Château Des Sylves, November 2026 – click any image for full size
I love stately and country homes; I’ve been fortunate enough to visit estates and places of antiquity across the British Isles and lean about them and their history. It’s a passion I’ve carried with me into Second Life, visiting and often writing about some of the grand estates (most of which have now passed into history) which have been presented here.
I was therefore intrigued to find Château Des Sylves in the Recently Added section of the Destination Guide early in November 2026. The description immediately had me intrigued, so I had to log-in and take a look. And probably the easiest way to summarise the build is – “Wow!”
Château Des Sylves, November 2026
The work of Brooklyn Michalski with the assistance of Tronalu, the house and its surrounds draws on the Black Périgord (aka Sarladais) region in the south-east portion of the Dordogne department of France for its inspiration.
This is a region noted for its rugged landscape, the dark, rich green of its evergreen trees and dark soil (from both of which it takes its names), and is home to numerous châteaux and castles, some of which – like Château de Beynac – are impressive sited on the edge of tall escarpments, commanding stunning views.
Château Des Sylves, November 2026
So far as I can make out, Château Des Sylves is not based specifically on one particular such house with Périgord Noir. However, sitting as it does within a Full private region dressed by tall rocky outcrops at they form a surrounding curtain with a region surround of tall peaks crowned by deciduous and evergreen trees beyond, it’s not hard to imagine coming cross the house whilst touring the Périgord Noir region. And to be honest, put the rugged cliffs and hills to one side, and the château would not be out-of-place among the country estates to be found here in England.
The house itself sits upon a raised terrace well to the southern side of the region, allowing it to be fronted by large formal lawns to either side of a magnificent water feature and, flanking these lawns, formal gardens to one side and the former stables and outbuildings to the other. Such is the design, with a tunnel entrance facing the house on the far side of the lawns and pool; it’s not hard to imagine visitors in times past emerging from the tunnel within their horse-drawn carriages and being utterly stunned by the house and its frontage.
Château Des Sylves, November 2026
There has clearly been some modernisation carried out to the estate since those times, however: the surface of the square drive is flagged with stone rather than being gravel, as might have once been the case, as is the spur leading up to the stables. While it looks just a little out of place, the reason for its presence is made clear within the stables – now converted to house an array of cars (and a small games room for those interested!) – the flagstones being more suitable to handling modern cars as they roll around the driveway and up to the carriage entrance on one wing of the house.
The gardens are perfectly laid out as they retain their gravel paths. Sitting in perfect symmetry in the style of the garden à la française, they include manicured hedgerows and ornate floral designs. Both the gardens and the the more open lawns offer places to sit throughout and admire the view, whilst the garden also offers access to another modern aspect of the estate: a terrace to one side of the house given over to a large swimming pool and lido.
Château Des Sylves, November 2026
But it is the house which sits figuratively and literally as the centrepiece of the estate, and it is genuinely magnificent in terms of its appearance, its interiors and its overall design, much of which is totally unique to Second Life, as is explained on the information boards Brooklyn has placed around the grounds – notably close to the Landing Point. This reads in part:
The château was designed and conceived in prim first in Second Life in Feb 2025 and drew huge inspiration from my favourite house for purchase at that time from Never Totally Dead… It is [now] a custom mesh home that I made in Blender and substance Painter. The house and a very small part of its furniture were made to be 1:1 here.
Troy [(Tronalu] helped design the château and made the foyer staircase, ballroom and the various railing in the house and worked with me the whole time – I love him and you should check out his store!
Château Des Sylves, November 2026
The result is a beautiful period home in styling and overall furnishing, one which has – like all such houses – seen small touches of modernisation here and there (such as the elevator!) – and appears to still be having items installed.
This is a place to be wandered through slowly in order to be appreciated Not all are furnished to be sure, but those that are have been done so perfectly. I can think of no higher praise that to say that both the main lounge downstairs and the bedroom with its adjoining drawing room immediately carried me back to the many times I’ve been fortunate enough to spend Christmas or the New Year in the elegance of country house (now a hotel) here in England.
Château Des Sylves, November 2026
That said I’ve never seen a house with such magnificent galleried rooms as can be found here – the library is simply jaw-dropping!
