Category: Reviews

We dropped into Bart Bader’s Homestead region of Kindred Spirit at the weekend as we bounced around Second Life. It’s a place that has recently had a make-over, a Bart noted to me as we chatted while I took photographs in preparation for this article.

I did have it as a rural country sim, but returned to my love of Fantasy for this build. Every month I’ll be making small additions to keep it fresh. We’ve had a few of the Photo clubs using it for their challenges, so changing things up helps keep it fresh for them.

– Bart Bader, discussing Kindred Spirit

With the new design, Bart has created a setting that is eye-catching and imagination calling. The fantasy element is evident almost from the time of arrival, but in the must subtle of ways. The landing point, located towards the south-west corner of the region, sits at the end of a meandering track illuminated by ornate lighting posts that glow from within, the delicate forms of Noke Yuitza’s glass roses growing large to one side of the track, a crystal raised amidst ruins on the other. More fantasy elements await the opportunity to reveal themselves as visitor explore the region.

This is a place of multiple settings, each carefully separated from the rest to give a sense of space and privacy, all of them drawn together by landscaping and theme into a contiguous whole that draws visitors ever deeper into a feeling that they are in a mystical realm. Beyond a three-way bridge, for example, the path branches, one arm dipping down to the west where a ring of elven arches encircle a netted bed, while a second arm leads to a cliff edge sculpted by the fall of water from high pools to form arches, walkways and vantage points offering views to the east across the bay that cuts deeply into the landscape.

Here steps lead down to the very water itself, where tiles of flagstones raise their backs above the gentle waves, leading the way to a cavern below the cliffs – a place, Bart informed me, recently added as a part of refreshing elements of the build over time. The cavern, cliffs and their surrounds present multiple places to sit that in turn offer a captivating view to the eastern extent of the region of which more in a moment.

The region is split into two large islands linked by a single narrow bridge. The more northern of these islands continues the presentation of multiple settings ranging little track-side cosy spots to more hints of elven influence together with medieval twists – notably the low-lying ruins at the north-east headland of the island. To the east lies a marvellous grass-topped plateau to the east, home to the remnants of what might have once been a little chapel, but is now home to the first of a number of Mistrero Hifeng’s sculptures to be found within the region, and an aged piano.

To the eastern end of this almost garden-like setting stands a circular gateway with stone steps beyond forming a cleft that descends once more to water level, and what can only be described as the most marvellous water garden that dominates the eastern side of the island – and perhaps the region as a whole – with its beauty.

It is here that frosted trees raise their boughs to the sky as they in turn rise from the waters, forming an extended copse through which mist swirls and stepping stones wind. Awaiting discovery here are sculptures, statues, more of Yoke’s glass flowers, a little draped pavilion with winged chair and ornamentation and more, all watched over by another of Mistero’s statues sitting atop a winding stair. It is a place just made for photography, and with several places to sit and appreciate it scattered through out.

Standing tall over this quite beautiful setting, and at its easternmost extreme, there rises a tall tree. It is home to an elven platform reached by a covered stair that coils upwards around the tree trunk. Reached via a path passing beneath what can only be described as water splashes frozen in time to form a series of arches, the tree stands as if looking eastward across the Sundering Sea, awaiting sign of ships sailing from the far-off lands of Middle Earth to reach the hallowed lands of Aman, of which Kindred Spirit might be considered an offshore pairing of islands.

It is this water garden that so captivated me on looking outward from the southern island’s cliffs, and which I would suggest is the gem of this evocative region. However, the north island has one more setting – possibly easily missed when crossing the bridge if one is focused on following the track eastwards. Clearly revealed from the high elven platform and sitting on a low shelf of rock thrusting out into the bay is a glass pavilion (a Trompe Loeil design popular with region designers), fronted by a deck built out over the water. Home to the cosy bric-a-brac oft found in the presence of men and women, it is distinctly un-elven in look and feel, yet it fits the setting perfectly, not only offering another little setting-within-a-scene, but also reminding us that while Aman was the spiritual home for Tolkien’s elves, it was by no means exclusively so; and thus with the pavilion, Bart adds another delightful twist to the fantasy themes running throughout Kindred Spirit.

Now to be sure, there is a lot of mesh and textures used throughout the region which can impact performance, so disabling shadows when walking around or dropping draw distance might be advisable. However this is a small price to pay for spending time in what is, without a doubt, a captivating, utterly photogenic setting, one that calls on the imagine to take flight.

SLurl Details

• Kindred Spirit (Kindred Spirit 2, rated Adult)

In September 2018, we visited Florence Bay, a homestead region held by Gnaaah Xeltentat and Tomaso Franizzi and landscaped by Minnie Atlass (see A rendezvous with Florence Bay in Second Life). The island was designed as a mix of public / private spaces, with both Gnaaah and Tomaso have their homes located there. It was a charming, eye-catching setting, and we thoroughly enjoyed spending time exploring it – so it was with a sense of anticipation we accepted an invitation from Gnaaah to visit the latest Homestead setting he’s offering to the public as a destination.

Designed and built by Iska (sablina), Florence at Low Tide presents a wholly new design that maintains some of the rugged wildness of Florence Bay whilst moving the setting very much more southwards than that build, placing the region more in keeping with it’s name, as it carries a strong Mediterranean theme.

The land has a distinct north-south orientation, with the southern lowlands offering a shale foreshore cut by stream that tumbles down from the northern uplands and a waterfall that drops from a truncated peak in the north-est corner of the region. With the west side of the region separated from the rest by a narrow channel spanned by two solid bridges, the region offers a Tuscan look with the houses and buildings to be found either side of the bridges.

