less prims and resources. but I imagine it will take time for people to realize that
Penny Patton: That’s exactly why I’m worried about the ramping mesh prim costs.:\ If a mesh has less than 1/4 the faces of a single prim cube, it should not cost 2 prims, then more when you scale it larger.
Wordsmith Jarvinen: Even as simple an aspect of making a mesh kettle was worth a recent tutorial by Gaia Clary, on level of detail, physics shape, … how to create it without many prims being counted.
Nami (naminelee): politely excuses herself but blows a kiss to her lovely family.
TotalLunar Eclipse looks to tensai, “that is your arena my dear.”
Mosseveno Tenk: Loki Eliot has been rebuilding his old prim only builds with more complicated sculpts, he’s raring to go for mesh.
Ceejay Writer: Thank you for coming, Nami!
Maxwell Graf: not to mention the LODs and Physics versions, effectively quadrupling the cost.
Nami (naminelee): It has been very informative. *curtsies*
Tensai Hilra: Penny, the reason they do that is as a surface grows larger on a viewers end, the computer does have to spend more resources on it
Ceejay Writer encourages the audience to reach for a bit of cake.
Mosseveno Tenk looks at Ceejay, wounded. Cake?
Tensai Hilra: mostly its set like that so people dont immediately make 2000 prim equivilant hair and complain when they can’t log in while wearing it
Mosseveno Tenk: Have you turned to cake already, miss writer?
Ceejay Writer: “Saffia brought it, don’t give me that look! Pie next time.”
Mosseveno Tenk nods grimly
Wordsmith Jarvinen: Mumbles the Caledon motto …. Tolerance, Civility, Innovation, …. CAKE!
Ceejay Writer: (Pie vs. Cake being just one of the friendly rivalries between various steamland regions, folks)
Tensai Hilra: Mesh will come as a bittersweet innovation as people realize how good they have it with prims
Martini Discovolante: well, prims are not going anywhere.
Linus Lacombe: It is beginning to sound like mesh is some kind of curse.
Tensai Hilra: well linus, in a way, if left unleashed.. it would be.. but with great capabilities comes greater resposibility
Maxwell Graf: i think, in the end, they will become one more tool in the box, good for somethings, not so for others.
TotalLunar Eclipse: It is a rather heated debate for a long time Linus *smiles*
Wordsmith Jarvinen: Mesh enable things that weren’t possible before… but LL is also being very cautious not to let it become a huge resource hog.
Ashiri Sands: I imagine complex builds using mesh, sculpts and plain prims
Tensai Hilra: if we all had Nvidia Quadras, I bet the limits would be lifted
Martini Discovolante: precisely, Mr Graff… especially when 64m prims come in
Linus Lacombe: What does one of those cards cost? A few grand?
Tensai Hilra: the savings in prim use will be aparent when a structure that took 20 prims, can be done in 4 with mesh
Tensai Hilra: yea, atleast
Tensai Hilra: my own sculpties are a good example… they are wonderful prim savers, but a challenge for some to render… so good with the bad
Maxwell Graf: You know, i was one meeting away from building rustica at caledon. I am sorry I couldnt. I often wish I were part of the community there, and understand the loss of that opportunity. 🙂
Martini Discovolante: they are a fact of life here.
Linus Lacombe: I can see them ok, Tensai, with my lod vol whatever thing up high enough
Wordsmith Jarvinen: And mesh does add the two-edged feature of having a customizable physical shape.
Martini Discovolante: though consideration of the viewer is often wise… many of my builds have one-way glass.
Linus Lacombe: So mesh is harder for the computer to render than sculpts?
Martini Discovolante: so onece inside, one does not have to rennder the world constantlym and can concentrate on the matter at hand
Linus Lacombe: more resources needed for mesh, I mean?
Tensai Hilra: no, infact it’s technically less difficult.. but people will not understand how to acheive that at first I can wager
Wordsmith Jarvinen: Mesh done carelessly could be resource intensive.
