Category: Second Life

Over the last couple of months and for reasons I can’t really explain, I’ve been getting interested in the US and Canadian Great Lakes and parts of their history. Much of this has centred on the role of the lakes in enabling commerce, and the sad tales of vessels such as the Edmund Fitzgerald (perhaps brought to international recognition by songster Gordon Lightfoot, and the loss of which occurred 50 years ago this past November), the Carl D. Bradley and the Daniel J Morrell, to name but three of the largest vessels to go down on the lakes.

I mention this as a roundabout way of introducing the December 2025 Natthimmel build by Konrad (Kaiju Kohime) and Saskia, and which draws inspiration from the shores of Lake Michigan (although not, admittedly, any of the vessel losses which have occurred on Michigan and her sister lakes down the centuries; that was something my little mind just jumped to in visiting the setting, for the reasons noted above).

Entitled The Keepers of Twin Lights, St. Castoris, the region design appears to draw its inspiration from the paired lighthouses of St. Joseph, Michigan, where two very similar lights (now decommissioned) once guarded the entrance to St. Joseph River, some 190 km northeast of Chicago.

The river had long been a trade and transport route linking the Great Lakes with the Mississippi River prior to the arrival of European settlers as they muscled their way westward. However, they established a significant outpost at the mouth of the river at the end of the 1700s, starting a continuous presence there which led to the establishment of St. Joseph village (now city).

The two lighthouses that inspired St Castoris were built in 1906 and 1907. They are very distinctive in terms of both looks and location. Both stand on a long pier extending out into the lake (one of two piers extending out from the mouth of the river), with a raised catwalk running the length of the pier to connect both lighthouses with the land.

The outer lighthouse is of a tapering conical build topped by a distinctive 9-sided lantern room. The inner lighthouse is a little more distinctive: a square lower level with a pyramidal roof rising to an octagonal tower with its own external access via steel dog-leg stair from the pier (and via the catwalk).

Many of these elements are captured in Konrad’s custom models of the lighthouses within St. Castoris; the distinctive similarities (if you’ll forgive the term!) leading me to conclude that St Joseph serves as the inspiration here. Indeed even the frozen water spray hugging the outer tower is mindful of a 2010 snapshot showing much the same.

But again, it’s important to note that even if inspired by the lighthouses at St. Joseph, Saskia and Konrad’s St. Castoris is very much its own place; there is no beach or harbour entrance at what might be the landward end of the setting. Nor do the lighthouses stand on a pier of relatively modern construction, as is the case with St. Joseph.

Instead, St. Castoris’ lighthouses appear to be built upon a long, narrow breakwater formed by earth, boulders and rocks dumped into the water to extend a finger outward, one with enough soil present to allow lines of frosted aspen to march out on either side of the catwalk at least as far as the inner lighthouse.  And while the lighthouses of St. Joseph may have been decommissioned in 2005, the lights of St. Castoris remain active, sweeping out towards the horizon, twin beacons indicating the safety of land, while much smaller buoys cast the red glow of warning against vessels coming too close in error to the more dangerous shores and ice floes lurking there.

It is to one vessel in particular that the lighthouses call, and the story of that vessel and its master can be found in the setting’s introductory notecard available at the Landing Point, as always. This offers further insight to St. Castoris, and carries with it the faint suggestion that within its narrative, the story refers to an earlier age whilst also offering a subtle hint as to the wayward nature of the weather over the Great Lakes during the winter months.

As always with Natthimmel, Konrad and Saskia have created an engaging setting which sinks its roots into history and the physical world whilst offering its own uniqueness. Look for the places to sit that await discovery and enjoy!

SLurl Details

• Natthimmel: The Keepers of Twin Lights, St. Castoris (NewMoon, rated Moderate)

It has been a fair while since my last visit to Luane’s World, the estate held and operated by LuaneMeo and her publicly-accessible Full region, Le Monde Perdu (The Lost World). It was summertime 2024 when I made that last visit, so with winter now dominating Second Life, a return for a Christmas-time blog post seemed to be in order.

The lake that often forms a part of the region remains with the latest iteration, but is now frozen, offering a place to go skating. Cabins sit to either side of the lake, with the Landing Point on a third side.

Taking the form of a winter market where hot drinks and more might be found, the Landing Point sits under an awning of lights. A small deck offers skates for those who wish to head out onto the ice. For those who prefer their skating on a smaller scale, a wooden gazebo sits to one end of the little market with an ice rink under its awnings. It is located alongside a large Ferris wheel waiting to give visitors a ride.

At the opposite end of the market area, a covered bridge allows explorers to continue onwards around the lake-edge trail. This leads past steps climbing to one of two chapels in the setting, this one ready for services and guarded by a cat.

Beyond the chapel, the trail winds past one of the two cabins mentioned above, turning away from the lake as it does so before branching. One part of the trail then climbs the setting’s uplands via log steps set into a relatively gentle slope, while the other offers the way to the bridge connecting the region with the rest of the estate, a shrine-like folly looking out over the water close by for those who seek it.

