Q: What roles do the other Second Life residents play in your stories and do you do much backstory with them to plan those out?

DM: Some players earn my trust to the point where I allow them to play Mason family members!

Hotspur O'toole was a great steampunk role-player who teamed up with me Hotspur O'toole was a great steampunk role-player who teamed up with me to write several great stories. I also credit the managers of Steelhead City, TotalLunar Eclipse and Tensai Hilra, for creating fantastic environment for open-ended Steam RP an sewing seeds for adventure with every new

structure and landscape they build!

Headburro Antfarm stands out as a spectacular storyteller/RPer, One of the Headburro Antfarm stands out as a spectacular storyteller/RPer, One of the first I teamed up with when I made Dr. Mason. He just wrapped up a

storyline of a monster lurking in Steelhead City, and I was honored to be called upon to play a role in it.

And I can't possibly forget the Girl Genius RP contingent in SL! And I can't possibly forget the Girl Genius RP contingent in SL! KlausWulfenbach Outlander, Annechen Lowey and Veles Jagermonster and many, many others entered SL looking for Mad Science Roleplay and literally

showed up at my front doorstep! I might have given up on SLa long time ago were it not for them!

Photo from the Wastelands in Second Life

http://slurl.com/secondlife//210/99/75Visit Hambone Slash (211, 92, 77)

http://slurl.com/secondlife//210/99/75Visit Hambone Slash (211, 92, 77)

There are three great grid wide hunts going on right now and I

have participated in grabbing some great freebies or gifties in all

three. These are Steam the Hunt, Twisted Hunt and Timeless

Treasure Hunt. AAll three of these hunts have blog sites that provide the

participant with more information regarding the merchants,

updates and changes to the hunt. The blog for Timeless Treasure Hunt is here:

http://timelesstreasureshunt.blogspot.com/The blog for Steam the Hunt is here: http://steamthehunt.blogspot.com/2011_02_01_archive.html

StSteam the Hunt is a themed hunt centered around

“steampunk.” You can expect that most of the clothes,

furniture, toys, and even skyboxes will all have somewhat of

a steampunk aesthetic. TThe blog for Twisted Hunt is here: http://twistedhunt.com/

According to the group charter the Twisted Hunt is a

bi-annual, grid-wide treasure hunt! It favors goth, horror,

fetish, BDSM, and other less mainstream genres.Twisted Hunt Spring 2011:

TThis is the third or fourth time I have participated in Steam

the Hunt and I am never disappointed by the great gifts and

the quality of the gifts I have received on this hunt. Some of the examples of things I have picked up and stores I

have visited are:

Photo below is of Avatar Bizarre a popular stop for most hunts:

The Twisted Hunt bills itself as the most difficult hunt in Second Life and I have to agree that it is indeed that! Don’t be surprised if your first attempts at a store result in finding decoys, invisible boxes, and other notes and hints until you find the actual gift. The blog gives great tips and ideas for making your hunt fun and interesting. With over 218 participating merchants you are bound to find something that you can use!

As you can see below the gifts are quality and well worth the extra effort. This is an Edgar Allen Poe inspired sitting room set; chair, fireplace, and side table from Roawenwood:

I have also been participating in Steam the Hunt. A bit easier and the gifts are no less fabulous than the Twisted Hunt. Here I am enjoying some shopping at stop #131 Irrisistible on Sundance Isle:

Here is another view of this interesting shop:

Dare Designs stop #5 on the Twisted Hunt:

The fabulous Elvira Afterthought modeling one of her gifts from the Twisted Hunt. She is at Clockwork London, Tower Glag Square:

Aaargh A Pirate’s Bed a gift from Steam the

Hunt

This is the fourth run of Steam the Hunt, and every time it just seems to get better and better. Here is one of my favorite outfits from the Hunt so far:

One great thing a

bout Steam the H

unt or any hunt are

the

fabulous stores yo

u find along the wa

y such as the inter

esting

Cosmic Design St

ore:

Clothes! Clothes! and more Clothes! Here I am in a top I got from Robbish, stop #40 on the Hunt:

Started on March 12th Timeless Treasures looks like a great hunt with lots of promise! There are only 37 merchants in this hunt but the time-frame to participate is shorter than most. Running for eight days; from March 12th to March 20th, this means a very short time-frame to get your Timeless Treasures Gifts! Some of the great finds and stops include:

Paris Metro:

The beautiful Kismet, the starting point for Timeless Treasures Hunt:

At the fabulous Eshi Otawara shop a stop on the Timeless Treasure Hunt:

DV8 the start of theTwisted Hunt

When hunting you have to be patient and you have to thoroughly scan a site to find the item you are looking for, in the case of Steam the Hunt it’s a gear:

The merchants on the Twisted Hunt have come up with plenty of ideas and ways to challenge and fool you here is one such example at Curvasive Designs stop #20 on the hunt:

(these entire walls are made up of the hunt gift..you have to find the right one that holds the gift)

This is what you are looking for on the Timeless Treasures Hunt, a scroll:

More hunt hints:

All hunts have a specific starting point, from there you find the gift and in that gift is a landmark top the next store. At that store you will find a gift with a hint that should guide you to finding the gift and on to the next store!

