Category: Exploring Second Life

The last time I visited a region design by Claudia (claudia74a Orsini) was almost five years ago, when I explored ~Neive~, a charming Homestead design (see: Visiting ~Neive~ in Second Life). So when I received a landmark to visit her current design, it struck me as a place I should go and poke my nose into – and I’m glad I did.

Also occupying a Homestead region, Making Memories offers a setting of multiple parts that roll together to form a whole worthy of exploration.

To the south there’s a waterfront area with a paved footpath and road curling around the edge of the island, backed by promenades of brightly-coloured façades suggestive of a holiday town. West of this, and facing high off-region mountains across a water channel, sits a beach that flamingos have claimed as their own, backed in part by a small motel before cliffs rise from the grass and march northwards beyond the end of the sands.

These cliffs rise to form the island’s main peak, topped by a fortified tower / house that has a hint of medieval France about it. Rising above the surrounding trees, this house sits a little roughly on the hill’s crown and is fronted by a waterfall, all of which makes reaching it near-impossible – but visiting it is not the point; it sits as a backdrop to the setting’s east side landscaping.

It is here, on the island’s lowlands, that there is the most to be found. A pastoral setting of farmhouses, meadows, a stream with a quaint bridge spanning it to carry the local (foot) traffic, and more, it is where both the landing point can be found and the attention to detail is the greatest, offering plenty of opportunities for photography.

A short walk from the landing point sits the main farmhouse:  a large single-stories, singled room structure that has a balcony along two sides and a cosy, homely interior design ready to welcome visitors. South of this over the bridge sits a barn which has been converted into an equally cosy summer house. A games room / bar occupies its upper floor – although given one side is open to the elements, an excess of imbibing wine might be best avoided!

Between and around the house and barn is much more to be appreciated, enjoyed and photographed: animals in the meadows, seating around a fountain, a romantic wishing well, tea for two next to an old ruin or a family meal out in the garden of the farmhouse, walks out over the waters of the coast or around the local pond – and that’s just for starters.

To the north of the island, sitting on a low shoulder of the western hills, is another house. Occupying its own grounds, it lies at the end of the main track and rises as a red-roofed curiosity. Unfurnished and a little rough around the edges, it is again more for backdrop than internal exploration, and it fulfils this role with ease, the wild garden before it again offering the opportunities for photography.

Those who fancy a little activity can find it by grabbing duckie bumper boats from the rezzer and paddle around the water to the north, east and west side of the region. Those who prefer something a little quieter, there are at least a couple of hideaway hammock either hidden among the trees or out on a little island.

All told, a pleasing, easy-on-the-eye setting with plenty of photo opportunities. Those in need of props can join the local group for rezzing rights (L$49 joining fee) – but please remember to pick up your items when done!

SLurl Details

• Making Memories (Long Island Shores, rated Adult)

Justice Vought opened the next instalment of his journey through region designs over the last weekend in May 2022, and was kind enough to pass me a personal invitation to visit – my apologies to him for taking several days to get to drop in; life is being a little hectic at the moment, and my daily SL activities have been largely confined to logging-in and parking myself for IM’s etc.

This latest design, however, was guaranteed to pull me across to it sooner rather than later because not only is it Justice’s latest build – and I have never failed to appreciate and enjoy his work – it also carries visitors to the Far East, which as regulars to the pages will know is a part of the world I love.

In particular, A Samurai’s Tale presents something of a tribute to Japan’s feudal history and the time of the samurai military nobility, but perhaps not in the manner one might expect.

The samurai came to prominence during 12th century, with their power and responsibilities growing in the wake of their defence of northern Japan against the attempted invasion by the  Yuan dynasty in the 13th century. During the Edo period, (1603 to 1868) the role of the samurai  became a mix of soldier and administrator, steward and chamberlain within the daimyo estates.

However, in the latter half of the 19th century, with Japan formalising / consolidated its military and ruling structure under the emperor during the Meiji Restoration, the samurai’s feudal roles came to an abrupt end. However, they did not entirely from Japanese life as they adjusted to new, professional and entrepreneurial roles, whilst their traditions, memory, culture and weapons remain popular through until today.

So popular, in fact, that when considering the era of the samurai, we tend to often just think of the warrior, his armour, and the palaces and great daimyo estates of the shoguns, together with Edo period walls palaces, towns and so on. And this is why, for me, A Samurai’s Tale is refreshing. Rather than offering a single scene from feudal Japan, it instead presents vignettes that can be said to reflect the core virtues expected of the samurai: justice, courage, benevolence, respect, honesty, honour, and loyalty.

For example, from the landing point, visitors can walk through a small graveyard with shrines to remember the dead, thus witnessing honour.  Over a bridge sits a house representative of loyalty to family and master. Within the house are have period images on the walls, together with a stand holding a pair of katana blades (courage). Travel down the hill from the landing point, and a small fishing village awaits, the kind of little settlement a local samurai would consider as being under his protection (justice / benevolence), and so on.

By not confining itself to a particular period, the setting it allows the music and dance spaces located both close to the house and towards the middle of the region to blend with the rest of the design without looking out-of-place. Meanwhile, there are other numerous elements to be found within the region that fits with the theme – and one which even offers an subtle link to another chivalrous legend, even if it is the purely fictional Arthurian legend.

