Category: Exploring Second Life

(Fae Forest), Elvenshire – click any image for full size

Update July 2019: Elvenshire has closed, and Zuma relocated to a new location (see A new (fae forest) in Second Life, also now closed) for details. Because of this, SLurls have been removed from this post.

It’s been two years since our last visit to Elvenshire, the Homestead region designed by Zuma Fae Dust (Zuma Jupiter); a fact I was recently reminded of by Shawn Shakespeare, who actually originally pointed the region out to us back in March 2017. So this being the case, we girded our lions for teleporting, and hopped over to renew our acquaintance with the region.

Back in 2017, the region was set as a place rife with magic and not a little romance, rich in little vignettes and suggestions of an elven (or at least fae) presence. A lot has changed since then; now simply called (Fae Forest) the region still encompasses a forested feel – but this time it is a rain forest, suggestive of somewhere in the sub-tropics, backed against at high arc of mountain-like terrain, the rest of the setting smothered by a heavy blanket of foliage hiding it from prying eyes overhead.

(Fae Forest), Elvenshire

Much of the land around the feet of the trees is flooded, with water tumbling from the inaccessible uplands (while a path does offer a way up the steep hills, it only goes so far – to a plateau where a Koi house sits alongside the tumbling waters of falls). This is one of several places available for visitors to find when exploring the region.

Several of these maintain the mystical feel present within the region at our last visit. There’s an ancient, broken rotunda, for example. Slowly being overtaken by forest growth, it marks the way to an ancient garden area that in turn leads to an aged bath house rich in décor, brought together in an eclectic mix that completely satisfies the eye. A door to one side of this structure offers a way back to the landing point – but taking it might risk missing other attractions.

(Fae Forest), Elvenshire

Elsewhere sit hints of fantasy and the fantastical: a great blue whale, swimming without moving on the water rather than below it, a garden on its back, the bulk of spaceship like submarine close by. Then there are the little vignettes still waiting to be found: the old round stone turret when rusting canon and makeshift sofa, the gamer’s hideaway, all sitting between and under the trees.

And then there is the landing point itself, a hall close to the edge of the region. It has a wonderfully homely feel to it setting that immediately puts one at ease, yet holds an exotic look offering the promise of discovery within the region beyond.

(Fae Forest), Elvenshire

Should the forest prove too oppressive, gated steps run down from the landing point to a short tongue of land that licks the edge of a little grassy island crowned by a single tree (although two more lie to one side) and a sunken ring of standing stones. Here the rain falls lightly, and may well ease the more enclosed, oppressed air some might feel under the heavy foliage of the rain forest.

For those who fancy more of a challenge, the route to the path up the hills mentioned above can take some finding, but it also does reveal another little cuddle spot for romantics. Also, take care when crossing the bridges that form part of the route to the hillside path; we both fell through parts of the bridges to take a further dip in the waters below.

(Fae Forest), Elvenshire

This is a very different setting from the one we witnessed two years ago – hardly surprising since it is two years since our last visit; but it is one that remains photogenic.

Flourish – click any image for full size

We recently received an invitation from Julz (Juliette Rainfall) to visit the latest region design she and her SL partner, Leaf (Peyton Darmoset) have put together. As the people responsible for creating the outstanding region designs of Cold Ash (read more here), Erebos Harbor (read more here) and Cloudbreak (read here), among others, we were keen to see their latest work.

Unlike most of their previous designs, Flourish is a commercial region, designed to be the home of the Flourish Studio and Salon S2 brands. However, this Full region is also very photogenic, as one would expect from one of Leaf’s designs.

Flourish

Surrounded by dusty hills and mountains, the region is presented as a rugged desert setting, centred on a deep-sided lake, its shores largely cliff-like walls. Roads appear to cut through the landscape, passing across region and sim surround alike. One of theses point “into” the region and to the grounds of Flourish Studio, the other winds its way up the southern foothills to the Salon S2 store (which at the time of our visit had yet to be outfitted).

