Category: Reviews

Yoyo Collas – he of Borkum fame (which I last covered at the start of the year) – is now back with a new Homestead region design in the form of the rugged, mysterious islands of Luna Sea, assisted in his work this time by AmyDenise.

These low-lying islands, sitting under a misted sky marked by a recently-risen Sun, are home to a plethora of wildlife, and form an interesting and interconnected trio. Between them they are rich in detail, colour and opportunities for exploration, relaxation and photography.

The Landing Point sits on the largest of the three islands, a long finger of west-pointing rock where hardy grass, shrubs and a few headstrong trees with their back bent as if twisted by ocean winds over the years, have gained a toe-hold.

The ground gives the suggestion of a possible volcanic origin, which together with some of the mammals present – notably the walrus and grey seals – suggesting the islands could be a remote part of the High Arctic Large Igneous Province; not that anywhere in SL has to be based or inspired on any actual physical world location, this is just a game I like to play in the hope of additional sparking imaginations. A colony of eared seals has also come ashore close by the Landing Point, further suggesting a north Atlantic vibe to the islands (although eared seals can in fairness be found the world over).

This island is dominated by three structures. Two are built out over the waters between it and the southern island, and the third –and largest – raises itself over the island’s high point on study legs – although “high point” is here a relative term, it being little more that a hump of rock at towards the island’s eastern end and sitting just a little above the island’s general elevation.

Reached via stairs leading up to a central covered deck, this large unit forms a comfortable home sturdily built in steel and wood, the decks available on three sides offering commanding views to the west, north and east. It does not appear to be a private residence, but open for visitors to enjoy, the décor perfectly put together by AmyDenise.

The two buildings built out over the water share a common deck. They stand as a pair of artist’s studios and the local café offering refreshments on the seaward part of their shared deck; just be prepared to share your nibbles with the local kitties! This deck also offers sheltered moorings for boats visiting the island. In addition, a large fishing trawler sits alongside, whilst pedal boats are tied-up below one of the studio units. Access to the majority of these moorings from the eastern ends of the island is prevented courtesy of the pier bridge connecting to the second largest island – although this pier can (and does) also offer places where boats can be brought alongside and moored.

Roughly half the size of the main island, the second isle is more of a bump of granite shingle rising from the surrounding waters. Again, shrubs and grass cling to it, together with a single tree. However, its most striking feature takes the form of two large huts.

These look as if some giant hand has taken the hull of a wooden ship and planted it keel-side up on the island, before using a cleaver to slice it neatly into two halves, then moving them apart. They are set as a surfer’s retreat and workshop, and thus suggest a further geographical influence for (and mystery to) these islands. A further geographical mix is added by the presence of several giant turtles, monitor lizards and red-crowned crane (whose height strongly suggests they will brook no argument from mere humans!).

The third island lies to the north side of the region, barely off the coast of the main island. So close, in fact, it is connected by a short, low wooden bridge passing over a narrow neck of shallow wetland, suggesting that it one time the two were once a singular landmass. Further shallows lie to the west, extending both to the main island and out to where a trio of massive wind turbines stand as sentinels watching over the setting. With nets staked out across their length and breadth ready to herd fish into their various traps, the nets have become a feeding ground for egrets, seagulls and heron.

Largely comprising igneous shingle, this smallest of the three islands has a single blunt thumb of a thumb-tip of rock poking upwards, capped by the most extraordinary structure. Resembling a recently-landed space vehicle, it is reached via step hammered into the rock on which it stands, its upper level marked by four large, leaf-like hatchways folded back to reveal its interior. Here can be found a celebration of the island’s most mysterious inhabitant, and the one which perhaps brings visitors to the islands’ shores: actias luna, the luna moth (aka the American moon moth).

A mysterious silence reigns on a remote, mist-shrouded island of black sand and jagged rocks. Sharp cliffs rise from the sea like ancient sentinels, and strange, silvery plants grow among glittering lava rocks. This is where the Luna Moth lives—a rare, luminous creature with moon-coloured wings that only appears at night. Its silent flight seems to pierce time and space, as if guarding the dreams of the island itself.     

– Yoyo Collas’ description of Luna Sea

This is not the only place these North American moths might be found; at least one pair are hiding in plain sight on one of the islands. However, I’ll leave it to you to find them and the little family of meerkats which has also made the islands its home 🙂 .

Beautifully conceived and executed, Luna Sea is a highly rewarding visit – so do be sure to hop over and explore!

SLurl Details

• Luna Sea (rated: Moderate)

Dear Inara,

I’m writing to warmly invite you to visit Caerleone Manor, a recently completed destination in Second Life inspired by the elegance and cultural richness of 18th–19th century grand estates. The region features formal gardens, a grand ballroom, intimate salons, equestrian trails, and curated event spaces — all designed with immersive detail and historical ambiance in mind.

