Category: Reviews

Update, October 16th: Shadezar has a new home. 

Update, September 20th: Shadezar and Venesha appear to have closed.

All of this has happened before, and it will all happen again.

No, that’s not a quote from the Ronald D. Moore re-imagining of Battlestar Galactica – although that show did famously use a variation of these words and is possibly a more popular modern frame of reference when the quote is now used. However, in this form, the words actually come from J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, and it is one of two quotes Hera (Zee9) uses (with very good reason) to introduce the latest iterations of her builds Shadezar and Venesha, which are once again available for people to see in-world, at least for a time.

When Hera contacted me to say she had decided to bring these two build back to SL, I confess I moved them to the top of my list of places to visit because, as I recently stated when writing about Shangri-La, the build she opened earlier in August 2021 (see: Losing myself in Hera’s Shangri-La in Second Life), Hera a region creator whose imagination is in many ways unparalleled in Second Life. In fact, I’ll expand on that statement here: Hera is a genuine world builder, conjuring cities, islands, kingdoms and more from the depths of her imagination and casting them into Second Life where they might be discovered and inhabited by those who find them.

In this, Hera is also a weaver of tales. Whether we are transported to a future world – be it Earth or elsewhere in the solar system / galaxy (Drune), or to the romance and danger of desert kingdoms (Shadezar) or a voyage to arrive in an alternate version of renaissance Venice (Venesha) or a medieval city cast within a Gothic garden ( Golgothica) or discovering the mysteries of an ancient tropical temple (Shangri-La) – Hera lays down the fibres of stories in such a way that we are invited to weave them together within our imaginations into stories that can take flight, be it through our photography, a changing of outfit so as to feel more fully immersed in the setting whilst exploring, or casual free-form role-play with friends.

It is as a world builder / story weaver that Hera here presents the latest versions of Shadezar and Venesha. Both are offered on a Full region, with Shadezar occupying the ground level, and Venesha, in keeping with its last appearance in Second Life and these pages) occupying a sky platform. However, they are not the only builds within the region. Those visiting will automatically arrive in a third – the Attic.

Sitting within its own skybox, the Attic is more than a simple landing point; it is the place where dreamers are welcome and stories await their telling. As such, it is a place that should not be immediately hopped away from, but should be appreciated in its own right, having much to say for itself, both it terms of Hera’s builds and in reference to her approach to her creations.

For as long as I can remember I have wanted to do a Neverland for adults. I even came up with a name for it, Neverworld X. It has always seemed to me that the Peter pan story has a lot more going on than the Disney version. But although I tried many times to build it, I always ended up feeling that it would in the end just become a naff place used for kinky sex etc. Nothing wrong with that, but not something I wanted to pour a lot of time and effort into. And it occurred to me that, in fact, SL itself was already this Adult Neverland. So, needing an entrance hub for these sims I decided to get this whole Neverworld, Perter Pan Nursery thing finally off my chest once and for all.

– Hera, explaining The Attic landing point for entering Venesha and Shadezar

Thus, The Attic sits as a place where we can enter a world of dreams and tales – the three books on the trunk under the window beckoning us to open them and be transported to Hera’s lands of fable and into tales framed though her work and our imaginations. It is a place that, as a portal, reflects Hera’s thoughts on the magic and power of Second Life, thoughts she also gives voice to in introducing visitors to her creations of Shadezar Venesha and Shangri-La by way of this attic setting:

You are maybe familiar with the Neverland from your childhood. But that is just one small Island of the Neverworld created by the minds of children. Adults loose the ability to play there when they grow up. But they should not despair, it is simply time to move on and discover the far bigger land of fantastic fantasy, The Neverworld.

It was once said of the Neverland in relation to adults that “On these magic shores children at play are for ever beaching their coracles. We too have been there; we can still hear the sound of the surf, though we shall land no more.” … Listen now to its deep sea waves as they crash against dark rocks of deep forbidden desires, and again to the soft lapping rhythm of the surf as it gently rolls up upon the beach of sensual dreams. Listen as they call you away to adventures far beyond the innocence of childhood, to the mysterious islands of Neverworld X.

Here as well, to further enhance our mood for a visit to each (and preferably all) of her designs, Hera offers us a story of her own, written in the manner of J.M. Barrie, and which is deserving of being read for itself. Look for a fourth book within this attic nursery as it lies propped against the fireplace; and when you find it, give it a click.

And without wanting to over-egg things, I would suggest Hera’s use of the quote from Peter Pan also has a very literal application.

This is not the first time either Venesha or Shadezar has appeared (or reappeared) in Second Life. Both have long histories – Shadezar’s origins lie within the Hera’s Kingdom of Sand build, whilst Venesha’s history stretches back to her Venexia build. Both have appeared in Second Life more recently (August 2020). Thus they are very much an embodiment of the quote from Barrie used by Hera and seen at the top of this article.

