Category: Reviews

I came across the region design of Sei Foire (“flowers for you”), within the Destination Guide. Its description immediately caught my attention, offering as it does a clear invitation to visit.

Sei Fiore is a whimsical daydream brought to life, where rolling meadows of daisies sway like tiny suns in the breeze and every path feels touched by a bit of magic. Here, the world softens, ponds shimmer with quiet secrets, petals twirl like confetti, and joy tiptoes back into your heart as naturally as breathing.

– Sei Fiore Destination Guide description

On my arrival, I was delighted to discover this Full private region design is the work of Raven Fairelander (RavenStarr Fairelander). She was the creator of Posey Wildes, a setting I visited back in August 2024, finding it to be a beautiful and evocative setting rich in poetry and short stories by classical writers such as Eliot, Dickinson, Poe, Wordsworth, Yeats, Wilde and more. I was captivated by that visit, and remembering it caused no small amount of anticipation as I started to explore Sei Foire.

That said, I should state from the outset that while there are some passing similarities between Posey Wildes and Sei Fiore, particularly in terms of the touches of whimsy, the two are very different – and richly engaging – settings, with Sei Fiore being unique to itself.

It is a setting perhaps most perfectly described through Raven’s words in the setting’s Destination Guide and About Land descriptions, the latter of which states:

A meadow-born dream where joy grows wild. Rolling fields of daisies stretch beneath a golden sky, their petals whispering laughter to the wind.  In Sei Fiore, joy isn’t chased, it’s found, blooming right where you stand.

– Sei Fiore About Land description

I found this description particularly apt because as soon as I stepped out of the Landing Point gazebo, the joy carried by the region immediately surrounded me. This is very much a setting where trying to view it logically is to face defeat; this is a place to simply be accepted and relished as it is explored.

In this, the various locations awaiting discovery – the pond with its giant frogs and sea serpent, the dinosaurs gossiping on the shoreline, the pink elephants, the crystal walk burrowing through the neck of a hill, the giant plants, and so much more – are all very different one to another, yet the all flow together into a unified whole.

Within the setting it is possible to wander, to sit, to meet the locals in all their forms (from the aforementioned dinosaurs et al to dapper-dressed mice, little fairies, mythical beats and more), or find your way to a beached pirate’s ship or to platform-hung tree, and visit gardens where dragons sleep and meadows where a horse awaits you as its rider…

With giraffes watching over terraces held aloft by balloons to a certain tea party sitting atop waterfalls that give rise to the setting’s modest brook, Sei Fiore is a tumbling mix of themes and ideas, all woven together with a sense of laughter and happiness within a landscape rich in detail and photogenically attractive.

This is a place to watch out for the smaller details as well as the large; where table-top games rub shoulders with the option to sit back in meditation or contemplation; where the gentle rocking of a boat on the water might send you to sleep or interactive elements might take you by surprise (do mouse-over things!).

And when you feel you’ve roamed enough, you can make your way up to the island’s hilly middle, past the Curious ‘Shrooms and under the living arch of a tree to reach the Green Witch Café, and available yourself of the company of Althea The Green Witch within the cosy walls of her establishment.

Beautifully crafted and a joy to explore, Sei Fiore is well worth taking the time to visit.

SLurl Details

Sea Fiore (Frozen Star, rated Moderate)

I’m not quite ready to start exploring all the wintertime settings that are currently arriving across Second Life to match the  northern hemisphere as it welcomes its end-of-year weather. I’m sure this outlook will change over the next couple of weeks, but right now, I remain in the mood for warmer spots in which to roam, take photographs and generally blather about. There’s also the fact that given my current health situation, I’m naturally drawn to places physical and digital which offer calm and opportunities for peace and reflection.

Fortunately for me, Sorcha Tyles provides just such a place; one which has recently opened to visitors under her Dutch Pavilion land group. I’ve known Sorcha for a long time, both as a region designer as and a photographer-artist and gallery owner, and had always appreciated her work. As a result, I was quick to hop over to Wild Silence after coming across it in the Destination Guide.

Like the most recent iteration of Dutch Pavilion, which I visited in June 2025 (and after it had been relocated and downsized from the Homestead region I first visited in September 2024), Wild Silence occupies a parcel within a region – in this case a quarter(ish) of a Homestead to present a beautiful wild yet also delicate natural setting.

Really, the best way to describe this setting is to use the description found in its Destination Guide entry, a shorter version of which can also be found in the setting’s About Land description:

The Wild Silence is an untamed expanse where the pale water and whispering reeds hide a vibrant world. This sanctuary is home to countless birds and offers refuge from the noise of man. Explore the winding shores and witness a fragile beauty found only in the profound, untouched stillness.  

