Day: June 13, 2022

Golden Hair is a Homestead region held by BruiserBest and open to the public to visit and appreciate. Defined as a being a place “in defence of quiet places”, it is an engaging, very natural setting that reflects Bruiser’s love of nature and animals. It is also a demonstration of what can be achieved within a region to offer a rewarding visit to those who drop in without being in any way top-heavy in either mesh objects or textures.

Sculpted into a curving island which occupies roughly a third of the region’s total land area, Golden Hair gently undulates outwards from a rocky upland flowing into the main island from a northern headland, the slope rising gently until it meets west-facing cliffs, and then dropping away gently on its way to the south.

The top of this hill provides a superb vantage point from which to observe the island’s western and southern aspects. More particularly, tucked into the hill behind its cliff-edge is a small cave which forms the region’s landing-point. This ensures those arriving do not interrupt those already in the region and who may be taking photos, by avoiding avatars suddenly popping-up into the frame.

Both the cave and the rugged ground outside of it reveal Bruiser’s love of animals – a bear stand quietly inside the cave, while outside can be found deer apparently informally guarding the cave’s entrance.

A steam bubbles its way past the cliffs, running from the southern side of the main hill to pass by the cliffs and a small hill on its far bank. Tumbling over rocks and a fallen tree, the stream is a haven for animals seeking a drink, with its lower extent patrolled by a beaver.

The wildlife here is to be found throughout the setting, together with some more domesticated animals. In the case of the latter can be found cats, dogs, goats, horses, sheep, chickens, and a cow; with the former there are birds, the deer, wild boar, wolves, a snake, lizards, hares, and rabbits. However, none of the islands inhabitants have been randomly placed; gathered in groups at various points around the island, they offer little vignettes that are ideal for photography, either in their own right or with avatars suitably posed (rezzing rights can be obtained by joining the local group, 2 hour rez time).

This is a setting refreshingly free from the trappings of civilisation. There are no houses or other significant structures; the paths are – with one small exception where kerbs have clearly been laid to allow the ground to be pounded into a series of broad steps – all entirely natural, either following the line of flat rocks exposed over the years by the passage of the wind, or dusty trails most likely laid down by the passage of the animals to be found here.

The open nature of the region means that exploration is entirely on the whim of the visitor, while the nature elegance of its design presents opportunity after opportunity for photography. Those who look carefully may also spot the island’s more exotic animals, drawn from the world of fantasy.

Finished with an encompassing soundscape in which the heart of nature quite literally beats, Golden Hair might lack places to sit / cuddle, etc., but this is to its advantage as it is very much a setting to be appreciated through exploration and not for plonking oneself down and chatting.

All told, a genuinely engaging setting well worth visiting. My thanks to Shawn Shakespeare for the landmark to Golden Hair.

SLurl Details

• Golden Hair (Mordor, rated General)