Blue Orange Library

Tags

blogging, Blue Orange, Blue Orange Library, Ini Inaka, Second Life, Writing

The Blue Orange is a bohemian club for music and art lovers. (They’ve been known to go on sailing expeditions too.) The gallery is curated by Ini Inaka, and I appreciate that they also have 3D installations. The current seventh month long exhibit opened last year around the end of August.

There is likely about a little over a month left to view the huge collection of art; this post is about the Blue Orange Library. Sometimes the landing point is fixed to different places, but today I landed right in the library area. Sometimes, the landing is in a subway tunnel, and you’ll need to find your way down a hall, pass through the club area, and take a left into the Art Corner.

You can catch a glimpse of the hallway leading to the club in the right of the photo above. I’ve lightened the exposure, and cropped these photos. There are chairs available to sit and read.

But you’re likely to end up reading on the wall. Many of the books are props, but click on some, and you will be led to some wondrous writings of SL avatars.

From the notecard by Ini Inaka:

“A bit of info about the library at Blue Orange.

Idea about surreal library came to head while was watching one of my favorites classical movies. *Colors of pomegranates*
Armenian movie directed by Sergei Parajanov. Masterpiece! Artistic, unbelievable deep and unbelievable surreal, so visual and… and and and….!..
In the movie is one scene where people squeezing wet books with stones pressing on them down and later trying to dry them… After seeing such picture you just have no words…

Words…
Decided to invite people who are masters of words and learn to express themselves in poetry, novels, satire, essay, short stories or anything like that what smells as literature. And was sure that in SL we can meet such people. 🙂 Have sent the notice out and few brave agreed to share their websites or blogs.”

“Yes, main rule was to have own blog or website as a bit more of secure feeling when talk goes about copyrights.

Each of the active books contains a notecard from the author, and a link to a website where the work is hosted. Just click on a book, accept the notecard and go to the webpage! Depending on your settings, you may see informational text when you hover you mouse pointer over active books. If not, click around and explore! You’ll find active books floating in the air, as well as in the center section on the floor near the wall. So grab a cup of coffee or tea, and sit down and enjoy!

I am not a writer by myself and not even English… not for me to judge, but you can judge by cover or not :)”

There’s more info on Sergey Paradjanov and the film on the notecard. A copy is available by clicking on “Library” inworld, as shown in the second photo of this post.

As with any collections of writings, I like some, and others not so much. Participating writers include:

Moewe Winkler, Lyrikmaschine, Prole (prole pinion), Stella Maris (arsmemoria), Kara Mellow (kara frakture), Storm Nordwind, Cassandra (Cassandra Ushimawa), Ernie Farstrider, Chraeloos, Eva Harley (evaharley), GoSpeed Rasere (gospeed racer), Chemsia, Lisa Figueroa, R. Crap Mariner, Callie Novelli, Elbe Lisle (elberouge), Huckleberry Hax, Uxia Barcelos, Ash, Karima Hoisan, Anan Eebus, Pearl Grey and Klaus Bereznyak

Ini was intrepid in approaching the sometimes insular world of writers in SL. Some of the participants are well known inworld, and had websites established.

I was invited to participate because of something that was mentioned in my Picks: “clicking on the upright black journal on the typography shelf will give you The Coniston Letters, semi-fictional correspondence between the two friends and business partners at the Press.)” So, unread by Ini, I said yes, if I could invite my collab partner, Klaus. I hastily put together a blog, while Klaus was traveling with sporadic internet service. We have posted something once a week since, although some are previous works we’ve used elsewhere in SL. My intended point being, with the apathy that can be prevalent in Second Life, and the exclusivity in some places, it’s a joy for this avatar to see others creating opportunities and making room for creativity in our world.

I invite you to visit The Blue Orange Library before it closes, and collect some websites and blog links for reading.

