S.I.C.

Not gunna lie, I think dark urban settings on Second Life are some of the most beautiful. You've seen my reaction to Barbee, and while that region combines dark and urban with beauty and whimsical fantasy, S.I.C. claims to have been inspired by Blade Runner, of all things.

Doesn't make it any less beautiful in my eyes, even if I can hardly remember that movie. From my standpoint, it looks like a science fiction standpoint for Tokyo-- most of the items and areas here are in Japanese, and the alleyways are tough places to survive in.

There are little treasures hidden everywhere. For example, and area of the city that constantly rains. I had to wait there for a while, trying to find my umbrella to walk under that torrential downpour. The streets are broken and uneven, with roadblocks placed just about everywhere for danger zones. Streetlights shine in every corner, and if you don't look closely, you'd think it was just like a real life urban center... until you get a good look at their technology.

S.I.C. spans more than one region... and I'll admit, I still haven't managed to explore the greater area of it. I look forward to doing so and perhaps reporting more gems back, but for the moment, I'm so excited to see this place that it had to be blogged.

Who doesn't want to see mechas and fighting rinks and great urban distopias, right?

The place is very beautifully rendered, and it's worth every second of waiting time to come see it. Even the puddles are wonderfully rendered so that you can see the reflections of the buildings in them... the only thing I'm slightly disappointed in is that you can't see your own reflection in them (maybe we're all vampires), but I suppose the scripts for that haven't come out yet. Either that, or no one's figured out how to do that yet because I haven't seen anywhere on Second Life that acts as a reflection for your avatar. Do feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

I have to admit, I spent a long while just trying to find all the little niches in this place-- bars, restaurants, pose balls. There are some very interesting pose balls in the back alleys, from people helping each other to beating each other up. There's a particularly cute one in where you've being blown away by a giant fan.

What I'd love is for this place to have a role-play I understand. They do have a HUD for it, I think (not entirely sure on this), but it's in Japanese and I don't know any of the rules or group. If there's some other urban fantasy role-play going on here (I'm looking at you, Dresden Files fans) where there's a combination of magic and technology being played out, I'd love to be in on this. Especially here.

I dare each and every person out there to find me a better place for dark urban noir /science fiction / fantasy to be played out. I have a handful of characters in mind that I want to play out, despite it being years since the last time I managed to role-play on Second Life.

Bring yourself, bring a friend, and check out why this place was a Destination Guide pick. With winding streets, construction areas, a fighting rink, hospital, and even a picture booth in the welcoming area, S.I.C. is definitely a place to at least check out. The background is fantastic.

...Oh, and before I forget: make sure to watch where you're walking. After spending about half an hour running around the sim, I heard honking right before I got hit by the bus.

Yeah. The bus. So watch yourself when you cross the street!



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