This was the opening to a personal invitation I received from Sethos Lionheart to visit his – frankly – stunning Full region design celebrating a bygone era of grand estates and magnificent homes. It was an invitation I was delighted to take up at the earliest opportunity for two reasons – beyond the extreme grace with which it was written, that is. The first being that I am a lover of what we in the UK call stately homes and thoroughly enjoy visiting them and appreciating their history. The second being that I have admired Sethos’ region designs, having written about them in the past – but to my shame, I’d actually lost track of his work.

As noted in the extract from Sethos’ invitation, Caerleone Manor (Lionheart(?) Manor) seeks to evoke the grand estates to be found across much of Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries (although its style perhaps suggests a strong French architectural influence). It’s not the first such region design to do so (perhaps the multi-region Angel Manor stands as the most famous example), but it is undoubtedly one of the best, and in being set within a single region, offers one of the most concise and visually engaging demonstrations of how a slice of physical and cultural history can be immersively brought into Second Life for the appreciation of many.

What is particularly impressive about Caerleone Manor is the fact that it brings together all the major aspects we find within a stately home held by a single family over several generations, all without ever feeling cramped or overcrowded. Building are all neatly spaced apart, giving lots of room for the gardens to breathe; the gardens themselves follow the familiar lines of such formal spaces, utilising geometry to present a sense of balance and harmony. Part of the estate  – notably the chapel and family burial area – given the estate a sense of established history; while the house itself speaks to potential generational occupancy – or at least, it plays host to a richness of family history.

In fact, this sense of familial history and the passage of time might be seen as existing within the buildings of the estate. Located to the rear of the main house, and elevated to offer a similar sense of command over the gardens, is the grand ballroom. It offers a different, and possibly later-era, architectural design compared to the house and its stables, suggesting it was built some time after them (the cocktail bar up on the gallery is certainly of a more recent vintage!). There is also an outdoor pool and terrace which might be a more recent addition to the estate.

The pool terrace offers one of a number of routes to a long ribbon of beach – passing by way of a magnificent folly. At the northern end of this beach is a further element which might conceivably been added well after the construction of the original house and outbuildings, in the form of an iron and stone (concrete?) pier with a distinctly late-Victorian lean. Such elements give a huge sense of the estate as a living entity, generations beyond the first placing their mark upon it in some way, large or small, living or sleeping within their burial houses.

While there is no grand approach to Caerleone Manor that is often in keeping with such great estates – the long drive being intended to focus the eye and awe of visitors on the grandeur of the house sitting at its end -, the house does offer grounds beyond the immediate buildings and gardens, again in keeping with such grand estates. These grounds can be explored by following the paved road that loops out from the carriage house to pass before the gates of the main estate (and the Landing Point) before then looping around the east side of the main estate and making a return. The road can be followed on foot or on horseback – a steed can be rezzed from the courtyard doors of the stables.

There is so much attention to detail outside of the main house that time should be spent exploring the paths and outer buildings; I particularly likes the two pavilions flanking the main garden and sitting between the main house and ballroom. The mottos inscribed over their entrances beautifully speak to life as they reveal the intended use.

Also within the grounds is a little kitchen farm, complete with hives for honey, chickens for eggs (and poultry for the table!), sheep (likely also destined for the dining table by way of the butcher’s cleaver) and a hutch of rabbits (which probably weren’t kept for petting by the children!). Also within the grounds is a feature oft found among grand homes: a hedge maze, this one offering those finding their way to its heart the opportunity for a dance – so taking a partner when following its paths are encouraged!

The House itself is beautifully furnished and rich in décor. The reception rooms and salons on the ground floor offer just the right mix of comfort and ostentatious design often found in these houses (take the monkeys holding up the room lights in the dining room!) without spilling over into gauche. The walls and ceilings feature beautiful panelling and decoration to give them a suitable Rococo sensibility.

The paintings and wall hangings all speak to the core period represented by the house, and more besides. In regard to the former, works by French artists Jean-Honoré Fragonard and François Boucher, together with pieces by Giovanni Paolo Panini – notably his Departure of the Duc de Choiseul from the Piazza di San Pietro (1754, and now displayed within the Staatliche Museen, Berlin) and View of the Campidoglio (1750) are to be found on walls. Meanwhile, carefully hung tapestries speak to much earlier periods, their presence suggestive of commemorating family history, whilst Auguste Bonheur adds a further Victorian era touch, although the precise time frame for the house’s presence to remain fluid within Sethos’ stated 18th-19th century intent.

As well as being historically relevant, I found the mixing of French and Italian artists, together with the statue of Napoleon Bonaparte to be found within the gardens as a reason for thinking the house is of French origin. Taken together,  they brought to mind Napoleon’s foray into Italy (1796/7) with its associated territorial gains for France, and which came just prior to his ascendancy to the position of Emperor (1799). However, this is my personal view, and not anything which may have been intended by Sethos; so take it with a grain or two of salt 🙂 .