Penny Patton: Efficient meshes are much easier to render. It’s all in the number of triangles the computer has to render. Which is why I don’t get the comment about “larger models taking more resources to render”.
Wordsmith Jarvinen: It’s about the average LOD for an object, where average is taken over an entire sim.
Linus Lacombe: It would make sense then that sculpts get a penalty like mesh
Wordsmith Jarvinen: A large object never gets to the lower LODs meshes.
Linus Lacombe: but they don’t
Tensai Hilra: LOD is calculated on the viewers percentage of the viewable scene… when a mesh is far away, it defaults to a simple, low LOD model… if its larger, it remains higher resolution, and thus more intense. I would expect, if introduced today, sculpts would have the same restrictions
Wordsmith Jarvinen: As I recall, at a size of about 40m, only the highest LOD counts.
Ceejay Writer: (time is flying! Do feel free to prod these mad builders with any questions you might have, or they’ll be on mesh till dawn. 😀 )
Marion Questi: I understood the theme of this panel to Communities, I wonder if the panelists could talk about what sort of community building they have found to be effective?
Ceejay Writer smiles.
Tensai Hilra: hehe a good point Marion
Mosseveno Tenk grins
Wordsmith Jarvinen: We’ll make a mesh of it all.
Ceejay Writer groans.
Mosseveno Tenk: babbage uses social networking, which is a two edged thing.
Maxwell Graf: apologies for opening the can of worms.
Ashiri Sands is surprised the punning only just started
Ceejay Writer: Totally good, Max!
Maxwell Graf: 🙂
Tensai Hilra: on communities, I’ll be honest, it has been difficult until recently with Group Communications being down
Mosseveno Tenk: it does allow those that cannot get in SL as much to stay connected
TotalLunar Eclipse: quite alright sir I find the mesh talk fascinating
Wordsmith Jarvinen: At Oxbridge we look at first helping new residents enter supportively, then helping them learn, and finally, as they chose, wandering into greater Caledon.
Mosseveno Tenk: but on the other hand, it can lead to too much connection. so, some people use it, some shun it, each according to thier taste.
Wordsmith Jarvinen: It also depends on what people come into SL to look for and achieve.
Martini Discovolante: like the love /hate relationship with the ISC (caledon) chat
Mosseveno Tenk: exactly
Tensai Hilra: and for that, there are many communities…
Martini Discovolante: i may shut if off, but would never wnat to do without it.
Tensai Hilra: some that focus on communications, some that focus on Roleplay, and others on building
Mosseveno Tenk: but if not for that, you’d not be likely to be aware of people in other time zones. i’ve never been so accutely aware of what time it is in differnt world cities in my life.
TotalLunar Eclipse: We also have in our community town hall style meetings where the community meets once a week. That interaction I found is better attended than most dances.
Ceejay Writer: *nods* And some just love to chatter with friends.
ArronTeedon Braveheart: Mosseveno, what do you mean by ‘Too much connection’?
Wordsmith Jarvinen: And having dances and balls, provides a social opportunity to chat. And we include some on the G level sim of Oxbridge Village.
Mosseveno Tenk: i mean you can learn more than you want to know about some people… and about thier roleplay. roleplay is a tricky beast.
ArronTeedon Braveheart: Oh! Okay 🙂
Tensai Hilra: I’ve never feared knowledge
Martini Discovolante: i really appreciate the diversity in Caledon.. some citizens are heard from daily, some you never see unless you are neighbors…yet they live there happily year after year.
Ceejay Writer: Roleplay could be its own panel discussion, really.
Mosseveno Tenk: some people are blissfuly unaware of it… until they start reading the forums. then it can be shocking to thier notions of what is going on in babbage.
Mosseveno Tenk: yeah, it can.
Ceejay Writer signs Tenk up for that one.
Mosseveno Tenk: you have to find the right balance
Martini Discovolante: and that will differ
TotalLunar Eclipse: Indeed, but I respect others characters and who and how they portray themselves to be.
