Category: Exploring Second Life

Over the weekend, Lex Machine (Archetype11 Nova) graciously invited me to visit his latest region design utilising his home region of Solveig ahead of him opening it to the public at large; and I say without reservation that it another absolutely stunning build that cannot fail to engage and captivate – one with the most fascinating (for me) titles: Writer’s Block.

Anyone who has ever seriously spent their time writing either for pleasure or for a living will be familiar with the idea of writer’s block – the inability to come up with original ideas, or to productively put pen to paper / fingers to keyboards.

Contrary to the (sometimes flippant) proclamations of some noted authors that writer’s block doesn’t exist (after all, doctor’s don’t get “doctor’s block”, do they?) writer’s block can take a wide variety of forms, some of them very definitely the result of physical disorders (agraphia). Others can equally be purely psychological and / or self-inflicted.

Ender’s Game author Orson Scott Card, for example, notes that his most frequent form of his writer’s block is the result of knowing, subconsciously or consciously, something he’s written isn’t “right” in some way, be it in terms of character interaction or action, plot narrative or turn, or something else. It prevents him moving forward with a story until he has gone back, located the issue and worked out how to correct it. For others, it can come down to a loss of inspiration, simple distraction or even an over-abundance of ideas.

Lex’s Writer’s Block offers a personification of much of the latter. As with his previous designs, this is an incredible landscape of vignettes and objects that, whilst offered within a contiguous landscape that brings them together, whilst they also stand as potential individual statements of ideas and narrative; exploring them is very much a tour through the mind of a writer / artist.

Symbolism is – as with all of Lex’s designs – to be found through this build, and starts at the landing point, where sits an oversized manual typewriter. It is slowly being overcome by winding vines and thus speaks the the longevity that can genuinely occur with writer’s block. Pages rise from it, either blank or repeatedly printed with the image of a flower – both of which speak to two of the most recognised forms of writer’s block: the inability to get started with writing something, or becoming obsessively stuck on a particular aspect / passage / piece of writing to the point – as with Orson Scott Card, above.

Beyond this is a richly diverse landscape, a walk through the mind of a writer. Buildings stand as half-finished stories or unfinished plots that lay crumbling in the wilderness of the imagination; those that are complete, stand with empty rooms, signifying the structure of a narrative that awaits the décor of the plot and the presence of characters.

Figures human and fantastical, stand and sit as the personification of characters; the interactions between some suggest the waltz of possible interactions they might come to have within their tale; the pose of others personifying the sense of loss of creative vision or the weight or anguish of being unable to complete a story.

Elsewhere, a flight of butterflies passes over the landscape like the flutterings of a half-considered idea, whilst feathers from angel’s wing speaks to the ephemeral nature of such ideas, so easily scattered on the winds of everyday distractions. Meanwhile, the ground offers paths – some obvious, others far less clear.  For the visitor, they offer routes of discovery within the region; symbolically they perhaps reference the ease with the writer’s thoughts can wander in distraction from the task at hand.

As is the way with Lex’s builds, the symbolism throughout Writer’s Block is stunning – but so too is the sheer artistry and the detail.

Lex has a marvellous talent from mixing ideas of scale, as anyone who has visited his previous designs will know. Here, “life-size” buildings share the space with giant carved figures, their contrasts blended through the use of trees and the rise and fall of the landscape itself.

Meanwhile, the smaller details offer both tales of their own that might be both threaded into the overall theme for the region, and also stand as suggestions of narratives waiting for our own imaginations to unwrap. These are incredibly diverse – from the statue of Freddy Mercury standing within a semi-walled garden or the little cottage that comes with mortars ranged in the front garden and the wrecks of a tank and armoured vehicle that flank it.

I have said this before  – and will doubtless say it again in the future; Lex Machine is one of the finest creators of region settings in Second Life today; his work never fails to stun and amaze in its breadth and depth. When building regions, we all pour something of ourselves into them – vision, ideas, wishes; but Lex does something more. Each of his designs invite us to witness not only his creativity, but take us on a journey through his imagination and to share in his thoughts – be they on subjects such as the global pandemic, his love for his partner Anastasia or his own psyche and outlook.

