Category: Exploring Second Life

October is starting to rise over the year’s horizon, bringing with it – inevitably – thoughts of Halloween, pumpkins and all the associated shenanigans associated with this time of year. I think I’ve mentioned before that I’m not a particular fan of the modern hullabaloo around Halloween, but within Second Life it can sometimes be rewarding exploring suitably themed region designs that opt to offer offer something a little different from the usual fare.

One such place is Critterflop Hallowpop, the latest iteration of Alpha Auer’s Alphatribe Island.

Following somewhat is the tradition of Quirklewick Hollow (see my piece here for more) and Gingerbread and the Woodies (again, see my piece here for more), Critterflop takes a jump into a critter-led celebration of all things seen as Halloween related – broomsticks, pointy hats, pies, and more – coupled with a further engaging science fiction-ish twist.

As with the two designs mentioned above, Critterflop Hallowpop focuses on a village setting, one which seems to meander across a misty landscape and between autumnal trees gathered into groves close enough to one another to form a loose woodland. But as this is Alpha, the homes and houses in this village are far from ordinary: their styles are an engaging combination of ideas and looks.

Black roofs rise to points or curves, their looks distinctly hat-like over and around white walls withing which the placement of windows and doors can suggest the idea of a face here and there. In addition, the shapes of some houses are almost organic and / or suggestive of familiar objects – a sailing boat here, a coffee pot lacking its spout there (or perhaps a lighthouse tower with a hat replacing its lantern room), a pumpkin with its oversized stalk draped by a large hat, and so on. One even sits on four sturdy legs with a beak and eyes at one end and a tail at the other, looking like a living creature, the living space with familiar door and windows forming the creature’s body.

On, in, and around these are the village’s inhabitants – cats, crows, bats, rag dolls, a sorcerer, and raccoons. They all share the space with more curious characters. Some of these appear to be little aliens coming for a visit, others – the bird-like cats, for example – suggest some of the locals either have ingenious Halloween costumes or have been tinkering with magic.

Not that any actual dark mischief is going on here; the locals are having too much fun for that. The raccoons, for example, appear to particularly enjoy baking pies. Wander through the woodlands and you’ll find a group of them showing off their baking skills whilst sitting on giant pies. Elsewhere, in a clearing, more raccoons are demonstrating their broomstick riding skills as they circle a bonfire, watched by an appreciative audience of other racoons together with rag dolls.

All of the critters to be found within the village are available for sale and come as huggies. A market stall featuring all of them, together with framed paintings, can be found to the north-east of the setting. Just across from it is a further store area, again offer the current critters together with those from previous builds, together with her superb sculptures and unique flora.

As ever with Alpha’s designs, Critterflop Hallowpop is charming in its engagement, and photogenic in its uniqueness and detail. On arrival, I strongly recommend locating the information giver close by the Landing Point. This will deliver a folder of information and bits – notably an introduction to the setting with ideas for enhancing your visit, and some notes on best viewing.

In short with the latter, please using the local Shared Environment for lighting; if you can, enable shadows and local lighting and push your draw distance as high as s comfortable for your system’s performance). Also included in the folder is a rezzable pack of complimentary poseballs for people to use it they wish (rezzing is open within the region, with a 120-minute return time – but do please pick up anything you might rez out).

But above all, do visit Critterflop Hallowpop and have fun

SLurl Details

• Critterflop Hallowpop (Alphatribe Island, rated Moderate)

In July 2024, I visited Ai-mura, a Japanese-themed sky platform designed by ラパ (Rapa Tone), and occupying roughly a quarter of a Full region in area. At the time, I found the setting engaging and photogenic (see Ai-Mura – a Love Project in Second Life), although it has since closed.

More recently, towards the end of August 2025, I received an invitation from Grayson Ducrot to visit Oyasumi, Rapa’s latest design which, like Ai-mura, is operated under Rapa’s melodic.one Group. Now, to be honest, I had planned to visit Oyasumi a lot sooner after receiving Grayson’s invitation than this; but things being what they’ve been, it took a little longer to get to it than I’d hoped – so my apologies to Grayson and to Rapa for this.

