By Prokofy Neva, Virtualtor
So I made a set of a dozen Surprise Eggs -- plus a Bonus -- called "The Pastoralists: 12 Surprise Eggs".
I had them for sale as a set and some individually and not a single one sold at Mieville Silk Road. Oh, well. Meanwhile, I put one out for free and 130 people took that; although I priced the individual ones for only $50L, they didn't sell. In part, this because I didn't do anything to promote the event and barely put out a few posters inworld -- I had too much to do in RL.
So eventually I will put them on the MP, something I've been meaning to do, but meanwhile, my whole Mieville Silk Road store in now moved to my permanent store inworld in Tofalar. Come and get the eggs for $500 for the set. I'm not putting out the individual ones just yet.
For the first time, I made up a store that I put with these eggs -- in fact as I got into the story, some of the eggs then got changed and things added or subtracted. Here it is:
Like a lot of things I make, this series called "The Pastoralist Nomads: A Story in the Mountains" started as one thing and then along the way became something else. The one who is surprised by my Surprise Eggs is usually me. Usually what happens is that I can't execute a concept I have; I divert and deviate; I find that some prop I want won't shrink down sufficiently (not everything does even with "Perfection" shrink script) and cut prims; something occurs to me; something needs to be explained, and away we go. So the story thus far -- which I am posting now just to add a link to the fatpack package, and I will have to come back to put in the pictures later:
Coming Home to My Yurt - 1
1. Inside a yurt, we see a cozy scene -- some lavash or naan warming on the stove, a cat licking his paws, and some firewood just thrown down to get the fire going again. Inside the Mongolian stash box, we see a little orange and white speckled cat jar almost like one from an Egyptian tomb, and some herbs and flowers. The canopic jars, as they are called, held cat mummies, like these:
Or this one at the Brooklyn Museum:
Shaman Ritual by the Yurt - 2
2. Now we see a shaman outside his yurt performing a ritual with a herbal book and a brass vessel of some kind of potion. He is standing on a board depicting diamonds (this actually comes from my some AI artworks at my SL21B exhibit, you can go get it there until July 21, 2024 for free if you do the quest and get the special "Ross Scroll" gift -- I will be placing this quest inworld in Ross in due course). If you look closely at the hollow tree, you will see the little orange speckled cat jar. We don't know what the shaman is going to do with it, or why he moved it outside from the stash box to the tree hollow. Does he fear a raid?
It actually says "Pier One" on the bottom which makes it all even more hilarious. It was produced by Neri Miarte.
Like a lot of things on the MP that we are sternly warned not to give away on transfer or share with alts, and never, never put on transfer, it has been shamelessly copied from this "leopard cat":
This isn't a criticism. I'm glad to buy that little cat and likely no one will ever complain about it.
It seems you can only get it used on ebay now anyway. And this "Leopard Cat" at Pier One in turn was possibly shamelessly copied from this:
But that person probably got it from somewhere -- and I don't have time to research it.
The point is, the cat jar got around, and still gets around. It's not clear how the shaman performing the mineral ritual got it, but he stashed it in the hollow of the tree.
That's all you need to know!
Sewing Day - 3
3. Happy domestic life continues in the yurt. "Pastoralists" are nomads that spend some time sedentary in one location or a range of locations growing crops or doing hunting and gathering, then they take their herds and go up in the mountains to graze them. So this Central Asian nomad woman has a Japanese gown, a Japanese fabric book and is in an egg with an early Ottoman Empire fabric (with poppies) gazing at a MidJourney swirl of fabric that is sort of Uzbek-looking. OK, then, but it's Second Life. And that's what I mean by accidents and deviations as I go along. You have to work with what is on the MP. The Tofalar people number something like only 752 or less, after the tsars and commissars were done assimilating and crushing them. They herd reindeer to survive and are conscious that they need all the parts of the deer, and can't eat them all up.
Tofalar People on the Move - 4
4. So now as for the Tofalar people -- there is a sim in SL named Tofalar which I got from the famous land baron Bob Bravo some years ago and it has a well-formed flat-top mountain which is perfect for a shaman's hut. The Tofalar word for deer is something like "tungus" (it belongs to the Turkic family of languages) so that's the name of this deer in the 4th scene, accompanied by a Deer Druid girl who looks like she's out of a Zelda game or something but work with me on this.
