Category: Reviews

This is a slightly different Exploring Second Life article, as it is, when all is said and done, about a store as much as it is about the regions it references.

AustinLiam is well-known in Second Life for the building he produces. These cover a range of functions from houses through to industrial and dockside, units and assorted rural-style buildings. All are very well made and supplied Copy / Mod, making them ideal for tweaking and kitbashing – as I can state with certainty, having purchased his Captain Retreat combined house / boathouse and converted it into a very comfortable alternative house for Isla Caitinara (see  A Captain’s Retreat in Second Life).

But given many building creators provide their work Copy / Mod, there is nothing especially unique in this, nor is there in the fact that Austin has placed his buildings in a landscaped environment – again numerous store owners and building creators landscape the regions around their store / products.

What does set Austin’s store apart from others, however, is the degree to which he has created an entire environment  / setting that combines his buildings with roads, moorings, footpaths, vehicles, boats and even static NPCs to create a genuine sense of place  – one that neatly integrates smoothly into the general environment of Second Norway in which the three regions the store spans sit.

I first visited the regions – Havna, Svalbard and Erle – as Second Norway was undergoing re-development under the management of Vanity Bonetto and her Luxory Estates Brand. At that time, Austin was also re-working his regions and extending his presence through the addition of Erle. All of that work has long since finished, and the result is a waterfront town that climbs into the rocky highlands behind it, giving it a stepped feel of a place built along the narrow lowlands that hug a rocky coast.

The core of this little township is called Havna, after the first of the regions in which it sits, and it is a busy place – there are moorings for sail boats and motorboats, workshops, a boat builder’s yard, working wharves – and even signs that the town acts as a shipping base for logging operations further up in the hills. Buildings follow the waterfront or sit out on the islands that help to give the town a natural harbour, the way they’ve been naturally been placed and mixed making the entire setting highly photogenic, whilst the roads (a mix of kits by other creators and Austin’s own work) offer multiple routes through the town and its surroundings that encourage exploration.

Further realism is added by Austin’s willingness to utilise buildings by other creators alongside his own. This not only adds depth to his town, it also means that visitors can not only discover his creations and see how they might fit their needs, they might also find other items they might be interested in purchasing, be those things houses, cars, boats or landscaping items. Photographers will also find rezzing is open – making it possible to rez props – but if you do so, please remember to clear up after yourself!

Whether looking for building for your waterfront setting (or to go inland – many of Austin’s structures are suited to either / both) or a more unique look to a house or simply enjoy exploring and want to visit and photograph a place well off the usual “tourist” trails in Second Life, then Havna might be worth dropping in to see.

SLurl Details

• Havna Town (Havna, rated Moderate)

Back in June 2021, I received an invitation to visit Rivendell – Lord of the Rings, a Homestead region design by Seraph Nirvana and Nida Nirvana (Nidatine). At the time the invite came in, I did drop in for a visit but things being what they were I had to wait for another day to make a longer visit. Thus, with apologies to Seraph and Nida, I’m only just getting to this write-up.

The first couple of things to note about the region is that whilst based on Rivendell / Imladris (depending on your preference), this is not a fantasy role-play environment. Rather, it is a quiet place open to visitors for meeting, exploring and taking photographs. The second point to note is that the setting is not in any way intended to be a reflection of Imladris as seen in the likes of Peter Jackson’s epic movies; rather this is an entirely personal interpretation that seeks to present the elven haven – albeit with a small twist.

There is no formal landing point set for the region, so I’ve arbitrarily offered one here that delvers visitors deep in the valley and – surprisingly – onto the deck of a ship. Surprisingly because, as all LOTR fans know, Rivendell lies far, far inland. But rather than being an anachronism, the presence of the ship, looking to the West as it does, offers that little twist to the setting as it links Rivendell with another elven centre on Middle Earth: the Grey Havens, the port from which the elves (and those chosen to travel with them) departed via Círdan’s ships for the Blessed Realm.

A further reason for selecting the ship as a landing point, is that it allows the fullest appreciation of the setting, as it offers the two ways by which visitors can approach the setting and gain a full appreciation for how it sits within a cleft-like valley that appears to have been sliced into the lands that sit above it – just as Tolkien intended.

The first of these, reached via steps and a high tower with the greeting Feel Welcome, Friend at its base, presents an elevated view of Rivendell, a graceful stone bridge spanning the valley to reach it.