 

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When the Warriors Return ~ Montara Bridge Works

Tags

Montara Bridge Works Gallery, Sansara, When the Warriors Return

“When the Warriors Return” by Pearl Grey is on exhibit at Montara Bridge Works January 15 – April 2019. The exhibit shows nine photographs, each with a notecard telling part of a story.

The three parts of the story are:
1. When the Warriors Return,
2. Clamoring for Tyranny,
3. When I Return.

There’s an info notecard in the poster near the landing.

Each part of the story has three photos, taken at Isle of May in December 2018, to illustrate.

The consecutive order to read the story is to begin near the landing, and go in a clockwise direction. Then the same is done upstairs, clockwise from left to right.

Free copies can be had for some of the photographs. Upstairs, there’s a free book of the photos and stories that can be rezzed, or worn as a HUD.

The story was recently published in three parts on “Pottering While the World Ends”

part two 

part three

Graphic Halloween Story in Coniston

Tags

Coniston, graphic narrative, Halloween, pirate ship, Port Langdale, Sansara, Writing

For a limited time of about three weeks, a graphic Halloween story set in Coniston is on exhibit at the Rox Oil Gas Station just off the Linden Road. It’s an alternative option for when you want to be in the festive spirit but don’t have much time or want to decompress from gore and fright. The story is a collaboration of Klaus Bereznyak and me.

Leaving the building and going right on the Linden Road, reaching the end and taking a left into Port Langdale, you will find a large pirate ship in the harbor.

Coniston is an interesting area to explore further. There are also pods that pass through the area, transforming into a boat when leaving the pier.

Million Units of Intel for the Home Multiverse

Tags

Consciousness, Story Telling

I’ve been gathering a million more units of intel for my home mulitverse this year.

I’m not here for a lesson, as a punishment, to rescue or to teach but to observe and then send the impressions and information home.

The mission is going very well. 😉

Auspicious Re-entry

Tags

fiction, Pandemonium, RolePlay, Story Telling, Storytelling, Victorian, Wren Alcyone, Writing

London

May 27, 1850

The wind had finally settled down about mid-morning after keeping Wren awake most of the night with howling and the flinging of small pieces of debris against the windows of the tiny flat above the tavern.

Today she would venture outside after having kept to her quarters for most of two weeks except for forays downstairs to check on the staff, receive supplies and for meals and a bit of company.

She’d felt a bone-weary, soul-numbing fatigue and had waited it out–just a cycle such as occurs in the natural world. There were some moments when she’d wondered if she’d been poisoned, but she wasn’t important enough for that. She’d also considered whether she’d acquired the affliction that had been spreading around London for several years now, but the familiarity of her extreme languor and irritability called for dismissal of that possibility.

It was more than simple melancholy; she’d paced the floors, slept a lot, gazed out the windows and avoided her scrying ball and cards.

Today would be the day to coax and push herself back out into the bustling city even though she didn’t feel quite ready–in fact, she had a sinking feeling of dismay in her solar plexus.

Without a mental list of things to do or any plan at all really, she cautiously opened the tavern door and stepped out into the street. The air was damp and sooty; she was drawn immediately to the gentle and patient eyes of a horse attached to a nearby carriage. The driver was in the tavern having a quick pint; Wren whispered in the horse’s ear and scratched around his head–a perfect beginning to re-entry into the world.

Playing for the Queen

Tags

Legacies 1891, Legacies Nexus, Pearl Grey, RolePlay, roleplay, Story Telling, Victorian, Writing, writing

March 7, 1893

Pearl played for the Queen in her new red gown. The Queen wasn’t actually in the room; Victoria was elsewhere in the world, England to be precise, if she were still alive. Pearl didn’t know for sure because there hadn’t been any news on the island for quite some time.  It was 1893 and Victoria would live for eight more years.

Glancing up at the photograph above the piano, Pearl played her best, which was only average but inspired and that may be more important after all.

