Month: April 2025

Recently added to the Second Life Destination Guide is a Homestead region setting by SL couple Lu and Leelou Von Perkle (Lu Carrillo and LeeLou Graves respectively). Called simply Pususaari, its engaging description was enough to have me hopping over to take a look:

Pususaari is a little island made for kisses and quiet smiles. Wander through meadows, chase the sunset, whisper secrets by the sea, get lost in a moment, discover, cuddle, or dance under open skies. For lovers, dreamers, and quiet explorers.

– Pususaari Destination Guide entry.

I have no idea as to the inspiration behind the setting – whether it simply draws its name from Pususaari (roughly “Pusus island”) on lake Puruvesi, Findland, or has been so-named in memory of a visit to that tiny island, or the similarities in the naming of both islands is just coincidental.

On the one hand, Lu’s physical-world time zone suggests he might hail from Finland and thus aware of the physical world location, and there is something of a similarly between the two islands in as much as they both have their greatest length running along a south-east / north-west line. However, whether there is any strand of a link between the two is rendered largely immaterial by the rugged beauty and sense of peace to be found within Pususaari in Second Life.

It is towards the south-eastern end of the island that the Landing Point is to be found. It sits on a deck built out over the coastal waters and alongside the island’s southern headland. The latter rises behind the café occupying a good portion of the deck, perhaps offering it shelter from any harsher weather that may pass over the island. A broad arc of beach stretches north and west, its southern extent not quite reaching out to the deck and the café,  so a wander along a raised boardwalk is required to reach the sands with dry feet.

From this beach, the island might be split into six distinct area suitable for exploration. Directly east of the boardwalk steps, the sands lap at the foot of a grassy slope deeply scored by water run-off channels rises to the top of the southern headland’s large plateau. It thus offers a way up over the plateau to the eastern shoreline or, for those fancying a further climb, up the summit-topping lighthouse sitting at the tallest part of the island.

Separated from this plateau by a deep cut of an inlet lies another east coat highland area. Rivalling the lighthouse summit in terms of its highest point, it is reached by leaving the beach and striking out across the meadow that forms the central lowlands of the island.

The path upwards here is via another grassy slope with signs of heavy rain water run-off over the years, and which reaches up between two bony shoulders of rock to reach a rough path. This winds through a wooded area atop the hills before it splits, one arm dropping down to the north-east coast occupied by a cosy little holiday shack, the other pointing to a further grassy climb running up to the spine of these uplands, forming the route up to the high tree.

Across the meadow to the west, the land is equally divided, stony, rocky lowlands to the south sitting under two further shoulders of rock. Water drops from one of these shoulders to a pool of water below, while atop the other, and reached via a further sleep slope between them, sits a large windmill. Finally, to the north across the meadow to the north is a further ribbon of beach running from the north-eastern highlands to the lee of those to the west, where a Tuscan-style villa sitting within their lee.

Throughout all of these areas are places to sit an spend time, be it within little shacks hugging the east coast, wooden chairs sitting on the rough-and-tumble lowlands beneath the waterfalls, little spots on the beaches or up up among the hills or in and around the villa and / or the café. All of them present a variety of views and encourage visitors to stay and let the time pass without worry, with some requiring a bit of a climb – as with the bench under the gnarled tree mentioned above, or the ruined clock tower sitting high above the villa; all of them offer their own destination within the various parts of the landscape.

Rich in detail large and small, indoors and out – including local animal life (wild and domesticated), Pususaari  lives up to its description fully: a place caught under an ideal shared environment, offering plenty of opportunities for photography, romance and simply wandering pleasure; even the default region name – Bisous – is perfect.

SLurl Details

• Pususaari (Bisous, rated Moderate)

I’ve written about Silent Melody and Silent Melody 2, the richly picturesque and engaging region designs by the SL partnership of Celtic McDaniels (Celtic3147) and Semina (Semiiina) a couple of times in these pages (see: Attuned to a Silent Melody in Second Life from 2020, and more recently Return to a Silent Melody in Second Life). As such, a return visit was more than expected at some point. However, my recent return in April 2025 was not prompted by any new iteration of the region’s ground level setting, but to immerse myself in a new interactive experience in the skies over it.

Semina: The Interactive EP Experience is a celebration and exploration of Semina’s music and song writing – specifically her new EP To the Moon and Back (which can be enjoyed in full via Spotify) presented as an immersive environment taking you on a journey through a series of interlinked rooms, each one offering a track from the EP in a setting reflective of its mood and meaning.