Like stately homes in the modern era, Caerleone Manor does not only stand as a monumental to  bygone eras; it also hosts events and gatherings. These will commence on June 9th, 2025, with the Grand Opening of the house and its gardens estate, featuring the music of Jess Blues and an exhibition of  art by Hermes Kondor. Information on the Grand Opening and other forthcoming events can be found on the website accompanying the Manor. Meanwhile, the wrought iron conservatory in the ground appears is if it might be suitable for weddings.

With more to be discovered than I’ve covered here (including the opportunity to rest in the woods!), Caerleone Manor is a genuine delight and feast for the eyes of the detail-oriented. Or to put it another way: a must-see destination for Second Life explorers!

SLurl Details

• Caerleone Manor (rated Moderate)

Update, July 2025: Umi appears to have closed. The SLurl here have therefore been removed.

It’s been a fair while since I’ve written about any of Paradox Ivory’s region designs; the last occasion was following a visit to Cravone City in 2021 (a place which itself appears to have expanded mightily since then). Paradox has also in the past been responsible for a location called Umi, which shared a region with her Tokyo Street Subway Entrance, locations I wrote about in 2019 and 2018 respectively.

Both of the latter vanished into the ether sometime after 2019, and to be honest, at that point I lost track of Paradox’s work. So I was pleasantly surprised when Cube Republic poked me about Umi’s return – this time on a much larger scale.

Once again occupying a Full private region – this time leveraging the Land Capacity bonus – and with an adjoining Homestead (currently under construction, UMI is expanded well beyond its 2018/9 form, offering a lot to see and the promise of more to come, given Paradox is in the process of expanding it into the adjoining region.

Welcome to Umi, where serene rural rhythms blend with vibrant urban energy amid a captivating fusion of Japanese and Korean cultures. Here, each street corner tells a tale, every café beckons you to linger, and every encounter promises a journey to joy. Don’t forget to say hello to Umi’s beloved resident cats, who add their own special charm to this enchanting island experience. Welcome to a world where every purr and whisker brings a new adventure!

– From the Umi About Land description

The Landing Point for Umi sits at its southern end, where the setting meets the sea, the two separated by a stretch of rocky, shingle beach which may not avail itself overly well to sunbathers or swimmers, but is certainly appreciated by the local populace of seagulls.

Taking the form of a ferry quay stretching a makeshift-looking pier (wooden planks and iron grating welding on to sealed oil cans for floatation) out into the bay, the Landing Point gives the impression that one has literally just stepped off the ferry on arriving (an if you listen, you will hear the ferry’s horn away in the distance and it (presumably) chugs off back to the mainland.

Once through the gates of the ferry terminus, visitors have a choice of routes: along the raised causeway road (presumably elevated to keep it clear of high tides!) and thence up into the town proper. For those preferring a wander along the not entirely attractive beach, it is possible to turn east or west and do so, either extremity of the shingle and rock waterfront having a stepped footpath leading up into town as well. Of the two, the walk to the west also offers the opportunity to visit the Seaside Café, which is doing its best to remain happy and sunny, despite the aging drabness of the beach!

Umi itself is neatly tiered, rising from the waterfront as set of linear elements. The first of these, bracketed at either end by the steps rising from the extremes of the beach, as well as being reached directly from the steps rising from the end of the causeway road, is a walled water channel, complete with narrow footpaths to either side and with little bridges periodically spanning it.

Behind this is a small residential district, complete with a playground and what looks like a nursery school. Another waterway (a storm drain?) separates this area from the uppermost part of the town, pair of contented Buddha-like stone cats guarding the central stairway leading up to it.

This upper area mixes businesses with apartments and residences, footpaths and streets combining to form an engaging little maze to encourage visitors to explore. Within this area one will find the first warnings of on-going construction, but these are easy to avoid without risk of coming to injury. There’s also a traditional shrine awaiting discovery and further little park spaces.

A point of note here is that there are a number of private rental residences within Umi (four easily identifiable within the upper district, numbered as they are, with four more in the middle-level apartment blocks to the east side of the setting); so do be a little wary of trespassing people’s homes. There are also a number of small business premises available for rent in the setting as well.

The overall attention to detail is one of the many things that make Umi so attractive. Paradox has worked hard to give the town a sense of being a living, breathing space. Houses are furnished, window boxes and planters are cultivated; the general clutter of life can be found everywhere; there is a feeling that much of the town has grown organically, rather than being neatly planned, birds sing in the trees and can be found making the most of garden spaces and the like.

Paradox has also made great use of sound surfaces as well: iron gratings cover drains and form the walkways on bridges. When you walk on them, they will ring with the sound of your heels passing over them. There are also plenty of places to sit and pass the time – such as the Café Umi.

And then there are the cats. As much residents here as anyone, they are to be found everywhere, all of them doing typical cat things: stalking, walking, looking cute, sleeping, making it clear whether your attention is wanted or not, and offering the occasional snippet of conversation.

Even with all this said, I’ve still only scratched the surface of Umi’s treasures. To appreciate them in full, I recommend you hop over and pay a visit for yourself! My thanks, again, to Cube for the hat-tip.