The SL Enquirer: Stonehenge

In my travels about the SecondLife ® grid, I often get to be one of the first folks to see new builds or revivals of old builds. I never cease to be amazed at the creativity and imagination of SL residents. This week my travels took me to a beautiful Romance Sim, Anoron. Owned and built by Elysa Swansong, she hired landscaper Ty Silvercloud to add the finishing touches and to help pull together the separate areas into a comprehensive Romance Build.

Josh (Th0mas1 Bellic) JB: So then...what is Anoron all about?

Elysa Swansong (ES): Anoron is, first and foremost, a romantic park, where people can come and explore, dance, and cuddle. The overall scheme was to have lots of places to explore and roam, and then little areas to sit and cuddle or dance, and even in some places be intimate.

JB: Tell me, please. What makes this sim different from the others that
are out there?

ES: The first thing that comes to mind is our couples Intan. We have 168 dances in it, carefully sorted into tags for those that use the FerventMe! Hud. We may have more couples dances than anyone on the grid! Also, our Solo dances include belly dance, Latin dance, and hula dance. But aside from that, every park and romance sim out there is the vision of their creator, and Anoron is *my* vision, *my* way of giving back, or
*my* way of creating something for others to enjoy.

Ty Silvercloud (TS): One of the most unusual things about Anoron is how well-visited it is. It's unusual for a roleplay sim to have this many visitors. And Elysa went above and beyond to create areas of interest with things to do

JB: Could you share some of the interesting things that visitors and
guests can do at Anoron?

ES: Dance! There are places for couples dancing all over the sim and in the
sky destinations. For the fantasy inclined, we have Stonehenge, 2 hobbit homes, a fairy cottage, and a pixie crossing. We have rezzable Water Horses for horseback riding, and a sim-sized Riding Trails sky platform created specifically for riding. You can have your future read at the tarot table in the gypsy camp or the Mystic Parlor (above the Black
Flagon Tavern). There’s a mermaid lagoon and grotto, 2 palaces to explore, Catacombs , and a vampire mansion.

TS: Definitely! The Balloon ride for one. I love a good balloon ride. The club, the cuddle spots, the mermaid water world, the catacombs, and the different areas where people can meet up and do their role play.

JB: As a matter of fact, I took a lovely guided area tour balloon ride when I first came to visit the other day. Would you recommend that to all visitors?

ES: Absolutely! Newcomers should definitely take the narrated tour. There are lots of different areas in the park, and it will give them a great overview. And the silent tour is perfect for any couple who wants to leave the world behind and float above the park together for as long as they like.

JB: Tell us about some of the areas we saw from the Balloon.

ES: There’s a lovely little gazebo over the water, not far from the balloon landing, for couples to dance. There’s a campfire and beach furniture by the tall waterfalls. There’s a lovely lake with an island in the center, reachable by two bridges. The bridges themselves are animated and you can sit and relax, read, or cuddle. Tucked away to one side of the park is the Enchanted Valley with hobbit homes. There’s a Temple on the hill with cushions for meditation, and of course, couples dancing. The Amethyst Gazebo is above the mermaid lagoon.

TS: I think the balloon ride gives you a great view of the multitude of activities you can find on the ground. There are so many and after the ride, I'd recommend going on a horseback ride trip around the sim to get a closer look. Especially the cuddle spots

JB: I see Bulls n Babes Black Gentlemen’s Club. What do they do there?
What makes them unique on a grid full of clubs?

ES: Bulls ‘n Babes is a sex and social club in a skybox in the SW corner of the sim. The club is for those with a preference for the BBC (big black c*ck) lifestyle... black men and the women who love them. They have events in the Tiki Lounge sometimes, as it’s on the parcel created for the club, but the Tiki Lounge and Lagoon are in fact part of the park.

JB: Tell me about the Catacombs. What can we find there?

ES: The Catacombs start at the Cthulhu entrance, and a tunnel system takes you to various caverns. There’s the Petra Chamber with its Grim Watchers, a kind of creepy cemetery, a dungeon, and a Ritual Turning Chamber. There is also a secret passageway that leads from the Catacombs up to the Lost Souls Manor, a vampire mansion.

JB: Was that a gypsy wagon I saw from the air?

ES: It was! There’s a small gypsy camp tucked away in the trees. There’s a tarot table, a dance area, and some seating inside the wagons.

JB: And what is Stonehenge all about?

TS: Well Stonehenge, and in particular this version of it which is a terrific build from Two Moon Gardens, is a mythical place. I think anyone who's visited the place in real life will agree that it has an air of mysticism to it... ancient beliefs, sorcery, druid magic even. And on the Anoron sim and in that particular area that atmosphere has been replicated very well in my opinion. A place for reflection and a place to connect with the echoes of ancient voices.

ES: Stonehenge is, of course, a mockup of the real Stonehenge, with the difference that a) it’s virtual, and b) you can actually get close enough to touch it, and sit on the lintels! There’s a campfire, and the small revolving statues are for group dancing. There are also some meditation sites in some of the lintels.

JB: Do you have plans for future development here? Anything you will
be adding in the weeks and months ahead?

ES: Not really, it’s pretty complete at this time. I may be tweaking a bit or adding furnishings here and there. We are, however, seeking DJs to come play at the park, and hope to have a nice lineup of entertainment. We’re also planning some themed events, such as an Alice in Wonderland dance, a vampire ball in the Lost Souls Manor ballroom, and so forth.

JB: Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?

ES: The music stream for the park is my own internet radio station, The Best of Lady Elysa. Besides in SL, it’s available on Tune-In and can even be played by Alexa. http://c2.radioboss.fm:8070/stream

I’m also a romance novelist in RL, with 10 books published so far, available as ebook, paperback, or hardcover on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and as an ebook on Apple, Kobo, and Google Play. Check them out at www.alliemccormack.com. You can also see the book covers on the photo board in the park’s Welcome Center.

So, for the finest in Romance RP, or just for an entertaining date with that special someone…go check out Anoron at the SURL below. Tell ‘em Josh sent ya!