The Landing Point for the experience provides the core information on how to proceed and appreciate the rooms and the songs they contain. They are self-explanatory, and all I’ll say here is please note that each room may contain clickable items that provide information in local chat, the rooms as a whole have be carefully crafted to reflect their songs, so do take time in each looking around at all the details, and do make sure you are using the local Shared Environment.

The first room represents the album’s current single, La Belle Époque, the beautiful era, which in this case is used to reference what tends to become – as we grow older, at least – the most beautiful collective time of our lives: childhood, and the importance of holding on to the wonderful delight and playfulness it gives to us in the form of our inner child and the sense of forward looking adventure we should try to keep with us through life.

La Belle Époque is reached via a short hallway from the Landing Point. With ivy hanging from walls, chandeliers from high ceilings and glazed archways to either side as one walks along it, it is the first of several such ambient hallways, but is is perhaps what is on the other side of the glazed arches that is worth noting, as each contains a scene and / or item perhaps pertaining to the upcoming song. With La Belle Époque, for example, we see a fairy tale castle perhaps from a children’s story book, signs mindful of that child-like sense of adventure (Follow that Dream; You are not lost – You are here), etc.

All of the remaining rooms are accessed in this manner, the halls leading to them branching to the left and right of a single main corridor which appears to end in a blank wall. This main hall features the Moon along its length, reflective of the EP’s title, with the hallways branching from it bearing the tiles of the remaining songs on the EP. The songs themselves have a focus on love and relationships from the simple human need and desire (Dirty Minds), through the swirling, uncertain, obsessive nature of infatuation and its kinship to addiction (Limerence); to the deeper melancholia, regret, loneliness and loss that comes with the ending of a relationship once so deep (To the Moon and Back).

The imagery presented within each room perfectly underlines the theme and lyrics of the song offered by the room, sometimes very clearly – the storm-tossed sea of To the Moon and Back, with its flashes of lightning, sense of drowning / loss of all that was once held dear, for example; whilst elsewhere it is more subtle – as with Limerence, where the bedside table perfectly portrays the kinship between infatuation and addiction in the form of love letter, a bottle of whiskey and two little labelled containers.

It is in regards to these smaller details that time should be taken in each room looking around and mousing over items. As noted, some items might be clickable and interactive (although some can be difficult to actually touch due to intervening ambient effects), but even those that aren’t have something to add to the story being told in support of the song being listened to. How personal these items are to Semina herself is, for the most part, yours to decide; they might well be born of direct personal experience – but like a storyteller, a song-writer can weave tales which do not necessarily have their roots some firmly bedded in such experience, but from the richness of imagination.

That said, there is one song within the collection that is deeply personal to Semina – Golden. It comes with a well-written and caring warning ahead of accessing the room, and includes a story written by Semina, The Morning After I Killed Myself. The subject here is removed in theme and tone from the other songs in the EP (although it could perhaps have sinews connecting it to deeper, darker moments of loss as expressed in To the Moon and Back and / or the more harmful outcomes of infatuation and unrequited love / need as might be experienced beyond Limerence): that of self harm.

Golden  – both song and setting – is immensely powerful and honest. It is offered as a means of holding out a hand to those who have experienced cruelty (intentional or otherwise) from friends / family during a time of deep stress and saying softly, you are not alone.

And that blank wall at the end of the corridor offering four of the five songs on the EP? It’s not a dead end – when approached it will reveal an atmospheric setting for live performances by Semina, with the promise that To the Moon and Back – The Live Show is coming soon.

With the opportunity to participate in photo competition focused on itself, Semina: The Interactive Experience is a genuinely marvellous way to immerse oneself in the music, lyrics, voice, and physical creativity of one of Second Life’s most diverse and engaging creator-artists.

SLurl Details

• Semina: The Interactive Experience (Silent Melody 2, rated Moderate)

No-one familiar with fantasy in Second Life can be unaware of Elicio Ember and his magnificent work as both a content creator and as a world-builder – notably at the annual Relay for Life in Second Life Fantasy Faire event. For over seventeen years, through his brand, Cerridwen’s Cauldron, Elicio has redefined fantasy and sci-fi landscapes, architecture, and décor in Second Life. From towering bioluminescent forests to elegant elven spires, through unique science fiction elements to modern décor amenable to any home, as well as avatar wearables, his work is synonymous with fantasy, traditions, beauty and quality.

I’ve actually covered his creations as a part of my coverage of past Fantasy Faire events, and in its own right through his store, Cerridwen’s Cauldron, which has always been an inspirational joy to visit. And it is to the store I returned recently, as Elicio invited me to partake of a new chapter in his creativity, as he prepares to formally open it in a brand new iteration at a new location on April 10th, 2025. As with his past store, it will be part of a wider narrative through the provision of a ground-level realm; however at the time of writing this piece, the latter was still in development – and as such, will be subject to a future article. Together, both store and ground-level setting will form Caer Awen.