Desert it might be, but there is a lot going on here. The stepped foothills on the southern side of the region offer space to climb and explore alongside the Salon S2 building, the landscape here a mix of bare rock, scrub grass, cacti, creosote bushes and wild shrubs. Within it sit a water run-off and evidence of some old workings of some description. Wooden steps offer a route up and down the tiered rocks of the hills, with a hole in the fence around Flourish Studio – designed to resemble an outdoor market – inviting explorers into the store at it sits in the north-east corner of the region.

Flourish

Follow the road west from here and it will lead you past a somewhat run-down motel, faced by a bus stop / fuelling point across the road, while away to the north the shadowy forms of high-rise buildings break the horizon, indicating the presence of a distant city. Might this be Reno or Las Vegas or somewhere else? That’s up to you to decide.

Alongside the bus stop is something of an artistic statement: an old outside broadcast van, its satellite dish pointing vacantly to the hills as it forms a backdrop to an array of old televisions, the screens of which have been painted with a variety of slogans, some of them with a lean perhaps towards political comments.

Flourish

Close to this statement, a sandy path leads away from the road and between the rocks and boulders to point the way yo the top of the cliffs of the lake. Here’s under a large canvas awning, sits an events stage, the flat rock between it and the waters below offering room to dance, and a wooden platform built out from the cliff edge a place to sit. The the lake is fed by a tumbling waterfall, while narrow ribbons or sun-baked sand seem t0 offer narrow waterside beaches north and south, each reached by a path of hard-packed and parched sand.

More art can be found off to the west, along the road winding up to the Salon S2 store. Here, next to neat lines of solar arrays as they capture the Sun’s like, stand three large female torsos, giant mannequins, on which have been painted the truism Life goes on.

Flourish

All of this presents a striking region with plenty of opportunities for exploration and photography, nicely rounded-off by an ambient soundscape.

SLurl Details

• Flourish (Copper River, rated: Moderate)

Season’s Cove – click any image for full size

Update: Season’s Cove appears to have closed.

One type of region we’ve always enjoyed visiting is the type that feels TARDIS-like; that is, when exploring it, it feels much larger than its individual map tile / 256m-on-a-side would suggest. There are many such regions scattered across Second Life, but one of the most imaginative we’ve recently visited is that of Season’s Cove.

Designed by Muira Mingann (Angelique Vanness) with assistance from Takoda Mingann (Mingann), this full region design ticks a lot of boxes for the avid Second Life photographer. The design is rural / coastal with a strong twist of fantasy, hints of magic; a place where wizardly towers overlook tumbledown dance halls, beaches sit above undersea gardens and tunnels with multiple rooms vie with surprise portals to carry you to places in the sky that further extend the feeling of being in a place that’s much bigger that its physical constraints should allow.

Season’s Cove – click any image for full size

A visit begins innocently enough: a large terrace towards the centre of the region, cliffs to its back, water below its stone walls. It is home to a little café, a carousel and the first hint of the more mystic elements: a fortune teller’s tent. Two wharves sit below the terrace, each offering a way down the water’s edge – and one allowing visitors to travel much further.

Multiple paths lead away from this terrace. Some go around the plateau that sits above it, running south then west. Others point north and then east, promising to perhaps circle the land and meet with their brethren further around the region. Some climb the shoulders of rock to reach the plateau above, others dip down to the water’s edge and promise another means to circumnavigate the island, or to pass by bridge and track to its eastern lowlands, where beaches face the sea, water cuts a winding channel from the large inlet below the landing point terrace to a small pond, all watched over by the ruins of another tower.

Season’s Cove

A further path leads inwards, under the high table of rock, to where a labyrinth of tunnels connect rooms one to another as water drips from arched stone ceilings and stone cisterns sit with backs to the walls, offering the weary a chance to drink the water purified by its travel though the sandstone. The rooms within these tunnels offer a mix of interior settings, from small bathing pool to rooms clearly intended for more adult pursuits.

The terrace facing entrance is not the only route into or out of these tunnels: wander far enough around the island or within them, and you will find others. One of these is a wooden walkway that spirals up an open hole on the region’s north-west side. At its top lay numerous further paths waiting to be followed, including one running up to the remains of the old dance hall / theatre which, despite its decrepitude, still offers a place for music to be enjoyed within, complete with tables set for romantic dinners for two.

