but lately I'm beginning to find that when I drive myself, my light is found

This still hits my eyes as 'too complicated, cannot process', but...if you push past that initial reaction, there is some good here. I don't agree with everything on the wheel--for example, I truly believe that while jealousy can lead to anger, it's based in fear--it can help us get a general idea of base categories.

[INSERT FROM THE EDITRIX: Bolded due to importance: all the separate links I was given that link to various locales on the island? Everything traces back to Silhouettes. Sorry about that! And I did pitch this as just a tour, but considering...yeah, this is under the roleplay tag now.]

And this is a little odd. I could have sworn I covered the Isle on the blog before, but I went clear back to May and saw nothing. Rather than continue searching, then, I'm just going to assume I haven't, and cover it now.



So let me talk a little about the Isle Du Noir. The SLUrl above will drop visitors off outside of Silhouettes, which is a fairly good entry point to the sim, I think. The image above is of the very extensive bar inside the Art-Deco-styled club, and the bartender they've recently hired to keep track of incoming visitors. (Read, animesh bartender, but he rezzes in surprisingly fast, and does add that sense of occupation to the bar.)

Behind where visitors would rez in are found two things, one of which is a set of two marquees that advertise who's playing or DJing upcoming events, and which club they're doing it at (there's more than one). For the other...



If one is facing Silhouettes, and looks right, there's a tall, shadowed tunnel through the mountain. Go into that, and visitors will be taken to the docks (experience keys are a wonderful thing). This is where the majority of the island's economy is based--not only in incoming tourism, but in shipping of goods (legal and clandestine), importing of goods (see above), and various forms of skullduggery and maritime hijinks.



Just past the docks, there's something of a 'hidden' beach. I don't think it's intended to be fully concealed, just a little more private. There are cuddle spots, the terrain to get there is walkable, and I hear they're planning on installing a 7Seas fishing system soon.

The main conceit to remember with the Isle is that it's a nexus point. By that, I mean, in placement, it's essentially Bermuda from an alternate universe, set slightly closer within the Bermuda Triangle, and the time period is intended as general dieselpunk (which, in decor, seems to vary from 1920s to 1940s). But the big thing for me is their concept of portals--due to a magical glitch, a curse, or just natural oddity, these points are known to open up across the island, and allow visitors not only from other times, but other worlds, including species unknown to the alternate history the bulk of the island is set within.

Yes, friends--that means furs are allowed, along with other more magical races. Which, considering just how many "Humans Only" signs I'm seeing on the grid, is a very good thing indeed.



Atop the hill is the very posh Hotel. No, it doesn't have a name yet; they're actually holding a contest currently to find a proper one. But that is Ms. Helena Wells' limo out front, because she maintains rooms there.

The hotel is still a work in progress--the Isle is fairly 'new', in terms of sims, to be fair--but I'm told the intent will be two-fold--first, that each room in the hotel will be named after some well known celebrity (most from the 1940s, but I think a few from the 1930s, and possibly one from the 1950s); and second, that these rooms can be rented out to interested parties (though unknown if they mean for a span of nights, or semi-permanent), to help offset the cost of running the sim.

But it is fully decked out in style--I had to grit my teeth and cull the pictures down, but I may post some of the ones I have later of the interior, because it's all gilt glitter and white marble. The dining room is quite posh, and does have food (and diners will be offered a selection of gold tableware to use), as well as a selection of drinks. Plus coffee. Must have coffee.



Some things to remain aware of: while most of the Isle is (physically) in the sky, it's still a Moderate-rated sim. Though I'm not going to say where, precisely, visitors can find Adult furnishings, I would say discretion and mature behavior otherwise will ensure they stay there. But this is part of the basic layout--the 'main' section of the town below, with the hotel and the movie studio on a sort of 'loft' platform above. (And this doesn't take into account the floating Chinatown, which I will get to, because I'm fascinated by the concept.)



Speaking of the movie studio...I've heard it had some problems early on, and needed to be brought under new management. Due to that, while it is intended to be at least a period-accurate studio, it's a little sparse inside right now. This will be amended in time, especially if there's more interest in films made on the island.



I won't lie, this was the first place on the tour I walked in and immediately thought, I could live here. I have been in so many of these shops over the years, with a variegated plenitude of decorations. And just like Helel's Apotheca, I walked in and immediately could scent it in my mind: wax and green herbs, incense and amber, aging parchment, grave dust. The taste of spirits on the air, and that so, so subtle trace of arcane powers that are not yet mine, but could be, oh, could indeed be, if only I pay the right price.

Next door is Ichabod's Funeral Parlor, which is elegantly appointed, even though small, but the main distinctive feature for me was the eye in the pyramid logo on the door. How...fascinating.



And finally, the Flamingo Diner. Which is so bright and chipper and middle America it's nearly painful, but for some reason, it fits in, too. They serve milkshakes and cherry pie, mainly, but feel free to check them out.

That's all I'm covering for now--I have yet to make it to the airport, for example, or to the floating Chi-Nair, and I didn't even show off the radio station, the second music club, Foxy's, or bits of the terrain I found very well done (considering most of the 'island' itself is in a large square box inside a larger dome, the blending they've done with mesh landscaping is kind of phenomenal). But it is, at the least, an intro to the concept.

Essentially, if you like dieselpunk, like steampunk, like vintage anything, like piracy, smuggling, and underhanded dealings, or have any kind of character you'd like to try out on the streets of the Isle (because, remember those nexus points? ANYONE could potentially come through, from any time period, any race, any group, with the possible exception of child avatars)--I think you can. And it might be worth a go, just to see.

If nothing else, the dances at Silhouettes are fun.