Category: Reviews

On the Other Side – click any image for full size

Shakespeare recently forwarded a landmark for On the Other Side, a homestead region designed by Michelle (xxMichelle20xx) and Indriel (Indrielx) – and once again we’re in his and Max’s debt for alerting us to another fabulous region design.

The home of {JAS} main store, reached by teleport from the landing point, the region is beautifully landscaped as a small rural island, one of a number that appear to be sitting just off the coast of a larger  landmass. It’s a magnificently eclectic mix of elements which come together to present a photogenic and engaging setting.

On the Other Side

The landing point is a tall stone watch tower, looking as if it might have been transported here from the Great Wall of China, and which sits on a sheer-sided table of rock that dominates the island. Three ways off of the rock are offered: the aforementioned teleport up to {JAS}, a zip line that crosses land and water to arrive at a canopied pavilion floating in the air; and a ladder down through the tower, and then via path down the rock face.

Of the two going down, I would suggest taking the ladder and leaving the zip line for when explorations are complete. Doing so will introduce to some of the region’s curios, such as the Star Wars stormtrooper endlessly dancing on behalf of the region (and who will take donations for its continued upkeep).

On the Other Side

Nor is he alone, as overhead the region introduces a fantasy element into the mix with a dragon caught with hind legs poised either in readiness to make a landing – or ready to grab potential prey. The sci-fi  / fantasy elements continue further out in the sky as well, where what might appear to be Mars slowly tracks around the region. Stay long enough and you’ll see it transform itself into Earth, or you can click on it to change it to one of several solar system bodies.

Northwards from the path leading down from the plateau sits a farm-like setting. Horses graze on the grass, a traditional windmill stands with sails turning slowly. However, it is no longer producing flour from grain; the millstone has been moved down to the ground floor and converted for use as a coffee table, the room now a cosy lounge and kitchen, with the upper floors similarly converted for residential use. However, when walking around the outside walls, do be aware that some of the leaves drifting in the breeze aren’t phantom.

On the Other Side

The windmill is one of several small residences on the region that add to its stirring of ideas, moving thoughts away from fantasy and sci-fi, and towards more a feeling that the island could simply be a holiday retreat. Like the windmill, the house boat and converted lighthouse are both open to public viewing, but please keep in mind the large house occupying a low-lying isle in the south-west corner of the region is a private home, and avoid the temptation to cross the stone walkway leading to it

Not far from the windmill is a large pond, the home to ducks and swans. It shares the hilltop it is on with a little outdoor refreshments area looking out over the artificial run-off linking the pond with the bay below. Fronted by a narrow curve of beach, the bay offers surfing for the adventurous (the very adventurous, given the great white shark lurking under the waves, perhaps sizing-up his next snack…), or a cosy beach house for those content to sit and watch and / or cuddle.

On the Other Side

More of the eclectic mix of the region can be found to the south-east and across a stone bridge reached across a narrow channel to a small isle. This is home to Ganesh, sitting at peace on the single hill-top, surrounded by Joshua and palm trees, while down at the foot of the hill African elephants stand on the shore and in the surf. The elephants aren’t alone in being unexpected occupants of the island alongside horses, goats and sheep; there’s also an embarrassment of pandas waiting to be discovered.

There’s also ancient mystique to be found here in the form of an ancient stone circle on a low hill. A place of atmospheric mystery which, given the time of year at the time of writing, holds the suggestion of mystical goings-on.

On the Other Side

Naturally landscaped and rich in detail, On the other Side has a lot to keep the visitor occupied. There are places to sit and spend time in the region to be found throughout, and those who wish to use props to take photos can do so, as auto return is set to 30 minutes – but do please pick-up props after use. However, do note that access is restricted to avatars of at least 60 days of age.

SLurl Details

• On the Other Side (The Horizon, rated Adult)

Tokyo Street Subway Entrance – click any image for full size

Update: Dox, the region on which these builds were hosted appears to have been closed or renamed / relocated. SLurls in this article have therefore been removed.

At the start of September 2018 we visited Tokyo Street Subway Entrance, created by Paradox Ivory under her Dox brand (you can read about a past region design of hers here). It’s taken a little while to get around to writing about it, simply because immediately after our visit, I didn’t have the opportunity to hop back for photos – so apologies to Paradox for the delay in blogging.

As the name suggests, the scene is built around a street in Tokyo – one in which the old and the modern combine in what is very much an aural as well as visually immersive setting – one that absolutely must be visited with local sounds enabled (and perhaps played through headphones – just don’t have the volume set too high!).

Tokyo Street Subway Entrance

Visits commence in a busy subway entrance. PA music pays in advance of trains arriving somewhere further within the station, echoing down tiled halls, the voice of an announcer chasing after the ping-pong tones, even as the rumbling hum of the electric  trains adds a basso chorus to the cacophony filling the air. Anyone who has ever commuted on the subway of any major city during rush hour will instantly recognise the noises.

Turnstiles and a sign point the way up to ground level, where a surprise awaits. Rather than exiting onto the hustle and bustle of a busy city thoroughfare, the steps lead up to a narrow side street, more of a service road than anything, that terminates at the subway entrance. The  majority of the building are between one and three storeys in height, surrounded further out by low-rise apartments, all of which suggests an older part of town. However, the sound of passing traffic weighs heavily in the air, suggesting a busier road is not too great a distance away – perhaps located on the other side of the tunnel at the far end of the street.

Tokyo Street Subway Entrance

This isn’t the only street here, however. Running parallel with it are two more, each narrow enough to almost be classified alleyways. These are connected to the main street by covered and open walkways,   which combine with them to offer multiple paths of exploration.