No, usually deer cannot serve as beasts of burden. But somehow, the Tofalar people who live completely enmeshed with deer can get them to saddle up and ride and carry stuff -- look at the picture here! They have saddles and firewood strapped to them. Deer usually can't perform this function because they are too skittish, they don't have the endurance, they fall prey to illnesses, etc. -- and as this article tells you, their hooves sinking into the springy taiga makes it hard to ride. BTW I saw something like the taiga in Alaska and it's true, you simply cannot hike on that springy stuff for more than a mile, you get really tired and sore, and you trip and fall constantly.
This being SL, anything is possible, and so when the druid Tofalar people (who might or might not have a druid factor in their legends, but they do have shamans) go on the move to their summer pastures, Tungus (or is he Mok?) kindly carries their gear. Cool, eh?
Note the Druid Deer girl is now carrying the orange speckled cat jar on her back. Is the shaman her father? How is it that she is part girl, part deer? We don't know the answers to these questions but you're probably wondering more about the tulips? Tulips, Prokofy? These nomads are pastoralists, but are you trying to tell us they grow tulips like common 1950s housewives in in American suburbia?
Answer: no, tulips grow wild in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan! Yes, we were talking about the Tofalar people who live in -- wait for it -- Tofalariya in Irkutsk oblast in southern Russian, near their traditional home in the Easter Sayan mountain range, i.e. very far from Kyrgyzstan. Like, 2551 km according to Google maps. Still, it's all part of the grand scheme of my SL eggs.
SO these are WILD tulips and therefore "appropriate". The ginger cat on this trek is wilder than the one we left back at the yurt....except the yurts were generally folded up and are being carried with us...
Danger In the Jaylyau - 5
5. So the Tofalar people reach the jaylyau, which is actually the Kyrgyz term for the pasturing meadows with tulips in the mountains, but ok, some nomads walk really far! Especially in SL. But...it's dangerous out there. And this cute Druid Deer girl is attacked by a blue wolf, as her sheep continue chewing grass indifferently. The porcelain cat jar falls to the side as she is torn to bits -- by a wolf who is actually completely uninterested in the jar, and may not know it contains treasures (did we mention it contains treasures? It does). He is more interested in a) eating her for his lunch and b) grabbing her jeweled staff which caught his eye because it's shiny. In the end he doesn't take the jar and doesn't even eat her all up. Somehow, the poor dear deer girl is given a "sky burial" and put under some rocks -- basically that means you just let Nature take its course because the soil is too rocky to dig a grave.
We Found Each Other - 6
6. Now we come to a scene that makes absolutely no sense in terms of Tofalar, Kyrgyzstan, or anything in Central Asia because it contains a large green frog and a colourful (and likely poisonous) flying toad that look like they are straight out of the Amazon, or some other swampy, tropical place, and not the mountains of Kyrgyzstan but did I mention this is Second Life? The big frog in fact unfurls a banner that says (true or not): "We are Kyrgyz".
If you please. And We are Kyrgyz if you don't please.
Very casually, he has picked up the jar, that apparently was left by the stony grave of the deer girl. And what does he do with it?
The Offering - 7
7. Being a conscientious denizen of the steppes and mountains of Central Asia, even though he looks like he belongs in the Philippines, he goes to the shrine of the Snake Goddess [think up a name for her besides "Naga" which is her Hindu name] to offer the jewels to her, because he really doesn't have use for them. At least, not all of them. What is the Hindu Snake Goddess of India doing in Central Asia, where there are no snake goddesses? Well, somebody got lost. I mean, read "Journey to the West." Some people go awfully long distances to find stuff. The frog then goes on his way.
Treasure Imperiled - 8
8. But the jaylyau, while carpeted with tulips like Holland, is a place of danger and death and destruction, and in the next scene we see not one but two dragons (because -- Second Life), both of whom have their eye on that pretty porcelain cat jar which has the shiny things in it which dragons love to hoard. The snake goddess doesn't have any guards or anything, so they make off with it. But then they must have had a scuffle between themselves, because in the next scene...