Writer’s Block is a continuation of all of this: breathtaking in scope and presentation, it is a must see for anyone familiar with Lex’s work. And if you haven’t visited his designs in the past, it makes for an excellent introduction – just be prepared to become a fan of his work!

Slurl Details

• Writer’s Block (Solveig, rated Adult)

At the start of April I paid a (long overdue) visit to the Zany Zen Railway (see: Letting off steam with Zany Zen Railway in Second Life). During my chat with the ZZR’s owner and operator Zen Swords-Galway (ZenriaCo), she made mention of Dizzi Sternberg, who helped her with scripting elements of the ZZR.

At the time, I didn’t actually realise that Dizzi runs a narrow gauge railway of her own, the Valkyrie Light Transport Railroad  Having since been made aware of this, I decided to hop over and take a look.

Unlike ZZR,the VLTRR is located on a single region – Lexicolo – rather than crossing multiple regions.  However, it is every bit a busy – and in places as novel – as the ZZR, running both goods trains and passenger services on a central looped track that includes several branches, and even elephants trundling around their own route (I did say it was novel!).

Now around 14 years old, the VLTRR is an entirely scratch-built narrow gauge railway, part of the Great Little Trains of Second Life network – a small group of enthusiast who celebrate everything about narrow-gauge railways. Dizzi developed it with her SL partner, NightShade Fugu and Janet Rossini.

The best place to start a visit is the VLT Main Depot. This see passenger and goods trains passing through it  together with the VLT trams, giving visitors a choice of rides.

A lot of work has cone into the layout – working trains run back and forth between yards and mines, and steam trains of a bygone era huff their way around the tracks while a Double Fairlie loco – perhaps most popularly associated with the Ffestiniog Railway in Wales hauls a couple of passenger cars and a caboose. The latter and the trams are available for riding around the main loop – although be aware that the trams may head into the sidings from time to time to allow another to take to the tracks.

Given the age of the VLTRR, the rolling stock is an interesting mix of prim and mesh builds with some of the older units possibly dated in looks – but if this is your focus, you’re missing the point. Much of this rolling stock has  – as Dizzi informed me – been running continuously around the clock for 14 years (allowing for region restarts!)  to cover a distance equivalent to a journey to the Moon!

As well as offering rides around the track, the VLTRR also offers access to the Aerodrome Amilia Earhart, owned and operated by Lady Meirit (Meirit). Built around the idea of an airfield first opened in the 1930s, it offers the chance to take in various historic aircraft dating from that period through World War II, both real and fictional, including a Supermarine S.6B of Schneider Trophy fame, a Free French Dewoitine D.520, Tiger moths, Lockheed Model 10s (appropriately enough).

The VLTRR is one of a number of rides and attractions Dizzi, NightShade and Janet provide within Lexicolo. A significant part of the region is given over to their passion for Norse history, including a number of rides, whilst tucked into a corner of the region is a theme park and a further train ride – this one modelled on Dizzi’s favourite Swiss Alpine narrow gauge track. All of this can be accessed from the main store and portal platform, where anyone wishing to have a narrow gauge railway on their own land can also purchase complete sets.

Compact and rich in history, the VLTRR is an engaging mainland visit and offers a gateway to a lot more that is waiting to be found.

SLurl Details

• Valkyrie Light Transport Railroad (Lexicolo, rated General)

Shawn Shakespeare pointed me in the direction of La Vallee, a Homestead region held by Som (Sominel Edelman) and home to his business Landscapes Unlimited – the in-world store for which is located overhead within the region.

The reason Shawn gave me the nudge is that currently the ground level of the region is sporting a design by Isha (Sablina), a talented region design whose work encompasses the likes of La Virevolte, Ponto Cabina, Field of Dreams – all of which have featured in articles in this blog – and, most recently a design on behalf of Gnaaah Xeltentat for Florence at Low Tide (see: Spring at Florence in Second Life).

La Vallee is a design that serves two purposes: the first is to demonstrate Som’s latest off-region surround, the Alpine Valley MEGA, which goes on sale from May 1st; it’s also as a setting for exploration and – for those so inclined  – for entering Som’s “50K Photo Contest” that is focused on the setting.