Having been born and spending her childhood in France, Pearl hadn’t had Victoria for a Queen for most of her young life. That changed when she found herself in a weird, alternative version of London for what seemed to be an eternity but was actually less than a year. Having learned she had to create a sense of home for herself wherever she was, she’d looked to the larger-than-life Monarch for a sense of normalcy in the nightmarish world she’d found herself in.

London seemed long ago and so far away now. There was no one around to wear the gown for; she’d finally put it on to play to the empty room in the tavern and to the portrait of the Queen.  She’d found the dress packed away in one of her trunks months before, and was looking forward to an opportunity to wear it–an opportunity which had yet to arise.

She continued to lose herself in the music and this let her forget for a while one of the real issues at hand; the ships had stopped coming to the harbor. Not only had there been no news of politics, the theater and of ladies fashion, which she was sure was all changing, but there had been no supplies delivered of late.

There was plenty of liquor in the tavern and she had a fair amount of wealth but the ships had simply ceased arriving. She’d taken careful stock of her food supply, the chutneys she’d made during the winter and the dry goods in the pantry. She’d found a shovel near the open crypt, the one with the coffin and strange altar, nervously borrowing it to turn over some soil to plant a small garden.  There were still tea and scones to be gotten at the Café Serenity and Hester never seemed concerned about anyone starving, although she hadn’t been forthcoming with any details, being as efficient and brisk as ever.

It was likely that all was well; still Pearl could not help but wonder. There were signs that others had been about the island although she rarely saw them.

She sighed and got up from the piano to pour herself another brandy and then raised her snifter in a toast to the portrait of the Queen.

Not Shopping Today Either

Tags

awareness, Consciousness, learning, Story Telling, values, Writing, writing

Not Standing Next To The Bullshit.

“Katia continues with her writing and the dishes remain soaking, the sheets remain unchanged and the time moves on. She actually has to remind herself that this is not a failure; she really cannot be in more than one place at one time. The horrors of taking on the energy of others, the horrors of people who felt overwhelmed by duties making her feel a failure because they focused on what she hadn’t done instead of what she had accomplished for them. It’s in her cells and nervous system now. Whatever choice she has made, a part of her could say that it was the wrong one; she has been programmed.

There are people and organizations she can finally see clearly as her oppressors, those she wanted to please and could be easily manipulated by with the withholding of appreciation and approval. They’d wrung everything out of her that they could because it was the way the world worked in places. They thought that they deserved it to make up for what had been done to them, for their losses and for their conditioning of overwhelm, for Katia’s stupidity for actually caring and mostly because they didn’t have the blessing and curse of feeling what it’s like to be someone or something else.

They give her nothing now; they do nothing for her but make noise in her life. She no longer cares what they think of her; she thinks of them rarely at all. What of value can they withhold from her now, when she turns and walks away?”

A Vision Through the Mists

Tags

fiction, Legacies Nexus, Pearl Grey, RolePlay, Second Life

Am I Dreaming? That Looks Like My Other Home.

August 30, 1892

The hot cup of tea I hold in my hands as I look about the scattered items all over the floor feels real. I can smell the scent of Jasmine and taste the subtle flavor, sweetened with a bit of honey. But I cannot seem to trust all my senses and I must confess that for awhile I believed there would be a semblance of normal every day life here. Here being Serenity Falls.

I’d planned to travel to Serenity Falls upon occasion for business and socialization from my home in Torn Oak but the nightmares I had there were increasingly disruptive. I would awaken in a panic and it felt like the house was spinning. Several times I dreamt that the entire roof was gone.

It was bothersome enough that I brought my potion supplies here by ship, waiting for them after traveling through a portal. I’ve read, napped and watched the  stars from my balcony, looking forward to focusing on my work. When the ship had delivered my possessions, I diligently crafted my lotions but when it was time to return I felt such a sense of foreboding that I chose to stay here for awhile  longer.

Then it became apparent that I needed warmer clothes due to freakish storms and I missed some of my books as well. Contacting the Captain of the ship who knew of my home, I arranged for another few crates of my things to be delivered to me here. A few days ago he returned with the strange pronouncement that Torn Oak was no longer there. The harbor where his ship had always docked was not to be found and his navigation instruments were otherwise reliably operating.

