Category: Exploring Second Life

Shawn Shakespeare recently pointed me towards Lavender Bay, a Homestead region designed by Clifton Howlett, working with Camilla Lupono.

Cliff is formerly one of the creative hands that brought us the likes of Hidden Lake (more here), Hidden Bottle (which I wrote about here and here)  and the celebrations of the Zamonia series of books by German comic creator and author, Walter Moers, The Empire of Dreaming Books (see here and here for more). Given this heritage, I was keen to see what might be found at Lavender Bay.

Perhaps the easiest way to convey the setting is is quote from the About Land description / introductory note card available at the Lavender Bay Landing Point:

Welcome to Lavender Bay.

A SIM inspired by the Italian Tuscany. Make yourself at home and find your new favourite photo spot.

– From the introductory note card for Lavender Bay

From this, it’s easy to guess that Lavender Bay is a place that is easy on the eye and engaging to the camera lens.

Located on the west side of the region on a small sandy headland, the landing point provides a keen senses of the region’s core theme – as a place of relaxation : several places to sit and takes things easy lay within in a few short paces away. Also close by is a boardwalk that climbs over the rocky south extent of the the headland and the bridge spanning a narrow gorge separating the headland from the rest of the region.

The main part of the region offers exactly what its name suggests: a richness of lavender;  some of which is being cultivated within a large field rolling away from a hilltop farm villa, some of which is growing wild lavender which climbs the remaining hills of the island, mixing its colours with wild flowers.

The easiest way to explore the region is to take the track that winds up to the villa from the bridge, and the path running down the hill from the villa, paralleling the lavender field before climbing the hill to the ruins of what might have once been the original farmhouse, from whence an old, broken cobbled path climbs the tallest hill on the island to the local windmill.

Throughout all of this there is much to see, all of which is easy on the eye and presents multiple places to sit, relax and appreciate the region’s natural looks and beauty – and one or two places that offer the more unusual ways to sit (keep an eye out for the wooden chair being held aloft just off the coast by a single balloon.

Finished with a subtle soundscape, Lavender Bay is another place that requires little in the way of description and it speaks loudly for itself – so do be sure to hop over and appreciate it first-hand.

SLurl Details

• Lavender Bay (MissLaura, rated: Adult)

Now open once more in Second Life is Storybook, held and designed by Natalie Starlight and Nessa Nova. It is a setting, alongside of their Lost Unicorn I have long loved because I have always found both to be personally appealing with each visit I’ve made over the years, and because they are so visually rich and imaginative. Hence the multiple appearances of both within these pages, together with the Lost Unicorn Gallery.

The region started life in 2018 as Storybook Forest, and was immediately captivating in the manner in which it embraced the universe of fairy tales (as I wrote about in September 2018); and it set its tone with a quote that perfectly defined all that awaited visitors as they set out to explore its many paths:

If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be very intelligent, read them more fairy tales.

– Albert Einstein

After also two years of continuous life, Storybook endured a brief closure in mid-2020 before re-emerging in a new form a few months later, only to remain conspicuous by its absence when Lost Unicorn itself was rebuilt and re-opened in March 2022. I was therefore overjoyed to receive a personal invitation from Nessa to drop in and see the new Storybook design as it was being prepared for its official Grand (Re)-Opening.

It took a while to rebuild Storybook after our two previous versions, but we promise you it’s better than ever! All your favourite fairy tales are represented in a gorgeous forest. Picture perfect spots around every corner, loads to explore, both on land and underwater. Come prepared to take pictures, we will be introducing a Photo Contest as well!

– Nessa Nova in her invitation to visit the new Storybook

Sharing its Full Region home with the Lost Unicorn Gallery – which, in celebration of its Grand Opening is playing host to a special exhibition of art by Jeanette StellaMarina (LoredanaStMa) within its first floor display area – Storybook is a rich re-imagining of the original, brining back many of the popular fairy tale vignettes from that 2018 and 2020 builds, as well as ordering new touches of its own.

The landing point is located on an octagonal terrace sitting at the foot of the grand staircase leading up the great halls of the Lost Unicorn Gallery. The latter is located on its own island around which the rest of the region curls protective arms, a broad bridge spanning the waters between the gallery and the land,  connecting the landing point (which can also be used to host open-air events) with a town square those who remember the original Storybook will likely find familiar.

Here the shops are packed with detail, and the townsfolk are invariably cuddly – although as most are going about their daily business, permission might best besought before any grabbing and cuddling goes on! The town is also where details of the Grand Opening photo contest can be obtained by those wishing to participate, whilst Mary Poppins keep an eye on things from overhead.