Martini Discovolante: for different folk
Mosseveno Tenk: we’ve started doing a podcast, which has been interesting. Tales From New Babbage
Ceejay Writer: Respect for the diversity of the steamlands is key.
ArronTeedon Braveheart: Well said Lunar
Mosseveno Tenk: and the listening parties are fun.
Martini Discovolante: really! where can it be found, Mr Tenk?
TotalLunar Eclipse: I find the way we make ourselves in SL and the masks we wear are fascinating. Every mask tells a story, and I like reading.
Ceejay Writer: I have to interject – New Babbagers have a HIGH percentage of astoundingly radio-friendly voices, and they exploit that.
Mosseveno Tenk: its mostly public domain horror, as part of the Radio Riel Players show. horror and babbage go together very well. should have a new show out sunday night.
Ceejay Writer: All the regions represented here tonight have videos on youtube, pictures on flickr, and probably lots of other creativity out there, more than even I know.
Mosseveno Tenk: in fact, two of our readers wil be auctioning off a personal story read to the winner, this saturday at piermont landing. they both have quite a following of swooning women
Linus Lacombe: The auction is Saturday, or the reading is Saturday?
Ceejay Writer laughs.
Wordsmith Jarvinen: Community podcast listening can be fun. I recall Nature Publishing used to do that in SL.
Mosseveno Tenk: auction saturday, before the ball.
Saffia Widdershins: Plus the Designing Worlds shows
TotalLunar Eclipse: Ahh yes we have our lovely dragoness and her incredible storytelling, those are amazing to sit and listen into
Mosseveno Tenk: oh, we’re blowing up piermont landing at this ball. you don’t want to miss it.
Ceejay Writer: *offers Miss Widdershins a lozenge*
Ceejay Writer: Yes. Designing worlds archives will yield up MANY steamlands shows.
Mosseveno Tenk: when we decide to rebuild something, we like to send the old build out in style.
Linus Lacombe: ONe was done quite recently, just a couple of weeks ago it aired.
Ceejay Writer: Blowing up? *looks at Tensai as if she might have some influence on that*
Saffia Widdershins: Quest for the Golden Prim
Tensai Hilra: hehe, we usually blow them up at parties
TotalLunar Eclipse: *smiles*
Mosseveno Tenk: and we don’t set it to temp first either. its more fun to jump on the pieces to get them all to fall
Tensai Hilra: once we blew up an old bar to the 1812 overture
Mosseveno Tenk: remember when the old champagne rooms blew up?
Wordsmith Jarvinen: The art might be in syncing the explosions to the music…
Mosseveno Tenk: we had a character come in as a prohibitionist and set it on fire. people remember things like that. makes good memories.
Tensai Hilra: hehe it was a challenge, I had to do the timing by hand
Ceejay Writer: We’ve reached the end of our time – any closing statements, folks?
Tensai Hilra: hehe why do we seem to allways dwell on Dynamite?
Mosseveno Tenk: i blame tensai
Wordsmith Jarvinen: It’s an explosive topic. Almost as much so as mesh.
Tensai Hilra: hehe
TotalLunar Eclipse: I blame tensai as well but then she makes me sleep on the couch.
Mosseveno Tenk: tsk
Ceejay Writer: You have all been wonderful. I worried about getting you talking, and now I’m not sure you can stop!
Martini Discovolante: we will be announcing a Caledon Quest in a week or so.. it will be a great way to explore the Nation
Tensai Hilra: yes?
Wordsmith Jarvinen: We seem to provide a home for a lot of quirky creativity …. creativity that might not always find appreciation in “normal” society.
Ceejay Writer: Nicely said!
Martini Discovolante: and dangerous from my first tester forays.
Linus Lacombe: Such as a transformers invasion?
Wordsmith Jarvinen: And so we create our own micro-communities.
Mosseveno Tenk: remember, its supposed to be fun. don’t take yourself seriously here.
Ceejay Writer: *eyes the newcomers nervously*
Mosseveno Tenk: like those robots behind us.
