Category: Reviews

Athenaeum – click any image for full size

Athenaeum is an Adult-rated region we were pointed toward (once again!) by Shakespeare and Max. The name piqued my curiosity for two reasons: the school for promoting literary and scientific studies founded by the Roman Emperor Hadrian, and the Athenaeum Club in London; founded in the 1820s for those of both sexes with intellectual interests encompassing the likes of science, engineering, literature and the arts – although it is not necessarily exclusive to these disciplines.

A full region designed by Dema (Dema Fairport), Athenaeum also caters for those with a specific grouping of interests, albeit those of a distinctly adult nature, and offers a welcome to all visitors, no matter what their gender preference or sexual orientation.  It is also, and more particularly, a quite breathtaking region in its design and execution.

Athenaeum

Within her Profile, Dema offers a description that builds on the limited space within the About Land Floater to perfectly encapsulate the aim of  region, making it clear that while adult in nature and leaning towards more Adult-oriented interactions, Athenaeum is not in any way a “sex sim”; far from it. The emphasis is on a refined, cultivated approach to adult activities within Second Life.

Artistic, adult environment focusing on the kink friendly community. Come with an open mind and relax with your special someone by the pool, the veranda, library or the many relaxing areas along the beach or in the woods. Meet others of like minds. who enjoy the kinkier aspects of SL in a safe loving environment free of judgements.

Athenaeum

The landing point sits towards the centre of the region, and is located on a stone bridge reaching over one of two river gorges that slice through the land, splitting it into three major parts. To the southern end of this bridge steps rise to a shelf of rock on which sits an ageing hunting lodge, now converted into a place with an ambience – on the ground floor at least – of a private club. Within its rooms are leather arm chairs, great bookcases filled with tomes awaiting reading, fires in the hearths, bottles of port and cigar humidors on some tables, coffee and After Eight mints on others, and just the most subtle of hints as to some of the activities that might follow conversations in these rooms; activities which themselves might be enjoined in the rooms above, going by their décor.

The swimming pool mentioned in Dema’s description is to the found to one side of the flagstone terrace sitting behind the lodge,  which also offers a place for dancing under open skies and further hints of the more adult pursuits visitors might engage in. The house and terrace overlook a small finger of an island just sitting off the coast to the west, with a ribbon of beach awaiting explorers, somewhat curtained from prying eyes above by tall fir trees. Reaching this is a matter of backtracking to the bridge and then finding your way by steps and cinder track down to the foot of the plateau, and then around it to where a little wooden bridge connects the island to a second sliver of sand in the lee of the cliffs.

Athenaeum

Travel north along the stone bridge of the landing point, and the way is open to reach a broad, shallow cove on the north side of the land. Here time can be spent on the beach or in the water or resting in the tree houses sitting to one side of the cove, overlooking another DJ spots and ground-level seating areas.

Between the steps from the bridge and the rocky arch leading to the cove, the way is cut by a cinder track. Follow this downhill to a surfaced road, and you’ll find yourself passing buildings offering some unique perspectives on fetishism. There’s a celebration of the physical world photography of New York’s Darque, sitting alongside the Kink History Museum that traces the history of kink from ancient through to modern times, before the road ends at a cosy waterfront café.

Athenaeum

And all of this barely scratches the surface of the region. The landscaping is rich and natural, with cinder tracks and trails winding inland and to various points on the coast or overlooking it, with numerous secluded spots and settings with an edge of romance to them for couples and groups to enjoy. To the south-east, reached via paths leading under trees and across meadows can be found more contemplative spots, complete with Buddha awaiting those who will visit; further west, horses graze alongside their barn, while vine-draped trellises offer arched invitations to perhaps step off of  the tracks and paths and just wander, and a small headland offers a camp site overlooking the cove and its beach.

Gloriously photogenic (visitors are invited to share their images on the Athenaeum Flickr group), with its adult twists tastefully presented, Athenaeum makes of an interesting and potentially engaging visit.