Season’s Cove

This is another aspect of the delight found within this region: around every corner, at the end of every path is something new and perhaps unexpected to find. Take, for example, the ruins of a Catholic / Orthodox church, complete with confessional, sitting within the low woodlands, or the quaint traveller’s caravan tucked into the lee of the main plateau and looking west to where a tall, rugged island is home to another ancient tower, more ruins lying below it.

Nor is exploration limited to using your feet. It you have a wearable Bento or Animesh horse, you can wear that and take to the paths and trails whilst exploring – most of the routes through the region avoid stairs and steps (although there are some steps and stairs scattered around, to be sure).

And when it comes to horses – keep your eyes open for pointers to the riding trail. They show the way to what initially appear to be paths passing through rocky arches. They are in fact teleport portals leading to points in the sky – in this case, either the “Season’s Cove Stables” or a riding trail in the sky (just be aware the latter including a giant tree house that is a private residence). Several such portals exist within the region; we found two more (one to a lover’s tryst, another to a “BDSM Dungeon), but there could be others that we might have missed!

Season’s Cove

Using the portals to connect with these skyboxes will require accepting the region’s experience on the first attempt – but thereafter they should be automatic unless or until you revoke the experience. Be warned, as well, that finding your way back to ground level might take a little work, as some return portals are intentionally hidden. Also, some of the return portals may rotate your direction, with the result yo might step back into the ground-level portal as you try to move clear on landing.

Another element of Season’s Cove that makes a visit a pleasure, is the care with which the design is curated. There is a lot going on the ground, in the air and underwater (look for the steps near the landing point terrace for a way down to the underwater gardens and their delights), neither Caitlyn nor I found our computers under any strain from the load. Yes, fps for me with shadows enabled did drop to the low 20s / high teens, but this can happen elsewhere, and certainly didn’t spoil the visit.

With places to sit and  / or dance throughout, dozens of opportunities for photography and the chance to really explore a quite unique and details setting, Season’s Cove present a genuinely worthwhile and engrossing visit. Should you enjoy your visit as much as well did, do please consider a donation towards the region’s continued presence as a public space.

Season’s Cove – click any image for full size

NOLA @ Fairhaven – click any image for full size

Update: NOLA @ Fairhaven appears to have closed. SLurls have therefore been removed from this article.

We recently received an invitation to visit NOLA @ Fairhaven. Described as  “an homage to New Orleans, Louisiana”, the estate comprises three regions – two Full and one Homestead, with one of the Full regions providing the homage to New Orleans, and the other a pair of settings I’ll discuss a little later.

Designed by Tatianna (TatiannaDiamond) and Jus Strat (jus4strat), all three regions are an impression combination – but given the amount packed into all three mesh, sculpt and texture-wise, can also be a little heavy going if your viewer is running with any significant bells and whistles (such as shadows) enabled.

NOLA @ Fairhaven

There is no enforced landing point within the regions, and the SLurl supplied by Jus dropped us neatly in the north-east corner of the Full region representing New Orleans (and which is the one I’ve used in this article), with the bridge to the other regions leading away eastwards, the town itself lad out to the west and south of us.

The latter is something of an image of New Orleans perhaps familiar to many from film and television: cobbled roads, balconied establishments whose interiors offer relief from the heat of the day. Cafés rub shoulders with jazz clubs, barbers shops, boutique stores and hotels. Grand houses can be found by wandering through the streets, while squares and formal gardens offer breaks from the urban tightness. To the north-west, the town gives way to a more bayou like setting, with mangroves and swampy-looking grass, while the graveyard betwixt town and bayou offers another “traditional” reflection of New Orleans and its oft-presented ties to voodoo and mysticism.

NOLA @ Fairhaven

The attention to detail within the town is impressive: many of the buildings have interior décor and furnishings, making them attractive points for exploration; several of the roads are lined with ornate, horse-headed bollards, reminding one of the city’s long history, while another reminder lines in the “river” separating the town from the eastern regions of the estate: a stern-wheeled paddle boat (the fabulous Dixie Belle by Analyse Dean), a rickety brow connecting her to an aged wharf where an old mill sits.

