• Monday, September 6, 2010
Second Life offers any and everything--sports, music, art, writing, education, jobs, clubs, role play, technology, and more. So, what does a single gal decide to check out for her latest SLE piece? A place where lovers go to ignite the romance in their relationships--the beautiful Runestone.
I know a lot of people on Second Life whose lives are as busy as their real lives. They are running restaurants, clubs, magazines, art galleries, churches, and more, and also have mates and children. So when they log in, their time is already spent, usually with business first, children second, and mates last.
I thought about that this week, the mate left behind and how important it is to keep the embers burning in your relationship--even here in Second Life.
So, this single gal didn't feel too bad about searching romantic spots for love birds to go, take time for themselves without work or kids, and just "be".
The second I read about Runestone, I knew it was a place I had to go. According to its group description, Runestone is a rustic sim dedicated to love and beauty. Just the sentence alone made me think about flowers and trees and perfect-blue waters, and when I saw Runestone for the first time, it was all that and so much more.
Soft, lilting music captured my ears first, followed by birds chirping, sun light filtering through tall, thick, full trees. The scene instantly warmed my heart and left me smiling. I traipsed through the spaces dedicated to weddings and wedding receptions and found myself in a spot where the water rippled and the waves came onto shore, leaving foam in their wake. The hilly landscape was lush and green and full of various flowers; one could turn left or right and catch a rainbow near a neighboring waterfall. And though the entire atmosphere screams sweet romance, it's not just the space that invites love, but also small spots along the beauty that enable couples to spend time with one another.
At Runestone, you can push your lover on a swing, rest upon blankets atop hills that lend views to the landscape. You can lie upon a large oak tree and tell each other of your day, or you can sit in more secluded spots and cuddle and share secrets.
What's so surprising about this beautiful place isn't that it exists, but that it's only been fairly recent that the place has become a tourist attraction. I talked with Portia Lytton, co-owner and builder of Runestone, and she told me that she and her mate, co-owner Arioch Snowpaw have owned Runestone for over a year, but it wasn't until August 26, 2010, that "romantic tourist attraction" became a label officially befitting the sim. When asked how this turn of events came to be, Lytton had two answers: a dear friend and Linden Lab.
"A dear friend of ours, Panacea Muircastle, fell in love [with Runestone] as a visitor and asked us to let her be married here," Lytton stated. Lytton and Snowpaw developed the landscaping further and also contacted Linden Lab about Runestone being showcased in the destination guide. "My suggestion to the desintation guide was almost a whim. We were stunned that LL responded in less than 24 hours ... as luck would have it, we hit showcase about 30 minutes before the wedding [on September 9th]."
In talking to Lytton, I could see how much Runestone meant to her and the joy she got out of the space. She asked me if I had seen the play-in-the-sprinkler animation, which I hadn't -- and so need to go back to take pictures of me playing with it, and she said the sprinkler was her favorite "toy" there. "It's the essence of Runestone and our attitude. Playful romance is our goal. Joy and bliss." Add to these qualities a child-like wonder and complete immersion in the moment, qualities also expressed by Lytton, and you can begin to see what Runestone symbolizes.
Take a visit of Runestone for yourself by following this [SLURL]. Find the new animations that allow you to sit upon a pillow and sketch and to paint on an easel with Runestone as your vibrant backdrop. Just be warned. Don't go there alone like I did. If you do, you will regret it. It is a sweet, tranquil, lovely place for lovers, and you'll find yourself wandering through Runestone's beauty, hoping another single person is there for a kismet match.
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