Kingdom of Sand Journal - Day 42

I think today I may have made an unlikely friend.

While wandering outside Kashkar, just twirling a few coins I found in The Blue Parrot.  I was listening to the water when I heard an odd thudding sound come up from behind.  I drew my sword and turned about, thinking someone had come to take the coins from me.  I was shocked.  There was a huge, hulking beast approaching me; and as we met eyes, he drew a giant sword from his back.

A nervous conversation followed, and I cautiously resheathed my sword after many minutes, and luckily so did the beast.  I found out he was a demon, and a dark knight.  He had not meant me any harm, and was just following my scent.  He seemed friendly enough, but I was still a bit frightened by him.  Things seemed safe enough, so I cautiously strode away, asking the beast not to follow me.

Not long after I had returned to Ireem, the beast found me.  We talked again, and I learned that he had a problem with our language.  He seems to still be learning it.  We had a chat once more, he learned the meaning of the word "follow," and I found out his presence, though in an odd way warm and calming, still made me nervous.  I thought perhaps I had angered the demon, and found myself even more worried when he seemed to be getting hungry and wanted me to go with him to feed.

We parted ways again, and strangely, I think I may be able to make friends with the big brute.

Updating my limits

Updating my limits to really emphasize no sex, also no relationships.

Feeling pretty

So here is my second outfit post on my friend's blog, Just Playin' Dress Up!  This was a dress I wore to try to cheer up a friend.  I hope it worked.  http://playindressupsl.blogspot.com/2015/04/nasrins-dress.html

I feel so special!

I can't believe it!  Miss K is so proud of me for learning what I have in SL so quickly, from my little shop I'm developing to the outfits I put together for myself, that she has invited me to be a guest blogger on her fashion blog!  Can you believe it?!  I am so very excited.

I don't know how to make pictures like she does yet, but she says she is going to teach me basics so that I can start making my own.  I have even made my first post on her blog with the very first outfit she helped me put together when I joined Second Life.  I just hope no one tries going around looking exactly like me :-p

Here is the link to my post: http://playindressupsl.blogspot.com/2015/03/nasrins-thief.html 

Please visit and look at all the wonderful pictures and outfits Miss K has put together.  I have such a great teacher!  Thank you again Miss K!

Slink accepted me!

I am excited that the Slink team accepted me in order to allow me to offer my creations with Slink appliers.  I still have to wait to have more creations available before I can apply to The Mesh Project, but I feel like I am heading in the right direction!  I have updated my first release with the Slink appliers and I've started adding my advertisements to groups on Flickr.

I am still hoping for my first sale, but I'm very optimistic about the future of my shop!

My little house

So this is the little Linden house I've decorated for myself.  There is only one room in it, but I cheated and made another room up above where there was room under the high roof.  It feels better to have the bed and bath separate from everything else.  I think I got lucky with the house, since I'm at a sim corner and right next to the water.

 

Kingdom of Sand Journal - Day 20

I dropped my pen on a trek between our tents and Ireem, and it has taken me forever to find a new one!  I bet Bakr stepped on my old one on purpose.

My blacksmith training seems to be going well, as it seems I've earned an advancement in the profession.  I don't think I'll be making any weapons yet, but I am getting better with a hammer...and not burning myself.  Maybe I should have chosen to learn something that isn't next to a fire.

I ran into that nice pirate Captain, quite literally actually.  I was afraid he was going to run me through like the other pirates so I ran.  He caught up to me though, and was merely interested in helping me with my rat problem.  He was nice enough to return some shinies one of his compatriots snatched from me a few days ago, and even gave me a meal.  Then, luckily for me, he took me under his feathered cap and taught me some more.

The Captain taught me about climbing walls to escape those chasing after me, but also showed me how it can be an advantage in battle.  He even showed me some super secret hidey spots in the city, so I could take a moment to breathe whilst being chased.  With the Captain's help, I even found a way into an area of the palace I had never seen, but he warned me about going there when knights and royals are about.

It was a quiet night, so we snuck into the Knight's office, and he showed me his picture up on the wall.  Some day I bet my picture will be up there too.  He told me about the nasty trials held by the market, and about the time he was put in one by a royal.  We both laughed when he was found guilty of pickpocketing, which he answered by pickpocketing the same royal again.

During the night we talked about the hatred between the pirates and the bedouins, and I tried to find a way I could have his people leave me be.  I think he may speak to them on my behalf, and tell them I am a friend.  I really hope I can meet more pirates like him.  Maybe we could patch up whatever this bickering is all about.

