Prim Perfect Jigsaw: Bay City Funfair

Bay City Funfair

As you’ll know (specially if you read this blog regularly!), Bay City turned five yesterday, and today’s Designing Worlds show will be visiting Bay City to explore something of its community, its history, its builds … and its continuing partnership with Linden Lab and its moles – as can be seen here in the beautiful retro funfair.

There is – for Europeans – something interesting about the design imperative of Bay City – a reflection that there was a time, relatively recently, when culture was not global, or homogeneous, and a suignificant art movement could take a decade to achieve prominence (and popularity) on different sides of the Atlantic.  We’ll be talking about that on today’s show.

But, for the moment, let’s do a jigsaw!

Bay City Funfair, photograph by Wildstar Beaumont

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Catch up with your Prim Perfect jigsaws (showing images of Second Life and other virtual worlds).

If you’d like to submit a photo of your own to feature as a jigsaw, send it to the Prim Perfect Flickr Group. It should be sized 800w x 600h, or else it will need to be re-sized.

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Prim Perfect Jigsaw: Once more in Lula

In Lula Once More

Inspired by the image in the jigsaw from yesterday, which I took from Honour MacMillan’s wonderful photoblog: Honour’s Post Menopausal (View of Second Life), I popped across to Lula to see if it was really as pretty as it seemed in her blog.

And you know what?

It really was.

As I hope my own picture today proves!

I’ve been popping around other places too … the Home and Garden Expo and the SL10B Community Celebrations regions.  Both are not ready to be photographed yet – but starting to look very exciting!  More on that soon.

In the mean-time, let’s do a jigsaw!

Once More in Lula

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Catch up with your Prim Perfect jigsaws (showing images of Second Life and other virtual worlds).

If you’d like to submit a photo of your own to feature as a jigsaw, send it to the Prim Perfect Flickr Group. It should be sized 800w x 600h, or else it will need to be re-sized.

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Prim Perfect Jigsaw: Loving It Here in Lula

Lula

Here is another image from our deputy editor, Honour MacMillan – taken from her wonderful photoblog: Honour’s Post Menopausal (View of Second Life).

In this recent post, she muses over early mornings (and guilt) while exploring Lula, a really beautiful region where she perfectly captures the soft early morning light.

Do go and read … and visit … but first, let’s do a jigsaw.

Lula, photographed by Honour McMillan

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Catch up with your Prim Perfect jigsaws (showing images of Second Life and other virtual worlds).

If you’d like to submit a photo of your own to feature as a jigsaw, send it to the Prim Perfect Flickr Group. It should be sized 800w x 600h, or else it will need to be re-sized.

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Prim Perfect Jigsaw at the Fantasy Faire: Evensong Woods

Evensong Woods

Evensong Woods was, in some ways , one of the more conventional fantasy regions at the 2013 and perhaps for that reason did tend to be a little overlooked in reports, which is a shame, because it was beautifully conceived and built by Searlait Nitschke of Roawenwood, which specialises in fantasy, furniture, landscaping, clothing, and role-play accessories.

Elves in trees seems almost expected now – a vision that predates Tolkien, but is perhaps most powerfully realised in Lothlorien. The fact that we now expect elves to have tree homes is certainly a testimony to that – other writers might have placed fairies in trees (as in Barrie’s Peter Pan) but the elves usually occupied a separate kingdom – lying at the end of the bonny, bonny way that Thomas the Rhymer took – a route followed not only by innumerable ballads but also by writers as diverse as William Morris and Terry Pratchett.

Yet it was very appropriate at an event that drew together so many different genres of fantasy that Evensong Woods should be there, with its trees and carvings, and beautifully realised and Searlait has written a very beautiful post about it here, which I would urge you all to read.

Evensong Woods, photograph by Wildstar Beaumont

Remember, there is still time to enter the short story contest that Prim Perfect is sponsoring in conjunction with Fantasy Faire!

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Catch up with your Prim Perfect jigsaws (showing images of Second Life and other virtual worlds).

If you’d like to submit a photo of your own to feature as a jigsaw, send it to the Prim Perfect Flickr Group. It should be sized 800w x 600h, or else it will need to be re-sized.

