Category: Second Life

In October 2021, Hera (zee9) opened a setting inspired by the historic English port of Whitby, Yorkshire and the role it played in Bram Stoker’s Dracula. It was a rich setting, deeply evocative of the tale of Stoker’s Dracula, Victorian Gothic horror and the period’s fascination with death, the afterlife and immortality; and I wrote about it at the time (see: Visiting Dracula’s Whitby in Second Life), although such is Hera’s creativity, the town folded into the mists of time to make way for another of her designs.

However, for those who missed it back then, I’m pleased to say that Whitby is back once more, and Hera is hoping to leave it and Goatswood standing for longer this time around whilst she works on another setting. As I visited Goatswood a few days ago (and writing about its return in Hera’s Goatswood returns to Second Life), I hopped back to have another tour of Hera’s Whitby, keen to see what had changed.

As I noted by in my 2021 article, Hera’s Whitby is not so much drawn upon from the real place – although it does touch upon aspects of the town (such as its history as a whaling port, the presence of the great abbey ruins, the long climb up to its location overlooking the Esk river valley, and so on) – but more from the fictional world of the legend of Dracula.

However, what I perhaps hadn’t appreciated at that time was the manner in which Hera’s build had been influenced by Francis Ford Coppola’s 1992 film Dracula. The fault in not noting this back in October 2021 was purely mine rather than any lack of clarity on Hera’s part; I confess the film is something I’ve largely blotted from memory due to the complete miscasting of Keanu Reeves in the role of Jonathan Harker.

But Reeves’ performance aside, the slant towards the film gives the setting an interesting twist, as do the ways in which Hera has altered this iteration from her October 2021 build.

Take for example, the manor house occupying the hilltop near the abbey ruins. In the first iteration of the setting, this leant more towards the actual manor house said to have been built from stone taken from the ruins of the abbey; here it has been replaced by a structure intended to evoke Boleskine House, the one-time residence of Aleister Crowley. Also, the famous church sitting alongside the Abbey ruins has completely gone, now replaced by a Saxon ship burial mound.

Whilst the original Boleskine House once stood on the south-east side of Loch Ness, its relocation to Hera’s Whitby is not entirely out-of-place. In his time Crowley was (among other things) a noted occultist and ceremonial magician – themes not entirely removed from the ideas of mysticism, immortality, black arts and magic that tend to get bound up with stories of Dracula and vampires. Similarly, the ship burial cavern isn’t entirely out-of-place given the Esk estuary was home to an Anglo-Saxon community (and indeed, the town was the home to the first known Anglo Saxon monk, Cædmon).

Elsewhere, this version of Whitby maintains direct links with the original build. Down on the waterfront one can still find the Spouter Tavern (celebrating Whitby’s links to whaling), and just down the street from it still sits the funeral parlour named for Madame Helen Blavatsky, whose thinking and writing did much to elevate matters of the occult, spiritualism and life and death amongst Victorians, and so may have indirectly influenced Stoker in his writing.  Meanwhile, at the back of the manor house and through its gardens, what might have been Lucy’s tomb once again awaits visitors.

The setting also retains its atmospheric EEP settings – although I’ve intentionally used day settings here, so please make sure you have your viewer set to Use Shared Environment to fully appreciate Hera’s work. As well as suiting the vampiric theme of the setting, it gives Whitby a touch of the Lovecraftian; a rich mysticism with and added sense of the unknown.

There is also a wealth of detail awaiting discovery here, from the streets of the town to the catacombs beneath the Abbey ruins. In this, visitors should pay particular attention to the manor house, which has a wealth of detail that both builds on the setting’s theme and reflects the life of Aleister Crowley (up to and including his presence on the dining room wall). Do note that these touches are not limited to the rooms within the manor; there are also some to be found under it and within the gardens to the rear of the house.

As with Goatswood, this iteration of Whitby is reached from the region’s landing point, dressed now as a railway station. Just take the red train by clicking in the open carriage door, and you’ll be whisked to Whitby’s little railway station. From here it is possible to either walk down into the town or up to the abbey and manor. While it is not required, I would suggest going to the former first, then climbing the steps up to the abbey from there; it helps capture some of the feel of the physical Whitby, and allows you to become more immersed in Hera’s setting.

Those visiting are further invited to dress for a visit if they so desire – Victorian, vampire or steampunk (Whitby town is home to regular Steampunk Weekends) – but this is not mandatory.

SLurl Details

• Goatswood / Whitby Landing Point (Cloud Lake, rated Adult)

A labour of love that was created during a time of healing and personal growth. It symbolizes new beginnings and hopes for a better future. The destination is open for all to enjoy and is the perfect place to relax alone or with a loved one.

– SL Destination Guide entry for Anyas Awakening

I was led to Anyas Awakening after reading the above description within the Destination Guide recently; it struck me as so heartfelt that I had to pay a visit – and found a setting that is utterly engaging in its mix of natural beauty, mystique and fantasy.

Occupying a Homestead region, Anyas Awakening appears to sit under a night-time setting (or at least, that’s how I found it during separate visits each lasting a couple of hours apiece, promoting me to use my preferred daytime setting for the photos seen here). The landing point lies to the north of the region where a large gazebo sits within a forest glade. A note card giver lies between it and the archway leading to the rest of the setting, although at the time of my visits, it was not responding to being touched.

The trees around the landing point give the first hint as to the wooded nature of the rest of the region. A path runs down under the arch of the landing point to where it joins a trail crossing the region in a north-east / south-west orientation. Across this trail from the landing zone’s path there rise a set of steps leading up to a raised glade sitting at the base of high cliffs.

Running due south, the glade ends in another set of steps offering the way to where the ruins of a church stand, and aged courtyard to one side and a paved path that turns east to where a bridge spans the waters at the edge of the main island to reach a smaller one that serenely floats above the water, another place of worship or celebration that carries a unique human / elven mix that makes it an attractive destination.

Whilst it may once have been a place of worship, the church now looks to be used as a place of calm retreat and music; a garden of peace and calm where doves and deer have gathered. A piano sits within the ruins as a haven for butterflies, while candles reflect their light in a polished mirror.

More ruins lie within the mid-level glade below the old church and also atop a rise at the north-east end of the main trail, where they can be reached by a further set of steps.

These latter ruins also contain a sense of peace and retreat, a swing hanging from one of the stone arches facing the carved figure for the forest goddess. Her form can also be found at the south-west of the trail, where she stands over the waters of a pool fed from falls that drop from a horseshoe curtain of cliffs.

Within this simple description there is much more waiting to be found; from swings to seats to walks among the trees, while statues and carved figures, together with lights strung within the branches of shrubs and trees add to the setting’s mystique. Wherever one roams, the woods are rich in the sound of bird song, while deer keep an eye on all the comings and goings and the sound of piano music drifts on the breeze from the church (five options are available from the piano, but perhaps the most well suited piece in Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata).

I’ve no idea quite what Anya experienced that led her to create Anyas Awakening – and I’m not about to pry; knowing isn’t important. What matters is the fact that the setting she has created offers a most serene and refreshing retreat, rich in detail and form, with opportunities for photography aplenty. For those wanting to spend time in quiet contemplation, reflection or simply regathering their wits, I can think of no better place in which to do so.

SLurl Details

• Anyas Awakening (Palila, rated Moderate)