Across the water from the town, in the remaining two regions, things take a turn toward a more equatorial tropical feel, with the ground level of both regions styled into the undulating form of a surfer’s paradise. A rocky plateau, reached via the bridge mentioned above, provides a good vantage point as it looks eastwards over the sand and dunes, which in turn gradually narrow into a crooked finger curled around a bay into which white-capped waves roll.

NOLA @ Fairhaven

The uplands here are home to a lush area of trees, grass and plants, where an ancient ruins stands and a winding paths disappears through the trees. Touches of fantasy reside here, perhaps most notably in the form of the gondola held aloft by balloons, perhaps as much at home in the air as it might be on a river or canal. Further to the east, the beaches are naturally divided by trees and by raised board walks, with beach houses, shaded spots, lookout points and more scattered throughout.

Nor is this all; find the teleport boards (hard to miss out on the sands!) and you can be carried aloft to where the City of Fairhaven resides in the sky, another venue for music, exploration and photography. Here can be found an amusement park surrounded by trees, and what  – for me at least – is the biggest drive-in cinema screen I’ve come across in Second Life.

NOLA @ Fairhaven

As noted above, there is a lot going on across all three of these regions in terms of mesh, sculpties and textures, which can take its toll on a viewer’s performance (I had to disable shadows to walk comfortably, and even then, in places my viewer still had some issues). However, if you show patience and give things a chance, there is a lot worth seeing here.

Our thanks to Jus for the invitation to visit and explore.

NOLA @ Fairhaven

SLurl Details

• NOLA and Fairhaven (Stratography, Stratography West and Stratography East, all rated Adult)

 

Amrum – click any image for full size

In March, Shakespeare suggested we visit Amrum, a Homestead region designed by Sunrise Avalanche and Jacky Macpherson. Things being what they were at the time, it took us a couple of weekend to get there – but the visit proved more than worthwhile.

An adult-rated region, this is a place where D/s might be found – although from appearances any such activities are confined to the buildings within the region, so those wandering outside shouldn’t be confronted with more than the occasional flash of nudity. The About Land description is certainly inviting enough:

A peaceful place to relax, to sit on the shore, to meditate, to give space to the thoughts, to gallop on the beach, to listen to the waves. 

Amrum

In fact, such is the greeting, when returning to take photos, I opted to do just what it suggested: take my horse for a gallop along the beach!

And beach is very much the focus of this region, which presents itself as a low-lying sandy island against which the surf breaks and much of the sand is held in place by scrub grass and stunted trees. Given the German origins for the region, I imagined it might be a smaller island among the North Frisian Islands or perhaps the neighbouring Wadden Sea islands of Denmark.

Three buildings can be found on the uplands of the lands – low hills that march from north to south along the eastern side of the region to form a low spine. These buildings comprise two wooden cabins and a more substantial ranch-style single-storey house to the north. All three look across the western sands and beach, while behind them, the land drops quickly but gently to the eastern shore, a curving shoulder of rock sitting between the sea and the ranch-style house.

Amrum

With a sailing boat sitting just off-shore to the west, the entire island has the feel of being a holiday retreat for those who can reach it – although, as noted above, a more accurate description might be a private offshore community setting for like-minded individuals. Each of the buildings is delicately furnished, with – by-and-large few of the trappings that might be associated with a D/s / BDSM location; only the pictures on the walls offer a clear indication of the underlying theme.

Out on the beach there is a party / dance deck and numerous places to sit and cuddle while sheep and horses graze on the scrub grass and seagulls wheel overhead. There are a few items indoors and out that are gently floating off the floor or the deck and sand that can be a little disconcerting when first seen, but nothing that really spoils the overall look and feel of the setting.

Amrum

Photogenic under both the default windlight supplied as a part of the setting, or with also whatever you prefer to apply, Amrum is a simple, elegant setting welcoming to visitors and easy to explore and appreciate.

SLurl Details

• Amrum (Amazonia, rated: Adult)