Category: Reviews

It’s been several months since I had the opportunity to jump into a build by Lotus Mastroianni and Fred Hamilton (frecoi), so when Shawn Shakespeare pointed me towards Hasunohana, I decided to start the week by hopping over and taking a look.

Occupying a 4096 sq m parcel, this is a setting that is not going to tax your feet (or camera!) when exploring – which is not to say it doesn’t have anything worth seeing. Rather the reverse, in fact, since the build makes good use of the placement of streets and buildings to give the impression of both being large than first appears, and a genuine sense of forming – as the About Land description states – a little suburb siting in a much larger metropolis. And also as the About Land description makes clear, and the setting’s name suggests, it is a setting with a lean towards Japan, something that is again liable to tweak my attention, given my love of the orient.

A visit starts aboard a suburban monorail train as it arrives at the local station – something that adds a degree of depth to the setting, giving the suggestion that we are joining the locals in coming home after a day at work. From here, steps lead down to the first of the setting’s narrow streets, little more than an alleyway boxed on either side by the squat forms of apartment-style (at least in looks) houses mixed here and there with a little shop or store.

While the buildings are all façades, they nevertheless have a sense of homeliness about them: potted plans sit outside of doorways, together with shoe stands and benches, dustpans for cleaning down front steps hang from hooks on the wall, bicycles are parked on stands in alleys between houses – there’s even a thermos and steam mug outside one, suggesting the owner is not far away.

Similarly, the balconies to the upper floors of some of the houses are rich in the floatsam of life: deck chairs for enjoying the Sun are folded against railings, toys clutter floors, clothes are draped over dryers – there’s even a washing machine clearly too big to fit inside a house that has been parked to one side of one of the balconies. Where balconies aren’t available, window railings and the tops of air conditioning units mounted outside of windows are used for various domestic purposes, whilst roofs that can be accessed have been turned into little garden spaces.

Although none of the occupants of the houses are to be found, this doesn’t mean the setting is deserted; curious eyes are to be found everywhere in the form of the local Feline Overlords as they sit on rooftops, balconies, sit in doorways and – in one case – carrying out an inspection of a cart of luggage.

Finding your way around is a matter of keeping an eye out for the steps linking the streets that sit at slightly different heights one to another. Some of these steps are obvious, sitting directly at the end of one street to reach another that crosses it; others might not be so obvious; they might be hidden around a corner or at first appear to be stairways leading up into buildings.

Those who fancy a meal al fresco, one corner of the setting features a little street-side eatery. Tucked into another sits a little garden that offers one of those touches of green that can catch the eye in the most unexpected of places as we explore somewhere new.

Small, richly detailed – if somewhat texture-heavy – Hasunohana is an engaging setting, neatly blended with its high-rise surroundings through the placement of the monorail, roads and mist. Rounded out by a balanced soundscape that fits it perfectly, it makes for a tidy visit whether or not photography is your thing.

SLurl Details

• Hasunohana (Infinity Beach, rated Moderate)

Please note, this is an article about a region open only to members of the [Valium] group (membership fee: L$395, with rezzing rights) for the foreseeable future. The group can be joined in-world by visiting Seiiki (ValiumSL 1, rated Moderate), or through region holder Vally’s (Valium Lavender)  profile.

Vally (Valium Lavender) recently extended an invitation for me to visit the latest Valium SL region design, Fresh Air, as it was in the process of opening for group members. It took me a few days to get to the point of being able to take her up on the offer, but as usual, found my visit more than worth the effort.

At a time when many regions across Second Life are decorated for Halloween, Vally has decided to jump past that temptation and land directly on a winter setting – and it is good to see her once again laying out her own designs. It sites surrounded by snowy mountains, apparently rising from a frozen lake on a low island; or perhaps it is simply a humpback hill pushing itself above snow-covered grasslands that flow through the mountains from prairies on either side – although the presence of a rowing boat filled with blankets does perhaps suggest water may be present when the temperature isn’t so low and the snow not blanketing the ground.

But, whichever is the case, the setting presents a gentle, circular rise of land topped by blocks of rock and a number of cabins, out-houses and other structures sitting among fir trees. The buildings vie with the frosted rocks and places where the snow can gather above the surrounding lands. Within this setting, the landing point sits towards the north-east corner, just outside of a cabin converted into a little coffee house.

With cold skies overhead, the snow and the sound of a steady wind, the coffee house with its warm fireplace can easily become an immediate port of call. However, it sits at the end of an icy track that also invites people to walk along and visit the nearby cabins or cross to the large ice rink gazebo that sits nearby. Exactly where you opt to wander, however, is entirely up to you, as the region is easy to explore on foot or – if you prefer, by adding a wearable horse, should you have one in your inventory and prefer that method of transport.

I’m not going to go into a long description of the region and what is waiting to be found; suffice it to say it is a charming winter – *not* Christmas – setting, with a lot a lot of detail both indoors and out. The cabins are all nicely furnished and give a feeling of home, there are swings and benches and more scattered about than encourage sitting outside. This is also a place popular with both dogs and reindeer while birds can be heard in the trees.

Given all that is set out and the fact that rezzing is permitted to group members, there are plenty of opportunities for photography – although in places the mesh snow that is falling can make placing items awkward, together with sitting on some of the various items that may be under the falling snow region, so careful camming can be required when trying to place items or sit. However, this doesn’t detract from the overall genteel beauty of the region or prevent it from being a worthwhile visit.

SLurl Details

Please remember, region access requires group membership (L$395).

