Fluidic Transmissions: Homelings at the Rocks of Sodium
By SealWyf, HSM team writer
Recent visitors to the Sodium spaces of Home have seen a strange sight: dozens of white-clad, smooth-headed beings dancing on distant rocks.
Home veterans will recognize the invaders as Homelings, members of a venerable Collective. What they might not know is that the occupation of certain rocks in Sodium is a Homeling tradition.
It seems strange to talk about “tradition” in a world as new as PlayStation Home. Counting closed beta, Home has existed for less than three years. The original Sodium space opened in mid-December, 2009, and the Sodium Trainer annex space was created four months later. Can spaces less than a year old spawn traditions?
In the case of Sodium, they can. The Homelings immediately recognized the potential of the Sodium desert for spectacle and solitude. One rock in particular was christened “Homeling Rock”, or simply “The Rock”. Major events in Collective history, not all of them pleasant, have taken place on its rendered surface.
It may seem eccentric of the Collective to have adopted a particular group of pixels as a ceremonial location. But such behavior is deeply human. From earliest times, tribes and nations have returned to particular sites for bonding experiences. It is only natural that such deep impulses should manifest in Home, especially in a group as wedded to ceremony and tradition as the Homeling Collective.
To find Homeling Rock, cross the scorpion stomping grounds next to Scorpio’s Bar and head toward the sunset. One of the distant windmills paints a shadow-path for you to follow. At the base of the windmill is a steep-sided boulder. This is your destination. Be careful — if you pass the windmill, you may well end up teleported back to civilization!
Climb the rock by zig-zag glitching up its surface. Once at the top, admire the view. This is really one of the prettiest places in Sodium.
For several months, the Rock had been neglected. Political crises in the Collective (some of which had occured on the Rock) led to a scaling-back of activities. Homeling Rock was still visited by small groups of white-clad wanderers. On one such trip, I learned about the Rock’s place in our traditions. I was looking for field trips for my fledgling MotherShip, and Homeling Rock seemed like a logical choice. So, one evening in early November, I sent notes to all my Newlings: “Meet me at Sodium. We are walking to the Rock.”
My hopes for a glorious procession were soon dashed: only one of my crew showed up. But one was more than nothing; together, we set out across the desert. We reached the rock, and I showed him how to glitch up the side.
By this time, a few more Newlings had answered my message. Soon, we had a small but respectable group of dancers. But then the Blue Voice of God announced new arrivals in Sodium: Homelings who were not in my MotherShip. We were seeing one of the great principles of the Collective in action: Homelings accumulate. A group of Homelings in a public space attracts others. Soon Homeling Rock was filled to capacity. And they just kept coming.
At this point, I suggested relocating to the Sodium Trainer annex space, home of another famous rock. Commonly called Radiation Rock, this massive formation hides the entrance to the Fabricator Facility (the “Big Green Lid”), and some other scenic attractions.
Our still-swelling group teleported to the Annex, climbed the Rock and danced on the Lid; some had fun with Intangible Rock, a nearby stone which is visible, but not solid. Others sat and talked, or stood dramatically on the summit.
“We should do this more often,” they said. “This is like the old days.”
The idea took hold. The following Saturday, a massive Echochrome-clad group assembled in Sodium Hub. Homelings of all ranks converged: Newlings and Representatives, Subcommanders and Commanders, Sentinels, Generals and Elders, some unseen since the times of troubles. Together, we walked slowly and dramatically across the desert to the Rock. Despite the lag caused by such a huge gathering, we climbed it. Shoulder to shoulder, we stood on the summit and reclaimed our heritage. We stood at attention. And we danced.*
The tradition continues. Just last Sunday, another group of Homelings climbed the Rock. We stood at attention as General Nosdrugis promoted our active Newlings to full Homeling status as Representatives. The Rock has regained its place in our history — a history we hold in deep respect, even if its real-world span is measured in months, or a tiny number of years.
* The Walk to the Rock was documented in this video by Homeling General Superman1284.
December 19th, 2010 by SealWyf | 7 comments
SealWyf is a museum database programmer by day, and an officer in the Homeling Collective by night. She has been active in online communities since before the Internet, and in console gaming since the PS1. In games, she prefers the beautiful and quirky, and anything with a strong storyline. She is utterly addicted to PlayStation Home.
Sorry — the link to the video seems to have been corrupted. Here’s the video of the Walk to the Rock, on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xysX5_pOCos
GLORY!! What a wonderful article! I was beaming with pride
Grand read, Seal. *bows* True glory
While some may think “oh, big deal… lots of people go out to that place”, Homelings go there with purpose. Indeed it may look as though we’re just hanging out, but our motives and purpose are like no others’ on Home. Everything Homelings do (en mass) has meaning, albeit somewhat obscure and sometimes even frightening to onlookers.
What is written about us here, and indeed anywhere on the interwebs, is merely surface scratchings on something that can only really be understood by the experience of being Homeling.
Thanks Commander SealWyf!
Great job Sealwyf! News of this article has traveled fast. Sodium just shared it on their page on Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/#!/SodiumUniverse
Oopsies! Broken linky, Cynella. Fixy:
http://www.facebook.com/SodiumUniverse
A glorious article Seal! “Just like the old days” indeed!
I love that rock… had no idea it was used for Homeling gatherings though. I’ll have to stay sharp and keep an eye out for the gathereings. ^_^