Destination Bedrock

I’d like to take a moment to talk about my favourite place in SL; Bedrock. Ok, perhaps I am just a little biased, as that Bedrock has been my home since pretty much the beginning, but regardless of that fact, I do believe it is a place that every single person in SL should visit at some point in their second life.
There are some pretty amazing builds all across the grid, but for those of us who grew up with the Flintstones, which is most of us, it is definitely like stepping back into our youth. There is really no other place in Secondlife I have found that gives me that same feeling.
Now let me give you the written tour as best as I can, but if you really want to experience the land, Tigey Honey is the man to see.
The landing point drops you just outside the yards of the Flintstone and Rubble houses where amongst the first things you’ll notice is a cut out of Fred Flintstone, and a green space ship. I strongly suggest two things if you want to get the utmost out of your visit; firstly, touch ol’ Fred there and get the note he passes out… included is a link to my store by the shore, and a map of the land layout which will prove very helpful as that Bedrock is rather big, with a lot to see and do. Second, I suggest you jump in Gazoo’s ship and take the official tour. This will give you some of the highlights along with commentary, plus it’s just plain fun.
Once the tour ends and you jump down out of the ship, please be sure to vote. A lot of work has gone into this sim, so it’s always nice to show your appreciation.
Now the tour by foot; I have long been in love with the dance pavilion in Bedrock. I have a habit of setting the sun to midnight to fully enjoy the light show whenever I dance there. Looks can be a little deceiving, as anyone who’s spent any amount of time searching for the many hidden areas in Bedrock will tell you, and there is more to this dance area than first meets the eye. I’m not going to tell you though, dear readers, how to find the entrance to the submerged dance floor… half the fun is in the seeking.
Next up we have the quarry office… home to the infamous Mr. Slate, and next the quarry where Fred and Barney labour the day away before heading off for some fun and relaxation.
Be sure to take a ride on the Ferris wheel while you’re in town; it makes for a very romantic stop for any couple. Plus, it’s dino-powered!! How cool is that?
Now, I haven’t played in awhile, too busy, busy, busy, but there are few things in SL funner then a round of golf at Bedrocks mini-golf course. Given, it seems pretty tough at first, but trust me, give yourself at least three holes to get a hang of things, and the next thing you know you’ll be the stone age version of Tiger Woods. Of course, that still wont help you beat me :P.
Just around the corner you’ll find the boutique wherein you will find some of the character AVs and some Bedrock style clothing to make your stay all the more enjoyable. That big building in the center you ask? Why, that’s the bowling alley, and up top is the future office of the Daily Slate.
Next up we have the Bedrock Fire Hall… home of the cutest elephant in all of SL. Our Fire Chief, Elly watches over things and keeps us safe from the inevitable volcano eruptions and various other emergency’s that arise from time to time.
Just across the road you’ll find the police station and kitty corner is the Water Buffalo Lodge. (side note: just inside the reception area of the police station you’ll find a slew of wanted posters featuring the faces of some of SL’s most famous)
Now these are just a few of the highlights, words can not truly express how cool this sim is. There is a mud spa, a drive in movie theatre that plays free movies, so many hidden areas I really honestly couldn’t even tell you how many there are anymore, and a ton of interactive features.
Bedrock is as much a part of my Second Life as is ~Aries Celestial Designs~, the land is amazing, the company is unbeatable, and I am honoured to be a part of it.