Read Full Post »

Prim Perfect Jigsaw at Fantasy Faire: Sunset over Lotus Valley Dream

Lotus Valley Dream

It’s not just that it’s hard to let go of the wonderful Fantasy Faire this year (although that, too!).  Taking another jigsaw from there is a way of giving you a nudge (is that just a Brit thing? It’s like a firm hint!) that tonight will see the second of our two shows from Fantasy Faire on Designing Worlds – and more about that will follow later.

And that show will include a visit to the subject of today’s jigsaw – Lotus Valley Dream.  Sunset here was not a problem – the windlight setting was a permanent and beautiful sunset (a modified version of one of Bryn Oh’s settings, one of the creators, Marcus Inkpen, told me). The Explorers Club had a beautiful location – as you strolled out, you looked straight out over the road leading down to the setting sun, the beautiful buildings ahead, the lake (with its lotus and its dragon) glinting off to the right …

Is it possible to be nostalgic for something that’s only been gone a week? I think so.

Over 9,500,000 raised for Relay for Life …

Let’s do a jigsaw.

Sunset over Lotus Valley Dream, photograph by Wildstar Beaumont

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Catch up with your Prim Perfect jigsaws (showing images of Second Life and other virtual worlds).

If you’d like to submit a photo of your own to feature as a jigsaw, send it to the Prim Perfect Flickr Group. It should be sized 800w x 600h, or else it will need to be re-sized.

Read Full Post »

Prim Perfect Jigsaw at the Fantasy Faire: Lumenaria – and Part 2 of the Hunt

The Streets of Lumenaria

I have a few last lovely pictures of the Fantasy Faire to post – like this view of Lumenaria. We saw a dragon boat flying over it yesterday … today we have a view from the ground.

Although most of those beautiful regions have gone now, swept away by the sand of time (and Linden Lab), one remains – and that is the Valley of Ish’nar where the Hunt is taking place!

If you were able to complete Part 1, wear the Hud you used then. The treasure chest icon on your Part 1 HUD must be open to get a free Part 2 HUD.

If you missed Part 1, you can purchase a Part 2 HUD with a donation to RFL of at least 150L  And the organisers are stressing that you should please READ your local chat when you attach the Part 2 HUD for instructions to activate it.

The Hunt was designed by Mad Pea, the story written by David Abbot, and the region itself was designed by Ryn Verwood – all three huge recommendations!

But first, let’s do a jigsaw!

The Strreets of Lumenaria, photograph by Wildstar Beaumont

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Catch up with your Prim Perfect jigsaws (showing images of Second Life and other virtual worlds).

If you’d like to submit a photo of your own to feature as a jigsaw, send it to the Prim Perfect Flickr Group. It should be sized 800w x 600h, or else it will need to be re-sized.

Read Full Post »

Prim Perfect Jigsaw at Fantasy Faire: Dragon Boat over Lumenaria

Dragon boat over Lumenaria

Many people who visited Fantasy Faire enjoyed the stream that was playing. Some of the time this was DJs of course, and live musicians. But aside from that, there was a wonderfully evocative stream created by Zander Greene. And it was all broadcast from this beautiful dragon boat by Rynn Verwood.

The Faire has finished now – and it was heartbreaking watching the regions being taken down last night.  But it will, of course, live on in part when the second part of the Hunt opens (later today, hopefully), and in the stories that people are writing for the Fantasy Faire/Prim Perfect Shot Story Competition.  Why don’t you have a go yourself? There are pictures on Flickr to remind – and inspire you!

But, in the mean-time, let’s do a jigsaw.

Dragon Boat over Lumenaria, photograph by Wildstar Beaumont

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Catch up with your Prim Perfect jigsaws (showing images of Second Life and other virtual worlds).

If you’d like to submit a photo of your own to feature as a jigsaw, send it to the Prim Perfect Flickr Group. It should be sized 800w x 600h, or else it will need to be re-sized.

