Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Après la déluge: Minoans rebuild

Recently, Ariadne sent out a notice about a build inspired by what post-catastrophe Crete might have been like. I've had a chance to take a look, and I'm highly impressed!

You arrive first at a region with a circle of locations for stores and a central enclosed area. Around the central area's exterior are posters showing the history of the Minoan civilization and how it was rediscovered in the late 19th century. Inside is a platform from which one teleports down to the build proper. The TP object sits before a bull, and on the wall by the bull are indicators of the online status of the Queen, Ariadne, Mistress of Arts, Rhiannon Carlucci, and Architect, Abby Python.

(The design is beautiful and functional--the use of a skybox for the shopping area leaves more space on the surface. Clearly a lot of thought has gone into it--high honor and praise are due to the Architect!)

The surface is wilder than the very urban and tightly packed Minoan Empire was, but it still bears the marks of Minoan civilization, and I cried when I first saw it.


You will find temples there...


...and I am very pleased to say that the statue of the Earth Mother has miraculously survived; she is now in the natural shrine of a cave.

There is a labyrinth, but rather than the confusing original labyrinth with the fearsome, man-eating minotaur at its center, here we have a more contemplative labyrinth of trained and trimmed shrubbery.


I've not shown you everything--there are shrines I've not shown, and there are some buildings whose purpose I do not know--but I hope that you've seen enough to be interested. One thing I should mention--there is a racetrack! Races are on Saturday, which makes me happy, since I can attend both them and the races that have been conducted by the Minoan exile community on Sundays since the closing of the Minoan Empire sim.

Khaire Wanassa! I cannot say how happy I am to see this place. Thanks to you, to the Mistress of Arts, and to the Architect.

3 comments:

Kaseido said...

Oh my.

I've felt personally done with SL for some time now, aside from missing a few friends who're still around (you in particular!) - but this...

I'd love to see it with you sometime.

Melissa Yeuxdoux said...

I'd like that a lot. Let's do it.

Kaseido said...

Yay! After next week, I've got a break from work hell, as far as I know. Let's plan an outing.