Category: Reviews

Savor Serenity – click any image for full size

It’s been a year since we last visited Savor Serenity, the homestead region designed by Gidgy (Gidgette Adagio); since then the region has relocated and undergone something of a rebuild. So when CybeleMoon (Hana Hoobinoo) suggested we pay the updated setting another visit, we made time to hop over and take a look.

There is no set landing point for the region – or there wasn’t during our visit  -, so I’ve arbitrarily chosen one here, based on the location of a welcoming note card giver. It’s tucked into the south-west corner of the region, which is actually a good place to start explorations.  The introductory note card offers a quote from John Lennon that perfectly sums up Savor Serenity’s various incarnations:

I believe in everything until it’s disproved. So I believe in fairies, the myths, dragons. It all exists, even if it’s in your mind. Who’s to say that dreams aren’t as real as the here and now?

Savor Serenity

Those familiar with the region’s layout from late 2017 might, on camming over / reaching the centre of the land and in considering the region’s windlight and flora, be forgiven for thinking little has actually changed. A familiar pool of water sits at the heart of the region, partially enclosed by what might have once been a fully surrounding octagonal wall, while to the east, steps rise from the waterfront to structures of distinctly elven design. But first looks can be deceptive.

The great Mallorn trees with their elven flets and platforms that once rose from both within and without the flanks of the great wall are now gone, taking with them some of the Tolkienesque feel that Savor Serenity was part of an elven enclave.  In their place are ancient stone buildings, connected by raised paths and stairways wrought of stone and rock.

Savor Serenity

But these are places seemingly long abandoned; walls are pitted and broken, nature’s vines and trunks and shrubs are slowly laying claim to halls and footpaths. Only etching on the glass of the few remaining glazed windows gives a hint that this one once a realm where elves and beasts lived in harmony. Now, only the beasts show themselves, the dragons of Lennon’s quote.

The largest of these wonderful creatures stand to one side of the great pool, wings magnificently spread, head and long neck lowered and stretched, great mane of spikes raised even has flames curls and flicker from wide-open mouth. It is a stance of warning, of guardianship; a great firedrake protecting the land it still regards as home. It is also a magnificent tableau of which visitors can become a part (suitable clothing advised to fully fit the scene!).

Savor Serenity

Elsewhere, smaller dragons sit within the ruins of the the stone buildings or guard the waiting throne high under the eastern dome, or offer lamps to light the way through darkling places, and are immortalised – if such beasts are not themselves immortal – in stone throughout. Their presence, together with the glass etchings, give flight to the imagination: just who were the people who once shared this place with these great breasts, and who nurtured them and clearly loved them? And from whence did they come – and where did they go?

And it is not only our imaginations that can take flight; located on the shore close to the great dragon is a sign allowing visitors to summon a winged beast of their own, and to take flight upon its back to experience something of the life and rapport the long-vanished people once enjoyed with their dragons.

Savor Serenity

Nor is that all. Within this land are secret, treasured places awaiting discovery. Follow the paths paths ruins and under tress and across rocky upheavals to a dragon-topped spire to the north-end, and you’ll find a gallery of CybeleMoon’s magnificent art; veritable tales and fables wrought each within a single image. Should you find your way to the foot of the great wall, you might also find a portcullis offering a way to passages that lead to further secrets in art awaiting discovery, and beyond it, a place to rest with the one with whom you shear your heart – or for just sitting in contemplation alone.

Beautifully conceived and executed, with places throughout  – on land or under it or on the water – awaiting discovery, which places also to sit or to dance, Savor Serenity remains an absolute delight to visit, and a joy for eye and camera to see. Photos can be shared via the Savor Serenity Flickr pool, and donations towards the upkeep of the region are appreciated.

Savor Serenity

SLurl Details

• Savor Serenity (River Hill, rated: Moderate)

 

Storybook Forest – click any image for full size

If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be very intelligent, read them more fairy tales.

– Albert Einstein

The first sentence of this quote is to be found in Storybook Forest, the second of two regions designed by Nessa Zamora (Noralie78), and which Caitlyn and I visited recently as a result of a suggestion by Miro Collas (the other being Lost Unicorn Forest Sanctuary which, along with Lost Unicorn Gallery (designed by Jennifer May Carlucci (JenniferMay Carlucci), you can read about here). At the time, I noted that Storybook Forest deserved a post of its own – so here it is.