Martini Discovolante: way too many things with HAX in the provenance!
Mosseveno Tenk: good fun.
Ashiri Sands: cool robots
Mari Moonbeam: The Steamlands make history come alive and all regions a wonderful place to find an SL Home and make friends
Ceejay Writer smiles.
Mosseveno Tenk: niiiice
Angel36DD Ferryhill: they are mechs for a mech combat system
Tensai Hilra: oh dear, I thought bennie got out a moment there
Ceejay Writer: by the way, this chat will be posted on the Prim Perfect Blog.
Maxwell Graf: oh ive heard of this, its a mech protest march!
Mosseveno Tenk: i need a landmark, please
Maxwell Graf: 😀
Martini Discovolante: and it is even better that is is a History that never was 🙂
Ceejay Writer: https://primperfectblog.wordpress.com/
Martini Discovolante: what are they protesting, pray tell?
Maxwell Graf: I was kidding.
Mosseveno Tenk waves to the invisible audience
Maxwell Graf: but i think now all our base are belong to them.
TotalLunar Eclipse: Come to the dark side… we have cookies.
Ceejay Writer: Max… kidding or not, that’s hilarious.
Mosseveno Tenk: I trust you are there. i can’t see the sim you are in.
Tensai Hilra: Thank you so much Ceejay, this was great to get to talk
Ceejay Writer: This was fun! Thank you all for coming!
Ashiri Sands: maybe protesting organo-centric attitudes?
Wordsmith Jarvinen: Indeed, thank you Ceejay.
Linus Lacombe cedes his base
Mosseveno Tenk: righto
Linus Lacombe: `*.¸.*´ APPLAUSE `*.¸.*´APPLAUSE `*.¸.*´
TotalLunar Eclipse: Thank you Miss Ceejay
Mosseveno Tenk: see you at RFL
Ceejay Writer: Tenk, you’re free to flee, and get back to grey skies!
Tensai Hilra: and in steelhead fashion…. Hoooo!
Maxwell Graf: thanks for this, great talk!
Linus Lacombe: *:-.,_,.-:*’´ `*. HoOoOoO!¸.*´`’*:-.,_,.-:*
Mosseveno Tenk: yes… all this fresh air… i’m getting so many ideas…
Ceejay Writer: And I hope the audience will find time to pay a visit to the steamlands, very soon!
TotalLunar Eclipse: Hoooo!
Mosseveno Tenk: does it always go to your head like this?
TotalLunar Eclipse: \** Hoo, hoo-hoo-hoo, Hoo, Hoo! **/
Ceejay Writer: I’ll add some links to get you to these cities, in the blog transcript.
Saffia Widdershins applauds
Wordsmith Jarvinen: Some … can’t hold their…. cake
Maxwell Graf: …HOLA!!…
Maxwell Graf: wordsmith, id love to discuss mesh with you more when you have some time.
TotalLunar Eclipse: Thank you
Tensai Hilra: Real Life is so last year
Wordsmith Jarvinen: Check the build here, then back to Numantia
Saffia Widdershins: THat was terrific – Thank you!
Ceejay Writer: I’m so glad all could come. This was really engrossing.
Ashiri Sands: A mesh chat group woyld be handy
Martini Discovolante: thank you for hosting this Ceejay!
ArronTeedon Braveheart: Thanks for hosting it 🙂
Wordsmith Jarvinen: mesh dev exists
Marion Questi: Yes, thank you Miss Writer.
Ceejay Writer: My pleasure!
TotalLunar Eclipse: If you have a chat on mesh invite tensai to speak, she has been doing research since forever ago
***
The following are some links to help you get to know the Steamlands better. This is by NO MEANS a comprehensive guide.
Various Steamlands Links of Interest
The Quest for the Golden Prim
A steampunked ongoing adventure comic, with a cast pulled from the Second Life Steamlands
The Primgraph
The Voice of the Steamlands continues: News, Events and More in our ongoing blog.
Prim Perfect 