Category: Exploring Second Life

It All Starts with a Smile, March 2014

When exploring, I often find myself re-visiting familiar regions. There are several reasons for this: they tend to change with the seasons; they are eye-catching; I like spending time sitting in them and keeping an eye on what is going on; they are often dramatically and beautifully remodelled and so on.

It All Starts with A Smile neatly encompasses all of these reasons as Kaelyn Alecto and Maxxster frequently refresh their region with a new look and style – so I tend to get pulled back there very frequently. In this case, however, there was another reason for my visit as well: the region is the subject of its very own photography contest, of which more anon.

It All Starts with a Smile, March 2014

One of the things I love about IASWAS is that when the region is remodelled, it is completely remodelled, offering lots that is new to see and experience while also retaining certain elements which link each rebuild to the last, giving a sense of history to the region.

Following a winter scene with windswept roads, cottages with snow-laden roofs and a small town square offering some shelter against the winter winds, the region is now basking in springtime. and with the change in season comes much to see.

Onyx Isle is now a very rural location. Yes, there is still a small collection of houses and buildings towards the centre of the region which exhibit a Mediterranean feel, with shuttered windows, bright colours, and sreets winding between them with places to sit and eat al fresco.

It All Starts with a Smile, March 2014

Follow the path down from the arrival point, and it will lead you out over the water, past assorted works of art and critters, to the IASWAS cafe, then on around the headland and past a dance floor before it finally returns you to dry land, where you can continue your explorations along a choice of routes. Throughout, there are places to sit and tarry, either on your own or with one or more friends, and enjoy the surroundings. Those who feel particularly active can take a rowing boat around the island while those looking for something a little more relaxing can sit a while and paint if they wish.

This is a place where you’ll want to keep your eyes peeled – there are a lot of subtle details which can be easily missed, not all of which are in plain sight. And for the photographer, there and lots of opportunities for landscape, wildlife and portrait picture-taking, which is just as well, given the aforementioned photo contest.

It All Starts with a Smile, March 2014

This is running from now through until the end of the month, and anyone is invited to join-in. Some L$10,000 on offer to the winner, with Dutchie, Essential Soul & XIAJ   providing store credit/gift cards. There are also second and third place prizes to the value of L$5,000 and L$3,000 apiece provided by Studio Skye. Entries are limited to three per avatar, and should be submitted to the competition Flickr group no later than March 30th. In addition, entrants should note:

• Pictures HAVE to be taken at It all starts with a smile, and past as well as present of the region are acceptable
• Pictures may include avatars and do not have to be landscape shots
• Post-processing is allowed, but not required – a good raw shot will have just as much chance to win
• Pictures should not contain any nudity.

The judges for the event are Alex Bader, Froukje Hoorenbeek, Steven Dean & superjaix.

Whether you opt to take part in the contest or not, if you’re looking to find early signs of spring in Second Life, It All Starts with A Smile is the place to visit.

It All Starts with a Smile, March 2014

Related Links

• It All Starts with a Smile SLurl (Rated: General)
• Flickr set

Caelestivm, Palau, March 2014

Caelestivm occupies the full region of Palau, and belongs to the Lockhart family (Erwin Lockhart, Lord of Caelstivm and Sathiam Lockhart, Lady of Caelestivm, whom I had the pleasure of meeting when visiting the region). It offers a mixture of “Medieval light RP (English, Francais, Deutsh, Dutch, Italiano) Fantasy, Celtic weddings, Riding, Jousting” and rental opportunities for those so interested (contact the Lord of Lady of the land for details). It’s a new undertaking, so new, I understand the official opening is scheduled for the weekend of the 22nd-23rd March.

And I have to say, it’s an interesting mix, one SL photographers and those looking for an special backdrop for a photo shoot may well find worth a visit (although again, if thinking on using Caelestivm for a photo shoot, please contact the Lord or Lady of the estate first!).

Caelestivm, Palau, March 2014

This is something of a region of two halves in some respects, although everything flows together to form a whole. On the one hand, there is a very period setting for the region – medieval times, as indicated by the About Land notes – with visitors arriving in a very atmospheric port area. The attention to detail here is immediately apparent. Do have local sounds turned on when you arrive in order to enjoy the atmosphere of the place and take your time looking around; there are some lovely touches, including a hint as to the fantasy nature of the region, out in the harbour…

Beyond the port town lies more rural countryside, in places wooded, in others open for grazing  or rutted by well-worn cart tracks. Watermills slosh the water of a broad river spanned by stone bridges, washing is set out to dry on the river bank, and in a cleared field lay the lists and berfrois for jousting tournaments.

Caelestivm, Palau, March 2014

Slightly further afield, the countryside rises and takes on a more fantasy feel to it. Trees houses (one of them under the tree it’s built against, rather than up in the branches) can be found here, while up on a high plateau sits the Lord and Lady’s grand manor house, with smaller buildings parched on the lower reaches of the plateau, wooden walks linking them and a bridge leading to an ancient stone circle, Celtic in origin, and which appears to be the site for wedding (and other?) ceremonies.

Ruins down in the woodlands below also add to both the fantasy element of the region and its historical setting, again drawing them together. Are they the remains of an old medieval structure – an abbey, perhaps? Or are they even older still, the remnants of an elder race? Elsewhere standing stones and what appear to be ancient statues hewn from living stone add further depth to the region’s mixed history.

Caelestivm, Palau, March 2014

At the time I visited, Lord Lockhart was still working on the layout and refining things – so it is possible that some of the details seen in some of my shots here and on Flickr may well have changed since my visits. However, the overall look and feel should be pretty much as shown here.