Not everything here has been created by Brooklyn and Troy, obviously – but everything has clearly been selected and purchased with an eye for bringing a depth of life and detail to the château such that it exudes a sense of familial history and a sense of place. This is very much helped by some of the pictures to have found around the house, and by touched such as an “architects model” of the house on display in one of the ground floor cabinets.
Château Des Sylves, November 2026
With places like Angel Manor having closed in Second Life, Château Des Sylves offers a refreshing and captivating opportunity to recapture a sense of the romance and gentility in a grand house (albeit it more modestly scaled than Angel Manor!).
Utterly photogenic, particularly when seen within the region’s Shared Environment, and completed with an ideal soundscape of bird song, this is not a place to be missed.
Château Des Sylves, November 2026
Kudos and congratulations to both Brooklyn and Troy on their work.
Logos representative only and should not be seen as an endorsement / preference / recommendation
Updates for the week through to Sunday, November 8, 2026
A summary, generally published every Monday, of SL viewer / client releases (official and TPV as listed in the Third-Party Viewer Directory) made during the previous week. When reading it, please note:
It is based on my Current Viewer Releases Page, a list of all Second Life viewers and clients that are in popular use (and of which I am aware), and which are recognised as adhering to the TPV Policy.
This page includes comprehensive links to download pages, blog notes, release notes, etc., as well as links to any / all reviews of specific viewers / clients made within this blog.
By its nature, this summary presented here will always be in arrears, please refer to the Current Viewer Release Page for more up-to-date information.
Outside of the Official viewer, and as a rule, alpha / beta / nightly or release candidate viewer builds are not included; although on occasions, exceptions might be made.
Mayonaka City, November 2026 – click any image for full size
Megan Prumier has been busy of late, helping to design city-based environments – notably The District, on which she worked with region holders Roman Godde and Lana Fierce (a place I visited and photographed just after it opened – and then forgot to write about. Doh!), and also with Serana Lacuna (Serana Aridian) in the creation of Mayonaka City, the subject of this piece.
While there are some similarities between the two in terms of the chosen region surround, The District and Mayonaka City are very different places. The District is clearly influenced by US city designs – notably New York – whilst Mayonaka, as the name might suggest, is very Japanese-centric.
Mayonaka City, November 2026
The idea for Mayonaka City lies with Serana, as she notes:
An idea that I had back in March, and one I worked with the incredible Megan Prumier to bring to life. This city is my happy place here on Second Life, a place that I hope others can come to and enjoy, and will make them happy too.
[It has] A lovely neon district, a bowling alley and Arcade filled with functional games, a Fightality boxing gym, hot tubs scattered around, and even more fun stuff to come. Explore, hang out, enjoy the sights…Mayonaka City is a place for everyone.
Mayonaka City, November 2026
The Landing Point for the city sits within this neon district, just across the road from the bowling alley Serana mentions above. From here it is possible to explore the streets and alleys, and to dip in and out of some of the buildings (those which have interiors – some might still be awaiting practical use).
The alleys have more going on along them in terms of detail, potentially making them attractive for avatar photographs – although some might want to be wary of the naughty shop (well every city has a little tint of adult pursuits!).
Mayonaka City, November 2026
One thing to look out for when exploring the alleys is the entrance to one of the music venues. This uses the MINIMAL Cabaret skybox, here presented as a basement club, one which has perhaps seen better days but remains atmospheric with its wall lighting and stage awaiting music.
This basement club is actually one of a total of seven music venues to be found throughout the setting, and trying to locate them all can be part of the fun of exploring. Just remember that like this basement club, not all of them might be above ground.
Mayonaka City, November 2026
My favourite part of the setting, however, is the park / gardens. These sit to the north side of the region and also extend a finger down the east side of the city. Built largely using Alex Bader’s Zen Garden set, the parks and garden present a wonderful flow of green and open spaces, all of which carry with them a sense of age and of representing a time before the noise and towering faces of the surrounding buildings arrived to stare down on them. Indeed, surrounded as they are by the glistening forms of a modern city, they exude a quiet calm in the face of the hectic, loud pace of city life.
The park is also home to two of the larger, more “permanent” music venues in the city, one of which is easily my favourite spot in Mayonaka, and it really should take a play on words and call itself The Coy, given its major feature 🙂 .