There is a certain protocol you need to follow to ensure that a hunt stays There is a certain protocol you need to follow to ensure that a hunt stays fun and enjoyable for everyone and that store owners continue to provide valuable merchandise for the hunt. Never reveal the location of a gift in local or group chat, that just isn’t fair! Part of the purpose of the hunt is the search through the shops for the gift...merchants participate in hunts to get customers there look at their merchandise. You are going to like everything you get but keep that to yourself..it’s free and I am sure you received plenty of other great gifts on your hunt. There is such a received plenty of other great gifts on your hunt. There is such a diversity of shops on most hunts that I am sure you received more than one item that made it all worthwhile.

Join the groups associated with the hunts, this makes hunting a lot more fun, and instead of getting frustrated because you can’t find the gift you can ask others for further hints regarding the location of the gift. One word of caution though the groups are no place to vent, most participants are in the hunt for the fun and challenge and if you start whining and complaining they will let you know that you are out of line! Managing a hunt is hard work, the managers of the hunts need to know their work is valued, the gifts from the merchants are appreciated and that you valued, the gifts from the merchants are appreciated and that you appreciate what they do. If you can’t find a gift at a certain location move on and return later ..that is what usually works for me! Whatever you do don’t harass or complain to the shop owner, their staff or other customers, that just isn’t cool. And remember if you aren’t having fun then maybe hunts just aren’t for you.

Timeless Treasures Hunt Steam the Hunt

THIS IS WHAT IT IS (observations on the Tsunami)

by Michael Wellsaka MrMulti Writer

This is what it is . no more no lessIn the middle of the mess, Peering over edgesFeeling pain from other places, watching it get Feeling pain from other places, watching it get

swept awayWaves destroying all there is and all there was. Hearing cries of those so small they cannot see it

allFrom where I sit I cry and die for you, for me, I

wonder what I’ll be when all I dogets swept away. When waves will tell me all I did gets swept away. When waves will tell me all I did

was what it was, no more, no less.

Walking In The Universe

Every step I take creates a little waveMovement, meaning, frequency more or less alive

Like drops of insignificance becoming something moreBecoming huge and scattered like marbles on the floor

Walking in the universe, I hardly move at allAmazing all this effort used to move something so smallAmazing all this effort used to move something so smallMy thoughts direct the action, my emotions point the wayI wonder why, through all of this, I think of you today

So much to do to make a point, so hard to push it throughSo many places it must go to find its way to youI am afraid this little wave will fade away tonight

And all the love in all the world may never make it right

Walking in the universe, I hardly make a soundWalking in the universe, I hardly make a soundA point of you , reminding you , there is no up or downThere is no hidden meaning , it is there for all to seeA kiss from me, a touch from you, a different way to be

I take the winding pathway, to the bottom of the hillI feel the way it tugs at me, almost against my willWalking in the universe will never be the same

After using all this energy to hear you say my nameAfter using all this energy to hear you say my name

~Michael Wells

Thanks to all of you, dear readers, for allowing me to indulge myself Thanks to all of you, dear readers, for allowing me to indulge myself in this issue..it was a huge ego stroke. Special thanks to our writers, Stereo Nacht and MrMulti Writer. Look for our next issue sometime in early May with a new look and some new and exciting adventures! Also look for information on our contests, our anthology and and new website. It is with somewhat bittersweet that the image I share above is of the Steampunk Adventures Store, now defunct, in Winterfell, Second Life, where the adventure began. CathyWyo1 Winterfell, Second Life, where the adventure began. CathyWyo1 Haystack

Future ReflectionsBy Cathywyo1 Haystack

when I am old and lonelyI will reflect and remember youpeering into that pool of images drawing you in neon boundaries

that dissipatethat dissipatefractured mirror of reflection

a pool a space in time when I you wewere special

but nothing special at allyour arms wrapped around my bare soulyour arms wrapped around my bare soultrapping me willingly in your embrace

of mind tentacles your image my imagelaid bare raw entwinedbound by something webelieved we understood You pulled me downYou pulled me downyou held me downyou cooled meyou melted me

without touching we leftan indelible mark

upon each other if nothing at allseeing your image there I will reachseeing your image there I will reach

out to nothing and wonder