Inara Pey: Living in a Modem World

One of the most familiar symbols associated with springtime is the cherry blossom, or sakura. In Japan, it is seen as both a sign of the end of the bleaker times of winter and also – in China at least – a time of renewal and also a life’s ephemerality.

I mention this because I recently took the opportunity to visit Neverending – Sakura Tales, the latest setting designed by Jayden Mercury and Valarie (Zalindah), a multi-faceted setting occupying a Homestead region that stands as a celebration of the sakura.

Both Jayden and Valarie have a talent for designing settings that wrap a story within them – as can be seen with Adventures In Mad Wonderland, a location I wrote about at the beginning of 2021. Similarly, Valarie has been responsible for regions that both rich in narrative (see: Kintsugi: spiritual beauty and renewal in Second Life) and also with whimsy and nature (see: The charming whimsy of a Lightning Bolt in Second Life).

The story of the lost artist and poet Jay continued. He sat in front of his trailer at Mad Wonderland, thinking again of his life, grabbing his magical paper and pen, and started to draw again and a phoenix appeared. He knew he had to go and leave Mad Wonderland. He packed his stuff, his magical pen, and papers, went to say goodbye to his new friend, the Mad Hatter, who hugged him tight whispering: ´We will meet again in the future, my friend.’

– from the landing point at Neverending – Sakura Tales

Within Neverending – Sakura Tales, Valarie and Jayden once again present an engaging setting that both embraces the full symbolism of the cherry blossom – renewal and  the celebration of life – together with elements than offer reflections of both Kintsugi and Lightning Bolt whilst also presenting a continuing of the narrative found within Adventures of a Mad Wonderland – just follow the clues for the story unfold.

The artist nodded, sighed, and joined the little boat. Excited to find out where the phoenix would guide him through the sea of Neverending, he sat and started to draw on his papers. Some flowers and trees popped up in his mind and on the horizon, he could see Sakura Tales – the new adventure of his story began….

– from the landing point at Neverending – Sakura Tales

From the landing point, visitors are encouraged to seek out these clues whilst exploring land cut through by water, heavy with cherry blossom that shade grasslands awash with the colour of flowers. This is land with a distinctly Japanese in tone – not just because of the sakura, but in details large and small: from pagodas and Shinto shrines to lanterns, torii gates dragons and more.

The echoes of Kintsugi and Lightning Bolt can be found through a variety of touches- the mix of distinct highlands and lowlands, the use of water, and so on, whilst the cabin at the landing point carries a neat reference to Mad Wonderland. There are also numerous places across the region where visitors can sit and spend time, some of which are the stuff of dreams  – lying among the clouds.

Whether it is by accident or design – I have no idea which it might be, but I suspect the former – Neverending – Sakura Tales also put me in mind of an iteration of the region, back when it was held by Amelie Knelstrom.

Back then it was called Neverending – Pigeon Island, and whilst it did not have any overt Japanese elements, it offered a spring-like setting rich in colour and cut by water in much the same way as Sakura Tales (see: Of pigeons and a Meaningless wander for more on that design). Thus, I couldn’t help but see something of a spiritual connection between these two very different designs.

Restful, rich in detail and with plenty to discover, Neverending – Sakura Tales makes for a rewarding visit.

SLurl Details

• Neverending – Sakura Tales (Neverending, rated Moderate)

Hi Inara! I hope you’re well. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen the movie Summer of 42, but I’ve created a new region based on the story. I hope you can make it by one day.

– Justice Vought

So came the invitation from Justice Vought, owner of Oxygen (see: Getting some :oxygen: in Second Life) and also the engaging Once Upon A Time, celebrating Second Life’s most famous residents, the Greenies, and Chocolate Factory, a homage to both Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, starring Gene Wilder (1971), and 2005’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, starring Johnny Depp.  Given this heritage, I hopped over to take a look as soon as time allowed.

For those unfamiliar with the 1971 film, it is a coming of age story written by screenwriter Herman Raucher, recalling the time when, as a teenager, he spent a summer vacation on Nantucket Island in 1942 and falls for a newly-married woman, Dorothy, whose husband has gone to England to fight in the war.

The film is noted for its haunting soundtrack by Michel Legrand and bitter-sweet story. It started as a means for Raucher to honour his childhood friend, Oscar Seltzer (“Oscy” in the film), who had been killed whilst serving as a medic during the Korean War. However, circumstance turned the story into a tale of the first adult experience of Raucher’s life.

The story uses a number of Nantucket locations – the town, the beach, the house where Dorothy shares for a short time with her husband before he departs for the war – and where Raucher most frequently sees her and has his final encounter with her (they would not have any contact for some thirty years after the – for Raucher – life-changing summer).

These aspects of the film are all engagingly interpreted by Justice within :Oxgyen: Summer of ’42, a homestead region directly adjoining :Oxygen: (you can cross between them via a wooden bridge, with the north side of :Oxygen: forming a backdrop to the landing point). Here, on the waterfront, stand the figures of two young boys – perhaps Hermie and Oscy from the film, possibly awaiting the arrival of their mutual friend Benjie.

From here, it is a short walk around to main street, with its post office, garage and movie theatre – which is showing Summer of ’42 alongside a film from the period of the film’s setting: Casablanca, and several other movies besides; some of which were actually made after 1942, such as It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), whilst others serve as neat little Easter eggs for Juctice’s work.

The street looks out over a wind-blown landscape with a smattering of trees, their backs bent against the wind that clearly passes over the setting. It’s a largely barren but photogenic view, dominated by a low hill on which a single wooden house stands, representing the house in which Dorothy lived and in and around which Hermie has his encounters with her. The house in turn looks down over a sweep of beach – perhaps the beach on which Oscy, Benjie and Hermie first saw Dorothy and her husband before the latter’s departure. The beach is again a photogenic setting.

However, it is inside the house that treasure is to be found, containing as it does touches that most directly draw on the the film’s poignant final scenes between Hermie and Dorothy.

These occur shortly after Dorothy has learned her husband has been killed in action and is dealing with her grief as Hermie arrives. These scenes are represented through the perfect use of props within the house – the record player, the table with ashtray and curling smoke, the mantelshelf photograph of a young US Army Air Corps pilot and another of his wife, sharing the space with a box brownie camera that may have been used to take one of them.

Most of all, there is the envelope, doubtless containing the telegram informing Dorothy of her husband’s death, complete with his service dog tags. Here, as can be found elsewhere on the island, are pointers to the film – a poster on the wall, and the soundtrack lying among a pile of records. A further nice touch is the book on the table with the letter, offering a reminder that as well as producing the film’s screenplay, Raucher also turned the story into a novel.

There are a few anachronisms to be found in the region – vehicles manufactured after 1942,  references to films films of the 70s, etc. However, these do not ruin the atmosphere of the setting; some of them can be put down to the availability of period props, whilst others – as noted – offer nice little Easters eggs for the things that have influenced Justice in his region builds, and the builds themselves.

And of course, the bridge to :Oxygen: means that the keen explorer can extend their visit by touring there as well. However, I’ll save that for another time.

SLurl Details

• :Oxygen: Summer of ’42 (Element, rated Adult)