Mayonaka City, November 2026
Throughout the parklands are marvellous touches of detail which help bring them to life: places to sit and enjoy a meal; places of literal and metaphorical reflection, places to sit or play or exercise with yoga, and more.
I particularly liked the stone Shaolin Buddies (yes, buddies) going about their exercises, but couldn’t help but feel the Taiko Drums should be playable as a form exercise as well. But then, I’m odd that way.
Mayonaka City, November 2026
Another spot I like is the 9 Lives Café, located along one of the alley not far from the parklands. The name should give away its theme, and it is a purrfect place to rest up. It forms one of multiple indoor and outdoor eateries and restaurant peppering the city, and I did spend a little time at a row of four little places sharing a common seating area, neatly tucked away as a quiet and unassuming corner in which to pass the time.
However, I did have one small niggle; whilst the park is very attractive, I did find the neon district a little soulless. While appreciating they are not everyone’s cup of tea, I couldn’t help but feel it might feel more “lived in” were there a few static characters scattered around.
Mayonaka City, November 2026
But this should not put people off visiting, there is, and noted, a lot to see and discover within Mayonaka City; in fact, I couldn’t help but smile on seeing a structure I recognised as once being used as a part of the DixMix Art Gallery Megan put together a good few years ago now. While it might not be recognised as such by many, it did further give me a sense of Mayonaka City as a place in reminding me of the many art exhibitions I visited when the building’s design served as that galley.
A artist’s impression of the first Chinese crewed mission to the surface of the Moon, taking some liberties with the appearance of the Lanyue lunar lander and the position of the Earth relative to the horizon. Credit: Getty Images
Amidst some unconfirmed reports relating to upcoming robotic missions, in October 2026 China provided updates on plans for its crewed lunar missions due to start around 2029/2030.
Staring with the speculation: in August 2026 – and with the mission actually on the launch pad – China abruptly postponed the Chang’e 7 mission – one of the two final robotic missions in the Chang’e lunar series which started in 2007, and which between them are intended to be direct precursors of the first crewed landing attempt. Initially, it had been assumed the launch had been delayed due to the proximity of a tropical storm to the launch site. However, the Chinese Manned Space Agency later released the following statement:
Chang’e-7 lunar probe does not meet launch conditions, and its launch therefore cannot take place during the planned window this year. The assessment was conducted following the principle of prudence, reliability and absolute mission success.
This had been taken to mean that – given the pretty much 100% track record of success for the Chang’e programme, China was unwilling to launch a vehicle which might put a dent in that record and set the entire China Lunar Exploration Programme (CLEP) back somewhat, but that the mission would still go ahead some time in 2027. Since that statement was made, CMSA has hinted that the mission is now “indefinitely delayed” and neither CMSA nor the China National Space Agency, which has been responsible for mission will offer any indication as to when it might launch.
More recently, and while still-to-be-100% confirmed, it is being suggested that final mission, in the robotic series, Chang’e 8, is now at least “delayed”. This speculation first arose as a result of a slide circulating on social media, which appears to be from a recent Chinese symposium on the country’s lunar programme.
A copy of a slide said to be from the October 2026 CLEP symposium in China showing the Chang’e 8 mission as delayed. Via CNSpace
It’s not clear if the translated slide is true to its original, but it has led to additional claims that CMSA now intends for elements of the Chang’e 8 mission – such as the in-situ resource utilisation experiments to be carried out by future crewed missions. The claims here are that by cancelling Chang’e 8, CMSA is looking to avoid potential bottlenecks for the upcoming crewed missions – which have until now been dependent upon both Chang’e 7 and Chang’e 8 successfully completing – which may arise from continued delays to either of both of the robotic missions.
Whether such speculation is accurate or not remains to be seen. However, at the CLIP symposium where the delay to Chang’e 8 may have been indicated, CMSA did provide a update to plans for China’s first crewed landing on the Moon – and the agency does seem to be accelerating the timeline slightly, indicating things are to proceed as follows:
2027: maiden flight of Long March 10A (CZ-10A) rocket, carrying a cargo-carrying Mengzhou vehicle to the Tiangong space station, allowing the spacecraft’s core systems and on-orbit capabilities to be assessed / validated in a single, uncrewed mission. Mengzhou is the new multi-purpose, reusable space capsule intended to ferry crews to / from the Tiangong space station and carry crews to / from lunar orbit.