Open for business!

Yay!  I managed to finish my first item, and it is now up on the marketplace at my new little shop called Caravan Creations.

You can find my shop on Marketplace here: https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/168979

And here is the first thing I have put out:

Huge Challenge

I know I am still new, and maybe I just haven't found the proper merchants yet, but one of the challenges I have noticed while putting outfits together is finding layers to go under some of my clothes.  I do this because I like to keep a bit more covered up so I don't convey myself as a prey or slave player.  I also like to wear the mesh body my friend got me, but this means I need appliers, which I am just not finding.

So here's the challenge: I am going to try to start my own little shop offering appliers for things like shirts and pants.  I have a feeling I am biting of more than I can chew, but we shall see.  I am going to call it Caravan Creations.  Hopefully I an get my friend to help me with a few things since she owns a shop.

I already have one shirt I am working on, so we shall see how this goes!  Plus it would be nice to earn a little bit towards new clothing for myself.

A note on one of my limits

While I am writing this out of character, I think it is important to note that these feelings transition the ic/ooc barrier.

One of my current role-play limits is as follows: "Not here for capture, sex, or slavery, but I will go along with the consequences of rp."  This seems to bring up the question of, why play on a capture sim?  I can understand that in a place where there are opposing factions, battles may occur.  I can also understand that during the course of battle, whether it be one on one or on a grander scale, there may indeed be some hostages taken by either side.  This is why the fact that capture is allowed in KoS does not bother me, nor am I against it.

To better illustrate the way in which the capture role-play I see undertaken by most bothers me (though I do not personally consider most of what I have seen as role-play at all), let me show you a conversation by myself and one of the capture roleplayers on the sim.  To preface this, I had met this person once before.  This was how I was dressed when they met me, which I suppose must have conveyed the wrong impression:

 At that first meeting, the role-player in question, a pirate, tried to pass himself off as a city guide and promising to show me "very special places."  Our next encounter,  the pirate tried to be charming yet again, and luckily it was again another short meeting.  Our third meeting led to this ooc conversation.  After brief greetings, during which I admitted to knowing he was a pirate and slaver, he went directly to trying to pull out a rope to ensnare me with.  I was not amused, and being right next to the entrance to the city, I turned and walked back within.  He attempted to follow me, block my way, and continue with his intention to capture me.

And now, the conversation:

**: hi there

**: attempting to capture you -- would that be okay with you ?

ηαѕяιη ηєנєм (nasrinnejem): I'm not here for all the stupid little capture and slave games all these other girls seem so willing to play

**: you wanna attempt to escape by RP .. or just refuse the RP ?

ηαѕяιη ηєנєм (nasrinnejem): Really, what is the enjoyment you people find in this nonsense?

**: its a game, challenging

ηαѕяιη ηєנєм (nasrinnejem): It's not a game, it's an "Ooo, see a random person, let me put a rope around them."

**: its a capture sim .. and yes, running into another you can try to capture

**: but if you dont like ,, no problem, I'll stay away

**: take care and enjoy

ηαѕяιη ηєנєм (nasrinnejem): I'm sorry, I don't see the point.  All it seems your pirate faction wants to do is capture people and toss them in a cage.  There's no story.

**: that is the story

**: slavers roam around to find captivs

**: then the story only starts

ηαѕяιη ηєנєм (nasrinnejem): If that is what is considered story here, then obviously I picked the wrong place to role-play.  Sorry.

**: possibly ..but you can make your own story here of course .. ours wont just go together

While I realize that in the end I may have been rude, and angered a bit quickly that day, I still stand by what I said; and hopefully this explains my stance on capture in my limits.

Fountain of Youth

Perhaps this place is somehow, in some ways, like a fountain of youth for the people playing; where they have moments where they can feel like a teenager again.  I think perhaps I've had one of those moments myself.  How confusing and amusing it was.  I wonder if this will happen often.

Oh my gosh...

Tonight I have learned that there were many things I was apparently unaware of in Second Life.  I didn't realize it when I was buying my furniture, but there are animations in some furniture that can make you and another person cuddle and such.  I don't want to say too much more than that, because I'm still in a bit of shock.  I also didn't know that some things, like avie parts and things, were so...accurate.

It was quite an interesting night.  I guess the good news is that now I know about these things.  Oh, and my friend the Giant approved of my decorating.

