Blogs - Second living

 

 

 I've seen Avatar, not once, but four times, and soon will be watching it for the fifth. I'll be in line to get that DVD when it comes out. If you're like me and many others, wanting to experience the forests of Pandora, to fly an Ikran, and to ride a direhorse, you can! Or if  you identified more with the military and the collection of Unubtanium, you can also do that.

After seeing Avatar each time, I'd return home to search Second Life for Pandora worlds, signs of the Na'vi wandering about. For weeks my searches produced zilch. Then one day, after returning home from seeing Avatar again, I pulled up SL's Search, clicked the Places tab, and typed in Pandora. A few worlds were listed, and with the blue faces I had become so familiar with. Not only that, vendors who sold Na'vi skins, weapons, and accessories were listed as well. I was excited, and clicked Teleport.

My heart pounded when I materialized beside the Tree of Souls, its long white tendrils glowing in the night, and seeds from the Sacred Tree drifting by. Below the tree sat several blue Na'vi. I needed no more encouragement. Pandora is set up for role playing and the DCS2 gaming HUD, vendors are well stocked with a variety of skins for men, women, and children, as well as human uniforms for military and scientists, and their much needed oxygen masks. The builders and SIM owners have done an amazing job recreating Pandora, making it realistic for serious Na'vi and human role players in Second Life.

If you are not into role playing, you can wear a Visitor or (Out of Character) OCC tag.  Go ahead and ask questions, but be respectful and courteous. But if you really want to immerse yourself in Pandora atmosphere and lifestyle, do come join the fun. I  want to give you a few tips and warnings before you jump in to role play:

Tips

• Your Character - Take your time to decide what type of character you want to be. This is not as simple as deciding between human or Na'vi. Among humans are Military (Jar Heads), Scientists, and Explorers. For Na'vi, there is the native, a Na'vi born on Pandora and the clan he/she belongs to, or a Dreamwalker, which is the Avatar made of human and Na'vi DNA combined. Decide your role and be prepared for whatever attitudes may come your way.
• Your Avatar - If you choose to get a Na'vi avatar, take your time. I bought the first one I thought looked good, but ended up getting others before finding the one that is just right. Look around. There is a variety of shades of blue, the bioluminescence markings come in different patterns.
• Accessories - You can get an exciting amount of accessories from many types of weapons, including bows and arrows, knives, blow guns, and guns of many types for military people. In addition, you can buy a special Na'vi braid that will allow tsahaylu (bond) with another person or animal that has the ability. There are also tribal Avatar Override (AO) HUDs you can wear that allow you to fight, crouch, crawl, etc. Lastly, be sure to pick up the free Na'vi language translator!
• Animals - In addition to the many stationary animals you'll see on the SIM that you also saw in the movie, you can buy riding animals such as the direhorse, the Ikran, otherwise known as banshee as shown above, and others.
• Living Space - Yes, you can rent a space in one of the Home Trees, or other places in the forest. It will cost you some weely Lindens, but it can add to the fun.

Warnings

• Lag - Because these worlds have so many objects (prims), and many of them, the weapons, the HUDs, AOs, etc. and run scripts, these places can have some terrible lag. Although it's tempting to wear all the coolest stuff, and carry a lot of weapons, wear only what you have to. Each avatar adds to lag, especially when that avi is loaded with stuff and scripts.
• Rules - Though there are only a few Pandora worlds right now and role-playing is just getting started, be sure to read the rules for each SIM you go to. And more importantly, follow the rules! It's not fun when others don't play fairly, and the rules are not there to get in your way. There are not many rules, but do follow them.
• Playing the part - When you play a certain role or character understand that any animosity aimed directly at you is likely part of the role playing. If you are a human on Pandora, you can expect some acid remarks from the Na'vi, some express distrust and anger. This is part of the fun! Don't don't it personally but play the role you have created for yourself. If you are Na'vi, you can expect the military to be hostile and possible shoot at you. This is their role. Playing the roles accurately is what makes it so fun. Don't flip into OOC and start telling off a Na'vi because he called you a skxwang (moron). They tend to react that way to military.
• Nudity - The Na'vi don't wear much, and a lot of people like that. But remember, this is not nudity for nudity sake. This is the Na'vi culture. So be tasteful, dress within tribal limitations, and don't come dressed in ridiculous lingerie. And no porn!

Role playing on Pandora worlds is fairly new. You'll find the clans are not quite organized yet, there aren't alot of mentor relationships going on as on the Star Wars,  Fairy, and Vampire SIMs and people are wandering and floudering a bit, not quite knowing what to do. If you are an experienced role player, jump in and lead by example. I have found by doing so that people catch on fairly quickly. And above all, be respectful, patient, and have fun! If you are new to role player or Pandora, don't hesitate to ask questions. If someone doesn't respond, just ask some one else. Most people are happy to enlighten you to role playing or Pandora ways.




Pandora Worlds

Pandora Dreamwalker Island
Pandora Na'vi Planet Avatar
HomeTree - Communal Living for Na'vi


Vendors
Vendors on Pandora You can get a lot of great stuff here
EMO-tions
Spi'ryt (You can get a free Na'vi avi here)