2028: launch of a Long March 10 (CZ-10) heavy lift launch vehicle (HLLV – up to 70 tonnes to LEO and 27 tonnes to lunar orbit) with an uncrewed Lanyue lunar lander to the Moon. The latter will perform a lunar descent / ascent test, assessing and validating the vehicle’s propulsion and guidance systems.
Early 2029: dual CZ-10 launches carrying an uncrewed Mengzhou and a Lanyue lander for a full-scale lunar-orbit rehearsal, demonstrating automated rendezvous, docking, and integrated operations.
“Before 2030”: a further dual CZ-10 mission to send a crewed Mengzhou vehicle and a Lanyue lander to lunar orbit, with members of the crew performing the first Chinese crewed landing on the Moon.
Confirmed as being shown at the recent CLEP symposium in China, this (translated) slide sets out the steps leading to China’s first crewed landing on the Moon. Credit: CMSA
The interesting factor here is the “before 2030” – suggesting that China is eyeing-up mid-to-late 2029 for their first lunar landing with a crew. Some have suggested this is to try to “beat” the US-led Artemis programme to the first lunar landing of the 20th Century. However, October 1, 2029 marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
Thus, an alternative suggestion for the use of “before 2030” might be that those responsible for the crewed mission are eyeing the possibility of doing so in time to mark the October 1, 2029 celebrations – but they don’t want to risk being held to account should they fail to do so. After all, it is relatively easy to slip “the end of” between “before” and “2030” without it appearing to be a formal declaration that a specific landing date (e.g. “in 2029”) is going to be missed – something which might be abruptly career-ending (at the least?) for those in charge were it to be the case.
Blue Origin: New Glenn – Slippage and Enhancements
In May 2026, Blue Origin lost No, It’s Necessary, A New Glenn Booster and upper stage to a massive explosion during a launch pad static fire engine test ahead of what would have been the rocket’s. The event – which I covered – saw the complete destruction of the vehicle together with the near-complete destruction of the launch pad facilities, as well as extensive damage to nearby infrastructure.
The moment of total destruction: the complete New Glenn rocket “stack” is destroyed as 1,200 tonnes of propellant in the first stage tanks explode on May 28, 2026, sending a mushroom fire cloud int the sky over the Florida Space Coast. Via: AP News
Following that event, Dave Limp, Blue Origin’s CEO came out with an aggressive statement that the pad and facilities would be completely rebuilt and New Glenn would again be flying by the end of 2026. A statement many (including myself) as being far too ambitious; it was 18 months before SpaceX were able to resume launches from one of their pads following a similar explosion of a much smaller Falcon 9 rocket (with payload) in 2016. However, Blue Origin did look like they were going to prove the doubters wrong: the issue causing the explosion was found, the pad clearance work was completed pretty quickly, and reconstruction proceeded rapidly, right alongside the construction of a completely new launch facility as well.
Unfortunately, one or two issues – notably miserable weather during part of summer – served to delay things. As a result, on November 5, 2026 the company announced New Glenn will not resume flights until January 2027. This launch will also see the first-time use of a “hybrid horizontal-vertical integration” process (aka “crane”).
Initially launches for New Glenn saw the use of a massive 1,800 transporter-erector which carried the rocket from the integration facility horizontally on its back before raising it to the vertical position on the pad, the vehicle then effectively becoming the rocket’s launch tower. As this vehicle was a one-of-a-kind and totally destroyed in the May 2026, Blue Origin will continue to integrate their boosters horizontally and deliver them to the launch pad this way. However, on arrival a crane will hoist them to a vertical position where they will be supported by a dedicated launch tower (a conversion of one of the pad’s existing lightning towers, which largely survived the explosion), which can also be used for payload integration.
Despite the fact the next launch of New Glenn has slipped, this is still a remarkable turn-around for the company, the fortunes of which reside largely on New Glenn’s success. The return to flight for the rocket will see the first deployment of a fully operational Blue Ring vehicle. This is a highly-flexible hybrid solar electric and chemical propelled platform intended to perform a wide variety of roles: helping to deliver payloads to their assigned orbits; relocating and refuelling satellites, operating as a satellite itself, if required, and even forming the propulsion and power system for interplanetary satellite missions.