The path along the uplands runs around to the north, passing cabins among the trees there, including the one directly overlooking the lake, and which has a stairway leading down to a deck close to the water’s edge. None of the cabins are private, allowing them to present visitors with places to rest and enjoy company.

Continuing westwards, the path ends abruptly at a sheer cliff, the land dropping to a gorge-like valley through which water would normally flow between the lake and the open sea, but now sits frozen. A tall bridge spans the valley to reach the far side, where a snowy path curls up to the setting’s second chapel.

However, this is not a place of worship; it has been converted into a place where beverages of an alcoholic nature might be imbibed and pool played. These probably explain why Santa is circling overhead in his sleigh (and presumably awaiting clearance to land) – after a busy night zipping around the world delivering presents, the old chap justifiably deserves a drink or two! As well as being reached on foot by the path just described, the chapel bar is also connected to the lowlands by a ski lift as it shuffles back and forth between the bar and a spot close to the Ferris wheel.

Another path, this one marked marked by footprints and a sign pointing to the North Pole, runs west from the bottom of the ski lift and out to the icy edge of the region (say “hi!” to the little Santas having some fun along the way).

The ice floes are home to dogs having snowball fights or sleeping in igloos. Further around the ice and cliffs, that familiar SL anachronism of polar bears and penguins mixing together can be found; in this case the penguins are having fun with their versions of skating and sledding while the polar bears appear mostly interested in having fun with Christmas lights.

Throughout the setting are multiple places to sit and pass the time, watch the skaters on the lake or observe the local wildlife, while the familiar hot air balloon sits overhead awaiting anyone wishing to pose in it. Walks can be had around much of edge of the setting and there are touches of detail waiting to be found – such as the little Santa figures I’ve mentioned.

And of course, the entire region is highly photogenic, so have fun exploring!

Occupying a quarter Full private region leveraging the Lab’s Land Capacity bonus, lies the realm of the Naughty Panda, created by Alice Embervale (Alice Sakura) and her SL partner, Krow Embervale (Poetic Doll). From now through until January 4th, 2026, the setting is home to Return to the Light, a Japanese-inspired celebration of the Winter Solstice.

Called Toji (冬至) in Japanese, the solstice is one of Nijushi-sekki – the 24 divisions of the solar year. Occurring around December 22nd at ecliptic longitude 270^o, it refers to a period between the day and the beginning of the following sekki called shokan (the lesser cold season). It is the shortest day and longest night of the year, with the lowest culmination altitude of the sun, in the northern hemisphere.

Within Return to the Light, visitors are invited to take a lantern and follow a winter mountain walk. Along the path, guardians mark the way, offering information on the season, together with a riddle that leads to the next of their kind.

Thus, those travelling the route learn about the legend of Toji, solve a challenge and receive a special gift. Afterwards, there is the chance to relax in warm yuzu-infused hot springs and enjoy a shared feast in a peaceful courtyard setting. Yuzu is a citrus fruit, and it is said in Japan that taking yuzu-yu (a yuzu citron bath) is part of the traditions of the day, as is eating Toji-gayu (winter solstice rice gruel).

Whilst referred to as a quest, Return to the Light is not intended to be a race or in any way competitive. Rather, it is a personal journey, a reflection of the passage of life as we move through the depths of winter and towards the return of the light and warmth of the Sun. As such, it should be approached gently, with consideration and an openness to discovery and learning.

The Landing Point for the setting doubles as the starting point for the quest. It is here that visitors can collect their lantern and read instructions on starting the quest along the path to reach the kitsune temple.

But before starting, I would recommend – as per the introductory notes provided with the lantern – the setting should be experienced using the local environment settings and the custom audio stream. The latter’s music will not only soothe, but encourage you to take your time and appreciate the quest and the setting all the more.

Five stone Jizo – little carvings of a bodhisattva – form the aforementioned guardians along the route. Jizo is (in the simplest terms) the protector of all souls on their journey through life and reincarnation. Here, the little statues serve as the means to impart the story of Toji and its significance in Japanese tradition, before passing on a short riddle in which lies the clue to finding the next Jizo.

On reaching the shrine, visitors should hand over their lantern to hear the words of the wise kitsune – but do note, there are no shortcuts; wisdom only comes by following the path from point to point. After Kitsune has spoken, visitors are asked a five question challenge before a gift is given, and the journey can be taken back to the landing point.

Returning to the lowlands will bring visitors to a series of building built around a large onsen pool.  Here is where the feast mentioned in the setting’s notes might be found, and – on December 18th, it will host a solstice music event commencing at 13:00 SLT and continuing through until 18:00.

Small, engaging and with a wealth of easy learning to be had, Naughty Panda’s Return of the Light is a genuinely unique take on the time of year, and well worth a visit.

SLurl Details

• The Naughty Panda Return of the Light (Mattawan, rated Moderate)