Chief among the buildings is a large villa with a south-facing aspect, its terraced swimming pool overlooking the receding tide to the south, where the exposed shale is home to a  – temporarily – beached fishing boat and numerous rowing boats that sit on the grey stones or are surrounded by reeds as they manage to keep a measure of water about them. Behind this villa sits a bar with an outdoor music space, it and the small house beyond it separated from the local petrol station by the narrow road that runs around a portion of the setting, offering an easy means of exploration.

That the tide is out is again revealed by the channel splitting the region. The height of the bridges, coupled with the sheer sides of the channel walls suggests that when the tide is in, much of this little gorge sits underwater. Such is the lie of the land to the north-west, it would appear that the lighthouse sitting out on the low headland is in fact cut off from the rest of the island once the tide does come in.

The lighthouse looks across the bay to the high peak that feeds the waterfalls and stream to the east. At the time of our visit, this area was still being worked on by Iska, so aspects may yet change (land capacity allowing). Across the bridge, the road passes a field of sunflowers and the gates to a little chapel perched on a shoulder of the hills, the stream curling and churning down the slopes around it.

From here it is possible to climb the rocks up to the large pool sitting at the foot of the waterfalls, feeding the stream. There are a couple of adjustments to the stream sections that could be made here, but they can easily be ignored in a trek up to the pool and then back down the far bank of the stream.

Below the stream as it turns past the chapel, the road loops around an orchard watched over by a vineyard and a stone-built farmhouse that sits like a centre point within the region, commanding views out over the southern shores and west towards the rest of the little village.

Through all of this, there’s a lot of small details waiting to be found. These range from a trio of little sailing boats fashions from little pieces of wood to boules at the bar, going by way of the local cat community – some of which are taking a very keen interest in the region’s bird population.

Caught under a late afternoon sky, rich with ambient sounds and opportunities to sit in and around the houses (and in some of the rowing and motor boats), Florence at Low Tide makes for another charming visit, rich in opportunities for photography and simple exploration. Our thanks to Gnaaah for the invitation to drop in.

SLurl Details

• Florence at Low Tide (Florence, rated Moderate)

A timeless land filled with Enchantment and Magic. Step into spring and feel the warmth. A Magical place for exploring, relaxing and taking photos with family and friends.

So reads the description for Enchantment! @ LeLoo’s World, occupying just under a quarter Mainland Full region and located on a sky platform. Designed by LeLooUlf, this is is a delight of a garden setting offering a lot to see without feeling crowded, a place full of character – and characters -, with plenty of opportunities to pass the time on your own or with a friend or friends and for photography.

It’s a welcoming place – a point brought home on arrival, as evidenced by the two of the local characters holding up a welcome banner at the landing point.

Backed by high falls tumbling down from the curtains of cliffs that enclose much of the garden – but which do not make it feel overly claustrophobic -the landing point looks out across the first part of the garden, revealing some of its delights: the raised sitting points clinging to the cliffs and reached by a mix of steep wooden steps and bridges suspended by clouds; the colourful banks of flowers to act as backdrops for photography, and a cast of local wildlife and other creatures that cannot fail to raise a smile.

This is a place rich in places to sit, some obvious, some tucked away and requiring a careful eye to find as you explore. Also awaiting discovery throughout the garden are a number of teleport points. These allow visitors to hop through the major sights of the garden – but with a couple of exceptions, the places they lead to can also be reached by gentle exploration, so I’d really suggest you let your feet take the strain and wander along the grassy paths to discover all that is available within the gardens before turning to the teleport options to reach those you can’t directly, or to ensure you’ve not not missed anything.

Doing so will take you past a cosy caravan – don’t worry about the wolves, they are as friendly as the rest of the animals to be found here – to an avenue of trees that leads to a most unique dance partner who is ready to share a range of dances with you. Beyond this, the path passes between cliffs and wall to where the garden opens out to offer on one side a large rotunda sitting within a fenced garden of its own. A small moat around the rotunda offers a place for swans to swim, whilst the grass and flowerbeds also ringing the rotunda have a musical feel to them, being occupied by a piano and harp watched over by more of the local deer.

Next to this sits a little plateau of rock that presents a setting of its own, isolated from the rest of the gardens by both the height of the plateau and the blossoms of a nearby tree, a place for picnics watched over by a rune-covered arch with a seat of its own.

Once the “ground” area of the gardens have been explored, there are the steps, ladders and bridges to be climbed and crossed to reach most of the raised parts of the setting. Like the little picnic plateau, each of these offers an individual vignette, most rich with the local characters  –  including a little group of four-footed (and winged) bookworms and a trio of fairies enjoying a picnic of their own.

As noted above, the  opportunities for photography within this setting are many; not only do the gardens naturally lend themselves to having photos taken, as I hope my images here demonstrate, but they also present multiple places for avatar-centric photos as well. These can not only be found in the many places to sit, but also through the many poses and pose stands scattered throughout the gardens. Mostly suitable for couples or pairs, these are richly varied and placed so as to take full advantage of their immediate surroundings and the the garden as a whole. Those who do take photos are invited to upload them and drop them into the in-world slide show near to the landing point, where they can be seen by other visitors.

All of this makes Enchantment @ LeLoo’s World exceptionally attractive – and even having got this far, I’ve managed to skip over other attractions that make exploration here a pleasure, such as the little cavern, or the manner in which the storybook area takes you into a famous tale of adventure taken by a certain young English girl.

Rounded-out by a matching sound-scape and open to almost any windlight setting, this really is a place of charm and enchantment; a wonderful escape from the “world below”.

SLurl Details

• Enchantment! @ LeLoo’s World (St. Martin, rated Moderate)