Read Full Post »

Prim Perfect Jigsaw at the Fantasy Faire: The Dragon Spire

The Dragon Spire

Designing Worlds returns tonight, with the first of two shows from the Fantasy Faire.  More on that shortly – but for now, let’s pay a visit to a region of the Faire that was stunningly bold in conception, but very hard to photograph. It was one of two areas (the other was Evensong Woods) where, I felt, the atmosphere you got from being there was really, really hard to convey in a photograph. For both, “You really had to be there” to appreciate them. And if you were in either, your likely response was … “Oh, this is cool!”

The Dragon Spire was constructed as a series of caves.  As such, it could be a little hard to navigate (and helpful arrows appeared on the floor rather rapidly). If you took a wrong turn, you were led deeper and deeper into the labyrinth. If you took the right (as in correct) path, you found yourself exploring some amazing shops – and all within this quite stunning (and quickly rezzed) sculpted cave environment.

Caves, of course, are an archetypal fantasy environment – and a favoured landscape for roleplayers everywhere – not for nothing is the Big Daddy called Dungeons and Dragons.  But caves are incredibly hard to pull off in Second Life – I don’t think I’ve ever seen it as well done as it is here. So kudos to Khyle Sion, the designer.

Let’s do a jigsaw.

Inside the caverns of The Dragon Spire

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Catch up with your Prim Perfect jigsaws (showing images of Second Life and other virtual worlds).

If you’d like to submit a photo of your own to feature as a jigsaw, send it to the Prim Perfect Flickr Group. It should be sized 800w x 600h, or else it will need to be re-sized.

Read Full Post »

Prim Perfect Jigsaw at the Fantasy Faire: Lotus Valley Dreams

Lotus Valley Dream

I’ve posted several times about Lotus Valley Dream, but mostly in association with the Explorers’ Club (Oriental Branch) that we created there for The Question for the Golden Prim.

But that was unfair of me, because it is the most stunningly region, rich in character – as this picture shows.  It’s created by Marcus Inkpen and Sharni Azalee of The Looking Glass, and it is really one of their most stunning creations ever – which is certainly saying a lot!

The Faire has been extended by a day, but don’t forget that today sees that most exciting of events, the Live Auction.  Even if you’re not bidding yourself, it is exciting to see how much beautiful items that you have loved sell for – and who buys them!

But, before you head over there, let’s do a jigsaw!

Lotus Valley Dream, photograph by Judith Lefevre

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Catch up with your Prim Perfect jigsaws (showing images of Second Life and other virtual worlds).

If you’d like to submit a photo of your own to feature as a jigsaw, send it to the Prim Perfect Flickr Group. It should be sized 800w x 600h, or else it will need to be re-sized.

Read Full Post »

Prim Perfect Jigsaw at Fantasy Faire – The Quest for the Golden Prim Returns!

Caught in Steelhead!

Today you are getting two (yes, count them, two!) jigsaws because it’s a rather special day.

We are relaunching the web comic, The Quest for the Golden Prim, in an exciting new web format – with a brand new website – www.goldenprim.com.

And we’re relaunching in style – with a party at the Explorer’s Club (Oriental Branch) at the Fantasy Faire from 2pm – 5pm. And – as the party begins, we suspect that some – at least – of the Fugitives will be safely under lock and key!

In fact, it will be a special Jail and Bail event to raise fuinds for Relay for Life – so do come along and support us!

It’s our intention to release one episode a week, and each episode will be accompanied by a game or contest.

The news reaches Caledon

To get you back up to speed, the first contest is a quiz all about Volume 1 of the Quest. Each question correctly answered will lead you to the next until you will eventually win a prize.

But don’t worry if you have forgotten the plot of the Quest – all the episodes of Volume 1 are online at Calameo.

One story we hope you won’t have forgotten is how the academics on the Quest were caught in Steelhead with the body of a murdered man … and were subsequently jailed. In the new episode, you’ll be able to see how their friends in Caledon react to the news … and that forms today’s second jigsaw!

Caught in Steelhead!

And the second jigsaw:

The news reaches Caledon!

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Catch up with your Prim Perfect jigsaws (showing images of Second Life and other virtual worlds).

If you’d like to submit a photo of your own to feature as a jigsaw, send it to the Prim Perfect Flickr Group. It should be sized 800w x 600h, or else it will need to be re-sized.

Read Full Post »