I have a home!

Well, I've been working on it all day, and boy did I have a ton of questions to ask about how it all works, but I am proud to say I now have a little home of my own!  I had thought about renting one of the tents on KoS2, but with some frustrations that have occurred this past week (I really dislike some pirates), I decided it might be better if I chose a place where I could get away.

I got a premium account, which I had looked at over the past few days, and I chose one of the free homes that came with it.  My friend warned me that you can't put much in one, and that I would really need to pay attention to prim count on any furniture I bought to put in it.  She suggested a few places to me, and I did a lot of searches on the Marketplace.  I wanted to keep my home furnishings in theme with my current character, but I found that was quite hard to do. I did the best I could overall.

I learned about building today, putting objects where I like them, and adjusting things.  I'm still not sure if I've done everything right, but hopefully soon I can invite my friend the Giant over to have a look.  Oh!  I also learned about starting groups.  I was very worried about keeping my house private, and with everything I read, it seemed that restricting it to a group and such was the best option.

I wonder if I should take pictures of my house to post here?  Unfortunately the themes for the free homes are limited, but hopefully Asian will work for me.  At least they let you choose textures, so I was able to make the inside a bit more bright!

Kingdom of Sand Journal - Day 9

I met another lovely little monkey today! This one had an imp with her, and apparently she's a pirate. Both were a pleasant surprise, and it was nice to know I'm not the only one who finds certain pirates stupid.

Kingdom of Sand Journal - Day 8

Tried to help a distressed woman I found in the city. She had quite the tale, and it seems she may be a djinn.

Kingdom of Sand Journal - Day 7

I met a lovely gypsy woman and a talking monkey today. I can't believe it, I actually met a djinn today too! They are real. I always thought they were just part of maman's stories for us as children.

Kingdom of Sand Journal - Day 5

I thought the pirate at the gate was just being friendly, and distracted by someone. Apparently I was the distraction. A brave soul tried to step in for me, but we were both eventually captured.

OOC Note: I have now developed a new role-play limit.  No role-play with me in 20 minutes, or if you go for an extended AFK while we are supposed to be rp'ing, and I will leave.

Role-play Limits

I try to be kind and understanding of everyone, and always hope for mutual respect. That said, I am still learning and developing my limits in role-play.

-Please no permanent changes to my avatar, unless you provide the money/materials.
-No waste bodily functions please.
-Not here for capture, sex, or slavery, but I will go along with the consequences of rp.
-If I am uncomfortable, I will tell you.

Kingdom of Sand Journal - Day 3

I met a ship Captain! He helped train me in fighting and other things today.

Kingdom of Sand Journal - Day 1

Met a helpful bedouin man that I like to call Giant. Also met a weird fellow with a talking hat; I call the man Jestie.

Kingdom of Sand Journal - Nasrin's Family

As I'm sure my speaking about my family may confuse some people, I'd like to take this opportunity to clear things up a bit for everyone.  Currently my family are only NPCs, but they are an important part of my character's story due to her age and background.  Since my character is bedouin, and my name Persian+Arabian, I will be using terms from these languages.

The pet term for father is baba بابا, and the pet term for mother is maman مامان.

These are the names of my family members:
Father = Babak
Mother = Sadaf
Brothers = Aziz, Bahadur, Firuz, Hadi, Jalal
Sisters = Bahar, Laleh, Narges, Shokufeh

Of my sisters, I am second youngest.  My older three sisters are married, leaving Shokufeh and I as the unmarried ones.

Kingdom of Sand Journal - Who is Nasrin?

BACKGROUND
As a child Nasrin was always closer to her brothers and her father then she was to her mother and sisters. She was allowed to grow up learning the skills of the males of her family as much as she had an obligation to learn what was expected of her as a woman.

CURRENT
Baba has allowed me to take my beloved Bakr and travel to the palace, while he and my family remained camped at a distance for now. He has faith that the skills he and my brothers taught me will keep me safe. I hope to learn skills within the walls that I would not have within our tents. What I learn I will take back to my family.

What's this?

Hello there!  This blog is going to be a journal of my adventures in the virtual world of Second Life.  A friend of mine has introduced me to this interesting world and is helping me get myself set up to play there.  I can't thank her enough for all of the help as I try to figure out how everything here/there works.  It seems there is a lot to learn.

The first realm within that I have set my sights on for role-play is called of Kingdom of Sand.  I will post more about that later!