The Captain had always been trustworthy before and I didn’t quite know what to think. Then the view on the horizon here seemed to be changing through the swirling mists and my dreams became very strange once again. I have doubted my sanity, something I thought I was beyond after everything I’ve been through.

So I keep myself very busy with my books, lotion crafting and puttering about. When I stand on my balcony and squint my eyes I can almost see my beloved cottage on the far hill. I’ve been too frightened to explore further and I dare not mention it to anyone lest they see it as a sign of instability and weakness.

If the strange vision continues I might ask my neighbor, who is a Doctor, for some sort of medicinal relief.

Pearl Keeps Up With the Ever-Changing Worlds

Tags

fiction, Legacies Nexus, Pearl Grey, RolePlay, Second Life, Victorian

The New Apartment on an Island With Lighting to Accommodate Vampires, Demons and Drow

August 23, 1892

I don’t wish to have the magical secrets revealed to me that accomplished the demolishing of the building in which I lived here in Serenity Falls and the rising up of a new one. Many of my belongings are in the cottage in TornOak but it was still quite a labor to supervise the group who assisted me in with the packing and subsequent unpacking. I must say that I’m pleased with the new place and it quite got my mind off the rumblings and rumors of ever-impending doom.

Even though the lack of light here has drawn the Vampires, I find that I must venture out at times. Indeed it’s the desiring of company that has led me to live part-time here instead of hiding away in my cottage. One such pale creature spoke with me the other evening and I firmly made it known that I recognized what she was and that I thought it vulgar and pathetic for one to not even carry on a stimulating conversation but simply size me up for what I might do for them or what they might do to me.

Later I went into the city proper for a meal in the tavern and in no time some familiar faces from the old, destroyed London ventured in, although as usual there was some sort of distress or agitation going on in their minds. At least one of them is still human; the others were obviously not. I felt quite social until the tentacled and winged ones arrived; then I became more reserved.

I survived the evening and slept rather well. Still alive and still human.

Pearl ~ Legacies Nexus # 2

Tags

fiction, Legacies Nexus, Pearl Grey, Photos, RolePlay, roleplay, Second Life, Victorian

Pearl Checking Out the Buffet Table at the Midsummer’s Night Fair in Serenity Falls

August 5, 1892

The pages of my first journal have been filled. Much has happened to me since I began writing on the smooth sheets in order to ease my loneliness and calm my thoughts. Indeed when I began I feared I would not live to finish it.

This journal is quite different, not a ladylike one such as before but one of moleskin, something purchased in an exotic city where the ship I was traveling on docked for two nights.

Yes! I may travel now, although I dearly love to spend days in my cottage puttering about. It has been confusing, this strange situation with the calendars. Perhaps I hurt my head in some accident or had my memory interfered with but I’m told it’s 1892 and so I shall go along with that.

One of the cities I’m able to travel to involves some business with a portal~not my favorite sort of experience. While there, I’ve seen some familiar faces from the old London and some of them remember me. They behave more or less as strangely as ever.

Seeing that there are business opportunities there~and finding business more rewarding than matters of the heart~ I’ve rented a small apartment to stay in while I’m on the island.

Quite a few of the populace I’ve seen have wings. Large wings and small wings and there are tentacled people as well. Accustomed to being different by now, I have no desire for extra body parts or appendages and am content to remain as I am. Indeed the very idea is as disagreeable to me as would be having those appendages that males are so enamored of. No thank you!

The place is an island called Serenity Falls and I don’t recall ever reading about it in my studies at the Abbey. There appears to be much to do there. I was even asked to write a small piece for the Gazette about the Midsummer Nights Fair that was held recently. There were many in attendance I did not know but the article was accepted and I’m quite proud of it!

I can’t help but wonder what has become of some of the people I used to see on the streets of London. Perhaps our paths will cross once again.