Athenaeum

SLurl Details

• Athenaeum (Athenaeum, rated: Adult)

Bellefleurs – click any image for full size

Bellefleurs is an Elizabethan-styled grand manor house, the grounds of which occupy an entire homestead region. It is a location I’ve visited on several occasions in the past, but it was its recent re-appearance in the Editors Picks section of the Destination Guide that prompted me to suggest to Caitlyn we pay it a further visit.

The house is the design of Indy (India Canning); it is both the seat of the Canning family and home to the Duchess(es) of Ominum. There is an architectural beauty to the house that puts me in mind of Montacute House, the fabulous Elizabethan Renaissance house in Somerset, England, now operated by the National Trust. I gather from speaking to Indy and Lynn Mimistrobell – who is also involved in the region’s operation – this is intentional; Montacute having been one of several places Indy drew on for inspiration.

Bellefleurs

The house – and the Canning family – is the subject of a richly detailed backstory which is a simply marvellous read, and speaks to deeper elements associated with the region I shan’t go into here. Suffice it to say, never have I come across such a piece for a Second Life location that is so richly interwoven with real events from England’s history. So much so that the text reads not merely as a scene-setting piece of information, but a scholarly review of the genuine history of a noble family, one  – as so often was the way at the time – in which intrigue, politics and religion are deeply interwoven. Such the the quality of the writing, I’ll go so far as to say that a visit to Bellefleurs is incomplete without the time taken to read it either via the website or via the book presented in the entrance hall of the house – particularly if you have a knowledge / fondness / love of Elizabethan history.

Whilst Elizabethan in origin, Bellefleurs incorporates elements from other periods – notably the Victorian. This reflects the natural means by which family seats acquire elements and furnishings through the ages, and the Victorian influences mix easily with Elizabethan. There are also more modern influences to be found in both the house and the grounds, none of which are in any way out-of-place.

Within the grounds of the house are formal gardens to the north and south, with a grand water feature pointing to the west from the rear of the house. Broad paths guide visitors through the grounds to places such as the En Garde fencing area, an outdoor dance area and a walk overlooking the western coastline of the region.

Bellefleurs

To the south of the house, beyond the gardens, sits a mausoleum containing the “tomb” of India Canning. Not that she has passed or anything; it was originally a piece for a Halloween party. But in remaining in place, it offers a hint to some of the deeper aspects of the region and its backstory. However, what these may be is perhaps down to your imagination, how you look upon the portraits of Duchesses (are their likenesses purely down to familial resemblance?) or how you look upon classical / romantic themes around love, loss, life and death. I’ll say no more here, but leave you to your own ruminations;  if only for the fact one of the quotes on the capstone of the tomb had me barking completely up the wrong tree, although Lynn and Indy quickly corrected me on that score! 🙂 .

Sharing the region with Bellefleurs is the House Sakura Companion Guild, which also has its own backstory.  Located in the sky over the house, it encompasses the more adult aspects of the region – with an emphasis on refined elegance.

It is based upon an amalgamation of the Firefly Companion Guild concept, the Venetian cortigiani oneste and the Parisian demi-monde, House of Sakura is located in the sky over Bellefleurs, where more adult encounters might be had – at the discretion of the Companions of the House (who refer to themselves as Blossoms).

House of Sakura

Both Bellefleurs and House Sakura host a number of open social events people are welcome to attend:

• Sunday –  19:30 SLT: Classical Music Salon at Bellefleurs, followed at approximately 20:30 by the After Salon Party at House of Sakura – cocktail attire requested for this event.
• Alternate Tuesdays 19:00 SLT: Toxie Darkmatter sings live at the House of Sakura – cocktail attire requested for this event.
• Thursday 19:00 or 20:00 SLT:  the Thursday Dance at Bellefleurs –  alternating weeks DJ Dee (19:00) or DJ Maddie (20:00); semi-formal attire requested.
• Friday 13::00 SLT: the Friday dance with DJ Ellie  at House of Sakura – casual attire.
• Saturday 14:00-16:00 SLT: DJ Dee’s time hopping weekly party – details via the in-world group; parties are come dressed for the period / theme or as you are.