However, their return is no mere repeated roll-out of builds that were here a year ago; there are departures from previous iterations awaiting discovery. This iteration of Venesha, for example, has an entirely new version of the Doge’s palace from baths up to salons. Elsewhere, links to the past remain as well. Shadezar, for example, retains its subterranean invitation for swords and sorcery role-play that carries echoes all the way back to the Kingdom of the Sand. Reached via direct teleport from the landing point outside of the city’s walls, the role-play information area also offers a map of the city for those who might need it.

Throughout both of the builds, as one would expect, there are numerous opportunities for photography – and also numerous opportunities for engagement among friends and visitor, be it through simply spending time within one or both, engaging in casual role-play or making use of the rooms and places waiting to be found as a quiet hang-out (the Doge’s palace in Venesha caries out for use!).

When introducing her idea of Neverworld within The Attic, Hera also offers a variation of a quote by T.E. Lawrence from his autobiography, The Seven Pillars of Wisdom:

Those that dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds,
wake in the day to find that it was but vanity
But the dreamers of the day are dangerous folk
for they may act upon their dreams
with open eyes and Dream True.

This is an excellent quote to repeat in closing this article, because Hera is such a dreamer – and we are fortunate to be able to share in her dreams as we walk the streets, paths, halls and rooms of Venesha, Shadezar and Shangri-La. And if you appreciate her work, please consider a donation to her teddy bear in The Attic – the funds will go towards the cost of keeping Hera’s dreams available for all of us to enjoy.

SLurl Details

• NeverworldX main landing point (The Attic) (Cloud Lake, rated Adult)
• Hera’s (Zee9) builds in this blog

It’s been two years since I first visited Jilin Estates, the Full region design by Jin Zhu (KidDreamz) and his SL partner, Li Zhu (JamaicasianBaby). It was a visit I can still recall and enjoyed at the time, so when Jin extended a personal invitation to drop into the latest iteration of Jilin – DYNASTY at Peony – Jilin Estates – ahead of the official opening, I was delighted to accept.

For those who remember the 2019 Jilin build, this latest iteration – which opened its doors to public access on at midnight SLT of the 21st / 22nd August, 2021 – is very different in presentation, but still retains the same Far East themes throughout, and more than maintains Jilin Estate’s to present an engaging design. With this new setting, the rural focus of 2019 is completely absent, replaced by a setting suggestive of a city borough or precinct, the shining towers an gleaming apartment blocks of the more affluent parts of the city forming the surrounding horizon / backdrop.

The focal point for the build is the tall, modern headquarters for Dynasty, Jin’s brand of oriental furnishings together with décor items and avatar accessories. North and south, this is bracketed by two squares, one of which forms the landing point for the region, the other the home of what might have been an old Shinto temple, now protected by a huge Tori gate even as more recent buildings attempt to hem it in on three sides.

Roads completely surround the Dynasty building, separating it and the square that is home to the landing point from what is clearly a much older neighbourhood, one perhaps looking down upon figuratively as well as literally by the distant shining towns of the city’s heart, that mixes utilitarian concrete blocks of buildings old than the glamming skyscrapers but more youthful than the wooden places of business and homes with which they mix. Besides the main square of roads around the landing point, this a neighbourhood rich with side street and alleyways and smaller squares (some one always obvious) that mark it as a veritable melting pot of ideas and opportunities for photographs.

It is also a place dominated by advertising, suggesting a society in which consumerism is the main deity. Along the side streets and alleys, neon signs hang much as up might expect them, but along the broader streets, the advertising is almost overpowering: great screens give life to adverts for faster, sleek cars, military careers, shows, and more. Not even the tall fingers of what have might once been the towers guarding former city gates have been spared, their faces covered in smooth cement on which still and animated advertising hoards have been hung, the spread of the city having long ago rendered the need for protective walls moot, their presence washed away in the drive to develop and grow, the towers left behind given a new lease of life.

Nor does the advertising end with hoardings, boards and signs: drones periodically swoop along the main roads, “pushing” holograms before them, deftly avoiding the traffic lights that also hover aloft, periodically directing traffic that many or many not require the surface roads and local expressway. These drones, together with a Deckard-style decommissioned Spinner parked alongside the landing point, suggest this is a place sitting in our not-too-distant future, a future that is refreshingly less dystopian in presentation than can be the case within SL.

The advertising perhaps initially suggests Japan as being the home to this city scene, but exploration around the landing point is likely to lean opinions more toward China. Places like the Yu Hua and Tai Fung Lau restaurants help with this push, as does the presence of  Fu dogs ornamentation around some of the building, lending them a degree of Feng Shui  protection as Chinese lanterns hang from rafters ore are strung along or across alleyways. But the truth is, this is a blending of oriental themes to which a soupçon of western elements have been added to provide a perfectly balanced mix of ideas that is both rich without in any way unpalatable.