As with Ai-mura, Oyasumi occupies a Full region using the Land Capacity bonus for such regions. However, unlike Ai Mura, Oyasumi occupies the entire ground level area of the region on which it sits. This has allowed Rapa to expand on the design I first witnessed at Ai-mura, folding into it  a couple of small islands to the east of the region, one of which had restricted access and so I treated as off-limits to exploration.

The second of these islands didn’t have an obvious statement of privacy as restricted access, but did appear to be intentionally separated from the rest of the region’s primary land mass by a rocky curtain with no obvious means of navigation to it. As such, rather than risk trespassing on a private area, I kept clear of it.

It is also on the east side of main landmass that the setting’s Landing Point resides, right alongside a little tramway and its terminus platform. This gives the setting a feeling that one has just arrived on one of the trams, which is itself the first of several carry-overs from Ai-mura I found added a further level of attractiveness to Oyasumi.

Another such carry-over lay further south, but still on the eastern side of the region, where coastal decks and a pontoon of buildings and boat moorings, is home to a community of Maru Kado cats by u10 nitta (shiro0822), some of whom had also featured at Ai-mura within their own little village.

The presence of the trams and track, together with the cats and the general ruggedness within Oyasumi mark it clearly as Ai-mura’s spiritual descendant – but this is not to say it is merely an expanded copy; this is a place with a character all its own and its own beauty waiting to be discovered.

An example of this can be found towards the middle of the west side of the main landmass. Here, fed by a broad waterfall, is a pool of water forming an oval open-air osen.

This is actually one of the setting’s two music venues – Rapa herself being a Second Life DJ. It’s a genuinely delightful setting, the DJ stand sitting below the waterfalls, cushions set out atop the basalt columns scattered around the water’s edge for people listening to the music (or watch the local capybara!). A viewing platform on the far side of the water  offers a little hideaway, whilst the bridge passing over the water offers further sitting suspended (or floating!) below it.

The bridge is part of a footpath leading around the land from the Landing point. Illuminated by chochin lanterns, this offers the best way to discover all of the setting’s secrets and points of interests as it winds its way past little shops, and a café, climbing and descending stone steps to pass around the setting’s other live event space in a wide meadow, and from there on down to the broad wooden bridge.

Across the bridge, the path continues on past a little bath-house and shrine before offering steps up to another, larger shrine and passage across a small field to the little neko setting mentioned above.

All of this is set within a lush landscape of trees, water features, places to sit, and lots of little touches which collectively add depth to the setting throughout. Some of the latter – like the small-town supermarket – might be a little unexpected in such a largely rural setting, but it doesn’t look in any way out-of-place.

In all, a rich and photogenic location, a place music lovers and explorers alike cannot help but appreciate; my thanks to Grayson for the suggestion to visit.

SLurl Details

• Oyasumi (rated Moderate)

In the year 2097 an unmanned deep space probe sends startling new photos back to NASA. In them a giant inscribed monolith amidst an asteroid cluster is recorded. Years later a base is established to study this discovery. And learn what it means.

– The Grauland Cluster About Land description

For anyone with a love of good science fiction, the above description is likely going to spark thoughts of Stanley Kubrick’s “perennial good science fiction movie”, 2001: A Space Odyssey, simply because of the reference to a mysterious monolith found in space. Certainly, it was enough to pique my interest on arriving to see JimGarand’s latest Grauland build, The Grauland Cluster.

A further 2001 bell might be rung when looking outside the Landing Point: the setting is that of a large crater, one which might bring to mind thoughts of the Moon’s Tycho crater and Dr. Heywood Floyd’s visit. However, this crater appears to be on an asteroid, and the monolith in question is anything but black and featureless (or buried on the Moon / in orbit around Jupiter (or Saturn, if you prefer Arthur C. Clarke’s equally excellent novel of the story)).

Nor should anyone consider from the above that Jim’s latest build is purely a riff on Kubrick’s film (or Clarke’s novel) – it’s not. What we do have is an engaging future setting into which much has been woven, with a focus on a massive facility within the asteroid base – as per the description above.

Reached via the teleport disk within the crater facility, this asteroid station is impressive. Built using elements from the excellent sci-fi range of kits and build elements by Beth Delaunay (Isilmeriel) – and which are doubtless familiar to many with an interest in science fiction in SL – together with elements from ‘frit (Ifrit Skytower) and scratch-built / kitbashed sections.