In this rendering, the new LC-36B launch facility (currently also under construction at Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida) can be seen in the foreground, with the rebuilt LC-36 in the background, complete with the surviving lightning tower repurposed and modified to serve as the launch support tower. Credit: Blue Origin
To compensate for the news of the New Glenn launch delay, Blue Origin announced two major enhancements to the New Glenn family: GS3 and Northstar.
GS3 (Glenn Stage 3) is a new third (uppermost) stage for both the current New Glenn 7×2 (meaning it has a first stage using four engines and a second using 2) and the upcoming 9×4 (with 9 first stage and 4 second stage engines), allowing both to increase their geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) and lunar mission payload capabilities. In the latter case, GS3 – which will use a single Blue Origin BE-7 motor, originally developed for the Blue Moon lunar landers – will increase New Glenn’s direct-to-the-Moon payload capacity from 7 tonnes to 10 tonnes for 7×2, and from 14 tonnes to 20 tonnes for 9×4.
It’s not clear what (if any) nomenclature will be used to differentiate a 3-stage 7×2 or 9×4 from the 3-stage variants; I just hope the latter aren’t just referenced as 7x2x1 and 9x4x1, because – boring!
Blue Origin’s “next generation” Northstar rocket motor, set to power New Glenn’s core stage in the future. Credit: Blue Origin
Northstar, meanwhile, is a new high-performance liquid oxygen/liquefied natural gas (LOX/LNG) rocket motor. It is intended to be for commercial use as well as powering New Glenn’s first stage, further increasing the payload capacity of both variants of the rocket. Compared to the current BE-4 engine, Northstar is more compact and uses fewer overall parts whilst increasing thrust by some 30%, from 290 tonnes to 324 tonnes (or 54 tonnes of thrust greater than the current SpaceX Raptor 3).
No date has been given for NorthStar’s introduction into service, but its development has been meteoric: 11 months from development approval to full-scale development testing.
And finally on the Blue Origin front: with SpaceX having recently applied to the FAA for a license to make up to 100 Starship launches a year (ramping to a ludicrous 456!), Blue Origin has applied to increase New Glenn’s licensing to 50 launches a year.
Both the SpaceX 100-a-year and New Glenn’s 50-a-year could be seen as preparations for supporting the upcoming Artemis 4 and 5 missions (SpaceX will require up to 22 “refuelling” flights to get their Starship lunar lander to the Moon, and Blue Origin will need an unspecified number of similar flights in order to get their Blue Moon MK2 lander – partnered with a yet-to-fly “Transporter” vehicle – to lunar orbit), as well as meeting existing commitments (commercial and military payloads in the case of Blue Origin, Starlink launches in the case of SpaceX Starship, which is currently incapable of launching other payloads). Exactly how or why SpaceX is going to hit a cadence of 426 launches outside of their CEO’s fever-dream of hundreds of thousands of “Starmind” AI satellites orbiting Earth, is anyone’s guess.
NASA: Voyager 1 up; Swift down; iROSA done; Names to Titan!
NASA’s Voyager 1 did something quite unexpected in October, which has engineers on Earth scratching their heads.
Diagram showing a Voyager spacecraft and its major elements, including high-gain antenna, essential for communications with Earth. Credit: NASA/JPL
As I’ve previously noted in these pages, both of the Voyager mission spacecraft are well into interstellar space and, as they approach the 50th anniversary of their launches in 2027, slowing running out of electrical power as their nuclear generators run out of the ability to produce enough heat. Because of this, not only have various science instruments been turned off on both craft, they have also been limited to communicating with Earth once a day, by replying to a signal set from Earth the previous day (as it now takes a day for radio communications to reach the craft, and a day for a reply to be received).
On October 18 and 19, 2026, Voyager 1 stopped sending its response signal. However, before engineers on Earth could send a signal asking the probe to wake up, it resumed normal communications on October 20. A request was sent asking the probe to transmit its logs back to Earth for analysis, and these suggested Voyager 1 went into s “safe” mode during a switch-over between two sets of orientation thrusters after one set went off-line.
Such switches to “safe” modes are intentional and designed to prevent a spacecraft losing power or damaging instruments if something unexpected happens. What is not usual – and has engineers scratching their heads – is that normally, for a spacecraft to exit a safe mode, it requires instructions from Earth; however, Voyager 1 appears to have taken the step all by itself, without intervention from mission control. Which has left mission engineers with a bit of a mystery on their hands.