Meet the designer

I'm just a little behind the game in this blog thing so bare with me while I try to catch you up to speed. My name is Aries Bricklin (in secondlife at any rate, I just don't think we're close enough to start exchanging real life info as of yet dear reader) and I am the owner and designer behind ~Aries Celestial Designs~.
I stumbled upon Sl one late night in August of 2006. Bored to death of my usual online adventures, I'd actually got it in mind to find a free trial of the Sims online... suffice it to say, I never did end up finding it, but instead I found myself submerged into the most awe inspiring 3-d world I had never thought to even imagine.
My introduction to the wonderful world of Sl designing came a short time after and was entirely self serving; in Rl I am a huge fan of chokers and was searching to find something just right in game, but after 2 days of scouring the grid, I didn't come even remotely close to finding what it was I was after. After returning to my home in Sl (Bedrock) frustrated, my partner pointed out the obvious; if I couldn't find what I wanted, I'd just have to learn to make it myself. Hmm... interesting idea, but I had no clue how to build really. At that point I was still wearing the occasional box on my head, so I almost dismissed the idea out of hand. However, with his patient tutelage, I began the first of my 'experiments' and soon found myself smack dab in the middle of a new obsession.
My first collection ~The Birthstone Collection~ (yes, ever so original) got very carried away. It began that day with my partner's kind urging, just a simple necklace with a nice lock pendant reminiscent of an angel picture that was given to me my first month online (and later became my store logo), but as per usual with me, simple got out of hand before long. Couldn't very well have JUST a lock right? No no, far too boring... it needed a little something. Hmm... ah, what about my birthstone? That's when the garnets were added in, and at some point (not even entirely sure I arrived at the idea myself, or if it was in fact my partners suggestion) the idea to do a necklace in each of the 12 birthstones arose. As the work on the chokers came to a close, it occurred to me that not everyone would like the lock pendants, after all, in a world like Sl, suffused in BDSM role play and stuff, it may be considered by some as a symbol of submission (I definitely did not arrive at that thought myself) and so I created the eternity ball pendants as an alternative to the locks. Just as I was coming to a close on that set of chokers, it occurred to me that JUST a choker couldn’t be acceptable. I mean, after all, I had no other jewellery that came even close to matching my pretty new lock and garnet choker. The simple choker soon became a simple set including the necklace, bracelets, anklets and earrings. Simple… HA! The final brainwave in this collection came when I realized that some people prefer gold to silver, and oh look at that other pretty silver!!! Oh boy. What ended up coming out of that simple little ‘me’ project was actually a bit mind numbing. 3 metals (2 silvers and an amazingly gorgeous gold) in 2 separate styles (one with the locks, one without) and 12 gems. 72 full sets in total, each with seven pieces (choker, 2 bracelets, 2 anklets and 2 earrings)!
Now when I started the whole thing, I never intended for a second to sell them. Even when I got carried away with it, I don’t think I really considered selling them, however I do recall an internal voice taking stock of friends in game and their birthstones so that I could send them each a set when I was done (which I did). How things metamorphosed into me opening a store of my own, I don’t clearly remember at all. I do know that my partner bought a piece of land and decided would be a great place for a store, giving me a bit of a push to do it.
That little 768 sq m plot in Crumbi opened as ~Aries Celestial Designs~ sometime in mid November. It had a cute open design to the store, in a rather Egyptian style, and was ruined only by the fact that it was fully of ugly clunky vendors. Suddenly eager to make a buck and put that land to good use, I loaded the goods into vendors. Not just the 72 sets, but individual pieces were also available. I don’t even remember how many vendors it took to do that. I do know that it took me days of fighting with the vendors to load them properly, (oh how I have grown to loathe vendors over time) and I do recall feeling pretty proud when the time to stand back and stare at my work in awe came to pass.
Over time, that 768 plot grew (GIVE ME MORE PRIMS!! I MUST HAVE MORE PRIMS!!!) And ~The Birthstone Collection~ selection shrunk drastically. I still feel I sell too many options of them, lol, but at least it’s down to 3 full sets, and in all fairness they are still a pretty popular seller. In time, at that location at least, the vendors were phased out and the entire store went through a face lift or two. I experimented with renting vendor stalls and mall space across the grid and am currently in the process of fazing them out as I type this. Henceforth it will only be my main stores (yes, 2 main stores) in Crumbi and below Bedrock in Drymonia. Those of you that read these blogs will soon learn one thing about me if you’ve not figured it out already; I am VERY wordy. I apologize for that. Can’t stop it, won’t try because I already know I can’t stop it, but I do apologize. Now as they say, on with the show.