Storybook Forest

As the opening quote and the name of the region suggest, this is very much a place focused on the fairy stories and a love of books and reading.  Linked to Lost Unicorn Forest Sanctuary by a bridge that also doubles as the region’s landing point, Storybook Forest is another immersive environment rich in detail. Like Lost Unicorn, it is richly wooded and divided into islands. In places the walls and towers of a fairy tale castle compete with the trees in matters of height. In others the trees, with paths and trails winding under their boughs, are left to their own devices.

Within the walls of the castle, just beyond the landing point is a village teeming with animal folk waiting in greeting for visitors. They have taken Einstein’s words to heart: everywhere are books of poems, fairy tales and adventures – there’s even a little library in the shape of a shelf of books! Wonderfully cluttered yet carefully laid out, it is the first hint of the care Nessa has taken in bringing things within the region together to create what feels like a story in and of itself.

Storybook Forest

A second arched gateway leads the way further into the region, but I urge you to spend time  taking the longer of the two routes to it, so that all of the delights of the village might be seen – and there are a lot, not all of them immediately obvious. When you do reach this second gateway, you’ll find it guarded by a dedication:

To the boy or girl who reads by flashlight
Who sees dragons in the clouds
Who feels most alive in worlds that never were
Who knows magic is real
Who dreams.

This is for you.

Storybook Forest

As well as a dedication, it stands as an invitation to let go of adult things, embrace our imaginations and let them roam free alongside us through the rest of the region, and immerse ourselves in all it offers and brings to mind.

And there is so much to find here: from Peter Pan – delightfully encapsulated in a little diorama using figurines by Silas Merlin – to Cinderella, complete with pumkin-turned-coach, to Hansel and Gretel, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White (complete with an interesting twist on the Seven Dwarves!). Each tale and fable is presented in its own setting, reached via winding trails than offer hints of other stories, such as Little Red Riding Hood, the Frog Prince and Bambi, and further little vignettes of local characters and creatures.

Storybook Forest

Central to these vignettes is a certain tea party, set against a backdrop of water falls, presided over by a “Deppian” (so to speak) Mad Hatter, with a White Rabbit, Cheshire Cat and – of course – a young Alice – all in attendance. There are further elements and hints of Lewis Carroll’s tale to be found here – the deck of cards with a heart on prominent display, the sign post (which admittedly can be found elsewhere), and a rabbit hole with its invitation to jump down it. This should be heeded for an extra – if brief – adventure fully In keeping with the theme of the setting.

As well as a the vignettes and dioramas retelling their tales, Storybook Forest offers many places where visitors can sit and allow memories wash over them or have their imagination take flight – or rest their avatars while their camera takes flight across the landscape. These places can be found scattered through the woods, out on the waters than split the land and – in the case of a harpsichord awaiting a player – up atop Cinderella’s tower.

Storybook Forest

A delight for the eye and the imagination, Storybook Forest has been beautifully conceived and executed, forming a marvellous destination either on its own (which I recommend, if only to give it the time it deserves whilst exploring, and to avoid any overloading of the eye and imagination), or as a part of a broader visit that encompasses Lost Unicorn Forest Sanctuary and the lost Unicorn Gallery. When visiting, please consider making a donation to the region’s continued existence via the little book piles scattered throughout the land.

SLurl Details

• Storybook Forest (Storybook, rated: General)

Lost Unicorn Forest Sanctuary – click any image for full size

Lost Unicorn Forest Sanctuary is the full region component of a trio of regions we were recently pointed towards by Milo Collas. Designed by Nessa Zamora (Noralie78), it is themed after an elven fantasy setting, routed somewhat in Tolkien, but with enough departures to make it clear this is not in any way a Middle Earth clone. It is, however, one of the most visually impressive and  – when taken with its two neighbouring regions, Faerie Tale and Storybook Forest – creatively intriguing settings we’ve recently visited in Second Life.

Such is the scope of all three, that I’m devoting a couple of posts to them, with this one focusing in Lost Unicorn Forest Sanctuary and Faerie Tale. I’ll look at Storybrook with a follow-up article in the near future.