This is the first time we’ve seen the spacecraft do something like this, but we are also at a point in the mission where we have to expect the unexpected. We’re relieved to be back in contact with Voyager 1 and are eager to understand what happened.
Meanwhile, NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory finally re-entered the atmosphere here on November 4, 2026 and burned-up.
As I’ve noted in recent Space Sunday pieces, the 1.4 tonne observatory was the focus of a rescue attempt in which a small, low-cost vehicle was launched with the intention of “grabbing” it and gently pushing it back up to a more stable orbit, removing the risk of it re-entering the atmosphere for several more years and allowing it to continue its mission.
It wasn’t to be: a set of an artist’s renderings of what the attempted “rescue” of the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory by the LINK spacecraft might have looked like, allowing the observatory’s operating altitude to be increased. Sadly, LINK failed, and on November 4, 2026, Swift re-entered the atmosphere and burned up. Credit: Katalyst Space
Unfortunately, that rescue craft itself had problems, and while it was able to rendezvous with the observatory, it was unable to perform the required rescue. As a result, the observatory re-entered Earth’s atmosphere at 12:39 UTC on November 4 over northern Sumatra, appearing as a blazing meteorite as it burned up, with any surviving debris falling into the Pacific Ocean.
On November 5, NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Canadian Joshua Kutryk completed the installation of the last of the roll-out solar arrays (called iROSA, the “i” to distinguish them from similar roll-out arrays used with some spacecraft) designed to boost the available electrical power aboard the International Space Station.
Rendering showing the complete set of iROSA units deployed alongside the original (and still operating) solar arrays on the ISS. Credit: NASA
The process to install the new, smaller and more efficient arrays alongside the station’s existing massive arrays commenced in 2021, and now sees the station’s power capability increased by some 40% whilst being half the size of the original – and degraded – arrays and 20% lighter. Although coming in what might appear to be the twilight years of ISS operations – the station is due to be decommissioned and de-orbited in 2030 – the completion of the iROSA installation work means ISS has the power it needs to complete its operations.
Due to be launched in 2028, Dragonfly is the name given to NASA’s Titan probe quadcopter, a unique aerial vehicle intended to explore Saturn’s largest moon, Titan to characterise its prebiotic chemistry and extra-terrestrial habitability. Due to arrive on Titan in 2034, the nuclear-power aerial vehicle is intended to be the first make the first powered and fully controlled atmospheric flight on any natural satellite.
An artist’s impression of the Dragonfly vehicle operating over Saturn’s Moon Titan. Credit: JHU/APL
It is hoped the vehicle will make between 20 and 30 flights over Titan during a 3 terrestrial year mission, covering around 8 kilometres per flight. Whilst airborne, the vehicle will be capable of sampling Titan’s dense atmosphere and studying its meteorology. Whilst on the ground between flights, it will gather samples from the surface and below it, with all samples – atmosphere and ground/sub-surface – being analysed by the vehicle’s on-board laboratory.
With cameras to film its passage, Dragonfly will uncover many of Titan’s secrets – and NASA has opened (through until January 15, 2027) the opportunity for people to have their name flown on the mission. Simply supply your name and e-mail and receive a NASA “boarding pass” for the mission. All received names will be recorded in a chip which will be included in the vehicle.
November is upon us, and with it – for the northern hemisphere at least – Autumn casts one last spell across the land before winter seizes all within its much colder hands; the time when, as American editor, journalist and romantic poet informs us, the outgoing year throws its last, loveliest smile.
And so that last and loveliest smile forms the theme for Cica Ghost’s November installation called, appropriately enough Autumn.
Cica Ghost’s Autumn, November 2026
Welcome to a world of warm browns and reds, of sepia flowers and tangled branches bereft of leaves, where fallen boughs now form sticks and mushrooms sprout through the loam of fading leaves. The colours are muted beneath a swirling latte sky, but all is not dour or sad; in fact the warmth of that autumnal smile Bryant refers to is much in evidence, if not directly visible.
For this is a land where mushrooms and toadstool sprout their way into red-roofs houses, and acorns dangle from hooked branches to offer little windowed shelters overhead. It is welcoming in spirit, whispering requests that visitor explore.
