Category: Reviews

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)

Back in March 2019, I dropped into Green Acres, a Homestead region designed by Alsatian Kidd with assistance from Iniquity Constantine. At the time, the setting presented a slice of rural Americana in a very photogenic setting, one I enjoyed exploring and photographing (see A Trip to Green Acres in Second Life).

Three years is a long time in Second Life; it’s a period sufficiently long enough that it can see many changes take place. This is certainly true with Green Acres; much has changed, making a re-visit (as suggested to me by several people over the last couple of weeks) very worthwhile; although at the same time, the changes are such that they show a natural progression for the setting in its rural appeal, rather than a complete revolution in its style and sense of place – a fact that makes a revisit even more appealing.

Green Acres provides the three R’s. Rustic. Rural. Retreat. This adult-themed region has open vistas providing opportunities for photography, horseback riding, and hanging out. Explore the farm with livestock, crops and a farmers market.

– Green Ares About Land Description

The land retains its split between rugged grassy uplands and equally green lowlands. The former run from the south-east corner of the region and point their way inland and northwards. Nestled to the east of them sits the landing point, located between a copse of trees and the main path which runs around most of the island.

The path partners with a stream originated the foot of falls which drop from the inner highlands, the two running north before parting way once more, the stream turning to follow the foot of the hills and then joining a broader river flowing along their west side, the path continuing to run close to the coastline as it also turns westwards.

Go south along the path and it steps its way up onto the feet of the hills, offering a climb up wooden steps up to the hilltops and the large pond nestled there, reaching the water by way of the deck and cabin facing it – the cabin being a public space. For those who prefer, the point at which the steps commence also offers a grassy climb up to the spine of the hills.

Westwards, the land is largely flat or low-lying compared to the hilly east. The majority of it is separated from the hills by a rocky escarpment and a river which flows north from a broad lake at the foot of the cliffs. This land is home to the Green Acres farm, the farmhouse set back overlooking the west coastline, the farm’s outbuildings – barns, farm produce store and greenhouse – all scattered around, set between fenced meadows where livestock and horses graze, and  where crops grow.

A point to note here is that while the farm’s outbuildings are available to the public, the farmhouse itself is a private residence, so please keep that in mind when visiting.

There is no direct route over the hills from the landing point to the farm; if you want a safe way to go from one to the other, it have to be by following the footpath north and then west. This brings visitors to Sahar Point, occupying the north-west corner of the region, and Constantine Harbour.

This is marked by a broad, dune-waved beach nestled in a small cove watched over by a lighthouse sitting between it and the river estuary that forms the waterfront for the harbour, the wharf and harbour buildings the home to a seafood market. A stout bridge spans the neck of the river just before it broadens into the estuary, presenting a crossing-point to reach the farm.

Rich in places to sit – just check the annotated map at the landing point -, with wildlife waiting to be found throughout and finished in a fitting soundscape, Green Acres remains a beautifully photogenic visit.

SLurl Details

• Green Acres (Costa do Sol, rated: Adult)