The Stolen Treasure - 9
9. The large, skinny dragon is missing, and only the sneaky-eyed Baby Fire Dragon has the treasure, which he has obtained by breaking the porcelain cat jar against a boulder and scooping up the jewels in it. He also seems to have acquired one of those Dog Dragon Chinese jars (they call them Foo Dragons), or maybe the Foo Dragon is sentient and has (temporarily) allied with the Baby Fire Dragon but... in the distance, at the top of the mountain, we see the deer (and beast of burden) who had been traveling with the now-dead deer druid girl surveilling the scene! (How did a Chinese Foo Dog jar get into Central Asia? Well, look at a map. Remember the Great Silk Road?)
Treasure Restored - 10
10. In the next scene, we see Tengus, the buck (if he has antlers he's a male) delivering...a bag made out of orange dragon skin to the Snake Goddess. The cat porcelain jar is missing, but then, it had been broken on the rocks...wasn't it? The Foo Dog has a cat amulet, and now Tengri, who is the proper god of Kyrgyzstan (who made the sky -- even if he looks more like a Norse guard here with a fish, but ok), is holding the Foo Dog where presumably the jewels are now held. The Foo Dog may have been working secretly for the deer people. How a buck was able to beat a dragon isn't clear -- the shaman has a stash box with a Mongolian manuscript on the killing of a dragon, so maybe there's some clues there.
Shamans Worship Tengri - 11
11. Now we see a scene of two shamans (who look different than the shaman from our original scene) paying homage to Tengri, who seems to be at a different location now -- but then nomads probably moved their gods around with them just like they moved their yurts and props and kids and stuff. Ah-hah, the cat jar is hidden in the flowers! It was put back together, perhaps? Left by the deer? Picked up somehow and repaired? In any event, there's a missing chapter here and it may appear as a bonus....Note the shaman are also providing Tengri with some rice cakes and a vessel of some kind of something....
At Home in My Yurt - 12
12. This yurt is similar, but different than the one in the first scene, but then, with nomads, it's always changing. Or maybe this is a different tribe -- the shamans were different in the previous scene. Somehow, they got hold of the Foo Dog jar and brought back with them. Hmm, the cat is the same, the bed rolls are different. Could be the same clan, different family. No sign of the cat jar.
We don't know what happened to the cat jar, which had appeared re-assembled at one shrine to Tengri. If anyone rescued it, it would have to be a combination of the sewing lady and the poisonous toad....It's not clear if Tengus an pick up things or people have to put stuff on his back (unlike RL where you can't do that).
Yes, our bet is the Japanese lady got busy, helped by the frog or toad or deer or two strange shaman or possibly even another character! And that should appear in the bonus : )
You'll have to buy the fatpack to ee the bonus!
But basically...there is a living tree and a druid-type tree goddess merged with the tree.
This could be a goddess associated with war, fertility, wisdom, and water, called Nana, worshipped by Eastern Iranian groups in Central Asia, including the Bactrians, Sogdians, Chorasmians, and Yuezhi. Nana is also associated with the Iranian goddesses Anāhitā, Aši, and Ārmaiti, and the Near Eastern goddess Anahita, and the Mediterranean goddesses Tyche and Demeter. Nana is often depicted seated on a lion and holding a cornucopia-like palmette. Whew. Won't find that on the MP I don't think, so this more Celtic/Norse-looking druid lady is put in.
Then there's Umai, a primary deity in Kazakh mythology, Umai is a protector of children and a metaphor for a strong mother figure. In Turkic nations, Umai personifies the feminine.
There are two placid, bovine gods near the tree goddess. I forgot their names already. There are some crystal treasures that somehow the goddess has around here, and the tree frog is in the tree, chameleon-like changing his colour, so we figure he may be involved in....
...you guessed it! The cat jar has returned. It is inside the flaming chest of the Vegetarian Wendigo. The Wendigo or Wendigaunt is a monster from our very own New York State who usually eats people, zombie like. But this one is vegetarian and helpful, having carried the mended cat jar with some jewels in it very long distances to present to Nana...Umai...whoever she is! She rocks! I didn't put in any rocks because it was already 22 prims!
This is hardly like Journey to the West, but it's just my own little story that I like to have fun with.
Meta-play in Second Life represents a form of higher-level engagement with the platform, often involving nuanced manipulation and critique of the social structures and interactions within the virtual world. In a space devoid of traditional gameplay mechanics like quests or levels, Second Life provides fertile ground for participants to engage in what can be termed social meta-play, which is focused more on the interplay of relationships, governance, and expression, rather than on adhering to conventional goals.