– Wild Silence Destination Guide description

Surrounded on three sides by curtain walls of rock which will serve to nicely separate the setting from the rest of the region as it is developed (at the time of my visit, the rest of the region – Moonlight Lullaby – was undeveloped open water), Wild Silence looks southward out over open Linden Water, the majority of the setting given over to a low-lying island of shingle, rocks, scrub grasses and gravel, dotted here and there with hardy trees and upon which an enterprising soul has established a little café inside a greenhouse  (coffee houses and tea houses are a creative signature of Sorcha’s builds and always a welcome sight).

Whilst “silence” appears in the location’s name, this is more a reflection of the lack of human occupancy (despite the presence of the café and a fishing boat), as reflected in the setting’s description; the island itself is alive with swishing ebb and flow of a gentle tide along the shoreline and the song and cry of birds and waterfowl and the occasional moo of the two cows as they help keep the grasses somewhat trimmed to size.

The majority of the birds and waterfowl within the setting are located at the far end of a tongue of water curling in to the island from the southern sea, forming a tear-drop of water with surprising depth.  Here can be found ducks, geese, gulls, heron, godwits, ibis and more, all adding their voices to the local chorus.

A second ribbon of water attempts to make its way around the land, hugging the curtains of cliffs and in one place broad enough to provide shelter to the aforementioned fishing boat. Both of these inland bodies of water are also home to a couple of rowing boats offering both singles and couples seating.

Nor are the rowing boats the only outdoor places to sit, as those following the island’s gravel path from the Landing Point around to where the greenhouse café at the south-east extent on the island. The café itself is an utter charm, warm and welcoming, presenting both indoor and outdoor seating for those wishing to spend time there.

In talking to Sorcha during my visit, I learned that she will be closing Dutch Pavilion in the near future so she can focus on Wild Silence. Given this, if you have visited the former, I’d strongly suggest you do so before at least the end of the month as it really is worth the time, and to perhaps do so in concert with a visit to Wild Silence, as they complement one another perfectly.

SLurl Details

• Wild Silence (Moonlight Lullaby, rated Moderate)

I first visited the Cerulean estate in Septembers 2024. A collaborative involving Emm (Emm Evergarden) of The Nature Collective fame (among other things) and Teagan Cerulean. I enjoyed my visit at the time, as noted within Coffee and a Salty C in Second Life, and actually tried to make a return visit in May 2025. However, at that time, and while the regions of the estate had been completely revised, I found things a little heavy-going viewer performance-wise, and the hoped-for article never materialised as a result.

More recently, I was again contacted by Teagan with an invitation to try a further visit with the note that both she and Emm have made some adjustments to the setting which might – together with the Lab’s tweaking of the core viewer code to encourage better performance for users – make a return visit somewhat easier. As I have always appreciated the work of Teagan, Emm and other members of the extended Cerulean family in SL, I was happy to accept the invitation and hop along to have a further look.

The first hints of Autumn are in the air. Wander quiet trails, sip coffee by the water, or soak in the beauty of this tranquil PNW retreat. Cerulean is more than a place—it’s a feeling. Welcome home.

– Cerulean Township About Land Description

Occupying a Full private region leveraging the Lab’s Land Capacity bonus and with a Homestead adjoining it to the north, Cerulean township presents an engaging mix of public spaces and private residential rentals (the latter primarily located on the Full region, and all clearly marked as such to reduce the risk of accidental trespass by visitors).

Whilst not enforced, the main Landing Point for the setting lies on the western side of the Full region, mid-way between a cluster of private residences lying to the north-west of the region and what might be seen as its commercial district to the south. Taking the form of a little railroad station alongside aged tracks, the Landing Point is subject to repeated audio notifications that the next scheduled train has been indefinitely delayed, and so visitors are encouraged to enjoy the local attractions.

Some of the latter are to be found by heading south from the landing point and along Old Mill Road past the aging motel to where Sonder Books and Vinyl Vines are the first of a number of local establishments to offer visitors a warm welcome, together with the Rusty Spoon diner. A walk east along Stumptown Avenue will also bring visitors to the local open-air market and, sitting alongside one of the setting’s large areas of water, the Les Beans Café which has been pleasingly carried over from my original visit to the setting (if completely redesigned!), and is still the venue for assorted local events.

Across the bridge from the market and café lies the local glamping centre, complete with its own outdoor venue, the Bar/66. From here it is possible to take a chairlift up the eastern highlands overlooking Lost Lake and passing over tumbling falls as they cascade over the rocky cliffs. It’s also possible to follow a couple of trails up to the top of the highlands, but do note that these also pass close to some more of the setting’s private residences, so do keep an eye out for the signs warning you of such.