Lost Unicorn Forest Sanctuary

A journey begins towards the north-east of Lost Unicorn, within a stone tower. Beyond it, an entire world awaits visitors. Distinctly elven in design as noted, it feels somewhat Sindarin in nature: rich woodlands with tall trees that support the flets of elven tree-houses.

A more direct Tolkien symbol faces south-east: the great Argonath, the Pillars of the Kings. Carved in the likenesses of Isildur and Anárion in Tolkien’s mythology, they stood on either side of the River Anduin, guarding the northern borders of the realm of Gondor. Here, the great figures stand either side of a river much narrower than the great Anduin, and which winds its way inland, one of three that cut the region into several landmasses, each connected to the next by bridges that invite visitors to explore them all.

Lost Unicorn Forest Sanctuary

Across the landscape unicorns roam, keeping watch whilst resting under the eaves of trees or in the shafts of sunlight rotating through them. Within the water, mermaids swim And which may trap you in the water if you’re not careful – just look for the whirlpool, and great sea beasts raise their heads from the coastal seas.

Throughout this landscape, coloured by plants and the changing colour of leaves overhead, paths and trails wind their way. The more obvious lead to the tree-houses, others point the way to secret glades and places hidden among trees and hills,  awaiting the chance to delight the eye. Some of these – such as the entrance to the crystal cavern – again carry hints of Tolkien (the gate into Moria). Others draw on other realms of fantasy, such as faery gardens.

Lost Unicorn Forest Sanctuary

Not all of these places are necessarily easy to find, so there are teleport points also waiting to be found offering a short route through the region. For those who prefer other means of travel, a flying horse rezzer can be found close to the landing point.

However, I strongly recommend taking the time to walk along trails and climb steps lest you miss things along the way. This is certainly the best way to reach the great council house to the north-west. Located above falls that tumble into a slender pool below, this can only be reached on foot by climbing up into the flets of the elven tree-houses. Watched over by dragons circling overhead, it is a place of rest and serenity, a kind of inverse Imladris, sitting above the lands, rather than hidden in a valley below them.

Lost Unicorn Forest Sanctuary

Nor is this all; close by the landing point tower, at the end of a short path, a rowing boat can be found. Sit in this, and you’ll be transported across the waters to Faerie Tale, one of the neighbouring regions, and home to the Lost Unicorn Gallery. Here you’ll be delivered to a wooden wharf within a great cavern, with signs inviting you to ascend by stair, platform and bridge – although for those who prefer there is a bubble car rezzer or  – for part of the way up – a rope climb. At the top of the climb is the gallery: a fairytale castle sitting on a great finger of rock around which a great dragon is coiled, apparently at war with a powerful unicorn.

This is a magnificent setting, designed by Jennifer May Carlucci (JenniferMay Carlucci). An entire story unto itself, time should be spent camming around it and appreciating it. The halls of the castle form an exhibition space for art. Climbing through the different levels of the castle are displays by Iruki Levee, Aleriah, Ursula Floresby, Pretty Rexen (prettyparkin Rexen), Freyja (Freyja Merryman), Natalie (Natalie Montagne), Luka Henusaki and Efinyn Jinx. Together they provide a wonderfully mixed exhibition of landscape and avatar studies.

Lost Unicorn Forest Sanctuary

However, the gallery isn’t purely about displaying art, it also serves to support First Book, an organisation dedicated to providing access to new books for children in need, and which since 1992 has distributed more than 100 million books and educational resources to programs and schools serving children from low-income families throughout the United States and Canada. A portion of all donations made to the Lost Unicorn Gallery go directly to First Book.

Should you opt to make your way back to Lost Unicorn, there is a path running south that will take visitors by bridge and tower to Storybook Forest – but that is a journey for another blog post.

Lost Unicorn Forest Sanctuary

For now I’ll leave you with thoughts of visiting Lost Unicorn and, should you enjoy it as much as we did, I hope you’ll consider a donation towards the upkeep of the regions – and perhaps in support of First Book.

SLurl Details

• Lost Unicorn  Forest Sanctuary (Lost Unicorn, rated: Moderate)