Those involved in this form of meta-play, particularly figures like Peter Ludlow (aka Urizenus Sklar), aren’t merely "playing" the game in a traditional sense; they are challenging and subverting the social norms within Second Life, prompting others to reflect on the nature of identity, community, and governance in virtual spaces. Their actions represent an intellectual and performative critique, one that often targets users who take the platform at face value or use it primarily for structured creative or economic purposes.
However, meta-play isn’t about chaos or disruption for its own sake. On the contrary, it often engages with profound themes such as digital identity, ownership, and governance. The existence of publications like the Alphaville Herald, which Ludlow founded, demonstrates the serious academic and critical underpinnings of these actions. Far from being random provocations, Ludlow’s explorations delve into complex issues like the ethics of virtual communities, freedom of expression, and the role of power structures in digital environments. In this light, meta-play functions as a form of social commentary, revealing the fragility of virtual worlds where identity, power, and authority are continuously negotiated and contested.
The Alphaville Herald—which began in The Sims Online and later transitioned to cover Second Life—played a critical role in shaping this culture of meta-play. Through its satirical and incisive commentary on in-world politics and player interactions, the Herald became a platform for questioning the legitimacy of authority within virtual worlds. Ludlow, under his pseudonym Urizenus Sklar, used this medium to expose issues related to virtual governance and to critique the sometimes authoritarian actions of developers and community leaders. His work emphasizes that, far from being "just a game," virtual worlds are microcosms of real-life social structures—rich with opportunities for academic inquiry and critique.
Academics like Ludlow are not merely engaging in meta-play for entertainment; they approach these activities as part of a broader philosophical and sociological investigation. In many ways, Second Life serves as a living laboratory where they can explore the dynamics of power, identity, and governance. This kind of engagement blurs the boundaries between meta-play, journalism, and ethnographic study. The platform’s unstructured nature makes it ideal for examining emergent social behaviors and testing the limits of digital governance.
Enter Prokofy Neva, a pseudonymous figure who represents a more conservative vision of virtual world governance. Prokofy Neva takes Second Life seriously, advocating for a structured community where users invest in meaningful, long-term creations. Prokofy often positions themselves as a defender of the platform’s integrity, criticizing meta-players like Ludlow for their alleged disruptions. This dynamic reflects a philosophical divide within the Second Life community. Prokofy Neva’s perspective champions stability and order, while Ludlow and his contemporaries push for an environment that remains fluid, open to critique, and constantly evolving.
The conflict between Ludlow’s meta-play and Prokofy Neva’s more structured vision underscores deeper issues related to virtual governance. Virtual worlds, by their very nature, challenge traditional notions of authority and community. The meta-players question whether these spaces can—or should—be policed or controlled in the same way physical spaces are. They argue for a digital autonomy, where users can create, experiment, and even subvert with fewer constraints. Ludlow’s actions, often framed as calls for digital freedom, contrast sharply with Prokofy Neva’s desire for a rule-bound environment that promotes creation over disruption.
At its core, meta-play in Second Life reflects a debate about social control. Ludlow and his peers ask who gets to define the virtual world’s rules, norms, and values. For them, virtual spaces are inherently ephemeral and constructed, making any attempt at permanent governance problematic. They challenge the seriousness with which users like Prokofy Neva approach the platform, emphasizing instead the fluidity of identity and authority in a world built entirely on human creation.
This ongoing tension between meta-players and more traditional users like Prokofy Neva also provides an opportunity for academic study. For scholars, Second Life is not just a virtual environment but a site of exploration where emergent social behaviors and governance models can be observed and tested. Ludlow’s actions—and those of his contemporaries—are often critical interventions into the way virtual communities are structured. They are pushing the boundaries of what is possible in virtual worlds, questioning whether these spaces can ever truly replicate the social and political structures of the physical world.
In summary, the meta-play led by figures like Peter Ludlow reflects a deep critique of virtual worlds as serious, governed spaces. For Ludlow, Second Life is a dynamic, ever-changing environment ripe for experimentation with identity, governance, and social structures. His work provokes and challenges figures like Prokofy Neva, who see Second Life as more than just a game. The resulting clashes are not disruptions for their own sake but rather intellectual engagements—social commentaries on what it means to exist, govern, and express oneself within virtual worlds.
Posted by: Jeff Chandler | 09/19/2024 at 08:09 PM