Onward and Forwards!

Time for the ramblings.

I have a bunch of pictures to put up and a bunch of words to write and no expectation that the two have much to do with each other... In fact the pictures do not all go with each other and the words....?

It has been an unsettling time and there are no two ways about it.
The Lindens have done us, the community of SL a great harm and I have been in the company of so many wounded people. And it is not a stretch to say that I have been wounded too.

Some glimpses of Fathom in its End Days

More of Fathom in its End Days

It is ridiculous to ever say that SL is just a game. And I do feel that the Lindens, who market it as more than a game should take some responsibility for the social and cultural lives that have grown within these technological walls.

But with a shrug of my shoulders, I say "whatever". This time, it seems the dice have been rolled and Fathom, my home will go. Their review didn't change much but the dates.

Flying With Star and Eleanor on the night of Zealot's Ball

It seemed like for two weeks I floundered. Not sure where things were going. Messy things in RL and SL and feeling too helpless to take action against so many things.
However once the Lindens came through with their pathetic excuse for a revision, it was time to take the reigns back.There have been fine tuning in relationships, re-evaluating purpose, assertion of self and the purchase of a new home.

Best fun, best friends

OK. When I bought Fathom, it was a bit of a push to find the money to pay tier so the plan was to turn what I did into something to raise money. The idea was to sell houses. Towards this goal I have built a good number of houses, purchased advertising spaces, put out freebies with notecards. Now all the advertising material is wrong because my address will change. Now I dont have a 1/2 sim to pay for.

I have to wonder. Am I a commercial builder now that I have scaled back?
I still haven't decided. Certainly, I am not a commercial builder yet!! LOL I think that requires money transferring.
But I am a builder. And I have to do it, or I get messy and emotionally untidy. So I will build as it suits me. Today I got lucky and managed to make it to an NCI building blitz.

I hardly get to NCI anymore. Too busy. I feel like a stranger there now. It was lovely to make it to the blitz though and seeing familiar faces. Loris was there having his Rez day. Welli, Xavier, Andy, Caill, Blackie, Toady and more.
I took Taz with me and made him watch. (Tzaizqan makes his first Audslife appearance, the most gorgeous tiger)

Tzaizqan, what were you thinking? This name is unspellable!

The blitz theme was cows. I have tried to build a cow in a blitz before, never again. So it was a milkshake and icecream for me! Happiness.. I won. I made the textures for the straw, mixing cup and icecream on the fly during the game while chatting with Taz... who was most distracting. It was fun. I liked what I made. I have to keep doing this.

So! I am a builder! Onward and Forwards!

Building Blitz- Theme Cow!

When it seemed that Fathom was all but gone, and I had no home in sight for the future, it was a dark and gloomy time. However with my ear to the ground I heard that Heppi's neighbour, Wrath was considering selling his land. I contacted Wrath and now a couple of days later, it is all settled. I hate to cut the ties with Winterfell, so I won't! I hope that as things changed so swiftly this year, they will again next year, with unexpected happinesses to greet us.

I am a Caledonian and at heart a Winterfellian. Onward and Forwards!

Ellie, Heppi, Eleanor and Auds sitting at Brioni's near Heppi's and Auds' places

The next part ends with

Audrey has great friendships. Onward and Forwards!

But how to write the bit before that? It has been tough. It has been tough for me and tough for my friends. For lots of different reasons. So many of us have lost our open spaces. Several of us have RL issues making life so much harder. Some relationships have grown and others changed. Brand new friends have arrived like morning stars and others have been true and constant. (Oh yes, poetic Audrey, terrifying.. just terrifying) However in all the building and moving, fussing and hand wringing, what matters most are the relationships I have in sl.

Rory has a new home. Lovely art community.

There! I think I have said it and scattered photos of some of my friends through the blog.
Audrey lives in Caledon, is a builder and has the greatest friends in SL.

Onward and Forwards!

Castle Jayjay/Shapinsay

Jayleden wanted to build a new castle for Jamie. I am not sure.. I think Jay and I were going to build it together? Umm well, I got keen and started without waiting for the team to arrive....

It was to be a surprise for Jamie. Jay said there were some stained glass panels in the house they already had that he would want incorporated. He wanted it roughly the same size. He'd like a dance space. Verandas. 2 floors of dungeons.

I started with a few photos from Google Image. Showed jay and asked for his opinions and then off I went. The textures are from Textures R Us. Best place in SL to get textures. Second best for me has been Harbingers Haven. Theirs are free and a great range of ones that suit were I build.
Eager Jay was asked a few questions mid building and he couldn't wait to get Jamie's input, so Jamie got to see his castle a little sooner than planned. Jamie then went home and dug a somewhat generous hole to accommodate the castle. Net result being that by the time I placed the castle in place, its subterranean levels were exposed!

A few texture fixes later the castle was in fine shape and instead of being land-locked, it now has a moat! What a great idea!

I love this castle. I think the two Js do too and I have ti for sale now at Winterfell Fathom