Attached to a number of small asteroids (which themselves have been hollowed out, making them interesting points for exploration), the base is extensive with multiple docking facilities, including one for large freighters.

The base is obviously intended for long-term occupancy by a potentially large crew (at least going on the cafeteria / canteen / mess hall), with a large gym and multiple recreation facilities available. The layout suggests that it incorporates artificial gravity and is equipped for self-defence – although from what is up to the imagination.

The monolith is free-floating outside of the station, a roadway / walkway running out to it from two of the station’s airlocks. Glowing symbols and geometric forms hover just above its hewn surface, although what they mean is again up to the imagination. Again, as a totally random thought, I looked at it as perhaps some form of Voyager-style interstellar message – or perhaps a Rosetta Stone in waiting, if you will.

Other little touches I liked within the setting include the current time frame NASA-esque EVA and the novel (given the distance between the Sun and the asteroid belt) use of solar panels. Both of these give the setting a little bit of an anachronistic twist when compared to things like the futuristic space vehicles, the apparent presence of artificial gravity of some form and the advanced hydroponics facilities.

These juxtapositions cleverly avoid pinning the setting down to any particular time frame outside of the About Land description, but the presence of current technology (including in the gym and recreation areas) helps cement the station in the imagination as a human construct. I particularly liked the images being cycled on the large screens of the command centre, one of which appears to be a take on a vessel using the (in)famous Alcubierre drive. I don’t know if this was intentionally selected – but for me, it added another little cause to smile.

Because so much is left open within the setting, it naturally lends itself to casual RP for those so-minded; perhaps even something on the sinister side, given the aforementioned external gun mounts and the “big Brother” array of screens within the command centre which appears to be keeping an eye on everything within the station…

But even without any notions of RP, The Grauland Cluster is – as with all of Jim’s builds – visually impressive and very photogenic. In all a delightfully crafted and presented build.

SLurl Details

• The Grauland Cluster (Liberia Isle, rated Adult)

It’s no secret that I have an island home within Second Norway; I’ve written about the estate on numerous occasions in these pages, both pre- and post my move to it. Some of these posts covered the estate’s near-closure and subsequent recovery while others have highlighted some of the public spaces to be found within Second Norway. It is in reference to the second category of Second Norway that this little piece belongs.

At the end of August 2025, I received a message from Gian (GiaArt Clip), a region designer whose work I’ve also covered on multiple occasions in these pages, informing me about their latest project – the overhauling of what might be regarded as the “gateway” to Second Norway when approaching it along the water corridor from Blake Sea: Bryggen.

The region is named for the eastern side of Vågen harbour in Bergen, Norway, once part of the centre for Hanseatic League commercial activities in that country (Bryggen meaning “the dock”, and also being known as Tyskebryggen – “the German dock”). It is particularly famous for its  Hanseatic heritage commercial buildings, marking it as a natural tourist attraction as well as being a listed UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979. In respect of this, Bryggen in Second Life has long offered a reproduction of those famous houses on its waterfront.

Under Gian’s reworking of the region, reproductions of these famous building have been retained. They straddle a waterway running west-to-east through the region, those on the north side of this waterway forming a double row of properties, most (all?) of which appear available for rent, the gay colours of the front row lining a pedestrian waterfront much like those so often photographed in the real Bryggen also do so).

The units on the southern side of the waterway are a little more constrained in terms of space, being partnered with a part of Second Norway’s road system – notably the local bus station / terminus, which sits behind the local working docks and Get the Freight Out hub and fish market. Movement between these two waterfront areas is facilitated by the broad pedestrian / road/rail bridge spanning the waterway. All of the brightly-painted Hanseatic style units are occupied by local businesses, adding more colour and life to the setting.

As well as the Hanseatic buildings, Bryggen in Second Norway was also home to a distinctive stave church. At one time in Bryggen’s history, this stood on a rugged headland overlooking the main channel leading into the estate from Blake Sea. With Gian’s remodelling, the church has been retained, but it has been relocated into an expanded recreation of a Viking settlement.

The village is located on a rocky plateau in the south-east quadrant of the region. Here it overlooks the southern precinct of Hanseatic commercial buildings. Cut through by a road tunnel, the plateau for the village sits at the same elevation as a large neighbouring commercial / business district in the north-east side of the region. However, the two are separated by a narrow gorge – home to the Bryggen central rail station – which appears to leave the village isolated on its plateau.