When walking them, care is strongly recommended; not because of anything untoward lurking, but because there is far more to see indoors and out, on the “ground” level and up assorted steps, than might appear to be the case. From cafés and snack shops to a little cinema and a roof-top baseball practice area, these streets and alleys present a lot to keep the local residents active and entertained. The detail poured into the scene is stunning; from the street signs to the little gardens and the wandering cats; the ambient sounds, the details tucked away inside some of the buildings…

Tokyo Street Subway Entrance

Wander far enough, and you’ll find your way to a little shrine, passing typical aspects from a modern Japanese setting along the way. Further depth to the scene is added by entrances and stairways which, although they might not ultimately go anywhere, still give an extra feel that this is very much a place where people live and work. Travel far enough along the narrower roads and alleys, and you might find tennis courts Surrounded by little 2-storey apartment blocks that look as if they might have drawn their inspiration from American roadside motels.

By default, the scene is set under a night-time windlight, something that enhances the distant, haunting hooting of train horns, the scene also works under daylight and evening environment setting particularly well – as I hope some of the images here demonstrate.

Tokyo Street Subway Entrance

“Vibrant” is a word that can frequently be used to describe a region, parcel or scene within Second Life; but usually when employed, it is to define the overall visual effect that has been achieved. With Tokyo Street Subway Entrance, however, the word takes on its fullest meaning: the setting is alive with the pulse of life wherever you go, sight and sounds working together to present something almost tangible while walking the street, alleys and passages.

Engaging, detailed, beautifully modelled and presented Tokyo Street Subway Entrance packs a huge amount into itself, making a visit – for those who take the time to look down alleys, peek behind doors (not all of them are façades!) and avoid rushing things, it makes for a rewarding visit.

Tokyo Street Subway Entrance

Black Bayou Lake – click any image for full size

Update: Black Bayou Lake has closed. The SLurls have therefore been removed from this article.

Jade Koltai and Serene Footman have a reputation for designing stunning regions (see my reviews of Furillen, Khodovarikha, La Digue du Braek and Isle of May to give you an idea, if you’re unfamiliar with their past work). Their designs are  generally inspired by locations to be found in the physical world, and are always a stunning and photogenic mix of beauty, presentation and personal interpretation that are a must-see.

Such is the case with their latest offering, Black Bayou Lake, which recently opened in October. We were alerted to it by friend and photographer AJ (AnyaJurelle). “It’s beautiful!” AJ informed me via IM. “Really well put together!”  And she’s not at all wrong.

Black Bayou Lake

As is always the way with Serene and Jade, they not only design a region – they provide extensive background information on their inspiration and thoughts on the design through the Furillen website. Doing so adds considerable depth to their designs, and makes visiting any of their regions both visually informative and stimulating in the way they can reveal far off places to us. This is once again the case with this region.

Black Bayou Lake  is located in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana. The lake is part of an 800 acre nature reserve which seethes with wildlife: there are many species of bird, insect, reptile and fish, along with a variety of trees such as cherrybark oak, cedar elm, ash, hickories, willow oak, shortleaf pine, loblolly pine, mockernut hickory and post oak. It’s a stunning place, which attracted us because we had not yet tried designing a sim that consists mainly of water.

– Serene Footman describing the inspiration behind Black Bayou Lake in Second Life

Black Bayou Lake

Serene notes that not only is the lake alive with wildlife and flora, it can also – thanks to the may denuded trees found in its waters – be a somewhat creepy place. All of this is perfectly captured in the region design, which casts the lake under a darkening, cloud-laden sky, just as the mist is rising through the tall grass and reeds. It’s a perfect look and feel for the time of year, but such is the design of the region it is perfect for photographing under a broad range of environment settings, and I opted to go with a little more daylight with the images here.

To try to describe this raw beauty of this location would be pointless; it has to be seen to be appreciated, such is the love and care with which it has been designed and everything within it has been curated to present a genuinely immersive setting that carries the visitor into the heart of the Louisiana swamplands, revealing both their natural and man-made beauty whilst incorporating many touches we all tend to associate with bayou life, courtesy of natural history programmes and fictional films.

Black Bayou Lake

The natural beauty is fully evident in the mix of and water in this wetland. Trees and mangroves rise from the water and cling to the more solid grassland areas, the tall grass mixing with reeds along the water’s edge to make is difficult in places to discern where dry ends and wet begins. Birds and water fowl can be seen and heard throughout (it’s absolutely essential a visit has local sounds enabled!), while alligators patrol the waters as a warning to would-be waders.

The man-made beauty comes in the ramshackle nature of the buildings to be found scattered across the land. Run-down, some with once-bright paint now dried and fading with the passage of time, they are both a reminder of the poverty that can be found within the bayou and the pride those living there can take in their lifestyle and ways: airboats, also looking a little aged, sit with engines in pristine working order and fish dry outdoors  in a sign of independent living.

Black Bayou Lake

One of the cabins also encompasses the mystique of the bayou so beloved of fiction. Within its walls are the paraphernalia of the occult: a pentagram marked on the floor, voodoo dolls suspended from the sealed, tarot cards on (or dancing over) a table where  crystal ball sits… It’s a place hidden behind shrubs among the gnarled fingers of tress pointing to the sky, hiding but nevertheless waiting to be found.

A major feature within the physical Black Bayou Lake, as Serene notes in his blog post, is a raised walkway that allows people to venture out over the lake. This has a distinctive inverted V section rising above the surroundings, and Jade and Serene have included their own version of the board walk, complete with its unusual V section as a part of this design.

Black Bayou Lake

Wonderfully atmospheric, with careful attention to detail and plenty to discover and photograph, Black Bayou Lake is another visual feast from Serene and Jade. It will, however only be around for a short time – so if you are planning an excursion, do not leave it too long before going.