• Fresh Air (ValiumSL, rated Moderate)

Cube Republic (of the landscape brand fame), pointed me towards a fabulous build entitled Alexandreia Rhakotis, advising me it was a impressive build. As such, I took the first opportunity to hop over and take a look for myself.

Designed by Kleopatra T. Philopator (Kleopatra Alpha) and Elio Donat, the build is modelled after ancient Egyptian city of Alexandra, towards the end of the Ptolemaic dynasty’s rule over Egypt. It sits within a 3-region setting held by Kleopatra (2 regions) and one by Ellen of Sparta (ellenharriet) that offer a range of period destinations set within the 43-42 BC time frame, although for this article I will be focusing purely on Alexandreia Rhakotis itself.

Also accessible via an airborne landing point that provides access to all of the setting within the estate, the city has been designed to represent how ancient Alexandria may have appeared during the reign of Cleopatra VII Philopator (69 BC – 10 August 30 BC), the last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt. Her life and rule are probably most well known as being bound up with Julius Caesar (a relationship which produced a son, Caesarion, who would become the last Pharaoh of ancient Egypt), and her later affair with Mark Anthony, who came to rely on her for funding and military support during his invasions of the Parthian Empire and the Kingdom of Armenia, and with whom she distributed lands held by Rome and Parthia amongst her children (including Caesarion).

The setting is very much a labour of love for Kleopatra, who described something of its origins and development to me.

I started this work in 2016 with half a region. I’ve always loved Egypt and I developed a passion for the Ptolemaic time. Moreover, this time of Egypt is not well known and it’s a shame because Alexandria was an exceptional city.  I have been also very lucky to meet a man who has passion for building, he is a genius! Even so, researching has been difficult, because the city has been the victim of sackings, tsunami and earthquakes that have left much of it underwater, and the rest built over. We used a lot of resources: ancient writings, the work of Jean-Yves Empereur and Franck Goddio and so on.

– Kleopatra T. Philopator, discussing Alexandreia Rhakotis with me

Of course, regions being what they are, compromises have had to be made in the presentation of the city. For example, the island of Pharos, home to the famous lighthouse of the same name, and a part of the natural protection of the city’s Great Harbour, is absent, leaving only a foreshortened version of the Heptastadion causeway, which leads directly to the lighthouse. However, given the Heptastadion alone was said to be 1.2 km long and 200 metres wide, and so would require 5 regions in its own right to be fully reproduced, a lack of Pharos is hardly surprising – and completely understandable. Nevertheless, this is still a simply stunning build: as Cube remarked to me, it is like stepping into one of the models you might find under glass with a museum and walking through it.

Central to the city – as with its inspiration – is the Canopic Way, the principal east-west thoroughfare (although here it runs north to south) that ran through it. In its time, the Canopic Way was home to the majority of the Ptolemaic and Roman monuments, and many of the city’s major buildings and temples, and this is again reflected in Kleopatra and Elio’s build.

These include the Serapeum of Alexandria, the temple to the Graeco-Egyptian deity Serapis, protector of the city, built on the orders of Ptolemy III Euergetes. There is also the Great Library, centre of learning for the kingdom and a centre of learning for the world around Alexandria. This faces the the Caesareum of Alexandria, built under the orders of Cleopatra VII herself to honour Julius Caesar, and believed to have once had the obelisks we today call Cleopatra’s Needles flanking its entrance; whilst just inside the city’s inner gates lies the tomb of Alexander the Great, who established and gave his name to the city, whilst throughout are statues to the likes of Ptolemy, and Hermanubis, a god combining Hermes from the Greeks and Anubis from the Egyptians.

At the end of the Way lies a great palace with laid out gardens, shaded walks, throne room and private chambers. It bookends the core of the Canopic Way by sitting at one end, whilst the homes and places of business for the ordinary populace, set at the other, the latter offered in a stark contrast to the Ptolemaic-Romano grandeur of the main city setting.

To the east can be found the Heptastadion and the Pharos lighthouse, whilst a part of the dockyards of the Great Harbour also sits to the east side of the city, complete with ships berthed at the wharf and under construction on the shoreline. Throughout the city can be found large gold chalices mounted on marble plinths. These are information givers that will provide further note cards on the structures they stand beside / within, and provided in a choice of languages (English, French, Italian and Arabic). Further information can be obtained on a range of subject from the lecterns within the Great Library.

A further point to note with Alexandreia Rhakotis is that it is living place. Not just as a result of it being a place for role-play, but because Kleopatra and Elio are constantly tweaking and improving, building and adding. Some of this is actually noted by the fact there are signs of construction to be found within the city walls (building work was much a part of Alexandria right the way through to Emperor Hadrian). In this, I’d also point out that the vast majority of the structures and elements found within the city have all be uniquely designed and built by Elio, and are not offered for sale, further marking the uniqueness of the city and the setting in general.

While the position of various structures along the Canopic Way might be open to debate (there is some difference between the position of the Great Library here and where it appears on a drawing representing Alexandria in the time of Hypatia (roughly 400 years after Cleopatra VII), for example), this doesn’t actually matter. This is because it is the presentation of the whole, rather than the positioning of the individual parts that makes Alexandreia Rhakotis such an immersive and – dare I say it – educational setting, as well as a play for role-play and other activities, a fact that further adds to the regions being an absolute “must see”.

As noted, this is one of a number of locations within a three region estate that represent the period 43-42 BC; I’ll be covering the rest in a follow-up article.

SLurl Details

• Alexandreia Rhakotis City Gates (Special One, rated Adult)