One of these touches I particularly like comes in the form of stone-carved versions of Kikazaru, Mizaru and Iwazaru, the three Sambiki-Saru (“mystic apes”), whom we better know in the west as Hear No Evil, See No Evil and Speak No Evil. Perhaps most famously represented by a 17th century carving over the entrance to the Tōshō-gū shrine in Nikkō, they represent the maxim of seeing or hearing no evil in others and speaking no evil of them; a maxim said to be the triple dogma of Tendai-Buddhist philosophy which should symbolise a person’s life. As such, their presence within the region underscores the elements of honour and respect within the samurai virtues.

This is also a place where you’ll want to have local sounds enabled whilst exploring, as Justice has created a local soundscape that blends with the various vignettes, giving them added depth.

SLurl Details

• A Samurai’s Tale (Oxygen, rated Moderate)

Hera (Zee9) recently opened her latest region design to visitors, this one taking up the ground level at Island of Jahesa, held by Valéria Celestino (Kara Pendleton), and where Hera’s designs sometimes guest.

Entitled India, the setting is easiest described by using Hera’s own words:

I have been wanting to do something evocative of India for a long while. Recently I was looking at pictures of the red fort in Delhi and thought that the unique colour of the pinkish red stone might make for a very unique looking place.

All the textures are derived from photos of the red fort and there are a load of new meshes. I have used the basic layout of the jungle island I have done a few times before because the layout has some nice varying levels. It has turned out far better than I thought it was going to. I keep painting.

Hera (Zee9)

The “jungle island” in question is the one Hera has used in the likes of her Shangri-La build (see: Losing myself in Hera’s Shangri-La in Second Life), and in truth, there are other elements within this build that offer echoes of that 2021 build. These include the beachside seating places and the bar / club area to one side of the build. However, rather than detracting from India, these elements – to me, at least, offer a sense of, if not continuance, then perhaps sisterhood between the two designs.

The Red Fort Hera refers to is Lal Qila, Delhi, the former residence of the Mughal Emperors, as established by Emperor Shah Jahan in 1638, when he decided to make Delhi his new capital.

The important thing to note here is that Hera is not seeking to represent Lal Qila, but rather utilises architecture seen within it as parts of her India design – and she has done so in an effective, subtle manner, such as the capstones along the walls. In addition, Hera has included new meshes of murals along the walls that are mindful of Hindu designs, as well as including reliefs of Ganesh courtesy of RiderX Spitteler.

The bar area – which appeared with Shangri-La (as noted) and also, with a redress, in Giger City (see: Hera’s Drune Giger City in Second Life) – offers a particular attraction for those looking for a place to hide away, but looking up at the towers of the builds and among the tress around it, and you’ll likely find more.

To the front of the build, elephants (admittedly African, but as I’ve noted in the past, the Asian variety is in short supply in SL) and tigers wait to greet visitors as they pass from the landing zone and climb the stairs into the build, while Shiva keeps an eye on all that goes on. Further inside are open-air passages and walks winding around the main structures, offering a route out to where the bar sits on its own island, and to where a temple-like building points an individual tower into the sky on the opposite side of the main building group to the landing zone.

Compact, easy to explore and with plenty of places to relax, India is again a photogenic build from Hera.

SLurl Detail

• India (Island of Jahesa, rated Adult)

November 2022: What the Buzz has relocated. Willow Creek appears to have closed.

The Destination Guide led me to a little corner of Heterocera called What the Buzz. Designed by Emm (HeyEmm) and located within the larger Willow Creek National Park – a place I’ll be covering in more detail in a future piece.

What the Buzz is, to quote Emm:

An interactive bee/pollinator reserve. Wander the path and stop at the yellow signs to learn about the different ways that YOU can help save and protect our precious pollinator population. Try your hand at virtual farming with the DFS Community Garden or relax at Firefly Lake and take in all of the sights and sounds.

Bees are the major type of pollinator in many ecosystems that contain flowering plants; so important that of the estimated one-third of the human food supply dependent on pollination actually receives it via bees, either wild or domesticated. They are thus a vital – if declining, due to a variety of reasons – role in the lifecycle of plants.

This and more is covered with What the Buzz, a walk through a garden-like setting, rich in plant life and areas in which visitors can learn about bees, their habitats, pollination, keeping bees, and more. Signs along the way can be touch for information, and – if they wish – also learn about the “Digital Farm System (DFS) through the What The Buzz Community Garden, where a number of vegetables, herbs and crops are being grown.

Located on the main trail that winds its way through Willow Creek National Park, What the Buzz can be explored on foot or via horseback (horse rezzer at the park’s main landing zone for those who don’t have their own to wear).

It is clear that Emm has taken considerable care in putting the setting together: areas of interest are clearly marked, and touch signs will either provide well-written information on bees and bee-keeping via note card or take you to website where further information can be obtained on helping bees in the physical world, such as creating your own pollinator garden.

At the same time, the garden spaces, located alongside an orchard, the park’s lake, offer opportunities for a careful walk within a Nature’s lap, places to sit and relax, and sits as a good place to start an exploration of the Willow Creek park as a whole

Rounded-out by a fitting soundscape, What the Buzz is a charming, informative and photogenic setting well worth visiting and wandering through – and I’ll be taking more of a look at the park as a whole in the near future, as noted!

SLurl Details

• What the Buzz @Willow Creek National Park (Muslin, rated Moderate)