Within the wider setting are paths and trails leading to little scenes some might find familiar – such as a certain Tea Party or a rowing boat occupied by an infamous one-handed Captain (and followed by a certain crocodile, clock held in its jaws!). Elsewhere visitors might come across Hansel and Gretel or Little Red Riding Hood (looking oddly friendly with the BIG wolf), or Cinderella, the Queen of Hearts, Sleeping Beauty, the Darling Family, Snow White (in repose and surrounded by friends) and more.

Also awaiting discovery is the storybook circle, where visitors can relax around a campfire and enjoy a good book or two  – although not necessarily by reading them! Not far away, within a little cove, people can also enjoy a ride on a whale’s back, or drop under water to a little mer-retreat – one of several under the waves, and which are connected one to the next along the channels that run through the region and also separate it from Lost Unicorn to the north.

When exploring, do keep an eye out for the interactive elements. Not just the places to sit – mouseover objects carefully, as you never know where you might find a waiting pose, be it peeking around a line of giant books or floating serenely above an oyster under the sea, or something else. Travel far enough, and you might get to find yourself on a yellow brick road or have the opportunity to “borrow” Prince Charming’s horse.

And also in your explorations, keep an eye out for the signage along the way, as many will provide you with a wealth of information on the tales by which they reside – information which may be familiar, but which also may make for new reading for you are not familiar with the full richness of European folk tales.

Obviously, given all that has been packed within the region, some viewer adjustments might be necessary (I personally switched my viewer down to a draw distance of 70 metres – given the forested nature of the region, this lost me little in the way of the detail but did help me boost FPS quite comfortably), and some things might require a little time for their textures to render. But these are minor points of niggle, easily put aside in the face of the sheer beauty and charm of the setting.

Once again completed with its own EEP settings and bearing a custom sounds cape, Storybook is a place heart both young and old can visit and appreciate, and find much that will being a smile to the lips and  – perhaps – a song or two to mind!

SLurl Details

• Storybook (Lost Unicorn Gallery, rated Moderate)

As many doubtless already know, thanks to the work of other bloggers and also Lab Gab, NatureCon is currently underway within Second Life, and runs through until August 31st. Despite being offered the opportunity to preview it – my apologises to the organisers – the week ahead of the event opening was a little chaotic for me (hence the slow-down in general blogging), and I was unable to accept the offer. As the opening weekend in the regions was also super busy, I decided to hold off blogging until slightly quieter times allowed for more relaxed exploration.

NatureCon’s mission is to inspire connections between related SL communities and organizations from Bellisseria and the Mainland through a shared love of exploration and expressions of nature in SL.

In celebration of creative natural spaces and the folk who share them, NatureCon 2022 aims to unite Mainland’s and Bellisseria’s natural spaces and share a love of travel with the greater SL community.

– from the NatureCon 2022 Guide

The event is located within two Full regions on the southern tip of Sansara and connects to the open waters that offer passage to and from Bellisseria. As such, the event can be reached via direct teleport, by water from Bellisseria, by road from anywhere in Sansara or by air from the grid as a whole via the Gateway International Airport.

Between them, the two regions offer much to see and do, and features both groups and individuals from across Second Life, some of who I’ve been only too happy to cover in these pages – such as the Zany Zen Railway (see: Letting off steam with Zany Zen Railway in Second Life), one of the Great Little Railways of Second Life (alongside of Dreamshire Village – see here, and the Valkyrie Light Transport Railroad – see here, both of which are represented through advertising in the regions), and the Nature Collective by Emm (Emmalee Evergarden), which I wrote about in July 2022.

Within the inland areas are trails and boardwalks to be followed (and climbed or descended!), which provide access to the various stages of live events, info and activity areas, allowing visitors to go horse riding, ride zip lines, try their hand at rope climbing or hang-gliding, and so on – and even tickle a volcano into an eruption(!). Down along the coast meanwhile are beaches, opportunities to mess about on (or in and under!) the water, the chance to catch the ferry to Bellisseria, and a special info centre by the SL Coast Guard.

As a celebration of Nature, there are multiple exhibits focused on the diversity of life on this planet, with a special habitat by the BB, a bird observatory, Emm’s aforementioned Nature Collective, undersea seas which include links to external  resources on ocean and aquatic life conservation, and information boards a-plenty found throughout the regions, offering visitor plenty of opportunities to learn more about nature, conservation, and about communities across Second Life. In all, the event has involved the collaboration of some 60 people, including the Moles of the LDPW, and Mainland communities such as Bay City, and famous Mainland sites such as Mount Campion (see here and here for more) as well as those already mentioned.