To appreciate Cerridwen’s Cauldron to the fullest, it is necessary to dip into Celtic – and particularly Middle Welsh – mythology.

Cerridwen (or indeed, Ceridwen), pronounced Ke-RID-wen, not seer-ID-when or any variation thereof, was an enchantress closely tied to the Llyfr Taliesin (Book of Taliesen) and in some tales to the birth of Taliesen himself, and most particularly for giving birth to the beautiful Creirwy, one of the three most beautiful maids of the Isle of Britain, and her hideous brother, Morfan (literally “sea crow”), who is tied to the Arthurian legend. To compensate for her son’s hideous and dark form, Cerridwen sought to imbue him with great wisdom and poetic inspiration, turning to her magic cauldron in order to do so.

That cauldron contained Awen, the inspiration; the breath (or muse) gifted to poets, bards, artists and musicians, and itself born of the three elements of rebirth, transformation, and inspiration (which, quite outside the scope of discussion here, ripple out towards ides of the Holy Trinity), and which also marked Cerridwen as the pagan goddess  of said elements.

Caer (Kair), meanwhile, also has Old Welsh roots, symbolising a fort of stronghold. It can also be used to indicate a citadel, and it is this connotation that is found within Caer Awen – meaning Citadel of Inspiration – and  the name suits the new build perfectly.

Like previous Cerridwen’s Cauldron builds, it sits within the sky as a realm unto itself. As a store, it is laid on around the four cardinal points, each corresponding to an element: North = Earth; East = Fire; South = Air and West = Water, and Elicio’s creations are gathered (with some nods towards convenience) in respect of these elements. So, for example, water plants and underwater items can be found within Water, whilst land plants in Earth, and so on. Each section is clearly signed, as are the aisles within it, the entire layout intended to encourage creative thinking as one explores Elicio’s work.

Around the outer extremes of the store areas setting out some of the items for sale as dioramas. These might both further inspire and offer little tales of their own. Footpaths are clearly laid out, whilst individual items for sale are beautifully displayed, rather than just shown as images on a vendor, thus allowing visitors to fully appreciate the and  – again – feel the breath of inspiration as to how and where they might be used.

Central to all of this is the Citadel itself, comprising a central circular structure rising into the sky and with the Landing Point at its base level. It is surrounded to the North-East, South-East, South-West and Nort-West by four square-based towers. These occupy plazas which in turn sit between two cardinal elements apiece, allowing the themes from the two elemental areas to flow together, watched over by corner-placed spires.

Rising higher than the domes topping the central structure, the four towers each reflect one of the guiding cardinal elements. Nor do they stand alone; they are connected one to the next by graceful skywalks with elegant crystalline forms, with high balconies, while glass-floored walkways connect them to the central tower. Within each of them long stairways gracefully climb their inner walls, passing by their balconies to reach the upper skywalk and thus providing access to the upper reaches of the central tower.

It is within this upper level that Cerridwen’s Cauldron will host events – starting with the formal opening party on Sunday, April 13th commencing at 18:00 SLT. Called the Celestial Fae Court, this space is the social beating heart to Caer Awen’s stunning beauty, replete as it is with more of Elicio’s creations.

But in all honesty, words are not enough to describe anything here; the new Cerridwen’s Cauldron store is more than a place to visit (and make purchases!); it is a place to be tasted and savoured first-hand.  The build itself is utterly magnificent, with detail throughout that captures the eye and wraps itself around and over areas that might not ordinarily be seen – so free-camming is recommended. It is also a place that, conversely, should be navigated in first person if possible, thus allowing its beauty to unfold and blossom whilst following paths, turning corners and climbing stairways.

It is also a place that should be seen using the Shared Environment and with local sounds on for the fullest experience. Sounds change not just in the different elemental areas, but also with a passage of time from day to night. And the arrival or night brings its own beauty as glow and colour spring from plants and garden and crystals, adding further immersion to a setting already so rich and detailed.

As noted, the formal party for the opening is on April 13th, but the store should be available to the public from April 10th. I highly recommend that should you arrive during the region’s daylight hours, you stay until night arrives (the region follows the standard 4-hour day / night cycle, with three hours daylight and one hour of night) – or make a point of returning to see it during the hours of darkness – you will not be disappointed.

Do be sure to visit and immerse yourself in Elicio’s creativity and vision, and I’ll be back with more as the ground level setting opens up later in the year.

SLurl Details

• Caer Awen, Cerridwens Cauldron (rated Moderate)