Bellefleurs house makes for an intriguing visit, and offers a lot of scope for photography and for contemplation. For those with a sophisticated approach and outlook, House Sakura offers a unique environment for more Adult related activities, although as noted, it and Bellefleurs are also both settings for relaxed social events. For those who enjoy a place that give pause for thought and which offers its own story to tell, Bellefleurs can also be just the ticket.

Bellefleurs

SLurl Details

Twist of Fate is rated Adult.

• Bellefleurs House landing point
• House of Sakura landing point – please read the arrivals notecard

Kekeland – Bardeco – click any image for full size

Update: Kekeland – Bardeco has closed. SLurls have therefore been removed from this article.

It’s been nigh-on a year since our first visit to Kekeland – Bardeco, and while the titular bar served as an inspiration of me to remodel Caitinara Bar, after we visited the in the latter half of 2017,  we hadn’t been aware of any move or make-over in the design – until, that is, Shakespeare dropped a new LM on me. Intrigued, we hopped over to have a look, to discover Kekeland – Bardeco has moved from a Homestead to Full region, and undergone a make-over in the process.

We tried to recreate a quiet, sunny and peaceful fishermen place, inspired by an Italian village. You will find a little harbour and a coloured village, and hillsides of vines, with camping and mountains.

– Dandy Warhlol (terry Fotherington) and Belle des Champs (Bridget Genna)

Kekeland – Bardeco

As recreations go, the “new” design for Kekeland is impressive, and succeeds in imparting the feeling of being within the kind of setting that inspired it; but the success might come at s slight cost to some visitors: this is a place where there is a lot going on, particularly with textures, so some adjustment to viewer settings might be required to compensate.But this should put you off visiting; after all, that’s what graphic presets are for!

The harbour described in the land description sits on the south side of the region, a walk down through the streets of the town surrounding it on two sides. Protected from the sea by a breakwater and watched over by a lighthouse, it is fairly bustling with boats: sailing boats, yachts, motorboats, RHIBs – so much so that the fishing boats tied-up at the wharves must have to fight their way out to the freedom of the sea in order to ply their trade each morning!

Kekeland – Bardeco

These fishing boats are tied-up on the east side of the harbour, which is clearly the “working” side: a busy waterfront road where a lot is going on. Behind it, and climbing the stepped cliffs, tall, modern-looking apartment blocks vie with  an ancient fort that once commanded a strategic view over the bay, to claim the skyline as theirs.

The town continues round to the north where, set back from the harbour is a plaza – surprisingly overgrown and with more tower blocks and houses climbing up the inland slope behind it. Along the plaza the predominant business appears to be entertainment and refreshment. The coffee houses, bars, boutiques and open-air music area, together with the more modern apartment houses up on the cliff-top, suggest why the harbour is so chock-full of boats: once a working coastal village, this place has now become a holiday destination.

Kekeland – Bardeco

A further attraction lies on the west of the harbour. Here, sitting atop a rough table of rock, sits Bardeco. The last time we saw this (also the occasion of our first visit to a region design by Belle and Dandy), it was imaginatively placed at the foot of of the region’s cliffs and built back into them, offering an entirely “covert”, so to speak, setting that was both part of yet separate from the rural setting above. Seeing it out in the open in this “new” location did take a little getting used to, I admit, but it has not lost any of its shabby-chic appeal.

North of Bardeco, beyond the slip of water and beach dividing it from the town, the buildings quickly give way to open, rugged land. Here can be found trails, old ruins and signs that not all the locals have been driven away by the maddening crowd on the waterfront. Goats are being reared and grape vines cultivated on some of the lower northern steps of the island, while old farmhouses hide among the trees or sit aloof from the trails on their own shoulders of rock. There’s also the ruins of a much grander property sitting forlorn and alone, whatever story of times past lying within its broken walls fading slowly as nature takes up a greater and greater residence.

Kekeland – Bardeco

In its Homestead iteration, Kekeland – Bardeco offered a wonderful sense of rural living, complete with its discrete and neatly tucked away bar. With its move to a Full region simulator, it presents a more urban setting, and marries these with some of the feeling on open spaces that made the “original” so appealing. It is very different to the “old” design, but sports a unique look and charm nevertheless.