Sometimes you come across a place in Second Life, that is so striking, it just blows you away.
Such a place is Transylvania. Larger than life, dramatic and provocative, it's a place not just focused on the idea of the dark, but is quintessentially the dark itself.
Shadows seep through every street, and slide around every curve of stone. It is a place born of the vampiritic way of life, not fascinated by death, but a celebration of the vampiric way of being alive.
These people are serious folks, there's the feel of close knit family ties and of shared history. The things you encounter here are the virtual manifestations of secret and passionate beliefs.
Transylvania stresses that it is not a role playing sim; all are welcome here. When I arrived, there was a rapturous party going on in the streets, with various night creatures dancing playfully to the music of a favorite DJ.
I began my tour at the Musee Des Vampyrs, a Gothic palace that houses an extensive history of vampirism. Information on everything to do with vampires can be found here, from The Acid Bath Vampire, a serial killer in England in the late 1940s, to Vlad The Impaler, also known as Dracula.
Particularity fascinating was the information on the currant state of modern day vampirism, such as the psychological and physical effects of vampirism on the individual, or the definition of today's vampire and how to tell if you are one.
You can even read recent news stories about vampires caught in real life action.
Be prepared to spend some time here absorbing all the knowledge available, it is very interesting reading.
On the second floor, you'll find every vampire movie poster ever made! Colorful and magnetic, the posters cover the walls with familiar and not so familiar faces from film and legend. A nostalgic treat!
After my education, I left the building with a deeper understanding and respect for this mysterious species so locked into the darkness. I yearn for more, so I continue my tour through the town.
The shops and other establishments are plentiful, rich and opulent. Lots of good shopping here for unusual items, especially clothing.
Everywhere I wander however, seems poised on the verge of promise; I unconsciously hold my breath, certain that some..., thing, is about to happen.
(Below me a stunningly beautiful couple exchange words, gestures, than part, her dress sweeps around her ankles as she glides away.)
I look up to see a castle suspended over the town, it's anchored in solid rock and is the center of attention. Curious I fly over to take a peek into it's windows and see a scene so dynamic it is again, as though the room itself is waiting in anticipation for the next act to begin.
On the ledge beside me sits a gargoyle, silently watching the performance, all performances, unfold.
It's raining at the cemetery when I arrive. Most appropriate as this place has weight; a sentimental memorial left for a fallen real life friend strikes my heart like an arrow and I realize just how united this community really is.
Gravestones are intricate. The dead reside under them and they've marked them with their individual personalities. As I gaze at the stones I become lost in thought, perhaps, I think, what makes vampires so fascinating is not their raw power, or their undead status, but their strength in bearing the burden of ultimate unknowable despair.
In the end there is one word for this wondrous place;
Exquisite.
If you are not a poet, you will become one as you try to get your mind around Transylvania.
Visit to share your oddness with others. Even if you are not a vampire. You'll be accepted here. Arrive with your sadness and sit a while in the cemetery. Your sadness is understood here. Come with respect, for a way you may not know. Respect is everything here. Come to dance , your joy is shared here. Expect to find new and perhaps mysterious places inside your soul. And lastly, no matter your appearance, come as yourself, for the beings that know death, embrace life in all it's shades and variations of truth, here, there is no room for deceit.
Transylvania The Musee Des Vampyrs
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What is a Sanguinarian?
More info on myths, legends, and truths.
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