And for those who might feel intimidated by all the advertising, a trip down one of the side streets / alleys might offer comfort thanks to the words DON’T PANIC! appearing above the roof of one building in large, friendly letters. One of these signs actually overlooks a small Cybermart – but whether the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation has a stall there or not is open to debate (see, two Hitch-Hikers Guide references for the price of one!).

But the advertising is not the only thing to be found here – there is a wealth of attention to detail to be found through the build, from the appearance of several of shiro0822’s delightful Maru Kado cats (including a couple serving behind the counters of the Izakaya food bar!), through the detailing in the various restaurants to the placement of little market stalls, vehicles and other elements that bring the setting to life as a place, and all of which await the patient explorer.

As well as being offering for exploratory and photographic delight (if you join the region’s group for L$250, you can also have rezzing rights for props – just please make sure you clean up behind yourself!), the region retains opportunities for rentals; Jin informed me there are apartments available, and that commercial opportunities are available, be these “regular” stores or pop-up opportunities. Those interested in either should contact the Jilin Estate management team for details.

In terms of viewing the city, I will say it is pretty heavily loaded with textures, and these can take a while of render, particularly if you have Shadows enabled in the viewer. As such, it might be easier to toggle these off except with taking photos. Given the lighting employed through out, I would recommend you keep Advanced Lighting Model (ALM) active, or you enable it on arrival (Preferences → Graphics → check Advanced Lighting Model). And while the setting works under a range of EEP settings (I used my own for several of the images here purely for illustrative purposes), do make sure you enable Use Shared Environment (World menu) to see the region as Jin and Li intend it to be seen. Finally, do make sure you have local sounds enabled – it’s worth it to hear the supplied sound scape, which is perhaps not quite what you might expect in places (the robot commentary in particular!), but it again adds a further layer to DYNASTY at Peony.

Another engaging and photogenic design by Jin and Li, well worth the time to visit and appreciate – any maybe pick up some household / personal bits from Jin’s store!

SLurl Details

• DYNASTY at Peony – Jilin Estates )Peony, rated Moderate)

This is going to be a shorter than usual travelogue piece – which might be a blessing, given the way I can ramble on 🙂 – but I’m caught between several personal projects at the moment, which are limiting my time a little. However, Shawn Shakespeare pointed me towards half-region design  called Kailani, designed by Peter (Peterkes Beaton) with assistance from Sakira Mirabella.

Kaïlanï, a place between heaven and the ocean! A place created to hang with friends by friends, come and enjoy the chill mood at the beach or other photogenic spots.

Wander around at the plaza or play a little game just enjoy your stay…

– The About Land description for Kailani

Recently opened (August 7th), this is a setting of two distinct halves that blend together as a whole, making for an easy-to-tour location that is – as the About Land description notes – nicely photogenic.

The landing point sits within the walled yard of what looks like it might be a gallery space in the future. It sits tucked into the south-east corner of the region – Kailani has an east-west orientation – forming part of the small split-level town the form one of the two major areas of the setting.

The lower aspect of this town forms a waterfront area, complete with a small beach and wharves for fishing boats. Above it, reached by steps, is a square piazza and a cobbled street that sits between two paved sidewalks shaded by palm trees and the broad umbrella of a monkeypod tree. Brightly coloured houses line one side of the street, pointing the way to the Kailani café sitting in the little piazza, while a number of static NPCs add a sense of life to the setting.

West and north, separated from the rest of the region by a curtail wall of high cliffs and from the little town by a narrow channel of water, is a broad beach that arcs around a tropical forest that holds its own little secrets awaiting discovery.

This beach itself is home to the Hermit bar, while there are numerous places to sit both on the sand on on the water. At the western end of the beach, a boardwalk passes over the shallows to a circular sand bank where further places to sit and / or escape can be found. A second board walk skirts a small set of falls at the forest’s eastern end to reach a little set of facades nestled beneath the cliffs almost is if they are a little holiday home for visitors.

To reach the second board walk explorers must make their way through the forest to where wooden steps descend down to it. The route will carry visitors past the locations event space (and claim a group gift if so minded), and find a further place to sit and relax beyond it that offers a nice little view back towards the town.

There’s more to be found here (will you find the little cavern, for example?) as the setting sits beneath a setting Sun that casts long shadows photographers may enjoy playing with. However, other then repeating the fact Kailani offers multiple opportunities for photography and kicking-back (trying alternate EEP settings is recommended), I’ll leave things at that and suggest you hop along to witness things for yourself.

Thanks again to Shawn for passing along the LM!

SLurl Details

• Kailani (Destiny Isle, rated Adult)