However, I’d actually recommend the second route. It is not as initially obvious, but lies between the ship and the steep shoulder of land that rises next to it (and against which the tower mentioned above rises). Here on the sand, a wooden walkway winds through the valley floor, hugging the water’s edge to reach a path that rises with the slopes to the east. Marked by lanterns and under the shade of trees, it twists its way up to another bridge, this one roofed to help protect travellers from the spray of the falls behind it. Across this bridge, the path pitches up again, passing the outliers of Rivendell before arriving at the haven proper.

It is this route that perhaps offers a fuller appreciation of how Seraph and Nida have built their Rivendell into the slopes and cliffs of their valley, from the great arched walkway that stands almost as a protective buttress for the setting as it follows the curves of the high falls above which it has been built, to come to the elven house that sit both above and back from those falls, which might perhaps be the dwelling of Elrond himself.

Gathered around and below this house are numerous points of interest – the curving walkway itself, as it links a plaza with ruined walls and dominated by a great fountain with a tower that connects it with the grand bridge below; a walled garden enclosing a house that may have been built to make visitors feel at home, and winding paths that lead to spaces further afield, including the domed gazebo passed on the way up from the valley floor.

One of these additional spaces sits above the main path. It is reached via the path up from the valley floor, continuing as it does past the house, twisting back on itself to reach an almost hidden arboretum that houses another fountain. However, this isn’t the highest structure within the valley. That honour belongs to a high, square tower that stands aloft and alone on a shelf of rock, a high and apparently unreachable sentinel.

All of this makes for a design that is marvellously engaging in presentation, and quite breath-taking in its beauty. Some elven purists might be critical of the “non-elven” elements found throughout – the little house, the appearance of a grand piano within the elven house, some of the statues scattered throughout the setting. etc. But the fact is, none of these touches detract from the Rivendell in any way. Rather, they tend to enhance it, offering touches of familiarity, a sense of romance and – with the swings and seats – places to rest and simply drink in the entire environment, making it a destination that should not be missed.

SLurl Details

• Rivendell – Lord of the Rings (Evermore, rated Moderate)

Vally Lavender opened the latest iteration of her ValiumSL region to group members at the weekend. Once again designed by Dandy Warhlol (Terry Fotherington), the region this time takes us on a trip to the far east focused on Indonesia, but with hints of the broader region as well as a twist of Africa.

I came across the phrase ‘sacred spaces’ today and realized it is what is being created at ValiumSL, as we speak.

Unfortunately, we all live in a real world that’s both astonishingly beautiful and horrifically cruel, and  having a  “sanctuary” can be as vital as breathing. I have found mine at Suaka and I hope you will feel a sense of peace when you visit here.

– Vally Lavender, describing the creation of the new ValiumsL region design

The title of the region – Suaka – is the Indonesian word for sanctuary / haven (and also asylum  or harbourage).  Whichever way you opt to translate it, it amounts to a place of rest and respite. Hence why, in a change from the usual for the region, the setting will not be open the the general public, but remain available only to ValiumSL group members (joining fee L$395).

While I have no wish to see the setting overrun by visitors, given it is intended to be a place of sanctuary and rest, I have to say that it is as near a perfect blend of setting and idea I’ve witnessed.

In terms of the design, the general layout is suggestive of a coastal area, a place where an island sits cupped within a shallow bay – shallow enough for an old coaster to have run itself aground and wind up a part of the local scenery. A number of large rock formations rise from the waters add a sense of the broader region – similar outliers and domed islands can be found in the Philippines and along the coasts of Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand – all of which embody elements of  Buddhism and Hinduism – elements that can also be found within the setting.

The landing point may be set within a Japanese style structure, but it is a place that fits within the overall theme for the region exceptionally well, with the tribal bells, candles and lanterns very much suggesting a place of retreat and peace.  Similarly, whilst the elephants down on the beach to the north might be from the wrong continent, they nevertheless fit the setting perfectly and add to the sense of tranquillity to be found within it.

To offer a step-by-step description of Suaka would be to miss the point: this is a place to be discovered through exploration, as the many settings and places it has to offer each present its own sense of retreat and peace. However, should you opt to visit, do please keep in mind that Vally has a private residence located in the south-west of the region, the surrounding curtains of rock designed to gently enforce the fact that it is not open to the public.

Dandy’s landscaping can be heavy on meshes and unique textures which can in turn have an impact on viewer performance when running with multiple bells and whistles enabled. However, they are always highly photogenic and engaging, making them well worth the time needed to explore and appreciate. And I have to say, with Suaka, he has, with Vally’s help, created something very special and more than worth the group joining fee.

My thanks to Vally for the invitation to drop in and explore, and to Shawn for the extra landmark. 

SLurl Details

• Suaka (ValiumSL, rated Moderate)