Solving the mystery of accessing the village is a matter of taking the footbridge over the rail station from the bus terminus (itself alongside the landing point), then following the cobbled footpath along the edge of the gorge towards the local courthouse. Here visitors will find a sign directing them down to a grassy path leading to the main entrance to the village.

The business district itself is home to a range of properties, including the courthouse mentioned above, the local hotel and pub and the local nightclub – Club 25, which will be (at the time of writing) hosting DJ Noir from 00:00 SLT on September 19th, 2025.

It should be noted that there are a couple of private residences within the setting – notably in the north-west corner, on the far side of the bridge relative to the double rows of Hanseatic units on that side of the waterway, and also on the raised headland sitting above the Viking village. Other than these, I think the rest of Bryggen is open to exploration, and has plenty of detail and touches in order to make it an interesting and attractive backdrop for photography.

Overall, this reworking of Bryggen brings a real sense of life to the region and offers an engaging visit. My thanks to Gian for the invitation to drop in and explore, and my apologies for taking a little time to get to the point of writing it up.

SLurl Details

• Bryggen (rated: Moderate)

Back in July, I visited Lost Place of Norbu, a marvellous sub-tropical Homestead region design by Miri (SilentChloe). It was a place I found more than lived up to its the English version of its name (“jewel”), as I noted in Lost Place of Norbu: a sub-tropical jewel in Second Life.

More recently, I came across Cold Moon in the Destination Guide and saw it carried a Japanese theme – something which immediately caught my attention and causing me to add it to my list of places to visit. When hopped over to grab a landmark and saw the designer was Miri, I knew I’d be in for something special, as would anyone else paying the setting a visit, and decided to go ahead and write about it immediately.

As with Lost Place of Norbu, this is setting with an Adult rating, and which does include items which can be used for adult and BDSM activities. However, and again like Lost Place, these items are cleverly placed and designed to blend in with the overall design of the setting, and when not in use appear to be part of the overall décor, blending with the rest of the setting.

Cold Moon is a small island surrounded by the ocean. Discover the wild nature and enjoy the sound of the sea and the whistling wind. Enjoy your stay in this beautiful and mysterious place. This place is dedicated to Japanese pearl divers.

– from the Destination Guide entry for Cold Moon

The Landing Point is located on the southern and largest of the five islands making up the setting. Low-lying, somewhat rugged in nature, a fair portion of this island is itself flat, rain-swept rock, the water suggesting it has been subject to a recent downpour. An open-sided pavilion overlooks the Landing Point and provides one of several places to be found throughout the region where visitors might sit and pass the time.

Facing the pavilion from across the puddle rock is dedication to Japanese pearl divers in the form of the story of Lady Tamatori (Tamatori hime), the “jewel-taking princess” and legendary Ama (pearl diver). Just touch the dedication to receive a notecard to read her story.

Close to this dedication board, a path winds down to a long bridge spanning the waters to the second largest island. This is marked by high cliffs over which water tumbles and large statues. The low-lying part of this island offers a further place to sit and a shrine to a fallen warrior.  Stepping stones also reach out over the shallow waters to one of the smaller islands in the group, this one dominated by another structure offering a further retreat in which to pass the time.

The remaining two islands lie between to two large islands and tucked into the south-west corner of the region respectively. The former is home to statues of a samurai and a geisha, whilst the latter is a rocky sentinel watching over a nearby floating bar and boat dock.

All of the above is little more than a physical description of the setting; what is harder to convey with words is the overall beauty waiting to be found in Cold Moon.

As with Lost Place of Norbu, this is a setting brought to life be the level of detail Miri has brought to it, from the birds and waterfowl, through the plants and trees to the décor and furnishings found within the various buildings and across the islands. On the water are little boats and a raft carrying with it the suggestion someone might be pearl diving), together with floating lanterns, the latter offer a sense of romance as they sit on the water around the statues of the geisha and samurai on their little isle.

All of this is captured under an ideal environment setting which brings both an edge of fantasy / mystery to the setting and a hint of autumnal days. Combine this with the sense of tranquillity within the setting, and Cold Moon makes for a genuinely engaging visit.

SLurl Details

• Cool Moon (Ruby Rigid, rated Adult)