In terms of role-play, the emphasis is very much on “light”, as Lady Lockhart explained to me during my visit, “We don’t want a true RP with rules and hierarchy and story, we want to let people live as they want, so long  as they follow the dress code.” Certainly, there is more than enough here to encourage a range of role-play, and the overall design does mean that individual activities needn’t get in the way of one another.

Caelestivm, Palau, March 2014

Whether you’re looking for a venue for light RP with a medieval / Celtic / fantasy feel to it, or if you’re looking for a photogenic spot to visit, Caelestivm may be just the ticket. As noted above, the formal opening will be on the 22nd / 23rd March.

Related Links

• Caelestivm SLurl (Rated: Moderate)
• Flickr set

LennonParkOnTheRock, March 2014 – click any image for full size

I was fortunate enough to be tipped the wink about LennonParkOnTheRock, a full region held by Darth Kline, which he has developed into the most incredible parkland for visitors to enjoy.

Darth’s profile pick for the region reads:

A beautiful forested parcel in a private and exclusive Island. Lennon Park on the Rock is intended to be a sanctuary, the ideal place  for you to enjoy your second life.

My home and my place of solitude. come for a visit, stay a while.

LennonParkOnTheRock, March 2014

“Stay for a while.” That’s a wonderful invitation, and likely anyone visiting the region will want to do. Here is a place to wander, sit, relax, share time with a friend or two, explore or simply forget the worries of whichever world happen to be on your mind.

It’s very easy to slip into hyperbole when describing a region in Second Life, but this is one that really is visually stunning in design and execution, and packs a heck of a lot into it without ever feeling overcrowded or losing what is an entirely natural look and feel.

LennonParkOnTheRock, March 2014

From the arrival point alongside what appears to be a venue for live music, you can wander along the trails and paths around the region, from the diner up to the lookout tower on the plateau overlooking the region, or down to the coastal areas, waterways and the beach. Along the way, there’s a lot to discover and see, and more than enough to keep the SL photographer snapping away left and right.

The attention to detail here is fabulous, be it in the way the footpath, stone walls and the sim itself have been carefully blended to provide a lovely route up to what might be little holiday chalets overlooking the stone bridge leading to the lighthouse, or in the way the region has been given a feeling of use and history, through the inclusion of an old car wreck, a faded sign here and there and with some of the buildings looking is if they could use a little TLC.

LennonParkOnTheRock, March 2014

This is a place to be explored, rather than described; words alone cannot really do it justice. Not only is this because of the scenery or the fact that there are a fair few things to do around the region (including riding a number of rope slides for the daring), but also because there are little stories waiting in the various scenes which unfold as you explore, which demand stories of their own. Take the rusting wreckage of an old fighter plane lying half-submerged in a small lake, for example. Clearly there is a history to how it came to be there, but what is its tale? That’s for you to decide.

One thing to keep in mind should you visit is that the region has an adjoining homestead. While this enhances the look and feel of LennonParkOnTheRock by presenting a series of offshore islands, it also appears designed as a residential area, so do please be aware of people’s preference for privacy, just n case there are folk living there.

LennonParkOnTheRock, March 2014

I’ve little doubt this is a place to which I’ll be returning as time allows and for as long as it remains open to public enjoyment.

Thoroughly recommended.

Related Links

• LennonParkOnTheRock SLurl (Rated: Moderate)

The Lefevre Mansion, March 2014

I’ve been a huge fan of Kaya Angel’s work, and his Angel Manor has long been a favourite of mine; so when I read Quan Lavender’s post about a new build he has completed on behalf of his friend, Marcusgay Lefevre and the Lefevre family, it zapped to the top of my list of must see places.

And it is, in a word, magnificent.

The Lefevre Mansion, March 2014

The Lefevre Mansion and grounds occupy two regions, the mansion and the majority of its outbuildings sitting in a full region, and the adjoining homestead largely given over to gardens and open spaces.

The house itself is (obviously) much smaller than Angel Manor, but this doesn’t mean it is in any way lacking. If anything – and this is not a slight towards Angel Manor – the smaller size makes it somewhat more intimate and personal in feel; two essential elements for anywhere which is intended to function both as a public space and as a private residence.

The Lefevre Mansion, March 2014

There is definitely a feeling of visiting a landed estate when touring The Lefevre Mansion. Both regions are beautifully landscaped, and from the arrival point, the visitor travels past the estate’s art gallery (possibly a coach house complex converted for this purpose?), through the wrought iron gates bearing the estate’s name, and can then follow the drive into the estate, passing the bath house before turning up and round to the front of the house. Or, if you prefer, you can turn off the main drive before reaching the bath house, and cross a well-tended lawn to arrive at a reflecting pool overlooked by the grand facade of the back of the house.

Inside the house, the rooms are lavishly and beautifully appointed, and all focused on the grand ballroom. I confess to being quite in love with the library, and could happily spend hours in there, if only the books could be taken and read! When exploring, do keep in mind that many of the rooms on the upper floor are a part of the family’s private residence.

The Lefevre Mansion, March 2014

This is another build which is not so much seen as experienced; it’s not enough to simply wander around, each room deserves the time take o linger and absorb the ambience; camming needs to be done with care or some detail might be easily missed. Great use is made of baked and scripted light effects, and ALM should be enabled, as there are touches of materials to be found around the house and in the grounds which add further depth to the overall look and feel.

The Lefevre Mansion, March 2014

When you’ve finished admiring the magnificent stately home, why not hop on the teleporter near the main entrance and see what might be going on up at the Partycular Theatre, which also has a home in the region.

Highly recommended.

Related Links

• The Lefevre Mansion SLurl (Rated: Moderate)
• The Lefevre Mansio website