Cica Ghost’s Autumn, November 2026
Scattered through the landscape and the fungal homes are characters to be found – a tapir-like creature conversing with a mouse; rabbits perhaps looking slightly nervous at the prospect of winter – even a giant snail! None of them mean any harm, despite their size, not even Black Bear sitting up in his perch – in fact the ladder alongside him invites you to climb up and say hello.
And whilst there might well be giants sitting around, their backs to muddy slopes or squatting on hill tops, none of them are here for mischief or meanness. Big they might be and their smiles might be a little intimidating in their toothiness – but can those who wear bright yellow or green knitted socks, or socs with stars on them really be up to no good? I don’t think so.
Cica Ghost’s Autumn, November 2026
No, this is a place where Autumn can be celebrated and we can dance among the last of the flowers and between the red caps of mushrooms and toadstools. A place where Autumn gives us a last smile, itself a reminder that while winter might be lumbering towards us, so too is spring not too far behind it.
Yet one smile more, departing, distant sun! One mellow smile through the soft vapoury air, Ere, o’er the frozen earth, the loud winds run, Or snows are sifted o’er the meadows bare. One smile on the brown hills and naked trees, And the dark rocks whose summer wreaths are cast, And the blue gentian flower, that, in the breeze, Nods lonely, of her beauteous race the last.
Vally (Vally Lavender) and Benny Vortex recently invited me to preview the latest region design to spring from Vally’s imagination: Pulau Lintea, which has been brought to life by an exceptionally talented team of designers.
And when I say talented team, I genuinely mean that: Pulau Lintea is the work of Konrad Rune – famous for his partnership with Saskia Rieko in producing many outstanding region designs inspired by physical world locations under the Natthimmel brand (and which I’ve covered at length down the years!) -, Benny (Benny Vortex) – creator of both [Refuge] and The Great Mother (both of which you can read about here and here) -, and Art Oluja (Artistik Oluja), known for her outstanding soundscapes. Together they have produced an atmospheric, immersive and captivating setting which is utterly stunning and has its roots in the physical world.
Pulau Lintea, November 2026
It takes as its backdrop a desire Vally has long held as one she would like to bring to Second Life. Unfortunately, the physical world decided to interrupt her plans prior to her Angels coming to her aid, as she noted to me:
After I closed Sojourn region that Terry [Fotherington] designed, I was full on intending to rebuild it myself. I knew I wanted something Indonesian inspired. But before I could get started, I became ill and am having some health issues. I was about at the end of my rope mentally before I could even begin.
Konrad was the first to come to my aid, offering to build the region for me, and then Benny stepped up as well. They are my Angels #1 and #2. Konrad then recruited Art to work with Benny on the soundscapes here. She is my Angel #3.
Vally describing how Pulau Lintea came into being
Pulau Lintea, November 2026
In particular, the name of the region takes inspiration from Pulau Lentea, a tiny (just 8.5 square kilometres in area) island which forms part of the Wakatobi Regency within the Banda Sea within the Indo-Pacific waters and known to ecologists and divers for its rich marine biodiversity.
Whilst the region may not be physically based on that island, the two share some common traits, helping to draw them together somewhat. Both are, for example, almost entirely encompassed by sandy beaches; both have wetlands, they each share a relatively low maximum elevation (around 20 metres at the highest point of Pulau Lentea), and much of their landmass is covered by lush canopies of foliage.
Pulau Lintea, November 2026
Given the talents involved in the region design – Konrad and Benny both being known for balancing setting with overall environment – it is essential when visiting that you have Use Shared Environment enabled, and local sounds on. The former obviously allows the region to be seen in its intended lighting, whilst the latter captures not only the ambient sounds one might expect from such an island design, but also Art’s broad, atmospheric and beautifully subtle soundscape which shifts, grow, fades and changes as you explore, giving further depth to the region.
Those familiar with the Konrad’s work will know he has a fondness for weaving back stories into his region designs, and such is the case with Pulau Lintea. This story is offered at the Landing Point in printed form and as a notecard for those who care to read it – and I recommend doing so for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it obviously does much much to instil a sense of place for the region; secondly it forms the prologue to a much broader tale concerning the setting – but more on that later!