From the main info hubs, visitors are free to wander as they will; the trails and boardwalks offer the most direct means of getting around, but people can also avail themselves of the ChedderWorx Railway and any one of the many horse rezzers scattered around the landscape and hills – or can wear their own horse, as I did whilst exploring the greater part of the regions.  Those who enjoy a hunt will also be rewarded by a visit, thanks to the NatureCon 2022 Artist Hunt – details via the posters at the two landing points. Art is also well represented through the event regions, with displays to be found under canopies of tall trees, along some of the trails and within places such as the Park Office.

Given all that is going on, a visit can put something of a strain on a visitor’s computer, so do be prepared to make some adjustments to your settings if you encounter issues – lowering draw distance may limit your view, but if it means you’re able to explore with greater ease, it’s worthwhile doing so. Also, for a fully immersive experience, do be sure to have local sounds enabled.

It’s clear that considerable thought has gone into NatureCon 2022; so much so that drawing attention to personal niggles might seem a little unfair. However, whilst wandering, both Imp and I couldn’t help but feel while undoubtedly useful in some places, the boardwalks within the setting were in others a trifle over-used; this is a nature reserve after all, so why c;lutter so much of the landscape with (what felt like in places to be acres of) wooden planking? And while not exclusively affiliated with the Mainland, given their love of all things aquatic and for undersea life and nature, it would have been nice to visit the (otherwise bland) Mermaid’s Grotto and find information on Second Life’s mer communities.

But niggles aside, NatureCon 2022 is an obvious labour of love from all concerned, and well worth a visit. Details of facilities and events are in the images supplied here, simply click on any one of them for the full size, if required.

SLurl Details

NatureCon 2022 is rated Moderate.

• NatureCon 2022 – Ruthenium landing point
• NatureCon 2022 – Osmium landing point

 

 

Update, August 28th: well, as is so often the way with Hera’s builds, Phaedra / Drune has already gone from Second Life. 

Hera (zee9) is back with a new build that brings together multiple themes and inspirations to present an little bit of everything for lovers of science-fiction, science-fantasy, major motion picture franchises, Greek mythology and Hera’s own builds.

Phaedra / Druune (yes, the extra “u” in “Druune” is intentional, possibly to set this design apart from Hera’s past Drune builds) apparently takes as it core founding the HBO Max series Raised by Wolves  – at least in terms of encouraging Hera to work on a science-fantasy environment; this is a wholly unique setting, one not intended to directly reflect that series.

The About Land description states the core of the setting is the moon Phaedra, a satellite of the planet Pasiphae. In this we have the nod to Greek mythology, Phaedra being Pasiphae’s daughter. In this the naming is perfectly reflective of the relationship between planet and moon, for the latter are often “born” from the remnants of the former.

Visits to the setting start aboard the spacer Erebus orbiting the moon, its teleporters ready to transfer passengers to the moon’s principal city, The landing point aboard the ship offers enough information to get people to the teleporters, together with a a backstory to the setting that comes as recommended reading; however, it would be remiss not to point out that spending a little time exploring said vessel is also worthwhile, as it has its own detailing – and an opportunity to partake a little extravehicular activity.

On reaching the moon, those familiar with Hera’s work will recognise the core build, drawing as it does on her Shadezar builds (see: Sharing in Hera’s dreams and visions in Second Life (August 2021) and Majilis al Jinn and a return in Second Life (November 2021). However, as Hera states in her introductory notes, this is no simple revisit; she has put considerable effort into this design, including new textures and a lot of elements which both encourage exploration and also pay homage to popular science-fantasy of the last several decades.

I’m not going to go into a blow-by-blow description of all of the latter in this piece – I’ll leave it to you to read the backstory to get a general feel for things and then explore for yourself – discovery is always best when first-hand, after all! What I will say is that the story offers a great means to get the imagination rolling, and there are more that enough touches throughout – as noted above – to keep the science fantasy aficionado more than happy.

Perhaps the greatest of these are the echoes of the Star Wars universe from both large and small screen. The city is mindful of the desert cities of Tatooine, the streets ancient in form but littered with tech: structures like vaporators are to be found throughout; hover tractors are ready to manhandle freight, terminals are bolted onto ancient stone walls, droids act as servitors, and speeders mindful of those seen in the series are parked outside places of business.