As with the majority of Sablina’s designs, this is an incredibly restful setting, a tall island rising from the midst of a lake guarded by a ring of high alpine peaks where snow yet nestles in the folds and dips of rock where the snow has yet to fully penetrate.

The island rises fairly tall and sheer from the waters, although on the west side, the lower reaches of the island slope more gently down to the water’s edge, reached by a switch back path of hard granite that drops away from the paved path that runs across the island’s saddle between its two peaks.

The first, and lower, of these peaks is home to the landing point: a small country station that faces a thatched-roofed cottage across a single line of track. An old steam loco is huffing its way towards this terminus across the high stone viaduct that connects island to the rest of the land (actually the region surround); but no passenger service is this – there are no cars riding along behind the loco’s tender.

The taller of the two peaks is home to a pair of farm houses that sit together within a low wall of stone that rings them, a couple of gaps within its circumference offering the means to wander to the very edge of the cliffs. Pass through one of them, and you’ll find it also offers anther path that winds around the peak, outer edge marked by lengths of drystone wall to eventually return to the steps that lead up to the farmhouses.

This path is one of two that ring the peak, the second sits lower, reached by a crossroads in the path lining the farmhouses with the railway station. It offers a pleasing walk with plenty of views, together with a number of vignettes and places to sit and pass the time.

Those who want to can wander further can fly over to the smaller island to the west – but keep in mind this actually blends with the region surround, so be careful of where you walk.

The beauty of this region really doesn’t require the level of description given here – its the kind of place that really speaks for itself during a visit. So with that in mind I’m going to say no more other than suggest that if you haven’t already done so – be sure to take the time to jump over and pay a visit. For those interested, a board at the landing point provides a a link to the region’s landing point – although specifics are a little light in terms of prizes, etc.

Slurl Details

• La Vallee (Landscapes Showcase, rated Moderate)

We built this for our own fun last year during a global pandemic. We wanted to know what it would be like if Lockdown never ended… let the plants and nature take over. So welcome to our little piece of calm. Please explore all!

So reads the introduction to * nourish *, a parcel Shawn Shakespeare recently pointed me towards. Located on a Full private region, this is small parcel  – just over 2,300 square metres in size – that packs a lot into it.

Designed by Molly (MollyWolliDoodle) with the assistance of Matt (MatthSuogan), the parcel is focused on a street scene – but not your typical street. As per the description, this is a place where a pandemic lockdown has meant that nature has moved in, leaving the local businesses overgrown with the road and footpaths becoming cracked as grass makes its presence felt.

The businesses lining either side of the road look as if they haven’t opened in a long time – and not even social distancing has allowed their proprietors to  maintain their frontages, although their neon signs continue to shine as if to enticing possible customers.

Conversely, the local multi-storey – clearly no longer required for the purpose of parking cars – appears to have been taken over as a kind of club environment and social space. It stands a little at odds with the idea of a lockdown preventing people gathering together, so one can only assume that it has been taken over by those within the same social bubble.

The roof of the building has been converted into a place for games and partying – and quite imaginatively so; including the conversion of a locomotive caught on the elevated tracks that pass the structure.

This rooftop setting is actually the icing on what is a compact cake of rich detail. From the street slowly being reclaimed by nature through the multi-storey to the waterfront with its rough beach and broken house, there is plenty to catch the eye and the camera lens, and the apparent contradictions (subject to a never-ending lockdown and the construction of the place intended to bring people together) simply work. In fact, the contrast talks to the the realities seen within the current run of restrictions on public / social gathering.

There is a certain novelty to the setting that is engaging and which makes a visit more than just the opportunity to explore; it encourages visitors to spend time simply appreciating the design. And the novelty is more than skin deep, so to speak – should you drop in, be sure to walk down the steps to the subway; there is actually more there than might first meet the eye.

Compact, carefully thought-out and executed, * nourish * is visually engaging and fun.