A trail skirts the foot of the highlands to head north towards Cerulean Lake, the largest body of water in the setting (comprising a little over half of the estate’s Homestead region. It is here that a long tongue of land extends north, passing between the main huddle of private residences to the west and a couple more to the east, between forming a low-lying and picturesque walk up to the lake’s harbour area with its waterside eateries, stores and line of (private, I think) houseboats and the land arcs around to the west, passing another campsite and the little wharf area marking the northernmost extent of the setting.

The latter forms one of the two termini for the local ferry that plies the waters of Cerulean Lake, the other being at the southern end of the lake’s waters, not too far from the path mentioned above. The ferry is not the only means of getting out on the water either. Little motor boats are available from a couple of the decks along the wharf, whilst back at Lost Lake to the south, kayaks might be rezzed and paddled along the waterways.

For those who prefer not to take to the water for rides and don’t want to explore entirely on foot, other means of exploration await, be it on bicycle, horseback or via hot air balloon. These all add to the attractiveness of the setting in addition to its natural design and beauty.

I will admit that I still had some issues with load times on arrival, but once I’d allowed things to fully load, the overall impact was minimal in terms of frame rates whilst wandering around (allowing for the fact I do have a reasonable GPU!), and certainly did not stop me from leaving shadows enabled whilst exploring. As such, I still consider Cerulean Township well worth visiting.

SLurl Details

• Cerulean Township (Cerulean Sea, rated Moderate)

Occupying a small portion of a homestead region – the rest being given over to open water – is Hrafn Island. The work of Frankie (Frankie Blackwood), it is a windswept place, aged and with a sense of both history and mystery.

Black sand, cold mist, and the echo of wings. The ravens came first, then the sea. Some say the waves still carry their voices, whispering to those who dare walk alone.

The island remembers what it’s given, and what it’s taken back

– Hrafn Island About Land

As regulars to these pages know, I tend to be especially drawn to locations in Second Life which have – or may have – been (in full or in part) inspired by physical world locations. On seeing the name of this setting, I couldn’t help but wonder if it might have been inspired by the small but handsomely rugged Ramsey Island sitting off the  Pembrokeshire coast of Wales, a name that forms “Hrafn’s Island” in Old Norse, referencing the many ravens (and perhaps choughs which might from a distance be mistaken for ravens) to be found there (among a variety of other species of birds).

It turned out my assumption was likely wrong, but this doesn’t negate the fact that Frankie’s Hrafn Island is a home to ravens, and is – more prominently – a richly engaging setting carrying with it both overtones and undertones of Nordic expression (for example, as well as meaning “raven”, Hrafn is also masculine personal and byname in Old Norse).

This is a setting that is beautifully minimalist, much in keeping with parts of Iceland: rugged, green, and showing clear signs of its volcanic history – in this case, notably by the basalt columns protecting much of the coast from the surrounding waters and the dark volcanic sands of the beach areas. The humped back of the island is devoid of trees and shrubs, the land being given over to rough grass on which sheep graze and a horse roams. The honest, simple beauty it presents is breath-taking, as is the dual sense of history and mystery I’ve already alluded to.

Further Nordic elements can be found in the form of the small homestead and its barn also occupying the island, together with small totems on the beach and the rough-hewn standing stones carved with runes. These – perhaps in part because of the region’s misty Shared Environment (by which it should obviously be seen – give the setting an enigmatic air.

The greater part of this mystery, however, comes in the form of 17 pages of a journal. Scattered across the island and awaiting discovery by the keen-eyed, these appear to have been written by one Eira Sævarsdóttir – a name which further points to Iceland as a source for the setting’s imagined location, as does the place by which Eira appears to have reached this island: Stykkishólmur, a town located on Iceland’s Snæfellsnes peninsula.

This journal presents an unfolding story of a deeper, older secret wrapped around the island; a mystery which draws Eira into its (dark?) heart, her fate forming a further chapter in its writing. It’s a tale I don’t want to spoil here; far better for it to to be discovered as the various pages are found and compiled (such is their scattering across the island, indoors and out, the order in which they might be found does not necessarily match their numerical order) such that they might be read in chronological order. While this may take a little time (it’s not always easy to locate individual pages – although a viewer with Area Search might help those pushed for time), for those who like to fully enjoy a setting, I do recommend doing so and then reading the journal in full.

With its mystery to be solved, a windswept, rugged beauty and even a spot of surfing to be had by those so minded, Hrafn Island makes for an engaging visit.

SLurl Details

• Hrafn Island (Star Gazer, rated Moderate)