Pulau Lintea, November 2026
In the 9th century, long before maps carried names and borders, Pulau Lintea was known only by the sailors who followed the winds across the Banda Sea. They called it Lintea Sawa: the island that listens, because its shores seemed to echo every whisper of the ocean. The island was small, wrapped in mangroves and guarded by reefs so sharp they could slice the belly of a careless prau. No kingdom claimed it. No sultan sent tax collectors. It belonged only to the sea, and to the handful of families who lived in stilted huts above the lagoon.
Among them was Sira, a young girl of the Bajo people. Her family lived mostly on their boat, drifting between Lintea, Tomia, and Binongko, following the migrations of fish and the moods of the monsoon. But Lintea was special to Sira. She believed the island had an old spirit, watching over those who respected the sea.
– From the back story for Pulea Lintea
Pulau Lintea, November 2026
The Landing Point sits just south of the region’s centre. It is located on a tongue of sand extending out from the substantial bulk of the land as it rises to the north and east, and a smaller a mass to the south and west.
Whilst not insubstantial and home to a fair amount of flora, this spit of land is under a tireless assault on both sides by the tide (provided by Benny, using Cube Republic’s excellent Coastal System, which I reviewed here) such that it would seem to only be a matter of time before the two larger masses become islands in their own right as the sea lays complete claim to the space between them.
Pulau Lintea, November 2026
Boardwalks connect the Landing Point deck with both land masses, so which you decide to explore first is up to you. As this is a preview piece, I’m not going to say too much on what to look for – there is a lot to see and discover, and I don’t want to spoil the enjoyment of doing so.
What I will say is that Benny, Konrad and Art have toiled hard to create a living, breathing setting; the flora and fauna are entirely in keeping with the part of the world on which the region is based (yes, I appreciate the wading elephant is African – but as I’ve noted elsewhere, SL doesn’t really offer much in the way of “wild” Asian elephants), and trails and ancient stone steps help guide the feet while exploring, helping visitors to find most of the hidden delights.
Pulau Lintea, November 2026
Some of the latter take the form of very obvious ancient ruins, the great stone lamps of which have been repurposed to illuminate the various boardwalks – or perhaps the boardwalks have been laid over trails once cut and flattened by the builders of the ruins? But there are hidden locations to be found as well.
Konrad uses his own meshes throughout many of his region designs, giving all of them a unique look and feel, and such is the case with Pulea Lintea. The rock stacks, temple ruins – even some of the flora and fauna – are all by Konrad. The most stunning –to me – of these elements are the tall, knobbled spires of rock rising from the shallows around parts of the coastline. Eroded by wind, waves and salt, in the region’s twilight they stand like groups of guardians protecting the land.
Pulau Lintea, November 2026
Throughout all of this, Benny has woven a rich ecosphere of plants, wading birds, water fowl and more, with Art breathing life into the entire setting with 140 unique sounds, from ambient and atmospheric chiming and chanting which grows and fades as one explores, to the very natural crunch and hiss of footfalls on fallen sticks and sand.
The entire setting sits wonderfully between a setting Sun and an oversized full Moon. But rather than overwhelm the setting’s natural feel and sense of life, this huge Moon increases both, adding both romance and mystery to Pulau Lintea.
Pulau Lintea, November 2026
As noted, there are some hidden spaces to be found within Pulau Lintea. One of these lies within Pulau Lintea’s damp depths and carries with it a possible sad tale of its own. Beside it in the water lies a recording device (and I’m being intentionally vague here to make you look 🙂 ). It is via this device that you can hear the complete tale of Pulau Lintea; just make sure you have media enabled in your viewer (the film camera icon, top right of the desktop viewer) and work your way left-to-right along the buttons of the recording device to listen to the unfolding story.
I make no secret of my love of the Natthimmel builds; they have been and are some of the most captivating in Second Life – and I always look forward to visiting the latest iteration. However, with Pulau Lintea, Konrad, together with Benny and Art, has created something genuinely spectacular, and for which Vally can feel justifiably proud. The images here simply do not do it justice – so please do be sure to pay a visit and experience the magic for yourself.
Pulau Lintea, November 2026
My thanks to Vally and Benny for the invitation to preview, and to Vally, Konrad, Art and Benny for their time when I was visiting.