SLurl Details

• * nourish * (Boschetto, rated Adult)

A few days ago I received an invitation from Vally Lavender to pay a visit to her latest ValiumSL region build ahead of its official opening to the public at large.

Hermosa Tierra (Spanish for beautiful land) takes as its focus the lands of west Texas, as was the case for Vally’s previous design of MARFA (see: Deep in the heart of (west) Texas via Second Life). However, where MARFA drew on a actual place, Hermosa Tierra is born entirely out of Vally’s imagination, as she notes the the setting’s story:

Hermosa Tierra … is a fictional land on the West Texas border of Mexico and Texas (only separated by the Rio Grand River). It is loosely inspired by my impressions of the Big Bend National Park area, over 800,000 acres of desert, mountains, caverns, a vast and diverse range of flora, fauna and terrains.  The area is also rich in Mexican and American, specifically Texan, cultures.

– Vally Lavender, the Hermosa Tierra story

This is an atmospheric build, both in design and in the tragedy of the backstory of Veleta, an artist, and her rancher husband and soul mate, Jorge. On arrival, I’ll confess that I felt I’d landed a lot further west along the border between the United States and Mexico; the setting with its surround of high peaks and mesas immediately brought to mind thoughts of The High Chaparral television series and its iconic theme song; so much so that I half expected Manolito to gallop past me at the landing point as he rode towards the Hacienda-style ranch house.

However, west Texas this is, and of a time a lot later than the 1870s, as evidenced by the presence of two old pick-up trucks – although given one of these looks like it might date from the 1920s/1930s and the other the 1940s/1950s, we’re not really tied to a particular period of time, but can instead allow the story of Veleta and Jorge, and that of their great-great granddaughter, Vally, whisper to us a time it feels is best.

As one would expect from a region design by Vally, there is a lot to be discovered here. While a drought may well have led to the passing of the ranch – and of Jorge and Veleta – water has now returned to the land in the form of a fast flowing stream that bursts forth from a subterranean aquifer to the west, cutting its way northwards to vanish among the blocky mesa with their crowns of abode houses that stand guard over the land – perhaps reminders of the Pueblo way of life here.

This stream, narrow and fast, is a natural drawing point for wildlife and domesticated animals alike (or semi-domesticated, in the case of the longhorn cattle). Cattle and horses, deer and bear are all equally drawn to the water, whilst a hopeful heron awaits, statue-like, the fortuitous passing of a fish. Stepping stones span the water, pointing towards the hacienda by way of a trail bordered by lavender and wild grass.

That times have been hard here can be seen in the decrepit barn siding the track up to the ranch, while the walls of the latter, doubtless once pristine and white, are showing their age and have become the home to ivy and vines. However, the house, the courtyard before it and a second barn a short walk from the hacienda’s gates all show clear signs of renovation and re-purposing, whilst the coral has also been renewed and is once again in use.

Those exploring the land will find a lot to appreciate, from the smaller hacienda in the north-west that offers itself as a bar and places to rest, to the aforementioned wildlife and the various places to sit and appreciate the view. Travel far enough, and visitors might find themselves in a sinuous canyon, watched over by wolves and goats, whilst within the sheer walls, the hard work of a palaeontologist can be admired – but remember, look, don’t touch! When exploring, those who enjoy horse riding in SL can also perhaps get more into the spirit of the region by pulling on a wearable horse and trotting around.

Hermosa Tierra is ideal for photography, and I recommend using the local environment settings when doing to – they are the idea backdrop. in fact, art is very much a focus for this setting, again as Vally explains:

Art is all around at Hermosa Tierra in a small way.  At the Hacienda La Veleta there will be rotating artists from the covers in Flickr group pool.  Since that has not begun, we start with a ‘Memories of Marfa’ exhibit.

At the large barn we will rotate selected artists from my Empty Chair Gallery.

Thus, this is a setting that is to be very much savoured and appreciated – and it will be available for people to do so for a while; the demands of the physical world mean that Vally is taking a deserved break from the pressures of region design and building, and will instead (hopefully) be able to appreciate her work as much as those who visit it.

SLurl Details

• Hermosa Tierra (ValiumSl, rated Moderate)