Category: Reviews

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)