Reference to a more recent chapter in the franchise can be found just outside the main city walls. Here, protected by massive rail guns sitting on high towers, a landing zone is occupied by a vessel bearing a remarkable resemblance to a ST-70 class Razor Crest M-111 Assault Ship as used by a certain Mandalorian (at least until its unfortunate destruction). A fuelling station to one side of the landing area carries a reminder of a more hard-edged sci-fi series (both books and TV), bearing as it does the name Rocinante.

Elsewhere, it is possible to find shades of Crichton’s and Spielberg’s Jurassic Park which, while not a direct homage – Hera explains her reasoning well enough in her introductory notes – is nevertheless is hard to miss (and you’ll have to find the caves under the city to discover all of the dinosaurs!).

But this is far from all; also present within the build are Hera’s own welcome touches: the familiar presence of a bar / club – one that draws on a number of influences from science-fantasy and Hera’s own builds; offices, shops, a massage parlour, subtle touches in some of the signage (Rossum’s Universal Robot Repairs, anyone?), and echoes of the more mystical, tucked into the Temple of Druuna.

Finished with a sound scape and utilising an EEP setting I strongly recommend using, and clearly a very busy place given the fighter craft patrolling and space ships passing overhead, Phaedra / Druune is packed with a lot of detail outdoors and indoors, and is altogether another excellent build from Hera – so be sure to grab a visit while it’s available!

SLurl Details

• Phaedra / Druune (Cloud Lake, rated Adult)

Valarie (Zalindah) recently invited me to visit the current iteration of Raion No Su, a homestead region design she has produced alongside of the Knick Knacks store, owned and operated by Natacha Haroldsen.

I’ve covered a number of Valerie’s region designs in this blog and I’ve always enjoyed the fusion of Asian, oriental and fantasy she brings to her designs – and Raion No Su is no exception. However, rather than having a specific theme to this build, Zalindah has brought together a setting of separate and yet conjoined vignettes, each featuring a certain animal motif.

The Knick Knacks store sits tucked into the south-east corner of the region, along with the main landing point. Occupying stepped ruins, the store fits in with the overall styling of the region, and is separated from Raion No Su by a long over-the-water boardwalk running westwards to a chain-like spread of land that almost breaks into a series of islands. This sensibly allows the store and the rest of the region to remain apart so that tourists don’t get in the way of shoppers and vice-versa.

The end of the boardwalk comes in two parts: a short walk to a Japanese-style gazebo also sitting over the water, and the second to the foot of a steep slope rising from the water.

Torii gates march up the side of a hill, guarding the steps rising from the end of the boardwalk, the gates themselves guarded by stone cats. The top of this hill offers the first of multiple places spread across the setting to sit and relax and have fun. Beyond it, the land falls away back towards the waters below, offering a broad meadow, a narrow channel separating it from the rest of the landscape.

Reached via a brightly-painted bridge, the lowlands continue onwards before rising to the top of a long spine of north-pointing rock along which a tree-shaded path runs. Close to the northern end of this path, a bridge branches away to cross a steep-sided gully to a thumb of rock almost sitting as an island in its own right. Beyond the bridge the path slopes gently down before switch-backing its way back up to a high, flat-topped promontory marked by a wide beach on its western side.

All of which barely describes the beauty of the setting. Throughout all of it are the aforementioned places to sit – ranging the benches to swings to little shaded sheds, rafts and even giant plushies; flowers bring sweeping blankets of colour or stand as beacons of reds and violets and blossom to mark the paths that await people’s footfall, and which rise from the waters as gardens of colour.

Also to be found through the setting and helping to bring it marvellously to life – frequently in the most fantastical and mythological of ways – are the animals and creatures which act as the aforementioned motfis for the different vignettes. From skull-headed foxes to sea-worms to great dragons to Krin, many of these creatures draw on Japanese influences, and they share the setting with cats, birds, rabbits, stag, orca, wolves and even an albino lion.

Nor does it end there; Valerie has added a huge amount of subtle detail to the region as well, much of which can be easily missed by the hurrying eye, but which also doesn’t strain the viewer overly much providing a little sensible care is taken with settings.

Finished with an engaging soundscape, photogenic under a broad range of EEP settings, this iteration of Raion No Su makes for a rewarding visit. However, if you do want to catch it, then you’d better hop along in the next couple of weeks – I understand from Valerie that she’ll be changing things towards the end of the month.

My thanks to Valerie for the personal invitation!

SLurl Details

• Raion No Su (Silent River, rated: Moderate)